Capstan guide ramp coupling structure and method

Abstract

A guide structure for guiding rope into turns of a helically wound arrangement of the rope upon a generally cylindrical capstan rotating to receive helical turns of the rope thereon, includes a helically ramped guide surface upon which the rope travels in winding into said turns and a support base formed on said guide structure and spaced from said guide surface. The guide structure has a coupling structure arranged for adjustably fixed coupling to a support structure on which the capstan is rotatably mounted. Multiple coupling structures are arranged to enable adjustably fixing spacial orientation of the ramped surface in relation to the capstan, in order to directionally adjust feed of the rope from the ramped guide surface onto the capstan to induce orderly arrangement of the rope turns on the capstan. In one embodiment, an annular arrangement of coupling sockets are provided on a rear support surface of the guide structure. The coupling sockets receive a smaller plurality of projections formed on the capstan support structure, and the guide structure can be rotatably indexed to allow radially adjusting the securement of the guide structure on the coupling projections to vary the spacial orientation of the ramped surface for the proper directional feed of the rope onto the capstan. The projections may be provided by the exposed ends of mounting bolts.

Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.