Patents by Inventor Eric L. Rehberg

Eric L. Rehberg 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: 11085667
    Abstract: A water heater that includes a cylindrical storage tank and at least one heating element, is modeled using a one-dimensional model that includes: a vertical stack of disks representing the water volume in the cylindrical storage tank, and a stack of annular segments surrounding the vertical stack of disks. Various temperature measurements are determined via resistance calculations of the at least one heating element. The stack of annular segments represents the cylindrical wall of the cylindrical storage tank. The one-dimensional model may be used by a condition-based maintenance system comprising an electronic data processing device configured to detect a failure mode present in the water heater based on an output of the water heating model component. Some illustrative failure modes include insulation disturbance, heating element failure, excessive sediment buildup, or a drip tube rupture.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 24, 2019
    Date of Patent: August 10, 2021
    Assignee: BATTELLE MEMORIAL INSTITUTE
    Inventors: Jason J McCullough, Michael A Jones, Eric L Rehberg
  • Publication number: 20190277537
    Abstract: A water heater that includes a cylindrical storage tank and at least one heating element, is modeled using a one-dimensional model that includes: a vertical stack of disks representing the water volume in the cylindrical storage tank, and a stack of annular segments surrounding the vertical stack of disks. Various temperature measurements are determined via resistance calculations of the at least one heating element. The stack of annular segments represents the cylindrical wall of the cylindrical storage tank. The one-dimensional model may be used by a condition-based maintenance system comprising an electronic data processing device configured to detect a failure mode present in the water heater based on an output of the water heating model component. Some illustrative failure modes include insulation disturbance, heating element failure, excessive sediment buildup, or a drip tube rupture.
    Type: Application
    Filed: May 24, 2019
    Publication date: September 12, 2019
    Inventors: Jason J. McCullough, Michael A. Jones, Eric L. Rehberg