JP6206923B2 - Wire harness manufacturing apparatus and assembly line forming method - Google Patents

Description

  The present invention relates to a wire harness manufacturing apparatus and an assembly line forming method for transporting a work carriage with a wiring board for manufacturing a wire harness in the order of processes by a plurality of round conveyors.

  Conventionally, in order to manufacture a wire harness, while moving a plurality of wiring boards for assembling a wire harness along a conveyor, each worker has an electric wire with a connector along a wiring jig on each wiring board. It is known to arrange a (sub-wire harness) or the like to form a wire harness that is an assembled electric wire.

  For example, in Patent Document 1, a plurality of work carts with a wiring board are connected to one endless loop-shaped drive chain and arranged in a round shape, and when the work cart passes in front of each worker, A wire harness manufacturing apparatus for assembling exterior products such as a plurality of electric wires, connectors, and protectors on a wire board is described. The drive chain is turned by sprockets at both ends, and one of the sprockets is driven by a motor.

  In this wire harness manufacturing device, a stop position is set for stopping the wiring cart for a certain period of time in one cycle in which the working cart with wiring board is transported at a predetermined speed from one work process to the next. The trolley transport method is adopted.

  Further, Patent Document 2 shows a state in which a plurality of wire harness wiring boards are conveyed in a loop with an endless belt of a conveyor along a predetermined traveling path in a state where the wire harness wiring boards are standing obliquely. A connector continuity inspection device, etc. is arranged on the traveling base, and parts such as a protector, a resin tube, and a clip are assembled at predetermined positions on the wires on the wiring board, and a wire harness having a predetermined shape is formed by tape winding or the like. The

JP 7-326238 A JP 2002-329429 A (FIG. 1)

  However, in the above conventional wire harness manufacturing apparatus, when it is intended to increase the work area with the conventional assembly conveyor, it is necessary to additionally install a work carriage. Since the entire length of the conveyor is increased, the addition of the work carriage is limited by the facility installation space of the factory building.

  Therefore, even if, for example, 70 work trolleys are originally required, the amount of work per work vehicle increases when a conveyor having, for example, 40 work trolleys must be used due to installation space restrictions. As a result, problems such as delays in work proficiency, reduced efficiency due to fatigue due to repeated work, and difficulty in backing up when the worker is absent (a large amount of work to be remembered) may occur, leading to deterioration in productivity. I can not.

  Further, the conventional assembly conveyor (particularly, Patent Document 2) has a structure in which the entire assembly line can be affected by the stagnation when the work of one worker is stagnation, and the production continues while maintaining the operation tact. It was difficult.

  In view of the above points, the present invention can increase the number of assembly work surfaces, that is, the number of work carriages, in an assembly line of wire harnesses without effectively increasing the equipment installation space of an existing factory building. In addition to the above, it is an object to provide a wire harness manufacturing apparatus and an assembly line forming method capable of preventing the influence from spreading to the entire assembly line even when temporary work stagnation occurs. To do.

  In order to achieve the above object, a wire harness manufacturing apparatus according to claim 1 of the present invention connects a plurality of round conveyors on which a plurality of work carts are arranged, and the plurality of round conveyors. An independently driven interlocking transport device, a connecting member is provided in the main transport chain of each round conveyor, and a connected member that can be engaged and disengaged from the connecting member is provided in each work carriage. The auxiliary conveying chain of the apparatus is provided with a pushing member that pushes the work carriage to move it from the upstream round conveyor to the downstream round conveyor.

  With the above configuration, the pressing member provided in the sub-transport chain of the interlocking transport device pushes the work cart on the terminal side of the upstream round conveyor to engage the connected member of the work cart and the connecting member of the main transport chain. The work carriage is moved integrally with the sub-transport chain while being released, and transported to the start end side of the downstream round conveyor. The connecting member of the main transport chain is engaged with the connected member of the work cart on the start side of the downstream round conveyor, and the work cart is transported along the downstream round conveyor in this state. In addition, since the interlocking transport device is driven independently of each round conveyor, for example, when the downstream round conveyor is temporarily stagnated, the work cart is buffered in the interlocking transport device and only the upstream round conveyor is operated. Thus, the influence of the temporary stagnation can be prevented by assembling the wire harness component to the upstream work carriage.

  The wire harness manufacturing apparatus according to claim 2 is the wire harness manufacturing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the connected member is rotatable in a direction opposite to a transport direction of the main transport chain, The member pushes the work carriage, the connected member gets over the connecting member, and the connecting member is engaged with the connected member by the movement of the main transport chain in the transport direction. The work cart is transported on a conveyor.

  With the above configuration, at the start end side of the downstream round conveyor, the push member of the interlocking conveyance device pushes the work carriage, and the connected member of the work carriage gets over the connecting member of the downstream round conveyor that is slow or stopped. Stops (overtakes) and stops (when connected, the connected member turns away from the conveying direction and escapes, and after getting over, swings back due to its own weight, etc.), and the connecting member is driven by the downstream round conveyor It advances in the transport direction and engages with the connected member. In this state, the work carriage is conveyed toward the end of the downstream round conveyor.

  The wire harness manufacturing apparatus according to claim 3 is the wire harness manufacturing apparatus according to claim 2, wherein the connecting member is a pair of connecting pins on the front side and the rear side in the conveying direction, and the connected member is connected to the connecting pin. A pair of claw members on the front side and the rear side in the conveying direction having a slit hole for combination, the rear side connection pin being formed longer than the front side connection pin, and the rear side claw member being the front side connection pin It is formed in the length which passes through and engages with the connecting pin on the rear side.

  With the above-described configuration, the pair of front and rear connecting pins engage with the pair of front and rear claw members, so that the work carriage, particularly in the turn section, travels stably and smoothly. Further, the pair of connecting pins is such that the rear connecting pin is longer than the front connecting pin, and the rear claw member passes through the front connecting pin and engages with the rear connecting pin. The pair of connecting pins move forward from the state in which the pair of claw members are positioned in front of each other, and simultaneously and reliably engage with each claw member.

  In the method for forming an assembly line of a wire harness according to a fourth aspect, a plurality of round conveyors are arranged in the longitudinal direction and the width direction, the round conveyors arranged in the longitudinal direction are connected by a linear interlocking conveyance device, and are arranged in the width direction. Each round conveyor is connected by a curved interlocking transport device, and each interlocking transport device can be driven independently of each round conveyor, and the work cart is moved from the upstream round conveyor to the downstream round conveyor via the interlocking transport device. It is characterized by conveying.

  With the above configuration, the work carriage is sequentially transported from the upstream round conveyor to the downstream round conveyor via each interlocking transport device. The number and arrangement of the round conveyors can be set variously (desired) through the interlocking conveyance device. In addition, since the interlocking transport device is driven independently of each round conveyor, for example, when the downstream round conveyor is temporarily stagnated, the work cart is buffered in the interlocking transport device and only the upstream round conveyor is operated. Thus, the influence of the temporary stagnation can be prevented by assembling the wire harness component to the upstream work carriage.

  According to the first aspect of the present invention, in the assembly line of the wire harness, a plurality of round conveyors can be arranged in a desired shape via the interlocking conveyance device, so that the equipment installation space of the existing factory building is increased. It can be effectively utilized without increasing the number of assembly work surfaces, that is, the number of wiring boards. Further, when a temporary work stagnation occurs in the assembly line of the wire harness, it is possible to prevent the influence from spreading to the entire assembly line by causing the interlocking conveyance device to function as a buffer for the work carriage.

  According to the second aspect of the present invention, the connected member of the work carriage is rotated along the connecting member of the main conveyor chain of the round conveyor, so that the connection member is engaged with the connected member in the next operation. The space can be saved smoothly and reliably.

  According to the third aspect of the present invention, the pair of front and rear connecting pins are engaged with the pair of front and rear claw members, so that the work carriage can be stably and smoothly driven particularly in the turn portion of the round conveyor. In addition, by defining the length of each connecting pin and each claw member, the pair of connecting pins are advanced from the state where the pair of claw members are positioned in front of the pair of connecting pins, and simultaneously and securely on each claw member. Can be engaged.

  According to invention of Claim 4, the number and arrangement form of a round conveyor can be set to various (desired) through an interlocking conveyance apparatus. Further, when a temporary work stagnation occurs in the assembly line of the wire harness, it is possible to prevent the influence from spreading to the entire assembly line by causing the interlocking conveyance device to function as a buffer for the work carriage.

1 is a plan view illustratively showing a basic configuration of an embodiment of a wire harness manufacturing apparatus and an assembly line forming method according to the present invention. FIG. It is a top view which shows the detailed structure of other embodiment of the manufacturing apparatus and assembly line formation method of a wire harness. It is a top view which similarly shows the principal part of the manufacturing apparatus and assembly line formation method of a wire harness. It is a top view which similarly shows the interlocking conveyance apparatus in the principal part. It is a perspective view which shows the principal part of the manufacturing apparatus of a wire harness. It is a side view perspective view which shows one form of the conveyor connection apparatus of the work trolley | bogie on a manufacturing apparatus. It is a side view perspective view which shows the state at the time of the conveyor non-connection of a conveyor connection apparatus. It is a perspective view which shows each work trolley | bogie in the manufacturing apparatus of a wire harness. It is a perspective view which shows the conveyor connection apparatus of a work trolley | bogie, and the connection pin by the side of a conveyor.

  FIG. 1 shows a basic configuration of an embodiment of a wire harness manufacturing apparatus and an assembly line forming method according to the present invention.

The wire harness manufacturing apparatus 1 includes at least two round conveyors 2 and 3 on the upstream side and the downstream side in parallel in the longitudinal direction of the conveyor, and each round conveyor 2 and 3 includes a plurality of (many) work carts 4 (4 ₁ to 4 _n ) are arranged, and the interlocking conveying devices 5 and 6 are arranged from the round conveyor 2 on the upstream side to the round conveyor 3 on the downstream side.

  Each of the round conveyors 2 and 3 is configured by engaging an endless transport chain 9 with sprockets 7 and 8 on both ends in the longitudinal direction. Either one of the sprockets 7 or 8 is driven to rotate clockwise by a motor (not shown). A connection pin (see FIG. 6), which will be described later, is erected on the transfer chain 9 of each round conveyor 2, 3, and a conveyor connection device (see FIG. 6), which will be described later, is provided on each work carriage 4. It has been.

  Between the sprocket 7 on the downstream side (right side) of the round conveyor 2 on the upstream side and the sprocket 7 on the upstream side (left side) of the downstream round conveyor 3, a long main is close to the outside of each round conveyor 2, 3. Are connected in a straight line, and on the inner side of the round conveyor 2 on the upstream side, a short sub-linked transport device 5 is disposed passing through the upper side of the downstream (right side) sprocket 8.

  The sub-linked transport device 5 sends the work cart 4 from the upstream round conveyor 2 to the main linked transport device 6, and the main linked transport device 6 works from the sub-linked transport device 5 to the downstream round conveyor 3. Deliver four. The sub interlocking transport device 5 and the main interlocking transport device 6 constitute a set of interlocking transport devices 10.

  Each interlocking conveyance device 5, 6 is arranged and fixed symmetrically in a 180 ° direction of the conveyance chain (sub conveyance chain) 11 thinner than the conveyance chain (main conveyance chain) 9 of the round conveyors 2, 3. In addition, each pair of transporting pieces (pushing members) 12 and 13, each pair of small sprockets 14 meshed with both ends in the longitudinal direction of the transport chain 11, and the sprocket 14 for each transport chain 11 are rotationally driven (not shown). And a motor.

  The sub-linked transport device 5 rotates clockwise, and the transport piece 12 pushes the pushed portion 15 near the center of the work cart 4 on the round conveyor 5 (in this case, the transport chain 9 is not shown) The conveyor connecting device (not shown) of the work cart 4 is detached from the pin), the work cart 4 is sent to the main interlocking transport device 6, and the transport chain 11 of the main interlocking transport device 6 is rotated counterclockwise. The transport piece 13 pushes the pressed portion 4a at the rear end of the work cart 4 to deliver the work cart 4 to the downstream round conveyor 3 (at this time, the work cart is connected to a connection pin (not shown) of the downstream transport chain 9). 4 (not shown) conveyer connecting device is engaged).

In FIG. 1, the work carts on the upstream round conveyor 2 are indicated by reference numerals 4 ₁ and 4 ₂ , and the work carts transferred to the main interlocking transfer device 6 are indicated by reference numeral 4 _3. (the chain line state before being passed) work carriage passed round the conveyor 3 on the downstream side is shown at reference numeral 4 _4.

  The timing at which the work cart 4 is transferred from the upstream round conveyor 2 to each of the interlocking conveyors 5 and 6 and the timing at which the work cart 4 is transferred from the main interlocking conveyor 6 to the downstream round conveyor 3 are determined by the position of each work cart 4. Is detected by a sensor (switch) (not shown), and the movement of the round conveyors 2 and 3 and the interlocking transport devices 5 and 6 is controlled by a control device (not shown).

Because the transport frame 13 of the main linkage carrying device 6 is in the one direction of 180 °, one of the transport carriage 4 ₄ shown by a chain line is buffered in the main linkage carrying device 6. For example, when four transport pieces 14 are arranged at an equal pitch in the main interlocking transport device 6, two transport carts 4 can be buffered in the main interlocking transport device 6. The buffer means storage, for example, when the downstream round conveyor 3 is temporarily stopped due to a trouble, the upstream round conveyor 2 is not stopped, and the upstream side conveyor 2 work cart Wire harness components such as electric wires and tubes can be assembled (assembled) on the wiring board (not shown).

  In the example of FIG. 1, for example, assembly work is started from the right end side of the forward path 9a (lower side in the figure) of the upstream round conveyor 2, and the left end side of the return path 9b (lower side in the figure) of the downstream round conveyor 3 Finish the assembly work. In the specification, the lower side and the upper side are for convenience of explanation, and the round conveyors 2 and 3 are arranged horizontally on one floor in the factory. Each work carriage 4 has a wiring board (not shown), but the direction of the wiring board may be either a vertically placed or inclined (horizontal or substantially horizontal) orientation.

  In the embodiment of FIG. 1, a second interlocked transport device (not shown) is provided symmetrically with the interlocked transport device 10, and the left side of the right (second) round conveyor 3 passes through the second interlocked transport device. It is also possible to transport the work cart 4 to the (first) round conveyor 2. In this case, for example, the assembly work is started from the left end side of the forward path 9c on the upper side of the first round conveyor 2, and the left end side of the return path 9a on the lower side of the first round conveyor 2 through the second round conveyor 3 Finish the assembly work.

  Further, in the embodiment of FIG. 1, third and fourth round conveyors (not shown) are arranged in parallel with the respective round conveyors 2 and 3, and opposing ends of the two parallel round conveyors are curved. It is also possible to connect the main interlocking transport device 6 to the upstream round conveyor 2 side and omit the sub interlocking transport device 5. It is. The detailed example of the manufacturing apparatus of the wire harness of this structure is demonstrated below using FIGS.

  2 to 9 show a detailed configuration of another embodiment of a wire harness manufacturing apparatus and an assembly line forming method according to the present invention.

  As shown in FIG. 2, the wire harness manufacturing apparatus 21 is configured such that a total of four round conveyors 22 to 25, front, rear, left, and right, are connected by an interlocked transport device 26.

  The round conveyors 22 to 25 are a first round conveyor 22 that is long on the left side and the lower side in FIG. 2, a second round conveyor 23 that is arranged in parallel (parallel) to the width direction of the first round conveyor 22, and In FIG. 2, the short third round conveyor 24 arranged in series in the longitudinal direction of the second round conveyor 23 on the right side, and the longitudinal length of the first round conveyor 22 parallel to the width direction of the third round conveyor 24. It consists of a short fourth round conveyor 25 arranged in series in the direction. In each of the round conveyors 22 to 25, a plurality (many) work carts 27 are arranged in parallel with a gap in the longitudinal direction of the conveyor.

  As shown in FIG. 3, the interlocking transport device 26 includes a first interlocking transport device (straight portion) 28 that linearly connects the first and fourth round conveyors 22 and 25, and the first and second round conveyors 25 and 25. A second interlocking conveying device (turn unit) 29 that connects the right ends of the round conveyors 22 and 23 in a curved shape, and a third that linearly connects the second and third round conveyors 23 and 24. And a fourth interlocking conveyance device (turn portion) 31 that connects the left ends of the third and fourth round conveyors 24 and 25 in a curved shape. Yes. The first and third interlocking conveying devices 28 and 30 are positioned in parallel, and the second and fourth interlocking conveying devices 29 and 31 are substantially semicircular and symmetrically positioned back to back.

  In FIG. 2, for convenience of explanation, the first to fourth interlocking conveyance devices 28 to 31 are indicated by arrows, and the movement of one work carriage 27 is continuously indicated by solid lines in the turn portions 29 and 31. Yes. One working carriage 27 is disposed in each of the interlocking conveyance devices 28 to 31. In FIG. 2, reference numeral 61 denotes a work area, and 62 denotes a horizontal guide wall portion on which the work carriage 27 is placed.

  “First to fourth” means from the upstream side to the downstream side corresponding to the assembly order of various wire harness components. The sub-wire harness is inserted at a position 32 on the right end side of the first round conveyor 22 (parts are assembled on the work cart 27 in FIG. 2), and at a position 33 on the left end side of the fourth round conveyor 25. The assembly of the wire harness is completed, and the wire harness is removed from the work carriage 27 in FIG. 2 and sent to the next process (packing, etc.). In the first interlocking conveyance device (straight portion) 28, the work carriage 27 of FIG. 2 is sent to the fourth to first round conveyors 25 and 22 in a color state.

  As shown in detail in FIG. 4, the interlocking transport device 26 of FIG. 3, each of the first and third interlocking transport devices (straight portions) 28, 30 is a pair of straight, vertical and parallel vertical guide walls (rails). 34, a straight transfer chain (sub-transfer chain) 35 disposed between the pair of vertical guide walls 34, and horizontal horizontal guide walls 36 disposed on both sides of the vertical guide wall 34 in the width direction. . The conveyance chain 35 is arranged in an endless loop shape with a small pair of sprockets 37 (see FIG. 5) arranged on the left and right end sides. The transport chain 35 is provided with a pair of transport pieces (pushing members) 38 (see FIG. 5) fixed in the 180 ° direction.

  Each of the second and fourth interlocking conveying devices (turn portions) 29, 31 includes a semicircular vertical and parallel vertical guide wall (rail) 39, a short parallel extended vertical guide wall 39 ′, and a vertical A substantially semicircular loop-shaped transport chain (sub-transport chain) 40 disposed along the inner side of the guide walls 39, 39 ′, and horizontal lateral guides disposed on both sides in the width direction of the vertical guide walls 39, 39 ′. The wall 41 and a pair of small sprockets (not shown) (similar to the sprocket 37 in FIG. 5) meshed with both longitudinal ends of the transfer chain 40 are provided. The transport chain 40 is provided with a pair of unillustrated transport pieces (similar to the transport piece 38 in FIG. 5) fixed in the 180 ° direction.

  4, the code | symbol 42 has shown the big sprocket (refer FIG. 8) meshed | engaged with each conveyance chain (main conveyance chain) 43 of the 1st-4th round conveyors 22-25 of FIG. In FIG. 4, all structures are shown by solid lines for convenience. In FIG. 4, a work carriage 27 is disposed in the second to fourth interlocking conveyance devices 29 to 31. Also in each round conveyor 22-25, the vertical guide wall (not shown) which guides the work trolley 27, and the horizontal guide wall (not shown) which supports the work trolley 27 are outside the conveyance chain 43 (FIG. 3). It is provided adjacent to.

  As shown in FIGS. 2 and 4, at least one work carriage 27 can be buffered (reserved) in each interlocking conveyance device (straight part and turn part) 28 to 31. When .about.25 (FIG. 2) is temporarily stagnated, this buffer function can be exhibited to stop only the round conveyor that has stagnated and complete the stagnated work.

  Each work carriage 27 includes a carriage portion 27a and an inclined wiring board 27b fixed to the carriage portion 27a. The width (thickness) of the carriage part 27a and the wiring board 27b is approximately the same, the length of the wiring board 27b is approximately three times that of the carriage part 27a, and the carriage part 27a is located at the longitudinal center of the wiring board 27b. Is arranged.

  As shown in FIGS. 4 and 5, large vertical casters 44 are provided at the four corners of each carriage portion 27 a, and small horizontal casters 45 are provided inside the vertical casters 44. For example, the lateral caster 45 means a lateral wheel. Each vertical caster 44 rotates along each horizontal guide wall 36, 41 while contacting the upper surface of each horizontal guide wall 36, 41 and supporting the work carriage 27, and each horizontal caster 44 corresponds to each vertical guide wall 34, 39. The work carriage 27 rotates along the vertical guide walls 34 and 39 while contacting the outer surface and positioning the work carriage 27 in the width direction.

  As shown in FIG. 5, a plate-shaped transfer piece 38 perpendicular to the transfer chains 35 and 40 of each interlocking transfer device 28 to 31 is fixed, and the transfer piece 38 is brought into contact with the frame 47 at the rear end of the carriage portion 27a. A vertical plate-like pressed portion 46 is fixed. The pushed portion 46 may be the frame 47 of the carriage portion 27a.

  The transport chain 35 of the interlocked transport device 28 (30) in FIG. 5 rotates counterclockwise. In FIG. 5, the transport piece 38 finishes pushing the pressed portion 46 of the carriage portion 27a, and pauses together with the transport chain 35. Yes. In this state, the work carriage 27 is conveyed in front of the interlocking conveyance device 28 (30) by the conveyor coupling device 50 of the conveyance chain 43 of the round conveyor 22 (24). The conveyance piece 38 moves to the left side portion 35 a when the conveyance chain 35 is restarted. The conveyance piece 38 may be pushed to the end of the conveyance chain 35 without stopping. In FIG. 5, the back side of the wiring board 27 b standing in an inclined manner is fixed to the left side of the carriage part 27 a, and each wire harness component is assembled to the front side of the wiring board 27 b. In FIG. 5, the transfer chain 43 of the round conveyor 22 (24) is arranged on the right side of the transfer chain 35 of the interlocked transfer device 28 (30).

  FIG. 5 shows the first round conveyor 22 on the lower left side of FIG. 3 and FIG. 4 and the first interlocking conveying device 28 (straight part) on the lower side, or the third round conveyor 24 on the upper right side of FIG. The upper third interlocking conveyance device 30 (straight portion) is shown. In the second and fourth interlocking conveyance devices (turn portions) 29 and 31, a similar conveyance piece 38 is fixed to an endless loop-shaped conveyance chain 40 curved in a substantially semicircular shape.

  As shown in FIGS. 6 and 7, the transport chain 43 of each of the round conveyors 22 to 25 (FIG. 3) is provided with a connection transport tool 50 having a pair of front and rear connection pins (connection members) 48 and 49. A conveyor connecting device 53 having a pair of front and rear claw members (connected members) 51 and 52 that engage with the pair of connecting pins 48 and 49 is fixedly provided on the carriage portion 27 a of the work carriage 27.

  The connecting pins 48 and 49 are erected vertically on the upper surface of the horizontal plate portion 54, and the lower surface on one side of the plate portion 54 is fixed to the upper surface of the transfer chain 43 of the round conveyors 22 to 25 by bolting or welding. Has been. The lower surface on the other side of the plate portion 54 is supported by a plurality of free rollers 55. The transport chain 43 is configured by connecting a plurality of upper and lower pair of chain pieces 43c (FIG. 9) with front and rear roller shafts 43d (FIG. 9), and can be bent in the horizontal direction. The same applies to the thin transfer chains 35 and 40 of the interlocked transfer devices 28 to 31.

  The connecting pin 48 on the front side in the conveying direction is set short and the connecting pin 49 on the back side is set long, so that the front claw portion 51 of the conveyor connecting device 53 faces downward (to be able to engage with the connecting pins 48 and 49). The rear claw member 52 protrudes downward downward.

  Each of the claw members 51 and 52 includes a pair of horizontal claw bodies 51a and 52a, slit holes 51b and 52b between the pair of claw bodies 51a and 52a, and a support rod that extends perpendicularly to the claw bodies 51a and 52a. 51c, 52c. The inlets 51b 'and 52b' on the front end side of the slit holes 51b and 52b are widened in a tapered shape so that the connecting pins 48 and 49 can be easily picked up. Each connecting pin 48, 49 has a head 48a, 49a having a diameter larger than that of the slit holes 51b, 52b at the upper end.

  The support rods 51c and 52c are composed of a front wall (in place of reference numerals 51c and 52c) and side walls 51c 'and 52c' that are orthogonal to the front wall and extend along the transport direction. The vertical lengths of the support rods 51c and 52c are substantially the same, and the upper ends of the support rods 51c and 52c are arranged in steps. The side walls 51c 'and 52c' of the support rods 51c and 52c are supported by a vertical fixing plate 56 fixed to the carriage portion 27a of the work carriage 27 so as to be rotatable in the rearward direction (left side in FIG. 6). The upper rear surfaces of the front walls of the support rods 51c and 52c are brought into contact with the stepped stopper portions 57 projecting from the fixing plate 56, so that the forward direction of the claw members 51 and 52 (right side in FIG. ) Is blocked.

  In FIG. 5, a claw member 52 on the rear side in the transport direction of the work carriage 27 and a connecting pin 49 on the rear side engaged with the claw member 52 are shown. In FIG. 5, the transfer chain 43 of the round conveyor 22 (24) moves from the front side to the back side as indicated by an arrow. As shown in FIGS. 5 and 6, the connecting pins 48 and 49 are engaged with the slit holes 51b and 52b of the claw members 51 and 52, and the front ends (arc-shaped end points) of the slit holes 51b and 52b are forward (arrows). The work cart 27 is conveyed by pushing in the rear direction in FIG. 5 and the right direction in FIG. 6.

  As shown in FIG. 7, the claw members 51 and 52 can be detached from the connection pins 48 and 49 forward in the transport direction (in the direction of arrow A). Further, for example, the work cart 27 is pushed forward (in the direction of the arrow A) by the transfer piece 38 in FIG. 5 and moved, while the connection pins 48 and 49 that are in the stopped state in FIG. The claw members 51 and 52 ride forward (in the direction of arrow A) (overtake), move forward of the connecting pins 48 and 49, and stop together with the transport chains 35 and 40 and the work carriage 27.

  The speeds of the transfer chains 35 and 40 of the interlocking transfer devices 28 to 31 (FIG. 4) for moving the transfer piece 38 are the same as those of the transfer chains 43 of the round conveyors 22 to 25 (FIG. 3) for moving the connecting pins 48 and 49. It is set faster than the speed (including the stop state).

  When the claw members 51, 52 get over the connecting pins 48, 49, the claw members 51, 52 are connected to the heads 48a, 49a of the connecting pins 48, 49 at the front ends of the claw bodies 51a, 52a (intersections with the support rods 51c, 52c). 7), and pivots backward as indicated by an arrow D in FIG. When the overtaking (passing) is completed, the claw members 51 and 52 rotate and return to the front (the direction opposite to the arrow D, that is, the arrow A direction) under their own weight or the like (which can be biased by a spring).

  In this state, the connecting pins 51 and 52 are driven forward by the transport chain 43 and engage with the slit holes 51b and 52b of the claw bodies 51a and 52a. At that time, the front connecting pin 48 is short, the rear connecting pin 49 is long, the front claw member 51 is long downward, and the rear claw member 52 is short downward. The connecting pins 48 and 49 are securely engaged.

  If the lengths of the front and rear connecting pins 48 and 49 and the front and rear claw members 51 and 52 are the same, the ride-over (passing) is completed and the front connecting pin 48 is located behind the rear claw member 52. When positioned, the forward connection pin 48 engages the rear claw member 52 by the forward movement of the connection pins 48, 49, and the rear connection pin 52 and the front claw member 48 are not engaged. Thus, disengagement between the connecting pin 48 and the claw member 52 in the turn portions 59 (FIG. 3) of the round conveyors 22 to 25 may occur. By defining the lengths of the front and rear connecting pins 48, 49 and the like, such a problem is prevented.

  Further, in the state where the claw members 51 and 52 are engaged with the connecting pins 48 and 49 as shown in FIG. 6, the transport piece 38 (FIG. 5) of the interlocking transport devices 28 to 31 (FIG. 4) connects the work carriage 27 to the connecting pin 48. , 49 at a speed faster than the moving speed of the connecting pins 48, 49 (the connecting pins 48, 49 may be temporarily stopped together with the transfer chain 43). The claw members 51 and 52 are detached from the front. In this state, the delivery cart 27 is transferred from the round conveyors 22 to 25 to the interlocking conveyance devices 28 to 31.

  In this way, the work cart 27 is received and delivered in each of the first to fourth interlocking conveyance devices 28 to 31. That is, in FIG. 3, the work cart 27 is delivered from the first round conveyor 22 to the second round conveyor 23 via the second interlocking conveyance device (turn unit) 29, A work cart 27 is transferred to the third round conveyor 24 via the interlocking conveyance device (straight portion) 30, and the fourth round conveyor is passed from the third round conveyor 24 via the fourth interlocking conveyance device (turn portion) 31. The work cart 27 is delivered to 25, and the work cart 27 is delivered from the fourth round conveyor 25 to the first round conveyor 22 via the first interlocking conveyance device (straight portion) 28.

  As shown in FIG. 8, a plurality of couplers 50 including a pair of front and rear coupling pins 48 and 49 are arranged on the conveyance chain 43 of the round conveyor 23 (25) at the pitch of each work carriage 27. With the pawl members 51 and 52 of the 53 engaged with the connecting pins 48 and 49, each work carriage 27 is integrated with the wiring board 27 b standing upright (the wiring board 27 b is a part of the work carriage 27. It is conveyed slowly in the direction of the arrow (clockwise) by the transfer chain 43 driven by the sprocket 42 of the round conveyor 23 (25).

  In the middle of conveyance, wire harness parts such as sub-wire harnesses and exterior parts are assembled by a worker for each process on a large number of wiring tools 60 such as Y-shaped forks on the surface of each wiring board 27b. .

  FIG. 8 shows one end side of the upper left (second) or lower right (fourth) round conveyors 23, 25 of FIG. 3 and FIG. (Near part). The basic structure of the first and third round conveyors 22 and 24 is the same as that in FIG. 8 (the directions of the turn portions 29 and 31 are reversed).

  In the vicinity of the sprocket 42 on one end side of the round conveyor 23 (25) in FIG. 8, an interlocking transfer device (straight) parallel to the outer side in the width direction along the forward path 43a and the return path 43b of the transfer chain 43 of the round conveyor 23 (25). Part) 30 (28) is arranged. The conveyance chain 43 of the round conveyor 23 (25) and the conveyance chain 35 of the interlocking conveyance device 30 (28) are overlapped and positioned in parallel. A sprocket 37 on the other end side of the interlocking conveyance device 30 (28) is positioned along the forward path 43a of the conveyance chain 43 of the round conveyor 23 (25). The same applies to the return path 43b side of the transfer chain 43 of the round conveyor 23 (25). It should be noted that this is for the convenience of the forward path, the return path and the explanation, and does not necessarily correspond to the upstream or downstream.

  In FIG. 8, reference numeral 38 indicates a transport piece of the interlocked transport device (turn part) 29 (31) heading (along) the transport chain 43 b on the return path side of the round conveyor 23 (25). The pushed portion 46 of the work cart 27 on the side is pushed to move the work cart 27 forward as indicated by an arrow A. At the position where the return chain side transport chain 43b of the round conveyor 23 (25) and the transport chain 40 of the interlocked transport device (turn part) 29 (31) are wrapped, the interlocking transport device 29 (31) to the round conveyor 23 (25). The work cart 27 is delivered to the vehicle.

  That is, as shown in FIG. 9, the clockwise rotation of the round conveyor 23 (25) causes the connecting pins 48 and 49 to move forward together with the transport chain 43, and the work cart 27 is interlocked behind the connecting pins 48 and 49. It is pushed by the conveying piece 38 of the conveying device (turn part) 29 (31) and approaches, and the speed of the interlocked conveying device 29 (31) is faster than the speed of the round conveyor 23 (25) (round conveyor 23 (25 ) Is preferably temporarily stopped), and the claw members 51 and 52 of the work carriage 27 ride forward (overtake) the connecting pins 48 and 49. At this time, the claw bodies 52a and 52a protrude rearward. From this state, the connecting pins 48 and 49 move forward together with the transport chain 43 of the round conveyor 23 (25) to engage with the claw members 51 and 52, and in this state, the work cart 2 The conveying forward.

  Detection of the position of the work carriage 27 in each of the round conveyors 22 to 25 and each of the interlocking transfer devices 28 to 31 (delivery of the work carriage 27 and timing of receipt) is performed by a switch or a sensor (not shown). For example, in FIG. 8, when the work cart 27 on the right side (outward side 43a) of the round conveyor 23 (25) is detected by a contact-type switch, the interlocking conveyance device 30 in the feed direction of the work cart 27 is sent via a control device (not shown). The transport chain 35 of (28) is driven in the direction of arrow B, and the transport piece 38 (not shown in FIG. 8) stands by at a position where the pushed portion 46 at the rear end of the work carriage 27 should be pushed.

  Further, in FIG. 8, the connecting pins 48 and 49 of the round conveyor 23 (25) are indicated by an arrow C before the claw members 51 and 52 of the work cart 27 on the left side and in front (moving by the interlocking conveyance device 29 (31)). As described above, the timing of waiting ahead and waiting forward is also performed by detecting the work cart 27 with a contact-type switch. Each switch is connected to a control device (not shown) and controls the movement of the work carriage 27, that is, the drive (start and stop) of each transfer chain 35, 40, 43.

  In the example of FIG. 8, the work carriage 27 does not rotate along the sprocket 42 at one end of the round conveyor 23 (25) (since it collides with the left work carriage 27, the right work carriage 27 is It is always moved to the round conveyor 24 (22) (not shown) on the front side by the interlocking conveyance device 30 (28)), and the other end portions (turn portions 29 and 31) of the respective round conveyors 22 to 25 in FIGS. At the opposite end), the work carriage 27 rotates and moves along the sprocket 42 with a small radius as indicated by an arrow 59.

  At this time, since the pair of front and rear claw members 51 and 52 of the work carriage 27 are connected and engaged with the pair of front and rear connection pins 48 and 49 of the round conveyors 22 to 25, the claw member 51 is unexpectedly moved from the connection pins 48 and 49. , 52 can be prevented from being separated (if there is only one connecting pin and one claw member, there is a concern that the work cart 27 may be detached due to shaking during travel, etc., so that countermeasures are taken. ).

  Further, when the work carriage 27 is rotated along the sprocket 42 at the other end of the round conveyors 22 to 25, the claw members 51 and 52 are rotated while being slidably contacted along a guide plate (not shown) outside in the rotation direction. Thus, the turn of the work carriage 27 with a small radius can be performed smoothly and reliably. This guide plate is erected on the horizontal lateral guide walls of the round conveyors 22 to 25 outside the sprocket 42 in the radial direction. 8 shows the horizontal lateral guide wall 36 and the vertical longitudinal guide wall 34 of the interlocking conveyance device 30 (28), the lateral guide walls and the longitudinal guide walls of the round conveyors 22 to 25 are the guide walls 36. , 34 is extended.

  The features of the wire harness manufacturing apparatus and assembly line forming method of the present invention will be described below.

  The purpose of the present invention is to increase the number of assembly work surfaces without increasing the equipment installation space of the existing factory building in the assembly line of the wire harness, and in addition, even when temporary work stagnation occurs, This is to prevent the influence from spreading to the entire line.

  In order to achieve the above object, four round conveyors 22 to 25 similar to those of the prior art are arranged, and the wire harness manufacturing apparatus 21 (FIG. 1) in a form in which the respective round conveyors 22 to 25 are connected by the interlocking conveyance devices 28 to 31. It was adopted. Each of the round conveyors 22 to 25 transports a plurality of work carts 27 connected by a single endless transport (drive) chain 43 as in the prior art, but the work carts 27 can move between the round conveyors. In addition, a conveyor connecting device 53 that can be detached from and connected to the transport chain 43 is provided.

  Thereby, the work cart 27 can pass through all the work areas (operators) arranged on the four round conveyors 22 to 25, and the four round conveyors 22 to 25 can be operated as one line. It becomes.

  The basic operation of the interlocking conveying devices 28 to 31 is to convey the work cart 27 carried out from the upstream round conveyor 22 to the downstream round conveyors 23 to 25, but each of the round conveyors 22 to 25 is independent. Since the operation is performed by the driven motor, when the operation cycle time is out of sync or the delay due to the temporary stagnation of the worker or the like occurs, the interlocking conveyance device is provided so that the operation of each of the round conveyors 22 to 25 is stabilized. 28 to 31 have a function (buffer function) for automatically adjusting the conveyance timing.

  The conveyor connecting device 53 included in each work carriage 27 connects and disconnects the round conveyors 22 to 25 to the transport chain 43. In the case of a conventional round conveyor, the work cart does not need to be detached and reconnected from the round conveyor, and thus does not have the same function. However, the wire harness manufacturing apparatus 21 of the present invention has four round conveyors 22 to 22. Since it is necessary to pass through all 25 work areas, this function is essential.

  As a basic operation, a claw member 51, which is a connecting mechanism of the conveyor connecting device 53 of the work cart 27, is connected to the connecting pins 48, 49 arranged at the locations where the work cart 27 of the transport chains 43 of the round conveyors 22 to 25 is connected. Engagement is performed by overtaking the connecting pins 48 and 49 from the subsequent position, and after the engagement, the work carriage 27 is conveyed by the conveyance chain 43 of the round conveyors 22 to 25.

  Since the work cart 27 and the transport chain 43 are connected by the engagement of the two claw members 51 and 52 and the two connection pins 48 and 49, the work cart 27 is connected to the round conveyors 22 to 25. Even when passing through the turn part 59 (FIG. 3), the work carriage 27 is not detached from the conveyor chain 43, and the work carriage 27 is stably conveyed.

  In the case of a conventional round conveyor, the addition of a work carriage (work area) is mainly limited by the installation space in the length direction, but the wire harness manufacturing apparatus 21 of the present invention includes a plurality of round conveyors 22 to 25. Since the interlocking conveyors 28 to 31 to be connected can arrange the plurality of round conveyors 22 to 25 in the length direction and the width direction and configure them as one line, the facility installation space can be effectively utilized. Can do. In addition, the interlocking conveyance devices 28 to 31 have a function of reducing the influence of the variation in the conveyance speed and the temporary stagnation (stop) generated in each of the round conveyors 22 to 25, so that the work tact can be kept constant. Can do.

  In addition, in the said embodiment, although the conveyance speed of each round conveyor 22-25 and each interlocking conveyance apparatus 28-31 was made constant (it differs in round conveyors 22-25 and the interlocking conveyance apparatuses 28-31), for example, each A work cart from the upstream round conveyor (for example, reference numeral 22) to the interlocking conveyance device 29 by controlling (increasing / decreasing) the number of rotations of a chain drive motor (not shown) of the round conveyors 22-25 and the interlocking conveyance devices 28-31. 27 and delivery of the work cart 27 from the interlocking conveyor 29 to the downstream round conveyor 23 without stopping the chains 35, 40, 43 of the round conveyors 22-25 and the interlocking conveyors 28-31. It is also possible to However, an increase in the speed of the round conveyors 22 to 25 is not preferable because it adversely affects workability.

  In the above embodiment, the connection pins (connection members) 48 and 49 are provided upright on the round conveyors 22 to 25, and the claw members (connected members) 51 and 52 are provided on the work carriage 27 in a suspended manner. On the contrary, the claw members (connection members) 51 and 52 are provided upright on the round conveyors 22 to 25, and the connection pins (members to be connected) 48 and 49 are provided on the work carriage 27 in a suspended manner. is there. However, in this case, the claw members (connection members) 51 and 52 need to be downsized.

  It is also possible to project the connecting pins 48 and 49 and the downsized claw members 51 and 52 in the horizontal direction instead of the vertical direction. Further, when the turn portions 59 of the round conveyors 22 to 25 have a large diameter, the connecting pins 48 and 49 and the claw members 51 and 52 may be set to one each instead of each pair (caution is required). Further, the shape of the claw members 51 and 52 is appropriately changed and used (for example, the slit holes 51b and 52b are formed into semicircular grooves, or the front side portions of the claw members 51 and 52 are provided with an inclined surface (not shown) to be inclined. The claw members 51, 52 rotate in the left-right direction (chain width direction) instead of the front-rear direction while sliding the connection pins 48, 49 along the surface, and so on. Is possible. It is also possible to connect the pair of claw members 51 and 52 with a link or the like (not shown) so as to simultaneously rotate in the front-rear direction.

  The wire harness manufacturing apparatus and assembly line forming method according to the present invention can be effectively used without increasing the equipment installation space of an existing factory building in the wire harness assembly line, and the number of assembly work surfaces, that is, the number of work carriages. In addition to this, when temporary work stagnation occurs, it can be used to prevent the influence from spreading to the entire assembly line.

21 Wire Harness Manufacturing Equipment 22-25 Round Conveyor 27 Working Cart 28, 30 Interlocking Conveying Device (Straight Part)
29,31 Interlocking transport device (turn part)
35, 40 transport chain (sub transport chain)
38 Transport piece (pushing member)
43 Transport chain (main transport chain)
48, 49 Connecting pin (connecting member)
51,52 Claw member (member to be connected)
51b, 52b Slit hole

Claims (4)

  A plurality of round conveyors on which a plurality of work carts are arranged, and an interlocking conveyance device that connects the plurality of round conveyors and is driven independently of the round conveyors, and is connected to a main conveyance chain of each round conveyor And a connected member that can be engaged and disengaged with the connecting member is provided on each work carriage, and the work carriage is pushed to the sub-transport chain of the interlocking transport device by downstream from the upstream round conveyor. An apparatus for manufacturing a wire harness, characterized in that a pushing member is provided to be moved to the round conveyor.   The coupled member is rotatable in a direction opposite to the conveyance direction of the main conveyance chain, the push member pushes the work carriage, the coupled member gets over the coupling member, The wire harness manufacturing method according to claim 1, wherein the connecting member engages with the connected member by movement of the transport chain in the transport direction, and the work carriage is transported in the round conveyor in this state. apparatus.   The connecting member is a pair of connecting pins on the front side and the rear side in the conveying direction, and the connected member is a pair of claw members on the front side and the rear side in the conveying direction having slit holes for engaging the connecting pins. The rear connection pin is formed longer than the pin, and the rear claw member is formed to have a length that passes through the front connection pin and engages with the rear connection pin. The apparatus for manufacturing a wire harness according to claim 2.   A plurality of round conveyors are arranged in the longitudinal direction and the width direction, the round conveyors arranged in the longitudinal direction are connected by a linear interlocking conveying device, the round conveyors arranged in the width direction are connected by a curved interlocking conveying device, Forming an assembly line for a wire harness, wherein each interlocking conveyance device can be driven independently of each round conveyor, and the work carriage is conveyed from the upstream round conveyor to the downstream round conveyor via the interlocking conveyance device. Method.

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