US 7,070,061 B1 · System for controlling movements of a load lifting device

Abstract

The invention relates to a system for controlling movements of a load lifting device on a horizontal plane whereby the load lifting device (6) comprises a vertically oriented carrier element (14). The vertical orientation of said carrier element is at least due to gravity when the element is in a resting position. At least one motor device (23a, 23b, 23c) is connected in order to execute said movements. Said movements can be controlled by a force impinging in a substantially horizontal direction relative to the carrier element (14), in particular a force which can be applied and which can be detected by a sensor device (25). In order to improve upon a control system in a simple to operate and low cost manner, in particular in such a way that load independent control is achieved with a high degree of positioning accuracy and rapid positioning speed, the sensor device (25), according to the invention, is embodied in such a manner and arranged in such a manner with respect to the carrier element (14) that the force is detected in a path-free manner. Path-free in this context is taken to mean that components of the sensor device (25) do not move through macroscopically registerable path with respect to each other.

Claims27

Dependent claims

A load-lifting apparatus with a control system for movements in a horizontal plane defined by coordinate axes (X-Y), comprising:

a load-lifting device having a carrying element oriented vertically (Z—Z) at least when in a position at rest and influenced by gravity;
a motor drive operatively associated with the carrying element to impart movement to the load lifting device in a substantially horizontal direction on at least one axis as a function of force (F) applied manually to the carrying element in a substantially horizontal direction;
a sensor device operatively associated with the motor drive and responsive to the manually applied force;
the sensor device having a housing with a measuring body in contact with the carrying element, and;
the sensor device having at least one force transducer allocated to a respective coordinate axis of the motor drive and in contact with the measuring body so as to detect path-free a horizontal movement imparted to the measuring body by the force manually applied to the carrying element,
whereby the motor drive imparts the substantially horizontal movement to the load lifting device in response to the force manually applied to the carrying element.

3 more elements

Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.

System for controlling movements of a load lifting device

Life of this patent

System for controlling movements of a load lifting device

Life of this patent

Abstract

Claims27