System and method for communication with welding gas line

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-10105785-B2
Application number	US-201414575136-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Dec 18, 2014
Priority date	Dec 18, 2014
Publication date	Oct 23, 2018
Grant date	Oct 23, 2018

Abstract

A welding system includes a gas line coupled to components of the welding system and a first gas line transducer coupled to the gas line. The gas line is configured to convey a gas between components of the welding system. The first gas line transducer is configured to communicate via radio signals transmitted through the gas line.

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1. A welding system comprising:
a gas line coupled to a plurality of components of the welding system, wherein the gas line is configured to convey a gas between components of the welding system; and
a first gas line transducer coupled to the gas line and located at a first component, wherein the first gas line transducer is configured to transmit radio signals through the gas line;
a second gas line transducer coupled to the gas line and located at a second component, wherein the second gas line transducer is configured to receive the radio signals from the first gas line transducer through the gas line; and
a third gas line transducer coupled to the gas line and located at a third component, wherein the third gas line transducer is configured to receive the radio signals from the first gas line transducer through the gas line.

2. The welding system of claim 1 , wherein the first gas line transducer is coupled to a fitting of the gas line at a first end of the gas line.

3. The welding system of claim 1 , wherein the first gas line transducer is coupled to a body of the gas line.

4. The welding system of claim 3 , wherein the first gas line transducer is mounted at least partially within a wall of the gas line.

5. The welding system of claim 3 , wherein the first gas line transducer is coupled to an outer surface of the body of the gas line.

6. The welding system of claim 1 , wherein the radio signals are communicated based at least in part on an IEEE 802.11x-based Wi-Fi wireless standard, an IEEE 802.15.1 Bluetooth wireless standard, an IEEE 802.15.4 wireless standard, a cellular network standard, or any combination thereof.

7. The welding system of claim 1 , wherein the gas line comprises a flexible gas line.

8. The welding system of claim 1 , wherein the radio signals communicated by the first gas line transducer comprise biometric readings related to health of the operator of the welding system.

9. The welding system of claim 1 , wherein the radio signals communicated by the first gas line transducer comprise data settings for components of the welding system.

10. The welding system of claim 1 , wherein the first gas line transducer is proximate to a first end of the gas line, the second gas line transducer is proximate to a second end of the gas line opposite to the first end, and the first gas line transducer is configured to communicate with the second gas line transducer via the radio signals transmitted through the gas line.

11. A welding system comprising:
a power unit of the welding system comprising communications circuitry and a gas port, wherein the gas port is configured to convey a gas for a welding or cutting operation; and
a first gas line transducer coupled to the communications circuitry, wherein the first gas line transducer is configured to transmit radio signals into the gas port, the first gas line transducer is configured to receive radio signals from a second gas line transducer of a wire feeder through the gas line, wherein the received radio signals comprise control signals for the power unit and are conveyed by a gas line coupled to the gas port.

12. The welding system of claim 11 , wherein the power unit comprises a housing configured to at least partially enclose the communications circuitry and the gas port, wherein the first gas line transducer is entirely disposed within the housing.

13. The welding system of claim 11 , wherein the gas port is configured to couple with the gas line via a fitting, and the fitting comprises the first gas line transducer.

14. The welding system of claim 11 , further comprising a gas supply system, a welding torch, a plasma cutting torch, a welding helmet, a compressor, a pneumatic tool, or any combination thereof.

15. The welding system of claim 11 , wherein the radio signals transmitted and received by the first gas line transducer comprise at least one of data settings for components of the welding system and biometric readings related to the health of operator of the welding system.

16. The welding system of claim 11 , wherein the gas line comprises a first end coupled to the gas port of the power unit and a second end opposite the first end that is coupled to the wire feeder,
wherein the first gas line transducer and the second gas line transducer are configured to communicate data settings for the power unit or the wire feeder via the radio signals.

17. The welding system of claim 16 , wherein the gas line comprises a flexible gas line.

18. A method of communicating between components of a welding system, comprising:
generating radio signals from a control circuit;
transmitting, from a first gas line transducer, radio signals into a gas line coupled between components of the welding system, wherein radio signals are transmitted into the gas line proximate to a first end of the gas line;
directing an angle of the transmitted radio signals to internally reflect a portion of the radio signals off of walls within the gas line between the first end and a second end of the gas line;
receiving and amplifying, at a supplementary external gas line transducer coupled to a gas line between the first gas line transducer and a second gas line transducer, the portion of the radio signals from the first gas line transducer; and
receiving, at a second gas line transducer, the portion of the radio signals from the first gas line transducer that were amplified by the supplementary external gas line transducer at a location proximate to the second end of the gas line, wherein the received radio signals correspond to data settings of the components of the welding system.

19. The method of claim 18 , wherein the gas line coupled between the components comprises a flexible gas line.

20. The method of claim 18 , wherein the components of the welding system comprise a welding power unit, a wire feeder, a gas supply system, a welding torch, a plasma cutting torch, a welding helmet, a compressor, a pneumatic tool, or any combination thereof.

Assignees

• Illinois Tool Works

Inventors

• Denis Marc Lee

Classifications

• B23K9/1087 Primary

  Arc welding using remote control · CPC title

• B23K9/095

  Monitoring or automatic control of welding parameters · CPC title

• B23K9/325 Primary

  Devices for supplying or evacuating shielding gas · CPC title