Patent ID: 8074382

Claim:
A device for guiding bundles of parallel ropes, cables, or pipes according to a three-dimensional path in an earth-digging machine comprising: a winder assembly for the ropes and at least two sets of guiding sheaves downstream of the winder assembly; wherein at least a first one of the two sets is made up of sheaves of different diameters; the first set of the guiding sheaves of different diameters being mounted parallel to one another and having diameters disposed in an imaginary surface of a conical shape guiding the ropes, cables or pipes from a first plane defined by the first set of sheaves to a second plane of a three dimensional path in a direction out of plane from the first plane; and the first set of guiding sheaves orienting the parallel ropes, cables or pipes to be coplanar at input and at output; wherein an exit direction of the bundles is out of plane with a vertical plane passing through the bundles entering in the first set; and wherein a semi-aperture angle of the conic shape is equal to an angle formed by the direction out of the bundles with respect to the vertical plane.