Active Rope Guiding for Low-Angle Hoist Drum Winding
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Solution Overview
Problem
The limited rope angle range in hoisting devices, particularly exceeding four degrees, leads to rope wear and reduced service life, limiting the design flexibility and component sizing due to increased torque on the rope drum.
Innovation Solution
A rope guiding device and method that compensates for the rope angle by applying a force parallel to the drum axis, allowing the rope to be guided at angles less than four degrees, thereby reducing torque and enhancing design freedom.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Force
If the rope angle is increased beyond four degrees, then the rope movement can handle larger lateral and diagonal forces, but the wear on brushes, drum and rope increases and service life shortens
Solution Approach 1:
The patent introduces an active guiding device as an intermediary between the rope drum and the fixed guiding structure. This device actively compensates for rope angle deviations by applying a force parallel to the drum axis, thereby mediating between the rope's natural trajectory and the optimal guiding angle, reducing wear while maintaining force handling capability
Solution Approach 2:
The guiding device is designed to be movable along the drum axis rather than fixed, allowing it to dynamically adjust its position to compensate for varying rope angles during operation. This dynamic adjustment enables the system to maintain optimal guiding conditions while handling lateral and diagonal forces, preventing excessive wear
2Reliability
If the rope angle is limited to less than four degrees, then wear on components is reduced, but the design flexibility and number of rope pulleys are limited
Solution Approach 1:
The movable guiding device allows the system to dynamically maintain rope angles within the optimal less than four degrees range while accommodating various design configurations. This enables design flexibility in terms of rope pulley arrangements and drum-to-rope diameter ratios without compromising component wear protection
Solution Approach 2:
The active guiding device changes the operational parameters by dynamically adjusting the rope guiding position to maintain optimal angles. This parameter adjustment enables the system to achieve both reduced component wear and increased design flexibility, as the guiding device can adapt to different pulley configurations and drum sizes
3Device complexity
If larger rope angles are used, then fewer rope pulleys are needed, but the torque on the rope drum increases requiring larger components
Solution Approach 1:
The active guiding device acts as an intermediary that compensates for rope angle effects, allowing the system to use smaller rope angles without increasing the number of pulleys. This mediation enables maintaining low torque on the drum while avoiding the need for additional pulleys that would otherwise be required to achieve small angles
Data Source
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AI summary
A rope guiding device (1) for guiding a rope on a rope drum (2), the rope drum being adaptable to rotate about a drum axis (A) to wind the rope (9) around the rope drum or from the rope drum to hoist and lower a load adapted on the rope, comprising at least guiding element (3a, 3b), an actuator (4) for generating a rope guiding force (E), which force (E) affects each guiding element (3a, 3b) in the direction of the drum axis (A) so that the movement of each guiding element in the direction (B) of the drum axis may be guided by means of the force (E).