A load handling device is for lifting and lowering a load. The load handling device includes an elongated member adapted to be connected to a load and a capstan, including one or more sheaves, through which the elongated member is running, the capstan defining a low tension side and high tension side of the elongated member. The load handling device further comprises a tension regulating member adapted to operate at the low tension side of the elongated member. A method is for lifting and lowering a load via a load handling device.

A line tensioner is disclosed. A winch has a winch drum with at least one groove over which a line is passed. The winch has a line tensioner assembly with a stationary cam surface and a plurality of line tensioners rotating with the winch drum. Each has a line gripping portion and a cam follower. The line gripping portion is brought into and out of contact with the line as the cam follower rides along at least a portion of the cam surface.

A safety system and method of use is provided for a tow cable handling system. In use, the cable is from a winch and onto a sheave where a cable tension surge is transmitted to a meter and onto a software element. The software of a controller determines torque needed from a motor to increase winch speed to unreel cable to relieve the surge but not too much that the cable will unreel off the winch. Once the surge concludes, the motor reverses and decreases speed of the winch. If the tension surge is transient, then the motor can increase the winch speed and then slow down the winch before the cable completely unreels. The sheave is suspended by a spring and a dashpot for an over-damped response to increase the time for the winch to speed up to an acceptable speed.

A winch is employed for deploying a probe to a precise depth within a water column for making and recording physical measurement within such water column. More particularly, the winch rapidly unspools a line from an underway vessel, while maintaining minimal but constant line tension, as a probe, tethered to such line, descends within the water column in a near free-fall to a predetermined depth and then stops. The line lacks means for communicating its depth to the winch. The probe achieves a predictable descent behavior, even though it is tethered by a line to a winch onboard an underway vessel of unknown velocity and in variable weather conditions. The predictable descent behavior is achieved by maintaining a minimal constant tension on the line within a narrow range. The descent behavior of a probe in near free-fall has sufficient predictability to construct an algorithm to correlate descent time with depth. The predictability is sufficient to reduce the risk of collision between the probe and the water bottom to an acceptable level.

A winch system for controlling the elevation of an aerostats restrained by a cable is provided. The system includes a capstan arrangement configured for reducing the tension in a segment of a cable extending between an aerostats side and a drum side thereof; a spool drum configured for wrapping therearound a segment of the cable extending from the drum side of the capstan arrangement; a first drive mechanism configured to selectively activate the capstan arrangement in a released mode, in which the cable is let out towards the aerostats, and a pulling mode in which the cable is pulled in towards the spool drum; and a second drive mechanism configured to rotate the spool drum in the released mode and in the pulling mode such that the segment of the cable extending from the drum side of the capstan arrangement is pulled in a counter direction to the direction of the tension exerted on the cable.

A method for controlling the orientation of a load (18) suspended from a bearing wire (16) about said bearing wire (16), comprising the following steps: a.providing a winch arrangement (10), comprising; one master winch (32), one slave winch (34) and a winch control system (31), each of said winches (32, 34) having a winch motor (58) and a bi-directional rotational spool (54) with a tagline (40, 42), wherein the winches (32, 34) are placed on the ground, on the crane or on the load, wherein each tagline (40, 42) is provided with attachment means (44, 46) for attachment to the load (18) and for applying a controlled torque to the load (18) about the bearing wire (16), and wherein the control system (31) comprises tension sensor means (48) for determining tagline tension and spool rotation sensor means (50) for determining spool rotation, and wherein the control system (31) is controllably connected to each winch motor (58) for controlling spool rotation, b.connecting the attachment means (44, 46) to the load (18), c.simultaneous rotating the winch spools (54), until preset tagline tensions are sensed in the two taglines by the tension sensor means (48), d.during horizontal and/or vertical movement of the load (18), rotating, if necessary, the spools (50) with a rotation speed, for maintaining a desired orientation of the load (18), based on the determined tagline tensions, e.relieving the tagline tension by rotating the spools (50), and f.disconnecting the attachment means (44, 46) from the load (18).

A method for operating a winch system, and an arrangement including at least two electric drives each configured to operate a respective winch including a winch drum to spool a spoolable medium, and an electric motor to rotate the winch drum, each of the winches having an active state, in which the winch drum is driven according to a predetermined tension set point value, and a passive state, in which the winch drum is prevented from rotating, wherein, during a mooring of a vessel, the arrangement is configured to operate the at least two winches such that, over a period of time, each of the at least two winches is operated in its active state for a portion of the period, and each of the at least two winches is operated in its passive state for a portion of the period.

A drilling machine having: a string of telescopic rods provided with an excavation tool; a winch having a drum associated with a motor; a flexible pulling element connected on the one hand to the drum and on the other hand to the string of telescopic rods; a manual control element of the winch that can assume a first position, a second position and a third position; a control system configured for controlling the motor, in a first operating mode, so as to unwind the flexible pulling element from the drum when the manual control element is in the first position, wind the flexible pulling element on the drum in order to raise the string of telescopic rods when the manual control element is in the second position, stop the drum when the manual control element is in the third position; wherein it comprises a first manual selector adapted to select a second operating mode, and in that the control system is configured for controlling the motor, in the second operating mode, so as to wind the flexible pulling element on the drum in order to tension the flexible pulling element without raising the string of telescopic rods when the manual control element assumes the third position.

A constant pulling force winch control system includes a sensor that senses a degree of winding of a winch cable around a winch drum, and a control system configured to control a winch motor to achieve a constant pulling force on the winch cable based on the degree of winding sensed by the sensor. The sensor may be a position sensor that measures a position of the winch cable relative to a centerline of the winch drum as the degree of winding. The position sensor may sense an angular position of a tension plate relative to a tensioner shaft to measure the degree of winding. The winch motor may be a hydraulic winch motor or an electric motor, and the control system is configured to control the power applied to the hydraulic winch motor to achieve the constant pulling force based on the degree of winding sensed by the sensor.

A hybrid winch system is disclosed, including but not limited to an electric winch; an electric generator for providing generator power to the electric winch; a battery for providing stored power to the electric winch; an anchor cable wound around a roller drum for the electric winch; an anchor attached to a distal end of the anchor cable; and a controller for applying the generator power and the stored power to the electric winch. A method for controlling the hybrid winch is also disclosed.