Electro-hydraulic winder for uniform rope winding on winch drums
Find Innovative SolutionsGenerate Solutions
Solution Overview
Problem
Existing forestry winches face challenges in achieving uniform winding of wire ropes due to compact designs and short distances between the drum and directing pulley, leading to unreliable automatic winding and non-uniform rope winding.
Innovation Solution
The electro-hydraulic winder system incorporates a mechanical assembly with a cross spindle and nut, along with an electrohydraulic assembly featuring a holder with redirecting cylinders and a hydraulic cylinder. This system uses sensors and a controller to coordinate the movement of the nut and the holder, ensuring uniform winding by correcting discrepancies in the rope's path.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Quantity of substance
If the drum width is increased to increase the capacity of winding rope, then the rope capacity is improved, but the winding quality deteriorates resulting in non-uniform wound rope
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies dynamics by making the guiding assembly movable relative to the drum through a hydraulic cylinder. The guide can dynamically adjust its position along the drum width during winding operations, allowing the system to maintain proper guiding geometry even on wider drums. This dynamic adjustment capability enables both increased rope capacity and maintained winding quality.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent changes the positional parameter of the guiding assembly relative to the drum. By allowing the guide to move along the drum width (changing its position parameter) rather than being fixed, the system can adapt to different drum widths and maintain optimal winding geometry. This parameter change enables the system to handle wider drums for increased capacity while preserving uniform winding quality.
2Extent of automation
If mechanical winders are used to guide rope winding, then automatic winding is achieved, but the device dimensions become large making installation problematic
Solution Approach 1:
The patent replaces bulky mechanical actuation systems with a hydraulic cylinder to move the guiding assembly. This hydraulic actuation system is more compact than traditional mechanical winders while providing sufficient force to adjust the guide position. The result is automatic winding capability with reduced device dimensions for easier installation.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent extracts the essential function of rope guidance from a complex mechanical winder system and isolates it into a simpler, movable guiding assembly. By separating the guiding function from the drum rotation function, the system achieves automatic winding with a much more compact structure that can be easily installed.
3Ease of operation
If the winch is designed with compact dimensions, then installation ease is improved, but the rope winding becomes unreliable due to large rope angle with the drum
Solution Approach 1:
The patent makes the guiding assembly dynamically adjustable through hydraulic actuation. This allows the system to maintain proper rope angle geometry even in compact winch designs where the distance between drum and directing pulley is short. The dynamic adjustment compensates for the compact dimensions, ensuring reliable winding.
Solution Approach 2:
The movable guiding assembly acts as an intermediary between the drum and the directing pulley. By introducing this adjustable intermediate element, the system can bridge the short distance in compact designs while maintaining the necessary rope angle for reliable winding. The guide mediates the geometric constraints imposed by compact dimensions.
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 system achieves uniform winding of the wire rope onto the winch drum, reducing the likelihood of rope damage and improving the overall quality of the wound rope, even under conditions of tilting winches and varying load weights.
Implementation Method 1
a hydraulic cylinder, which controls the holder with redirecting cylinders
Data Source
Figure 1
Figure 2
Figure 3
AI summary
The present invention belongs to the field of forestry winches, more precisely to the field of constructional details in forestry winches, which are related to winding of the rope onto a drum of the winch. The invention relates to an electro-hydraulic winder of the wire rope onto the winch drum and the winch with the said winder. The essence of the winder (1) for uniform winding of the wire rope onto the drum (4) of the winch is in that it comprises a mechanical assembly (2) of the winder and an electrohydraulic assembly (3) of the winder. The mechanical assembly is directly connected to the drum, onto which the wire is wound. It comprises a cross spindle (21) with a nut (22) and a transmission assembly, which transfers the rotation from the drum onto the spindle. Movement of the nut left and right precisely mimics the path and the speed of movement of the wire rope during optimal winding. The nut is equipped with a rotational angle sensor (23) connected to the winch controller, said sensor measuring discrepancy of the path of the hydraulic assembly with regards to the nut. The controller of the winch based on measured discrepancy (angle) ensures correction of the path of the hydraulic assembly in order to coordinate the path of the nut and the holder with redirecting cylinders (32a) and consequently of the wire rope. The electrohydraulic assembly comprises a handle mechanism (33) with redirecting cylinders and a holder (32) of the winder, hydraulic cylinder (34) and a valve for controlling the hydraulic cylinder.