Energy Conservation System, Method, and Apparatus for Use with Welding Equipment
AssigneeIllinois Tool Works Inc.
InventorMark Ulrich
Life of this patent
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Abstract
A welding system comprising a user manipulatable device, a proximity sensor positioned on said user manipulatable device, an engine capable of operation in an energy conservation mode and an operating mode, and a generator operatively coupled to the engine. The generator may provide at least one of (1) a welding current output or (2) an auxiliary power output. The engine may operate (1) in the operating mode when the proximity sensor outputs the first output signal, and (2) in the energy conservation mode when the engine is not operating in the operating mode. The proximity sensor may be configured to output the first output signal when an operator of said welding system is in-range.
Claims20
A welding system comprising:
- control circuitry operatively coupled with a trigger and an accelerometer, wherein the accelerometer is configured to provide a first output signal when the accelerometer detects that a welding torch of said welding system is in motion;
- and
- power supply circuitry operatively coupled with the control circuitry and configured to operate in an operating mode and an energy conservation mode in which at least one power-drawing circuit of the power supply circuitry is disabled,
- wherein the power supply circuitry is configured to switch between the operating mode and the energy conservation mode dynamically;
- wherein the power supply circuitry operates in the operating mode when the power supply circuitry receives the first output signal;
- wherein the power supply circuitry, when in the operating mode, outputs a welding current when the power supply circuitry receives a control signal from the trigger;
- and
- wherein the power supply circuitry operates in the energy conservation mode when the first output signal is not provided to the control circuitry.
A method of conserving energy in a welding system, the method comprising:
- configuring an accelerometer to provide a first output signal while a welding torch of said welding system is in motion, wherein the accelerometer is operably coupled to control circuitry;
- and
- configuring power supply circuitry to operate in an energy conservation mode when the accelerometer does not provide the first output signal to the control circuitry,
- wherein the power supply circuitry is operably coupled to control circuitry, and
- wherein at least one power-drawing circuit of the power supply circuitry is disabled in the energy conservation mode;
- configuring the power supply circuitry to switch from the energy conservation mode to an operating mode when the power supply circuitry receives the first output signal;
- configuring the power supply circuitry to, when in the operating mode, output a welding current when the power supply circuitry receives a control signal from a trigger of the welding torch;
- and
- configuring the power supply circuitry to switch from the operating mode back to the energy conservation mode when the first output signal is no longer provided to the control circuitry.
A welding system comprising:
- control circuitry operatively coupled with a trigger and a motion sensor, wherein the motion sensor configured to provide a first output signal when the motion sensor detects that a welding torch of said welding system is in motion;
- and
- power supply circuitry operatively coupled with the control circuitry and configured to operate in an operating mode and an energy conservation mode in which at least one power-drawing circuit of the power supply circuitry is disabled,
- wherein the power supply circuitry is configured to switch between the operating mode and the energy conservation mode dynamically;
- wherein the power supply circuitry operates in the operating mode when the power supply circuitry receives the first output signal;
- wherein the power supply circuitry, when in the operating mode, outputs a welding current when the power supply circuitry receives a control signal from the trigger;
- and
- wherein the power supply circuitry operates in the energy conservation mode when the first output signal is not provided to the control circuitry.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.