Systems and methods for networking, configuration, calibration and identification of welding equipment

• US 9,687,930 B2
• Filed: 03/13/2014
• Issued: 06/27/2017
• Est. Priority Date: 03/15/2013
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Lincoln Global Incorporated (Lincoln Electric Holdings Incorporated)
• Original Assignee: Lincoln Global Incorporated (Lincoln Electric Holdings Incorporated)
• Inventors: Hillen, Edward, Volzer, Michael, Trinnes, Nick
• Primary Examiner(s): Evans, Geoffrey S
• Application Number:
  US14/208,887
• Publication Number:
  US 20140263247A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,202 Days
• CPC Class Codes: B23K 9/095 Monitoring or automatic control of welding parameters
• CPC Class Codes: B23K 9/0953 using computing means
• CPC Class Codes: B23K 9/1087 Arc welding using remote control
• CPC Class Codes: B23K 9/173 and of a consumable electrode
• CPC Class Codes: B23K 9/32 Accessories earthing connections H01R
• CPC Class Codes: G07C 9/28 the pass enabling tracking or indicating presence
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 5/48 Transceivers
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 5/70 specially adapted for specific purposes
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 5/72 for local intradevice communication
• 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: Y10S 901/42 Welding

Abstract

Methods and systems for using near field communication (NFC) protocol and logic to calibrate welding operations and systems are described. Further, methods and systems for using NFC logic and tags are described for networking, calibrating and linking components that comprise welding systems.

Claims

1. A welding system comprising:

a welder including a power supply;

a wire feeder;

a welding torch;

a first NFC tag attached to the welder that stores calibration data for the power supply;

a second NFC tag attached to the wire feeder that stores calibration data for the wire feeder; and

a third NFC tag attached to the welding torch that stores calibration data for the welding torch.

2. The welding system of claim 1, wherein at least one of the first NFC tag, the second NFC tag, and the third NFC tag is passive.

3. The welding system of claim 1, wherein at least one of the first NFC tag, the second NFC tag, and the third NFC tag is active.

4. The welding system of claim 1, further comprising a motor for pushing or pulling welding wire to the welding torch.

5. The welding system of claim 4, wherein a fourth NFC tag is attached to the motor and stores calibration data for the motor.

6. The welding system of claim 1, wherein at least one of the calibration data for the power supply, the calibration data for the wire feeder, and the calibration data for the welding torch is written into the corresponding NFC tag with a portable computing device.

7. The welding system of claim 1, further comprising a shielding gas source.

8. The welding system of claim 7, wherein a fourth NFC tag is attached to the shielding gas source and stores calibration data for the shielding gas source.

9. A method of calibrating components of a welding system, the method comprising:

attaching to a first component of the welding system a first NFC tag for storing first calibration data for the first component to which the first NFC tag is attached;

attaching to a second component of the welding system a second NFC tag for storing second calibration data for the second component to which the second NFC tag is attached;

scanning the first NFC tag attached to the first component to read the first calibration data;

scanning the second NFC tag attached to the second component to read the second calibration data;

calibrating the first component using the first calibration data; and

calibrating the second component using the second calibration data.

10. The method of claim 9, further comprising:

writing modified calibration data into the NFC tag of the at least one of the first component and the second component by placing a portable computing device in the proximity of the NFC tag attached to the at least one component.

11. The method of claim 10, further comprising encrypting the modified calibration data.

12. The method of claim 9, wherein at least one of the first component and the second component is a motor.

13. The method of claim 9, wherein at least one of the first component and the second component is a wire feeder.

14. The method of claim 9, wherein at least one of the first component and the second component is a welder power supply.

15. The method of claim 9, wherein scanning the first NFC tag attached to the first component to read the first calibration data comprises placing a portable computing device in the proximity of the first NFC tag, and

wherein scanning the second NFC tag attached to the second component to read the second calibration data comprises placing the portable computing device in the proximity of the second NFC tag.

16. The method of claim 9, wherein at least one of the first component and the second component is a welding torch.

17. A method of assigning welding devices addresses on a network, the method comprising:

linking a first welding device to a second welding device, the first welding device being a robot and the second welding device being a robot controller;

attaching a separate NFC tag to each welding device;

scanning the NFC tag attached to each welding device to obtain identification data for each welding device;

assigning a unique network address to each welding device; and

for each welding device, writing data corresponding to the unique network address into the NFC tag attached to the welding device,

wherein the identification data of the robot includes information identifying the robot controller, and

wherein the information identifying the robot controller includes the physical location of the robot controller.