Apparatus responsive to electrical energy supplied during a welding operation

Claim 1

IN APPARATUS RESPONSIVE TO ELECTRICAL ENERGY SUPPLIED TO A WELD ZONE IN WORK DURING A WELDING OPERATION, A PAIR OF WELDING ELECTRODES ENERGIZABLE FOR SUPPLYING CURRENT TO WORK TO BE ASSOCIATED THEREWITH, FIRST MEANS FOR PRODUCING A FIRST ELECTRICAL QUANTITY SUBSTANTIALLY PROPORTIONAL TO CURRENT SUPPLIED TO SAID WORK THROUGH SAID ELECTRODES, SECOND MEANS FOR PRODUCING A SECOND ELECTRICAL QUANTITY SUBSTANTIALLY PROPORTIONAL TO THE VOLTAGE DROP ACROSS THE WELD ZONE ONLY, SAID SECOND MEANS INCLUDING SEPARATE PROBES ASSOCIATED WITH EACH ELECTRODE WHICH PENETRATE THE SURFACES OF THE WORK TO AREAS ADJACENT TO AND ACROSS THE WELD ZONE SUCH THAT THE SECOND ELECTRICAL QUANTITY IS PRODUCED INDEPENDENTLY OF THE VOLTAGE DROP RESULTING FROM SURFACE RESISTANCE OF THE WORK, MEANS RESPONSIVE TO SAID FIRST AND SECOND ELECTRICAL QUANTITIES FOR PRODUCING A FIRST OUTPUT QUANTITY SUBSTANTIALLY PROPORTIONAL TO THE PRODUCT OF SAID FIRST AND SECOND QUANTITIES, AND MEANS FOR INTEGRATING SAID FIRST OUTPUT QUANTITY TO PRODUCE A SECOND OUTPUT QUANTITY WHICH IS SUBSTANTIALLY PROPORTIONAL TO ELECTRICAL ENERGY SUPPLIED TO THE WELD ZONE.