Patents Assigned to Inficon GmbH
  • Patent number: 10352815
    Abstract: An improved leakage testing device for attachment to a flexible wall of an item to be tested is provided with a film (4) that limits a hollow chamber (1) on the outer side of the item to be tested and with a leakage (2), said film (4) being designed to adhere to the item to be tested.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 2, 2013
    Date of Patent: July 16, 2019
    Assignee: INFICON GMBH
    Inventor: Silvio Decker
  • Patent number: 10352848
    Abstract: A gas detection system, comprising a sample gas inlet, a reference gas inlet and a gas modulation valve alternatingly connecting one of the sample gas inlet and the reference gas inlet to a gas sensor, is characterized in that a selective transfer filter is located in the gas flow path connecting the gas modulation valve and the gas sensor.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 24, 2016
    Date of Patent: July 16, 2019
    Assignee: INFICON GmbH
    Inventors: Fredrik Enquist, Niclas Edvardsson, Johan Hellgren, Henrik Vennerberg
  • Patent number: 10338050
    Abstract: Method for determining whether a gas sample originates from biological processes or from a gas installation being tested and containing a utility gas is characterized in that an increased concentration of hydrogen in the sample as compared to that present in the utility gas is used as evidence that the sample originates from biological decay processes and not from the gas installation under test.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 20, 2015
    Date of Patent: July 2, 2019
    Assignee: INFICON GmbH
    Inventor: Fredrik Enquist
  • Patent number: 10309862
    Abstract: A film chamber for receiving a test object which is to be tested with respect to the presence of a leak, wherein the film chamber has walls enclosing a film chamber volume, said walls having at least one flexible wall region, wherein a measuring volume adjoining the flexible wall region is arranged on the side of the flexible wall region which is situated opposite the film chamber volume and is hermetically separated from the film chamber volume.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 14, 2015
    Date of Patent: June 4, 2019
    Assignee: INFICON GmbH
    Inventors: Silvio Decker, Norbert Rolff
  • Patent number: 10309859
    Abstract: A carpet probe for detecting leaks in underground gas pipes, including a handle (12), a wheel (16) connected to the handle (12), and a flat carpet element (14) connected to the wheel (16) and including a sniffing inlet (28) connected to a gas sensor (18), is characterized in that the wheel (16) is the only wheel (16) of the carpet probe adapted for rolling on a ground surface.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 15, 2015
    Date of Patent: June 4, 2019
    Assignee: INFICON GmbH
    Inventor: Fredrick Enquist
  • Patent number: 10309943
    Abstract: Infrared gas detection system comprising a gas inlet, an infrared gas analyzer connected to the gas inlet and a secondary gas sensor connected to the gas inlet, and an evaluation device evaluating the measurement signals from both the infrared gas analyzer and from the secondary gas sensor, such that a gas is identified only if both the infrared measurement signal and the secondary measurement signal coincide in time.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 26, 2016
    Date of Patent: June 4, 2019
    Assignee: INFICON GmbH
    Inventors: Johan Hellgren, Henrik Vennerberg, Fredrik Enquist
  • Patent number: 10302525
    Abstract: The invention relates to a test device for carrying out load tests on flexible, elongated test objects, including a first suspension which is movably guided along a closed circulating path for a first end of the test object, a drive for moving the first suspension along the path, a second suspension for fastening another end of the test object, and a mass body that can be attached to the test object between the two suspensions in such a manner that the mass body is movable along the test object.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 10, 2015
    Date of Patent: May 28, 2019
    Assignee: INFICON GmbH
    Inventor: Stefan Mebus
  • Patent number: 10247637
    Abstract: Leak detection device for measuring the differential pressure between a test chamber (10) and a reference chamber, which can be separated from the test chamber (10) gas-tight by a first check valve (24), wherein a differential pressure sensor (34) is connected to the reference chamber and to the test chamber (10) in order to measure the differential pressure between the internal pressure of the reference chamber and the internal pressure of the test chamber (10), characterized in that the test chamber (10) and the reference chamber each have at least one wall region formed from a flexible film, wherein the ratio of the test chamber volume (20) to the surface area of the flexible wall region of the test chamber (10) adjacent to the test chamber volume (20) and the ratio of the reference chamber volume to the surface area of the flexible wall region of the reference chamber adjacent to the reference chamber volume are substantially equal.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 9, 2015
    Date of Patent: April 2, 2019
    Assignee: INFICON GmbH
    Inventors: Daniel Wetzig, Silvio Decker
  • Patent number: 10190932
    Abstract: The present invention relates to a method for preventing gases and fluids to penetrate a surface of an object, comprising the steps of: depositing (S1) an amorphous metal (5) on a surface of an object (4); forming (S2) a continuous layer of the amorphous metal (5) on the surface of the object (4); binding (S3) the amorphous metal (5) to the surface of the object by chemical binding; and passivation (S4) of a surface of the amorphous metal (5) facing away from the surface of the object (4).
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 28, 2013
    Date of Patent: January 29, 2019
    Assignee: INFICON GMBH
    Inventors: Per Bjorkman, Bjorgvin Hjorvarsson
  • Publication number: 20180328809
    Abstract: A device for measuring the pressure at the test gas inlet of a mass-spectrometric leak detector, wherein a mass spectrometer is connected to the inlet of a high vacuum pump having its outlet connected to the inlet of a pre-vacuum pump, wherein the inlet of the pre-vacuum pump is connected to the test gas inlet and wherein the inlet of the pre-vacuum pump and at least one intermediate inlet of the high vacuum pump are connected to each other by a connection line comprising a flow throttle.
    Type: Application
    Filed: November 10, 2016
    Publication date: November 15, 2018
    Applicant: INFICON GmbH
    Inventors: Hjalmar Bruhns, Ludolf Gerdau, Norbert Moser, Günter Schmitz, Daniel Wetzig
  • Patent number: 10119883
    Abstract: An evacuable flexible test chamber (10) for a leakage test of a test piece, having a wall (12) surrounding a test chamber volume (36), is characterized in that at least a portion of said wall is made up of two layers (18, 20) of wall material of which at least the layer (20) facing said test chamber volume (36) is made from a flexible material, and that between said two layers (18, 20) an overpressure as compared to the atmosphere surrounding said test chamber (10) is adapted to be created.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 12, 2015
    Date of Patent: November 6, 2018
    Assignee: INFICON GmbH
    Inventors: Hendrik van Triest, Silvio Decker
  • Patent number: 10107703
    Abstract: A pressure step is applied to the interior of a compartment. A sensor which measures the pressure within compartment, in response of the prevailing pressure level, and the transient step response oscillation frequency is used to identify the gas or gas mixture present in the compartment.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 9, 2013
    Date of Patent: October 23, 2018
    Assignee: INFICON GMBH
    Inventors: Christian Berg, Martin Wüest
  • Patent number: 10101237
    Abstract: A test leak device for calibrating or testing leak detection apparatuses, said test leak device having a pressurized gas container that has an inlet for filing in a test gas and a leak that has a predefined leak rate. The test leak device has an integrated pressure sensor that monitors the pressure in the pressurized gas container and is designed for the wireless transmission of the measured pressure values to a receiver.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 30, 2014
    Date of Patent: October 16, 2018
    Assignee: INFICON GmbH
    Inventor: Silvio Decker
  • Patent number: 10082436
    Abstract: Method for processing a measurement signal (x) from a pressure measurement cell in order to generate an output signal (y) with the aid of a filter unit (10), wherein the method involves generating the output signal (y) with the aid of the filter unit (10) by at least reducing, preferably eliminating, a noise signal contained in the measurement signal (x), continuously determining a difference between the measurement signal (x) and the output signal (y), and changing a characteristic of the filter unit (10) as soon as the difference becomes greater than a threshold value, wherein the changed characteristic of the filter unit (10) remains as long as the difference becomes smaller than the threshold value, and wherein the changing of the filter characteristic involves decreasing the reduction in the noise signal present in the measurement signal (x).
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 14, 2013
    Date of Patent: September 25, 2018
    Assignee: INFICON GMBH
    Inventor: Felix Mullis
  • Publication number: 20180252613
    Abstract: Method for detecting a leak in a specimen contained in a test chamber, the method comprising the following steps: positioning the specimen in the test chamber, evacuating the test chamber, measuring the partial pressure in the test chamber as a measuring signal M during the evacuation of the test chamber, forming a difference D from the progress of the signal M(t) over time t and a fitting function F(t) including the term t?n, where n is a positive rational number, and judging the presence of a leak in the specimen based on the differential signal D.
    Type: Application
    Filed: September 12, 2016
    Publication date: September 6, 2018
    Applicant: INFICON GMBH
    Inventors: Jochen Puchalla-König, Ludolf Gerdau
  • Patent number: 10031075
    Abstract: A device for identifying refrigerants includes a gas cell, which has a test gas inlet and a test gas outlet, an infrared source that radiates through the gas cell, and at least one sensor that detects the infrared radiation that passes through the gas cell. At least one wide-band filter is provided between the infrared source and the sensor. The passband of the at least one wide-band filter includes the absorption spectra of the refrigerants to be detected and does not include the absorption spectrum of hydrocarbons. The gas cell is connected to a cartridge, which contains the refrigerant to be detected in pure form as a reference gas.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 24, 2012
    Date of Patent: July 24, 2018
    Assignee: Inficon GmbH
    Inventors: Gerhard Kuester, Werner Grosse Bley
  • Publication number: 20180172538
    Abstract: A sensor unit including a measuring cell with a section-wise heat-conducting surface, a housing in which the measuring cell for the most part is contained, and an access channel to the measuring cell. The sensor unit includes a cavity that is confined for the most part by an outer surface of the measuring cell and by a wall of the housing facing towards the surface of the measuring cell. The cavity is closed in itself.
    Type: Application
    Filed: February 13, 2018
    Publication date: June 21, 2018
    Applicant: INFICON GMBH
    Inventors: Hansjakob HANSELMANN-WILLI, Francesco SCUDERI
  • Patent number: 9983085
    Abstract: Vacuum pressure of a gas in a compartment (1) is measured. The vacuum pressure is established by a pump arrangement (3,5) with a pulsating pumping effect (g(t)). The shape of the resulting pulsation of the pressure (p(t)) in compartment (1) is exploited (15) as an indication of the operation status of the pump arrangement (3,5).
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 9, 2013
    Date of Patent: May 29, 2018
    Assignee: INFICON GMBH
    Inventors: Martin Wüest, Christian Berg
  • Patent number: 9945749
    Abstract: An ionization vacuum measuring cell comprises an anode (3A) and a cathode (4K) in a measuring chamber (107). The measuring chamber (107) is arranged in a housing (101) which has a vacuum-tight feedthrough (103) for a connection rod (104) of the cathode (4K) towards the outside. The measuring chamber (107) holds the rod (104) in a feedthrough (109) which is electrically insulating only. The measuring chamber (107) in the housing (101) can be exchanged by a releasable plug connection (106).
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 9, 2013
    Date of Patent: April 17, 2018
    Assignee: INFICON GMBH
    Inventors: Bernhard Andreaus, Rolf Enderes, Martin Wuest, Oskar Untermarzoner, Rudolf Stocker
  • Patent number: 9933325
    Abstract: Test leak device including a gas-filled container and a capillary extending through a container wall. The gas including at least 10% of atmospheric air.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 13, 2014
    Date of Patent: April 3, 2018
    Assignee: Inficon GmbH
    Inventor: Rudi Widt