Autothread control for a wire feeder of a welding system
AssigneeIllinois Tool Works Inc.
InventorsRobert R. Davidson, Kevin Summers
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
The present invention is directed to a control that upon detection of an autothread input determines the amount of time in which a motor of a drive assembly should be activated so as to precisely supply an initial segment of wire to a welding gun of a welding system. The control determines the requisite time necessary to precisely thread the welding wire based on a wire feed speed and gun length. The gun length and wire feed speed may be determined from a series of user inputs or read from memory. By limiting user involvement with the actual “feeding” of wire to the welding gun, a more precise segment of welding wire may be fed to the welding gun such that trimming of wire extending past the tip of the welding gun is not needed.
Claims20
A control operable with a wire feeder of a welding system, the control configured to:
- receive an autothread input from a user;
- determine a time required for welding wire to thread a prescribed length at a prescribed wire feed speed;
- and
- activate a motor configured to drive welding wire from a wire source at the prescribed wire feed speed and for the determined time until a segment of welding wire having the prescribed length is fed.
A power source/interface unit configured to drive a wire drive assembly, the power source/interface unit comprising:
- a robot control configured to communicate with a robot controller;
- a peripheral control configured to communicate with a drive assembly of a welding robot having a welding gun;
- and
- a processor configured to execute a set of instructions that when executed causes the processor to:
- receive an autothread user input;
- determine from a set of wire feed inputs a motor control signal configured to drive the drive assembly to minimally thread wire through the welding robot to the welding gun;
- and
- output the motor control signal to the drive assembly.
A computer readable storage medium having a computer program stored thereon and representing a set of instructions that when executed by a computer causes the computer to:
- detect an autothread command on an interface of a welding system;
- access a plurality of wire feeding parameters;
- determine a threading time from the plurality of wire feeding parameters;
- and
- activate a motor of a drive assembly of a welding gun for the threading time to supply a segment of wire to the welding gun.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.