Wire harness and method and apparatus for manufacturing the same

Abstract

A wire harness is made up of a plurality of partial harnesses. Each of the partial harnesses is arranged such that opposite end portions of a plurality of electric wires having terminals at ends thereof are retained in advance in U-shapes with predetermined intervals provided so as to correspond to a plurality of connectors into which the terminals are inserted, by a plurality of wire clamps juxtaposed at equal pitches on a wire clamping bar. The terminals at the ends of the plurality of electric wires in each of the partial harnesses are inserted into terminal accommodating chambers of predetermined connectors selected from the plurality of connectors, thereby aggregating the partial harnesses into a combined unit.

What is claimed is:  
     
         1 . A wire harness comprising a plurality of partial harnesses, 
 wherein each of the partial harnesses is arranged such that opposite end portions of a plurality of electric wires having terminals at ends thereof are retained in advance in U-shapes with predetermined intervals provided so as to correspond to a plurality of connectors into which the terminals are inserted, by a plurality of wire clamps juxtaposed at equal pitches on a wire clamping bar, and    wherein the terminals at the ends of the plurality of electric wires in each of the partial harnesses are inserted into terminal accommodating chambers of predetermined connectors selected from the plurality of connectors, thereby aggregating the plurality of partial harnesses into a combined unit.    
     
     
         2 . A wire harness according to    claim 1   , wherein the plurality of connectors into which the terminals are inserted comprise at least one of connectors proper to a relevant partial harness into which only the terminals of the plurality of electric wires making up each of the partial harnesses are inserted and hybrid connectors into which the terminals of the electric wires of two or more of the partial harnesses are inserted in mixed form.  
     
     
         3 . A wire harness according to    claim 1   , wherein the proper connector is fitted in advance to the ends of predetermined ones of the electric wires of each of the partial harnesses.  
     
     
         4 . A wire harness according to    claim 1   , wherein the hybrid connector is fitted in advance to the ends of the electric wires of one or two of the partial harnesses selected from the plurality of partial harnesses.  
     
     
         5 . A wire harness according to    claim 1   , wherein each of the partial harnesses includes electric wires to stripped ends of which terminals are unconnected, and the stripped ends thereof are jointed in the aggregated state.  
     
     
         6 . A method of manufacturing a wire harness from the plurality of partial harnesses, comprising: 
 a step of transferring a wire clamping bar which holds an initial one of the partial harnesses to a wire-harness fabricating station;    a step of inserting the terminals at ends of a plurality of electric wires consecutively into predetermined terminal accommodating chambers of predetermined ones of the connectors selected from the plurality of connectors set on a connector receiving jig in the wire-harness fabricating station;    a step of removing the wire clamping bar which has been emptied; and    repeating the steps of transferring, inserting and removing consecutively for ensuing ones of the partial harnesses.    
     
     
         7 . A method of manufacturing a wire harness according to    claim 6   , further comprising a step of transferring a proper connector fitted in advance to ends of predetermined ones of the electric wires of each of the partial harnesses to the connector receiving jig in the wire-harness fabricating station.  
     
     
         8 . A method of manufacturing a wire harness according to    claim 6   , further comprising a step of collectively jointing, in the wire-harness fabricating station, two or more stripped portions of the electric wires included in each of the partial harnesses.  
     
     
         9 . A method of manufacturing a wire harness according to    claim 7   , further comprising a step of collectively jointing, in the wire-harness fabricating station, two or more stripped portions of the electric wires included in each of the partial harnesses.  
     
     
         10 . A method of manufacturing a wire harness according to    claim 6   , further comprising a step of jointing, in the wire-harness fabricating station, stripped portions of the ends of the electric wires included in each of the partial harnesses, such that the stripped portions are consecutively superposed one on top of another each time each of the partial harnesses is transferred to the wire-harness fabricating station.  
     
     
         11 . A method of manufacturing a wire harness according to    claim 7   , further comprising a step of jointing, in the wire-harness fabricating station, stripped portions of the ends of the electric wires included in each of the partial harnesses, such that the stripped portions are consecutively superposed one on top of another each time each of the partial harnesses is transferred to the wire-harness fabricating station.  
     
     
         12 . An apparatus for manufacturing a wire harness, comprising: 
 a wire-harness fabricating station for forming a single wire harness from partial harnesses, the wire-harness fabricating station having a connector receiving jig which detachably holds a plurality of proper connectors and a plurality of hybrid connectors.    
     
     
         13 . An apparatus for manufacturing a wire harness according to    claim 12   , wherein the wire-harness fabricating station comprises a connector transferring device for transferring, to the connector receiving jig, ones of the proper connectors and hybrid connectors which are fitted in advance to the partial harness.