Method and apparatus for robotically routing wires on a harness form board

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-11264152-B2
Application number	US-201916666254-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Oct 28, 2019
Priority date	Oct 28, 2019
Publication date	Mar 1, 2022
Grant date	Mar 1, 2022

Abstract

Methods and apparatus for robot motion control and wire dispensing during automated routing of wires onto harness form boards. The robot includes a manipulator arm and a wire-routing end effector mounted to a distal end of the manipulator arm. The wire-routing end effector is configured for dispensing and routing a wire along a path through form board devices mounted to a harness form board. The wire-routing end effector is moved along a planned path under the control of a robot controller. An end effector path is provided with a set of processes that enable rapid, even fully automatic, development of robot motion controls for routing wires on harness form boards. The system uses a measurement encoder on the end effector that is routing individual wires on a wire harness form board to learn the length of each wire and its length variation.

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1. A system comprising:
a form board comprising a perforated plate having a multiplicity of holes;
a plurality of wire-routing devices fastened to the form board;
a manipulator arm;
a wire-routing end effector coupled to the manipulator arm and comprising a lower frame of the wire-routing end effector and a routing beak attached to and projecting from the lower frame of the wire-routing end effector,
wherein the routing beak comprises a channel that guides a wire along a predetermined path; and
a robot controller configured to control movement of the manipulator arm and rotation of the wire-routing end effector relative to the manipulator arm such that a tool control point at the tip of the routing beak travels along a predefined routing path relative to the form board, wherein the wire-routing device comprises:
a wire-routing device frame comprising upper and lower arms, wherein the lower arm has a hole;
a temporary fastener fastened to the hole in the lower arm of the frame of the wire-routing device and to one of the holes in the form board; and
a routing clip comprising a base fastened to the upper arm of the frame of the wire-routing device, first and second flexible clip arms which extend upward and away from the form board and are configured to bend resiliently; and first and second hooks respectively connected to or integrally formed with the first and second flexible clip arms, each of the first and second hooks comprising respective outer inclined surfaces so that forces on the outer inclined surfaces cause the flexible clip arms to bend outward and away from each other,
wherein the robot controller is further configured to control movement of the manipulator arm such that the routing beak pushes down on the outer inclined surfaces of the first and second hooks, thereby causing the flexible clip arms to bend outward and away from each other.

2. The system as recited in claim 1 , wherein the wire-routing end effector further comprises:
a drive roller comprising a drive roller shaft rotatably coupled to the frame of the wire-routing end effector, wherein the drive roller is arranged to contact a portion of the wire being guided in the channel of the routing beak;
a motor having a motor output shaft;
a roller drive train operatively coupled to the motor output shaft;
a drive shaft operatively coupled to the roller drive train so that the drive shaft rotates when the motor output shaft rotates; and gears configured to convert rotation of the drive shaft to rotation of the drive roller shaft.

3. The system as recited in claim 2 , wherein the wire-routing end effector further comprises a rotary encoder coupled to the motor and configured to output signals representing encoder data indicating incremental rotations of the motor output shaft, and wherein the robot controller is communicatively coupled to receive the encoder data and further configured to calculate a length of wire dispensed by the wire-routing end effector based on the received encoder data.

4. The system as recited in claim 2 , wherein the wire-routing end effector further comprises: an upper frame that is attached to the manipulator arm; and
a force/torque sensor attached to the upper frame of the wire-routing end effector and supporting the lower frame of the wire-routing end effector, wherein the force/torque sensor is configured to output sensor data representing a force being exerted on the force/torque sensor by the lower frame of the wire-routing end effector to the robot controller,
wherein the motor is mounted to the upper frame of the wire-routing end effector, wherein the roller drive train is rotatably coupled to the upper frame of the wire-routing end effector, and wherein the drive shaft is respectively rotatable about and movable along an axis of the drive shaft.

5. The system as recited in claim 4 , further comprising a reelette coupled to the upper frame of the wire-routing end effector and configured to contain at least a portion of the wire being guided by the routing beak.

6. The system as recited in claim 1 , wherein the temporary fastener comprises a cylindrical housing, a plunger which is slidably coupled to the cylindrical housing, first and second locking pins having respective proximal ends connected to the plunger and respective distal ends extending through an underside of the lower arm of the frame of the wire routing device, and a spacer affixed to the cylindrical housing and disposed between respective portions of the first and second locking pins.

7. A system comprising:
a form board comprising a perforated plate having a multiplicity of holes;
a plurality of wire-routing devices fastened to the form board;
a manipulator arm;
a wire-routing end effector coupled to the manipulator arm and comprising a frame of the wire-routing end effector and a routing beak attached to and projecting from the frame of the wire-routing end effector;
a robot controller configured to control movement of the manipulator arm and rotation of the wire-routing end effector relative to the manipulator arm such that a tool control point at the tip of the routing beak travels along a predefined routing path relative to the form board; and
a first-end connector support device fastened to the form board, wherein the first-end connector support device comprises:
a frame of the first-end connector support device comprising a base plate having a hole and a vertical plate connected to or integrally formed with the base plate;
a temporary fastener fastened to the hole in the base plate and to one of the holes in the form board; and
a detent pin installed on the vertical plate, wherein the detent pin is a quick-release alignment pin with a solid shank and spring-loaded locking balls.

8. The system as recited in claim 7 , wherein the first-end connector support device further comprises a notched projection connected to or integrally formed with and extending vertically upward from the vertical plate, and wherein the robot controller is further configured to control movement of the manipulator arm such that the routing beak places an end of a wire with a contact in a notch and hooked behind the notched projection.

9. The system as recited in claim 7 , wherein the first-end connector support device further comprises:
a horizontal platform connected to or integrally formed with and extending horizontally from the vertical plate in a first direction opposite to a second direction in which the base plate is projecting; and a routing clip attached to the horizontal platform.

10. A system comprising:
a form board comprising a perforated plate having a multiplicity of holes;
a plurality of wire-routing devices fastened to the form board;
a manipulator arm;
a wire-routing end effector coupled to the manipulator arm and comprising a frame of the wire-routing end effector and a routing beak attached to and projecting from the frame of the wire-routing end effector;
a robot controller configured to control movement of the manipulator arm and rotation of the wire-routing end effector relative to the manipulator arm such that a tool control point at the tip of the routing beak travels along a predefined routing path relative to the form board; and
a wire end holder fastened to the form board, wherein the wire end holder comprises:
a frame of the wire end holder having upper and lower arms which are mutually parallel, wherein the lower arm of the frame of the wire end holder has a hole;
a temporary fastener fastened to the hole in the lower arm of the frame of the wire end holder and to one of the holes in the form board; and
a wire clip fastened to the upper arm of the frame of the wire end holder.

Assignees

• Boeing Co

Inventors

• Mitchell Bradley J
• Blacken Lars E
• Martin Damien O

Classifications

• H01B13/01245 Primary

  using a layout board · CPC title

• H01B13/01209

  Details · CPC title