Tablet-based welding simulator

• US 9,336,686 B2
• Filed: 03/25/2014
• Issued: 05/10/2016
• Est. Priority Date: 08/21/2008
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Lincoln Global Incorporated (Lincoln Electric Holdings Incorporated)
• Original Assignee: Lincoln Global Incorporated (Lincoln Electric Holdings Incorporated)
• Inventors: Peters, Carl, Postlethwaite, Deanna, Wallace, Matthew Wayne
• Primary Examiner(s): Bullington, Robert P
• Application Number:
  US14/224,263
• Publication Number:
  US 20140205976A1
• Time in Patent Office: 777 Days
• Field of Search: 434/234
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: G09B 19/24 Use of tools
• CPC Class Codes: G09B 5/00 Electrically-operated educational appliances working with questions and answers G09B7/00; simulators G09B9/00; advertising or displaying in general G09F
• CPC Class Codes: G09B 5/02 with visual presentation of the material to be studied, e.g. using film strip

Abstract

Embodiments of the present invention pertain to a computer program product and processor based computing system that provides processing means for executing coded instructions and input means for interacting with said processing means to create a virtual welding environment. The system establishes an objective to change a functional or operational state of a virtual article, and directs the end user to perform at least one virtual welding operation for changing its functional state. The system trains new users and inexperienced welders on the fundamental aspects of welding and other technical aspects.

Claims

1. A welding computing device, comprising:

a mock welding tool;

three-dimensional glasses;

wireless communication means;

computer memory storing at least one welding summarizing software application; and

processing means operable to execute coded instructions of the at least one welding summarizing software application to;

access at least one virtual reality welding system via the wireless communication means to download user virtual welding activity information from the at least one virtual reality welding system to the welding computing device, the at least one virtual reality welding system being a simulator for generating an interactive virtual reality simulation of a virtual welding environment in which a user performs a virtual welding process in a virtual environment via manipulation of the mock welding tool causing the at least one virtual reality welding system to simulate creation of a virtual weld bead responsive to user manipulation of the mock welding tool, and

display stereoscopic three-dimensional images of at least a portion of the dynamic virtual welding environment on a display screen of the virtual reality welding system, and

view the stereoscopic three-dimensional images using three-dimensional glasses, resulting in at least a portion of the dynamic virtual welding environment appearing to project out of the display screen,

correlate a position of at least one point on the mock welding tool in the virtual reality welding system to a position of at least one point on the projected virtual reality welding system, and

generate a summary of user virtual welding progress based on the user virtual welding activity information.

2. The welding computing device of claim 1, further comprising a display device configured to display the summary of user virtual welding progress.

3. The welding computing device of claim 1, wherein the user virtual welding activity information and the summary of user virtual welding progress correspond to a single user of the at least one virtual reality welding system.

4. The welding computing device of claim 1, wherein the user virtual welding activity information and the summary of user virtual welding progress correspond to a plurality of users of the at least one virtual reality welding system.

5. The welding computing device of claim 1, wherein the user virtual welding activity information is stored on the at least one virtual reality welding system in the form of one or more electronic files.

6. The welding computing device of claim 1, wherein the user virtual welding activity information includes one or more of information identifying the types of welding processes at least one user has performed on the at least one virtual reality welding system, information related to a performance of the at least one user for each of the types of welding processes.

7. The welding computing device of claim 1, wherein the summary of user virtual welding progress includes one or more of average performance information, consolidated performance information, and graphical information for one or more users of the at least one virtual reality welding system.

8. The welding computing device of claim 1, wherein the summary of user virtual welding progress includes a performance comparison of two or more users of the at least one virtual reality welding system.

9. The welding computing device of claim 8, wherein the performance comparison is in the form of a ranking of the two or more users of the at least one virtual reality welding system.

10. A method, comprising:

wirelessly accessing at least one virtual reality welding system which includes a mock welding tool and three-dimensional glasses;

using a computing device, the at least one virtual reality welding system being a simulator for performing generating an interactive virtual reality simulation of a virtual welding environment in which a user performs a virtual welding process via manipulation of the mock welding tool causing the at least one virtual reality welding system to simulate creation of a virtual weld bead responsive to user manipulation of the mock welding tool;

downloading user virtual welding activity information from the at least one virtual reality welding system to the computing device;

displaying stereoscopic three-dimensional images of at least a portion of the dynamic virtual welding environment on a display screen of the virtual reality welding system;

viewing the stereoscopic three-dimensional images using three-dimensional glasses, resulting in at least a portion of the dynamic virtual welding environment appearing to project out of the display screen;

correlating a position of at least one point on the mock welding tool in the virtual reality welding system to a position of at least one point on the projected virtual reality welding system; and

generating a summary of user virtual welding progress based on the user virtual welding activity information within the computing device.

11. The method of claim 10, further comprising displaying the summary of user virtual welding progress on a display of the computing device.

12. The method of claim 10, wherein the user virtual welding activity information and the summary of user virtual welding progress correspond to a single user of the at least one virtual reality welding system.

13. The method of claim 10, wherein the user virtual welding activity information and the summary of user virtual welding progress correspond to a plurality of users of the at least one virtual reality welding system.

14. The method of claim 10, wherein the user virtual welding activity information is stored on the at least one virtual reality welding system in the form of one or more electronic files.

15. The method of claim 10, wherein the user virtual welding activity information includes one or more of information identifying the types of welding processes at least one user has performed on the at least one virtual reality welding system, information related to a performance of the at least one user for each of the types of welding processes.

16. The method of claim 10, wherein the summary of user virtual welding progress includes one or more of average performance information, consolidated performance information, and graphical information for one or more users of the at least one virtual reality welding system.

17. The method of claim 10, wherein the summary of user virtual welding progress includes a performance comparison of two or more users of the at least one virtual reality welding system.

18. The method of claim 17, wherein the performance comparison is in the form of a ranking of the two or more users of the at least one virtual reality welding system.