Orbital welding device with improved security and reduced failure probability

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-12551960-B2
Application number	US-202217968495-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Oct 18, 2022
Priority date	Sep 22, 2017
Publication date	Feb 17, 2026
Grant date	Feb 17, 2026

Abstract

An orbital welding device ( 1 ) having a welding head ( 2 ), the welding head having a tubular mount ( 3 ) and a welding electrode holder ( 4 ) rotatably supported with respect to the tubular mount ( 3 ), the orbital welding device ( 1 ) having an electric motor ( 6 ) activated by a motor controller ( 5 ) of the orbital welding device ( 1 ), which is configured to drive the welding electrode holder ( 4 ) and thus to rotate the same with respect to the tubular mount ( 3 ), wherein the orbital welding device ( 1 ) has an electric torque measuring device ( 7 ), which is configured to measure a torque applied by the motor ( 6 ) to the welding electrode holder ( 4 ), wherein the torque measuring device ( 7 ) is connected to the motor controller ( 5 ), and wherein the motor controller ( 5 ) is configured to stop the motor ( 6 ) automatically if the torque exceeds a predetermined first torque.

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1 . An orbital welding device, comprising:
a weld head having a tubular mount and a welding electrode holder mounted rotatably with respect to the tubular mount; a motor controller; an electric motor, which is activated by the motor controller and is configured to drive the welding electrode holder to turn the welding electrode holder with respect to the tubular mount; and an electrical torque measuring device configured to measure a torque applied to the welding electrode holder by the electric motor, wherein the electrical torque measuring device is connected to the motor controller, and the motor controller is configured to, in response to the measured torque exceeding a predetermined first torque for at least a predetermined threshold time period, do one or more of:
output at least one of a visual signal, an acoustic signal, or a haptic signal;
send an electrical signal for at least one of visual output, acoustic output, or haptic output on another device; or
store an indication on a storage unit.

2 . The orbital welding device of claim 1 , and the motor controller is configured to stop the electric motor automatically if the torque exceeds a predetermined second torque higher than the predetermined first torque.

3 . The orbital welding device of claim 2 , wherein the motor controller is configured to start the electric motor automatically in the opposite direction for a predetermined time or for a predetermined number of revolutions directly after the electric motor has been stopped because of the predetermined second torque being exceeded.

4 . The orbital welding device of claim 3 , wherein the motor controller is configured to stop the electric motor again automatically if the torque exceeds again the predetermined second torque after the electric motor has been started in the opposite direction for the predetermined time or for the predetermined number of revolutions directly after the electric motor has been stopped because of the predetermined second torque being exceeded.

5 . The orbital welding device of claim 1 , wherein the predetermined first torque is representative of excess wear on the orbital welding device.

6 . The orbital welding device of claim 5 , wherein the predetermined first torque is less than a torque at which the welding electrode holder, or a drive mechanism between the electric motor and the welding electrode holder, is jammed.

7 . The orbital welding device of claim 1 , wherein the electrical torque measuring device has a current measuring device, which is configured to measure an electrical motor current for driving the electric motor as a value representing the torque.

8 . The orbital welding device of claim 1 , wherein the motor controller and the electrical torque measuring device are arranged in a welding power source of the orbital welding device, while the electric motor is arranged in the weld head.

Assignees

• Illinois Tool Works

Inventors

• Tamm Markus
• Foh Marcel

Classifications

• B23K37/0533

  External pipe alignment clamps · CPC title

• B23K2101/06

  Tubes · CPC title

• B23K37/053

  aligning cylindrical work; Clamping devices therefor · CPC title

• B23K26/282

  of tube sections · CPC title

• B23K37/0276

  for working on or in tubes (B23K37/0211 takes precedence) · CPC title