A remote control console or operator's station includes a proportional travel control joystick that effects continuous changes in machine travel speed through movement of the joystick away from a central-biased position, a sensor that measures progressively changing positions of the joystick, and an electronic controller communicatively coupled to the sensor and the joystick. The electronic controller is programmed to perform a closed loop control including mapping the progressively changing positions of the joystick to corresponding desired machine travel speeds, and adjusting the speeds of an engine used to propel the machine and the amounts of service braking used to slow the machine to achieve desired machine travel speeds.

A control panel for controlling a device comprises a scanning device being a plane surface scanner configured for scanning instantaneously an image of a surface of interest. It also comprises a front panel with a front side surface facing the user and a back side surface facing the scanning device and thus being scanable and at least one controller element mounted in the front panel and having contrast markings at the back side facing the scanner device with respect to a color of other portions of the back side of the front panel so that a state of the at least one controller is recognizable from an optical image of the back side of the front panel.

A controller is capable of controlling an asset or target in physical and/or virtual three-dimensional space using a single hand by generating control inputs in four or more degrees of freedom while also limiting cross-coupling (unintended motions). The controller includes a first control member is configured to be gripped in a user's single, second control member is disposed on or near a top end of the first member movable with at least one degree of freedom independently of the movement of the first control member, and a third control member positioned on the first member for displacement by one or more digits of the user's single hand and coupled with the second member to move in opposition to movement of the second control member.

A remote controller comprising a shifter lever structure, a controller, and a signal emission device electrically coupled to the controller. The shifter lever structure includes a base, a press key movably connected to the base, a shifter lever arranged surrounding the press key and movably connected to the base, and a sensor coupled to the press key and the shifter lever. The sensor is configured to obtain moving state information about the press key and the shifter lever. The sensor includes at least one of an angle sensor, an angular displacement sensor, an angular velocity sensor, an angular acceleration sensor, a torque sensor, a distance sensor, a linear displacement sensor, a linear velocity sensor, a linear acceleration sensor, or a pressure sensor. The controller is configured to receive the moving state information from the sensor and emit a control signal corresponding to the information via the signal emission device.

A controller is capable of controlling an asset or target in physical and/or virtual three-dimensional space using a single hand by generating control inputs in four or more degrees of freedom while also limiting cross-coupling (unintended motions). The controller includes a first control member is configured to be gripped in a user's single, second control member is disposed on or near a top end of the first member movable with at least one degree of freedom independently of the movement of the first control member, and a third control member positioned on the first member for displacement by one or more digits of the user's single hand and coupled with the second member to move in opposition to movement of the second control member.

A gimbal support that senses rotational displacement and provides haptic feedback in one, two or three dimensions of a manually-operated control member used to generate control inputs using a single hand while also limiting cross-coupling.

A magnetic spring input device is disclosed. In various embodiments, an input device as disclosed includes a manual input structure movably coupled to a base assembly; and a non-stationary magnet fixedly coupled to the manual input structure; a stationary magnet coupled to the base assembly in a manner that is fixed with respect to at least a first input axis of the input device, the stationary magnet being coupled to the base assembly with a first magnetic pole having a first magnetic polarity is oriented opposite a corresponding magnetic pole of the non-stationary magnet having the first magnetic polarity, in a position that is adjacent to but offset from the non-stationary magnet when the manual input structure is in a neutral position. The non-stationary magnet is coupled to the manual input structure in a position such that movement of the manual input structure about or along the first input axis of the input device brings said poles have said first magnetic polarity within sufficient proximity to generate a repulsive magnetic force.

A control device for a human-machine interface includes a base and a moveable member in the form of a lever or a push element, which can be moved relative to the base. The control device further includes at least one electroactive element positioned between the moveable member and a fixed element of the base.

A sensor system and a joystick including the sensor system. The sensor system comprises a magnetic field sensor, and first and second magnetic sources. The first magnetic source is rotatable relative to a sensitive surface of the sensor and generates a first magnetic field contribution of at least quadrupolar order. The second magnetic source is pivotable with respect to the sensitive surface and generates a second magnetic field contribution. The sensor is configured for detecting at least an in-plane component of a superimposition field of the first and second magnetic contributions at a plurality of lateral measurement locations on the sensitive surface, obtaining measurements, and determining a rotation angle for the first source from the field gradient measurements and two angular directions for the second source from the field mean measurements. Lateral measurement locations are arranged into two pairs of diametrically opposite measurement locations with respect to the sensitive surface.

Provided is an input assistance device that generates multiple signals without removal of a hand from a rotating body. This input assistance device 10 is equipped with: an operation unit having a shaft 2 that tilts in multiple directions from a neutral position and a rotating body 3 that rotates with respect to the shaft 2; a first sensor 5 that detects the tilt direction of the shaft 2; a second sensor 6 that detects the rotational angle of the rotating body 3; and a signal generation unit 9 that generates signals using the detection result from the first sensor 5 and the detection result from the second sensor 6. Multiple signals can be generated by means of the signal generation unit 9 by selecting the type of signal on the basis of the tilt direction of the shaft 2 as detected by the first sensor 5 and adjusting the size of the signal on the basis of the rotational angle of the rotating body 3 as detected by the second sensor 6.