Method and apparatus for welding with battery power

• US 10,099,308 B2
• Filed: 02/09/2006
• Issued: 10/16/2018
• Est. Priority Date: 02/09/2006
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Illinois Tool Works Inc.
• Original Assignee: Illinois Tool Works Inc.
• Inventors: Vogel, Bernard J., Beeson, Richard W.
• Primary Examiner(s): Ross, Dana
• Assistant Examiner(s): Maye, Ayub
• Application Number:
  US11/350,638
• Publication Number:
  US 20070181547A1
• Time in Patent Office: 4,632 Days
• Field of Search: 2191301, 2191305, 21913021, 2191377
• CPC Class Codes: B23K 9/1081 Arc welding by means of accumulated energy

Abstract

A method and apparatus provides welding-type power and preferably includes a removable battery or other energy storage device, a converter connected to the battery, and a controller. The controller may have a CV and/or a CSC and/or an AC weld control module, and/or an ac auxiliary control module. The converter is a boost converter, a buck converter, a cuk converter, a forward converter, an inverter, a bridge converter, and/or a resonant converter. The controller may include a battery charging control module, and may have one or more charging schedules, and/or data for stored charge, thermal information, expected life of the battery, maximum amp-hour charge for the battery, maximum charging current and/or feedback. The battery charging schedules may include at least 3 phases, such as a phase of increasing voltage and a phase of decreasing current, a substantially constant power phase. The controller can wirelessly provide data to a display or pda. A generator may provide power to the battery, charger, and/or the weld. It can include a vehicle and use its dc power system.

Claims

1. A welding-type power supply, comprising:

a battery;

a first converter, having an input in electrical communication with the battery, and having a control input, and having a welding-type power output; and

a controller, having a control output in electrical communication with the control input, and having at least one of a controlled voltage control module, a controlled short circuit control module and an AC weld control module in electrical communication with the control output; and

a second converter, having a second input in electrical communication with the battery, wherein the battery configured to provide power to the second converter; and

having a second control input, and having an ac auxiliary output, and wherein the controller;

has an ac auxiliary control module with a second control output in electrical communication with the second control input.

2. The welding-type power supply of claim 1 wherein the controller has both of the controlled voltage control module and the AC weld control module in electrical communication with the control output.

3. The welding-type power supply of claim 1 wherein the controller has a plasma control module in electrical communication with the control output.

4. The welding-type power supply of claim 1 wherein the first converter is a boost converter.

5. The welding-type power supply of claim 1 wherein the second converter is a buck converter.

6. The welding-type power supply of claim 1, wherein the battery is removable.

7. The welding-type power supply of claim 1, wherein the battery is a lead acid battery.

8. The welding-type power supply of claim 1, further comprising a welding gun, in electrical communication with the welding-type power and a source of gas, disposed to provide gas to the welding gun.

9. The welding-type power supply of claim 1, further comprising a generator, having a generator output in electrical communication with the battery.

10. The welding-type power supply of claim 2 wherein the controller has a CC control module in electrical communication with the control output.

11. The welding-type power supply of claim 7, wherein the battery is comprised of a plurality of batteries in at least one of series and parallel.

12. A welding-type power supply,

comprising:

a battery;

a converter, having an input in electrical communication with the battery, and having a control input, and having a welding-type power output and an ac auxiliary output;

an ac auxiliary converter;

having a second input in electrical communication with the battery, wherein the battery configured to provide power to the second converter, and having an ac auxiliary output, and a controller, having a control output in electrical communication with the control input, and an ac auxiliary control module in electrical communication with the control output.

13. The welding-type power supply of claim 12 wherein the controller has at least one of a controlled voltage weld control module, a controlled short circuit weld control module, and an AC weld control module in electrical communication with the control output.