Self-Adjusting Power Cable System for Mobile Machinery
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Solution Overview
Problem
In environments with moving machinery like scrap yards, power supply cables often get tangled or run over due to their fixed attachment, posing risks and inefficiencies as they fail to adjust height, length, and direction automatically to maintain a taut, horizontal position above debris and obstacles.
Innovation Solution
A self-adjusting power transmission cable system with a motorized reel mounted on a rotatable turret, featuring a vertically elongated slot with guide rollers, allows the cable to extend tautly and horizontally, adjusting length and height to maintain a clear path above ground obstacles as the machinery moves.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Ease of operation
If the power cable is simply attached at one end to the power source and moved upon the ground to the crane vehicle, then the cable remains flexible and easy to deploy, but the cable risks being run over by the vehicle or tangling in piles of scrap or debris
Solution Approach 1:
The cable support system transitions from a static ground-based cable to a dynamic aerial cable system. The cable is suspended above the ground and can move vertically and horizontally to follow the crane vehicle, preventing the cable from being run over or tangled while maintaining flexibility and ease of deployment.
Solution Approach 2:
The cable is moved from the ground plane to the aerial space above the scrap yard. By elevating the cable on a support structure with vertical and horizontal adjustment capabilities, the system adds dimensional freedom to avoid obstacles and maintain cable safety while preserving operational ease.
2Reliability
If the cable is kept well above the ground to prevent running over and tangling, then cable safety improves, but the system becomes more complex requiring height and direction adjustment mechanisms
Solution Approach 1:
The cable support system incorporates self-adjusting mechanisms that automatically respond to the crane vehicle's movement. The vertical and horizontal adjustment mechanisms operate autonomously to maintain cable tension and positioning, reducing the need for complex manual control systems while ensuring cable safety.
Solution Approach 2:
The system replaces complex mechanical control systems with simpler automated mechanisms. The cable support structure uses automatic height and direction adjustment mechanisms that respond to vehicle movement without requiring sophisticated control systems, thereby improving reliability while minimizing added complexity.
3Reliability
If the cable is maintained taut and horizontal above the ground, then cable safety and operational reliability improve, but the system requires automated height and direction adjustment capabilities
Solution Approach 1:
The cable adjustment mechanism operates autonomously to maintain the cable in a taut, horizontal position. The system self-adjusts height and direction in response to the crane vehicle's movement, ensuring operational reliability while using straightforward automated mechanisms rather than complex control systems.
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 effectively keeps the power cable taut, horizontal, and clear of obstacles, preventing damage and ensuring reliable power supply to mobile machinery in harsh environments by automatically adjusting its direction and length in response to the machinery's movement.
Implementation Method 1
The reel is provided with a motor which tends to wind-up the cable end portion and, thus, keeps the cable substantially taut
Implementation Method 2
The reel is mounted upon a freely rotatable support so that as the cable extends toward the machine or is retracted toward the reel, depending upon the movement of the machine, the reel will rotate about a vertical axis
Implementation Method 3
The opening is in the form of a vertically elongated slot having guide rollers on the opposite vertical edges which define the slot. Thus, the cable may move transversely upwardly and downwardly within the slot
Data Source
AI summary
This invention relates to a system for automatically self-adjusting the height, length and direction of an electrical power cable connecting a movable machine, such as a crane, to a fixed electrical power supply. One end of the cable is wrapped around a reel which is arranged within a housing that is freely rotatable about a vertical axis. That end is connected to an electrical power source. The opposite end of the cable is connected to a machine which is moveable towards and away from, and around, the reel. A motor rotates the reel for winding up, and applying a tension upon, the cable so that the center portion of the cable, which extends between the reel and machine, is held relatively taut and generally horizontal. The central portion of the cable extends through a vertical slot in the housing so that its height, length and direction of extension towards the machine are automatically adjusted in response to the position of the moveable machine relative to the reel.