Method for detecting moisture in a honeycomb panel

• US 5,433,106 A
• Filed: 04/16/1993
• Issued: 07/18/1995
• Est. Priority Date: 04/20/1992
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Kawasaki Jukogyo Kabushiki Kaisha
• Original Assignee: Kawasaki Jukogyo Kabushiki Kaisha
• Inventors: Tsubaki, Kenji, Ogata, Takamasa, Uchiyama, Masato, Hirasawa, Hideyuki, Matsumura, Hiroyuki
• Primary Examiner(s): GUTIERREZ, DIEGO F
• Application Number:
  US08/046,992
• Time in Patent Office: 823 Days
• Field of Search: 73/73, 73/75, 374/4, 374/5, 374/45, 374/124
• US Class Current: 73/75
• CPC Class Codes: G01N 25/72 Investigating presence of flaws

Abstract

To improve the detection precision and detection efficiency and further to automatize the detection process, moisture in a honeycomb panel is detected as follows: the honeycomb panel is heated by a lamp; the surface temperature of the heated construction is measured by an infrared radiation thermometer; the measured temperature is displayed to roughly discriminate an abnormal portion (i.e., a portion containing moisture); the honeycomb panel is further heated continuously to detect temperature-change-rates at both abnormal and normal portions (i.e., a portion not containing moisture); and the two temperature-change-rates are compared with each other to discriminate a presence of moisture.

Claims

1. A method of detecting moisture in a honeycomb panel, comprising the steps of:

applying a reference position mark heater at a reference marking position within a predetermined area of a surface of the honeycomb panel;

energizing the reference position mark heater;

heating the predetermined area;

photographing the predetermined area, including the reference position mark heater, with an infrared radiation thermometer to obtain infrared image signals of said predetermined area and said reference position mark heater;

displaying an infrared image of said predetermined area and said reference position mark heater;

discriminating abnormal portions of the predetermined area containing moisture on the displayed infrared image;

continuously heating the predetermined area while continuously displaying the infrared images of both abnormal portions containing moisture and normal portions free from moisture;

measuring temperature-related characteristics of the abnormal portions and the normal portions;

detecting the presence of moisture at the abnormal portions on the basis of comparisons between the temperature-related characteristics of the abnormal portions and the temperature-related characteristics of the normal portion; and

locating the abnormal portions in the form of coordinates on the basis of said displayed infrared image of said reference position mark heater.

2. The method of detecting moisture in a honeycomb panel of claim 1, wherein said step of measuring temperature-related characteristics is carried out when a predetermined time has elapsed after a start of said step of heating.

3. The method of detecting moisture in a honeycomb panel of claim 1, wherein said temperature-related characteristics are temperatures.

4. The method of detecting moisture in a honeycomb panel of claim 3, wherein said comparisons are made by detecting a difference in temperature between the abnormal portions and the normal portions.

5. The method of detecting moisture in a honeycomb panel of claim 1, wherein said temperature-related characteristics are temperature-change rates.

6. The method of detecting moisture in a honeycomb panel of claim 5, wherein said comparisons are made by detecting a difference in temperature-change rates between the abnormal portions and the normal portions.

7. The method of detecting moisture in a honeycomb panel of claim 1, wherein said step of measuring temperature related characteristics is repeated a plurality of times in a time series fashion.