Electricity: transmission to vehicles – Flexible extensions – Reels
Reexamination Certificate
1999-07-28
2001-06-26
Morano, S. Joseph (Department: 3617)
Electricity: transmission to vehicles
Flexible extensions
Reels
Reexamination Certificate
active
06250443
ABSTRACT:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
1. Field of the Invention
The present invention is directed to a device for winding and unwinding at least two lines and an apparatus employing such a device, the lines connecting an apparatus part to electrically operated devices of the apparatus that can be dislocated relative to the apparatus part.
2. Description of the Prior Art
German PS 40 19 513 discloses a device with a rotatable drum arrangement for winding and unwinding a line. The drum arrangement has an outer, hollow-cylindrical drum that is rotatably seated around an inner hollow-cylindrical drum that is stationary relative to the outer drum. The outer drum accepts the line in the form of a ribbon cable and a rope. The ribbon cable and the rope can be wound and unwound in opposite directions on different regions of the outer drum. The device is arranged in an apparatus part of an apparatus that has a second apparatus part with electrically operated devices that can be adjusted relative to the first apparatus part. The ribbon cable electrically connects the two apparatus parts to one another, the ribbon cable and the rope respectively having ends secured to different ends of the second apparatus part. When a tensile force is exerted on the ribbon cable by moving the two apparatus parts relative to one another, the ribbon cable is unwound from the rotatable drum and the rope is wound on the rotatable drum and, given exertion of a tensile force on the rope due to opposite movement of the two apparatus parts relative to one another, the rope is unwound from the rotatable drum and the ribbon cable is wound onto the rotatable drum. A spring via which the rope end is secured to the second apparatus part serves the purpose of exerting a constant tensile force on the rope, and thus on the ribbon cable, so that this is wound onto the drum with a slight pre-stress.
The winding and unwinding of the ribbon cable, which, can have its other end connected to an energy supply and to a control and signal processing unit, onto the rotatable drum is possible only because a portion of the ribbon cable is wound in a helix around the inner drum. The respective surfaces of the two hollow-cylindrical drums have an opening through which the ribbon cable is conducted. The ribbon cable is initially conducted via a lateral opening of the inner drum through the opening of the surface of the inner drum in the region between the drums, is wound as a helix around the inner drum, and is conducted toward the exterior through the opening of the surface of the outer drum. The portion of the ribbon cable that is located between the drums has its section ends secured such to the inner and outer drum so that, given rotation of the outer drum around the inner drum, the ribbon cable is wound onto or is unwound from the surface of the outer drum and, when the ribbon cable is wound onto or unwound from the outer drum, the helix formed by the region of the ribbon cable lying between the drums is constricted or expands in the direction toward the surface of the inner drum.
The known device is only suitable for the acceptance of a ribbon cable that can be reliably wound onto or unwound from the outer drum, i.e. without forming loops. This is a disadvantage because ribbon cables are expensive and have a high space requirement when being wound onto a drum.
German PS 196 51 960 discloses an apparatus having a device for the transmission of electrical energy and/or of signals from one apparatus part to electrical devices that can be displaced relative to the apparatus part, using round lines. The device has a rotatable drum onto which another line is wound when one line is unwound.
A disadvantage of this known device is that the drum, which is composed of an outer and an inner, hollow-cylindrical drum with the outer drum rotating around the stationary inner drum, does not offer adequate space for the acceptance of the lines. Particularly the space between the outer and the inner drum wherein, as described above, the lines are wound in a helix around the inner drum, is not adequate for accepting lines having larger line diameters and given the condition of not having to implement the drums too large.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
An object of the present invention is to provide a device of the type initially described wherein a dependable winding and unwinding of at least two lines onto the device is possible, and wherein the device exhibits adequate space for the acceptance of the lines. It is also an object of the invention to provide an apparatus of the type initially described wherein the transmission of energy and signals from the apparatus part to the electrically operated devices is free of malfunction.
According to the invention, the object directed to the device is achieved in a device having at least two rotatable drums onto each of which at least one line can be respectively wound and unwound, and a transmission connecting the drums such that one line is wound onto one drum when another line is unwound from the other drum. Preferably only one line is wound onto and unwound from each drum; in this way, the drums offer adequate space for the acceptance or intermediate storage of the lines. The transmission is preferably mechanical and makes it possible in a simple way for, when one line is unwound from one drum, with, for example, a tensile force exerted on the line, to wind the other line on the other drum. Ribbon cables as well as round cables can be wound and unwound with the device. Departing from the preferred embodiment of the device, however, the two drums can also be implemented such that more than one line can be wound onto or unwound from each of the drums. When, for example, it is provided that the device accepts three lines, then one line is wound onto and unwound from one drum and the two other lines are wound onto and unwound from different regions of the other drum. Due to the coupling at the two drums with the transmission, the winding of the one line ensues while the other two lines are unwound and vice versa. The two drums preferably have respective rotational axes which are different from one another, but proceeding substantially parallel to one another, and further drums for winding and unwinding further lines can be connected parallel to one or both of the drums, the further drums implementing the same rotational movements as the drums to which they are connected in parallel.
In one embodiment of the device a drive mechanism interacts with one of the drums or with the transmission. This is particularly advantageous when the lines are not to be tensilely stressed when being unwound.
According to one version of the invention, the drive mechanism has a drive element in the form of a belt, a chain or a toothed rack that interacts with a drive sheave in the form of a pulley, a chain wheel or a toothed rack sheave. The drive mechanism in a further version of the invention, however, can be an electrical drive, preferably an electric motor, so that the winding and unwinding of the lines can be motorized.
In a preferred embodiment of the invention each of the drums is formed by an outer hollow-cylindrical drum that is rotatable around an inner hollow-cylindrical drum which is stationary relative to the outer drum, and each line that can be wound onto or unwound from an outer drum is respectively conducted via an opening of the outer drum into the space between the outer and inner drum and is respectively wound helically around the inner drum in a guide helix loosely placed around the inner drum. Since the turn diameter and the number of turns of the lines in the space between the outer and inner drum, given winding and unwinding of the lines, change on the outer drums, the guide helix assures a uniform ply of lines in the space between the outer and inner drum in all cases. The guide helix can be loosely placed over the inner drum, so that adaptation to the number of turns of the lines is possible. When a number of lines are to be wound onto different regions of a drum and a number of lines are to be unwound from differe
Richter Helmut
Sypien Peter
McCarry, Jr. Robert J.
Morano S. Joseph
Schiff & Hardin & Waite
Siemens Aktiengesellschaft
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