Method for manufacturing wire harness branching portion

• US 7,624,503 B2
• Filed: 12/17/2004
• Issued: 12/01/2009
• Est. Priority Date: 12/19/2003
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Yazaki Corporation
• Original Assignee: Yazaki Corporation
• Inventors: Fukuda, Daisuke
• Primary Examiner(s): Nguyen; Donghai D.
• Application Number:
  US11/013,346
• Publication Number:
  US 20050153576A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,810 Days
• Field of Search: 29/33.F, 297/52, 297/55, 298/25, 298/72, 298/68, 295/644, 174/68.3, 174/72.R, 174/72.A, 228/538, 228/539, 439/34
• US Class Current: 29/872
• CPC Class Codes: H01B 13/01218 the wires being disposed by hand
• CPC Class Codes: H01B 13/01263 Tying, wrapping, binding, lacing, strapping or sheathing harnesses
• CPC Class Codes: H01B 7/0045 Cable-harnesses
• CPC Class Codes: Y10T 29/49117 Conductor or circuit manufacturing
• CPC Class Codes: Y10T 29/49194 Assembling elongated conductors, e.g., splicing, etc.
• CPC Class Codes: Y10T 29/49201 with overlapping orienting

Abstract

Manufacturing is carried out while including the steps of: from a trunk line 12, drawing out electric wires 13a to be a branch line 14 longer than a required length of the branch line 14; forming a branch line portion 17 by applying tape winding to the drawn-out electric wires 13a; making, as a trunk line accompanying part 17a, a part from a base end P2 to a branching position P1 of the branch line portion 17 accompany the trunk line 12 and making, as a main branch line part 17b, a part from the branching position P1 to a front end P3 of the branch line portion 17 distant from the branch line 12; and applying an protecting treatment 19 by tape winding to the whole.

Claims

1. A method for manufacturing a wire harness branching portion comprising the steps of:

drawing out, from a trunk line of a wire harness electric wires to be a branch line, said drawn out portion being longer than a required length of the branch line;

forming a branch line portion by applying tape winding to the drawn-out electric wires, wherein the forming of the branch line portion comprises applying the tape winding to a trunk line accompanying part and a main branch line part, the trunk line accompanying part defined from a proximal end of the branch line portion to a branching position of the branch line portion, and the main branch line part defined from the branching position of the branch line portion to a distal end of the branch line portion;

maintaining the trunk line accompanying part with the trunk line while extending the main branch line part from the branching position and without folding the branch line portion into a U-turn shape;

keeping the main branch line part away from the trunk line; and

applying a protecting treatment by tape winding to the trunk line and at least the trunk line accompanying part without forming the U-turn shape in the trunk line accompany part;

wherein opposite ends of the trunk line are connected to connectors, respectively, and

wherein the protecting treatment is applied by tape winding to the trunk line and at least the trunk line accompanying part from a vicinity of one of the connectors to a vicinity of another of the connectors without forming the U-turn shape in the trunk line accompanying part;

further comprising;

drawing out, from a second trunk line, a general branch line portion defined by electric wires to be a general branch line with a required length of the branch line;

keeping the general branch line portion distant from the second trunk line; and

overlapping the first trunk line and second trunk line while aligning the main branch line part and the general branch line portion in position;

wherein the applying the protecting treatment by tape winding to the trunk line and at least the accompanying part comprises applying the protecting treatment by winding tape to the trunk line, the second trunk line, and at least the trunk line accompanying part.

2. A method for manufacturing a wire harness branching portion comprising the steps of:

drawing out, from a trunk line of a wire harness, electric wires to be a branch line, said drawn out portion being longer than a required length of the branch line;

forming a branch line portion by applying tape winding to the drawn-out electric wires, wherein the forming of the branch line portion comprises applying the tape winding to a trunk line accompanying part and a main branch line part, the trunk line accompanying part defined from a proximal end of the branch line portion to a branching position of the branch line portion, and the main branch line part defined from the branching position of the branch line portion to a distal end of the branch line portion;

maintaining the trunk line accompanying part with the trunk line while extending the main branch line part from the branching position and without folding the branch line portion into a U-turn shape;

keeping the main branch line part away from the trunk line; and

applying a protecting treatment by tape winding to the trunk line and at least the trunk line accompanying part without forming the U-turn shape in the trunk line accompany part;

wherein opposite ends of the trunk line are connected to connectors, respectively, and wherein the protecting treatment is applied by tape winding to the trunk line and at least the trunk line accompanying part from a vicinity of one of the connectors to a vicinity of another of the connectors without forming the U-turn shape in the trunk line accompanying part,

further comprising;

forming a second protecting target branch line by applying tape winding to drawn-out electric wires of a second trunk line, wherein the forming of the second branch line comprises applying the tape winding to a second trunk line accompanying part and a second main branch line part, the second trunk line accompanying part defined from a proximal end of the second branch line to a second branching position of the second branch line portion, and the second main branch line part defined from the second branching position of the second branch line portion to a distal end of the second branch line;

accompanying the trunk line accompanying part and the second trunk line accompanying part with the trunk line and the second trunk lines, respectively;

keeping the main branch line part and the second main branch line part distant from the trunk line and the second trunk line, respectively; and

overlapping the trunk line and the second trunk line with each other while aligning the main branch line part and the second main branch line part in position with each other;

wherein the applying the protecting treatment by tape winding to the trunk line and at least the truck line accompanying part comprises applying the protecting treatment by winding tape to the trunk line, the second trunk line, and at least the truck line accompanying part and the second trunk line accompanying part.