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US 5,520,346 AGranted
Reel payout system
AssigneeThe United States of America as represented by the Secretary of the Navy
InventorFay A. Hoban
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
A reel payout system preferably for optical fiber guided tactical weapon tems to dispense a fiber data link or other strand member through a relatively small diameter exit aperture at a cone-shaped end of a housing containing the reel at relatively high velocities, the fiber dispensed from the reel generally perpendicular to the axis of rotation of the reel normal to the longitudinal axis of the housing.
Claims17
A reel payout system for a fiber strand, comprising:
- a housing having a chamber, said chamber and said housing having a common longitudinal axis extending centrally therethrough, and having a centrally disposed aperture coaxial with said longitudinal axis at one end of said housing;
- a reel of fiber strand, said reel having a longitudinal axis of rotation extending therethrough, the fiber strand wound on the reel such that the fiber strand unwinds off the reel substantially perpendicular to the longitudinal axis of rotation of the reel, said reel disposed in said chamber at the end opposite said aperature and such that the longitudinal axis of rotation of said reel is perpendicular to the longitudinal axis of said chamber;
- means for supporting the reel of fiber strand for rotation within the chamber about said longitudinal axis of rotation of said reel;
- and
- means for unwinding fiber strand from said reel of fiber strand, and guiding said unwound fiber strand through said aperature;
- and
- means intermediate said reel and aperature, for reducing balloning of said unwound fiber strand and eliminating contact with said housing as said unwound fiber strand exits said aperature.
4 more elements
A reel payout system for a fiber strand comprising:
- a housing having a chamber, said chamber and said housing having a common longitudinal axis extending centrally therethrough and said chamber also having a conically-shaped portion at one end, said portion having an aperature centered about said longitudinal axis at the vertex end of said conically-shaped portion;
- a reel of fiber strand, said reel having a longitudinal axis of rotation extending therethrough, the fiber strand wound on said reel such that fiber strand unwinds off the reel substantially perpendicular to the longitudinal axis of rotation of said reel, said reel disposed in said chamber at the end opposite said aperature such that the longitudinal axis of rotation of said reel is perpendicular to the longitudinal axis of said chamber;
- means for supporting said reel of fiber strand for rotation within said chamber about said longitudinal axis of rotation of said reel;
- and
- means for transporting said fiber strand from a peel point on said reel, through said chamber and to said aperature without contacting any interior surface of said housing.
2 more elements
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.