The patent badge is an abbreviated version of the USPTO patent document. The patent badge does contain a link to the full patent document.
The patent badge is an abbreviated version of the USPTO patent document. The patent badge covers the following: Patent number, Date patent was issued, Date patent was filed, Title of the patent, Applicant, Inventor, Assignee, Attorney firm, Primary examiner, Assistant examiner, CPCs, and Abstract. The patent badge does contain a link to the full patent document (in Adobe Acrobat format, aka pdf). To download or print any patent click here.
Patent No.:
Date of Patent:
Sep. 20, 2005
Filed:
May. 20, 2003
Walter Evanyk, Plano, TX (US);
Walter Evanyk, Plano, TX (US);
PowerPulse Technologies, L.P., Richardson, TX (US);
Abstract
The present invention relates to a solder heating appliance with variable duty cycle. Rather than applying power continuously to the heating element, the element power is intermittently switched over to a variable duty cycle. Savings are gained in three areas: extended life of the element; less heat lost to thermal radiation; and less solder waste due to dripping and overheating. The variable duty cycle may be adjusted manually or automatically based on the temperature of the heating element, or tip. Additionally, the voltage and/or current to the heating element may be adjusted, either manually or automatically, for more rapid recovery during high usage periods. Higher throughput is achieved by sensing the temperature, comparing the temperature to a desired temperature, and then increasing the variable duty cycle by either or both one of increasing the frequency of duty pulses and/or lengthening the duration of the variable duty cycle.