CN217660418U

CN217660418U - Welding mask and automatic light-changing filter thereof

Info

Publication number: CN217660418U
Application number: CN202221141261.1U
Authority: CN
Inventors: 范成法
Original assignee: Tecmen Electronics Co Ltd
Current assignee: Tecman Nanjing Safety Protection Equipment Co ltd
Priority date: 2022-05-12
Filing date: 2022-05-12
Publication date: 2022-10-28
Anticipated expiration: 2032-05-12

Abstract

The application discloses welding face guard and automatic light filter that becomes thereof, automatic light filter that becomes includes: a case having a first side and a second side opposite to each other in a thickness direction; the liquid crystal panel is arranged in the shell and can be switched between a dark state and a transparent state according to requirements; a photovoltaic cell set disposed on a first side of the housing; a printed circuit board sandwiched between the first side and the second side in the housing, a potentiometer provided with an operation parameter for adjusting the automatic light-changing filter and having an insertion hole; the knob is provided with a disc part and a plug part vertically extending from the disc part, the plug part penetrates through the printed circuit board to be inserted into the jack of the potentiometer, the disc part and the potentiometer are located on two opposite sides of the printed circuit board, the potentiometer is located between the printed circuit board and the first side, and the exposed surface of the disc part is flush with or recessed from the exposed surface of the first side.

Description

Welding mask and automatic light-changing filter thereof

Technical Field

The present application relates generally to automatic darkening filters and welding helmets equipped therewith.

Background

In order to protect an operator from various harmful rays generated by spatter bruising and arcing during a welding operation, the operator typically wears a welding helmet.

Common welding masks are typically equipped with Automatic Darkening Filters (ADFs). The automatic darkening filter mainly comprises a liquid crystal panel, wherein the liquid crystal panel is transparent before welding and arcing, and the liquid crystal panel is converted into an opaque state at the moment of arcing, so that the eyes of an operator are protected. Generally, such an automatic darkening filter is equipped with a knob, and before or after using a welding mask, an operator can remove the mask to adjust and set operation parameters of the automatic darkening filter, such as sensitivity, delay time, shade number, welding mode, and then wear the mask to perform a welding operation.

In the automatic darkening filter, a circuit board is provided on which a plurality of electronic devices are arranged, so that the above-described functions of the automatic darkening filter can be accordingly implemented. In particular, one or more potentiometers are arranged on the circuit board, each potentiometer having a knob protruding therefrom for an operator to adjust the operating parameters of the automatic variable optical filter by rotating the knob as desired. However, if the knob protrudes too much from the outer surface of the auto-darkening filter, the operation parameters of the auto-darkening filter may be mistakenly adjusted by accidental touch of a body such as a face during wearing and using of the welding mask, so that human eyes may be damaged by glare; in addition, the protruding knob also affects the aesthetics of the automatic darkening filter. Furthermore, in confined work spaces, it is often desirable for an operator wearing a welding helmet to have the ability to view a larger space outward. The ability to make the auto-darkening filter as a whole thinner provides the possibility of a more spacial field of view for the wearer for later design of the welding mask.

SUMMERY OF THE UTILITY MODEL

The present application is directed to an improved automatic darkening filter such that the knob thereof is prevented from being touched by mistake as much as possible, and the automatic darkening filter has an improved appearance.

According to an aspect of the present application, there is provided an automatic darkening filter for a welding mask, comprising:

a case having a first side and a second side opposite to each other in a thickness direction;

the liquid crystal panel is arranged in the shell and can be switched between a dark state and a transparent state according to requirements;

a photovoltaic cell stack disposed on a first side of the housing;

a printed circuit board sandwiched between the first side and the second side within the housing, the printed circuit board having a potentiometer disposed thereon for adjusting operating parameters of the automatic darkening filter, the potentiometer having a receptacle;

a knob having a disk portion and a plug portion extending perpendicularly from the disk portion, wherein,

the plug pin portion passes printed circuit board is in insert in the jack of potentiometre, and disc portion with the potentiometre is located printed circuit board's opposite both sides, the potentiometre is located printed circuit board with between the first side, the exposed surface of disc portion with the surface parallel and level that exposes of first side or concave establishment.

Optionally, the housing is formed by splicing and fixing a first housing half and a second housing half, the first housing half defines the first side, and the second housing half defines the second side.

Optionally, a circular aperture is formed in the second housing half, the disc portion being at least partially located within the circular aperture.

Optionally, the disc portion is formed with a circle of steps at an outer periphery thereof, and a circle of steps complementary to the steps is formed at an inner wall of the circular orifice.

Optionally, a projection area of the knob in a plane perpendicular to the thickness direction at least partially overlaps a projection area of the photovoltaic cell in the same plane.

Alternatively, the maximum outer diameter of the disc portion is larger than the outer diameter of the plug pin portion, and an exposed surface of the disc portion is formed with a straight groove extending in the radial direction.

Optionally, the potentiometer is a plurality of potentiometers, and the knob is a plurality of knobs.

Optionally, the knob is located beside the liquid crystal panel.

Alternatively, an exposed surface of the disk portion is formed with a straight groove extending in a radial direction.

According to another aspect of the present application, there is also provided a welding helmet comprising:

a mask body;

the automatic light changing filter is mounted to the mask body via a bracket, and the housing of the automatic light changing filter has a first side and a second side opposite to each other, the first side faces outwards relative to the mask body, and the second side faces inwards relative to the mask body.

Adopt the above-mentioned technical means of this application, the surface that exposes of automatic light-changing filter looks neater to because the surface parallel and level that exposes of knob and automatic light-changing filter, thereby avoided any mistake to bump and cause the misadjustment to automatic light-changing filter operating parameter, and avoid the foreign matter to get into inside the casing. In addition, the automatic light-changing filter can be designed to be thinner as a whole, and after the automatic light-changing filter is installed on the welding mask, the distance between the automatic light-changing filter and glasses of a wearer can be shortened, and a wider visual field is provided for the wearer after the welding mask is worn.

Drawings

The foregoing and other aspects of the present invention will be more fully understood from the following detailed description, taken together with the accompanying drawings. It is noted that the proportions of the various figures may differ for the sake of clarity of illustration, without however impairing the understanding of the present invention. In the drawings:

FIG. 1 is a perspective view schematically illustrating a welding helmet equipped with an auto-darkening filter;

FIGS. 2A and 2B are perspective views of a prior art auto-darkening filter, respectively, viewed from different directions;

FIGS. 3A and 3B are perspective views, respectively, of an automatic darkening filter according to an embodiment of the present application, as viewed from different directions;

FIG. 4 is a partial cross-sectional view of a portion of an automatic darkening filter according to an embodiment of the present application; and is

FIG. 5 is an exploded view of a portion of the automatic darkening filter of FIG. 4.

Detailed Description

In the various figures of the present application, features that are structurally identical or functionally similar are denoted by the same reference numerals.

Fig. 1 schematically illustrates a welding helmet equipped with an automatic darkening filter. The welding helmet includes a helmet body 200 for connection to a headgear structure (not shown) for wearing on the head of a user. An opening is formed in an area of the mask body 200 that faces forward when worn by a user via the headband structure, and an automatic darkening filter is mounted at the opening via a bracket 210.

FIGS. 2A and 2B schematically illustrate a prior art automatic darkening filter 10. The automatic light changing filter 10 is generally rectangular sheet-like in shape and includes a housing 14. For example, the housing 14 may be formed by splicing two

housing halves

14a, 14b. For example, the two

housing halves

14a and 14b may be formed with features that snap fit with one another. A liquid crystal panel 13 is fixed to the case 14. The outer edge of the shell 14 of the automatic darkening filter 10 may be contacted and secured in a bracket 210, and the bracket 210 may be removably mounted to the mask body 200, so that the automatic darkening filter 10 may be mounted in place as shown in FIG. 1.

When installed in place, housing half 14a is oriented primarily outward and housing half 14b is oriented primarily inward. That is, when the welding helmet, to which the automatic light changing filter 10 is mounted, is worn by the operator, the case half 14a of the automatic light changing filter 10 faces a direction other than the head of the operator, and the case half 14b faces the head of the operator in reverse. One photoelectric cell group 11 and sensors 15 (for example, two sensors) are provided on the housing half 14 a. The sensor 15 is primarily used to measure the arc starting signal and the ambient light signal during the welding operation as a basis for the operation of the automatic dimmer filter 10. For example, the liquid crystal panel 13 can be switched between a dark state and a clear state accordingly in accordance with the signal of the sensor 15. The photovoltaic cell 11 is a device for converting light energy into electrical energy, and may be used, for example, to convert a welding glare signal into electrical energy and store it during arcing for subsequent use as electrical energy for operation of the automatic dimmer filter 10.

A printed circuit board (not shown) is provided in the housing 14, on which the various electronics are arranged, wherein for example three potentiometers are provided, each with a knob mounted thereon, so that in fig. 2B it can be seen that three knobs 12 protrude from the housing half 14B. The three knobs 12 are connected to three potentiometers, not visible, inside the housing 14. These potentiometers are typically provided to enable adjustment of operating parameters of the automatic dimmer filter 10, such as sensitivity, delay time, shade number, welding mode, etc., such as by corresponding rotation of the knob 12.

In the automatic darkening filter 10, because the potentiometer and knob are located on one side of the printed circuit board, the knob 12 must protrude from the exposed surface of the housing half 14b when the automatic darkening filter 10 is in place. Because the housing half 14b will be facing the head of the wearer of the welding helmet, there is a high likelihood that these outwardly extending knobs 12 will be touched by mistake, causing the adjusted operating parameters of the automatic dimmer filter 10 to not correspond to actual welding site conditions, causing injury to the operator. In addition, this outwardly extending knob design also contributes to the unsightly appearance of the automatic light changing filter 10, and particularly the housing half 14b. Since the shell half 14b is in a position facing the head of the wearer in the welding helmet, the shell half 14b can be directly viewed during or after the wearing of the welding helmet by the wearer. If the features on the exposed surface of shell half 14b are too prominent, this can cause visual discomfort to the wearer when the welding helmet is not being worn. Furthermore, and more importantly, if the features on the exposed surface of housing half 14b are too prominent, it will not be possible to position the automatic light changing filter 10 within the welding mask closer to the wearer's eye, which may cause the wearer's eye to be too far from the automatic light changing filter 10 and correspondingly reduce the field of vision.

Fig. 3A and 3B schematically illustrate an automatic darkening filter 100 according to an embodiment of the present application. The automatic darkening filter 100 may also be designed to be removably mounted to the mask body 200 (fig. 1) via a bracket 210. The automatic light changing filter 10 has a substantially rectangular sheet shape and includes a housing 141. For example, the housing 141 may be formed by splicing two

housing halves

141a, 141 b. For example, the two

housing halves

141a and 141b may be formed with features that snap fit with each other. When the welding helmet, to which the automatic light changing filter 100 is mounted, is worn by the operator, the case half 141a of the automatic light changing filter 100 faces a direction other than the head of the operator, and the case half 141b faces the head of the operator in the opposite direction. The liquid crystal panel 13 is fixed to the case 141.

Similar to the automatic darkening filter 10, the photoelectric cell stack 11 and the sensor 15 are provided on the case half 141a of the automatic darkening filter 100. Accordingly, reference may be made to the explanation of the photovoltaic cell 11 and the sensor 15 with respect to the automatic darkening filter 10. One or more knobs 120 are provided on housing half 141 b. Three knobs 120 are shown in fig. 3B.

With further reference to fig. 4, one of the knobs 120 is shown, the knob 120 generally comprising a disc portion 121 and a latch portion 122 extending perpendicularly from one end face of the disc portion 121. Fig. 4 also shows a portion of a printed circuit board 160 secured within the housing 141 and a potentiometer 150 disposed in cooperation with the knob 120. The potentiometer 150 is provided with a jack 151 for receiving the plug pin portion 122. A through hole 161 is formed in the printed circuit board 160, and the inner diameter of the through hole 161 is set to be larger than the outer diameter of the plug pin portion 122 but significantly smaller than the maximum outer diameter of the disc portion 121. The potentiometer 150 is fixed on one side of the printed circuit board 160 and the insertion hole 151 of the potentiometer 150 is coaxially aligned with the through hole 161. The knob 120 is mounted from the opposite side of the printed circuit board 160 such that the plug pin portion 122 passes through the through hole 161 and is received by the plug hole 151. Accordingly, the disk portion 121 of the knob 120 and the potentiometer 150 are located on opposite sides of the printed circuit board 160, respectively. A circular aperture 142 is formed in housing half 141b, the circular aperture 142 being sized and positioned to snugly receive the disc portion 121 in the assembled automatic light changing filter 100.

Printed circuit board 160 may be secured to one of

housing halves

141a or 141b, for example, via a suitable securing means such as a screw when

housing halves

141a and 141b are secured together, the side of printed circuit board 160 on which disc portion 121 of knob 120 is located is adjacent housing half 141b, and the side of printed circuit board 160 on which potentiometer 150 is located is adjacent housing half 141a. In this way, because the potentiometer 150 and the disc portion 121 are aligned on opposite sides of the printed circuit portion 160, the disc portion 121 can just sit within the circular aperture 142 and the exposed face of the disc portion 121 is substantially flush with the exposed face of the housing half 141 b.

By adopting the design, the surface of the automatic light-changing filter, which faces the head of a wearer of the welding mask, especially the surface area where the knob is located, can be smooth under the condition that the thickness of the automatic light-changing filter is ensured to be unchanged or not to be increased remarkably, so that the accidental adjustment of the operating parameters of the automatic light-changing filter caused by the mistaken touch of the knob in the use process of the welding mask is avoided. Meanwhile, the relatively flat surface area can also avoid visual discomfort of the wearer. More importantly, the automatic darkening filter of the present application, as a whole, may be made thinner, and thus may be designed to be closer to the eyes of the wearer wearing the welding helmet after being installed on the welding helmet, thereby increasing the field of vision of the wearer looking outward through the automatic darkening filter and facilitating the welding operation.

In an alternative embodiment, the exposed surface of the knob 120 or its disk portion 121 may be designed to be concave relative to the housing half 141b when the spatial layout allows, further reducing the possibility of the knob being touched by mistake.

In order to allow the knob 120 to be rotated, a flat groove extending in a radial direction is formed on an exposed surface of the disc portion 121 of the knob 120 so that a tool such as a coin or a driver can be engaged into the groove and rotate the knob 120. As the knob 120 is rotated, the value of the parameter of the potentiometer 150 is correspondingly changed and the operating parameters of the auto-darkening filter 100 are correspondingly adjusted according to the function of other devices on the printed circuit section.

A ring of steps 121a is formed at the outer circumference of the circular disk portion 121, while a ring of steps 142a complementary to the steps 121a is formed at the inner wall of the circular orifice 142. In this way, when the automatic darkening filter 100 is assembled in place, as shown in FIG. 5, the

steps

121a and 142a, which are complementary to each other, may also prevent or reduce the ingress of foreign objects, such as dust or debris, into the interior of the housing 141 through both, while ensuring that the exposed surface of the disc portion 121 is flush (or concave) with the exposed surface of the housing half 141 b. Otherwise, there is a possibility that the foreign matter entering the inside of the case 141 causes a circuit failure.

The printed circuit portion 160 is located beside the liquid crystal panel 13 in the case 141. In one embodiment, the projected area of the knob 120 in a plane perpendicular to the thickness direction of the automatic darkening filter at least partially overlaps the projected area of the photovoltaic cell 11 in the same plane. The projection here refers to a vertical projection.

Although specific embodiments of the invention have been described in detail herein, they have been presented for purposes of illustration only and are not to be construed as limiting the scope of the invention. Various substitutions, alterations, and modifications may be devised without departing from the spirit and scope of the present invention.

Claims

1. An automatic darkening filter (100) for welding helmets, comprising:

a case (141) having a first side and a second side opposite to each other in a thickness direction;

a liquid crystal panel (13) provided in the housing (141), the liquid crystal panel (13) being switchable between a dark state and a clear state as required;

a photovoltaic cell stack (11) disposed on a first side of the housing (141);

a printed circuit board (160) sandwiched between said first and second sides within said housing (141), on which there is a potentiometer (150) provided for adjusting operating parameters of the automatic darkening filter (100), said potentiometer having a jack (151);

a knob (120), the knob (120) having a disk part (121) and a plug part (122) extending perpendicularly from the disk part (121),

the plug pin portion (122) penetrates through the printed circuit board (160) to be inserted into a plug hole (151) of the potentiometer (150), the disc portion (121) and the potentiometer (150) are located on two opposite sides of the printed circuit board (160), the potentiometer (150) is located between the printed circuit board (160) and the first side, and the exposed surface of the disc portion (121) is flush with or recessed from the exposed surface of the first side.

2. The automatic darkening filter (100) of claim 1, wherein the housing (141) is formed by a first housing half (141 a) and a second housing half (141 b) that are joined, the first housing half (141 a) defining the first side and the second housing half (141 b) defining the second side.

3. An automatic darkening filter (100) according to claim 2, characterized in that a circular aperture (142) is formed in the second housing half (141 b), the disc portion (121) being at least partly located within the circular aperture (142).

4. An automatic darkening filter (100) as claimed in claim 3, wherein the disc (121) is formed with a circle of steps (121 a) at the periphery and a circle of steps (142 a) complementary to the steps (121 a) is formed at the inner wall of the circular aperture (142).

5. An automatic darkening filter (100) as claimed in claim 4, wherein the projection area of the knob (120) in a plane perpendicular to the thickness direction at least partially overlaps the projection area of the photovoltaic cell (11) in the same plane.

6. An automatic dimming filter (100) according to any of claims 1 to 5, wherein the maximum outer diameter of the disc portion (121) is larger than the outer diameter of the plug pin portion (122).

7. An automatic darkening filter (100) as claimed in claim 6, wherein the potentiometer (150) is a plurality of potentiometers (150) and the knob (120) is a plurality of knobs (120).

8. An automatic darkening filter (100) as claimed in claim 7, wherein the knob (120) is located next to the liquid crystal panel (13).

9. An automatic darkening filter (100) as claimed in claim 8, wherein the exposed surface of the disc portion (121) is formed with a straight groove extending in a radial direction.

10. A welding mask, comprising:

a mask body (200);

the automatic darkening filter (100) of any of claims 1 to 9, the automatic darkening filter (100) being mounted to the mask body (200) via a bracket (210), the housing of the automatic darkening filter (100) having a first side and a second side opposite each other, the first side being outwardly oriented with respect to the mask body (200) and the second side being inwardly oriented with respect to the body (200).