US779612A - Cable-reel. - Google Patents

Description

No. 779,612. PATENTED JAN. 10, 1905. 0. W. LARSON.

CABLE REEL.

APPLICATION FILED JUNE 1, 1903.

Z SHEETS-SHEET l.

Witnesses: Wm lnOenUO flb. Carl \ML arson,

No. 779,612. PATENTED JAN. 10, 1905. 0. W. LARSON. CABLE REEL. APPLICATION FILED JUNE 1. 1903.

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How. L W

' UNITED STATES Patented January 10,1305

PATENT OFFICE.

CARL W. LARSON, OF SCHENECTADY, EW YORK, ASSIGNOR TO GENERAL )LEOTRIO COMPANY, A COR ORATION OF NEW YORK.

CABLE-REEL.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 779,612, dated January lO, 1905. Application filed June 1, 1903. Serial No} 159,421.

To all wit/1722, it may concern:

Be it known that I, CARL W. LARSON, a citizen of the United States, residing at Schenectady, county of Schenectady, State of New York, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Cable-Reels, of which the following is a specification.

My invention relates to the construction of an improved form of mechanism for reeling and unreeling cable or the like.

In the particular embodiment of my invention which I have hereinafter illustrated and described my invention is applied to an electric mine-locomotive, although it will be obvious that all of the features of my invention are not limited to such application.

As is well known, the use of electric locomotives provided with some form of the familiar overhead under-running trolley for the hauling of coal or the like in the main entries or branch headings of mines is quite extensive. These locomotives are not generally employed, however, for the gathering of cars from the working faces of the 5 rooms of mines, owing to the difiiculty and expense involved in the provision of suitable means for supplying current to the locomotives in these rooms.

Oneof the objects of my invention is the 3 construction of suitable mechanism carried by the locomotive for reeling and unreeling a flexible conductor which is adapted to have one end connected to the controller-terminal and the other end to the trolley-wire or the 3 5 like in the main entry or branch heading from which the room is an offshoot.

My invention consists of certain features an elevation showing a portion of the reel 5 mechanism with parts brokenv away and in section. 4

In the drawings I have conventionally illustrated a mining-locomotive l equipped with a trolley 2, whicl is shown as held in an in- 55 operative position by a hook-3, a controller 4, a brake wheel 5, headlight 6, circuit breaker 7, and sand-box valve-levers 8. On the top of the. locomotive and at its front end is placed a cable-reel or winding device 9.

Thdbable-rcl proper consists of a disk 10, which may be formed of wood or other suitable material, and has secured to it at its pcriphery one end ofeach ofa plurality of curved metal bars 11. The other end of each bar 11 is secured to ametal ring 12. The bars 11 are shaped to form a curved pulley-faeo,.upon which the cable 13 is wound, as is clearly shown in the drawings. A metal bushing i l-passes centrally through the disk 10, and by means 7 of it the disk 10 is swiveled about a tubular hub or boss 15,projecting fromadriving mem ber 16. The member 16 has an annular beau ing-surface 17, against which the under side of the disk 10 rests. A friction-disk18,0ftiber or other suitable material, may be secured to the under side of the disk 10 in a position to bear against the surface 17 for a purpose hereinafter described. A tubular boss or hubQO, extending upward from a base or supportQl, secured to the locomotive, forms a pivot upon which the member 16 is swivelcd. The base or support 21 is also formed with an annularshaped bearing-surface 21;on which the driving member 16 rests. An annular friction 5 member 16, of fibrous or other suitable ma- ,teriahmay be placed between the driving memher and the surface 21, as shown, for a purpose hereinafter described. A bushing 22, which may be formed of wood or other suit able material; is placed between the outer surface of the boss 20 and the innersurface of the collar 15.

Bearings 23, 24, and 25 are formed in suitable bosses cr pillow-blocks carried by the base 9 5 21. \Vithin these hearings tubular sleeves or members 26 2728, respectively.arejmlrnalod.

A shaft 29 passes intcriorly through the memhers 26 27 28. This shaft is adapted to move longitudinally through the tubular members and to turn loosely in the members 27 and 28. The member 26, however, is splined to the s raft. a series of sp rocket-teeth which cooperate with a sprocket-chain 30, passing over a sprocketwheel 31, carried by one of the axles of the locomotive, to rotate the member 26, and through it the shaft 29, when the locomotive moves. The members 27 and 28 each carry at their outerends-a set of flexible fingers 32.

Each set of these fingers forms one member.

of a coupling device. Disks 33 and 34, respectively, are provided on their inner sides with pockets 35, into which the lingers 32, carried by the members 27 and 28, respectively, may alternately enter to make a positive coupling between the members 33 and 27 and 34 and 28, 'res 'iectively. The disks 33 and 34, respectively, are journaled on collars 36 l 37, which in turn are pinned to the shaft 29. The collars 36 and 37 carry at theirouter ends flanges 38 and 39, respectively, whiclfprevent outward movement of the disks 33 and 34. Plates 40 and 41, secured to the outer faces of the disks 33 and 34, respectively, prevent movement in an inward direction of the disk.

The disks and 34 and the collars 36 and 37 are shaped to form annular channels 42 and 43, which are clearly shown in Fig. 3 of the drawings. The flange 38 on the collar 36 is provided with a series of teeth 44, which project into the annular space 42. The periphery of the flange between adjacent teeth 44 is shaped to form curved pockets 45. of these pockets a steel ball is placed.' The pockets 45 are so shaped that when the shaft 29 is rotated in the direction indicated by the arrow in Fig. 4 the balls which move to the rear of the pocket do not have a working e'ngagement with the disk 33; but when the shaft rotates in the opposite direction the balls are wedged into the opposite end of the pocket and lock the disk 33 and the collar together.

The collar 39 differs from the collar 38 only I in the fact that the pockets are shaped so that a rotation of the shaft 29 in the direction indicated by the arrow in Fig. 4 will cause a locking engagement between the disk 34 and the collar, while a rotation of the shaft in the o "posite direction will not cause a rotation of the disk 34.

As is clearly shown in Fig. 3, the collars 36 and 37 are positioned on the shaft 29 so that only one of the tubularmembers 27 and 28 can be connected to the shaft at one time. A pairof washers 46 are secured to the shaft 29. A member 47, loosely mounted on the shaft 29 between the washers46, has a projecting arm 48, which rests in a slot 49 in the support 21. A lever 50, pivoted at 51 to the support 21, having an inner upturned bifurrated end 50, the bifurcations of which straddle the arm 48, forms a means for shifting The member 26 carries at its inner end In eachthe arm 48 and through it the shaft 29. A bar 52, secured to the upper side of the locomotive, is formed with notches in which the projecting end of the lever 50 may rest to hold the shaft 29 in the position shown in Fig. 3 or in the position in which the memtermediate positionl in which neither of the disks 33 or 34 engage coupling-fingers 32. The inner ends of the tubular members 27 and 28 have secured to them bevel-gears 53 and 54, respectively, which mesh with bevelteeth formed on the under side or the member 16, so that a positive rotation of either of the members 27 and 28 will cause arotation of the member 16.

The inner end of the conductor 13 passes through the space existing between a pair of under side of the disk 10. At the inner end of this pocket the conductor is secured in place by a bolt 56, passing upward through the disk 10. This bolt also secures in place one end of a spring or finger 57, which may be formed of copper, brass, or the like. spring or finger 57 and a plurality of similar springs or fingers 58, the outer ends of'which are secured to the disk 10, carry at their inner ends a suitable contact plate or member 59, which may be formed of copper or other good conducting material. The undersurface head of a contact member 60, formed of copper, brass, or the like, which is secured in and insulated from the tubular boss 20. A conductor of cable 61 extends from the contact member to one of the terminals of the controller on the locomotive.

Annular pieces of wood 62 are placed on the upper side of the disk 10 in a position to surround the springs 58 and contact mechanism. A disk 63, formed of suitable insulat upper annular member 62 and cooperates therewith to inclose the contact mechanism.

Suitable guides 64 .and 65 are placed on top of the locomotive at the front and rear, respectively, to receive the cable when it is paid out in one direction or the other.

Assuming that the-locomotive is traveling away from one of the main passages of the mine toward a room in the direction indicated by the arrow, Fig. 1, the outer ends of the cable 13 will be secured or fixed to the trolley- Wire or other conductor located in the main passage of the mine, as indicated at 66 in Figs. 1 and 2, and the lever 50 will be operated to connect the disk 33 with the member 27. When so connected, a rotation of the shaft 29, operated by the movement of the locomotive rotation of the member 27. As a'result the only thing resisting the rotation of the re-l 9,

tion between the disk 10 and the'support 21,

her 28 is coupled to the disk 34 or in an inthe bars 11 into a pocket 55, formed in the The in the" direction of the arrow, will not cause a as the locomotive moves along will be the fric-.

of the contact-plate 59 is held against the ing material, is placed on the upper side of the and the parts-can be so proportioned and so constructedthat this friction will be just sufli cient to give the proper amount of tension to the cable 18. As soon, however, as the locomotive starts to move in the opposite direction from that indicated by the arrow in Fig. 1 the member 27 will begin to rotate and will turn the member 16 and the disk 10 in the proper direction to wind up the cable 13. In order to obtain the proper amount of tension on the-cable 13 as it is being wound up, the member 16 is geared to have a speed somewhat higher than would be necessary if the disk 10 and the member 16 were to turn together. This difference in speed may be asmuch as twenty-five per cent. As a result of, this difference of speed a slipping takes place between the member 16 and the disk 10, and the tension on the cable 13 is regulated by the frictionresisting this slipping between the member 16 and the disk 10. It will be observed that the frictional engagement beta 3'11 the member 16 and disk 10, which regulates the tension on the cable 13 as it is being wound up, is constant and not intermittent in action. The frictional engagement is gravity controlled, as it depends upon the weight of the disk 10 and parts carried thereby. This insures that the tension on the cable is substantially constant during the winding-up operation and not intermittent or dependent upon the flexibility of the cable.

When it is desired to move'away from the fixed conductor in the direction indicated by the arrow in Fig. 2, in which case the opposite cnd of the locomotive is in advance from that in Fig. 1, the member 50 should be 0perated to move the shaft 29 in such manner as,

- to cause an engagement between the fingers 32 and the sleeve 34. When so connected, the rotation of the shaft 29 produced by a movement of the locomotive in a direction indicated by the arrow in Fig. 2 will have no effect on the driving member 16, and the tension on the cable paid out will be regulated by thefrictional resistance to the movement of the disk 10. When, however, the locomotive starts in the opposite direction from that indicated. by the arrow in Fig. 2. the shaft 29 will rotate the member 16in the direction to wind up the cable. It will be observed in this connection that the clutch-mechanisms are arranged to cause a rotation of the member 16 in one direction onlynamely, the direction necessary to give a winding movement to the disk 10.

Preferably the parts are so proportioned that the frictional forces tending to prevent slippage between the support 21 and the member 16 are about balanced by the frictional forces-tending to prevent relative movement between the member 16 and the disk 10. This is due to the fact that the frictional forces tending to prevent relative movement between the support 21 and the member 16 must beat least great enough to insure a proper tension on the flexible member when it is being unwound, and any excess of such frictionaTl forces requires an unnecessary waste of power in winding the cable up. The friction members 18 and 21 and the bushing 22 are employed to insure constant coefficients of friction between the various members. These parts are preferably made of fibrous material, as the necessity for lubrication, which tends to alter the frictional relations between the parts, is thereby avoided. -By this construction a proper amount of tension is put upon the cable both on the paying out and winding up of the cable, and as the lever 50 is set to the proper position while starting into the room the motorman need pay no further attention to the cable-reeling mechanism upon starting back, since the mechanism takes care of itself automatically. It will of'course be understood that with the construction described the rails on which I are intended to bethe return-conductor of the system. This, however, is not an objectionable feature, since in practically all mines in which locomotives are employed iron or steel rails are now used. instead of the wooden rails formerly inuse. When, however, mycablereel is to be employed upon a vehicle which does not use a ground or rail return, only slight modifications'in the construction described are necessary to adaptit for the simultaneous manipulation of two or more conductors.

While I have described the best form of my invention'which is now known to me, it is obvious that modifications in construction and arrangement may be madein the form of my invention without departing from the spirit thereof.

What I claim as new, and desire to secure by Letters Patent of the United States,-is

1. In combination, a movable vehicle, a winding device carried thereby,aflexible member having one end connected to the winding device and the other one secured at a fixed point, a driving member frictionally connected to said reel, means for causing a positive rotation of said driving member when the vehiclesnoves in a predetermined direction, and a frictional device resisting the movement of the driving member when the vehicle moves in the oppositedirectiona 2. In combination, a support, a driving member swiveled thereon, frictional means tending to prevent relative movement of the support and driving member, a winding member also swiveled on said support, and frictional means tending to prevent relative move ment between the winding member and the. driving member.

3. In combination, a movable vehicle, areel or winding device carried thereby, said reel or winding device comprising a supportfixed to the vehicle, a shaft mounted insaid support,

the locomotive runs Ice means for causing a movement of the vehicle to rotate the shaft, a driving member mounted on said support, a winding member also mounted on said support, frictional connections between said support and said driving member and between said driv-ing member and said windingmember, and means by which a movement of the shaft in either direction can be made to causea rotation of the driving member in a single direction.

4. In a device for winding up and unwinding a flexible conductor, a reel or winding member, a support upon which said reel or winding member is rotatably mounted, a contact or terminal carried by said support, a plurality of spring-fingers carried by said winding member, a contact plate or member pressed against said contact device by said flexible fingers, and means for electrically connecting one end of the flexible conductor with said contact plate or member.

5. In combination, a vehicle, a winding device carried th'ereby,gearing connecting one of the axles of the vehicle with the winding device, and means for changing said gearing so that a predetermined movement of the vehicle in either direction will cause a winding movement of the winding device.

6. In combinatioma vehicle moving toward or away from a fixed point, a reel carried by the vehicle, a flexible conductor having one end attached to the reel'and the other at the fixed point, a driving member in frictional engagement with the reel, means for operating the driving member when the vehicle moves toward the fixed point, and frictional means resisting the movement of the driving member in the opposite direction.

7. In combination, a vehicle, a reel carried thereby, a flexible conductor having one end secured to the reel and the other end adapted to be secured to a fixed conductor, a driving member in frictional engagement with the reel, and means for operating said driving member when the vehicle moves toward the point at which the end of the conductor is secured,'the direction of movement of said driving member being independent of which end of the vehicle is pointed toward the pointat which the end of the conductor is secured.

8. In combination, a pivoted cable-reel provided with a bearing-surface, a driving member pivoted concentrically with said reel'and having a bearing-surface in frictional engagement with the bearing-surface of the reel, a support on which the mounted,- means for producing a compara: tively large amount of friction between the driving member and the support, a shaft, and mean's for connecting the shaft oil the 'driving member so 'that a rotation of the shaft in one direction will cause a rotation of the driving member while a rotation of the shaft inthe opposite direction will not cau e-a rotation of the driving member.

driving member is 9. In combination,asupport,adrivingmember pivoted thereon, means for producing a comparatively large amount of friction tween the support and the driving member, a pivotally-mounted reel in frictional engagement with said driving member, and a cable having one end secured to said reel and the other end secured to a [ixed support.

10. In combination, a movable vehicle, a cable-reel carried thereby, a flexible conductor on said reel, means for securing the outer end of said conductor to a fixed conductor, and means independent of the flexibility of the flexible conductor and operated by the vehicle for rotating the reel when the vehicle moves toward the fixed conductor, said means tending to run the reel at a higher rate of speed than is necessary to wind up the flexible conductor.

11. In combination, a movable vehicle, a reel carried thereby. a flexible conductor on said reel, the outer end of which is adapted to be secured at a point, the cable being wound up or unwound as the vehicle moves toward or away from the point, a driving device frictionally coupled to the reel, and means for operating said reel to cause the cable to be wound up as the vehicle moves toward the point, said means working at a speed which tends to turn the reel faster than is necessary to wind up the cable, and mechanism for preventing movement of the driving member when the vehicle moves in the oppositedirection whereby a substantially constan t tension is maintained on the flexible c mductqr when winding up and unwinding it.

12. Incombination, a movable vehicle, a winding device carried thereby, and means by I which a movement of the vehicle can be made to drive the winding device, said means including a clutch mechanism having two operative positions, said clutch mechanism op erating in one of said operative positions to cause movement of the vehicle in one direction only to exert a driving force on the driving device and in the other operative position to cause a movement of the vehicle in the opposite direction only to exert a driving force on the winding device. I

13. In combination, a movable vehicle, a winding device carried thereby, and means by which a movement of the vehicle can be made to drive the winding device, said means including a clutch mechanism having two operative positions, said clutch mechanism operating in one of said operative positions to cause a movement of the vehicle in one direction only to exert a driving force on the driving device and in the other'operative position to cause a movement of the vehicle'in the opposite direction only to exert a driving force on the windingdevice, the driving force in each case tending to'operate the winding device in the same direction.

14 In combination, asupport svided with 7 a driving member journaled on said an annular bearing-surface and a cylindrical boss, a driving member journaled on said boss and resting against said bearing-surface, said driving member being also provided with an annular bearing-surface, and a winding member pivoted concentrically with aid driving device and resting on the bearing-surface of first-mentioned contact device.

7 16. In combination, a winding member, a driving member, alternately operative clutch devices, and means connecting the clutch devices and the driving device tocause a rotation of the shaft so that when one of the clutch devices is operative a rotation of the shaft in one direction only will operate the driving member, the other clutch device when operative-being arranged to cause a mgyement of the shaft in the opposite direction only to operate the driving member.

17. In combination, a rotatable shaft, a movable member, a pair of clutch devices, means for moving the shaft longitudinally to cause one or the other of the clutch devices to engage the driving member, one of said clutch evices being so arranged that when in the engaging position a movement of the shaft in one directionwill cause a movement of the driving member and a'mo'vement of the shaft in the other will not cause a movement of the driving member, the other of said clutch de; vices 'bein'g so arrangedthat when in the engaging position a movement of the shaft in the opposite direction will cause a movement of the driving member.

18. In combination, asupport provided with a vertical boss, a horizontal bearing-surface, boss and resting against said bearing-surface, a rotatable horizontal shaft journaled in said support and arranged to havelongitudinal movement, a pair of sleeves mou nted on said shaft, gearing connecting said sleeves and said driving member, and a means for connecting one or the other of said sleeves with the shaft as the shaft is moved from one longitudinal position to another longitudinal position.

19. In combination, a support, a driving member mounted on said support, frictional means tending to a winding member, frictional means tending to prevent relative movement of the winding a shaft member, a pair ofprevent relative movement. between the driving member and the su port,-

. direction to wind up member and the driving number, a shaft, and positive means for causing a rotation of the shaft in a predetermined direction to move the driving member, said means being inoperative to limit the movement of the driving member when the shaft rotates in the opposite direction.

20. In combination, a winding member, a driving member, a frictional connection between the two, positive means for causing a movement of the driving member in one direction, and frictional means resisting the movement of the driving member in the opposite direction. p

21. In combination, a movable vehicle, a reel carried thereby, a flexible member having one end fixed and the other one secured to the reel, means for driving the reel in the the flexible member when the vehicle moves in one direction, said means tending to rotate the reel faster than is necessary to wind up the flexible member, and a frictional connection between said means and said reel..-

22. In combination, a movable vehicle a, reel carried thereby, 'a flexible member having one end fixed and the other one secured to the reel, means for driving the reel in the direction to wind up the flexible member when the vehicle moves in on e direction, said means tending to rotate the reel faster than is neces sary to wind up the flexible member, a frictional connection between said means and said reel, and frictional means tending to prevent .winding device, and

a movement of the driving means when the vehicle moves in the opposite direction.

23. In. combination, a movable vehicle, a reel carried thereby, a flexible'member having one end secured to the reel and the other onefixed at a point, a driving member for the reel, and means for moving it with a speed proportional to the speed of the vehicle as the vehicle moves toward the point at which the flexible member is secured, said driving means being arranged to drive the reel at a higher rate of speed than is necessary to wind up theflexible' member, and a constantly-active frictional connection between the driving member and the reel to allow the necessary slippage between the driving member and the reel and to regulate the tension'oh a flexible member. 24. In combination, a vehicle, a winding device carried thereby, gearing by means of which a movement of the vehicle can be caused to operate the winding device, and means for changing said gearing so that a'predeter-mined movement of the vehicle in either direction will cause a winding movement of the winding device.

25. In'combination, a vehicle, a winding device carried thereby, means by which a movement of the vehicle can be made to operate the mechanism for altering movement of the vehicle irection will cause a windsaid means so that a m a predetermined d ing movement of the winding device while the movement ofthe vehicle in the opposite direction will not cause a movement of the winding device.

26. In combination, a movable vehicle, a winding device carried by the vehicle, adrivingmember for operating the winding device, means for operating the driving member when the vehicle moves in a predetermined direction, and means resisting the movement of the driving member when the vehicle moves in the opposite direction.

27. In combination, a movable vehicle, a windingdevice carried thereby,aflexiblemember wound and unwound by said winding de' vice, means tending to operate the winding device at ahigher speed than is necessary to wind up the flexible member as the vehicle moves, and a constantly-active frictional operating engagement between the winding device and its operating means.

28. In combination. a movable vehicle, a winding device carried thereby, a flexible member wound up by said winding device as the vehicle moves, and means tending to operate the winding device at ahigher speed than is necessary to wind up the flexible member, said means and winding device being so connected that a slippage may take place between them which will insure a proper speed of the winding device, said slippage being independent of the flexibility of the flexible member.

" 29. In combination, a movable vehicle, a

winding device carried thereby, a flexible member on said winding device, means operated by the movement ofthe vehicle tending to rotate said winding device faster than necessary to wind up the flexible member, and a connection allowing a slippage between said operating means and said winding device, said connection being independent of the tension of the flexible member.

30. In combination, a movable vehicle, a winding device carried thereby, aflexible conductor on said winding device, means for securing the outer end of said conductor to a fixed conductor, and means tending to operate the Winding device at a higner rate of speed than is necessary to wind up the flexible conductor when the vehicle moves toward the 5 fixed conductor, said means comprising a frictional clutch, the members of which are forced together with a pressure which is independent of the tension of the conductor.

31. In combination. a movable vehicle, a driving member having a frictionsurface mounted on said vehicle,a winding-reel having a friction-surface engaging with the frictionsurface of said driving member, the weight of said winding-reel being carried by the driving member, and means for driving the driving member at a speed higher than that is necessary to wind up the conductor.

32. In combination, a movable vehicle, a winding device carried thereby,a flexible con- 5 doctor on said winding device, means for securing the free end of said conductor to a fixed conductor, and means tending to run the reel faster than necessary to wind up the con ductor when the vehicle moves toward the 7 fixed conductor, saidmeans comprising a friction-clutch, the members of which are held together by a substantially unvarying force which allows the slippage necessary to insure\ a proper feed of the flexible conductor. 15

33. In combination, a movable vehicle, a winding device carried thereby, a flexible con- .ductor having one end secured to said winding device, means for securing the other end of said conductor to a fixed conductor. andmeans 8O tending to operate the winding device at a higher rate of speed than is necessary to wind up the flexible conductor when the vehicle moves toward the fixed conductor, said means comprising a pair of members constantly held 5 in frictional engagement with each other dur 'ing said movement of the vehicle.

In witness whereof I have hereunto set my hand this 28th day of May, 1903.

CARL W. LARSON.

Witnesses:

BENJAMIN B. HULL, HELEN ORroi'u).

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