Twisted Braided Cable Feeding System with Tangential Unwinding

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Solution Overview

Problem

Twisted braided metal cables and flat wires experience structural changes, such as loosening or stretching, when fed to winding machines, leading to undesirable effects on the electromagnetic properties of coils or transformers, due to uncontrolled unwinding from spools, which results in variations in tension, velocity, and cross-sectional reduction.

Innovation Solution

A system that unwinds the cable tangentially from the spool, using an intermediate device to maintain constant properties like tension, velocity, and quantity, and employs a return member to prevent ballooning, ensuring the cable is unwound under tension without rotating, thus maintaining its structure. This system includes a motor-driven spool and sensors for controlling feed velocity and torque to prevent structural alterations during acceleration or deceleration.

Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles

VSEngineering Contradiction Analysis

1Ease of operation

If the cable is unwound from the spool without control, then the feeding process is simple, but the cable structure changes (loosening or stretching)

Engineering Contradiction:
Improvefeeding process simplicityVSAvoidcable structure
Core Design Contradiction:
Ease of operationVSStability of the object's composition

Solution Approach 1:

The system controls and maintains constant parameters (tension, velocity, quantity) during cable feeding to prevent structural changes. The motor-driven spool regulates cable release while sensors monitor and maintain these parameters within optimal ranges, ensuring the cable braid structure remains stable without requiring complex active intervention mechanisms.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #35Parameter changes

2Stability of the object's composition

If active devices are used to control cable feeding, then cable structure is maintained, but device complexity increases

Engineering Contradiction:
Improvecable structureVSAvoidfeeding device complexity
Core Design Contradiction:
Stability of the object's compositionVSDevice complexity

Solution Approach 1:

The system employs sensors that automatically detect cable parameters (tension, velocity, quantity) and provide feedback to the control unit, which autonomously adjusts the motor-driven spool to maintain constant values. This self-regulating mechanism maintains cable structure without requiring complex active intervention devices, achieving stability through automated feedback control rather than mechanical complexity.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #25Self-service

3Productivity

If the spool is allowed to empty freely, then feeding is uninterrupted, but cable tension varies causing structural changes

Engineering Contradiction:
Improvefeeding continuityVSAvoidcable tension
Core Design Contradiction:
ProductivityVSStability of the object's composition

Solution Approach 1:

The system uses sensors to continuously monitor cable tension, velocity, and quantity during the feeding process. When the spool empties or tension varies, the sensors detect these changes and provide feedback to the control unit, which adjusts the motor-driven spool operation to maintain constant tension and other parameters, ensuring both continuous feeding and structural stability throughout the process.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #23Feedback

Data Source

PatentEP3658481B1Method and system for feeding a twisted braided metal cable or flat wire from a corresponding support without altering the structure or shape of the wire
Publication Date: 2023.08.23 B T S R INT
  • EP3658481B1 patent drawingFigure 1
  • EP3658481B1 patent drawingFigure 2
  • EP3658481B1 patent drawingFigure 3

AI summary

A method for feeding a twisted metal cable (3) braided into a plurality of braids or a flat wire from a support or spool (2) to a winder or winding machine (5), said feed comprising unwinding the cable or wire (3) from the spool (2), measuring at least one property of the cable or wire from among its tension, velocity and quantity, possible adjustment of said property and feeding the cable or wire to said machine with the aforesaid said property being held constant. The cable or wire is unwound in a controlled way in a direction at right angles to the axis (W) of the spool (2) directly from such spool (2) or through a return member (10) which receives the cable or wire from the spool (2) from which it is unwound in an uncontrolled way, such controlled unwinding preventing the cable (3) changing the structure of its braids through loosening or stretching and that said wire undergoes torsion before its property is measured. The system implementing such method is also claimed.