ARRANGEMENT, SYSTEM AND METHOD FOR THE WIRELESS CONTROL OF AN APPARATUS

• US 20090231179A1
• Filed: 12/17/2008
• Published: 09/17/2009
• Est. Priority Date: 12/18/2007
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: Maquet GmbH & Company KG (Universal Robot Systems GmbH & Co KG)
• Original Assignee: Maquet GmbH & Company KG (Universal Robot Systems GmbH & Co KG)
• Inventors: Bruhn, Alfred
• Application Number:
  US12/336,869
• Publication Number:
  US 20090231179A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 341/176
• CPC Class Codes: G08C 17/02 using a radio link

Abstract

The invention relates to an arrangement, a system as well as methods for the wireless control of a device, in each of which a device (10) having at least one transponder (40a to 40m) and at least one actuating element (12 to 36) assigned to the transponder (40a to 40m), to which actuating element a control function of the apparatus is assigned, is used in order to activate and/or deactivate the control function of the apparatus.

Claims

1. An arrangement for the wireless control of an apparatus,

comprising a device which has at least one transponder to which at least one actuating element is assigned, at least one control function for the control of the apparatus being assigned to the actuating element.

2. The arrangement according to claim 1, wherein the device has at least two transponders, to each of which at least one actuating element is associated, at least one control function for the control of the apparatus being assigned to each of the actuating elements.

3. The arrangement according to claim 1, wherein at least one actuating element assigned to the transponder activates and/or deactivates the transponder

and/or in that at least one actuating element assigned to the transponder activates and/or deactivates the data transfer of the transponder

and/or in that by means of the actuating element each information transferred with the aid of the data transfer between the transponder and a remotely arranged communication unit can be changed.

4. The arrangement according to claim 1, wherein the control function activates and/or deactivates a drive, in particular an adjusting drive and/or a drive for a locking element.

5. The arrangement according to claim 1, wherein the actuating element is a switching element, preferably a push button.

6. The arrangement according to claim 5, wherein the switching element has a reed contact.

7. The arrangement according to claim 1, wherein each transponder communicates at least in one switching state of the respective actuating element with a communication unit, preferably a read unit, the communication unit being connected with a control unit of the apparatus.

8. The arrangement according to claim 1, wherein the transponders are passive transponders, half-active or active transponders, preferably passive half-active or active RFID tags.

9. The arrangement according to claim 1, wherein the energy supply of the transponders at least with the energy required for the communication with a communication unit takes place each time via a wireless coupling with an energy supply unit, the energy supply unit preferably being a part of the communication unit.

10. The arrangement according to claim 1, wherein at least the wireless communication between each of the transponders and at least one communication unit takes place in the UHF transmission band.

11. The arrangement according to claim 1, wherein at least the data transferred from the transponders to the communication unit is encrypted.

12. The arrangement according to claim 1, wherein the device is a hand-held transmitter for the wireless control of the apparatus, preferably a wireless remote actuator or remote control, the controlled apparatus preferably being an operating table.

13. The arrangement according to claim 12, wherein by the actuation of one of the actuating elements at least a drive and/or locking element of the apparatus is activated and/or deactivated.

14. The arrangement according to claim 1, wherein the actuating element short-circuits the receiving circuit of at least one transponder in a switching state of the actuating element, an energy supply unit transferring at least the energy required by the transponder for the communication with at least one communication unit to the receiving circuit in an electric and/or electromagnetic manner.

15. The arrangement according to claim 1, wherein the device contains no exchangeable battery and no chargeable accumulator.

16. The arrangement according to claim 1, wherein at least two of the transponders are multi-channel transponders, which optionally communicate via one of the available communication channels, preferably on different communication channels, with at least one communication unit.

17. A system having an arrangement for the wireless control of an apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the system has at least two spaced-apart communication units for the wireless communication with the device, each of the communication units being connected to the control unit of the device.

18. The system according to claim 17, wherein the control unit determines the position of the device by the determination of the position of at least one transponder of the device, preferably with the aid of a direction finding system.

19. The system according to claim 18, wherein at least three communication units are provided, the distance between each of the communication units and at least one of the transponders of the device being determined, on the basis of the distance determined with respect to each communication unit a position of the device relative to the communication units being determined.

20. The system according to claim 17, wherein the control unit of the apparatus activates and/or deactivates at least one drive and/or locking element of the apparatus dependent on the data transferred by the arrangement.

24. The method according to claim 17, wherein an anti-collision method for the communication between the at least one communication unit and the at least two transponders of the device is used, by way of which a time range, in particular a time slot for the communication with the communication unit is assigned to each transponder.

25. The method according to claim 17, wherein the position of at least one transponder and/or of the device is determined two-dimensionally or three-dimensionally in space relative to the communication units and/or to the apparatus.

26. The method according to claim 17, wherein a multiple symmetric cryptographic encryption of the data transferred between the respective transponder and the communication unit is carried out.

27. The method according to claim 17, wherein energy is transferred by inductive coupling, capacitive coupling and/or electromagnetic waves from an energy supply unit to the respective transponder.

28. The method according to claim 1, wherein the communication unit repeatedly sends data, by means of which the transponders are requested to transfer data to the communication unit, preferably in a determined time interval after the receipt of the data sent by the communication unit.

29. The method according to claim 25, wherein the control function is only activated upon actuation of the actuating element when the determined position of the transponder lies in a predetermined area, preferably when the transponder has a distance to at least one communication unit and/or to the apparatus that is smaller than a predetermined maximum distance.

30. The method according to claim 29, wherein the distance is determined in a direction-dependent manner and/or in that the predetermined maximum distance is determined in a direction-dependent manner.

21. A method for the wireless control of an apparatus,

in which data are transferred in a wireless manner between at least one transponder of a device, to which at least one actuating element is assigned, and at least one communication unit connected with a control unit of the apparatus to be controlled and/or a communication unit comprised by the control unit,

upon actuation of the actuating element the transfer of data between the transponder, to which the actuating element is assigned, and the communication unit is made possible or prevented,

and in which upon actuation of the actuating element assigned to the transponder at least one control function for the control of the apparatus is performed.

23. The method according to claim 21, wherein at least two communication units are provided, each of the communication units effecting a communication with at least one transponder of the device and determining the angle and/or the distance to the transponder.

22. A method for the wireless control of an apparatus,

in which data are transferred in a wireless manner between at least two transponders of a device, to each of which at least one actuating element is assigned, and at least one communication unit connected to a control unit of the apparatus to be controlled and/or a communication unit comprised by the control unit,

upon actuation of the actuating element the transfer of data between the respective transponder, to which the actuating element is assigned, and the communication unit is made possible or prevented,

and in which upon actuation of the actuating element assigned to the respective transponder at least one control function for the control of the apparatus is performed each time.