Method for the production of wiring looms

Claim 1

A method of providing wires for making a wiring loom, using a loom board adapted to receive releasable guide pins such that said guide pins protrude from a surface of said loom board, and an automatic manipulator means which moves and is actuated in accordance with pre-programmed stored commands, the method comprising the steps of: (i) causing said manipulator means to remove said guide pins from a supply thereof and to place said guide pins at predetermined positions on said loom board so that said guide pins project from said loom board surface and define a plurality of predetermined paths for wires of said loom, each of said paths extending between said guide pins defining the respective path; (ii) presenting a plurality of wires from supplies thereof; (iii) causing said manipulator means to grip a selected wire; (iv) feeding a predetermined length of the selected wire to the said manipulator means; (v) cutting the wire to sever the length thereof; (vi) causing the said manipulator means to anchor the length of wire at one end thereof and to lay said length along a respective one of said predetermined paths; (vii) repeating the steps (iii) to (vi) so that a length of a respectively selected wire is laid along each of said predetermined paths; (viii) fastening the lengths of wire together while they are located along said predetermined paths, so as to form a bundle of wires constituting the required wiring loom; and (ix) removing said bundle of wires from said loom board.

Claim 2

A method of providing wires for making a wiring loom, using a loom board adapted to receive releasable guide pins such that said guide pins protrude from a surface of said loom board, and an automatic manipulator means which moves and is actuated in accordance with pre-programmed stored commands, the method comprising the steps of: (i) causing said manipulator means to remove said guide pins from a supply thereof and to place said guide pins at predetermined positions on said loom board so that said guide pins project from said loom board surface and define a plurality of predetermined paths for wires of said loom, each of said paths extending between said guide pins defining the respective path; (ii) presenting a plurality of wires from supplies thereof; (iii) causing said manipulator means to grip a selected wire; (iv) feeding a predetermined length of the selected wire to the said manipulator means; (v) cutting the wire to sever the length thereof; (vi) causing the said manipulator means to anchor the length of wire at one end thereof and to lay said length along a respective one of said predetermined paths; (vii) repeating the steps (iii) to (vi) so that a length of a respectively selected wire is laid along each of said predetermined paths; (viii) fastening the lengths of wire together while they are located along said predetermined paths, so as to form a bundle of wires constituting the required wiring loom; and (ix) removing said bundle of wires from said loom board.

Claim 4

A method of making a wiring loom, using a loom board adapted to receive releasable guide pins such that said guide pins protrude from a surface of said loom board, and an automatic manipulator means which moves and is actuated in accordance with pre-programmed stored commands, the method comprising the steps of: (i) causing said manipulator means to remove said guide pins from a supply thereof and to place said guide pins at predetermined positions on said loom board so that said guide pins protrude from the surface and define a plurality of predetermined paths for wires of said loom; (ii) presenting the ends of a plurality of wires from supplies thereof; (iii) causing said manipulator means to grip the presented end of a selected wire; (iv) cutting the wire and feeding a predetermined length of the selected wire to said manipulator means; (v) causing said manipulator means to present a first end and then a second end of said length of wire for the fitment of a terminal; (vi) concurrently with step (v), fitting a terminal to each end of said length of wire; (vii) causing said manipulator means to anchor said length of wire at one end thereof and to lay said length along a respective one of said predetermined paths; (viii) repeating steps (iii) to (vii) so that a respective length of a respectively selected wire is laid along each of said predetermined paths; (ix) fastening said lengths of wire together while they are located along said predetermined paths, so as to form a bundle of wires constituting the required wiring loom; and (x) removing the said bundle of wires from said board.

Claim 5

A method of making a wiring loom, using a loom board adapted to receive releasable guide pins such that said guide pins protrude from a surface of said loom board, and an automatic manipulator means which moves and is actuated in accordance with pre-programmed stored commands, the method comprising the steps of: (i) causing said manipulator means to remove said guide pins from a supply thereof and to place said guide pins at predetermined positions on said loom board so that said guide pins protrude from the surface and define a plurality of predetermined paths for wires of said loom; (ii) presenting the ends of a plurality of wires from supplies thereof; (iii) causing said manipulator means to grip the presented end of a selected wire; (iv) cutting the wire and feeding a predetermined length of the selected wire to said manipulator means; (v) causing said manipulator means to present a first end and then a second end of said length of wire for the fitment of a terminal; (vi) concurrently with step (v), fitting a terminal to each end of said length of wire; (vii) causing said manipulator means to anchor said length of wire at one end thereof and to lay said length along a respective one of said predetermined paths; (viii) repeating steps (iii) to (vii) so that a respective length of a respectively selected wire is laid along each of said predetermined paths; (ix) fastening said lengths of wire together while they are located along said predetermined paths, so as to form a bundle of wires constituting the required wiring loom; and (x) removing the said bundle of wires from said board.

Claim 6

A method of making a wiring loom, using a loom board adapted to receive releasable guide pins such that said guide pins protrude from a surface of said loom board, and an automatic manipulator means which moves and is actuated in accordance with pre-programmed stored commands, the method comprising the steps of: (i) causing said manipulator means to remove said guide pins from a supply thereof and to place said guide pins at predetermined positions on the board so that said guide pins project from said surface and define a plurality of predetermined paths for wires of said loom, each of said paths extending between pins defining the respective path; (ii) presenting a plurality of wires from supplies thereof; (iii) causing said manipulator means to grip a selected wire; (iv) advancing a predetermined length of said selected wire to said manipulator means; (v) causing said manipulator means to present said end of said selected wire for the fitment of a terminal; (vi) causing said manipulator means to release said first end and to grip the length of said selected wire at a predetermined position; (vii) cutting said selected wire to form a second end of said length of wire; (viii) causing said manipulator means to present said second end of said length of wire for the fitment of a terminal; (ix) causing said manipulator means to lay said length of wire along a respective one of said predetermined paths; (x) repeating the steps (iii) to (x) so that a multiplicity of lengths of wire are laid, each length extending along a respective predetermined path; (xi) fastening said lengths of wire together while they are located along said predetermined paths to form thereby a bundle constituting said wiring loom; and (xii) removing said bundle from said board.

Claim 7

A method of making a wiring loom, using a loom board adapted to receive releasable guide pins such that said guide pins protrude from a surface of said loom board, and an automatic manipulator means which moves and is actuated in accordance with pre-programmed stored commands, the method comprising the steps of: (i) causing said manipulator means to remove said guide pins from a supply thereof and to place said guide pins at predetermined positions on the board so that said guide pins project from said surface and define a plurality of predetermined paths for wires of said loom, each of said paths extending between pins defining the respective path; (ii) presenting a plurality of wires from supplies thereof; (iii) causing said manipulator means to grip a selected wire; (iv) advancing a predetermined length of said selected wire to said manipulator means; (v) causing said manipulator means to present said end of said selected wire for the fitment of a terminal; (vi) causing said manipulator means to release said first end and to grip the length of said selected wire at a predetermined position; (vii) cutting said selected wire to form a second end of said length of wire; (viii) causing said manipulator means to present said second end of said length of wire for the fitment of a terminal; (ix) causing said manipulator means to lay said length of wire along a respective one of said predetermined paths; (x) repeating the steps (iii) to (x) so that a multiplicity of lengths of wire are laid, each length extending along a respective predetermined path; (xi) fastening said lengths of wire together while they are located along said predetermined paths to form thereby a bundle constituting said wiring loom; and (xii) removing said bundle from said board.