Manufacturing Support System

Abstract

To appropriately guide a sight line, etc., of a worker when manufacturing or inspecting a wire harness and reuse a principal portion of hardware even if the kind of a wire harness subjected to manufacture is changed.SOLUTION: A manufacture support system comprises: a plurality of guide units 32 each prepared correspondingly to each connector housing 23; a plurality of housing receiving jigs 20 which can be mounted in any guide unit 32; and a host control section 40 which gives an instruction to each guide unit. Each guide unit includes a two-dimensional display screen, a communication section, and a display control section for controlling a display content in response to the situation. The housing receiving jig 20 is configured to be disposed while being overlapped with the screen of the guide unit. By changing a guide pattern to be displayed, the manufacture support system is adaptable to various kinds of connectors. In accordance with data to be used by each guide unit or the instruction of the host control section 40, the manufacture support system is adaptable to a specification change of a wire harness.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 4

Description

[Technical Field]

[0001] The present invention relates to a manufacturing support system that can be used to guide workers in determining the correspondence between each terminal accommodating location on each connector housing included in a wire harness and the specific terminal to be attached to that location during the manufacturing or inspection of the wire harness. [Background technology]

[0002] A wire harness installed in a vehicle such as an automobile is an assembly of many different types of electric wires bundled together. This wire harness is used to connect a power source such as an on-board battery to various electrical components on the vehicle, and to connect multiple electrical components together. In addition, the wire harness is equipped with many connectors to facilitate the connection and disconnection of the electric wires.

[0003] The main body of each connector is generally configured as a male or female connector housing made of an electrical insulator such as resin. Each connector housing has a number of independent spaces called cavities, each capable of accommodating a required number of terminals. In the process of manufacturing a wire harness, metal terminals are fixed to the ends of each electric wire by crimping or the like, and then the terminals for each electric wire are inserted and fixed together with the electric wire into the cavities at specific positions in a specific connector housing.

[0004] In this way, the manufacturing process of attaching the terminals of each electric wire to the cavities of the connector housing can be automated to some extent in recent years using specific manufacturing equipment. However, due to the structure of the wire harness, it is difficult to automate the insertion process for some electric wire terminals, and in some cases, the terminals are attached manually due to cost and other factors.

[0005] However, when the terminal insertion work is done manually, there is a possibility of operational errors. In other words, there is a possibility that the combination of the connector housing, cavity, and terminal (wire) may be assembled in a way that differs from the design specifications, resulting in a wire harness that includes wires. For this reason, an inspection process is carried out after the assembly work, such as the insertion of each terminal, is completed to check for any abnormal connections.

[0006] For example, the terminal fitting guiding device of Patent Document 1 prevents the insertion of an incorrect terminal fitting into a terminal accommodating chamber of a connector housing. Specifically, the sub-harness assembly device includes a wire accommodating shelf, a connector holding jig, and a changeover switch. The wire accommodating shelf includes a plurality of wire accommodating tubes and LEDs corresponding to the wire accommodating tubes. The connector holding jig includes an illumination unit and holds the connector housing. The illumination unit includes a lighting unit corresponding to the terminal accommodating chamber. The lighting unit illuminates the opening of the terminal accommodating chamber. When an electric wire is removed from the wire accommodating tube corresponding to the lit LED and the LED is pressed, the lighting unit illuminates the opening of the terminal accommodating chamber into which the terminal fitting should be inserted. When the terminal fitting is inserted into the terminal accommodating chamber and the changeover switch is pressed, the LED corresponding to the next wire accommodating tube lights up.

[0007] Furthermore, the terminal insertion guiding device of Patent Document 2 uses the screen display of a smartphone to prevent erroneous terminal insertion during the manufacturing process of a wire harness. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0008] [Patent Document 1] Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2004-227857 [Patent Document 2] Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2017-50231 Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0009] However, when guiding a worker when selecting an electric wire using a large number of LED displays like the guidance device in Patent Document 1, it is necessary to manufacture a dedicated guidance device that matches the shape and structure of each type of wire harness to be manufactured. Therefore, when production of a vehicle equipped with a wire harness to be manufactured ends, the old guidance device that is no longer of use must be discarded and a new guidance device that matches the new wire harness must be prepared.

[0010] On the other hand, when using the technology of Patent Document 2, by updating the software installed in the smartphone, it is possible to reuse the same hardware of the terminal insertion guide device for various types of wire harnesses. However, since wire harnesses have complex structures and are equipped with many connectors, it is necessary to prepare multiple smartphones at the same time or to work by sequentially changing the installation position of a single smartphone. In addition, the display content must be appropriately changed for each smartphone installation position, and some kind of ingenuity is required to prevent inconsistencies between the corresponding connector positions and design specifications and the smartphone display content. Furthermore, when the type of wire harness being manufactured changes, there is a possibility that inconsistencies may occur between the smartphone software update content and the connector positions and design specifications.

[0011] The present invention has been made in consideration of the above-mentioned circumstances, and its purpose is to provide a manufacturing support system that enables appropriate guidance of the worker's line of sight, etc. during wire harness manufacturing or inspection, and that allows the main parts of the hardware to be reused even if the type of wire harness to be manufactured changes. [Means for solving the problem]

[0012] In order to achieve the above-mentioned object, the manufacturing support system according to the present invention comprises the following (1) to ( 4 ) is a feature of the (1) A manufacturing support system for guiding the line of sight of a worker regarding the correspondence between each terminal accommodating portion on each connector housing included in a wire harness and a terminal to be attached to that portion during manufacturing or inspection of the wire harness, the system comprising: a plurality of guide units respectively provided in association with the plurality of connector housings; a plurality of housing receiving jigs each having one or more connector housing receiving portions and mountable on any of the plurality of guide units; A host control unit that gives instructions to the plurality of guidance units; Equipped with Each of the guidance units has a two-dimensional display screen, a communication unit, and a display control unit that controls the display content of the two-dimensional display screen according to the situation, The housing receiving jig is configured to be able to be arranged in a state where it overlaps with the two-dimensional display screen of the induction unit, each of the plurality of guide units has a connector information storage unit that stores connector information including shape data of terminal insertion openings and model numbers for a plurality of types of connectors; The control unit in the guidance unit adds new information to the connector information in the connector information storage unit in accordance with an instruction from the upper control unit. death , The two-dimensional display screen of each of the induction units is disposed directly below each of the housing receiving jigs, The display control unit of each of the guiding units displays a guidance pattern on the two-dimensional display screen at a position immediately below a position of a terminal accommodating location where the terminal to be attached should be attached among the plurality of terminal accommodating locations on the connector housing accommodated in the connector housing receiving portion of each of the housing receiving jigs, and the guidance pattern is displayed using a color or a pattern of the insulated wire pre-connected to the terminal to be attached. A manufacturing support system characterized by:

[0013] (2) Each of the plurality of induction units has a plurality of communication connection terminals, the plurality of induction units are connected in a daisy chain form by a predetermined communication cable; The manufacturing support system according to (1) above.

[0014] (3) Each of the plurality of guiding units has an input receiving unit that accepts stepwise input of work, a control unit in the guidance unit receives a step-by-step input of the work from the input receiving unit, transmits information of the step-by-step input to the upper control unit, and updates the display content of the two-dimensional display screen; The manufacturing support system according to (1) above.

[0015] (4) Each of the plurality of guide units has an indicator light that can indicate whether the connector is the target connector for work, The control unit in the guidance unit controls the display state of the indicator light in accordance with instructions from the upper control unit. The manufacturing support system according to (1) above.

[0017] According to the manufacturing support system configured as described above in (1), the housing receiving jig can be positioned so that it overlaps the two-dimensional display screen of the guide unit, and any connector housing included in the wire harness to be manufactured or inspected can be attached to the housing receiving jig. Therefore, by displaying the correspondence between each terminal accommodating location on the corresponding connector housing and the specific terminal to be attached to that location on the two-dimensional display screen of each guide unit, it is possible to appropriately guide the worker's line of sight. Furthermore, since the upper control unit can issue instructions to multiple guide units via communication, the display content of each guide unit can be appropriately changed to match the position and design specifications of the corresponding connector housing. Therefore, even if the type or design specifications of the wire harness to be manufactured or inspected are changed, the hardware other than the housing receiving jig can be reused as is. Furthermore, according to the manufacturing support system configured as described above in (1), each guiding unit can correctly grasp the shape data and model number of the terminal insertion port of the connector to be displayed by referring to the connector information stored in the connector information storage unit. Even when manufacturing a wire harness with new design specifications, each guiding unit can obtain missing data from the upper control unit and add it to the connector information, so the same hardware can be reused.

[0018] According to the manufacturing support system configured as described above in (2), since the multiple guide units are physically connected to each other via communication cables, it is easy to appropriately adjust their overall shape and relative positions to match the type and design specifications of the wire harness being manufactured or inspected. Furthermore, it is easy to match the content displayed by each guide unit to the terminal accommodation locations and terminals of the corresponding connector housing. For example, if the positional relationship is adjusted so that the arrangement order of the connector housings to be worked on matches the arrangement order of the multiple guide units connected in a daisy chain, the content displayed by each guide unit can be matched to the position and type of each connector housing in the design specifications simply by determining the display content according to the physical arrangement order.

[0019] According to the manufacturing support system configured as described above in (3), each time an operator completes the insertion of one terminal, the operator can generate an increment input signal by, for example, operating a button, and the display content can be appropriately updated to display the next terminal insertion position, etc. Furthermore, the upper control unit can grasp the progress of the work based on the information transmitted from each guidance unit, and can therefore issue appropriate instructions to each guidance unit.

[0020] According to the manufacturing support system having the configuration described in (4) above, the upper control unit sends instructions to the guidance unit for the next work target according to the progress of the work, and can turn on the corresponding indicator light so that the worker can easily see the position of the connector housing to be worked on. [Effects of the Invention]

[0022] The manufacturing support system of the present invention makes it possible to appropriately guide the line of sight of a worker during manufacturing or inspection of a wire harness. Furthermore, even if the type or design specifications of the wire harness to be manufactured change, it is possible to reuse the main parts of the hardware.

[0023] The present invention has been briefly described above. The details of the present invention will become clearer by reading the following detailed description of the invention (hereinafter referred to as "embodiments") with reference to the accompanying drawings. [Brief explanation of the drawings]

[0024] [Figure 1] FIG. 1 is a perspective view showing the appearance of an example of the configuration of a manufacturing support system according to an embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 2] FIG. 2 is a perspective view showing the appearance of one housing receiving jig and its vicinity. [Figure 3] FIG. 3 is an exploded perspective view showing the vicinity of one housing receiving jig. [Figure 4] FIG. 4 is a block diagram showing the configuration of the manufacturing support system shown in FIG. [Figure 5] FIG. 5 is a plan view showing the appearance of one induction unit and a liquid crystal panel. [Figure 6] FIG. 6 is a block diagram showing the configuration of the induction unit. [Figure 7] FIG. 7 is a flowchart showing an example of the operation of the induction unit. [Figure 8] 8(a), 8(b), and 8(c) are plan views showing the connector housing as viewed from the terminal insertion side in different working states. [Figure 9] FIG. 9 is a perspective view showing a modified manufacturing support system. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0025] Specific embodiments of the present invention will be described below with reference to the accompanying drawings.

[0026] <Appearance and overview of the manufacturing support system> FIG. 1 is a perspective view showing the appearance of an example of the configuration of a manufacturing support system 100 according to an embodiment of the present invention. The manufacturing support system 100 shown in FIG. 1 is used when manufacturing various sub-harnesses, which are intermediate parts that constitute a wire harness.

[0027] A sub-harness generally comprises one or more electric wires and a connector disposed at the end of each wire. The electric wire is a coated electric wire in which the outside of a conductive core wire is covered with an electrically insulating coating made of resin, and a metal terminal is fixed to the end of the coated electric wire by crimping or other operation so as to be electrically connected to the core wire. The connector housing, which is the main component of the connector, has one or more cavities formed as spaces for accommodating the terminals.

[0028] When manufacturing a sub-harness or a wire harness, a terminal previously integrated with a single insulated wire is inserted into a cavity at a specific position in a connector housing and fixed in place. While this terminal insertion process can be performed automatically using automated equipment, the manufacturing support system 100 shown in Fig. 1 has a function to support the process when a worker inserts the terminal manually.

[0029] In the manufacturing support system 100 shown in FIG. 1, wire tubes 11-1, 11-2, and 11-3 are arranged on a workbench 10 in three vertical layers. Each of the wire tubes 11-1 to 11-3 has a number of mutually independent cylindrical spaces arranged in a row in the horizontal direction. Before starting the process of manufacturing a sub-harness, one or more electric wires with terminals are placed and held inside each cylindrical space of the wire tubes 11-1 to 11-3. In other words, a sub-harness can be manufactured manually using the electric wires prepared in any of the cylindrical spaces of the wire tubes 11-1 to 11-3.

[0030] A wire tube LED section 12 is installed below each of the wire tubes 11-1 to 11-3. Each wire tube LED section 12 has the same width as each of the wire tubes 11-1 to 11-3, and includes an LED (light emitting diode) 13 directly below each cylindrical space provided in each of the wire tubes 11-1 to 11-3.

[0031] These LEDs 13 are used to guide the worker's line of sight to the housing position of the electric wire that the worker should select. For example, as shown in Fig. 1, by lighting only the LED 13 located third from the left in the electric wire tube LED section 12 below the electric wire tube 11-2, the worker can be guided to the position of the electric wire-attached terminal housed in the third cylindrical space from the left of the electric wire tube 11-2.

[0032] The workbench 10 has a work area 10a at its front side. At this work area 10a, a worker performs the work of manufacturing a sub-harness, i.e., manually inserting terminals into the predetermined cavities of each connector housing in sequence.

[0033] As shown in FIG. 1, a plurality of housing receiving jigs 20 are arranged horizontally in the work area 10a. A plurality of liquid crystal panels 30 are arranged directly below each housing receiving jig 20. Each liquid crystal panel 30 has a flat two-dimensional display screen, and the housing receiving jig 20 is arranged so as to overlap this screen. Each housing receiving jig 20 can hold a connector housing, which is a component of the sub-harness to be manufactured. With the connector housing held in each housing receiving jig 20, terminals with electric wires are manually inserted into the designated cavities.

[0034] The LEDs 61 arranged on the front side of each liquid crystal panel 30 are used to indicate that the connector housing held nearby is the object of work. For example, when the leftmost LED 61 is lit as shown in Figure 1, the worker's line of sight is guided so that the worker knows that the connector housing held by the housing receiving jig 20 at the leftmost position is the object of work.

[0035] The worker is guided to the position of the cavity into which the terminal with the electric wire should be inserted by the guidance pattern displayed on the screen of each liquid crystal panel 30. In reality, the worker can see the guidance pattern displayed on the screen of the liquid crystal panel 30 disposed below by looking from the insertion side (above) to the back side of the cavity into which the terminal has not yet been inserted.

[0036] A circuit board of a guidance unit 32 (described later), not shown in FIG. 1, is connected to each of the multiple liquid crystal panels 30. This guidance unit 32 can control the display content of each liquid crystal panel 30. Each guidance unit 32 is connected to a guidance management unit 40 via a LAN cable 44 shown in FIG. 1. The guidance management unit 40 has a management unit main body 41 and an interface unit 42. A barcode reader 43 provided in the guidance management unit 40 is connected to the management unit main body 41. In addition, each of the multiple wire tube LED units 12 is connected to the output of the interface unit 42 via a connection cable 45.

[0037] <Configuration near the housing support jig> 2 and 3 show the appearance of the vicinity of the housing receiving jig 20. Fig. 3 shows the state in which the components in the vicinity of the housing receiving jig 20 are disassembled.

[0038] 3, an opening 21 is formed in a position slightly toward the front center of the housing receiving jig 20. This opening 21 penetrates all the way to the bottom, and the screen of the liquid crystal panel 30 disposed below can be seen from above the opening 21.

[0039] A holding member 22 having an outer shape similar to the internal space of the opening 21 of the housing receiving jig 20 can be removably accommodated in the opening 21. In the example of Fig. 3, the holding member 22 can be attached to the housing receiving jig 20 as shown in Fig. 2 by pushing the holding member 22 sideways from the front side of the housing receiving jig 20 along the axial direction indicated by arrow Y. The outer shape of the holding member 22 resembles a rectangular parallelepiped and is machined into a shape that can fit into the peripheral wall of the opening 21.

[0040] The holding member 22 can be easily attached and detached by operating the operating lever 24. The holding member 22 has a space for a housing accommodating portion 22a inside. The shape and size of the housing accommodating portion 22a are formed to match the outer shape of a specific type of connector housing 23 to be accommodated in this space. In addition, the housing accommodating portion 22a is formed as an opening that penetrates the holding member 22 from the top surface to the bottom surface.

[0041] 2, the connector housing 23 is accommodated in the housing accommodating portion 22a of the holding member 22 by being pushed from the top to the bottom (in the axial direction indicated by arrow Z). By preparing in advance a plurality of types of holding members 22 with housing accommodating portions 22a of different shapes and sizes, it becomes possible to mount a plurality of types of connector housings 23 with different shapes and sizes on a common housing receiving jig 20. In other words, a common housing receiving jig 20 can be used to manufacture a plurality of different types of sub-harnesses.

[0042] 2 and 3, the connector housing 23 has a number of cavities 23a, each of which looks like an opening. Of course, the number, alignment, size, etc. of the cavities 23a vary depending on the type of connector. Each cavity 23a is an opening that penetrates from the top surface side shown in FIG. 2 to the opposite side.

[0043] 2 is manually inserted into one of the cavities 23a from above in the axial direction indicated by arrow Z. When inserted to a predetermined position, a protrusion or the like (not shown) of the metal terminal 26 engages with the peripheral wall or the like of the cavity 23a, and the metal terminal 26 is fixed so as not to move within the connector housing 23. After inserting the metal terminal 26, the worker can pull the insulated wire 25 to check whether the metal terminal 26 is properly fixed within the connector housing 23 and will not come loose.

[0044] <Example of manufacturing support system configuration> Figure 4 shows an example of the configuration of the main parts, such as the electrical circuits, in the manufacturing support system shown in Figure 1. 4, it is assumed that multiple guide units 32-1, 32-2, 32-3, 32-4, etc. are arranged in order on working section 10a of workbench 10. Liquid crystal panels 30-1, 30-2, 30-3, and 30-4 are connected to guide units 32-1, 32-2, 32-3, and 32-4, respectively, by relatively short cables. Therefore, liquid crystal panels 30-1 to 30-4 are also arranged in order on working section 10a of workbench 10.

[0045] Housing receiving jig 20-1 is placed so as to overlap the screen of liquid crystal panel 30-1. Similarly, housing receiving jigs 20-2 to 20-4 are placed so as to overlap the screens of liquid crystal panels 30-2 to 30-4, respectively.

[0046] The first connector housing 23-1 is mounted to the first housing receiving jig 20-1 via the holding member 22 shown in Fig. 3. Similarly, the second to fourth connector housings 23-2 to 23-4 are mounted to the second to fourth housing receiving jigs 20-2 to 20-4, respectively, via holding members 22 of appropriate shapes.

[0047] The communication lines connecting the guidance management unit 40 and each of the guidance units 32-1, 32-2, 32-3, 32-4, etc. are connected in order in the form of a daisy chain. That is, the guidance management unit 40 and the guidance unit 32-1 are connected by a LAN cable 44, the guidance units 32-1 and 32-2 are connected by a LAN cable 44-2, the guidance units 32-2 and 32-3 are connected by a LAN cable 44-3, and the guidance units 32-3 and 32-4 are connected by a LAN cable 44-4.

[0048] In this way, the guide units 32-1 to 32-4 are connected in a daisy chain, so that a necessary number of other guide units 32 can be connected downstream of the guide unit 32-4. Furthermore, the arrangement of the guide units 32-1 to 32-4 can be easily changed in accordance with the arrangement of the connectors in the specifications of the sub-harness or wire harness to be manufactured.

[0049] For example, as shown in FIG. 4, the manufacturing support system 100 having four guide units 32-1 to 32-4 can be used to manufacture a sub-harness including four connector housings 23-1 to 23-4.

[0050] The guidance management unit 40 is connected to the wire tube LED unit 12 via a connection cable 45. A barcode reader 43 is also connected to the guidance management unit 40. A host computer 46 can be connected to the guidance management unit 40 as needed.

[0051] Note that the induction units 32-1 to 32-4 shown in Fig. 4 all have the same hardware configuration. Also, the liquid crystal panels 30-1 to 30-4 shown in Fig. 4 are TFT (thin-film-transistor) color liquid crystal panels with the same configuration, and correspond to the liquid crystal panel 30 shown in Fig. 1.

[0052] Furthermore, each of the housing receiving jigs 20-1 to 20-4 can have the same configuration as the housing receiving jig 20 shown in Fig. 2. The product number, shape, size, etc. of each of the connector housings 23-1 to 23-4 must be appropriately selected according to the specifications of the sub-harness to be manufactured. Even if the connector housings 23 have different shapes, sizes, etc., they can be attached to the housing receiving jigs 20-1 to 20-4 of the same configuration by using holding members 22 of appropriate shapes.

[0053] <Appearance of induction unit and LCD panel> The appearance of one induction unit 32 and the liquid crystal panel 30 is shown in FIG. 5, the guide unit 32 is configured as a circuit board incorporating the electrical circuit components necessary to realize the functions of this unit. The liquid crystal panel 30 is connected to the guide unit 32 via a connection cable 35, which is configured as a flat cable or the like. The liquid crystal panel 30 is formed in a thin, flat plate shape, and therefore can be placed below the housing receiving jig 20 so that its screen overlaps the position of the connector housing 23.

[0054] An LED 61 is connected to the circuit board of the guide unit 32 via a connection cable 34. A switch 62 is connected to the circuit board of the guide unit 32 via a connection cable 33. The LED 61 can be used to guide the worker's line of sight to the position of the connector that is the target of the work. The switch 62 generates a step input signal that indicates the progress of the terminal insertion work in response to the worker's button operation.

[0055] <Configuration of induction unit> An example of the configuration of the induction unit 32 is shown in FIG. As shown in FIG. 6, the guidance unit 32 includes a microcomputer (CPU) 32a, a nonvolatile memory 32b, an input / output unit 32c, communication units 32d and 32e, a display control unit 32f, and communication ports 32g and 32h.

[0056] The microcomputer 32a executes pre-installed programs to realize various control functions required for the guidance unit 32. For example, communication between the microcomputer 32a and the guidance management unit 40 can be performed using the communication units 32d and 32e. This allows the microcomputer 32a to transmit information indicating the status of the guidance unit 32 to the guidance management unit 40 and to receive instructions for the guidance unit 32 from the guidance management unit 40.

[0057] Furthermore, the microcomputer 32a can display, via the display control unit 32f, on the screen of the liquid crystal panel 30, guidance patterns that correspond to the positions of the cavities 23a into which terminals are to be inserted in the connector housing 23 that is the subject of the work. Connector information required to display the guidance patterns is registered in advance in a connector information table TBL on the nonvolatile memory 32b. That is, for each of various types of connectors, information such as shape data of the terminal insertion openings (such as the position of each cavity) and connector model numbers is stored in the nonvolatile memory 32b. Furthermore, the contents of the connector information table TBL can be added later in response to instructions from the guidance management unit 40, etc.

[0058] Furthermore, the microcomputer 32a can control the on / off / blinking of the LED 61 via the input / output unit 32c. Therefore, the display of this LED 61 can guide the worker's line of sight to the connector position that is the target of the work. Furthermore, the microcomputer 32a can monitor the on / off state of the switch (SW) 62 via the input / output unit 32c. Therefore, when the worker operates the switch 62, the microcomputer 32a can recognize this operation as an input for incrementing the work progress.

[0059] Furthermore, data indicating the model number of each connector read by the guidance management section 40 using the barcode reader 43 is transmitted to each guidance unit 32. The microcomputer 32a in the guidance unit 32 acquires necessary information from the nonvolatile memory 32b based on the connector model number of the guidance unit 32 received from the guidance unit 32, and displays an appropriate guidance pattern on the liquid crystal panel 30. Therefore, for any of various types of connector housings 23, an appropriate guidance pattern can be displayed at an appropriate position depending on the work situation.

[0060] <Induction unit operation> An example of the operation of the guide unit 32 is shown in Fig. 7. For example, the microcomputer 32a in each of the guide units 32-1 to 32-4 shown in Fig. 4 performs control independently for each connector position according to the procedure shown in Fig. 7. The operation of Fig. 7 will be described below.

[0061] When the power is turned on, the microcomputer 32a executes initialization in S11. This initializes the internal operating state of the guidance unit 32, turns off the display of the liquid crystal panel 30 connected to the guidance unit 32, and enables communication between the microcomputer 32a and the guidance management unit 40 via the LAN cable 44 or the like. The LED 61 turns off.

[0062] When the guidance management section 40 sends an instruction to start the terminal insertion work to the guidance unit 32, the processing of the microcomputer 32a proceeds from S12 to S13. Then, the microcomputer 32a controls the LED 61 to be in an illuminating state in S13. This guides the worker's line of sight to the position of the connector housing 23 held by the housing receiving jig 20 located close to the guidance unit 32, and the worker recognizes that this should be selected as the current work target.

[0063] Based on the connector model number data transmitted from the guidance management section 40 to the guidance unit 32, the microcomputer 32a refers to the connector information table TBL in the nonvolatile memory 32b in S14 to obtain shape data of the corresponding connector.

[0064] In S15, the microcomputer 32a displays a display pattern representing the insertion position of the first terminal in the terminal insertion operation into the connector housing 23 at the position corresponding to the guiding unit 32 on the screen of the liquid crystal panel 30 as a guidance pattern. The display pattern at this time is displayed using the same color or pattern as the coating of the coated electric wire 25 connected to the corresponding metal terminal 26.

[0065] In this case, by looking from above into the connector housing 23 at the position where the LED 61 is lit, the worker can ascertain the position of the cavity 23a into which the next metal terminal 26 should be inserted from the guidance pattern displayed on the screen of the liquid crystal panel 30 below. In addition, from the color and design of this guidance pattern, the worker can visually compare whether the insulated wire 25 connected to the metal terminal 26 matches the design specifications of the sub-harness, i.e., whether there is any mistake in the selection of the wire.

[0066] The worker holds the metal terminal 26 of one of the terminal-attached electric wires taken out of the electric wire tubes 11-1 to 11-3 at the position where the LED 13 is lit, focuses on a specific connector housing 23 close to the position where the LED 61 is lit, and inserts the metal terminal 26 into the cavity 23a at the position where the guidance pattern is displayed on the liquid crystal panel 30. The worker also pulls the insulated electric wire 25 connected to this metal terminal 26 to confirm that it is fixed, and then operates the button linked to the switch 62.

[0067] The microcomputer 32a of the guidance unit 32 recognizes the operator's operation of the switch 62 as a step input for the work in S16, and then transmits the step input information to the guidance management section 40 in the next S17.

[0068] If the terminal insertion operation into the same connector housing 23 is to be repeated subsequently, the microcomputer 32a proceeds from S18 to S19. Then, the guidance pattern displayed on the screen of the liquid crystal panel 30 is updated. For example, when moving from the first cavity to the second cavity, the guidance pattern is displayed at a position that coincides with the second cavity. The color and design of the displayed guidance pattern are changed so that it matches the coating of the insulated electric wire 25 connected to the metal terminal 26 to be inserted into the second cavity.

[0069] When the current terminal insertion work for the current connector housing 23 that is the work target has been completed, the microcomputer 32a proceeds to the process from S18 to S21 and then performs the termination process for the current connector housing 23. That is, the LED 61 that indicates the position of the connector housing 23 that is the work target is turned off, and the guidance management unit 40 is notified that the work for that connector has been completed.

[0070] Incidentally, when a new type of wire harness or sub-harness is produced, a new type of connector housing 23 may be adopted. In this case, data on the new type of connector housing 23 has not yet been registered in the connector information table TBL arranged in the nonvolatile memory 32b of each guiding unit 32. Therefore, after an administrator prepares data on the new type of connector housing 23 on the host computer 46, for example, the host computer 46 transfers this data to the guiding management unit 40. The guiding management unit 40 then transmits the data transferred from the host computer 46 to each guiding unit 32 together with a command to add connector information.

[0071] When the microcomputer 32a in each guiding unit 32 receives the command to add connector information from the guiding management section 40, the microcomputer 32a proceeds to the process from S22 to S23. Then, the microcomputer 32a adds the data of the new type of connector housing 23 received from the guiding management section 40 to the connector information table TBL.

[0072] Therefore, for example, when a new type of wire harness or sub-harness is produced due to a change in vehicle specifications, it is only necessary to add a new holding member 22 corresponding to the new type of connector housing 23, and most of the hardware of the manufacturing support system 100 can be reused as is.

[0073] Furthermore, for example, if the specifications for the arrangement order of multiple connector housings 23 included in one sub-harness are changed, this can be accommodated by simply changing the transmission order and destination of the instructions sent by the guidance management unit 40 to the guidance unit 32 at each connector position, so the hardware of the manufacturing support system 100 can be reused as is.

[0074] <Examples of conditions that can be seen by workers> 8(a), 8(b), and 8(c) respectively show connector housing 23 viewed from the terminal insertion side in different work states. That is, when using manufacturing support system 100 in FIG. 1, an operator can visually recognize the states shown in FIGS. 8(a) to 8(c) at one location of connector housing 23.

[0075] The state shown in FIG. 8(a) is a state in which all cavities 23a of the connector housing 23 are empty and no metal terminals 26 are installed. In the example of FIG. 8(a), the guidance pattern displayed on the screen of the liquid crystal panel 30 disposed below the connector housing 23 is a work position indicator 30a. That is, the worker can see this work position indicator 30a at the opening of one of the 12 cavities 23a, the leftmost one in the top row. Therefore, the worker knows that the metal terminal 26 should be inserted into the specific cavity 23a where the work position indicator 30a is visible.

[0076] In addition, the work area display 30a in Figure 8(a) is displayed to match the color and pattern of the coating on the insulated wire 25 connected to the metal terminal 26 to be inserted into the cavity 23a at this location, so the worker can easily determine by visual comparison whether the metal terminal 26 to be inserted is correct.

[0077] In the state shown in FIG. 8(b), a metal terminal 26A has already been inserted into only one of the twelve cavities 23a, the leftmost one in the top row. In the example of FIG. 8(b), the guidance pattern displayed on the screen of the liquid crystal panel 30 disposed below the connector housing 23 is a work position indicator 30b. That is, the worker can visually recognize this work position indicator 30b at the opening of one of the twelve cavities 23a, the second one from the left in the top row. Therefore, the worker knows that the metal terminal 26 should be inserted into the cavity 23a with the work position indicator 30b.

[0078] The state shown in FIG. 8(c) shows a state in which metal terminals 26A and 26B are inserted into two of the twelve cavities 23a, the first and second from the left in the upper row. In the example of FIG. 8(c), the guidance pattern displayed on the screen of the liquid crystal panel 30 disposed below the connector housing 23 is a work position indicator 30c. That is, the worker can visually recognize this work position indicator 30c at the opening of one of the twelve cavities 23a, the third from the left in the upper row. Therefore, the worker knows that the metal terminal 26 should be inserted into the cavity 23a with the work position indicator 30c.

[0079] <Modification> FIG. 9 shows the appearance of a modified manufacturing support system 100A. The manufacturing support system 100A shown in Fig. 9 is intended to be used in a work process for manually manufacturing a wire harness WH for a vehicle. For example, the wire harness WH can be manufactured by assembling and integrating a large number of sub-harnesses manufactured using the manufacturing support system 100 shown in Fig. 1 on a workbench 10B that moves on a belt conveyor or the like.

[0080] When manufacturing each sub-harness included in the wire harness WH, for example, the metal terminals 26 of the electric wires that span multiple sub-harnesses cannot be inserted into some of the cavities 23a of the connector housing 23. In such cases, the terminal insertion work is performed as a post-insertion work when the multiple sub-harnesses are assembled to manufacture the wire harness WH. Since this post-insertion work is performed manually by a worker, the manufacturing support system 100A is used to support this work.

[0081] 9, connector housings 23A, 23B, 23C, 23D, 23E, 23F, 23G, and 23H are connected to respective portions of the wire harness WH, such as an end portion thereof, and a large number of guide units 51A, 51B, 51C, 51D, 51E, 51F, and 51G are installed near the respective connector housings 23A to 23H and near branch points of the wiring path.

[0082] Each of the guide units 51A to 51G in FIG. 9 includes a liquid crystal panel 30 having a two-dimensional display screen such as a TFT. The liquid crystal panel 30 of each of the guide units 51A to 51G displays information to assist the worker in fitting the metal terminals 26 into the respective cavities 23a. That is, the liquid crystal panel 30 displays the position of the cavity 23a to be fitted later, the color and pattern of the coating of the insulated electric wire 25 connected to the metal terminal 26 to be fitted later, and the like. The liquid crystal panel 30 can also be used to indicate work points like an LED light, or the worker can press a display button on the liquid crystal panel 30 after completing a predetermined task to allow the management unit main body 41A to grasp the progress of the work.

[0083] When the workbench 10B to be worked on is transported by a belt conveyor and approaches the management unit main body 41A or the interface unit 42A, the management unit main body 41A or the interface unit 42A transmits display instructions to each of the guide units 51A to 51G. In the manufacturing support system 100A of FIG. 9, multiple wireless modules 52A, 52B, and 52C are installed at multiple locations on the workbench 10B. Each of the guide units 51A to 51G is equipped with a wireless communication function. Furthermore, a wireless module 53 is installed near the interface unit 42A, and a wireless module 54 is installed near the host computer 46A. The management unit main body 41A and the interface unit 42A are connected by wire.

[0084] Therefore, the interface unit 42A and each of the guide units 51A to 51G can be connected to each other by wireless communication such as Zigbee (registered trademark), wireless LAN, etc. The host computer 46A and the interface unit 42A can also be connected to each other by wireless communication.

[0085] The management unit main body 41A shown in Figure 9 sends instructions to each guidance unit 51A to 51G via the interface unit 42A and the wireless module 53, and displays information on the liquid crystal panel 30 at each position to provide guidance necessary for the post-insertion work of each terminal.

[0086] 1 and 4, each guidance unit 32 can use each liquid crystal panel 30 to display a guidance pattern for guiding the worker's line of sight to the cavity 23a at the position of each connector housing 23. Therefore, if shape data of various connectors is prepared in advance, appropriate guidance patterns can be displayed using common hardware even if the specifications of the connectors included in the sub-harness or wire harness to be manufactured change.

[0087] Furthermore, even if the specifications of the arrangement or combination of multiple connectors included in the sub-harness or wire harness being manufactured change, the guidance management unit 40 can give appropriate instructions to each guidance unit 32, so that the appropriate guidance pattern can be displayed at the appropriate cavity position of each connector housing 23 using common hardware.

[0088] 4, the communication lines of the guidance management unit 40 and the plurality of guidance units 32-1 to 32-4 are connected in a daisy chain configuration, so that the number of connected guidance units 32 can be increased as needed. This allows for a high degree of freedom in the system configuration, and can easily accommodate various changes in the specifications of the sub-harnesses and wire harnesses to be manufactured. In other words, when the specifications of the vehicle in which the wire harness WH is mounted change, much of the hardware of the manufacturing support system 100 can be reused to accommodate the manufacture of sub-harnesses and wire harnesses with the new specifications.

[0089] The manufacturing support systems 100 and 100A can be used not only during the manufacturing of sub-harnesses and wire harnesses, but also during inspection. However, during the inspection process, since metal terminals 26 are already housed in each cavity 23a, the worker cannot visually recognize the guidance pattern on the LCD panel 30 at the position of the cavity 23a. Therefore, in this case, it is assumed that a shape pattern simulating all cavities 23a of the connector housing 23 and a guidance pattern for a specific cavity at the position of the terminal to be inspected are displayed on the screen of the LCD panel 30, for example, at a position adjacent to the corresponding connector housing 23. In this case, the inspection can be facilitated by matching the display color and pattern of the displayed guidance pattern to the insulated electric wire 25 connected to the corresponding metal terminal 26.

[0090] Here, the features of the manufacturing support system according to the embodiment of the present invention described above will be briefly summarized and listed below in [1] to [5]. [1] A manufacturing support system (100) for guiding the line of sight of a worker regarding the correspondence between each terminal accommodating portion (cavity 23a) on each connector housing (23) included in a wire harness and the terminal (metal terminal 26) to be attached to that portion during manufacturing or inspection of the wire harness, a plurality of guide units (32-1 to 32-4) respectively provided in association with the plurality of connector housings; a plurality of housing receiving jigs (20-1 to 20-4) each having one or more connector housing receiving portions and mountable on any of the plurality of guide units; A host control unit (guidance management unit 40) that gives instructions to the plurality of guidance units; Equipped with Each of the guidance units has a two-dimensional display screen (liquid crystal panel 30), a communication unit (32d, 32e), and a display control unit (microcomputer 32a) that controls the display content of the two-dimensional display screen according to the situation, The housing receiving jig is configured to be arranged so as to overlap with the two-dimensional display screen of the induction unit. A manufacturing support system characterized by:

[0091] [2] Each of the plurality of induction units has a plurality of communication connection terminals (communication connection ports 32g, 32h), The plurality of induction units are connected in a daisy chain form by predetermined communication cables (LAN cables 44, 44-2 to 44-4), The manufacturing support system according to [1] above.

[0092] [3] Each of the plurality of guidance units has an input receiving unit (switch 62) that allows stepwise input of work, The control unit in the guidance unit receives the step input of the work from the input receiving unit, transmits the step input information to the upper control unit, and updates the display content of the two-dimensional display screen (steps S16, S17, S19). The manufacturing support system according to [1] above.

[0093] [4] Each of the plurality of guide units has an indicator light (LED 61) that can indicate whether or not the connector is the corresponding target connector, The control unit in the guidance unit controls the display state of the indicator light in accordance with instructions from the upper control unit (step S13). The manufacturing support system according to [1] above.

[0094] [5] Each of the plurality of guiding units has a connector information storage unit (connector information table TBL, non-volatile memory 32b) that stores connector information including shape data of terminal insertion ports and model numbers for a plurality of types of connectors, The control unit (microcomputer 32a) in the guidance unit adds new information to the connector information in the connector information storage unit in accordance with the instruction from the upper control unit (S22, S23). The manufacturing support system according to any one of [1] to [4] above. [Explanation of symbols]

[0095] 10,10B workbench 10a Working section 11-1,11-2,11-3 Wire tube 12 Wire tube LED section 13 LED 20, 20-1, 20-2, 20-3, 20-4 Housing support jig 21 Opening 22 Retaining member 22a Housing receiving section 23, 23-1, 23-2, 23-3, 23-4 Connector housing 23A, 23B, 23C, 23D, 23E, 23F, 23G Connector Housing 23a cavity 24 Operating lever 25, 25A, 25B coated wire 26,26A,26B Metal terminal 30, 30-1, 30-2, 30-3, 30-4 LCD panel 30a,30b,30c Work area display 32, 32-1, 32-2, 32-3, 32-4 Guidance unit 32a Microcomputer 32b non-volatile memory 32c input / output section 32d,32e Communication Department 32f Display control unit 32g, 32h communication connection port 33, 34, 35 Connection cable 40 Guidance Management Department 41,41A Management department body 42, 42A Interface section 43 Barcode reader 44, 44-2, 44-3, 44-4, 44-5 LAN cable 45 Connection cable 46,46A Host computer 51A, 51B, 51C, 51D, 51E, 51F induction unit 52A, 52B, 52C, 53, 54 Wireless modules 61 LED 62 Switch 100,100A manufacturing support system TBL Connector Information Table WH Wire Harness

Claims

1. A manufacturing support system for guiding the line of sight of an operator regarding a correspondence between each terminal accommodating portion on each connector housing included in a wire harness and a terminal to be attached to the corresponding portion during manufacturing or inspection of the wire harness, comprising: a plurality of guide units respectively provided in association with the plurality of connector housings; a plurality of housing receiving jigs each having one or more connector housing receiving portions and mountable on any of the plurality of guide units; A host control unit that gives instructions to the plurality of guidance units; Equipped with Each of the guidance units has a two-dimensional display screen, a communication unit, and a display control unit that controls the display content of the two-dimensional display screen according to the situation, The housing receiving jig is configured to be able to be arranged in a state where it overlaps with the two-dimensional display screen of the induction unit, each of the plurality of guide units has a connector information storage unit that stores connector information including shape data of terminal insertion openings and model numbers for a plurality of types of connectors; a control unit in the guiding unit adds new information to the connector information in the connector information storage unit in accordance with an instruction from the upper control unit; The two-dimensional display screen of each of the induction units is disposed directly below each of the housing receiving jigs, The display control unit of each of the guiding units displays a guidance pattern on the two-dimensional display screen at a position immediately below a position of a terminal accommodating location where the terminal to be attached should be attached among the plurality of terminal accommodating locations on the connector housing accommodated in the connector housing receiving portion of each of the housing receiving jigs, and the guidance pattern is displayed using a color or a pattern of the insulated wire pre-connected to the terminal to be attached. A manufacturing support system characterized by:

2. Each of the plurality of induction units has a plurality of communication connection terminals, the plurality of induction units are connected in a daisy chain form by a predetermined communication cable; 2. The manufacturing support system according to claim 1.

3. Each of the plurality of guidance units has an input receiving unit that allows input of stepwise progress of work, a control unit in the guidance unit receives a step-by-step input of the work from the input receiving unit, transmits information of the step-by-step input to the upper control unit, and updates the display content of the two-dimensional display screen; 2. The manufacturing support system according to claim 1.

4. Each of the plurality of guide units has an indicator light capable of indicating whether or not the connector is a corresponding connector to be worked on, The control unit in the guidance unit controls the display state of the indicator light in accordance with instructions from the upper control unit.

2. The manufacturing support system according to claim 1.

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