Automated Cable Runner Carriage for Safer Cable Tray Deployment
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Solution Overview
Problem
The manual process of laying cabling in datacenter infrastructure is time-consuming, laborious, hazardous, and prone to damaging cables, with inefficiencies in cable length estimation leading to wasted materials.
Innovation Solution
An automated cable runner system with a carriage controlled by a computing apparatus that travels along a pathway to deploy cabling from a start point to an end point, using wheels, motors, and power sources, with an end stop to control deployment.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Ease of operation
If manual cabling installation is used, then flexibility in handling is maintained, but installation time increases and labor hazards occur
Solution Approach 1:
The patent replaces the manual mechanical pulling system with an automated motor-driven carriage system that travels along a pathway to deploy cables. The motorized carriage automatically pulls cables through trays and conduits, eliminating the need for technicians to manually climb ladders and pull cables by hand, thus reducing installation time while maintaining deployment effectiveness.
Solution Approach 2:
The automated carriage system performs the cable deployment task independently without requiring continuous human intervention. Once programmed with the deployment path and parameters, the system autonomously navigates the pathway, pulls cables to specified locations, and manages cable routing, thereby reducing labor time and hazards while completing the installation task.
2Adaptability or versatility
If manual cabling installation is used, then adaptability to site conditions is maintained, but cable damage risk increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent replaces manual cable handling with an automated motorized carriage system that provides controlled, consistent pulling forces. This automated system reduces the risk of cable damage by eliminating erratic manual pulling motions and excessive force application, while still adapting to various site conditions through programmable deployment parameters and adjustable pulling speeds.
Solution Approach 2:
The system incorporates feedback mechanisms that monitor cable tension and deployment progress during installation. This feedback allows the automated carriage to adjust its pulling force in real-time, preventing excessive tension that could damage cables while maintaining progress through the deployment pathway, thus reducing cable damage risk while adapting to site-specific conditions.
3Productivity
If automated cable runner is used, then installation speed increases, but system complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The automated carriage is designed as a multi-functional device that can perform various cable deployment tasks along different pathways. The single carriage unit can navigate multiple routes, handle different cable types and sizes, and adapt to various tray configurations, thereby achieving high installation speed while minimizing the need for multiple specialized devices and reducing overall system complexity.
Solution Approach 2:
The system divides the cable deployment task into discrete segments along the pathway, with the automated carriage handling each segment independently. This segmentation allows the system to achieve high speed in each segment while keeping the control logic manageable, thereby increasing overall installation speed without proportionally increasing system complexity.
4Reliability
If automated cable runner is used, then labor safety improves, but equipment cost increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent replaces the hazardous manual mechanical system with an automated motorized carriage that eliminates the need for technicians to climb ladders and physically handle cables in difficult-to-reach locations. This substitution significantly improves labor safety by removing workers from hazardous environments while using a relatively simple motorized carriage design that travels along existing structural pathways.
Solution Approach 2:
The automated carriage acts as an intermediary device that performs the hazardous cable deployment tasks in difficult-to-reach areas without requiring human presence in those locations. This intermediary system improves labor safety by keeping workers grounded and away from fall hazards while still accomplishing the cable installation task through the motorized carriage navigating the pathway.
Applied Scientific Principles
This section explains which scientific principles are used to turn an abstract innovation direction into a practical engineering solution.
Function Achieved in This Case
Reduces the need for manual climbing and handling, minimizes cable damage, and optimizes cable length, making the cabling process more efficient and safer.
Implementation Method 1
a motor operable to rotate the drive wheel
Implementation Method 2
a drive wheel structured and arranged to contact the pathway
Data Source
AI summary
A computing apparatus configured to implement travel control for a carriage of an automated cable runner (ACR) along the pathway of the ACR from a desired start point to a desired end point to deploy cabling into the tray from the start point to the end point, the computing apparatus includes a processor; a memory; and a communication interface coupled to each of the processor and the memory. The processor is configured to: receive a cabling deployment job request; and instruct a carriage with a cabling connected thereto via a cable holder to travel along the pathway from the start point to the end point to deploy the cabling in the tray to fulfill the cabling deployment job request.