Importance

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Abstract

A power assist system for a manually operated winch includes a winch having a central winch shaft, an electric motor with a drive shaft and a motor control unit, a winch handle adjusted for manually operating the winch, and a control input device. The electric motor and the drive shaft are connected to the winch and the central winch shaft through a connection module placed below said winch. The winch handle is arranged to temporarily and mechanically connect with an upper end of the central winch shaft to allow manual operation of the winch. The control input device includes one or more electronic unit(s), built into, or mounted onto said winch handle. The control input device is further arranged to send wireless control signals through radio transmitter and receiver to the motor control unit. The wireless control signals are arranged to be temporarily but uniquely linked to the motor control unit to selectively control the winch that the winch handle is temporarily connected to. The control input device is adjusted to send different wireless control signals to the motor control unit depending on the direction the winch is manually operated in. The winch handle is adjusted to generate and/or store the energy needed to operate the control input device.

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First Claim