Patent ID: 6042323
Filing Date: 2000-03-28
Classification: H01R,Y10T

Abstract:
An apparatus for handling and storing wire harnesses assembled by a wire harness-making machine, in which each of the assembled wire harnesses has a plurality of elongated harness wires with a plurality of connector elements terminated to said harness wires at different locations spaced apart from each other lengthwise along said wire harness, the harness-making machine having a carriage assembly that holds leading connectors of each of said assembled wire harnesses and conveys said assembled wire harnesses in serial order to a discharge station of said wire harness-making machine where said assembled wire harnesses are discharged, said handling and storage apparatus comprising:a wire harness storage assembly including a plurality of storage members for supporting said assembled wire harnesses irrespective of their length;a transfer assembly supported on a frame that is interposed between the harness-making machine discharge station and the wire harness storage assembly, the transfer assembly being further disposed in alignment with said harness-making machine discharge station for transferring said assembled wire harnesses to said wire harness storage assembly, the transfer assembly including a transfer nest that receives therein, in serial order, said leading connectors of said assembled wire harness discharged at said harness-making machine discharge station, the transfer nest being movable along a transfer path between a first operative position where it is aligned with said wire harness-making machine discharge station and at least a second operative position along said transfer path, the second operative position being spaced apart from the first operative position and wherein at said first operative position said wire harnesses held by said transfer nest are aligned with said wire harness storage assembly;a first ejection assembly for ejecting said assembled wire harnesses whose leading connectors are held by said transfer nest, the first ejection assembly being positioned on said transfer assembly at a first location along said transfer path, and further being aligned with said wire harness storage assembly and spaced apart therefrom to define an intervening space through which said transfer nest moves as it moves along said transfer path from said first to said second operative positions; and,a loading assembly aligned with said first ejection assembly for loading said assembled wire harnesses, in serial order, onto said wire harness storage members of said wire harness storage assembly.