Abstract:
A remote output control for controlling the output level of an electric welder power supply at a remote location and providing a source of isolated electrical power at the remote location is disclosed. The remote output control includes a water-proof, sealed housing fitted with an electrical receptacle and a potentiometer. A cable construction is electrically connected to the electrical receptacle and the potentiometer at one end and is provided with electrical plugs at the opposite end. A molded over wire y-adaptor is also included in the cable construction.

Description:
FIELD OF THE INVENTION 
       [0001]    The present invention relates generally to adjusting the output of an electric welder power supply, and more particularly, relating to wired remote output control for an electric welder power supply having an improved cable construction and an isolated auxiliary electrical power receptacle. 
       BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
       [0002]    Electric welders include an electric power supply having a variable power output that is adjust according to various welding conditions, such as the material being welded. In some instances the electric power supply cannot be located in close proximity to the welder. In these instances the welder cannot easily make adjustments to output of the electric power supply during welding. Accordingly, various devices have been devised to permit the remote control of the of the electric welder power supply output. However, heretofore these devices have drawbacks. Additionally, there is a desire to a source of electrical power at the remote location for powering various electrical equipment such as lights, etc. 
         [0003]    Accordingly, there is a need for a remote output control having an improved construction which overcomes the drawback of existing devices and which provides a source of electrical power at a remote location. 
       SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
       [0004]    Embodiments of the present invention addresses this need by providing a wired remote output control for remotely controlling the output of an electric welder power supply of an improved construction. 
         [0005]    Embodiments of the present invention also provide an isolated supply of 110V electrical power at the remote output control housing. 
         [0006]    Embodiments of the present invention also provide a cable construction that is water-proof and prevents corrosion of electrical connections and wires. 
         [0007]    Embodiments of the present invention also provided a cable construction having molded of wire connections. 
         [0008]    Embodiments of the present invention also provide a cable construction including a molded over wire Y-shaped adaptor. 
         [0009]    Embodiments of the present invention also provide a cable construction that includes disconnects from the remote output control housing and the remote control port of an electric welder power supply. 
         [0010]    Embodiments of the present invention also provide a cable construction having water-proof electrical couplings. 
         [0011]    Embodiments of the present invention also provide single and multi-turn rotary potentiometers, or rheostat, for adjusting the power output of the electric welder power supply. 
         [0012]    To achieve these and other advantages, in general, in one aspect, a remote output control for an electric welder power supply is provided. The remote output control includes a housing having a bottom wall, a top wall, and a sidewall extending continuously around and extending between the bottom wall and the top wall. The bottom wall, the top wall and the sidewall together defining an internal compartment. An electrical power receptacle is disposed within the internal compartment and extends through the sidewall. A rotary potentiometer is disposed within the internal compartment and has a control shaft extending through the top wall. A control knob is secured to the control shaft for turning the control shaft. A first length of insulated cable comprises a plurality of separately insulated wires. The electrical power receptacle is electrically connected to a first group of wires of the plurality of separately insulated wires. The rotary potentiometer is electrically connected to a second group of wires of the plurality of separately insulated wires. A second length of insulated cable comprises the first group of wires. A third length of insulated cable comprises the second group of wires. A molded y-connector conjoins the first length of insulated cable, the second length of insulated cable, and the third length of insulated cable. A first electrical plug is joined to an end of the second length of cable and is electrically connected to the first group of wires. The first electrical plug is configured for reception by an standard 110V electrical receptacle. A second electrical plug is joined to an end of the third length of cable and is electrically connected to the first group of wires. The second electrical plug is configured for connect to a remote control receptacle of the electric welder power supply. 
         [0013]    In general, in another aspect, a remote output control for an electric welder power supply is provided. The remote output control includes housing having a bottom wall, a top wall, and a sidewall extending continuously around and extending between the bottom wall and the top wall. The bottom wall, the top wall and the sidewall together defining an internal compartment. An electrical power receptacle is disposed within the internal compartment and extends through the sidewall. A rotary potentiometer is disposed within the internal compartment and has a control shaft extending through the top wall. A control knob is secured to the control shaft for turning the control shaft. An electrical connection receptacle is disposed within said internal compartment and extends through said sidewall. The electrical power receptacle is electrically connected to said electrical connection receptacle. The rotary potentiometer is electrically connected to said electrical connection receptacle. A first length of insulated cable comprising a plurality of separately insulated wires. The plurality of separately insulated wires comprising a first group of wires and a second group of wires. A first electrical plug is joined to an end of said first length of insulated cable and is electrically connected to said first group of wires and said second group of wires. The first electrical plug is configured for reception by said electrical connection receptacle. A second length of insulated cable comprises said first group of wires. A third length of insulated cable comprises a said second group of wires. A molded y-connector conjoins said first length of insulated cable, said second length of insulated cable, and said third length of insulated cable. A second electrical plug is joined to an end of said second length of cable and is electrically connected to said first group of wires. The second electrical plug is configured for reception by an electrical power receptacle. A third electrical plug is joined to an end of said third length of cable and electrically connected to said first group of wires. The third electrical plug is configured for reception by a remote control receptacle of the electric welder power supply. 
         [0014]    There has thus been outlined, rather broadly, the more important features of the invention in order that the detailed description thereof that follows may be better understood and in order that the present contribution to the art may be better appreciated. 
         [0015]    Numerous objects, features and advantages of the present invention will be readily apparent to those of ordinary skill in the art upon a reading of the following detailed description of presently preferred, but nonetheless illustrative, embodiments of the present invention when taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings. The invention is capable of other embodiments and of being practiced and carried out in various ways. Also, it is to be understood that the phraseology and terminology employed herein are for the purpose of descriptions and should not be regarded as limiting. 
         [0016]    As such, those skilled in the art will appreciate that the conception, upon which this disclosure is based, may readily be utilized as a basis for the designing of other structures, methods and systems for carrying out the several purposes of the present invention. It is important, therefore, that the claims be regarded as including such equivalent constructions insofar as they do not depart from the spirit and scope of the present invention. 
         [0017]    For a better understanding of the invention, its operating advantages and the specific objects attained by its uses, reference should be had to the accompanying drawings and descriptive matter in which there is illustrated preferred embodiments of the invention. 
     
    
     
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
         [0018]    The following drawings illustrate by way of example and are included to provide further understanding of the invention for the purpose of illustrative discussion of the embodiments of the invention. No attempt is made to show structural details of the embodiments in more detail than is necessary for a fundamental understanding of the invention, the description taken with the drawings making apparent to those skilled in the art how the several forms of the invention may be embodied in practice. Identical reference numerals do not necessarily indicate an identical structure. Rather, the same reference numeral may be used to indicate a similar feature of a feature with similar functionality. In the drawings: 
           [0019]      FIG. 1  is a diagrammatic perspective view of a remote output control for an electric welder power supply constructed in accordance with the principles of the present invention; 
           [0020]      FIG. 2  is a top exploded view of the remote output control of  FIG. 1 ; 
           [0021]      FIG. 3  is a partial view of a cable assembly of the remote output control of  FIG. 1 ; 
           [0022]      FIG. 4  is a top exploded view of an alternative embodiment of a remote output control of  FIG. 1 ; and 
           [0023]      FIG. 5  is a partial view of a cable assembly of the remote output control of  FIG. 4 . 
       
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION 
       [0024]    As a preliminary matter, it should be noted that in this document (including the claims) directional terms, such as “above”, “below”, “upper”, “lower”, etc., are used for convenience in referring to the accompanying drawings. Additionally, it is to be understood that the various embodiments of the invention described herein may be utilized in various orientations, such as inclined, inverted, horizontal, vertical, etc., without departing from the principles of the invention. 
         [0025]    In this description, references to “one embodiment” or “an embodiment” mean that the featuring being referred to is included in at least one embodiment of the invention. Moreover, separate references to “one embodiment” in this description do not necessarily refer to the same embodiment. Illustrated embodiments are not mutually exclusive, unless so stated and except as will be readily apparent to those of ordinary skill in the art. Thus, the invention may include any variety of combinations and/or integrations of the embodiments described herein. 
         [0026]    With reference now to the drawings, and in particular to  FIGS. 1 through 5  thereof, a new remote output control for adjusting the output of an electric welder power supply embodying the principles and concepts of the present invention and generally designated by the reference numeral  10  will be described. The remote output control  10  provides the control of the power output of an electric welder power supply at a remote location from the electric welder power supply and a source isolated of electrical power at the remote location. The remote output control  10  is configured to be connected to a remote control port of an electric welder power supply and is operated to adjust the power output therefrom. 
         [0027]    As best illustrated in  FIGS. 1 through 3 , the remote output control  10  generally comprises a housing  12  having a bottom wall  14 , a removable top wall or cover  16  and a sidewall  18  extending between the bottom wall and the top wall, and an internal compartment  20 . Cover  16  is removably attached to the housing  12  by a plurality of fasteners, such as screws  22  positioned at each corner that are threaded into flange  24 . A water proofing seal  27  is disposed about the periphery of cover  16  and is engaged with flange  24  to seal the internal compartment  20  against water intrusion. A handle  26  extends from the sidewall  18  and provides a means for a user to grasp and position the housing  12 . 
         [0028]    An electrical power receptacle  28 , such as a standard 110V electrical receptacle is disposed within the internal compartment  20  and extends through openings in the sidewall  18  positioning each receptacle  32  externally of the housing  12  permitting the connection of electrical power cords. As will become apparent below, receptacle  28  provides a source of auxiliary and isolated electrical power to an operator for the connection of electrical equipment to the remote output control  10 , and thus eliminating the need for a separate extension cord. 
         [0029]    A rotary potentiometer  34 , or rheostat, is also disposed within the internal compartment  20  and has a control shaft  35  extending through the cover  16 . The rotary potentiometer  34 , or rheostat, is secured to the cover  16 . In an embodiment, the rotary potentiometer  34 , or rheostat, is a single turn rotary potentiometer. In an embodiment, the rotary potentiometer  34 , or rheostat, is a mutli-turn rotary potentiometer. In an embodiment, the rotary potentiometer  34 , or rheostat, is a three-turn rotary potentiometer. A control knob  36  is secured to the control shaft  35  for turning the control shaft. A dial  62  is disposed on cover  16  and arranged for cooperation with control knob  36  for adjusting the output of the electric welder power supply to which the remote output control  10  is connected. 
         [0030]    The remote output control  10  further includes an insulated cable  38  including a first group of insulated wires  40  and a second group of insulated wires  42 . The first group of insulated wires  40  comprise the standard three-wire group of a house hold 110V electrical connection, namely a hot wire, a neutral wire and a ground wire. The second group of insulated wires  42  comprise a plurality of wires configured for connection with the remote connection port of an electric welder power supply (not shown). The electrical power receptacle  28  is electrically connected to the first group of insulated wires  40 . The rotary potentiometer  34 , or rheostat, is electrically connected to the second group of insulated wires  42 . At a distance along the length of cable  38 , the cable is split into cables  44  and  46  at a molded over wire Y-adaptor  47 . Cable  44  includes the first group of wires  40  and cable  46  includes the second group of wires  42 . 
         [0031]    A standard 110V male electrical plug  48  is joined to the end of cable  44  and is electrically connected to the first group of wires in a known manner. An electrical plug  50  is joined to the end of cable  46  and is electrically connected to the second group of wires in a desired configuration for connection to the remote connection port of an electric welder power supply. Plug  50  is configured to be received by the remote connection port of the electric welder power supply. Plugs  48  and  50  can be of the molded over wire type ensuring a water tight seal with cables  44  and  46 , respectively. 
         [0032]    The cable assembly  52  comprised of cable  38 , Y-adaptor  47 , cables  44  and  46 , and plugs  48  and  50  is constructed to be water-proof to prevent the intrusion of moisture and water along the entire length of the cable assembly, thereby prevent corrosion of the electrical connections and wires. 
         [0033]    As best seen in  FIG. 2 , cable  38  is secured to the housing  12  by a compression fitting  54  preventing water and moisture intrusion through the sidewall  18  around cable  38 . Compression fitting  54  prevents the disconnection of cable  38  from the housing  12 . In some instances it is desirable to disconnect cable  38  from the housing to permit the cable to be threaded through tight spaces that the housing  12  will not pass through. 
         [0034]    In  FIGS. 4 and 5 , an embodiment of the remote output control  10  is illustrated having a twist lock receptacle  56  and a cooperative twist lock plug  58 . Twist lock receptacle  56  is disposed within internal compartment  20  and extends through the sidewall  18 . The twist lock plug  58  is joined to the end of cable  38  and is electrically connected to the first and second groups of wires  40  and  42 . The twist lock receptacle  56  is electrically connected to the electrical power receptacle  28  and the rotary potentiometer  34 , or rheostat, in a configuration such that when the twist lock plug  58  is connected to the twist lock receptacle  56 , the first group of wires  40  is electrically connected to the electrical power receptacle and the second group of wires  42  is electrically connected to the rotary potentiometer, or rheostat. The twist lock receptacle  56  and plug  58  pair provided a water-tight disconnect between cable  38  and the housing  12 . Twist lock receptacle  56  and plug  58  may be Amphenol connectors. In this manner cable assembly  60  is provided including twist lock plug  58 , cable  38 , Y-adaptor  48 , cables  44  and  46 , and plugs  48  and  50  as a separate assembly that can be threaded or run through tight spaces that the housing will not pass through. Like cable assembly  52 , cable assembly  60  is constructed to be water-proof to prevent the intrusion of moisture and water along the entire length of the cable assembly, thereby prevent corrosion of the electrical connections and wires. 
         [0035]    A number of embodiments of the present invention have been described. Nevertheless, it will be understood that various modifications may be made without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention. Accordingly, other embodiments are within the scope of the following claims.