Note : Les descriptions sont présentées dans la langue officielle dans laquelle elles ont été soumises.
CA 02274744 1999-06-08
WO 98/26485 PCT/N097/00316
1
ARRANGEMENTS IN A PROTECTION
CONTAINER FOR AN ELECTRICAL CABLE
The present invention relates to arrangements in a protection
container in order to enable feed-out of an electrical cable
stored within the protection container, said cable, at one
end thereof, having a plug/socket and, at the other end
thereof, is supplied with electrical power, and wherein
feed-in/withdrawal of the electrical cable into the protec-
tion container again is allowed after use.
Such a cable having a contact means of the plug or socket
type at the free end thereof and, preferably, coupled to a
power supply at the other end, can be used in connection with
an electrical apparatus, machine or other device/means carry-
ing a complementary contact means, e.g. a socket or a plug,
respectively, the two mutually complementary contact means
being plugable, one within the other. Said electrical appara-
tus, etc., may e.g. be constituted by engine heaters in motor
vehicles, battery charging apparatus for electrical vehicles
and the like. The cable may possibly be provided with signal
conductors which, through remote control, may start/stop e.g.
a motor heater or other apparatus.
Norwegian patent application No. 961492 discloses a feed-out
device for a plug adapted to be plugged into a socket and
positioned at the end of an electrical cable assigned a
~'r~NlFll~~l~1'~1~~ CO~P'~
CA 02274744 1999-06-08
WO 98/26485 PCT/N097/00316
2
power supply. This automatically functioning feed-out device
is not assigned a protection container as the one according
to the present invention for the protective envelopment of
cable with plug/socket, but serves exclusively to secure a
controlled feed-out of the electrical cable's plug when it is
pulled out from the socket in which it is plugged, the socket
being incorporated into said electrical apparatus, etc., e.g.
the engine heater;,in case one has forgotten to haul the
electrical cable's plug out from the socket of the engine
heater.
When using engine heaters in motor vehicles, the electrical
cable together with its plug, after the latter has been
released upon being pulled out from the socket of the engine
heater, often becomes lying unprotectedly on the ground,
subjected to being overrun and damaged. In such an unpro-
tected position, dirt and other impurities will easily
find their way into the plug, and cable and plug can freeze
firmly to the ground during periods of frost in the winter
time. The plug at the end of the live electrical cable, in an
unprotected position, lying on the ground, represents a risk
factor for children. Upon contact with metal parts of the
plug, a child may get an electrical shock.
Norwegian patent specification No. 165 088 discloses an
apparatus adapted to cause an automatic hauling of the
electrical cable's plug up to a higher positioned level in a
garage or the like. This prior art apparatus is very compre-
hensive. As mentioned, it is based on an operation including
a hauling of the plug of the cable up to a position in which
it is not available to a child, i.e. a position in which the
plug does not represent a risk factor, but the apparatus does
not comprise a protection container for protective envelop-
ment of cable and plug/socket in an inoperative position of
readiness. For the installation thereof, this known hauling
apparatus requires a column of a not insignificantly height.
Therefore, the object of the present invention has been to
T _ __. ___. . _ ~_..T_...__..T.~._~._
CA 02274744 1999-06-08
WO 98/26485 PCT/N097100316
3
eliminate or, to a substantial degree, reduce deficiencies,
disadvantages and restrictions of use associated with prior
art technique as represented through the above-mentioned
Norwegian patent publications and, thus, provide a protection
container in which cable with plug/socket are protectively
enclosed in inoperative position of readiness, and from where
the cable can be pulled aut through the plug/socket at the
end thereof, in order to plug the cable's plug into the
socket of the engine heater, etc., tensioning the cable
appropriately in the position of use, the cable and, thus,
the plug/socket not being subjected to undesired external
tractive forces in this position of use, but where the cable
with the plug/socket, after use, is subjected to a controlled
withdrawal into the protection container.
Another object consists in providing a protection container
which is closed in the protective position and formed with a
hatchway which can be closed/opened by means of a movable
hatch cover which, in addition to its primary tasks, to open
or to close the hatchway of the protection container as well
as to enable operations resulting in the feed-out/feed-in of
the cable respectively enclosing the cable with its plug/-
socket protectively within a closed container, is adapted to
participate in a tensioning feed-in displacement of a cable
which has been pulled too far out when it was plugged into
e.g. an engine heater's socket, respectively is adapted to be
retained in a locked intermediate position between wholly
open and closed position, in order to counteract that the
cable with the plug becomes subjected to tractive forces from
the protection container's feed-in device in the position of
use.
The hatch cover may be lockable, possibly through timed
payment device (as a parking-meter).
Likewise, one has aimed at providing a protection container
in which the hatch cover is pivotable about an upper,
substantially horizontal axis at the top of the protection
CA 02274744 1999-06-08
WO 98126485 PCT/N097/00316
4
container, and wherein the hatch cover's tooth segment,
friction surface segment or the like extends along a fraction
of 360° and cooperates with a rotatable ratchet wheel having
a toothing, cogging, friction surface or the like along the
entire circumference thereof, and along which the cable has
been placed, e.g. in a circumferential groove, outside the
toothing, cogging, friction surface, etc., and is guided
during feed-out (drawing out) and feed-in (withdrawal).
As the ratchet segment of the hatch cover follows the pivotal
movement of the latter, it only engages the ratchet wheel
during a certain rotational angle zone for the hatch cover,
e.g. within a pivotal angle area of 17-47° for the hatch
cover in relation to vertical. The ratchet segment can
circumferentialwise extend across about 30° in relation to
the substantially horizontal pivotal axis of the hatch cover.
Thus, the ratchet segment of the hatch cover is out of
engagement with said rotatable ratchet wheel in the com-
pletely swung up (substantially horizontal) position of the
hatch cover and in the completely swung down (substantially
vertical) position thereof.
The pivotal movability of the hatch cover and the mentioned
ratchet device for the same cause that the electrical cable
with the end plug, from a protected storage position within
the protection container, unhindered can be pulled out after
the hatch cover has been swung up. A cable which has been
pulled out to an extensive length, enabling the pulled out
cable length to hang down, reaching the ground wholly or
partly after the plug thereof has been plugged into the
socket of e.g. an engine heater, will be withdrawn into the
protection container's opening until the cable is tensioned
to an appropriate stretching, while the hatch cover swings
down until its ratchet segment is in engagement with the
ratchet wheel and is locked in this slopingly downwardly
directed, intermediate, open position, fixing the cable in
this adequately stretched position of use until there no
longer exists a need for transfer of electrical power to the
J _ ~.._._ . _ ~~_'..
CA 02274744 1999-06-08
WO 98/26485 PCT/N097/00316
engine heater. Then, the locking of the hatch cover is
neutralized, whereafter it is retained in an non-locked,
open position while the feed-in means of the protection
container pulls the cable into the container again. The hatch
cover may have at least one stop for limiting the withdrawal
of the cable's plug/socket, so that it at any time will take
an easily available position after the cover has been swung
up.
The protection container's withdrawal means may be based on
weight and/or spring means.
The ratchet wheel which also operates as a guiding wheel for
the cable, may be formed with one or two parallel, 360°
extending circumferential grooves placed laterally of the
annular ratchet portion (toothing/friction surface). It may,
namely, be desirable to place the cable two times around the
ratchet wheel, in order to prevent it from skidding or
sliding within a single groove when the ratchet wheel is
inlocked engagement with the ratchet segment. Advantageously,
said groove may have the form of a wedge/key groove, the
groove-defining annular surfaces thereof converging inwardly
in the radial direction.
When the cable withdrawal device of the protection container
is based on the use of a vertically movable weight, the
latter may suitably carry a tackle in the form of a groove
wheel. In the lower portion of the protection container, the
cable is guided into a pipe, and leads e.g. to a contact
fastened to the inner container wall for, thereafter, to
extend partially around the circumference of said tackle,
lying in the circumferential groove thereof, and, thereafter,
partially around the ratchet wheel after having travelled
aconsiderable vertical distance, whereafter the plug of the
cable is conveyed inta guiding engagement with stop means of
the hatch cover.
In order to secure a rectilinear vertical displacement
CA 02274744 1999-06-08
WO 98/26485 PCT/N097/00316
6
movement of the weight, it may be formed with a vertically
through-going edge groove into which said pipe engages,
forming an appropriate clearance therebetween, in order to
secure the slidable displacement of the weight, guided along
the fixed pipe .
In order to procure at one's disposal a larger cable length
that may be pulled out, e.g. to an engine heater, etc., which
because of narrow spatial conditions is located at a fairly
substantial distance from the protection container, the
protection container may internally being provided with a
rotary drum having a reel onto which is wound an electrical
cable, in order to enable the feed-out of a larger cable
length by unwinding cable from said drum reel.
The cable used may be a rubber coated, steel reinforced
cable.
A non-restricting example of one at present preferred
embodiment of a protection container having a cable with-
drawal means as shaped and designed in accordance with the
invention is further explained in the following, reference
being made to the accompanying drawings, in which:
Figure 1 shows a vertical axial section through a protection
container having a withdrawal means for a live,
insulated cable equipped with an end plug/end
socket, the cable with the plug/socket in the
entirety being protectively enclosed within the
protection container;
Figure 2 shows an encircled, enlarged partial view of an
upper portion of the protection container of figure
1, in the area of the pivotal mounting and ratchet
device of the hatch cover; said upper portion
possibly being rotary in relation to the lower
portion of the protection container;
CA 02274744 1999-06-08
WO 98/26485 PCT/N097/00316
7
Figure 3 shows a weight of a special embodiment, usable in
the cable withdrawal means of the protection
container, seen in a perspective view obliquely
from above;
Figure 4 shows a horizontal view through the weight according
to figure 3, the protection container and a pipe in
which said. cable passes from an underlying
connection place at a power supply (not shown), and
wherein the vertical pipe firmly mounted to the
container inner wall moreover serves as a guide for
the weight, the pipe being in slidingly displacable
engagement with a vertically through-going edge
groove at the circle-disc-shaped circumference of
the weight;
Figure 5 corresponds to figure 1, but shows the hatch cover
in a completely swung up, substantially horizontally
lying position, in which the blocking action is
neutralized when the cable is being pulled out;
Figure 6 corresponds to figure 2, but shows the hatch cover,
a ratchet wheel and the cable in the positions they
take acording to figure 5;
Figure 7 corresponds to figures 1 and 5, but shows the hatch
cover in a blocked, downwardly sloping intermediate
position; the plug/socket of the cable is indicated
in plugged in position into e.g. an engine heater of
a motor vehicle, and wherein it appears that the
cable in this position of use has been allotted an
appropriate tensioning by means of the withdrawal
means.
Figure 1 shows a protection container 10 for a cable 12
equipped with a plug/socket 14 at the upper end. In the
embodiment shown, a longitudinal cable portion 12' extends
through a vertical, stationary pipe 16, which may be attached
CA 02274744 1999-06-08
WO 98/26485 PCT/N097/00316
8
to the protection container's 10 inner wall face, to an e.g.
underlying power supply, not shown. From the upper end of the
pipe 16 which is situated closer to the top of the protection
container 10 than the bottom 10' thereof, the cable 12 passes
through an electrical current connector 18. Therefrom, the
cable 12 passes vertically downwardly where it, at the
lowermost portion thereof, is placed around a tackle 20 in
the form of a groove disc carried by a circle-disc-shaped
weight 22, which carries upright bearing ears 24 for the
rotary mounting of the tackle 20.
In the examplary embodiment, the weight 22 together with the
bearing ears 24 and the tackle 20 form a force-exerting means
of the withdrawal device for hauling the cable back into the
protection container 10. Alternatively, the weight 22 might
be deleted and replaced by a spring device exerting a
downwardly directed force on the tackle 20. A suitably heavy
weight 22 may e.g. be about 5 kg.
When a weight 22 is used in the cable withdrawal device of
the protection container 10, the vertical, cable-surrounding
pipe 16 which is fixedly mounted to the inner side face of
the tubular protection container 10, can be utilized to guide
the weight 22, so that the latter is guaranteed a vertical,
rectilinear displacement movement, without liabilities to
rotation, which would have been disadvantageous to the
controlled, guided course of the cable 12.
According to figure 3, the circular-disc-shaped weight 22 may
be formed with a vertically through-going edge groove 26. In
accordance with figure 4 it appears that the pipe 16 engages
slidingly into this edge groove 26, where the clearance
between the circumferential face defining the edge groove and
the outer face of the pipe 16 is sufficient to secure an
easily slidable displacement of the weight 22 up and down
along the pipe 16.
From the tackle 20, the cable 12 extends vertically upwards
CA 02274744 1999-06-08
WO 98/26485 PCT/N09'7/00316
9
to a freely rotatable guide pulley 28 which may be shaped as
a groove disc. The groove is shown in a dotted line and
denoted at reference numeral 30. Simultaneously, the guide
pulley 28 is shaped as a ratchet wheel across a part of the
thickness thereof, here represented by a 360° extending
toothing 28', which could have been replaced by a 360°
friction wheel portion (not shown).
In order to prevent that the cable shall slide in the groove
of the guide pulley 28, the groove may be formed as a wedge
groove having a V-like cross-sectional shape, where the
groove defining wall surfaces converge against each other
radially inwardly. To further avoid skidding, the guide
pulley 28 may have at least two guide grooves for the cable,
possibly in the form of two parallel wedge grooves, so that
the cable 12 will extend itself two times around the guide
pulley 28, before the free end thereof carrying the
plug/socket 14 is brought into engagement with a stop 32,
possibly between two adjacent stops 32, 34 placed on an
armature 36' constituting a part of a hatch cover 36 which,
in the position according to figures 1 and 2, closes an upper
hatchway 38 in the form of an aperture through which the
cable with its plug/socket 14 is pulled out and hauled in
relative to the protection container 10.
In the shown embodiment of the hatch cover 36, the same is
pivotally mounted about an upper shaft 40 which is substan-
tially horizontal. It appears that the hatch cover 36, in
closed position according to figure 1, overlaps a container
wall portion extending downwardly from the hatchway 38 for
sealing purposes and, lowermost, an inclinedly downwardly
directed, angulated handle part 36" is formed, for the
upwards/downwards pivotal movements of the hatch cover 36.
A very important feature of the present invention is
constituted by the ratchet portion of the hatch cover 36,
said portion having the form of a toothed segment 42 adapted
for periodical engagement into and cooperation with the 360°
CA 02274744 1999-06-08
WO 98/26485 PCT/N097/00316
circumferential toothing 28' of the guide pulley 28. If the
ratchet portion 28' of the guide pulley, instead of the
toothing, is provided with a 360° frictional face portion
along the circumference, the hatch cover's 36 segment-shaped
ratchet portion, instead of teeth, be formed with a corre-
sponding frictional face segment which, in the same way as
the tooth segment 42, is adapted to cooperate hatch-
cover-position-blockingly with the annular frictional face
portion across a certain angle of rotation area for the hatch
cover 36. In the shown embodiment, this angle area can be
limited between the angles 17 and 47° in relation to a
vertical plane which e.g. passes through the horizontal
rotational axis 40 of the hatch cover 36 and, in relation to
this axis 40, the hatch segment 42 may e.g. extend across a
circular arc of 30°.
When the cable 12 with the plug/socket 14 shall be used, the
hatch cover 36 is swung up about its horizontal rotational
axis 40 into the completely swung up, approximately horizon-
tal end position thereof, figures 5 and 6, and, during this
rotational movement, the ratchet segment 42 has been in
engagement with the ratchet wheel 28' of the guide pulley 28.
The blocking action across this rotational angle area for the
hatch cover 36 during its upwardly directed rotational move-
ment into completely open end position, is overcome by the
applied, upwardly directed manual force exerted on the hatch
cover 36 during the opening movement thereof.
However, in the completely swung up, open position of the
hatch cover 36, the blocking action which was established by
the engagement of the ratchet segment 42 into the ratchet
wheel portion 28' of the cable guide pulley 28, is neutra-
lized, see especially figure 6, from where it clearly appears
that a quite insignificant downwardly directed rotational
movement of the hatch cover 36, anti-clockwise about the
rotational axis 40, will introduce its ratchet segment's 42
engagement into the ratchet wheel portion 28' of the guide
pulley 28 and, thus, start the blocking engagement
CA 02274744 1999-06-08
WO 98/26485 PCT/N097/00316
11
therebetween, in order to automatically establishing a
blocked position for the hatch cover 36 in an open inter-
mediate position when the plug thereof has been plugged into
the socket 46 of e.g. a motor vehicle's 44 engine heater.
Thus, when electrical contact has been established between
the cable's plug 14 and the engine heater's socket 46, one
can let go one's hold of the hatch cover 36 which, then, due
to the weight thereof and the significant extent between its
free end at the handle portion 36" and the axis 40, swings
downwardly until the ratchet segment 42 of the hatch cover 36
comes into complete or nearly complete engagement with the
ratchet wheel portion 28' of the freely rotatable guide
pulley.
The blocking action established is illustrated in figures 7
and 8, wherein the hatch cover's 36,36',36" twisting moment
in respect of the axis 40 acts on the guide pulley/ratchet
wheel 28,28'. Thus, in this blockage position, the hatch
cover 36,36',36" retains the guide pulley/ratchet wheel 28,
28' in a locked, non-rotatable position, while the guide
pulley/ratchet wheel 28,28' retains the hatch cover 36,36',
36", likewise, in a locked, non-pivotal position.
When one let go one's hold of the hatch cover 36,36',36"
after the plug has been plugged into the socket 46 of an
engine heater, etc., the hatch cover's ratchet segment 42,
figures 5 and 6, is not, however, in engagement with the
ratchet wheel portion 28' of the guide pulley 28 and, prior
to the engagement is established upon further downwards
pivotal movement of the hatch cover 36,36',36", the weight 22
together with bearing ears 24 and tackle 20 of the cable
withdrawal device has the possibility of pulling in a portion
of the cable 12 drawn out. By means of a relatively simple
adaption work between cooperating parts it could be
guaranteed, based on a drawn out cable length comprising an
excessive longitudinal cable piece, that the cable length is
shortened to form an adequately tensioned cable, figure 7,
CA 02274744 1999-06-08
WO 98/26485 PCT/N097/00316
12
upon its withdrawal into the protection container 10 during
the downwardly directed pivotal movement of the hatch cover
36,36',36" towards the blocked, open intermediate position,
figures 7 and 8. If the cable 12 is slacker than as shown in
figure 7, or is resting on the ground, the cable 12 will in a
similar way be pulled into the protection container 10 until
the ratchet segment 42 enters into engagement with the
ratchet wheel portion 28'. If the plug 14 is not attached to
a socket 46, the plug will automatically be pulled into the
protection container 10.
When the cable 12 is pulled out, the withdrawal device'
active means, the weight, the bearing ears and the tackle, is
pulled upwardly, and the length of the cable and the level of
the electrical connector/contact 18 must be adjusted such in
relation to each other that the tackle 20, upon the expected
maximum pulled out cable length, will not make an impact on
the underside of said electrical connector/contact 18.
Alternatively, a stop can be disposed. The extent of cable
length capable of being pulled out can be increased by the
arrangement of a rotary cable drum in the cavity of the
protection container 10, on which cable drum a certain cable
length has been wound.
When there no longer is any need for the cable 12 and its
plug/socket, the latter is pulled out from its engagement
with the engine heater's socket/plug 46, simultaneously as
the hatch cover 36,36',36" is swung a little up or down in
order to neutralize the engagement of the ratchet segment 42
into the ratchet wheel portion 28' of the guide pulley 28, so
that the drawn out cable length automatically is pulled into
the protection container 10 through the hatchway 38, figure
1. When the cable's 12 plug/socket 14 has arrived in a
movement-restricting position resting against the hatch
cover's 36,36',36" one stop 32 or between both stops 32, 34,
the hatch cover will be closed, whereafter the plug/socket 14
and the hatch cover 36,36',36" take their respective
inoperative positions of readiness according to figure 1.
CA 02274744 1999-06-08
WO 98/26485 PCT/N097/00316
13
The hatch cover's rotational shaft 40 may be positioned such
that it forms a guide means for the cable 12 in the open
positions (figures 5 - 8) of the hatch cover 36,36',36".
The upper edge 38' of the hatchway 38 may be placed at such a
level in relation to the rotational shaft 40 of the hat-~h
cover 36,36',36" and to the shape and design of the hatch
cover that this edge 38' will form a rotation-restricting
stop for the hatch cover 36,36',36" in the uppermost,
approximately horizontal, completely open position thereof,
figures 5 and 6.
