Wire Harness Branch Forming Without Wire Catching
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing wire harness manufacturing apparatuses face challenges in automatically producing branch shape wire harnesses without the electric wires getting caught in the apparatus, leading to equipment downtime and difficulty in development.
Innovation Solution
The proposed wire harness manufacturing apparatus includes sliding portions and base-end retaining portions that are configured to move in a straight line and retain electric wires, preventing them from getting caught. An electric-wire processing portion is also included to bundle the wires and form the branch shape without coming into contact with the wires, even when they hang downward.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Productivity
If automatic manufacturing is implemented, then productivity is improved, but the electric wires get caught in the apparatus causing downtime
Solution Approach 1:
The patent positions the electric-wire processing portion in a spatial arrangement where it does not contact hanging wires. The processing portion is located at a height above the reference surface, while wires hang downward from sliding portions. This dimensional separation in the vertical axis prevents contact between the processing mechanism and wires during automatic manufacturing, eliminating the wire-catching problem while maintaining automation.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent introduces sliding portions as intermediary elements that retain electric wires at predetermined heights above the reference surface. These sliding portions act as mediators between the wire harness manufacturing process and the electric wires, allowing automatic processing while preventing direct contact between the processing portion and wires. The sliding portions enable the wires to hang freely without being caught by the processing mechanism.
2Reliability
If manual operation is used, then wire catching is prevented, but productivity decreases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent designs the apparatus so that the electric-wire processing portion automatically processes wires without manual intervention. The processing portion is positioned to work on wires that are naturally hanging from the sliding portions, allowing the system to serve itself. This self-service mechanism enables automatic manufacturing with the same reliability as manual operation, eliminating the need for human operators while maintaining wire-catching prevention.
3Ease of manufacture
If the electric-wire processing portion contacts the wire, then processing can be performed, but the wire gets caught
Solution Approach 1:
The patent resolves the contradiction between processing capability and wire-catching prevention by utilizing vertical dimensional separation. The electric-wire processing portion is positioned at a height above the reference surface, while the wires hang downward from sliding portions positioned higher up. This spatial arrangement in the vertical dimension allows the processing portion to manipulate wires without direct contact that would cause catching, enabling automatic processing with improved reliability.
Data Source
AI summary
A wire harness manufacturing apparatus includes a plurality of sliding portions provided at a position at a predetermined height to line up along an arrangement direction being parallel to each other to perform a movement in a straight line along a sliding direction between a first-end side and a second-end side, one or more base-end retaining portions provided at the first-end side at the predetermined height to be immobile at least in the sliding direction, the base-end retaining portion being lined up in the arrangement direction to retain the other end side of at least one of the electric wire toward the reference surface side; and an electric-wire processing portion performing an electric-wire processing of selectively bundling the electric wires to form the branch shape with respect to the plurality of electric wires that are stretched between the one or more base-end retaining portions and the plurality of sliding portions.