Patents by Inventor Frank Ruhnau

Frank Ruhnau 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).

  • Method for determining or monitoring a predetermined fill level, a phase boundary or a density of a medium
    Patent number: 8955377
    Abstract: A method and an apparatus for determining or monitoring a predetermined fill level, a phase boundary or a density of a medium in a container with an oscillatable unit. The oscillatable unit is placed at the height of the predetermined fill level and is excited to oscillate successively with discrete exciter frequencies following one another in a frequency scanning operation (sweep) within a predeterminable frequency band in the working range of the oscillatable unit. The corresponding oscillations of the oscillatable unit are received in the form of received signals; wherein that exciter frequency is ascertained in the frequency scanning operation, at which the oscillatable unit oscillates with an oscillation frequency, which has a predetermined phase shift between the transmission signal and the received signal; and wherein the transmitting/receiving unit excites the oscillatable unit to oscillate with the ascertained oscillation frequency.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 23, 2010
    Date of Patent: February 17, 2015
    Assignee: Endress + Hauser GmbH + Co. KG
    Inventors: Martin Hortenbach, Martin Urban, Dietmar Frühauf, Tobias Brengartner, Frank Ruhnau, Michael Siegel
  • METHOD FOR DETERMINING OR MONITORING A PREDETERMINED FILL LEVEL, A PHASE BOUNDARY OR A DENSITY OF A MEDIUM
    Publication number: 20120085165
    Abstract: A method and an apparatus for determining or monitoring a predetermined fill level, a phase boundary or a density of a medium in a container with an oscillatable unit. The oscillatable unit is placed at the height of the predetermined fill level and is excited to oscillate successively with discrete exciter frequencies following one another in a frequency scanning operation (sweep) within a predeterminable frequency band in the working range of the oscillatable unit. The corresponding oscillations of the oscillatable unit are received in the form of received signals; wherein that exciter frequency is ascertained in the frequency scanning operation, at which the oscillatable unit oscillates with an oscillation frequency, which has a predetermined phase shift between the transmission signal and the received signal; and wherein the transmitting/receiving unit excites the oscillatable unit to oscillate with the ascertained oscillation frequency.
    Type: Application
    Filed: April 23, 2010
    Publication date: April 12, 2012
    Applicant: Endress + Hauser GmbH + Co. KG
    Inventors: Martin Hortenbach, Martin Urban, Dietmar Frühauf, Tobias Brengartner, Frank Ruhnau, Michael Siegel