Systems and methods for providing location services for a welding power supply

• US 10,363,627 B2
• Filed: 12/16/2014
• Issued: 07/30/2019
• Est. Priority Date: 12/16/2014
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Illinois Tool Works Inc.
• Original Assignee: Illinois Tool Works Inc.
• Inventors: Denis, Marc Lee, Hsu, Christopher
• Primary Examiner(s): Jennison, Brian W
• Application Number:
  US14/572,482
• Publication Number:
  US 20160167153A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,687 Days
• CPC Class Codes: B23K 9/1006 Power supply
• CPC Class Codes: B23K 9/1062 with computing means
• CPC Class Codes: B23K 9/1087 Arc welding using remote control
• CPC Class Codes: B23K 9/167 and of a non-consumable electrode
• CPC Class Codes: B23K 9/173 and of a consumable electrode
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 12/04 Key management, e.g. using generic bootstrapping architecture [GBA]
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 12/08 Access security
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 12/50 Secure pairing of devices
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/02 Services making use of location information
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/023 using mutual or relative location information between multiple location based services [LBS] targets or of distance thresholds
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/029 Location-based management or tracking services
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/80 Services using short range communication, e.g. near-field communication [NFC], radio-frequency identification [RFID] or low energy communication
• CPC Class Codes: Y04S 40/20 Information technology specific aspects, e.g. CAD, simulation, modelling, system security

Abstract

Embodiments described herein include wireless control of a welding power supply via portable electronic devices, such as dedicated original equipment manufacturer (OEM) welding remote devices, cellular radio telephones, satellite radio telephones, laptops computers, tablet computers, and so forth. In particular, operating parameters and statuses of the welding power supply may be modified by the portable electronic device, as well as be displayed on the portable electronic device. A pairing procedure may be used to pair the welding power supply and the portable electronic device in a wireless communication network. Furthermore, in certain embodiments, a method of providing location services for the welding power supply includes utilizing location data for the portable electronic device controlling the welding power supply as an approximation for the location of the welding power supply.

Claims

1. A welding power supply comprising:

power conversion circuitry configured to convert an input power into an output power for a welding operation;

wireless communication circuitry configured to wirelessly communicate with a portable electronic device via wireless communications; and

a controller configured to;

pair the portable electronic device with the welding power supply in the wireless communications;

control operation of the power conversion circuitry based at least in part on commands received wirelessly from the portable electronic device via the wireless communications;

receive, via the wireless communications circuitry, first location data representative of a location of the portable electronic device; and

set second location data representative of a location of the welding power supply equal to the first location data, wherein the second location data is stored in a memory device of the welding power supply.

2. The welding power supply of claim 1, wherein the controller is configured to transmit operational data to the portable electronic device for temporary storage and geotagging when the control circuitry determines that the wireless communication circuitry has no access or limited access to a telecommunication infrastructure.

3. The welding power supply of claim 1, wherein the controller is configured to receive a request for a location of the welding power supply from a device external to the welding power supply, and to respond to the request for the location of the welding power supply with the location data of the portable electronic device.

4. The welding power supply of claim 1, wherein the pairing and the wireless communication are secured using security keys stored in both the portable electronic device and the control circuitry, and wherein the security keys are not shared between the portable electronic device and the controller during the pairing or the wireless communication.

5. The welding power supply of claim 1, wherein the controller is configured to pair the portable electronic device with the welding power supply in a 1:

1 paired relationship.

6. The welding power supply of claim 1, wherein the wireless communication circuitry is configured to wirelessly communicate with the portable electronic device via an IEEE 802.11x-based WI-FI wireless network.

7. The welding power supply of claim 1, wherein the wireless communication circuitry is configured to wirelessly communicate with the portable electronic device via an IEEE 802.15.1 BLUETOOTH wireless network.

8. The welding power supply of claim 1, wherein the wireless communication circuitry is configured to wirelessly communicate with the portable electronic device via an IEEE 802.15.4 wireless network with or without a ZIGBEE™

software stack.

9. The welding power supply of claim 1, wherein the portable electronic device is a cellular radio telephone.

10. The welding power supply of claim 1, wherein the portable electronic device is a satellite radio telephone.

11. The welding power supply of claim 1, wherein the portable electronic device is a laptop computer.

12. The welding power supply of claim 1, wherein the portable electronic device is a tablet computer.

13. The welding power supply of claim 1, wherein the portable electronic device is a dedicated original equipment manufacturer (OEM) remote control device.

14. The welding power supply of claim 1, wherein the welding power supply is an engine-driven welding power supply.

15. The welding power supply of claim 1, wherein the welding power supply is powered by a lithium-ion battery, a lithium-magnesium battery, or a fuel cell.

16. A method comprising:

pairing a portable electronic device with a welding power supply via wireless communications;

controlling operation of the welding power supply based at least in part on commands received wirelessly from the portable electronic device via the wireless communications;

receive, via the wireless communications, first location data representative of a location of the portable electronic device; and

setting second location data representative of a location of the welding power supply equal to the first location data, wherein the setting of the location data comprises storing the second location data in a memory device of the welding power supply.

17. The method of claim 16, comprising temporarily storing and location tagging operational data in the portable electronic device when the portable electronic device has no access or limited access to a telecommunication infrastructure.

18. The method of claim 16, comprising receiving a request for a location of the welding power supply from an external system, and responding to the request for the location of the welding power supply with the location data of the portable electronic device.

19. The method of claim 16, wherein pairing the portable electronic device with the welding power supply comprises using security keys stored in both the portable electronic device and the welding power supply, and wherein the security keys are not shared between the portable electronic device and the welding power supply during the pairing.

20. The method of claim 16, wherein pairing the portable electronic device with the welding power supply comprises pairing the portable electronic device with the welding power supply in a 1:

1 paired relationship.

21. The method of claim 16, wherein the pairing of the portable electronic device with the welding power supply comprises pairing via a wireless communication network, the wireless communication network comprising at least one of an IEEE 802.11x-based WI-FI wireless network, an IEEE 802.15.1 BLUETOOTH wireless network, an IEEE 802.15.4 ZIGBEE™

wireless network, or any other wireless network.

22. The method of claim 16, wherein the portable electronic device is a cellular radio telephone, a satellite radio telephone, a laptop computer, a tablet computer, or a dedicated original equipment manufacturer (OEM) remote control device.

23. A welding power supply comprising:

power conversion circuitry configured to convert an input power into an output power for a welding operation;

wireless communication circuitry configured to wirelessly communicate with a portable electronic device and to wirelessly receive location data from the portable electronic device, wherein the location data is representative of a location of the portable electronic device;

location circuitry configured to set a location of the welding power supply as a location represented by the location data received wirelessly from the portable electronic device and to store the location data in a memory of the welding power supply; and

a controller configured to pair the portable electronic device with the welding power supply to control operation of the power conversion circuitry based at least in part on commands received wirelessly from the portable electronic device.

24. A welding power supply comprising:

power conversion circuitry configured to convert an input power into an output power for a welding operation;

communication circuitry configured to communicate with a location services device via a weld cable coupled to the welding power supply and to receive first location data from the location services device; and

a controller configured to control operation of the power conversion circuitry, and to set second location data representative of a location of the welding power supply equal to the first location data received from the location services device via the weld cable, wherein the second location data is stored in a memory device of the welding power supply.