General Electric Company

Ge Inspection Technologies, Gmbh

Theodore Chilek

Clark Alexander Bendall

Nicholas Anthony Stancato

Gerard Frederick Beckhusen

Joshua Paul David DeRosa

Raymond A Lia

Jon R Salvati

Thomas Karpen

Richard A Monroe

Joshua Lynn Scott

Dongmin Yang

Charles William Fish, Iii

Modules, systems, and methods are provided for cooling components of an inspection or testing apparatus, such as a borescope. In some exemplary embodiments, the modules include two heat sinks, with the top-most heat sink having a fan assembly approximately centrally disposed therein. The fan assembly can be operated to draw air into the top-most heat sink, and then exhaust airflow out of the top-most heat sink such that the exhaust air passes across at least a portion of the second heat sink to help cool both the first and second heat sinks, and components of the apparatus associated therewith, using the same fan assembly. As a result, the components of the apparatus can be cooled more easily, and the performance and efficiency of these components is improved, all while reducing the overall size and weight of the inspection apparatus.

Active cooling of inspection or testing devices

Handset

Modular handset assembly

An intensity modulating element for a probe having a plurality of light emitters for phase-shift analysis and measurement is disclosed. The intensity modulating element comprises a plurality of columns of a plurality of grating elements formed by two opposing patterns.

Fringe projection system with intensity modulating by columns of a plurality of grating elements

A system for providing a two-position zoom-focus capability in a video inspection device comprising, in one embodiment, a focus lens cell and primary aperture attached to a set of fixed rails and connected to a zoom lens cell. In one embodiment, the focus lens cell is moveable into a first position along the rails through activation of a proximally located lens movement mechanism, and moveable into a second position through relaxation of a tensioned focus spring. In one embodiment, movement of the focus lens cell between first and second focus positions causes movement of the zoom lens cell and a secondary aperture between corresponding first and second zoom and aperture positions to provide unmagnified and magnified images of a target object.

System for providing two position zoom-focus

An optical system for a remote video inspection device including an elongated probe for inspection of target objects, comprising: an imager located distally within the probe, wherein the imager receives an image of the target object; a focus lens group located within the probe, the focus lens group comprising a variable aperture and at least one focus lens; a zoom lens group located within the probe, the zoom lens group comprising at least one zoom lens, wherein the movement of the zoom lens group in relation to the imager changes the magnification of the image; a tip lens located further from the imager than the focus lens group and the zoom lens group, wherein the distance between the tip lens and the imager is fixed; wherein a first movement of the focus lens group proportional to the movement of the zoom lens group provides an initial image focus, and a second movement of the focus lens group independent of the movement of the zoom lens provides a final image focus and proportional changes to the size of the variable aperture.

System for providing zoom, focus and aperture control in a video inspection device

Two stereo images are created by splitting a single image into two images using a field of view dividing splitter. The two images can be displayed side by side so that they can be viewed directly using stereopticon technology, heads-up display, or other 3-D display technology, or they can be separated for individual eye viewing. The two images focus on one imager such that the right image appears on the right side of the monitor and the left image appears on the left side of the monitor. The view of the images is aimed to converge at a given object distance such that the views overlap 100% at the object distance. Measurement is done with at least one onscreen cursor.

Stereo-measurement borescope with 3-D viewing

Growing community of inventors

Skaneateles, NY, United States of America

Theodore Chilek