System and method for establishing a wireless connection between power tool and mobile device

• US 10,582,368 B2
• Filed: 07/26/2019
• Issued: 03/03/2020
• Est. Priority Date: 06/06/2016
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Milwaukee Electric Tool Corporation (Techtronic Industries Company Limited)
• Original Assignee: Milwaukee Electric Tool Corporation (Techtronic Industries Company Limited)
• Inventors: Coulis, Christian Paul, Rothman, Jason Glenn, Stefanik, Steven M.
• Primary Examiner(s): Dsouza, Adolf
• Application Number:
  US16/522,856
• Publication Number:
  US 20190349740A1
• Time in Patent Office: 221 Days
• Field of Search: None
• CPC Class Codes: B25F 5/00 Details or components of portable power-driven tools not particularly related to the operations performed and not otherwise provided for
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/087 Inventory or stock management, e.g. order filling, procurement or balancing against orders
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 41/0806 for initial configuration or provisioning, e.g. plug-and-play
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/70 Services for machine-to-machine communication [M2M] or machine type communication [MTC]
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 76/10 Connection setup
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 76/14 Direct-mode setup
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 8/005 Discovery of network devices, e.g. terminals

Abstract

A method and system for connecting a power tool with a mobile device. The mobile device receives a user request to connect to a power tool and transmits a short-range advertisement. The power tool receives the short-range advertisement and transmits a signal. The mobile device receives the signal from the power tool and determines a signal strength. The mobile device compares the signal strength to a predetermined signal strength value. When the signal strength value exceeds the predetermined signal strength value, the mobile device connects with the power tool.

Claims

1. A method for connecting a power tool device with a mobile device, the method comprising:

receiving, at a user interface of the mobile device, a request to connect to the power tool device;

receiving, with a transceiver, a signal from the power tool device;

determining, using an electronic processor of the mobile device, a signal strength of the signal;

determining, using the electronic processor, that the signal strength is increasing above a predetermined rate, the signal strength increasing above the predetermined rate being indicative of a distance between the mobile device and the power tool device reducing above a threshold rate; and

establishing, using the electronic processor, a connection with the power tool device in response to determining that the signal strength is increasing above the predetermined rate.

2. The method of claim 1, in response to determining that the signal strength is increasing above the predetermined rate, further comprising:

adding, using the electronic processor, the power tool device to a power tool device inventory of a user; and

identifying the user as an owner of the power tool device to alter a permission associated with the user with respect to the power tool device.

3. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

in addition to establishing the connection, receiving usage data recorded on the power tool device in response to determining that the signal strength is increasing above the predetermined rate.

4. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

receiving a list of associated power tool devices;

receiving a user request to check for nearby power tool devices;

transmitting a short-range advertisement;

receiving a plurality of signals from a first subset of the list of associated power tool devices in response to the short-range advertisement;

determining signal strength for each power tool device from the first subset of the list of associated power tool devices;

determining a second subset of the list of associated power tool devices with signal strength above a predetermined threshold;

determining a third subset of the list of associated power tool devices with signal strength below the predetermined threshold;

determining a fourth subset of the list of associated power tool devices outside a wireless range; and

providing an indication of the second subset of the list of associated power tool devices.

5. The method of claim 4, further comprising providing a second indication of the fourth subset of the list of associated power tool devices.

6. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

displaying, on the user interface, a list of nearby power tool devices.

7. The method of claim 1, further comprising, in response to determining that the signal strength is increasing above the predetermined rate, sending a configuration profile to the power tool device, wherein the power tool device is configured using the configuration profile.

8. The method of claim 1, further comprising, in response to determining that the signal strength is increasing above the predetermined rate, sending a security setting to the power tool device, wherein the power tool device is configured to apply the security setting.

9. The method of claim 1, wherein establishing the connection with the power tool device is in response to:

the determining that the signal strength is increasing above the predetermined rate;

determining that the signal strength exceeds a predetermined signal strength after increasing above the predetermined rate; and

determining that the signal strength is decreasing above a predetermined decrease rate.

10. The method of claim 9, further comprising:

transmitting, with the transceiver of the mobile device, a short-range advertisement, wherein the signal is received from the power tool device in response to the short-range advertisement.

11. A mobile device for connecting with a power tool device, the mobile device comprising:

a transceiver;

a memory; and

an electronic processor coupled to the transceiver and memory and configured to;

receive, at a user interface of the mobile device, a request to connect to the power tool device;

receive, via the transceiver, a signal from the power tool device;

determine a signal strength of the signal;

determine that the signal strength is increasing above a predetermined rate, the signal strength increasing above the predetermined rate being indicative of a distance between the mobile device and the power tool device reducing above a threshold rate; and

establish a connection with the power tool device in response to determining that the signal strength is increasing above the predetermined rate.

12. The mobile device of claim 11, wherein the electronic processor, in response to determining that the signal strength is increasing above the predetermined rate, is further configured to:

add the power tool device to a power tool device inventory of a user; and

identify the user as an owner of the power tool device to alter a permission associated with the user with respect to the power tool device.

13. The mobile device of claim 11, wherein the electronic processor, in response to determining that the signal strength is increasing above the predetermined rate, is further configured to:

receive usage data recorded on the power tool device.

14. The mobile device of claim 11, wherein the electronic processor is further configured to:

receive a list of associated power tool devices;

receive a user request to check for nearby power tool devices;

transmit a short-range advertisement;

receive a plurality of signals from a first subset of the list of associated power tool devices in response to the short-range advertisement;

determine signal strength for each power tool device from the first subset of the list of associated power tool devices;

determine a second subset of the list of associated power tool devices with signal strength above a predetermined threshold;

determine a third subset of the list of associated power tool devices with signal strength below the predetermined threshold;

determine a fourth subset of the list of associated power tool devices outside a wireless range; and

provide an indication of the second subset of the list of associated power tool devices.

15. The mobile device of claim 14, wherein the electronic processor is further configured to provide a second indication of the fourth subset of the list of associated power tool devices.

16. The mobile device of claim 11, wherein the electronic processor is further configured to:

display, on the user interface, a list of nearby power tool devices.

17. The mobile device of claim 11, wherein the electronic processor, in response to determining that the signal strength is increasing above the predetermined rate, is further configured to:

send a configuration profile to the power tool device, wherein the power tool device is configured using the configuration profile.

18. The mobile device of claim 11, wherein the electronic processor, in response to determining that the signal strength is increasing above the predetermined rate, is further configured to:

send a security setting to the power tool device, wherein the power tool device is configured to apply the security setting.

19. The mobile device of claim 11, wherein, the electronic processor is further configured to:

determine that the signal strength exceeds a predetermined signal strength after increasing above the predetermined rate, and

determine that the signal strength is decreasing above a predetermined decrease rate, and

wherein the establishing the connection with the power tool device is further in response to determining that that the signal strength exceeded the predetermined signal strength after increasing above the predetermined rate and determining that the signal strength is decreasing above the predetermined decrease rate.

20. The mobile device of claim 19, wherein the electronic processor is further configured to:

transmit, with the transceiver, a short-range advertisement,

wherein, the signal from the power tool device is received in response to the short-range advertisement.

21. A mobile device for connecting with a power tool device, the mobile device comprising:

a transceiver;

a memory; and

an electronic processor coupled to the transceiver and memory and configured to;

receive, at a user interface of the mobile device, a request to connect to the power tool device;

receive, via the transceiver, a signal from the power tool device;

determine a signal strength of the signal;

determine that the signal strength is above a signal strength threshold;

determine that the signal strength is increasing above a predetermined rate; and

establish a connection with the power tool device in response to determining that the signal strength is above the signal strength threshold and is increasing above the predetermined rate.