Device and method for producing cable bundle

Abstract

The invention relates to a device (1) for producing a cable bundle, comprising: a cable spreading plate (2) on the front side of which cables (4) of the cable bundle can be arranged; the invention relates to a device (1) for operating a cable bundle (4), comprising a spreading plate (2) designed as an orifice plate, and operating elements (5, 5 ', 5' ') for operating the cable (4) of the cable bundle, the operating elements (5, 5', 5 '') being magnetically mounted on the spreading plate (2), the device (1) having a pneumatic member by means of which an air cushion can be generated between the operating elements (5, 5 ', 5' ') and the spreading plate (2) designed as an orifice plate, the operating elements (5, 5', 5 '') each comprising a front-side operating part (7) and a rear-side moving part (8).

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The invention relates to a device and a method for producing a cable harness. Background Art

[0002] Cable harnesses used, for example, in automobiles or aircraft consist of a plurality of cables, wherein the cables are usually provided with plug housings at their bundled cable ends. In this case, the cable harness is a structure consisting of a plurality of cables, wherein the cables are joined to form a structure having a tree-like, often complex, branching geometry.

[0003] Usually, these processing steps are done by hand or corresponding electric hand tools on the laying board. Here, the entire cable bundle is stretched out on the laying board. In particular, in order to correctly handle the position, the worker must remove the node of the cable bundle from the fork-shaped fixing of the laying board.

[0004] For example, US Pat. No. 10,923,250 B2 describes a manually operated laying plate. The cable holding element can be mounted on the laying plate by means of a suction cup. For operation, the operating element has an elongated handle, with which the operator grasps the operating element and thereby positions the operating element at the desired position. The cable holding element can be inserted through an arm provided with a hole and connected to a base with a suction cup. In addition, a laying plate with slots predefined by blind holes is disclosed, into which the cable holding element can be directly inserted. The document indicates that, instead of a suction cup, the operating element can also be mounted magnetically on the laying plate.

[0005] EP2672490A2 shows a device of a similar type with a horizontal cable spreading plate, on which an operating element with a U-shaped guide is magnetically mounted, in which the cable can be stored. A base, which is rectangular in top view and equipped with magnets, is connected to the U-shaped guide. In addition, a flat friction element is provided on the base to prevent slipping. The operating element is difficult to operate and cannot be easily repositioned to another position on the cable spreading plate. Another problem is that it is suitable only for manual operation. Summary of the invention

[0006] It is therefore an object of the present invention to avoid the disadvantages of the prior art and in particular to provide an improved device for producing cable harnesses which is able to operate efficiently.

[0007] According to the invention, this object is achieved by means of a device having the features of claim 1. The device for producing a cable harness comprises a wire spreading board on which the cables of the cable harness can be arranged, and comprises operating elements for operating the cables of the cable harness. It may be necessary to fasten certain positions and areas of the cable harness when producing the cable harness. For example, branches and nodes can be fixed here with the aid of suitable auxiliary devices, such as adhesive tape or cable ties. It may also be necessary to completely or partially equip the cable harness with additional protective devices, such as sticking them with tape. In addition, it may be necessary to equip the cable harness with mounting elements, such as clips, at specified locations so that the cable harness can ultimately be installed in a device provided for this purpose, such as a car. The processing of the cable harness described is also commonly used by professionals under the names "forming" or "fixing", because a tree-like structure is formed by a large number of individual cables.

[0008] The cable display board is used in particular for displaying cables or cable bundles of a cable bundle on the board so that the cables or cable bundles can be manually or mechanically arranged or bound to fixing devices such as adhesive tape at the desired position. An operating element can be understood as an element for operating a single cable or a plurality of cables, which can be processed in terms of the production of the cable bundle. Such processing is, for example, fixing specific positions and areas of the cable bundle with the aid of suitable auxiliary mechanisms (e.g. adhesive tape, cable ties). In this case, the cable display board can be oriented vertically. Instead of a vertical cable display board, a horizontal cable display board or other orientations, such as an inclined cable display board, can also be considered.

[0009] The operating element is magnetically mounted or mountable on the wiring board and is preferably designed to be movable in all directions in the plane defined by the wiring board. Magnetic mounting has the advantage that it can be reliably fixed in position on the wiring board, while the position of the operating element can be changed quickly and without great effort. The operating element can be moved efficiently on the wiring board by providing the device with pneumatic components, by means of which an air cushion can be generated between the operating element and the wiring board.

[0010] In order to generate an air cushion between the operating element and the line unfolding plate, the line unfolding plate can be designed to be pneumatically loadable or acted upon. In this case, the line unfolding plate can be pneumatically loaded actively or passively. In the case of an actively pneumatically loadable line unfolding plate, the line unfolding plate can, for example, have uniformly distributed and preferably individually controllable air nozzles on its upper side, which blow out air in such a way that an air cushion is generated in the area of ​​the operating element. In this case, the pneumatic component is assigned to the line unfolding plate. However, the pneumatic component can also be assigned to the operating element (passive loading of the line unfolding plate).

[0011] If necessary and in particular in order to move an operating element magnetically mounted on the wiring board, the pneumatic component can be activated by corresponding actuation, whereby an advantageous air cushion is formed between the operating element and the wiring board by means of the pneumatic component.

[0012] For certain applications, it may be advantageous if the pneumatic component is designed to strengthen the adhesion of the operating element to the wiring board by vacuum, if necessary. In this way, the variability and application possibilities can be significantly increased again.

[0013] In order to pneumatically load the spreading plate, the spreading plate can be designed as a perforated plate having a plurality of holes, preferably distributed on the spreading plate, through which holes (in order to generate an air cushion between the operating element and the spreading plate) compressed air can pass. The holes are therefore preferably designed as through holes, through which compressed air can flow from the front side of the spreading plate to the back side of the spreading plate (of course, also vice versa). In this way, after the activation of the pneumatic component, two air cushions can be formed on the spreading plate, namely an air cushion in the area of ​​the front side and an air cushion on the opposite side (back side).

[0014] The operating element can respectively comprise an operating part on the front side and a moving part on the rear side, wherein the operating part and the associated moving part are mounted on the intermediate wire plate by means of magnets and preferably by means of permanent magnets in such a way that the operating part can move together when the moving part moves. During this movement of the operating element on the wire plate, the air cushion causes a reduction in the friction between the moving part and the wire plate on the one hand and between the operating part and the wire plate on the other hand, whereby the movement can be realized simply and in particular without expending great forces. Obviously, the device is designed so that two air cushions or air cushions with two sub-cushion sections per operating element can be generated by means of the pneumatic component itself.

[0015] The division of the operating element into an operating part on the front side and a moving part on the rear side has significant advantages. This operating element with a two-piece structure of an operating part on the front side and a moving part on the rear side can be easily and reliably installed on the line display board and can be accurately brought into the desired position on the line display board. The operating part facing the cable bundle on the front side relative to the line display board is used to actually operate the various parts of the cable bundle and includes a device with which cables, prefabricated cable ends equipped with plug housings, branches, etc., in the form of cable bundles, can be grasped, assembled or otherwise operated. The moving part located at the rear side relative to the line display board is used to move the operating element. In other words, the operating element can be moved manually or mechanically by the moving part. When the moving part moves on the line display board, the operating part is driven in unison. Due to this division, effective and interference-free operation is ensured, because the movable elements necessary for operation and movement do not enter the lateral direction. Due to this division, the automation of the device is also simple and feasible. However, an intermediate form can also be conceived, in which the movement is automatically implemented and at least a certain work is performed on the cable bundle manually on the front side.

[0016] For magnetic mounting, the spreading plate, in particular embodied as a perforated plate, is preferably made of a non-ferromagnetic material. If the operating element comprises a front operating part and a rear moving part, at least one part of the respective operating element can be equipped with a permanent magnet for magnetic mounting with the spreading plate, wherein the other part contains a ferromagnetic material or the other part is likewise equipped with a permanent magnet, so that the permanent magnets attract each other.

[0017] In order to magnetically mount the operating element on the preferably vertical wiring board, a permanent magnet can be used, with the help of which the operating element can be reliably held in the desired position on the wiring board. The permanent magnets (e.g. neodymium magnets) are preferably selected with such a strength that they prevent the operating element from accidentally loosening from the wiring board even under high loads. However, it can also be advantageous to select only permanent magnets with such a strength that the operating element can be easily replaced by hand when necessary. However, the replacement process can also be assisted by pneumatic components.

[0018] Permanent magnets have the advantage that they ensure a reliable mode of operation in a simple manner and, in particular in the event of a fault (for example in the event of an unforeseen power failure due to a network fault), maintain the current position on the switchboard.

[0019] In a preferred embodiment, the above-mentioned vertical wiring board can be made of non-ferromagnetic material, on which the cables of the cable bundle can be arranged on the front side of the wiring board. The operating element or each operating element can respectively include an operating part on the front side and a moving part on the rear side, wherein at least one part of each operating element (i.e., the operating part, the moving part) is equipped with a permanent magnet for magnetically mounting on the wiring board, and the other part contains ferromagnetic material, or the other part is also equipped with a permanent magnet, but with different magnetic poles, so that the permanent magnets attract each other (the operating part and the moving part therefore roughly correspond to 1 permanent magnet and 1 ferromagnetic material, or 2 permanent magnets with different magnetic poles, so that the permanent magnets attract each other). The last-mentioned case with two permanent magnets is to be understood as that the permanent magnets are arranged and oriented to each other in such a way that different poles are opposite to each other, so that the permanent magnets attract each other.

[0020] The corresponding operating element can have at least one chamber open toward the line plate, wherein, when there are operating parts and moving parts as described above, it is preferred that the operating part on the front side on the one hand and the moving part on the rear side on the other hand each have a chamber open toward the line plate. Due to the chamber, a stable and reliable air cushion can be generated, so that the operating part can be advantageously moved on the line plate. The supporting edge can separate the corresponding chamber laterally outward. The supporting edge can extend toward the plate and thus extend horizontally in the case of a vertical plate. The supporting edge can preferably be designed to be circular.

[0021] The moving part can have a coupling part connected to a sliding part. A sliding part is understood here as a part facing the staging board, which is in contact with the staging board and slides on the staging board during movement. Here, sliding takes place almost frictionlessly thanks to the air cushion. Preferably, the permanent magnet is integrated in the sliding part. However, the sliding part can also consist of or include ferromagnetic material. The sliding part can be provided with the above-mentioned supporting edge, which is in contact with or supported or can be supported on the surface of the staging board. Conversely, the coupling part is the part facing away from the staging board.

[0022] The operating part can have an operating head adjoining the slide. Preferably, the two slides of the moving part and the operating part are constructed of the same type. The slide of the operating part can be designed to be approximately the same as the base of the moving part, especially in terms of its dimensions and especially in terms of its base surface. Preferably, the permanent magnet is integrated in the slide. However, the slide can also be composed of or include ferromagnetic material. The slide can correspond to the above-mentioned support edge.

[0023] The slide itself can be constructed in two parts. The two-part slide can include a front slide block with respect to the line plate and a base body (as a rear part). The slide block and the base body can be made of different materials. For example, the slide block and the base body made of plastic can be metal components.

[0024] In order to seal the chamber outwardly, the supporting edge can be configured as a flexible rubber seal. Advantageously, a sealing lip made of an elastomer is provided or arranged on the supporting edge.

[0025] A corresponding operating element, in particular a movable part of the operating element, can have a pneumatic connection via which compressed air can be supplied to the operating element or a vacuum can be generated if necessary.

[0026] In order to move the operating element to the desired position, the device can have a positioning system, which is preferably integrated in the layout board, wherein the integrated positioning system is formed in particular by a gantry robot, and the positioning system for moving the operating element comprises a positioning head with a coupling part for mechanical coupling, by which the positioning system can be mechanically and effectively connected to an operating element respectively, and a pneumatic coupling part is integrated in the coupling part by a nozzle preferably designed to complement the pneumatic connection of the operating element. With the help of the gantry robot, the operating element can be moved quickly and precisely to the desired position, wherein, if necessary, even complex paths can be easily implemented when moving with the help of the gantry robot. As an alternative to the gantry robot, delta robots or positioning robots or other structural types of positioning systems are also conceivable.

[0027] The positioning system can comprise a positioning head with a plurality of coupling parts for moving a plurality of operating elements, by means of which the positioning system can be mechanically operatively connected (i.e. coupled) to one or more operating elements respectively, so that the movement of the positioning head can then be transmitted to the operating elements. In this case, the coupling parts can be moved separately from one another or together at least relative to the plane of the spreader plate. These plurality of coupling parts can be rigidly connected to one another. However, it can be advantageous if the plurality of coupling parts can be moved separately from one another at least relative to the plane of the spreader plate, thereby making it possible to achieve more complex movements.

[0028] In a preferred embodiment, the movable part of the operating element can be a coupling part with a spherical outer contour for mechanical coupling, wherein the outer contour has a spherical flattened portion. Here, an introduction opening sealed or sealable by means of an O-ring can be provided inside the coupling part for pneumatic coupling for establishing the pneumatic coupling, for example, a nozzle is introduced or can be introduced into the introduction opening.

[0029] Another embodiment relates to a device in which at least a part of the operating element is designed as a housing holder for holding a housing. In this case, a corresponding housing holder can temporarily hold a single or possibly even a plurality of housings for producing a cable harness. The purpose is to produce a housing, in particular an electrical plug connection, or more precisely a prefabricated cable end provided with a housing, which can be moved into the desired position on the wiring board with the help of the housing holder. The housing holder can include a housing receptacle or other means for temporarily holding the housing, into which the housing can be inserted in order to hold the housing securely. In this case, the housing receptacle corresponds to an operating head of the housing holder.

[0030] Alternatively or additionally, at least a part of the operating element can be designed as a deflector for deflecting the course of the cables. While the housing holder is considered as an operating element of the first type, the deflector thus forms an operating element of the second type for deflecting the course of the cables of the cable harness (in this case, one or optionally a plurality of cables can be deflected in each case, wherein in the case of a plurality of cables, the cables are usually present as loose or already fixed cable harnesses). The deflector is used, for example, to bend the individual cables at defined positions of the branching structure of the cable harness, for example at the branching portion.

[0031] Alternatively or additionally, at least a portion of the operating elements may be designed as height retainers. These height retainers constitute a third type of operating element. The height retainers are used to lift a single cable or a plurality of cables combined together in the form of a cable bundle and thereby increase the distance to the cable spreading plate so that the cables can pass in the lifted state of the single cable or the plurality of cables mentioned above. With the aid of one and preferably two height retainers, for example, the main cluster of the cable bundle can be retained in a section away from the positioning plate, thereby forming an increased gap below the cable bundle lifted in this way, so that other parts of the cable bundle can be guided unimpeded thereunder, for example with the aid of a housing retainer, thereby enabling further branching on both sides.

[0032] Another aspect of the present invention relates to a device for producing cable harnesses, in particular to the above-mentioned device, characterized in that an operating component mounted or mountable on a wire deployment board has an operating head connected to a slide, the operating head preferably being rotatably connected to the slide with respect to a normal direction defined by the wire deployment board, wherein a support for rotatably connecting the operating head and the slide has a locking mechanism for fixing the operating head in a desired rotational position (fastened position). The normal direction is understood here as a direction extending at right angles to the plane of the wire deployment board. Therefore, for a vertical wire deployment board, the rotation axis of the operating head rotatably connected to the slide in the normal direction can be a horizontal rotation axis.

[0033] Preferably, the latching mechanism is operatively connected to a pneumatic component for generating an air cushion between the operating element and the wiring board, so that after corresponding actuation of the pneumatic component, the torsion lock generated by the latching mechanism can be released and the operating head can be freely rotatably connected to the slide.

[0034] The device can then include a processing robot, with the aid of which the fastening device for fixing and fastening in a point-by-point or partial manner can be mounted on the cable. The processing robot, designed, for example, as an articulated arm robot, can be arranged in the area behind the cable plate, wherein, in contrast to the preferred positioning system, the processing robot is usually separate. The processing robot can be fixedly connected to the ground or designed to be able to move autonomously on the ground.

[0035] In terms of method, the invention is characterized in that: (i) the cables required for the cable harness equipped with the housing are placed on a wire spreading board using a housing holder and other operating elements, the operating elements being magnetically mounted on the wire spreading board; and (ii) the operating elements on the wire spreading board are moved by introducing compressed air into one or more operating elements to be moved by means of pneumatic means, thereby generating an air cushion between the operating elements and the wire spreading board. This method for producing a cable harness can be carried out in particular using the above-mentioned device.

[0036] When the operating elements each comprise an operating part on the front side and a moving part on the rear side, the respective operating elements can be magnetically mounted on the wiring board by the operating part and the moving part attracting each other and thus adhering together to the wiring board. Thus, during the magnetic mounting, the wiring board located in the middle is clamped between the operating part and the associated moving part by means of or under the action of magnetic forces. In other words, the attractive forces of the magnets assigned to the operating part on the one hand and to the moving part on the other hand lead to the clamping of the wiring board located in the middle.

[0037] In this case, at least one component of the respective operating element can be provided with a permanent magnet for magnetic mounting on the wiring board, wherein another component contains a ferromagnetic material or is likewise provided with a permanent magnet, so that the permanent magnets attract one another.

[0038] The operating element can be moved step by step. It can be advantageous if, after a single step movement of the operating element is completed, the compressed air supply is first disconnected from the operating element and then, i.e. after the separation is completed, the mechanical coupling of the operating element to the positioning system for moving the operating element into the desired position is released. The two steps, the disconnection of the compressed air supply and the release of the mechanical coupling, can be carried out very quickly in this case.

[0039] If it is necessary to hold the operating element on the wiring board with enhanced adhesion, a vacuum can be generated between the operating element and the wiring board. In this way, the operating element can be temporarily fixed on the wiring board reliably and practically immovably. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0040] Further individual features and advantages of the invention emerge from the following description of exemplary embodiments and from the drawings.

[0041] in:

[0042] Figure 1 A perspective view showing a device for producing a cable harness according to the present invention, the device having a wire spreading plate and a plurality of operating elements mounted thereon (the wire spreading plate is seen from the front side);

[0043] Figure 2 A perspective view from another direction (the wiring board is viewed from the rear side) is shown. Figure 1 Devices in

[0044] Figure 3 Shown for Figure 1 An enlarged perspective view of the layout board of the device and three types of operating elements (housing holder, steering gear, height holder);

[0045] Figure 4 shows a perspective view of a positioning head having a plurality of coupling parts for moving an operating element and an operating element designed as a housing holder;

[0046] Figure 5a A top view of a layout board showing a moving part with operating elements located thereon;

[0047] Figure 5b A spread sheet showing an alternative configuration;

[0048] Figure 6 A side view with a fragmentary view showing an operating element of the device according to the invention, which is implemented as a housing holder and is mounted on a wiring board;

[0049] Figure 7 Show Figure 6 An operating element in the embodiment of the present invention, the operating element having a coupling part of the positioning system coupled to the operating element at a slight angle;

[0050] Figure 8 An operating element with a coupling part that is just connected to the positioning system is shown, wherein the operating element is in a position in which the rotational fixation of its operating head relative to the slide, which is produced by the latching mechanism, is released;

[0051] Fig. 9An enlarged perspective view showing a wiring board and an operating element having an operating head rotatably connected to a slide and configured as a housing holder;

[0052] Fig.10 A plan view showing components of an alternative cable spreading plate of the device for producing a cable harness according to the present invention. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0053] Figure 1 A device 1 for producing a cable harness is shown. Cable harnesses, for example, which are used in automobiles or aircraft, consist of a plurality of cables, wherein the cables are usually provided with plug housings at their bundled cable ends. In this case, the cable harness is a structure consisting of a plurality of cables or wires, wherein the cables or wires are combined into a tree-like structure with a generally complex, branching geometry. The individual cables are usually electrical cables, which, for example, include a solid conductor or a metal core made of copper or aluminum and an insulation as a sheath of the conductor. The term "cable" is to be understood in the following in a broad sense. In this case, a cable is also understood to be a cable unit consisting of a plurality of cables or wires of the same length combined into one unit, such as a twisted cable harness.

[0054] Apart from Figure 1 In addition to the device 1 shown, the system can also include a cable processing machine and a housing assembly machine (not shown here) which can be connected upstream of the device 1. The cable processing machine can include a known stripping station for cutting the cable to length and stripping the insulation, one or more crimping stations for applying a crimping contact to the stripped cable end, and optionally one or more sleeve stations. In the housing assembly machine, the plug housing is assembled with the prefabricated cable end of the cable from the cable processing machine.

[0055] After wiring, the cable harness must be processed for its planned use so that it can then be installed in a device provided for this purpose, such as a car. The cables required for the corresponding cable harness (the cables are bundled, for example, in the above-mentioned cable processing machine and housing assembly machine) are assembled into a tree-like structure with the aid of the device 1 described in detail below. In this case, the branches and nodes must be fixed with the aid of suitable fastening devices (such as adhesive tape or cable ties). The cable harness may also have to be provided with additional protection (for example, by wrapping with corrosion-resistant tape) in its entirety or in part.

[0056] The device 1 for producing a cable bundle comprises a vertical cable spreading plate 2 on which the cables of the cable bundle can be arranged on the front side of the cable spreading plate 2. The cables, which have been bundled and provided with a housing, are arranged on the front side of the cable spreading plate 2. Figure 1 In the middle position shown, the cable 4 is arranged in the form of a more or less freely hanging ring on the cable spreading plate 2. The housing of the cable 4 is held by a housing holder 5. Figure 1Two further types of operating elements can also be seen, namely a deflector denoted by 5 ′ and a height retainer denoted by 5 ″. These operating elements are located in a waiting position in a parking area on the edge of the wiring board 2 . These operating elements wait until they are used for the production of cable harnesses, if necessary.

[0057] The device 1 also includes a processing robot 40 in the area behind the wire spreading plate 2, with the help of which a fastening device for point-shaped or partial fastening and fastening can be installed on the cable 4. For example, a point adhesive tape can be installed using the processing robot 40. The processing robot 40 is designed as an articulated arm robot. The articulated arm robot can be fixedly connected to the ground or can be designed to be able to move autonomously on the ground.

[0058] If observed from behind Figure 2 As can be seen from the wiring board 2 shown in FIG. 1 , the operating elements 5 , 5 ′, 5 ″ can be moved on the wiring board in all directions of the plane predetermined by the wiring board 2 by means of a gantry robot.

[0059] Preferably, the line spreading plate 2 is made of non-ferromagnetic material. For example, the line spreading plate 2 can be made of stainless steel. However, other metal plates made of non-ferromagnetic materials can also be considered for the line spreading plate. The line spreading plate 2 can also be made of plastic.

[0060] Each operating element 5, 5', 5" comprises an operating part 7 on the front side and a moving part 8 on the rear side (see Figure 2 ), wherein the operating part 7 and the moving part are each equipped with a permanent magnet for magnetic mounting on the line plate, so that the permanent magnets attract each other. For this purpose, the permanent magnets are arranged and oriented relative to each other in such a way that different poles are opposite to each other, whereby the permanent magnets attract each other. When the moving part moves on the line plate, the operating part also moves together. Each part (operating part, moving part) can be provided with a permanent magnet; however, it is also possible and advantageous to provide a plurality of permanent magnets for each part.

[0061] The attractive force of the magnets causes the wiring board 2 to be clamped in between. The operating element 5, 5', 5" is thus held in its position on the vertically oriented wiring board 2.

[0062] In order to temporarily reduce the static friction of the operating elements 5, 5', 5" on both sides of the deployment plate 2, the deployment plate 2 is provided with a hole pattern, and the positioning system 3 is provided with a compressed air supply device. For this purpose, the device 1 has a pneumatic component, by means of which an air cushion can be generated between the operating elements 5, 5', 5" and the deployment plate 2. The two parts of the operating elements 5, 5', 5" (connecting part and operating part) each have a chamber to establish an air cushion. Thanks to the air cushion, the strong adhesion force generated by the permanent magnet can be reduced, so that the operating elements 5, 5', 5" can be moved simply and easily on the deployment plate 2. In the figure, a compressor 20 is implicitly shown as a compressed air source for operating the pneumatic components. The compressed air source is integrated into the device 1 here. A compressed air source for providing compressed air, such as a compressor or other compressed air source, can of course also be arranged externally. In addition, a compressed air supply pipeline can be considered to provide compressed air.

[0063] Since, in particular for larger cable bundles, the clamping force generated by the magnets must be correspondingly large so that the operating elements 5, 5', 5" can maintain their position on the wiring board 2 despite the additional weight, the magnets are designed to be correspondingly powerful. Thanks to the pneumatic components, a relatively simple positioning system can be used, which does not have to be particularly powerful and stable, because thanks to the air cushion, the large static friction forces generated by the magnet clamping no longer need to be overcome.

[0064] Figure 2 The rear side view of the device 1 and the wiring board 20 is shown. The moving part can be seen here and is denoted by 8. The moving part 8 for all types of operating elements 5, 5', 5" is designed essentially the same.

[0065] The moving part 8 is responsible for the movement of the operating elements 5, 5', 5". In order to move the operating elements to the desired position, the device 1 has a positioning system 3. The positioning system 3 integrated in the layout board 2 is formed by a gantry robot. The positioning system 3 or the gantry robot has a beam-shaped gantry slide that can reciprocate along a linear guide in the x-direction and a second slide that can reciprocate in the y-direction along the gantry slide transversely to the x-direction and is equipped with a positioning head 31. The positioning head 31 of the gantry robot forms an interface with the operating element to a certain extent. The positioning head 31 can grasp the operating element by a connecting device and bring it to the desired position by the controlled movement of the gantry robot. For this purpose, the positioning head 31 has at least one connecting part, which can be engaged with the connecting part of the operating element for movement.

[0066] Figure 3Three different types of operating elements are shown: a housing holder 5, a deflector 5' and a height holder 5". The essential difference between the operating elements lies in the different design of the front operating part; in all operating elements, the design of the moving part on the rear side is roughly the same. The operating part 7 of the housing holder 5 has an operating head 19, which is rotatably connected to a slide 18. The housing holder 5 has a device for temporarily holding the housing, such as a housing receptacle into which the housing can be inserted for secure holding. The operating parts of the deflector 5' and the height holder 5" have slides, which are designed to be similar to the slide 18 of the housing holder 5, at least in terms of external shape and size. The differences mainly lie in the different designs of the respective operating heads. The operating part of the deflector 5' obviously has an operating head with a hook. The operating part of the height holder 5" has an operating head with a U-shaped cable receiving section, in which the cables are collected and loosely held together, and the cable receiving section is further away from the wiring board 2 for lifting.

[0067] Here, the operating part of the diverter 5' may have an operating head adjacent to the sliding member, which is connected to the sliding member in a fixed or preferably freely rotatable manner. When the diverter is connected to the deployment board 2, the rotation axis extends relative to the normal direction (z direction) specified by the deployment board 2. The operating head of the diverter 5' is designed so that when the diverter 5' is mounted on the deployment board 2, it is maintained in its basic position of vertical orientation based on gravity. The same applies to the height holder 5". The height holder 5" also has an operating head 19" adjacent to the sliding member and freely rotatably connected to the sliding member 18. The operating head 19" of the height holder 5" is designed so that when the height holder 5" is mounted to the deployment board 2, it is maintained in its basic position of vertical orientation based on gravity.

[0068] The operating elements 5, 5', 5" are mounted on a spreading plate 2 which is designed as a perforated plate and is made of a non-ferromagnetic material. The perforated plate has a plurality of through holes 6 evenly distributed on the spreading plate. The holes 6 are used to generate an air cushion between the operating elements 5, 5', 5" and the spreading plate 2, through which compressed air can be guided.

[0069] Below with the help of Figures 4 to 8 The mode of operation of the pneumatic components of the device 1 is described. Figure 4 This is a perspective view of a positioning head 31 having a plurality of coupling parts for moving an operating element and an operating element 5 designed as a housing holder, wherein the operating element 5 is oriented for a better understanding of the interface so that its coupling parts 17 are better visible.

[0070] The positioning head 31 corresponding to the gantry robot of the positioning system 3 has a plurality of coupling parts 32. Here, the positioning head 31 has four coupling parts 32 by way of example. Four operating elements can be moved simultaneously through the coupling parts 32. Figure 4 , the frontmost coupling part 32 from the viewpoint of the observer is in an extended position, in which the coupling is possible. The remaining three coupling parts are in the deactivated position. Thus, in this position only one operating element can be moved with the positioning system 3. However, if necessary, additional or different coupling parts can be extended to produce an activated position, in which two or more operating elements can be moved. It is of course conceivable that the positioning head 31 of the positioning system 3 is equipped with only one such coupling part 32.

[0071] The corresponding coupling part 32 is designed in a bushing-like manner for mechanical coupling. A pneumatic coupling part implemented as a nozzle 33 is integrated in the coupling part. Obviously, the nozzle 33 is arranged centrally in the cavity of the coupling part 32.

[0072] The coupling part 32 is supported in a limited displacement manner relative to the positioning head 31 in the normal direction defined by the spreading plate 2. 35 represents a compressed air supply line of the pneumatic component, which guides the compressed air to the nozzle 33. 34 represents a pneumatic actuator, by means of which the coupling part 32 can be extended from the deactivated position to the activated position. The coupling part can be prestressed in the deactivated position, for example, by means of a spring (not shown).

[0073] Each coupling part 32 that can be extended by means of a pneumatic actuator 34 has a plate-shaped section 36 in which a sealed (not shown) transverse hole is provided in order to guide compressed air from a compressed air feed line 35 to the nozzle 33. Here, the compressed air feed line 35 is a rigid small tube with a seal so that it can participate in the movement when extending and returning again. The actuator 34 includes a piston rod extending coaxially with the nozzle.

[0074] As from Figure 4 As can be seen in FIG. 1 , the operating element 5 is composed of an operating part 7 on the front side and a moving part 8 on the rear side. Figure 4 The wire spreading plate 2 is not shown in the figure. However, a represents the distance or space between the operating part 7 and the rear moving part 8, which distance corresponds to the thickness of the wire spreading plate 2. The wire spreading plate not shown here is in contact with the slides 14, 18 of the operating part 7. The slide 14 is a component of the coupling part 17 of the operating element 5 and is therefore a component of the moving part 8; the slide 18 is assigned to the operating part 7.

[0075] The coupling part 17 of the operating element 5 has a spherical outer contour for the mechanical coupling, wherein the coupling part has a spherical flattened portion 22. The spherical shape is used to compensate for slight angular errors between the wiring board and the positioning system. The flattened portion is used to prevent the operating element from rotating when it is displaced on the wiring board.

[0076] If a certain operating element is to be moved, the positioning head 31 is moved toward the operating element by means of the gantry robot and then the coupling part 32 is extended. When the coupling part 32 is extended, the coupling part 32 comes into contact with the coupling part 17 corresponding to the operating element. The coupling process is now complete and the operating element can now be moved. However, before the movement begins, the pneumatic component is activated and compressed air is guided into the operating element. An air cushion is formed between the operating element and the wiring board; the operating element can now move on the wiring board virtually without friction.

[0077] Figure 5a The hole pattern of the wiring board 2 is shown. The holes 6 form a hole grid structure and are evenly spaced on a straight line grid on the wiring board 2. Figure 5a The supporting edge of the slide of the operating element 5 is also shown with 11. The slide can be assigned to the operating part or the displacement part, since the corresponding slides of the two elements (operating element, displacement part) are designed essentially identically.

[0078] Figure 5b A variation of the hole pattern of the wiring board 2 is shown. In this hole pattern, the holes 6 are arranged in rows that are alternately offset from one another, thereby forming a triangle indicated by the dotted lines.

[0079] The hole pattern can be square ( Figure 5a ) or triangle ( Figure 5b ). In a preferred embodiment, the hole 6 must always be present in the air chamber region of the operating element, or in other words, at least an additional area of ​​the hole 6 must always be located in the chamber region in order to ensure a continuous movement plane during the movement of the operating element on the layout plate. In this case, the size of the circular hole should also be advantageously selected so that the hole diameter d is smaller than the thickness D of the supporting edge 11 of the operating element.

[0080] The structural details for constructing the operating element 5 can be found in Figure 6 and Figure 7 Although the housing holder is shown here, except for the operating head, the structure of other operating elements (such as the steering gear and the clamping device) is the same in principle. Figure 6An operating element 5 is shown which is magnetically mounted on the wiring board 2 and is embodied as a housing holder by way of example. One or more permanent magnets, which are indicated here by 9 and 10, are used in the operating part 7 on one side of the operating element 5 and in the moving part 8 on the other side. The individual components have corresponding receptacles in the slides 14, 18, into which the permanent magnets 9, 10 are inserted. The slides are identical in structure and are essentially distinguished only by the polarity of the magnets inserted therein. The slides 14, 18 themselves are each constructed in two parts and comprise a front slide block 15 with respect to the wiring board 2 and a base body 16 as a rear part. The slide block 15 is preferably made of plastic and the base body 16 is made of metal. The operating part 7 of the operating element 5 has a chamber 13 which is open to the wiring board 2, while the moving part 8 has a chamber 12 which is open to the wiring board 2. The supporting edge 11 defines the corresponding chambers 12, 13 laterally and outwardly.

[0081] The displacement part 8 has a pneumatic connection via which compressed air can be fed into the actuating element 5. For this purpose, an introduction opening 23 which can be sealed by means of an O-ring 24 is provided in the coupling part 17 and into which a nozzle (not shown here) can be introduced.

[0082] exist Figure 7 In, with Figure 6 Compared with slightly adjusted cross-section, Figure 7 , it is shown that after the coupling, the coupling part 32 associated with the positioning system 3 can always still be connected to the coupling part 17 even in a slightly tilted position due to the undesired inaccurate positioning of the positioning head. The mechanical coupling of the operating element 5 is designed as a sphere with a flattened portion in order to be able to compensate for slight angular errors between the spreader plate 2 and the positioning system 3. In the normal direction or in the longitudinal direction of the nozzle, sufficient clearance is provided before and after the O-ring 24 in order to be able to compensate for angular errors between the spreader plate and the positioning system here as well. Therefore, the compressed air coupling and the mechanical coupling are preferably matched to each other so that the center of the sphere and the sealing O-ring 24 are at the same height.

[0083] The operating element 5 is therefore equipped with a compressed air coupling in order to be able to receive compressed air, conduct it to the first chamber 12 , through the wiring board 2 and to the second chamber 13 .

[0084] A further advantage of the device 1 is that, if necessary, a vacuum is generated between the operating element 5 and the wiring board 2 if the operating element 5 is to be held with increased adhesion on the wiring board 2. The pneumatic component can thus operate the operating element 5 in two different states: in a state in which the compressed air generates an air cushion for movement and in a state in which the operating element is held on the wiring board with a particularly high holding force by the vacuum.

[0085] Depending on the embodiment, a vacuum can also be temporarily generated in the chamber by the positioning system 3. The vacuum increases the tolerable forces of the operating element 5, which makes the processing of the cable branches of the cable harness insensitive. The vacuum can be provided by a compressed air feed line or generated by means of a Venturi nozzle.

[0086] The operating element 5 can be moved step by step. The positioning system first disconnects the compressed air supply after the movement step and then disconnects the mechanical connection to the operating element. Otherwise, the operating element 5 mounted to the vertical wiring board 2 may sag undesirably. The two steps of disconnecting the compressed air supply and removing the mechanical connection can be carried out very quickly one after the other.

[0087] As described above, compressed air can be guided from the compressed air feed line 35 to the nozzle 33 through the transverse hole in the plate-shaped section 36. However, other designs can also be considered, such as embodiments without a separate pipeline 35. For example, the compressed air used to extend the coupling part 32 can flow into the nozzle 33 through the piston rod of the pneumatic actuator 34 through a tapered portion in the form of a throttle plate, and further into the operating element 5, where an air cushion is established. After reaching the rated position, the compressed air can be converted so that no new air is guided through the piston rod, which collapses the air cushion. For this purpose, the piston rod is pushed back with the diverted air. Because the coupling and the nozzle allow a certain stroke without contact loss, the operating part is still guided during a short period of backward movement.

[0088] According to another embodiment, a sealing lip (not shown) made of an elastomer can be installed around the chamber to make the air cushion or, if necessary, the vacuum more efficient. These sealing lips can be molded on the sliding block 15 in the region of the supporting edge 11 or fixed thereon.

[0089] Figure 8 A variant of the operating element 5 is shown. Figure 8 In, with Figure 6 and Figure 7 In comparison, the cross-section is again adapted, wherein the bearing between the slide 18 and the operating head 19 has a special anti-twist mechanism. Figure 7 In contrast, the coupling part 32 assigned to the positioning system 3 is connected to the coupling part 17 of the operating element 5 in the normally occurring normal coupling position.

[0090] When a cable harness is branched, it may happen that the cable branch and the actuating head 19 of the actuating element 5 are aligned with each other (e.g. oriented horizontally) only under great tensile forces. If further tensile forces are applied by processing the branch (e.g. wrapping with a cable tie), the actuating element 5 must be designed accordingly large in order to be able to absorb all the forces. Figure 8In the embodiment shown, the operating element 5 , which is designed in particular as a housing holder, is supplemented with a latching mechanism which can be disconnected by means of supplied compressed air.

[0091] The operating element 5 mounted on the wiring board 2 and implemented as a housing holder has an operating head 19 connected to the slide 18, and the operating head 19 is rotatably connected to the slide 18 relative to the normal direction, wherein the support for the rotatable connection between the operating head 19 and the slide 18 has a locking mechanism 25 for fixing the operating head in a desired rotational position (fastened position). The locking mechanism is effectively connected to the pneumatic component, so that after the corresponding operation of the pneumatic component, the torsion resistance generated by the locking mechanism 25 can be released and the operating head 19 can be freely rotatably connected to the slide 18.

[0092] The latching mechanism 25 is used to fix the orientation of the operating head 19. With the aid of the supplied compressed air, the latching mechanism 25 is pried out so that the operating head 19 can be freely rotatably oriented according to the tension of the cable branch. Here, the latching mechanism 25 can have, for example, a graduation of 45° or more (90°, 120° or 180°).

[0093] The latching mechanism 25 comprises a latching crown 26 arranged at the end of a piston 27, into which a latching cam 29 assigned to the operating head 19 can engage or engage in a latching manner. In addition, a piston rod 28 with a quadrilateral cross section, for example, can be seen. In order to release the torsion resistance by the latching connection, after a corresponding actuation, compressed air is introduced into the piston space and the spring-loaded piston 27 is moved in the e direction, thereby removing the latching crown 26 from the latching cam 29, so that the latching connection is released and thus the operating head 19 is freely rotatable. Figure 8 The latching mechanism is shown in its decoupled position.

[0094] Thanks to this latching mechanism 25, the operating head 19 can be pulled into and held in the desired angular position despite the reduced pulling forces on the cable harness branch. This also has the advantage that the operating element 5 can be dimensioned smaller.

[0095] The decoupling of the latching mechanism 25 can be carried out both together with the generation of the air cushion with a common operating pressure and independently thereof (with two operating pressures).

[0096] Fig. 9An operating element 5 is shown which is designed as a cable rack housing holder and has an operating head 19 which is rotatably connected to a slide 18. The operating head 19 can be rotated, for example, by 45° about an axis of rotation indicated by S from the vertically oriented basic position shown. By means of a latching mechanism 25, the operating head 19 can be pulled into the desired angular position and held in the angular position indicated by the dashed line.

[0097] exist Figure 3 The wire spreading plate 2 shown in the figure is designed as a simple orifice plate and is pneumatically loaded passively. The pneumatic component corresponds to the operating element 5. However, embodiments of wire spreading plates with active pneumatic loading are also conceivable. Such actively pneumatically loadable wire spreading plates or their main components are Fig.10 3g denotes an outer plate constructed as a perforated plate. 38 denotes an intermediate plate 38. The line spreading plate is a composite component having two outer plates 39 and an intermediate plate 38 arranged between the two outer plates. The plates 38, 39 can be connected to each other, for example, by bonding together. The intermediate plate 38 has a channel-shaped recess 41, which extends from the edge to the end and leads to the hole 6 after assembly. Therefore, each hole 6 can be supplied with compressed air starting from the edge, for example under the control of a valve (not shown). An alternative line spreading plate that can be actively pneumatically loaded can, for example, have uniformly distributed and preferably individually controllable air nozzles on its upper side, which blow out air so that an air cushion is generated in the area of ​​the operating element.

Claims

1. A device (1) for producing a cable harness, comprising: A cable spreading plate (2) on which cables (4) of a cable bundle can be arranged on the front side of the cable spreading plate, An operating element (5, 5', 5") for operating a cable (4) of a cable harness, wherein the operating element (5, 5', 5") is magnetically mounted or mountable on the cable spreading plate (2), characterized in that The device (1) has pneumatic components, by means of which an air cushion can be generated between the operating element (5, 5', 5") and the wiring board (2).

2. The device (1) according to claim 1, characterized in that The line spreading plate (2) is designed to be pneumatically acted upon.

3. The device (1) according to claim 1 or 2, characterized in that The pneumatic member is designed to, when necessary, enhance the adhesion of the operating element (5, 5', 5") to the wiring board (2) by means of a vacuum.

4. The device (1) according to any one of claims 1 to 3, characterized in that The operating elements (5, 5', 5") respectively include an operating component (7) at the front side and a moving component (8) at the rear side.

5. The device (1) according to any one of claims 4 to 6, characterized in that The line spreading plate (2) is designed as a perforated plate having a plurality of holes (6) through which compressed air can pass.

6. The device (1) according to claim 4 or 5, characterized in that The operating part (7) on the one hand and the rear moving part (8) on the other hand each have a cavity (12, 13) open toward the wiring board (2).

7. The device (1) according to claim 6, characterized in that In order to seal the respective chamber, a sealing lip is provided on the supporting edge (11).

8. The device (1) according to any one of claims 1 to 7, characterized in that The respective operating element (5, 5', 5"), in particular a movable part (8) of the operating element (5, 5', 5"), has a pneumatic connection via which compressed air can be fed.

9. The device (1) according to any one of claims 1 to 8, characterized in that The device has a positioning system (30) for moving the operating element (5, 5', 5") into a desired position, wherein the positioning system for moving the operating element (5, 5', 5") comprises a positioning head (31) with a coupling part (32) for mechanical coupling, and a pneumatic coupling part, preferably realized by a nozzle (33), is integrated in the coupling part (32).

10. The device (1) according to claim 8 or 9, characterized in that The movable part (8) of the operating element (5, 5', 5") is a coupling part (17) having a spherical outer contour for mechanical coupling, wherein the outer contour has a spherical flattened portion (22) and an introduction opening (23) is arranged inside the coupling part (17) and is sealed or can be sealed by means of an O-ring (24).

11. The device (1) according to any one of claims 1 to 10, characterized in that An operating component (7) mounted or mountable on the line spreading plate (2) comprises an operating head (19) connected to a sliding member (18), wherein the operating head is rotatably connected to the sliding member (18), wherein a support for the rotatable connection between the operating head (19) and the sliding member (18) comprises a locking mechanism (25) for fixing the operating head in a desired rotational position.

12. The device (1) according to claim 11, characterized in that The latching mechanism is operatively connected to the pneumatic component, so that the torsion resistance produced by the latching mechanism (25) can be released by means of the pneumatic component and the operating head (19) can be freely rotated.

13. A method for producing a cable harness, in particular using a device (1) according to any one of claims 1 to 12, wherein: The cables (4) required for the cable harness are arranged on the cable spreading plate (2) with the housing mounted thereon using an operating element (5, 5', 5"), wherein the operating element (5, 5', 5") is magnetically mounted on the cable spreading plate (2). The operating element (5, 5', 5") is moved on the wiring board (2) by introducing compressed air, thereby generating an air cushion between the operating element (5, 5', 5") and the wiring board (2).

14. The method according to claim 13, characterized in that After the step-by-step movement of the operating element (5, 5', 5") is completed, the compressed air supply device is first disconnected from the operating element (5, 5', 5") and then the mechanical connection of the operating element (5, 5', 5") is released.

15. The method according to claim 13 or 14, characterized in that If, if necessary, the operating element (5, 5', 5") must be held on the wiring board (2) with an increased degree of adhesion, a vacuum is generated between the operating element (5, 5', 5") and the wiring board (2).

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