Reel systems and methods for monitoring and controlling linear material slack

• US 8,695,912 B2
• Filed: 04/17/2012
• Issued: 04/15/2014
• Est. Priority Date: 04/19/2011
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Great Stuff, Inc.
• Original Assignee: Great Stuff, Inc.
• Inventors: Tracey, James B. A., Cunningham, John P.
• Primary Examiner(s): KIM, SANG K
• Application Number:
  US13/448,784
• Publication Number:
  US 20120267466A1
• Time in Patent Office: 728 Days
• Field of Search: 242/390.1, 242/390.9, 242/419.2, 242/419.5, 242/421.2, 242/421.4, 191/12.2 R
• US Class Current: 242/390.9
• CPC Class Codes: B65H 75/403 Carriage with wheels
• CPC Class Codes: B65H 75/4436 Arrangements for yieldably braking the reel or the material for moderating speed of winding or unwinding
• CPC Class Codes: B65H 75/4471 Housing enclosing the reel
• 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 comprises a motorized spool member about which a linear material can be wound. A housing surrounds the spool member and has a port through which the linear material extends. A motor controller detects when the linear material is pulled from the spool member through the port, and responds by operating a motor to rotate the spool member in an unwind direction. During this operation, the motor controller (1) uses a spool sensor system to detect an unwind rate at which the linear material is unwound from the spool member, (2) uses a translation sensor system to detect a pull-out rate at which the linear material is pulled through the port in the unwind direction, and (3) adjusts the motor speed based on the detected rates, to limit a length of unwound linear material between the spool member and the port to less than a predetermined length.

Claims

1. A reel comprising:

a linear material;

a spool member rotatable about a winding axis, the spool member configured to rotate in a wind direction about the winding axis to wind the linear material about the spool member, the spool member configured to rotate in an unwind direction about the winding axis to unwind the linear material from the spool member;

a motor configured to rotate the spool member about the winding axis;

a housing surrounding the spool member and the motor, the housing having a spooling port through which the linear material extends;

a motor controller configured to detect when the linear material is pulled from the spool member through the port, and to respond to the detected pulling of the linear material by conducting a powered-assist operation in which the motor controller operates the motor to rotate the spool member about the winding axis in the unwind direction;

a spool sensor system configured to be used by the motor controller to detect an unwind rate at which the linear material is unwound from the spool member during the powered-assist operation; and

a translation sensor system configured to be used by the motor controller to detect a pull-out rate at which the linear material is pulled through the port in the unwind direction during the powered-assist operation;

wherein the motor controller is configured to adjust a rotation speed of the motor during the powered-assist operation based at least partly on the unwind rate and the pull-out rate, in order to limit a length of unwound linear material between the spool member and the port to less than a predetermined length.

2. The reel of claim 1, wherein the spool sensor system comprises at least one sensor configured to monitor revolutions of a rotating member and to send an electronic signal indicative of said monitored revolutions to the motor controller, the motor controller configured to detect the unwind rate at least partly from said signal.

3. The reel of claim 2, wherein the rotating member comprises the spool member.

4. The reel of claim 2, wherein the rotating member comprises an output shaft of the motor.

5. The reel of claim 2, wherein the at least one sensor comprise a Hall Effect sensor.

6. The reel of claim 2, wherein:

the rotating member includes at least one element that encircles an axis of rotation of the rotating member as the rotating member rotates; and

the at least one sensor is configured to monitor revolutions of the rotating member by detecting instances of the at least one element passing in proximity to the sensor during rotation of the rotating member.

7. The reel of claim 1, wherein the translation sensor system comprises:

a roller mounted with respect to the housing in proximity to the port such that the linear material bears against an outer annular surface of the roller, and such that translation of the linear material through the port causes the roller to rotate with respect to the housing about a roller axis, the roller including at least one element that encircles the roller axis as the roller rotates; and

at least one sensor configured to detect instances of the at least one element passing in proximity to the sensor during the rotation of the roller.

8. The reel of claim 7, wherein the roller is spring-biased toward the linear material.

9. The reel of claim 7, wherein the sensor comprises a Hall Effect sensor.

10. The reel of claim 1, wherein the translation sensor system comprises:

a first roller mounted with respect to the housing in proximity to the port, the first roller being rotatable with respect to the housing about a first roller axis, the first roller including an element that encircles the first roller axis as the first roller rotates;

a second roller mounted with respect to the housing in proximity to the port, the second roller being rotatable with respect to the housing about a second roller axis, the second roller including an element that encircles the second roller axis as the second roller rotates;

a first sensor configured to detect instances of the element of the first roller passing in proximity to the first sensor during rotation of the first roller; and

a second sensor configured to detect instances of the element of the second roller passing in proximity to the second sensor during rotation of the second roller;

wherein the linear material extends between outer annular surfaces of the first and second rollers, and translation of the linear material through the port causes at least one of the rollers to rotate.

11. The reel of claim 10, wherein the first and second rollers are spring-biased toward each other with the linear material therebetween.

12. The reel of claim 10, wherein the translation sensor system is configured to:

determine a rate of instances of the element of the first roller passing in proximity to the first sensor during the powered-assist operation;

determine a rate of instances of the element of the second roller passing in proximity to the second sensor during the powered-assist operation;

determine which of said rates of instances is greater; and

determine the pull-out rate at least partly from said greater rate of instances.

13. The reel of claim 1, wherein the motor controller is configured to adjust the rotation speed of the motor during the powered-assist operation to substantially equalize the unwind rate and the pull-out rate.

14. A method comprising:

providing a linear material connected to a rotatable spool member housed within a housing, the spool member being rotatable about a winding axis, the spool member configured to rotate in a wind direction about the winding axis to wind the linear material about the spool member, the spool member configured to rotate in an unwind direction about the winding axis to unwind the linear material from the spool member, the housing having a port through which the linear material extends;

detecting the linear material being pulled from the spool member through the port by a user;

responding to the detected pulling of the linear material by conducting a powered-assist operation in which a motor rotates the spool member about the winding axis in the unwind direction;

detecting an unwind rate at which the linear material is unwound from the spool member during the powered-assist operation;

detecting a pull-out rate at which the linear material is pulled manually by the user through the port in the unwind direction during the powered-assist operation; and

adjusting a rotation speed of the motor during the powered-assist operation based at least partly on the unwind rate and the pull-out rate, in order to limit a length of unwound linear material between the spool member and the port to less than a predetermined length.

15. The method of claim 14, wherein detecting the unwind rate comprises:

using at least one sensor to monitor revolutions of a rotating member; and

determining the unwind rate at least partly from the monitored revolutions.

16. The method of claim 15, wherein the rotating member comprises the spool member.

17. The method of claim 15, wherein the rotating member comprises an output shaft of the motor.

18. The method of claim 15, wherein the at least one sensor comprises a Hall Effect sensor.

19. The method of claim 15, wherein:

the rotating member includes at least one element that encircles an axis of rotation of the rotating member as the rotating member rotates; and

using the at least one sensor to monitor revolutions of the rotating member comprises using the at least one sensor to detect instances of the at least one element passing in proximity to the sensor during rotation of the rotating member.

20. The method of claim 14, wherein detecting the pull-out rate comprises:

providing a roller mounted with respect to the housing in proximity to the port such that the linear material bears against an outer annular surface of the roller, and such that translation of the linear material through the port causes the roller to rotate with respect to the housing about a roller axis, the roller including at least one element that encircles the roller axis as the roller rotates; and

using at least one sensor to detect instances of the at least one element passing in proximity to the sensor during the rotation of the roller.

21. The method of claim 20, further comprising spring-biasing the roller toward the linear material during said powered-assist operation.

22. The method of claim 14, wherein detecting the pull-out rate comprises:

providing a first roller mounted with respect to the housing in proximity to the port, the first roller being rotatable with respect to the housing about a first roller axis, the first roller including an element that encircles the first roller axis as the first roller rotates;

providing a second roller mounted with respect to the housing in proximity to the port, the second roller being rotatable with respect to the housing about a second roller axis, the second roller including an element that encircles the second roller axis as the second roller rotates;

using a first sensor to detect instances of the element of the first roller passing in proximity to the first sensor during rotation of the first roller; and

using a second sensor to detect instances of the element of the second roller passing in proximity to the second sensor during rotation of the second roller;

wherein the linear material extends between outer annular surfaces of the first and second rollers, and translation of the linear material through the port causes at least one of the rollers to rotate.

23. The method of claim 22, further comprising spring-biasing the first and second rollers toward each other with the linear material therebetween, during said powered-assist operation.

24. The method of claim 22, wherein detecting the pull-out rate further comprises:

determining a rate of instances of the element of the first roller passing in proximity to the first sensor during the powered-assist operation;

determining a rate of instances of the element of the second roller passing in proximity to the second sensor during the powered-assist operation;

determining which of said rates of instances is greater; and

determining the pull-out rate at least partly from said greater rate of instances.

25. The method of claim 14, further comprising adjusting the rotation speed of the motor during the powered-assist operation to substantially equalize the unwind rate and the pull-out rate.

26. A reel comprising:

a linear material;

a spool member rotatable about a winding axis, the spool member configured to rotate in a wind direction about the winding axis to wind the linear material about the spool member, the spool member configured to rotate in an unwind direction about the winding axis to unwind the linear material from the spool member;

a motor configured to rotate the spool member about the winding axis;

a housing surrounding the spool member and the motor, the housing having a spooling port through which the linear material extends;

a motor controller configured to control rotation of the motor;

a spool sensor system configured to be used by the motor controller to detect a first rate at which the linear material is wound upon or unwound from the spool member; and

a translation sensor system configured to be used by the motor controller to detect a second rate at which the linear material translates through the port in the wind direction or the unwind direction;

wherein the motor controller is configured to control the motor based at least partly on the first and second rates, in order to limit a length of unwound linear material between the spool member and the port to less than a predetermined length.

27. The reel of claim 26, wherein the motor controller is configured to control the motor to substantially equalize the first and second rates.