IP Library Granted Patent US 12,492,011
Granted Patent B2
US 12,492,011 · App. 18/027,204 · Granted Dec 9, 2025

Remote-controllable lifting and/or transporting arrangement

Inventor: Thomas Haug (Birkenfeld, DE)
B64F1/228G05D1/0033G05D1/0055
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Quick Facts
Patent No.
US 12,492,011
App. No.
18/027,204
Granted
Dec 9, 2025
Kind
B2
Abstract

A lifting and/or transporting arrangement includes a remote-controllable lifting and/or transporting device, such as an aircraft pusher; a remote-control transmitter for controlling a lifting and/or transporting movement of the lifting and/or transporting device; and a safety apparatus on which data for defining a horizontally extending virtual enablement area are stored and which has a sensor system for determining a position of the remote-control sensor. A control process of the remote-control transmitter can be enabled or blocked by the safety apparatus on the basis of a currently detected position of the remote-control transmitter with respect to the enablement area. The enablement area has a limited vertical extent in a vertical direction, and the sensor system of the safety apparatus has height determination device for determining a height of the remote-control transmitter. The control process can be enabled or blocked on the basis of a currently detected height of the remote-control transmitter with respect to the vertical extent of the enablement area.

Claims (31)

1 . A lifting and/or transporting arrangement, comprising:

a remote-controllable lifting and/or transporting apparatus;

a remote-control transmitter for controlling a lifting and/or transporting movement of the lifting and/or transporting apparatus; and

a safety apparatus, at which data for defining a horizontally extending virtual enablement area are stored and which has a sensor system for detecting a position of the remote-control transmitter,

wherein by means of the safety apparatus, a control process of the remote-control transmitter can be enabled or disabled in dependence on a currently detected position of the remote-control transmitter relative to the enablement area,

wherein the enablement area has a limited vertical extent in a vertical direction and the sensor system of the safety apparatus has height determination means for determining a height position of the remote-control transmitter,

wherein the control process can be enabled or disabled in dependence on a currently determined height position of the remote-control transmitter relative to the vertical extent of the enablement area, the currently determined height position of the remote-control transmitter being determined continuously, and

wherein the limited vertical extent is defined as a height difference range relative to the lifting and/or transporting apparatus, and the height position of the remote-control transmitter is determined as a height difference of the remote-control transmitter relative to the lifting and/or transporting apparatus.

2 . The lifting/transporting arrangement according to claim 1 , wherein the vertical extent of the enablement area is formed by a height difference area relative to the lifting and/or transporting device.

3 . The lifting/transporting arrangement according to claim 1 , wherein the enablement area has a maximum height of 2 m relative to a ground.

4 . The lifting/transporting arrangement according to claim 1 , wherein transmitting means of the remote-control transmitter can be blocked/stopped by means of the safety apparatus in order to disable the control process.

5 . The lifting/transporting arrangement according to claim 1 , wherein, in order to disable the control process, the remote-controllable lifting and/or transporting device can be actively fixed in a rest position by transmission of a zero signal by the remote-control transmitter.

6 . The lifting/transporting arrangement according to claim 1 , wherein the height determination means determine the respective current height position of the remote-control transmitter relative to the lifting and/or transporting device in a recurring manner.

7 . The lifting/transporting arrangement according to claim 6 , wherein the height determination means have a first height measuring device on the lifting and/or transporting device and a second height measuring device on the remote-control transmitter.

8 . A method of operating the lifting/transporting arrangement according to claim 1 , in which,

in a first step, the enablement area is defined in advance and stored in the safety apparatus in terms of data;

in a second step, a current position of the remote-control transmitter is detected and compared with the stored enablement area; and

in a third step, the control process is enabled in accordance with a control instruction input at the remote-control transmitter in dependence thereon, whether the remote-control transmitter is currently located in the enablement area,

wherein, in the first step, the enablement area is limited in the vertical direction, and, in the second step, a current altitude of the remote-control transmitter is determined and compared with the vertical extent of the enablement area.

9 . The operating method according to claim 8 , wherein in the second step, the height position of the remote-control transmitter is determined in the form of its height difference with respect to the lifting and/or transporting device and is compared with the height difference area of the enablement area.

10 . The operating method according to claim 8 , wherein the height difference is determined in the second step by means of a GPS or GNSS signal, barometrically, gravimetrically and/or trigonometrically.

11 . The operating method according to claim 1 , wherein in the third step the transmitting means are blocked when the detected current position of the remote-control transmitter is outside the enablement area.

12 . The operating method according to claim 1 , wherein in the third step the transmitting means transmit active control signals by means of which the lifting and/or transporting device is held in a rest position when the detected current position of the remote-control transmitter lies outside the enablement area.

13 . The lifting/transporting arrangement according to claim 1 , wherein the remote-controllable lifting and/or transporting apparatus is an aircraft pusher.

14 . The lifting/transporting arrangement according to claim 2 , wherein the enablement area has a maximum height of 2 m relative to a ground.

15 . The lifting/transporting arrangement according to claim 2 , wherein transmitting means of the remote-control transmitter can be blocked/stopped by means of the safety apparatus in order to disable the control process.

16 . The lifting/transporting arrangement according to claim 3 , wherein transmitting means of the remote-control transmitter can be blocked/stopped by means of the safety apparatus in order to disable the control process.

17 . The lifting/transporting arrangement according to claim 2 , wherein, in order to disable the control process, the remote-controllable lifting and/or transporting device can be actively fixed in a rest position by transmission of a zero signal by the remote-control transmitter.

18 . The lifting/transporting arrangement according to claim 3 , wherein, in order to disable the control process, the remote-controllable lifting and/or transporting device can be actively fixed in a rest position by transmission of a zero signal by the remote-control transmitter.

19 . The lifting/transporting arrangement according to claim 2 , wherein the height determination means determine the respective current height position of the remote-control transmitter relative to the lifting and/or transporting device in a recurring manner.

20 . The lifting/transporting arrangement according to claim 3 , wherein the height determination means determine the respective current height position of the remote-control transmitter relative to the lifting and/or transporting device in a recurring manner.

Priority Claims (1)
DE 10 2021 118 081.3 · Jul 13, 2021 · national
Continuity (1)
Related Publication 20230373656A1 · Nov 23, 2023
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