Operation station and method for wire harness assembly

Abstract

The present invention provides an operating table and method for wiring harness assembly. The operating table includes a wiring board, a staple plate separated from the wiring board, and a driving mechanism. The staple plate is substantially parallel to the wiring board, and the driving mechanism is used to drive at least one of the wiring board and the staple plate to move in a predetermined direction to change the vertical distance between the wiring board and the staple plate. The operating table for wiring harness assembly provided by the present disclosure can improve the assembly efficiency of the wiring harness.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present invention relates to a wire harness automatic assembly solution, and in particular to the implementation of an automatic assembly production line for vehicle wire harnesses. Background Art

[0002] The automotive harness is a carrier for transmitting various signals and electricity in the vehicle. In the manufacturing stage of common automotive harnesses, the operator usually first puts the cables into the forks on the staple table according to the layout of the tooling board, and inserts the relevant parts (such as the staples with staple heads and cable ties) into the jig (holder) on the staple table. The jig can play a positioning role, and the jig can also be used to fix other parts such as plastic parts and rubber parts. Then the operator manually inserts the cable ties of the staples. After inserting all the staple cable ties, the operator uses a cable tie gun to tighten the cable ties and the harness and cuts off the excess cable ties.

[0003] During the assembly of wire harnesses, operators need to lay wires, insert staples, thread cable ties, and cut cable ties, which is a cumbersome operation. In addition, cable tie cutting requires repeated use of a handheld cable tie gun. In the case of mass production, operators need to endure high labor intensity, which causes physical and mental damage. The industry hopes to improve the existing wire harness manufacturing solution to improve the manufacturing efficiency of wire harnesses and reduce the labor intensity of operators. Summary of the invention

[0004] The technical solution proposed in the present invention aims to solve the problems of low wire harness manufacturing efficiency and / or excessive labor intensity of operators in the prior art.

[0005] In one aspect of the present invention, an operating table for wire harness assembly is provided, comprising: a wiring board; a staple plate separate from the wiring board, the staple plate being substantially parallel to the wiring board; and a driving mechanism for driving at least one of the wiring board and the staple plate to move in a predetermined direction to change the vertical distance between the wiring board and the staple plate.

[0006] In at least one embodiment of one aspect of the present invention, the staple plate is provided with a plurality of staple jigs, the wiring board is provided with a plurality of openings, the positions of the plurality of openings on the wiring board correspond to the positions of the plurality of staple jigs on the staple plate, and each of the plurality of openings is configured to allow a corresponding staple jig to pass therethrough.

[0007] In at least one embodiment of one aspect of the present invention, the wiring board and the staple board are arranged basically horizontally, and the driving mechanism is a lifting mechanism, which is used to lift at least one of the wiring board and the staple board to change the vertical distance between the wiring board and the staple board.

[0008] In at least one embodiment of one aspect of the present invention, the operating table further includes a translation mechanism for translating at least one of the wiring board and the staple board so that the wiring board and the staple board at least partially overlap in a vertical direction.

[0009] In at least one embodiment of one aspect of the present invention, the wiring board and the pin board form a predetermined angle with the horizontal plane, and the driving mechanism is a translation mechanism, which is used to translate at least one of the wiring board and the pin board to change the vertical distance between the wiring board and the pin board.

[0010] In at least one embodiment of one aspect of the present invention, the operating table further includes a lifting mechanism for lifting at least one of the wiring board and the staple board.

[0011] In at least one embodiment of one aspect of the present invention, the operating table further includes a guiding device for guiding the translation of the wiring board and / or the staple board.

[0012] In at least one embodiment of one aspect of the present invention, the operating table also includes a control device, which is communicatively coupled to the driving mechanism and is configured to: control the driving mechanism so that the multiple staple jigs on the staple plate pass through the corresponding openings of the wiring board and extend out of the board surface of the wiring board, or so that the multiple staple jigs on the staple plate withdraw from the corresponding openings of the wiring board.

[0013] In at least one embodiment of one aspect of the present invention, the operating table also includes a sensor for sensing whether the wiring board and the staple board are in a predetermined alignment position with respect to each other, and the control device is communicatively coupled to the sensor and is configured to: in response to receiving a signal from the sensor indicating that the wiring board and the staple board are in the predetermined alignment position with respect to each other, control the driving mechanism to drive at least one of the wiring board and the staple board to move along the predetermined direction, thereby shortening the vertical distance between the wiring board and the staple board.

[0014] In at least one embodiment of one aspect of the present invention, the wiring board and the staple board are arranged basically horizontally, and when the sensor senses that the wiring board and the staple board are in the predetermined alignment position with each other, the wiring board is located above the staple board, and the wiring board and the staple board at least partially overlap in the vertical direction, and the control device is configured to: in response to receiving a signal from the sensor indicating that the wiring board and the staple board are in the predetermined alignment position with each other, start the lifting mechanism as the driving mechanism to make the staple board rise and / or make the wiring board fall.

[0015] In at least one embodiment of one aspect of the present invention, the wiring board has a fork, which is used to support the cable, the staple jig on the staple board is used to carry the staples, the operating table also includes a manipulator, and the control device is communicatively coupled to the manipulator and is configured to: control the manipulator to perform at least one of the following operations: removing staples, inserting staples, and punching staples.

[0016] In another aspect of the present invention, a method for wire harness assembly is provided, the method comprising: based on the above-mentioned operating table for wire harness assembly, driving at least one of the wiring board and the staple board to move in a predetermined direction by the driving mechanism to shorten the vertical distance between the wiring board and the staple board, so that a plurality of staple jigs on the staple board pass through corresponding openings of the wiring board and extend out of the board surface of the wiring board; assembling the staples carried by the staple jigs together with the wire harness positioned on the wiring board.

[0017] In at least one embodiment of another aspect of the present invention, the method further includes: performing wiring harness layout on the wiring board; and inserting the staples into the staple fixture; wherein performing wiring harness layout on the wiring board includes: supporting the cables in forks on the wiring board according to a predetermined layout.

[0018] In at least one embodiment of another aspect of the present invention, assembling the staple carried by the staple fixture with the wiring harness positioned on the wiring board comprises: tightening the cable tie of the staple and the wiring harness; and cutting off excess cable tie.

[0019] In at least one embodiment of another aspect of the present invention, the method further includes: driving at least one of the wiring board and the staple board to move in a direction opposite to the predetermined direction by the driving mechanism to increase the vertical distance between the wiring board and the staple board, thereby allowing a plurality of staple jigs on the staple board to withdraw from corresponding openings on the wiring board.

[0020] In at least one embodiment of another aspect of the present invention, the wiring board and the staple board are arranged basically horizontally, the driving mechanism is a lifting mechanism, and the lifting mechanism is used to lift and lower at least one of the wiring board and the staple board, the operating table also includes a translation mechanism, and the translation mechanism is used to translate at least one of the wiring board and the staple board, and the method also includes: translating at least one of the wiring board and the staple board by the translation mechanism so that the wiring board and the staple board are in a predetermined alignment position with each other, wherein when the wiring board and the staple board are in the predetermined alignment position with each other, the wiring board is located above the staple board, and the wiring board and the staple board at least partially overlap in the vertical direction.

[0021] In at least one embodiment of another aspect of the present invention, the method further comprises: translating at least one of the wiring board and the staple board by the translation mechanism so that the relative position of the wiring board and the staple board deviates from the predetermined alignment position.

[0022] In at least one embodiment of another aspect of the present invention, the wiring board and the staple board form a predetermined angle with the horizontal plane, the driving mechanism is a translation mechanism, and the translation mechanism is used to translate at least one of the wiring board and the staple board, the operating table also includes a lifting mechanism for lifting at least one of the wiring board and the staple board, and the method also includes: lifting at least one of the wiring board and the staple board by the lifting mechanism so that the wiring board and the staple board are in a predetermined alignment position with each other.

[0023] In at least one embodiment of another aspect of the present invention, the method further comprises: lifting at least one of the wiring board and the staple board by the lifting mechanism so that the relative position of the wiring board and the staple board deviates from the predetermined alignment position.

[0024] Compared with the prior art, the present invention has one or more of the following advantages:

[0025] (1) The wiring board and the nail board are arranged separately, so that the nail insertion operation can be performed while wiring, thereby improving the assembly efficiency of the wiring harness.

[0026] (2) A robot is used to complete the operations of inserting nails, threading cable ties, and cutting cable ties. The operator only needs to go up and down the line, which reduces the labor intensity of the operator. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0027] In order to further illustrate the above and other advantages and features of various embodiments of the invention, a more specific description of various embodiments of the invention will be presented with reference to the accompanying drawings. It should be understood that these drawings only depict typical embodiments of the invention and are therefore not to be considered as limiting the scope of protection claimed by the invention.

[0028] Figure 1 A perspective view of a split type wiring harness operating console according to an embodiment of the present invention is shown.

[0029] Figure 2 Shows Figure 1 Side view of the split wiring harness console.

[0030] Figure 3 Shows Figure 1 Top view of the split wiring harness console.

[0031] Figure 4 Shows Figure 1 Front view of the split wiring harness console.

[0032] Figure 5 The wiring harness assembly operation flow according to the embodiment of the present invention is shown.

[0033] Reference numerals:

[0034] 100 Split wiring harness console

[0035] 101 Wiring Board

[0036] 102 nail board

[0037] 103 Translation mechanism

[0038] 104 Lifting mechanism

[0039] 105 Guide device

[0040] 106 rack

[0041] 107 Guard

[0042] 108 Foot

[0043] 109 Opening

[0044] 110 Fork

[0045] 210 staple fixture DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0046] In the following description, the present invention is described with reference to various embodiments. However, those skilled in the art will recognize that various embodiments may be implemented without one or more specific details or with other replacement and / or additional methods, materials or components. In other cases, well-known structures, materials or operations are not shown or described in detail to avoid obscuring aspects of various embodiments of the present invention. Similarly, for the purpose of explanation, specific quantities, materials and configurations are set forth to provide a comprehensive understanding of embodiments of the present invention. However, the present invention may be implemented without specific details. In addition, it should be understood that the various embodiments shown in the drawings are illustrative representations and are not necessarily drawn to scale.

[0047] The present application uses specific words to describe the embodiments of the present application. For example, "one embodiment", "other embodiments", and / or "some embodiments" refer to a certain feature, structure or characteristic related to at least one embodiment of the present application. Therefore, it should be emphasized and noted that "one embodiment" or "other embodiments" or "some embodiments" mentioned twice or multiple times in different positions in this specification do not necessarily refer to the same embodiment. In addition, some features, structures or characteristics in one or more embodiments of the present application can be appropriately combined.

[0048] It should be noted that in order to simplify the description disclosed in this application and thus help understand one or more embodiments, in the following description of the embodiments of this application, multiple features are sometimes combined into one embodiment, figure or description thereof. However, this disclosure method does not mean that the subject matter of this application requires more features than those mentioned in the claims. In fact, the features of an embodiment are less than all the features of a single embodiment disclosed below.

[0049] See also Figure 1-Figure 2 , Figure 1 1 is a perspective view showing a split type wiring harness operating console 100 (hereinafter referred to as the operating console 100 ) according to an embodiment of the present invention. Figure 2 Shows Figure 1 A side view of a split wire harness operating table 100 is shown. The operating table 100 can be used to perform wire harness assembly during a wire harness manufacturing process. Figure 1 As shown, the operating table 100 may include a wiring board 101, a staple board 102, a translation mechanism 103, a lifting mechanism 104, a guide device 105, a frame 106, a guard plate 107, a foot 108 and an electrical control system (not shown). The wiring board 101 and the staple board 102 are separated from each other, which is different from the wiring board and the staple board that are integrated in the existing wiring harness operating table. The separate wiring board 101 and the staple board 102 can allow the wiring operation area and the plugging staple operation area to be separated, so as to perform the wiring operation and the plugging staple operation at the same time, thereby improving the wiring harness assembly efficiency.

[0050] like Figure 1 and Figure 2 As shown, the operating table 100 can be divided into two parts according to the operating area: an upper wiring board 101 and a lower nail board 102, wherein the wiring board 101 and the nail board 102 are both located on a horizontal plane, but on different horizontal planes. Figure 1 A three-dimensional Cartesian coordinate system is shown in FIG. 1 , wherein the horizontal plane mentioned above is the XY plane, and different horizontal planes have different values ​​in the Z coordinate direction.

[0051] like Figure 1 As shown, the wiring board 101 is located on the outside of the operating table 100 (i.e., the side close to the guard plate 107 of the operating table 100), and the nail plate 102 is located on the inside of the operating table 100 (i.e., the side away from the guard plate 107 of the operating table 100). The translation mechanism 103 can translate the wiring board 101 from the outside to the inside of the operating table 100 along the guide device 105 in the Y coordinate direction, or translate the wiring board 101 from the inside to the outside of the operating table 100. The lifting mechanism 104 can drive the nail plate 102 to rise or fall in the Z coordinate direction. The operating table 100 may also include a sensor (not shown) to sense whether the wiring board 101 and the nail plate 102 are in a predetermined alignment position with each other. In one embodiment, when the wiring board 101 and the nail plate 102 are in a predetermined alignment position with each other, the wiring board 101 may be located directly above the nail plate 102, that is, the wiring board 101 and the nail plate 102 completely overlap each other in the vertical direction. In another embodiment, when the wiring board 101 and the staple board 102 are in a predetermined alignment position with each other, the wiring board 101 and the staple board 102 may at least partially overlap each other in the vertical direction. In some embodiments, the sensor may sense the position of the wiring board 101 and / or the staple board 102, and by using the position of the wiring board 101 and the position of the staple board 102, it may be determined whether the wiring board 101 and the staple board 102 are in a predetermined alignment position with each other. In other embodiments, the sensor may sense the relative distance between the wiring board 101 and the staple board 102, and by using the relative distance, it may be determined whether the wiring board 101 and the staple board 102 are in a predetermined alignment position with each other.

[0052] See also Figure 1 and Figure 2, the operating table 100 is in an initial state, in which the wiring board 101 and the nail board 102 are in different horizontal planes, and the wiring board 101 is located at an upper layer relative to the nail board 102. In other embodiments, the initial state of the wiring board 101 and the nail board 102 may be that the wiring board 101 and the nail board 102 are located at the same horizontal plane, or even that the wiring board 101 is located at a lower layer relative to the nail board 102. In other embodiments, the lifting mechanism 104 can drive the wiring board 101 to rise or fall, and the translation mechanism 103 can make the nail board 102 translate from the inside to the outside of the operating table 100 along the guide device 105, or translate from the outside to the inside of the operating table 100. In other embodiments, the lifting mechanism 104 can make both the wiring board 101 and the nail board 102 rise or fall, and the translation mechanism 103 can make both the wiring board 101 and the nail board 102 translate along the guide device 105 from the inside to the outside of the operating table 100, or translate along the guide device 105 from the outside to the inside of the operating table 100. The movement of the translation mechanism 103 is not limited to the movement in the Y coordinate direction described above (for example, movement from the outside to the inside of the operating table 100, movement from the inside to the outside of the operating table 100), and in other embodiments, the movement of the translation mechanism 103 can include any movement in the XY plane, whose direction is perpendicular to the movement direction of the lifting mechanism 104 (that is, the Z coordinate direction). Similarly, the guide device 105 may not be limited to a guide device for defining a path for the wiring board 101 and / or the staple plate 102 to translate between the inner side and the outer side of the operating table 100. In other embodiments, the guide device 105 may also include a guide device for defining other paths for the wiring board 101 and / or the staple plate 102 to translate on the XY plane.

[0053] like Figure 1 and Figure 2 As shown, the staple plate 102 is provided with a staple holder (fixture) 210 for accommodating the staples, for example, for inserting the staple heads of the staples therein. A plurality of openings 109 are provided on the wiring board 101. The positions of the openings 109 correspond to the installation positions of the staple fixtures 210 on the staple plate 102, as shown in FIG. Figure 3 Shown in detail, Figure 3 Shows Figure 1 A top view of the split wiring harness console 100 is shown. Figure 3In the illustrated embodiment, the number of openings 109 on the wiring board 101 is the same as the number of staple jigs 210 on the staple board 102. However, in other embodiments, the number of openings 109 on the wiring board 101 may be different from the number of staple jigs 210 on the staple board 102, as long as when the wiring board 101 is translated to a predetermined alignment position directly above the staple board 102 or above, all the staple jigs 210 can pass through the corresponding openings 109 and extend out of the board surface of the wiring board 101 as the staple board 102 rises. When the wiring board 101 is located directly above the staple board 102 or at a predetermined alignment position above the staple board 102, the X-coordinate and Y-coordinate of the staple fixture 210 on the staple board 102 are respectively the same as the X-coordinate and Y-coordinate of the corresponding opening 109 on the wiring board 101, and the Z-coordinate of the staple fixture 210 is smaller than the Z-coordinate of the corresponding opening 109, which allows the staple fixture 210 to pass through the corresponding opening 109 and extend out of the board surface of the wiring board 101 as the staple board 102 rises or the wiring board 101 descends.

[0054] See also Figure 4 , Figure 4 Shows Figure 1 A front view of a split wiring harness console 100. Figure 4 As shown, the wiring board 101 may further include a fork 110 for supporting cables or wire harnesses.

[0055] Figure 5 FIG. 5 shows a wiring harness assembly operation flow 500 according to an embodiment of the present invention. Figure 5 , describing the wiring harness assembly operation process implemented based on the split wiring harness operating console 100 described above.

[0056] At step 502, a wiring harness layout operation is performed on the wiring board 101 and a stapling operation is performed on the stapling board 102. In some embodiments, when the operating station 100 is in a state such as Figure 1-Figure 4In the initial state shown, the upper wiring board 101 is located outside the operating table 100 for the operator located near the outside of the operating table 100 to lay the wires; the lower nail board 102 is located inside the operating table 100, and there is a nail fixture 210 on the nail board 102, and the space directly above the nail board 102 is not occupied by the wiring board 101. At this time, the operator can perform the wiring harness layout operation on the wiring board 101 outside the operating table 100, for example, according to the predetermined wiring harness layout, the cable is placed in the fork 110 on the wiring board 101, and at the same time, the manipulator (not shown) can perform the nail insertion operation on the nail board 102 inside the operating table 100, for example, according to the process requirements, the nail heads of the nails are inserted into the nail fixture 210 of the nail board 102 one by one. In other embodiments, in the initial state, the wiring board 101 of the operating table 100 can be located on the same horizontal plane or at a lower layer relative to the staple board 102, as long as there is an operating space for arranging cables above the wiring board 101 and an operating space for inserting staples above the staple board 102.

[0057] At step 504, the driving mechanism drives the wiring board 101 and / or the staple board 102 so that the wiring board 101 and the staple board 102 are in a predetermined alignment position with each other. In some embodiments, when the wiring harness is finished and all the required staples are inserted, the translation mechanism 103 can translate the wiring board 101 inward and / or translate the staple board 102 outward so that the wiring board 101 is located directly above the staple board 102 or in a predetermined alignment position above the staple board 102.

[0058] At step 506, the driving mechanism further drives the wiring board 101 and / or the staple board 102 to reduce the vertical distance between the wiring board 101 and the staple board 102. In some embodiments, when the sensor detects that the wiring board 101 is located directly above the staple board 102 or at a predetermined alignment position above the staple board 102, the translation mechanism 103 may stop working, and then the lifting mechanism 104 drives the wiring board 101 to descend and / or drives the staple board 102 to ascend to reduce the vertical distance between the wiring board 101 and the staple board 102, so that the staple fixture 210 with staples on the staple board 102 passes through the corresponding opening 109 of the wiring board 101 and extends out of the board surface of the wiring board 101. At this time, the operating table 100 is in place.

[0059] At step 508, a nail punching operation is performed. In some embodiments, when the operating table 100 is in place, the manipulator near the inner side of the operating table 100 can start the nail punching operation according to the set process path until the nail punching operation for all the staples is completed. The nail punching operation includes tightening the cable tie of the staple with the wire harness and cutting off the excess cable tie.

[0060] At step 510, the driving mechanism drives the wiring board 101 and / or the staple board 102 to increase the vertical distance between the wiring board 101 and the staple board 102. In some embodiments, the lifting mechanism 104 may start to drive the wiring board 101 to rise and / or drive the staple board 102 to descend in response to the completion of the staple punching operation to increase the vertical distance between the wiring board 101 and the staple board 102, so that the staple jig 210 on the staple board 102 exits the corresponding opening 109 of the wiring board 101.

[0061] At step 512, the driving mechanism further drives the wiring board 101 and / or the staple board 102 so that the relative positions of the wiring board 101 and the staple board 102 deviate from the predetermined alignment position. In some embodiments, after the staple jig on the staple board 102 exits the corresponding opening 109 of the wiring board 101 (i.e., the staple jig 210 on the staple board 102 moves to the other side of the wiring board 101 opposite to the board surface with the fork 110), the translation mechanism 103 can drive the wiring board 101 to translate outward and / or drive the staple board 102 to translate inward so that the wiring board 101 deviates from the predetermined alignment position directly above or above the staple board 102. The operator can then remove the wire harness with the staples assembled. Then the assembly operation of the next wire harness or the next group of wire harnesses can be started.

[0062] The above-mentioned harness assembly operation process 500 is performed by both the translation mechanism 103 and the lifting mechanism 104. However, in other embodiments, the wiring board 101 and the staple board 102 of the operation table 100 can be configured such that the wiring board 101 and the staple board 102 are both in a position as shown in FIG. Figure 1 The wiring board 101 is initially arranged to be located directly above or at a predetermined alignment position above the staple board 102. In this case, the operation table 100 may not include the translation mechanism 103, or in the wiring harness assembly operation process, the operations performed by the translation mechanism 103 described above (such as step 504, step 512) may be omitted, and the vertical distance between the wiring board 101 and the staple board 102 is changed (including shortening or increasing) only by the rise and fall of the lifting mechanism 104, so that the staple jig 210 on the staple board 102 passes through the corresponding opening 109 of the wiring board 101 and extends out of the board surface of the wiring board 101, or the staple jig 210 on the staple board 102 exits the corresponding opening 109 of the wiring board 101.

[0063] In other embodiments, the wiring board 101 and the staple board 102 of the operating table 100 may be configured such that the wiring board 101 and the staple board 102 are not in a Figure 1The wiring board 101 and the staple board 102 are not on the XY plane shown in the figure, but form a predetermined angle with the XY plane, and the wiring board 101 and the staple board 102 are substantially parallel to each other. The predetermined angle can be any angle in the range of 0 degrees to 90 degrees. Preferably, the predetermined angle can be any angle in the range of 30 degrees to 75 degrees, so that it is convenient for the operator to perform corresponding operations on the wiring board 101 or the staple board 102. In the case where the wiring board 101 and the staple board 102 form a predetermined angle with the horizontal plane, the operating table 100 may include a translation mechanism 103 and optionally a lifting mechanism 104. The translation mechanism 103 can translate at least one of the wiring board 101 and the staple board 102 on the XY plane to change (including shortening or increasing) the vertical distance between the wiring board 101 and the staple board 102. The optional lifting mechanism 104 can be used to lift at least one of the wiring board 101 and the staple board 102 before the translation mechanism 103 is activated, so that the wiring board 101 and the staple board 102 are in a predetermined alignment position in the horizontal direction, or the optional lifting mechanism 104 can be used to make the relative position of the wiring board 101 and the staple board 102 deviate from the predetermined alignment position after the wiring harness on the wiring board 101 has been assembled with staples. In the case where the wiring board 101 and the staple board 102 are initially arranged to be in the predetermined alignment position with each other, the lifting mechanism 104 can be omitted. When the wiring board 101 and the staple board 102 are in the predetermined alignment position with each other, at least one of the wiring board 101 and the staple board 102 can be translated by the translation mechanism 103, so that the staple jig 210 on the staple board 102 passes through the corresponding opening 109 of the wiring board 101 and extends out of the board surface of the wiring board 101. In other words, when the wiring board 101 and the staple board 102 are in the predetermined alignment position with each other, the Z coordinate of the staple fixture 210 on the staple board 102 is equal to the Z coordinate of the corresponding opening 109 on the wiring board 101, and at least one of the following situations also exists: the X coordinate of the staple fixture 210 is different from the X coordinate of the corresponding opening 109, and the Y coordinate of the staple fixture 210 is different from the Y coordinate of the corresponding opening 109.

[0064] Although not shown in the figure, it can be understood that the split wire harness operation table 100 can also include a control device, such as a programmable logic controller (PLC). The control device can be communicatively coupled with the translation mechanism 103, the lifting mechanism 104, and the sensor to control the translation of the translation mechanism 103, control the lifting mechanism 104 to rise or fall, and receive a signal from the sensor indicating whether the wiring board 101 and the staple board 102 are in a predetermined alignment position with each other. In addition, the control device can also be communicatively coupled with a manipulator to control the manipulator to perform operations related to staples during the wiring harness assembly process.

[0065] As an example, the operations performed by the manipulator near the inner side of the operating table 100 may include at least one of the following: removing a staple, inserting a staple, and punching a staple. The specific method by which the manipulator performs these operations does not constitute a limitation on this embodiment. In other embodiments, the above operations performed by the manipulator may also be partially or entirely performed by an operator located near the inner side of the operating table 100.

[0066] There may be one or more operators performing various operations (e.g., wiring, removing staples, inserting staples, punching staples, etc.) around the above-mentioned operating station 100, and when multiple operators work around the operating station 100, they may be located on the same side or opposite sides of the operating station.

[0067] The technology represented by the split harness operation table 100 can realize the flexibility of the system and facilitate engineering changes. At the same time, it has high scalability. For different harnesses, only the fork 110 and the staple fixture 210 need to be replaced. When combined with a manipulator to perform the assembly of staples and harnesses, the operator only needs to go up and down the line, which greatly improves efficiency and reduces the labor intensity of the operator.

[0068] The basic concepts have been described above. Obviously, for those skilled in the art, the above disclosure is only for example and does not constitute a limitation of the present application. Although not explicitly stated herein, those skilled in the art may make various modifications, improvements and amendments to the present application. Such modifications, improvements and amendments are suggested in the present application, so such modifications, improvements and amendments still belong to the spirit and scope of the embodiments of the present application.

Claims

1. An operating table for wiring harness assembly, include: A wiring board having a fork thereon, the fork being used to support a cable; A staple plate separate from the wiring plate, the staple plate being substantially parallel to the wiring plate; a driving mechanism for driving at least one of the wiring board and the staple board to move in a predetermined direction to change a vertical distance between the wiring board and the staple board, Among them, the staple plate is provided with a plurality of staple jigs, and the staple jigs are used to carry staples. The wiring board is provided with a plurality of openings, and the positions of the plurality of openings on the wiring board correspond to the positions of the plurality of staple jigs on the staple plate. Each of the plurality of openings is configured to allow a corresponding staple jig to pass therethrough.

2. The operating table according to claim 1, It is characterized in that The wiring board and the staple board are arranged substantially horizontally, and the driving mechanism is a lifting mechanism, which is used to lift at least one of the wiring board and the staple board to change the vertical distance between the wiring board and the staple board.

3. The operating table according to claim 2, It is characterized in that The operating table further includes a translation mechanism for translating at least one of the wiring board and the staple board so that the wiring board and the staple board at least partially overlap in a vertical direction.

4. The operating table according to claim 1, It is characterized in that The wiring board and the staple board form a predetermined angle with the horizontal plane, and the driving mechanism is a translation mechanism, which is used to translate at least one of the wiring board and the staple board to change the vertical distance between the wiring board and the staple board.

5. The operating table according to claim 4, It is characterized in that The operating table further includes a lifting mechanism for lifting at least one of the wiring board and the staple board.

6. An operating table according to claim 3 or 4, It is characterized in that The operating table further comprises a guiding device for guiding the translation of the wiring board and / or the nail board.

7. The operating table according to claim 1, It is characterized in that The operating station also includes a control device communicatively coupled to the drive mechanism and configured to: The driving mechanism is controlled so that the plurality of staple jigs on the staple plate pass through the corresponding openings of the wiring board and extend out of the board surface of the wiring board, or the plurality of staple jigs on the staple plate withdraw from the corresponding openings of the wiring board.

8. The operating table according to claim 7, It is characterized in that The operating table further includes a sensor for sensing whether the wiring board and the staple board are in a predetermined alignment position with each other. The control device is communicatively coupled to the sensor and is configured to: in response to receiving a signal from the sensor indicating that the wiring board and the staple board are in the predetermined alignment position with each other, control the driving mechanism to drive at least one of the wiring board and the staple board to move along the predetermined direction, thereby shortening the vertical distance between the wiring board and the staple board.

9. The operating table according to claim 8, It is characterized in that The wiring board and the nail board are arranged substantially horizontally, When the sensor senses that the wiring board and the staple board are in the predetermined alignment position with each other, the wiring board is located above the staple board, and the wiring board and the staple board at least partially overlap in the vertical direction, and The control device is configured to: in response to receiving a signal from the sensor indicating that the wiring board and the nail board are in the predetermined alignment position with each other, start the lifting mechanism as the driving mechanism to raise the nail board and / or lower the wiring board.

10. The operating table according to claim 7, It is characterized in that The operating station also includes a manipulator, and the control device is communicatively coupled to the manipulator and is configured to control the manipulator to perform at least one of the following operations: removing a stuck nail, inserting a stuck nail, and punching a stuck nail.

11. A method for assembling a wire harness, the method include: Based on the operating table for wire harness assembly according to claim 1, at least one of the wiring board and the staple board is driven by the driving mechanism to move in a predetermined direction to shorten the vertical distance between the wiring board and the staple board, so that a plurality of staple jigs on the staple board pass through corresponding openings of the wiring board and extend out of the board surface of the wiring board; The staples carried by the staple jig are assembled together with the wiring harness positioned on the wiring board.

12. The method according to claim 11, It is characterized in that The method further comprises: Performing wiring harness layout on the wiring board; and Inserting the staple into the staple fixture; The wiring harness layout on the wiring board includes: supporting the cables in forks on the wiring board according to a predetermined layout.

13. The method according to claim 11, It is characterized in that Assembling the staples carried by the staple fixture with the wiring harness positioned on the wiring board comprises: Tightening the cable tie of the staple to the wire harness; and Cut off any excess cable ties.

14. The method according to any one of claims 11 to 13, It is characterized in that The method further comprises: The driving mechanism drives at least one of the wiring board and the staple board to move in a direction opposite to the predetermined direction to increase the vertical distance between the wiring board and the staple board, thereby allowing multiple staple jigs on the staple board to withdraw from corresponding openings on the wiring board.

15. The method of claim 14, It is characterized in that The wiring board and the nail board are arranged substantially horizontally, The driving mechanism is a lifting mechanism, and the lifting mechanism is used to lift at least one of the wiring board and the staple board. The operating platform further comprises a translation mechanism, wherein the translation mechanism is used to translate at least one of the wiring board and the staple board. The method also includes: translating at least one of the wiring board and the staple board by the translation mechanism so that the wiring board and the staple board are in a predetermined alignment position with each other, wherein when the wiring board and the staple board are in the predetermined alignment position with each other, the wiring board is located above the staple board, and the wiring board and the staple board at least partially overlap in the vertical direction.

16. The method of claim 15, It is characterized in that The method further comprises: At least one of the wiring board and the staple board is translated by the translation mechanism so that the relative positions of the wiring board and the staple board deviate from the predetermined alignment position.

17. The method of claim 14, It is characterized in that The wiring board and the nail board form a predetermined angle with the horizontal plane, The driving mechanism is a translation mechanism, and the translation mechanism is used to translate at least one of the wiring board and the staple board. The operating platform further includes a lifting mechanism for lifting at least one of the wiring board and the staple board. The method further includes: lifting and lowering at least one of the wiring board and the staple board by the lifting mechanism so that the wiring board and the staple board are in a predetermined alignment position with each other.

18. The method of claim 17, It is characterized in that The method further comprises: At least one of the wiring board and the pin board is lifted or lowered by the lifting mechanism so that the relative positions of the wiring board and the pin board deviate from the predetermined alignment position.

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