The patent badge is an abbreviated version of the USPTO patent document. The patent badge does contain a link to the full patent document.
The patent badge is an abbreviated version of the USPTO patent document. The patent badge covers the following: Patent number, Date patent was issued, Date patent was filed, Title of the patent, Applicant, Inventor, Assignee, Attorney firm, Primary examiner, Assistant examiner, CPCs, and Abstract. The patent badge does contain a link to the full patent document (in Adobe Acrobat format, aka pdf). To download or print any patent click here.
Patent No.:
Date of Patent:
Oct. 08, 1991
Filed:
Dec. 11, 1989
Donald C Gates, Troy, MI (US);
Expertek, Inc., Detroit, MI (US);
Abstract
A fully automated leak testing apparatus is disclosed in which the components to be tested are loaded on a water wheel for indexed movement through a water tank in which when the chamber is positioned at a test station within the liquid, bubbles of a leaking gas rising from the chamber are deflected by a panel to one of a plurality of predetermined locations at which is positioned a bubble detector device comprising a fiber optic cable for transmitting light to and across the predetermined location where it is received by another fiber optic cable and transmitted to a bubble detector. When a bubble passes the predetermined locations, the light transmitted across the location is interrupted producing a signal from the bubble detector of the bubble passing the predetermined location. When a predetermined number of bubbles are detected, a leak is indicated and that chamber is rejected. The water wheel then rotates the chamber to an unload position where the tested chamber is removed from the water wheel. With the use of automatic loading and unloading equipment, the entire leak testing process can be automated.