Device for determining length of cable unwound from cable reel

Abstract

A device (40, 50, 60) for determining the length of a cable unwound from a cable reel (100) has a storage unit (42). The storage unit (42) is adapted to store information for the length of a cable wound on the cable reel (100), information for the outer diameter of the cable wound on the cable reel (100), and information for the outer diameter of a reel (30) of the cable reel (100). The device also has a gyroscope sensor (46) adapted to detect the rotational speed and / or acceleration of the device relative to the rotational axis (X1) of the cable reel (100). A calculation unit (48) of the device is adapted to calculate the length of the cable section unwound from the cable reel from the information stored by the storage unit (42) and the rotational speed and / or acceleration measured by the gyroscope sensor (46). The device (40, 50, 60) is adapted to be arranged on a cable reel (100) and to rotate therewith about an axis of rotation (X1) of the cable reel.

Description

[0001] The present disclosure discloses a device for measuring the length of a cable unreeled from a cable reel, a related cable reel, and a storage system for a cable reel.

[0002] Cables of different diameters and lengths are typically provided, transported, traded, and delivered on so-called cable reels (also referred to as cable drums). The required cable length is unreeled and / or removed from these cable reels or cable drums, for example, at the place of use or in the retail trade. The terms cable reel and cable drum will be used synonymously below.

[0003] At least without technical aids, it is difficult to estimate the length of the remaining cable on the cable drum after unreeling and / or assembly. There is no linear relationship between the number of revolutions of the drum and the length of the corresponding unreeled cable section. The total length of the unreeled cable (and the length of the cable remaining on the cable reel) is related to the number of revolutions of the drum, the diameter of the unreeled cable, and the diameter of the reel of the cable reel. Therefore, precise measurement of the length of the cable remaining on the cable reel requires technical aids.

[0004] A known method for measuring the length of the remaining cable on a cable reel is to manually measure the length of the cable section removed from the cable reel and subtract the cable length measured in this way from the length of the cable initially wound onto the cable reel. However, on the one hand, this requires continuous manual recording of all cable sections unreeled from the cable reel, which is impractical for retail and / or warehousing applications. On the other hand, it is no longer possible to monitor cable reels from which an unknown cable length has been removed in this way.

[0005] Furthermore, documents US11 326 908 B2 and US10 317 246 B2, for example, disclose technical aids for measuring the length of the remaining cable on a cable reel. What the devices disclosed by these documents have in common is that these devices are external fixed devices for measuring the cable length, which are adapted to cooperate with a cable reel or cable drum. On the one hand, the cable reel must first be prepared for use with the devices disclosed by these documents, that is, magnets, detection elements, markers, and / or rotary collectors must be arranged on the cable reel, which allow the rotation of the cable reel to be detected when unreeling the cable section. On the other hand, the parameters required to determine the remaining cable length on the cable reel, namely the diameter of the wound cable, the original length of the wound cable, and the diameter of the reel of the cable reel, must be manually entered into the external device so that the length of the remaining cable can be calculated after the cable has been assembled.

[0006] Furthermore, if an external auxiliary device known for measuring the length of the remaining cable left on a cable reel is to be transported together with the cable reel, the transportation cost of the cable reel will be significantly increased, and it must also be reset or parameterized again for each newly coupled cable reel.

[0007] Therefore, the object of the present invention is to provide a device for measuring the length of the cable unreeled from a cable reel, a related cable reel, and a storage system for the cable reel. The device for measuring the length of the cable unreeled from a cable reel should in particular be easily coupled to the cable reel without a large amount of installation work and should operate without manually entering characteristic parameters of the cable and / or the cable reel.

[0008] Such devices and systems are defined by claims 1, 10, and 14. The other claims define advantageous improvements of the devices and systems.

[0009] A device for measuring the length of the cable unreeled from a cable reel has a storage unit adapted to store information and / or data on the original and / or current length of the cable, in particular wound on the cable reel, to store information and / or data on the outer diameter of the cable wound on the cable reel, and to store information and / or data on the outer diameter of the reel of the cable reel.

[0010] The storage unit may for example comprise a memory chip and / or a magnetic memory. The information and / or data on the length of the cable wound on the cable reel may include information on the original length of the cable wound on the cable reel and / or information on the current length of the cable wound on the cable reel. The information and / or data on the outer diameter of the reel of the cable reel may include information on the total diameter of the reel of the cable reel and / or information on the outer diameter of the cable reel without the unreeled cable, i.e., the diameter of the cable reel without considering the cable wound onto the cable reel.

[0011] The device also has a gyroscopic sensor for detecting the rotational speed and / or acceleration, in particular the linear acceleration and / or movement, of the device relative to the axis of rotation of the cable reel. This gyroscopic sensor may be configured as part of an inertial measurement unit IMU or as part of an IMU chip or include such a chip.

[0012] The computing unit of the device is adapted to calculate the length of the cable section unreeled from the cable reel based on the information stored by the storage unit and the rotational speed and / or acceleration, in particular the linear acceleration, measured by the gyroscopic sensor. This computing unit may be configured as part of a chip, in particular as part of an IMU chip or include such a chip.

[0013] The device is adapted to be arranged on a cable reel and to rotate together with this cable reel about the axis of rotation of this cable reel.

[0014] In other words, the device can be arranged on a cable reel, for example, by being fixed in a preparatory receiving part of the cable reel and / or by adhesive or magnetic fixation, such that when unwinding a cable or a cable section from the cable reel, the gyroscopic sensor of the device detects the rotational speed and / or acceleration, in particular linear acceleration and / or movement, of this device relative to the axis of rotation of the cable reel.

[0015] The device is, for example, adapted to be arranged on a spool and / or on the shaft and / or the reel disc of a cable reel. Arranging the device on a support element that is torsionally connected to the cable reel is also arranging the device on the cable reel. In a variant, the device is, for example, adapted to be arranged in a preparatory receiving part on a spool and / or on the shaft and / or the reel disc of a cable reel, for example, by means of Velcro.

[0016] In this case, the advantage is that the device can be safely arranged in this way in the area of an RFID transponder and / or an RFID-readable storage chip arranged in or on this cable reel, so as to enable wireless communication between the device and the RFID transponder and / or the RFID-readable storage chip.

[0017] Based on this detection and the information and / or data stored in the storage unit, the device can determine the length of the cable unwound or removed from the cable reel without time-consuming manual parameter input and without further preparation of the cable reel. Thereby, the device can be implemented in a particularly space-saving manner, for example, can be simply arranged on the reel disc of the cable reel, such that the use of the device is not fixed in position on the one hand and does not increase the transportation cost of the cable reel on the other hand.

[0018] The calculation unit can calculate the length of the cable section unwound from the cable reel by means of differential equations. The acceleration generated by this cable reel and / or this device due to the deployment of the cable can be defined as a positive acceleration in this regard, and the acceleration generated by this cable reel and / or this device due to the winding of the cable onto the cable reel can be defined as a negative acceleration in this regard.

[0019] The gyroscopic sensor is also adapted to detect the orientation of the device relative to the earth's center and / or the change in the orientation of the device relative to the earth's center.

[0020] In this case, the advantage is that the position of the cable reel and / or the axis of rotation of the cable reel in space can be detected by means of a gyroscopic sensor, and in consideration of the orientation of the axis of rotation of the cable reel in space (i.e., the orientation relative to the center of the earth), this calculation unit can calculate more precisely the length of the cable section unreeled from the cable reel.

[0021] The device may also have an acceleration sensor, in particular a capacitively detected one, which is suitable for detecting the acceleration and / or speed and / or movement of the device, in particular relative to the axis of rotation of the cable reel. This acceleration sensor can be constructed as part of an inertial measurement unit IMU, or as part of an IMU chip or include such a chip.

[0022] The calculation unit is also suitable for calculating the length of the cable section unreeled from the cable reel based on the information stored by the storage unit, the acceleration and / or speed and / or movement of the device measured by the acceleration sensor, and the detection by the gyroscopic sensor.

[0023] In this case, the advantage is that the detection by the gyroscopic sensor can be verified and / or compared with the detection by the acceleration sensor, so that further improved input information and / or input data can be provided for the calculation unit. This can further improve the calculation result of the calculation unit.

[0024] When measuring or detecting the movement of the device relative to the axis of rotation of the cable reel, the detection by the acceleration sensor can be used in particular to correct the overall measurement error of the gyroscopic sensor. In addition, the detection by the acceleration sensor can be used to determine the non-prescribed movement of the device and / or the cable reel fixing this device, in particular the movement deviating from the circular trajectory, and this detection is taken into account by the calculation unit when determining the length of the cable unreeled from the cable reel.

[0025] The calculation unit is also suitable for calculating the length of the cable section or the remaining cable left on the cable reel after unreeling a cable section from the cable reel, for example by subtracting the calculated unreeled cable length from the cable length wound on the cable reel stored by the storage device.

[0026] Optionally, the device may also have a display unit. This display unit can be constructed separately from the rest of the device for determining the length of the cable unreeled from the cable reel or be integrally formed with this device.

[0027] This display unit can for example be a display device or include such a display device. In one variant, the display unit can include a passive (i.e., not independently luminous) display device and / or utilize electronic paper or electronic ink display technology. This display unit is in particular suitable for optically recognizably displaying the length of the cable section unreeled from the cable reel and / or the length of the cable initially and / or currently wound on the cable reel.

[0028] The device for measuring the length of the cable unreeled from the cable reel can also have a reading device, in particular an RFID reading device, which is suitable for reading information and / or data from a memory, in particular from the memory of the cable reel. For example, the data read from the memory of the cable reel can be stored by a storage unit of the device.

[0029] In other words, this storage unit can in particular store the information and / or data previously read by the reading device from a memory (such as a memory integrated into the cable reel). The information and / or data read from the memory can for example include information and / or data regarding the length of the cable wound on the cable reel, information and / or data regarding the outer diameter of the cable wound on the cable reel, and information and / or data regarding the outer diameter of the spool of the cable reel.

[0030] In this case, the advantage is that the manual input of the parameters and / or data required for the calculation unit to calculate the length of the cable section unreeled from the cable reel and / or the length of the cable section remaining on the cable reel can be completely omitted. For example, at the factory, i.e., during the manufacturing and / or equipping of the cable, an RFID transponder and / or an RFID-readable storage chip can be provided for the cable reel, which stores all the parameter information or data required by the calculation unit. In this case, the device for measuring the length of the cable unreeled from the cable reel can for example be arranged in the detection area of the RFID antenna of the transponder or storage chip of the cable reel, and directly read the required information and / or data from the cable reel at the start of operation, thus omitting the manual parameter input.

[0031] As an alternative or supplement, the device for measuring the length of the cable unreeled from the cable reel is also suitable for manually moving into the detection area of the RFID antenna of the transponder or storage chip of the cable reel before being arranged on the cable reel and / or before starting operation, in order to read information and / or data from the memory. The detection area of the RFID antenna of the transponder or storage chip of the cable reel and / or the position of the RFID antenna of the transponder or storage chip on / in the cable reel can be marked by an optically perceptible mark on / in the cable reel.

[0032] Optionally, the device for measuring the length of the cable unreeled from the cable reel may also have a data transmission device, in particular an RFID data transmission device, which is adapted to transmit the information and / or data stored by the storage unit to an external receiving device.

[0033] This data transmission device can in particular transmit information and / or data about the length of the cable unreeled from the cable reel to the RFID transponder and / or the RFID-readable storage chip of the cable reel. In this case, the advantage is that the cable reel or the RFID transponder and / or the RFID-readable storage chip of the cable reel can store not only the information about the initially wound cable length provided by the factory, but also the current length of the cable still wound on the cable reel or the remaining cable. Thereby, even if the device is temporarily switched off, for example in the case of battery replacement and / or in the case of device replacement (e.g. due to a defect of the device), the current length of the cable still wound on the cable reel can be measured by means of the device for measuring the length of the cable unreeled from the cable reel. Even when the cable reel is transported to a new place of use without the device for measuring the length of the cable unreeled from the cable reel being carried along, information about the length of the remaining cable still available on the cable reel is obtained thereby.

[0034] Optionally, this data transmission device is adapted to transmit the information and / or data stored by the storage unit wirelessly (e.g. by means of Near Field Communication NFC) to an external receiving device. This data transmission device is for example adapted to transmit information and / or data to a smartphone or another mobile data processing device by means of NFC.

[0035] Furthermore, in a variant, the device may have a sensor housing which is adapted to electromagnetically shield the reading device in one or more directions not facing the cable reel. In other words, this sensor housing can shield the electromagnetic signals of one or more sides or surfaces of the reading device.

[0036] In this case, the advantage is that this reading device only communicates with the RFID transponder and / or the RFID-readable storage chip of the cable reel on which this device is arranged. This avoids accidentally reading the RFID transponder and / or the RFID-readable memory chip of another adjacent cable reel.

[0037] In an improved embodiment, the device for measuring the length of the cable unreeled from the cable reel may also have a WPAN transceiver, for example A transmitting and / or receiving unit, or a WLAN transmitting and / or receiving unit, which is adapted to exchange information and / or data with an external WPAN transmitting and / or receiving unit. A wireless personal area network (WPAN) is a variant of a personal area network. It refers to short-range radio technology for bridging distances from 0.2 meters to 50 meters.

[0038] The data exchange with the external WPAN transmitting and / or receiving unit can supplement or replace the above-mentioned data exchange through the reading device or the data transmission device. The WPAN transceiver can also be used to read information and / or data regarding the length of the cable unreeled from the cable reel, the outer diameter of the cable unreeled on the cable reel, and the outer diameter of the reel of the cable reel. This information and / or data can be provided, for example, by the external WPAN transmitting and / or receiving unit and / or through the WPAN interface of the cable reel, in particular a Bluetooth interface. The function of the WPAN transceiver can be similar to the functions of the above-mentioned reading device and / or data transmission device.

[0039] In a variant, the device for determining the length of the cable unreeled from the cable reel can have an energy storage unit, in particular a battery or accumulator, which is adapted to supply operating electrical energy to the reading device and / or the storage unit and / or the acceleration sensor and / or the gyroscope sensor and / or the WPAN transceiver and / or the computing unit and / or the display unit.

[0040] The device can also have an energy harvesting device, which is adapted to generate operating electrical energy, for example, by means of device elements and / or inductive elements that can move according to the rotation of the cable reel and to charge the energy storage unit with the operating electrical energy. This device can, for example, have a movable device element that converts kinetic energy into operating electrical energy when this device is fixed to the cable reel and rotates with the cable reel about the axis of rotation. Optionally, this device can also have an inductive element that moves past an induction coil through the rotation of the cable reel, thereby generating a current for charging the energy storage unit.

[0041] In a variant, the device is adapted to identify the cable reel on which the device is arranged. Information that can be clearly assigned to a specific cable reel, in particular an identifier or ID, can be stored, for example, in an RFID transponder and / or an RFID-readable storage chip of the cable reel and can be read out by the reading device.

[0042] The device is also adapted to regularly (i.e., at specific time intervals) check whether it is arranged on the previously identified cable reel.

[0043] In this case, the advantage is that incorrect transmission of information and / or data to an external receiving device can be avoided, for example, due to the device being arranged on another cable reel different from the cable reel initially coupled to this device, while the information stored in the storage unit does not change.

[0044] A storage system for cable reels includes a storage device for accommodating one or more cable reels, wherein the storage device is adapted to accommodate one or more cable reels in a manner that can rotate respectively around a rotation axis. The storage system further includes one or more of the above-mentioned devices for measuring the length of the cable unreeled from the cable reel, wherein the one or more devices are respectively arranged on the cable reels accommodated by the storage device or on connection elements torsionally resistant arranged on the cable reels. The above-mentioned devices for measuring the length of the cable unreeled from the cable reel are not necessarily arranged on each cable reel, but can of course also be arranged on each cable reel.

[0045] Optionally, the storage system for cable reels can have a WPAN transmitting and / or receiving unit, which is adapted to exchange information and / or data with at least one of the devices for measuring the length of the cable unreeled from the cable reel.

[0046] In this case, the WPAN transmitting and / or receiving unit is adapted to determine the position of one of the devices for measuring the length of the cable unreeled from the cable reel and / or the cable reel on which one of the devices is arranged within the storage system by means of signal propagation time measurement and / or triangulation of the WPAN signals and / or data exchanged with the devices.

[0047] In this case, the advantage is that the WPAN transmitting and / or receiving unit can detect or determine the lengths of the cables unreeled or removed from different cable reels at each position in the storage system and / or the lengths of the cables still available at these positions in the storage system.

[0048] In a variant, the storage system can also have a data processing device coupled to the WPAN transmitting and / or receiving unit, which is adapted to cause the output of an optically or acoustically perceptible alarm signal and initiate an automatic replacement or procurement process based on the position of the device and / or the position of the cable reel on which one of the devices is arranged and / or based on the length of the remaining cable left on the cable reel after unreeling a cable section from the cable reel.

[0049] This simplifies the stockpiling of different cable types and the targeted procurement on demand.

[0050] A cable reel rotatable around a rotation axis has a reel shaft and one or more reel discs. At least one of the reel shaft and / or the reel discs also has a prepared accommodation portion for arranging the above-mentioned devices for measuring the length of the cable unreeled from the cable reel.

[0051] The cable winder may also have a memory that can be read out by means of a reading device, in particular by means of an RFID reading device and / or a WPAN transceiver. The memory of the cable winder is in particular adapted to store information and / or data on the original and / or current length of the cable wound on the cable winder and / or to store information and / or data on the outer diameter of the cable wound on the cable winder and / or to store information and / or data on the outer diameter of the reel of the cable winder.

[0052] In addition, the memory of the cable winder is in particular also adapted to store information and / or data transmitted via a data transmission device and / or a WPAN transceiver, such as information and / or data on the original and / or current length of the cable wound on the cable winder.

[0053] The above-mentioned variants are clearly not mutually exclusive and can be implemented in the same device in a complementary manner.

[0054] In addition, it is obvious that the above exemplary embodiments are not exhaustive and do not limit the subject matter disclosed herein. In particular, it is obvious to a person skilled in the art that the described features can be combined with each other arbitrarily and / or different features can be omitted without departing from the subject matter disclosed herein.

[0055] A person skilled in the art can learn about other features, characteristics, advantages and possible variations in combination with the following description, in which reference is made to the accompanying drawings. In this case, all the features described and / or illustrated (as individual features or combinations of features) are shown as the subject matter disclosed herein. The dimensions and proportions of the components shown in the figures are not drawn to scale.

[0056] Figure 1 An example of a cable winder is schematically shown, which has a reel, two winder discs and a device for measuring the length of the cable unreeled from this cable winder arranged on one of the winder discs.

[0057] Figure 2 A schematic example of a device for measuring the length of the cable unreeled from a cable winder is shown, which device has a plurality of integrated device components.

[0058] Figure 3 An example of a winder disc of a cable winder is shown, which winder disc has different arrangement options for a device for measuring the length of the cable unreeled from this cable winder.

[0059] Figure 4 A storage system is shown, which has storage means for accommodating a plurality of cable winders.

[0060] Similar or identical and equivalent components and features are marked with the same reference numerals in the figures. In some cases, for clarity, the reference numerals of individual features and components are also omitted in other figures, where these features and components have already been marked with reference numerals in other figures. The components and features not described again with respect to other figures are similar in their design and function to the corresponding components and features according to other figures.

[0061] Figure 1 Schematically shows an example of a cable reel 100 having a reel 30, two reel discs 10, 20 and a device 40 arranged on one of the reel discs for measuring the length of the cable unreeled from this cable reel.

[0062] Figure 1 The cable shown on the cable reel 100 is not currently wound. The reel discs 10, 20 are respectively arranged at the ends of the reel 30 such that the cable reel 100 forms a dumbbell-shaped geometry.

[0063] The cable reel 100 can rotate about a rotation axis X1. By rotating the cable reel 100 about the rotation axis X1, the cable can be wound onto the cable reel 100, specifically onto the reel 30 arranged between the two reel discs 10, 20 of the cable reel 100. By rotating the cable reel 100 in the reverse direction about the rotation axis X1, the cable can then be unreeled from the cable reel 100 again.

[0064] It is possible to measure whether the cable is being unreeled from the cable reel 100 and the length of the unreeled cable by means of the device 40 arranged on the reel disc 20. Figure 1 Only one possible arrangement option of the device 40 is disclosed, and other arrangement options are disclosed by Figure 3 disclosed.

[0065] Figure 1 The shown device 40 stores at least information about the length of the cable initially wound onto the cable reel 100, Figure 1 the outer diameter of the shown reel 30 and the outer diameter of the cable wound onto the cable reel 100.

[0066] Based on this stored information and the rotational speed and / or acceleration of the device 40 about the rotation axis X1 of the cable reel 100 during the unreeling or unwinding of the cable accommodated by the cable reel 100 measured by a gyroscopic sensor, the device 40 can determine the length of the unreeled or unwound cable and the length of the cable section or remaining cable left on the cable reel 100.

[0067] Figure 2 Schematically shows an example of the components of a possible device 40 for measuring the length of the cable unreeled from a cable reel.

[0068] Figure 2 The device exemplarily shown in [the figure] has an RFID reading device 41, which is adapted to read information and / or data from a memory, in particular from the memory of a cable reel cart.

[0069] The information or data read by the RFID reading device 41 may in particular include information on the length of the cable initially wound onto the cable reel cart, the outer diameter of the reel of the cable reel cart, and the outer diameter of the cable wound onto the cable reel cart.

[0070] The information and / or data read by the RFID reading device 41 are stored by a storage unit 42 and provided to a calculation unit 48. This storage unit may for example include a memory chip and / or a magnetic storage unit.

[0071] The device 40 also has an acceleration sensor 44 and a gyroscope sensor 46. The acceleration sensor 44 is adapted to detect the acceleration, speed, and movement of the device 40 relative to the axis of rotation. The gyroscope sensor 46 is adapted to detect the rotational speed and linear acceleration of the device 40 relative to the axis of rotation, as well as the movement, the orientation of the device 40 relative to the center of the earth, and the change in the orientation of the device 40 relative to the center of the earth. The detections of the acceleration sensor 44 and the gyroscope sensor 46 are provided to the calculation unit 48.

[0072] The calculation unit 48 calculates the length of the cable unreeled or unwound from the cable reel cart on which the device 40 is arranged, based on the information stored by the storage unit 42 and the detections of the acceleration sensor 44 and the gyroscope sensor 46.

[0073] The calculation result of the calculation unit 48 is stored on the one hand by the storage unit 42 and on the other hand is displayed by a display unit 49 integrated into the device 40, so that the operator of the device 40 can intuitively perceive it. Different from Figure 2 the device 40 shown, certain embodiments of a device for determining the length of the cable unreeled from the cable reel cart may also be employed, where the display device is not integrally formed with the rest of the components of this device, but is arranged offset therefrom on the cable reel cart or the storage device. In such cases, for example, the calculation result of the calculation unit may be transmitted to the display device via a radio signal.

[0074] The calculation result of the calculation unit 48 stored by the storage unit 42 is further transmitted to the RFID reading device 41. In Figure 2 the example shown, this RFID reading device is a combined RFID reading and data transmission device, so as to be transmitted to the memory of the cable reel cart and also stored there.

[0075] Figure 2 The device 40 shown also has The transmitting and receiving unit 47 is also supplied with the information stored by the storage unit 42 and the cable length calculated by the calculation unit 48. The transmitting and receiving unit. The Bluetooth transmitting and receiving unit 47 is adapted to exchange data and / or information with an external WPAN transmitting and receiving unit (e.g., with Figure 4 the WPAN transmitting and receiving unit 400 shown). The information and / or data received by the transmitting and receiving unit 47 can also be displayed via the display device 49.

[0076] Furthermore, the device 40 has a storage battery 45 which is adapted to supply operating electrical energy to the other components of the device 40. The energy harvesting device 43 integrated into the device 40 is adapted to perform so-called "energy harvesting". For this purpose, the energy harvesting device 43 converts at least a part of the kinetic energy of the device 40 (rotating about the axis of rotation with the cable reel cart) into electrical energy and charges the storage battery 45 with this electrical energy. For this purpose, Figure 2 the energy harvesting device 43 shown has an element (not shown) which can be moved according to the rotational movement. When the device is fixed to the cable reel cart and rotates about the axis of rotation together with this cable reel cart, this element converts the kinetic energy into operating electrical energy. Other devices not shown can also have induction elements (e.g., permanent magnets) which are moved past induction coils by the rotation of the cable reel cart on which the corresponding devices are arranged, thereby generating a current for charging the energy storage unit.

[0077] Figure 3 An example of the reel disc 20 of the cable reel cart 100 is shown, which has different arrangement options for the devices 40, 50, 60 for measuring the length of the cable unreeled from the cable reel cart 100.

[0078] As Figure 3 schematically shown, the devices 40, 50 for measuring the length of the cable unreeled from the cable reel cart 100 can be arranged further radially inwards and further radially outwards relative to the axis of rotation X1 on or in the reel disc 20. Arranging further radially outwards on or in the reel disc 20 improves the accuracy of detecting the rotational speed and linear acceleration by the device 50. Arranging further radially inwards on or in the reel disc 20 improves the recognizability of the information and / or calculation results displayed by the device 40 for the operator.

[0079] As Figure 3 shown, the device 60 for measuring the length of the cable unreeled from the cable reel cart 100 can also be arranged on or in the side surface of the reel disc 20.

[0080] Furthermore, also as Figure 3As shown, a plurality of devices 40, 50, 60 for measuring the length of the cable unreeled from the cable reel 100 may also be arranged on the cable reel cart 100 and / or the reel disc 20.

[0081] Figure 3 It is also schematically shown that the cable reel 100 (here the cable disc 20) may have an integrated RFID transponder 70, which has an RFID antenna integrated into the cable reel 100. If, for example, the device 40 shown in Figure 2 is arranged on the cable disc 20 or in the detection area of the RFID transponder 70 in this cable disc, the RFID reading device 41 can read information and / or data from the RFID transponder 70 and / or transmit information and / or data to this RFID transponder.

[0082] If the devices 40, 50, 60 for measuring the length of the cable unreeled from the cable reel 100 are to be arranged outside the detection area of the RFID transponder 70 on the cable reel 100 or in this cable reel, this device can first be manually moved into the detection area of the RFID transponder 70 in order to read information or data from this RFID transponder. For the operators of the devices 40, 50, 60, the detection area of the RFID transponder 70 can be identified, for example, by an optically perceptible mark (not shown) on the cable reel cart.

[0083] Figure 4 A storage system 1000 for a plurality of cable reels 100, 200, 300 is shown. The shown storage system 1000 includes storage means for accommodating a plurality of cable reels 100, 200, 300, wherein the storage means is adapted to accommodate the cable reels in a manner that can rotate respectively about the rotation axes X1, X2, X3. This storage system also includes two of the above-mentioned devices 40, 50 for measuring the length of the cable unreeled from the cable reel. The device 50 is arranged on the cable reel 200 accommodated by the storage means, and the device 40 is arranged on a connecting element torsionally resistant to the cable reel 100.

[0084] Figure 4 The shown storage system 1000 for cable reels also has a WPAN transmitting and receiving unit 400, which is adapted to exchange information and / or data with the devices 40, 50.

[0085] In this case, the WPAN transmitting and / or receiving unit 400 is adapted to determine the position of one of the devices 40, 50 within the storage system 1000 by means of signal propagation time measurement and triangulation of the WPAN signals exchanged with the devices 40, 50.

[0086] In this case, the advantage is that the WPAN transmitting and / or receiving unit 400 can determine the length of the cable unwound or removed from different cable reels 100, 200 at different positions of the storage system 1000 and / or the length of the cable still available at these positions of the storage system 1000.

[0087] The illustrated storage system 1000 also has data processing means 450 coupled to the WPAN transmitting and / or receiving unit 400, which is adapted to cause the output of an optically or acoustically perceptible alarm signal and to initiate an automatic replacement or procurement process based on the determined positions of the means 40 and 50 and the length of the remaining cable on the cable reels 100, 200 after unwinding a cable section from the cable reels 100, 200.

[0088] This simplifies the stockpiling of different cable types and the targeted replenishment procurement on demand.

[0089] The device variants and their functions and operations described herein are only for a better understanding of their structure, mode of operation and characteristics; the present disclosure is not limited to these embodiments. The illustrated diagrams are schematic, in which the basic characteristics and effects are shown significantly enlarged in part in order to clarify the functions, working principles, technical designs and features. In this case, each mode of operation, each principle, each technical design and each feature disclosed in the diagrams or in the text can be freely combined arbitrarily with each feature, other modes of operation, principles, technical designs and features contained in or resulting from this disclosure, so that all conceivable combinations can be assigned to the described device. Combinations between all individual embodiments in the text (i.e., each paragraph of the description), in the claims, and combinations between different variants in the text, in the claims and in the drawings are also included and can be the subject of other claims. The claims do not limit the disclosure and thus do not limit the possible combinations of all the disclosed features. All the disclosed features are also disclosed here as individual features or in combination with all other features.

Claims

1. An apparatus (40, 50, 60) for measuring the length of a cable unreeled from a cable reel (100), comprising a storage unit (42) adapted to store (i) information regarding the length of the cable wound on the cable reel (100), (ii) information regarding the outer diameter of the cable wound on the cable reel (100), and (iii) information regarding the outer diameter of the spool (30) of the cable reel (100), and A gyroscopic sensor (46), which is adapted to detect the rotational speed and / or acceleration of the device (40, 50, 60) relative to the axis of rotation (X1) of the cable winch (100); and a calculation unit (48) adapted to calculate the length of the cable section unreeled from the cable reel based on the information stored by the storage unit (42) and the rotational speed and / or acceleration measured by the gyroscopic sensor (46); wherein the apparatus (40, 50, 60) is adapted to be arranged on the cable reel (100) and to rotate with the cable reel about the axis of rotation (X1) of the cable reel.

2. The apparatus (40, 50, 60) according to claim 1, wherein the apparatus (40, 50, 60) is adapted to be arranged on the spool (30) and / or on the axis and / or the reel disc (10, 20) of the cable reel (100).

3. The apparatus (40, 50, 60) according to claim 2, wherein the apparatus (40, 50, 60) is adapted to be arranged in a preparatory receiving portion on the spool (30) and / or on the axis and / or the reel disc (10, 20) of the cable reel (100), for example by means of Velcro.

4. The apparatus (40, 50, 60) according to any one of the preceding claims, wherein the gyroscopic sensor (46) is further adapted to detect the orientation of the apparatus (40, 50, 60) relative to the earth's center and / or the change in the orientation of the apparatus (40, 50, 60) relative to the earth's center.

5. The apparatus (40, 50, 60) according to any one of the preceding claims, further comprising in particular an acceleration sensor (44) for capacitive detection, which is adapted to detect the acceleration and / or speed and / or movement of the apparatus, in particular relative to the axis of rotation (X1) of the cable reel (100), and / or wherein the calculation unit (48) is further adapted to calculate the length of the cable section unreeled from the cable reel based on the information stored by the storage unit (42), the acceleration and / or speed and / or movement of the apparatus measured by the acceleration sensor (44), and the detection of the gyroscopic sensor (46).

6. The apparatus (40, 50, 60) according to any one of the preceding claims, wherein the calculation unit (48) calculates the length of the cable section unreeled from the cable reel by means of a differential equation.

7. The apparatus (40, 50, 60) according to any one of the preceding claims, wherein the calculation unit (48) is further adapted to calculate the length of the cable section remaining on the cable reel (100) after unreeling a cable section from the cable reel, and / or wherein The device (40, 50, 60) further has a display unit (49) which is adapted to display the length of the cable section unreeled from the cable reel and / or the length of the cable wound on the cable reel (100).

8. The device (40, 50, 60) according to any one of the preceding claims further has a reading device (41), in particular an RFID reading device, which is adapted to read information and / or data from a memory (70), in particular from the memory of the cable reel (100), and / or a data transmission device, in particular an RFID data transmission device, which is adapted to transmit the information and / or data stored by the storage unit (42) to an external receiving device.

9. The device according to claim 8, wherein the data transmission device is adapted to wirelessly transmit the information and / or data stored by the storage unit (42) to the external receiving device, for example by means of Near Field Communication (NFC).

10. The device according to claim 8 or 9 further has a sensor housing which is adapted to electromagnetically shield the reading device (41) in one or more directions not facing the cable reel (100).

11. The device (40, 50, 60) according to any one of the preceding claims further has a WPAN transceiver (47), such as a Bluetooth transmitting and / or receiving unit or a WLAN transmitting and / or receiving unit, which is adapted to exchange information and / or data with an external WPAN transmitting and / or receiving unit (400).

12. The device (40, 50, 60) according to any one of the preceding claims further has an energy storage unit (45), in particular a battery or accumulator, which is adapted to supply operating electrical energy to the reading device (41) and / or the storage unit (42) and / or the acceleration sensor (44) and / or the gyroscopic sensor (46) and / or the WPAN transceiver (47) and / or the computing unit (48) and / or the display unit (49), and / or an energy harvesting device (43) which is adapted to generate operating electrical energy, for example by means of device elements and / or inductive elements which can move in accordance with the rotation of the cable reel (100), and to charge the energy storage unit (45) with the operating electrical energy.

13. The device (40, 50, 60) according to any one of the preceding claims, wherein the device (40, 50, 60) is adapted to identify the cable reel (100) on which the device (40, 50, 60) is arranged, and / or the device (40, 50, 60) is adapted to periodically check whether it is arranged on the previously identified cable reel.

14. A storage system (1000) for cable reels (100, 200, 300) having a storage device for accommodating one or more cable reels (100, 200, 300), wherein the storage device is adapted to accommodate the one or more cable reels in a rotatable manner about respective axes of rotation (X1, X2, X3). One or more devices (40, 50) for measuring the length of a cable unreeled from a cable reel, according to at least any one of the preceding claims, wherein the one or more devices (40, 50) are respectively arranged on a cable reel (100, 200) accommodated by the storage device or on a connecting element torsionally arranged on the cable reel (100, 200).

15. The storage system (1000) according to the preceding claim, further comprising a WPAN transmitting and / or receiving unit (400) adapted to exchange information and / or data with at least one of the devices (40, 50).

16. The storage system (1000) according to the preceding claim, wherein the WPAN transmitting and / or receiving unit (400) is further adapted to determine the position of one of the devices (40, 50) for measuring the length of a cable unreeled from a cable reel and / or of a cable reel on which one of the devices (40, 50) is arranged within the storage system by means of signal propagation time measurement and / or triangulation of the WPAN signals exchanged with the devices (40, 50).

17. The storage system (1000) according to the preceding claim, further comprising a data processing device (450) coupled to the WPAN transmitting and / or receiving unit (400), adapted to cause the output of an optically or acoustically perceptible alarm signal and / or to initiate an automatic replacement or procurement process based on the position of the devices (40, 50) and / or of a cable reel (100, 200) on which one of the devices (40, 50) is arranged and / or based on the length of the cable section remaining on the cable reel (100, 200) after unreeling a cable section from the cable reel (100, 200).

18. A cable reel (100) rotatable about a rotation axis (X1), having a reel (30), and one or more reel disks (10, 20), wherein at least one of the reel (30) and / or the reel disks (10, 20) has a prepared receiving portion for arranging the device (40, 50, 60) according to claim 1.

19. The cable reel (100) according to the preceding claim, further having a memory (70) readable by means of a reading device (41), in particular by means of an RFID reading device, the memory storing (i) information and / or data regarding the length of the cable wound on the cable reel (100), (ii) information and / or data regarding the outer diameter of the cable wound on the cable reel (100), and (iii) information and / or data regarding the outer diameter of the reel (30) of the cable reel (100).

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