Patents by Inventor Thomas Hilker

Thomas Hilker 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: 11982691
    Abstract: A measuring apparatus for measuring an electrical voltage for a metal-encapsulated switchgear. The measuring apparatus has an electrical conductor, an electrically conductive measuring electrode, which surrounds a first conductor portion of the electrical conductor and is electrically insulated from the electrical conductor, and an electrically conductive field control electrode, which is electrically insulated from the electrical conductor and from the measuring electrode and which has a first field control electrode portion that surrounds the measuring electrode.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 10, 2020
    Date of Patent: May 14, 2024
    Assignee: Siemens Energy Global GmbH & Co. KG
    Inventors: Stefan Giere, Thomas Heinz, Thomas Hilker
  • Patent number: 11965913
    Abstract: A voltage potential measurement arrangement for measuring a voltage potential on a conductor in an encapsulated power switching device includes at least a portion of the conductor surrounded by a field control component, in particular a field control electrode, having a measuring electrode for capacitive coupling to the conductor. The measuring electrode is disposed outside of the field control component and the field control component is penetrated by at least one aperture at the height of the measuring electrode. A corresponding encapsulated power switching device is also provided.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 17, 2020
    Date of Patent: April 23, 2024
    Assignee: Siemens Energy Global GmbH & Co. KG
    Inventor: Thomas Hilker
  • Publication number: 20240047162
    Abstract: A trip device for a power circuit breaker has a trip element, a trip circuit with a trip coil, which, when energized, is configured to effect a movement of the trip element, and at least one electrical delay element, which can be connected to the trip circuit and reduces the rate of a rise in a current flowing in the trip coil once the trip circuit has been closed and/or delays a rise in a current flowing in the trip coil once the trip circuit has been closed.
    Type: Application
    Filed: November 30, 2021
    Publication date: February 8, 2024
    Inventors: Thomas Hilker, Gunnar Lutzke, Rudolf Groth
  • Patent number: 11881367
    Abstract: A switching device for a high-voltage circuit breaker includes at least two switches for ascertaining states of apparatuses of the switching device via a monitoring system. The at least two switches are connected together in series and/or in parallel and can be connected together to exactly one input of the monitoring system. A high-voltage circuit breaker includes the switching device and the monitoring system, which is and/or includes a data acquisition, data processing, data storage and/or data transmission unit, in particular with digital-analog and/or analog-digital converters. A method for operating the switching device provides the at least two switches connected in series and/or in parallel, and forwards the state of the apparatuses via an input, in particular via exactly one input of the monitoring system, in the form of electric variables, in particular a voltage.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 28, 2020
    Date of Patent: January 23, 2024
    Assignee: Siemens Energy Global GmbH & Co. KG
    Inventor: Thomas Hilker
  • Publication number: 20230358799
    Abstract: An arrester system has at least two parallel-connected arresters, each with a sensor for determining leakage currents. A monitoring system is configured to detect faults at the arresters by comparing sensor data. The method for detecting faults at parallel-connected arresters includes comparing in particular the present measured values of the arresters and/or from sensors of the arresters. A fault is detected when there are deviations between measured values of different arresters. The arrester system is identified as fault-free when measured values of the arresters, in particular of all arresters, are substantially the same.
    Type: Application
    Filed: September 3, 2021
    Publication date: November 9, 2023
    Inventors: Thomas Hilker, Henrik Roggow
  • Patent number: 11742783
    Abstract: A motor apparatus for a switch drive of an electric switch has an electric motor and a control apparatus for controlling the electric motor. The control apparatus has a power supply device for the electrical power supply of the electric motor. The electric power supply has a rectifier unit, a voltage measurement unit for detecting the supply voltage or a rectifier output voltage of the rectifier unit, a switch unit for generating a drive voltage for the electric motor from the supply voltage or from the rectifier output voltage, and a control unit for controlling the switch unit as a function of the supply or rectifier output voltage detected. Accordingly, the motor apparatus has a motor housing which, besides the electric motor, houses part of the power supply device and/or at least part of the control unit.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 15, 2019
    Date of Patent: August 29, 2023
    Assignee: Siemens Energy Global GmbH & Co. KG
    Inventors: Thomas Hilker, Lutz-Ruediger Jaenicke
  • Patent number: 11521805
    Abstract: A motor apparatus for a switch drive of an electric switch has an electric motor and a controller for controlling the electric motor. The controller has: a rectifier unit for rectifying a supply voltage of the motor apparatus, if the supply voltage is an alternating voltage, and for reverse polarity protection if the supply voltage is a direct voltage, a voltage measurement unit for detecting the supply voltage or a rectifier output voltage of the rectifier unit, a switch unit for generating a drive voltage for the electric motor from the supply voltage or from the rectifier output voltage and a control unit for controlling the switch unit as a function of the supply or rectifier output voltage detected. The electric motor is operable by direct current and the switch unit generates a drive direct voltage for the electric motor.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 27, 2019
    Date of Patent: December 6, 2022
    Assignee: Siemens Energy Global GmbH & Co. KG
    Inventors: David Brummund, Thomas Hilker
  • Publication number: 20220373578
    Abstract: A voltage potential measurement arrangement for measuring a voltage potential on a conductor in an encapsulated power switching device includes at least a portion of the conductor surrounded by a field control component, in particular a field control electrode, having a measuring electrode for capacitive coupling to the conductor. The measuring electrode is disposed outside of the field control component and the field control component is penetrated by at least one aperture at the height of the measuring electrode. A corresponding encapsulated power switching device is also provided.
    Type: Application
    Filed: August 17, 2020
    Publication date: November 24, 2022
    Inventor: Thomas Hilker
  • Publication number: 20220317159
    Abstract: A measuring apparatus for measuring an electrical voltage for a metal-encapsulated switchgear. The measuring apparatus has an electrical conductor, an electrically conductive measuring electrode, which surrounds a first conductor portion of the electrical conductor and is electrically insulated from the electrical conductor, and an electrically conductive field control electrode, which is electrically insulated from the electrical conductor and from the measuring electrode and which has a first field control electrode portion that surrounds the measuring electrode.
    Type: Application
    Filed: July 10, 2020
    Publication date: October 6, 2022
    Inventors: Stefan Giere, Thomas Heinz, Thomas Hilker
  • Publication number: 20220311371
    Abstract: A method for producing a voltage for an electric motor of a drive of an electrical switch includes producing a DC link direct voltage from a supply voltage and producing the motor voltage by pulse-width modulation of the direct voltage. A tolerance range for changing the direct voltage is specified, and an actual value of the direct voltage is continually measured. After first measuring the actual value, it is stored in a voltage variable. After each additional measurement, it is checked whether the deviation of the actual from the stored value lies within the tolerance range. The actual value is stored if the deviation from the stored value lies outside of the tolerance range. After each storage, a duty cycle of the pulse-width modulation dependent on the actual value is calculated, and the pulse-width modulation occurs with the duty cycle. A power converter is also provided.
    Type: Application
    Filed: July 22, 2020
    Publication date: September 29, 2022
    Inventors: David Brummund, Thomas Hilker
  • Publication number: 20220190563
    Abstract: A method ascertains the risk of condensation in an enclosure of a high-voltage device. The interior temperature in the enclosure is ascertained using an interior temperature sensor arranged in the enclosure, thereby obtaining interior temperature values TI. An exterior temperature of the enclosure is ascertained using an exterior temperature sensor arranged outside of the enclosure, thereby obtaining exterior temperature values TA. The interior temperature values TI and the exterior temperature TA values are transmitted to a data processing unit. The data processing unit ascertains a temperature difference value TD by calculating the difference between the interior temperature value TI and the exterior temperature values TA based on TD=TI?TA. The data processing unit generates a warning signal if the temperature difference value TD lies below 3° C.
    Type: Application
    Filed: February 28, 2020
    Publication date: June 16, 2022
    Inventors: Thomas Hilker, Robert Knuth, Matthias Heinecke
  • Publication number: 20220077804
    Abstract: A motor apparatus for a switch drive of an electric switch has an electric motor and a control apparatus for controlling the electric motor. The control apparatus has a power supply device for the electrical power supply of the electric motor. The electric power supply has a rectifier unit, a voltage measurement unit for detecting the supply voltage or a rectifier output voltage of the rectifier unit, a switch unit for generating a drive voltage for the electric motor from the supply voltage or from the rectifier output voltage, and a control unit for controlling the switch unit as a function of the supply or rectifier output voltage detected. Accordingly, the motor apparatus has a motor housing which, besides the electric motor, houses part of the power supply device and/or at least part of the control unit.
    Type: Application
    Filed: November 15, 2019
    Publication date: March 10, 2022
    Inventors: Thomas Hilker, Lutz-Ruediger Jaenicke
  • Publication number: 20220044892
    Abstract: A switching device for a high-voltage circuit breaker includes at least two switches for ascertaining states of apparatuses of the switching device via a monitoring system. The at least two switches are connected together in series and/or in parallel and can be connected together to exactly one input of the monitoring system. A high-voltage circuit breaker includes the switching device and the monitoring system, which is and/or includes a data acquisition, data processing, data storage and/or data transmission unit, in particular with digital-analog and/or analog-digital converters. A method for operating the switching device provides the at least two switches connected in series and/or in parallel, and forwards the state of the apparatuses via an input, in particular via exactly one input of the monitoring system, in the form of electric variables, in particular a voltage.
    Type: Application
    Filed: February 28, 2020
    Publication date: February 10, 2022
    Inventor: Thomas Hilker
  • Publication number: 20220037095
    Abstract: A motor apparatus for a switch drive of an electric switch has an electric motor and a controller for controlling the electric motor. The controller has: a rectifier unit for rectifying a supply voltage of the motor apparatus, if the supply voltage is an alternating voltage, and for reverse polarity protection if the supply voltage is a direct voltage, a voltage measurement unit for detecting the supply voltage or a rectifier output voltage of the rectifier unit, a switch unit for generating a drive voltage for the electric motor from the supply voltage or from the rectifier output voltage and a control unit for controlling the switch unit as a function of the supply or rectifier output voltage detected. The electric motor is operable by direct current and the switch unit generates a drive direct voltage for the electric motor.
    Type: Application
    Filed: August 27, 2019
    Publication date: February 3, 2022
    Inventors: DAVID BRUMMUND, THOMAS HILKER
  • Patent number: 11164704
    Abstract: A motor assembly for a switch drive of an electric switch. The motor assembly has a brushless three-phase motor and an electronic control device for controlling the three-phase motor. The control device has a rectifier unit for rectifying a supply voltage of the motor assembly if the supply voltage is an AC voltage, and for reverse polarity protection if the supply voltage is a DC voltage. The control device also has a voltage measuring unit for detecting a rectifier output voltage of the rectifier unit, a switch unit for generating a pulse width-modulated drive AC voltage for the three-phase motor from the rectifier output voltage, and a control unit for actuating the switch unit according to the rectifier output voltage.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 5, 2017
    Date of Patent: November 2, 2021
    Assignee: Siemens Energy Global GmbH & Co. KG
    Inventor: Thomas Hilker
  • Patent number: 10861656
    Abstract: A spring-loaded drive for a high-voltage power switch contains at least one spring and at least one tensioning motor for the at least one spring. The spring-loaded drive contains at least one rectifier circuit, which is formed by a plurality of diodes where precisely one diode is connected in series to the tensioning motor.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 16, 2017
    Date of Patent: December 8, 2020
    Assignee: Siemens Aktiengesellschaft
    Inventor: Thomas Hilker
  • Publication number: 20190333719
    Abstract: A spring-loaded drive for a high-voltage power switch contains at least one spring and at least one tensioning motor for the at least one spring. The spring-loaded drive contains at least one rectifier circuit, which is formed by a plurality of diodes where precisely one diode is connected in series to the tensioning motor.
    Type: Application
    Filed: May 16, 2017
    Publication date: October 31, 2019
    Inventor: THOMAS HILKER
  • Publication number: 20190237274
    Abstract: A motor assembly for a switch drive of an electric switch. The motor assembly has a brushless three-phase motor and an electronic control device for controlling the three-phase motor. The control device has a rectifier unit for rectifying a supply voltage of the motor assembly if the supply voltage is an AC voltage, and for reverse polarity protection if the supply voltage is a DC voltage. The control device also has a voltage measuring unit for detecting a rectifier output voltage of the rectifier unit, a switch unit for generating a pulse width-modulated drive AC voltage for the three-phase motor from the rectifier output voltage, and a control unit for actuating the switch unit according to the rectifier output voltage.
    Type: Application
    Filed: September 5, 2017
    Publication date: August 1, 2019
    Inventor: THOMAS HILKER
  • Patent number: D860942
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 13, 2018
    Date of Patent: September 24, 2019
    Assignee: Siemens Aktiengesellschaft
    Inventor: Thomas Hilker
  • Patent number: D871335
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 13, 2018
    Date of Patent: December 31, 2019
    Assignee: Siemens Aktiengesellschaft
    Inventor: Thomas Hilker