Apparatus for pushing conductors into conduit and other structures
View Patent ↗An apparatus and methods for pushing conductors into conduit and other structures are disclosed. The apparatus (“pusher”) can include rollers to apply a pushing force to one or more conductors or bundles of conductors. One or more rollers can be coupled to a drive mechanism. The pusher is configured to pull conductors or bundles of conductors off of one or more spools, and push the conductors or bundles of conductors without de-bundling or sorting the conductors. The conductors can be fed through the pusher in any format including side-by-side, vertical on top of one another, twisted together, or other formats. The pusher can include a guiding device that is configured to route the conductors from the pusher to a conduit through which the conductors are being pushed or pulled.
1. A pusher for feeding a conductor into a structure, the pusher comprising:
a controller for selectively activating a drive mechanism of the pusher; a drive roller coupled to the drive mechanism;
one or more rollers configured to cooperate with the drive roller to apply a force to the conductor to push the conductor along a conductor path; and
an attachable guiding device for directing the pushed conductor to a desired location, wherein the guiding device comprises an inlet and a spray head for spraying a lubricant onto the conductor as the conductor passes through the inlet, and wherein the lubricant is supplied to the spray head by a pressurized supply line.
2. The pusher of claim 1 , wherein the guiding device further comprises, a tube and an outlet.
3. The pusher of claim 2 , wherein the tube is flexible and the outlet of the guiding device is connected to a conduit, and wherein the conductor is pushed through the guiding device and into the conduit when the drive mechanism is activated.
4. The pusher of claim 2 , wherein the inlet comprises a leading edge, a throat, and a body.
5. The pusher of claim 4 , wherein the throat comprises a tapered throat having a first diameter at a first end of the throat, and a second diameter at a second end of the throat.
6. The pusher of claim 1 , wherein the conductor comprises a bundle of a plurality of conductors.
7. The pusher of claim 1 , wherein the one or more rollers comprise a first roller coupled to the drive roller, and a second roller configured to cooperate with the drive roller and the first roller to push the conductor.
8. The pusher of claim 7 , wherein: the first roller comprises a first gear; the drive roller comprises a second gear;
the first roller is coupled to the drive roller with a chain configured to grip the first gear and the second gear; and
the first roller is rotated by the chain in response to a rotation of the drive roller.
9. The pusher of claim 1 , wherein: the drive mechanism comprises a motor; the pusher comprises a top portion and a bottom portion;
the drive roller is located at the bottom portion, comprises a first gear, and is coupled to the motor;
a first roller is located at the bottom portion, comprises a second gear and a third gear, and is coupled to the drive roller with a chain configured to grip the first gear and the second gear;
a second roller is located at the bottom portion, comprises a fourth gear, and is coupled to the first roller with a chain configured to grip the third gear and the fourth gear; and
the one or more rollers comprise a third roller and a fourth roller located at the top portion.
10. A pusher for directing a conductor into a structure, the pusher comprising an attachable guiding device having:
an inlet for receiving the conductor from the pusher, the pusher being configured to push the conductor along a conductor path and into the guiding device, wherein the inlet comprises a lubrication mechanism comprising a spray head for spraying a lubricant onto the pushed conductor as the pushed conductor is pushed along the conductor path through the inlet, wherein the lubricant is supplied to the spray head by a pressurized line;
a tube through which the conductor is pushed; and
an outlet through which the conductor exits the guiding device.
11. The pusher of claim 10 , wherein the structure comprises a conduit, the tube is flexible, the outlet of the guiding device is connected to the conduit, and
the conductor is pushed through the guiding device and into the conduit when a drive mechanism of the pusher is activated.
12. The pusher of claim 10 , wherein the inlet comprises a leading edge, a throat, and a body.
13. The pusher of claim 12 , wherein the throat comprises a tapered throat having a first diameter at a first end of the throat, and a second diameter at a second end of the throat.
14. The pusher of claim 10 , further comprising an outlet assembly disposed at the outlet, wherein the outlet assembly comprises the lubrication mechanism.
15. A system for pushing a conductor into a conduit, the system comprising:
a pusher having a controller, a drive mechanism, a drive roller, and one or more rollers wherein the pusher is configured to push the conductor along a conductor path, through an attachable guiding device, and into the conduit; and
the guiding device comprising an inlet for receiving the conductor from the pusher, a tube through which the conductor is pushed, and an outlet through which the conductor exits the guiding device, wherein the inlet comprises a spray head for spraying a lubricant onto the conductor as the conductor passes through the inlet, and wherein the lubricant is supplied to the spray head by a pressurized supply line.
16. The system of claim 15 , further comprising a puller located at a destination end of the conduit, the puller being configured to pull the conductor in concert with the pusher, wherein the puller pulls the conductor by applying a pulling force that is substantially equal to a pushing force applied to the conductor by the pusher.
17. The system of claim 15 , further comprising a remote control for selectively activating the pusher.
18. The system of claim 16 , further comprising a remote control for simultaneously activating or deactivating the pusher and the puller.