Patents by Inventor James E. Hearn

James E. Hearn has filed for patents to protect the following inventions. This listing includes patent applications that are pending as well as patents that have already been granted by the United States Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO).

  • Patent number: 10179369
    Abstract: A welding system comprises a welding power source that provides an alternating current in a selected wave form having a set of positive and negative portions, the negative portion consisting of a peak, tailout, and background phase, and the positive portion consisting of a peak, tailout, and background; wherein the power source provides an upward ramping current during the pinch and detachment phase, switches to an electrode negative current during the negative peak, tailout, and background phases, and switches to a subsequent electrode positive portion; wherein, the positive portion may repeat prior to the next shorting event.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 27, 2015
    Date of Patent: January 15, 2019
    Assignee: LINCOLN GLOBAL, INC.
    Inventors: Judah B. Henry, James E. Hearn
  • Patent number: 10065257
    Abstract: A welding system including a power supply, a torch electrically connected to said power supply, a wire feeder that provides a welding consumable to the torch, a controller that communicates with a motor associated the wire feeder and the power supply. The controller obtains a wire feed speed of said motor as it accelerates from a run-in speed to a pre-set speed and controls the power supplied to the torch based on this wire feed speed to reduce stubbing or spattering during arc initiation.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 23, 2011
    Date of Patent: September 4, 2018
    Assignee: Lincoln Global, Inc.
    Inventors: Elliott Ash, William Matthews, James E. Hearn
  • Patent number: 10035209
    Abstract: A welding apparatus having a waveform compensation device, a power section coupled to the waveform compensation device which generates a welding waveform in accordance with a signal from the waveform compensation device, and a frequency detection device which detects at least one of a voltage, current and power of a welding arc and determines a shorting frequency of the arc. The waveform compensation device adjusts at least a portion of the welding waveform based on an output from the frequency detection device.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 18, 2009
    Date of Patent: July 31, 2018
    Assignee: LINCOLN GLOBAL, INC.
    Inventors: Joseph A Daniel, James E Hearn
  • Patent number: 9676051
    Abstract: Systems and methods for affecting an appearance of a deposited weld bead by modulating one or more welding parameters. For example, an electrode negative portion of a welding output current may be modulated to affect the appearance of a deposited weld bead. Furthermore, a wire feed speed of a welding electrode may be synergistically modulated with an electrode negative portion of a welding output current to affect a deposited weld bead appearance. Two or more welding processes may be interleaved with each other at a specified modulation frequency to affect a deposited weld bead appearance. One or more welding parameters may be modulated based on a welding travel speed to provide a consistent appearance of a deposited weld bead.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 26, 2013
    Date of Patent: June 13, 2017
    Assignee: LINCOLN GLOBAL, INC.
    Inventors: James E. Hearn, Joseph A. Daniel, Tamara Savrin, Steven R. Peters
  • Publication number: 20170113293
    Abstract: A welding system comprises a welding power source that provides an alternating current in a selected wave form having a set of positive and negative portions, the negative portion consisting of a peak, tailout, and background phase, and the positive portion consisting of a peak, tailout, and background; wherein the power source provides an upward ramping current during the pinch and detachment phase, switches to an electrode negative current during the negative peak, tailout, and background phases, and switches to a subsequent electrode positive portion; wherein, the positive portion may repeat prior to the next shorting event.
    Type: Application
    Filed: October 27, 2015
    Publication date: April 27, 2017
    Inventors: Judah B. HENRY, James E. HEARN
  • Patent number: 9616514
    Abstract: The invention described herein generally pertains to a method for improved droplet detachment detection in a welding process in which a derivative of at least one welding parameter over time is used to detect droplet detachment from the wire during a welding operation based identification of a peak signature.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 9, 2012
    Date of Patent: April 11, 2017
    Assignee: LINCOLN GLOBAL, INC.
    Inventors: James E. Hearn, Steven R. Peters
  • Patent number: 9550248
    Abstract: An electric arc welder including a high speed switching power supply with a controller for creating high frequency current pulses with negative polarity components through the gap between a workpiece and a welding wire advancing toward the workpiece, where the pulses and a background current defining a series of weld cycles. A wave shape generator defines the shape of the pulses and the background current including a controlled ramp up and/or ramp down in each of said cycles, and a circuit to change the shapes of the pulses and/or background current in a repeating pattern in each of the weld cycles, including a negative current in at one of said pulses. The shape change in a cycle can be between first and second shapes or by a rhythmic AC modulation.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 7, 2013
    Date of Patent: January 24, 2017
    Assignee: Lincoln Global, Inc.
    Inventors: James E. Hearn, Steven R. Peters
  • Patent number: 9393636
    Abstract: Systems and methods for facilitating the starting and stopping of arc welding processes, as well as for responding to events in mid-weld. Specially designed signals may be briefly applied between a welding electrode and a welding workpiece at the start and end of a welding process to gracefully and properly start and stop a weld. Furthermore, specially designed signals may be briefly applied in the middle of a welding process, if determined events occur, to counter the undesirable effects of the events.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 26, 2013
    Date of Patent: July 19, 2016
    Assignee: Lincoln Global, Inc.
    Inventors: Judah Benjamin Henry, James E. Hearn, Daniel P. Fleming
  • Patent number: 9393635
    Abstract: An electric arc welding device for performing a pulse welding process by a current between an advancing electrode and workpiece where the welder comprises a short detecting circuit for creating a short signal upon occurrence of a short circuit between the advancing electrode and the workpiece and a boost circuit to create a plasma boost pulse after the short circuit is cleared during the time period when the welder is not outputting the peak pulse current. The peak pulse current to background current ratio is high and the duration of the peak pulse is short.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 10, 2009
    Date of Patent: July 19, 2016
    Assignee: LINCOLN GLOBAL, INC.
    Inventors: Steven R Peters, Bruce E Fulmer, James E Hearn, Christopher Hsu
  • Patent number: 9073140
    Abstract: Systems and methods to affect heat input to a weld and, therefore, an appearance of a deposited weld bead by modulating a mixing ratio of shielding gases and/or one or more welding parameters. For example, a mixing ratio of two different shielding gases from two sources of shielding gases may be modulated to affect the appearance of a deposited weld bead. The modulation frequency may be based on a selected travel speed of a welding tool. Furthermore, a wire feed speed of a welding electrode may be synergistically modulated with the shielding gases to affect a deposited weld bead appearance. Other welding parameters may be synergistically modulated with the shielding gases to affect a deposited weld bead appearance.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 26, 2013
    Date of Patent: July 7, 2015
    Assignee: Lincoln Global, Inc.
    Inventors: James E. Hearn, Joseph A. Daniel, Tamara Savrin, Steven R. Peters, Daniel P. Fleming, Judah Benjamin Henry
  • Publication number: 20140251971
    Abstract: An electric arc welder including a high speed switching power supply with a controller for creating high frequency current pulses with negative polarity components through the gap between a workpiece and a welding wire advancing toward the workpiece, where the pulses and a background current defining a series of weld cycles. A wave shape generator defines the shape of the pulses and the background current including a controlled ramp up and/or ramp down in each of said cycles, and a circuit to change the shapes of the pulses and/or background current in a repeating pattern in each of the weld cycles, including a negative current in at one of said pulses. The shape change in a cycle can be between first and second shapes or by a rhythmic AC modulation.
    Type: Application
    Filed: March 7, 2013
    Publication date: September 11, 2014
    Applicant: Lincoln Global, Inc.
    Inventors: James E. Hearn, Steven R. Peters
  • Publication number: 20140131320
    Abstract: The invention described herein generally pertains to a method for improved droplet detachment detection in a welding process in which a derivative of at least one welding parameter over time is used to detect droplet detachment from the wire during a welding operation based identification of a peak signature.
    Type: Application
    Filed: November 9, 2012
    Publication date: May 15, 2014
    Applicant: LINCOLN GLOBAL, INC.
    Inventors: James E. HEARN, Steven R. PETERS
  • Publication number: 20140131322
    Abstract: Systems and methods to affect heat input to a weld and, therefore, an appearance of a deposited weld bead by modulating a mixing ratio of shielding gases and/or one or more welding parameters. For example, a mixing ratio of two different shielding gases from two sources of shielding gases may be modulated to affect the appearance of a deposited weld bead. The modulation frequency may be based on a selected travel speed of a welding tool. Furthermore, a wire feed speed of a welding electrode may be synergistically modulated with the shielding gases to affect a deposited weld bead appearance. Other welding parameters may be synergistically modulated with the shielding gases to affect a deposited weld bead appearance.
    Type: Application
    Filed: February 26, 2013
    Publication date: May 15, 2014
    Applicant: LINCOLN GLOBAL, INC.
    Inventors: James E. Hearn, Joseph A. Daniel, Tamara Savrin, Steven R. Peters, Daniel P. Fleming, Judah Benjamin Henry
  • Publication number: 20140131332
    Abstract: Systems and methods for facilitating the starting and stopping of arc welding processes, as well as for responding to events in mid-weld. Specially designed signals may be briefly applied between a welding electrode and a welding workpiece at the start and end of a welding process to gracefully and properly start and stop a weld. Furthermore, specially designed signals may be briefly applied in the middle of a welding process, if determined events occur, to counter the undesirable effects of the events.
    Type: Application
    Filed: February 26, 2013
    Publication date: May 15, 2014
    Applicant: LINCOLN GLOBAL, INC.
    Inventors: Judah Benjamin Henry, James E. Hearn, Daniel P. Fleming
  • Publication number: 20140110385
    Abstract: Systems and methods for affecting an appearance of a deposited weld bead by modulating one or more welding parameters. For example, an electrode negative portion of a welding output current may be modulated to affect the appearance of a deposited weld bead. Furthermore, a wire feed speed of a welding electrode may be synergistically modulated with an electrode negative portion of a welding output current to affect a deposited weld bead appearance. Two or more welding processes may be interleaved with each other at a specified modulation frequency to affect a deposited weld bead appearance. One or more welding parameters may be modulated based on a welding travel speed to provide a consistent appearance of a deposited weld bead.
    Type: Application
    Filed: February 26, 2013
    Publication date: April 24, 2014
    Applicant: LINCOLN GLOBAL, INC.
    Inventors: James E. Hearn, Joseph A. Daniel, Tamara Savrin, Steven R. Peters
  • Publication number: 20120325791
    Abstract: A welding system including a power supply, a torch electrically connected to said power supply, a wire feeder that provides a welding consumable to the torch, a controller that communicates with a motor associated the wire feeder and the power supply. The controller obtains a wire feed speed of said motor as it accelerates from a run-in speed to a pre-set speed and controls the power supplied to the torch based on this wire feed speed to reduce stubbing or spattering during arc initiation.
    Type: Application
    Filed: June 23, 2011
    Publication date: December 27, 2012
    Applicant: Lincoln Global, Inc.
    Inventors: Elliott Ash, William Matthews, James E. Hearn
  • Patent number: 8283598
    Abstract: An electric arc welder includes a short detecting circuit for creating a short signal upon occurrence of a short circuit between an advancing electrode and a workpiece, and a boost circuit to create a plasma boost pulse after the short circuit is cleared during the time period when the welder is not outputting a peak pulse current.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 17, 2007
    Date of Patent: October 9, 2012
    Assignee: Lincoln Global, Inc.
    Inventors: Bruce E. Fulmer, James E. Hearn, Christopher Hsu, Steven R. Peters
  • Patent number: 8203099
    Abstract: An electric arc device and methods to build up, clad, join, or overlay an alloyed metal onto a parent metal with minimal admixture. The methods employed in the electric arc device provide a high frequency waveform with a high amplitude pulse, a low amplitude background current, and a special shorting routine, to alleviate the problem of generating too much ad-mixture. A fast transition from a peak current level to a background current level along with a shorting response and a plasma boost pulse reduces the droplet size and reduces the heat input required to achieve good welding performance.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 26, 2007
    Date of Patent: June 19, 2012
    Assignee: Lincoln Global, Inc.
    Inventors: Steven R. Peters, Michael J. Morlock, Bruce E. Fulmer, James E. Hearn
  • Publication number: 20100237052
    Abstract: A welding apparatus having a waveform compensation device, a power section coupled to the waveform compensation device which generates a welding waveform in accordance with a signal from the waveform compensation device, and a frequency detection device which detects at least one of a voltage, current and power of a welding arc and determines a shorting frequency of the arc. The waveform compensation device adjusts at least a portion of the welding waveform based on an output from the frequency detection device.
    Type: Application
    Filed: March 18, 2009
    Publication date: September 23, 2010
    Applicant: LINCOLN GLOBAL, INC.
    Inventors: Joseph A. Daniel, James E. Hearn
  • Publication number: 20100176104
    Abstract: An electric arc welding device for performing a pulse welding process by a current between an advancing electrode and workpiece where the welder comprises a short detecting circuit for creating a short signal upon occurrence of a short circuit between the advancing electrode and the workpiece and a boost circuit to create a plasma boost pulse after the short circuit is cleared during the time period when the welder is not outputting the peak pulse current. The peak pulse current to background current ratio is high and the duration of the peak pulse is short.
    Type: Application
    Filed: August 10, 2009
    Publication date: July 15, 2010
    Applicant: LINCOLN GLOBAL, INC.
    Inventors: Steven R. Peters, Bruce E. Fulmer, James E. Hearn, Christopher Hsu