Automatic flow regulator for fume gun

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-9846439-B2
Application number	US-201313856804-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Apr 4, 2013
Priority date	May 4, 2012
Publication date	Dec 19, 2017
Grant date	Dec 19, 2017

Abstract

Systems and methods for automatically regulating the flow of fumes suctioned through a welding fume gun are provided. In certain embodiments, an automatic flow control assembly includes a vacuum system configured to suction a vacuum fume flow through an internal passage of a welding fume gun. The automatic flow control assembly also includes a sensor configured to measure a parameter related to the vacuum fume flow. The automatic flow control assembly further includes a flow regulation device configured to regulate an ambient air flow introduced into the vacuum fume flow. In addition, the automatic flow control assembly includes control circuitry configured to control the flow regulation device based at least in part on the measured parameter related to the vacuum fume flow.

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1. An automatic flow control assembly, comprising:
a vacuum system configured to suction a vacuum fume flow into a fume inlet of a welding fume gun and through an internal passage of the welding fume gun;
a weld cable assembly coupled to the welding fume gun, wherein the weld cable assembly comprises a weld cable and an upstream portion of a vacuum passage fluidly coupled to the internal passage of the welding fume gun;
a vacuum transfer attachment coupled to an end of the weld cable assembly opposite the welding fume gun, wherein the vacuum transfer attachment is configured to separate a downstream portion of the vacuum passage from the weld cable assembly;
a vacuum transfer tube coupled between the vacuum system and the vacuum transfer attachment, wherein the vacuum transfer tube fluidly couples the vacuum passage to the vacuum system;
a sensor disposed within the vacuum fume flow and configured to measure a parameter related to the vacuum fume flow;
a flow regulation device configured to regulate an ambient air flow through an ambient air inlet into the vacuum fume flow, wherein the ambient aft inlet is disposed downstream of the vacuum transfer attachment; and
control circuitry configured to control the flow regulation device based at least in part on the measured parameter related to the vacuum fume flow.

2. The automatic flow control assembly of claim 1 , wherein the control circuitry is configured to control the flow regulation device based at least in part on weld settings or real-time weld parameters associated with the welding fume gun.

3. The automatic flow control assembly of claim 1 , wherein the measured parameter related to the vacuum fume flow is a pressure, a pressure differential, a flow rate, or a combination thereof.

4. The automatic flow control assembly of claim 1 , wherein the sensor is located in a handle of the welding fume gun.

5. The automatic flow control assembly of claim 1 , wherein the sensor is located in the vacuum passage of the weld cable assembly.

6. The automatic flow control assembly of claim 1 , wherein the sensor is located in the vacuum transfer attachment that connects the weld cable assembly attached to the welding fume gun to the vacuum transfer tube attached to the vacuum system.

7. The automatic flow control assembly of claim 1 , wherein the sensor is located in the vacuum transfer tube that connects the vacuum system to the weld cable assembly attached to the welding fume gun.

8. The automatic flow control assembly of claim 1 , wherein the flow regulation device is located in the vacuum transfer tube that connects the vacuum system to the vacuum transfer attachment.

9. The automatic flow control assembly of claim 1 , wherein the flow regulation device is located in the vacuum system proximate to the vacuum transfer tube that connects the vacuum system to the vacuum transfer attachment.

10. The automatic flow control assembly of claim 1 , wherein the sensor comprises a pitot tube.

11. The automatic flow control assembly of claim 1 , wherein the sensor comprises a rotameter, a hotwire anemometer, a mechanical flow meter, a pressure-based meter, an optical flow meter, a thermal mass flow meter, a vortex flow meter, an electromagnetic flow meter, an ultrasonic flow meter, a coriolis flow meter, or a combination thereof.

12. The automatic flow control assembly of claim 1 , wherein the flow regulation device comprises a butterfly valve actuated by a servo motor, wherein the control circuitry is configured to control actuation of the servo motor based at least in part on the measured parameter related to the vacuum fume flow.

13. The automatic flow control assembly of claim 1 , wherein the flow regulation device comprises a gate valve, a ball valve, or a needle valve.

14. A method, comprising:
suctioning a vacuum fume flow through:
a fume inlet of a welding fume gun, an internal passage of the welding fume gun;
a vacuum passage having an upstream portion extending through a weld cable assembly coupled to the welding fume gun;
a vacuum transfer attachment coupled to an end of the weld cable assembly opposite the welding fume gun, wherein the vacuum transfer attachment is configured to separate a downstream portion of the vacuum passage from the weld cable assembly; and
a vacuum transfer tube coupled between a vacuum system and the vacuum transfer attachment, wherein the vacuum transfer tube fluidly couples the vacuum passage to the vacuum system;

measuring a parameter related to the vacuum fume flow suctioned through the welding fume gun; and
regulating an ambient air flow through an ambient air inlet into the vacuum fume flow, via a flow regulation device, based at least in part on the measured parameter related to the vacuum fume flow, wherein the ambient air inlet is disposed downstream of the vacuum transfer attachment.

15. The method of claim 14 , comprising regulating the ambient air flow through the ambient air inlet and into the vacuum fume flow based at least in part on weld settings or real-time weld parameters associated with the welding fume gun.

16. The method of claim 14 , comprising measuring the parameter related to the vacuum fume flow using a pitot tube sensor.

17. The method of claim 14 , wherein regulating the ambient air flow through an ambient air inlet and into the vacuum fume flow comprises controlling a servo motor that actuates a butterfly valve.

18. The method of claim 14 , comprising regulating the ambient air flow introduced into the vacuum fume flow without operator intervention.

19. An automatic flow control assembly, comprising:
a welding fume gun comprising an internal passage configured to facilitate suctioning of welding fumes from a welding workpiece through a fume inlet of the welding fume gun;
a weld cable assembly comprising a weld cable and an upstream portion of a vacuum passage fluidly coupled to the internal passage of the welding fume gun, wherein the weld cable connects the welding fume gun to a welding system;
a vacuum transfer attachment coupled to an end of the weld cable assembly opposite the welding fume gun, wherein the vacuum transfer attachment is configured to separate a downstream portion of the vacuum passage from the weld cable assembly;
a vacuum transfer tube coupled to the vacuum transfer attachment, wherein the vacuum transfer tube fluidly couples the vacuum passage to a vacuum system;
a vacuum system assembly connected to the vacuum transfer tube, wherein the vacuum system assembly comprises:
the vacuum system configured to generate a substantially constant vacuum to suction the welding fumes through the fume inlet of the welding fume gun and into the internal passage of the welding fume gun, the weld cable assembly, the vacuum transfer attachment, and the vacuum transfer tube;
a pilot tube sensor at least partially disposed in the vacuum transfer tube, wherein the pilot tube sensor is configured to measure a pressure differential associated with a flow of the welding fumes through the vacuum transfer tube;
a butterfly valve actuated by a servo motor, wherein the butterfly valve and the servo motor are disposed in an ambient air flow line adjacent the vacuum transfer tube, wherein the butterfly valve is configured to regulate a flow of ambient air through an ambient air inlet remote from the welding fume gun and into the flow of welding fumes through the vacuum transfer tube, wherein the ambient air inlet is disposed downstream of the weld cable assembly; and
control circuitry configured to contr

Assignees

• Illinois Tool Works

Inventors

• Carman Bradley G
• Rostlund Anders Olof

Classifications

• Y10T137/0368

  By speed of fluid · CPC title

• G05D7/0617 Primary

  specially adapted for fluid materials · CPC title

• Y10T137/7759

  Responsive to change in rate of fluid flow · CPC title

• B23K9/325

  Devices for supplying or evacuating shielding gas · CPC title

• B08B15/04 Primary

  from a small area, e.g. a tool {(removing chips B23Q11/0042)} · CPC title