Method for operating a work appliance or rescue appliance, work appliance or rescue appliance, and energy source

Abstract

A method is for operating an electromechanical or electrohydraulic work appliance or rescue appliance that can be carried and used by an operator, having a movable tool insert, a spreading tool or a lifting tool, a housing, an electric motor, a pump or a mechanical transmission driven by the electric motor, for actuating the tool insert. The appliance has an exchangeable, rechargeable appliance electrical energy source, having a housing in or on the rescue appliance. During operation of the appliance, operating data of the appliance and/or of the energy source are acquired and transferred into a data carrier or data storage device in the electrical energy source. The electrical energy source is removed from the appliance and connected to a charging device. The operating data stored in the data carrier or storage device of the electrical energy source are read by the charging device and transferred to a network.

Claims

1. A method for operating electrohydraulic rescue equipment, comprising: two movable tool inserts for a cutting operation; a housing; a hydraulic cylinder; an electric motor; a pump driven by the electric motor, delivering hydraulic fluid to the hydraulic cylinder for actuating the tool insert; an exchangeable, rechargeable electrical energy source, which is accommodated in or on the rescue equipment and has a dedicated housing; the method comprising: detecting operating data during operation of the rescue equipment, transferring the operating data into a data carrier or data memory accommodated in the electrical energy source, removing the electrical energy source from the rescue equipment and connected to a charger, reading the operating data stored in the data carrier or data memory of the electrical energy source by the charger and forwarding to a network and the operating data being operation parameters and/or data sets derived therefrom, wherein the operating parameters are current presently drawn by the electric motor and inclination of the rescue equipment in space, and providing the detected operating parameters with a time stamp, so that a temporal relation between the detected operating parameters is established, compiling an actuation profile and/or load profile of the rescue equipment over time from the current drawn by the electric motor and the inclination of rescue equipment.

2. The method according to claim 1, wherein data and/or programs are transmitted via the network to the charger, the data and/or programs are transferred into the data carrier or data memory of the electrical energy source, the electrical energy source is removed from the charger and connected to the rescue equipment, and the data and/or programs are transferred from the electrical energy source into the rescue equipment.

3. The method according to claim 1, wherein the rescue equipment has an equipment-specific electronic ID, and the equipment-specific electronic ID is an integral part of the operating data.

4. The method according to claim 3, wherein the operating parameters are detected with a time reference.

5. The method according to claim 1, wherein the following operating parameters comprise: current drawn by the electric motor; and/or electrical voltage; and/or acceleration of the rescue equipment; and/or charge state of the electrical energy source; and/or number of charging cycles of the electrical energy source that have taken place; and/or ambient temperature; and/or ambient moisture; and/or GPS position coordinates; and/or time, or GPS time.

6. The method according to claim 1, wherein the operating data and/or operating parameters and/or data sets derived therefrom; further processed and/or stored and/or evaluated in a central data collection point accessible via the network.

7. The method according to claim 6, wherein the data set is generated based on the operating parameters in the central data collection point.

8. The method according to claim 7, wherein a knowledge base is generated, in which rescue equipment-specific pieces of information can be entered and/or retrieved by users, the knowledge base being generated so users of the rescue equipment add information data to the knowledge base and the knowledge base is retrievable by users.

9. The method according to claim 6, wherein a calculational evaluation of the operating parameters in the central data collection point takes place by a comparison of the received operating parameters with the data of an empirical operating-parameter database.

10. The method according to claim 6, wherein an equipment-specific operating history of the respective rescue equipment including the individual identity is generated and/or stored in the data collection point on the operating parameters.

11. The method according to claim 1, wherein pieces of information are transmitted from the central data collection point to the individual rescue equipment.

12. The method according to claim 11, wherein the pieces of information are displayed on a user-side data processing device.

13. The method according to claim 1, wherein the data exchange between the charger and the network takes place by radio.

14. The method according to claim 1, wherein the operating data and/or operating parameters and/or data sets derived therefrom are directly displayed on a display associated with the rescue equipment.

15. An electrohydraulic rescue equipment, which can be carried by one operator and used autonomously, comprising: two movable tool inserts for a cutting, spreading or lifting operation; a housing; a hydraulic cylinder; an electric motor; a pump driven by the electric motor delivering hydraulic fluid to the hydraulic cylinder for actuating the tool insert; an exchangeable, rechargeable electrical energy source, which is accommodated in or on the rescue equipment and has a dedicated housing; at least one sensor device for detecting usage data of the rescue equipment during use; and a processor comprising a data logger, which is connected to the sensor device and detects measurement values of the sensor device or data derived therefrom and keeps the measurement values or data derived therefrom available for further processing, the energy source including a data carrier or data memory in which usage data of the sensor device is stored, wherein the sensor devices provided are a current sensor, which detects current presently drawn by the electric motor, and an inclination sensor, which detects inclination of the rescue equipment in space, current presently drawn by the electric motor and orientation of the rescue equipment are provided with a time stamp, and a temporal relation being established between the parameters.

16. The rescue equipment according to claim 15, wherein a, data interface is provided between the rescue equipment and the energy source.

17. The rescue equipment according to claim 15, wherein the individual rescue equipment has an individually associated electronic ID.

18. The rescue equipment according to claim 15, wherein the sensor devices provided are a voltage sensor: and/or a temperature sensor; and/or a battery charge state sensor; and/or a battery charge cycle counter; and/or a moisture sensor; and/or a GPS module; and/or a time measuring element.

19. The rescue equipment according to claim 15, further comprising a display associated with the rescue equipment.

Description

DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION ON THE BASIS OF AN EXEMPLARY EMBODIMENT

(1) An expedient development of the present invention is explained in greater detail in the following. There are shown in:

(2) FIG. 1 a rescue device for use in the method according to the invention, in a top view;

(3) FIG. 2 the rescue appliance according to FIG. 1, in a side view;

(4) FIG. 3 a highly simplified, schematic representation of the electrical energy source, the charging device with electrical energy source inserted, and the transmission of data from the charging device to a higher-order network;

(5) FIG. 4 the functional units on the appliance, relating to the collecting of operating data;

(6) FIG. 5 an example of a highly simplified, schematic structure of a configuration for sensing operating data for a central data site;

(7) FIG. 6 an example of a highly simplified, schematic structure of a configuration for providing information of the central data site to the user of the individual work appliances;

(8) FIG. 7 a deployed person with a headup display for receiving data of the central data collection site;

(9) FIG. 8 a simplified example of an organization of the central data collection site, and

(10) FIG. 9 the functional units on the appliance, relating to the collecting of operating data, of a further development of the invention.

(11) Reference 1 in FIG. 1 denotes an example of a work appliance or rescue appliance that can be carried and used autonomously by an operator. In the present case, this is an electrohydraulic cutter, which is frequently used as a rescue appliance by the fire service to free persons trapped in vehicles involved in an accident. The appliance comprises a housing 3, having a handle 14 and a switching valve 12, in the form of a rotary valve, that can be actuated manually. Reference 7 denotes a main switch on the housing 3. Adjoining the housing 3 there is a cylinder 11, disposed on which, likewise, there is a carrying handle 13. Disposed on the front of the cylinder 11 there is a tool insert 2, in the form of respectively two cutters of hardened material that, following actuation of the switching valve 12, move toward each other or away from each other.

(12) Provided as an energy source 6 there is a storage battery, which can be inserted in a corresponding receiving slot 3a of the housing 3, as can be seen from FIG. 2. For the purpose of fixing the energy source 6 in the receiving slot 3a of the housing 3, the energy source 6 has holding clips 6c, disposed on both sides, that can be actuated by finger pressure to enable the energy source 6 to be withdrawn from the receiving slot 3a.

(13) Inside the housing 3 there is an electric motor (not represented in FIGS. 1 and 2), which is provided to drive a hydraulic pump (likewise not represented in FIGS. 1 and 2). Actuation of the main switch 7 causes the electric motor, and consequently the pump, to be switched on or off. By means of the switching valve 12, an operator can operate the appliance either in a standby mode (no action upon the cylinder, the tool inserts 2 do not move) or in an operating mode (cutting mode, the tool inserts move toward each other; or opening mode, the tool inserts move away from each other).

(14) According to FIG. 3, the energy source 6 comprises a separate housing 6a, having a housing projection 6b, in the region of which is provided the electrical contact region 6e for contacting to the appliance 1. The electrical energy source 6 additionally comprises a data interface (e.g. a USB interface), which is preferably likewise provided in the region of the housing projection 6b and connected to a data carrier, or data storage device, 6d. According to the invention, the data carrier, or data storage device, 6d, serves to receive operating data of the work appliance or rescue appliance 1, in order to hold it ready for a data export.

(15) FIG. 3 furthermore shows the charging device 8, which is provided for charging the electrical energy source 6 and which has a receiving slot 8a, designed accordingly, for receiving the housing projection 6b. The charging device 8 comprises a data interface, which is compatible with the data interface of the energy source 6, and which enables the charging device 8 to access the data of the data carrier, or data storage device, 6d of the electrical energy source 6. An electrical connection and also a data connection are established upon insertion of the electrical energy source 6 in the receiving slot 8a. The charging device 8 furthermore comprises a charging cable 8c, a wireless communication module 8b and a dedicated processor 8d.

(16) The wireless communication module 8b of the charging device 8 serves to transmit the operating data read out of the data carrier, or data storage device, 6d of the energy source 6, to a transmitting/receiving means (e.g. modem) of a network 21 (e.g. Internet), by means of a suitable communication protocol 19. The communication protocol is preferably a short-range wireless communication protocol (e.g. Bluetooth, WLAN, WiFi, etc.). Equally, an individualized wireless communication protocol or network of a non-standardized frequency band may also be used. As can be seen from FIG. 3, the energy source 6 thus serves as a “courier” or “transport means” for the operating data acquired by the work appliance or rescue appliance, to the higher-order network 21, via the charging device 8, from the work appliance or rescue appliance 1. The network 21 may be connected to a central data collection site 20, in which the operating data can be stored and/or processed further. The central data collection site 20 is preferably a so-called computer cloud, with which all further data processing operations and/or analyses can be performed on the basis of the transmitted operating data. In addition, data can also be stored there in large quantities.

(17) As also shown by FIG. 3, the transmission of data between the charging device 8 and the transmitting/receiving means 9 may be bidirectional. It is thereby also possible to transmit data and/or programs (such as, for example, a firmware update) from the central data collection site 20, via the network 21 and the transmitting/receiving means 9, to the charging device 8, and from the latter back to the electrical energy source 6. For example, this enables a firmware update to be easily performed on the work appliance or rescue appliance 1 as the energy source 6 is being charged, without intervention by the user.

(18) FIG. 4 shows, in a highly simplified, schematic representation, the individual functional units of the work appliance or rescue appliance 1 that are associated with the acquisition of operating data. The electric motor 4 drives the hydraulic pump 5, which, in turn, causes hydraulic fluid to be delivered to the hydraulic cylinder 11, either on the piston side (working mode) or piston rod side (opening mode) thereof. The energy source 6 supplies electrical energy to the electric motor. For reasons of clarity, in FIG. 4 the electrical energy source 2 is not shown as having been inserted in the receiving slot 3a. The data interface 10 (e.g. a USB interface) is also positioned in the region of the electrical contact region 6e of the energy source.

(19) Reference 16 denotes a processor for controlling the operation of the work appliance or rescue appliance 1. S1-Sn denotes at least one sensor means, preferably a plurality of sensor means, by which at least one operating parameter P1-Pn of the appliance is acquired. These operating parameters P1-Pn, acquired by the respective sensor means S1-Sn, are read out by a data logger 16A. In this case, preferably physical measurement values of the respective sensor means S1-Sn are converted into an appropriate data format, and written by the processor 16, via the data interface 10, into the data carrier, or data storage device, 6d of the energy source 6.

(20) Expediently, the sensor means are a means for measuring the current and/or the voltage drawn by the electric motor 4, and/or the charge state of the energy source 6, and/or the charge cycles of the energy source 6, and/or the ambient temperature, and/or the ambient humidity.

(21) In FIG. 4, the energy source 6 is represented in the withdrawn state. For the purpose of connection, the energy source 6 is inserted in the receiving slot 3a, as a result of which the data interface 10 next to the electrical contact region 6e becomes active. As a result, when the energy source 6 has been inserted, on the one hand the work appliance or rescue appliance is supplied with electrical energy, and on the other hand the data interface 10 enables the processor 16 to write the operating data, or operating parameters, collected via the data logger 16a, into the data carrier, or data storage device, 6d.

(22) Expediently, the work appliance or rescue appliance 1 comprises a GPS module 17 that, on the one hand, comprises a time module, by which the operating data can be provided with a time coordinate, and on the other hand allows position coordinates to be transmitted as part of the operating data, and analyzed with the latter, if required.

(23) The operating parameters are at least one operating parameter or a combination of operating parameters from the following group: the current drawn by the electric motor; this operating parameter can be used to deduce the demand on the appliance, the load and/or loading on the appliance or parts thereof (e.g. tool inserts); the voltage; this operating parameter can be used to deduce the power, or power output, of the appliance; the orientation of the work appliance or rescue appliance in space; this can be used to identify particular operating conditions; the acceleration of the work appliance or rescue appliance in space; this can be used to deduce mechanical influences such as, for example, impact effects and/or vibration effects; the charge state of the electrical energy source; this allows the user to be notified in good time of the need to change the battery; the number of charging cycles of the electrical energy source that have taken place; this makes it possible to predict the expected service life of the electrical energy source and, for example, to initiate measures in good time to replace the energy source; the ambient temperature; this enables the deployment of the respective appliance and the then prevailing ambient temperatures to be included in the history, for example to enable seals to be replaced in the event of the appliance having been exposed to very high temperatures during use; the ambient humidity; this enables measures to be implemented selectively if the appliance has been exposed to considerable humidity or been in contact with water, resulting, for example, in impairment of electronic parts due to oxidation; GPS position coordinates; this makes it possible to include the respective location of the appliance in determination of the history; the time; this enables other operating data to be placed in an exact time context.

(24) Furthermore, each appliance has an appliance-specific, individual identity ID1-IDn. This individual identity ID may be defined, for example, by a consecutive binary number.

(25) It is pointed out that the representation of the individual functional elements in FIG. 4 is merely schematic and, clearly, the specific arrangement may vary.

(26) FIG. 5 shows, in a highly simplified, schematic representation, a plurality of work appliances or rescue appliances 1 in use, having differing individual IDs. According to the invention, the operating parameters P1-Pn, or data records DS1-DSn derived therefrom, of each individual appliance 1 are transmitted, via the communication protocol 19, from the charging device 8 of each appliance ID1-IDn to an associated data receiving means 9. The communication protocol 19 is preferably Bluetooth, WiFi or WLAN. These types of communication protocol have the advantage that they require comparatively little electrical energy.

(27) Via a network provider 18, the data are stored in the central data collection site 20 and/or processed further. In this way, all operating parameters P1-Pn of all individual appliances ID1-IDn world-wide can be stored in the central data collection site 20 and held ready for analyses. A usage history for each individual appliance can thus be stored in the central data collection site 20.

(28) As shown by FIG. 6, the operating parameters P1-Pn, or data records DS1-DSn, can be transmitted from the central data collection site 20, via the network 21, to data processing devices 15 of users, for example smartphones, tablets, notebooks, etc., in order to inform the respective user about the current state of the user's work appliance or rescue appliance 1. These data are transmitted, for example, via a mobile telephony network 22. Each user of an individual work appliance or rescue appliance having the identity ID1-IDn thus receives individual data and/or information relating to the user's appliance.

(29) This makes it possible, for example as represented in FIG. 7, for corresponding data to be displayed, even during deployment, on an appropriate display device, which, in the case of the representation according to FIG. 7, is a headup display 23 in the helmet of the user. The data in this case may be transmitted either directly by the mobile telephony network 22, or by a short-range wireless communication network 9 (e.g. Bluetooth, WLAN, WiFi or the like), from the data processing device 15 or from the appliance 1, directly to the display device, i.e. the headup display 23. In this way, the user has all necessary information in their field of view during the deployment.

(30) Alternatively, the information may also be transmitted from the user's data processing device 15 to the display means, i.e. to the headup display 23.

(31) FIG. 8 shows an example of a possible organizational structure of the central data collection site 20. A great variety of operations can be performed in the central data collection site 20. The functional block Computing 20A denotes the necessary computing operations in respect of the transmitted operating parameters for generating data records DS1-DSn derived therefrom. The functional block ID Recognition 20H represents the assignment of the individual IDs of the received data. Data are stored in the storage device 20B. The functional block Content Management 20I enables data such as, for example, additional information, to be fed into the system from outside. The functional blocks Monitoring 20C and Run-time Management 20J represent the monitoring of the operating parameters, or the operation of the run-time system, or real-time system. The functional block Service Management 20D contains measures relating to servicing work that is necessary in view of the transmitted operating data. The functional block User Data Management 20K relates to the management of the individual user data such as, for example, name, address, email address, mobile telephone number, etc.

(32) The functional block Network 20F relates to the handling of network matters. The functional block User Info Management 20L relates to the compiling of information transmitted back from the central data collection site 20 to the individual users. The functional block Communication Management 20G relates to the handling of communication measures, such as selection of the transmission protocols, etc. The functional block Experience Database 20M relates to the receiving and maintenance of user-specific information, which, in turn, can be retrieved by other users.

(33) According to a further expedient development of the invention, shown in FIG. 9, the operating data and/or operating parameters and/or data records derived therefrom, thus, for example, the charge state of the energy source, etc., can also be displayed directly, i.e. without being routed via the network 21, on a display 23 assigned to the work appliance or rescue appliance, e.g. a headup display and/or a display 23 disposed directly on the appliance 1, and/or on a display 23 taken along by the user. For this purpose, the data may be transmitted by wireless communication, preferably by short-range wireless communication means 24, from the work appliance or rescue appliance 1 directly to the display 23.

(34) The present invention enables individual appliances, used in a great variety of deployment locations, to be monitored with precision in respect of their use and analyzed fully, in a very simple manner. This, in turn, enables unforeseen delays in the deployment of rescue appliances to be precluded in a reliable manner. The invention therefore contributes very significantly to improvement of the deployment conditions of rescue appliances.

LIST OF REFERENCES

(35) 1 rescue appliance 2 tool inserts 3 housing 3a receiving slot for energy source 4 electric motor 5 pump 6 energy source 6a housing, energy source 6b housing projection, energy source 6c holding clip, energy source 6d data carrier/data storage device 6e electrical contact region, energy source 7 main switch 8 charging device 8a receiving slot 8b wireless communication module 8c charging cable 8d processor 9 transmitting/receiving means (e.g. modem) 10 data interface 11 cylinder 12 switching valve 13 carrying handle 14 handle 15 data processing device 16 processor 16A data logger 17 GPS module 18 network provider 19 communication protocol 20 central data collection site 21 network (Internet) 22 mobile telephony network 23 display ID1-IDn individual identity S1-Sn sensor means P1-Pn operating parameters DS1-DSn data records