Patents by Inventor Fritz-Otto Henkel

Fritz-Otto Henkel 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).

  • Model-based method for monitoring the condition of rotor blades
    Patent number: 9645574
    Abstract: The invention relates to a method for monitoring the condition of rotor blades for wind turbines. It is therefore the object of the invention to increase the accuracy of the monitoring of the condition of rotor blades of wind turbines and to allow a localization of faults or defects and their exact description. In the method in accordance with the invention, eigenvibrations of a rotor blade occurring globally at the rotor blade and locally guided elastic waves are permanently detected with time and spatial resolution using a sensor network and actuator network attached to the rotor blade or using a network arrangement of ultrasound transducers. In addition, elastic waves which are guided periodically at predefinable time intervals and which are respectively emitted by an actuator or ultrasound transducer and detected by sensors or ultrasound transducers are in so doing inspected for variations of the emitted waves.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 7, 2010
    Date of Patent: May 9, 2017
    Assignees: Wölfel Engineering GmbH + Co. KG, Fraunhofer-Gesellschaft zur Förderung der angewandten Forschung e.V.
    Inventors: Bernd Frankenstein, Frank Schubert, Lars Schubert, Eberhard Schulze, Herbert Friedmann, Fritz-Otto Henkel, Carsten Ebert
  • MODEL-BASED METHOD FOR MONITORING THE CONDITION OF ROTOR BLADES
    Publication number: 20120253697
    Abstract: The invention relates to a method for monitoring the condition of rotor blades for wind turbines. It is therefore the object of the invention to increase the accuracy of the monitoring of the condition of rotor blades of wind turbines and to allow a localization of faults or defects and their exact description. In the method in accordance with the invention, eigenvibrations of a rotor blade occurring globally at the rotor blade and locally guided elastic waves are permanently detected with time and spatial resolution using a sensor network and actuator network attached to the rotor blade or using a network arrangement of ultrasound transducers. In addition, elastic waves which are guided periodically at predefinable time intervals and which are respectively emitted by an actuator or ultrasound transducer and detected by sensors or ultrasound transducers are in so doing inspected for variations of the emitted waves.
    Type: Application
    Filed: September 7, 2010
    Publication date: October 4, 2012
    Applicant: Fraunhofer-Gesellschaft zur Förderung der Angewand
    Inventors: Bernd Frankenstein, Frank Schubert, Lars Schubert, Eberhard Schulze, Herbert Friedmann, Fritz-Otto Henkel, Carsten Ebert