Installation of fixed full-automatic binding and retaining piece

Abstract

The invention relates to a device (100) and to a method for binding a wire bundle (110) and mounting a holder (130) to the wire bundle (110). The binding device (140) with a cavity (141) is designed to accommodate a section (111) of the wire bundle (110) in the cavity and to be associated with the wire protection body (120). A transfer jaw (170) picks up one end of a section (111) of the wire bundle (110) from the intermediate support and transfers it through the cavity (141) of the binder (140) to a clamping jaw (150) that clamps the end and pulls the section of the wire bundle through the cavity (141) of the binder (140). A tensioning device (160) on the opposite side of the cavity (141) exerts a braking force on a section (111) of the wire bundle (110) in such a way that the wire bundle section is tensioned in the cavity and allows a binder to assign the section with a wire protector. The supply unit (180) places the holder (130) on the section (111) of the conductor bundle (110), which section (111) has been provided with the conductor protection body (120). The fastening unit (190) fastens the holder (130) to a section (111) of the conductor bundle (110) which has been provided with the conductor protection body (120).

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present invention relates to a device for wrapping a wire harness and mounting a retainer to the wire harness. Background Art

[0002] According to the current prior art, the fully automatic wrapping of wire bundles is not yet economically feasible. Usually, the bundling and wrapping of the wire bundles is carried out in a traditional and therefore manual manner using a wrapping tape, which is spirally wrapped around the wire bundle. Here, before wrapping, the wire bundle must undergo complex structural adjustments. Since the laying on the construction plate and the structural adjustment of the wire bundle have not been automated so far, a lot of manual work time is required. After wrapping, the retaining piece is installed on the wire bundle or is directly wrapped around the wire bundle during the wrapping process. According to the current prior art, this cannot be economically automated either.

[0003] In conventional manual wrapping, the wire harness is laid on a construction plate, and then individual sections of the wire harness are wrapped. The retaining element is then installed or wrapped, and the finished wire harness is removed from the construction plate.

[0004] In semi-automatic production, the wire harness is loaded onto an automatic assembly machine and then transported to a semi-automatic device responsible for wrapping. There, the wire harness is wrapped section by section on the semi-automatic device. The wire harness is then laid on a construction plate and the holder is manually installed or wrapped.

[0005] Therefore, there is a need for an improved method and apparatus for automatically wrapping a wire bundle and installing a retaining member to the wrapped wire bundle, thereby achieving fully automatic production without prior structural adjustment. Summary of the invention

[0006] It is therefore an object of the present invention to provide a device and an improved method which allow fully automated and cost-effective bundling of a conductor harness and the attachment of a retaining element to the bundled conductor harness.

[0007] This object is achieved by the subject matter of the independent claims. Advantageous embodiments of the invention are indicated in the dependent claims, the description and the drawings.

[0008] The embodiments are also applicable to the device for wrapping the wire harness and mounting the retainer to the wire harness. Even if not described in detail, the combination of different embodiments can produce synergistic effects.

[0009] It should also be noted that all method embodiments of the present invention can be performed in the order of steps described. Nevertheless, this is not the only possible and necessary order of method steps. Unless otherwise explicitly stated below, the methods described herein can be performed in different orders of the disclosed steps without departing from the corresponding embodiments of the methods.

[0010] According to one aspect of the present invention, a device for wrapping a wire harness and mounting a retainer to the wire harness is provided. The device comprises a binder having a cavity, wherein the binder is designed to accommodate at least one section of the wire harness in the cavity, and when a section of the wire harness is located in the cavity, a wire protection body is provided to the wire harness section. In addition, the device comprises a clamping jaw and a tensioning device, wherein the clamping jaw is designed to clamp one end of a section of the wire harness and pull the wire harness section through the cavity of the binder, and the tensioning device is arranged on a side of the cavity opposite to the clamping jaw and is designed to apply a braking force to the wire harness section to tension it in the cavity. The device comprises a transfer jaw, which is designed to pick up one end of a section of the wire harness from an intermediate support and transfer the end of the wire harness section through the binder cavity to the clamping jaw. Likewise, the device comprises a supply unit designed to place the holding element on the wiring harness section provided with the wire protector, and a fixing unit designed to fix the holding element on the wiring harness section provided with the wire protector.

[0011] With the device, the conductor harness can be wrapped fully automatically, whereas in the existing semi-automatic wrapping of conductor harnesses, the conductor segments need to be manually guided through the binder (e.g., a rotating part). On one side of the binder, one or more clamping jaws can be mounted on a linear axis, which pull the conductor harness through the binder and wrap the conductor protection body on the segment. Thus, the tap of the conductor harness can be wrapped first, and then the main winding segment (i.e., the main body segment) of the conductor harness can be wrapped. With the device of the invention, the original manual operation can be completed automatically. For this purpose, a transfer jaw is used, which removes the housing or the segment end at one end of the conductor harness tap from an intermediate support or a structural plate, transports it through the binder and transfers it to the clamping jaw. The clamping jaw then pulls the conductor harness segment through the binder, while the tensioning device applies a braking force opposite to the pulling force, so that the conductor harness segment remains tensioned in the binder and can be wrapped with the aid of a preload. Advantageously, in one embodiment, the device can have a second tensioning device, which drives the conductor harness in the winding direction by a rotary movement. Therefore, the clamping force applied to the contact part can be reduced. After the section is wrapped, the transfer jaw is received by the clamping jaw, sent back to the wrapper and hung back in the original position in the intermediate support. Then the next tap can be wrapped. This process can be repeated until the entire wire bundle is wrapped.

[0012] In addition, the device of the present invention is designed to automatically fix the retainer on the wire harness section that has been equipped with a wire protection body and has been wrapped. The retainer to be installed in the next processing step can also be fully automatically installed in the same device. When a certain section of the wire harness needs to install a retainer at a predetermined position and has completed the wrapping, the supply unit can deliver the retainer to the wrapped wire harness, and then the fixing unit can fix the retainer thereon. Preferably, the retainer is supplied and fixed when the predetermined position of the wrapped wire harness is pulled through the wrapper and reaches the position of the fastening unit. Therefore, when the retainer position is located below the retainer placement device, the wrapping process can be accurately stopped. Therefore, only a single one-dimensional movement is required to place and fix the retainer. The supply and fixation of the retainer can be carried out from the opposite sides of the wire harness. The automatic placement of the retainer can use the so-called dFix application, which stipulates a retainer that can be installed on the wire harness in an automated process in a simple manner.

[0013] By means of the device of the present invention, a space-saving and efficient fully automatic solution for wire harness wrapping and subsequent mounting of retaining elements can be presented, which provides a very efficient and economical possible way for wire harness processing.

[0014] In one embodiment of the present invention, the transfer jaw is designed to receive the end of the wire harness section equipped with the wire protection body from the clamping jaw and insert the end into the intermediate support. Therefore, the transfer jaw can not only transfer the wire harness section from the intermediate support through the binder cavity to the clamping jaw, but also receive the wire harness section from the clamping jaw and insert the end back into the intermediate support after the wire harness section is wrapped.

[0015] In one embodiment of the invention, the device has a plurality of clamping jaws that can move independently of one another. When two taps need to be combined into one body section, the two clamping jaws can simultaneously pull the two taps through the binder so that they can be provided with a common wire protection body and thus be wound together.

[0016] In one embodiment of the invention, the binder has a notch designed to allow the transfer clamp to pass through the cavity. The binder can be designed as a winder, which winds the winding band around the wire bundle by a rotational movement. For this purpose, in the prior art devices, the component that performs the winding is designed in the form of a closed loop. In the device according to the invention, this loop of the winder is preferably of open design, thus forming a C-shape, wherein the transfer jaw can be moved through the opening of the winder to transfer the wire bundle section to the clamping jaw.

[0017] In one embodiment of the invention, the wrapper is designed to mount one end of the wire protector on a section of the wire bundle, and the wrapper has a rotating member, which is designed to move in a circle around the cavity so as to wrap the wire bundle with the wire protector, and the wrapper is designed to cut the wrapped wire protector from the supply source. The winder is preferably capable of automatically applying a winding tape as the wire protector to wind the wire bundle and cut it. Alternatively, other forms of wire protectors that do not need to wrap around the wire bundle can be applied. For example, it can be longitudinally wound.

[0018] In one embodiment of the invention, the device is designed to provide a wire protection body to the wire harness section and to fix the retaining element to the wire harness section provided with the wire protection body when the clamping jaws pull the wire harness section through the binder. Preferably, the binding of the wire harness and the installation of the retaining element are performed in the same process. Alternatively, when the predetermined position of the wire harness section is at the position of the retaining element fixing unit, the binding process can be stopped briefly so that the retaining element can be installed by linear movement.

[0019] In one embodiment of the present invention, the retaining member is designed to be fixed in a vehicle to fix the wiring harness in the vehicle. Therefore, the retaining member can have a structure that can be inserted into a vehicle body member. This enables the wiring harness to be firmly fixed in the vehicle.

[0020] In one embodiment of the invention, the fixing unit is an ultrasonic welding unit. The holder can be fixed to the wire bundle provided with the wire protection body by means of plastic welding, preferably ultrasonic welding. Thus, an efficient and secure fixing of the holder can be achieved. It is also possible to supply the holder from one side of the wire bundle, while the ultrasonic horn of the ultrasonic welding unit as the fixing unit welds the holder to the wire bundle from the opposite side of the wire bundle.

[0021] According to another aspect of the present invention, a method for wrapping a wire harness and installing a retainer on the wire harness using a device according to any of the above embodiments is provided. The method comprises the following steps: picking up one end of a section of the wire harness from an intermediate support by means of a transfer jaw and transferring the end of the wire harness section through a binder cavity to a clamping jaw. In addition, the method comprises the following steps: clamping the end of the wire harness section, pulling the wire harness section through the binder cavity by means of a clamping jaw, and applying a braking force to the wire harness section by means of a tensioning device to tension the wire harness section in the cavity. The method further comprises the following steps: providing the wire harness section with a wire protection body by means of a binder, supplying a retainer and positioning the retainer on the wire harness section provided with the wire protection body, and fixing the retainer on the wire harness section provided with the wire protection body. In the next step of the method, the end of the wire harness section provided with the wire protection body is received by the transfer jaw from the clamping jaw and inserted into the intermediate support.

[0022] According to this method, a wire harness can be equipped with a wire protection body fully automatically. A section of the wire harness is picked up from the intermediate support at one end, guided by the transfer jaws through the binder and transferred to the clamping jaws. The latter pulls the wire harness section through the binder while the binder is equipping the section with a wire protection body. The braking device is used to provide the required preload on the section, so that efficient wrapping can be achieved. The wire harness section is pulled by the clamping jaws in the same movement through the retaining element placement unit, where the retaining element is supplied and fixed to the wrapped wire harness. For this purpose, the pulling movement of the clamping jaws can be stopped briefly to fix the retaining element. Alternatively, the retaining element can be placed while the wire harness section is pulled through the retaining element placement unit at a constant speed. After wrapping, the end of the wire harness section is transferred from the clamping jaws to the transfer jaws and guided by them back through the binder and placed back in the intermediate support. In the next process, another section of the wire harness can be wrapped in the same manner. The main section of the wire harness can then be wrapped.

[0023] In one embodiment of the invention, the retaining element is designed to be fixed in a vehicle to fix the wiring harness in the vehicle. The retaining element is preferably fixed to the wiring harness by ultrasonic welding. The retaining element can then be clamped or bolted in the vehicle.

[0024] Therefore, the advantages provided in any one of the above aspects are also applicable to all other aspects, and vice versa.

[0025] Essentially, the present invention relates to a device and method for wrapping a wire harness and mounting a retainer on the wire harness. A binder with a cavity is designed to accommodate a section of the wire harness in the cavity and provide it with a wire protector. A transfer jaw picks up one end of a section of the wire harness from an intermediate support and transfers it through the binder cavity to a clamping jaw, which clamps the end and pulls the wire harness section through the binder cavity. A tensioning device on the opposite side of the cavity applies a braking force to the wire harness section to tension it within the cavity, thereby enabling the binder to provide the section with a wire protector. A supply unit positions the retainer on the wire harness section that has been provided with a wire protector, and a fixing unit fixes the retainer on the wire harness section that has been provided with a wire protector.

[0026] Further features, advantages and application possibilities of the invention are apparent from the following description of preferred embodiments and from the drawings. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0027] Preferred embodiments of the present invention will be explained below with reference to the accompanying drawings.

[0028] Figure 1 2 is a schematic diagram of a device for wrapping a wire harness and mounting a retainer on the wire harness according to one embodiment of the present invention.

[0029] Figure 2 1 is a schematic cross-sectional view of a binder cross section of a device for binding a wire harness and mounting a retainer on the wire harness according to one embodiment of the present invention.

[0030] These figures are only schematic illustrations and serve only to explain the invention. Identical or identically acting components are always provided with the same reference numerals. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0031] Figure 1A schematic diagram of a device 100 for wrapping a wire harness 110 and mounting the wire harness 110 on a holder 130 according to one embodiment of the present invention is shown. A transfer jaw 170 picks up one end of a segment 111 of the wire harness 110 from an intermediate support 171 and transfers it through a cavity 141 of a binder 140 to a clamping jaw 150. The clamping jaw 150 grasps the end of the segment 111 of the wire harness 110 and pulls the segment 111 through the cavity 141 of the binder 140. Here, a tensioning device 160 tensions the segment 111 of the wire harness 110 and generates a pre-tensioning force, so that the binder 140 can provide the segment 111 of the wire harness 110 with a wire protection body 120. Not shown in the figure is a second tensioning device preferably arranged on the right side of the binder 140, which can drive the wire harness in the winding direction by a rotary motion, so that the clamping force acting on the contact point can be reduced. The supply unit 180 supplies the holding member 130 to the section 111 equipped with the wire protection body 120, and the fixing unit 190 (for example, an ultrasonic horn of an ultrasonic welding machine) fixes the holding member 130 on the section 111 of the wire harness 110. Then, the transfer clamp 170 receives the end of the section 111 of the wire harness 110 and inserts it into the intermediate support 171.

[0032] Figure 2 A device 100 for bandaging a wire harness 110 according to one embodiment of the invention is shown in a schematic cross-sectional view of a bandage 140 cross section, wherein the cross-sectional view relates only to the bandaging functional part of the device. By means of a transfer jaw 170, a section 111 of the wire harness 110 is picked up from an intermediate support 171 and pulled through a cavity 141 of the bandage 140. For this purpose, the bandage 140 has a notch 142, so that the transfer jaw 170 can be moved through the notch 142. In this embodiment of the invention, a rotating part 143 of the bandage 140 provides a wire protection body 120 to the section 111 of the wire harness 110.

[0033] Although the present invention has been illustrated and described in detail in the figures and the above description, the figures and description should be understood as schematic or exemplary, rather than restrictive. The present invention is not limited to the disclosed embodiments. Those skilled in the art who implement the present invention can understand and implement other variations of the disclosed embodiments based on the figures, the disclosure and the dependent claims.

[0034] It should be noted that the word "comprising" does not exclude other elements or steps, and "one" or "an" does not exclude the existence of multiple elements. It should also be noted that the features and steps described with reference to any of the above embodiments can also be used in combination with other features or steps of other above embodiments, and the reference numerals in the claims should not be regarded as restrictive.

[0035] Reference numerals list 100 devices 110 wire harness 111 Section of wiring harness 120 wire protection body 130 retaining parts 140 Bandage 141 Cavity 142 Gap 143 Rotating parts 150 clamping jaws 160 tensioning device 170 Transfer Clamp 171 intermediate bracket 180 supply units 190 fixed units

Claims

1. A device (100) for wrapping a wire bundle (110) and mounting a retainer (130) to the wire bundle (110), the device comprising: A binder (140) with a cavity (141), wherein the binder is designed to accommodate at least one section (111) of the wire harness (110) in the cavity, and when a section of the wire harness is located in the cavity, a wire protection body (120) is provided to the section of the wire harness; a clamping jaw (150) configured to clamp one end of a section (111) of the wire harness (110) and pull the section of the wire harness through the cavity (141) of the binder (140); A tensioning device (160) is arranged on a side of the cavity (141) opposite to the clamping jaw (150) and is designed to apply a braking force to a section (111) of the wire harness (110) so that the section of the wire harness is tensioned in the cavity (141); a transfer jaw (170) designed to pick up an end of a segment (111) of the wire harness (110) from an intermediate support (171) and transfer the end of the segment of the wire harness through the cavity (141) of the binder (140) to the clamping jaw (150); A supply unit (180) is designed to place a retaining member (130) on a section (111) of the wire harness (110) provided with a wire protection body (120); and A fixing unit (190) is designed to fix the retaining element (130) on the section (111) of the wire harness (110) provided with the wire protection body (120).

2. The device (100) according to claim 1, wherein: The transfer jaw (170) is designed to receive the end of the section (111) of the wire harness (110) provided with the wire protection body (120) from the clamping jaw (150) and insert the end into the intermediate bracket (171).

3. The device (100) according to claim 1 or 2, wherein: The device (100) has a plurality of clamping jaws (150) which are designed to move independently of one another.

4. The device (100) according to any one of the preceding claims, wherein: The bandage (140) has a notch (142) designed to allow the transfer jaw (170) to move through the cavity (141).

5. The device (100) according to any one of the preceding claims, wherein The binder (140) is designed to place one end of the wire protector (120) on a section (111) of the wire bundle (110), wherein the binder (140) has a rotating member (143) designed to perform a circular motion around the cavity (141) so as to wrap the wire bundle (110) with the wire protector (120), and wherein the binder (140) is designed to cut off the wrapped wire protector (120) from a supply source.

6. The device (100) according to any one of the preceding claims, wherein The device (100) is designed to provide a wire protection body (120) to the section (111) of the wire harness (110) while the clamping jaw (150) pulls the section (111) of the wire harness (110) through the binder (140), and to fix the retaining element (130) to the section (111) of the wire harness (110) provided with the wire protection body (120).

7. The device (100) according to any of the preceding claims, wherein The retaining member (130) is designed to be fixed in a vehicle, so as to fix the wiring harness (110) in the vehicle.

8. The device (100) according to any one of the preceding claims, wherein The fixing unit (190) is an ultrasonic welding unit.

9. A method for wrapping a wire harness (110) using the device (100) according to any one of claims 1 to 8 and attaching a retainer (130) to the wire harness (110), the method comprising the following steps: Picking up one end of a section (111) of the wire harness (110) from the intermediate support by means of a transfer clamp (170) and transferring the end of the section (111) of the wire harness (110) through the cavity (141) of the binder (140) to the clamping clamp (150); Clamping the end of the section (111) of the wire harness (110) by means of the clamping jaws (150), and pulling the section (111) of the wire harness (110) through the cavity (141) of the binder (140); Applying a braking force to a section (111) of the wiring harness (110) by means of a tensioning device (160), so that the section of the wiring harness is tensioned in the cavity (141); Using the binder (140), a wire protection body (120) is provided to the section (111) of the wire harness (110); Supplying a retaining element (130) and placing the retaining element (130) on a section (111) of the wire harness (110) provided with a wire protection body (120); The retaining member (130) is fixed to the section (111) of the wire harness (110) provided with the wire protection body (120); and The end of the section (111) of the wire harness (110) provided with the wire protection body (120) is received from the clamping jaw (150) by means of the transfer jaw (170) and inserted into the intermediate bracket.

10. The method according to claim 9, wherein: The retaining member (130) is designed to be fixed in a vehicle, so as to fix the wiring harness (110) in the vehicle.

Images