Winch drum assembly and method for spooling a line
AssigneeDeep Tek Winch IP Limited
InventorAlexander Charles Crawford
Life of this patent
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Abstract
A winch drum assembly has a barrel to receive a line, and a spooling device for guiding the line onto the barrel. The line is wound onto the barrel at a point that moves axially with respect to the barrel, and the orientation of the line on the barrel is adapted to change at least once per revolution of the barrel, so that radially adjacent layers of line are non-parallel. Spooling gear is described for guiding the line and the barrel can have ramps and walls to guide the line in the different directions. Non-parallel layers of line exhibit a reduced tendency to interfere with one another, so that the spooled line comes off the barrel more consistently.
Claims32
A winch drum assembly having a barrel adapted to receive a line, and having a spooling device for guiding the line onto the barrel as the barrel and the spooling device rotate relative to one another, such that the line is spooled onto the barrel at a point that moves axially with respect to the barrel, and wherein the axial direction of the line spooled onto the barrel is adapted to change at least once per revolution of the barrel with respect to the spooling device.
A winch drum assembly having a barrel adapted to receive a line, and having a spooling device for guiding the line onto the barrel as the barrel and the spooling device rotate relative to one another, such that the line is spooled onto the barrel at a point that moves axially with respect to the barrel, and wherein the axial direction of the line spooled onto the barrel is adapted to change at least once per revolution of the barrel with respect to the spooling device, in which the spooling device is configured to guide the line on an outward excursion, to reverse the direction of spooling, and to guide the line on a return excursion, and in which the axial distance of the return excursion is less than the axial distance of the outward excursion.
A method of spooling a line onto a barrel of a winch, the method comprising guiding the line onto the barrel by means of a spooling device, wherein the spooling device and the barrel rotate relative to one another during spooling of the line onto the barrel, wherein the spooling device causes the line to move axially with respect to the barrel as the barrel rotates, and wherein the spooling device causes the line to change axial direction of spooling at least once per revolution of the barrel relative to the spooling device.
A winch drum adapted to receive a line onto a barrel in layers, in which the rows of line in one layer on the barrel are substantially non-parallel to the rows of line in adjacent layers above and/or beneath the one layer.
(canceled)
A winch drum having a barrel adapted to receive a line that is wound around the barrel, the barrel having a guide device for guiding the line onto the barrel, wherein the guide device guides the line onto the barrel at a point that moves axially with respect to the barrel as the barrel rotates and wherein the guide device is adapted to change the axial direction of winding of the line onto the barrel at least once per winding revolution.
A winch drum as claimed in claim 31, wherein the guide device is adapted to reverse the axial direction of winding of the line onto the barrel at least once per winding revolution.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.