Wiring Harness Ink Usage Reduction via Localized Marking
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Solution Overview
Problem
Conventional wiring harness manufacturing methods require excessive ink usage for color-based identification of electric wires, leading to increased costs and inefficiencies, especially when both mechanically and manually incorporated wires are involved.
Innovation Solution
The method involves printing circuit identifiers on the intermediate portions of electric wires using compact representations like characters, dots, and symbols, reserving colored markers only for manually incorporated wires and using inexpensive ink for these markers, which are placed at regular intervals to ensure discernibility and readability.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Loss of information
If coloring features are applied to all electric wires for identification, then wire discernibility is improved, but ink usage increases considerably
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies different identification methods to different parts of the wiring system: circuit identifiers (printed characters/dots/symbols) are placed at intermediate portions of all wires, while colored markers are applied only at end portions of manually-incorporated wires. This localized differentiation reduces overall ink usage while maintaining comprehensive wire identification.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent uses printed circuit identifiers (characters, dots, symbols) as a compact representation system that conveys connection destination information more efficiently than traditional colored markers. This copying approach allows multiple wires to be distinguished using the same ink color, significantly reducing total ink consumption.
2Reliability
If expensive ink is used to ensure colorability and prevent ink from coming off, then wire identification reliability is improved, but manufacturing costs increase
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies different ink types to different locations: inexpensive ink is used for circuit identifiers at intermediate portions where fastness is less critical, while expensive fastness ink is used only for colored markers at end portions of manually-incorporated wires where identification reliability is most important. This selective application reduces overall manufacturing costs while maintaining necessary reliability.
3Loss of information
If colored markers are applied to all wires including mechanically-incorporated wires, then complete wire identification is improved, but ink usage increases unnecessarily
Solution Approach 1:
The patent differentiates between manually-incorporated wires (which require colored markers at end portions for operator identification) and mechanically-incorporated wires (which rely solely on printed circuit identifiers at intermediate portions). This localized application of colored markers eliminates unnecessary ink usage on mechanically-incorporated wires while maintaining complete identification capability.
Data Source
Figure 1A~1B
Figure 2A~2E
Figure 3
AI summary
There is provided an electric wire 1 comprising an electrically-conductive conductor portion and an insulating cover portion 11 covering the conductor portion. A colored marker 13 is provided on an end portion of the cover portion 11. The colored marker 13 indicates that the electric wire is a manually-incorporated wire. A circuit identifier 12 is provided on an intermediate portion of the cover portion 11. The circuit identifier 12 is made by printing or provided in the form of a mark and indicative of a connection destination of the electric wire 1. The colored marker in the end portion is made by an ink inferior to that of the circuit identifier on the intermediate portion in at least one property selected from among adhesiveness, weatherability, heat resistance, and chemical resistance.