Patent Publication Number: US-7210647-B2

Title: Reel with level winding mechanism

Description:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
   1. Field of the Invention 
   This invention relates to spooling systems for the receiving, storage, and deploying of cables, hoses, and the like. 
   Present systems for winding cable onto spools, particularly on off-shore drill rigs, employ spools which are mechanically driven. Offshore drilling systems have reels with various capacities outside diameter cable for controlling of subsea blowout prevention equipment. 
   2. Prior Art 
   One such cable spooling system is disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 4,767,073. With this type of system, as the cable is wound onto or off of the spool it is guided by a cable guide or “level wind” assembly mounted for traversing a reversible diamond groove shaft parallel to the axis of the spool. The cable guide assembly is coupled to tracking guide bars. Thus, the cable guide assembly traverses the diamond groove shaft and guide bars from one side to the other, evenly distributing the cable on the hub of the spool. When the cable gets to one end of the diamond groove shaft, it automatically reverses and continues to traverse in the other direction, continuously feeding the cable onto the spool. Many reels have been manufactured with this familiar diamond pattern lead screw mechanism to cause the line being wound onto the drum of the reel to be wrapped in an orderly and compact fashion. Probably the most common of these is the fishing reel. 
   The cable guide assembly connected to the same drive system which drives the axle of the spool by means of a chain drive system and sprockets. That is, one or more chains are coupled to the axle of the spool, and to the diamond groove shaft by means of one or more sprockets. 
   In another embodiment disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 4,767,073, separate pneumatic motors are provided for the diamond bar and the spool axle respectively. One pneumatic motor drives the spool through a chain and connecting sprockets. The level wind system is rotated by a second pneumatic drive motor connected to the guide bar by a chain and sprockets. The guide bar is in turn geared to the diamond bar by another chain and set of sprockets. Since the level wind system is not directly coupled to the spool drive system, the level wind pneumatic motor is provided with a variable speed control to increase or decrease the speed as desired. 
   Also, Patco Machine and Fab., Inc., the assignee of this application, has previously manufactured a cable spooling system having one air motor for driving the spool and another air motor, coupled to the same control system, for driving the level wind assembly. However, this cable spooling system provided only a single air motor for the level wind assembly, such that it was driven only from a single end. 
   SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
   A general object of the invention is to provide a cable spooling system which evenly and automatically winds and unwinds a cable, hose or the like on a spool. 
   In accordance with the above object, a reel for accepting, holding, and deploying cable or hose, comprises a frame; a drum mounted in said frame and having a core and end flanges for storing said cable or hose; a level winding mechanism comprising means to control the position of said cable or hose along the width of said drum, said level winding mechanism comprising a carriage having a guide for said cable or hose a rotatable drive which moves said carriage approximately parallel to a rotational center of said drum, said rotatable drive being elongated and having respective ends, and motive means providing power for rotating said rotatable drive at each end thereof. 
   In accordance with another aspect of the invention, a level wind system is provided for a reel having a drum comprising a guide for reciprocal movements across the width of said drum of said reel, said level wind comprising a carriage having a guide for said cable or hose; a rotatable drive which moves said carriage approximately parallel to a rotational center of said drum, said drive being elongated and having respective ends, and motive means providing power for rotating said rotatable drive at each end thereof. 

   
     BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
       FIG. 1  is a front perspective view of a cable spooling system according to the present invention; 
       FIG. 2  is a side perspective view of the cable spooling system of  FIG. 1 ; 
       FIG. 3  is a top plan view illustrating a level wind assembly; 
       FIG. 4  is a front plan view illustrating the level wind assembly of  FIG. 3 ; 
       FIG. 5  is a detailed side elevation view illustrating a drive assembly portion of the level wind assembly of  FIG. 3 ; 
       FIG. 6  is an end elevation view illustrating the drive assembly portion of  FIG. 5 , and 
       FIG. 7  is a schematic diagram illustrating the operation of the pneumatic drive system of the cable spooling system. 
   

   DESCRIPTION OF THE ILLUSTRATED EMBODIMENT 
   The cable spooling system of the present invention is shown generally in  FIGS. 1 and 2 , and comprises a frame  10  on which rotatably supports a cable spool  12  having a core or hub  14  and opposite end flanges  16 . A cable (not shown) is guided onto and off from the spool for even wrapping by means of a cable guide or “level wind” assembly  25  having a carriage  28  mounted for traversing a reversible diamond groove shaft  30  by means of a follower  32 , as the shaft  30  is rotated. 
   The carriage  28  is coupled to a pair of tracking guide bars  34 ,  36 . The carriage  28  also mounts a frame  38  holding two sets of freely rotating rollers  40 ,  42  for contacting and guiding the cable. Upper and lower rollers  40 , and right and left rollers  42  may be a relatively hard steel material or be coated with resilient materials such as rubber or plastics. Thus, the carriage  28  traverses the diamond groove shaft  30  from one side to the other, evenly distributing the cable on the hub  14  of the spool  12 . When the carriage  28  gets to one end of the diamond groove shaft  30 , it automatically reverses and continues to traverse in the other direction, continuously feeding the cable onto or off from the spool. 
   The cable guide assembly  25  is driven by a pair of air motors  50 ,  52 , one coupled to either end of the diamond groove shaft  30  and powered by the same pneumatic air system which drives the cable spool  12 . The motors  50 ,  52  are mounted to end brackets  54 ,  56  of the cable guide assembly  25 , which also hold opposite ends of the reversible diamond groove shaft  30  and the guide bars  34 ,  36 . These end brackets  54 ,  56  are in turn mounted to opposite arcuate supports, attached to the frame  10 . 
   The pneumatic drive system powers the motors to wind the cable on the spool  12  and run the level wind  25 . This system is comprised of a pneumatic air supply, typically supplying 350 SCFM, at 10 PSI maximum. The air supply is connected to the control system of  FIG. 7 , to which reference is invited, through an air filter  70 , air regulator  72  and air lubricator  74 . A reel control pilot valve  80  has an operating handle  82  which has a forward, center and reverse position. Thus, the cable spooling system can be operated to wind up cable or to feed out cable, as desired. 
   Each of the pneumatic air motors  50 , 52 , as well as a reel motor  100 , is operatively coupled to the pneumatic control system as shown in the schematic diagram of  FIG. 7 , which is described in greater detail below. 
   In the illustrated embodiment, an air filter, air regulator and air lubricator  70 ,  72  and  74 , respectively comprise Norgren models F17-800 A3DA, R17-800-RGSA, and L17-800-MPDA. A control panel  75  includes pilot valves  80  and  84  and an air valve  87 . The pilot valve  80  comprises a Rexroth series HD-2-X, #P50973-0003. A similar pilot valve  84  is provided for the motors  50 ,  52  and comprises a Rexroth series HD-2-FX, #P50970-0003, and is provided with a friction detent control handle  86  movable between forward and reverse positions. The respective pilot valves  80  and  84  are coupled to the remaining portion of the control system through respective shuttle valves  90 , each of which comprises a Versa #SV-3-316. An additional air valve  87 , which may be of the type Versa VSI-3301-316-43E, is interconnected between pilot valve  80  and the first of shuttle valves  90  for manual, independent operation of level wind. An output of the air filter  70  is also connected with the same line to pilot valve  80  as air valve  87 . 
   One of the outlets of the pilot valve  80  feeds a pilot input of a relay valve  94 , which also receives an output of the air lubricator  74 . The output of this relay valve  94  is variable as a function the pilot input and fed to a P 2  input of a valve  96 , which also receives a P 1  input from the air lubricator  74 . The relay valve  94  may be of the type Rexroth 3P55163, while the valve  96  may be a Versa #VSP-8502. The output of valve  96  feeds the input of the relay valve  98 , which may be a Rexroth # P55161, and which receives a pilot input from the pilot valve  87 . The output of valve  98  is variable as a function of pilot input from valve  84  and feeds respective P inputs of valves  102  and  104 , which may comprise Versa # VJJ-4503 air valves. 
   The outputs of valves  102  and  104  drive the respective motors  50  and  52 , which in turn drive the diamond screw  30  via appropriate gear reducers  110 ,  112 . The pilot valve  84  is also coupled to inputs of air valves  114 ,  116 , which may be versa # VJJ 4503, and which also receive pilot inputs from the pilot valve  87 . The valves  114  and  116  also feed respective pilot inputs of the valves  102 ,  104  by way of suitable interconnecting components, including shuttle valves  116 ,  118 , which may be the same type as shuttle valves  90 . Appropriate air exhaust silencers, such as Arrow #ASP-2 and/or Arrow #ASP-4, may be provided for various valves, as indicated in  FIG. 7 . 
   The air motor  100  receives an air supply from an air valve  101 , which in turn is supplied by the air relay valve  94  and has pilot inputs from the pilot valve  80 . The valve  101 , an integral part of air motor  100 , has two outputs, each of which feeds one side of the air motor  100 , in order to drive the air motor, and therefore the spool, in both directions. For the larger diameter valve  101 , as well as for air motor  100 , which drives the spool  12 , the silencers may be of the type Allied Witan #033010, or 0383012. 
   The air motor  100  may drive the spool through a planetary reducer  130  and a chain and sprockets  132 ,  134 . The planetary reducer may be of the type Brevini #PD3065/MR2/208.2/RM310. In the illustrated embodiment, the gear  132  is a 16 tooth gear, while the gear  134  is a 40 tooth gear, giving a 2.5:1 chain reduction. 
   A pair of disc brake calipers  120 ,  122  for the motor  100  braking system are interconnected to the air control system by way of valve  92  and a quick exhaust valve  124 , which may be of the type Versa #QE-3-316. In the illustrated embodiment, the air motor  100  is a radial piston motor, such as the Fenner SPX #R33-X-XX-R1. The air motors  50  and  52 , may be Ingersoll-Rand #3840 P, 1.35 horsepower. The gear reducers  110 ,  112  may be Hub City #0220-74871 (W300A) and #0220-74895 (W300B), respectively, having a 40:1 ratio. Lovejoy couplings, such as #L100SST, may be used between the motors  50 ,  52  and the gear reducers  110 ,  112 . 
   Appropriate ball valves and needle valves, as indicated schematically, may be interposed in the various interconnecting lines in the diagram of  FIG. 7 . 
   A remote-control (not shown) is constructed substantially identically with the control panel  75  shown in  FIG. 7 . This remote-control may connect with the control system of  FIG. 7  by way of a series of inputs  85 , which are essentially paralleled with the outputs of the local control panel  75 . 
   Since the level wind system is directly coupled to the spool air drive system, level wind air motors  50  and  52  provide a proportionally variable speed control to increase or decrease the speed of the reversible diamond groove shaft  30  of the level wind system with variations in the speed of the cable spool  12 . Moreover, since the motors  50  and  52  are controlled by the same control circuit (see  FIG. 7 ), they are always “in synch”, thereby avoiding any uneven or unequal drive of the two ends of the reversible diamond groove shaft  30 . 
   To reel up a cable, an end of the cable is passed through the frame  38  holding the sets of rollers  40 ,  42 , and a few wraps are started on spool  12 . The control lever  82  is then switched to the reel in position and air drive motor  100  is adjusted for the proper speed. The motor  100  can be reversed by moving lever  80  to the out position, to reverse spool rotation for continuously and evenly feeding out cable. 
   The respective motors  50 ,  52  drive each end of the diamond groove shaft  30 , as mentioned above. This is in contrast to the prior art, described above, wherein a chain or motor drive was used only at one end of the diamond groove shaft  30 . Use of the air motor present several advantages over a chain drive, for example. In particular, the air motor, as shown further and  FIG. 7 , is driven from the same air system which drives the motor which rotates the spool. Moreover, the speeds of the motors  50  and  52  relative to the speed of rotation of the spool  12  can also be readily controlled, and is self-regulating, any increase/decrease in air supply to the spool will automatically result in a proportionate increase/decrease in the air supply to the motors  50 ,  52 . This arrangement automatically balances the motive forces at both ends of the diamond groove shaft  30 , without further operator intervention, thereby avoiding the twisting, torque or torsional forces which might otherwise be applied, particularly on relatively long reels having correspondingly long diamond groove shafts in the associated level wind assembly. 
   In contrast to prior art systems using a single chain drive or motor, such as an air motor, to drive the diamond groove shaft  30 , the present invention uses one motor at either end of this shaft  30 . It will be appreciated that with increasing width of the spool  12  and consequent increasing length of the diamond groove shaft  30 , there can be some twisting or deformation of the diamond groove shaft  39  when only a single-end drive is provided. Accordingly, the present invention avoids the possibility of this distortion and the consequent possible inaccuracies in movement of the level wind assembly  25  relative to the spool  12 , thereby reducing stress on the system and the risk of mechanical failure. 
   The foregoing disclosure and description of this invention are illustrative and explanatory thereof, and various changes in the size, shape, and materials as well as the details of the illustrated construction may be made without departing from the spirit of the invention.