Power source for electric arc welding

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-9751150-B2
Application number	US-201213572354-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Aug 10, 2012
Priority date	Jul 13, 2004
Publication date	Sep 5, 2017
Grant date	Sep 5, 2017

Abstract

A power source for an electric arc welding process, wherein the power source comprises an input stage having an AC input and a first DC output signal; a second stage in the form of an unregulated DC to DC converter having an input connected to the first DC output signal and an output in the form of a second DC output signal electrically isolated from the first DC output signal and with a magnitude of a given ratio to the first DC output signal; and, a third stage to convert the second DC output signal to a welding output for the welding process.

First claim

It is claimed:

1. A power source comprising:
an input rectifier for receipt of an AC input signal to output a rectified DC signal;
a power factor correcting converter connected to said input rectifier to convert said rectified DC signal to a first fixed DC voltage signal having a first magnitude to define a first DC bus;
DC to DC inverter connected to said first DC bus to convert said first fixed DC signal to a second fixed DC voltage signal having a second magnitude to define a second DC bus, where said second magnitude is lower than said first magnitude; and
a regulated output converter coupled to said second DC bus to convert said second fixed DC signal to an output signal for a welding process, said output converter being regulated by a feedback signal from said welding process.

2. The power source of claim 1 , wherein the DC to DC inverter is unregulated so as to not to be adjusted by a real time signal from said welding process.

3. The power source of claim 1 , wherein the input rectifier and power factor correcting converter define a preregulator, the power source comprising a first controller coupled to the preregulator and a first power supply converter coupled to the first DC bus and first controller to define a first feedback switching network and control circuit.

4. The power source of claim 1 , wherein the power source comprises a second controller coupled to the output converter and a second power supply converter coupled to the output signal and second controller to define a second feedback switching network and control circuit.

5. The power source of claim 1 , wherein said power factor correcting converter is one of: buck converter, a boost converter, a buck+boost converter.

6. The power source of claim 1 , wherein said DC to DC inverter comprises:
a network of switches to convert said first fixed DC voltage signal to a first AC signal;
an isolation transformer with a primary winding and a secondary winding for transforming said first AC signal into a second internal AC signal different than said first AC signal; and
a rectifier and capacitor to convert said second internal AC signal into said second fixed DC voltage signal.

7. The power source of claim 1 , wherein said regulated output converter is a chopper.

Assignees

• Daniel Joseph A
• Kooken Todd E
• Luo Lifeng
• Lincoln Global Inc

Inventors

• Daniel Joseph A
• Kooken Todd E
• Luo Lifeng

Classifications

• B23K9/1006 Primary

  Power supply · CPC title

• B23K9/09

  Arrangements or circuits for arc welding with pulsed current or voltage · CPC title

• B23K9/093

  the frequency of the pulses produced being modulable · CPC title

• B23K9/1043

  characterised by the electric circuit (B23K9/1012 takes precedence) · CPC title

• B23K9/06

  Arrangements or circuits for starting the arc, e.g. by generating ignition voltage, or for stabilising the arc · CPC title