Method and apparatus for inspecting pipes
First Claim
1. An apparatus adapted for inspecting and measuring the wall thickness of a length of pipe, said apparatus comprising:
- a carriage adapted to be movably mounted on said length of pipe;
a source emitting a beam of penetrating energy mounted on said carriage;
a detector array having a plurality of detectors arranged in an elongated array to receive and measure the intensity of said beam of penetrating energy, said detector array mounted on said carriage in a spaced apart relationship with said source so as to allow the diameter of the pipe to pass between them as the carriage is moved axially along its length, said detector array oriented so that its length is positioned generally perpendicular to the intended path of travel of the carriage along the pipe.
1 Assignment
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Accused Products
Abstract
An apparatus adapted for inspecting and measuring the wall thickness of a length of pipe. The apparatus includes a carriage adapted to be movably mounted along the length of pipe, a source emitting a beam of penetrating energy and a detector array having a plurality of detectors arranged in an elongated array. The array receives and measures the intensity of the energy beam. The detector array is mounted on the carriage in a spaced apart relationship with the source so as to allow the diameter of the pipe to pass between them. The detector array is oriented so that its length is positioned generally perpendicular to the intended path of travel. A method is also provided for inspecting and measuring the wall thickness of the pipe. The method includes the steps of providing a length of pipe and an apparatus that includes a source of penetrating energy and a elongated detector array mounted on a carriage. The method also includes positioning the apparatus on the pipe so that the diameter of the pipe is disposed between the array and the source, and propelling the apparatus along the axial direction of the pipe while receiving and measuring the intensity of the energy beam received by the detector array.
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Citations
45 Claims
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1. An apparatus adapted for inspecting and measuring the wall thickness of a length of pipe, said apparatus comprising:
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a carriage adapted to be movably mounted on said length of pipe; a source emitting a beam of penetrating energy mounted on said carriage; a detector array having a plurality of detectors arranged in an elongated array to receive and measure the intensity of said beam of penetrating energy, said detector array mounted on said carriage in a spaced apart relationship with said source so as to allow the diameter of the pipe to pass between them as the carriage is moved axially along its length, said detector array oriented so that its length is positioned generally perpendicular to the intended path of travel of the carriage along the pipe. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18, 19, 20, 21)
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22. An apparatus adapted for inspecting and measuring the wall thickness of a length of pipe, said apparatus comprising:
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a carriage adapted to be movably supported by said length of pipe, said carriage comprising a plurality of wheels adapted to engage said pipe; a source emitting a beam of penetrating energy mounted on said carriage; a detector array having a plurality of detectors arranged in an elongated array to receive and measure the intensity of said beam of penetrating energy, said detector array mounted on said carriage in a spaced apart relationship with said source so as to allow the diameter of the pipe to pass between them as the carriage is propelled axially along its length, said detector array oriented so that its length is positioned generally perpendicular to the carriage'"'"'s intended path of travel along the pipe; and a computer connected to receive and store output from said detector array measuring the intensity of said beam of penetrating energy, said computer comprising logic to store and analyze said output so as to compute the wall thickness of said pipe. - View Dependent Claims (23)
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24. A method for inspecting and measuring the wall thickness of a pipe, said method comprising:
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providing an apparatus for measuring the wall thickness of said pipe, said apparatus comprising a carriage supported on said pipe, a source adapted to emit a beam of penetrating energy mounted on said carriage, a detector array having a plurality of detectors arranged in an elongated array adapted to receive and measure the intensity of said beam of penetrating energy emitted from said source, said detector array mounted to said carriage in a spaced apart relationship with said source; positioning said apparatus on said pipe so that said carriage is supported by the pipe and so that the diameter of the pipe is disposed between said detector array and said source, said detector array oriented so that its length is positioned generally perpendicular to the length of said pipe; propelling said apparatus along the axial direction of said length of said pipe; emitting a beam of energy from said source; receiving said beam of energy at said detector array; collecting output measuring the intensity of the beam from each of said detectors in said array; computing the wall thickness of said pipe from the output collected from the detectors as said apparatus is propelled along the length of pipe. - View Dependent Claims (25, 26, 27, 28, 29, 30, 31, 32, 33, 34, 35, 36, 37, 38, 39, 40, 41, 42, 43, 44, 45)
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Specification