Method, system, and apparatus for reporting data pertaining to actionable condition of electrical shop tool

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-10464181-B2
Application number	US-201715662329-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Jul 28, 2017
Priority date	Jul 28, 2016
Publication date	Nov 5, 2019
Grant date	Nov 5, 2019

Abstract

A measurement device (MD) includes a processor to sample electrical signals of a circuit connected to a sensor, such as a current transformer, and to provide measurement data to a processing system (PS) based on the sampled electrical signals. An electrical circuit carrying AC electricity to and from an electrical shop tool (EST) can pass through the sensor. The measurement data can represent use or non-use of the EST. An EST, such as a vehicle lift or wheel balancer, can comprise an electrical motor connected to the electrical circuit. An EST, such as an air compressor, can comprise an electrical pump connected to the electrical circuit. The PS can determine an actionable condition based on a single measurement value or an aggregate of measurement values and determine a notification to send to a destination regarding the actionable condition. The destination can be a user account, a smartphone, or another destination.

First claim

We claim:

1. A system comprising:
a sensor to output and/or generate a sensor signal pertaining to use of an electrical shop tool, wherein the electrical shop tool includes a vehicle lift, a wheel balancer, a brake lathe or a tire changer machine;
one or more processors configured to sample the sensor signal periodically during one or more preceding time intervals and to sample the sensor signal periodically during a next preceding time interval, wherein the next preceding time interval occurs after the one or more preceding time intervals;
a non-transitory computer-readable medium to store first data values based on the one or more processors sampling the sensor signal periodically during the one or more preceding time intervals and second data values based on sampling the sensor signal periodically during the next preceding time interval, wherein the first data values are not transmitted to a processing system before a transmission time occurring after the next preceding time interval ends if each data value of the first data values represents a current flow to the electrical shop tool was below a threshold amperage; and
a first network transceiver configured to transmit, to a network for transmission to the processing system for determining an actionable condition of the electrical shop tool, the second data values at the transmission time occurring after the next preceding time interval ends if at least one data value of the second data values represents a current flow to the electrical shop tool exceeds the threshold amperage.

2. The system of claim 1 ,
wherein the one or more processors is configured to determine a sampled sensor signal value for each periodic sample of the sensor signal, and
wherein the one or more processors is configured to scale the sampled sensor signal values using a linear scale to determine data values based on the sensor signal sampled by the one or more processors or using a non-linear scale to determine data values based on the sensor signal sampled by the one or more processors.

3. The system of claim 1 ,
wherein the sensor signal represents a detected position, velocity, acceleration, or jerk,
wherein the one or more processors is configured to determine a sampled sensor signal value for each periodic sample of the sensor signal, and
wherein the one or more processors is configured to summarize the sampled sensor signal values into an array.

4. The system of claim 1 ,
wherein the sensor includes a first current transformer including a first conductive coil with a first transformer lead and a second transformer lead, wherein the first conductive coil is configured with a central passageway through which a conductor carrying alternating current to or from the electrical shop tool can pass, and
wherein the sensor signal represents a voltage differential across the first transformer lead and the second transformer lead.

5. The system of claim 4 ,
wherein the one or more processors determines an amperage value corresponding to each voltage differential sample, and
wherein the first data values and the second data values represent the amperage values determined by the one or more processors.

6. The system of claim 1 , further comprising:
a real-time clock to output timing signals for use by the one or more processors to perform at least one of: (i) determine when to sample the sensor signal, (ii) record a time when each data value indicating a sampled sensor signal was sampled, and (iii) determine when the first network transceiver is to transmit data indicating the sampled sensor signal.

7. The system of claim 1 ,
wherein the first network transceiver transmits the second data values at the transmission time occurring after the next preceding time interval ends if at least one data value stored during the next preceding time interval represents a current flow to a motor exceeded 0.0 amperes, or transmits the second data values stored during a most-recent data collection period upon a maximum report-to-report time elapsing.

8. The system of claim 1 ,
wherein the threshold amperage is 0.0 amperes.

9. The system of claim 1 , further comprising:
the processing system,
wherein the processing system comprises one or more additional processors, at least one computer-readable data storage device, and a second network transceiver to receive the second data values transmitted by the first network transceiver,
wherein the one or more processors are configured to determine at least one actionable condition of the electrical shop tool based on, at least in part, the second data values transmitted by the first network transceiver.

10. The system of claim 9 , wherein the one or more additional processors are configured to cause the second network transceiver to transmit a notification of the at least one actionable condition to at least one destination associated with the electrical shop tool.

11. The system of claim 1 , wherein the sensor signal includes an electrical signal.

12. The system of claim 1 , further comprising:
one or more connectors configured to connect to one or more circuits extending between the sensor and the electrical shop tool and one or more circuits leading to an AC electrical supply.

13. A method comprising:
outputting and/or generating, by a sensor, a sensor signal pertaining to use of an electrical shop tool, wherein the electrical shop tool includes a vehicle lift, a wheel balancer, a brake lathe or a tire changer machine;
sampling, by one or more processors, the sensor signal periodically during one or more preceding time intervals and the sensor signal periodically during a next preceding time interval, wherein the next preceding time interval occurs after the one or more preceding time intervals;
storing, at a non-transitory computer-readable medium, first data values based on the sampling the sensor signal periodically during one or more preceding time intervals and second data values based on the sampling the sensor signal periodically during the next preceding time interval, wherein the first data values are not transmitted to a processing system before a transmission time occurring after the next preceding time interval ends if each data value of the first data values represents a current flow to the electrical shop tool was below a threshold amperage; and
transmitting, by a first network transceiver to a network for transmission to the processing system for determining an actionable condition of the electrical shop tool, the second data values at the transmission time occurring after the next preceding time interval ends if at least one data value of the second data values represents a current flow to the electrical shop tool exceeds the threshold amperage.

14. The method of claim 13 , further comprising:
determining, by the one or more processors, a sampled sensor signal value for each periodic sample of the sensor signal, and
scaling, by the one or more processors, the sampled sensor signal values using a linear scale to determine the second data values based on the sensor signal sampled by the one or more processors or using a non-linear scale to determine the second data values based on the sensor signal sampled by the one or more processors.

15. The method of claim 13 ,
wherein the sensor signal represents a detected position, velocity, acceleration, or jerk,
wherein the method further comprises:
determining, by the one or more processors, a sampled sensor signal value for each periodic sample of the sensor signal, and
summarizing the sampled sensor signal values into an array.

16. The method of cla

Assignees

• Snap On Tools Corp

Inventors

• Greenwald Christopher L
• Hastings Jeffrey P

Classifications

• G07C3/10

  using counting means · CPC title

• H04Q2209/10

  using a centralized architecture · CPC title

• G06Q30/012

  Providing warranty services · CPC title

• H04Q2209/84

  Measuring functions · CPC title

• B23Q17/008 Primary

  Life management for parts of the machine (tool life management B23Q17/0995) · CPC title