Arrangement fixture for wire harness and parts manufacturing system

Abstract

Provided is an arrangement fixture for a wire harness and a part manufacturing system, including: a plurality of blocks having a connector receiving unit for receiving a connector of the wire harness; and a holding unit that defines and holds a mutual positional relationship between the plurality of blocks. The plurality of blocks have a placement form that can be selectively deformed therebetween, and the placement form includes: an unfolded form in which the connector receiving unit corresponds to the position of the connector in the actual arrangement shape of the wire harness; and a contracted form in which the plurality of blocks are tightly assembled for storage. When the placement form of the plurality of blocks is in the unfolded form, the holding unit is configured to hold the mutual positional relationship between the plurality of blocks.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present disclosure relates to an arrangement jig for a wire harness mounted on a vehicle, and a part manufacturing system using the arrangement jig. Background Art

[0002] Generally, a wire harness mounted on a vehicle such as an automobile is a wire assembly formed by integrally bundling a large number of various types of electric wires and has a complex shape. The wire harness is used to connect a power source such as an in-vehicle battery to various electrical components on the vehicle, or to connect multiple electrical components to each other. A large number of connectors are provided in the wire harness to facilitate connection and disconnection at the wire connection positions.

[0003] For example, JP2017-152154A discloses a wire harness manufacturing method and a wire harness manufacturing apparatus, which can reduce the manufacturing cost when manufacturing wire harnesses of various configurations according to various required specifications.

[0004] Specifically, when forming a wire harness in which a basic wire harness of a basic specification and one or more optional wire harnesses of optional options are combined together, the specifications of the basic wire harness and the specifications of the optional wire harnesses are specified according to order information. The wire harness is manufactured by the following method: extracting a common circuit configuration included in the specifications of the optional wire harnesses, merging the extracted common circuit configuration into the specifications of the basic wire harness, removing the common circuit configuration from the specifications of the optional wire harnesses, manufacturing a plurality of intermediate structures based on the data with the rearranged common circuit configuration, and combining these intermediate structures to obtain the wire harness.

[0005] Part manufacturers that manufacture wire harnesses manufacture finished wire harnesses that meet these requirements based on requirements such as specifications, quantities, delivery dates, etc. determined by customers such as vehicle manufacturers in each case, and deliver the finished wire harnesses to the customers before the specified delivery date. Part manufacturers manufacture various types of wire harnesses according to requirements from vehicle manufacturers and the like, and these various types of wire harnesses are managed by different part numbers based on the type, grade, destination, etc. of the vehicle. The vehicle manufacturer determines the final delivery quantity for each part number a few days before the delivery date and notifies the part manufacturer to confirm the order.

[0006] Considering human resources, ensuring various manufacturing equipment related to wire harness manufacturing, manufacturing costs, etc., part manufacturers can also manufacture wire harnesses overseas instead of in the vehicle manufacturing country. However, when part manufacturers import overseas-manufactured wire harnesses into Japan and deliver them to Japanese customers, it takes about two to three weeks to transport them from overseas to Japan.

[0007] Thus, for example, a parts manufacturer considers manufacturing only the main parts of a wire harness that are common to multiple part numbers overseas, transporting the main part wire harness to Japan in advance before confirming the final delivery quantity, and once the final delivery quantity for each part number is confirmed, assembling the main part wire harness with wire harnesses of different part numbers so as to obtain a wire harness according to the required specifications and delivering it to the vehicle manufacturer. Summary of the Invention

[0008] When transporting the main part wire harness manufactured overseas to Japan, the wire harness will be accommodated in a storage box for transportation and transported by water or land. Then, at the Japanese factory, the main part wire harness (referred to as the "common wire harness") is taken out from the delivered storage box and placed on a jig plate. By assembling the main part wire harness with wire harnesses of different part numbers (referred to as the "optional wire harnesses"), a wire harness of the specification to be delivered to the customer is completed.

[0009] However, the main part wire harness is made of a large number of wires and connectors and has a complex shape. Therefore, there is a problem that it takes a lot of time and effort for an operator to manually accommodate the wire harness in the storage box and arrange the wire harness taken out from the storage box on the jig plate.

[0010] The present disclosure provides an arrangement jig for a wire harness, which realizes the rationalization of the wire harness transportation work between bases when the wire harness manufacturing process spans multiple bases, and provides a parts manufacturing system using the arrangement jig.

[0011] According to an illustrative aspect of the present disclosure, an arrangement jig for a wire harness includes: a plurality of blocks having a connector receiving unit for receiving connectors of the wire harness; and a holding unit for defining and maintaining a mutual positional relationship between the plurality of blocks. The plurality of blocks have a placement form that can be selectively deformed therebetween, and the placement form includes: an expanded form in which the connector receiving unit corresponds to the position of the connectors in the actual arrangement shape of the wire harness; and a contracted form in which the plurality of blocks are tightly assembled for storage. The holding unit is provided such that when the placement form of the plurality of blocks is in the expanded form, the mutual positional relationship between the plurality of blocks is maintained.

[0012] The present disclosure has been briefly described above. In addition, the details of the present disclosure will be clarified by reading the aspects for implementing the present disclosure (hereinafter referred to as "embodiments") described below with reference to the accompanying drawings. Description of the Drawings

[0013] Figure 1 A and Figure 1 B are explanatory diagrams of a wire harness manufactured by using an arrangement jig according to an embodiment of the present disclosure, where Figure 1A is a perspective view showing a state in which a finished wire harness obtained by assembling a general wire harness and an optional wire harness is arranged in a vehicle, and Figure 1 B is a schematic view showing the difference between the general wire harness and the optional wire harness.

[0014] Figure 2 A and Figure 2 B are diagrams showing the configuration of a layout jig according to an embodiment of the present disclosure, where Figure 2 A is a perspective view showing a state in which the layout jig is deployed, and Figure 2 B is a perspective view showing a state in which the layout jig is contracted.

[0015] Figure 3 is an explanatory diagram of a parts manufacturing system according to an embodiment of the present disclosure, which is a perspective view showing a state in which a general wire harness is manufactured at a first manufacturing base.

[0016] Figure 4 A and Figure 4 B are explanatory diagrams of a parts manufacturing system according to an embodiment of the present disclosure, where Figure 4 A is a perspective view showing a general wire harness manufactured at a first manufacturing base and a layout jig in an expanded form, and Figure 4 B is a perspective view showing the layout jig in a state before the expanded form.

[0017] Figure 5 is an explanatory diagram of a parts manufacturing system, which is a perspective view showing a state in which a general wire harness manufactured at a first manufacturing base is set on an expanded layout jig.

[0018] Figure 6 is an explanatory diagram of a parts manufacturing system, which is a perspective view showing a state in which the layout jig is inverted.

[0019] Figure 7 is an explanatory diagram of a parts manufacturing system, which is a perspective view showing a state in which the inverted layout jig is in a contracted form.

[0020] Figure 8 is an explanatory diagram of a parts manufacturing system, which is a diagram for explaining the process of holding and storing a large number of layout jigs and general wire harnesses in a contracted form for shipping and transportation.

[0021] Figure 9 is an explanatory diagram of a parts manufacturing system, which is a perspective view showing a state in which the layout jig is deployed with the front side facing up after transportation.

[0022] Figure 10 is an explanatory diagram of a parts manufacturing system, which is a perspective view showing a finished wire harness obtained by assembling a general wire harness and an optional wire harness. Detailed Description

[0023] Hereinafter, specific embodiments according to the present disclosure will be described with reference to the accompanying drawings.

[0024] Figure 1 A and Figure 1 B are explanatory views of a wire harness manufactured by using a layout jig according to an embodiment of the present disclosure, where Figure 1 A is a perspective view showing a state in which a finished wire harness obtained by assembling a general wire harness and an optional wire harness is arranged in a vehicle, and Figure 1 B is a schematic view showing the difference between the general wire harness and the optional wire harness.

[0025] First, on the premise of using the layout jig (see Figure 2 A and Figure 2 B) of the present embodiment, at a parts manufacturer that manufactures a wire harness, as shown in Figure 1 A and Figure 1 B, the wire harness installed on the vehicle 1 is roughly divided into two systems. The first system includes a wire harness as a general unit M, herein referred to as the general wire harness 10. The second system includes a wire harness as a differentiating unit N, herein referred to as the optional wire harness 20.

[0026] For example, a wire harness manufacturer only manufactures the main parts (general unit M) of a wire harness that is common to multiple part numbers overseas, and transports the main parts from overseas (the first manufacturing base) to Japan (the second manufacturing base) in advance before confirming the final delivery quantity. At a factory in Japan (the second manufacturing base), a wire harness (optional wire harness 20) that is different for each part number and serves as a differentiating unit N is manufactured. Then, once the final delivery quantity for each part number is confirmed, the general wire harness 10 is assembled with the optional wire harness 20 to obtain a wire harness (finished wire harness WH) according to the required specifications.

[0027] In such a manufacturing process, at the stage of transporting the general wire harness 10 manufactured overseas to Japan, the wire harness is accommodated in a storage container for transportation or the like and transported by water or land. The Japanese factory performs the following process: taking out the general wire harness 10 from the delivered storage container or the like and arranging the general wire harness 10 on a jig plate. However, since the general wire harness 10 is made of a large number of wires and connectors, it has a complex shape. Therefore, the process of accommodating the general wire harness 10 in a storage container or the like and the process of arranging the general wire harness 10 from the storage container or the like on the jig plate are troublesome. In particular, if these processes rely on the labor of workers, it will require a large amount of time and effort. Therefore, it is necessary to automate as much as possible. Therefore, the layout jig according to the present embodiment is thus used.

[0028] Figure 2 A and Figure 2FIG. B is a view showing the configuration of the arrangement jig according to an embodiment of the present disclosure, where Figure 2 FIG. A is a perspective view showing the state of the deployed arrangement jig, and Figure 2 FIG. B is a perspective view showing the state of the contracted arrangement jig.

[0029] As Figure 2 shown in FIGS. A and Figure 2 B, the arrangement jig 30M includes a plurality of blocks 30, and each block 30 is provided with a connector receiving unit 31 for receiving each connector 11 of the general-purpose wire harness 10 (see Figure 1 FIG. B). These blocks 30 are arranged on a plane such as the deployment table 40 and can slide in a certain direction on the deployment table 40 to gather or disperse. That is, the placement form of the plurality of blocks 30 can be selectively changed to a deployed form in which the plurality of blocks 30 are dispersed or a contracted form in which the plurality of blocks 30 are closely assembled in one place.

[0030] As Figure 2 shown in FIG. A, the deployed form is a form in which each connector receiving unit 31 can correspond to the position of each connector in the actual arrangement shape of the wire harness. As Figure 2 shown in FIG. B, the contracted form is a form in which the plurality of blocks 30 are closely assembled for storage. To switch from the deployed form to the contracted form, the blocks 30 slide in the direction of arrow A in Figure 2 FIG. A. To switch from the contracted form to the deployed form, the blocks 30 slide in the direction of arrow B in Figure 2 FIG. B. The blocks 30 can be of any shape and are preferably strip-shaped objects that are longer in the direction orthogonal to the sliding direction (arrows A and B). The sliding direction can be freely set, for example, to match the length direction of the vertical and horizontal dimensions of the general-purpose wire harness 10 (corresponding to the front-rear direction of the vehicle).

[0031] The number, shape, and size of the blocks 30 are optional and are preferably set such that when the blocks 30 are in the deployed form, each connector receiving unit 31 is arranged at the position of each connector in the actual arrangement shape of the wire harness, and when the blocks 30 are in the contracted form, the assembled dimension L (the dimension occupied in the sliding direction) of the blocks 30 becomes as small as possible. For example, as Figure 2 shown in FIG. B, each block 30 has a shape in which the sides of every two adjacent blocks 30 are fitted to each other, so that the assembled dimension L in the contracted form becomes as small as possible.

[0032] The layout jig 30M is also provided with a holding unit that defines and maintains the relative positional relationship between the plurality of blocks 30 so as not to disrupt the relative positional relationship when the placement form of the plurality of blocks 30 is set to the unfolded form. The layout jig 30M of the present embodiment serves as the holding unit and includes a linear connecting member 35 having a predetermined length, and the plurality of blocks 30 are connected by these linear connecting members 35. The lengths of these connecting members 35 are set such that when the connecting members 35 are unfolded, each connector receiving unit 31 of the plurality of blocks 30 is placed at the position of the connector 11 in the actual layout shape of the general-purpose wire harness 10. As the connecting member 35, a wire, a metal wire, a tape, a rope, etc. can be selected.

[0033] The layout jig 30M is provided with a restricting member that holds the contracted form by surrounding the required plurality of blocks 30 when the plurality of blocks 30 are assembled to be in the contracted form. As the restricting member, a band, a frame, etc. can be adopted.

[0034] By using the above layout jig 30M, the following effects can be obtained.

[0035] That is, the above layout jig 30M can change the placement form of the plurality of blocks 30 provided with the connector receiving units 31 to the unfolded form or the contracted form. By being changed to the unfolded form, the connector 11 of the general-purpose wire harness 10 arranged in the actual layout shape can be fitted into the connector receiving unit 31 provided in each block 30. Therefore, when each connector 11 is held by the block 30 respectively, even if the block 30 is moved, as long as the block 30 is restored to the original position (the position in the unfolded form), the entire general-purpose wire harness 10 can also be easily restored to the original (actual) layout shape.

[0036] During transportation, the blocks 30 holding the connectors 11 are pre-assembled tightly to be in the contracted form and then stored in a storage container or the like. Therefore, the storage space can be reduced and the transportation efficiency can be improved. After transportation, by changing the layout jig 30M taken out from the storage container from the contracted form to the unfolded form and restoring each block 30 to the original position, the connector 11 can be restored to the original position, and the shape of the entire general-purpose wire harness 10 relative to the connector 11 can be restored to the original layout shape. Therefore, the optional wire harness 20 can be easily assembled to the general-purpose wire harness 10 restored to the original layout shape.

[0037] During the contraction process of the blocks 30 before transportation and the expansion process of the blocks 30 after transportation, instead of manually restoring the connector 11 to the original position by the operator respectively, it is only necessary to move the block 30 holding the connector 11. Therefore, for example, if an automatic machine combined with a sliding machine for the blocks 30 is used, the contraction process and the expansion process can be automated without any manual work of the operator, and rationalization can be achieved by labor saving.

[0038] According to the above-described arrangement jig 30M, the blocks 30 are connected by the linear connecting member 35 serving as a holding unit, and the mutual positions between the blocks 30 in the deployed form are defined by the length of the connecting member 35. Therefore, the mutual positional relationship between the blocks 30 in the deployed form can be easily defined without incurring any component costs.

[0039] According to the above-described arrangement jig 30M, when a plurality of blocks 30 are assembled to be in the contracted form, the sides of every two adjacent blocks 30 are fitted to each other. Therefore, the assembly size L of the blocks 30 can be reduced, the storage space for the arrangement jig 30M can be decreased, and the transportation efficiency can be improved.

[0040] When a plurality of blocks 30 are assembled to be in the contracted form, the plurality of blocks 30 are surrounded by a restricting member to maintain the contracted form, thereby achieving stability during storage.

[0041] Next, a parts manufacturing system using the above-described arrangement jig 30M will be described.

[0042] This parts manufacturing system for manufacturing a wiring harness having specifications required by a customer includes a first manufacturing base and a second manufacturing base located in different regions. In the first manufacturing base located in a region such as overseas where the manufacturing cost is low, a general-purpose wiring harness 10 for a plurality of part numbers common to vehicles is manufactured and transported to the second manufacturing base.

[0043] The second manufacturing base is closer to the delivery location designated by the customer than the first manufacturing base. For example, it is located in Japan. At the second manufacturing base, the general-purpose wiring harness 10 delivered from the first manufacturing base is received, and a plurality of optional wiring harnesses 20 different for each part number are assembled with the general-purpose wiring harness 10 to obtain a finished wiring harness WH having the specifications required by the customer, and the finished wiring harness WH is delivered to the delivery location.

[0044] Specifically, as Figure 3 shown, first, the general-purpose wiring harness 10 is manufactured at the first manufacturing base such as overseas by using an arrangement table 50 or the like. Next, as Figure 4 A, Figure 4 B, and Figure 5 shown, the manufactured general-purpose wiring harness 10 is set on the arrangement jig 30M, in which the placement of the blocks 30 is previously changed from the contracted form ( Figure 4 the form in B) to the deployed form ( Figure 4 the form in A) (see Figure 5 ). That is, each connector 11 of the general-purpose wiring harness 10 is fitted into the connector receiving unit 31 of each block 30.

[0045] In this way, almost all of the connectors 11 can be held by the block 30. Since the connectors 11 are mounted on the terminals of the wires that make up the general wiring harness 10, by holding the connectors 11 in this way, the entire general wiring harness 10 is held.

[0046] Then, as Figure 6 and Figure 7 shown, by inverting the arrangement jig 30M, the block 30 is slid into the contracted form as shown by the arrow A in Figure 7 , and in the contracted form, multiple groups are held and stored together as shown in Figure 8 .

[0047] By inverting the arrangement jig 30 in this way and sliding the block 30 into the contracted form, the wires connecting the connectors 11 can be suspended downward, and there is no risk of pinching the wires between the blocks 30. Therefore, multiple blocks 30 can be assembled closely without being interfered by the wires. Thus, the assembled size of the block 30 can be reduced, and the storage efficiency of the arrangement jig 30M and the general wiring harness 10 can be improved.

[0048] As described above, the arrangement jig 30M and the general wiring harness 10 are held and stored in the contracted form, then loaded onto the ship S and transported to the second manufacturing base.

[0049] Next, at the second manufacturing base, the arrangement jig 30M in the contracted form delivered from the first manufacturing base is unfolded to the unfolded form as shown in Figure 9 . Thus, on the arrangement jig 30M in the unfolded form, the general wiring harness 10 and the optional wiring harness 20 are assembled to obtain the finished wiring harness WH as shown in Figure 10 . The optional wiring harness 20 is manufactured by using a different arrangement jig. The finished optional wiring harness 20 can be assembled with the general wiring harness 10 held by the arrangement jig 30M, or the optional wiring harness 20 can be assembled on the arrangement jig 30M and then combined with the general wiring harness 10.

[0050] As described above, in the parts manufacturing system according to the present embodiment, since the general wiring harness 10 manufactured at the first manufacturing base is held and stored in the contracted form while mounted on the arrangement jig 30M and transported to the second manufacturing base, the general wiring harness 10 can be efficiently transported to the second manufacturing base in a compact form. At the second manufacturing base, the general wiring harness 10 can be restored to the original (actual) arrangement shape by unfolding the arrangement jig 30M delivered from the first manufacturing base from the contracted form to the unfolded form. Therefore, on the arrangement jig 30M, the finished wiring harness WH can be obtained by assembling the general wiring harness 10 restored to the original arrangement shape and the optional wiring harness 20.

[0051] In this series of processes, during the shrinkage process of the block 30 before transportation and the expansion process of the block 30 after transportation, instead of manually restoring the connector 11 to its original position separately by an operator, only the block 30 holding the connector 11 needs to be moved. Therefore, for example, by adopting an automatic machine combined with a sliding machine for the block 30 in the system, the shrinkage process and the expansion process of arranging the fixture 30M can be automated without any manual work of an operator, and rationalization can be achieved by labor saving.

[0052] Here, the features of the arranging fixture for a wire harness and the parts manufacturing system according to the embodiments of the present disclosure described above are briefly summarized and listed as the following aspects [1] to [6]. Regarding aspect [1], an arranging fixture (30M) for a wire harness includes: a plurality of blocks (30) having a connector receiving unit (31) for receiving a connector (11) of the wire harness (10); and a holding unit (35) that defines and holds the mutual positional relationship between the plurality of blocks (30). The plurality of blocks (30) have a placement form that can be selectively deformed therebetween, and the placement form includes: an expanded form in which the connector receiving unit (31) corresponds to the position of the connector (11) in the actual arrangement shape of the wire harness (10); and a shrunk form in which the plurality of blocks (30) are tightly assembled for storage. The holding unit (35) is configured to hold the mutual positional relationship between the plurality of blocks (30) when the placement form of the plurality of blocks (30) is in the expanded form.

[0053] According to the arranging fixture for a wire harness having the configuration of the above aspect [1], the placement form of the plurality of blocks provided with the connector receiving unit can be changed to an expanded form or a shrunk form. When the arranging fixture is in the expanded form, the connectors arranged in the actual arrangement shape of the wire harness can be fitted into the connector receiving units provided in each block. Therefore, when each connector is held by the block, even if the block is moved, as long as the block is restored to its original position (the position in the expanded form), the entire wire harness can be easily restored to its original (actual) arrangement shape.

[0054] During transportation, the blocks holding the connectors are pre-tightly assembled to be in a compact shrunk form and then stored in a storage container or the like. Therefore, the storage space can be reduced and the transportation efficiency can be improved. After transportation, by changing the arranging fixture taken out from the storage container from the shrunk form to the expanded form and restoring each block to its original position, the connectors can be restored to their original positions, and the shape of the entire wire harness relative to the connectors can be restored to the original arrangement shape. Therefore, other wire harnesses can be easily assembled to the wire harness restored to the original arrangement shape.

[0055] During the shrinking process of the blocks before transportation and the unfolding process of the blocks after transportation, instead of manually restoring the connectors to their original positions separately by an operator, it is only necessary to move the blocks that hold the connectors. Therefore, for example, by using an automatic machine in combination with the sliding machine for the blocks, the shrinking process and the unfolding process can be automated without any manual work by the operator, and rationalization can be achieved by saving labor.

[0056] Regarding aspect [2] according to the above aspect [1], the holding unit (35) includes: a linear connecting member (35) having a predetermined length. The plurality of blocks (30) are connected via the connecting member (35). The length of the connecting member (35) is set such that when the connecting member (35) is unfolded, the connector receiving unit (31) of the plurality of blocks (30) is at the position of the connector (11) in the actual arrangement shape of the wire harness (10).

[0057] For the wire harness arrangement jig having the structure of the above aspect [2], by connecting the blocks to the linear connecting member as the holding unit, the mutual positions of the blocks in the unfolded form can be defined by the length of the connecting member. Therefore, the mutual positional relationship between the blocks in the unfolded form can be easily defined without incurring any component costs.

[0058] Regarding aspect [3] according to the above aspect [1] or [2], the shape of each of the blocks (30) is set such that when the plurality of blocks (30) are in the shrunk form, the sides of adjacent blocks (30) fit together with each other.

[0059] For the wire harness arrangement jig having the structure of the above aspect [3], when a plurality of blocks are assembled to be in the shrunk form, the sides of every two adjacent blocks fit together with each other. Therefore, the assembled size of the blocks can be reduced, the storage space of the arrangement jig can be decreased, and the transportation efficiency can be improved.

[0060] Regarding aspect [4] according to any one of the above aspects [1] to [3], the arrangement jig (30M) further includes: a restricting member that surrounds the plurality of blocks (30) to hold the shrunk form when the plurality of blocks (30) are assembled in the shrunk form.

[0061] For the wire harness arrangement jig having the structure of the above [4], when a plurality of blocks are assembled to be in the shrunk form, the plurality of blocks are surrounded by the restricting member to hold the shrunk form. Therefore, stability during storage can be achieved.

[0062] Regarding aspect [5], a component manufacturing system that can be used for manufacturing components for a commercial wire harness (WH), the system includes: a first manufacturing base; and a second manufacturing base that is arranged in a region different from the first manufacturing base. The first manufacturing base has the function of manufacturing a general wire harness (10) with a part number common to vehicles. The second manufacturing base is closer to a delivery location designated by a customer than the first manufacturing base. The second manufacturing base has the function of obtaining the general wire harness (10) from the first manufacturing base and delivering the finished wire harness (WH) to the delivery location, and the finished wire harness is constructed by assembling a plurality of optional wire harnesses (20) that are different for each of the part numbers with the general wire harness (10). At the first manufacturing base, the general wire harness (10) is mounted on the layout fixture (30M) according to any one of aspects [1] to [4], and the layout fixture (30M) is held and stored in the contracted form and transported to the second manufacturing base. At the second manufacturing base, the layout fixture (30M) in the contracted form delivered from the first manufacturing base is expanded into the expanded form, and then the finished wire harness (WH) is obtained by assembling the general wire harness (10) and the optional wire harness (20) on the layout fixture (30M) in the expanded form.

[0063] In the component manufacturing system configured according to the above aspect [5], since the general wire harness manufactured at the first manufacturing base is held and stored in the contracted form while mounted on the layout fixture and transported to the second manufacturing base, the general wire harness can be efficiently transported to the second manufacturing base in a compact form. At the second manufacturing base, the general wire harness can be restored to its original (actual) layout shape by expanding the layout fixture delivered from the first manufacturing base from the contracted form to the expanded form. Therefore, on the layout fixture, the finished wire harness can be obtained by assembling the general wire harness restored to its original layout shape and the optional wire harness.

[0064] In this series of processes, during the contraction process of the block before transportation and the expansion process of the block after transportation, instead of manually restoring the connectors to their original positions separately by an operator, only the block holding the connectors needs to be moved. Therefore, for example, by using an automatic machine combined with a sliding machine for the block, the contraction process and the expansion process of the layout fixture can be automated without any manual work by an operator, and rationalization can be achieved by saving labor.

[0065] Regarding aspect [6] according to the above aspect [5], at the first manufacturing base, the layout fixture (30M) is held and stored in the contracted form in an inverted state.

[0066] According to the component manufacturing system configured with the above aspects [6], in the first manufacturing base, since the layout fixture is held and stored by inverting the layout fixture to be in a contracted form, although the connectors are held by the blocks, the wires connecting the connectors can be supported in a downwardly hanging state. Therefore, there is no risk of the wires being clamped between the blocks, and multiple blocks can be tightly assembled without being interfered by the wires. Therefore, the assembly size of the blocks can be reduced, and the storage efficiency of the layout fixture and the general wiring harness can be improved.

[0067] According to the present disclosure, when the wiring harness manufacturing process spans multiple bases, rationalization of the wiring harness transportation work between the bases can be achieved.

Claims

1. An arrangement fixture for a wire harness, comprising: a plurality of blocks having connector receiving units configured to receive connectors of the wire harness such that each of the connectors is fitted into the connector receiving unit of each of the blocks; a holding unit defining and holding a mutual positional relationship between the plurality of blocks; and a restricting member surrounding the plurality of blocks, wherein the plurality of blocks have a placement form that can be selectively deformed therebetween, the placement form including: a deployed form in which the connector receiving units correspond to the positions of the connectors in the actual arrangement shape of the wire harness; and a contracted form in which the plurality of blocks are tightly assembled for storage; the holding unit is configured to hold the mutual positional relationship between the plurality of blocks when the placement form of the plurality of blocks is in the deployed form; when the plurality of blocks are assembled in the contracted form, the restricting member holds the contracted form; the plurality of blocks include a first block having a first shape and a second block having a second shape different from the first shape, and the shape of each of the blocks is set such that when the plurality of blocks are in the contracted form, the side surfaces of adjacent blocks fit into each other.

2. The arrangement fixture for a wire harness according to claim 1, wherein the holding unit includes a linear connecting member having a predetermined length; the plurality of blocks are connected via the connecting member; and the length of the connecting member is set such that when the connecting member is extended, the connector receiving units of the plurality of blocks are at the positions of the connectors in the actual arrangement shape of the wire harness.

3. A method for manufacturing parts for a parts manufacturing system, which can be used by a parts manufacturer for manufacturing wire harnesses, wherein the parts manufacturing system includes: a first manufacturing base; and a second manufacturing base arranged in a region different from the first manufacturing base; the method for manufacturing parts for the parts manufacturing system includes: the first manufacturing base has a function of manufacturing a general wire harness with a part number common to vehicles; the second manufacturing base is closer to a delivery location designated by a customer than the first manufacturing base; the second manufacturing base has a function of obtaining the general wire harness from the first manufacturing base and delivering a finished wire harness to the delivery location, the finished wire harness being constructed by assembling a plurality of wire harnesses to be assembled, each different for each of the part numbers, with the general wire harness; at the first manufacturing base, the general wire harness mounted on the arrangement fixture according to claim 1 or 2 is held and stored in the contracted form by the arrangement fixture and transported to the second manufacturing base; and at the second manufacturing base, the arrangement fixture in the contracted form delivered from the first manufacturing base is expanded into the deployed form, and then the finished wire harness is obtained by assembling the general wire harness and the wire harnesses to be assembled on the arrangement fixture in the deployed form.

4. The part manufacturing method for the part manufacturing system according to claim 3, wherein at the first manufacturing base, the arrangement fixture is held and stored in the shrunk form in an inverted state.

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