Method of determining the length of electric wires for use in constructing a wire harness, and method of constructing a wire harness

• US 6,330,746 B1
• Filed: 06/21/1999
• Issued: 12/18/2001
• Est. Priority Date: 06/22/1998
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Sumitomo Wiring Systems Limited (Sumitomo Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Sumitomo Wiring Systems Limited (Sumitomo Corporation)
• Inventors: Uchiyama, Kenichi, Kurihara, Kiyokazu, Yuri, Hidetaka
• Primary Examiner(s): Young, Lee
• Assistant Examiner(s): Kim, Paul D.
• Application Number:
  US09/337,486
• Time in Patent Office: 911 Days
• Field of Search: 174/72.A, 298/57, 298/65, 298/72, 29/33, 297/45, 297/55, 297/60, 298/68
• US Class Current: 29/872
• CPC Class Codes: B60R 16/0207 Wire harnesses
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 2113/16 Cables, cable trees or wire harnesses
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 30/15 Vehicle, aircraft or watercraft design
• CPC Class Codes: Y10T 29/49194 Assembling elongated conductors, e.g., splicing, etc.
• CPC Class Codes: Y10T 29/49201 with overlapping orienting
• CPC Class Codes: Y10T 29/5193 Electrical connector or terminal
• CPC Class Codes: Y10T 29/532 Conductor
• CPC Class Codes: Y10T 29/53243 Multiple, independent conductors
• CPC Class Codes: Y10T 29/53265 with work-holder for assembly

Abstract

A method for determining lengths of electric wires to be used in constructing a wire harness takes into account curvature of the wires as the wires pass through a jig, an extent to which the ends of each wire extend into a connector housing, and a location of the cavity within the connector housing. Thus, the method helps avoid excess wire length exceeding a given tolerance.

Claims

1. A method of determining appropriate lengths of a plurality of wires to be used to construct a wire harness by a manufacturing process, comprising:

(1) cutting electric wires of said appropriate lengths,

(2) temporarily binding groups of said electric wires together,

(3) passing the groups through at least one jig on a wire harness assembly

(4) s he groups to each other by winding adhesive tape around the groups,

(5) inserting ends of a plurality of the wires into respective cavities in connector housings,

(6) using an approximate length for each wire, each said approximate length being based on a respective path through the wire harness that passes through each said jig; and

(7) determining each of the appropriate lengths by correcting each said approximate length to take into account the following correction factors;

(a) bending of each of the wires as the wires passes through said at least one jig, correction factor (a) takes into account the difference between (i) a bent length of a wire path, at the center of the wire harness in section, that bends to pass through the center of the distance between fingers of the jig and (ii) a curved length of a wire path, at the center of the wire harness in section, that curves to pass between the center of the distance between the fingers of the jig and an inner peripheral surface of a finger at the side in which the wire is curved,

and when one of the wires is intended to be inserted into a cavity in one of the connector housings,

(b) the extent to which the wire is intended to extend into the said one of the connector housings, and

(c) a distance of the cavity into which the wire is intended to be inserted from a position of said one of the connector housings that is central with respect to the wire harness.

2. A method according to claim 1 in which among said jigs are jigs having two fingers for retaining wires, jigs having three fingers for retaining wires and jigs having four fingers for retaining wires, said fingers extending perpendicularly to the plane of the wire harness assembly platform, and correction (a) corrects the length of the wire by an amount Δ

L given by, $\mathrm{\Delta <br><br>}<br><br>\text{\hspace{1em}<br><br>}<br><br>L=\frac{1}{2}<br><br>\text{\hspace{1em}<br><br>}<br><br>\underset{m=1}{\overset{k}{\sum <br><br>}}<br><br>\text{\hspace{1em}<br><br>}<br><br>W_{2,m}+\underset{p=1}{\overset{h}{\sum <br><br>}}<br><br>\text{\hspace{1em}<br><br>}<br><br>W_{3,p}+\underset{n=1}{\overset{i}{\sum <br><br>}}<br><br>\text{\hspace{1em}<br><br>}<br><br>W_{4,n}-\frac{1}{4}<br><br>\text{\hspace{1em}<br><br>}<br><br>B<br><br>\text{\hspace{1em}<br><br>}<br><br>\mathrm{coe}<br><br>\left(r\right)<br><br>2<br><br>\text{\hspace{1em}<br><br>}<br><br>\mathrm{\pi <br><br>}$

where

k is the number of 2-finger jigs through which the wire passes,

h is the number of 3-finger jigs through which the wire passes,

i is the number of 4-finger jigs through which the wire passes,

m, n and p are integer variables,

W_2,m is the distance between the two fingers of the m-th 2-finger jig,

W_3,p is the distance between two fingers of the p-th 3 finger jig,

W_4,n is the distance between the two fingers of n-th 4-finger jig,

r is the radius of the wire,

coe(r) is the minimum radius of curvature of the wire depending on the radius r, and

B is the total number of turns made by the wire due to the jigs.

3. A method according to claim 1, wherein the approximate length for each wire extends to a distal end of the connecting housing, and correction (b) subtracts the distance between the distal end of the connector housing and the intended position of the end of the wire within the connecting housing, and adds a predetermined length tolerance value.

4. A method according to claim 1, wherein the approximate length for each wire to a respective connector extends to a centre point of the entry face of the connector housing in an extension direction, and said correction (c) adds a value depending upon the distance of the cavity for the wire from said centre point.

5. A method according to claim 5 in which said value of the correction (c) is L₁ given by

6. A method of determining appropriate lengths of a plurality of wires to be used to construct a wire harness by a manufacturing process, comprising:

(1) cutting electric wires of said appropriate lengths,

(2) temporarily binding groups of said electric wires together,

(3) passing the groups through at least one jig on a wire harness assembly platform,

(4) binding the groups to each other by winding adhesive tape around the groups,

(5) inserting ends of a plurality of the wires into respective cavities in connector housings,

(6) using an approximate length for each wire, each said approximate length being based on a respective path through the wire harness that passes through each said jig; and

(7) determining each of the appropriate lengths by correcting each said approximate length to take into account the following correction factor;

bending of each of the wires as the wires passes through said at least one jig, the correction factor takes into account the difference between (i) a bent length of a wire path, at the center of the wire harness in section, that bends to pass through the center of the distance between fingers of the jig and (ii) a curved length of a wire path, at the center of the wire harness in section, that curves to pass between the center of the distance between the fingers of the jig and an inner peripheral surface of a finger at the side in which the wire is curved, and which among said jigs are jigs having two fingers for retaining wires, jigs having three fingers for retaining wires and jigs having four fingers for retaining wires, said fingers extending perpendicularly to the plane of the wire harness assembly platform, and correction (a) corrects the length of the wire by an amount Δ

L given by, $\mathrm{\Delta <br><br>}<br><br>\text{\hspace{1em}<br><br>}<br><br>L=\frac{1}{2}<br><br>\text{\hspace{1em}<br><br>}<br><br>\underset{m=1}{\overset{k}{\sum <br><br>}}<br><br>\text{\hspace{1em}<br><br>}<br><br>W_{2,m}+\underset{p=1}{\overset{h}{\sum <br><br>}}<br><br>\text{\hspace{1em}<br><br>}<br><br>W_{3,p}+\underset{n=1}{\overset{i}{\sum <br><br>}}<br><br>\text{\hspace{1em}<br><br>}<br><br>W_{4,n}-\frac{1}{4}<br><br>\text{\hspace{1em}<br><br>}<br><br>B<br><br>\text{\hspace{1em}<br><br>}<br><br>\mathrm{coe}<br><br>\left(r\right)<br><br>2<br><br>\text{\hspace{1em}<br><br>}<br><br>\mathrm{\pi <br><br>}$

 

where

k is the number of 2-finger jigs through which the wire passes,

h is the number of 3-finger jigs through which the wire passes,

i is the number of 4-finger jigs through which the wire passes,

m, n and p are integer variables,

W_2,m is the distance between the two fingers of the m-th 2-finger jig,

W_3,p is the distance between two fingers of the p-th 3 finger jig,

W_4,n is the distance between the two fingers of n-th 4-finger jig,

r is the radius of the wire,

coe(r) is the minimum radius of curvature of the wire depending on the radius r, and

B is the total number of turns made by the wire due to the jigs.

7. A method of determining appropriate lengths of a plurality of wires to be used to construct a wire harness by a manufacturing process, comprising:

(1) cutting electric wires of said appropriate lengths,

(2) temporarily binding groups of said electric wires together,

(3) passing the groups through at least one jig on a wire harness assembly platform,

(4) binding the groups to each other by winding adhesive tape around the groups,

(5) inserting ends of a plurality of the wires into respective cavities in connector housings,

(6) using an approximate length for each wire, each said approximate length being based on a respective path through the wire harness that passes through each said jig; and

(7) determining each of the appropriate lengths by correcting each said approximate length to take into account the following correction factors when one of the wires is intended to be inserted into a cavity in one of the connector housings;

(a) the extent to which the wire is intended to extend into the said one of the connector housings, and

(b) a distance of the cavity into which the wire is intended to be inserted from a position of said one of the connector housings that is central with respect to the wire harness,

wherein the approximate length for each wire to a respective connector extends to a centre point of the entry face of the connector housing in an extension direction, and said correction (b) adds a value depending upon the distance of the cavity for the wire from said centre point, and

wherein said value of the correction (b) is L₁ given by

 

L₁={square root over ((X−

X₁+L )²+L +(Y−

Y₁+L )²+L )}

 

where

X and Y are the coordinates of said central point measured along respective x- and y-coordinate axes which are perpendicular to the extension direction and to each other, and

X₁ and Y₁ are the coordinates of the centre of the cavity measured along said respective x- and y-coordinate axes,

except that, if L₁ is less than a predetermined value, no correction (b) is made.