System and methods for interacting with a smart tool

• US 10,197,422 B2
• Filed: 10/05/2012
• Issued: 02/05/2019
• Est. Priority Date: 10/05/2012
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Malikie Innovations Limited (Key Patent Innovations Limited)
• Original Assignee: Blackberry Limited
• Inventors: McColgan, Brian Edward Anthony
• Primary Examiner(s): Marini, Matthew G
• Application Number:
  US14/433,450
• Publication Number:
  US 20150247745A1
• Time in Patent Office: 2,314 Days
• CPC Class Codes: B25B 23/1422 torque indicators or adjustable torque limiters
• CPC Class Codes: B25B 23/1425 by electrical means
• CPC Class Codes: G01D 7/00 Indicating measured values
• CPC Class Codes: G01D 7/002 giving both analog and numerical indication
• CPC Class Codes: G01M 99/00 Subject matter not provided for in other groups of this subclass

Abstract

A system and method performed by the system comprising obtaining a work parameter measured by a smart tool connected to an electronic device; and displaying information associated with the work parameter on a display of the electronic device. A system and method perform by the system comprises measuring a work parameter associated with a smart tool operating on a workpiece; and sending the work parameter to an electronic device connected to the smart tool to enable the electronic device to display information associated with the work parameter on a display of the electronic device.

Claims

1. A method comprising:

obtaining, from an optical sensor, an image of at least a portion of a workpiece;

determining, at an electronic device, a workpiece identifier that is separate from a smart tool and associated with the workpiece with which the smart tool is interacting, the smart tool comprising a working element that interacts with the workpiece and further comprising the optical sensor, and wherein the workpiece identifier is identified based on optical recognition of the workpiece in the image;

retrieving, from stored data that is separate from the workpiece and based on the workpiece identifier, a target work parameter for the working element of the smart tool when interacting with the workpiece;

obtaining, from the smart tool after determining the workpiece identifier and retrieving the target work parameter, a measured work parameter measured by a working element sensor of the smart tool, the measured work parameter corresponding to the target work parameter and indicating at least one parameter associated with interaction of the working element with the workpiece;

displaying, by the electronic device, the target work parameter and the measured work parameter;

determining, by the electronic device, that the measured work parameter meets the target work parameter;

sending, to the smart tool, an indication that the target work parameter has been met;

receiving, based on the workpiece identifier determined based upon the image, smart manual data indicating a sequence of a plurality of steps to perform with the smart tool;

receiving, from the smart tool, a sequence of images comprising the workpiece; and

determining, based on the sequence of images and the smart manual data, a present step being performed by the smart tool, the present step being within the sequence of the plurality of steps,

and wherein the target work parameter is determined based upon a specification in the smart manual associated with the present step.

2. The method of claim 1,

wherein the workpiece identifier indicates an identification number of the workpiece, and

wherein the target work parameter is retrieved based upon the identification number.

3. The method of claim 2, wherein retrieving the target work parameter comprises accessing a third party system via a network accessible to the electronic device, wherein the accessing comprises providing the workpiece identifier and receiving the target work parameter based on the workpiece identifier provided to the third party system.

4. The method of claim 1, further comprising receiving at least one specification for operating the smart tool.

5. The method of claim 4, wherein the specification comprises human readable operating instructions.

6. A non-transitory computer readable medium comprising computer executable instructions for performing the method of claim 1.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein the optical recognition of the workpiece comprises capturing information related at least one of a size or shape of the workpiece.

8. A method comprising:

obtaining, by an optical sensor on a smart tool, an image of at least a portion of a workpiece;

sending the image from the smart tool to an electronic device to enable optical recognition of the workpiece to be performed by the electronic device to determine one of a size of the workpiece, a shape of the workpiece, or a contour of the workpiece and used to obtain a target parameter associated with a target work parameter;

receiving, at the smart tool via a communications link from the electronic device, the target work parameter;

measuring, by the smart tool, a measured work parameter corresponding to the target work parameter, the measured work parameter indicating interaction between a working element of the smart tool and the workpiece;

displaying, at the smart tool, the target work parameter and the measured work parameter;

sending the measured work parameter from the smart tool to the electronic device connected to the smart tool via the communications link to enable the electronic device to display information associated with the target work parameter on a display of the electronic device;

determining a workpiece identifier that is separate from a smart tool and associated with the workpiece with which the smart tool is interacting, the smart tool comprising a working element that interacts with the workpiece and further comprising the optical sensor, and wherein the workpiece identifier is identified based on optical recognition of the workpiece in the image;

receiving, based on the workpiece identifier determined based upon the image, smart manual data indicating a sequence of a plurality of steps to perform with the smart tool;

sending, from the smart tool, a sequence of images comprising the workpiece; and

determining, based on the sequence of images and the smart manual data, a present step being performed by the smart tool, the present step being within the sequence of the plurality of steps,

and wherein the target work parameter is determined based upon a specification in the smart manual associated with the present step.

9. The method of claim 8, further comprising receiving, from the electronic device based on sending the measured work parameter, an indication that the target work parameter has been met by the measured work parameter, the indication based on a comparison of the target work parameter and the measured work parameter.

10. The method of claim 9, further comprising providing feedback according to the indication.

11. The method of claim 8, further comprising displaying at least one of:

at least a portion of information associated with the target work parameter, and the target work parameter, on a display of the smart tool.

12. The method of claim 8, further comprising receiving an instruction from the electronic device, and operating on the workpiece according to the instruction.

13. An electronic device comprising a processor, a communication interface, a display, and a memory, the memory storing computer executable instructions for performing:

obtaining, from an optical sensor, an image of at least a portion of a workpiece;

extracting, via optical recognition of the workpiece in the image, one of a size of the workpiece, a shape of the workpiece, or a contour of the workpiece;

determining, by the processor based on the one of the size of the workpiece, the shape of the workpiece, or the contour of the workpiece, a workpiece identifier that is separate from the workpiece and is associated with the workpiece with which a smart tool is interacting, the smart tool comprising a sensor and an working element and further comprising an optical sensor;

receiving, based on the workpiece identifier determined based upon the image, smart manual data indicating a sequence of a plurality of steps to perform with the smart tool;

sending, from the smart tool, a sequence of images comprising the workpiece; and

determining, based on the sequence of images and the smart manual data, a present step being performed by the smart tool, the present step being within the sequence of the plurality of steps;

retrieving, from stored data that is separate from the workpiece and based on the workpiece identifier, a target work parameter for the working element of the smart tool when interacting with the workpiece, and wherein the target work parameter is determined based upon a specification in the smart manual associated with the present step;

obtaining, via the communications interface from the smart tool after determining the workpiece identifier and retrieving the target work parameter, a measured work parameter measured by a working element sensor of the smart tool, the measured work parameter corresponding to the target work parameter and indicating at least one parameter associated with interaction of the working element with the workpiece;

displaying, on the display, the target work parameter and the measured work parameter;

determining, by the processor, that the measured work parameter meets the target work parameter; and

sending, via the communications interface to the smart tool, an indication that the target work parameter has been met.

14. A smart tool comprising a working element, at least one sensor coupled to the working element, a processor, a communication interface, and a memory, the memory storing computer executable instructions for performing:

obtaining, by a sensor on a smart tool, an image of at least a portion of a workpiece;

sending the image from the smart tool to an electronic device to enable optical recognition of the workpiece to be performed by the electronic device and used to obtain a target parameter associated with a target work parameter;

receiving, at the smart tool via a communications link from the electronic device, the target work parameter;

measuring, by the smart tool, a measured work parameter corresponding to the target work parameter, the measured work parameter indicating interaction between a working element of the smart tool and the workpiece;

displaying, at the smart tool, the target work parameter and the measured work parameter;

sending the measured work parameter from the smart tool to the electronic device connected to the smart tool via the communications link to enable the electronic device to display information associated with the target work parameter on a display of the electronic device;

receiving, based on sending the image, smart manual data indicating a sequence of a plurality of steps to perform with the smart tool;

receiving a sequence of images comprising the workpiece; and

determining, based on the sequence of images and the smart manual data, a present step being performed by the smart tool, the present step being within the sequence of the plurality of steps,

and wherein the target work parameter is determined based upon a specification in the smart manual associated with the present step.