Patent ID: 11858073
Assignee: ILLINOIS TOOL WORKS INC.
Field: Machine tools (Mechanical engineering)
Classification: CPC B  H | IPC B  H

Claim 9:
10. A method of controlling current flow through an output load of a welding, cutting, or heating circuit, comprising:
pulse width modulating voltage from a first capacitor by switching one of a pair of modulation transistors to provide a level of current through an inductor and an output of the welding, cutting, or heating circuit, wherein the pair of modulation transistors are arranged along a pulse width modulation leg, and the inductor extends from at least one of the pair of modulation transistors to the output of the welding, cutting, or heating circuit, wherein the pulse width modulation leg is configured to function as a bidirectional buck converter;
controlling a direction of current through the inductor and the output of the welding, cutting, or heating circuit by switching a first of a pair of steering transistors to an on configuration such that the current passes through the first of the pair of steering transistors in the on configuration and returns to the first capacitor; and
reversing the direction of the current through the inductor in an off configuration to return current to a second capacitor, and blocking the current to the first inductor via a blocking diode.