Touch screen waveform design apparatus for welders
AssigneeLincoln Global, Inc.
InventorsSteven R. Peters, Joseph Allen Daniel
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
Welding systems and programming tools are described, in which a touch screen-based welding system configuration tool is provided having a touch screen display for designing welding power source waveforms or for configuring a system sequence controller, where the touch screen may be integrated into a welding system component. The touch screen displays information related to a switching type welding power source and/or a welding system sequence controller, as well as one or more touch activation indicia to allow a user to numerically or graphically configure the power source or the sequence controller by touching the touch activation indicia.
Claims21
A welding system for performing a welding operation, comprising:
- a switching power source having a switching inverter controlled by a pulse width modulated switching signal to provide an electrical welding signal waveform comprising a rapid succession of individual pulses that define the waveform;
- a programmable waveform generation system providing the pulse width modulated switching signal in accordance with a desired waveform file;
- and
- a waveform design apparatus operatively coupled with the waveform generation system, the waveform design apparatus comprising a touch screen display adapted to display waveform information associated with the desired waveform and a waveform representative of the desired waveform, and at least one touch activation indicia, the waveform design apparatus allowing a user to modify the desired waveform of the waveform generation system by touching the touch activation indicia, wherein the touch screen activation indicia allows the user to change the displayed waveform to modify the desired waveform.
A welding system for performing a welding operation, comprising:
- a switching power source operable to provide an electrical welding signal according to a switching signal;
- a programmable waveform generation system providing the switching signal in accordance with a desired waveform;
- a sequence controller providing control signals to the power source and to at least one other welding system component in accordance with a sequence file;
- and
- a sequencer configuration apparatus operatively coupled with the sequence controller and comprising a touch screen display adapted to display sequence information associated with the sequence file and a sequence waveform associated with the sequence file, and at least one touch activation indicia, the sequencer configuration apparatus allowing a user to modify the sequence file of the sequence controller by touching the touch activation indicia, wherein the touch screen activation indicia allows the user to change the displayed sequence waveform to modify the sequence file.
A touch screen-based welding system configuration tool, comprising a touch screen display integrated into a welding system component, the touch screen display being adapted to display information related to a first one of a programmable switching type welding power source and a welding system sequence controller along and a waveform representative of at least a portion of the information with at least one touch activation indicia, the configuration tool allowing a user to program the first one of the programmable switching type welding power source and the welding system sequence controller by touching the touch activation indicia, wherein the touch screen activation indicia allows the user to change the displayed waveform to program the first one of the programmable switching type welding power source and the welding system sequence controller.
A method for configuring a welding system, the method comprising:
- rendering information related to a first one of a programmable switching type welding power source and a welding system sequence controller along and a waveform representative of at least a portion of the information with at least one touch activation indicia on a touch screen display;
- allowing a user to modify the rendered information by touching the touch activation indicia on the touch screen display, wherein the touch screen activation indicia allows the user to change the displayed waveform;
- and
- configuring the first one of the programmable switching type welding power source and the welding system sequence controller according to the modified information.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.