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US 10,173,870 B1Granted
Swivel winch rotated via an actuator in response to pressure sensor data
AssigneeHall Labs LLC
InventorsDavid R. Hall, Daniel Madsen, Alaina Hirschi
Life of this patent
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Abstract
A system and a method for a swivel winch are described for rotating a winch about an axis such that friction is reduced when letting out or pulling in a line. The swivel winch includes a fairlead with an orifice and sensors which sense the pressure from the cable and send the retrieved data to a controller which generates commands for an actuator, causing the swivel mount coupled to the winch to swivel in a direction that will relieve pressure.
Claims20
A winch assembly, comprising:
- a winch frame having a first end bracket and a second end bracket;
- a winch drum disposed within the frame between the first end bracket and the second end bracket, wherein the winch drum is rotatable about a drum axis defined by the first end bracket and the second end bracket;
- a winch cable windably connected to the winch drum;
- a guide rod mounted on the winch frame and disposed substantially parallel to the drum axis;
- a fairlead slidably attached to the guide rod, the fairlead comprising an orifice through which the winch cable passes, the fairlead for positioning the winch cable onto the winch drum;
- a plurality of sensors circumferentially mounted to the orifice, wherein each of the plurality of sensors detect pressure from the winch cable, each of the plurality of sensors providing pressure data;
- a swivel mount coupled to the winch frame, the swivel mount comprising a base plate, a bearing, and a swivel plate, wherein the winch frame is coupled to the swivel plate;
- an actuator that swivels the swivel plate with respect to the base plate;
- and
- a controller that controls the actuator, wherein the controller controls the actuator based on the pressure data.
7 more elements
A winch assembly, comprising:
- a winch frame having a first end bracket and a second end bracket;
- a winch drum disposed within the frame between the first end bracket and the second end bracket, wherein the winch drum is rotatable about a drum axis defined by the first end bracket and the second end bracket;
- a winch cable windably connected to the winch drum;
- a guide rod mounted on the winch frame and disposed substantially parallel to the drum axis;
- a fairlead slidably attached to the guide rod, the fairlead comprising an orifice through which the winch cable passes, the fairlead for positioning the winch cable onto the winch drum;
- a plurality of sensors circumferentially mounted to the orifice, wherein each of the plurality of sensors detect pressure from the winch cable, each of the plurality of sensors providing pressure data;
- a swivel mount coupled to the winch frame, the swivel mount comprising a base plate, a bearing, and a swivel plate, wherein the winch frame is coupled to the swivel plate;
- and a receiver hitch comprised of a ball joint and a socket, wherein the receiver hitch is coupled to the base plate.
5 more elements
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.