Method and device for forming wiring harnesses

Claim 1

Method of forming a wiring harness comprising a plurality of conductors and connectors, said connectors each having coupling positions for conductor ends and occupying given geographic positions in said harness, wherein each conductor follows a given path inside said wiring harness for connecting a coupling position of one connector to a coupling position of another connector, the paths of said conductors having common sections along which said conductors are bound together in bundles and said wiring harness having an elongate structure comprising a main longitudinal bundle and lateral bundles connected there to at junction nodes, said method comprising the steps of: (a) providing individual sliding guide members for assembling together the conductors belonging to the same bundle and separating the conductors of different bundles from each other; (b) disposing said connectors side by side in the order in which they are located along said main bundle; (c) disposing as many sliding guide members in side by side relationship as is necessary for defining said junction nodes; (d) connecting the ends of each conductor to the appropriate coupling positions of the two connectors which are to be connected by said conductor, by causing said conductor to pass through the corresponding sliding guide member; (e) moving said sliding guide members away form each other until they coincide with said junction nodes of the lateral bundles at the main bundle and moving said connectors away form each other until all slack in said conductors is taken up; (f) binding the conductors belonging to the same bundle together and (g) releasing the wiring harness thus obtained from said sliding guide members.