JP7386314B2 - Rope drum equipment for rope crane - Google Patents

Description

The present invention is a rope drum installation for a rope crane, comprising a bearing, a traction rope drum and an auxiliary rope drum, the traction rope drum comprising a traction rope motor connected to the bearing, and the auxiliary rope drum comprising a traction rope motor connected to the bearing. The present invention relates to a rope drum installation comprising an auxiliary rope motor mounted on a rope drum and configured to transmit torque between a towing rope drum and an auxiliary rope drum.

Rope cranes are used in forestry to transport felled trees, tree parts or other loads from areas with difficult access and are operated in different modes of operation. In its simplest form, rope cranes are operated in two-rope operation using only two ropes. A hanging rope is stretched and a trolley with rollers is slidably mounted on it, which is lowered by gravity and then raised again using a tow rope, including a load, for example felled trees. In a lifting motion, the load is then conveyed to the higher end of the suspension rope, and in a descending motion, it is conveyed to the lower end of the suspension rope. In three-rope operation, the third rope is an auxiliary rope that pulls the trolley toward the lower end of the suspension rope. The auxiliary rope is usually guided by a trolley towards the lower end of the lifting rope and from there via rollers to the higher end of the lifting rope, where it is disposed. Guided to the rope device.

As a drive mechanism for the towing rope and the auxiliary rope in a three-rope operation, it is known to provide a rope drum installation with a towing rope drum and a return rope drum, ie an auxiliary rope drum, as described for example in AT 403038B. With this rope drum equipment, a traction roped drum is attached to a pole and rotated by a traction rope motor. The auxiliary rope drum is further attached to the traction rope drum by a further motor so as to enable mutual twisting of the traction rope drum and the auxiliary rope drum in a three-rope operation.

The aforementioned rope drum equipment according to the prior art can also be used in two-rope operation. However, the auxiliary rope is not used here and remains wound and fixed on the auxiliary rope drum. The auxiliary rope drum rotates together with the traction rope drum.

The object of the invention is to increase the driving and traction forces of rope drum installations.

The subject is a rope drum installation for a rope crane, comprising a bearing, a towing rope drum and an auxiliary rope drum, the towing rope drum comprising a towing rope motor connected to the bearing, the auxiliary rope drum having a towing an auxiliary rope motor mounted on the rope drum and configured to transmit torque between the towing rope drum and the auxiliary rope drum, the auxiliary rope drum being rotatable relative to the bearing in a first operating state; The invention is solved by a rope drum installation which is mounted and non-rotatably connected to the bearing in the second operating state so that the traction rope drum can be driven by the auxiliary rope motor in the second operating state.

With the solution of the invention, the tractive force and power of the rope drum installation can be increased in two-rope operation without substantial additional costs and with only minimal structural changes. Even in three-rope operation, the pulling force of the tow rope drum can increase in the short term to pull slack in the load. Furthermore, the present invention also provides the opportunity to modify existing prior art rope drum systems to obtain the advantages of the present invention for these rope drum installations.

Higher traction and power requirements have traditionally been solved through more powerful motors or smaller rope drum diameters. Compared to the use of more powerful motors to increase the drive power of the traction rope drum, the solution according to the invention has the advantage that costs and weight can be reduced. Compared to the use of smaller rope drum diameters, the solution according to the invention has the advantage that higher rope speeds can be reached and the loads applied to the rope can be smaller.

Non-rotatable locking of the auxiliary rope drum to the bearing can be accomplished according to the invention through two embodiments. On the one hand, a brake can be used, for example, which is a permanent component of the rope drum installation and can selectively lock and then release the auxiliary rope drum. On the other hand, a support structure for manual locking of the auxiliary rope drum may be used.

According to the preferred embodiment mentioned at the outset, the rope drum installation in this regard comprises a brake configured to lock the auxiliary rope drum against the bearing in the second operating state. In a first operating state, the brake is released and in a second operating state, the brake is applied. Thus, the brake may be used to lock the auxiliary rope drum in a two-rope operation to increase the traction force of the tow rope drum.

However, braking on the auxiliary rope drum may also be used in three-rope operations for short-term improvements in the traction force of the tow rope drum. In the three-rope operation, the auxiliary rope pulls the tow rope with a trolley. The difference between the forces on the tow rope and the auxiliary rope therefore acts to pull the trolley towards the rope crane installation. When the traction force of the traction rope drum is increased, the auxiliary rope is loosened without simultaneously hoisting the traction rope. In this way, the pretension between the traction and auxiliary rope drums is reduced. By using the brake to fix the auxiliary rope drum, in addition to the traction rope motor, the auxiliary rope motor can drive the traction rope drum, thereby providing higher rope force on the traction rope. In this way, the auxiliary rope is also continuously tensioned. Immediately after the auxiliary rope is retensioned, the brake is released so that the auxiliary rope can be further loosened. For this reason, significantly higher forces in winding up the towing rope for pulling are available over short distances of only a few meters even in three-rope operation, thereby facilitating in particular the tensioning of slack loads. If necessary, this process can be repeated several times if increased traction is required for longer distances.

To increase the traction force, in three-rope operation, the brake can also be used in a pull mode without previously loosening the auxiliary rope to release tension on the auxiliary rope. In this way, the rope tension on the auxiliary rope is reduced by the action of the brake. The brake is also configured for pull mode.

The brake is further preferably configured as a disc brake comprising a brake caliper and a brake caliper support, the brake caliper configured to lock the auxiliary rope drum, and the brake caliper support supporting the brake caliper against the bearing. do. A disc brake has the advantage that it can simply engage the flange or disc of the auxiliary rope drum. Basically, the disc brake can also engage other parts of the auxiliary drum or other types of brakes can be used.

It is preferred that the brake engages with a flange facing the bearing of the auxiliary rope drum, especially if the brake is configured as a disc brake. This has the advantage that a lower momentum is applied to the brake caliper support than with a solution in which the brake engages with a flange facing away from the bearing of the auxiliary rope drum.

It is advantageous if the brake is a hydraulic, pneumatic or electric brake. Such a brake has a short response time and is able to provide the braking force required for the solution according to the invention.

According to a second embodiment, the rope drum installation comprises a support structure that can be attached to the auxiliary rope drum, by means of which the auxiliary rope drum can be non-rotatably connected to the bearing. The support structure can be manually attached to the auxiliary rope drum, for example when there is a transition from three-rope operation to two-rope operation. In a variant of this embodiment, however, short-term locking of the auxiliary rope drum in a three-rope operation is usually not possible, since the installation of the support structure for this purpose usually requires a very long time. It's not possible.

In the description of this embodiment, it is preferred that the support structure comprises one or more ropes, chains and/or rods. For example, rope drum equipment is mounted with its bearings on poles. In this case, the chain can be attached to the auxiliary rope drum and is attached to the pole in order to non-rotatably lock the auxiliary rope drum to the pole and therefore also to the bearing. The same can be accomplished using ropes or rods.

The rope drum installation preferably further comprises a control unit connected to the traction rope motor and the auxiliary rope motor, the control unit controlling the amount of power required for the two motors to transmit a predetermined torque to the traction rope drum. It is configured to control the tow rope motor and the auxiliary rope motor so as to add equally. The control unit thus allows the auxiliary rope motor to be selectively controlled to respectively support or release the traction rope motor. The control unit may also have other modes of operation depending on the selections made. For example, an auxiliary rope motor may be added only after the tow rope motor reaches maximum power.

In all the embodiments described above, it is preferred that the towing rope drum and the auxiliary rope drum are arranged coaxially, since this is the technically most viable constructive solution possible.

It is further advantageous if the rope drum installation also comprises a pole on which the bearing is mounted. Alternatively, the bearing may also be mounted to a wall or any other local system to obtain the benefits of the present invention.

Advantageous and non-limiting embodiments of the invention are now explained in more detail below through the drawings.

1 shows a rope drum installation according to the invention; FIG.

Figure 1 shows a rope drum installation 1 for a rope crane. The rope drum equipment 1 is normally mounted on the lower part of the pole M of the rope crane. Rope cranes and associated rope drum equipment 1 are usually used in forestry, but they can, however, also be applied in other fields of use.

The illustrated rope drum installation 1 comprises a bearing 2, a traction rope drum 3 and an auxiliary rope drum 4. The bearing 2 is normally fixedly mounted, for example, on the aforementioned lower pole part M of the rope crane installation, or on any other structure. The bearings 2 are therefore arranged between the rope drum installation 1 and the fixed mounting position such that the towing rope drum 3 and the auxiliary rope drum 4 can be twisted relative to the bearings 2, with the limitations explained below. Bring relevance. The auxiliary rope drum 4 may then be twistably arranged relative to the towing rope drum 3, as will be explained in more detail below.

The traction rope drum 3 is rotatably connected to the bearing 2 and serves the function of hoisting and unwinding the traction rope, which is not further illustrated in the working chamber 5 . To drive the traction rope drum 3 relative to the bearing 2, the traction rope drum 3 is equipped with a traction rope motor 6. The traction rope motor 6 can be, for example, a hydraulic motor or an electric motor. The traction rope drum 3 may furthermore have a receiving chamber 5' arranged in the traction rope drum 3 adjacent to the working chamber 5.

To enable the transmission of torque to the traction rope drum 3, the traction rope motor 6 is non-securely connected to the pole M at one end. As in the example shown in FIG. 1, a support plate may be provided, for example as a bearing 2, which is rigidly connected to the traction rope motor 6 and the pole M, for example screwed thereto. .

The auxiliary rope drum 4 is arranged coaxially to the hanging rope drum 3 and rotatably mounted thereto. The auxiliary rope drum 4 serves the function of hoisting and loosening an auxiliary rope, which is not further illustrated, in the working chamber 7 . The auxiliary rope drum 4 may furthermore have a receiving chamber 7' arranged in the auxiliary rope drum 4 adjacent to the working chamber 7.

In order to twist the auxiliary rope drum 4 relative to the traction rope drum 3, the auxiliary rope drum 4 comprises an auxiliary rope motor 9 mounted on the traction rope drum 3. The auxiliary rope motor 9 thus enables the transmission of torque between the traction rope drum 3 and the auxiliary rope drum 4. Furthermore, the auxiliary rope motor 9 can be, for example, a hydraulic motor or an electric motor.

The rope drum installation 1 is therefore set up in such a way that the traction rope drum 3 is limited on one side by a bearing 2 and on the other side by an auxiliary rope drum 4. Generally, only the bearing 2 is mounted in a non-rotatable manner, so that not only the traction rope drum 3 is driven by the driving force of the traction rope motor 5, but also the auxiliary rope drum 3 is driven by the driving force of the traction rope motor 5. The rope drum 4 is also driven. This only occurs if the rope drum installation 1 is operated in a so-called two-rope operation (pulling rope and hanging rope independent of the rope drum installation 1).

In other cases, the tow rope mounted on the tow rope drum 3 and the auxiliary rope mounted on the auxiliary rope drum 4 have to be pulled at different speeds. For this purpose, the traction rope motor 6 as well as the auxiliary rope motor 9 are driven. This is a so-called three-rope operation (towing rope, auxiliary rope and lifting rope independent of the rope drum installation 1). The tow rope and the auxiliary rope are thereby wound in opposite directions.

According to the invention, the rope drum installation 1 shown can be operated in two operating states. In the first operating state, the auxiliary rope drum 4 is rotatably mounted relative to the bearing 2, whereby a two-rope motion or a three-rope motion, respectively, is substantially achieved. However, in the second operating state, the auxiliary rope drum 4 is non-rotatably connected to the bearing 2 such that the traction rope drum 3 can be driven by the auxiliary rope motor 9 in the second operating state.

The second operating state thus provides a two-rope operation, enhanced by the tow rope drum 3 driven by the tow rope motor 6 as well as by the auxiliary rope motor 9. This is made possible not only by the fixedly mounted bearings 2 but also by the auxiliary rope drum 4. Additionally, enhanced three-rope motion is enabled in the short term, as explained in more detail below.

To lock the auxiliary rope drum 4 non-rotatably relative to the bearing 2, a brake 10 is used according to FIG. 1, which in the illustrated example is configured as a disc brake. Here, the brake 10 includes a brake caliper 11 and a brake caliper support 12. The brake caliper 11 may be constructed as known from other fields in the prior art, for example brake calipers from the field of automotive engineering.

The brake caliper 11 is configured to lock the auxiliary rope drum 4, which may engage with a flange W facing the towing rope drum 3 of the auxiliary rope drum 4, for example as depicted in FIG. . Alternatively, the brake caliper 11 may also be connected to a flange of the auxiliary rope drum 4, such as, for example, a flange of the auxiliary rope drum 4 facing away from the towing rope drum 3, or a flange separating the working chamber 7 from the storage chamber 7'. May engage any other portion.

The brake caliper support 12 firmly connects the brake caliper 11 to the bearing 2, but need not be directly mounted thereto. For example, it is possible that on one side the bearing 2 is rigidly mounted directly on the pole M, and on the other side the brake caliper support 12 is also rigidly mounted on the pole M in a different part from the bearing 2. If the bearing 2 is configured as part of the housing of the rope drum installation 1, it is advantageous for example for the brake caliper support 12 to also be mounted on the housing and thus on the bearing 2.

The brake 10 can be actuated directly on the rope drum installation 1, for example through a switch or a manually actuated valve. Alternatively or additionally, it can also be provided that the brake 10 is integrated in the control of the rope crane installation.

The simple actuation of the brake 10 allows the auxiliary rope drum 4 to be locked against the bearing 2 for long periods of time to enable enhanced two-rope motion, as well as for short-term three-rope motion. It may also be provided that support is achieved. If additional requirements are recognized by the person, short-term support for three-rope motion can be added manually by activating the brake on one side. However, a control unit is described below which activates the brake 10 automatically, for example, on the other side if a load peak is detected on the traction rope, for example by a reaction force coupled with the traction rope motor 6. can be used to

Instead of disc brakes, other types of brakes can also be used, which allow locking of the auxiliary rope drum 4 to the bearings 2. More than one brake 10 may also be used. Whether brake 10 is used as a disc brake or any other brake, brake 10 may be hydraulic, pneumatic or electric.

Alternatively or additionally to the embodiment with a brake 10, a supporting device, not shown, may also be provided for locking the auxiliary rope drum 4 on the bearing 2. By way of example, the auxiliary rope drum 4 is fixed to the pole M using a chain so that the auxiliary rope drum 4 cannot be twisted any further relative to the pole M or consequently relative to the bearing 2, respectively. obtain. By activating the auxiliary rope motor 9, the traction force or power of the traction rope motor 6 can then be increased, respectively. Instead of or in addition to chains, rods or ropes may also be used to lock the auxiliary rope drum 4.

As already mentioned above, the rope drum installation 1 may also be equipped with a control unit controlling the traction rope motor 6 and the auxiliary rope motor 9. Thereby, when an enhanced two-rope motion or a short-term enhanced three-rope motion is used, respectively with the auxiliary rope drum 4 locked, the control device accordingly controls the auxiliary rope motor. 9.

Controlling the auxiliary rope motor 9 through the control unit can be carried out in various ways. For example, the auxiliary rope motor 9 may be added only after the traction rope motor 6 has reached its maximum power. Alternatively, the tow rope motor 6 and the auxiliary rope motor 9 are connected to the tow rope motor 6 such that the two motors 6 , 9 apply equal power with respect to their maximum power for transmitting a given torque to the tow rope drum 3 . and the auxiliary rope motor 9 can be equally controlled.

As already mentioned, the brake 10 can also be operated, ie released and applied, by the control unit. The rope drum installation 1 is thus controlled by a control unit that applies or releases the brakes 10 respectively, and also controls the traction rope motor 6 and the auxiliary rope motor 9 as a function of the desired output at the traction rope drum 3. , can switch fully automatically to enhanced two-rope operation or short-term enhanced three-rope operation.

Claims (10)

In a rope drum installation (1) for a rope crane, comprising a bearing (2), a traction rope drum (3) and an auxiliary rope drum (4),
Said tow rope drum (3) comprises a tow rope motor (6) connected to a bearing (2), said auxiliary rope drum (4) is mounted on said tow rope drum (3) and said tow rope drum (3) and an auxiliary rope motor (9) configured to transmit torque between the auxiliary rope drum (4);
The auxiliary rope drum (4) is rotatably mounted relative to the bearing (2) in a first operating state, and the traction rope drum (3) is mounted to the auxiliary rope motor (9) in a second operating state. A rope drum installation (1), characterized in that it is non-rotatably connected to said bearing (2) in said second operating state, such that it can be driven by said second operating state. Rope according to claim 1, comprising a brake (10) configured to lock or brake the auxiliary rope drum (4) against the bearing (2) in the second operating state. Drum equipment (1). The brake (10) is configured as a disc brake comprising a brake caliper (11) and a brake caliper support (12), the brake caliper (11) being configured to lock the auxiliary rope drum (4). Rope drum installation (1) according to claim 2, wherein the brake caliper support (12) supports the brake caliper (11) against the bearing (2). Rope drum installation (1) according to claim 2 or 3, wherein the brake (10) engages with a flange (W) of the auxiliary rope drum (4) facing the towing rope drum (3). Rope drum installation (1) according to any of claims 2 to 4, wherein the brake (10) is a hydraulic, pneumatic or electric brake. Any of claims 1 to 5, comprising a support structure attachable to the auxiliary rope drum (4), by which the auxiliary rope drum (4) can be non-rotatably connected to the bearing (2). The rope drum equipment (1) described in (1) above. Rope drum installation (1) according to claim 6, wherein the support structure comprises one or more ropes, chains and/or rods. a control unit connected to said tow rope motor (6) and said auxiliary rope motor (9), said control unit controlling said two motors (6, 9) to apply a predetermined torque to said tow rope drum (3); 8. Any one of claims 1 to 7 configured to control said tow rope motor (6) and said auxiliary rope motor (9) to apply a power equal to its maximum power for transmitting. The rope drum equipment (1) described in . Rope drum installation (1) according to any of claims 1 to 8, wherein the towing rope drum (3) and the auxiliary rope drum (4) are arranged coaxially. Rope drum installation (1) according to any of claims 1 to 9, comprising a pole (M) on which the bearing (2) is mounted.