Remote-control arrangement and method for operating the remote-control arrangement

Abstract

A remote-control arrangement for remotely controlled objects, such as in particular lifting systems and/or working devices, has a handheld transmitter which has a housing on which multiple adjustable-position operating elements for the input of control commands are held, and in which remote control electronics are accommodated, by means of which control commands input via the operating elements can be converted into signals, which can be emitted to control the objects, and a display held on the housing for displaying control-relevant information. The display is formed by a computer display of a portable computer produced separately from the transmitter, and a standard interface, via which the portable computer can be detachably connected to the remote-control electronics of the transmitter, is provided on the housing.

Claims

1. A handheld remote-control arrangement for remotely controlled objects, comprising: a handheld transmitter which has a housing on which multiple adjustable-position operating elements for the input of control commands are held and in which remote-control electronics are accommodated, by means of which control commands input via the operating elements can be converted into signals, which can be emitted to control the objects; and a display held on the housing for displaying control-relevant information, wherein the display is formed by a computer display of a portable computer produced separately from the transmitter and a standard interface, via which the portable computer can be detachably connected to the remote-control electronics of the transmitter, is provided on the housing, wherein the remote-control arrangement as a whole is handheld, wherein the standard interface is configured to be bidirectional in such a manner that first signals are transmitted from the transmitter to a processor of the portable computer and second signals are transmitted from the processor of the portable computer to the transmitter, wherein the first signals contain image data in a common graphic standard for visualising the control-relevant data of the transmitter on the computer display, and contain device data of the transmitter for the processor of the portable computer to perform an analysis of settings or of functionality of the transmitter, and wherein the second signals contain information data for adjusting at least one changeable value of the transmitter.

2. The handheld remote-control arrangement according to claim 1, wherein the second signals contain control data for controlling the remotely controlled obj ect.

3. The handheld remote-control arrangement according to claim 1, wherein the standard interface has a plug-in connection.

4. The handheld remote-control arrangement according to claim 1, wherein the standard interface is designed to be wireless.

5. The handheld remote-control arrangement according to claim 1, wherein the remote-control electronics of the transmitter have, in addition to a releasable connection with the portable computer, a fixed connection with a stationary display which is installed permanently in the housing.

6. The handheld remote-control arrangement according to claim 1, wherein on the housing is provided a holder for the releasable fastening of the portable computer.

7. A method for operating the handheld remote-control arrangement according to claim 1, the method comprising: a first step of fastening the portable computer to the housing of the transmitter and establishing a bidirectional data connection via the standard interface between the remote-control electronics of the transmitter and the processor of the portable computer.

8. The operational method according to claim 7, further comprising a second step of transmitting the first signals from the remote-control electronics to the processor and a third step of transmitting the second signals from the processor to the remote-control electronics.

9. The operational method according to claim 8, further comprising the step of generating a visualisation of control-relevant data on the computer display by the image data created in the graphic standard.

10. The operational method according to claim 8, further comprising the step of carrying out the analysis of settings or of functionality of the transmitter at the processor of the portable computer by the device data of the transmitter contained in the first signals.

11. The operational method according to claim 8, further comprising the step of carrying out a functional analysis of the remotely controlled object at the processor of the portable computer by object data contained in the first signals.

12. The operational method according to claim 8, wherein further comprising the step of generating live images captured at the remotely controlled object on the computer display by live image data contained in the first signals contain the live image data by means of which live images captured at the remotely controlled object are generated on the computer display.

13. The operational method according to claim 8, further comprising a step of undertaking settings on the transmitter or on the remote-controlled object by the information data contained in the second signals.

14. The operational method according to claim 8, further comprising the step of undertaking a control of the remotely controlled object by control data contained in the second signals.

15. A computer program product embodied on a non-transitory computer readable medium to be stored on a portable computer, comprising computer-executable program code instructions for, when executed on the portable computer, controlling the operational method according to claim 7.

16. A handheld and/or portable remote-control arrangement for remotely controlled objects, comprising: a handheld transmitter which has a housing on which multiple adjustable-position operating elements for the input of control commands are held and in which remote-control electronics are accommodated, by means of which control commands input via the operating elements can be converted into signals, which can be emitted to control the objects; and a display held on the housing for displaying control-relevant information, wherein the display is formed by a computer display of a portable computer produced separately from the transmitter and a standard interface, via which the portable computer can be detachably connected to the remote-control electronics of the transmitter, is provided on the housing, wherein the standard interface is configured to be bidirectional in such a manner that first signals are transmitted from the transmitter to a processor of the portable computer and second signals are transmitted from the processor of the portable computer to the transmitter, wherein the first signals contain image data in a common graphic standard for visualizing control-relevant data on the computer display, and device data of the transmitter so that an analysis of settings or of functionality of the transmitter can be carried out at the processor of the portable computer, and wherein the second signals contain control data for controlling the remotely controlled object, and information data for adjusting at least one changeable value of the transmitter.

17. The handheld and/or portable remote-control arrangement according to c1aim 16, wherein the second signals contain control data of control manoeuvers being stored on the portable computer.

Description

(1) In the figures is shown an exemplary embodiment of the invention.

(2) FIG. 1 shows a view of a remote-control arrangement according to the invention and

(3) FIG. 2 shows a diagram of the procedure of an operational method according to the invention.

(4) FIG. 1 shows a remote-control arrangement 2 which serves to remotely control an object 4 in the form of any type of lifting system or another type of, particularly industrial or agricultural, working machine. To this end, the remote-control arrangement 2 has a transmitter 6 having a housing 8. On the housing 8 are provided multiple operating elements 10 in the exemplary form of joysticks, buttons, rotary controls and sliding controls, which serve for inputting control commands on the part of a user.

(5) Within the housing 8 are accommodated remote-control electronics 12 which have a transceiver unit 14 having an antenna 16 and an interface device 18 on the transmitter side. The remote-control electronics 12 serve in this regard to convert the control commands inputted by way of the operating elements 10 into control signals SS, which can be transmitted via the transceiver unit 14 and the antenna 16 to the object 4 to be controlled.

(6) As can furthermore be learned from FIG. 1, a holder 20 is additionally mounted on the housing 8, which holder serves for the releasable but stable fixing of a portable computer 22. This is formed for example by a smart phone or a tablet computer having an in particular touch-sensitive computer display 24 and a processor 26. In this regard, the processor 26 has an interface device 28 on the computer side.

(7) The interface device 18 on the transmitter side and the interface device 28 on the computer side are configured such that they form a standard interface 30A which can be established via a plug-in connection 32. Alternatively or additionally to this, a wireless standard interface 30B can be established between the interface devices 18, 28, as is shown by dot-dashed arrows. The standard interface 30A which can be established via the plug-in connection 32 can in this case for example be in the form of a PCI-bus, USB or SCSI interface and the wireless standard interface can be in the form of a Bluetooth, IrDa or a WLAN interface.

(8) In each case, the standard interface 30A; 30B functions bidirectionally and transmits first signals S1 from the remote-control electronics 12 of the transmitter 6 to the processor 26 of the portable computer 22, as well as second signals S2 from the processor 26 to the remote-control electronics 12.

(9) The first signals S1 can in this regard contain image data BD created in a common graphic standard which serve for visualising information on the computer display 24. The visualised information can for example represent a charging state or a transmission power of the transmitter 6. Additionally or alternatively to the representation on the computer display 24, certain information can furthermore be displayed on a stationary display 34, according to FIG. 1, which is mounted directly on the housing 8 and has a permanent connection with the remote-control electronics 12. In this manner, the information concerned can be displayed independently of whether the portable computer 22 is connected with the transmitter 6 or not.

(10) In addition, the first signals S1 can contain device data GD, by means of which, for example, an analysis of the settings or of the functionality of the transmitter 6 can be carried out at the processor 26. To this end, an appropriate computer program product is saved on the processor 26 in the form of an application program PG. Alternatively, it is also possible to forward the device data GD by way of an Internet connection 36 of the portable computer 22 to a service point 38 which can then carry out the device analysis.

(11) Furthermore, the first signals S1 can contain object data OD which can be derived by the remote-control electronics 20 from object signals OS which the remotely controlled object 4 transmits to the transmitter 6. By means of these object data OD, for example an analysis of the settings or of the functionality of the object 4 can be carried out at the processor. To this end, an appropriate application program PO is stored at the processor 26.

(12) In addition, the first signals S1 can contain live image data LD which are derived by the remote-control electronics 12 from live image signals LS which the remotely controlled object 4 transmits to the transmitter 6. By means of these live image data LD, live images can be generated on the computer display 24, which live images for example depict a working area on the object 4 and thus facilitate a better view for the user.

(13) The second signals S2, which are transmitted from the processor 26 to the remote-control electronics 12, can in addition contain control data SD which trigger automated or semi-automated control manoeuvres on the transmitter 6. To this end, the different control manoeuvres are stored in the processor 26 within an appropriate application program PS. This application program PS here facilitates also the uploading of further control data SD via the Internet connection 36.

(14) In addition, the second signals S2 can contain information data ID which serve for adjusting at least one changeable value of the transmitter 6. The information data ID can here for example serve for adjusting a transmission performance or the transmission frequency of the transceiver unit 14. To this end, an appropriate application program PI is stored on the processor 26. This application program PI here facilitates also the uploading of further control data ID via the Internet connection 36.

(15) The method for the operation according to the invention of the remote-control arrangement is described hereinafter with reference to the flow diagram according to FIG. 2:

(16) According to this diagram, by fixing the portable computer 22 to the housing 8 of the transmitter 6 in a first step ST1 a bidirectional data connection is established between the remote-control electronics 12 of the transmitter 6 and the processor 26 of the portable computer 22 via one of the standard interfaces 30A; 30B.

(17) In a second step ST2, the first signals S1 are then transmitted from the remote-control electronics 12 to the processor 26 and in a third step ST3 the second signals S2 are transmitted from the processor 26 to the remote-control electronics 12. The steps ST2 and ST3 can here take place both one after another and in parallel.

(18) As can be learned from FIG. 2, the first signals S1 contain optionally the image data BD for visualising the control-relevant data on the computer display 24, the device data GD for the functional analysis of the transmitter 6, the object data OD for the functional analysis of the remotely controlled object 4 and/or the live image data LD for reproducing live images of a working area on the computer display 24.

(19) The second signals S2, also transmitted via the bidirectional interface 30A, 30B, can furthermore contain the image data ID for adjusting the transmitter 6 or the control data SD for the automated control of the object 4.

(20) Attention is drawn to the fact that all above described elements and characteristics of the various embodiments of the subject-matter according to the invention can be exchanged or combined among themselves, inasmuch as an exchange or a combination thereof is not excluded for technical reasons.