JP2008213085A - Power tool control system - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a power tool control system for deciding whether set information transmitted by a center device via a network is normally received by a power tool. <P>SOLUTION: A control part 201 of the center device 2 transmits the setting information on driving of a motor from a communication part 202 to the power tool 1 via the network 3. A control part 101 of the power tool 1 stores the setting information received from the center device 2 in a storing part 109, makes a driving part 103 drive the motor 102 based on the set information, and returns the received setting information from a communication part 108 to the center device 2. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2008,JPO&INPIT

Description

  The present invention relates to a power tool control system.

Conventionally, various operations such as screw tightening have been performed in factories using electric tools equipped with motors. These electric tools and a center device are connected via a network to communicate with each other. The apparatus transmits setting information such as screw tightening information to the electric tool, and the electric tool stores the received setting information in a storage unit, and there is an electric tool control system that performs rotation control of the motor based on the setting information. . (For example, refer to Patent Document 1).
JP 2000-334670 A

  However, in the above-described conventional system, the center device does not know whether or not the setting information transmitted via the network has been normally received by the power tool, and the setting information is not received by the power tool due to a communication failure or the like. In some cases, setting information different from the transmitted setting information may be stored in the electric tool, and rotation control of the motor of the electric tool may be performed based on incorrect setting information.

  The present invention has been made in view of the above reasons, and an object thereof is to provide an electric tool control system capable of determining whether or not the setting information transmitted from the center device via the network is normally received by the electric tool. There is to do.

  The invention of claim 1 includes a motor, a drive unit that drives the motor, a first communication unit that communicates via a network, a storage unit that stores information, at least a drive unit, a first communication unit, A power tool including a first control unit that monitors and controls each operation of the storage unit, a second communication unit that communicates with the power tool via a network, and monitors and controls at least the operation of the second communication unit. A second control unit, and the second control unit includes a center device that transmits setting information related to driving of the motor from the second communication unit to the electric tool, and the first control unit of the electric tool includes: The setting information received from the center device is stored in a storage unit, the motor is driven by the drive unit based on the setting information, and the received setting information is returned from the first communication unit to the center device. .

  According to the present invention, the setting information transmitted from the center device via the network is normally set in the power tool by comparing the setting information transmitted from the center device to the power tool and the setting information returned from the power tool. It can be determined whether or not it has been received.

  According to a second aspect of the present invention, in the first aspect, the power tool includes a driving state detecting unit that detects a driving state of the motor, and the first control unit changes the driving state of the motor from the first communication unit. The second control unit of the center device determines completion of work based on the received drive state, and when the number of times counted up every time it is judged as completion of work reaches a predetermined number, a completion signal Is transmitted from the second communication unit to the power tool, and the power tool includes a notification unit that performs a notification operation when a completion signal is received from the center device.

  According to the present invention, work management such as the number of screw tightenings can be performed, and mistakes in work contents can be prevented.

  As described above, the present invention has an effect that it can be determined whether or not the setting information transmitted from the center apparatus via the network has been normally received by the electric tool.

  Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings.

(Embodiment)
FIG. 2 shows a schematic configuration of the power tool control system according to the present embodiment. In a factory, an operator performs screw tightening using the power tools 1a to 1n to assemble products, and the power tools 1a to 1n are Are connected to the center device 2 via the network 3. The network 3 may be either a wired communication method or a wireless communication method.

  The electric tool 1 (referring to the electric tools 1a to 1n) includes a tip tool 11 for screw tightening, and as shown in FIG. 1, a control unit 101 (first control unit), a motor 102, , Driving unit 103, battery 104, operation unit 105, torque sensor 106, rotation speed sensor 107, communication unit 108 (first communication unit), storage unit 109, notification unit 110, display unit 111, and the control unit 101 monitors and controls the operation of each unit.

  First, the motor 102 is composed of a small high-torque direct-current motor and rotates the tip tool 11 to perform screw tightening. The operation unit 105 includes a forward / reverse selector switch 105a and a trigger switch 105b for adjusting the rotation speed of the motor 102. The polarity of the voltage applied to the motor 102 is inverted by the selector switch 105a. Then, the rotation direction of the motor 102 is switched, and the control unit 101 is a drive equipped with a switching element so that the motor 102 is operated at a rotation speed in accordance with the operation amount (that is, the pull-in amount) of the trigger switch 105b by the operator. The power supply from the battery 104 to the motor 102 is adjusted by controlling the switching operation of the unit 103. The battery 104 is a rechargeable secondary battery.

  Further, the rotation speed and torque of the motor 102 are detected by the rotation speed sensor 107 and the torque sensor 106, respectively, and these detection results are output to the control unit 101 and stored in the storage unit 109. The rotation speed may be the rotation speed of the tip tool 11 to which the motor output is transmitted.

  The communication unit 108 communicates with the center apparatus 2 via the network 3, and the storage unit 109 stores various types of information that is written, rewritten, and erased by the control unit 101. The notification unit 110 performs a sound output such as a buzzer sound and a notification operation by lighting / flashing of an LED or the like, and the display unit 111 includes a small liquid crystal screen or the like and performs screen display.

  Next, as shown in FIG. 1, the center device 2 includes a control unit 201 (second control unit) and a communication unit 202 (second communication unit) that communicates with the electric tool 1 via the network 3. A storage unit 203 for storing each information and a work number counter 204 are provided, and the control unit 201 monitors and controls the operation of each unit. The storage unit 203 stores setting information regarding driving of the motor 102 for each electric tool 1 in accordance with each work content, and the control unit 201 transmits setting information for each electric tool 1 from the communication unit 202. The setting information includes an ID number corresponding to each electric tool 1, a maximum torque setting value of the motor 102 during operation, a maximum rotation speed setting value, and the like. The control unit 101 of the electric tool 1 receives the setting information received. Based on the above, the drive unit 103 is controlled to drive the motor 102.

  Hereinafter, the operation of the electric tool control system using the setting information will be described with reference to the flowchart of FIG. First, when setting information is transmitted from the center device 2 to the electric tool 1 (step S1), in the electric tool 1, the control unit 101 stores the received setting information in the storage unit 109 (step S2). The stored setting information is returned from the communication unit 108 to the center device 2 (step S3). In the center apparatus 2, the control unit 201 compares the setting information transmitted to the electric tool 1 in step S1 with the setting information returned from the electric tool 1 in step S3 (step S4), and the both setting information must match. If it is determined that the transmission has failed, the process returns to step S1 to retransmit the setting information. If the two pieces of setting information match, the setting information transmitted via the network 3 has been normally received and stored by the power tool 1, and it is determined that the transmission was successful, and the setting process ends. The setting information stored in the storage unit 109 of the electric power tool 1 can be displayed on the display unit 111 and the contents thereof can be confirmed.

  Then, the operator performs the screw tightening operation using the electric tool 1 that has received the setting information normally, but here, one process is completed by performing the screw tightening operation a predetermined number of times, and the process differs for each process. It is assumed that the product is assembled by using the electric power tool 1. First, when the screw tightening operation is started, the control unit 101 performs rotation control of the motor 102 based on setting information (maximum rotation speed setting value and maximum torque setting value) stored in the storage unit 109. Specifically, the drive unit 103 is controlled so that the rotation speed of the motor 102 detected by the rotation speed sensor 107 does not exceed the maximum rotation speed setting value, and the screw is tightened. Even if it is large, the motor power is suppressed by limiting the maximum number of rotations of the motor 102, and even a soft member such as resin can be screwed without being damaged. Then, when the torque of the motor 102 detected by the torque sensor 106 reaches the maximum torque set value, it is determined that the tightening is completed, and the drive unit 103 is controlled to stop the rotation of the motor 102, so that screws, nuts, etc. It can be tightened with a constant force, and the torque can be managed (step S5).

  Thus, in the electric power tool 1, since the rotation control of the motor 102 is performed based on the setting information transmitted from the center device 2, it is centrally managed by the center device 2 without depending on the qualities of the operator. The intended work is performed based on the setting information.

  In the control unit 101, the operation from the start of the motor drive by the drive unit 103 to the stop of the motor drive in step S5 is regarded as one work. The rotation speed and torque detected by the motor 106 are sequentially stored in the storage unit 109 as work information, and after the motor driving is stopped, the work information is transmitted from the communication unit 108 to the center apparatus 2 together with the ID number of the electric tool. To do.

  In the center device 2, information on the rotation speed and torque of the motor 102 corresponding to the ID number of each electric tool 1 is stored in the storage unit 203 for each operation, and the control unit 201 determines whether the torque of the motor 102 during each operation is It is determined whether or not it is within the set range (step S7). If it is within the set range, it is determined that the work has been normally completed, and the work completion is stored in the storage unit 203 (step S8). Is incremented and 1 is added to the number of operations (step S9). If the torque of the motor 102 during each work is not within the set range, the control unit 201 transmits a work incomplete signal from the communication unit 202 to the electric tool 1 (step S13), and receives the work incomplete signal. In the electric power tool 1, by performing a notification operation by the notification unit 110, the operator is notified that the work is not completed (step S <b> 14), and the worker is prompted to perform the work again.

  Then, the control unit 201 of the center apparatus 2 counts up the work number counter 204 in step S9, and then determines whether or not the work number of the work number counter 204 has reached a predetermined number (step S10). If the predetermined number of times has been reached, it is determined that the predetermined number of screw tightening operations have been normally performed and one process has been completed, and a process completion signal is transmitted from the communication unit 202 to the power tool 1 (step S11). The power tool 1 that has received the process completion signal notifies the worker that the process has been completed by performing a notification operation by the notification unit 110 (step S12), and moves the operator to the next product operation. Prompt. If the number of operations has not reached the predetermined number in step S10, the process returns to step S5 and the screw tightening operation using the electric power tool 1 is continued. Therefore, it is possible to manage the number of screw tightenings and the like, and to prevent mistakes in work contents. In the power tool 1 that has received the process completion signal, the control unit 101 puts the motor 102 into a drive-prohibited state and operates the reset switch (not shown) to release the drive-prohibited state before screwing the next product. May be performed.

  In addition, the storage unit 203 of the center device 2 stores information such as the rotation speed and torque of the motor 102 transmitted from each power tool 1, thereby enabling verification of work accuracy and variation.

  In addition, the work content performed with the electric tool 1 is not limited to screw fastening, The other work content using a motor may be sufficient.

It is a figure which shows the block configuration of the electric tool control system of embodiment. It is a figure which shows schematic structure same as the above. It is a figure which shows a flowchart same as the above.

Explanation of symbols

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 Electric tool 101 Control part 102 Motor 103 Drive part 106 Torque sensor 107 Rotational speed sensor 108 Communication part 109 Storage part 110 Notification part 2 Center apparatus 201 Control part 202 Communication part 3 Network

Claims (2)

Monitor each operation of the motor, the drive unit that drives the motor, the first communication unit that communicates via the network, the storage unit that stores information, and at least the drive unit, the first communication unit, and the storage unit A power tool comprising a first control unit to control;
A second communication unit that communicates with the power tool via the network; and a second control unit that monitors and controls the operation of at least the second communication unit. The second control unit is configured to drive the motor. It consists of a center device that transmits information from the second communication unit to the power tool,
The first control unit of the electric tool stores the setting information received from the center device in the storage unit, drives the motor based on the setting information, and drives the received setting information from the first communication unit to the center. A power tool control system characterized by returning to the device. The electric tool includes a driving state detecting unit that detects a driving state of the motor, and the first control unit transmits the driving state of the motor from the first communication unit to the center device.
The second control unit of the center device determines completion of work based on the received drive state, and when the number of times counted up every time it is determined as completion of work reaches a predetermined number of times, the second communication unit To the power tool,
The power tool control system according to claim 1, wherein the power tool includes a notification unit that performs a notification operation when a completion signal is received from the center device.

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