Patents by Inventor Volker Dreyer
Volker Dreyer 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: 10330514Abstract: Apparatus for monitoring a predetermined fill level of a medium in a container, including a mechanically oscillatable unit, a driving/receiving unit for exciting the mechanically oscillatable unit to execute mechanical oscillations and for receiving the oscillations of the mechanically oscillatable unit, and an electronics unit for producing an electrical exciter signal and for evaluating an electrical, received signal.Type: GrantFiled: February 22, 2013Date of Patent: June 25, 2019Assignee: ENDRESS+HAUSER SE+CO.KGInventors: Sergej Lopatin, Sascha D'Angelico, Volker Dreyer, Alexander Muller
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Patent number: 10107670Abstract: An apparatus for determining and/or monitoring at least one process variable of a medium in a container comprising an oscillatable unit for introduction into the container; a housing, wherein the oscillatable unit is connected with the housing such that the oscillatable unit closes the housing terminally; at least one hollow space in the oscillatable unit which is accessible from an inner space formed by the housing; and a driving/receiving unit for exciting the oscillatable unit to execute mechanical oscillations and for receiving the mechanical oscillations and for transducing them into an electrical, received signal. Inventive features including that the driving/receiving unit is present in such a manner in the hollow space and that the hollow space is filled with a potting material in such a manner that the driving/receiving unit is connected via the potting material for force coupling with a wall of the hollow space.Type: GrantFiled: December 17, 2012Date of Patent: October 23, 2018Assignee: ENDRESS+HAUSER SE+CO.KGInventors: Volker Dreyer, Sergej Lopatin, Benjamin Mack, Alexander Muller, Helmut Pfeiffer
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Patent number: 9470667Abstract: An apparatus for determining and/or monitoring at least one process variable of a medium, comprising at least one sensor element sensitive for the process variable, a process connection for securing the apparatus to a container or pipeline and a housing connected with the process connection. The apparatus has at least one, first component of metal and at least one, second component of synthetic material, wherein the first component and the second component are embodied as hollow bodies. An annular, first connection region is formed on the first component, wherein on the second component an annular second connection region is formed, whose outer diameter corresponds at least sectionally to the inner diameter of the first connection region.Type: GrantFiled: September 12, 2012Date of Patent: October 18, 2016Assignee: Endress + Hauser GmbH + Co. KGInventors: Andreas Krumbholz, Volker Dreyer
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Patent number: 9377343Abstract: An apparatus for determining and/or monitoring at least one fill level of a medium in a container comprising: a capacitive or conductive probe unit having at least one electrode; and a control/evaluation unit. The electrode is a hollow body, that an end region of the electrode protruding into the container is embodied as an oscillatable membrane. On an inner side of the membrane a driving/receiving unit is arranged, which excites the membrane to execute mechanical oscillations and receives mechanical oscillations therefrom and converts such into an electrical, received signal. The control/evaluation unit supplies the electrode at least at times with a voltage and determines the fill level of the medium capacitively or conductively, and/or that the control/evaluation unit supplies the driving/receiving unit at least at times with an exciter signal and determines from the electrical received signal the fill level of the medium.Type: GrantFiled: June 20, 2011Date of Patent: June 28, 2016Assignee: Endress + Hauser GmbH + Co. KGInventors: Martin Urban, Helmut Pfeiffer, Volker Dreyer
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Patent number: 8997582Abstract: A method and an apparatus for determining at least one flow characteristic of an essentially laminarly flowing, gaseous or liquid medium in a pipeline. Distinguishing features include: that at least one modulation element introduced into, or placed in, the pipeline produces, at least for the case, in which the medium is flowing with a velocity different from zero, a change in density of the medium, at least at times, in the vicinity of the modulation element; that at least one mechanically oscillatable unit introduced into, or placed in, the pipeline and spaced from the modulation element is excited to resonant oscillations; that mechanical oscillations are received by the mechanically oscillatable unit and converted into an electrical, received signal, wherein the received signal is sensitive to the density change; and that the at least one flow characteristic of the medium is determined from the reaction of the received signal of the mechanically oscillatable unit to the density change.Type: GrantFiled: April 14, 2011Date of Patent: April 7, 2015Assignee: Endress + Hauser GmbH + Co. KGInventors: Andreas Mayr, Volker Dreyer, Sergej Lopatin
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Publication number: 20150047428Abstract: Apparatus for monitoring a predetermined fill level of a medium in a container, including a mechanically oscillatable unit, a driving/receiving unit for exciting the mechanically oscillatable unit to execute mechanical oscillations and for receiving the oscillations of the mechanically oscillatable unit, and an electronics unit for producing an electrical exciter signal and for evaluating an electrical, received signal.Type: ApplicationFiled: February 22, 2013Publication date: February 19, 2015Inventors: Sergej Lopatin, Sascha D'Angelico, Volker Dreyer, Alexander Muller
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Publication number: 20140352427Abstract: An apparatus for determining and/or monitoring at least one process variable of a medium in a container and comprises an oscillatable unit for introduction into the container, a housing, wherein the oscillatable unit is connected with the housing in such a manner that the oscillatable unit closes the housing terminally, and wherein present in the oscillatable unit is at least one hollow space, which is accessible from an inner space formed by the housing, a driving/receiving unit for exciting the oscillatable unit to execute mechanical oscillations and for receiving the mechanical oscillations and for transducing them into an electrical, received signal. The invention is distinguished by features including that the driving/receiving unit is present in such a manner in the hollow space and the hollow space is filled with a potting material in such a manner that the driving/receiving unit is connected via the potting material for force coupling with a wall of the hollow space.Type: ApplicationFiled: December 17, 2012Publication date: December 4, 2014Inventors: Volker Dreyer, Sergej Lopatin, Benjamin Mack, Alexander Mueller, Helmut Pfeiffer
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Publication number: 20140260709Abstract: An apparatus for determining and/or monitoring at least one process variable of a medium, comprising at least one sensor element sensitive for the process variable, a process connection for securing the apparatus to a container or pipeline and a housing connected with the process connection. The apparatus has at least one, first component of metal and at least one, second component of synthetic material, wherein the first component and the second component are embodied as hollow bodies. An annular, first connection region is formed on the first component, wherein on the second component an annular second connection region is formed, whose outer diameter corresponds at least sectionally to the inner diameter of the first connection region.Type: ApplicationFiled: September 12, 2012Publication date: September 18, 2014Applicant: Endress + Hauser GmbH + Co. KGInventors: Andreas Krumbholz, Volker Dreyer
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Patent number: 8746071Abstract: An apparatus for determining and/or monitoring a process variable. The apparatus includes a housing, a mechanically oscillatable unit, and a transducer unit, which is arranged and clamped between two housing elements in such a manner that a predeterminable pressure acts on the transducer unit along an imaginary axis. An equalizing element is provided, whose coefficient of thermal expansion and/or height are/is selected in such a manner that a temperature-related expansion of the equalizing element during a temperature-related expansion of a housing element to be compensated leads to the pressure acting on the transducer unit being greater than or equal to a predeterminable prestress limit value.Type: GrantFiled: October 27, 2009Date of Patent: June 10, 2014Assignee: Endress + Hauser GmbH + Co. KGInventors: Volker Dreyer, Sergej Lopatin, Oliver Schmidt
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Publication number: 20130118254Abstract: An apparatus for determining and/or monitoring at least one fill level of a medium in a container comprising: a capacitive or conductive probe unit having at least one electrode; and a control/evaluation unit. The electrode is a hollow body, that an end region of the electrode protruding into the container is embodied as an oscillatable membrane. On an inner side of the membrane a driving/receiving unit is arranged, which excites the membrane to execute mechanical oscillations and receives mechanical oscillations therefrom and converts such into an electrical, received signal. The control/evaluation unit supplies the electrode at least at times with a voltage and determines the fill level of the medium capacitively or conductively, and/or that the control/evaluation unit supplies the driving/receiving unit at least at times with an exciter signal and determines from the electrical received signal the fill level of the medium.Type: ApplicationFiled: June 20, 2011Publication date: May 16, 2013Applicant: ENDRESS + HAUSER GMBH + CO KGInventors: Martin Urban, Helmut Pfeiffer, Volker Dreyer
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Patent number: 8434211Abstract: A method for manufacturing a measuring apparatus for capacitive determining and/or monitoring of at least the fill level of a medium. The measuring apparatus has a probe unit and an electronics unit. During a measurement, the electronics unit supplies the probe unit with an exciter signal and receives from the probe unit a received signal, from which the electronics unit ascertains a capacitance value. The probe unit is coated with an insulation layer, the coated probe unit is connected with the electronics unit and inserted into a container containing a calibration medium, the coated probe unit is covered completely by the calibration medium and an associated received signal is gained, and, with the associated received signal, at least one adjustable component of the electronics unit is set.Type: GrantFiled: August 12, 2009Date of Patent: May 7, 2013Assignee: Endress + Hauser GmbH + Co. KGInventors: Volker Dreyer, Armin Wernet
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Publication number: 20130042698Abstract: A method and an apparatus for determining at least one flow characteristic of an essentially laminarly flowing, gaseous or liquid medium in a pipeline. Distinguishing features include: that at least one modulation element introduced into, or placed in, the pipeline produces, at least for the case, in which the medium is flowing with a velocity different from zero, a change in density of the medium, at least at times, in the vicinity of the modulation element; that at least one mechanically oscillatable unit introduced into, or placed in, the pipeline and spaced from the modulation element is excited to resonant oscillations; that mechanical oscillations are received by the mechanically oscillatable unit and converted into an electrical, received signal, wherein the received signal is sensitive to the density change; and that the at least one flow characteristic of the medium is determined from the reaction of the received signal of the mechanically oscillatable unit to the density change.Type: ApplicationFiled: April 14, 2011Publication date: February 21, 2013Applicant: Endress + Hauser GmbH + Co. KGInventors: Andreas Mayr, Volker Dreyer, Sergej Lopatin
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Patent number: 8359109Abstract: An apparatus for determining and/or monitoring at least one process variable of a medium. The apparatus includes: at least one sensor unit for registering the process variable, wherein the sensor unit produces measurement signals; at least one electronics unit for controlling the sensor unit, wherein the electronics unit has at least one microprocessor; and at least one memory unit, which is associated with the sensor unit, and in which control data are storable. The control data specifically relate to the sensor unit and can be read out by the electronics unit. The microprocessor of the electronics unit is embodied in such a manner, that the microprocessor executes in an inactive state only basic functionalities, and that the microprocessor in an active state controls the sensor unit. The microprocessor transfers from the inactive state into the active state transfers by loading control data from the memory unit.Type: GrantFiled: April 25, 2007Date of Patent: January 22, 2013Assignee: Endress + Hauser GmbH + Co. KGInventors: Volker Dreyer, Udo Grittke, Kaj Uppenkamp, Franco Ferraro
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Patent number: 8044671Abstract: A method for servicing, especially checking, an apparatus for capacitive ascertaining and/or monitoring at least one process variable of a medium, wherein the apparatus has at least one probe unit with a probe electrode and an auxiliary electrode. The probe electrode and/or the auxiliary electrode are/is supplied at least with one test signal or connected with at least one electrical potential, that at least one response signal is tapped from the probe unit, and that, at least from the response signal and a predeterminable desired value, information is obtained concerning the apparatus.Type: GrantFiled: January 18, 2008Date of Patent: October 25, 2011Assignee: Endress + Hauser GmbH + Co. KGInventors: Volker Dreyer, Armin Wernet, Roland Dieterle
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Publication number: 20110226064Abstract: An apparatus for determining and/or monitoring a process variable. The apparatus includes a housing, a mechanically oscillatable unit, and a transducer unit, which is arranged and clamped between two housing elements in such a manner that a predeterminable pressure acts on the transducer unit along an imaginary axis. An equalizing element is provided, whose coefficient of thermal expansion and/or height are/is selected in such a manner that a temperature-related expansion of the equalizing element during a temperature-related expansion of a housing element to be compensated leads to the pressure acting on the transducer unit being greater than or equal to a predeterminable prestress limit value.Type: ApplicationFiled: October 27, 2009Publication date: September 22, 2011Applicant: Endress + Hauser GmbH + Co. KGInventors: Volker Dreyer, Sergej Lopatin, Oliver Schmidt
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Publication number: 20110192017Abstract: A method for manufacturing a measuring apparatus for capacitive determining and/or monitoring of at least the fill level of a medium. The measuring apparatus has a probe unit and an electronics unit. During a measurement, the electronics unit supplies the probe unit with an exciter signal and receives from the probe unit a received signal, from which the electronics unit ascertains a capacitance value. The probe unit is coated with an insulation layer, the coated probe unit is connected with the electronics unit and inserted into a container containing a calibration medium, the coated probe unit is covered completely by the calibration medium and an associated received signal is gained, and, with the associated received signal, at least one adjustable component of the electronics unit is set.Type: ApplicationFiled: August 12, 2009Publication date: August 11, 2011Applicant: Endress +Hauser GmbH + Co. KGInventors: Volker Dreyer, Armin Wernet
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Publication number: 20090312846Abstract: An apparatus for determining and/or monitoring at least one process variable of a medium. The apparatus includes: at least one sensor unit for registering the process variable, wherein the sensor unit produces measurement signals; at least one electronics unit for controlling the sensor unit, wherein the electronics unit has at least one microprocessor; and at least one memory unit, which is associated with the sensor unit, and in which control data are storable. The control data specifically relate to the sensor unit and can be read out by the electronics unit. The microprocessor of the electronics unit is embodied in such a manner, that the microprocessor executes in an inactive state only basic functionalities, and that the microprocessor in an active state controls the sensor unit. The microprocessor transfers from the inactive state into the active state transfers by loading control data from the memory unit.Type: ApplicationFiled: April 25, 2007Publication date: December 17, 2009Applicant: Endress + Hauser GmbH + Co. KGInventors: Franco Ferraro, Kaj Uppenkamp, Volker Dreyer, Udo Grittke
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Patent number: 7477157Abstract: An apparatus for determining and/or monitoring a physical or chemical process variable of a medium, having a sensor unit, which produces a measurement signal with a piece of process variable-dependent, basic information, and having an evaluation unit which, from the measurement signal of the sensor unit, determines a measured value for the process variable, and which produces an output signal with information concerning whether the measured value is greater or smaller than a limit value. A first and second modulation range are provided, and the evaluation unit modulates the output signal within the first or second modulation range with the basic information of the measurement signal, with the evaluation unit modulating the output signal within the first modulation range when the process variable is smaller than the limit value, and with the evaluation unit modulating the output signal within the second modulation range when the process variable is greater than the limit value.Type: GrantFiled: October 17, 2005Date of Patent: January 13, 2009Assignee: Endress + Hauser GmbH + Co. KGInventors: Volker Dreyer, Chris Rompf, Alexander Muller
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Publication number: 20080297177Abstract: The invention relates to a method for servicing, especially checking, an apparatus for capacitive ascertaining and/or monitoring at least one process variable of a medium, wherein the apparatus has at least one probe unit (3) with a probe electrode (6) and an auxiliary electrode (7). The invention includes that the probe electrode (6) and/or the auxiliary electrode (7) are/is supplied at least with one test signal or connected with at least one electrical potential, that at least one response signal is tapped from the probe unit (3), and that, at least from the response signal and a predeterminable desired value, information is obtained concerning the apparatus.Type: ApplicationFiled: January 18, 2008Publication date: December 4, 2008Applicant: Endress + Hauser GmbH + Co. KGInventors: Volker Dreyer, Armin Wernet, Roland Dieterle
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Patent number: 7095365Abstract: The invention relates to an apparatus for monitoring a field device for determining and/or monitoring a physical and/or chemical process parameter of a process medium with a first sealing stage facing toward the process and at least one housing with a predetermined interior volume. The housing is located on the side of the first sealing stage facing away from the process, wherein energy is transferable through the first sealing stage 4 in the direction of the process medium. This energy interacts with the process medium, wherein at least one detector unit is provided in the housing, which unit monitors at least one condition parameter of the interior volume of the housing.Type: GrantFiled: June 17, 2004Date of Patent: August 22, 2006Assignee: Endress + Hauser GmbH + Co. KGInventors: Peter Klöfer, Volker Dreyer, Sergej Lopatin, Roland Müller, Herbert Schroth