GB1570402A - Creation of Inventions and Patents with Artificial Intelligence

GB1570402A – Winches
– Google Patents

GB1570402A – Winches
– Google Patents
Winches

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Publication number
GB1570402A

GB1570402A
GB8972/77A
GB897277A
GB1570402A
GB 1570402 A
GB1570402 A
GB 1570402A
GB 8972/77 A
GB8972/77 A
GB 8972/77A
GB 897277 A
GB897277 A
GB 897277A
GB 1570402 A
GB1570402 A
GB 1570402A
Authority
GB
United Kingdom
Prior art keywords
clutch
drum
winch
auxiliary
motor
Prior art date
1976-03-18
Legal status (The legal status is an assumption and is not a legal conclusion. Google has not performed a legal analysis and makes no representation as to the accuracy of the status listed.)

Expired

Application number
GB8972/77A
Current Assignee (The listed assignees may be inaccurate. Google has not performed a legal analysis and makes no representation or warranty as to the accuracy of the list.)

Manitowoc Crane Group France SAS

Original Assignee
Potain SA
Priority date (The priority date is an assumption and is not a legal conclusion. Google has not performed a legal analysis and makes no representation as to the accuracy of the date listed.)
1976-03-18
Filing date
1977-03-03
Publication date
1980-07-02

1977-03-03
Application filed by Potain SA
filed
Critical
Potain SA

1980-07-02
Publication of GB1570402A
publication
Critical
patent/GB1570402A/en

Status
Expired
legal-status
Critical
Current

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Classifications

B—PERFORMING OPERATIONS; TRANSPORTING

B66—HOISTING; LIFTING; HAULING

B66D—CAPSTANS; WINCHES; TACKLES, e.g. PULLEY BLOCKS; HOISTS

B66D1/00—Rope, cable, or chain winding mechanisms; Capstans

B66D1/02—Driving gear

B66D1/12—Driving gear incorporating electric motors

Description

( 21) Application No 8972/77
( 31) Convention Application No.
7 608 ( 22) Filed 3 March 1977 601 ( 32) Filed 18 March 1976 in ( 33) France (FR) ( 44) Complete Specification published 2 July 1980 ( 51) INT CL ‘ B 66 D 1/12 F 16 H 3/14 ( 52) Index at acceptance B 8 B 45 B F 2 D 6 C 7 ( 54) WINCHES ( 71) We POTAIN, of 89, Avenue du President Roosevelt, Chevilly Larue (Val de Marne), France, a French Joint Stock Company do hereby declare the invention, for which we pray that a patent may be granted to us, and the method by which it is to be performed, to be particularly described in and by the following statement:
The invention relates to a winch for the control of lifting equipment of the form described in French Patent No 1520606 (British Patent No 1211437), that is to say comprising a rotatable drum, which is linked to a main drive motor by an electromagnetic connection system which allows the speed of rotation of the winch to be reversed.
The above patent described in particular an auxiliary or overspeed motor, turning in the direction opposite to that of the main motor, the rotor circuit of which controlled through an electronic regulator an eddycurrent clutch with its armature keyed to the shaft of the main non-synchronous motor This system is suitable for lifting relatively light loads or at relatively low speeds On the other hand, it is known that the auxiliary motor ensures only the starting operation of the load system during descent However, it has been established that at the end of a phase of lifting or lowering the inertia of the load prevents the lifting mechanism from being completely immobilised when this passes, for example, over a limit security device In addition, principally for high pressured equipment, the electronic regulator must be connected to electromagnetic contactors for the power circuits.
Finally, another disadvantage arises from the high cost of the auxiliary motor which, during each operation, must be controlled in the direction of lowering and must possess a variable-speed rotor; it is therefore necessary to have a high-slip motor.
The present invention has the aim of remedying these disadvantages and of providing an entirely electronic device to control and regulate the direction and speed of rotation of the drum of a lifting winch 50 from a single motor.
According to one aspect the invention provides a winch for use in lifting articles, the winch comprising a rotatable drum, a motor for driving the drum, a main eddy 55 current clutch which, when engaged, causes the motor to rotate the drum in a lifting direction, and an auxiliary eddy-current clutch which, when engaged, causes the motor to rotate the drum in a lowering 60 direction.
According to another aspect, the invention provides a winch comprising a rotating drum on a shaft, a security brake and an electric winch motor, the rotation 65 of the drum on lifting a load being obtained by the relative slipping of two armatures of a main eddy-current clutch, one of the two armatures being keyed to the motor shaft, whilst the other is connected to a 70 transmission system, the motor also being associated with an auxiliary eddy-current clutch, a tachometric dynamo being permanently connected to the shaft of the drum to read the speed and supply a cor 75 responding signal to one of the inputs of an electronic control system which has another input to which is applied a direct voltage, the polarity of this voltage indicating the required sense of direction of rotation, 80 whilst its size indicates the speed of rotation of the drum required.
According to another characteristic, the electronic control device comprises a potentiometer supplying, through a slider, a 85 reference voltage applied to an input of a differential amplifier reading and amplifying the difference between the signal from the potentiometer and that from the tachometric dynamo, so as to give an output sig 90 PATENT SPECIFICATION
0 r_ v) ( 11) 1 570 402 1 570 402 nal which is positive or negative corresponding to the sign of the error.
According to another characteristic, the signal supplied by the potentiometer is negative when it is desired to raise a load, whilst it is positive when it is desired to lower a load.
According to another characteristic, the output signal from the differential amplifier is applied to one or the other of two circuits fitted in parallel, each carrying a diode or a rectification system opposite to each other, and arranged in such a way that when the output signal is positive, it is sent to an energising circuit of the main motor clutch, whereas if it is negative, it passes through the electronic feed circuit of the auxiliary clutch, each of these two circuits being fitted with a power current amplifier.
According to another characteristic, the auxiliary clutch has a first armature keyed to the motor shaft, whilst its second armature is attached to a train of gears which reverses the direction of rotation, doubles the speed in relation to the motor, (in the lowering direction) and ensures the driving of the tachometric dynamo The connection between this auxiliary box and the driving mechanism of the drum is carried out for example through a universal-jointed transmission It will be understood that the auxiliary eddy-current clutch and the universal-jointed transmission are an advantageous replacement for the former auxiliary motor of British Patent No 1211437, whilst the electronic regulation of the speed is carried out by the comparison of the value set by the slider of the potentiometer on the one hand, and the indication supplied by the achometri dynamo on the other hand.
According to another characteristic, when, during a lifting phase, the current in the main clutch is suppressed, the auxiliary clutch is energised, so that a part of the driving torque is reversed and applied through the universal-jointed transmission to the winch drive mechanism In this way the auxiliary clutch allows the lifting to be slowed by applying torque inverse to the couple of inertia of the parts and loads in upward movement.
By way of example, a specific embodiment of the invention will now be described, with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which:Figure 1 is a general view showing an embodiment of lifting winch according to the invention; Figure 2 is a schematic view of a crane showing the path of the load-lifting cable operated by the winch shown in Figure 1; and Figure 3 is a diagram of the electronic energising circuit of the main and auxiliary eddy-current clutches.
As described in British Patent No.
1211437, a winch comprises a drum 1 keyed to a shaft 2 which revolves in bearings 3 and 4 The shaft 2 is connected to a spiral 70 bevel reduction gear comprising a toothed bevel crown wheel 5 with which engages a pinion 6 carried by the output shaft 7 of a speed reduction gear 8, referred to as the primary or principal reduction gear The 75 shaft 7 is connected on the one hand to a shaft 9 and on the other to an auxiliary shaft 10, for example by a gear system.
The revolving shaft 9 is attached to the core 13 of a main eddy-current clutch 80 The core 13 turns inside a bell 14 which is attached to one end of the shaft 15 of the rotor of an electric motor 16.
The other end of this shaft 15 carries the bell 17 of an auxiliary eddy-current 85 clutch The rotor 18 of this auxiliary clutch is keyed to a rotatable shaft 19 The rotor shafts of the main clutch 13, 14 and the auxiliary clutch 17, 18 are hollow They carry at their free ends means of electrical 90 contact 11 and 21, by means of which it is possible to energise the rotors 13 or 18, as will be seen later.
The central shaft 15 of the electric motor 16 revolves in bearings 20 and 22 carried 95 by the stator.
In the example illustrated in Figure 1, a safety brake 23 acts directly on one endplate of the drum 1 The pressure is mechanical under the action of a coil spring 24, 100 the release being for example hydraulic and controlled at the same time as voltage is applied to the winch motor 16 The shaft 19 of the auxiliary clutch 17, 18 is connected to a gear train forming an auxiliary 105 reduction gear 25.
The last pinion of this gear train is connected through a universal-jointed transmission 26 to the auxiliary shaft 10 of the main reduction gear 8 In addition, this 110 gear train drives a tachometric dynamo 27 which always gives a signal proportionate to the speed of rotation of the drum 1.
Finally, the gear train is designed to reverse the direction of rotation of the drum 115 and double its speed in relation to the motor, that is to say that the direction of rotation of the auxiliary clutch tends to make the drum 1 turn in the direction which causes the load to be lowered On 120 the other hand, the rotation of the main clutch 14 makes the drum 1 turn in the direction of lifting.
There is shown in Figure 2 a lifting machine, for example a crane 30 fitted 125 with a winch according to the addition.
This winch is for example mounted at 31 at the foot of the jib 32 The rotation of the drum 1 of the winch controls the rolling up or the unrolling of the lifting cable 130 1 570 402 33 for the load 34 The free end of the cable 33 is, in the known way, anchored to the front of the jib.
The electronic device for the control and energising of the clutches is iluustrated in Figure 3 It comprises:
a transformer 37 of which the secondary winding supplies a current which is rectified by a rectifier 38; a potentiometer 39 having, for example, a positive terminal, a negative terminal and a central point at zero potential; a slider 40 able to be moved along the potentiometer 39 and constitute the control and speed regulating component of the winch; a differential amplifier 41 with two inputs, one receiving the signal (positive or negative) transmitted by the slider 40, and the other receiving the signal supplied by the tachometric dynamo 27 corresponding to a given speed and direction of rotation of the winch drum; two circuits fitted in parallel to each other at the output of the differential amplifier The first circuit 42 comprises a rectifying diode 43 allowing only positive signals to pass to a power amplifier 44 which supplies an energising current to the core 13 of the main clutch through revolving slip-rings 11; in the second circuit 45 there are successively a rectifying diode 46, only allowing negative signals to pass, a power amplifier 47 and an energising circuit to the brushes 21 of the auxiliary clutch 17, 18.
The operation is as follows:
It will be seen in Figure 3 that the energising of the main clutch 13, 14 or the auxiliary clutch 17, 18 is a function of the sign of the output signal supplied by the differential amplifier 41 This sign itself is supplied by the comparison between the signal set by the potentiometer 39 and the signal supplied by the tachometric dynamo which revolves constantly in a fixed relationship to the shaft 2 of the drum 1.
(Figure 1).
When it is desired to lift a load, that is to say to roll the cable 33 on to the drum 1, (arrow 35, Figure 2), the slider 40 is set towards the negative terminal of the potentiometer 39 A negative voltage is then sent to the input 41 a of the differential amplifier 41 If the drum 1 is at rest, the dynamo supplies the second inlet 41 b with a zero signal, that is to say higher than the voltage registered The discrepancy signal at the output from the differential amplifier is positive It is injected into the circuit 42 through the diode 43, amplified in 44 to constitute the energising current for the main clutch 13, 14, which sets the winch in rotation in such as way as to roll up the cable 33 and raise the load 34 When the load has been raised to the required height, a safety limit device cuts the supply of current to the main clutch, whilst the auxiliary clutch is energised The auxiliary gear train and the universal-jointed transmis 7 C sion transmit through the clutch 17, 18, a part of the driving torque to the reduction gear 8 It has been seen that this torque is opposed to the torque due to the inertia of the moving parts The winch is 75 gradually slowed and the load becomes stationary This slowing operation of the lifting is obtained without any mechanical braking component.
When it is desired to start the winch 80 lowering, a voltage above zero is set by the slider 40 If the drum is at rest, the zero voltage supplied by the dynamo is lower than the applied voltage The discrepancy signal at the output of the differential am 85 plifier is negative It cannot energise the main clutch but it is amplified in the feed circuit 45 of the auxiliary clutch 17, 18 which transmits a reversed torque causing the winch to start lowering 90 In addition, applying voltage to the winch mechanism causes the release of the brake 23 In the case of an accidental breakdown of current, the mechanical safety brake automatically stops rotation When the 95 winch is stopped, the signal at the input 41 b of the amplifier 41 is zero If a zero voltage is also set at the potentiometer 39 neither the main nor the auxiliary clutch is energised Supposing that the safety 100 brake 23 is defective, the weight of the lifting system of the load would cause the winch to start to lower through the effect of gravity Then the tachometric dynamo would supply a signal corresponding to the 105 lowering direction of rotation It has been seen that this signal is greater than the zero voltage set The amplifier 41 reads the positive discrepancy and energises the main clutch which operates to lift 110 It has been assumed for the purposes of the above explanation that the drum was initially at rest (speed of rotation nil).
Naturally, the preceding explanation can be generalised for lifting as well as for 115 lowering.
In the direction of lifting, the driving torque is transmitted to the reduction gear by the main clutch, whilst the auxiliary clutch is not energised as long as the set 120 speed is not reached On the other hand, when the winch has been started to lower, the main clutch is not energised so long as the speed chosen and set at the input to the differential amplifier is not reached 125 When this speed is reached or exceeded, as an absolute value, the discrepancy signal is reversed; it becomes positive and the main clutch 13, 14 is energised (in the case of lowering) 130 1 570 402 The principal advantages of the device of this apparatus are as follows:
a) the auxiliary eddy-current clutch carries out two functions, namely the starting of the winch in the direction of rotation of the drum corresponding to the lowering of the load, and the slowing of the raising of this load, this latter function enabling mechanical braking components to be eliminated; b) the releasing for lowering no longer requires the starting of an auxiliary motor; c) all the regulating and control device is electronic This is allowed by the fact that only inductors of which the energising power does not exceed 5 % of the power transmitted are used for control; d) it is established that a voltage of the order of 1 volt at the output of the differential amplifier is sufficient to saturate the power amplifier of the energising circuits of the main and auxiliary clutches.
Hence the slip of the clutches is stabilised at the chosen speed whatever may be the load suspended on the cable.
In addition, it is understood that the preceding description is given only by way of example The scope of the invention will not be exceeded by replacing the details of manufacture by any other similar constructions.
For example, if the cases of the reduction gears 8 and 25 are perfectly aligned the universal-jointed transmission may be replaced by a simple connecting shaft Similarly, the reduction systems shown are of known type and may be replaced by any other known device for speed variation.
Finally, the safety brake may be hydraulically, mechanically or electro-magnetically operated.

Claims (9)

WHAT WE CLAIM IS: –

1 A winch comprising a rotating drum on a shaft, a safety brake, a transmission which connects the drum to an electric motor through a main eddy-current clutch, in order to)carry out the rotation of the drum to lift loads through the relative slip of the two armatures of the clutch, one of the armatures being keyed to the driving shaft, whilst the other is connected to the transmission, the motor also being associated with an auxiliary eddy-current clutch which reverses the direction of rotation of the drum through a second transmission, a tachometric dynamo being permanently connected to the shaft of the drum to read its speed and supply a corresponding signal to one of the inputs of an electronic control system which has another input supplied by a direct voltage, the polarity of this voltage indicating the direction of rotation required, whilst its size indicates the desired speed of rotation of the drum.

2 A winch according to claim 1, in which the electronic control device comprises a potentiometer supplying through a slider a reference voltage applied to one input of a differential amplifier, reading and amplifying the difference between the 70 signal from the potentiometer and that from the tachometric dynamo to give an output signal which is positive or negative in relation to the sign of the discrepancy.

3 A winch according to claim 2 in 75 which the signal supplied by the potentiometer is negative when it is desired to lift a load, whilst it is positive when it is desired to lower a load, from a position of rest 80

4 A winch according to claim 2 or claim 3, in which the output signal of the differential amplifier is supplied to one or other of two circuits fitted in parallel, and having a diode or a rectifying system op 85 posite to the other and arranged in such a way that when the output signal is positive, it is sent to the energising circuit of the main motor clutch, whilst if it is negative it passes through the electronic feed cir go cuit of the auxiliary clutch, each of these two circuits being fitted with a power current amplifier.

A winch according to any one of the preceding claims, in which the auxiliary 95 clutch comprises a first armature keyed to the motor shaft, whilst its second armature is attached to a gear train which reverses the direction of rotation and doubles the speed in relation to the motor in the 100 lowering direction, whilst ensuring that the tachometric dynamo is driven.

6 A winch according to any one of the preceding claims, in which the tachometric dynamo fixed to the pinion of an auxiliary 105 gear train is permanently connected to the drum rotation driving device, this connection being made by a universal-jointed transmission.

7 A winch according to claim 6, in o 10 which, when the end of a phase of lifting of a load is reached, the current in the main clutch is cut off, whilst the auxiliary clutch is energised, so that a part of the driving torque is reversed and applied 115 through the universal-jointed transmission to the drive mechanism of the winch, the auxiliary clutch thus allowing the lifting to be slowed by applying a torque opposed to the torque of the inertia of the com 120 ponents and loads in rising motion.

8 A winch according to any one of claims 2 to 4, comprising an electronic speed regulation system carried out by the comparison of the value set by the slider 125 of the potentiometer on the one hand and the indication supplied by the tachometric dynamo on the other.

9 A winch for use in lifting articles, the winch comprising a rotatable drum, a 130 1 570 402 motor for driving the drum, a main eddycurrent clutch which, when engaged, causes the motor to rotate the drum in a lifting direction, and an auxiliary eddy-current clutch which, when engaged, causes the motor to rotate tht drum in a lowering direction.
A winch constructed and arranged substantially as herein described, with reference to the accompanying drawings.
APPLEYARD, LEES & CO, Clare Road, Halifax, Yorkshire.
Agents for the Applicants Printed for Her Majesty’s Stationery Office by The Tweeddale Press Ltd, Berwick-upon-Tweed, 1980.
Published at the Patent Office 25 Southampton Buildings, London WC 2 A l AY, from which copies may be obtained.

GB8972/77A
1976-03-18
1977-03-03
Winches

Expired

GB1570402A
(en)

Applications Claiming Priority (1)

Application Number
Priority Date
Filing Date
Title

FR7608601A

FR2344492A2
(en)

1976-03-18
1976-03-18

WINCH IMPROVEMENTS FOR CONTROL OF LIFTING EQUIPMENT OF THE TYPE OF CRANES, CRANES OR SIMILAR

Publications (1)

Publication Number
Publication Date

GB1570402A
true

GB1570402A
(en)

1980-07-02

Family
ID=9170912
Family Applications (1)

Application Number
Title
Priority Date
Filing Date

GB8972/77A
Expired

GB1570402A
(en)

1976-03-18
1977-03-03
Winches

Country Status (5)

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Link

US
(1)

US4149115A
(en)

ES
(1)

ES456899A1
(en)

FR
(1)

FR2344492A2
(en)

GB
(1)

GB1570402A
(en)

IT
(1)

IT1114766B
(en)

Families Citing this family (1)

* Cited by examiner, † Cited by third party

Publication number
Priority date
Publication date
Assignee
Title

US11713224B2
(en)

2020-05-19
2023-08-01
Greenlee Tools, Inc.
High capacity cable puller with multi-speed automatic shifting transmission

Family Cites Families (2)

* Cited by examiner, † Cited by third party

Publication number
Priority date
Publication date
Assignee
Title

FR1520606A
(en)

1967-02-20
1968-04-12
Potain & Cie Ets F

Improvements to winches for the control of lifting devices such as cranes, overhead cranes and the like

JPS5226015B2
(en)

1971-12-22
1977-07-12

1976

1976-03-18
FR
FR7608601A
patent/FR2344492A2/en
active
Granted

1977

1977-03-03
GB
GB8972/77A
patent/GB1570402A/en
not_active
Expired

1977-03-16
ES
ES456899A
patent/ES456899A1/en
not_active
Expired

1977-03-17
IT
IT21365/77A
patent/IT1114766B/en
active

1977-03-18
US
US05/779,949
patent/US4149115A/en
not_active
Expired – Lifetime

Also Published As

Publication number
Publication date

ES456899A1
(en)

1978-03-16

US4149115A
(en)

1979-04-10

FR2344492A2
(en)

1977-10-14

IT1114766B
(en)

1986-01-27

FR2344492B2
(en)

1978-08-25

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