Patents by Inventor Rüdiger Herzer

Rüdiger Herzer 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).

  • Method of monitoring and controlling a screwing process
    Patent number: 6581472
    Abstract: In the present method for monitoring and controlling a screwing process in creating a screw connection, ultrasonic pulses are coupled into the screw using a pulse-echo method before and during the tightening of the screw. The time for the pulses to traverse the length of the screw, i.e., the propagation time, is measured. A dependency of the propagation time on the predetermined tension of the screw is calculated from the material specific characteristic values of the screw and the measured propagation time. By comparing the values of a change in propagation time dependent on a parameter of the screw with the values of a change in propagation time dependent on the predetermined tension of the screw, the screwing process can be monitored.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 29, 2001
    Date of Patent: June 24, 2003
    Assignee: Fraunhofer Gesellschaft zur Förderung der angewandten Forschung e.V.
    Inventors: Eckhardt Schneider, Rüdiger Herzer