Winding – tensioning – or guiding – Reeling device – With particular drive
Reexamination Certificate
2001-07-23
2003-05-13
Jillions, John M. (Department: 3653)
Winding, tensioning, or guiding
Reeling device
With particular drive
C242S397500, C242S403100, C137S355270
Reexamination Certificate
active
06561449
ABSTRACT:
The invention relates to a portable or traveling transporting device for winding material, particularly a hose truck.
Transporting devices of this type are e.g. used in the garden sector as portable or travelling hose trucks. They have a frame normally provided with a handle or the like and on which is provided a travelling mechanism for moving the transporting device on a ground surface and at least one winding drum for winding up the winding material, e.g. a hose or cable. The travelling mechanism, which normally has several ground wheels or rolls, comprises at least one rotary element rotatable by the movement of the transporting device, i.e. driven by the advance or return movement of said transporting device and a force transfer mechanism for making a drive connection between said rotary element and the winding drum. Such a force transfer means, e.g. constructed as a gear, makes it possible to couple the advance or return movement of the transporting device with the winding movement of the winding drum, so that e.g. during the movement of the transporting device a hose is automatically wound on or off by the winding roll driven in rotary manner.
A hose truck in which a hose drum is drivable by means of a gear through the rotation of ground wheels is known from DE 43 04 127. In the case of this hose truck the diameters of the ground wheels connected to the gear, the gear ratio and the winding drum diameter are so matched to one another that when the winding drum is empty the travel distance covered substantially corresponds to the winding up length brought about by the rotation of the winding roll. As a result an exact single-layer rolling up of the hose is made possible and simultaneously a horizontally moving hose guide is driven, which ensures that the hose during each drum rotation is precisely and adequately placed on the previously wound portion. A multilayer winding does not take place.
The problem of the invention is to create a portable winding material transporting device of the aforementioned type in such a way as to permit a problemfree winding up and off of even considerable winding material lengths.
A transporting device of the aforementioned type constructed according to the invention and in particular in the form of a hose truck is so constructed that in the case of a single or multiple layer winding up of winding material a limited winding force can be exerted thereon. The winding force is automatically set in such a way that there are no excessive tensile forces stretching or straining the hose or other winding material over a considerable distance. As a result the winding material is protected during the winding process and at the same time a tight and consequently compact or space-saving winding is possible. The limited winding force is made available substantially independently of the winding diameter, so that it is provided both with a single-layer winding and also when there are several winding layers. Thus, large winding material lengths can be housed on a winding drum of limited width. The magnitude of the limited winding force is appropriately dimensioned in such a way that on the one hand the formation of loose winding loops is avoided and on the other the possibly hollow winding material is not compressed or excessively loaded in any other way.
For this purpose, according to a preferred further development the force transfer means between the rotary element and the winding drum has at least one automatic torque limiting device for limiting the torque transferred by the rotary element to the winding drum. Thus, without any external intervention on the part of an operator, there can automatically be a loosening or interruption of the drive coupling between the travelling mechanism and the winding drum as soon as the movement of the transporting device provides more torque than is needed for maintaining the limited winding force. In particular, within the force transfer path from the travelling mechanism to the winding drum can be provided a type of slip clutch, which can e.g. ensure that in the presence of larger hose layer diameters and/or with a multilayer winding the travelling mechanism or drive side can lead compared with the winding drum rotation, but without the force transfer being completely eliminated.
The torque limiting means can have any appropriate construction ensuring said slip clutch function. According to a further development, which is in particular characterized by simple construction, robustness and reliable operation, the torque limiting means has a coupling part in the form of a coupling gear wheel and another rotary coupling part with at least one spring-loaded driving element, which is constructed for engagement in the teeth of the coupling gear wheel. Thus, below a torque limit, a positive driving of both coupling parts is brought about, whereas on exceeding the torque limit the driving element, counter to the spring tension, leaves the positive engagement position, so as to permit a mutual relative rotation of the coupling parts. Appropriately the driving element is constructed as a roll or rolling body, e.g. in the manner of a roller, so that a low-wear coupling operation is aided. Preferably there are several driving elements uniformly distributed along the coupling gear wheel circumference in order to on the one hand ensure a reliable engagement and on the other to assist an automatic centring of the coupling gear wheel, which can also be independently placed in a guide.
In the case of several, e.g. four driving elements, the tooth system of the coupling gear wheel can have a plurality of teeth which cannot be divided by the number of driving elements. As a result always only part of the driving elements are in complete engagement with the tooth system and the notch step width on notching through the winding drum is reduced by a factor of e.g. two compared with the circumferential spacing of neighbouring teeth, so that even with coarse teeth a fine notching can be achieved.
In an embodiment explained in greater detail in conjunction with the drawings, the tooth system of the coupling gear wheel is asymmetrical with respect to a rotation direction reversal and preferably the teeth of the tooth system have a steep side and a side which is less steep. As will be explained hereinafter, as a result e.g. with a faster relative rotation of the coupling parts it is possible to avoid a jumping of the driving elements and a resulting reduction of the driving force and additionally an easier manual rotation of the winding drum in the winding up direction can take place with reduced force expenditure.
As a result of the force transfer means in the case of a transporting device constructed as a hose truck it is possible to bring about an automatic winding up of the hose in the travel direction of the hose truck towards a laid out hose portion. According to a further development the force or torque-transferring coupling between the travelling mechanism and the winding drum can, if necessary, be eliminated. For this purpose the force transfer means has a preferably manually operable clutch for the as desired cancellation or making of the drive connection between the rotary element and the winding drum and which can e.g. be operated by means of a clutch lever. The possibility of cancelling out the drive connection is e.g. advantageous if the hose or other winding material is to be unwound manually from the winding drum with the transporting device stationary or if the transporting device is to be moved solely for transportation without winding drum rotation.
Apart from numerous possibilities known to the expert for implementing such a clutch, preference is given to a variant in which the clutch has at least one coupling gear wheel positioned between a drive or travelling mechanism-side gear wheel and a drive side gear wheel, which as a result of the displacement of its rotation axis can, as desired, be engaged or disengaged with respect to at least one of the adjacent gear wheels. Such clutches are particularly advantageously implem
Haufele Reiner
Lindermeir Wolfgang
Reichart Vincent
Akerman & Senterfitt
Gardena Kress + Kastner GmbH
Jillions John M.
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