Patent Application
20230166950
The present disclosure is directed to the field of lifters, hoists, and winches.
Lifters, hoists and winches are used extensively to lift, lower, or pull loads of various kinds. Such devices typically include a line, such as a cable or chain, wrapped around a spool. To lift, lower, or pull a load, the spool may be manually rotated or driven with a motor, such as an electrical, hydraulic, or pneumatic motor. When rotation is not desired, a braking mechanism may be used to prevent the spool from turning. This may maintain tension in the line, keep a load suspended, or prevent the release or unspooling of the line. To keep the line from bunching on the spool, some hoists or winches may include guides or other mechanisms to evenly wind the line around the spool.
Although a wide variety of lifters, hoists and winches are available, many have shortcomings that prevent or discourage their use in various applications. For example, some hoists or winches are bulky or cumbersome, which may prevent their use in applications where greater compactness is required or desired. Other hoists and winches may be economically infeasible for use in applications such as consumer or residential applications due to their complexity or expense.
Maintaining a flexible line in an orderly way and preventing excessive slack, bunching, and misalignment ensures proper winch operation. Without proper spacing, tension, and alignment the flexible line can become jammed or wear unevenly leading to material degradation or even failure. There is a need in the art for a winch that can maintain a flexible line in an efficient way to ensure a long effective life of the device.
Embodiments of the present disclosure are directed to a system for manipulating an object and providing at least one utility winch. The system includes a motor and a driveshaft having an axis and being coupled to the motor wherein the motor rotates the driveshaft around the axis. The system also includes a first spool on the driveshaft being rotatable with the driveshaft by the motor and a first line for lifting an object, the first line attached to the first spool. The system also includes a first line guide configured to translate axially along the first spool to thereby wind the first line in a first helical path on the first spool when the driveshaft is rotated in one direction and to unwind the first line from the first helical path when the driveshaft is rotated in an opposite direction. The system also includes a second spool on the driveshaft being rotatable with the driveshaft by the motor, and a second line attached to the second spool, the second line configured to deliver at least one utility selected from electric power, data, and fluid. The system also includes a second line guide configured to translate axially along the second spool to thereby wind the second line in a second helical path on the second spool when the driveshaft is rotated in one direction and to unwind the second line from the second helical path when the driveshaft is rotated in an opposite direction.
Further aspects and embodiments are provided in the foregoing drawings, detailed description and claims.
The following drawings are provided to illustrate certain embodiments described herein. The drawings are merely illustrative and are not intended to limit the scope of claimed inventions and are not intended to show every potential feature or embodiment of the claimed inventions. The drawings are not necessarily drawn to scale; in some instances, certain elements of the drawing may be enlarged with respect to other elements of the drawing for purposes of illustration.
The following description recites various aspects and embodiments of the inventions disclosed herein. No particular embodiment is intended to define the scope of the invention. Rather, the embodiments provide non-limiting examples of various compositions, and methods that are included within the scope of the claimed inventions. The description is to be read from the perspective of one of ordinary skill in the art. Therefore, information that is well known to the ordinarily skilled artisan is not necessarily included.
The following terms and phrases have the meanings indicated below, unless otherwise provided herein. This disclosure may employ other terms and phrases not expressly defined herein. Such other terms and phrases shall have the meanings that they would possess within the context of this disclosure to those of ordinary skill in the art. In some instances, a term or phrase may be defined in the singular or plural. In such instances, it is understood that any term in the singular may include its plural counterpart and vice versa, unless expressly indicated to the contrary.
As used herein, the singular forms “a,” “an,” and “the” include plural referents unless the context clearly dictates otherwise. For example, reference to “a substituent” encompasses a single substituent as well as two or more substituents, and the like.
As used herein, “for example,” “for instance,” “such as,” or “including” are meant to introduce examples that further clarify more general subject matter. Unless otherwise expressly indicated, such examples are provided only as an aid for understanding embodiments illustrated in the present disclosure and are not meant to be limiting in any fashion. Nor do these phrases indicate any kind of preference for the disclosed embodiment.
As used herein, “winch” refers to lifting or pulling device consisting of a line winding around a horizontal rotating drum, turned by a crank or by motor or other power source.
As used herein, “winch,” “hoist,” “lift,” “winching device,” “hoisting device,” and “lifting device” are meant to refer to an apparatus that can be actuated to selectively raise and lower an object. These terms are generally interchangeable except for where specifically noted herein.
“Spool” is meant to refer to a generally cylindrical member that rotates to wind a line thereon.
“Line” is meant to refer to a cable, cord, wire, or other suitable interchangeable generally elongated, flexible, member that winds onto the spool.
The driveshaft assembly 200 includes a driveshaft 202 that is an elongated cylindrical member. The length of the driveshaft 202 can vary as needed according to various installations. The assembly also includes a first end plate 204 and a second end plate 206 opposite the first end plate 204. A motor 205 can be located within the driveshaft 202 or can be externally mounted and provides the power to rotate the driveshaft 202. The driveshaft 202 can include a key 207 that can be used to mount the driveshaft 202 to the motor 205 in the case of an external mount. The assembly 200 also includes a first rail 208 and a second rail 210 rotatably connected to the end plates 204, 206, respectively. In some embodiments there may be a single rail.
The driveshaft assembly 200 also includes four spool assemblies: first spool assembly 220, second spool assembly 222, third spool assembly 224, and fourth spool assembly 226. There may be any suitable number of spool assemblies as desired for a given installation. In some embodiments each individual spool assembly is identical; however, in some embodiments each spool assembly can carry a different type of line, such as a load-bearing line, a power/data cable, or even a fluid conduit such as an air tube or a water tube. As used here, the term “fluid” can refer to a vacuum.
The spool assemblies are fitted to the driveshaft 202 and can be selectively moved along the length of the driveshaft 202. In some embodiments the spool assemblies are friction fit onto the spool assemblies such that they are movable by grasping and sliding them along the driveshaft 202 but are otherwise maintain their position. In some embodiments there is a fastener such as a lever or set screw or any other suitable fastener that enables selective placement of the spool assemblies along the driveshaft 202. In some embodiments the driveshaft 202 is smooth, allowing for continuous placement of the spool assemblies at any desired position. In other embodiments the driveshaft 202 can have notches that receive a detent on the interior of the spool assemblies at desired spacings. In still other embodiments the driveshaft 202 may have a hexagonal shape to allow axial sliding of the spools but ensuring that the spools rotate with the driveshaft 202. Other faceted shapes are also possible and is not limited to a hexagonal shape.
In the depicted embodiment, the first spool assembly 220 and fourth spool assembly 226 are attached to the second rail 210, and the second spool assembly 222 and third spool assembly 224 and fourth spool assembly 226 are attached to the first rail 208. It is to be appreciated that this arrangement can vary as desired. There may be one, two, three, or more rails as needed, and any number of the spool assemblies can be attached to any of the rails.
The ability to move the spool assemblies along the driveshaft 202 enables the lines to be positioned at different points along the driveshaft 202 which can then be attached to an object to be lifted. By contrast, using two independent winches requires synchronization between the winches to achieve uniform raising and lowering of two or more lines. The driveshaft assembly 200 eliminates all synchronization issues because a single motor turns the spools at the same rate.
The spool assembly 230 also includes a tensioning wheel 242 and a wheel support 244 to align the line as it winds onto and off of the spool 232. The wheel support 244 is mounted to the rail 210 with the tensioning wheel 242 being rotated by rotation of the rail 210, while the wheel support 244 allows the rail 210 to rotate within it. In some embodiments the wheel support 244 comprises a one-way bearing that can transfer torque in one direction and allows free movement in the other direction. The rotation of the rail 210 causes the one-way bearing to rotate the tensioning wheel 242 as the spool 232 rotates to pay out the line and to provide a slight tension to the line to ensure the line does not slack as it unwinds. When the spool 232 is rotated to wind the line, the one-way bearing does not transmit torque from the rail and the tensioning wheel 242 therefore does not inhibit the line winding around the spool 232. The rail 210 can rotate at a rate that causes the tensioning wheel 242 to slip slightly as the line is wound to the spool 232. The friction and slipping ensures that the line winds properly. In other words, the wheel speed is slightly faster than the line speed. The line guide 238, wheel support 244, and tensioning wheel 242 all move axially relative to the spool 232 as the spool 232 rotates. In some embodiments the line guide 238 is moved axially by the line, and in other embodiments the line guide 238 is keyed to the spool 232 such that the helical groove 234 causes the axial movement.
The tensioning wheel 242 of the present disclosure contacts an exposed surface of the line as it winds onto the spool 232 and moves at a speed based on the rotational speed of the spool 232. The radius is measured from the center of rotation of the spool 232, to the exposed surface of the line. This speed is referred to herein as the “line speed.” The line speed may also be referred to as the tangential speed. The tensioning wheel 242 has a contact surface that contacts the line. The tensioning wheel 242 rotates at a certain rotational rate which can be manipulated as needed. The speed of the contact surface of the tensioning wheel 242 is referred to herein as the “tensioning wheel speed” or “tangential tensioning wheel speed.”
The gears of the winch and the tensioning wheel itself are constructed such that the tensioning wheel speed is between 1% and 50% faster than the line speed. The dimensions of the spool 232, line, and tensioning wheel 242 may vary. Accordingly, the tensioning wheel 242 frictionally slips along the line slightly to ensure there is tension on the line as it pays out. That is, the wheel drags along the line using the friction between the two to create the tension. If the speeds were identical there would be no frictional slip and the movement would be one-to-one. With a speed differential the wheel “slips” or “drags” along the line, thereby creating the desired tension. As the line is wound onto the spool 232, the one-way bearing allows the tensioning wheel 242 to spin freely, whether or not it contacts the line.
In other embodiments each multiple spool driveshaft assembly has its own motor, and the motors are synchronized together by a wireless connection, for example as taught in U.S. Pat. No. 9,624,076, entitled Synchronized Motorized Lifting Devices for Lifting Shared Loads. In still other embodiments three or more multiple spool driveshaft assemblies can be used.
The winch assembly 260 enables a plurality of lifting points, each from a separate spool. The spools can be placed in any available position resulting in many positioning possibilities. Using two or more multiple spool driveshafts allows for three points of contact which can provide more stability and a more secure vertical path for the object to be lifted. One such application of this winch assembly 260 is for an appliance such as a washing machine in a modular dwelling. Washing machines are relatively heavy and may be desired to remain in a precise vertical path. The winch assembly 260 can have one spool for each corner of the washing machine to ensure that it can be raised and lowered precisely without fear of jamming or wobble.
In the depicted embodiment a first line 274 and fourth line 280 may be load-bearing physical winch lines. The second line 276 may deliver electric power and the third line 278 may be deliver fluid such as water. The lines may one or more of several possible line types. The line types include: fiber optic, electrical power, electrical data, USB, Ethernet, audio, HDMI, display port, PS/2, SATA, LlGHTNING™, or Firewire™. Fiber optic lines are categorized herein as electrical lines inasmuch as fiber optics are used inter alia to transmit data. The line types may also be for fluids, such as a gas or a liquid. The gas may be air, oxygen, hydrogen, nitrogen, helium, or any other conceivable gas. The liquid may be water, gasoline, hand sanitizer, or any other conceivable liquid material.
The non-load bearing lines, i.e. the lines delivering a utility, may be connected with a small amount of slack to be sure there is no unwanted tension on a line that is not designed to hold the weight. In some embodiments the various lines have different diameters, and the corresponding spools can accommodate the different diameters. The spools can have different helical groove sizes and pitches. The spool assemblies also have line guides such as that shown and described in detail with respect to
To facilitate a line carrying a fluid, it is preferred to use a rotary union, i.e. a coupling of the line with a source of the fluid through means of a union that allows for rotation of the drive shaft and spool. Such a union provides a seal between the stationary supply, such as pipe or tubing and the rotating spool to enable the flow of a fluid into and/or out of the line.
To facilitate a line carrying electricity, either to power a device or to transmit analog or digital electric signals, it is preferred to equip the device with at least one slip ring, namely a coupling that provides a sliding electrical contact so that the stationary line can be in electrical communication with the rotating spool and thus the line carrying electricity. An induction coupling could also be used in certain embodiments.
The first line 284 has a first deployment distance 286 and the second line 285 has a second deployment distance 288. An example of a desired deployment distance may be a tool on a workbench. The first line 284 may carry an electrical power line that connects to the tool on the workbench. The second line 285 may carry an electrical power line for a different tool that sits on the ground next to the workbench. The driveshaft assembly 280, including spools 281, 283 and the various dimensions of the spools including diameter, helical groove shape, etc. is constructed such that both the first line 284 and the second line 285 reach their respective deployment distances once the driveshaft 282 has rotated a predetermined distance. The spools 281, 283 will complete the same number of revolutions, but the sizes of the spool and the pitch of the helical groove and the effective diameter of each respective line on the spool varies to achieve the same deployment distance. In some embodiments the deployment distance includes a certain amount of slack in the line once the line reaches the deployment distance. In some embodiments the deployment distance is the same, but the diameter of the lines is different, and the spool and helical groove dimensions are adjusted accordingly.
It is noted that, although much of the discussion above has involved lifting objects with the winches described, the disclosed winches can also be used for pulling objects. The tensioning wheel, that assures that the line is pulled off the spool as it is being unwound, is particularly advantageous to these pulling embodiments, that do not have gravity to assist pulling the line off the spool.
All patents and published patent applications referred to herein are incorporated herein by reference. The invention has been described with reference to various specific and preferred embodiments and techniques. Nevertheless, it is understood that many variations and modifications may be made while remaining within the spirit and scope of the invention.
This application claims priority to U.S. Provisional Pat. Application No. 63/284,390, entitled “Hoisting Device with Multiple Line Types on Driveshaft,” filed on Nov. 30, 2021. This application also claims priority to U.S. Provisional Pat. Application No. 63/373,327, entitled “Winch with Supporting Tie Rod,” filed on Aug. 23, 2022. This application also claims priority to U.S. Provisional Pat. Application No. 63/373,324, entitled “Raisable Grow System,” filed on Aug. 23, 2022. The entire disclosures of these three prior applications are incorporated herein by reference.
| Number | Date | Country | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 63284390 | Nov 2021 | US | |
| 63373327 | Aug 2022 | US | |
| 63373324 | Aug 2022 | US |
