Patents by Inventor Thomas Ralle

Thomas Ralle 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: 10702943
    Abstract: The present disclosure concerns devices and methods for resistance welding sandwich sheets to other components. Many sandwich sheets include a thermoplastic material layer disposed between two metallic cover layers. The sandwich sheet and the other component may be secured relative to one another by a clamping arrangement. A region of the sandwich sheet to be welded may be heated by a preheating current to soften and displace the thermoplastic material layer when the cover layers are pressed together. With respect to the preheating current, a first electrode arrangement may at least temporarily contact an electrically conductive contacting region of the clamping arrangement such that the preheating current can flow via the clamping arrangement. The cover layers may be welded to the other component with a welding current via the first welding electrode of the first electrode arrangement and a second welding electrode of a second electrode arrangement.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 24, 2016
    Date of Patent: July 7, 2020
    Assignees: ThyssenKrupp Steel Europe AG, ThyssenKrupp AG, ThyssenKrupp System Engineering GMBH
    Inventors: Azeddine Chergui, Andreas Niesen, Thomas Ralle, Peter Cornelius
  • Patent number: 9848499
    Abstract: A method of producing a printed circuit board (10) with a plurality of inlays (21, 22, 23, 24), having the following steps: supplying a plurality of inlays (21, 22, 23, 24), of which at least one inlay has at least one positioning element (21.1, 21.2; 22.1 to 22.7; 23.1, 23.2; 24.1, 24.2); building up a layer sequence from a plurality of printed-circuit-board layers, with at least one recess (14) for accommodating inlays, wherein, prior to the step of the plurality of inlays (21, 22, 23, 24) being inserted, the recess (14) is defined in an uppermost layer (12) by a frame made of non-conductive printed-circuit-board material; inserting the plurality of inlays (21, 22, 23, 24) into the recess (14) defined by the frame; covering the inlays (21, 22, 23, 24) with a non-conductive printed-circuit-board material; laminating the layer sequence, and removing at least the positioning elements (21.1, 21.2; 22.1 to 22.7; 23.1, 23.2; 24.1, 24.2) which establish a conductive contact between neighboring inlays.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 21, 2015
    Date of Patent: December 19, 2017
    Assignees: SCHWEIZER ELECTRONIC AG, CONTINENTAL AUTOMOTIVE GMBH
    Inventors: Thomas Gottwald, Bernd Reisslöhner, Thomas Rall, Roland Brey, Gerald Hauer, Tobias Steckermeier
  • Patent number: 8299399
    Abstract: A device (1) is provided for connecting a metal sheet (23, 33?) at the edges, particularly body sheet metal in automobiles. The device (1) includes at least one folding bed (2) for receiving at least two metal sheets, folding jaws (3) which are functionally connected to associated folding jaw supports (4), at least one thermal jointing tool (5), and at least one mass electrode (9, 9?). At least the joining tool is not attached to the folding jaws, and the joining tool contains a lever oriented away from the folding bed as a linear feed device. The lever (6) has a center of rotation (10) outside the folding bed, wherein the joining tool can swivel in the manner of a knee lever into an operating and/or non-operating position.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 10, 2008
    Date of Patent: October 30, 2012
    Assignee: ThyssenKrupp System Engineering GmbH
    Inventors: Peter Cornelius, Uwe Feis, Michael Klos, Stefan Leidinger, Thomas Ralle
  • Publication number: 20100089892
    Abstract: A device (1) is provided for connecting a metal sheet (23, 33?) at the edges, particularly body sheet metal in automobiles. The device (1) includes at least one folding bed (2) for receiving at least two metal sheets, folding jaws (3) which are functionally connected to associated folding jaw supports (4), at least one thermal jointing tool (5), and at least one mass electrode (9, 9?). At least the joining tool is not attached to the folding jaws, and the joining tool contains a lever oriented away from the folding bed as a linear feed device. The lever (6) has a center of rotation (10) outside the folding bed, wherein the joining tool can swivel in the manner of a knee lever into an operating and/or non-operating position.
    Type: Application
    Filed: April 10, 2008
    Publication date: April 15, 2010
    Applicant: THYSSENKRUPP DRAUZ NOTHELFER GMBH
    Inventors: Peter Cornelius, Uwe Feis, Michael Klos, Stefan Leidinger, Thomas Ralle