Multipoint controllers for power delivery to multiple probes in ultrasonic welding systems

Abstract

A system for providing power to more than one ultrasonic welding probe from M power supplies includes N multipoint units and a base. Each of the N multipoint units includes: a housing, a plurality of analog or digital inputs configured to carry distance information regarding probe distance of a plurality of ultrasonic welding probes, a dedicated high voltage input connector connectable via a high voltage cable to a dedicated high voltage output connector of one of the M power supplies, and a microcontroller. The microcontroller is configured to: direct power from the dedicated high voltage input connector to a corresponding one of the plurality of ultrasonic welding probes, and sample the distance information of the plurality of ultrasonic welding probes at a rate of at least once per millisecond. The base houses the M power supplies, wherein M and N are both integers greater than or equal to 1.

What is claimed is: 
     
         1 . A system for providing power to more than one ultrasonic welding probe from M power supplies, the system comprising:
 N multipoint units, each of the N multipoint units including:
 a housing, 
 a plurality of analog or digital inputs configured to carry distance information regarding probe distance of a plurality of ultrasonic welding probes, 
 a dedicated high voltage input connector connectable via a high voltage cable to a dedicated high voltage output connector of one of the M power supplies, and 
 a microcontroller, configured to
 direct power from the dedicated high voltage input connector to a corresponding one of the plurality of ultrasonic welding probes, and 
 sample the distance information of the plurality of ultrasonic welding probes at a rate of at least once per millisecond; and 
 
   a base housing the M power supplies, wherein M and N are both integers greater than or equal to 1.   
     
     
         2 . The system of  claim 1 , wherein each of the N multipoint units further includes at least one Ethernet port, the N multipoint units being interconnected by Ethernet to form a network having as components the N multipoint units and the M power supplies. 
     
     
         3 . The system of  claim 2 , wherein a first multipoint unit of the N multipoint units further includes a button configured to form a pairing between the first multipoint unit and a first one of the M power supplies. 
     
     
         4 . The system of  claim 2 , wherein a first multipoint unit of the N multipoint units further includes a universal serial bus (USB) port, the USB port configured to receive signals from a computing device for forming a pairing between the first multipoint unit and a first one of the M power supplies. 
     
     
         5 . The system of  claim 2 , wherein each of the N multipoint units is paired with a different one of the M power supplies in the network, avoiding interference between any of the N multipoint units and any of the M power supplies. 
     
     
         6 . The system of  claim 5 , wherein a pairing between a first one of the M power supplies and a first one of the N multipoint units forms a logical control channel between both such that a physical change in a physical topology of the network does not disrupt the logical control channel between the first one of the M power supplies and the first one of the N multipoint units. 
     
     
         7 . The system of  claim 5 , wherein a first one of the N multipoint units is paired with a first one of the M power supplies in the network and the microcontroller of the first one of the N multipoint units is further configured to:
 receive a signal from the first one of the M power supplies via the network, the signal indicating that the first one of the M power supplies is providing power to the dedicated high voltage input connector of the first one of the N multipoint units;   detect a power level at the dedicated high voltage input connector of the first one of the N multipoint units; and   responsive to the detected power level being below a threshold, generate an error signal for the first one of the M power supplies to stop providing power.   
     
     
         8 . The system of  claim 2 , wherein the N multipoint units and the M power supplies communicate according to a custom communication protocol that is transparent to other conventional protocols and supports a pairing operation that recognizes at least three states and allows control status and information to be exchanged only during one of the at least three states. 
     
     
         9 . The system of  claim 8 , wherein for a first multipoint unit in the N multipoint units, the at least three states include a first state indicating that the first multipoint unit is not paired with any of the M power supplies, a second state indicating that the first multipoint unit is paired to a first power supply in the M power supplies but is not connected to the first power supply, and a third state indicating that the first multipoint unit is paired with the first power supply and is connected to the first power supply. 
     
     
         10 . The system of  claim 2 , further comprising:
 an Ethernet switch configured to physically interface the N multipoint units with a programmable logic controller (PLC).   
     
     
         11 . The system of  claim 10 , wherein:
 the at least one Ethernet port of each of the N multipoint units is at least two Ethernet ports; and   the Ethernet switch is further configured to receive N Ethernet cables from the N multipoint units.   
     
     
         12 . The system of  claim 10 , wherein:
 the at least one Ethernet port of each of the N multipoint units is at least two Ethernet ports; and   the Ethernet switch is further configured to interface the M power supplies with the N multipoint units, the N multipoint units being arranged in the network in a daisy chained manner such that the Ethernet switch receives a single Ethernet cable from one of the N multipoint units.   
     
     
         13 . The system of  claim 1 , wherein the microcontroller of a first multipoint unit in the N multipoint units is further configured to:
 compare distance information of a corresponding one of the plurality of ultrasonic welding probes to determine whether the distance information indicates that a threshold has been violated; and   generating an error signal to stop a welding process based on the threshold being violated.   
     
     
         14 . The system of  claim 13 , wherein the error code is generated before the welding process has begun. 
     
     
         15 . The system of  claim 13 , wherein the error code is generated after the welding process has begun. 
     
     
         16 . A method for providing power from a first power supply of M power supplies to more than one ultrasonic welding probe coupled to a first multipoint unit of N multiport units, the method comprising:
 pairing the first multipoint unit to the first power supply, wherein each of the N multipoint units includes at least one Ethernet port for connecting the N multiport units to the M power supplies in a network;   receiving, via a plurality of analog or digital inputs of the first multipoint unit, distance information regarding probe distance of a plurality of ultrasonic welding probes;   receiving, via a dedicated high voltage input connector of the first multipoint unit, power from the first power supply, the dedicated high voltage input connector connectable via a high voltage cable to a dedicated high voltage output connector of the first power supply;   directing, via a microcontroller of the first multipoint unit, the power from the first power supply to a corresponding one of the plurality of ultrasonic welding probes; and   sampling, via the microcontroller, the distance information of the corresponding one of the plurality of ultrasonic welding probes at a rate of at least once per millisecond,   wherein M and N are both integers greater than or equal to 1.   
     
     
         17 . The method of  claim 16 , wherein prior to pairing the first multipoint unit to the first power supply, the method further comprises receiving a pair signal from a button of the first multipoint unit, the pair signal initiating the pairing between the first multipoint unit and the first power supply. 
     
     
         18 . The method of  claim 16 , wherein pairing the first multipoint unit to the first power supply comprises:
 receiving, via a universal serial bus (USB) port of the first multipoint unit, signals from a computing device, the received signals including a configuration for forming the pairing between the first multipoint unit and a first power supply.   
     
     
         19 . The method of  claim 16 , further comprising:
 comparing, by the microcontroller, the sampled distance information to determine whether a threshold has been violated; and   generating, by the microcontroller, an error signal to stop a welding process based on the threshold being violated.   
     
     
         20 . The method of  claim 16 , wherein the error code is generated before the welding process has begun.