Takeup reel for combined hose and cable

摘要

A takeup reel for a combination hydraulic hose and electrical cable including a rotatable storage portion for taking up and paying out hose and cable, a stationary mounting member on which the storage portion is mounted for rotation, and a rotatable connector providing a fluid connection between hose stored on the storage portion and a supply of hydraulic fluid external to the reel. A brushless electrical connection is provided between cable stored on the storage portion and a supply of electrical energy external to the reel by an interface cable which may be coiled in either of reverse directions about the axis of rotation for the storage portion. A cable housing for the interface cable is joined to the storage portion for rotation therewith. The interface cable includes a plurality of flexible conductor elements. The elements in that portion of the interface cable stored in the cable housing are joined in side-by-side relation to form a flat ribbon-like configuration, and in another portion of the cable the elements are unjoined to form a loose bundle. The unjoined portions of the elements extend through a passage generally parallel to the rotational axis for the line storing portion. The ribbon-like portion of the cable extends radially into the cable housing through a strain relief guide which is mounted for limited rotation about an axis substantially paralleling the rotational axis of the line-storing portion, thus to guide a stretch of the joined cable elements in either of opposite spirally wound directions.