Compact Reel for One-Handed Cable Strand Insertion
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Solution Overview
Problem
Conventional reels for inserting cables into sheaths are cumbersome, expensive, and difficult to handle due to their size and weight, often resulting in strand breakage and requiring two hands for operation, making the insertion process inefficient and prone to buckling.
Innovation Solution
A compact reel design featuring a wheel with an annular cavity and a partially covering shell, allowing one-handed operation, a primer tube for continuity, and ergonomic features like a non-slip surface and attachment to clothing, which facilitates easy handling and reduces the need for manual force to manage strand insertion.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Length of moving object
If conventional reels are used to insert strands into sheaths, then the strand can be inserted as far as possible, but the device becomes heavy, complicated, and difficult to handle
Solution Approach 1:
The device is segmented into a shell and a wheel that can be rotated independently. The wheel contains the strand and can rotate to feed the strand through the sheath, while the shell provides structural support. This segmentation allows the strand insertion function to be separated from the housing, reducing overall device weight while maintaining insertion capability.
Solution Approach 2:
The wheel is designed to rotate dynamically to feed the strand as needed. Instead of a fixed structure, the rotating wheel allows controlled dispensing of the strand through the sheath. This dynamic mechanism enables the insertion function without requiring a heavy, rigid structure throughout the entire device.
2Length of moving object
If conventional reels are used to insert strands into sheaths, then the strand can be inserted as far as possible, but the device complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The device is divided into a simple shell and a rotating wheel component. The wheel contains the strand and rotates to feed it through the sheath. This segmentation creates a simple, modular structure that is easy to manufacture and operate, avoiding complex mechanisms while still achieving effective strand insertion.
Solution Approach 2:
The wheel is designed with specific local properties: it has a cavity to hold the strand and a hole to guide it through the sheath. The shell provides structural support where needed but is open in other areas to allow wheel rotation. This localized functionality achieves strand insertion without requiring complex mechanisms throughout the entire device.
3Length of moving object
If conventional reels are used to insert strands into sheaths, then the strand can be inserted as far as possible, but the device becomes cumbersome and requires two hands for operation
Solution Approach 1:
The device is segmented into a shell and a wheel, where the wheel can rotate independently within the shell. This allows the user to hold the shell with one hand while using a finger to rotate the wheel and control strand feeding. The segmented design enables one-handed operation while maintaining effective strand insertion capability.
Solution Approach 2:
The rotating wheel provides dynamic control over strand dispensing. The user can rotate the wheel as needed to feed the strand through the sheath, allowing flexible, one-handed operation. This dynamic mechanism replaces the need for two-handed operation required by conventional fixed reels.
4Reliability
If the strand is made stronger to withstand insertion forces, then the strand can be inserted without breakage, but the strand rigidity increases causing buckling in steep bends
Solution Approach 1:
The device feeds the strand gradually through rotation of the wheel, controlling the insertion process in advance. The strand is fed at a controlled rate, allowing it to bend smoothly around curves in the sheath without sudden forces that would cause buckling or breakage. This preliminary control of the insertion process maintains both strength and flexibility requirements.
Solution Approach 2:
The rotating wheel provides dynamic control over strand feeding, adjusting the insertion rate as needed. This dynamic mechanism allows the strand to be fed smoothly through bends in the sheath, preventing buckling while maintaining sufficient tension to avoid breakage. The flexible, controlled feeding process accommodates both strength and flexibility requirements.
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 compact reel design simplifies the insertion process, reduces the risk of strand breakage, and allows for one-handed operation, enabling efficient cable insertion into sheaths with reduced physical effort and improved ergonomics.
Implementation Method 1
a strand (2), initially straight and in bending, part of which is rolled up in the cavity and another part of which emerges from the reel through a hole (8) in the shell, characterized in that: the strand (2) has sufficient stiffness to generate a force for ejecting the wound part of the strand from the reel through the hole (8) in the shell
Data Source
Figure 1
Figure 2
Figure 3
AI summary
The invention relates to a reel (1) for storing and reeling a strand. Said reel includes: a wheel (3) including an annular cavity (6) having the same axis as the wheel, a shell (4) covering the wheel in part over a sector, the wheel being rotatably positioned in the shell, and a resiliently flexible and initially straight strand (2), part of which is rolled up in the cavity and another part of which emerges from the reel via a hole (8) in the shell. Rotating the wheel drives causes the strand to pass through the hole. The size of the reel makes it possible to ensure that the shell is grasped by a hand and the rotation of the wheel is controlled by a finger of the same hand.