Method of fabricating a wire harness

Claim 1

A method of fabricating a wire harness comprising a plurality of connectors interconnected by wires; each of said connectors including an insulative housing having spaced cavities and further including metallic terminal elements, each having a wire terminating portion, preloaded into said cavities; said wire terminating portion having sections defining an open-ended wire-receiving slot of a width less than the diameter of the conductor in the wire to be terminated therein so that in response to the insertion of a wire laterally of its axis into said slot the insulation of said wire is removed effecting electrical termination of said wire in said element; each of said slots having an entrance; each of said connectors comprising holding means for firmly mechanically holding respective wires relative to the entrances of corresponding wire-receiving slots prior to their electrical termination, said method comprising the following steps: positioning said connectors at desired locations at a first station; running said wires in lengths dictated by the dimensions of the finished harness between predetermined terminal element locations at the connectors; securing the various wires so that they are firmly mechanically held in the respective holding means associated with said predetermined terminal element locations prior to electrical termination of the wires; and terminating the wires by inserting the various wires into their corresponding wire-receiving slots whereby said wire harness can be wired and terminated without the use of separate wire positioning jigs.

Claim 2

A method of fabricating a wire harness comprising a plurality of connectors interconnected by wires; each of said connectors including an insulative housing having spaced cavities and further including metallic terminal elements, each having a wire terminating portion, preloaded into said cavities; said wire terminating portion having sections defining an open-ended wire-receiving slot of a width less than the diameter of the conductor in the wire to be terminated therein so that in response to the insertion of a wire laterally of its axis into said slot the insulation of said wire is removed effecting electrical termination of said wire in said element; each of said slots having an entrance; each of said connectors comprising holding means for firmly mechanically holding respective wires relative to the entrances of corresponding wire-receiving slots prior to their electrical termination, said method comprising the following steps: positioning said connectors at desired locations at a first station; running said wires in lengths dictated by the dimensions of the finished harness between predetermined terminal element locations at the connectors; securing the various wires so that they are firmly mechanically held in the respective holding means associated with said predetermined terminal element locations prior to electrical termination of the wires; and terminating the wires by inserting the various wires into their corresponding wire-receiving slots whereby said wire harness can be wired and terminated without the use of separate wire positioning jigs.

Claim 8

A method of fabricating a wire harness comprising a plurality of connectors interconnected by wires; each of said connectors including an insulative housing having spaced cavities and further including metallic terminal elements, each having a wire terminating portion, preloaded into said cavities; said wire terminating portion having sections defining an open-ended wire-receiving slot of a width less than the diameter of the conductor in the wire to be terminated therein so that in response to the insertion of a wire laterally of its axis into said slot the insulation of said wire is removed effecting electrical termination of said wire in said element; each of said slots having an entrance; each of said connectors comprising holding means for firmly mechanically holding respective wires relative to the entrances of corresponding wire-receiving slots prior to their electrical termination, said method comprising the following steps: positioning said connectors at desired locations at a first station; running said wires in lengths dictated by the dimensions of the finished harness between predetermined terminal element locations at the connectors; securing the various wires so that they are firmly mechanically held in the respective holding means associated with said predetermined terminal element locations prior to electrical termination of the wires; and terminating the wires by inserting the various wires into their corresponding wire-receiving slots whereby said wire harness can be wired and terminated without the use of separate wire positioning jigs, wherein the wires are termianted at a termination station remote from said first station whereby wire harnesses partially fabricated at a plurality of first stations can be completed at a common termination station by a single set of termination apparatus.

Claim 9

A method of fabricating a wire harness comprising a plurality of connectors interconnected by wires; each of said connectors including an insulative housing having spaced cavities and further including metallic terminal elements, each having a wire terminating portion, preloaded into said cavities; said wire terminating portion having sections defining an open-ended wire-receiving slot of a width less than the diameter of the conductor in the wire to be terminated therein so that in response to the insertion of a wire laterally of its axis into said slot the insulation of said wire is removed effecting electrical termination of said wire in said element; each of said slots having an entrance; each of said connectors comprising holding means for firmly mechanically holding respective wires relative to the entrances of corresponding wire-receiving slots prior to their electrical termination, said method comprising the following steps: positioning said connectors at desired locations at a first station; running said wires in lengths dictated by the dimensions of the finished harness between predetermined terminal element locations at the connectors; securing the various wires so that they are firmly mechanically held in the respective holding means associated with said predetermined terminal element locations prior to electrical termination of the wires; and terminating the wires by inserting the various wires into their corresponding wire-receiving slots whereby said wire harness can be wired and terminated without the use of separate wire positioning jigs, wherein the wires are termianted at a termination station remote from said first station whereby wire harnesses partially fabricated at a plurality of first stations can be completed at a common termination station by a single set of termination apparatus.

Claim 10

A method of fabricating a wire harness comprising a plurality of connectors including an insulative housing having spaced cavities and further including metallic terminal elements, each having a wire terminating portion, preloaded into said cavities; said wire terminating portion having sections defining an open-ended wire-receiving slot of a width less than the diameter of the conductor in the wire to be terminated therein so that in response to the insertion of a wire laterally of its axis into said slot the insulation of said wire is removed effecting electrical termination of said wire in said element; each of said slots having an entrance; each of said connectors comprising holding means, for firmly mechanically holding respective wires relative to the entrances of corresponding wire-receiving slots prior to their electrical termination, said method comprising the following steps: positioning said connectors at desired locations at a first station; running said wires in lengths dictated by the dimensions of the finished harness between predetermined terminal element locations at the connectors; and fixing the various wires in the respective holding means associated with said predetermined terminal element locations prior to electrical termination of the wires whereby the incipient harness can be moved to a station remote from said first station with the wires maintained relative to the entrances of their corresponding wire-receiving slots, said method further comprising the steps of: moving the incipient harness to termination station remote from said first station; and terminating the wires by inserting the various wires into their corresponding wire-receiving slots whereby wire harnesses partially fabricated at a plurality of first stations can be completed at a common termination station by a single set of termination apparatus.

Claim 11

A method of fabricating a wire harness comprising a plurality of connectors including an insulative housing having spaced cavities and further including metallic terminal elements, each having a wire terminating portion, preloaded into said cavities; said wire terminating portion having sections defining an open-ended wire-receiving slot of a width less than the diameter of the conductor in the wire to be terminated therein so that in response to the insertion of a wire laterally of its axis into said slot the insulation of said wire is removed effecting electrical termination of said wire in said element; each of said slots having an entrance; each of said connectors comprising holding means, for firmly mechanically holding respective wires relative to the entrances of corresponding wire-receiving slots prior to their electrical termination, said method comprising the following steps: positioning said connectors at desired locations at a first station; running said wires in lengths dictated by the dimensions of the finished harness between predetermined terminal element locations at the connectors; and fixing the various wires in the respective holding means associated with said predetermined terminal element locations prior to electrical termination of the wires whereby the incipient harness can be moved to a station remote from said first station with the wires maintained relative to the entrances of their corresponding wire-receiving slots, said method further comprising the steps of: moving the incipient harness to termination station remote from said first station; and terminating the wires by inserting the various wires into their corresponding wire-receiving slots whereby wire harnesses partially fabricated at a plurality of first stations can be completed at a common termination station by a single set of termination apparatus.

Claim 19

A method of fabricating a wire harness comprising a plurality of connectors interconnected by wires; each of said connectors including an insulative housing having spaced cavities and further including metallic terminal elements, each having a wire terminating portion, preloaded into said cavities; said wire terminating portion having sections defining an open-ended wire-receiving slot of a width less than the diameter of the conductor in the wire to be terminated therein so that in response to the insertion of a wire laterally of its axis into said slot the insulation of said wire is removed effecting electrical termination of said wire in said element; each of said slots having an entrance; each of said connectors comprising holding means, for firmly mechanically holding respective wires relative to the entrances of corresponding wire-receiving slots prior to their electrical termination, said method comprising the following steps: positioning said connectors at desired locations at a first station; running said wires in lengths dictated by the dimensions of the finished harness between predetermined terminal element locations at the connectors; and fixing the various wires in the respective holding means associated with said predetermined terminal element locations prior to electrical termination of the wires whereby the incipient harness can be moved to a station remote from said first station with the wires maintained relative to the entrances of their corresponding wire-receiving slots, wherein said housing comprises a front wall, a back wall and a plurality of spaced barrier walls extending between the aforementioned walls to define said cavities, said wire terminating portion comprising a pair of spaced generally parallel plates extending in a direction generally perpendicular to said barrier walls and each having said wire-receiving slot and an entrance to the slot aligned, respectively, with the slot and entrance in the other plate, said wire terminating portion further comprising a resilient retaining arm extending from a connected end disposed adjacent a first barrier wall, above the entrances of said slots and to a free end spaced from a second barrier wall a distance less than the diameter of the wire to be terminated in said wire terminating portion, said first and second barrier walls defining one of said cavities, said step of fixing the various wires comprising the step of moving each wire between a respective retaining arm and a respective second barrier wall until it is compressively held therebetween.

Claim 20

A method of fabricating a wire harness comprising a plurality of connectors interconnected by wires; each of said connectors including an insulative housing having spaced cavities and further including metallic terminal elements, each having a wire terminating portion, preloaded into said cavities; said wire terminating portion having sections defining an open-ended wire-receiving slot of a width less than the diameter of the conductor in the wire to be terminated therein so that in response to the insertion of a wire laterally of its axis into said slot the insulation of said wire is removed effecting electrical termination of said wire in said element; each of said slots having an entrance; each of said connectors comprising holding means, for firmly mechanically holding respective wires relative to the entrances of corresponding wire-receiving slots prior to their electrical termination, said method comprising the following steps: positioning said connectors at desired locations at a first station; running said wires in lengths dictated by the dimensions of the finished harness between predetermined terminal element locations at the connectors; and fixing the various wires in the respective holding means associated with said predetermined terminal element locations prior to electrical termination of the wires whereby the incipient harness can be moved to a station remote from said first station with the wires maintained relative to the entrances of their corresponding wire-receiving slots, wherein said housing comprises a front wall, a back wall and a plurality of spaced barrier walls extending between the aforementioned walls to define said cavities, said wire terminating portion comprising a pair of spaced generally parallel plates extending in a direction generally perpendicular to said barrier walls and each having said wire-receiving slot and an entrance to the slot aligned, respectively, with the slot and entrance in the other plate, said wire terminating portion further comprising a resilient retaining arm extending from a connected end disposed adjacent a first barrier wall, above the entrances of said slots and to a free end spaced from a second barrier wall a distance less than the diameter of the wire to be terminated in said wire terminating portion, said first and second barrier walls defining one of said cavities, said step of fixing the various wires comprising the step of moving each wire between a respective retaining arm and a respective second barrier wall until it is compressively held therebetween.

Claim 21

A method of fabricating a wire harness comprising a plurality of connectors interconnected by wires; each of said connectors including an insulative housing having spaced cavities and further including metallic terminal elements, each having a wire terminating portion, preloaded into said cavities; said wire terminating portion having sections defining an open-ended wire-receiving slot of a width less than the diameter of the conductor in the wire to be terminated therein so that in response to the insertion of a wire laterally of its axis into said slot the insulation of said wire is removed effecting electrical termination of said wire in said element; each of said slots having an entrance; each of said connectors comprising holding means, for firmly mechanically holding respective wires relative to the entrances of corresponding wire-receiving slots prior to their electrical termination, said method comprising the following steps: positioning said connectors at desired locations at a first station; running said wires in lengths dictated by the dimensions of the finished harness between predetermined terminal element locations at the connectors; and fixing the respective wires in the respective holding means associated with said predetermined terminal element locations prior to electrical termination of the wires whereby the incipient harness can be moved to a station remote from said first station with the wires maintained relative to the entrances of their corresponding wire-receiving slots, wherein said housing comprises a front wall, a back wall and a plurality of spaced barrier walls extending between the aforementioned walls to define said cavities, said wire terminating portion comprising a pair of spaced generally parallel plates extending in a direction generally perpendicular to said barrier walls and each having said wire-receiving slot and an entrance to said aligned, respectively, with the slot and entrance in the other plate, said wire terminating portion further comprising a resilient retaining arm extending from a connected end disposed adjacent a first barrier wall, above the entrances of said slots and to a free end, said wire terminating portion further comprising a leg terminating in an enlarged foot extending upwardly from at least one of said slotted plates opposite said retaining arm with the spacing between said foot and said retaining arm less than the diameter of the wire to be held, said step of fixing the various wires comprising the step of moving each wire between a respective foot and a respective retaining arm until it is compressively held therebetween.

Claim 22

A method of fabricating a wire harness comprising a plurality of connectors interconnected by wires; each of said connectors including an insulative housing having spaced cavities and further including metallic terminal elements, each having a wire terminating portion, preloaded into said cavities; said wire terminating portion having sections defining an open-ended wire-receiving slot of a width less than the diameter of the conductor in the wire to be terminated therein so that in response to the insertion of a wire laterally of its axis into said slot the insulation of said wire is removed effecting electrical termination of said wire in said element; each of said slots having an entrance; each of said connectors comprising holding means, for firmly mechanically holding respective wires relative to the entrances of corresponding wire-receiving slots prior to their electrical termination, said method comprising the following steps: positioning said connectors at desired locations at a first station; running said wires in lengths dictated by the dimensions of the finished harness between predetermined terminal element locations at the connectors; and fixing the respective wires in the respective holding means associated with said predetermined terminal element locations prior to electrical termination of the wires whereby the incipient harness can be moved to a station remote from said first station with the wires maintained relative to the entrances of their corresponding wire-receiving slots, wherein said housing comprises a front wall, a back wall and a plurality of spaced barrier walls extending between the aforementioned walls to define said cavities, said wire terminating portion comprising a pair of spaced generally parallel plates extending in a direction generally perpendicular to said barrier walls and each having said wire-receiving slot and an entrance to said aligned, respectively, with the slot and entrance in the other plate, said wire terminating portion further comprising a resilient retaining arm extending from a connected end disposed adjacent a first barrier wall, above the entrances of said slots and to a free end, said wire terminating portion further comprising a leg terminating in an enlarged foot extending upwardly from at least one of said slotted plates opposite said retaining arm with the spacing between said foot and said retaining arm less than the diameter of the wire to be held, said step of fixing the various wires comprising the step of moving each wire between a respective foot and a respective retaining arm until it is compressively held therebetween.