Wire harness manufacturing method

Abstract

To provide a wire harness manufacturing method that allows for the production of wire harnesses of multiple specifications using a common workbench. [Solution] The wire bundle 10 has a branching point 13 where the branch wires 11 of the wire bundle 10 branch off, and a connector 20 provided at the end of the branch wires 11. The workbench 40 has a connector holding part 41 and a branching point holding part 42. The manufacturing method of the wire harness 1 includes the steps of: holding the wire bundle 10 in the branching point holding part 42; assembling an auxiliary tool 30 having a projection 32 to the connector 20 and holding the connector 20 in the connector holding part 41; forming a branching point 13 in the branching point holding part 42; and determining the length of the branch wire 11 by not wrapping the branch wire 11 around the projection 32 when the target length Lt of the branch wire 11 is a first length L corresponding to the distance between the connector holding part 41 and the branching point holding part 42, and wrapping the branch wire 11 around the projection 32 when the target length Lt of the branch wire 11 is a second length La.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present invention relates to a wire harness manufacturing method for manufacturing a wire harness having a wire bundle composed of a plurality of electric wires on a workbench.

Background Art

[0002] Conventionally, when manufacturing a wire harness used for vehicles and the like, it is known to perform various operations related to the manufacturing using a dedicated workbench (a so-called jig plate) (see, for example, Patent Document 1).

Prior Art Literature

Patent Literature

[0003]

Patent Document 1

Summary of the Invention

Problem to be Solved by the Invention

[0004] The workbenches (jig plates) of the above-mentioned types are generally equipped with multiple jigs for holding electric wires. The work of holding the electric wires using these jigs is performed so that the electric wires have the wiring shape specified for each specification (for example, by setting branching points at the design positions and extending branching wires of the design length from those branching points). After that, various accessories (for example, tape, clamps, etc.) are attached to the electric wires held in the jigs. From the perspective of performing these manufacturing operations efficiently, it is conceivable to set up a workbench with a mix of jigs corresponding to one specification and jigs corresponding to other specifications, using the former jigs for manufacturing wire harnesses of one specification and the latter jigs for manufacturing wire harnesses of other specifications. However, in this case, depending on the shape and arrangement of the jigs (for example, if the shapes of the former jigs and the latter jigs are similar and placed close together), it may be difficult for the worker to select the appropriate jig. For this reason, there is a need to easily manufacture wire harnesses of multiple specifications using a common workbench.

[0005] One of the objectives of the present invention is to provide a method for manufacturing wire harnesses that allows for the easy production of wire harnesses of multiple specifications using a common workbench. [Means for solving the problem]

[0006] To achieve the aforementioned objectives, the method for manufacturing a wire harness according to the present invention is characterized by the following:

[0007] A method for manufacturing a wire harness having a bundle of multiple electric wires on a workbench, The aforementioned bundle of electric wires The wire bundle has a branching point where a branch wire, which is part of the wire bundle, branches off from another part of the wire bundle, and a connector provided at the end of the branch wire. The aforementioned workbench is It has a connector holding portion for holding the connector and a branching point holding portion for holding the branching point, The manufacturing method is A step of holding the aforementioned wire bundle in the branch point holding section, The steps include: attaching an auxiliary device having a projection shaped to which the aforementioned branch wire can be wrapped to the connector, and holding the connector and the auxiliary device in the connector holding portion; The process of forming the branch point in the branch point holding section, The method includes the step of determining the length of the branch wire by: if the target length of the branch wire is a first length corresponding to the distance between the connector holding portion and the branch point holding portion, the branch wire is not wrapped around the projection of the auxiliary tool; and if the target length of the branch wire is a second length shorter than the first length, the branch wire is wrapped around the projection of the auxiliary tool. It is a method for manufacturing wire harnesses. [Effects of the Invention]

[0008] According to the wire harness manufacturing method of the present invention, regardless of whether the length of the branch wires extending from the branching point of the wire bundle is a first length or a second length, the branch wires and branching point are formed in the wire bundle using a common jig (i.e., a common connector holder and a common branching point holder) and through a common process. When the target length of the branch wire is the first length, the length of the branch wire is set to the first length by not wrapping the branch wire around the projection of the auxiliary tool. On the other hand, when the target length of the branch wire is a second length which is shorter than the first length, the length of the branch wire is set to the second length by wrapping the branch wire around the projection of the auxiliary tool. In this way, two types of wire harnesses with different branch wire lengths can be produced using a common jig and through a common process. Therefore, the manufacturing method of the present invention allows for the easy production of wire harnesses with multiple specifications using a common workbench.

[0009] The present invention has been briefly described above. Further details of the present invention will be clarified by referring to the accompanying drawings and reading through the embodiments for carrying out the invention described below. [Brief explanation of the drawing]

[0010] [Figure 1]Figure 1 is a perspective view showing a connector provided at the end of a branch wire of a wire bundle in a wire harness manufactured by a manufacturing method according to an embodiment of the present invention, and an auxiliary device assembled to the connector. [Figure 2] Figure 2 is a side view showing the process of assembling the auxiliary device to the connector shown in Figure 1. [Figure 3] Figure 3 is a side view showing the connector shown in Figure 1 with the auxiliary device assembled. [Figure 4] Figure 4 is a top view showing the area around the connector and auxiliary device when the wire is not wrapped around the protrusion of the auxiliary device. [Figure 5] Figure 5 is a top view showing the area around the connector and auxiliary device when the electric wire is wrapped around the projection of the auxiliary device. [Figure 6] Figure 6 is a top view showing the first state of the manufacturing process of a wire harness on a workbench according to the manufacturing method of an embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 7] Figure 7 is a top view showing a second state in the manufacturing process of a wire harness on a workbench according to an embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 8] Figure 8 is a top view showing the area around the guy wires of a wire bundle when the wires are not wrapped around the protrusions of the auxiliary device. [Figure 9] Figure 9 is a top view showing the area around the guy wires of a wire bundle when the wires are wrapped around the protrusions of the auxiliary device. [Figure 10] Figure 10 is a side view showing an auxiliary device related to a modified example. [Modes for carrying out the invention]

[0011] <Embodiment> Hereinafter, a method for manufacturing a wire harness 1 (see FIGS. 8 and 9) according to an embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings. The wire harness 1 is, for example, used by being routed in a vehicle. Hereinafter, for convenience of explanation, "front", "rear", "left", "right", "upper" and "lower" are defined as shown in FIG. 1 and the like. The "front-rear direction", "left-right direction" and "up-down direction" are orthogonal to each other.

[0012] As shown in FIGS. 8 and 9, a wire bundle 10 included in the wire harness 1 has a branch point 13 where a branch line 11, which is a part of the wire bundle 10, branches from the other portion 12 of the wire bundle 10, and a connector 20 provided at a terminal end of the branch line 11. Specifically, the branch line 11 is constituted by a bundle of a plurality of wires among the plurality of wires constituting the wire bundle 10, and the other portion 12 is specifically constituted by a bundle of the remaining plurality of wires other than said part among the plurality of wires constituting the wire bundle 10. The connector 20 is a resin molded product. As shown in FIGS. 2 and 3, an auxiliary tool holding portion 22 for holding an auxiliary tool 30 to be described later is provided at a lower portion of a connector main body portion 21 of the connector 20 to which a mating connector (not shown) is to be fitted. The auxiliary tool 30 is to be used for absorbing the extra length of the branch line 11 (see FIGS. 5 and 9).

[0013] The length of the branch line 11 extending from the branch point 13 differs depending on the specifications of the wire harness 1, while the shape of the connector 20 provided at the terminal end of the branch line 11 is the same regardless of the specifications of the wire harness 1. In the method for manufacturing the wire harness 1 according to the embodiment of the present invention, the wire harnesses 1 having a plurality of specifications are manufactured using a common (one type of) workbench 40 (see FIGS. 6 to 9).

[0014] A workbench (a so-called jig plate) 40 used in this manufacturing method includes, as shown in FIGS. 6 and 7, at least a connector holding portion 41 that holds a connector 20 provided at an end of a branch wire 11 of a wire bundle 10, and a branch point holding portion 42 that holds a branch point 13 of the wire bundle 10. The connector holding portion 41 has a shape capable of locking a connector main body portion 21 of the connector 20. In addition to the connector holding portion 41 and the branch point holding portion 42, the workbench 40 is provided with one or more wire bundle locking portions or the like (not shown) that lock the wire bundle 10.

[0015] As in the wire harness 1, when the length of the branch wire 11 extending from the branch point 13 differs for each specification, while the shape of the connector 20 provided at the end of the branch wire 11 is the same regardless of the specification, it is conceivable to make the position of the connector holding portion 41 on the workbench 40 (the relative position with respect to the branch point holding portion 42) different for each specification. For example, it is conceivable to provide a plurality of connector holding portions 41 at different positions on the workbench 40 for each specification. However, in this case, due to the fact that the shape of the connector 20 is the same regardless of specifications, there is a possibility that an operator mistakenly holds the connector 20 of the wire harness 1 of a different specification to the connector holding portion 41 of the workbench 40 corresponding to a certain specification. That is, a so-called "wrong placement" may occur. In the method for manufacturing the wire harness 1 according to the embodiment of the present invention, as described below, wire harnesses 1 of a plurality of specifications are manufactured using a common (one type of) workbench 40 (see FIGS. 6 and 7), whereby the aforementioned "wrong placement" cannot occur.

[0016] The following describes a method for manufacturing a wire harness 1 according to an embodiment of the present invention. First, the wire bundle 10 constituting the wire harness 1 is routed on a workbench 40 using one or more wire bundle locking parts, etc., to a predetermined target shape, and as shown in Figure 6, the vicinity of the point in the wire bundle 10 that will later become a branching point 13 is held by the branching point holding part 42 of the workbench 40. Next, from this state, a branch wire 11, which is part of the wire bundle 10, is branched from the other part 12 of the wire bundle 10, starting from the branching point holding part 42, so as to extend in a direction different from the extension direction of the other part 12 of the wire bundle 10 (for example, a direction perpendicular to the extension direction of the other part 12) (see Figure 6). At this time, it is desirable from the viewpoint of the work described later that the length of the branch wire 11 extending from the branching point holding part 42 is slightly longer than a predetermined length L, which will be described later.

[0017] Next, as shown in Figure 6, a connector 20 is provided at the end of the branch wire 11, and an auxiliary device 30 is attached to the connector 20. The auxiliary device 30 is a resin molded body and, as shown in Figures 1 to 3, comprises a rectangular flat body portion 31 and a rod-shaped projection portion 32 that protrudes from one side (top surface) in the thickness direction of the body portion 31. As shown by the black arrow in Figure 2, the body portion 31 of the auxiliary device 30 is attached to the auxiliary device holding portion 22 of the connector 20, thereby holding the auxiliary device 30 in the connector 20 (see Figures 3, 4, and 6). In this state, the branch wire 11 extending from the connector 20 traverses one side surface of the body portion 31 while passing near the projection portion 32.

[0018] Next, as shown in Figure 7, the connector 20 holding the auxiliary tool 30 is held in the connector holding section 41 of the workbench 40, and a slight tension (tension to the right in Figure 7) is applied to the wire bundle 10 so that the branch wire 11 connecting the connector 20 and the branch point holding section 42 extends in a straight line. Then, with the branch wire 11 connecting the connector 20 and the branch point holding section 42 extending in a straight line, the tape 14 is wrapped around the outer circumference of the part of the wire bundle 10 held in the branch point holding section 42, thereby forming the branch point 13 of the wire bundle 10 (see Figure 7). In the state where the branch point 13 has been formed by the above procedure, the branch wire 11 extending from the branch point 13 has a length L (see Figure 7). In other words, the workbench 40 is designed so that the length corresponding to the distance between the connector holding section 41 and the branch point holding section 42 matches the above length L.

[0019] The following describes the case where the specifications of the wire harness 1 to be manufactured are such that the target length Lt of the branch wire 11 is the length L mentioned above. In this case, the current length L of the branch wire 11 already matches the target length Lt (=L), and there is no need to absorb the excess length of the branch wire 11, so the branch wire 11 is not wrapped around the projection 32 of the auxiliary device 30. Therefore, as described above, after the branch point 13 is formed, as shown in Figure 8, the entire wire bundle 10 is removed from the workbench 40, and the tape 15 is wrapped around a part of the branch wire 11 that extends from the connector 20 and is located on one side of the main body 31, so as to cover the outer circumference of that part of the branch wire 11 and the outer circumference of the main body 31 together (see also Figure 4). This securely fixes the branch wire 11 extending from the connector 20 to the auxiliary device 30. With the above, the branch wire 11 extending from the branch point 13 in the wire harness 1 with the specification that the target length Lt of the branch wire 11 matches the length L mentioned above is completed. In this specification, since there is no need to absorb the excess length of the branch wire 11, the auxiliary device 30 may be removed from the connector 20.

[0020] Next, we will explain the case where the specifications of the wire harness 1 to be manufactured are such that the target length Lt of the branch wire 11 is a predetermined length a smaller than the above length L (La). In this case, since the current length L of the branch wire 11 is a predetermined length a longer than the target length Lt (=La), it is necessary to absorb the excess length of the branch wire 11 by the predetermined length a. Therefore, as described above, after the branch point 13 is formed, as shown in Figure 9, the entire wire bundle 10 is removed from the workbench 40, and a portion of the branch wire 11 extending from the connector 20 and located on one side surface of the main body 31 is wrapped around the projection 32 of the auxiliary tool 30 for a predetermined length a, and tape 15 is wrapped around the portion of the branch wire 11 located on one side surface of the main body 31 so as to cover both the outer circumference of the portion of the branch wire 11 and the outer circumference of the main body 31 together (see also Figure 5). As a result, the length of the branch wire 11 matches the target length Lt (=La), and the branch wire 11 extending from the connector 20 is securely fixed to the auxiliary device 30, preventing the branch wire 11 from coming off the projection 32 of the auxiliary device 30. Thus, the branch wire 11 extending from the branch point 13 is completed in the wire harness 1, which is specified to have a target length Lt of the branch wire 11 that is a length (La) smaller than the above length L by a predetermined length a.

[0021] <Effects and Actions> As described above, according to the manufacturing method of the wire harness 1 according to this embodiment, if the target length Lt of the branch wire 11 extending from the branch point 13 of the wire bundle 10 is a first length L corresponding to the distance between the connector holding part 41 and the branch point holding part 42, the length of the branch wire 11 is set to the first length L by not wrapping the branch wire 11 around the projection 32 of the auxiliary tool 30. On the other hand, if the target length Lt of the branch wire 11 is a second length La which is shorter than the first length L, the length of the branch wire 11 is set to the second length La by wrapping the branch wire 11 around the projection 32 of the auxiliary tool 30. In this way, two types of wire harnesses 1 with different branch wire lengths can be produced on the same workbench 40. Therefore, the manufacturing method according to this embodiment allows for the production of wire harnesses 1 with multiple specifications using a common workbench 40.

[0022] Furthermore, according to the manufacturing method of the wire harness 1 of this embodiment, when the target length Lt of the branch wire 11 is the second length La, the branch wire 11 is fixed to the auxiliary device 30. This prevents the branch wire 11 from coming off the projection 32 of the auxiliary device 30. Note that when the target length Lt of the branch wire 11 is the first length L, the auxiliary device 30 may be removed from the connector 20, or it may not be necessary to remove the auxiliary device 30 from the connector 20.

[0023] <Other forms> It should be noted that the present invention is not limited to the embodiments described above, and various modifications can be adopted within the scope of the present invention. For example, the present invention is not limited to the embodiments described above, and can be modified, improved, etc. as appropriate. Furthermore, the material, shape, dimensions, number, placement, etc. of each component in the embodiments described above are arbitrary and not limited as long as they can achieve the present invention.

[0024] For example, in the above embodiment, the branch wire 11 extending from the connector 20 is fixed to the auxiliary device 30 by wrapping the tape 15 around it (see Figures 8 and 9). In contrast, the branch wire 11 extending from the connector 20 does not necessarily have to be fixed to the auxiliary device 30.

[0025] Furthermore, in the above embodiment, the auxiliary device 30 does not have an engaging portion for attaching the wire bundle 10 to a predetermined mounting object (see Figures 1 to 3). In contrast, as shown in Figure 10, the auxiliary device 30 may have an engaging portion (e.g., a clamp) 33 for attaching the wire bundle 10 to a predetermined mounting object (e.g., a vehicle body panel). This allows the auxiliary device 30 to combine the function of adjusting the length of the guy wire 11 and the function of an engaging portion 33, thereby simplifying the wire harness 1 compared to the case where these functions are provided by separate components.

[0026] Here, the features of the embodiments of the manufacturing method for the wire harness 1 described above are briefly summarized and listed below in [1] to [3].

[0027] [1] A method for manufacturing a wire harness (1) having a bundle of wires (10) composed of multiple wires on a workbench (40), wherein The aforementioned wire bundle (10) is The wire bundle (10) has a branching point (13) where a branch wire (11), which is part of the wire bundle (10), branches off from another part (12) of the wire bundle (10), and a connector (20) provided at the end of the branch wire (11). The aforementioned workbench (40) is It has a connector holding portion (41) that holds the connector (20) and a branching point holding portion (42) that holds the branching point (13), The manufacturing method is The process of holding the wire bundle (10) in the branch point holding section (42), The steps include: attaching an auxiliary device (30) having a projection (32) shaped to allow the branch wire (11) to be wrapped around the connector (20), and holding the connector (20) and the auxiliary device (30) in the connector holding part (41); The process of forming the branch point (13) in the branch point holding part (42), The device includes the step of determining the length of the branch wire (11) by: if the target length (Lt) of the branch wire (11) is a first length (L) corresponding to the distance between the connector holding portion (41) and the branch point holding portion (42), the branch wire (11) is not wrapped around the projection (32) of the auxiliary device (30); and if the target length (Lt) of the branch wire (11) is a second length (La) shorter than the first length (L), the branch wire (11) is wrapped around the projection (32) of the auxiliary device (30). A method for manufacturing a wire harness (1).

[0028] According to the wire harness manufacturing method of the configuration described in [1] above, regardless of whether the length of the branch wires extending from the branching point of the wire bundle is a first length or a second length, the branch wires and branching points are formed in the wire bundle using a common jig (i.e., a common connector holder and a common branching point holder) and through a common process. When the target length of the branch wire is the first length, the length of the branch wire is set to the first length by not wrapping the branch wire around the projection of the auxiliary tool. On the other hand, when the target length of the branch wire is a second length which is shorter than the first length, the length of the branch wire is set to the second length by wrapping the branch wire around the projection of the auxiliary tool. In this way, two types of wire harnesses with different branch wire lengths can be produced using a common jig and through a common process. Therefore, this manufacturing method allows for the easy production of wire harnesses with multiple specifications using a common workbench.

[0029] [2] A method for manufacturing the wire harness (1) described in [1] above, If the target length (Lt) of the branch wire is the second length (La), the further step is to fix the branch wire (11) wrapped around the projection (32) of the auxiliary device (30) to the auxiliary device (30). A method for manufacturing a wire harness (1).

[0030] According to the wire harness manufacturing method of the configuration described in [2] above, if the target length of the guy wire is the second length, the guy wire is fixed to the auxiliary device. This prevents the guy wire from coming off the projection of the auxiliary device. If the target length of the guy wire is the first length, the auxiliary device may or may not be removed from the connector.

[0031] [3] A method for manufacturing the wire harness (1) described in [1] above, The aforementioned auxiliary device (30) is The wire bundle (10) has an engaging portion (33) for attaching it to a predetermined mounting object, A method for manufacturing a wire harness (1).

[0032] According to the wire harness manufacturing method of the configuration described in [3] above, the auxiliary device has an engaging part (for example, a so-called clamp) for attaching the bundle of electric wires to a predetermined mounting object. As a result, the auxiliary device combines the function of adjusting the length of the guy wires and the function of an engaging part, which simplifies the wire harness compared to when these functions are provided by separate components. [Explanation of Symbols]

[0033] 1 Wire harness 10 Wire bundle 11 branch line 12 Other parts 13 Branching points 20 connectors 30 assistive devices 32 Protrusion 33 Engaging part 40 workbenches 41 Connector holding part 42 Branch point holding section

Claims

1. A method for manufacturing a wire harness having a bundle of multiple electric wires on a workbench, The aforementioned bundle of electric wires The wire bundle has a branching point where a branch wire, which is part of the wire bundle, branches off from another part of the wire bundle, and a connector provided at the end of the branch wire. The aforementioned workbench is It has a connector holding portion for holding the connector and a branching point holding portion for holding the branching point, The manufacturing method is A step of holding the aforementioned wire bundle in the branch point holding section, The steps include: attaching an auxiliary device having a projection shaped to which the aforementioned branch wire can be wrapped to the connector, and holding the connector and the auxiliary device in the connector holding portion; The process of forming the branch point in the branch point holding section, The method includes the step of determining the length of the branch wire by: if the target length of the branch wire is a first length corresponding to the distance between the connector holding portion and the branch point holding portion, the branch wire is not wrapped around the projection of the auxiliary tool; and if the target length of the branch wire is a second length shorter than the first length, the branch wire is wrapped around the projection of the auxiliary tool. A method for manufacturing wire harnesses.

2. A method for manufacturing a wire harness according to claim 1, If the target length of the branch wire is the second length, the method further includes the step of fixing the branch wire, which is wrapped around the projection of the auxiliary device, to the auxiliary device. A method for manufacturing wire harnesses.

3. A method for manufacturing a wire harness according to claim 1, The aforementioned auxiliary device is Having an engaging portion for attaching the aforementioned wire bundle to a predetermined mounting target, A method for manufacturing wire harnesses.

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