Patent Application
20150251872
The present disclosure generally relates to cable bundling assemblies for bundling cables.
Various assemblies may be used for bundling cords, rope, or cables. In the entertainment industry, for example, it is common for long lengths of cable to be used for interconnecting audio/visual components. However, after the cables are unloaded or unwound, it can take time, effort and manual manipulation to wind or load a plurality of cables back into a storage unit like a crate, a case or a box.
To bundle cables, operators lay the plurality of cables out on a large flat surface and manually position the cables so that they can be taped, tied, or otherwise bundled together before loading it into a storage unit. However, this process can be tedious and time-consuming. If the cables are long, a lot of space is required to lay the cables out for taping and tying into a bundle. Also, oftentimes multiple individuals are needed to perform the above method.
In drawings which illustrate by way of example only a preferred embodiment,
There is therefore provided a cable bundling assembly for winding lengths of cable, rope or cord. There is also provided a method for operating the cable bundling assembly.
In one aspect, the cable bundling assembling comprises: a frame; a vertical conveyor mounted to the frame for advancing the plurality of cables, the vertical conveyor having a first side and a second side; at least one fastener mounted to the conveyor for releasably securing the plurality of cables to the vertical conveyor; a drive unit configured to move the vertical conveyor relative to the frame; and an operator control configured to activate the drive unit when the operator control is activated; whereby when the plurality of cables are releasably secured to one of the at least one fasteners, and when the operator control activates the drive unit to advance the vertical conveyor, the plurality of cables advance along the vertical conveyor on a substantially vertical axis and wherein the plurality of cables advance from the first side of the vertical conveyor to the second side of the vertical conveyor.
In another aspect, the cable bundling assembly further comprises at least one guide mounted to the frame and vertically spaced apart from a floor, whereby the guide steers the plurality of cables as they are being advanced along the vertical conveyor.
In yet another aspect, the guide comprises at least one roller.
In a further aspect, the at least one roller comprises flanged portions proximate the ends of the rollers to constrain horizontal movement of the plurality of cables as they are being advanced.
In yet a further aspect, the at least one guide is adjustable to modify a height and a horizontal distance relative to the vertical conveyor.
In another aspect, the cable bundling assembly further comprises a plurality of spacers disposed on the vertical conveyor, the plurality of spacers being disposed along a periphery of the vertical conveyor, whereby as the plurality of cables are advanced along the vertical conveyor, the plurality of cables are in friction contact with the spacers.
In yet another aspect, each spacer is an elongate ridge which is substantially perpendicular to a direction of movement of the vertical conveyor.
In a further aspect, the elongate ridge of each spacer comprises raised portions proximate a pair of ends of the elongate ridge for constraining lateral movement of the cables.
In yet a further aspect, the drive unit comprises a motor and a variable frequency drive.
In another aspect, the operator control comprises a pedal.
In yet another aspect, the cable bundling assembly further comprises a safety shield mounted to a lower portion of the frame on one or both of the first and second sides of the vertical conveyor.
In a further aspect, the cable bundling assembly further comprises a storage unit positioned at a base of the exit side of the vertical conveyor for receiving the plurality of cables.
In yet a further aspect, the at least one fastener comprises a clip, a clasp, or a tie.
In another aspect, the at least one fastener are mountable at a plurality of locations along the vertical conveyor.
In yet another aspect, the vertical conveyor advances upwardly on the first side of the conveyor and downwardly on the second side of the conveyor.
In one aspect of the method for operating the cable bundling assembly comprising a frame, a vertical conveyor mounted to the frame for advancing the plurality of cables, the vertical conveyor having a first side and a second side, at least one fastener mounted to the conveyor for releasably securing the plurality of cables to the vertical conveyor, a drive unit configured to move the vertical conveyor relative to the frame; and an operator control configured to activate the drive unit when the operator control is activated, whereby when the plurality of cables are releasably secured to one of the at least one fastener, and when the operator control activates the drive unit to advance the vertical conveyor, the plurality of cables advance along the vertical conveyor on a substantially vertical axis and wherein the plurality of cables advance from the first side of the vertical conveyor to the second side of the vertical conveyor, the method comprises the steps of: wrapping tape around a first end of the plurality of cables to bundle the plurality of cables; securing the first end of the plurality of cables to one of the at least one fasteners located on a first side of the vertical conveyor; advancing the plurality of cables along the vertical conveyor by a predetermined distance and wrapping tape around the plurality of cables at a position along the plurality of cables that is spaced apart from where the plurality of cables was previously taped by about the predetermined distance, and repeating the step of advancing the plurality of cables and wrapping tape around the plurality of cables until the plurality of cables is taped at predetermined intervals along its entire length.
In another aspect, the method comprises: when the first end of the plurality of cables is proximate a storage unit positioned at a base of the second side of the vertical conveyor, disconnecting the first end of the plurality of cables from the fastener; and when the second end of the plurality of cables is proximate the storage unit, disconnecting the second end of the plurality of cables from the fastener.
At least one of the rollers 120 is driven by a drive unit (not shown). In this embodiment, the upper roller is driven by said drive unit. The drive unit may comprise a motor, such as an electric or hydraulic motor. A drive control unit (not shown), such as a variable frequency drive (VFD), is provided to control both the speed and direction of the drive unit, thus allowing the conveyor to move in clockwise and counter-clockwise directions at varying speeds. The drive control unit is controlled by signals from an operator of the cable bundling assembly 100. Signals can be triggered by an operator control 220 in electrical communication with the drive control unit. The operator control 220 is a physical device manipulated by the operator of the assembly 100 to initiate or modulate the signals to the drive control unit. In some examples, the operator control 220 can be a switch, pedal, toggle, handle, or wheel control. In the example shown in
In the embodiments shown in
In an embodiment, assembly 100 comprises one or more shields 170 to protect an operator from injury by shielding the moving parts of the assembly from the operator. In the embodiment shown in
In an embodiment, assembly 100 comprises a guide roller 180 on the entrance side which guides cables 170 and prevents cable tangle as the cables 170 are advanced along the vertical conveyor. In one embodiment, the guide roller 180 is height adjustable and is rotatably mounted to sub-frame 190. In a further embodiment, the guide roller 180 is adjustable to vary the distance between the guide roller 180 and the vertical conveyor. In still a further embodiment, sub-frame 190 is fixably mounted to frame 110. The guide roller 180 shown in
In an embodiment, the vertical conveyor is provided with a plurality of spacers 150 which are spaced apart along the length of belt 140. In the embodiment shown in
The vertical conveyor is provided with at least one fastener 160 for releasably securing one or more cables thereto. Fasteners 160 may be a clip, a clasp, a tie, or some other means for securing an object to the conveyor. In
In
In an embodiment, the assembly 100 comprises a plurality of fasteners. In this embodiment, the fasteners are spaced apart such that the distance between a pair of fasteners is about a multiple of a length of a plurality of cables 200 that would be used on the assembly 100. For example, in an application where the cables being bundled are about 50 feet, a pair of fasteners is spaced apart at a distance of some multiple of 50, such as about 5 feet, about 10 feet, or about 25 feet. That way, if the first end of the cables is secured to one of the fasteners, the second end of the cables may be secured to a second one of the fasteners with minimal slack between the first and second ends of the cables.
In an embodiment where more than one fastener 160 is provided, the distance between any two fasteners 160 may be varied to accommodate cables of different lengths. In one embodiment, fastener 160 is removable, and can be mounted at different positions along the periphery of the conveyor.
Turning to
In one method of operation of the assembly 100, tape is applied to secure the cables 200 into a bundle at various points along the cables' length. Bundling cables in this way using means such as tape, rope, or ties, make them easier to store and transport. In this method, after a first end of the cables 200 has been secured to fastener 160, tape 250 (shown in
Once the cables 200 have been advanced such that the second end of the cables 200 are proximate the vertical conveyor (and in the embodiment with shields 170, above the shields 170), the second end of the cables 200 are secured to one of the at least one fasteners 160. That way, even as the second end of the cables 200 nears the top of the assembly, the cables 200 will not fall off of the vertical conveyor. Once the second end of the cables 200 has been secured to the vertical conveyor by fastener 160, the operator continues to advance the cables, periodically stopping to apply tape, as needed. When the second end of the cables 200 are proximate the storage unit 240, the operator disconnects the second end of the cables 200 from the fastener 160. The remaining length of the cables 200 are then dropped or placed into the storage unit 240 by the operator.
On the exit side of the conveyor, an operator disconnects the cables 200 from the fastener 160 once the first end of the cables 200 is proximate a storage unit 240. At this step, the second end of the cables 200 may or may not be secured to fastener 160 on the entrance side of the vertical conveyor. As the cables 200 are advanced further, cables 200 are guided by an operator into the storage unit 240.
The cables 200 are then advanced until the second end of the cables 200 are reachable by the operator on the exit side of the assembly. The operator then disconnects the second end of the cables 200 from the fastener 160 and guides the remaining length of the cables 200 into the storage unit 240.
In contrast to the cable bundling method of laying out the cables on the ground, use of the assembly 100 to perform the above-mentioned method saves time as it limits the amount of walking needed to arrange the cables on the ground and apply tape to bundle the cables together. Also, because of the relatively small footprint of the assembly 100, a single operator can efficiently perform the method used to operate the assembly 100 because the assembly 100 is arranging the cables in substantially parallel orientation so that the cables can be bundled by tape more readily. The assembly 100 and the method of operating the assembly makes use of gravity in combination various features of the assembly 100 to allow an operator to more easily and efficiently arrange the cables for bundling and storage.
Various embodiments having been thus described in detail by way of example, it will be apparent to those skilled in the art that variations and modifications may be made and still achieve the desired outcome. The embodiments described herein include all such variations and modifications as fall within the scope of the appended claims.
