Leak Detector

• US 20090188302A1
• Filed: 06/01/2007
• Published: 07/30/2009
• Est. Priority Date: 06/23/2006
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: INFICON GmbH (Inficon Holding AG)
• Original Assignee: INFICON GmbH (Inficon Holding AG)
• Inventors: Boehm, Thomas, Wetzig, Daniel, Grosse Bley, Werner, Seitz, Sandra, Rolff, Norbert, Rolff, Randolf
• Granted Patent: US 8,117,886 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 73/40.700
• CPC Class Codes: G01M 3/207 calibration arrangements

Abstract

A leak detector comprising a base appliance provided with a gas detector, a vacuum pump, and a control device. A sniffer probe is connected to the base appliance. A test leak device containing the supply of test gas is arranged in a separate sub-housing. The sub-housing also contains a temperature sensor, a processor, and a data memory. The processor corrects the measured temperature according to a sample, and modulates the light of a light barrier. The processor is connected to the control device in the base appliance by a data cable.

Claims

1. A leak detector with a base appliance comprising a vacuum pump, a test gas detector and a control device, a sniffer probe connected with a housing of the base appliance through a hose, and a sub-housing with a test leak device which, in a controlled manner, discharges a test gas supply into a plug-in channel for the sniffer probe,

wherein

the sub-housing includes a processor that processes at least one parameter of the test leak device and is in data communication with the control device provided in the housing of the base appliance.

2. The leak detector of claim 1, wherein the sub-housing comprises a temperature sensor for determining a temperature value of the test gas supply, this temperature value being supplied to the processors as a parameter.

3. The leak detector of claim 2, wherein the processor is configured or programmed such that it calculates the actual temperature with consideration to the slope of the straight line of temperature of the respective temperature sensor and a zero point error of the straight line of temperature.

4. The leak detector of claim 2, wherein the processor is configured or programmed such that it uses a low pass to filter variations in the measured temperature caused by measurement inaccuracies.

5. The leak detector of claim 1, wherein the processor is configured or programmed such that it processes the filling date of the test gas vessel and the temperature as parameters and determines therefrom the actual leakage rate still given.

6. The leak detector of claim 1, wherein the processor is configured or programmed such that it processes the filling date of the test gas vessel and the initial leakage rate as parameters and determines therefrom the actual leakage rate still given.

7. The leak detector of claim 1, wherein the sub-housing comprises an erasable data memory, in which, among other information, the manufacturing date, the filling volume and/or the leakage rate may be stored.

8. The leak detector of claim 1, wherein the plug-in channel comprises a tube sealed from the outside against the environment of the test gas supply.

9. The leak detector claim 8, wherein the plug-in channel has a radiation barrier with a radiation emitter and a radiation receiver, which are arranged on different sides of the plug-in channel, and wherein tube is made of a material permeable to radiation.

10. The leak detector of claim 9, wherein the radiation barrier is a light barrier, and wherein the tube is transparent.

11. The leak detector of claim 1, wherein a radiation barrier is provided at the plug-in channel, said radiation barrier operating in a modulation mode, wherein the processor evaluates the signal from the radiation receiver using a modulation signal, so that influences caused by interfering light and contamination are eliminated.

12. The leak detector of claim 1, wherein the sub-housing is removably accommodated in a receptacle of the housing of the base appliance, open to the outside, the test leak device being functional both in the removed state and in the inserted state.

13. The leak detector of claim 1, wherein a cartridges is fastened to the sub-housing for receiving a test gas vessel.

14. The leak detector of claim 13, wherein the cartridge projects from a rear wall of the sub-housing and the base appliance has a tunnel for receiving the cartridge.

15. The leak detector of claim 1, wherein the sub-housing may optionally be connected with the housing of the base appliance via a data cable or a wireless plug-in connection.