Patents by Inventor Wolfgang Wimmer

Wolfgang Wimmer 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: 11558279
    Abstract: A method and an access unit for accessing an industrial communication network are provided. An access unit has first ports connected to the communication network and at least one second port. The access unit is configured to pass data traffic between nodes of the communication network through the access unit in a first operational state of the access unit. The access unit is configured to pass data traffic to a test node via the at least one second port and/or allow test data to be injected into the communication network via the at least one second port in a second operational state of the access unit.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 14, 2019
    Date of Patent: January 17, 2023
    Assignee: Hitachi Energy Switzerland Ltd
    Inventors: Dominique Graber, Michael Obrist, Stefan Meier, Stephan Gerspach, Wolfgang Wimmer
  • Patent number: 11262733
    Abstract: A method and device for configuring an intelligent electronic device, IED, hosting a logical node instance are provided. Incoming signals of the IED are bound to inputs of a function, the function being performed by the logical node instance in operation of an industrial automation control system, IACS. To bind the incoming signals to the inputs of the function, a computing device determines, based on an input data template of the logical node instance, which data is required by the logical node instance to perform the function. The computing device determines, using process related information of the IACS, source IEDs of the IACS that provide the data required by the logical node instance to perform the function.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 2, 2018
    Date of Patent: March 1, 2022
    Assignee: HITACHI ENERGY SWITZERLAND AG
    Inventors: Stephan Gerspach, Wolfgang Wimmer
  • Patent number: 11243508
    Abstract: The invention relates to a method for analyzing an abnormal event in an industrial automation and control system, IACS, comprising the following steps: identifying the abnormal event; detecting a root cause of the abnormal event; and generating a notification if the root cause is not a user activity and, if the root cause is a user activity, evaluating the possible impact on the IACS caused by the abnormal event, and generating a notification if the evaluation of the possible impact does not match a predefined list of allowable behavior. The present invention also relates to a corresponding system and corresponding computer program product comprising one or more computer readable media having computer executable instructions for performing the steps of the method.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 16, 2017
    Date of Patent: February 8, 2022
    Assignee: Hitachi Energy Switzerland AG
    Inventors: Hadeli Hadeli, Wolfgang Wimmer, Michael Obrist
  • Patent number: 10978836
    Abstract: A housing element for attachment to an electric flat conductor rail. The housing element includes a flat conductor socket extending in a first direction, and a plug connector flange extending in a second direction transverse to the first direction, and including an interior contact part receptacle. The plug connector flange is further separated from the flat conductor socket by a wall. A passage opening connects the flat conductor socket to the contact-part receptacle. The present disclosure further relates to an electric line arrangement including such a housing element and to a production method therefor.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 29, 2018
    Date of Patent: April 13, 2021
    Assignee: LISA DRAEXLMAIER GMBH
    Inventors: Wolfgang Wimmer, Thomas Stöckl
  • Patent number: 10727617
    Abstract: An electrical cable arrangement comprises a dimensionally stable flat conductor bar with a flat conductor shield; at least one electric cable connected thereto and having a cable shield; and a shield housing made of an aluminum material and having a first housing part and a second housing part. Between the housing parts a closed accommodating chamber is formed for a connecting section between the flat conductor bar and the cable. When in the installed state, the flat conductor bar and the cable are each clamped tight between the housing parts by an end face section in such a manner that the flat conductor shield and the cable shield are directly or indirectly interconnected for the shield transition.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 6, 2017
    Date of Patent: July 28, 2020
    Assignee: LISA DRAEXLMAIER Gmbh
    Inventor: Wolfgang Wimmer
  • Patent number: 10714883
    Abstract: An electrical line arrangement for a vehicle including a dimensionally stable flat conductor rail and a contact part housing fitted on the flat conductor rail such that it at least partially engages around the flat conductor rail. A contact part which makes contact with the flat conductor rail can be accommodated or is accommodated in the contact part housing. The line arrangement includes a mounting rail having a mounting flange for connection to the vehicle and a first connecting flange through which the contact part housing is held on the mounting rail in an interlocking manner in such a way that enables movement in a translatory manner along the mounting rail.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 29, 2017
    Date of Patent: July 14, 2020
    Assignee: LISA DRAEXLMAIER GmbH
    Inventor: Wolfgang Wimmer
  • Patent number: 10644538
    Abstract: An IEC 61850 Network Control Center (NCC) server is provided at a gateway intelligent electronic device (IED) of a Substation Automation (SA) system. The NCC server serves, via the MMS/TCP/IP part of IEC 61850, process data from substation Intelligent Electronic Devices IEDs to a NCC. The NCC server uses functional names for gateway Logical Nodes (LN) corresponding to substation LNs. The functional names are devoid of any reference to a substation IED related name of the substation LNs, but can be automatically translated to substation IED related names in case of changing SA communication and substation IED architecture. Thereby, functional names as defined by the substation section within a SCD file of the SA system are used for the communication link between the gateway IED and the NCC.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 7, 2012
    Date of Patent: May 5, 2020
    Assignee: ABB Schweiz AG
    Inventor: Wolfgang Wimmer
  • Publication number: 20200127426
    Abstract: An electrical line arrangement for a vehicle including a dimensionally stable flat conductor rail and a contact part housing fitted on the flat conductor rail such that it at least partially engages around the flat conductor rail. A contact part which makes contact with the flat conductor rail can be accommodated or is accommodated in the contact part housing. The line arrangement includes a mounting rail having a mounting flange for connection to the vehicle and a first connecting flange through which the contact part housing is held on the mounting rail in an interlocking manner in such a way that enables movement in a translatory manner along the mounting rail. The present disclosure further relates to a contact part housing and a corresponding mounting rail.
    Type: Application
    Filed: November 29, 2017
    Publication date: April 23, 2020
    Inventor: Wolfgang WIMMER
  • Patent number: 10601650
    Abstract: The present application is concerned with a method for loading configuration data to a first Intelligent Electronic Device IED in a Substation Automation SA system, wherein the SA system included a second IED connected to the first IED via a communication network. The method includes: determining a first SID for the first IED by means of a neighbour ship relation, wherein the neighbour ship relation is predefined and indicative of a relative arrangement of the first and second IED in the communication network; assigning the first SID to the first IED; and obtaining first configuration data corresponding to the first SID, and loading the first configuration data to the first IED. The Global Identification GID of the first IED may be determined from the communication network, and the first SID can be linked with the GID of the first IED. The present application concerns also an active IED for configuration of a new or replaced IED in the substation system, according to the above mentioned method.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 5, 2017
    Date of Patent: March 24, 2020
    Assignee: ABB Schweiz AG
    Inventors: Stephan Gerspach, Wolfgang Wimmer, Thomas Werner, Otmar Görlitz, Claudio Honegger
  • Publication number: 20200084134
    Abstract: A method and an access unit for accessing an industrial communication network are provided. An access unit has first ports connected to the communication network and at least one second port. The access unit is configured to pass data traffic between nodes of the communication network through the access unit in a first operational state of the access unit. The access unit is configured to pass data traffic to a test node via the at least one second port and/or allow test data to be injected into the communication network via the at least one second port in a second operational state of the access unit.
    Type: Application
    Filed: November 14, 2019
    Publication date: March 12, 2020
    Inventors: Dominique Graber, Michael Obrist, Stefan Meier, Stephan Gerspach, Wolfgang Wimmer
  • Publication number: 20190379169
    Abstract: A housing element for attachment to an electric flat conductor rail. The housing element includes a flat conductor socket extending in a first direction, and a plug connector flange extending in a second direction transverse to the first direction, and including an interior contact part receptacle. The plug connector flange is further separated from the flat conductor socket by a wall. A passage opening connects the flat conductor socket to the contact-part receptacle. The present disclosure further relates to an electric line arrangement including such a housing element and to a production method therefor.
    Type: Application
    Filed: January 29, 2018
    Publication date: December 12, 2019
    Inventors: Wolfgang Wimmer, Thomas Stöckl
  • Publication number: 20190288416
    Abstract: An electrical cable arrangement comprises a dimensionally stable flat conductor bar with a flat conductor shield; at least one electric cable connected thereto and having a cable shield; and a shield housing made of an aluminum material and having a first housing part and a second housing part. Between the housing parts a closed accommodating chamber is formed for a connecting section between the flat conductor bar and the cable. When in the installed state, the flat conductor bar and the cable are each clamped tight between the housing parts by an end face section in such a manner that the flat conductor shield and the cable shield are directly or indirectly interconnected for the shield transition.
    Type: Application
    Filed: November 6, 2017
    Publication date: September 19, 2019
    Inventor: Wolfgang Wimmer
  • Patent number: 10374415
    Abstract: The present invention is concerned with simplified configuration as well as supervision and testing of load restoration functions in high or medium voltage substations of electrical power transmission or distribution networks. The invention takes advantage of the fact that all information for load restoration is available from a standardized configuration representation and from dynamically observable events. Specifically, the IEC 61850 Substation Configuration Description (SCD) file includes the substation single line, the bus bar or breaker failure protection functionality related to it, and the way how reclosing commands can be conveyed for the restoration process. A load restore function or load transfer application observes the execution of a protection trip function and the concurrent connection state of the bays to bus bars in order to automatically restore the power flow across a failed bus bar segment to a parallel healthy bus bar segment.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 14, 2016
    Date of Patent: August 6, 2019
    Assignee: ABB Schweiz AG
    Inventor: Wolfgang Wimmer
  • Patent number: 10338544
    Abstract: The present invention is concerned with Process Control systems including a client IED and a plurality of server IEDs connected to an Ethernet communication network. A protocol analyzer tool connected to the communication network captures messages directed to the client IED and assigns, from a standardized configuration representation of the PC system comprising the logical data flow definitions, a server or source IED to each captured message. A client IED independent way of diagnosing a cause of client overload problems is provided by analyzing statistically the captured messages. Such statistical approach allows identifying any operating server or source IED sending, on average, more messages than during a preceding period or more messages than calculated.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 24, 2015
    Date of Patent: July 2, 2019
    Assignee: ABB Schweiz AG
    Inventors: Heinz Brodbeck, Wolfgang Wimmer
  • Publication number: 20190129392
    Abstract: A method and device for configuring an intelligent electronic device, IED, hosting a logical node instance are provided. Incoming signals of the IED are bound to inputs of a function, the function being performed by the logical node instance in operation of an industrial automation control system, IACS. To bind the incoming signals to the inputs of the function, a computing device determines, based on an input data template of the logical node instance, which data is required by the logical node instance to perform the function. The computing device determines, using process related information of the IACS, source IEDs of the IACS that provide the data required by the logical node instance to perform the function.
    Type: Application
    Filed: November 2, 2018
    Publication date: May 2, 2019
    Inventors: Stephan Gerspach, Wolfgang Wimmer
  • Patent number: 10096986
    Abstract: A sealing device to seal a connection between an electrical conductor with a PVC or silicone insulation, leaving one end of the conductor exposed, and a contact element electrically connected to the conductor. The contact element is covered with a jacket of a semi-crystalline thermoplastic material, and is exposed in the area of bonding with the conductor. A sleeve-shaped adapter of a semi-crystalline thermoplastic material is inserted and surrounds the conductor with a gasket at an end area of the PVC or silicon insulation. The device also includes an overmold of a thermoplastic or terpolymer elastomer that covers the exposed end of the conductor, the exposed portion of the contact element and at least portions of the adapter and of the jacket of the contact element.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 15, 2016
    Date of Patent: October 9, 2018
    Assignee: Lisa Draexlmaier GmbH
    Inventor: Wolfgang Wimmer
  • Patent number: 10027077
    Abstract: A contact point for establishing a connection to a conductor element according to the present disclosure comprises a flat conductor having first and second ends, and a contact element connected to the flat conductor in a terminal area of the flat conductor, wherein the contact element is also configured to connect to the conductor element. The contact point comprises a multi-shell housing attached to the flat conductor and configured to cover the contact element and the terminal area. The housing comprises at least three openings, wherein first and second openings enable passage of first and second ends of the flat conductor, and a third opening enables passage of the conductor element. A gasket is attached to at least one of the openings for sealing the housing.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 14, 2017
    Date of Patent: July 17, 2018
    Assignee: Lisa Draexlmaier GmbH
    Inventors: Benedikt Niedermeier, Wolfgang Wimmer
  • Patent number: 10012681
    Abstract: The invention supports and promotes testing of Substation Automation (SA) functions involving intermediary Logical Nodes (LN) in SA systems of operating substations, specifically with minimized impact on the substation and/or the SA system and without having to completely deactivate or isolate entire parts of the substation. A test is set up by defining at least one input LN where the test scenario input signals will be applied, and by determining output LNs where expected output values shall be observed. Based on the data flow between LNs as defined in the System Configuration Description (SCD) file a test preparing tool automatically determines all intermediary LNs logically arranged between these input and output LNs. The intermediary LNs and the IEDs that are affected by the function test are identified and subsequently marked for “test” or “simulation” mode.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 25, 2016
    Date of Patent: July 3, 2018
    Assignee: ABB Schweiz AG
    Inventor: Wolfgang Wimmer
  • Patent number: 9859629
    Abstract: Embodiments disclose a contact element comprising a connector plate having a central inner opening and a conductor receptacle extending outwardly from the connector plate. The connector plate has at least one pair of connection areas including a plug area and a jack area. The plug area and the jack area of each particular pair are angularly offset by a predefined offset angle around a center of the inner opening and are vertically offset from one another in a direction perpendicular to the connector plate such that they are configured for mutual lateral engagement when arranged facing and vertically offset from one another. Further embodiments disclose a method for connecting two contact elements, and a set having multiple superimposed contact elements that are angularly offset by an offset angle. The contact elements of the present disclosure may be used to attach individual leads to a ground terminal in a vehicle body.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 13, 2017
    Date of Patent: January 2, 2018
    Assignee: Lisa Draexlmaier GmbH
    Inventors: Annika Krebs, Wolfgang Wimmer
  • Publication number: 20170364053
    Abstract: The invention relates to a method for analyzing an abnormal event in an industrial automation and control system, IACS, comprising the following steps: identifying the abnormal event; detecting a root cause of the abnormal event; and generating a notification if the root cause is not a user activity and, if the root cause is a user activity, evaluating the possible impact on the IACS caused by the abnormal event, and generating a notification if the evaluation of the possible impact does not match a predefined list of allowable behavior. The present invention also relates to a corresponding system and corresponding computer program product comprising one or more computer readable media having computer executable instructions for performing the steps of the method.
    Type: Application
    Filed: June 16, 2017
    Publication date: December 21, 2017
    Inventors: Hadeli Hadeli, Wolfgang Wimmer, Michael Obrist