Manufacture of wire harness for automobile use

Abstract: Connectors C and electrical wires "a" of a wire harness are temporarily arranged on a plate 3, and an interior panel 4 on which fixtures 41, 42 are provided is set on the plate 3 on which the wire harness is temporarily arranged. Connectors C and electric wires "a" are held by the fixtures 41, 42, and the interior panel 4 is separated from the plate 3, so that wire harness W is integrated with the interior panel. Since connectors C and electric wires "a" are positively held by the fixtures 41, 42, the shape of wire harness W is not collapsed, and these fixtures 41, 42 are used not only as temporary fixtures but also as final fixtures to attach wire harness W onto the interior panel 4. Accordingly, when the automobile manufacturer attaches this interior panel 4 to an automobile body, wire harness W is simultaneously incorporated into the automobile body.

Description: BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of Invention The present invention relates to the manufacture of a wire harness for automobile use. More particularly, the present invention relates to the manufacture of a wire harness for automobile use integrated with an interior panel of an automobile. 2. Description of Related Art A wire harness for electrically connecting various electrical parts mounted on an automobile is attached onto interior panels of the automobile such as an instrument panel, door panel, roof panel and back door panel. Conventionally, the wire harness is attached onto the interior panels in the following manner. The wire harness, which has been supplied by a wire harness manufacturer in a single form, is attached onto interior panels by an automobile manufacturer. Then, the interior panels onto which the wire harness has already been attached are mounted on a body of an automobile. The above work conducted by the automobile manufacturer takes time and requires much labor. Especially, in the automobile factory in which the number of electronic parts to be mounted on an automobile has increased recently, there is a strong demand for simplifying the wire harness attaching process to be conducted by the automobile manufacturer. Document US 4,360,241 discloses a strucure for arranging a harness within an instrument panel for an automotive vehicle. The harness is composed of a first lead wiring and a second lead wiring each having a connector wherein the panel has means for holding the connectors and the lead wirings of the harness. EP 0 182 592 A2 discloses a method for manufacturing a wire harness wherein a gripper of an overhead robot moves a wire from a stationary clamp to a connector mounted on a form board. Then, the roboter inserts a protruding pin of the wire into a connector bore in order to connect the wire with the connector. The flexible automated manufacturing system disclosed here thus allows to place connectors on a plate, wiring the wiring route and attaching the wire to the connector in an automated manner. A problem to be solved by the present invention is to simplify a process in which the wire harness is attached onto an interior panel of an automobile body by an automobile manufacturer. This object will be solved by the method according to claim 1. SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION In order to solve the above problem, the invention provides a method of manufacturing a wire harness for automobile use in which a wire harness is formed on a plate and subsequently transferred to an interior panel of an automobile body. Specifically, pressure welding connectors are temporarily fixed to a plate used for temporarily wiring a wire harness. A predetermined number of electric wires are guided from an electric wire feeder to a wiring robot, the arm end of which can be moved three-dimensionally. The electric wires are wired along a predetermined wiring route on the plate by a pressure welding and wiring machine arranged at the end of the robot arm of the wiring robot, and the electric wires are pressure-welded to the pressure welding connectors. Covers are then attached to the pressure welding connectors. The wire harness is made along a predetermined wiring route on the plate as described above, and the design of the wiring route is made to be the same as the design of a wiring route on the interior panel. This interior panel is put on the plate in such a manner that the wiring side of the interior panel is arranged on the plate side, and then the wire harness temporarily arranged on the plate is transferred onto the interior panel. Due to the foregoing, a wire harness integrated with the interior panel can be easily obtained. When a wire harness maker supplies the above wire harness integrated with the interior panel to an automobile manufacturer, both the interior panel and the wire harness can be simultaneously mounted on an automobile body by the automobile manufacturer. Therefore, the manufacturing process can be greatly simplified. In this case, fixtures capable of holding the pressure welding connectors and electric wires for the wire harness are arranged at the pressure welding connector attaching positions and along the wire harness electric wire arranging route on the interior panel. The wire harness on the plate is held by the fixtures when the interior panel is put on the plate, and then the interior panel is separated from the plate. Thus, the wire harness is transferred from the plate onto the interior panel. Due to the foregoing, the wire harness can be transferred from the plate onto the interior panel while the profile of the wire harness is not collapsed. At the same time, the wire harness can be strongly attached onto the interior panel by the fixtures. Therefore, even after the interior panel has been mounted on an automobile body, it is unnecessary to fix the wire harness again. In another aspect, the invention relates to a wire harness integrated with the interior panel on which the fixtures are arranged. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS Fig. 1 is a perspective view showing a temporary wiring device and plate of the embodiment. Fig. 2(a) is a view showing a process in which a wire harness is transferred from the plate to the interior panel, Fig. 2(b) is a cross-sectional view taken on line A - A in Fig. 2(a), and Fig. 2(c) is a cross-sectional view taken on line B - B in Fig. 2(a). Fig. 3 is a view showing a completed wire harness of the embodiment integrated with an interior panel. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS Fig. 1 is a view showing an embodiment of apparatus used to manufacture a wire harness for automobile use integrated with an interior panel. In Fig. 1, reference numeral 1 is an electric wire feed section, reference numeral 2 is a pressure welding and wiring robot, and reference numeral 3 is a plate on which wire harness W is temporarily arranged. The associated electric control unit and controller are omitted in the drawing. The electric wire feed section 1 is provided with a bundle 11 of electric wires, and electric wires "a" are drawn out from the bundle 11 of electric wires by the pressure welding and wiring robot 2. In this case, the number of electric wires "a" to be drawn out is arbitrarily determined. The pressure welding and wiring robot 2 is composed in such a manner that a first arm 21 is rotatably attached to a rotating table 20 capable of rotating on base B, a second arm 22 is rotatably attached to the first arm 21, and a pressure welding and wiring machine 23 to be used as a head is rotatably attached to the second arm. This pressure welding and wiring robot 2 three-dimensionally moves the pressure welding and wiring machine 23 in accordance with a previously determined program and arranges electrical wires "a" on the plate 3 along a predetermined route while the electric wires "a" are being drawn out from the electric wire feed section 1. While arranging the electrical wires "a" on the plate 3, the pressure welding and wiring robot 2 conducts pressure welding so that the electric wires "a" can be connected to the pressure welding terminals of connectors C. It is possible to use various types of electric wires such as enameled wires and insulation-covered wires for the electric wires "a". The plate 3 is used for temporarily arranging wire harness W. As shown in Figs. 1 and 2(a), there are provided rod-shaped protrusions 31, 32 used for temporarily setting connectors C and electric wires "a" at predetermined positions on the temporary wiring surface of the plate 3. In this embodiment, separately from the plate 3 and the device described above, there is prepared an interior panel 4 onto which wire harness W is attached by a wire harness maker according to the conventional method. As described in the discussion of the prior art, examples of this interior panel 4 are an instrument panel, door panel, roof panel and back door panel. As shown in Fig. 2(a), in order to attach the wire harness onto these interior panels 4, there are provided fixtures 41, 42 capable of holding connectors C and electric wires "a" at predetermined positions on the interior panel 4. As shown in Figs. 2(a) and 2(c), these fixtures 41, 42 are composed of a plurality of rod-shaped holding claws, the end portions of which are formed into hooks. Each holding claw is elastic and flexible. A connector C or electric wire "a" is inserted between the holding claws, which are adjacent to each other, and held by both holding claws, so that it can be attached onto the interior panel 4. A side of the end portion of each holding claw onto which the connector C or electric wire "a" is inserted is tapered in a direction so that the insertion of the connector C or electric wire "a" can be facilitated. On the opposite side, there is formed a surface perpendicular to the longitudinal direction of the holding claw so that the connector C or electric wire "a" cannot be pulled out from between the holding claws. Utilizing the interior panel 4, plate 3 and device described above, wire harness W integrated with an interior panel is manufactured as follows. First, connectors C are temporarily attached to the protrusions 31 on the plate 3, which are used for temporarily attaching connectors C, by manual labor. This work can be automated by a robot. After connectors C have been temporarily attached to the protrusions 31, as shown in Fig. 1, electric wires "a" are arranged on the plate 3 along a predetermined route. At the same time, the electrical wires "a" are pressure-welded to the terminals of connectors C, and covers are put on these welded portions. When all connectors C have been pressure-welded to electric wires "a", the covers have been set on the pressure-welded portions, and these electric wires "a" have been arranged on the plate 3, the manufacture of wire harness W is completed on the plate 3. Then, as shown in Fig. 2(a), the interior panel 4 on which the fixtures 41, 42 are provided is set on the plate 3 on which wire harness W has been temporarily attached. While connectors C and electric wires "a" are being held by the fixtures 41, 42, the interior panel 4 is separated from the plate 3. In this way, wire harness W is transferred from the plate 3 onto the interior panel 4 as shown in Fig. 3, and wire harness W integrated with the interior panel 4 can be obtained. Since connectors C and electric wires "a" are held by the fixtures 41, 42 in the process of separating the interior panel 4 from the plate 3, the shape of wire harness W is not collapsed, and these fixture 41, 42 are used not only as temporary fixtures but also as final fixtures to attach wire harness W onto the interior panel 4. Accordingly, when the automobile manufacturer attaches this interior panel 4 to an automobile body, attaching of wire harness W is simultaneously completed. Therefore, efficiency of the assembling work can be greatly enhanced. As explained above, according to the present invention, a wire harness manufacturer makes a wire harness integrated with an interior panel by a simple manufacturing process, and when the wire harness is supplied to an automobile manufacturer in this state, when the automobile manufacturer attaches the interior panel to an automobile body, the wire harness is simultaneously attached. In this way, efficiency of the assembling work can be greatly enhanced. The invention has been described with reference to its preferred embodiments, which are intended to be illustrative and not limiting. Variations and modifications may be made without departing from the scope of the invention as defined in the appended claims.

Claims: A method of manufacturing a wire harness (W) integrated with an interior panel (4) of an automobile, comprising the steps of: temporarily fixing a connector (C) to a plate (3) used for temporarily wiring the wire harness (W); wiring an electric wire (a) along a predetermined wiring route on the plate (3); attaching the electric wire (a) to the connector (C); putting the panel (4) on which a wire harness (W) comprising at least one wire (a) and at least one connector (C) is to be arranged, onto the plate (3) on which the wire harness (W) is temporarily arranged in such a manner that a wiring surface of the panel (4) is set on the plate (3); and transferring the wire harness (W) onto the panel (4); wherein transferring the wire harness (W) onto the panel (4) comprises: arranging at least one fixture (41, 42) capable of holding the at least one connector (C) and the at least one electric wire (a) of the wire harness (W) on the panel (4); holding the wire harness (W) arranged on the plate (3), by the at least one fixture (41, 42) when the panel (4) is set on the plate (3); and separating the panel (4) from the plate (3). The method according to claim 1, further comprising attaching a cover to the connector. The method according to claim 1, wherein the connector (C) is a pressure welding connector. The method according to claim 3, wherein attaching the electric wire (a) comprises pressure-welding the wire (a) to the pressure welding connector. The method according to claim 1, wherein at least one robot (2) carries out at least one of the temporary fixing of the connector (C), the wiring of the electric wire (a), and the attaching of the wire (a) to the connector (C). The method according to claim 5, wherein the at least one robot (2) comprises a three-dimensionally movable arm end, and wherein the robot (2) carries out the wiring and attaching of the wire (a) via an attaching and wiring machine arranged at the three-dimensionally movable arm end. The method according to claim 6, wherein the attaching and wiring machine comprises a pressure welding and wiring machine (23).

Inventors: OHTA YOSHINOBU, SUZUKI TOSHIAKI, OHTA, YOSHINOBU, SUZUKI, TOSHIAKI, Ohta, Yoshinobu, Harness System Tech. Res., Ltd., Suzuki, Toshiaki, Harness System Tech. Res., Ltd.
Applicants: HARNESS SYST TECH RES LTD, SUMITOMO ELECTRIC INDUSTRIES, SUMITOMO WIRING SYSTEMS, HARNESS SYSTEM TECHNOLOGIES RESEARCH, LTD., SUMITOMO ELECTRIC INDUSTRIES, LTD., SUMITOMO WIRING SYSTEMS, LTD.
Application year: 1998
Main classification: B60K37
IPC codes: H02G3, B60R16, H01R43, H01B13