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:
Nov. 19, 1991
Filed:
Jun. 26, 1990
William E Pirl, Levelgreen, PA (US);
Westinghouse Electric Corp., Pittsburgh, PA (US);
Abstract
Both a system and method for laser welding the inner surface of a metallic tube, which may be a sleeve inside a heat exchanger tube of a nuclear steam generator, is disclosed. The system comprises an elongated tubular housing that is insertable within a reinforcing sleeve disposed within a heat exchanger tube, a laser unit for generating a beam of light, a fiber optical conduit for conducting light from the laser unit through the interior of the tubular housing, a beam deflection assembly including a mirror canted at an angle of 45.degree. that is rotatably mounted on the distal end of the housing and optically connected to the fiber optical cable, and a remotely powered rotary drive assembly for rotating the beam deflection assembly to direct laser light around the inner surface of the tube that includes a transducer for converting linear to rotary motion. The motion transducer includes a tubular driven member concentrically disposed within said housing and connected to the beam deflection assembly, and a tubular drive member concentrically disposed within the driven member and having a spiral groove around its outer diameter that meshes with a follower ball connected to the inner diameter of the driven tube, such that the driven member rotates whenever the drive member is slidably pulled along the longitudinal axis of the housing. The linear-to-rotational motion transducer obviates the need for miniaturized electrical or pneumatic motors, which in turn allows the outer diameter of the housing of the system to be made small enough to service small-diametered heat exchanger tubes.