United States of America As Represented by the Secretary of the Air Force

Westinghouse Electric Corporation

Other

Mark S Weixel

James A Henderson

Constantine M Travlos

Frank C Rushing

Ronald C Vansickle

Mark L Holland

A first end effector extends from a rotatable support in a first direction and has a tip portion extending in a second direction transverse to the first direction, and a second type of end effector extends in a third direction and has a tip portion extending in a fourth direction opposite the second direction, to enable contact insertion into a connector by either effector and regardless of the orientation in space of the connector.

Contact insertion turret end effector

A wire container for use with a robot-arm-manipulated wire routing tool in the fabrication of wire harnesses. The container includes a protective shroud having a plurality of lever arms which facilitate the raising of the shroud above the drum of the container.

Wire container

A wire container for use with a robot-arm-manipulated wire routing tool in the fabrication of wire harnesses. The container is adapted to hold various cables, single wires and twisted pair wires of different lengths and wire sizes, and having different contact configurations on the ends thereof.

An automated flexible manufacturing system for fabricating electrical cable harness assemblies. The system includes a wire preparation system in which the wires are cut to length, provided with the desired electrical terminations and marked for identification under the control of computing means to which wire harness data is fed. The prepared wires are transported to an automated cable harness assembly system which is also controlled from computing means to which the wire harness data is fed.

Flexible automated manufacturing system

A harness formation end-effector comprising a housing disposed for cooperable receipt and retention of a removable tool tip, wherein the tool tip may take the form of a contact insertion tool tip or a crimping tool tip or the like.

Harness formation end-effector with interchangeable tool capability

The harness formation interchange for use with a robotic end-effector includes a plurality of tool storage units at each robot work station. Each of the storage units incorporates a powered tool clamping assembly consisting of power driven clamps which move in a path normal to the longitudinal axis of an insertion tool finger to be clamped thereby. Additionally, the storage units are each provided with a powered latch release unit which moves around an insertion tool finger clamped by the power driven clamps to engage and release a tool latch mounted on the robotic end-effector.

Harness formation finger interchange

A double pinch-push contact insertion end-effector for performing contact insertion on a universal basis. End-effector comprises a front jaw assembly which is moveable relative to a rear jaw assembly. Each jaw assembly comprises a pair of jaws, where each pair is individually actuable to effect contact insertion.

Double pinch-push contact insertion end-effector

Contact insertion and wire lay apparatus for manufacture of wire harnesses which provides for insertion of a contact affixed to the trailing end of a wire segment after wire lay. The invention provides for gripping a wire segment while the segment is caused to lay in a desired configuration. A pair of sets of tip jaws enable forward and trailing end contacts of the wire segment to be inserted into selected contact holding devices. In addition, the apparatus is arranged to facilitate lateral receipt and rejection of the wire segments.

Growing community of inventors

Ellicott City, MD, United States of America

Mark S Weixel