Winch provided with adjustable self-tailing and relative operation

Abstract

The invention describes a winch (1) for nautical use or for devices for lifting and lowering on a rope, comprising a fixed stator body (2) and a rotor body (3) fixedly connected to the stator body. The rotor body is able to rotate around a longitudinal axis(a-1) to wind a rope on its outer surface. The winch is provided with a self-tailing device (6) in turn comprising two half-pulleys (61, 62), a lower half-pulley (61) and an upper half-pulley (62), mounted opposite one another and coaxial to the rotor body. The two half-pulleys, at the upper portion of the outer surface of the rotor body, define a circumferential throat (63) intended to at least partially house a winding of the rope. One half-pulley is fixed with respect to the rotor body and the other half-pulley is moveable parallel to the longitudinal axis to vary the dimensions of the circumferential throat. Advantageously, the winch comprises a device (8-11) for adjusting the position of the mobile half-pulley along the longitudinal axis; the adjustment device is able to be activated by the user in real time and in all conditions of use of the winch.

Claims

1. A nautical winch comprising: a) a fixed stator body; b) a rotor body coupled to the stator body, said rotor body being able to rotate around a longitudinal axis (A-A) to wind a rope on an outer surface of the rotor body; c) a self-tailing device in turn comprising two half-pulleys, a lower half-pulley and an upper half-pulley, mounted opposite one another and coaxial to the rotor body, said half-pulleys defining, at the upper portion of the outer surface of the rotor body, a circumferential throat intended to at least partially house a winding of said rope, wherein one half-pulley is fixed with respect to said rotor body and the other half-pulley is moveable parallel to said longitudinal axis (A-A) to vary the dimensions of said circumferential throat; d) an adjustment device for adjusting the position of the moveable half-pulley along said longitudinal axis (A-A) by moving the moveable half-pulley from a hold position closer to the fixed half-pulley than a release position further away from the fixed half-pulley, wherein in the hold position the moveable half-pulley and the fixed half-pulley are able to hold the rope therebetween in at least an angular position around the axis (A-A) while in the release position the moveable half-pulley and the fixed half-pulley leave the rope completely free in any angular position around the axis (A-A), the adjustment device being able to be activated by a user in all conditions of use of the nautical winch; and e) a thrusting means for thrusting said moveable half-pulley, suitable for constantly exerting a return force of the moveable half-pulley towards the fixed half-pulley; wherein said adjustment device comprises a counteraction means for counteracting the force exerted by said thrusting means and control element for controlling said counteraction means, accessible to the user outside of the nautical winch; wherein said thrusting means comprises one or more thrusting elements arranged between said moveable half-pulley and a non-mobile portion of the nautical winch along said longitudinal axis (A-A); wherein said counteraction means comprise a rotary pin able to rotate on said longitudinal axis (A-A), and a bushing arranged coaxial to said rotary pin and equipped with outer arms arranged in abutment against said moveable half-pulley, on the opposite side with respect to said one or more thrusting elements, wherein said rotary pin and said bushing are coupled to one another by means of a cam and cam-follower coupling based on which the rotary movements of said rotary pin determine corresponding translation movements of said bushing along said longitudinal axis (A-A).

2. The nautical winch according to claim 1, wherein the thrusting elements include at least one a spring and an element made from resilient material and there are two or four thrusting elements arranged diametrically opposite with respect to said longitudinal axis (A-A).

3. The nautical winch according to claim 1, wherein said bushing comprises one or more helical guides formed in an outer surface thereof, and said rotary pin comprises corresponding one or more projections that slidably engage said guides, or vice-versa, said rotary pin comprises one or more helical guides formed in an outer surface thereof, and said bushing comprises corresponding one or more projections that slidably engage said guides.

4. The nautical winch according to claim 3, wherein the arms of said bushing directly engage the moveable half-pulley or engage an annular element in turn arranged in abutment against the moveable half-pulley.

5. The nautical winch according to claim 4, wherein said annular element is made from a material characterized by a low friction coefficient.

6. The nautical winch according to claim 5, wherein said control element comprises a hand grip that can be actuated by the user, coupled with said rotary pin to control rotation of said rotary pin.

7. The nautical winch according to claim 6, wherein said hand grip is arranged on top of said self-tailing device.

8. The nautical winch according to claim 7, also comprising a containment case that extends at least in part outside of the circumferential throat to prevent the rope from disengaging from the self-tailing device in the radial direction, perpendicular to said longitudinal axis.

9. The nautical winch according to claim 8, wherein said containment case is moveable on springs along said longitudinal axis (A-A) to allow the easy insertion of the rope in the circumferential throat.

10. A method for maneuvering a rope by means of the nautical winch according to claim 9, the method comprising the steps of: a) winding the rope on the rotor body of the nautical winch and inserting it into the circumferential throat of the self-tailing device; b) applying a tension on the rope setting the rotor body and the self-tailing device of the nautical winch in rotation; and c) acting upon said adjustment device to take the moveable half-pulley away from the fixed half-pulley, increasing a wheelbase of said circumferential throat, and surging at least one section of said rope without it completely disengaging said self-tailing device.

11. The method according to claim 10, comprising the further step of: d) interrupting step c), not acting upon said adjustment device, to allow the thrusting means to pull back the moveable half-pulley towards the fixed half-pulley, hauling the rope between the two half-pulleys and preventing it from sliding.

12. A nautical winch comprising: a) a fixed stator body; b) a rotor body coupled to the stator body, said rotor body being able to rotate around a longitudinal axis (A-A) to wind a rope on an outer surface of the rotor body; c) a self-tailing device in turn comprising two half-pulleys, a lower half-pulley and an upper half-pulley, mounted opposite one another and coaxial to the rotor body, said half-pulleys defining, at the upper portion of the outer surface of the rotor body, a circumferential throat intended to at least partially house a winding of said rope, wherein one half-pulley is fixed with respect to said rotor body and the other half-pulley is moveable parallel to said longitudinal axis (A-A) to vary the dimensions of said circumferential throat; d) an adjustment device for adjusting the position of the moveable half-pulley along said longitudinal axis (A-A) by moving the moveable half-pulley from a hold position closer to the fixed half-pulley than a release position further away from the fixed half-pulley, wherein in the hold position the moveable half-pulley and the fixed half-pulley are able to hold the rope therebetween in at least an angular position around the axis (A-A) while in the release position the moveable half-pulley and the fixed half-pulley leave the rope completely free in any angular position around the axis (A-A); and e) a thrusting means for thrusting said moveable half-pulley, suitable for constantly exerting a return force of the moveable half-pulley towards the fixed half-pulley; wherein said adjustment device comprises counteraction means for counteracting the force exerted by said thrusting means and a driving element for driving said counteraction means, accessible to the user outside of the nautical winch, wherein said counteraction means comprises: a rotary pin able to rotate about said longitudinal axis (A-A), and a bushing arranged coaxial to said rotary pin and equipped with outer arms arranged in abutment against said moveable half-pulley, on the opposite side with respect to said thrusting means; and wherein said rotary pin and said bushing are coupled to one another by means of a cam and cam-follower coupling so that any rotary movements of said rotary pin determine corresponding translation movements of said bushing along said longitudinal axis (A-A).

Description

DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

(1) Further characteristics and advantages of the present invention will become clearer from the following detailed description of some preferred embodiments thereof, made with reference to the attached drawings. In such drawings,

(2) FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a first embodiment of a winch according to the present invention, in a first configuration;

(3) FIG. 2 is a partial section view of the winch shown in FIG. 1;

(4) FIG. 3 is a perspective view of the winch shown in FIG. 1, in a second configuration;

(5) FIG. 4 is a partial section view of the winch shown in FIG. 3, in the second configuration;

(6) FIGS. 5 and 6 are perspective views of a detail of the winch according to the first embodiment, respectively in the first and in the second configuration;

(7) FIGS. 7 and 8 are perspective views of a second embodiment of the winch according to the present invention;

(8) FIGS. 9-11 are partial section views of the winch shown in FIGS. 7 and 8, in different configurations of use.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF AN EMBODIMENT

(9) FIG. 1 shows a first embodiment of a winch 1 according to the present invention, provided with a stator body 2, able to be fixed for example to the deck of a boat or to the frame of a device for lifting and lowering on a rope, and with a rotor body 3, fixedly connected to the stator body so as to be able to rotate around the longitudinal axis A-A.

(10) Preferably, as shown in the enclosed figures, the rotor body 2 is a winding drum on which a rope, or a cable, 4 can be wound in many concentric coils or windings 5. The surface of the winding drum 2 preferably has shaped recesses formed on it, the shape of which contributes to thrusting the windings 5 of the rope 4 upwards.

(11) On top of the winding drum 2 the winch 1 comprises a device 6 for holding back the rope 4, i.e. a self-tailing device.

(12) FIG. 2 is an enlarged section view of the self-tailing device 6, considered along a plane containing the longitudinal rotation axis A-A of the winding drum 2.

(13) The self-tailing device 6 comprises a lower half-pulley 61 and an upper half-pulley 62, arranged coaxial to one another and both coaxial to the winding drum 2, thus such as to rotate around the longitudinal axis. A-A. The half-pulleys 61 and 62 are arranged opposing one another to define a circumferential throat 63 for receiving the last winding 41 of the rope 4.

(14) Preferably, the self-tailing device comprises a bracket 64 for extracting the rope from the circumferential throat 63.

(15) Preferably, as shown in FIG. 1, the inner surface 610 of the lower half-pulley 61 is knurled to maximise the grip on the rope 41.

(16) In general, one of the two half-pulleys 61 or 62 is moveable parallel to the longitudinal axis A-A, and the other half-pulley is fixed with respect to this axis. Preferably, both of the half-pulleys 61 and 62, like in the case shown in the attached figures, rotate as a unit with the winding drum 2.

(17) FIGS. 1-6 refer to the same embodiment of the winch 1, in which the mobile half-pulley is the lower one 61 and the fixed half-pulley is the upper one 62.

(18) In particular, FIGS. 1 and 2 show the winch 1 in a first configuration, which corresponds to the half-pulley 61 in work position, proximal to the half-pulley 62. In this configuration the circumferential throat 63 has minimum dimensions. As an example, in FIG. 2 reference D1 indicates the distance between centres between the two half-pulleys 61 and 62.

(19) The,upper half-pulley 62 is fixed with respect to the winding drum 3 of the winch 1; the lower half-pulley 61 is fixedly connected to the winding drum 3 so as to rotate as a unit with it and at the same time be moveable parallel to the longitudinal axis A-A. This is obtained by mounting the lower half-pulley 61 sliding on vertical pins, parallel to the axis A-A, projecting at the top from the winding drum 3.

(20) The translating movement of the lower half-pulley 61 is counteracted by a plurality of helical springs 7, preferably fitted onto the aforementioned pins and more preferably arranged diametrically opposite with respect to the axis A-A. The springs 7 are preferably preloaded in the assembly step of the winch 1 and they constantly exert a thrust that tends to take the lower half-pulley 61 back into proximal position with respect to the upper half-pulley 62 following a displacement parallel to the axis A-A. The springs 7 shown in FIG. 2 are extended (not completely since they are preloaded). As an alternative to the helical springs 7 it is possible to use sheet springs or other resilient elements, like for example rubber cylinders.

(21) FIGS. 3 and 4 show the winch 1 in a second configuration, which corresponds to the half-pulley 61 in retracted position, distal from the upper half-pulley 62. In this configuration the springs 7 are completely compressed and the circumferential throat 63 has maximum dimensions. As an example, in FIG. 4 the reference D2 indicated the distance between centres between the two half-pulleys 61 and 62,

(22) The comparison between FIGS. 2 and 4 highlights that D1<D2, i.e. a displacement towards the winding drum 3 of the lower half-pulley 61 causes an increase in the dimensions of the circumferential throat 63.

(23) In general, the winch 1 comprises means for counteracting the springs 7 the function of which is to control the displacement of the lower half-pulley 61 away from the upper half-pulley 62, in distal position.

(24) In the embodiment shown in the attached figures, the counteraction means comprise an annular element 9, arranged in abutment against the upper surface of the lower half-pulley 61, on the opposite side with respect to the springs 7 and coaxial with the same half-pulley, 61, a bushing 9, arranged in engagement with the annular element 9, and a pin 8 able to rotate on the longitudinal axis A-A.

(25) The bushing 9 and the rotary pin 8 are fixedly connected by means of a cam and cam-follower coupling, for which reason the rotary movements given to the rotary pin 8 cause corresponding translation movements of the bushing 9 parallel to the longitudinal axis A-A.

(26) The winch 1 is provided with means for adjusting the position of the lower half-pulley 61, which in the embodiment shown in FIGS. 1-4 is the mobile half-pulley. Such adjustment means can be actuated by the user in any condition of use of the winch 1 and, therefore, even when the rope 4 is under tension.

(27) In the winch shown in the figures, the adjustment means consist of a hand grip 11 arranged on top of the self-tailing device 6, fixed to the rotary pin 8, for example with a screw, and able to be rotated by the user even with a single hand.

(28) From the configuration shown in FIG. 2, a rotation given by the user to the rotary pin 8 by means of the hand grip 11, for example an anti-clockwise rotation, causes the opening of the same self-tailing device 6, i.e. the opening in the longitudinal direction of the circumferential throat 63, and the winch 1 goes into the configuration shown in FIG. 4.

(29) The counteraction of the springs 7, and therefore the consequent lowered positioning of the lower half-pulley 61, lasts as long as the user keeps the hand grip 11 rotated with respect to the initial position. When the user lets go of the hand grip 11, the springs 7 autonomously thrust the lower half-pulley 61 towards the upper half-pulley 62, once again clamping the rope 41 present in the circumferential throat 63; the hand grip 11 rotates in its initial position under the thrust of the rotary pin 8, in turn set in rotation by the bushing 9 and by the annular element 10. The winch goes back into the configuration shown in FIG. 2.

(30) FIGS. 5 and 6 in particular show the operation of the counteraction means 8-10.

(31) FIG. 5 shows the counteraction means 8-10 in the mutual position corresponding to the first configuration of the winch 1, with the self-tailing device 6 closed, i.e. with the lower mobile half-pulley 61 in proximal position with respect to the upper fixed half-pulley 62. The rotary pin 8 comprises one or more projections 81 slidably engaged, as cam-followers, in corresponding inner cams 91 formed through the surface of the bushing 9. The projection 81 visible in FIG. 5 is located at the lower end of the inner cam 91, in practice in a through opening that is shaped and inclined with respect to the axis A-A.

(32) FIG. 6 shows the counteraction means 8-10 in the mutual position corresponding to the second configuration of the winch 1, with the self-tailing device 6 open, i.e. with the lower mobile half-pulley 61 in distal position with respect to the upper fixed half-pulley 62. The hand grip 11 was rotated by the user for its entire stroke and the projection 81 visible in FIG. 6 is located at the upper end of the inner cam 91; the bushing 9 is lowered with respect to the position shown in FIG. 5 by a length D proportional to the difference D2-D1.

(33) The bushing 9 is provided with a plurality of arms 92, projecting in the radial direction, which transmit the vertical movement to the annular element 10, which in turn thrusts the lower half-pulley 61 parallel to the axis A-A.

(34) Clearly, the user can partially rotate the hand grip (thus not for the entire available stroke) to take the projection 81 into an intermediate position with respect to the positions shown in FIGS. 5 and 6 in the inner cam 91. In this way the user can effectively adjust the clamping force exerted by the half-pulleys 61 and 62 on the winding 41 present in the circumferential throat 63. In this way the user can open the self-tailing device just enough to allow the sliding of the rope 4 with respect to the two half-pulleys 61 and 62 and with respect to the winding drum 3 to precisely adjust, for example, a sail of the boat, and this without having to free the winding 41 from the circumferential throat 63.

(35) A great advantage offered by the winch 1 is therefore the possibility of unwinding the rope 4 from the winding drum 3 in a controlled manner; by opening the self-tailing device 6 the windings 5 can be left to slip out still keeping the number of the windings 5 themselves unchanged and keeping the winding 41 in the circumferential throat of the self-tailing device 6. In this way the safety of the user is maximised during the manoeuvres to release the rope 4 under tension.

(36) FIGS. 7 and 8 show a second embodiment of the winch 1 according to the present invention.

(37) The winch 1 comprises, in addition to the relative self-tailing device 6, a containment case 12, mobile parallel to the longitudinal axis A-A, the function of which is to laterally close the circumferential throat 63 to avoid the rope 41 coming out.

(38) With reference to FIGS. 9-11, which show the upper part of the winch 1 in section, the containment case 12 is fixedly connected to a portion 14 of the winch, for example through pins, fixed with respect to the stator body 2. Between the containment case 12 and the fixed portion 14 there are one or more springs 13 that counteracts the translation movement of the containment case 12 along the axis A-A.

(39) In normal conditions the containment case 12 laterally intercepts the circumferential throat 63 and prevents the rope from disengaging in the radial direction, perpendicular to the axis A-A. The user can intervene manually directly on the case 12 or on a suitable control member, for example the hand grip 11 for adjusting the axial position of the mobile half-pulley, to axially lift the case itself and gain access to the throat 63 for the insertion of the rope 41. For example, the hand grip 11 rotates in the clockwise direction to control the axial movement of the mobile half-pulley 62 and rotates in the anti-clockwise direction to control the axial movement of the containment case 12; alternatively, the axial movement of the containment case 12 is controlled by the hand grip 11 that rotates in the clockwise direction beyond the limit corresponding to the maximum opening of the self-tailing device 6. In FIGS. 9 and 10 the containment case 12 is lowered and intercepts the circumferential throat 63 (the spring 13 is extended); in FIG. 11 the case 12 is raised and the throat 63 is accessible (the spring 13 is compressed).

(40) In the winch 1 the mobile half-pulley is the upper one 62, which is able to translate parallel to the axis A-A, and the fixed half-pulley is the lower one 61, which is screwed into the winding drum 3.

(41) In particular, FIG. 9 shows the winch 1 in its first configuration, with the self-tailing device 6 closed, i.e. with the mobile half-pulley 62 in proximal position with respect to the fixed half-pulley 61. The springs 7 are extended.

(42) FIG. 10 shows the winch 1 in its second configuration, obtained by rotating the hand grip 11 in the clockwise direction, with the self-tailing device 6 completely open, i.e. with the mobile half-pulley 62 in the maximum distal position with respect to the fixed half-pulley 61. The springs 7 are compressed. By rotating the hand grip 11 by a smaller angle the mobile half-pulley 62 is brought into a distal position, intermediate between the proximal position and the maximum distal position, with respect to the fixed half-pulley 61.

(43) FIG. 11 shows the winch 1 in its third configuration, with the containment case 12 raised and the self-tailing device 6 open. The springs 7 and 13 are compressed.

(44) The operation of the winch 1 is analogous to the operation of the winch 1 and shares the same advantages.