GB2214532A

GB2214532A - Cable drum winding apparatus

Info

Publication number: GB2214532A
Application number: GB8802029A
Authority: GB
Inventors: Andrew Bates
Original assignee: Autoreel Ltd
Current assignee: Autoreel Ltd
Priority date: 1988-01-29
Filing date: 1988-01-29
Publication date: 1989-09-06
Anticipated expiration: 2008-01-29
Also published as: GB8802029D0; GB2214532B

Abstract

Cable drum winding apparatus seen in plan in Fig. 1, comprises opposed drum supports 18, 20 each comprising a parallel linkage in which parallel links 22, 24 are pivoted on a subframe 14 and on support means 34 for a pintle 36. Pintles 36 are mounted coaxially on each support means 34. A motor 38 rotates worms 40, 42 which engage extensions 48 of the link 22 to move the pintles 36 towards and away from one another to move them into and out of supporting engagement with a drum between the supports 18, 20. A motor 56 on one of the supports 18 can rotate the drum. A subframe 14 is pivoted about an axis A on a main frame 10 which can be readily moved. An air cylinder 16 can pivot the subframe 14 about the axis A to raise and lower the drum. The apparatus is simple and relatively inexpensive. A cable length measuring device may be mounted on subframe 14. Frame 10, supporting subframe 14, is wheeled. The apparatus may be used, with a drum brake, for cable unwinding. <IMAGE>

Description

CABLE DRUM HANDLING APPARATUS This invention relates to cable drum handling apparatus and especially cable winding apparatus.

In some circumstances it is necessary to wind cable from a supply onto a drum, for example when supplying relatively small lengths of cable for use. It is desirable, to handle various lengths and diameter of cable, that such cable winding apparatus is capable of accommodating drums of various different widths and diameters.

Machines have been proposed for mount cable drums for this purpose. However, apparatus previcuslv proposed has not been altogether satisfactory in that t has been complex and/or relatively expensive. For exampl one apparatus proposed for this purpose has been const,ructed so that in order to adjust it to accommodate drums of various widths, the apparatus has been constructed in two parts movable towards and away from one another, the parts being relatively massive and cumbersome to move requiring heavy duty motors and the like; in another apparatus proposed for this purpose, pintles have been carried at the ends of ars mounted on a linear slide for movement towards and away fro one another - whilst such apparatus is much less cumbersome than the other prior art apparatus referred to, the linear slide must be manufactured with considerabe accuracy ovr a relativel wide distance. Both of the prior apparatuses referred to above have been relatively complex in construction requiring a large number of parts in order to provide for the appropriate adjustment. Both of these apparatuses have, therefore, been relative e'.xpensive to manufacture.

One of the objects of f the present inyention is to provide an improved cable drum handling apparatus, In one aspecc, the invention may be considered to provide cable drum handing apparatus comprising a pair of opposed drum supports esch comprising a parallel linkage in which two parallel links are pivoted on frame means and, remote from the frame means, on support means for a pintle and a pintle mounted coaxial on each support means, the apparatus further comprising means for moving the parallel linkages whereby to move the pintles towards and away from one another thus to move them into and out of supporting engagement with a drum positioned between the drum supports.

In a preferred apparatus embodying the invention, the means for moving the parallel linkages is arranged to effect movement of the support means towards and away from one another by equidistant amounts: this acts to ensure that a drum supported by the drum supports is centred in the apparatus.

Preferably in a machine in accordance with the invention, the means for moving the parallel links roi;prises a single motor. Conveniently, the single motor is positioned to rotate rotary drive means adapted to enrage the two parallel linkages and effect the movement; suitably the drive means comprises a pair of worms having threads of opposite hand, the motor being positioned between the two worms.

Preferably universal joints are positioned between the motor and the parallel linkages to permit any necessary adjustment in alignment of the drive means, especially as the parallel linkages are moved.

In a preferred apparatus in accordance with the invention, the means for moving the parallel linkages is arranged, for each linkage, to engage a projecting arm of one of the two parallel links at the side relative to thf position at which it is pivoted on the frame means opposite the support means for the pintle.

In preferred apparatus in accordance with the invention, the frame means is .ounted cn a main frame of the apparatus for movement to raise and lower a drum engaged by the opposed drum supports; conveniently, for this purpose, the frame means is pivoted on the main frame for movement about an axis parallel to the axis of the pintles. A preferred apparatus comprises means for effecting raising or lowering of the frame means.

Preferably the means for effecting raising or lowering of the frame means ,comprises a piston and cylinder arrangement.

A preferred apparatus in accordance with the invention comprises wheels on which the main frame is mounted so that the apparatus can readily be moved to transport a drum supported 5 it to and from an appropriate location for receiving or dispensing cable onto or from the drum.

There now follows a detailed description to be read with reference to the accompanying drawings of cable drum handling apparatus, namely cable winding apparatus, embodying the invention. It will be realised that this apparatus has been selected for description to illustrate the invention by way of example.

In the accompanying drains:- Figure 1 is a plan view of cable winding apparatus embodying the invention; Figure 2 is a front view of the apparatus shown in Figure 1; and Figure 3 is a side view of the apparatus shown in Figure 1.

The illustrative cable winding apparatus comprises a main frame 10 supported on wheels 12 so that the apparatus can readily be moved to a desired operating position.

Frame means comprising t subframe 14 is mounted for pivotal movement about an axis \ on the main frame 10. A piston and cylinder arrangement 16 extends between a member of the main frame ln w a member of the subframe 14 thus to effect pivotal movement of the subframe 14 about the axis A.

A pair of opposed drum supports 18, 20 are mounted on the subframe 14. As can be seen from the accompanying drawings, the drum supports 18, 20 are substantially mirror images of one another and thus only the drum support 18 will be described in detail, for convenience.

The parallel linkage of the first drum support 18 comprises two parallel links 22, 24 pivotally mounted on parallel pivots 26, 28 respectively, carried by the subframe 14. Remote from the subframe 14 the links 22, 24 are connected by parallel pivots 30, 32 respectively to support means 34 for a pintle 36: as can be seen by viewing Figure 1, the parallel links 22, 2A, subframe 14 and support 34 supply a parallel linkage or pantagraph assembly.

The two opposed drum supports 18, 20 are constructed and mounted so that the pintles 36 mounted on the support means are coaxial; the construction and arrangement of the illustrative apparatus is such that they remain coaxial as the parallel linkages of the supports 18, 20 are moved. The axis B of the pintles 36 is parallel with the axis A about which the subframe is pivoted.

The illustrative apparatus further comprises means for moving the parallel linkages of the supports 18, 20 whereby to move the pintles 36 towards and away from one another. The means for moving the parallel linkages comprises a motor 38 mounted on the subframe 14 and arranged to operate drive means comprising worms 40, 42 having threads of opposite hands arranged to be threadedly engaged in nuts 44 mounted on pivots 46 parallel with the pivots 26, 28, and a rearward extension 18 l)f the link 22 which projects beyond the pivot 26 opposite the support means 34.

The worms AC, 42 are connected by universal joints G, 2 to an output shaft 54 of the motor 38.

A control panel 60 is mounted on the support means 34 of the support 18 and provides controls, operable bv the operator, to operate the piston and oylinder arrangement 16 to raise and tower the supports and che motor 38 to move the support means 34 inwardls outwardly.

In the use of the illustrative apparatus the apparatus may be wheeled to an appropriate positirl to pick up a cable drum. This may be on an appropriate rack or at floor level and the subframe is pivoted by the piston and oylinder arrangement 16 about the axis A to ralse or lower the support means 34 of the durm supports 18, 20 to align the pintles 36 with the oentral support open; rig in the appropriate drum.When the pintles eire aligned with the opening in the centre of the drum, the drum being positioned between the drum supports 18, the motor 38 is actuated by an operator to cause the parallel linkages of the supports 18, 20 to be moved to move the support means 34 inwardly towards one another.

The construction and arrangement is such that the pintles 36 remain coaxial as they are moved inwardly. As the pintles engage in the central opening in the drum the inward movement of the support means 34 is terminated by the operator; alternativeiy. sensing means may oe provided to sense when the pintles 36 are firmly engaged in the drum. It is not necessary for a drum to be positioned precisely centrally between the supports 18, 20 before it is picked up because the supports, by their moyement, will effect a centering of the drum as ther enrage it.

The piston and oylinder arrangement 16 may again be operated to pivot the subframe 14 to jiositlon the drum a suitable position and the Illustrative apparatus may e cheeled to an appropriate pos@@ion by the operator, for example to receixe a length of @able from a oacked supple of cabl- The oabie is pu-f-rablg fed onte the drum carried by the drum supports 18, 20 through a suitable known measuring device ;riot shown) which may preferably he mounted on the subframe 14 of the illustrative apparatus. To wind the appropriate length of cable on the drum, the drum rotating motor 56 is actuated by the operator to rotate the drum through the connector 58.

When the measuring device has measured a preselected length of cable, the motor 56 is stopped and the oable severed; the motor 56 may then be restarted to wind the severed end of cable onto the drum.

whereas the illustrative apparatus is a rabie winding apparatus and comprises the winding motor 56, apparatus in accordance with the invention may be used for paying aut cable from a drum, in chich csase a braking svstem may be necessary to prevent the drum rotating uncontrollably when cable is being unwound from the drum.

The illustrative apparatus is of simple and robust construotion and does not require extremely high precision in its manufacture (in comparison, for example, with the precision slide referred to in the Pr or art apparatus). The illustrative apparatus is theretfore relatively inexpensive and is reliable in operation.

Claims

1. Cable drum handling apparatus comprising a pair of opposed drum supports each comprising a parallel linkage in which two parallel links are pivoted on frame means and, remote from the frame means, on support means for a pintle and a pintle mounted coaxially on. each support means, the apparatus further comprising means for moving the parallel linkages whereby to move the pintles towards and away from one another thus to move them into and out of supporting engagement with a drum positioned between the drum supports.

2. Cable drum handling apparatus according to claim 1 wherein the means for moving the parallel linkages is arranged to effect movement of the support means towards and away from each other by equidistant amounts.

3. Cable drum handling apparatus according to either one of claims 1 and 2 wherein the means for moving the parallel links comprises a single motor.

4. Cable drum handling apparatus according to claim 3 wherein the single motor is positioned to rotate rotary drive means adapted to engage the two parallel linkages and effect the movement.

Cable drum handling apparatus according to claim 4 wherein the drive means comprises a pair of worms having threads of opposite hand, the motor being positioned between the two worms.

6. Cable drum handling apparatus according to any one of claims 3 to 5 comprising universal joints positioned between the motor and the parallel linkages.

7. Cable drum handling apparatus according to any one of the preceding claims wherein one of the parallel links of each linkage comprises an extension, the means for moving the linkages being arranged to engage the extension to effect movement.

8. Cable drum handling apparatus comprising a motor which can be actuated by an operator to rotate a drum carried by the drum supports.

9. Cable drum handling apparatus according to any one of the preceding claims comprising a main frame on which the frame means is mounted for movement to raise and lower a drum engaged by the drum supports.

10. Cable drum handling apparatus according to claim 9 wherein the frame means is pivoted on the main frame for movement about an axis parallel to the axis of the pintles.

11. Cable drum handling apparatus according to either one of claims 9 and 10 comprising means for effecting raising or lowering of the frame means.

12. Cable drum handling apparatus constructed arranged and adapted to operate substantially as hereinbefore described with reference to the accompanying drawings.