A wire harness manufacturing system including a plurality of processing zones and configured to manufacture a wire harness by using a subassembly including a plurality of electrical lines to each of which a connection component is attached includes a conveyance device provided along the plurality of processing zones and including: work boards in a number at least corresponding to the number of the plurality of processing zones; a circulation conveyer configured to sequentially convey each work board in a horizontal state from an upstream side to a downstream side on a downstream conveyance path along the plurality of processing zones and then return the work board from the downstream side to the upstream side on an upstream conveyance path; and a raiser configured to set the work board to a stand-up state in which one of edge parts extending in a conveyance direction of the work board is positioned on an upper side of the other edge part in the work board, and to set the work board in the stand-up state to the horizontal state.

A wire harness includes: an electrical wire including a core wire and an insulating covering for covering the core wire; and a sheet material in which the electrical wire is disposed on a resin main surface, and a part of the main surface having contact with the electrical wire is thermally processed with the insulating covering of the electrical wire, thereby forming an electrical wire fixing part. A part of the sheet material including the electrical wire fixing part is softer than the insulating covering.

A wire harness includes: an electrical wire including a core wire and an insulating covering for covering the core wire; and a sheet material in which the electrical wire is disposed on a resin main surface, and a part of the main surface having contact with the electrical wire is welded to the insulating covering of the electrical wire, thereby forming an electrical wire fixing part. A largest thickness dimension in the electrical wire fixing part in the sheet material is formed larger than a thickness dimension in a part of the sheet material where the electrical wire is not disposed.

Methods and apparatus for robot motion control and wire dispensing during automated routing of wires onto harness form boards. The robot includes a manipulator arm and a wire-routing end effector mounted to a distal end of the manipulator arm. The wire-routing end effector is configured for dispensing and routing a wire along a path through form board devices mounted to a harness form board. The wire-routing end effector is moved along a planned path under the control of a robot controller. An end effector path is provided with a set of processes that enable rapid, even fully automatic, development of robot motion controls for routing wires on harness form boards. The system uses a measurement encoder on the end effector that is routing individual wires on a wire harness form board to learn the length of each wire and its length variation.

A robotic system for laying out a specified wiring harness. A robotic arm is configured to arrange a plurality of wire segments along the harness support surface. A system controller is configured to direct the robotic arm to arrange each of the plurality of wire segments on the harness support surface along a specified wire route. A preparation device can label one or both ends of each wire segment as they are being laid out on the support surface. The labeler can automatically apply adhesive labels as flags at selected locations along the length of the wire segment. In a method of making a wiring harness, the robotic arm positions pins on a harness support surface to define wire routes and then arranges at least one wire segment on the harness support surface along each of the wire routes.

Systems and methods for designing and assembling form boards with attached wire routing devices for use in wire bundle assembly. The assembly method comprises: (a) establishing a coordinate system of a form board having a multiplicity of holes; (b) using a computer system to determine locations of form board devices of different types with reference to the coordinate system of the form board based on engineering data specifying a wire bundle configuration; and (c) fastening the form board devices of different types to respective holes of the form board having centers closest to respective locations determined in step (b). The form board devices may be inserted robotically or manually.

Systems and methods for designing and assembling form boards with attached wire routing devices for use in wire bundle assembly. The assembly method comprises: (a) establishing a coordinate system of a form board having a multiplicity of holes; (b) using a computer system to determine locations of form board devices of different types with reference to the coordinate system of the form board based on engineering data specifying a wire bundle configuration; and (c) fastening the form board devices of different types to respective holes of the form board having centers closest to respective locations determined in step (b). The form board devices may be inserted robotically or manually.

Systems and methods for designing and assembling form boards with attached wire routing devices for use in wire bundle assembly. The assembly method comprises: (a) establishing a coordinate system of a form board having a multiplicity of holes; (b) using a computer system to determine locations of form board devices of different types with reference to the coordinate system of the form board based on engineering data specifying a wire bundle configuration; and (c) fastening the form board devices of different types to respective holes of the form board having centers closest to respective locations determined in step (b). The form board devices may be inserted robotically or manually.

A distribution member includes plural electric wire pairs each including a pair of electric wires, a first fixing member integrally fixing the electric wire pairs, and a second fixing member that is separated from the first fixing member and integrally fixes electric wires of at least one of the electric wire pairs. The first fixing member and the second fixing member each include a holder holding the electric wires and a resin mold part that includes a molding resin and is molded so as to cover a part of the electric wire pairs held by the holder. The holder includes at least one interposed part that is interposed between the held electric wires. The distribution member further includes a combining part that is integrally formed with the holders of the first and second fixing members and combines the holders of the first and second fixing members.

A bonding tool that executes an ultrasonic vibration processing of applying ultrasonic vibration to an application portion on a lead wire from a direct contact tip portion and a pair of press mechanisms having a pair of press rollers capable of performing a rotational operation. The pair of press mechanisms executes a press processing of pressing both sides of the application portion on the lead wire by the pair of press rollers at a time of execution of the ultrasonic vibration processing by the bonding tool and a movement processing of executing a rotational operation performed by the pair of press rollers to move the pair of press rollers on the lead wire while pressing the lead wire at a time of non-execution of the ultrasonic vibration processing.