Back to results
US 6,082,184 AGranted
Method for leak testing and leak testing apparatus
AssigneeMartin Lehmann
InventorMartin Lehmann
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Loading patent…
Loading patent…
AssigneeMartin Lehmann
InventorMartin Lehmann
Estimating the term…
For leak testing closed containers (9) which are filled with a filling product containing at least one liquid component the container is introduced in a test cavity (1) which is evacuated at least down to vapor pressure of that liquid component. The pressure in the surrounding of the container (9) and thus within test cavity (1) is monitored. Monitoring is performed by a vacuum pressure sensor (7), whereas lowering pressure surrounding the container (9) is performed by a vacuum pump (5). Leakage is detected by monitoring a pressure change in the surrounding of the container which is due to evaporation of liquid emerging from a leak and being evaporated in the low pressure surrounding, where such monitored pressure in the surroundings of same container is used in a comparison step that compares a signal derived from such pressure with a dynamic threshold value for identifying container leak conditions, enables another signal also derived from such pressure to be averaged with similar further signals of other containers previously tested as unleaky and also derives the dynamic threshold value from the result of such averaging.
A method for leak testing at least one closed and filled container, whereby the content of said container comprises at least one liquid component and wherein a pressure difference is applied across at least a part of the wall of the container, which part is to be tested, said pressure difference being directed towards the surrounding of said container and wherein the pressure in said surrounding is monitored as a leak indicative signal, further comprising that siad pressure difference is established by lowering said pressure in said surrounding and further comprising the step of comparing a signal derived from said pressure monitored with a dynamic threshold value for identifying leak condition of said container and enabling a further signal derived from said pressure monitored to be averaged with similar further signals of other containers previously tested as unleaky if said identifying of the container now under test reveals an unleaky container and further deriving said threshold value from the result of said averaging.
A leak testing apparatus for leak testing at least one closed and filled container, whereby the content of said container comprises at least one liquid component and comprising:
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.