Embedded Wiring Harness Structure for Automated Vehicle Assembly
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Solution Overview
Problem
The production of wiring harnesses for motor vehicles is labor-intensive and costly due to the manual winding of cables, which results in high production expenses and potential damage from overheating or mechanical stress.
Innovation Solution
A wiring harness with a cable bundle embedded in an envelope that includes indicating elements and fastening features, allowing for easier installation and protection, combined with a mold system that facilitates automated cable laying and envelope formation, reducing manual labor and manufacturing costs.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Adaptability or versatility
If manual winding of cables is used to produce wiring harnesses, then flexibility and customization are improved, but production cost and time increase significantly
Solution Approach 1:
The cable bundle is divided into individual cable sections that can be independently positioned and embedded in the envelope. Each cable can be separately routed and secured at specific intervals, allowing customization while enabling automated processing through standardized embedding patterns.
Solution Approach 2:
Cables are pre-positioned and pre-embedded in the envelope before final assembly. The envelope is prepared with predetermined embedding sections that guide cable placement, eliminating the need for manual winding during production and reducing both cost and time while maintaining customization capability.
2Ease of operation
If manual winding of cables is used, then cable positioning flexibility is improved, but risk of overheating and mechanical damage increases
Solution Approach 1:
The cable bundle is nested within the envelope structure, with cables embedded in predetermined sections of the envelope. This nested arrangement provides mechanical protection while allowing flexible cable positioning through the envelope's embedding sections, and enables proper heat dissipation through the envelope material.
Solution Approach 2:
The envelope acts as a flexible protective shell that encases the cable bundle. The envelope material provides mechanical protection against damage while allowing heat to dissipate, and its flexible nature enables cable positioning flexibility through embedded sections without rigid constraints.
3Reliability
If complex manual assembly processes are used, then wiring harness functionality is improved, but installation time and complexity increase
Solution Approach 1:
Multiple functions are merged into the envelope structure: mechanical protection, cable positioning, heat management, and installation guidance. The envelope integrates these functions into a single component, eliminating separate assembly steps and reducing installation time while maintaining full wiring harness functionality.
Solution Approach 2:
The envelope is pre-configured with embedding sections, indicating elements, and fastening elements before the wiring harness is assembled. This preliminary preparation allows for rapid installation without complex manual assembly steps, as the envelope is ready to receive and secure the cable bundle in the correct configuration.
4Ease of manufacture
If no indicating elements are provided on the envelope, then manufacturing simplicity is improved, but alignment and installation precision decrease
Solution Approach 1:
The indicating element on the envelope provides visual feedback through color or pattern differences that show the correct alignment and insertion direction. This simple visual indicator maintains manufacturing simplicity while significantly improving alignment precision during installation, as workers can quickly identify the correct orientation without complex measurement tools.
Data Source
AI summary
A wiring harness (1010), a motor vehicle component (1000), a mold (15) for manufacturing a wiring harness (1010), a mold system (10) and a method for manufacturing the wiring harness (1010), the wiring harness (1010) comprising at least one bunch (1020) of at least two cables (1025) and a sheath (1030), at least some sections of the bunch (1020) of cables being embedded in the sheath (1030).