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

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-11799406-B2
Application number	US-202016827179-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Mar 23, 2020
Priority date	Apr 29, 2016
Publication date	Oct 24, 2023
Grant date	Oct 24, 2023

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:
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;
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; and
an overvoltage protection circuit comprises redundant circuits configured to selectively disable the non-welding power from the generator when the voltage measurement exceeds a first threshold voltage.

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

3. The power system as defined in claim 2 , wherein the overvoltage protection circuit is to disable the welding-type power when the 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 redundant circuits are further configured to selectively disconnect the welding-type output from the generator.

5. The power system as defined in claim 1 , further comprising a voltage sensor to measure an open circuit voltage for a 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 , 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.

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

11. A method, comprising:
providing non-welding electrical output from an engine-powered electrical generator to an output device;
measuring a voltage of a welding-type output provided by the electrical generator; and
controlling the generator or the engine, using redundant circuits of an overvoltage protection circuit, to selectively disable the welding-type output or the non-welding output of the electrical generator based on the voltage measurement of the welding-type output exceeding a first threshold voltage.

12. The method as defined in claim 11 , wherein the controlling of the generator or the engine comprises decreasing the voltage of the non-welding output when the voltage measurement of the welding-type output exceeds a first threshold.

13. The method as defined in claim 12 , further comprising disabling, using the overvoltage protection circuits, the welding-type output when the voltage measurement exceeds a second threshold, the second threshold being a higher voltage than the first threshold.

14. The method as defined in claim 13 , wherein the disabling 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.

15. The method as defined in claim 11 , wherein the measuring of the voltage of the welding-type output comprises measuring an open circuit voltage of the welding-type output and providing a signal representative of the open circuit voltage to a control circuit as the voltage measurement of the welding-type power.

16. The method as defined in claim 11 , 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 11 , 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 11 , further comprising disabling at least one of the welding-type output or the non-welding output when the voltage measurement exceeds a threshold.

19. The method as defined in claim 11 , 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.

Assignees

• Illinois Tool Works

Inventors

• Renner Ross Neal

Classifications

• H02P9/14 Primary

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

• B23K9/1006 Primary

  Power supply · CPC title

• G05F1/02

  Regulating electric characteristics of arcs · CPC title

• 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