Wire aligning device, wire harness, and wire aligning method

Abstract

A wire aligning device according to one aspect of an embodiment of the present invention is for aligning at least some of electric wire groups in a wire harness, and comprises: a table having an adhesive surface; a pressing part for pressing electric wires forming the electric wire group against the adhesive surface of the table; and a drive part for changing the relative positions of the pressing part and the table, pressing the electric wires, at two points at least, against the adhesive surface, and aligning the at least some of the electric wire group to the adhesive surface.

Description

Wire arranging device, wire harness, and wire arranging method

[0001] The disclosed embodiments relate to a wire arranging device, a wire harness, and a wire arranging method.

[0002] Some wire harnesses used as wiring paths for electrical devices are configured by bundling a large number of thin electric wires in a flat shape. To manufacture such wire harnesses, for example, a jig is used, which has the required number of grooves carved into a predetermined shape with a width that matches the outer diameter of the electric wires. With such a jig, the electric wires are fitted into each groove and arranged by being pressed down with a presser plate. After that, laminate tape is applied from above to fix the arranged shape of the electric wires, thereby manufacturing the wire harness.

[0003] However, since there are a wide variety of wiring shapes for wire harnesses, a jig needs to be produced for each wiring shape, and even a slight change in the wiring shape requires the jig to be remade.To address this, Patent Document 1 proposes a technology in which a single wiring head supplies a group of wires in a flat horizontal row onto a flat wiring table, and the wiring head and the wiring table are moved or rotated relative to each other to lay the wires on the flat wiring table.

[0004] Japanese Unexamined Patent Publication No. 62-246205

[0005] However, in the method described in Patent Document 1, the group of electric wires is laid out by a wiring head that pushes and guides the group of electric wires into a flat horizontal row, which poses a problem of limitations on the shape of the wire arrangement.

[0006] One aspect of the embodiment has been made in view of the above, and aims to provide a wire arranging device, a wire harness, and a wire arranging method that can reduce constraints on the wire arranging shape.

[0007] A wire aligning device according to one aspect of the embodiment is a wire aligning device that aligns at least a portion of a group of electric wires in a wire harness, and includes a table having an adhesive surface, a pressing unit that presses the electric wires that form the group of electric wires against the adhesive surface of the table, and a drive unit that changes the relative position of the pressing unit and the table to press at least two points of the electric wires against the adhesive surface, and aligns at least a portion of the group of electric wires against the adhesive surface.

[0008] According to one aspect of the embodiment, constraints on the shape of the aligned lines can be reduced.

[0009] FIG. 1 is a perspective view showing an example of a wire aligning apparatus according to an embodiment. FIG. 2 is a plan view showing an example of a wire aligning apparatus according to an embodiment. FIG. 3 is a side view showing an example of a wire aligning apparatus according to an embodiment. FIG. 4 is a front view showing an example of a configuration including a wire supply unit, a table, a roller unit, and a drive unit of the wire aligning apparatus according to an embodiment. FIG. 5 is an enlarged view of the roller unit shown in FIG. 4. FIG. 6 is a side view showing an example of a roller unit of the wire aligning apparatus according to an embodiment. FIG. 7 is a cross-sectional view showing an example of a table of the wire aligning apparatus according to an embodiment. FIG. 8 is a cross-sectional view showing another example of a table of the wire aligning apparatus according to an embodiment. FIG. 9 is a cross-sectional view showing an example of a pressure roller in a roller unit of the wire aligning apparatus according to an embodiment. FIG. 10 is a block diagram showing an example of a control unit of the wire aligning apparatus according to an embodiment. FIG. 11 is a plan view showing an example of a wire harness including a group of electric wires aligned by the wire aligning apparatus according to an embodiment. 12 shows a manufacturing process of a wire harness according to an embodiment, in which (a) is a diagram showing a state in which a laminate tape is placed on an adhesive surface of a table, (b) is a diagram showing a state in which the laminate tape is placed on the adhesive surface of the table, (c) is a diagram showing a state in which electric wires are arranged on the laminate tape, and (d) is a diagram showing a state in which each group of electric wires is arranged on the laminate tape. Fig. 13 shows a manufacturing process of a wire harness according to an embodiment, in which (a) is a diagram showing a state in which the laminate tape is placed on the surface of the laminate tape so as to sandwich the arranged group of electric wires, (b) is a diagram showing a state in which the laminate tape is placed on the surface of the laminate tape so as to sandwich the arranged group of electric wires, (c) is a diagram showing a state in which the arranged group of electric wires sandwiched between the laminate tapes is being die-cut with a laser processing machine, and (d) is a diagram showing a state in which each group of electric wires sandwiched between the laminate tapes is die-cut with the laser processing machine. Fig. 14 is a diagram (part 1) showing a state of a wire arranging process by a roller unit of the wire arranging device according to the embodiment. Fig. 15 is a diagram (part 2) showing a state of a wire arranging process by a roller unit of the wire arranging device according to the embodiment. Fig. 16 is a diagram (part 3) showing a state of a wire arranging process by a roller unit of the wire arranging device according to the embodiment. Fig. 17 is a diagram showing another example of a wire harness according to the embodiment.FIG. 18 is a diagram (part 1) illustrating features of the wire arranging performed by the wire arranging device according to the embodiment. FIG. 19 is a diagram (part 2) illustrating features of the wire arranging performed by the wire arranging device according to the embodiment. FIG. 20 is a diagram (part 4) illustrating a wire arranging process performed by a roller unit of the wire arranging device according to the embodiment. FIG. 21 is a front view illustrating another example of a configuration including a wire supply unit, a table, a roller unit, and a drive unit of the wire arranging device according to the embodiment. FIG. 22 is an enlarged view of the roller unit illustrated in FIG. 21. FIG. 23 is a diagram (part 1) illustrating a wire arranging process performed by the roller unit illustrated in FIG. 21. FIG. 24 is a diagram (part 2) illustrating a wire arranging process performed by the roller unit illustrated in FIG. 21. FIG. 25 is a diagram (part 3) illustrating a wire arranging process performed by the roller unit illustrated in FIG. 21. FIG. 26 is a diagram (part 4) illustrating a wire arranging process performed by the roller unit illustrated in FIG. 21. FIG. 27 is a diagram illustrating another example of a pressure roller in the roller unit of the wire arranging device according to the embodiment. Fig. 28 is a diagram showing a part of another example of a wire aligning device according to the embodiment. Fig. 29 is a diagram (part 1) showing the state of wire aligning processing by the wire aligning device shown in Fig. 28. Fig. 30 is a diagram (part 2) showing the state of wire aligning processing by the wire aligning device shown in Fig. 28. Fig. 31 is a diagram (part 3) showing the state of wire aligning processing by the wire aligning device shown in Fig. 28. Fig. 32 is a diagram showing an example of a wire aligning result by the wire aligning device shown in Fig. 28.

[0010] Hereinafter, embodiments of a wire arranging device, a wire harness, and a wire arranging method disclosed in the present application will be described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings. Note that the present invention is not limited to the embodiments described below.

[0011] 1 to 10, the configuration of a wire arranging device 100 according to the embodiment will be described. The wire arranging device 100 according to the embodiment includes a frame unit 1 (see FIGS. 2 to 5), a wire supply unit 2 (see FIG. 4), a table 3 (see FIGS. 1 to 4), a roller unit 4 (see FIGS. 1 to 5), a drive unit 5 (see FIGS. 1 to 4), and a control unit 6 (see FIGS. 2 and 3).

[0012] The wire arranging device 100 aligns, for example, a group of electric wires 70 (see FIG. 11 ) in a wire harness 7 (see FIG. 11 ). In order to facilitate understanding, X, Y, and Z axes in the state of the wire arranging device 100 shown in FIG. 1 are additionally shown in several figures including FIGS. 1 to 6 .

[0013] As shown in Fig. 3, the frame unit 1 includes a flat frame base 10, a vertical frame portion 11 having a base end fixed to the frame base 10, and a horizontal frame portion 12 supported by the vertical frame portion 11. As shown in Fig. 2, the vertical frame portion 11 includes vertical frames 11a, 11b, 11c, and 11d having one end fixed to the four corners of a rectangular area of ​​the frame base 10.

[0014] As shown in Figure 2, the horizontal frame portion 12 includes horizontal frames 12a, 12b, 12c, and 12d fixed to the other ends of the vertical frames 11a, 11b, 11c, and 11d, and a horizontal frame 12e spanning between the horizontal frames 12b and 12d.

[0015] The electric wire supply unit 2 supplies electric wires 71 to be cut by the roller unit 4 to form the group of electric wires 70. The electric wires 71 are coated electric wires and are also called coated electric wires. However, the electric wires 71 are not limited to coated electric wires. Although not shown, the electric wire supply unit 2 is supported by the frame unit 1.

[0016] The table 3 has an adhesive surface 33b against which the electric wires 71 forming the electric wire group 70 are pressed and arranged. The table 3 is a table that is driven by a drive unit 5 in the left-right direction (X-axis direction) and the front-back direction (Y-axis direction).

[0017] The roller unit 4 has a pressure roller 444 that constitutes a pressing portion that presses the electric wires 71 that are supplied from the electric wire supply portion 2 and form the electric wire group 70 against the adhesive surface 33b of the table 3. The roller unit 4 is supported by the horizontal frame portion 12 of the frame unit 1, as shown in FIG.

[0018] The drive unit 5 changes the relative position of the adhesive surface 33b and the pressure roller 444 while the electric wires 71 are pressed against the adhesive surface 33b by the pressure roller 444, thereby repeatedly attaching the electric wires 71 from their starting ends to their ending ends to the adhesive surface 33b for each electric wire 71 included in the electric wire group 70, and aligning the electric wire group 70 on the adhesive surface 33b. The drive unit 5 includes a table drive unit 51 and a roller unit drive unit 52.

[0019] As shown in FIG. 3 , the table driving section 51 is supported by the frame base 10 of the frame unit 1 , and the roller unit driving section 52 is supported by the horizontal frame section 12 of the frame unit 1 .

[0020] The control unit 6 controls the electric wire supply unit 2, the roller unit 4, the drive unit 5, etc. For example, the control unit 6 controls the electric wire supply unit 2 to supply the electric wire 71 from the electric wire supply unit 2 to the roller unit 4. The control unit 6 also controls the roller unit 4 to press the electric wire 71 against the adhesive surface 33b of the table 3 by the roller unit 4.

[0021] Furthermore, while the electric wires 71 are pressed against the adhesive surface 33b by the roller unit 4, the control unit 6 controls the drive unit 5 to change the relative position between the adhesive surface 33b and the roller unit 4. The drive unit 5 controlled by the control unit 6 repeatedly attaches the electric wires 71 from the starting end to the terminal end to the adhesive surface 33b for each electric wire 71 included in the electric wire group 70, thereby arranging the electric wire group 70 on the adhesive surface 33b.

[0022] 4 , the electric wire supply unit 2 includes a reel 21 around which the electric wire 71 is wound, a motor 22 that rotates the reel 21, and rollers 23 and 24. The electric wire 71 is supplied from the electric wire supply unit 2 to the roller unit 4 by the rotation of the reel 21 by the motor 22.

[0023] 7, the table 3 includes a table base 30 and a laminate tape 33 held on a surface 30a of the table base 30. The surface 30a is a flat surface, but may also be a curved surface or an inclined surface.

[0024] The table base 30 includes a table body 31 and a double-sided adhesive sheet 32 ​​disposed on a surface 31a of the table body 31. One surface 32a of the double-sided adhesive sheet 32 ​​adheres to the surface 31a of the table body 31, and the other surface 32b of the double-sided adhesive sheet 32 ​​forms the surface 30a of the table 3.

[0025] The other surface 32b of the double-sided adhesive sheet 32 ​​has adhesive properties. The other surface 32b is, for example, a self-adhesive surface. The adhesive properties of the surface 30a are such that the laminate tape 33 can be attached and detached from the double-sided adhesive sheet 32. By making the other surface 32b of the double-sided adhesive sheet 32 ​​a self-adhesive surface, it is possible to prevent adhesive residue from remaining on the laminate tape 33 when the laminate tape 33 is repeatedly attached and detached, for example.

[0026] One surface 33a of the laminate tape 33 is a non-adhesive surface and is adhered to the other surface 32b of the double-sided adhesive sheet 32. The other surface 33b of the laminate tape 33 is an adhesive surface, and the group of electric wires 70 is arranged on this other surface 33b. Hereinafter, the other surface 33b of the laminate tape 33 may be referred to as the adhesive surface 33b.

[0027] Furthermore, the other surface 32b of the double-sided adhesive sheet 32 ​​may be adhesive instead of having an adhesive property. In this case, one surface 33a of the laminate tape 33 is adhered to the other surface 32b of the double-sided adhesive sheet 32. The adhesiveness of the surface 33a is such that the laminate tape 33 can be attached and detached from the double-sided adhesive sheet 32.

[0028] Furthermore, the table base 30 is not limited to the configuration shown in Fig. 7. For example, the table base 30 may have a surface 30a, a plurality of suction holes 30b, and an air intake hole 30c, as shown in Fig. 8. The air intake hole 30c is continuous with the plurality of suction holes 30b and draws air from the plurality of suction holes 30b.

[0029] 8, one side 33a of the laminate tape 33 is sucked into the suction holes 30b by air intake from the air intake hole 30c, and the one side 33a of the laminate tape 33 is placed in contact with the surface 30a. Note that instead of providing the table base 30 with the plurality of suction holes 30b, the surface 30a may be made of a porous material.

[0030] 1.3. Roller Unit 4 As shown in FIG. 5, the roller unit 4 includes a guide tube 40, a body portion 41, guide rollers 42 and 43, a presser unit 44, springs 45, a cutter 46, and a Z-axis actuator 47.

[0031] The guide tube 40 is formed in a cylindrical shape, and an electric wire 71 is inserted inside as shown in Fig. 3. The guide tube 40 is disposed by being inserted through a hollow portion of a roller unit driving section 52, which will be described later.

[0032] The body portion 41 is supported rotatably about the Z axis by a roller unit driving portion 52 (described later). The guide rollers 42 and 43 guide the electric wire 71 supplied from the electric wire supply portion 2 to the pressing unit 44, as shown in FIG.

[0033] The pressing unit 44 includes a T-shaped main body 441, a pair of feed rollers 442, 442 rotatably attached to the main body 441, a wire guide 443, and a pressing roller 444. The main body 441 is attached to a guide rail 411 provided on the body 41 so as to be movable in the up-down direction (Z-axis direction).

[0034] The pair of feed rollers 442, 442 are arranged side by side at the same position in the vertical direction (Z-axis direction) and face each other. The control unit 6 controls the drive unit 5 to set the feed rollers 442, 442 to either a closed state in which the electric wire 71 is sandwiched between the feed rollers 442, 442, or an open state in which the electric wire 71 is not sandwiched between the feed rollers 442, 442.

[0035] When the pair of feed rollers 442, 442 are in the closed state, they rotate under the control of the control unit 6 over the drive unit 5, and feed the electric wire 71 to the pressure roller 444. The drive unit 5 rotates one of the feed rollers 442, 442, but is not limited to this example.

[0036] The wire guide 443 is disposed below the feed rollers 442 (negative direction of the Z axis) and guides the wire 71 to the pressure roller 444. The wire guide 443 has, for example, a groove that guides the wire 71 toward the pressure roller 444, but is not limited to this example.

[0037] The pressure roller 444 is disposed below the feed rollers 442, 442 (negative direction of the Z axis), and functions as a pressing unit that presses the electric wire 71 guided by the electric wire guide 443 against the adhesive surface 33b of the table 3. The pressure roller 444 rotates about a rotation axis Lr2 that is perpendicular to the up-down direction (Z axis direction).

[0038] 9, the pressure roller 444 has a ball bearing 444a whose inner peripheral surface is attached to a cylindrical pin 445 protruding from the main body 441, and a roller main body 444b attached to the outer peripheral surface of the ball bearing 444a. The pin 445 is attached to the main body 441 of the pressure unit 44 by a fastener 446. In the example shown in FIG. 9, the fastener 446 is a bolt, but is not limited to such an example.

[0039] The roller body 444b is capable of smooth rotation about the rotation axis Lr2 by the ball bearing 444a. A V-shaped groove 444b1 that comes into contact with the electric wire 71 is formed on the outer periphery of the roller body 444b.

[0040] The rotation axis Lr2 is parallel to the adhesive surface 33b of the table 3. This allows the pressure roller 444 to move in a direction along the adhesive surface 33b while pressing the electric wire 71 against the adhesive surface 33b of the table 3.

[0041] The springs 45, 45 are stretched between the body portion 41 and the main body portion 441 of the pressing unit 44, and the springs 45, 45 pull the pressing unit 44 upward (positive direction of the Z axis) against its own weight.

[0042] The cutter 46 is disposed between the feed rollers 442, 442 and the pressure roller 444, and cuts the electric wire 71. The cutter 46 moves from a position away from the electric wire 71 in a direction toward the electric wire 71, and cuts the electric wire 71 by pushing it through. The cutting of the electric wire 71 is not limited to the cutter 46, and various other means may be used, such as a clamping structure, and is not particularly limited.

[0043] The Z-axis actuator 47 moves the main body 441 of the body 41 in the vertical direction (Z-axis direction). The Z-axis actuator 47 is controlled by the control unit 6. The vertical movement of the main body 441 by the Z-axis actuator 47 makes it possible to align the wires even if the surface 30a of the table base 30 is a curved or inclined surface.

[0044] 1 to 4, the drive unit 5 includes a table drive unit 51, a roller unit drive unit 52, and a feed roller drive unit 53. As shown in FIGS. 1 and 3, the table drive unit 51 is disposed on the frame base 10 of the frame unit 1, and moves the table 3 in the front-rear direction (Y-axis direction) and the left-right direction (X-axis direction) under the control of the control unit 6. This changes the relative position between the adhesive surface 33b of the laminating tape 33 and the pressure roller 444.

[0045] The table driving unit 51 includes two X-axis rails 511, four X-axis sliders 512, an actuator 513, a moving table 514, two Y-axis rails 515, four Y-axis sliders 516, an actuator 517, and a table holding unit 518.

[0046] The two X-axis rails 511 are attached parallel to each other on the frame base 10 of the frame unit 1. Each X-axis rail 511 extends in the left-right direction (X-axis direction). Each of the four X-axis sliders 512 is attached to the corresponding one of the two X-axis rails 511 so as to be movable in the left-right direction (X-axis direction).

[0047] The actuator 513 is a ball screw type actuator, and is attached to the frame base 10 of the frame unit 1. The actuator 513 is controlled by the control unit 6.

[0048] The moving table 514 is attached to four X-axis sliders 512 and an actuator 513 , and is moved within the stroke range of the X-axis rail 511 by the control of the actuator 513 by the control unit 6 .

[0049] The two Y-axis rails 515 are attached parallel to each other on the moving table 514. Each Y-axis rail 515 extends in the front-to-rear direction (Y-axis direction). Each of the four Y-axis sliders 516 is attached to the corresponding one of the two Y-axis rails 515 so as to be movable in the front-to-rear direction (Y-axis direction).

[0050] The actuator 517 is a ball screw type actuator, and is attached to the moving table 514. The actuator 517 is controlled by the control unit 6.

[0051] The table holder 518 is attached to four Y-axis sliders 516 and an actuator 517 , and is moved within the stroke range of the Y-axis rail 515 by the control of the actuator 517 by the control unit 6 .

[0052] By using the table driving unit 51 having the above-described configuration, the table 3 can be moved to any position on the XY plane within the stroke range of the X-axis rail 511 and the Y-axis rail 515. Note that the table driving unit 51 is not limited to the above-described configuration as long as it can move the table 3 within a predetermined range in the left-right direction (X-axis direction) and a predetermined range in the front-back direction (Y-axis direction).

[0053] The roller unit drive unit 52 supports the roller unit 4 so that it can rotate about an axis Lr1 (see FIG. 4) that is parallel to the Z axis, which is a direction perpendicular to the adhesive surface 33b. The roller unit drive unit 52 is controlled by the control unit 6 and rotates the roller unit 4 about the axis Lr1. The roller unit drive unit 52 functions as a rotation unit that rotates the pressure roller 444 about the axis Lr1, which is a direction perpendicular to the adhesive surface 33b of the table 3.

[0054] Furthermore, the rollers 24 (see FIG. 4) of the electric wire supply unit 2 are disposed on the axis Lr1 at positions where they supply the electric wire 71. Therefore, even when the roller unit 4 is rotated by the roller unit drive unit 52, the electric wire 71 supplied from the electric wire supply unit 2 is prevented from contacting the inner periphery of the guide tube 40, and the rotation of the roller unit 4 is prevented from being hindered.

[0055] The feed roller drive unit 53 has a movement mechanism that moves one of the pair of feed rollers 442, 442 in a direction away from the other feed roller 442, or moves the other feed roller 442 in a direction approaching the one feed roller 442.

[0056] The movement mechanism in the feed roller drive unit 53 is, for example, a configuration including a motor and a transmission mechanism, but is not limited to such an example. The transmission mechanism is, for example, but is not limited to, a screw, a cam, a link, or a rack and pinion. The feed roller drive unit 53 switches between a closed state in which the electric wire 71 is sandwiched between the feed rollers 442, 442, and an open state in which the electric wire 71 is not sandwiched between the feed rollers 442, 442.

[0057] Furthermore, when the feed roller drive unit 53 is in the closed state, it rotates the pair of feed rollers 442, 442 to feed out the electric wire 71. The feed roller drive unit 53 has a rotation mechanism that rotates one of the feed rollers 442, 442, but may also have a rotation mechanism that rotates both of the pair of feed rollers 442, 442. The rotation mechanism in the feed roller drive unit 53 is configured to include a motor and a transmission mechanism, but may also be configured with only a motor. The transmission mechanism may be, for example, a screw, a cam, a link, or a rack and pinion, but is not limited to these examples.

[0058] 1.5. Control Unit 6 The control unit 6 shown in FIGS. 2 and 3 includes a processor such as a CPU (Central Processing Unit) or an MPU (Micro Processing Unit), and memories such as a ROM (Read Only Memory) and a RAM (Random Access Memory).

[0059] The ROM stores programs, and a processor such as a CPU executes the programs stored in the ROM to realize various controls and functions. The RAM is used as a memory area required for the processor such as the CPU to execute calculations. The control unit 6 may be realized by an integrated circuit such as an ASIC (Application Specific Integrated Circuit), an FPGA (Field Programmable Gate Array), or an SoC (System-on-a-chip).

[0060] The control unit 6 can also read programs or data stored in a recording medium (not shown) via a communication unit (not shown) or an interface (not shown), and provide the read data or program to the processor via the memory. The processor loads the program from the recording medium into the memory and executes the loaded program. The recording medium can be, for example, an optical recording medium such as a DVD (Digital Versatile Disc) or a PD (Phase Change Rewritable Disc), or a semiconductor memory, but is not limited to these examples.

[0061] 10, the control unit 6 includes a control processing unit 61, an electric wire supply control unit 62, a table movement control unit 63, a roller unit control unit 64, and an extraction unit 65. The control processing unit 61, the electric wire supply control unit 62, the table movement control unit 63, the roller unit control unit 64, and the extraction unit 65 are realized, for example, by a processor executing a program.

[0062] The control processing unit 61 holds control information and outputs commands to the table movement control unit 63 and the roller unit control unit 64 based on the control information. The control information includes information about each shape element that constitutes the shape of each electric wire 71 that makes up the electric wire group 70. The information about the shape element includes, for example, information indicating the type of the shape element, information indicating the dimensions of the shape element, etc.

[0063] The type of shape element may be a straight line, a curve, etc. The dimensions of the shape element are the start point position and end point position of the shape element when the type of shape element is a straight line, and the center point position, start angle, and end angle when the type of shape element is a curve, but are not limited to these examples. For example, the dimensions of the shape element may be the start point position and length of the shape element when the type of shape element is a straight line, or the start point position of the curve, the radius of curvature of the curve, and the length of the curve when the type of shape element is a curve.

[0064] The wire supply control unit 62 controls the motor 22 (see FIG. 4). For example, the wire supply control unit 62 controls the motor 22 (see FIG. 4) to rotate the reel 21. This causes the wire 71 to be supplied from the wire supply unit 2 to the roller unit 4.

[0065] The table movement control unit 63 controls the actuators 513, 517 (see FIG. 1) in the table driving unit 51 based on the movement command output from the control processing unit 61. As a result, the position of the table 3 on the XY plane is changed within the stroke range of the X-axis rail 511 and the Y-axis rail 515.

[0066] For example, the table movement control unit 63 controls the position of the table 3 in the left-right direction (X-axis direction) within the stroke range of the X-axis rail 511 by controlling the actuator 513 of the table drive unit 51 based on the X-axis movement command output from the control processing unit 61.

[0067] In addition, the table movement control unit 63 controls the position of the table 3 in the forward / backward direction (Y-axis direction) within the stroke range of the Y-axis rail 515 by controlling the actuator 517 of the table drive unit 51 based on the Y-axis movement command output from the control processing unit 61.

[0068] The roller unit control section 64 controls the roller unit drive section 52 based on the roller unit rotation command output from the control processing section 61. This changes the rotation angle θ of the roller unit 4 around the Z axis.

[0069] Furthermore, the roller unit control section 64 controls the Z-axis actuator 47 of the roller unit 4 based on the roller unit movement command output from the control processing section 61. As a result, the position of the pressing unit 44 of the roller unit 4 in the up-down direction (Z-axis direction) is changed.

[0070] The roller unit control section 64 controls the pressing force of the pressing roller 444 of the pressing unit 44 on the wire 71 against the laminating tape 33 in addition to the position of the pressing unit 44 in the vertical direction (Z-axis direction).

[0071] For example, the roller unit control unit 64 controls the Z-axis actuator 47 to set the pressing force of the pressure roller 444 on the electric wire 71 against the laminate tape 33 to a relatively high first pressing force Fp1, thereby ensuring that the electric wire 71 adheres to the laminate tape 33.

[0072] Thereafter, when the movement of the table 3 starts, the roller unit control unit 64 controls the Z-axis actuator 47 to set the pressing force of the pressure roller 444 pressing the wire 71 against the laminating tape 33 to a relatively low second pressing force Fp2. This allows the roller unit control unit 64 to reduce the load applied to the wire 71. Fp2<Fp1.

[0073] As described above, the pressure unit 44 is pulled by the springs 45, 45, and therefore the pressing force of the pressure roller 444 controlled by the roller unit control section 64 is not affected by the weight of the pressure unit 44. Therefore, the roller unit control section 64 can accurately control, for example, the pressing force of the pressure roller 444.

[0074] When the Z-axis actuator 47 is a motor, the roller unit control section 64 can control the pressing force of the pressure roller 444 by, for example, the value of the current applied to the Z-axis actuator 47 .

[0075] Furthermore, when the Z-axis actuator 47 is an air cylinder, the roller unit control section 64 can control the pressing force of the pressure roller 444 by controlling the air pressure supplied to the Z-axis actuator 47. The air pressure is controlled by, for example, controlling an electro-pneumatic regulator.

[0076] The roller unit control unit 64 also controls the feed roller drive unit 53 to control the state of the feed rollers 442, 442. For example, the roller unit control unit 64 controls the feed roller drive unit 53 to move one feed roller 442 of the pair of feed rollers 442, 442 away from the other feed roller 442 to an open state, or move one feed roller 442 closer to the other feed roller 442 to a closed state. The roller unit control unit 64 also controls the feed roller drive unit 53 to rotate the pair of feed rollers 442, 442 when the pair of feed rollers 442, 442 is in a closed state.

[0077] A strain gauge may be attached to the pressure roller 444. In this case, the roller unit control section 64 can accurately control the pressing force of the pressure roller 444 by controlling the pressing force of the pressure roller 444 based on the value of strain detected by the strain gauge.

[0078] The extraction unit 65 extracts information about each shape element that constitutes the shape of the electric wire 71 from the drawing data showing the shape of the electric wire 71 after the wire has been arranged by the wire arrangement device 100, as information to be used by the drive unit 5 to change the relative position.

[0079] The drawing data is computer-aided design (CAD) data, for example, a DXF (Drawing eXchange Format) file, but is not limited to such an example and may be CAD data in other formats or drawing data other than CAD data.

[0080] The extraction unit 65 determines, for example, from the drawing data, the shapes of the electric wires 71 that make up the wire group 70 after wiring. Then, the extraction unit 65 generates control information that includes information on each shape element that makes up the shape of each electric wire 71 that makes up the wire group 70, as information that is used by the drive unit 5 to change the relative position. Such control information is used by the control processing unit 61 to control the drive unit 5. As described above, the information on the shape elements includes, for example, information that indicates the type of the shape element and information that indicates the dimensions of the shape element.

[0081] 2. Wire Harness 7 Next, with reference to FIG. 11 , the wire harness 7 including the group of electric wires 70 to be arranged by the wire arrangement device 100 will be described.

[0082] As shown in FIG. 11 , the wire harness 7 includes a group of electric wires 70 arranged by the wire arrangement device 100, a laminate tape 33 that adheres to the group of electric wires 70, and connectors 73, 74, and 75 into which the ends of the group of electric wires 70 are inserted.

[0083] The wire harness 7 also has a laminate tape 34 facing the laminate tape 33, sandwiching the group of electric wires 70 between the laminate tape 33 and the laminate tape 34, and adhering to the group of electric wires 70. The laminate tapes 33 and 34 are formed by laser processing or the like, as shown in Fig. 11 . The wire harness 7 may be configured not to include the connectors 73, 74, 75. In this case, an end of the group of electric wires 70 in the wire harness 7 is attached to a substrate (not shown) by soldering or the like.

[0084] 11, the electric wire group 70 is branched into two electric wire groups 70A and 70B. The distance between an electric wire 71A, which is one of the electric wires 71 included in the electric wire group 70A, and an electric wire 71B, which is one of the electric wires 71 included in the electric wire group 70B, changes during the wiring arrangement.

[0085] Furthermore, the spacing between two electric wires 71 in the electric wire group 70A increases as the wiring arrangement proceeds from the left end to the right end, and then the wiring arrangement is completed at a constant spacing. The spacing between two electric wires 71 in the electric wire group 70B increases as the wiring arrangement proceeds from the left end to the right end, and then the wiring arrangement is completed at a constant spacing.

[0086] In this way, the wire arranging device 100 can perform wire arranging in which the spacing between at least two of the plurality of wires 71 in the wire group 70 changes. The wire arranging process in the wire arranging device 100 will be specifically described below.

[0087] 3. Wire Arrangement Processing by Wire Arrangement Device 100 Next, the wire arrangement processing of the wire group 70 by the wire arrangement device 100 will be described with reference to FIGS.

[0088] 12(a), the wire arranging device 100 includes a tape roll 200 and a roller 201. As shown in FIG. 12(a), the wire arranging device 100 unrolls the laminate tape 33 from the tape roll 200 onto the surface 30a, which is the upper surface of the table base 30 of the table 3, and places the laminate tape 33 on the surface 30a of the table base 30 by the roller 201. The tape roll 200 and the roller 201 are controlled by the control unit 6, but may be controlled by a device other than the control unit 6.

[0089] 12(b), the laminate tape 33 is placed over almost the entire surface of the table base 30. The surface 30a of the table base 30 has adhesive properties, which allow the laminate tape 33 to be adsorbed or adhered to the surface 30a of the table base 30.

[0090] Next, in the wire arranging apparatus 100, the wire 71 is supplied from the wire supply unit 2 to the pressure roller 444 of the roller unit 4 under the control of the control unit 6. Also, in the wire arranging apparatus 100, the Z-axis actuator 47 (see FIG. 5) of the roller unit 4 is driven under the control of the control unit 6, and the pressure roller 444 is lowered by the Z-axis actuator 47.

[0091] As the pressure roller 444 descends, the gap between the pressure roller 444 and the adhesive surface 33b of the laminating tape 33 narrows, and the pressure roller 444 presses the electric wire 71 against the adhesive surface 33b of the laminating tape 33. The electric wire 71 pressed against the adhesive surface 33b is adhered to the adhesive surface 33b.

[0092] Next, in the wire arranging device 100, the table 3 is moved in the XY plane by driving the table driving unit 51 under the control of the control unit 6. This allows the wire arranging device 100 to arrange the wire 71 linearly on the adhesive surface 33b of the laminate tape 33.

[0093] In the wire arranging device 100, the roller unit 4 is rotated in the rotation direction around the Z axis by driving the roller unit driving unit 52 under the control of the control unit 6. This allows the wire arranging device 100 to arrange the electric wire 71 in a bent or arc shape on the adhesive surface 33b of the laminate tape 33.

[0094] In the wire trimming device 100, when the wire trimming from the starting position to near the end position of the electric wire 71 is completed, the cutter 46 is moved by the control of the roller unit 4 under the control of the control unit 6, and the moved cutter 46 cuts the end position of the electric wire 71.

[0095] Thereafter, in the wire aligning device 100, the table driving unit 51 is driven under the control of the control unit 6 to align the wire 71 up to the terminal position. As a result, the wire aligning device 100 aligns the wire 71 from the start position to the terminal position, as shown in Fig. 12(c).

[0096] In the wire arrangement device 100, the above-described process is repeatedly performed for each wire 71 included in the wire group 70 that constitutes the wire harness 7, and thereby, a plurality of wire groups 70 arranged on the adhesive surface 33b of the laminate tape 33 are arranged as shown in (d) of Figure 12.

[0097] 13A, in the wire arrangement device 100, the laminate tape 34 is unwound from the tape roll 200 so as to cover the plurality of groups of electric wires 70 arranged on the adhesive surface 33b of the laminate tape 33. The laminate tape 34 unwound from the tape roll 200 is adhered by a roller 201 onto the adhesive surface 33b of the laminate tape 33 on which the plurality of arranged groups of electric wires 70 are arranged.

[0098] The laminate tape 34 is the same laminate tape as the laminate tape 33. An adhesive surface 34a of the laminate tape 34 adheres to the adhesive surface 33b of the laminate tape 33 on which the arranged groups of electric wires 70 are arranged, and to the groups of electric wires 70.

[0099] 13(b), each electric wire 71 constituting each electric wire group 70 can be sandwiched and bonded from both the front and back sides between the laminate tape 33 and the laminate tape 34, thereby maintaining the spacing between the electric wires 71. As a result, the plurality of electric wires 71 constituting the electric wire group 70 can be bundled flat, and at the same time, each electric wire group 70 can be sealed.

[0100] 13(c) and 13(d), the wire arranging device 100 uses a laser processing device 202 to cut out the laminate tapes 33, 34 that have been stuck together with each electric wire group 70 sandwiched therebetween, along cutting lines 78 that follow the shapes of each electric wire group 70, by using laser light emitted from the laser processing device 202. The wire arranging device 100 has the laser processing device 202, and the laser processing device 202 is controlled by the control unit 6.

[0101] Next, the laminated area between the laminating tapes 33 and 34 of each electric wire group 70 is peeled off, and the electric wire group 70 is sent to the next electric wire stripping process (description omitted). Finally, connectors 73, 74, and 75 are attached to the ends of the electric wire group 70, thereby obtaining the wire harness 7.

[0102] In the above example, the wire aligning device 100 includes the tape roll 200, the roller 201, and the laser processing device 202. However, the present invention is not limited to this example. For example, the tape roll 200, the roller 201, and the laser processing device 202 may be provided in one or more devices different from the wire aligning device 100.

[0103] In addition, in the above description, each group of electric wires 70 is sealed by attaching the laminate tape 34 over almost the entire surface of the laminate tape 33, but this is not limited to such an example, and for example, the laminate tapes 33, 34 can also be attached to only a portion of each group of electric wires 70.

[0104] For example, if the group of electric wires 70 is linear, it is possible to laminate only both ends of the group of electric wires 70. In this case, since it is not necessary to create an outline, it is possible to cut the group of electric wires 70 with scissors, a utility knife, or the like, without cutting the group of electric wires 70 with the laser processing machine 202.

[0105] 14 to 16, the alignment process by the roller unit 4 will be described in detail. As shown in Figure 14(a), the alignment device 100 moves the table 3 by driving the table driving unit 51, and positions the pressure roller 444 of the roller unit 4 above the alignment start position of the laminate tape 33.

[0106] Next, the wire dressing device 100 rotates the feed rollers 442, 442 sandwiching the wire 71 in the feed direction to feed out the wire 71. The wire 71 fed from the feed rollers 442, 442 is fed out through the wire guide 443. As a result, the tip of the wire 71 is positioned below the lowest part of the pressure roller 444, as shown in Fig. 14(b).

[0107] Next, the wire arrangement device 100 drives the Z-axis actuator 47 to lower the presser unit 44 of the roller unit 4. As a result, the tip of the electric wire 71 below the presser roller 444 at the bottom of the presser unit 44 is pressed against the adhesive surface 33b of the laminating tape 33, as shown in Figure 14(c) . At this time, the tip of the electric wire 71 deforms along the V-groove 444b1 (see Figure 9) on the outer periphery of the presser roller 444, and comes into close contact with both the V-groove 444b1 and the laminating tape 33.

[0108] 14(d), the wire dressing device 100 separates one of the feed rollers 442 from the other feed roller 442 to open the feed rollers 442. This releases the resistance (load) of the feed rollers 442 to the wire 71, which is pulled by the rotation of the pressure roller 444.

[0109] Therefore, in the wire aligning device 100, it is not necessary to synchronize the amount of wire 71 supplied by the pressure roller 444 with the amount of wire 71 fed by the feed rollers 442, 442, and the wire 71 can be smoothly pulled out at the required feed amount by the rotation of the pressure roller 444. Note that the wire aligning device 100 may be configured to release the resistance (load) of the feed rollers 442, 442 by stopping the control of the control unit 6 to the drive unit 5 that rotates the feed rollers 442, 442, instead of opening the feed rollers 442, 442.

[0110] 14(d), the tip of the electric wire 71 is held between the pressure roller 444 and the adhesive surface 33b of the laminate tape 33. From this state, the wire alignment device 100 moves the table 3 as shown in FIG. 15(a). This causes the pressure roller 444 to rotate, and the electric wire 71 supplied from the reel 21 of the electric wire supply unit 2 is placed on the adhesive surface 33b of the laminate tape 33 while being pulled out.

[0111] The wire alignment device 100 can bend the wire 71 and place it on the laminate tape 33 or place it in an arc shape on the laminate tape 33, as shown in Figure 16, by moving the table 3 and rotating the roller unit 4.

[0112] Next, when the pressure roller 444 reaches near the arranging end position on the laminate tape 33, the wire arranging device 100 stops the movement of the table 3 and returns the separated feed roller 442 to its original position, as shown in Fig. 15(b). As a result, the electric wire 71 is sandwiched between the feed rollers 442, 442, and the electric wire 71 is held by the feed rollers 442, 442.

[0113] Next, as shown in Fig. 15(c), the wire dressing device 100 moves the cutter 46 toward the wire 71 and cuts the wire 71 with the cutter 46. In the state shown in Fig. 15(b), a portion of the wire 71 is sandwiched and fixed between the laminate tape 33 and the pressure roller 444, and a slight tension is applied to the fixed portion, so that the area facing the cutter 46 is substantially straight. This allows the cutter 46 to cut the wire 71 at an appropriate position, as shown in Fig. 15(c).

[0114] Thereafter, the wire arranging device 100 moves the table 3 to reach the wire arranging end position on the laminate tape 33, thereby arranging the wire 71 up to the terminal end position.

[0115] The wire arranging device 100 can arrange the group of wires 70 on the laminate tape 33 by repeatedly arranging the wires 71 from the start position to the end position (see FIGS. 14 and 15).

[0116] Here, the arrangement of the electric wire group 70 in the wire harness 7 shown in Fig. 11 will be described. First, the wire arrangement device 100 arranges, for example, the electric wires 71 constituting the electric wire group 70A one by one on the laminate tape 33 from the end connected to the connector 73 to the end connected to the connector 74.

[0117] Thereafter, the wire arranging device 100 arranges the wires 71 constituting the group of wires 70B one by one on the laminate tape 33 from the end portion connected to the connector 73 to the end portion connected to the connector 75 .

[0118] After arranging the electric wires 71 constituting the electric wire group 70A from the end connected to the connector 73 to the end connected to the connector 74, the wire arranging device 100 can rotate the roller unit 4 180 degrees and repeat the process of arranging the next electric wire 71 from the end connected to the connector 74 to the end connected to the connector 73. This allows the wire arranging device 100 to increase the wire arranging speed of the electric wire group 70A.

[0119] Similarly, the wire arranging device 100 can repeat the process of arranging the electric wires 71 constituting the electric wire group 70B from the end connected to the connector 73 to the end connected to the connector 75, and then rotating the roller unit 4 by 180 degrees and arranging the next electric wire 71 from the end connected to the connector 75 to the end connected to the connector 73. This allows the wire arranging device 100 to increase the wire arranging speed of the electric wire group 70B.

[0120] In the electric wire group 70 shown in FIG. 11, the distance between an electric wire 71A, which is one of the electric wires 71 included in the electric wire group 70A, and an electric wire 71B, which is one of the electric wires 71 included in the electric wire group 70B, changes during the wiring process.

[0121] Furthermore, the spacing between two adjacent electric wires 71 in electric wire group 70A is wider in the region closer to connector 74 than in the region closer to connector 73. Similarly, the spacing between two adjacent electric wires 71 in electric wire group 70B is wider in the region closer to connector 75 than in the region closer to connector 73.

[0122] In this way, the wire trimming device 100 can perform wire trimming in which the spacing between at least two of the multiple wires 71 in the wire group 70 changes from the starting point to the ending point of the wires 71, and therefore can trim wire groups 70 in various trimming shapes.

[0123] 17(a), the wire arranging device 100 can align a group of electric wires 70 in which the spacing between two electric wires 71 at the end connected to connector 73 is different from the spacing between two electric wires 71 at the end connected to each of connectors 74, 75, and 76. In the example shown in FIG. 17(a), the group of electric wires 70 connected to connector 73 is branched into three groups of electric wires 70A, 70B, and 70C, which are connected to connectors 74, 75, and 76.

[0124] 17(b), the wire arranging device 100 can align the wire group 70, which is branched into wire groups 70A and 70B in which the distance between the two wires 71 is narrowed at the end portion connected to the connector 73, and then join together. In the example shown in FIG. 17(b), a wire harness 7 that avoids obstacles can be formed.

[0125] The wire arranging device 100 aligns each of the electric wires 71 constituting the electric wire group 70, and therefore, as described above, can align the electric wire group 70 of the wire harness 7 shown in Fig. 17. Furthermore, the wire arranging device 100 can easily align different electric wire groups 70 by changing the control information used in the control processing unit 61.

[0126] 17(b), the difference between arranging the electric wires 71 included in the electric wire group 70B one by one using the wire arranging device 100 and arranging the electric wire group 70B all at once using a pressure roller having multiple grooves will be described. It is assumed that the number of electric wires 71 included in the electric wire group 70B is 10.

[0127] As shown in (a) of FIG. 18, when the electric wires 71 included in the electric wire group 70B are arranged one by one by the pressure roller 444 of the wire arrangement device 100, the curved portions of all the electric wires 71 can have the same radius of curvature R1.

[0128] On the other hand, as shown in FIG. 18(b), when the 10 electric wires 71 included in the electric wire group 70B are arranged using a pressure roller having 10 equally spaced grooves (see FIG. 18(c)), the curved portions of all the electric wires 71 have different radii of curvature.

[0129] For example, the radius of curvature of the wire 71 closest to the center of rotation is R1, and the radius of curvature of the wire 71 farthest from the center of rotation is Rn. R10 is expressed as R10 = R1 + 9 × P. P is the spacing between the wires 71, and is the spacing (pitch) between the center lines of the wires 71.

[0130] In this way, the wire arranging device 100 can make the radius of curvature of all the electric wires 71 included in the electric wire group 70B the same. Therefore, for example, when curved portions with different centers of curvature are continuously formed, the wire arranging device 100 can prevent the area of ​​the continuous curved portions from becoming large.

[0131] For example, in the example shown in Figure 19(a), if there are consecutive curved sections with a curvature radius R1 and 90-degree curved sections with different centers of curvature, they will return to a straight section with a length of R1 x 2.

[0132] On the other hand, in the example shown in Figure 19(b) which uses a pressure roller with 10 grooves (see Figure 18(c)), when there are successive curved portions with radii of curvature R1 to R10 and 90-degree curved portions with different centers of curvature, the curved portions return to a straight portion with a length of R1 + R10, which is longer than the length of R1 x 2. In this way, when successive curved portions with different centers of curvature are formed, it is possible to prevent the area of ​​the successive curved portions from becoming larger.

[0133] The wire arranging device 100 can also arranging another wire 71 by crossing over the wire 71 already arranged on the laminate tape 33. For convenience of explanation, in the example shown in Fig. 20, the wire 71 arranged on the laminate tape 33 is represented as wire 71a, and the wire 71 arranged by crossing over the wire 71a is represented as wire 71b.

[0134] 20(a), the table 3 is moved under the control of the control unit 6 with the electric wire 71a arranged on the adhesive surface 33b of the laminate tape 33. As a result, the electric wire 71b supplied from the reel 21 of the electric wire supply unit 2 is drawn out and placed on the adhesive surface 33b of the laminate tape 33.

[0135] Next, in the wire arranging device 100, as shown in FIG. 20(b), when the pressing unit 44 of the roller unit 4 reaches the vicinity of the wire 71b, the control unit 6 controls the Z-axis actuator 47 to raise the roller unit 4.

[0136] Next, in the wire arrangement device 100, as shown in (c) of Figure 20, the table 3 is moved under the control of the control unit 6, and the wire 71b is pulled out from the roller unit 4 so as to straddle the wire 71b arranged on the adhesive surface 33b of the laminate tape 33.

[0137] 20(d), in the wire arranging device 100, the presser unit 44 of the roller unit 4 is lowered under the control of the control unit 6. As a result, the tip of the electric wire 71b below the presser roller 444 located at the lower end of the presser unit 44 is pressed against the adhesive surface 33b of the laminate tape 33, and the electric wire 71b is arranged in a state where it crosses over the electric wire 71a.

[0138] 21 to 26, other configuration examples of the wire aligning device 100 will be described. The wire aligning device 100 shown in Fig. 21 includes wire supply units 2A and 2B and roller units 4A and 4B instead of the wire supply unit 2 and roller unit 4 shown in Fig. 4.

[0139] The electric wire supply unit 2A has the same configuration as the electric wire supply unit 2 shown in Fig. 4. The electric wire supply unit 2B has a configuration symmetrical to the electric wire supply unit 2A, and includes a reel 21, a motor 22, rollers 23 and 24, etc., similar to the electric wire supply unit 2A.

[0140] Roller units 4A and 4B have the same functions as roller unit 4. As shown in Fig. 22, roller units 4A and 4B have a symmetrical configuration, and like roller unit 4, include a guide tube 40, a body portion 41, a presser unit 44, springs 45, 45, a cutter 46, and a Z-axis actuator 47. Although not shown in Figs. 21 and 22, roller units 4A and 4B also include guide rollers 42 and 43 (see Fig. 5) like roller unit 4.

[0141] Roller unit 4A rotates around axis Lr1A parallel to the Z-axis direction under the control of roller unit drive unit 52 of control unit 6. Roller unit 4B rotates around axis Lr1B parallel to the Z-axis direction under the control of roller unit drive unit 52 of control unit 6.

[0142] For example, when the roller unit 4A is not rotating around the axis Lr1A and the table 3 is moved to the left (positive direction of the X-axis), the roller unit 4A can arrange the electric wires 71. For example, when the roller unit 4B is not rotating around the axis Lr1B and the table 3 is moved to the right (positive direction of the X-axis), the roller unit 4A can arrange the electric wires 71.

[0143] An example of a wire arranging process by the wire arranging device 100 having the configuration shown in Figures 21 and 22 will be described with reference to Figures 23 and 24. Figures 23 and 24 show an example of arranging the electric wires 71 into a straight line.

[0144] As shown in FIG. 23A, the wire arranging device 100 controls the Z-axis actuator 47 by the control unit 6 to lower the presser roller 444 of the roller unit 4B to the wire arranging start position.

[0145] 23(b), the wire arranging device 100 moves the table 3 in the direction of the arrow under the control of the table driving unit 51 of the control unit 6. By the movement of the table 3 in the direction of the arrow, the wire 71 fed from the pressure roller 444 of the roller unit 4B is arranged in a straight line on the adhesive surface 33b of the table 3.

[0146] Next, when the pressure roller 444 of the roller unit 4B reaches near the wire arranging end position, the wire arranging device 100 moves the cutter 46 (see FIG. 22) and cuts the end position of the electric wire 71 with the moved cutter 46. Then, when the pressure roller 444 of the roller unit 4B reaches the wire arranging end position, the wire arranging device 100 lifts the pressure roller 444 of the roller unit 4B under the control of the Z-axis actuator 47 by the control unit 6, as shown in FIG. 23(c). Also, the wire arranging device 100 moves the table 3 in the direction of the arrow under the control of the table drive unit 51 of the control unit 6.

[0147] Next, as shown in FIG. 24A, the wire arranging device 100 controls the Z-axis actuator 47 by the control unit 6 to lower the pressure roller 444 of the roller unit 4A to the next wire arranging start position.

[0148] 24(b), the wire arranging device 100 moves the table 3 in the direction of the arrow under the control of the table driving unit 51 of the control unit 6. By the movement of the table 3 in the direction of the arrow, the wire 71 fed from the pressure roller 444 of the roller unit 4A is arranged in a straight line on the adhesive surface 33b of the table 3.

[0149] Thereafter, when the pressure roller 444 of the roller unit 4A reaches the vicinity of the wire arranging end position, the wire arranging device 100 moves the cutter 46 (see FIG. 22) and cuts the end position of the electric wire 71 with the moved cutter 46. Then, when the pressure roller 444 of the roller unit 4A reaches the wire arranging end position, the wire arranging device 100 raises the pressure roller 444 of the roller unit 4A under the control of the Z-axis actuator 47 by the control unit 6, and moves the table 3 in the direction of the arrow under the control of the table driving unit 51 of the control unit 6, as shown in FIG.

[0150] The wire arranging device 100 can align the group of electric wires 70 including a plurality of straight electric wires 71 by repeating the processes shown in Figures 23 and 24. Therefore, the wire arranging device 100 shown in Figures 21 and 22 can reduce the movement amount of the table 3 and perform the wire arranging process efficiently compared to when the processes in Figure 23(a) to (c) are performed using only the roller unit 4A and then the table 3 is moved to the next wire arranging start position.

[0151] Another example of the wire arranging process by the wire arranging device 100 having the configuration shown in Fig. 21 and Fig. 22 will be described with reference to Fig. 25. In the example shown in Fig. 25, for convenience of explanation, the wire 71 arranged by the roller unit 4A is represented as wire 71a, and the wire 71 arranged by the roller unit 4B is represented as wire 71b.

[0152] 25, the wire arranging device 100 simultaneously lowers the pressure rollers 444 of the roller units 4A and 4B to the wire arranging start position, and then moves the table 3. As a result, the electric wire 71a is arranged by the pressure roller 444 of the roller unit 4A, and the electric wire 71b is arranged by the pressure roller 444 of the roller unit 4B.

[0153] Thereafter, when the pressure rollers 444 of the roller units 4A and 4B reach the vicinity of the wire arranging end position, the wire arranging device 100 moves the cutter 46 (see FIG. 22 ) and cuts the end position of the wire 71 with the moved cutter 46. Then, when the pressure rollers 444 of the roller units 4A and 4B reach the wire arranging end position, the wire arranging device 100 raises the pressure rollers 444 of the roller units 4A and 4B and moves the table 3.

[0154] By repeating the above-described process, the wire arranging device 100 can simultaneously align two groups of electric wires 70 having the same aligning shape using the two roller units 4A, 4B, thereby improving the aligning efficiency of multiple groups of electric wires 70.

[0155] Another example of the wire arranging process by the wire arranging device 100 having the configuration shown in Figures 21 and 22 will be described with reference to Figure 26. In the example shown in Figure 26, for convenience of explanation, the wire 71 arranged by the roller unit 4A is represented as wire 71a, and the wire 71 arranged by the roller unit 4B is represented as wire 71b.

[0156] 26(a), the wire arranging device 100 lowers the pressure roller 444 of the roller unit 4A to the wire arranging start position, and then moves the table 3 to arranging the electric wire 71a. Thereafter, when the pressure roller 444 of the roller unit 4A reaches near the wire arranging end position, the wire arranging device 100 moves the cutter 46 and cuts the end position of the electric wire 71a with the moved cutter 46.

[0157] When the pressure rollers 444 of the roller unit 4A reach the arranging end position, the wire arranging device 100 raises the pressure rollers 444 of the roller unit 4A and moves the table 3. By repeating the above-described process, the wire arranging device 100 can arranging a plurality of electric wires 71a using the roller unit 4A.

[0158] 26(b), the wire arranging device 100 lowers the pressure roller 444 of the roller unit 4B to the wire arranging start position, and then moves the table 3 to align the wire 71b. After that, when the pressure roller 444 of the roller unit 4B reaches near the wire arranging end position, the wire arranging device 100 moves the cutter 46 (see FIG. 22) and cuts the end position of the wire 71b with the moved cutter 46.

[0159] When the pressure rollers 444 of the roller unit 4B reach the arranging end position, the wire arranging device 100 raises the pressure rollers 444 of the roller unit 4B and moves the table 3. By repeating the above-described process, the wire arranging device 100 can arranging a plurality of electric wires 71b using the roller unit 4B.

[0160] 27, the wire aligning device 100 may have a configuration in which a plurality of V-shaped grooves 444b1 are formed in the pressure roller 444. In the example shown in FIG. 27, two V-shaped grooves 444b1 are formed in the pressure roller 444. This also enables efficient wire aligning processing.

[0161] In the example described above, the wire arranging device 100 repeatedly arranging the wires 71 from their starting ends to their ending ends to align the group of wires 70 on the adhesive surface 33b, but this is not limiting. That is, the wire arranging device 100 can also align a portion of the group of wires 70 on the adhesive surface 33b by pressing at least two points of the wires 71 against the adhesive surface 33b.

[0162] 28 , the table 3 includes a first table 3a and a second table 3b that are spaced apart by a gap 80. Each of the first table 3a and the second table 3b has an adhesive surface 33b. As shown in FIG. 28 , the adhesive surface 33b of the first table 3a and the adhesive surface 33b of the second table 3b are spaced apart from each other by the gap 80.

[0163] 28 , when the pressure roller 444 is located on the adhesive surface 33b of the first table 3a, the wire arranging device 100 changes the relative position between the adhesive surface 33b of the first table 3a and the pressure roller 444 while the pressure roller 444 presses the electric wire 71 against the adhesive surface 33b of the first table 3a. Furthermore, when the pressure roller 444 is located on the adhesive surface 33b of the second table 3b, the wire arranging device 100 changes the relative position between the adhesive surface 33b of the second table 3b and the pressure roller 444 while the pressure roller 444 presses the electric wire 71 against the adhesive surface 33b of the second table 3b. In this manner, the wire arranging device 100 repeatedly presses the electric wire 71 against the adhesive surface 33b at at least two points to arrange a part of the group of electric wires 70 onto the adhesive surface 33b. 28, when the pressure roller 444 is located above the gap 80, the wire arranging device 100 feeds a predetermined length of the electric wire 71, the starting point of which is pressed against the adhesive surface 33b, toward the gap 80. Note that the at least two points of the electric wire 71 at which the wire arranging device 100 presses the electric wire 71 against the adhesive surface 33b refer to, for example, the starting point and the ending point of the electric wire 71.

[0164] 28 feeds the electric wire 71 toward the gap 80 when the pressure roller 444 is above the gap 80 during the wire arranging process, so that it is possible to align the electric wires with different lengths or with crossed pin arrangements without rotating or moving the roller unit 4 up and down during the wire arranging process, and it is also possible to shorten the takt time. Note that the wire arranging device 100 shown in FIG. 28 may be provided with a plurality of roller units 4A, 4B instead of the roller unit 4.

[0165] 29 to 31, the wire arranging process of the electric wire group 70 by the wire arranging device 100 shown in Fig. 28 will be described. As shown in Fig. 29(a), the wire arranging device 100 moves the table 3 by driving the table driving unit 51 (see Figs. 1 to 4) and positions the pressure roller 444 of the roller unit 4 above the wire arranging start position of the laminate tape 33.

[0166] Next, the wire dressing device 100 rotates the feed rollers 442, 442, which are in a closed state sandwiching the electric wire 71, in the feed direction by driving the roller unit drive unit 52 (see FIGS. 1 to 4), thereby feeding out the electric wire 71. The electric wire 71 fed out from the feed rollers 442, 442 is fed out through the electric wire guide 443. As a result, the tip of the electric wire 71 is positioned below the lowermost part of the pressure roller 444, as shown in FIG. 29(b).

[0167] Next, the wire arrangement device 100 drives the Z-axis actuator 47 (see FIG. 1) to lower the presser unit 44 of the roller unit 4. As a result, the tip of the wire 71 below the presser roller 444 at the lower end of the presser unit 44 is pressed against the adhesive surface 33b of the laminate tape 33 arranged on the first table 3a, as shown in FIG. 29(c).

[0168] Next, as shown in FIG. 29(d), the wire aligning device 100 moves one of the feed rollers 442, 442 away from the other feed roller 442 by driving the feed roller drive unit 53, thereby opening the feed rollers 442, 442.

[0169] 29(d), the tip of the electric wire 71 is held between the pressure roller 444 and the adhesive surface 33b of the laminate tape 33. From this state, the wire alignment device 100 moves the table 3 by driving the table driving unit 51 (see FIGS. 1 to 4), as shown in FIG. 30(a). This rotates the pressure roller 444, and the electric wire 71 supplied from the reel 21 of the electric wire supply unit 2 is placed on the adhesive surface 33b of the laminate tape 33 while being pulled out.

[0170] In the wire aligning device 100, the table 3 is moved by the table driving unit 51, and the pressure roller 444 reaches the gap 80. When the pressure roller 444 is located above the gap 80, the wire aligning device 100 feeds the wire 71 toward the gap 80, as shown in FIG.

[0171] 30(c), the wire arranging device 100 drives the feed roller drive unit 53 to feed out a predetermined length of the wire 71 toward the gap 80 before the pressure roller 444 reaches the adhesive surface 33b of the second table 3b. The predetermined length is longer than the length of relative movement of the pressure roller 444 over the gap 80 (the distance between the first table 3a and the second table 3b).

[0172] In this way, while the pressure roller 444 is above the gap 80, the wire aligning device 100 feeds a predetermined length of the electric wire 71, the starting point of which is attached to the adhesive surface 33b of the first table 3a, toward the gap 80. As a result, by adjusting the predetermined length, the length from the starting point to the end point of the electric wire 71 can be set as desired.

[0173] The movement speed of the table 3 when the pressure roller 444 is above the gap 80 is the same as the movement speed of the table 3 when the pressure roller 444 is above the adhesive surface 33 b, but is not limited to this example. For example, the movement speed of the table 3 when the pressure roller 444 is above the gap 80 may be faster or slower than the movement speed of the table 3 when the pressure roller 444 is above the adhesive surface 33 b.

[0174] Next, when the pressure roller 444 reaches the vicinity of the wire arranging end position on the laminate tape 33 of the second table 3b, the wire arranging device 100 stops the movement of the table 3 and drives the feed roller drive unit 53 (see FIG. 3) to move one of the separated feed rollers 442 closer to the other feed roller 442 and return it to the closed state (original position). Then, the wire arranging device 100 moves the cutter 46 toward the electric wire 71 and cuts the electric wire 71 with the cutter 46.

[0175] Thereafter, the wire arranging device 100 moves the second table 3b by driving the table driving unit 51, and performs wire arranging up to the end point of the wire 71 by making the end of the wire 71 reach the wire arranging end position on the laminate tape 33, as shown in (a) of Figure 31.

[0176] Next, the wire arranging device 100 drives the Z-axis actuator 47 to raise the pressure unit 44 of the roller unit 4 to the state shown in Fig. 31(b). After that, the wire arranging device 100 drives the table driving unit 51 to move the first table 3a and the second table 3b, and positions the pressure roller 444 of the roller unit 4 above the next wire arranging start position of the laminate tape 33 placed on the first table 3a, as shown in Fig. 31(c).

[0177] The wire arranging device 100 can arrange a portion of the wire group 70 on the laminate tape 33 by repeatedly arranging the wires 71 from the start point to the end point for each wire 71 included in the wire group 70.

[0178] An example of the wire arrangement result obtained by the wire arrangement device 100 shown in Fig. 28 is shown in Fig. 32. In the example shown in Fig. 32(a), at least the start point and the end point of the group of electric wires 70D are attached to the adhesive surface 33b and arranged, and the intermediate portion is not attached to the adhesive surface 33b and is not arranged.

[0179] 32(b), the example includes an electric wire group 70E in addition to the electric wire group 70D. As with the electric wire group 70D, the electric wire group 70E has at least the start point and the end point of the electric wire group 70D attached to the adhesive surface 33b and arranged, and the intermediate portion is not attached to the adhesive surface 33b and is not arranged. As shown in FIG. 32(b), the intermediate portion of the electric wire group 70E crosses the intermediate portion of the electric wire group 70D.

[0180] A connector is attached to each of the start and end points of the electric wire group 70D shown in Fig. 32(a) to form a wire harness. Similarly, a connector is attached to each of the start and end points of the electric wire groups 70D and 70E shown in Fig. 32(b) to form a wire harness.

[0181] 28 , in the wire arranging process of the group of electric wires 70 by the wire arranging device 100, both ends of the electric wires 71, in other words, the start and end points of the electric wires 71, are attached to the adhesive surface 33b. However, this is not limited to this. The wire arranging device 100 may attach points offset from both ends of the electric wires 71, in other words, any point that is a predetermined distance from the start point of the electric wire 71 toward the end point, and another any point that is a predetermined distance from the end point of the electric wire 71 toward the start point, to the adhesive surface 33b.

[0182] The wire aligning device 100 may attach, to the adhesive surface 33b, not only the start point and the end point of the electric wire 71, but also, for example, a plurality of points located between the start point and the end point. The wire aligning device 100 may attach, to the adhesive surface 33b, not only the start point and the end point of the electric wire 71, but also, for example, the entire area between the start point and the end point.

[0183] As described above, the wire arranging device 100 according to the embodiment is a wire arranging device that aligns at least a portion of the group of electric wires 70 in the wire harness 7, and includes the table 3 having the adhesive surface 33b, the pressure roller 444 that presses the electric wires 71 that are cut to form the group of electric wires 70 against the adhesive surface 33b of the table 3, and the drive unit 5 that changes the relative position of the pressure roller 444 and the adhesive surface 33b to press at least two points of the electric wires 71 against the adhesive surface 33b and align at least a portion of the group of electric wires 70 onto the adhesive surface 33b. The pressure roller 444 is an example of a pressing unit. This allows the wire arranging device 100 to reduce restrictions on the arranging shape.

[0184] Furthermore, while the electric wires 71 are pressed against the adhesive surface 33b by the pressure rollers 444, the drive unit 5 changes the relative positions of the adhesive surface 33b (first table 3a and second table 3b) and the pressure rollers 444, and repeatedly presses the electric wires 71 against the adhesive surface 33b from the start point to the end point for each electric wire 71 included in the electric wire group 70, thereby arranging the electric wire group 70 on the adhesive surface 33b. This allows the wire arranging device 100 to reduce restrictions on the wire arrangement shape.

[0185] Furthermore, the adhesive surface 33b of the first table 3a and the adhesive surface 33b of the second table 3b are arranged at a plurality of positions separated from each other with gaps 80 interposed therebetween, and when the pressure roller 444 is on the adhesive surface 33b, the drive unit 5 changes the relative position between the adhesive surface 33b (in other words, the first table 3a and the second table 3b) and the pressure roller 444 while the pressure roller 444 presses the electric wire 71 against the adhesive surface 33b. When the pressure roller 444 is on the gap 80, the drive unit 5 feeds a predetermined length of the electric wire 71, the starting point of which is pressed against the adhesive surface 33b, toward the gap 80. This allows the wire arranging device 100 to reduce restrictions on the wire arranging shape.

[0186] The drive unit 5 also includes a roller unit drive unit 52 that rotates the pressure roller 444 around an axis Lr1 that is perpendicular to the adhesive surface 33b. The roller unit drive unit 52 is an example of a rotating unit. This allows the wire alignment device 100 to avoid a complex configuration compared to when the table 3 is rotated.

[0187] The table 3 also includes a table base 30 and a laminate tape 33 held on a surface 30a of the table base 30. One surface 32b of the laminate tape 33 is an adhesive surface, and the other surface 33a is a non-adhesive surface. This allows the wire aligning device 100 to properly hold the laminate tape 33 used for the wire harness 7.

[0188] The table base 30 has an adhesive surface 30 a, which allows the wire arranging device 100 to properly hold the laminate tape 33 used for the wire harness 7 .

[0189] The surface 30a of the table base 30 has adhesive properties, which allow the wire arranging device 100 to properly hold the laminate tape 33 used for the wire harness 7.

[0190] The wire arranging device 100 also includes a plurality of pressure rollers 444. This allows the wire arranging device 100 to improve the efficiency of arranging the group of electric wires 70.

[0191] The wire aligning device 100 also includes an extraction unit 65 that extracts information about each shape element that constitutes the shape of each electric wire 71 including the electric wire group 70, as control information that is information used by the drive unit 5 to change the relative position, from drawing data that indicates the shape of the electric wire group 70 after the wire aligning device 100 has aligned it. This allows the wire aligning device 100 to easily align the electric wire group 70 from the drawing data.

[0192] Furthermore, in the wire harness 7 including the electric wire group 70 arranged by the wire arranging device 100, the spacing between at least two of the electric wires 71 constituting the electric wire group 70 changes from the start end to the end end. As a result, the wire arranging device 100 can prepare the wire harness 7 in which the spacing between the electric wires 71 is changed while arranging the electric wire group 70 in a flat shape.

[0193] Moreover, the wire harness 7 according to the embodiment includes a laminate tape 33 having an adhesive surface 33b, an electric wire group 70 including a plurality of electric wires 71 arranged on the adhesive surface 33b, and a plurality of connectors 73, 74, 75, 76 connected to a plurality of ends of the electric wire group 70, and the spacing between at least two of the plurality of electric wires 71 varies from the start end to the end end. It is possible to provide a wire harness 7 with a shape suited to the application.

[0194] Further advantages and modifications will readily occur to those skilled in the art. Therefore, the invention in its broader aspects is not limited to the specific details and representative embodiments shown and described above. Accordingly, various modifications may be made without departing from the spirit or scope of the general inventive concept as defined by the appended claims and their equivalents.

[0195] REFERENCE SIGNS LIST 1 Frame unit 2, 2A, 2B Wire supply unit 3 Table 4, 4A, 4B Roller unit 5 Drive unit 6 Control unit 7 Wire harness 10 Frame base 11 Vertical frame unit 11a, 11b, 11c, 11d Vertical frame 12 Horizontal frame unit 12a, 12b, 12c, 12d, 12e Horizontal frame 21 Reel 22 Motor 32a, 32b, 33a Surface 23, 24 Roller 30 Table base 30a Surface 30b Suction hole 30c Air intake hole 31 Table body 31a Surface 32 Double-sided adhesive sheet 33, 34 Laminate tape 33b, 34a Adhesive surface 201 Roller 40 Guide tube 41 Body unit 42, 43 Guide roller 44 Pressing unit 45 Spring 46 Cutter 47 Z-axis actuator 51 Table drive unit 52 Roller unit drive unit 53 Feed roller drive unit 61 Control processing unit 62 Electric wire supply control unit 63 Table movement control unit 64 Roller unit control unit 65 Extraction unit 70, 70A, 70B, 70C Electric wire group 71, 71A, 71B Electric wire 73, 74, 75, 76 Connector 78 Cut line 80 Gap 100 Wire alignment device 200 Tape roll 202 Laser processing machine 411 Guide rail 441 Main body 442 Feed roller 444 Press roller 444a Ball bearing 444b Roller main body 444b1 V-groove 445 Pin 446 Fastener 511 X-axis rail 512 X-axis slider 513, 517 Actuator 514 Moving table 515 Y-axis rail 516 Y-axis slider 518 Table holder Lr1 axis Lr2 Rotation axis

Claims

1. A wire arranging device for arranging at least a portion of a group of electric wires in a wire harness, comprising: a table having an adhesive surface; a pressing unit for pressing the electric wires that form the group of electric wires against the adhesive surface of the table; and a drive unit for changing the relative position of the pressing unit and the table to press at least two points of the electric wires against the adhesive surface, thereby arranging at least a portion of the group of electric wires against the adhesive surface.

2. The wire arranging device according to claim 1, characterized in that the drive unit changes the relative position while the electric wire is pressed against the adhesive surface by the pressing unit, and repeatedly presses the electric wire from the start point to the end point against the adhesive surface for each electric wire included in the group of electric wires, thereby arranging the group of electric wires on the adhesive surface.

3. The wire aligning device according to claim 1, characterized in that the adhesive surfaces are arranged at a plurality of positions separated from each other with gaps between them, and the drive unit, when the pressing unit is on the adhesive surface, changes the relative position with the electric wire pressed against the adhesive surface by the pressing unit, and repeatedly presses at least the starting point and the ending point of the electric wire against the adhesive surface for each electric wire included in the group of electric wires to align a portion of the group of electric wires against the adhesive surface, and when the pressing unit is on the gap, sends out a predetermined length of the electric wire with the starting point pressed against the adhesive surface toward the gap.

4. A wire aligning device as described in any one of claims 1 to 3, characterized in that the drive unit is provided with a rotating unit that rotates the pressing unit around an axis in a direction perpendicular to the adhesive surface.

5. A wire arrangement device according to any one of claims 1 to 3, characterized in that the table comprises a table base and a laminate tape held on the surface of the table base, one side of the laminate tape being the adhesive surface and the other side being a non-adhesive surface.

6. The wire aligning device according to claim 5, wherein the surface of the table base is an adhesive surface.

7. The wire alignment device according to claim 5, wherein the surface of the table base is an adhesive surface.

8. The wire arranging device according to any one of claims 1 to 3, characterized in that it comprises a plurality of the pressing parts.

9. A wire arranging device according to any one of claims 1 to 3, characterized in that it comprises an extraction unit that extracts information on each shape element constituting the shape of the electric wires included in the group of electric wires from drawing data showing the shape of the group of electric wires after the wire arranging by the wire arranging device, as information used by the drive unit to change the relative position.

10. A wire harness including the group of electric wires arranged by the wire arrangement device according to any one of claims 1 to 3, wherein the spacing between at least two of the plurality of electric wires constituting the group of electric wires varies from the starting end to the terminal end.

11. A wire harness comprising: a laminate tape having an adhesive surface; a group of electric wires including a plurality of electric wires arranged on the adhesive surface; and a plurality of connectors connected to a plurality of ends of the group of electric wires, wherein the spacing between at least two of the plurality of electric wires varies from the starting end to the terminal end.

12. A method for arranging at least a portion of a group of electric wires in a wire harness, comprising the steps of: pressing the electric wires forming the group of electric wires against an adhesive surface of a table with a pressing part; and changing the relative position of the pressing part and the table to press at least two points of the electric wires against the adhesive surface, thereby arranging at least a portion of the group of electric wires against the adhesive surface.

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