Jackson Products, Inc.

Kimberly-clark Worldwide, Inc.

Other

Thomas Joe Hamilton

Barry D Scott

Jerry Charles Cole

Steven F Kickham

Donald William Greiner

David Allen Shamery

An apparatus and methodology for operating an automatic darkening filter (ADF) eye protection device alternately applies an operating voltage to a pair of control terminals of an ADF device circuit in a continuing sequence, where a first polarity voltage is applied to the pair of terminals and then reversed. A delay period is provided between application of the alternating polarities. In some embodiments ground potential is applied to both terminals of the pair of terminals during the delay period.

Automatic darkening filter (ADF) eye protection device with improved drive circuitry

An auto darkening eye protection device comprising a shutter assembly and a control circuit in electrical communication with the shutter assembly. The shutter assembly is adjustable between a clear state and a dark state. The control circuit comprises a microcontroller programmed to store a plurality of memory presets including at least one setting corresponding to the operation of the shutter assembly. At least two of the plurality of memory presets are individually configured for a specific type of welding.

Microprocessor based automatically dimmable eye protection device with interruption prevention

An auto darkening eye protection device comprising a shutter assembly and a control circuit. The shutter assembly is adjustable between a light state and a dark state. The control circuit comprises a sensing circuit, a weld detect circuit, a positive voltage generator, and a negative voltage generator. The sensing circuit senses incident light and provides an output indicative of the incident light. The weld detect circuit receives the output of the sensing circuit, and enables a dark state drive signal to be delivered to the shutter assembly. The positive and negative voltage generators output the dark state drive signal to the shutter assembly to switch the shutter assembly from the light state to the dark state upon enablement by the weld detect circuit. The dark state drive signal includes a high voltage pulse followed by a stable AC waveform. The high voltage pulse is formed by a positive voltage signal and a negative voltage signal.

Eye-protection device having dual high voltage switching

An auto darkening eye protection device comprising a shutter assembly and a control circuit in electrical communication with the shutter assembly. The shutter assembly is adjustable between a clear state and a dark state. The control circuit comprises a microcontroller programmed to store a plurality of memory presets including at least one setting corresponding to the operation of the shutter assembly. At least two of the plurality of memory presets are individually configured for a specific type of welding. In another embodiment, an auto darkening eye protection device is provided, the device comprising a shutter assembly and a control circuit in electrical communication with the shutter assembly. The shutter assembly is adjustable between a clear state and a dark state. The control circuit comprises a microcontroller programmed to monitor and store at least one parameter corresponding to the operation of the auto darkening eye protection device. In another embodiment, an auto darkening eye protection device is provided, the device comprising a shutter assembly, a control circuit in electrical communication with the shutter assembly, and a communication device in electrical communication with the control circuit. The shutter assembly is adjustable between a clear state and a dark state. The control circuit comprises a microcontroller. The communication device enables communication between the control circuit and a computer via the communication device.

An auto darkening eye protection device including a shutter assembly, a control circuit, and a power supply. The control circuit includes a sensing circuit for sensing the occurrence of welding, and a delivery circuit to provide signals to the shutter assembly to cause the shutter assembly to transition to the dark state. The power supply supplying power to the control circuit and the delivery circuit. The power supply including a power regulation circuit, and a solar power supply supplying electrical power to the power regulation circuit and the sensing circuit. The power regulation circuit limiting the voltage of the solar power supply to a predetermined voltage to provide a stable reference voltage.

Auto darkening eye protection device having a regulated solar power supply

An auto darkening eye protection device including a shutter assembly, a light sensing circuit, a control circuit and a power source. The shutter assembly is adjustable to a plurality of shade levels. The phototransistor of the light sensing circuit senses light from a welding arc and provides an output of the light sensing circuit indicative of the shade level at which the shutter assembly should be operated. The phototransistor is configured for surface mount and has an external base connection connected to the base of the phototransistor. The control circuit is configured to receive the output from the light sensing circuit and provide a drive signal to the shutter assembly responsive to said output, drives the shutter assembly to one of said plurality of shade levels. The present invention provides reduced power consumption, improved attenuation of low intensity light signals, a sharp rise time from the phototransistor in response to high intensity light, and allows implementation into a smaller sleeker eye protection device.

Low power phototransistor-based welding helmet providing reduced sensitivity to low intensity light and sharp phototransistor response to high intensity light

An auto darkening eye protection device comprising a shutter assembly adjustable between a clear state and a dark state and a control circuit. The control circuit is provided with a microcontroller, a delivery circuit, a sensing circuit and a weld detect circuit. The microcontroller is switchable between a sleep mode and a wake-up mode. The delivery circuit outputs a dark state drive signal to the shutter assembly to switch the shutter assembly from the clear state to the dark state upon enablement of the delivery circuit. The sensing circuit senses the occurrence of a welding arc and provides an output indicative of the occurrence of the welding arc. The weld detect circuit receives the output of the sensing circuit. The weld detect circuit enables a dark state drive signal to be delivered to the shutter assembly by the delivery circuit, and a signal to be delivered to the microcontroller to switch the microcontroller from the sleep mode to the wake-up mode whereby the shutter assembly is switched to the dark state without the aid of the microcontroller. The microcontroller can compensate for a startup of the microcontroller which was not caused by user power-up by bypassing at least one of a plurality of initialization and calibration routines for the auto darkening eye protection device. The microcontroller also includes a protective casing disposed generally thereabout to substantially prevent electromagnetic fields from interfering with the operation of the microcontroller.

An auto darkening eye protection device comprising a shutter assembly and a control circuit. The shutter assembly is adjustable between a clear state and a dark state. The control circuit comprises a sensing circuit, a weld detect circuit, and a delivery circuit. The sensing circuit senses incident light and provides an output indicative of the incident light. The weld detect circuit receives the output of the sensing circuit, and enables a dark state drive signal to be delivered to the shutter assembly. The delivery circuit outputs the dark state drive signal to the shutter assembly to switch the shutter assembly from the clear state to the dark state upon enablement by the weld detect circuit. The dark state drive signal includes a high voltage pulse followed by a stable AC waveform. The high voltage pulse is formed by a positive voltage signal and a negative voltage signal.

An auto darkening eye protection device including a shutter assembly, a light sensing circuit, a control circuit and a power supply source. The shutter assembly is adjustable to a plurality of shade levels. The phototransistor of the light sensing circuit senses light from a welding arc and provides an output of the light sensing circuit indicative of the shade level at which the shutter assembly should be operated. The phototransistor is configured for surface mount and has an external base connection connected to the base of the phototransistor. The control circuit is configured to receive the output from the light sensing circuit and provide a drive signal to the shutter assembly responsive to said output, drives the shutter assembly to one of said plurality of shade levels. The present invention provides reduced power consumption, improved attenuation of low intensity light signals, a sharp rise time from the phototransistor in response to high intensity light, and allows implementation into a smaller sleeker eye protection device.

An auto darkening eye protection device comprising a shutter assembly adjustable between a clear state and a dark state and a control circuit. The control circuit is provided with a microcontroller, a delivery circuit, a sensing circuit and a weld detect circuit. The microcontroller is switchable between a sleep mode and a wake-up mode. The delivery circuit outputs a dark state drive signal to the shutter assembly to switch the shutter assembly from the clear state to the dark state upon enablement of the delivery circuit. The sensing circuit senses the occurrence of a welding arc and provides an output indicative of the occurrence of the welding arc. The weld detect circuit receives the output of the sensing circuit. The weld detect circuit enables a dark state drive signal to be delivered to the shutter assembly by the delivery circuit, and a signal to be delivered to the microcontroller to switch the microcontroller from the sleep mode to the wake-up mode whereby the shutter assembly is switched to the dark state without the aid of the microcontroller.

Microprocessor based automatically dimmable eye protection device

A sensor circuit for detecting the occurrence of welding is disclosed. The sensor circuit uses a phototransistor operative to receive a light input and produce an output representative thereof. A resistor is coupled between the phototransistor's base and emitter to control the phototransistor's response to low intensity and high intensity light. An amplifier may be coupled to the output of the phototransistor so as to provide a gain for the output of the phototransistor; and feedback means may coupled to the phototransistor to bias the phototransistor, the feedback means comprising a resistor capacitor circuit for following the output of the phototransistor, a feedback transistor to provide a feedback signal to the phototransistor, and a resistor coupled between the base and the emitter of the phototransistor. Preferably the phototransistor is a planar phototransistor having a surface mount. The sensor circuit may also be used in an auto-darkening eye protection device, such as a welding helmet or the like, that delivers a drive signal to a shutter assembly upon the detection of welding, the drive signal being operative to drive the shutter assembly to a darkened, protective state. A solar cell may be used to reduce the circuit's power consumption by powering various circuit components only when the welding helmet is exposed to light. The present invention provides reduced power consumption, improved attenuation of low intensity light signals, a sharp rise time from the phototransistor in response to high intensity light, and allows implementation into a smaller sleeker eye protection device.

Low power phototransistor-based welding providing reduced sensitivity to low intensity light and sharp phototransistor response to high intensity light

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Holland, MI, United States of America

Thomas Joe Hamilton