Digital counting device for jig

Abstract

A digital counting device for a jig comprises a touch unit arranged on the jig, the touch unit is electrically connected with a microcontroller unit, and when the jig is used, the touch unit is touched to output a counting signal to the microcontroller unit; the microcontroller unit is electrically connected with a memory and a display; the microcontroller unit updates a current use frequency stored in the memory in the shell according to the time counting signal received by the touch unit, and controls the display to display the current use frequency stored in the memory for a worker to know; therefore, the worker can judge the aging degree of the jig on the basis of counting.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The utility model relates to a counting device, in particular to a digital counting device for a fixture. Background Art

[0002] A jig is a tool that helps control position or motion, and like any other tool on the market, a jig has a limited lifespan. When a jig part is over-aged and worn, the jig will no longer be able to accurately control position or motion. However, for workers who use jigs, most workers will not remember the age of a jig in a factory, so they cannot clearly know the aging of a jig.

[0003] Even if a senior worker in a factory knows the age of a jig and its aging condition, a new worker who enters the factory after the senior worker leaves the factory is likely to be unaware of the age of the jig and its aging condition, and then use the overly aged and inaccurate jig to perform deviant actions.

[0004] In addition, even if a jig is known to be old, it is still difficult for a worker to accurately measure the degree of aging of the jig. This is because the degree of aging of a jig is positively correlated with the number of times it is used, and has no obvious relationship with the time it is displayed in the factory. Therefore, two jigs purchased on the same day will show different degrees of aging after different times of use. Therefore, even if the purchase date of the jig is recorded, it is still difficult to accurately measure whether a jig is too old and should be discarded. Utility Model Content

[0005] The utility model provides a digital counting device for a jig, which can solve the problems of the prior art and enable a jig to be digitally counted and present the number of times it is used, thereby accurately and systematically presenting the degree of its aging and wear for a worker to know.

[0006] The digital counting device for a fixture of the utility model comprises:

[0007] A touch unit is disposed on a fixture; when the touch unit is touched, the touch unit outputs a counting signal;

[0008] A display;

[0009] A memory storing a current usage count;

[0010] A microcontroller unit is electrically connected to the trigger unit, the display and the memory, updates the current usage count stored in the memory according to the counting signal output by the trigger unit, and controls the display to display the current usage count stored in the memory.

[0011] The digital counting device for jigs of the utility model digitizes a jig so that the number of times the jig is used can be counted, and the current number of times used is displayed on the display for a worker to know, so that the worker can judge the aging degree of the jig based on the counting. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0012] Figure 1 The utility model is a system block diagram of a digital counting device for a fixture.

[0013] Figure 2 The utility model is a schematic diagram of the appearance of the digital counting device for a fixture used on a fixture. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0014] See also Figure 1 and Figure 2 As shown, the utility model provides a digital counting device for a fixture, which includes a microcontroller unit 10 (MCU), a trigger unit 20, a display 30 and a memory 40. The microcontroller unit 10 is electrically connected to the display 30 and the memory 40, and the microcontroller unit 10 is communicatively connected to the trigger unit 20. The microcontroller unit 10, the display 30 and the memory 40 are arranged on a fixture 1.

[0015] In one embodiment of the present invention, the fixture 1 has a housing 2, and the microcontroller unit 10 and the memory 40 are disposed in the housing 2, and the touch unit 20 and the display 30 are disposed on the housing 2. The microcontroller unit 10 is connected to the touch unit 20 in a wired electrical connection. In other embodiments, the microcontroller unit 10 may also be connected to the touch unit 20 in a wireless communication manner.

[0016] The trigger unit 20 located on the fixture 1 is triggered when the fixture 1 is used. The triggered trigger unit 20 outputs a counting signal to the microcontroller unit 10 to which it is connected for communication.

[0017] The present invention does not limit the specifications of the jig used with the present invention. When any jig is used, it can trigger the trigger unit 20 of the present invention and be counted, that is, the jig is used once.

[0018] When the touch unit 20 stops being touched, the touch unit 20 stops outputting the counting signal to the microcontroller unit 10, indicating that the fixture 1 has returned to a static and unused state. In one embodiment, the touch unit 20 is a touch switch to switch between an open circuit or a closed circuit state between a touched state and a non-touched state, so as to switch whether to output the counting signal to the microcontroller unit 10.

[0019] The memory 40 of the present invention stores a current usage count. In the initial state, the current usage count stored in the memory 40 is preset to zero. When the microcontroller unit 10 of the present invention receives the counting signal output by the trigger unit 20, the microcontroller unit 10 updates the current usage count stored in the memory 40 according to the counting signal, so that the current current usage count is increased by 1 to become the updated current usage count. In addition, the microcontroller unit 10 controls the display 30 to display the current usage count stored in the memory 40. In other words, a worker using the fixture 1 can know the current usage status of the fixture 1 by watching the current usage count displayed on the display 30. In this way, with the assistance of the present invention, the worker can judge the aging degree of the fixture 1 based on the counting. In other words, because the aging degree of a fixture is positively correlated with the number of times it is used, the present invention can accurately and systematically count and present the number of times the fixture 1 is used, thereby clearly and conveniently quantifying the aging and wear degree of the fixture 1.

[0020] Furthermore, in this embodiment, the digital counting device for a jig of the present invention further comprises a communication unit 50, an indicator light 60, an alarm 70 and a power unit 80. The microcontroller unit 10 is also electrically connected to the communication unit 50, the indicator light 60, the alarm 70 and the power unit 80 respectively.

[0021] The power unit 80 provides power for the operation of the microcontroller unit 10. In one embodiment, the power unit 80 is electrically connected to an AC / DC transformer of a mains power 3 to convert the mains power 3 into direct current (DC) power for use by the microcontroller unit 10. In other embodiments, the power unit 80 can also be equipped with a battery to output the DC power for use by the microcontroller unit 10 from the battery.

[0022] In this embodiment, the microcontroller unit 10 uses an interrupt GPIO counting mode or a communication counting mode to update the current usage count stored in the memory 40 .

[0023] When the microcontroller unit 10 is in the interrupt GPIO counting mode, the touch unit 20 normally generates a general-purpose input / output (GPIO) signal to the microcontroller unit 10 when not touched. When the touch unit 20 is touched, the touch unit 20 changes the open / closed circuit connection state, thereby stopping the touch unit 20 from generating and transmitting the GPIO signal to the microcontroller unit 10.

[0024] When the microcontroller unit 10 continues to receive the GPIO signal, the microcontroller unit 10 determines that the fixture 1 has not been used, that is, it determines that a counting signal has not been received from the trigger unit 20, so there is no need to update the current usage count stored in the memory 40. On the contrary, when the microcontroller unit 10 stops receiving the GPIO signal from the trigger unit 20, the microcontroller unit 10 determines that a counting signal is received from the trigger unit 20, and the microcontroller unit 10 updates the current usage count stored in the memory 40 by adding 1. This operation mode in which the microcontroller unit 10 determines whether the GPIO signal is received to determine whether to update the current usage count in the memory 40 by adding 1 is the interrupt GPIO counting mode.

[0025] When the microcontroller unit 10 is in the communication counting mode, the microcontroller unit 10 must first communicate with an external device 100 through the communication unit 50 to confirm whether to update and add 1 to the current usage count in the memory 40 .

[0026] In the present embodiment, the communication unit 50 has a Universal Asynchronous Receiver / Transmitter (UART) serial port, a Universal Serial Bus (USB) port and a signal conversion circuit. The UART serial port is electrically connected to the microcontroller unit 10, the USB port is powered and connected to the external device 100, and the signal conversion circuit is electrically connected between the UART serial port and the USB port. The external device 100 is a computer device, which can be connected to the communication unit 50 via USB communication to transmit a USB signal. After the USB signal is converted into a UART signal by the signal conversion circuit, it is transmitted to the microcontroller unit 10 through the UART serial port. Conversely, the UART signal output by the microcontroller unit 10 through the UART serial port can also be converted into a USB signal by the signal conversion circuit and further sent to the external device 100 through the USB port. Thus, the microcontroller unit 10 of the present invention can be communicatively connected to the external device 100 via the communication unit 50 .

[0027] In the communication counting mode, when the microcontroller unit 10 receives the counting signal from the trigger unit 20, the microcontroller unit 10 generates a confirmation command to the external device 100. When the external device 100 receives the confirmation command, the external device 100 determines whether to confirm that the fixture 1 is used. For example, the external device 100 is operated by the worker. When the worker confirms that the fixture 1 is used, the worker operates the external device 100, so that the external device 100 confirms that the fixture 1 is used and generates a confirmation count command to the microcontroller unit 10 accordingly.

[0028] When the microcontroller unit 10 receives the confirmation count instruction from the external device 100, the microcontroller unit 10 updates the current usage count stored in the memory 40 by adding 1 according to the confirmation count instruction. That is to say, under the communication counting mode, the microcontroller unit 10 hands over the master right of updating the current usage count to the external device 100 connected to the communication for judgment, and the external device 100 can automatically generate the confirmation count instruction to the microcontroller unit 10 when judging to update the current usage count. In addition, the digital counting device for jig of the utility model can also be set by the external device 100 through the communication unit 50 to set the current microcontroller unit 10 to use the interrupt GPIO counting mode or the communication counting mode to update the current usage count. For example, when the microcontroller unit 10 receives a switching mode instruction from the external device 100, the microcontroller unit 10 switches to use the interrupt GPIO counting mode or the communication counting mode according to the switching mode instruction.

[0029] Preferably, the memory 40 of the present invention is an electrically-erasable programmable read-only memory (EEPROM), and the memory 40 further stores a maintenance date, a warning usage count, and an upper limit usage count. The upper limit usage count is greater than the warning usage count. The maintenance date stored in the memory 40 can be updated by the external device 100 through the communication unit 50. For example, after the user of the present invention performs maintenance on the fixture 1, the user can operate the external device 100 to update the maintenance date stored in the memory 40. Thereafter, whenever the external device 100 is connected to the communication unit 50 for communication, the external device 100 can check the maintenance date stored in the memory 40, so that the user can know when the fixture 1 was last maintained by using the external device 100.

[0030] In addition, the microcontroller unit 10 can control the indicator light 60 to display different light colors, such as red or white, according to different situations. Red means that the fixture has exceeded the number of uses, prompting the worker that the fixture 1 needs maintenance; white light means that the object to be tested has been tested, prompting the worker that the current object to be tested has been tested and needs to be removed from the fixture (in the past, customers and performance review officers have asked how the operator can confirm whether the object to be tested on the current fixture has just been placed or has been tested when the operator is operating two machines and has other operations). The microcontroller unit 10 also determines whether the current number of uses stored in the memory 40 is greater than or equal to the warning number of uses.

[0031] When the microcontroller unit 10 determines that the current usage count of the memory 40 is less than the warning usage count, the microcontroller unit 10 does not control the indicator light 60 to display any specific light color.

[0032] When the microcontroller unit 10 determines that the current usage count of the memory 40 is greater than or equal to the warning usage count, the microcontroller unit 10 controls the indicator light 60 to display a red light, and the microcontroller unit 10 further determines whether the current usage count is greater than or equal to the usage upper limit count. In addition, when the touch unit 20 is in a closed circuit connection state, and the external device 100 sends a command (the object to be tested has completed the test) to the microcontroller unit 10 through the communication unit 50, the controller unit 10 controls the indicator light 60 to display a white light, and when the touch unit 20 is in an open circuit connection state, the indicator light 60 is controlled not to display a light color. The red light has a higher priority than the white light. In other words, when the touch unit 20 is in a closed circuit connection state, the touch unit 20 is touched and generates the count signal to the microcontroller unit 10. When the touch unit 20 is in an open circuit connection state, the touch unit 20 is not touched and does not generate the count signal to the microcontroller unit 10. Therefore, when the microcontroller unit 10 receives the counting signal from the trigger unit 20, and receives a completed test command generated by the external device 100 from the external device 100 through the communication unit 50, the microcontroller unit 10 controls the indicator light 60 to display a white light. When the microcontroller unit 10 needs to control the indicator light 60 to display a red light and a white light at the same time, the microcontroller unit 10 will select the red light with a higher priority.

[0033] When the microcontroller unit 10 determines that the current usage count of the memory 40 is less than the usage upper limit count but is still greater than or equal to the warning usage count, the microcontroller unit 10 continues to display a red light.

[0034] When the microcontroller unit 10 determines that the current usage count of the memory 40 is greater than or equal to the usage upper limit count, the microcontroller unit 10 controls the indicator light 60 to display a red light. In addition, the microcontroller unit 10 also controls the alarm 70 to generate a warning sound.

[0035] Thus, by observing the different light colors generated by the indicator light 60, the worker can quickly understand the current status of the fixture 1 before reading the current usage count displayed on the display 30. Preferably, the display 30 of the utility model is a numeric display, such as a 6-digit 7-segment digital display. The microcontroller unit 10 and the memory 40 are disposed on a circuit board disposed behind the display 30. The indicator light 60 is an RGB light source of a light-emitting diode (LED), and the alarm 70 is a buzzer, and the indicator light 60 and the alarm 70 are both disposed beside the display 30 to clearly display the light color and the clear sound for the worker to know. Thus, the different light colors generated by the indicator light 60, for example, the indicator light 60 generates a red light, the indicator light 60 generates a white light, and the indicator light 60 generates a black light (no light).

[0036] When the worker sees that the indicator light 60 emits a red light, that is, when the worker sees that the display 30 emits a red light, the worker knows that the fixture 1 has aged due to repeated use and is about to reach the end of its service life, so the parts or consumables on the fixture 1 need to be replaced to facilitate the maintenance of the fixture 1.

[0037] In order to ensure that the worker can be reminded of the need to maintain the fixture 1 even when not watching the display 30 or the indicator light 60 , the utility model also generates the warning sound through the alarm 70 to warn the worker in multiple aspects that the fixture 1 needs to be maintained.

[0038] When the worker sees that the indicator light 60 emits a white light, that is, when the worker sees that the display 30 emits a white light, the worker knows that the object to be tested on the fixture 1 has completed a test.

[0039] The jig 1 optimized by the present invention can be used more reliably by the worker, because the worker does not need to worry about not understanding the use status of the jig 1. By viewing the information generated by the display 30, the indicator light 60 and the alarm 70, the worker can quickly, efficiently and statistically understand the use status of the jig 1, and then understand the aging of the jig 1, so as to formulate countermeasures for the use of the jig 1.

[0040] The above description is only a preferred embodiment of the present invention, and does not constitute any form of limitation to the present invention. Although the present invention has been disclosed as a preferred embodiment as above, it is not intended to limit the present invention. Any technician familiar with the profession can make some changes or modifications to equivalent embodiments of equivalent changes using the technical contents disclosed above without departing from the scope of the technical solution of the present invention. However, any simple modification, equivalent changes and modifications made to the above embodiments based on the technical essence of the present invention without departing from the content of the technical solution of the present invention are still within the scope of the technical solution of the present invention.

Claims

1. A digital counting device for a fixture, characterized in that: include: A touch unit is disposed on a fixture; when the touch unit is touched, the touch unit outputs a counting signal; A display; A memory storing a current usage count; A microcontroller unit is electrically connected to the trigger unit, the display and the memory, updates the current usage times stored in the memory according to the counting signal output by the trigger unit, and controls the display to display the current usage times stored in the memory.

2. The digital counting device for a jig according to claim 1, characterized in that: The touch unit normally generates a general-purpose input / output GPIO signal to the microcontroller unit when not touched, and when the touch unit is touched, the touch unit stops generating the GPIO signal to the microcontroller unit; When the microcontroller unit stops receiving the GPIO signal from the trigger unit, the microcontroller unit determines that a counting signal is received from the trigger unit, and the microcontroller unit updates and adds 1 to the current usage count stored in the memory.

3. The digital counting device for a jig according to claim 1, characterized in that: Further including: a communication unit electrically connected to the microcontroller unit and powered to connect to an external device; When the microcontroller unit receives the counting signal from the trigger unit, the microcontroller unit generates a confirmation command to the external device; When the microcontroller unit receives a confirmation count instruction corresponding to the confirmation instruction from the external device, the microcontroller unit updates and adds 1 to the current usage count stored in the memory according to the confirmation count instruction.

4. The digital counting device for a jig according to claim 3, characterized in that: The communication unit has a universal asynchronous receiver / transmitter UART serial port, a universal serial bus USB port and a signal conversion circuit; The UART serial port is electrically connected to the microcontroller unit, the USB port is electrically connected to the external device, and the signal conversion circuit is electrically connected between the UART serial port and the USB port.

5. The digital counting device for a jig according to claim 3, characterized in that: The memory stores a maintenance date, and the microcontroller unit allows the external device connected to the communication unit to update the maintenance date stored in the memory.

6. The digital counting device for a jig according to claim 3, characterized in that: When the microcontroller unit receives a mode switching instruction from the external device via the communication unit, the microcontroller unit switches the mode in which the microcontroller unit updates the current usage count stored in the memory according to the mode switching instruction.

7. The digital counting device for a jig according to claim 1, characterized in that: Further including: an indicator light electrically connected to the microcontroller unit; The memory stores an upper limit of usage times, and when the microcontroller unit determines that the current usage times stored in the memory are greater than or equal to the upper limit of usage times, the microcontroller unit controls the indicator light to generate a red light.

8. The digital counting device for a jig according to claim 1, characterized in that: Further including: an indicator light electrically connected to the microcontroller unit; a communication unit electrically connected to the microcontroller unit and powered to connect to an external device; When the microcontroller unit receives the counting signal from the trigger unit and receives a completed test command from the external device through the communication unit, the microcontroller unit controls the indicator light to generate a white light.

9. The digital counting device for a jig according to claim 1, characterized in that: The display is a digital display.

10. The digital counting device for a jig according to claim 1, characterized in that: Further including: an alarm, electrically connected to the microcontroller unit; The memory stores an upper limit of usage times, and when the microcontroller unit determines that the current usage times stored in the memory are greater than the upper limit of usage times, the microcontroller unit controls the alarm to generate a warning sound.

Images