Winch with cable tensioning device operable during reeling out and reeling in

Abstract

The disclosure is of a system for maintaining tension in a cable during winding off or on a power driven cable drum. The cable winds off or back onto the cable drum over a roller means, e.g., between a pair of parallel geared-together traction rollers, or over a sheave, as another example, with a non-slip engagement therewith. The non-slip engagement avoids wear on the cable, and the life of the cable is greatly extended. To permit this, a frictional slip clutch is placed in a power transmission interposed between the power driven cable drum and the non-slip drive rollers, or sheave. The wear that formerly eroded the cable now occurs in the friction slip clutch, whose parts can always be quickly and inexpensively replaced. The system also includes certain one-way roller clutches, and gears, so arranged as to normally overdrive the roller means, or sheave, in paying out cable, and to retard the cable during winding in. The arrangement provides gearing of a drive ratio tending to overdrive the cable in paying out, and to underdrive, or retard, during winding in, the necessary slip always being accommodated by the slip-clutch. The cable is thus always under tension, and fouling of the cable is prevented.

Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.