Cable gripping apparatus
By introducing channels, cams, levers and energy absorbers into the cable gripper, the existing anti-fall device extends the fall distance and the lever structure is too strong when preventing falling, achieving safer and more convenient fall prevention, avoiding Inverted connections improve system stability.
Patent Information
- Application Number
- CN202380040674.1
- Authority / Receiving Office
- CN · China
- Patent Type
- Applications(China)
- Current Assignee / Owner
- Priority Date
- 2023-03-21
- Filing Date
- 2023-05-22
- Publication Date
- 2025-01-07
AI Technical Summary
The existing fall-proof device for wire rope safety cable extends the fall distance and applies pressure when preventing falling, and has room for improvement, and directly applies the blocking force to the lever during falling, resulting in the lever structure being too strong and the passage cover is easily connected inverted. Causes instability.
A cable gripper is designed, including a channel, a cam, a lever and an energy absorber, which engages a safety rope when falling. The lever absorbs the fall force through the energy absorber and enables easy locking and unlocking through the channel cover and safety pulling section. The channel cover structure avoids inverted connections.
It effectively shortens the fall distance, reduces the strength requirements of the lever, improves the convenience of locking and unlocking of the channel cover, and prevents inverted connections, improving the stability and safety of the system.
Smart Images
Figure CN119278073A_ABST
Abstract
Description
[0001] CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS
[0002] This application claims the benefit of U.S. Provisional Patent Application Serial No. 63 / 353,120, filed on June 17, 2022, entitled “Cable Grab,” and U.S. Patent Application Serial No. 18 / 124,313, filed on March 21, 2023, entitled “Cable Grab,” the contents of which are incorporated herein by reference. Technical Field
[0003] The disclosed concepts relate generally to fall arrest systems and, more particularly, to cable grabs for use in fall arrest systems. Background Art
[0004] Some ladder systems use a wire rope safety line. A fall arrest device is attached to the wire rope safety line and is coupled to the user's harness. The fall arrest device is designed to use a lever arm to engage a cam that grips the wire rope to arrest the fall. The lever arm is directly connected to the user's harness through a series of load bearing components. The external load bearing components extend the fall distance before arresting the fall and apply pressure to the lever arm. There is still room for improvement in fall arrest devices for wire rope safety lines. Summary of the invention
[0005] According to one aspect of the disclosed concept, a cable grab for a fall arrest system includes: a channel for receiving a safety rope; a cam that grabs the safety rope during a fall; a lever that rotates during a fall and causes the cam to grab the safety rope; and an energy absorber having a working length, a normal webbing portion, and a connection point, wherein the working length or the normal webbing portion engages with the lever during a fall.
[0006] According to another aspect of the disclosed concept, a cable grab for a fall protection system includes: a channel for receiving a safety rope; a channel cover having an unlocked position to provide access to the channel and a locked position to block access to the channel; a safety pull portion for locking the channel cover in the locked position, wherein the safety pull portion can be pulled to unlock the channel cover and move the channel cover to the unlocked position; and a lever that rotates and abuts against the channel cover spring when the channel cover spring is unlocked to move the channel cover spring to the unlocked position.
[0007] According to another aspect of the disclosed concept, a cable grabber for a fall arrest system includes: a channel for receiving a safety rope; a cam for grabbing the safety rope in the event of a fall; a lever that rotates clockwise independently of the cam within a first rotation range and further rotates clockwise within a subsequent second rotation range and rotates the cam to grab the safety rope; and a webbing that passes through the lever and is configured to be connected to a safety belt, wherein the webbing causes the lever to rotate clockwise in the event of a fall. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
[0008] The disclosed concepts may be fully understood by reading the following description of the preferred embodiments in conjunction with the accompanying drawings, in which:
[0009] Figure 1A is a front view of a cable grabber according to an example embodiment of the disclosed concept;
[0010] Figure 1B yes Figure 1A a right side view of the cable grab shown;
[0011] Figure 1C yes Figure 1A a rear view of the cable grab shown;
[0012] Figure 1D yes Figure 1A a left side view of the cable grab shown;
[0013] Figure 1E yes Figure 1A A top view of the cable grab shown;
[0014] Figure 1F yes Figure 1A a bottom view of the cable grab shown;
[0015] Figure 2 is a perspective view of a cable grabber in a resting position according to an example embodiment of the disclosed concept;
[0016] Figure 3 is a wireframe diagram of a cable grabber in a static position according to an example embodiment of the disclosed concept;
[0017] Figure 4 is an exploded view of a cable grabber according to an example embodiment of the disclosed concept;
[0018] Figure 5 is an illustration of a cable grabber in a resting position connected to a safety line according to an example embodiment of the disclosed concept;
[0019] Figure 6 yes Figure 5 A view of the cable grab shown with the cover removed;
[0020] Fig. 7A is a view of a cable grabber with a channel cover in an open position according to an example embodiment of the disclosed concept;
[0021] Figure 7B yes Fig. 7A A detailed view of the cable grab shown;
[0022] Figure 8 is an illustration of a cable grabber misoriented relative to a safety line in accordance with an example embodiment of the disclosed concept;
[0023] Fig. 9 is an illustration of a cable grab after fall arrest according to an example embodiment of the disclosed concept;
[0024] Fig.10 yes Fig. 9 A view of the cable grab shown with the cover removed;
[0025] Fig.11 is an exploded view of a cable grabber according to an example embodiment of the disclosed concept;
[0026] Fig.12 is a front view of a cable grabber according to an example embodiment of the disclosed concept; and
[0027] Fig.13 yes Fig.12 The cable grab is shown in a front view with the cover removed. DETAILED DESCRIPTION
[0028] Directional phrases used herein, such as left, right, front, rear, up, down and their derivatives, refer to the orientation of elements shown in the figures and do not limit the claims unless explicitly stated in the claims.
[0029] As employed herein, stating that two or more parts are “coupled” together shall mean that the parts are connected together either directly or connected through one or more intermediate parts.
[0030] 1-4 illustrate various views of a cable grab 100 according to an example embodiment of the disclosed concept. Figure 5-10 1-4 illustrate views of the cable grabber 100 in various usage states.
[0031] According to an exemplary embodiment of the disclosed concept, the cable grab 100 is configured to be connected to a safety line 200 (e.g., Figure 5 ) and arrests the fall by grabbing the safety line 200 when a fall occurs. The cable grab 100 includes a channel 130 configured to receive the safety line 200. A portion of the webbing 108 extends from the cable grab 100 and is connected to the user's safety belt through an intermediate component (such as a carabiner).
[0032] The cable grabber 100 includes a rope guide housing 104, in which a folded energy absorbing webbing 106 is placed. The end of the webbing is guided to a point outside the cable grabber 100 by a lever 102 and is configured to be connected to the user's safety belt through an intermediate component. The lever 102 shares a pivot point 132 with a cam 110. A cam spring 114 applies a clockwise torque to the cam 110, partially offsetting the weight of the cam 110. In the event of a fall, the cam spring 114 will force the cam 110 to engage with the safety rope and prevent the fall. The lever 102 provides a secondary mechanism to prevent the fall. The lever 102 and the cam 110 rotate independently of each other, unless they rotate together when the lever 102 is in an extreme clockwise position. The lever spring 112 biases the lever 102 to an extreme clockwise position. The spring force is selected to be strong enough to rotate the lever 102 (and therefore the cam 110) and, if the cable grabber 100 is at rest, engage the cam 110 with the safety line 200. The spring force is also weak enough that when the weight of the cable grabber 100 is placed through the end of the lever 102 (e.g., at the connection point), the force on the lever 102 will counteract the spring force and rotate the lever 102 counterclockwise, thereby disengaging the cam 110 from the safety line 200. In the event of a fall, the force from the fall will drive the cam 110 further into the safety line 200 and provide a stronger grip on the safety line 200. Additionally, in the event of a fall, the energy absorber 106 will deploy and the folded webbing inside the cable grabber 100 will pass through the lever 102, thereby absorbing the force of the fall. Fig. 9 and Fig.10 An example of a cable grab 100 within an energy absorber 106 deployed after a fall is shown in FIG.
[0033] In some example embodiments, the energy absorber 106 includes a working length, a normal webbing portion, and a connection point. The working length is the portion that tear controllably in the event of a fall. The normal webbing portion is located between the working length and the connection point and does not tear in the event of a fall. The connection point is configured to allow connection to a device such as a carabiner. In normal use, the majority of the working length of the energy absorber 106 remains stationary relative to the housing. In some example embodiments, the working length of the energy absorber 106 is located within the rope guide housing 104. However, in some example embodiments, the working length may be located outside the rope guide housing 104, such as fixed above or outside the rope guide housing 104. The structure of the energy absorber 106 is such that in the event of a fall, the working length and / or the normal webbing portion engages with the lever 102, such as pulling the lever 102 downward. In some example embodiments, a portion of the energy absorber 106 (e.g., the normal webbing portion) passes through the lever 102 so that in the event of a fall, the energy absorber 106 will engage with the lever and pull it downward. However, it will be appreciated that other arrangements may be used in which the working length of the energy absorber 106 and / or the normal webbing portion engages the lever without departing from the scope of the disclosed concept.
[0034] The cable grabber 100 also includes a channel cover 116 that prevents the cable grabber 100 from being separated from the safety line 200 by preventing the safety line 200 from being removed from the channel 130 of the cable grabber 100 . Figure 5 and Figure 6 An example of a channel cover 116 blocking the safety line 200 in the use position is shown in FIG.
[0035] To release the cable grab 100 from the safety line 200, the channel cover 116 must be unlocked and rotated so that it no longer blocks the safety line 200 from being removed from the channel 130. A safety pull 118 is included in the cable grab 100 to facilitate easy unlocking of the channel cover 116. The safety pull 118 is spring loaded and extends through the cover 124 of the housing and the channel cover 116 into the opposing cover 122 of the housing. Pulling the safety pull 118 will disengage the safety pull 118 from the opposing cover 122 of the housing and allow the channel cover 116 to rotate to an unlocked position in which it does not block the channel 130, as shown in FIG. 7. After the user pulls the safety pull 118, the user presses upward on the lever 102, which abuts against the notch 146 (e.g., in the channel cover 116) in the channel cover 116. Figure 7B102) to rotate the channel cover 116 to the unlocked position. By pressing the thumb (at the thumb pressure point 140) on the lever 102 and pressing the finger (at the finger pressure area 142) on the other side of the cable gripper 100, the user can hold the channel cover 116 in the unlocked position with one hand. The other hand can be used to insert or remove the safety rope 200 from the channel 130. The structure of the notch 146 on the channel cover 116 is designed to receive one end of the lever 102 and assist in keeping the channel cover 116 in the unlocked position. The cable gripper 100 also includes a channel cover spring 120, which is designed to bias the channel cover to a locked position that blocks the channel 130. Once the safety rope 200 is placed in the channel 130 or removed from the channel 130, the user can release the lever 102, and the channel cover spring 120 will restore the channel cover 116 to the locked position.
[0036] Figure 8 A view of attempting to connect the cable grabber 100 to the safety line 200 in an inverted position is shown, wherein the bottom of the cable grabber is above the top of the cable grabber 100. Connecting the cable grabber 100 in this manner is problematic because the structure of the lever 102 and cam 110 is based on a downward force to arrest a fall. The cable grabber 100 prevents connection to the safety line 200 in this orientation because, although the channel cover 116 has been rotated to the unlocked position, the cam 110 has been rotated to a position that prevents the safety line 200 from being inserted into the channel 130 due to the cable grabber 100 being inverted.
[0037] According to an exemplary embodiment of the disclosed concept, the cable grab 100 provides several advantages. The energy absorber 106 is separated from the lever 102, which provides more design freedom for the size and position of the energy absorber 106. The energy absorber 106 is also located inside the cable grab 100, which makes the energy absorber 106 protected and out of the way. The energy absorber 106 can be braided, which makes it easier to increase the user weight limit. In addition, separating the energy absorber 106 from the lever 102 makes the distance between the user connection point and the device shorter, which can reduce the fall distance. In addition, since the blocking force will not be directly applied to the lever 102, the lever 102 does not need to be so strong. As described above, the channel cover 116 is easy to lock and unlock in order to be connected to or disconnected from the safety rope 200, and the cable grab 100 is prevented from being connected to the safety rope in an inverted direction.
[0038] It will be appreciated that various modifications may be made without departing from the scope of the disclosed concept. For example, various portions of the housing of the cable grab 100 may be varied, for example, by changing shape and size, or by combining or separating one or more individual portions. For example, Figure 11-13Illustrations of alternative cable grabbers 100' are included in which the cable guide housing and a portion of the cover of the cable grabber 100' housing are combined into separate parts. It will be appreciated that other such modifications may be made without departing from the scope of the disclosed concept.
[0039] Although specific embodiments of the disclosed concepts have been described in detail, those skilled in the art will appreciate that various modifications and alternatives to these details may be developed based on the overall disclosure. Therefore, the specific arrangements disclosed are intended to be illustrative only and not limiting of the scope of the disclosed concepts, which should be given the full breadth of the appended claims and any and all equivalents thereof.
Claims
1. A cable grabber for a fall prevention system, comprising: a channel for receiving a safety line; a cam designed to catch the safety line in the event of a fall; a lever designed to rotate and cause the cam to catch the safety line in the event of a fall; as well as An energy absorber having a working length, a normal webbing portion, and an attachment point, wherein the working length or the normal webbing portion is structured to engage a lever in the event of a fall.
2. The cable grab according to claim 1, further comprising: A channel cover has an unlocked position to provide access to the channel and a locked position to block access to the channel.
3. The cable grabber according to claim 1, further comprising: An access cover spring is configured to bias the access cover into a locked position.
4. The cable grab according to claim 2, further comprising: The safety pull portion is structurally designed to lock the channel cover in a locked position, wherein the safety pull portion is structurally designed to be pulled to unlock the channel cover and move the channel cover to the unlocked position.
5. The cable grabber of claim 4, wherein the lever is structured to rotate and abut against the channel cover spring when the channel cover spring is unlocked to move the channel cover spring to the unlocked position.
6. The cable grabber of claim 1, wherein the lever is structured to rotate independently of the cam within a first range of rotation and is structured to cause the cam to rotate and grasp the safety line within a second range of rotation.
7. The cable grab according to claim 6, further comprising: A lever spring is operatively coupled to the lever and is configured to bias the lever into a second range of rotation when the cable grabber is in a stationary state.
8. The cable grab according to claim 6, further comprising: A cam spring is operatively coupled to the cam and is configured to bias the cam toward the safety line.
9. The cable grab of claim 1, wherein the normal webbing portion passes through the lever.
10. The cable grab of claim 1, wherein the connection point is configured to couple to a safety belt via one or more intermediate components.
11. A cable grabber for a fall prevention system, comprising: a channel for receiving a safety line; a channel cover having an unlocked position to provide access to the channel and a locked position to block access to the channel; a safety pull portion, the structure of which is designed to lock the channel cover in a locked position, wherein the safety pull portion is designed to be pulled to unlock the channel cover and move the channel cover to the unlocked position; as well as The lever is structurally designed to be rotatable and abut against the channel cover spring when the channel cover spring is unlocked to move the channel cover spring to the unlocked position.
12. The cable grab according to claim 11, further comprising: A cam designed to catch the safety rope in the event of a fall.
13. The cable grabber of claim 12, further comprising: A lever is structured to rotate independently of the cam within a first range of rotation and is structured to rotate the cam and grasp the safety line within a second range of rotation.
14. The cable grab according to claim 13, further comprising: A lever spring is operatively coupled to the lever and is configured to bias the lever into a second range of rotation when the cable grabber is in a stationary state.
15. The cable grab according to claim 13, further comprising: A cam spring is operatively coupled to the cam and is configured to bias the cam toward the safety line.
16. The cable grabber of claim 13, further comprising: An energy absorber having a working length, a normal webbing portion, and an attachment point, wherein the working length or the normal webbing portion is structured to engage the lever in the event of a fall.
17. A cable grab as claimed in claim 16 wherein the normal webbing portion passes through the lever.
18. A cable grabber for a fall prevention system, comprising: a channel for receiving a safety line; a cam designed to catch the safety line in the event of a fall; a lever structured to rotate clockwise independently of the cam within a first range of rotation and structured to rotate further clockwise within a subsequent second range of rotation and to rotate the cam to grasp the safety line; A webbing is passed through the lever and is configured to be connected to a safety harness, wherein the webbing is configured to cause the lever to rotate clockwise in the event of a fall.
19. The cable grab of claim 18, wherein the clockwise direction of rotation is downward when the cable grab is in the first orientation and the clockwise direction is upward when the cable grab is in the inverted second orientation.
20. The cable grab according to claim 18, further comprising: A lever spring is operatively coupled to the lever and is configured to bias the lever in a clockwise direction.