Apparatus for processing information of a wiring harness

• US 6,438,435 B1
• Filed: 07/07/1998
• Issued: 08/20/2002
• Est. Priority Date: 07/07/1997
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: JST Manufacturing Company Limited
• Original Assignee: JST Manufacturing Company Limited
• Inventors: Wada, Akio, Shimizu, Kaneyoshi
• Primary Examiner(s): PATEL, RAMESH B
• Application Number:
  US09/111,191
• Time in Patent Office: 1,505 Days
• Field of Search: 700/17, 700/83, 700/95, 700/96, 700/97, 700/98, 700/213, 700/115, 700/116, 298/51, 298/61, 298/53, 297/49, 292/55, 297/57, 298/66, 298/67, 295/648, 295/646, 295/644
• US Class Current: 700/97
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 2113/16 Cables, cable trees or wire harnesses
• CPC Class Codes: H01R 43/28 for wire processing before connecting to contact members, not provided for in groups H01R43/02 - H01R43/26
• CPC Class Codes: Y10T 29/49163 with sintering of base
• CPC Class Codes: Y10T 29/49181 by deforming
• CPC Class Codes: Y10T 29/53217 Means to simultaneously assemble multiple, independent conductors to terminal
• CPC Class Codes: Y10T 29/53252 Means to simultaneously fasten three or more parts
• CPC Class Codes: Y10T 29/53843 Tube, sleeve, or ferrule inserting or removing

Abstract

An apparatus and a method both-capable of easily generating diagrams for manufacturing wiring harnesses. Entities of connectors, binding parts and wirings are stored in a hard disk 20. A wiring arrangement diagram is generated with a CPU 22 in accordance with the entities, values and/or characters thus inputted. The wiring arrangement diagram is displayed on a display 6. A desired wiring arrangement can be generated by carrying out amendment and/or modifications of the arrangement thus displayed using a mouse 2 and/or a keyboard 6. A wiring table and an independent wiring harness diagram both considering connection information of each terminal between each of the connectors are generated with the CPU 22 as wiring harness information in accordance with the entities, values and/or characters and so on in the desired wiring arrangement diagram. At that time, a judgement is carried out whether or not the independent wiring harness diagram thus generated complies with a predetermined rule. The wiring table and the independent wiring harness diagram thus generated are outputted from a printer 14.

Claims

1. An apparatus for processing information on a wiring harness, comprising:

entity input means for connectedly arranging entities representing connectors, binding parts and wirings,

numeral value input means for relatedly providing length information of the wiring to each entity representing the wiring,

means for generating a wiring arrangement diagram in accordance with inputs of the entity input means and the numerals value input means wherein said wiring arrangement diagram includes lines that correspond to the wrings and do not have a length corresponding to actual length of the wirings,

display means for displaying the wiring arrangement diagram thus generated, wherein an operator obtains a desired wiring arrangement by using the entity input means and the numeral value input means while referring to the entities and the length information displayed on the display means, and

means for generating wiring harness information including a total length of the wiring between each connector in the desired wiring arrangement in accordance with the entities and the length information of the desired wiring arrangement.

2. The apparatus in accordance with claim 1, wherein the apparatus further comprises connection input means for inputting connection information between each of the connectors, and

wherein the wiring harness information generating means generates the wiring harness information by additionally considering the connection information inputted with the connection input means.

3. The apparatus in accordance with claim 2, wherein the connection information inputted with the connection input means is inputted from an apparatus for designing circuits.

4. The apparatus in accordance with claim 1, wherein the entity input means is also means for inputting an entity representing a connection between the connectors.

5. In an apparatus for processing information on a wiring harness comprising, an input device, a display device, a storing device for storing a program for processing wiring harness information, and a processing device connected to the storing device and performing processing of inputted information through the input device in accordance with the program stored in the storing device,

wherein the program makes the processing device perform the following actions,

connectedly arranging entities representing connectors, binding parts and wirings on the display device in accordance with inputs inputted through the input device,

relatedly providing length information of the wirings to each entity representing the wirings, the length information being inputted through the input device,

inputting a desired wiring arrangement with the input device while referring to the entities and the lenght information displayed on the display device,

generating a wiring arrangement diagram in accordance with inputs of the input device wherein the wiring arrangement diagram includes lines at correspond to the wirings and do not have length corresponding to actual length of the wirings,

displaying the wiring arrangement diagram thus generated on the display device, and

generating and outputting wiring harness information including a total length of the wiring between each connector in the desired wiring arrangement in accordance with the entities and the length information for the desired wiring arrangement.

6. A program storage medium readable by a computer including an input device and a display device, said program storage medium stores a program that makes the computer perform the following actions for processing wiring harness information:

connectedly arranging entities representing connectors, binding parts and wirings on the display device in accordance with inputs inputted through the input device,

relatedly providing length information of the wiring to each entity representing the wirings, the length information being inputted through the input device,

input a desired wiring arrangement with the input device while referring to the entities and the length information displayed on the display device

generating a wiring arrangement diagram in accordance with inputs of the input device wherein the wiring arrangement diagram includes lines that correspond to the wirings and do not have length corresponding to actual length of the wirings,

displaying the arrangement diagram thus generated on the display device, and

generating and outputting wiring harness information including a total length of the wiring between each connector in the desired wiring arrangement in accordance with the entities and the length information for the desired wiring arrangement.

7. A program storage medium storing the program in accordance with claim 6,

wherein the program makes the machine to input connection information between each of the connectors though the input device, and to generate the wiring harness information by additionally considering the connection information inputted with the input device.

8. A program storage medium storing the program in accordance with claim 7,

wherein the program makes the computer to perform processing for receiving the connection information through an apparatus for designing circuits and inputting the connection information thus received.

9. A program storage medium storing the program in accordance with claim 6,

wherein the program makes the computer to input an entity representing a connection between connectors through the input device, and to perform processing for connectedly arranging entities representing the connectors, binding parts and wirings on the display device.

10. A program storage medium storing the program in accordance with claim 6,

wherein the program makes the computer to display the wiring arrangement diagram not illustrating actual length of the wiring on the display device, and to output the wiring diagram illustrating actual length of the wiring from a printing device.

11. A program storage medium storing the program in accordance with claim 6,

wherein the program makes the computer to input the connection information of each terminal between each of tie connectors correspondingly with he entities representing connectors, binding parts and wirings,

and to perform processing for generating the wiring harness information of the independent wiring harness including the connection information of each terminal between each connector by additionally considering the connection information of each terminal between each of the connectors thus inputted.

12. A program storage medium storing the program in accordance with claim 6,

wherein the program makes the computer to perform a judgement whether or not connection status of wiring comply with a predetermined rule.

13. A program storage medium storing the program in accordance with claim 6,

wherein the program makes the computer to perform correction of a given length of the wiring by considering length of displacement in actual wiring work as correction value.

14. A program storage medium storing the program in accordance with claim 13,

wherein the correction value at least includes a length caused by displacement of the wiring work or a margin for crimping the connector terminals.

15. A program storage medium storing the program in accordance with claim 6, wherein the program makes the computer to perform processing for providing a part of the wiring harness information to a wiring harness manufacturing device, the part of the wiring harness information being used in the wiring harness manufacturing device.

16. A method of generating a wiring harness diagram comprising the actions:

displaying connectors and binding pans on a display screen and connecting therebetween with wirings as well as providing connection information between each connector,

providing lengths of the wirings connecting the connectors and the binding parts,

outputting an independent w harness diagram in accordance with the connection information wherein the independent wiring harness diagram includes lines that correspond to the wirings and do not have length corresponding to actual length of the wirings.

17. A wiring lowness manufactured by a computer having an input device and a display device,

wherein the wiring harness is manufactured using wiring harness information, the wiring harness information being generated by a method comprising:

inputting entities representing connectors, binding parts, wirings and length information for the wirings from the input device,

inputting a desired wiring arrangement from the input device while referring to a wiring arrangement diagram generated on the basis of the entities and the length information and displayed on the display device wherein the wiring arrangement diagram includes lines that correspond to the wirings and do not have length corresponding to actual length of the wirings, and

making the wiring harness using total length of the wiring between each pair of connectors the harness information being generated on the basis of the entities and the length information of the desired wiring arrangement.

18. A wiring harness in accordance with claim 17,

wherein the wiring harness information is generated by additionally considering connection information inputted from an apparatus for designing circuits.