Patents by Inventor Ralph Gärtner

Ralph Gärtner 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: 20220179499
    Abstract: An actuation device for a public transport vehicle to avoid transmission of bacteria during the actuation. The device can be actuated by a predefined contactless actuation gesture, the device having a sensor unit that measures without contact and an evaluation unit, which is connected to the sensor unit. The sensor unit can generate a sensor signal transmit the sensor signal to the evaluation unit when an object, in particular a finger or a hand of a person, performs, within a detection space of the sensor unit, a movement at a distance from the actuation device, the signal being dependent on the movement sequence of the movement. The evaluation unit can check whether the movement is a predefined contactless actuation gesture, by which the actuation device can be actuated. If the movement is such an actuation gesture, a control signal is generated for a device of the vehicle.
    Type: Application
    Filed: December 20, 2021
    Publication date: June 9, 2022
    Inventors: Gregor Behlau, Ralph Gärtner, Andreas Häussler, Christian Schneider, Christoph Schrock
  • Patent number: 10086849
    Abstract: A vehicle, in particular a rail vehicle, includes a compressed-air-operated toilet device and a compressed air supply system which supplies compressed air to the toilet device during normal operation. The vehicle also includes an emergency compressed air source that is suitable for providing compressed air for continued operation of the toilet device in the event of a failure of the compressed air supply system.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 15, 2014
    Date of Patent: October 2, 2018
    Assignee: Siemens Aktiengesellschaft
    Inventors: Ralph Gaertner, Walter Lindermuth, Gerd Talarowski
  • Patent number: 9873440
    Abstract: A transportation device, such as a rail vehicle, has a water supply device with a freshwater tank, at least one used water device connected to the freshwater tank and a collecting container connected to the used water device. The collecting container collects and stores used water which comes from the used water device The water supply device includes a control device which, by way of at least one control signal, can predefine one of at least two different operating modes, specifically a normal operating mode and an economy operating mode in which, compared to the normal operating mode, at least one operational resource which is necessary to operate the water supply device is consumed to a lesser extent than in the normal operating mode.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 22, 2013
    Date of Patent: January 23, 2018
    Assignee: Siemens Aktiengesellschaft
    Inventors: Ralph Gaertner, Christian Schneider
  • Publication number: 20170307257
    Abstract: An electric heating device for emitting a heated air flow, in particular for a sanitary room or washroom in a rail-borne vehicle, includes an air duct, a fan generating the air flow, a heating element heating the air flow and a first over-temperature switch. The first over-temperature switch can reversibly switch off the heating element when a first over-temperature is exceeded. A second over-temperature switch can irreversibly switch off the heating element when a second over-temperature is exceeded. The second over-temperature switch is disposed in a recess, depression or opening formed in the air duct. The second over-temperature switch has a disconnect or isolating switch to be thermally triggered for switching off the heating element. The thermally triggered disconnect or isolating switch can be triggered by a glass sphere or bead that breaks when the second over-temperature is exceeded.
    Type: Application
    Filed: September 16, 2015
    Publication date: October 26, 2017
    Applicant: SIEMENS AKTIENGESELLSCHAFT
    Inventors: MICHAEL BRAUN, TURGAY CINARCI, RALPH GAERTNER, RAINER WIEGNER
  • Patent number: 9758179
    Abstract: A rail vehicle includes a graywater line which is in communication with the surroundings of the rail vehicle directly or by way of a collecting container. The graywater line is equipped with a pressure protection valve, which protects a graywater line section upstream of the pressure protection valve from pressure surges occurring in the surroundings of the rail vehicle. The pressure protection valve is constructed as a pinch valve which is controlled by a control device in order to protect the graywater line section from pressure surges.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 14, 2013
    Date of Patent: September 12, 2017
    Assignee: Siemens Aktiengesellschaft
    Inventors: Turgay Cinarci, Ralph Gaertner, Christian Huebsch, Christian Schneider
  • Publication number: 20160332641
    Abstract: A vehicle, in particular a rail vehicle, includes a compressed-air-operated toilet device and a compressed air supply system which supplies compressed air to the toilet device during normal operation. The vehicle also includes an emergency compressed air source that is suitable for providing compressed air for continued operation of the toilet device in the event of a failure of the compressed air supply system.
    Type: Application
    Filed: December 15, 2014
    Publication date: November 17, 2016
    Inventors: RALPH GAERTNER, WALTER LINDERMUTH, GERD TALAROWSKI
  • Publication number: 20150329126
    Abstract: A rail vehicle includes a graywater line which is in communication with the surroundings of the rail vehicle directly or by way of a collecting container. The graywater line is equipped with a pressure protection valve, which protects a graywater line section upstream of the pressure protection valve from pressure surges occurring in the surroundings of the rail vehicle. The pressure protection valve is constructed as a pinch valve which is controlled by a control device in order to protect the graywater line section from pressure surges.
    Type: Application
    Filed: November 14, 2013
    Publication date: November 19, 2015
    Inventors: Turgay CINARCI, Ralph GAERTNER, Christian HUEBSCH, Christian SCHNEIDER
  • Publication number: 20150166077
    Abstract: A transportation device, such as a rail vehicle, has a water supply device with a freshwater tank, at least one used water device connected to the freshwater tank and a collecting container connected to the used water device. The collecting container collects and stores used water which comes from the used water device The water supply device includes a control device which, by way of at least one control signal, can predefine one of at least two different operating modes, specifically a normal operating mode and an economy operating mode in which, compared to the normal operating mode, at least one operational resource which is necessary to operate the water supply device is consumed to a lesser extent than in the normal operating mode.
    Type: Application
    Filed: May 22, 2013
    Publication date: June 18, 2015
    Inventors: Ralph Gaertner, Christian Schneider
  • Patent number: 8931510
    Abstract: A rail vehicle contains a sanitary system which has a waste water tank and a fresh water tank which are each equipped with associated filling level sensors. A control device is provided for establishing a link in terms of control between the filling levels in the fresh water tank and waste water tank. The control device monitors the filling level in the waste water tank by associated sensors and controls the filling level in the fresh water tank as a function of a measured filling level in the waste water tank.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 27, 2010
    Date of Patent: January 13, 2015
    Assignee: Siemens Aktiengesellschaft
    Inventors: Ralph Gaertner, Torge Kamphausen, Walter Lindermuth
  • Publication number: 20140150898
    Abstract: A water reservoir container intended to be installed in the roof region of a vehicle, is generally cylindrically symmetrical and has an at least partially curved circumferential surface and two end faces adapted to the dimensions of the circumferential surface. At least two mutually opposite fastening brackets are attached to the circumferential surface of the water reservoir container in order to install the water reservoir container in the roof region of the vehicle.
    Type: Application
    Filed: June 14, 2012
    Publication date: June 5, 2014
    Applicants: SIEMENS, S.R.O., SIEMENS AKTIENGESELLSCHAFT
    Inventors: Turgay Cinarci, Ralph Gaertner, Martin Subert
  • Publication number: 20130263956
    Abstract: A vehicle includes a water supply system for water consumers and a cooling system having a drain line for draining condensate water precipitated during operation of the cooling system. The drain line of the cooling system is connected to at least one water consumer.
    Type: Application
    Filed: October 31, 2011
    Publication date: October 10, 2013
    Applicant: SIEMENS AKTIENGESELLSCHAFT
    Inventors: Ralph Gaertner, Christian Schneider
  • Publication number: 20120222758
    Abstract: A rail vehicle contains a sanitary system which has a waste water tank and a fresh water tank which are each equipped with associated filling level sensors. A control device is provided for establishing a link in terms of control between the filling levels in the fresh water tank and waste water tank. The control device monitors the filling level in the waste water tank by associated sensors and controls the filling level in the fresh water tank as a function of a measured filling level in the waste water tank.
    Type: Application
    Filed: October 27, 2010
    Publication date: September 6, 2012
    Applicant: SIEMENS AKTIENGESELLSCHAFT
    Inventors: Ralph Gaertner, Torge Kamphausen, Walter Lindermuth
  • Publication number: 20120124726
    Abstract: A WC apparatus for rail vehicles is provided. The WC apparatus includes a flushing liquid tank, a toilet and a collecting tank. Further, the apparatus has control device which automatically initiates discharges of doses of disinfectants and/or calcification inhibitors into flushing water in order to keep a pH value below an associated threshold value.
    Type: Application
    Filed: November 19, 2010
    Publication date: May 24, 2012
    Inventors: Ralph Gärtner, Jens-Christian Holst, Jan Papproth, Raymond Ullrich