GB2070567A - Electric cable reel - Google Patents

Electric cable reel Download PDF

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Publication number
GB2070567A
GB2070567A GB8106881A GB8106881A GB2070567A GB 2070567 A GB2070567 A GB 2070567A GB 8106881 A GB8106881 A GB 8106881A GB 8106881 A GB8106881 A GB 8106881A GB 2070567 A GB2070567 A GB 2070567A
Authority
GB
United Kingdom
Prior art keywords
cable
spring
spool
shaft
hub
Prior art date
Legal status (The legal status is an assumption and is not a legal conclusion. Google has not performed a legal analysis and makes no representation as to the accuracy of the status listed.)
Granted
Application number
GB8106881A
Other versions
GB2070567B (en
Current Assignee (The listed assignees may be inaccurate. Google has not performed a legal analysis and makes no representation or warranty as to the accuracy of the list.)
Macintosh A M
Original Assignee
Macintosh A M
Priority date (The priority date is an assumption and is not a legal conclusion. Google has not performed a legal analysis and makes no representation as to the accuracy of the date listed.)
Filing date
Publication date
Application filed by Macintosh A M filed Critical Macintosh A M
Priority to GB8106881A priority Critical patent/GB2070567B/en
Publication of GB2070567A publication Critical patent/GB2070567A/en
Application granted granted Critical
Publication of GB2070567B publication Critical patent/GB2070567B/en
Expired legal-status Critical Current

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Classifications

    • B—PERFORMING OPERATIONS; TRANSPORTING
    • B65—CONVEYING; PACKING; STORING; HANDLING THIN OR FILAMENTARY MATERIAL
    • B65H—HANDLING THIN OR FILAMENTARY MATERIAL, e.g. SHEETS, WEBS, CABLES
    • B65H75/00—Storing webs, tapes, or filamentary material, e.g. on reels
    • B65H75/02—Cores, formers, supports, or holders for coiled, wound, or folded material, e.g. reels, spindles, bobbins, cop tubes, cans, mandrels or chucks
    • B65H75/34—Cores, formers, supports, or holders for coiled, wound, or folded material, e.g. reels, spindles, bobbins, cop tubes, cans, mandrels or chucks specially adapted or mounted for storing and repeatedly paying-out and re-storing lengths of material provided for particular purposes, e.g. anchored hoses, power cables
    • B65H75/38—Cores, formers, supports, or holders for coiled, wound, or folded material, e.g. reels, spindles, bobbins, cop tubes, cans, mandrels or chucks specially adapted or mounted for storing and repeatedly paying-out and re-storing lengths of material provided for particular purposes, e.g. anchored hoses, power cables involving the use of a core or former internal to, and supporting, a stored package of material
    • B65H75/44—Constructional details
    • B65H75/48—Automatic re-storing devices
    • B65H75/486—Arrangements or adaptations of the spring motor
    • H—ELECTRICITY
    • H02—GENERATION; CONVERSION OR DISTRIBUTION OF ELECTRIC POWER
    • H02G—INSTALLATION OF ELECTRIC CABLES OR LINES, OR OF COMBINED OPTICAL AND ELECTRIC CABLES OR LINES
    • H02G11/00—Arrangements of electric cables or lines between relatively-movable parts
    • H02G11/02—Arrangements of electric cables or lines between relatively-movable parts using take-up reel or drum

Abstract

A reel 1 for electric cable has a coil spring 11 secured within its hollow hub 3 which acts both as the electrical connection between an electrical supply in or on a fixed shaft 7 passing axially through the hub and the inner end 20 of the cable and also to cause automatic rewinding of the cable. The outer end of the spring is trapped between the head of a bolt 15 and the inner surface of the hub while the inner end of the cable is secured by a nut 19 to that portion of the bolt which lies beyond the outer surface of the hub. The spring is wound up as the cable is withdrawn and the hub caused to rotate. All electrical conductive parts may have an insulating covering to render the reel waterproof. A lockup device, electrically or manually operated, may be provided to prevent unintended rewinding. In the case of several cables or a multi-core cable being present, a corresponding number of springs are provided. <IMAGE>

Description

SPECIFICATION Cable spool The present invention relates to a spool for an electrical cable, the spool being of the kind which can be mounted at some station to permit an electrical cable to be wound on or played off the spool by rotation of the spool about a fixed axle so that the cable does not become twisted.
Spools of this kind are known, but for the purpose of making an electrical connection between the cable and the source of supply, they use slip rings and this entails the disadvantage of possible variances in contact resistance.
It is an object of the present invention to provide a more efficacious form of cable spool, avoiding the use of slip rings.
According to the invention, a cable spool has a hollow hub which is rotatably mounted on a shaft passing axially through the hub, one end of a coil spring being secured to the shaft or to a conductor on the shaft and the other end of the spring being attached to the hub where a cable or cable core is electrically connected to said other end, so that as the spool is rotated on the shaft to rotate the hub, and thereby unwind or wind up the cable that end of the spring is also rotated either to wind up or unwind the spring depending in the direction of rotation.
If electrical contact between adjacent convolutions of the spring is to be avoided, the spring may be covered with an electrical insulation. The connection of the respective end of the spring to the hub preferably comprises means for attaching an end of the cable to be used with the spool so that the cable and the spring end are electrically interconnected. Preferably, the spring is arranged so that, as the cable is taken off the spool, the spring is wound up, and the spring may be one of a rating such that it serves as a spring motor to effect the winding up of a cable when the other end of the cable is released.In use, the end of the spring attached to the shaft is connected to the electrical supply; and this may conveniently be done by making the shaft of electrically conductive material or by providing an electrical conductor on or in the shaft and insulated the;efrom, and by connecting a supply lead to the shaft or conductor.
Thus in use of the spool, the current is fed through the spring to the end of the cable attached to the hub.
The present invention will now be described, by way of example only with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which: Fig. 1 is a front elevational section of a cable spool according to the present invention, and Fig. 2 is a side elevational section thereof.
Referring to the drawings, the cable spool 1 has a hollow cylindrical hub 3 bearing annular flanges 5 forming the side members of the spool. The hub receives axially therethrough a shaft 7 passing through axially disposed holes in the flanges 5, the shaft being fixed to support members 9 disposed respectively adjacent the exterior face of the flanges 5. The support members permit the spool to be set up at whatever station it is to be used, for instance, at an engine analysis installation.
The shaft is made of an electrically conductive material and one end of a coil spring 11, coiled in the manner of a clock spring is secured to the shaft by means of a screw 13 passing into a radial blind bore in the shaft. The other end of the coil spring is secured to a bolt 1 5 passing radially through the hub, the spring end being trapped between the head of the bolt and the internal surface of the hub. The portion of the shank of the bolt lying at the exterior of the hub receives thereon a nut 1 9 by which the bared end of the cable 20 to be used with the spool may be secured to the shank of the bolt. The bolt thus forms an electrical connection between the respective end of the spring and the respective end of the cable 20, the hub and the annular flanges of the spool being made of electrically insulating material.
The spring is arranged so that, when the spool is rotated to pay off the electrical cable 20, the spring is wound up, the spring being fully tensioned when the cable is fully payed off the spool; and the rating of the spring is such that, when the cable 20 is unwound from the spool and then released, the spring will rotate the spool again to take up the cable.
The shaft at one end thereof has an electrical supply cable 21 secured thereto, the current then being supplied through the shaft and the coil spring to the cable 20 on the spool.
The coil spring may be coated with a highlyelectrically conductive material, such as silver, in order to reduce the electrical resistance of the spring. The spring preferably has an overall covering of insulating material to prevent sparking, should the individual convolutions come in contact with one another. All of the electrically conductive parts may have an insulating covering to render the cable spool waterproof.
It will be understood that two or more cables or multi-core cables can be used on the spool and connected to supply by the use of a respective number of coil springs. In this case the shaft would be provided with separate conductors, one for each cable or cable core and the coil springs would be secured one to each conductor. In this case, the conductors would be insulatedly mounted in the shaft or the shaft itself could be made of insulating material.
Further, a locking device may be provided, actuated by the current supply, to prevent the spring, when the cable 20 is unwound, from winding up the cable, whereby, when the current is shut off, the locking device is rendered inoperative. Alternatively, the locking device may be manually operated to prevent wind up of the cable 20 until released by the operator.
1. A cable spool having a hollow hub which is rotatably mounted on a shaft passing axially through the hub, one end of a coil spring being secured to the shaft or to a conductor on the shaft
**WARNING** end of DESC field may overlap start of CLMS **.

Claims (9)

**WARNING** start of CLMS field may overlap end of DESC **. SPECIFICATION Cable spool The present invention relates to a spool for an electrical cable, the spool being of the kind which can be mounted at some station to permit an electrical cable to be wound on or played off the spool by rotation of the spool about a fixed axle so that the cable does not become twisted. Spools of this kind are known, but for the purpose of making an electrical connection between the cable and the source of supply, they use slip rings and this entails the disadvantage of possible variances in contact resistance. It is an object of the present invention to provide a more efficacious form of cable spool, avoiding the use of slip rings. According to the invention, a cable spool has a hollow hub which is rotatably mounted on a shaft passing axially through the hub, one end of a coil spring being secured to the shaft or to a conductor on the shaft and the other end of the spring being attached to the hub where a cable or cable core is electrically connected to said other end, so that as the spool is rotated on the shaft to rotate the hub, and thereby unwind or wind up the cable that end of the spring is also rotated either to wind up or unwind the spring depending in the direction of rotation. If electrical contact between adjacent convolutions of the spring is to be avoided, the spring may be covered with an electrical insulation. The connection of the respective end of the spring to the hub preferably comprises means for attaching an end of the cable to be used with the spool so that the cable and the spring end are electrically interconnected. Preferably, the spring is arranged so that, as the cable is taken off the spool, the spring is wound up, and the spring may be one of a rating such that it serves as a spring motor to effect the winding up of a cable when the other end of the cable is released.In use, the end of the spring attached to the shaft is connected to the electrical supply; and this may conveniently be done by making the shaft of electrically conductive material or by providing an electrical conductor on or in the shaft and insulated the;efrom, and by connecting a supply lead to the shaft or conductor. Thus in use of the spool, the current is fed through the spring to the end of the cable attached to the hub. The present invention will now be described, by way of example only with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which: Fig. 1 is a front elevational section of a cable spool according to the present invention, and Fig. 2 is a side elevational section thereof. Referring to the drawings, the cable spool 1 has a hollow cylindrical hub 3 bearing annular flanges 5 forming the side members of the spool. The hub receives axially therethrough a shaft 7 passing through axially disposed holes in the flanges 5, the shaft being fixed to support members 9 disposed respectively adjacent the exterior face of the flanges 5. The support members permit the spool to be set up at whatever station it is to be used, for instance, at an engine analysis installation. The shaft is made of an electrically conductive material and one end of a coil spring 11, coiled in the manner of a clock spring is secured to the shaft by means of a screw 13 passing into a radial blind bore in the shaft. The other end of the coil spring is secured to a bolt 1 5 passing radially through the hub, the spring end being trapped between the head of the bolt and the internal surface of the hub. The portion of the shank of the bolt lying at the exterior of the hub receives thereon a nut 1 9 by which the bared end of the cable 20 to be used with the spool may be secured to the shank of the bolt. The bolt thus forms an electrical connection between the respective end of the spring and the respective end of the cable 20, the hub and the annular flanges of the spool being made of electrically insulating material. The spring is arranged so that, when the spool is rotated to pay off the electrical cable 20, the spring is wound up, the spring being fully tensioned when the cable is fully payed off the spool; and the rating of the spring is such that, when the cable 20 is unwound from the spool and then released, the spring will rotate the spool again to take up the cable. The shaft at one end thereof has an electrical supply cable 21 secured thereto, the current then being supplied through the shaft and the coil spring to the cable 20 on the spool. The coil spring may be coated with a highlyelectrically conductive material, such as silver, in order to reduce the electrical resistance of the spring. The spring preferably has an overall covering of insulating material to prevent sparking, should the individual convolutions come in contact with one another. All of the electrically conductive parts may have an insulating covering to render the cable spool waterproof. It will be understood that two or more cables or multi-core cables can be used on the spool and connected to supply by the use of a respective number of coil springs. In this case the shaft would be provided with separate conductors, one for each cable or cable core and the coil springs would be secured one to each conductor. In this case, the conductors would be insulatedly mounted in the shaft or the shaft itself could be made of insulating material. Further, a locking device may be provided, actuated by the current supply, to prevent the spring, when the cable 20 is unwound, from winding up the cable, whereby, when the current is shut off, the locking device is rendered inoperative. Alternatively, the locking device may be manually operated to prevent wind up of the cable 20 until released by the operator. CLAIMS
1. A cable spool having a hollow hub which is rotatably mounted on a shaft passing axially through the hub, one end of a coil spring being secured to the shaft or to a conductor on the shaft and the other end of the spring being attached to the hub where a cable or cable core is electrically connected to said other end, so that, as the spool is rotated on the shaft to rotate the hub, and thereby unwind or wind up the cable, that end of the spring is also rotated either to wind up or unwind the spring, depending on the direction of rotation.
2. A cable spool as claimed in claim 1, in which the spring is covered with an electrical insulation.
3. A cable spool as claimed in claim 1 or 2, in which the connection of the respective end of the spring to the hub comprises means for attaching an end of the cable thereto, so that the cable and the spring end are electrically interconnected.
4. A cable spool as claimed in claim 1, 2 or 3, in which the spring is arranged so that, as the cable is taken off the spool, the spring is wound up.
5. A cable spool as claimed in claim 4, in which the spring is one of a rating such that it serves as a spring motor to effect the winding up of a cable when the other end of the cable is released.
6. A cable spool as claimed in any of claims 1 to 5, in which the shaft is made of electrically conductive material.
7. A cable spool as claimed in any of claims 1 to 5, in which several coil springs are arranged between respective conductors on or in the shaft and the hub and a respective cable or cable core is electrically connected to each coil spring.
8. A cable spool as claimed in any preceding claim, in which all the electrically conductive parts have an insulating covering to render the cable spool waterproof.
9. A cable spool constructed and adapted to be used substantially as herein described with reference to and as illustrated in the accompanying drawings.
GB8106881A 1980-03-05 1981-03-05 Cable reel Expired GB2070567B (en)

Priority Applications (1)

Application Number Priority Date Filing Date Title
GB8106881A GB2070567B (en) 1980-03-05 1981-03-05 Cable reel

Applications Claiming Priority (2)

Application Number Priority Date Filing Date Title
GB8007478 1980-03-05
GB8106881A GB2070567B (en) 1980-03-05 1981-03-05 Cable reel

Publications (2)

Publication Number Publication Date
GB2070567A true GB2070567A (en) 1981-09-09
GB2070567B GB2070567B (en) 1984-04-04

Family

ID=26274706

Family Applications (1)

Application Number Title Priority Date Filing Date
GB8106881A Expired GB2070567B (en) 1980-03-05 1981-03-05 Cable reel

Country Status (1)

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GB (1) GB2070567B (en)

Cited By (4)

* Cited by examiner, † Cited by third party
Publication number Priority date Publication date Assignee Title
GB2148847A (en) * 1983-10-26 1985-06-05 Standard Telephones Cables Ltd Cable reeling arrangement
GB2237005A (en) * 1989-10-11 1991-04-24 Pivot Eng Self-winding reel assemblies
US6597788B2 (en) 1997-12-09 2003-07-22 Aerotech Ife Limited Cradle for a handset
CN110793446A (en) * 2017-12-27 2020-02-14 林友富 Bus stretching amount detection method in high-voltage distribution system

Cited By (8)

* Cited by examiner, † Cited by third party
Publication number Priority date Publication date Assignee Title
GB2148847A (en) * 1983-10-26 1985-06-05 Standard Telephones Cables Ltd Cable reeling arrangement
GB2237005A (en) * 1989-10-11 1991-04-24 Pivot Eng Self-winding reel assemblies
WO1991005729A2 (en) * 1989-10-11 1991-05-02 Pivot Engineering Limited Improvements in or relating to self-winding reel assemblies
WO1991005729A3 (en) * 1989-10-11 1991-07-11 Pivot Eng Improvements in or relating to self-winding reel assemblies
GB2237005B (en) * 1989-10-11 1994-02-02 Pivot Eng "Improvements in or relating to retractable flexible barrier devices"
US6597788B2 (en) 1997-12-09 2003-07-22 Aerotech Ife Limited Cradle for a handset
CN110793446A (en) * 2017-12-27 2020-02-14 林友富 Bus stretching amount detection method in high-voltage distribution system
CN110793446B (en) * 2017-12-27 2021-03-16 林友富 Bus stretching amount detection method in high-voltage distribution system

Also Published As

Publication number Publication date
GB2070567B (en) 1984-04-04

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Date Code Title Description
PCNP Patent ceased through non-payment of renewal fee