Cable telescopic winding device

Abstract

The present invention provides a cable telescopic winding device, comprising an edge device and a cable plate; the edge device is disposed at the outermost ends of the device; a plurality of the cable plates are movably connected in sequence, with the two outermost cable plates being fixedly connected to the edge devices at both ends, forming a structure having two working states: extended and folded; the cable plate is provided with a wiring groove having a bending radius greater than the minimum bending radius of the cable. The advantages of the present invention are that it provides a novel cable winding device capable of extending and folding the cable along a predetermined path, and is suitable for a post-assembly hull structure between the outlet-side end cover and the hull in a deep-sea pressure-resistant hull; compared with existing telescopic structures, the present invention has a simpler structure, smaller size, and lower cost.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present invention belongs to the field of cable assembly, and in particular relates to a cable telescopic winding device, which is particularly applicable to deep-sea equipment, such as an underwater pressure-resistant cabin. Background Art

[0002] With the implementation and development of the national marine strategy, my country's demand for deep-sea exploration equipment, deep-sea communication equipment, deep-sea information processing equipment and other equipment is increasing. These devices will use one or more sealed cabins that can withstand high water pressure in the deep sea to protect the internal optoelectronic devices.

[0003] For underwater pressure-resistant cabins, there are three commonly used connection methods between the structure that fixes optoelectronic devices inside and the end covers on both sides of the cabin. The first method is that all external lines inside the cabin are on one end cover of the pressure-resistant cabin. In this method, the internal structure can be fixed to the end cover outside the cabin during assembly, and then the assembled end cover on one side can be pushed into the cabin together with the internal structure. After the internal structure is fixed, the end cover on the other side without cables can be installed; the second method is that the external lines inside the cabin need to be connected to the end covers on both sides. In this case, the internal structure can be fixed to one end cover and then pushed into the cabin, but the end cover on the other side needs to be assembled after the cables of the internal structure have been connected to the end cover to achieve the cabin sealing operation, that is, the end cover on one side is assembled later; the third method is to first fix the internal structure as a whole inside the cabin, and then assemble the end covers on both sides. In this method, regardless of whether the cables are output from one end cover or from both end covers, the end cover on the output side has the cables of the internal structure connected to the end cover before the end cover is assembled.

[0004] As can be seen, for both Method 2 and Method 3, there is a scenario where the cables are connected between the end cap and the internal structure before assembly. In this scenario, the cables between the internal structure and the end cap will have two working conditions. One is that before assembling the end cap, a longer cable needs to be reserved to connect the internal structure and the end cap; the other is that after assembling the end cap, this longer cable will bend between the end cap and the internal structure. When bending, if the bending path of the cable is not constrained, its bending state is uncontrolled. Especially for optical fibers, a too small bending radius will seriously affect the transmission performance of the optical fiber or even damage the optical fiber. Even if there are no problems when the product is assembled, during the subsequent transportation or use of the product, if it is hit or vibrated, the cable without path constraints may cause scratches or repeated friction with the internal structure, thereby causing damage to the cable or device. Therefore, it is necessary to design a telescopic winding device for cables or optical fibers, which can make the cables or optical fibers extend longer before the end cover is assembled, so as to facilitate the assembly operation outside the cabin. After the end cover is assembled, the cables or optical fibers can be folded and retracted according to a predetermined path, so that their bending path is controllable and damage to the cables or optical fibers is prevented. Summary of the Invention

[0005] The purpose of the present invention is to overcome the defect that the bending state of the cable is uncontrolled after it is assembled, which is easy to cause damage during subsequent product transportation or use.

[0006] In order to achieve the above-mentioned object, the present invention proposes a cable telescopic winding device, which includes a plurality of cable plates;

[0007] The plurality of cable plates are movably connected in sequence to form a foldable structure;

[0008] The cable plate is provided with a wiring groove with a bending radius larger than the minimum bending radius of the cable.

[0009] As an improvement to the above device, a connecting cable plate is further provided between the plurality of cable plates;

[0010] The cable connection plate is provided with a slot for placing a cable connection structure;

[0011] The connecting cable plate is installed between two adjacent cable plates with the same installation direction.

[0012] As an improvement to the above device, the slot for placing the cable connection device is a slot for placing a heat shrink tubing for fiber fusion.

[0013] As an improvement to the above device, adjacent cable plates are connected by oblique ears, pins passing through the inner holes of the ears, and elastic retaining rings. This connection ensures that adjacent cable plates can rotate freely at a certain angle.

[0014] As an improvement to the above device, the rotation angle between adjacent cable plates supports 0° to 180°.

[0015] As an improvement to the above device, an arc-shaped corner structure is fixed on each cable plate at the connection position of adjacent cable plates;

[0016] A wiring groove is provided inside the arc-shaped corner structural member, and the wiring groove of the arc-shaped corner structural member is in the shape of an arc with a rounded corner greater than the minimum bending radius of the cable.

[0017] As an improvement to the above device, it is characterized in that the wiring groove of the arc-shaped corner structure is tangent to the wiring groove on the cable plate, ensuring that the cable has a smooth path when it runs from the cable plate to the arc-shaped corner structure;

[0018] The wiring troughs fixed on two opposite arc-shaped corner structures on different cable plates intersect on the axis of the cable plate's rotation shaft, ensuring that no matter what angle the two adjacent cable plates are at, the cable has a smooth path when it moves from one arc-shaped corner structure to the opposite arc-shaped corner structure, and the corner angle is greater than the minimum bending radius of the cable.

[0019] As an improvement to the above device, a plurality of wire pressing plates are provided on the wiring trough of the cable plate.

[0020] As an improvement to the above device, the cable plate is made of common metal materials or non-metal materials and is manufactured by milling.

[0021] Compared with the prior art, the advantages of the present invention are:

[0022] 1. The present invention provides a new type of cable winding device, which can realize the extension and folding of the cable along a certain path, and is suitable for the post-assembly cabin structure between the end cover on the outlet side and the cabin in a deep-sea pressure-resistant cabin.

[0023] 2. Compared with the existing telescopic structure, it has a simpler structure, smaller size and lower cost. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0024] Figure 1 The figure shows a schematic diagram of the extended state of the cable telescopic winding device;

[0025] Figure 2 The figure shows a schematic diagram of the cable telescopic winding device in a folded state;

[0026] Figure 3 Shown is a partial view of the fiber optic plate corner device in a vertical state;

[0027] Figure 4 The figure shows a partial view of the fiber optic plate corner device in a parallel state; in order to clearly illustrate the internal fiber routing path, the upper half of the corner structure is not shown;

[0028] Figure 5 FIG1 is a partial cross-sectional view of a fiber optic plate corner device in a folded state according to an exemplary embodiment.

[0029] Reference numerals

[0030] 1. End cap 2. First end fiber board 3. First middle fiber board

[0031] 4. fused fiber board 5. second intermediate fiber board 6. third intermediate fiber board

[0032] 7. Second end fiber plate 8. Internal base 9. Corner structural member

[0033] 91. Upper structure of corner structure 92. Lower structure of corner structure DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0034] The technical solution of the present invention is described in detail below with reference to the accompanying drawings.

[0035] The present invention relates to a cable telescopic winding device, which can be used for a cabin structure assembled between a cable outlet side end cover and a cabin of submarine equipment, and is particularly suitable for a sealed cabin of deep-sea pressure-resistant equipment with optical fiber communication function.

[0036] The present invention designs a telescopic winding device for cables, which can be in a long flat state before the end cover is assembled, which is convenient for winding and connecting the cables. After the end cover is assembled, it is in a folded state, which can ensure that all paths and bending radii of the cables during the bending process are safe and controllable. It is suitable for a sealed cabin structure in which the end cover on the outlet side is assembled with the cabin rear.

[0037] Since optical fibers have more stringent requirements on the fiber routing path and bending radius than ordinary cables, although the present invention uses optical fibers as an example to illustrate the cable winding structure, the present invention is also applicable to other types of cables.

[0038] The cable telescopic winding structure mainly includes an end cover, six optical fiber plates, an internal base and corner structural members between the optical fiber plates.

[0039] The six optical fiber boards are divided into three types, including end optical fiber boards, middle optical fiber boards and fused optical fiber boards.

[0040] There are two end optical fiber plates, which are placed at the outermost ends of the optical fiber telescopic coiling structure and are connected to the end cover and the internal base respectively.

[0041] There are three intermediate fiber optic plates in total, which are installed in the middle of the two end fiber optic plates, and one fused fiber optic plate is installed between two adjacent intermediate fiber optic plates with the same installation direction. The last intermediate fiber optic plate is installed in the opposite direction when connected to any of the above intermediate fiber optic plates to ensure the continuity of the fiber optic routing path.

[0042] Adjacent fiber optic plates are connected by oblique lugs, pins passing through the inner holes of the lugs, and elastic retaining rings. This connection ensures that adjacent fiber optic plates can rotate freely at a certain angle. Therefore, when multiple folding plates are connected together in pairs by pins, a group of structures that can form two working states: extended and folded can be formed.

[0043] All fiber boards have fiber routing slots with a bend radius larger than the minimum bend radius of the fiber, which can be used to place the optical fiber. In addition, the fiber fusion splicing boards also have slots for placing heat shrink tubing for splicing, which can be fixed in the corresponding slots after splicing.

[0044] At the hinge connection between adjacent fiber optic boards, each board is secured with an arc-shaped corner structure. Its internal fiber routing groove is an arc with a radius greater than the fiber's minimum bend radius. At the point where the corner structure connects to the board, the fiber routing groove inside the corner structure intersects with the routing groove on the board, ensuring a smooth path for the fiber as it passes from the board to the corner structure. The routing grooves of two opposing corner structures, fixed to different fiber optic boards, intersect at the axis of the board's hinge. This ensures that, regardless of the angle between the two adjacent fiber optic boards, the fiber's path from one corner structure to the opposite corner structure is smooth and never falls below the fiber's minimum bend radius.

[0045] Each fiber optic board is designed with a fiber pressing plate at the entrance and exit of the fiber optic groove to ensure that the optical fiber is fixed in the fiber optic groove by the fiber pressing plate at the entrance and exit of the fiber optic groove and will not pop out of the fiber optic groove due to changes in the angle between adjacent optical boards.

[0046] During product assembly, first structurally connect the fiber optic panels according to the aforementioned instructions. Connect the end fiber optic panels on both sides to the end caps and internal base, ensuring that all intermediate fiber optic panels and fused fiber optic panels are in a horizontally extended position. The optical fiber on the end cap then enters the fiber slot of the end fiber optic panel connected to the end cap. After coiling a certain length within the panel, it passes through the corner structure and enters the next intermediate fiber optic panel, and so on, until it enters the fused fiber optic panel. The optical fiber on the internal base also enters the fused fiber optic panel through a similar path. The optical fibers on both sides are coiled within the fused fiber optic panel and then fused together. Heat shrink tubing for fusion splicing is placed in a dedicated slot. After fusion splicing, the fiber optic panels can be folded along their respective axes to form a collapsed position, completing the assembly between the outlet end cap and the pressure-resistant cabin.

[0047] The working principle of the cable telescopic coiling structure is described in detail below with reference to the accompanying drawings.

[0048] Assume that an optical fiber connection needs to be made between the internal structure of a deep-sea pressure-resistant cabin and a certain outlet-side end cover before the end cover and the pressure-resistant cabin are assembled.

[0049] like Figure 1 The figure shows the extended state of the cable telescopic winding mechanism. At this time, the middle fiber optic board and the fused fiber optic board, except for the two end fiber optic boards, are on the same plane.

[0050] As shown in the figure, the first end fiber optic plate 2 is placed at the leftmost end of the fiber telescopic winding structure and is fixedly connected to the end cover 1. The optical fiber on the end cover 1 enters the cable telescopic winding structure from the left along the first end fiber optic plate 2.

[0051] The optical fiber is coiled in the fiber duct of the first end optical fiber plate 2, and then enters the first middle optical fiber plate 3 through the corner structure 9. Figure 3The fiber routing groove of the first middle fiber optic plate 3 is designed to be opposite to the fiber routing groove of the first end fiber optic plate 2, and the axis of the fiber routing groove forms a small angle with the rotation axis of the two adjacent fiber optic plates. This design ensures that the optical fiber will not be bent less than the minimum bending radius when the two adjacent fiber optic plates are in the extended or folded state.

[0052] Corner structure 9, located at the pivot connection point between adjacent fiber optic boards, is arc-shaped, with its internal fiber routing grooves formed as circular arcs with corners greater than the minimum bend radius of the optical fiber. The internal fiber routing grooves of corner structure 9 are tangent to those of the adjacent fiber optic boards, ensuring a smooth path for the optical fiber from the fiber optic board to corner structure 9. The fiber routing grooves of two opposing corner structures fixed to different fiber optic boards intersect at the axis of the fiber optic board's pivot axis, ensuring that, regardless of the angle between the two adjacent fiber optic boards, the optical fiber's path from one corner structure to the opposite corner structure remains smooth and does not fall below the minimum bend radius of the optical fiber.

[0053] The optical fiber is coiled in the groove of the first middle optical fiber plate 3 and enters the fused optical fiber plate 4 through two sets of opposite corner structural members 9. After being coiled in the fiber coiling groove of the fused optical fiber plate 4, it enters the groove where the heat shrink tubing is placed for use.

[0054] For the other side, the second end fiber optic plate 7 is placed at the rightmost end of the fiber telescopic winding structure and is fixedly connected to the internal base 8. The optical fiber on the internal base 8 enters the cable telescopic winding structure from the right along the second end fiber optic plate 7.

[0055] From the second end fiber board 7, through the corner structure 9 similar to the above, it enters the third intermediate fiber board 6 and the second intermediate fiber board 5 in sequence. The third intermediate fiber board 6 and the second intermediate fiber board 5 have the same structure and are installed in opposite directions, so that the fiber grooves of the two are continuous. The local structure is as follows Figure 4 As shown. The optical fiber entering the second intermediate fiber plate 5 then passes through the corner structure 9 and enters the fused fiber plate 4. After being coiled within the fiber winding channel of the fused fiber plate 4, it also enters the groove for the heat shrink tubing. After adjusting the fiber length, it is fused at this location with the optical fiber entering the fiber winding structure from the end cap 1. The fused heat shrink tubing is secured to the heat shrink tubing groove of the fused fiber plate 4 using glue or other fixing structures. At this point, the fiber winding structure is assembled and the fiber routing is complete.

[0056] When assembling the end caps, place the fiber trays in the Figure 2 Bending the fiber in the directions shown, it transforms from a flat surface into a curved state similar to multiple hinges. The fiber does not bend below its full radius, thus preventing damage. The length design allows the bent end cap to maintain close contact with the cabin, enabling the fiber to be retracted and coiled.

[0057] In addition, to ensure that the optical fiber will not pop out of the fiber routing groove during folding and stretching operations along the fiber routing path of the entire fiber winding structure, multiple fiber compression blocks can be set at appropriate positions along the fiber routing path, which are not all shown in the drawings.

[0058] The present invention takes into account the needs of optical fiber telescopic coiling and the minimum bending radius limit. Through a folding structure similar to a hinge, the bending deformation of the optical fiber is converted into the flipping of the optical fibers on two adjacent optical fiber plates at the intersection position, thereby avoiding the optical fiber from bending less than the minimum bending radius and realizing the telescopic coiling function.

[0059] Traditional optical fiber telescopic winding structures are mostly spiral telescopic winding structures similar to springs, but this structure can only provide a fiber routing path for the optical fiber and cannot perform fiber fusion on this winding path. Fiber fusion must be performed on the end cap or internal base. The optical fiber telescopic winding structure proposed in the present invention is a new type of winding structure, which can realize both telescopic winding of the optical fiber and fiber fusion within the optical fiber board, making it easy to operate.

[0060] Since the fiber running path of the traditional spiral telescopic winding structure is spiral, the angle between two adjacent turns of the fiber running path cannot be too large to avoid damaging the structural components of the spiral telescopic winding structure. Therefore, the overall size of the structure after folding is larger. The optical fiber telescopic winding structure proposed in the present invention folds the fiber running path, and the angle between adjacent optical fiber plates can be from 0° to 180°. Therefore, under the same maximum elongation condition, the overall size of the structure of the present invention after folding is smaller than that of the traditional spiral telescopic winding structure. Figure 5 FIG1 is a partial cross-sectional view of a fiber optic plate corner device in a folded state according to an exemplary embodiment.

[0061] For traditional spiral telescopic coiling structures, their telescopic function relies on the elastic deformation of the structural parts themselves. Therefore, the structural parts need to be made of non-metallic materials with suitable elastic deformation capabilities, and the processing method generally adopts the open mold injection molding method, which is difficult to process and has high costs. The telescopic function of the optical fiber telescopic coiling structure proposed in the present invention is achieved by a folding and opening operation similar to a hinge structure. There is no need for elastic deformation of the structural parts. Therefore, common metal materials or non-metallic materials can be selected, and the most common milling process can be used in the processing, which is convenient to process and low in cost.

[0062] Correspondingly, if there is a greater requirement for the elongation length of the structure, the number of intermediate optical fiber plates can be increased accordingly.

[0063] If a large number of optical fibers cannot accommodate all the heat shrink tubing on a single splice plate, multiple splice plates can be added as needed, with the fiber splices placed in batches in the splice slots of the plates. For any splice plate, if the fiber needs to be spliced ​​within that plate, it is coiled into the splice slot. Fibers that do not need to be spliced ​​within that plate can be coiled in the cylindrical coiling area of ​​the splice plate and then moved directly to the next plate without entering the splice slot.

[0064] Correspondingly, if the coiled object is not an optical fiber, but other wires or cables with strict requirements on the bending radius, corresponding structural changes can also be made. It is only necessary to change the fiber fusion groove structure on the fiber fusion board to a structure suitable for placing other cable connection connectors.

[0065] The cable telescopic winding device of the present invention is not only applicable to a cabin structure assembled between a cable outlet side end cover of submarine equipment and a cabin, but is also applicable to other structures requiring cable folding and unfolding for deployment.

[0066] Finally, it should be noted that the above embodiments are intended only to illustrate the technical solutions of the present invention and are not intended to limit the present invention. Although the present invention has been described in detail with reference to the embodiments, it should be understood by those skilled in the art that modifications or equivalent substitutions to the technical solutions of the present invention do not depart from the spirit and scope of the technical solutions of the present invention and are intended to be encompassed by the claims of the present invention.

Claims

1. A cable telescopic winding device, characterized in that: The device includes a number of cable plates; The plurality of cable plates are movably connected in sequence to form a foldable structure; The cable plate is provided with a wiring groove having a bending radius greater than the minimum bending radius of the cable; Also included is a connecting cable plate, which is arranged between two adjacent cable plates having the same installation direction; The cable connection plate is provided with a wiring groove with a bending radius greater than the minimum bending radius of the cable, and is provided with a slot for placing the cable connection structure; At the connection position of adjacent cable plates, an arc-shaped corner structural member is fixed on each cable plate; A wiring groove is provided inside the arc-shaped corner structure, and the wiring groove of the arc-shaped corner structure is an arc shape with a rounded corner greater than the minimum bending radius of the cable; The wiring trough of the arc-shaped corner structure is tangent to the wiring trough on the cable plate, ensuring a smooth path for the cables when they run from the cable plate to the arc-shaped corner structure; The wiring troughs fixed on two opposite arc-shaped corner structures on different cable plates intersect on the axis of the cable plate's rotation shaft, ensuring that no matter what angle the two adjacent cable plates are at, the cable has a smooth path when it moves from one arc-shaped corner structure to the opposite arc-shaped corner structure, and the corner angle is greater than the minimum bending radius of the cable.

2. The cable telescopic winding device according to claim 1, characterized in that: The slot where the cable connection structure is placed is a slot where the heat shrink tubing for fiber fusion is placed.

3. The cable telescopic winding device according to claim 1, characterized in that: Adjacent cable plates are connected by oblique lugs, pins passing through the inner holes of the lugs, and elastic retaining rings. This connection ensures that adjacent cable plates can rotate freely at a certain angle.

4. The cable telescopic winding device according to claim 3, characterized in that: The rotation angle between adjacent cable plates supports 0° to 180°.

5. The cable telescopic winding device according to claim 1, characterized in that: A plurality of wire pressing plates are arranged on the wiring trough of the cable plate.

6. The cable telescopic winding device according to claim 1, characterized in that: The cable plate is made of common metal materials or non-metal materials and is manufactured by milling.

Images