Patent ID: 9580278
Date: 2017-02-28
CPC Classifications: B66B

Claim:
1. An elevator, comprising: a hoistway; an elevator car vertically movable in the hoistway; a counterweight vertically movable in the hoistway; a number of upper rope wheels mounted higher than the car and counterweight; a number of first ropes interconnecting the elevator car and counterweight, each of said first ropes passing around said upper rope wheels; a number of lower rope wheels mounted lower than the car and counterweight; and a number of second ropes interconnecting the elevator car and counterweight, each of said second ropes passing around one or more of the lower rope wheels, wherein said lower rope wheels comprise: wherein said one or more first lower rope wheels includes two horizontally spaced apart first wheels having parallel axes of rotation, said one or more second lower rope wheels includes two horizontally spaced apart second lower rope wheels having parallel axes of rotation, and wherein the one or more first lower rope wheels and the one or more second lower rope wheels are axially offset such that ropes of the first set of ropes and the ropes of the second set of ropes are interlaced as viewed in an axial direction of the rope wheels.