Wire harness manufacturing apparatus

Abstract

A wire harness manufacturing apparatus includes: first and second rails that are arranged in parallel on a jig plate; a first holding portion that holds a first connector; and a second holding portion that holds a second connector; a wire holding portion that holds first and second electric wires; an end side connecting portion that connects one end sides of the first and second electric wires to the first and second connectors; a cutting portion that cuts the first and second electric wires; another end side connecting portion that connects the cut first and second electric wires to third and fourth connectors; and a bundling portion that bundles the first and second electric wires whose tension has been adjusted.

Description

TECHNICAL FIELD

[0001] The present application relates to a harness manufacturing apparatus. BACKGROUND

[0002] For example, a harness is manufactured by the following steps: measuring an electric wire, cutting the electric wire into a predetermined length, crimping a terminal to the end of the cut electric wire, inserting the terminal-equipped electric wire into a connector, and bundling a plurality of connector-equipped electric wires at a predetermined position and forming a product shape. Patent Literature 1 mainly discloses a technology relating to the step of forming the product shape.

[0003] Patent Literature 1 is JP-A-2018-60643.

[0004] In the harness manufacturing steps, the apparatus automatically performs the electric wire measuring step to the connector inserting step. In the step of forming the product shape, the operator arranges a plurality of electric wires on a dedicated jig plate, forms branches at predetermined positions, and bundles the electric wires. In this way, since the processing is manually performed for each product, it is difficult to shorten the cycle time for manufacturing one harness. SUMMARY

[0005] The harness manufacturing apparatus shortens the cycle time for manufacturing a harness.

[0006] A harness manufacturing apparatus includes:

[0007] a jig plate;

[0008] first and second guide rails provided in parallel on the jig plate;

[0009] a first holding portion configured to hold a first connector and movable along the first guide rail, and a second holding portion configured to hold a second connector and movable along the second guide rail;

[0010] an electric wire holding portion configured to hold a first electric wire pulled out from a first spool and a second electric wire pulled out from a second spool;

[0011] an end side connecting portion configured to connect one end side of each of the first electric wire and the second electric wire to each of the first connector and the second connector;

[0012] a cutting portion configured to cut the first electric wire pulled out to a first predetermined position by movement of the first holding portion and the second electric wire pulled out to a second predetermined position by movement of the second holding portion;

[0013] third and fourth holding portions configured to hold a third connector and a fourth connector, respectively;

[0014] the other end side connector configured to connect the other end side of the first electric wire and the other end side of the second electric wire to the third connector and the fourth connector, respectively; and

[0015] a bundling portion configured to bundle the first electric wire and the second electric wire at a predetermined position,

[0016] wherein the bundling portion is configured to bundle the first electric wire and the second electric wire whose tension is adjusted by at least the first holding portion moving along the first guide rail.

[0017] A wire harness manufacturing apparatus according to an embodiment of the present application can shorten a cycle time for manufacturing a wire harness. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF DRAWINGS

[0018] The present application has been briefly described above. Furthermore, details of the present application will be clarified by reading the following description of modes for carrying out the present application (hereinafter, referred to as "embodiments") with reference to the accompanying drawings.

[0019] Figure 1 is a plan view schematically showing a wire harness manufacturing apparatus according to an embodiment of the present application;

[0020] Figure 2 shows a state in which an end side holding portion provided with a connector in the wire harness manufacturing apparatus of Figure 1 is moved to a processing position;

[0021] Figure 3 shows a state in which an end side holding portion holding an electric wire of a connector in the wire harness manufacturing apparatus of Figure 1 is moved to a predetermined position;

[0022] Figure 4 shows a state in which an electric wire is cut in the wire harness manufacturing apparatus of Figure 1 ; and

[0023] Figure 5 shows a state in which the other end side of an electric wire is clamped to a connector held by an other end side holding portion in the wire harness manufacturing apparatus of Figure 1 ; and

[0024] Figure 6 shows a state in which a plurality of electric wires are aggregated by a robot hand in the wire harness manufacturing apparatus of Figure 1 ; and

[0025] Figure 7 shows a state in which a plurality of electric wires are wrapped by a tape in the wire harness manufacturing apparatus of Figure 1 ; and DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0026] A specific embodiment of the present application will be described below with reference to the accompanying drawings. Figure 1 is a plan view schematically showing a harness manufacturing apparatus according to an embodiment of the present application. The harness manufacturing apparatus is a full-automatic machine that centrally and automatically performs a wire cutting step, a connector crimping step, a harness product shape forming step, and an inspection step. Hereinafter, for the convenience of description, as shown in Figure 1 "front", "back", "left", and "right" are defined. The "front-back direction", the "left-right direction", and the "up-down direction" are orthogonal to each other.

[0027] Figure 1 The harness manufacturing apparatus shown in FIG. 1 includes a plurality of wire reels R, a jig plate 11, a plurality of guide rails 13, a plurality of one-end side holding portions 15, a pressing mechanism 17, another-end side holding portions 19, and two robot arms Rl, R2, and the entire harness manufacturing apparatus is controlled by a control device (not shown). The plurality of wire reels R correspond to first and second reels, the plurality of guide rails 13 correspond to first and second guide rails, the plurality of one-end side holding portions 15 correspond to first and second holding portions, and the another-end side holding portions 19 correspond to third and fourth holding portions. The pressing mechanism 17 corresponds to a wire holding portion, a one-end side connecting portion, a cutting portion, and another-end side connecting portion.

[0028] The plurality of wire reels R are arranged in multiple rows in a housing position. In the pressing mechanism 17, a plurality of wires pulled out from the plurality of wire reels R pass through a pressing portion formed by two rollers in a parallel arrangement state, and are delivered from a wire nozzle.

[0029] The jig plate 11 is a rectangular plate provided on the front side of the wire reel R. The jig plate 11 is provided with the pressing mechanism 17, the plurality of guide rails 13, the plurality of one-end side holding portions 15, the another-end side holding portions 19, and the robot arms Rl, R2.

[0030] The plurality of guide rails 13 extend on the jig plate 11 in the front-back direction from the front end of the jig plate 11 to the rear end on which the pressing mechanism 17 is placed, and are arranged in parallel to each other. In the present embodiment, six guide rails 13 are provided, and the one-end side holding portion 15 is slidably provided on each guide rail 13.

[0031] Each of the plurality of one-end-side holders 15 includes a sliding portion that is slidable with respect to the guide rail 13, and a connector holding portion that holds the connector C1 (first and second connectors). The connector holding portion of the one-end-side holder 15 is picked up by the robot arm R1 and holds the connector C1 placed from above by, for example, a pair of gripping portions. The plurality of one-end-side holders 15 are moved from the front end of the guide rail 13, which is the home position, to the rear end by the sliding portions. The one-end-side holder 15 transports the connector C1 connected to the electric wire W at the rear end of the guide rail 13 to a predetermined position (first and second predetermined positions). The predetermined position is a position based on the electric wire length of the electric wire W, and by this transport, the electric wire W is pulled out of the electric wire reel R by an amount corresponding to the required electric wire length. Each one-end-side holder 15 includes an inspection probe configured to perform a conductivity inspection on an electric circuit formed by crimping and connecting the electric wire W to the connector C1.

[0032] At least a portion of the plurality of one-end-side holders 15 is formed with a branch at the plurality of electric wires W. When the plurality of electric wires W are bundled by being wound with a tape, the tension of one or more electric wires W is adjusted by moving the one or more electric wires W along the corresponding rail 13.

[0033] In the one-end-side holder 15, the connector holding portion is rotated with respect to the sliding portion about a normal direction of the sliding surface (a direction perpendicular to the plane of the paper) Figure 1 and the connector holding portion can be rotated when adjusting the tension. The connector holding portion is rotated with respect to the sliding portion and the terminal insertion hole of the connector faces the bundling portion. Thus, it is possible to prevent the root of the electric wire inserted into the connector from being bent.

[0034] The other-end-side holder 19 includes a plurality of connector holding portions that hold a plurality of connectors C2 (third and fourth connectors), and a slider that moves the connector holding portions from the right side toward the left side toward the pressing mechanism 17 on the rear side of the jig plate 11. The other-end-side holder 19 can change the interval between the plurality of connector holding portions and can adjust the arrangement interval of the plurality of connectors C2. The connector holding portions of the other-end-side holder 19 are picked up by the robot arm R2 and hold the connectors C2 placed from above by, for example, suction. In the other-end-side holder 19, the plurality of connector holding portions are arranged in a row in the left-right direction, and the plurality of connectors C2 are concentratedly disposed by the robot arm R2. In a state where the connector holding portions are moved to the pressing mechanism 17, the other-end-side holder 19 is movable in the front-rear direction, and can move the plurality of connectors C2 arranged in parallel in the left-right direction in the front-rear direction.

[0035] Each of the connector C1 and the connector C2 is a known connector including a crimp terminal capable of crimping the electric wire W and a case that accommodates the crimp terminal. The case is pressed in a state where the end portion of the electric wire W is inserted into the case, thereby electrically connecting the electric wire W to the crimp terminal of the connector C1, C2. At least one electric wire W is connected to each of the connector C1 and the connector C2.

[0036] The pressing mechanism 17 is provided behind the jig plate 11. The pressing mechanism 17 includes an electric wire holding mechanism that holds in parallel the plurality of electric wires W pulled out from the plurality of reels R, and a crimping mechanism that crimps one end side of each of the plurality of electric wires W to each of the plurality of connectors C1. The pressing mechanism 17 further includes an electric wire cutting mechanism that cuts the plurality of electric wires W pulled out to a predetermined length. The electric wire cutting mechanism is provided at a front side of the pressing portion, and includes, by way of example, a plurality of cutting knives that cut the plurality of electric wires W, and a plurality of electric wire end holding portions that hold the electric wire ends at a front side of the cutting knives.

[0037] The pressing mechanism 17 includes a pitch conversion mechanism that converts the pitch of the plurality of electric wires to a wider pitch corresponding to the plurality of connectors C1 and a narrower pitch corresponding to the plurality of connectors C2. The pitch conversion mechanism converts the pitch of the plurality of electric wires W by moving the plurality of electric wire end holding portions in the left-right direction.

[0038] The pressing mechanism 17 includes an electric wire correction mechanism that includes a comb-shaped jig having a plurality of comb teeth and a mechanism that drives the comb-shaped jig. The electric wire correction mechanism corrects the tendency of the electric wires W by arranging each of the comb teeth between the plurality of electric wires W and causing the electric wires W to slide.

[0039] The pressing mechanism 17 includes a crimping mechanism that crimps each of the other end sides (cut end portions) of the plurality of electric wires W each cut to a predetermined length and having a narrower pitch to each of the plurality of connectors C2. The crimping mechanism is provided in the vicinity of the electric wire correction mechanism, and crimps the connector C2 to the other end side of the electric wire W corrected by the electric wire correction mechanism.

[0040] The pressing mechanism 17 is provided with an inspection probe configured to perform a conduction inspection on an electric circuit formed by crimping and connecting the electric wires W to the connectors C2.

[0041] The robot arm R1 is a six-axis robot provided at its tip portion with a grasping mechanism that picks up the plurality of connectors C1 one by one and a hand H1 that aggregates the plurality of electric wires W. The robot arm R1 can move the tip portion to an arbitrary position on the jig plate 11 according to a program built in the control device, and can drive the grasping mechanism and the hand H1 installed on the tip portion. The robot arm R1 picks up one connector C1 from among the plurality of connectors C1 supplied to the right front side of the jig plate 11 by the grasping mechanism, transfers the one connector C1 to above the connector holding portion of the one end side holding portion 15 on the jig plate 11, and sets the connector C1 on the connector holding portion. In addition, when branching is formed in the plurality of electric wires W, the robot arm R1 picks up the plurality of electric wires W at a predetermined position on the jig plate 11 by the hand H1. That is, the hand H1 bundles the plurality of electric wires W into a bundle in an unfixed state.

[0042] The robot arm R2 is a six-axis robot provided at its tip portion with a grasping mechanism that picks up the plurality of connectors C2 arranged in a row in a concentrated manner and a tool H2 that tape-wraps and binds the plurality of electric wires W. The robot arm R2 can move the tip portion to an arbitrary position on the jig plate 11 according to a program built in the control device, and can drive the grasping mechanism and the tool H2 installed on the tip portion. The robot arm R2 picks up the plurality of connectors C2 arranged in a row on the right front side of the jig plate 11 in a concentrated manner by the grasping mechanism, transfers the plurality of connectors C2 to above the connector holding portion of the other end side holding portion 19 on the jig plate 11, and sets the connectors C2 on the connector holding portion. The robot arm R2 binds the plurality of electric wires W at a predetermined position on the jig plate 11 with tape by the tool H2 to form branching. In a state aggregated by the hand H1 of the robot arm R1, the robot arm R2 wraps the plurality of electric wires W with tape by the tool H2.

[0043] The wire harness manufacturing step performed by the wire harness manufacturing device realized as described above will be described with reference to Figures 1 to 7 The following manufacturing steps are performed by operating the robot arms R1, R2, the plurality of one end side holding portions 15, the other end side holding portion 19, and the pressing mechanism 17 according to a program built in the control device of the wire harness manufacturing device.

[0044] The plurality of connectors C1 and the plurality of connectors C2 are prepared on the right front side of the jig plate 11 in the wire harness manufacturing device.

[0045] The plurality of electric wires W pulled out from the plurality of electric wire reels R are held in a parallel arrangement state by the electric wire holding mechanism of the pressing mechanism 17.

[0046] Concentrated supply of connectors C1, C2

[0047] First, as Figure 1As shown, robotic arm R1 grasps multiple connectors C1 and transfers each connector C1 to each of the multiple one-end holding portions 15. Furthermore, robotic arm R2 grasps multiple connectors C2, transfers the multiple connectors C2 to the other-end holding portion 19, and sets the multiple connectors C2 to the right rear side of the clamping plate 11.

[0048] Connector C1 is tightly clamped to one end of wire W.

[0049] Each of the plurality of one-end side retaining portions 15 slides on each of the guide rails 13 and transfers each of the connectors C1 to Figure 2 The processing position is shown. At this processing position, the wire holding mechanism of the pressing mechanism 17 presses one end of a plurality of wires W and feeds the plurality of wires W forward, inserting each of the one end of the plurality of wires W into each of the connectors C1. The clamping mechanism of the pressing mechanism 17 clamps the wires W, one end of which is housed in the housing of the connector C1, to the connector C1.

[0050] Pull out multiple wires W to the necessary length and measure the wires W together.

[0051] like Figure 3 As shown, multiple one-end retaining portions 15 slide on guide rail 13, thereby moving the connector C1, which is clamped to one end of the wire W, to a predetermined position. Each one-end retaining portion 15 is moved to a predetermined position, thereby pulling each wire W out of each wire reel R by the necessary length. In this way, multiple wires W are measured together.

[0052] Centralized cut-off of power lines W

[0053] like Figure 4 As shown, the wire cutting mechanism of the pressing mechanism 17 centrally cuts multiple wires W, each wire being pulled out to a necessary length. The other ends of the multiple cut wires W are held by multiple wire end retainers. The measurement and cutting of the multiple wires W corresponds to the wiring steps in conventional wire harness manufacturing.

[0054] Tightly clamp connector C2 to the other end of wire W.

[0055] Next, the slider of the other end retaining part 19 moves the multiple connectors C2 to the left side and sets the multiple connectors C2 as follows: Figure 5The processing position is shown. The other end holding part 19 adjusts the spacing between the plurality of connectors C2. The spacing conversion mechanism of the pressing mechanism 17 moves the plurality of wire end holding parts in the left and right direction, thereby converting the spacing of the plurality of wires W from the spacing of connector C1 to the spacing of connector C2. The plurality of wires W after spacing conversion are set on the front side of the plurality of connectors C2. The pressing mechanism 17 corrects the tendency of the other end side of the plurality of wires W with converted spacing by the wire correction mechanism. At this time, the other end holding part 19 moves forward, thereby moving the plurality of connectors C2 forward, and the other end side of the wires W is inserted into the predetermined connector C2. Thereafter, the clamping mechanism of the pressing mechanism 17 clamps the wires W, whose other end side is housed in the shell of connector C2, to connector C2.

[0056] Conductivity test

[0057] After connector C2 is clamped to the other end of wire W, the inspection probes of one-end retaining part 15 and pressing mechanism 17 are respectively inserted into connectors C1 and C2, and the control device performs a conductivity check on the circuit formed by clamping each of connectors C1 and C2 and connecting each of the two ends of wire W. The control device, the inspection probe of one-end retaining part 15, and the inspection probe of pressing mechanism 17 constitute a conductivity check unit. If the conductivity check result is abnormal, the control device will issue an abnormality notification such as an alarm sound. The check unit is provided in each of pressing mechanism 17 and one-end retaining part 15, and checks the connectivity of the circuit on clamp plate 11 immediately after the circuit is formed. Therefore, a conductivity abnormality can be responded to immediately.

[0058] Forming branches

[0059] After passing the conductivity test, such as Figure 6 As shown, the robotic arm R1 aggregates a specific plurality of wires W from a plurality of wires W at a predetermined position (bundling position) via the hand H1. The binding position is determined based on the length of each of the wires W at one end from which the connector C1 is mounted. During the aggregation of the wires W, at least a portion of the plurality of one-end holding portions 15 moves along corresponding guide rails 13 in the front-back direction, thereby adjusting the tension of one or more wires W.

[0060] Subsequently, as Figure 7As shown, the robot arm R2 winds the tape around the polymerized wire W by the tool H2 to form a branch. In the tension adjustment of the wire W, for example, before the hand H1 polymerizes a plurality of wires W, the one-end side holding portion 15 is moved forward to loosen the wire W, so that the wire W can be easily picked up. After the tool H2 has completed the tape winding, the wire W is loosened by moving the one-end side holding portion 15 backward, so that the load applied to the connection portion between the wire W and the connectors C1, C2 can be reduced. In this way, the branch is formed at a desired position, so that all the harness manufacturing steps are completed.

[0061] As described above, according to the harness manufacturing apparatus in the present embodiment, the cycle time for manufacturing one harness can be shortened by making the order of the manufacturing steps different from the conventional order and combining the centralized measurement, the centralized cutting, and the centralized crimping. According to the harness manufacturing apparatus in the present embodiment, the tension can be adjusted for each wire W, and the wires can be bundled while, for example, the wires are in a loose state. Therefore, the tape can be quickly wound, and a branch can be formed.

[0062] The present application is not limited to the above-described embodiments, and can be appropriately modified, improved, and the like. In addition, the materials, shapes, sizes, numerical values, forms, numbers, arrangement positions, and the like of the components according to the above-described embodiments can be freely set without being limited, as long as the present application can be implemented. For example, in the above-described embodiments, a harness is manufactured by installing six connectors C1 and four connectors C2 to ten wires W. However, the numbers of the connectors C1, C2 and the wires W can be freely set. In the above-described embodiments, the wires and the connectors are crimped and connected to each other. However, the connection method is not limited to crimping, and the wires and the connectors can be connected by, for example, laser connection and press crimping.

[0063] Variants

[0064] When a harness to be manufactured requires a special processing requirement such as a communication line, the harness manufacturing apparatus can be used in cooperation with other automated processing apparatus. For example, a sub-harness in which a connector is installed to both ends of a wire is supplied from another facility, and the harness manufacturing apparatus can fit the connector on the other end side of the jig plate and the connector of the sub-harness, and then perform processing such as tape winding.

[0065] In the harness manufacturing apparatus, after the branch is formed, a component such as a clip can be automatically installed by changing the tool of the robot arm. Thereafter, the electric conduction check is performed again to ensure the performance of the harness. Since the self step is completed in each step, the need for appearance inspection can be eliminated. The completed harness can be automatically packaged using a robot.

[0066] A predetermined position for bundling (bundling position) is programmed as a coordinate on the jig plate, and the control device can derive the coordinate from the drawing information.

[0067] The other end side holding portion is movable on the guide rail. According to this configuration, the jig plate can be reduced in size. Therefore, the operation range of the robot arm can be reduced, and the tact time can be shortened.

[0068] In the above embodiment, the electric wires scattered on the adjacent guide rails are bundled. Alternatively, for example, the electric wires of non-adjacent guide rails can be bundled by providing a claw on the gripping portion and hooking the electric wires on the claw.

[0069] Here, the features according to the above-described embodiments of the wire harness manufacturing apparatus of the present application will be briefly summarized and listed in the following [1] to [3]. [1]

[0071] A wire harness manufacturing apparatus, comprising:

[0072] a jig plate (11);

[0073] first and second guide rails (13, 13) provided in parallel on the jig plate;

[0074] a first holding portion (one end side holding portion 15) configured to hold a first connector (C1) and movable along the first guide rail, and a second holding portion (one end side holding portion 15) configured to hold a second connector (C1) and movable along the second guide rail;

[0075] an electric wire holding portion (pressing mechanism 17) configured to hold a first electric wire (W) pulled out from a first reel (R) and a second electric wire (W) pulled out from a second reel (R);

[0076] an one end side connecting portion (pressing mechanism 17) configured to connect one end sides of the first and second electric wires to the respective first and second connectors;

[0077] a cutting portion (pressing mechanism 17) configured to cut the first electric wire pulled out to a first predetermined position by movement of the first holding portion and the second electric wire pulled out to a second predetermined position by movement of the second holding portion;

[0078] third and fourth holding portions (other end side holding portions 19) configured to hold a third connector (C2) and a fourth connector (C2);

[0079] an other end side connecting portion (pressing mechanism 17) configured to connect other end sides of the cut first and second electric wires to the respective third and fourth connectors; and

[0080] a bundling portion (tool H2) configured to bundle the first electric wire and the second electric wire at a predetermined position,

[0081] wherein the bundling portion is configured to bundle the first electric wire and the second electric wire, whose tension is adjusted by moving along the first guide rail by at least the first holding portion.

[0082] According to the wire harness manufacturing apparatus having the above configuration [1], in addition to measuring the electric wire, cutting the electric wire, and connecting the electric wire to the connector, the bundling of the electric wire can be automatically performed, so that the cycle time for manufacturing one wire harness can be shortened without required processing such as manual branch formation and bundling. According to the wire harness manufacturing apparatus in the present embodiment, the tension is adjusted for each electric wire W, and the electric wires can be bundled while, for example, the electric wires are in a loose state. Therefore, the adhesive tape can be quickly wound, and the branches can be formed. [2]

[0084] The wire harness manufacturing apparatus according to [1],

[0085] wherein the first predetermined position is a position based on the wire length of the first electric wire,

[0086] wherein the second predetermined position is a position based on the wire length of the second electric wire, and

[0087] wherein the bundling portion is configured to bundle the first electric wire and the second electric wire at the predetermined position, the predetermined position being determined based on the length from the one end side of the first electric wire and the length from the one end side of the second electric wire.

[0088] According to the wire harness manufacturing apparatus having the above configuration [2], the bundling can be performed at the predetermined position determined based on the length from the one end side of each electric wire. [3]

[0090] The wire harness manufacturing apparatus according to the above [1] or [2], further comprising:

[0091] a conduction inspection unit configured to perform a conduction inspection on the first electric wire connected with the first connector and the third connector and the second electric wire connected with the second connector and the fourth connector.

[0092] According to the wire harness manufacturing apparatus having the above configuration [3], since the conduction inspection step can be incorporated into the wire harness manufacturing step, it is not necessary to separately provide the inspection step after the product is completed.

Claims

1. A wire harness manufacturing apparatus, comprising: Fixture plate; The first guide rail and the second guide rail are arranged in parallel on the clamp plate; A first retaining part is configured to retain the first connector and is movable along the first guide rail; And a second retaining part, which is configured to retain the second connector and is movable along the second guide rail; The wire holding part is configured to hold the first wire pulled out from the first spool and the second wire pulled out from the second spool; One-end connection portion, which is configured to connect one end of each of the first wire and the second wire to each of the first connector and the second connector; The cutting part is configured to cut the first wire pulled out to a first predetermined position by the movement of the first holding part and the second wire pulled out to a second predetermined position by the movement of the second holding part; The third and fourth retaining parts are configured to retain the third connector and the fourth connector, respectively. The other end connector is configured to connect the other ends of the cut first wire and the cut second wire to the third connector and the fourth connector, respectively. as well as The binding part is configured to bind the first wire and the second wire at a predetermined position. The binding part is configured to bind the first wire and the second wire, whose tension is adjusted by at least the first retaining part moving along the first guide rail.

2. The wire harness manufacturing apparatus according to claim 1, in, The first predetermined position is based on the length of the first wire. Wherein, the second predetermined position is based on the length of the second wire, and The binding portion is configured to bind the first wire and the second wire at a predetermined position, the predetermined position being determined based on the length from one end of the first wire and the length from one end of the second wire.

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