Winch Level Wind Arm Vertical Pause Mechanism
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing winch assemblies experience issues with rope accumulation and tangling due to inconsistent layer formation when winding onto the drum, leading to jerky movements, damage, and potential failure in anchor descent.
Innovation Solution
A level wind arm with a cross member that includes a vertical component causing the spindle to pause momentarily at the end of each stroke, ensuring consistent layer formation and tension maintenance through a biased mechanism and tensioning assembly.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Productivity
If the spindle moves continuously along the cross member during winding, then the winding process is efficient and uninterrupted, but gaps form between layers and rope accumulation occurs at drum ends
Solution Approach 1:
The spindle executes periodic pause actions at the ends of its stroke during the winding process. The cross member includes vertical components that cause the spindle to momentarily stop at each end position, allowing the rope layer to settle and form consistently before the spindle returns. This periodic pausing ensures uniform layer formation without compromising overall winding efficiency.
2Manufacturing precision
If the spindle pauses at the end of each stroke, then layer consistency is improved and gaps are prevented, but the winding process time increases
Solution Approach 1:
The spindle executes periodic pause actions at the ends of its stroke during the winding process. The cross member includes vertical components that cause the spindle to momentarily stop at each end position, allowing the rope layer to settle and form consistently before the spindle returns. This periodic pausing ensures uniform layer formation without compromising overall winding efficiency.
3Reliability
If the cross member is biased against the tether to maintain tension, then level winding is facilitated, but the mechanism complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The cross member is biased using a spring mechanism that exerts a controlled force against the tether. This biasing force maintains consistent tension on the rope during winding, ensuring the rope remains in contact with the drum surface and prevents sagging or loose layers. The spring provides automatic tension compensation without requiring complex active control systems.
Data Source
AI summary
The present invention relates to an improved level wind arm for a winch drum assembly, and a winch drum assembly incorporating such a level wind arm. The level wind arm includes a cross member adapted to bias against an outwardly extending portion of rope, the cross member being concave so that more force is required for the rope spindle associated with the cross member to “climb” the slope of the cross member, causing a momentary pause in motion of the spindle after it reaches the end of wind stroke. This momentary pause allows for rope being wound onto the drum to rise up the end wall of the drum to create a new layer which is aligned and consistent with the layer below, without causing gaps in the rope or other circumstances which could lead to the rope accumulating at any one point, or becoming tangled. The present invention also includes means of ensuring that tension is maintained in the rope, and that the rope does not jump off the reel and, for example, into the clutch mechanism.