Patent ID: 6163958
Filing Date: 2000-12-26
Classification: H01R,Y10T

Abstract:
A method for producing a wire harness comprising:(a) feeding by means of a wire feeder, a leading end of a plurality of insulator-sheathed wires in a juxtaposed manner from wire suppliers through a cutter to a drawer having a movable chuck;(b) clamping in said chuck said leading end of said wires and moving said chuck so as to draw said wires from said wire suppliers through said cutter and through a connector-attacher;(c) attaching by means of said connector-attacher, a lead connector onto said leading end of said wires;(d) moving by means of said drawer said chuck with the clamped wires and attached lead connector to draw said wires from said wire suppliers through said cutter and said connector-attacher, a lead distance downstream of said connector-attacher;(e) attaching by means of said connector-attacher, a first middle connector onto said wires, at a point upstream of said lead connector;(f) cutting by means of said cutter one or more of said wires at a point upstream of said middle connector to create one or more terminated wires and one or more unterminated wires wherein said unterminated wires are not juxtaposed in an equal pitch manner;(g) moving by means of said drawer said chuck with the clamped wires and attached first middle and lead connectors to draw said unterminated wires from said wire suppliers through said cutter and said connector-attacher, a middle distance downstream of said connector-attacher;(h) gathering by means of a gatherer said unterminated wires so as to arrange said unterminated wires in a juxtaposed, equal pitch manner at said connector-attacher before attaching a final connector;(i) attaching by means of said connector-attacher, said final connector onto said unterminated, juxtaposed, equal pitch wires at a point upstream of said middle connector; and(j) cutting by means of said cutter said unterminated wires at a point upstream of said final connector so as to produce a wire harness.