Molex Corporation

Souichi Watanabe

Kazuaki Kamei

Yoshio Ishiwata

Sadao Takahashi

Masahiro Ohsawa

A rotatable wire feed drum for use in the assembly of multiple connector wire harnesses includes a rotary drum of a given diameter and an outer circumferential surface which accommodate a plurality of wires. A first wire-clamping assembly is operatively connected to the wire feed drum and selectively clamps the wires to the drum in order to advance them with rotation of the drum. The wire feed drum may be utilized as a wire feed device in a wire harness assembly apparatus between a wire supply device and a wire terminating device. Feeding of selected wires is effected by clamping a set of selected wires to the wire feed drum and simultaneously unclamping a second set of wires at a location spaced from the feed drum and then rotating the wire feed drum.

Rotary wire feed drum for use in wire harness assembly

A wire harness-making apparatus includes a wire supply, a wire feeding unit for feeding and measuring harness wires from the wire supply, a wire transport unit for transporting the harness wires, and two connector crimping units positioned on the opposite sides of the harness wire set. The wire transport unit includes first and second wire clamps movable from opposite sides of the harness wires. The first and second wire clamps are driven along an associated top and bottom guides on opposite sides of the harness wire set. These clamps may he operated into and out of contact from vertical directions so as not to interfere with the feeding of wires by the wire feed unit.

Apparatus for making electrical harness

Disclosed is a multi-wire feeding apparatus comprising a plurality of wire feeding units arranged side by side in parallel. Each unit uses an endless belt having projections thereon and a gear wheel having projections to engage those of the endless belt for driving the endless belt and feeding a length of wire thereon. Transmission axles for transmitting driving power to associated gear wheels are arranged so that these gear wheels do not interfere with each other.

Multi-wire feeding apparatus

An apparatus for changing intervals, or the spacing, at which selected wires are arranged in an arrangement of wires includes a lateral arrangement of linear pipes which convey wires of the wire arrangement; means for applying opposing forces to the pipes to maintain them in parallel in the arrangement; and a wire-interval changing blade assembly having a plurality of blades which intervene between selected adjacent pipes and which overcome the opposing forces applied to the pipes, thereby causing the pipe forward ends to separate from each other while allowing their rearward ends to remain close to each other, thus diverging at their forward ends.

Apparatus for changing intervals at which selected wires are arranged in

Disclosed is an improved wire measuring apparatus comprising a wire guide roller mechanism 3 and a looper 5 to push down a fed wire to a descending position, thereby measuring the length of wire in terms of descending position at which the wire is held by the looper 5. The wire guide roller mechanism 3 comprises a frame, first, second and third guide rollers 6, 7 and 8 rotatably fixed to the frame. The first and third guide rollers 6 and 8 rotate in same direction, and the second guide roller 7 rotates in an opposite direction both in pulling the wire forward and backward. Also, the whole guide roller arrangement is designed to incline and follow the increasing or decreasing inclination of wire length ahead of the third guide roller. Thus, the wire curling inclination can be reduced from the measured wire. The second guide roller acts to reduce the effect of the wires bending around the first guide roller and the wires extend tangentially from the third guide roller.

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Yokohama, Japan

Souichi Watanabe