CN111975170A - Distributed welding monitoring system with job tracking - Google Patents

Abstract

Systems and methods for distributed welding monitoring using jobs and job sessions are described. In some examples, a distributed monitoring system includes a central monitoring station in communication with a user device, and a local monitoring station. The user may input welding monitoring data using the user device, which is then received by the central monitoring station and stored in the central data repository. The central data repository may associate welding monitoring data with welding data received from welding devices, and with job sessions, which in turn are associated with jobs.

Description

Distributed welding monitoring system with job tracking

Cross Reference to Related Applications

This application requests priority from U.S. provisional patent application 62/851,216 entitled "DISTRIBUTED welded MONITORING SYSTEM WITH JOB TRACKING" filed on 22.5.2019, the contents of which are incorporated herein by reference in their entirety.

Technical Field

The present disclosure relates generally to welding monitoring systems, and more particularly to a distributed welding monitoring system with job tracking.

Background

A welding monitoring system monitors data related to a welding operation. Some welding monitoring systems have been narrowly focused on monitoring individual welds or operators. While this may be effective for simple and/or repetitive welding tasks, such a narrow focus may have a less favorable effect on more complex and/or more unique welding operations.

Additionally, some welding (e.g., for shipbuilding, rail car manufacturing, pipe welding, building/bridge construction, etc.) is performed in large environments with multiple operators. In such an environment, the welding equipment may be located a significant distance from the monitoring equipment, requiring the operator to walk a long distance between the welding equipment and the monitoring equipment.

Limitations and disadvantages of conventional and traditional approaches will become apparent to one of skill in the art, through comparison of such systems with the present disclosure as set forth in the remainder of the present application with reference to the drawings.

Disclosure of Invention

The present disclosure is directed to a distributed welding monitoring system with job tracking substantially as shown in and/or described in connection with at least one of the figures and as set forth more completely in the claims.

These and other advantages, aspects, and novel features of the present disclosure, as well as details of illustrated examples of the present disclosure, will be more fully understood from the following description and drawings.

Drawings

Fig. 1 illustrates a welding system in communication with a local monitoring station in accordance with some aspects of the present disclosure.

FIG. 2 illustrates the local monitoring station of FIG. 1 in communication with several welding systems, in accordance with aspects of the present disclosure.

Fig. 3 illustrates an example distributed welding monitoring system in accordance with aspects of the present disclosure.

Fig. 4 illustrates an example data repository of the example distributed welding monitoring system of fig. 3 having data organized according to jobs and job sessions in accordance with aspects of the present disclosure.

Fig. 5 is an exemplary custom domain settings screen in accordance with some aspects of the present disclosure.

Fig. 6a is a flowchart illustrating an example user equipment monitoring program of the example distributed welding monitoring system of fig. 3, in accordance with some aspects of the present disclosure.

Fig. 6b is an exemplary session listing screen in accordance with some aspects of the present disclosure.

Fig. 6c is a flow diagram illustrating an exemplary start new session block of the user equipment monitoring program of fig. 6a, in accordance with some aspects of the present disclosure.

Fig. 6d is an exemplary new session screen according to some aspects of the present disclosure.

Fig. 7a is a flow diagram illustrating an example central monitoring program of the example distributed welding monitoring system of fig. 3, according to some aspects of the present disclosure.

Fig. 7b is a flow diagram illustrating an exemplary start new session block of the central monitoring program of fig. 7a, in accordance with some aspects of the present disclosure.

Fig. 8a is a flow chart illustrating an example local monitoring procedure of the local monitoring station of fig. 3, in accordance with aspects of the present disclosure.

FIG. 8b is a flow diagram illustrating an example activity tracking block of the local monitor of FIG. 8a, according to some aspects of the present disclosure.

The drawings are not necessarily to scale. Wherever appropriate, the same or similar reference numbers are used in the drawings to refer to similar or identical elements. For example, reference numerals with letters (e.g., job 420a, job 420b) represent instances of the same reference numeral (e.g., job 420) without the letter.

Detailed Description

Some examples of the present disclosure relate to a distributed welding monitoring system with job tracking. Conventional welding monitoring systems require an operator to provide monitoring inputs in order to work effectively. Conventionally, the monitoring input would be input at a local monitoring station. However, local monitoring stations are designed to be stationary and may be difficult to transport. In addition, some work environments are relatively large. In such an environment, the welding equipment may be at a significant distance from the local monitoring station, requiring movement of the local monitoring station or long trips between the welding equipment and the local monitoring station.

The present disclosure contemplates a distributed welding monitoring system that allows a welding operator to provide monitoring input via a lightweight, handheld user device such as a mobile device (e.g., smartphone, tablet, laptop, personal digital assistant, etc.). The user device may in turn communicate the monitoring input to a central monitoring station. Such a distributed monitoring system eliminates the need for long trips or weight lifts, allowing the operator to instead input monitoring inputs using convenient, lightweight equipment.

In some examples, the distributed welding monitoring system organizes monitoring data around a particular job and/or job session. For example, the work may be the construction of a vehicle chassis that is a large excavator. In such an example, each job session may correspond to a period of time during which the operator is working on the vehicle chassis. As another example, a job may be the construction of an entire excavator, and each job session may correspond to a period of time during which an operator is working on any aspect of the excavator. In some examples, each job is associated with multiple job sessions. In some examples, each job session is associated with a single job, a single welding device, and/or a single operator. By organizing the monitoring data as a function of jobs and job sessions as it is collected, the monitoring data can be viewed and/or analyzed as a function of each job and/or job session after the job ends. For example, the distributed welding monitoring system may be able to determine how much time, material, and/or other resources are spent to complete a job (and/or one or more particular job sessions), which may be used for billing, accounting, quality assurance, performance review, future planning, and so forth.

In some examples, job and job session data collection may also allow for monitoring of data analysis while the job is still in progress. For example, the distributed welding monitoring system may estimate the percentage of completion of a job as the job proceeds. For example, a number of one or more work parameters (e.g., man-hours, arc or weld time, number of welds, number of cladding materials, etc.) may be estimated to be required for a work. In such an example, the distributed welding monitoring system may be able to estimate the percentage of completion based on a comparison of the estimated job requirement(s) and the recorded job data.

Because the distributed welding monitoring system performs best when the operator provides monitoring input on a regular basis, in some examples, the distributed welding monitoring system may take steps that encourage operator input. In some examples, such encouragement may take the form of: i.e., disabling one or more welding devices being used by the operator until operator input is imminent.

Fig. 1 illustrates an exemplary welding system 100 and a local monitoring station 200. As shown, the welding system 100 includes a welding torch 118 and a work holder 117 connected to the welding-type power supply 108. As shown, the local monitoring station 200 is electrically coupled (and/or in electrical communication) with the welding-type power supply 108. In some examples, the local monitoring station 200 may also communicate with the welding torch 118 (e.g., via the welding-type power supply 108).

In the example of fig. 1, an operator 116 is manipulating a welding torch 118 near the welding table 112. In some examples, the welding bench 112 may be and/or include a clamping system configured to hold one or more workpieces 110. In some examples, the clamping system may include one or more work clamps 117 (e.g., manual clamps and/or pneumatic clamps). In some examples, the workpiece(s) 110 may be independent of the welding table 112, e.g., a free standing component such as a structural steel component, a pipeline, or a bridge. Although a human operator 116 is shown in fig. 1, in some examples, the operator 116 may be a robot and/or an automated welding machine.

In the example of fig. 1, the welding torch 118 is connected to the welding-type power supply 108 via a weld cable 126. The clamp 117 is also connected to the welding-type power supply 108 via a clamp cable 115. The welding-type power supply 108, in turn, communicates with the local monitoring station 200, such as via the conduit 130. In some examples, the welding-type power supply 108 may alternatively or additionally include wireless communication capabilities (e.g., wireless communication circuitry) by which wireless communication may be established with the local monitoring station 200.

In the example of fig. 1, the welding torch 118 is a welding torch configured for Gas Metal Arc Welding (GMAW). In some examples, the welding torch 118 may include an electrode holder (i.e., tip) configured for Shielded Metal Arc Welding (SMAW). In some examples, the welding torch 118 may include a welding torch and/or electrode configured for tungsten gas arc welding (GTAW). In some examples, the welding torch 118 may include a welding torch configured for Flux Cored Arc Welding (FCAW). In some examples, the welding torch 118 may additionally or alternatively include an electrode. In the example of FIG. 1, the welding torch 118 includes a trigger 119. In some examples, the trigger 119 may be actuated by the operator 116 to trigger a welding-type operation (e.g., an arc).

In the example of fig. 1, the welding-type power supply 108 includes (and/or is connected with) a wire feeder 140. In some examples, the wire feeder 140 houses a wire spool for providing a wire electrode (e.g., solid wire, cored wire, coated wire) to the welding torch 118. In some examples, the wire feeder 140 further includes motorized rollers configured to feed the wire electrode (e.g., from a spool) to the welding torch 118 and/or withdraw the wire electrode (e.g., to a spool) from the welding torch 118.

In the example of fig. 1, the welding-type power supply 108 also includes (and/or is connected to) a gas source 142. In some examples, the gas source 142 supplies shielding gas and/or a shielding gas mixture to the welding torch 118 (e.g., via the cable 126). As used herein, shielding gas may refer to any gas (e.g., CO2, argon) or mixture of gases that may be provided to the arc and/or weld pool in order to provide a particular local atmosphere (e.g., to shield the arc, to improve arc stability, to limit metal oxide formation, to improve the humidity of the metal surface, to change the chemistry of the weld cladding, etc.).

In the example of fig. 1 and 2, the welding-type power supply 108 also includes an operator interface 144. In the example of fig. 1, the operator interface 144 includes one or more adjustable inputs (e.g., knobs, buttons, switches, keys, etc.) and/or outputs (e.g., display screens, lights, speakers, etc.) on the welding-type power supply 108. In some examples, operator interface 144 may include a remote control and/or a pendant (pendant). In some examples, the operator 116 may use the operator interface 144 to input and/or select one or more welding parameters (e.g., voltage, current, gas type, wire feed speed, workpiece material type, filler type, etc.) and/or welding operations of the welding-type power supply 108. In some examples, operator interface 144 may further include one or more volumes configured to connect with (and/or receive) one or more external memory devices (e.g., floppy disks, compact disks, digital video disks, flash drives, etc.).

In the example of fig. 1, the welding-type power supply 108 includes power conversion circuitry 132 configured to receive input power (e.g., from mains, a generator, etc.) and convert the input power to welding-type output power. In some examples, the power conversion circuitry 132 may include circuit elements (e.g., transformers, rectifiers, capacitors, inductors, diodes, transistors, switches, etc.) capable of converting input power to output power. In some examples, the power conversion circuitry 132 may also include one or more controllable circuit elements. In some examples, the controllable circuit element may include circuitry configured to change state (e.g., ignite, open/close, close/open, etc.) based on one or more control signals. In some examples, the state(s) of the controllable circuit elements may affect the operation of the power conversion circuitry 132, and/or affect characteristics of the output power provided by the power conversion circuitry 132 (e.g., current/voltage amplitude, frequency, waveform, etc.). In some examples, the controllable circuit elements may include, for example, switches, relays, transistors, and the like. In examples where the controllable circuit element comprises a transistor, the transistor may comprise any suitable transistor, e.g., a MOSFET, JFET, IGBT, BJT, etc.

As shown, the welding-type power supply 108 further includes control circuitry 134 electrically connected to and configured to control the power conversion circuitry 132. In some examples, the control circuitry 134 may include processing circuitry (and/or one or more processors) and analog and/or digital memory. In some examples, the control circuitry 134 is configured to control the power conversion circuitry 132 to ensure that the power conversion circuitry 132 produces the appropriate welding-type output power to implement the desired welding-type operation.

In some examples, the control circuitry 134 is also electrically connected to and/or configured to control the wire feeder 140 and/or the gas source 142. In some examples, the control circuitry 134 may control the wire feeder 140 to output wire at a target speed and/or direction. For example, the control circuitry 134 may control the motor of the wire feeder 140 to feed the wire electrode to the welding torch 118 (and/or to withdraw the wire electrode 250 from the welding torch) at a target speed. In some examples, the welding-type power supply 108 may control the gas source 142 to output a target type and/or amount of gas. For example, the control circuitry 134 may control a valve in communication with the gas source 142 to regulate the gas delivered to the welding torch 118.

In the example of fig. 1, the welding system 100 further includes several sensors 150. In some examples, the sensors 150 may be configured to sense, detect, and/or measure various welding data of the welding system 100. For example, the sensors 150 may sense, detect, and/or measure the voltage and/or current of the power received by the welding-type power supply 108, the power conversion circuitry 132, and/or the welding torch, and/or the voltage and/or current of the power output by the welding-type power supply 108 and/or the power conversion circuitry 132. As another example, the sensors 150 may sense, detect, and/or measure a speed (e.g., velocity and/or wire feed direction) of the wire feeder 140 and/or a type of wire being fed by the wire feeder 140. As another example, the sensor 150 may sense, detect, and/or measure a type of gas and/or a flow of gas from the gas source 142 (e.g., through a valve) to the welding torch 118. As another example, the sensor 150 may sense, detect, and/or measure a trigger signal (e.g., pull, release, etc.) of the welding torch 118 and/or a clamping signal (e.g., clamp, unclamp, etc.) of the clamp 117. In some examples, the control circuitry 134 may be in communication with the sensor 150 and/or otherwise configured to receive information from the sensor 150.

In some examples, the welding operation (and/or welding process) may begin when the operator 116 actuates a trigger 119 of the welding torch 118 (and/or otherwise actuates the welding torch 118). During a welding operation, welding-type power provided by the welding-type power supply 108 may be applied to an electrode (e.g., a wire electrode) of the welding torch 118 to generate a welding arc between the electrode and the one or more workpieces 110. The heat of the arc may melt the filler material (e.g., welding wire) and/or a portion of the workpiece 110, thereby creating a molten weld pool. Movement of the welding torch 118 (e.g., by an operator) may move the weld pool, thereby creating one or more welds 111.

When the welding operation is complete, the operator 116 may release the trigger 119 (and/or otherwise deactivate the welding torch 118). In some examples, the control circuitry 134 may detect that the welding operation has been completed. For example, the control circuitry 134 may detect a trigger release signal via the sensor 150. As another example, the control circuitry 134 may receive a torch deactivation command via the operator interface 144 (e.g., where the torch 118 is manipulated by a robotic and/or automated welder).

In some examples, the control circuitry 134 may detect certain welding data related to the welding-type power supply 108, the clamp 117, the table 112, and/or the welding torch 118 during the welding process (e.g., via the sensors 150). In some examples, the control circuitry 134 is configured to communicate this welding data (e.g., via a data transmission object (dto)) to the local monitoring station 200. In some examples, the control circuitry 134 may be configured to transmit the welding data to the local monitoring station 200 in real time during the welding operation, periodically, and/or after the welding operation.

Fig. 2 illustrates an example local monitoring station 200 electrically (and/or communicatively) connected to several example welding-type power supplies 108 and/or welding torches 118. As shown, the local monitoring station 200 is also electrically (and/or communicatively) connected to a User Interface (UI)202 and a local data store 204. In some examples, local data store 204 includes a database. In some examples, the local data store 204 is configured to store and/or organize welding data, monitoring inputs entered by the operator 116 (or other individuals), and/or other relevant information.

In some examples, the user interface 202 may include a touch screen interface and/or one or more input devices (e.g., a mouse, a keyboard, buttons, knobs, a microphone, etc.) and/or output devices (e.g., a display screen, speakers, etc.). In some examples, the user interface 202 may further include one or more volumes configured to connect with (and/or receive) one or more external memory devices (e.g., floppy disks, compact disks, digital video disks, flash drives, etc.). In operation, an operator 116 or other user may provide input to and/or receive output from the local monitoring station 200 via the user interface 202. Although shown as separate components in the example of fig. 2, in some examples, UI 202 and/or local data store 204 may be part of local monitoring station 200.

Fig. 2 additionally shows exemplary components of a local monitoring station 200. As shown, the local monitoring station 200 includes communication circuitry 206, processing circuitry 208, and memory 210 interconnected to each other via the same electrical bus. In some examples, the processing circuitry 208 may include one or more processors. In some examples, the communication circuitry 206 can include one or more wireless adapters, wireless cards, cable adapters, wire adapters, dongles, Radio Frequency (RF) devices, wireless communication devices, bluetooth devices, IEEE 802.11 compliant devices, WiFi devices, cellular devices, GPS devices, ethernet ports, network ports, lightning cable ports, and the like. In some examples, the communication circuitry 206 may be configured to facilitate communications via one or more wired media and/or protocols (e.g., ethernet cable(s), universal serial bus cable(s), etc.) and/or wireless media and/or protocols (e.g., Near Field Communication (NFC), ultra-high frequency radio waves (commonly referred to as bluetooth), IEEE 802.11x, Zigbee, HART, LTE, Z-Wave, wireless HD, WiGig, etc.). In some examples, the local monitoring station 200 may be implemented by a desktop computer or a local server computer. In some examples, memory 210 may store local data store 204. In the example of FIG. 2, the memory stores a local monitor 800, discussed further below.

Fig. 3 illustrates an example of a distributed welding monitoring system 300. As shown, the distributed welding monitoring system 300 includes a central monitoring station 302 electrically (and/or communicatively) connected to several local monitoring stations 200, each electrically (and/or communicatively) connected to several welding devices 399. In some examples, each welding device 399 includes the welding-type power supply 108, an output of the welding-type power supply 108 (e.g., for a multiple output welding-type power supply 108), a welding torch 118, a gas source 142, a wire feeder 140, a clamp 117, and/or one or more other welding-type devices (e.g., a polishing device, a grinding device, an induction heating device, etc.). In the example of fig. 3, the central monitoring station 302 is further electrically (and/or communicatively) connected to a central data repository 400.

In the example of fig. 3, central monitoring station 302 is additionally communicatively connected with user device 350. Although only one user device 350 is depicted in the example of fig. 3, for simplicity, in some examples, multiple user devices may communicate with the central monitoring station 302. In some examples, user device 350 may be implemented by a mobile device (e.g., a smartphone, a tablet computer, a laptop computer, a personal digital assistant, etc.).

In the example of fig. 3, the user device 350 includes communication circuitry 356, processing circuitry 358, memory 360, and human-machine interface (HMI)352 interconnected to one another via the same electrical bus. In some examples, the processing circuitry 358 may include one or more processors. In some examples, the communication circuitry 356 may include one or more wireless adapters, wireless cards, cable adapters, wire adapters, dongles, Radio Frequency (RF) devices, wireless communication devices, bluetooth devices, IEEE 802.11 compliant devices, WiFi devices, cellular devices, GPS devices, ethernet ports, network ports, lightning cable ports, and the like. In some examples, the communication circuitry 356 may be configured to facilitate communications via one or more wired media and/or protocols (e.g., ethernet cable(s), universal serial bus cable(s), etc.) and/or wireless media and/or protocols (e.g., Near Field Communication (NFC), ultra-high frequency radio waves (commonly referred to as bluetooth), IEEE 802.11x, Zigbee, HART, LTE, Z-Wave, wireless HD, WiGig, etc.).

In some examples, HMI 352 may include a touch screen interface and/or one or more input devices (e.g., keyboard, buttons, knobs, microphone, etc.) and/or output devices (e.g., display screen, speakers, etc.). In some examples, HMI 352 may further include one or more volumes configured to connect with (and/or receive) one or more external memory devices (e.g., floppy disks, optical disks, digital video disks, flash drives, etc.). In operation, the operator 116 or other user can provide input (e.g., monitoring input) to and/or receive output from the user device 350 via the HMI 352. In the example of fig. 3, the memory stores a user equipment monitoring program 600, discussed further below.

Fig. 3 additionally shows exemplary components of central monitoring station 302. As shown, central monitoring station 302 includes communication circuitry 306, processing circuitry 308, and memory 310 interconnected to each other via the same electrical bus. In some examples, the processing circuitry 308 may include one or more processors. In some examples, communications circuitry 306 may include one or more wireless adapters, wireless cards, cable adapters, wire adapters, dongles, Radio Frequency (RF) devices, wireless communications devices, bluetooth devices, IEEE 802.11 compliant devices, WiFi devices, cellular devices, GPS devices, ethernet ports, network ports, lightning cable ports, and the like. In some examples, the communication circuitry 306 may be configured to facilitate communications via one or more wired media and/or protocols (e.g., ethernet cable(s), universal serial bus cable(s), etc.) and/or wireless media and/or protocols (e.g., Near Field Communication (NFC), ultra-high frequency radio waves (commonly referred to as bluetooth), IEEE 802.11x, Zigbee, HART, LTE, Z-Wave, wireless HD, WiGig, etc.). In some examples, central monitoring station 302 may be implemented by a desktop computer or a central server computer. In some examples, memory 310 may store a central data store 400. In the example of FIG. 3, memory 310 stores a central monitoring program 700, discussed further below.

FIG. 4 shows a more detailed example of the central data store 400. In some examples, the central data store 400 and the local data store 204 may be similar (or identical in structure). In some examples, central data store 400 and/or local data store 204 may be implemented via one or more databases, database tables, and/or other data structures.

In the example of fig. 4, the central data repository 400 stores welding equipment information 402, user information 404, activity information 406, and custom domain information 408. In some examples, the central data store 400 may also include additional information, such as local monitoring station information, central monitoring station information, and/or other relevant information. In some examples, welding equipment information 402, user information 404, activity information 406, custom domain information 408, and/or other information may be modified by user input (e.g., by a user with particular administrative privileges via the user equipment 350 and/or the local monitoring station 200), program input, and/or other appropriate means.

In some examples, welding device information 402 may include one or more welding device identifications. In some examples, each welding device identification may be uniquely associated with a particular welding device 399 and information about the welding device 399, such as a device type (e.g., MIG gun, TIG torch, wire feeder, AC welding-type power supply, DC welding-type power supply, gas source, etc.), a device location, an approved user of the device, an approved job of the device, an associated local monitoring station 200, a manufacturer, a model number, a serial number, a maintenance history, a software version, etc. In some examples, user information 404 may include one or more user identifications. In some examples, each user identification 452 may be associated with a particular user (e.g., operator 116) and information about the user, such as name, age, experience, credentials, credential levels, equipment approved for the user, jobs approved for the user, login credentials, work plan(s), training history, operational history, assigned tasks, assigned workflow items, assigned workflows, and the like.

In some examples, activity information 406 may include information about various known activities and/or recorded activities that occurred during job session 450. Such activities may include, for example, activities related to the welding equipment (e.g., normal operations, maintenance operations, startup operations, shutdown operations, etc.), maintenance activities, quality assurance activities, replenishment activities, replacement activities, rest activities, activities related to errors, training activities, meeting activities, and/or other activities. In some examples, some or all activities may be associated with one or more timestamps that represent dates and/or times when the activities have occurred and/or when the activities are expected to occur. In some examples, some or all activities may be associated with one or more custom domains. In some examples, each activity may be uniquely associated with an activity identification.

In some examples, custom domain information 408 may include information about various custom domains used by the distributed welding monitoring system 300. In some examples, custom domain information 408 may include one or more custom domain identifications. In some examples, each custom domain identification may be uniquely associated with a particular custom domain. In some examples, custom domain information 408 may include other information about each custom domain, such as name, type (e.g., boolean, text, drop-down list, numbers, date, check boxes, radio buttons, etc.), input options (e.g., drop-down options, check boxes, radio buttons, etc.), prompt(s) (e.g., input: wire feed speed, wire type, wire size, gas type, work order identification, operator certification level, work piece material, joint number, operating recommendations, operating issues, corrective measures, management instructions, etc.), description, (e.g., necessary/optional for each person or particular user/job/device, etc.) contract, associated job 420, associated activity, associated user, associated welding equipment 399, and/or other relevant information.

In some examples, custom domains may be associated with different jobs 420, welding equipment 399, users, activities, etc. to collect different information from users according to jobs 420, welding equipment 399, users, activities, etc. For example, a user (and/or administrator) may create a digital custom field and associated prompts to query the wire field and associate the custom field with all wire feeder welding equipment 399. In such an example, the wire size custom fields and prompts would be presented each time the user initiates the job session 450 and designates the wire feeder as the welding equipment 399. As another example, a user (and/or administrator) may create a boolean custom domain and associated prompt to ask whether a certain level of credentials has been reached and associate the custom domain with certain jobs 420 (e.g., more complex jobs). In such an example, the credential level custom fields and hints would be presented each time the user starts a job session 450 for that particular job 420. In some examples, the entries populated into the custom domain (i.e., custom domain entries 456) may be stored in the central data store 400 (and/or local data store) and/or associated with a particular job session 450.

Fig. 5 illustrates an exemplary custom domain settings screen 500. In some examples, the custom domain settings screen 500 may be presented to a user (e.g., a user with administrative privileges) during setup of the distributed welding monitoring system 300. As shown, the custom domain setting screen 500 allows for the entry of names, descriptions, help information, and domain types. As shown, custom field setup screen 500 also allows custom fields to be marked as required or optional via button 502.

In the example of FIG. 4, central data store 400 also stores data related to several jobs 420. As shown, each job 420 includes several job sessions 450. FIG. 4 further illustrates exemplary monitoring data associated with each job 420 and job session 450. As shown, each job 420 is associated with a job identification 422, one or more session identifications 424, an open/close timestamp 426, an approved user 428, and an approved welding device 430.

As shown, each job session 450 is associated with an open/close timestamp 426, a user identification 452, a job identification 422, a session identification 424, a custom domain 454, a custom domain entry 456, device data 458, and activity data 460. In some examples, custom field 454 may be stored as part of an entire job 420, rather than or in addition to individual job sessions 450. In some examples, each job 420 and/or job session 450 may be more or less associated data than shown in the example of fig. 4. For example, each job 420 may be associated with a caption, an expiration date, a specification, a schematic, an estimated number of hours and/or time to arc, a budget, and/or other information and/or materials related to job 420 for job 420.

In some examples, each job 420 is associated with a job identification 422, which job identification 422 is not associated with any other jobs 420. In some examples, each job session 450 is associated with a job session identification 424, which job session identification 424 is not associated with any other job session 450. In some examples, each user is associated with a user identification 452, the user identification 452 not being associated with any other user. In some examples, each welding device 399 is associated with a welding device identification that is not associated with any other welding device 399. In some examples, each job identification 422, user identification 452, and/or device identification may be automatically generated by central data store 400, local data store 204, central monitoring station 302, or local monitoring station 200.

In some examples, one or more (or none) job sessions 450 may be associated with job 420 by session identification 424 of job 420. In some examples, one or more (or none) users may be associated with job 420 through approved user 428 of job 420. In some examples, one or more (or none) welding devices 399 may be associated with job 420 by approved welding device 430 of job 420. In this manner, the monitoring data of the distributed welding monitoring system 300 may be organized according to jobs 420 and job sessions 450.

In some examples, open/close timestamp 426 for each job 420 and/or job session 450 may include a timestamp representing the date and/or time that job 420 and/or job session 450 was opened and/or closed. In some examples, each open job 420 and/or job session 450 may have an open timestamp. However, in some examples, job 420 and/or job session 450 may only have a close timestamp if job 420 and/or job session 450 has been closed. Thus, in some examples, jobs 420 and/or job sessions 450 that are still open may not have a close timestamp in order to identify jobs 420 and/or job sessions 450 as open. In some examples, each job 420 and/or job session 450 may additionally or alternatively be associated with an explicit flag indicating whether job 420 and/or job session 450 is open or closed.

In some examples, approved users 428 of each job 420 include data identifying (e.g., via user identification 452) one or more operators 116 approved to engage in the job 420. In some examples, this information may be used by the distributed welding monitoring system 300 to determine what jobs 420 to present to the user as options when starting a job session 450, compiling a report, performing an analysis, and so forth. In some examples, the approved welding devices 430 of each job 420 include data that identifies one or more welding devices 399 that are approved (e.g., via welding device identification) to engage in the job 420. In some examples, this data may be used by the distributed welding monitoring system 300 to determine what welding devices 399 to present to the user as options in starting a job session 450, compiling a report, performing an analysis, and the like.

In the example of fig. 4, each job session 450 is associated with a single user (e.g., via user identification 452) and a single job 420 (e.g., via job identification 422). In some examples, each job session 450 is associated with only a single user, and no job session 450 may be associated with more than one user. In some examples, each job session 450 is also associated with only a single job 420, and no job session 450 may be associated with more than one job 420.

In the example of FIG. 4, each job session 450 is also associated with one or more (or none) custom fields 454. In some examples, each custom domain 454 associated with job session 450 (and/or job 420) is also associated with one of the custom domains of custom domain information 408. Custom domain entries 456 shown in FIG. 4 as part of job session 450 include entries entered by a user (e.g., via HMI 352 of user device 350) in one or more custom domains 454.

In the example of fig. 4, each job session 450 is associated with welding equipment data 458. In some examples, each job session 450 may be associated with a single welding device 399 (or not associated with a welding device 399), and no job session 450 may be associated with more than one welding device 399. In some examples, the welding equipment data 458 may include data identifying individual welding equipment 399 associated with the job session 450, so long as such welding equipment 399 is present. For example, the welding device data 458 may include a welding device identification corresponding to the welding device identification of the welding device information 402. In some examples, welding equipment data 458 may additionally include welding data received from welding equipment 399. For example, welding data may be continuously collected from the welding equipment 399 by the local monitoring station 200 and stored in the welding equipment data 458 of the local data store 204, which may then be synchronized with the welding equipment data 458 of the central data store. In some examples, the welding equipment data 458 may additionally include one or more timestamps associated with the welding data.

In the example of FIG. 4, each job session 450 is also associated with activity data 460. In some examples, activity data 460 may include data related to one or more activities that occurred during job session 450. In some examples, each activity may be related to the welding equipment 399 that the operator 116 is using, or to some activity unrelated to the welding equipment 399. In some examples, the activity data 460 may include one or more timestamps associated with each activity (e.g., marking a time period in which the activity is occurring). In some examples, the one or more activities for each job session 450 may be automatically determined by the distributed welding monitoring system 300 (e.g., using known activities stored in the activity information 406), selected by the user from several options (e.g., pulled from the activity information 406), and/or manually entered by the user.

FIG. 6a is a flow diagram illustrating an example user equipment monitoring program 600 of the distributed welding monitoring system 300. In some examples, the user device monitoring program 600 may be implemented as machine readable instructions stored in the memory 360 of the user device 350 and/or executed by the processing circuitry 358 of the user device 350. In some examples, user device monitor 600 may be a web-based application that is sent to user device 350 and/or executed via a web browser, for example. In some examples, the user device monitoring program 600 may communicate with the central monitoring station 302 and/or the local monitoring station 200 during operation of the user device monitoring program 600 (e.g., via the communication circuitry 356 of the user device 350).

In the example of FIG. 6a, user device monitor 600 begins at block 602 where a user logs in using user credentials. In some examples, the user device 350 may send the credentials to the central monitoring station 302 at block 602 and wait for a positive response before proceeding to block 604 of the user device monitoring program 600. In some examples, the central monitoring station 302 may access the user information 404 of the central data store 400 to verify user credentials.

In the example of FIG. 6a, the user device monitor 600 allows several options at block 604 and 608 after block 602. At block 604-: starting a new job session 450 (block 604), presenting a list of existing job sessions 450 to the user (block 606), or analyzing monitoring data stored in central data store 400. In some examples, the user may be presented with more or fewer options than shown in fig. 6 a. For example, if the user credentials are associated with certain administrative privileges, the user may be presented with additional administrative options. These additional management options may include the following: such as creating and/or editing information (and/or contacts) associated with the job 420, welding equipment information 402, custom domain information 408, activity information 406, local monitoring stations 200, central monitoring station 302, user information 404, user devices 350, and/or other aspects of the distributed welding monitoring system 300 (e.g., see fig. 5). As another example, the user may be given only the following options: the user is presented with a list of existing job sessions 450 (block 606), or job 420 and/or job session 450 are analyzed if their user credentials are associated with sufficient administrative privileges.

In the example of FIG. 6a, if the user selects to start a new job session 450 at block 604, the user device monitoring program 600 proceeds to block 610. Block 610 is explained further below. In the example of FIG. 6a, if the user selects to list existing job sessions 450 at block 606, user device monitoring program 600 proceeds to block 612. At block 612, the user device sends a query request to the central monitoring station 302, receives a response from the central monitoring station 300 that includes result data of the query request, and outputs the result data to the user via the HMI 352 of the user device 350.

In some examples, the query request sent to the central monitoring station 300 at block 612 may request data related to one or more job sessions 450 that satisfy certain search criteria. In some examples, the search criteria may be input by a user via the HMI 352 of the user device 350. In some examples, the search criteria may include one or more jobs 420, welding equipment 399, on/off timestamps 426, activities, status (e.g., on or off), and/or other monitoring data. In some examples, the user's credentials may be automatically included as part of the search criteria. In some examples, the user (and/or user identification 452) may be a selectable search criteria (e.g., where a logged-in user has credentials associated with certain administrative privileges).

FIG. 6b illustrates an example of a session list screen 620 that may be displayed to a user via the HMI 352 of the user device 350 at block 612 of the user device monitor 600. As shown, the session manifest tab 624 is selected and highlighted such that the session manifest tab 624 is larger than the new session tab 622 and the analyze tab 626. The user filter 626 has been set to "My Session" to automatically use the current login credentials for the search criteria. In some examples, if "all sessions" is selected instead, session listing screen 620 may allow for some identification information (e.g., name, user identification 452, etc.) of a different operator to be entered. As shown, the session list screen 620 further displays the job 420, the welding equipment 399, the on/off timestamp 426, and an active search criteria field 628. In some examples, more or fewer search criteria fields 628 may be presented.

In the example of FIG. 6b, refresh button 630 may be selected to submit a query request. As shown, the query request has been submitted and the data returned by the central monitoring station 300 is displayed in the results table 632. In the example of FIG. 6b, results table 632 is organized by rows, with information for the same job session 450 being displayed in the same row. As shown, each row of results table 632 also includes a selectable edit button 634. In some examples, selection of edit button 634 may allow the user to make changes to some or all of the information related to job session 450 corresponding to that row of results table 632. In some examples, edit button 634 may be displayed or selected only when the user's credentials are associated with certain administrative privileges.

In the example of FIG. 6a, if the user selects for analysis at block 608, the user device monitoring program 600 proceeds to block 614. At block 614, the user device monitoring program 600 provides for analysis of the data stored in the central data store 400. For example, the user device 350 may send a query request to the central monitoring station 302 along with an analysis request for a particular analysis to be performed (similar to block 612). In some examples, the query request may use one or more of the search criteria described above in connection with block 612.

In some examples, the analysis request may be a time-based analysis such that the user device monitoring program 600 may present the query results data returned from the central monitoring station 302 in a time-synchronized graph, chart, graph, or other suitable form showing data over a period of time. In some examples, the analysis request may be for a comparison of data (e.g., monitoring data of one job 420a versus monitoring data of another job 420 b). In some examples, the analysis request may be for an estimated completion (e.g., percent completed, percent incomplete) and/or an estimated completion time (e.g., arc time, man-hour time, session time, etc.) for one or more jobs 420. In some examples, such an estimate may be based on recorded information of the job 420 (e.g., entered at and/or after setup) and/or recorded monitoring information of the distributed welding monitoring system 300 (e.g., arc time, session time, device normal activity time, etc.). In some examples, the user device monitoring program 600 may receive the analytics data from the central monitoring station 300 and present the analytics data to the user via the HMI 352 of the user device 350.

In the example of FIG. 6a, after any of blocks 610 and 614, the user device monitor 600 proceeds to block 616. At block 616, the user device monitor 600 checks whether the user device monitor 600 should end. In some examples, user device monitoring program 600 may be ended at block 616 in response to an explicit request by the user to end user device monitoring program 600 (e.g., by closing user device monitoring program 600 and/or an associated web browser), a log-out request by the user, and an end command received from central monitoring station 302, and/or other appropriate actions and/or inputs. If the user device monitoring program 600 determines that the user device monitoring program 600 should end, an indication that the user device monitoring program 600 is about to end may be sent to the central monitoring station 302, along with any other data necessary, before the user device monitoring program 600 ends. If the user device monitoring program 600 determines that the user device monitoring program 600 should not end, the user device monitoring program 600 returns to block 604.

FIG. 6c is a flow diagram illustrating an exemplary implementation of a begin new job session box 610 of the exemplary user device monitor 600 of FIG. 6 a. As shown, start new job session block 610 begins at block 640. At block 640, the user device monitoring program 600 prompts the user to enter job session data 642, for example, via one or more input fields presented to the user through the HMI 352 of the user device 350. In some examples, the job session data may include an identification of the job 420, custom fields 454, custom field entries 456, welding equipment data 458, activity data 460, and/or other job session data 642. In some examples, some job session data may not need to be entered (e.g., welding equipment data 458 is not needed if welding equipment 399 is not being used).

In some examples, the user equipment monitoring program 600 may require identification of the job before allowing entry of custom domain entries, welding equipment data 458, and/or activity data 460. In some examples, the user equipment monitoring program 600 may provide the user with input options and/or input prompts for custom fields 454, welding equipment data 458, activity data 460, and/or other job session data 642, for example, via drop down boxes, check boxes, and/or dialog buttons. In some examples, user device monitoring program 600 may send a request to central monitoring station 302 for input options and/or input prompts, for example, in response to a user activating an input field (e.g., clicking a drop-down box) or some other entry of job session data. In some examples, user equipment monitoring program 600 may provide some or all of user-entered job session data 642 to central monitoring station 302 in response to user input and/or selection of one or more input options. In some examples, the input options and/or input prompts provided by the central monitoring station 302 may depend on the user (e.g., the user's credentials and/or associated privileges) and/or on the entered job session data 640.

In the example of FIG. 6c, after block 640, the user device monitor 600 proceeds to block 644. In some examples, the transition from block 640 to block 644 may occur in response to a user action, such as activating a start session button 698 (see, e.g., fig. 6 d). In some examples, user device monitor 600 may need to complete some or all of job session data 642 before allowing activation of start session button 698 and execution of block 644. At block 644, user device monitor 600 attempts to start a new job session 450 using the entered job session data in block 640. For example, user device monitoring program 600 may send some or all of job session data 642 to central monitoring station 300 along with a request to start a new job session 450.

In the example of FIG. 6c, after block 644, the user device monitoring program 600 proceeds to block 646. At block 646, the user device monitoring program 600 receives a signal from the central monitoring station 302 indicating whether the request to start a new job session 450 succeeded or failed. If so, the user equipment monitoring program 600 returns to block 640. If the request to start a new job session 450 is successful, the user device monitor 600 starts the job session 450 and proceeds to block 648.

In the example of fig. 6c, at block 648, the user equipment monitoring program 600 retrieves (e.g., requests and/or receives) a job session report from the central monitoring station 302. In some examples, at block 648, the user device monitor 600 may additionally provide information from the job session report to the user (e.g., via the HMI 352 of the user device 350). In some examples, the job session report may include welding data and/or welding-related data, such as arc counts, consumable costs, clad quantities, current, voltage, wire feed speed, gas flow, torch work angle, torch travel angle, distance of the torch tip from the workpiece, torch travel speed, torch orientation, arc length, and/or other suitable parameters related to operation of the welding equipment. In some examples, the job report may additionally or alternatively include other information about the job session 450, such as the open/close timestamp 426 of the job session 450, the last updated timestamp, the activity, and/or other relevant information related to the job session 450.

In the example of fig. 6c, after block 648, user device monitor 600 proceeds to block 650. At block 650, the user device monitoring program 600 checks whether there is new activity associated with the job session 450, such as new activity transmitted by the central monitoring station 302 or entered via the HMI 352 of the user device 350. If so, the user device monitor 600 updates the current activity at block 652. In some examples, updating the current activity at block 652 may include sending the current activity to the local monitoring station 200 (e.g., via SignalR). In some examples, the user equipment monitoring program 600 may request and/or receive information regarding which local monitoring station 200 sent the current activity at (or before) block 650.

In some examples, user device monitoring program 600 may receive one or more custom input fields 454 (and/or custom input prompts) and/or one or more requests for updated custom field entries 456 from central monitoring station 302 and/or local monitoring station 200 in response to the updated current activity. In some examples, the user device monitoring program 600 can provide one or more custom input fields 454 (and/or custom input prompts) to the user via the HMI 352. In some examples, user device monitoring program 600 may communicate any user input related to one or more custom input fields 454 (and/or a request for updated custom field entries 456) to central monitoring station 302. In the example of fig. 6c, after block 652, the user equipment monitoring program 600 repeats block 648.

In the example of FIG. 6c, if there is no new activity at block 650, the user device monitoring program 600 proceeds to block 654. At block 654, the user device monitor 600 checks whether the job session 450 should end. In some examples, job session 450 may be ended at block 654 in response to an explicit request by the user to end job session 450 (e.g., by activating an end session button), a log-out request by the user, and an end command received from central monitoring station 302, and/or other appropriate action and/or input. If user device monitoring program 600 determines at block 654 that job session 450 should end, an indication that job session 450 should end is sent to central monitoring station 302 along with any other data needed to end the job session. Thereafter, the user device monitoring program 600 returns to block 616 of FIG. 6 a. If the user device monitor 600 determines that the job session 450 should not end, the user device monitor 600 returns to block 648.

FIG. 6d illustrates an exemplary new session screen 699 that may be displayed to a user via the HMI 352 of the user device 350 at block 610 of the user device monitor 600. In some examples, new session screen 699 may be displayed within a web browser of user device 350. As shown, new session tab 622 is selected and highlighted such that new session tab 622 is larger than session inventory tab 624 and analysis tab 626. In the example of fig. 6d, new session screen 699 includes a job input field 696, a welding equipment input field 694, an activity input field 688, and several custom field prompts 692 and custom input fields 690. As shown, job input field 696, welding equipment input field 694, and activity input field 688 are drop-down boxes, while custom input field 690 includes a drop-down box, a value field, and an on/off (i.e., boolean) button. New session screen 699 further includes an information panel 686, which may be updated with information related to job session 450 during job session 450. The new session screen 699 further includes a start session button 698 that can be activated by the user to start the job session 450. In some examples, the start session button 698 may become the end session button after the session begins.

Fig. 7a is a flow chart illustrating an exemplary central monitoring program 700 of the central monitoring station 302. In some examples, the central monitoring program 700 may be implemented as machine readable instructions stored in the memory 310 of the central monitoring station 302 and/or executed by the processing circuitry 308 of the central monitoring station 302. In some examples, multiple instances of the central monitoring program 700 may be executed simultaneously in order to accommodate multiple instances of the user device 350 and/or the user device monitoring program 600. In some examples, central monitoring program 700 may communicate with local monitoring station 200 and/or user device 350 during operation of central monitoring program 700 (e.g., via communication circuitry 306 of central monitoring station 302).

In the example of FIG. 7a, central monitoring program 700 begins at block 702. At block 702, the central monitoring program 700 receives user credentials from the user device 350 and either authenticates the user credentials (e.g., using the user information 404 of the central data store 400) or rejects the user credentials after authentication fails. In either case, the central monitoring program 700 sends one or more corresponding signals representing the user authentication results to the user device 350.

In the example of FIG. 7a, after block 702, the central monitoring program 700 proceeds to block 704. At block 704, the central monitoring program 700 responds to the request received from the user device 350 (e.g., via one or more signals) to start a new job session 450 (block 704), process the query (block 706), and/or process the analysis (block 708). In some examples, central monitoring program 700 may be configured to respond to more or fewer requests. For example, if the user credentials are associated with certain administrative privileges, the central monitor 700 may be configured to respond to one or more signals indicative of one or more administrative requests. Such additional management requests may include, for example, requests to create and/or edit information (and/or associations) related to the job 420, job session 450, welding device information 402, user information 404, activity information 406, custom domain information 408, local monitoring station 200, central monitoring station 302, user devices 350, and/or other aspects of the distributed welding monitoring system 300 (e.g., see fig. 5). In some examples, if the user credentials received at block 702 are not associated with appropriate administrative privileges, the central monitoring program 700 may respond negatively (e.g., error, reject, deny, etc.) to the administrative, query, and/or analysis request.

In the example of FIG. 7a, if a request to start a new job session 450 is received at block 704 (e.g., from user device 350), central monitoring program 700 proceeds to block 710. Block 710 is further explained below. In the example of FIG. 7a, if a query request is received at block 706, the central monitoring program 700 proceeds to block 712. At block 712, the central monitoring program 700 receives the query request and the search criteria on which the query is to be based and queries the central data store 400 using the search criteria. The central monitoring program 700 then sends the query results back to the user device 350.

In the example of fig. 7a, if an analysis request is received at block 708, the central monitoring program 700 proceeds to block 714. At block 714, the central monitoring program 700 receives the query request and the search criteria and analysis request. Similar to block 712, the central monitoring program 700 executes the query using the search criteria, and the central data store 400 returns query result data in response to the query. The central monitoring program 700 further formats, constructs, and/or processes the query result data based on the analysis request such that the query result data can be suitably presented to the user in a useful and/or executable format. For example, the central monitoring program 700 may receive an analysis request for time-synchronized query result data, and the central monitoring program 700 may format and/or construct the query result data such that the query result data may be presented in a time-synchronized graph, chart, graph, or other suitable form showing data over a period of time. As another example, the analysis may be used for comparison of data, and the central monitoring program 700 formats and/or constructs the query result data such that the query result data may be presented in a graph, chart, graph, or other suitable form showing the comparison of data based on or more criteria (e.g., identified in the analysis request). As another example, the analysis may be for a completion estimate (e.g., percent completed, percent incomplete) and/or an estimated completion time (e.g., arc time, man-hour time, session time, etc.) for one or more jobs 420. In such an example, central monitoring program 700 may query central data store 400 to determine how much time is required to estimate job 420 (e.g., arc time, session time, device normal activity time, etc.) and/or how much time has been recorded for job 420 (e.g., in all of its associated job sessions 450, some portion of associated job sessions 450 that is date/time constrained, etc.), and return analysis results based on this processing.

In the example of FIG. 7a, after any of blocks 710 and 714, the central monitoring program 700 proceeds to block 716. At block 716, the central monitoring program 700 checks whether the central monitoring program 700 should end. In some examples, central monitoring program 700 may end at block 716 in response to an explicit request by the user, a log-out request by the user, and/or other appropriate action and/or input. If the central monitoring program 700 determines that the central monitoring program 700 should end, an indication that the user device monitoring program 600 is to end may be sent to the user device 350 and/or the local monitoring station 200 along with any appropriate information. If the central monitoring program 700 determines that the central monitoring program 700 should not end, the central monitoring program 700 returns to block 704.

FIG. 7b is a flowchart illustrating an exemplary implementation of a begin new job session block 710 of the exemplary central monitoring program 700 of FIG. 7 a. As shown, start new job session block 710 begins at block 720. At block 720, central monitoring program 700 sends job session data 642 to user device 350. For example, the central monitoring program 700 may provide one or more jobs 420 that may be selected by the user. Central monitoring program 700 additionally receives job session data 642, e.g., a selection (and/or identification) of job 420, from user device 350. In some examples, multiple iterations of sending and receiving job session data 642 (e.g., custom field 454, custom field entry 456, welding equipment data 458, activity data 460, and/or other job session data 642) may occur at block 720. In some examples, some job session data may not need to be received (e.g., welding equipment data 458 is not needed if operator 116 is not using welding equipment 399).

In some examples, the central monitoring program 700 may also provide selection options (e.g., options for custom field entries 456, welding equipment data 458, activity data 460, and/or other job session data 642) and/or custom fields 454 based on the job session data 642 and/or user credentials provided at block 720. In some examples, this may occur in response to a user activating an input field (e.g., clicking a drop-down box) or the entry of some of the job session data 642. In some examples, central monitoring program 700 may query central data store 400 to determine one or more selection options and/or custom fields 454. In such examples, central monitoring program 700 may use some or all of the user credentials (and/or associated privileges) and/or the received job session data 642 as search criteria. For example, the central monitoring program 700 may receive a request for selection options for the welding equipment 399, and the central monitoring program 700 may query the central data store 400 (e.g., welding equipment information 402) to determine what welding equipment 399 may be used in view of the current user and/or the currently selected job 420. The result data of the query may then be sent to the user device 350 in response to the request.

In the example of FIG. 7b, after block 720, central monitoring program 700 proceeds to block 724. At block 724, the central monitoring program 700 checks whether a request to start a new session has been received. If such a request has not been received, the central monitoring program 700 returns to block 720. If a request to start a new session has been received, the central monitoring program proceeds to block 725.

In the example of FIG. 7b, central monitoring program 700 determines whether there is already an open job session 450 with job session data 642 input from block 720. In some examples, this determination may include querying the central data store 400 to see if there are job sessions 450 associated with certain search criteria, such as user credentials and/or one or more of the input job session data 642 (e.g., welding equipment data 458) input at block 720. If such a job session 450 exists, the central monitoring program 700 may then determine whether the job session 450 is open, such as, for example, whether the job session 450 has an open timestamp and no close timestamp (e.g., in the open/close timestamp 426).

In the example of FIG. 7b, if there is an open job session 450 associated with the search criteria, the central monitoring program 700 returns to block 720 and sends an error signal (and/or a cause of the error) to the user device 350. If there are no open job sessions 450 associated with the search criteria, the central monitoring program 700 proceeds to block 728. At block 728, central monitoring program 700 creates a new job session 450 in central data store 400 using job session data 642 input at block 720. In some examples, central monitoring program 700 may also send a signal to user device 350 indicating the successful creation of a new job session 450.

In the example of FIG. 7b, after block 728, the central monitoring program 700 proceeds to block 730. At block 730, the central monitoring program 700 synchronizes the central data store 400 with the local data store 204. In some examples, the synchronization at block 730 may occur in response to an expiration of a synchronization request from the local monitoring station 200 (and/or the local data store 204), a job report request from the user device 350, and/or a threshold synchronization period expiration (e.g., stored in the memory 310 and/or the central data store 400). In some examples, the central data store 400 may need to be synchronized with the local data store 204 to retrieve welding data received at the local data store 204 from the welding equipment 399 associated with the job session 450. In some examples, the central monitoring program 700 may determine which local monitoring station 200 to synchronize with based on the welding equipment 399 associated with the newly created job session 450. In addition, the local monitoring station 200 may perform activity tracking functions and store data related to activities in the local data store 204 until synchronized. In examples where there is no welding equipment 399 associated with the new job session 450, the central monitoring program 700 may be synchronized with the default or closest local monitoring station 200.

In the example of fig. 7b, after block 730, the central monitoring program 700 proceeds to block 732. At block 732, central monitoring program 700 sends a job session report to user device 350. In some examples, the job session report may include activity tracking information, welding data, timestamp information, and/or other data associated with job session 450. In some examples, the job session report sent to user device 350 at block 732 may be used by user device 350 to update its information panel 686 and/or otherwise be presented to the user.

In the example of fig. 7b, after block 732, central monitoring program 700 proceeds to block 734. At block 734, central monitoring program 700 determines whether job session 450 should end. In some examples, in response to a signal from user device 350 requesting that job session 450 be ended, determining that job 420 associated with job session 450 has ended, and/or other suitable actions and/or inputs, central monitoring program 700 may determine that job session 450 should end at block 734. If the central monitoring program 700 determines that the job session should not end, the central monitoring program 700 returns to block 730. If central monitoring program 700 determines that job session 450 should end, central monitoring program 700 proceeds to block 736.

In the example of FIG. 7b, central monitoring program 700 closes job session 450 at block 736. In some examples, central monitoring program 700 may send a signal to user device 350 and/or local monitoring station 200 indicating that job session 450 is closed, along with any necessary data. After block 736, the central monitoring program 700 returns to block 716 of FIG. 7 a.

Fig. 8a is a flow chart illustrating an exemplary local monitoring procedure 800 of the local monitoring station 200. In some examples, the local monitoring program 800 may be implemented as machine readable instructions stored in the memory 210 of the local monitoring station 200 and/or executed by the processing circuitry 208 of the local monitoring station 200. In some examples, the local monitoring program 800 may communicate with the central monitoring station 302 and/or one or more welding devices 399 during operation of the local monitoring program 800 (e.g., via the communication circuitry 206 of the local monitoring station 200). In some examples, for example, multiple instances of the local monitoring program 800 may be executed simultaneously in order to accommodate multiple instances of the welding equipment 399 and/or the central monitoring program 700. Although fig. 8a shows the beginning and end of the local monitoring program 800 for purposes of illustration, in some examples, the local monitoring program 800 may be continuously executed, repeated, and/or looped.

In the example of FIG. 8a, the local monitoring program 800 begins at block 802. At block 802, the local monitoring program 800 receives welding data from one or more welding devices 399 in communication with the local monitoring station 200. The welding data is further stored in a local data store 204. In some examples, the welding data may include data related to the operation of the welding equipment 399, such as arc counts, clad amounts, current, voltage, wire feed speed, gas flow, torch work angle, torch travel angle, distance of the torch tip from the workpiece, torch travel speed, torch orientation, arc length, and/or other suitable data related to the operation of the welding equipment 399. In some examples, welding equipment 399 may continuously or periodically transmit welding data to local monitoring station 200 while welding equipment 399 is performing a welding operation. In some examples, welding equipment 399 may transmit welding data to local monitoring station 200 in response to a request from local monitoring station 200.

In the example of FIG. 8a, after block 802, the local monitor 800 proceeds to block 804. At block 804, the local monitoring program 800 processes event tracking operations, such as weld tracking and/or part tracking operations. For example, the local monitoring program 800 may analyze the welding data received at block 802 to detect certain events (e.g., workflow events, part tracking events, trigger activation/deactivation events, arc start/stop events, etc.). For example, the welding equipment 399 may transmit welding data that describes data read by the sensor 150 that indicates a certain event (e.g., a wire spool change, loading of the workpiece 110). In such an example, the local monitoring station 200 may determine that an event has occurred and, in view of that event, execute certain instructions (e.g., display a schematic, issue an alarm, etc.). In some examples, the local monitor 800 may store data representative of detected events and/or instructions in the local data store 204. In some examples, the local monitoring program 800, when stored in the local data store 204, may associate data and/or instructions representative of the detected event with the welding device 399 from which the welding data was received and/or the job session 450 associated with the welding device 399.

In the example of FIG. 8a, after block 804, the local monitor 800 proceeds to block 806. At block 806, the local monitor 800 processes the activity tracking operation. In some examples, the activity tracking at block 806 determines what current activities should be recorded and/or associated with the job session 450 and/or the welding equipment 399. The activity tracking operation of block 806 is further explained below with reference to FIG. 8 b.

In the example of FIG. 8a, after block 806, the local monitor 800 proceeds to block 808. At block 808, the local monitor 800 synchronizes the local data store 204 with the central data store 400. In some examples, the synchronization at block 808 may occur in response to a synchronization request from the central monitoring station 302, expiration of a threshold synchronization period (e.g., stored in the memory 210 and/or the local data store 204), and/or some other occurrence. After block 808, the local monitor 800 ends.

FIG. 8b is a flow diagram illustrating an exemplary implementation of the activity tracking block 806 of the exemplary local monitor 800 of FIG. 8 a. As shown, the activity tracking block 806 begins at block 810, where the local monitoring program 800 determines whether the current activity should be recorded as an activity related to the welding equipment 399. In some examples, this determination may include determining whether welding data has been recently (e.g., within a certain threshold time period) received from a welding device 399 (e.g., the welding device 399 associated with the open job session 450). As shown, if welding data has been recently received, the local monitoring program 800 proceeds to block 812, where the local monitoring program 800 analyzes the welding data, determines an activity related to the welding device based on the welding data, and sets the current activity as the activity related to the welding device. After block 812, the local monitor 800 ends. However, if at block 810 the local monitoring program 800 determines that the current activity is not an activity related to the welding equipment, the local monitoring program 800 proceeds to block 814.

At block 814, the local monitoring program 800 determines whether the local monitoring station 200 has received user-entered activity, for example, from the user device 350 (e.g., via SignalR). If user-entered activity has not been received, the local monitoring program 800 proceeds to block 820, which is discussed further below. If user-entered activity has been received, the local monitoring program 800 proceeds to block 816 where the current activity is set as the user-entered activity at block 816. After block 816, the local monitoring program 800 proceeds to block 818 where the welding equipment 399 is enabled at block 818. After block 818, the local monitor 800 ends.

In some examples, welding equipment 399 may be enabled by transmitting a signal from local monitoring station 200 to welding equipment 399. For example, the signal may indicate a request to enable the welding equipment 399. In some examples, the welding equipment 399 may be a welding-type power supply 108 having power conversion circuitry 132 that outputs welding-type power only when the control circuitry 134 sends control signals to controllable switching elements of the power conversion circuitry 132. In some examples, the control circuitry 134 may be configured to stop sending control signals to the controllable switching elements in response to a disable signal received from the local monitoring station 200, and to resume sending control signals to the controllable switching elements in response to an enable signal received from the local monitoring station 200.

In some examples, the welding equipment 399 may be the welding-type power supply 108, wire feeder 140, or gas source 142 that provides only power, welding wire, and/or gas in response to a trigger signal received from the welding torch 118. In such an example, welding equipment 399 may be configured to ignore the trigger signal in response to a disable signal received from local monitoring station 200, and/or to cease ignoring the trigger signal in response to an enable signal received from local monitoring station 200. In some examples, welding apparatus 399 may be welding torch 118 that stops sending trigger signals in response to a disable signal received from local monitoring station 200, and resumes sending trigger signals in response to an enable signal received from local monitoring station 200.

In the example of FIG. 8b, if user-entered activity has not been received, the local monitoring program 800 proceeds to block 820. At block 820, the local monitoring program 800 determines whether a threshold time has elapsed since there has been a user-entered activity (e.g., block 814) or an automatically determined activity related to the welding equipment 399 (e.g., block 810). In some examples, the threshold time period may be stored in the memory 210 of the local monitoring station 200, transmitted from the central monitoring station 302, programmatically determined (e.g., by the processing circuitry 208 of the local monitoring station 200), input by a user, and/or otherwise provided. If the threshold time has not elapsed, the local monitoring program 800 ends. If the threshold time has elapsed, the local monitoring program 800 determines that there is some downtime and proceeds to block 822.

In the example of FIG. 8b, the local monitoring program 800 determines whether the downtime was due to some known activity. In some examples, this determination may include determining whether there are any known activities (e.g., stored with activity information 406) that overlap in time with the current date/time. For example, activity information 406 may indicate that there is an in-plan break, shift, maintenance, replenishment, replacement, training, meeting, or other activity that is scheduled to occur at or near the current time. In some examples, the determination may further include determining whether any known activities that overlap in time are also associated with the user operating the welding equipment 399 and/or with the current job session 450. In some examples, the determination may include additional or alternative considerations.

In the example of FIG. 8b, if the local monitoring program 800 determines at block 822 that the downtime was due to a known activity, then that known activity is set to the current activity at block 824 and associated with a time period that spans the threshold time period of block 820 until the current time at block 824. After block 824, the local monitor 800 ends. However, if the local monitoring program 800 determines that there is no known activity to which the downtime is attributed, at block 826, the local monitoring program 800 prompts the user for some activity to which the downtime is attributed. In some examples, a signal indicative of the active reminder is sent to the user device 350 (e.g., via SignalR) and/or the reminder is presented on the UI 202 of the local monitoring station 200. As shown, the local monitoring program 800 additionally disables the welding equipment 399 at block 826 such that further welding operations cannot be performed using the welding equipment 399 until a certain activity is determined. Such disabling may prompt the user to provide activities to which downtime may be attributed, which may further ensure that the distributed welding monitoring system 300 receives all necessary information for monitoring. After block 826, the local monitoring program 800 returns to block 810.

The distributed welding monitoring system 300 allows for the input of monitoring data via a user device 350 that can be more easily transported within a wide work environment than the local monitoring station 200. Additionally, by organizing the monitoring data according to jobs 420 and job sessions 450 as the monitoring data is collected, the monitoring data can be viewed and/or analyzed according to each job and/or job session after the job ends or even while the job is still ongoing, which can facilitate analysis. Because the distributed welding monitoring system performs best when the operator provides monitoring input on a regular basis, in some examples, the distributed welding monitoring system 300 may also take steps to encourage operator input, such as by, for example, disabling one or more welding devices 399 that are being used by the operator 116 until there is imminent operator input.

The present method and/or system may be implemented in hardware, software, or a combination of hardware and software. The present method and/or system may be implemented 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 or cloud 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 could be a general purpose computing system with program or other code that, when being loaded and executed, controls the computing system such that it carries out the methods described herein. Another exemplary embodiment may include an application specific integrated circuit or chip. Some embodiments may include a non-transitory machine-readable (e.g., computer-readable) medium (e.g., a flash drive, an optical disk, a magnetic storage disk, etc.) having stored thereon one or more lines of code executable by a machine to cause the machine to perform a process 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 disclosure without departing from the scope thereof. Therefore, it is intended that the present method and/or system not be limited to the particular embodiments disclosed, but that the present method and/or system will include all implementations falling within the scope of the appended claims.

As used herein, "and/or" refers to any one or more of the plurality of items in the list connected by "and/or". For example, "x and/or y" refers to any element in 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" refers to 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 used herein, the terms "e.g.," and "e.g., (for example)" bring forth a list of one or more non-limiting examples, instances, or illustrations.

As used herein, the terms "connect," "connected," and "connected with … …" refer to a structural and/or electrical connection, whether attached, adhered, connected, joined, fastened, linked, and/or otherwise secured, respectively. As used herein, the term "attached" refers to attaching, bonding, connecting, engaging, fastening, linking, and/or otherwise securing. As used herein, the term "connected" refers to attached, coupled, joined, fastened, linked, and/or otherwise secured.

As used herein, the terms "circuit" and "circuitry" refer to physical electronic components (i.e., hardware) as well as any software and/or firmware ("code") that may configure, be executed by, and/or otherwise associated with the hardware. As used herein, for example, a particular processor and memory may constitute a first "circuit" when executing a first line or lines of code and a second "circuit" when executing a second line or lines of code. As used herein, circuitry is "operable" and/or "configured" to perform a function when the circuitry includes the hardware and/or code necessary to perform that function (if necessary), regardless of whether the performance of that function is disabled or enabled (e.g., through user-configurable settings, factory adjustments, etc.).

As used herein, control circuitry may include digital and/or analog circuitry, discrete and/or integrated circuitry, microprocessors, DSPs, and the like, software, hardware, and/or firmware located on one or more boards forming part or all of a controller and/or used to control a welding process and/or equipment such as a power source or wire feeder.

As used herein, the term "processor" refers to processing devices, apparatus, programs, circuits, components, systems and subsystems, whether implemented in hardware, software in tangible form, or both, and whether programmable or not. The term "processor" as used herein includes, but is not limited to, one or more computing devices, hardwired circuitry, signal modification devices and systems, devices and machines for controlling systems, central processing units, programmable devices and systems, field programmable gate arrays, application specific integrated circuits, systems on a chip, systems comprising discrete elements and/or circuitry, state machines, virtual machines, data processors, processing facilities, and combinations of any of the foregoing. The processor may be, for example, any type of general purpose microprocessor or microcontroller, Digital Signal Processing (DSP) processor, Application Specific Integrated Circuit (ASIC), Graphics Processing Unit (GPU), Reduced Instruction Set Computer (RISC) processor with an Advanced RISC Machine (ARM) core. The processor may be connected to and/or integrated with the memory device.

As used herein, the terms "memory" and/or "memory device" refer to computer hardware or circuitry for storing information for use by a processor and/or other digital device. The memory and/or storage device may be any suitable type of computer memory or any other type of electronic storage medium, such as, for example, read-only memory (ROM), random-access memory (RAM), cache memory, compact disc read-only memory (CDROM), electro-optic memory, magneto-optic memory, programmable read-only memory (PROM), erasable programmable read-only memory (EPROM), electrically erasable programmable read-only memory (EEPROM), a computer-readable medium, and so forth. The memory may include, for example, non-transitory memory, non-transitory processor readable medium, non-transitory computer readable medium, non-volatile memory, dynamic ram (dram), volatile memory, ferroelectric ram (fram), first-in-first-out (FIFO) memory, last-in-first-out (LIFO) memory, stack memory, non-volatile ram (nvram), static ram (sram), cache, buffer, semiconductor memory, magnetic memory, optical memory, flash card, compact flash card, memory card, secure digital memory card, microcard, minicard, expansion card, smartcard, memory stick, multimedia card, picture card, flash memory device, Subscriber Identity Module (SIM) card, hardware drive (HDD), Solid State Drive (SSD), and the like. The memory may be configured to store code, instructions, applications, software, firmware, and/or data, and may be external to the processor 130, internal to the processor 130, or both internal and external to the processor 130.

For convenience, the term "power" is used throughout this specification, but also includes relevant metrics such as energy, current, voltage, and enthalpy. For example, controlling "power" may involve controlling voltage, current, energy, and/or enthalpy, and/or controlling based on "power" may involve controlling based on voltage, current, energy, and/or enthalpy.

As used herein, welding-type power refers to power suitable for: welding, cladding, brazing, plasma cutting, induction heating, carbon arc cutting and/or hot wire welding/preheating (including laser welding and laser cladding), carbon arc cutting or melting and scraping, and/or resistive preheating.

As used herein, a welding-type power supply and/or power source refers to any device capable of powering welding, cladding, soldering, plasma cutting, induction heating, laser heating (including laser welding, laser hybrid welding, and laser cladding), carbon arc cutting or scraping, and/or resistive preheating when power is applied thereto, including, but not limited to, transformers-rectifiers, inverters, converters, resonant power supplies, quasi-resonant power supplies, switch-mode power supplies, and the like, as well as control circuitry and other ancillary circuitry associated therewith.

Disabling of circuitry, actuators, and/or other hardware may be accomplished via hardware, software (including firmware), or a combination of hardware and software, and may include physical disconnection, power down, and/or software control that limits the implementation of commands to activate circuitry, actuators, and/or other hardware. Similarly, enablement of circuitry, actuators, and/or other hardware may be accomplished via hardware, software (including firmware), or a combination of hardware and software, using the same mechanisms as disablement.

Claims (20)

1. A welding system, comprising:

a data store configured to store data associated with a job session of a job;

a central monitoring station configured to receive job session data associated with the job session and store the job session data in the data store;

a user device in communication with the central monitoring station, the user device configured to receive user input and to transmit the user input to the central monitoring station, the user input relating to the job and the job session, and the job session data including at least some of the user input; and

a local monitoring station in communication with the central monitoring station and a welding device, wherein at least some of the user inputs include an identification of the welding device, the local monitoring station configured to:

receive welding data from the welding device during the job session, an

Transmitting the welding data to the central monitoring station during the job session, the job session data including some or all of the welding data.

2. The welding system of claim 1, wherein the central monitoring station is configured to identify the local monitoring station based on an identification of the welding device.

3. The welding system of claim 1, wherein at least some of the user inputs comprise an identification of the job.

4. The welding system of claim 1, wherein the central monitoring station is configured to provide custom domains to the user device based on the job or the welding device.

5. The welding system of claim 4, wherein at least some of the user inputs further comprise an identification of the user, and the central monitoring station is further configured to provide the custom domain to the user device based on the identification of the user.

6. The welding system of claim 5, wherein at least some of the user inputs further comprise an input to the custom field.

7. The welding system of claim 1, wherein the welding data comprises amperage of the welding device, voltage of the welding device, wire feed speed of the welding device, gas flow of the welding device, arc count, arc time, consumable cost, or clad weight.

8. The welding system of claim 1, wherein the local monitoring station is configured to transmit the welding data to the central monitoring station in response to a synchronization request received from the central monitoring station, in response to a query, or in response to expiration of a synchronization period.

9. The welding system of claim 1, wherein the job session data is associated with a start time of the job session, an end time of the job session, an activity, an identification of the job, an identification of the user, or an identification of the welding device.

10. The welding system of claim 1, wherein the user device comprises a mobile device.

11. A central monitoring station comprising:

communication circuitry configured to communicate with a user device and a local monitoring station, the local monitoring station in communication with a welding device;

processing circuitry; and

memory circuitry comprising computer-readable instructions that, when executed, cause the processing circuitry to:

receive a request from the user device via the communications circuitry to begin a job session for a selected job using the welding equipment,

determining, in response to the request, whether there is an open job session associated with the welding device in a data store,

in response to determining that there is not an open job session associated with the welding device in the data store, creating a new job session associated with the welding device in the data store and indicating, via the data store, that the new job session is open,

synchronizing, via the communication circuitry, the data repository with a local data repository of the local monitoring station, the local data repository updated with welding data related to operation of the welding equipment,

providing some or all of the welding data to the user device via the communication circuitry, an

In response to receiving a close job session request, updating the data store with an indication that the new job session is closed.

12. The central welding monitoring station of claim 11, wherein the memory circuitry comprises computer readable instructions that, when executed, further cause the processing circuitry to:

one or more of the available jobs are determined,

providing the one or more available jobs to the user equipment via the communication circuitry, an

Receiving, via the communication circuitry, a selected job from the user device, the selected job comprising one of the one or more available jobs.

13. The central welding monitoring station of claim 12, wherein the memory circuitry comprises computer readable instructions that, when executed, further cause the processing circuitry to:

authenticating a user based on user credentials received from the user device via the communication circuitry, an

Determining the one or more available jobs based on the user credentials.

14. The central welding monitoring station of claim 13, wherein the memory circuitry comprises computer readable instructions that, when executed, further cause the processing circuitry to:

determining one or more available welding devices based on the user credentials or the selected job,

providing the one or more available welding devices to the user device via the communication circuitry, an

Receiving, via the communication circuitry, a selection of the welding device from the user device, the welding device comprising one of the one or more available welding devices.

15. The central welding monitoring station of claim 14, wherein the memory circuitry comprises computer readable instructions that, when executed, further cause the processing circuitry to:

determining one or more custom domains based on the user credentials, the selected job, or the selected welding device,

providing the one or more custom domains to the user device via the control circuitry, an

Receiving, via the communication circuitry, one or more custom domain entries from the user device, the one or more custom domain entries comprising one or more user responses to the one or more custom domains.

16. The central welding monitoring station of claim 15, wherein the new job session is associated with the user credentials, the selected job, the welding device, the one or more custom domains, the one or more custom domain entries, or a job session open time.

17. The central welding monitoring station of claim 11, wherein determining whether an open job session associated with the selected job exists in the data store comprises determining whether the open job session is associated with a job session open time and a job session closed time.

18. The central welding monitoring station of claim 11, wherein the memory circuitry comprises computer readable instructions that, when executed, further cause the processing circuitry to return an error signal to the user device in response to determining that the open job session exists.

19. The central welding monitoring station of claim 11, wherein the central monitoring station comprises a server, the local monitoring station comprises a computing system, the user device comprises a mobile device, or the welding device comprises a welding-type power supply or a welding torch.

20. A method of monitoring welding-related information via a central monitoring station, the method comprising:

receiving, via communications circuitry of the central monitoring station, a request from a user device to start a job session for a selected job;

determining, via processing circuitry of the central monitoring station, whether an open job session associated with the selected job exists in a data store in response to the request;

in response to determining that there is no open job session associated with the selected job in the data store, creating a new job session associated with the selected job in the data store and indicating, via the data store, that the new job session is open;

synchronizing, via the communication circuitry, the data repository with a local data repository of a local monitoring station, the local data repository updated with welding data related to operation of a welding device, the welding device in communication with the local monitoring station;

providing the welding data to the user device via the communication circuitry; and

in response to receiving a close job session request, updating the data store with an indication that the new job session is closed.

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