Configuring signal devices in thermal processing systems

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-11087100-B2
Application number	US-202016892736-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Jun 4, 2020
Priority date	Apr 4, 2012
Publication date	Aug 10, 2021
Grant date	Aug 10, 2021

Abstract

In some aspects, material processing head can include a body; an antenna disposed within the body; a first tag, associated with a first consumable component, disposed within a flux communication zone of the body at a first distance from the antenna, the first tag having a first resonant frequency; and a second tag, associated with a second consumable component, disposed within the flux communication zone of the body at a second distance from the antenna, the second tag having a second resonant frequency that is different than the first resonant frequency, where the first and second resonant frequencies are tuned based upon at least one of: i) a difference between the first distance and the second distance; or ii) a characteristic (e.g., shape) of the flux communication zone in which the first tag and/or the second tag is disposed.

First claim

What is claimed:

1. A material processing system comprising one of a plasma cutting system, a water jet cutting system, or a laser cutting system, the material processing system comprising:
a processor;
a cutting head including:
a replaceable consumable component having a body; and
a rewritable data storage device coupled to the body of the replaceable consumable component, wherein the rewritable data storage device is configured to store a value of at least one operating parameter; and

a receiver for (i) reading the value of the at least one operating parameter stored in the rewritable data storage device while the rewritable data storage device is disposed within the cutting head, (ii) transmitting the value of the at least one operating parameter to the processor, and (iii) writing to the rewritable data storage device to update the value of the at least one operating parameter while the rewritable data storage device is disposed within the cutting head,
wherein the processor is adapted to control an operation of the cutting head based on the value of the at least one operating parameter from the receiver.

2. The material processing system of claim 1 , wherein the rewritable data storage device is a radio-frequency identification (RFID) tag.

3. The material processing system of claim 1 , wherein the receiver is in wired communication with the rewritable data storage device to perform at least one of the reading from or writing to the rewritable data storage device.

4. The material processing system of claim 1 , wherein the receiver is located on or in the cutting head.

5. The material processing system of claim 1 , wherein the processor is housed in a power supply of the material processing system.

6. The material processing system of claim 1 , wherein the at least one operating parameter pertains to operating one of the cutting head, the replaceable consumable component or the processor.

7. The material processing system of claim 1 , wherein the at least one operating parameter comprises one of a cutting program, electrical current, gas type, gas ramping profile, firmware update, setup value for the thermal processing system, cut cycle data, life data, gas flow rate, pierce delay time, timing parameter, set point, threshold, or coordination instruction of multiple parameters.

8. The material processing system of claim 1 , wherein the value of the at least one operating parameter is related to a previous use of the cutting head, the replaceable consumable component or the material processing system.

9. The material processing system of claim 1 , wherein the rewritable data storage device is further configured to store data related a previous use to the cutting head, the replaceable consumable component, or the material processing system.

10. The material processing system of claim 9 , wherein the stored data comprises a frequency of use of the cutting head, the consumable component, or the material processing system.

11. The material processing system of claim 9 , wherein the stored data includes a failure or error of the cutting head, the replaceable consumable component, or the material processing system during the previous use.

12. The material processing system of claim 9 , wherein the stored data comprises a number of cutting cycles for which the cutting head, the replaceable consumable component or the material processing system has been used.

13. The material processing system of claim 1 , wherein the receiver is configured to read or write to the rewritable data storage device during an operation of the cutting head to cut a workpiece.

14. The material processing system of claim 1 , further comprising a data transfer mechanism that includes a wired or wireless connection configured to transmit the value of the at least one operating parameter from the receiver to the processor.

15. A method for communicating data in a material processing system that comprises one of a plasma cutting system, a water jet cutting system, or a laser cutting system, the method comprising:
providing a replaceable consumable component having a body and a rewritable data storage device coupled to the body, wherein the rewritable data storage device stores a value of at least one operating parameter;
installing the replaceable consumable component inside of a cutting head of the material processing system such that the rewritable data storage device is disposed inside of the cutting head;
reading, by a receiver, the value of the at least one operating parameter from the rewritable data storage device while the data storage device is disposed inside of the cutting head;
transmitting, by the receiver, the value of the at least one operating parameter to a processor of the material processing system; and
updating, by the receiver, the value of the at least one operating parameter stored in the rewritable data storage device while the data storage device is disposed inside of the cutting head.

16. The method of claim 15 , wherein at least one of the reading or updating by the receiver in relation to the data storage device is performed during an operation of the cutting head to cut a workpiece.

17. The method of claim 15 , further comprising controlling, by the processor, an operation of the cutting head based on the transmitted value of the at least one operating parameter.

18. The method of claim 17 , wherein the updating of the value of the at least one operating parameter is based on data related to a previous use of the replaceable consumable component.

19. The method of claim 15 , wherein the rewritable data storage device is a radio-frequency identification (RFID) tag.

20. The method of claim 15 , wherein the receiver communicates with the data storage device over a wired connection to perform at least one of the reading or updating of the value of the at least one operating parameter.

21. The method of claim 15 , wherein the at least one operating parameter pertains to operating one of the cutting head, the replaceable consumable component or the processor.

22. The method of claim 15 , wherein the at least one operating parameter comprises one of a cutting program, electrical current, gas type, gas ramping profile, firmware update, setup value for the thermal processing system, cut cycle data, life data, gas flow rate, pierce delay time, timing parameter, set point, threshold, or coordination instruction of multiple parameters.

23. The method of claim 15 , wherein the value of the at least one operating parameter relates to a previous use of the cutting, the replaceable consumable component or the material processing system.

Assignees

• Hypertherm Inc

Inventors

• Hoffa Michael
• Shipulski E Michael

Classifications

• H05H1/34

  Details, e.g. electrodes, nozzles · CPC title

• B23K5/00 Primary

  Gas flame welding · CPC title

• B24C1/045

  for cutting (energy dissipating devices therefor B26F3/008) · CPC title

• B23K7/10

  Auxiliary devices, e.g. for guiding or supporting the torch · CPC title

• B23K10/006

  Control circuits therefor · CPC title