Method and apparatus for manufacturing wire harness components

Abstract

This reduces variations in connection positions when connecting wire harness components to the connection points, ensuring connection quality and reliability, while also facilitating full automation to improve mass production and production efficiency. [Solution] The wire harness W includes a wire routing step Sp in which a routing unit 2 having at least one routing pin 2a... with different diameters R1 and R2 depending on the entry position is inserted in a direction Fs perpendicular to the axial direction Fc of the multiple wires m... to set the spacing between each wire m...; a chuck step Sc in which each wire m... whose spacing has been set by the wire routing step Sp is chucked by a predetermined chuck unit 3; and a connection step Sj in which the multiple wires m... chucked in the chuck step Sc are connected to a connection part P.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present invention relates to a method and an apparatus for manufacturing a wire harness component suitable for use when connecting a wire harness component using a wire harness to a predetermined connection part.

Background Art

[0002] Generally, when connecting a wire harness component using a wire harness to a connection part such as a substrate, since the wire harness having flexible wire materials is placed in an irregular state, when connecting to a connection part with a fixed position such as a substrate, alignment between the wire harness and the connection part is not easy, which is a problem when assembling the wire harness component.

[0003] Conventionally, as a manufacturing method for solving this problem, a method for manufacturing an electric wire with a connector described in Patent Document 1 is known. This manufacturing method aims to align and hold an insulated electric wire according to the position of a contact so that conductors can be connected to the contacts collectively. Specifically, the electric wire with a connector has at least two pairs of electric wire pairs, and the connector has a base material in which a plurality of contacts are arranged. Then, the exposed portions of the conductors of all the insulated electric wires are arranged so as to overlap in the arrangement direction of the contacts, and each conductor is soldered to each of the contacts. And it has an alignment part integrated with the base material, which has an alignment part for aligning and holding the insulated electric wires so that the arrangement pitch of the insulated electric wires matches the arrangement pitch of the contacts. This alignment part has a groove part for holding the insulated electric wires, and the groove part has a shape in which the groove width in the direction orthogonal to the length direction of the insulated electric wire becomes narrower in the depth direction of the groove part from the shallow part to the deep part of the groove part.

Prior Art Documents

Patent Documents

[0004]

Patent Document 1

Summary of the Invention

[0005] However, the conventional method of manufacturing wire harness components described above had the following problems.

[0006] Firstly, setting the spacing between wires in a wire harness to a predetermined interval is not easy, and in particular, it is difficult to set the spacing accurately. As a result, when connecting a wire harness to a target connection point, variations in the connection position are likely to occur, making it impossible to ensure connection quality and, furthermore, the reliability of the assembly connecting the wire harness components.

[0007] Secondly, conventional methods require the formation of an alignment section integrally formed on the substrate to be connected, necessitating the additional formation of a separate alignment section. Furthermore, when connecting, multiple wires must be inserted (attached) to the alignment section of the substrate. Moreover, pre-adjustment of the wire harness before insertion (attachment) is very difficult, making automation difficult, and resulting in poor mass production capabilities and low production efficiency.

[0008] The present invention aims to provide a method and apparatus for manufacturing wire harness components that solves the problems present in the background technology described above. [Means for solving the problem]

[0009] The manufacturing method for a wire harness component M according to the present invention solves the above-mentioned problems and, when connecting a wire harness component M having a wire harness W to a predetermined connection part P, comprises a handling step Sp in which a handling unit 2 having at least one handling pin 2a... with different diameters R1, R2 depending on the entry position is inserted in a direction Fs perpendicular to the axial direction Fc of the multiple wires m... in the wire harness W to set the spacing between each wire m...; a chuck step Sc in which each wire m... whose spacing has been set by the handling step Sp is chucked by a predetermined chuck part 3; and a connection step Sj in which the multiple wires m... chucked in the chuck step Sc are connected to the connection part P.

[0010] Furthermore, in order to solve the above-mentioned problems, the wire harness component manufacturing apparatus 1 according to the present invention is characterized by comprising, when configuring a manufacturing apparatus for connecting a wire harness component M having a wire harness W to a predetermined connection part P, a handling unit 2 that sets the spacing between each wire m... by inserting at least one handling pin 2a... having different diameters R1 and R2 depending on the entry position into each of the multiple wires m... in the wire harness W in a direction Fs perpendicular to the axial direction Fc of the multiple wires m..., and a predetermined chuck part 3 that chucks each wire m... whose spacing has been set by the handling unit 2.

[0011] On the other hand, in a preferred embodiment of the present invention, when manufacturing a wire harness component M, in the sorting process Sp, when the sorting unit 2 enters the multiple wires m..., each wire m... is pressed from the opposite side by the first pressing plate 11x and the second pressing plate 11y, thereby restricting the displacement of each wire m.... Furthermore, in the chuck process Sc, the chuck 3 is chucked so as to be movable in the axial direction Fc of the wires m..., and the chuck 3 is moved toward the tip ms... side of the wires m..., and the tip ms... of each wire m... is brought into contact with a predetermined aligning plate 12, thereby providing an alignment process Scm in which the position of the tip ms... is aligned. Furthermore, in the connection process Sj, after the alignment process Scm, the wires m... are fixed by increasing the chucking force of the chuck 3, and thereafter each wire m... can be connected to the connection part P. In addition, in connection step Sj, after fixing each wire m... with the chuck unit 3, the position of the tip ms... of each wire m... is detected by imaging the tip ms... with the camera unit 13, and the connection position of each wire m... can be corrected by moving the chuck unit 3 based on this detection result. At this time, in connection step Sj, if the position of the tip ms... of each wire m... falls outside the set tolerance range when detected, a predetermined error processing can be performed.

[0012] On the other hand, when constructing the manufacturing apparatus 1 for wire harness components M, the handling unit 2 can be provided with at least one handling pin 2a... arranged along the direction Fp of the alignment of the wires m..., and at least one auxiliary handling pin 2as... at different positions in the axial direction Fc. Furthermore, the chuck unit 3 can be set to a first chuck position Xf that allows the wires m... to move in the axial direction Fc, or to a second chuck position Xs that fixes the wires m... by the chuck unit 3. [Effects of the Invention]

[0013] The method and apparatus 1 for manufacturing wire harness components according to the present invention provides the following remarkable effects.

[0014] (1) Because the spacing between each wire in a plurality of wires m... can be accurately and easily set to a predetermined spacing, variations in connection positions when connecting a wire harness component M having a plurality of wires m... to a predetermined connection point P can be reduced, thereby ensuring connection quality and the reliability of the assembly to which the wire harness component M is connected.

[0015] (2) This eliminates the need for a separate component to be integrally formed with the connection part P in the conventional method, and also eliminates the need to insert (or attach) multiple wires m... into the separate component. Moreover, since prior pre-adjustment of the wire harness W before insertion (or attachment) is unnecessary, automation can be easily implemented, and mass production and production efficiency can be increased.

[0016] (3) In a preferred embodiment, when the sorting unit 2 enters the sorting process Sp, each wire m... is pressed from the opposite side by the first pressing plate 11x and the second pressing plate 11y, thereby restricting the displacement of each wire m... Unnecessary displacement of each wire m... can be restricted by the pressing plates 11x and 11y, so that the sorting unit 2 can be reliably and stably entered into the target wire harness W.

[0017] (4) In a preferred embodiment, if the chuck step Sc is provided in which the chuck portion 3 is chucked so as to be movable in the axial direction Fc of the wires m..., the chuck portion 3 is moved toward the tip ms... side of the wires m..., and the tip ms... of each wire m... is brought into contact with a predetermined alignment plate portion 12, thereby aligning the position of the tip ms..., the position of the tip ms... of each wire m... can be aligned during the chuck step Sc, so that alignment with the wire harness W can be performed easily and quickly.

[0018] (5) In a preferred embodiment, in the connection step Sj, after the alignment step Scm, the wires m... are fixed by increasing the chuck force of the chuck part 3, and then each wire m... is connected to the part to be connected P. This allows the connection process to be carried out immediately after aligning the tip positions ms... of each wire m..., thus enabling the connection step Sj to be carried out stably and reliably.

[0019] (6) In a preferred embodiment, in the connection process Sj, after fixing each wire m... with the chuck unit 3, the position of the tip ms... of each wire m... is detected by imaging the tip ms... with the camera unit 13, and the connection position of each wire m... is corrected by moving the chuck unit 3 based on this detection result. This makes it possible to keep the variation in the connection position of the wire m... with respect to the connected part P within a predetermined allowable range, thereby improving connection quality and reducing defective products.

[0020] (7) In a preferred embodiment, if the position of the tip ms... of each wire m... is detected in the connection process Sj and falls outside a set tolerance range, a predetermined error processing is performed, thereby eliminating abnormal wire harness components M that are deemed unable to be corrected in connection position, and thus reducing the defect rate.

[0021] (8) In a preferred embodiment, when constructing the turning unit portion 2, at least one turning pin 2a... arranged along the arrangement direction Fp of the wire material m... is provided, and at least one auxiliary turning pin 2as... is provided at different positions in the axial direction Fc. Since it becomes possible to perform turning at two different separated positions, even when the turning unit portion 2 is moved, it is possible to turn stably and reliably by parallel movement.

[0022] (9) In a preferred embodiment, when constructing the chuck portion 3, if it is set to the first chuck position Xf that chucks the wire material m... movably in the axial direction Fc of the wire material m..., or the second chuck position Xs that fixes the wire material m... by the chuck portion 3, the chuck portion 3 can be provided with a chucking function in two modes, so that the functionality of the chuck portion 3 can be enhanced.

Brief Description of the Drawings

[0023] [Figure 1] A flowchart showing the processing procedure of the manufacturing method of the wire harness component according to the preferred embodiment of the present invention, [Figure 2] An external perspective view showing the overall schematic configuration of the manufacturing apparatus of the wire harness component according to the preferred embodiment of the present invention, [Figure 3] A plan view showing the wire harness component manufactured by the manufacturing apparatus and the connected portion, [Figure 4] An external perspective view of the turning unit portion provided in the manufacturing apparatus, [Figure 5] A side view showing the positional relationship between the turning unit portion provided in the manufacturing apparatus and the wire harness, [Figure 6] A front view showing the positional relationship between the turning unit portion provided in the manufacturing apparatus and the wire harness, [Figure 7] A front view showing the opened state of the chuck portion provided in the manufacturing apparatus, [Figure 8] A front view showing the state where the wire harness is chucked by the chuck portion provided in the manufacturing apparatus, [Figure 9] A system diagram of the control system when correcting the tip position during connection of the wire harness component by the manufacturing method, [Figure 10] A schematic plan view showing the first processing state of the processing step in the same manufacturing method. [Figure 11] A schematic plan view showing the second processing stage of the processing process in the same manufacturing method. [Figure 12] A schematic plan view showing the third processing stage of the processing process in the same manufacturing method. [Figure 13] A schematic plan view showing the chuck state during the chuck process in the same manufacturing method. [Figure 14] Plan view schematic diagram of the alignment process in the same manufacturing method. [Figure 15] Plan view schematic diagram of the connection process in the same manufacturing method. [Modes for carrying out the invention]

[0024] Next, preferred embodiments of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the drawings.

[0025] First, the overall configuration of the manufacturing apparatus 1 for the wire harness component M according to this embodiment will be described with reference to Figures 2 and 3-9.

[0026] Figure 2 shows the overall schematic configuration of the wire harness component manufacturing apparatus 1 according to this embodiment. The manufacturing apparatus 1 of this embodiment is equipped with a wire harness component holding mechanism 20, a handling mechanism 30, a positioning mechanism 40, a chuck mechanism 50, and a connection part installation mechanism 60, arranged from right to left on the upper surface 15u of the base 15, and is equipped with an imaging camera 13 above the base 15.

[0027] The wire harness component holding mechanism 20 includes an arch-shaped support portion 21, and a wire harness component chuck portion 22 is disposed on the upper end surface of this support portion 21. This wire harness component chuck portion 22 has a pair of opening and closing claw portions 22p and 22q, which have the function of holding the wire harness component M when closed and releasing the wire harness component M when opened. The lower end of this support portion 21 is fixed on the upper surface 15u of the base 15.

[0028] In this case, as shown in Figure 3, the wire harness component M comprises a component body Mm and a wire harness W consisting of three (generally more than one) flexible wires m... protruding in one direction from one end of the component body Mm. The wires m... are provided at predetermined intervals, and ms... indicates the tip (conductor portion) of the wires m....

[0029] Figure 3 also shows a predetermined connection point P to which each wire m... is connected. This connection point P includes, for example, a substrate Pb, and three connection terminals p... are provided on the upper surface of one end of the substrate Pb. In this case, the spacing between each wire m... and the spacing between each connection terminal p... are often different, and in the example shown in Figure 3, an offset Z... representing the difference occurs.

[0030] On the other hand, the handling mechanism 30 has a unit support section 31 installed on the upper surface of the forward / backward movement mechanism 23. This unit support section 31 can be moved in the direction of arrow F1 by the forward / backward movement mechanism 23. The handling unit section 2, the first pressing plate section 11x, and the second pressing plate section 11y are supported by this unit support section 31.

[0031] The configuration of the wire routing unit 2 is shown in Figures 4-6. This wire routing unit 2 has at least one (two in this embodiment) wire routing pins 2a... for each of the three wires m... in the wire harness W, with diameters R1 and R2 differing depending on the entry position. By inserting the pins in a direction Fs perpendicular to the axial direction Fc of the three wires m..., it has the function of setting the spacing between each wire m....

[0032] Specifically, as shown in Figure 4, the handling unit 2 includes a base block 32, on the upper end surface of the base block 32 four handling pins 2a, 2b, 2c, and 2d arranged along the direction Fp of the alignment of the wires m..., and auxiliary handling pins 2as, 2bs, 2cs, and 2ds arranged at other spaced positions on the upper end surface of the base block 32.

[0033] In this case, the guide pins 2a... are positioned on the tip ms... side of the wire m... in the axial direction Fc, and the auxiliary guide pin 2as is positioned on the component body Mm side in the axial direction Fc. Furthermore, in the guide pins 2a, 2b, 2c, and 2d, the outer guide pins 2a and 2d are formed with different diameters R1 and R2 depending on the entry position, while the inner guide pins 2b and 2c are formed with a diameter R1 that is uniform throughout. Specifically, in the example, the outer guide pins 2a and 2d are integrally formed by an upper pin 2ap... formed with a thin diameter (diameter R1) that is about the same as the diameter of the wire m, and a lower pin 2aq... formed with a thicker diameter (diameter R2) than the upper pin 2ap....

[0034] As a result, the inner shaping pins 2b and 2c are able to sandwich the central wire m, while the outer shaping pins 2a and 2d are positioned outside the wires m,m on both sides. In this configuration, the gap between the inner shaping pins 2b and 2c is set to be approximately the same as the diameter of the central wire m, sandwiching it between them, while the gap formed inside the outer shaping pins 2a and 2d is set to be wider than the gap between the inner shaping pins 2b and 2c, allowing the wires m,m to enter with ample clearance.

[0035] In this case, the gap between the lower part 2aq of the outer cutting pin 2a, which has a thicker diameter, and the inner cutting pin 2b is set to be the same as the gap between the inner cutting pins 2b and 2c, and the gap between the lower part 2aq of the outer cutting pin 2d, which has a thicker diameter, and the inner cutting pin 2c is set to be the same as the gap between the inner cutting pins 2b and 2c.

[0036] Furthermore, the area between the lower part of the pins 2aq... and the upper part of the pins 2ap... is formed in a conical shape to facilitate the entry of the wire material m, and the tip shape of each handling pin 2a... is also formed in a conical shape to facilitate entry of the wire material m....

[0037] On the other hand, the filleting auxiliary pins 2as, 2bs, 2cs, and 2ds are formed in the shape obtained by cutting the filleting pin 2a(2d) at the upper end position of the lower part of the pin 2aq.... In the case of the filleting auxiliary pins 2as, 2bs, 2cs, and 2ds, the tip shape is formed in the same conical shape as the filleting pins 2a, 2b, 2c, and 2d.

[0038] Thus, when constructing the wire sorting unit 2, if a plurality of wire sorting pins 2a... are provided along the alignment direction Fp of each wire m..., and auxiliary wire sorting pins 2as... are provided at different positions in the axial direction Fc, it becomes possible to sort at two different positions that are spaced apart. Therefore, even if the wire sorting unit 2 is moved, it can be sorted stably and reliably by parallel movement.

[0039] Then, as shown in Figure 2, the lifting and lowering mechanism 33 is attached to the vertical plane of the unit support 31, and the base block 32 of the handling unit 2 is fixed to the upper end surface of the lifting and lowering mechanism 33m, which is raised and lowered by the lifting and lowering mechanism 33. As a result, the handling unit 2 can be raised and lowered in the direction of arrow F2 by controlling the lifting and lowering mechanism 33.

[0040] Furthermore, a moving mechanism 34 is attached to another position on the unit support 31, which moves in the direction Fp of the alignment of the wires m... A first pressing plate 11x and a second pressing plate 11y are provided at one end of the moving part 34m that moves with the moving mechanism 34, via lifting and lowering functions 35x and 35y. As a result, by controlling the moving mechanism 34, each pressing plate 11x and 11y can be moved in the direction of arrow F3, i.e., in the direction Fp of the alignment of the wires m..., and by controlling the lifting and lowering functions 35x and 35y, each pressing plate 11x and 11y can be moved up and down.

[0041] In this way, when the handling unit 2 enters the three wires m..., each wire m... is pressed from the opposite side by the respective pressing plates 11x and 11y, thereby restricting the displacement of each wire m.... Unnecessary displacement of each wire m... can be restricted by the respective pressing plates 11x and 11y, allowing the handling unit 2 to enter the target wire harness W reliably and stably.

[0042] As shown in Figure 2, the alignment mechanism 40 includes an arch-shaped support portion 41, and an alignment plate portion 12 having an alignment surface 42 that forms a right-angle surface facing the tip ms... of each wire m... is disposed on the upper end surface of the support portion 41. With this configuration, the chuck portion 3 chucks the three wires m... so that they can move in the axial direction Fc, and by moving the chuck portion 3 toward the tip ms... of the wires m... and bringing the tip ms... of each wire m... into contact with the predetermined alignment plate portion 12, the positions of the tip ms... can be aligned.

[0043] In this case, a mounting plate 43 is provided on the upper end surface of the support portion 41, and a moving mechanism 44 is attached to the upper surface of this mounting plate 43. This moving mechanism 44 allows the alignment plate portion 12 to be moved in the direction of arrow F5 (axial direction Fc).

[0044] In this way, by chucking the chuck portion 3 so that it can move in the axial direction Fc of the wire m..., moving the chuck portion 3 toward the tip ms... side of the wire m..., and bringing the tip ms... of each wire m... into contact with a predetermined alignment plate portion 12, a step (alignment step Scm described later) is provided to align the position of the tip ms..., so that the position of the tip ms... of each wire m... can be aligned during the chuck step Sc, and thus alignment with the wire harness W can be performed easily and quickly.

[0045] The chuck mechanism 50 includes a lifting mechanism 52 supported by a moving part 51m that moves by a horizontal moving mechanism 51 arranged along the longitudinal direction (axial direction Fc of the wire m...) on the upper surface 15u of the base 15. This allows the moving part 51m to be moved in the direction of arrow F9 by controlling the horizontal moving mechanism 51. It also includes a moving mechanism 53 attached to the lifting part 52m that moves up and down by the lifting mechanism 52, and a moving part 53m that moves by this moving mechanism 53, to which the chuck drive unit 54 is fixed.

[0046] As a result, the lifting mechanism 52 can control the moving mechanism 53 to move up and down in the direction of arrow F6, and the moving mechanism 53 can control the moving part 53m, i.e., the chuck drive unit 54, to move in the direction of arrow F7.

[0047] Furthermore, the tip of the chuck drive unit 54 is equipped with a pair of upper and lower chuck jaws 54p and 54q, and the chuck jaws 54p and 54q can be opened and closed (separated or brought closer) by controlling the chuck drive unit 54. The chuck drive unit 54 and the chuck jaws 54p and 54q constitute the chuck unit 3.

[0048] Figures 7 and 8 show the configuration of the chuck unit 3. The chuck jaws 54p and 54q provided on the chuck unit 3 protrude from the tip of the chuck drive unit 54, and as shown in Figure 8, when displaced in the chuck direction (closing direction), they can be stopped at the first chuck position Xf and the second chuck position Xs. In this case, at the first chuck position Xf, the chuck unit 3 can be moved in the axial direction Fc of the wire m..., and at the second chuck position Xs, the position of the wire m... can be fixed by the chuck of the chuck unit 3.

[0049] When forming the chuck jaws 54p and 54q, as shown in Figure 7, chuck grooves 55a, 55b, and 55c are formed on the lower surface of the upper chuck jaw 54p by three triangular notches corresponding to the three wires m..., while the upper surface of the lower chuck jaw 54q is formed as a flat surface 55o.

[0050] Thus, when constructing the chuck section 3, by setting either a first chuck position Xf that allows the wire m... to move in the axial direction Fc, or a second chuck position Xs that fixes the wire m... with the chuck section 3, the chuck section 3 can be given two modes of chucking functionality, thereby enhancing the functionality of the chuck section 3.

[0051] As shown in Figure 2, the connection-to-connection

[0052] Next, the operation of the manufacturing apparatus 1 described above, which includes the method for manufacturing the wire harness component M according to this embodiment, will be explained with reference to Figures 10-15 and each figure, following the flowchart shown in Figure 1.

[0053] First, the wire harness component M is brought in from the input side on the right side of the manufacturing apparatus 1 shown in Figure 2 (Step S1). This allows it to be held in the wire harness component holding mechanism 20. This input process is performed by a robot (not shown) or the like, and the component is chucking by the wire harness component chuck 22 in the wire harness component holding mechanism 20 (Step S2). In this case, the component body Mm of the wire harness component M is held and fixed by a pair of claws 22p and 22q. Furthermore, the reciprocating movement mechanism 23 is controlled to displace the handling unit 2 in the direction of arrow F1, thereby aligning the handling unit 2 with respect to the wire harness component M (Step S3).

[0054] Next, the sorting process Sp is performed. First, the moving mechanism 34 is controlled to move the first pressing plate 11x and the second pressing plate 11y forward in the direction of arrow F3, and the lifting function 35x is controlled to lower the first pressing plate 11x so that it is positioned on the wires m... that make up the wire harness W (step S4).

[0055] Next, the lifting and lowering section 33 is controlled to raise the handling unit 2 to the first height Xa shown in Figure 5 (step S5). This state is shown in Figure 10. In this case, as shown in Figure 6, only the upper part 2ap of the handling pins 2a, 2b, 2d, which have a large gap with respect to the three wires m, is allowed to enter, thus enabling smooth entry.

[0056] Furthermore, the forward / backward movement mechanism 23 is controlled to move the handling unit 2 in the direction of arrow F1, that is, to move it towards the tip ms of the wire m, as shown in Figure 11. Next, the lifting function 35y is controlled to lower the second push plate 11y, thereby positioning it above the wires m... that constitute the wire harness W (step S6).

[0057] Then, in this state, the lifting and lowering unit 33 is controlled to raise the handling unit 2 to the second height Xb shown in Figure 5 (step S7). As the handling unit 2 moves, the push plate sections 11x and 11y also move together while maintaining their height.

[0058] Furthermore, the forward / backward movement mechanism 23 is controlled to move the wire handling unit 2 in the direction of arrow F1, that is, in the direction of the tip ms of the wire material m as shown in Figure 12, and the upward / downward movement unit 33 is controlled to raise the wire handling unit 2 to the third height Xc shown in Figure 5 (step S8). In this case, the lower pin portions 2aq... with a large diameter R2 enter, so that each wire harness m... is precisely spaced to match the spacing of the connected terminals p... at the connected portion P. That is, the wire handling process Sp is performed.

[0059] Next, the chucking process Sc is performed. In the chucking process Sc, each wire m... whose spacing has been set by the sorting process Sp is chucked by the chuck unit 3.

[0060] In this case, the horizontal movement mechanism 51 is controlled to move the chuck mechanism 50 to a predetermined position near the handling unit 2. At this time, the movement mechanism 53 is controlled to move the chuck 3 horizontally toward the side where the horizontal mechanism 51 is located, and then move it in the direction of arrow F9 by passing it through the alignment mechanism 40.

[0061] Once the chuck portion 3 is positioned as shown in Figure 13, that is, between the cutting pins 2a... and the auxiliary cutting pins 2as..., the wire material m... is chucked by the chuck jaws 54p and 54q as shown in Figure 8 (step S9).

[0062] In this case, the chuck jaws 54p and 54q are positioned at the first chuck position Xf shown in Figure 8, and the wire m... is chucked with a relatively weak chuck force so that it can move relative to the axial direction Fc.

[0063] Once the chuck at the first chuck position Xf by the chuck section 3 is completed, the handling unit section 2 is lowered to separate it from the wire m... and the pressing plate sections 11x and 11y are moved upward and backward to separate them from the wire m... (step S10).

[0064] Next, as shown in Figure 14, the chuck portion 3 is moved along the axial direction Fc of the wire m... and positioned near the tip ms... of the wire m... (step S11). Also, as shown in Figure 14, the alignment plate portion 12 in the alignment mechanism portion 40 is moved and brought into contact with the tip ms... of each wire m... to perform an alignment process Scm to align the positions of the tip ms... (step S12).

[0065] Then, once the alignment process Scm is completed, the connection process Sj is performed. In the connection process Sj, first, the chuck part 3 (chuck jaws 54p and 54q) is displaced to the second chuck position Xs shown in Figure 8, and the wire m... is chucked and fixed with a strong chuck force (step S13).

[0066] Thus, in the connection process Sj, after the alignment process Scm, the wires m... are fixed by increasing the chuck force of the chuck part 3, and then each wire m... is connected to the part to be connected P. This allows the connection process to be carried out immediately after aligning the tip positions ms... of each wire m..., thus enabling the connection process Sj to be carried out stably and reliably.

[0067] Next, the camera unit 13 is moved to the imaging position, and the tip ms... of the wire m... is imaged at the imaging position (step S14). The imaging data captured by the camera unit 13 is provided to the system controller 71, as shown in Figure 9, and the system controller 71 performs a judgment process on the imaging data (step S15).

[0068] In the judgment process, if the result falls outside the acceptable range, a predetermined error process, such as treating it as a defective product, is performed (steps S16, S17). In this way, after fixing each wire m... with the chuck unit 3, the position of the tip ms... of each wire m... is detected by imaging the tip ms... with the camera unit 13, and the chuck unit 3 is moved based on this detection result to correct the connection position of each wire m..., which makes it possible to keep the variation in the connection position of the wire m... relative to the connected part P within a predetermined acceptable range, thereby improving connection quality and reducing defective products.

[0069] In contrast, during the judgment process of the imaging data, if the data falls within an acceptable range including the normal range (appropriate range), correction processing is performed on each wire m... In this case, as shown in Figure 9, the system controller 71 uses a position detection function unit 72a to detect the position of the tip ms... through image processing of the imaging data. Then, the correction amount calculation function unit 72b calculates the correction amount (for example, in the X and Y directions) for the position of the tip ms.... Furthermore, based on the obtained correction amount, a control amount for performing the correction is calculated, and the control amount output function unit 72c outputs the control amount. This control amount is applied to the drive unit 74, i.e., the moving mechanism unit 53 and the horizontal moving mechanism unit 51 in the chuck unit 3, etc., to perform the corresponding correction processing on the wire m...

[0070] Specifically, in the connection process Sj of the embodiment, soldering is performed sequentially starting from the first wire m. That is, first, the image data of the first wire m is determined, and if the image data is within the acceptable range and correction is necessary, the control amount described above is calculated and correction processing is performed (steps S18, S19). Then, soldering is performed according to the corrected position (step S20). On the other hand, if the image data is within the acceptable range and is within the normal range where no correction processing is necessary, soldering is performed without any correction processing (steps S18, S20). Figure 9 shows the case where the first wire m is bent by an angle Qn and correction is necessary.

[0071] Thus, in the connection process Sj, after fixing each wire m... with the chuck unit 3, the camera unit 13 captures an image of the tip ms... of each wire m... to detect the position of the tip ms..., and based on this detection result, the chuck unit 3 is moved to correct the connection position of each wire m..., which makes it possible to keep the variation in the connection position of the wire m... relative to the connected part P within a predetermined allowable range, thereby improving connection quality and reducing defective products.

[0072] Next, the second wire m is evaluated, and if it is within the acceptable range and requires correction, the correction process described above is performed (steps S18, S19). On the other hand, if no correction is needed and it is within the normal range, soldering is performed without any correction process (steps S18, S20).

[0073] The same connection process Sj, including judgment and soldering processes, is performed until all wires m... are connected (steps S18, S19, S20). Once the soldering process for all wires m... is complete, the manufacturing of the target wire harness component M is finished. After this, a robot or the like is used to perform the unloading process for the wire harness component M assembled to the connection part P (steps S21, S22).

[0074] Therefore, according to the wire harness component manufacturing method and apparatus 1 of this embodiment, the basic method (configuration) includes a wire handling unit 2 having at least one wire handling pin 2a... with different diameters R1 and R2 depending on the entry position, which is inserted into the wire handling unit 2 in a direction Fs perpendicular to the axial direction Fc of the wire handling unit 2 in

[0075] Furthermore, it eliminates the need for a separate component to be integrally formed with the connection part P, as in conventional designs, and also eliminates the need to insert (or attach) multiple wires m... into the separate component. Moreover, since prior pre-adjustment of the wire harness W before insertion (or attachment) is unnecessary, automation can be easily implemented, and mass production and production efficiency can be increased.

[0076] Although preferred embodiments have been described in detail above, the present invention is not limited to these embodiments, and the details of the configuration, shape, materials, quantity, numerical values, etc. can be arbitrarily changed, added, or deleted without departing from the spirit of the present invention.

[0077] For example, in the manufacturing of wire harness component M, in the sorting process Sp, when the sorting unit 2 enters the multiple wires m..., each wire m... is pressed from the opposite side by the pressing plate portions 11x, 11y to restrict the displacement of each wire m.... However, this is not an essential component, and its absence is not ruled out, nor can it be replaced by other components with similar functions. Similarly, in the chuck process Sc, the chuck portion 3 is chucked so as to be movable in the axial direction Fc of the wire m..., and the chuck portion 3 is moved toward the tip ms... side of the wire m..., and the tip ms... of each wire m... is brought into contact with a predetermined aligning plate portion 12 to align the position of the tip ms.... However, this does not rule out the possibility of aligning the position by other means. Furthermore, in the connection process Sj, various correction methods, including straightening the tip ms... of the wire m..., can be applied to correct the connection position. Therefore, in the connection process Sj, error handling when the tolerance range is exceeded is not necessarily required.

[0078] Furthermore, when constructing the handling unit 2, it is desirable to provide at least one handling pin 2a... arranged along the direction Fp of the alignment of the wires m..., and at least one auxiliary handling pin 2as... at different positions in the axial direction Fc. However, this does not exclude the case where only the handling pins 2a... are provided and the auxiliary handling pins 2as... are not provided. On the other hand, when constructing the chuck unit 3, examples have been given of setting the first chuck position Xf to chuck the wires m... so that they can move in the axial direction Fc, or the second chuck position Xs to fix the wires m... by the chuck unit 3. However, this does not exclude the case where other similar functions are used, such as detecting the chuck force and continuously controlling the magnitude of the chuck force. [Industrial applicability]

[0079] The method and apparatus for manufacturing wire harness components according to the present invention can be used when connecting wire harness components having multiple wires to various connection points. [Explanation of symbols]

[0080] 1: Manufacturing equipment, 2: Slicing unit, 2a...: Slicing pins, 2as...: Slicing auxiliary pins, 3: Chuck section, 11x: Pressing plate section, 11y: Pressing plate section, 12: Alignment plate section, 13: Camera section, M: Wire harness component, m...: Wire harness, ms...: Wire harness tip, P: Connected part, R1: Diameter, R2: Diameter, Fc: Axial direction, Fs: Orthogonal direction, Fp: Alignment direction, Sp: Slicing process, Sc: Chuck process, Scm: Alignment process, Sj: Connection process, Xf: First chuck position, Xs: Second chuck position

Claims

1. A method for manufacturing a wire harness component having a wire harness, comprising: a wire harness component manufacturing method for connecting a wire harness component having a wire harness to a predetermined connection part, wherein the wire harness component manufacturing method comprises: a wire harness manufacturing step of setting the spacing between a plurality of wires by inserting a wire harness unit having at least one wire harness pin having a different diameter depending on the entry position into the plurality of wires in a direction perpendicular to the axial direction of the plurality of wires; a chuck step of chucking each wire whose spacing has been set by the wire harness manufacturing step with a predetermined chuck part; and a connection step of connecting the plurality of wires chucked in the chuck step to the connection part.

2. The method for manufacturing a wire harness component according to claim 1, characterized in that the handling step involves pressing each wire from the opposite side with a pressing plate when the handling unit enters the plurality of wires, thereby restricting the displacement of each wire.

3. The method for manufacturing a wire harness component according to claim 1, characterized in that the chuck step includes a positioning step in which the chuck portion is chucked so as to be movable in the axial direction of the wire, the chuck portion is moved toward the tip side of the wire, and the tips of each wire are brought into contact with a predetermined alignment plate to align the positions of the tips.

4. The method for manufacturing a wire harness component according to claim 3, characterized in that the connection step involves fixing the wire by increasing the chuck force of the chuck after the alignment step, and then connecting each of the wires to the connection part.

5. The method for manufacturing a wire harness component according to claim 4, characterized in that the connection step involves fixing each wire with the chuck, detecting the position of the tip of each wire by imaging the tip of each wire with the camera, and correcting the connection position of each wire by moving the chuck based on the detection result.

6. The method for manufacturing a wire harness component according to claim 5, characterized in that when the position of the tip of each wire is detected in the connection step, a predetermined error process is performed if it falls outside a set tolerance range.

7. A manufacturing apparatus for connecting a wire harness component having a wire harness to a predetermined connection part P, comprising: a handling unit that sets the spacing between a plurality of wires in the wire harness by inserting at least one handling pin, having a different diameter depending on the entry position, in a direction perpendicular to the axial direction of the plurality of wires; and a predetermined chuck unit that chucks the wires whose spacing has been set by the handling unit.

8. The wire harness component manufacturing apparatus according to claim 7, characterized in that the wire handling unit is provided with at least one wire handling pin arranged along the direction of arrangement of each wire, and at least one wire handling auxiliary pin at different positions in the axial direction.

9. The wire harness component manufacturing apparatus according to claim 7, characterized in that the chuck portion is set to a first chuck position that allows the wire to move in the axial direction, or to a second chuck position that fixes the wire by the chuck portion.

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