Patents by Inventor Eckhardt Knabel

Eckhardt Knabel 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).

  • Minehunting apparatus for removing moored mines
    Patent number: 4970957
    Abstract: A minehunting apparatus is carried by an underwater transporting drone to the mooring cable of a mine. The minehunting apparatus includes a housing and clamping levers pivotably mounted on the housing to close around the mooring cable. Inside the housing are explosives which are detonated by a coded sonar signal. To improve the maneuverability of the transporting drone, the weight of the minehunting apparatus is balanced so that the apparatus has an essentially neutral buoyancy during the transporting process in the water. After the clamping mechanism has clamped itself around the mooring cable, a lighterweight is released to cause the remainder of the minehunting apparatus to float upwardly toward the mine.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 7, 1989
    Date of Patent: November 20, 1990
    Assignee: Rheinmetall GmbH
    Inventors: Gunter Backstein, Anette Brinkmann, Steffen Weber, Klaus-Jurgen Pohl, Eckhardt Knabel, Hermann Schaper