EP-4738315-A1 - WELD TRAINING SIMULATION SYSTEMS WITH ELECTROMAGNETIC HAPTIC FEEDBACK

EP4738315A1EP 4738315 A1EP4738315 A1EP 4738315A1EP-4738315-A1

Abstract

In some examples, weld training simulation systems provide haptic feedback through the use of a magnetic field generated by one or more electromagnets positioned in or on a welding workpiece and/or a welding-type tool (or a stick electrode held by the welding-type tool). In some examples, an operator holding the welding-type tool will experience haptic feedback due to an attractive or repulsive magnetic field force that impacts the electromagnet(s) and/or magnetic material in the welding-type tool (or the stick electrode held by the welding-type tool 300). In some examples, the haptic feedback may be helpful in simulating different events and/or situations, such as, for example, an electrode sticking event, an excessive impedance event, a burning flame event, and/or an electric arc event.

Inventors

BRUESEWITZ, Jeremy
KOPAC III, Jordan J.
SCHNEIDER, JOSEPH C.
GUSE, MATTHEW

Assignees

Illinois Tool Works Inc.

Dates

Publication Date: 20260506
Application Date: 20251031

Claims (15)

A non-transitory computer readable medium comprising machine readable instructions which, when executed by processing circuitry, causes the processing circuitry to: control an electromagnet in or on a first welding-type device to generate a magnetic field that induces the first welding-type device and a second welding-type device to be mutually attracted to one another via a magnetic attraction, or control the electromagnet to generate a reverse magnetic field that induces the first welding-type device and the second welding-type device to be mutually repelled from one another via a magnetic repulsion.
The non-transitory computer readable medium of claim 1, wherein the first welding-type device or the second welding-type device comprises a workpiece, a welding-type tool, or a welding electrode or wherein the controlling the electromagnet comprises controlling a power source, or a controllable circuit element, in electrical communication with the electromagnet.
The non-transitory computer readable medium of claim 1, wherein the machine readable instructions, when executed by the processing circuitry, cause the processing circuitry to control the electromagnet to generate the magnetic field in response to: a voltage setting being below a voltage threshold, a current setting being below a current threshold, a simulated power being below a power threshold, a travel speed of a welding-type tool being below a speed threshold, a contact tip to work distance being below a distance threshold, or a selected training exercise involving simulation of an electrode sticking event.
The non-transitory computer readable medium of claim 3, wherein the machine readable instructions, when executed by the processing circuitry, cause the processing circuitry to control a motor or movement mechanism of the welding-type tool to halt movement of a welding electrode held by the welding-type tool in response to: the voltage setting being below the voltage threshold, the current setting being below the current threshold, the simulated power being below the power threshold, the travel speed of the welding-type tool being below the speed threshold, the contact tip to work distance being below the distance threshold, or the selected training exercise involving simulation of the electrode sticking event.
The non-transitory computer readable medium of claim 1, wherein the machine readable instructions, when executed by the processing circuitry, cause the processing circuitry to control the electromagnet to generate the reverse magnetic field in response to: sensor data indicating that a clamp is not securely connected to a workpiece, the sensor data indicating that a cable is not securely connected to mock welding-type equipment, or a selected training exercise involving simulation of an excessive impedance event, or wherein the machine readable instructions, when executed by the processing circuitry, cause the processing circuitry to control the electromagnet to generate the reverse magnetic field in response to simulation of a flame or an electrical arc.
A welding system, comprising: a first welding-type device; an electromagnet in or on the first welding-type device; and processing circuitry configured to: control the electromagnet to generate a magnetic field that induces the first welding-type device and a second welding-type device to be mutually attracted to one another via a magnetic attraction, or control the electromagnet to generate a reverse magnetic field that induces the first welding-type device and the second-type welding device to be mutually repelled from one another via a magnetic repulsion.
The welding system of claim 6, wherein the first welding-type device or the second welding-type device comprises a workpiece, a welding-type tool, or a welding electrode, and optionally, wherein the first welding-type device comprises the welding-type tool, the welding-type tool being connected to mock welding-type equipment via a tool cable, the electromagnet being configured to receive an electrical current via the tool cable when the electromagnet is controlled to generate the magnetic field or the reverse magnetic field, and the welding-type tool being configured to send a trigger signal to the mock welding-type equipment via the tool cable.
The welding system of claim 6, wherein controlling the electromagnet comprises controlling a power source, or a controllable circuit element, in electrical communication with the electromagnet.
The welding system of claim 6, wherein the processing circuitry is configured to control the electromagnet to generate the magnetic field in response to: a voltage setting being below a voltage threshold, a current setting being below a current threshold, a simulated power being below a power threshold, a travel speed of a welding-type tool being below a speed threshold, a contact tip to work distance being below a distance threshold, or a selected training exercise involving simulation of an electrode sticking event, and optionally, the welding system further comprising: a motor; and a movement mechanism connected to the motor, the movement mechanism configured to use a motor output of the motor to move a welding electrode, wherein the processing circuitry is further configured to halt the motor, such that there is no motor output that the movement mechanism can use to move the welding electrode, in response to the voltage setting being below the voltage threshold, the current setting being below the current threshold, the simulated power being below the power threshold, the travel speed of the welding-type tool being below the speed threshold, the contact tip to work distance being below the distance threshold, or the selected training exercise involving simulation of the electrode sticking event.
The welding system of claim 6, wherein the processing circuitry is configured to control the electromagnet to generate the reverse magnetic field in response to: simulation of a flame or an electrical arc, sensor data indicating that a clamp is not securely connected to a workpiece, the sensor data indicating that a cable is not securely connected to mock welding-type equipment, or a selected training exercise involving simulation of an excessive impedance event.
A method, comprising: controlling, via processing circuitry, an electromagnet in or on a first welding-type device to generate a magnetic field that induces the first welding-type device and a second welding-type device to be mutually attracted to one another via a magnetic attraction, or controlling, via the processing circuitry, the electromagnet to generate a reverse magnetic field that induces the first welding-type device and the second welding-type device to be mutually repelled from one another via a magnetic repulsion.
The method of claim 11, wherein the first welding-type device or the second welding-type device comprises a workpiece, a welding-type tool, or a welding electrode or wherein controlling the electromagnet comprises controlling a power source, or a controllable circuit element, in electrical communication with the electromagnet.
The method of claim 11, wherein the first welding-type device comprises the welding-type tool, the welding-type tool being connected to mock welding-type equipment via a tool cable, the electromagnet being configured to receive an electrical current via the tool cable when the electromagnet is controlled to generate the magnetic field or the reverse magnetic field, and the welding-type tool being configured to send a trigger signal to the mock welding-type equipment via the tool cable.
The method of claim 11, wherein the processing circuitry controls the electromagnet to generate the magnetic field in response to: a voltage setting being below a voltage threshold, a current setting being below a current threshold, a simulated power being below a power threshold, a travel speed of a welding-type tool being below a speed threshold, a contact tip to work distance being below a distance threshold, or a selected training exercise involving simulation of an electrode sticking event.
The method of claim 11, wherein the processing circuitry controls the electromagnet to generate the reverse magnetic field in response to: simulation of a flame or an electrical arc, sensor data indicating that a clamp is not securely connected to a workpiece, the sensor data indicating that a cable is not securely connected to mock welding-type equipment, or a selected training exercise involving simulation of an excessive impedance event.

Description

CROSS REFERENCE TO RELATED PATENT APPLICATIONS This application claims priority to, and the benefit of, U.S. Provisional Patent Application No. 63/716,345 filed November 5, 2024, entitled "WELD TRAINING SIMULATION SYSTEMS WITH ELECTROMAGNETIC HAPTIC FEEDBACK," the entire contents of which being hereby incorporated by reference. TECHNICAL FIELD The present disclosure generally relates to weld training systems, and, more particularly, to weld training simulation systems with electromagnetic haptic feedback. BACKGROUND New welding operators sometimes go through weld training prior to being entrusted to perform actual live manual welding operations for a real job and/or on a real job site. Experienced welding operators can also go through training to try out different tools, reacquaint themselves with rarely used tools, practice selected welding techniques, etc. Limitations and disadvantages of conventional and traditional approaches will become apparent to one of skill in the art, through comparison of such systems with the present disclosure as set forth in the remainder of the present application with reference to the drawings. BRIEF SUMMARY The present disclosure is directed to weld training simulation systems with electromagnetic haptic feedback, substantially as illustrated by and/or described in connection with at least one of the figures, and as set forth more completely in the claims. These and other advantages, aspects and novel features of the present disclosure, as well as details of an illustrated example thereof, will be more fully understood from the following description and drawings. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS FIGS. 1a-1b show examples of a weld training simulation system, in accordance with aspects of this disclosure.FIG. 2 is a flow diagrams illustrating an example weld training simulation process of the weld training simulation system of FIG. 1b, in accordance with aspects of this disclosure.FIG. 3 shows an enlarged example of a welding-type tool that might be used in the weld training simulation system of FIGS. 1a-1b, in accordance with aspects of this disclosure.FIG. 4 shows an enlarged example of a stick electrode held by a welding-type tool that might be used in the weld training simulation system of FIGS. 1a-1b, in accordance with aspects of this disclosure.FIGS. 5a-5b show enlarged examples of workpieces that might be used in the weld training simulation system of FIGS. 1a-1b, in accordance with aspects of this disclosure.FIG. 6 shows an example of a magnetic field that might be generated by an electromagnet of the example welding-type tool of FIG. 4, in accordance with aspects of this disclosure. The figures are not necessarily to scale. Where appropriate, the same or similar reference numerals are used in the figures to refer to similar or identical elements. DETAILED DESCRIPTION Weld training systems can be helpful in training new and/or experienced welding operators to perform (e.g., manual) welding-type operations. However, live weld training systems that use live welding-type operations to train operators waste a significant amount of workpiece material and/or consumables in the course of the training, while also risking damage to expensive welding-type equipment. In contrast, simulated weld training systems that train operators using simulated welding-type operations can reuse workpiece material, do not "consume" consumables, and are unlikely to result in damage to welding-type equipment. That said, simulated weld training systems sometimes find it difficult to effectively simulate real world situations and/or events that may occur during real world live welding-type operations. Some examples of the present disclosure relate to weld training simulation systems that simulate certain real world situations and/or events using haptic feedback provided through the use of electromagnets. In some examples, an electromagnet is positioned in or on a first welding device (e.g., a welding-type tool or a stick electrode held by the welding-type tool) while magnetic material or another electromagnet is positioned in or on a second welding device (e.g., a workpiece). When electric current is used to energize and/or activate the electromagnet of the first welding device, the electromagnet generates a magnetic field with an attractive or repelling magnetic force that may attract and/or repel the magnetic material (and/or electromagnet) in the second welding device. An operator holding the welding-type tool may experience the attractive and/or repelling magnetic force as haptic feedback that can be useful when simulating different real world situations and/or events (e.g., an electrode sticking event, an excessive impedance event, an arc/flame event, etc.). Some examples of the present disclosure relate to a non-transitory computer readable medium comprising machine readable instructions which, when executed by processing circuitry, causes the processing circuitry to: control an electroma