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Twelve Outstanding Inventors Honored
Energy efficiency and care for the
environment are one focus of inventions
at Siemens – and the research and
development activities of six of this year’s
twelve “Inventors of the Year” reflect this
focus. At a ceremony in Munich on
December 3, Siemens CEO Peter Löscher
honored 12 outstanding inventors as
representatives of the company. Their
spectrum of inventions ranges from CO2-
free power plants and a revolutionary
and energy-saving drive concept for
trains, to new imaging techniques for
magnetic resonance and computer
tomography. “You belong to the great
tradition established 160 years ago by
our company founder, Werner von
Siemens, who began discovering answers
to some of the major questions facing
humanity. Similarly, your innovations
now provide solutions for the
development of more efficient energy
supplies, more intelligent production
methods, and more efficient healthcare.”
In fiscal 2007, Siemens applied for a total
of 5,060 patents based on 8,300
inventions and innovations disclosed by
the company’s approximately 32,500
researchers and developers worldwide.
Here are the 12 Innovations:
Reducing the Environmental Impact
of Oil Sands Extraction
Chad Felch, 35, of Rothschild, Wisconsin
(U.S.), provided a major contribution to
making production of oil from tar sand in
Canada more environmentally compatible.
His process uses the so called Zimpro wet
air oxidation (WAO) process to destroy 90
percent of the soot, minimizing the amount
of waste soot requiring disposal. In addition,
the heavy metals in the soot may be able to be recovered and sold as a product.
Use of Contrast Medium with
Computerized Tomography Yields
New Insights
Björn Heismann, 36, of Forchheim,
Germany, has devised new applications for
computer tomography in combination with
contrast media and a special imaging
technique involving the use of two X-ray
tubes. Potential future areas of application
include the identification of cardiac muscle
functionality following a coronary, tumor
classification for oncology, and characterization of vascular deposition.
Subways with Direct Drive Systems
— All Aboard!
Andreas Jöckel, 40, of Ruhstorf, Germany,
has developed an entirely new drive system
that could soon be powering subways and
commuter trains around the world. A
prototype is already traveling the Munich
subway system. In this initial phase it’s
operating without passengers on its nightly
test drives. However, starting in January 2008
it will be used in normal subway operations.
New Technology for Fire and Motion
Detectors Ensures Enhanced Safety
- and No False Alarms
Kurt Müller, 63, of Zug in Switzerland, has
increased the flexibility of infrared motion
detectors, thus reducing the incidence of
false alarms. These detectors are used to
protect properties against intruders. In
addition, for a new series of fire alarm
systems Müller invented an improved type
of flashing light which is visible from any angle and also features low power consumption.
New Cooling System for
Enhanced Cast Resin
Transformers
Fritz Sorg, 59, of Kirchheim unter Teck,
Germany, has enhanced the cooling
system for transformers and thus
increased their lifetime and capacity.
Thanks to the improved cooling system,
fewer raw materials are required to
manufacture the cast resin transformers.
Moreover, transformers already in
operation can be retrofitted.
RFID Wristbands Enhance Safety
for Patients and Hospitals
Alfred Pohl, 44, of Vienna, Austria, has
used RFID systems to enhance the safety
of patients in hospitals. Special radio
wristbands featuring an RFID chip have
already been successfully tested in a pilot
project involving 200 patients at New
York’s Jacobi Medical Center. Siemens also
has developed an RFID watch that can
transmit heart rate data and the location
of patients.
Radical Approach Boosts Efficiency
of CO2-Free Power Plants
Frank Hannemann, 44, of Erlangen,
Germany, has refined the process used for
CO2-free power generation from coal, with
the aim of improving its overall efficiency.
Hannemann’s invention could also play an
important role in the use of renewable
energy sources such as biomass which could
be used more efficiently.
A New “Lightweight” Is
Revolutionizing Urban Rail
Transport
Martin Teichmann, 41, from Graz, Austria,
has developed a revolutionary design for
train traction vehicles that cuts energy
consumption, saves space, and significantly
reduces weight. In all, the new running gear
is approximately two tons per bogie lighter
than today’s technology. A four-car subway
train using the bogie, for example, can
transport about 200 passengers more than a conventionally equipped train, with the
same level of energy consumption.
Big Performance from Small
Switching Box Enables
Development of Brand-New, Low-
Cost 1.5T MRT
Jian Min Wang, 45, of Shenzhen in China,
has simplified the MRT scanner technology,
enabling production of an especially lowpriced
system for hospitals on tight budgets.
He achieved two seemingly mutually
exclusive goals: lower costs due to a less
sophisticated signal receiving system that has been conceived to provide core quality
and, at the same time, the incorporation of the Tim technology by means of an
innovative switching system.
Actuator-Sensor Interface
Reduces Connection Costs
Bernhard Wiesgickl, 50, of Amberg,
Germany, has simplified and reduced the
cost of communications technology used
to connect sensors and motors with control
systems in factories. In other words, his
invention enables the creation of systems
with high availability at a reduced cost
which is very important regarding the
intensifying competition in the field of
industrial communication systems.
Faster Sorting, Faster Delivery -
with a New Storage Module for
Mail Centers
Armin Zimmermann, 53, of Konstanz,
Germany, has invented a basic module
capable in some cases of doubling the
throughput of mail-sorting systems. He
came up with the idea of installing an
automatic interim storage point that can
be used in every sorting unit. This
improves the utilization of the capacity
and saves sorting time.
Services for Industry - Flexibility
Is the Secret to Success
Rupert Maier, 47, of Erlangen, Germany,
has developed various software
applications that simplify the maintenance
of industrial plants. Regardless of whether
the issue is measurement and diagnostics
systems for industrial plants or enhanced
procedures that accelerate the supply of
spare parts, all these innovations help
customers to optimize their processes, identify dangers in advance, and remedy
faults more quickly.
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