Classifications

• • B—PERFORMING OPERATIONS; TRANSPORTING
  • B63—SHIPS OR OTHER WATERBORNE VESSELS; RELATED EQUIPMENT
  • B63B—SHIPS OR OTHER WATERBORNE VESSELS; EQUIPMENT FOR SHIPPING 
  • B63B21/00—Tying-up; Shifting, towing, or pushing equipment; Anchoring
  • B63B21/16—Tying-up; Shifting, towing, or pushing equipment; Anchoring using winches
• • B—PERFORMING OPERATIONS; TRANSPORTING
  • B66—HOISTING; LIFTING; HAULING
  • B66D—CAPSTANS; WINCHES; TACKLES, e.g. PULLEY BLOCKS; HOISTS
  • B66D1/00—Rope, cable, or chain winding mechanisms; Capstans
  • B66D1/60—Rope, cable, or chain winding mechanisms; Capstans adapted for special purposes
  • B66D1/72—Anchor-chain sprockets; Anchor capstans

Definitions

• the present invention relates to a winch which in the first place is intended to be used as an anchor winch on sailing boats or yachts and on motor boats but which may be utilized also for various other purposes. More particularly, the invention relates to a winch of the kind comprising a drive pulley for a lifting cable which is rotatable at choice in one direction or the other by means by a driving motor, and a guide means for the lifting cable which is connected to the drive pulley through a slip coupling and arranged for limited rotation around the rotary axis of the drive pulley, the lifting cable being movable by said guide means between an engage ⁇ ment position, in which it extends in a bight around the drive pulley and is located in drive engagement there- with, and a release position, in which it is located out of drive engagement with the drive pulley and extends in a bight around an alternative supporting means for the lifting cable over which the lifting cable may be let out without being driven from the drive motor.
• the guide means is formed by a member having the shape of a sector of a cylinder and mounted for limited rotation thereof, said member also forming said alternative supporting means.
• This member is located radially outside the drive pulley and axially in front of the latter and it is arranged to be swung around the rotary axis of the drive pulley between an inactive position below the drive pulley and an active position in which it is located above the drive pulley and can hold the lifting cable in a release posi ⁇ tion in which said cable is held lifted up in a radial direction from the drive pulley.
• the winch according to the invention proposed for the above purpose is primarly characterized in that the guide means is arranged to move the lifting cable between the engagement position and an axially displaced release position in which the lifting cable is supported axially at the side of the drive pulley by the alternative supporting means.
• the alternative supporting means may be designed so as to be capable of supporting the lifting cable on an arc-shaped curved supporting surface extending through an angle of 180° instead of through a maximum angle of only about 90° as is the case in the known device.
• the lastmentioned fact means that the lifting cable need not be subjected to any abrupt change in its direction at the ends of said supporting surface.
• the alternative supporting means for the lifting cable may be formed by the guide means or a member rigidly connected thereto.
• the alternative supporting means may in ⁇ stead preferably consist of a separate supporting member for the lifting cable located in relation to the drive pulley at the opposite side of the guide means.
• This supporting member may consist of a stationary member.
• it may instead consist of a sup ⁇ porting wheel for the lifting cable mounted on the driving shaft for the drive pulley.
• Said supporting wheel may either be rigidly mounted on said shaft for rotation in unison therewith or it may be rotatably journalled on said shaft.
• the supporting member may be arranged to exert a limited braking action on the lifting cable when the lifting cable is let out over the supporting member.
• the winch constitutes an anchor winch and the lifting cable consists of an anchor cable carrying an anchor
• said braking action may be selected in such a manner that during anchoring, the movement of the cable will be braked as soon as the anchor ceases to exert a pulling force on the cable.
• the supporting member consists of a stationary member or a member ridigly mounted on the driving shaft for the drive pulley and rotatable in unison with said shaft, said braking action may be achieved by providing the supporting member with a supporting surface for the lifting cable consisting of a friction material. If the supporting member consists of a supporting wheel rotatably mounted on the driving shaft for the drive pulley, said braking action may instead be obtained by arranging the supporting wheel to engage the lifting cable and to be brought into rotation by the lifting cable when the latter is let out but simultaneously to be subjected to a limited braking action from braking means contacting the supporting wheel .
• the guide means may suitably consist of a generally circular disc-shaped member, comprising a portion, projecting radially out- side the drive pulley and having two cut out tongues which are bent in mutually opposite axial directions and extend towards each other as seen in the circum ⁇ ferential direction and which define a passage opening for the lifting cable between their free ends.
• the alternative supporting means may preferably have a conically tapered supporting surface for the lifting cable tapering off in direction towards the guide means, in order hereby to facilitate a trasfer of the lifting cable from said supporting means to the drive pulley by the guide means.
• FIGS. 1 and 2 are perspective views of a winch according to the invention, showing the winch in two different states,
• Figure 3 is a side elevation of the winch, showing it in a third state
• Figures 4, 5 and 6 are front views of the winch, showing it in three different states, Figure 7 is a partial view in longitudinal section of the winch and
• Figure 8 is a corresponding partial view in longi ⁇ tudinal section of a winch of a slightly modified con ⁇ struction.
• the winch shown in Figures 1 - 7 comprises a re ⁇ versible electric driving motor 10 and a self-locking reduction gear 11 provided with a projecting, at least approximately horizontal driving shaft 12 for a drive pulley 13 for a lifting cable consisting of a chain 14.
• the drive pulley is provided with a central peripheral groove 13A and two peripheral rows of wedge-shaped projections 13B lo ⁇ cated at opposite sides of said groove.
• Drive pulley 13 is non-rotatably connected to driving shaft 12 by means of a key 15 ( Figure 7) which extends into a keyway 16 in the drive pulley.
• drive pulley 12 may be rotated at choice in one direction or the other by being driven from motor 10 through gear 11.
• Reference numeral 17 designates a guide means for chain 14 which is rotatably mounted on driving shaft 12 and formed as a disc-shaped member.
• This guide means serves to facilitate a movement of chain 14 between an engagement position, shown in Figures 1 and 4 and in which the chain extends in a bight around drive pulley 13 and is in drive engagement therewith, and a release position, shown in Figures 3 and 6 and in which the chain is located out of drive engagement with the drive pulley and extends in a bight around a supporting wheel 18 serving as an alternative supporting means for the chain.
• Suppor- ting wheel 18 is located in relation to drive pulley 13 at the opposite side of guide means 17 and it is non- rotatably connected to driving shaft 12 by means of a key 20 which extends into a keyway 19 ( Figure 7) in the supporting wheel. Furthermore, supporting wheel 18 is kept in an axially fixed position on driving shaft 12 by being held between a shoulder 21 of said shaft and a locking ring 22 which is received in a peripheral groove in the driving shaft.
• Guide means 17 comprises a portion 17A projecting radially outside drive pulley 13 and provided with two cut out tongues 23 and 24 which are arcuately bent in mutually opposite axial directions. These two tongues extend in circumferential direction towards each other and define between their free ends a passage opening 25 for chain 14.
• Guide means 17 is slip coupled to drive pulley 13 by means of a slip coupling. This slip coupling com ⁇ prises two thin discs 26 and 27 of a plastic material with suitable friction properties, located at opposite sides of the central portion of guide means 17, and a cup spring 28.
• This cup spring rests with an inner por ⁇ tion thereof against a shoulder 29 on driving shaft 12, and, by means of outer peripheral portions thereof, it pushes the two discs 26 and 27 and the intermediate guide means 17 in axial direction towards the adjacent side of drive pulley 13.
• Reference numeral 30 designates a nut which is mounted on a threaded outer end portion of driving shaft 12 and by means of which the contact pressure of the slip coupling may be adjusted.
• Guide means 17 cannot be rotated unlimitedly around driving shaft 12 but only within a limited angle range of about 310°. This limitation of the possible rotation of the guide means is obtained by means of a sector-shaped projection 31, which extends in a radial outward direction from guide means 17, and a co-operating fixed stop 32.
• this stop has been shown as consisting of a rod which is secured to the casing of reduction gear 11 and against which projection 31 may be brought to rest with one or the other of its two opposite radially extending edges 31A and 31B.
• guide means 17 has been shown in one of its two end positions, while in Figures 3 and 6, it has been shown in its other end position.
• tongues 23 and 24 are located in positions in which they leave chain 14 uninfluenced by them.
• one part 14' of chain 14 is assumed to be connected to an anchor, not shown, which may subject said part to a downwardly directed pulling force, while the other part 14" of the chain is assumed to extend downwards into a chain box or the like, not shown. If driving motor 10 is inoperative and the chain is simultaneously in its engagement position shown in Figures 1 and 4 and in which it is supported by drive pulley 13 and located in engagement therewith, the chain will be held firmly in a stationary position by the winch.
• driving motor 10 When the anchor is to be dropped, driving motor 10 is started and brought to rotate for a short period of time in a direction opposite to the above-mentioned rotary direction.
• Drive pulley 13 will then be rotated in a counter-clockwise direction according to Figure 4 and rotate guide means 17, which is slip coupled thereto, from the position shown in Figure 4 to the position shown in Figure 6 while passing the intermediate position shown in Figure 5.
• the supporting wheel 18 in order to make it possible for supporting wheel 18 to exert a certain braking action on chain 14 and hereby to prevent a continued letting out of the chain under the action of its own weight when the anchor has reached the current anchorage ground, the supporting wheel as a whole or at least an outer peripheral portion thereof may consist of a rubber material or any other suitable material offering a relatively high friction.
• the chain may be brought back into engagement with drive pulley 13 by putting driving motor 10 into operation for a short period of time in order to rotate guide means 17 in a clockwise direction from the position according to Figure 6 to the position according to Figure 4.
• FIG 8 shows a winch according to a modified embodiment of the invention.
• This winch differs from the winch according to Figures 1 to 7 in that supporting wheel 18' is rotatably mounted on driving shaft 12 instea of non-rotatably connected thereto.
• supporti wheel 18' is provided with a row of wedge-shaped peri ⁇ pheral projections 33 which may be brought into engage ⁇ ment with chain 14 to ensure that supporting wheel 18' will be brought into rotation by the chain when the latter is let out over the supporting wheel.
• suitable sensing and indication means not shown, to provide an indication of the chain length let out over the supporting wheel.
• the supporting wheel may be arranged to be subjected to a limited braking action from braking means provided in contact therewith and consisting for instance of a brake disc 34, which is non-rotatably mounted on the driving shaft, and a cup spring 35, provided in con ⁇ tact with said brake disc.
• the alternative supporting means for the lifting cable may consist of a stationary member mounted on a fixed portion of the winch.
• the winch may be designed for use with another type of lifting cable than a chain, for instance a lifting cable consisting of a rope.

Landscapes

• Engineering & Computer Science (AREA)
• Mechanical Engineering (AREA)
• Chemical & Material Sciences (AREA)
• Combustion & Propulsion (AREA)
• Ocean & Marine Engineering (AREA)
• Pulleys (AREA)
• Jib Cranes (AREA)
• Vehicle Cleaning, Maintenance, Repair, Refitting, And Outriggers (AREA)
• Transmission Devices (AREA)

Priority Applications (3)

Applications Claiming Priority (2)

Publications (1)

Family

ID=20397112

Family Applications (1)

Country Status (5)

Cited By (2)

Families Citing this family (1)

Citations (5)

• 1995
  • 1995-02-07 SE SE9500431A patent/SE503879C2/sv not_active IP Right Cessation
• 1996
  • 1996-01-30 DE DE69608787T patent/DE69608787D1/de not_active Expired - Lifetime
  • 1996-01-30 WO PCT/SE1996/000094 patent/WO1996024552A1/en active IP Right Grant
  • 1996-01-30 EP EP96902538A patent/EP0808291B1/en not_active Expired - Lifetime
• 1997
  • 1997-08-06 NO NO973622A patent/NO973622D0/no not_active Application Discontinuation

Patent Citations (5)

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