Power tool with crimp localization
AssigneeHubbell Incorporated
InventorsBrian McCulloh White, David Compton Heck, Michael Anthony Guarrera, John David Lefavour, Michael James Hennings
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
Portable, hand-held, battery operated, hydraulic tools are provided with a tool frame, a force sensor, and a location detector. A piston actuated by a hydraulic system within the tool frame applies force to the working head to perform a task, such as to apply a crimp to an electrical connector. The tool determines the maximum force applied to the crimp and records that maximum force along with the geographic location of the tool when the crimp was formed. The maximum force provides an indication of the quality of the crimp and the recorded location allows a potentially defective crimp to be located.
Claims14
A tool comprising:
- a tool frame;
- an actuator disposed on the tool frame;
- a working surface adapted to shape a workpiece when the working surface is moved in a working direction relative to the tool frame, wherein the actuator is connected with the working surface and adapted to drive the working surface in the working direction in response to an activation signal;
- a flag switch selectively activatable by a tool user;
- a force sensor adapted to measure a force applied by the working surface on the workpiece;
- a location detector connected with the tool frame to determine a geographic location of the tool;
- a memory;
- and
- a programmed processor comprising a clock and connected with the memory, the actuator, the flag switch, the force sensor, and the location detector, the programmed processer programmed with code such that in response to each activation signal, the processor,
- causes the actuator to move the working surface in the working direction,
- monitors the force sensor for force information and the location detector for location information, and
- creates an activation data record for each activation signal by recording in the memory the force information, the location information, a flag if the flag switch was activated by the tool user and clock information indicating a date and time the activation signal occurred regardless of a distance of the tool from a data processing system to which the data record is to be transferred.
A tool comprising:
- a tool frame;
- an actuator disposed on the tool frame;
- a working surface adapted to shape a workpiece when the working surface is moved in a working direction relative to the tool frame, wherein the actuator is connected with the working surface and adapted to drive the working surface in the working direction in response to an activation signal;
- a flag switch selectively activatable by a tool user;
- a force sensor adapted to measure a force applied by the working surface on the workpiece;
- a location detector connected with the tool frame to determine a geographic location of the tool;
- a memory;
- and
- a programmed processor comprising a clock and connected with the memory, the actuator, the flag switch, the force sensor, and the location detector, the programmed processer programmed with code such that in response to each activation signal, the processor,
- causes the actuator to move the working surface in the working direction,
- monitors the force sensor for force information and the location detector for location information indicating the geographic location of the tool at the time of each activation signal, and
- creates an activation data record for each activation signal by recording in the memory the force information, the location information, a flag if the flag switch was activated by the tool user and clock information indicating a date and time the activation signal occurred.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.