JPS6355726B2 - - Google Patents

Abstract

Apparatus for, and a method of, manufacturing electrical harness assemblies. Wires (22) are advanced through a wire insertion zone (222), slotted plate electrical connectors (4 and 6) are fed by a slide (152) into the zone (222) so that each wire (22) is aligned with a slotted plate terminal of each of the connectors (4 and 6), a wire insertion ram (74) is lowered to insert the wires (22) into the terminals and to cut out scrap parts of the wires (22) between the connectors (4 and 6), the ram (74) is raised, and a complete harness comprising a connector (4 min ) applied during the previous cycle of the apparatus, and the connector (6) is removed from the apparatus and the wires (22) are advanced again. For the reduction of manual operations, the wires (22) are advanced from wire spools by a wire advancing mechanism, through wire positioning means (90, 94) from which the wires (22) are driven by the ram (74) into the terminals of the connectors (4 and 6).

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION The present invention relates to a method and apparatus for manufacturing an electrical harness assembly.

Applicant's U.S. Patent No. 3,909,935 and
No. 3,866,297 discloses first and second connectors each having a plurality of terminals arranged in at least one row, one end of which is inserted into the wire insertion portion of the terminal of the first connector, and the other end of which is inserted into the wire insertion portion of the terminal of the first connector. An apparatus for continuously manufacturing an electrical harness assembly comprising a plurality of wires inserted into wire insertion parts of the terminals of a second connector, the wire insertion zone having first and second wire insertion parts. , the first and second connectors are aligned parallel to each other in the first and second wire insertion portions, and the wire insertion portions of the terminals in both connectors are aligned facing in opposite directions. first and second connector positioning means for positioning the two connectors, each comprising a wire insertion member, the first and second connector positioning means being at a position apart from the first and second connector positioning means; first and second wire insertion tool assemblies that move toward positioning means and move the wire toward the first and second connector positioning means to insert the wire into the wire insertion portion of the terminal; An apparatus is disclosed comprising wire cutting means located between the first and second wire insertion tool assemblies for cutting the wire between the first and second connector positioning means.

In this known device, the wires and connectors are fed manually, but the harness assembly produced by the device includes two connectors that can be mated together;
The connector had multiple terminals arranged in a row and connected to separate arrays of wires.

Manufacturing harness assemblies with multiple connectors connected to a common array of wires by such known equipment significantly increases manual steps.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION An object of the present invention is to provide a harness assembly manufacturing method and apparatus that can manufacture the above-mentioned harness assembly with fewer manual steps.

A further object of the present invention is to provide a method and apparatus for manufacturing a harness assembly having a connector with a plurality of terminals arranged in two overlapping rows.

A further object of the present invention is to provide a method and apparatus capable of manufacturing the above-described harness assembly at low cost.

The apparatus of the present invention is the apparatus of the above-mentioned US patent, wherein the plurality of wires are inserted into the wire insertion zone when the first and second connectors are positioned within the wire insertion zone by the first and second connector positioning means. and a wire positioning holder for positioning the wire insertion portions of the terminals in both connectors so that each wire is aligned in a direction perpendicular to the axis of the wire, and each wire is located in at least one common plane. and a wire supply means for supplying the wire from the wire supply source to the wire insertion zone along the wire supply path while maintaining the alignment of each wire and each wire insertion portion by the wire positioning and holding means. and each wire is held down by the wire insertion member until it is moved toward the connector positioning means.

When manufacturing a harness assembly in which the plurality of terminals of each connector are arranged in two overlapping parallel rows, and the wire insertion portions of the terminals in each row are open on the opposite side, , the wire positioning and holding means is adapted to position the plurality of wires in two parallel planes respectively located on opposite sides of the connector positioning means, and the wire insertion tool assembly is adapted to position the plurality of wires in two parallel planes respectively located on opposite sides of the connector positioning means. It consists of two sets of similar tools, each arranged
The wires in the two planes are simultaneously inserted into the wire insertion portions of all the terminals by the two sets of tools, and the wire cutting means cuts the wires in each plane. It's becoming like that.

Further, the method of the present invention includes first and second terminals each comprising a plurality of terminals arranged in two parallel rows overlapping each other, the wire insertion portions of each of the terminals opening on opposite sides.
and a plurality of wires, one end of which is inserted into the wire insertion part of the terminal of the first connector, and the other end inserted into the wire insertion part of the terminal of the second connector. A method for continuously manufacturing a wire, wherein the first and second connectors are aligned parallel to each other, and the wires are aligned so that the wire insertion portions of the terminals in both connectors face opposite directions. a plurality of wires positioned within the wire insertion zone such that each wire is aligned with a wire insertion portion of the plurality of terminals of each of the connectors in a direction perpendicular to the axis of the wire; the plurality of wires from a wire supply source in a manner such that the wires are moved in a direction perpendicular to the axis thereof into the wire insertion portion of the terminal in alignment with the wires and the connectors are removed from the wire insertion zone; feeding along two wire feed paths that are located in two substantially parallel planes and extend across the wire insertion zone; once located in the wire insertion zone between its two faces so as to be open, with the second connector being located downstream of the first connector in the wire feeding direction; After each wire is inserted into the wire insertion section and cut, the second connector is removed from the wire insertion zone, and the first connector is moved beyond the wire insertion zone in the wire feeding direction, while the plurality of wires are maintained in-plane, and then new first and second connectors are supplied into the wire insertion zone and the above steps are repeated.

It should be noted that, as described below, the method and apparatus of the present invention can also be used to manufacture harness assemblies having three or more connectors.

Additionally, the current status of this type of technology is
No. 4043034, No. 4043017 and No. 3136440.

Embodiments of the present invention will be described in detail below with reference to the drawings.

The harness assembly 2 shown in FIG. 2 is manufactured by the apparatus shown in FIG. 1 according to the procedure shown in FIGS. 3 to 6. In addition, in FIGS. 3 to 6, only a part of the apparatus is shown.

In FIG. 2, the harness assembly 2 includes first and second connectors 4, 6 which are identical. Each connector 4, 6 has a front end 10, a rear end 12,
It includes an insulating housing 8 having a top wall 14, a bottom wall 16, and side walls 18. Each housing 8
A plurality of terminals 20 are housed inside. terminal 2
0 has an elongated rear end 21, and the wire 2
2 in a direction perpendicular to its axis to remove the rear end 2.
1, the core of the wire 22 and the terminal 20 are brought into electrical contact. The illustrated connectors 4,6 are those described in US Pat. No. 4,243,288. The plurality of terminals 20 are arranged in two rows 24, 2 overlapping each other.
They are arranged in 6. The two rows 24 and 26 are housed in a chamber 19 that opens toward the top wall 14 and a chamber 19 that opens toward the bottom wall 16, respectively, and the rear end portions 21 of the terminals 20 in the row 24 are located on the top wall 14 side. The rear end 21 of the terminals 20 in the row 26 is open to the bottom wall 1.
It is open on the 6th side. When connecting two rows of wires 22 to these two rows of terminals 20, the housing 8 of the first connector 4 and the housing 8 of the second connector 6 are positioned between the rows of wires 22. each wire 22 is aligned with the rear end 21 of the terminal 20 in each housing 8, and each wire 22 is moved toward the rear end 21.

Next, the operation of the apparatus according to one embodiment of the present invention will be explained with reference to FIGS. 3 to 6.

In the first stage of the cycle of the apparatus of this embodiment, as shown in FIG. It is pulled out and extended through the wire insertion zone 222. A connector 4' (same as the first and second connectors 4, 6) is attached to the front end of the wire 22 in the next step. The wire insertion zone 222 is provided with first and second wire insertion parts 224, 224',
The wire inserts 224, 224' are arranged between the ram and lower arm of the press (described below).

The first connector 4 is now positioned within its first wire insert 224 and the second connector 6 is positioned within its second wire insert 224'. Both connectors 4 and 6 are positioned between the two planes on which the rows of wires 22 are located, and at this time, the rear ends 21 of each terminal 20 in the first connector 4 and each terminal in the second connector 6 The rear ends 21 of the terminals 20 face in opposite directions and are aligned with each other, and the rear ends 21 of the terminals 20 that are aligned with each other in both connectors 4 and 6 are connected to one wire 22 and its wires. 22 in a direction perpendicular to the axis.
Here, a wire insertion tool (described later) is engaged with the wires 22 as shown in FIG. 22 at two positions between both connectors 4 and 6,
An unnecessary part of a wire 22 extending between both connectors can be removed. The insertion tool is then removed as shown in FIG. 5 and the completed harness assembly 2 with connectors 4' and 6 is removed from the apparatus as shown in FIG. The connector 4 is then advanced through the wire insertion zone 222 until the desired length of wire is withdrawn from the spool. Each of said two rows of wires 22 is then kept in said two separate planes, so that in the next cycle of the device the next connector 4, 6 can be positioned between said two planes. . As is clear from the above description, one harness assembly is manufactured for each cycle of the device;
Two cycles are required to produce one harness assembly.

Next, details of the apparatus of this embodiment will be explained.

As shown in FIGS. 7 and 8, the press has a neck portion 35 and upper and lower arms 3 extending on both sides thereof.
It is provided with a C-shaped frame 30 consisting of 2,34 parts. The frame 30 is mounted on a base plate 36 supported on a pedestal (not shown).

A ram assembly 38 is mounted on the upper arm 32 for reciprocating motion relative to the lower arm 34. The ram assembly 38 includes a pair of side plates 40, 40' disposed in contact with both sides of the upper arm 32, as shown in FIG.
The bolt 4 extends across the upper surface of the upper arm 32.
3, and a brace 42 fixed to both side plates 40, 40' by bolts 40, 40'. On the lower side of the upper arm 32, both side plates 40,
A tool support plate 44 is bolted to the lower end of 40'. Further, a return spring 48 is sandwiched between the upper surface of upper arm 32 and brace 42 to bias ram assembly 38 toward the raised position. The ram assembly 38 is a hydraulic piston which is bored within the upper arm 32 and consists of a cylinder 52 closed by a cylinder head 54 and a piston 50 inserted into the cylinder 52.
Driven in the working direction by a cylinder device.
The piston 50 is fixed to the tool support plate 44, and when oil is introduced into the cylinder 52 from one end 56 of a flow path 58, it is driven from the position shown in FIG. 7 in the working direction (downward). The flow path 58 is the seventh
As shown in the figure, it extends through the frame 30 to the oil tank 60. This oil tank 60
extends to the upper surface of the frame 30. A pneumatic cylinder 62 is attached to the upper surface of the frame 30. A piston 66 is inserted into the pneumatic cylinder 62, and the piston rod 64 of the piston 66 is sized to be inserted into the oil tank 60. When compressed air is introduced into the cylinder 62 through the inlet 68, the piston 66 is driven and the piston rod 6
4 is inserted into the oil tank 60, whereby the oil in the oil tank 60 is forced into said cylinder 52 and drives the piston 50 and thus the tool support plate 44 in the working direction. When the pressure in cylinder 52 is released, return spring 48 returns ram assembly 38 to its normally raised position.

Upper wire insertion tool assemblies 70, 70' having exactly the same structure are used for the first and second wire insertion parts 2.
24, 224' simultaneously insert wires 22 into the rear ends 21 of terminals 20 in the upper row 24 in each connector 4, 6, and lower wire insertion tool assemblies 142, 142' of identical construction Terminals 20 in the lower row 26 in connectors 4,6
At the same time, a wire 22 is inserted into the rear end 21 of the .

As shown in FIG. 11, the upper wire insertion tool assembly 70 includes a wire cutting plate 82, a comb-shaped wire separation plate 84, wire insertion plates 86 and 88, and wire holding plates 90 and 9.
2 and a comb-shaped wire positioning plate 94 are stacked on top of each other. The upper wire insertion tool assembly 70' of the second wire insertion portion 224' has a similar construction, and corresponding parts are designated by like numbers with a dash. Both wire insertion tool assembly 7
0,70' are both sides 80 of the tool mounting block 74,
80' respectively. The tool mounting block 74 has flanges 76, 7 on both sides.
6', the assembly 70, 70' includes a bolt 72, extending through mutually aligned openings 96, 96' in some of the plurality of tool members.
72' (FIG. 9) to its flanges 76,7
It is fixed to the lower side of 6'. Both assemblies 70,
Since assembly 70' has exactly the same structure, only assembly 70 will be described below.

The wire cutting plate 82 is provided with a plurality of teeth 98 at its lower end. The right edge 97 of each tooth 98 (as viewed in FIG. 11) acts as a movable shear blade that cooperates with the fixed shear blades described below. The wire separation plate 84 is shaped like a narrow bar and has a plurality of notches extending upward from its lower end, which allow a plurality of teeth 10 to be connected to each other.
0 are formed at intervals, and the teeth 100
One wire 22 is inserted between each of the two. In addition, the wire insertion plate 8
6 and 88 are the wires 2 inside the rear end 21 of the terminal 20.
2 are provided with a plurality of teeth 102 and 104, respectively.

The cutting plate 82 is fixedly attached to the side surface 80 of the mounting block 74, while the wire separation plate 84 has grooves 1 extending across the adjacent surface of the wire insertion plate 86.
10 so as to be freely slidable. A plurality of vertically extending recesses 108 are provided in the wire insertion plate 86, into which the vertical guide members 106 of the wire separation plate 84 are respectively inserted. The wire separation plate 84 is biased downward to its limit of downward movement by a coil spring 112 disposed between its upper edge and the lower surface of the flange 76 of the mounting block 74. Grooves 116 and 114 forming spaces for accommodating the springs are formed in wire cutting plate 82 and wire insertion plate 86, respectively.

The wire holding plates 90 and 92 cooperate with each other to releasably hold down the wire 22 before it is inserted into the terminal 20. Both wire holding plates 90 and 92 are held in a recess 118 formed in a side surface 120 of the wire positioning plate 94 so as to overlap each other. Also, both wire holding plates 90, 92
have notches 122 and 124 in their upper edges, respectively, and coil springs 126 are housed within both notches 122 and 124, respectively. The notches 122 and 124 are offset from each other, and the spring 126 urges one wire holding plate 90 to the left and the other wire holding plate 92 to the right (FIG. 13). . A recess 128 is provided in the side surface 120 of the wire positioning plate 94 for accommodating the spring 126 thereof.

As shown in FIG. 12, a plurality of notches 127 and 129 are provided at the lower edges of the wire holding plates 90 and 92 to receive the wires 22, respectively. On the right side (12th
The other wire retainer plate 9 is provided with a wire retainer protrusion 131 extending (as seen in the figure).
A wire holding projection 131' extending to the left is provided at the entrance of the second notch 129. The notch 127,
The width of the inlet 133 to 129 is made much smaller than the diameter of wire 22. However, when the wire holding plates 90, 92 are moved relative to opposite sides in the length direction, the distance between the protrusions 131, 131' increases, and the width of the inlet 133 increases. It becomes possible to extrude from 129. Such movement of the wire hold-down plates 90, 92 is accomplished by plate alignment blocks 138, 140, described below.
(FIG. 1) caused by the upper cam surface.
When the upper tool assemblies 70, 70' are moved downward, the side edges of both wire presser plates 90, 92 come into contact with the cam surfaces of the plate alignment blocks 138, 140 and are moved in opposite directions. This opens the notches 127, 129, and the wire 22 held within the notches 127, 129 can be moved toward the wire insertion portion (rear end) 21 of the terminal 20. The wire holding plates 90', 92' of the second wire insertion part 224' are also plate alignment blocks 138',
140' (FIG. 7),
Lower wire insertion tool assembly 142,14
Plate alignment blocks 148, 150 and 148', 15 to which corresponding plates 2' are also secured.
0' (FIGS. 14 and 15).

As shown in FIGS. 11 and 12, the wire positioning plate 94 is attached to the wire insertion tool assembly 70.
The lower edge thereof is provided with a plurality of notches 130 for determining the position of each wire 22 on the wire insertion side. Further, the wire positioning plate 94 is attached to the flange 7 of the tool mounting block 74.
It is biased by a spring 135 that extends into the hole provided in 6 as shown in FIG.

Upper wire insertion tool assembly 70, 70'
and the mounting block 74 is attached to the side plate 4.
a lower end 78 extending inwardly at 0.40';
78' (FIG. 9) against the tool support plate 44. its lower end 78,
78' is the flange 76, 7 of the mounting block 74.
It extends along the lower surface of 6'. Holding plate 1
34 is fixed to the front and rear surfaces of the flanges 76, 76' by bolts 136, and the side plate 4
It overlaps with the side edge of 0.40' (Fig. 7).

Said plate alignment blocks 138,1 for maintaining proper alignment of wire insertion tools 70,70'
38' and 140, 140' are fixed to opposite edges of both side plates 40, 40' and move into the wire insertion zone 222 below the upper wire insertion tool assembly 70, 70', as described below. It also serves as a guide for the slide member.

The first and second lower wire insertion tool assemblies 142, 142' have substantially the same structure as the upper wire insertion tool assemblies 70, 70', so a detailed description thereof will be omitted. Both lower wire insertion tool assemblies 142, 142' are connected to a lower tool mounting block 144 similar to tool mounting block 74 described above.
(Fig. 9). The mounting block 144 is attached to the lower arm 34 of the frame 30.
supported above. Fixed side plates 146, 146' are also provided to the lower wire insertion tool assembly 142, 142' as shown in FIG.
It plays the same role as 40'.

The first and second connectors 4 and 6 are connected to a connector supply slide member 152 (whose overall shape is similar to that of the first connector).
As shown in the figure. ) into the wire insertion zone 222 and positioned between the upper wire insertion tool assembly 70, 70' and the lower wire insertion tool assembly 142, 142'.
The connector feed slide member 152 is movable from a connector receiving position (FIG. 14) to a positioning position for positioning the connectors 4, 6 within the wire insertion zone 222.

The sliding member 152 has a connector holding slot 15 that holds the connectors 4 and 6, respectively.
4,154' on both sides (9th, 16th
figure). The connectors 4, 6 are inserted into the connector holding slots 154, 154' from the front end 10 side, and the portions on the front end 10 side are inserted into the slots 154, 154'.
It is inserted so that the rear end portion is exposed to the outside. This allows the wire 22 to be inserted into the wire insertion portion 21 of the terminal 20 while the connectors 4, 6 are held in the slots 154, 154'.
The connectors 4, 6 are inserted into the slots 154, 154' so that the wire insertion portion 21 of the terminal 20 is aligned with the wire 22 in the wire insertion zone 222 when the slide member 152 is moved to the positioning position (FIG. 15). must be inserted correctly. In this embodiment, connectors 4 and 6
The positioning is performed using stoppers 155 fixed in slots 154 and 154' by bolts, respectively.
(Figure 3). Slide member 1
52 is moved outwardly from the most retracted connector receiving position (FIG. 14) to the most advanced connector locating position (FIG. 15), the front end 190 of the slide member 152 passes over the alignment blocks 140, 140'. , the lower ends of the alignment blocks 140, 140' serve as another stop for the connectors 4,6. That is,
Connectors 4 and 6 are connected to alignment block 14 when slide member 152 is in the connector positioning position.
0,140' lower end and slot 154,15
It is sandwiched and positioned between stoppers 155 in 4'.

Slide member 152 is slidably supported within a recess 153 provided in a top surface 158 of slide support 156 that extends laterally from wire insertion zone 222, as shown in FIG. 1st, 7th
As shown, the sliding support 156 includes a downwardly extending flange 160 at its inner end adjacent the wire insertion zone 222. The flange 1
60 is housed between ears 162, 162' (FIGS. 8 and 10) extending from lower side plates 146, 146'. Further, the flange 160 is adapted to be able to slide between the two ear pieces 162, 162', and the front cover plate 164
(FIG. 7) between the ears 162, 162'. Furthermore, a spring 166 is provided between the lower end of the flange 160 and the base plate 36.
is sandwiched. Therefore, the slide support 15
6 can be elastically lowered when inserting the wire into the wire insertion part 21 of the terminal 20, whereby the connectors 4, 6 are also pushed down toward the lower wire insertion tool assembly 142, 142'. . Mounted on the surface 158 of the slide support 156 is a guide 168 (FIG. 1) for guiding the slide member 152 into the wire insertion zone 222. When the ram assembly 38 is lowered, its guide 168 is pushed by the tool support plate 44 and pushes the slide support 156 down.

The connectors 4, 6 are lightly held in the slots 154, 154' by presser fingers 170, 170' as shown in FIGS. 14 and 15. The presser finger members 170, 170' are movable with the slide member 152 of the cover 1.
78 on pivot pins 172, 172'. Moreover, the presser finger member 170,
170' extends along both sides of the slide member 152, and its distal end becomes a handle 174, 174' located outside the outer end of the slide support 156 (as viewed in FIG. 14). The presser finger members 170, 170' are urged by a spring 176 toward the side surface of the slide member 152, that is, toward the position shown in FIG. 14 where they abut the connectors 4, 6. For reasons that will be explained later, wire 22 is connected to connectors 4 and 6.
After inserting the connectors 4 and 6 into the wire insertion zone 21 of the terminal 20 in the wire insertion zone 22
2 (i.e., the slide member 152 is moved back out of the wire insertion zone 222 while remaining in the
The connectors 4, 6 are connected to the presser finger members 170, 1 so that the connectors 4, 6 can be moved from the position shown in the figure to the position shown in
70' should not be pressed down with too much force.

the spring 176 and the pivot pin 172;
172' is housed within the cover 178 which is slidably mounted on the slide support 156. The cover 178 is attached to the slide support 156
The slide member 152 has side portions extending beyond both sides of the slide member 152 and has an inwardly bent ear portion 180 (FIG. 1) at the lower end of the side portion. and a cover 178 are held on the top surface of the slide support 156.

As shown in FIG. 7, a switch 182 is attached to the lower surface of the slide support. This switch 182 includes a switch arm 184, and a roller 186 is attached to the tip of this switch arm 184. This roller 1
86, the slide member 152 is shown in FIGS. 7 and 14.
When in the position shown, it engages actuator block 188 within slide member 152. The switch 182 controls the piston-cylinder unit 204 which advances the first connector 4 from the wire insertion zone 222, as described below.

The front end 190 of the slide member 152 has a narrow width as shown in FIG.
52 is moved between the plate alignment blocks 150, 150' when moved to the position shown in FIG. The alignment block 150, 150' has its front end 19
0 to align the slide member 152 and the connectors 4,6 within the slide member 152 with the wire 22 before the wire insertion tool 70,70' is moved toward the connectors 4,6. 7th
As is clear from the figure, when the slide member 52 moves forward, its front end 190 climbs over the support member 194 and presses the switch button 19 of a switch (not shown) attached to the neck portion 35 of the frame 30.
It falls under 2. The support member 194 is the spring 1
95, and can move downward against the force of the spring 195 when the slide 152 moves downward, as will be described later. The switch is also actuated to start a cycle of the device.

The wire 22 is pulled from the spool and extended to a wire guide assembly 196 (FIG. 1) that positions the wire 22 in the two generally parallel planes. Further, the wire 22 is connected to the comb-shaped wire positioning plates 94, 94' and the wire holding plates 90, 92, 90, 9.
0' precisely located within the wire insertion zone 222 in two spaced planes.

As shown in FIG. 1, the wire guide assembly 196 includes a rectangular frame 1 having vertical side members slidably supported within a pair of spaced support members 200 fixed on the base plate 36.
It is equipped with 98. The frame 198 is biased upwardly by a spring 208 and is coupled to the slide support 156 by a coupling arm 206.
When the frame 198 is lowered, the frame 198 is also lowered from the position shown in FIG.

The frame 198 includes a central plate 202 extending across the frame 198;
Mounted on the central plate 202 is a pneumatic piston-cylinder unit 204. The piston rod (not shown) of the piston-cylinder unit 204 is coupled to a horizontal wire guide plate 212 (FIG. 9), which moves into the wire insertion zone 222 as the piston of the unit 204 advances. I am beginning to be moved towards the future. Each wire 22 is threaded between a plurality of vertically extending rods 210 (FIG. 1) within frame 198. At this time, a weak pressure is applied to each wire 22 by a pressure bar 211 biased by a spring on the rod 210.

The wire 22 is connected to the horizontal wire guide plate 2
12 and extends through the upper and lower surfaces (as viewed in FIG. 9) of upper wire positioning plate 214.
and into a plurality of spaced grooves (FIG. 1) on lower wire positioning plate 216, respectively. Both wire positioning plates 214 and 216 are horizontal wire guide plates 2
12, thereby receiving the rear end 12 of the connector 4 and carrying the connector 4 to the right (as viewed in FIG. 10) through the wire insertion zone 222. is formed.

The operation of the apparatus of this embodiment will be explained in detail below.

Initially, at the beginning of a cycle of the device, the wire 22 traverses the upper and lower surfaces of the horizontal guide plate 212 and passes through the grooves in the upper wire positioning plate 214 and the lower wire positioning plate 216, as shown in FIGS. , further extending across the wire insertion zone 222. Each wire 22 in the upper plane is precisely positioned within the wire insertion zone 222 by the wire positioning plates 94, 94', the wire holding plates 90, 92, 90', 92' and the wire separating plates 84, 84'. has been done. Each wire 22 in the lower plane is also positioned by a corresponding plate of the lower wire insertion tool assembly 142, 142'.
Also, at this time, the slide member 152 is in an advanced position into the wire insertion zone 222, and the connectors 4, 6 are removably retained within the slots 154, 154' of the slide member 152. Each wire 22 also extends beyond the wire insertion zone 222 and the front end of each wire 22 connects to the connector 4' installed in the previous cycle.
is combined with

When a pedal switch (not shown) is depressed to supply compressed air to the cylinder of the piston-cylinder unit 62, oil is supplied to the cylinder 52, driving the ram assembly 38 and lower wire insertion tool assembly 142, 1
It descends towards 42'. When the upper wire insertion tool assembly 70, 70' abuts the connector 4, 6, the edge 1 of the slide member 152
53' (FIGS. 1 and 5) and edges 97 of the wire cutting plates 82, 82'. Furthermore, the upper wire insertion tool assembly 70,7
0', the slide member 152 moves downward, and the lower sides of the connectors 4, 6 are connected to the lower wire insertion tool assemblies 142, 142' at the first and second wire insertion portions 224, 224', respectively. be forced into contact. Each wire 22 extending below the connectors 4, 6 is cut in the same manner.
When the ram assembly 38 reaches its lowest point, each wire 22 is inserted into the wire insertion portion 21 of each terminal 20.

At this point, when the hydraulic pressure to the cylinder 52 is released, the ram 38 returns to the raised position, and the slide member 152 is manually pulled out from the wire insertion zone 222. That is, the slide member 152 is returned from the position shown in FIG. 15 to the position shown in FIG. 14. At this time, since the wires 22 are connected to the terminals 20 of the connectors 4 and 6, the connectors 4 and 6 do not follow the slide member 152, and the presser finger members 170 and 1
70' slides over the rear ends 12 of the connectors 4,6.
A completed harness assembly comprising the connector 6 attached to the wire 22 by this cycle and the connector 4' attached to the wire 22 by the cycle immediately preceding this cycle is:
It is now removed, leaving the connector 4 in the wire insertion zone 222. The pneumatic piston-cylinder unit 204 is then actuated to advance the horizontal wire guide plate 212 from the position of FIG. 9 to the position of FIG. 10. At this time, the connector 4 is accommodated in the pocket 220,
It is moved to the right to the position shown in Figure 10. This causes the wire 22 to be pulled out of the spool. At this point, the operator grabs that connector 4 and connects it to the
Pull the wire 22 to the right until it is pulled out the desired length, as shown by the broken line in Figure 0. Meanwhile, each wire 22 is connected to the wire guide assembly 19.
6, wire insertion tool assembly 70, 70',
142, 142' and the notches 127, 1 of the wire holding plates 90, 92.
29 by its narrowed inlet 133. The operator then moves the handle 1
74, 174' (keep them close together), insert the new connectors 4, 6 into the slots 154, 154' of the slide member 152, and move the slide member 152 into the position shown in FIG. move it to Here, the above cycle is repeated again.

As previously mentioned, a pedal switch is used in this embodiment to initiate the control circuitry of the device and begin the cycle. The control circuit remains in contact with the cylinder 62 until the switch button 192 is pressed by the front end of the slide member 152.
It is necessary to ensure that air pressure is not supplied to the This ensures that the switch with its switch button 192 has the slide member 152 fully inserted to the connector positioning position and the connector 4, which is supplied by the slide member 152,
6 is properly positioned in position relative to the wire 22 to prevent the ram assembly 38 from lowering. This also allows the slide member 152 to completely move into the wire insertion zone 2.
This prevents the wire insertion tool assembly from being lowered and thereby damaged before being advanced into the wire insertion tool 22. Furthermore, no pressure is applied to the piston-cylinder unit 204 unless the switch arm 184 is pressed, and the switch arm 184 is configured to engage the slide member 152 when the slide member 152 is fully retracted (connector receiving position). 152 by actuator block 188. That is, the switch 182 equipped with the switch arm 184 has the wire guide plate 112
This is to prevent the slide member 152 from entering the wire insertion zone 222 before being fully retracted, thereby causing jamming or damage to the device.

In the above-mentioned embodiments, the manufacturing of a harness assembly having an 8-contact connector at both ends was described as an example, but it is of course possible to manufacture various other harnesses or harness assemblies according to the present invention. Also, multiple connectors can be placed on each wire insert in each cycle to produce a wide variety of harness assemblies. For example, FIG. 17 shows a long single connector 2 at one end of a plurality of wires 22.
28 and the other end with multiple short connectors 23
A harness assembly 250 is shown connected to 0. The long connector 228 has, for example, twenty terminals arranged in two rows of ten each, and the short connector 230 has eight terminals arranged in two rows of four each.

In the harness assembly 250 shown in FIG. 17, the lengths of the wires 22 extending between the connector 228 and each connector 230 are different. Such harness assemblies are often used to connect a junction box and multiple components or devices at different distances from the junction box. A harness assembly as shown in FIG. 17 is manufactured as follows.

First, a plurality of eight-contact connectors 230 are positioned in the first wire insertion section 224, and a long connector 228 is positioned in the second wire insertion section 224'. After wire insertion is complete, insert each 8-contact connector 230 into the first wire insertion section 22.
4, the long connector 228 is positioned in the second wire insertion section 224, and the plurality of eight-contact connectors 230 are positioned in the first wire insertion section 224' after advancing the wire insertion zone by different distances from the edge of the wire insertion zone 224'. Repeat the cycle.

It should be noted that the apparatus of the present invention can also be used with connectors having only one row of terminals, in which case the lower wire insertion tool assembly is not required.

[Brief explanation of the drawing]

FIG. 1 is a schematic perspective view of an apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention, FIG. 2 is an enlarged perspective view of a harness assembly manufactured by the apparatus, and FIGS. Figure 2 is a diagram for schematically explaining the process of manufacturing the harness assembly; Figure 7 is a right side view partially showing the device in Figure 1;
The figure is a sectional view taken along the line -- in Fig. 7, Fig. 9 is a sectional view showing the state of the wire insertion zone of the device in Fig. 1 before the wire is inserted, and Fig. 10 is the state of the wire insertion zone after the wire is inserted. Cross-sectional view shown, 1st
Figure 1 is a partially exploded perspective view of the upper wire insertion tool.
Fig. 12 is a partial sectional view taken along the line XII-XII in Fig. 9, Fig. 13 is a sectional view taken along the - line in Fig. 12,
14 is a partial sectional view taken along the line XI-XI of FIG. 7, showing the slide member in the connector receiving position, and FIG. 15 showing the slide member advanced to position the connector. 14
Figure 16 is similar to Figure 14 -
A line cross-sectional view, FIG. 17, shows another example of a harness assembly that can be manufactured by the apparatus of the present invention. 4, 6...Connector, 20...Terminal, 21...
...Wire insertion part, 22...Wire, 38...
Ram assembly, 70, 70'... Wire insertion tool assembly, 152... Slide member, 15
4,154'...Slot, 196...Wire guide assembly, 222...Wire insertion zone.

Claims (1)

[Claims] 1. A plurality of terminals 20 arranged in at least one row.
first and second connectors 4, 2 each having
30; 6, 228, and a plurality of wires 22 having one end inserted into the wire insertion part 21 of the terminal of the first connector and the other end inserted into the wire insertion part of the terminal of the second connector.
An apparatus for continuously manufacturing an electrical harness assembly 2, 250 consisting of first and second wire insertion parts 224, 224'.
a wire insertion zone 222 comprising said first;
The second connectors are aligned parallel to each other in the first and second wire insertion portions, and the wire insertion portions of the terminals in both connectors are aligned facing in opposite directions. first and second connector positioning means 154, 154' for positioning, each comprising wire insertion members 86, 86', and located at a distance from the first and second connector positioning means,
first and second connector positioning means for moving the wire toward the first and second connector positioning means for inserting the wire into the wire insertion portion of the terminal; 2 wire insertion tool assembly 7
0,70' and between the first and second wire insertion tool assemblies;
A device comprising wire cutting means 82, 82' for cutting the wires between the connector positioning means, wherein the plurality of wires are cut between the first and second connectors by the first and second connector positioning means. Thus, when positioned within the wire insertion zone, each wire is aligned with the wire insertion portion of the terminal in both connectors in a direction perpendicular to the axis of the wire, and each wire has at least one common wire positioning and holding means 90, 94, which positions the wire so that it is located within the plane;
90', 94' and a wire for supplying the wire from the wire supply source to the wire insertion zone along the wire supply path while maintaining the alignment of each wire and each of the wire insertion portions by the wire positioning and holding means thereof; supply means 196, 204 for holding each wire until it is moved by the wire insertion member towards the connector positioning means. 2 Each wire 2 is inserted into the wire insertion portion 21 of the terminal 20 of the first connector 4, 230.
2 is inserted, its first connector is
The wire is pushed out from the position positioned by the first connector positioning means 154 to the outside of the wire insertion zone 222 in the wire feeding direction of the wire feeding means 196, 204 by the pushing means 212. A device according to claim 1, characterized in that: 3. said pushing means 212 is movable parallel to said wire feed path into said wire insertion zone 222, and said pushing means 212 is capable of moving said first connector 4, 230 into said wire insertion zone 22;
The present invention is characterized by comprising wire guide means 214, 216 for guiding the wire 22 from the wire supply source to the wire positioning and holding means 90, 94, 90', 94' when the wire 22 is pushed out of the wire. An apparatus according to claim 2. 4 The plurality of terminals 20 of each of the connectors 4, 6; 230, 228 are arranged in two mutually overlapping parallel rows 24, 26, and the wire insertion portions of the terminals in each row are on the opposite side. The wire positioning and pressing means 90, 9 are opened at
4, 90', 94', 142, 142' connect the plurality of wires to the connector positioning means 15.
4,154', said wire insertion tool assemblies 70, 70', 142,
142' comprises two sets of similar tools disposed on each side of the connector positioning means, and the two sets of tools allow the wires in the two planes to be inserted into the wire insertion portions of all the terminals. Claim 1 characterized in that the wires are inserted simultaneously and the wire cutting means 82, 82', 142, 142' is adapted to cut the wires in each of the planes. 3rd from term
The device according to any one of paragraphs. 5 the first and second connectors 4,230,
6,228 are adapted to be fed by a connector feed slide member 152 that moves along a connector feed path extending in a direction perpendicular to said wire feed path, said first and second connector positioning means 154, 154' are spaced within the slide member in a direction perpendicular to its direction of movement, the slide member 152 being arranged such that the connector positioning means is located in the wire insertion zone 2.
22 and a position in which the connector positioning means aligns the connector with the wire insertion tool 70, 70', 142, 142' to insert the wire into the terminal 20. Any one of claims 1 to 4, characterized in that the connector is movable along the connector supply path.
Apparatus described in section. 6. The connector positioning means are connector insertion openings 154, 154' provided on both sides of the slide member 152, and the connector 4,
6,228,230 has a pivot 172 within its opening that is movable with said slide member 152;
Finger members 170, 17 mounted on 172'
6. Device according to claim 5, characterized in that it is adapted to be removably held by 0'. 7 wire shearing plates 82, 8 with said wire cutting means proximate each of said wire insertion tool assemblies 70, 70', 142, 142';
2' with spring-loaded comb-like wire separation plates 84, 84' between each wire shear plate and wire insertion plates 86, 86' adjacent to the wire shear plate;
7. The device according to claim 1, wherein the device contains: 8. The first and second connectors 4 each include a plurality of terminals 20 arranged in two parallel rows 24 and 26 overlapping each other, and the wire insertion portions 21 of each terminal are open on opposite sides, 230;
6,228, and a plurality of wires 22 having one end inserted into the wire insertion part of the terminal of the first connector and the other end inserted into the wire insertion part of the terminal of the second connector. A method for continuously manufacturing harness assemblies 2, 250, the first and second connectors being aligned parallel to each other, and wire insertion portions of the terminals in both connectors facing in opposite directions. a plurality of wires within the wire insertion zone 222 so as to be aligned with the wire insertion portions of the plurality of terminals of each of the connectors, respectively, in a direction perpendicular to the axis of the wires; , each wire is moved in a direction perpendicular to its axis and inserted into the wire insertion portion of a terminal aligned with the wire, and both connectors are removed from the wire insertion zone. Wires 22 are fed from a wire source along two wire feed paths located in two generally parallel planes and extending across the wire insertion zone, so that both connectors are connected to the wire insertion portions of the terminals. the second connector is located between the two faces in the wire insertion zone so as to be open towards one of the two faces, with the second connector downstream of the first connector in the wire feeding direction; After each wire is inserted into the wire insertion portion of each terminal and cut, the second connector is removed from the wire insertion zone, and the first connector is inserted into the wire insertion zone in the wire supply direction. the plurality of wires, while maintaining each of the plurality of wires in-plane, and then repeating the steps by providing new first and second connectors into the wire insertion zone. 9. The method according to claim 8, wherein each wire 22 is cut at a position adjacent to each wire insertion portion 21. 10. Claim 8, characterized in that the first connector 4, 230 is moved along the wire feed path beyond the wire insertion zone 222 by pushing the first connector. Or the method described in Section 9.