Method for manufacturing a wire harness

• US 9,818,179 B2
• Filed: 12/05/2013
• Issued: 11/14/2017
• Est. Priority Date: 12/05/2013
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Bombardier Transportation GmbH (Bombardier Incorporated)
• Original Assignee: Bombardier Transportation GmbH (Bombardier Incorporated)
• Inventors: Philbert, Luc
• Primary Examiner(s): Rashid, Wissam
• Application Number:
  US14/097,619
• Publication Number:
  US 20150161781A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,440 Days
• Field of Search: None
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 30/00 Computer-aided design [CAD]
• CPC Class Codes: G06T 2207/30108 Industrial image inspection
• CPC Class Codes: G06T 7/0004 Industrial image inspection
• CPC Class Codes: H01B 13/01227 using a layout board

Abstract

A method for assembling a wire harness on a display surface, the wire harness comprising bundles, each one of which corresponds to a bundle route selected among possible bundle routes and each one of the possible bundle routes comprising two ends. The method comprises receiving coordinates of a layout of the wire harness; generating at least a portion of all the possible bundle routes by identifying coordinates of portions of each of the two ends from the coordinates of the layout of the wire harness. Then determining which bundle routes among the possible bundle routes correspond to the bundles to be used. Defining, from the coordinates, a sequence in which the bundles are to be routed and generating a plurality of signals. Finally sending each one of the signals for display sequentially on the display surface according to the defined sequence.

Claims

1. A method for assembling a wire harness on a display surface, the wire harness being made of bundles, each one of the bundles corresponding to a bundle route selected among possible bundle routes, each one of the possible bundle routes comprising a first end and a second end, the method comprising:

receiving coordinates of a layout of the wire harness, the receiving coordinates comprising receiving coordinates of the first end and of the second end for each one of the possible bundle routes, the coordinates comprising, for each first end and for each second end, a first dimension coordinate and a second dimension coordinate in relation to a reference point;

generating at least a portion of all the possible bundle routes by identifying coordinates of the first end and of the second end for each one of the at least a portion of all the possible bundle routes using the coordinates of the layout of the wire harness;

receiving wiring data which identifies the bundles to be used for the wire harness;

determining which bundle routes among the possible bundle routes correspond to the bundles to be used;

defining, from the coordinates of the first end and the second end of each one of the determined bundle routes, a routing sequence in which the bundles are to be routed in order to assemble the wire harness, the defining the routing sequence comprising;

sorting the bundle routes according to the first dimension coordinate of their first end;

then

for those bundle routes having the same first dimension coordinate of their first end, sorting those bundle routes according to the second dimension coordinate of their first end;

then

for those bundle routes having the same first dimension coordinate and the same second dimension coordinate of their first end, sorting those bundle routes according to the first dimension coordinate of their second end; and

then

for those bundle routes having the same first dimension coordinate and the same second dimension coordinate of their first end, and the same first dimension coordinate of their second end, sorting those bundle routes according to the second dimension coordinate of their second end;

generating a plurality of signals, each one of the plurality of signals being representative of an image of the bundle route for a corresponding one of the bundles to be routed; and

sequentially sending each one of the plurality of signals for display on the display surface according to the defined routing sequence,

wherein the sorting is in a logical order.

2. The method of claim 1, further comprising sending for display on the display surface a signal representative of an image of the harness without any bundle route.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein generating at least a portion of all the possible bundle routes comprises generating the possible bundle routes by identifying coordinates of intermediate points of the at least a portion of all the possible bundle routes from the coordinates.

4. The method of claim 3, wherein said generating the possible bundle routes further comprises defining vectors between at least one of:

end points and intermediate points;

two intermediate points; and

two end points.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein said generating a plurality of signals comprises modifying each one of the plurality of signals into a plurality of secondary signals, each one of the plurality of secondary signals being representative of a different portion of the image of the bundle route, said method further comprising displaying said plurality of secondary signals on a corresponding plurality of display surfaces placed side-by-side and adjacently to each other.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein said sending the plurality of signals for display on the display surface comprises sending the plurality of signals for display on a projection table.

7. The method of claim 1, further comprising, after sending each one of the plurality of signals for display, routing a corresponding one of the bundles on the bundle route displayed on the display surface, wherein routing is performed by a worker.

8. The method of claim 7, wherein the wire harness further comprises ends, the method further comprising installing a terminal at one of the ends of the wire harness after all the bundles linked to the one of the ends of the wire harness have been routed.

9. The method of claim 1, wherein sending the plurality of signals for display comprises sending the plurality of signals from a computing device in a server location to a projector in a site, wherein the server location is remote from the site.

10. The method of claim 1, wherein receiving the coordinates comprises generating the coordinates.

11. The method of claim 1 wherein the sorting is made in one of an ascending order and a descending order.

12. A method for defining a routing sequence for routing bundles in order to assemble a wire harness on a display surface, the wire harness being made from the bundles, each one of the bundles corresponding to a bundle route, each one of the bundle routes comprising a first end and a second end, the method comprising:

receiving coordinates of a layout of the wire harness, the receiving coordinates comprising receiving coordinates of the first end and of the second end for each one of the bundle routes, the coordinates comprising, for each first end and for each second end, a first dimension coordinate and a second dimension coordinate in relation to a reference point;

sorting the bundle routes according to the first dimension coordinate of their first end;

then

for those bundle routes having the same first dimension coordinate of their first end, sorting those bundle routes according to the second dimension coordinate of their first end;

then

for those bundle routes having the same first dimension coordinate and the same second dimension coordinate of their first end, sorting those bundle routes according to the first dimension coordinate of their second end; and

then

for those bundle routes having the same first dimension coordinate and the same second dimension coordinate of their first end, and the same first dimension coordinate of their second end, sorting those bundle routes according to the second dimension coordinate of their second end,

wherein the sorting is in a logical order.

13. The method of claim 12 wherein the sorting is made in one of an ascending order coordinates and a descending order.

14. The method of claim 12, further comprising using a projector for optically projecting, on the display surface, one image representative of a bundle route at a time in the defined sequence.

15. A system for assembling a wire harness comprising a plurality of bundles to be routed, each one of the bundles being defined by a corresponding one bundle route, the system comprising:

a display surface which comprises a surface on which the wire harness is assembled;

a projector for projecting, for each one of the bundles to be routed, an image of the corresponding one bundle route on the display surface in a sequence in which the bundles are to be routed to assemble the wire harness; and

a computing device for;

determining, for each one of the bundles to be routed, the corresponding one bundle route;

defining, from the coordinates of the first end and the second end of each one of the determined bundle routes, a routing sequence in which the bundles are to be routed in order to assemble the wire harness, the defining the routing sequence comprising;

sorting the bundle routes according to the first dimension coordinate of their first end;

then

for those bundle routes having the same first dimension coordinate of their first end, sorting those bundle routes according to the second dimension coordinate of their first end;

then

for those bundle routes having the same first dimension coordinate and the same second dimension coordinate of their first end, sorting those bundle routes according to the first dimension coordinate of their second end; and

then

for those bundle routes having the same first dimension coordinate and the same second dimension coordinate of their first end, and the same first dimension coordinate of their second end, sorting those bundle routes according to the second dimension coordinate of their second end;

sending to the projector, for each one of the bundles to be routed, a signal representative of an image of the corresponding one bundle route,

wherein the sorting is in a logical order.

16. The system of claim 15, wherein the computing device is further operative to send a plurality of secondary signals for each bundle, each one of the plurality of secondary signals being representative of a different portion of the image of the corresponding one bundle route, each one of the plurality of secondary signals being adapted to be displayed on a corresponding plurality of display surfaces placed side-by-side and adjacently to each other.

17. The system of claim 15, wherein the computing device is located in a server location and the projector and the display surface are located in a site, the server location being remote from the site.

18. The system of claim 15, wherein the display surface comprises a projection table comprising a surface that is planar and substantially vertically positioned.

19. The system of claim 18, wherein the surface comprises two sides which are both used for assembling wire harnesses.