Wireless remote control for a winch

A wireless remote control for use with a winch mounted on a vehicle, comprising:

• a wireless receiver mounted to the vehicle;
• a wireless hand-held transmitter for transmitting a coded signal to the receiver, said wireless transmitter having a forward switch, a reverse switch and a power switch for controlling power to the transmitter;
• said wireless transmitter provided with a transmission format for the coded signal, said transmission format including a field for a security code, and a field for a control code used for controlling operation of the winch, said wireless transmitter modulating a carrier frequency by modulating the security code and the control code thereon;
• said control code including a forward code, a reverse code and a stop code;
• said transmitter including a programmed processor responsive to activation and deactivation of said forward switch, and responsive to activation and deactivation of said reverse switch, for causing modulation of said carrier frequency, said processor programmed to modulate said carrier frequency with said forward code when said forward switch is activated, said processor programmed to modulate said carrier frequency with said reverse code when said reverse switch is activated, and said processor programmed to modulate said carrier frequency with said stop code when either said forward switch or said reverse switch is deactivated;
• a horizontally polarized dipole antenna mounted to the vehicle;
• said wireless receiver coupled to said antenna, and said receiver including demodulation circuits for demodulating said control codes and controlling operation of said winch;
• and
• a solenoid arrangement coupled between a battery of the vehicle and the winch, said receiver including a driver circuit for driving the solenoid arrangement in response to the control signals demodulated from the carrier frequency, said solenoid arrangement driven in response to a demodulated forward code for driving current through a motor of said winch to wind a cable on a reel in a forward direction, and said solenoid arrangement driven in response to a demodulated reverse code for driving current through the motor to unwind the cable from the reel, and said solenoid arrangement disconnecting the winch motor from the battery in response to a demodulated stop code.

A wireless control for use with a winch mounted on a vehicle, comprising:

• a winch having a DC motor operated by a vehicle battery, said winch having a drum rotatable in a first direction by a DC current flowing in said DC motor in one direction to wind a cable on said drum, and said drum rotatable in a second direction by DC current flowing in said DC motor in an opposite direction to unwind the cable from said drum;
• a solenoid arrangement responsive to a signal for switching a direction of the DC current from the vehicle battery to the DC motor of the winch to control whether the cable is wound or unwound on the drum;
• a wireless remote control having a first button which when depressed causes a first signal to be transmitted as long as said first button is depressed, and a second button which when depressed causes a second signal to be transmitted as long as said second button is depressed, said first and second buttons of said wireless remote control being effective to control the winding and the unwinding of the cable on the drum of the winch;
• a wireless receiver mounted to the vehicle, said wireless receiver adapted for receiving the first and second signals transmitted by said wireless remote control, said wireless receiver having an electrical cable coupling control signals to said solenoid arrangement;
• and
• an antenna having a base member from which a first antenna element and a second antenna element extends, said base member adapted for mounting to the vehicle, said first and second elements extending in opposite directions.