US 4,752,127 A · Optical tube inspection apparatus

Abstract

A tube inspection apparatus includes a probe which carries along the tube one or more infrared emitters and a plurality of infrared detectors. In one embodiment there is one emitter and in another embodiment the number of emitters equals the number of detectors. A cylindrical sleeve encircles a portion of the probe and has resilient fingers slidably frictionally engageable with the inner surface of the tube for centering the probe, equiangularly spaced-apart slots being formed in the sleeve to accommodate light transmission therethrough. Fiber optic bundles in the probe have their inner ends optically coupled to the emitters and detectors, with the outer ends being respectively disposed in alignment with the openings. A cam adjusting means is axially movable on a threaded rod for radially moving the outer ends of the fiber bundles to adjust their spacing from the inner surface of the tube. Preferably, each emitter is modulated for eliminating the effects of ambient light.

Claims16

Dependent claims

Apparatus for inspecting the interior surface of a tube, comprising:

modulated infrared light source means, a plurality of light sensing means for receiving light from circumferentially spaced portions of the interior surface and generating electrical signals in response thereto, probe means for supporting said light source means and said light sensing means and moving them along the inside of the tube, and a tubular sleeve carried by said probe means and disposed for frictional sliding engagement with the interior surface of the tube for maintaining said probe means centered with respect to the tube as said probe means is moved along the tube, said sleeve surrounding at least a portion of said probe means, said sleeve including a plurality of resilient flexible fingers defining slots between said fingers for providing resiliency to said fingers, said fingers slidably engageable with the interior surface of the tube, and said sleeve having openings therein for accommodating the passage of modulated infrared light from said light source means to the interior surface and from the interior surface to said light sensing means.

Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.

Optical tube inspection apparatus

Life of this patent

Optical tube inspection apparatus

Life of this patent

Abstract

Claims16