Wire-Harness Vessel Using Plastic Sheets for Automotive Routing
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Solution Overview
Problem
Automotive wire-harness assemblies are prone to pinching and abrasion during installation, leading to electrical failures and requiring labor-intensive untangling and correct orientation, which can result in errors and inefficiencies.
Innovation Solution
A three-dimensional wire-harness structure is created using thin plastic sheets to provide rigidity and protection, with branches oriented in advance to minimize attachment points and prevent pinching and abrasion, allowing for easier installation and reduced labor.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Adaptability or versatility
If wire-harness assemblies are made flexible and long to accommodate routing needs, then adaptability is improved, but reliability deteriorates due to pinching and abrasion risks
Solution Approach 1:
A thin-walled rigid container encloses the wire-harness assembly, providing structural protection while allowing the wire-harness to maintain its flexible, long configuration for routing adaptability. The container walls prevent pinching and abrasion contact points, ensuring reliability while preserving the necessary flexibility and length for various routing scenarios.
2Manufacturing precision
If wire-harness assemblies are preassembled by hand on build boards, then manufacturing precision is improved, but productivity deteriorates due to labor-intensive processes
Solution Approach 1:
The wire-harness assembly is preassembled with branches oriented in predetermined positions and enclosed in a rigid container during the manufacturing process. This preliminary action establishes precise branch orientations before installation, eliminating the need for manual reorientation during installation and significantly improving productivity while maintaining manufacturing precision.
Solution Approach 2:
The rigid container serves multiple functions: it maintains branch orientations, protects wires during handling and installation, and provides a standardized interface for installation. This multi-functionality consolidates several operations into one, improving both precision and productivity.
3Ease of operation
If wire-harness assemblies are placed in containers for storage and transport, then ease of operation is improved, but reliability deteriorates due to tangling and abrasion
Solution Approach 1:
A thin-walled rigid container encloses the wire-harness assembly, providing structural protection during storage and transport. The container walls prevent contact with external surfaces that could cause abrasion, while the enclosed structure prevents tangling. The wire-harness maintains its integrity while remaining easy to handle as a unified assembly.
4Ease of manufacture
If tape is wrapped around wire bundles by hand to retain them, then ease of manufacture is improved, but productivity deteriorates due to additional manual labor
Solution Approach 1:
The retention function previously requiring separate tape-wrapping operations is merged into the rigid container structure. The container's internal geometry and wall structures provide inherent retention and positioning of wire bundles, eliminating the need for additional tape-wrapping steps and improving productivity while maintaining ease of manufacture.
Data Source
AI summary
A wire-harness device that can be preconfigured for a predetermined automotive subassembly, including one or more plastic sheets wrapped around the plurality of insulated wires between discrete portions forming one or more branches to allow bending at the discrete portions and maintain stiffness between the discrete portions. A three-dimensional arrangement of the wrapped wires can be formed by bending at the discrete portions. The three-dimensional arrangement forms a predefined shape for positioning against walls of a housing of the subassembly in an orientation for connection at predetermined locations of the subassembly. A pair of straps are wrapped around the plastic sheet at each end for holding the plastic sheet in place. Each stiff wrapped sheet provides rigidity and containment to protect wires from abrasion and pinching, while simplifying installation into automotive subassemblies.