Patents by Inventor Steffen Bonn
Steffen Bonn 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).
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Patent number: 11187440Abstract: A cryostat assembly with an outer container for a storage tank with a first cryogenic fluid and a coil tank for a superconducting magnet coil system. The magnet coil system is cooled by a second cryogenic fluid colder than the first cryogenic fluid, the coil tank being mechanically connected to the outer container and/or to radiation shields surrounding the coil tank via a mounting structure. Liquid helium at an operating temperature of approximately 4.2 K is the first cryogenic, fluid and helium at an operating temperature of <3.5 K is the second cryogenic fluid in the coil tank. The mounting structure has mounting elements with thermally conductive contact points thermally coupled to heat sinks having a temperature at or below that of the storage tank, via thermal conductor elements. This ensures long times to quench if malfunctions occur.Type: GrantFiled: July 30, 2019Date of Patent: November 30, 2021Assignee: BRUKER SWITZERLAND AGInventors: Patrick Wikus, Steffen Bonn, Marco Strobel
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Publication number: 20200041176Abstract: A cryostat assembly with an outer container for a storage tank (3) with a first cryogenic fluid and a coil tank (4) for a superconducting magnet coil system (5). The magnet coil system is cooled by a second cryogenic fluid colder than the first cryogenic fluid, the coil tank being mechanically connected to the outer container and/or to radiation shields (6) surrounding the coil tank via a mounting structure. Liquid helium at an operating temperature of approximately 4.2 K is the first cryogenic fluid and helium at an operating temperature of <3.5 K is the second cryogenic fluid in the coil tank. The mounting structure has mounting elements (7) with thermally conductive contact points (7a) thermally coupled to heat sinks having a temperature at or below that of the storage tank, via thermal conductor elements (8). This ensures long times to quench if malfunctions occur.Type: ApplicationFiled: July 30, 2019Publication date: February 6, 2020Inventors: Patrick WIKUS, Steffen BONN, Marco STROBEL
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Cooling device, comprising a cryostat and a cold head having improved decoupling to a cooling system
Patent number: 10401447Abstract: A cooling device (1) has a cryostat (2) and a cold head (3) of a cooling system (52), and additionally includes a pivot bearing (35), with which the cold head (3) is mounted on the cryostat (2) so as to be rotatable about a rotation axis (A). A connecting line (15) for a working gas of the cooling system (52) is connected to the cold head so that forces caused by the cooling system (52) act on the cold head (3) via the connecting line (15) at a force application point (EP) in a force application direction (ER). The force application direction (ER) is inclined by no more than 40° with respect to the normal (N) of a lever plane (HE) which contains the rotation axis (A) and the force application point (EP).Type: GrantFiled: April 13, 2017Date of Patent: September 3, 2019Assignee: BRUKER BIOSPIN AGInventors: Patrick Wikus, Steffen Bonn -
Patent number: 10352501Abstract: A cryostat arrangement has an outer jacket, a first tank with a first cryogen, and a second tank with a second liquid cryogen which boils at a higher temperature than the first cryogen. The first tank comprises a neck tube, whose hot upper end is connected to the outer jacket at ambient temperature and whose cold lower end is connected to the first tank at a cryogenic temperature. The arrangement uses a riser pipe protruding into the second tank through which the second liquid cryogen can flow out of the second tank and into a first heat exchanger in thermal contact with the neck tube. An outflow line is provided through which second cryogen evaporating from the first heat exchanger can flow out and into an optional second heat exchanger. It is thus possible to greatly reduce heat input from the neck tube into the first tank.Type: GrantFiled: June 28, 2016Date of Patent: July 16, 2019Inventors: Patrick Wikus, Steffen Bonn
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Patent number: 10101420Abstract: A cryostat arrangement (1), with a vacuum container (2) and an object (4) to be cooled, is provided, wherein the object (4) to be cooled is arranged inside the vacuum container (2) comprising a neck tube (8) leading to the object (4) to be cooled. A closed cavity (9) is formed around the cooling arm (10) of a cold head (11), wherein the cavity (9) in normal operation is filled at least partly with a first cryogenic fluid (34), and wherein a first thermal coupling component (15) is provided for the thermal coupling of the first cryogenic fluid (34) in the cavity (9) to the object (4) to be cooled. The cryostat arrangement (1) further comprises a pump device (14), to which the cavity (9) is connected, and with which the cavity (9) is configured to be evacuated upon failure of the cooling function of the cold head (11). Various cryostat configurations are provided.Type: GrantFiled: September 20, 2017Date of Patent: October 16, 2018Assignee: BRUKER BIOSPIN GMBHInventors: Patrick Wikus, Steffen Bonn
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Publication number: 20180283769Abstract: A cryostat arrangement (1) with a vacuum tank (2) and a cryogenic tank (3) are provided. The vacuum tank has at least one neck tube, (4) leading to the cryogenic tank, with a supporting structure (4a) and an outer tube (4b) surrounding the supporting structure. The neck tube provides a connection from the cryogenic tank to a region outside the vacuum tank to allow cryogenic fluid to flow from the cryogenic tank into a region outside the vacuum tank or vice versa. The neck tube mechanically suspends the cryogenic tank inside the vacuum tank, and parts of the neck tube form a diffusion barrier between the interior of the cryogenic tank and the interior of the vacuum tank. The neck tube can connect to other components of the cryostat arrangement in a fluid-tight manner. Heat input from the neck tubes into the cryogenic tank can be considerably reduced thereby.Type: ApplicationFiled: March 26, 2018Publication date: October 4, 2018Inventors: Patrick WIKUS, Steffen BONN
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Patent number: 10060998Abstract: An arrangement for setting the spatial profile of a magnetic field in a working volume of a main field magnet (2), in particular a superconducting main field magnet, of a magnetic resonance installation. The main field magnet is arranged in a cryostat (1) and the spatial profile is set by a passive shim apparatus (3) with magnetic field forming elements which are arranged within the cryostat during operation and which have cryogenic temperatures. The magnetic resonance installation contains a room temperature tube (4), in which the sample volume is situated during operation. The passive shim apparatus is introduced into or removed from the cold region of the cryostat via a vacuum lock (5), without needing to ventilate the cold region of the cryostat. This provides a relatively simple, cost effective, and time-efficient method to carry out a stable field homogenization using a passive shim apparatus.Type: GrantFiled: May 5, 2017Date of Patent: August 28, 2018Assignee: Bruker BioSpin GmbHInventors: Patrick Wikus, Volker Niemann, Wolfgang Frantz, Michael Dumm, Michael Wagenknecht, Steffen Bonn
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Patent number: 9995510Abstract: A connecting device in a pulse tube cooler system branches such that a first line branch (11) has a first flexible line segment (4a) and a second line branch (12) has a second flexible line segment (4b), the flexible line segments being arranged in parallel with and offset from one another. The flexible line segments each have a front segment end (17, 18) and a rear segment end (19, 20), the front segment end (17) of the first flexible line segment (4a) and the rear segment end (20) of the second flexible line segment (4b) are rigidly connected to one another, the rear segment end (19) of the first flexible line segment (4a) and the front segment end (18) of the second flexible line segment (4b) are rigidly connected to one another, and there is no continuous rigid connection between the control valve and the cold head.Type: GrantFiled: January 27, 2017Date of Patent: June 12, 2018Assignee: Bruker BioSpin GmbHInventors: Patrick Wikus, Steffen Bonn, Gerhard Roth
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Patent number: 9982840Abstract: A cooling device (20) has a cryostat (23) and a cold head (1), in particular, the cold head (1) of a pulse tube cooler. The cryostat (23) has a vacuum container (4) with a vacuum container wall (4a), wherein the vacuum container wall (4a) seals off a vacuum inside the vacuum container (4) from the environment. A flexible sealing section (6) connects the vacuum container wall (4a) directly or indirectly to the room temperature part (1a) of the cold head (1). The flexible sealing section (6) seals off the inside of the cryocontainer (2) from the environment. The cooling device further reduces mechanical coupling between the cold head and the cryostat, in particular, in order to enable performance of NMR measurements with fewer disturbances due to external vibrations.Type: GrantFiled: September 16, 2015Date of Patent: May 29, 2018Assignee: Bruker BioSpin GmbHInventors: Patrick Wikus, Steffen Bonn, Heinrich Harsch
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Publication number: 20180081011Abstract: A cryostat arrangement (1), with a vacuum container (2) and an object (4) to be cooled, is provided, wherein the object (4) to be cooled is arranged inside the vacuum container (2) comprising a neck tube (8) leading to the object (4) to be cooled. A closed cavity (9) is formed around the cooling arm (10) of a cold head (11), wherein the cavity (9) in normal operation is filled at least partly with a first cryogenic fluid (34), and wherein a first thermal coupling component (15) is provided for the thermal coupling of the first cryogenic fluid (34) in the cavity (9) to the object (4) to be cooled. The cryostat arrangement (1) further comprises a pump device (14), to which the cavity (9) is connected, and with which the cavity (9) is configured to be evacuated upon failure of the cooling function of the cold head (11). Various cryostat configurations are provided.Type: ApplicationFiled: September 20, 2017Publication date: March 22, 2018Inventors: Patrick WIKUS, Steffen BONN
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Publication number: 20170322270Abstract: An arrangement for setting the spatial profile of a magnetic field in a working volume of a main field magnet (2), in particular a superconducting main field magnet, of a magnetic resonance installation. The main field magnet is arranged in a cryostat (1) and the spatial profile is set by a passive shim apparatus (3) with magnetic field forming elements which are arranged within the cryostat during operation and which have cryogenic temperatures. The magnetic resonance installation contains a room temperature tube (4), in which the sample volume is situated during operation. The passive shim apparatus is introduced into or removed from the cold region of the cryostat via a vacuum lock (5), without needing to ventilate the cold region of the cryostat. This provides a relatively simple, cost effective, and time-efficient method to carry out a stable field homogenization using a passive shim apparatus.Type: ApplicationFiled: May 5, 2017Publication date: November 9, 2017Inventors: Patrick WIKUS, Volker NIEMANN, Wolfgang FRANTZ, Michael DUMM, Michael WAGENKNECHT, Steffen BONN
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COOLING DEVICE, COMPRISING A CRYOSTAT AND A COLD HEAD HAVING IMPROVED DECOUPLING TO A COOLING SYSTEM
Publication number: 20170299673Abstract: A cooling device (1) has a cryostat (2) and a cold head (3) of a cooling system (52), and additionally includes a pivot bearing (35), with which the cold head (3) is mounted on the cryostat (2) so as to be rotatable about a rotation axis (A). A connecting line (15) for a working gas of the cooling system (52) is connected to the cold head so that forces caused by the cooling system (52) act on the cold head via the connecting line (15) at a force application point (EP) in a force application direction (ER). The force application direction (ER) is inclined by no more than 40° with respect to the normal (N) of a lever plane (HE) which contains the rotation axis (A) and the force application point (EP).Type: ApplicationFiled: April 13, 2017Publication date: October 19, 2017Inventors: Patrick WIKUS, Steffen BONN -
Publication number: 20170138644Abstract: A connecting device in a pulse tube cooler system branches such that a first line branch (11) has a first flexible line segment (4a) and a second line branch (12) has a second flexible line segment (4b), the flexible line segments being arranged in parallel with and offset from one another. The flexible line segments each have a front segment end (17, 18) and a rear segment end (19, 20), the front segment end (17) of the first flexible line segment (4a) and the rear segment end (20) of the second flexible line segment (4b) are rigidly connected to one another, the rear segment end (19) of the first flexible line segment (4a) and the front segment end (18) of the second flexible line segment (4b) are rigidly connected to one another, and there is no continuous rigid connection between the control valve and the cold head.Type: ApplicationFiled: January 27, 2017Publication date: May 18, 2017Inventors: Patrick Wikus, Steffen Bonn, Gerhard Roth
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Publication number: 20170002979Abstract: A cryostat arrangement has an outer jacket, a first tank with a first cryogen, and a second tank with a second liquid cryogen which boils at a higher temperature than the first cryogen. The first tank comprises a neck tube, whose hot upper end is connected to the outer jacket at ambient temperature and whose cold lower end is connected to the first tank at a cryogenic temperature. The arrangement uses a riser pipe protruding into the second tank through which the second liquid cryogen can flow out of the second tank and into a first heat exchanger in thermal contact with the neck tube. An outflow line is provided through which second cryogen evaporating from the first heat exchanger can flow out and into an optional second heat exchanger. It is thus possible to greatly reduce heat input from the neck tube into the first tank.Type: ApplicationFiled: June 28, 2016Publication date: January 5, 2017Inventors: Patrick WIKUS, Steffen BONN
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Publication number: 20160091142Abstract: A cooling device (20) has a cryostat (23) and a cold head (1), in particular, the cold head (1) of a pulse tube cooler. The cryostat (23) has a vacuum container (4) with a vacuum container wall (4a), wherein the vacuum container wall (4a) seals off a vacuum inside the vacuum container (4) from the environment. A flexible sealing section (6) connects the vacuum container wall (4a) directly or indirectly to the room temperature part (1a) of the cold head (1). The flexible sealing section (6) seals off the inside of the cryocontainer (2) from the environment. The cooling device further reduces mechanical coupling between the cold head and the cryostat, in particular, in order to enable performance of NMR measurements with fewer disturbances due to external vibrations.Type: ApplicationFiled: September 16, 2015Publication date: March 31, 2016Inventors: Patrick Wikus, Steffen Bonn, Heinrich Harsch