Device and method for measuring the length of electrical wire or cable unwound from or wound onto at least one reel

Abstract

The invention relates to a device (10) for measuring the unwound or wound length of an electrical wire or cable (12), which includes: a housing (14) having at least one guide opening (16) suitable for allowing the wire or cable to pass; two rotatable rollers (18, 19) arranged in the guide opening (16), the wire or cable (12) being suitable for passing therebetween; a magnet, comprised in one of the rollers (18, 19) and suitable for creating a magnetic field, the value of which depends on the speed and direction of rotation of the roller comprising the magnet; a magnetic field sensor, suitable for determining the position of the roller comprising the magnet; a processor, suitable for determining the speed of rotation of the roller comprising the magnet and for deducing therefrom whether the wire or cable (12) is unwound or wound and the unwound or wound length.

Description

DEVICE AND METHOD FOR MEASURING THE UNWINDED OR WINLED LENGTH OF ELECTRICAL WIRE OR CABLE OF AT LEAST ONE COIL

[0001] The present invention relates to a device and a method for measuring the unwound or wound length of wire or electrical cable of at least one reel.

[0002] In particular, the device is a compact accessory that can be connected to and integrated onto an electrical wire or cable reel, and which also allows for the collection of multiple contextual data points to facilitate the management of worksites by one or more electricians. The invention falls within the field of connected accessories for building or industrial professionals.

[0003] Some devices currently used to measure the length of wire or electrical cable unwound consist of an independent and non-communicating box, to be positioned downstream of a wire or electrical cable unwinder.

[0004] These known devices are not integrated into the reel. They therefore require a tedious additional installation, generally involving strapping, which must be repeated on each worksite.

[0005] Furthermore, reporting only a single, isolated piece of information—such as the length of wire or electrical cable unrolled—without simultaneously linking it to other data, limits the creation of value-added services. The usual response is to read the information on an LED screen and interpret it personally within the context of a worksite.

[0006] This known solution also has the disadvantages that not only is no data history kept, but also that the cross-referencing of information is limited to the capabilities of the operator or their manually entered files.

[0007] There are three main solutions for measuring the length of unspooled wire or electrical cable: by marking and printing on the wire or electrical cable, by means of visual or digital counters, or by measuring the electrical resistance of the wire or electrical cable.

[0008] The metric marking on electrical wire or cable allows you to identify the length unwound and deduce the quantity remaining on the reel. However, this marking can wear off and requires mental agility that can be difficult, depending on the current production marking, the winding direction, and the marking itself—parameters which are often variable. Furthermore, this solution is not suitable for small-gauge electrical wires, where any marking would be illegible.

[0009] Visual or digital counters consist of a graduated wheel acting as a rotary encoder, along with a visual or digital optical reading device. When determining the length of an electrical wire or cable during pulling, the flange of a reel or spool can be graduated. Counting the graduations allows the number of turns to be determined, and by extension, the length of wire or cable pulled. However, when the measurement is taken by an optical sensor, it is often sensitive to dust, and when the measurement is taken by an electromechanical sensor, it is often sensitive to shocks and / or vibrations. This solution therefore has the disadvantage of not being reliable or precise.

[0010] Solutions based on measuring the electrical resistance of a wire or cable involve, for a wire or cable of known cross-section and material, measuring its length while it is not being uncoiled, stripping it, and measuring its electrical resistance with an ohmmeter. The electrical measurement is taken at the stripped ends of the wire or cable. This stripping method has the drawback of requiring tedious preparatory work by the electrician for each coil.

[0011] The present invention aims to remedy the aforementioned drawbacks of the prior art.

[0012] To this end, the present invention proposes a device for measuring the unwound or wound length of at least one electrical wire or cable stored on a reel, respectively, notable in that it comprises: a housing adapted to be fixed onto an electrical wire or cable unwinder comprising the coil, the casing having at least one guide opening adapted to allow the passage of an electrical wire or cable; first and second rollers, arranged one above the other in at least one guide opening, the first and second rollers being movable in rotation about axes parallel to each other and parallel to the axis of rotation of the coil, at least one electrical wire or cable being adapted to pass between the first and second rollers so as to drive the first and second rollers in rotation; a magnet, included in one of the first and second rollers and adapted to create a magnetic field whose value depends on the speed and direction of rotation of the roller including the magnet; a magnetic field sensor, adapted to measure the value of the magnetic field, so as to deduce the position of the roller including the magnet;a processor, adapted to determine the rotational speed of the roller including the magnet from the position of this roller and to deduce whether the wire or electrical cable is unwound or wound and the unwound or wound length of the wire or electrical cable, from the value of the cross-section of the wire or electrical cable and the rotational speed of the roller including the magnet.;

[0013] Thus, the device according to the invention is an ergonomic, compact accessory, which can be in the form of a front or part of a front of a wire or electrical cable reel, easily mounted or dismounted using a single tool.

[0014] It can include several guide holes allowing an electrical wire or cable to be inserted into each of them, in order to precisely and simultaneously measure the unwound or wound length of several reels of electrical wire or cable, without measurement deviation, while collecting multiple contextual information allowing specific uses to be deduced.

[0015] Furthermore, the invention provides a reliable digital counting solution for measuring the length of unwound or wound electrical wire or cable.

[0016] Furthermore, the device according to the invention is not sensitive to dust or shocks and is capable of measuring both an unrolled length and a rolled-up length.

[0017] In a particular embodiment, the device further includes a wireless communication module, adapted to transmit to the outside a plurality of data relating to the wire or electrical cable and / or the device and / or the reel and / or the construction site on which the device is used.

[0018] In a particular embodiment, the plurality of data includes at least one of the following: the length of wire or electrical cable unwound or wound, the duration of unwound and / or wound, the geolocation of the device, the start and end dates of the project, the level of consumption and stock of the wire or electrical cable in real time, the section, the color, the serial number, the date and place of manufacture and use of the reel.

[0019] This allows for multiple forms of assistance to be provided to the electrician receiving this data, for example on his smartphone, tablet, desktop or laptop computer, or any other connected device.

[0020] Indeed, this allows him, for example, to improve the management of his construction sites based on data on wire or cable pulling and the profitability of these sites, the management of his stock orders by organizing automatic replenishment or by obtaining personalized promotions, to keep the history and therefore the traceability of the wires or electrical cables used, for example for ten years, with regard to the ten-year warranty in force in the building sector, to manage consumables by valuing and optimizing the reuse of offcuts of wires or electrical cables on subsequent sites, to manage the equipment by benefiting from a privileged after-sales service allowing him to obtain personalized assistance via an application in case of difficulty of use or in case of breakage, to manage his teams by visualizing the tools in use on each site or in particular the yield rate per tool,to manage administrative tasks through adjustments to quote forecasts, real-time billing in time-and-materials mode, and pre-filling of billing elements; or to better cope with equipment theft, thanks to real-time location of equipment and traceability of quantities of potentially missing wires or electrical cables.

[0021] In a particular embodiment in which the reel is equipped with an electronic tag, the device further includes an electronic tag reader adapted to read the electronic tag of the reel and to cooperate with the communication module to store data concerning the reel in the electronic tag.

[0022] This allows, in particular, for the information on the remaining length of wire or electrical cable to be kept in each reel after the reel has been removed from the unwinder and for this information to be available during subsequent use of the reel, by simply reading its electronic label.

[0023] In a particular embodiment, one of the first and second rollers is mounted on at least one return spring, so as to be movable in translation in a direction perpendicular to its axis of rotation and to pinch the wire or electrical cable adapted to pass between the first and second rollers.

[0024] This allows the wire or electrical cable to be guided optimally during unwinding or winding and to accommodate wires or electrical cables of varying diameter, intended for different uses or whose diameter fluctuates due to production variations.

[0025] In a particular embodiment, one of the first and second rollers is made of elastomer and the other is made of metal.

[0026] This improves the guidance of the wire or electrical cable, holding it without damaging it or hindering its unwinding or winding.

[0027] In a particular embodiment, the magnetic field sensor is a Hall effect sensor.

[0028] This allows for simple, quick and accurate measurement of the magnetic field.

[0029] In a particular embodiment, the housing is adapted to be removably fixed onto the wire or electrical cable reel.

[0030] This allows the device to be reused on various dispensers.

[0031] For the same purpose as indicated above, the present invention also proposes a method for measuring the unwound or wound length of at least one electrical wire or cable respectively stored on a reel, by means of of a device such as succinctly described above, remarkable in that it comprises steps consisting of: passing at least one wire or electrical cable between the first and second rollers so as to cause them to rotate; measuring, by means of the magnetic field sensor, the value of the magnetic field created by the magnet included in one of the rollers, the value of the magnetic field depending on the speed and direction of rotation of the roller including the magnet, so as to deduce the position of the roller including the magnet; determining, by means of the processor, the speed of rotation of the roller including the magnet from the position of this roller and deducing whether the wire or electrical cable is unwound or wound and the length unwound or wound of the wire or electrical cable, from the value of the cross-section of the wire or electrical cable and the speed of rotation of the roller including the magnet.

[0032] In a particular embodiment in which the device further comprises the aforementioned wireless communication module, the method further comprises a step of transmitting to the outside, by means of the wireless communication module, a plurality of data relating to the wire or electrical cable and / or the device and / or the reel and / or the construction site on which the device is used.

[0033] Since the advantages and special characteristics of the process are similar to those of the device, they are not repeated here. Brief description of the drawings

[0034] Other aspects and advantages of the invention will become apparent from the following detailed description of particular embodiments, given by way of non-limiting examples, with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which:

[0035] [Fig. 1] is a front view of a device according to the present invention, in a particular embodiment.

[0036] [Fig. 2] is a partial enlarged view of the rear of a device according to the present invention, in a particular embodiment.

[0037] [Fig. 3] is a flowchart illustrating steps of a process according to the present invention, in a particular embodiment. Description of method(s) of implementation

[0038] Figure 1 illustrates a particular embodiment of the front of a device 10 according to the present invention, for measuring the unwound or wound length of at least one electrical wire or cable 12.

[0039] The electrical wire or cable 12 is stored wound on a reel. This reel is not visible in Figure 1 because it is located behind the device 10. The electrical wire or cable 12 is intended to be unwound from this reel or wound onto it. The reel is mounted on an electrical wire or cable unwinder such as a reel.

[0040] The device 10 includes a housing 14 adapted to be fixed, optionally in a removable manner, for example by means of screws, on the unwinder carrying the reel.

[0041] The housing 14 has at least one guide opening 16 adapted to allow the passage of the electrical wire or cable 12. In the particular embodiment shown, the housing 14 has three guide openings 16, each adapted to allow the passage of an electrical wire or cable. In this embodiment, the device 10 is therefore capable of simultaneously measuring the unwound or wound length of three electrical wires or cables. For simplicity, only the arrangement present in one of the guide openings 16 has been shown; the two other arrangements present in the other two guide openings are identical to the one shown.

[0042] The device 10 further comprises first and second rollers 18, 19 arranged one above the other in the guide opening 16.

[0043] The two rollers 18, 19 are mobile in rotation along rotation shafts whose axes are parallel to each other and parallel to the axis of rotation of the reel on which the wire or electrical cable 12 is stored.

[0044] The wire or electrical cable 12 is adapted to pass between the two rollers 18, 19 so as to drive them in rotation, when it is unwound from the reel or wound onto it.

[0045] One of the rollers can be made of a flexible material such as an elastomer, while the other roller can be made of a rigid material such as a metal.

[0046] As shown in the enlarged partial view of Figure 2, which shows the rear of the device 10, the latter also includes a magnet 20 which is contained in one of the two rollers 18, 19. In the particular embodiment shown, the magnet 20 is contained in the roller 19, but it could just as well be contained in the roller 18. Alternatively, the magnet 20 can be located next to the roller, being fixed to the rotation shaft of this roller.

[0047] The magnet 20 is adapted to create a specific magnetic field, the value of which depends on the speed of rotation and the direction of rotation of the roller including the magnet 20. It is this specificity which will allow the device 10 to measure the length of wire or electrical cable 12 which is unwound or wound.

[0048] Indeed, the device 10 also includes a magnetic field sensor 22, adapted to measure the value of the magnetic field created by the magnet 20. The magnetic field sensor 22 is located near the magnet 20, for example by being fixed on a plate itself attached to the assembly consisting of the roller including the magnet and the rotation shaft of this roller.

[0049] The magnetic field sensor 22 could, for example, be a Hall effect sensor.

[0050] From the measurement of the value of the magnetic field created by the magnet 20, the magnetic field sensor 22 is able to deduce the position of the roller including the magnet 20.

[0051] The device 10 further includes a processor 24, which is adapted to determine the rotational speed of the roller comprising the magnet 20 from the evolution of the position of this roller over time.

[0052] Knowing the direction of rotation of the roller containing the magnet, the processor 24 deduces whether the wire or electrical cable 12 is being unwound or wound. From the cross-sectional area of ​​the wire or electrical cable 12 and the rotational speed of the roller containing the magnet 20, the processor 24 also deduces the length unwound or wound.

[0053] The device 10 may also include a wireless communication module 26, which is adapted to transmit outwards a plurality of data relating to the wire or electrical cable 12 and / or to the device 10 and / or to the reel on which the wire or electrical cable 12 is stored and / or to the construction site on which the device 10 is used.

[0054] This plurality of data may include at least one of the following: length of wire or electrical cable 12 unwound or wound, duration of unwound and / or wound, geolocation of device 10, start and end dates of the project, level of consumption and stock of wire or electrical cable 12 in real time, section, color, serial number, date and place of manufacture and use of the reel.

[0055] Optionally, as in the particular embodiment of Figure 2, one of the two rollers 18, 19 can be mounted on at least one return spring 28, so as to be movable in translation in a direction perpendicular to its axis of rotation and to pinch the wire or electrical cable 12 adapted to pass between the two rollers 18, 19.

[0056] The reels on which the wires or electrical cables 12 are stored can be equipped with electronic tags, for example of the NFC or RFID type, but which can be of any other type comprising an electronic circuit, allowing the reels to be identified and data concerning them to be stored in their electronic tags. In this case, the device 10 according to the invention may further include at least one reader for such tags. This reader can cooperate with the wireless communication module 26 to store information such as the length of wire or electrical cable 12 remaining on these reels in the electronic tags of the reels.

[0057] The present invention also proposes a method for measuring the unwound or wound length of at least one wire or electrical cable 12 respectively stored on a reel, by means of the device 10 described above.

[0058] As shown in the flowchart in Figure 3, the process includes a first step 30 consisting of passing at least one electrical wire or cable 12 between the first and second rollers 18, 19 so as to drive them into rotation.

[0059] Then, in step 32, the value of the magnetic field created by the magnet 20 included in one of the rollers 18, 19 is measured using the magnetic field sensor 22, the value of the magnetic field depending on the speed and direction of rotation of the roller including the magnet 20. The position of the roller including the magnet 20 is thus deduced.

[0060] Then in a step 34, the rotation speed of the roller including the magnet 20 is determined by means of the processor 24 from the position of this roller and it is deduced whether the wire or electrical cable 12 is unwound or wound and the unwound or wound length of the wire or electrical cable 12, from the value of the cross-section of the wire or electrical cable 12 and the rotation speed of the roller including the magnet 20.

[0061] Optionally, in a particular embodiment in which the device 10 includes the wireless communication module 26, the method may further include a step 36 of transmitting externally, by means of the wireless communication module 26, a plurality of data relating to the electrical wire or cable 12 and / or the device 10 and / or the reel and / or the worksite on which the device 10 is used. The plurality of data includes at least one of the data listed above.

Claims

Demands

1. Device (10) for measuring the unwound or wound length of at least one electrical wire or cable (12) respectively stored on a reel, characterized in that it comprises: a housing (14), adapted to be fixed on an electrical wire or cable unwinder (12) comprising said reel, said housing (14) having at least one guide opening (16) adapted to allow passage of an electrical wire or cable (12); first and second rollers (18, 19), arranged one above the other in said at least one guide opening (16), said first and second rollers (18, 19) being rotatable about axes parallel to each other and parallel to the axis of rotation of said reel, said at least one electrical wire or cable (12) being adapted to pass between said first and second rollers (18, 19) so as to rotate said first and second rollers (18, 19);a magnet (20), included in one of said first and second rollers (18, 19) and adapted to create a magnetic field whose value depends on the speed and direction of rotation of the roller including said magnet (20); a magnetic field sensor (22), adapted to measure the value of said magnetic field, so as to deduce the position of the roller including said magnet (20); a processor (24), adapted to determine the speed of rotation of the roller including said magnet (20) from the position of said roller and to deduce whether said wire or electrical cable (12) is unwound or wound and the length unwound or wound of said wire or electrical cable (12), from the value of the cross-section of said wire or electrical cable (12) and the speed of rotation of the roller including said magnet (20).

2. Device (10) according to claim 1, characterized in that it further comprises a wireless communication module (26), adapted to transmit to the outside a plurality of data relating to said wire or electrical cable (12) and / or said device (10) and / or said reel and / or the construction site on which said device (10) is used.

3. Device (10) according to claim 2, characterized in that said plurality of data comprises at least one data point among: the length of wire or electrical cable (12) unwound or wound, the duration of unwound and / or wound, the geolocation of said device (10), the start and end dates of said construction site, the level of consumption and stock of said wire or electrical cable (12) in real time, the section, the color, the serial number, the date and place of manufacture and use of said reel.

4. Device according to claim 2 or 3, wherein said coil is equipped with an electronic tag, characterized in that it further comprises an electronic tag reader adapted to read the electronic tag of said coil and to cooperate with said communication module (26) to store in the electronic tag data concerning said coil.

5. Device (10) according to any one of the preceding claims, characterized in that one of said first and second rollers (18, 19) is mounted on at least one return spring (28), so as to be movable in translation in a direction perpendicular to its axis of rotation and to pinch said wire or electrical cable (12) adapted to pass between said first and second rollers (18, 19).

6. Device (10) according to any one of the preceding claims, characterized in that one of said first and second rollers (18, 19) is made of elastomer and the other is made of metal.

7. Device (10) according to any one of the preceding claims, characterized in that said magnetic field sensor (22) is a Hall effect sensor.

8. Device (10) according to any one of the preceding claims, characterized in that said housing (14) is adapted to be removably fixed on said wire or electrical cable reel (12).

9. A method for measuring the unwound or wound length of at least one electrical wire or cable (12) respectively stored on a reel, by means of a device (10) according to any one of the preceding claims, characterized in that it comprises steps consisting of: passing (30) said at least one electrical wire or cable (12) between said first and second rollers (18, 19) so as to cause them to rotate; measure (32), by means of said magnetic field sensor (22), the value of the magnetic field created by said magnet (20) included in one of said rollers (18, 19), the value of the magnetic field depending on the speed and direction of rotation of the roller including said magnet (20), so as to deduce the position of the roller including said magnet (20); determine (34), by means of said processor (24), the speed of rotation of the roller including said magnet (20) from the position of this roller and deduce whether said wire or electrical cable (12) is unwound or wound and the length unwound or wound of said wire or electrical cable (12), from the value of the cross-section of said wire or electrical cable (12) and the speed of rotation of the roller including said magnet (20).

10. A method according to the preceding claim, wherein said device (10) conforms to claim 2, characterized in that it further comprises a step (36) consisting of transmitting to the outside, by means of said wireless communication module (26), a plurality of data relating to said wire or electrical cable (12) and / or said device (10) and / or said reel and / or the construction site on which said device (10) is used.

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