Patents by Inventor Thomas Rehfeldt

Thomas Rehfeldt 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: 7690257
    Abstract: In a method and a device for testing a weld seam (8), located on the inner surface of a reactor pressure vessel (2), by which the outer circumference of an instrumentation nozzle (4) leading into the interior of this reactor pressure vessel (2) is welded onto the reactor pressure vessel (2), an ultrasound test probe (20) with a linear ultrasound transducer array (30) is inserted into the instrumentation nozzle (4), which ultrasound transducer array (30) is parallel to the central axis (12) of the instrumentation nozzle (4) in terms of its longitudinal direction, and is used to couple a transmitted ultrasound signal (S) into the instrumentation nozzle (4) in the region of the weld seam (8) and to receive a reflected ultrasound signal (R).
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 30, 2007
    Date of Patent: April 6, 2010
    Assignee: Intelligendt Systems & Services GmbH
    Inventors: Rainer Meier, Thomas Rehfeldt, Peter Kaluza
  • Patent number: 7516664
    Abstract: In a method for the ultrasonic testing of a workpiece (2) in a curved area of its surface, in particular of a workpiece (2) made of a fiber composite material, an ultrasonic test head (10) is acoustically coupled to the workpiece in this area, and includes an ultrasonic transducer arrangement (12) comprising a plurality (N) of individually driveable transducer elements (20i) which are arranged next to one another. In chronologically successive test cycles, a number (n) of transducer elements (20i) are respectively combined to form a group and are driven in a plurality of test pulses within this test cycle in a time delayed manner with respect to one another such that the transmitted ultrasound beam (30a-d) in this test cycle is swept within a predetermined angular range (?1, ?2), so that one of the number of echo signals, corresponding to the number of test pulses, for each group is received from different directions of the workpiece (2).
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 26, 2007
    Date of Patent: April 14, 2009
    Assignee: Intelligendt Systems & Services GmbH & Co. KG
    Inventors: Rainer Meier, Jana Becker, Thomas Rehfeldt
  • Publication number: 20070253519
    Abstract: In a method and a device for testing a weld seam (8), located on the inner surface of a reactor pressure vessel (2), by which the outer circumference of an instrumentation nozzle (4) leading into the interior of this reactor pressure vessel (2) is welded onto the reactor pressure vessel (2), an ultrasound test probe (20) with a linear ultrasound transducer array (30) is inserted into the instrumentation nozzle (4), which ultrasound transducer array (30) is parallel to the central axis (12) of the instrumentation nozzle (4) in terms of its longitudinal direction, and is used to couple a transmitted ultrasound signal (S) into the instrumentation nozzle (4) in the region of the weld seam (8) and to receive a reflected ultrasound signal (R).
    Type: Application
    Filed: April 30, 2007
    Publication date: November 1, 2007
    Inventors: Rainer Meier, Thomas Rehfeldt, Peter Kaluza
  • Publication number: 20070227249
    Abstract: In a method for the ultrasonic testing of a workpiece (2) in a curved area of its surface, in particular of a workpiece (2) made of a fiber composite material, an ultrasonic test head (10) is acoustically coupled to the workpiece in this area, and includes an ultrasonic transducer arrangement (12) comprising a plurality (N) of individually driveable transducer elements (20i) which are arranged next to one another. In chronologically successive test cycles, a number (n) of transducer elements (20i) are respectively combined to form a group and are driven in a plurality of test pulses within this test cycle in a time delayed manner with respect to one another such that the transmitted ultrasound beam (30a-d) in this test cycle is swept within a predetermined angular range (?1, ?2), so that one of the number of echo signals, corresponding to the number of test pulses, for each group is received from different directions of the workpiece (2).
    Type: Application
    Filed: February 26, 2007
    Publication date: October 4, 2007
    Inventors: Rainer Meier, Jana Becker, Thomas Rehfeldt
  • Publication number: 20070230275
    Abstract: A method for producing an ultrasonic test head having an ultrasonic transducer arrangement (200) with a curved transceiving surface (23) that is constructed from a plurality of juxtaposed transducer elements (14), comprises in accordance with the invention the following method steps: a) a piezoelectric planar plate (2) corresponding to the external dimensions of the ultrasonic transducer arrangement is bonded with one of its flat sides (2a) on to a film (4) made from a polymer, b) introduced into the flat side (2b), averted from the film (4), of the piezoelectric plate (2) before or after the bonding on to the film (4) are grooves (12) whose depth corresponds at least approximately to the thickness of the plate (2) such that a planar ultrasonic transducer arrangement (20) is produced that consists of a plurality of juxtaposed transducer elements (14), and c) the planar ultrasonic transducer arrangement (20) is subsequently mounted with its flat side (2a) bonded to the film (4) on a curved bearing surface of
    Type: Application
    Filed: March 2, 2007
    Publication date: October 4, 2007
    Inventors: Rainer Meier, Thomas Rehfeldt