RADIO REMOTE CONTROL WITH POSITION SENSOR SYSTEM

• US 20130147611A1
• Filed: 08/31/2010
• Published: 06/13/2013
• Est. Priority Date: 08/31/2010
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Brendel Holding GmbH & Co. KG
• Original Assignee: Wolfgang Brendel
• Inventors: Brendel, Wolfgang
• Granted Patent: US 8,866,597 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 340/12.5
• CPC Class Codes: G08C 17/02 using a radio link
• CPC Class Codes: G08C 2201/32 Remote control based on movements, attitude of remote control device
• CPC Class Codes: G08C 2201/50 Receiving or transmitting feedback, e.g. replies, status updates, acknowledgements, from the controlled devices

Abstract

The present invention relates to a radio remote control system of a machine that comprises at least one machine drive for a moveable machine part, which machine drive can be controlled by the radio remote control system, comprising a hand-held unit (10) comprising a control unit, a transmitter and at least one motion sensor, wherein the control unit is configured to communicate control commands issued by a user to a transmitter, and to cause the transmitter to transmit the control commands to the machine, in particular to an associated receiver, and wherein movements of the hand-held unit (10) in space about at least one tilt axis or pitch axis (KA, DA) can be detected by the motion sensor in such a way that in a motion control mode, the detected movements can be converted by the control unit into control commands, which can be communicated to the machine, wherein the motion control mode can be activated by a user input at the hand-held unit (10). It is proposed according to the invention that the control unit is also configured such that on activating the motion control mode, the current attitude (I) of the hand-held unit (10) in space is detected as the current reference attitude (I), so that movements relative to this current reference attitude (I) can be detected by the motion sensor, and can be communicated by the control unit as control commands to the machine. The invention also relates to an operating method for a radio remote control system according to the invention.

Claims

1. Radio remote control system of a machine that comprises at least one machine drive for a moveable machine part, which machine drive can be controlled by the radio remote control system, comprising

a radio receiver assigned to the machine,

a hand-held unit comprising a control unit, a transmitter and at least one motion sensor,

wherein the control unit is configured to communicate control commands issued by a user to the transmitter, and to cause the transmitter to transmit the control commands to the receiver, and

wherein movements of the hand-held unit in space about at least one tilt axis or pitch axis (KA, DA) can be detected by the motion sensor in such a way that in a motion control mode, the detected movements can be converted by the control unit into control commands, which can be communicated to the machine by radio transmission between transmitter and receiver,

wherein the motion control mode can be activated by a user input at the hand-held unit,

characterised in that the control unit is also configured such that on activating the motion control mode, the current attitude (I) of the hand-held unit in space is detected as the current reference attitude (I), so that movements can be detected by the motion sensor relative to this current reference attitude (I), and can be communicated by the control unit as control commands to the machine.

2. Radio remote control system according to the preamble of claim 1, characterised in that the radio remote control system is also configured such that on activating the motion control mode, the current attitude (IV) of the hand-held unit in space is detected, and is compared with a predetermined reference attitude (I), and that detected movements cannot be communicated to the machine as control commands until the radio remote control system has been brought at least approximately (II, II′

) into the predetermined reference attitude (I), wherein movements relative to the predetermined reference attitude are detected for the purpose of generating control commands.

3. Radio remote control system according to claim 1, characterised in that the receiver comprises a feedback transmitter and is configured, on receiving control commands, to activate the feedback transmitter to transmit feedback information, and wherein the hand-held unit comprises a feedback receiver that is configured to receive the feedback information and is connected to the control unit.

4. Radio remote control system according to claim 3, characterised in that the hand-held unit comprises an acoustic and/or optical and/or haptic indication device which is controlled by the control unit and which can be used to indicate operating function information from the radio remote control system according to the receipt of feedback signals from the feedback transmitter.

5. Radio remote control system according to claim 1, characterised in that a sensor device that acquires data about the actual position of the moveable machine part at that moment and/or about the state of motion of said part, and a transmitter transmitting the data from this sensor device as feedback information, are provided on the machine, and that the hand-held unit comprises a feedback receiver that is configured to receive the feedback information and is connected to the control device.

6. Radio remote control system according to claim 3 characterised in that the control unit is configured to modify control commands for the machine according to the received feedback information.

7. Radio remote control system according to claim 5, characterised in that the hand-held unit has an optical and/or acoustic and/or haptic indication device which is controlled by the control unit and represents the actual position at that moment and/or the current deviation of the actual position from the setpoint position defined by the instantaneous attitude of the hand-held unit and/or the velocity of movement of the moveable machine part.

8. Radio remote control system according to claim 1, characterised in that it comprises at least one output means assigned to the hand-held unit (10), said output means being configured such that it generates at the hand-held unit in response to detected movements of the hand-held unit at least one output perceptible to the user, in particular an optical and/or acoustic and/or haptic signal.

9. Radio remote control system according to claim 8, characterised in that the output means are configured such that the output perceptible to the user is generated on the basis of the signals output by the motion sensor.

10. Radio remote control system according to claim 9, characterised in that the output means are configured such that the output perceptible to the user is generated in a graduated manner on the basis of reaching certain signal strengths output by the motion sensor.

11. Radio remote control system according to claim 10, characterised in that the output means is configured such that the output perceptible to the user is generated such that it is proportional to the signal strength output by the motion sensor.

12. Radio remote control system according to claim 8, characterised in that the control unit is configured such that movements detected by the or a motion sensor in a rotational or tilting working range of approximately −

45°

to +45°

maximum, in particular −

30°

to +30°

, about an associated horizontal rotation axis or tilt axis, are converted into control commands for the machine.

13. Radio remote control system according to claim 12, characterised in that the output means are configured such that they indicate by a suitable output perceptible to the user that the maximum rotational or tilting movement is being approached and/or the rotational or tilting working range is being left.

14. Radio remote control system according to claim 12, characterised in that the control unit is configured such that on leaving the rotational or tilting working range, no further control commands are generated as a result of detected movements.

15. Operating method for a radio remote control system of a machine having at least one machine drive for a moveable machine part, which machine drive can be controlled by the radio remote control system, comprising the steps:

transmission of control commands issued by a user on a hand-held unit (10) of the radio remote control system from a transmitter of the hand-held unit to the machine, in particular to an associated receiver, and

detection of movements of the hand-held unit (10) in space about at least one tilt axis or pitch axis (KA, DA), the detected movements being converted in a motion control mode into control commands, which are communicated to the machine, wherein the motion control mode is activated by a user input (20) at the hand-held unit (1),

characterised in that on activating the motion control mode (20), the current attitude of the hand-held unit in space is detected (22) as the current reference attitude, so that movements can be detected (24) relative to this current reference attitude, and can be communicated (30) as control commands to the machine.

16. Operating method according to the preamble of claim 15, characterised in that on activating the motion control mode, the current attitude of the hand-held unit in space is detected and compared with a predetermined reference attitude, and wherein detected movements cannot be communicated to the machine as control commands until the hand-held unit has been brought at least approximately into the predetermined reference attitude, wherein movements relative to the predetermined reference attitude are detected for the purpose of generating control commands.

17. Operating method according to claim 15, characterised in that in response to detected movements, at least one output perceptible to the user, in particular an optical and/or acoustic and/or haptic signal, is generated at the hand-held unit.