EP0041815A1 — Apparatus for, and a method of, serially manufact…

Claim 1

Independent Claim 459 words

Apparatus for serially manufacturing electrical harness assemblies (2 or 250) each comprising first and second electrical connectors (4 and 6, or 228 and 230) each having at least one row of electrical terminals (20) therein, each terminal (20) having a wire-receiving portion (21), an end of a wire (22) being received in the wire-receiving portion (21) of each terminal (20); the apparatus comprising; a wire insertion zone (222) having first and second wire insertion stations (222 and 224'); first and second connector locating means (154 and 154') for locating a first (4 or 228) and a second (6 or 230) connector at the respective stations (222 and 224') in parallel aligned relationship, with the wire receiving portions (21) of the terminals (20) of the connectors (4 and 6, or 228 and 230) in endwise alignment; first and second wire insertion tooling assemblies (70 and 70') each comprising wire inserters (86 and 86') which are normally spaced from the first and second connector locating means (154 and 154'), and which are movable relatively theretowards to move the wires (22) towards the connector locating means (154' and 154) and into the wire receiving portions (21) of the. terminals (20); and wire severing means (82 and 82') between the first and second insertion tooling assemblies (70 and 70') for severing the wires (22) at positions between the first and second connector locating means (154 and 154'); characterised in that for producing harness assemblies (2 or 250) in which one end of each wire (22) is received in a wire receiving portion (21) of a terminal (20) of the first connector (4 or 228) and the other end of the wire (22) is received in a wire receiving portion (21) of a terminal (20) of the second connector (6 or 230); the apparatus comprises wire positioning and retaining means (90, 94 and 90', 94') in the insertion zone (222) for locating a plurality of wires (22) substantially in a common plane with the wires (22) in lateral alignment with the wire receiving portions (21) of the terminals (20) of the first and second connnectors (4 and 6g or 228 and 230) when these are positioned in the respective first and second connector locating means (154 and 154'), the wire positioning and retaining means (90, 94 and 90', 94') being effective releasably to retain the wires (22) until they are moved by the wire inserters (86 and 86') towards the connector locating means (154, 154'); and by means (196, 204) for feeding the wires along a wire feed path (22) from wire sources into the wire insertion zone (222), with the wires located in lateral alignment with the wire receiving portions (21), by the wire positioning and retaining means (90, 94 and 90', 94').

Claim 2

Dependent Claim 459 words

Apparatus for serially manufacturing electrical harness assemblies (2 or 250) each comprising first and second electrical connectors (4 and 6, or 228 and 230) each having at least one row of electrical terminals (20) therein, each terminal (20) having a wire-receiving portion (21), an end of a wire (22) being received in the wire-receiving portion (21) of each terminal (20); the apparatus comprising; a wire insertion zone (222) having first and second wire insertion stations (222 and 224'); first and second connector locating means (154 and 154') for locating a first (4 or 228) and a second (6 or 230) connector at the respective stations (222 and 224') in parallel aligned relationship, with the wire receiving portions (21) of the terminals (20) of the connectors (4 and 6, or 228 and 230) in endwise alignment; first and second wire insertion tooling assemblies (70 and 70') each comprising wire inserters (86 and 86') which are normally spaced from the first and second connector locating means (154 and 154'), and which are movable relatively theretowards to move the wires (22) towards the connector locating means (154' and 154) and into the wire receiving portions (21) of the. terminals (20); and wire severing means (82 and 82') between the first and second insertion tooling assemblies (70 and 70') for severing the wires (22) at positions between the first and second connector locating means (154 and 154'); characterised in that for producing harness assemblies (2 or 250) in which one end of each wire (22) is received in a wire receiving portion (21) of a terminal (20) of the first connector (4 or 228) and the other end of the wire (22) is received in a wire receiving portion (21) of a terminal (20) of the second connector (6 or 230); the apparatus comprises wire positioning and retaining means (90, 94 and 90', 94') in the insertion zone (222) for locating a plurality of wires (22) substantially in a common plane with the wires (22) in lateral alignment with the wire receiving portions (21) of the terminals (20) of the first and second connnectors (4 and 6g or 228 and 230) when these are positioned in the respective first and second connector locating means (154 and 154'), the wire positioning and retaining means (90, 94 and 90', 94') being effective releasably to retain the wires (22) until they are moved by the wire inserters (86 and 86') towards the connector locating means (154, 154'); and by means (196, 204) for feeding the wires along a wire feed path (22) from wire sources into the wire insertion zone (222), with the wires located in lateral alignment with the wire receiving portions (21), by the wire positioning and retaining means (90, 94 and 90', 94').

Claim 3

Dependent Claim 73 words

Apparatus according to Claim 1, characterised by means (212) for pushing the first connector (4 or 228) from the position in which it is located by the first connector locating means (154') out of the insertion zone (222) in the direction in which the wires (22) are fed by the wire feeding means (196, 204), when the wires (22) have been inserted into the terminals (20) of the first connector (4 or 228).

Claim 4

Dependent Claim 71 words

Apparatus according to Claim 2, characterised in that the pushing means (212), which is movable parallel to the wire feed path, into the insertion zone (222), is provided with wire guides (214 and 216) for guiding the wires (22) from the wire sources to the wire positioning and retaining means (90, 94 and 90', 94') during the movement of the first connector (4 or 228) outwardly of the insertion zone (222).

Claim 5

Dependent Claim 160 words

Apparatus according to Claim 1, 2 or 3, characterised in that for producing electrical harnesses (2 or 250) in which each connector (4 and 6, or 228 and 230) has two parallel, superposed rows (24 and 26) of terminals (20), the wire receiving portions (21) of the terminals (20) of the rows (24 and 26) opening in opposite directions; the wire positioning and retaining means (90, 94, 90', 94', 142 and 142') are arranged to locate the wires (22) in two substantially parallel planes, one on either side of the connector locating means (154', 154), the wire insertion tooling assemblies (70, 70' and 142, 142') comprising similar tooling positioned on either side of the connector locating means (154, 154'), for inserting the wires (22) in the two planes, simultaneously into the wire receiving portions (21) of all the terminals (20), and the wire severing means (82, 82' and 142, 142') comprising tooling for severing the wires (22) in each plane.

Claim 6

Dependent Claim 140 words

Apparatus according to any one of the preceding claims, characterised by a connector feed slide (152) movable along a connector loading path extending transversely of the wire feed path, the first and second connector locating means (154' and 154) being provided in the.slide (152) in spaced relationship transversely of the-path of movement thereof, the slide (152) being movable along the connector loading path, between a connector loading position in which the connector locating means (154' and 154) are withdrawn from the wire insertion zone (222) and a wire insertion position in which the connector locating means (154' and 154) are aligned with the wire insertion tooling (70, 70' and/or 142, 142') for the insertion of the wires (22) into the connectors (4 and 6, or 228 and 230) when these are positioned in the connector locating means (154' and 154).

Claim 7

Dependent Claim 61 words

Apparatus according to Claim 5, characterised in that the connector locating means comprises connector receiving openings (154' and 154) in opposite sides of the slide (152), the connectors (4 and 6, or 228 and 230) being releasably retainable in the openings (154' and 154) by fingers (170 and 170') mounted on pivots (172, 172') which are movable with the slide (152).

Claim 8

Dependent Claim 70 words

Apparatus according to any one of the preceding claims, characterised in that the wire severing means comprises a wire shearing plate (82 and 82') proximate to each of the first and second wire insertion tooling assemblies (70 and 70' and 142, 142'), a spring loaded comb-like wire separator plate (84 or 84') being received between each shearing plate (82 or 82') and an adjacent wire inserter plate (82 or 82').

Claim 9

Independent Claim 516 words

A method of serially manufacturing electrical harness assemblies (2 or 250) each comprising first and second electrical connectors (4 and 6, or 228 and 230) each having at least one row of electrical terminals (20) therein, each terminal (20) having a wire receiving portion (21), an end of a wire (22), being received in the wire receiving portion (21) of each terminal (20); in which method; the first and second connectors (4 and 6, or 228 and 230) are positioned in a wire insertion zone (222) with the wire receiving portions (2l) of the terminals (20) of the connectors (4 and 6 or 228 and 230) in endwise alignment with one another; the wires (22) are placed in the insertion zone (222) so that each wire (22) is in lateral alignment with a wire receiving portion (21) of each connector (4 and 6 or 228 and 230); the wires (22) are moved laterally of their longitudinal axis, towards the connectors (4 and 6 or 228 and 230), to insert each wire (22) into the wire receiving portions (21) with which it is in lateral alignment; and the connectors (4 and 6 or 228 and 230) are subsequently removed from the wire insertion zone (222); characterised in that for producing harness assemblies (2 or 250), in which each connector (4 or 6 or 228 and 230) has two parallel, superposed rows (24 and 26) of terminals (20), the wire receiving portions (21) of the terminals (20) of the two rows (24 and 26) opening in opposite directions, and in which one end of each wire (22) is received in a wire receiving portion (21) of a terminal (20) of the first connector (4 or 228) and the other end of the wire (22) is received in a wire receiving portion (21) of a terminal (20) of the second connector (6 or 230); the wires (22) are fed from wire sources along a wire feed path in two substantially parallel, spaced planes, the feed path extending through and beyond the wire insertion zone (222), and the connectors (4 and 6 or 228 and 230) are then positioned in the insertion zone (222) so as to lie between the planes with each wire receiving portion (21) opening towards one of the wires (22) and with the second connector (6 or 230) positioned downstream, along the wire feed path, with respect to the first connector (4 or 228), the second connector (6 or 230) being removed from the insertion zone (222), subsequently to the insertion-of the wires (22) into the wire receiving portions (21) and the severing of the wires (22), and the first connector (4 or 228) being then moved lengthwise of the wire insertion path through, and a predetermined position beyond, the wire insertion zone 1222), whilst maintaining the wires (22) in their two planes, whereafter a further first and second connector (4 and 6 or 228 and 230) are positioned in the insertion zone and the wires (22) are inserted into the wire receiving portions (21) of the terminals (20) of the connectors in the manner aforesaid.

Claim 10

Independent Claim 516 words

A method of serially manufacturing electrical harness assemblies (2 or 250) each comprising first and second electrical connectors (4 and 6, or 228 and 230) each having at least one row of electrical terminals (20) therein, each terminal (20) having a wire receiving portion (21), an end of a wire (22), being received in the wire receiving portion (21) of each terminal (20); in which method; the first and second connectors (4 and 6, or 228 and 230) are positioned in a wire insertion zone (222) with the wire receiving portions (2l) of the terminals (20) of the connectors (4 and 6 or 228 and 230) in endwise alignment with one another; the wires (22) are placed in the insertion zone (222) so that each wire (22) is in lateral alignment with a wire receiving portion (21) of each connector (4 and 6 or 228 and 230); the wires (22) are moved laterally of their longitudinal axis, towards the connectors (4 and 6 or 228 and 230), to insert each wire (22) into the wire receiving portions (21) with which it is in lateral alignment; and the connectors (4 and 6 or 228 and 230) are subsequently removed from the wire insertion zone (222); characterised in that for producing harness assemblies (2 or 250), in which each connector (4 or 6 or 228 and 230) has two parallel, superposed rows (24 and 26) of terminals (20), the wire receiving portions (21) of the terminals (20) of the two rows (24 and 26) opening in opposite directions, and in which one end of each wire (22) is received in a wire receiving portion (21) of a terminal (20) of the first connector (4 or 228) and the other end of the wire (22) is received in a wire receiving portion (21) of a terminal (20) of the second connector (6 or 230); the wires (22) are fed from wire sources along a wire feed path in two substantially parallel, spaced planes, the feed path extending through and beyond the wire insertion zone (222), and the connectors (4 and 6 or 228 and 230) are then positioned in the insertion zone (222) so as to lie between the planes with each wire receiving portion (21) opening towards one of the wires (22) and with the second connector (6 or 230) positioned downstream, along the wire feed path, with respect to the first connector (4 or 228), the second connector (6 or 230) being removed from the insertion zone (222), subsequently to the insertion-of the wires (22) into the wire receiving portions (21) and the severing of the wires (22), and the first connector (4 or 228) being then moved lengthwise of the wire insertion path through, and a predetermined position beyond, the wire insertion zone 1222), whilst maintaining the wires (22) in their two planes, whereafter a further first and second connector (4 and 6 or 228 and 230) are positioned in the insertion zone and the wires (22) are inserted into the wire receiving portions (21) of the terminals (20) of the connectors in the manner aforesaid.

Claim 11

Dependent Claim 29 words

A method according to Claim 8, characterised in that each wire (22) is severed adjacent to each of the wire receiving portions (21) into which it has been inserted.

Claim 12

Dependent Claim 38 words

A method according to Claim 8 or 9, characterised in that the first connector (4 or 228) is moved along the feed path through, and beyond, the insertion zone (222) by pushing the first connector (4 or 228).

Apparatus for, and a method of, serially manufacturing electrical harness assemblies

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