Patent Publication Number: US-2016228971-A1

Title: Wearable technology for interfacing with welding equipment and monitoring equipment using wireless technologies

Description:
BACKGROUND 
     Welding is a process that has increasingly become ubiquitous in all industries. While such processes may be automated in certain contexts, a large number of applications continue to exist for manual welding operations, the success of which relies heavily on the proper use of a welding gun or torch by a welding operator. For instance, improper torch angle, contact-tip-to-work-distance, travel speed, and improper welding power source setup are parameters that may dictate the quality of a weld. Even experienced welding operators, however, often have difficulty monitoring and maintaining these important parameters throughout the welding processes. 
     BRIEF SUMMARY 
     Methods and systems are provided for wearable technology for interfacing with welding equipment and monitoring equipment using wireless technologies, substantially as illustrated by and/or described in connection with at least one of the figures, as set forth more completely in the claims. 
    
    
     
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
         FIG. 1  shows an example arc welding system in accordance with aspects of this disclosure. 
         FIG. 2  shows example welding equipment in accordance with aspects of this disclosure. 
         FIG. 3  shows example welding headwear in accordance with aspects of this disclosure. 
         FIG. 4  shows example circuitry of the headwear of  FIG. 3 . 
         FIGS. 5A-5C  illustrate various parameters which may be determined from images of a weld in progress. 
         FIG. 6A  shows an example wearable interface device for wirelessly interfacing with welding and monitoring equipment, in accordance with aspects of this disclosure. 
         FIG. 6B  shows an example user interface of a wearable interface device, in accordance with aspects of this disclosure. 
         FIG. 7  shows an example interface device integrated into welding headwear for wirelessly interfacing with welding and monitoring equipment, in accordance with aspects of this disclosure. 
         FIG. 8  shows example circuitry of an interface device for wirelessly interfacing with welding and monitoring equipment, in accordance with aspects of this disclosure. 
         FIG. 9  is a flowchart illustrating an example process for interfacing with welding and/or monitoring equipment using wearable or integrated interface devices, in accordance with aspects of this disclosure. 
     
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION 
       FIG. 1  shows an example arc welding system in accordance with aspects of this disclosure. Referring to  FIG. 1 , there is shown an example welding system  10  in which an operator  18  is wearing welding headwear  20  and welding a workpiece  24  using a torch  504  to which power is delivered by equipment  12  via a conduit  14 , with monitoring equipment  28  being available for use to monitor welding operations. The equipment  12  may comprise a power source, optionally a source of an inert shield gas and, where wire/filler material is to be provided automatically, a wire feeder. 
     The welding system  10  of  FIG. 1  may be configured to form a weld joint  512  by any known technique, including electric welding techniques such shielded metal arc welding (i.e., stick welding), metal inert gas welding (MIG), tungsten inert gas welding (TIG), and resistance welding. 
     Optionally in any embodiment, the welding equipment  12  may be arc welding equipment that provides a direct current (DC) or alternating current (AC) to a consumable or non-consumable electrode  16  (better shown, for example, in  FIG. 5C ) of a torch  504 . The electrode  16  delivers the current to the point of welding on the workpiece  24 . In the welding system  10 , the operator  18  controls the location and operation of the electrode  16  by manipulating the torch  504  and triggering the starting and stopping of the current flow. When current is flowing, an arc  26  is developed between the electrode and the workpiece  24 . The conduit  14  and the electrode  16  thus deliver current and voltage sufficient to create the electric arc  26  between the electrode  16  and the workpiece. The arc  26  locally melts the workpiece  24  and welding wire or rod supplied to the weld joint  512  (the electrode  16  in the case of a consumable electrode or a separate wire or rod in the case of a non-consumable electrode) at the point of welding between electrode  16  and the workpiece  24 , thereby forming a weld joint  512  when the metal cools. 
     Optionally in any embodiment, the monitoring equipment  28  may be used to monitor welding operations. The monitoring equipment  28  may be used to monitor various aspects of welding operations, particularly in real-time (that is as welding is taking place). For example, the monitoring equipment  28  may be operable to monitor arc characteristics such as length, current, voltage, frequency, variation, and instability. Data obtained from the monitoring may be used (e.g., by the operator  18  and/or by an automated quality control system) to ensure proper welding. 
     As shown, and described more fully below, the equipment  12  and headwear  20  may communicate via a link  25  via which the headwear  20  may control settings of the equipment  12  and/or the equipment  12  may provide information about its settings to the headwear  20 . Although a wireless link is shown, the link may be wireless, wired, or optical. 
     In some instances, the user (e.g., operator  18 ) may need to interface with equipment used in welding operations and/or in monitoring of welding operations. For example, the operator  18  may need to interface with the equipment  12  (e.g., to control or adjust settings of the equipment), or with the monitoring equipment  28  (e.g., to obtain real-time monitoring information, to control or adjusting monitoring settings, etc.). 
     Solutions in accordance with the present disclosure enable interfacing with welding and/or monitoring equipment in a manner that allows utilizing small interface devices that use wireless technologies to facilitate the interactions needed for interfacing with the welding/monitoring equipment (thus obviating the need for wired connections), and allowing for interfacing without requiring specialized welding equipment (e.g., special torches) or stand-along interface equipment. In this regard, special torches may not be, however, well received by customers who have standardized on a specific torch for consumables. Also, the addition of extra controls on the special torches may makes these tools larger, and thus harder to wield and use (e.g., harder to fit into tight spaces). Further, stand-along interface equipment typically take up valuable weld cell space, and the wiring needed therefor can cause some issues, e.g., having an extra cord in the cell creates problems such as trip hazards and can break with normal wear and tear. Interface devices implemented in accordance with the present disclosure, however, are small enough that they are wearable or integrate-able, e.g., small enough that these devices can be worn by the user (e.g., on the belt, on the arm, etc.) or be integrated into equipment or clothing that users directly uses or wears during welding operations (e.g., welding helmets). Further, these devices may be particularly configured to support and use wireless technologies (e.g., WiFi, Bluetooth, etc.), such that when the welding equipment and/or monitoring equipment are also capable of wireless connectivity (or may be coupled to wireless communication devices), the interfacing may be done wirelessly, thus avoiding use of cords or other forms of wired connectors that would otherwise create safety hazards. 
     In an example use scenario, once the small interface device is worn by operator  18  (on the belt, or on the arm band, etc.) or is integrated into the welding helmet  20 , the interface device may search for and connect to the welding and/or monitoring equipment via wireless connections (e.g., WiFi or Bluetooth). Once connected, the interface device may be used in interfacing with the welding and/or monitoring equipment, particularly in conjunction with welding operations. For example, the interface device may be used by the operator to adjust settings of welding equipment (e.g., adjust weld settings such as voltage or trim, wire feed speed or amperage, and inductance or arc control), to adjust settings of monitoring equipment (e.g., modifying monitoring setting, such as monitoring angle, etc.), and to provide instructions to monitoring equipment (e.g., request feedback from previous weld, send monitoring request for next weld, instruct to ignore monitoring, etc.). 
       FIG. 2  shows example welding equipment in accordance with aspects of this disclosure. The equipment  12  of  FIG. 2  comprises an antenna  202 , a communication port  204 , communication interface circuitry  206 , user interface module  208 , control circuitry  210 , power supply circuitry  212 , wire feeder module  214 , and gas supply module  216 . 
     The antenna  202  may be any type of antenna suited for the frequencies, power levels, etc. used by the communication link  25 . 
     The communication port  204  may comprise, for example, an Ethernet over twisted pair port, a USB port, an HDMI port, a passive optical network (PON) port, and/or any other suitable port for interfacing with a wired or optical cable. 
     The communication interface circuitry  206  is operable to interface the control circuitry  210  to the antenna  202  and/or port  204  for transmit and receive operations. For transmit, the communication interface  206  may receive data from the control circuitry  210  and packetize the data and convert the data to physical layer signals in accordance with protocols in use on the communication link  25 . For receive, the communication interface may receive physical layer signals via the antenna  202  or port  204 , recover data from the received physical layer signals (demodulate, decode, etc.), and provide the data to control circuitry  210 . 
     The user interface module  208  may comprise electromechanical interface components (e.g., screen, speakers, microphone, buttons, touchscreen, etc.) and associated drive circuitry. The user interface  208  may generate electrical signals in response to user input (e.g., screen touches, button presses, voice commands, etc.). Driver circuitry of the user interface module  208  may condition (e.g., amplify, digitize, etc.) the signals and them to the control circuitry  210 . The user interface  208  may generate audible, visual, and/or tactile output (e.g., via speakers, a display, and/or motors/actuators/servos/etc.) in response to signals from the control circuitry  210 . 
     The control circuitry  210  comprises circuitry (e.g., a microcontroller and memory) operable to process data from the communication interface  206 , the user interface  208 , the power supply  212 , the wire feeder  214 , and/or the gas supply  216 ; and to output data and/or control signals to the communication interface  206 , the user interface  208 , the power supply  212 , the wire feeder  214 , and/or the gas supply  216 . 
     The power supply circuitry  212  comprises circuitry for generating power to be delivered to a welding electrode via conduit  14 . The power supply circuitry  212  may comprise, for example, one or more voltage regulators, current regulators, inverters, and/or the like. The voltage and/or current output by the power supply circuitry  212  may be controlled by a control signal from the control circuitry  210 . The power supply circuitry  212  may also comprise circuitry for reporting the present current and/or voltage to the control circuitry  210 . In an example implementation, the power supply circuitry  212  may comprise circuitry for measuring the voltage and/or current on the conduit  14  (at either or both ends of the conduit  14 ) such that reported voltage and/or current is actual and not simply an expected value based on calibration. 
     The wire feeder module  214  is configured to deliver a consumable wire electrode  16  to the weld joint  512 . The wire feeder  214  may comprise, for example, a spool for holding the wire, an actuator for pulling wire off the spool to deliver to the weld joint  512 , and circuitry for controlling the rate at which the actuator delivers the wire. The actuator may be controlled based on a control signal from the control circuitry  210 . The wire feeder module  214  may also comprise circuitry for reporting the present wire speed and/or amount of wire remaining to the control circuitry  210 . In an example implementation, the wire feeder module  214  may comprise circuitry and/or mechanical components for measuring the wire speed, such that reported speed is actual and not simply an expected value based on calibration. 
     The gas supply module  216  is configured to provide shielding gas via conduit  14  for use during the welding process. The gas supply module  216  may comprise an electrically controlled valve for controlling the rate of gas flow. The valve may be controlled by a control signal from control circuitry  210  (which may be routed through the wire feeder  214  or come directly from the control  210  as indicated by the dashed line). The gas supply module  216  may also comprise circuitry for reporting the present gas flow rate to the control circuitry  210 . In an example implementation, the gas supply module  216  may comprise circuitry and/or mechanical components for measuring the gas flow rate such that reported flow rate is actual and not simply an expected value based on calibration. 
       FIGS. 3 and 4  show example welding headwear in accordance with aspects of this disclosure. The example headwear  20  is a helmet comprising a shell  306  in or to which are mounted: one or more cameras comprising optical components  302  and image sensor(s)  416 , a display  304 , electromechanical user interface components  308 , an antenna  402 , a communication port  404 , a communication interface  406 , user interface driver circuitry  408 , a central processing unit (CPU)  410 , speaker driver circuitry  412 , graphics processing unit (GPU)  418 , and display driver circuitry  420 . The headwear also may be a functional welding mask or goggles, for example, so it can be used either for actual welding or for simulated welding with minimal changeover. 
     Each set of optics  302  may comprise, for example, one or more lenses, filters, and/or other optical components for capturing electromagnetic waves in the spectrum ranging from, for example, infrared to ultraviolet. In an example implementation, optics  302   a  and  302   b  for two cameras may be positioned approximately centered with the eyes of a wearer of the helmet  20  to capture stereoscopic images (at any suitable frame rate ranging from still photos to video at 30 fps, 100 fps, or higher) of the field of view that a wearer of the helmet  20  would have if looking through a lens. 
     The display  304  may comprise, for example, a LCD, LED, OLED, E-ink, and/or any other suitable type of display operable to convert electrical signals into optical signals viewable by a wearer of the helmet  20 . 
     The electromechanical user interface components  308  may comprise, for example, one or more touchscreen elements, speakers, microphones, physical buttons, etc. that generate electric signals in response to user input. For example, electromechanical user interface components  308  may comprise capacity, inductive, or resistive touchscreen sensors mounted on the back of the display  304  (i.e., on the outside of the helmet  20 ) that enable a wearer of the helmet  20  to interact with user interface elements displayed on the front of the display  304  (i.e., on the inside of the helmet  20 ). 
     The antenna  402  may be any type of antenna suited for the frequencies, power levels, etc. used by the communication link  25 . 
     The communication port  404  may comprise, for example, an Ethernet over twisted pair port, a USB port, an HDMI port, a passive optical network (PON) port, and/or any other suitable port for interfacing with a wired or optical cable. 
     The communication interface circuitry  406  is operable to interface the control circuitry  410  to the antenna  202  and port  204  for transmit and receive operations. For transmit, the communication interface  406  may receive data from the control circuitry  410  and packetize the data and convert the data to physical layer signals in accordance with protocols in use on the communication link  25 . The data to be transmitted may comprise, for example, control signals for controlling the equipment  12 . For receive, the communication interface may receive physical layer signals via the antenna  202  or port  204 , recover data from the received physical layer signals (demodulate, decode, etc.), and provide the data to control circuitry  410 . The received data may comprise, for example, indications of present settings and/or actual measured output of the equipment  12  (e.g., voltage, amperage, and/or wire speed settings and/or measurements). 
     The user interface driver circuitry  408  is operable to condition (e.g., amplify, digitize, etc.) signals from the user interface component(s)  308 . 
     The control circuitry  410  is operable to process data from the communication interface  406 , the user interface driver  408 , and the GPU  418 , and to generate control and/or data signals to be output to the speaker driver circuitry  412 , the GPU  418 , and the communication interface  406 . Signals output to the communication interface  406  may comprise, for example, signals to control settings of equipment  12 . Such signals may be generated based on signals from the GPU  418  and/or the user interface driver  408 . Signals from the communication interface  406  may comprise, for example, indications (received via link  25 ) of present settings and/or actual measured output of the equipment  12 . Signals to the GPU  418  may comprise, for example, signals to control graphical elements of a user interface presented on display  304 . Signals from the GPU  418  may comprise, for example, information determined based on analysis of pixel data captured by images sensors  416 . 
     The speaker driver circuitry  412  is operable to condition (e.g., convert to analog, amplify, etc.) signals from the control circuitry  410  for output to one or more speakers of the user interface components  308 . Such signals may, for example, carry audio to alert a wearer of the helmet  20  that a welding parameter is out of tolerance, to provide audio instructions to the wearer of the helmet  20 , etc. 
     The image sensor(s)  416  may comprise, for example, CMOS or CCD image sensors operable to convert optical signals to digital pixel data and output the pixel data to GPU  418 . 
     The graphics processing unit (GPU)  418  is operable to receive and process pixel data (e.g., of stereoscopic or two-dimensional images) from the image sensor(s)  416 , to output one or more signals to the control circuitry  410 , and to output pixel data to the display  304 . 
     The processing of pixel data by the GPU  418  may comprise, for example, analyzing the pixel data to determine, in real time (e.g., with latency less than 100 ms or, more preferably, less than 20 ms), one or more of the following: name, size, part number, type of metal, or other characteristics of the workpiece  24 ; name, size, part number, type of metal, or other characteristics of the electrode  16  and/or filler material; type or geometry of joint  512  to be welded; 2-D or 3-D positions of items (e.g., electrode, workpiece, etc.) in the captured field of view, one or more weld parameters (e.g., such as those described below with reference to  FIG. 5 ) for an in-progress weld in the field of view; measurements of one or more items in the field of view (e.g., size of a joint or workpiece being welded, size of a bead formed during the weld, size of a weld puddle formed during the weld, and/or the like); and/or any other information which may be gleaned from the pixel data and which may be helpful in achieving a better weld, training the operator, calibrating the system  10 , etc. 
     The information output from the GPU  418  to the control circuitry  410  may comprise the information determined from the pixel analysis. 
     The pixel data output from the GPU  418  to the display  304  may provide a mediated reality view for the wearer of the helmet  20 . In such a view, the wearer experiences the video presented on the display  304  as if s/he is looking through a lens, but with the image enhanced and/or supplemented by an on-screen display. The enhancements (e.g., adjust contrast, brightness, saturation, sharpness, etc.) may enable the wearer of the helmet  20  to see things s/he could not see with simply a lens. The on-screen display may comprise text, graphics, etc. overlaid on the video to provide visualizations of equipment settings received from the control circuit  410  and/or visualizations of information determined from the analysis of the pixel data. 
     The display driver circuitry  420  is operable to generate control signals (e.g., bias and timing signals) for the display  304  and to condition (e.g., level control synchronize, packetize, format, etc.) pixel data from the GPU  418  for conveyance to the display  304 . 
       FIGS. 5A-5C  illustrate various parameters which may be determined from images of a weld in progress. Coordinate axes are shown for reference. In  FIG. 5A  the Z axis points to the top of the paper, the X axis points to the right, and the Y axis points into the paper. In  FIGS. 5B and 5C , the Z axis points to the top of the paper, the Y axis points to the right, and the X axis points into the paper. 
     In  FIGS. 5A-5C , the equipment  12  comprises a MIG gun  504  that feeds a consumable electrode  16  to a weld joint  512  of the workpiece  24 . During the welding operation, a position of the MIG gun  504  may be defined by parameters including: contact-tip-to-work distance  506  or  507 , a travel angle  502 , a work angle  508 , a travel speed  510 , and aim. 
     Contact-tip-to-work distance may include the vertical distance  506  from a tip of the torch  504  to the workpiece  24  as illustrated in  FIG. 5A . In other embodiments, the contact-tip-to-work distance may be the distance  507  from the tip of the torch  504  to the workpiece  24  at the angle of the torch  504  to the workpiece  24 ). 
     The travel angle  502  is the angle of the gun  504  and/or electrode  16  along the axis of travel (X axis in the example shown in  FIGS. 5A-5C ). 
     The work angle  508  is the angle of the gun  504  and/or electrode  16  perpendicular to the axis of travel (Y axis in the example shown in  FIGS. 5A-5C ). 
     The travel speed is the speed at which the gun  504  and/or electrode  16  moves along the joint  512  being welded. 
     The aim is a measure of the position of the electrode  16  with respect to the joint  512  to be welded. Aim may be measured, for example, as distance from the center of the joint  512  in a direction perpendicular to the direction of travel.  FIG. 5C , for example, depicts an example aim measurement  516 . 
       FIG. 6A  shows an example wearable interface device for wirelessly interfacing with welding and monitoring equipment, in accordance with aspects of this disclosure. Referring to  FIG. 6A , there is shown an interface device  600  that is worn by the operator  18  during welding operations. 
     The interface device  600  may comprise suitable circuitry for enabling interfacing with equipment used in welding operations and/or monitoring of welding operations. In particular, the interface device  600  may be configured to allow performing such interfacing wirelessly, and without necessitating that the operator  18  move away or substantially adjust the position that is otherwise taken while performing the welding. In this regard, the interface device  600  may be operable to connect to the welding and/or monitoring equipment wirelessly, e.g., by setting up and using connections based on suitable wireless technologies, such as WiFi, Bluetooth, and the like. 
     Further, the interface device  600  may be operable to receive user input, which may then be communicated, using the wireless connection(s), to the welding and/or monitoring equipment. For example, the interface device  600  may comprise a user interface  602 , which may be used by the operator to provide input (e.g., selection, instructions, etc.), which may then be processed by the interface device  600  to facilitate interfacing with the welding and/or monitoring equipment. This may include, for example, generating signals for transmission over the particular wireless connection(s) that are set up, and converting the user input to data that maybe embedded into these signals. Various means or techniques for obtaining user input may be used. The user interface  602  may comprise a physical or virtual keypad or keyboard for example. An example user interface is described in more detail with respect to  FIG. 6B . 
     The interface device  600  may be operable to concurrently interface with multiple pieces of equipment, which may include both welding and monitoring equipment. For example, in instances where the interface device  600  finds and connects to multiple pieces of equipment, comprising both welding and monitoring equipment, the interface device  600  may be operable to interface with and control, independently and at the same time, each one of the welding or monitoring equipment. The interface device  600  may support, for example, a plurality of operation modes, each of which being particularly configured or defined for interfacing with particular type of equipment or particular type of interactions (e.g., ‘welding’ mode, ‘monitoring’ mode, etc.), to ensure that suitable interfacing messages are generated for each equipment based on the corresponding mode. Thus, whenever the interface device  600  finds and connects to a piece of equipment, the interface device  600  may be configured to operate in one of the available operation modes suitable to interface with that piece equipment. For example, the interface device  600  may be configured to operate in ‘welding’ mode when interfacing with welding equipment, and to concurrently operate in ‘monitoring’ mode when interfacing with weld monitoring equipment. 
     In the example implementation depicted in  FIG. 6A , the interface device  600  may be configured for use in an arm band arrangement. In this regard, the interface device  600  may be mounted onto a device holder  620 , to which it may be secured using suitable securing means  630  (e.g., clip). The device holder  620  may be attached to a band  610  (e.g., wrist band), which may allow the operator  18  to wear the interface device  600  on his/her arm (as shown in the top part of  FIG. 6A ). 
     Nonetheless, the disclosure is not so limited, and other approaches (and corresponding arrangements) may be used for wearing interface devices by users, or integrating them into clothing or equipment used or worn by the operators. 
     The interface device  600  may be a dedicated device that is designed and implemented specifically for use in interfacing with welding and/or monitoring equipment. In some example implementations, however, devices which may not be specifically designed or made as “interface devices” may be nonetheless configured for use as such. In this regard, devices having capabilities and/or characteristics that may be necessary for functioning as interface devices, in the manner described herein, may be used, for example. In particular, devices that have suitable communicative capabilities (e.g., supporting wireless technologies such as WiFi, Bluetooth, or the like), support user interactions (e.g., having suitable input/output means, such as keypads, buttons, textual interface, touchscreens, etc.), and/or are sufficiently small and/or light to be conveniently worn by the operator and/or integrated into the operator&#39;s clothing or equipment may be used. For example, devices such as smartphones, smartwatches, etc. may be used as “interface devices.” In this regard, the interfacing functions may be implemented in software (e.g., applications), which may run or be executed by existing hardware components of these devices. 
     In some implementations, the user interface  602  may support use of multi-function input (or output) elements. For example, an input element in the user interface  602  may have different functions based on, e.g., whether it is interfacing with welding equipment or monitoring equipment. Thus, the same type of action by the user with such multi-function input element (e.g., pressing a multi-function ‘button’) may trigger sending different messages based on whether the equipment is welding or monitoring equipment, based on whether the interface device  600  in ‘welding’ or ‘monitoring’ mode, etc. 
       FIG. 6B  shows an example user interface of a wearable interface device, in accordance with aspects of this disclosure. Referring to  FIG. 6B , there is shown the interface device  600 , which comprises user interface  602  for inputting user&#39;s selections or instructions. 
     The user interface  602  may comprise suitable hardware, software, and/or any combination thereof for enabling user input (including, e.g., selections, instructions, etc.), which may be then communicated to welding and/or monitoring equipment. In an example implementation, the user interface  602  may be configured for operation based on user interactions with the user interface  602 . For example, the user interface  602  may comprise buttons, dials, slides, etc. which the user (e.g., operator  18 ) may use to input selections or instructions by physical actions (e.g., tapping, pressing, sliding, etc.) The means for facilitating the user interactions (e.g., buttons, etc.) may be physical elements (e.g., physical, spring-operated buttons), logical (e.g., virtual button on touchscreen), or a combination thereof. Nonetheless, the user interface is not so limited, and other types of interfaces and/or functions for use therein may be used, e.g., gyroscopes, accelerometers, cameras, microphone, etc. 
     In the particular example implementation shown in  FIG. 6B , the user interface  602  may comprise a plurality of buttons  604 , of which four buttons  604   1 - 604   4  are shown. Each of these buttons may be configured to support one or more particular type of input. For example,  604   4  may be a “selector” switch (e.g., sliding between two positions, right and left), which allows the operator to switch between two main types of inputs: adjusting weld parameters and selecting arc data monitoring functions. The button  604   1  may be a “push” button that controls incrementing welding equipment settings if selector switch  604   4  is in the “weld” position or selects previous welds if selector switch  604   4  is in the “monitor” position. The button  604   2  may be a “push” button that controls decrementing welding equipment settings if selector switch  604   4  is in the “weld” position or selects next weld if selector switch  604   4  is in the “monitor” position. The button  604   2  may be a “push” button that controls weld parameter selection (e.g., voltage, wire feed speed, inductance, etc.) if selector switch  604   4  is in the “weld” position or selects ignore weld if selector switch  604   4  is in the “monitor” position. 
       FIG. 7  shows an example interface device integrated into welding headwear for wirelessly interfacing with welding and monitoring equipment, in accordance with aspects of this disclosure. Referring to  FIG. 7 , there is shown an interface device  700 . 
     The interface device  700  may be similar to the interface device  600  of  FIGS. 6A and 6B , and accordingly may operate and/or be used in substantially similar manner. In this regard, the interface device  700  may also comprise a user interface  702 , which may be similar to the user interface  602  of the interface device  600 , and may be used in substantially the same manner. The interface device  700 , however, may be configured such that it may be integrated into the equipment and/or clothing worn by the user. For example, as shown in  FIG. 7 , the interface device may be integrated into the welding headwear (e.g., helmet)  20 , such as on the side of the welding helmet  20 . Accordingly, the user (operator  18 ) may interface with welding and/or monitoring equipment in convenient manner, e.g., by simply by moving his/her hand to the side/outside of the helmet, where the interface device  700 , and then using his/her fingers to interact with the user interface  702 , such as by tapping, pressing, or sliding buttons (which may be physical or logical) to input instructions, such as adjusting settings, which would then be transmitted wirelessly to the welding equipment and/or the monitoring equipment. 
     While the integrated interface device  700  is shown as a dedicated device that is integrated on the side of the helmet, the disclosure is not so limited, and other techniques for providing integrated interfacing capabilities and/or the necessary functions (e.g., processing, wireless communication, etc.) may be used, with suitable corresponding device implementations. For example, in one implementation, the welding helmet  20  may incorporate eye tracking based interfacing function (e.g., using suitable sensors integrated into the display  304 , and necessary associated circuitry). Such sensors may be used to obtain user input, which may be provided based on pre-defined manner (e.g., blinking of eye(s), and various counts of eye blinks representing different inputs). Thus, eye blinks may be counted, and used as selections and inputs, with corresponding signals being then generated and communicated wirelessly (e.g., via wireless transceiver incorporated into the welding helmet  20 ) to the welding and/or monitoring equipment. 
       FIG. 8  shows example circuitry of an interface device for wirelessly interfacing with welding and monitoring equipment, in accordance with aspects of this disclosure. Referring to  FIG. 8 , there is shown circuitry of an example interface device  800 . The interface device  800  may correspond to the interface device  600  of  FIGS. 6A and 6B , or the interface device  700  of  FIG. 7 . 
     As shown in  FIG. 8 , the interface device  800  may comprise a communication interface circuitry  810 , a control (e.g., central processing unit (CPU)) circuitry  820 , and a user interface controller circuitry  830 . 
     The communication interface circuitry  810  is operable to handle transmit and receive operations in the interface device  800 . The communication interface circuitry  810  may be operable to, for example, configure, setup, and/or use wired and/or wireless connections, such as over suitable wired/wireless interface(s) and in accordance with wireless and/or wired protocols or standards supported in the device, to facilitate transmission and/or reception of signals (e.g., carrying data). In this regard, the communication interface circuitry  810  may be operable to process transmitted and/or received signals, in accordance with applicable wired or wireless interfaces/protocols/standards. 
     Examples of wireless interfaces/protocols/standards that may be supported and/or used by the communication interface circuitry  810  may comprise wireless personal area network (WPAN) protocols, such as Bluetooth (IEEE 802.15); near field communication (NFC) standards; wireless local area network (WLAN) protocols, such as WiFi (IEEE 802.11); cellular standards, such as 2G/2G+ (e.g., GSM/GPRS/EDGE, and IS-95 or cdmaOne) and/or 2G/2G+ (e.g., CDMA2000, UMTS, and HSPA); 4G standards, such as WiMAX (IEEE 802.16) and LTE; Ultra-Wideband (UWB); etc. Examples of wired interfaces/protocols/standards that may be supported and/or used by the communication interface circuitry  810  comprise Ethernet (IEEE 802.3), Fiber Distributed Data Interface (FDDI), Integrated Services Digital Network (ISDN), cable television and/or internet (ATSC, DVB-C, DOCSIS), Universal Serial Bus (USB) based interfaces, etc. 
     Examples of signal processing operations that may be performed by the electronic system  100  comprise, for example, filtering, amplification, analog-to-digital conversion and/or digital-to-analog conversion, up-conversion/down-conversion of baseband signals, encoding/decoding, encryption/decryption, modulation/demodulation, etc. 
     As shown in the example implementation depicted in  FIG. 8 , communication interface circuitry  810  may be configured to use an antenna  412  for wireless communications and a port  414  for wired communications. The antenna  402  may be any type of antenna suited for the frequencies, power levels, etc. required for wireless interfaces/protocols supported by the interface device  800 . For example, the antenna  402  may particularly support WiFi and/or Bluetooth transmission/reception. The port  404  may be any type of connectors suited for the communications over wired interfaces/protocols supported by the interface device  800 . For example, the port  404  may comprise an Ethernet over twisted pair port, a USB port, an HDMI port, a passive optical network (PON) port, and/or any other suitable port for interfacing with a wired or optical cable 
     The user interface controller circuitry  830  is operable to receive user input  831  (e.g., provided based on interaction with user interface, such as user interface  602  or  702 ), and to generate and/or condition (e.g., amplify, digitize, etc.) data corresponding to such input. The user input (and accordingly, the corresponding data) may be used to, for example, control and/or adjust equipment used in welding operations and/or in monitoring such operations. 
     The control circuitry  820  is operable to process data from various components of the interface device  800 , such as the communication interface circuitry  810  and the user interface driver  830 . For example, the control circuitry  820  may receive data from the user interface driver  830  corresponding to user input, and may output that data (after processing), and/or signals corresponding thereto, to the communication interface circuitry  810  for transmission thereby. The signals output to the communication interface circuitry  810  may comprise, for example, signals to control or adjust settings of equipment  12  or monitoring equipment  28 . Similarly, the control circuitry  820  may receive data or signals from communication interface circuitry  810 , which may be processed and used within the interface device  800 . For example, data or signals received from the communication interface circuitry  810  may comprise indications (received via link  25 ) of present settings and/or actual measured output of the equipment  12  and/or the monitoring equipment  28 . 
     For transmit operations, the communication interface circuitry  810  may receive data from the control circuitry  820  and packetize the data and convert the data to physical layer signals in accordance with protocols in use on the communication link  25 . The data to be transmitted may comprise, for example, control signals for controlling the equipment  12 . For receive operations, the communication interface may receive physical layer signals via the antenna  412  or port  414 , recover data from the received physical layer signals (demodulate, decode, etc.), and provide the data to control circuitry  820 . The received data may comprise, for example, indications of present settings and/or actual measured output of the equipment  12  (e.g., voltage, amperage, and/or wire speed settings and/or measurements). 
       FIG. 9  is a flowchart illustrating an example process for interfacing with welding and/or monitoring equipment using wearable or integrated interface devices, in accordance with aspects of this disclosure. Shown in  FIG. 9  is flow chart  900 , comprising a plurality of example steps (represented as blocks  902 - 916 ). 
     In step  902 , an operator (e.g., operator  18 ) may prepare for welding operations. The preparation may include setting up welding equipment (e.g., equipment  12 ), monitoring equipment (e.g., equipment  28 ), setting up a workpiece (e.g., workpiece  24 ) for the welding, etc. Further, in some instances, the preparation may include wearing interface device (e.g., device  600 ), although some interface devices (e.g., device  800 ) may simply be integrated into the operator&#39;s clothing (e.g., helmet  20 ), and/or activating the interface device. 
     In step  904 , the interface device may search for welding and/or monitoring equipment supporting wireless connectivity. The search may be configured in accordance with the particular wireless technologies used or supported by the interface device. For example, where the interface device uses Bluetooth, protocol-defined search mechanism for potential Bluetooth peers may be used. 
     In step  906 , it may be determined whether there were identified equipment for peering with wirelessly, particularly welding and/or monitoring equipment. In instances where no equipment is found, the process may proceed directly to step  910 ; otherwise (i.e., at least one candidate peer is found), the process proceeds to step  908 . 
     In step  908 , the interface device sets up wireless connection(s) (e.g., WiFi, Bluetooth, etc.) to each available welding or monitoring equipment. 
     In step  910 , the operator initiates (or proceeds with) with welding operations. 
     In step  912 , the operator requests interfacing with particular equipment (e.g., by providing inputs, such as by interacting with user interface, movement of eyes, etc.). 
     In step  914 , it may be determined whether a connection is available to the particularly selected equipment by the operator in step  912 . In instances where no connection is available, the process may simply return to step  910  (optionally after notifying the operations, such as via suitable means—e.g., audio, visual, etc.—that remote/wireless interfacing is not possible; otherwise (i.e., a connection is available), the process proceeds to step  908 .) 
     In step  916 , the user input (e.g., instructions to adjust settings, etc.) may be communicated to the equipment using wireless connection(s). The process may then return to step  910 , to continue welding operations. At any point during the process, the process may terminate when the operator terminates the welding. 
     The present methods and systems may be realized in hardware, software, or a combination of hardware and software. The present methods and/or systems may be realized in a centralized fashion in at least one computing system, or in a distributed fashion where different elements are spread across several interconnected computing systems. Any kind of computing system or other apparatus adapted for carrying out the methods described herein is suited. A typical combination of hardware and software may include a general-purpose computing system with a program or other code that, when being loaded and executed, controls the computing system such that it carries out the methods described herein. Another typical implementation may comprise an application specific integrated circuit or chip. Some implementations may comprise a non-transitory machine-readable (e.g., computer readable) medium (e.g., FLASH drive, optical disk, magnetic storage disk, or the like) having stored thereon one or more lines of code executable by a machine, thereby causing the machine to perform processes as described herein. 
     While the present method and/or system has been described with reference to certain implementations, it will be understood by those skilled in the art that various changes may be made and equivalents may be substituted without departing from the scope of the present method and/or system. In addition, many modifications may be made to adapt a particular situation or material to the teachings of the present disclosure without departing from its scope. Therefore, it is intended that the present method and/or system not be limited to the particular implementations disclosed, but that the present method and/or system will include all implementations falling within the scope of the appended claims. 
     As utilized herein the terms “circuits” and “circuitry” refer to physical electronic components (i.e. hardware) and any software and/or firmware (“code”) which may configure the hardware, be executed by the hardware, and or otherwise be associated with the hardware. As used herein, for example, a particular processor and memory may comprise a first “circuit” when executing a first set of one or more lines of code and may comprise a second “circuit” when executing a second set of one or more lines of code. As utilized herein, “and/or” means any one or more of the items in the list joined by “and/or”. As an example, “x and/or y” means any element of the three-element set {(x), (y), (x, y)}. In other words, “x and/or y” means “one or both of x and y”. As another example, “x, y, and/or z” means any element of the seven-element set {(x), (y), (z), (x, y), (x, z), (y, z), (x, y, z)}. In other words, “x, y and/or z” means “one or more of x, y and z”. As utilized herein, the term “example” means serving as a non-limiting example, instance, or illustration. As utilized herein, the terms “e.g. and for example” set off lists of one or more non-limiting examples, instances, or illustrations. As utilized herein, circuitry is “operable” to perform a function whenever the circuitry comprises the necessary hardware and code (if any is necessary) to perform the function, regardless of whether performance of the function is disabled or not enabled (e.g., by a user-configurable setting, factory trim, etc.).