Universal wire harness retainer clip holding system

• US 5,694,678 A
• Filed: 02/20/1996
• Issued: 12/09/1997
• Est. Priority Date: 11/16/1994
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: UT Automotive Dearborn, Inc.
• Original Assignee: United Technologies Automotive, Inc. (Lear Corporation)
• Inventors: Karasik, Vladimir
• Primary Examiner(s): Vo, Peter
• Application Number:
  US08/603,396
• Time in Patent Office: 658 Days
• Field of Search: 29/33 F, 29/33 M, 29/755, 29/760, 29/709, 29/714, 29/721, 140/92.1, 140/71 R, 248/74.3, 269/66, 269/74, 269/75, 269/296, 269/310, 269/903, 901/47
• US Class Current: 29/721
• CPC Class Codes: B60R 16/0207 Wire harnesses
• CPC Class Codes: B60R 16/0215 Protecting, fastening and routing means therefor
• CPC Class Codes: H02B 1/202 Cable lay-outs
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 269/903 Work holder for electrical circuit assemblages or wiring systems
• CPC Class Codes: Y10T 29/49201 with overlapping orienting
• CPC Class Codes: Y10T 29/5187 Wire working
• CPC Class Codes: Y10T 29/5193 Electrical connector or terminal
• CPC Class Codes: Y10T 29/53091 for work-holder for assembly or disassembly
• CPC Class Codes: Y10T 29/53243 Multiple, independent conductors
• CPC Class Codes: Y10T 29/53265 with work-holder for assembly

Abstract

A family of retainer clip holders can each be adjusted to properly position a retainer clip at a desired location on a wire harness. In the past, it has sometimes been complicated to properly position a retainer clip holder relative to the base, and mount the holder base on a jig for assembling wire harnesses. There have typically been too many fixtures required on the jig. Thus, the prior art has attempted to assemble the retainer clips by individually tailoring hundreds of retainer clip holders for the particular orientation demanded by the particular retainer clip application. The inventive family of retainer clip holders allows the selection of the proper adjustable retainer clip holders and the adjustment of that retainer clip holder to accommodate the particular retainer clip application demanded. In this way, the invention replaces the hundreds of previously required holders with seven basic tools.

Claims

1. A family of retainer clip holders for assembly of retainer clips on a wire harness comprising:

at least three holders, each of said three holders incorporating a retainer clip holder portion, a frame for mounting said retainer clip holder portion at a desired location, a base for mounting said frame on a jig for assembly of a wire harness, and said frame incorporating circuitry to provide a signal indicating the presence of a retainer clip in said retainer clip holder portion;

1) a first holder having moving parts allowing selective adjustment of the vertical height of said retainer clip holder portion relative to said base, and also the adjustment of the angular orientation of said retainer clip holder portion in a horizontal plane about a vertical axis relative to said base;

2) a second holder having moving parts allowing adjustment of the horizontal position of said retainer clip holder portion relative to said base, and also the adjustment of the angular orientation of said retainer clip holder portion in a horizontal plane about a vertical axis relative to said base;

3) a third holder having moving parts allowing the adjustment of the angular orientation of said retainer clip holder portion in a vertical plane relative to said base; and

said first, second and third holders being utilized together to construct a wire harness.

2. The family of holders as recited in claim 1, wherein each said base has two openings for passage of members for holding each of said first, second and third holders on the jig.

3. The family of holders as recited in claim 1 wherein said second holder moving parts include a tube and an arm extending through said tube, the position of said arm within said tube being adjustable to adjust the horizontal position of said second holder retainer clip holder portion relative to said base.

4. The family of holders as recited in claim 3, wherein said arm includes a post that receives said second holder retainer clip holder portion, and said second holder retainer clip holder portion is adjustable in a horizontal plane about a vertical axis relative to said arm.

5. The family of holders as recited in claim 1, wherein said second holder moving parts further allowing said second holder retainer clip holder portion to be angularly adjustable in a horizontal plane about a vertical axis relative to said arm.

6. The family of holders as recited in claim 1, wherein said second and third holders are also adjustable such that the vertical height of said second and third holder retainer clip holder portions are adjustable relative to said base.

7. The family of holders as recited in claim 6, wherein said vertical height adjustability is provided by a telescopic bushing connection between said second and third holder retainer clip holder portions and said base.

8. The family of holders as recited in claim 7, wherein the angular orientation of said bushing and said retainer clip holder portion is also adjustable, and signal wires from said circuitry extend outwardly of said frame through said bushing.

9. The family of holders as recited in claim 1, wherein said third holder moving parts are also adjustable such that the position of said retainer clip holder parts in the horizontal plane relative to said base is also adjustable.

10. The family of holders as recited in claim 9, wherein said third holder moving parts are also adjustable about an axis of said third holder retainer clip holder portion.

11. The family of holders as recited in claim 10, wherein a telescopic bushing secures said retainer clip holder portion to said frame to provide the extension adjustment and the adjustability about the axis of said third holder retainer clip holder portion.

12. The family of holders as recited in claim 9, wherein said third holder is adjustable to select any one of several angles to position said third holder retainer clip holder portion relative to said base.