Patents by Inventor Holger Spardel

Holger Spardel 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: 20230264792
    Abstract: A device for the roll-stabilization of a watercraft in motion, at anchor, or at zero speed, and/or for influencing the course of the watercraft, includes a fin-carrying shaft on which a guide fin is disposed. For changing an actual angle of attack of the guide fin in the water, the fin-carrying shaft is drivable by an electromechanical drive unit, and the drive unit is disposed on the hull using a base. An electromechanical drive unit is configured with a synchronous motor that drives the fin-carrying shaft using a reducing eccentric transmission. The device thereby has a significantly reduced installation space requirement, causes only slight operating noises, and is also optimally electronically regulable.
    Type: Application
    Filed: July 6, 2021
    Publication date: August 24, 2023
    Inventors: Dirk BARGENDE, Sascha KORTEMEIER, Christopher SCHNAECKEL, Holger SPARDEL
  • Patent number: 11148768
    Abstract: An active stabilizing device for a primary damping of rolling movements of a ship or other watercraft including a hull including at least one positioning device having a drive journal and a stabilizing fin with a stabilizing surface and a root, the drive journal being attached to the stabilizing fin at the root, the stabilizing surface having a leading edge and a trailing edge and being configured to be disposed underwater. The positioning device is configured to set an angle of attack of the stabilizing fin by rotating the drive journal about a first axis of rotation and to pivot the drive journal about a second axis of rotation to move the stabilizing fin between a forward position and a rearward position relative to a bow of the watercraft.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 31, 2020
    Date of Patent: October 19, 2021
    Assignee: SKF MARINE GMBH
    Inventor: Holger Spardel
  • Patent number: 11052979
    Abstract: An active stabilizing device for a primary damping of rolling movements of a ship or other watercraft includes at least one positioning device including a drive journal and a stabilizing fin having a stabilizing surface and a root, the drive journal being attached to the stabilizing fin at the root, the stabilizing surface having a leading edge and a trailing edge and being configured to be disposed underwater. The positioning device is configured to simultaneously pivot the stabilizing fin about a pivot axis by a pivot angle and rotate the stabilizing fin about an axis of rotation. Also, a method of operating the active stabilizing device.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 22, 2020
    Date of Patent: July 6, 2021
    Assignee: SKF MARINE GMBH
    Inventors: Holger Spardel, Christian Thieme
  • Patent number: 10988220
    Abstract: A cover device for at least partially closing an underwater opening in a hull of a watercraft includes a variable-volume hollow-chamber lip assembly including at least two hollow-chamber lips and one buoyancy body. The at least one hollow-chamber lip is volume-variable by supplying a fluid to or removing a fluid from an interior thereof, and the at least one hollow-chamber lip assembly is shiftable between an expanded state and a contracted state by supplying or removing the fluid.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 27, 2018
    Date of Patent: April 27, 2021
    Assignee: SKF MARINE GMBH
    Inventors: Holger Spardel, Frank Albrecht, Ulrich Albrecht, Kai Danneberg, Uwe Leitloff
  • Publication number: 20200247510
    Abstract: An active stabilizing device for a primary damping of rolling movements of a ship or other watercraft including a hull including at least one positioning device having a drive journal and a stabilizing fin with a stabilizing surface and a root, the drive journal being attached to the stabilizing fin at the root, the stabilizing surface having a leading edge and a trailing edge and being configured to be disposed underwater. The positioning device is configured to set an angle of attack of the stabilizing fin by rotating the drive journal about a first axis of rotation and to pivot the drive journal about a second axis of rotation to move the stabilizing fin between a forward position and a rearward position relative to a bow of the watercraft.
    Type: Application
    Filed: January 31, 2020
    Publication date: August 6, 2020
    Inventor: Holger SPARDEL
  • Publication number: 20200247509
    Abstract: An active stabilizing device for a primary damping of rolling movements of a ship or other watercraft includes at least one positioning device including a drive journal and a stabilizing fin having a stabilizing surface and a root, the drive journal being attached to the stabilizing fin at the root, the stabilizing surface having a leading edge and a trailing edge and being configured to be disposed underwater. The positioning device is configured to simultaneously pivot the stabilizing fin about a pivot axis by a pivot angle and rotate the stabilizing fin about an axis of rotation. Also, a method of operating the active stabilizing device.
    Type: Application
    Filed: January 22, 2020
    Publication date: August 6, 2020
    Inventors: Holger SPARDEL, Christian THIEME
  • Publication number: 20200130796
    Abstract: A cover device for at least partially closing an underwater opening in a hull of a watercraft includes a variable-volume hollow-chamber lip assembly including at least two hollow-chamber lips and one buoyancy body. The at least one hollow-chamber lip is volume-variable by supplying a fluid to or removing a fluid from an interior thereof, and the at least one hollow-chamber lip assembly is shiftable between an expanded state and a contracted state by supplying or removing the fluid.
    Type: Application
    Filed: April 27, 2018
    Publication date: April 30, 2020
    Inventors: Holger SPARDEL, Frank ALBRECHT, Ulrich ALBRECHT, Kai DANNEBERG, Uwe LEITLOFF
  • Patent number: 10421522
    Abstract: The invention relates to a cover device for at least sectional closing of an underwater opening in a hull of a watercraft, in particular an opening of a transverse channel of a thruster. According to the invention the cover device includes at least one variable-volume hollow chamber lip including at least one buoyancy body, and the at least one hollow chamber lip is shiftable into an expansion state or into a shrinkage state by supplying or removing a fluid, in particular air. As a result of the variable-volume or inflatable cover device a more reliable and simultaneously lower-maintenance operation of the cover device is given. In addition, the invention has a thruster, in particular a bow or stern-thruster, as subject matter.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 18, 2016
    Date of Patent: September 24, 2019
    Assignee: SKF Marine GmbH
    Inventors: Michael Zollenkopf, Frank Albrecht, Ulrich Albrecht, Kai Danneberg, Uwe Leitloff, Thomas Siebrecht, Holger Spardel
  • Patent number: 10220923
    Abstract: A fin stabilizer for stabilizing watercraft includes a pivotable stabilizer fin and a receiving space for receiving the stabilizer fin. The stabilizer fin is shiftable from a retracted state in which the stabilizer fin is received in the receiving space to an extended state in which the stabilizer fin extends from the receiving space. Also at least one flexible cover element for at least partially covering an opening of the receiving space, through which opening the stabilizer fin enters and exits the receiving space during retracting and extending, respectively. The stabilizer fin does not contact the at least one cover element when shifting from the retracted state to the extended state.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 22, 2015
    Date of Patent: March 5, 2019
    Assignee: SKF Marine GmbH
    Inventors: Kai Danneberg, Michael Zollenkopf, Frank Albrecht, Ulrich Albrecht, Uwe Leitloff, Thomas Siebrecht, Holger Spardel
  • Publication number: 20180312223
    Abstract: The invention relates to a cover device for at least sectional closing of an underwater opening in a hull of a watercraft, in particular an opening of a transverse channel of a thruster. According to the invention the cover device includes at least one variable-volume hollow chamber lip including at least one buoyancy body, and the at least one hollow chamber lip is shiftable into an expansion state or into a shrinkage state by supplying or removing a fluid, in particular air. As a result of the variable-volume or inflatable cover device a more reliable and simultaneously lower-maintenance operation of the cover device is given. In addition, the invention has a thruster, in particular a bow or stern-thruster, as subject matter.
    Type: Application
    Filed: October 18, 2016
    Publication date: November 1, 2018
    Inventors: Michael Zollenkopf, Frank Albrecht, Ulrich Albrecht, Kai Danneberg, Uwe Leitloff, Thomas Siebrecht, Holger Spardel
  • Publication number: 20170247090
    Abstract: A fin stabilizer for stabilizing watercraft includes a pivotable stabilizer fin and a receiving space for receiving the stabilizer fin. The stabilizer fin is shiftable from a retracted state in which the stabilizer fin is received in the receiving space to an extended state in which the stabilizer fin extends from the receiving space. Also at least one flexible cover element for at least partially covering an opening of the receiving space, through which opening the stabilizer fin enters and exits the receiving space during retracting and extending, respectively. The stabilizer fin does not contact the at least one over element when shifting from the retracted state to the extended state.
    Type: Application
    Filed: October 22, 2015
    Publication date: August 31, 2017
    Inventors: Kai Danneberg, Michael Zollenkopf, Frank Albrecht, Ulrich Albrecht, Uwe Leitloff, Thomas Siebrecht, Holger Spardel
  • Patent number: 9745031
    Abstract: A fin stabilizer for stabilizing a watercraft against rolling movements includes a main fin configured to be pivoted by a watercraft-side fin drive, a tail fin, and an elastically deformable connection between the main fin and the tail fin, the elastically deformable connection being configured to flex whenever a water force acting on the tail fin is greater than a predetermined amount.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 27, 2015
    Date of Patent: August 29, 2017
    Assignees: SKF Blohm + Voss Industries GmbH, Deutsches Zentrum für Luft- und Raumfahrt e. V. (DLR)
    Inventors: Dirk Buechler, Thomas Elsken, Sebastian Geier, Bram van de Kamp, Markus Kintscher, Steffen Opitz, Martin Pohl, Andreas Bubbers, Kai Danneberg, Lothar Knippschild, Thomas Siebrecht, Holger Spardel, Christian Thieme, Michael Zollenkopf
  • Publication number: 20160059941
    Abstract: A fin stabilizer for stabilizing a watercraft against rolling movements includes a main fin configured to be pivoted by a watercraft-side fin drive, a tail fin, and an elastically deformable connection between the main fin and the tail fin, the elastically deformable connection being configured to flex whenever a water force acting on the tail fin is greater than a predetermined amount.
    Type: Application
    Filed: August 27, 2015
    Publication date: March 3, 2016
    Applicants: Deutsches Zentrum für Luft- und Raumfahrt e. V., SKF Blohm + Voss Industries GmbH
    Inventors: Dirk Buechler, Thomas Elsken, Sebastian Geier, Bram van de Kamp, Markus Kintscher, Steffen Opitz, Martin Pohl, Andreas Bubbers, Kai Danneberg, Lothar Knippschild, Thomas Siebrecht, Holger Spardel, Christian Thieme, Michael Zollenkopf