Method and apparatus for forming electrical harnesses
First Claim
1. A method for assembling an electrical wire harness comprising the steps of:
- locating wire end terminating means having a Velcro®
-like base on a wiring board at locations where wires are to begin and end;
locating wire gathering units having Velcro®
-like surfaces on their bases on said wiring board along the path where the wires of the electrical harness will pass;
routing wires from wire end terminator units through wire gathering units until the complete wire harness is formed;
tightening the wire gathering units so that the wires of the electrical harness stay in place;
removing the assembled electrical harness and wire gathering units assembly from said wiring board;
placing the assembled electrical harness in an electrical chassis having electronic components therein so that the Velcro®
-like surfaces of the wiring gathering mate units with Velcro®
-like targets on the electrical chassis thereby securing the harness to the electrical chassis; and
,connecting the free wire ends of the electrical harness to the electrical components on the electronic chassis.
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Accused Products
Abstract
An electrical harness is assembled on a board having detachable wire holders so that the entire unit can be readily transferred to an electrical chassis. The wire holders include tie wraps that are attached with a Velcro®-like material to the wiring board. When the harness assembly is complete, it is removed and placed in an electronic chassis having corresponding Velcro®-like targets. Assembly of the wire harness is faciltated by a microprocessor which indicates where each individual wire begins and ends. The microprocessor controls a group of wire terminator units each of which include a greed LED and a red LED for indicating the beginning and end of a wire. Each wire terminator unit also includes an LED/photodiode circuit for detecting the presence or absence of a wire. Therefore, the harness assembler is directed by the microprocessor to route a wire through a specific location. If a wire has been correctly routed, as determined by the LED/photodiode detection units, then the assembler is instructed to proceed with the next wire step. The invention significantly improves the efficiency, accuracy, and economy associated with the assembly of electrical harnesses for electronic devices.
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Citations
14 Claims
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1. A method for assembling an electrical wire harness comprising the steps of:
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locating wire end terminating means having a Velcro®
-like base on a wiring board at locations where wires are to begin and end;locating wire gathering units having Velcro®
-like surfaces on their bases on said wiring board along the path where the wires of the electrical harness will pass;routing wires from wire end terminator units through wire gathering units until the complete wire harness is formed; tightening the wire gathering units so that the wires of the electrical harness stay in place; removing the assembled electrical harness and wire gathering units assembly from said wiring board; placing the assembled electrical harness in an electrical chassis having electronic components therein so that the Velcro®
-like surfaces of the wiring gathering mate units with Velcro®
-like targets on the electrical chassis thereby securing the harness to the electrical chassis; and
,connecting the free wire ends of the electrical harness to the electrical components on the electronic chassis. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4)
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5. An apparatus for forming a wire harness comprising:
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a board having a surface; a first type of attaching means covering at least a portion of said board surface for mating with a second type of attaching means; wire gathering means attached to said second type of attaching means for gathering and holding one or more electrical wires; wire end holding means also attached to said second type of attaching means for holding the end of one or more of said electrical wires, wherein one of said two types of attaching means comprises a hook material and the other of said two types of attaching means comprises a loop material so that said wire gathering means and said wire end holding means may be selectively attached to the surface of said board and a wire harness formed by running at least one of said electrical wires from one wire end holding means through at least one wire gathering means to at least one other wire end holding means. - View Dependent Claims (6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14)
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Specification