Patents by Inventor Thomas Daube

Thomas Daube 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: 12624896
    Abstract: The invention relates to a device for inductively heating at least one workpiece, in particular a substantially strip-shaped workpiece, including at least one furnace housing; at least one inductor arrangement arranged within the furnace housing, the inductor arrangement being arranged at least partially in an inductor region of the furnace housing; at least one heating region for receiving process gas. The heating region being arranged within the furnace housing; and separating material for separating, in particular for thermally separating, the inductor region and the heating region. Furthermore, the invention relates to a method for inductively heating at least one workpiece.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 24, 2023
    Date of Patent: May 12, 2026
    Assignee: SMS Elotherm GmbH
    Inventors: Stefan Dappen, Thomas Daube, Markus Langejürgen, Frank Maschler, Christian Vogt
  • Patent number: 12596359
    Abstract: A metallurgical production plant has a plurality of plant parts. An input quality window defines required quality characteristics of the input product to each plant part. An output quality window defines permissible quality characteristics of the output product of each plant part. The output quality window of an upstream plant part corresponds to the input quality window of the downstream plant part. A process window defines the setting values that can be implemented by the respective plant part. Each plant part detects the current state by sensors and adapts the process window to the detected current state. A system for controlling the production plant determines setting values for the respective plant automation unit of each plant part. The setting values are selected within the process windows such that the product produced in the production plant meets the quality characteristics required by the input quality windows and output quality windows.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 20, 2021
    Date of Patent: April 7, 2026
    Assignee: SMS group GmbH
    Inventors: Thomas Daube, Holger Behrens, Lutz Kümmel, Ulrich Sommers
  • Patent number: 12528107
    Abstract: A metal strip is guided on transportation rollers through a strip treatment installation. The installation includes successive strip movement control devices along a transportation direction. The strip movement control devices detect and adjust the position of the strip transverse to the transportation direction. A method for operating the installation includes: detecting the position of the strip transverse to the transportation direction by sensors of upstream strip movement control devices; identifying properties that influence the position of the strip transverse to the transportation direction of the strip by the sensors; assigning the identified properties of the strip to corresponding points or segments of the strip; and proactively adjusting the position of the strip transverse to the transportation direction at downstream strip movement control devices based on the properties for the corresponding points or segments of the strip identified by the upstream strip movement control devices.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 21, 2022
    Date of Patent: January 20, 2026
    Assignee: SMS group GmbH
    Inventors: Thomas Daube, Lutz Kümmel, Holger Behrens
  • Publication number: 20250287473
    Abstract: The invention relates to an induction heating device for heating a metallic material, said induction heating device comprising: a number of at least two resonant circuits each for generating a magnetic field for heating the metallic material; and a power supply device for supplying the resonant circuits with electrical power, the power supply device comprising an isolator switch for connecting the induction heating device to an electrical power supply, and at least one inverter for converting a direct current into an alternating current for supplying power to a resonant circuit, the power supply device comprising a switching device, the switching device being designed to enable at least indirect energy coupling between the isolator switch and the resonant circuits, and the number of resonant circuits capable of being simultaneously coupled with energy being smaller than the number of resonant circuits in the induction heating device.
    Type: Application
    Filed: December 1, 2023
    Publication date: September 11, 2025
    Inventors: Wolfgang Lenz, Thomas Daube, Markus Langejuergen, Ingo Schuster, Christian Vogt
  • Publication number: 20250257945
    Abstract: The invention relates to a device for inductively heating at least one workpiece, in particular a substantially strip-shaped workpiece, including at least one furnace housing; at least one inductor arrangement arranged within the furnace housing, the inductor arrangement being arranged at least partially in an inductor region of the furnace housing; at least one heating region for receiving process gas. The heating region being arranged within the furnace housing; and separating material for separating, in particular for thermally separating, the inductor region and the heating region. Furthermore, the invention relates to a method for inductively heating at least one workpiece.
    Type: Application
    Filed: April 24, 2023
    Publication date: August 14, 2025
    Inventors: Stefan Dappen, Thomas Daube, Markus Langejürgen, Frank Maschler, Christian Vogt
  • Patent number: 12291757
    Abstract: A heat-treatment method for controlling austenite content in steel during conveying, heating and cooling the steel though a furnace. The method includes heating the steel until reaching a first location, then cooling the steel until reaching a downstream second or third location in the furnace. First, a quality window of the austenite content having minimum/maximum values at the second or third locations is determined. Upstream from the second/third locations, temperature of the steel for the second/third locations is predicted by a heat-transfer equation and/or conveyance speed of the steel through the furnace. The austenite content is then predicted at the second/third locations by metallurgical/data-based modelling using the predicted temperature.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 23, 2020
    Date of Patent: May 6, 2025
    Assignee: SMS GROUP GMBH
    Inventors: Ulrich Sommers, Thomas Daube, Alexandre Lhoest, Holger Behrens
  • Patent number: 12195838
    Abstract: The invention relates to a method and a vacuum-coating system (10) for coating a band-type material (11), in particular made of metal. For this, the band-type material (11) is moved, via a conveying section (12), in a transport direction (T) and is vacuum-coated within a coating chamber (14), in which a vacuum is applied. As seen in the transport direction (T) of the band-type material (11), at least one flatness optimization device (39) is arranged upstream of the coating chamber (14), through which flatness optimization device the band-type material (11) can be guided. In this way, a desired flatness is generated for the band-type material (11).
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 18, 2019
    Date of Patent: January 14, 2025
    Assignee: SMS group GMBH
    Inventors: Lutz Kümmel, Thomas Daube
  • Publication number: 20240307936
    Abstract: A metal strip is guided on transportation rollers through a strip treatment installation. The installation includes successive strip movement control devices along a transportation direction. The strip movement control devices detect and adjust the position of the strip transverse to the transportation direction. A method for operating the installation includes: detecting the position of the strip transverse to the transportation direction by sensors of upstream strip movement control devices; identifying properties that influence the position of the strip transverse to the transportation direction of the strip by the sensors; assigning the identified properties of the strip to corresponding points or segments of the strip; and proactively adjusting the position of the strip transverse to the transportation direction at downstream strip movement control devices based on the properties for the corresponding points or segments of the strip identified by the upstream strip movement control devices.
    Type: Application
    Filed: February 21, 2022
    Publication date: September 19, 2024
    Applicant: SMS group GmbH
    Inventors: Thomas DAUBE, Lutz KÜMMEL, Holger BEHRENS
  • Publication number: 20240238854
    Abstract: A system for the thermomechanical rolling of long semi-finished steel products includes a first rolling unit; a second rolling unit, arranged downstream of the first rolling unit; a first thermomechanical sizing block, arranged downstream of the second rolling unit; a second cooling device, arranged between the second rolling unit and the first thermomechanical sizing block; a cooling-bed, ring-laying and/or coil-winding device, arranged downstream of the first thermomechanical sizing block; a third cooling device, arranged between the first thermomechanical sizing block and the cooling-bed, ring-laying and/or coil-winding device; and a structure-sensor device, which is arranged between the first thermomechanical sizing block and the cooling-bed, ring-laying and/or coil-winding device, and can be used for determining directly in the ongoing process a martensitic structure, in particular a proportion of martensite in percent by area, in the thermomechanically rolled long semi-finished steel product or in the s
    Type: Application
    Filed: March 29, 2022
    Publication date: July 18, 2024
    Applicant: SMS group GmbH
    Inventors: Michael KÖBERICH, Thomas DAUBE, Thomas NERZAK, Nicola REDOLFI
  • Publication number: 20240229276
    Abstract: An electroplating method and a system for electrolytically coating a steel strip, in particular for the automotive sector, with a coating based on zinc and/or a zinc alloy utilizes pulse technology.
    Type: Application
    Filed: March 22, 2024
    Publication date: July 11, 2024
    Applicant: SMS group GmbH
    Inventors: Henry GÖRTZ, Thomas DAUBE, Frank PLATE, Walter TIMMERBEUL
  • Patent number: 11992866
    Abstract: In a method for the online determination of at least one rolling parameter when rolling a rolling material rolled along a rolling line in a rolling mill including at least two rolls on a roll stand, the rolling material is guided past or through at least one measuring device during the rolling, which interacts with a rolling material variable of the rolling material, the rolling material variable being changeable along the length of the rolling material, and outputs a measurement signal, wherein: (i) the measurement signal is transferred into the frequency space, and the rolling parameter is determined from the measurement signal transferred into the frequency space, and/or (ii) a frequency inherent in the change of the rolling material variable is determined from the measurement signal, and the rolling parameter is determined on the basis of the determined frequency.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 15, 2020
    Date of Patent: May 28, 2024
    Assignee: SMS group GmbH
    Inventors: Thomas Daube, Thomas Nerzak, Joerg Himmel, Annette Jobst, Mario Radschun
  • Patent number: 11814722
    Abstract: A method and a vacuum-coating system (10) for coating a strip-shaped material (11), in particular made of metal, are disclosed. Thereby, the strip-shaped material (11) is moved over a conveying section (12) in a transport direction (T) and vacuum-coated within a coating chamber (14) in which a vacuum is applied. When viewed in the transport direction (T) of the strip-shaped material (11), at least one trimming shear (38) is arranged upstream of the coating chamber (14), with which the strip-shaped material (11) is trimmed at at least one strip edge, preferably at both strip edges, in order to produce a constant width for the strip-shaped material (11) over its longitudinal extension.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 28, 2019
    Date of Patent: November 14, 2023
    Assignee: SMS group GmbH
    Inventors: Lutz Kümmel, Thomas Daube
  • Publication number: 20230251639
    Abstract: The invention relates to a system (1) for controlling a production plant (3) consisting of a plurality of plant parts (2), in particular a metallurgical production plant for producing industrial goods such as metal semi-finished products and/or metal end products, wherein each plant part (2) has an input quality window (4), an output quality window (5) and a process window (6), wherein the input quality window (4) of a plant part (2) defines the quality characteristics of the input product that are required by the plant part (2) and the output quality window (5) of a plant part (2) defines the quality characteristics of the output product that are allowed by the plant part (2) after processing the input product, wherein, in a production plant (3) consisting of the plurality of plant parts (2), the output quality window (5) of an upstream plant part (2) corresponds to the input quality window (4) of the downstream plant part (2), wherein the process window (6) defines the setting values (7) that can be impl
    Type: Application
    Filed: May 20, 2021
    Publication date: August 10, 2023
    Applicant: SMS group GmbH
    Inventors: Thomas DAUBE, Holger BEHRENS, Lutz KÜMMEL, Ulrich SOMMERS
  • Patent number: 11549168
    Abstract: An apparatus for treating a metal strip after it has exited from a coating container with a liquid coating material, for example zinc is provided. The apparatus includes a blow-off device arranged above the coating container having an air outlet gap for blowing off excess parts of the still liquid coating material from the surface of the metal strip after the passing of the metal strip through the coating container. An electromagnetic stabilizer is arranged above the blow-off device and has a plurality of individual magnets for stabilizing the metal strip after leaving the coating container and the blow-off device. In order to further increase the efficiency of the apparatus, at least some of the magnets of the stabilizer are formed as pot magnets with pot coils.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 11, 2018
    Date of Patent: January 10, 2023
    Assignee: Fontaine Engineering und Maschinen GmbH
    Inventors: Pascal Fontaine, Dominique Fontaine, Thomas Daube, Michael Zielenbach
  • Publication number: 20220316050
    Abstract: A method for coating a metal strip by means of a metallic substrate in a strip coating system, wherein the coating is carried out according to the principle of physical vapor deposition and the layer thickness is set via the parameters of the strip speed and the vaporization rate. It is provided according to the invention that in the event of a layer thickness change and/or a width change of the metal strip, the vaporization rate and the strip speed are changed simultaneously, so that the layer thickness change can be implemented directly independently of the thermal vaporization process.
    Type: Application
    Filed: April 22, 2020
    Publication date: October 6, 2022
    Applicant: SMS group GmbH
    Inventors: Lutz KÜMMEL, Thomas DAUBE
  • Publication number: 20220275530
    Abstract: An electroplating method and a system for electrolytically coating a steel strip, in particular for the automotive sector, with a coating based on zinc and/or a zinc alloy utilizes pulse technology.
    Type: Application
    Filed: August 5, 2020
    Publication date: September 1, 2022
    Applicant: SMS group GmbH
    Inventors: Henry GÖRTZ, Thomas DAUBE, Frank PLATE, Walter TIMMERBEUL
  • Publication number: 20220258221
    Abstract: In a method for the online determination of at least one rolling parameter when rolling a rolling material rolled along a rolling line in a rolling mill including at least two rolls on a roll stand, the rolling material is guided past or through at least one measuring device during the rolling, which interacts with a rolling material variable of the rolling material, the rolling material variable being changeable along the length of the rolling material, and outputs a measurement signal, wherein: (i) the measurement signal is transferred into the frequency space, and the rolling parameter is determined from the measurement signal transferred into the frequency space, and/or (ii) a frequency inherent in the change of the rolling material variable is determined from the measurement signal, and the rolling parameter is determined on the basis of the determined frequency.
    Type: Application
    Filed: June 15, 2020
    Publication date: August 18, 2022
    Applicant: SMS group GmbH
    Inventors: Thomas DAUBE, Thomas NERZAK, Joerg HIMMEL, Annette JOBST, Mario RADSCHUN
  • Publication number: 20220195558
    Abstract: The invention relates to a method for the heat treatment of a metallic product (P), in particular a strip or sheet, in which the product (P) is controlled and/or regulated by means of a control and/or regulating device (100) controlled and/or regulated furnace device (110) is carried out at a predetermined speed in a conveying direction (F), the product (P) being heated up to a first point (I) and then up to a second location (H) or is cooled down to a third location (III).
    Type: Application
    Filed: April 23, 2020
    Publication date: June 23, 2022
    Inventors: Ulrich SOMMERS, Thomas DAUBE, Alexandre LHOEST, Holger BEHRENS
  • Patent number: 11255009
    Abstract: The invention relates to a method for coating a metal strip with the aid of a coating device. Within the coating device, the strip first runs through a coating container with a liquid coating agent and then a stripping nozzle device for stripping off excess coating agent from the surface of the strip. After the stripping nozzle device, the strip typically runs through a strip stabilizing device with a plurality of magnets on both broad sides of the strip. A form control deviation is determined as the difference between a determined actual form of the strip and a specified desired form of the strip and this form control deviation is used for activating the magnets of the strip stabilizing device in order to transform the actual form of the strip into the desired form.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 17, 2017
    Date of Patent: February 22, 2022
    Assignee: Fontaine Engineering und Maschinen GmbH
    Inventors: Holger Behrens, Lutz Kümmel, Thomas Daube, Gernot Richter, Babak Taleb-Araghi, Pascal Fontaine, Michael Zielenbach
  • Publication number: 20220049339
    Abstract: Within a coating device, a metal strip first runs through a coating container with a liquid coating agent and then a stripping nozzle device for stripping off excess coating agent from the surface of the strip. After the stripping nozzle device, the strip runs through a strip stabilizing device with a plurality of magnets on both broad sides of the strip. A form control deviation is determined as the difference between an actual form of the strip and a desired form of the strip and this form control deviation is used for activating the magnets in order to transform the actual form of the strip into the desired form. The magnets of the strip stabilizing device may be moved in the widthwise direction of the strip into a traversing position in relation to the magnets on the respectively opposite broad side of the strip.
    Type: Application
    Filed: October 29, 2021
    Publication date: February 17, 2022
    Applicant: Fontaine Engineering und Maschinen GmbH
    Inventors: Holger Behrens, Lutz KÜMMEL, Thomas DAUBE, Gernot Richter, Babak Taleb-Araghi, Pascal Fontaine, Michael ZIELENBACH