Winch Cable Guiding Means for Orderly Winding
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Solution Overview
Problem
Current mechanical members for moving loads, such as winches and windlasses, suffer from irregular and disorderly winding of recovery cables, leading to unnecessary traction and torsion, which deteriorates the cable's structural integrity and complicates unwinding, especially when manual actuation is used.
Innovation Solution
Incorporating guiding and positioning means operatively connected with the operating drum to ensure a regular and orderly winding of the recovery cable, utilizing a drive endless screw with a helical groove and an operating block that interferes with consecutive sections of the cable during winding and unwinding, facilitating precise and controlled movement.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If the recovery cable is wound around the operating drum without guiding and positioning means, then the device complexity is reduced, but the cable winding becomes irregular and disorderly causing deterioration of cable structural integrity
Solution Approach 1:
The patent introduces guiding and positioning means as an intermediary component between the operating drum and the recovery cable. This mediator ensures the cable winds regularly and orderly around the drum, preventing irregular winding that would compromise cable integrity, while adding only moderate complexity to the system.
Solution Approach 2:
The guiding and positioning means perform preliminary action by pre-aligning and directing the recovery cable onto the operating drum before the winding process begins. This preliminary guidance ensures that the cable maintains proper positioning throughout the winding operation, preventing deterioration and maintaining structural integrity.
2Ease of operation
If manual actuation means are used to wind the recovery cable, then the device complexity is reduced, but the unwinding process becomes complicated and time-consuming
Solution Approach 1:
The guiding and positioning means serve as a mediator that facilitates both winding and unwinding operations. During unwinding, this intermediary component guides the cable off the drum in an organized manner, preventing tangling and making the process simpler and faster, even when using manual actuation.
Solution Approach 2:
The guiding and positioning means create a homogeneous and consistent winding pattern on the drum. This uniformity ensures that both winding and unwinding operations proceed smoothly without irregularities, making the process more efficient and less time-consuming regardless of the actuation method used.
3Strength
If the recovery cable is wound irregularly on the operating drum, then the device complexity is reduced, but unnecessary traction and torsion efforts cause cable deterioration
Solution Approach 1:
The guiding and positioning means act as a protective intermediary that distributes the traction and torsion forces evenly across the cable during winding. By ensuring regular and orderly winding, this mediator prevents concentrated stress points that would otherwise cause cable deterioration and maintain cable strength.
Solution Approach 2:
The guiding and positioning means perform preliminary action by pre-positioning the cable correctly on the drum before winding forces are applied. This preliminary positioning ensures that subsequent winding operations apply forces uniformly, preventing excessive traction and torsion that would compromise cable strength.
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
This solution ensures the structural integrity of the recovery cable is maintained for longer use cycles, simplifies and speeds up the unwinding process, allowing operators to focus on load manipulation without monitoring cable winding, and provides a cost-competitive construction.
Implementation Method 1
utilizing a drive endless screw with a helical groove and an operating block that interferes with consecutive sections of the cable during winding and unwinding
Data Source
Figure 1~2
Figure 3
Figure 4
AI summary
A mechanical member (1) for moving loads, particularly boats, comprising an operating drum (2), suitable to be coupled with a reference structure (M) and defining a longitudinal axis (Z) which is rotated around by actuation means (3) and a recovery cable (4), provided with a first free end, suitable to be at necessary bound to the load, and a second end connected with the operating drum (2) in such a way that the recovery cable (4 ), due to the action of the actuation means (3), is at least partly wound/unwound on/from the outer surface (2a) of the operating drum (2). In particular, the mechanical member (1) comprises guiding and positioning means (5), operatively connected with the operating drum (2) in such a way as to progressively interfere with consecutive sections of the recovery cable (4) during winding/unwinding of the recovery cable (4) itself on/from the outer surface (2a) of the operating drum (2) so that the recovery cable (4) is wound/unwound in an orderly manner on/from the operating drum (2).