Apparatus and method for manufacturing cable harnesses

Abstract

The apparatus (10) for manufacturing cable harnesses comprises a vertical presentation plate (20) on which the cables (4) of the cable harness can be placed in front of the presentation plate, and handling elements (40, 50, 60, 70) for handling the cables (4) of the cable harness, the handling elements (40, 50, 60, 70) being magnetically attached to the presentation plate (20) and designed so that they can be moved in all directions (x, y) in a plane formed by the presentation plate (20) with the aid of a gantry robot (30). The presentation plate (20) is made of a non-ferromagnetic material, and the handling elements (40, 50, 60, 70) each comprise a front handling part (42) and a rear moving part (41), one part of which is equipped with a permanent magnet and another part of which is equipped with a permanent magnet so that the permanent magnets attract each other.

Description

[Technical Field]

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

[0002] A cable harness, such as those used in automobiles or aircraft, consists of multiple cables, each generally provided with a plug housing at their prefabricated cable ends. A cable harness is an arrangement of multiple cables in which the cables are assembled into a structure with a complex, branching geometric shape resembling a tree.

[0003] When manufacturing a cable harness, certain locations and areas of the cable harness must be fixed. For example, in doing so, branches and nodes may be fixed using appropriate tools (e.g., spot tape or cable ties). It may also be necessary to provide additional protection for the cable harness as a whole or for areas (e.g., by taping it with adhesive tape). Furthermore, it may be necessary for the cable harness to be equipped with attachment elements, such as clips, at predetermined locations to allow for final installation of the cable harness in the facility for which it is intended, such as an automobile. The above-described processing of cable harnesses is also known to those skilled in the art as a "forming operation" or "setting operation," since a tree-like structure is created from a plurality of individual cables.

[0004] Conventionally, these processing steps are carried out manually or with suitable power hand tools on a laying plate, where the entire cable harness is stretched over the laying plate. In particular, workers must remove the nodes of the cable harness from the bifurcated brackets of the laying plate in order to work accurately in that area.

[0005] In recent years, efforts have been made toward automation. A method and a corresponding device are known, for example, from EP 706725. The approach disclosed there involves stretching the cable harness along a straight line so that the nodes can be fixed. The positions must be processed one after the other. Another approach for manufacturing cable harnesses is disclosed in EP 673091. This approach essentially consists of first fully stretching the cable harness on a laying plate, similar to manual processing, and then carrying out the work steps using a processing robot. Both approaches share a relatively large space requirement, i.e., the relatively large or long length of the respective prior art devices. A further drawback is the insufficient production capacity of the devices in practice. Although the straight line stretching approach is somewhat suitable for parallelizing the processing steps, this clearly limits production output. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0006] [Patent Document 1] European Patent No. 706725 [Patent Document 2] European Patent Application Publication No. 673091 Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0007] SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION It is therefore an object of the present invention to overcome the drawbacks of the known and in particular to create an improved device for manufacturing cable harnesses that can be operated efficiently. [Means for solving the problem]

[0008] According to the present invention, this object is achieved by an apparatus having the features of claim 1. The apparatus for producing cable harnesses comprises a preferably vertical presentation plate on which the cables of the cable harness can be arranged and handling elements for handling the cables of the cable harness. The handling elements are, in particular, magnetically attached or attachable to the presentation plate and are designed so that they can be moved, preferably freely, in all directions in the plane formed by the presentation plate. The purpose of the presentation plate is, inter alia, to present the cables or cable harnesses of the cable harness on the plate so that they can be manually or mechanically fixed or taped in designated positions using fixing devices such as spot tape. Hereinafter, handling elements are understood to mean elements by which a single cable or multiple cables can be handled in order to process them in the context of producing a cable harness. One such handling is, for example, fixing specific points and specific areas of the cable harness using appropriate tools (e.g., spot tape, cable ties).

[0009] Instead of, or in addition to, the above-mentioned preferably vertical presentation plate, presentation plates of different orientations can also be considered for the device according to the present invention. The presentation plate can be an inclined presentation plate or one that is inclined at an angle to the horizontal. A steeply inclined presentation plate that is nearly vertical (e.g., an inclination angle of more than 80°) can be considered a substantially vertical presentation plate. In certain applications, it is even conceivable that the device has a horizontal presentation plate.

[0010] The handling element can be magnetically attached to a preferably vertical presentation plate using permanent magnets, with the help of which the handling element can be firmly held in a desired position on the presentation plate. Thanks to such magnets, the handling element is attached to the presentation plate with adhesive, but still remains movable. Preferably, the permanent magnets are selected to be only strong enough to allow the handling element to be removed from the presentation plate so that the handling element can be easily replaced by hand as needed. As an alternative to magnetic attachment, adhesion of the handling element to a preferably vertical presentation plate can also be achieved in other ways, for example by using a means for generating a vacuum or by utilizing a hook-and-loop connection.

[0011] Permanent magnets have the advantage of ensuring reliable operation in a simple manner and remaining in their current position on the presentation plate, especially in the event of a fault (e.g., an unexpected power outage due to a utility power outage). As an alternative to the handling element being attached or attachable to the presentation plate magnetically or using a vacuum or other adhesive or holding means, other designs are also conceivable. For example, the handling element could be connected to the presentation plate using at least one planar motor so that the handling element can be moved in all directions in the plane formed by the presentation plate.

[0012] In a particularly preferred embodiment, the above-mentioned, preferably vertical, presentation plate, on which the cables of the cable harness can be placed in front of the presentation plate, may be made of a non-ferromagnetic material. The or each handling element may comprise a front handling section and a rear moving section. Thus, the front handling section is assigned to the front side of the presentation plate, and the rear moving section is assigned to the rear side of the presentation plate, opposite the front side. In other words, the handling section and the moving section are attached to both sides (front and rear) of the presentation plate. The front handling section and the associated rear moving section form a two-part handling element combined into a common assembly. The handling section can be pulled by moving the moving section over the presentation plate. The handling section and the associated rear moving section, i.e., the assembly parts, are separated from each other by the presentation plate but are operably connected to each other (e.g., by magnetic forces).

[0013] Here, at least one of the parts of the respective handling element (i.e., handling part, moving part) is provided with a permanent magnet for magnetically attaching to the presentation plate, while the other parts contain ferromagnetic material or are provided with permanent magnets but with different poles so that the permanent magnets attract each other (hence, the handling part and moving part roughly correspond to one permanent magnet and one ferromagnetic material, or roughly correspond to two permanent magnets with different poles so that the permanent magnets attract each other). The latter case of having two permanent magnets should be understood to mean that the permanent magnets are arranged and oriented relative to each other in such a way that the different poles face each other so that the permanent magnets attract each other.

[0014] As mentioned above, if the handling element part (handling part, moving part) is magnetically attached to the presentation plate, the handling part can be pulled by moving the moving part on the presentation plate. The handling part is therefore moved indirectly. This has the advantage, among other things, that the side of the presentation plate assigned to the cable harness, which corresponds to the side on which the handling part is located, does not need any means for movement, which has a positive effect on the handling of the cables and cable harnesses.

[0015] According to this preferred embodiment, at least one of the parts of each handling element (i.e., handling section, transfer section) is provided with a permanent magnet for magnetically attaching to the presentation plate. This does not mean that each part simply needs to be provided with a permanent magnet for magnetically attaching to the presentation plate. In certain applications, it may be useful for each part of the handling element (handling section, transfer section) to have at least two, preferably four, permanent magnets in order to perform accurate movements. Thus, for example, four pairs of magnets can be installed on one handling element, i.e., four permanent magnets in the handling section and four permanent magnets in the transfer section. This arrangement has the additional advantage that the handling element can be rotated from the rear side about its axis, if necessary (the rotation axis is in the same plane as the normal direction of the presentation plate).

[0016] Such a two-part handling element, having a front handling part and a rear moving part, can be easily and securely attached to a presentation plate and moved precisely to a desired position on the presentation plate. The handling part, which is in front of the presentation plate and faces the cable harness, is used to actually handle the individual parts of the cable harness and provides means by which cables, e.g., in the form of cable bundles, connector housings, prefabricated cable ends with branches, etc., can be gripped, held together, or otherwise handled. The moving part, which is in the rear of the presentation plate, is used to move the handling element. In other words, the handling element can be moved manually or mechanically via the moving part. The handling part is moved in unison while the moving part is moved on the presentation plate.

[0017] The moving part can have a coupling part connected to the body, through which the handling element can be moved. The body is the part of the handling element that comes into contact with the presentation plate. The permanent magnet is preferably integrated into the body. However, the body can also consist of or include a ferromagnetic material. The coupling part forms an interface with a unit that can drive the moving part for the movement of the handling element. This unit can be a positioning system with a coupling part, through which the handling element can be coupled, thus forming the necessary operative connection between the positioning system and the handling element for movement. In the case of manual operation, the coupling part can be a handle that an operator can hold with his or her hand and thus manually move the handling element.

[0018] The handling part can have a handling head connected to the body and a handling head connected to the body. The body of the handling part can be designed substantially the same as the body of the transfer part, in particular with regard to its dimensions and in particular with regard to its base region.

[0019] For ease of handling, it may be advantageous if the handling part has a handling head connected to the body, the handling head being connected to the body so that it can rotate freely relative to the normal direction.

[0020] Particularly advantageously, the handling head is designed so that when the handling elements are attached to a vertical presentation plate, the handling head remains in a vertically aligned basic position due to gravity. In the basic position, the handling head is oriented vertically, which can be easily achieved by appropriate weight distribution within the handling head. Thanks to the automatic correct alignment, complex adjustment of the rotation angle of the handling head is not required. Naturally, it is not necessary for all of the multiple handling elements to have handling heads that can be freely rotated and automatically aligned to the basic position.

[0021] At least some of the handling elements of the device for producing cable harnesses can be designed as housing holders for holding housings. Each housing holder can temporarily hold a single housing for producing a cable harness, or even several housings in some cases. Housings intended for forming electrical plug-in connections, or more precisely prefabricated cable ends provided with housings, can be moved to the desired position on the presentation plate thanks to the housing holder. The housing holder can be equipped with a housing receptacle that can be inserted into the housing to securely hold it, or other means for temporarily holding the housing. The housing holders are assigned to a housing holder handling head.

[0022] At least some of the handling elements of the device for producing cable harnesses may be designed as deflectors for deflecting the path of the cables. If a housing holder is considered as a first type of handling element, then a deflector for deflecting the path of the cables of a cable harness (one or, if necessary, several cables can be deflected, in the case of several cables, the cables are usually present as loose or already fixed cable bundles) forms a second type of handling element. For example, deflectors are usually used in the branching structure of a cable harness to bend individual cables at defined positions, for example at the branches.

[0023] The deflector handling head can have an open hook, preferably V-shaped in side view. It is advantageous if the deflector handling head is provided with a guide element, in particular a guide rod, arranged on the hook, in particular in the region of its apex. The hook and the guide element can form a horizontal "K" in side view.

[0024] At least some of the handling elements of the device for manufacturing cable harnesses can be designed as hold-up means. Hold-up means form a third type of handling element. Hold-up means are used to hold individual or multiple cables combined in the form of a cable harness, thus increasing the distance to the presentation plate to allow cables to be routed underneath the held individual or multiple cables. Using one, preferably two, hold-up means, for example, can hold the main strand of the cable harness further away from the positioning plate, thereby creating an enlarged gap below the held cable harness so that other parts of the cable harness can be guided underneath without obstruction, for example, using a housing holder, thereby allowing further branching on two sides.

[0025] The handling head of the hold-up means may comprise a flank section extending obliquely, in particular at 45° to the horizontal, and a cable receiving section adjacent to the flank section, which is preferably U-shaped in side view.

[0026] In a further embodiment of the device, the presentation plate can have at least one parking zone, preferably located on the edge, with multiple parking bays arranged adjacent to one another for parking individual handling elements. Thanks to the parking zone, optimal organization and control of the multiple handling elements is ensured. When the preferably vertical presentation plate forms a rectangular shape with two horizontal and two vertical rectangular sides, one of the rectangular sides, preferably the upper horizontal rectangular side and one of the vertical rectangular sides, can have such a parking zone. This arrangement has further advantages in terms of automation.

[0027] If the body has a base region which is preferably circular in cross section, it may be advantageous if the parking bays, preferably each parking bay, each have a receptacle for the body formed by a recess, in particular a receptacle which is complementary to the body and preferably forms an arc of a circle, so that the respective handling element can be placed in or moved exactly to a parking position. The parking bay with the receptacle may preferably be arranged behind the presentation plate.

[0028] The device can have a positioning system for moving the handling elements to the desired position, which is preferably integrated into the presentation plate and is in particular formed by a gantry robot. Using a gantry robot, the handling elements can be moved to the desired position quickly and precisely, and depending on the requirements, even complex paths can be easily covered when moving using a gantry robot. As an alternative to a gantry robot, delta robots or other types of positioning robots or positioning systems are also conceivable.

[0029] The positioning system, in particular the gantry robot, can have a positioning head via which it can act on and move the handling element. For this purpose, the positioning head can have a coupling that can be operatively connected (i.e. coupled) with a coupling assigned to the handling element as described above, so that the movements of the positioning head can then be transmitted to the handling element.

[0030] For the joint movement of the handling elements, the positioning system can have a positioning head with a plurality of couplings by which the positioning system can be put into operable connection with the handling elements. These couplings can be rigidly connected to one another. However, it can be advantageous if the couplings can be moved separately relative to one another at least relative to the plane of the presentation plate, thereby enabling more complex movements.

[0031] For example, the positioning head may be designed such that multiple coupling portions are arranged adjacent to one another in a row at a distance from one another, the distance being variable using an adjustment mechanism, and / or the coupling portions are pivotally connected to one another.

[0032] According to a further embodiment, the device can have two presentation plates. In this case, at least one processing robot can be provided between the two presentation plates, with the help of which a fixing means can be attached to a cable for fixing and fixing at a point or compartment. At least one processing robot can be responsible for two presentation plates. Preferably, at least two processing robots are provided, particularly preferably at least three processing robots.

[0033] In a further embodiment, it is also conceivable to retain a separate area of ​​the presentation plate for a manual workstation, where, for example, a grommet can be attached to a cable harness, in which case the positioning system also presents the relevant cable harness area with respect to the handling robot.

[0034] The present invention then relates to a method for manufacturing a cable harness, preferably using the above-described device, comprising the following steps: providing a vertical presentation plate; - placing the cables with housings required for the cable harness on the presentation plate using housing holders, the housing holders being arranged in a predetermined order in a horizontal direction (starting position); Inserting a deflector between housing holders, the housing holders may be initially moved in such a way that the distance between the housing holders is increased; - moving a portion of the housing holders from the row of housing holders, preferably moving the housing holders assigned to the upper branch of the cable harness upwards; A step of applying a fixing means from the group of spot tapes, clips or bandages to anchor and fix the upwardly moved cable at a point or section using at least one handling robot is carried out.

[0035] Prior to the above-mentioned placement of the cable on the presentation plate, the method may also include the following method steps: providing or preparing technical drawings of the cable harness, This may include steps in which the cable is assembled based on technical drawings: the cable can be unwound from a cable storage unit, cut to length in a cable processing machine, stripped, crimped as needed, and fitted with a housing in a housing assembler.

[0036] The placement of prefabricated cables with housings required for the cable harness on the presentation plate is preferably carried out using freely movable housing holders on the vertical presentation plate, with the housing holders, and therefore the housings, also being aligned in a predetermined order horizontally at a horizontal starting height using a positioning system, and after placement is complete, the cables each exist in a downwardly hanging U-shape. After placement, the cables are placed on the presentation plate using the housing holders, which are in the aforementioned initial position. In other words, in the initial position, the general shape of the cable harness is generally U-shaped, with multiple cables hanging downward in a U-shape to form cable loops.

[0037] The initial arrangement may then be carried out in such a way that the housing holders are arranged in a compact starting position as close as possible to one another in a row, for example in the form of longitudinal blocks in which the housing holders touch one another.

[0038] Before drawing the deflector between the housing holders, the following additional work steps are carried out: In order to allow the deflector to be smoothly inserted between the housing holders from top to bottom as required, it may be necessary to move the housing holders in such a way that the distance between them is increased (pulled apart).

[0039] A freely movable deflector may be used, preferably on the presentation plate, to insert the deflector between the housing holders.

[0040] In a preferred embodiment, the fixing means are mounted in steps, and between the steps the housing holder and, if applicable, the deflector are brought into position by suitable movements including a horizontal movement component so that the cable is optimally positioned. When moving the housing holder, it may be advantageous to perform the movements as lateral drag movements.

[0041] Preferably, the housing holder assigned to the lower branch of the cable harness is moved downwards only after the cable harness has been completed to the upper branch.

[0042] According to an advantageous method, the cable is lifted with the aid of a lifting jack, so that the housing holder can move downwards under the cable thus lifted to form the lower branch.

[0043] When a cable harness is to be manufactured with branches directed upward and downward relative to the main strand, it is advantageous to arrange the cables on the presentation plate so that the lower branches are fewer in number than the upper branches in the finished cable harness. This arrangement ensures that as few underpasses as possible must be created using hold-up means, and makes the method much quicker and easier to carry out.

[0044] A further embodiment of the method relates to determining the order of the housing holders arranged in a row, the order being determined by the following factors: the housing holders assigned to the upward branches of the cable harness, and therefore the housings held by them, are positioned in the center of the row; the housing holders assigned to the main strands of the cable harness, and therefore the housings held by them, are arranged outside the rows; This is determined by the fact that the housing holders assigned to the downward branches of the cable harness, and therefore the housings held by them, are added further out in the row, with the latter housing holders assigned to the downward branches generally being positioned further outward than the previous housing holders assigned to the main strand. Based on these factors, for a cable harness having four upper branches O and five lower branches U (H: main branch), the following arrangement could ideally result: UUUHOOOOHUU.

[0045] When positioning the housing holders, the respective cable lengths of the cables are taken into consideration, and the housing holders or housings held by the housing holders, each assigned to a common cable with a short cable length, are preferably positioned directly adjacent to each other. Depending on the cable length, arrangements different from the above order, which represents the ideal case, such as UUHOOOUOHUU, may occur.

[0046] By arranging the housing holders in such an arrangement, cable harnesses can be produced efficiently and effectively. Movement of the handling elements can be performed quickly and reliably. Another advantage is that overloading of the cables and the possibility of cable damage can be prevented.

[0047] Furthermore, when determining the order, it may be advantageous to also take into account the cable lengths and downward branches: if these cable lengths are too short, the housing holders assigned to such downward branches, and therefore the housings held by them, are positioned between them above, following the main strand, in order to provide sufficient clearance for subsequent positioning movements.

[0048] In another embodiment, the lower branches can be moved more quickly between the upper branches, especially if there is a very short wire connection or cable length between the downward-facing and upward-facing branches (e.g., in the unwound state, they are positioned exactly on top of each other).

[0049] Further particular features and advantages of the invention will become apparent from the following description of exemplary embodiments and from the drawings. [Brief explanation of the drawings]

[0050] [Figure 1] 1 is a perspective view (front view of the presentation plate) of an apparatus according to the present invention for manufacturing cable harnesses, having a presentation plate and a plurality of handling elements mounted thereon, as well as a cable processing machine and a housing assembler upstream of the apparatus; [Figure 2] 2 is a perspective view (from behind the presentation plate) of the device of FIG. 1 from a different viewing direction. [Figure 3] 2A and 2B are enlarged perspective views of the handling elements (housing holder, deflector, hold-up means) of the device according to FIG. 1, respectively; [Figure 4a] FIG. 1 is a side view showing individual handling elements. [Figure 4b] FIG. 1 is a side view showing individual handling elements. [Figure 4c] FIG. 1 is a side view showing individual handling elements. [Figure 5] 1 is a schematic diagram of the main process steps for manufacturing a cable harness. [Figure 6] 6 is a more detailed schematic illustration of the process steps for manufacturing a cable harness compared to FIG. 5. [Figure 7a] 1 illustrates a process for manufacturing a new cable harness according to an exemplary embodiment. [Figure 7b] 1 illustrates a process for manufacturing a new cable harness according to an exemplary embodiment. [Figure 7c] 1 illustrates a process for manufacturing a new cable harness according to an exemplary embodiment. [Figure 7d] 1 illustrates a process for manufacturing a new cable harness according to an exemplary embodiment. [Figure 7e] 1 illustrates a process for manufacturing a new cable harness according to an exemplary embodiment. [Figure 7f] 1 illustrates a process for manufacturing a new cable harness according to an exemplary embodiment. [Figure 7g] 1 illustrates a process for manufacturing a new cable harness according to an exemplary embodiment. [Figure 7h] 1 illustrates a process for manufacturing a new cable harness according to an exemplary embodiment. [Figure 7i] 1 illustrates a process for manufacturing a new cable harness according to an exemplary embodiment. [Figure 7j] 1 illustrates a process for manufacturing a new cable harness according to an exemplary embodiment. [Figure 7k] 1 illustrates a process for manufacturing a new cable harness according to an exemplary embodiment. [Figure 7l] 1 illustrates a process for manufacturing a new cable harness according to an exemplary embodiment. [Figure 7m] 1 illustrates a process for manufacturing a new cable harness according to an exemplary embodiment. [Figure 7n] 1 illustrates a process for manufacturing a new cable harness according to an exemplary embodiment. [Figure 7o] 1 illustrates a process for manufacturing a new cable harness according to an exemplary embodiment. [Figure 7p] 1 illustrates a process for manufacturing a new cable harness according to an exemplary embodiment. [Figure 8]1 is a simplified diagram of another apparatus for manufacturing cable harnesses having two presentation plates and a handling robot positioned between them. [Figure 9a] 10A-B show the positioning head of the positioning system for the device according to FIG. 9 in two different positions; [Figure 9b] 10A-B show the positioning head of the positioning system for the device according to FIG. 9 in two different positions; [Figure 10a] 10A-10C show an alternative positioning head in two different positions. [Figure 10b] 10A-10C show an alternative positioning head in two different positions. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0051] FIG. 1 shows an apparatus 10 for manufacturing cable harnesses. Cable harnesses, such as those used in automobiles or aircraft, consist of multiple cables, each typically equipped with a plug housing at its prefabricated cable end. A cable harness is an arrangement of multiple cables or lines assembled into a structure with a complex, branched geometric shape resembling a tree. Each cable is typically an electrical cable containing a solid or stranded conductor, for example, made of copper or aluminum, and an insulator as a sheath for the conductor. The term "cable" is to be understood broadly below. In this context, a cable is also understood to mean a cable unit consisting of multiple cables or lines of equal length combined into a unit, such as a twisted cable harness.

[0052] In Figure 1, a cable prep machine 1 and a housing assembler 2 are located upstream of apparatus 10. Cable prep machine 1 may include a stripping station for cutting and stripping the cable to length, one or more crimping stations for applying crimp contacts to the stripped cable ends, and one or more grommet stations, if desired. In housing assembler 2, connector housings are assembled with prefabricated cable ends of the cables from cable prep machine 1.

[0053] After wiring, the cable harnesses need to be prepared for their intended use so that they can be installed in the intended installation, such as a vehicle. The cables required for each cable harness assembled in the cable processing machine 1 and the housing assembly machine 2 are assembled into a tree-like structure using the device 10, which will be described in detail below. Branches and nodes must then be secured using appropriate fastening means (e.g., spot tape or cable ties). The cable harness may need to be provided with additional protection, either completely or in areas (e.g., by taping with resistive adhesive tape). Naturally, the device 10 may also be a standalone machine without the upstream machines 1 and 2. In this case, the required cables are delivered pre-assembled.

[0054] The apparatus for producing cable harnesses includes a vertical presentation plate 20 on which the cables of the cable harness can be placed. The cables, designated 4, are already assembled and equipped with housings 5 ​​and are positioned in the intermediate position shown in FIG. 1 in the form of more or less freely hanging loops on the vertical presentation plate 20. The housings 5 ​​of the cables 4 are held by housing holders 50. The cables 4 are then subjected to deflectors 60, which have the purpose of redirecting the path of the cables 4. In the intermediate position shown in FIG. 1, a total of four deflectors 60 are present in the unfinished cable harness, with two such deflectors 60 grouped together. The housing holders 50 and the deflectors 60 form two types of handling elements. A third type of handling element, namely, hold-up means designated 70, can be seen in FIG. 1. These hold-up means 70 are in a waiting position in a parking zone. If required, the hold-up means 70 can be moved to the cable harness and inserted therein accordingly by means of a positioning system, which will be described in detail below. In addition to the hold-up means 70, further handling elements 50, 60 are positioned in the parking zone to wait until they are used in the production of the cable harness.

[0055] The apparatus 10 further comprises a processing robot 3, with the aid of which fixing means can be attached to the cable 4 for anchoring and fixing at a point or section. Using the processing robot 3, for example, spot tape can be applied. Such spot tape can be seen in Figure 7l, 7m or 7n and is designated 82. The processing robot 3 is designed in this case as an articulated arm robot. The articulated arm robot can be rigidly connected to the floor or can also be designed to move autonomously above the floor.

[0056] In this exemplary embodiment, the handling elements 50, 60, 70 are magnetically attached to the presentation plate 20 and are designed to be movable in all directions in the plane formed by the presentation plate 20. A Cartesian coordinate system, shown in FIG. 1 and subsequent figures, is used to aid in understanding the orientation and primary movements of the components of the device 10. The aforementioned plane is parallel to the plane formed by the x- and y-axes. The handling elements 50, 60, 70 can be freely moved in the x- and y-directions.

[0057] The presentation plate 20 is made of a non-ferromagnetic material. Each of the handling elements 50, 60, 70 includes a front handling section and a rear moving section, each of which includes a permanent magnet for magnetically attaching the presentation plate to the handling section and moving section so that the permanent magnets are attracted to each other. For this purpose, the permanent magnets are arranged and oriented relative to each other with opposite poles facing each other, thereby attracting each other. Each section (handling section, moving section) may be provided with one permanent magnet; however, it may be advantageous to provide multiple permanent magnets for each section. Figure 2 shows the device 10 with a rear view of the presentation plate 20. Here, the moving section can be seen and is marked 41. In this case, the moving section 41 is designed substantially identically for all types of handling elements (see Figures 3 and 4a to 4c below for the handling section).

[0058] The moving unit 41 is responsible for the movement of the handling elements 50, 60, 70. To move the handling elements to the desired positions, the apparatus 10 includes a positioning system 30. The positioning system 30, integrated into the presentation plate 20, is formed in this case by a gantry robot. The positioning system 30 or gantry robot has a beam-shaped gantry carriage 36, which can be moved back and forth in the x-direction along a linear guide 38, and a second carriage 37, which can be moved laterally along the gantry carriage in the x-direction and back and forth in the y-direction along the gantry carriage and is equipped with a positioning head 32. The positioning head 32 of the gantry robot forms, so to speak, an interface with the handling elements. The positioning head 32 grasps the handling elements via coupling means and can bring the handling elements to the desired positions by controlled movement of the gantry robot. For this purpose, the positioning head 32 has a coupling (not shown here) that can be adapted to engage with a coupling of the handling elements for movement. The respective coupling of the handling elements is designated 45 in Figures 4a to 4c.

[0059] In this exemplary embodiment, the presentation plate 20 has parking zones arranged at the top and bottom as well as at the vertical sides of the edges, with a plurality of parking bays 21, 22 arranged adjacent to one another for parking the individual handling elements. The parking bays 21, 22 of the parking zones are formed on the rear side of the presentation plate 20 by receptacles for the bodies 47 of the moving parts of the handling elements, the receptacles being formed by recesses and designed to be complementary to the bodies. Each body 47 of the handling elements has a base region that is circular in cross section, and therefore the parking bays 21, 22 have receptacles that form arcs of circles.

[0060] FIG. 3 shows three different types of handling elements: a housing holder 50, a deflector 60, and a hold-up means 70. The handling elements differ substantially in the design of the front handling section, while the rear moving section 41 is clearly designed in a similar manner for all handling elements. The handling section 42 of the housing holder 50 has a handling head 51 rotatably connected to the body 43. The housing holder 50 has a means for temporarily holding the housing, such as a housing receptacle into which the housing 5 can be inserted for secure holding. The handling section of the deflector 60 has a handling head 63 with a hook 61. The handling section of the hold-up means 70 has a handling head 73 with a U-shaped cable receiving section 72 in which the cables are collected and loosely held together, the cable receiving section 72 for holding the cables being further away from the presentation plate 20.

[0061] The handling portion of the deflector 60 has a handling head 63 connected to the body 44 and freely rotatable therewith. When the deflector is attached to the presentation plate 20, its axis of rotation extends relative to the normal direction (z-direction) defined by the presentation plate 20. The handling head 63 of the deflector 60 is designed to remain in a vertically aligned home position due to gravity when the deflector 60 is attached to the presentation plate 20. The same is true for the hold-up means 70. The hold-up means 70 also has a handling head 73 connected to the body 47 and freely rotatable therewith. The handling head 73 of the hold-up means 70 is designed to remain in a vertically aligned home position due to gravity when the hold-up means 70 is attached to the presentation plate 20. However, the handling head 51 of the housing holder 50 may also be rigidly connected to the associated body 44, in which case it may be advantageous to rotate the body 44 and handling head 51 from the rear to adjust the angular alignment or orientation of the housing relative to the cable. The positioning system can actively specify the angular orientation of the housing holder by rotation, and for this purpose it can be advantageous for the housing holder 50 to have four pairs of magnets, preferably at least two pairs of magnets, so that the rotational movement can be transmitted from the moving part to the handling part.

[0062] Details of the structural design of the handling element can be gleaned from FIG. 4. FIG. 4a shows that the handling head 73 of the hold-up means 70 comprises a flank 71, which in this case extends obliquely at 45° to the horizontal, for example, and a cable receiving portion 72 adjacent to the flank 71, which is U-shaped in side view. The hold-up means 70 can hold the cables in the cable receiving portion 72, thus increasing their distance from the presentation plate 20 so that other cables can be threaded underneath. The flank 71 functions as a kind of threading aid. When the hold-up means 70 is inserted into the cables to be lifted, the cables are first pushed up along the flank 71 until they finally land in the cable receiving portion 72.

[0063] The deflector 60 shown in FIG. 4b for deflecting the path of cables has a handling head 63 with an open hook 61 that has a V-shape in side view. A guide rod 62 is positioned on the hook 61 in the region of the hook's apex. The hook 61 and guide rod 62 form a horizontal "K" in side view. The open hook 61 allows cables and cable harnesses to be easily collected, while the guide rod 62 prevents the cables from slipping under the hook. The deflection point defined by the hook 61 is advantageously positioned outside the upright surface of the body 44, making it possible to achieve difficult deflection situations, such as T-junctions, using two deflectors at a branch point.

[0064] The above-described concept of the apparatus 1 for manufacturing cable harnesses, which includes the presentation plate 20 and the handling element magnetically attached thereto, can also be advantageous, as an alternative to the preferred embodiment shown here, for an apparatus for manufacturing cable harnesses in which the presentation plate 20 is aligned in an inclined position or tilted at an oblique angle relative to the horizontal. The apparatus 1 may even have a horizontal presentation plate. In the latter case, the front surface of the presentation plate corresponds to the top surface of the presentation plate. The handling element may also be constructed in two parts, with the handling part assigned to the top surface and the moving part assigned to the bottom surface (as the back surface) opposite the top surface of the horizontal presentation plate.

[0065] Figure 5 shows a schematic diagram of a method by which a cable harness for, for example, an automobile can be manufactured. Naturally, this method may also be used to create cable harnesses for other devices intended for this purpose. The individual blocks represent, in a very simplified manner, the following main process steps: 100. A step of preparing a drawing; 200 setting an order; 300 steps to create wiring for a cable harness; 400 Steps to carry the cable harness wiring to the presentation plate and 500. Initiating and executing processing on the presentation plate; 600 represents the step of transporting the completed cable harness to a transfer position.

[0066] The electrical and electronic requirements of the vehicle dictate how the desired cable harness should look. For this cable harness, technical drawings of the cable harness are first provided and prepared in a first step 100. The technical drawings then form the basis for industrial or mass production of the cable harness. Based on the technical drawings, among other things, the optimal arrangement in which the wires for the cable harness should initially be presented on a presentation board in an initial position can be determined (step 200).

[0067] Based on the technical drawings, the cables are unwound and assembled with the correct cable lengths. This is done in step 300. With the cables aligned according to the specifications from step 200, the wiring for the cable harness is laid out on a presentation board (step 400). In step 500, the cables, particularly the cable ends, are formed into a tree structure according to the technical drawings, whereby the cables are secured and anchored, for example with spot tape, clips, or bandages. After completion of step 500, the finished cable harness is finally transported to a transfer position where the cable assembly can be transported to the vehicle for installation. From this transfer position, the cable harness can be removed by a worker or another robot.

[0068] An exemplary design detail of the cable harness development process presented above can be seen in Figure 6. The individual blocks represent the following simplified process steps: 100 steps of creating a drawing; 110 Steps for unwinding the cable harness; 120 aligning a cable harness; 121 Steps to make complex branches point upwards and 122 Step of directing the majority of the branches upward; 200 setting an order; 210 placing the branch in the center above; 220 then placing it outside the main line; 230 downwardly pointing the outer branch; 240 checking the connection length; 241 forming adjacent short connections; 242 arranging downward branches between the upward branches as necessary; 300 manufacturing a wired cable harness; 400 placing a wired cable harness on a presentation plate; 500 a step of starting processing; 510. A step of separating the columns; 520 pre-positioning a deflector; 530 moving the branch upward to the top; 540 setting a first spot tape; 550 Working from top to bottom and from outside to inside on the cable harness; 551 setting the spot tape; 552 Steps for bandaging and 553 attaching the clip; 560 The process includes the steps of branching downward between the upper branches; 561 preparing an underpass; 562 retracting the hold-up means; 563 a step of supporting with a deflector; 564 a step of guiding laterally through the housing holder and dragging downward; 570 continuing the process; 600 placing the completed cable harness at a transfer position All or at least some of the process steps described above may be performed in an arrangement comprising the apparatus 10 and the cable processing machine 1 and the housing assembling machine 2. The preparation of the technical drawings of the cable harness (step 100) is typically performed elsewhere, for example using a computer. The determination of the sequence (step 200) may be performed automatically with the aid of suitable software on a computer belonging to the apparatus, in particular to the apparatus 1. However, the sequence may also be determined remotely.

[0069] The method of manufacturing a cable harness using the apparatus 10 described above with reference to Figures 1 to 4 comprises the following main steps: That is, providing a vertical presentation plate 20; - placing the cables 4 provided with housings 5 ​​and required for the cable harness on the presentation plate 20 using housing holders 50, the housing holders 50 being arranged in a predetermined order in the horizontal direction x; inserting the deflector 60 between the housing holders 50, the housing holders 50 being first moved, if necessary, to increase the distance between the housing holders 50 so that the deflector 60 can be smoothly inserted between the housing holders 50; moving a portion of the housing holders 50 from the row of housing holders, preferably moving the housing holders 50 assigned to the upper branch of the cable harness upwards; and applying fixing means from the group of spot tapes 82, clips or bandages 83 to fix and fix the upwardly moved cable 4 at a point or section using a handling robot 3.

[0070] Further details of the method for manufacturing a cable harness using the apparatus 1 can be seen in Figures 7a to 7p with reference to a specific exemplary embodiment. Figure 7a shows a technical drawing 81 of the cable harness. Such a technical drawing shows the wiring plan of the cable harness. Figure 7b substantially corresponds to an abstract version of the technical drawing 81 of Figure 7a, in particular not showing all connections or cables. A virtual model of the cable harness is designated 84.

[0071] The present cable harness 84 has multiple branches going downwards and is therefore rotated by 180°. Figure 7c shows the simplified cable harness 84 after this rotation. If the cables are arranged on the presentation plate so that there are fewer lower branches compared to the upper branches, hold-up means can be used to ensure that as few underpasses as possible have to be made, which makes the method much quicker and easier to carry out.

[0072] The order of the housings and, therefore, the housing holders that hold them can now be determined. When determining the order, the length of each cable must be taken into consideration. In Figure 7d, based on Figure 7c, additional critical cables with particularly short cable lengths are shown in dashed lines. For short cables, the space available for laying the U-shaped cable loops is limited, so there is less freedom in positioning them or their housings.

[0073] In Figure 7e, the housing of the cable for the cable harness is < > to < <j>The order of the housings (and therefore the corresponding housing holders) depends on the following factors: the housing assigned to the upward branch of the cable harness is positioned in the center of the row; the housings assigned to the main strands of the cable harness are positioned outside the rows, - the housings assigned to the downward branch of the cable harness are positioned on the outside of the row, When positioning the housings in the rows, the cable lengths of the cables are taken into account, and housings assigned to common cables with short cable lengths are preferably positioned directly adjacent to each other. Therefore, in this embodiment, the arrangements A to J are established as follows: Housings B, C, E, G, and H, which are assigned to the upward branch of the cable harness, are initially positioned in the center of the row. Housings A and I, which are assigned to the main strand of the cable harness, are positioned on the outside of the row. Housings D, F, and J, which are assigned to the downward branch of the cable harness, should be positioned outside Housings A and I and outside the main strand. However, the cable lengths, and in particular the cables themselves, must be taken into account. Thus, two housings B and C connected to each other by a very short cable must be positioned directly adjacent to each other. According to the above rules for the downward branch, housings D and F should actually be positioned further out. However, because cables DE and EF are significantly shorter, this must be taken into account. Therefore, D must be positioned next to E on one side and next to F on the other side. Finally, attention should be paid to the downward branch, at the end of which is provided a housing J. As mentioned at the beginning, it is necessary to create as few underpasses as possible using hold-up means, so housing J is positioned outside the row, in this case to the right of housing I.

[0074] In Figure 7f, the housings are shown arranged side by side in the sequence A, B, C, D, E, F, G, H, I, J. This substantially corresponds to the arrangement of the housing holders 50 when they are placed on a vertical presentation plate. This arrangement is shown in Figure 7h. The housing holders 50 are arranged in a predetermined order in the horizontal direction (x).

[0075] Figure 7g shows the cable processing machine 1 and the housing assembly machine 2 in which the cables required for the cable harness have been cut to length, assembled, and fitted with housings 5. Each cable 4 is already present in these machines 1 and 2 as a U-shaped, downward-hanging cable loop. From the housing assembly machine 2, the cables are transported manually or by suitable transport means (not shown here) to the vertical presentation plate and placed there, as shown in Figure 7h. The housings can be perfectly aligned to save space and simplify handling for transfer to the presentation plate. The housings may also be divided into blocks. In the initial position shown in Figure 7h, the rough shape of the cable harness is presented on the presentation plate, which is then U-shaped with multiple U-shaped, downward-hanging cables 4 forming cable loops.

[0076] The housing holders 50 are then moved such that the distance between them increases (FIG. 7h). After the pulling apart is complete, the situation shown in FIG. 7i results. One of the purposes of the pulling apart is to reduce the depth of the cable loop. This provides better control of the cable loop for subsequent method steps (less rocking, less fan-out) and creates space for placing deflectors between the housing holders. Furthermore, it can be seen from FIG. 7i that all housing holders 50, or more precisely, all their handling heads, which are freely rotatably connected to their associated bodies, are in a vertically aligned basic position.

[0077] After being pulled apart, the deflector 60, symbolically represented as a circle, can move smoothly between the housing holders 50. This step is shown in Figure 7j. Here, the housing holder 50 is moved upward and assigned to the upper branch of the cable harness. For better understanding, the housing holders 50 are indexed, each index corresponding to a housing according to the arrangement in Figure 7f. The deflector 60 ensures the desired deflection of the cable 4. Housing holder 50 B , 50 C , 50 E , 50 G , 50 H The direction of movement is indicated by the arrow, and the corresponding position is shown in Figure 7k.

[0078] In Figure 7l, a first fastening means has already been applied. 82 denotes spot tape (shown as small black boxes), with which the cable 4 is fixed point by point. A further fastening means is a bandage 83 which wraps around and thus fastens a longer section of the cable. When wrapping the bandage, it may be necessary to place the branch point in an overstretched position. The fastening means 82, 83 are attached with the aid of a processing robot. Each processing robot 3 is symbolically represented by a small triangle. It is advantageous to use several processing robots 3 so that fastening means can be applied simultaneously to different positions on the cable harness.

[0079] Advantageously, the desired processing points of the cable harness are presented to the processing robot 3 in an overstretched position rather than in the final angle position, in order to allow easier access to the respective processing points.

[0080] Figure 7l also shows that the branch point of the upper branch is also already prepared (here, for example, between B and C) during or after the step in which the branch is moved upward by moving the housing holders 50B, 50C, 50E, 50G, 50H and the deflector 60 is positioned (at the branch point to the main strand) so that the first spot tape is set.

[0081] As can be seen in Figure 7m, a further movement of the handling elements 50, 60 then takes place. The cable harness is pulled apart and the housing holders are removed from each other. For example, the housing holder 50 J is moved further to the right and outwards by a lateral dragging movement. With the aid of the handling robot 3, further spot tape 82 is applied, after which the position shown in Figure 7n is obtained. The structure of the cable harness is already clearly established and distinguished by several freely swinging loops, which makes the use of the hold-up means much easier.

[0082] It can further be seen from Figure 7m that in at least some areas the housing holder is moved in such a way that an extension occurs in combination with the deflector, whereby the handling head of the housing holder, which is freely rotatably mounted, is aligned in a position other than the vertical basic position. This can be seen, for example, in the case of housing holder 50, or more precisely a housing holder whose handling head is aligned horizontally.

[0083] Here, the housing holder 50 D is assigned to the downward branch of the cable harness and can therefore be moved downward. For this purpose, as also shown in FIG. 7n, a hold-up means 70 is inserted into the main strand. It must be ensured that the main strand is sufficiently flexible to allow deflection by the hold-up means 70. When the hold-up means is inserted into the main cable to be lifted, it is first pushed up along the flanks and finally carried into the U-shaped cable receiving section at a level higher than the presentation plate. In other words, the combined cables in the form of a cable harness are held by the hold-up means 70, and therefore the distance to the presentation plate is increased to allow the cable to be passed under the held cables. An underpass is now prepared, allowing the branch in question to pass under the cable harness. This allows the housing holder 50 D can be moved downwards without interference, resulting in the position shown in Figure 7o. D When moving the housing holder 50, the movement is advantageously performed as a lateral dragging motion. D 7n to 7o, but is not moved in a straight line from the position shown in FIG. 7n to 7o. D The travel curve of the cable 4 can have a curved course. The travel curve is shown by a dashed line in FIG. 7n. The lateral dragging motion, especially when supported by one or more deflectors 60, prevents twisting of the wire connections of the cable 4 and uncontrolled or other undesirable behavior of the cable loop. The lateral dragging motion is advantageously performed in the first phase of each movement of the housing holder in question. This is particularly advantageous for housing holders that need to be moved downwards and whose movement should always begin with a lateral dragging motion.

[0084] Then, the housing holder 50 F The corresponding procedure is to move the first lower branch or housing holder 50 downwards. D Finally, the desired cable harness 80 is created.

[0085] Figure 7p shows this cable harness 80 being slightly compressed horizontally in addition to forming a transport position, as in this compressed form the cable harness is generally easier to handle for further use.

[0086] As shown in FIG. 8, the apparatus 10 can have two presentation plates 20, 20′. In this case, three handling robots 3 are provided between the two presentation plates 20, 20′, with the aid of which fixing means can be attached to the cables 4 on both sides for anchoring and fixing them at points or compartments. In this case, handling elements for handling the cables 4 of the cable harness are generally designated 40. These handling elements 40 can be the housings, deflectors, or hold-up means previously described. FIG. 8 further shows that the positioning head 32 of the positioning system can have multiple couplings. In this case, the positioning head 32 has, for example, three couplings 33, 34, and 35. The three handling elements 40 can be moved via the couplings 33, 34, and 35. The couplings corresponding to the couplings 33, 34, and 35 and assigned to the handling elements 40 are designated 45, and the handling head is generally designated 46.

[0087] Figures 9a and 9b show such a variant of the positioning head 32 having multiple couplings 33, 34, 35. The couplings 33, 34, 35 can be moved linearly on a common axis, whereby the distance between the couplings 33, 34, 35, and therefore also the distance of the handling elements (not shown here), can be adjusted.

[0088] 9a and 9b show a further variant of the positioning head 32, which has multiple couplings 33, 34, 35, allowing movement with multiple degrees of freedom. In this case, the positioning head 32 has an adjustment mechanism by means of which the two outer couplings 33 and 35 can be pivoted and displaced back and forth relative to axes 48, 49.< / j>

Claims

1. An apparatus (10) for manufacturing a cable harness, comprising: a presentation plate (20) on the front of which the cables (4) of the cable harness can be placed; Handling elements (40, 50, 60, 70) for handling cables (4) of a cable harness, which are attached or attachable to a presentation plate (20) and are designed so that they can be moved in all directions (x-y) in the plane formed by the presentation plate (20); An apparatus (10) for manufacturing a cable harness, comprising:

2. 2. The device (10) according to claim 1, characterized in that the presentation plate (20) is made of a non-ferromagnetic material, and the handling elements (40, 50, 60, 70) each comprise a front handling part (42) and a rear moving part (41), at least one part of each handling element being provided with a permanent magnet for magnetically attaching it to the presentation plate, the other parts either comprising ferromagnetic material or also being provided with permanent magnets, but with different poles so that the permanent magnets attract each other.

3. 3. The device (10) according to claim 2, characterized in that the moving part (41) has a connecting part (45) adjacent to the body (47).

4. 4. The device (10) according to claim 2 or 3, characterized in that the handling section (42) has a handling head (46, 51, 63, 73) adjacent to the main body (43, 44), the handling head being connected to the main body (43) so as to be freely rotatable in the normal direction.

5. 5. The device (10) according to claim 4, characterized in that the presentation plate (20) is a vertical presentation plate (20) and that the handling heads (46, 51, 63, 73) are designed so that when the handling elements (50, 60, 70) are attached to the presentation plate (20), the handling heads (46, 51, 63, 73) remain in their vertically aligned basic position due to gravity.

6. 6. Device (10) according to any one of claims 1 to 5, characterized in that at least some of the handling elements (40, 50, 60, 70) are designed as housing holders (50) for holding a housing (5).

7. 7. The device (10) according to any one of claims 1 to 6, characterized in that at least some of the handling elements (40, 50, 60, 70) are designed as deflectors (60) for deflecting the path of the cables (4).

8. 8. The device (10) according to any one of claims 1 to 7, characterized in that at least some of the handling elements are designed as housing holders (50) for holding the housing (5), another part of the handling elements is designed as a deflector (60) for deflecting the path of the cable (4), and another part of the handling elements is designed as a hold-up means (70).

9. 9. The device (10) according to claim 7 or 8, characterized in that the handling head (63) of the deflector (60) comprises an open hook (61) preferably having a V-shape in side view and a guide element, in particular a guide rod (62), arranged on the hook.

10. 9. Apparatus (10) according to any one of claims 1 to 8, characterized in that at least some of the handling elements (40, 50, 60, 70) are designed as hold-up means (70).

11. 11. Apparatus (10) according to claim 8 or 10, characterized in that the handling head (73) of the hold-up means (70) comprises an obliquely extending flank portion (71) and a cable receiving portion (72) adjacent to the flank portion (71), which is preferably U-shaped in side view.

12. 12. The device (10) according to any one of claims 1 to 11, characterized in that the presentation plate (20) has at least one parking zone, preferably arranged on the edge, with a plurality of parking bays (21, 22) arranged adjacent to one another for parking the individual handling elements (40, 50, 60, 70).

13. 13. The device (10) according to claim 12, characterized in that each handling element (40, 50, 60, 70) has a body (47) with a base region preferably having a circular cross section, and each parking bay (21, 22) has a receptacle for the body, in particular a receptacle complementary to the body and preferably forming an arc of a circle.

14. 14. An apparatus (10) according to any one of claims 1 to 13, characterized in that it comprises a positioning system (30) for moving the handling elements (40, 50, 60, 70) to the desired position, the positioning system being integrated into the presentation plate (20) and being formed by a gantry robot.

15. 15. The apparatus (10) according to claim 14, characterized in that the positioning system for the joint movement of the plurality of handling elements (40, 50, 60, 70) comprises a positioning head (32) with a plurality of coupling parts (33, 34, 35), via which the positioning system can be operatively connected to the plurality of handling elements (40, 50, 60, 70), and the plurality of coupling parts (33, 34, 35) can be moved separately relative to one another at least in the plane (x, z) of the presentation plate (20).

16. 16. The device (10) according to claim 15, characterized in that the positioning head (32) is designed such that the multiple coupling parts (33, 34, 35) are arranged adjacent to each other in a row at a distance from each other, the distance being variable using an adjustment mechanism, and / or the multiple coupling parts (33, 34, 35) are pivotally connected to each other.

17. 17. An apparatus (10) according to any one of claims 1 to 16, characterized in that it has two presentation plates (20, 20') and that between the two presentation plates (20, 20') at least one handling robot (3) is provided, with the help of which fixing means (82, 83) can be attached to the cable (4) for anchoring and fixing at points or sections.

18. In particular, a method for manufacturing a cable harness using a device (10) according to any one of claims 1 to 17, comprising the following steps: Providing a vertical presentation plate (20); - placing cables (4) equipped with housings (5) and required for a cable harness on a presentation plate (20) using housing holders (50), the housing holders (50) being arranged in a predetermined order in the horizontal direction (x); Inserting the deflector (60) between the housing holders (50), the housing holders (50) can be pre-moved in such a way that the distance between the housing holders (50) is increased; - moving a portion of the housing holders (50) from the row of housing holders, preferably moving the housing holders (50) assigned to the upper branch of the cable harness upwards; applying fixing means from the group of spot tapes (82), clips or bandages (83) to fix and fix the upwardly moved cable at a point or section using at least one handling robot (3); A method comprising:

19. 13. A method according to claim 12, characterized in that the mounting of the fixing means is carried out in stages, and between steps the housing holder (50) and optionally the deflector (60) are brought into position by corresponding movements, including a horizontal movement component.

20. 14. Method according to claim 12 or 13, characterized in that the housing holder (50) assigned to the lower branch of the cable harness is moved downwards only after the cable harness has been completed to the upper branch.

21. 21. A method according to claim 20, characterized in that the cable is lifted with the aid of a lifting jack (70) so that the housing holder (50) can move downwards under the cable thus lifted to form the lower branch.

22. The arrangement of the housing holders (50) arranged in rows is determined by the following factors: the housing holders (50) and therefore the housings held by them are assigned to the upward branches of the cable harness and are positioned in the center of the row; the housing holders (50) and therefore the housings held by them are assigned to the main strands of the cable harness and are positioned outside the rows; the housing holders (50) and therefore the housings held by them are assigned to the downward branches of the cable harness and are positioned further outwards in the row; When positioning the housing holders (50) in a row, the respective cable lengths of the cables are taken into consideration, and the housing holders, or the housings held by them, each assigned to a common cable having a short cable length are preferably positioned directly adjacent to each other.

22. The method according to any one of claims 18 to 21, characterized in that it is determined by:

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