EP1419100B1 - Motor-driven winch - Google Patents

Abstract

The invention concerns a winch consisting of a support structure (11), a drum (12) whereon is wound a cable (13), means (14) for linking the drum to the support structure and means (15) for driving the drum. The drum (12) comprises a cylindrical central core (16) and two lateral cheek plates (17). The linking means (14) comprise an annular ball bearing (18) comprising an inner ring (18a) and an outer ring (18b), one of them being provided with teeth (19). The outer ring of the bearing is linked to one of the cheek plates (17). The inner ring is fixed to the support structure (11). The means driving (15) the winch consist of one or more motors (20) whereof the output shafts bear a toothed wheel (21) engaged with the teeth (19) of the linking means (14).

Description

Technical area

The present invention relates to a motorized winch comprising a bearing structure on which is mounted at least one winding drum of a cable consisting of a central cylindrical core and two integral lateral flanges and disposed on either side of this core. central, and rotating drive means of said cable winding drum.

Prior art

Existing motorized winches are almost all based on the same principle of construction. They comprise a motor with an axis provided with a gear which drives a gear connected to the axis of a drum on which a cable is wound.

Due to the mode of this construction, to transmit the driving torque on the axis of the cable winding drum, it is necessary that the drum has a relatively small inside diameter and, consequently, a relatively large width to allow the winding a cable long enough to meet the requirements of professional use.

This has various disadvantages. First of all, because of the width of the drum, the winch is relatively bulky, which can be inconvenient in certain applications in which the available space is limited.

In addition, because of the width of the drum, to obtain a correct winding of the cable, it is necessary to use relatively complicated construction guide means. This results in greater complexity of the winch since it must then include a moving part whose movement must be controlled. The size of the winch is then considerably increased. In addition, even while moving the drum, the winch must withstand all the pulling force of the cable so that mobile components such as bearings, slides, and also the winch support must be particularly resistant.

Without guidance, the cable tends to accumulate in one area of the drum and not to distribute evenly, the turns overlapping in the same area and creating unevenly distributed tensions. Only a portion of the cable can be wound on the drum whose useful capacity is then much lower than its optimum capacity.

When the cable is not wound regularly, a portion of the cable may be caught between two adjacent turns of a previous turn. If this happens when the cable is live, it can be extremely difficult to unroll the cable, and it may be damaged.

To wind up a sufficient length of cable, the existing drums generally have an outer diameter, or lateral flange diameter, about twice as large as the inside diameter or diameter of the cylinder. This has different consequences. If the rotational speed of the motor is constant, the linear speed of the cable will be highly variable. In addition, the pulling force will not be the same when the drum is almost empty or when it is full. When the drum is almost empty, the cable is wound on a relatively small diameter, which creates a strong deformation and great stresses in this cable and, as a result, generates wear which reduces its life.

We know, for example, the winch illustrated by the European publication EP 0 733 577 A . The winch for an elevator rope comprises a rotor driven by a motor whose output shaft carries a toothed gear engaged with a ring gear. It is obvious that the constraints imposed on elevator winch mechanisms are very different from those of vehicle winches. These winches are usually equipped with cable alignment systems, as congestion is not a problem or at least the obligation to reduce the space requirement is not the same for an on-board winch mounted on a vehicle and a fixed winch for an elevator.

We also know the winch, object of the international publication WO 01/44099 A which comprises a winding drum of the cable, a central motor housed inside the drum and gears which couple the motor to the drum. This type of construction does not solve the specific problems of on-vehicle winches, for example vehicles for logging.

The present invention proposes to overcome the drawbacks of motorized winches of the prior art by producing a winch space-saving, convenient to use and particularly robust and reliable for professional use, especially as an on-board winch mounted on vehicles of the type shown in FIG. logging, boat trailers, four-wheel-drive vehicles or the like.

Presentation of the invention

These aims are achieved by a winch as defined in the preamble and characterized in that it comprises an annular bearing consisting of an inner ring and an outer ring defining the raceways of a set of rolling members, one of these rings being provided with a toothing and coupled, on the one hand, to said drive means and, on the other hand, to said winding drum, and the other of said inner or outer rings of the bearing being fixed rigidly to said supporting structure.

According to a preferred embodiment, one of said inner or outer rings of the annular bearing is integral with one of the side flanges of the winding drum. However, it could also be integrated in one of the side flanges of the winding drum, the toothing being then formed on the periphery of this flange.

Preferably, the means for driving the drum in rotation comprise at least one motor having an output shaft carrying a toothed wheel engaged with the toothing of the annular bearing.

According to an alternative embodiment for increasing the hauling force of the winch, the drive means comprise a plurality of motors each having an output shaft carrying a gear wheel meshing with the toothing of the annular bearing.

The supporting structure comprises a flat support plate. According to a first embodiment, said motor is mounted on one side of said plate and said winding drum is mounted on the other side of this frame. According to a second embodiment, said motor and said winding drum are mounted. on the same side of said plate.

For certain applications, the winch advantageously comprises means for fixing the load-bearing structure on a vehicle, these means being pivotable. These pivoting fastening means can cooperate with means for controlling the movement of the winding drum.

The winch may also include a cable position sensor during its winding, this sensor being arranged to cooperate with said means for controlling the movement of the winding drum.

According to a particular embodiment, the winch comprises at least one toothed wheel disposed between the toothed wheel mounted on the output shaft of the motor and the ring gear of the annular bearing.

For safety reasons, the winch may include a non-return device disposed within the cylindrical central core of the winding drum. This non-return device may be a ratchet device, a disk brake or a similar device.

According to another variant, the winch may also comprise means for assisting the unwinding of the cable.

For professional use, it may be advantageous to have a double winch and, in this case, this winch may comprise two winding drums, each drum being integral with an annular bearing cooperating with rotating drive means said drums.

The two winding drums are preferably arranged symmetrically on either side of the support plate of the supporting structure.

To reduce clutter, the motor may be disposed within the cylindrical central core of the winding drum.

To increase the pulling forces, the toothed wheel carried by the output shaft of the motor can be engaged with the toothing of the annular bearing via a planetary gear.

Said bearing structure advantageously comprises two support plates articulated by means of hinges, one of the plates carrying the functional elements of the winch and the other plate carrying a cable guide pulley and a ring, in order to make the winch portable.

Brief description of the drawings

• la figure 1 est une vue schématique en coupe d'un premier mode de réalisation d'un treuil motorisé selon l'invention;
• la figure 2 représente de façon schématique, un treuil mural;
• la figure 3 illustre un treuil motorisé double;
• la figure 4 est une vue de face d'une partie du treuil selon l'invention;
• la figure 5 illustre un mode de réalisation particulier du treuil selon l'invention;
• les figures 6A, 6B et 6C représentent des vues partielles de variantes de réalisation du treuil selon l'invention, et
• les figures 7A et 7B représentent schématiquement une construction du - treuil selon l'invention permettant de le rendre portable.

The present invention and its advantages will be better understood with reference to the description of different embodiments of the invention and to the appended drawings, given by way of non-limiting examples, in which:

• the figure 1 is a schematic sectional view of a first embodiment of a motorized winch according to the invention;
• the figure 2 schematically represents a wall winch;
• the figure 3 illustrates a motorized double winch;
• the figure 4 is a front view of a portion of the winch according to the invention;
• the figure 5 illustrates a particular embodiment of the winch according to the invention;
• the FIGS. 6A, 6B and 6C represent partial views of alternative embodiments of the winch according to the invention, and
• the Figures 7A and 7B schematically represent a construction of - winch according to the invention to make it portable.

Best ways to achieve the invention

With reference to the figures, the winch 10 according to the present invention essentially comprises a bearing structure 11, a winding drum 12 on which a cable 13 is wound, means 14 for connecting the drum to the supporting structure and driving means 15 of the drum.

The winding drum 12 is formed of a central cylindrical core 16 and two lateral flanges 17 integrally mounted to the core, on either side of the latter. Unlike drums generally used, the cylindrical central core has a relatively large diameter relative to the diameter of the side flanges and a small width. Concretely, the central cylindrical core may have a diameter equivalent to two thirds of the diameter of the side flanges, for example 40 cm and 60 cm respectively, for a width of 10 to 15 cm.

The connecting means 14 of the winding drum 12 and the supporting structure 11 comprise an annular bearing 18 consisting of an inner ring 18a, an outer ring 18b defining the raceways of a set of rolling members. 18c, constituted by balls of rollers, needles or the like. As explained in more detail in the following description, the connecting means 14 also constitute part of the drive means 15 of the winding drum 12.

One of these crowns has a toothing 19. In the embodiments illustrated by the Figures 1 to 4 , the toothing is on the outer ring 18b, while in the embodiments illustrated by the figure 5 the teeth are on the inner ring 18a. According to the first embodiment, the outer ring 18b of the annular bearing 18 is connected to one of the flanges 17 of the drum, for example by means of bolts. The inner ring 18a is fixed to the supporting structure 11, and in particular to a flat support plate 22 of this structure, also by means of bolts. In an alternative embodiment, not shown, one of said inner rings 18a or outer 18b may also be integrated in one of the side flanges 17 of the winding drum and, in this case, the toothing 19 is formed at the periphery. of this lateral flange 17.

The drive means 15 of the winch comprise one or more motors 20, in particular hydraulic motors, having an output shaft carrying a gear wheel 21. This gear wheel is engaged with the toothing 19 of the connecting means 14 so that the rotation of the motor causes the rotation of the annular bearing 18, and more particularly of the inner or outer ring connected to the winding drum.

To increase the pulling force of the winch, it is possible to have several similar motors in contact with the teeth 19 of the bearing annular. In this case, the traction force is multiplied by the number of engines.

The bearing structure 11 is formed mainly of the base plate 22 on which the engines are directly fixed and thanks to which it is possible to attach the winch to a vehicle (not shown) such as a forest machine, for example. The winch also comprises a housing 23 illustrated in particular by the figure 1 in which the annular bearing 18 and the toothed wheels 21 of the output shafts of the motors 20 are arranged. In this way, the most fragile parts of the winch, namely the bearing and the toothed wheels, are protected from shocks and dirt. .

With particular reference to figures 1 and 5 , the winch 10 comprises controls 24 of the movement of the winding drum 12, intended to guide the cable during its winding. This can be useful especially when the cable is pulled strongly aside, during a professional use of the forestry type. In the realization according to the figure 1 , the winch is mounted on a vehicle by pivoting fastening means 25, constituted by one or more hinges, a part of which is secured to the support plate 22 and the other is secured to the vehicle. The bearing structure 11 is connected to a jack 26 which moves the drum relative to the cable 13 during its winding. Such an embodiment is made possible by the fact that the width of the drum is only a few centimeters, unlike conventional drums in which the winding width is a few tens of centimeters. The displacement of the drum can be controlled by a sensor 27 which detects the position of the cable relative to the supporting structure. This sensor may be formed of a fork connected for example to a potentiometer (not shown). When the potentiometer detects that the cable is pulled too far on one side, the cylinder 26 is pushed or retracted so as to place the cable in a proper position.

In the embodiment illustrated by the figure 5 , the means 24 for guiding the cable comprise three pulleys 37 arranged to form a baffle. These three pulleys can be driven by a motor (not shown). They are integral with a jack 38 arranged to move them with the cable along the drum. This makes it possible to position the cable optimally during its winding. When the pulleys are driven by a motor, they can provide assistance during its operation. During its winding, they can also generate a prestress which ensures a tension on the cable and thus an optimal winding.

The figure 2 is a schematic view of a variant that allows for a wall winch. In this case, or the motors 20 are placed on the same side as the drum relative to the support plate 22. It is of course necessary to size the flanges of the drum so that they are not in contact with the drum. engine. It is also possible to add a toothed wheel 28 between the drive wheel 21 mounted on the output shaft of the motor and the toothing 19 of the annular bearing 18. This intermediate wheel 28 may or may not modify the reduction ratio between the motor and the annular bearing, depending on the difference in the number of teeth of the two gears 21 and 28.

This embodiment makes it possible to have an extremely compact wall winch. It can be placed vertically against a bulkhead or on the side of a vehicle or horizontally on a bridge of this vehicle. In the case of a vehicle for which the winch is not always essential, it is possible to fix or remove quickly, by lifting means. It can for example be fixed on the deck of a vehicle with only a few bolts.

The figure 3 illustrates another embodiment comprising two identical winches or not, symmetrically mounted on the support plate 22 and each driven by one or more motors 20. This allows to achieve a winch with two particularly compact drums. Both winches may have drive means having different or identical gear ratios.

The winch according to the invention may further comprise a non-return device 29, of the ratchet type device, as is illustrated in detail by the figure 4 . The nonreturn device 29 could also be a disk brake or any other similar device. The inside of the cylindrical central core 16 of the drum 12 has asymmetrical teeth 30. The bearing structure 11 comprises a finger 31 mounted on a pivoting axis 32. In a first position of the finger, illustrated in dashed lines by the figure 4 this finger is never in contact with the asymmetrical teeth 30. In a second position, illustrated in solid lines in this same figure, it is in contact with these teeth in such a way that the drum 12 can rotate in a direction which makes it possible to wind the cable and which prevents the drum from rotating in the opposite direction.

The flange 17 disposed towards the outside of the winding drum may be annular or closed by a central plate 33, as illustrated by the figure 1 , which prevents objects from getting caught in the drum. In this case, it is possible to let the pivot axis of the finger of the non-return device protrude from this closure plate, so as to easily enable and disable said device.

To unwind the cable, it is possible to let the motors run freely. A pull on this cable then causes the rotation of the drum. It is also possible to provide assistance to the progress. This assistance can be provided by means 34 of assistance to the unwinding of the cable and be of all-or-nothing type or progressive. For this purpose, these means of assistance 34, as illustrated by the figure 4 may be associated with a pivoting lever 35. When no traction is applied to the cable 13, it is not in contact with the lever 35 because the cable hangs under the effect of its own weight under the drum 12. This corresponds to the position shown in broken lines. When a pull is applied to the cable, it is stretched in the direction of traction. In this case, it comes into contact with the lever 35 and lifts it slightly. This corresponds to the position shown in solid lines. This lifting is detected by a switch or potentiometer 36 which engages the motors 20 so as to unroll the cable. When the control is engaged by a switch, the unwinding speed is constant. When the control is made by means of a potentiometer, the unwinding speed can be adapted to the tension of the cable, therefore to the height of the lever.

The figure 5 illustrates a particularly compact embodiment of the invention Unlike the other embodiments illustrated, the toothing 19 is provided inside the drum. The outer ring 18b of the annular bearing 18 is integral with the supporting structure 11 and the inner ring 18a is integral with the winding drum 12. The motor 20 is disposed in the available volume inside the drum. As in the previous embodiments, the winch 10 has an output shaft carrying a gear 21. It is engaged with the toothing 19 via a planetary gear 39. This embodiment is particularly interesting in that the motor is arranged in the drum. It thus occupies a volume not used in the other embodiments. The winch obtained is very compact and can be used as a wall winch.

The partial view of the Figure 6A illustrates a construction in which the inner ring 18a of the bearing 18 is integrated with one of the flanges 17 of the winding drum 12. This construction makes it possible to arrange the toothing 19 directly on the periphery of this flange. The diameter of the toothing can be enlarged, which allows to obtain a high gearing of the drive. The outer ring 18b is fixed on the support plate 22 of the supporting structure.

The variant according to Figure 6B differs from that of Figure 6A in that the flange 17 is provided at its periphery with a flange 17a which carries the toothing 19 internally and which has a smooth outer surface allowing collaboration with a brake (not shown), which may be of the type with clamping band or any other known type. The support plate 22 carries the outer ring 18b and the drive motor 20 whose output shaft carries the toothed wheel 21.

The variant according to Figure 6C differs from the previous construction in that the toothed wheel 21, which is mounted on the output shaft of the drive motor 20, is engaged with a relatively large diameter gear 21a which drives a pinion 21b meshing with the toothing 19. This embodiment makes it possible to reduce the drive speed of the drum. The toothed wheel 21a and the pinion 21b are mounted on the support plate 22 of the supporting structure.

The Figures 7A and 7B are schematic views, respectively front and bottom of a portable embodiment of the winch the invention. The bearing structure mainly comprises two support plates 22a and 22b, which can be part of a housing (not shown) and which are hinged by two hinges 22c arranged symmetrically. One of the support plates 22b carries the functional elements of the winch 10 itself and the other 22a carries a cable guide pulley 10a and a ring 10b which makes it possible to fix the assembly by any means of attachment, chain, cable, belt or the like at a fixed or movable strong enough attachment point. The articulation of the two support plates allows the movement of the winding drum of the winch during operation, including a relative pivoting of the latter relative to the pulley 10a, to allow an ordered winding of the cable whatever the position of the winch or load to tow.

The winch of the present invention has many advantages over winches of the prior art. In particular, it is very compact, which allows to place it in places in which other winches are too bulky.

The cylindrical central core 16 of the drum 12 has a large diameter compared to conventional winch drums. This implies that, on the one hand, the cable undergoes less stress and that, on the other hand, a cable run is longer. For the same length of cable, it takes less turns, so a smaller volume.

Since the width of the drum is particularly small compared to the drums of the prior art, the cable can not wind up incorrectly, that is to say on one side of the drum. All the cable is usable, unlike what happens with other winches. As the winding is done regularly, the turns can practically not get caught in each other and the unwinding of the cable is thus facilitated.

The winch can be placed in virtually any position, both horizontally and vertically or at an angle. In any case, the winding will be correct and all the cable can be used.

The pulling force and the unwinding speed vary according to the winding condition of the cable, that is to say the diameter of the coil formed by the cable. Since this diameter varies relatively little between the fully wound state and the fully unrolled state, this force and velocity also vary relatively little. It is possible to use only a small number of cable layers since the diameter is relatively large.

The fact that the contact between the toothed wheel of the motor and the annular bearing is located at the same distance from the center of the drum as the place where the cable is wound entails that the linear force of the motor is substantially equal to the force on the cable. This force is cumulative, which means that to double the traction force of the cable, it is enough to double the number of engines. Similarly, to change the available cable length, simply change the size of the drum flanges and wind up the desired cable length.

As an alternative embodiment, it is possible to use an annular bearing having an internal toothing. In this case, the inner ring is connected to the drum and the outer ring is connected to the supporting structure. It is certain that depending on the application, the cable could be replaced by a rope, a chain, a strap or a belt.

Claims (20)

1. Motorized winch including a support structure (11) on which is mounted at least one cable winding drum (12) consisting of a cylindrical central core and two lateral flanges fastened to and disposed on respective opposite sides of that central core, and means for driving said cable winding drum in rotation, characterized in that it includes an annular bearing (18) consisting of an inner ring (18a) and an outer ring (18b) defining the rolling paths of a set of rolling members (18c), one of these rings being provided with teeth (19) and coupled, on the one hand, to said driving means (15) and, on the other hand, to said winding drum (12), and the other of said inner ring (18a) or said outer ring (18b) of the bearing (18) being fixed rigidly to said support structure (11).
2. Motorized winch according to Claim 1, characterized in that either said inner ring (18a) or said outer ring (18b) of the annular bearing (18) is fastened to one of the lateral flanges (17) of the winding drum (12).
3. Motorized winch according to Claim 1, characterized in that either said inner ring (18a) or said outer ring (18b) of the annular bearing (18) is integral with one of the lateral flanges (17) of the winding drum (12), and in that the teeth (19) are provided at the periphery of this lateral flange (17).
4. Motorized winch according to Claim 1, characterized in that the means (15) for driving the drum in rotation include at least one motor (20) having an output shaft carrying a toothed wheel (21) meshing with the teeth (19) of the annular bearing (18).
5. Motorized winch according to Claim 4, characterized in that the driving means (15) include a plurality of motors (20) each having an output shaft carrying a toothed wheel (21) meshing with the teeth (19) of the annular bearing (18).
6. Motorized winch according to Claim 1, characterized in that the support structure (11) includes a plane support plate (22).
7. Motorized winch according to Claims 4 and 6, characterized in that said motor (20) is mounted on one side of said plate (22) and said winding drum (12) is mounted on the other side of said plate.
8. Motorized winch according to Claims 4 and 6, characterized in that said motor (20) and said winding drum (12) are mounted on the same side of said plate (22).
9. Motorized winch according to Claim 1, characterized in that it includes pivoting means (25) for fixing the support structure (11) to a vehicle.
10. Motorized winch according to Claim 9, characterized in that the pivoting fixing means (25) are adapted to cooperate with means (24) for controlling the movement of the winding drum (12).
11. Motorized winch according to Claim 10, characterized in that it includes a sensor (27) for sensing the position of the cable (13) as it is wound, this sensor being adapted to cooperate with said means (24) for controlling the movement of the winding drum (12).
12. Motorized winch according to Claim 4, characterized in that it includes at least one toothed wheel (28) disposed between the toothed wheel (21) mounted on the output shaft of the motor (20) and the teeth (19) of the annular bearing (18).
13. Motorized winch according to Claim 1, characterized in that it includes a non-return device (29) disposed inside the cylindrical central core (16) of the winding drum (12).
14. Motorized winch according to Claim 13, characterized in that the non-return device (29) is a ratchet device.
15. Motorized winch according to Claim 1, characterized in that it includes means (34) for assisting unwinding of the cable.
16. Motorized winch according to Claim 1, characterized in that it includes two winding drums (12), each drum being fastened to an annular bearing (18) cooperating with means (15) for driving said drums in rotation.
17. Motorized winch according to Claim 16, characterized in that the two winding drums (12) are symmetrically disposed on respective opposite sides of the support plate (22) of the support structure (11).
18. Motorized winch according to Claim 4, characterized in that the motor (20) is disposed inside the cylindrical central core (16) of the winding drum (12).
19. Motorized winch according to Claim 4, characterized in that the toothed wheel (21) carried by the output shaft of the motor (20) meshes with the teeth (19) of the annular bearing (18) through a planetary reduction gear (39).
20. Motorized winch according to Claim 1, characterized in that the support structure (11) includes two support plates (22a, 22b) articulated by means of hinges (22c), one plate (22b) carrying the functional elements of the winch (10) and the other plate (22a) carrying a pulley (10a) for guiding the cable and a ring (10b).

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