Patents by Inventor Christian Royer

Christian Royer 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: 12347579
    Abstract: A method is for monitoring a nuclear reactor comprising a core in which fuel assemblies are loaded, each assembly comprising nuclear fuel rods each including nuclear fuel pellets and a cladding surrounding the pellets. The method includes determining (100) at least one operating time limit (TFPPI) for the extended reduced power operation of the reduced power nuclear reactor, so as to avoid a rupture of at least one of the claddings, operating (102) the nuclear reactor at reduced power for an actual time strictly less than the time limit (TFPPI), and relaxing (104) at least one threshold for protecting the nuclear power plant as a function of a difference between the time limit (TFPPI) and the actual time.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 30, 2018
    Date of Patent: July 1, 2025
    Assignee: FRAMATOME
    Inventors: Christian Royere, Christophe Lasne
  • Patent number: 12265371
    Abstract: Provided is a method for optimizing the occupancy of magazine spaces by tools within at least one tool magazine for a machine tool in a computer-supported manner, including: detecting a quantity of magazine spaces in at least one tool magazine, detecting a first quantity of tools which occupy at least one magazine space and the magazine spaces occupied by the tools, detecting a second quantity of tools which are to be additionally received in the at least one tool magazine, detecting the required space and optionally at least one other property for each tool, detecting a quantity of allowed magazines spaces for each tool, detecting a quantity of allowed magazine space pairs, wherein a first tool can be placed on a first magazine space of the magazine space pair, and optimizing the occupancy of the magazine spaces.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 1, 2019
    Date of Patent: April 1, 2025
    Assignee: SIEMENS AKTIENGESELLSCHAFT
    Inventors: Georg Baier, Silvio Becher, Lena Hupp, Christian Royer
  • Patent number: 12248297
    Abstract: A method for optimizing the occupancy of magazine spaces by tools within at least one tool magazine for a machine tool in a computer-supported manner is provided. One or more workpieces of one or more workpiece types is produced using the tools supplied by a magazine device at a supply area, having the following steps: a-i) detecting a number of workpieces, magazine spaces, a number of tools, required space, allowable magazines spaces for each tool, allowable starting magazine occupancy, a sequence of work steps to be carried out by the machine tool on a workpiece, work step time periods required to carry out each individual work step on the workpiece, one or more supply time periods depending on the sequence of the work steps to be carried out, and j) optimizing the occupancy of the magazine spaces by tools.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 1, 2019
    Date of Patent: March 11, 2025
    Assignee: Siemens Aktiengesellschaft
    Inventors: Georg Baier, Silvio Becher, Lena Hupp, Christian Royer
  • Patent number: 12229486
    Abstract: Provided is a method for determining set-up families for a pick-and-place line for populating circuit boards with electronic components one or more component types, the method including the following steps: detecting a predetermined or predeterminable number of set-up families; wherein a set-up family is defined as a quantity of circuit boards that can be populated on a pick-and-place line without changing the quantity of component types kept ready for population on the pick-and-place line; wherein an assignment of circuit boards to be distributed to the detected number of set-up families is optimized by integer linear programming in such a way that the sum of the numbers of component types per set-up family is minimized; and populating the circuit boards in the set-up family assigned to them.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 25, 2019
    Date of Patent: February 18, 2025
    Assignee: Siemens Aktiengesellschaft
    Inventors: Alexander Pfaffinger, Christian Royer
  • Patent number: 12204320
    Abstract: A machine tool which is designed to carry out a specified sequence of work steps is provided. A tool and a processing time is assigned to each work step. A tool magazine is designed to keep a number of tools ready for the machine tool and includes a feeder for conveying tools from and to a transfer point for the machine tool. In a method for assigning tools to spaces of the tool magazine, a number of work steps are determined from the sequence, the respective processing time of each work step being shorter than a specified cycle time of the tool magazine. A work step is iteratively selected from the number of work steps; a previously used tool and a subsequently used tool are assigned spaces of the tool magazine; and the work step is removed from the number of work steps.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 1, 2019
    Date of Patent: January 21, 2025
    Assignee: Siemens Aktiengesellschaft
    Inventors: Georg Baier, Silvio Becher, Lena Hupp, Christian Royer
  • Patent number: 12190262
    Abstract: A method for the computer-aided optimization of tool transports for at least one tool magazine having a number of magazine locations, which is used for a machine tool for the production of one or more workpieces with the aid of the tools provided by a magazine device at a provision location, the method including: a) detecting a quantity of tools, b) determining the space required for each tool, c) detecting a quantity of occupiable magazine locations for each tool, d) detecting a permissible output magazine occupancy e) detecting the permissible target magazine occupancy, f) detecting a quantity of transport durations required for a journey of the magazine device, g) determining a partial quantity of tool transports for which a transport sequence is specifiable so that the tools are movable in the transport sequence, h) optimizing the transport sequence for the partial quantity of tool transports.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 17, 2018
    Date of Patent: January 7, 2025
    Assignee: Siemens Aktiengesellschaft
    Inventors: Georg Baier, Silvio Becher, Lena Hupp, Christian Royer
  • Publication number: 20240314995
    Abstract: A method for identifying at least one fixed setup for an assembly line includes a circuit board double transport system of which the first transport track and second transport track transport double-sided circuit boards. The method includes acquiring a quantity of circuit board types which are each associated with double-sided circuit boards acquiring a quantity of component types acquiring a production time for synchronous population of the first and second side of each associated double-sided circuit; acquiring a production time for asynchronous population; acquiring a number of fixed setup clusters; assigning circuit board types to each fixed setup cluster; and optimizing the assignment process in such a way that the production time saving identified from the acquired production times of the synchronous and asynchronous population over all associated double-sided circuit boards is maximized.
    Type: Application
    Filed: May 31, 2021
    Publication date: September 19, 2024
    Inventors: Alexander Pfaffinger, Christian Royer
  • Patent number: 12051515
    Abstract: A method for protecting a nuclear reactor includes reconstructing a maximum linear power density released among the fuel rods of the nuclear fuel assemblies of the core; calculating the thermomechanical state and the burnup fraction of the rods; calculating a mechanical stress or deformation energy density in the cladding of one of the rods by using the said reconstructed maximum linear power density, the calculated thermomechanical states and the calculated burnup fractions, by means of a meta-model of a thermomechanical code; comparing the calculated mechanical stress or the calculated deformation energy density with a respective threshold; and stopping the nuclear reactor if the calculated mechanical stress or the calculated deformation energy density exceeds the respective threshold.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 12, 2019
    Date of Patent: July 30, 2024
    Assignee: FRAMATOME
    Inventors: Christian Royere, Mathieu Segond
  • Publication number: 20230381905
    Abstract: Provided is a method and a device for the computer-aided optimization of tool transportation operations for at least one tool magazine that has a number of magazine spaces and is used or is able to be used for a machine tool that is used to produce one or more workpieces with the aid of the tools provided at a provision space by a magazine device. The input comprises the set of tools and the space requirement of each tool and a permissible starting magazine occupancy. In step 1, a set of available time intervals is determined. In step 2, one or more tool transportation operations are assigned to a respective time interval under the condition that the movement period for the tool transportation operation is less than or equal to the length of the time interval. In step 3, one or more tool transportation operations are performed.
    Type: Application
    Filed: November 4, 2020
    Publication date: November 30, 2023
    Inventors: Georg Baier, Lena Hupp, Christian Royer
  • Publication number: 20230345689
    Abstract: A method for populating circuit boards with a quantity of required component types on at least two assembly lines, wherein fixedly assigned Components can be mounted on each assembly line, wherein the method includes the following steps: a) acquiring circuit board types; b) acquiring component types; c) acquiring fixedly assigned component clusters for each assembly line; d) acquiring circuit board types that can be assigned to a fixedly assigned component cluster for each assembly line; e) acquiring circuit board types that can be assigned to a cluster extension for each fixedly assigned component cluster f) determining an assignment of circuit board types to fixedly assigned component clusters and cluster extensions; and g) optimising the determined assignment until an assignment quality exceeds a predeterminable level.
    Type: Application
    Filed: July 28, 2020
    Publication date: October 26, 2023
    Inventors: Alexander Pfaffinger, Christian Royer
  • Publication number: 20230251636
    Abstract: A method for determining an optimum assignment of module types including: a) ascertaining an expected production time for each module type of the modules to be assembled and for each assembly line,; b) assigning a set of module types of the set of module types to a predefined number of fixed-setup setup families containing respectively associated fixed setups; c) optimizing the assignment from b) such that, for all module types that are assigned to the fixed-setup setup families, a sum of differences between the expected production time per module type, if it were to be assembled on one of the remaining assembly lines with the minimum production time out of the at least one remaining assembly line, and the expected production time on the selected assembly line is maximized; and d) outputting the optimized assignment in a form suitable for controlling and/or regulating the assembly of the modules.
    Type: Application
    Filed: January 31, 2023
    Publication date: August 10, 2023
    Inventors: Alexander Pfaffinger, Christian Royer
  • Patent number: 11523553
    Abstract: Provided is a transmission device for feedback-free unidirectional transmission of data from a first network zone into a second network zone for evaluation at a remote application server, containing: —a data export device which is arranged in the first network zone and is to detect the data transmitted in a network data format in the first network zone and to transform the data from the network data format into a transport data format, —a unidirectional data transmission unit, to transmit the data in the transport data format into the second network zone unidirectionally—a data import device which transforms the data from the transport data format back into the network data format and to transmit the data to an application server, wherein the data import device and the application server are arranged in a second network zone remote from the first zone, and to a corresponding method.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 11, 2017
    Date of Patent: December 6, 2022
    Inventors: Alexander Pfaffinger, Christian Royer
  • Patent number: 11395448
    Abstract: Provided is a method for the throughput-optimised production of printed circuit boards on least two assembly lines, wherein: the printed circuit boards are divided into clusters; each cluster is produced using a set-up system that is carried out by changeover tables that can be attached to the assembly line, each changeover table having at least one feed device for keeping ready stocks of components; and a changeover table set and an empty changeover table set comprises changeover tables with feed devices that are empty.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 31, 2017
    Date of Patent: July 19, 2022
    Assignee: SIEMENS AKTIENGESELLSCHAFT
    Inventors: Alexander Pfaffinger, Christian Royer
  • Patent number: 11363750
    Abstract: A method and a control device for the throughput-optimized production of printed circuit boards on a pick-and-place line is provided. Further provided is a method for the throughput-optimized production of printed circuit boards on a pick-and-place line, wherein: the printed circuit boards are divided into groups known as clusters; each cluster is produced using one set-up; the set-up is realized by changing tables that can be attached to the pick-and-place line, each changing table having at least one feed device for keeping ready stocks of components; a quantity of changing tables needed for each set-up is referred to as a changing table set and an empty changing table set includes changing tables having feed devices that are empty.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 31, 2017
    Date of Patent: June 14, 2022
    Inventors: Alexander Pfaffinger, Christian Royer
  • Publication number: 20220152763
    Abstract: Provided is a method for optimizing the occupancy of magazine spaces by tools within at least one tool magazine for a machine tool in a computer-supported manner, including: detecting a quantity of magazine spaces in at least one tool magazine, detecting a first quantity of tools which occupy at least one magazine space and the magazine spaces occupied by the tools, detecting a second quantity of tools which are to be additionally received in the at least one tool magazine, detecting the required space and optionally at least one other property for each tool, detecting a quantity of allowed magazines spaces for each tool, detecting a quantity of allowed magazine space pairs, wherein a first tool can be placed on a first magazine space of the magazine space pair, and optimizing the occupancy of the magazine spaces.
    Type: Application
    Filed: March 1, 2019
    Publication date: May 19, 2022
    Inventors: Georg Baier, Silvio Becher, Lena Hupp, Christian Royer
  • Publication number: 20220147685
    Abstract: Provided is a method for determining set-up families for a pick-and-place line for populating circuit boards with electronic components one or more component types, the method including the following steps: detecting a predetermined or predeterminable number of set-up families; wherein a set-up family is defined as a quantity of circuit boards that can be populated on a pick-and-place line without changing the quantity of component types kept ready for population on the pick-and-place line; wherein an assignment of circuit boards to be distributed to the detected number of set-up families is optimized by integer linear programming in such a way that the sum of the numbers of component types per set-up family is minimized; and populating the circuit boards in the set-up family assigned to them.
    Type: Application
    Filed: March 25, 2019
    Publication date: May 12, 2022
    Inventors: Alexander Pfaffinger, Christian Royer
  • Publication number: 20220147024
    Abstract: A machine tool which is designed to carry out a specified sequence of work steps is provided. A tool and a processing time is assigned to each work step. A tool magazine is designed to keep a number of tools ready for the machine tool and includes a feeder for conveying tools from and to a transfer point for the machine tool. In a method for assigning tools to spaces of the tool magazine, a number of work steps are determined from the sequence, the respective processing time of each work step being shorter than a specified cycle time of the tool magazine. A work step is iteratively selected from the number of work steps; a previously used tool and a subsequently used tool are assigned spaces of the tool magazine; and the work step is removed from the number of work steps.
    Type: Application
    Filed: March 1, 2019
    Publication date: May 12, 2022
    Inventors: Georg BAIER, Silvio BECHER, Lena HUPP, Christian ROYER
  • Publication number: 20220134497
    Abstract: A method for optimizing the occupancy of magazine spaces by tools within at least one tool magazine for a machine tool in a computer-supported manner is provided. One or more workpieces of one or more workpiece types is produced using the tools supplied by a magazine device at a supply area, having the following steps: a-i) detecting a number of workpieces, magazine spaces, a number of tools, required space, allowable magazines spaces for each tool, allowable starting magazine occupancy, a sequence of work steps to be carried out by the machine tool on a workpiece, work step time periods required to carry out each individual work step on the workpiece, one or more supply time periods depending on the sequence of the work steps to be carried out, and j) optimizing the occupancy of the magazine spaces by tools.
    Type: Application
    Filed: March 1, 2019
    Publication date: May 5, 2022
    Inventors: Georg Baier, Silvio Becher, Lena Hupp, Christian Royer
  • Patent number: 11284551
    Abstract: Provided is a method for determining the maximum number of constant tables at table locations in one or more pick-and-place lines for the placement of components on modules using pick-and-place machines, the fittings on the constant tables being used in all the fitting families of a pick-and-place line, one fitting family including a set of modules which can be produced on a pick-and-place line with a common component fitting, wherein the maximum number of constant tables is determined by calculation using mixed-integer liner optimization on the basis of input data describing the pick-and-place infrastructure, wherein the pick-and place infrastructure can include in particular the pick-and-place lines having the pick-and-place machines, each with pick-and-place head, at least one transport system for the modules, the said constant tables, and further tables which can be variably fitted.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 3, 2016
    Date of Patent: March 22, 2022
    Inventors: Alexander Pfaffinger, Christian Royer
  • Patent number: 11240951
    Abstract: Provided is a method for allocating assemblies to placement lines for placing components on the assemblies, wherein an expected production time is determined for each assembly type of the assemblies to be provided with components and for each placement line, taking into consideration each cycle time for the assembly type on the placement line and the expected number of pieces to be produced for each assembly type. The actual number of pieces to be produced arises according to a predeterminable probability distribution, wherein the possible allocations of assemblies to the placement lines are restricted by the existing infrastructure and/or by user defined specifications, and the allocation of the assemblies to the placement lines is calculated by means of an optimization method.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 10, 2016
    Date of Patent: February 1, 2022
    Assignee: SIEMENS AKTIENGESELLSCHAFT
    Inventors: Alexander Pfaffinger, Christian Royer