Wireless control of cranes – with Demag infrared control

• System featuring active range limitation
• No risk of radio system interference
• Practical: inductive charging station

Radio or infrared? Operators who want to control their industrial cranes from the ground can now choose what type of system to use. The great majority of crane owners currently select a radio system, but infrared technology also still has its supporters and technical features that present arguments in its favour. For this reason, Terex Material Handling is launching a new generation of infrared remote controls with its Demag DIR.

A significant difference to radio controls lies in the considerably shorter range of some 40 metres between the transmitter and sensor(s). This benefit always comes to the fore when, for safety reasons, the operator wants to limit the distance at which the crane can be controlled. This specifically limited range ensures that operators are always in proximity to the machinery to be controlled and, therefore, they always have a view of the area in which the machinery is operating. In addition, there is no risk that the IR control system will be influenced or impaired by radio systems. Conversely, it offers no potential for interference with other radio systems.

For applications such as these, DIR is now available as an infrared control system of the latest generation. The rugged hand-held transmitter housing is the same as that used for Demag radio controls, which means that users will be familiar with it straight away and can use the same keypad concept for both transmission methods. DIR hand-held transmitters are offered in two sizes for two-stage control: with six buttons (DIR 6) and ten buttons (DIR 10) for the control of two or three motion axes, respectively.

Comparable with the radio control systems, several crane installations – up to ten – can be controlled in an enclosed area. For multiple-transmitter operation, switch-over between transmitters is monitored to ensure that the control system and crane are clearly assigned to each other.

The high-contrast bicolour display can give a clear overview of device and warning information – which provides for a high level of safety, as do the integrated vibration alarm and stop function according to Category 3, Performance Level ‘d’ to EN 13849-1. Control of the crane is more convenient since at distances of up to some 15 metres, the transmitter often does not need to be pointed at the sensor because rays from the high-performance infrared LEDs are reflected by the surroundings. The high-performance rechargeable batteries ensure operating times of 30 hours with one charge. The unit can be conveniently charged on an optional inductive charging station.

This range of features makes the new DIR infrared control system not only suitable for the safe and reliable wireless control of industrial cranes. For example, it can also be used to control suspension monorails, transfer carriages and other materials handling equipment.