Compact Winding Drum With Rotary Guide for Retrofit Cable Routing
Find Innovative SolutionsGenerate Solutions
Solution Overview
Problem
Existing winding devices for flexible lines like cables or hoses are complex, expensive, and do not allow for easy retrofitting or subsequent installation of a winding device on lines already connected or ready for operation, especially in safety-critical applications.
Innovation Solution
A compact winding device design with a rotatable drum and an inner rotary guide that includes outwardly opening passages at both ends, allowing for easy introduction and removal of the line without cutting, and a belt-like line guide with variable direction-changing arcs for uninterrupted guidance, enabling selective winding and unwinding of lines already connected or ready for use.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If a conventional inner rotary guide with two relatively rotatable inner auxiliary drums and a direction-changing disc is used, then interruption-free guidance of the line is achieved, but the structure becomes really complicated and expensive
Solution Approach 1:
The inner rotary guide is divided into a first inner drum for receiving the line in a first winding direction, a direction-changing disc for rotatably changing direction, and a second inner drum for receiving the line in a second opposite winding direction. This segmentation allows each component to perform a specific function, achieving interruption-free guidance while managing complexity through modular design.
Solution Approach 2:
The direction-changing disc is designed to be relatively rotatable with respect to the inner auxiliary drums, allowing dynamic adjustment of the line path. This dynamic element enables the system to adapt to different winding configurations while maintaining continuous line guidance without slip rings or rotary couplings.
2Reliability
If a conventional inner rotary guide structure is used, then interruption-free guidance is achieved, but subsequent fitment of a line is not readily permitted
Solution Approach 1:
The first and second inner drums are designed with preliminary winding paths that guide the line from the stationary part to the rotating part and back. This preliminary configuration allows the line to be subsequently fitted without requiring complex assembly procedures, as the winding paths are pre-established to accommodate line installation.
Solution Approach 2:
The inner rotary guide structure is designed to accommodate different line configurations and installation scenarios. The combination of two inner auxiliary drums and a direction-changing disc creates a universal system that can handle both subsequent fitment of new lines and retro-fitment of existing connected lines.
3Ease of operation
If a winding device is designed for retro-fitment on lines already connected or ready for operation, then ease of installation is improved, but the structure must accommodate lines inserted from the outside
Solution Approach 1:
The winding drum is segmented with a first end having a first opening for line insertion and a second end having a second opening for line exit. This segmentation allows the line to be inserted from the outside, facilitating retro-fitment on already connected lines while maintaining a relatively simple structural configuration.
Solution Approach 2:
Instead of requiring the line to be fed from the stationary part through the drum, the design allows the line to be inserted from the outside through the first opening, guided by the inner rotary guide, and exited through the second opening. This inverted approach simplifies installation for retro-fitment applications.
Data Source
AI summary
The invention relates to a winding device (10) for a line (1), such as a cable or hose, including a stationary frame (11) and a winding drum (12), which is rotatably mounted on said frame and has an interior (12B). From the outside (12A) of the winding drum (12), the line can be wound or unwound. An inner rotary guide (18) in the interior (12B) guides the line (1) continuously from a fixed point (F) fixed with respect to the frame to a rotation point (R) on the winding drum (12) and defines a line course, having two opposite windings (18A, 18B) about the axis of rotation (A), and a rotatable deflection element (18C), in which the line changes over. According to the invention, the winding drum (12) has a first cut-out (15A) at a first end, on the side of the rotation point (R), which cut-out opens out axially and at an end face, and a retaining part (19B) at the other end, which retaining part is rotationally fixed to the frame, has a second cut-out (15B), which opens outward in a plane perpendicular to the axis of rotation (A). By virtue of the cut-outs (15A, 15B) in combination with the special rotary guide (18), the line (1) to be wound can be continuously routed without interruption and without rotational coupling or be subsequently attached, from the outside (12A) through the first cut-out (15A), in the inner rotary guide (18) and from the fixed point (F) of the rotary guide through the second cut-out (15B) or vice versa.