Exterior unit and exterior method

Abstract

The purpose of the present invention is to reduce manual operation and attach an exterior material to a wire harness (W1) to which a connector is attached by various attachment methods. The exterior unit (1) is characterized by being provided with: a first exterior mechanism (11) that holds a vertical placement holding part (111) that holds a wire harness (W1) to which a connector is attached in a vertical placement posture, is capable of circulating movement, and performs a first exterior process; attaching a first exterior material (13) to the wire harness (W1) to which the connector is attached while moving in the vertically placed posture; and a second exterior mechanism (12) that holds a horizontal placement holding unit (121) that holds the wiring harness (W1a) in the exterior processing in which the first exterior processing has been performed in a horizontal placement posture, performs a second exterior processing, and attaches a second exterior material (W14) to the wiring harness (W1a) in the exterior processing during movement in the horizontal placement posture.

Description

TECHNICAL FIELD

[0001] The present application relates to an outer covering unit and an outer covering method for attaching an outer covering material to a connector-attached electric wire harness. BACKGROUND

[0002] Conventionally, a unit for manufacturing a harness having a connector at an end portion that attaches an outer covering material to a connector-attached electric wire harness placed on a terminal block is known (see, for example, Patent Literature 1). The unit described in Patent Literature 1 is a configuration for enabling an operator to perform various work including attachment of an outer covering material at each operation position on a circulating line while circulating a terminal block.

[0003] [TABLE]

[0004] [Patent Literature]

[0005] [Patent Literature 1] JP 2017-98130 A SUMMARY

[0006] [Technical Problem]

[0007] For example, in a connector-attached electric wire harness for a high-voltage power supply harness or the like, a branched shape is not generally provided, but a simple shape in which a connector is attached to both ends of a bundle of a plurality of electric wires is provided. For such a simple connector-attached electric wire harness, it is necessary to achieve automation of attachment of an outer covering material and to minimize manual operation. On the other hand, the attachment method can differ depending on the type of the outer covering material. Due to such a difference in the attachment method, while a certain outer covering material can be smoothly automatically attached to a bundle of connector-attached electric wires on a terminal block, for other outer covering materials, there is a case where the terminal block can become an obstacle unless the attachment is manually completed, making the attachment difficult.

[0008] Therefore, the present application focuses on the above-described problem, and an object of the present application is to provide an outer covering unit and an outer covering method in which an outer covering material is attached to a connector-attached electric wire harness by various attachment methods while minimizing manual operation.

[0009] [Solution to Problem]

[0010] To solve the above problems, an outer fitting unit characterized by comprising: a first outer fitting mechanism configured to hold a vertical placement holding portion that holds a connector-attached wire bundle in which connectors are attached to both ends of a bundle of a plurality of electric wires in a vertical placement attitude along a vertical direction so as to be cyclically movable through a vertical placement setting position and a vertical placement taking-out position, and performs a first outer fitting process of attaching a first outer fitting material to the connector-attached wire bundle in the vertical placement attitude during movement from the vertical placement setting position to the vertical placement taking-out position; and a second outer fitting mechanism configured to hold a horizontal placement holding portion that holds the connector-attached wire bundle that has undergone the first outer fitting process in a horizontal placement attitude along a horizontal direction so as to be cyclically movable through a horizontal placement setting position and a horizontal placement taking-out position, and performs a second outer fitting process of attaching a second outer fitting material to the connector-attached wire bundle in the horizontal placement attitude during movement from the horizontal placement setting position to the horizontal placement taking-out position.

[0011] To solve the above problems, an outer fitting method characterized by comprising: a vertical placement setting step of positioning a vertical placement holding portion that holds a connector-attached wire bundle in which connectors are attached to both ends of a bundle of a plurality of electric wires in a vertical placement attitude along a vertical direction at a vertical placement setting position in a vertical placement circulation path that passes through the vertical placement setting position and a vertical placement taking-out position; a first outer fitting step of cyclically moving the vertical placement holding portion in which the connector-attached wire bundle is set along the vertical placement circulation path while performing a first outer fitting process, and attaching a first outer fitting material to the connector-attached wire bundle in the vertical placement attitude during movement of the connector-attached wire bundle from the vertical placement setting position to the vertical placement taking-out position; a vertical-horizontal conveying step of positioning a horizontal placement holding portion that holds the connector-attached wire bundle in a horizontal placement attitude along a horizontal direction, taking out the connector-attached wire bundle that has undergone the first outer fitting process from the vertical placement holding portion at the vertical placement taking-out position while setting the connector-attached wire bundle in the horizontal placement attitude to the horizontal placement holding portion at the horizontal placement setting position; and a second outer fitting step of cyclically moving the horizontal placement holding portion in which the connector-attached wire bundle is set along the horizontal placement circulation path while performing a second outer fitting process, and attaching a second outer fitting material to the connector-attached wire bundle in the horizontal placement attitude during movement of the connector-attached wire bundle from the horizontal placement setting position to the horizontal placement taking-out position.

[0012] [Effects of Invention]

[0013] According to the above-described outer covering unit and outer covering method, it is possible to attach the outer covering material to the wire harness to which the connector is attached by various attachment methods while reducing manual operations. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF DRAWINGS

[0014] Figure 1 is a schematic view of an outer covering unit according to an embodiment.

[0015] Figure 2 is a schematic view of a second outer covering mechanism, a vertical-horizontal conveying mechanism, and a distribution mechanism shown in Figure 1 is a schematic view of a first outer covering mechanism, a vertical placement setting mechanism, and a vertical-horizontal conveying mechanism shown in

[0016] Figure 3 is a schematic view of a first outer covering mechanism, a vertical placement setting mechanism, and a vertical-horizontal conveying mechanism shown in Figure 1 and Figure 2 is a schematic view of a process flow of a first outer covering process at the first outer covering mechanism shown in

[0017] Figure 4 is a schematic view of a process flow of a first outer covering process at the first outer covering mechanism shown in Figure 1 and Figure 2 is a schematic view of a state in which a plurality of vertical placement holding portions in the vertical placement setting mechanism shown in

[0018] Figure 5 is a schematic view of a state in which a plurality of horizontal placement holding portions in the vertical placement setting mechanism shown in Figure 1 and Figure 2 is a schematic view of a state in which a plurality of horizontal placement holding portions in the vertical placement setting mechanism shown in

[0019] Figure 6 is a schematic view of a second outer covering mechanism, a vertical-horizontal conveying mechanism, and a distribution mechanism shown in Figure 1

[0020] is a schematic view of a state in which a plurality of horizontal placement holding portions in the vertical placement setting mechanism shown in Figure 7 Figure 1 Figure 2 is a schematic view of a state in which a plurality of horizontal placement holding portions in the vertical placement setting mechanism shown in

[0021] Figure 8 is a schematic view of a state in which a plurality of horizontal placement holding portions in the vertical placement setting mechanism shown in Figure 1 and Figure 6 is a schematic view of a state in which a plurality of horizontal placement holding portions in the vertical placement setting mechanism shown in

[0022] Figure 9 is a schematic flowchart showing a process flow of an outer covering method performed by the outer covering unit shown in Figures 1 to 8

[0023] REFERENCE LIST

[0024] ​​​1 outer unit

[0025] 11 first outer mechanism

[0026] 12 second outer mechanism

[0027] 13 vertical placement setting mechanism

[0028] 14 vertical-horizontal transport mechanism

[0029] 15 distribution mechanism

[0030] 111 vertical placement holding portion

[0031] 111a upper holding portion

[0032] 111b lower holding portion

[0033] 111c support portion

[0034] 112 circulating movement rail

[0035] 112a first long rail

[0036] 112b second long rail

[0037] 112c first movement rail

[0038] 112d second movement rail

[0039] 113 first mechanism frame

[0040] 121 horizontal placement holding portion

[0041] 121a one end side holding portion

[0042] 121b other end side holding portion

[0043] 121c rectangular main body portion

[0044] 121d slot-shaped covering receiving portion

[0045] 121e cover-shaped covering receiving portion

[0046] 122 circulating support table

[0047] 123 component outer frame

[0048] 124 component supply frame

[0049] 131 first wire holding tool

[0050] 131a, 141a upper wire holding portion

[0051] 131b, 141b lower wire holding portion

[0052] 141 second wire holding tool

[0053] 151 third wire holding tool

[0054] 151a one-end side wire holding tool

[0055] 151b other-end side wire holding tool

[0056] D11 vertical direction

[0057] D12 length direction

[0058] D15 first setting direction

[0059] D17 extraction direction

[0060] D18 bending direction

[0061] D19 horizontal direction

[0062] D21 second setting direction

[0063] D22 pressing direction

[0064] D23 dispensing direction

[0065] D131 attaching direction

[0066] D133 pulling direction

[0067] P11 vertically placed setting position

[0068] P12 vertically placed extraction position

[0069] P13 horizontally placed setting position

[0070] P14 horizontally placed extraction position

[0071] R11 vertically placed circulation path

[0072] R111 first vertically placed long path

[0073] R112 first vertically placed short path

[0074] R112a, R114a reverse direction path

[0075] R113 second vertically placed long path

[0076] R114 second vertically placed short path

[0077] R12 horizontally placed circulation path

[0078] R121 First horizontal placement long path

[0079] R122 First horizontal placement of the shortest path

[0080] R123 Second horizontal placement long path

[0081] R124 First horizontal placement of the shortest path

[0082] S101 Vertical Placement Setup Steps

[0083] S102 First External Assembly Step

[0084] S103 Vertical-Horizontal Transport Procedures

[0085] S104 Second External Assembly Step

[0086] S105 Allocation Steps

[0087] S106 Judgment Steps

[0088] W1 is a wire harness with connectors.

[0089] Wiring harness in W1a external assembly

[0090] W2 Externally mounted wiring harness

[0091] W11, W11a, W11b connectors

[0092] Bundle of W12 wires

[0093] W13 First Exterior Material

[0094] W14 Second Exterior Material

[0095] W131 bellows

[0096] W132 twisted tube

[0097] W133 tape material

[0098] W141 Protector

[0099] W141a channel coating

[0100] W141b cover

[0101] W142 winding component Detailed Implementation

[0102] An embodiment of the external unit and external mounting method will be described below.

[0103] Figure 1 This is a schematic diagram of the external unit according to an embodiment.

[0104] The outer packaging unit 1 according to the present embodiment is an example of an outer packaging unit that, as an example, takes as an outer packaging target a simple connector-equipped wire harness W1 that does not have a branched shape and includes a bundle W12 of a plurality of electric wires to which connectors W11 are attached at both ends, the connector-equipped wire harness W1 being used for a high-voltage power supply harness of a vehicle or the like. The outer packaging unit 1 is an operation unit that attaches various outer packaging materials to such a simple connector-equipped wire harness W1. In the present outer packaging unit 1, a first outer packaging material W13 that is suitable for attachment in a vertical placement attitude and a second outer packaging material W14 that is suitable for attachment in a horizontal placement attitude are attached to the connector-equipped wire harness W1, and the outer-packaged wire harness W2 is distributed as an output. Then, according to the outer packaging unit 1, it is possible to sequentially perform such outer packaging operations on a plurality of connector-equipped wire harnesses W1. The outer packaging unit 1 includes a first outer packaging mechanism 11, a second outer packaging mechanism 12, a vertical placement positioning mechanism 13, a vertical-horizontal conveyance mechanism 14, and a distribution mechanism 15.

[0105] Figure 2 A schematic view of the first outer packaging mechanism, the vertical placement positioning mechanism, and the vertical-horizontal conveyance mechanism is shown, and Figure 1 A schematic view of the first outer packaging mechanism, the vertical placement positioning mechanism, and the vertical-horizontal conveyance mechanism is shown, and Figure 3 A schematic view of the first outer packaging mechanism, the vertical placement positioning mechanism, and the vertical-horizontal conveyance mechanism is shown, and Figure 1 A schematic view of the first outer packaging mechanism, the vertical placement positioning mechanism, and the vertical-horizontal conveyance mechanism is shown, and Figure 2 A schematic view of the first outer packaging mechanism, the vertical placement positioning mechanism, and the vertical-horizontal conveyance mechanism is shown, and Figure 4 A schematic view of the first outer packaging mechanism, the vertical placement positioning mechanism, and the vertical-horizontal conveyance mechanism is shown, and Figure 1 A schematic view of the first outer packaging mechanism, the vertical placement positioning mechanism, and the vertical-horizontal conveyance mechanism is shown, and

[0106] The first outer packaging mechanism 11 is a mechanism for performing first outer packaging processing in which the connector-equipped wire harness W1 is set and the first outer packaging material W13 is attached, and is equipped with a plurality of (six, according to the present embodiment) vertical placement holding portions 111, a circulating movement rail 112, and a mechanism frame 113.

[0107] The vertical placement holding section 111 is a mechanism capable of holding the connector-equipped wire harness Wl in a vertical placement posture along the vertical direction Dl l, and includes an upper side holding section 111a, a lower side holding section 111b, and a support section 111c. The upper side holding section 111a is a section for holding an upper side connector Wl la among the connectors Wl l at both ends of the connector-equipped wire harness Wl in the vertical placement posture, and the lower side holding section 111b is a section for holding a lower side connector Wl lb. The support section 111c is a section for supporting the lower side holding section 111b so that the distance between the lower side holding section 111b and the upper side holding section 111a can be adjusted. Further, the vertical placement holding section 111 includes an outer packaging mechanism (not shown) that performs first outer packaging processing on the connector-equipped wire harness Wl held in the vertical placement posture by the upper side holding section 111a and the lower side holding section 111b.

[0108] The circulation moving track 112 is a section that holds the six vertical placement holding sections 111 so that they move in a circulation manner in a state of being arranged in a row along a long circular vertical placement circulation path Rl l. The circulation moving track 112 includes a first long track 112a, a second long track 112b, a first moving track 112c, and a second moving track 112d.

[0109] The mechanism frame 113 is a section configured to support the circulation moving track 112 and the six vertical placement holding sections 111, and is provided with a driving mechanism for moving the vertical placement holding sections 111 along the circulation moving track 112 and operating the vertical placement holding sections 111.

[0110] In the first outer packaging mechanism 11, a vertical placement setting position P11 at which the connector-equipped wire harness Wl is set in the vertical placement posture is provided at one end side in the length direction D12 of the long circular circulation moving track 112. Then, a vertical placement extraction position P12 at which the outer packaging processed wire harness Wla that has completed the first outer packaging processing is extracted to be transported to the second outer packaging mechanism 12 is provided at the other end side in the length direction D12 of the circulation moving track 112.

[0111] The first longitudinal track 112a of the circulation moving track 112 extends from the vertical placement setting position P11 to the vertical placement extraction position P12 along a first vertical placement long path Rl l l that is one of a pair of long paths of the long circular circulation moving track 112. When the vertical placement holding section 111 moves the first long track 112a from the vertical placement setting position P11 to the vertical placement extraction position P12, the first outer packaging processing is performed on the connector-equipped wire harness Wl being moved to obtain the outer packaging processed wire harness Wla.

[0112] In Figure 2 and Figure 3 the example shown, the first outer covering process according to the present embodiment is a process of attaching the bellows W131, the twisted tube W132, and the tape material W133 as the first outer covering material W13 to the wire harness W12. Here, the bellows W131 is a pre-penetrating member that has penetrated the connector-attached wire harness W1 before the vertical placement holding portion 111 is provided. However, before this provision stage, the bellows W131 is not fixed but is in a state of being able to move along the length direction of the connector-attached wire harness W1. In Figure 2 and Figure 3 the example shown, two bellows W131 are provided, and in the first outer covering process, one twisted tube W132 is attached, and the two bellows W131 are subjected to a fixing process. First, the twisted tube W132 is attached to the connector-attached wire harness W1 in the lateral attachment direction D131 at a position adjacent to the lower side connector W11 in the vertical direction D11, and is fixed with the tape material W133. Next, the bellows W131 at the upper side is pulled up in the upward pulling direction D133 so as to be aligned with the fixed position in the length direction of the connector-attached wire harness W1, and is fixed with the tape material W133. In the example shown in the drawing, no operation is performed in the next operation region, and in the operation region thereafter, the lower side bellows W131 is pulled up in the upward pulling direction D133 so as to be aligned with the fixed position, and is fixed with the tape material W133. Further, depending on the manufacturing object, there is a case where certain outer covering operations are performed in all operation regions, or there is a case where a non-operation region can be appropriately set depending on the manufacturing object.

[0113] When such a first outer covering process is completed and the vertical placement holding portion 111 reaches the vertical placement extraction position P12, the wire harness Wa in the outer covering process obtained by the first outer covering process is extracted from the vertical placement holding portion 111. At the time of extraction, the first moving track 112c in the circular moving track 112 is located at the vertical placement extraction position P12 so as to continuously extend to the first long track 112a. After the first outer covering process is completed, the vertical placement holding portion 111 is moved from the first long track 112a to the first moving track 112c at the vertical placement extraction position P12, and the wire harness Wa in the outer covering process is extracted on the first moving track 112c. By such extraction, when the vertical placement holding portion 111 becomes vacant, the first moving track 112c is moved to a position continuous to the second long track 112b while carrying the vertical placement holding portion 111 in the vacant state. At this time, the movement is performed along the first vertical placement short path R112, which is one of a pair of short paths in the long annular circular moving track 112.

[0114] The second long track 112b extends substantially in parallel with the first moving track 112c along a second vertical placement long path R113, which is the other of the pair of long paths in the circulating moving track 112. The vertical placement holding part 111 in the empty state carried to the position adjacent to the second long track 112b by the first moving track 112c is moved from the first moving track 112c to the second long track 112b, and further moves the second long track 112b toward the vertical placement setting position P11 side. At the stage when the vertical placement holding part 111 reaches the end portion at the vertical placement setting position P11 side of the second long track 112b, the second moving track 112d is positioned to extend continuously to the end portion of the second long track 112a. At this stage, the vertical placement holding part 111 is moved to the second moving track 112d. The second moving track 112d moves while carrying the vertical placement holding part 111 to the vertical placement setting position P11 continuous to the first long track 112a. The movement at this time is performed along a second vertical placement short path R114, which is the other of the pair of short paths in the circulating moving track 112. By the movement of this second moving track 112d, the vertical placement holding part 111 in the empty state is positioned at the vertical placement setting position P11 to receive the setting of the wire harness W1 with the connector attached before the outer covering.

[0115] According to the present embodiment, as shown in Figure 4 six vertical placement holding parts 111 numbered 1 to 6 are subjected to the first outer covering process while being arranged in a row and being circulated. According to the first outer covering process, the twisted tube W132 is attached as a part of the first outer covering material W13, and fixed with the tape material W133, and the pre-penetrated bellows W131 is fixed with the tape material W133. In the example shown in Figure 4 the first moving track 112c along the first vertical placement short path R112 from the vertical placement extraction position P12 to the second long track 112b. Thereafter, the No. 1 vertical placement holding part 111 moves the second long track 112b along the second vertical placement long path R113 until reaching the second moving track 112d.

[0116] During this period, the No. 1 vertically placed holding section 111 handed over to the first moving rail 112c of the second long rail 112b is returned to the vertically placed withdrawal position P12 along the reverse path R112a with respect to the first vertically placed short path R112. Then, in parallel with the movement of the No. 1 vertically placed holding section 111, the No. 6 vertically placed holding section 111 on the second moving rail 112d receives the setting of the wire harness Wl attached with a connector at the vertically placed setting position Pll. Further, the Nos. 2 to 5 vertically placed holding sections 111 perform the first exterior treatment of the set wire harness Wl attached with a connector while moving the first long rail 112a along the first vertically placed long path Rl ll. From the No. 2 vertically placed holding section 111, the vertically placed holding section 111 having completed the treatment is moved to the first moving rail 112c at the vertically placed withdrawal position P12, and receives the withdrawal of the wire harness Wla under the exterior treatment at the vertically placed withdrawal position P12. Further, with the movement of the No. 2 vertically placed holding section 111, the Nos. 3 to 6 vertically placed holding sections 111 also move the first long rail 112a along the first vertically placed long path Rl ll. Then, the No. 6 vertically placed holding section 111 handed over to the first long rail 112a is returned to a position adjacent to the second long rail 112b along the reverse path Rl 14a opposite to the second vertically placed short path Rl 14 by the second moving rail 112d.

[0117] On the other hand, the No. 1 vertically placed holding section 111 on the second moving rail 112d is carried by the second moving rail 112d along the second vertically placed short path Rl 14 to the vertically placed setting position Pll vacated due to the movement of the No. 6 vertically placed holding section 111. Thereafter, the Nos. 1 to 6 vertically placed holding sections 111 are moved in a cycle, and the treatment is repeated until the treatment of the predetermined number of wire harnesses Wl attached with a connector has been completed.

[0118] Then, the wire harness Wl attached with a connector is set to the vertically placed holding section 111 at the vertically placed setting position Pll by the vertically placed setting mechanism 13 and the vertical-horizontal conveying mechanism 14, and the wire harness Wla under the exterior treatment is withdrawn from the vertically placed holding section 111 at the vertically placed withdrawal position P12.

[0119] Figure 5 To show Figure 1 and Figure 2 schematic diagrams showing the operation of the vertically placed setting mechanism and the vertical-horizontal conveying mechanism. Figure 5 (A) shows the vertically placed setting mechanism, and Figure 5 (B) shows the vertical-horizontal conveying mechanism.

[0120] The vertical placement setting mechanism 13 is a mechanism for setting the connector-equipped wire harness Wl in a vertical posture at the vertical placement holding portion 111 of the vertical placement setting position Pll. The vertical-horizontal conveying mechanism 14 is a mechanism for taking out the connector-equipped wire harness Wl, which has completed the first outer packaging process, i.e., the wire harness Wla under the outer packaging process, from the vertical placement holding portion 111 at the above-mentioned vertical placement taking-out position P12 and conveying and setting it at the second outer packaging mechanism 12. Figure 5 (B) Only the taking-out operation of the wire harness Wla under the outer packaging process with respect to the vertical-horizontal conveying mechanism 14 is shown.

[0121] Both the vertical placement setting mechanism 13 and the vertical-horizontal conveying mechanism 14 are multi-joint robot arms, and both have an end portion provided with a wire holding tool for holding the connector-equipped wire harness Wl and the wire harness Wla under the outer packaging process, respectively, in a U-shaped bent state. The first wire holding tool 131 provided in the vertical placement setting mechanism 13 has an upper wire holding portion 131a and a lower wire holding portion 131b. The upper wire holding portion 131a is a portion for holding the upper connector Wlla when the connector-equipped wire harness Wl is in a vertical placement posture, and the lower wire holding portion 131b is a portion for holding the lower connector Wllb. The second wire holding tool 141 provided in the vertical-horizontal conveying mechanism 14 also has an upper wire holding portion 141a and a lower wire holding portion 141b similar to the first wire holding tool 131.

[0122] With regard to the setting of the connector-equipped wire harness Wl by the vertical placement setting mechanism 13, first, the connector-equipped wire harness Wl is held in a U-shaped bent state by the first wire holding tool 131. Next, the upper wire holding portion 131a of the first wire holding tool 131 hands over the upper connector Wlla to the upper holding portion 111a of the vertical placement holding portion 111. Finally, the lower wire holding portion 131b of the first wire holding tool 131 hands over the lower connector Wllb to the lower holding portion 111b of the vertical placement holding portion 111.

[0123] Here, as described above, in the vertical placement holding portion 111, the lower holding portion 111b is supported by the support portion 111c so that the distance between the lower holding portion 111b and the upper holding portion 111a can be adjusted. As Figure 2As shown, when the connector-equipped wire harness Wl is set in the vertical placement holding section 111, the lower holding section 111b is moved as follows. First, at a stage before the setting, the lower holding section 111b is pushed up in the shortening direction D141, and the distance between the lower holding section 111b and the upper holding section 111a is shortened to a distance smaller than the wire length of the connector-equipped wire harness Wl that is the setting target. Thereafter, when the connector-equipped wire harness Wl is set in the first setting direction D15 by the vertical placement setting mechanism 13 as described above, the lower holding section pulls down the lower connector Wl lb in the elongation direction D142 to a position corresponding to the above-described wire length. Due to this pulling down, the mutual distance between the upper connector Wl la and the lower connector Wl lb is enlarged, and the connector-equipped wire harness Wl that has been slackened is pulled and a tension suitable for the first outer packaging treatment in the vertical placement attitude is applied to the connector-equipped wire harness Wl.

[0124] As for the wire harness Wla in the outer packaging treatment that is taken out by the vertical-horizontal conveyance mechanism 14, the wire harness Wla in the outer packaging treatment is taken out in the taking-out direction D17 by the vertical-horizontal conveyance mechanism 14. At this time, the wire harness Wla in the outer packaging treatment is bent in the bending direction D18 into a U shape. As shown in Figure 5 (B), the taking-out is performed while the bending is performed. First, the upper wire holding section 141a of the second wire holding tool 141 in the vertical-horizontal conveyance mechanism 14 takes out the upper connector Wl la from the upper holding section 111a of the vertical placement holding section 111. Next, while the upper connector Wl la is held, the second wire holding tool 141 is guided toward the lower connector Wl lb of the lower holding section 111b so that the wire harness Wla in the outer packaging treatment is bent into a U shape. When the lower wire holding section 141b of the second wire holding tool 141 reaches the lower connector Wl lb, the lower wire holding section 141b takes out the lower connector Wl lb from the lower holding section 111b. Due to this taking-out, the wire harness Wla in the outer packaging treatment is held by the vertical-horizontal conveyance mechanism 14 in a state of being bent into a U shape by the second wire holding tool 141. Thereafter, the vertical-horizontal conveyance mechanism 14 sets the wire harness Wla in the outer packaging treatment in the second outer packaging mechanism 12, and the second outer packaging treatment is performed by the second outer packaging mechanism 12.

[0125] Figure 6 A schematic view of the second outer packaging mechanism, the vertical-horizontal conveyance mechanism, and the distribution mechanism is shown for the purpose of Figure 1 enlarging the illustration. Figure 7 A schematic view of the second outer packaging mechanism, the vertical-horizontal conveyance mechanism, and the distribution mechanism is shown for the purpose of Figure 1 and Figure 2 A schematic view of the multiple horizontal placement holding sections in the vertical placement setting mechanism that are cyclically moved is shown in

[0126] The second outer packaging mechanism 12 is a mechanism for performing a second outer packaging process in which the wire harness W1 to which the connector is attached, which has completed the first outer packaging process, i.e., the wire harness W1a under outer packaging, is set and a second outer packaging material W14 is attached thereto. The second outer packaging mechanism 12 includes a plurality of (seven, according to the present embodiment) horizontal placement holding sections 121, a circulating support table 122, two component outer packaging arms 123, and one component supply arm 124.

[0127] The horizontal placement holding section 121 is a mechanism capable of holding the wire harness W1a under outer packaging in a horizontal placement attitude along the horizontal direction D19, and includes an one-end side holding section 121a, the other-end side holding section 121b, a rectangular main body section 121c, a groove-shaped covering receiving section 121d, and a cap-shaped covering receiving section 121e. The one-end side holding section 121a is a portion that holds the upper side connector W11a in the above-described vertical placement attitude, and the other-end side holding section 121b is a portion that holds the lower side connector W11b. The rectangular main body section 121c is a rectangular plate-shaped section to which the one-end side holding section 121a and the other-end side holding section 121b are fixed, and a groove-shaped covering W141a and a cap-shaped covering W141b that constitute a protector W141 that is a part of the second outer packaging material W14 are supplied and held in the groove-shaped covering receiving section 121d and the cap-shaped covering receiving section 121e between the one-end side holding section 121a and the other-end side holding section 121b.

[0128] The circulating support table 122 holds the seven horizontal placement holding sections 121 so that they are moved in a state of being arranged in a row along a long annular horizontal placement circulating path R12 that passes through the horizontal placement setting position P13 and the horizontal placement taking-out position P14. The horizontal placement circulating path R12 includes a first horizontal placement long path R121, a first horizontal placement short path R122, a second horizontal placement long path R123, and a second horizontal placement short path R124. The first horizontal placement long path R121 is a path for moving the horizontal placement holding section 121 from the horizontal placement setting position P13 to a terminal point adjacent to the horizontal placement taking-out position P14. The first horizontal placement short path R122 is a path for moving the horizontal placement holding section 121 from the terminal point of the first horizontal placement long path R121 to the horizontal placement taking-out position P14. The second horizontal placement long path R123 is a path for moving the horizontal placement holding section 121 from the horizontal placement taking-out position P14 to a terminal point adjacent to the horizontal placement setting position P13. Then, the second horizontal placement short path R124 is a path for moving the horizontal placement holding section 121 from the terminal point of the second horizontal placement long path R123 to the horizontal placement setting position P13. The circulating support table 122 is provided with a driving mechanism for moving the seven horizontal placement holding sections 121 along the horizontal placement circulating path R12.

[0129] like Figure 7 As shown, when one horizontal holding part 121 is in the horizontal placement position P13, the four horizontal holding parts 121 are arranged along the first horizontal placement long path R121. At this time, the horizontal holding parts 121 at the horizontal placement position P13 are in a state where the slot-shaped cover W141a and the cover-shaped cover W141b are supplied to the slot-shaped cover receiving part 121d and the cover-shaped cover receiving part 121e respectively and are held by the slot-shaped cover receiving part 121d and the cover-shaped cover receiving part 121e. The vertical-horizontal transport mechanism 14 arranges the wire harness W1a in the outer packaging process taken out from the first outer packaging mechanism 11 along the second setting direction D21, such that the connectors W11 at both ends are held by one end holding part 121a and the other end holding part 121b respectively, and the middle part is accommodated in the slot-shaped cover W141a. At this time, wire harnesses W1a undergoing external processing are already installed in the three adjacent horizontal holding portions 121 along the travel direction of the first horizontal long path R121. Various winding components W142, which are part of the second external material W14, are respectively attached to the wire harnesses W1a undergoing external processing in the second and third horizontal holding portions 121 counting from the horizontal placement position P13 via component external arms 123. The tape clips and adhesive tape clips in the winding components W142 are attached to the wire harnesses W1a undergoing external processing in the second horizontal holding portion 121, and the cable ties in the winding components W142 are attached to the wire harnesses W1a undergoing external processing in the third horizontal holding portion 121. Furthermore, in the wire harness W1a of the adjacent fourth horizontally placed holding part 121, which is already being processed by the external mounting of the winding component W142, the cover-shaped cover W141b picked up from the cover-shaped cover receiving part 121e by the component external mounting arm 123 is attached to the slot-shaped cover W141a to assemble the protector W141. This is achieved by attaching the cover-shaped cover W141b from above in the pressing direction D22 (see...). Figure 6 Press the cable harness W1a into the slotted cover W141a when the cable harness W1a is located on the inside during the external assembly process to assemble the protector W141 at this time.

[0130] Here, the horizontal placement holding section 121 to which the cap-shaped covering W141b is attached is located at the end point of the first horizontal placement long path R121. After the cap-shaped covering W141b is attached, during the second outer covering process on the other horizontal placement holding sections 121, this horizontal placement holding section 121 at the end point is moved from the end point of the first horizontal placement long path R121 to the horizontal placement extraction position P14 along the first horizontal placement short path R122. Then, at the horizontal placement extraction position P14 as the movement destination, the distribution mechanism 15 extracts the outer-covered wire harness W2 from the horizontal placement holding section 121 in the distribution direction D23 and transports it to a predetermined distribution position. At this time, since the end point of the first horizontal placement long path R121 is vacant, the remaining three horizontal placement holding sections 121 of the first horizontal placement long path R121 slide laterally and move by the distance of one horizontal placement holding section 121 along the first horizontal placement long path R121.

[0131] Further, when the outer-covered wire harness W2 is extracted at the horizontal placement extraction position P14, four horizontal placement holding sections 121 including the horizontal placement holding section 121 at the horizontal placement extraction position P14 are aligned on the second horizontal placement long path R123. At this time, in correspondence with the second outer covering process, the component supply arm 124 supplies the groove-shaped covering W141a and the cap-shaped covering W141b to the groove-shaped covering receiving section 121d and the cap-shaped covering receiving section 121e of two adjacent horizontal placement holding sections 121 at the horizontal placement extraction position P14, respectively, and holds them therein. At this stage, three horizontal placement holding sections 121 slide laterally along the first horizontal placement long path R121, leaving the horizontal placement setting position P13 vacant. The horizontal placement holding section 121 at the end point of the second horizontal placement long path R123 is moved to this horizontal placement setting position P13 along the second horizontal placement short path R124. Further, the remaining three horizontal placement holding sections 121 slide laterally along the second horizontal placement long path R123 by the distance of one horizontal placement holding section 121 to the end point which is left vacant by this movement. Thereafter, this process is repeated while the seven horizontal placement holding sections 121 are moved cyclically until a predetermined number of outer-covered wire harnesses W2 are obtained.

[0132] Then, the wire harness Wla under the outer covering process is set in the horizontal placement holding section 121 at the horizontal placement setting position P13 and the outer-covered wire harness W2 is extracted from the horizontal placement holding section 121 at the horizontal placement extraction position P14 by the vertical-horizontal transport mechanism 14 and the distribution mechanism 15.

[0133] Figure 8 is a schematic view showing the operation of the vertical-horizontal transport mechanism and the distribution mechanism shown in Figure 1 and Figure 6 is a schematic view showing the operation of the vertical-horizontal transport mechanism and the distribution mechanism shown inFigure 8 (A) shows the vertical-horizontal conveying mechanism, and Figure 8 (B) shows the dispensing mechanism.

[0134] As described above, the vertical-horizontal conveying mechanism 14 is a mechanism that takes out the wire harness Wla under the outer covering process from the vertical placement holding portion 111 at the vertical placement take-out position P12 of the first outer covering mechanism 11 and conveys it to the second outer covering mechanism 12 to set it in the horizontal placement holding portion 121 at the horizontal placement setting position P13. Further, the dispensing mechanism 15 is a mechanism that takes out the wire harness W2 under the outer covering process from the horizontal placement holding portion 121 at the horizontal placement take-out position P14 and carries it to a predetermined dispensing position. Figure 8 (A) shows only the setting operation of the wire harness Wla under the outer covering process by the vertical-horizontal conveying mechanism 14, and Figure 8 (B) shows only the take-out operation of the wire harness W2 under the outer covering process by the dispensing mechanism 15.

[0135] Both the vertical-horizontal conveying mechanism 14 and the dispensing mechanism 15 are multi-joint robot arms, the front end portions of which are provided with wire holding tools for holding the wire harness Wla under the outer covering process and the wire harness W2 under the outer covering process, respectively, in a U-shaped bent state. As described above, the second wire holding tool 141 provided in the vertical-horizontal conveying mechanism 14 holds the upper side connector Wlla in the upper side wire holding portion 141a and holds the lower side connector Wllb in the lower side wire holding portion 141b in a vertical placement posture. By holding the connectors Wl l at both ends with the second wire holding tool 141, the vertical-horizontal conveying mechanism 14 holds the wire harness Wla under the outer covering process in a state of being bent in a U shape. In this held state, the vertical-horizontal conveying mechanism 14 conveys the wire harness Wla under the outer covering process to the second outer covering mechanism 12 and sets it in the horizontal placement holding portion 121 at the horizontal placement setting position P13.

[0136] With regard to the setting of the wire harness Wla under the outer covering process by the vertical-horizontal conveying mechanism 14, as shown in Figure 8 (A), first, the lower side wire holding portion 141b of the second wire holding tool 141 hands over the lower side connector Wllb to the other end side holding portion 121b of the horizontal placement holding portion 121. Next, while elongating the wire harness Wla under the outer covering process, the middle portion thereof is accommodated in the groove-shaped covering W141a on the horizontal placement holding portion 121. Finally, the upper side wire holding portion 141a of the second wire holding tool 141 hands over the upper side connector Wlla to the one end side holding portion 121a of the horizontal placement holding portion 121. By this series of processes, the wire harness Wla under the outer covering process is set in the horizontal placement holding portion 121 in a state in which a part thereof is accommodated in the groove-shaped covering W141a.

[0137] As Figure 8 (B) shows, the outer-coated wire bundle W2 is bent into a U-shape while being taken out through the distribution mechanism 15 by the third wire holding tool 151 provided in the distribution mechanism 15. First, the other end side wire holding portion 151b of the third wire holding tool 151 in the distribution mechanism 15 takes out the lower side connector Wllb from the other end side holding portion 121b of the horizontally placed holding portion 121. Next, while holding the lower side connector Wllb, the third wire holding tool 151 is guided to the upper side connector Wlla of the one end side holding portion 121a so that the outer-coated wire bundle W2 is bent into a U-shape. When the one end side wire holding portion 151a of the third wire holding tool 151 reaches the upper side connector Wlla, the one end side wire holding portion 151a takes out the upper side connector Wlla from the one end side holding portion 121a. Due to this taking out, the outer-coated wire bundle W2 is held by the distribution mechanism 15 in a state of being bent into a U-shape by the third wire holding tool 151. Thereafter, the distribution mechanism 15 carries the outer-coated wire bundle W2 to a distribution position and takes out the outer-coated wire bundle W2 from the third wire holding tool 151 at the distribution position.

[0138] Next, while some parts are repeated from the above description, the outer-coating method performed by the outer-coating unit 1 according to the present embodiment will be described below with reference to Figures 1 to 8 and the subsequent Figure 9

[0139] Figure 9 A schematic flowchart showing the processing flow of the outer-coating method performed by the outer-coating unit shown in Figures 1 to 8

[0140] Figure 9 ​​The process of the outer attaching method shown in the flowchart starts in response to a predetermined start operation. After the start of the process, first, the vertical placement setting step S101 is executed in the first outer attaching mechanism 11. In the vertical placement setting step S101, one of the six vertical placement holding sections 111 in the first outer attaching mechanism 11 is positioned at the vertical placement setting position P11 on the vertical placement circulation path R11. In this state, the vertical placement setting mechanism 13 sets the connector-attached wire harness Wl, which is bent into a U shape and held by the first wire holding tool 131, in the vertical placement holding section 111 in the vertical placement setting position P11 while elongating it into a vertical placement attitude. Next, the first outer attaching step S102 is executed. In the first outer attaching step S102, the vertical placement holding section 111 in which the connector-attached wire harness Wl is set is circulated and moved along the vertical placement circulation path R11. Then, in the first outer attaching step S102, the first outer attaching process of attaching the first outer attaching material W13 is performed with respect to the connector-attached wire harness Wl in the vertical placement attitude moved from the vertical placement setting position P11 to the vertical placement taking-out position P12. When the vertical placement holding section 111 holding the processed connector-attached wire harness Wl reaches the vertical placement taking-out position P12, the vertical-horizontal conveying step S103 is executed.

[0141] In the vertical-horizontal conveying step S103, one of the seven horizontal placement holding sections 121 in the second outer attaching mechanism 12 is positioned at the horizontal placement setting position P13 in the horizontal placement circulation path R12. By this positioning, the wire harness Wla in the outer attaching process, which has completed the first outer attaching process, is taken out from the vertical placement holding section 111 at the vertical placement taking-out position P12 in the first outer attaching mechanism 11. The taken-out wire harness Wla in the outer attaching process is set in the horizontal placement holding section 121 at the horizontal placement setting position P13 in a horizontal placement attitude. As described above, the taking-out and setting of the wire harness Wla in the outer attaching process are performed as described above while the vertical-horizontal conveying mechanism 14 bends the wire harness Wla in the outer attaching process into a U shape and holds it during conveyance by the second wire holding tool 141.

[0142] Subsequently, in the second outer covering mechanism 12, the outer covering-in-process wire harness Wla conveyed in this manner is subjected to a second outer covering step S104. In the second outer covering step S104, the horizontally-laid holding portion 121 that holds the outer covering-in-process wire harness Wla is moved in a circulating manner along the horizontally-laid circulation path R12. Subsequently, in the second outer covering step S104, a second outer covering process is performed in which the second outer covering material W14 is attached to the outer covering-in-process wire harness Wla that has been moved from the horizontally-laid setting position P13 to the horizontally-laid taking-out position P14 in the horizontally-laid posture. When the horizontally-laid holding portion 121 that holds the processed outer-covered wire harness W2 reaches the horizontally-laid taking-out position P14, a dispensing step S105 is executed.

[0143] In the dispensing step S105, the outer-covered wire harness W2 that has completed the second outer covering process is taken out from the horizontally-laid holding portion 121 at the horizontally-laid taking-out position P14 in the second outer covering mechanism 12. The taken-out outer-covered wire harness W2 is carried to a predetermined dispensing position to be dispensed. As described above, the taking-out and dispensing of the outer-covered wire harness W2 are performed while the dispensing mechanism 15 holds the outer-covered wire harness W2 bent into a U shape by the third wire holding tool 151.

[0144] Subsequently, a determination step S106 is executed to determine whether or not to end the outer covering process or to continue the outer covering process of the connector-attached wire harness Wl that has not been subjected to the outer covering. In the case where the outer covering process is to be ended (determination of "Yes"), the process of the outer covering method shown in the drawing is ended. Figure 9 On the other hand, if the outer covering process of the connector-attached wire harness Wl that has not been subjected to the outer covering is to be continued (determination of "No"), the process starting from the vertically-laid setting step S101 is repeated.

[0145] According to the outer covering unit 1 and the outer covering method in the above-described embodiment, the following effects can be achieved. That is, according to the present embodiment, the first outer covering process mechanism 11 holds the connector-attached wire harness Wl in a vertically-laid posture so that it can be approached from each direction around the axis. Since the vertically-laid posture is maintained, the first outer covering process mechanism 11 can perform the first outer covering process to attach an outer covering material suitable for attachment from the direction around the axis as the first outer covering material W13. In the second outer covering mechanism 12, the outer covering-in-process wire harness Wla is held in a horizontally-laid posture to achieve stable holding. By being held in this horizontally-laid posture, the second outer covering mechanism 12 can perform the second outer covering process to attach an outer covering material suitable for pressure attachment or the like as the second outer covering material W14. In this manner, according to the present embodiment, an outer covering material can be attached to the connector-attached wire harness Wl in various attachment methods while reducing manual operations.

[0146] According to the present embodiment, the first outer packaging mechanism 11 holds a plurality of vertically placed holding portions 111 so as to cyclically move in a state of being arranged in a row, and the second outer packaging mechanism 12 holds a plurality of horizontally placed holding portions 121 so as to cyclically move in a state of being arranged in a row. According to this structure, by cyclically moving the plurality of vertically placed holding portions 111 and the plurality of horizontally placed holding portions 121 respectively, it is possible to continuously perform the attachment of the outer packaging material to the plurality of wire harnesses W1 to which the connectors are attached, and thus it is possible to efficiently attach the outer packaging material.

[0147] According to the present embodiment, the vertically placed setting mechanism 13 for setting the wire harness W1 to which the connector is attached in a vertically placed posture and the vertical-horizontal conveying mechanism 14 for taking out the wire harness W1a under outer packaging and setting it in a horizontally placed posture are provided. According to this structure, the setting of the wire harness W1 to which the connector is attached in the vertically placed holding portion 111 of the first outer packaging mechanism 11 and the conveying of the wire harness W1a under outer packaging to the horizontally placed holding portion 121 of the second outer packaging mechanism 12 are automatically performed, and thus manual operations are further reduced.

[0148] According to the present embodiment, the vertically placed setting mechanism 13 is a mechanism for holding and setting the wire harness W1 to which the connector is attached in a state of being bent in a U shape via the first wire holding tool 131. The vertical-horizontal conveying mechanism 14 is a mechanism for taking out and setting the wire harness W1a under outer packaging in a state of being bent in a U shape via the second wire holding tool 141. According to this structure, the wire harness W1 to which the connector is attached and the wire harness W1a under outer packaging can be set or taken out in a state of being held by the first wire holding tool 131 and the second wire holding tool 141 so as to be bent in a U shape, and thus it is possible to efficiently perform each operation while minimizing the space.

[0149] According to the present embodiment, the distribution mechanism 15 for taking out the outer-packaged wire harness W2 from the horizontally placed holding portion 121 at the horizontally placed taking-out position P14 and carrying it to a predetermined distribution position is provided. According to this structure, the distribution of the outer-packaged wire harness W2 from the horizontally placed holding portion 121 in the second outer packaging mechanism 12 is also automatically performed, and thus manual operations are further reduced.

[0150] According to the present embodiment, the vertically placed holding section 111 includes an upper holding section 111a, a lower holding section 111b, and a support section 111c that supports one of the upper holding section 111a and the lower holding section 111b so that the distance between the one and the other can be adjusted. According to this structure, the distance between the upper holding section 111a and the lower holding section 111b can be adjusted according to the length of the connector-attached wire harness W1 that is the setting object, and thus the exterior material can be attached to the connector-attached wire harness W1 having various lengths.

[0151] According to the present embodiment, the first exterior treatment is performed on the first vertically placed long path R111 of the vertically placed circulation path R11 in the first exterior mechanism 11. The second exterior treatment is performed on the first horizontally placed long path R121 of the horizontally placed circulation path R12 in the second exterior mechanism 12. Further, at least a part of the first exterior material W13 and the second exterior material W14 are respectively supplied along the second vertically placed long path R113 in the vertically placed circulation path R11 and the second horizontally placed long path R123 in the horizontally placed circulation path R12. According to this configuration, the exterior treatment and the exterior material supply treatment are performed simultaneously, and thus the attachment of the exterior material to the plurality of connector-attached wire harnesses W1 can be efficiently performed.

[0152] According to the present embodiment, a part of the first exterior material W13 is a bellows W131, which is a tubular pre-penetrating member that penetrates the connector-attached wire harness W1 before being set. In the first exterior treatment, the bellows W131 is aligned and fixed at a fixed position in the length direction of the connector-attached wire harness W1. Since the bellows W131 can be effectively positioned and fixed with respect to the connector-attached wire harness W1 in the vertically placed attitude that allows approach from each direction around the axis in the first exterior mechanism 11, this configuration is preferable.

[0153] According to the present embodiment, a part of the second exterior material W14 used in the second exterior treatment is a protector W141, and in the second exterior treatment, a cap-shaped covering W141b is press-fitted to a groove-shaped covering W141a in the case where the wire harness Wa in the exterior treatment is set inside. Since the press-fitting of the cap-shaped covering W141b to the groove-shaped covering W141a in the wire harness Wa in the exterior treatment that can be stably held in the horizontally placed attitude can be effectively performed in the second exterior mechanism 12, this configuration is preferable.

[0154] The above-described embodiments only show representative aspects of the exterior unit and the exterior method. The exterior unit and the exterior method are not limited thereto and can be implemented in various modifications.

[0155] For example, in the above-described embodiment, as examples of the outer packaging unit and the outer packaging method, the outer packaging unit 1 and the outer packaging method are exemplified, which perform outer packaging processing on the connector-attached wire harness W1 constituting a wire harness attached and routed in a vehicle or the like. However, the outer packaging unit and the outer packaging method are not limited thereto, and the specific application object is not limited either.

[0156] Further, according to the above-described embodiment, as examples of the outer packaged wire harness using the outer packaging unit and the outer packaging method, the outer packaged wire harness W2 in which two bellows W131 and one twist tube W132 are wrapped with a tape is exemplified. In the outer packaged wire harness W2, the twist tube W132 is attached between one bellows W131 and the connector W11 at the end portion. However, the outer packaged wire harness is not limited thereto, and the attachment number and the attachment position of the bellows and the twist tube can be freely set.

[0157] According to the above-described embodiment, as examples of the outer packaging unit and the outer packaging method, the outer packaging unit 1 in which Figure 1 The outer packaging unit 1 in which the specific shapes and arrangements of the respective components are shown and the outer packaging method using the outer packaging unit 1 are shown. However, the outer packaging unit and the outer packaging method are not limited thereto, and the specific shapes and arrangements of the components in the outer packaging unit are not particularly limited either.

[0158] Further, according to the above-described embodiment, as examples of the outer packaging unit and the outer packaging method, the outer packaging unit 1 and the outer packaging method are exemplified, in which the vertically placed setting mechanism 13 is provided to set the connector-attached wire harness W1 in the vertically placed holding portion 111 of the first outer packaging mechanism 11 without any manual operation. Further, according to the present embodiment, the vertically-horizontal conveying mechanism 14 and the distribution mechanism 15 are provided to convey the wire harness Wa in the outer packaging processing from the first outer packaging mechanism 11 to the second outer packaging mechanism 12 and to take out the outer packaged wire harness W2 from the second outer packaging mechanism 12 without manual operation. However, the outer packaging unit and the outer packaging method are not limited thereto, and the setting of the connector-attached wire harness, the conveying of the wire harness in the outer packaging processing, and the distribution of the outer packaged wire harness can be at least partially manually completed by an operator. However, as described above, by providing the vertically placed setting mechanism 13, the vertically-horizontal conveying mechanism 14, and the distribution mechanism 15, manual operations can be further reduced.

Claims

1. An outer covering unit comprising: a first outer covering mechanism configured to: hold a vertically placed holding section that holds a connector-equipped wire bundle in a vertically placed posture along a vertical direction so as to be cyclically moved via a vertically placed setting position and a vertically placed taking-out position, in which a connector is attached to both ends of a bundle of a plurality of electric wires, and perform a first outer covering process of attaching a first outer covering material to the connector-equipped wire bundle in the vertically placed posture during movement from the vertically placed setting position to the vertically placed taking-out position; and a second outer covering mechanism configured to: hold a horizontally placed holding section that holds the connector-equipped wire bundle that has been subjected to the first outer covering process in a horizontally placed posture along a horizontal direction so as to be cyclically moved via a horizontally placed setting position and a horizontally placed taking-out position, and perform a second outer covering process of attaching a second outer covering material to the connector-equipped wire bundle in the horizontally placed posture during movement from the horizontally placed setting position to the horizontally placed taking-out position.

2. The outer covering unit according to claim 1, wherein the first outer covering mechanism holds a plurality of the vertically placed holding sections so as to cyclically move a plurality of the vertically placed holding sections in a state of being arranged in a row, and the second outer covering mechanism holds a plurality of the horizontally placed holding sections so as to cyclically move a plurality of the horizontally placed holding sections in a state of being arranged in a row.

3. The outer covering unit according to claim 1, further comprising: a vertically placed setting mechanism configured to set the connector-equipped wire bundle in the vertically placed posture to the vertically placed holding section at the vertically placed setting position; and a vertical-horizontal conveying mechanism configured to take out the connector-equipped wire bundle that has been subjected to the first outer covering process from the vertically placed holding section at the vertically placed taking-out position, and set the connector-equipped wire bundle in the horizontally placed posture to the horizontally placed holding section at the horizontally placed setting position.

4. The outer covering unit according to claim 3, the vertically placed setting mechanism is a mechanism that holds the connector-equipped wire bundle via a first wire holding tool that holds the connectors at both ends of the connector-equipped wire bundle in a state in which the connector-equipped wire bundle is bent into a U shape, and takes out each connector from the first wire holding tool while elongating the U-shaped connector-equipped wire bundle and setting it to the vertically placed holding section, and wherein the vertical-horizontal conveying mechanism is a mechanism that holds the connector-equipped wire bundle via a second wire holding tool that holds the connectors at both ends of the connector-equipped wire bundle in a state in which the connector-equipped wire bundle is bent into a U shape, and takes out each connector from the second wire holding tool while elongating the U-shaped connector-equipped wire bundle and setting it to the horizontally placed holding section. The vertical-horizontal conveying mechanism is a mechanism that holds the connector-attached wire harness via a second wire holding tool that holds the connectors at both ends of the connector-attached wire harness in a state in which the connector-attached wire harness is bent into a U shape, hands over each connector from the vertical placement holding section to the second wire holding tool, holds the connector-attached wire harness in the state in which it is bent into a U shape and conveys it to the horizontal placement holding section, and extracts each connector from the second wire holding tool while elongating the U-shaped connector-attached wire harness to dispose it in the horizontal placement holding section.

5. The external unit of claim 1, further comprising: A dispensing mechanism configured to extract the connector-attached wire harness from the horizontal placement holding section at the horizontal placement extraction position and convey the connector-attached wire harness to a predetermined dispensing position for dispensing.

6. The exterior unit according to claim 1, wherein The vertical placement holding section includes: an upper holding section for holding an upper connector in the connector-attached wire harness in the vertical placement posture; a lower holding section for holding a lower connector; and a support section for supporting either of the upper holding section or the lower holding section so that a distance between the upper holding section and the lower holding section is adjustable.

7. The exterior unit according to claim 1, wherein The vertical placement cycle path in which the vertical placement holding section in the first exterior mechanism moves is a long loop-shaped path in which the vertical placement setting position is disposed at one end side in a length direction of the vertical placement cycle path and the vertical placement extraction position is disposed at the other end side of the vertical placement cycle path, The horizontal placement cycle path in which the horizontal placement holding section in the second exterior mechanism moves is a long loop-shaped path in which the horizontal placement setting position is disposed at one end side in a length direction of the horizontal placement cycle path and the horizontal placement extraction position is disposed at the other end side of the horizontal placement cycle path, The first exterior processing is performed in a first vertical placement long path that is one side of a pair of the vertical placement cycle paths, and the second exterior processing is performed in a first horizontal placement long path that is one side of a pair of the horizontal placement cycle paths, and In at least one of a second vertical placement long path in the vertical placement cycle paths and a second horizontal placement long path in the horizontal placement cycle paths, at least a portion of a corresponding exterior material of the first exterior material and the second exterior material is supplied to a corresponding holding section of the vertical placement holding section and the horizontal placement holding section.

8. The exterior unit according to claim 1, wherein At least a portion of the first outer covering material used in the first outer covering process is a tubular pre-penetrating member that penetrates the connector-attached wire bundle before the connector-attached wire bundle is set in the vertically placed holding portion, and During the first outer covering process, the pre-penetrating member is aligned and fixed to a fixed position in the length direction of the connector-attached wire bundle.

9. The outer covering unit according to claim 1, wherein, At least a portion of the second outer covering material used in the second outer covering process is a protector having a groove-shaped covering and a cover-shaped covering, the connector-attached wire bundle in the horizontally placed attitude is set inside the groove-shaped covering, and the cover-shaped covering is used to cover the groove-shaped covering, and In the second outer covering process, the cover-shaped covering is press-fitted to the groove-shaped covering in which the connector-attached wire bundle portion is set inside.

10. An outer covering method comprising: a vertically placed setting step of positioning a vertically placed holding portion that can hold a connector-attached wire bundle in which connectors are attached to both ends of a bundle of a plurality of electric wires in a vertically placed attitude in a vertical direction at a vertically placed setting position in a vertically placed circulation path that circulates from the vertically placed setting position to a vertically placed taking-out position; a first outer covering step of performing a first outer covering process of attaching a first outer covering material to the connector-attached wire bundle in the vertically placed attitude during movement from the vertically placed setting position to the vertically placed taking-out position while circulating the vertically placed holding portion in which the connector-attached wire bundle is set is set is set along the vertically placed circulation path; a vertically horizontally conveying step of positioning a horizontally placed holding portion that can hold the connector-attached wire bundle in a horizontally placed attitude in a horizontal direction, taking out the connector-attached wire bundle that has undergone the first outer covering process from the vertically placed holding portion at the vertically placed taking-out position while setting the connector-attached wire bundle in the horizontally placed attitude in the horizontally placed holding portion at a horizontally placed setting position; and a second outer covering step of performing a second outer covering process of attaching a second outer covering material to the connector-attached wire bundle in the horizontally placed attitude during movement from the horizontally placed setting position to the horizontally placed taking-out position while circulating the horizontally placed holding portion in which the connector-attached wire bundle is set is set along the horizontally placed circulation path.

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