Patents by Inventor Franz ENGEL

Franz ENGEL 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: 10940650
    Abstract: A laying unit for producing a fiber composite component includes a drive device which is formed for magnetic cooperation with a running face, which provides a magnetic field and/or is ferromagnetic, to advance the laying unit on the running face. A device for producing a fiber composite component including a laying unit of this type and a method for producing a fiber composite component including a device of this type are disclosed.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 28, 2019
    Date of Patent: March 9, 2021
    Assignee: Airbus Defence and Space GmbH
    Inventors: Franz Engel, Christian Weimer, Tilman Orth
  • Patent number: 10695983
    Abstract: A device for the layer-wise additive production of a complex three-dimensional component has a measuring mechanism for continuously monitoring quality indicators during the production of the component, wherein the measuring mechanism and a bed with a material powder are surrounded, at least in regions, by a processing cell filled with a protective gas atmosphere and the material powder of an uppermost layer can be melted in a locally limited manner in a melting zone by means of at least one laser. The measuring mechanism has the at least one laser and at least one optical sensor for the priority detection of the quality indicators in the region of the melting zone, in particular by means of Raman spectroscopy. Consequently, any construction errors in the component can be recognised, evaluated and, if necessary, corrected in a resource-saving manner without delay.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 23, 2016
    Date of Patent: June 30, 2020
    Assignee: APWORKS GmbH
    Inventors: Franz Engel, Andreas Nick, Wolfgang Rehm, Christian Weimer
  • Publication number: 20200061936
    Abstract: A laying unit for producing a fiber composite component includes a drive device which is formed for magnetic cooperation with a running face, which provides a magnetic field and/or is ferromagnetic, to advance the laying unit on the running face. A device for producing a fiber composite component including a laying unit of this type and a method for producing a fiber composite component including a device of this type are disclosed.
    Type: Application
    Filed: October 28, 2019
    Publication date: February 27, 2020
    Inventors: Franz ENGEL, Christian WEIMER, Tilman ORTH
  • Patent number: 10551369
    Abstract: A method for a probabilistic detection of defects in ribbons of material laid on a fiber composite workpiece. The method includes detecting at least one surface profile of a workpiece having laid material ribbons and locating a surface profile entry in a database. In this case, the surface profile entry provides an assignment of the surface profile to a defect type and to a hit probability that the detected surface profile is based on a defect of the defect type.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 29, 2016
    Date of Patent: February 4, 2020
    Assignee: Airbus Defence and Space GmbH
    Inventor: Franz Engel
  • Patent number: 10456995
    Abstract: A laying unit for producing a fiber composite component includes a drive device which is formed for magnetic cooperation with a running face, which provides a magnetic field and/or is ferromagnetic, to advance the laying unit on the running face. A device for producing a fiber composite component comprising a laying unit of this type and a method for producing a fiber composite component comprising a device of this type are disclosed.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 22, 2016
    Date of Patent: October 29, 2019
    Assignee: Airbus Defence and Space GmbH
    Inventors: Franz Engel, Christian Weimer, Tilman Orth
  • Patent number: 10434727
    Abstract: An apparatus for producing a fiber composite component. The apparatus includes a shaping tool and a plurality of laying units which are mechanically independent of one another and are each configured to lay a fiber material on the shaping tool, wherein the laying units each include a control device which is configured to actuate each laying unit to automatically interact with at least one other laying unit to lay a predetermined fiber arrangement together.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 22, 2016
    Date of Patent: October 8, 2019
    Assignee: Airbus Defence and Space GmbH
    Inventors: Franz Engel, Christian Weimer, Tilman Orth
  • Patent number: 10434729
    Abstract: Devices and methods are disclosed for depositing reinforcing fiber tapes and detecting laying errors. Automatic depositing of reinforcing fiber tapes on a support can occur by a laying head and at least one roller assigned to the laying head. At least one radiation source and/or at least one sensor is integrated into the at least one roller for the detection of laying errors, and this roller is transmissive at least by region for a radiation emitted by the radiation source.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 30, 2016
    Date of Patent: October 8, 2019
    Assignee: Airbus Defence and Space GmbH
    Inventors: Christian Eitzinger, Franz Engel, Tilman Orth, Christian Weimer
  • Patent number: 10427332
    Abstract: A fiber application tool for a fiber placement and production method has a fiber contact surface area, which has a fiber contact surface for applying and/or pressing the fibers onto a work surface. The tool further includes an activation device for activating an adhesive, matrix, resin, or binder material provided at the fibers by means of an activation radiation so that the fibers are tacked onto the work surface. The fiber contact surface area for the activation radiation may be transparent and that the activation device may be designed so to guide and/or deliver the activation radiation through the transparent fiber contact surface area to the fibers to be pressed by the fiber contact surface.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 11, 2017
    Date of Patent: October 1, 2019
    Assignee: Airbus Defence and Space GmbH
    Inventor: Franz Engel
  • Patent number: 10399288
    Abstract: A laying unit for producing a fiber composite component is provided. The laying unit includes a housing and a plurality of fiber coils which are designed so as to be able to be unwound during a movement of the laying unit, wherein the fiber coils are provided in a movably mounted manner inside the housing.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 15, 2016
    Date of Patent: September 3, 2019
    Assignee: Airbus Defence and Space GmbH
    Inventors: Franz Engel, Christian Weimer, Tilman Orth
  • Patent number: 10286613
    Abstract: A method to produce a fibrous body that includes structures crosslinked in a fluid-permeable manner. The method includes constructing the fibrous body in layers by alternately applying a fiber-matrix material to a layer substrate and fusing each applied layer of the fiber-matrix material. The fiber-matrix material contains a matrix material and a plurality of short fibers and/or fiber particles.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 4, 2016
    Date of Patent: May 14, 2019
    Assignee: Airbus Defence and Space GmbH
    Inventors: Christian Weimer, Franz Engel
  • Patent number: 10166729
    Abstract: A device for consolidating a thermoplastic preform, in particular a carbon fiber thermoplastic preform includes a heating element, e.g., an LED array, for heating the preform and a consolidation element, e.g., a consolidation roller, for exposing the preform to pressure and for cooling the preform. In order to consolidate the preform, the heating element and consolidation element are arranged and movable relative to each other in such a way that the preform can be exposed to pressure and cooled by the consolidation element after heated by means of the heating element.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 21, 2015
    Date of Patent: January 1, 2019
    Assignee: Airbus Defence and Space GmbH
    Inventors: Christian Weimer, Franz Engel, Tilman Orth
  • Patent number: 10150263
    Abstract: A testing arrangement serves for controlling the manufacturing of a fiber reinforced component. The testing arrangement includes an inspection device with a sensor system, with the inspection device being configured to move on and/or above one or more material layer(s) and/or a surface of the component and to examine the material layer(s) or the surface with the sensor system. A device serves for automated manufacturing of a fiber reinforced plastic laminate. The device includes a forming tool, a laying head for automated laying of material layers in the forming tool as well as a testing arrangement.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 12, 2016
    Date of Patent: December 11, 2018
    Assignee: Airbus Defence and Space GmbH
    Inventors: Daniel Bauer, Franz Engel, Tilman Orth, Christian Weimer
  • Patent number: 10081443
    Abstract: In order to provide a simplified inspection of an aircraft for the pilot, an aircraft inspection system is provided which includes at least one movable inspection unit, a position detection arrangement, and at least one data transfer interface. The at least one moveable inspection unit is moveable relative to an aircraft to be inspected. The at least one movable inspection unit includes at least one sensor for detecting a characteristic value, for verifying a characteristic and/or for determining a defect of an aircraft. The movable inspection unit is configured to generate monitoring data. When a defect or a characteristic value is detected, the position detection arrangement detects position data of the movable inspection unit in relation to the aircraft to be inspected, and assigns the position data to the monitoring data. The data transfer interface provides the position data with the assigned monitoring data as inspection data.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 28, 2016
    Date of Patent: September 25, 2018
    Assignee: Airbus Defence and Space GmbH
    Inventors: Franz Engel, Daniel Bauer, Tilman Orth, Christian Weimer
  • Publication number: 20180169952
    Abstract: A device for the layer-wise additive production of a complex three-dimensional component has a measuring mechanism for continuously monitoring quality indicators during the production of the component, wherein the measuring mechanism and a bed with a material powder are surrounded, at least in regions, by a processing cell filled with a protective gas atmosphere and the material powder of an uppermost layer can be melted in a locally limited manner in a melting zone by means of at least one laser. The measuring mechanism has the at least one laser and at least one optical sensor for the priority detection of the quality indicators in the region of the melting zone, in particular by means of Raman spectroscopy. Consequently, any construction errors in the component can be recognised, evaluated and, if necessary, corrected in a resource-saving manner without delay.
    Type: Application
    Filed: May 23, 2016
    Publication date: June 21, 2018
    Applicant: Airbus Defence and Space GmbH
    Inventors: Franz Engel, Andreas Nick, Wolfgang Rehm, Christian Weimer
  • Patent number: 9916650
    Abstract: An arrangement for visual fault inspection of at least one component includes a fault identification unit for identifying a structural fault of the component and for determining at least one piece of fault information, and an overlay device connected to the fault identification unit, configured for context-dependent overlay of the fault information in a component image in real-time.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 14, 2015
    Date of Patent: March 13, 2018
    Assignee: Airbus Defence and Space GmbH
    Inventor: Franz Engel
  • Patent number: 9879987
    Abstract: A positioning system for detecting a spatial position of a laying head of a device for automatically laying reinforcing fiber strips in relation to a base on which the reinforcing fiber strips can be laid by the laying head includes at least two laser lines which extend substantially in parallel at a spacing A from one another and substantially transversely to a laying direction can be projected on the laid reinforcing fiber strips by at least one laser source. The elevation profiles of the projected laser lines which occur on account of an irregular surface of the laid reinforcing fiber strips are able to be recorded by a camera and supplied to an evaluation unit.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 18, 2015
    Date of Patent: January 30, 2018
    Assignee: Airbus Defence and Space GmbH
    Inventors: Franz Engel, Christian Weimer
  • Publication number: 20170305041
    Abstract: A fiber application tool for a fiber placement and production method has a fiber contact surface area, which has a fiber contact surface for applying and/or pressing the fibers onto a work surface. The tool further includes an activation device for activating an adhesive, matrix, resin, or binder material provided at the fibers by means of an activation radiation so that the fibers are tacked onto the work surface. The fiber contact surface area for the activation radiation may be transparent and that the activation device may be designed so to guide and/or deliver the activation radiation through the transparent fiber contact surface area to the fibers to be pressed by the fiber contact surface.
    Type: Application
    Filed: July 11, 2017
    Publication date: October 26, 2017
    Inventor: Franz Engel
  • Publication number: 20170297745
    Abstract: In order to provide a simplified inspection of an aircraft for the pilot, an aircraft inspection system is provided which includes at least one movable inspection unit, a position detection arrangement, and at least one data transfer interface. The at least one moveable inspection unit is moveable relative to an aircraft to be inspected. The at least one movable inspection unit includes at least one sensor for detecting a characteristic value, for verifying a characteristic and/or for determining a defect of an aircraft. The movable inspection unit is configured to generate monitoring data. When a defect or a characteristic value is detected, the position detection arrangement detects position data of the movable inspection unit in relation to the aircraft to be inspected, and assigns the position data to the monitoring data. The data transfer interface provides the position data with the assigned monitoring data as inspection data.
    Type: Application
    Filed: November 28, 2016
    Publication date: October 19, 2017
    Applicant: Airbus Defence and Space GmbH
    Inventors: Franz Engel, Daniel Bauer, Tilman Orth, Christian Weimer
  • Patent number: 9772295
    Abstract: A laying head for a fibre placement device, in particular for fibre placement according to the AFP method, includes a placing roller which is permeable to laser light, at least in part, a laser light feed unit which is arranged in an inner space of the placing roller and a sensor which is designed and arranged to receive laser light reflected from a component on which the placing roller places a fibre band.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 28, 2015
    Date of Patent: September 26, 2017
    Assignee: Airbus Defence and Space GmbH
    Inventor: Franz Engel
  • Patent number: 9757879
    Abstract: A fiber application tool for a fiber application process designed, in particular, as an AFP, has a fiber contact surface area, which has a fiber contact surface for applying and/or pressing the fibers onto a work surface. The tool further includes an activation device for activating an adhesive, matrix, resin, or binder material provided at the fibers by means of an activation radiation so that the fibers are tacked onto the work surface. The fiber contact surface area for the activation radiation may be transparent and that the activation device may be designed so to guide and/or deliver the activation radiation through the transparent fiber contact surface area to the fibers to be pressed by the fiber contact surface.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 2, 2015
    Date of Patent: September 12, 2017
    Assignee: Airbus Defence and Space GmbH
    Inventor: Franz Engel