Systems and methods to control auxiliary power output voltage using a welding output voltage

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-10601353-B2
Application number	US-201715431966-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Feb 14, 2017
Priority date	Apr 29, 2016
Publication date	Mar 24, 2020
Grant date	Mar 24, 2020

Abstract

Systems and methods to control auxiliary power output voltage using a welding output voltage are disclosed. An example power system includes an engine, a generator to provide electrical power based on mechanical power received from the engine, the electrical power comprising welding-type power and non-welding power, and a controller to control the generator or the engine to increase or decrease a voltage of the non-welding power based on a voltage measurement of the welding-type power.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A power system, comprising:
an engine;
a generator to provide electrical power based on mechanical power received from the engine, the electrical power comprising welding-type power and non-welding power; and
a controller to control the generator or the engine to increase or decrease a voltage of the non-welding power based on an open circuit voltage measurement of the welding-type power at a welding-type output.

2. The power system as defined in claim 1 , wherein the controller is to decrease the voltage of the non-welding power when the open circuit voltage measurement of the welding-type power exceeds a first threshold.

3. The power system as defined in claim 2 , further comprising an overvoltage protection circuit to disable at least one of the welding-type power or the non-welding power when the open circuit voltage measurement exceeds a second threshold, the second threshold being a higher voltage than the first threshold.

4. The power system as defined in claim 3 , wherein the overvoltage protection circuit comprises redundant circuits configured to selectively disconnect the welding-type output or a non-welding type output from the generator.

5. The power system as defined in claim 1 , further comprising a voltage sensor to measure the open circuit voltage for the welding-type output and to provide a signal representative of the open circuit voltage to the controller as the voltage measurement of the welding-type power.

6. The power system as defined in claim 1 , wherein the controller is to control the generator to increase the voltage of the non-welding power by increasing a field current of the generator.

7. The power system as defined in claim 1 , wherein the controller is to control the generator to decrease the voltage of the non-welding power by decreasing a field current of the generator.

8. The power system as defined in claim 1 , wherein the controller is to control the generator or the engine to increase or decrease the voltage of the non-welding power when a welding-type output is not providing the welding-type power.

9. The power system as defined in claim 1 , further comprising an overvoltage protection circuit to disable at least one of the welding-type power or the non-welding power when the voltage measurement exceeds a threshold.

10. The power system as defined in claim 1 , wherein the welding-type power and the non-welding power are configured to receive the electrical power via a same field winding in the generator.

11. The power system as defined in claim 1 , wherein the controller is electrically isolated from the non-welding power.

12. A method, comprising:
providing non-welding electrical output from an engine-powered electrical generator to an output device;
measuring an open circuit voltage of a welding-type output provided by the electrical generator; and
controlling the generator or the engine, using a control circuit, to increase or decrease a voltage of the non-welding output based on the open circuit voltage measurement of the welding-type output.

13. The method as defined in claim 12 , wherein the controlling of the generator or the engine comprises decreasing the voltage of the non-welding output when the open circuit voltage measurement of the welding-type output exceeds a first threshold.

14. The method as defined in claim 13 , further comprising disabling, using one or more circuits, at least one of the welding-type output or the non-welding output when the open circuit voltage measurement exceeds a second threshold, the second threshold being a higher voltage than the first threshold.

15. The method as defined in claim 14 , wherein the disabling of the at least one of the welding-type output or the non-welding output comprises selectively disconnecting, via the one or more circuits, the welding-type output or the non-welding type output from the generator.

16. The method as defined in claim 12 , further comprising controlling the generator to increase the voltage of the non-welding output by increasing a field current of the generator.

17. The method as defined in claim 12 , further comprising controlling the generator to decrease the voltage of the non-welding output by decreasing a field current of the generator.

18. The method as defined in claim 12 , further comprising disabling at least one of the welding-type output or the non-welding output when the open circuit voltage measurement exceeds a threshold.

19. The method as defined in claim 12 , wherein the providing of the non-welding output comprises providing electrical power for the non-welding output from a same field winding in the generator as the welding-type output.

20. A power system, comprising:
a generator to provide electrical power based on mechanical power received from an engine, the electrical power comprising welding-type power and non-welding power; and
a controller to control the generator or the engine to increase or decrease a voltage of the non-welding power based on a voltage measurement of the welding-type power at a welding-type output; and
an overvoltage protection circuit comprising redundant circuits configured to selectively disconnect the welding-type power from the generator when the voltage measurement exceeds a threshold voltage.

Assignees

• Illinois Tool Works

Inventors

• Renner Ross Neal

Classifications

• H02P9/006

  Means for protecting the generator by using control (control effected upon generator excitation circuit to reduce harmful effects of overloads or transients H02P9/10) · CPC title

• H02P9/04

  Control effected upon non-electric prime mover and dependent upon electric output value of the generator · CPC title

• H02P9/14 Primary

  by variation of field (H02P9/08, H02P9/10 take precedence) · CPC title

• G05F1/02

  Regulating electric characteristics of arcs · CPC title

• B23K9/1006 Primary

  Power supply · CPC title