System and method for conditioning an output of a welding type power supply

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-11890704-B2
Application number	US-201816003697-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Jun 8, 2018
Priority date	Jun 8, 2017
Publication date	Feb 6, 2024
Grant date	Feb 6, 2024

Abstract

A welding-type system includes a wire feeder to provide an electrode wire to a welding-type torch. A welding-type power supply to provide power to one or both of the welding-type torch or the wire feeder. A controller is configured to control a sense voltage circuit to provide a sense voltage to charge a control capacitor, monitor a voltage feedback signal, determine that a wire feeder is activated based on a first change in the voltage feedback signal, control the switched mode power supply to provide a constant voltage output signal during a welding operation, control the switched mode power supply to provide the pulsed power output in response to completion of the welding operation, determine that the wire feeder is deactivated based on a second change in the feedback signal, adjust a pulse rate of the output signal to achieve an RMS value below a predetermined RMS level.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A welding-type system, comprising:
a wire feeder configured to provide an electrode wire to a welding-type torch; and
a welding-type power supply configured to:
provide welding-type output power to the welding-type torch and the wire feeder during a welding-type operation; and
during a non-arc period, provide power to the wire feeder as a pulsed output signal, the welding-type power supply comprising a controller configured to:
monitor the pulsed output signal of the welding-type power supply, the pulsed output signal to provide power sufficient to operate the wire feeder;
calculate a change in the pulsed output signal to the wire feeder based on the monitored pulsed output signal;
determine whether the wire feeder is activated or deactivated based on the change in the pulsed output signal to the wire feeder; and
control the welding-type power supply to adjust a pulse interval of the pulsed output signal to the wire feeder from a first RMS value to a second RMS value that is within a predetermined threshold RMS range based on the determination that the wire feeder is deactivated by extending the pulse interval of a low voltage level of the second RMS value to achieve the predetermined threshold RMS range.

2. The welding-type system of claim 1 , wherein the controller is further configured to control a switched mode power supply to provide the pulsed output signal to operate the wire feeder based on a determination that the wire feeder is activated.

3. The welding-type system of claim 2 , wherein the controller is further configured to:
control the switched mode power supply to provide a constant voltage output signal during the welding-type operation; and
control the switched mode power supply to provide the pulsed output signal in response to completion of the welding type operation.

4. The welding-type system of claim 1 , further comprising a calculation engine configured to compare the change in the pulsed output signal to a plurality of threshold output values.

5. The welding-type system of claim 4 , wherein the controller is further configured to identify an open circuit voltage condition at the power supply if the change exceeds a first threshold output level of the plurality of threshold output values.

6. The welding-type system of claim 5 , wherein the amount of adjustment to the pulse interval is based on the change.

7. The welding-type system of claim 1 , wherein the controller is further configured to deactivate the pulsed output signal in response to a determination that the wire feeder is not drawing power from the power supply.

8. The welding-type system of claim 1 , wherein the power supply is a first power supply configured to provide power to generate an arc at the welding-type torch, and further comprising a second power supply configured to provide power to the wire feeder.

9. The welding-type system of claim 1 , wherein the controller is further configured to:
monitor a time period of the calculated change in the pulsed output signal;
compare the time period to a plurality of threshold time periods stored in a memory; and
adjust the pulsed output signal based on the comparison.

10. The welding-type system of claim 1 , further comprising a network connection, wherein the controller is further configured to receive information regarding threshold values from a remote source via the network connection to update the plurality of thresholds in memory.

11. The welding-type system of claim 1 , wherein the controller is further configured to adjust the pulse interval by adjusting a frequency of the pulsed output signal.

12. The welding-type system of claim 11 , wherein the controller is further configured to adjust the pulse interval by adjusting a length of one of a high voltage level or the low voltage level of the pulsed output corresponding to the second RMS value.

13. A welding-type system, comprising:
a wire feeder to provide an electrode wire to a welding-type torch; and
a welding-type power supply, comprising:
a switched mode power supply configured to output power to one or both of the welding-type torch or the wire feeder;
a sense voltage circuit configured to output a sense voltage signal separate from the power provided by the switched mode power supply; and
a controller configured to:
control the sense voltage circuit to output the sense voltage signal to an output of the power supply for the wire feeder;
monitor a voltage feedback signal associated with the sense voltage signal at a voltage sensor over a predetermined period of time;
determine if a value of the voltage feedback signal is increasing during the predetermined period of time;
determine whether the wire feeder is activated or deactivated based on a change in the voltage feedback signal;
receive an indication that the voltage feedback signal is increasing;
control the switched mode power supply to provide a first pulsed power output after the predetermined period of time to operate the wire feeder in response to a determination that the wire feeder is activated; or
in response to receiving an indication that the voltage feedback signal is not increasing, control the sense voltage circuit to continue to generate and provide the sense voltage signal and continue to monitor the sense voltage signal in response to the determination that the wire feeder is deactivated, wherein the sense voltage signal is separate from the first pulsed power output; and
in response to detecting an arc, control the switched mode power supply to output a welding-type power output after the predetermined period of time.

14. The welding-type system of claim 13 , wherein the controller is further configured to:
determine that the wire feeder is activated based on a first change in the voltage feedback signal; and
determine that the wire feeder is deactivated based on a second change in the voltage feedback signal.

15. The welding-type system of claim 13 , wherein the controller is further configured to determine an open circuit voltage condition at the output of the power supply for the wire feeder based on a third change in the voltage feedback signal.

16. The welding-type system of claim 13 , wherein the controller is further configured to determine that one or more control capacitors of the wire feeder are being charged in response to a determination of an increased value.

17. The welding-type system of claim 13 , wherein the controller is further configured to control the switched mode power supply to provide a constant voltage output signal during a welding type operation.

18. The welding-type system of claim 13 , wherein the wire feeder is a sensing voltage wire feeder.

19. The welding-type system of claim 13 , wherein the controller receives the voltage feedback signal in a closed control loop.

Assignees

• Illinois Tool Works

Inventors

• Decoster Al J
• Kadlec Mark S

Classifications

• B23K9/093 Primary

  the frequency of the pulses produced being modulable · CPC title

• B23K9/0953

  using computing means · CPC title

• B23K9/1062

  with computing means · CPC title

• B23K9/133

  Means for feeding electrodes, e.g. drums, rolls, motors · CPC title