Winch for water sports and other uses

• US 10,377,391 B2
• Filed: 06/12/2015
• Issued: 08/13/2019
• Est. Priority Date: 06/12/2014
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Ernesto Aramburo
• Original Assignee: Ernesto Aramburo
• Inventors: Aramburo, Ernesto
• Primary Examiner(s): Marcelo, Emmanuel M
• Application Number:
  US15/317,417
• Publication Number:
  US 20170120934A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,523 Days
• CPC Class Codes: A63C 11/10 Apparatus for towing skis ski-lifts B61B11/00
• CPC Class Codes: B61B 11/00 Ski lift, sleigh lift or like trackless systems with guided towing cables only
• CPC Class Codes: B61B 11/002 able to be dismantled or removed
• CPC Class Codes: B63B 34/60 Arrangements for towing, e.g. for use with water-skis or wakeboards
• CPC Class Codes: B66D 1/26 having several drums or barrels
• CPC Class Codes: B66D 1/50 for maintaining predetermined rope, cable, or chain tension, e.g. in ropes or cables for towing craft, in chains for anchors; Warping or mooring winch-cable tension control
• CPC Class Codes: B66D 5/02 Crane, lift hoist, or winch brakes operating on drums, barrels, or ropes
• CPC Class Codes: Y02T 30/00 Transportation of goods or passengers via railways, e.g. energy recovery or reducing air resistance

Abstract

The invention relates to a winch system intended, in particular, for water sports, comprising at least one frame, at least one motor, a brake system, and a main tension cable wound around two spools, each spool being actuated by a motor such that when one of the spools unwinds the main cable, the other spool winds up the cable such as to maintain both the unwinding speed and the tension required for the main cable.

Claims

1. A winch system for water sports, the winch system comprising:

a motor;

a braking system, the motor and the braking system configured to be attached to a fixed point;

two spools; and

a traction cable dimensioned to cover a traction segment, the traction cable wound around the two spools,

wherein each spool is configured to be actuated by at least one of the motor and the braking system so that when one of the spools unwinds the traction cable at one end of the traction cable and the other spool winds up the traction cable at the other end of the traction cable to maintain both an unwinding speed and a tension required for the traction cable such that the traction cable has a variable length for the traction segment, and

wherein the traction cable does not form a loop, and one of the two spools is configured to be arranged remotely from the other one of the two spools.

2. The system as claimed in claim 1, wherein the braking system includes a motor.

3. The system as claimed in claim 1, wherein at least one of the motor and the braking system includes a drive having an inverter operating at least one the motor and the braking system.

4. The system as claimed in claim 3, comprising:

a frame that includes the motor, at least one of the two spools, and the inverter.

5. The system as claimed in claim 4, wherein the frame is mounted to a base, the base being connected to the fixed point.

6. The system as claimed in claim 5, wherein the frame is mounted to the base with a rotary support configured to relatively rotate the frame with respect to the base.

7. The system as claimed in claim 1, wherein the motor is at least one of an electric motor and an internal combustion engine.

8. The system as claimed in claim 1, further comprising:

a rope attached to the traction cable, the rope including a handle that can be held by a user.

9. The system as claimed in claim 1, further comprising:

a control device.

10. The system as claimed in claim 9, wherein the control device is a remote control.

11. The system as claimed in claim 1, further comprising:

a return pulley that defines two segments along the traction cable.

12. The system as claimed in claim 1, further comprising:

a plurality of pulleys.

13. The system as claimed in claim 1, further comprising:

a rope attached to the traction cable, the rope including a handle; and

a control device,

wherein the control device is integrated with the handle.

14. The system as claimed in claim 1, further comprising:

a second motor,

wherein the motor is configured to control the traction cable to a constant speed, and the second motor is configured to control the traction cable to a constant tension.

15. The system as claimed in claim 1, wherein the braking system is embodied by the motor that performs regenerative braking.

16. A method for transporting persons or objects, the method performed by a system comprising,

a motor;

a braking system, the motor and the braking system attached to a fixed point;

two spools; and

a traction cable covering a traction segment, the traction cable wound around the two spools, the traction cable does not form a loop, and one of the two spools is configured to be arranged remotely from the other one of the two spools,

the method comprising the step of;

actuating at least one of the motor and the braking system to unwind the traction cable with one of the spools at one end of the traction cable, and to wind up the traction cable with the other spool at the other end of the traction cable, to maintain both an unwinding speed and a tension required for the traction cable in a such a manner that the traction cable has a variable length for the traction segment.

17. The method for transporting persons or objects according to claim 16, further comprising the step of:

pulling a water skier with the traction cable.

18. The method as claimed in claim 16, wherein the system includes a second motor, the method further comprising the step of:

maintaining the traction cable at a constant speed by the motor while controlling the traction cable to a constant tension by the second motor.

19. A winch system for water sports, the winch system comprising:

a motor;

a braking system, the motor and the braking system configured to be attached to a fixed point;

a plurality of pulleys;

two spools; and

a traction cable dimensioned to cover a traction segment, the traction cable wound around the two spools,

wherein each spool is configured to be actuated by at least one of the motor and the braking system so that when one of the spools unwinds the traction cable at one end of the traction cable and the other spool winds up the traction cable at the other end of the traction cable to maintain both an unwinding speed and a tension required for the traction cable such that the traction cable has a variable length for the traction segment.