US Patent 7556241 Power-assisted winch and method

A power assisted winch and method include a control system and method for detecting the amount of turning force or torque supplied by a manual input drive to the winch drum, supplying turning force or torque from a motor to the winch drum and controlling the amount of torque supplied by the motor to the winch drum as a function of the amount of turning force or torque supplied by the manual drive. The function may be a fixed predetermined ratio or it may vary depending upon the level of turning force or torque supplied by the manual input drive. A torque sensor may be utilized to detect the level of input manual torque and control apparatus controls the amount of torque supplied by the motor to gearing or coupling driving the winch drum.