Abstract:
A welding cable connector system having a male connector and a female connector. The male connector includes a first conductive body for conveying welding power. The male connector also includes a first sealed passageway disposed coaxially of the first conductive body for conveying shielding gas, and a first Schrader valve configured to stop flow of shielding gas when the male connector is not engaged. The female connector includes a second conductive body for conveying welding power. The female connector also includes a second sealed passageway disposed coaxially of the conductive body for conveying shielding gas, and a second Schrader valve configured to stop flow of shielding gas when the female connector is not engaged. The male and female connectors are mutually engageable to conduct welding power and shielding gas therethrough. The first and second Schrader valves seal the flow of shielding gas when the connectors are not mutually engaged.

Description:
BACKGROUND 
       [0001]    The invention relates generally to welding systems and, more particularly, to a weld electrical and gas connector with sealed gas flow. 
         [0002]    Welding is a process that has become increasingly ubiquitous in various industries and applications. While such processes may be automated in certain contexts, a large number of applications continue to exist for manual welding operations. Such welding operations rely on a variety of types of equipment to ensure the supply of welding consumables (e.g., wire feed, shielding gas, etc.) is provided to the weld in an appropriate amount at the desired time. For example, metal inert gas (MIG) welding typically relies on a wire feeder to ensure a proper wire feed reaches a welding torch, as well as gas-channeling tubes or cables for routing shielding gas to the torch during the time a welding arc is created between the wire and a workpiece. 
         [0003]    Welding power sources used in such applications are designed to provide power for welding, while wire feeders are used to deliver welding wire to a welding torch. Shielding gas may be provided to the power supply, and therefrom to the wire feeder, where a weld cable routes the wire, gas, and power to the torch. Cables connect welding power sources to wire feeders and wire feeders to welding torches. Other welding equipment is also connected using cables. Some welding systems utilize cable bundles to capture the quantity of cables that may be used to connect welding equipment. For example, a welding system may include up to three separate cables for connecting between any two welding devices, a cable for each of power, gas, and data. As such, certain cable assemblies may be constructed to transport welding power and shielding gas in a single cable. Unfortunately, such cable assemblies may include a large number of components and may be complicated to construct. Accordingly, there exists a need for welding cable assemblies that overcome such disadvantages. 
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION 
       [0004]    In one embodiment, a welding cable connector system includes a male connector having a first conductive body for conveying welding power. The male connector includes a first sealed passageway disposed coaxially of the first conductive body for conveying shielding gas, and a first Schrader valve configured to stop flow of shielding gas when the male connector is not engaged. The cable connector system also includes a female connector having a second conductive body for conveying welding power. The female connector includes a second sealed passageway disposed coaxially of the conductive body for conveying shielding gas, and a second Schrader valve configured to stop flow of shielding gas when the female connector is not engaged. The male and female connectors are mutually engageable to conduct welding power and shielding gas therethrough. The first and second Schrader valves seal the flow of shielding gas when the connectors are not mutually engaged. 
         [0005]    In another embodiment, a welding cable connector system includes a connector having a conductive body for conveying welding power to or from a mating connector. The connector system also includes a sealed passageway disposed coaxially of the conductive body for conveying shielding gas to or from the mating connector. The sealed passageway includes threads configured to engage a preassembled valve assembly. 
         [0006]    In another embodiment, a welding cable connector system includes a male connector having a first conductive body for conveying welding power. The male connector also includes a first sealed passageway disposed coaxially of the first conductive body for conveying shielding gas, and a first preassembled valve assembly coupled to threads within the first sealed passageway and configured to stop flow of shielding gas when the male connector is not engaged. The connector system also includes a female connector having a second conductive body for conveying welding power. The female connector also includes a second sealed passageway disposed coaxially of the conductive body for conveying shielding gas, and a second preassembled valve assembly coupled to threads within the second sealed passageway and configured to stop flow of shielding gas when the female connector is not engaged. The connector system includes a welding cable coupled to at least one of the male and female connectors for conveying welding power and shielding gas to or from the coupled connector. The male and female connectors are mutually engageable to conduct welding power and shielding gas therethrough. The first and second preassembled valve assemblies seal the flow of shielding gas when the connectors are not mutually engaged. 
     
    
     
       DRAWINGS 
         [0007]    These and other features, aspects, and advantages of the present invention will become better understood when the following detailed description is read with reference to the accompanying drawings in which like characters represent like parts throughout the drawings, wherein: 
           [0008]      FIG. 1  is a schematic diagram of an exemplary welding system in accordance with aspects of the present disclosure; 
           [0009]      FIG. 2  is a schematic diagram of an exemplary welding system including a pendant in accordance with aspects of the present disclosure; 
           [0010]      FIG. 3  is a perspective view of an embodiment of a welding cable assembly; 
           [0011]      FIG. 4  is an exploded view of an embodiment of a male connector assembly of a welding cable assembly; 
           [0012]      FIG. 5  is an exploded view of an embodiment of a female connector assembly of a welding cable assembly; 
           [0013]      FIG. 6  is a cross-sectional side view of an embodiment of male and female connector assemblies of a welding cable assembly; and 
           [0014]      FIG. 7  is a cross-sectional side view of the embodiment of  FIG. 6  with the male and female connector assemblies mated. 
       
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION 
       [0015]    As described in detail below, embodiments of a weld electrical and gas connector with sealed gas flow are provided that may facilitate fewer components and simplified construction. For example, in certain embodiments a Schrader valve is used to control the flow of gas through the connectors, while in other embodiments a preassembled valve assembly is used to control the flow of gas through the connectors. In either case, the connectors are manufactured in a simplified manner using fewer components. 
         [0016]    Turning now to the figures,  FIG. 1  is a schematic diagram of an exemplary welding system  10  which powers, controls, and provides supplies to a welding operation. The welding system  10  includes a welding power supply  12 , a wire feeder  14 , a torch  16 , and a workpiece  18 . The welding power supply  12  receives primary power  20  (e.g., from the AC power grid, an engine/generator set, a battery, or a combination thereof), conditions the input power, and provides an output power to one or more welding devices in accordance with demands of the system  10 . The primary power  20  may be supplied from an offsite location (i.e., the primary power may originate from a wall outlet). The welding power source  12  includes power conversion circuitry  22  that may include circuit elements such as transformers, rectifiers, switches, and so forth, capable of converting the AC input power to a DCEP or DCEN output as dictated by the demands of the system  10 . Such circuits are generally known in the art. It should be noted, however, that the cable structures disclosed herein may be used with any desired welding application or process that relies on the provision of power and shielding gas. This might include, for example, AC welding processes, DC welding processes, pulsed and short circuit welding processes, hybrid processes, and so forth. Moreover, the cabling may be used for such processes and may channel power and gas when needed, but may still be used when other processes are employed that do not require shielding gas. When this type of process is selected, the flow of gas through the cable is simply stopped by system valving of a conventional type. 
         [0017]    In some embodiments, the power conversion circuitry  22  may be configured to convert the primary power to both weld and auxiliary power outputs. However, in other embodiments, the power conversion circuitry  22  may be adapted to convert primary power only to a weld power output, and a separate auxiliary converter may be provided to convert primary power to auxiliary power. Still further, in some embodiments, the welding power supply  12  may be adapted to receive a converted auxiliary power output directly from a wall outlet. Indeed, any suitable power conversion system or mechanism may be employed by the welding power supply  12  to generate and supply both weld and auxiliary power. 
         [0018]    The welding power supply  12  includes a user interface  26  and control circuitry  28 . The control circuitry  28  controls the operations of the welding power supply  12  and may receive input from the user interface  26  through which a user may choose a process, and input desired parameters (e.g., voltages, currents, particular pulsed or non-pulsed welding regimes, and so forth). The control circuitry  28  may also be configured to receive and process a plurality of inputs regarding the performance and demands of the system  10 . Furthermore, the control circuitry  28  may include volatile or non-volatile memory, such as ROM, RAM, magnetic storage memory, optical storage memory, or a combination thereof. In addition, a variety of control parameters may be stored in the memory along with code configured to provide a specific output (e.g., initiate wire feed, enable gas flow, etc.) during operation. 
         [0019]    The welding power supply  12  may also include a valve  30  to modulate the amount of gas supplied to a welding operation. The valve  30  operates with signals from the control circuitry  28 . A gas supply  34  may provide shielding gases, such as argon, helium, carbon dioxide, and so forth. The gas enters valve  30  then exits the valve through cable  36 . As illustrated, the gas and power are combined into the cable  36 . As such, the cable  36  supplies the wire feeder  14  and/or torch  16  with gas and power. The cable  36  is coupled to connector  38 . The connector  38  is a female box mount connector that is mounted to the welding power supply  12 . In certain embodiments, the connector  38  may be a male box mount connector, or the connector  38  may be any connector that can combine gas and power connections therethrough. 
         [0020]    Data is communicated between the control circuitry  28  and an interface circuit  40 . The interface circuit  40  conditions the data from the control circuitry  28  for communication to other welding devices, such as a wire feeder  14  and a pendant. The interface circuit  40  may be connected to connector  38  for transmission of data combined with the power and gas. In another embodiment, data conditioned in the welding power supply  12  is communicated to the wire feeder  14  over a control cable assembly  44 . Certain power signals may also be transmitted over the control cable assembly  44 . 
         [0021]    A cable assembly  46  connects the welding power supply  12  to the wire feeder  14 . A male connector assembly  48  is coupled to connector  38  on the power supply  12  and a female connector assembly  50  is coupled to a male box mount connector  52  on the wire feeder  14 . In certain embodiments, the connector  52  may be a female box mounted connector, or connector  52  may be another type of connector. Furthermore, in other embodiments, the connector assemblies  48  and  50  may be male or female assemblies such that connector assemblies  48  and  50  mate with connectors  38  and  52  respectively. The cable assembly  46  includes a cable  54  coupled to connector assemblies  48  and  50 . In addition, the cable assembly  46  may include multiple cables, such that the assembly may include connector assemblies  56  and  58 . Likewise, one, two or more cables may be part of the assembly  46 . The workpiece  18  is also coupled to the welding power supply  12  to provide a return path for welding power. 
         [0022]    Gas and power run between the connector  52  and a female box mount connector  60 . Again, the connector  60  may be a male box mount connector, or any other connector that can carry gas and power. A power conversion circuitry  62  is powered from the gas/power cable. The wire feeder  14  also includes a user interface  66  and control circuitry  68 . The power conversion circuitry  62  powers the control circuitry  68 . The control circuitry  68  functions similar to control circuitry  28 , but controls the functionality of the wire feeder  14 . The control circuitry  68  may receive input from the user interface  66  through which a user may input desired parameters (e.g., voltages, currents, wire speed, and so forth). Further, an interface circuit  70  may receive signals from control circuitry  68  for transmission to the welding power supply  12 . Conditioned data is received by the wire feeder  14  and converted by the interface circuit  70  to signals compatible with the control circuitry  68 . The interface circuit  70  may receive conditioned data either through cable  44 , or through cable assembly  46  as illustrated. The wire feeder  14  also includes a wire drive  74  that receives control signals from the control circuit  68  to drive rollers  75  that cause wire to be fed from a wire spool  76 . Gas and power are transferred out of the wire feeder  14  through connector  60 . A male connector assembly  78  coupled to a cable  80  enable the gas and power to be provided to the torch  16  for a welding operation. In certain embodiments, the connector assembly  78  may be a female connector assembly. It should be noted that the gas flowing through the cable assembly  46 , or the cable  80  may have a cooling effect on the cable. Further, each of the connector assemblies described above may be constructed using a Schrader valve, or another preassembled valve assembly. 
         [0023]      FIG. 2  is a schematic diagram of an exemplary welding system  10  including a pendant  82 . The welding power supply  12 , wire feeder  14 , and torch  16  function in a similar manner as described in relation to  FIG. 1 . As illustrated, a second cable assembly  46  connects between connector  60  of the wire feeder  14  and a male box connector  84  of the pendant  82 . As previously described, gas and power are carried by cable assembly  46 . The gas and power exit the pendant  82  through a female box connector  86  to provide gas and power to the torch  16 . In certain embodiments, connectors  84  and  86  may be either male or female and may be any type of connector that can carry gas and power. The pendant  82  also includes power conversion circuitry  88 , a user interface  92 , control circuitry  94 , and an interface circuit  96 . The circuits and interfaces of the pendant  82  function in a similar manner to the similarly named circuits and interfaces previously described, thus controlling the operation of the pendant. A second control cable assembly  44  communicates control data and/or power between the wire feeder  14  and the pendant  82 . The interface circuit  96  may either receive data via cable assembly  44  or via connection  98  from the gas and power cable. As may be appreciated, each of the connector assemblies described above may be constructed using a Schrader valve, or another preassembled valve assembly. 
         [0024]      FIG. 3  is a perspective view of an embodiment of a welding cable assembly  46 . The male connector assembly  48  and female connector assembly  50  are connected via a cable  54 . The male connector assembly  48  includes a collar  100  and a collar extension  102  that encompasses a male connector  104 . The male connector  104  includes keyed threads  106  and a fitting  108 . The fitting  108  houses the gas valve which includes a plunger  110  portion of a preassembled valve assembly (e.g., Schrader valve, tire valve, etc.) extending out of the fitting  108 . A collar key notch  112  enables proper mating between male and female connector assemblies. A spring  114  is disposed around the cable  54  adjacent to the collar  100 . The spring  114  may be part of a strain relief assembly. The strain relief assembly may also include a spring retainer (not shown) to hold the spring  114  in place. Further, the spring  114  may be double pitched to enable the spring to mate with the spring retainer. For example, the spring  114  may include coils, such as approximately 10 coils, with a pitch such as approximately 0.16 inches to enable the spring  114  to be threaded onto the spring retainer. The remainder of the threads may be pitched at approximately 0.625 inches to enable a large radius bend. In addition, the spring retainer may be captured within the collar  100  to hold the retainer and spring  114  behind the collar  100 . 
         [0025]    The female connector assembly  50  also includes the collar  100  and a collar extension  116  that encompasses a female connector  118 . The female connector  118  includes keyed threads  120  and a tapered surface  122 . The tapered surface  122  contacts a tapered surface of the male connector  104  in order to conduct electric current between the male and female connectors. Further, the tapered surface  122  may engage the male connector  104  such that the surface maintains a tight engagement with a mating connector. In addition, the tapered surface  122  may initiate cleaning action to enable increased electrical conductivity. A collar key  124  enables proper mating between male and female connector assemblies. The female connector assembly  50  also includes the spring  114  and may include a strain relief assembly as described above. 
         [0026]    As may be appreciated, the spring  114  on the male or female connector assemblies  48  and  50  may be configured different than described above. For example, in certain embodiments the spring  114  may have only a single pitch, or the spring  114  may be double pitched with a first set of coils (which may be greater or less than 10 coils) having a pitch less than or greater than approximately 0.16 inches and the remainder of the coils having a pitch less than or greater than approximately 0.625 inches. The collar  100  and the collar extensions  102  and  116  may inhibit the connectors  104  and  118  from contacting other surfaces. As such, the connectors  104  and  118  may be inhibited from inadvertent electrical contact with an undesired surface. Further, the connectors  104  and  118  may be protected from physical impact with other surfaces. 
         [0027]      FIG. 4  is an exploded view of an embodiment of a male connector assembly  48  of a welding cable assembly. The male connector assembly  48  includes the collar  100  with two sections that are assembled on the outside of the male connector  104 , such as via screws. The collar extension  102  is mounted over the front of the male connector  104 . The collar  100  and the collar extension  102  may be made of plastic, rubber, polymer, or other material that provides protection to the male connector  104 . The male connector  104  includes the keyed threads  106  and the fitting  108 . The keyed threads  106  are keyed to mate with the keyed threads of the female connector  118  via a ¼ turn twist-lock in order to hold the male and female connectors engaged. The threads of the male and female connectors may be keyed per U.S. Pat. No. 7,377,825, entitled “High-power Electrical Quick Connector” to Bankstahl, which is hereby incorporated by reference. The male connector  104  also includes a tapered surface  126  and a nut  128 . The tapered surface  126  is tapered to match the taper on the female connector  118 . The tapered surfaces of the male and female connectors contact each other to provide a conductive pathway for welding power to flow. The tapered surface  126  may include any degree of taper such that the angle provides a good contact between the connectors. For example, the taper may be approximately 100, 110, 115, or 135 degrees. The nut  128  is used to tighten a cable adaptor onto the male connector  104 . The male connector  104  may be made of brass, nickel, stainless steel, or another conductive material sufficient to conduct power and carry gas. 
         [0028]    The plunger  110  (or extension) is part of a preassembled valve assembly  134 . In certain embodiments, the preassembled valve assembly  134  may be a Schrader valve, a tire valve, a tyre valve, an American valve, or another type of preassembled valve assembly. Further, the preassembled valve assembly  134  may include 5V1 size threading and may be one of many different grades (e.g., tire grade, aircraft grade, etc.). The plunger  110  extends out of the preassembled valve assembly  134 . The preassembled valve assembly  134  includes threads  136  which threadingly engaged matching threads within a passageway of the male connector  104 . Thus, gas is inhibited from flowing through the male connector  104  when the preassembled valve assembly  134  is properly installed and not engaged with another valve assembly, forming a sealed passageway within the male connector  104 . As will be appreciated, the preassembled valve assembly  134  is mechanically unseated and allows gas to flow through the male connector  104  upon mating of the male connector  104 . An adaptor  146  is secured to the male connector  104  and enables the connector  104  to be attached to a welding cable, such as a ¼ inch pipe thread crimped to a weld cable of a type commercially available from Bernard of Beecher, Ill. Using the preassembled valve assembly  134 , the male connector assembly  48  is manufactured in a more efficient and simplified manner using fewer components. 
         [0029]      FIG. 5  is an exploded view of an embodiment of a female connector assembly  50  of a welding cable assembly. The female connector assembly  50  includes the collar  100  with two sections that are assembled on the outside of the female connector  118 , such as via screws. The collar extension  116  is mounted over the front of the female connector  118 . The collar  100  and collar extension  116  may be made of plastic, rubber, polymer, or other material that provides protection to the female connector  118 . The female connector  118  also includes a nut  148 . The nut  148  fits within the similar shaped interior of the collar extension  116 . The female connector  118  may be made of brass, nickel, stainless steel, or another conductive material sufficient to conduct power and carry gas. 
         [0030]    A preassembled valve assembly  156  includes a plunger  158  (or extension). In certain embodiments, the preassembled valve assembly  156  may be a Schrader valve, a tire valve, a tyre valve, an American valve, or another type of preassembled valve assembly. Further, the preassembled valve assembly  156  may include 5V1 size threading and may be one of many different grades (e.g., tire grade, aircraft grade, etc.). The plunger  158  extends out of the preassembled valve assembly  156 . The preassembled valve assembly  156  includes threads  160  which threadingly engage matching threads within the female connector  118 . Thus, gas is inhibited from flowing through the female connector  118  when the preassembled valve assembly  156  is properly installed and not engaged with another valve assembly, forming a sealed passageway within the female connector  118 . As will be appreciated, the preassembled valve assembly  156  is mechanically unseated and allows gas to flow through the female connector  118  upon mating of the female connector  118 . An adaptor  172  is secured to the female connector  118  and enables the connector  118  to be attached to a welding cable, such as a ¼ inch weld cable of a type commercially available from Bernard of Beecher, Ill. Using the preassembled valve assembly  156 , the female connector assembly  50  is manufactured in a more efficient and simplified manner using fewer components. 
         [0031]      FIG. 6  is a cross-sectional side view of an embodiment of male and female connector assemblies of a welding cable assembly. The illustration of the male connector assembly  48  depicts the plunger  110  of the preassembled valve assembly  134  extending out of the fitting  108 . The preassembled valve assembly  134  is threadingly engaged with the male connector  104 . The preassembled valve assembly  134  creates a seal to inhibit gas from escaping through the fitting  108 . When the plunger  110  is depressed, the seal is opened and gas can flow through the male connector  104 . For example, when the male connector  104  is mated with the female connector  118 , the plungers  110  and  158  press against each other to unseat the valve assembly seals and enable gas to flow through each connector. Further, as illustrated within the female connector  50 , o-rings  160  and  162  provide a seal around the fitting  108  when the fitting is inserted through the o-rings. By using two o-rings, the o-rings  160  and  162  may create a double seal, or one o-ring  160  may act as a wiper to clean dirt or debris off of the fitting  108 , while the other o-ring  162  creates a seal. The keyed threads  120  and  106  are also depicted, illustrating how the male and female connectors are coupled together. 
         [0032]      FIG. 7  is a cross-sectional side view of the embodiment of  FIG. 6  with the male and female connector assemblies mated. As illustrated, the plunger  110  presses against the plunger  154  to enable gas to flow between the connectors. Further, the threads  106  are coupled to the threads  120  and the fitting  108  is positioned within o-rings  160  and  162 . The tapered surfaces  126  and  122  contact each other to enable power to be conducted between the connectors. 
         [0033]    While only certain features of the invention have been illustrated and described herein, many modifications and changes will occur to those skilled in the art. It is, therefore, to be understood that the appended claims are intended to cover all such modifications and changes as fall within the true spirit of the invention.