Metal working – Method of mechanical manufacture – Electrical device making
Reexamination Certificate
2000-08-08
2003-09-09
Arbes, Carl J. (Department: 3729)
Metal working
Method of mechanical manufacture
Electrical device making
C029S861000, C029S863000, C029S749000, C029S748000, C029S03300H, C029S564400
Reexamination Certificate
active
06615486
ABSTRACT:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a pressure welding device for wiring and a wire harness manufacturing method for manufacturing a wire harness by integrally performing pressure welding and wiring.
2. Related Art
FIGS. 8
to
12
show a conventional wire harness manufacturing method.
In this method, small sub-wire harnesses
40
,
43
,
47
, and
51
are provided as shown in
FIGS. 9A
to
9
D, and a medium sub-wire harness
56
is also provided as shown in
FIG. 10
(see steps
76
and
77
of FIG.
8
).
The small sub-wire harness
40
shown in
FIG. 9A
is formed by pressure-welding wires
42
to two identical connectors
41
. Each connector
41
is provided with a pressure welding terminal
55
. The small sub-wire harness (a multiparallel wire harness)
43
shown in
FIG. 9B
is formed by pressure-welding wires
46
of the same length to a long connector
45
and two short connectors
45
. The small sub-wire harness
47
shown in
FIG. 9C
is formed by pressure-welding wires
50
of different lengths to a long connector
48
to two short connectors
49
(
49
1
and
49
2
). The small sub-wire harness (a random harness)
51
shown in
FIG. 9D
is formed by pressure-welding crossed wires
54
to a long connector
52
and two short connectors
53
.
The medium sub-wire harness
56
shown in
FIG. 10
is formed by interposing an ECU (electronic control unit)
59
between connectors
57
and
58
. The ECU
59
is equipped with a joint connector having pressure welding terminals
60
.
The small sub-wire harnesses
40
,
43
,
47
, and
51
, and the medium sub-wire harness
56
are manufactured using a pressure welding unit
61
shown in FIG.
11
. This pressure welding unit
61
is disclosed in Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 6-31198 filed by the present applicant. The pressure welding unit
61
is provided with comb-like pressure welding blades
62
and
63
which are separately situated in the wire pulling direction, connector tables
64
and
65
which are situated below the respective pressure welding blades
62
and
63
, and a pair of measurement rollers
66
interposed between the connector tables
64
and
65
.
The measurement rollers
66
and the rear-side pressure welding blade
63
are movable in the transverse direction. The measurement rollers
66
are rotated by a motor
67
. Wires
68
are held by a feeding head
69
and fed to the connector tables
64
and
65
. The feeding head
69
can move back and forth by virtue of a cylinder (not shown). The measurement rollers
66
may be positioned behind the connector table
65
, and each pressure welding blade may take the form of a tooth as indicated by reference numeral
70
in
FIG. 11
, instead of the form of a comb.
With the pressure welding unit
61
, the wires
68
are pressure-welded to a connector
71
placed on the front-side connector table
64
. The connector
71
is then removed from the connector table
64
, and as the wires
68
are measured for a predetermined length by the measurement rollers
66
, the connector
71
is sent forward so as to pressure-weld the wires
68
to a connector
72
placed on the rear-side connector table
65
.
The small sub-wire harness
47
shown in
FIG. 9C
is manufactured in the following manner. The short connectors
49
are set to the front-side connector table
64
. Wires
50
(
68
) are pressure-welded to the short connector
49
1
, and subjected to measurement. The measurement rollers
66
are then moved in the transverse direction so as to pressure-weld the wires
50
(
68
) to the other short connector
49
2
. The small sub-wire harness
51
is manufactured using the single-tooth pressure welding blade
70
and moving the connector table
65
in the transverse direction.
The small sub-wire harnesses
40
,
43
,
47
, and
51
, and the medium sub-wire harness
56
are assembled on a wiring plate
73
and formed into a large sub-wire harness. The wiring plate
73
is provided with fork-like wiring fittings
75
standing at predetermined positions. The small sub-wire harness
47
and the medium sub-wire harness
56
are hooked by the wiring fittings
75
so as to form a wire harness. A continuity test is then conducted with a continuity checker (not shown) as in step
79
of FIG.
8
. After the remaining necessary processes such as taping, a wire harness is finally completed.
With the above conventional wire harness manufacturing method, however, there is a problem that many processes are necessary because small sub-wire harnesses and a medium wire-harness are manufactured using a pressure welding unit, and then a large sub-wire harness is manufactured using a wiring plate.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
The principal object of the present invention is to provide a wire harness manufacturing device for manufacturing a wire harness in a small number of steps.
To achieve the above object, the present invention provides a pressure welding device for wiring which comprises a pressure welding unit for pressure-welding wires to connectors, and a wiring plate provided with wiring fittings. The wiring plate is placed in a position toward which the wires are pulled from the pressure welding unit. The wiring plate and the pressure welding unit are movable in the wire pulling direction.
To achieve the above object of the present invention, a wire harness manufacturing method is also provided. In this method, the wires are first connected to a connector by the pressure welding unit. As the connector is pulled toward the wiring plate, the wires are hooked by the predetermined wiring fittings on the wiring plate to form a wire harness structure. The wires are then pressure-welded to the other connector by the pressure welding unit. After the wires are welded to the first connector, the mid-section of the wires may be pressure-welded to an electronic unit by the pressure welding unit. In such case, the wires are pressure-welded to the front and rear portions of the electronic unit by the front and rear pressure welding blades simultaneously. The wires are then cut with a cutter provided between the front and rear pressure welding blades. After the wires are pressure-welded to the second connector, a continuity test of the wire harness is conducted on the wiring plate. After the wiring, the wiring plate and the pressure welding unit are moved in the wire pulling direction so as to eliminate the slack of the wires.
REFERENCES:
patent: 3693228 (1972-09-01), Logan
patent: 3887999 (1975-06-01), Ross et al.
patent: 4677734 (1987-07-01), Bloch et al.
patent: 5052449 (1991-10-01), Fukuda et al.
patent: 5082253 (1992-01-01), Suzuki et al.
patent: 5709027 (1998-01-01), Kato et al.
patent: 5771574 (1998-06-01), Kato et al.
patent: 6125532 (2000-10-01), Takada
patent: 7-161438 (1995-06-01), None
patent: 7-161439 (1995-06-01), None
patent: 7-296933 (1995-11-01), None
patent: 9-50720 (1997-02-01), None
Arbes Carl J.
Armstrong Westerman & Hattori, LLP
Trinh Minh
Yazaki -Corporation
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