AU627976B2 - Hose reel - Google Patents

Description

COMM62797WEALTH OF AUSTRALIA COMNONWEALTH OF AUSTRALIA Patents Act 1952 Name of Applicant TRUNOLA PTY. LTD.

Address of Applicant: 137 Beardy Street, Armidale, New South Wales, 2350, Australia Actual Inventor ADRIAN ANDERSON Address for Service GRANT ADAMS COMPANY, Patent Trade Mark Attorneys, Level 9, National Mutual Centre, 144 Edward Street, BRISBANE. QLD. 4000

AUSTRALIA.

COMPLETE SPECIFICATION FOR THE INVENTION ENTITLED: "HOSE REEL" The following statement is a full description of the invention including the best method of performing it known to the applicant.

THIS INVENTION relates to a remotely controlled hose apparatus and, in particular, to hose reels that are remotely controlled.

Hose reels are provided for a wide range of uses. In some circumstances, it is useful to be able to rewind the hose by a powered means rather than a manual one. In some circumstances, it would be desirable for an operator to contro. the rewind operation at a distance from the reel. For example, a hose reel is lu commonly used in the distribution of pesticides. A spray head is fed by the hose reel from a storaqe container. It is desirable for the user to be able to rewind as he works back around a site to the reel and pumping equipment.

It is an object of the present invention to provide a hose reel which may be controllably rewound from a remote location.

The invention achieves its objects in the provision of a remotely controlled hose apparatus whereby a user may cause the reel to selectively rewind the hose from a position spaced apart from the reel comprising: a reel to wind and support a hose thereon; a source of motive power to turn the reel; a receiver means whereby rewind control signals may be received, said rewind control signals selectively actioning the reel, the reel being turned by the source of motive power; and a transmitter means whereby rewind control signals may be sent to the receiver means, said transmitter means being adapted to placement with a remote user for effective transmission of said control signals to said receiver means.

The invention may be used by weed and pest controllers with remote rewind of the hose when ready.

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Fluid weedicides or pesticides, for example, may be pumped into the hose by a diaphragm pump, or other suitable pump, which is directly coupled to a small motor. Twin reels may be provided, each with its own receiver and transmitter. The invention may be used in blackberry spraying, sucker and briar control, jetting sheep and spraying for spiders. The invention may also be used with other fluids such as water as in the mopping up bush fires, etc. In use, a user may draw out the hose to a remote location at which spraying may commence and then work back towards the unit, rewinding as he goes.

The hose may be guided by rollers that operate to effect rewind from any direction. Manual controls and safety switches may be provided.

The invention will now be described with reference to the accompanying drawings in which: FIG. 1 illustrates schematically the components of a hose reel in accordance with the invention; and FIG. 2 shows in more detail elements of a hose reel in accordance with the invention.

In FIG. 1 a hose reel 13 is controlled from a remote location by operation of a transmitter 10 whose 25 signals are received by a receiver 11 which causes coupling of a motor 12 to the hose reel 13. By operation of the transmitter 10, a user at a remote location can cause a clutch to be activated to engage a motor to the reel. This way, power take off to the reel may be from a continuously running pump motor. Units might be produced with a single reel for lone operators or with twin reels for pairs of operators.

In practice, the hose reel 13 is acted on by bearings which act as tensioners so as to effect a controlled run-out and rewind. The hose itself is preferably a nylon hose for effective feed onto the reel. A magnetic clutch might be interposed between the motor 12 and reel 13, the magnetic clutch being activated and de-activated by operation of the transmitter 10. The motor may run continuously to activate the punp with the clutch controlling power to the reel according to signals at the receiver sent from a trasnmiter at the user's discretion In FIG. 2 are illustrated various compomemts in a hose reel according to the invention. The reel 14 comprises two opposed circular flanges 15 and 16 between which a hose (not shown) may be wound onto a central hub 33. Construction of such a reel will be obvious to a person skilled in the art and many different constructional techniques and designs may be employed.

The hose is fed to the reel through a guide 18 comprising a hole through which the hose may pass, formed between two guide rollers 19 and 20, each mounted on generally vertical axes between two support plates 21 and 22. The guide rollers are mounted forwardly of the hose reel 14 and are oriented in the direction of pull, usually to open slightly downwardly. The reel 14 is mounted for rotation on an axle 17 which is driven by a pulley 23 about which a belt drive 24 is passed. The S 25 belt drive is powered by a drive pulley 25 on drive shaft 26 which can be powered at a sprocket 27.

Sprocket 27 may be engaged by a drive chain (not shown) from the power take off of a suitable drive motor. A magnetic clutch 34 may be interposed under control of a receiver (not shown).

The hose on reel 14 may be fed with a pressurised fluid from line 29 which passes into stationary block 30 which sealably passes fluid into a passage in the rotating shaft 17 for flow therethrough output block 31 which couples to hose 32 wound on hub t 33.

By this means, a pressurised fluid may be passed from a pump (not shown) to the hose and thereby to a remote location whereat a user may distribute it.

The pump might be connected to the motor by either a gear box, a drive belt, or any other suitable means.

The drive belt 24 may be tensioned by a selectively positionable roller 28 which may deflect the drive belt to raise the tension therein. The drive belt tension may cause friction in the tension roller bearings sufficient to prevent run-on pulling out the hose.

A typical unit may have two reels both powered by the same 8 hp motor through a 6 to 1 reduction gear box, driving a pump at approximately 400 rpm. Single reel units might be powered by a 5 hp motor. The main drive shaft may be geared down by another 3 to 1 and _urns continuously. The V-belt drive to the reels may be geared down a further 2 to 1. The reels turn freely till the clutch is activated. The twelve volt supply supplies the receivers as well as the starter. It can be recharged from the motor. The diaphagm pump typically needs to devlop up to around 550 lbs pressure and deliver around 60 lts/min. A 3/8 inch nylon hose rated at 1000 IbsBP is employed. The rewind torque can be around 200 lbs.

The above described hose reel may be provided as a truck born unit for spraying contractors. The hose reel of this invncLion achieves significant time savings for such a coihtrator. In use the operator pulls out the hose to the job, and when ready, he pushes a transmitter button to activate the powered hose rewind. Rewind is typically set at a comfortable walking speed.

In design of the hose reel, considerable tension in the hose, in rewind, is established at the reel. This is loaded to the hose guide which must operate without undue wear. The guide rollers may be machined out of low wearing nylon rod. An open face design allows the hose to work at different angles to the hose reel and the guide rollers are preferably placed 600 mm in front of the reel with a smooth nylon base.

In practice, it is usual for two operators to be employed on a job and the above described apparatus is readily provided with two hose reels, both powered off the same drive shaft. Two transmitters, each operating on separate frequencies, enable independent operation. Power to the apparatus may be provided from an electric start petrol engine, run continuously to power the pump and a drive shaft from which power to the separate reels is selectively engaged by respective transceiver selected magnetic clutches. A battery provides the electic start and requiste controls, start button, receiver power switches, etc may be mounted anywhere that is convenient.

In case of a power failure, the hose apparatus of the invention is readily provided with the means of effecting a manual rewind. Correct operation of the components of the invention might be monitored by sensors checking operation of various components and the correct, or incorrect operation, or failure of operation, might be indicated thereby and it is a simple matter for such monitoring to be signalled to the hand held transmitter by adopting transceivers at each end so as to alert the user to the status of the hose apparatus. In addition to the above sensors, safety switches might be incorporated to automatically disable the equipment in the event of a critical failure or to maintain efficient operation as by idling the motor whenever the hose is not operated. When spraying is not underway, fluid pressure in the line will be greater and 6 a sensor might cause the motor to idle to save fuel. A further drop when the spray head is switched on could be used as the signal to speed up the motor. Alternately, such parameters might be controlled by singals from the transmitter held by the user.

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Claims (6)

1. 2. A remotely controlled hose apparatus as claimed in Claim 1 wherein: there is provided a selectively operable a clutch connecting the source of motive power to the reel S 20 upon actuation of the clutch, actuation of the selectively operable clutch being caused on reception of a rewind control signal at the receiver means.
2. 3. A remotely controlled hose apparatus as claimed in Claim 2 wherein: S 25 the source of motive power is also coupled to a pump which feeds a liquid to the hose, the source of motive power being continuously operable.
3. 4. A remotely controlled hose apparatus as claimed in Claim 3 wherein: there is provided an additional reel to wind and support a hose thereon having its own selectively operable clutch to couple it to the source of motive power and its own receiver means whereby control signals on a separate channel may actuate the second reel independently of the other. I A remotely controlled hose apparatus as claimed in any one of the preceding claims wherein: the reel or reels rotate on bearings which act as tensioners to control the rate of run-out.
4. 6. A remotely controlled hose apparatus as claimed in any one of the preceding claims wherein: the hose or hoses are fed through a hole or holes between pairs of guide rollers turning on substantially parallel axes.
5. 7. A remotely controlled hose apparatus as claimed in Cla]jn 6 wherein: the two guide rollers of a pair of guide rollers are tilted forwardly relative to the reel in the direction of run-out of the hose to angle downwardly.
6. 8. A remotely controlled hose apparatus as claimed in Claim 7 wherein: the guide rollers are machined or moulded, low wearing nylon rollers with an axial profile that is concave and the rollers turn on axles located in two opposed plates, the guide rollers being captive S' therebetween. *o0 9. A remotely controlled hose apparatus as claimed in any one of Claims 3, 4 or 5 to 8 when "0o 0 appended to Claims 3 or 4 wherein: o 25 the pump is connected to a stationary block located axially of the reel, liquid supplied by the pump passing to the block, along an axle to the reel and from the axle to the hose. o0 a 0oo o0 10. A remotely controlled hose apparatus substantially as hereinbefore described with reference to the accompanying drawings. DATED this twelfth day of June 1992. TRUNOLA PTY. LTD., by its Patent Attorneys, GRANT ADAMS COMPANY. ABSTRACT A hose reel is operated by remote control to enable an operator to reel out a hose to a remote location and work back towards the reel, rewinding the hose as he goes. The reel is associated with a pump to supply liquid to the hose. A continuously operating motor may power the pump and the reel, the reel being coupled by a clutch which is operated upon receipt of a signal from the operator. Q