Patents by Inventor Reiner Heilmann

Reiner Heilmann has filed for patents to protect the following inventions. This listing includes patent applications that are pending as well as patents that have already been granted by the United States Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO).

  • Patent number: 11660755
    Abstract: A method for monitoring a working environment of a movable device utilizing a monitoring apparatus, wherein the working environment includes a working area and at least one protected area and the movable device is located within the working area during normal operation of said movable device, where the method includes a user inputting a plurality of convex polytopes into the monitoring apparatus, the convex polytopes corresponding to areas in which the movable device is located during normal operation, determining a convex polytope hull using the monitoring apparatus, the convex polytope hull completely enclosing the multiplicity of convex polytopes, and determining the at least one protected area by calculating a difference from the convex polytope hull and the input using the monitoring apparatus, such that monitoring of the position of the movable device is simplified because the working area can be modeled autonomously.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 14, 2020
    Date of Patent: May 30, 2023
    Assignee: SIEMENS AKTIENGESELLSCHAFT
    Inventors: Frank Matthias, Reiner Heilmann, Minh Le, Alexander Stein, Maximilian Walter
  • Patent number: 11567823
    Abstract: Provided is a method and system for identifying and evaluating common cause failures of system components, wherein at least one analytical artifact and machine readable system related to at least one of spatial, topological data and machine readable system related lifecycle data are processed to analyze automatically a susceptibility of system components to common cause failure based on common cause failure influencing factors.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 10, 2019
    Date of Patent: January 31, 2023
    Inventors: Reiner Heilmann, Christof Kaukewitsch, Marc Zeller
  • Publication number: 20220358612
    Abstract: A computer-implemented method is provided for safety analysis of a technical system including a human object. The method includes: determining a system model of the technical system including the human object; determining for at least one use case of the technical system in accordance with a human interaction of the human object with the technical system; and simulating the technical system in accordance with the system model and the at least one use case. The simulating of the technical system includes tracking of safety hazard events in relation to the human interaction.
    Type: Application
    Filed: June 2, 2020
    Publication date: November 10, 2022
    Inventors: Reiner Heilmann, Christof Kaukewitsch, Marc Zeller
  • Patent number: 11347919
    Abstract: A method for generating a fault tree of a multi-component system is provided. The multicomponent system includes a logical-functional system layer and a physical system layer as different layers of abstraction. The physical system layer may correspond, for example, to software and/or hardware implementing the functional aspects of the logical-functional system layer. The method first provides a logical-functional fault tree for the logical-functional system layer and a physical fault tree for the physical system layer, the latter having elements corresponding to elements in the logical-functional fault tree. Next, a mixed-layer fault tree is generated by combining aspects of both fault trees in a systematic way. The disclosed is particularly relevant for analyzing safety-critical systems. However, the present concepts are not limited to these applications and may be applied to general use cases where fault tree analysis is applicable.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 17, 2019
    Date of Patent: May 31, 2022
    Inventors: Reiner Heilmann, Lennart Kilian, Marc Zeller
  • Publication number: 20220058323
    Abstract: A method for generating a fault tree of a multi-component system is provided. The multicomponent system includes a logical-functional system layer and a physical system layer as different layers of abstraction The physical system layer may correspond, for example, to software and/or hardware implementing the functional aspects of the logical-functional system layer. The method first provides a logical-functional fault tree for the logical-functional system layer and a physical fault tree for the physical system layer, the latter having elements corresponding to elements in the logical-functional fault tree. Next, a mixed-layer fault tree is generated by combining aspects of both fault trees in a systematic way. The disclosed is particularly relevant for analyzing safety-critical systems. However, the present concepts are not limited to these applications and may be applied to general use cases where fault tree analysis is applicable.
    Type: Application
    Filed: December 17, 2019
    Publication date: February 24, 2022
    Inventors: Reiner Heilmann, Lennart Kilian, Marc Zeller
  • Publication number: 20210107158
    Abstract: A method for monitoring a working environment of a movable device utilizing a monitoring apparatus, wherein the working environment includes a working area and at least one protected area and the movable device is located within the working area during normal operation of said movable device, where the method includes a user inputting a plurality of convex polytopes into the monitoring apparatus, the convex polytopes corresponding to areas in which the movable device is located during normal operation, determining a convex polytope hull using the monitoring apparatus, the convex polytope hull completely enclosing the multiplicity of convex polytopes, and determining the at least one protected area by calculating a difference from the convex polytope hull and the input using the monitoring apparatus, such that monitoring of the position of the movable device is simplified because the working area can be modeled autonomously.
    Type: Application
    Filed: October 14, 2020
    Publication date: April 15, 2021
    Inventors: Frank MATTHIAS, Reiner HEILMANN, Minh LE, Alexander STEIN, Maximilian WALTER
  • Publication number: 20210049060
    Abstract: Provided is a method and system for identifying and evaluating common cause failures of system components, wherein at least one analytical artifact and machine readable system related to at least one of spatial, topological data and machine readable system related lifecycle data are processed to analyze automatically a susceptibility of system components to common cause failure based on common cause failure influencing factors.
    Type: Application
    Filed: April 10, 2019
    Publication date: February 18, 2021
    Inventors: Reiner Heilmann, Christof Kaukewitsch, Marc Zeller
  • Patent number: 10877471
    Abstract: A method and apparatus for generating a fault tree for a failure mode of a complex system including a plurality of components, the method includes the steps of providing component fault tree, CFT, elements of the components; linking the components according to their failure dependencies within the complex system; and generating the fault tree by incorporating for each dependency link from a first component to a second component the output failure modes of the component fault tree element of the second component into the component fault tree element of the first component to trigger the output failure modes of the first component.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 28, 2015
    Date of Patent: December 29, 2020
    Inventors: Reiner Heilmann, Kai Höfig
  • Publication number: 20180074484
    Abstract: A method and apparatus for generating a fault tree for a failure mode of a complex system including a plurality of components, the method includes the steps of providing component fault tree, CFT, elements of the components; linking the components according to their failure dependencies within the complex system; and generating the fault tree by incorporating for each dependency link from a first component to a second component the output failure modes of the component fault tree element of the second component into the component fault tree element of the first component to trigger the output failure modes of the first component.
    Type: Application
    Filed: April 28, 2015
    Publication date: March 15, 2018
    Inventors: Reiner Heilmann, Kai Höfig
  • Patent number: 9889866
    Abstract: The invention relates to a 1st power supply arrangement for a rail vehicle. The rail vehicle includes at least one driven car with an intermediate circuit, a brake system and an energy supply system for supplying the brake system with operating energy. In order to improve the framework conditions to ensure reliable electrodynamic braking, the energy supply system contains at least two energy supply units, for the driven car, arranged at the intermediate circuit, for the redundant energy supply to the brake system.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 18, 2013
    Date of Patent: February 13, 2018
    Assignee: Siemens Aktiengesellschaft
    Inventors: Till Foerster, Stefan Hassler, Reiner Heilmann, Lars Loewenstein, Jens Konstantin Schwarzer, Jean-Pascal Schwinn, Thorsten Stuetzle
  • Patent number: 9707951
    Abstract: A rail vehicle braking device has at least one electrodynamic brake, which comprises a drive unit, which has at least one drive motor and a power supply unit for supplying the drive motor when the drive unit is in a traction mode. The rail vehicle braking device has at least two brake control units in order to increase the safety of the electrodynamic brake. In a first braking mode, a first brake control unit in an active state controls the power supply unit for providing a braking effect, a first brake effect monitoring unit and a switching unit, which serves to switch, depending on a brake effect parameter in the first braking mode, into a second braking mode, in which the second brake control unit in an active state controls the power supply unit for providing a brake effect.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 28, 2013
    Date of Patent: July 18, 2017
    Assignee: Siemens Aktiengesellschaft
    Inventors: Till Foerster, Stefan Hassler, Reiner Heilmann, Jean-Pascal Schwinn, Thorsten Stuetzle, Manfred Wiesand
  • Patent number: 9533668
    Abstract: A rail vehicle braking device has at least one first electrodynamic brake with a drive unit that includes at least one drive motor and a power supply unit for supplying the drive motor in a traction mode of the drive unit. A brake control unit controls, in a first brake mode, the respective power supply unit for providing a braking effect. In order to optimize the system with a fall-back measure in case of a braking effect loss in respect of the cause thereof, there is provided at least one sensor unit, which detects a braking effect parameter for the first braking mode of the brake. A monitoring device is assigned to the first brake. It is independent of the brake control unit and considers, in a first monitoring mode, the braking effect parameter for the introduction of a fall-back measure concerning the brake.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 28, 2013
    Date of Patent: January 3, 2017
    Assignee: SIEMENS AKTIENGESELLSCHAFT
    Inventors: Till Foerster, Stefan Hassler, Reiner Heilmann, Jean-Pascal Schwinn, Thorsten Stützle, Manfred Wiesand
  • Publication number: 20150353109
    Abstract: The invention relates to a 1st power supply arrangement for a rail vehicle. The rail vehicle includes at least one driven car with an intermediate circuit, a brake system and an energy supply system for supplying the brake system with operating energy. In order to improve the framework conditions to ensure reliable electrodynamic braking, the energy supply system contains at least two energy supply units, for the driven car, arranged at the intermediate circuit, for the redundant energy supply to the brake system.
    Type: Application
    Filed: December 18, 2013
    Publication date: December 10, 2015
    Inventors: TILL FOERSTER, STEFAN HASSLER, REINER HEILMANN, LARS LOEWENSTEIN, JENS KONSTANTIN SCHWARZER, JEAN-PASCAL SCHWINN, THORSTEN STUETZLE
  • Publication number: 20150081145
    Abstract: A rail vehicle braking device has at least one first electrodynamic brake with a drive unit that includes at least one drive motor and a power supply unit for supplying the drive motor in a traction mode of the drive unit. A brake control unit controls, in a first brake mode, the respective power supply unit for providing a braking effect. In order to optimize the system with a fall-back measure in case of a braking effect loss in respect of the cause thereof, there is provided at least one sensor unit, which detects a braking effect parameter for the first braking mode of the brake. A monitoring device is assigned to the first brake. It is independent of the brake control unit and considers, in a first monitoring mode, the braking effect parameter for the introduction of a fall-back measure concerning the brake.
    Type: Application
    Filed: February 28, 2013
    Publication date: March 19, 2015
    Applicant: SIEMENS AKTIENGESELLSCHAFT
    Inventors: Till Förster, Stefan Hassler, Reiner Heilmann, Jean-Pascal Schwinn, Thorsten Stützle, Manfred Wiesand
  • Publication number: 20150032302
    Abstract: A rail vehicle braking device has at least one electrodynamic brake, which comprises a drive unit, which has at least one drive motor and a power supply unit for supplying the drive motor when the drive unit is in a traction mode. The rail vehicle braking device has at least two brake control units in order to increase the safety of the electrodynamic brake. In a first braking mode, a first brake control unit in an active state controls the power supply unit for providing a braking effect, a first brake effect monitoring unit and a switching unit, which serves to switch, depending on a brake effect parameter in the first braking mode, into a second braking mode, in which the second brake control unit in an active state controls the power supply unit for providing a brake effect.
    Type: Application
    Filed: February 28, 2013
    Publication date: January 29, 2015
    Inventors: Till Foerster, Stefan Hassler, Reiner Heilmann, Jean-Pascal Schwinn, Thorsten Stuetzle, Manfred Wiesand
  • Patent number: 8364626
    Abstract: IN a method and a device for determining a probability of occurrence that an overall system fulfills a predefined system performance, the overall system is composed of instances of different classes of partial systems, and each class of partial systems has an associated class fault tree. The method has the following steps: (a) calculating (S1) an overall performance for each failure combination of the number of non-failed instances within a class; (b) automatic selection (S2) of failure combinations, the calculated overall performance of which fulfills the predefined system performance; (c) automatic generation (S3) of an overall fault tree based on the class fault trees of partial systems as a function of the selected failure combinations; and (d) evaluating (S4) of the generated overall fault tree for calculating the probability of occurrence of a fulfillment of the predefined system performance by the overall system.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 29, 2008
    Date of Patent: January 29, 2013
    Assignee: Siemens Aktiengesellschaft
    Inventors: Reiner Heilmann, Manfred Lohner, Stefan Rothbauer, Ariane Sutor
  • Publication number: 20100223500
    Abstract: IN a method and a device for determining a probability of occurrence that an overall system fulfills a predefined system performance, the overall system is composed of instances of different classes of partial systems, and each class of partial systems has an associated class fault tree. The method has the following steps: (a) calculating (S1) an overall performance for each failure combination of the number of non-failed instances within a class; (b) automatic selection (S2) of failure combinations, the calculated overall performance of which fulfills the predefined system performance; (c) automatic generation (S3) of an overall fault tree based on the class fault trees of partial systems as a function of the selected failure combinations; and (d) evaluating (S4) of the generated overall fault tree for calculating the probability of occurrence of a fulfillment of the predefined system performance by the overall system.
    Type: Application
    Filed: July 29, 2008
    Publication date: September 2, 2010
    Inventors: Reiner Heilmann, Manfred Lohner, Stefan Rothbauer, Ariane Sutor