Device for inspecting wiring harness

• US 5,623,199 A
• Filed: 11/16/1995
• Issued: 04/22/1997
• Est. Priority Date: 11/28/1994
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Sumitomo Wiring Systems Limited (Sumitomo Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Sumitomo Wiring Systems Limited (Sumitomo Corporation)
• Inventors: Kato, Katsutoshi, Taniguchi, Yoshikazu
• Primary Examiner(s): Wieder, Kenneth A.
• Assistant Examiner(s): DO, DIEP N
• Application Number:
  US08/558,699
• Time in Patent Office: 523 Days
• Field of Search: 324/538, 324/539, 324/542, 324/66, 364/483
• US Class Current: 324/66
• CPC Class Codes: G01R 31/66 Testing of connections, e.g. of plugs or non-disconnectable joints testing for incorrect line connections G01R31/55
• CPC Class Codes: G01R 31/69 of terminals at the end of a cable or a wire harness; of plugs; of sockets, e.g. wall sockets or power sockets in appliances

Abstract

An inspecting device body (1) including an input terminal group (23), an output terminal group (24), a connection terminal group (25), a signal output portion (38), a signal input portion (39), first and second memory portions (40, 41), a comparing and determining portion (42), a lighting and flashing drive portion (44), and a control portion (48) is electrically connected to a work table (2) including an input connector (4), an output connector (5), LEDs (6), an earth plate (7) by one flexible printed wiring board (9), thereby reducing the rejection rate of wiring harnesses at assembly on an assembly line, allowing the final inspection of the wiring harnesses for acceptance or rejection, and improving assembly efficiency.

Claims

1. A wiring harness inspecting device for inspecting a plurality of terminals mounted on opposite ends of a plurality of cables of a wiring harness to be inspected for correct insertion into a plurality of corresponding terminal receiving holes of a connector, said wiring harness inspecting device comprising:

an inspecting device body, and

a work table,

said wiring harness inspecting device being operated in a storage mode, an indication mode, and an inspection mode,

wherein, in said storage mode, there is provided a model wiring harness including a plurality of cables and a pair of model connectors mounted on opposite ends of said cables, and the insertion condition of terminals on opposite ends of said cables into terminal receiving holes of said pair of model connectors is stored as reference data,

wherein, in said indication mode, there is provided a target wiring harness including a plurality of cables and a first connector mounted on a first end of said cables, and an indication of insertion of terminals on a second end of said cables of said target wiring harness into terminal receiving holes of a second connector to be connected is given on the basis of said reference data, and

wherein, in said inspection mode, the terminals on the second end of said cables of said target wiring harness are inserted into the terminal receiving holes of said second connector indicated in said indication mode to provide a wiring harness to be inspected, and an inspection is made on the basis of said reference data to see if the insertion condition of said cables of said wiring harness to be inspected into the terminal receiving holes of said first and second connectors on opposite ends of said cables matches the insertion condition of said model wiring harness,

said inspecting device body including;

an input terminal group having a plurality of input terminals;

a signal output portion for outputting an inspection signal to said input terminals in order;

an output terminal group having a plurality of output terminals;

a signal input portion for receiving a signal through said output terminals;

a connection terminal group having a plurality of connection terminals;

a reference data memory portion for storing therein the reference data indicative of the insertion condition of said model wiring harness in said storage mode;

a light emitting element lighting drive portion for outputting a lighting drive signal to a predetermined one of said connection terminals on the basis of said reference data in said indication mode;

an inspection data memory portion for storing therein inspection data indicative of the insertion condition of said wiring harness to be inspected in said inspection mode;

a comparing and determining portion for comparing said inspection data with said reference data in said inspection mode, said comparing and determining portion outputting an abnormal condition signal when a failure occurs in said inspection data; and

a flashing drive portion for outputting a flashing drive signal to one of said connection terminals which corresponds to the failure portion in response to said abnormal condition signal in said inspection mode,

said work table including;

an input connector connected to said input terminals in said input terminal group of said inspecting device body, said input connector being connected to one of said model connectors of said model wiring harness in said storage mode, to said first connector of said target wiring harness in said indication mode, and to said first connector of said wiring harness to be inspected in said inspection mode;

an output connector connected to said output terminals in said output terminal group of said inspecting device body, said output connector being connected to the other model connector of said model wiring harness in said storage mode, and to said second connector of said wiring harness to be inspected in said inspection mode;

a plurality of light emitting elements located adjacent respective terminal receiving holes of said output connector and connected to said connection terminals in said connection terminal group of said inspecting device body for flashing in response to said flashing drive signal in said inspection mode to indicate a failure and terminal insertion; and

specifying means, upon selection of one of the terminals on the second end of said target wiring harness having said first connector connected to said input connector, for specifying one of said connection terminals to light up one of said light emitting elements adjacent the terminal receiving hole in said reference data which corresponds to said selected terminal.

2. The wiring harness inspecting device of claim 1, wherein when a failure occurs in said inspection data, said comparing and determining portion of said inspecting device body outputs said abnormal condition signal corresponding to the failure contents, said flashing drive portion of said inspecting device body outputs said flashing drive signal having a flashing pattern corresponding to the failure contents in response to said abnormal condition signal, and said light emitting elements of said work table flash in the flashing pattern of said flashing drive signal in said inspection mode.

3. The wiring harness inspecting device of claim 2, wherein said failure contents in said inspection data include an open in which at least one of the terminals on the second end of said cables of said wiring harness to be inspected is not inserted into the associated terminal receiving hole of said second connector, a short in which any one of said cables of said wiring harness to be inspected is shorted to at least one other cable, and an improper insertion in which at least one of the terminals on the second end of said cables of said wiring harness to be inspected is inserted into an incorrect one of the terminal receiving holes of said second connector.

4. A wiring harness inspecting method for inspecting a plurality of terminals mounted on opposite ends of a plurality of cables of a wiring harness to be inspected for correct insertion into a plurality of corresponding terminal receiving holes of a connector, said method comprising the steps of:

storing reference data in a reference data memory portion, there being provided a model wiring harness including a plurality of cables and a pair of model connectors mounted on opposite ends of said cables, said reference data being indicative of an insertion condition of terminals on opposite ends of said cables of said model wiring harness into terminal receiving holes of said pair of model connectors;

giving an indication on the basis of said reference data stored in said storing step, there being provided a target wiring harness including a plurality of cables and a first connector mounted on a first end of said cables, said indication being representative of the insertion of terminals on a second end of said cables of said target wiring harness into terminal receiving holes of a second connector to be connected; and

inspecting a wiring harness to be inspected, said inspecting step including the steps of;

forming said wiring harness to be inspected by inserting the terminals on the second end of said cables of said target wiring harness into the terminal receiving holes of said second connector indicated in said indicating step;

providing inspection data indicative of an insertion condition of said cables of said wiring harness to be inspected into the terminal receiving holes of said first and second connectors mounted on the opposite ends of said cables; and

comparing said inspection data with said reference data stored in said storing step to indicate the occurrence of a failure if the failure occurs in said inspection data.

5. The wiring harness inspecting method of claim 4, wherein when a failure occurs in said inspection data, a portion and contents of the failure are indicated.

6. The wiring harness inspecting method of claim 5, wherein said indicated failure contents include an open in which at least one of the terminals on the second end of said cables of said wiring harness to be inspected is not inserted into the associated terminal receiving hole of said second connector, a short in which any one of said cables of said wiring harness to be inspected is shorted to at least one other cable, and an improper insertion in which at least one of the terminals on the second end of said cables of said wiring harness to be inspected is inserted into an incorrect one of the terminal receiving holes of said second connector.