Patents by Inventor Jochen Pflug

Jochen Pflug 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: 20250332812
    Abstract: Method and apparatus for the production of an optionally large width thermoplastic sandwich panel with composite skins in a 0/90° unidirectional tape layup. The composite skins can be composed of thermoplastic film or sheet material. The method and apparatus allow rapid production of different widths of completed thermoplastic honeycomb sandwich panels. Thermoplastic film or sheet is preferably joined/laminated by thermoplastic welding to a honeycomb core.
    Type: Application
    Filed: July 3, 2023
    Publication date: October 30, 2025
    Applicant: ECONCORE N.V.
    Inventor: Jochen PFLUG
  • Publication number: 20250332809
    Abstract: A honeycomb core, formed from a plurality of polygonal cells arranged in an array. Each polygonal cell has lateral cell walls, the lateral cell walls of each polygonal cell forming a polygonal ring, the lateral cell walls being composed of a sheet material, the sheet material being a symmetric three-layer or five-layer thermoplastic co-extruded sheet material having an inner central or core layer and outer layers. The symmetric three-layer or five-layer thermoplastic co-extruded sheet material provides improved mechanical properties compared to a simple sheet material.
    Type: Application
    Filed: May 22, 2023
    Publication date: October 30, 2025
    Inventor: Jochen PFLUG
  • Publication number: 20250296289
    Abstract: A thermoplastic folded honeycomb structure is described which is produced from a material by plastic deformation perpendicular to the plane of the material to thereby form half-hexagonal cell walls and small connection areas. The cell walls in L-direction of the honeycomb core have a wavy shape with an amplitude of about 10% of the cell wall length. A zero slope of the wavy shape at the cell wall connections allows an optimal shear load transfer between the cell walls. By folding in the direction of conveyance the wavy cell walls meet to thereby form the honeycomb structure.
    Type: Application
    Filed: May 8, 2023
    Publication date: September 25, 2025
    Applicant: ECONCORE N.V.
    Inventor: Jochen PFLUG
  • Patent number: 11267212
    Abstract: A hierarchical sandwich core in the form of a honeycomb, i.e. having repetitive and periodic lattice materials. The sandwich core can be made up of a macroscopic honeycomb structure with sandwich cell walls having a mesoscopic cellular core. The longitudinal axis of cells of the mesoscopic honeycomb cell can be perpendicular to the longitudinal axis of the cells of the macroscopic honeycomb structure. Alternatively, if a foam core is used having mesoscopic cells the shape of the mesoscopic cells can be made during the foaming process so that they are elongate in a direction perpendicular to the longitudinal axis of the cells of the macroscopic honeycomb structure.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 21, 2015
    Date of Patent: March 8, 2022
    Assignee: ECONCORE N.V.
    Inventor: Jochen Pflug
  • Patent number: 11192316
    Abstract: A hierarchical sandwich core and a method of making it where a macroscopic honeycomb with a first macroscopic cell with first sandwich cell walls is connected to neighbouring macroscopic cells with neighbouring sandwich cell walls. The first and neighbouring sandwich cell walls are made of a sandwich material having a width, a mesoscopic core, and a first skin layer on a first major surface and a second skin layer on a second major surface of the sandwich material, both skin layers being attached to the mesoscopic core forming each sandwich cell wall of the macroscopic honeycomb. The first and the neighbouring cell walls have a height determined by the width of the sandwich material, both skin layers of the first sandwich cell wall being connected to both skin layers of at least one neighbouring cell wall along the height of the first cell wall.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 18, 2019
    Date of Patent: December 7, 2021
    Assignee: ECONCORE N.V.
    Inventor: Jochen Pflug
  • Publication number: 20210046719
    Abstract: A hierarchical sandwich core and a method of making it where a macroscopic honeycomb with a first macroscopic cell with first sandwich cell walls is connected to neighbouring macroscopic cells with neighbouring sandwich cell walls. The first and neighbouring sandwich cell walls are made of a sandwich material having a width, a mesoscopic core, and a first skin layer on a first major surface and a second skin layer on a second major surface of the sandwich material, both skin layers being attached to the mesoscopic core forming each sandwich cell wall of the macroscopic honeycomb. The first and the neighbouring cell walls have a height determined by the width of the sandwich material, both skin layers of the first sandwich cell wall being connected to both skin layers of at least one neighbouring cell wall along the height of the first cell wall.
    Type: Application
    Filed: February 18, 2019
    Publication date: February 18, 2021
    Applicant: ECONCORE N.V.
    Inventor: Jochen PFLUG
  • Publication number: 20180126680
    Abstract: A hierarchical sandwich core in the form of a honeycomb, i.e. having repetitive and periodic lattice materials. The sandwich core can be made up of a macroscopic honeycomb structure with sandwich cell walls having a mesoscopic cellular core. The longitudinal axis of cells of the mesoscopic honeycomb cell can be perpendicular to the longitudinal axis of the cells of the macroscopic honeycomb structure. Alternatively, if a foam core is used having mesoscopic cells the shape of the mesoscopic cells can be made during the foaming process so that they are elongate in a direction perpendicular to the longitudinal axis of the cells of the macroscopic honeycomb structure.
    Type: Application
    Filed: May 21, 2015
    Publication date: May 10, 2018
    Applicant: ECONCORE N.V.
    Inventor: Jochen PFLUG
  • Patent number: 8795806
    Abstract: A half closed thermoplastic folded honeycomb structure is described which is produced from a continuous web of material by plastic deformation perpendicular to the plane of the material to thereby form half-hexagonal cell walls and small connecting areas. By folding in the direction of conveyance the cell walls meet to thereby form the honeycomb structure.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 21, 2005
    Date of Patent: August 5, 2014
    Assignees: K.U. Leuven Research & Development, Jochen Pflug
    Inventors: Jochen Pflug, Ignace Verpoest
  • Publication number: 20080176027
    Abstract: A half closed thermoplastic folded honeycomb structure is described which is produced from a continuous web of material by plastic deformation perpendicular to the plane of the material to thereby form half-hexagonal cell walls and small connecting areas. By folding in the direction of conveyance the cell walls meet to thereby form the honeycomb structure.
    Type: Application
    Filed: November 21, 2005
    Publication date: July 24, 2008
    Applicants: K.U. LEUVEN RESEARCH & DEVELOPMENT
    Inventors: Jochen Pflug, Ignace Verpoest
  • Patent number: 6800351
    Abstract: The invention relates to a folded honeycomb structure and to a method and device for producing said folded honeycomb structure from a corrugated core web. The folded honeycomb structure has a number of adjacent corrugated core strips which lie in one plane and are interconnected by cover layer strips. Said cover layer strips are folded about 180° and are perpendicular to said plane. According to the inventive method for producing the folded honeycomb structure, interconnected corrugated core strips are produced first by making a number of longitudinal scores in a corrugated core web. These corrugated core strips are then alternately rotated through 90° respectively so that the cover layer strips fold and the folded honeycomb structure is formed. The device corresponding to this method consists of a number of rotating blades for making the longitudinal scores and a number of guiding elements for rotating the interconnecting corrugated core strips.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 23, 2002
    Date of Patent: October 5, 2004
    Assignee: K.U. Leuven Research & Development
    Inventors: Jochen Pflug, Ignace Verpoest
  • Patent number: 6726974
    Abstract: A thermoplastic folded honeycomb structure and method for the production thereof A strip of material is plastically deformed perpendicular to the plane of the material and folded in the direction of conveyance until the cell walls meet and are joined.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 24, 2001
    Date of Patent: April 27, 2004
    Assignee: K.U. Leuven Research & Development
    Inventors: Jochen Pflug, Ignace Verpoest
  • Patent number: 6183836
    Abstract: A folded honeycomb, in particular a sandwich core layer, with walls (22) which are arranged in a rectangular or hexagonal configuration and which are perpendicular to the cover layers, for lightweight structures which are formed from a flat body of metal, plastic material, cloth, fiber composite material or paper by the production of cuts and by folding to constitute rectangular corrugations. The folded honeycomb has relatively large connecting surfaces (13, 16) for connection to the cover layers.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 6, 1998
    Date of Patent: February 6, 2001
    Inventor: Jochen Pflug