A system to support communication and control in a welding environment is disclosed. In one embodiment the system includes an internet-of-things (IoT) technology platform configured to provide scalable, interoperable, and secure communication connections between a plurality of disparate devices within a welding environment. The system also includes a welding power source configured to communicate with the IoT technology platform. The system further includes a computerized eyewear device. The computerized eyewear device includes a control and communication circuitry configured to communicate with the welding power source via the IoT technology platform. The computerized eyewear device also includes a transparent display configured to display information received from the welding power source via the IoT technology platform while allowing a user to view a surrounding portion of the welding environment through the transparent display.

A welding helmet for detecting arc data is provided. One embodiment of the welding helmet includes an arc detection system configured to detect one or more welding arcs that occur during one or more welding operations. The welding helmet also includes control circuitry configured to count a number of the one or more welding arcs detected by the arc detection system. The welding helmet includes a storage device configured to store the number of the one or more welding arcs.

Described herein are examples of smart welding helmets with arc time tracking verification and lens maintenance detection. In some examples, the arc time tracking verification checks whether certain conditions are satisfied before tracking the arc time. This may make arc time tracking more reliable by preventing tracking during certain false positive arc detection scenarios. In some examples, the lens maintenance detection notifies an operator to clean and/or replace their lens when the lens becomes substantially occluded (e.g., due to weld spatter) and/or has been in use for a certain amount of time (and/or arc time). This may assist operators who become too engrossed in their work to notice the gradual diminishment in visibility that can be caused by slow build up of weld spatter, debris, and/or other particulates on the cover lens.

A welding system includes power supply configured to provide a welding power output. The welding system also includes a welding helmet having an electronic display and an inertial measurement unit. The electronic display is configured to display a representation of the power supply and to display one or more indications of one or more parameters of the power supply. The inertial measurement unit is configured to detect movement of the welding helmet. The welding system also includes a processing system communicatively coupled to the inertial measurement unit and configured to adjust at least one parameter of the one or more parameters based at least in part on the movement of welding helmet.

A protection device is disclosed, where the protection device comprises an eye protection shield, a light beacon, and a control circuitry to control the light beacon.

Welding cameras, welding helmets, welding masks, and associated display systems are described herein that utilize darkening or attenuating filters in conjunction with long-exposure imaging to capture flicker-free video of a welding process. Example embodiments include one or more of a darkening filter, an image sensor to capture long-exposure images as frames of a video, an optical image stabilization subsystem, a data storage to store video, and an electronic display to display the video. For example, captured images may be displayed on an electronic display within the welding mask without risk of overexposure of ultraviolet radiation to the operator. In some examples, dual electronic displays are used to display different images to each eye of the operator to provide a stereoscopic video feed.

Described herein are examples of weld tracking systems implemented via a welding helmet. The welding helmet includes weld tracking sensors configured to allow the welding helmet to track a welding-type tool and/or an arc generated by the welding-type tool. The welding helmet also includes helmet tracking sensors configured to allow the welding helmet to track its own position and/or orientation relative to a reference point in the welding environment. By tracking itself as well as the welding-type tool and/or arc, the welding helmet can differentiate between its own movement, and movement of the welding-type tool and/or arc. By knowing the spatial relationship between the different sensors of the welding helmet, the tracking information can be combined and used for weld tracking. By implementing the weld tracking system in the welding helmet, the weld tracking system becomes portable and usable outside of the usual fixed confines of weld tracking systems.

A welding helmet system is provided. The welding helmet system includes a protective shell and a welding display system. The welding display system is configured to be removably coupled to the protective shell. The welding display system is configured to receive data from a sensor, and to display a welding metric derived from the sensor via the image generation system.

Welder's shield with AI includes a frame for mounting on a user's head; a camera mounted on the frame and directed forward toward welding zone, to obtain images of welding zone as video data; a display on an inner side of the frame; an optical device to enable the user to see the display; battery; processor receiving a video data from the camera; the processor running an AI application to process the video data; the processor displaying images on the display based on output of the AI application; the artificial intelligence application receiving the video data and detecting a welding arc in the welding zone using a pattern recognition algorithm; and the AI application modifying the video data to reduce an intensity of the welding arc in the images that are to be displayed on the display, without reducing an intensity of the rest of the images.

In certain embodiments, inductive heating is added to a metal working process, such as a welding process, by an induction heating head. The induction heating head may be adapted specifically for this purpose, and may include one or more coils to direct and place the inductive energy, protective structures, and so forth. Productivity of a welding process may be improved by the application of heat from the induction heating head. The heating is in addition to heat from a welding arc, and may facilitate application of welding wire electrode materials into narrow grooves and gaps, as well as make the processes more amenable to the use of certain compositions of welding wire, shielding gasses, flux materials, and so forth. In addition, distortion and stresses are reduced by the application of the induction heating energy in addition to the welding arc source.