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US 7,008,362 B2Granted
Tool holder arrangement
AssigneeArmstrong Healthcare Limited
InventorRussell Patrick Fitzgibbon
Life of this patent
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Abstract
A tool identification system has a tool holder allowing removable attachment thereto of any one of a plurality of tools; a sensor arrangement operable to sense features present on a tool attached to the tool holder; a processor operable to identify uniquely, from the sensed features, the type of the tool attached to the tool holder; and an insulation arrangement provided between the tool holder and the sensor arrangement, thereby electrically insulating the tool holder from the sensor arrangement.
Claims18
A tool holder arrangement comprising:
- a tool holder to be mounted on a support and allowing removable attachment thereto of any one of a plurality of tools;
- a sensor arrangement operable to sense at least one feature present on one of said tools when attached to the tool holder, wherein said feature or features are unique to the specific one of said tools;
- and
- a processor operable to identify uniquely, from the sensed feature or features, a type of the tool attached to the tool holder,
- wherein the tool holder and the sensor arrangement are such that a tool of the plurality of tools is electrically isolated from the support when the tool is attached to the tool;
- and
- wherein the sensor arrangement includes a plurality of rods, each having a longitudinal axis and being axially movable relative the support and the tool holder, extending to a face of the tool holder which is adjacent the tool when the tool is attached to the tool holder, there being a respective switch element actuable in response to movement of each of the rods.
4 more elements
A tool holder arrangement comprising:
- a tool holder to be mounted on a support and allowing removable attachment thereto of any one of a plurality of tools;
- a sensor arrangement operable to sense two features present on one of said tools when attached to the tool holder, the features being unique to a specific one of said tools and
- a processor operable to identify uniquely, from the sensed features, the type of tool attached to the tool holder,
- wherein the tool holder and the sensor arrangement are such that the tool is electrically isolated from the support when the tool is attached to the tool holder;
- wherein the sensor arrangement includes a plurality of rods, each having a longitudinal axis and being axially movable relative the support and the tool holder, extending to a face of the tool holder which is adjacent the tool when the tool is attached to the tool holder, there being a respective switch element actuable in response to movement of each of the rods.
2 more elements
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.