Hoist cable sensor with differential drive
AssigneeGoodrich Corporation
InventorBejan Maghsoodi
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
A hoist includes a cable deployment sensor to sense the length of a cable that is deployed from a cable drum of the hoist. The cable deployment sensor includes a stationary ring and a rotatable ring disposed coaxially on the cable drum axis. A cluster assembly is mounted to rotate about the cable drum axis simultaneously with the cable drum. The cluster assembly includes a cluster gear with a first gear engaging the stationary ring and a second gear engaging the rotatable ring. The second gear drives the rotatable ring about the cable drum axis, and the rotatable ring drives rotation of an input gear for a sensor assembly.
Claims20
A hoist comprising:
- a cable drum rotatable about a cable drum axis;
- a frame supporting the cable drum;
- a stationary ring gear supported by the frame and disposed coaxial with the cable drum axis;
- a rotatable ring gear disposed coaxial with the cable drum axis;
- a cluster assembly mounted for rotation about the cable drum axis, the cluster assembly comprising:
- a housing;
- and
- a cluster gear supported by the housing, the cluster gear comprising:
- a first gear mounted on a shaft, the first gear interfacing with the stationary ring gear;
- and
- a second gear mounted on the shaft, the second gear interfacing with the rotatable ring gear such that the second gear drives rotation of the rotatable ring gear;
- and
- a sensor assembly supported by the frame, wherein rotation of the rotatable ring gear about the cable drum axis provides an input to the sensor assembly.
A cable deployment sensing system comprising:
- a stationary ring gear having external teeth, wherein the stationary ring gear is fixed such that the stationary ring gear does not rotate about an axis;
- a rotatable ring gear mounted coaxially with the stationary ring gear, the rotatable ring gear capable of rotating about the axis;
- a cluster assembly mounted for rotation about the axis, the cluster assembly comprising:
- a housing;
- and
- a cluster gear supported by the housing, the cluster gear comprising:
- a first gear mounted on a shaft, the first gear interfacing with the stationary ring gear;
- and
- a second gear mounted on the shaft, the second gear interfacing with the rotatable ring gear such that the second gear drives rotation of the rotatable ring gear;
- and
- a sensor assembly comprising:
- a sensor input gear interfacing with the rotatable ring gear and fixed relative to the axis, wherein the rotatable ring gear drives rotation of the sensor input gear;
- and
- a single-turn transducer interfacing with the sensor input gear and configured to sense rotation of the sensor input gear.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.