Illuminated inspection apparatus and method of employing the same
First Claim
1. An inspection apparatus comprising:
- a flashlight assembly including a power supply, an elongated housing having a first end and a second end, a lens body coupled to the first end, and a lens cover covering said lens body, said lens body including an opening;
an imaging system including a camera disposed within the opening of said lens body;
an illumination assembly generally surrounding said camera said illumination assembly comprising a plurality of light sources; and
a protective cover structured to at least partially overlay and to protect said illumination assembly, said protective cover including a center hole and a plurality of openings disposed around said center hole,wherein said camera extends through said center hole of said protective cover; and
wherein each of said light sources extends through a corresponding one of said openings of said protective cover.
3 Assignments
0 Petitions
Accused Products
Abstract
An inspection system (200) is for inspecting power generation equipment (202) and includes a remote receiving device (134) which receives images captured and transmitted by an inspection apparatus (100). A recording device (142) records the images thereby providing a permanent record of the inspection. The inspection apparatus (100) comprises: a flashlight assembly (102) including a power supply (110), an elongated housing (104) having first and second ends (105,107), a lens body (120) coupled to the first end (105), and a lens cover (114) covering the lens body (120). The inspection apparatus (100) further includes an imaging system (122) having a camera (130), such as a wireless video camera, which is disposed within the lens body opening (121), an illumination assembly (106) which generally surrounds the camera (130), and a protective cover (116) for the illumination assembly (106). An associated method is also disclosed.
-
Citations
20 Claims
-
1. An inspection apparatus comprising:
-
a flashlight assembly including a power supply, an elongated housing having a first end and a second end, a lens body coupled to the first end, and a lens cover covering said lens body, said lens body including an opening; an imaging system including a camera disposed within the opening of said lens body; an illumination assembly generally surrounding said camera said illumination assembly comprising a plurality of light sources; and a protective cover structured to at least partially overlay and to protect said illumination assembly, said protective cover including a center hole and a plurality of openings disposed around said center hole, wherein said camera extends through said center hole of said protective cover; and wherein each of said light sources extends through a corresponding one of said openings of said protective cover. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7)
-
-
8. An inspection system for inspecting power generation equipment, said inspection system comprising:
-
a remote receiving device adapted to receive images captured during inspection of said power generation equipment; a recording device structured to record said images; and an inspection apparatus for capturing said images, said inspection apparatus comprising; a flashlight assembly including a power supply, an elongated housing having a first end and a second end, a lens body coupled to the first end, and a lens cover covering said lens body, said lens body including an opening, an imaging system including a camera disposed within the opening of said lens body, an illumination assembly generally surrounding said camera said illumination assembly comprising a plurality of light sources; and a protective cover structured to at least partially overlay and to protect said illumination assembly, said protective cover including a center hole and a plurality of openings disposed around said center hole, wherein said camera extends through said center hole of said protective cover; and wherein each of said light sources extends through a corresponding one of said openings of said protective cover. - View Dependent Claims (9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15)
-
-
16. A method of inspecting power generation equipment, the method comprising:
-
adapting a conventional flashlight to provide an inspection apparatus which comprises; a power supply, an elongated housing having a first end and a second end, a lens body coupled to the first end, a lens cover covering said lens body, said lens body including an opening, an imaging system including a camera disposed within the opening of said lens body, an illumination assembly generally surrounding said camera said illumination assembly comprising a plurality of light sources, a protective cover structured to at least partially overlay and to protect said illumination assembly, said protective cover including a center hole and a plurality of openings disposed around said center hole, and an electrical conductor with a switching apparatus, said electrical conductor being in electrical communication with said imaging system and said illumination assembly, said switching apparatus being operable between an ON position in which said electrical conductor is electrically, conductively connected to said power supply in order to provide power to said imaging system and said illumination assembly, and an OFF position in which said electrical conductor is not in electrical communication with said power supply, wherein said camera extends through said center hole of said protective cover; and wherein each of said light sources extends through a corresponding one of said openings of said protective cover. - View Dependent Claims (17, 18, 19, 20)
-
Specification