MAINTENANCE INDICATOR

Description

[0001] The present invention relates to a maintenance indicator, wherein the maintenance indicator stores an information bit string, wherein the information bit string encodes at least a section of maintenance information from a component of a cutting tool in binary form.

[0002] EP 3 689 535 A1 shows an information device for providing information about the maintenance status of a cutting tool.

[0003] In the case of the information device known from EP 3 689 535 A1, there is a need to reduce the area used for displaying the maintenance information, so that the maintenance information can also be displayed under cramped or poorly accessible conditions on the side of a cutting tool.

[0004] OSTASEVICIUS V ET AL: "Monitoring the condition of the cutting tool using self-powering wireless sensor technologies" reveals machine monitoring using a wireless sensor network.

[0005] CHANG SHIN-YI ET AL: "Greendicator: Enabling Optical Pulse-Encoded Data Output from WSN for Display on Smartphones" reveals optical data transmission in a wireless sensor network.

[0006] The object of the present invention is to provide a maintenance indicator that displays maintenance information in a space-saving manner.

[0007] The technical problem of the present invention is solved by the subject matter of claim 1. Advantageous embodiments of the invention can be found in the dependent claims, the description and the figures.

[0008] The information signal can be filmed by the photosensitive element while maintaining the air gap, especially if the maintenance indicator is sufficiently stationary relative to the photosensitive element, for example a typical mobile phone camera, so that the information bit states can be optically distinguished, i.e., do not become blurred by excessively rapid movement from the maintenance indicator.

[0009] The maintenance indicator transmits the information signal, and thus the information bit chain, sequentially, one information bit state after the other, by flashing in sync with the information bit states. This minimizes the space required to display the information signal. A single indicator light is sufficient, which switches on and off depending on the information bit states. The light will be illuminated in one state after the first switching state and in a second state after the second. It is conceivable, and indeed possible, to also use the indicator light to display the warning signal, saving even more space.

[0010] The maintenance indicator has the particular advantage that the information signal from the photosensitive element—that is, an element that generates electrical signals when stimulated by light waves—can be filmed and thus electronically decoded. This allows at least a portion of the maintenance information to be made directly understandable to humans based on the information signal, enabling them to decide whether or not the component requires maintenance from the cutting tool.

[0011] The pre-signal signal alerts a receiver equipped with the photosensitive element that the information signal, and thus the information bit string, will be displayed next. This ensures that the receiver knows when the signals it receives belong to the information signal and therefore to the information bit string. Consequently, the probability of an interference signal being mistakenly identified as an information signal is low, because the receiver only accepts signals received after the pre-signal signal.

[0012] The announcement signal can also be interpreted by the receiver as a signal to reconstruct the information bit chain from the information signal. This initiates the decoding process without requiring any further signals.

[0013] "Blinking according to information bit states" means that the maintenance indicator reads the information bit states from the information bit chain one after the other and, depending on the read information bit state, is set to a first or second illuminated state. The first illuminated state can be triggered if the read information bit state is assigned a logical zero, and the second illuminated state if the read information bit state is assigned a logical one, or vice versa. Each illuminated state has the same pulse duration.

[0014] The first illumination state can also be achieved by the maintenance indicator not being actively illuminated, while the maintenance indicator is actively illuminated in the second illumination state, or vice versa.

[0015] The lighting states can be distinguished by their light color or light intensity, so that each lighting state can be assigned to either a logical "zero" or a logical "one" based on its light color or light intensity. The light color can also correspond to white light.

[0016] The information bit string can be represented, for example, as an 8-bit chain of logical zeros and ones: 01011101. This would cause the maintenance indicator to blink as follows: first illumination, second illumination, first illumination, second illumination, second illumination, second illumination, first illumination, second illumination. This temporal sequence of illumination states can be recorded by the photosensitive element. From this recorded sequence, i.e., the information signal, the information bit string can be reconstructed by providing an information bit reading clock. The reconstructed information bit string can then be decoded into at least one section of the maintenance information by providing a binary code.

[0017] The maintenance information for the component of the cutting tool can be, for example, the operating time of the component, the number of completed movement cycles of the component, or the energy storage state of the component.

[0018] The maintenance information might read, for example, "100 hours of operating time." In this example, the information bit string encodes at least one section of this maintenance information—for example, the number "100," the word "hours," or the word "operating time"—into a binary code, such as ASCII. The maintenance indicator then flashes according to the information bit states of the binary-encoded number "100," the binary-encoded word "hours," or the binary-encoded word "operating time." This allows the information bit string, and thus the binary-encoded section of the maintenance information in this example, to be reconstructed from the information signal and subsequently decoded into an alphanumeric code, i.e., into Latin letters and Arabic numerals.

[0019] The announcement signal can be filmed analogously to the information signal by the photosensitive element, so that in a joint video recording the announcement signal appears before the information signal and thus announces the information signal.

[0020] The maintenance indicator can display the announcement signal by blinking in the order of an announcement bit chain. This blinking in the order of the announcement bit chain is analogous to the blinking in the order of the information bit chain, except that the announcement bit chain is chosen such that the sequence of bit states contained in the announcement bit chain is not present in the information bit chain. This makes it even easier for the receiver to recognize that the announcement signal does not encode maintenance information, but rather announces the upcoming information transfer.

[0021] The information signal can be transmitted outside of a data cable, including a fiber optic cable, while maintaining the air gap, and thus filmed by the photosensitive element, allowing the information signal to be filmed and decoded with particular spatial flexibility and low effort.

[0022] The air gap can range in magnitude from 0.1 m cm to 2 m, measured in each case with respect to the area of ​​the maintenance indicator that displays the information signal.

[0023] According to further training on the maintenance indicator, it generates a warning signal when the maintenance information reaches a predefined level of detail. This warning signal immediately informs a person that the maintenance information has reached this predefined level, unlike the information signal itself, whose content is only directly comprehensible to a person once the information signal, and thus the information bit string, has been decoded into a human-readable code, for example, an alphanumeric code containing Latin letters and Arabic numerals.The specified information content of the maintenance information can refer to a specified operating time of the component, a specified number of completed movement cycles of the component, in particular revolutions with respect to a rotary axis or insertion and removal processes with respect to a bore, or a specified energy storage state of the component, or to any combination of these parameters.

[0024] For example, the warning signal from the maintenance indicator is generated when the component of the machining tool has reached 5000 operating hours or operating cycles.

[0025] The warning signal can be a visual, acoustic, or haptic signal.

[0026] The maintenance indicator preferably generates the warning signal on its own, without requiring the display to be in an activated state.

[0027] According to further training on the maintenance indicator, the warning signal is displayed at least partially in the visible wavelength range. Such a warning signal is particularly easy for humans to perceive in an environment dominated by machine noise. The visible wavelength range of light lies in the range of approximately 380 nm (violet light) to approximately 780 nm (red light), preferably from 380 nm to 780 nm. It is also conceivable and possible for the warning signal to be displayed as white light. A light element intended for displaying information signals can be used for the warning signal, thus enabling a particularly space-saving display of the warning signal. Alternatively or additionally, a separate light element can also be used to display the warning signal.

[0028] According to further training on the maintenance indicator, the warning signal lasts for a predetermined warning duration, which is longer than the predetermined duration of the information signal. This makes the warning signal particularly distinct from the information signal, making its warning character even easier for people to grasp.

[0029] According to a further development of the maintenance indicator, it flashes in the activated display state following an information bit reading clock, whereby the information bit string can be reconstructed from the information signal by specifying the information bit reading clock. The maintenance indicator thus dictates the clock at which the information bits of the information bit string are to be read by a receiver that has the photosensitive element. A separate light element can be used to display the information bit reading clock, whereas a different light element is used to display the information signal. Preferably, the maintenance indicator flashes in the visible wavelength range following the information bit reading clock, so that the information bit reading clock can be particularly well detected by the photosensitive element.

[0030] According to a further development of the maintenance indicator, it has one light element and another light element, whereby in the activated display state, one light element flashes according to the information bit states of the information bit chain, and the other light element flashes according to the information bit read clock. This ensures that the information signal can be better distinguished from the information bit read clock.

[0031] According to a further development of the maintenance indicator, it has a photosensitive element. This element maintains the air gap to a display area of ​​the maintenance indicator, which is designed and arranged to display the information signal. This increases the operational readiness of the maintenance indicator. The photosensitive element can be integrated particularly cost-effectively and easily into various mobile communication devices or is usually already present in such devices, for example, in a typical mobile phone. The display area is formed, for example, by a light element that displays the information signal.

[0032] According to further information on the maintenance indicator, the maintenance indicator is either a component of the cutting tool or the maintenance indicator itself is a component of the cutting tool. The component of the cutting tool can be the base body of a drill, a milling cutter, or a tap; in the case of a tap, the base body is a chuck for holding a threading element. If the maintenance indicator is a component of the cutting tool, it is, for example, reversibly detachable from one of the aforementioned base bodies and is therefore moved together with the base body, either linearly and / or rotationally.

[0033] According to a further development of the maintenance indicator, it has a magnet-sensitive activation sensor. The maintenance indicator is switched to the display state when a magnetic field from a permanent magnet penetrates the activation sensor and exceeds a predetermined magnetic field strength. This allows the maintenance indicator to be switched to the display state without physical contact, which further improves its use in confined or poorly accessible areas on the cutting tool. Preferably, the maintenance indicator incorporates a permanent magnet, which increases its operational readiness.

[0034] According to a further development of the maintenance indicator, it stores an additional information bit chain, wherein this additional information bit chain binary-encodes at least one further section of the maintenance information from the component of the cutting tool, wherein the additional information bit chain has several further information bits, each of which has an information bit state, wherein the maintenance indicator, in the activated display state, flashes according to the information bit states of the additional information bit chain and thus displays a further information signal temporally after the information signal, wherein the further information signal can be filmed by the photosensitive element while maintaining the air gap. According to this further development, another section of the maintenance information is transmitted to the information signal, so that the maintenance indicator transmits several sections of the maintenance information.

[0035] According to further information on the maintenance indicator, in its activated display state, the indicator repeatedly shows the announcement signal, with the repeatedly displayed announcement signal announcing the subsequent information signal. The repeatedly displayed announcement signal is therefore shown after the information signal and before the subsequent information signal. The advantages described for the announcement signal with respect to the information signal are thus also realized with respect to the subsequent information signal.

[0036] According to a further development of the maintenance indicator, it stores an announcement bit chain, where the announcement bit chain has several announcement bits, each announcement bit having an announcement bit state. In the activated display state, the maintenance indicator shows the announcement signal by blinking according to the announcement bit states of the announcement bit chain. The announcement signal is thus displayed analogously to the information signal, by the maintenance indicator blinking.

[0037] Preferably, the announcement bit string and the information bit string are encoded in the same binary code, for example, the ASCII code, whereby the decoded announcement bit string is different from the decoded information signal. Thus, the decoded announcement bit string can encode a character that is not printable according to the ASCII code, i.e., a character that is neither a letter, a digit, nor a space, but belongs to the control characters of the ASCII code, such as "Carriage Return", "Delete", "Syn", etc. If the announcement bit string belongs to the control characters of the ASCII code, the announcement signal can be distinguished even more effectively from the information signal because control characters do not contain any information relevant to the maintenance of the component of the cutting tool.

[0038] According to further development of the maintenance indicator, in its activated display state, the information signal is shown at least partially in the visible wavelength range. This makes it immediately apparent to the user that the information signal is being displayed, or indeed that the maintenance indicator is active at all. Furthermore, the sensitivity of the photosensitive element is typically greater in the visible wavelength range than outside of it. The visible wavelength range of light lies in the range of approximately 380 nm (violet light) to approximately 780 nm (red light), preferably from 380 nm to 780 nm. It is also conceivable, and indeed possible, for the information signal to be displayed at least partially as white light.

[0039] According to further training on the maintenance indicator, in its activated display state, the warning signal is shown at least partially in the visible wavelength range. This makes it immediately perceptible to humans that the warning signal is being displayed. Furthermore, the sensitivity of the photosensitive element is typically greater in the visible wavelength range than outside of it. The visible wavelength range of light lies in the range of approximately 380 nm (violet light) to approximately 780 nm (red light), preferably from 380 nm to 780 nm. It is also conceivable and possible for the warning signal to be displayed at least partially as white light.

[0040] According to a further development of the maintenance indicator, it has an acceleration sensor, wherein the acceleration sensor is designed and arranged to detect rotational and / or linear acceleration, the magnitude of which is in the range of 15 m / s² to 7500 m / s². The maintenance indicator is designed and arranged such that, based on a minimum acceleration detected by the acceleration sensor, it generates at least one section of the maintenance information. The acceleration sensor is embedded in a plastic compound, and the maintenance indicator itself is made of this plastic compound. According to this further development, the maintenance indicator automatically saves the maintenance information only when the acceleration of the component by the cutting tool is in the range of 15 m / s² to 7500 m / s², i.e., when the component experiences a certain to relatively high acceleration.This ensures that the maintenance information is only updated and saved when a change in the maintenance status of the component is expected.

[0041] Additionally or alternatively, the maintenance indicator is designed such that the maintenance information is automatically saved only when the component is moved according to a predefined motion pattern during acceleration. This motion pattern represents the movement of the component during a machining operation defined by the cutting tool, for example, by the cutting tool moving along a trajectory and / or rotating about an axis of rotation. The trajectory corresponds, for example, to a linear back-and-forth motion of a grinding tool, which thus cuts with geometrically undefined cutting elements, or a tap moving in and out of a bore. The rotation corresponds to a drilling or milling tool, which is rotated about its axis of rotation.

[0042] Further advantages and expediencies of the invention will become apparent from the following description of exemplary embodiments with reference to the accompanying figures.

[0043] The figures show Fig. 1: A schematic representation of a maintenance indicator according to one embodiment in a front view; Fig. 2: A schematic representation of a bit read clock, an announcement signal, an information signal, reconstructed bit states and decoded data, each as a function of time t. Fig. 3: A schematic representation of the internal structure of the maintenance indicator according to the embodiment shown. Fig. 1 Fig. 4a: a schematic representation of a mobile phone in a rear view; Fig. 4b: the schematic representation of the mobile phone according to Fig. 4a in a front view; Fig. 5: a schematically represented component of a cutting tool in a side view, wherein the maintenance indicator according to the embodiment shown Fig. 1 is reversibly detachable and attached to the component.

[0044] Fig. 1 Figure 1 shows a maintenance indicator 1 in top view. The maintenance indicator 1 has a data LED 2 and a clock LED 3. The data LED 2 and the clock LED 3 each interrupt a housing 4 of the maintenance indicator 1, so that the lighting states of the data LED 2 and the clock LED 3 are visible from the outside.

[0045] The maintenance indicator 1 is set to a display state, i.e., activated, when a permanent magnet 5 is brought close to the maintenance indicator 1 such that a magnet-sensitive sensor of the maintenance indicator 1 detects the magnetic field of the permanent magnet 5 at a predefined magnetic field strength; reference is made to the magnet-sensitive sensor and other components of the maintenance indicator 1. Fig. 3 discussed in more detail.

[0046] In the activated display state of maintenance indicator 1, the clock LED 3 flashes in accordance with an information bit read clock by periodically switching it on and off. When the clock LED 3 is switched on, it glows red visible light. However, it is conceivable and also possible for the clock LED 3 to glow in any other color from the visible light wavelength range.

[0047] In the activated display state, the data LED 2 flashes according to the information bit states of an information bit string. Each information bit state in the information bit string sequentially switches the data LED 2 on for a pulse duration if the information bit state corresponds to a logical "1", or off for a pulse duration of the same magnitude if the information bit state corresponds to a logical "0". In this way, the data LED 2, and thus the maintenance indicator 1, displays an information signal from which the information bit string can be reconstructed, given the information bit read clock signal indicated by the blinking of the clock LED 3.

[0048] When data LED 2 is switched on, it glows green visible light. However, it is also conceivable and possible that clock LED 3 glows in any other color from the visible light wavelength range, in particular a color different from that of clock LED 3.

[0049] Before the data LED 2 blinks according to the information bit states of the information bit chain, it blinks according to the announcement bit states of an announcement bit chain. Each announcement bit state in the announcement bit chain sequentially switches the data LED 2 on for a pulse duration if the announcement bit state corresponds to a logical "1", or off for a pulse duration of the same magnitude if the announcement bit state corresponds to a logical "0". The pulse duration assigned to each bit state is the same for both the announcement bit chain and the information bit chain.

[0050] The information bit string and the announcement bit string are each assigned to a character of the 8-bit ASCII code (American Standard Code for Information Interchange). The ASCII code is a binary code that encodes 128 characters; therefore, 7 of the 8 bits are used for each character, of which 33 are non-printable and 95 are printable.

[0051] The characters of the ASCII code correspond to a seven-digit sequence of zeros and ones, with each digit preceded by a zero, resulting in an 8-bit sequence. Each eight-digit sequence of a zero followed by zeros and ones is typically converted into a decimal or hexadecimal number and sorted in ascending order in the ASCII code table, so that each of these numbers is assigned a character from the ASCII code and thus its corresponding bit string. For example, the uppercase letter "S" in the ASCII code has the bit string 01010011 and is sorted under the decimal number 53 or the hexadecimal number 83 (in the field of data codes, hexadecimal numbers are usually prefixed with "0x", so the hexadecimal number 83 is represented as 0x83).

[0052] The printable characters of the ASCII code include the uppercase and lowercase letters of the Latin alphabet, the ten Arabic numerals 0 to 9, as well as punctuation marks and special characters, including the space. The printable characters are categorized under the following decimal numbers: 32 to 47 (special characters), 58 to 64 (special characters), 91 to 96 (special characters), 123 to 126 (special characters), 48 to 57 (digits), 65 to 90 (letters), and 97 to 122 (letters).

[0053] Non-printable characters include control characters. These are typically used to encode text control commands within a data code, such as line breaks or tabs. Non-printable characters are categorized under the decimal numbers 0 to 31 and 127 in the ASCII code.

[0054] The information bit string from maintenance indicator 1 encodes a printable character from the ASCII code and thus encodes in binary a section, for example a letter, a digit or a space, of maintenance information from within the Fig. 5 component 100 shown; component 100 is referred to in relation to Fig. 5 discussed in more detail.

[0055] The maintenance information, for example, contains the information "2424 operating cycles", which consists of the four digits 2, 4, 2, 4, a space, and the fourteen letters B, e, t, r, i, e, b, s, z, y, k, l, e, n. To display the entire maintenance information by flashing the data LED 2 as described, 19 information bit strings are required for these 19 sections of the maintenance information.

[0056] The maintenance indicator 1 can store these information bit strings and any other information bit strings, each of the exemplary 8-bit length, according to the ASCII code and make the data LED 2 blink as described, so that all sections of the maintenance information can be displayed.

[0057] The announcement bitchain at the in Fig. 1 The embodiment shown of the maintenance indicator 1 encodes a non-printable character from the ASCII code, so that a decoding of the announcement bit string is not mistakenly understood as a section of the maintenance information.

[0058] A photosensitive element 6, for example a CCD chip (Charge Coupled Device Chip) or a CMOS chip (Complementary Metal-Oxide Semiconductor Chip), is in Fig. 1 The image is shown as a box and, maintaining an air gap 7, films the announcement signal indicated by the flashing of the data LED 2 and the information signal indicated by the continued flashing of the data LED 2 following the announcement signal. While the photosensitive element 6 films the information signal and the announcement signal, it also films the flashing of the clock LED 3; the air gap 7 is drawn in perspective to illustrate that a certain distance is maintained between the data LED 2 and the photosensitive element 6, unlike a fiber optic connection to the photosensitive element 6.

[0059] The signals filmed by the photosensitive element 6 are shown as examples in Fig. 2 each shown as a function of time t. In Fig. 2 The abbreviation LED is used for the term light-emitting diode.

[0060] The in Fig. 2 The uppermost signal waveform shows the information bit reading clock recorded by the photosensitive element 6, in Fig. 2 This is referred to as the bit read clock. When the clock LED 3 is switched on, which is indicated in the uppermost signal waveform of Fig. 2 When "LED ON" is displayed, this corresponds to a logical "one", i.e., LED ON = 1. When the clock LED 3 is switched off, which is shown in the uppermost signal waveform of Fig. 2 When "LED OFF" is displayed, this corresponds to a logical "zero", i.e., LED OFF = 0. The illuminated states of the clock LED 3, as depicted in this way, appear in Fig. 2 as rectangular signals of equal width and are arranged for clarity in Fig. 2 Numbered from 0 to 19, the time t also increases in this order.

[0061] The in Fig. 2 The middle signal waveform shows the announcement signal and information signal filmed by the photosensitive element 6. When the data LED 2 is switched on, which is indicated in the middle signal waveform of Fig. 2 When LED 2 is shown as "LED ON", this corresponds to a logical "one", i.e., LED ON = 1. When the data LED 2 is switched off, which is indicated in the middle of the signal waveform of Fig. 2 When "LED OFF" is displayed, this corresponds to a logical "zero", i.e., LED OFF = 0. The illuminated states of data LED 2, as depicted in this way, appear in Fig. 2 as rectangular signals.

[0062] In Fig. 2 It is thus shown that the illuminated states 0 to 3 of the clock LED 3 are indicated temporally prior to the announcement signal, which can be used for clock synchronization on the part of a receiver that has the photosensitive element 6. However, the illuminated states 0 to 3 of the clock LED 3 are optional, so that data transmission with the maintenance indicator 1 also works without the first four information bit read clocks.

[0063] During the time period when LEDs 4 to 11 are illuminated, the announcement signal is displayed. The announcement bit chain is reconstructed from the announcement signal, for example by reconstruction software interacting with the photosensitive element 6, such that the announcement signal waveform is always assigned the bit state "1" when the data LED 2 is simultaneously illuminated at the midpoint of one of the illuminated LED states 4 to 11. Conversely, if the data LED 2 is switched off at the midpoint of one of the illuminated LED states 4 to 11, the announcement signal waveform is assigned a "0".

[0064] In the line "Bit states" in Fig. 2 The result of the described reconstruction of the announcement bit chain from the announcement signal is shown: 00010110.

[0065] In the line "Decoding" in Fig. 2 The decoded announcement bit string is shown, revealing that the announcement bit string encodes the non-printable character "SYN" (uppercase letter), which corresponds to the hexadecimal number 0x16 in the ASCII table. The decoding can be performed, for example, by decoding software that is stored in an executable form on the receiver, which has the photosensitive element 6.

[0066] During the time range of the activated light states 12 to 19, in Fig. 2 The information signal is displayed, i.e., after the announcement signal. The information bit chain is reconstructed from the information signal, for example by reconstruction software interacting with the photosensitive element 6, such that the information signal waveform is always assigned the bit state "1" when the data LED 2 is simultaneously switched on at the midpoint between any of the illuminated states 12 to 19. Conversely, if the data LED 2 is switched off at the midpoint between any of the illuminated states 12 to 19, the information signal waveform is assigned a "0".

[0067] In the line "Bit states" in Fig. 2 The result of the described reconstruction of the information bit chain from the information signal is shown: 01010011.

[0068] In the line "Decoding" in Fig. 2 The decoded information bit string is shown, namely that the information bit string encodes the printable character "S" (uppercase letter), which is assigned the hexadecimal number 0x52 in the ASCII table. The decoding can be performed, for example, by decoding software that is stored in an executable form on the receiver, which has the photosensitive element 6.

[0069] It is possible and conceivable that the data LED 2 displays an end signal analogous to the announcement signal after the information signal, by blinking according to the bit states of a bit chain analogous to the announcement bit chain, which encodes another or the same non-printable character.

[0070] It is expressly stated here that a receiver which has the photosensitive element 6 and the reconstruction software can reconstruct the announcement bit chain and the information bit chain even without the blinking of the clock LED 3, by recognizing, based on the announcement signal, at which clock it should reconstruct the announcement bit chain and the information bit chain from the announcement signal and the information signal, respectively.

[0071] The data LED 2 and / or the clock LED 3 illuminate continuously in the visible wavelength range when the maintenance information reaches a predefined level, for example, "200,000 operating cycles". In this way, the maintenance indicator 1 displays a warning signal that is immediately recognizable to humans.

[0072] Fig. 3 Figure 1 shows an example of the internal structure of the maintenance indicator 1, i.e., without the housing 4. The maintenance indicator 1 has a carrier board 8. The carrier board 8 carries, in its superimposed position according to... Fig. 3 The area shown contains an accelerometer 9, a magnetometer 10, a microcontroller 11, the data LED 2, and the clock LED 3. On the back of the carrier board 8, a battery 12 is mounted; the battery 12 protrudes partially beyond the carrier board 8 as shown in Fig. 3 selected supervision.

[0073] The microcontroller 11 processes signals received from the accelerometer 9 and the magnetometer 10. Thus, the microcontroller 11 counts operating cycles of the device once a minimum rotational acceleration detected by the accelerometer 9 is reached. Fig. 5 The component shown, 100, is operated by a cutting tool and counts the cycles. If the acceleration falls below this minimum threshold, no operating cycles are recorded. The microcontroller 11 encodes the maintenance information thus obtained into several binary information bit strings according to ASCII code and stores these information bit strings. Simultaneously, the microcontroller stores one or more notification signals in binary ASCII code, each based on a single non-printable character.

[0074] When the magnet-sensitive sensor 10 detects a magnetic field strength within a specified minimum range, the microcontroller 11 registers this and activates as per the above. Fig. 1 and Fig. 2 The data LED 2 and the clock LED 3 were described so that they each blink.

[0075] The microcontroller 11 activates the data LED 2 or the clock LED 3 so that at least one of them lights up continuously, thus generating a warning signal that is immediately perceptible to humans with regard to its information content, when the microcontroller 11 has counted that the number of operating cycles has exceeded a minimum amount stored by it.

[0076] Battery 12 powers the maintenance indicator 1 and its related functions. Fig. 3 The described electronic components are powered by electrical energy. If the energy storage state of battery 12 falls below a minimum value, this is also registered by the microcontroller 11, which then generates the described warning signal. The energy storage state can also be part of the maintenance information, in addition to the recorded and stored operating cycles, and can also be analogous to Fig. 2 The battery 12 is reversibly detachable from the carrier board 8.

[0077] The carrier board 8 and thus the one relating to Fig. 3 The electronic components described are embedded in a plastic mass not shown, including the accelerometer 9 in standalone position, while the battery 12 remains accessible.

[0078] Fig. 4a Shows the back of a 13-inch mobile phone. The photosensitive element 6 is integrated into the 13-inch mobile phone, enabling the 13-inch mobile phone to... Fig. 1 and Fig. 2 The described flashing of maintenance indicator 1 can be filmed, and the films stored in this way, or the film relating to it, can also be filmed. Fig. 2 can be subjected to the described bit chain reconstruction and decoding.

[0079] The Handy 13 can send the filmed signals and / or the decoded information bit strings, i.e., sections of the maintenance information, wirelessly or optically to another device or to a computer network, which also includes the Internet, for data processing and data storage.

[0080] Fig. 4b The front of the mobile phone 13 is shown. The front has a display 14 which shows the decoded information bitstring when the mobile phone 13 has been activated for this purpose. However, it is also conceivable and possible that the photosensitive element 6 could be used in another mobile device to film the flashing of the maintenance indicator 1, as is the case with regard to Fig. 1 and Fig. 2 It is described as being integrated.

[0081] Fig. 5 Figure 1 shows a side view of a component 100 of a cutting tool. The component 100 is accelerated at least during the machining of a metallic workpiece with respect to the axis of rotation 101 in the exemplary direction of rotation 102 at a minimum acceleration of 15 m / s².

[0082] Component 100 has a spindle mounting section 103 into which a machine spindle (not shown) can be inserted in a rotationally fixed manner. Component 100 also has a stop collar 104, which abuts a section of the machine spindle (not shown) on the side of the machine spindle.

[0083] Component 100 also has a working section 105, such that the stop collar 104 is arranged between the working section 105 and the spindle mounting section 103. During machining, the working section 105 is located on the side of the metallic workpiece (not shown).

[0084] Maintenance indicator 1 has four screws 106, which are also in Fig. 1 The screws 106 reversibly fasten the maintenance indicator 1 to the working section 105, so that the maintenance indicator 1, as shown, Fig. 1 bis 3 described, counts the operating cycles of component 100, i.e., the number of revolutions with respect to the axis of rotation 101, stores this data in binary and indicates it by flashing the data LED 2, the latter occurring when the maintenance indicator 1 is in the relevant Fig. 1 was put into the described activated display state.

[0085] Fig. 1 , 2 , 3 and 5This shows a maintenance indicator 1, which displays maintenance information in a space-saving manner by flashing a data LED 2, and that the maintenance information displayed in this way can be filmed by a photosensitive element 6 while maintaining an air gap 7 and made visible to humans on the basis of this, namely by a bit chain reconstruction, which according to Fig. 4a und 4b The process is carried out and displayed by a mobile phone (13), whereby the filmed announcement signal, based on a non-printable ASCII character, serves to ensure that the information signal is recognized without interference. The flashing of the clock LED (3) is optional.

[0086] Instead of the LEDs 2 and 3, other lighting elements can also be used, which can each be switched on and off depending on a bit state and shine in the visible wavelength range when they are switched on.

Claims

1. Maintenance indicator (1), wherein the maintenance indicator (1) is configured to store an information bit string, wherein the information bit string encodes at least a section of a piece of maintenance information of a component (100) of a cutting tool in binary, wherein the information bit string has a plurality of information bits, wherein each information bit has an information bit state, characterized in that the maintenance indicator (1) is configured, in an activated display state, to emit flashes that follow the information bit states of the information bit string and thus to display an information signal, wherein the maintenance indicator (1) is configured, in the activated display state, to display an announcement signal, wherein the announcement signal announces the information signal, wherein the information signal can be filmed by a photosensitive element (6) while maintaining an air gap (7).

2. Maintenance indicator (1) as claimed in claim 1, wherein the maintenance indicator (1) is configured to create a warning signal once the piece of maintenance information has reached a specified information content.

3. Maintenance indicator (1) as claimed in claim 2, wherein the maintenance indicator (1) is configured to display the warning signal at least partially in the visible wavelength range.

4. Maintenance indicator (1) as claimed in claim 3, wherein the warning signal has a specified warning duration, wherein the warning duration being longer than a specified information signal duration for the information signal.

5. Maintenance indicator (1) as claimed in any of the preceding claims, wherein the maintenance indicator (1) is configured, in the activated display state, to emit flashes that follow an information bit reading clock, wherein the information bit string is reconstructible from the information signal given the information bit reading clock.

6. Maintenance indicator (1) as claimed in claim 5, wherein the maintenance indicator (1) comprises a luminous element (2) and a further luminous element (3), wherein, in the activated display state, the luminous element (2) emits flashes that follow the information bit states of the information bit string and the further luminous element (3) emits flashes that follow the information bit reading clock.

7. Maintenance indicator (1) as claimed in any of the preceding claims, wherein the maintenance indicator (1) comprises the photosensitive element (6), wherein the photosensitive element (6) maintains the air gap from an indicator region (2) of the maintenance indicator (1), wherein the indicator region (2) is designed and arranged to display the information signal.

8. Maintenance indicator (1) as claimed in any of the preceding claims, wherein the maintenance indicator (1) comprises the component (100) of the cutting tool or wherein the maintenance indicator (1) is the component (100) of the cutting tool.

9. Maintenance indicator (1) as claimed in any of the preceding claims, wherein the maintenance indicator (1) comprises a magnet-sensitive activation sensor (10), wherein the indication state of the maintenance indicator (1) is set when a magnetic field of a permanent magnet penetrates into the activation sensor and exceeds a specified magnetic field strength.

10. Maintenance indicator (1) as claimed in any of the preceding claims, wherein the maintenance indicator (1) is configured to store a further information bit string, wherein the further information bit string encodes at least one further section of the piece of maintenance information from the component of the cutting tool in binary, wherein the further information bit string has a plurality of further information bits, wherein each further information bit has an information bit state, wherein the maintenance indicator (1) is configured, in the activated display state, to emit flashes that follow the information bit states of the further information bit string and thus displays a further information signal after the information signal, wherein the further information signal can be filmed by the photosensitive element (6) while maintaining the air gap (7).

11. Maintenance indicator (1) as claimed in claim 10, wherein the maintenance indicator (1) is configured, in the activated display state, to repeatedly display the announcement signal, wherein the repeatedly displayed announcement signal announces the further information signal.

12. Maintenance indicator (1) as claimed in any of the preceding claims, wherein the maintenance indicator (1) is configured to store an announcement bit string, wherein the announcement bit string has a plurality of announcement bits, wherein each announcement bit has an announcement bit state, wherein the maintenance indicator (1) is configured, in the activated display state, to display the announcement signal by virtue of the maintenance indicator (1) emitting flashes that follow the announcement bit states of the announcement bit string.

13. Maintenance indicator (1) as claimed in any of the preceding claims, wherein the maintenance indicator (1) is configured, in the activated display state, to display the information signal at least partially in the visible wavelength range.

14. Maintenance indicator (1) as claimed in any of the preceding claims, wherein the maintenance indicator (1) is configured, in the activated display state, to display the announcement signal at least partially in the visible wavelength range.

15. Maintenance indicator (1) as claimed in any of the preceding claims, wherein the maintenance indicator (1) comprises an acceleration sensor (9), wherein the acceleration sensor (9) is designed and arranged to measure a rotational acceleration and / or a linear acceleration, wherein the magnitude of the acceleration is in the range from 15 m / s2 to 7500 m / s2, wherein the maintenance indicator (1) is designed and arranged such that the maintenance indicator (1) creates the at least one section of the piece of maintenance information on the basis of a minimum acceleration measured by the acceleration sensor (9), wherein the acceleration sensor (9) is embedded in a plastics mass, wherein the maintenance indicator (1) comprises the plastics mass.