Method for Manufacturing a Wire Harness

• US 20150161781A1
• Filed: 12/05/2013
• Published: 06/11/2015
• 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
• Granted Patent: US 9,818,179 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 1/1
• 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 comprising 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;

generating at least a portion of all the possible bundle routes by identifying coordinates of the first end and the second end of each one of the at least a portion of all the possible bundle routes from 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 sequence in which the bundles are to be routed to assemble the wire harness;

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

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

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 adjacent display surfaces.

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 each 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 receiving the coordinates comprises receiving coordinates of the first end and of the second end of each one of the bundle routes from a layout of the wire harness, the coordinates comprising, for each first end and each second end, a first dimension coordinate and a second dimension coordinate in relation to a reference point, and wherein defining the sequence comprises:

sorting the bundle routes in a logical order of the first dimension coordinate of the first end of each one of the bundle routes;

for those bundle routes which have the same first dimension coordinate of the first end, sorting those bundle routes in a logical order of the second dimension coordinate of the first end;

for those bundle routes which have the same first dimension coordinate and the same second dimension coordinate of the first end, sorting those bundle routes in a logical order of the first dimension coordinate of the second end; and

for those bundle routes which have the same first dimension coordinate and the same second dimension coordinate of the first end, and the same first dimension coordinate of the second end, sorting those bundle routes in a logical order of the second dimension coordinate of the second end.

12. The method of claim 11 wherein the logical order is one of an ascending order and a descending order.

13. A method for defining a sequence of bundles for assembling a wire harness on a display surface, the wire harness comprising the bundles, each one of the bundles corresponding to a bundle route which comprises a first end and a second end, the method comprising:

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

defining the sequence, the defining comprising;

sorting the bundle routes in a logical order of the first dimension coordinate of the first end of each one of the bundle routes;

for those bundle routes which have the same first dimension coordinate of the first end, sorting those bundle routes in a logical order of the second dimension coordinate of the first end;

for those bundle routes which have the same first dimension coordinate and the same second dimension coordinate of the first end, sorting those bundle routes in a logical order of the first dimension coordinate of the second end; and

for those bundle routes which have the same first dimension coordinate and the same second dimension coordinate of the first end, and the same first dimension coordinate of the second end, sorting those bundle routes in a logical order of the second dimension coordinate of the second end.

14. The method of claim 13 wherein the logical order is one of an ascending order and a descending order.

15. The method of claim 13, 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.

16. 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 produce the wire harness; and

a computing device for;

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

defining the sequence in which the bundles are to be routed; and

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.

17. The system of claim 16, wherein the computing device is further for sending 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, for display of said plurality of secondary signals on a corresponding plurality of adjacent display surfaces.

18. The system of claim 16, 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.

19. The system of claim 16, wherein the display surface comprises a projection table comprising a surface that is planar and substantially vertically positioned.

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

21. A method for assembling a wire harness on a display surface, the wire harness comprising bundles, each one of the bundles comprising two ends, the method comprising:

sending for display in a sequential logical order on the display surface a plurality of generated signals according to a bundle assembly sequence defined from coordinates of the two ends of bundle routes generated from coordinates of a layout of the harness, each one of the plurality of generated signals being representative of an image of the bundle route for a corresponding one of the bundles.

22. The method of claim 21 wherein the logical order is one of an ascending order and a descending order.

23. A method for assembling a wire harness on a display surface, the wire harness comprising bundles, each one of the bundles comprising two ends comprising coordinates, the method comprising:

defining, from the coordinates of the two ends of the bundles, a sequence in which the bundles are to be routed to assemble the wire harness, the coordinates being identified from a layout of the wire harness, the sequence comprising ordering the bundles in order of ascending path length.