Wiring harness producing method, a subassembly device, a cover board, a wire laying board and an apparatus for producing a subassembly

• US 20010019478A1
• Filed: 03/01/2001
• Published: 09/06/2001
• Est. Priority Date: 03/03/2000
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: Sumitomo Wiring Systems Limited (Sumitomo Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Sumitomo Wiring Systems Limited (Sumitomo Corporation)
• Inventors: Yuri, Hidetaka, Izumi, Taka, Yurikusa, Hiroaki, Vaughan, Brendan, Kurihara, Kiyokazu
• Application Number:
  US09/797,312
• Publication Number:
  US 20010019478A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 361/826
• CPC Class Codes: H01B 13/01227 using a layout board

Abstract

A subassembly M is produced on a board 201 of a subassembly line SL in a compressed mode of its layout mode on a wire laying board 11 of a main line ML. The subassembly M in the compressed mode is temporarily held on the board 201. The temporarily held subassembly M is arranged on the wire laying board 11 while being extended to its final mode.

Claims

1. A wiring harness producing method for producing subassemblies (M) of a wiring harness in advance and then producing the wiring harness as a final form by arranging the produced subassemblies (M) on a wire laying board (11) of a main line (ML), comprising the steps of:

producing the subassemblies (M) on at least one board (201) of subassembly lines (SL) in compressed modes on the wire laying board (11) of the main line (ML),

temporarily holding the subassemblies (M) in the compressed modes, and

arranging the temporarily held subassemblies (M) on the wire laying board (11) of the main line (ML) and developing the compressed modes (FIG.

     11) into final modes (FIG.

     12).

11. A wiring harness producing method, according to

claim 1

, for producing a subassembly (M) having a plurality of branch wires and connectors (C) connected with ends of the branch wires at a subassembly line (SL) in advance and then arranged on a wire laying board (11) of a main line (ML) to produce a processed wiring harness, comprising the steps of:

sorting the respective branch wires into a plurality of groups (G;

F) based on an operation procedure at the main line (ML),

sorting out the connectors (C) corresponding to the respective branch wires for the respective groups (G;

F) and arranging them on connector holders (211),

connecting the corresponding wires with the arranged connectors (C), and

temporarily holding the connected wires for the respective groups (G;

F) of the branch wires preferably with a subassembly device (500) for temporarily holding and transferring the subassembly (M).

2. A subassembly device (500;

700) for temporarily holding and transferring a subassembly (M) produced on at least one board (201) of a subassembly line (SL) in a compressed mode and transferring the subassembly (M) to a wire laying board (11) of a main line (ML) and converting the subassembly (M) to an uncompressed layout mode, comprising;

a carrier (501) detachably mountable on the board (11), and

temporary holding members (510) on the carrier (501) for temporarily holding the subassembly (M) in the compressed mode, the temporarily holding members (510) displaceable on the carrier (501) so that the temporarily held subassembly (M) can be developed from its compressed mode (FIG.

     11) to the layout mode (FIG.

     12) on the wire laying board (11).

3. A subassembly device (500;

700) according to

claim 2

, wherein the respective temporary holding members (510) are coupled to each other by a coupling mechanism (520;

720) displaceable in directions for selectively moving the temporary holding members (510) toward and away from each other.

4. A subassembly device according to

claim 3

, wherein the coupling mechanism (520;

720) comprises a plurality of slidable pieces (721) having the substantially same specifications, being slidably mounted along the carrier (501), and a coupling member (731) for coupling the respective slidable pieces (721) to freely extend and contract, the temporarily holding members (510) being selectively detachably fixed to the respective slidable pieces (721).

5. A subassembly transferring device according to

claim 4

, wherein the slidable pieces (721) conform in number to a subassembly (M) having a maximum number of wires among a multitude of kinds of subassemblies (M) to be produced.

6. A cover board (85) for use with a wire laying board (11) with wire holders (11a) for arranging a subassembly (M) produced by assembling a plurality of wires, the cover board (85) being detachably provided on the wire laying board (11) to substantially cover certain wire holders (11a) which are not needed for arranging the subassembly (M) so as to receive portions of the subassembly (S) arranged on the wire laying board (11).

7. A cover board (85) according to

claim 6

, wherein the cover board (85) comprises an exposing portion (88) for exposing selected ones of the wire holders (11a) necessary to arrange the subassembly (M) is provided.

8. A wire laying board (11) for a wiring harness, comprising:

detachable members (82) for detachably holding a subassembly device (500), and

standing members (81) for holding the detachable members (82) in elevated positions above a wire laying height defined by wire holders (11a) to arrange the subassembly (S) from the subassembly device (500) held by the detachable members (82).

9. The wire laying board (11) of

claim 8

, further comprising:

a plurality of wire holders (11a) for arranging a subassembly (M) produced by assembling a plurality of wires,

at least one cover board (85) for covering selected ones of the wire holders (11a) that are not needed, and

at least one mounting member (85a) for mounting the cover board (85) on a main body of the wire laying board (11) such that the cover board (85) is displaceable between a covering position (FIG. 9A) where the cover board (85) substantially covers the certain wire holders (11a) and an exposing position (FIG. 9B) where the cover board (85) exposes all of the wire holders (11a).

10. A wire laying board according to

claim 9

, further comprising a holding member (86;

87) for holding the cover board (85) in the covering position (FIG. 9A).

12. An apparatus for producing a subassembly (M) having a plurality of branch wires and connectors (C) connected with ends of the branch wires to produce a wiring harness at a main line (ML), comprising:

at least one board (201) on which a connecting operation for the subassembly (M) is performed,

connector holders (211) on the board (201) and adapted to hold the connectors (C) that will produce the subassembly (M), and

a wire connection instructing mechanism (400) for instructing wires to be connected with contacts of the connector (C) held in each connector holder (211),

wherein the connector holders (211) are arranged to sort out the connectors (C) for the respective groups (G;

F) of the branch wires based on an operation procedure at the main line (ML).

13. An apparatus according to

claim 12

, further comprising a subassembly device (500) to be mounted on the board (201) and adapted to temporarily hold the respective wires connected with the connectors (C) with the wires remained sorted out for the respective groups (G;

F) of the branch wires.

14. An apparatus according to

claim 13

, wherein the subassembly device (500) is detachable so that the produced subassembly (M) can be detached from the board (201) while being held andr transferred from the board (201) of the subassembly line (SL) to the wire laying board (11) of the main line (ML).