GB2150905A - A rotary type of wire-feeding machine - Google Patents

Abstract

This invention relates to a rotary type of wire-feeding machine which may be driven by an electric motor. A steel cable or wire 41 of this machine is fed, i.e. pulled or pushed by means of motor 22, chains, and drum wheels 33, 24, and is to be pulled by means of a capstan 4. Upon feeding the steel cable or wire forwards, the machine may rotate to have the steel cable moved forwards in a screwing manner. In addition, various types of steel cable heads are disclosed for meeting different wire-feeding requirements. <IMAGE>

Description

SPECIFICATION A rotary type of wire-feeding machine This invention relates to a wire-feeding machine. In this specification, the term "wire-feeding" includes both pulling and pushing a wire to and from the machine.

In today's building, all electric wires are installed inside the reinforced concrete structure during construction work for the sake of better appearance and convenience. However, it will leave a problem of being rather difficult to replace the wire. For a very short wiring conduit, it may be able to replace it manually. In case of replacing a piece of long wire which has many bending portions in many directions, the replacing work would be very difficult, if not impossible. In the market, there are several kinds of wire-pulling apparatus, and a kind of poweroperated wire-pulling machine; however, they are still far from being satisfactory by the users because that none of the wire-pulling machines can not get the wire through the conduit in case of the conduit having several bending portions, or having some small cement blocks or other stuffs.In that case, some wall surface have to be chiselled, and a lot of manpower will be involved in addition to other drawbacks.

In view of the aforesaid facts, the inventor has, through careful studies, developed a rotary type of wire-pulling machine driven with electric motor, in which the chain and the pressure-applying upper and lower wheels can place a powerful pushing force to the steel cable going through the wiring pipe; simultaneously, the steel cable head will move forwards in the conduit in a screwing manner caused by the rotation of the machine body so as to pass through the bending portions of wiring conduit; then, use various kinds of cable heads to clear the miscellaneous matters out of the conduit. Upon the cable extending out of the conduit end, a wire will be pulled through the conduit by means of a powerful capstan of the machine.

According to one aspect of this invention a wire-feeding machine comprises an inner and outer frame, means for angularly displacing at least the inner frame, and means for feeding wire to and/or from the machine, including means mounted for angular displacement with the main frame whereby an angular and a linear motion is imparted to wire fed from the machine. Conveniently, the machine includes means for housing a supply of wire. The means for housing the supply of wire may be carried by the inner frame for angular displacement therewith. Alternatively, the means for housing the supply of wire is located externally of the machine.

One feature of the present invention is that the whole wire-pulling machine may be installed in one rotary frame driven with a motor so as to make the steel cable screwing actively for smoothly pushing forwards.

A secondary feature of the present invention is that the machine is driven with a chain, and is furnished with three sets of upper and lower drum wheels to push the steel cable. The lower drum wheels are fixed in position, while the upper drum wheels are movable and are provided each with a pressing member to add more pushing force to the steel cable to pass through the wiring conduit.

Another feature of the present invention is that the front end of the steel cable is mounted with a leading head for smoothly pushing. For other functions and for clearing the miscellaneous matters or small cement blocks, the leading head may be, if neces sary, added with a wire-pulling head, or a drilling head, or a fishing-hook head or a magnetic head.

Further feature of the present invention is that the wire-pulling machine has also been designed into a portable model which can be carried by a user to work under special circumstances; further, the machine is also furnished with a crank hole for manual operation in case of no power available.

The special designs and functions of the present invention are further described in detail, by referring to the drawings attached, as follows: Figure lisa sectional view of the structure of the main body of the present invention.

Figure 2 is a sectional view of the steel cable terminal unit of the present invention.

Figure 3 shows the various models of the steel cable terminal unit of the present invention.

Figure 4 is the structure view of a portable embodiment of the present invention.

Figure 5 is an exploded view of the leading head and the wire-pulling head in the present invention.

Figure 5-1 illustrates the various front-end heads in the present invention.

Figure 6 is a sectional view of a wire-guiding unit in the present invention.

Referring to Figure 1, there is shown a sectional view of the present invention, in which the outer frame 1 may be made of a steel pipe or angle iron for mounting two bearings 14to carry a rotary inner frame 2. Around the outer circumference of the inner frame 2, there is furnished a gear rack 21, which is engaged with a gear 12 being mounted on one end of a motor 11 shaft, and the motor 11 is mounted on the outer frame 1 for driving the inner frame 2 and the mechanism therein to rotate when the steel cable is extended out.

In the inner frame, there is mounted a motor 22 with a rotary power connector 25. The power of the motor 22 is transmitted to the main transmission gear 3 or the steel cable capstan 4 via the shaft 23.

The power-switching between the gear 3 and the capstan 4 is done with two ratchets, of which the spindles are co-axially coupled to shaft 23 in two opposite forward and reverse directions. Upon the motor 22 rotating in forward direction, the forward ratchet will drive the main transmission gear 3, while the reverse ratchet attached to the capstan 4 will be in idle state, i.e., no power being applied to the capstan, but it rotates forward upon the steel cable being pushed out. Upon the motor 22 rotating in reverse direction, the capstan 4 will be driven to pull back the steel cable and the wire without applying power to the main transmission gear 3. Since the ratchet mechanism is a well-known means same as that on the rear shaft of a bicycle, no details are given further.Upon the main transmission gear 3 rotating forwards, the primary chain 36 will drive the sprockets 342 and 332 on the upper drum wheel 34 and the lower drum wheel 33. Since the sprockets 342 and 332 are coupled to one upper drum wheel 34 and one lower drum wheel 33 respectively, the driving power applied to sprocket 332 will be transmitted to every lower drum wheels 33 via the secondary chain 37 and, simultaneously, the driving power applied to sprocket 342 will also be transmitted to every upper drum wheels 34 via the secondary chain 38. The idle gears 35 are so mounted as to engage with the secondary chains 37 and 38 for maintaining a given tension between the secondary chains 37 and 38 and the sprockets 331 and 341. The upper and lower drum wheels are contacted each other tightly so as to push the steel cable 41 forwards with a clamping force.The three lower drum wheels 33 are fixedly mounted in the inner frame 2. The surface of the lower drum wheels is furnished with teeth disposed in axial direction so as to increase the clamping and pushing forceto the wire. In order to pull a thicker cable, the surface of the lower drum wheels 33 may be furnished with grooves. The shape of the upper drum wheels 34 is the same as that of the lower drum wheel, but each of the upper drum wheels is furnished with a drum wheel pressing member 51, which is fixed in position, but is movably vertically. The three drum wheel pressing members 51 are fixedly connected together with a connecting arm 52. The position of the pressing members 51 may be adjusted by turning the adjusting screw 5, which is mounted on the inner frame 2 with threads.Upon screwing down the adjusting screwS, the upper drum wheels 34 will tightly press the steel cable 41 on the lower drum wheels 33, and then, with the power transmitted with the primary chain 36 and the secondary chains 37, the steel cable 41 is pushed out. The steel cable 41 is made of a strong material at a suitable length to wind around the steel cable capstan 4. The specifications of the steel cable may be changed, if necessary.

The steel cable is guided with a number of pulleys 311 and 32. In the outlet of the steel cable, two opposite pulleys 13 are provided to guide the cable so as to prevent the cable from touching the outer frame 1.

Referring to Figure 2, there is shown a steel cable terminal unit 6, in which a stop member 61 is mounted at the opening portion to make the outlet a little narrower. Under the stop member, there is mounted a buffer block 62 having a centre passage hole to let the steel cable 41 pass through. The outlet portion of the passage hole forms a little wide opening to prevent the steel cable 41 from friction to the sharp edge. The bottom of the buffer block 62 is supported with a spring 63, while its top is stopped with a stop member 61. On the bottom of the steel cable terminal unit 6, there is installed a micro switch 67, which is used for cutting off the power supply of the motor upon the steel cable head being pulled back to press the buffer block 62 almost to the bottom of the terminal unit 6.The lead conduit 66 is connected between the outlet portion of the outer frame 1 and the steel cable terminal unit 6, extending into the passage hole of the buffer block 62. Around the outer circumference of the steel cable terminal unit 6, there is screwed a stop plate 65, which is used for touching against the wall to offset the reactive force of the wire being pulled. The steel cable terminal unit may be designed into various forms as shown in Figure 3 so as to meet the requirement of a given condition.

Referring to Figure 4, there is shown a portable embodiment of the present invention, which is similar in most part to the aforesaid embodiment except that the motor 22 is directly engaged with one of the lower drum wheel 33 so as to remove the capstan means. The steel cable is directly fed between the drum wheels to push out. One feature of this portable machine is that it may be operated by turning a crank to insert into the crank hole 26 in case of power outage. A carrying belt 16 is attached to the outer frame for carrying convenience; further, on the lead conduit 66, a handle 68 is furnished to facilitate one person operation.

Referring to Figure 5, there is shown an exploded view of the leading head and the wire-pulling head, in which the leading head 7 has an oval front end being furnished with a hook ring hole 74, and has a tail portion including a steel cable pressing cap 71, a steel cable groove 72, and a screw 73. The loop of steel cable 41 is fixed in shape with a fixing sleeve 75 before being put into the cable groove 72 and being pressed therein with the steel cable pressing cap 71.

The oval wire-pulling head includes an oval primary wire-pulling head 8 and a secondary wire-pulling head 81 to be incorporated together with screws 83.

On the inner surface of the primary and the secondarywire-pulling heads 8 and 81, a retaining recess 84 and a vertical passage hole are provided respectively. The vertical passage hole is used for holding a connecting rod 82, and this feature is to enable the connecting rod 82 to rotate by following the rotation of the steel cable 41 without rotating the wire-pulling head. The oval appearance of the wire-pulling head is so designed as to facilitate its penetrating through the wire conduit.

Referring to Figure 5-1, there are shown the various forms of the steel cable heads, among which "A" is the oval leading head as mentioned above; "B" is a drilling head 86 to be used for drilling the cement blocks or other hard material left in the conduit; "C" is a fishing-hook head to be used for hooking the fibre stuffs out of the conduit; "D" is a magnetic head 88 to be used for clearing the metal stuffs in the conduit.

Referring to Figure 6, there is shown a wireguiding unit, in which the trumpet-shaped opening 9 is used for guiding the wire into the conduit smoothly without being scratched by the inlet of conduit or the cement edge. The stop flange 91 is to be mounted on the end of conduit, while the conduit 92 is to be inserted into the conduit to secure the whole piece in place.

Summing up the aforesaid description, the present invention may be deemed to have the following advantages: 1. The wiring work of many wires in a conduit may be done at one time.

2. It has steady and powerful pulling force and penetrating force.

3. The miscellaneous stuffs left in the conduit can be cleared without breaking the wall and the conduit.

4. The steel cable can smoothly penetrate any bending portion of the conduit.

5. The present invention may, if necessary, be made into a portable model, and may be operated manually with a crank in case of power outage.

6. In accordance with the situation, the wirepulling element may be made of steel cable or strong fibre in various specifications.

7. The present invention may be used as a crane or a pipe scraper because of its powerful pulling and pushing force.

Claims (13)

1. A wire feeding machine comprising inner and outer frames, means for angularly displacing at least the inner frame, and means for feeding wire to and/or from the machine, including means mounted for angular displacement with the main frame whereby an angular and a linear motion is imparted to wire fed from the machine.

2. A machine according to claim 1 including means for housing a supply of wire.

3. A machine according to claim 2 wherein the means for housing a supply of wire is carried by the main frame for angular displacement therewith.

4. A machine according to claim 2 wherein the means for housing the supply of wire is located externally of the machine.

5. A machine according to any preceding claim detachably secured to the wire including a wire pulling head for directing and leading wire through a conduit.

6. A machine according to claim 5 including a wire finding unit for guiding wire into a conduit.

7. A motor-driven wire-feeding machine, comprising an outer frame, which may be made of steel pipe or angle iron, being mounted with two bearings so as to mountthe main body of the wire-pulling machine thereon for rotating, and a motor is furnished at the bottom of said outer frame to drive the inner frame to rotate; an inner frame, which may be made of steel pipe or angle iron, being mounted inside the said outer frame; and a gear rack is furnished at a suitable position around the circumference of said inner frame, and is engaged with a gear mounted on the shaft of a motor mounted at the bottom of said outer frame; and inside said inner frame, a steel cable pushing and pulling means is furnished; a steel cable terminal means, which is mounted at the front end of said outer frame, from where the steel cable is to be pushed out or pulled in; a steel cable leading head and a wire-pulling head, which are mounted at the end of the steel cable to have the steel cable moved forwards and bent smoothly; and said head may be made into various shapes for different situations so as to get through the conduit or to clear the miscellaneous stuffs in the conduit.

8. A machine according to claim 7 including a wire-guiding unit, which includes a trumpet-shaped opening and a conduit to be inserted against the inlet of the wiring conduit so as to prevent the insulated coating of a wire from being scratched.

9. A machine as claimed in claim 1, or claim 8 wherein the push-and-pull means of the steel cable inside the innerframe includes: a motor, which is mounted at a suitable position to provide a powerful pushing and pulling force to the steel cable, and the power supply wire and control wire of said motor are all put in the rear shaft portion between the inner and outer frames, and are connected electrically to the outside power supply by means of a rotary means such as a brush means, and said motor may be controlled for either forward or reverse rotation; a main transmission gear, of which the axle is mounted with a ratchet being engaged with the shaft of said motor in forward rotation, and upon said motor rotating reversely, said ratchet will be disen gaged from said motor shaft; a lower drum wheel assembly, which includes three drum wheels being pivotally mounted on the inner frame separately, and each of them is mounted on the same shaft with a sprocket; and the surface of said drum wheel is furnished with teeth lines arranged axially to increase the pushing force to wire, and said surface may be furnished with grooves around the drum wheel for pushing a thicker cable; an upper drum wheel assembly, which includes three drum wheels opposite said three lower drum wheels and being mounted inside three drum wheel pressing members respectively that are connected together with a connecting arm, and said three upper drum wheels may be adjusted with an adjusting screw so as to have said three upper drum wheels pressed on said three lower drum wheels, and each of said upper drum wheels is coupled with a sprocket on the same shaft for receiving force; and both said upper and lower drum wheels are made into the same form; a primary chain, which is engaged with said main transmission gear and the sprockets of said upper and lower drum wheels so as to transmit the driving power of said main transmission gear to said upper and lower drum wheels; and among said drum wheels, a number of idle gears are also furnished for maintaining a suitable tension of said chain in an elastic manner; two secondary chains, which are engaged over the upper and lower drum wheels respectively for transmitting driving power; and also a number of idle gears are furnished along said chains so as to maintain an appropriate tension; and a steel cable, which is wound around said capstan and is guided with a number drum wheels along its passage so as to have the steel cable move in a regular direction.

10. A machine as claimed in claim 7, which is to be mounted against the inlet of the wire conduit to guide the steel cable, and which mainly includes: a steel cable terminal unit, which is mounted between the said lead conduit and said outer frame, on the outer edge of the outlet of said unit, a stop plate is fixed with threads; and a stop member is mounted inside the outlet to hold other parts inside; a buffer block, which is mounted inside the steel cable terminal unit, and is supported with a spring at its bottom so as to maintain it contacting with the stop member; and in the centre of said buffer block, a passage hole with a wide opening at the outlet is furnished; a micro switch, which installed at the bottom of said steel cable terminal unit, and which will cut off the power supply of the motor upon being pressed by said buffer block; and a pulley, which is mounted at the turning point of the lead conduit to facilitate the steel cable passing around.

11. A machine as claimed in claim 7, wherein the oval-shaped leading head is to be mounted at the front end of said steel cable, and said leading head includes a hook ring hole, a steel cable pressing cap on the tail portion, a steel cable groove, and screw; and the wire-pulling head has a oval-shaped head which includes two halves having a retaining recess in their inner centre and a vertical groove communicating with said retaining recess; and a connecting rod is to be placed between said two halves and hooked to said leading head, and then, the two halves are fixed together with screws.

12. A machine as claimed in claim 7, wherein the leading head is replaceable by a drilling head, which includes a disk and a drill, being used for clearing the hard miscellaneous stuffs in the conduit or for the similar purpose; a fishing hook head, which includes a number of hooks for pulling the fibre stuffs out of the conduit; and a magnetic head, which is made of magnet for attracting any metal particles left in the conduit.

13. A machine as claimed in claim 7, modified by removing the said main transmission gear and capstan and having said motor shaft directly coupling to one of said lower drum wheels, wherein the steel cable is fed in from the rear end of the machine and exits through the drum wheels; and wherein the machine includes a manually operable crank; and on said steel cable terminal unit.