A wire harness manufacturing device includes a first rail and a second rail provided in parallel on a jig plate; a first holding portion that holds a first connector and a second holding portion that holds a second connector; an electric wire holding portion that holds a first electric wire and a second electric wire; a one end side connection portion that connects one end sides of the first electric wire and the second electric wire to the first connector and the second connector; a cutting portion that cuts the first electric wire and the second electric wire; the other end side connector that connects the cut first electric wire and the cut second electric wire to a third connector and a fourth connector and a binding portion that binds the first electric wire and the second electric wire whose tension is adjusted.

A wire harness manufacturing device includes a first rail and a second rail provided in parallel on a jig plate; a first holding portion that holds a first connector and a second holding portion that holds a second connector; an electric wire holding portion that holds a first electric wire and a second electric wire; a one end side connection portion that connects one end sides of the first electric wire and the second electric wire to the first connector and the second connector; a cutting portion that cuts the first electric wire and the second electric wire; the other end side connector that connects the cut first electric wire and the cut second electric wire to a third connector and a fourth connector and a binding portion that binds the first electric wire and the second electric wire whose tension is adjusted.

A wire harness including: a first wire that is electrically connectable to a first connector installed in a vehicle; a second wire that is electrically connected to the first wire; a third wire that is electrically connected to the first wire; a connection where the first wire, the second wire, and the third wire are electrically connected to each other; a tubular first shield that surrounds an outer periphery of the connection and an outer periphery of the first wire; and a tubular second shield that surrounds an outer periphery of a portion of the first shield and an outer periphery of the second wire, the portion of the first shield surrounding the outer periphery of the connection.

Virtually-integrated wire harness design and automated production systems and methods that achieve completely integrated data management by automatically producing scripts to dynamically propagate production commands and data to various subsystems for handling assembling necessary circuits and wire harness layout boards to produce corresponding batches of wire harnesses while script-based methods control configuring, testing, and using wire harness layout boards, and assembling, testing, reworking, and delivering wire harnesses. Augmented reality is used to assist in the assembly of layout boards and wire harnesses.

In wire processing systems and methods, a wire channel receives a wire. One or more fluid guides flow the fluid into the wire channel to move, along the wire, a component (e.g. a solder sleeve) positioned at least partially in the wire channel and coupled to the wire. Other features are also provided.

The device, system and process of the present invention greatly reduces the time and space necessary to assemble a wire harness enables efficient manufacture of wire harnesses. The present invention comprises at least a wire viewer module, a machine vision and optical character recognition module, a cassette tray platform, designed to receive and hold in place a cassette tray, having one or more receptacles designed to receive and hold in place a wire harness connector, having multiple pin-hole cavities illuminated from below or behind by a light source mounted on a two-axis translation stage or gantry to identify a cavity for wire insertion. Moreover, the present invention may further comprise a portable, computer-implemented system capable of executing a series of automated process steps designed to identify wire markings and guide the error-free insertion of identified wires into wire harness connector pin-hole receptacles for assembly of a wire harness.

A method for checking the production quality of a cable that is provided with a protective sheath, in particular an electrical cable, includes the steps of acquiring images of an external surface of the cable by way of one or more digital video cameras, while the cable is moved along an advancement axis. The method also includes processing the images by way of one or more algorithms in order to calculate one or more numeric indices, each one of which is proportional to a respective optically-detectable characteristic of the external surface of the cable.

A method for checking the production quality of a cable that is provided with a protective sheath, in particular an electrical cable, includes the steps of acquiring images of an external surface of the cable by way of one or more digital video cameras, while the cable is moved along an advancement axis. The method also includes processing the images by way of one or more algorithms in order to calculate one or more numeric indices, each one of which is proportional to a respective optically-detectable characteristic of the external surface of the cable.

A dual cable alignment apparatus (10) for rotationally aligning assembled cable ends of two cables (3,4) of a twisted cable harness (2), the cable alignment apparatus (10) comprising two clamping jaws (7,8) and a central web (9) disposed between the clamping jaws (7,8). Each of the two clamping jaws (7,8), which can be moved towards one another in the closing direction (s), can clamp a cable (3,4) between the central web (9) and the clamping jaws (7,8). The clamping jaws (7,8) are further designed to be movable laterally past the central web (9) for changing the rotational position by rolling the cable (3,4) clamped between them. The clamping jaws (7,8) can be moved independently of one another in the lateral direction by means of their own lateral drives (16,17), ensuring that each cable (3,4) can be brought precisely and reliably into the desired rotational position.

A wiring harness assembly cell includes an automation zone housing a robot for performing automated assembly operations on a series of wiring harness assembly boards. A plurality of wiring harness assembly stations is located about the automation zone, each including one or more wiring harness assembly boards holding the wiring harnesses. Manual operator zones are located outside the automation zone that are associated with the wiring harness assembly stations. The wiring harness assembly stations are reconfigurable between a first configuration in which a first wiring harness assembly board faces the manual operator zone such that it is accessible to a manual operator, and a second configuration in which it faces the automation zone such that it is accessible to the robot. The robot is moved within the automation zone between a plurality of assembly locations where it accesses and operates on the respectively the plurality of wiring harness assembly stations.