Wireless vehicle lift system with enhanced electronic controls
DCFirst Claim
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1. A wireless portable vehicle lift system comprising:
- a plurality of substantially identical individual lifts; and
a remote control configured to be removably attached to at least one of said individual lifts,wherein, when said remote control is attached to said at least one of said individual lifts, wired communication is permitted between said remote control and said at least one of said individual lifts,wherein each individual lift comprises—
a base for supporting said individual lift on a floor or the ground,a post rigidly coupled to said base and extending upwardly from said base,a carriage configured to engage a wheel of a vehicle,a lifting actuator for vertically shifting said carriage relative to said post,a height sensor,a weight sensor,a rechargeable battery,a battery charger,an e-stop button,a user interface including a display screen and one or more function buttons,an interface microprocessor configured to process information related to said user interface,a primary circuit board comprising a control microprocessor,a memory, anda radio frequency transceiver,wherein said control microprocessor and said interface microprocessor are configured to communicate with one another, perform distinct tasks, operate in parallel, and share said memory,wherein said lift system is configured to perform coordinated lifting and lowering of said vehicle with no master or slave relationship between said individual lifts of said lift system.
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Abstract
Wireless portable vehicle lift system incorporating one or more enhanced communication and/or control features. The lift system can incorporate enhanced touch screen-enabled functionalities and/or enhanced wireless communication features.
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Citations
23 Claims
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1. A wireless portable vehicle lift system comprising:
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a plurality of substantially identical individual lifts; and a remote control configured to be removably attached to at least one of said individual lifts, wherein, when said remote control is attached to said at least one of said individual lifts, wired communication is permitted between said remote control and said at least one of said individual lifts, wherein each individual lift comprises— a base for supporting said individual lift on a floor or the ground, a post rigidly coupled to said base and extending upwardly from said base, a carriage configured to engage a wheel of a vehicle, a lifting actuator for vertically shifting said carriage relative to said post, a height sensor, a weight sensor, a rechargeable battery, a battery charger, an e-stop button, a user interface including a display screen and one or more function buttons, an interface microprocessor configured to process information related to said user interface, a primary circuit board comprising a control microprocessor, a memory, and a radio frequency transceiver, wherein said control microprocessor and said interface microprocessor are configured to communicate with one another, perform distinct tasks, operate in parallel, and share said memory, wherein said lift system is configured to perform coordinated lifting and lowering of said vehicle with no master or slave relationship between said individual lifts of said lift system. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13)
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14. A method of operating a wireless portable vehicle lift system, said method comprising:
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(a) providing a plurality of substantially identical individual lifts with none of said individual lifts being a master lift or a slave lift, wherein each individual lift comprises a base, a post, a carriage, a rechargeable battery, a display screen, a display microprocessor, a control microprocessor, and a radio frequency transceiver, wherein said display microprocessor and said control microprocessor are configured to communicate with one another; (b) positioning said carriages of at least two of said individual lifts into engagement with wheels of a vehicle; (c) establishing a secure wireless communication link between at least two of said individual lifts to thereby form a lift ensemble of said individual lifts that wirelessly communicate with one another via an adaptive communication system, wherein said adaptive communication system is capable of operating on multiple channels; and (d) lifting a vehicle with said lift ensemble by vertically shifting said carriages of said lifts of said lift ensemble in a coordinated manner, wherein during said lifting said individual lifts wirelessly share data with one another so as to coordinate said lifting using collective intelligence of said lift ensemble, wherein said establishing of step (c) includes— (i) a lift operator powering up a first of said individual lifts, (ii) said first lift determining a clearest communication channel, (iii) said first lift wirelessly transmitting a beacon signal, (iv) a lift operator powering up a second of said individual lifts, (v) said second lift detecting said beacon signal and determining that said second lift is not the first of said individual lifts to be powered up, (vi) said first and second lifts wireless exchanging lift identification information. - View Dependent Claims (15, 16, 17, 18, 20, 21)
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19. A method of operating a wireless portable vehicle lift system, said method comprising:
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(a) providing a plurality of substantially identical individual lifts with none of said individual lifts being a master lift or a slave lift, wherein each individual lift comprises a base, a post, a carriage, a rechargeable battery, a display screen, a display microprocessor, a control microprocessor, and a radio frequency transceiver, wherein said display microprocessor and said control microprocessor are configured to communicate with one another; (b) positioning said carriages of at least two of said individual lifts into engagement with wheels of a vehicle; (c) establishing a secure wireless communication link between at least two of said individual lifts to thereby form a lift ensemble of said individual lifts that wirelessly communicate with one another via an adaptive communication system, wherein said adaptive communication system is capable of operating on multiple channels; and (d) lifting a vehicle with said lift ensemble by vertically shifting said carriages of said lifts of said lift ensemble in a coordinated manner, wherein during said lifting said individual lifts wirelessly share data with one another so as to coordinate said lifting using collective intelligence of said lift ensemble, wherein each of said individual lifts comprises a lifting actuator and a plurality of lift sensors, wherein said control microprocessor is configured to process information relating to said lifting actuator and said lift sensors, wherein said lifting actuator is configured to vertically shift said carriage relative to said post, wherein said lift sensors are configured to provide information about individual components of said individual lift, wherein said lift sensors include a height sensor and a weight sensor, wherein said height sensor is configured to provide information about the position of said carriage, wherein said weight sensor is configured to provide information about the weight supported by said carriage.
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22. A method of operating a wireless portable vehicle lift system, said method comprising:
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(a) providing a plurality of substantially identical individual lifts with none of said individual lifts being a master lift or a slave lift, wherein each individual lift comprises a base, a post, a carriage, a rechargeable battery, a display screen, a display microprocessor, a control microprocessor, and a radio frequency transceiver, wherein said display microprocessor and said control microprocessor are configured to communicate with one another; (b) positioning said carriages of at least two of said individual lifts into engagement with wheels of a vehicle; (c) establishing a secure wireless communication link between at least two of said individual lifts to thereby form a lift ensemble of said individual lifts that wirelessly communicate with one another via an adaptive communication system, wherein said adaptive communication system is capable of operating on multiple channels; and (d) lifting a vehicle with said lift ensemble by vertically shifting said carriages of said lifts of said lift ensemble in a coordinated manner, wherein during said lifting said individual lifts wirelessly share data with one another so as to coordinate said lifting using collective intelligence of said lift ensemble, wherein said display microprocessor and said control microprocessor share a common area of memory, wherein each of said individual lifts comprise a COP watchdog configured to reset said control microprocessor in the event of a failure of or locking of said control microprocessor. - View Dependent Claims (23)
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Specification