Processing system for a wiring harness, a method for testing an electrical connection of a wiring harness, computer-readable storage medium and a wire connection assisting system

A method for testing an electrical connection of a network of a wiring harness including harness-forming wires (W) substantially every time the harness-forming wire (W) is connected, the method being adoptable in a production line of producing the wiring harness by conveying a connection board (100) from one to another of a plurality of stations (ST) and connecting the harness-forming wires (W) to form the wiring harness on the connection board (100), comprising the steps of:

• setting different node addresses for a master unit (260) for conducting (S20) an electrical connection test for the wiring harness being produced and a plurality of connector units (250) for connecting the master unit (260) at least partly with the wiring harness,
• giving tokens (BN) to the respective units (260, 250) by a time-division technique based on timing bit sets issued at specified intervals from any of the units (260, 250) and the node addresses according to a perfect time-division multiplexing communication method, and
• determining (S11;
• S18;
• S20;
• S22;
• S23) whether the network is satisfactory up to a final state by the perfect time-division multiplexing communication method substantially every the harness-forming wire (W) is connected in the production process of the wiring harness being tested.

A wire connection assisting system (10), comprising:

• a wire supply (40) for accommodating terminated wires (W) while sorting the terminal-provided wires (W) beforehand according to their kinds,
• an assembling board (100) on which the terminal-provided wires (W) taken out from the wire supply (40) are to be connected,
• connector holders (211) provided on the assembling board (100) and each including a connector accommodating portion (212) for holding a connector (C) to be connected with the terminal-provided wire (W) taken out from the wire supply (40) and a detecting element (220) electrically connectable with a terminal (T) of the terminated wires (W) inserted into the connector (C) at least partly accommodated in the connector accommodating portion (212),
• a wire-side connection instructing means (320) provided at the wire supply (40) for giving an instruction of taking out a specific wire (W) accommodated in the wire supply (40),
• connector-side connection instructing means (240) provided in correspondence with the respective connector holders (211) for displaying a connection end corresponding to the connector (C) with which the taken-out terminated wire (W) is to be connected,
• a master unit (260) provided on the assembling board (100) to be at least temporarily electrically connectable with the respective detecting elements (220) for controlling the respective connection instructing means (320, 240),
• a wire-side node unit (300) at least temporarily connected with the master unit (260) in a manner as to enable a multiplexing communication and adapted to drive the wire-side connection instructing means (320) based on a control of the master unit (260),
• a connector-side node unit (250) at least temporarily connected with the master unit (260) in such a manner as to enable a multiplexing communication and adapted to control the detecting elements (220) of the connector holders (211) and the wire-side connection instructing means (320) based on the control of the master unit (260), and
• a multiplexing communication control system (262a, 252a, 302a) for at least temporarily connecting the master unit (260) and the node unit (300, 250) as nodes so as to enable the multiplexing communication therebetween.