Data processing: generic control systems or specific application – Specific application – apparatus or process – Article handling
Utility Patent
1999-03-15
2001-01-02
Ellis, Christopher P. (Department: 3651)
Data processing: generic control systems or specific application
Specific application, apparatus or process
Article handling
C700S095000, C700S115000, C700S116000, C029S749000, C029S755000, C029S03300H, C029S857000, C029S866000, C029S867000, C029S564600, C029S564100
Utility Patent
active
06169934
ABSTRACT:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a wire harness manufacturing system which can give instructions to workers to manufacture a wire harness through a network.
2. Description of the Related Art
A conventional wire harness system, as shown in
FIG. 27
, includes steps of (
1
) preparation (set-up), (
2
) wire cutting, (
3
) combining of accessory, (
4
) terminal crimping, (
5
) wire jointing, (
6
) assorting, and (
7
) “sub-assy(assembly)”.
The preparation step of (
1
) includes “OEF” processing, instruction outputting, instruction needle (metallic wire)-threading for an instruction card, and assorting of the instruction cards.
The OES (Order Entry System) is a method of batch-producing sub-wire harnesses in accordance with job or task instructions. The batch production is to cut a single electric wire into a number of wire segments each having a predetermined length within a single lot and successively crimp the same terminal on each wire to manufacture the electric wires each equipped with the same terminal in lots. The OES refers to inputting processing for this purpose. The instruction outputting is to issue an instruction card on the basis of the OES processing. The instruction cards each with a needle-threaded tied to a product is sequentially transferred to each manufacturing step. In the instruction assorting step, the instruction cards are assorted in accordance with sizes of products.
The step (
2
) of wire cutting includes “cutting”, “assorting”, “peeling preparation”, and “peeling”.
Specifically, in this step, an electric wire is cutting into segments each having equal lengths, The wire segments (simply referred to as “wires”) are assorted in terms of a peeling length, peeling position, etc. Using a peeling machine adjusted in accordance with the peeling length, the insulating covering of each wire is peeled at its end position or middle position.
The step (
3
) of accessory combining includes “assorting” and “combining of accessory”.
Specifically, the wires are assorted in accordance with a kind of accessory, and they are combined with the same accessory.
The step (
4
) of “terminal crimping” includes “assorting”, “A/P (applicator) preparation”, “crimping”, “testing”, and “marking”.
In this step, the wires are assorted in accordance with the kind of a terminal. The A/P preparation is to replace an A/P (applicator) in accordance with a terminal crimping machine and adjust a crimping height. The A/P includes an up-and-down upper die (crimper) and fixed lower die (anvil). After the end of the wire is crimped with a terminal, the crimping state is tested by naked eyes or a television camera, and the terminals are marked with marks for identification in the terminal insertion step described above.
The step (
5
) of wire jointing includes “joint assorting”, “joint peeling”, “A/P preparation”, “joint crimping”, “testing” and “joint tape winding”.
The wires each equipped with the terminal in the step of (
4
) are assorted in accordance with the kind of a joint terminal or joint position. The insulating covering at the middle portion of the wire is peeled using a peeling machine. In the same manner as the terminal crimping, the A/P for the joint crimping machine is prepared in accordance with the joint terminal. The terminal of another wire is branch-connected to the peeling position of the wire at issue through the joint terminal. After the crimping state is tested, the joint portion is wound by an insulating vinyl tape.
The step (
6
) of assorting is to set the terminal-crimped wires and jointed wires for each product number.
The step (
7
) of “sub-assy” is to insert the terminal of each wire in a connector housing, thereby assembling a sub-assy (sub-wire harness).
The sub-assys are arranged in the form of a wire harness on a wire harness board, and subjected to a protector combining and a tape winding to complete a wire harness.
The manufacturing system described above does not suffer from the problem when the sub-assembles with the same product (item) number are mass-produced. However, this system requires a large number of tooling changes (replacement of preparation or set-up) in flexible manufacturing (a small amount and a wide variety of products). This leads to poor efficiency and a longer time of work. A worker is required to have knowledge of the wide variety of products, and higher skill.
Particularly, in recent years, manufacturing locations of wire harnesses for Japanese motor vehicles have been shifted to overseas factories. The mass-produced products are preferentially shifted, whereas the percentage of the non-mass-produced products is increasing performed in Japanese. Therefore, it is important to manufacture the non-mass produced products effectively. Further, the strategy of a car maker moving abroad has developed the localized production of motor vehicles. Therefore, the production of the non-mass-produced products is increasing in overseas factories for wire harnesses.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
An object of the present invention is provide a wire harness manufacturing system which permits any person to carry out flexible production of wire harnesses effectively.
More specifically, an object of the present invention is to a wire harness manufacturing system which can satisfy the requirements of (1) shortening the lead time to enable the production by a firm order (final order from a car maker), (2) reduce attendant works to increase the production efficiency, (3) improve a work instructing method to enable any person to carry out the work easily, and (4) improve the efficiency of work preparation to prevent the analysis processing in an indirect department from increasing.
In order to attain the above object, there is provided a wire harness manufacturing system which issue a working instruction for manufacturing a wire harness to a worker using a network composed of an upstream network and a downstream network, comprising: a plurality of wire clamping poles each having a plurality of wire clamps; a jig having a designating portion corresponding to each clamp; a first computer for managing data necessary to manufacture wire harnesses; a second computer for supplying the data received from the first computer with several kinds of designation data to create an operation instruction file; a third computer for checking the operation instruction file against a master file to create a data file available for all manufacturing steps; a fourth computer for allotting file data processed by the third computer to each wire clamping pole, a plurality of servers for supplying the file data to the downstream network; a plurality of information terminal devices which are connected to the servers to requite data necessary for actual operations and provide each designation signal to the designating portion; and a scanner connected to each of said information terminal devices, for supplying the number of the claiming pole to a certain information terminal device , wherein said first, second, third and fourth computers are connected to the server through a bus line and constitute the upstream network. In this configuration of the wire harness manufacturing system, data necessary to manufacture a wire harness are distributed to each information terminal device from an upstream network through a server. The item number of the wire clamping pole is read to designate a wire to be used in the wire clamping pole. Each information terminal device issues an instruction of the task to be effected by a worker. If the worker effects the task in accordance with the instruction, he can carry out flexible production of a sub-wire harness easily and flexibly with no skill.
The above and other objects and features of the present invention will be more apparent from the following description taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings.
REFERENCES:
patent: 4641428 (1987-02-01), Anderson
patent: 4653159 (1987-03-01), Henderson et al.
patent: 4677734 (1987-07-01), Bloch et al.
patent: 4701007 (1987-10-01), Jonca
patent: 4727637 (198
Aikawa Jiro
Nakayama Tsutomu
Takeda Kouki
Armstrong, Westerman Hattori, McLeland & Naughton
Ellis Christopher P.
Shapiro Jeffrey A.
Yazaki -Corporation
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