EP3678975B1 - Free fall winch - Google Patents

Description

The present invention relates to a free-fall winch with a drum which can be driven in rotation by a winch drive, a free-fall brake being provided for braking the drum in free-fall operation.

Free-fall winches are used in various applications in which the rope wound on the drum of the winch or another pulling or lifting means such as a belt is to be unwound or let off at high speeds over long distances, the drum being more or less resistance-free rotates in idle or possibly with slight braking due to the transmission resistors. Such unwinding is sometimes referred to as "free fall". At least at the end of the free fall, it is necessary to brake the rope drum relatively quickly in order to avoid uncontrolled further unwinding of the rope and the accompanying slack rope on the winch drum and an unclean, confused rope appearance.

Such free-fall winches can be used, for example, in rope excavators when a compactor mass is dropped onto the ground in free fall for soil compaction. For this purpose, for example, used on drums Planetary gear decouples individual planetary stages so that the compressor load reaches the ground with the highest possible fall energy. Shortly before hitting the ground, however, the free-fall brake must be braked to prevent the rope from slacking on the winch drum. This process is repeated cyclically at short intervals, which changes the cooling oil of the free-fall brake and the coefficient of friction of the brake body. Accordingly, the excavator operator has to adjust the braking of the free fall winch again and again.

Likewise, when working with a dragline shovel, it is thrown into a quarry pond by turning the cable excavator uppercarriage - similar to casting a fishing hook with a fishing rod, in order, for example, to convey gravel. When the tractor shovel hits the surface of the water, the previously activated drum must be braked in order to avoid slack rope.

In the case of diaphragm wall grabs, by means of which very deep foundations are dug, the grapple is lowered at a high, controlled falling speed, whereby here already during lowering to control the falling speed, this must be controlled by braking the free fall brake. Here, too, as the system heats up and the friction values of the brake bodies change, the braking force of the free-fall brake has to be readjusted in order to lower the rope with the attached gripper at the desired speed and thereby maintain a certain rope tension.

Even with various handling work, it is desirable to be able to pull the rope off the free-fall winch easily by hand, for example to attach the rope to various equipment. In this case, even when the free-fall brake is open, frictional forces in the interior of the winch, for example in the area of a gearbox via which the winch drive drives the drum, and in the area of the free-fall brake itself must be overcome. In particular in the case of cold lubricants with a correspondingly high viscosity, this is hardly possible by hand, so that support from the winch drive would be desirable, with This drive support of the manual extraction in the required size, however, depends on the temperature of the lubricant. While more support is required for cold lubricants, motorized trigger support of the same strength can lead to undesirably fast unwinding when the lubricant is heated and only has a low viscosity.

A free-fall winch of the type mentioned is shown in the text, for example EP 0 538 662 B1 , in which the winch drive drives the drum via a two-stage planetary gear set inside the drum. A sun gear of one of the planetary stages can be driven by the winch drive and, on the other hand, blocked by a holding brake. A planet carrier of one of the planetary stages is led out via a shaft from the opposite end of the drum in order to be able to be braked there by a free-fall brake which is supported on the counter-bearing plate.

Furthermore, free-fall winches are also known which work with only one brake and at the same time use the holding brake as a free-fall brake. The DE 3 223 632 C2 shows, for example, a free-fall brake, the drum of which is driven by a hydraulic motor via a two-stage planetary gear, the ring gear common to both planetary stages being connected to a brake shield on which the drum brake, which acts directly on the flanged disk of the cable drum, is attached. When the brake is closed, the torque is transmitted to the cable drum via the brake, thus establishing the connection between the motor and the cable drum, while when the brake is released, the planetary gear is decoupled from the cable drum. However, the described cooling problem persists with this brake arrangement. In addition, high braking forces must be applied to hold the cable drum in load operation, for example when holding a large raised load, which must be transmitted to the drum shell via the flanged disk on which the brake engages.

From scripture DE 101 16 342 C2 a Kelly winch is known in which, when the rope is unwound, the cable pull or an associated torque on the Drum is monitored. For this purpose, the winch drive is basically rotatably mounted on the drum, but supported on the frame via a lever-shaped torque support, a measuring device recording the load on the torque support in order to determine the supported torque. The winch drive is controlled as a function of the recorded load on the torque arm so that the load on the torque arm does not fall below a certain level and thus the associated torque on the drum and the corresponding residual tensile force on the rope is maintained in order to prevent the rope from slacking. Furthermore, the script shows DE 10 2014 109 918 A1 a drilling rig, the drilling tool of which can be lowered along a mast by a winch. A hydraulic pump driving the winch is controlled as a function of a cable pulling force, which is measured by means of a force measuring pin on a pulley of the cable.

Proceeding from this, the present invention is based on the object of creating an improved free-fall winch of the type mentioned at the beginning, which avoids the disadvantages of the prior art and further develops the latter in an advantageous manner. In particular, a stable free fall operation should be made possible regardless of fluctuations in the lubricant temperature and viscosity and changing coefficients of friction of the free fall brake linings. Furthermore, an overload protection of the winch in free fall operation and a simple manual pull-off operation should advantageously be made possible.

According to the invention, the stated object is achieved by a free-fall winch according to claim 1 and a method according to claim 15. Preferred embodiments of the invention are the subject matter of the dependent claims.

It is therefore proposed to detect torques acting on the free-fall winch in free-fall operation and to adapt the actuating force of the free-fall brake as a function thereof. By taking into account the actually acting, current torque on the free-fall winch, disturbance or influencing variables that Influence the freefall operation in an undesired way, compensated and a stable freefall operation can be achieved. According to the invention, a torque acting on the free-fall winch, which depends on the free-fall braking torque, is detected by means of a detection device, and a control device controls or adjusts a braking force with which the free-fall brake is actuated as a function of the detected torque. In particular, if the lubricant temperature and viscosity change or the coefficient of friction of the free-fall brake decreases, the actuating force can be readjusted in order to maintain a desired level of the free-fall braking torque.

In an advantageous development of the invention, a controlled system is set up, for which purpose the named control device can include a controller module that regulates the braking force of the free-fall brake as a function of the detected torque and a predeterminable setpoint and / or reference variable. The mentioned controller module can take into account a target braking torque, for example, and regulate the braking force so that a deviation between the detected torque and the desired target torque is or remains as small as possible. The specified braking torque can be specified, for example, by the position of a brake pedal or a brake lever, the actuating force of the free-fall brake no longer being positively controlled by the pedal or lever force in the sense of a forced coupling between the brake actuator and the brake pedal. The travel and / or the actuating force with which the brake pedal or the brake lever is actuated is recorded and specifies the desired target braking torque, the said controller module then regulating the actuating force of the brake so that the actual braking torque actually achieved is as close as possible to the desired target torque comes.

Alternatively or additionally, the mentioned controller module can also take into account a drum speed and / or a rope run-off speed as a reference variable and regulate the braking force of the free-fall brake so that a desired drum speed and / or rope run-off speed is maintained with the smallest possible deviation. This can be done by the actual Drum speed and / or the actual rope run-off speed can be detected by means of a speed detector or a speed detector.

In order to ensure that the torque induced by the free-fall brake is recorded as precisely as possible, the torque can be recorded directly on the drive train with which the drum is driven and / or directly on the free-fall brake and / or directly on an additional holding brake, the torque recording device can advantageously be assigned directly to said drive train and / or directly to the free-fall brake and / or directly to the holding brake.

In particular, the torque detection device can have a torque sensor, which is integrated in the winch drive and assigned to its drive shaft, for detecting the drive shaft torque of the winch drive. For example, the torque sensor can be arranged inside the motor housing or non-rotatably connected to a stub shaft protruding from the motor housing, wherein the torque sensor can for example have a torsion meter for measuring the torsion occurring on the drive shaft. As an alternative or in addition, such a torque sensor can also be assigned to a transmission input shaft which is driven by the winch drive and is part of a transmission via which the drive movement of the winch drive is transmitted to the drum.

Such an arrangement of the torque sensor integrated in the winch drive motor and / or the gearbox can be particularly advantageous if the free-fall brake is assigned to the drive train and / or forms part of the drive train and / or is arranged so that the free-fall brake is torque and / or is force-transmitting in order to transmit the drive force or the drive torque of the winch drive to the drum. For example, the free-fall brake can hold a gear element in normal winch operation and / or fix it relative to the drum, so that the drive torque of the winch drive is transmitted to the drum while when the free fall brake is open, said gear element is released and the drive train between winch drive and drum is interrupted.

For example, when the gear is designed as a planetary gear, the free-fall brake can hold or release a sun gear or a ring gear of a planetary stage in the manner mentioned in order to transmit or not to transmit the drive movement of the winch drive to the drum.

The above-mentioned arrangement of the torque sensor on the motor shaft and / or the gearbox input shaft is based on the consideration that the sum of all torques on the gearbox that transmits the drive movement of the winch drive to the drum must be 0, from which it follows that that measured by the torque sensor Torque on the motor drive shaft and / or the transmission input shaft corresponds to the free-fall braking torque if the free-fall brake provides a corresponding braking torque in free-fall operation.

Alternatively or additionally, a torque sensor can be arranged on a holding brake in order to determine the reaction torque of the holding brake that is induced on the holding brake in free-fall operation. For this purpose, said holding brake can be rotatably mounted and supported by a support element, so that the induced reaction torque can be determined by a force meter assigned to this support element or a torque sensor assigned to the support element.

The winch drive can advantageously be connected to the holding brake mentioned, in particular attached to the part of the holding brake supported by the mentioned supporting element, so that the reaction force or the reaction torque on the support of the holding brake both with the holding brake closed and with the holding brake open the desired torque signal provides. If the holding brake is open, the torque sensor indicates the reaction torque induced by the motor, which is introduced into the supported part of the holding brake.

As an alternative or in addition to a torque sensor on the holding brake and / or on the winch drive and / or on the transmission, a torque sensor can also be assigned directly to the free-fall brake in order to directly detect the braking torque provided by the free-fall brake. For this purpose, the free-fall brake can be rotatably mounted and supported against rotation by a support. The torque sensor is assigned to said support, for example in the form of a dynamometer, in order to determine the free-fall braking torque from the reaction force or the reaction torque on the support.

As an alternative or in addition, the torque to be recorded can also be recorded on one of the two bearing plates of the free-fall winch and used to control or regulate the free-fall brake.

Even if undesired influences such as temperature and viscosity changes in the coolant of the winch can be compensated for by detecting the torques induced by the free-fall brake on the winch and taking them into account when controlling the actuating force of the free-fall brake, it can be advantageous in a further development of the invention to prevent excessive heating or excessive temperature fluctuations on the free-fall winch and the braking elements of the free-fall brake from the outset. For this purpose, provision can advantageously be made for the free-fall brake to be arranged in such a way that the free-fall brake can also rotate in winch operation and / or the counter-bearing plate can also be rotated when the free-fall brake is locked. For this purpose, the free-fall brake is no longer supported in a rotationally fixed manner on the counter-bearing shield, as has been the case up to now, but is arranged inside the drum between the drum and the winch drive and holding brake. In particular, the free-fall brake can be arranged between the winch drive and holding brake on the one hand and the drum on the other hand in such a way that when the free-fall brake is open, the drum is decoupled from the winch drive and the holding brake and can be idled relative to the winch drive and the holding brake. In particular, the free-fall brake is arranged in such a way that at least part of the free-fall brake always rotates with the drum and / or with the winch drive. In contrast to free-fall brakes arranged standing on the counter-bearing shield, the continuous running of the free-fall brake can achieve much better cooling, since the cooling fluid flowing around the free-fall brake is constantly circulated or at least forced convection is achieved when the free-fall brake is not flushed with liquid. At the same time, the rotational decoupling of the free-fall brake from the counter-bearing shield prevents the braking torque of the free-fall brake from having to be dissipated via the counter-bearing shield. Accordingly, the counter-bearing shield can only be designed for its bearing function and can be made less massive. At the same time, the counter bearing plate can also be rotated when the free fall brake is closed, which considerably simplifies the assembly of the winch.

In a further development of the invention, one half of the free-fall brake can be connected to the cable drum in a rotationally fixed manner and the other half of the free-fall brake can be connected to a gear element of the transmission so that at least part of the free-fall brake always rotates with the drum, both when the free-fall brake is open and when the free-fall brake is closed is trained. The non-rotatable connection of one freefall brake half to the cable drum can be done by direct fastening to the cable drum or by indirect fastening via an intermediate part that is non-rotatably connected to the cable drum.

In particular, the above-mentioned free-fall brake is received in the interior of the drum shell of the drum and is fastened to the drum shell with a free-fall brake outer part or a shell attachment rigidly connected to it, so that said free-fall brake outer part always rotates with the drum shell. Due to the arrangement inside the drum shell, the free-fall brake can run in an oil bath or cooling fluid bath provided there, which can advantageously also be used to lubricate and / or cool the transmission when the transmission is advantageously simultaneously in the Inside the drum shell is added. In this way, particularly efficient cooling of the free-fall brake can be achieved.

Said gear, via which the winch drive drives the drum, can advantageously comprise a single or multi-stage planetary gear that can be accommodated in the interior of the drum. A free fall brake inner part can advantageously be connected to a planetary gear element in a rotationally fixed manner in order to rotate with said planetary gear element. Depending on the design of the planetary gear, these can be different planetary gear elements.

The free-fall brake can advantageously be actuated, i.e. released and / or locked, via an actuating unit, which can be arranged on a side of the drum opposite the winch drive and / or the holding brake.

Advantageously, said actuating unit is rotatably supported on a counter-bearing plate and / or designed to be rotatable in itself, so that at least part of said actuating unit can be freely rotated relative to the counter-bearing plate even when the free-fall brake is applied. As a result, no torque is transmitted to or supported on said counter-bearing plate.

In order to avoid the introduction of the axial actuating forces of the actuating unit on the counter-bearing shield, the actuating unit can also be axially supported on the drum itself.

The said actuating unit advantageously extends at least partially, preferably with a predominant part, within the drum.

Said free-fall brake can advantageously be designed as a multi-disc brake, wherein a first disc set can be rotatably attached to the drum and a second disc set can be rotatably fixed to a gear element can be connected. The interlocking sets of lamellas can advantageously be arranged transversely, in particular perpendicular to the axis of rotation of the drum and / or received in the interior of the drum shell.

Fig. 1:

eine schematische Schnittansicht einer Freifallwinde nach einer vorteilhaften Ausführung der Erfindung, bei der ein Drehmomentsensor in den Windenantrieb integriert ist und in Abhängigkeit des erfassten Drehmoments die Stellkraft der Freifallbremse geregelt wird,

Fig. 2:

eine schematische Schnittansicht einer Freifallwinde nach einer weiteren vorteilhaften Ausführung der Erfindung, bei der ein Drehmomentsensor einer Haltebremse zugeordnet ist und das Reaktionsmoment an einer Haltebremse erfasst, wobei die Teilansicht (a) einen Längsschnitt der Freifallwinde und die Teilansicht (b) eine Frontansicht auf den Abstützhebel der Haltebremse und der diesem zugeordneten Kraftmessdose zeigt,

Fig. 3:

eine schematische Schnittansicht einer Freifallwinde nach einer weiteren vorteilhaften Ausführung der Erfindung, bei der ein Drehmomentsensor einer Haltebremse zugeordnet ist und das Reaktionsmoment an einer Haltebremse erfasst, wobei die Teilansicht (a) einen Längsschnitt der Freifallwinde und die Teilansicht (b) eine Frontansicht auf den Abstützhebel der Haltebremse und der diesem zugeordneten Kraftmessdose zeigt, wobei im Vergleich zur Fig. 2 der Motor nicht ortsfest eigenständig gelagert, sondern an dem abgestützten Teil der Haltebremse befestigt ist,

Fig. 4:

eine schematische Schnittansicht einer Freifallwinde nach einer weiteren vorteilhaften Ausführung der Erfindung, wobei ein Drehmomentsensor direkt der Freifallbremse zugeordnet ist, wobei die Teilansicht (a) einen Längsschnitt durch die Freifallwinde und die Teilansicht (b) eine Draufsicht auf den Abstützhebel der Freifallbremse zeigt, dem eine Kraftmessdose zum Erfassen des Reaktionsmoments zugeordnet ist,

Fig. 5:

eine schematische Schnittansicht einer Freifallwinde nach einer weiteren vorteilhaften Ausführung der Erfindung, bei der ein Drehmomentsensor einer Haltebremse zugeordnet ist und das Reaktionsmoment an einer Haltebremse erfasst, wobei die Teilansicht (a) einen Längsschnitt der Freifallwinde und die Teilansicht (b) eine Frontansicht auf den Abstützhebel der Haltebremse und der diesem zugeordneten Kraftmessdose zeigt, wobei die Haltebremse auf der dem Motor gegenüberliegenden Windenseite angeordnet und durch eine Hohlwelle hindurch mit der Getriebeeingangswelle bzw. der Motorabtriebswelle verbunden ist,

Fig. 6:

eine schematische Schnittansicht einer Freifallwinde nach einer weiteren vorteilhaften Ausführung der Erfindung, wobei der Drehmomentsensor einem Lagerschild der Winde zugeordnet ist, welches das Freifallbremsmoment und/oder ein hiervon induziertes Reaktionsmoment eingeleitet wird, und

Fig. 7:

eine schematische Schnittansicht einer Freifallwinde nach einer vorteilhaften Ausführung der Erfindung mit einer nicht ortsfesten Freifallbremse.

The invention is explained in more detail below on the basis of an advantageous exemplary embodiment. In the drawing shows:

Fig. 1:

a schematic sectional view of a free-fall winch according to an advantageous embodiment of the invention, in which a torque sensor is integrated into the winch drive and the actuating force of the free-fall brake is regulated as a function of the detected torque,

Fig. 2:

a schematic sectional view of a free-fall winch according to a further advantageous embodiment of the invention, in which a torque sensor is assigned to a holding brake and detects the reaction torque on a holding brake, the partial view (a) being a longitudinal section of the free-fall winch and the partial view (b) a front view of the support lever the holding brake and the load cell assigned to it,

Fig. 3:

a schematic sectional view of a free-fall winch according to a further advantageous embodiment of the invention, in which a torque sensor is assigned to a holding brake and detects the reaction torque on a holding brake, the partial view (a) being a longitudinal section of the free-fall winch and the partial view (b) a front view of the support lever shows the holding brake and the load cell assigned to it, compared to FIG Fig. 2 the motor is not independently stored in a stationary position, but is attached to the supported part of the holding brake,

Fig. 4:

a schematic sectional view of a free fall winch according to a further advantageous embodiment of the invention, wherein a torque sensor is assigned directly to the free-fall brake, the partial view (a) showing a longitudinal section through the free-fall winch and the partial view (b) showing a top view of the support lever of the free-fall brake, to which a load cell for recording the reaction torque is assigned,

Fig. 5:

a schematic sectional view of a free-fall winch according to a further advantageous embodiment of the invention, in which a torque sensor is assigned to a holding brake and detects the reaction torque on a holding brake, the partial view (a) being a longitudinal section of the free-fall winch and the partial view (b) a front view of the support lever the holding brake and the load cell assigned to it, the holding brake being arranged on the winch side opposite the motor and being connected to the transmission input shaft or the motor output shaft through a hollow shaft,

Fig. 6:

a schematic sectional view of a free-fall winch according to a further advantageous embodiment of the invention, the torque sensor being assigned to a bearing plate of the winch which initiates the free-fall braking torque and / or a reaction torque induced thereby, and

Fig. 7:

a schematic sectional view of a free-fall winch according to an advantageous embodiment of the invention with a non-stationary free-fall brake.

How Fig. 1 shows, the free-fall winch 1 comprises a drum 2 which has an approximately cylindrical drum shell 3 on which a rope 4 can be wound. For this purpose, the mentioned drum shell 3 can have rope grooves on its outside in order to wind the rope 4 onto the drum 2 in a controlled manner. Said drum shell 3 is laterally or at its ends by a flanged disk 5, which extend transversely to the longitudinal axis of the drum shell 3 and protrude beyond its outer dimension.

The drum 2 is rotatably mounted parallel to the longitudinal axis of the cylindrical drum shell 3. For this purpose, a pair of bearing plates 6 and 7 can be provided on which the drum 2 is rotatably mounted. The end shields 6 and 7 themselves are mounted on a base structure on which the cable winch is to be used, for example the superstructure of a cable excavator.

The cable winch further comprises a winch drive 8, for example in the form of an electric motor or a hydraulic motor, which can be arranged on one side of the drum 2, for example outside the end plate 6 provided there, and can be supported in a stationary manner, for example on said end plate.

The winch drive 8 can drive the drum 2 in rotation via a gear 9, said gear 9 advantageously being able to comprise a planetary gear which can be designed in one or more stages.

How Fig. 1 shows, said gear 9 can be accommodated in the interior of the drum shell 3, so that the winch drive 8 and the predominant part of the gear 9 extend on opposite sides of the end shield 6.

For example, the winch drive 8 can drive a sun gear of a planetary stage arranged inside the drum shell 3, the planetary carrier of which can be coupled to the sun gear of a further planetary stage. The planetary gear can have 2 or 3 or even more planetary stages in order to achieve the desired transmission ratio.

In order to be able to hold or fix the cable winch under load, a holding brake 10 is provided which can act on the winch drive 8. Advantageously, the holding brake 10 can be applied to the aforementioned gear 9 facing away from the winch drive 8, in particular coaxially to the output shaft of the winch drive 8. For example, the holding brake 10 can act on the motor shaft, which is connected on one side to the sun gear of the aforementioned planetary stage and on the opposite side to the holding brake 10 can.

Said holding brake 10 can, for example, be a multi-disc brake which can be locked by a pretensioning device, for example in the form of a spring device, and can be released by means of pressure.

How Fig. 1 shows, the free-fall winch further comprises a free-fall brake 11, which can be arranged, for example, on the side of the drum 2 opposite the winch drive 8 in the interior of the drum 2. The free-fall brake 11 can advantageously be coupled to a gear element of the gear 9 in order to hold or release this gear element so that the drum 2 is coupled to the winch drive 8 via the gear 9 or can be rotated relative to it in idle mode.

There are basically various options for this. For example, the free-fall brake 11 can block or hold a gear element. For example, a sun gear of the planetary gear or a ring gear of the planetary gear can be held or blocked on the counter-bearing plate 7 so that the gear element can no longer be rotated and the drive movement is transmitted to the drum. In this case, the counter bearing plate 7 absorbs the corresponding torque. If the said sun gear or ring gear is released, the planetary gear can spin, so to speak, and the drum can be idled relative to the motor, in which only the rotational resistance of the gear has to be overcome.

As an alternative to this, said gear element, for example said sun gear or said ring gear, can be held on the drum 2 itself so that it rotates with the drum 2 when the free-fall brake 11 closed is. Such a training - which, incidentally, is very similar in execution Fig. 1 is - shows for example the Fig. 7 . There, the free-fall brake 11 couples the aforementioned gear 9 to the drum 2, so that the free-fall brake 11 is arranged in the power flow between the winch drive 8 and the drum 2.

In particular, said free-fall brake 11 according to FIG Fig. 7 Connect a gear element of the gear 9 to the drum 2 so that when the free-fall brake 11 is closed, said gear element can drive the drum 2 and when the free-fall brake 11 is open, the drum 2 can be rotated while idling from the gear 9.

Advantageously, the free-fall brake 11 can couple a ring gear 12 of the planetary gear to the drum casing 3, so that - when the free-fall brake 11 is open - part of the free-fall brake 11 rotates with the drum casing 3 and the other part of the free-fall brake 11 rotates with the ring gear 12, if said ring gear 12 rotates. How Fig. 1 shows, said ring gear 12 can have a cylindrical extension 12a, which can function as a brake carrier and can be rotatably supported on the drum shell 3. A freefall brake inner part 11i can be fastened in a rotationally fixed manner to said ring gear cylinder 12a, while a free-fall brake outer part 11a can be fastened in a rotationally fixed manner to the inner jacket side of the drum jacket 3 or an intermediate part rigidly connected to it.

How Fig. 7 shows, the free-fall brake 11 can advantageously be designed as a multi-disc brake, the two intermeshing disc sets of which are arranged transversely to the axis of rotation of the drum 2. A first set of disks can be fastened non-rotatably on the inside of the drum shell 3, while a second set of disks is coupled non-rotatably to the ring gear 12 or another gear element.

The free-fall brake 11 can be accommodated completely in the interior of the drum shell 3.

The free-fall brake 11 can be actuated, ie released and / or fixed, by an actuating device 13, which can advantageously also extend at least predominantly in the interior of the drum shell 3. Said actuating device 13 can comprise a pretensioning device 14 which fixes the free-fall brake 11 under pretension. Said pretensioning device 14 can, for example, comprise a spring device which can axially pretension the disks of the free-fall brake 11, cf. Fig. 1 .

A pressure medium device for releasing the preload can comprise a piston-cylinder unit 15 which is coupled on the one hand to the free-fall brake inner part 11i and on the other hand to the free-fall brake outer part 11a in order to tension the two brake parts against one another or to release them from one another, the effective direction of the piston-cylinder unit 15, for example, axially, i.e. can be essentially parallel to the axis of rotation of the drum 2.

Said piston-cylinder unit 15 can also be at least partially received in the interior of the drum 2. Independently of this, the piston-cylinder unit 15 can be mounted rotatably with respect to the drum 2 and / or can be axially supported on it, so that braking forces are supported directly on the drum 2, cf. Fig. 7 . In particular, the counter-bearing plate 7 remains freely rotatable regardless of whether the free-fall brake 11 is locked or released. The counter-bearing shield 7 does not need to absorb any reaction moments, even if the free-fall brake is braked.

In normal lifting operation, the above-mentioned free-fall brake 11 remains closed, so that the winch drive 8 can drive the gear 9 designed as a planetary gear, the rotary movement of the gear 9 being given to the drum 2.

When training according to Fig. 7 In normal hoisting or winch operation, the free-fall brake 11 rotates with the speed of the drum 2, so that the disks of the free-fall brake 11 rotate in the oil bath, which can be provided inside the drum 2 in order to lubricate the gear 9. In order to increase the circulation effect, the inner and outer parts of the free-fall brake 11 can be provided with a groove through which the oil or the cooling fluid can better flush the free-fall brake. The free fall brake 11 can, however, also be supported in a standing position on the counter bearing plate, as will be explained below.

In free-fall operation, the free-fall brake 11 is released. At the same time, the winch drive 8 and / or the holding brake 10 is braked so that the input shaft of the gear 9 is stationary. The drum 2 can still rotate because the released free-fall brake 11 decouples the said sun or ring gear from the drum shell 3.

Since the sum of all torques on the gear 9 must be zero, the result on the input side of the gear 9, which is connected to the winch drive 8, is a torque which corresponds to the braking torque of the free fall brake 11, so that a torque induced by the free fall braking torque can also be measured on the motor side.

How Fig. 1 shows, in particular a detection device for detecting the torque can be integrated into the winch drive 8, wherein the detection device 20 can have, for example, a torque sensor 21 that can sit on the motor shaft or at least partially surround the motor shaft on the circumference. Alternatively or additionally, a measuring element can also be arranged in the interior of the drive shaft if the drive shaft is hollow or has a corresponding cavity. For example, the torque sensor 21 can also be located at the interface between the motor shaft and the transmission input shaft.

The actual torque detected by the torque sensor 21 is fed to a control device 30, by means of which the actuation of the free-fall brake 11 is controlled or adapted. In particular, the named control device 30 can include a regulator 31 which, depending on the recorded actual torque, regulates the braking force applied by the actuating device 13 so that the braking torque caused by the free-fall brake 11 comes as close as possible to the desired target torque.

The desired target braking torque can be specified by a brake pedal or a brake lever, the travel and / or actuation force of which can be queried by sensors.

How Fig. 1 shows, a further reference variable can also be fed to the controller 23, for example in the form of a setpoint speed of the cable winch with which the drum 2 unwinds the cable in free fall mode. The controller 31 can control the actuating device 13 in such a way that the speed achieved comes as close as possible to the desired speed.

By means of the aforementioned regulation or control, the influence of the oil viscosity and the change in the coefficient of friction of the free-fall brake 11 can be reduced or at best completely eliminated. If necessary, manual action by the machine operator can also be eliminated, in particular to the effect that the brake pedal no longer has to be actuated more or less forcefully. For example, a control signal "freefall" can be entered, for example via a touchscreen, whereupon the freefall winch is operated in freefall and the controller 31 regulates the desired braking force in order to achieve a desired withdrawal speed or drum speed. The haul-off length can also be monitored, for example to brake the winch again towards the end of the desired free fall.

How Fig. 2 shows, the actual torque used for the regulation can also be recorded on the holding brake 10. For this purpose, the holding brake 10 itself can be non-rotatable stored, but be supported against rotation by a support 40, cf. Fig. 2 . The support 40, which intercepts the rotation of the holding brake 10 in freefall operation, can be assigned a torque sensor 21, for example in the form of a load cell, in order to detect the load on the support 40 and thus the induced torque.

The winch drive 8 can be mounted in a stationary manner, for example, it can be firmly supported on the bearing plate.

The actual value of the torque detected at the holding brake 10 is similar to that for Fig. 1 described to the control device 30, in particular its controller 31, supplied to regulate the free-fall braking operation.

Fig. 3 shows a construction similar to Fig. 2 , the actual value of the torque at the holding brake 10 being recorded here as well. For this purpose, the holding brake 10 is in turn rotatably mounted, but supported by a support 40, so that the torque acting on the holding brake can be detected by detecting the load on the support arm. In contrast to the execution after Fig. 2 is when running after Fig. 3 However, the winch drive 8 is not mounted in a stationary manner, but rather attached to the holding brake 10 in a rotationally fixed manner, more precisely to the stationary part of the holding brake 10, which is supported against rotation in the manner described above by the support 40.

The advantage of running after Fig. 3 The main thing is that the induced torque can be measured both when the holding brake 10 is closed and when the holding brake 10 is open. Since the winch drive 8 is supported on the holding brake 10, the torque applied by the motor or winch drive 8 is also intercepted via the support 40 and measured by the associated torque sensor 21.

How Fig. 4 shows, the torque to be detected can also be measured directly on the free-fall brake 11 itself. The free fall brake 11 can for this purpose rotatably mounted, but - similar to the holding brake 10 before - are supported against rotation by a support 40. The forces acting on the support 50 can be detected by means of a load cell, so that the arrangement of the load cell and support 50 forms the torque sensor 21.

The torque signal obtained at the free-fall brake 11 can be fed to the controller 31 in a manner analogous to that described above in order to regulate the actuation of the free-fall brake in the desired manner and to control its actuation device 13.

How Fig. 5 shows, the holding brake 10 described above can also be arranged on the side of the free-fall brake 11. For example, the motor shaft of the winch drive 8, which can be fixedly or rotatably arranged, in particular attached to the bearing plate 6, and / or the input shaft of the gear 9 can be guided via a hollow shaft to the opposite winch side and connected there to the holding brake 10, cf. Fig. 5 .

The holding brake 10 can be carried out in a manner similar to that described previously in the embodiment Fig. 2 be rotatably mounted per se and supported against rotation via a support 40. The torque sensor 21 assigned to the support 40, which is for example the in Fig. 5 (b) The load cell shown may include, detects the load on the support 40 and thus the torque induced on the holding brake 10. The corresponding torque signal can be fed to the controller 31 in an analogous manner, as described above.

Fig. 6 shows a further embodiment, according to which a torque can also be measured on one of the two end shields 6 and 7, wherein in the in Fig. 6 Drawn embodiment of the bearing plate 6 of the torque sensor 21 is assigned. The winch drive 8 and / or the holding brake 10 are arranged non-rotatably on the bearing plate 6, so that torques induced on the holding brake 10 and / or on the winch drive 8 are applied to the bearing plate 6 cause a corresponding reaction torque, which can be measured by the torque sensor 21. For this purpose, the end shield in the in Fig. 6 (b) shown manner be pivotable per se and be supported by a load cell and secured against rotation. More precisely, said load cell can be assigned to one of the bearings in order to measure the load acting there, which is induced by a torque which acts on the bearing plate 6.

The torque signal provided by the torque sensor 21 in the form of the load cell shown can in turn be fed to the controller 31 in the manner already described.

• Einfluss von Reibwertänderungen (Bremsbelagtemperatur) in der Freifallbremse können durch die Regelung des Ansteuerdruckes kompensiert werden.
• Man ist unabhängig von der Öl Viskosität (und Öltemperatur), weil man diese ebenfalls kompensieren kann.
• Durch die neuartige Messwerterfassung innerhalb des Systems der Seilwinde wird die Erfassung der Kennwerte für die Regelung präziser und unabhängig von Einflussgrößen des Systems.
• Aufbau eines Überlastschutzes für das Gerät ist möglich, weil die Freifallbremse geregelt arbeitet.
  Zu hohes Freifallbremsmoment wird erkannt und die Freifallbremse wird geregelt.
• Ein Unterstützungsmodus zum Abziehen des Seiles mit Handkraft z.B. bei Handlingsarbeiten (Motor treibt beim Abziehen mit) kann aufgebaut werden.
• Bereitstellung einer offenen Schnittstelle für zukünftigen Fahrerassistenzsysteme in Bezug auf einen kontrollierten Freifall sind darstellbar.
• Der Aufbau einer rückwirkungsfreien Koppelung des Fußpedales (Sollwertvorgabe) mit der Freifallbremse kann vorgesehen werden. Keine mit Muskelkraft vorgegebene betätigte Rückfallebene ist notwendig. Pedalweg und Pedalkraft können als Sollwertvorgabe herausgezogen werden, woraus die Bremsverzögerung bzw. Fallgeschwindigkeit resultiert.
• Eine Integration in den vorhandenen Einbauraum ist möglich. Das bewährte Freifallbremsenprinzip wird extrem verbessert.
• Eine Neuentwicklung der kostenintensiven Teile ist nicht notwendig.
• Antrieb, Haltebremse und Freifallbremse können sowohl hydraulisch als auch elektrisch betätigt ausgeführt werden.

The following features can advantageously be improved or completely eliminated by measuring the torque in the holding brake.

• The influence of changes in the coefficient of friction (brake lining temperature) in the free-fall brake can be compensated for by regulating the control pressure.
• You are independent of the oil viscosity (and oil temperature) because you can also compensate for this.
• The new type of measurement value acquisition within the system of the cable winch makes the acquisition of the characteristic values for the control more precise and independent of the system's influencing variables.
• It is possible to set up overload protection for the device because the free-fall brake works in a controlled manner.
  Too high a free fall braking torque is recognized and the free fall brake is regulated.
• A support mode for pulling off the rope with manual force, for example during handling work (motor drives with pulling off), can be set up.
• Provision of an open interface for future driver assistance systems with regard to a controlled free fall can be represented.
• A reaction-free coupling of the foot pedal (target value specification) with the free-fall brake can be set up. There is no need for an actuated fallback level that has to be actuated with muscle power. Pedal travel and pedal force can be extracted as a setpoint specification, from which the braking deceleration or falling speed results.
• Integration into the existing installation space is possible. The proven free-fall brake principle is extremely improved.
• A new development of the cost-intensive parts is not necessary.
• The drive, holding brake and free-fall brake can be operated hydraulically as well as electrically.

Claims (16)

1. A free fall winch having a drum (2) that is rotationally drivable by a winch drive (8), wherein a free fall brake (11) is provided for braking the drum (2) in free fall operation, characterized in that a detection device (20) is provided for detecting a torque that acts at the free fall winch and that depends on the free fall brake torque of the free fall brake (11); and in that a control device (30) is provided for controlling the braking control force of the free fall brake (11) in dependence on the detected torque.
2. A free fall winch in accordance with the preceding claim, wherein the control device (30) has a controller module (31) for regulating the braking control force of the free fall brake (11) in dependence on the detected torque.
3. A free fall winch in accordance with the preceding claim, wherein a desired braking torque can be supplied to the controller (31) that is predefinable by a desired braking sensor that detects a control distance and/or a control force of a free fall brake pedal or of a free fall brake lever; and wherein the controller module (31) is configured to regulate the braking control force such that a difference between the detected torque and the predefinable desired braking torque is as small as possible.
4. A free fall winch in accordance with one of the two preceding claims, wherein a desired rotational speed of the drum (2) and/or a desired withdrawal speed of the rope (4) running off the drum (3) can be specified to the controller (31) as a desired value and/or as a reference value; wherein a rotational speed detection device and/or a speed detection device is/are provided for detecting the actual rotational speed of the drum (2) and/or the actual removal speed of the rope (4); and wherein the controller module (31) is configured to control the free fall brake (11) such that the actual rotational speed and/or the actual removal speed is as close as possible to the desired rotational speed and/or the desired removal speed.
5. A free fall winch in accordance with one of the preceding claims, wherein the detection device (20) has a torque sensor (21) integrated in the winch drive (8); and wherein the torque sensor (21) is preferably arranged directly at a motor shaft of the winch drive (8).
6. A free fall winch in accordance with one of the preceding claims, wherein the detection device (20) has a torque sensor (21) that is associated with an input shaft of a transmission (9) via which transmission the drum (2) is rotationally drivable by the winch drive (8).
7. A free fall winch in accordance with one of the preceding claims, wherein the detection device (20) has a torque sensor (21) that is associated with a holding brake (10) and that detects a torque induced at the holding brake (10) in free fall operation; wherein the winch drive (8) is rotationally fixedly fastened to the holding brake (10) such that the torque sensor (21) associated with the holding brake (10) detects the torque provided or intercepted by the winch drive (8) with an open holding brake (10); wherein the holding brake (10) is rotatably supported and is supported against rotation by a support (40); and wherein the torque sensor (21) is associated with said support (40).
8. A free fall winch in accordance with one of the preceding claims, wherein the free fall brake (11) is rotatably supported and is supported against rotation by a support (50); and wherein the detection device (20) has a torque sensor (21) associated with the support (50) of the free fall brake (11).
9. A free fall winch in accordance with one of the preceding claims, wherein the detection device (20) has a torque sensor (21) that is associated with a bearing plate (6, 7) and measures a torque induced in the bearing plate (6, 7) in free fall operation.
10. A free fall winch in accordance with one of the preceding claims, wherein the free fall brake (11) is arranged between the winch drive (8) and the holding brake (10), on the one hand, and the drum (2), on the other hand, such that the drum (2) is decoupled from the winch drive (8) and from the holding brake (20) with an open free fall brake (11); and wherein the free fall brake (11) is arranged such that at least one part (11a) of the free fall brake (11) is always configured as rotating along with the drum (2) and/or with the winch drive (8) and such that a counter-bearing plate (7) at which the drum (2) is rotatably supported on a side disposed opposite the winch drive (8) and the holding brake (10) also remains free of torque with a closed free fall brake (11).
11. A free fall winch in accordance with one of the preceding claims, wherein the free fall brake (11) is received in the interior of a drum jacket (3) of the drum (2); and/or wherein the transmission (9) comprises a single-stage or multi-stage planetary transmission that is received in the interior of the drum (2); and wherein the free fall brake (11) is rotatably fastened at a free fall brake part (11i) to a planetary transmission element.
12. A free fall winch in accordance with one of the preceding claims, wherein the free fall brake (11) is actuable by an actuation device (13) that is arranged on a side of the drum (2) disposed opposite the winch drive (8) and the holding brake (10); wherein the actuation device (13) is rotatably supported at a counter-bearing plate (7) and/or is formed as rotatable per se such that at least one part of the actuation device (13) is freely rotatable with respect to the counter-bearing plate (7) even with an applied free fall brake (11); and wherein the actuation device (13) has a rotationally stationary and axially adjustable actuation cylinder (13i) for actuating the free fall brake (11) that is rotatably supported at least with respect to one part of the free fall brake (11) and/or with respect to the drum (2).
13. A free fall winch in accordance with one of the preceding claims, wherein the free fall brake (11) is configured as a multi-disk brake; and wherein a first set of disks is rotationally fixedly fastened to the drum (2) and a second set of disks is rotationally fixedly fastened to a transmission element of the transmission (9).
14. A free fall winch in accordance with one of the preceding claims, wherein at least one part of the free fall brake (11) continuously rotating along with the drum (2) is provided with oil conveying contours and/or oil circulation contours, preferably in the form of flushing grooves.
15. A method of operating a free fall winch (1) that has a drum (2), a winch drive (8) for the rotational driving of the drum (2), and a free fall brake (11) for braking the drum (2) in free fall operation, said method comprising the following steps:

    - detecting a torque at the free fall winch (1) that is induced by a braking torque of the free fall brake (11) in free fall operation of the free fall winch (1) by a torque sensor (21); and

    - automatic controlling and/or adapting of a braking control force actuating the free fall brake (11) in dependence on the detected torque.
16. A method in accordance with the preceding claim, wherein a desired braking torque is predefined by detecting a control distance and/or a control force of a brake pedal or brake lever; and/or wherein a desired rotational speed of the drum (2) is predefined in free fall operation; and wherein the control force actuating the free fall brake (11) is regulated by a controller module (31) in dependence on the detected torque such that a difference between the detected torque and the predefined desired braking torque and/or the difference between a detected actual rotational speed of the drum (2) and the predefined desired rotational speed of the drum (2) is/are as small as possible.

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