Patents by Inventor Christian Fasthuber

Christian Fasthuber 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: 11876483
    Abstract: A photovoltaic, PV, module level monitoring system (1) comprising a photovoltaic array (PVA) including at least one photovoltaic string (PVS) comprising photovoltaic modules, PVM, (5) each having a module level device, MLD, (4) adapted to monitor and/or to control the associated photovoltaic module, PVM, (5), wherein each module level device, MLD, (4) comprises a transceiver adapted to communicate with a transceiver of a base station (2) of an inverter (6) connected to said photovoltaic array (PVA), wherein the transceivers are coupled by associated duplexer circuits (7) to a DC power network comprising power cables (3) connecting the photovoltaic modules, PVM, (5) of the at least one photovoltaic string (PVS) of said photovoltaic array (PVA) with the base station (2) of the inverter (6), wherein a signal amplitude of a communication signal, CS, transmitted by a transceiver via its associated duplexer circuit (7) is adjusted automatically depending on a monitored impedance, ZPV, of the respective photovoltaic
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 17, 2020
    Date of Patent: January 16, 2024
    Assignee: Fronius International GmbH
    Inventors: Johann Wilhelm, Christian Fasthuber
  • Publication number: 20240014648
    Abstract: The aim of the invention is to detect an arc in an assembly for transmitting a direct voltage. This aim is achieved by a communication transformer having a primary winding and a secondary winding, the secondary winding being connected to a transmitting device, which is designed to impress a communication signal onto the secondary winding of the communication transformer, and the primary winding being connected to one of the direct voltage lines in order to feed a communication signal transformed by the communication transformer to one of the direct voltage lines. In order to detect, in the assembly, the arc signal caused by an arc, the secondary winding is connected to an arc detection unit, which is designed to detect an arc signal transformed by the communication transformer.
    Type: Application
    Filed: September 20, 2023
    Publication date: January 11, 2024
    Applicant: Fronius International GmbH
    Inventors: BERND HOFER, CHRISTIAN FASTHUBER, FRANZ FISCHEREDER, STEFAN BREUER, WALTER SPITZER, MARIO BAIRHUBER, REIMAR PFEIL
  • Patent number: 11831149
    Abstract: To recognize a fault in an arrangement including a transformer having a primary winding connected in series with a DC voltage line and a secondary winding coupled magnetically to the primary winding, and including an evaluation unit that processes a secondary signal on the secondary winding, a signal component at at least one frequency is determined from the secondary signal and a signal level of the signal component is compared with a signal threshold. The fault is detected when the signal level falls below the signal threshold.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 26, 2019
    Date of Patent: November 28, 2023
    Assignee: FRONIUS INTERNATIONAL GMBH
    Inventors: Bernd Hofer, Stefan Breuer, Christian Fasthuber, Walter Spitzer, Andreas Hofer
  • Patent number: 11804710
    Abstract: The aim of the invention is to detect an arc in an assembly for transmitting a direct voltage. This aim is achieved by a communication transformer having a primary winding and a secondary winding, the secondary winding being connected to a transmitting device, which is designed to impress a communication signal onto the secondary winding of the communication transformer, and the primary winding being connected to one of the direct voltage lines in order to feed a communication signal transformed by the communication transformer to one of the direct voltage lines. In order to detect, in the assembly, the arc signal caused by an arc, the secondary winding is connected to an arc detection unit, which is designed to detect an arc signal transformed by the communication transformer.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 26, 2019
    Date of Patent: October 31, 2023
    Assignee: FRONIUS INTERNATIONAL GMBH
    Inventors: Bernd Hofer, Christian Fasthuber, Franz Fischereder, Stefan Breuer, Walter Spitzer, Mario Bairhuber, Reimar Pfeil
  • Publication number: 20220317168
    Abstract: A photovoltaic, PV, module level monitoring system (1) comprising a photovoltaic array (PVA) including at least one photovoltaic string (PVS) comprising photovoltaic modules, PVM, (5) each having a module level device, MLD, (4) adapted to monitor and/or to control the associated photovoltaic module, PVM, (5), wherein each module level device, MLD, (4) comprises a transceiver adapted to communicate with a transceiver of a base station (2) of an inverter (6) connected to said photovoltaic array (PVA), wherein the transceivers are coupled by associated duplexer circuits (7) to a DC power network comprising power cables (3) connecting the photovoltaic modules, PVM, (5) of the at least one photovoltaic string (PVS) of said photovoltaic array (PVA) with the base station (2) of the inverter (6), wherein a signal amplitude of a communication signal, CS, transmitted by a transceiver via its associated duplexer circuit (7) is adjusted automatically depending on a monitored impedance, ZPV, of the respective photovoltaic
    Type: Application
    Filed: June 17, 2020
    Publication date: October 6, 2022
    Inventors: Johann Wilhelm, Christian Fasthuber
  • Publication number: 20220006282
    Abstract: To recognize a fault in an arrangement including a transformer having a primary winding connected in series with a DC voltage line and a secondary winding coupled magnetically to the primary winding, and including an evaluation unit that processes a secondary signal on the secondary winding, a signal component at at least one frequency is determined from the secondary signal and a signal level of the signal component is compared with a signal threshold. The fault is detected when the signal level falls below the signal threshold.
    Type: Application
    Filed: September 26, 2019
    Publication date: January 6, 2022
    Applicant: Fronius International GmbH
    Inventors: Bernd HOFER, Stefan BREUER, Christian FASTHUBER, Walter SPITZER, Andreas HOFER
  • Publication number: 20210159687
    Abstract: The aim of the invention is to detect an arc in an assembly for transmitting a direct voltage. This aim is achieved by a communication transformer having a primary winding and a secondary winding, the secondary winding being connected to a transmitting device, which is designed to impress a communication signal onto the secondary winding of the communication transformer, and the primary winding being connected to one of the direct voltage lines in order to feed a communication signal transformed by the communication transformer to one of the direct voltage lines. In order to detect, in the assembly, the arc signal caused by an arc, the secondary winding is connected to an arc detection unit, which is designed to detect an arc signal transformed by the communication transformer.
    Type: Application
    Filed: July 26, 2019
    Publication date: May 27, 2021
    Applicant: Fronius International GmbH
    Inventors: BERND HOFER, CHRISTIAN FASTHUBER, FRANZ FISCHEREDER, STEFAN BREUER, WALTER SPITZER, MARIO BAIRHUBER, REIMAR PFEIL
  • Patent number: 10003383
    Abstract: Power transmission system (1) for power transmission of electric power (P) from a power source (2A) to a power sink (4A) which is connected to the power source (2A) via a power transfer cable (3), wherein the power source (2A) has a first pole with a first electric potential, which is connected via parallel current lines of a first conducting pair of the power transfer cable (3) to a first pole of the power sink (4A), and a second pole with a second electric potential, which is connected via further parallel current lines of a second conducting pair of the power transfer cable (3) to a second pole of the power sink (4A), wherein, during the power transmission via the current lines, a user data signal can be transmitted between the power source (2A) and the power sink (4A) via at least one conducting pair with current lines of the same electric potential, uninfluenced by the power transmission.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 29, 2015
    Date of Patent: June 19, 2018
    Assignee: Fronius International GmbH
    Inventors: Manfred Anzinger-Weitmann, Christian Fasthuber, Helmut Friedl
  • Patent number: 9906040
    Abstract: For a simple and reliable data communication in an arrangement composed of a plurality of inverters (31, 32, . . . 3n) connected in series and a network monitoring unit (5) it is provided that the network monitoring unit (5) superimposes a synchronization pulse (10) to the network voltage (VN) applied to the electrical load (4), which synchronization pulse can be detected by the inverters (31, 32, . . . 3n) for temporal synchronization.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 8, 2013
    Date of Patent: February 27, 2018
    Assignee: FRONIUS INTERNATIONAL GmbH
    Inventors: David Aitzetmueller, Christian Fasthuber, Clemens Bittmann
  • Publication number: 20170353217
    Abstract: Power transmission system (1) for power transmission of electric power (P) from a power source (2A) to a power sink (4A) which is connected to the power source (2A) via a power transfer cable (3), wherein the power source (2A) has a first pole with a first electric potential, which is connected via parallel current lines of a first conducting pair of the power transfer cable (3) to a first pole of the power sink (4A), and a second pole with a second electric potential, which is connected via further parallel current lines of a second conducting pair of the power transfer cable (3) to a second pole of the power sink (4A), wherein, during the power transmission via the current lines, a user data signal can be transmitted between the power source (2A) and the power sink (4A) via at least one conducting pair with current lines of the same electric potential, uninfluenced by the power transmission.
    Type: Application
    Filed: December 29, 2015
    Publication date: December 7, 2017
    Inventors: Manfred Anzinger-Weitmann, Christian Fasthuber, Helmut Friedl
  • Publication number: 20150288191
    Abstract: For a simple and reliable data communication in an arrangement composed of a plurality of inverters (31, 32, . . . 3n) connected in series and a network monitoring unit (5) it is provided that the network monitoring unit (5) superimposes a synchronization pulse (10) to the network voltage (VN) applied to the electrical load (4), which synchronization pulse can be detected by the inverters (31, 32, . . . 3n) for temporal synchronization.
    Type: Application
    Filed: November 8, 2013
    Publication date: October 8, 2015
    Applicant: FRONIUS INTERNATIONAL GmbH
    Inventors: David Aitzetmueller, Christian Fasthuber, Clemens Bittmann
  • Patent number: 9000348
    Abstract: The invention relates to a method and an apparatus for performing a switching operation with the aid of a operation element (13). In order to avoid mechanical components, at least one light-emitting diode (14) is used as the operating element (13), and the voltage (U) on the at least one light-emitting diode (14) is measured in the switched-off state, and the switching operation is performed when the measured voltage (15) falls below a pregiven lower threshold (18) over a pregiven time period (19).
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 26, 2011
    Date of Patent: April 7, 2015
    Assignee: Fronius International GmbH
    Inventors: Christian Fasthuber, Florian Schuster, Gerald Ortner, Michael Sandberger
  • Publication number: 20130062507
    Abstract: The invention relates to a method and an apparatus for performing a switching operation with the aid of a operation element (13). In order to avoid mechanical components, at least one light-emitting diode (14) is used as the operating element (13), and the voltage (U) on the at least one light-emitting diode (14) is measured in the switched-off state, and the switching operation is performed when the measured voltage (15) falls below a pregiven lower threshold (18) over a pregiven time period (19).
    Type: Application
    Filed: May 26, 2011
    Publication date: March 14, 2013
    Applicant: FRONIUS INTERNATIONAL GMBH
    Inventors: Christian Fasthuber, Florian Schuster, Gerald Ortner, Michael Sandberger