Arrangement for equipping connector housings

Abstract

A machine (1) for producing wiring harnesses comprises an equipping station (4) having an arrangement (10) for equipping connector housings (7, 8) with prepared cable ends of cables and a device (6) having a presentation panel (20) for producing a wiring harness. The arrangement (10) comprises two or more equipping panels (11, 12) which can be moved independently of one another, and to which housing holders (9) are attached or can be attached, said housing holders (9) being designed to hold connector housings (7, 8).

Description

[0001] Arrangement for assembling connector housings

[0002] The invention relates to an arrangement for fitting connector housings with pre-assembled cable ends. The invention further relates to a system for manufacturing cable harnesses, comprising such an arrangement and a device for manufacturing a cable harness, including a presentation plate.

[0003] Wiring harnesses, such as those used in automobiles or aircraft, consist of several cables, each typically fitted with connector housings at its pre-assembled ends. A wiring harness is thus an arrangement of multiple cables, in which the cables are joined together to form a structure with a frequently complex, branching geometry, similar to a tree.

[0004] Arrangements such as those known from EP 1 251 605 A1 are used for assembling connector housings with pre-assembled cable ends. For assembly, the connector housings are held in housing holders, which in turn are mounted on a mounting plate. The arrangement comprises a mounting unit with a cable gripper, with which the pre-assembled cable ends can be inserted into cells of the connector housings. Figure 1 shows such an arrangement with a mounting plate 11 and with several housing holders 9, where the housing holders 9 have already been fitted with connector housings 7, 8. For the automated production of cable harnesses, the empty connector housings are mounted on the mounting plate using the housing holders.The placement unit with the cable gripper then guides the cable ends, for example, individual cable tips with a contact element, into the predetermined cell or chamber of the connector housing. The connector housings 7, 8 are arranged on the placement plate 11 in such a way that a placement sequence can be carried out without the placed cables and the cables yet to be placed interfering with each other.

[0005] EP 2 672 490 A2 discloses a device with a horizontal display plate on which handling elements with U-shaped guide sections, into which cables can be placed, are magnetically attached. A rectangular base section, equipped with magnets, is connected to the U-shaped guide section. A flat friction element is also arranged on the base section to prevent slippage. Instead of handling elements with such guide sections, housing holders could also be attached to the display plate in the same way. One problem with this device is that the handling element is difficult to operate and cannot be easily repositioned on the display plate. Another problem is that it is only suitable for manual operation.Finally, the device is unsuitable for use in a system that still has an upstream arrangement for fitting connector housings with pre-assembled cable ends.

[0006] The demand for complex cable harnesses or those with a very large number of cables has increased significantly in recent years. Consequently, the need for efficient systems for populating connector housings with pre-terminated cable ends is also growing. As the number of connectors in a cable harness increases, so does the complexity and the size of the assembly plate's work area. For existing systems for populating connector housings with pre-terminated cable ends, placement units with cable grippers must be used, which require larger or longer drive axes for vertical positioning to cover the entire area. This increases the moving mass of the placement heads or units, leading to a reduction in dynamic performance.

[0007] It is therefore an object of the present invention to avoid the disadvantages of the known and in particular to provide an improved arrangement for fitting connector housings with pre-assembled cable ends of cables which are operated efficiently.

[0008] This problem is solved according to the invention by an arrangement with the features of claim 1. The arrangement for mounting connector housings with pre-assembled cable ends comprises a mounting plate to which housing holders are attached or can be attached, the respective housing holders being designed to hold connector housings. Because the arrangement comprises at least two mounting plates that are independently movable, and preferably at least two mounting plates arranged on a common plane that are independently movable on said plane, the arrangement can be operated more efficiently. Furthermore, the flexibility of the arrangement can be significantly improved in this way.By repositioning the housing holders mounted on the assembly plates, they can be brought into optimal positions. This allows, for example, a cable gripper used for assembly to shorten the distances the cable gripper has to travel. This arrangement enables short assembly times, and the dynamics of the assembly unit can be maintained at a high level. The assembly unit does not require heavy and expensive drive mechanisms for moving the cable gripper or other means for holding and moving cables during cable assembly.

[0009] The at least two component mounting plates can form a common assembly and be arranged directly adjacent to each other, at least in a neutral position.

[0010] According to a preferred embodiment, if the at least two assembly plates, preferably arranged on a common plane, are arranged on a (preferably common) vertical plane, the assembly plates can be displaceable in the vertical direction or in their height position.

[0011] It is particularly preferred if the at least two assembly plates are slidably mounted relative to a frame or support structure, and especially relative to linear guides, such that the displacement is less than the height of the respective assembly plate and preferably less than half the height of the respective assembly plate. The assembly plates can preferably be identical, at least with respect to their dimensions (width, height). In a top view, the assembly plates can have a rectangular shape, the rectangle being defined by its width and height. For such assembly plates, it can therefore be advantageous if the displacement, and more precisely the maximum displacement, is less than half the height of the respective rectangular assembly plate.The two corresponding assembly plates (of the common assembly) are advantageously positioned in a neutral position with respect to the direction of movement; that is, with vertical orientation and vertical movement, the assembly plates are at the same height in the neutral position. During the assembly process, the assembly plates are selectively moved to the desired height position so that the two connector housing combs to be assembled are positioned within a narrow assembly lane or even on an optimized assembly line. This eliminates the need for large or long drive shafts for the vertical positioning of the placement heads or units, resulting in a low weight and mass for the placement head while maintaining high dynamic performance. The arrangement can include housing holders that are directly attached to the respective assembly plate, for example, via a plug connection.Alternatively, the housing holders can be formed by mobile housing holder modules. These mobile housing holder modules can be transferred to a presentation plate for the production of a cable harness, on which the cables of the cable harness can be arranged on one side of the presentation plate. This latter arrangement for mobile housing holder modules could also be advantageous for systems that do not have assemblies with multiple mounting plates in the previously described form.

[0012] The arrangement for fitting connector housings with pre-assembled cable ends of cables can comprise at least two assembly plates to which housing holders are attached or can be attached, wherein the respective housing holders are designed to hold connector housings.

[0013] A further aspect of the invention relates to an arrangement for mounting connector housings with pre-assembled cable ends of cables, which comprises at least one mounting plate to which housing holders are attached or can be attached, wherein the respective housing holders are designed to hold connector housings, and in particular the arrangement described above, wherein the arrangement comprises a mounting plate to which mounting plate(s) housing holders are attached or can be attached, wherein the respective housing holders are designed to hold connector housings, which arrangement is characterized in that the housing holders can be assigned to mobile housing holder modules for the purpose of manufacturing a cable harness, which can be transferred from the vertical mounting plate to a vertical presentation plate.The respective housing holder is designed to pivot relative to a base body such that, in a folded-up position for component placement, the housing holder (or more precisely, a housing holder) is horizontally oriented, and in a folded-down position for cable harness assembly, it is vertically oriented. Securing means, particularly in the form of a detent mechanism, are provided to secure the folded-up or folded-down position of the housing holder. The detent mechanism can, for example, comprise a spring-loaded ball detent, a detent lug, or detent or snap bolts. In addition to the detent mechanism, other types of securing means are possible, either alternatively or additionally. For example, the housing holder could be magnetically secured in the folded-up position.Such mobile housing holder modules can, for example, be designed to be magnetically attached or attachable to the assembly plate and, optionally, to a presentation plate, and are preferably designed such that the housing holder modules can be moved in all directions on the plane defined by the assembly plate and, optionally, by the presentation plate. Magnetic attachment has the advantage that the housing holder module can be reliably attached to the assembly plate and the presentation plate, while at the same time the position of the handling element can be changed quickly and easily. For certain applications, it can also be advantageous to use a pneumatic system to create an air cushion between the handling element and the assembly plate or presentation plate.The presentation plate allows the mobile housing holder modules to be moved even more efficiently on the assembly plate or the presentation plate.

[0014] The mobile housing holder module can each comprise a front housing holder part and a rear traversing part, wherein the handling part and the associated traversing part are attached to the intermediate assembly plate and, if present, presentation plate by means of magnets, preferably permanent magnets, such that the handling part moves along with the traversing part. If pneumatics are also provided, the air cushion reduces the magnetic holding force between the traversing part and the assembly plate or presentation plate on the one hand, and between the housing holder part and the assembly plate or presentation plate on the other, thus making the movement easy and, in particular, requiring little effort. The device is evidently designed such that the pneumatic system itself operates two air cushions or...An air cushion with two partial cushion segments per housing holder can be generated.

[0015] Permanent magnets can be used for the magnetic attachment of the housing holders, and in particular the mobile housing holder modules, to the preferably vertical assembly plates and the vertical presentation plate. These magnets securely hold the handling elements in the desired position on the respective assembly plate or presentation plate. Preferably, permanent magnets strong enough to prevent the handling elements from unintentionally detaching from the assembly plate or presentation plate, even under higher loads, are selected. However, it is also advantageous to select permanent magnets strong enough to allow the handling elements to be easily replaced by hand when necessary. Alternatively, the replacement process could be pneumatically assisted.

[0016] In a preferred embodiment, the aforementioned arrangement of the respective housing holder can be freely rotatable with respect to a normal direction defined by the assembly plate (i.e., rotatable about an axis perpendicular to the plane of the assembly plate, which plane preferably corresponds to the plane of the presentation plate) with respect to a base body, wherein anti-rotation means are provided so that, when the housing holder is in the folded-up position, rotation of the housing holder with respect to the normal direction is blocked.

[0017] To form the anti-rotation device, an engagement element can be arranged on the housing holder, particularly on the housing holder part of the two-part mobile housing holder module, and a corresponding receptacle can be provided on the base body. In the folded-up position, the engagement element is received in the receptacle. In the folded-down position, the engagement element lies outside the receptacle; the engagement to lock the rotational movement obviously only exists in the folded-up position. The anti-rotation device could also be formed by magnetic means, either alternatively or additionally. The engagement element or the receptacle could, for example, have a permanent magnet, so that in the folded-up position the engagement element remains reliably in the receptacle due to magnetic force. Instead of the described engagement element, locking bolts or a latch could also be conceivable as anti-rotation devices.

[0018] The respective arrangements described above can be equipped with a fixing device, preferably comprising clamping rails or other means for securing the housing holders or housing holder modules in position during an assembly process. The fixing device ensures that the housing holder, fitted with a connector housing, remains in its position while cable ends are inserted into cells of the connector housing during the assembly process, for example, by means of a placement unit with a cable gripper. Instead of clamping rails, for cable harnesses with few connectors, the housing holders could also be fixed using parallel grippers that are moved towards the housing holders.The fixing device can have at least two parallel clamping rails, wherein several housing holders or housing holder modules are arranged in a row and can be sandwich-like clamped between each pair of clamping rails. The fixing device with the clamping rails can preferably be designed so that several rows of housing holders can be secured in position within the fixing device.

[0019] The clamping rails can be operated actively or passively. In the passive case, the clamping rails can be rigid or fixed in relation to the mounting plate. The clamping is achieved by matching the housing holders and clamping rails in such a way that, after the housing holders are inserted into the fixing device, they fit snugly between two clamping rails without any play.

[0020] The entire clamping rail can be designed to be movable by means of the actuator and directly actuate the housing holders. The clamping rail can have one or more movable rail sections that clamp onto the housing holders. Alternatively, each housing holder can be provided with clamping elements or jaws similar to a punch. These clamping elements or jaws can be integrated into the clamping rail and moved individually or together towards the housing holders by means of one or more actuators to create the clamping effect.

[0021] The respective housing holder can have a flat surface, formed, for example, by a square section or a section with a rectangular cross-section, as the contact surface for the clamping rail for positional securing.

[0022] In particular, if at least one mounting plate is arranged on a vertical plane, it is advantageous if clamping rails run in a vertical or horizontal direction.

[0023] Preferably, the respective assembly plate can have vertical clamping rails. At least two or more vertically displaceable assembly plates can be provided, so that when the respective assembly plates are moved, the clamping rails and thus the housing holders fixed or secured by them are also moved. A further aspect of the invention can be directed to a system with an arrangement for assembling connector housings with pre-assembled cable ends and a device for manufacturing a cable harness. The arrangement comprises at least one assembly plate to which housing holders are attached or can be attached, the respective housing holders being designed to hold connector housings. The arrangement, which is preferably an arrangement according to the preceding description, will hereinafter also be referred to as an assembly station for the sake of simplicity.The device for manufacturing a cable harness, which for the sake of simplicity is also referred to below as a laying station, comprises a presentation plate on which cables fitted with connector housings can be arranged on a front side of the presentation plate, wherein the housing holders and other handling elements for handling the cables of the cable harness are magnetically or otherwise attached or attachable to the presentation plate.

[0024] The device for manufacturing a cable harness comprises a preferably vertical presentation plate. In addition to the housing holders, further handling elements, such as deflectors for redirecting the cable routing or uprights, can be attached to the presentation plate as needed. The presentation plate, on the one hand, and the housing holders and, if applicable, the further handling elements, on the other hand, can be designed such that the housing holders and the handling elements are magnetically attached or attachable to the presentation plate. For example, the housing holders and the handling elements can each comprise a front housing holder part or handling part and a rear traversing part, wherein the housing holder part or handling part and the associated traversing part are attached to the intermediate presentation plate by means of magnets, and preferably by means of permanent magnets, such that when the traversing part is moved, the housing holder part or handling part is moved.The handling element is movable. For magnetic attachment, the presentation plate can be made of a non-ferromagnetic material. At least one of the parts (i.e., housing holder part or handling element, traversing part) of the respective housing holder or handling element can be equipped with a permanent magnet, and the other part can contain ferromagnetic material or also be equipped with a permanent magnet, but with opposite poles, so that the permanent magnets attract each other. Additionally, the device can have a pneumatic system that creates an air cushion between the housing holder or handling element and the presentation plate, allowing the housing holder or handling element to be moved particularly easily and efficiently on the presentation plate.For the latter case, the presentation plate can be designed as a perforated plate, which has a plurality of holes, preferably distributed across the presentation plate, through which compressed air can be passed to create the air cushion between the housing holder or handling element and the presentation plate. Such devices are shown and described in the unpublished international patent application with the international file number PCT / EP2023 / 085871 and the also unpublished European patent application with the European application number 23194246.7, the disclosures of which are hereby incorporated into the present application. The at least one assembly plate can preferably be designed in the same or a similar manner to the presentation plate, particularly with regard to material and construction.This means the component placement plate can be made of a non-ferromagnetic material and, if an air cushion is to be created, can be designed as a perforated plate. The same applies, if present, to the intermediate station plate.

[0025] One embodiment relates to a system for the production of cable harnesses, which, if it has a vertical presentation plate, is characterized in that the housing holders (in particular housing holder parts) are designed to pivot relative to the base body between a folded-up position and a folded-down position, wherein in the folded-up position the housing holders are horizontally oriented for assembly, and in the folded-down position the housing holders are vertically oriented for cable harness production, wherein locking means, in particular in the form of a locking mechanism, are preferably provided for securing the folded-up position or the folded-down position of the housing holders.

[0026] The system according to this embodiment preferably further comprises an intermediate station in which the housing holders are folded up and down. The intermediate station has a plate adjoining the presentation plate, on which housing holders can be mounted and which is designed such that the housing holders are movable in all directions of the plane defined by this plate (i.e., this plate is generally coplanar to the presentation plate). It includes a folding-up module for folding up the housing holders and a folding-down module for folding down the housing holders. The plate of the intermediate station can be a separate plate that directly adjoins and is rigidly connected to the presentation plate. Alternatively, this plate can be a component integrally formed with the presentation plate, resulting in a single-piece component comprising the presentation plate and the intermediate station plate.Furthermore, the aforementioned plate could also be integrated into the presentation plate and designed as an area within the presentation plate.

[0027] From a procedural point of view, it can be advantageous if the flip-up module is arranged in the area of ​​one side, and in particular in the area of ​​an upper side of the plate, and the flip-down module is arranged in the area of ​​an opposite side, and in particular in the area of ​​a lower side of the plate, so that the housing holders can be brought to the assembly arrangement in a horizontal direction through the flip-up module and the housing holders can be brought back to the presentation plate in an opposite horizontal direction through the flip-down module, whereby the housing holders go through a kind of cycle.

[0028] Further individual features and advantages of the invention will become apparent from the following description of exemplary embodiments and from the drawings. These show:

[0029] Figure 1 shows a perspective view of an arrangement for mounting connector housings with pre-assembled cable ends of cables using a mounting plate according to the prior art.

[0030] Figure 2a shows a perspective view of an arrangement according to the invention with two mounting plates and housing holders mounted on them before the connector housings are fitted with the cable ends, wherein the mounting plates are in a neutral position,

[0031] Figure 2b shows the arrangement from Fig. 2a with shifted mounting plates,

[0032] Figure 3 shows a perspective view of a system according to the invention, comprising a presentation plate, for the production of a cable harness and a component placement station.

[0033] Figure 4a shows a perspective view of a variant of a housing holder in a folded-down position,

[0034] Figure 4b shows the housing holder from Fig. 4a in the folded-up position, Figure 5a shows a side view with partial section of a housing holder attached to a mounting plate in the folded-down position, and

[0035] Figure 5b shows the housing holder from Fig. 5a in the folded-up position.

[0036] Figures 2a and 2b show an arrangement designated 10 for mounting connector housings 7, 8 with pre-assembled cable ends (not shown). The arrangement 10 has two mounting plates 11, 12 arranged on a common vertical plane. Housing holders 9 are mounted on the mounting plates 11, 12. The housing holders 9 are designed to hold connector housings 7, 8. The arrangement 10 can further include a mounting unit (not shown) with a cable gripper, with which the pre-assembled cable ends can be inserted into predetermined cells or chambers of the connector housings 7, 8. Instead of a cable gripper, the mounting unit can also have a different mounting head for gripping and inserting the cable ends into the connector housing.The placement unit could also have two placement heads, allowing both ends of a cable to be inserted into corresponding cells of connector housings simultaneously or at different times.

[0037] The arrangement 10 with the two component mounting plates 11, 12 is designed such that the mounting plates 11, 12 are movable independently of each other in the vertical direction. In Figure 2a, the component mounting plates 11, 12 of the arrangement 10 are in a neutral position. The following section illustrates the component placement using an example of a cable harness that has a central connector from which all connections to the other connectors originate in a stem configuration. For this purpose, several housing holders 9, each holding a connector housing 7, are mounted on the component mounting plate 11. The aforementioned central connector is designated 8. This specific connector housing 8 is held on the adjacent component mounting plate 12. A suitable housing holder 9 serves to hold the connector housing 8.

[0038] For component placement, the assembly plates 11 and 12 are moved to their vertical positions so that the two connector housing combs to be populated lie within a narrow placement band or, ideally, on an optimal placement line with respect to the centrally located connector housings 8 and 9. For example, assembly plate 11 is moved upwards in the ft direction and assembly plate 12 is moved downwards in the f2 direction. Figure 2b shows the arrangement with the assembly plates 11 and 12 moved in this manner. The previously mentioned placement line is indicated by the dashed line 15. Thanks to the ideal positioning of the connector housings 8 and 9, the assembly of the connector housings 7 and 8 with pre-assembled cable ends can now be simplified and optimized.This eliminates the need for large or long drive shafts for the placement heads to adjust their height and insert the cable ends into the predetermined chambers, thus keeping their mass low and their dynamics high. Furthermore, it is conceivable that the height position of one or both placement plates 11, 12 is changed once or several times during the placement process.

[0039] The at least two mounting plates 11, 12 form a common assembly and are arranged directly adjacent to each other, at least in the neutral position. According to the present embodiment, the mounting plates 11, 12 have a rectangular shape in plan view and are identical; in particular, the rectangular mounting plates 11, 12 have the same width and height. The two mounting plates 11, 12 are preferably mounted so that they are displaceably limited relative to linear guides 16, 17, such that the maximum displacement is less than half the height H of the respective mounting plate 11, 12. However, it can also be advantageous if the maximum displacement is less than the height H. Actuators (not shown) can be used to move the mounting plates 11, 12 along the linear guides 16, 17, with which the desired height position of the respective mounting plate can be precisely set.The assembly process can be easily automated using controllable actuators.

[0040] In the embodiment shown in Figures 2a and 2b, the housing holders 9 are attached to the assembly plates 11 and 12 via plug connectors. However, it can also be advantageous to attach the housing holders to the assembly plates in a different way. In particular, with regard to the production of the cable harness, it may be desirable for the housing holders to be mobile, allowing them to be easily moved on the assembly plates. The system shown in Figure 3 below has such mobile housing holders. Figure 3 shows a system for the production of cable harnesses, designated as 1 in general. The system 1 comprises several stations, namely a device 6 comprising a presentation plate 20 for the production of a cable harness (laying station), an intermediate station 5, an assembly station 4 with the arrangement 10 for populating connector housings with pre-assembled cable ends, and a cable processing machine 3.In cable processing machine 3, electrical or other cables are assembled. Cable processing machine 3 can include a stripping station for cutting and stripping the cables, one or more crimping stations for applying crimp contacts to the stripped cable ends, and optionally one or more crimping stations. Of course, it is also conceivable to carry out the cable assembly in a separate location and to supply the system with pre-assembled cables with crimped cable ends. Therefore, cable processing machine 3 does not necessarily have to be part of the system 1 described in detail below.

[0041] The housing holders 9 are formed by mobile housing holder modules that can be attached to the presentation plate 2 and moved in all directions on the presentation plate 20. The presentation plate 20 is designed as a perforated plate made of a non-ferromagnetic material, which has a plurality of holes distributed across it. The housing holder 9, formed as a mobile housing holder module, is magnetically attached to, or can be attached to, the presentation plate 20. The device 6 further includes a pneumatic system with which an air cushion can be generated between the housing holder module and the presentation plate. A positioning system is provided for moving the housing holders 9 into the desired position on the presentation plate, which is preferably integrated into the presentation plate 20, wherein the integrated positioning system is in particular formed by a gantry robot.Figure 3 also shows a processing robot 44 designed as an articulated arm robot, with which, for example, spot tapes can be attached to the cables 2 of the cable harness.

[0042] The intermediate station 5 has a plate 21 adjoining the presentation plate 20, which is designed in the same or a similar way to the presentation plate. The mobile housing holder modules can thus be magnetically attached to the plate 21, which is made of a non-ferromagnetic material and designed as a perforated plate. A separate positioning system, such as a gantry robot, can be provided for moving the mobile housing holder modules on the plate 21. However, it is also conceivable to adapt the system so that the gantry robot used to move the mobile housing holder modules can also be used to move the housing holders on the plate 21.

[0043] A possible process sequence is as follows: The empty housing carriers move from presentation plate 20 to intermediate station 5. At this intermediate station 5, the heads of the housing carriers (housing holders) are folded upwards by 90°. The housing holders have a locking mechanism and a rotation lock for this purpose. In this position, the connector housings can be inserted into the housing holders. Afterwards, the housing carriers move to at least one assembly plate of assembly station 4. After assembly is complete, the housing holders return to intermediate station 5, where they are folded down and then moved on to presentation plate 20, where the further steps for manufacturing the cable harness take place.The intermediate station 5 has a folding module 24 for folding up housing holder 9 and a folding module 25 for folding down housing holder 9 (see Fig. 3) to carry out the procedure according to the procedure sequence described above.

[0044] A possible embodiment of a mobile housing holder 9 is shown in Figures 4a and 4b. The housing holder 9 is pivotably connected to a base body 33. A permanent magnet can be integrated into the base body 33, allowing the housing holder 9 to be attached to a component mounting plate via the base body. The housing holder 9 is pivotable relative to the base body 33 such that, in a folded-down position for cable harness assembly, it is vertically oriented (Figure 4a), and in a folded-up position for component mounting, it is horizontally oriented. A locking mechanism 35 is provided at the pivot bearing to secure the folded-up and folded-down positions. The housing holder 9 can be freely rotatable with respect to a normal direction defined by the component mounting plate or a surface to which the module can be attached. The corresponding axis of rotation is shown in Figure 4a.4a is recognizable and labelled 43. The axis of rotation thus runs perpendicular to the plane of the surface, e.g., to the front of the assembly plate.

[0045] However, anti-rotation means can be provided so that, when the housing holder 9 is in the folded-up position, rotation of the housing holder 9 with respect to the normal direction is blocked. In this case, the anti-rotation means are formed by an engagement element 36 arranged on the housing holder 9 and a corresponding receptacle 37 arranged on the base body 33. As can be seen in Fig. 4b, the engagement element 36 lies in the receptacle 37. This engagement to block the rotational movement exists only in the folded-up position. In the folded-down position, the engagement element 36 lies outside the receptacle 37.

[0046] Figures 5a and 5b show a housing holder 9 associated with a mobile housing holder module 30, which is used in the previously shown system 1. As can be seen from the figures, the housing holder module 30 is designed in two parts and consists of a housing holder part 31 and a traversing part 32. The design of the housing holder part 31 with the housing holder 9 corresponds to that shown in Figures 4a and 4b above. The housing holder part 31 is located on the front side of the assembly plate 11, and the traversing part 32 is located on the back side of the presentation plate 20 opposite the front side. In other words, the housing holder part and the associated traversing part are thus mounted on opposite sides (front and back) of the assembly plate 11. Moving the traversing part 32 on the assembly plate 11 also moves the housing holder part 31.The two parts 31 and 32 are separated from each other by the mounting plate 11, but are in operative connection with each other (by magnetic force) and belong together.

[0047] The mounting plate 11 is designed as a perforated plate and consists of a non-ferromagnetic material. This perforated plate has a plurality of through-holes 45 evenly distributed on the presentation plate. Compressed air can be passed through these holes 45 to create an air cushion between the housing holder module 30 and the mounting plate 11. The sectional view in Fig. 5a clearly shows that the rear traversing element 32 has a pneumatic connection through which compressed air can be supplied. In the same way, the two-part housing holder module 30 can be moved on the presentation plate and the intermediate station plate (see previous Fig. 3). Reference is further made to the as yet unpublished European patent application with European application number 23194246.Reference is made to document 7 of the applicant, from which further details on the design of the magnetically acting and pneumatically movable housing holder and the intermediate plate (there using the presentation plate as an example) can be obtained.

[0048] The housing holders 9 also have markings by which they can be visually identified. These markings can also be used to determine the position of the chambers of the respective connector housing. Similar markings are also known to those skilled in the art as "fiducial markers," which are used, for example, on printed circuit boards as optical reference points. In English, fiducial markers are called "fiducial markers" or simply "fiducial."

Claims

1. Arrangement (10) for fitting connector housings (7, 8) with pre-assembled cable ends of cables, wherein the arrangement (10) comprises a mounting plate (11) to which housing holders (9) are attached or can be attached, wherein the respective housing holders (9) are designed to hold connector housings (7, 8), characterized in that the arrangement (1) comprises at least two mounting plates (11, 12) which are movable independently of each other.

2. Arrangement (10) according to claim 1, wherein the at least two mounting plates (11, 12) are arranged on a vertical plane, characterized in that the mounting plates (11, 12) are displaceable in a vertical direction.

3. Arrangement (10) according to claim 1 or 2, characterized in that the at least two mounting plates (11, 12) are mounted so as to be displaceable to a limited extent that the displacement path is less than the height (H) of the respective mounting plate (11, 12) and preferably less than half the height (H) of the respective mounting plate (11, 12).

4. Arrangement (10) according to one of claims 1 to 3, characterized in that the housing holders (9) are attached or attachable directly to the respective assembly plate (11, 12), for example via a plug connection, or that the housing holders (9) are formed by mobile housing holder modules (30) which are transferable to a presentation plate (20) for the production of a cable harness, on which cables (2) of the cable harness can be arranged on a front side of the presentation plate.

5. Arrangement (10) for mounting connector housings (7, 8) with pre-assembled cable ends of cables, particularly according to one of claims 1 to 4, wherein the arrangement (1) comprises a mounting plate (11, 12) to which housing holders (9) are attached or can be attached, wherein the respective housing holders (9) are designed to hold connector housings (7, 8), characterized in that the respective housing holder (9) is pivotable relative to a base body (33) such that it is horizontally oriented in a folded-up position for mounting and vertically oriented in a folded-down position for cable harness production, wherein locking means, particularly in the form of a locking mechanism (35), are provided to secure the folded-up position or the are provided for in the folded-down position of the housing holders (9).

6. Arrangement (10) according to claim 5, characterized in that the respective housing holder (9) is freely rotatable with respect to a normal direction connected to the base body (33), wherein, however, anti-rotation means are provided so that when the housing holder (9) is in the folded-up position, rotation of the housing holder (9) is blocked with respect to the normal direction.

7. Annex (1) with - an arrangement (10) for fitting connector housings (7, 8) with pre-assembled cable ends of cables according to any one of claims 1 to 6, wherein the arrangement (10) comprises at least one assembly plate (11, 12) to which housing holders (9) are attached or can be attached, wherein the respective housing holders (9) are designed to hold connector housings (7, 8), and - a device (6) for manufacturing a cable harness, wherein the device (6) comprises a presentation plate (20) on which cables (2) fitted with connector housings (7, 8) can be arranged on a front side of the presentation plate, wherein the housing holders (9) are attached or can be attached to the presentation plate (2).

8. System according to claim 7, characterized in that the housing holders (9) are pivotably designed relative to the base body (33) between a folded-up position and a folded-down position, wherein in the folded-up position the housing holders for assembly are horizontally oriented and in the folded-down position the housing holders for cable harness production are vertically oriented, and that the system (1) further comprises an intermediate station (5), wherein the intermediate station (5) has a folding-up module (24) for folding up housing holders (9) and a folding-down module (25) for folding down housing holders (9).

9. System according to claim 8, characterized in that the folding module (24) is arranged in the area of ​​one side and in particular in the area of ​​an upper side of the plate (21) and the folding module (25) is arranged in the area of ​​an opposite side and in particular in the area of ​​a lower side of the plate (21).

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