Wire harness manufacturing apparatus and wire harness manufacturing method

Abstract

To provide a wire harness manufacturing apparatus and a wire harness manufacturing method which can automatically perform manufacturing operation while coping with various kinds of harnesses.SOLUTION: A wire harness manufacturing apparatus 1 includes: connector cups 12 having common contours; a sub harness mounting plate 13 mounted with a plurality of sub harnesses 1a, in a state in which the connector cups 12 are mounted on connectors; a plate fixing part 14; a slide part 15 for holding one end side connector through the connector cups 12; a base end side holding part 16 for holding other end side connector through the connector cups 12; a connector transfer mechanism 17 for transferring the one end side connector and the other end side connector from the sub harness mounting plate 13 to the slide part 15 and the base end side holding part 16 together with the connector cups 12; and an electric wire processing part 18 for subjecting electric wires stretched between the slide part 15 and the base end side holding part 16 to electric wire processing.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 1

Description

[Technical field]

[0001] The present invention relates to a wire harness manufacturing apparatus and a wire harness manufacturing method for manufacturing a branched wire harness. [Background technology]

[0002] Conventionally, a manufacturing device for manufacturing a branched wire harness has been used in which a plurality of holding members for holding the wire harness are arranged in accordance with the branch shape on a flat wiring board (see, for example, Patent Document 1). In such a manufacturing device, the wire harness is manufactured by routing electric wires on the wiring board and forming a branch shape. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0003] [Patent Document 1] JP 2018-060643 A Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0004] Here, most of the work using the above-mentioned manufacturing apparatus is performed manually by workers. On the other hand, with regard to the manufacture of wire harnesses, the development of an apparatus that performs the manufacturing work automatically without human intervention is also underway. However, there are various types of wire harnesses that are expected to be manufactured, with a wide variety of branch shapes and connector types. In addition, it is often difficult to realize a configuration that switches the connector holding portion and the wiring mechanism of the electric wire for each type in order to accommodate these harness types. For this reason, there are currently no specific proposals for an apparatus or method that performs the manufacturing work automatically while accommodating various harness types.

[0005] Therefore, in view of the above-mentioned problems, the present invention has an object to provide a wire harness manufacturing apparatus and a wire harness manufacturing method that can automatically perform manufacturing operations while dealing with various harness types. [Means for solving the problem]

[0006] In order to solve the above problem, a wire harness manufacturing apparatus includes: a plurality of connector cups having a common outer shape, the plurality of connector cups being provided at one end of a wire harness to be manufactured in which a branch shape is formed by combining a plurality of sub-harnesses, and being provided so as to detachably accommodate one by one connectors to be provided at the other end; a sub-harness mounting plate on which the plurality of sub-harnesses are mounted with the connector cups detachably attached to the connectors included in each of the sub-harnesses; a plate fixing portion to which the sub-harness mounting plate is detachably attached; a plurality of slide portions each holding one of the one-end side connectors to be provided at the one end among the plurality of connectors via the connector cups, and being arranged in parallel to each other in a predetermined arrangement direction and linearly moving in a sliding direction between a first end side and a second end side; the first end side holding portion being installed so as to be immobile at least in the sliding direction, and one or more base end side holding portions being provided so as to hold one of the other end side connectors, which will be provided at the other end side of the plurality of connectors, via the connector cup; a connector transfer mechanism that removes the one end side connector and the other end side connector together with the connector cup from the sub-harness mounting plate attached to the plate fixing portion, transfers the one end side connector together with the connector cup to the slide portion, and transfers the other end side connector together with the connector cup to the base end side holding portion; and an electric wire processing portion that performs electric wire processing on the electric wires of the plurality of sub-harnesses that are stretched between the plurality of slide portions and one or more base end side holding portions by the linear movement, including a process of selectively bundling the electric wires to form the branched shape.

[0007] In addition, in order to solve the above problem, a wire harness manufacturing method includes a plate mounting process in which the above-mentioned wire harness manufacturing apparatus is used to mount the sub-harness mounting plate, on which a plurality of sub-harnesses are mounted with the connector cups detachably attached to the connectors included in each of the sub-harnesses, to the plate fixing portion; a connector transfer process in which the connector transfer mechanism removes the one-end connector and the other-end connector together with the connector cups from the sub-harness mounting plate mounted to the plate fixing portion, transfers the one-end connector together with the connector cup to the slide portion, and transfers the other-end connector together with the connector cup to the base-end holding portion; and an electric wire processing process in which the electric wire processing unit performs the electric wire processing including a process of selectively bundling the electric wires of the plurality of sub-harnesses stretched between the plurality of slide portions and one or more of the base-end holding portions by the linear movement to form the branched shape. Effect of the Invention

[0008] According to the above-described wire harness manufacturing apparatus and method, it is possible to automatically perform manufacturing operations while dealing with various types of harnesses. [Brief description of the drawings]

[0009] [Figure 1] 1 is an external perspective view showing a wire harness production apparatus according to an embodiment; [Diagram 2] 2 is a schematic diagram showing an example of a wire harness manufactured by the wire harness manufacturing apparatus shown in FIG. 1. [Diagram 3] 2 is a diagram showing the connector cup, the sub-harness mounting plate, and the plate fixing portion involved in receiving the sub-harness in the wire harness manufacturing apparatus shown in FIG. 1, together with the slide portion and the base end holding portion to which the sub-harness is transferred. [Figure 4] 4 is an enlarged view of the connector cup, the sub-harness mounting plate, and the plate fixing portion shown in FIG. 3. FIG. [Diagram 5] 5 is a plan view of the connector cup, the sub-harness mounting plate, and the plate fixing portion shown in FIG. 4, as viewed in the direction of arrow V11 in FIG. [Figure 6] 6 is an enlarged perspective view showing the connector cup shown in FIGS. 3 to 5 together with a cup holding portion in a sub-harness mounting plate. FIG. [Figure 7] FIG. 4 is an enlarged perspective view showing the slide portion shown in FIGS. 1 and 3. [Figure 8] 4 is an enlarged perspective view showing a base end side holding part shown in FIG. 1 and FIG. 3. [Figure 9] 2 is a perspective view of the connector transferring mechanism shown in FIG. 1, showing the gripping mechanisms of the front end connector and the rear end connector from the direction of arrow V12 in FIG. [Figure 10] FIG. 10 is an enlarged perspective view showing the gripping mechanism shown in FIG. 9. [Figure 11] 2 is an enlarged perspective view showing an electric wire processing part shown in FIG. 1. FIG. [Figure 12] 2 is a schematic flowchart showing a flow of a series of processes in a wire harness manufacturing method executed by using the wire harness manufacturing apparatus shown in FIG. 1. [Figure 13] 13 is a schematic diagram showing steps S21 and S22 of controlling the tension of the electric wires under the control of a control unit during execution of the wire harness manufacturing method shown in FIG. 12. [Figure 14] 13 is a schematic diagram showing steps S23 to S25 of the tension control of the electric wires performed under the control of a control unit during execution of the wire harness production method shown in FIG. 12. FIG. [Figure 15] 13 is a schematic diagram showing steps S26 and S27 of the tension control of the electric wires performed under the control of a control unit during execution of the wire harness manufacturing method shown in FIG. 12. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

[0010] Hereinafter, an embodiment of a wire harness manufacturing apparatus and a wire harness manufacturing method will be described.

[0011] FIG. 1 is an external perspective view showing a wire harness production apparatus according to one embodiment, and FIG. 2 is a schematic view showing an example of a wire harness produced by the wire harness production apparatus shown in FIG.

[0012] The wire harness production apparatus 1 of this embodiment is an apparatus that automatically produces a branched wire harness W1 as shown as an example in FIG.

[0013] The wire harness W1 to be manufactured is a component that is installed and routed in an automobile and connects multiple devices inside the automobile. The wire harness W1 includes multiple front connectors W11, multiple rear connectors W12, and multiple tape-wrapped portions W13.

[0014] The front end connector W11 is one end connector that is held by a slide portion 15 described later in the wire harness manufacturing apparatus 1 and moved in a slide direction D11. On the other hand, the rear end connector W12 is the other end connector that is held by a base end holding portion 16 described later and is immobile in the slide direction D11. Here, in this embodiment, the wire harness W1 to be manufactured is configured by combining one or more electric wires W16 and a plurality of sub-harnesses W1a each configured by connecting both ends of the electric wire W16 to the front end connector W11 and the rear end connector W12. This combination is performed by forming the tape winding portion W13.

[0015] The tape-wound portion W13 is a portion where the electric wires W16 of the sub-harnesses W1a are selectively bundled and a tape W131 is wound around the wires W16. In the example of FIG. 3, the tape-wound portion W13 is formed on the main line portion W1b where the electric wires W16 of all the sub-harnesses W1a are bundled. The main line portion W1b is bifurcated on the side of the rear end connector W12 and connected to the rear end connector W12. On the other hand, the main line portion W1b is bifurcated on the side of the front end connector W11, and the tape-wound portion W13 is formed on the intermediate line portion W1c, which is one of the bifurcated portions, and the other is extended as it is and connected to the front end connector W11. The intermediate line portion W1c is bifurcated, and each branch line portion W1d is further bifurcated and each end is connected to the front end connector W11. Between the intermediate line portion W1c and the front end connector W11, the tape W131 is wound around each branch point to form the tape-wound portion W13.

[0016] 1 is an apparatus for automatically manufacturing the above-described wire harness W1 by receiving a plurality of sub-harnesses W1a as materials. The wire harness manufacturing apparatus 1 includes an apparatus frame 11, a connector cup 12, a sub-harness mounting plate 13, a plate fixing portion 14, a slide portion 15, a base end side holding portion 16, a connector transfer mechanism 17, an electric wire processing portion 18, a part number acquisition portion 19, and a control portion 20.

[0017] The device frame 11 is a frame having a generally rectangular block-like appearance. On the upper surface of the device frame 11, a plurality of slide rails 111 for guiding the slide parts 15 in the sliding direction D11 between the first end side 11a and the second end side 11b are installed so as to be arranged parallel to each other in the arrangement direction D12 intersecting the sliding direction D11. In addition, on the upper surface of the device frame 11, a pair of electric wire processing rails 112 are installed so as to sandwich the plurality of slide rails 111 between each other in the arrangement direction D12. The pair of electric wire processing rails 112 hold the electric wire processing part 18 so as to straddle the upper part of the plurality of slide rails 111 from one side to the other side, and guide the electric wire processing part 18 in the sliding direction D11. In addition, one base end side rail 113 is provided so as to extend in the arrangement direction D12 with a gap between the end of the first end side 11a of the plurality of slide rails 111. The base end side rail 113 guides the base end side holding part 16 in the arrangement direction D12. In addition, between the end of the first end side 11a of the slide rail 111, which is the moving end of the slide part 15, and the base end side rail 113, which is the installation position of the base end side holding part 16, a discharge place 114 for the manufactured wire harness W1 is provided. A plate fixing part 14 is provided on the first end side 11a sandwiching the base end side rail 113 between the discharge place 114, and a sub-harness W1a is supplied to the wire harness manufacturing device 1 by attaching a sub-harness mounting plate 13 to the plate fixing part 14. The sub-harness W1a is transferred and placed so as to be stretched between the slide part 15 and the base end side holding part 16, and the wire harness W1 to be manufactured is manufactured by the movement of the slide part 15 and the electric wire processing at the electric wire processing part 18.

[0018] FIG. 3 is a view showing a connector cup, a sub-harness mounting plate, and a plate fixing portion related to the reception of a sub-harness in the wire harness manufacturing apparatus shown in FIG. 1, together with a slide portion and a proximal-end side holding portion which are destinations for transferring the sub-harness. FIG. 4 is an enlarged view showing the connector cup, the sub-harness mounting plate, and the plate fixing portion shown in FIG. 3. FIG. 5 is a plan view of the connector cup, the sub-harness mounting plate, and the plate fixing portion shown in FIG. 4, as viewed from the direction of arrow V11 in FIG. 4. Further, FIG. 6 is an enlarged perspective view showing the connector cup shown in FIGS. 3 to 5 together with a cup holding portion in the sub-harness mounting plate. In FIG. 6, two connector cups 12 are typically shown together with two cup holding portions 131.

[0019] First, the connector cups 12 are prepared in a plurality of portions so that the front connectors W11 and the rear connectors W12 of the wire harness W1 to be manufactured, that is, the sub-harnesses W1a that are the material of the wire harness W1, can be detachably accommodated one by one. The accommodation chambers 121 of the front connectors W11 and the rear connectors W12 of the plurality of connector cups 12 are formed in a rectangular recess shape according to the shape of the connectors to be accommodated, but the outer shape is formed to be a common rectangular block shape. The accommodation chambers 121 can accommodate connectors one by one in the accommodation chamber depth direction D13 from the opening on the front side in the figure. In addition, a passage groove 122 for the electric wire W16 is formed from the accommodation chamber 121 toward one side (the lower side in the figure) of the four side surfaces of the connector cup 12. The electric wire W16 connected to the accommodation connector is configured to extend through the passage groove 122 to the outside of the connector cup 12 in the electric wire extending direction D14. The connector cups 12 are held one by one in a cup holding portion 131 provided on the sub-harness mounting plate 13 so as to be detachable in a cup attachment / detachment direction D15 along the electric wire extending direction D14. The connector cups 12 are attached to the front end connector W11 and rear end connector W12 of the sub-harness W1a and are carried together with the sub-harness W1a by the connector transfer mechanism 17. A pair of side surfaces of the connector cup 12 along the cup attachment / detachment direction D15 are provided with transfer locking grooves 123 for locking by the connector transfer mechanism 17 when the sub-harness W1a is transferred.

[0020] The sub-harness mounting plate 13 is a rectangular plate-shaped member on which a plurality of sub-harnesses W1a are mounted with the connector cups 12 detachably attached to the front-end connectors W11 and rear-end connectors W12 included in each sub-harness W1a. The sub-harness mounting plate 13 is provided with the above-mentioned cup holding portions 131 arranged in a row in the longitudinal direction. Each cup holding portion 131 holds one of the connector cups 12 housing the front-end connectors W11 and rear-end connectors W12. The cup holding portion 131 holds the end of the electric wire W16 on the electric wire extending side in the connector cup 12 where the passing groove 122 of the electric wire W16 is opened, by holding it with a pair of cup holding arms 131a. The electric wire W16 extending from the connector cup 12 through the passing groove 122 passes between the pair of cup holding arms 131a and extends in the electric wire extending direction D14.

[0021] As described above, the sub-harness W1a is supplied to the wire harness manufacturing apparatus 1 by attaching the sub-harness mounting plate 13 to the plate fixing portion 14. At this time, the sub-harness mounting plate 13 is attached to the plate fixing portion 14 in a state in which a plurality of sub-harnesses W1a, which are materials for the wire harness W1 to be manufactured, are mounted on the plate fixing portion 14 by connector holding via the connector cups 12 and the cup holding portion 131. The sub-harness mounting plate 13 is detachably attached to the plate fixing portion 14 by screwing with a plurality of screws 141.

[0022] In this embodiment, the sub-harnesses W1a are mounted on the sub-harness mounting plate 13 at a work site away from the device frame 11. The sub-harnesses W1a are supplied in a set with the sub-harness mounting plate 13. The wire harness W1 to be manufactured from the sub-harnesses W1a thus supplied is provided with a product number for identifying the wire harness W1. The sub-harness mounting plate 13 is provided with a code image 132 representing the product number of the wire harness W1 to be manufactured from the mounted sub-harnesses W1a. Examples of the code image 132 include a bar code and a QR code (registered trademark). In the wire harness manufacturing device 1, the product number is acquired through the code image 132 of the sub-harness mounting plate 13 attached to the plate fixing portion 14, and various processes according to the product number are executed.

[0023] Next, a description will be given of the slide portion 15 and the base end holding portion 16 shown in Fig. 1 and Fig. 3. The plurality of sub-harnesses W1a supplied as described above are transferred so as to be stretched between the slide portion 15 and the base end holding portion 16.

[0024] Fig. 7 is an enlarged perspective view showing the slide portion shown in Fig. 1 and Fig. 3, and Fig. 8 is an enlarged perspective view showing the base end side holding portion shown in Fig. 1 and Fig. 3. Two slide portions 15 are representatively shown in Fig. 7, and all base end side holding portions 16 are shown in Fig. 8.

[0025] The slide portion 15 is a portion that holds the front end connector W11 of the front end connector W11 and the rear end connector W12 of the sub-harness W1a one by one via the connector cup 12. A plurality of slide portions 15 are provided so as to linearly move in parallel with each other in an arrangement direction D12 that intersects with a sliding direction D11 between the first end side 11a and the second end side 11b of the device frame 11. The plurality of slide portions 15 are slidably held one-to-one by a plurality of slide rails 111 on the upper surface of the device frame 11. Each slide portion 15 includes a slide side cup holding portion 151 that detachably holds the connector cup 12, and a slide connecting portion 152 that supports the slide side cup holding portion 151 and slidably connects to the slide rail 111. The slide side cup holding portion 151 is provided with a cup receiving recess 151a that is rectangular and recessed and opens upward. The connector cup 12 of the tip connector W11 is placed in the cup receiving recess 151a from above with the accommodation chamber 121 of the tip connector W11 facing upward and the passage groove 122 of the electric wire W16 opening toward the first end side 11a. Therefore, the connector cup 12 is moved in the slide side rotation mounting direction D16 in which the connector cup 12 is tilted 90° toward the rear side from the holding posture in the sub-harness mounting plate 13 and placed in the cup receiving recess 151a. The wall of the first end side 11a among the peripheral walls of the cup receiving recess 151a has an electric wire passing port 151b through which the electric wire W16 passes to the first end side 11a. In addition, a pair of side walls along the slide direction D11 have a notch 151c formed to avoid the locking portion of the connector transfer mechanism 17 locked in the transfer locking groove 123 when the connector cup 12 is placed.

[0026] The base end holding portion 16 is a portion that holds the rear end connectors W12 of the tip end connector W11 and the rear end connector W12 of the sub-harness W1a one by one via the connector cups 12. The base end holding portions 16 are arranged in a row in the arrangement direction D12, and one or more are provided on the first end side 11a, which is the base end side of the linear movement of the slide portion 15, so as to be immovable in the slide direction D11 and linearly movable in the arrangement direction D12. The one or more base end holding portions 16 are slidably held by one base end rail 113 extending in the arrangement direction D12 on the upper surface of the device frame 11. Each base end holding portion 16 includes a base end cup holding portion 161 that detachably holds the connector cup 12, and a base end connecting portion 162 that supports the base end cup holding portion 161 and connects slidably to the base end rail 113. The base-end cup holding portion 161 is provided with a cup receiving recess 161a having a rectangular recess shape that opens upward. The connector cup 12 of the rear-end connector W12 is received in the cup receiving recess 161a from above with the accommodation chamber 121 of the rear-end connector W12 facing upward and the passage groove 122 of the electric wire W16 opening toward the second end side 11b. Therefore, the connector cup 12 is moved in a base-end rotation mounting direction D17 in which the connector cup 12 is tilted 90° toward the rear side from the holding position in the sub-harness mounting plate 13, and received in the cup receiving recess 161a. In addition, in the base-end holding portion 16, the electric wire W16 is extended toward the second end side 11b in the opposite direction to the slide portion 15. Therefore, the base-end rotation mounting direction D17 is a rotation direction in which the extension direction of the electric wire W16 is different by 180° from the slide-side rotation mounting direction D16. A wire passage opening 161b through which the wire W16 passes to the second end side 11b is formed in the peripheral wall of the cup receiving recess 161a. Also, a pair of side walls along the arrangement direction D12 are formed with notches 161c for avoiding the locking portion of the connector transfer mechanism 17 locked in the transfer locking groove 123 when the connector cup 12 is stored.

[0027] The connector transfer mechanism 17 transfers the tip connector W11 and the rear connector W12 from the sub-harness mounting plate 13 attached to the plate fixing portion 14 to the slide portion 15 and the base end holding portion 16. The connector transfer mechanism 17 transfers the sub-harness W1a between the slide portion 15 and the base end holding portion 16.

[0028] Fig. 9 is a perspective view of the connector transferring mechanism shown in Fig. 1, showing the gripping mechanisms of the front-end connector and the rear-end connector from the direction of arrow V12 in Fig. 1. Fig. 10 is an enlarged perspective view of the gripping mechanism shown in Fig. 9.

[0029] In the connector transfer operation, the connector transfer mechanism 17 first removes the front end connector W11 and the rear end connector W12 together with the connector cups 12 from the sub-harness mounting plate 13. Then, the connector transfer mechanism 17 transfers the front end connector W11 together with the connector cups 12 to the slide section 15, and transfers the rear end connector W12 together with the connector cups 12 to the base end holding section 16. This connector transfer mechanism 17 includes a robot arm 171 and a gripping mechanism 172. As shown in FIG. 1, the robot arm 171 is an articulated robot installed on the upper surface of the mechanism base 115 provided in the device frame 11 at a position adjacent to the base end rail 113 in the arrangement direction D12. The gripping mechanism 172 is a mechanism attached to the front end of the robot arm 171 and grips and removes the front end connector W11 and the rear end connector W12 together with the multiple connector cups 12 attached to the sub-harness mounting plate 13 one-to-one. The gripping mechanism 172 includes an L-shaped angle 172a connected to the tip of the robot arm 171, and the upright wall of the L-shaped angle 172a is connected to the tip of the robot arm 171. The gripping mechanism 172 includes arm mechanisms 172b fixed to the bottom wall of the L-shaped angle 172a, each of which grips a connector cup 12 with a pair of gripping arms 172b-1. The arm mechanisms 172b are fixed to the bottom wall of the L-shaped angle 172a in a line in the angle longitudinal direction D18 so as to be able to grip one-to-one the connector cups 12 attached to the sub-harness mounting plate 13 in a connector-accommodating state. The arrangement intervals of the arm mechanisms 172b correspond to the arrangement intervals of the slide section 15 in the arrangement direction D12, that is, the arrangement intervals of the slide rails 111, so that the connectors can be transferred to the slide section 15. In order to be able to face one-to-one with the multiple arm mechanisms 172b arranged at such intervals, the arrangement interval of the cup holding portions 131 that hold the connector cups 12 on the sub-harness mounting plate 13 also corresponds to the arrangement interval of the slide rails 111.

[0030] In the connector transfer mechanism 17, the robot arm 171 moves the gripping mechanism 172 so that the arm mechanisms 172b face the connector cups 12 in a connector-accommodated state one-to-one on the sub-harness mounting plate 13. Then, each arm mechanism 172b grips each connector cup 12 at the facing position so that the tip of the gripping arm 172b-1 is engaged with the transfer engagement groove 123. Next, the robot arm 171 carries the gripping mechanism 172 gripping the connector cup 12 to the slide section 15 or the base end holding section 16. In the slide section 15, the connector cup 12 of the tip end connector W11 is accommodated in the slide side cup holding section 151 and released, thereby transferring the tip end connector W11. In addition, in the base end holding section 16, the connector cup 12 of the rear end connector W12 is accommodated in the base end cup holding section 161 and released, thereby transferring the rear end connector W12.

[0031] When the plurality of sub-harnesses W1a are transferred between the slide portion 15 and the base-end holding portion 16 by such an operation of the connector transfer mechanism 17, the slide portion 15 moves linearly to a position according to the branch shape of the wire harness W1 to be manufactured. The electric wire processing portion 18 performs electric wire processing on the electric wires W16 of the sub-harness W1a stretched between the slide portion 15 and the base-end holding portion 16 by this linear movement of the slide portion 15, including processing for selectively bundling the electric wires W16 to form a branch shape. In this embodiment, this electric wire processing is selective bundling of the electric wires W16 and wrapping them with tape at various locations.

[0032] FIG. 11 is an enlarged perspective view showing the electric wire processing portion shown in FIG.

[0033] The electric wire processing section 18 is a section that performs bundling and tape winding on the electric wires W16 of the multiple sub-harnesses W1a, and includes a mechanism frame 181, a front end bundling mechanism 182, a rear end bundling mechanism 183, and a tape winding mechanism 184. The mechanism frame 181 is a frame section that is held by a pair of electric wire processing rails 112 on the upper surface of the device frame 11 so as to be movable linearly in the slide direction D11 while straddling above the multiple slide rails 111 in the arrangement direction D12. The front end bundling mechanism 182 is a mechanism section that is installed on the second end side 11b of the device frame 11 in the mechanism frame 181, and selectively bundles the electric wires W16 with a pair of bundling arms 182a that are movable in the arrangement direction D12. The rear end bundling mechanism 183 is a mechanism part that is installed on the first end side 11a of the device frame 11 in the mechanism frame 181 and selectively bundles the electric wires W16 with a pair of bundling arms 183a that are movable in the arrangement direction D12. The tape winding mechanism 184 is a mechanism part that is installed in a position between the front end bundling mechanism 182 and the rear end bundling mechanism 183 in the sliding direction D11 on the mechanism frame 181. The tape winding mechanism 184 performs a process of winding a tape while rotating a tape reel 184a around the axis of the electric wires W16 that have been bundled in the front and rear of the sliding direction D11 by the front end bundling mechanism 182 and the rear end bundling mechanism 183.

[0034] In this embodiment, the connector transfer operation by the connector transfer mechanism 17, the linear movement of the slide portion 15, and the formation of a branched shape by the electric wire processing in the electric wire processing portion 18 described above are performed under the control of the control portion 20 based on the product number of the wire harness W1 to be manufactured. For this control, the wire harness manufacturing apparatus 1 of this embodiment is provided with a product number acquisition portion 19 that acquires the product number of the wire harness W1 to be manufactured.

[0035] As described with reference to Figs. 4 and 5, the sub-harness mounting plate 13 is depicted with a code image 132 representing the product number of the wire harness W1 manufactured from the mounted sub-harnesses W1a. The product number acquisition unit 19 is a code reader that acquires the product number by reading this code image 132. The timing of reading is when the gripping mechanism 172 of the connector transfer mechanism 17 faces the sub-harness mounting plate 13 to remove the front-end connector W11 and the rear-end connector W12. In order to enable reading at this timing, the code reader as the product number acquisition unit 19 is attached to the upper side of the vertical wall portion of the L-shaped angle 172a of the gripping mechanism 172 of the connector transfer mechanism 17, as shown in Fig. 10. The product number read from the code image 132 by the product number acquisition unit 19 is transmitted from the product number acquisition unit 19 to the control unit 20. A plurality of part numbers and operation contents of each mechanism for forming the branch shape of the wire harness with each part number are registered in advance in the control unit 20 in association with each other. Then, when the part number of the wire harness W1 to be manufactured this time is transmitted from the part number acquisition unit 19, the control unit 20 operates each mechanism in accordance with the operation contents associated with the part number.

[0036] First, the connector transfer mechanism 17 transfers the tip side connector W11 removed together with the connector cup 12 from the sub-harness mounting plate 13 to the slide portion 15 corresponding to the tip side connector W11 one-to-one via the product number. In this embodiment, the slide portions 15 are provided in a number equal to or greater than the number of tip side connectors W11 of the wire harness W1 assumed in advance as a manufacturing target. Before the transfer by the connector transfer mechanism 17, all the slide portions 15 wait at the initial position P11 of the second end side 11b shown in FIG. 3. Then, during the transfer by the connector transfer mechanism 17, only the slide portions 15 corresponding to the tip side connector W11 as a transfer destination via the product number move from the initial position P11 to the slide side attachment / detachment position P12 of the first end side 11a so as to line up in a row in the arrangement direction D12. If there is a slide portion 15 that is not a transfer target that does not correspond to the product number, that slide portion 15 will remain in the initial position P11 so as not to interfere with the subsequent work.

[0037] The connector transfer mechanism 17 transfers the rear end connectors W12 removed from the sub-harness mounting plate 13 together with the connector cups 12 to the base end holding parts 16 that correspond one-to-one to the product numbers. In this embodiment, like the slide parts 15, the base end holding parts 16 are provided in a number equal to or greater than the number of rear end connectors W12 of the wire harness W1 that are assumed to be manufactured. However, regardless of whether or not the base end holding parts 16 correspond to the product numbers, all the base end holding parts 16 are positioned in the arrangement direction D12 to positions corresponding to the processing operations based on the product numbers of the connector transfer mechanism 17 and the electric wire processing part 18. Since the base end holding parts 16 are lined up in a row in the arrangement direction D12 on the base end rail 113, if there is a base end holding part 16 that is in a standby state and does not move, it will hinder the movement of the other base end holding parts 16. In this embodiment, by positioning all base end holding parts 16 regardless of whether they correspond to the product number, even if there is a base end holding part 16 that is not to be transferred, it does not hinder the movement of the other base end holding parts 16.

[0038] The slide portion 15, which has received the tip-side connector W11 by the connector transfer mechanism 17, moves in the slide direction D11 from the slide-side attachment / detachment position P12 to a position corresponding to the branch shape of the wire harness W1 identified by the part number. Furthermore, the wire processing portion 18 moves in the slide direction D11 on the wire processing rail 112 according to the branch shape of the wire harness W1 identified by the part number, and operates the tip-side bundling mechanism 182, the rear-end bundling mechanism 183, and the tape winding mechanism 184. Even during the operation of the wire processing portion 18, the slide portion 15 and the base-end holding portion 16 make small movements so as not to apply excessive load to the wire W16 undergoing wire processing. For example, the base-end holding portion 16 is positioned at the base-end attachment / detachment position where it faces one-to-one in accordance with the arrangement of the rear-end connectors W12 in the gripping mechanism 172 of the connector transfer mechanism 17 when the connector is transferred. On the other hand, when the electric wires W16 are bundled by the front end bundling mechanism 182 or the rear end bundling mechanism 183, the base end holding part 16 is controlled to move from the base end side attachment / detachment position to close the gap toward the bundling side of the electric wires W16 in the arrangement direction D12 so as not to apply a load to the electric wires W16. Also, the slide part 15 moves from the slide side attachment / detachment position P12 at the time of connector transfer to the second end side 11b to apply an appropriate tension to the electric wires W16, and when the electric wires W16 are pulled by bundling, it moves back slightly to the first end side 11a to relieve the tension in the electric wires W16.

[0039] When the branch formation is completed through the electric wire processing in the electric wire processing section 18, the manufactured wire harness W1 is discharged as follows. First, the slide section 15 that holds the tip connector W11 of the manufactured wire harness W1 via the connector cup 12 moves to the slide side attachment / detachment position P12, which is the same as that in the connector transfer operation. Also, the base end holding section 16 that holds the rear end connector W12 via the connector cup 12 moves to a position where it can face the arm mechanism 172b in the gripping mechanism 172 of the connector transfer mechanism 17, as in the connector transfer operation. Thereafter, the gripping mechanism 172 of the connector transfer mechanism 17 removes the tip connector W11 together with the connector cup 12 from the slide section 15 at the slide side attachment / detachment position P12, and removes the rear end connector W12 together with the connector cup 12 from the base end holding section 16.

[0040] As described above, the device frame 11 has a discharge place 114 for the manufactured wire harness W1 between the base end rail 113 that holds the base end holding portion 16 and the first end side 11a of the multiple slide rails 111. The discharge place 114 is a rectangular concave pocket shape that opens upward and has an inclined inner surface on the slide rail 111 side. When the connector transfer mechanism 17 removes the front end connector W11 and the rear end connector W12 of the manufactured wire harness W1 as described above, the connector transfer mechanism 17 carries the manufactured wire harness W1 to an upper position that faces the inclined inner surface of the discharge place 114 through the opening. Then, the front end connector W11 and the rear end connector W12 are released at the upper position of the discharge place 114 to discharge the manufactured wire harness W1. The manufactured wire harness W1 falls onto the inclined inner surface of the discharge place 114, slides down the inner surface to the bottom, and is placed.

[0041] Next, a wire harness manufacturing method executed using the wire harness manufacturing apparatus shown in FIG. 1 will be described again, although some of the description will overlap with the above.

[0042] FIG. 12 is a schematic flow chart showing a flow of a series of processes in a wire harness manufacturing method executed by using the wire harness manufacturing apparatus 1 shown in FIG.

[0043] 12 starts when a sub-harness mounting plate 13 is prepared on which a plurality of sub-harnesses W1a, which are the material for the wire harness W1 to be manufactured, are mounted. As described above, the front end connector W11 and the rear end connector W12 included in each sub-harness W1a are mounted on the sub-harness mounting plate 13 with the connector cups 12 detachably attached.

[0044] When the process starts, a plate mounting step S11 in which the prepared sub-harness mounting plate 13 is attached to the plate fixing portion 14 is performed manually by an operator. After the attachment is completed, an instruction to start harness production is given to the wire harness production apparatus 1 through a predetermined operation, and the following process is executed.

[0045] First, the robot arm 171 of the connector transfer mechanism 17 moves the part number acquisition unit 19 to a position facing the code image 132 of the sub-harness mounting plate 13, and a part number acquisition step S12 is executed in which the part number acquisition unit 19 reads the code image 132 and acquires the part number. Subsequent processing is performed under the control of the control unit 20 based on the part number.

[0046] Following the part number acquisition step S12, a pre-connector transfer movement step S13 is executed in which the slide portion 15 is moved to the slide side attachment / detachment position P12 and the base end holding portion 16 is moved to the base end attachment / detachment position. In this pre-connector transfer movement step S13, which of the multiple slide portions 15 is to be moved from the initial position P11 to the slide side attachment / detachment position P12 is controlled based on the part number. In addition, for the base end holding portions 16, the base end attachment / detachment position itself, i.e., which arm mechanism 172b in the gripping mechanism 172 of the connector transfer / loading mechanism 17 faces each base end holding portion 16 one-to-one, is controlled based on the part number.

[0047] When the movement of the slide portion 15 and the base end holding portion 16 is completed, a connector transfer step S14 is executed in which the connector transfer mechanism 17 transfers the tip end connector W11 and the rear end connector W12 to the slide portion 15 and the base end holding portion 16 to which they have been moved. In this connector transfer step S14, the tip end connector W11 and the rear end connector W12 are removed together with the connector cup 12 from the sub-harness mounting plate 13, and are transferred together with the connector cup 12 to the slide portion 15 and the base end holding portion 16. In this connector transfer step S14, which slide portion 15 each tip end connector W11 is transferred to and which base end holding portion 16 each rear end connector W12 is transferred to are controlled based on the product number.

[0048] After the connector transfer step S14, the slide part 15 moves in the slide direction D11 to stretch the electric wire W16 between the slide part 15 and the base end side holding part 16, and an electric wire processing step S15 is executed in which the electric wire processing part 18 operates on the electric wire W16. In this electric wire processing step S15, the movement of the slide part 15 and the operation of the electric wire processing part 18 are controlled based on the product number. Also, depending on the operation of the electric wire processing part 18, the position of the base end side holding part 16 is controlled based on the product number, such as moving to the bundling side of the electric wires W16.

[0049] When the wire harness W1 to be manufactured is completed by forming a branch shape through the electric wire processing step S15, a pre-discharge movement step S16 is executed in which the slide part 15 and the base end holding part 16 are moved as a preparation before discharging the manufactured wire harness W1. In this pre-discharge movement step S16, the slide part 15 and the base end holding part 16 are moved to the slide side attachment / detachment position P12 and the base end side attachment / detachment position based on the product number, similar to the pre-connector transfer movement step S13.

[0050] Finally, a discharge step S17 is executed in which the manufactured wire harness W1 is discharged to the discharge location 114 by the connector transfer mechanism 17. In this discharge step S17, the front end connector W11 and the rear end connector W12 are removed together with the connector cup 12 from the slide portion 15 and the base end holding portion 16 at the slide side mounting / dismounting position P12 and the base end mounting / dismounting position. The order of removal at this time is controlled based on the product number. The manufactured wire harness W1 is taken out by this connector removal. Thereafter, the connector transfer mechanism 17 carries the manufactured wire harness W1 to an upper position above the discharge location 114, and releases the front end connector W11 and the rear end connector W12 at this upper position, thereby discharging the manufactured wire harness W1 to the discharge location 114. With this discharge step S17, a series of processes of the wire harness manufacturing method in this embodiment is completed.

[0051] Here, in this embodiment, after the movement of the slide parts 15 in step S15, each slide part 15 pulls the electric wires W16 toward the second end side 11b to apply tension. In the wire harness production apparatus 1, the tension thus applied is controlled by the control part 20 as follows during the execution of the wire harness production method.

[0052] FIG. 13 is a schematic diagram showing steps S21 and S22 of the tension control of the electric wires performed under the control of the control unit during execution of the wire harness manufacturing method shown in FIG.

[0053] 13 shows a schematic diagram of a tension control process of a control unit 20 that controls the tension applied to the electric wire W16 by the slide unit 15 in the wire harness manufacturing apparatus 1 during execution of the wire harness manufacturing method. The control unit 20 in the wire harness manufacturing apparatus 1 controls the movement of the slide unit 15 that moves linearly by driving a servo motor 21. The slide unit 15 holds the electric wire end of the electric wire W16 extending from the rear end connector W12 of the base end holding unit 16 via the tip end connector W11, and moves linearly to pull the electric wire W16 toward the second end side 11b. The control unit 20 controls the linear movement of the slide unit 15 and also performs the following control regarding the tension of the electric wire W16. That is, the control unit 20 obtains the driving force of the servo motor 21 as an index indicating the tension of the electric wire W16, compares the driving force as an index with a predetermined reference value when the sliding portion 15 is stopped, and controls the tension of the electric wire W16 by moving the sliding portion 15 according to the comparison result.

[0054] Step S21 shown in FIG. 13 corresponds to the pulling of the electric wire W16 by the linear movement of the sliding portion 15 in step S15 in FIG. 12. In this step S21, the sliding portion 15 is moved in the pulling direction D19 by the driving of the servo motor 21, and the electric wire W16 is pulled. At this time, under the control of the control unit 20, the servo motor 21 drives the sliding portion 15 with the following driving force F11. This driving force F11 is a force required for the sliding portion 15 to pull and extend the electric wire W16 that has become loose between the sliding portion 15 and the base end side holding portion 16. In addition, when pulling the electric wire W16, the control unit 20 controls the amount of linear movement of the sliding portion 15. This amount of movement is acquired in the control unit 20 based on the number of rotations of the servo motor 21, etc. The control unit 20 stops the multiple sliding portions 15 at the timing when they have moved an amount of movement according to the branch shape of the part number.

[0055] In step S22, the pulling of the electric wire W16 ends, and the sliding portion 15 stops. In this stopped state, the sliding portion 15 pulls the electric wire W16 in the pulling direction D19 with a balancing force F12 that balances the holding force of the electric wire end by the rear end connector W12 held by the base end holding portion 16. A predetermined tension is applied to the electric wire W16 by the pulling with the balancing force F12 by the sliding portion 15. In this embodiment, a value corresponding to the holding force by the base end holding portion 16 is used as a reference value.

[0056] FIG. 14 is a schematic diagram showing steps S23 to S25 of the wire tension control performed under the control of the control unit during execution of the wire harness production method shown in FIG.

[0057] FIG. 14 illustrates an example of a situation in which the tension of the electric wires W16 increases when the slide portion 15 stops in the control portion 20 of the wire harness manufacturing apparatus 1, where the electric wires W16 are pulled by being bundled by the electric wire processing portion 18.

[0058] In step S23, while the slide portion 15 is pulling the electric wires W16 from the rear end connector W12 of the base end holding portion 16 with a balancing force F12 against the holding force at the base end holding portion 16, the electric wire processing portion 18 begins bundling the electric wires W16.

[0059] When the electric wires W16 are bundled by the electric wire processing section 18, the electric wires W16 are pulled and the tension temporarily increases, and accordingly, the output of the servo motor 21 that drives the slide section 15 temporarily increases from the balancing force F12 to an upward driving force F13. In this embodiment, the control section 20 sets a reference value used for tension control to a value smaller than the driving force of the servo motor 21 that temporarily increases due to bundling of the electric wires W16 by the electric wire processing section 18. When the upward driving force F13 in the pulling direction D19 exceeds the reference value, the process in the control section 20 proceeds to the next step S24.

[0060] In step S24, the control unit 20 moves the slide unit 15 in a tension relaxation direction D20, which is the opposite direction to the pulling direction D19 of the electric wire W16, by a relaxation distance L11 that is longer than the distance required for the driving force of the servo motor 21 to fall below the reference value. As a result, the electric wire W16 from the rear end connector W12 of the base end holding unit 16 becomes slack while passing through the electric wire processing unit 18 between the slide unit 15 and the rear end connector W12. After this movement, the process proceeds to the next step S25.

[0061] In step S25, which is processing after the above movement, the control unit 20 moves the sliding unit 15 in the pulling direction D19 to a position where the sliding unit 15 stops while pulling the electric wire W16 with a balancing force F12 that balances the holding force of the rear end connector W12 of the base end holding unit 16. As a result, the electric wire W16 from the rear end connector W12 of the base end holding unit 16 is stretched with a predetermined tension while passing through the electric wire processing unit 18 between the sliding unit 15 and the base end holding unit 16. Processing such as tape winding during bundling in the electric wire processing unit 18 is performed in this state in which the electric wire W16 is stretched.

[0062] Here, in this embodiment, the control unit 20 may retract the sliding unit 15 to a predetermined retracted position in the tension relaxation direction D20 after the electric wire W16 is extended by the movement of the sliding unit 15. This retraction is performed to avoid interference with the electric wire processing unit 18 when performing electric wire processing on the electric wire W16 extended by another sliding unit 15.

[0063] FIG. 15 is a schematic diagram showing steps S26 and S27 of the tension control of the electric wires performed under the control of the control unit during execution of the wire harness manufacturing method shown in FIG.

[0064] FIG. 15 shows a schematic diagram of a retraction process of the slide portion 15 performed by the control portion 20 as part of tension control in the wire harness production apparatus 1 of the present embodiment.

[0065] In step S26 of this retraction process, when the retraction period during which the electric wire processing section 18 is expected to approach arrives, the control section 20 controls the servo motor 21 to retract the sliding section 15 to a predetermined retraction position P13 in the tension relaxation direction D20. Due to this retraction, the electric wire W16 from the rear end connector W12 of the base end holding section 16 becomes significantly slack between the sliding section 15 and the base end holding section 16. Then, when the retraction period ends, the process proceeds to the next step S27.

[0066] In step S27, the control unit 20 moves the sliding portion 15 in the pulling direction D19 to return the sliding portion 15 to the equilibrium position P14 before the retraction. By this return of the sliding portion 15, the electric wire W16 from the rear end connector W12 of the base end holding portion 16 is stretched between the sliding portion 15 and the base end holding portion 16 with a predetermined tension.

[0067] In this embodiment, tension control including the retraction process is performed in parallel under the control of the control unit 20 during execution of the wire harness manufacturing method shown in FIG.

[0068] The wire harness manufacturing apparatus 1 and the wire harness manufacturing method according to the embodiment described above can achieve the following effects. That is, in this embodiment, a plurality of sub-harnesses W1a are supplied, and the branched wire harness W1 is manufactured by combining the plurality of sub-harnesses W1a. At this time, the plurality of sub-harnesses W1a, which are materials for the wire harness W1 to be manufactured, are mounted on the sub-harness mounting plate 13 and supplied. The sub-harness mounting plate 13 is mounted in a state in which the connector cups 12 are detachably attached to the front-end connector W11 and the rear-end connector W12 of each sub-harness W1a. The front-end connector W11 and the rear-end connector W12 of each sub-harness W1a are transferred to the slide portion 15 and the base-end holding portion 16 for stretching the electric wires W16 of the plurality of sub-harnesses W1a supplied in this manner by the connector transfer mechanism 17. This connector transfer operation is performed so that the tip connector W11 and the rear connector W12 are transferred together with the connector cup 12 from the sub-harness mounting plate 13 to the slide portion 15 and the base end holding portion 16. Here, a plurality of connector cups 12 are prepared to be attached to the tip connector W11 and the rear end connector W12 of each sub-harness W1a so that various tip connectors W11 and rear end connectors W12 can be detachably accommodated one by one. Meanwhile, the outer shapes of the plurality of connector cups 12 are common to each other. Therefore, the slide portion 15 and the base end holding portion 16 always hold the connector cup 12 of the same outer shape regardless of the type of the tip connector W11 and the rear end connector W12. In addition, by changing the moving position of the slide portion 15, it is possible to correspond to various branch shapes. In other words, according to this embodiment, it is not necessary to change the structure by replacing the slide portion 15 and the base end holding portion 16 according to the type of the wire harness W1 to be manufactured, and the manufacturing work can be performed automatically while corresponding to various harness types.

[0069] Here, in the present embodiment, the wire harness W1 is assigned a part number for identifying the wire harness W1, and the wire harness manufacturing apparatus 1 is provided with a part number acquisition unit 19 for acquiring the part number assigned to the wire harness W1 to be manufactured. The connector transfer mechanism 17 transfers the front-end connector W11 to the slide part 15 that is one-to-one associated via the part number, and transfers the rear-end connector W12 to the base-end holding part 16 that is one-to-one associated via the part number. After the transfer, the slide part 15 moves to a position corresponding to the branching shape of the wire harness W1 identified by the part number, and the wire processing unit 18 performs wire processing corresponding to the branching shape. According to this configuration, by acquiring the part number of the wire harness W1 to be manufactured, the connector transfer operation by the connector transfer mechanism 17, the movement of the slide part 15, and the wire processing by the wire processing unit 18 are in accordance with the harness type associated with the part number. That is, according to the above configuration, by means of the part number, it is possible to effectively handle various harness types.

[0070] Also, in the present embodiment, the slide part 15 is provided in a number equal to or greater than the number of front-end connectors W11 assumed in advance, and waits at the initial position P11 of the second end side 11b before transfer. At the time of transfer, only the slide part 15 at the transfer destination associated via the part number moves from the initial position P11 to line up in a row at the slide-side attachment / detachment position P12 of the first end side 11a. According to this configuration, by providing more slide parts 15, the number of harness types that can be handled can be increased. Moreover, the slide parts 15 that are not used for manufacturing the wire harness W1 without corresponding to the part number wait at the initial position P11, so they do not interfere with the wire processing.

[0071] In this embodiment, the base end holding parts 16 are provided in a number equal to or greater than the number of rear end connectors W12 expected in advance, and all the base end holding parts 16 are positioned in the arrangement direction D12 to positions according to the processing operation based on the part number of each part of the device. With this configuration, by providing a larger number of base end holding parts 16, it is possible to increase the number of compatible harness types. Furthermore, because all the base end holding parts 16 move, even if there are base end holding parts 16 in a state where the rear end connectors W12 are not mounted, the movement of the mounted base end holding parts 16 is not hindered.

[0072] In this embodiment, a code image 132 representing a product number is drawn on the sub-harness mounting plate 13, and the product number acquisition unit 19 is a code reader that acquires the product number by reading the code image 132. According to this configuration, the product number is acquired by reading the code image 132 of the sub-harness mounting plate 13 with the code reader. In other words, according to the above configuration, the product number can be acquired more efficiently than, for example, a configuration in which the worker manually inputs the product number.

[0073] In this embodiment, the connector transfer mechanism 17 is provided with a gripping mechanism 172 attached to the tip of the robot arm 171, which grips and removes the front-end connector W11 and the rear-end connector W12 together with the connector cup 12. A code reader serving as the part number acquisition unit 19 is attached to the connector transfer mechanism 17 so as to be able to read the code image 132 when the gripping mechanism 172 faces the sub-harness mounting plate 13 for connector removal processing. With this configuration, the part number can be automatically acquired by reading the code image 132 of the sub-harness mounting plate 13 with the code reader when the connector is transferred by the connector transfer mechanism 17. In other words, with the above configuration, the part number can be acquired more efficiently than, for example, a configuration in which an operator manually carries a code reader to the sub-harness mounting plate 13 and reads the part number.

[0074] In this embodiment, the connector transfer mechanism 17 also dispenses the manufactured wire harness W1. During this dispensing, the connector transfer mechanism 17 removes the front end connector W11 together with the connector cup 12 from the slide portion 15, and removes the rear end connector W12 together with the connector cup 12 from the base end holding portion 16. The connector transfer mechanism 17 then carries the manufactured wire harness W1 to the dispensing location 114 and releases the front end connector W11 and the rear end connector W12 to dispense the manufactured wire harness W1. With this configuration, the connector transfer mechanism 17 also automatically dispenses the manufactured wire harness W1, which further reduces the labor of the worker involved in harness manufacturing.

[0075] In this embodiment, a discharge location 114 is provided between the moving end of the first end side 11a of the slide portion 15 and the installation position of the base end holding portion 16. According to this configuration, the position of the discharge location 114 overlaps with the movement range when the connector is transferred in the connector transfer mechanism 17. Therefore, the wire harness W1 can be discharged with a movement similar to the movement when the connector is transferred in the connector transfer mechanism 17, and the configuration related to the discharge can be simplified.

[0076] Also, in the present embodiment, the control unit 20 that functions as a tension control unit for controlling the linear movement of the slide unit 15 and controlling the tension of the electric wire W16 of the sub-harness W1a performs the following processing regarding tension control. That is, the control unit 20 acquires an index indicating the tension of the electric wire W16, compares the index with a predetermined reference value when the slide unit 15 stops, and controls the tension of the electric wire W16 by moving the slide unit 15 according to the comparison result. According to this configuration, the movement of the slide unit 15 is controlled by the control unit 20 according to the comparison result between the index indicating the tension of the electric wire W16 and the predetermined reference value. By this movement control of the slide unit 15, when an excessive tension that may exceed the reference value is likely to be applied to the electric wire W16 when the slide unit 15 stops, operations such as moving the slide unit 15 in a direction to relieve the tension become possible, and the tension applied to the electric wire W16 can be suppressed. In addition, the configuration necessary for such tension control is sufficient with the slide unit 15 originally provided for the manufacture of the wire harness W1 and the control unit 20 having its control configuration. Thus, according to the above configuration, the tension applied to the electric wire W16 can be suppressed with a simple configuration.

[0077] Also, in the present embodiment, the slide unit 15 stops while applying tension by pulling the electric wire W16 in the pulling direction D19 with a balancing force F12 that balances the holding force of the end portion of the electric wire by the rear-end connector W12 held by the base-end side holding unit 16. The control unit 20 uses a value corresponding to the holding force at the base-end side holding unit 16 as a reference value in tension control. According to this configuration, the electric wire W16 is pulled by the balancing force F12 with respect to the holding force of the end portion of the electric wire at the base-end side holding unit 16, so that operations on the electric wire W16 when the slide unit 15 stops can be performed under good workability with an appropriate tension applied to the electric wire W16.

[0078] Also, in the present embodiment, the reference value for tension control is smaller than an index that temporarily increases due to bundling of the electric wire W16 by the electric wire processing unit 18. According to this configuration, even when the tension temporarily increases when the electric wire W16 is bundled, since the tension is reflected in advance in the reference value in tension control, the increase in the tension can be effectively suppressed.

[0079] In addition, in this embodiment, when the index relating to the tension exceeds a reference value, the control unit 20 moves the slide unit 15 in the tension relaxation direction D20 by a relaxation distance L11 that is longer than the distance required for the index to fall below the reference value. After the movement, the control unit 20 moves the slide unit 15 in the pulling direction D19 to a position where the electric wire W16 is stopped while being pulled by a balancing force F12 against the holding force at the base end side holding unit 16. According to this configuration, when the index exceeds the reference value, the slide unit 15 is first moved by the above-mentioned long relaxation distance L11, and the tension of the electric wire W16 is significantly suppressed. After that, the slide unit 15 moves to a position where the electric wire W16 is stopped while being pulled by a balancing force F12 against the holding force, so that the electric wire W16 is tensioned with an appropriate tension. In this way, according to the above configuration, it is possible to effectively achieve both rapid relaxation when the tension increases and ensuring good workability for the electric wire W16 thereafter.

[0080] Furthermore, in this embodiment, the control unit 20 retracts the sliding part 15 to the retract position P13 when a predetermined retraction period arrives, and returns the sliding part 15 to the equilibrium position P14 before the retraction when the retraction period ends. According to this configuration, for example, when the sliding part 15 or the electric wire W16 stretched by the sliding part 15 interferes with peripheral work, the sliding part 15 can be retracted together with the electric wire W16, so that the peripheral work can be performed with good workability.

[0081] The above-described embodiments merely show typical embodiments of the wire harness manufacturing apparatus and the wire harness manufacturing method. The wire harness manufacturing apparatus and the wire harness manufacturing method are not limited to the above embodiments and can be modified in various ways.

[0082] For example, in the above-described embodiment, the wire harness W1 to be mounted and routed in an automobile is illustrated as an example of the wire harness to be manufactured. However, the wire harness is not limited to this, and may be a wire harness other than that to be mounted in an automobile.

[0083] In the above-described embodiment, as an example of the wire harness to be manufactured, the wire harness W1 schematically illustrated in FIG. 2 is exemplified. However, the wire harness is not limited to these, and as long as it has a branched shape, the specific number of branches, etc. are not questioned.

[0084] In the above-described embodiment, as an example of the wire processing unit, the wire processing unit 18 that performs bundling and taping of the electric wire W16 as wire processing is exemplified. However, the wire processing unit is not limited to this, and as long as it performs wire processing including selectively bundling wires to form a branched shape, it may perform wire processing with other processes added. That is, in addition to the above-described processes, the wire processing unit may perform, for example, attachment of an exterior member such as a corrugated tube, attachment of a fixing clip for fixing the wire harness to a predetermined fixing location, etc. as wire processing.

[0085] In the above-described embodiment, as an example of the wire harness manufacturing apparatus, the wire harness manufacturing apparatus 1 including the part number acquisition unit 19 and performing various processes related to the manufacture of the wire harness to be manufactured according to the acquired part number is exemplified. However, the wire harness manufacturing apparatus is not limited to this, and it may be an apparatus in which an operator manually sets manufacturing conditions such as the branched shape of the wire harness to be manufactured without including a part number acquisition unit. However, according to the configuration in which the part number acquisition unit 19 acquires the part number and manufactures the wire harness by processes corresponding to the part number, it is possible to effectively handle various types of harnesses as described above.

[0086] In the above-described embodiment, as an example of the slide section, the slide section 15 is provided in a number equal to or more than the number of tip side connectors W11 expected in advance, waits at the initial position P11, and only the one corresponding to the part number moves to the slide side attachment / detachment position P12. However, the slide section is not limited to this, and may be provided in the same number as the expected number of tip side connectors, and all slide sections may move to the slide side attachment / detachment position. Alternatively, the slide sections may be provided in a number equal to or more than the expected number, but all slide sections may move to the slide side attachment / detachment position. However, as described above, according to the configuration in which only the slide sections corresponding to the part number among the slide sections 15 in the expected number or more move to the slide side attachment / detachment position P12, the number of compatible harness types can be increased. Also, according to this configuration, the slide sections 15 that do not correspond to the part number wait at the initial position P11, so they do not interfere with wire processing, as described above.

[0087] In the above-described embodiment, as an example of the base-end holding portion, the base-end holding portion 16 is provided in a number equal to or greater than the number of rear-end connectors W12 expected in advance, and all of them are positioned in a position corresponding to the processing operation based on the part number. However, the base-end holding portion is not limited to this, and may be provided in the same number as the expected number of rear-end connectors, and may be fixed so as to be immovable in the arrangement direction at a predetermined position regardless of the part number, etc. However, as described above, according to a configuration in which all of the base-end holding portions 16 provided in a number greater than the expected number are positioned in a position corresponding to the part number, it is possible to increase the number of harness types that can be supported. Also, according to this configuration, since all of the base-end holding portions 16 are positioned in a position corresponding to the part number, even if there is a rear-end connector W12 in an unmounted state, the movement of the other mounted base-end holding portions 16 is not hindered, as described above.

[0088] In the above-described embodiment, the wire harness manufacturing apparatus 1 in which the code image 132 representing the part number is drawn on the sub-harness mounting plate 13 and the part number acquiring unit 19 is a code reader is exemplified as an example of the wire harness manufacturing apparatus. However, the wire harness manufacturing apparatus is not limited to this, and the part number may be acquired by manual input by an operator, etc. However, as described above, the part number can be efficiently acquired by the configuration in which the code image 132 is read by a code reader to acquire the part number.

[0089] In the above-described embodiment, the wire harness manufacturing apparatus 1 in which a code reader serving as the part number acquisition unit 19 is attached to the connector transfer mechanism 17 that performs the connector transfer operation is exemplified as an example of the wire harness manufacturing apparatus. However, the wire harness manufacturing apparatus is not limited to this, and may be configured such that a code reader serving as the part number acquisition unit is provided separately from the connector transfer mechanism in a portable manner, and an operator manually carries the code reader to read the part number. However, as described above, the configuration in which a code reader serving as the part number acquisition unit 19 is attached to the connector transfer mechanism 17 makes it possible to efficiently acquire part numbers when transferring connectors.

[0090] In the above-described embodiment, the wire harness manufacturing apparatus 1 in which the connector transfer mechanism 17 carries the manufactured wire harness W1 to the discharge location 114 and discharges it is exemplified as an example of the wire harness manufacturing apparatus. However, the wire harness manufacturing apparatus is not limited to this, and a separate mechanism for discharging the manufactured wire harness may be provided, or the wire harness may be discharged manually by an operator. However, as described above, by having the connector transfer mechanism 17, which performs the connector transfer operation in the initial stage of harness manufacturing, also take charge of discharging the manufactured wire harness W1, the labor of the operator involved in harness manufacturing can be further reduced.

[0091] In the above-described embodiment, the wire harness manufacturing apparatus 1 in which the discharge place 114 is provided between the moving end of the slide portion 15 and the installation position of the base end holding portion 16 is exemplified as an example of the wire harness manufacturing apparatus. However, the wire harness manufacturing apparatus is not limited to this, and the specific position of the discharge place is not limited to this. However, as described above, by providing the discharge place 114 between the moving end of the slide portion 15 and the installation position of the base end holding portion 16, the configuration related to discharge can be simplified.

[0092] In the above-described embodiment, the wire harness manufacturing apparatus 1 is provided with the control unit 20 that functions as a tension control unit that controls the tension of the electric wires W16 during harness manufacturing by moving the slide unit 15. However, the wire harness manufacturing apparatus is not limited to this, and tension control of the electric wires W16 during harness manufacturing may not be performed. However, as described above, by providing the control unit 20 that performs such tension control, the tension applied to the electric wires W16 can be suppressed with a simple configuration.

[0093] In the above-described embodiment, the wire harness manufacturing apparatus 1 is exemplified as an example of the wire harness manufacturing apparatus in which the control unit 20 sets a value corresponding to the holding force at the base end holding portion 16 as a reference value and performs tension control based on a comparison with this reference value. However, the wire harness manufacturing apparatus is not limited to this, and any value to be adopted as the reference value in tension control can be set arbitrarily. However, as described above, according to tension control in which a value corresponding to the holding force at the base end holding portion 16 is set as the reference value, work on the electric wire W16 when the slide portion 15 is stopped can be performed under good workability in which an appropriate tension is applied to the electric wire W16.

[0094] In the above-described embodiment, a reference value smaller than an index that temporarily increases due to bundling of the electric wires W16 by the electric wire processing unit 18 is exemplified as an example of the reference value for tension control. However, the reference value for tension control is not limited to this, and any reference value can be used. However, as described above, by using a reference value smaller than an index that temporarily increases due to bundling of the electric wires W16, it is possible to effectively suppress an increase in tension when the electric wires W16 are bundled.

[0095] In the above-described embodiment, as an example of tension control, when an index of the tension of the electric wire W16 exceeds a reference value, tension control is exemplified in which the sliding portion 15 is moved in the tension relaxation direction D20 by a relaxation distance L11 that is longer than the distance required for the index to fall below the reference value. However, the tension control is not limited to this, and may be control in which the movement of the sliding portion 15 is immediately stopped when the index falls below the reference value. However, as described above, tension control in which the sliding portion 15 is moved by the long relaxation distance L11 as described above can effectively achieve both rapid relaxation when the tension increases and ensuring good workability for the electric wire W16 thereafter.

[0096] In the above-described embodiment, as an example of tension control, tension control is exemplified in which the sliding portion 15 is retracted to the retract position P13 when the retraction period arrives, and is returned to the equilibrium position P14 before the retraction when the retraction period ends. However, tension control is not limited to this, and the retraction period as described above may not be particularly provided. However, as described above, by setting the retraction period and retracting during the period, the sliding portion 15 can be retracted together with the electric wire W16, and surrounding work can be performed with good workability. [Explanation of symbols]

[0097] 1. Wire harness manufacturing equipment 11 Equipment Frame 11a 1st end side 11b Second end side 12 Connector cup 13 Sub-harness mounting plate 14 Plate fixing part 15 Slide section 16 Proximal holding part 17 Connector transfer mechanism 18 Wire processing section 19 Part Number Acquisition Department 20 Control section 21 Servo motor 111 Slide rail 112 Wire processing rail 113 Base end rail 114 Payment Location 115 Mechanism Base 121 Containment Room 122 Passing groove 123 Transfer locking groove 131 Cup holder 131a Cup holding arm 132 Code Image 141 Screw 151 Slide side cup holder 151a, 161a Cup receiving recess 151b,161b Wire passage 151c,161c notch 152 Slide connection part 161 Base end cup holder 162 Proximal connection section 171 Robot Arm 172 Gripping mechanism 172a L-shaped angle 172b Arm mechanism 172b-1 Grasping arm 181 Mechanism Frame 182 Tip side focusing mechanism 182a, 183a Focusing arm 183 Rear end focusing mechanism 184 Tape winding mechanism 184a Tape reel D11 Slide direction D12 Array Direction D13 Depth of containment chamber D14 Wire extension direction D15 Cup attachment / detachment direction D16 Slide side rotation mounting direction D17 Base end rotation mounting direction D18 Angle Longitudinal Direction D19 Tensile direction D20 Tension relaxation direction F11 Driving Force F12 Balancing force F13 Ascending drive force L11 relaxation distance P11 Initial position P12 Slide side attachment / detachment position P13 Evacuation position P14 Balance position S11 Plate mounting process S12 Part number acquisition process S13 Connector transfer pre-movement process S14 Connector transfer process S15 Electric wire processing process S16 Pre-discharge transfer process S17 Discharge process W1 Wire harness W1a Sub-harness W11 Tip connector W12 Rear end connector W13 Tape winding section W16 electric wire W131 Tape

Claims

1. a plurality of connector cups each having a common outer shape, the connector cups being provided at one end of a wire harness to be manufactured in which a plurality of sub-harnesses are combined to form a branch shape, the plurality of connector cups being provided so as to detachably accommodate one or more connectors to be provided at the other end of the wire harness; a sub-harness mounting plate on which the sub-harnesses are mounted with the connector cups detachably attached to the connectors included in each of the sub-harnesses; a plate fixing portion to which the sub-harness mounting plate is detachably attached; a first end connector that is provided on the first end side of the connectors and that is arranged in a first direction and a second direction, the first end connector being arranged in a first direction and a second direction, the first end connector being arranged in a second direction and a second direction, the first end connector being arranged in a first direction and a second direction, the second end connector being arranged in a second direction and a third direction, the first end connector being arranged in a second direction and a third direction, the second ... a base end holding portion provided on the first end side, which is a base end side of the linear movement, so as to be immovable at least in the sliding direction, and provided so as to hold one or more other end side connectors, which will be provided on the other end side of the plurality of connectors, via the connector cup; a connector transfer mechanism that removes the one-end connector and the other-end connector together with the connector cup from the sub-harness mounting plate attached to the plate fixing portion, transfers the one-end connector together with the connector cup to the slide portion, and transfers the other-end connector together with the connector cup to the base-end holding portion; an electric wire processing section that performs electric wire processing on the electric wires of the plurality of sub-harnesses that are stretched between the plurality of slide sections and one or more of the base end side holding sections by the linear movement, the electric wires being selectively bundled together to form the branch shape; A wire harness manufacturing apparatus comprising:

2. The wire harness is provided with a product number for identifying the wire harness, A part number acquisition unit that acquires the part number attached to the wire harness to be manufactured, the connector transfer mechanism transfers the one-end connector removed together with the connector cup from the sub-harness mounting plate to the slide section which is in one-to-one correspondence with the part number, and transfers the other-end connector removed together with the connector cup from the sub-harness mounting plate to the base-end holding section which is in one-to-one correspondence with the part number, the slide portion, which has received the one-end connector, moves in the slide direction to a position corresponding to the branch shape of the wire harness identified by the product number, 2. The wire harness manufacturing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the wire processing unit performs the wire processing in accordance with the branch shape of the wire harness identified by the product number.

3. The wire harness manufacturing device according to claim 2, characterized in that the slide portions are provided in a number equal to or greater than the number of one-end connectors of the wire harness that are previously assumed to be manufactured, and before transfer by the connector transfer mechanism, they wait at an initial position on the second end side, and when transferred by the connector transfer mechanism, only the slide portions that are associated as transfer destinations of the one-end connectors via the product number move from the initial position to a slide side attachment / detachment position on the first end side so as to line up in a row in the arrangement direction.

4. The wire harness manufacturing apparatus according to claim 2, characterized in that the base end holding portions are provided in a number equal to or greater than the number of other end connectors of the wire harnesses that are preliminarily assumed to be manufactured, and all of the base end holding portions are positioned in the arrangement direction to positions corresponding to processing operations of the connector transfer mechanism and the wire processing portion based on the product number.

5. A code image representing the product number is drawn on the sub-harness mounting plate, 3. The wire harness manufacturing device according to claim 2, wherein the product number acquisition unit is a code reader that reads the code image and acquires the product number.

6. the connector transfer mechanism is provided with a gripping mechanism attached to a tip end of a robot arm, the gripping mechanism being configured to grip and remove the plurality of connectors one-to-one together with the plurality of connector cups attached to the sub-harness mounting plate, The wire harness manufacturing apparatus according to claim 5, characterized in that the code reader as the product number acquisition unit is attached to the connector transfer mechanism so that the code image can be read when the gripping mechanism of the connector transfer mechanism faces the sub-harness mounting plate to remove the connector.

7. The wire harness manufacturing apparatus according to claim 1, characterized in that the connector transfer mechanism removes the one-end connector of the manufactured wire harness that has undergone the wire processing by the wire processing unit from the slide portion together with the connector cup, removes one or more of the other-end connectors together with the connector cup from the base-end holding portion, transports the manufactured wire harness to a predetermined discharge location, and releases the one-end connector and the other-end connector at the discharge location, thereby discharging the manufactured wire harness.

8. one or more of the base end side holding portions are provided to be aligned in a line in the arrangement direction with a gap between each of the base end side holding portions and a moving end portion on the first end side of the sliding portion in the sliding direction, The wire harness manufacturing device according to claim 7, wherein the ejection location is provided between the moving end of the slide portion and an installation position of the base end side holding portion.

9. 2. The wire harness manufacturing apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising a tension control unit that controls the linear movement of the slide unit, obtains an index indicating a tension of the electric wires of the sub-harness connected to the one-end connector that moves together with the slide unit, compares the index with a predetermined reference value when the slide unit stops, and moves the slide unit in accordance with a comparison result.

10. a plate mounting process for mounting the sub-harness mounting plate, on which the sub-harnesses are mounted in a state in which the connector cups are detachably attached to the connectors included in each of the sub-harnesses, to the plate fixing portion by using the wire harness manufacturing apparatus according to any one of claims 1 to 9; a connector transfer step in which the connector transfer mechanism removes the one end connector and the other end connector together with the connector cup from the sub-harness mounting plate attached to the plate fixing portion, transfers the one end connector together with the connector cup to the slide portion, and transfers the other end connector together with the connector cup to the base end holding portion; an electric wire processing step in which the electric wire processing section selectively performs a process of bundling the electric wires of the plurality of sub-harnesses stretched between the plurality of slide sections and one or more of the base end side holding sections by the linear movement to form the branch shape; A method for manufacturing a wire harness comprising the steps of:

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