The present invention relates to an apparatus for assembling and clamping wires, e.g. wires, cables or similar bare or insulated conductors having solid, stranded, or tinsel construction and used in electric overhead lines or phone lines, i.e. apparatus which holds and locks the assembled wires, and more precisely to an apparatus as defined in the preamble of claim 1 .

The present invention relates also to a method for assembling and clamping a wire as is more precisely defined in the preamble of claim 1 5.

In most cases the assembling and clamping of electric wires or similar has been performed by a three to four member team of assemblers. Usually two of the assemblers climb up a pole and take a hauling rope or, more often, a turn wheel of a hauling rope with them. The necessary accessories and tools are lifted up to the pole top, while one or two of the team members are required to remain at the pole base so as to assist in the lifting operations. The two assemblers up on the pole move along a beam or a console to swinging insulator units and climb along the insulators onto the wires. Usually three wires form one wire unit. Said wires are drawn to a required installation tightness from one pole to another by cable rollers mounted by yoke plates to the ends of said insulator units.

A block pulley is lifted up by said hauling rope by the members of the team remaining down close to the foot of the pole. The assemblers up on the pole place the block between the console and the wire and start tightening the block until the wires are lifted up from the cable roller supporting said wires during the lead-in and tightening of the same. Said rollers are removed from the yoke plate and lowered down by the rope. The wire is engaged or braced to the insulator by a U-shaped unit which is installed to the yoke plate hanging from the end of the insulator. Usually the wire is protected against any mechanical damages by a sheltering tape wrapped around the wire at the point of engagement. A U-bolt is installed around the wire and through openings in said U-shaped unit. A chock or wedge is installed and tightened between the U-bolt and the wire.

The above operations are performed for all wires separately. After all wires in all consoles are engaged, the tools and other accessories are hauled down by the

rope and the assemblers climb down from the pole.

There are several disadvantages in the present engaging arrangements of wires to poles. The assembling work is essentially slow to perform and requires several assemblers, not all of them being even able to do any assembly work but being required to haul various goods to the top of the pole. As an example, an electric line of 400 kV with 1 1 wires to be assembled to a steel pole requires three to four assemblers and will take approximately one day, which, in addition to the slowness of the work, causes an essential portion of to the overall costs of an electric overhead line. Furthermore, the job safety is poor when working on top of the pole. Safety gears like safety belts or ropes cannot be used all the time when moving around, for example when climbing up or moving from the console to the insulator and to the wires or from one console to another. Working conditions can be very slippery, especially in winter time. The safety of the workers down below is also negatively affected by goods which may fall down. An additional disadvantage is that stresses caused by wire vibrations together with the point loads caused by the wedges and U-bolts may cause string breakages. To avoid breaking, additional protection sleeves must be instal¬ led around the cable, which, in turn, further increases the total assembly time and the costs of a line. Furthermore, said prior art installations have proven to be hard and difficult to disassemble.

The object of the present invention is to overcome the disadvantages of the prior art and to provide a totally new solution for the assembly and clamping of overhead wires. The objective is an apparatus and a method, by which the amount of work on top of the pole is essentially reduced, by which the need of accessories to be hauled to the top is essentially reduced, by which the overall work time per pole is reduced and by which the work safety is increased, said apparatus being, however, easy and economical to manufacture and use, and providing reliable clamping of the wires to the pole.

A further object of the present invention is to provide an clamping apparatus which does not cause any point loads and thus no additional stresses to the wires or cables, whereby string breakages of the wires and the need for any additional protection means can be avoided.

A still further object is to provide a clamping apparatus, which is remotely controlled, preferably from the ground.

A still further object is to provide a method and means for allowing those parts of the apparatus required for the lead-in operation, but not in the clamping, to be removed and lowered safely to the ground.

A still further object is a method and an apparatus facilitating easy disassembly of a wire from a pole.

The present invention is based on the idea that by providing a wire assembly unit comprising a body portion for supporting the wire and clamping means for clamping and releasing said wire, said clamping means having at least two operational positions, the first operational position thereof allowing the wire to move and to be tightened and the second operational position providing a clamping of the wire, said unit further comprising holding means to hold the clamping means in said first operational position and releasing means for relea¬ sing said clamping means from said first operational position towards said second operational position, an apparatus and a method is provided, by which the above mentioned objects are realized.

More precisely, the arrangement according to the present invention is mainly characterized by what is disclosed in appended claims 1 to 14 and especially by the characterizing portion of claim 1 . The method according the present invention is mainly characterized by appended claims 1 5 to 20 and especially by the characterizing portion of claim 1 5.

According to one preferred embodiment of the present invention, the apparatus comprises channel means for receiving and supporting a wire, such as an elec¬ tric or phone wire or cable or similar. It further comprises movable clamping means having at least two operational positions and holding means to hold said clamping means in a first position, in which the wire is allowed to move relative to the channel means. Releasing means are operationally connected to said holding means such that by releasing said holding means said clamping means are able to move to a second, clamping position thereof.

According to an another embodiment the arrangement further comprises means for supporting and guiding the wire during lead-in operation. Said means com¬ prise preferably at least one support roller placed preferably in the center line of the apparatus. In some cases the apparatus can include two additional suppor-

ting means placed at a distance from said center line, said means being rollers or other supporting means facilitating the movement of the wire relative to the channel means.

According to a further alternative, said supporting means are removable. The apparatus can be provided with means preventing the supporting means from freely falling down after removal thereof.

The apparatus may also be provided with suitable remote control means to enable the releasing and other operations to be controlled from ground level. Such mean include rope means connected to the releasing means. According to an alternative embodiment the apparatus is provided with remote control means which receive remote control signals, like radio waves, infrared light or a laser beam.

When utilizing the present invention a wire is guided through an apparatus according to invention. This can be done either such that the apparatus is alrea¬ dy installed on the pole and the wire is threaded subsequently by initiating the threading by a thread-in rope, which is tied to one end of the wire, or such that inventive apparatuses are threaded onto the wire on ground and then subse¬ quently lifted to the poles with the wire already extending through them. There¬ after the wire is tightened to a desired tightness and the supporting means are removed, whereby the wire will settle down in channel means provided in the apparatus. Subsequently, the wire is secured by clamping means released from a free position to a clamping position such that the wire is firmly secured to the channel means of the apparatus. The movement of said clamping means can be assisted by suitable biasing or spring means. Finally, the supporting means are removed. The clamping may also be secured by additional fastening means, like screws or alike.

Significant advantages are obtained by the present invention. The time and labor required by the assembly and thus the costs thereof decrease significantly compared to the prior art. An apparatus according to the present invention is easy to manufacture and to use, and can also be used as a remote controlled unit from the ground level. It provides reliable securing of the wires without any risk of damaging them. The level of job security of the assembling team is remarkably increased. The apparatus according to the present invention fits to any kind of wires to be assembled on poles, consoles thereof or similar means.

No separate lead-in supporting roller is required, since it is combined with the securing or clamping means, and thus one step of the erecting work is removed. In addition, the clamping of the wire according to the present invention is easy to disassemble.

In the following the present invention and other objects and advantages thereof will be described by way of an example with reference to the annexed dra¬ wings, in which similar reference characters throughout the various figures refer to similar features. It should be understood that the following description of an example of the invention is not meant to restrict the invention to the specific forms presented in this connection but rather the present invention is meant to cover all modifications, similarities and alternatives which are included in the spirit and scope of the present invention, as defined by the appended claims. For example, it is apparent to the skilled man that the expression wire refers to any kinds of wire or cable like means. Furthermore, the term pole refers to any kind of means used for supporting and hanging overhead wires, like wooden or steel poles or lattice towers and so on. Furthermore, the invention is not limited solely to electric or phone lines erected to outdoor circumstances, but can also be utilized to other types of lines and also in factories or powerplants or the like.

Figure 1 illustrates, partially in section, a preferred embodiment of the apparatus according to the invention.

Figure. 2 illustrates, partially in section, the apparatus of Fig. 1 in a second operational position thereof.

Figures 3a and 3b show a body portion of the apparatus of Figs. 1 and 2.

Figures 4a and 4b show an essential part of the apparatus of Figs. 1 and 2.

Figures 5a and 5b show another essential part of the apparatus of Figs. 1 and 2.

Figs. 1 and 2 disclose a preferred embodiment of the device 10 according to the invention. The device 10 comprises a main or body portion 1 2, which is prefe¬ rably formed of a steel plate to have an U-shaped channel means 1 1 as is more precisely shown in Figs. 3a and b. Said U-shape is adapted according to the dimensions, shape and other possible properties of the wire 8. Other suitable materials and shapes or constructions, however, can also be used to form a

equivalent body portion adapted to receive and support the wire 8. An opening 9 for the assembly to the insulator means of the pole is shown to be placed on the centerline CL of the apparatus.

Means 14 for supporting the wire 8 during the lead-in operation of the same are movably connected to the body portion 12 by attaching means 1 8. Said sup¬ porting means 14 preferably comprise a main supporting or guiding roller means 1 5 and side supporting or guiding roller means 1 6. In Fig. 1 said supporting means 14 are shown in a first operational position, i.e. lead-in position of the wire 8 and in Fig. 2 in a second operational position, i.e. in a released position such that the wire 8 is supported only by the body portion 1 2. In some cases the rollers 1 4 and 1 5 can be replaced for example by slide shoes or supports or similar means.

The apparatus further includes clamping means 20, which are arranged to cooperate with the U-shaped channel 1 1 of the body portion 1 2 for clamping the wire 8 into the channel 1 1 subsequent to tightening of the wire 8 to a desired length and tightness. Said clamping means 20 comprise at least one clamping tongue means 21 , which is preferably provided with a channeled forehead 21 ' (see Fig. 4b) to increase the area engaging with the wire 8 in the clamping position and thus to enhance the grip on the wire.

The clamping means 20 further comprise holding means 22 and releasing means 23 arranged to hold the clamping tongue means in a first position and subse¬ quently to release said tongue means to a second, clamping position. The prefer¬ red embodiment shown in Figs. 1 and 2 includes two clamping tongues 21 , which are held in lead-in position by respective levers 22 connected to each other at their respective ends by releasing lever means 23 and subsequently released by moving the releasing lever means 23 to the releasing position shown in Fig. 2. One example of the lever 22 is shown in Figs. 5a and b. The lever means 23 can be actuated by rope means connected to end hole 24 thereof, but also other remote control means such as those utilizing radio waves, a laser beam or infrared light can be used for disconnecting and relea¬ sing the holding levers 22.

The attaching means are shown to comprise pins 1 8, which extend between the centre of the supporting means 1 4 and the clamping tongue means 21 . As can be seen from the Figs. 1 , 2, 4a and 4b, the clamping tongue 21 is preferably

formed such that it can be used to hold the supporting means 1 4 in the lead-in position by having a notch or cut 26 arranged to receive the end 1 9 of the connecting or attachment means 1 8 such that said end 1 9 is not permitted to move or slide away from the first position shown in Fig. 1 unless the clamping means 20 are released.

According to one preferred embodiment the attaching means comprise cables instead of pins 1 8. According to another embodiment the attaching means are arranged such that the supporting means 14 can be removed after the lead-in and tightening stage. According to a further embodiment the apparatus compri¬ ses means for hanging the supporting means 14 in the air after they are dis¬ connected from the body portion 1 2 such that they are not allowed to freely drop down after said disconnecting operation.

According to one preferred embodiment (not shown), said hanging means inclu¬ de a cable means connected to the body portion 12 at one end and to the supporting means 14 at the other end. Said connection to the supporting means 14 is preferably provided at the other end of an axis of main support roller 1 5. When the clamping means 20 are released, the supporting means 1 4 will fall downwards until said cable means stops the falling. The cable means is connec¬ ted only to one side of the body 12 and the supporting means 14, which causes the supporting means to turn upside down such that the connecting pins or cables 1 8 fall off from the body portion 12, contrary to that what is shown in Fig. 2. The attachment point of said cable means to the body can include an arrangement in which the upper end of said cable is provided with an opening. Said opening is installed on a pin protruding from the body and secured by a split pin means. A spring means can be placed between the cable means and the body portion 1 2 such that when the slit pin means is drawn off, the spring means will push the end opening of the cable from the pin and, thus, the discon¬ nection of the body portion and the supporting means can be easily performed.

The clamping tongue 21 is also provided with an extending portion or shoulder 27 (see Fig. 4a) which is arranged to cooperate with holding lever means 22 (Fig. 5a) such that the tongue 21 can be held in the first position allowing the wire 8 to be moved to its desired position relative to the body portion 1 2. As is specifically shown in Fig. 5b, this is effected by having an opening, cut-out portion or slot 28 in the lever 22, which opening is provided such that it firmly receives said protruding shoulder 27 and thus holds the tongue 21 in said first

position, and when turned (i.e. released) allows the tongue to swivel to said second position such that the supporting means 14 can fall downwards and the tongue 21 can swivel towards the wire 8. Also other types of holding means, like various eccentric means can be utilized to provide the holding effect.

In addition, various kinds of means, like biasing means, springs, hydraulic or pneumatic actuators and similar means, can be utilized to enhance the move¬ ment of the tongue means 21 towards the wire and to cause increased clam¬ ping force.

In operation a wire 8 is guided through an apparatus 1 0. It is preferred to do this while the apparatus 1 0 is already installed in its final place on an insulator means on a pole and thus the wire 8 is threaded subsequently, for example by initiating the threading by a thread-in rope, which is tied to one end of the wire 8. The wire 8 is subsequently tightened to a predetermined tightness and the supporting means 14 are removed, whereby the wire settles down in channel means 1 1 provided in the apparatus 10. As explained above, the supporting means can be removed such that they are not allowed freely to drop down but can be easily disconnected afterwards when checking the assembly and making possible additional securing operations, like tightening securing screws or nuts or assembling fastening plates or pins.

Subsequently to the lead-in and tightening steps the wire 8 is secured by clam¬ ping means 20 released from a free position to a clamping position such that the wire is firmly secured to the channel means 1 1 of the apparatus 1 0. The releasing can be caused by disconnecting the levers 22 holding clamping ton¬ gues 21 in a first position and by allowing them to drop down to a clamping position.

The controlling of the releasing means can be done from the ground or other remote place by remote control means such as a rope. According to a further mode remote control means utilizing a laser beam, radio waves, infrared light or equivalent means can be used. According to one embodiment several appara¬ tuses 10 can be released at once by a single order from the user of a triggering apparatus.

According to one embodiment, the clamping heads 21 ' of the tongues 21 are formed such that they bear or load harder against the wire 8 in case there is

any tendency of the wire to move, i.e. slide in the channel means 1 1 . When two tongues 21 are placed on opposite sides of the centerline CL, the sliding of the wire 8 in both directions will be easily and effectively inhibited.

The foregoing discloses some preferred embodiments according to the invention but it is clear to those skilled in the art that the invention can be modified and applied and used in many other ways without departing from the spirit and scope of the present invention defined in the appended claims. For example, the swivelling tongues 21 can be replaced by equivalent means moving for instance along a linear path towards the wire 8 and the holding levers 22 means can be replaced by rotating means having an eccentric form or by other means suitable for holding and subsequent releasing.