Patent Publication Number: US-2020298331-A1

Title: Engine driven welder

Description:
CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS 
     The present application is a continuation of U.S. patent application Ser. No. 15/823,818, filed on Nov. 28, 2017, the disclosure of which is incorporated herein by reference. 
    
    
     BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
     Field of the Invention 
     The present disclosure relates to engine driven generators, and in particular to engine driven arc generation devices, such as welders and plasma cutters. 
     Description of Related Art 
     Engine driven welders include an internal combustion engine, such as a diesel, gasoline or liquefied petroleum gas (LPG) engine. The engine drives a generator, and the generator supplies electrical power to a welding power supply that outputs a welding current and voltage. A compact design for an engine driven welder is often desirable. However, it can be difficult to maximize the machine&#39;s fuel storage capacity when a compact design is employed. For example, space for the fuel tank will be limited, and various obstructions in the structural chassis that occupy potential fuel tank space may be present. A compact design for an engine driven welder that maximizes fuel storage capacity would be beneficial. 
     BRIEF SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
     The following summary presents a simplified summary in order to provide a basic understanding of some aspects of the devices, systems and/or methods discussed herein. This summary is not an extensive overview of the devices, systems and/or methods discussed herein. It is not intended to identify critical elements or to delineate the scope of such devices, systems and/or methods. Its sole purpose is to present some concepts in a simplified form as a prelude to the more detailed description that is presented later. 
     In accordance with one aspect of the present invention, provided is a welding machine. The welding machine includes a welding power supply. A generator is operatively connected to the welding power supply to supply electrical energy to the welding power supply. An internal combustion engine is configured to drive the generator. A chassis structure includes a divider wall that at least partially defines an engine compartment of the welding machine. A cantilevered engine-mounting shelf is cantilevered from the divider wall. The internal combustion engine is attached to the cantilevered engine-mounting shelf. A fuel tank is mounted within the chassis structure and located beneath each of the cantilevered engine-mounting shelf, the internal combustion engine and the generator. 
     In certain embodiments, the divider wall is located between the internal combustion engine and a starting battery for starting the internal combustion engine. Further, the divider wall can separate an engine compartment from a battery compartment storing the starting battery. Further still, a removable battery compartment cover can provide access to the battery compartment, and the battery compartment cover can be located on a front side of the welding machine. In certain embodiments, the divider wall is located between the internal combustion engine and the welding power supply. Further, the welding power supply can be located in an electronics compartment of the welding machine, and the internal combustion engine can be configured to draw combustion air from the electronics compartment. In certain embodiments, the cantilevered engine-mounting shelf has a trapezoidal shape. Further, the engine-mounting shelf can include an upper engine-mounting surface, and first and second nonparallel sides of the cantilevered engine-mounting shelf extend away from the divider wall and into an engine compartment of the welding machine, and the first and second nonparallel sides of the cantilevered engine-mounting shelf include a respective strengthening flange that extends away from the upper engine-mounting surface in a vertical direction. In certain embodiments, the welding machine comprises a vibration isolator that isolates the cantilevered engine-mounting shelf from the divider wall, and the internal combustion engine and cantilevered engine-mounting shelf apply a radial load to the vibration isolator. In certain embodiments, the welding machine comprises a generator-mounting bracket located at a rear portion of the welding machine, and the fuel tank extends rearward of the generator-mounting bracket. 
     In accordance with another aspect, provided is a welding machine. The welding machine includes a welding power supply. A generator is operatively connected to the welding power supply to supply electrical energy to the welding power supply. An internal combustion engine is configured to drive the generator. A chassis structure comprising a bulkhead separates an engine compartment from another compartment of the welding machine. A vibration isolator is mounted to the bulkhead. An engine-mounting shelf projects from the bulkhead and is isolated from the bulkhead by the vibration isolator. The internal combustion engine and engine-mounting shelf apply a radial load to the vibration isolator. The welding machine includes means for connecting the generator to the chassis structure. A fuel tank is mounted within the chassis structure and is located beneath each of the engine-mounting shelf, the internal combustion engine, the generator, and the means for connecting the generator to the chassis structure. 
     In certain embodiments, the engine-mounting shelf is cantilevered from the bulkhead. In certain embodiments, said another compartment is a battery compartment storing a starting battery for starting the internal combustion engine, and the welding machine further comprises a removable battery compartment cover located on a front side of the welding machine. Further, the welding power supply can be located above the battery compartment and forward of the internal combustion engine. In certain embodiments, the engine-mounting shelf has a trapezoidal shape, and nonparallel sides of the engine-mounting shelf extend away from the bulkhead into the engine compartment and include respective strengthening flanges. 
     In accordance with another aspect, provided is an electrical power generation apparatus comprising an internal combustion engine. An electric generator is coaxially coupled to the internal combustion engine and is driven by the internal combustion engine. A starting battery is operatively connected to the internal combustion engine and is located within a battery compartment. A chassis structure comprising a divider wall separates an engine compartment from the battery compartment. A cantilevered engine-mounting shelf is cantilevered from the divider wall. The internal combustion engine is attached to the cantilevered engine-mounting shelf. A fuel tank is mounted within the chassis structure and is located beneath each of the cantilevered engine-mounting shelf, the internal combustion engine and the electric generator. 
     In certain embodiments, the electrical power generation apparatus comprises a removable battery compartment cover for providing access to the battery compartment, and the battery compartment cover is located on a front side of the electrical power generation apparatus. In certain embodiments, the electrical power generation apparatus comprises a vibration isolator that isolates the cantilevered engine-mounting shelf from the divider wall, and the internal combustion engine and cantilevered engine-mounting shelf apply a radial load to the vibration isolator. Further, the cantilevered engine-mounting shelf can have a trapezoidal shape. In certain embodiments, the electrical power generation apparatus further comprises a generator-mounting bracket located at a rear portion of the of the electrical power generation apparatus, and the fuel tank extends rearward of the generator-mounting bracket. 
    
    
     
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
         FIG. 1  is a perspective view of an engine driven welder; 
         FIG. 2  is a perspective view of the engine driven welder; 
         FIG. 3  is a block diagram of the engine driven welder; 
         FIG. 4  is an internal view of the engine driven welder; 
         FIG. 5  is an internal view of the engine driven welder; 
         FIG. 6  is an internal view of the engine driven welder; 
         FIG. 7  is an internal view of the engine driven welder; 
         FIG. 8  shows an engine-mounting shelf of the engine driven welder; 
         FIG. 9  shows the engine-mounting shelf of the engine driven welder; 
         FIG. 10  is a rear perspective view of the engine driven welder; 
         FIG. 11  is a rear perspective view of the engine driven welder; 
         FIG. 12  is a right side internal view of the engine driven welder; 
         FIG. 13  is a left side internal view of the engine driven welder; and 
         FIG. 14  is an internal view of the engine driven welder. 
     
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION 
     Embodiments of the present disclosure relate to engine driven welders. The embodiments will now be described with reference to the drawings, wherein like reference numerals are used to refer to like elements throughout. It is to be appreciated that the various drawings are not necessarily drawn to scale from one figure to another nor inside a given figure, and in particular that the size of the components are arbitrarily drawn for facilitating the understanding of the drawings. In the following description, for purposes of explanation, numerous specific details are set forth in order to provide a thorough understanding of the present invention. It may be evident, however, that the present invention can be practiced without these specific details. Additionally, other embodiments of the invention are possible and the invention is capable of being practiced and carried out in ways other than as described. The terminology and phraseology used in describing the invention is employed for the purpose of promoting an understanding of the invention and should not be taken as limiting. 
       FIG. 1  is an outer perspective view of an example engine driven electrical power generation apparatus. The electrical power generation apparatus will be described in the context of a welding machine  10 . However, it will be appreciated that aspects of the present disclosure are not limited to welding machines and would be applicable to other types of electrical power generation devices, such as standby generators, engine driven plasma cutters, and the like. 
     The welding machine  10  includes a base  12  that is part of a chassis structure for the welding machine, and an outer case or enclosure  14 . A user interface  16  for controlling the operation of the welding machine  10  is located on the front side of the outer case  14 . Example welding processes that can be performed by the welding machine include shielded metal arc welding (SMAW), gas metal arc welding (GMAW), flux-cored arc welding (FCAW), gas tungsten arc welding (GTAW), and gouging. 
     The case  14  includes various access doors. Doors  18  along the left and right lateral sides of the welding machine  10  provide access to an engine compartment. In certain embodiments, the doors  18  are hinged at their bottom edges, allowing the doors  18  to swing downward. The doors  18  can be easily removable from the hinges, so that they can be relocated away from the welding machine  10  when accessing the engine compartment. A door  20  on the top of the welding machine  10  also provides access to the engine compartment. The top door  20  can be aligned with an air filter housing for the engine, so that the air filter can be readily inspected and replaced. 
     One or more doors  22  on the front side of the welding machine  10  provide access to various electrical outputs of the welding machine. For example, auxiliary power receptacles and welding torch connections can be accessed via the doors  22  on the front of the welding machine  10 . 
     Beneath the doors  22  on the front side of the welding machine is a removable battery compartment cover  24 . The battery compartment cover  24  is shown in an unattached, open position in  FIG. 2  (e.g., unscrewed from the outer case  14 ). A starting battery  32  for starting the engine is stored in the battery compartment  26 . The battery compartment  26  is located at the front of the welding machine  10 . The starting battery is readily accessible directly from the front of the welding machine  10  by removing the cover  24 , allowing the battery to be serviced (e.g., charged) or replaced. In certain embodiments, the battery compartment cover  24  can be hinged to the base  12  or case  14  to form a hinged door. 
       FIG. 3  is a schematic block diagram of the welding machine  10 . An internal combustion engine  28  is coupled to a generator  30  to drive the generator. The engine  28  and generator  30  can be mounted in-line and coaxially coupled so that they operate at the same rotational speed, or coupled via a speed-altering device, such as a pulley or gear system. The starting battery  32  is operatively connected to a starter motor of the engine  28  and is accessible from the front of the welding machine  10  as discussed above. The generator  30  is operatively connected to an arc generation power supply, such as a welding power supply  34 , and supplies electrical energy to the welding power supply. The generator  30  can be an AC or DC generator, as desired. The welding power supply  34  converts the electrical energy from the generator  30  to a welding output for generating a welding arc  36  between a torch  38  and workpiece(s)  40  to be welded. The welding power supply  34  can include a chopper or inverter circuitry for generating the welding output, control circuitry for controlling the chopper or inverter circuitry, and may include a transformer and one or more rectifiers. The welding power supply  34  can further include heat sinks to help cool the welding power supply, such as by air pulled into the welding machine by a fan powered by the engine or generator. The specific construction of arc generation power supplies, such as welding power supplies, is well known to one of ordinary skill in the art and will not be discussed in detail herein. 
       FIGS. 4-7  provide internal views of the welding machine  10 . As will be explained in detail below, the welding machine  10  includes an engine-mounting shelf  42  or bracket that is cantilevered from an internal wall or bulkhead of the machine&#39;s chassis structure. Cantilevering the engine-mounting shelf  42  removes the engine&#39;s mounting system from the bottom of the chassis structure and frees up space for maximizing the size of the fuel tank  44 . The engine&#39;s mounting system does not intrude into usable fuel tank volume within the engine compartment. The fuel tank  44  is mounted within the chassis structure and extends from a point just behind the battery compartment  26  to the rear of the welding machine  10 , and the fuel tank  44  is located beneath the engine  28 , the engine-mounting shelf  42 , the generator  30  and a mounting bracket  46  for the generator. 
     The engine-mounting structure is shown in detail in  FIG. 8 , and the engine-mounting shelf  42  is shown in  FIG. 9 . The engine compartment of the welding machine, containing the engine, fuel tank, muffler, and generator, is located at the rear of the welding machine, and is separated from the battery compartment  26 , and separated from an electronics compartment  48  containing the welding power supply, by a divider wall  50  or bulkhead. Thus, the divider wall  50  is located between the internal combustion engine and the starting battery and welding power supply. The engine-mounting shelf  42  is cantilevered from the divider wall  50  and is mounted on vibration isolators  52  (e.g., elastomeric isolators). The engine-mounting shelf  42  projects horizontally rearward into the engine compartment from the divider wall  50 , and the engine-mounting shelf is isolated from the divider wall and chassis structure by the vibration isolators  52 . Conventional vibration isolators are typically axially loaded (i.e., the load is borne along the axis of the vibration isolator). However, in the shown embodiment, the vibration isolators  52  for the engine-mounting shelf  42  are radially loaded (i.e., the engine and engine-mounting shelf  42  apply a load to the vibration isolators in a radial direction of the vibration isolator, rather than along its axis). The engine-mounting shelf  42  shown in the drawings is supported by two vibration isolators  52 . However, additional vibration isolators, such as three, four, or more than four, could be used as necessary or desired. 
     It can be seen that the engine-mounting shelf  42  in the illustrated embodiment has a trapezoidal shape. The engine-mounting shelf  42  need not have a trapezoidal shape and could have a square or rectangular shape for example. However, the trapezoidal shape provides the advantages of reduced torque/force on the vibration isolators  52  and the fasteners extending therethrough, while reducing the weight of the engine-mounting shelf  42 . Locating the vibration isolators  52  far apart on the divider wall  50  helps to minimize the side-to-side rocking of the engine. The trapezoidal shape of the shelf  42  reduces the weight of the shelf by narrowing it near the engine mounts. It can be seen that the nonparallel sides  54 ,  56  of the engine-mounting shelf  42  extend away from the divider wall and converge, and would extend into the engine compartment of the welding machine. The edges of the nonparallel sides  54 ,  56  of the engine-mounting shelf  42  are upturned to form strengthening flanges that extend vertically away from the upper surface  58  of the shelf. Alternatively, the edges can extend downwards to form the strengthening flanges. In either case, the strengthening flanges stiffen the shelf  42  to support the weight of the engine. The engine is mounted to the upper surface  58  of the engine-mounting shelf  42 . The engine-mounting shelf  42  can include holes  60  for fasteners to secure the engine to the shelf, and slots  62  for hanging the shelf from the vibration isolators  52 . To reduce the weight of the engine-mounting shelf  42 , or to allow air to flow through the shelf, the shelf can include one or more cutout portions  63 . 
     Returning to  FIGS. 4-7 , the welding power supply  34  is located in the electronics compartment  48 , forward of the divider wall  50  and above the battery compartment  26 . Behind the electronics and battery compartments, rearward of the divider wall  50 , is the engine compartment  64 , which occupies the majority of the interior volume of the welding machine  10 . Among other things, the engine compartment  64  contains the engine  28 , generator  30 , muffler  66  and fuel tank  44 . The engine  28  is mounted forward of the generator  30  on the engine-mounting shelf  42 . The generator  30  can be mounted to a generator-mounting bracket  46  that is attached to the chassis structure at a rear portion of the welding machine  10 . In an example embodiment, the generator-mounting bracket  46  is a bridge bracket that is attached to the chassis structure at the left and right sides of the chassis structure, near the rear corners of the chassis structure, and the generator is secured to the center portion of the “bridge” formed by the bridge bracket. Alternatively, the generator  30  could be mounted to another cantilevered shelf, similar to the engine  28 . Vibration isolators  70  can be used to isolate the generator  30  and bridge bracket  46  from the chassis structure. The vibration isolators  70  for the generator  30  and bridge bracket  46  are axially loaded, unlike the vibration isolators  52  for the engine-mounting shelf. 
     At the bottom of the chassis structure nestled within the base  12  is the fuel tank  44 . The base is not shown in  FIGS. 5-7  to better expose the fuel tank  44 . The base  12  can form a pan for holding the fuel tank  44  by having raised sides and having a generally planar bottom surface. In certain embodiments, the sides of the base  12  and/or its generally planar bottom surface can include locating protrusions that engage corresponding indentations in the fuel tank  44 , to limit side-to-side and/or forward-to-backward movement of the fuel tank within the base. The welding machine  10  can also include a fuel tank strap  68  ( FIG. 4 ) that is attached to the chassis structure and passes over the top of the fuel tank  44 , to prevent upward movement of the fuel tank within the chassis. 
     The fuel tank  44  can occupy nearly the entire floor space of the engine compartment  64  formed by the base  12 . The fuel tank  44  can extend from the divider wall  50  to a point rearward of the generator-mounting bracket  46 . The fuel tank  44  can occupy such a considerable amount of the floor space of the engine compartment  64  because the mounting system for the engine  28  does not intrude into the floor space. Thus, the fuel tank  44  can be located beneath each of the engine-mounting shelf  42 , the engine  28 , the generator  30 , the generator-mounting bracket  46  and the muffler  66 . The base  12  of the chassis structure has raised side walls, a raised rear wall, and a forward wall formed by the divider wall  50 , and the fuel tank  44  can extend substantially to each of these four walls. Further, the engine  28  and generator  30  need not be supported by the fuel tank  44 , but rather can be borne by their respective support structures (e.g., engine-mounting shelf  42  and bracket  46  and associated vibration isolators) and held just above the fuel tank. 
     The fuel tank  44  can include an upwardly-projecting filler tube having a cap that is accessible from the exterior of the outer case  14  of the welding machine  10 . 
       FIGS. 10 and 11  are rear perspective views of the welding machine  10 . The welding machine  10  includes recessed side air intake vents  72 ,  74 , which are recessed into the right and left lateral sides of the machine. The vents  72 ,  74  can be covered by slotted vent guards (grating, louvers, etc.) having a number of openings that allow air to enter the enclosure  14  while preventing finger access. The vents  72 ,  74  are located toward the front of the enclosure  14  and are open to and in fluid communication with the electronics compartment  48 , to cool the electronics compartment and, in particular, to cool the welding power supply  34 . The vents  72 ,  74  can be oriented generally parallel to the front and rear sides of the enclosure  14 , or oriented at an acute angle with respect to the front and rear sides. In either orientation, cooling air is drawn through the vents  72 ,  74  in a generally forward direction (from back to front) into the electronics compartment  48 . 
     The right and left lateral sides of the enclosure  14  include recessed air channels  76 ,  78  that extend rearward from the vents  72 ,  74  along the sides of the enclosure (e.g., along the engine compartment). The depth of the air channels  76 ,  78  can increase from back to front in a linear or non-linear fashion, so that the air channels are tapered. The recessed vents  72 ,  74  and air channels  76 ,  78  are less likely to be obstructed when the welding machine  10  is placed close to another object, as compared to vents located directly on a side surface of the machine. Moreover, the effective open area provided by the recessed vents  72 ,  74  can be made larger than conventional stamped louvered vents located on a side surface of the machine. Large intake vents  72 ,  74  provide a slower air flow, which reduces noise and the decreases the likelihood of drawing contaminants into the enclosure  14 . 
     The recessed side vents  72 ,  74  and air channels  76 ,  78  are located well above the base  12 , and can be located high on the machine, such as in the upper one-third or upper one-quarter of the machine&#39;s height, or lower, such as in the upper two-thirds or upper one-half of the machine&#39;s height. In the embodiment shown in the drawings, the recessed side vents  72 ,  74  and air channels  76 ,  78  are located above the engine compartment access doors  18  in an upper portion of the welding machine  10 . The electronics compartment  48  is also located in an upper portion of the welding machine  10 , above the battery compartment  26 . Locating the side air intake vents  72 ,  74  and electronics compartment  48  in an upper portion of the welding machine  10  allows access to the starting battery  32  and battery compartment  26  to be provided at the front of the machine. Further, placing the vents  72 ,  74  above the base  12  reduces the likelihood that contaminants, such as dirt, rain, or snow, will be sucked into the welding machine  10 . Engine noise emitted through the recessed side vents  72 ,  74  will tend to propagate away from the front of the welding machine  10  and away from an operator located at the front of the welding machine. 
       FIGS. 12 and 13  provide internal views of the welding machine  10  and show air flow paths through the machine for cooling purposes. Cooling air flows into, through and out of the welding machine are shown schematically by arrow in  FIGS. 10-13 . In certain embodiments, one or both of the recessed vents  72 ,  74  are aligned with welding power supply heat sinks  80  located in the electronics compartment  48 , to cool various components of the welding power supply  34 . The heat sinks  80  can be located directly in front of the vents  72 ,  74  or at another location in an air flow path within the electronics compartment  48 . The vents  72 ,  74  can be aligned with other components of the welding power supply  34 , such as a rectifier for example. 
     The engine  28  can include an engine-cooling fan  82  coupled to the engine. The engine compartment  64  is in fluid communication with the electronics compartment  48 . When driven by the engine  28 , the engine-cooling fan  82  pulls air axially from the electronics compartment  48  into the engine compartment  64  to cool the engine  28  and muffler  66 , and such air drawn from the electronics compartment is replaced by external air through the recessed side vents  72 ,  74  that are open to the electronics compartment. As shown schematically by arrow in  FIGS. 12 and 13 , cooling air is drawn directly into the electronics compartment  48  (e.g., across the heat sink  80 ) by the engine-cooling fan  82 . The cooling air flows into the electronics compartment  48  in a forward direction (rear to front), then downward through the electronics compartment, and then rearward from the electronics compartment into the engine compartment  64 , to cool the engine  28  and muffler  66 . Thus, the cooling air flow created by the engine-cooling fan  82  cools each of the welding power supply  34 , the engine  28  and the muffler  66  in that order. In certain embodiments, the enclosure  14  can include additional air intake vents to cool the engine  28 . For example, the battery compartment  26  would be on the low pressure side of the engine fan  82 , and vents in fluid communication with the battery compartment could be provided on the enclosure  14  to provide additional cooling air flow to the engine  28 . 
     Air is expelled from the engine compartment  64  through discharge vents  84  in the sides and/or rear of the outer case  14 . See  FIGS. 10 and 11 . The discharge vents  84  can also be located in the upper two-thirds or upper half of the outer case  14 . Discharging the cooling air at the top of the welding machine  10  helps to project engine noise upwards and away from the operator. 
     It can be seen in  FIGS. 12 and 13  that the generator  30  includes a generator-cooling fan  86  that is coupled to the generator. The generator-cooling fan  86  can be located at the front side of the generator  30 , adjacent to the engine  28 , to pull air axially through the generator to cool the generator. The generator-cooling fan  86  draws external air into the enclosure  14  and generator  30  through an intake vent  88  ( FIGS. 10 and 11 ). The intake vent  88  can be located on a rear side of the enclosure  14  so that cooling air is drawn forward into the generator  30 . The engine compartment  64  will be pressurized by the engine-cooling fan  82  and the generator-cooling fan  86 , and the cooling air flows will be pushed from the enclosure  14  through the discharge vents  84  by the fans. To direct cooling air into the generator  30 , the welding machine  10  can include a relatively short sealing duct  90  ( FIG. 14 ) that extends from the generator  30  (e.g, extends rearward) and seals against the inner surface of the enclosure  14  around the intake vent  88 . The cooling air flow created by the generator-cooling fan  86  is shown schematically in  FIGS. 12 and 13 . 
     The cooling air flow created by the engine-cooling fan  82  also cools the muffler  66 . However, the cooling air flow created by the generator-cooling fan  86  does not cool the muffler  66 . As best seen in  FIG. 14 , a baffle  92  is located in the engine compartment  64  adjacent to the muffler  66 . The baffle  92  partially surrounds the muffler  66  and separates the cooling air flow created by the generator fan  86  from the cooling air flow created by the engine fan  82 . The baffle  92  directs the cooling air flow created by the generator fan  86  away from the muffler  66 . A portion of the cooling air flow created by the engine fan  82  flows inside of the baffle  92  and around the muffler  66  and out of the discharge vents  84 . Thus, the baffle  92  can serve as an air channel for the cooling air flow from the engine fan  82 . The filler tube for the fuel tank  44  can be an obstruction for the baffle  92 , and the baffle can be tapered, bent or otherwise oriented around the filler tube as shown. 
     In certain embodiments, the engine  28  can draw combustion air from the electronics compartment  48 , in addition to its cooling air. The air in the electronics compartment  48  may be cooler than the air in the engine compartment  64 . Cooler combustion air allows the engine  28  to operate more efficiently and increases its power output. Drawing combustion air from the electronics compartment  48  can also improve the cooling of the welding power supply  34  by increasing the amount of air removed from the electronics compartment  48 . 
     It should be evident that this disclosure is by way of example and that various changes may be made by adding, modifying or eliminating details without departing from the fair scope of the teaching contained in this disclosure. The invention is therefore not limited to particular details of this disclosure except to the extent that the following claims are necessarily so limited.