System and method for identifying a power tool

• US 9,256,988 B2
• Filed: 09/11/2013
• Issued: 02/09/2016
• Est. Priority Date: 09/11/2012
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Black & Decker Incorporated (Stanley Black & Decker, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Black & Decker Incorporated (Stanley Black & Decker, Inc.)
• Inventors: Wenger, Kevin, Sergyeyenko, Oleksiy P., Phillips, Steven J., Campbell, David C., Pie, Renee, Glispy, Leisa, Bloomer, Jennifer, Folger, Renee
• Primary Examiner(s): SMALL, NAOMI J
• Application Number:
  US14/023,580
• Publication Number:
  US 20140070924A1
• Time in Patent Office: 881 Days
• Field of Search: 340/10.1
• US Class Current: 1/1
• 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: G05B 2219/37435 Vibration of machine
• CPC Class Codes: G07C 3/02 Registering or indicating working or idle time only
• CPC Class Codes: Y10T 408/172 Responsive to Tool

Abstract

A system for identifying a type of a power tool, the system comprising: a power tool having an electric motor; and a usage attachment configured to couple to the power tool, the usage attachment having a vibration sensor that generates vibration data when the power tool vibrates, a memory that stores the vibration data generated by the vibration sensor, and an identification subsystem that receives the vibration data from the memory, and identifies the type of the power tool by comparing the received vibration data to predetermined vibration data of a known type of power tool.

Claims

1. A system for identifying a type of power tool, comprising:

a power tool having an electric motor; and

a usage attachment configured to attach to the power tool and having

a sensor that senses a usage characteristic of the power tool and generates usage data for the sensed usage characteristic,

a memory that stores the usage data generated by the sensor,

a transmitter that transmits the usage data generated by the sensor, and

a controller in data communication with the sensor, the memory and the transmitter;

an identification subsystem configured to receive the usage data via a wireless data link and operable to identify the type of power tool from the usage data, where the identification subsystem is implemented on a computing device located remotely from the power tool and the usage attachment.

2. The system of claim 1 wherein the sensor is further defined as a vibration sensor.

3. The system of claim 2 wherein the vibration sensor captures vibration data in time domain during operation of the power tool and the controller transforms the vibration data to frequency domain.

4. The system of claim 2 wherein the identification subsystem identifies the type of the power tool by comparing vibration data to predetermined vibration data for a known type of power tool.

5. The system of claim 4 wherein the predetermined vibration data comprises a predetermined frequency;

and wherein the identification subsystem determines a magnitude of the received vibration data at the predetermined frequency and identifies the type of the power tool as the known type when the magnitude at the predetermined frequency exceeds a threshold.

6. The system of claim 4 wherein the predetermined vibration data comprises a predetermined fundamental frequency;

and wherein the identification subsystem identifies the type of the power tool as the known type when the received vibration data includes a first harmonic at the predetermined fundamental frequency and a second harmonic at a frequency that is twice the predetermined fundamental frequency.

7. The system of claim 1 wherein the usage attachment includes a power source.

8. The system of claim 1 wherein the usage attachment is configured to receive power from the power tool.

9. The system of claim 1 further comprises a mobile computing device configured to receive the usage data via a wireless data link from the usage attachment and operable to transmit the usage data to the identification subsystem.

10. The system of claim 1 wherein the identification subsystem receives the usage data via a wireless data link directly from the transmitter.

11. A system for identifying a type of a power tool, the system comprising:

a power tool having an electric motor; and

a usage attachment configured to couple to the power tool, the usage module having

a vibration sensor that generates vibration data when the power tool vibrates,

a memory that stores the vibration data generated by the vibration sensor, and

an identification subsystem configured to receive the vibration data and operable to identify the type of the power tool by comparing the vibration data to predetermined vibration data of a known type of power tool.

12. The system of claim 11 wherein the identification subsystem identifies the type of the power tool by comparing the received vibration data to the predetermined vibration data in frequency domain.

13. The system of claim 11 wherein the predetermined vibration data comprises a predetermined frequency;

and wherein the identification subsystem determines a magnitude of the received vibration data at the predetermined frequency and identifies the type of the power tool as the known type when the magnitude at the predetermined frequency exceeds a threshold.

14. The system of claim 11 wherein the predetermined vibration data comprises a predetermined frequency;

and wherein the identification subsystem determines a magnitude of the received vibration data at the predetermined frequency and identifies the type of the power tool as the known type when the magnitude at the predetermined frequency exceeds magnitudes at all other frequencies.

15. The system of claim 11 wherein the predetermined vibration data comprises a predetermined fundamental frequency;

and wherein the identification subsystem identifies the type of the power tool as the known type when the received vibration data includes a first harmonic at the predetermined fundamental frequency and a second harmonic at a frequency that is twice the predetermined fundamental frequency.

16. The system of claim 11 wherein the identification subsystem determines an orientation of the usage module relative to the power tool based on the received vibration data;

and wherein the identification subsystem identifies the type of the power tool by further comparing the determined orientation to predetermined orientation of the known type of power tool.

17. The system of claim 11 wherein the identification subsystem identifies the type of the power tool as a first known type of power tool when a magnitude of the received vibration data at a predetermined frequency in a first axis exceeds a threshold;

and wherein the identification subsystem identifies the type of the power tool as a second known type of power tool when the magnitude of the received vibration data at the predetermined frequency in a second axis exceeds the threshold.

18. An attachment for use with different type of power tools, comprising:

a housing;

an attachment feature integrated into the housing and operable to couple the attachment to a power tool;

a sensor that senses a usage characteristic of the power tool and generates usage data for the sensed usage characteristic;

a memory that stores the usage data generated by the sensor;

a transmitter operable to transmit the usage data over a wireless data link; and

a controller in data communication with the sensor, the memory and the transmitter, wherein the controller is configured to receive the usage data and operable to identify the type of power tool from the usage data.

19. The attachment of claim 18 wherein the attachment feature is further defined as a magnet or a ferrous metal used to magnetically couple the housing to the power tool.

20. The attachment of claim 18 wherein the sensor is further defined as a light sensor, a microphone, a temperature sensor or a vibration sensor.

21. The attachment of claim 18 wherein the sensor is further defined as an accelerometer, such that a detection axis of the accelerometer aligns with an axis of the power tool along which vibration occurs.

22. A system for identifying a type of a user of a power tool, the system comprising:

a power tool having an electric motor; and

a usage attachment configured to couple to the power tool and having

a vibration sensor that captures vibration data when the power tool is being operated,

a memory that stores the captured vibration data,

a transmitter that transmits the captured vibration data, and

a processor connected to the vibration sensor, the memory and the transmitter; and

a computer-implemented identification subsystem that is located remotely from the power tool and the usage module, and is configured to

receive the vibration data from the usage module,

determine a time duration during which the power tool is operated by comparing the received vibration data to predetermined vibration data of the power tool,

identify a type of user of the power tool by comparing the time duration to predetermined time durations of known types of users of the power tool, and

provide the user with access to an electronic resource based on the identified type of the user.

23. The system of claim 22 wherein the predetermined vibration data comprises a predetermined frequency corresponding with the electric motor of the power tool being operated;

and wherein the identification subsystem determines the time duration during which the power tool is being operated by identifying a time duration during which a magnitude of the received vibration data at the predetermined frequency exceeds a threshold.

24. The system of claim 22 wherein the identification subsystem identifies the user as a first user type when the time duration is less than a first time threshold;

wherein the identification subsystem identifies the user as a second user type when the time duration is greater than the first time threshold and less than a second time threshold, the second time threshold being greater than the first time threshold; and

wherein the identification subsystem identifies the user as a third user type when the time duration is greater than the second time threshold.

25. The system of claim 22 wherein the user is provided with access to an Internet blog based on the identified type of the user.

26. The system of claim 22 wherein the user is provided one or more of a coupon, a voucher and a credit based on the identified type of the user.

27. The system of claim 22 wherein the identification subsystem is further configured to identify a number of times the power tool has been dropped by comparing the received vibration data with the predetermined vibration data and identify the type of the user based on the number of drops.