Patent ID: 11931832
Assignee: LINCOLN GLOBAL, INC.
Field: Machine tools (Mechanical engineering)
Classification: CPC B | IPC B

Claim 0:
1. A welding system, comprising:
a welding power supply configured to generate a welding waveform;
a wire feeder operatively connected to the welding power supply to conduct the welding waveform to a wire electrode,
wherein the wire feeder comprises:
a drive motor that drives the wire electrode bidirectionally;
a motor current sensor that senses a current level of the drive motor; and
a controller operatively connected to the motor current sensor to receive a current level signal from the motor current sensor, and operatively connected to the drive motor to control operations of the drive motor;

a welding current sensor that senses a welding current level, wherein the welding current sensor is located with the welding power supply or the wire feeder; and
a welding voltage sensor that senses a welding voltage level, wherein the welding voltage sensor is located with the welding power supply or the wire feeder,
wherein the controller is configured to determine a contact event between the wire electrode and a non-workpiece object that is electrically insulated from the welding power supply based on the current level signal from the motor current sensor and one or both of the welding current level and the welding voltage level, and automatically retract the wire electrode upon determining the contact event between the wire electrode and the non-workpiece object.