# US 11,111,103 B2 · Rope sway reducing arrangement for weight based hindering of lateral sway of an elongate rope-like means in an elevator hoistway > Agents: this data is available as JSON from the patentgrep API and MCP server — see https://patentgrep.com/llms.txt - Number: US 11,111,103 B2 - Document ID: US11111103B2 - Status: Granted - Kind: B2 - Application number: 15/763,207 - Filed: 2016-09-29 - Published: 2018-10-04 - Granted: 2021-09-07 - Earliest claimed: 2015-09-30 - Assignees: Inventio AG - Applicants: Inventio AG - Inventors: André Weibel; Matt Martin - Web page: https://patentgrep.com/patent/US11111103B2 ## CPC - B66B 7/068: {Cable weight compensating devices} - B66B 7/06: Arrangements of ropes or cables - B66B 9/00: Kinds or types of lifts in, or associated with, buildings or other structures (characterised by control systems B66B1/00; apparatus for raising or lowering persons on stages of theatres A63J5/12) - B66B 7/064: {Power supply or signal cables} - B66B: ELEVATORS; ESCALATORS OR MOVING WALKWAYS ({apparatus for raising or lowering persons on theatrical stages or the like A63J5/12} ; funicular railbound systems with rigid ground-supported tracks and cable traction, e.g. cliff railways, B61B9/00; arrangements of ammunition handlers in vessels B63G3/00; hoists, lifts, or conveyors for loading or unloading in general B65G; braking or detent devices controlling normal movements of winding drums or barrels B66D; ship-lifting devices E02C; garages for many vehicles with mechanical means for lifting vehicles E04H6/12; hoists for feeding ammunition or projectiles to launching apparatus or to loading mechanisms F41A9/00) ## Abstract A rope sway reducing arrangement hinders a lateral sway of an elongate rope-like device having one end attached to a movable component displaceable within an elevator hoistway and another end attached to a fixed position within the hoistway. The sway reducing arrangement includes an elongate guide arrangement having two spanning ropes fixedly attached within and extending in a longitudinal direction of the hoistway. The sway reducing arrangement further includes a rope tensioning arrangement having a weight member and being mechanically connected to the guide arrangement for displacement and guiding along the longitudinal direction of the guide arrangement. The mechanical connection is via an engagement member to generate tensioning forces onto the rope-like device due to gravity-induced forces resulting from a weight of the weight member. Thereby, the rope-like device is held at the guide arrangement with a downward directed mechanical tension thereby preventing excessive lateral sway. ## Claims ### Claim 1 A rope sway reducing arrangement for hindering a lateral sway of an elongate rope-like device in a hoistway of an elevator system, one end of the rope-like device being attached to a movable component displaceable within the hoistway and another end of the rope-like device being attached to a fixed position within the hoistway, the arrangement comprising: an elongate guide arrangement fixedly attached within the hoistway and extending in a longitudinal direction of the hoistway; a rope tensioning arrangement including a weight member; wherein the rope tensioning arrangement is mechanically connected to the guide arrangement and is displaceable along the longitudinal direction of the guide arrangement and is guided by the guide arrangement; wherein the rope tensioning arrangement is mechanically connected to the rope-like device; wherein the rope tensioning arrangement generates tensioning forces onto the rope-like device due to gravity-induced forces resulting from a weight of the weight member of the rope tensioning arrangement, the weight member being positioned below the rope-like device in the hoistway; and wherein the guide arrangement includes at least one spanning rope extending in the longitudinal direction between a top portion of the hoistway and a bottom portion of the hoistway. ### Claim 2 (depends on 1) The rope sway reducing arrangement according to claim 1 wherein the rope tensioning arrangement includes a ring member enclosing the at least one spanning rope to thereby guide the rope tensioning arrangement along the at least one spanning rope in the longitudinal direction. ### Claim 3 (depends on 2) The rope sway reducing arrangement according to claim 2 wherein the rope tensioning arrangement includes an engagement member mechanically connected to the ring member and engaging with the rope-like device to transmit the tensioning forces onto the rope-like device. ### Claim 4 (depends on 3) The rope sway reducing arrangement according to claim 3 wherein the engagement member engages an upwards directed surface of a lowermost portion of a U-shaped section of a loosely hanging portion of the rope-like device. ### Claim 5 (depends on 1) The rope sway reducing arrangement according to claim 1 wherein the guide arrangement includes two spanning ropes extending in parallel in the longitudinal direction between a top portion of the hoistway and a bottom portion of the hoistway. ### Claim 6 (depends on 5) The rope sway reducing arrangement according to claim 5 wherein the rope tensioning arrangement includes two ring members each enclosing one of the spanning ropes to thereby guide the rope tensioning arrangement along the spanning ropes in the longitudinal direction. ### Claim 7 (depends on 6) The rope sway reducing arrangement according to claim 6 wherein the rope tensioning arrangement includes an engagement member mechanically connected to the ring members and engaging with the rope-like device to transmit the tensioning forces onto the rope-like device. ### Claim 8 (depends on 7) The rope sway reducing arrangement according to claim 7 wherein the engagement member engages an upwards directed surface of a lowermost portion of a U-shaped section of a loosely hanging portion of the rope-like device. ### Claim 9 (depends on 7) The rope sway reducing arrangement according to claim 7 wherein the engagement member is a rope-like connector extending between the ring members. ### Claim 10 (depends on 5) The rope sway reducing arrangement according to claim 5 wherein one of the spanning ropes extends along a first lateral side of a loosely hanging portion of the rope-like device and another of the spanning ropes extends along a second lateral side of the loosely hanging portion of the rope-like device opposite to the first lateral side. ### Claim 11 (depends on 1) The rope sway reducing arrangement according to claim 1 wherein the weight member has a weight of between 4 kg and 100 kg. ### Claim 12 (depends on 1) The rope sway reducing arrangement according to claim 1 including a protection means protecting the rope-like device against wear upon engagement of a portion of the rope tensioning arrangement with the rope-like device. ### Claim 13 (depends on 1) An elevator system including the rope sway reducing arrangement according to claim 1 comprising: the movable component displaceable within the hoistway of the elevator system; the rope-like device having the one end of the rope-like device being attached to the movable component and the another end of the rope-like device being attached to the fixed position within the hoistway; and wherein the rope sway reducing arrangement is mechanically connected to the rope-like device. ### Claim 14 A rope sway reducing arrangement for hindering a lateral sway of an elongate rope-like device in a hoistway of an elevator system, one end of the rope-like device being attached to a movable component displaceable within the hoistway and another end of the rope-like device being attached to a fixed position within the hoistway, the arrangement comprising: an elongate guide arrangement fixedly attached within the hoistway and extending in a longitudinal direction of the hoistway; a rope tensioning arrangement including a weight member; wherein the rope tensioning arrangement is mechanically connected to the guide arrangement and is displaceable along the longitudinal direction of the guide arrangement and is guided by the guide arrangement; wherein the rope tensioning arrangement is mechanically connected to the rope-like device; wherein the rope tensioning arrangement generates tensioning forces onto the rope-like device due to gravity-induced forces resulting from a weight of the weight member of the rope tensioning arrangement; wherein the guide arrangement includes two spanning ropes extending in parallel in the longitudinal direction between a top portion of the hoistway and a bottom portion of the hoistway; wherein the rope tensioning arrangement includes two ring members each enclosing one of the spanning ropes to thereby guide the rope tensioning arrangement along the spanning ropes in the longitudinal direction; wherein the rope tensioning arrangement includes an engagement member mechanically connected to the ring members and engaging with the rope-like device to transmit the tensioning forces onto the rope-like device; wherein the engagement member engages an upwards directed surface of a lowermost portion of a U-shaped section of a loosely hanging portion of the rope-like device; and wherein the engagement member is a rope-like connector extending between the ring members. ### Claim 15 A rope sway reducing arrangement for hindering a lateral sway of an elongate rope-like device in a hoistway of an elevator system, one end of the rope-like device being attached to a movable component displaceable within the hoistway and another end of the rope-like device being attached to a fixed position within the hoistway, the arrangement comprising: an elongate guide arrangement fixedly attached within the hoistway and extending in a longitudinal direction of the hoistway; a rope tensioning arrangement including a weight member; wherein the rope tensioning arrangement is mechanically connected to the guide arrangement and is displaceable along the longitudinal direction of the guide arrangement and is guided by the guide arrangement; wherein the rope tensioning arrangement is mechanically connected to the rope-like device; wherein the rope tensioning arrangement generates tensioning forces onto the rope-like device due to gravity-induced forces resulting from a weight of the weight member of the rope tensioning arrangement; wherein the guide arrangement includes at least one spanning rope extending in the longitudinal direction between a top portion of the hoistway and a bottom portion of the hoistway; and wherein the rope tensioning arrangement includes a ring member enclosing the at least one spanning rope to thereby guide the rope tensioning arrangement along the at least one spanning rope in the longitudinal direction.