"Improved hose reel"

Abstract: Improved hose reel of the type whereby a quantity of hose (2) is wound on an actual reel (1) and whereby this hose, at one extremity, is connected or can be connected to a tool (5) and, at its other extremity, is connected in a suitable manner to a medium, characterized in that the actual reel (1) can be driven in a suitable manner by means of an electric motor and wherein through the entire hose (2), electrical conductors (7 and 8) are running which, in the proximity of the free extremity of the hose, are connected to a switch (6) and which, at their other extremity, respectively, are connected to the aforementioned driving motor (10) in order to be able to close a suitable electrical circuit through this latter.

Description: The present invention relates to an improved hose reel, in other words, a reel for winding and unwinding a hose for transporting a medium, more particularly for the transport of compressed air from this reel by means of the hose being in connection therewith to a compressed-air tool. It is known that with a classic reel driven by a spring, when drawing off the air hose, a spring is wound. As soon as herein the hose is let loose, the aforementioned spring will provide for rewinding the hose. Such reels driven by a spring substantially show two important disadvantages. A first disadvantage is that involuntarily letting go of the hose during winding or unwinding will lead to very dangerous circumstances, in consideration of the fact that the hose at such a moment will be wound up in a rapid and uncontrolled way. Another disadvantage of such reels driven by a spring is that, due to the tensioning of the spring, the force necessary to draw off the hose increases as a larger length of hose is unwound, as a result of which such spring reels become unsuitable for applications with a high usage frequency such as, for example, in production lines, assembly lines and such, in consideration of the fact that they result in an unnecessary tiring of the users of such a reel. Another disadvantage of the reel driven by a spring is that one always has to search for the blocking position thereof. Also, motor-driven reels are already known which are provided with a friction coupling, which also leads to various disadvantages. A first disadvantage of these latter reels consists in that the force which is necessary to draw off the hose is related to the height at which the reel is placed and the weight of the hose, such that with heavier hoses and/or larger heights of the reel, the friction coupling has to be tensioned in order to prevent a spontaneous dropping of the hose. By tensioning the friction coupling, however, the pulling force which is necessary to draw of the hose is significantly increased such that, even with a reel which is mounted lower, the force which is necessary to draw off the hose in most cases is experienced as too large. Another disadvantage of motor-driven reels with friction coupling is that, due to wear and tear, the coupling regularly has to be readjusted. Such reels, thus, are not maintenance-free. The exact adjustment of the friction coupling requires a lot of time and knowledge. Furthermore, such couplings often are very little accessible. Still another disadvantage of known reels with friction coupling is that the automatic winding of the reel only starts when the user has placed his tools into the tool holder in the proximity of the reel which means that the user, during his movement towards the reel, has to step over the hose and therefore has to take care not to stumble, and at the same time has to take care that, during the automatic winding of the hose, the latter does not unexpectedly get behind the user and/or other objects. Another disadvantage of certain reels with friction coupling consists in that the signal for winding the hose is given by means of a tool holder which is equipped with a detection mechanism, which has as a disadvantage that the winding procedure of the hose can be activated by a third party in an undesired manner. Other known reels comprise an electro-magnetic coupling, but these also show various disadvantages. A first disadvantage of this latter known reel consists in that a fast jerk at the hose may lead to so-called "spinning", whereby the reel drum rotates rapidly and unwinds more hose than desired, as a result of which the hose will heap up and a crisscross of hose will occur which can hamper, if not block, the drive. Still another disadvantage of such reels with electro-magnetic coupling consists in that, with a complete uncoupling between drive and reel drum, the drum, due to its mass inertia, will remain rotating for a period of time and will drop an undesired length of hose, as a result of which a heap of hose is created, again with the risk of stumbling or such as a result. From US-A-2 669 483 a motor-driven reel is known whereby the motor is actuated by means of switches which are located on a tool at the end of the hose and whereby the switches are connected to the motor by means of electrical conductors which are embedded in ridges which extend longitudinally on the inside wall of the hose. A first disadvantage of such a reel is that the ridges on the inside wall of the hose create pressure losses in the medium that flows through the hose. When such a reel is used to drive a pneumatic tool for instance, this will result in less pneumatic power available for the tool. In order to compensate for these losses, a hose with a bigger diameter can be used, which of course is more expensive and requires also a bigger reel, which for that matter is also more expensive and requires a support that can take the extra weight of the reel and of the hose. Another disadvantage is that, also due to the presence of the above-mentioned ridges, the bending radius of the hose is increased, so that the diameter of the actual reel has to be increased accordingly, resulting also in a more expensive and heavier reel that also takes more place. Another disadvantage is that, due to the ridges, the hose is less flexible and heavier and is for that matter less easy to handle by a worker who has to operate the tool that is attached at the end of the hose. Still another disadvantage is that such reels, because of the special form of the hoses, are very expensive due to the considerable cost to manufacture these hoses. From FR-A-1 235 3890 and US-A-5 402 551 also motor-driven reels are known which are equipped with operating switches at their free ends and which are connected to the motor by means of electrical conductors which are disposed on the outside of the hose. A disadvantage of these reels is that the electrical conductors are on the outside of the hose where they are vulnerable to be damaged and to be worn, especially when the hose is dragged over the floor as is usually the case. From US-A-5 495 995 a motor-driven reel is known whereby the motor is connected to proximity switches which detect the movement of the reel and whereby this motor is actuated for instance by a pulling movement exerted by the operator on the end of the hose in order to initiate or to stop a movement of said reel during a certain time, for instance during 2 seconds. A disadvantage of such reels is that the motor is not instantly actuated, but requires a certain time for the operator to pull on the hose or to stop the movement of the hose. It is clear that this is a major disadvantage when the reel is for instance used at an assembly line where the operator has to move constantly with his pneumatic tool from one spot to another, requiring the operator each time to pull on the hose in order to unwind it and to hold the hose to stop it from unwinding, which is of course not acceptable. Another way to work around this problem would be to unwind the hose far enough to be able to reach all the spots, but then the extra length of hose would be dangerously exposed on the floor. The present invention aims at avoiding the aforementioned and other disadvantages of existing reels and to offer a reel whereby only the desired quantity of hose length is unwound, wound, respectively, in such a manner that never more or less hose is unwound than is necessary for a certain work and the unwinding, winding, respectively, is controlled at each moment and is completely independent from the height at which the reel is placed and/or the weight of the hose, whereas unwinding, winding, respectively, of the hose is performed at the desired moment and can be stopped at the desired moment by operating the unwinding mechanism, winding mechanism, respectively, of the reel, at the location of the free extremity of the hose, at the location of the tool connected to such free extremity, respectively. Such an improved hose reel according to the invention consists of the type whereby a quantity of hose is wound on a actual reel that can be driven in a suitable manner by means of an electric motor and whereby this hose, at one extremity, is connected or can be connected to a tool and, at its other extremity, is connected in a suitable manner to a medium and wherein through the entire hose electrical conductors are running which, in the proximity of the free extremity of the hose, are connected to a switch and which, at their other extremity, respectively, are connected to the aforementioned driving motor in order to be able to close a suitable electrical circuit through this latter, whereby the electrical conductors are provided in the wall thickness of the hose. An advantage of such an improved reel according to the invention is that electrical conductors are protected against outside influences and that at the same time the wall of the hose has a smooth inner surface which creates only small pressure drops in the medium that flows through the hose, so that se reel can be used to feed powerful tools. In such an improved reel according to the invention, preferably a driving motor with a low transmission shall be applied, as a result of which an easy manual unwinding of the hose without an additional coupling is obtained. In an improved reel according to the invention, the winding of the hose shall be performed by means of a push-button switch at the extremity of the hose, as a result of which this hose will be wound, as the user is going back to his starting position, in other words, to the reel, and whereby the speed of automatic winding will be determined and regulated by the user himself by means of the push-button switch. In consideration of the fact that the reel always remains coupled to the motor, no "spinning" will be caused. Preferably, such improved reel according to the invention will also be provided with a brake, as a result of which the compressed-air tools, without additional support of a tool holder, can be suspended freely at the reel, on one hand, and during a power failure, it is prevented that the tools concerned might drop downward, on the other hand. Finally, the improved reel according to the invention will be provided with a pulse detection system, whereby the number of pulses during unwinding the hose is counted such that this number of pulses is counted backward when winding the hose, whereby, at a certain number of pulses from the starting position of unwinding the hose, the speed of the motor will be reduced electronically until the moment when the pulse detection has reached zero again. With the intention of better showing the characteristics of the invention, hereafter, as an example without any limitative character, a preferred form of embodiment of an improved reel according to the invention is described, with reference to the accompanying drawings, wherein: Figure 1 schematically represents a reel with partially unwound hose; figure 2, at a larger scale, represents the portion which is indicated by F2 in figure 1; figure 3, at a larger scale, represents a generic cross-section according to line III-III in figure 1; figure 4 represents a cross-section, according to the invention, along line III-III; figure 5, at a larger scale, represents a cross-section according to line V-V in figure 1. In figure 1, an improved reel 1 according to the invention is represented onto which a hose 2 is wound which, at its free extremity, has a connection piece 3 with which a connection piece 4 of a working tool 5 can be connected in a suitable manner, generally by means of a bayonet coupling or such. In the represented embodiment, the connection piece 3 is provided with a switch, more particularly a push-button switch 6, which is connected to electrical conductors 7-8 which are provided through the hose 2, over the entire length, and which, at their other extremity, are connected, on one hand, to a connection terminal 9 of a driving motor 10 of the reel 1 according to the invention and, on the other hand, to the metal housing or earth of the reel 1. The second connection terminal 11 of the motor 10 is connected further, by means of a conductor 12 with a slip ring 13 with which a brush 14 is cooperating which, by means of a conductor 15, is connected to a suitable power source, the second pole of which is connected to the earth of the reel 1, by means of a conductor 16. The slip ring 13 is suitably connected to the hub 17 of the reel 1, whereby a pulley 18 is fixed at this hub 17 which pulley cooperates with a pulley 19 at the exiting shaft of the motor 10, whereby these pulleys 18-19 are connected to each other by means of a belt 20. Finally, the reel 1 is provided freely rotatable on a pipe-shaped shaft 21 which also provides for the supply of compressed air to the hose 2, to which aim this pipe-shaft shaft 21 is fixedly attached in respect to the frame 22 of the reel 1 and, on one hand, and, on the other hand, is connected, by means of suitable connections 23 and 24 known in themselves, to the actual compressed-air supply pipe 25 and to conduit 26 which is in connection with the extremity of the hose 2 wound onto the reel 1. Finally, the reel 1 is suspended from a ceiling or such in a suitable manner. Where an embodiment is represented in figure 3 whereby the conductors 7 and 8 are provided freely in the hose, it is clear that, as indicated in figure 4, these conductors 7-8 can be provided in the wall thickness of the hose 2 and this either according to the longitudinal direction of the hose or spirally. The application of the improved reel according to the present invention is very easy and as follows. In order to unwind a quantity of hose 2 from the reel 1, it suffices to grasp either the hose at the connection piece 4 or, if a tool is provided, at the tool 5 and to unwind the desired quantity of hose manually by pulling at the hose. In order to subsequently wind the hose, it will suffice to push the push-button 6, as a result of which an electric circuit is closed through the driving motor 10 which will wind the hose again, whereby this winding will be controlled by the person holding the tool 5, in such a manner that the hose is wound up at a speed which is equal to the moving speed of the user of the tool 5. In this manner, a very safe reel is obtained, as a result of which only the desired quantity of hose has to be unwound and whereby the hose is only wound as the user of the hose either pushes the push-button 6 or not. In the case that the reel according to the invention is provided with an electronic control board with microprocessor, the aforementioned push-button 6 shall only have to be pushed in order to give short pulses, whereby, for example, a short pulse during standstill starts the automatic winding of the hose; a short pulse during the automatic winding results in that the automatic winding is stopped, and a long pulse during standstill may result in that the winding speed is adjusted. Of course, in this last case, all other working schemes will have to be considered, too. Preferably, the aforementioned electronic winding system will also be equipped with a power safety, in such a manner that, when the hose 2 during winding becomes stuck at something, the electronic winding system automatically stops the winding. Thus, it is clear that with the reel according to the invention, there is never too much hose which will lie on the ground and over which one might stumble or the like, whereas the winding of the hose always remains under control.

Claims: Improved hose reel of the type whereby a quantity of hose (2) is wound on a actual reel (1) that can be driven in a suitable manner by means of an electric motor and whereby this hose, at one extremity, is connected or can be connected to a tool (5) and, at its other extremity, is connected in a suitable manner to a medium and wherein through the entire hose (2) electrical conductors (7 and 8) are running which, in the proximity of the free extremity of the hose, are connected to a switch (6) and which, at their other extremity, respectively, are connected to the aforementioned driving motor (10) in order to be able to close a suitable electrical circuit through this latter, characterised in that the electrical conductors (7-8) are provided in the wall thickness of the hose. Improved hose reel according to claim 1, characterized in that the electric conductors (7 and 8) are connected to a connection terminal (9) of the driving motor (10) and the metal earth of the reel (1), respectively, whereby the second connection terminal (11) of the electric driving motor (10) is connected to a slip ring (13) which is attached at the hub (17) of the hose reel and whereby a brush (14) is cooperating with this slip ring (13) which is connected to an electrical conductor (15) connected to a suitable power source, whereas the second conductor (16) of this power source is connected to the metal earth of the hose reel. Improved hose reel according to claim 1 or 2, characterized in that an electronic control board with microprocessor is provided in the electric circuit. Improved hose reel according to claim 1, characterized in that the aforementioned switch (6) is formed by a push-button switch. Improved hose reel according to claim 1, characterized in that the electric motor (10) drives the hub (17) of the hose reel. Improved hose reel according to claim 5, characterized in that a pulley (19) is provided on the shaft of the electric motor (10), which pulley, by means of a belt (20), cooperates with a pulley (18) which is attached at the hub (17) of the hose reel. Improved hose reel according to any of the aforementioned claims, characterized in that the reel is provided with a pulse detection system which counts the number of pulses during unwinding and whereby, during winding, the number of pulses is also counted, in such a manner that, at a certain number of pulses from zero, the speed of the motor is reduced electronically up to the moment when the number of pulses has reached zero again.

Inventors: VAN DER PAAL PETER ANTOON, VAN DER PAAL, PETER ANTOON
Applicants: REELS BESLOTEN VENNOOSCHAP MET, REELS, BESLOTEN VENNOOSCHAP MET BEPERKTE AANSPRAKELIJKHEID
Application year: 1999
Main classification: B65H75
IPC codes: B65H79, B65H75, B65H54