# US 11,110,009 B2 · Welding helmet for detecting arc data > Agents: this data is available as JSON from the patentgrep API and MCP server — see https://patentgrep.com/llms.txt - Number: US 11,110,009 B2 - Document ID: US11110009B2 - Status: Granted - Kind: B2 - Application number: 15/425,534 - Filed: 2017-02-06 - Published: 2017-05-25 - Granted: 2021-09-07 - Earliest claimed: 2012-05-04 - Assignees: Illinois Tool Works Inc. - Applicants: Illinois Tool Works Inc. - Inventors: William J. Becker; Kyle A. Pfeifer; Eric T. Sommers - Web page: https://patentgrep.com/patent/US11110009B2 ## CPC - A61F 9/067: {with variable transmission} - A61F 9/06: Masks, shields or hoods for welders - B23K 9/0956: {using sensing means, e.g. optical} - B23K 9/16: making use of shielding gas - B23K 9/322: {Head protecting means} - B23K 37/006: Safety devices for welding or cutting - F16P 1/06: specially designed for welding - G06F 3/005: {Input arrangements through a video camera} - G06F 3/012: {Head tracking input arrangements} - A61F: FILTERS IMPLANTABLE INTO BLOOD VESSELS; PROSTHESES; DEVICES PROVIDING PATENCY TO, OR PREVENTING COLLAPSING OF, TUBULAR STRUCTURES OF THE BODY, e.g. STENTS; ORTHOPAEDIC, NURSING OR CONTRACEPTIVE DEVICES; FOMENTATION; TREATMENT OR PROTECTION OF EYES OR EARS; BANDAGES, DRESSINGS OR ABSORBENT PADS; FIRST-AID KITS (dental prosthetics A61C) - B23K: SOLDERING OR UNSOLDERING; WELDING; CLADDING OR PLATING BY SOLDERING OR WELDING; CUTTING BY APPLYING HEAT LOCALLY, e.g. FLAME CUTTING; WORKING BY LASER BEAM - F16P: SAFETY DEVICES IN GENERAL; {SAFETY DEVICES FOR PRESSES} - G06F: ELECTRIC DIGITAL DATA PROCESSING (computer systems based on specific computational models G06N) ## Abstract A welding helmet for detecting arc data is provided. One embodiment of the welding helmet includes an arc detection system configured to detect one or more welding arcs that occur during one or more welding operations. The welding helmet also includes control circuitry configured to count a number of the one or more welding arcs detected by the arc detection system. The welding helmet includes a storage device configured to store the number of the one or more welding arcs. ## Claims ### Claim 1 A welding helmet, comprising: a first sensor disposed on the welding helmet and configured to detect one or more welding arcs that occur during one or more welding operations, wherein the first sensor is an optical sensor; a second sensor disposed on the welding helmet, wherein the second sensor comprises at least one of an electromagnetic sensor configured to detect electromagnetic emissions in a non-optical wavelength range, a position sensor, an orientation sensor, a motion sensor, a location sensor, a temperature sensor, a humidity sensor, or a sound level sensor; control circuitry configured to: lighten or darken a lens assembly of the welding helmet based at least in part on the one or more welding arcs detected by the first sensor; determine whether any of the one or more welding arcs detected by the first sensor are false detections based on the second sensor; and count a number of the one or more welding arcs detected by the first sensor without including arcs identified as false detections; and a storage device configured to store the number of the one or more welding arcs. ### Claim 2 (depends on 1) The welding helmet of claim 1, comprising a user interface having a reset feature for resetting the number of the one or more welding arcs stored on the storage device. ### Claim 3 (depends on 1) The welding helmet of claim 1, wherein the control circuitry is configured to determine a duration of the one or more welding arcs detected by the first sensor. ### Claim 4 (depends on 1) The welding helmet of claim 1, wherein the storage device is configured to store a non-resettable number of the one or more welding arcs detected by the first sensor. ### Claim 5 (depends on 1) The welding helmet of claim 1, wherein the control circuitry is configured to enable the number of the one or more welding arcs detected by the first sensor to be resettable. ### Claim 6 (depends on 1) The welding helmet of claim 1, wherein the control circuitry is configured to store at least one of a date or a time corresponding to the number of the one or more welding arcs detected by the first sensor, wherein the at least one of the date or the time provide a reference point relating to the count of the number of the one or more welding arcs. ### Claim 7 (depends on 6) The welding helmet of claim 6, wherein the reference point indicates the at least one of the date or the time when the count of the number of the one or more welding arcs was last zero. ### Claim 8 (depends on 6) The welding helmet of claim 6, wherein the reference point indicates the at least one of the date or the time when the count of the number of the one or more welding arcs was last reset. ### Claim 9 (depends on 1) The welding helmet of claim 1, wherein the control circuitry is configured to divide the number of the one or more welding arcs detected by the first sensor into subcategories, wherein the subcategories correspond to data obtained by one or more sensors. ### Claim 10 (depends on 1) The welding helmet of claim 1, wherein the control circuitry is configured to detect an orientation of the welding helmet based on a signal from the second sensor and to count the number of the one or more welding arcs detected by the first sensor based on the orientation of the welding helmet determined by the second sensor. ### Claim 11 (depends on 10) The welding helmet of claim 10, wherein the control circuitry is configured to use the orientation of the welding helmet to determine whether the one or more welding arcs are formed by an operator wearing the welding helmet. ### Claim 12 A welding helmet, comprising: a first sensor disposed on the welding helmet and configured to detect a plurality of welding arcs that occur during one or more welding operations, wherein the first sensor is an optical sensor; a second sensor disposed on the welding helmet, wherein the second sensor comprises at least one of an electromagnetic sensor configured to detect electromagnetic emissions in a non-optical wavelength range, a position sensor, an orientation sensor, a motion sensor, a location sensor, a temperature sensor, a humidity sensor, or a sound level sensor; control circuitry configured to: lighten or darken a lens assembly of the welding helmet based at least in part on the plurality of welding arcs detected by the first sensor; determine whether any of the one or more welding arcs detected by the first sensor are false detections based on the second sensor; and determine a duration of each welding arc of a portion of the plurality of welding arcs detected by the first sensor; and a storage device configured to store a total duration of the portion of the plurality of welding arcs detected by the first sensor, wherein the total duration of the portion of the plurality of welding arcs detected by the first sensor comprises a sum of the duration of each welding arc of the portion of the plurality of welding arcs. ### Claim 13 (depends on 12) The welding helmet of claim 12, wherein the first sensor is configured to detect the plurality of welding arcs that occur during the one or more welding operations by detecting a plurality of welding arc emissions that correspond respectively to a plurality of regions of an electromagnetic spectrum. ### Claim 14 (depends on 12) The welding helmet of claim 12, wherein the second sensor comprises at least one of an accelerometer, gyroscope, or a microelectromechanical system (MEMS). ### Claim 15 (depends on 12) The welding helmet of claim 12, comprising a display device configured to display the total duration of the portion of the plurality of welding arcs detected by the first sensor. ### Claim 16 (depends on 15) The welding helmet of claim 15, wherein the display device is configured to display a duration of a previous welding arc. ### Claim 17 (depends on 15) The welding helmet of claim 15, wherein the display device is configured to display a number of the plurality of welding arcs detected by the first sensor. ### Claim 18 (depends on 12) The welding helmet of claim 12, comprising a wireless transmitter configured to transmit arc data to a remote device. ### Claim 19 (depends on 12) The welding helmet of claim 12, wherein the storage device comprises a non-volatile storage device. ### Claim 20 A welding helmet, comprising: a first sensor disposed on the welding helmet and configured to detect one or more welding arcs that occur during one or more welding operations, wherein the first sensor is an optical sensor; a second sensor disposed on the welding helmet, wherein the second sensor comprises at least one of an electromagnetic sensor configured to detect electromagnetic emissions in a non-optical wavelength range, a position sensor, an orientation sensor, a motion sensor, a location sensor, a temperature sensor, a humidity sensor, or a sound level sensor; control circuitry configured to: lighten or darken a lens assembly of the welding helmet based at least in part on the one or more welding arcs detected by the first sensor; determine whether any of the one or more welding arcs detected by the first sensor are false detections based on the second sensor; and determine a resettable duration of the one or more welding arcs detected by the arc detection system without including durations of arcs identified as false detections; and a storage device configured to store at least one of the resettable duration of the one or more welding arcs detected by the first sensor, a first date that provides a reference point relating to when the resettable duration was last reset, a first time that provides the reference point relating to when the resettable duration was last reset, a second date that provides the reference point relating to when the resettable duration was last zero, or a second time that provides the reference point relating to when the resettable duration was last zero. ### Claim 21 (depends on 20) The welding helmet of claim 20, comprising a security feature that inhibits the resettable duration of the one or more welding arcs from being reset without authentication. ### Claim 22 (depends on 20) The welding helmet of claim 20, wherein the storage device comprises a non-volatile storage device.