Method and apparatus for detecting leaks

• US 20040221642A1
• Filed: 06/15/2004
• Published: 11/11/2004
• Est. Priority Date: 03/06/2003
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Cincinnati Test Systems, Inc. (TASI Holdings, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Cincinnati Test Systems, Inc. (TASI Holdings, Inc.)
• Inventors: Borntrager, Ryan R., McCoy, Fred Grant, Fazekas, Jonathan Mark
• Granted Patent: US 6,860,140 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 73/40.7
• CPC Class Codes: G01M 3/225 for welds
• CPC Class Codes: G01M 3/229 removably mounted in a test cell
• CPC Class Codes: G01N 1/26 with provision for intake from several spaces
• CPC Class Codes: G01N 7/10 by allowing diffusion of components through a porous wall and measuring a pressure or volume difference

Abstract

The present invention relates to a sensor apparatus configured to detect the presence of a gas, such as a tracer gas and a leak detection apparatus configured to detect the presence of a tracer gas and indicate the location of a leak. The leak detection apparatus may further be configured to quantify the leak rate at the leak location.

Claims

1. An apparatus for sequentially testing multiple instances of a part under test, for each instance of the part under test detecting the presence of at least one leak in a first region of the instance part under test, wherein a first side of the first region of the instance of the part under test contains a tracer gas and is at a higher pressure than a second side of the first region of the instance of the part under test such that the tracer gas will emanate through the at least one leak from the first side to the second side, the apparatus comprising:

a plurality of sensors, each sensor being configured to detect the presence of a tracer gas emanating from a leak and being configured to provide a sensing signal;

a controller operably coupled to the plurality of sensors and configured to provide a leak detection signal in response to at least a first sensor of the plurality of sensors detecting the presence of the tracer gas, the leak detection signal including leak detection information representative of the location of the leak in the first region, the leak detection information being based in part on a comparison of at least a first sensing signal of a first sensor of the plurality of sensors and a second sensing signal of a second sensor of the plurality of sensors; and

a fixture configured to support the plurality of sensors, the fixture being moveable between a first position wherein at least a portion of the plurality of sensors are spaced apart from the first region and a second position wherein the portion of the plurality of sensors are positioned proximate to the first region, the controller being configured to move the fixture from the first position to the second position.

2. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the plurality of sensors detect a concentration of the tracer gas.

3. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the controller is further configured to provide an indication of a leak rate of the leak.

4. The apparatus of claim 1, further comprising an indicator configured to provide a visual indication of the location of the leak.

5. The apparatus of claim 4, wherein the indicator includes a display configured to display a first representation of the part under test and a sensor icon positioned on the first representation, the sensor icon corresponding to a location of the sensor which is proximate to the location of the leak.

6. The apparatus of claim 5, wherein the sensor icon provides a visual indication of the location of the leak.

7. The apparatus of claim 4, wherein the indicator includes a display configured to display a first representation of the part under test and a leak graphic positioned on the first representation, the position of the leak graphic corresponding to a location of the sensor which is proximate to the location of the leak.

8. The apparatus of claim 7, wherein the leak graphic is an animated graphic configured to simulate the tracer gas emanating from the leak.

9. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the leak detection signal is provided in response to a determination that a threshold amount of the tracer gas has been detected by at least one sensor of the plurality of sensors.

10. The apparatus of claim 9, wherein the leak detection signal includes an indication of the first sensor, the first sensor being selected based on a determination that the at least one leak is positioned proximate the first sensor.

11. The apparatus of claim 10, wherein the first sensor corresponds to the sensor that detected the highest concentration of the tracer gas.

12. The apparatus of claim 10, wherein the first sensor corresponds to the sensor which first detected the presence of the tracer gas.

13. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the leak detection signal includes an indication of the leak rate of the at least one leak.

14. The apparatus of claim 13, wherein the fixture is configured to substantially enclose the first region and the leak rate of the at least one leak being determined by finding the slope of the average concentration of tracer gas detected by the plurality of sensors over time.

15. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein each of the plurality of sensors is a thermal conductivity sensor.

16. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the fixture and the part under test cooperate to provide a non-evacuated interior region.

17. The apparatus of claim 16, wherein the fixture is positioned relative to the first region of the part under test to substantially enclose the first region and the leak rate of the at least one leak being determined by finding the slope of the average concentration of tracer gas detected by the plurality of sensors over time.

18. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the controller and the plurality of sensors are connected by a network and the sensing signal for each of the plurality of sensors is a network message.

19. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the controller is further configured to move the fixture to the second position and to initiate a timer defining a length of a leak test.

20. The apparatus of claim 19, further comprising an indicator configured to provide a visual indication of the location of the leak.