Monitoring of tool calibration status in automated tool control systems

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-11085841-B2
Application number	US-201816150737-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Oct 3, 2018
Priority date	Oct 3, 2017
Publication date	Aug 10, 2021
Grant date	Aug 10, 2021

Abstract

A calibration monitoring system is provided to automatically monitor the calibration status of tools and other inventory items, such as upon the items being issued from or returned to the automated calibration monitoring system. The system identifies an inventory item, for example a calibrated torque wrench or other calibrated tool identified based on a unique identifying tag attached thereto. The system retrieves a calibration parameter value for the item from a calibration database, and completes a calibration measurement of the item based on the calibration parameter value. In the example, a torque measurement of the calibrated torque wrench can thus be automatically completed. In turn, the system determines a current calibration status of the item based on the calibration measurement, and selectively enables or disables issuance of the inventory item from the system according to the item's status as being in calibration or out of calibration.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. An automated calibration monitoring system comprising:
a plurality of storage locations configured to store inventory items including a calibrated inventory item;
a database storing information on inventory items, including the calibrated inventory item, associated with the automated calibration monitoring system and configured for storage in the plurality of storage locations of the automated calibration monitoring system,
wherein the database further stores a calibration parameter value for the calibrated inventory item; and
a processor configured to, upon the calibrated inventory item being issued from or returned to the automated calibration monitoring system, compare a calibration measurement of the calibrated inventory item with the calibration parameter value for the calibrated inventory item,
wherein the processor selectively authorizes the issue or return of the calibrated inventory item according to a result of the comparison.

2. The automated calibration monitoring system of claim 1 , further comprising:
a calibration measurement device communicatively connected to the processor and configured to perform a calibration measurement of the calibrated inventory item to obtain the calibration measurement,
wherein the calibration measurement device communicates the obtained calibration measurement to the processor.

3. The automated calibration monitoring system of claim 2 , wherein the calibrated inventory item is a torque wrench, and
the calibration measurement instrument is a torque tester.

4. The automated calibration monitoring system of claim 2 , wherein the processor is further configured to:
upon the calibrated inventory item being issued from or returned to the automated calibration monitoring system, transmit a calibration target value for the calibrated inventory item to the calibration measurement device,
wherein the processor receives the obtained calibration measurement from the calibration measurement device after the transmission of the calibration target value.

5. The automated calibration monitoring system of claim 1 , wherein the calibration parameter value stored in the database includes an acceptable range of calibration parameter values stored in the database, and
the processor selectively authorizes the issue or return of the calibrated inventory item when the calibration measurement is within the acceptable range of calibration parameter values.

6. The automated calibration monitoring system of claim 1 , further comprising:
a sensing device configured to sense information used by the processor to determine the presence or absence of inventory items in the plurality of storage locations,
wherein the processor is configured to determine presence of the calibrated inventory item in a storage location of the plurality of storage locations based on the information sensed by the sensing device.

7. The automated calibration monitoring system of claim 6 , wherein the sensing device includes an image sensor configured to capture images of storage locations of the automated calibration monitoring system, and
the processor is configured to determine presence of the calibrated inventory item by determining whether the calibrated inventory item is present in an image captured by the image sensor.

8. The automated calibration monitoring system of claim 6 , wherein each inventory item associated with the automated calibration monitoring system has a tag uniquely identifying the inventory item, and
the processor is configured to uniquely identify an inventory item present in a storage location of the plurality of storage locations by recognizing the tag uniquely identifying the inventory item in the information sensed by the sensing device.

9. The automated calibration monitoring system of claim 8 , wherein each inventory item associated with the automated inventory control system has a radio frequency identification (RFID) tag uniquely identifying the inventory item, and
the automated inventory control system further comprises an RFID sensor configured to read RFID tags of inventory items located within the plurality of storage locations.

10. The automated calibration monitoring system of claim 1 , wherein the database stores records of work orders associated with previous issuances of the calibrated inventory item, and the database stores records of previous calibration measurements of the calibrated inventory item.

11. The automated calibration monitoring system of claim 10 , wherein the processor is configured to, upon determining that the compared calibration measurement of the calibrated inventory item is inconsistent with the calibration parameter value for the calibrated inventory item, retrieve from the database all records of work orders associated with the calibrated inventory item and corresponding to issuances of the calibrated inventory item following the last stored record of a previous calibration measurement of the calibrated inventory item.

12. A method for automated monitoring of calibration of inventory items in an automated calibration monitoring system comprising:
identifying, using a sensor of the automated calibration monitoring system configured to sense presence or absence of inventory items, a calibrated inventory item subject to monitoring of calibration;
retrieving, from a database communicatively connected to the automated calibration monitoring system and storing calibration parameter values for each of a plurality of inventory items, a calibration parameter value for the identified calibrated inventory item; and
determining a calibration status of the calibrated identified inventory item based on a comparison of a calibration measurement of the calibrated inventory item with the retrieved calibration parameter value for the calibrated inventory item,
wherein the automated calibration monitoring system selectively authorizes the issue or return of the calibrated inventory item from a storage location of the automated calibration monitoring system according to a result of the determination.

13. The method of claim 12 , further comprising:
prior to the determining, receiving, from a calibration measurement device communicatively connected to the automated calibration monitoring system and configured to perform a calibration measurement of the calibrated inventory item, the calibration measurement of the calibrated inventory item.

14. The method of claim 13 , wherein the calibrated inventory item is a torque wrench, and
the calibration measurement instrument is a torque tester.

15. The method of claim 13 , further comprising:
transmitting a calibration target value for the calibrated inventory item to the calibration measurement device,
wherein the automated calibration monitoring system receives the calibration measurement from the calibration measurement device after the transmission of the calibration target value.

16. The method of claim 12 , wherein each inventory item associated with the automated calibration monitoring system has a tag uniquely identifying the inventory item, and
the automated calibration monitoring system is configured to uniquely identify the calibrated inventory item by recognizing the tag uniquely identifying the calibrated inventory item in information sensed by the sensor.

17. The method of claim 16 , wherein each inventory item associated with the automated inventory control system has a visible tag uniquely identifying the inventory item, and
the automated inventory control system identifies the calibrated inventory item by identifying the visible t

Assignees

• Snap On Tools Corp

Inventors

• Fly David C
• Lipsey Matthew J
• Phillips Preston C
• Newport Jason D
• Lobo Andrew R
• Chwan Joseph
• Rogers Frederick J
• Ryan Sean W
• Kassouf Thomas L

Classifications

• G01L25/003

  for measuring torque · CPC title

• B25B23/00 Primary

  Details of, or accessories for, spanners, wrenches, screwdrivers (bolt tensioners B25B29/02) · CPC title

• B25B23/14

  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 title

• B25H3/028

  by sliding extraction from within a common frame · CPC title

• G06Q50/04

  Manufacturing · CPC title