Real time radiographic inspection system

• US 5,629,966 A
• Filed: 04/08/1996
• Issued: 05/13/1997
• Est. Priority Date: 05/25/1995
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Autoliv ASP Incorporated (Autoliv Incorporated)
• Original Assignee: Morton International Incorporated (Autoliv Incorporated)
• Inventors: Dykster, Kerry R., Devereaux, Ronda R., England, Jeffrey P.
• Primary Examiner(s): Wong, Don
• Application Number:
  US08/629,307
• Time in Patent Office: 400 Days
• Field of Search: 378/57, 378/58
• US Class Current: 378/57
• CPC Class Codes: B60R 21/26 characterised by the inflation fluid source or means to control inflation fluid flow arrangement or mounting thereof to the vehicle B60R21/20; blasting cartridges for producing gas under pressure in general F42B3/04; initiators or igniters therefor F42B3/10
• CPC Class Codes: G01N 23/04 and forming images of the material
• CPC Class Codes: G01N 23/083 the radiation being X-rays
• CPC Class Codes: G01N 23/18 Investigating the presence of flaws defects or foreign matter

Abstract

A real time radiographic test system comprises a protective housing and a conveyor for conveying articles to be tested through the housing. A real time radiographic test instrument is located in the housing for performing a real time radiographic test on the article. The real time radiographic test instrument includes X-ray equipment disposed for directing an X-ray beam within the housing in a direction which does not intersect the conveyor. An article-handling actuator is located in the housing for repositioning an article from the conveyor to a position in registry with the X-ray beam, for maintaining the article in registry with the X-ray beam while the real time radiographic test is performed on the article and thereafter returning the article to the conveyor. The article-handling actuator and the X-ray equipment are designed such that each article to be tested is positioned substantially identically relative to the X-ray beam.

Claims

1. A real time radiographic system for performing a real time radiographic test on an article, comprising:

a code reading station;

code reading means located at said code reading station for verifying the presence of an acceptable identifying code on an article and for producing a good data indication in the presence of an acceptable identifying code and a bad data indication in the absence of an acceptable identifying code;

a test station;

a real time radiographic test instrument located at said test station for performing a real time radiographic test on an article and producing corresponding test data;

first bypass means responsive to said bad data indication for causing the corresponding article to bypass said real time radiographic test instrument without being tested thereby;

data analysis means for analyzing said test data and producing said good data indication if said test data is acceptable and a bad data indication if said test data is not acceptable;

a reject station;

conveyor means for conveying a part through said code reading station, said test station and said reject station; and

reject means located at said reject station and responsive to a bad data indication for removing the corresponding article from said conveyor means.

2. A real time radiographic system in accordance with claim 1 and further including imaging means responsive to said test data for producing a corresponding visually perceivable image of the corresponding part for visually verifying said test data, and means for supplementing a bad data indication produced by said data analysis means in the event the article is judged acceptable upon visual inspection of said image.

3. A real time radiographic system according to claim 1 and further including control means for automatically controlling operation of said system in a predetermined sequence.

4. A real time radiographic system according to claim 1 and further including memory means responsive to said identifying data and to said test data for creating a record uniquely identifying each part tested and the corresponding test data.

5. A real time radiographic system according to claim 3 wherein said control means includes diagnostic means for verifying accurate operation of said real time radiographic test instrument.

6. A real time radiographic system according to claim 1 wherein said control means automatically controls operation of said system for producing a test cycle time of substantially on the order of 10 seconds.

7. A real time radiographic system according to claim 2 and further including control means for communicating with and controlling said real time radiographic test instrument and said imaging means.

8. A real time radiographic system according to claim 1 and further including a pre-test station for holding an article until a real time radiographic test instrument is ready to test the article.

9. A method for performing a real time radiographic test on a production part, comprising the steps of:

verifying the presence of an acceptable identifying code on an article and for producing a good data indication in the presence of an acceptable identifying code and a bad data indication in the absence of an acceptable identifying code;

performing a real time radiographic test on an article and producing corresponding test data;

causing an article to bypass said real time radiographic test without being tested in response to said bad data indication;

analyzing said test data and producing said good data indication if said test data is acceptable and a said bad data indication if said test data is not acceptable; and

removing a corresponding article in response to said bad data indication.

10. A method in accordance with claim 9 and further including the steps of producing a corresponding visually perceivable image of the corresponding article in response to said test data for visually verifying said test data, and supplementing a bad data indication produced in response to said test in the event the article is judged acceptable upon visual inspection of said image.

11. A method according to claim 9 and further including automatically controlling the performance of said steps in a predetermined sequence.

12. A method according to claim 9 and further including the step of creating a record uniquely identifying each article tested and the corresponding test data.

13. A method according to claim 9 and further including verifying accurate operation of a real time radiographic test instrument for performing said real time radiographic test.

14. A method according to claim 11 wherein said automatically controlling the performance of said steps includes performing said steps in a test cycle time of substantially on the order of 10 seconds.

15. A method according to claim 9 and further including the step of holding an article until a real time radiographic test instrument is ready to test the article.