Automatic reel devices and method of operating the same

• US 9,771,239 B2
• Filed: 05/21/2015
• Issued: 09/26/2017
• Est. Priority Date: 07/20/2012
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Great Stuff, Inc.
• Original Assignee: Great Stuff, Inc.
• Inventors: Tracey, James B.A., Hill, III, Joseph M., Tracey, Johnathan R.
• Primary Examiner(s): Luo, David S
• Application Number:
  US14/719,092
• Publication Number:
  US 20150307318A1
• Time in Patent Office: 859 Days
• Field of Search: 318 3, 318 34, 318558
• CPC Class Codes: B65H 75/4484 Electronic arrangements or adaptations for controlling the winding or unwinding process, e.g. with sensors
• CPC Class Codes: B65H 75/4486 Electric motors

Abstract

A reel has a spool member on which the linear material is spooled, an electric motor that rotates the spool member, and a controller that controls the operation of the motor. The controller monitors an unwound length of the linear material based on sensed rotation of the spool member by one or more sensors. The controller causes the motor to wind the linear material at a drag speed when the linear material is on a ground, at a crawl speed lower than the drag speed when the length of linear material on the ground is shorter than a first threshold amount and through a second predetermined amount once the linear material lifts off the ground to inhibit swing of the linear material as it comes off the ground, and at a docking speed greater than the crawl speed when the unwound linear material is shorter than the second threshold amount.

Claims

1. A method for spooling linear material on an automatic device, the method comprising:

winding the linear material onto a spool member of the automatic device at a first speed via a controller of the automatic device controlling rotation of an electric motor of the automatic device;

monitoring, via the controller, an amount of electric current being drawn by the electric motor from a power source while winding the linear material onto the spool member; and

winding, via rotation of the electric motor, the linear material onto the spool member at a second speed less than the first speed when the amount of electric current being drawn by the electric motor is below a predetermined amount,

wherein winding the linear material onto the spool member at the second speed is configured to power through obstructions that slow winding speed of the linear material, and

wherein, while winding the linear material onto the spool member at the first speed, the electric motor draws a base electric current amount smaller than the predetermined amount.

2. The method of claim 1, further comprising stopping winding of the linear material onto the spool member via the controller stopping rotation of the electric motor when the amount of electric current being drawn by the electric motor is above the predetermined amount, wherein the predetermined amount corresponds to a maximum electric current limit associated with obstructions that slow winding speed of the linear material to an undesirable rate.

3. The method of claim 2, further comprising increasing winding speed of the linear material from the second speed up to the first speed when the amount of electric current being drawn by the electric motor decreases below an amount of electric current associated with the second speed.

4. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

monitoring winding speed of the linear material being wound onto the spool member with one or more sensors; and

stopping winding of the linear material onto the spool member via the controller stopping rotation of the electric motor when the control determines, using the one or more sensors, that winding speed of the linear material is below a minimum winding speed.

5. The method of claim 1, further comprising receiving, by the controller, a current sense signal from a motor driver of the automatic device, the motor driver generating the current sense signal corresponding to the electric current being drawn by the electric motor.

6. The method of claim 1, further comprising stopping winding of the linear material onto the spool member via the controller stopping rotation of the electric motor when the amount of electric current being drawn by the electric motor increases above a current spike limit.

7. The method of claim 6, further comprising, via the controller,:

taking sample current measurements of the electric current being drawn by the electric motor over a predetermined period of time;

measuring an average current of the sample current measurements over the predetermined period of time; and

stopping the electric motor when the amount of electric current being drawn by the electric motor increases by more than the current spike limit relative to the average current.

8. The method of claim 7, wherein the current spike limit is about 20% to about 30% of the average current, and wherein the predetermined period of time is about 50 to about 100 milliseconds.

9. The method of claim 6, wherein the current spike limit is associated with obstructions preventing the linear material from being wound onto the spool member.

10. The method of claim 1, prior to winding the linear material at the first or second speeds, further comprising:

monitoring an amount of the linear material unwound from the spool member with one or more sensors;

sensing a pulling action on the linear material in a payout direction of the linear material;

determining, with the one or more sensors, whether a pull distance of the pulling action is greater than a predetermined range based on sensed rotation of the spool member; and

engaging, via the controller, a power relay of the automatic device between the power source and the electric motor when the pull distance is greater than the predetermined range.

11. A method for activating an automatic device configured to spool linear material, the method comprising:

monitoring an amount of the linear material unwound from a rotatable spool member of the automatic device with one or more sensors, wherein the monitoring of the amount of the linear material unwound from the rotatable spool member occurs in a sleep mode of operation of the automatic device;

sensing a pulling action on the linear material in a payout direction of the linear material;

determining, with one or more sensors, whether a pull distance of the pulling action is greater than a predetermined range based on sensed rotation of the rotatable spool member;

entering an active mode of operation of the automatic device when the pull distance is greater than the predetermined range, wherein the automatic device uses less power in the sleep mode than in the active mode; and

engaging, via a controller of the automatic device, a power relay of the automatic device connected to a power source to activate the automatic device when the pull distance is greater than the predetermined range.

12. The method of claim 11, wherein the predetermined range is about 10 to about 18 inches.

13. The method of claim 11, further comprising determining whether the pull distance of the pulling action being greater than the predetermined range occurs within a predetermined period of time, and engaging the power relay when the pull distance of the pulling action being greater than the predetermined range occurs within the predetermined period of time.

14. The method of claim 13, wherein the predetermined period of time is about 2 seconds.

15. The method of claim 11, wherein the automatic device enters the sleep mode after no activity for the automatic device occurs for a predetermined period of time.

16. The method of claim 15, wherein the predetermined period of time is about 30 seconds to about 180 seconds.

17. The method of claim 11, wherein after the automatic device is activated, the method further comprises:

winding the linear material onto the rotatable spool member at a first speed via the controller controlling rotation of an electric motor;

monitoring, via the controller, an amount of electric current being drawn by the electric motor of the automatic device from the power source while winding the linear material onto the rotatable spool member; and

winding, via rotation of the electric motor, the linear material onto the rotatable spool member at a second speed slower than the first speed when the amount of electric current being drawn by the electric motor is below a predetermined amount,

wherein winding the linear material onto the rotatable spool member at the second speed is configured to power through obstructions that slow winding speed of the linear material.

18. An apparatus for spooling linear material, the apparatus comprising:

a spool member configured to rotate bi-directionally to spool and unspool the linear material with respect to the spool member;

an electric motor configured to rotate the spool member; and

a controller configured to control operation of the electric motor, the controller configured to;

cause the electric motor to wind the linear material onto the spool member at a first speed;

monitor an amount of electric current being drawn by the electric motor from a power source while winding the linear material onto the spool member;

cause the electric motor to wind the linear material onto the spool member at a second speed less than the first speed when the amount of electric current being drawn by the electric motor is below a predetermined amount, wherein winding the linear material onto the spool member at the second speed is configured to power through obstructions that slow winding speed of the linear material; and

cause the electric motor to stop winding the linear material onto the spool member when the amount of electric current being drawn by the electric motor is above the predetermined amount, wherein the predetermined amount corresponds to a maximum electric current limit associated with obstructions that slow winding speed of the linear material to an undesirable rate.

19. The apparatus of claim 18, wherein the controller is configured to operate in an active mode and a sleep mode, wherein the controller is configured to cause the electric motor to wind the linear material at the first or second speed in the active mode, and wherein in the sleep mode, the controller is configured to:

monitor an amount of the linear material unwound from the spool member with one or more sensors;

sense a pulling action on the linear material in a payout direction of the linear material;

determine whether a pull distance of the pulling action is greater than a predetermined range based on sensed rotation of the spool member; and

switch to operating in the active mode when the pull distance is greater than the predetermined range,

wherein the automatic device uses less power in the sleep mode than in the active mode.

20. The apparatus of claim 18, wherein the controller is configured to cause the electric motor to increase winding speed of the linear material from the second speed up to the first speed when the amount of electric current being drawn by the electric motor decreases below the amount of electric current associated with the second speed.

21. The apparatus of claim 18, wherein the controller is configured to:

monitor winding speed of the linear material being wound onto the spool member; and

cause the electric motor to stop winding the linear material onto the spool member when winding speed of the linear material is below a minimum winding speed.

22. The apparatus of claim 18, wherein, prior to winding the linear material at the first or second speeds, the controller is configured to:

monitor an amount of the linear material unwound from the spool member with one or more sensors;

sense a pulling action on the linear material in a payout direction of the linear material;

determine whether a pull distance of the pulling action is greater than a predetermined range based on sensed rotation of the spool member; and

engage a power relay of the automatic device between the power source and the electric motor when the pull distance is greater than the predetermined range.