Motor-Driven Spool Tool for Power Cable Jacket Stripping
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Solution Overview
Problem
Manipulating thick and stiff power cables for high power loads is difficult due to their rigidity, particularly when stripping the outer jacket to expose conductors, which can cause strain and injury to electrical workers, especially when the conductor is helically wound.
Innovation Solution
A power cable jacket tearing tool with two rotatable body portions connected by a pivot axis, featuring a motor-driven spool system that allows for controlled rotation and tensioning of the conductor, reducing the need for manual rotation and alleviating strain on the user's hands and wrists.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Ease of operation
If manual pulling method is used to strip cable jacket, then simple tool structure is maintained, but worker strain and injury risk increase due to circular pulling motion
Solution Approach 1:
The patent replaces the manual mechanical pulling action with a motor-driven spool system. The motor automatically winds the conductor onto the spool, eliminating the need for workers to manually pull and circle around the cable, thus reducing wrist strain and injury risk while accepting increased device complexity through motor, spool, and control mechanism integration.
Solution Approach 2:
The conductor serves itself by being automatically wound onto the spool by the motor-driven system. The tool performs the stripping action autonomously without requiring continuous manual intervention, allowing the worker to simply guide the cable while the mechanism handles the forceful pulling and winding actions.
2Ease of operation
If motor-driven spool system is used, then ease of operation improves, but device complexity increases due to additional components
Solution Approach 1:
The rotatable body portions serve multiple functions: they guide the cable through the tool, support the motor and spool mechanism, and allow the tool to accommodate different cable sizes and configurations. This multi-functionality justifies the increased complexity by consolidating several operations into a single integrated device.
Solution Approach 2:
The tool incorporates rotatable body portions connected by a pivot axis, allowing dynamic adjustment of the tool's configuration. This dynamic structure enables the tool to adapt to different cable diameters and stripping positions, making the increased complexity worthwhile by providing versatile operational capability.
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 tool enables efficient and ergonomic stripping of power cable jackets by allowing the conductor to be pulled through the jacket without requiring the user to follow the cable's circular path, thereby reducing the risk of injury and improving handling of stiff cables.
Implementation Method 1
The tool includes a motor and associated mechanical power transmission system for driving the spool
Implementation Method 2
The first and second tool body portions are rotatably connected to one another to form a joint allowing each tool body portion to rotate relative to the other about a pivot axis
Implementation Method 3
The second tool body portion supports a rotatable spool defining a spooling axis of rotation, the spool for receiving and spooling the end of a selected conductor of the cable
Data Source
AI summary
A power cable jacket tearing tool. A first tool body portion has a first aperture for receiving the cable therethrough, and a second tool body portion has a second aperture for receiving the cable therethrough. The first and second tool body portions are rotatably connected to one another to form a joint allowing each tool body portion to rotate relative to the other about a pivot axis that passes through the first and second apertures. The second tool body portion supports a rotatable spool for receiving and spooling the end of a selected conductor of the cable. The tool also includes a motor for driving the spool, a power source for powering the motor, and a control mechanism for controllably coupling the power source to the motor. The motor is carried by the second tool body portion, whereas the control mechanism is carried by the first tool body portion.