Zero-gravity hoist control

A system, comprising:

• a hoist;
• a motor coupled to the hoist, the motor configured to drive the hoist in one or more directions;
• a load sensing assembly configured to determine a force of a load attached to the hoist, the load sensing assembly positioned between the hoist and a support or the load, the load sensing assembly including:
• a spring plate configured to deflect in a first direction when the load increases,
• a first sensor configured to apply a first electrical signal to a first conductive surface associated with the spring plate, the first sensor including a first antenna configured to receive a signal from the first conductive surface, wherein the first electrical signal is dependent on a distance between the first antenna and the first conductive surface, and
• a sensor circuit configured to receive an input from the first antenna representative of the distance between the first antenna and the first conductive surface;
• and
• a controller having one or more electronic processors, wherein the one or more electronic processors are configured to:
• adjust a height of the load based on data received from the load sensing assembly.

A hoist system, comprising:

• a hoist;
• a motor coupled to the hoist, and configured to drive the hoist in one or more directions;
• a load sensing assembly configured to determine a force of a load attached to the hoist, wherein the load sensing assembly includes:
• a spring plate configured to deflect in response to a variation in the force of the load, wherein the spring plate includes a conductive surface configured to receive a first signal;
• and
• an antenna configured to receive a second electrical signal from the first conductive surface;
• wherein the second electrical signal is associated with a distance between the antenna and the conductive surface, the antenna configured to generate an output based on the received second electrical signal;
• and
• a controller having one or more electronic processors, wherein the one or more electronic processors are configured to:
• receive a first output from the antenna;
• determine a first force of the load in response to receiving the input and based on the received first output;
• store the measured force in a memory of the controller;
• receive a second output from the antenna;
• measure a second force of the load based on the received second output;
• determine a difference between the second measured force and the first measured force;
• and
• adjust the height of the load in response to the determined difference being within a predefined range of difference values.