JP2010194661A - Wireless communications system for tool - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To easily change setting of wireless communications parameters. <P>SOLUTION: The wireless communications system includes a tool 1 having a wireless communications unit 16 and a transceiver 2 having a wireless communications unit 24 to receive a signal transmitted from the wireless communications unit 16 of the tool 1. Further, the transceiver 2 has a setting unit 22 for setting wireless communications parameters for wireless communications between the both wireless communications units 16 and 24, and the tool 1 has a tool control unit 15 for setting in the wireless communications unit 16 the wireless communications parameters set by the setting unit 22 on the transceiver 2 side and transmitted to the tool 1 by wireless communication. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2010,JPO&INPIT

Description

  The present invention relates to a wireless communication device for a tool, and more particularly to setting of wireless communication parameters such as a wireless communication frequency and a transmission output.

  In factories that perform screw tightening work using tools, tools that can control the tightening torque are used as tools, and screw tightening work is managed by transmitting to the management device that tightening with the required torque has been completed. There is something that you can do. In this case, in the case of wired communication, in order to affect the usability of the tool, it is preferable to use wireless communication as shown in Patent Document 1 and Patent Document 2.

  On the other hand, there may be an environmental noise such as a wireless LAN in the factory, and in the case of wireless communication, there is a possibility that a communication error due to this noise occurs. However, since the conventional wireless communication frequency is fixed and cannot be changed in the field, it is required to change the wireless communication frequency.

  For this reason, a wireless communication frequency that can be set and changed by a DIP switch has been proposed. However, providing a large number of setting switches such as DIP switches on the tool side increases the risk of tool operation failure due to intrusion of dust such as iron powder depending on the usage environment.

  Further, in order to eliminate the necessity of providing a plurality of setting switches on the tool, it is possible to connect to a personal computer (hereinafter referred to as a PC) and set the wireless communication frequency and the ID number of the receiver at the transmission destination by the PC. However, in the factory where multiple tools are used, each tool is connected to the PC individually to set the tool. Changes will be made, and work efficiency will be very poor.

Japanese Patent No. 2983124 Japanese Unexamined Patent Publication No. 2000-024945

  This invention is made in view of said point, Comprising: It aims at providing the radio | wireless communications system for tools which can change the setting of radio | wireless communication parameters, such as a radio | wireless communication frequency, simply.

  The present invention comprises a tool having wireless communication means and a receiver having wireless communication means for receiving a signal wirelessly transmitted from the wireless communication means of the tool, and wireless communication for wireless communication between the two wireless communication means. The receiver includes a communication parameter setting unit, and the tool includes a tool control unit that sets the wireless communication parameter set in the setting unit on the receiver side and transmitted to the tool side by wireless communication in the wireless communication unit. It is characterized by having.

  A wireless communication parameter setting unit is provided on the receiver side that can maintain the installation environment in a good state, and the wireless communication parameters set in this setting unit are also set on the tool side by wireless communication. In addition, the setting unit is not affected by the use environment of the tool.

  At this time, if a dedicated frequency is used for transmission of wireless communication parameters, it is possible to eliminate interference during work even if similar systems are mixed.

  In addition, when wireless communication parameters are transmitted at a lower transmission output than during normal communication, interference from other systems that use the same frequency can be suppressed, adversely affecting other systems. Can be avoided.

  The radio parameter setting means preferably includes a retransmission number setting unit for setting the number of retransmissions. An appropriate number of retransmissions can be set according to work.

  If the receiver communicates with a plurality of tools having individual identification numbers, a single receiver can manage the plurality of tools, and the number of receivers installed and the receiver installation space can be reduced. Cost reduction.

  In the present invention, since the wireless communication parameters set by the wireless communication parameter setting unit provided on the receiver side are also set on the tool side by wireless communication, the wireless communication parameters are easily set on the tool. In addition, since the receiver can be installed in a favorable environment unlike a tool, the setting section may cause a setting failure due to the influence of tool vibration or dust. Can be avoided.

It is an operation | movement flowchart by the side of the tool in an example of embodiment of this invention. It is a flowchart by the side of a receiver same as the above. It is a schematic diagram same as the above. It is a block circuit diagram same as the above. (A) (b) (c) is explanatory drawing of a radio | wireless communication parameter.

  The present invention will be described in detail based on an example of the embodiment. The illustrated example shows an electric impact driver as the tool 1. As shown in FIGS. 3 and 4, this impact driver has a motor 10 as a rotational power source and an impact mechanism composed of a hammer and an anvil, and outputs the rotational output of the motor 10 to the output shaft 12 as a rotational impact. And a tool control means for controlling the operation of the motor 10 via the motor control means 14. The tool control means 14 controls the operation of the motor 10 via the motor control means 14. 15, wireless communication means 16, and mode setting means 17, which operate using a secondary battery in a detachable battery pack 18 as a power source. Reference numeral 19 in FIG. 3 denotes a trigger switch that adjusts the rotational speed of the motor by changing the motor applied voltage according to the on / off of the motor 10 and its operation amount.

  The wireless communication means 16 can change both the transmission frequency and the transmission output. The wireless control means 31 performs transmission / reception, the transmission output setting means 32 changes the transmission output, and changes the transmission frequency. Transmission frequency setting means 33.

  The above-mentioned work state detection manual killing 13 detects the tightening torque by detecting the hammer hitting the anvil and counting the number of hits, and the tool control means 15 determines that the screw tightening has been completed. At the same time, the motor 10 is stopped and a work completion signal is output to the outside through the wireless communication means 16. The work state detection means 13 may be one that detects the amount of rotation angle of the output shaft 12 or one that is constituted by a torque sensor.

  As shown in FIG. 1 and FIG. 2, the work completion signal transmitted from the wireless communication means 16 includes work completion identification data, a tool ID number assigned to a tool as a transmission source, and reception as a transmission destination. This signal includes the receiver ID number assigned to the machine 2. The tool ID number is unique to each tool attached at the time of factory shipment of the electric tool, and is written in the nonvolatile memory in the tool control means 15, and the receiver ID number is in the registration mode described later. It is written in the non-volatile memory.

  On the other hand, as shown in FIG. 4, the receiver 2 on the management device side that manages the screw tightening work and receives the work completion signal sent from the wireless communication means 16 is connected to the wireless communication parameter setting means 22 and the mode. The wireless communication means 24 includes a receiver control means 21 connected to the setting means 23 and a wireless communication means 24. The wireless communication means 24 has both a transmission frequency and a transmission output in the same manner as the wireless communication means 16 on the tool 1 side. It can be changed, and comprises a radio control means 25 for performing transmission / reception, a transmission output setting means 26 for changing the transmission output, and a transmission frequency setting means 27 for changing the transmission frequency.

  Here, the mode setting means 17 on the tool 1 side and the mode setting means 23 on the receiver 2 side are for switching between the normal communication mode and the registration mode for performing the registration work. Wireless communication parameters for wireless communication between the communication means 16 and 24 are set in the registration mode. An example of the set wireless communication parameters is shown in FIG. Here, the used frequency, transmission output, and number of retransmissions are used as wireless communication parameters.

  First, the operation in the normal communication mode will be described with reference to FIGS. 1 and 2. When the power of the tool 1 is turned on, the tool ID number stored at the time of shipment from the nonvolatile memory in the tool control means 15 is described. , Receiver ID number stored by past registration, transmission use frequency (frequency used when transmitting work completion signal), signal transmission output (transmission output value when transmitting work completion signal), number of retransmissions ( The number of times the work completion signal is transmitted to the receiver) is read out, and the transmission use frequency and the signal transmission output are transmitted to the wireless control means 25. The radio control unit 25 sets the transmission output by the transmission output setting unit 26 and the transmission frequency by the transmission frequency setting unit 27 according to the set value.

  When the registration mode switch which is the mode setting means 17 is not turned on, the tool control means 15 drives the motor 10 when the trigger switch is turned on, and the motor is detected if the work completion detection by the work state detection means 13 is detected. 10 is stopped, and a work completion signal is sent from the wireless communication means 16 as described above.

  In the receiver 2, whether or not the receiver ID number included in the received work completion signal matches the ID number assigned to the receiver 2, the tool ID number in the work completion signal should be registered in advance. It is determined whether or not it matches the tool ID number. If they match, the reception completion identification data, the receiver ID number assigned to the receiver 2 as the transmission source, and the tool ID number as the transmission destination are included. A reception completion signal is transmitted from the wireless communication means 24, and after the reception completion signal is transmitted, a reception completion output is output to the management apparatus main body.

  The tool control means 15 that has received the reception completion signal determines that transmission is complete when the receiver ID number and the tool ID number match those written in the nonvolatile memory, and the trigger switch 19 is turned off. Return to the initial state at that point.

  When the ID numbers do not match, the retransmission is repeated for the set number of retransmissions. When the number of retransmissions is infinite, the above process is repeated until the transmission is completed. The number of retransmissions may be set as the retransmission repetition time. There are various operations in the process of factories and the like, and the operation intervals are also various. Therefore, if a system that retransmits until wireless communication is successful is requested, the number of retransmissions is set to infinite. Otherwise, the number of retransmissions set for each work interval is set to maximize the wireless communication success rate in each work. Can be improved.

  Next, the registration mode will be described. When the tool control means 15 and the receiver control means 21 recognize that each registration mode switch (mode setting means 17 and 23) is turned on, the tool control means 15 and the receiver control means 21 shift to the registration mode, respectively.

  The tool control means 15 and the receiver control means 21 that have shifted to the registration mode switch the use frequency setting to the registration-dedicated frequency CH0 and the transmission output to 0 (minimum output). The frequency dedicated for registration, which is different from the frequency for notification of work completion, is used to prevent similar systems from interfering during work, and the transmission output setting is set to 0 in addition to using the same frequency band. This is to prevent interference with other systems and prevent other systems from being adversely affected.

  And the tool control means 15 which changed to the registration mode sends out the registration request signal containing registration request identification data and its own tool ID number. Receiving the registration request signal, the receiver control means 21 reads the work completion signal use frequency, work completion signal transmission output, and number of retransmissions set by the wireless communication parameter setting means 22 constituted by a DIP switch or the like. A registration confirmation signal is transmitted with the tool ID number that is the transmission source of the received registration request signal as the transmission destination.

  In addition to the tool ID number, the registration confirmation signal includes registration confirmation identification data, a receiver ID number of a transmission source, a work completion signal use frequency, a work completion transmission output, and data of the number of retransmissions.

  Upon receipt of the registration confirmation signal, the tool control means 15 transmits a registration completion signal when the ID numbers match, and after transmission, the parameter relating to the communication and the receiver ID number are stored in the nonvolatile memory in the tool control means 15. Remember.

  The receiver control unit 21 that has received the registration completion signal transmitted from the tool 1 stores the tool ID number and the wireless communication parameter in a nonvolatile memory provided in the receiver control unit 21 when the ID numbers match. . If the ID numbers do not match, the process returns to the reception waiting state for the registration request signal and the above process is repeated.

  Here, the case where the tool 1 and the receiver 2 are one-to-one has been described. However, by repeating the registration operation on the receiver 2 side, a plurality of tools 1 having different tool ID numbers can be used as a single unit. It is possible to recognize a plurality of tools by one receiver by registering with the receiver 2 and setting wireless communication parameters. In this case, the number of receivers 2 in the factory process is reduced and the receiver Arrangement space, cost, etc. can be reduced.

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 Tool 2 Receiver 15 Tool control means 16 Wireless communication means 21 Receiver control means 24 Wireless communication means

Claims (5)

  Setting of wireless communication parameters for wireless communication between both wireless communication means, comprising a tool having wireless communication means and a receiver having wireless communication means for receiving a signal wirelessly transmitted from the wireless communication means of the tool And the tool has tool control means for setting the wireless communication parameters set by the setting unit on the receiver side and transmitted to the tool side by wireless communication in the wireless communication means. A wireless communication system for tools.   2. The wireless communication system for tools according to claim 1, wherein a dedicated frequency is used for transmitting wireless communication parameters.   The tool wireless communication system according to claim 1 or 2, wherein transmission of wireless communication parameters is performed with a transmission output lower than that during normal communication.   The tool wireless communication system according to any one of claims 1 to 3, wherein the wireless parameter setting means includes a retransmission number setting unit for setting the number of retransmissions.   The tool wireless communication system according to any one of claims 1 to 4, wherein the receiver communicates with a plurality of tools having individual identification numbers.

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