Leak detecting apparatus

• US 7,841,229 B2
• Filed: 03/07/2008
• Issued: 11/30/2010
• Est. Priority Date: 03/09/2007
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Glen A. Ridgway, Mark W. Ridgway
• Original Assignee: Glen A. Ridgway, Mark W. Ridgway
• Inventors: Ridgway, Glen A., Ridgway, Mark W.
• Primary Examiner(s): FITZGERALD, JOHN P
• Application Number:
  US12/074,908
• Publication Number:
  US 20080216560A1
• Time in Patent Office: 998 Days
• Field of Search: 73/492, 73/493, 73/497, 73/498, 73/405.R
• US Class Current: 73/49.7
• CPC Class Codes: G01M 3/28 for pipes, cables or tubes; for pipe joints or seals; for valves ; for welds
• CPC Class Codes: G01M 3/3263 using a differential pressure detector G01M3/3245, G01M3/3272 take precedence

Abstract

Apparatus and method for use in testing the fluid tightness of closed vessels or fluid systems, such as found in the pressurized cooling system of an internal combustion engine and the fluid transmission of an automobile. The apparatus is configured to detect and/or quantify fluid leakage from a fluid system that is under pressure, when in use, such as through imperfections in the housing or sealing structure of the fluid system whereby to warn the provider of such fluid system that a leakage condition exists.

Claims

1. An apparatus for testing a sealed fluid system for leakage, said fluid system including an interior fluid chamber and a fluid inlet tube having a forward end portion and terminating in an opening for receiving and communicating pressurized fluid into said fluid chamber, the apparatus comprising:

an adapter body, said body including a base member having an endwall, a sidewall conjoined to and extending forwardly from said endwall to form an outwardly open cup shaped receptacle and a cylindrical annular channel at the junction of said walls and interiorly of said receptacle, said receptacle being sized to receive and fit about the forward end portion of said inlet tube,

a cylindrical seal assembly disposed in said receptacle and juxtaposed, at least in part, above and in covering relation with said annular channel, said seal assembly in spaced circumposed encircling relation with said sidewall wherein to form a cylindrical annular gap therebetween and in fluid relation with said annular channel, said seal assembly including at least one fluid inlet port and a hollow cylindrical bladder seal of compressible material, said bladder seal having inner and outer surfaces and said fluid port being adapted to direct pressurized air from said annular gap against the outer surface of said bladder seal and compress said inner surface into a fluid sealed engagement with said forward end portion when the inlet tube is in said receptacle, and,

first and second fluid passages, said fluid passages being separate and apart from one another and connectible to a respective source of fluid at high pressure to supply fluid into said receptacle, said first passage being fluidly connected to the annular channel to supply pressurized air into the annular gap formed between the seal assembly and the sidewall, and said second passage being adapted to supply pressurized air into the opening of said inlet tube when the tube is received in said receptacle,

wherein pressurized air from the first fluid passage is received by and passes through said inlet port and circumferentially compresses the bladder seal radially inwardly and into air tight sealed relation with the forward end portion of the inlet tube, and the second passage supplies pressurized air into the inlet tube and pressurizes said fluid chamber.

2. The apparatus of claim 1, further comprising a handle member, said handle member being axially elongated and including a lower inlet end, an upper outlet end disposed at an angle to said lower inlet end, and first and second fluid conduits, said upper outlet end being removably connectible to the endwall of said adapter body, and said fluid conduits extending between said inlet and outlet ends and comprising, at least in part, said first and second fluid passages for connecting the fluid source into the cup-shaped receptacle of said adapter body.

3. The apparatus of claim 1, further wherein:

said seal assembly comprises a subassembly of an outer packing sleeve of rigid material interlocked with an inner activating ring of resilient material, the subassembly being circumposed about the outer surface of the bladder seal and having annular lower and upper end portions with the packing sleeve including the air pressure inlet port for compressing the activating sleeve against the activating sleeve and the bladder seal inwardly,

said bladder seal is hat-shaped in cross-section and includes a flat circular lower portion and an annular upper portion, the portions forming a centrally apertured cup for receiving the forward end portion of the fluid inlet port with the with lower portion being defined, at least in part, by a flat lower surface that seats atop the endwall, a flat upper surface and a central opening that, at least in part, forms the second fluid passage and extends through the lower portion, and the upper portion forming an annular wall that extends upwardly from the flat upper face, the forward end of the fluid inlet tube being adapted to engage and compress against the flat upper surface of the lower portion, and

an annular ring shaped captivating lid, said captivating lid having upper and lower surfaces and an outer periphery adapted to connect to the sidewall and captivate the seal assembly in the receptacle, a cylindrical wall extending between the lid surfaces and forming a central passage for receiving and passing the forward end portion of the fluid inlet tube, and an annular collar extending from the inner surface and terminating in an annular endface, wherein the annular collar forms with the sidewall an annular chamber for captivating the upper end portion of the subassembly, and the annular endface of the lid being positioned against the upper axial endface of the bladder seal.

4. The apparatus of claim 1, further comprising:

a first and a second valve for selectively permitting pressurized air to pass from the source of pressurized air to said receptacle, said first valve being associated with the first passage and controlling the flow of air into the annular channel, and the second valve being associated with the second passage and controlling the flow of air into the inlet tube, and

means for measuring and indicating any change, if any and over time, of the pressure in the fluid chamber.

5. The apparatus of claim 4, wherein said means for measuring and indicating comprises:

first means for measuring the pressure in said first passage,

second means for measuring the pressure in said second passage, and

means for providing an indication of the difference in the pressures in the first and second passages.

6. The apparatus of claim 5, wherein the difference in pressures is measured over a predetermined time, the difference being reflective of air leaking from the chamber being tested.

7. The apparatus of claim 1, further comprising:

an annular ring shaped captivating lid for removably retaining said seal assembly in said receptacle, said lid having a circular central opening for passing said fluid inlet tube into said receptacle, and wherein;

said seal assembly extends between said annular channel and said captivating lid and comprises an outer packing sleeve and an inner activating sleeve disposed in interlocked relation with one another and in encircling relation about said bladder seal and extending between said annular channel and said closure lid, said activating sleeve including a cylindrical resilient wall juxtaposed around the outer surface of said bladder seal and opposite axial end faces, respectively, juxtaposed with said annular channel and said captivating lid, and said packing sleeve including a cylindrical rigid wall juxtaposed with said resilient wall and said one fluid port to pass pressurized fluid from said first passage against the resilient wall and force the resilient wall radially inwardly against the bladder seal.

8. The apparatus of claim 7, wherein the cylindrical rigid wall of said outer packing sleeve is formed to include an outer and an inner annular recess and a plurality of fluid ports, said ports being angularly spaced from one another and extending radially between said annular recesses, and each said annular recess being adapted to distribute air circumferentially about the packing sleeve and into the fluid ports, said outer annular recess receiving and passing pressurized air from the annular channel radially inwardly through the ports and into and around the inner annular recess and against the resilient wall of the activating sleeve causing the resilient wall thereof to force the bladder seal radially inward.

9. The apparatus of claim 7, wherein said outer packing sleeve is comprised of relatively rigid metal and said inner activating ring is comprised of a resiliently deformable elastomer or polymer material.

10. The apparatus of claim 7, wherein the outer packing sleeve and inner activating sleeve are axially elongated and generally cylindrical and the opposite axial end portions of each respective sleeve forms a radially outwardly extending rib, the outer packing sleeve nesting in snug encircling fitment around and between the ribs of the activating sleeve and the outward radial extension of the ribs of said packing and activating sleeves coaxially centering the seal assembly with the central geometric axis if the cup-shaped receptacle.

11. The apparatus of claim 1, further comprising means for aligning and coaxially centering the inlet tube with said cup shaped receptacle.

12. The apparatus of claim 11, wherein:

said first passage terminates in a fluid outlet, said fluid outlet being formed in the endwall of said base member and centered with the interior sidewall of said receptacle, and

said means for aligning and coaxially centering comprises an axially elongated hollow centering stem having rearward and forward end portions and a fluid passage extending between said end portions, said rearward and forward end portions, respectively, being fixed to said fluid outlet and adapted to be received in close toleranced centering fitment within said fluid inlet tube, the centering stem coaxially aligning the seal assembly with the fluid inlet tube and passing pressurized fluid directly into the fluid chamber to be tested.

13. The apparatus of claim 12, wherein the cylindrical wall is frusto-conical and opens outwardly to accommodate fluid inlet tubes provided with ribs, barbs and the like that project outwardly from the outer periphery of the inlet tube.

14. The apparatus of claim 12, further comprising:

a ring shaped captivating lid, said captivating lid including upper and lower surfaces and a circular central opening extending between the surfaces, the upper surface forming a forward end of the cup shaped receptacle, and the lower surface being adapted to engage an upper end portion of said seal assembly and captivate the lower end portion of the seal assembly at the endwall of the base member, and

means for connecting the captivating lid to the receptacle, the means for connecting including the sidewall and the captivating lid being provided with complementary interengageable thread, and further wherein

said centering stem is axially dimensioned such that the forward end thereof extends axially forward of the captivating lid, the forwardly extended end enabling the stem to be used to contact the fluid inlet port to find the inlet opening thereof and facilitate insertion of the fluid inlet tube into the centering stem.

15. The apparatus of claim 12, further comprising:

a cylindrical support wall, said support wall extending from the endwall in coaxially centered relation to said sidewall and said centering stem and forming, at least in part, the annular channel, an annular endface, and an inner or second annular channel between the support wall and the centering stem, and

an annular captivating lid for captivating the seal assembly in said receptacle and said bladder seal therewithin and in a manner that opposite axial ends of the bladder are between the lid and the endwall,

wherein the annular end face is juxtaposed for supporting relation with the inward axial end of the bladder seal, and

wherein the seal assembly is, at least in art, disposed in the first annular channel.

16. The apparatus of claim 15, further wherein the separation between the annular endface of the support wall and the annular endwall of the second annular channel is such that a radially outwardly extending annular rib formed on the forward end portion of the fluid inlet tube is retained between the inward axial end of the bladder seal and the endwall forming the second annular channel, and further wherein the inward axial end and inner surface of the bladder seal, respectively, seat atop the annular end face and encircle the fluid inlet tube.

17. The apparatus of claim 12, further comprising:

a cylindrical annular support wall, said support wall extending from the endwall in coaxially centered relation to said sidewall and forming, at least in part, and in sequence, the annular channel, an intermediate second annular channel, and an annular endface, and

an annular captivating lid for captivating the seal assembly in said receptacle and said bladder seal therewithin and in a manner that respective axial ends of the bladder seal engage the lid and the endwall forming the second annular channel,

wherein the seal assembly is, at least in art, disposed in the first annular channel.

18. The apparatus of claim 17, further wherein the annular support wall includes cylindrical inner and outer walls that terminate in the annular endface, the outer wall being juxtaposed with the inner surface of said bladder seal and the inner wall forming, at least in part, said second fluid passage, with the axial separation between the annular endface of the support wall and the captivating lid being such that a radially outwardly extending annular rib formed on the forward end portion of the fluid inlet tube is received therebetween and the inner surface of the bladder seal extends between the endwall of the second annular channel and the captivating lid wherein to compress about the annular rib of the fluid inlet tube.

19. A leak check module for detecting fluid leakage from a fluid system comprised of parts separately assembled or cast, the fluid assembly defining an interior fluid chamber and including a fluid inlet tube having a center passage for communicating fluid into the fluid chamber, the leak check module comprising

a housing having a cylindrical sidewall and a base member that are conjoined to form an outwardly open cup shaped receptacle for receiving and encircling said inlet tube, an annular recess formed, at least in part, in said receptacle and at the junction between said sidewall and said endwall, first and second fluid passages in said base member for supplying pressurized air into the receptacle, said passages separated from one another with said first fluid passage for communicating pressurized air into the center of said receptacle and into said inlet tube when said inlet tube is received in said receptacle and said second passage for communicating pressurized air into the annular recess,

a seal assembly dimensioned for fitment within the receptacle and in spaced relation with the sidewall thereof to form an air passage in fluid relation with the annular recess, the assembly including a compressible bladder seal for forming a fluid seal about the fluid inlet tube, and means for passing high pressure air from the annular recess and air passage against the bladder seal and circumferentially compress the bladder seal inwardly,

a hollow centering stem, said stem in fluid communication with the first passage and adapted to interfit within the fluid inlet tube and pass high pressure air into the fluid chamber, and

a centrally apertured captivating lid for captivating the seal assembly in said receptacle.

20. The leak check module of claim 19, wherein:

said seal assembly comprises

a hollow cylindrical actuating sleeve of resilient polymeric material, the actuating sleeve including a cylindrical wall having a medial annular wall portion,

a hollow cylindrical packing sleeve of rigid material, the packing sleeve having, respectively, an outer and an inner annular recess, and

said means for passing a plurality of fluid apertures extending between the annular recesses, and wherein said assembly further comprises;

means for connecting the sleeves to one another and positioning the fluid apertures and respective recesses to communicate fluid from the first passage and distribute fluid 360°

both about the annular recesses and against the annular wall portion of the activating sleeve.