JP3213622B2 - Harness manufacturing equipment - Google Patents

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a harness manufacturing apparatus for manufacturing a harness by automatically connecting connectors to both ends of a cable, and more particularly to a harness manufacturing apparatus capable of manufacturing a harness even for cables having different lengths. It concerns the device.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art Harnesses formed by connecting the ends of a cable to a connector are used for various purposes in order to electrically connect circuits. There have been various proposals for a harness manufacturing apparatus for manufacturing this harness, but the harness manufacturing apparatus automatically connects a cable to a connector to manufacture a harness, and particularly measures a cable using a servomotor. 2. Description of the Related Art There is known a cable in which a cable of a predetermined length is automatically connected to a connector for a long time.

For example, a harness manufacturing apparatus described in Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. Hei 3-116610 also measures a cable length using a servomotor and automatically connects a cable of a predetermined length to a connector. is there. This harness manufacturing device
A flat cable is supplied from the wire supply unit, and a connector is connected to the end of the cable held between the pull-back clamps. When the servo motor of the wire measuring unit rotates, the screw rod connected to the motor shaft rotates. The block which is screwed with the screw rod is guided by the guide rod and moves. This block is provided with a measure clamp for measuring the length of the cable drawn out and an air cylinder for opening and closing the tip of the measure clamp. The measure clamp advances in response to the rotation of the motor, and the leading end of the cable to which the housing is connected is housed therein, and the cable is clamped by the operation of the cylinder. After that, the air cylinder operates to release the cable of the pull-back clamp,
The motor then rotates in the opposite direction, causing the measure clamp to move in the opposite direction, pulling the cable a predetermined length out of the cable supply. Also, while the measure clamp is pulling out the cable, the leading connector of the connectors supplied in a large number from the connector supply unit is pushed forward by the air cylinder, and further pushed by the cylinder, so that the top of the comb blade of the applicator is pressed. Placed on

In such a harness manufacturing apparatus, a block which is screwed with a screw rod connected to a shaft of a servomotor of a wire measuring unit is guided by a guide rod and moves, and this block is pulled out. Since there is a measure clamp for measuring the length of the cable, the length of the wire to be connected is limited. For example, in the case of a device designed for 1m, when a wire of 1m or more is pulled out, the block abuts on the end plate at the ends of the screw rod and the guide rod and becomes immovable, so that a longer cable can be connected. Can not.

[0005] Actually, a harness manufacturing apparatus corresponding to cables of various lengths is required. Therefore, in order to manufacture a harness particularly for a long cable,
Separate equipment had to be provided.

On the other hand, there is known a harness manufacturing apparatus disclosed in Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 60-30009 which can handle a long cable. In this method, a block is not moved by a screw rod, and a long cable is measured using a length measuring roller. However, unless a length measuring roller is provided for each cable to be drawn out. In addition, there is a problem that the mechanism becomes complicated and the control becomes troublesome.

In this regard, the harness manufacturing apparatus disclosed in the above-mentioned Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. Hei 3-116610 is mechanically simpler and easier to control. , There is a problem that it is not possible to cope with high-mix low-volume production.

[0008]

Therefore, there is a demand for a harness manufacturing apparatus capable of supporting cables of various lengths without any restriction on the length of the electric wire to be connected.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION An object of the present invention is to solve the above-mentioned problems in the prior art and to provide a harness manufacturing apparatus which is mechanically simple and easy to control, and which can cope with high-mix low-volume production. It is.

[0010]

According to the present invention, there is provided a harness manufacturing apparatus comprising: a length measuring section for grasping a part of a supplied electric wire and measuring the length; and a connecting section for connecting the electric wire to a connector. In a harness manufacturing apparatus for manufacturing a harness in which a connector is connected to both ends of the electric wire, the length measuring unit measures the length while moving in one direction while holding the electric wire.
A clamp having a fixed position, which is located downstream of the first clamp in the one direction with respect to the first clamp and holds a portion near the upstream side of the connector downstream of the electric wire measured by the first clamp. And wherein the first clamp can release the wire and move in the opposite direction to the one direction while the second clamp holds the wire. Is what you do.

[0011]

According to the harness manufacturing apparatus of the present invention, the length measuring section for grasping a part of the supplied electric wire and measuring the length thereof is configured to measure the length while moving in one direction while grasping the electric wire. A clamp, and a second clamp fixed in position, which is located downstream of the first clamp in one direction and holds a portion of the electric wire measured by the first clamp near the upstream side of the downstream connector of the harness. The first clamp can release the electric wire and move in the opposite direction to one direction while the second clamp is holding the electric wire, and thus has the following effects. That is, when the electric wire has a length equal to or less than the movable range of the first clamp, the first clamp can measure the length while gripping the electric wire. In the case where the first clamp transfers the wire measured by the first clamp to the second clamp, the first clamp returns and grips the wire again while the second clamp holds the wire measured by the first clamp. It is possible to manufacture a harness having a length exceeding the movable range of the first clamp and having connectors connected to both ends of the electric wire without increasing the size of the harness manufacturing apparatus. Play.

Thus, it is possible to realize a harness manufacturing apparatus which has a simple structure capable of supporting cables of various lengths without any restriction on the length of the electric wire to be connected, and which is easily controlled.

[0013]

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS An embodiment of a harness manufacturing apparatus according to the present invention will be described below with reference to the drawings. FIG. 1 is a plan view showing an embodiment of a harness manufacturing apparatus according to the present invention, FIG. 2 is a front view thereof, and FIG. 3 is a perspective view schematically showing a main part thereof. FIG. 4 is an operation explanatory diagram schematically showing main parts for describing an operation sequence of the harness manufacturing apparatus shown in FIGS. 1 to 3.

In the harness manufactured by the harness manufacturing apparatus according to the present invention, for example, a connector is press-connected to each end of a flat cable composed of several electric wires cut to a predetermined length. Note that a harness in which connectors are connected to both ends of several independent electric wires, respectively, may be used.

As shown in FIG. 1, the harness manufacturing apparatus according to the present invention includes a length measuring section 30 for gripping and measuring a part of an electric wire supplied from an electric wire supply section (not shown), and connecting the electric wire to a connector. Connection section for connecting to the connector supplied from the supply section 20
10. A harness manufacturing apparatus comprising: a movable first clamp (measure clamp) 35 for measuring the length while moving in one direction while gripping the electric wire, and measuring the length by the first clamp 35; A second clamp (fixed clamp) 36 for holding the electric wire,
35 is characterized in that the wire can be released and moved in a direction opposite to the direction while the fixed clamp 36 holds the wire.

Thus, when the cable is shorter than a predetermined length, the measure clamp 35 can measure the length while holding the electric wire, and when the cable is longer than the predetermined length, the measure clamp 35 The measured cable is transferred to the fixed clamp, and while the fixed clamp holds the wire measured by the measure clamp, the measure clamp returns and the length can be measured while grasping the wire again. The length can be measured even with the above cable.

The basic structure and operation of the harness manufacturing apparatus of the present invention are the same as those of the apparatus disclosed in JP-A-3-116610, and the present invention is an improvement of the apparatus.
A detailed description of the basic structure and operation of the device is omitted here.

The operation of the embodiment of the harness manufacturing apparatus according to the present invention will be described below with reference to FIGS.

When the servo motor 31 of the wire measuring unit 30 rotates, a drive rod 32 connected to the shaft of the motor 31 and provided with a male screw around it rotates, and a block screwed with the drive rod 32. 33 is guided by the two guide rods 34 and moves forward (to the left in FIGS. 1 and 2). The block 33 includes a major clamp 35 and a tip of the major clamp 35.
An air cylinder 35b for opening and closing 35a is provided. The measure clamp 35 moves to the left in response to the rotation of the motor 31, and the tip of the cable 2 to which the connector 4 is connected is clamped by the operation of the cylinder (see FIG. 4A).

Thereafter, the air cylinder 22 is actuated to release the cable 2 from being held by the pull-back clamp 21, and the motor 31 is rotated in the reverse direction to move the measure clamp 35 to the right. Pull out from the cable supply. Further, while the measure clamp 35 is pulling out the cable 2, the leading connector among the connectors supplied in a large number from the two connector supply portions 20, 20 is pushed forward, and further, the connector holding portion 61 of the applicator 60. ,
It is placed in 61 '.

At this time, the measure clamp 35 is moved rightward by a distance corresponding to the length of the harness to be manufactured, and the cable 2 is pulled out from the cable supply portion. If the length of the harness to be manufactured is still not enough, the measure clamp 35 transfers the cable 2 to the fixed clamp 36 installed at the fixed position as shown in FIG. Here fixed clamp
36 holds the tip of the cable 2 gripped by the measure clamp 35, the measure clamp 35 releases the cable 2 and transfers the cable 2 to the fixed clamp 36, and then moves to the left, and c and d in FIG. As shown in (2), the other part of the cable 2 is gripped and moved to the right again. At this time, as shown in FIG. 4D, the cable 2 ′ between the major clamp 35 and the fixed clamp 36 is loosened, and allows the rightward movement of the major clamp 35 without damaging the cable 2.

Accordingly, the length of the harness to be manufactured can be increased to almost twice as long as when the combination of the measure clamp 35 and the fixed clamp 36 is not used. Therefore, for example, in a harness manufacturing apparatus designed for 1 m,
It is also possible to manufacture a 1.5 m harness, and it is possible to realize a harness manufacturing apparatus corresponding to cables of various lengths.

As described above, after the measure clamp 35 pulls out the cable 2 from the cable supply unit by a predetermined length, each wire of the cable 2 is cut and pressed against the connector.

That is, the clutch of the cam portion 40 operates,
The cam group is rotated by the motor 42, and the pull-back clamp 21
Moves to the right, and when the cam group further rotates, the connector holding portion 61 'rises. At this time, the pull-back clamp 21 clamps the cable 2 again by the operation of the cylinder 22.

Next, the applicator 60 is lowered via the cam and the cam bar (not shown). The cable 2 is cut by the stuffer 62 'of the applicator 60 and is press-connected to a contact (not shown) in the connector. Thereafter, the pull-back clamp 21 moves leftward so that the front end of the cable 2 on the cable supply unit side reaches the position of the connector holding unit 61 of the applicator 60. Next, the staffer
When the cable 62 is raised, the cable 2 is press-connected to a contact in the connector. Thereafter, the stuffer 62 and the connector holding portion 61 'are sequentially lowered, and the applicator 60 is raised at the same time.

Next, the measure clamp 35 releases the clamp of the cable 2, and the clamp 2 releases the clamp of the cable 2. The air cylinder of the harness discharge section 100 operates to move the harness ejector 102, and the cable 2 and the cable 2 are disconnected. The harness connected to the connector contact is extruded from the harness manufacturing device.

Thereafter, the measure clamp 35 is moved to the left, and the above operations are repeated, so that a large number of harnesses are successively manufactured.

When the cable is shorter than a predetermined length, the second clamp is fixed at a position corresponding to the length of the cable in advance, and the cable measured by the first clamp is transferred to the second clamp. This allows the first clamp to approach the connection portion during the next connection step, so that the cycle time of harness manufacturing can be reduced.

The above embodiment relates to a harness manufacturing apparatus for manufacturing a harness in which a connector housing is connected to both ends of a cable 2 cut to a predetermined length, and a connector is connected to one end of the cable 2 cut to a predetermined length. The harness connecting the housing and exposing the core wire at the other end can also be constituted by slightly modifying the above device.

Further, in the above embodiment, the length of the harness to be manufactured can be increased to almost twice as long as when the combination of the measure clamp 35 and the fixed clamp 36 is not used. When it is desired to manufacture a harness of several meters with the harness manufacturing apparatus described above, the apparatus of the above embodiment cannot cope. However, there are cases where a harness manufacturing apparatus designed for 1 m actually needs to manufacture a harness of several meters.

FIG. 5 is an explanatory diagram showing an outline of the operation of an embodiment for realizing a harness manufacturing apparatus corresponding to cables of various lengths several times different in length.

In this embodiment, after the measure clamp 35 moves to the left and clamps the end of the cable 2 (FIG. 5A), the cable 2 is first pulled out only once (FIG. 5B). 5) After that, the measure clamp 35 transfers the cable 2 to the fixed clamp 36, and then moves to the left, grips another portion of the cable 2 as shown in FIGS. 5C and 5D, and moves to the right again. At this time, as shown in FIG. 5D, the tip of the cable 2 held by the fixed clamp 36 can be further moved rightward so that the cable 2 between the measure clamp 35 and the fixed clamp 36 is not loosened. Thus, even after the major clamp 35 has pulled out the cable 2 by two withdrawals, the cable 2 is not loosened between the major clamp 35 and the fixed clamp 36 as shown in FIG.

For this purpose, a cable feeding means is provided for enabling the tip of the cable 2 held by the fixed clamp 36 to be further moved rightward so that the cable 2 is not always loosened. This cable feeding means includes a cable feeding roller 37. When the measure clamp 35 transfers the cable 2 to the fixed clamp 36, moves to the left, grips the other part of the cable 2, and moves to the right again. When the cable 2 is released by loosening the fixing clamp 36, the cable feed roller 37 moves the tip of the cable 2 further rightward, and at least the cable 2 between the measuring clamp 35 and the fixing clamp 36 It moves rightward by a distance equal to the moving distance of the clamp 35.

Thus, the length of the harness to be manufactured can be made many times longer than when the combination of the measure clamp 35 and the fixed clamp 36 is not used. Therefore, for example, a harness manufacturing apparatus designed for 1 m can also manufacture a special harness of several meters, and a harness manufacturing apparatus corresponding to cables of various lengths can be realized in a wide range. it can.

The connection of the electric wire to the connector is not limited to the pressure connection, but may be a crimp connection.

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 is a plan view showing an embodiment of a harness manufacturing apparatus according to the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a front view thereof.

FIG. 3 is a perspective view schematically showing a main part thereof.

FIG. 4 is an operation explanatory diagram schematically showing main parts for explaining the operation sequence;

FIG. 5 is an operation explanatory diagram schematically showing main parts for explaining an operation sequence of a harness manufacturing apparatus according to another embodiment.

[Explanation of symbols]

 2 Cable (electric wire) 10 Connecting part 20 Connector supply part 30 Cable measuring part 31 Servo motor 32 Drive rod 34 Guide rod 35 First clamp (Measure clamp) 36 Second clamp (Fixed clamp) 37 Feed roller 40 Cam part 42 Motor 60 applicator

Claims (2)

(57) [Claims] 1. A harness having a length measuring section for gripping and measuring a part of a supplied electric wire and a connecting section for connecting the electric wire to a connector, wherein a harness having a connector connected to both ends of the electric wire is provided. In the harness manufacturing apparatus to be manufactured, the length measuring unit is a first clamp that measures the length while moving in one direction while gripping the electric wire, and is located on the downstream side in the one direction with respect to the first clamp. A second clamp having a fixed position for holding a portion near the upstream side of the connector on the downstream side of the electric wire measured by a clamp, wherein the first clamp is configured such that the second clamp is the electric wire. The harness manufacturing device is characterized in that the wire can be released and moved in a direction opposite to the one direction while holding the wire. 2. While the second clamp is holding the wire, the first clamp releases the wire and moves in a direction opposite to the one direction. It is possible to move again in the one direction while holding the electric wire, and at the time of this movement again, release the holding of the electric wire by the second clamp, and at this time, at least the first clamp and the second 2. The harness manufacturing apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising an electric wire moving means capable of moving an electric wire between the clamps in the one direction by a distance equal to a moving distance of the first clamp.