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US 5,398,637 AGranted
Winch
AssigneeLewmar Marine Limited
InventorChristopher P. Chambers
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
A winch comprising a bollard having a fixed end and a distal end, a winch drum rotatably mounted on the bollard, journal bearings arranged between the winch drum and the bollard at an area between the fixed and distal ends of the bollard for transferring cable loads directly from the winch drum to the bollard, a gear assembly in the form of a self-contained unit having a central input drive member, an output drive member with annular outer engaging means and a mounting member for fixedly fastening the gear assembly at the distal end of the bollard, a one-way output drive connection arranged between annular outer engaging means of the output drive member and the winch drum and an input drive connection to the input drive member of the gear assembly.
Claims28
A winch comprising:
- a bollard having a fixed end and a distal end;
- a winch drum rotatably mounted on the bollard;
- journal bearings arranged between the winch drum and the bollard at a load area of the winch drum for transferring cable loads directly from the winch drum to the bollard;
- a gear assembly mounted in the form of a self-contained, bodily removable unit fastened at the distal end of the bollard and having an input drive member and an output drive member,
- an output drive connection from the output drive member of the gear assembly to the winch drum at the distal end of the bollard;
- and
- an input drive connection to the input drive member of the gear assembly,
- wherein the output drive connection is a one-way drive connection from the output drive member of the gear assembly to the winch drum, and
- wherein the gear assembly comprises a single epicyclic gear train providing either direct drive or a single speed reduction drive, the epicyclic train including:
- an annular gear constituting the output drive member of the gear assembly and arranged to transmit drive to the winch drum via the one-way drive connection,
- planet wheel(s), a carrier therefor and a carrier one-way drive connection to the bollard, the carrier being arranged to be held stationary with respect to the bollard when the gear assembly is transmitting reduced speed drive,
- a sun wheel directly connected to the input drive member for transmitting drive to the planet wheel(s) when the gear assembly is transmitting reduced speed drive, and
- an input one-way drive connection from the input drive member either to the winch drum directly or to the carrier or to the annular gear for transmitting the direct drive from the input drive member.
10 more elements
A winch comprising:
- a bollard having a fixed end and a distal end;
- a winch drum rotatably mounted on the bollard;
- journal bearings arranged between the winch drum and the bollard at a load area of the winch drum for transferring cable loads directly from the winch drum to the bollard;
- a gear assembly mounted in the form of a self-contained, bodily removable unit fastened at the distal end of the bollard and having an input drive member and an output drive member,
- an output drive connection from the output drive member of the gear assembly to the winch drum at the distal end of the bollard;
- and
- an input drive connection to the input drive member of the gear assembly,
- wherein the output drive connection is a one-way drive connection from the output drive member of the gear assembly to the winch drum, and
- wherein the gear assembly comprises two epicyclic gear trains, providing either a higher speed reduction drive or a lower speed reduction drive, each epicyclic gear train comprising an annular gear, planet wheel(s) and a sun wheel.
6 more elements
A winch comprising:
- a bollard having a fixed end and a distal end;
- a winch drum rotatably mounted on the bollard;
- journal bearings arranged between the winch drum and the bollard at a load area of the winch drum for transferring cable loads directly from the winch drum to the bollard;
- a gear assembly mounted in the form of a self-contained, bodily removable unit fastened at the distal end of the bollard and having an input drive member and an output drive member,
- an output drive connection from the output drive member of the gear assembly to the winch drum at the distal end of the bollard;
- and
- an input drive connection to the input drive member of the gear assembly,
- wherein the output drive connection is a one-way drive connection from the output drive member of the gear assembly to the winch drum, and
- wherein the gear assembly comprises two epicyclic gear trains, providing either a higher speed reduction drive or a lower speed reduction drive, each epicyclic gear train comprising an annular gear, planet wheel(s) and a sun wheel;
- and
- wherein the epicyclic trains are axially adjacent each other, with the two respective sun wheels on a common input drive member, with the two respective annular gears coaxial and the two respective sets of planet wheel(s) on a common carrier and
- the gear assembly includes:
- a one-way drive connection between one of the annular gears and an irrotationally fixed member of the gear assembly for holding the one annular gear against paying out rotation, this one annular gear constituting the output drive member with the one-way drive connection to the winch drum,
- another one-way drive connection between the carrier and an irrotationally fixed member of the gear assembly for permitting the carrier to rotate in the same direction as the one annular gear in the lower of the two reduction drives,
- a further one-way drive connection between the one sun wheel and the other sun wheel permitting running of the one sun wheel over the other in the higher of the two reduction drives and drivingly connecting the two sun wheels for the lower of the two reduction drives, when the input drive shaft on which the suns are mounted is reversed from its higher reduction direction.
12 more elements
A winch comprising:
- a bollard having a fixed end and a distal end;
- a winch drum rotatably mounted on the bollard;
- journal bearings arranged between the winch drum and the bollard at a load area of the winch drum for transferring cable loads directly from the winch drum to the bollard;
- a gear assembly mounted at the distal end of the bollard and having an input drive member and an output drive member,
- an output drive connection from the output drive member of the gear assembly to the winch drum at the distal end of the bollard;
- and
- an input drive connection to the input drive member of the gear assembly, wherein the gear assembly comprises two epicyclic gear trains, providing either a higher speed reduction drive or a lower speed reduction drive, each epicyclic gear train comprising an annular gear, planet wheel(s) and a sun wheel, and the epicyclic trains are axially adjacent each other, with the two respective sun wheels on a common input drive member, with the two respective annular gears coaxial and the two respective sets of planet wheel(s) on a common carrier, the winch including;
- a one-way drive connection between one of the annular gears and an irrotationally fixed member of the gear assembly for holding the one annular gear against paying out rotation, this one annular gear constituting the output drive member with the one-way drive connection to the winch drum,
- another one-way drive connection between the carrier and an irrotationally fixed member of the gear assembly for permitting the carrier to rotate in the same direction as the one annular gear in the lower of the two reduction drives,
- a further one-way drive connection between the one sun wheel and the other sun wheel permitting running of the one sun wheel over the other in the higher of the two reduction drives and drivingly connecting the two sun wheels for the lower of the two reduction drives--when the input drive shaft on which the suns are mounted is reversed from its higher reduction direction.
7 more elements
A winch comprising
- a) a bollard (5) with two ends;
- b) one of said two ends having means for fixing said bollard and the other of said two ends being a distal end (21);
- c) a winch drum (2);
- d) bearing means (6) intermediate said two ends bearing said drum on said bollard for rotation about an axis,
- said bearing means (6) being for directly transmitting loads from said drum (2) to said bollard (5) in directions radial of said axis;
- e) driving means for driving said drum in rotation, said driving means comprising
- (i) a rotatably driveable input drive member (9),
- (ii) an output drive member (11),
- (iii) a gear assembly unit comprising a plurality of gears (55-36-11;
- 59-37-23), said unit being coupled to said input (9) and output (11) drive members for transmitting drive between them, at one of a plurality of drive ratios selected by the direction of rotation of the drive input member (9),
- (iv) mounting means (21-24) for fixedly but releasably mounting at least said gear assembly unit at said distal end of said drum for convenient removal and reinstallation as a single unitary modular assembly (FIG. 3);
- and
- f) output drive connection means (11-12-14-3-4) comprising one-way drive means, said one-way drive means being for communicating drive from said output drive member to said drum.
10 more elements
In a multi-speed winch having a rotatable drum borne on a central support and driven from a drive input by one of a selectable plurality of drive trains having respective outputs of different ratios in relation to said input, the improvement comprising mounting said drive trains as a single removable modular unit at a head of the central support, and providing, at an intermediate portion of said support, bearings for rotation of the drum and for direct transmission of lateral loads between said drum and said support.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.