Patents by Inventor Robert Lalla

Robert Lalla 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: 6877372
    Abstract: The invention relates to a method for determining the filling level of a medium in a container. A mixer that has at least one mixer blade and a mixer frequency (f<1>R</1>) is disposed in the container. Measuring signals are emitted at a predetermined measuring frequency (f<1>M</1>) towards the medium. The measuring signals reflected on the surface of the medium are received and evaluated by a runtime method. The aim of the invention is to provide a device which allows for a reliable measurement of the filling level of a medium in a container provided with a mixer. To this end, the measuring frequency (f<1>M</1>) of the measuring signal having the mixer frequency (f<1>R</1>) of the mixer is synchronized (f<1>M</1>=n f<1>R</1>with n ? N) and that the measuring frequency (f<1>M</1>) is shifted by a defined phase (?) with respect to the mixer frequency (f<1>R</1>).
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 9, 2001
    Date of Patent: April 12, 2005
    Assignee: Endress + Hauser GmbH+Co. KG
    Inventors: Dietmar Spanke, Robert Lalla
  • Publication number: 20040150553
    Abstract: The invention relates to a method and a device for determining the level of a filling (1) in a container (2). The aim of the invention is to provide a method and a device for measuring said level which are economical to carry out/produce and which offer an especially high degree of measuring accuracy.
    Type: Application
    Filed: May 5, 2003
    Publication date: August 5, 2004
    Inventors: Robert Lalla, Bernhard Michalski, Herbert Schroth
  • Patent number: 6703943
    Abstract: In an assembly for signal transfer between a receiving station and a transmitting station and for power supply of the transmitting station where these two stations are connected via a two-wire line, an analog signal current variable between two limiting values is transmitted via this two-wire line, this signal current representing a measured value sensed by a sensor. This current also forms the supply current needed to operate the transmitting station. In the transmitting station a circuit is provided, generating a constant operating voltage for the transmitting station. The transmitting station includes a controllable current source which dictates the current flowing via the two-wire line as a function of the measured value. A charge pump is connected to the output of the current source, the charge pump generating from the voltage appearing at the output of the current source all the operating voltage needed for operating the sensor and a signal processing circuit connected thereto.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 1, 1999
    Date of Patent: March 9, 2004
    Inventors: Robert Lalla, Ronald Schreiber
  • Publication number: 20030167838
    Abstract: The invention relates to a method for determining the filling level of a medium (3) in a container (2). A mixer (5) that has at least one mixer blade (6) and a mixer frequency (f<1>R</1>) is disposed in the container. Measuring signals are emitted at a predetermined measuring frequency (f<1>M</1>) towards the medium (3). The measuring signals reflected on the surface (4) of the medium (3) are received and evaluated by a runtime method. The aim of the invention is to provide a device which allows for a reliable measurement of the filling level of a medium (3) in a container (2) provided with a mixer (5).
    Type: Application
    Filed: May 12, 2003
    Publication date: September 11, 2003
    Inventors: Dietmar Spanke, Robert Lalla
  • Patent number: 6427129
    Abstract: The measuring assembly comprises a sensor module containing at least one sensor and an analog/digital converter for digitizing the analog measurement signal furnished by the sensor as well as an analyzer module with means for digitally processing the digitized measurement data furnished by the sensor module. The program code and the sensor-specific coefficients for processing the digitized measurement data are stored in a non-volatile digital memory in the sensor module. On power up a control circuit contained in the sensor module prompts transfer of the memorized data and subsequent transfer of the digitized measurement data via a unidirectional serial interface to the analyzer module, as a result of which on installation or replacement of a sensor module all sensor-specific data is directly available at the analyzer module. Furthermore, DC decoupling the sensor module from the analyzer module is made possible by simple means.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 8, 1998
    Date of Patent: July 30, 2002
    Assignee: Endress &plus; Hauser GmbH &plus; Co.
    Inventor: Robert Lalla
  • Patent number: 6415660
    Abstract: The invention relates to a method for the highly accurate determination of the filling level (q) of a product (4) in a container (2), measuring signals being transmitted in the direction of the surface (5) of the filled product (4) and reflected at the surface (5) as echo signals and the filling level (q) in the container (2) being determined by evaluation of the amplitude values (A) and phase values (&psgr;) of the reflected echo signals by means of a pulse delay-time method. Furthermore, an apparatus suitable for carrying out the method is proposed. The invention is based on the object of proposing a method and an apparatus which permit highly accurate filling level measurements in containers (2), even if multipath propagation or multimode propagation occurs.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 17, 2000
    Date of Patent: July 9, 2002
    Assignee: Endress &plus; Hauser GmbH &plus; Co.
    Inventors: Michael Sinz, Roland Müller, Dietmar Spanke, Robert Lalla
  • Patent number: 6300776
    Abstract: For discrete-time reactance measurement the reactance is activated by a clocked generator device with an electric voltage, an electric current or an electric charge. A clocked analyzer device generates an output signal as a function of the reactance to be measured from discrete-time sampling values of the electric voltage, electric current or electric charge. The generator device and the analyzer device are clocked in synchronism, the clock controlling the generator device and the analyzer device being varied in the same way by a frequency or phase modulator for reducing the influence of narrowband disturbances coupled into the circuit caused by aliasing.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 8, 1998
    Date of Patent: October 9, 2001
    Assignee: Endress &plus; Hauser GmbH &plus; Co.
    Inventors: Ronald Schreiber, Robert Lalla
  • Patent number: 6087978
    Abstract: A level measuring device suitable for highly accurate measurements. A transmission pulse generator generates microwave pulses at a transmission repetition rate and transmits them through an antenna towards a material whose level is to be measured. Echo signal from the surface of the material are received by the antenna. A reference pulse generator generates reference pulses similar to the transmission pulses but at a reference repetition rate which differs from the transmission repetition rate by a small frequency difference. The echo signal and reference pulse are input to a first mixer which generates an intermediate frequency signal that, with respect to the echo signal, is slowed by a time dilation factor equal to the quotient of the transmission repetition rate and the frequency difference. A first subcircuit samples the intermediate frequency signal, the time interval between two successive samplings equaling a time unit.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 21, 1999
    Date of Patent: July 11, 2000
    Assignee: Endress + Hauser GmbH + Co.
    Inventors: Robert Lalla, Roland Muller, Bernd Strutt
  • Patent number: 6054946
    Abstract: For measuring the level of a material in a vessel by a radar-based method an antenna arranged above the highest level anticipated radiates electromagnetic waves to the surface of the material contained in the vessel and receives reflected echo waves. The transit time of the wanted echo waves reflected by the material surface is measured from which the level is computed. Since this transit time corresponds to the group delay, for determining the reduction factor by which the group velocity of the electromagnetic waves differs from the velocity of propagation in the free space due to the geometry of the propagation space the phase difference of the wanted echo waves relative to a reference oscillation and the group delay are measured for various levels and the reduction factor is determined on the basis of the changes in the phase difference as a function of the group delay.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 26, 1999
    Date of Patent: April 25, 2000
    Assignee: Endress + Hauser GmbH + Co.
    Inventors: Robert Lalla, Roland Muller, Michael Sinz