Systems, methods, and apparatus to provide preheat voltage feedback loss protection

• US 10,766,092 B2
• Filed: 04/18/2017
• Issued: 09/08/2020
• Est. Priority Date: 04/18/2017
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Illinois Tool Works Inc.
• Original Assignee: Illinois Tool Works Inc.
• Inventors: Uecker, James Lee, Zwayer, Jake
• Primary Examiner(s): Paik, Sang Y
• Application Number:
  US15/490,169
• Publication Number:
  US 20180297141A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,239 Days
• Field of Search: 21913001-13051
• CPC Class Codes: B23K 9/0953 using computing means
• CPC Class Codes: B23K 9/1093 Consumable electrode or filler wire preheat circuits

Abstract

Systems, methods, and apparatus to provide preheat voltage feedback loss protection are disclosed. An example welding-type system includes a welding-type power source configured to provide welding-type power to a welding-type circuit, the welding-type circuit comprising a welding-type electrode and a first contact tip of a welding torch; an electrode preheating circuit configured to provide preheating power through a first portion of the welding-type electrode via a second contact tip of the welding torch; a preheat feedback circuit configured to measure a preheat voltage; and an electrode preheat control circuit configured to: control the preheating power based on the preheating voltage; and control the electrode preheating circuit to reduce the preheating power in response to detecting an invalid preheat voltage measured by the preheat feedback circuit.

Claims

1. A welding-type system, comprising:

a welding-type power source configured to provide welding-type power to a welding-type circuit, the welding-type circuit comprising a welding-type electrode and a first contact tip of a welding torch;

an electrode preheating circuit configured to provide preheating power through a first portion of the welding-type electrode via a second contact tip of the welding torch;

a preheat feedback circuit configured to measure a preheat voltage; and

an electrode preheat control circuit configured to;

control the preheating power based on the preheat voltage; and

control the electrode preheating circuit to reduce the preheating power in response to detecting an invalid preheat voltage measured by the preheat feedback circuit, wherein detecting the invalid preheat voltage is indicative of a loss of preheat voltage feedback from the preheat feedback circuit to the electrode preheat control circuit.

2. The welding-type system as defined in claim 1, wherein the electrode preheat control circuit is configured to reduce the welding-type power in response to detecting the invalid preheat voltage measured by the preheat feedback circuit.

3. The welding-type system as defined in claim 1, wherein the electrode preheat control circuit is configured to detect the invalid preheat voltage measured by the preheat feedback circuit by determining that the preheat voltage falls outside of a specified valid range of voltages.

4. The welding-type system as defined in claim 1, wherein the electrode preheat control circuit is configured to disable the electrode preheating circuit in response to detecting the invalid preheat voltage.

5. The welding-type system as defined in claim 1, further comprising a user interface, the electrode preheat control circuit configured to indicate, via the user interface, at least one of a loss of voltage feedback, a low preheat feedback voltage condition, or an invalid preheat voltage feedback condition.

6. The welding-type system as defined in claim 1, wherein the electrode preheat control circuit is configured to control the welding-type power to have less than a threshold current in response to detecting the invalid preheat voltage measured by the preheat feedback circuit.

7. The welding-type system as defined in claim 1, wherein the electrode preheat control circuit is configured to, in response to detecting the invalid preheat voltage measured by the preheat feedback circuit:

determine whether a current of the preheating power has exceeded a threshold; and

in response to determining that the current of the preheating power has exceeded the threshold, disable the welding-type power.

8. The welding-type system as defined in claim 7, wherein the threshold comprises at least one of an average current or an RMS current.

9. The welding-type system as defined in claim 1, wherein the electrode preheating circuit is configured to provide the preheating power via the first contact tip and the second contact tip.

10. The welding-type system as defined in claim 1, wherein the electrode preheat control circuit is configured to control the preheating power based on the wire movement speed.

11. The welding-type system as defined in claim 10, further comprising a wire speed sensor configured to measure the wire movement speed.

12. The welding-type system as defined in claim 10, further comprising a user interface, the electrode preheat control circuit configured to indicate, via the user interface, at least one of the wire speed being less than a threshold speed, a loss of wire speed feedback, or a low weld process voltage.

13. The welding-type system as defined in claim 1, the electrode preheat control circuit configured to control the electrode preheating circuit to disable preheating in response to determining that a wire movement speed is less than a threshold speed.

14. The welding-type system as defined in claim 1, the electrode preheat control circuit configured to control the electrode preheating circuit to reduce a preheating current to less than a predetermined current in response to determining that a wire movement speed is less than a threshold speed.

15. The welding-type system as defined in claim 1, wherein the electrode preheat control circuit is configured to control the preheating power based on at least one of a voltage of the welding-type power or a current of the welding-type power.

16. The welding-type system as defined in claim 1, further comprising an arc voltage feedback circuit, the electrode preheat control circuit configured to control the preheating power based on an arc voltage determined by the arc voltage feedback circuit.

17. The welding-type system as defined in claim 1, wherein the electrode preheat control circuit is configured to detect the invalid preheat voltage when the preheat voltage is less than a threshold voltage for at least a threshold time.

18. The welding-type system as defined in claim 1, wherein the electrode preheat control circuit is configured to reduce the preheating power further as a time period during which the invalid preheat voltage is detected increases.

19. The welding-type system as defined in claim 1, further comprising a wire speed sensor configured to measure the wire movement speed.

20. A method, comprising:

providing welding-type power to a welding-type electrode via a welding-type power source and a first contact tip of a welding torch;

providing preheating power through a first portion of the welding-type electrode via a second contact tip of the welding torch;

controlling the preheating power based on measuring a preheat voltage;

detecting an invalid preheat voltage that is indicative of a loss of preheat voltage feedback from the preheat feedback circuit to the electrode preheat control circuit; and

reducing the preheating power in response to detecting the invalid preheat voltage.

21. The method as defined in claim 20, wherein the controlling of the preheating power is based on at least one of a voltage of the welding-type power or a current of the welding-type power.

22. The method as defined in claim 20, further comprising controlling the welding-type power to have less than a threshold current in response to detecting the invalid preheat voltage.

23. The method as defined in claim 20, further comprising indicating at least one of loss of voltage feedback, a low preheat feedback voltage condition, or an invalid preheat voltage feedback condition via a user interface.

24. The method as defined in claim 20, further comprising detecting the invalid preheat voltage by determining that the preheat voltage is less than a threshold voltage for at least a threshold time.

25. The method as defined in claim 20, further comprising measuring a wire movement speed of the welding-type electrode and controlling the preheating power based on the wire movement speed.