Reinforced cable spool

Abstract

A cable spool for use in automated cable winding applications, said cable spool comprising a barrel having an outside diameter and a length, and two annular flanges located at opposite ends of said barrel, wherein each one of said flanges has an inward facing side directed towards said other flange and an outward facing side, each one of said flanges includes at least one through-hole extending between said inward facing side and said outward facing side, wherein each one of said through-holes forms a start hole, and each one of said flanges includes at least one reinforcement portion positioned between said barrel and said through-holes, wherein said at least one reinforcement portion has a height measured in a radial direction from a lateral surface of said barrel to a distal edge of said at least one reinforcement portion.

Claims

1. A cable spool for use in automated cable winding applications, said cable spool comprising: a barrel having an outside diameter and a length, and two annular flanges located at opposite ends of said barrel, wherein each one of said flanges has an inward facing side directed towards said other flange and an outward facing side, each one of said flanges comprises at least one through-hole extending between said inward facing side and said outward facing side, wherein each one of said through-holes forms a start hole, and each one of said flanges comprises at least one reinforcement portion positioned between said barrel and said through-holes, wherein said at least one reinforcement portion has a height measured in a radial direction from a lateral surface of said barrel to a distal edge of said at least one reinforcement portion wherein said at least one reinforcement portion is an annular reinforcement portion.

2. The cable spool according to claim 1, wherein the height of said at least one reinforcement portion is approximately 5-15% of the outside diameter of said barrel.

3. The cable spool according to claim 1, wherein the height of said at least one reinforcement portion is 3-7 mm.

4. The cable spool according to claim 1, wherein the outside diameter of said barrel is 47-55 mm.

5. The cable spool according to claim 1, wherein said cable spool is made of PE or PP having a density of 0.8-1.2 kg/m.sup.3.

6. The cable spool according to claim 1, wherein said outward facing side of each one of said flanges is provided with a honeycomb shaped pattern of reinforcement ribs.

7. The cable spool according to claim 6, wherein said honeycomb shaped pattern of reinforcement ribs is radially aligned around a longitudinal axis of said barrel.

8. The cable spool according to claim 7, wherein said honeycomb shaped pattern of reinforcement ribs comprises reinforcement ribs having a draft angle of more than 1 degree.

9. The cable spool according to claim 1, wherein an outward facing side of said at least one reinforcement portion is provided with a plurality of ribs extending in a radial direction.

10. The cable spool according to claim 1, wherein said inward facing side of said flanges is substantially smooth.

11. The cable spool according to claim 1, wherein each one of said through-holes is shaped as a rectangle with rounded corners.

12. The cable spool according to claim 11, wherein each one of said through-holes has three straight edges and one concave edge, and said concave edge has a curvature.

Description

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

(1) The above, as well as additional objects, features and advantages of the present invention, will be better understood through the following illustrative and non-limiting detailed description of exemplary embodiments of the present invention, with reference to the appended drawing, wherein:

(2) FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a cable spool according to the present invention,

(3) FIG. 2 is a side view of a cable spool according to the present invention, and

(4) FIG. 3 is a cross-sectional view showing the inward facing side of a flange of a cable spool according to the present invention.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

(5) In the present detailed description, embodiments of a cable spool according to the present invention are mainly discussed with reference to a drawing showing a cable spool with components and portions being relevant in relation to various embodiments of the invention. It should be noted that this by no means limits the scope of the invention, which is also applicable in other circumstances for instance with other types or variants of cable spools than the embodiments shown in the appended drawings. Further, that specific features are mentioned in connection to an embodiment of the invention does not mean that those components cannot be used to an advantage together with other embodiments of the invention.

(6) The invention will now by way of example be described in more detail by means of embodiments and with reference to the accompanying drawings.

(7) FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a cable spool 1 comprising a barrel 3 and two annular flanges 5. The cable spool 1 is arranged to be able to hold a cable that has been wound onto the cable spool 1, either by an automated or a manual cable winding machine.

(8) Each one of the two flanges 5 has an inward facing side 7 directed towards the other flange 5 and an outward facing side 9 directed away from the other flange 5. The inward facing sides 7 of the two flanges 5 are substantially smooth, so as to not damage the cable that is to be wound around the barrel 3 and supported by the inward facing sides 7 of the two flanges 5. Each one of the outward facing sides 9 of the two flanges 5 is provided with a radially aligned, honeycomb shaped pattern of ribs 11, which strengthens the flanges 5 so that they are less likely to fail when the cable spool 1 is fully wound.

(9) On each one of the two flanges 5, there is provided two symmetrically distributed through-holes 13 for receiving a cable to be wound around the barrel 3, also known as start holes. The start holes 13 extend from an inward facing side 7 to an outward facing side 9 of the flanges 5. When a cable is to be wound onto the cable spool 1, the cable is passed through the start hole 13 from the inward facing side 7 to the outward facing side 9, where it is then held in place as the cable spool 1 is rotated, thus causing the cable to be winded onto the cable spool 1. The start holes 13 are shaped as rectangles with rounded corners 15, each one having one edge having a concave curvature 17 and the other three edges being straight 19. The edge having a concave curvature 17 is the edge which is located closest to the barrel 3. The start holes 13 are 40 mm by 50 mm, with the longest side being the side that has one straight 19 and one concave edge 17. The large size of the start holes 13 in relation to the diameter of the cable that is to be wound upon the cable spool 1 is due to the fact that the automated winding machines come in certain standard sizes and that this needs to be taken into consideration when designing the cable spool 1. The curvature of the concave edge 17 of the start hole 13 is such that it follows the curvature of the barrel 3. The edge having a concave curvature 17 and the two edges neighboring this edge are each provided with a radius 21 of around 0.25 mm on the inward facing side 7 of the flange 5. Thus, these edges are less likely to damage the cable that is to be wound around the cable spool 1. The edge 19 which is diametrically opposed the edge having a concave curvature 17 is provided with a tapering 23.

(10) Each one of the two flanges 5 further comprises an annular reinforcement portion 25 positioned between the barrel 3 and the concave edge 17 of the start holes 13.

(11) On the outward facing sides 9 of the two flanges 5, the reinforcement portion 25 is provided with a plurality of ribs 27 extending in a radial direction. Each one of the ribs 27 is around 6 mm long and 2 mm wide. Thus, the stability and strength of the cable spool 1 is increased further. On the inward facing side 7 of the two flanges 5, the reinforcement portion 25 is substantially smooth, so as to not damage the cable that is to be wound around the barrel 3 and supported by the inward facing sides 7 of the two flanges 5.

(12) Each one of the flanges 5 of the cable spool 1 also comprises additional, distally located holes 29 having a diameter of approximately 8 mm for securing the cable once the cable spool 1 has been fully wounded. Each one of the flanges 5 also comprises a smaller, secondary start hole 31 extending from the outward facing side 9 to the inward facing side 7 of the flanges 5. This secondary start hole 31 is located next to the barrel 3 and goes right through the annular reinforcement portion 25. The size of this secondary start hole 31 makes it unsuitable for use in automated winding application and it is therefore only used when manually winding the cable spool 1.

(13) The barrel 3 further comprises two diametrically opposed holes 33 located at one end of the barrel and a central through-hole 35 extending through the entire length of the barrel 3. The two diametrically opposed holes 33 are used for driving the rotation of the cable spool 1 when it is used in an automated cable winding application while the central through-hole 35 is used for supporting the cable spool 1.

(14) FIG. 2 is a side view of the cable spool 1, showing an outside diameter and a length of the barrel 3, the outside diameter being sufficiently large so that the cable is not damaged when it is rapidly wound onto the barrel 3. The surface of the barrel 3 is substantially smooth, so as to not damage the cable that is to be wound around it.

(15) FIG. 3 is a cross-sectional view of the cable spool 1 showing the inward facing side 7 of a flange 5. The reinforcement portion 25 has a height of around 5 mm, measured in a radial direction from a lateral surface of the barrel 3 to a distal edge 37 of the reinforcement portion 25, i.e. around 3% of the flange diameter or around 10% of the outside diameter of the barrel 3. The distal edge 37 of the reinforcement portion 25 coincides, over at least part of the reinforcement portion 25, with the concave edge 17 of the start hole 13. The barrel 3 is further provided with four spokes 32 located between an inner barrel 34 and the outer wall of the barrel 3 for ensuring that the cable spool maintains a round shape during use and as it is produced.

(16) Although exemplary embodiments of the present invention have been described herein, it should be apparent to those having ordinary skill in the art that a number of changes, modifications or alterations to the invention as described herein may be made. Thus, the above description of the various embodiments of the present invention and the accompanying drawings are to be regarded as non-limiting examples of the invention and the scope of protection is defined by the appended claims.

(17) For example, the cable spool 1 can be provided with more than two start holes 13, e.g. three or four start holes 13. The flanges 5 could also be provided with more than one reinforcement portion 25. The cable spool 1 can also be provided with more holes than the start holes 13, the secondary start hole 31, the central through-hole 35 and the two diametrically opposed holes 33 described herein.

(18) Furthermore, any reference signs in the claims should not be construed as limiting the scope.