# US 2014/0151350 A1 · System and method for determining welding wire diameter > Agents: this data is available as JSON from the patentgrep API and MCP server — see https://patentgrep.com/llms.txt - Number: US 2014/0151350 A1 - Document ID: US20140151350A1 - Status: Published application - Kind: A1 - Application number: 13/690,641 - Filed: 2012-11-30 - Published: 2014-06-05 - Earliest claimed: 2012-11-30 - Assignees: Illinois Tool Works Inc. - Applicants: Illinois Tool Works Inc. - Inventors: Bradley William Hemmert; Mark Steven Kadlec - Web page: https://patentgrep.com/patent/US20140151350A1 ## CPC - B23K 35/00: Rods, electrodes, materials, or media, for use in soldering, welding, or cutting - B23K 9/0956: {using sensing means, e.g. optical} - B23K 9/1336: {Driving means} - 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 ## Abstract A welding system includes a welding wire feeder, a welding power supply, and a sensor. The power supply is coupled to the welding wire feeder and configured to produce a welding arc. The sensor is configured to sense a parameter indicative of a size of a welding wire fed through the welding wire feeder. The sensor is configured to send a signal to the power supply, the signal representing the parameter indicative of the size of the welding wire. The power supply is configured to automatically implement at least one of an arc starting parameter or a welding parameter based on the signal. ## Claims ### Claim 1 A welding system, comprising: a welding wire feeder; a power supply coupled to the welding wire feeder and configured to produce a welding arc; and a sensor configured to sense a parameter indicative of a size of a welding wire fed through the welding wire feeder, wherein the sensor is configured to send a signal to the power supply, the signal representing the parameter indicative of the size of the welding wire, wherein the power supply is configured to automatically implement at least one of an arc starting parameter or a welding parameter based on the signal. ### Claim 2 (depends on 1) The welding system of claim 1, wherein the sensor is disposed in the welding wire feeder. ### Claim 3 (depends on 1) The welding system of claim 1, wherein the sensor senses the parameter indicative of the size of the welding wire by identifying a drive roll used to feed the welding wire through the welding wire feeder. ### Claim 4 (depends on 3) The welding system of claim 3, wherein the parameter indicative of the size of the welding wire is a dimension of a counterbored section of the drive roll. ### Claim 5 (depends on 3) The welding system of claim 3, wherein the sensor is configured to send the signal whenever the drive roll has been changed. ### Claim 6 (depends on 1) The welding system of claim 1, wherein the power supply comprises computer readable code configured to receive the signal as an input, and output executable instructions for implementing the appropriate arc starting parameter, welding parameter, or both, in the power supply. ### Claim 7 (depends on 1) The welding system of claim 1, wherein the power supply comprises computer readable code configured to determine the appropriate arc starting parameter, welding parameter, or both, by comparing the signal with a predetermined set of possible signals stored in a memory of the power supply. ### Claim 8 A welding system, comprising: a welding wire feeder comprising a sensor configured to sense a parameter indicative of a size of a welding wire fed through the welding wire feeder and to output a signal representative of the sensed parameter; and a controller configured to receive the signal from the sensor, to convert the signal into a corresponding set of parameters, and to implement the parameters. ### Claim 9 (depends on 8) The welding system of claim 8, wherein the welding wire feeder comprises a drive roll that is interchangeable with other drive rolls, and the sensor is configured to sense the parameter indicative of the size of the welding wire by identifying the drive roll used in the welding wire feeder. ### Claim 10 (depends on 8) The welding system of claim 8, wherein the parameters comprise arc starting parameters, welding parameters, or both. ### Claim 11 (depends on 9) The welding system of claim 9, wherein the sensor is disposed on a shaft configured to receive the drive roll. ### Claim 12 (depends on 8) The welding system of claim 8, wherein the sensor is configured to sense a parameter indicative of a size and a type of the welding wire fed through the welding wire feeder. ### Claim 13 (depends on 8) The welding system of claim 8, wherein the sensor is configured to wirelessly communicate the signal to the controller. ### Claim 14 (depends on 8) The welding system of claim 8, wherein the controller comprises a memory that stores a predetermined set of possible signal values and the parameters to be implemented in response to each of the possible signal values. ### Claim 15 (depends on 8) The welding system of claim 8, wherein the controller is disposed in a power supply of the welding system. ### Claim 16 A method, comprising: determining a sensor signal using a sensor associated with a welding wire feeder, wherein the sensor signal is indicative of a size of a welding wire used by the welding wire feeder; communicating the sensor signal from the sensor to a controller disposed within a power supply; processing the sensor signal by translating the sensor signal into a corresponding set of arc starting parameters, welding parameters, or both; and implementing the corresponding set of arc starting parameters or welding parameters in the power supply, wherein the power supply is configured to produce an arc with the corresponding set of arc starting parameters, welding parameters, or both. ### Claim 17 (depends on 16) The method of claim 16, wherein determining the sensor signal comprises identifying a drive roll in the welding wire feeder. ### Claim 18 (depends on 17) The method of claim 17, wherein the sensor signal is indicative of a dimension of a counterbored section of the drive roll in the welding wire feeder. ### Claim 19 (depends on 16) The method of claim 16, comprising detecting that the welding wire has been changed in the welding wire feeder. ### Claim 20 (depends on 16) The method of claim 16, wherein the sensor signal is indicative of a type of the welding wire used by the welding wire feeder.