Wire Carrier and End Effector for Variable-Length Wire Transfer
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Solution Overview
Problem
Current wire harness manufacturing processes are inefficient, requiring substantial manual manipulation and non-value-added steps, and lack solutions for autonomously managing wire length variability, leading to long lead times and significant work-in-process buffers.
Innovation Solution
The use of wire carriers and end effectors that include support structures, coil and end holders, and interface members to automate the handling of wires of variable lengths, allowing for consistent positioning and transport of wires from preparation to assembly systems using electro-mechanical manipulators.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Productivity
If traditional manual wire harness manufacturing processes are used, then flexibility in handling various wire lengths is maintained, but productivity is low and lead times are long
Solution Approach 1:
The wire is divided into multiple coils, each independently held by coil holders on the carrier. This segmentation allows the automated system to handle and position wire sections independently, enabling high-speed automated manufacturing while maintaining flexibility for different total wire lengths by varying the number and arrangement of coils.
Solution Approach 2:
The wire carrier is designed with multiple coil holders and end holders that can accommodate wires of various lengths through different coil configurations. The same carrier structure serves universal purposes for different wire harness applications, allowing automated systems to handle variable-length wires without requiring different equipment for each length.
2Volume of moving object
If wires are coiled and packaged for transport, then space is saved, but additional non-value-added steps are required
Solution Approach 1:
Wires are pre-coiled and mounted onto carriers at the wire preparation system before transport. This preliminary action of coiling and carrier mounting is performed once during wire preparation, eliminating the need for repeated coiling and uncoiling operations at the assembly location, thus saving time while maintaining compact transport volume.
Solution Approach 2:
The wire carrier acts as an intermediary device that holds pre-coiled wires during transport and interfacing between preparation and assembly systems. The carrier enables wires to be transported in a compact coiled state while providing a standardized interface for automated manipulation at the assembly system, eliminating unnecessary intermediate packaging and handling steps.
3Manufacturing precision
If electro-mechanical manipulators are used for wire handling, then consistency and precision are improved, but device complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The system uses dynamic coil holders that can release and transfer individual wire coils to the manipulator as needed. This dynamic mechanism allows the complex electro-mechanical manipulator to work with simple, standardized coil units, achieving high positioning precision through controlled dynamic release rather than requiring the manipulator to handle entire wire bundles.
Solution Approach 2:
The wire carrier and coil holders serve as intermediaries that simplify the interface between the complex electro-mechanical manipulator and the wires. The manipulator only needs to interact with the standardized carrier interface and release mechanism, while the carrier handles the complexity of wire storage and presentation, thereby achieving high precision with manageable device complexity.
Data Source
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AI summary
A wire carrier (100) for transporting a wire (102) includes a support structure (104), a coil holder (108), a first end holder (118) and a second end holder (120). An end effector (1000) for transporting the wire includes a support structure (1002), a first retaining device (1006), a second retaining device (1008), a third retaining device (1010) and an interface member (1104). A method for transporting the wire includes transporting the wire from a wire preparation system (804) to a wire assembly system (806) using a wire carrier on a wire transport system (802). The wire includes first (114) and second (116) ends. The wire preparation system formed the wire in a coil with a breakout length (302) between the coil and the first end and another breakout length (304) between the coil and the second end. The method also includes transferring the coil with the first and second ends from the wire carrier on the wire transport system to the wire assembly system using an electromechanical manipulator (808, 810).