Processing system for a wiring harness, a method for testing an electrical connection of a wiring harness, computer-readable storage medium and a wire connection assisting system

• US 6,687,639 B2
• Filed: 05/30/2002
• Issued: 02/03/2004
• Est. Priority Date: 05/30/2001
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Sumitomo Wiring Systems Limited (Sumitomo Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Sumitomo Wiring Systems Limited (Sumitomo Corporation)
• Inventors: Mori, Setsurou, Taniguchi, Yoshikazu
• Primary Examiner(s): Bui, Bryan
• Application Number:
  US10/159,436
• Publication Number:
  US 20020183954A1
• Time in Patent Office: 614 Days
• Field of Search: 702/104, 702/108, 702/109, 702/117, 702/118, 702/119, 702/120, 702/121, 702/122, 702/123, 702/124, 702/125, 702/126, 702/186, 702/187, 307/9.1, 307/11, 307/18, 307/36-43, 295/92, 295/921, 295/93, 297/55
• US Class Current: 702/117
• CPC Class Codes: G01R 31/58 Testing of lines, cables or conductors testing of electric windings G01R31/72
• CPC Class Codes: G01R 31/67 Testing the correctness of wire connections in electric apparatus or circuits

Abstract

An electrical connection test is conducted within a practical response time every time a harness-forming wire is connected on a compact assembling board. Multiplexing communication controllers adopting a perfect time-division multiplexing communication method according to which tokens are given to units by a time-division technique based on timing bit sets issued at specified intervals from any of the units and node addresses are provided. Every time a harness-forming wire is connected, an electrical connection of a network of a wiring harness including this harness-forming wire is tested. In this electrical connection test, whether the network is satisfactory is determined up to a last stage every time the harness-forming wire is connected in the production process of the wiring harness being tested.

Claims

1. A processing system (10) for a wiring harness to be provided in a production line for producing the wiring harness by conveying a connection board (100) from one to another of a plurality of stations (ST) and connecting harness-forming wires (W) to form the wiring harness on the connection board (100), and having a function of, substantially every time the harness-forming wire (W) is connected, testing (S20) an electrical connection of at least part of a network of the wiring harness including the connected harness-forming wire (W), comprising:

a master unit (260) for conducting an electrical connection test (S20) for the wiring harness being produced,

a plurality of connector units (250) which are at least temporarily connected with the master unit (260) to enable a multiplexing communication and which can exchange signals with at least part of the wiring harness,

a multiplexing communication path (B) for connecting the master unit (260) and the respective connector units (250) to enable the multiplexing communication therebetween,

wherein;

different node addresses are set for the master unit (260) and the respective connector units (250),

each of the master unit (260) and the connector units (250) comprises a multiplexing communication controller (262a, 252a) adopting a perfect time-division multiplexing communication method according to which tokens (BN) are given to the master unit (260) and the connector units (250) by a time-division technique based on timing bit sets issued at specified intervals from any of the units (260, 250) and the node addresses.

2. The processing system of claim 1, wherein the master unit (260) comprises:

a read data storage means (269c) for storing connection information of the network formed by the newly connected harness-forming wire (W) as a read data based on a data packet (DT) sent from the connector unit (250) via the multiplexing communication with the connector unit (250) by the perfect time-division multiplexing communication method, and a test standard data storage means (269b) for storing test standard data as a standard of the electrical connection test (S20),

wherein the test standard data storage means (269b) stores electrical connection test information of the network built by the harness-forming wires (W) as the test standard data up to a final stage for each harness-forming wire (W).

3. The processing system of claim 2, wherein the master unit (260) comprises a discriminating means (266) for determining whether contacts of the network are connected properly by comparing the read data and the test standard data, the discriminating means (266) determining whether the network is satisfactory up to the last stage based on the test standard data every time the harness-forming wire (W) is connected in the production process of the wiring harness being tested.

4. The processing system of claim 1, wherein:

a connector-side connection instructing means (240) which can indicate a connection end of the harness-forming wire (W) is associated with each connector holder (211), and

the master unit (260) further comprises a connection assisting data storage means (269a) for storing connection assisting data for the wiring harness being produced, and a connection instruction control means (200) for controlling connection instruction by the connector-side connection instructing means (240) via the multiplexing communication controller (262a, 252a) based on the read data and the connection assisting data.

5. A method for testing an electrical connection of a network of a wiring harness including harness-forming wires (W) substantially every time the harness-forming wire (W) is connected, the method being adoptable in a production line of producing the wiring harness by conveying a connection board (100) from one to another of a plurality of stations (ST) and connecting the harness-forming wires (W) to form the wiring harness on the connection board (100), comprising the steps of:

setting different node addresses for a master unit (260) for conducting (S20) an electrical connection test for the wiring harness being produced and a plurality of connector units (250) for connecting the master unit (260) at least partly with the wiring harness,

giving tokens (BN) to the respective units (260, 250) by a time-division technique based on timing bit sets issued at specified intervals from any of the units (260, 250) and the node addresses according to a perfect time-division multiplexing communication method, and

determining (S11;

S18;

S20;

S22;

S23) whether the network is satisfactory up to a final state by the perfect time-division multiplexing communication method substantially every the harness-forming wire (W) is connected in the production process of the wiring harness being tested.

6. A computer-readable storage medium storing thereon a computer program, which comprises computer-readable program means for causing a computer to control an execution of a method for testing an electrical connection of a network of a wiring harness including harness-forming wires (W) according to claim 5.

7. A wire connection assisting system (10), comprising:

a wire supply (40) for accommodating terminated wires (W) while sorting the terminal-provided wires (W) beforehand according to their kinds,

an assembling board (100) on which the terminal-provided wires (W) taken out from the wire supply (40) are to be connected,

connector holders (211) provided on the assembling board (100) and each including a connector accommodating portion (212) for holding a connector (C) to be connected with the terminal-provided wire (W) taken out from the wire supply (40) and a detecting element (220) electrically connectable with a terminal (T) of the terminated wires (W) inserted into the connector (C) at least partly accommodated in the connector accommodating portion (212),

a wire-side connection instructing means (320) provided at the wire supply (40) for giving an instruction of taking out a specific wire (W) accommodated in the wire supply (40),

connector-side connection instructing means (240) provided in correspondence with the respective connector holders (211) for displaying a connection end corresponding to the connector (C) with which the taken-out terminated wire (W) is to be connected,

a master unit (260) provided on the assembling board (100) to be at least temporarily electrically connectable with the respective detecting elements (220) for controlling the respective connection instructing means (320, 240),

a wire-side node unit (300) at least temporarily connected with the master unit (260) in a manner as to enable a multiplexing communication and adapted to drive the wire-side connection instructing means (320) based on a control of the master unit (260),

a connector-side node unit (250) at least temporarily connected with the master unit (260) in such a manner as to enable a multiplexing communication and adapted to control the detecting elements (220) of the connector holders (211) and the wire-side connection instructing means (320) based on the control of the master unit (260), and

a multiplexing communication control system (262a, 252a, 302a) for at least temporarily connecting the master unit (260) and the node unit (300, 250) as nodes so as to enable the multiplexing communication therebetween.

8. The wire connection assisting system of claim 7, wherein the connection of harness-forming wires (W) to form a wiring harness being assisted by controlling (S9) the respective connection instructing means (320, 240) based on an information of a single database (269a;

269b;

269c) built in the master unit (260) and a connection information of the harness-forming wires (W) to be connected with the connectors (C) on the assembling board (100).

9. The wire connection assisting system of claim 8, wherein the multiplexing communication system comprises:

a node address setting means (251b;

251c, 301b;

301c) for setting different node addresses for the respective nodes (250, 300),

a token issuing means (2622) for issuing timing bit sets as token signals (BN) at specified intervals, and

a token reception controller (2521;

2621;

3021) for giving the tokens (BN) to the respective nodes (250;

300) by a time-division technique based on the timing bit sets issued by the token issuing means (2622) and the node addresses.

10. The wire connection assisting system of claim 9, wherein the master unit (260) has a function of testing (S20) an electrical connection of a network including the connected harness-forming wire (W) substantially every time the harness-forming wire (W) is connected with the connector (C) at least partly held in the connector holder (211), and causes the respective connection instructing means (320, 240) to assist a next connecting operation only in the case of a success in an electrical connection test (S20).

11. The wire connection assisting system of claim 10, wherein the wire supply (40) is provided at each of a plurality of stations (ST) installed along a conveyance path along which the assembling board (100) is conveyed, and the master unit (260) tests (S20) the electrical connection up to the last stage of the production process of the wiring harness being tested.

12. The wire connection assisting system of claim 11, wherein the wire-side node unit (300) comprises a gateway (302) for conducting a multiplexing communication with an external network (351).

13. The wire connection assisting system of claim 12, wherein the assembling board (100) comprises:

a plurality of temporarily holding jigs (290) for temporarily holding the other ends of the terminal-provided wires (W) determined as free terminals to be connected when the subassembly is assembled into the wiring harness at a later stage,

the connector-side node unit (250) being provided for each of the temporarily holding jigs (290) and is connected with a terminus end instructing means (291) for instructing the temporarily holding jig (290) when the other end as the free terminal (T) is brought into contact with a grounding member (245).