System and method for welding system cable management

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-9833858-B2
Application number	US-201313839638-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Mar 15, 2013
Priority date	Sep 7, 2012
Publication date	Dec 5, 2017
Grant date	Dec 5, 2017

Abstract

Embodiments of the present disclosure include a cable management system with a housing comprising a first shell and a second shell configured to couple together about welding system cabling such that a portion of the welding system cabling is contained by the housing. The first and second shells form openings at ends of the housing such that the welding system cabling is capable of extending through the openings and such that edges of the openings enclose a perimeter of the welding system cabling when the first and second shells are coupled together about the welding system cabling. A cradle receives a weld cable of the welding system cabling. A cable clamp engages the weld cable and cooperates with the cradle to restrict movement of the weld cable when the weld cable is disposed in the cradle and the cable clamp is engaged.

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1. A welding system, comprising:
a housing comprising a first shell and a second shell configured to couple together about welding system cabling such that a portion of the welding system cabling is contained by the housing, wherein the first and second shells form openings at first and second lengthwise ends of the housing such that the welding system cabling is capable of extending through the openings and such that edges of the openings enclose a perimeter of the welding system cabling when the first and second shells are coupled together about the welding system cabling;
a cradle configured to receive a weld cable of the welding system cabling, wherein the cradle comprises a first set of engagement features configured to engage a weld cable, and wherein the cradle is integral to the second shell;
a cable clamp comprising a second set of engagement features configured to engage the weld cable and cooperate with the cradle to restrict movement of the weld cable when the weld cable is disposed in the cradle and the cable clamp is coupled to the cradle with the second set of engagement features extending toward the cradle, wherein the cable clamp comprises a reversible geometry such that positioning a first side of the cable clamp toward the cradle creates a smaller space between the cradle and the cable clamp than positioning a second side of the cable clamp toward the cradle; and
an unrestricted area within the housing, the unrestricted area being adjacent to the cradle and configured to receive one or more additional cables of the welding system, wherein the unrestricted area extends from the first lengthwise end of the housing to the second lengthwise end of the housing.

2. The welding system of claim 1 , wherein the housing comprises a hinge coupling an edge of the first shell to an edge of the second shell.

3. The welding system of claim 1 , comprising a band clamp configured to engage an outer perimeter of the housing and a protective cable sheath, and to compress the housing and the protective cable sheath.

4. The welding system of claim 1 , wherein the housing facilitates movement of a plurality of cables of the welding system cabling within the unrestricted area of the housing.

5. The welding system of claim 1 , wherein the cable clamp is removable from the housing and includes engagement features configured to couple with corresponding engagement features of the housing.

6. The welding system of claim 1 , wherein the cable clamp is coupled with the housing via a hinge of the housing and wherein the cable clamp is configured to rotate about the hinge between an engaged configuration for engaging the weld cable and a disengaged configuration for facilitating positioning of the weld cable.

7. The welding system of claim 1 , wherein the openings comprise a first opening adjacent a mounting plate of the housing configured to couple with a power supply or wire feeder of the welding system and a second opening through a port structure of the housing configured to facilitate coupling of the housing with a protective cable sheath.

8. The welding system of claim 1 , comprising a protective cable sheath configured to couple with the housing about a port structure of the housing, wherein the protective cable sheath comprises a zipper along a length of the protective cable sheath and fastening tape configured to secure the protective cable sheath about a portion of the welding system cabling that extends out of the housing.

9. The welding system of claim 1 , comprising the welding cable extending through the cradle and engaged between the cradle and the cable clamp such that the weld cable is bent or compressed by the cradle and cable clamp; and a control cable extending through the unrestricted area.

10. The welding system of claim 1 , wherein the cradle and cable clamp are configured to focus stresses associated with movement of the welding system cabling on the weld cable and the housing.

11. The welding system of claim 1 , wherein the first set of engagement features and the second set of engagement features engage the weld cable in an offset arrangement.

12. The welding system of claim 1 , wherein the cable clamp comprises a third set of engagement features, extending opposite the second set of engagement features, configured to engage a differently sized weld cable when the cable clamp is installed such that the third set of engagement features face the first set of engagement features.

13. The welding system of claim 3 , wherein the housing comprises a lip portion configured to engage the band clamp.

14. The welding system of claim 8 , comprising a band clamp configured to engage the protective cable sheath and the port structure of the housing to secure the protective cable sheath to the housing in a frictional engagement.

15. A cable management system for a welding system, comprising:
a housing comprising a first shell and a second shell configured to be positioned around welding system cabling and coupled together by a hinge such that a portion of the welding system cabling is enclosed by the housing and a portion of the welding system cabling extends out of at least one end of the housing;
a cradle integral to the second shell, wherein the cradle comprises a first set of engagement features configured to engage a weld cable of the weld system cabling;
a cable clamp comprising a second set of engagement features configured to cooperate with the cradle to restrict movement of the weld cable within the housing disposed in the cradle and the cable clamp is coupled to the cradle with the second set of engagement features extending toward the cradle, wherein the cable clamp comprises a reversible geometry such that positioning a first side of the cable clamp toward the cradle creates a smaller space between the cradle and the cable clamp than positioning a second side of the cable clamp toward the cradle; and
an unrestricted area within an internal volume of the housing, the unrestricted area being adjacent the cradle and configured to receive additional cables of the welding system cabling, wherein the unrestricted area extends from a first lengthwise end of the housing to a second lengthwise end of the housing.

16. The cable management system of claim 15 , wherein the cable clamp is configured to be secured around the weld cable to create a frictional engagement with the weld cable and configured to be disposed within a recess formed by the cradle.

17. The cable management system of claim 15 , comprising a mounting plate extending from a portion of the housing in a perpendicular or parallel orientation with respect to a length of the housing and configured to couple with a power supply or a wire feeder of the welding system.

18. The cable management system of claim 15 , comprising a protective cable sheath configured to couple with the housing about a port structure of the housing, wherein the protective cable sheath comprises a zipper along a length of the protective cable sheath and fastening tape configured to secure the protective cable sheath about the portion of the welding system cabling that extends out of the housing.

19. The cable management system of claim 15 , wherein the first set of engagement features and the second set of engagement features engage the weld cable in an offset arrangement.

Assignees

• Sammons Michael Allen
• Illinois Tool Works

Inventors

• Sammons Michael Allen

Classifications

• H02G3/0683

  with bolts operating in a direction transverse to the conductors · CPC title

• H01R13/46

  Bases; Cases · CPC title

• H01R13/5812

  the cable clamping being achieved by mounting the separate part on the housing of the coupling device · CPC title

• H02G3/0616

  Joints for connecting tubing to casing · CPC title

• H01R13/502

  composed of different pieces (H01R13/514 takes precedence) · CPC title