JPS6129090B2 - - Google Patents

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION The present invention relates to a method of manufacturing a wire harness and a connector housing used in the method.

Wire harnesses are generally constructed by combining a large number of electric wires, providing branch lines to the main line, and connecting connectors to each of these wires. Because it requires a great deal of labor and time to manufacture, it has traditionally been difficult to use various automatic wiring methods. A method is proposed.

However, in these methods, by combining the process of first cutting the electric wires to a predetermined length and the process of routing each electric wire between each connector, it is possible to automate the entire process up to the installation of the connectors. Although there are advantages, there is a problem in that the cutting process and the wiring process are separate processes, so the manufacturing process takes time and productivity is poor.

The present invention has been made with attention to the above-mentioned points, and it is possible to simultaneously route and cut electric wires, and when cutting the electric wires, connect the end portions of the electric wires directly to the wire clamp plate of the connector housing body. In this state, after removing the skin from each electric wire terminal part at once, the connection terminal fittings are fixed, reducing the time and labor required for the entire process from wiring the wires to attaching the connector. , aims to provide inexpensive wiring harnesses.

Hereinafter, the present invention will be explained in detail with reference to the drawings.

In FIG. 1, reference numeral 1 denotes a workbench, on which a plurality of wiring locking pins 2 and a wiring table 3 are arranged in advance at predetermined positions.

4 is a housing body (hereinafter simply referred to as housing) of the connector placed on the wiring table 3;
As shown in FIG. 9, a plurality of electric wires 8 are routed at predetermined intervals between the upper parts of the electric wire clamp plates 62, and are temporarily locked to the wiring table 3.

The wires 8 are sequentially placed on the wiring table 3 facing the wire clamp plate 62 and engaged by a programmed automatic machine, that is, a wiring head equipped with a wire clamping jig and a cooperative mechanism between the wiring table 3 and the wiring table 3. At the same time, the terminal portion of each electric wire 8 is cut from the housing 4 leaving a predetermined length ₁ , and the wire harness A is obtained by wiring so as to connect each wiring table 3.

When the wiring between the wiring tables 3 is completed, the work table 1 is moved to the next station, the wire clamping plate 7 is attached to the housing 4, and each electric wire is clamped between the upper parts of the wire clamping plates 62. After being clamped, the locked state with the wiring table 3 is released. At this time, a tape 9 is wound in advance around the branch portion of each electric wire 8 and temporarily fixed.

As a result, as shown in FIG. 2, each electric wire 8 is routed with a predetermined wiring interval and number of wires according to the product spacing, and a predetermined length ₁ is left from each end to the housing 4 and the electric wire. Wire harnesses B are obtained which are arranged and fixed in an orderly manner with constant intervals by the tightening plate 7.

Although this wire harness B is a semi-finished product, it is automatically routed with the desired wiring spacing and number of wires, and the terminals of each electric wire are arranged and fixed in an orderly manner in the housing 4, leaving a predetermined length. Therefore, as shown in Figure 3, each electric wire is wrapped with tape 10
By winding and fixing the connecting terminal fittings in a bundle, it is extremely advantageous for storing, transporting, etc., the connecting terminal fittings fixedly attached to the terminal portions, at a stage before proceeding to the step of attaching the connecting terminal fittings to the housing.

The wire harness C shown in FIG.
The insulation coating is removed and the connection terminal fitting 11 is crimped using a terminal fitting attachment device.

Since the terminal parts of each electric wire 8 are arranged and fixed in an orderly manner in the housing 4, a plurality of terminal fittings 11 can be crimped and connected at the same time, and the trouble of attaching terminals one by one as in the conventional method is eliminated. .

The wire harness D shown in FIG.
It is attached to a connector 6 consisting of a lid body 5 and a lid body 5. That is, as shown in FIG. 9, the electric wire 8 clamped by the electric wire clamp plate 62 is pushed into the electric wire insertion groove 61a by the electric wire insertion plate 67 by capping the lid 5, so that the electric wire 8 is inserted into the electric wire insertion groove 61a. When you pull the
7, it is attached to the front and rear so that it cannot be removed.

As described above, each electric wire 8 is connected to a desired housing 4.
In the meantime, wiring and cutting are performed simultaneously by the wiring head, and the terminal fittings 11 are crimped and fixed to the plurality of electric wires at once while they remain locked in the housing 4, and the lid body is attached to the housing 4. The wire harness manufacturing process is completed with the simple operation of holding the wire and pulling it toward you, which greatly reduces the time and labor required for manufacturing compared to conventional methods, making it possible to provide inexpensive wire harnesses. Become.

FIG. 5 is a schematic perspective view of the wiring device, in which an X-axis 12 is provided on both sides of the workbench 1 in the longitudinal direction, and the X-axis 1
A Y-axis 14 is provided on the support 13 that moves the Y-axis.
A wiring head 15 is movably provided on a shaft 14. X
The shaft 12 and the Y-axis 14 are rotated separately by a motor, and by appropriately setting the amount of rotation, the wiring head 15 and the electric wire 8 held by the head 15 can be rotated individually on the workbench 1. The wiring tables 3 can be moved to any desired position. 16 is a control device, which is programmed (NC controlled) by the entire wiring process tape. Reference numeral 17 denotes a reel station for electric wires, and each electric wire 8 having a color-coded insulating coating is connected to the wiring head 15 via a tensile force reducing capstan 18 which is rotated in the wire feeding direction by a motor (not shown). ing.

FIG. 6 is a side view of the elevating and rotating device for the clamp jig 45, and numeral 39 indicates the clamp jig main body, which is provided so as to be movable up and down relative to the wiring head main body 19 by an actuator 40. Reference numeral 41 denotes an annular clamp jig mounting plate which also serves as a pulley, and is rotatable with respect to the clamp jig main body 39, and is provided at a position where its center coincides with the axis of the wiring jig 24 at the predetermined position P. Reference numeral 42 indicates a regulating rotation motor that controls the direction of the clamp jig 45, 43 indicates a timing pulley thereof, and 44 indicates a belt connecting the clamp jig mounting board 41 and the timing pulley 43. Therefore, the clamp jig 45 can be rotated to a desired position about the wiring jig 24 by driving the regulating rotation motor 42, and can be moved up and down by the actuator 40.

FIG. 7 is an enlarged side view of the clamp jig 45. The clamp jig 45 includes, from the front, a clamp plate 46 for the front end, a wire end insertion guide plate 47 with a built-in coil spring 47a, a cutting blade 48, and a wire end insertion guide plate 47 for the rear end. A clamp plate 49 is provided, and the guide plate 47 and cutting blade 48 slightly protrude from the lower surfaces of the front and rear end clamp plates 46 and 49 and are provided to be perpendicular to each other. The front end clamp plate 46 and the rear end clamp plate 49 are provided at symmetrical positions with respect to the cutting blade 48.

8A to 8C show the wiring table 3. FIG.

The wiring table 3 is provided with a plurality of nozzle guide pins 50 at the front end of the upper part, a nozzle guide groove 56 at the rear end, and sequentially provided with a housing mounting groove 51, a wire clamp claw 54, and a cutting blade contact surface 55 in the middle. Housing locking hooks 52 are attached to both sides of the groove 51 with screws 53.

The nozzle guide pin 50, the nozzle guide groove 56, etc. are increased or decreased depending on the number of wires to be wired, and are used to guide the wiring nozzle 38 of the wiring jig 24 during wiring. In addition, the wire clamp claw 54 is used to temporarily lock the wire during wiring.
It is possible to hold down only the wire being inserted.

FIGS. 9A to 9C show the housing 4 and the lid 5, respectively, which constitute the connector 6.

The housing 4 is a case made of synthetic resin, and includes a terminal accommodating chamber 57 facing the front opening and a clamp chamber 58 having a wire clamp plate 62 at the rear.

That is, inside the housing 4, the partition walls 59, 59 are erected parallel to the left and right side walls 4a, and opposing abutment projections 59a are provided in the intermediate portions of the side walls 4a and the partition wall 59, respectively. A terminal accommodating chamber 57 is formed at the rear, and a clamp chamber 58 communicating with the chamber 57 is formed at the rear. Also, housing 4
The rear side wall 4b is provided with a wire insertion hole 60 that opens at the top facing the clamp chamber 58.

The abutting protrusions 59a are for preventing the connecting terminal fitting 11 from being pulled out to the rear, as will be described later, and the interval between the opposing abutting protrusions 59a, 59a is set to be larger than the outer diameter of the electric wire 8.

As shown in FIG. 9C, the electric wire clamping chamber 58 has stepped portions 61 protruding from its inner wall, that is, the lower portions of the side wall 4a and the partition wall 59, and wire insertion grooves 61a are formed on opposing surfaces of the stepped portions 61, respectively. A flexible plate 62a is provided on the edge of the stepped portion 61, the upper end of which is bent outward, and a protrusion 62b extending in the axial direction is provided on the intermediate side wall. A wire clamp plate 62 is formed by the flexible plates 62a, 62a.

Furthermore, in the terminal housing chamber 57 and the clamp chamber 58, a lance locking groove 57a and a lance locking groove 57a are provided on the bottom wall thereof.
A lance removal jig insertion hole 58a communicating with the lance removal jig 7a is recessed. Further, the side wall 4a is provided with a lid locking groove 63 on the upper side and a housing locking groove 64 on the lower side in the longitudinal direction.
Fitting holes 4c are bored at both ends of the upper surface of the holder 9.

On the other hand, the lid 5 has claws 65a protruding from the inner lower ends of the left and right frame plates 65 for the lid locking groove 63, and the terminal accommodating chamber 5 on the back surface thereof.
7 and the wire clamp plate 62, a terminal holding portion 66 and a wire insertion plate 67 are provided in a protruding manner. Further, a pin 5a for the fitting hole 4c is provided protruding from the front and rear edges of the lid body 5.

This electric wire insertion plate 67 has a height slightly larger than that of the flexible plate 64a, and has a lower end having an arcuate cross section 67a so as to securely hold the electric wire 8.

FIG. 10 shows the wire clamping plate 7.

This electric wire clamping plate 7 is used by being attached to the housing 4 to further tighten the electric wire 8 clamped by the electric wire clamping plate 62. A plurality of protrusions 68a are provided in parallel on the lower surface of the base plate 68. Along with protruding,
A handle 68b is provided on the top surface. Projection 68a
are a pair corresponding to the distance between the flexible plate 62a and the side wall 4a or the partition wall 59 in the clamp chamber 58,
A desired number of sets are provided according to the size of the housing 4.

FIG. 11 shows the mutual relationship between the wiring table 3, the housing 4, the wiring jig 24, and the clamp jig 45.

At the starting point of the wiring (FIG. 11A), the housing 4 is installed in advance in the housing installation groove 51 of the wiring table 3-1. That is, housing 4
is placed with its terminal accommodating chamber 57 facing the wire clamp claw 54, and the hook 52 is engaged and fixed in the housing locking groove 64 of the side wall 4a.

The wiring nozzle 38 of the wiring jig 24 is bent and contacted between the housing 4 and the nozzle guide pin 50, and the end portion (length) of the electric wire 8 exposed from the tip is slightly bent. The terminal accommodating chamber 57 of the housing 4 is located between the wire clamp claws 54 and the upper part of the wire clamp plate 62.

In this state, when the clamp jig 45 is pushed down, the end clamp plate 4
Wire terminal insertion guide plate 47 protruding from the bottom surface of 6
contacts the terminal of the electric wire 8. Therefore, the wire 8 is guided to the center of the wire clamp claw 54, then steadily pressed by the front end clamp plate 46 and held between the wire clamp claws 54, and at the same time, the wire 8
A flexible plate 62a constituting the wire clamp plate 62,
The cable is wired while being held between the upper portions of the cables 62a.

That is, at the starting point of the wiring, even if the wire exposed from the tip of the wiring nozzle 38 is slightly bent, it can be steadily inserted by the cooperative mechanism of the wire end insertion guide plate 47 and the front end clamp plate 46. It is locked to the wiring table 3-1.

Figure 11C shows the end point of the wiring, and the wiring table 3-2
are arranged to face the wiring table 3-1. Also,
The wiring nozzle 38 of the wiring jig 24 is sandwiched and in contact with the nozzle guide groove 56, and the electric wire 8 exposed from the tip is connected to the cloth via the wiring locking pin 2 and the nozzle guide pin 50. It is stretched linearly between the line stand 3-1. Therefore, the wire 8 is connected to the wire clamp claw 54, the terminal housing chamber 57 of the housing 4,
The wire clamp plates 62 are located in alignment with each other in the center.

In this state, when the clamp jig 45 is pressed down,
The electric wire 8 is steadily pressed by the rear end clamp plate 49 and held between the wire clamp claws 54, and is simultaneously cut by the cutting blade 48 leaving the end portion (length) on the cutting blade contact surface 55.

Next, the clamp jig 45 is attached to the regulating rotation motor 4.
2 (see FIG. 6) to position it directly behind the wiring jig 24, it returns to the starting position of the wiring as in the case of FIG. 11A.

At the start and end points of the wiring, the wire 8 is clamped by the wire clamp claw 54 of the wiring table 3 and the wire clamp plate 62 of the housing 4.

FIG. 12 schematically shows the wiring process using the wiring table 3 equipped with the wiring jig 24, the clamp jig 45, and the housing 4.

1. Position a specific wiring jig 24 at a predetermined position P using a motor (not shown) (hereinafter referred to as "wiring jig selection"), and move the wiring jig 24 to the rear of the wiring table 3-1. It is lowered by driving the lifting unit 2 (hereinafter referred to as "lowering the wiring jig"). (1st
Figure 2A) 2 The wiring jig 24 is moved along the X-axis 12 and the Y-axis 14 (hereinafter referred to as "XY-axis travel"), and the wiring jig 24 is placed in the state where the wiring starts (see Figure 11B). The clamp jig 45 is lowered and raised by driving the actuator 40 (hereinafter referred to as "lowering and raising the clamp jig"), and the end (length) of the electric wire 8 is placed on the wiring table 3-1. After locking (see FIGS. 11A and 11B), the capstans 18 and 33 for reducing the tensile force of the electric wire are simultaneously driven (hereinafter referred to as "capstan drive"). (Fig. 12B) 3. Move the wiring jig 24 toward the wiring table 3-2 while tensioning the electric wire 8 using "XY-axis travel."
(Fig. 12 C) 4 Position the wiring jig 24 at the end point of the wiring (see Fig. 11 C) with respect to the wiring table 3-2, and by "lowering and raising the clamp jig", Lock and cut the electric wire 8. Then, "capstan drive" is stopped. (FIG. 12 D) At this point, the wiring between the wiring tables 3-1 and 3-2 is completed.

5 Position the wiring jig 24 behind the wiring table 3-2 by "XY-axis travel", and move the clamp jig 4
5 is positioned immediately after the wiring jig 24 by driving the regulating rotation motor 42. That is, clamp jig direction control is performed. (Fig. 12 E) 6 While the wiring jig 24 moves to another preset wiring table in the "XY axis direction," the original wiring jig 24 is raised by the drive of the lifting unit 26. , is held at a predetermined height.

7 Next, as in 1), use another specific wiring jig 24.
"Wiring jig selection" is performed, "wiring jig lowering" is performed, and steps 2), 3), . . . , 7) are sequentially repeated to obtain the desired wire harness A as shown in FIG.

FIG. 13 is a sectional view showing the mutual relationship between the housing 4 and the wire clamping plate 7.

Each wire 8 of the wire harness A is clamped between the upper parts of the wire clamp plates 62 of the housing 4, but the clamping force is weak. Therefore, this electric wire 8 is further connected to the electric wire clamp plate 6 by the electric wire clamping plate 7.
2, and then the wiring tables 3-1 and 3-
By removing it from the wire clamp claw 54 of No. 2,
The wire harness B (see FIG. 2) is obtained.

That is, when the wire clamping plate 7 is attached to the housing 4, the protrusions 68a of the wires protrude between the flexible plate 62a and the side wall 4a or the partition wall 59, and the wires 8 are further tightened and fixed, and there is no possibility of them coming off the housing 4. This makes not only its transportation and storage, but also the installation work of connection terminal fittings, which will be described later, easier.

FIG. 14 shows the entire device for removing the coating and attaching terminal fittings to the wire end portion (length ₁ ) in wire harness B. Reference numeral 69 is a wire holder having a wire guide pin 70, and an auxiliary clamp is attached to the wire guide pin 70. 71 is provided so as to be openable and closable, and configured to hold the electric wire.

Reference numeral 72 denotes an electric wire sheath removal/cutting device provided opposite to the electric wire holder 6, and has a pair of sheath removal/cutting blades 73, 74. It is provided so that it can be freely separated in the direction. 75 is a clamp for the auxiliary clamp 71.

A terminal crimping device 76 has a lower crimping die 77 and an upper crimping die 78 driven by a hydraulic press ram 79. The crimping device 7 is configured to be slidably moved behind the wire holder 69.

80 is a terminal feeding guide that incorporates terminal feeding claws 81 and 82 (see FIG. 15) on the upper and lower sides; 83 is a terminal phase cylinder that moves together with the terminal crimping device 76; 84 is a chain terminal connecting a large number of terminals; 8
5 is a terminal feed adjustment piece.

FIG. 15 schematically shows the steps of removing the coating from the end portion of the wire, cutting it, and attaching the terminal fitting.

The electric wire 8, which is fixed to the housing 4 with the end portion (length ₁ ) left, is placed on the electric wire holder 69 and clamped and fixed by the electric wire guide pin 70 and the auxiliary clamp 71. (FIG. 15A) Remove the pair of coatings and approach the wire holder 69 side with the cutting blades 73 and 74 open.
(Figure 15B) Removing the coating, bringing the cutting blades 73 and 74 closer together, and lightly pinching the wire 8 from above and below (O
point) and retreat to the coating removal position (O ₁ point).
(Fig. 15 C) In the above) and ), the electric wires 8 are neatly divided by the electric wire guide pins 70,
Cover removal approaching from above and below, cutting blades 73, 74
Since it is held down by the handle, even if the end portion is bent either vertically or horizontally, it is firmly held.

At the sheath removal position (O ₁ point), only the sheath is cut by the upper and lower sheath removal and cutting blades 73 and 74, and the electric wire is retreated to the wire cutting position (O ₂ point). That is, the conductor portion of the electric wire 8 is exposed between _{the two} points O ₁ -O. (FIG. 15 D) At the wire cutting position (point _O2 ), the wire 8 is cut by the upper and lower coating removal and cutting blades 73 and 74, and the blades 73 and 74 are moved back.

Therefore, each electric wire 8 is cut from the housing 4 at a fixed position, and the tips thereof are all aligned. (1st
(Fig. 5 E) Behind the wire holder 69, the terminal tightening device 7 is installed.
6 moves. At the same time, the chain terminal 84 is also moved according to the number of electric wires 8 by the terminal feeding claws 81 and 82. (See Fig. 15) By driving the hydraulic press ram 79, each electric wire 8
Each connection terminal fitting 11 of the chain terminal 8 is swaged at the end portion of the chain terminal 8 (see FIG. 3), and the terminal swage device 76 is retreated to its original position.

At this time, the moving distance of _the crimping device 76 is ₁ , but the terminal feed claw 82 _{is 2 to 3} depending on the terminal feed adjustment piece 85. (4 in the figure)
), then sent to the next crimping process.

Hereinafter, the steps of ), )...) are sequentially repeated to create a wire harness C with a plurality of connection terminal fittings 11 crimped at each wire end, as shown in FIG.
is obtained.

Next, by attaching each part of the connecting terminal fitting 11 to a connector, a completed wire harness D as shown in FIG. 4 is obtained.

FIG. 16 shows the process of attaching the electric wire 8 having the connecting terminal fitting 11 crimped to the end thereof to the connector 6.

The electric wire 8 having the connecting terminal fitting 11 crimped thereon is held between the upper parts of the electric wire clamping plates 62 by the electric wire clamping plate 7 in the housing 4 . The wire clamping plate 7 is removed and the lid body 5 is prepared. (Fig. 16A) When the lid body 5 is attached to the housing 4 with strong pressure, the electric wire 8 passes through the protrusion 62b of the flexible plate 62a and into the electric wire insertion groove 61a by the electric wire insertion plate 67. Terminal storage chamber 57
It can be freely pulled back and forth within the clamp chamber 58 that communicates with this. In addition, the lid body 5 has claws 65 on its left and right frame plates 65.
a engages with the lid locking groove 63 of the housing 4,
Locked. (FIG. 16B) Finally, when the electric wire 8 is pulled rearward, the plurality of connection terminal fittings 11 are firmly attached to the terminal accommodating chamber 57 of the connector 6 in a manner that cannot be pulled out from the front or back.

That is, the wire crimping portion 1 of the connection terminal fitting 11
1c enters into the lid locking groove 63, its electrical contact portion 11b abuts against the abutting convex portion 59a of the partition wall 59 or the end face of the wire insertion plate 67, and the lance 11a engages with the locking groove 57a. This prevents it from being pulled out to the rear or front.

As described above, the present invention includes placing a plurality of wiring tables in advance on a workbench with product intervals, and placing a connector housing body having a wire clamp plate for holding electric wires on each wiring table, The wire is secured to one wiring table by the wiring head, held by the wire clamp plate of the connector housing arranged on the one wiring table, and then routed to the other wiring table. , the electric wire is locked to the other one wiring table, and is held and cut by the electric wire clamp plate of the connector housing arranged on the other one wiring table, so that it protrudes from the connector housing by a predetermined length; After stripping off the terminal parts, the terminal fittings are fixed, and then the electric wires and the connector housing are moved in the axial direction to accommodate the terminal fittings in the terminal receiving chambers of the connector housing. Since the terminal fittings firmly fixed to the wires can be easily accommodated in the connector housing, the time required to manufacture the wire harness can be greatly reduced.

[Brief explanation of the drawing]

1 to 4 are explanatory diagrams of each embodiment when assembling the wire harness, FIG. 5 is an overview perspective view of the wiring device, FIG. 6 is a side view of the lifting and turning device for the clamp jig 45, and FIG. 7 is an enlarged side view of the clamp jig 45, FIGS. 8A to 8C show the wiring table, A is a side view thereof, B is a plan view thereof, and C is a cross section of the main part along line E-E of A. Figures 9A to 9C are the connectors 6.
, A is a perspective view of the housing body 4, B is a perspective view of the lid 5, C is a sectional view of main parts of the housing body 4, and FIG. 10 is a perspective view of the wire clamping plate 7.
Figure 11 A to C show the wiring table 3 and the housing body 4.
FIG. 12 A to E are explanatory diagrams of the wiring process, and FIG.
14 is a perspective view showing the entire apparatus for removing the wire sheathing and attaching the terminal fitting; FIGS. Figures A to C are explanatory diagrams of the process of attaching the electric wire 8 having the connecting terminal fitting 11 crimped to the terminal end thereof to the connector 6. DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1... Workbench, 3... Wiring table, 4... Connector housing main body, 5... Lid body, 6... Connector, 11... Connection terminal fitting, 15... Wiring head, 57... Terminal accommodation chamber, 57a... Lance locking groove, 58...clamp chamber,
59...Partition wall, 59a...Abutment convex portion, 60...Wire insertion hole, 62...Wire clamp plate, 62a...Flexible plate, 6
6...Terminal holding part, 67...Wire insertion plate.

Claims (1)

[Scope of Claims] 1. A plurality of wiring tables are placed in advance on a workbench with product intervals, and a connector housing body having a wire clamp plate for holding electric wires is placed on each wiring table, and the wires are is secured to one wiring table by a wiring head, held by a wire clamp plate of a connector housing arranged on said one wiring table, and then routed toward another wiring table, Connect the wire to the other one
At the same time, the wires are cut while being held on the wire clamp plate of the connector housing arranged on the other wiring table, and each terminal portion protruding from the connector housing by a predetermined length is peeled off. 1. A method for manufacturing a wire harness, which comprises: fixing the terminal fittings thereon; and then moving the electric wires to accommodate the terminal fittings in the terminal accommodating chambers of the connector housing. 2 Consisting of a housing body and a lid body, the housing body is provided with a partition wall parallel to the left and right side walls inside the casing which is open at the front, and the partition wall or the middle part of the left and right side walls are arranged so as to face each other with an appropriate interval. A terminal accommodating chamber is provided at the front, and a wire clamping chamber communicating with the terminal accommodating chamber in the axial direction is formed at the rear. In addition to providing a wire insertion hole to be opened, a wire clamping plate is formed by erecting flexible plates facing each other on the inner wall of the wire clamping chamber, and a lance of a connecting terminal fitting is provided on the bottom wall of the terminal accommodating chamber. A stop groove is provided, and the lid body is provided with a terminal holding portion facing the terminal accommodating chamber and a wire insertion plate located between the flexible plates of the wire clamp plate on the back surface thereof. connector housing.