Patents by Inventor Reinhard Maier

Reinhard Maier 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).

  • Patent number: 6318187
    Abstract: Torque measurement is required in motors, in particular. It is already known to generate response signals in an axially offset manner at least at two points on a torque shaft by irradiating light onto the rotating torque shaft. An azimuthal offset of those signals produced by the torque over and above a rotary movement must be determined for evaluation purposes. An apparatus according to the invention for torque measurement on rotating torque shafts uses a continuous light beam to generate signals. A torsion-induced deflection of the light beam is geometrically amplified before an evaluation and an azimuthal offset is determined accurately therefrom as a time signal. The apparatus includes a device for generating optical response signals from at least two axially offset reflector systems at the torque shaft of the machine, which have individual concave mirrors in each case.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 24, 2000
    Date of Patent: November 20, 2001
    Assignee: Siemens Aktiengesellschaft
    Inventors: Gerd Griepentrog, Günter Lins, Reinhard Maier
  • Patent number: 6215632
    Abstract: A switching device including a movable contact member. The movable contact member produces an isolating distance and includes an integral semiconductor switching element.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 14, 1998
    Date of Patent: April 10, 2001
    Assignee: Siemens Aktiengesellschaft
    Inventors: Peter Kaluza, Reinhard Maier, Heinz Mitlehner, Christian Schreckinger, Gerhard Schröther
  • Patent number: 6178077
    Abstract: The switching functions of switching a load on and off in normal operation and in fault operation are implemented in a simple manner in an electronic branch circuit switch, which is advantageously made with silicon carbide semiconductor switching elements and has a potential-free control device, a device for detection and immediate shutoff in the event of a short-circuit, and a protection device for detection and shutoff against overload currents, as well as an overvoltage limiting device.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 28, 1998
    Date of Patent: January 23, 2001
    Assignee: Siemens Aktiengesellschaft
    Inventors: Peter Kaluza, Reinhard Maier, Heinz Mitlehner, Christian Schreckinger, Gerhard Schröther
  • Patent number: 6104181
    Abstract: Voltmeter for medium/high-voltage devices, which has a surface-wave device (21) as the voltmeter element proper. This surface-wave device is incorporated into an impedance voltage divider (5, 6), of a type known in principle, in such a way that both electrical high-voltage insulation is ensured and power supply problems of the voltmeter element which is at high potential are ruled out.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 11, 1998
    Date of Patent: August 15, 2000
    Assignee: Siemens Aktiengesellchaft
    Inventors: Ansgar Muller, Reinhard Maier, Wolf-Eckhart Bulst, Thomas Ostertag
  • Patent number: 6046516
    Abstract: An electronic switch with a switching element of the type of a semiconductor switch with the mode of operation of at least one FET, so that due to the technology it also has an internal body diode in inverse operation. A control circuit for executing the operating commands is set up so that gate in inverse operation receives such a voltage that the body diode is still currentless. In addition, a functional unit of the control circuit is set up to cause the switching element to assume the ON conducting state as a function of a commutation voltage or a commutation current, i.e., in inverse operation.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 14, 1997
    Date of Patent: April 4, 2000
    Assignee: Siemens Aktiengesellschaft
    Inventors: Reinhard Maier, Hermann Zierhut, deceased, Heinz Mitlehner
  • Patent number: 5966008
    Abstract: A radio-interrogated, surface-wave technology current transformer for high/medium-voltage systems includes a magnetosensitive element connected to a surface-wave structure of a surface-wave configuration as a termination of the surface-wave structure. A response signal of the surface-wave configuration is information regarding current strength/direction and phase of the current instantaneously flowing through the system, which is evaluated by a ground station. By virtue of the radio transmission, there is no electrical insulation problem, and the use of a radio-interrogated surface-wave configuration makes that part of the overall current transducer which is at high potential into a passive element of the same.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 20, 1997
    Date of Patent: October 12, 1999
    Assignee: Siemens Aktiengesellschaft
    Inventors: Reinhard Maier, Wolf-Eckhart Bulst, Thomas Ostertag, Oliver Sczesny, Wolfgang Schelter, Leonhard Reindl, Werner Ruile, Gerd Scholl, Jurgen Michel
  • Patent number: 5880506
    Abstract: A solid-state switching element that works with at least one semiconductor region or a pair of antiserially arranged semiconductor regions having characteristic curves similar to those of FETs. An internal body diode in inverse operation is also provided. In addition to having a drain and a gate, each of the semiconductor regions has two source electrodes, with several cells combined with the electrodes in cell design. One source serves as a load current electrode, called a load source, and the other source is available as a gate electrode, called a control source. The effective semiconductor region of the load source is larger than the effective semiconductor region of the control source.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 14, 1997
    Date of Patent: March 9, 1999
    Assignee: Siemens Aktiengesellschaft
    Inventors: Reinhard Maier, Hermann Zierhut, deceased, Heinz Mitlehner, Ingeborg Zierhut
  • Patent number: 5859579
    Abstract: Such switches have current connections for contacts. One contact may be a fixed contact and the other contact may be a mobile contact. A drive opens the mobile contact when a predetermined electric current intensity is exceeded. The electric drive is a thermoelectric drive. For that purpose, the contacts (2,3) are arranged in a closed housing (1) made of an insulating material and a disk-shaped resistive member (4) is arranged between the contacts (2,3). A switch of this type may also be advantageously designed as a bistable limiter.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 26, 1996
    Date of Patent: January 12, 1999
    Assignee: Siemens Aktiengesellschaft
    Inventors: David Walter Branston, Jorg Kieser, Werner Hartmann, Reinhard Maier
  • Patent number: 5844331
    Abstract: A switching device including a measuring means for monitoring contact erosion, which is provided between a contact element and an associated contact support. The switching device includes an electrically insulated signal line, which is usable in individual and/or multiple contacts, is used as the measuring means, the signal line being integrated into a single monitoring circuit. In the switching device, there is arranged, between at least one of the contact elements and the associated contact support or in the contact material, an electrical conductor with insulator as the signal line, damage to or destruction of the insulator and/or the conductor being utilized to generate an external signal as an indication of the end of the service life of the contact element.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 11, 1997
    Date of Patent: December 1, 1998
    Assignee: Siemens Aktiengesellschaft
    Inventors: Jorg Kieser, David-Walter Branston, Reinhard Maier, Erich Voss
  • Patent number: 5808327
    Abstract: An AC power controller includes at least two semiconductor regions reverse-connected in series. Each semiconductor region has an electron donor (source), an electron sink (drain) and an electron flow control electrode (gate) with characteristic curves such as those exhibited by FETs. Each semiconductor region also has an internal body diode. The gate-source voltage of a respective semiconductor region in the forward direction is set to be large enough to establish a desired limiting of the drain-source current. Yet, the gate-source voltage of the semiconductor region in the inverse mode is set to be large enough for the body diode to remain de-energized.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 8, 1996
    Date of Patent: September 15, 1998
    Assignee: Siemens Aktiengesellschaft
    Inventors: Reinhard Maier, Heinz Mitlehner, Hermann Zierhut
  • Patent number: 5747984
    Abstract: Switching components with contact parts that are mounted on a contact carrier in a switch housing may include devices for monitoring the contact erosion. The contact carrier may be split (sub-divided) and contact parts can be slotted at the rear and mounted on the sub-divided contact carrier. Thus, the oscillation response (vibration response) of the contact carrier in particular can be used as a measure of the erosion of the contact parts.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 22, 1995
    Date of Patent: May 5, 1998
    Assignee: Siemens Aktiengesellschaft
    Inventors: Dietrich Amft, David-Walter Branston, Jorg Kieser, Reinhard Maier
  • Patent number: 5739419
    Abstract: An apparatus for monitoring the vacuum of a vacuum switch having at least one vacuum switch tube with a switch chamber and switch contacts is provided. The apparatus has a remotely interrogatable pressure measurement sensor in the form of a piezocrystal or surface acoustic (SAW) device arranged in the interior of the vacuum switch tube and a remote interrogation device placed external to the vacuum switch for monitoring the vacuum via the sensor.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 9, 1996
    Date of Patent: April 14, 1998
    Assignee: Siemens Aktiengesellschaft
    Inventors: Reinhard Maier, Wolf-Eckhart Bulst, Thomas Ostertag, Oliver Sczesny
  • Patent number: 5345180
    Abstract: According to the present invention, a pulse of short duration is generated from system voltage and is applied to a circuit branch being tested. The resulting current is measured and subjected to a comparative evaluation. The corresponding arrangement has a power semiconductor circuit for generating the testing pulse from the system voltage. Preferably, a so-called GTO (Gate Turn-Off thyristor) is used for this purpose.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 30, 1993
    Date of Patent: September 6, 1994
    Assignee: Siemens Aktiengesellschaft
    Inventors: Reinhard Maier, Walter Roethlingshoefer
  • Patent number: 5153506
    Abstract: An apparatus for measuring the winding temperature of electric machines uses an a.c. reference voltage source generating an a.c. reference voltage with a predetermined, non-line frequency, preferably below 10 Hz., a current detector detecting the current generated from the a.c. reference voltage and/or the a.c. reference voltage directly, and a measuring and evaluating device measuring the current to determine the winding temperature. The a.c. reference voltage is added geometrically to the line voltage and generates a current proportional to the winding conductance which is temperature dependent.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 17, 1990
    Date of Patent: October 6, 1992
    Assignee: Siemens Aktiengesellschaft
    Inventors: Gerhard Trenkler, Reinhard Wedekind, Reinhard Maier
  • Patent number: 5023295
    Abstract: Compositions for coating the surface of electrical high-voltage insulators, which are stable on storage in the absence of water and can be crosslinked to form elastomers at room temperature when exposed to water comprising(I) a diorganopolysiloxane having terminal groups capable of condensation with(II) a silicon compound having at least three hydrolyzable groups directly bonded to silicon per molecule;(III) optionally, an organic, nonreactive solvent; and(IV) an additive which is obtained by blending(A) 60 to 80 percent by weight of a diorganopolysiloxane containing 75 to 85 mol percent of dimethylsiloxane units and 15 to 25 mol percent of vinylmethylsiloxane units;(B) 20 to 35 percent by weight of titanium dioxide or zirconium dioxide;(C) 0.05 to 0.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 8, 1989
    Date of Patent: June 11, 1991
    Assignee: Wacker-Chemie GmbH
    Inventors: Erhard Bosch, Dietrich Wolfer, Reinhard Maier
  • Patent number: 4890058
    Abstract: An arrangement for measuring the slip of electric induction motors determines the relative measure of the difference between rotary field speed and rotor speed of induction motors by utilizing the nonlinearity effects of the magnetization characteristics of ferromagnetic materials. Slip-proportional current and/or voltage signals are detected at the terminals of the induction motor. By suitable processing of these slip-proportional signals, such as frequency conversion and filtering, a frequency-proportional measure of the slip is provided which is then subjectable to measuring or further processing.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 3, 1987
    Date of Patent: December 26, 1989
    Assignee: Siemens Aktiengesellschaft
    Inventors: Gerhard Trenkler, Reinhard Wedekind, Reinhard Maier
  • Patent number: 4858057
    Abstract: The invention relates to a device for picking-up voltage and for comparing the instantaneous powers of the individual phases with each other, the output of which is in functional connection with the tripping command transmitter in the event of a predetermined deviation.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 31, 1988
    Date of Patent: August 15, 1989
    Assignee: Siemens Aktiengesellschaft
    Inventors: Reinhard Maier, Kurt Goth
  • Patent number: 4811154
    Abstract: The invention relates to a configuration for rapid detection of short-circuits and for generating an electrical trigger command with an electronic measuring and processing configuration for current values, which compared in a digital comparison circuit with predetermined limit values transmits the trigger command. The measuring configuration determines the current over time as well as the voltage of the grid and the resulting complex impedances and power. In addition to segmentation, standardization and scaling of the current and voltage values, a cross correlation function as well as the respective product and quotient of the Fourier transforms of the voltage and the current for frequency ranges associated with each other are determined, so that a respective power and impedance spectrum are obtained for evaluating the state of the installation.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 30, 1987
    Date of Patent: March 7, 1989
    Assignee: Siemens Aktiengesellschaft
    Inventors: Gerhard Trenkler, Reinhard Maier, Thomas Nippert