Cable Reel With Nested Baskets For Pipe Inspection
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Solution Overview
Problem
Cable drums for pipe inspection systems face challenges in winding and unwinding cables and sliding eels due to their rigidity, leading to crossover issues and difficulty in maintaining tension, which results in tangled layers and inefficient operation.
Innovation Solution
A cable drum design featuring an inner and outer basket with a guide device and feed mechanism, allowing for defined winding and unwinding of cables, with the inner basket accommodating a first cable section and the outer basket accommodating a second, potentially more rigid, cable section, using rollers and drive units to manage tension and prevent crossover.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Device complexity
If a single cable drum is used to wind both cable and sliding eel, then the structure is simple, but the cable and sliding eel cross over during winding due to the rigidity of the sliding eel
Solution Approach 1:
The cable drum is divided into two independent baskets (inner and outer), each capable of winding different cable sections. The inner basket winds the first cable section while the outer basket winds the second cable section, preventing crossover issues that occur when both are wound on a single drum.
Solution Approach 2:
The inner basket is nested within the outer basket, with the inner basket having a smaller diameter and being positioned coaxially inside the outer basket. This nested configuration allows both baskets to rotate independently while sharing the same central axis, enabling simultaneous winding of both cable sections without interference.
2Ease of operation
If the sliding eel is wound onto the cable drum, then it can be stored, but its rigidity causes it to return to straight alignment and create crossovers
Solution Approach 1:
The cable system is segmented into a first cable section and a second cable section (sliding eel), each wound on separate baskets. This segmentation allows the rigid sliding eel to be wound on the outer basket while the flexible cable is wound on the inner basket, preventing the sliding eel from crossing over itself during winding.
Solution Approach 2:
A guide device with two rollers is introduced as an intermediary mechanism. The guide device guides the first cable section between its two rollers, ensuring proper cable path and preventing crossover during the winding process on the inner basket.
3Productivity
If the cable is wound without proper guidance, then the winding process is simple, but the cable may cross over during winding
Solution Approach 1:
The guide device with two rollers acts as an intermediary that actively guides the first cable section during winding. This guidance mechanism ensures the cable follows the correct path between the rollers and onto the inner basket, preventing crossover while maintaining efficient winding speed.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent uses visual differentiation (analogous to color changes) by having two distinct baskets (inner and outer) that can be visually distinguished, allowing operators to easily identify which basket is winding which cable section, reducing errors and improving operational reliability.
Data Source
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AI summary
A cable drum (10), in particular for a pipe inspection system, is provided, wherein the cable drum has a frame (15) and a cable holder (20), wherein the cable holder is rotatably arranged on the frame, wherein a cable (K) can be wound onto and unwound from the cable holder, and wherein - the cable holder (20) has an inner basket (21) and an outer basket (22), wherein the diameter (dl) of the inner basket is smaller than the diameter (d2) of the outer basket, - the inner basket (21) is arranged coaxially to the outer basket (22) and within the outer basket, - the inner basket (21) and the outer basket (22) are rotatable independently of each other, and - the inner basket (21) is provided for receiving a first cable section (Kl) of the cable (K) and the outer basket (22) for receiving a second cable section (K2) of the cable (K).