Cable Tensioning Drum With Spring Accumulator for Load Peaks
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing tensioning devices for wired energy and data transmission routes, particularly in vehicle fleets, fail to reliably absorb short-term load peaks due to inertia-related issues, leading to undesirable load peaks and potential damage.
Innovation Solution
A tensioning device incorporating a spring accumulator, such as a torsion spring or hydraulic spring cylinder, connected to the winding drum's drive shaft, which provides a resilient tensile force to absorb load peaks and maintain optimal cable tension, featuring a compact design and robustness with minimal moving components.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If active torque control is used to maintain cable tension, then cable tension can be maintained, but the system cannot react to sudden distance changes due to drum body inertia, causing load peaks
Solution Approach 1:
The spring accumulator is pre-loaded with elastic energy before operation. When load peaks occur due to sudden distance changes, the pre-stored elastic energy is immediately released to counteract the load peaks, eliminating the need for reactive control and overcoming the inertia delay of the drum body.
Solution Approach 2:
The spring accumulator acts as a cushioning element that absorbs and dampens load peaks before they can cause damage to the cable guide rope or supporting structures. The elastic element is positioned to directly counteract tension variations in the cable, providing protective cushioning action.
2Reliability
If a passive spring accumulator is used to absorb load peaks, then short-term load peaks can be dampened, but the device complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The spring accumulator is extracted as a separate, independent component from the main winding drum assembly. This modular extraction allows the passive damping function to be added without complicating the core torque control system, and the spring element can be easily selected, replaced, or adjusted independently.
Solution Approach 2:
The spring accumulator uses simple, inexpensive elastic elements (such as torsion springs or helical springs) that can be easily manufactured and replaced if needed. These passive spring components are much simpler and cheaper than active control systems, achieving load peak absorption with minimal technical effort.
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
The spring accumulator effectively dampens short-term load peaks, preventing cable and structural damage by maintaining consistent tension, and allows for operator warnings and control adjustments to avoid excessive sagging.
Implementation Method 1
a torsion spring 56 connecting the two shaft sections 52, 54 being provided as a spring accumulator 48
Implementation Method 2
by means of which a spring-elastic tensile force can be exerted on a cable section 32 unwound from the winding drum 14
Data Source
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AI summary
A tensioning device (12) for a wired energy and/or data transmission link (10), comprising a cable guide rope (16) mounted on a winding drum (14), wherein the winding drum (14) can be rotated by means of an associated electric drive (18) for winding and unwinding the cable guide rope (16). A spring accumulator (48) is provided, by means of which a spring-elastic tensile force can be exerted on a rope section (32) unwound from the winding drum (14).