The Boeing Company

Cindy X Li

Bradley James Mitchell

Ty Aaby Larsen

Damien O Martin

Lars Eric Blacken

Grace L Duncan

Jeffrey A McCaskey

Methods and apparatus for automated routing of wires of a wire harness on a form board. A wire harness comprising a wire end connector and a multiplicity of groups of wires is supported and carried by a carrier end effector mounted to an end of a first robotic arm. The wire groups are accessed and then routed on the form board by a routing end effector mounted to an end of a second robotic arm. Initially a wire gripper of the routing end effector is opened. The second robotic arm is then controlled to move the routing end effector so that respective first portions of all wire groups are accessible for gripping by the wire gripper. Then the wire gripper is closed to grip the first portions of wires. Then the second robotic arm is controlled to move the routing end effector to place second portions of the wires of all wire groups in a first elastic retainer wire routing device attached to the form board. Thereafter, the routing end effector routes the first group of wires through a second elastic retainer wire routing device and then routes the second group of wires through a third elastic retainer wire routing device.

Growing community of inventors

Everett, WA, United States of America

Cindy X Li