Motorized hose reel
AssigneeAlpha Reel Bvba
InventorPeter Van Der Paal
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
Hose reel with a drum, driven in an appropriate manner by a motor, and provided with a hose through which a medium can flow, which hose is connected to a tool at one far end provided with a control to operate this tool, i.e. to start and to stop it, and whose other far end is, either directly or indirectly, connected to a supply line, characterized in that the hose reel includes a detection module, which has a detection body, a signal sensor and a processing unit. The detection body can detect every flow and/or interruption of the flow of a medium resulting from the operation of the control, and generate an electrical pulse or pulses with a signal sensor, which are interpreted by the processing unit on the basis of a pulse scheme to control operation of the motor.
Claims7
A hose reel comprising:
- a housing;
- a length of hose through which a pressurized fluid medium can flow, the hose having a near end connectable to a pressurized fluid medium source, and a far end connectable to a fluid power tool;
- a drum pivotally connected to the housing and rotatable about a central axis, the drum having a spool shaped periphery for supporting the length of hose when wound thereabout;
- a motor mounted to the housing, the motor having a rotary output connected to the drum to rotatably drive the drum causing the hose to retract;
- a rotating coupling having a fixed portion having an input connectable to a pressurized fluid medium source, and a rotatable portion having an outlet connected to the near end of the length of hose;
- a sensor for detecting the flow of the fluid medium through the length of hose, the sensor generating a sensor signal responsive to fluid flow;
- a detector receiving the sensor signal and generating an electrical pulse output indicative of fluid flow through the hose;
- and
- a programmable processing unit receiving the electrical pulse output of the detector, and generating a motor control signal which can start the motor, wherein the programmable processor is programmed to:
- store a pre-programmed pulse scheme having a plurality of spaced apart pluses over a period of time;
- monitor the electrical pulse output of the detector, and
- automatically generate a motor control signal to start the motor when the electrical pulse output of the detector matches the stored pre-programmed pulse scheme.
A method of retracting and rewinding a length of hose through which a pressurized fluid medium can flow about a hose reel, the hose having a near end connectable to a pressurized fluid medium source, and a far end connectable to a fluid powered power tool;
- the method comprising:
- providing a motor driven drum pivotally connected to the housing and rotatable about a central axis by the motor, the drum having a spool shaped periphery for supporting the length of hose when wound thereabout;
- providing a rotating coupling having a fixed portion having an input connectable to a pressurized fluid medium source, and a rotatable portion having an outlet connected to the near end of the length of hose;
- generating a sensor signal responsive to the flow of the fluid medium through the length of hose and creating an electrical pulse output therefrom with a detector indicative of fluid flow through the hose;
- storing in a programmable processing unit a pre-programmed pulse scheme having a plurality of spaced apart pulses over a period of time;
- monitoring the electrical pulse output of the detector in the programmable processing unit;
- generating motor control signal to start the motor when the electrical pulse output of the detector matches the stored pre-programmed pulse scheme, causing the motor connected to the drum to rotatably drive the drum to retract hose;
- and
- stopping the motor when the hose is retracted.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.