KR100858911B1 - Lift controller - Google Patents

Abstract

A lift control system is provided to be capable of requesting consumption parts to device manufacturers by notifying a user of a need for the replacement of the consumption parts. A lift control system includes a lift controller(10), a first telecommunication unit(20), a terminal(40), and a central management server(50). The lift controller includes a first processor(11) and a first storage(12). The first processor counts one whenever a lift(1) stays at more than a reference height and for more than a reference time. The first storage stores counting data on the lift. The first telecommunication unit is connected to the lift controller. The terminal includes a second telecommunication unit(30), a second storage(42), and an operation program(45). The second telecommunication unit receives counting data from the first telecommunication unit and stores the counting data in the second storage. The operation program operates the second telecommunication unit. The central management server receives the counting data from the terminal at regular intervals.

Description

Lift Controller {Lift Controller}

1 is a block diagram of a vehicle maintenance center management system equipped with a lift according to an embodiment of the present invention;

2 is a conceptual view of the operation of the second communication means connected to the terminal according to an embodiment of the present invention;

3 is a conceptual view of the operation of the first communication means connected to the lift controller according to an embodiment of the present invention;

Figure 4 is a flow chart for explaining the function of the operation program provided in the terminal of the vehicle maintenance center according to an embodiment of the present invention,

5 is a flow chart for explaining the function of the data processing program provided in the central management server according to an embodiment of the present invention;

6 is a hierarchical view of a vehicle maintenance center management system equipped with a lift according to the present invention;

7 is a view showing a guide message displayed by the management program.

<Description of the symbols for the main parts of the drawings>

1: Lift 6: Weight Sensor

7: Initial position sensor 10: Controller

11: first processing unit 12: first storage unit

20: first communication means 30: second communication means

40: terminal (or personal computer) 42: second storage unit

45: operating program 50: Central Management Server

52: third storage unit 60: management program

The present invention relates to a lift controller, and more particularly, to a lift controller used in a vehicle maintenance center management system, the first processor 11 and the first storage unit 12 are provided, and the controller 10 is provided. The first processing unit 11 of the first storage unit counts the number of times the lift is used by counting the number of times of use when the lift 1 stays longer than the reference height (H _reference ) or more than the reference time length (T _reference ). It relates to a controller for lift, characterized in that the storage in (12).

Conventional controllers do not have a risk factor detection function, a vehicle license plate identification function, a voice message function, a video call function, and the like, which causes a user to be in danger during operation or to feel inconvenience in use.

Hereinafter, the motivation for developing the present invention will be described. At present, domestic auto repair shops are seeing more franchises in large and large companies than in small business owners. In addition, due to the nature of franchise franchisees, most of the investment costs are invested by the central management office, and franchisees take the form of taking some of the newly generated profits into income.

For this reason, it was necessary to centrally manage the usage of equipment in the affiliated stores in order to determine the current sales capability that is proportional to the income of franchisees that are opened nationwide.

In order to determine the current sales ability that is proportional to the income of the vehicle repair shop, the central management office needed to grasp the usage status of the equipment in the affiliate shop (maintenance shop, maintenance center, maintenance agency). Due to the dependence on the equipment use results according to the written statement or the sales results based on the verbal or written statement of the merchant, there was a problem in that the central office did not accurately manage the vehicle maintenance center.

An object of the present invention is to inform the user of the use information of the lift, which is a maintenance equipment, or to inform the server of the central management office via the Internet, the central management office knows the sales status of the corresponding office in the country in real time from the PC in real time It is to provide a lift controller that can easily manage statistics such as monthly maintenance results and cumulative statistics.

Another object of the present invention is to provide a part that is consumed when using a certain number of times when the maintenance equipment is used, to provide a controller for the lift that can be requested to the equipment manufacturer to inform the user about this information. .

Still another object of the present invention is to provide a controller for a lift that can provide a safe working environment and convenience for use by adding a risk factor detection function, a license plate identification function, a voice message function, a video call function, and the like. .

Hereinafter, a lift controller according to the present invention will be described in detail.

The controller for a lift according to the present invention includes a first processing unit 11 and a first storage unit 12, and the first processing unit 11 of the controller 10 has a reference height (H _reference ). In the above, when the reference time length (T _reference ) or more stays, the count is counted once and the data regarding the number of times the lift is used is stored in the first storage unit 12.

In addition, the lift controller 10 is capable of transmitting and receiving data with the lift controller 10, the first communication means 20 connected to the lift controller 10, and the first communication means. The terminal 40 of the vehicle maintenance center, which is provided with the second communication means 30 attached to the 40, an operation program 45 having a function of operating the second communication means 30, and the terminal ( 40) is used in a vehicle maintenance center management system including a central management server 50 capable of transmitting and receiving data.

The data regarding the number of times of use of the lift stored in the first storage unit 12 is transferred to the terminal 40 by the communication of the first communication means 20 and the second communication means 30, and then the first data of the terminal 40 2 is stored in the storage unit 42. The central management server 50 receives data about the number of times of use of the individual lifts belonging to the vehicle maintenance center from the terminals 40 of the plurality of vehicle maintenance centers at a predetermined time and transmits the data to the third storage unit 52. Save it. The management program 60 of the computer of the central management station acquires data on the number of times of use of the lift stored in the third storage unit 52 and displays statistics for each period for each vehicle maintenance center or each lift.

The controller for the lift 10 has a cumulative number of times of use of the lift that coincides with or exceeds one of the limit values (N _limit ) set for a particular part, or the period of use after purchase coincides or exceeds the set limit period (T _{limit period} ). In this case, the apparatus further includes a limit part management function for informing an operator of a replacement message for the specific part.

The lift 1 has a weight sensor 6 capable of sensing the weight of the vehicle on which it is mounted, and the lift current payload (W _current ) detected by the weight sensor 6 is greater than or equal to the reference weight (W _reference ). In this case, the first processor 11 of the controller 10 counts the number of times of use when the lift 1 stays longer than the reference height (H _reference ) or more than the reference time (T _reference ).

The lift has a sensing pad in a part of the center of the pad region for supporting the vehicle, and the lift controller is configured to operate the lift button only when a detection signal reaching the controller that the load of the vehicle is acting on the sensing pad region. .

In this connection, all of the contents described in the specification of Korean Patent Application No. 10-2007-0042433 filed by the present applicant as of May 02, 2007 Seen as described.

The controller for a lift according to an embodiment of the present invention stops the lowering operation and voices a danger to the user when the object detection sensor provided at the bottom of the carry arm of the lift sends an object detection signal indicating that there is an obstacle under the carry arm. It further includes a risk factor detection function for transmitting a signal.

In addition to the existing simple rising / falling functions, the lift controller has a certain height that is stored, and when the corresponding button is pressed, the rising height setting function stops at the stored height and stops, and detects obstacles and whether the rising / falling ends. It further comprises a voice message function for informing the user of the message via voice.

The controller for a lift according to an embodiment of the present invention further includes a vehicle license plate identification function for facilitating customer management by recognizing a license plate of a vehicle entering a lift because a camera connection terminal exists.

In addition, the lift controller according to an embodiment of the present invention is configured to install a video recognition camera on the front of the controller to perform a real-time video call when information exchanges or questions with branches or experts in other areas occur do.

Since a technology related to a video call that is well known to those skilled in the art to which the present invention pertains is described in the specification of the present invention, description of a detailed configuration related to the video call is omitted.

Lift controller according to an embodiment of the present invention is provided with a function to install a camera on the front of the controller and the real-time communication of technical consultation and technical consultation with experts in other regions or headquarters, such as mutual technology exchange and inquiries by video do.

1 is a configuration of a vehicle maintenance center management system equipped with a lift according to an embodiment of the present invention. As shown in FIG. 1, a vehicle maintenance center management system equipped with a lift relates to a management system using a communication network, and a lift controller 10 provided with a first processing unit 11 and a first storage unit 12. ), A first communication means 20 connected to the lift controller 10, a second communication means 30 capable of transmitting and receiving data with the first communication means and attached to the terminal 40, and Including a terminal 40 of the vehicle maintenance center having an operation program 45 having a function of operating the second communication means 30, and a central management server 50 capable of transmitting and receiving data with the terminal 40 It is characterized in that the configuration.

In addition, the first processing unit 11 of the controller 10 counts the number of times of use of the lift when the lift 1 stays longer than the reference height (H _reference ) or more than the reference time length (T _reference ). Storing data relating to the first storage unit 12; The data regarding the number of times of use of the lift stored in the first storage unit 12 is transferred to the terminal 40 by the communication between the first communication unit 20 and the second communication unit 30 and then the terminal 40 of the terminal 40. It is stored in the second storage unit 42.

The central management server 50 receives data about the number of times of use of the individual lifts belonging to the vehicle maintenance center from the terminals 40 of the plurality of vehicle maintenance centers at a predetermined time and transmits the data to the third storage unit 52. The management program 60 of the computer of the central management station acquires data on the number of times of use of the lift stored in the third storage unit 52 and displays statistics for each vehicle maintenance center or each lift. Periodic statistics may be daily statistics, monthly statistics.

In the present invention, the term "terminal" is used as a term that means connected to the server and communicates with the server, and is used as a concept including a personal computer (PC).

The management program 60 of the computer of the central management center determines that the cumulative number of times of use of any lift coincides with (or exceeds the _{limit of} ) the limit (N _limit ) set for a particular part, or the period of use after purchase is set. In the case of coinciding with (or exceeding) the limit period (T _{limit period} ), a function of displaying a replacement message for the specific part may be further provided.

The first processor 11 multiplies the time T _up operating in the ON state of the up button 13 provided in the controller 10 by the estimated ascending speed V _up of the preset lift (1). It is possible to determine whether the lift 1 is greater than or equal to the reference height (H _reference ) by calculating the present height (H _present ) of the _current position and comparing it with the reference height (H _reference ) of the lift 1.

When the position of the lift can be continuously calculated by a sensor capable of continuously detecting the position of the lift (for example, when using an encoder or a potentiometer), the first processing unit 11 receives the lift (1). ) whether or not the reference height (H _standard) above is subjected to a step of determining in advance the comparison set (input) by the height (H _standard) and the current height of the lift (1) (H _current).

2 is a conceptual view of the operation of the second communication means (preferably USB dongle, data request device) connected to the terminal according to an embodiment of the present invention, Figure 3 is connected to the lift controller according to an embodiment of the present invention FIG. 4 is a flowchart illustrating operations of a first communication means (preferably Bluetooth), and FIG. 4 is a flowchart for explaining the function of an operation program provided in a terminal (PC) of a vehicle maintenance center according to an embodiment of the present invention. 5 is a flowchart illustrating a function of a data processing program included in the central management server according to an embodiment of the present invention.

2 to 5 are shown as auxiliary means for explaining the configuration, function, or operation of the second communication means, the first communication means, the operation program provided in the terminal, and the data processing program to be described later. If the flowchart or terminology shown here does not coincide with the description or terminology described in the following detailed description or claims, the configuration of the second communication means, the first communication means, the operation program provided in the terminal, and the data processing program It should be noted that the function, or function, should first be interpreted by the terms described in the detailed description or claims. When this specification is interpreted from the perspective of those skilled in the art, it is believed that the description does not bring contradiction or ambiguity to the drawings and the claims.

The second communication means 30, a) if it is determined that there is a request for information from the terminal 40, b) at the number of times of use of the lift, the current height of the lift (H _current ), and the current payload of the lift (W _current ) Sending a call signal to the first communication means 20 to transmit data related to the at least one selected information, and c) when the first communication means 20 sends data in a packet in response to the call signal After receiving it, it is processed and delivered to the terminal 30.

The first communication means 20, a) when a call signal to transmit data from the second communication means 20, b) from the first storage unit 12 of the lift controller 10 of the lift After acquiring the data related to at least one information selected from the number of times of use, the current height of the lift (H _current ), and the current payload of the lift (W _current ), c) the second communication means (30) as a packet. ).

The operation program 45 provided in the terminal 40 of the vehicle maintenance center includes: registering a number of lifts 1 installed in the vehicle maintenance center by the user; Determining whether a time corresponding to a predetermined time period (T _period ) has passed; Making a request for information to the second communication means (30) when it is determined that a time corresponding to a predetermined time period (T _period ) has passed; When the second communication means 30 transmits the data received and processed by the first communication means 20 by the information request, the second communication means 30 receives the received data and stores it in the second storage 42 of the terminal 40; ; And continuing to request information from the second communication means 30 until the number of responses of the second communication means 30 is equal to the number of lifts 1 installed in the registered vehicle maintenance center.

Here, the second communication means 30 has the ability to designate and call the first communication means 20. That is, since each of the first communication means has a unique address, the second communication means 30 can communicate only with the first communication means of the desired lift.

The central management server 50 has a data processing program 55 embedded therein. The data processing program 55 separates the lifts belonging to the vehicle maintenance center from the terminals 40 of the plurality of vehicle maintenance centers at regular intervals. Receives data about the number of times of use and stores it in the third storage unit (52).

The data processing program 55 may include loading IP addresses of a plurality of registered vehicle maintenance centers; Determining whether a time corresponding to a time period T _{period 2} has passed; Making a request for data to the terminal 40 of the vehicle maintenance center when it is determined that the time corresponding to the time period T _{period 2} has passed; Receiving the data stored in the second storage unit 42 of the terminal 40 from the terminal 40 and processing the data, and storing the data in the third storage unit 42 of the central management server 50; And continuing to request information from the other terminal 40 until the number of responses of the terminal 40 is equal to the number of registered vehicle maintenance centers (the number of IP addresses of the loaded vehicle maintenance centers).

Preferably, the first communication means 20 is Bluetooth and the second communication means 30 is a USB dongle. However, since data of the controller is transmitted to the terminal 20, it is natural that general RF communication or power line communication other than Bluetooth may be used.

The operation of the vehicle maintenance center management system equipped with a lift having such a configuration will be described.

At the present time when the Internet is becoming more common, most of these vehicle maintenance centers (maintenance shops, franchises, dealers, sales offices) are equipped with one or more PCs. Therefore, when the number of use of the lift, which is maintenance equipment, is monitored (measured) on the PC and the information is notified to the server of the central management office through the Internet, the central management office can monitor the sales status of the corresponding office in the whole country from the PC in real time. It will be able to know, and statistically it will be easy to manage a month's maintenance results and totals.

In addition, in the case of maintenance equipment, there are parts consumed when a certain number of times is used. Information on this can also be collected from the central management system and requested to the equipment manufacturer.

Figure 6 shows an overall hierarchy of the vehicle maintenance center management system equipped with a lift in accordance with the present invention.

The vehicle is connected to the vehicle maintenance center (agent) PC and the management DB server (central management server) via the Internet, and the PC and the lift in the vehicle maintenance center (agent) are connected by Bluetooth or general RF communication or power line communication. In case of Bluetooth, Bluetooth or RF communication is connected to the PC in the above place. In case of Bluetooth, the USB is plugged into the PC, and the general RF and power line communication are connected to the PC in the form of a serial terminal or a PCI card in a similar manner. Becomes

protocol

-. The Bluetooth dongle (USB) (second communication means) and the lift device connected to the vehicle maintenance center (PC) are configured as SDP (Serial Data Profile), a universal Bluetooth protocol.

-. Every 10 minutes or less, the PC program running at the vehicle maintenance center requests the current lift status information for each lift periodically through the Bluetooth dongle (USB) (second communication means). The attached Bluetooth device (first communication means) responds to this and passes the requested information. Although there are several lifts, each of the Bluetooth (first communication means) has a unique address, so communication is possible only with the Bluetooth device (first communication means) of the desired lift.

The structure (protocol) of the requested communication data is as follows.

Command DATA LEN DATA CHECK SUM

-. Command means a command sent from the USB dongle (second communication means) to the lift's Bluetooth device (first communication means) (1 byte).

-. DATA LEN means the size of data (1 byte).

-. DATA means the data to be transmitted.

-. CHECKSUM puts the value of Command and DATA LEN and DATA as XOR operation.

(To determine whether there is an abnormality of data) (1Byte)

Specifically, CMD is as follows.

CMD type Contents 0x01 Reset the state of the Bluetooth device 0x02 Request the total number of lifts currently used 0x03 Requested height of current lift 0x04 Request load of current lift 0x05 Request status information (error code) of the current lift 0x06 Reserved 0x07-0xFF Reserved

The structure of the responsive communication data is as follows.

Response DATA LEN DATA CHECK SUM

-. The response sends the same thing as the requesting CMD, so you can see what the USB dongle responds to.

-. The rest are the same as specified in the protocol of the request packet above.

2 is a conceptual view illustrating the operation of the second communication means (USB dongle, data requesting device) connected to the terminal according to an embodiment of the present invention. The device can actively request data from each lift.

3 is a conceptual view of the operation of the first communication means (Bluetooth) connected to the lift controller according to an embodiment of the present invention. The device operates passively, and when it receives a data request, it passes the corresponding information to the requesting device.

Figure 4 is a flow chart for explaining the function of the operation program 45 provided in the terminal of the vehicle maintenance center according to an embodiment of the present invention. In the initial setting, the equipment installed in the relevant agency is registered, and the USB dongle (second communication means) is periodically ordered to read the state information of the equipment and stored in the PC. If the central management server requests information from this PC via the Internet, it sends this data.

5 is a flowchart illustrating a function of a data processing program included in the central management server according to an embodiment of the present invention.

First, the central management server 50 communicates with the branch network PCs (terminals of the vehicle maintenance center) nationwide at regular intervals, and records the information of the corresponding agency (vehicle maintenance center) to date in a database such as SQL. Access and update the information.

Stored records in the database can be easily linked to other management programs that manage the entire network, for example through SQL.

The management program 60 makes it easy to see monthly statistics, daily statistics, the most used lifts, the least used lifts, and the new vehicle model.

For products beyond the replacement cycle, a replacement message can be requested by displaying a guide message as shown in FIG.

For reference, the data used in the management program of the present invention to determine the parts replacement cycle of the lift is as follows.

Item Calculation grounds WIRE exchange (synchronization) 10 times / 1 day X 24 days X 12 months X 3 = 8640 OIL exchange (operating OIL)-5 years 10 times / 1 day X 24 days X 12 months X 5 = 14400 times Rubber PAD Replacement and Inspection-2 Years 10 times / 1 day X 24 days X 12 months X 2 = 5760 times Kerry GUIDE Grease Application-1 Year 10 times / 1 day X 24 days X 12 months X 1 = 2880 Floor anchor bolt-6 months 10 times / 1 day X 24 days X 12 months X 0.5 = 1440 times Rokko WIRE inspection and rocker inspection-2 years 10 times / 1 day X 24 days X 12 months X 2 = 5760 times ARM gear-2 years 10 times / 1 day X 24 days X 12 months X 2 = 5760 times

Although the present invention has been described in connection with the above-mentioned preferred embodiment, the scope of the present invention is not limited to the embodiment, various modifications and variations will be possible.

According to the present invention, if the user is informed of the use information of the lift, which is a maintenance equipment, or this information to the server of the central management office through the Internet, the central management office knows the sales status of the corresponding office in the country in real time from the PC in real time. In addition, a controller for lifts is provided to easily manage statistically monthly maintenance results and totals.

In addition, in the case of maintenance equipment, there are parts consumed when a certain number of times is used, and a controller for a lift capable of requesting the equipment manufacturer by informing the user of the information is provided.

In addition, there is provided a controller for a lift that can provide a safe working environment and user convenience by adding a risk factor detection function, a license plate identification function, a voice message function, and a video call function.

Although the present invention has been described in connection with the above-mentioned preferred embodiments, the scope of the present invention is not limited to these embodiments, and the scope of the present invention is defined by the following claims, and equivalent scope of the present invention. It will include various modifications and variations belonging to.

The reference numerals set forth in the claims below are merely to aid the understanding of the present invention, not to affect the interpretation of the scope of the claims, and the scope of the claims should not be construed narrowly.

Claims (10)

In the lift controller, A first processing unit 11 and a first storage unit 12 are provided, and the first processing unit 11 of the controller 10 has a reference time length (T _reference ) when the lift 1 is greater than or equal to the reference height (H _reference ). The controller for a lift, characterized in that the data is stored in the first storage unit (12) by counting the number of times of use when it stays longer). The method of claim 1, The lift controller 10 is capable of transmitting and receiving data with the lift controller 10, the first communication means 20 connected to the lift controller 10, and the first communication means. A terminal 40 of the vehicle maintenance center having a second communication means 30 attached to 40, an operation program 45 having a function of operating the second communication means 30, and the terminal 40 Lift controller, characterized in that used for the vehicle maintenance center management system comprising a central management server (50) capable of transmitting and receiving data. The method of claim 2, The data regarding the number of times of use of the lift stored in the first storage unit 12 is transferred to the terminal 40 by the communication between the first communication unit 20 and the second communication unit 30 and then the terminal 40 of the terminal 40. Stored in the second storage unit 42, The central management server 50 receives data about the number of times of use of the individual lifts belonging to the vehicle maintenance center from the terminals 40 of the plurality of vehicle maintenance centers on the Internet every third time and receives the third storage unit 52. Save to, The management program 60 of the computer of the central management station acquires data on the number of times of use of the lift stored in the third storage unit 52 and displays statistics for each period for each vehicle maintenance center or each lift. Controller for lifts. The method according to any one of claims 1 to 3, The lift controller 10 has a cumulative number of times of use of the lift coincides with or exceeds one of the limit values (N _limit ) set for a particular part, or after the purchase, the use period coincides with or exceeds the set limit period (T _{limit period} ). The controller for a lift further comprising a limit part management function for informing a worker of an exchange message for the specific part. The method according to any one of claims 1 to 3, The lift 1 has a weight sensor 6 capable of sensing the weight of the vehicle on which it is mounted, and the lift current payload (W _current ) detected by the weight sensor 6 is greater than or equal to the reference weight (W _reference ). In this case, the first processor 11 of the controller 10 counts the number of times of use when the lift 1 stays longer than the reference height (H _reference ) or more than the reference time (T _reference ). Controller for lift The method according to any one of claims 1 to 3, The lift has a sensing pad in a part of the center of the pad region for supporting the vehicle, and the lift controller is configured to operate the lift button only when a detection signal indicating that the load of the vehicle is acting on the sensing pad region reaches the controller. Lift controller, characterized in that the. The method of claim 6, When the object detection sensor provided under the carry arm of the lift sends an object detection signal indicating that there is an obstacle under the carry arm, the lift controller stops the lowering operation and detects a risk factor that transmits a danger signal to the user by voice. The lift controller, further comprising a function. The method according to any one of claims 1 to 3, The lift controller has a predetermined height stored in addition to the existing simple rising / falling functions, and a rising height setting function that stops by going to a stored height when a corresponding button is pressed; The controller for a lift, characterized in that it further comprises a voice message function for informing the user of the message through the voice whether the detection of the obstacle, whether the rising / falling end. The method of claim 8, There is a camera connection terminal, the lift controller, characterized in that the vehicle license plate identification function for recognizing the license plate of the vehicle entering the lift to facilitate customer management. The method of claim 9, The lift controller is configured to install a camera for image recognition on the front of the controller is configured to perform a real-time video call when information exchanges or questions, such as branches or experts in other areas occur.

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