CABLE BARRIER WINCH SYSTEM

Description

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

This application claims priority in U.S. Provisional Patent Application Ser. No. 63/678,652, filed Aug. 2, 2024, the contents of which are hereby incorporated by reference.

BACKGROUND

1. Field of the Disclosed Subject Matter

The disclosed subject matter relates generally to equipment attachments, and more particularly to a cable barrier winch system.

2. Background

A cable barrier system is a vehicle safety system installed along roadways to control the movement and direction of vehicles that uncontrollably exit the roadway. Cable barriers are formed by a series of posts mounted in the ground with one or more cables serially connected to the posts forming one or more rows of cable extending a distance along the cable barrier system. Long lengths of cable extending along the barrier system are heavy, creating challenges to properly install each cable at its designated height, and tension the cable within the barrier system.

SUMMARY

A winch system according to aspects of the disclosed subject matter includes a winch assembly adapted to be connected to a cable of a cable barrier system used as a vehicle safety system along roadways, and a fairlead vertically movable with respect to the winch assembly for controlling the height of the cable barrier system cable relative to the cable barrier system. The fairlead frame assembly includes a vertical trackway with a first end and a second end. The trackway can be formed by a front track section and a rear track section, with a bracket of the fairlead movable within the vertical trackway.

In an implementation, the fairlead frame assembly includes a main guard forming a frame for attaching barrier material 161 such as woven wire mesh providing protection for an operator of the system, and for providing structural support to components of the system. The bracket is moved by an actuator operably connected to the bracket for moving the bracket within the vertical trackway. The bracket can include bearings that travel within the vertical trackway to aid movement therein. The fairlead can be formed by the bracket or attached thereto. In an implementation, the fairlead includes an upper roller spaced from a lower roller, and first side roller spaced from a second side roller, forming a rectangular opening through which the cable attached to the winch passes. The system may include a base frame connected to the fairlead frame assembly, with the base frame extending from a front end to a rear end, where the rear end forms a structure that provides a connection between the system and power equipment, such as a flat main section and a recess proximate an upper end of the main section adapted to receive a mating plate of a skid loader to permit movement of the system. The base frame front end may include a ground-engaging structure to prevent movement of the system when tensioning a cable.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

The present disclosed subject matter is described herein with reference to the following drawing figures, with greater emphasis being placed on clarity rather than scale:

FIG. 1 is an exploded isometric view of a cable barrier winch system according to aspects of the disclosed subject matter.

FIG. 2 is a side elevation view of the cable barrier winch system.

FIG. 3 is a front elevation view of the cable barrier winch system.

FIG. 4 is a side elevation view of the cable barrier winch system.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

Referring to FIGS. 1-4, a cable barrier winch system 110 is shown embodying principles of the disclosed subject matter for tightening and tensioning cables of cable barrier systems adjacent to roadways. Although the system 110 is described for use with cable barrier systems, the system 110 has applicability to other applications where control of the pulling angle of installation of a cable is desired.

Cable barriers are discussed in U.S. Pat. No. 7,568,679, the entirety of which is incorporated by reference herein. Cable barrier systems use several cables supported above the ground by a series of posts, with the cables terminating at end terminals. The cables are typically steel wire rope, which are heavy, and are required to be stretched between the terminals and supported by the posts for the cable barrier system to operate properly to absorb the impact of vehicles. The barrier cables are often attached to the posts by passing through a cable connector connected to the post. The cables need to be tensioned while supported by the posts and without damaging the posts or connectors as damage can negatively impact the operational strength of the cable barrier system.

The cable barrier winch system 110 includes a frame assembly 102 with a winch assembly 122 that moves a cable 112 guided by a fairlead 124. The cable 112 is attached to the barrier cable of the cable barrier system. The frame assembly 102 generally includes a base frame 120 with a rear end adapted to attach to power equipment, and with the fairlead frame assembly 148 attached to the front end. The winch assembly 122 includes a spool 130 connected to the cable 112 for storing the cable and for tightening the barrier cable of a cable barrier system to the desired tension for optimal vehicle-catching performance. The cable 112 is connected to the spool 130 in the conventional manner, such as feeding the cable through the spool 130 and securing it with a wedge or bolt. The spool 130 has a width and a diameter to accommodate the diameter and length of cable 112 used. The spool 130 is rotated by a motor 132 powered by a power source. In an implementation, the motor is a hydraulic motor 132 powered by a hydraulic power source. The motor 132 may be directly connected to the spool 130, or may be connected to the spool 130 by a gear assembly 134.

The winch assembly 122 may also include a cable tensioner 136 operably mounted to the winch assembly 122. In an implementation, the cable tensioner 136 is pivotally mounted with respect to the spool 130 whereby the cable tensioner 136 remains in contact with the cable 112 as the cable is wound onto or off of the spool 130.

The fairlead 124 includes a first roller assembly 140 and a second roller assembly 141 mounted to a roller bracket 138, forming a rectangular opening 142 through which the cable 112 passes. The horizontal size of the opening 142 is determined by the distance between the lateral spacing between the adjacent first or upper and second or lower rollers of the first roller assembly 140, and the vertical size of the opening 142 is determined by the distance between the vertical spacing between adjacent first or left and second or right rollers of the second roller assembly 141. The size of the opening may be varied to accommodate the diameter of the cable 112 used.

The fairlead 124 is movably mounted to the fairlead frame assembly 148 by the bracket 138 enabling the cable 112 to be positioned at a desired height with respect to the cable barrier post to optimize the cable tensioning process. In an implementation, the bracket 138 is slidably mounted for vertical movement with respect to the frame assembly 148 by a track 150 and actuator 152. The track 150 forms a vertical trackway. In an implementation, the trackway is formed by track frame with a first end 156 and an opposing second end 158. In an implementation, the track frame is formed by a front track section 150a and a back or rear track section 150b connected at the top by a crossbar, and at the bottom to the base frame 120. The bracket 138 has a first end and a second end, and is disposed between the front track section 150a and the rear track section 150b. The front track section 150a can be removed to detach the fairlead 124 from the cable barrier winch system 110. One or more rollers 143 such as bearings on the sides of the bracket 138 aid in guiding vertical movement of the bracket 138 within the track 150. A first end of the actuator 152 is attached to the fairlead frame assembly 148, and a second end of the actuator 152 is attached to the bracket 138. In an implementation, the actuator 152 is a hydraulic cylinder. In an implementation, the second end of the actuator 152 is attached to the bracket 138 by a mount 154 extending from the main guard 160 at a first end and the track 150 at a second end.

The fairlead frame assembly 148 may include a main guard 160 providing protection for an operator of the cable barrier winch system 110, such as if the cable 112 breaks during the tightening or tension of cables of a cable barrier system. In an implementation the main guard 160 forms a frame, such as a rectangular frame, having an upper portion, a first side portion, and an opposite second side portion. In an implementation, a barrier material 161 (FIG. 3), such as a series of bars or a woven wire mesh partially occupies the area framed by the main guard 160 and is connected to the main guard 160 adding protection to the operator, for example, operating power equipment positioned at the rear end of the cable barrier system 100 opposite the cable barrier system the system 110 is connected to.

The cable barrier winch system 110 may also include a side guard 162 mounted to the base frame 120 providing further protection for an operator of the cable barrier winch system 110, such as if the cable 112 breaks during the tightening or tension of cables of a cable barrier system. The side guard 162 extends from the fairlead frame assembly 148 to the rear of the cable barrier winch system 110. The side guard 162 may have a variety of configurations. In an implementation, the side guard 162 is metal.

Referring to FIGS. 3-4, the fairlead 124 is shown in a first position at the top of the track 150 with cable 112a extending through the fairlead 124a, and the fairlead 124b is also shown in phantom lines in a second position at the bottom of the track 150 with cable 112b extending through the fairlead 124.

The front end of the cable barrier winch system 110 includes anchoring components that engage the ground when the system is in use. The anchoring components increase the stability of the system 110 during use. In an implementation, the anchoring component is a plate at the front of the base frame 120 extending from the base frame 120 forming a wedge 164 structure at the front of the frame assembly 102 that extends downward from the base frame 120, and across the front of the base frame 120.

The rear end of the cable barrier winch system 110 may form an attachment plate 170 adapted to enable the cable barrier winch system 110 to be quickly attached and detached from power equipment, such as a skid steer loader. In an implementation, referring to FIG. 2, the attachment plate 170 may include a flat main section 172 and a recess 174 proximate an upper end of the main section 172 where the recess 174 is adapted to receive a mating plate. When the cable barrier winch system 110 is connected to power equipment, a mating plate (not shown) on the power equipment is positioned adjacent the flat main section 172 so that an upper end of the mating plate extends into the recess 174, thereby connecting the two devices together. A locking mechanism (not shown) may be used to restrict movement of the cable barrier winch system 110 with respect to the power equipment. A person of skill in the art will appreciate that the locking mechanism may have a variety of configurations and may be manually or hydraulically operable.

The base frame 120 may also be equipped with loops 180 for attaching cables. If the cable barrier winch system 110 is attached to movable power equipment, such as a skid steer loader, the cable can be initially drawn tight by movement of the skid steer loader pulling on the cable.

In use, the cable barrier winch system 110 is attached to the power equipment. The power equipment positions the system 110 proximate to a location where the system 110 is desired to be used, such as adjacent a post in the cable barrier system, and may supply the necessary power, such as hydraulic power, to the hydraulic motor 132 and actuator 152. In an implementation, the hydraulic motor 132 and actuator 152 are connected to a hydraulic manifold of the power equipment, and the power equipment controls movement of the motor 132 and actuator 152. The wedge 164 is moved into the ground to avoid or limit movement of the cable barrier winch system 110 as the barrier cable is being tightened because movement of the cable barrier winch system 110 during barrier cable tightening could change the alignment of the barrier cable with the post, damaging components of the cable barrier system and negatively impacting the operational strength of the cable barrier system.

The actuator 152 is used to adjust the fairlead 124 to a desired height with respect to the adjacent post to align the barrier cable connected to the cable 112 with the cable connector attached to the post so as to not damage components of the cable barrier system. The hydraulic motor 132 is activated to rotate the spool 130 and tighten the barrier cable with respect to the post in the cable barrier system. The height of the fairlead 124 is adjusted to correspond with the height of the cable connector the barrier cable is passing through. The adjustable fairlead 124 allows an operator to minimize the pressure on the post and the cable connector during cable tensioning as undue forces or pressure could negatively impact the operational strength of the cable barrier system.