US 12,345,776 B2
External connector and sensor unit for welding equipment
André Walther, Halle (DE); Volker Schauder, Halle (DE); Peter Budai, Almhult (SE); and Magnus Persson, Kyrkesund (SE)
Assigned to ESAB AB, Gothenburg (SE)
Filed by ESAB AB, Gothenburg (SE)
Filed on Nov. 17, 2021, as Appl. No. 17/528,408.
Application 17/528,408 is a division of application No. 16/050,030, filed on Jul. 31, 2018, granted, now 11,204,394.
Claims priority of provisional application 62/560,807, filed on Sep. 20, 2017.
Prior Publication US 2022/0075003 A1, Mar. 10, 2022
Int. Cl. G01R 31/42 (2006.01); B23K 9/095 (2006.01); B23K 9/10 (2006.01); G01R 31/40 (2020.01)
CPC G01R 31/42 (2013.01) [B23K 9/095 (2013.01); B23K 9/0956 (2013.01); B23K 9/1087 (2013.01); G01R 31/40 (2013.01)] 21 Claims
OG exemplary drawing
 
1. A method comprising:
generating a predetermined direct current (DC) supply voltage from power supplied by a first welding cable of a welding apparatus and a second welding cable of the welding apparatus;
supplying the predetermined DC supply voltage to a communications unit to power the communications unit;
sensing a current being supplied by the first welding cable and the second welding cable, and generating, correspondingly, a current sense signal;
sensing a voltage between the first welding cable and the second welding cable, and generating, correspondingly, a voltage sense signal;
sending at least the current sense signal and the voltage sense signal to the communications unit; and
sending, from the communications unit, data indicative of the current sense signal and the voltage sense signal to a remote server.