TOOL, INFORMATION PROCESSING UNIT, TERMINAL UNIT, AND MANAGEMENT SYSTEM

• US 20110067895A1
• Filed: 05/19/2009
• Published: 03/24/2011
• Est. Priority Date: 05/20/2008
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: Max Co Limited
• Original Assignee: Max Co Limited
• Inventors: Nobe, Nobuyuki, Adachi, Michiaki, Tsushima, Tsutomu
• Application Number:
  US12/993,280
• Publication Number:
  US 20110067895A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 173/20
• CPC Class Codes: B25B 21/00 Portable power-driven screw or nut setting or loosening tools; details or components, e.g. casings, bodies, of portable power-driven tools not particularly related to the operation performed B25F5/00; for mounting or dismounting wheels B60B29/006; Attachments for drilling apparatus serving the same purpose machines B23P19/06
• CPC Class Codes: B25B 23/14 Arrangement of torque limiters or torque indicators in wrenches or screwdrivers couplings for transmitting rotation or clutches F16D; devices for measuring torque per se G01L
• CPC Class Codes: B25D 2250/101 Emitting warning signals, e.g. visual or sound
• 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: B25F 5/021 with guiding devices guiding devices for hand tools on stands or supports B25H1/0078

Abstract

A sensor part detects an actual driving signal in the driving time by a pneumatic tool. A control part, based on the detected actual driving signal, makes an addition to the actual driving number which has already stored in a memory part to updates the actual driving number, and compares the updated accumulative actual driving number with the previously set basic maintenance number. As a result of the comparison, in case the accumulative actual driving number exceeds the basic maintenance number, it is determined that maintenance is necessary for the pneumatic tool. A light emitting part emits the light and blinks by an instruction from the control part, thereby to warn a user that the pneumatic tool is into the maintenance time. Hereby, the user can grasp the maintenance time of the tool surely and exactly.

Claims

1. A tool comprising:

detector which detects maintenance information used in determination of the maintenance time of a tool body;

a controller which determines, based on a comparison result between the maintenance information detected by the detector and basic maintenance information set in advance, whether the tool body is into the maintenance time or not; and

a notifier which notifies the user that the tool body is into the maintenance time in case that the controller has determined that the tool body is into the maintenance time.

2. The tool according to claim 1 further comprising:

a storage part which stores the maintenance information detected by the detector, wherein

the controller, every time the maintenance information is detected by the detector, makes an addition to the maintenance information stored in the storage part and updates the maintenance information.

3. The tool according to claim 1 or 2, wherein:

the tool body is a compressed air driving tool which drives a fastener by reciprocating a driving mechanism by the compressed air;

the maintenance information is the number of actual driving of the compressed air driving tool;

the basic maintenance information is the actual driving number corresponding to the part-replacing time of the compressed air driving tool, or the number of oil filling corresponding to the oil-filling time of the compressed air driving tool; and

the detector is constituted by an impact sensor which detects the actual driving number of the compressed air driving tool or an acceleration sensor.

4. The tool according to claim 3, wherein:

the tool body includes a housing part which accommodates the impact sensor or acceleration sensor; and

the impact sensor or the acceleration sensor is accommodated in the housing part so that a flat surface of the sensor becomes vertical to a driving direction of the fastener.

5. The tool according to claim 1, wherein:

the tool body is a power tool which drives a fastener by reciprocating a driver of a driving mechanism by a motor;

the maintenance information is the current-carrying time of the motor;

the basic maintenance information is the motor current-carrying time corresponding to the part-replacing time of the power tool; and

the power tool includes further a timer part which counts the current-carrying time of the motor.

6. An information processing unit comprising:

a detector which detects maintenance information used in determination of maintenance time of a tool body;

a tool controller which determines, based on a comparison result between the maintenance information detected by the detector and basic maintenance information set in advance, whether the tool body is into the maintenance time or not;

a notifier which notifies a user that the tool body is into the maintenance time in case that the tool controller has determined that the tool body is into the maintenance time;

a light receiving part which receives the light emission signal emitted from the light emitting means;

an information processing controller which decodes the light emission signal received by the light receiving signal and generates an image signal based on the maintenance information; and

a display part which displays the maintenance information on a screen based on the image signal generated by the information processing controller,

wherein the notifier acquires the maintenance information from a tool constituted by a light emitting means which emits the maintenance information as a light emission signal.

7. A tool in which specific information of a tool body is managed by an information processing unit, comprising:

a communication part for performing communication with the information processing unit;

a control part which obtains the specific information of the tool body inputted through the communication part from the information processing unit; and

a storage part which stores the specific information of the tool body obtained by the control part,

wherein the specific information is read out by the information processing unit through the communication part from the storage part of the tool body.

8. The tool according to claim 7, wherein the storage part stores tool usage information relating to usage of the tool body.

9. The tool according to claim 8 further comprising:

a sensor part which detects driving information when the tool body performs driving for a member to be driven,

wherein the control part counts the actual driving number of the tool body based on the driving information detected by the sensor part, and stores the counted actual driving number in the storage part as the specific information.

10. The tool according to claim 7 or 8, wherein:

the tool body is a power tool which drives a fastener by reciprocating a driver of a driving mechanism by a motor;

the tool body includes a sensor part which detects current-carrying information of the motor; and

the control part counts the current-carrying time of the motor based on the current-carrying information detected by the sensor part, and stores the counted current-carrying time in the storage part as the specific information.

11. A terminal unit for managing specific information of a tool, comprising:

a first communication part for performing communication with the tool;

a control part which reads out the specific information through the first communication part from the storage part of the tool; and

a display part which displays the specific information read out from the control part.

12. The terminal unit according to claim 11 further comprising:

a second communication part for connecting the information processing unit,

wherein the control part supplies the specific information read out from the storage part of the tool through the first communication part to the information processing unit through the second communication part.

13. The terminal unit according to claim 11 or 12 further comprising:

an operational part for inputting the specific information of the tool,

wherein the control part supplies the specific information inputted by the operational part to the storage part of the tool through the first communication part.

14. A management system which manages specific information of a tool by an information processing unit, wherein:

the tool includes a communication part which performs communication with the information processing unit and another information processing unit, a control part which obtains the specific information of the tool inputted through the communication part from the information processing unit and/or another information processing unit, and a storage part which stores the specific information of the tool obtained by the control part; and

the information processing unit includes a communication part which performs communication with the tool, a control part which reads out the specific information of the tool through the communication part from the storage part of the tool, and a storage part having a database which stores the specific information of the tool read out by the control part.

15. The management system according to claim 14, wherein the specific information of the tool includes at least one or more of a customer number of a customer who owns the tool, a customer name, a purchase date of the tool, repair information obtained when the tool has been repaired, and usage information of the tool.

16. The management system according to claim 15, wherein the tool repair information includes at least one or more of a repair completion date of the tool, repair contents of the tool, and a replacement component which has been replaced in the repairing time.

17. The management system according to claim 15, wherein the tool usage information includes at least one or more of the actual driving number of the tool, motor current-carrying time of the tool, and the battery replacement number of the tool.