Patent · US Active

Method and apparatus for controlling electrode arms of a welding device

US8969750B2 · kind B2 · utility

2Cited by

6References

14Claims

0Family size

Assignee

Norgren Limited · DE

Inventors

Florian Braun · San Antonio, US
Thomas Laubacher · Waiblingen, DE
Helmut Schneider-Konig · Winnenden, DE
Frank Schnur · Bönnigheim, DE

Key dates

Filing date	Nov 30, 2005
Grant date	Mar 3, 2015
Priority date	—
Expiry date	May 3, 2031

Classification

Technology area (CPC B)Performing Operations; Transporting
CPC primaryB23K11/314
WIPO fieldMachine tools
WIPO sectorMechanical engineering

Abstract

The invention relates to a compensation cylinder unit that acts as a drive for the electrode arms of a welding device. The unit comprises a cylinder and at least two pressure chambers, which are sub-divided by a piston assembly and which can be alternately supplied with a pressurized medium by means of a valve assembly for controlling the drive displacement. According to the invention, the valve assembly comprises a proportional valve which can be controlled by a control unit, first in accordance with harmonized path signals that represent the position of the piston assembly and then by pressure signals that respectively represent the pressure in the pressure chambers, in such a way that the difference between the pressures that prevail in the pressure chambers in a predeterminable position of the piston assembly assumes a constant value that represents the weight compensation force of at least one electrode arm.

Source: USPTO / EPO open patent data. Objective bibliographic and citation counts.