Wire harness manufacturing method

Abstract

The present invention provides a wire harness manufacturing method that can guarantee the branch dimensions of branch wires even when branch wires branch off from near the center of the main line, and can prevent interference between branch wires after assembly. [Solution] A method for manufacturing a wire harness includes an assembly step of assembling a wire harness comprising a main wire, branch wires branching from the main wire, and connector branch wires branching from a position within a predetermined distance from the center of the main wire on an assembly jig, and a preliminary step of pre-assembling the connector branch wire on a sub-jig and attaching a positioning tape at a predetermined distance from the branching position of the connector branch wire when the length of the connector branch wire is 50% or more of the width of the assembly jig, and the assembly step includes an attachment step of attaching the main wire and branch wire on the assembly jig, attaching the branch wire to the main wire, attaching the connector branch wire after the preliminary step to the assembly jig and fixing the positioning tape with a sub-fixing jig provided on the assembly jig, and attaching the connector branch wire to the main wire, and a bundling step of bundling the connector branch wires.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present invention relates to a method for manufacturing a wire harness.

Background Art

[0002] A wire harness may have a structure in which branch lines branch from a main line, which is one of the wirings. In this case, when assembling the wire harness on an assembly jig, the branch lines may overlap and interfere with each other, inhibiting the wire routing and exterior mounting of each other, and it may be difficult to establish a wiring layout on the assembly jig that enables wire routing and exterior mounting of all branch lines. Therefore, a method is known in which the wire routing and exterior mounting of the branch lines are performed on a workbench separate from the assembly jig to pre-assemble the branch lines as sub-harnesses, and then the sub-harnesses and the main line are combined on the assembly jig to manufacture the wire harness (for example, Patent Document 1). Also, a method is known in which priorities are set for the connectors of the branch lines in an order that is likely to cause entanglement according to the branch position in the main line and the branch dimensions from the main line, and the insertion order of the wires is determined based on the priorities (for example, Patent Document 2).

Prior Art Documents

Patent Documents

[0003]

Patent Document 1

Patent Document 2

Summary of the Invention

Problems to be Solved by the Invention

[0004] However, because the wire lengths of the wire harnesses intersect, in order to guarantee the branch length of the branch wires using the methods described in Patent Documents 1 and 2, the branch wires must be extended. As a result, when performing post-assembly tasks such as transporting the assembled wire harness, conducting continuity tests, and attaching the wire harness to the vehicle during vehicle assembly, the extended branch wires sometimes overlap and interfere with each other, hindering the work. In particular, branch wires that branch off from near the center of the main wire are prone to interfering with other branch wires, making them more likely to hinder post-assembly tasks.

[0005] The present invention was made to solve these problems, and its objective is to provide a method for manufacturing a wire harness that can guarantee the branch dimensions of branch wires even when branch wires branch off from near the center of the main line, and can prevent interference between branch wires after assembly. [Means for solving the problem]

[0006] The present invention provides a method for manufacturing a wire harness, comprising an assembly step of assembling a wire harness on an assembly jig, the wire harness comprising a main line which is one of the wirings constituting the wire harness, branch lines which are wirings branching from the main line, and connector branch lines which have branch wirings that branch from the main line at a predetermined axial distance from the axial center and connectors connected to the ends of the branch wirings, wherein if the length of the connector branch line is 50% or more of the width of the assembly jig, the assembly step of assembling the connector branch line on an assembly jig before the assembly step, on a sub-jigig which is a jig separate from the assembly jig The assembly process includes a preliminary step of pre-assembling the branch wires and attaching positioning tape to the connector branch wires at a predetermined length from the branching point of the main wire, the assembly process including an attachment step of mounting the main wire and the branch wires onto the assembly jig, attaching the branch wires to the main wires, further mounting the connector branch wires after the preliminary step onto the assembly jig and fixing the positioning tape with a sub-fixing jig provided on the assembly jig, and attaching the connector branch wires to the main wires, and a bundling step of rounding the portion of the branch wiring of the connector branch wires between the positioning tape and the connector. [Effects of the Invention]

[0007] According to the present invention, it is possible to provide a method for manufacturing a wire harness that can guarantee the branch dimensions of branch wires even when branch wires branch off from near the center of the main line, and can prevent interference between branch wires after assembly. [Brief explanation of the drawing]

[0008] [Figure 1] This is a plan view showing a wire harness manufactured by the wire harness manufacturing method according to an embodiment of the present invention, arranged on an assembly jig. [Figure 2] This is a process diagram showing a method for manufacturing a wire harness according to an embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 3] This is a plan view illustrating S1 and S2 in Figure 2, and the outer sheathing of the connector branch wires is exaggerated in the illustration. [Figure 4]This is a plan view showing a modified example of a wire harness. [Figure 5] This is a plan view illustrating S4 and S5 in Figure 2, and the outer sheathing of the connector branch wires is exaggerated in the illustration. [Figure 6] This is a plan view illustrating S6 in Figure 2. [Modes for carrying out the invention]

[0009] The present invention will be described below in accordance with preferred embodiments. It should be noted that the present invention is not limited to the embodiments shown below, and can be modified as appropriate without departing from the spirit of the invention. Furthermore, in the embodiments shown below, some illustrations and descriptions of certain components are omitted. It goes without saying that, regarding the details of the omitted technologies, publicly known or well-known technologies are applied as appropriate, to the extent that they do not contradict the content described below.

[0010] First, the configuration of the wire harness manufactured by the wire harness manufacturing method according to the embodiment of the present invention will be described. Figure 1 is a plan view showing the wire harness manufactured by the wire harness manufacturing method according to the embodiment of the present invention arranged on an assembly jig.

[0011] The wire harness 1 shown in Figure 1 comprises a main line 3, branch lines 5a to 5h, and connector branch lines 7. The main line 3 is one of the wirings that make up the wire harness 1, and consists of electric wires (not shown) routed and covered with an outer covering such as corrugated tubing. The branch lines 5a to 5h are wirings that branch off from the main line 3, and specifically are shorter than the main line 3. The branch lines 5a to 5h also consist of electric wires (not shown) routed and covered with an outer covering such as corrugated tubing.

[0012] The connector branch wire 7 is a wiring that branches off from the main line 3, has a connector 11, and branches off from near the center of the main line 3. Specifically, the connector branch wire 7 comprises a branch wiring 9 and a connector 11. The branch wiring 9 is a wiring that branches off from a branching position 17, which is within a predetermined axial distance L2 from the axial center C of the main line 3. The distance L2 is, for example, within 20% of the width L1 of the assembly jig 100. The assembly jig 100 is a jig used for assembling the wire harness 1. Specifically, the assembly jig 100 comprises a rectangular flat workbench 100a on which the components constituting the wire harness 1 are arranged in plan view, and a holding jig (not shown) provided on the surface of the workbench 100a for holding the components constituting the wire harness 1. The width L1 of the assembly jig 100 is the width in the longitudinal direction of the workbench 100a. Connector 11 is a component for electrically connecting wire harness 1 to other wiring and electronic equipment, and is connected to the end of branch wiring 9. The connector branch wire 7 also consists of wires routed and covered with an outer covering such as corrugated tubing. This concludes the explanation of the configuration of wire harness 1.

[0013] Next, a method for manufacturing the wire harness 1 according to an embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to Figures 2 to 6. Figure 2 is a process diagram showing the method for manufacturing the wire harness 1. Figure 3 is a plan view illustrating S1 and S2 in Figure 2, with the outer sheath of the connector branch wire 7 exaggerated. Figure 4 is a plan view showing a modified example of the wire harness 1. Figure 5 is a plan view illustrating S4 and S5 in Figure 2, with the outer sheath of the connector branch wire 7 exaggerated. Figure 6 is a plan view illustrating S6 in Figure 2.

[0014] First, as a premise, assume that the length L3 of the connector branch wire 7 shown in Figure 1 is 50% or more of the width L1 of the assembly jig 100. Here, length L3 refers to the length including the branch wiring 9 and the connector 11. Note that the lengths of branch wires 5a to 5h are not 50% or more of the width L1.

[0015] If the length L3 of the connector branch wire 7 is 50% or more of the width L1 of the assembly jig 100, when the main line 3, branch lines 5a to 5h, and connector branch wire 7 are placed on the assembly jig 100, there is a very high probability that the connector branch wire 7 will overlap with any of the branch lines 5a to 5h. For example, in Figure 1, the branch wiring 9 of the connector branch wire 7 overlaps with branch lines 5f and 5g. In this case, when the assembly process (assembly process) is carried out by attaching branch lines 5a to 5h and the connector branch wire 7 to the main line 3 and performing wire routing and sheathing installation, the branch wiring 9 will interfere with branch lines 5f and 5g, hindering each other's wire routing and sheathing installation. Thus, when the length L3 of the connector branch wire 7 is 50% or more of the width L1 of the assembly jig 100, it may be difficult to create a layout in which the connector branch wire 7 does not come into contact with any of the branch lines 5a to 5h. Therefore, in this embodiment, if the length L3 of the connector branch wire 7 is 50% or more of the width L1 of the assembly jig 100, a preliminary step is performed.

[0016] In the preliminary step, the connector branch wire 7 is first assembled on the sub-jig 200 as shown in Figure 3 (S1 in Figure 2). Specifically, the wires 9a to 9c that make up the branch wiring 9 are bundled together and routed, their ends are electrically connected to the connector 11, and then the outer sheath 15 is attached to the wires 9a to 9c. The sub-jig 200 is a jig used for assembling the connector branch wire 7. Specifically, the sub-jig 200 comprises a rectangular flat workbench 200a on which the components constituting the connector branch wire 7 are arranged in plan view, and a holding jig (not shown) provided on the surface of the workbench 200a for holding the components constituting the wire harness 1.

[0017] In the preliminary process, next, a positioning tape 19 is attached to the assembled connector branch line 7 as shown in FIG. 3 (S2 in FIG. 2). Specifically, the positioning tape 19 is attached at a position of a predetermined length D in the direction A from the branch position 17 from the main line 3 toward the connector 11 on the connector branch line 7. More specifically, an adhesive tape or the like may be wound around the surface of the exterior 15 of the connector branch line 7 as the positioning tape 19. The predetermined length D is such that, in the state where the connector branch line 7 is attached to the main line 3, the portion of the connector branch line 7 from the branch position 17 to the position where the positioning tape 19 is attached does not overlap with the branch lines 5a to 5h, and is, for example, within 500 mm.

[0018] Note that, as in the wire harness 1a shown in FIG. 4, there may be a case where the connector branch line 7 has a plurality of connector branch lines 7a and 7b branching from different branch positions 17a and 17b of the main line 3. In this case, it is preferable to pre-assemble the connector branch lines 7a and 7b on different sub-jigs 200 in the preliminary process. In this method, even if the number of connector branch lines 7 increases, each connector branch line 7 is assembled on a different sub-jig 200, so it is difficult for the sub-jig 200 to become large. Therefore, the cost required for installing the sub-jig 200 can be reduced.

[0019] On the other hand, when the branch wiring 10a further branches like the connector branch line 7a shown in FIG. 4 and one of the plurality of connectors 11 is connected to each of the ends 31 and 33 of the branched branch wiring 10a, the connector branch line 7a is preferably pre-assembled on one sub-jig 200. Therefore, there is no need to assemble the further branched portion of the connector branch line 7a on separate sub-jigs 200. Thus, in the present embodiment, when the branch wiring 10a of the connector branch line 7a further branches, it is preferable to pre-assemble the connector branch line 7a on one sub-jig 200. In this method, even if the number of branches of the connector branch line 7a increases, the number of sub-jigs 200 does not increase, so the space and cost required for installing the sub-jigs 200 can be reduced. In the following description, unless otherwise specified, the present embodiment will be described by taking as an example the case where the wire harness 1 has one connector branch line 7 as shown in FIG. 1 and the connector branch line 7 does not branch further.

[0020] When the positioning tape 19 is attached to the connector branch line 7, the connector branch line 7 is removed from the sub-jig 200, and the preliminary process (S1 and S2 in FIG. 2) ends. When the preliminary process ends, the assembly process is performed. In the assembly process, first, the attachment process is carried out. In the attachment process, first, the main line 3 and the branch lines 5a to 5h are attached onto the assembly jig 100, and the branch lines 5a to 5h are attached to the main line 3 (S3 in FIG. 2). Specifically, the main line 3 and the branch lines 5a to 5h are placed on the workbench 100a and held by a holding jig (not shown), and then the branch lines 5a to 5h are attached to the main line 3. At this time, the branch lines 5a to 5h are subjected to wire harnessing and exterior attachment as required. Next, the connector branch line 7 after the preliminary process is attached onto the assembly jig 100, and the positioning tape 19 is fixed by a sub-fixing jig 21 described later (S4 in FIG. 2). Further, the connector branch line 7 is attached to the main line 3 (S5 in FIG. 2). At this time, exterior attachment to the wires constituting the main line 3 is performed as required.

[0021] As shown in Figure 5, the sub-fixing jig 21 is a jig provided on the workbench 100a of the assembly jig 100, and has a structure that can hold, for example, the positioning tape 19. The sub-fixing jig 21 fixes the positioning tape 19 to a predetermined position on the workbench 100a in the connector branch wire 7. The predetermined position is a position on the workbench 100a at a predetermined length D from the branch position 17. Once the positioning tape 19 is fixed by the sub-fixing jig 21, the installation process (S3 to S5) is completed.

[0022] In the assembly process, after the mounting process is completed, a bundling process is performed. In the bundling process, as shown in Figure 6, the portion of the branch wiring 9 of the connector branch wire 7 between the positioning tape 19 and the connector 11 is bundled into a circle to a position where it does not overlap with the branch wires 5f and 5g, and the bundled state is maintained with a cable tie 35 or the like (S6 in Figure 2). This completes the assembly process (S3 to S6). After the assembly process is completed, the wire harness 1 is removed from the assembly jig 100 and sent to subsequent processes such as transport, continuity testing, and installation of the wire harness 1 to the vehicle during vehicle assembly.

[0023] Here, the connector branch wire 7 was attached to the main line 3 with the positioning tape 19 fixed to the sub-fixing jig 21. Therefore, even when the branch wiring 9 is bundled, the branch length of the connector branch wire 7 is guaranteed at least from the branching position 17 to the position where the positioning tape 19 is provided. Also, because the branch wiring 9 is bundled, the connector branch wire 7 does not overlap with the branch wires 5f and 5g as shown in Figure 6, so interference between the connector branch wire 7 and the branch wires 5e and 5f can be prevented in subsequent processes. Note that it may be difficult to measure the wire length of the connector branch wire 7 when the branch wiring 9 is bundled, but even in this case, the branch length of the connector branch wire 7 is guaranteed at least from the branching position 17 to the position where the positioning tape 19 is provided. Thus, in this embodiment, even when the connector branch wire 7 branches from near the center of the main line 3 of the wire harness 1, the branch length of the connector branch wire 7 can be guaranteed, and interference between the connector branch wire 7 and the branch wires 5a to 5h can be prevented after assembly.

[0024] Furthermore, if the length L3 of the connector branch wire 7 in the wire harness 1 is less than 50% of the width L1 of the assembly jig 100, it is highly likely that the branch wiring 9 of the connector branch wire 7 can be arranged on the assembly jig 100 so as not to overlap with the branch wires 5a to 5h. In this case, it is not necessary to use the manufacturing method of the wire harness 1 according to this embodiment. Specifically, the branch wires 5a to 5h and the connector branch wire 7 can be attached to the main line 3 on the assembly jig 100 without using the sub-jig 200, and then the main line 3, branch wires 5a to 5h, and connector branch wire 7 can be wired and fitted with their outer sheaths. The above is a description of the manufacturing method of the wire harness 1 according to the embodiment of the present invention.

[0025] Thus, the manufacturing method of this embodiment includes a preliminary step of assembling the connector branch wires 7 and attaching the positioning tape 19, an attachment step of fixing the positioning tape 19 with a sub-fixing jig 21 and attaching the connector branch wires 7 to the main line 3, and a bundling step of bundling the connector branch wires 7 together.

[0026] In this method, the connector branch wires 7 that branch off from near the center of the main line 3 are pre-assembled and attached to the main line 3 with the positioning tape 19 fixed to the sub-fixing jig 21, thereby ensuring the branch dimensions and preventing interference with the branch wires 5a to 5h by bundling them together. Therefore, even when the connector branch wires 7 branch off from near the center of the main line 3 of the wire harness 1, the branch dimensions of the connector branch wires 7 can be guaranteed, and interference between the assembled connector branch wires 7 and the branch wires 5a to 5h can be prevented.

[0027] Furthermore, in this embodiment, the preliminary step is to pre-assemble the connector branch wires 7a and 7b on different sub-jigs 200 when the wire harness 1a has a plurality of connector branch wires 7a and 7b that branch off from different locations on the main line 3.

[0028] In this method, the connector branch lines 7a and 7b that branch off from different locations on the main line 3 are pre-assembled on different sub-jigs 200. Therefore, even if the number of connector branch lines 7 increases, each connector branch line 7 is assembled on a different sub-jig 200, making it difficult for the sub-jigs 200 to become larger. Thus, the cost required for installing the sub-jigs 200 can be reduced.

[0029] Furthermore, in this embodiment, the preliminary step is to pre-assemble the connector branch wire 7a on a single sub-jig 200 if the branch wiring 10a of the connector branch wire 7a is further branched and connectors 11 are connected to each of the ends 31 and 33 of the branched branch wiring 10a.

[0030] In this method, if the branch wiring 10a of the connector branch wire 7a is further branched, it is pre-assembled on a single sub-jig 200. Therefore, even if the number of branches of the connector branch wire 7a increases, the number of sub-jigs 200 does not increase, thus reducing the space and cost required for installing the sub-jigs 200.

[0031] Although the present invention has been described above based on embodiments, the present invention is not limited to the above embodiments, and modifications may be made without departing from the spirit of the invention, and other technologies may be combined as appropriate to the extent possible. Furthermore, publicly known or well-known technologies may be combined as appropriate to the extent possible. [Explanation of Symbols]

[0032] 1, 1a: Wire harness 3: Main line 5a, 5b, 5c, 5d, 5e, 5f, 5g, 5h: Branch line 7, 7a, 7b: Connector branch wires 9, 10a: Branch wiring 11: Connector 15: Exterior 17, 17a, 17b: Branching points 19: Positioning tape 21: Sub-fixing jig 31, 33: End 100: Assembly jig 200: Sub-jig A: Direction C: Axial center D: predetermined length L1: Width L2: distance L3: Length

Claims

1. A method for manufacturing a wire harness, comprising an assembly step of assembling a wire harness on an assembly jig, the wire harness comprising a main line which is one of the wirings constituting the wire harness, branch lines which are wirings that branch off from the main line, and connector branch lines which have branch wirings that branch off from the main line at a predetermined axial distance from the axial center and a connector connected to the end of the branch wiring, If the length of the connector branch wire is 50% or more of the width of the assembly jig, a preliminary step is provided before the assembly process, in which the connector branch wire is pre-assembled on a sub-jig, which is a jig separate from the assembly jig, and a positioning tape is attached to the connector branch wire at a predetermined length from the branching point from the main line. The aforementioned assembly process is, Mounting the main line and the branch line onto the assembly jig, attaching the branch line to the main line, further mounting the connector branch line after the preliminary step onto the assembly jig, fixing the positioning tape with a sub-fixing jig provided on the assembly jig, and attaching the connector branch line to the main line; A bundling step is performed in which the portion between the positioning tape and the connector in the branch wiring of the connector branch wire is bundled into a round shape. including A method for manufacturing a wire harness, characterized by the following features.

2. The aforementioned preliminary process is, The process involves pre-assembling the multiple connector branch wires on different sub-jigs when the wire harness has multiple connector branch wires branching from different branching points of the main line. A method for manufacturing a wire harness according to claim 1, characterized in that

3. The aforementioned preliminary process is, If the branch wiring of one of the connector branch lines is further branched, and one of the multiple connectors is connected to each end of the branched branch wiring, This is a process of pre-assembling one of the connector branch wires on one of the sub-jigs. A method for manufacturing a wire harness according to claim 1 or 2, characterized in that

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