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).

  • Publication number: 20170144387
    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: Application
    Filed: November 22, 2016
    Publication date: May 25, 2017
    Inventors: Franz ENGEL, Christian WEIMER, Tilman ORTH
  • Publication number: 20170144384
    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: Application
    Filed: November 22, 2016
    Publication date: May 25, 2017
    Inventors: Franz ENGEL, Christian WEIMER, Tilman ORTH
  • Publication number: 20170144386
    Abstract: A laying unit for producing a fibre composite component is provided. The laying unit includes a housing and a plurality of fibre coils which are designed so as to be able to be unwound during a movement of the laying unit, wherein the fibre coils are provided in a movably mounted manner inside the housing.
    Type: Application
    Filed: November 15, 2016
    Publication date: May 25, 2017
    Applicant: Airbus Defence and Space GmbH
    Inventors: Franz Engel, Christian Weimer, Tilman Orth
  • Publication number: 20170095982
    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: Application
    Filed: October 4, 2016
    Publication date: April 6, 2017
    Inventors: Christian WEIMER, Franz ENGEL
  • Publication number: 20170095985
    Abstract: An activation device used for binder activation during the production of a fiber-reinforced plastic laminate. The activation device has at least one light-emitting diode for heating a portion of at least one semi-finished fiber ribbon. A method is used for producing a fiber-reinforced plastic laminate. It comprises automatically laying at least one semi-finished fiber ribbon on a laying support, heating at least one portion of the semi-finished fiber ribbon by means of one or more light-emitting diode(s) of an activation device, and pressing the heated portion of the semi-finished fiber ribbon on the laying support.
    Type: Application
    Filed: October 3, 2016
    Publication date: April 6, 2017
    Inventors: Franz Engel, Tilman Orth, Christian Weimer, Katharina Schlegel
  • Publication number: 20170030886
    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: Application
    Filed: July 29, 2016
    Publication date: February 2, 2017
    Inventor: Franz ENGEL
  • Publication number: 20170015070
    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: Application
    Filed: July 12, 2016
    Publication date: January 19, 2017
    Applicant: Airbus Defence and Space GmbH
    Inventors: Daniel Bauer, Franz Engel, Tilman Orth, Christian Weimer
  • Publication number: 20170001384
    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: Application
    Filed: June 30, 2016
    Publication date: January 5, 2017
    Inventors: Christian EITZINGER, Franz ENGEL, Tilman ORTH, Christian WEIMER
  • Publication number: 20170001389
    Abstract: A method for repairing a component which contains fiber-reinforced plastics material. For curing a deformable material introduced into and/or applied to a repair point of the component, the material is heated by irradiation with light from a light-emitting device. The disclosure herein further relates to a light-emitting device for heating a material that is deformable at least in part, in a method according to the disclosure herein, and to a repair device which comprises a light-emitting device.
    Type: Application
    Filed: June 29, 2016
    Publication date: January 5, 2017
    Inventors: Franz ENGEL, Tilman ORTH, Christian WEIMER
  • Publication number: 20160183327
    Abstract: A light emitting unit comprises at least one lighting means for emitting light (L) for heating a composite material, e.g. resin of a carbon fiber reinforced plastic, wherein the composite material can be fused and/or softened and/or cured, and/or be hold in a liquid state by the heating and wherein the emission of light (L) of the lighting means can be controlled differently in several areas. Furthermore, this relates to a method for producing a component made of the composite material as well as a method for producing the light emitting unit.
    Type: Application
    Filed: December 22, 2015
    Publication date: June 23, 2016
    Inventors: Franz Engel, Tilman Orth, Christian Weimer, Wolfgang Rehm
  • Publication number: 20160176100
    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: Application
    Filed: December 21, 2015
    Publication date: June 23, 2016
    Applicant: Airbus Defence and Space GmbH
    Inventors: Christian Weimer, Franz Engel, Tilman Orth
  • Publication number: 20160146598
    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: Application
    Filed: November 18, 2015
    Publication date: May 26, 2016
    Inventors: Franz Engel, Christian Weimer
  • Publication number: 20160114536
    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: Application
    Filed: October 28, 2015
    Publication date: April 28, 2016
    Applicant: AIRBUS DEFENCE AND SPACE GMBH
    Inventor: Franz ENGEL
  • Publication number: 20160104276
    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: Application
    Filed: October 14, 2015
    Publication date: April 14, 2016
    Applicant: AIRBUS DEFENCE AND SPACE GMBH
    Inventor: Franz ENGEL
  • Publication number: 20150343713
    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: Application
    Filed: June 2, 2015
    Publication date: December 3, 2015
    Inventor: Franz ENGEL