Climb assist velocity control

1 . A climb assist system configured to provide load assist to a climber during movement along a vertical direction on a structure, the climb assist system comprising:

an assist rope that extends along at least a portion of the structure in the vertical direction;

a rope grab configured to couple the climber to the assist rope such that movement of the climber relative to the assist rope is restricted;

a drive system coupled to the assist rope such that the drive system is configured to provide the load assist to the assist rope;

a brake configured to apply a braking force to slow downward movement of the climber;

a load sensor system configured to: 1) detect a load applied to the rope grab; 2) generate a detected rope grab signal in response to the detected load and 3) transmit the detected rope grab signal over a first channel; and

a remote control system configured to:

receive the detected rope grab signal over the first channel from the load sensor system;

receive a detected drive system signal over a second channel from the drive system;

interpret the detected rope grab signal, and the detected drive system signal to determine a load assist value;

generate a voltage signal corresponding to the load assist value;

transmit the voltage signal over a third channel to the drive system to cause the drive system to dynamically adjust the load assist provided to the assist rope based on the voltage signal; and

transmit a braking signal over the second channel to the brake to cause the drive system to apply the braking force when analyzing the detected load indicates an excess speed.

2 . The climb assist system of claim 1 , wherein the load assist includes a level of assist and a rate of assist.

3 . The climb assist system of claim 2 , wherein the level of assist includes a force applied to the assist rope, and the rate of assist includes a speed in the vertical direction applied to the assist rope.

4 . The climb assist system of claim 1 , wherein the load sensor system includes a magnet and a Hall Effect device, at least one of the magnet and the Hall Effect device being movable relative to the other of the magnet and the Hall Effect device in response to a change in the load applied to the rope grab.

5 . The climb assist system of claim 4 , further comprising a lanyard configured to couple the climber to the rope grab.

6 . The climb assist system of claim 5 , wherein the load sensor system includes a movable member that supports one of the magnet and the Hall Effect device, the lanyard is coupled to the movable member such that as the load applied to the rope grab changes the movable member moves thus changing a distance measured from the magnet to the Hall Effect device, and the changing distance generates the detected rope grab signal.

7 . The climb assist system of claim 6 , wherein the load sensor system includes a biasing member configured to exert a biasing force on the movable member to maintain the distance in the absence of a change in the load applied to the assist rope.

8 . The climb assist system of claim 4 , wherein the load sensor system includes a flexible material, at least one of the magnet and the Hall Effect device are coupled to the flexible material, and the flexible material is configured to stretch and compress in response to a change in the load applied to the assist rope.

9 . The climb assist system of claim 8 , further comprising a lanyard configured to couple the climber to the rope grab, wherein the flexible material is positioned between a first portion of the lanyard that extends from the flexible material toward the climber and a second portion of the lanyard that extends from the flexible material toward the rope grab.

10 . The climb assist system of claim 4 , wherein the load sensor system includes an inner shell and an outer shell, the inner shell carrying one of the magnet and the Hall Effect device, and the outer shell carrying the other of the magnet and the Hall Effect device, the inner shell and the outer shell movable with respect to one another in response to a change in the load applied to the rope grab.

11 . The climb assist system of claim 10 , wherein one of the inner shell and the outer shell includes a pin, the other of the inner shell and the outer shell defines a slot configured to receive the pin, and the pin is moveable in the slot so as to define a maximum amount of displacement of the inner shell relative to the outer shell.

12 . The climb assist system of claim 1 , wherein the drive system includes a motor and a motor control device configured to adjust at least one characteristic of the motor in response to the voltage signal sent to the drive system.

13 . The climb assist system of claim 12 , wherein the at least one characteristic includes output speed, output torque, or both.

14 . The climb assist system of claim 12 , further comprising a sheave configured to receive the assist rope such that the sheave is configured to apply a force to the assist rope to move the assist rope along the vertical direction.

15 . The climb assist system of claim 14 , wherein the motor is coupled to the sheave such that the motor applies a torque to the sheave thereby causing the sheave to apply the force to the assist rope.

16 . The climb assist system of claim 4 , wherein the load sensor system includes a coil of wire, the load sensor system is configured such that the magnet is movable relative to the coil of wire in response to a change in the load applied to the rope grab, and movement of the magnet relative to the coil of wire generates an electrical current in the coil of wire.

17 . The climb assist system of claim 1 , wherein the load sensor system is configured to monitor an acceleration along the vertical direction, and the remote control system is further configured to send a signal to the brake to apply the braking force when the acceleration remains at or above a predetermined acceleration limit for a second specified period of time.

18 . The climb assist system of claim 1 , wherein the remote control system is configured to detect a change in the load applied to the rope grab, and the remote control system is further configured to send a signal to the brake to apply the braking force upon the detected load applied to the rope grab surpassing a preset load value.

19 . A climb assist system configured to provide load assist to a climber during movement along a vertical direction on a structure, the climb assist system comprising:

a first sheave coupled to an upper area of the structure;

a second sheave coupled to a lower area of the structure;

an assist rope that extends along at least a portion of the structure in the vertical direction, the assist rope extending between the first sheave and the second sheave;

a rope grab configured to couple the climber to the assist rope such that movement of the climber relative to the assist rope is restricted;

a drive system coupled to the assist rope such that the drive system is configured to provide the load assist to the assist rope;

a brake configured to apply a braking force to slow downward movement of the climber;

an input device configured to receive user input from a climber;

a load sensor system configured to:

detect a load applied to the rope grab;

generate a detected rope grab signal in response to the detected load; and

transmit the detected rope grab signal; and

a control system configured to:

receive the detected rope grab signal over a first channel from the load sensor system, the detected rope grab signal indicating a jerk of the climber during a descent along the vertical direction;

receive a detected drive system signal over a second channel from the drive system;

receive the user input over a third channel from the input device;

interpret the detected rope grab signal, the detected drive system signal, and the user input to determine a load assist value, including comparing the monitored jerk of the climber with a predetermined jerk limit;

generate a voltage signal corresponding to the load assist value;

transmit a control system signal to the input device over a fourth channel;

transmit the voltage signal to the drive system over a fifth channel to cause the drive system to dynamically adjust the load assist provided to the assist rope based on the voltage signal; and

transmit a braking signal to the brake over a sixth channel to cause the drive system to apply the braking force when analyzing the detected load indicates an excess speed, wherein:

responsive to determining the monitored jerk meets or exceeds the predetermined jerk limit for any detectable time during a specified period of time, the braking signal is transmitted to the brake to apply the braking force.

20 . A climb assist system configured to provide load assist to a climber during movement along a vertical direction on a structure, the climb assist system comprising:

an assist rope that extends along at least a portion of the structure in the vertical direction;

a rope grab configured to couple the climber to the assist rope such that movement of the climber relative to the assist rope is restricted;

a drive system coupled to the assist rope such that the drive system is configured to provide the load assist to the assist rope, the drive system defining a first node;

a brake configured to apply a braking force to slow downward movement of the climber, the brake defining a second node;

an input device configured to receive user input from a climber, the input device defining a third node, the third node comprising:

an input component configured to receive the user input from the climber;

an output component configured to present information to the climber;

a wireless transmitter configured to transmit the user input over a wireless mesh network; and

a wireless receiver configured to receive a control system signal over the wireless mesh network;

a load sensor system defining a fourth node, the load sensor system configured to:

detect a load applied to the rope grab;

generate a detected rope grab signal in response to the detected load; and

transmit the detected rope grab signal; and

a remote control system defining a fifth node, the remote control system configured to:

receive the detected rope grab signal from the load sensor system;

receive a detected drive system signal from the drive system;

receive the user input from the input device;

interpret the detected rope grab signal, the detected drive system signal, and the user input to determine a load assist value;

generate a voltage signal corresponding to the load assist value;

transmit the voltage signal to the drive system to cause the drive system to dynamically adjust the load assist provided to the assist rope based on the voltage signal;

transmit the control system signal to the input device; and

transmit a braking signal to the brake to cause the drive system to apply the braking force when analyzing the detected load indicates an excess speed.