US20050035105A1 - Apparatus, system and method to facilitate reconfigurable welding power supply - Google Patents
Apparatus, system and method to facilitate reconfigurable welding power supply Download PDFInfo
- Publication number
- US20050035105A1 US20050035105A1 US10/935,566 US93556604A US2005035105A1 US 20050035105 A1 US20050035105 A1 US 20050035105A1 US 93556604 A US93556604 A US 93556604A US 2005035105 A1 US2005035105 A1 US 2005035105A1
- Authority
- US
- United States
- Prior art keywords
- power supply
- welding
- configuration
- welder
- component
- Prior art date
- Legal status (The legal status is an assumption and is not a legal conclusion. Google has not performed a legal analysis and makes no representation as to the accuracy of the status listed.)
- Abandoned
Links
Images
Classifications
-
- B—PERFORMING OPERATIONS; TRANSPORTING
- B23—MACHINE TOOLS; METAL-WORKING NOT OTHERWISE PROVIDED FOR
- B23K—SOLDERING OR UNSOLDERING; WELDING; CLADDING OR PLATING BY SOLDERING OR WELDING; CUTTING BY APPLYING HEAT LOCALLY, e.g. FLAME CUTTING; WORKING BY LASER BEAM
- B23K9/00—Arc welding or cutting
- B23K9/10—Other electric circuits therefor; Protective circuits; Remote controls
- B23K9/1006—Power supply
-
- B—PERFORMING OPERATIONS; TRANSPORTING
- B23—MACHINE TOOLS; METAL-WORKING NOT OTHERWISE PROVIDED FOR
- B23K—SOLDERING OR UNSOLDERING; WELDING; CLADDING OR PLATING BY SOLDERING OR WELDING; CUTTING BY APPLYING HEAT LOCALLY, e.g. FLAME CUTTING; WORKING BY LASER BEAM
- B23K9/00—Arc welding or cutting
- B23K9/095—Monitoring or automatic control of welding parameters
-
- B—PERFORMING OPERATIONS; TRANSPORTING
- B23—MACHINE TOOLS; METAL-WORKING NOT OTHERWISE PROVIDED FOR
- B23K—SOLDERING OR UNSOLDERING; WELDING; CLADDING OR PLATING BY SOLDERING OR WELDING; CUTTING BY APPLYING HEAT LOCALLY, e.g. FLAME CUTTING; WORKING BY LASER BEAM
- B23K9/00—Arc welding or cutting
- B23K9/095—Monitoring or automatic control of welding parameters
- B23K9/0953—Monitoring or automatic control of welding parameters using computing means
-
- B—PERFORMING OPERATIONS; TRANSPORTING
- B23—MACHINE TOOLS; METAL-WORKING NOT OTHERWISE PROVIDED FOR
- B23K—SOLDERING OR UNSOLDERING; WELDING; CLADDING OR PLATING BY SOLDERING OR WELDING; CUTTING BY APPLYING HEAT LOCALLY, e.g. FLAME CUTTING; WORKING BY LASER BEAM
- B23K9/00—Arc welding or cutting
- B23K9/10—Other electric circuits therefor; Protective circuits; Remote controls
- B23K9/1006—Power supply
- B23K9/1043—Power supply characterised by the electric circuit
- B23K9/1056—Power supply characterised by the electric circuit by using digital means
- B23K9/1062—Power supply characterised by the electric circuit by using digital means with computing means
-
- B—PERFORMING OPERATIONS; TRANSPORTING
- B23—MACHINE TOOLS; METAL-WORKING NOT OTHERWISE PROVIDED FOR
- B23K—SOLDERING OR UNSOLDERING; WELDING; CLADDING OR PLATING BY SOLDERING OR WELDING; CUTTING BY APPLYING HEAT LOCALLY, e.g. FLAME CUTTING; WORKING BY LASER BEAM
- B23K9/00—Arc welding or cutting
- B23K9/12—Automatic feeding or moving of electrodes or work for spot or seam welding or cutting
- B23K9/124—Circuits or methods for feeding welding wire
Definitions
- the present invention relates generally to computer and welding systems, and more particularly to an apparatus, system and method of facilitating a reconfigurable welding power supply.
- Welding power supplies are an integral part of electric arc welding systems. Welding systems may involve movement of a consumable electrode, for example, toward a work piece while current is passed through the electrode and across an arc developed between the electrode and the work piece.
- the electrode may be a non-consumable or consumable type, wherein portions of the electrode may be melted and deposited on the work piece. Power to the electrode is supplied by welding power supplies.
- welding power supplies are utilized to perform a multiplicity of welding task(s) in, for example, the manufacturing industry.
- welding systems designers, architects and suppliers face increasing challenges in regard to upgrading, maintaining, controlling and servicing various welding locations.
- controlling, maintaining and servicing multiple and isolated locations in large centers and/or across the globe has become more challenging, time consuming and expensive.
- a welding power supply may be configured with regard to performing one welding task during a specific period of time and configured with regard to performing a second welding task thereafter.
- welding power supplies are often maintained and serviced according to procedures implemented by operators of the welding power supplies. Although some operators may adequately service and maintain these welding power supplies, quality of the service and maintenance is often up to the training and competence of the individual operator. Thus, a large collection of well-maintained welding systems, including welding power supplies, servicing an overall assembly process may be at the mercy of another welding system that is not properly serviced or maintained. This may cause the process to stop or be disrupted during service outages relating to a poorly maintained welder, involving, for example, a welding power supply.
- a welding power supply has at least one power supply control and a power supply configuration data store.
- the power supply control can command a power output of the welding power supply.
- the power supply configuration data store can store information, component change(s) and history associated with the power supply control.
- the power supply configuration data store can store a date of configuration of the power supply control, a time of configuration of the power supply control, a hardware configuration of the welding power supply, a software version of the power supply control, a serial number and/or an identification of the power supply control, welding procedures installed in the welding power supply and/or a memory capacity of the welding power supply.
- the information stored in the power supply configuration data store can facilitate troubleshooting, servicing, operating, maintenance and/or upgrading of the welding power supply.
- a welding power supply can have an I/O component, a wire feed control component, a communications component and/or a welding procedure(s) data store.
- the I/O component can receive input signal(s) from node(s) of welding system(s). Based at least in part upon information from the I/O component, the power supply control can provide a power output to an output port.
- the wire feed control component can facilitate a rate of delivery of consumable wire utilized in the welding process.
- the communications component can facilitate communication between the welding power supply and remote system(s), for example, to facilitate troubleshooting, servicing, operating, maintenance and/or upgrading of the welding power supply.
- the communications component can be adapted for wireless communication utilizing a frequency adjusting wireless communication protocol (e.g., Bluetooth) with the remote system. Further, the welding power supply can be operatively coupled via a network to the remote system.
- a remote system can, optionally, include a security component facilitating validation and/or verification of a welding power supply.
- FIG. 1 is a schematic block diagram illustrating a welding power supply in accordance with an aspect of the present invention.
- FIG. 1 a is a schematic block diagram illustrating a welding power supply control in accordance with an aspect of the present invention.
- FIG. 2 is a schematic block diagram illustrating a welding power supply in accordance with an aspect of the present invention.
- FIG. 3 is a schematic block diagram illustrating a welding system in accordance with an aspect of the present invention.
- FIG. 4 is a schematic block diagram illustrating a wireless welding power supply configuration system in accordance with an aspect of the present invention.
- FIG. 5 is a schematic block diagram illustrating a wireless communications storage system in accordance with an aspect of the present invention.
- FIG. 6 is a schematic block diagram illustrating a welding system in accordance with an aspect of the present invention.
- FIG. 7 is a flow chart diagram illustrating a methodology for providing configuration information to a welding power supply in accordance with the present invention.
- FIG. 8 is a flow chart diagram further illustrating the method of FIG. 7 .
- FIG. 9 is a flow chart diagram further illustrating the method of FIG. 7 .
- a component is intended to refer to a electronic and/or computer-related entity, either hardware, a combination of hardware and software, software, or software in execution.
- a component may be, but is not limited to being, a process running on a processor, a processor, an object, an executable, a thread of execution, a program, and a computer.
- an application running on a server and the server can be a component.
- a “node” of a welding cell refers to a physical hardware component of a welding system including, but not limited to, a wire feeder, contact tip, dresser, gas mixer, gas sneezer, gas controller, clamp actuator, travel carriage/part manipulator, robot arm/beam/torch manipulator, laser seam tracker, other input/output devices and welding power source.
- “Welding cell” refers to a grouping of physical hardware components (nodes). It is to be appreciated that a node and/or welding cell can comprise a combination of hardware and software or in some cases simply software (e.g., virtual node or welding cell).
- “Welding procedure” refers to a step or steps involved in a joining process and can include consumables to be used in the process along with settings for various aspects of a welding system before, during and/or after the joining process. For example, some of these aspects relate to control of power and waveforms supplied to an electrode, movements or travel of a welding tip during welding, electrode travel to other welding points, gas control to protect a molten weld pool from oxidation at elevated temperatures and provide ionized plasma for an arc, and other aspects such as arc stability to control quality of the weld.
- Post second generation service refers to mobile communication technology providing capability for high speed packet data (e.g., associated with streaming video and/or voice transmittal), for example, CDMA 2000 and/or Wide Band CDMA (WCDMA).
- Post second generation technology can also include reprogrammable software embedded in mobile communication device(s) (e.g., mobile phone), thus allowing for additional functionality of hardware employed for radio communication.
- Post second generation technology can also include cognitive technology whereby mobile device(s) negotiate with owner(s)/manager(s) of frequency channel(s) for temporary use of the frequency.
- the welding power supply 100 includes a first power supply control 110 1 through an Nth power supply control 110 N , N being an integer greater to or equal to one.
- the power supply controls 110 1 through 110 N can be referred to collectively as the power supply control 110 .
- the welding power supply 100 further includes a power supply configuration data store 120 and a power supply process component 130 .
- the power supply control 110 can command a power output of the welding power supply 100 .
- the power supply control 110 can control the voltage and/or current of the power output of the welding power supply 100 .
- the power supply configuration data store 120 can store information, component change(s), and history associated with the power supply control 110 and/or the welding power supply 100 .
- the power supply configuration data store 120 can store a date of configuration of the power supply control 110 , a time of configuration of the power supply control 110 , a hardware configuration of the welding power supply 100 , a software version of the power supply control 110 , a serial number and/or an identification of the power supply control 110 , a welding program installed in the welding power supply 100 and/or a memory capacity of the welding power supply 100 .
- the information stored in the power supply configuration data store 120 can facilitate troubleshooting, servicing, operating, maintenance and/or upgrading of the welding power supply 100 .
- the power supply process component 130 can facilitate reconfiguration of the power supply control 110 based, at least in part, upon information stored in the power supply control data store 120 .
- the power supply processor component 130 can facilitate sending information (e.g., voltage setting(s), waveform(s) and/or current setting(s)) to the power supply control 110 .
- the power supply control 140 can be adapted to be reconfigured for a first power supply welding application 150 1 through a Pth power supply welding application 150 P , P being an integer greater to or equal to one.
- the power supply control 140 can be configured to operate as the first power supply welding application 150 1 .
- the power supply control 140 can be reconfigured to operate as a second power supply welding application 150 2 (e.g., having different voltage setting(s), waveform(s) and/or current setting(s)).
- the welding power supply 200 includes a first power supply control 210 1 through an Mth power supply control 210 M , M being an integer greater to or equal to one.
- the power supply controls 210 1 through 210 M can be referred to collectively as the power supply control 210 .
- the welding power supply 200 further includes a power supply configuration data store 220 and a power supply process component 270 .
- the welding power supply 200 can include an I/O component 230 , a wire feed control component 240 , a communications component 250 and/or a welding procedure(s) data store 260 .
- the power supply control 210 can command various parameters of a power output of the welding power supply 200 .
- the power supply control 210 can define shape(s) of waveform(s) to control the voltage and/or current of the power output of the welding power supply 200 to perform different type of welding processes.
- the power supply 200 can be utilized to perform gas metal arc welding (GMAW), flux cored arc welding, metal cored arc welding, submerged arc welding (SAW), narrow groove welding, gas tungsten arc (GTAW) welding, plasma arc welding, electron beam and laser welding, hard surfacing welding, arc gouging and/or manual shielded arc welding (SMAW).
- GMAW gas metal arc welding
- SAW submerged arc welding
- GTAW gas tungsten arc
- SMAW manual shielded arc welding
- the power supply configuration data store 220 can store information associated with the power supply control 210 and/or the welding power supply 200 .
- the power supply configuration data store 220 can store a date of configuration of the power supply control 210 , a time of configuration of the power supply control 210 , a hardware configuration of the welding power supply 200 , a software version of the power supply control 210 , a serial number and/or an identification of the power supply control 210 , a welding program installed in the welding power supply 200 and/or a memory capacity of the welding power supply 200 .
- the information stored in the power supply configuration data store 220 can facilitate troubleshooting, servicing, operating, maintenance and/or upgrading of the welding power supply 200 .
- the power supply process component 270 can facilitate reconfiguration of the power supply control 210 based, at least in part, upon information stored in the power supply control data store 220 .
- the power supply processor component 270 can facilitate sending information (e.g., voltage setting(s), waveform(s) and/or current setting(s)) to the power supply control 210 .
- the I/O component 230 can receive input signal(s) from node(s) of welding system(s). For example, the I/O component 230 can receive an input signal from a proximity switch indicating that a work piece is physically present. Based at least in part upon information from the I/O component 230 , the power supply control 210 can provide a power output to an output port 212 . Additionally, the I/O component 230 can send output signal(s) to node(s) of the welding system(s).
- the wire feed control component 240 can facilitate a rate of delivery of consumable wire utilized in the welding process.
- the communications component 250 can facilitate communication between the welding power supply 200 and remote system(s) (not shown) (e.g., another welding power supply, a personal digital assistant, a local computer system and/or a remote computer system). For example, the communications component 250 can retrieve information stored in the power supply configuration data store 220 and transmit the information to the remote system(s) (not shown) to facilitate troubleshooting, servicing, operating, maintenance and/or upgrading of the welding power supply 200 .
- remote system(s) e.g., another welding power supply, a personal digital assistant, a local computer system and/or a remote computer system.
- the communications component 250 can retrieve information stored in the power supply configuration data store 220 and transmit the information to the remote system(s) (not shown) to facilitate troubleshooting, servicing, operating, maintenance and/or upgrading of the welding power supply 200 .
- the communications component 250 can enable to a welding technician located in a remote physical location from the welding power supply 200 to troubleshoot the welding power supply 200 .
- the communications component 250 can be adapted for wireless communication utilizing a frequency adjusting wireless communication protocol (e.g., Bluetooth) with a remote system (not shown).
- a frequency adjusting wireless communication protocol e.g., Bluetooth
- FIG. 3 a welding system 300 in accordance with an aspect of the present invention is illustrated.
- the welding system 300 includes a welding power supply 200 and a wireless communications device 310 (e.g., a personal digital assistant, such as a Palm Pilot, adapted for wireless communication).
- the wireless communications device 310 can come in close proximity (e.g., within 10 meters) of the welding power supply 200 , for example, to retrieve and/or examine content(s) of the power supply configuration data store 220 .
- the wireless communications device 310 can further be adapted to send information to the welding power supply 200 (e.g., welding procedure(s)). It is to be appreciated that the communications component 250 can further be adapted to communicate with other welding nodes via a communications link, for example Arclink Weld Communications Standard, thus further facilitating the transfer of information stored in the power supply configuration data store 220 .
- a communications link for example Arclink Weld Communications Standard
- the communications component 250 can couple the welding power supply 200 to remote system(s) (not shown) utilizing, for example, Ethernet (IEEE 802.3), Wireless Ethernet (IEEE 802.11), PPP (point-to-point protocol), point-to-multipoint short-range RF (Radio Frequency), WAP (Wireless Application Protocol), Bluetooth, IP, IPv6, TCP and User Datagram Protocol (UDP). Further, the communications component 250 can communicate via an extranet and/or a shared private network.
- the communications component 250 can utilize post second generation mobile communications technology (e.g., 3G) to communicate with other device(s) (e.g., WAP gateway).
- the communications component 250 can include software that is reprogrammable.
- the communications component 250 can further communicate via one channel and/or shift among multiple channels, for example, depending on the type of communication being performed (e.g., voice, data and/or high-speed data).
- the communications component 250 can further be adapted to utilize a particular communications modality based upon, for example, upon a priority level. Further, the communications component 250 can be adapted to perform cognitive function(s) to facilitate communications.
- the communications component 250 can determine frequencies available for communication (e.g., temporary use), determine cost(s) associated with communication on each of the frequencies, negotiate usage rights with the owner(s) of the channels. Additionally, the communications component 250 can further monitor the quality of transmission and/or receipt of information and adaptively modify the transmission frequency. It is to be appreciated that the communications component 250 can include means for mobile communications that are embedded within the welding power supply 200 , for example a printed circuit equipped with a mobile communication chip set (not shown), and/or external to the welding power supply 200 , for example, a mobile phone (not shown) serving as a mobile communication modem for the welding power supply 200 .
- the communications component 250 can be adapted for infrared communications utilizing, for example, Infrared Data Association (IrDA) protocol(s).
- the communications component 250 can implement one or more of the IrDA protocol layer(s): physical layer, link access protocol (IrLAP), link management protocol (IrLMP), information access service (IAS), tiny transport protocol (TinyTP), object exchange protocol (IrOBEX), serial and parallel port emulation (IrComm) and/or local area network access (IrLan).
- IrDA protocol layer(s) physical layer, link access protocol (IrLAP), link management protocol (IrLMP), information access service (IAS), tiny transport protocol (TinyTP), object exchange protocol (IrOBEX), serial and parallel port emulation (IrComm) and/or local area network access (IrLan).
- he welding procedure(s) data store 260 can store welding procedure(s) available for the welding power supply 200 .
- multiple welding procedure(s) can be stored in the welding power supply 200 to be available for operator selection (e.g., based upon customer part number and/or type(s) of materials involved in the welding process).
- welding procedure(s) can be transferred to the welding procedure(s) data store 260 via the communications component 250 from a remote system (not shown).
- the remote system (not shown) can transfer welding procedure(s) to the welding power supply 200 based, at least in part, upon information stored in the power supply configuration data store 220 and/or the welding task(s) to be performed.
- a wireless communications device 310 can receive information stored in a power supply configuration data store 220 and/or a welding procedure(s) store 260 of a first welding power supply 410 .
- the wireless communications device 310 can receive information stored in the power supply configuration data store 220 and/or the welding procedure(s) store 260 of the first welding power supply 410 . Thereafter, the wireless communications device 310 can then provide at least some of the information received to a second welding power supply 420 , thus effectively “cloning” the first welding power supply 410 .
- a wireless communications device 310 can receive information stored in a power supply configuration data store 220 and/or a welding procedure(s) store 260 of a welding power supply 510 .
- the wireless communications device 310 can then provide at least some of the information received from the welding power supply 510 to a work station/PC 520 , for example, to facilitate archiving of information (e.g., in case of catastrophic damage to the first welding power supply).
- the work station/PC 520 can provide at least some of the information received from the wireless communications device 310 to remote system(s) (not shown) (e.g., via a WAN) to further facilitate archiving of information.
- the welding system 600 includes a welding power supply 200 and a remote system 610 (e.g., Programmable Logic Device (PLD), Field-Programmable Gate Array (FPGA) and/or microprocessor based computer).
- the welding power supply 200 is operatively coupled via a network 620 to the remote system 610 .
- the network 620 can employ Ethernet (IEEE 802.3), Wireless Ethernet (IEEE 802.11), PPP (point-to-point protocol), point-to-multipoint short-range RF (Radio Frequency), WAP (Wireless Application Protocol), Bluetooth, IP, IPv6, TCP, IrDA protocol(s) and User Datagram Protocol (UDP).
- the network connection can be via an extranet and/or a shared private network.
- the network connection can be via a phone connection (not shown) from the welding power supply 200 to an Internet Service Provider (ISP) to the remote system 610 .
- ISP Internet Service Provider
- Another possible network connection is via a Local Area Network (LAN) to the remote system 610 .
- LAN Local Area Network
- Information exchanged between and among the welding power supply 200 and the remote system 610 can be in a variety of formats and can include, but is not limited to, such technologies as ASCII text files, HTML, SHTML, VB Script, JAVA, CGI Script, JAVA Script, dynamic HTML, PPP, RPC, TELNET, TCP/IP, FTP, ASP, XML, PDF, EDI, WML as well as other formats.
- the remote system 610 can, optionally, include a security component 630 .
- the security component 630 facilitates secure communication between the welding power supply 200 and the remote system 610 . Given that welding information may be transferred over public networks such as the Internet, the security component 630 can provide encrypted data communications along with authentication and authorization services between the remote system 610 and the welding power supply 200 .
- Authentication refers to a determination that a purported user or welding power supply 200 is whom they claim to be.
- Authorization is the process of verifying that a user or welding power supply 200 has been authorized by the remote system 610 to access welding information.
- Encryption is the conversion of data into a form, such as a ciphertest, that is not easily understood by unauthorized agents.
- authentication, authorization, and non-repudiation may be established utilizing a Public Key Infrastructure (PKI) and X.509 Public Key Infrastructure Certificates to provide authentication and message integrity.
- PKI Public Key Infrastructure
- X.509 Public Key Infrastructure Certificates
- SSL Secure Sockets Layer
- SSLHTTP Secure HTTP
- RRC Request for Comments
- the security component 630 can further employ encryption that can be established utilizing one or more of the following protocols.
- a PGP, S/MIME protocol may be employed to provide encrypted email.
- An SSH and/or SSH2 protocol may be utilized to provide encrypted terminal sessions, wherein an Internet Protocol Security (IPSEC) protocol may be employed to provide data encryption.
- IPSEC Internet Protocol Security
- Cloaking techniques may also be employed utilizing either publicly available encryption algorithms and/or those of custom design.
- negotiations can occur between the security component 630 of the remote system 610 and the welding power supply 200 . These negotiations may be utilized to establish a secure (e.g., encrypted) data channel, for example, between the TCP/IP drivers (not shown) of the welding power supply 200 and the remote system 610 .
- a secure e.g., encrypted
- the security component 630 can further define access rights based upon the type of user/welding power supply 200 and/or the particular user/welding power supply 200 . For example, a user having a single welder can be permitted access to welding information accessible to substantially all users while a user having hundreds of welders (e.g., automated factory) possibly spread across various geographical locations can be permitted access to welding information accessible to substantially all users along with information accessible to users associated with a particular entity (e.g., welding procedure(s) for particular part number(s) and/or plant location(s)).
- the security component 630 thus facilitates secure communication and/or validates access of information based at least in part upon access rights granted to the welding power supply 200 and/or a user.
- FIGS. 7, 8 and 9 illustrate a methodology for providing various aspects providing configuration information to a welding power supply in accordance with the present invention.
- the method comprises a group of actions or processes represented by blocks. While, for purposes of simplicity of explanation, the methodology is shown and described as a series of blocks, it is to be understood and appreciated that the present invention is not limited by the number or order of blocks, as some blocks may, in accordance with the present invention, occur in different orders and/or concurrently with other blocks from that shown and described herein. For example, those skilled in the art will understand and appreciate that a methodology could alternatively be represented as a series of interrelated states, such as in a state diagram. Moreover, not all illustrated acts may be required to implement a methodology in accordance with the present invention.
- a methodology 700 for providing configuration information to a welding power supply in accordance with the present invention is provided.
- a welding power supply is validated (e.g., determined to be an approved system user).
- configuration information regarding the welding power supply is received (e.g., retrieved from power supply configuration data store 220 ).
- at determination is made whether the configuration information is the same as expected (e.g., has not changed since last configuration). If the determination at 720 is NO, at 724 , the configuration information received from the welding power supply is stored (e.g., on a remote system) and processing continues at 730 . If the determination at 720 is YES, processing continues at 730 .
Abstract
An apparatus, system and method for a welding power supply adapted to be reconfigured is provided. The welding power supply includes a power supply control and a power supply control data store. Optionally, the welding power supply can include a communications component, an I/O component, a wire feed control component and a welding procedure(s) store. The welding power supply can provide information regarding configuration of the welding power supply to other welding power supplies and remote system(s) to facilitate troubleshooting, servicing, operating, maintenance and/or upgrading of the welding power supply. The invention further comprises a methodology for providing configuration information to a welding power supply.
Description
- This application is a continuation of U.S. Pat. No. 10/191,230 filed on Jul. 9, 2002, entitled APPARATUS, SYSTEM AND METHOD TO FACILITATE RECONFIGURABLE WELDING POWER SUPPLY, the entirety of which is incorporated herein by reference.
- The present invention relates generally to computer and welding systems, and more particularly to an apparatus, system and method of facilitating a reconfigurable welding power supply.
- Welding power supplies are an integral part of electric arc welding systems. Welding systems may involve movement of a consumable electrode, for example, toward a work piece while current is passed through the electrode and across an arc developed between the electrode and the work piece. The electrode may be a non-consumable or consumable type, wherein portions of the electrode may be melted and deposited on the work piece. Power to the electrode is supplied by welding power supplies.
- With increasing frequency, welding power supplies are utilized to perform a multiplicity of welding task(s) in, for example, the manufacturing industry. Given the nature and requirements of modem, complex manufacturing operations, however, welding systems designers, architects and suppliers face increasing challenges in regard to upgrading, maintaining, controlling and servicing various welding locations. Thus, controlling, maintaining and servicing multiple and isolated locations in large centers and/or across the globe has become more challenging, time consuming and expensive.
- One such challenge relates to configuring welding power supplies to perform more than one welding task. For example, a welding power supply may be configured with regard to performing one welding task during a specific period of time and configured with regard to performing a second welding task thereafter.
- Another challenge facing welding power supplies relates to maintenance. Welding power supplies are often maintained and serviced according to procedures implemented by operators of the welding power supplies. Although some operators may adequately service and maintain these welding power supplies, quality of the service and maintenance is often up to the training and competence of the individual operator. Thus, a large collection of well-maintained welding systems, including welding power supplies, servicing an overall assembly process may be at the mercy of another welding system that is not properly serviced or maintained. This may cause the process to stop or be disrupted during service outages relating to a poorly maintained welder, involving, for example, a welding power supply.
- The following presents a simplified summary of the invention in order to provide a basic understanding of some aspects of the invention. This summary is not an extensive overview of the invention. It is not intended to identify key or critical elements of the invention or to delineate the scope of the invention. Its sole purpose is to present some concepts of the invention in a simplified form as a prelude to the more detailed description that is presented later.
- The present invention relates to an apparatus, system and method facilitating a welding power supply adapted to be reconfigured. In accordance with an aspect of the present invention, a welding power supply has at least one power supply control and a power supply configuration data store. The power supply control can command a power output of the welding power supply. The power supply configuration data store can store information, component change(s) and history associated with the power supply control. For example, the power supply configuration data store can store a date of configuration of the power supply control, a time of configuration of the power supply control, a hardware configuration of the welding power supply, a software version of the power supply control, a serial number and/or an identification of the power supply control, welding procedures installed in the welding power supply and/or a memory capacity of the welding power supply. The information stored in the power supply configuration data store can facilitate troubleshooting, servicing, operating, maintenance and/or upgrading of the welding power supply.
- In accordance with another aspect of the present invention, a welding power supply can have an I/O component, a wire feed control component, a communications component and/or a welding procedure(s) data store. The I/O component can receive input signal(s) from node(s) of welding system(s). Based at least in part upon information from the I/O component, the power supply control can provide a power output to an output port. The wire feed control component can facilitate a rate of delivery of consumable wire utilized in the welding process. The communications component can facilitate communication between the welding power supply and remote system(s), for example, to facilitate troubleshooting, servicing, operating, maintenance and/or upgrading of the welding power supply. The communications component can be adapted for wireless communication utilizing a frequency adjusting wireless communication protocol (e.g., Bluetooth) with the remote system. Further, the welding power supply can be operatively coupled via a network to the remote system.
- According to another aspect of the present invention, a remote system can, optionally, include a security component facilitating validation and/or verification of a welding power supply.
- The following description and the annexed drawings set forth in detail certain illustrative aspects of the invention. These aspects are indicative, however, of but a few of the various ways in which the principles of the invention may be employed and the present invention is intended to include all such aspects and their equivalents. Other advantages and novel features of the invention will become apparent from the following detailed description of the invention when considered in conjunction with the drawings.
-
FIG. 1 is a schematic block diagram illustrating a welding power supply in accordance with an aspect of the present invention. -
FIG. 1 a is a schematic block diagram illustrating a welding power supply control in accordance with an aspect of the present invention. -
FIG. 2 is a schematic block diagram illustrating a welding power supply in accordance with an aspect of the present invention. -
FIG. 3 is a schematic block diagram illustrating a welding system in accordance with an aspect of the present invention. -
FIG. 4 is a schematic block diagram illustrating a wireless welding power supply configuration system in accordance with an aspect of the present invention. -
FIG. 5 is a schematic block diagram illustrating a wireless communications storage system in accordance with an aspect of the present invention. -
FIG. 6 is a schematic block diagram illustrating a welding system in accordance with an aspect of the present invention. -
FIG. 7 is a flow chart diagram illustrating a methodology for providing configuration information to a welding power supply in accordance with the present invention. -
FIG. 8 is a flow chart diagram further illustrating the method ofFIG. 7 . -
FIG. 9 is a flow chart diagram further illustrating the method ofFIG. 7 . - The present invention is now described with reference to the drawings, wherein like reference numerals are used to refer to like elements throughout. In the following description, for purposes of explanation, numerous specific details are set forth in order to provide a thorough understanding of the present invention. It may be evident to one skilled in the art that the present invention may be practiced without these specific details. In other instances, well-known structures and devices are shown in block diagram form in order to facilitate description of the present invention.
- As used in this application, the term “component” is intended to refer to a electronic and/or computer-related entity, either hardware, a combination of hardware and software, software, or software in execution. For example, a component may be, but is not limited to being, a process running on a processor, a processor, an object, an executable, a thread of execution, a program, and a computer. By way of illustration, both an application running on a server and the server can be a component.
- A “node” of a welding cell refers to a physical hardware component of a welding system including, but not limited to, a wire feeder, contact tip, dresser, gas mixer, gas sneezer, gas controller, clamp actuator, travel carriage/part manipulator, robot arm/beam/torch manipulator, laser seam tracker, other input/output devices and welding power source. “Welding cell” refers to a grouping of physical hardware components (nodes). It is to be appreciated that a node and/or welding cell can comprise a combination of hardware and software or in some cases simply software (e.g., virtual node or welding cell).
- “Welding procedure” refers to a step or steps involved in a joining process and can include consumables to be used in the process along with settings for various aspects of a welding system before, during and/or after the joining process. For example, some of these aspects relate to control of power and waveforms supplied to an electrode, movements or travel of a welding tip during welding, electrode travel to other welding points, gas control to protect a molten weld pool from oxidation at elevated temperatures and provide ionized plasma for an arc, and other aspects such as arc stability to control quality of the weld.
- “Post second generation service” (e.g., third generation (3G)) refers to mobile communication technology providing capability for high speed packet data (e.g., associated with streaming video and/or voice transmittal), for example, CDMA 2000 and/or Wide Band CDMA (WCDMA). Post second generation technology can also include reprogrammable software embedded in mobile communication device(s) (e.g., mobile phone), thus allowing for additional functionality of hardware employed for radio communication. Post second generation technology can also include cognitive technology whereby mobile device(s) negotiate with owner(s)/manager(s) of frequency channel(s) for temporary use of the frequency.
- Referring to
FIG. 1 , awelding power supply 100 in accordance with an aspect of the present invention is illustrated. Thewelding power supply 100 includes a first power supply control 110 1 through an Nth power supply control 110 N, N being an integer greater to or equal to one. The power supply controls 110 1 through 110 N can be referred to collectively as the power supply control 110. Thewelding power supply 100 further includes a power supplyconfiguration data store 120 and a powersupply process component 130. - The power supply control 110 can command a power output of the
welding power supply 100. For example, the power supply control 110 can control the voltage and/or current of the power output of thewelding power supply 100. - The power supply
configuration data store 120 can store information, component change(s), and history associated with the power supply control 110 and/or thewelding power supply 100. For example, the power supplyconfiguration data store 120 can store a date of configuration of the power supply control 110, a time of configuration of the power supply control 110, a hardware configuration of thewelding power supply 100, a software version of the power supply control 110, a serial number and/or an identification of the power supply control 110, a welding program installed in thewelding power supply 100 and/or a memory capacity of thewelding power supply 100. The information stored in the power supplyconfiguration data store 120 can facilitate troubleshooting, servicing, operating, maintenance and/or upgrading of thewelding power supply 100. - The power
supply process component 130 can facilitate reconfiguration of the power supply control 110 based, at least in part, upon information stored in the power supplycontrol data store 120. For example, the powersupply processor component 130 can facilitate sending information (e.g., voltage setting(s), waveform(s) and/or current setting(s)) to the power supply control 110. - Referring next to
FIG. 1 a, a weldingpower supply control 140 in accordance with an aspect of the present invention is illustrated. Thepower supply control 140 can be adapted to be reconfigured for a first power supply welding application 150 1 through a Pth power supply welding application 150 P, P being an integer greater to or equal to one. For example, in order to facilitate welding a first part, thepower supply control 140 can be configured to operate as the first power supply welding application 150 1. Thereafter, in order to facilitate welding a different part, thepower supply control 140 can be reconfigured to operate as a second power supply welding application 150 2 (e.g., having different voltage setting(s), waveform(s) and/or current setting(s)). - Turning to
FIG. 2 , awelding power supply 200 in accordance with an aspect of the present invention is illustrated. Thewelding power supply 200 includes a first power supply control 210 1 through an Mth power supply control 210 M, M being an integer greater to or equal to one. The power supply controls 210 1 through 210 M can be referred to collectively as the power supply control 210. Thewelding power supply 200 further includes a power supplyconfiguration data store 220 and a powersupply process component 270. Optionally, thewelding power supply 200 can include an I/O component 230, a wirefeed control component 240, acommunications component 250 and/or a welding procedure(s)data store 260. - The power supply control 210 can command various parameters of a power output of the
welding power supply 200. The power supply control 210 can define shape(s) of waveform(s) to control the voltage and/or current of the power output of thewelding power supply 200 to perform different type of welding processes. For example, thepower supply 200 can be utilized to perform gas metal arc welding (GMAW), flux cored arc welding, metal cored arc welding, submerged arc welding (SAW), narrow groove welding, gas tungsten arc (GTAW) welding, plasma arc welding, electron beam and laser welding, hard surfacing welding, arc gouging and/or manual shielded arc welding (SMAW). - The power supply
configuration data store 220 can store information associated with the power supply control 210 and/or thewelding power supply 200. For example, the power supplyconfiguration data store 220 can store a date of configuration of the power supply control 210, a time of configuration of the power supply control 210, a hardware configuration of thewelding power supply 200, a software version of the power supply control 210, a serial number and/or an identification of the power supply control 210, a welding program installed in thewelding power supply 200 and/or a memory capacity of thewelding power supply 200. The information stored in the power supplyconfiguration data store 220 can facilitate troubleshooting, servicing, operating, maintenance and/or upgrading of thewelding power supply 200. - The power
supply process component 270 can facilitate reconfiguration of the power supply control 210 based, at least in part, upon information stored in the power supplycontrol data store 220. For example, the powersupply processor component 270 can facilitate sending information (e.g., voltage setting(s), waveform(s) and/or current setting(s)) to the power supply control 210. - The I/
O component 230 can receive input signal(s) from node(s) of welding system(s). For example, the I/O component 230 can receive an input signal from a proximity switch indicating that a work piece is physically present. Based at least in part upon information from the I/O component 230, the power supply control 210 can provide a power output to anoutput port 212. Additionally, the I/O component 230 can send output signal(s) to node(s) of the welding system(s). - The wire
feed control component 240 can facilitate a rate of delivery of consumable wire utilized in the welding process. - The
communications component 250 can facilitate communication between thewelding power supply 200 and remote system(s) (not shown) (e.g., another welding power supply, a personal digital assistant, a local computer system and/or a remote computer system). For example, thecommunications component 250 can retrieve information stored in the power supplyconfiguration data store 220 and transmit the information to the remote system(s) (not shown) to facilitate troubleshooting, servicing, operating, maintenance and/or upgrading of thewelding power supply 200. By identifying, for example, a time of configuration of the power supply control 210, component change detail, and history of configuration of the power supply control 210 to the remote system (not shown), thecommunications component 250 can enable to a welding technician located in a remote physical location from thewelding power supply 200 to troubleshoot thewelding power supply 200. - The
communications component 250 can be adapted for wireless communication utilizing a frequency adjusting wireless communication protocol (e.g., Bluetooth) with a remote system (not shown). Turning toFIG. 3 , awelding system 300 in accordance with an aspect of the present invention is illustrated. Thewelding system 300 includes awelding power supply 200 and a wireless communications device 310 (e.g., a personal digital assistant, such as a Palm Pilot, adapted for wireless communication). Thewireless communications device 310 can come in close proximity (e.g., within 10 meters) of thewelding power supply 200, for example, to retrieve and/or examine content(s) of the power supplyconfiguration data store 220. Thewireless communications device 310 can further be adapted to send information to the welding power supply 200 (e.g., welding procedure(s)). It is to be appreciated that thecommunications component 250 can further be adapted to communicate with other welding nodes via a communications link, for example Arclink Weld Communications Standard, thus further facilitating the transfer of information stored in the power supplyconfiguration data store 220. - Turning back to
FIG. 2 , thecommunications component 250 can couple thewelding power supply 200 to remote system(s) (not shown) utilizing, for example, Ethernet (IEEE 802.3), Wireless Ethernet (IEEE 802.11), PPP (point-to-point protocol), point-to-multipoint short-range RF (Radio Frequency), WAP (Wireless Application Protocol), Bluetooth, IP, IPv6, TCP and User Datagram Protocol (UDP). Further, thecommunications component 250 can communicate via an extranet and/or a shared private network. - The
communications component 250 can utilize post second generation mobile communications technology (e.g., 3G) to communicate with other device(s) (e.g., WAP gateway). Thecommunications component 250 can include software that is reprogrammable. Thecommunications component 250 can further communicate via one channel and/or shift among multiple channels, for example, depending on the type of communication being performed (e.g., voice, data and/or high-speed data). Thecommunications component 250 can further be adapted to utilize a particular communications modality based upon, for example, upon a priority level. Further, thecommunications component 250 can be adapted to perform cognitive function(s) to facilitate communications. For example, thecommunications component 250 can determine frequencies available for communication (e.g., temporary use), determine cost(s) associated with communication on each of the frequencies, negotiate usage rights with the owner(s) of the channels. Additionally, thecommunications component 250 can further monitor the quality of transmission and/or receipt of information and adaptively modify the transmission frequency. It is to be appreciated that thecommunications component 250 can include means for mobile communications that are embedded within thewelding power supply 200, for example a printed circuit equipped with a mobile communication chip set (not shown), and/or external to thewelding power supply 200, for example, a mobile phone (not shown) serving as a mobile communication modem for thewelding power supply 200. - In one implementation, the
communications component 250 can be adapted for infrared communications utilizing, for example, Infrared Data Association (IrDA) protocol(s). Thecommunications component 250 can implement one or more of the IrDA protocol layer(s): physical layer, link access protocol (IrLAP), link management protocol (IrLMP), information access service (IAS), tiny transport protocol (TinyTP), object exchange protocol (IrOBEX), serial and parallel port emulation (IrComm) and/or local area network access (IrLan).he welding procedure(s)data store 260 can store welding procedure(s) available for thewelding power supply 200. For example, multiple welding procedure(s) can be stored in thewelding power supply 200 to be available for operator selection (e.g., based upon customer part number and/or type(s) of materials involved in the welding process). Further, welding procedure(s) can be transferred to the welding procedure(s)data store 260 via thecommunications component 250 from a remote system (not shown). For example, the remote system (not shown) can transfer welding procedure(s) to thewelding power supply 200 based, at least in part, upon information stored in the power supplyconfiguration data store 220 and/or the welding task(s) to be performed. - Turning to
FIG. 4 , a wireless welding powersupply configuration system 400 in accordance with an aspect of the present invention is illustrated. Awireless communications device 310 can receive information stored in a power supplyconfiguration data store 220 and/or a welding procedure(s)store 260 of a firstwelding power supply 410. For example, thewireless communications device 310 can receive information stored in the power supplyconfiguration data store 220 and/or the welding procedure(s)store 260 of the firstwelding power supply 410. Thereafter, thewireless communications device 310 can then provide at least some of the information received to a secondwelding power supply 420, thus effectively “cloning” the firstwelding power supply 410. - Referring briefly to
FIG. 5 , a wirelesscommunications storage system 500 in accordance with an aspect of the present invention is illustrated. Awireless communications device 310 can receive information stored in a power supplyconfiguration data store 220 and/or a welding procedure(s)store 260 of awelding power supply 510. Thewireless communications device 310 can then provide at least some of the information received from thewelding power supply 510 to a work station/PC 520, for example, to facilitate archiving of information (e.g., in case of catastrophic damage to the first welding power supply). Optionally, the work station/PC 520 can provide at least some of the information received from thewireless communications device 310 to remote system(s) (not shown) (e.g., via a WAN) to further facilitate archiving of information. - Next, referring to
FIG. 6 , awelding system 600 in accordance with an aspect of the present invention is illustrated. Thewelding system 600 includes awelding power supply 200 and a remote system 610 (e.g., Programmable Logic Device (PLD), Field-Programmable Gate Array (FPGA) and/or microprocessor based computer). Thewelding power supply 200 is operatively coupled via anetwork 620 to theremote system 610. For example, thenetwork 620 can employ Ethernet (IEEE 802.3), Wireless Ethernet (IEEE 802.11), PPP (point-to-point protocol), point-to-multipoint short-range RF (Radio Frequency), WAP (Wireless Application Protocol), Bluetooth, IP, IPv6, TCP, IrDA protocol(s) and User Datagram Protocol (UDP). Further, the network connection can be via an extranet and/or a shared private network. For example, the network connection can be via a phone connection (not shown) from thewelding power supply 200 to an Internet Service Provider (ISP) to theremote system 610. Another possible network connection is via a Local Area Network (LAN) to theremote system 610. Information exchanged between and among thewelding power supply 200 and theremote system 610 can be in a variety of formats and can include, but is not limited to, such technologies as ASCII text files, HTML, SHTML, VB Script, JAVA, CGI Script, JAVA Script, dynamic HTML, PPP, RPC, TELNET, TCP/IP, FTP, ASP, XML, PDF, EDI, WML as well as other formats. - The
remote system 610 can, optionally, include asecurity component 630. Thesecurity component 630 facilitates secure communication between thewelding power supply 200 and theremote system 610. Given that welding information may be transferred over public networks such as the Internet, thesecurity component 630 can provide encrypted data communications along with authentication and authorization services between theremote system 610 and thewelding power supply 200. Authentication refers to a determination that a purported user orwelding power supply 200 is whom they claim to be. Authorization is the process of verifying that a user orwelding power supply 200 has been authorized by theremote system 610 to access welding information. Encryption is the conversion of data into a form, such as a ciphertest, that is not easily understood by unauthorized agents. For example, authentication, authorization, and non-repudiation may be established utilizing a Public Key Infrastructure (PKI) and X.509 Public Key Infrastructure Certificates to provide authentication and message integrity. Further, a Secure Sockets Layer (SSL) and Secure HTTP (SHTTP) may be employed to provide authentication and data encryption, wherein proprietary authentication and authorization techniques may be employed utilizing either publicly available encryption algorithms or those of custom design. These protocols, with the exception of those based on a custom design, are readily understood by those of ordinary skill in the art. They are defined in specifications provided in the Request for Comments (RFC) documents from the Internet Engineering Task Force (IETF) and in other sources. - The
security component 630 can further employ encryption that can be established utilizing one or more of the following protocols. For example, a PGP, S/MIME protocol may be employed to provide encrypted email. An SSH and/or SSH2 protocol may be utilized to provide encrypted terminal sessions, wherein an Internet Protocol Security (IPSEC) protocol may be employed to provide data encryption. Cloaking techniques may also be employed utilizing either publicly available encryption algorithms and/or those of custom design. These protocols, with the exception those based on a custom design, are readily understood by those of ordinary skill in the art. They are defined in specifications provided in the appropriate Request for Comments (RFC) documents from the Internet Engineering Task Force (IETF) and in other sources. - Negotiations can occur between the
security component 630 of theremote system 610 and thewelding power supply 200. These negotiations may be utilized to establish a secure (e.g., encrypted) data channel, for example, between the TCP/IP drivers (not shown) of thewelding power supply 200 and theremote system 610. - The
security component 630 can further define access rights based upon the type of user/welding power supply 200 and/or the particular user/welding power supply 200. For example, a user having a single welder can be permitted access to welding information accessible to substantially all users while a user having hundreds of welders (e.g., automated factory) possibly spread across various geographical locations can be permitted access to welding information accessible to substantially all users along with information accessible to users associated with a particular entity (e.g., welding procedure(s) for particular part number(s) and/or plant location(s)). Thesecurity component 630 thus facilitates secure communication and/or validates access of information based at least in part upon access rights granted to thewelding power supply 200 and/or a user. -
FIGS. 7, 8 and 9 illustrate a methodology for providing various aspects providing configuration information to a welding power supply in accordance with the present invention. The method comprises a group of actions or processes represented by blocks. While, for purposes of simplicity of explanation, the methodology is shown and described as a series of blocks, it is to be understood and appreciated that the present invention is not limited by the number or order of blocks, as some blocks may, in accordance with the present invention, occur in different orders and/or concurrently with other blocks from that shown and described herein. For example, those skilled in the art will understand and appreciate that a methodology could alternatively be represented as a series of interrelated states, such as in a state diagram. Moreover, not all illustrated acts may be required to implement a methodology in accordance with the present invention. - Turning to
FIG. 7 , amethodology 700 for providing configuration information to a welding power supply in accordance with the present invention is provided. Beginning at 710, a welding power supply is validated (e.g., determined to be an approved system user). At 714, configuration information regarding the welding power supply is received (e.g., retrieved from power supply configuration data store 220). At 720, at determination is made whether the configuration information is the same as expected (e.g., has not changed since last configuration). If the determination at 720 is NO, at 724, the configuration information received from the welding power supply is stored (e.g., on a remote system) and processing continues at 730. If the determination at 720 is YES, processing continues at 730. At 730, a determination is made as to whether the welding power supply is to be configured (e.g., with a different welding power supply configuration). If the determination at 730 is YES, at 734, a determination is made whether the welding power supply has physical capacity to be configured (e.g., enough memory to load the desired configuration). If the determination at 734 is YES, at 764, the desired configuration information is transferred to the welding power supply. At 768, the configuration information is stored (e.g., on a remote system) and no further processing occurs. If the determination at 734 is NO, no further processing occurs. - If the determination at 730 is NO, at 740 a determination is made whether the welding power supply is to be restored (e.g., based upon previously stored configuration information). If the determination at 740 is NO, no further processing occurs. If the determination at 740 is YES, at 744, a determination is made whether hardware for the welding power supply is needed to be order in order to restore the configuration. If the determination at 744 is YES, at 750, an order is placed for the hardware needed to restore the welding power supply configuration and processing continues at 754. If the determination at 744 is NO, processing continues at 754. At 754, a determination is made whether software is needed to be ordered in order to restore the welding power supply (e.g., welding procedure(s)). If the determination at 754 is NO, no further processing occurs. If the determination at 754 is YES, at 760, an order is placed for the software needed to restore the welding power supply is transmitted (e.g., via a network connection).
- What has been described above are various aspects of the present invention. It is, of course, not possible to describe every conceivable combination of components or methodologies for purposes of describing the present invention, but one of ordinary skill in the art will recognize that many further combinations and permutations of the present invention are possible. Accordingly, the present invention is intended to embrace all such alterations, modifications and variations that fall within the spirit and scope of the appended claims.
Claims (21)
1. A system that facilitates configuring a welder power supply during a welding procedure comprising:
a component that receives a welding parameter; and
a configuration component that automatically applies a welder configuration to a welder power supply based at least upon the welding parameter.
2. The system of claim 1 , the welder configuration is tailored to a production node.
3. The welder configuration of claim 3 is at least one of: a voltage setting; a waveform; and a current setting.
4. The system of claim 1 , the configuration component further comprises a communication component that provides an update to the welder configuration.
5. The system of claim 4 , wherein the update is located on a remote system.
6. The system of claim 5 wherein the remote system is at least one of another welder power supply, a personal digital assistant, a local system and a remote system.
7. The system of claim 4 , wherein the update comprises at least one of: a date of configuration of the power supply control; a service schedule of a power supply; a time of configuration of the power supply control; a hardware configuration of the welder supply; a component listing of the power supply; a maintenance schedule of the components; a software version of the power supply control; a serial number of the power supply control; an identification of the power supply control; a welding program installed in the welding power supply control; a welding program installed in the welding power supply; a component change history of the welding power supply; and a memory capacity of the welding power supply.
8. The system of claim 1 further comprises an artificial intelligence component that infers service and configuration of the welder power supply based upon historical data.
9. The system of claim 1 further comprises an artificial intelligence component that infers service and configuration of the welder power supply based upon extrinsic data.
10. The system of claim 1 , further comprising a wire feed control component that facilitates rate of delivery of consumable wire.
11. A system that facilitates configuring a welder power supply during a welding procedure comprising:
a communications component that updates welder configuration from a remote system;
an analyzer that determines a welder configuration to employ; and
a configuration component that applies the welder configuration to a welder power supply.
12. The system of claim 11 wherein the configuration is at least one of: a date of configuration of the power supply control; a service schedule of a power supply; a time of configuration of the power supply control; a hardware configuration of the welding power supply; a component listing of the power supply, a maintenance schedule of the components; a software version of the power supply, a serial number of the power supply control; an identification of the power supply control; a welding program installed in the welding power supply; a component change of the welding power supply; and a memory capacity of the welding power supply.
13. The system of claim 11 wherein the communication component communicates with the remote system via at least one of: a frequency adjusting wireless communication protocol; CDMA 200 systems capacity; a post second generation service; an IrDA protocol; a third generation service; a wide area network; a local area network; the Internet; and a personal area network.
14. The system of claim 11 further comprises a security component that facilitates securing communication utilizing at least one of: a password login; a digital signature; data encryption; an authentication service; and an authorization service.
15. The system of claim 11 , wherein the configuration is at least one of: an ASCII text file; HTML; SHTML; VB Script; JAVA; CGI Script; dynamic HTML; PPP; RPC; TELNET; TCP/IP; FTP; ASP; XML; PDF; EDI; and WML.
16. The system of claim 11 wherein the remote system is one of: a programmable logic device; field-programmable gate array; and a microprocessor based computer.
17. A computer implemented method that facilitates configuration of a welder power supply, comprising:
receiving a welding parameter;
determining a welder power supply configuration based at least upon the welding parameter; and
controlling the welder power supply based at least upon the welder power supply configuration.
18. The method of claim 17 , the welder power supply configuration comprising at least one of: a date of configuration of the power supply control; a service schedule of a power supply; a time of configuration of the power supply control; a hardware configuration of the welding power supply; a component listing of the power supply; a maintenance schedule of the components; a software version of the power supply; a serial number of the power supply control; an identification of the power supply control; a welding program installed in the welding power supply; a component change of the welding power supply; and a memory capacity of the welding power supply.
19. The method of claim 17 , further comprising:
determining if the welder power supply is to be serviced; and
ordering at least one of hardware and software associated with the service to be performed on the welder power supply.
20. A data packet adapted to be transmitted between a communications component and a remote system, the data packet comprising:
a configuration of at least one welder power supply, the configuration facilitating the configuration and service of the welder power supply.
21. The data packet of claim 20 , wherein the configuration comprises at least one of: a date of configuration of the power supply control; a service schedule of a power supply; a time of configuration of the power supply control; a hardware configuration of the welding power supply; a component listing of the power supply; a maintenance schedule of components; a software version of the power supply; a serial number of the power supply control; an identification of the power supply control, a welding program; a component change of the welding power supply; and a memory capacity of the welding power supply.
Priority Applications (1)
Application Number | Priority Date | Filing Date | Title |
---|---|---|---|
US10/935,566 US20050035105A1 (en) | 2002-07-09 | 2004-09-07 | Apparatus, system and method to facilitate reconfigurable welding power supply |
Applications Claiming Priority (2)
Application Number | Priority Date | Filing Date | Title |
---|---|---|---|
US10/191,230 US6815640B1 (en) | 2002-07-09 | 2002-07-09 | Apparatus, system and method to facilitate reconfigurable welding power supply |
US10/935,566 US20050035105A1 (en) | 2002-07-09 | 2004-09-07 | Apparatus, system and method to facilitate reconfigurable welding power supply |
Related Parent Applications (1)
Application Number | Title | Priority Date | Filing Date |
---|---|---|---|
US10/191,230 Continuation US6815640B1 (en) | 2002-07-09 | 2002-07-09 | Apparatus, system and method to facilitate reconfigurable welding power supply |
Publications (1)
Publication Number | Publication Date |
---|---|
US20050035105A1 true US20050035105A1 (en) | 2005-02-17 |
Family
ID=29735286
Family Applications (2)
Application Number | Title | Priority Date | Filing Date |
---|---|---|---|
US10/191,230 Expired - Fee Related US6815640B1 (en) | 2002-07-09 | 2002-07-09 | Apparatus, system and method to facilitate reconfigurable welding power supply |
US10/935,566 Abandoned US20050035105A1 (en) | 2002-07-09 | 2004-09-07 | Apparatus, system and method to facilitate reconfigurable welding power supply |
Family Applications Before (1)
Application Number | Title | Priority Date | Filing Date |
---|---|---|---|
US10/191,230 Expired - Fee Related US6815640B1 (en) | 2002-07-09 | 2002-07-09 | Apparatus, system and method to facilitate reconfigurable welding power supply |
Country Status (8)
Country | Link |
---|---|
US (2) | US6815640B1 (en) |
EP (1) | EP1380377A3 (en) |
JP (2) | JP2004154863A (en) |
AU (1) | AU2003212020B2 (en) |
BR (1) | BR0302295A (en) |
CA (1) | CA2434344A1 (en) |
MX (1) | MXPA03006142A (en) |
TW (1) | TWI296556B (en) |
Cited By (10)
Publication number | Priority date | Publication date | Assignee | Title |
---|---|---|---|---|
CN100493802C (en) * | 2007-07-27 | 2009-06-03 | 北京工业大学 | Power supply control system for inversion arc welding |
US20090313549A1 (en) * | 2008-06-16 | 2009-12-17 | Bruce Alan Casner | Configurable welding interface for automated welding applications |
US20110303655A1 (en) * | 2008-09-30 | 2011-12-15 | National Institute For Materials Science | Welding equipment for metallic materials and method for welding metallic materials |
US20130116849A1 (en) * | 2011-11-08 | 2013-05-09 | Lincoln Global, Inc. | System and method for real-time computation and reporting of welding machine performance and metrics |
US20130282182A1 (en) * | 2012-04-23 | 2013-10-24 | Chrysler Group Llc | Method and system for scheduling weld events |
CN103517780A (en) * | 2011-03-25 | 2014-01-15 | 伊利诺斯工具制品有限公司 | Systems and methods for adjusting multiple settings of a welding power supply |
US20140251969A1 (en) * | 2013-03-11 | 2014-09-11 | Illinois Tool Works Inc. | Automated System for Machine Set-Up of Welding Power Sources and Welding Systems |
US20150012763A1 (en) * | 2011-12-30 | 2015-01-08 | Schneider Electric It Corporation | Systems and methods of remote communication |
CN107931785A (en) * | 2011-09-27 | 2018-04-20 | 伊利诺斯工具制品有限公司 | The welding method stored using cloud computing and data |
US10404779B2 (en) | 2016-07-26 | 2019-09-03 | Schneider Electric It Corporation | Cloud assisted management of devices |
Families Citing this family (20)
Publication number | Priority date | Publication date | Assignee | Title |
---|---|---|---|---|
US6815640B1 (en) * | 2002-07-09 | 2004-11-09 | Lincoln Global, Inc. | Apparatus, system and method to facilitate reconfigurable welding power supply |
US20080078811A1 (en) * | 2006-09-15 | 2008-04-03 | The Lincoln Electric Company | Weld data acquisition |
US8785817B2 (en) | 2006-11-16 | 2014-07-22 | Illinois Tool Works Inc. | Method and apparatus for wireless remote control communication of a welder |
CN101415516A (en) * | 2007-03-19 | 2009-04-22 | 松下电器产业株式会社 | Welding device |
US9174299B2 (en) | 2009-05-15 | 2015-11-03 | Ef Technologies, Inc. | Apparatus and method for portable calibration of electrofusion controllers |
CN103764329B (en) | 2011-05-26 | 2016-12-21 | 维克托设备公司 | During the beginning of welding process, the system and method for welding is produced by limiting output |
NZ618226A (en) | 2011-05-26 | 2015-03-27 | Thermal Dynamics Corp | Systems for and method of generating a weld with energy conservation and improved cooling in welding machines |
US10507542B2 (en) * | 2012-05-31 | 2019-12-17 | Illinois Tool Works Inc. | System and method for pairing welding devices |
US9270520B2 (en) * | 2012-08-17 | 2016-02-23 | Illinois Tool Works Inc. | Wireless communication network sensor information for control of industrial equipment in harsh environments |
US10118241B2 (en) | 2012-09-07 | 2018-11-06 | Illinois Tool Works Inc. | Welding system with multiple user interface modules |
US9743987B2 (en) | 2013-03-14 | 2017-08-29 | Board Of Regents Of The University Of Nebraska | Methods, systems, and devices relating to robotic surgical devices, end effectors, and controllers |
JP5988918B2 (en) * | 2013-06-03 | 2016-09-07 | 株式会社神戸製鋼所 | Welding apparatus, welding system including a plurality of welding apparatuses, and program used for welding apparatus |
CN103639621B (en) * | 2013-11-25 | 2015-12-02 | 唐山松下产业机器有限公司 | A kind of welding system and control method thereof |
US11103948B2 (en) | 2014-08-18 | 2021-08-31 | Illinois Tool Works Inc. | Systems and methods for a personally allocated interface for use in a welding system |
US10162375B2 (en) * | 2015-09-03 | 2018-12-25 | Lincoln Global, Inc. | Power source system with remotely configurable power source |
US10416701B2 (en) | 2015-09-03 | 2019-09-17 | Lincoln Global, Inc. | Systems and methods of controlling a maximum power output level of an engine-driven power source system |
US10722319B2 (en) | 2016-12-14 | 2020-07-28 | Virtual Incision Corporation | Releasable attachment device for coupling to medical devices and related systems and methods |
US11768483B2 (en) | 2019-05-22 | 2023-09-26 | Illinois Tool Works Inc. | Distributed weld monitoring system with job tracking |
US11400537B2 (en) | 2019-09-12 | 2022-08-02 | Illinois Tool Works Inc. | System and methods for labeling weld monitoring time periods using machine learning techniques |
CN111327406A (en) * | 2020-03-03 | 2020-06-23 | 深圳市麦格米特焊接技术有限公司 | Data communication method and device of welding power supply equipment and welding power supply equipment |
Citations (16)
Publication number | Priority date | Publication date | Assignee | Title |
---|---|---|---|---|
US4410788A (en) * | 1980-04-16 | 1983-10-18 | Summers John E | Power and fluid supply source with multi-function cutting and welding capabilities |
US4672173A (en) * | 1985-02-28 | 1987-06-09 | Nippon Kokan Kabushiki Kaisha | Gas-shielded arc welding apparatus |
US5136139A (en) * | 1989-11-29 | 1992-08-04 | Gilliland Malcolm T | Pulse MIG welder for welding thin-walled copper-nickel pipe |
US5991169A (en) * | 1998-03-16 | 1999-11-23 | Lincoln Global, Inc. | Arc welding power supply |
US6040550A (en) * | 1996-10-28 | 2000-03-21 | Chang; Dale U. | Apparatus and method for laser welding the outer joints of metal bellows |
US6091048A (en) * | 1997-05-16 | 2000-07-18 | Illinois Tool Works Inc. | Welding machine with automatic parameter setting |
US6091612A (en) * | 1999-08-04 | 2000-07-18 | Lincoln Global, Inc. | Universal power supply for arc welder |
US6472634B1 (en) * | 2001-04-17 | 2002-10-29 | Lincoln Global, Inc. | Electric arc welding system |
US6479792B1 (en) * | 2000-09-06 | 2002-11-12 | Illinois Tool Works Inc. | Welding machine, system and method therefor |
US20020198627A1 (en) * | 2001-04-06 | 2002-12-26 | Nasman Kevin P. | Predictive failure scheme for industrial thin films processing power delivery system |
US6504131B1 (en) * | 2001-09-19 | 2003-01-07 | Illinois Tool Works Inc. | Welding-type power supply with boot loader |
US6605800B1 (en) * | 1998-10-16 | 2003-08-12 | Fronius Schweissmaschinen Produktion Gmbh & Co. Kg | Regulating device for a welding apparatus |
US6670579B2 (en) * | 2001-09-19 | 2003-12-30 | Illinois Tool Works Inc. | Welding-type system with network and multiple level messaging between components |
US6797921B1 (en) * | 1999-08-16 | 2004-09-28 | Fronius International Gmbh | Welding unit equipped with a communications interface and method for operating the welding unit |
US6815640B1 (en) * | 2002-07-09 | 2004-11-09 | Lincoln Global, Inc. | Apparatus, system and method to facilitate reconfigurable welding power supply |
US7523069B1 (en) * | 1999-11-05 | 2009-04-21 | Fronium International Gmbh | Assessing and/or determining of user authorizations using a transponder, a finger print recognition routine or the like |
Family Cites Families (3)
Publication number | Priority date | Publication date | Assignee | Title |
---|---|---|---|---|
JPH1147950A (en) * | 1997-07-28 | 1999-02-23 | Miyachi Technos Corp | Remote welding control equipment |
AT411880B (en) * | 1998-01-13 | 2004-07-26 | Fronius Int Gmbh | CONTROL DEVICE FOR A WELDING MACHINE |
DE10127297A1 (en) * | 2001-06-05 | 2002-03-07 | Niepenberg Dalex Werke | Welding current source used for arc welding processes comprises a transformer, a capacitor, a power transistor, throttle, a welding current measuring device, and a welding voltage exit |
-
2002
- 2002-07-09 US US10/191,230 patent/US6815640B1/en not_active Expired - Fee Related
-
2003
- 2003-07-04 CA CA002434344A patent/CA2434344A1/en not_active Abandoned
- 2003-07-07 EP EP03015308A patent/EP1380377A3/en not_active Ceased
- 2003-07-08 BR BR0302295-1A patent/BR0302295A/en not_active IP Right Cessation
- 2003-07-08 TW TW092118646A patent/TWI296556B/en not_active IP Right Cessation
- 2003-07-09 JP JP2003272555A patent/JP2004154863A/en active Pending
- 2003-07-09 AU AU2003212020A patent/AU2003212020B2/en not_active Ceased
- 2003-07-09 MX MXPA03006142A patent/MXPA03006142A/en active IP Right Grant
-
2004
- 2004-09-07 US US10/935,566 patent/US20050035105A1/en not_active Abandoned
-
2010
- 2010-02-17 JP JP2010032306A patent/JP2010162607A/en active Pending
Patent Citations (16)
Publication number | Priority date | Publication date | Assignee | Title |
---|---|---|---|---|
US4410788A (en) * | 1980-04-16 | 1983-10-18 | Summers John E | Power and fluid supply source with multi-function cutting and welding capabilities |
US4672173A (en) * | 1985-02-28 | 1987-06-09 | Nippon Kokan Kabushiki Kaisha | Gas-shielded arc welding apparatus |
US5136139A (en) * | 1989-11-29 | 1992-08-04 | Gilliland Malcolm T | Pulse MIG welder for welding thin-walled copper-nickel pipe |
US6040550A (en) * | 1996-10-28 | 2000-03-21 | Chang; Dale U. | Apparatus and method for laser welding the outer joints of metal bellows |
US6091048A (en) * | 1997-05-16 | 2000-07-18 | Illinois Tool Works Inc. | Welding machine with automatic parameter setting |
US5991169A (en) * | 1998-03-16 | 1999-11-23 | Lincoln Global, Inc. | Arc welding power supply |
US6605800B1 (en) * | 1998-10-16 | 2003-08-12 | Fronius Schweissmaschinen Produktion Gmbh & Co. Kg | Regulating device for a welding apparatus |
US6091612A (en) * | 1999-08-04 | 2000-07-18 | Lincoln Global, Inc. | Universal power supply for arc welder |
US6797921B1 (en) * | 1999-08-16 | 2004-09-28 | Fronius International Gmbh | Welding unit equipped with a communications interface and method for operating the welding unit |
US7523069B1 (en) * | 1999-11-05 | 2009-04-21 | Fronium International Gmbh | Assessing and/or determining of user authorizations using a transponder, a finger print recognition routine or the like |
US6479792B1 (en) * | 2000-09-06 | 2002-11-12 | Illinois Tool Works Inc. | Welding machine, system and method therefor |
US20020198627A1 (en) * | 2001-04-06 | 2002-12-26 | Nasman Kevin P. | Predictive failure scheme for industrial thin films processing power delivery system |
US6472634B1 (en) * | 2001-04-17 | 2002-10-29 | Lincoln Global, Inc. | Electric arc welding system |
US6504131B1 (en) * | 2001-09-19 | 2003-01-07 | Illinois Tool Works Inc. | Welding-type power supply with boot loader |
US6670579B2 (en) * | 2001-09-19 | 2003-12-30 | Illinois Tool Works Inc. | Welding-type system with network and multiple level messaging between components |
US6815640B1 (en) * | 2002-07-09 | 2004-11-09 | Lincoln Global, Inc. | Apparatus, system and method to facilitate reconfigurable welding power supply |
Cited By (21)
Publication number | Priority date | Publication date | Assignee | Title |
---|---|---|---|---|
CN100493802C (en) * | 2007-07-27 | 2009-06-03 | 北京工业大学 | Power supply control system for inversion arc welding |
US8847115B2 (en) | 2008-06-16 | 2014-09-30 | Illinois Tool Works Inc. | Configurable welding interface for automated welding applications |
US20090313549A1 (en) * | 2008-06-16 | 2009-12-17 | Bruce Alan Casner | Configurable welding interface for automated welding applications |
US20110303655A1 (en) * | 2008-09-30 | 2011-12-15 | National Institute For Materials Science | Welding equipment for metallic materials and method for welding metallic materials |
US10189112B2 (en) | 2008-09-30 | 2019-01-29 | Neturen Co., Ltd. | Welding equipment for metallic materials and method for welding metallic materials |
US9079266B2 (en) * | 2008-09-30 | 2015-07-14 | Neturen Co., Ltd. | Welding equipment for metallic materials and method for welding metallic materials |
CN103517780A (en) * | 2011-03-25 | 2014-01-15 | 伊利诺斯工具制品有限公司 | Systems and methods for adjusting multiple settings of a welding power supply |
US11110538B2 (en) | 2011-03-25 | 2021-09-07 | Illinois Tool Works Inc. | Systems and methods for adjusting multiple settings of a welding power supply |
US11865649B2 (en) | 2011-09-27 | 2024-01-09 | Illinois Tool Works Inc. | Welding systems and methods utilizing cloud computing and data storage |
CN107931785A (en) * | 2011-09-27 | 2018-04-20 | 伊利诺斯工具制品有限公司 | The welding method stored using cloud computing and data |
US10857613B2 (en) | 2011-11-08 | 2020-12-08 | Lincoln Global, Inc. | System and method for real-time computation and reporting of welding machine performance and metrics |
US9839967B2 (en) * | 2011-11-08 | 2017-12-12 | Lincoln Global, Inc. | System and method for real-time computation and reporting of welding machine performance and metrics |
US20130116849A1 (en) * | 2011-11-08 | 2013-05-09 | Lincoln Global, Inc. | System and method for real-time computation and reporting of welding machine performance and metrics |
US20150012763A1 (en) * | 2011-12-30 | 2015-01-08 | Schneider Electric It Corporation | Systems and methods of remote communication |
US9804649B2 (en) * | 2011-12-30 | 2017-10-31 | Schneider Electric It Corporation | Systems and methods of remote communication |
US20130282182A1 (en) * | 2012-04-23 | 2013-10-24 | Chrysler Group Llc | Method and system for scheduling weld events |
US9067274B2 (en) * | 2012-04-23 | 2015-06-30 | Fca Us Llc | Method and system for scheduling weld events |
US20190143435A1 (en) * | 2013-03-11 | 2019-05-16 | Illinois Tool Works Inc. | Automated system for machine set-up of welding power sources and welding systems |
US10213861B2 (en) * | 2013-03-11 | 2019-02-26 | Illinois Tool Works Inc. | Automated system for machine set-up of welding power sources and welding systems |
US20140251969A1 (en) * | 2013-03-11 | 2014-09-11 | Illinois Tool Works Inc. | Automated System for Machine Set-Up of Welding Power Sources and Welding Systems |
US10404779B2 (en) | 2016-07-26 | 2019-09-03 | Schneider Electric It Corporation | Cloud assisted management of devices |
Also Published As
Publication number | Publication date |
---|---|
EP1380377A3 (en) | 2004-11-24 |
US6815640B1 (en) | 2004-11-09 |
EP1380377A2 (en) | 2004-01-14 |
TW200404637A (en) | 2004-04-01 |
MXPA03006142A (en) | 2005-04-19 |
JP2004154863A (en) | 2004-06-03 |
TWI296556B (en) | 2008-05-11 |
AU2003212020A1 (en) | 2004-01-29 |
CA2434344A1 (en) | 2004-01-09 |
AU2003212020B2 (en) | 2008-11-20 |
JP2010162607A (en) | 2010-07-29 |
BR0302295A (en) | 2004-09-08 |
Similar Documents
Publication | Publication Date | Title |
---|---|---|
US6815640B1 (en) | Apparatus, system and method to facilitate reconfigurable welding power supply | |
US8224881B1 (en) | System and method for managing welding information | |
JP4728559B2 (en) | System and method for providing a distributed welding architecture | |
US7574172B2 (en) | System and method to facilitate wireless wide area communication in a welding environment | |
AU2002318120A1 (en) | System and method for managing welding information | |
US6795778B2 (en) | System and method for facilitating welding system diagnostics | |
US7245875B2 (en) | System and method to facilitate wireless communication in a welding environment | |
AU2002243638A1 (en) | System and method providing distributed welding architecture | |
AU2002309655A1 (en) | System and method for facilitating welding system diagnostics |
Legal Events
Date | Code | Title | Description |
---|---|---|---|
AS | Assignment |
Owner name: LINCOLN GLOBAL, INC., CALIFORNIA Free format text: ASSIGNMENT OF ASSIGNORS INTEREST;ASSIGNORS:SPEAR, THERESA CHIH-LEI MIAO;BLANKENSHIP, GEORGE DARYL;REEL/FRAME:015775/0725;SIGNING DATES FROM 20020703 TO 20020708 |
|
STCB | Information on status: application discontinuation |
Free format text: ABANDONED -- FAILURE TO RESPOND TO AN OFFICE ACTION |