A vehicle, or control system thereof includes a winch and control circuitry. The winch includes a winch motor and is configured to extend and retract a cable. The control circuitry is coupled to the winch and a battery system. The control circuitry is configured to control operation of the vehicle, receive an indication to initiate a winch control mode, determine status information for the vehicle, and activate one or more selectors of an input interface for receiving input to control the winch based on the status information. The selectors can include buttons of a keyfob associated with the vehicle. The status information can include a gear selection of the vehicle, a security status of the vehicle, a capacity status of the battery system, authorization information, or other information. The control circuitry, while controlling the winch, receives commands for controlling the winch and monitors the status information.

A system that is configured to automatically control a spooling of a drum of a deployment unit used in hydrocarbon recovery operations.

Described herein are methods and systems to dampen oscillations of a payload coupled to a tether of a winch system arranged on an unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV). For example, the UAV's control system may dampen the oscillations by causing the UAV to switch to a forward flight mode in which movement of the UAV results in drag on the payload, thereby damping the oscillations. In another example, the control system may cause the UAV to reduce an extent flight stabilization along at least one dimension, thereby resulting in damping of the detected oscillations due to energy dissipation during movement of the UAV along the dimension. In this way, the control system could select and carry out one or more such techniques, and could do so during retraction and/or deployment of the tether.

A method and device for preventing impact vibration of a lift system include: acquiring a load weight in a lift container; obtaining preset basic parameters of a lift system; according to the load weight in the lift container and the basic parameters of the lift system, determining a fundamental wave vibration period of a lifting rope when the lift system starts; according to the fundamental wave vibration period and preset calculation parameters of the lift system, determining time-varying simulation parameters of an acceleration of the lift system during a lifting process; according to determined time-varying simulation parameters of the acceleration, lifting the lift container.

A hoist lifting system having planning and monitoring of components. The system monitors one or more components and may have a processing structure and memory storing instructions to configure the processing structure to: receive hoist machine data; determine a rotation speed of a bearing, a travel speed of a rope, a load on the bearing, a friction in the at least one bearing based on the hoist machine data; and store the rotation speed, the travel speed, the load, and the friction in a maintenance database in memory. The hoist lifting system may have the processing structure determine a wear of one or more components.

Horizontal translation, pendular motion, and or yaw control of a load suspended from a carrier with a suspended load control system, wherein control input to the suspended load control system may be provided through the use of more than one remote pendant.

An aircraft hoist system includes hoist equipment arranged in an aircraft, the hoist equipment including a motor, a cable, and a hook portion. The aircraft hoist system also includes at least one sensor configured to obtain measurements and a processor configured to analyze the measurements from the at least one sensor. The aircraft hoist system also includes the processor configured to determine motor control signals to control the motor based on an analysis of the measurements from the at least one sensor to reduce sway and/or oscillations of the cable while lifting a load. The aircraft hoist system also includes the processor configured to control the motor to lift the load with the cable based on the determined motor control signals.

An automatically opening and closing inflatable holiday ornament includes a box that has a base, a plurality of side panels hingedly connected to the base, and a top portion connected to each of the plurality of side panels. The ornament further includes a motor, a plurality of pull cables, such that each of the plurality of pull cables has a first end operatively connected to the motor and a second end connected to one of the plurality of side panels. The ornament also includes a first blower, an inflatable disposed in the box and surrounding the first blower such that operation of the first blower blows air into the inflatable to inflate the inflatable, and a controller operatively connected to the motor and to the first blower such that the controller controls operation of the motor and the blower.

A crane vehicle includes: an operation unit; a winch device configured to operate at a speed corresponding to an operation amount of the operation unit; a weight detection unit; a storage unit configured to store a time-weight target characteristic indicating a target in temporal change of a detected value at the weight detection unit for a maximum operation amount input from the operation unit; and a control unit configured to perform feedback control of an operation speed of the winch device such that the detected value follows the time-weight target characteristic in a case where the maximum operation amount is input from the operation unit, the control unit being configured to set the operation speed of the winch device at the speed corresponding to the operation amount of the operation unit, in a case where fluctuation of the detected value has converged in a predetermined range.

A method and a circuit for controlling electric power delivered to an electric motor are disclosed. A forward control signal is transmitted when a forward command is received while a forward latch is not set. The forward latch is set and the forward control signal is stopped when a power level of the motor exceeds a threshold while the forward command is received. The forward latch is reset and a reverse control signal is transmitted when a reverse command is received. The reverse and forward control signals are not transmitted when no command is received. A reverse latch is optionally set when the power level exceeds the threshold while the reverse command is received. A winch connected to the motor has a cable wound thereon in a forward direction of the motor and unwound therefrom in a reverse direction of the motor, as controlled by the circuit.