GB2035259A

GB2035259A - A flexible hose automatic winding device

Info

Publication number: GB2035259A
Application number: GB7935165A
Authority: GB
Original assignee: Equipement Industriel Normand
Current assignee: Equipement Industriel Normand
Priority date: 1978-10-11
Filing date: 1979-10-10
Publication date: 1980-06-18
Also published as: IT1123819B; GB2035259B; CA1136109A; DE2941135A1; NL7907544A; FR2438619A1; FR2438619B1; IT7926430A0; BE879358A

Abstract

The automatic winding device for the flexible hose 7 of a supply unit 1 comprises a drum 9 for the flexible hose 7, said drum 9 being connected to a pulley 18 on which is wound a cable 19 connected to a tensioning mechanism 21. The mechanism 21 is arranged to apply a constant effort on the cable 19 and therefore a constant torque on the drum 9 in the direction in which the hose 7 is rewound on the drum 9. <IMAGE>

Description

SPECIFICATION A flexible hose automatic winding device There exists more and more petrol and other petroleum product supply units or pumps, adapted for being used by motorists without the assistence of any particular personnel. It has been established that many individuals use dangerously the supply units which are at their disposal in the so-called "selfservice" filling stations, and particularly that they leave more or less important portions of the flexible hose lying on the ground both when they fill up their vehicle tank and when they put back the supply-gun with which the flexible hose is provided.

Flexible hoses lying in this way on the ground wear out quickly. It often happens that the vehicles run on them and they are an obstacle for unobservant pedestrians, so that they have been already the source of accidents.

For remedying such disadvantages, various solutions have been proposed; particularly, it has been provided to mount along the supply unit a flexible rod formed at its top with a loop for the flexible hose.

During supply, the rod is flexed and then it keeps the hose so as to prevent it from touching the ground.

Installations have also been proposed with the hoses hanging down from suspended supply units and maintained by rubber extensible cords of the "sandow" type. This latter disposition requires a very important length of flexible hose, thereby increasing the cost. Likewise, the supply units are rather difficult of access and the petrol supply pipelines are of course very complex.

The efficiency of the flexible rod devices is limited since the rods often break.

The present invention obviates these various disadvantages by providing a new mechanism enabling to use only a short length of flexible hose stored inside the supply unit itself, and, moreover, the device of the invention is such that a heavy traction has not to be exerted on the hose when the supply-gun is used.

According to the invention, the flexible hose automatic winding device comprises a winding drum for the flexible hose, said drum comprising a tubular shaft with a rotary gasket connected to a supply-pipe for a liquid to be supplied by the flexible hose, and said drum being connected to a mechanism biasing it into rotation in the direction in which the flexible hose is wound, the torque exerted by the drum on the flexible hose keeping it under a tension which is just sufficient for said flexible hose not to come in contact with the ground.

Various other features of the invention will become apparent from the following detailed description.

Embodiments of the invention are illustrated as non limitative examples in the accompanying drawings wherein: Figure 1 is a schematic perspective view showing the application of the flexible hose automatic winding device of the invention to a petrol pump; Figure 2 is an enlarged perspective view of a detail of embodiment; Figure 3 is a cross-sectional view of the drum of the winding device of the preceding figures, and Figures 4 and 5 are perspective views similar to Figure 1 and showing two alternative embodiments.

In the drawings, reference numeral 1 designates a pump or supply unit for petrol or any other pet roleum product in the frame of which is arranged a pumping and metering assembly 2. The assembly 2 comprises an electrical motor 3 driving a pumping mechanism 4, the delivery pipe 5 of which is connected to the winding unit 6 of the invention. The winding unit 6 comprises a flexible hose 7 provided with a supply gun 8.

The winder as such comprises a drum 9 on which is wound the flexible hose 7, the end of which is threaded onto a fitting 10 (Figure 3). The fitting 10 is housed inside a housing formed by the pulley sheave 11 of the drum 9 and said fitting is attached to the drum disc 12 for rotation therewith.

The fitting 10 is formed outside a tubular shaft 13 mounted in a bearing 14 which is in turn supported by a hub 15. It is advantageous that the bearing 14 be of the ball type, as is shown, or of the needle type, so that the drum may rotate very freely.

In addition to the foregoing, a sealing gasket 16 is provided between the tubular axis 13 and the hub 15, the end of which forms a flange 17 connected to the delivery pipe 5 described hereabove.

The drum disc 12 is provided, on the side thereof, with a pulley 18 inside which is wound a cable 19.

The winding of cable 19 is opposite to that of the flexible hose 7.

In the embodiment of Figure 1, the drum 9 is arranged horizontally above the supply unit 2 and the cable 19 is guided by a pulley 20 towards a traction mechanism 21.

The mechanism 21 may be made according to various different ways and may comprise a balancing mechanism comprising an adjustable tension spring and a connecting cable mounted on a mobile hub or on a simple spiral calibrated spring fixed on the one hand to a pulley and on the other hand to a fixed point. The mechanism 21 may also be constituted by an electrical motor connected to a pulley by a sliding coupler, the electrical motor being operated when the gun 8 is extracted from its housing and this motor being stopped by putting the gun 8 back in place.

Figure 4 shows that the mechanism 21 may also comprise a counterweight 22 hung to the cable 19 via a pulley-block 23. Moreover, a spring 24 is provided for exerting a traction on the counterweight 22. Thus, the counterweight applies a constant effort on the cable 19 and therefore a constant torque on the drum 9 in the direction in which the flexible hose 7 is re-wound and the spring 24 creates a variable component which is a function of the counterweight position, this component generating a torque which is all the greater as a longer length of the hose 7 has been unwound from the drum. Thus, the hose portion unwound from the drum is kept under a tension which is sufficient for preventing this flexible hose portion from rubbing against the ground, and nevertheless the force to be exerted by the user of the gun 8 remains low.

A favourable torque depending on the length of hose 7 unwound from the drum may also be obtained when the mechanism 21 comprises an electrical motor associated with a coupler or similar member since it is possible to have the coupler or the rotation speed of the motor controlled by the extent of rotation of drum 9.

In the hereabove description, the drum 9 has been shown in a horizontal position. According to the invention, it is possible to dispose it vertically; this position is illustrated in Figure 5 showing the drum 9 placed vertically, the cable 19 being as in Figure 4 connected to a pulley-block type mechanism associated with a counterweight 22 and a spring 24. In this embodiment, the mechanism can of course be of a different constitution, as discussed hereabove.

It is important that the return torque exerted by the drum on the flexible hose be as low as possible while remaining sufficient for maintaining said hose under an appropriate tension so that it does not touch the ground. Consequently it is important to remove all rubbing sources which would lead to an increase of the drum return torque.

To this end and as shown in Figure 2, a guide 25 is placed on the path of travel of the hose 7 and immediately at the outlet of the drum 9, said guide having the shape of a socket in which are set balls or rollers 26. The socket is in turn articulated via pins 27, one of which only is shown in the drawing, on pivoting arms 28 connected to the frame via pins 29.

The drawings show that the arms 28 may occupy various positions according to the hose 7 being pulled in one direction or the other by a user and, in this case, the guide socket can also pivot so that it remains practically always in alignment with the hose which is guided by the balls or rollers 26, thereby reducing the frictions to a minimum and maintaining the hose in the winding plane which it has to occupy in the pulley-sheave 11.

The invention is not restricted to the embodiments shown and described in detail, and many modifications may be carried out without departing from its scope as shown in the appendent claims.

Claims

1. A flexible hose automatic winding device comprising a winding drum for a flexible hose, said drum having a rotation shaft formed by a tubular element with a rotary gasket connected to a supplypipe of a liquid to be supplied by the flexible hose, said drum being connected to a mechanism biasing it in rotation in the direction in which the flexible hose is wound, the drum exerting a torque on the flexible hose maintaining it under a tension which is just sufficient for the flexible hose not to come in contact with the ground, wherein the drum is rigidly connected to a pulley on which is wound a cable comprising a pulley-block placed between said pulley and a counterweight to which can be connected a return spring.

2. A device according to claim 1, comprising a drum position detector for regulating the motorcoupling unit in a direction for which a variable and progressively increasing torque is applied to the drum as unwinding of the flexible hose proceeds.

3. A device according to either claim 1 or 2, wherein the drum has an output provided with a guide.

4. A device according to any one of claims 1 to 3, wherein the guide comprises a socket with balls or rollers insidely provided therein, said socket being articulated on periphery of the flexible hose winding drum.

5. Application of the flexible hose winding device according to any one of claims 1 to 4, to a pump supplying petrol and similar products.

6. The application of claim 5, wherein the drum is placed horizontally inside the distributor.

7. The application of claim 5, wherein the drum is placed vertically outside the distributor.

8. The application of any one of claims 5 to 7, wherein the motor transmitting a torque to the drum is operated under control of a supply gun provided on the flexible hose when said supply gun is lifted.