Real-time monitoring of machining tool usage and wear for intelligent management

Abstract

To provide an electronic tool monitoring system for monitoring a used amount and a wearing amount of a machining tool.SOLUTION: An electronic tool monitoring system is comprised of a self-contained stand-alone type electronic monitoring device that monitors a used amount and a wearing amount of a tool for each tool to be monitored. The self-contained stand-alone type electronic monitoring device is comprised of: an electronic sensor configuration body which is capable of monitoring the used amount and the wearing amount of the tool; and an electronic control unit that identifies and monitors the used amount and the wearing amount of the tool based on an output of the electronic sensor configuration body, and that estimates a remaining useful life of the tool based on stored data indicating a useful life of the tool.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 1

Description

[Technical field]

[0001] The present invention relates generally to the field of machining tools, such as drill bits, milling cutters, tipped saws, etc., and in particular to monitoring the usage and wear of machining tools for intelligent management of the machining tools.

[0002] [CROSS REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS] This patent application claims priority to Italian Patent Application No. 102020000010255, filed May 7, 2020, the entire disclosure of which is incorporated herein by reference. [Background technology]

[0003] The term Industry 4.0 is used more and more frequently to describe the fundamental paradigm shift that manufacturing has been facing in recent years, thanks to the widespread adoption of digital technologies and their integration into production chains.

[0004] In Industry 4.0, big data, robots, data analytics and communication via the internet permeate factories, streamlining production processes and making them more efficient, dynamic and adaptive to market needs.

[0005] However, in addition to the technological components, Factory 4.0 also involves changes in the human workforce, who are increasingly specialised to “interact” with the digital technologies that drive the production process.

[0006] Industry 4.0 comes from the Fourth Industrial Revolution, which is a process that will bring about fully automated and interconnected industrial production. A fundamental element of the Fourth Industrial Revolution is the systematic application of IoT (Internet of Things) technologies to global production processes.

[0007] In particular, according to a report by a multinational consulting firm, new digital technologies will have a major impact in four development directions: The first development direction concerns the use of data, computing power and connectivity, which corresponds to big data, open data, IoT, machine-to-machine and cloud computing to centralize information and information storage.

[0008] The second direction of development is analytics: once data has been collected, value can be derived from it. Today, only a small percentage of collected data is used by companies, which allows them to benefit from "machine learning", i.e. machines that improve the company's results by "learning" from the data they collect and analyze.

[0009] A third area of ​​development is human-machine interaction and augmented reality, the latter involving touch-sensitive interfaces, which is becoming increasingly prevalent.

[0010] The final direction of development is an entire field dealing with the transition from digital to "real" and including additive manufacturing, 3D printing, robotics, communications, machine-to-machine interaction and new technologies to store and use energy in targeted ways, streamlining costs and optimizing outcomes.

[0011] In the field of machining, the adoption of these technologies is still in a relatively early stage.

[0012] In this technical field, the quality of machining, especially when it comes to precision machining, depends heavily on the wear of the tools used, and as a result, accurate and continuous monitoring of their wear is certainly one of the fundamental factors for guaranteeing high quality standards.

[0013] Additionally, excessive tool wear can cause tool failure, which can lead to unsafe conditions for operator safety and increased machining costs.

[0014] Continuous monitoring of the progression of tool wear over time is therefore another fundamental factor for ensuring compliance with the required safety standards in machining, as well as for rapid intervention in the event of excessive wear, with a view to improving tool quality and / or preventing breakages and thus avoiding unnecessary additional costs for tool replacement.

[0015] Just as the progression of wear over time is often the subject of empirical characterization based on tribological tests, the expected wear of a tool is usually the subject of a visual evaluation by an operator.

[0016] The subjectivity of this type of evaluation represents a variable that can give rise to evaluation errors that can have a negative, and in some cases significant, effect on both the quality and safety of the machining and on the quality and safety of the use of the products in which such components are used, which evaluation errors can also have significant implications in terms of civil and criminal liability for the consequences of malfunctions of products in which such components are used due to poor quality machining performed with worn tools.

[0017] Some of the techniques proposed in the patent literature for monitoring the wear condition of machining tools are described, for example, in U.S. Pat. Nos. 4,471,444, 4,694,686, 5,904,457 and 10,005,167. Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0018] The applicant of the present invention has been able to determine that computerized tool management is now an essential process for machine builders, thus enabling machine builders to always know the condition, quantity, location and remaining useful life of each tool.

[0019] However, the Applicant of the present invention has also been able to confirm that, although there is no reason to doubt that the methodologies and techniques known to the Applicant of the present invention may be satisfactory in certain respects, there is still significant room for improvement, in particular with a view to integrating them with the new paradigms introduced by Industry 4.0, making it possible to integrate and intelligently manage tools, which may be very numerous.

[0020] The invention therefore aims to make available IoT technologies that allow the computerization of tool management, thus making it possible, on the one hand, to carry out an accurate and reliable monitoring of the usage and wear of machining tools and an integrated and intelligent management of the tools, and, on the other hand, to make it easier to use in application environments that have previously lacked such technologies. [Means for solving the problem]

[0021] According to the present invention, as claimed in the accompanying claims, there is provided an electronic tool monitoring and management system for monitoring the usage and wear of machining tools. [Brief description of the drawings]

[0022] [Figure 1] 1 is a diagram illustrating an electronic tool management system according to the present invention; [Diagram 2] FIG. 1 is a schematic diagram of an electronic system for monitoring tool usage and wear of the present invention; [Diagram 3] FIG. 2 is a block diagram of an electronic device for monitoring tool usage and wear of the present invention; [Figure 4] FIG. 2 is a block diagram of a tool management center according to the present invention. [Diagram 5] FIG. 2 is a block diagram of a tool distribution station of the present invention. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

[0023] In order to enable those skilled in the art to realize and use the present invention, the present invention will be described in detail below with reference to the accompanying drawings. Various modifications to the presented embodiments will be readily apparent to those skilled in the art, and the general principles disclosed herein can be applied to other embodiments and applications, without thereby departing from the scope of protection of the present invention as defined in the appended claims. Therefore, the present invention should not be considered limited to the embodiments described and illustrated, but should be accorded the widest scope of protection according to the features described and claimed.

[0024] Unless otherwise defined, all technical and scientific terms used herein have the same meaning as commonly used by those skilled in the art in the field related to the present invention.In case of conflict, this description, including the definitions provided, shall be binding.Furthermore, the examples are provided for illustrative purposes only and therefore should not be considered as limiting.

[0025] In particular, the block diagrams contained in the attached drawings and described below should not be understood as representations of structural characteristics or constructional limitations, but should be interpreted as representations of functional characteristics, functional properties, i.e., inherent properties of the device, and are intended to protect its functionality (possible functions), as defined by the effects obtained, or functional limitations that may be implemented in different ways.

[0026] To facilitate an understanding of the embodiments described herein, reference will be made to certain specific embodiments and specific terminology will be used to describe the embodiments. The terminology used herein is for the purpose of describing particular embodiments only and is not intended to limit the scope of the present invention.

[0027] Moreover, for ease of explanation, the following description refers, without loss of generality, to a machining tool in the form of a drill bit, which represents one of many advantageous applications of the present invention.

[0028] The idea behind the present invention is to fit lightweight, reliable sensor technology to tool drives to collect information indicative of tool usage so that actual usage as well as wear can be quantified in real time so that intelligent tool management can be implemented enabling compliance with expected quality and safety standards.

[0029] In the attached drawings an electronic tool monitoring system according to a preferred embodiment of the invention is shown diagrammatically, which is particularly suitable for use with tools and associated drives which previously lacked this monitoring technology and any prerequisites which make it possible to use this monitoring technology, thereby making it possible to retrofit all tools and all associated drives which are already commercially available or manufactured.

[0030] Furthermore, in the preferred embodiment of the invention shown in the accompanying drawings, for convenience of illustration, the tool is shown in the form of a drill bit suitable to be operated by a hand-held drive device in the form of a corresponding drill, which may be electric or pneumatic.

[0031] As shown in FIG. 1 and FIG. 2, an electronic intelligent tool management system generally designated by the numeral 1 includes: -Tool Management Center 2, one or different tool collection and distribution stations 3 communicatively connected to the tool management center 2; an electronic tool monitoring system 4 communicatively connected to the tool management center 2; Equipped with.

[0032] Depending on the application environment, the tool management center 2 and the tool retrieval and distribution station 3 may be physically separate elements located in different areas of the work environment, as in the embodiment shown in Figure 1, or may constitute a single element.

[0033] In the embodiment shown in FIG. 1 , the tool recovery and distribution stations 3 may, for example, be located at different points in the company's work area where machining operations are performed, while the tool management center 2 may be located remotely with respect to the tool recovery and distribution stations 3, for example in an administration area of ​​the company housing various Information and Communication Technology (ICT) and management technologies for the company's business processes, such as product lifecycle management (PLM) processes and enterprise resource planning (ERP) processes.

[0034] As shown in FIG. 2, the electronic tool monitoring system 4 monitors each tool 5 by: - a tag 6 applied to a tool 5, the tag 6 uniquely identifying the tag 6 and thus associated with a unique identifier ID that uniquely identifies the tool 5 to which the tag 6 is applied, making it possible to distinguish the tool 5 from other tools 5 managed by the electronic tool management system 1 and also making it possible to provide the tool 5 with a respective tag 6 associated with its respective unique identifier ID; an electronic monitoring device 8 designed to be rigidly and removably attached to the drive 7 of the tool 5 in order to monitor the usage and wear of the tool 5; Equipped with.

[0035] Tag 6 may be implemented according to any current or future technology suitable to the objectives of the application and the particular environmental and operating conditions of the application.

[0036] In the preferred embodiment shown in FIG. 2, the tag 6 is based on radio frequency identification (RFID) technology and is therefore realised in the form of an electronic tag, commonly known as an RFID tag, which is advantageously passive, adhesive and flexible, thereby easily applicable, and has a unique identifier ID stored therein, adapted to fit the outer surface of the tool 5.

[0037] Alternatively, the tag 6 may be based on optical reading technology and therefore be realised in the form of a conventional non-electronic adhesive and flexible tag, on which the unique identifier ID may be realised in various ways.

[0038] In one embodiment, the unique identifier ID is realized in the form of a barcode of any type, in particular the barcode may be linear, advantageously two-dimensional, or in the form of a matrix, also known as a QR code.

[0039] As an alternative or in addition to being realised in the form of a barcode of any kind, the unique identifier ID may be realised in any other form, for example in the form of an alphanumeric string of a specified length.

[0040] In an embodiment, in addition to the unique identifier ID, depending on whether the tag 6 is in the form of an RFID or in the form of a barcode, additional data may be stored or encoded on the tag 6, which additional data is indicative of the tool 5 and / or the useful or service life (durability) of the tool 5, which may conveniently be expressed in terms of a maximum limit of usage of the tool 5. Conveniently, the maximum limit of usage of the tool 5 may be expressed in terms of a maximum amount of wear of the tool 5, a maximum number of machining operations for which the tool 5 may be used, and / or a maximum time for which machining operations may be performed using the tool 5, or any other suitable quantity representing a maximum allowable usage of the tool 5, above one or more of which, according to an own standard, the tool 5 must necessarily undergo a reconditioning process, if possible, or must be disposed of if not reconditioned.

[0041] The electronic monitoring device 8 includes a protective enclosure 9 designed to enable the electronic monitoring device 8 to function properly and reliably under application-specific environmental and operating conditions.

[0042] The enclosure 9 is further designed such that the electronic monitoring device 8 is easily and securely applicable to the drive 7 of the tool 5 and is likewise easily removable so that it can be replaced by another one, repaired in case of failure, or regularly maintained.

[0043] In particular, the enclosure 9 may be provided with a fixing device 10, which may be integrated into the enclosure 9 or may be separate from the enclosure 9 and which can be attached to the enclosure 9 so as to enable the enclosure 9 to be fixed firmly but removably to the drive 7 of the tool 5.

[0044] For example, the fixing device 10 may be of a type having a mechanical mounting interface supported by the enclosure 9 that is shaped to connect with a corresponding mechanical mounting interface supported by the drive 7 of the tool 5, or may be of a type having a series of coupling members that can be fitted tightly to the enclosure of the drive 7 of the tool 5.

[0045] The electronic monitoring device 8 is further designed to be self-contained and stand-alone, i.e., to have or contain within it everything necessary to perform the functions for which the electronic monitoring device 8 is designed and to be able to function without the need for external resources.

[0046] For this purpose, the electronic monitoring device 8 is designed to be provided with hardware resources (processing, storage and communication) and software resources so that the electronic monitoring device 8 can function independently and autonomously on its own without requiring external hardware resources, in particular the hardware resources of the drive device 7 to which the electronic monitoring device 8 is applied.

[0047] As shown in FIG. 3, the electronic monitoring device 8 is housed within an enclosure 9. an electronic sensor arrangement 11 enabling the tool 5 to be identified, its usage to be monitored and its wear to be estimated; an electronic communication interface 12 enabling the electronic monitoring device 8 to communicate with the tool management centre 2; a power supply 13 for powering the electrical and electronic components of the electronic monitoring device 8; an electronic control unit 14, preferably in the form of a microcontroller (MCU), electrically connected to the electronic sensor arrangement 11, the electronic communication interface 12 and the power supply 13 and programmed to control the operation of the electronic monitoring device 8 to identify the tool 5 based on information provided by the electronic sensor arrangement 11, monitor the usage of the tool 5, estimate the amount of wear, and locally store and transmit data indicative of the identification, usage and amount of wear of the tool 5 to the tool management center 2, as will be explained in more detail below; Equipped with.

[0048] The electronic sensor arrangement 11 is designed to measure and output an electrical output that represents a physical quantity that enables the electronic control unit 14 to identify the tool 5, estimate the amount of wear on the tool 5, and quantify the usage of the tool 5, for example in terms of the number and length of time of machining cycles performed by the tool 5, the number of single operations and the length of time of each operation performed by the tool 5 during each machining cycle, and any other data useful in quantifying the usage of the tool 5.

[0049] In particular, for the purpose of identifying the tool 5 , the electronic sensor device 11 comprises a tag reader 15 operable by the electronic control unit 14 to read the unique identifier ID of the tag 6 .

[0050] Tag reader 15 may be based on any current or future technology compatible with tags 6 .

[0051] In particular, in embodiments in which tag 6 is an RFID tag, tag reader 15 is an RFID reader operable by electronic control unit 14 to interrogate tag 6, receive a unique identifier ID stored on RFID tag 6 and transmitted by it in response to an interrogation from tag reader 15, and transmit the received unique identifier ID to electronic control unit 14 for appropriate storage in storage resources of electronic control unit 14.

[0052] In embodiments in which tag 6 is a non-electronic conventional tag in which the unique identifier ID is in the form of a linear barcode, tag reader 15 is a typical barcode reader based on optical technology, particularly laser technology.

[0053] In embodiments in which tag 6 is a non-electronic conventional tag in which the unique identifier ID is in the form of a QR code, tag reader 15 is a conventional QR code reader comprising a digital camera operable by electronic control unit 14 to capture a digital image of the QR code and transmit the digital image to electronic control unit 14, as is known, which may process the digital image to extract the unique identifier ID encoded in the QR code depicted in the received digital image.

[0054] In an embodiment in which the tag 6 is a non-electronic conventional tag in which the unique identifier ID is indicated in any form other than a barcode, in the above-mentioned example in the form of an alphanumeric string, the tag reader 15 is conveniently an optical sensor based on image-based technology, i.e. in the form of a digital image capture sensor consisting of a common digital (micro) camera, for example a CCD (Charge Coupled Device) (micro) camera or a CMOS (Complementary Metal Oxide Semiconductor) (micro) camera, also known as an APS (Active Pixel Sensor) camera, which optical sensor is operable by the electronic control unit 14 to capture an image of the alphanumeric string and transmit it to the electronic control unit 14 so that the image can be processed to extract the unique identifier ID encoded in the alphanumeric string indicated in the image by an optical character recognition process.

[0055] For the purpose of monitoring the usage and wear of the tool 5, depending on the type of tool 5 and the machining operations carried out, the electronic sensor arrangement 11 comprises the following transducers, all referenced 16: - an electro-acoustic transducer (microphone) suitably arranged within the enclosure 9 for measuring the sound emissions generated by the tool 5 during machining and for providing an electrical output indicative of the level of the sound emissions; a vibration transducer, conveniently in the form of a piezoelectric accelerometer, suitably positioned within the enclosure 9 for measuring the mechanical vibrations generated by the tool 5 during machining and for providing an electrical output indicative of the level of the mechanical vibrations; a proximity sensor, conveniently in the form of an infrared distance sensor, suitably arranged within the enclosure 9 for measuring distance and for outputting an electrical output indicative of the proximity sensor's distance to the machine component to be machined, enabling the electronic control unit 14 to verify that the tool 5 is being operated but not machining, but instead is actually performing a machining operation on the machine component, and to calculate the time it will take to perform the machining operation; In the considered example of a tool in the form of a drill bit, the electrical output of the proximity sensor is such that it enables the electronic control unit 14 to verify that the distance of the proximity sensor to the machine component to be drilled is less than the distance of the proximity sensor from the distal end of the drill bit, thus making it possible to verify the effective interpenetration of the drill bit into the machine component and to calculate the time it will take the drill bit to drill the hole; a passive infrared sensor (PIR) suitably positioned within the enclosure 9 so as to ensure that the tool 5 is within the field of view of the passive infrared sensor so as to provide an electrical output indicative of the intensity of thermal energy emitted by the tool 5 in the form of infrared radiation during machining; a gyroscope suitably positioned within the enclosure 9 for measuring the rotational speed of the tool 5 and providing an electrical output indicative of the rotational speed; - a load cell measures the force applied by the tool 5 to the machine component during machining and provides an electrical output indicative of the applied force; - A clicky button is suitably positioned on the enclosure 9 so that it may be operated by the operator either at the start and end of the machining process or may be kept pressed throughout the machining process to indicate either the start and end of the machining process or the length of time thereof.

[0056] In one embodiment, the electronic monitoring device 8 may conveniently, but need not necessarily, further comprise an operator interface 17 connected to the electronic control unit 14 to enable an operator to interact with the electronic monitoring device 8.

[0057] The operator interface 17 advantageously comprises: an electronic display, for example a liquid crystal display, for displaying various information useful to the operator, for example information about the operation of the electronic monitoring device 8, the amount of wear on the tool 5 and, if applicable, about interventions carried out on the tool 5 and the associated drive 7; one or more light indicators, for example LED indicators, capable of emitting light indications of different colors indicating different amounts of wear of the tool 5, where a green light indication may for example indicate an amount of wear of the tool 5 that is compatible with the machining to be performed, a red light indication may for example indicate an amount of wear of the tool 5 that is not compatible with the machining to be performed, and a yellow light indication may for example indicate an amount of wear of the tool 5 that is at the limit for the machining to be performed, an audible warning device for communicating to an operator in the form of an audible signal the same indication provided by the optical indicator; one or more buttons associated with preset or programmable functions of the electronic monitoring device 8 and operable manually by an operator to implement the associated functions, the associated functions being, for example, the visualization on an electronic display of the aforementioned information regarding the operation of the electronic monitoring device 8, the amount of wear of the tool 5, any interventions performed on the tool 5 and on the associated drive 7 of the tool 5, fault / emergency signals, and resetting of the electronic monitoring device 8, etc. It has one or more of the following:

[0058] In one embodiment, the electronic monitoring device 8 conveniently, but not necessarily, comprises additional electronic storage (not shown) to provide the electronic monitoring device 8 with additional storage resources in addition to those of the electronic control unit 14 and for locally storing various data such as data indicative of the amount of wear on the tool 5 and its progression over time, as well as its unique identifier ID.

[0059] The electronic storage device may conveniently be in the form of a removable memory card which, when removed, may be connected to a personal computer for downloading the data contained therein and transmitting the downloaded data to the tool management centre 2 via the internet or via a dedicated connection.

[0060] The electronic communication interface 12 is based on any current or future communication technology that enables the electronic communication interface 12 to communicate with the tool management center 2 .

[0061] Advantageously, the electronic communication interface 12 is compatible with the following communication technologies: Wi-Fi® technology with which the electronic communication interface 12 may communicate with the tool management centre 2 via a wireless local area network (WLAN), or, in addition to or as an alternative to Wi-Fi technology, one or different short-range wireless (wireless or optical) communication technologies, advantageously including ZigBee® technology, also known as Bluetooth® Low Energy, Bluetooth LE or Bluetooth Smart, for example according to specification 4.0, which also provides an e-beacon functionality facilitating the pairing procedure, and one or different short-range wireless (wireless or optical) communication technologies with which the electronic communication interface 12 may communicate with the tool management centre 2 via a personal mobile device, such as a smartphone, which is present within the communication range of the electronic communication interface 12 and which belongs to an operator who is using the tool 5, for example; -One or different long-range wireless (wireless or optical) communication technologies, including one or more of the following mobile communication technologies: 3G, 4G, 5G; - a wired communication technology, conveniently being the USB technology, which, as is known, comprises a special connector known as a USB connector or port, which can be connected to other USB connectors via a special cable known as a USB cable; The tool management center 2 is designed to communicate with the tool management center 2 based on one or more of the following:

[0062] Power supply 13 may be an external power source or, conveniently, may be a self-contained power source, or both.

[0063] In the case of the external power type, the power supply device 13 comprises a suitable power connector for connection to the external power source via a suitable connecting cable and an internal power supply stage connected to the power connector and designed to output a regulated voltage suitable for powering the electrical and electronic components of the electronic monitoring device 8.

[0064] If of the self-contained power type, power supply 13 includes an internal power source designed to output a voltage suitable for powering the electrical and electronic components of electronic monitoring device 8 .

[0065] The internal power source may be electrically non-rechargeable or electrically rechargeable.

[0066] If of the electrically rechargeable type, the internal power source comprises an electrical energy storage device or electric battery, conveniently of the lithium polymer (LiPO) type, connectable to an external power source via an electrical connector, and comprising a charging device designed to electrically recharge the electric battery using electrical energy drawn from the external power source.

[0067] In more advanced embodiments, as an alternative or in addition to connection to an external power source, the internal power source may (further) be provided with a charging device designed to electrically recharge the electric battery by utilizing the vibration energy generated during machining.

[0068] In further more advanced embodiments, instead of or in addition to connection to an external power source, the internal power source may be (further) provided with a recharging stage designed to wirelessly or inductively recharge the electric battery by utilizing the RF energy contained in an electromagnetic signal picked up via a suitable RF antenna.

[0069] The electronic control unit 14 is - storing data indicative of the useful life of the tool 5, conveniently expressed in terms of a maximum usage limit of the tool 5, the maximum usage limit of the tool 5 being conveniently expressed in terms of a maximum wear limit of the tool 5, a maximum number of machining operations for which the tool 5 may be used, and / or a maximum time for which machining operations may be performed using the tool 5, or any other quantity suitable for expressing a maximum permissible usage of the tool 5, as well as any other quantity beyond which, if subject to an own criterion, the tool 5 must necessarily undergo a reconditioning process, if possible, or must be disposed of, if not; - monitoring the usage of the tool 5 in terms of the number of machining operations performed by the tool 5 and / or the duration of use of the tool 5 and estimating the current amount of wear of the tool 5 since the start of the machining cycle based on the output of the electronic sensor device 11, - estimating the remaining useful life of the tool 5 based on the usage and estimated wear of the tool 5 and on a stored maximum usage limit of the tool 5, for example in terms of the remaining number of machining operations that can still be performed by the tool 5 and / or the remaining time of usage of the tool 5 and / or the remaining wear of the tool 5, providing the operator with information about the remaining useful life of the tool 5 via an electronic display and / or optical indicator and / or audible warning device of the operator interface 17 if it has been determined that the useful life of the tool 5 has not yet been reached and therefore the tool 5 can be used for further machining operations; - if, instead, the tool 5 can no longer be used to carry out further machining operations due to the determination that the useful life of the tool 5 has expired, one or more of the stored maximum usage limits are exceeded, thus carrying out one or more different interventions intended to interrupt the ongoing machining cycle, in particular 〇 notifying the operator via an electronic display, and / or optical indicator, and / or audible warning device of the operator interface 17 that the use of the tool 5 must be immediately discontinued 〇 if the specific application allows, direct intervention on the drive 7 of the tool 5, interrupting the operation of the tool 5, for example by sending a close command via the electronic communication interface 12 to an on / off solenoid valve arranged along the duct supplying the drive 7 of the tool 5 with compressed air and which has the prerequisites for this purpose, i.e. designed to receive an open / close command and to change the operating state of the drive 7 of the tool 5 in response to the open / close command, - transmitting to the tool management center 2 via the electronic communication interface 12 and storing locally, in the internal memory of the tool management center 2, if provided, or in an additional electronic storage device, the unique identifier ID of the tag 6 associated with the tool 5 and data indicating either the remaining useful life of the tool 5 or that the useful life of the tool 5 has expired. It is programmed as follows.

[0070] The end of the tool's 5 useful life may be determined based on unique criteria based on exceeding one or more of the stored maximum usage limits, and each of the maximum usage limits may be given the same weighting in determining that the tool's 5 useful life has ended, such that the maximum usage limits have the same impact in determining that the tool's 5 useful life has ended, or may be given different weightings such that the maximum usage limits have different impacts on the end of the tool's 5 useful life.

[0071] The electronic control unit 14 may further be programmed to receive an operation interruption command from the tool management center 2 via the electronic communication interface 12 which, when executed, notifies the operator via an electronic display and / or optical indicator of the user interface 17 of the need to interrupt an ongoing machining operation cycle because the maximum allowable limits for usage and / or wear of the tool 5 have been exceeded.

[0072] The maximum usage limit of the tool 5 may be independent of the machining operation for which the tool 5 is suitable, and therefore may be specific to all machining operations for which the tool 5 is suitable, or may be specific to the machining operation for which the tool 5 is suitable, and therefore may be different for different machining operations for which the tool 5 is suitable.

[0073] The maximum usage limit of the tool 5 may be provided to the electronic monitoring device 8 in a number of ways, for example as described above, may be stored on a tag 6 associated with the tool 5 and read by the tag 6 together with the unique identifier ID of the tag 6, or may be transmitted from the tool management center 2 to the electronic monitoring device 8 via the electronic communication interface 12.

[0074] When the unique identifier ID of the tool 5 is stored in the RFID tag 6 in order to identify the tool 5, the electronic control unit 14 is programmed to operate the tag reader 15 and to receive the unique identifier ID read from the tag 6. On the other hand, if the unique identifier ID of the tag 6 is in the form of a QR code or an alphanumeric string, the electronic control unit 14 is programmed to receive a digital image of the QR code or the alphanumeric string captured by a digital camera, process the digital image to decode the QR code and extract the unique identifier ID encoded in the QR code in a manner that is known and will not be described in detail, or to recognize the unique identifier ID represented by the alphanumeric string by an optical character recognition process.

[0075] To estimate tool 5 usage, the electronic control unit 14 is programmed to determine the number and length of time of machining cycles performed by the tool 5, the number of machining operations performed during each machining cycle, and the time it takes to perform each machining operation.

[0076] The electronic control unit 14 determines the following quantities: - the time of rotation of a drill bit having a speed higher than the threshold speed and a distance (measured by the proximity sensor) to the machine component to be drilled that is smaller than the distance from the distal end of the drill bit, these latter speed and distance conditions indicating an effective interpenetration of the drill bit in the machine component to be drilled, the time of use of the tool 5 under operating conditions typical for the machining to be performed; vibrations produced by the machining measured by a vibration sensor in a given frequency range having an amplitude above a given threshold; and - the noise or sound produced by machining in a given frequency range and The apparatus is programmed to estimate the amount of wear of the tool 5 based on one or a combination (linear and nonlinear) of the above.

[0077] Data indicative of the estimated usage, wear and remaining useful life of the tools 5 may be transmitted to the tool management centre 2 according to an own criterion advantageously aimed at maximising the electronic autonomy of the electronic monitoring unit 8. For example, the usage and wear data may be transmitted in data packets at the end of each single machining operation, so that the tool management centre 2 is updated in real time regarding the usage and wear of the tools 5, or advantageously all data packets relating to individual machining operations may be transmitted simultaneously, for example at the end of each single machining cycle, or periodically, for example hourly, or at the end of each operating shift, or also at the end of each operating day, or when the memory capacity of the electronic monitoring unit 8 is about to be exhausted.

[0078] Each data packet and / or each transmission of a data packet is conveniently time-stamped with a timestamp indicating the date and time of generation / transmission to enable generation / transmission to be verified and tracked.

[0079] As shown in FIG. 4, the tool management center 2 includes: an electronic communication interface 18 configured to communicate with the electronic communication interface 12 of the electronic monitoring device 8 to receive therefrom data indicative of either the remaining useful life or that the useful life of the associated tool 5 has been exhausted, as well as with an electronic communication interface of a tool collection and distribution station 3 described below to receive therefrom wear data; a tool database TDB, which may be stored in a dedicated electronic storage device or in a storage resource that is part of other business technologies such as ICT, PLM or ERP; an electronic data processing unit 19, advantageously in the form of a server, configured to communicate with the electronic communication interface 18 in order to receive the data received by the electronic communication interface 18, to access the tool database TDB, and to communicate with the tool collection and distribution station 3 in order to manage the collection and distribution of the tools 5 and the associated drives 7 by the tool collection and distribution station 3 on the basis of the received data and the data stored in the tool database TDB; Includes.

[0080] The electronic communication interface 18 may be based on any current or future communication technology that enables the electronic communication interface 18 to communicate with the electronic communication interface 12 of the electronic monitoring device 8 and with the electronic communication interface of the tool collection and dispensing station 3.

[0081] The tool database TDB stores, for each tool 5 managed by the tool management center 2, a unique identifier ID of the tool 5; the useful life of the tool 5 after which it must be reconditioned or, if not, disposed of; the remaining useful life of the tool 5 transmitted by an electronic monitoring device 8 associated with the tool 5; and - the machining operations for which tool 5 is suitable; a collection and distribution station 3 in which the tools 5 are arranged; - Any unavailability of Tool 5 due to resharpening / reconditioning or disposal The method is configured to store a corresponding data record including data indicative of

[0082] The electronic data processing unit 19 is arranged to update and maintain the tool database TDB and for this purpose: - processing data received from the electronic monitoring device 8 and the tool collection and distribution station 3 to estimate the remaining useful life of the tools 5 and to manage the reconditioning and disposal of the tools 5 that have reached the end of their useful life; - keeping the tool database TDB updated with the estimated remaining useful life of tool 5 and with information about the unavailability of tool 5 due to reconditioning or scrapping It is structured as follows.

[0083] The electronic data processing unit 19 may also be configured to calculate an appropriate analysis based on the usage and wear data received from the electronic monitoring device 8, such as, for example, statistics making it possible to diagnose the most frequent causes of tool breakage, or based on an artificial intelligence (AI) algorithm trained on the received data, to assess an extension or shortening of the useful life of the tool 5 for all or part of the machining operations for which the tool 5 is suitable, and depending on the assessment, subsequently update the tool database TDB and / or download the data to a dedicated data mining or big data analysis system.

[0084] The electronic data processing unit 19 may also be configured to interrupt operation of the drive 7 of a tool 5 which, during a cycle of machining operations, has exhausted its remaining useful life.

[0085] For this purpose, the electronic data processing unit 19 may be configured to transmit, via the electronic communication interfaces 12 and 18, an operation interruption command to the electronic monitoring device 8 which, when received and executed by the electronic control unit 14 of the electronic monitoring device 8, causes the electronic control unit to perform one of the following interventions for interrupting the operation of the tool 5: notifying the operator via the operator interface 17 of the need to interrupt the use of the tool 5; - interrupting the operation of the drive 7 of the tool 5 with direct intervention in the drive 7 of the tool 5; Implement one or more of the following:

[0086] As shown in FIG. 5, each tool collection and distribution station 3 has: an electronic operator interface 20 by which an operator can submit requests for tools 5 to carry out machining operations, possibly in cooperation with associated drives 7; an electronic communication interface 21 for communicating with the electronic communication interface 18 of the tool management center 2 and, if necessary, with the electronic communication interface 12 of the electronic monitoring device 8; a sensor arrangement 22 enabling returned tools 5 to be identified and the usage of the tools 5 to be monitored; an electronic control unit 23, advantageously also in the form of a server, configured to communicate with the electronic operator interface 20, the electronic communication interface 21 and the sensor arrangement 22 and to manage the collection and distribution of the tools 5 and associated drives 7 based on received requests for the tools 5, as will be explained below; Includes.

[0087] The electronic operator interface 20 is configured to enable an operator to submit requests for tools 5 and associated drives 7 to perform machining operations using any current or future technology suitable for the purpose.

[0088] By way of example, the electronic operator interface 20 may be in the form of a touch-sensitive display on which a suitable graphical user interface (GUI) is displayed, via which the operator may enter his own identification data, the identification data of the machining operations to be performed, and the identification data of the tools 5 and drives 7 required by the operator, for example by selecting them in special drop-down menus or by manually entering associated identification codes.

[0089] Alternatively, the electronic operator interface 20 may be in the form of a series of readers including a badge reader capable of reading the operator's identification data contained on a personal badge, or a biometric reader capable of measuring the operator's biometric parameters and identifying the operator on the basis of the biometric parameters, and a QR code reader capable of reading one or more QR codes printed on the processing sheet and identifying the machining operations to be performed and the tools 5 and associated drives 7 to be used.

[0090] The electronic communication interface 21 is based on any current or future communication technology that enables the electronic communication interface 21 to communicate with the electronic communication interface 18 of the tool management center 2 .

[0091] The sensor structure 22 includes: a tag reader 24 similar to the tag reader 15 of the electronic monitoring device 8 for reading the unique identifier ID of the tag 6 associated with the returned tool 5, a tool scanning sensor 25 based on any current or future scanning technology that allows for estimating the wear of the returned tool 5; Equipped with.

[0092] In one embodiment, the tool scanning sensor 25 may conveniently be based on imaging technology, i.e. in the form of a digital image capture sensor comprising, for example, a conventional digital camera, such as a CCD or CMOS camera, which is operable by the electronic control unit 23 to capture and transmit to the electronic control unit 23 one or several digital images of the tool 5 upon return by the operator, so that the captured digital images may then be processed by the electronic control unit 23 to objectively estimate the amount of wear of the tool 5 based on the captured digital images.

[0093] In different embodiments, the tool scanning sensor 25 may conveniently be based on laser technology, i.e. in the form of a laser scanner (also known as 3D laser) allowing detection of the three-dimensional tool model 5 at different scales and different resolutions.

[0094] The electronic control unit 23 is adapted to manage the retrieval of the returned tools 5 and for this purpose: receiving and processing the output of the sensor device 22 to identify the returned tool 5 and estimate the amount of wear of the returned tool 5; - communicating with the tool management center 2 via the electronic communication interfaces 21 and 18 to provide data indicative of the unique identifier ID of the tag 6 associated with the returned tool 5 It is structured as follows.

[0095] As regards the drives 7 of the tools 5, their retrieval can be managed by the same tool retrieval distribution station 3 which manages the retrieval of the associated tools 5 or by a different retrieval station especially dedicated for this purpose. For this purpose, the drives 7 of the tools 5 can also advantageously be provided with an identification tag identical to the tag 6 used to identify the tools 5.

[0096] The electronic control unit 23 is further configured to manage the distribution of the tools 5 and for this purpose includes: receiving requests for tools 5 submitted by operators via an electronic operator interface 20, each of the requests including data identifying the operator who submitted the request, the machining operation to be performed, and the tool 5 to be used to perform the indicated machining; - checking whether the requested tool 5 is suitable for performing the indicated machining operation and whether a tool 5 that matches the requested tool and whose remaining useful life is sufficient to perform the indicated machining operation is available at the tool collection and distribution station 3; - if it is determined that the requested tool 5 is not suitable for performing the indicated machining operation, or that no tool 5 matching the requested tool is available at the tool collection and distribution station 3, or that a tool 5 available at the tool collection and distribution station 3 matches the requested tool but has insufficient remaining useful life to perform the indicated machining operation, Prevent the tool collection and distribution station 3 from delivering the requested tool 5, * Properly notify the operator who submitted the request; -If it is determined that the requested tool 5 is suitable to perform the indicated machining operation and that a tool 5 that matches the requested tool and has a remaining useful life sufficient to perform the indicated machining operation is available at the tool collection and distribution station 3, the tool 5 is distributed to the operator who submitted the request, for example via a conveyor belt connecting a tool storage box to the tool collection and distribution station 3.

[0097] Checking whether the requested tool 5 is suitable for performing the indicated machining operation and whether a tool 5 matching the requested tool is available at the tool collection and distribution station 3 may be performed according to two different architectural approaches: a first architectural approach in which the electronic control unit 23 communicates with the tool management center 2 to access the data contained in the tool management center 2, since the tool database TDB is the only tool database of the electronic tool management system 1 and therefore represents a centralized tool database TDB, and a second architectural approach in which copies of parts of the tool database TDB are kept in the tool collection and distribution stations 3, each of which contains only data of the tool 5 in the tool collection and distribution station 3.

[0098] Thus, in the first approach, the electronic control unit 23: via the electronic communication interfaces 21 and 18, communicating with the tool management centre 2 in order to access the tool database TDB and, based on the data contained in the tool management centre 2 for the various tools 5, o checking whether the requested tool 5 is suitable for performing the indicated mechanical machining operation and whether a tool 5 matching the requested tool is available at the tool collection and distribution station 3; o checking whether the remaining useful life of the tool 5 determined to match the requested tool, to be suitable for performing the indicated machining operation and to be available is such that it allows the tool 5 to perform the indicated machining cycle; Among the tools 5 that match the requested tool and that are determined to be suitable for performing the indicated machining operation, to be available and to have a remaining life such that the tool 5 can perform the indicated machining operation, identifying a specific tool 5 to be distributed to the operator who requested the tool 5, based on certain unique criteria aimed at keeping the wear of the tool as uniform as possible, In the tool database TDB, update the data record of the delivered tool 5 and the information about the operator who requested tool 5 It is structured as follows.

[0099] In the second approach, a local tool database TDB is further maintained at each tool collection and distribution station 3 containing a copy of the data of the tools 5 of the tool collection and distribution station 3 contained in the centralized tool database TDB, so that the electronic control unit 23 is then configured to access the local tool database TDB and implement the same operations as described above based on the data contained in the local tool database TDB for the various tools 5 and then communicate with the tool management center 2 to update the data records of the delivered tools 5 in the tool database TDB.

[0100] Similar to what has been described for the retrieval of the tools 5, the dispensing of the drives 7 of the tools 5 may be managed by the same tool retrieval dispensing station 3 that manages the dispensing of the tools 5, or by a different dispensing station specifically dedicated to this purpose, implementing operations similar to those described above with respect to the tools 5.

[0101] Based on the foregoing description, it will be understood that the present invention is capable of achieving all of the objects set out herein.

[0102] In particular, the present invention makes it possible to retrofit all tools and all associated drives already on the market or in production, thereby enabling accurate and reliable monitoring of usage and wear of all tools and all associated drives, even in cases where this monitoring technology and any facilities to enable this monitoring technology to be employed are previously lacking.

[0103] Furthermore, the present invention makes it possible to realize an integrated, intelligent and scalable management of tools of any size, ensuring strict compliance with any quality and safety standards, even the most stringent ones offered in the art.

[0104] The Applicant of the present invention has no reason to doubt that the methodologies and techniques known to the Applicant of the present invention may be satisfactory in certain respects, but has been able to confirm that there is still significant room for improvement, in particular with a view to integrating with the new paradigms introduced by Industry 4.0, making it possible to integrate and intelligently manage tools, which may be in very large numbers.

[0105] The present invention therefore aims to provide IoT technology which, on the one hand, makes it possible to carry out accurate and reliable monitoring of tool usage and wear for machining operations as well as integrated and intelligent management of the tools, and, on the other hand, can be easily used in application environments which have traditionally lacked such technology.

Claims

1. An electronic tool monitoring system (4) for monitoring the usage and wear of a tool (5) for machining, comprising: For each tool (5) to be monitored, a tag (6) applied to said tool (5) and carrying a unique identifier (ID) making it possible to distinguish said tool (5) from other tools (5); an electronic monitoring device (8) designed to be robust and removably applicable to the tool drive (7) and for monitoring the usage and wear of the tool (5) driven by said tool drive (7); Equipped with The electronic monitoring device (8) an electronic sensor arrangement (11) making it possible to identify said tool (5) and to monitor its usage and wear; - an electronic communication interface (12) for communicating with a remote tool management center (2), - an electronic operator interface (17) for providing an operator with information about said tools (5), an electronic control unit (14) electrically connected to said electronic sensor arrangement (11), to said electronic communication interface (12) and to said electronic operator interface (17), storing data indicative of the useful life of said tool (5); Identifying and monitoring the usage and wear of the tool (5) based on the output of the electronic sensor arrangement (11); - estimating the remaining useful life of the tool (5) based on the monitored usage and wear of the tool (5) and the stored data indicative of the useful life of the tool (5), - providing the operator, via the electronic operator interface (17), with information regarding the remaining useful life of the tool (5) if it is determined that the useful life of the tool (5) has not been exhausted; - the following interventions to interrupt the operation of the tool drive (7) if it is determined that the useful life of the tool (5) has expired: notifying the operator via the electronic operator interface (17) of the need for the operation of the tool drive (7) to be interrupted, and - interrupting the operation of the tool drive (7) by direct intervention in the tool drive (7) Implement one or more of the following: - transmitting via said electronic communication interface (12) to said tool management centre (2) said unique identifier (ID) of said tag (6) associated with said tool (5) and data indicative of either said estimated remaining useful life of said tool (5) or that said useful life of said tool (5) has expired; an electronic control unit (14) programmed to An electronic tool monitoring system (4).

2. 2. The electronic tool monitoring system (4) according to claim 1, wherein the tag (6) is based either on radio frequency identification (RFID) technology or on optical scanning technology, in particular on imaging technology, and the electronic sensor arrangement (11) comprises a tag reader (15) associated with the tag (6) and adapted to read the unique identifier (ID), which is based on radio frequency identification (RFID) technology or on optical scanning technology, in particular on imaging technology, respectively.

3. To enable the electronic sensor arrangement (11) to monitor the usage and wear of the tool (5), the following transducers are included: - an electroacoustic transducer for measuring the sound emissions generated by said tool (5) during machining; a vibration transducer for measuring the mechanical vibrations generated by said tool (5) during machining; a proximity sensor that measures the distance of the proximity sensor to the machine component to be machined; a passive infrared sensor for measuring the thermal energy emitted in the form of infrared radiation by said tool (5) during machining; - a gyroscope for measuring the rotational speed of said tool (5); - a load cell for measuring the force exerted by said tool (5) on the machine component being machined; - a clickable push button which can be operated by the operator either at the beginning and end of the machining process, or which can also be held down to indicate either the beginning and end moments of the machining process, or the length of time of the machining process; The electronic tool monitoring system (4) according to claim 1 or 2, further comprising one or a combination of:

4. An electronic tool management system (1), Tool Management Center (2) one or more different tool collection and distribution stations (3) in communication with said tool management center (2); An electronic tool monitoring system (4) according to any one of claims 1 to 3, comprising an electronic tool monitoring system (4) for each tool (5) to be monitored, An electronic tool management system (1) comprising:

5. The tool management center (2), an electronic communication interface (18) in communication with an electronic communication interface (12) of an electronic monitoring device (8) for receiving data transmitted by said electronic monitoring device (8) indicative of either the remaining useful life of the monitored tool (5) or that the useful life of the monitored tool (5) has expired, said electronic communication interface (18) in communication with an electronic communication interface (21) of the tool collection and distribution station (3) for receiving wear data transmitted by said electronic monitoring device (8); - a tool database (TDB), an electronic data processing unit (19) configured to communicate with said electronic communication interface (18) and to receive data received by said electronic communication interface (18), to access said tool database (TDB), and to communicate with said tool collection and distribution station (3) and to manage the collection and distribution of said tools (5) by said tool collection and distribution station (3) based on said received data and on the data stored in said tool database (TDB); Equipped with The tool database (TDB) includes, for each tool (5) managed by the tool management center (2), the unique identifier (ID) of the tool (5); the useful life of the tool (5) after which it must be reconditioned or, if not reconditioned, disposed of; the remaining useful life of the tool (5) transmitted by the associated electronic monitoring device (8); - the machining operation for which the tool (5) is suitable, - said tool collection and distribution station (3) assigned the task of collecting and distributing said tools (5); - Any unavailability of said tool (5) due to reconditioning or disposal, configured to store data indicative of said electronic data processing unit (19) - processing data received from said electronic monitoring devices (8) and from said tool collection and distribution stations (3) in order to estimate the remaining useful life of said tools (5) and to manage the reconditioning or disposal of said tools (5) at the end of their useful life; - keeping the tool database (TDB) updated with information about the estimated remaining useful life of the tools (5) and about any unavailability of the tools (5) due to reconditioning or disposal; The electronic tool management system (1) according to claim 4, further configured to:

6. 6. The electronic tool management system (1) according to claim 5, wherein the electronic data processing unit (19) of the tool management center (2) is further configured to evaluate, based on an artificial intelligence (AI) algorithm trained on the received data, an extension or shortening of the useful life of the tool (5) for all or part of the machining operations for which the tool (5) is suitable, and to update the tool database (TDB) according to the evaluation.

7. The electronic data processing unit (19) of the tool management center (2) is further configured to send an operation interruption command to the electronic monitoring device (8), which, when received and executed by the electronic control unit (14) of the electronic monitoring device (8), causes the electronic control unit (14) to perform one of the following interventions for interrupting the operation of the tool driving device (7): notifying the operator via the electronic operator interface (17) of the need to interrupt the operation of the tool drive (7); Direct intervention in the tool drive (7) to interrupt the operation of the tool drive (7); 7. An electronic tool management system (1) according to claim 5 or 6, adapted to implement one or more of the following:

8. A tool collection and distribution station (3), an electronic operator interface (20) allowing an operator to submit requests for tools (5) to carry out machining operations; an electronic communication interface (21) for communicating with said electronic communication interface (18) of said tool management center (2), a sensor arrangement (22) enabling the returned tool (5) to be identified and the usage of the returned tool (5) to be monitored; an electronic control unit (23) configured to communicate with said electronic operator interface (20), said electronic communication interface (21) and said sensor device (22) and to manage the collection and distribution of tools (5) based on requests for tools (5); The electronic tool management system (1) according to any one of claims 4 to 7, comprising:

9. The sensor arrangement (22) of the tool collection and distribution station (3) a tag reader (24) for reading the unique identifier (ID) of the tag (6) associated with the returned tool (5); a tool scanning sensor (25) based either on imaging or laser technology making it possible to estimate the amount of wear of the returned tools (5); The electronic tool management system (1) according to claim 8, comprising:

10. The electronic control unit (23) of the tool collection and distribution station (3) manages the collection of the returned tools (5), said managing comprising: - receiving and processing the output of said sensor arrangement (22) in order to identify said returned tool (5) and to estimate the amount of wear of said returned tool (5); - communicating with said tool management centre (2) to provide data indicative of said tag (6) associated with said returned tool (5) and said unique identifier (ID) of said wear amount of said returned tool (5); The method is configured to be performed by The electronic control unit (23) of the tool collection and distribution station (3) manages the handover of the tools (5), said managing comprising: - receiving requests for tools (5) submitted by operators via said electronic operator interface (20), each request including data identifying the operator who submitted the request, the machining operation to be performed and the tool (5) to be used to perform said indicated machining; - checking whether the requested tool (5) is suitable for performing the indicated machining operation and whether a tool (5) that matches the requested tool and whose remaining useful life is sufficient to perform the indicated machining operation is available in the tool collection and distribution station (3); - if it is determined that either the requested tool (5) is not suitable for performing the indicated machining operation, or that no tool (5) matching the requested tool (5) is available at the tool collection and distribution station (3), or that a tool (5) available at the tool collection and distribution station (3) matches the requested tool (5) but has insufficient remaining useful life to perform the indicated machining operation; Prevent the tool collection and distribution station (3) from delivering the requested tool (5); o appropriately notifying the operator who submitted the request; - if it is determined that the requested tool (5) is suitable for performing the indicated machining operation and that a tool (5) matching the requested tool and having a remaining useful life sufficient to perform the indicated machining operation is available at the tool collection and distribution station (3), then the requested tool (5) is delivered to the tool collection and distribution station (3). The electronic tool management system (1) according to claim 8 or 9, further configured to:

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