US3348811A

US3348811A - Wire placing device

Info

Publication number: US3348811A
Application number: US537416A
Authority: US
Inventors: Jr Wayne M Pierce
Original assignee: HUNT PIERCE CORP
Current assignee: HUNT PIERCE CORP
Priority date: 1966-03-25
Filing date: 1966-03-25
Publication date: 1967-10-24
Anticipated expiration: 1984-10-24

Description

Oct. 24, 1967 w. M. PIERCE, JR 3,348,811

WIRE PLACING DEVICE Filed March 25, 1966 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 FIGJ 9 INVENTOR. WAYNE M. P|ERCE, JR.

' BY (whim ATTORNEY Oct. 24, 1967 w. PIERCE, JR 3,348,811

WIRE PLACING DEVICE Filed March 25, 1966 2 Sheets-Sheet B WAYNE M.' PIERCE, JR.

ATTORNEY United States Patent Oflice 3,348,81 l Patented Oct. 24, 1967 3,348,811 WIRE PLACING DEVICE Wayne M. Pierce, Jr., Milford Conn., assignor to Hunt- Pierce Corporation, Milford, Conn., a corporation of Connecticut Filed Mar. 25, 1966, Ser. No. 537,416 3 Claims. (Cl. 254134.3)

This invention relates to an improvement in the means ;for placing wire or cable through use of a boom situated on a supporting vehicle.

The art of placing wires or cables by means of a boom is not new. Such booms are generally located on supporting structures in the form of a vehicle or similar movable means. To the upper end of the boom is usually coupled a platform or bucket capable of supporting the workmen who participate in the placement of the wire or cable. The vehicle generally stores the supply of wire or cable on reels, and doles out the necessary wire length in accordance with the movement of the vehicle. A vehicle is required in order to allow for the long distances generally involved in the placement of wire. To provide for flexibility, the boom may be constructed so as to be capable of being positioned in an angular manner with respect to the stationary vehicle. For the boom to be angularly displaceable in relation to its supporting vehicle, it is essential to provide means by which the wire can be angularly oriented in correspondence to the angular position of the boom.

Heretofore, the means which guided the wire to the boom, did not possess the feature which allowed the wire to become angularly oriented so as to correspond to the orientation of the boom. Such means, heretofore, exerted forces of wear and bending moments upon the wire, and this resulted in decrease of the durability and life span 'of the wire or cable. Aside from this, the surface of the It is an object of this invention, therefore, to provide a rotatable guiding device which passes wire from the vehicle to the boom and which is capable of positioning itself freely in an angular manner so as to correspond to the orientation of the boom in the proper relationship.

It is another object of this invention to provide means for passing wire from the vehicle to the boom without applying to the wire undue forces of wear and bending moments.

A further object of this invention is to provide a guiding device for passing Wire from the vehicle to the boom, which maintains minimum, the frictional resistance exerted on or experienced by the wire.

Still another object of the present invention is to provide a guiding device which has the ability to be stored at a road side, for example, without utilizing the complex latches and guiding wheel constructions heretofore used.

A still further object of the present invention is to provide a guiding device of a light, tubular and unitary structure to prevent any inadvertent removal of the wire or cable therefrom while it is being strung.

A still further object of this invention is to provide the guiding device with means adaptable for solid and stranded wire.

series of rollers 19 It is a yet further object of this invention to provide means for adjusting the height of the guiding device in relation to the boom to allow for effective operation as well as storage.

Other objects and advantages are set forth in greater detail in the following specification taken in conjunction with accompanying drawings in which:

FIGURE 1 is a mechanical assembly diagram showing the guiding device in relation to the boom, reel of wire and supporting vehicle.

FIGURE 2 shows the stowed condition of the assemblage of FIGURE 1 with the guiding device removed.

FIGURE 3 shows a modified form of the guiding device adapted to the placement of stranded wire.

In accordance with FIGURES 1 and 2, the motor vehicle 1 is equipped with facility to carry a reel 2 upon which the wire or cable to be placed is wound. Although the term wire is used in the description of this invention, the expression cable may be applied equally well. The vehicle includes linkage 3 which serves to load the reel firmly in place on the vehicle. The reel is mounted on an axis or trunnion 4, and is balanced so that it may rotate freely. Axis 4 is located so as to allow for different sizes and weights of reels.

A boom 5 is supported by the vehicle through a vertical bearing base 6. This bearing support permits the boom to be rotated to the desired angular direction. Linkage 7 allows the boom to be raised or lowered by pivoting about axis 8. The boom is of telescopic design and includes an extensible section 9 which allows the length of the boom to be adjusted in accordance with the position of the vehicle and the location of the point at which the wire is to be placed.

At the end of section 9, is a bucket 10, supported in bearing 11. The purpose of the bucket is to accommodate working personnel which aid in the placement of the wire. The bucket may have a capacity for one or more workmen. Accordingly the bucket, when in service, should always be upright or oriented so that the per sonnel standing in the bucket are vertical. This is accomplished by assuring that the center of gravity of the bucket is well below the axis 11. In this manner the bucket will automatically align itself in a vertical direction regardless of the angular position of the boom. By allowing the bucket to rotate freely in bearing 11, the center of gravity of the bucket will not be stable, and it will move until the bucket is vertical without requiring any external stimuli.

Linkage 12 is provided for the purpose of stowing the boom when not in use. In this way the boom may be lowered and located in an appropriate position on the vehicle, so as not to present an obstacle when passing under overhead structures or when moving on roadways in relation to other traffic. The stowed condition of the boom is illustrated in FIGURE 2.

In order to lead the wire to the location of the bucket, the wire 13 leaving the reel, is guided by rollers 14 towards a pivot assembly and guiding device 15. This guiding device includes a tube 16 within which the wire passes. The tube is fastened to a mast 17 that protrudes from a housing 18. The combination of

members

17 and 18 forms a telescopic arrangement in that mast 17 may be raised or lowered in place, or be completely rernoved for stowage purposes as shown in FIGURE 2. A supported on bearings 20 fixed to tube 16, serve to guide wire 13 through the tube with a minimum amount of frictional resistance. The wire emerging from tube 16 passes into a second tube 21 held by a joint 22 mounted on mast 17. Joint 22 allows tube 21 to swivel angularly in accordance with the direction and position of boom 5. With this arrangement, therefore, the boom may turn to any desired direction without stressing around a curve at a point remote 1 3 the wire to be placed, or abrading the wire surface as a result of friction.

Tube or chute 21 may include rollers of the type 19 to minimize friction as the wire passes through it in the manner similar to that of tube 16, or chute 21 may comprise the construction shown in FIGURE 1. The mouth of chute 21 is funnel shaped to allow for variations in the height of the boom, and to prevent the edge of the chute from rubbing against the surface of the wire.

It will be noted that the tube 21 is disposed at a point some distance removed from the turret assembly. This location of the tube permits the wire or cable to be or strain thereon being is that the wire passes from both the reel and placed with the undesirable stress inhibited. The reason therefore,

the wire laying device.

A pin 22a may be accommodated in an opening in the mast 17 to prevent the tube or chute 21 from swiveling during traveling on the road. By this means there is no need for disconnecting the tube from the mast while traveling to and from work or to different work sites.

When it is desired to place stranded wire, a swivel sheave 23 may be employed in lieu of chute 21. Sheave 23 is held by joint 22 in a manner similar to that of chute 21, and is capable of swiveling about the joint in accordance with the requirements of the boom. Sheave 24 supported by bearing 25, serves to lead the wire towards swivel sheave 23, and assures that the wire is properly seated on the latter sheave. The sheaves may include grooves at their circumferences to aid in properly seating the wire. Bearing 25 is mounted on mast 17 so as to conform in proper relationship to the swivel sheave.

The device of the present invention is an enclosed tubular unitary compactconstruction which prevents any inadvertent or accidental removal of the wire or. cable therefrom as had occurred with devices for wire placing heretofore used.

The present invention provides a structure which may be removed with the entire reel and cable and placed at the road side. This has the advantage of overcoming the necessity of first removing the wire from the complex latch and wheel guiding element proposed by the prior art. The wire placing device of the present invention is light and compact and easily removeable with the wire from the vehicle itself.

The guiding device provides the kinematic link which gives the boom the freedom of being positioned both in height and angular direction, so as to reach locations which would otherwise be inaccessible.

While this invention has been described in some detail, it will be understood by those skilled in the art that variations and modifications may be made without departing from the spirit thereof or the scope of the following claims.

I claim:

1. A wire placing device comprising in combination: a vehicle for transporting said device; a reel of wire and means for supporting said reel; a boom situated on said vehicle; a mast; means for guiding the wire from said reel to said boom; a chute on said mast through which said wire passes from said reel to said boom, said chute comprising upper and lower curved portions and rollers extending into said chute to minimize frictional effects on the wire as it moves through said chute, said portions being aligned end to end; swivel means for mounting said upper portion to pivot about an axis through the aligned ends; and a member in which said mast is adapted to slide, said member being located at the front of said. vehicle.

2. The wire placing device of claim 1 wherein said mast and member in which it slides comprise a telescopic structure and said mast is removable for stowage.

3. The wire placing device of claim 1 wherein said upper portion of said chute is freely rotatable through an angle of 360.

References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 2,413,909 1/1947 Clement et al. 254-1343 3,052,450 9/1962 Trunnell .,254134.3 3,103,345 9/1963 Eitel 254- 3,201,090 8/1965 Jones 254-.l34.3 3,279,758 10/1966 Eitel 254?-134.3

OTHELL SIMPSON, Primary Examiner, I

Claims

1. A WIRE PLACING DEVICE COMPRISING IN COMBINATION: A VEHICLE FOR TRANSPORTING SAID DEVICE; A REEL OF WIRE AND MEANS FOR SUPPORTING SAID REEL; A BOOM SITUATED ON SAID VEHICLE; A MAST; MEANS FOR GUIDING THE WIRE FROM SAID REEL TO SAID BOOM; A CHUTE ON SAID MAST THROUGH WHICH SAID WIRE PASSES FROM SAID REEL TO SAID BOOM, SAID CHUTE COMPRISING UPPER AND LOWER CURVED PORTIONS AND ROLLERS EXTENDING INTO SAID CHUTE TO MINIMIZE FRICTIONAL EFFECTS ON THE WIRE AS IT MOVES THROUGH SAID CHUTE, SAID PORTIONS BEING ALIGNED END TO END; SWIVEL MEANS FOR MOUNTING SAID UPPER PORTION TO PIVOT ABOUT AN AXIS THROUGH THE ALIGNED ENDS; AND A MEMBER IN WHICH SAID MAST IS ADAPTED TO SLIDE, SAID MEMBER BEING LOCATED AT THE FRONT OF SAID VEHICLE.