Welding power cable for connecting to a welding power source in order to perform arc welding.

Abstract

To provide an option for maintaining torsional stress acting on a welding power cable in a connection area connected to a welding power source at a minimum level and concurrently releasing connection of the welding power cable from the welding power source, particularly, in association with twisting.SOLUTION: The invention relates to a welding power cable (3), in particular, the welding power cable (3) to be used in a welding circuit including at least one welding power source (1), a welding torch, and a workpiece. The welding power cable is provided with an outer casing for protecting and insulating a conductive cable. The conductive cable is located within the casing. An end surface of the welding power cable (3) is provided with: conductive contact means for establishing a conductive contact connected, in particular, to the welding power source; and connection means for establishing removable mechanical connection, in particular, between the welding power source and the welding power cable (3).SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 1

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present invention relates to a welding power source cable for connecting to a welding power source. The welding power source cable is provided with an outer protective insulation sleeve and a conductive cable located inside the sleeve. The conductive cable is connected to a conductive contact piece at the end face of the welding power source cable. The welding power source cable further includes conductive contact means for establishing a conductive contact with the welding power source, and connection means for establishing a removable mechanical connection between the welding power source and the welding power source cable.

Background Art

[0002] There are a number of different welding methods. The present invention is of particular importance for various arc welding methods. These methods are based on heat generation by an electric arc between a welding electrode and a workpiece to be welded. Based on heat generation, the material to be welded can be locally melted. For this purpose, in substantially all arc welding methods, a shielding gas is supplied to the area of the arc, which, on the one hand, enables an ionized atmosphere that reduces the resistance between the welding electrode and the workpiece, and on the other hand, prevents oxidation of the welding electrode and the workpiece. Instead of an inert gas provided as the shielding gas, an active gas or a mixed gas used for the reaction can also be supplied. Similarly, the electrode can be configured so as not to require an external gas supply source because the necessary substances for this are incorporated in the electrode and are released upon melting of the electrode.

[0003] An arc welding torch is typically designed such that a user or a robot can guide a welding rod, which can also be referred to as a metal filler material, to a designated joint point of a target metal piece. The welding rod is guided by the welding torch and is transferred to the target metal piece through an opening of a contact tip located at the end of the welding torch.

[0004] When a voltage is applied to the inner tube of the welding torch and the welding rod comes into contact with the target metal piece, a large current flows from the inner tube of the welding torch, through the so-called nozzle holder, then through the contact tip, through the welding rod, and optionally through the arc, to the target metal piece, and further to the ground. The large current and arc melt the welding rod in a shielding gas atmosphere, resulting in droplet formation on the rod and the generation of the arc.

[0005] This arc melts the metal forming the target metal piece and the welding rod that is guided along with it. The falling of the generated welding rod droplets, or the short-circuit transfer of droplets to liquefied areas on the target metal piece, causes these droplets to merge together.

[0006] To supply the necessary current and voltage, an arc welding system is provided with a welding power supply, and the welding torch of the arc welding system must be connected to the welding power supply in an electrically conductive manner so that it can supply current to a specific arc welding point and apply voltage to that point. This connection is generally established using a welding power cable, which is prepared for each of the two electrodes of the specific welding power supply. Thus, in addition to the connection to the welding torch, a specific welding cable must also be connected to the welding power supply. A welding medium, such as shielding gas and / or welding rods, can be supplied to process points according to a specific welding method, and this supply can also be done by one of the two welding power cables, particularly by a coaxial welding power cable having a central passage for the welding medium. The present invention further relates to a welding power cable with or without an integrated medium supply member.

[0007] While not limited to these cases, welding cables can be subjected to very intense mechanical stress, especially when combined with automatic arc welding machines that guide and move the arc welding torch along multiple axes. Typical, frequently occurring movements include rotation of the arc welding torch and cable around the axis of rotation, which results in cable twisting. Thus, a restoring force oriented in the direction of rotation accumulates in the welding power cable, acting on the connection point of the welding power cable to the welding power source. In principle, this can cause the welding power cable to disconnect or at least loosen from the welding power source or its extension cable. Therefore, countermeasures must be taken to prevent these connections from being easily detached. In addition, such torsional stress on the welding power cable can cause cable breakage, especially when accompanied by dynamic, constant loads related to operation.

[0008] The significant stress on such welding power cables is also caused by ambient heat and, in some cases, by welding spatter that may fall onto the welding power cable. Therefore, such welding power cables are generally designed to be robust, relatively rigid, and resistant, which results in particularly large restorative torque when twisting occurs around the cable's longitudinal axis. The acting restorative torque and force also affect the connection of the welding power cable to the welding power cable itself, or to extension cables inserted between the welding power cable and the welding power source.

[0009] Regarding the connection of welding power cables to welding power sources, standards exist, particularly DIN EN 60974-12. This standard describes a plug-in connection between a welding power cable and the electrode contact device of the welding power source, where locking is achieved by moving a locking bolt within a groove. According to Appendix A of the referenced standard, the groove introduced into the socket to guide the locking bolt extends substantially radially with a small incline from the starting position to the ending position. The intention is that the torsional pretension generated by this movement on the welding power cable ensures that this twist secures the lock of the connection. Conventional welding power cables currently in use typically conform to these standard specifications. However, this approach according to the standards can be considered disadvantageous because, since it relies only on the rotational movement of the cable around its longitudinal axis necessary to secure the cable to the welding power source, the connected welding power cable generally falls below the target intentional torsional stress. This drawback applies not only to the connection of the welding power cable to the welding power source, but also to all connections within the welding circuit that use such standard connections. [Overview of the Initiative] [Problems that the invention aims to solve]

[0010] Therefore, an object of the present invention is to provide options for connecting a welding power cable to and disconnecting a welding power cable from a welding power source in a rapid and reliable manner, while keeping torsional stress acting on the welding power cable in the connection region to the welding power source as small as possible, and in particular, keeping the risk of the welding power cable becoming disconnected from the welding power source due to twisting as small as possible.

[0011] This objective is achieved by providing a connecting means on the welding power cable, based on the basic concept of the present invention, wherein the connecting means is located on the welding power cable to enable removable fixation to the welding power source, and the connecting means is separated from the outer casing of the welding power cable with respect to rotational movement. Therefore, with respect to the welding power cable of the type described at the beginning, in order to achieve the objective, the present invention proposes that the conductive contact means of the welding power cable and the connecting means of the welding power cable are continuously rotatable relative to each other about the longitudinal axis, and that the connecting means located on the outer surface of the casing is provided with a bayonet member of a bayonet lock. The intention is to make the connecting member fixable by a bayonet lock device, preferably by rotational movement of a handling member, preferably solely by rotational movement of a handling member. However, the connecting member should preferably be slightly movable in the axial direction relative to the outer casing of the welding power cable. At least the handling member of the connecting member, which is separated from the casing of the welding power cable with respect to rotation, is also preferably movable in the axial direction at least along a predetermined limited path. In this way, the welding power cable, when fixed to the welding power source, can be held axially fixed while still being rotatable around its longitudinal axis under torsional stress, thereby allowing the cable to immediately release the load even under rotational torsional stress. Furthermore, when establishing or disengaging a bayonet connection between the welding power cable and the welding power source, in addition to rotational movement, axial movement of the handling member, particularly axial lifting of the handling member, can also be utilized. Axial movement superimposed on rotational movement can be used in particular when transferring the bayonet member of the bayonet locking device to a shape-fitting lock position or a push-fitting lock position, and when removing the bayonet member from that position to disengage the bayonet connection.In relation to the present invention, a bayonet connection or bayonet locking device can be understood as a connection or device that engages a welding power cable onto an electrode contact device or onto some other engaging member by at least one member of a bayonet locking device that performs relative rotational movement in only one rotational direction and axial movement. The rotational movement should preferably be less than 360°, particularly preferably less than 180°, and more preferably 90° or less. The axial movement should preferably be relatively short and is used primarily for removably locking / engaging the bayonet locking device and for unlocking it.

[0012] A particular advantage arises from the approach according to the present invention, and in particular from the fixing of the welding power cable to the welding power source. The bayonet locking device provided by the present invention for fixing the welding power cable to the welding power source has bayonet members on the welding power source and on the welding power cable, and these bayonet members can engage with each other. The two bayonet members can be locked and fixed to each other in a final position by rotating one bayonet member relative to the other bayonet member, and this relative rotation is preferably superimposed on axial movement. In order to enable engagement of the two bayonet members and to enable a predetermined movement path for the engaged bayonet members, the bayonet member on the welding power cable side and the bayonet member on the welding power source side should be oriented to make a specific rotational position relative to each other. This can preferably be achieved by manually rotating the handling member of the welding power cable around its longitudinal axis until it is in a desired predetermined orientation with respect to the electrode contact device on the power cable side, and until the two bayonet members are aligned so as to be engageable with each other. In conventionally known welding power cables, this operation can cause the problem that continuous torsional stress can be generated on the welding power cable by such connection and fixing process alone. The welding power cable may inevitably be subjected to twisting even when adjusting the orientation of the welding power cable with respect to the electrode contact device. In particular, but not limited to, welding power cables used with welding machines, additional dynamically generated torsional stress is often applied to the welding power cable, which can ultimately lead to breakage of a particular cable, and continuous torsional stress may act on the connection point between the welding power cable and the welding power supply. In the approach according to the present invention, such torsional stress does not act on the bayonet connection.In addition, even if torsional forces act on the cable in connection with the operation, the welding power cable according to the present invention can rotate relative to the bayonet connection and its bayonet member in the contact area with respect to the welding power source based on such torsional forces, thereby preventing twisting of the welding power cable.

[0013] The relative rotatability of the connecting means with respect to the welding power cable casing, and especially the relative rotatability of the bayonet members, is particularly important in the installation of welding power cables. This is because it can avoid torsional stress acting on the connection point and on the welding power cable, despite the creation of a fixed lock, especially despite the creation of a bayonet connection between the welding power cable and the electrode contact device. The connecting means, especially at least one bayonet member, should preferably be disconnected from each other with respect to rotation, thereby allowing the welding power cable casing to rotate continuously relative to each other. This disconnection exists in the disconnected state and also when the welding power cable is preferably connected to the electrode contact device of the welding power supply or preferably connected to another welding power cable. This means that they are rotatable relative to each other, and especially when connected.

[0014] In one preferred embodiment of the present invention, the connection means on the welding power cable may have a ring-shaped drive member in the region of one end face thereof, on which the bayonet member on the welding power cable side is positioned, and the bayonet member is rotatable with respect to the outer surface of the welding power cable. Such a configuration of the connection means on the welding power cable makes it possible to achieve particularly simple handling in terms of the relative orientation of the bayonet member of the welding power cable without twisting, as well as in establishing and disengaging the bayonet connection.

[0015] In another preferred embodiment of the present invention, a connecting means located on a welding power cable, preferably continuously rotatable relative to the outer casing of the welding power cable (even when the welding power cable is connected), may have a spring member, which is provided to support or pretension a bayonet member on the welding power source side relative to the bayonet member of the welding power source. The tensioned spring member can hold the bayonet member, which is itself movable, in particular in the final position where the bayonet member locks the bayonet lock and is removable only when manually unlocked.

[0016] In another preferred embodiment of the present invention, one of the bayonet members may preferably be located on the inner surface of the connecting means facing the casing. The bayonet member on the welding power supply side may preferably be formed on the outer circumferential surface of the conductive contact means of the electrode contact device. Thus, when establishing a bayonet connection, the connecting means of the welding power supply cable is guided through the contact means of the welding power supply, which also causes the centering, or self-adjustment, of the axial direction of the contact means on the welding cable side, which facilitates rapid installation.

[0017] In a particularly preferred embodiment of the present invention, a welding power cable can be substantially freed from torsional stress by providing conductive contact means and connecting means at each end of the welding power cable, each of which is continuously rotatable relative to the other around its longitudinal axis, and by providing a bayonet member of a bayonet lock device on the connecting means located on the outer surface of the welding power cable casing in each case. In this way, when torsional stress occurs on a cable located in a welding circuit, the cable with two contact means at both ends can rotate relative to the two connecting means around its longitudinal axis, thereby allowing it to follow the torsional force and avoid twisting of the cable. At the same time, no torsional stress acts on the connections to the electrode contact device and the welding torch at both ends of the welding power cable, thereby avoiding the risk of the bayonet connection accidentally coming loose.

[0018] The present invention is not limited to welding power cables connected to or directly connected to electrode contact devices of a welding power source. In principle, the present invention is applicable to any connection in a welding circuit into which a welding power cable can be inserted. For example, a welding power cable can be an extension cable with conductive contact means and connecting means provided at each end. In the case of an extension cable relating to a welding power cable, the extension cable may have different connecting means at both ends. These different connecting means may be configured such that one can be positioned on a connecting means of an electrode contact device, and the other on a connecting means of a welding power cable. This means that a preferred extension cable according to the present invention should preferably have a connecting means at one end that is rotatably and fixedly attached to the casing of the extension cable. In contrast, at the other end, the extension cable should preferably have a connecting means that is rotatable around its longitudinal axis relative to the casing of the extension cable, preferably continuously rotatable. In other words, extension cables can be designed with one end as a plug and the other end as a socket to form a plug / socket connection.

[0019] Further preferred embodiments of the present invention are provided for by the claims, description, and drawings.

[0020] The present invention will be described in more detail with reference to exemplary embodiments shown strictly schematicly in the figures. [Brief explanation of the drawing]

[0021] [Figure 1] Figure 1 shows a perspective view of a welding power supply for an arc welding method, in which a welding power supply cable according to the present invention is connected to two electrode contact devices of this welding power supply. [Figure 2] Figure 2 shows an exploded view of the electrode contact device of a welding power supply. [Figure 3] Figure 3 shows a cross-sectional view of the electrode contact device according to FIG. 2. [Figure 4] Figure 4 shows an exploded view of the contact connection device of the welding power cable according to the present invention. [Figure 5] Figure 5 shows a cross-sectional view of the contact connection device of FIG. 4. [Figure 6] Figure 6 shows a cross-sectional view of the contact connection device according to the present invention, in which a supply device for shielding gas is incorporated. [Figure 7] Figure 7 shows a welding power cable designed as an extension cable, with socket connectors and plug connectors provided at the ends respectively, in cross-sectional view, side view, and perspective view. [Figure 8] Figure 8a shows, in cross-sectional view, an end of the welding power cable according to the present invention and a part of an electrode contact device adapted to this welding power cable. Figure 8b shows, in cross-sectional view, an end of a further welding power cable according to the present invention and a part of an electrode contact device adapted to this welding power cable.

Embodiments for Carrying Out the Invention

[0022] Figure 1 shows a welding power source 1 that provides current and voltage for performing an arc welding method by an arc welding torch not shown in detail. The welding power source 1 also includes a control device with a control panel 2, and by using the control panel 2, the parameters of a specific arc welding method to be implemented can be set, and the welding process can be controlled. In this case, the welding power source 1 can be used, for example, to perform MIG / MAG welding, TIG welding, plasma welding, electrode welding, and any other arc welding method, or high-current applications. In further possible embodiments of the present invention, other arc welding methods and separation methods can also be performed. The preferred embodiments of the present invention regarding the welding power cable 3 described below and its connection to the welding power source 1 can be used similarly.

[0023] The two electrode contact devices 5 and 6 are each provided for connecting the welding power supply cable 3, and in FIG. 1, they are hidden by the union nut 10 of the welding power supply cable 3 and protrude from the housing 4 of the welding power supply 1. Each of the electrode contact members of the electrode contact devices 5 and 6 is designed in the form of a substantially cylindrical contact pin 7. Each contact pin 7 is arranged in the central recess of the housing portion 8 of a specific electrode contact device 5, 6 (FIG. 3). The contact surface is formed on the end face 7a of a specific electrode contact member, in this case on the contact pin 7. In particular, the circumferential surface 7b of the contact pin 7 and optionally the end face 7a can be configured for conductive contact with one or more contact members on the welding power supply cable side, for example for conductive contact with a contact strip not shown in detail. Since the entire contact pin 7 is formed from a conductive material, especially from copper or a copper alloy, the contact pin can be a conductive contact partner on its entire outer shell and / or on its entire circumferential surface. The housing portion 8 is designed to have a plurality of portions with different diameters. In this case, the portion 8a having the largest diameter is located approximately in the center with respect to the longitudinal axis of the housing portion 8. In the direction towards the housing of the welding power supply, another portion 8b having a smaller diameter than the first portion 8a is connected to this portion. The third portion 8c is provided for including the union nut 10 (FIG. 4) on the power supply cable on this third portion 8c. In this exemplary embodiment, a rear housing portion 11 designed in the form of a cap is arranged on the second portion 8b. The contact pin 7 is removably fixed to the housing portion 8 via the rear housing portion 11 and further fixing means 12.

[0024] The end face 7a is formed on the end of the contact pin 7 that has a smaller diameter than the leading portion. Therefore, the leading portion functions as a locking body for positioning the contact pin 7 within the housing portion 8.

[0025] The housing portion 8 has two identical groove-shaped recesses 14 on the outer circumferential surface of the third portion 8c, which are at least substantially constant in depth and width, offset from each other by 180° on the outer circumference, and further extend along a portion of the outer circumference formed by portion 8c. The groove-shaped recesses 14 are open on the end face 15 of the housing portion and initially extend substantially parallel to the longitudinal axis of the housing portion 8. Further extensions of the grooves 14, each groove 14 transitions toward a larger diameter portion 8a, having a circumferential extension component, and then approaches the end face 15 of the housing portion 8 again, similarly having a circumferential extension component. In a preferred embodiment, the portion of the groove 14 that also extends circumferentially has a substantially V-shape, in which case the two legs of the substantially V-shape have at least substantially the same component in the axial direction, but different lengths in the radial direction.

[0026] As shown in Figure 4, the welding power cable 3 is provided with a contact connection device 17 on the small end where the insulation is stripped on the welding power side. The wire end ferrule 18 of the contact connection device 17 is pressed onto the litz wire of the stripped cable 3. The wire end ferrule 18 is surrounded by a contact socket 19 provided as a contact means for the welding power cable, and for this purpose the wire end ferrule 18 is located in a blind hole 19a provided on the end face of the contact socket 19. The contact socket 19 also has a blind hole 19b on the other end face on the power side. The end face of this blind hole 19b has a center peg 20 for centering a contact pin 7 provided to be placed in the blind hole.

[0027] The contact socket 19 has two blind hole recesses 21 (Figure 5) located between two blind holes 19a and 19b in the longitudinal direction on its at least substantially cylindrical outer surface. In addition, the contact socket 19 has a shoulder portion 22 located between the blind hole recesses 21 and the current source end of the contact socket in the longitudinal direction on its outer surface. The contact socket 19 is clamped to the peel welding power cable 3 by two set screws 23 together with the wire end ferrule 18.

[0028] A non-conductive insulating sleeve 25 is pressed onto a metal contact socket 19, preferably made of copper or a copper alloy. At the final position of the insulating sleeve on the contact socket 19, one end face of the insulating sleeve 25 extends substantially to the blind hole recess 21 of the contact socket 19, and the other end face extends substantially to the power supply side end of the contact socket 19. The inner wall defining the recess of the insulating sleeve 25 is also provided with a shoulder 26 corresponding to the shoulder 22 of the outer surface of the contact socket 19, thereby restricting the insertion of the contact socket 19 into the insulating sleeve 25 by the shoulder 26 of the insulating sleeve 25. The insulating sleeve 25 abuts against the outer surface of the contact socket 19 in the area of ​​the shoulder 22 and on both sides of the shoulder 22 when viewed longitudinally. The insulating sleeve 25 is provided with an annular flange 27 on its outer circumferential surface, positioned at a distance from the end on the welding cable side.

[0029] A handle sleeve 29 is provided as an integral part of the handling device for handling the welding power cable 3. The handle sleeve 29 is clamped onto the contact socket 19 and onto the welding power cable 3. The handle sleeve 29 surrounds a portion of the contact socket 19 and the end of the welding power cable 3. The handle sleeve 29 has two gripping plates 29a and 29b that are joined to each other by a click connection. For this purpose, the two gripping plates 29a and 29b are provided with a plurality of retaining hooks 30 and a plurality of recesses 31. The retaining hooks 30, which are joined to each of the gripping plates 29a and 29b as integral members, are provided for engagement and locking with the corresponding recesses. In the region of one end of the handle sleeve, the handle sleeve has an annular groove on its inner surface into which a seal ring 32 is inserted, and the inner surface of the seal ring 32 abuts against the outer protective insulating sleeve (casing) 3a of the welding power cable 3.

[0030] At the other end face, the handle sleeve 29 has a notch 35 in its inner wall on its inner surface. With the inner wall seated on the end region of the outer surface of the insulating sleeve 25, the interface surface of the handle sleeve 29 formed by the notch is the shoulder portion 10a of the outer surface of the union nut 10, which is the shoulder portion 10a located within the end region of the union nut 10 on the welding power cable side, and which overlaps with the shoulder portion 10a which has a smaller diameter than the remaining circumferential surface of the union nut 10, which is substantially hollow cylindrical in shape. In particular, as can be seen from Figure 4, the union nut 10 has two identical cams 36 offset by 180° on its inner circumference on its smooth inner surface except for the presence of the two cams 36, and the size of these cams is matched to the height and width of the groove 14 of the housing portion 8 so that the cams 36 can be positioned within the groove 14 and move very smoothly. The cam 36 is located on the inner surface 10b of the union nut, on the end face side facing the welding power source, at a short distance from the end of the union nut 10. Within the end region facing the welding power cable, the union nut 10 has a shoulder on its inner surface with respect to a region having a first reduced diameter that connects to a second region of even smaller diameter.

[0031] As can be seen particularly from Figure 5, the spring member 39 abuts against an internal ring-shaped end face 38 formed by the reduction in diameter, and one of its ends is supported on this internal end face 38. When the union nut 10 is pushed onto the insulating sleeve 25, the other end of the spring member 39 abuts against the flange 27 of the insulating sleeve 25. Although the insulating sleeve 25 is fixed to the contact socket 19 in the axial direction, the union nut 10 can move axially back and forth between the handle sleeve 29 and the flange 27 of the insulating sleeve 25, against the spring force of the spring member 39, so that the spring member 39 can be compressed by the axial movement of the union nut 10. As a result of the spring force of the compressed spring member 39, the union nut 10 can also move axially toward the handle sleeve, thereby ensuring that it is securely seated in the bayonet in the locked position.

[0032] The welding power cable 3 can be manually handled on its handle sleeve 29 when connecting the welding power cable 3 to the welding power source 1 or to another welding power source. For this purpose, a contact socket 19 protruding from the union nut 10 should be guided onto a contact pin 7 from one of the electrode contact devices 5, 6 of the welding power source 1. In this case, the contact socket 19 is guided onto the contact pin 7 via a blind hole 19b. The union nut 10, which is rotatable about its longitudinal axis, can now be manually oriented via the cam 36 so that the cam 36 is positioned axially in front of the end face of the housing portion 8 and rotatably at the entrance to the groove 14. Next, the cam 36 can be inserted into the groove 14 by movement parallel to the longitudinal axis. This compresses the spring member 39. A particular cam 36 can be guided within a particular groove 14 along its further movement path. The specific cam 36, after leaving the portion of the groove 14 that extends parallel to the longitudinal axis, is guided to the substantially V-shaped portion of the groove 14, where the cam 36 performs a motion having a circumferential component and a component parallel to the longitudinal axis. In this case, the union nut 10 moves circumferentially and, simultaneously, performs a further lifting motion against the spring force of the spring member 39. After the specific cam 36 reaches the apex of the V-shape in its motion, the spring member is slightly released from the load, in the opposite direction to the direction of separation from the handle sleeve 29, during the rotational movement and, simultaneously, during the slight lifting movement parallel to the longitudinal axis. At this point, a bayonet connection is established between the union nut 10 of the welding power cable 3 and the housing portion 8 of the welding power supply 1. The portion of the V-shape from which the cam 36 first separates, that is, the portion extending between the portion parallel to the axis of the groove and the apex of the V-shape, has approximately the same length, at least in the longitudinal direction, but has a smaller slope than the second portion of the V-shape.Therefore, moving the cam 36 to its locking position requires less force than moving it from its locking position. This structural design provides additional security against unintended disconnection of the bayonet connection.

[0033] This connection between the welding power cable 3 and one of the electrode contact devices 5 or 6 of the welding power supply 1 can only be removed at this point by applying a force that opposes the pretensioned spring member 39 and simultaneously causes a reverse rotational movement of the housing portion 8 in the circumferential direction.

[0034] Figure 6 shows another exemplary embodiment of the welding power cable 3 according to the present invention. In this embodiment, a medium supply member 42 for a shielding gas such as argon, CO2, or a mixed gas, which leads into a central recess 46 of the welding power cable, is incorporated into the welding power cable 3 immediately after the bayonet connection, behind the union nut 10, and behind the blind hole recess 21 of the handle sleeve 29. Except for this point, the welding power cable of Figure 6 corresponds to the welding power cable illustrated and described in Figures 2 to 5, and in particular corresponds to the bayonet connection established together with the welding power supply between the welding power cable and the welding power supply. Therefore, only the differences from the embodiments shown in Figures 2 to 5 will be described below.

[0035] The plates 29a and 29b of the two-part handle sleeve 29 are provided with a passage 43 that penetrates the wall of the handle sleeve, to which an external supply line 44 is connected. This passage 43 leads through the handle sleeve 29 to a blind hole 45 in the contact socket 19. Next, the blind hole 45 leads to a central recess 46 provided in the welding power cable 3 in this embodiment of the present invention, extending from the medium supply member to the other end. The welding power cable 3 in this embodiment also has a conductive copper Litz wire 47 located coaxially within the cable with respect to the recess 46, one end of which is inserted into a corresponding recess in the contact socket 19 and located therein. Next, the copper Litz wire 47 is surrounded by an insulating sleeve or casing 48 of the welding power cable, which is similarly coaxially configured. By using this welding power cable 3, the current and voltage of the welding power supply can be transmitted to the welding torch or to a device located within the welding circuit using the contact socket 19, and shielding gas can be supplied to the welding torch. The detachable connection between the welding power supply and the welding power cable can be established using the same bayonet connection as in the exemplary embodiments shown in Figures 2 to 5, and the components on the welding power cable side, in particular the union nut 10 and its cam 36 in this invention, are isolated from the welding power cable 3 itself with respect to rotational movement and stress. Thus, the welding power cable 3 is also isolated from the relative rotational movement of the union nut 10, mainly and especially when the welding power cable is located within the welding circuit and connected to an engaging member such as another welding power cable, or to an electrode contact device of a welding power supply or wire feeding device. Thus, continuous rotational movement is possible between the union nut 10 and the handle sleeve or casing of the welding power cable. In this regard, refer to the corresponding illustrations and descriptions with respect to Figures 1 to 5.

[0036] Figure 7 shows another preferred exemplary embodiment of the present invention, which includes a welding power cable designed as an extension cable 50. Such an extension cable 50 can be provided, for example, to extend the welding power cable shown in Figure 4. One example of the use of such an extension cable 50 may be when the welding power cable of Figure 4 is too short to connect the welding power to the components of the welding circuit. In this case, the extension cable 50 can be used to bridge a considerably large distance between the electrode contact devices 5, 6 and the welding circuit components, such as an arc welding torch. For this purpose, the extension cable 50 has a plug connector 51 at one end, the plug connector 51 whose geometry and shape correspond to the plug portion of the electrode contact device as shown in Figures 2 and 3. The plug connector 51 substantially corresponds to the housing portion 8 and contact pins 7 of the electrode contact device in Figures 2 and 3. At its end and in the area of ​​the plug connector 51, the extension cable 50 is also provided with a handle sleeve 52, which has two gripping plates connected to each other and has a design similar to the handle sleeve 29 in Figures 4 and 5. The handle sleeve 52, clamped onto the casing of the welding power cable, grips the housing portion 53 of the plug connector 51 on its end face, fixing the housing portion 53 on the casing of the extension cable 50 in a manner that prevents relative rotation with respect to the casing.

[0037] The contact pin 107 of the plug connector 51 has a recess 54 on its cable-side end face, into which the stripped end of the cable is placed and clamped to the contact pin 107 by a wire end ferrule and screw. The other end of the contact pin 107 protrudes within the housing portion 53, such that the housing portion 53 concentrically surrounds the contact pin 107. This end of the contact pin 107 is slightly recessed compared to the end face 58 of the housing portion 53.

[0038] On the other end, the extension cable 50 is provided with a socket connector 60, which corresponds to the socket connector in the welding power cable shown in Figures 4 and 5. In particular, the union nut 110, handle sleeve 129, and contact socket 119 used here are the same as the corresponding components in the exemplary embodiments shown in Figures 4 and 5. In this case as well, the union nut 110 is rotatable relative to the casing of the extension cable 50. As can be seen from Figure 7, the contact socket 119 protrudes beyond the end face of the union nut 110 of the plug connector, as in the exemplary embodiments shown in Figures 4 and 5. In the region of the end face that protrudes beyond the union nut, the contact socket 119 has a blind hole 119a on the end face where the peg 120 is formed.

[0039] Figures 8a and 8b show the end regions of two welding power cables 65 and 66, each equipped with socket connectors 67 and 68, respectively. The socket connector 67 in Figure 8a is a direct correspondence to the socket connectors in Figures 4 and 5. The socket connector 68 in Figure 8b differs in the geometry of the end face of the blind hole 69 of the contact socket 71. Unlike the contact socket 70 in Figure 8a, the cylindrical peg 73 in the contact socket 71 has a greater axial length and a smaller diameter compared to the peg 20 in Figure 5 and compared to the peg in Figure 8a. In both embodiments of Figures 8a and 8b, a particular union nut can be continuously rotated relative to the casing of the welding power cable.

[0040] Plug connectors 77 and 78 are assigned to each of the two contact sockets 70 and 71, and the corresponding contact pins 79 and 80 of each plug connector are designed to fit the associated contact sockets 70 and 71. In particular, the recesses 79a and 80a located on the free end faces of each contact pin 79 and 80 are designed to fit the geometry of specific pegs 72 and 73 in terms of length and diameter. As a result, each of the two socket connectors 67 and 68 can only be inserted into the associated plug connector 77 and 78 in a position where the cam of the corresponding union nut can be inserted into the groove of the housing portion and moved to a specific locking position. Thus, these socket / plug connectors are coded, thereby preventing confusion between the plug connectors and other types of corresponding socket connectors. If each of the two electrode contact devices is provided with one of two socket connectors, that is, if it is provided with one of two different socket connectors, it is possible to prevent mistaking the ground welding power cable for the welding power cable for the positive electrode of the welding power supply when connecting to a specific electrode contact device 5 or 6. [Explanation of Symbols]

[0041] 1. Welding power supply 2. Control Panel 3. Welding power cable 3a Protective insulating sleeve 4 Housing 5 Electrode Contact Devices 6. Electrode Contact Devices 7 Contact pins 7a End face 7b Peripheral surface 8. Housing section 8a Part 1 8b Part 2 8c 3rd part 9 10 Union nuts 10a Shoulder 10b Inner surface 11 Rear housing section 12 Fixing means 13 14 Groove-shaped recess 15 End face 16 17. Contact Connection Devices 18 Wire end ferrules 19 Contact Sockets 19a Blind hole 19b Blind hole 20 pegs 21. Depression 22 Shoulder 23 Set screws twenty four 25 Insulating Sleeves 26 Shoulder 27 Flange 28 29 Handle sleeve 29a Gripping plate 29b Gripping plate 30 Stopper hooks 31 recess 32 sealing rings 33 35 notches 36 Cam 37 End face 38 End face 39 Spring member 42 Medium supply member 43 aisles 44 supply lines 45 blind holes 46 Central recess 47 Copper Litz Wire 48 Insulating Sleeves 50 Extension Cables 51 Plug Connector 52 Handle Sleeve 53 Housing section 54 recess 58 End face 60 Socket Connectors 65 Welding power cable 66 Welding power cable 67 Socket Connectors 68 Socket Connectors 69 Blind Hole 70 Contact Sockets 71 Contact Socket 72 pegs 73 pegs 77 Plug Connectors 78 Plug Connectors 79 Contact pins 79a recess 80 Contact pins 80a recess 107 Contact pins 110 Union Nut 119 Contact Socket 119 Blind Hole 120 pegs

Claims

[Claim 1] It is a welding power cable, A welding power cable for use in a welding circuit including at least one welding power source, a welding torch, and a workpiece, wherein the welding power cable is provided with an outer casing for protecting and insulating a conductive cable, the conductive cable is located inside the casing, and the end face of the welding power cable is provided with conductive contact means for establishing a conductive contact with the welding power source, and connecting means for establishing a removable mechanical connection between the welding power source and the welding power cable, The conductive contact means and the connecting means of the welding power cable are made continuously rotatable relative to each other around the longitudinal axis, and the connecting means located on the outer surface of the casing is provided with a bayonet member of a bayonet lock device. The welding power cable comprises an insulating sleeve that abuts against the outer surface of the conductive contact means, the insulating sleeve comprises an annular flange, and the insulating sleeve is fixed to the conductive contact means. The welding power cable further includes a spring member configured to hold the removable mechanical connection by the spring force of the spring member, wherein one end of the spring member abuts against the internal ring-shaped end face of the connecting means and the other end abuts against the annular flange of the insulating sleeve.

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