Metal working – Method of mechanical manufacture – Electrical device making
Patent
1996-11-27
1998-05-05
Arbes, Carl J.
Metal working
Method of mechanical manufacture
Electrical device making
29755, 29749, 29 3M, 156433, H01R 4304
Patent
active
057459916
DESCRIPTION:
BRIEF SUMMARY
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a machine for producing electrical harnesses, the machine making it possible to produce such harnesses automatically from components (or connectors) and electric wire.
The technical field of the invention is that of machines and methods for producing electrical harnesses.
2. Summary of the Prior Art
An apparatus for producing electrical harnesses is already known from application PCT/FR91/01020 (WO 92/12614) in which the harnesses include wires whose ends are inserted in cavities of the components, the apparatus including a main conveyor for transporting wires and a secondary conveyor for transporting transfer trays, each tray receiving one or more components, a station situated along the secondary conveyor for automatically loading components on the transfer trays, and means for transferring the transfer trays from the secondary conveyor to the main conveyor. The apparatus includes a transfer support capable of displacing the transfer trays, and consequently the components, relative to an insertion clamp, so as to enable the ends of lengths of wire to be inserted successively into the cavities of the components.
The apparatus is particularly intended for producing very complex harnesses fitted with connectors having a large number of cavities disposed in arrays, i.e. as a plurality of juxtaposed rows or columns, and is relatively complex and expensive.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
One of the objects of the invention is to provide apparatus enabling wire ends to be inserted in the cavities of components that are simple, i.e. components that have a single row of cavities or components that have a plurality of rows, but in which only one row is to be used; this applies in particular when producing electrical harnesses fitted with "insulation-displacement" components. Such components usually include, at least one pair of blades disposed facing each other within a cavity for receiving wire end between them so that the insulation covering is cut by the blades to establish electrical contact between the conducting core of the electric wire and the connection of said cavity via said blades which are made of electrically conductive material.
One of the objects of the invention is also to provide a module for producing electrical harnesses including connectors that are simple, the module being suitable for insertion in a machine for manufacturing harnesses that are more complex, e.g. a machine such as that described in the above-mentioned international application.
As explained in international application PCT/FR92/00896 (WO 92/10013), it should be observed that, prior to the operation of inserting wire ends into the cavities of components, the use of machines as described in the first above-mentioned application generally requires the ends of lengths of wire which are delivered by known wire length preparation means to be organized in such a manner as to make it possible subsequently to place the wire length ends in an order that is close to or identical to the order in which the ends are to be inserted, which order is different from the order in which the wire length ends are delivered by the preparation machines. This organization requires the use of a special module that is bulky, expensive, and relatively slow.
The solution to the problem posed consists in providing a machine for producing electrical harnesses, the machine comprising: a rectilinear main conveyor suitable for moving transfer clamps for transferring the ends of lengths of wire; a bench; and a loading station for loading and preparing lengths of wire; the loading station being situated on a first side of said main conveyor, the loop-forming portions of said lengths of wire being situated on a second side of said main conveyor, the machine including a fixed rectilinear transverse slideway substantially orthogonal to said main conveyor, where the slideway forms a member for supporting components and for guiding them in translation, each of said components being p
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Arbes Carl J.
The Whitaker Corporation
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