JP3005906B2 - Wire harness manufacturing equipment - Google Patents

Description

Description: TECHNICAL FIELD The present invention relates to a wire harness manufacturing apparatus for connecting a connector to an end of a flat cable composed of a plurality of wires arranged in a line on one plane.

(Prior Art) FIG. 3 is a perspective view showing an example of a wire harness in which a flat cable and a connector are connected.

As shown in this figure, the flat cable 1 has a plurality of wires 2 arranged in parallel on one plane and an insulating coating 3 covering a core wire 4 of each wire 2 formed integrally with each other. In order to connect such a flat cable 1 to the connector 5, the wires 2 at the cable tip 1 a are separated from each other, and the pitch of each wire 2 is adjusted to match the pitch of the contacts (not shown) of the connector 5. The pitch between the wires 2 is adjusted, and the wires 2 and the connector 5 are connected. Although FIG. 3 illustrates a harness in which a connector is connected to only one end of the flat cable 1, a harness in which a connector is connected to both ends of the flat cable 1 is also used.

4A to 4C are diagrams showing the operation steps of a conventional wire harness manufacturing device. An example of the steps of the conventional wire harness manufacturing apparatus will be described with reference to FIG.
This step is a step described in JP-A-62-168356.

A long flat cable 1 is wound on a reel (not shown), and the flat cable 1 supplied from the reel is conveyed from left to right in the figure.

Here, first, the slitter 11 is inserted into the flat cable 1 in a first step, and a plurality of wires 2 constituting the flat cable 1 are separated from each other by a predetermined length before and after a position where the flat cable 1 is cut in a subsequent step. It is slit to be cut off.

After this slit, the flat cable 1 is conveyed rightward in the drawing so that the center of the slit having a predetermined length is located at a position corresponding to the cutting blade 12, and the clamps 13, The flat cable 1 is clamped by 14, the flat cable 1 is cut by the cutting blade 12, and the plurality of wires 2 of the flat cable 1 are converted by the pitch conversion blades 15 and 16 into the same pitch interval as the contact interval of the connector contact. (Figure 4A). Thereafter, as shown by arrows A and B in FIG. 4B, the cutting blade 12 is divided into upper and lower portions, and as shown by arrows C and D, the cut ends 1a and 1b of the flat cable 1 are located at positions of the pressure welding machines 17 and 18. Clamps 13 and 14 so that they are at positions corresponding to connectors 19 and 20
Are divided into right and left along with the pitch conversion blades 15 and 16. Then, as shown in FIG.4C, connectors 19,
The ends 1a and 1b of the flat cable 1 are pressed against 20. By repeating this process, a number of harnesses in which connectors are connected to both ends of the flat cable 1 having a predetermined length are manufactured.

(Problem to be Solved by the Invention) In the above-described conventional wire harness manufacturing apparatus, the step of slitting a plurality of wires 2 constituting the flat cable 1 from each other is a cutting / connection step of cutting the flat cable 1 and connecting the flat cable 1 to a connector. For example, when manufacturing a 0.5m-long harness instead of manufacturing a 2m-long harness before, the equipment is temporarily stopped and the slitting process and the cutting / connecting process are performed. In such a case, it is necessary to perform an operation such as removing a flat cable between them, and this causes waste of time at the time of switching and waste of the flat cable.

The present invention has been made in view of the above circumstances, and an object of the present invention is to provide a wire harness manufacturing apparatus which can easily cope with a case where the length of a harness is changed on the way and does not cause waste of a flat cable. .

(Means for Solving the Problems) The wire harness manufacturing apparatus of the present invention includes a cutting blade for cutting a flat cable composed of a plurality of wires arranged in a line on one plane, and the cutting blade cut on both sides of the cutting blade. A clamp that grips the flat cable and is movable in the longitudinal direction of the flat cable, and is movable in the longitudinal direction of the flat cable similarly to the clamp, and is defined by cutting on both sides of the cutting blade. A wire harness manufacturing apparatus, comprising: a separation unit that separates an end of the flat cable at a predetermined pitch; and a press-contact portion that press-connects a connector to the end of the flat cable. A distance between the pressing unit and the pressing unit when the flat cable is cut. It is characterized by being moved to a position.

Here, the "separating means" is not limited to a specific one as long as it is a means for separating a plurality of wires from each other. For example, a slitter for slitting between the plurality of wires, a plurality of wires, Punches and dies for punching the gap can be cited.

(Operation) Since the wire harness manufacturing apparatus of the present invention is provided with separating means for separating a plurality of wires on both sides of the cutting blade for cutting the flat cable, the cutting of the flat cable and the separation of the plurality of wires are substantially the same. This is done at the location, so switching to the manufacture of wire harnesses with flat cables of different lengths can be done very easily by simply changing the set value of the measure that measures the flat cable. Also, there is no waste of the flat cable.

(Examples) Examples of the present invention will be described below.

FIGS. 1A to 1H are schematic configuration diagrams of a wire harness manufacturing apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention, and show the operations in the order.

The measure clamp 31 moves to the position shown by the broken line 31 'in FIG. 1A to clamp the end of the flat cable 1 to which the connector was connected in the previous process, and the flat cable 1 is moved to the right side of the figure as shown in the figure. Pull out. The movement distance of the measure clamp 31 is preset according to the length of the harness being manufactured. When the measure clamp 31 moves, the right clamp 32 and the right pitch converter 33 are in the first position so as not to obstruct the movement of the measure clamp 31.
It is retracted in the direction perpendicular to the plane of the drawing, and the left clamp 34
Are held in a state where the flat cable 1 is not clamped. The left pitch converter 35 does not clamp the flat cable 1, and the flat cable 1 can move freely between them.

When the measure clamp 31 moves to a predetermined position on the right side of the drawing (the flat cable 1 is measured), the retracted right clamp 32 and the right pitch conversion unit 33 remove the flat cable 1 as shown in FIG. 1B. The left clamp 34 and the left pitch converter 35
Approaches the cable processing section 39 composed of the cutting blade 36 and the left and right slit blades 37, 38. Next, as shown in FIG. 1C, the flat cable 1 is clamped by the left and right clamps 32 and 34, and the cable processing section 39 moves up and down in a direction approaching the flat cable 1, whereby the flat blade 1 is cut by the cutting blade 36. In addition, the slits 37 and 38 engage the flat cable 1 so as to separate the plurality of wires 2 (see FIG. 3) of the flat cable 1. When the flat cable 1 is cut by the cutting blade 36 in this manner, the cut ends 1a and 1b of the flat cable 1 are cut as shown in FIG. 1D.
The clamps 32, 34 on the left and right move to the right and left until the wire 2 is not separated.

Next, as shown in FIG. 1E, the pitch interval between the wires is adjusted by the left and right pitch converters 33 and 35 so as to be the same as the contact pitch of the connector 5. Details of the pitch converters 33 and 35 will be described later. Since the pitch conversion is performed without being separated from the cut ends 1a and 1b of the flat cable 1 as described above, the plurality of wires 2 are not separated from each other, and the pitch conversion is performed after the wires 2 are separated from the ends 1a and 1b. Is performed, the pitch conversion is performed more reliably. After the pitch conversion is performed in this manner, as shown in FIG.
2, 34 and left and right pitch converters 33, 35 are cable processing parts 3.
The wire 2 moves in a direction away from the wire 9 (the left-right direction in the figure), whereby the wire 2 is separated by the slits 37, 38 to the cut ends 1a, 1b of the flat cable 1. Then 1G
As shown in the figure, the cable processing portion 39 is divided into upper and lower portions, and the stuffer 40 constituting the left pressure contact portion and the connector holding portion 42 constituting the right pressure contact portion ascend to positions corresponding to the tips 1a, 1b of the flat cable 1. . Thereafter, as shown in FIG. 1H, the connector holding portion 41 constituting the left-side pressure contact portion and the stuffer 43 constituting the right-side pressure contact portion descend, whereby both ends 1a, 1b of the flat cable 1 are connected to the corresponding connectors. 5 is pressed. Thereafter, both right and left pressure contact portions are vertically divided, and a wire harness in which the connector 5 is connected to both ends of the flat cable 1 having a predetermined length is taken out by a harness ejector (not shown), and the right and left clamps 32 and 34 and the right pitch conversion After the part 33 is opened and the right clamp 32 and the right pitch conversion part 33 are both retracted, the measure clamp 31 reciprocates again as shown in FIG. 1A, thereby shifting to the next wire harness manufacturing process. By repeating the above operation, a wire harness in which the connectors 5 are connected to both ends of the flat cable 1 having a predetermined length is sequentially manufactured.

Here, when shifting to the manufacture of wire harnesses having different lengths of the flat cable 1, it is only necessary to change the set value of the moving distance of the measure clamp 31. Therefore, when this device is used, the device is hardly stopped. It is possible to shift to the manufacture of wire harnesses of different lengths, so that work is made more efficient and there is no waste of flat cables.

2A, 2B, and 2C are a front view showing a cross section of the pitch converter, a side view showing a cross section taken along line XX of FIG. 2A, and a Y view of FIG. 2A. It is the side view shown in section along -Y.

The pitch converter 35 includes two rows of comb members 35c that can move up and down. Further, a cable support 35b for gently holding the separated wire 2 is provided at the center of the two rows of the comb member 35c, and the wire 2 is provided outside the comb member 35c.
It is loosely held by a guide member 35a that guides the vertical movement of 5c. Here, the plurality of wires 2 are connected to the comb member 35c.
Is in the raised position, it is loosely sandwiched between the cable support 35b and the guide member 35a, and is separated from each other by slits but has no gap between each other. Here, when the comb member 35c descends from its raised position, first, one of the comb members 35c (actually, they are arranged in the left-right direction in FIG. 2A and the direction perpendicular to the plane of the paper in FIGS. 2) comb blade 35d cuts between the two wires 2a, 2b, and these two wires 2a, 2b
Are spread at a predetermined pitch interval, and then the two wires 2a and 2c are expanded at a predetermined pitch interval by the comb blade 35e, and the wires 2b and 2d are expanded at a predetermined pitch interval by the comb blade 35f. Then, the two wires 2c and 2e are spread at a predetermined pitch interval by the comb blade 35g. Since the plurality of wires 2 are gently held by the wire support 35b at the center of the comb blades arranged in two rows, when the comb member 35c descends from its raised position and performs pitch conversion of the wires 2, The wire 2 moves up and down without moving up and down.
Spreads smoothly in the left and right directions in Figs. 2B and 2C. For this reason, this pitch conversion is performed reliably.

Although the above embodiment is an example of a wire harness manufacturing apparatus for connecting connectors to both ends of a flat cable, the present invention relates to a wire harness manufacturing apparatus for manufacturing a harness in which a connector is connected to only one end of a flat cable. Needless to say, this can also be applied. In the above embodiment, the pitch of the wires constituting the flat cable is different from the pitch of the contact arrangement of the connector. For this reason, the pitch of the wires is changed. In the present invention, the pitch of the wires is changed. Needless to say, this is not an essential condition.

Also. The above embodiment is an apparatus using the slitters 38 and 39 as an example of the difficult means according to the present invention. However, the separating means according to the present invention is not limited to the slitter, and a flat cable is used between the plurality of wires 2. Needless to say, a punch, a die, or the like that punches along the longitudinal direction may be used.

(Effects of the Invention) As described in detail above, in the wire harness manufacturing apparatus of the present invention, the separating means is located between the clamp and the cutting blade, and the separating means and the clamp overlap the press contact portion when cutting the flat cable. As it is configured to be moved to a position, the spaced portions of the wires of the flat cable can be minimized and the spaced pitch can be accurately maintained. Further, the waste of the flat cable can be reduced as compared with the device shown as a conventional example, and it is possible to easily cope with the use of harnesses having different lengths, in particular, short wire harnesses.

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIGS. 1A to 1H are schematic diagrams of a wire harness manufacturing apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention, showing the operation thereof in sequence. FIGS. 2A, 2B, and 2C show pitch FIG. 2A is a cross-sectional front view, FIG. 2A is a cross-sectional side view taken along line XX, and FIG. 2A is a cross-sectional side view taken along line YY. FIG. 4 is a perspective view showing an example of a wire harness in which a flat cable and a connector are connected, and FIGS. 4A to 4C are diagrams showing operation steps of a conventional wire harness manufacturing apparatus. 1 ... flat cable, 2 ... wire 5 ... connector, 31 ... major clamp 32 ... right clamp, 33 ... right pitch converter 34 ... left clamp, 35 ... left pitch converter 36 ... cutting Blade, 37, 38 Slitting machine 39 Cable processing unit 40, 43 Staffer 41, 42 Connector holding unit

──────────────────────────────────────────────────続 き Continued on front page (58) Field surveyed (Int. Cl. ⁷ , DB name) H01B 13/00 513 H01B 13/00 525

Claims (1)

(57) [Claims] 1. A cutting blade for cutting a flat cable composed of a plurality of wires arranged in a line on one plane, and holding the flat cable cut on both sides of the cutting blade to extend in a longitudinal direction of the flat cable. A movable clamp and an end of the flat cable, which is movable in the length direction of the flat cable similarly to the clamp and is defined by cutting on both sides of the cutting blade, are separated at a predetermined pitch. In a wire harness manufacturing apparatus having a separating unit and a press-contact portion that press-connects a connector to the end of the flat cable, the separating unit is located between the clamp and the cutting blade; Wherein the clamp is moved to a position overlapping the press contact portion when the flat cable is cut. Location.