Leak detection device and leak detection method for sniffer leak detection

Abstract

In a leak detection device (10) comprising a gas detector and a sniffer probe (12) guided in a gas-conducting manner connected to the gas detector, the sniffer probe (12) is provided with a receiver (18), which is designed to receive first data provided on a test object (28) or transmitted by a test object (28), comprising first information relating to properties of the test object (28) relevant for the leak detection with the gas detector.

Description

[0001] Leak detection device and leak detection method for sniffer leak detection

[0002] The invention relates to a leak detection device and a leak detection method for sniffer leak detection.

[0003] In sniffer leak detection, a gas stream is sucked in by a hand-held sniffer probe and fed to a gas detector for gas analysis. The sniffer probe is used to suck in gas from the environment of the test object in order to determine the presence and size of a leak based on the gas analysis. To calibrate a leak detector with a separate test leak device used as the test object, the operator must enter parameters of the test leak of the test leak device, such as the leak rate value and / or the type of test gas, into the base unit of the gas detector in order to carry out the calibration process. The resulting measurement signal is then assigned to the manually entered leak rate. There are peculiarities depending on the gas type that can lead to errors, confusion, or incorrect entries during calibration. This also applies when examining different test objects where the size of a leak is unknown, such asIn the case of cooling devices (refrigerators, air conditioners, etc.), information about the properties of the test object is often important when evaluating the measurement signal of the gas detector in order to obtain a meaningful measurement result from the measurement signal.

[0004] Against this background, the object of the invention is to provide an improved leak detection device and an improved leak detection method.

[0005] The invention is defined by the independent claims. The dependent claims define embodiments of the invention.

[0006] The invention provides that the hand-held or robot-guided sniffer probe is provided with a receiver which is designed to receive first data stored on the test object side with first information about properties of the test object which are important for the evaluation of the measurement signal of the leak detector and to take this into account in the gas detection.

[0007] The initial information may be the leak rate of a leak in the test object, the age of the test object, the temperature of the test object or the test fluid or test gas contained in the test object, or the test fluid or test gas itself. The test object may be a calibrated leak device with a leak of known size.

[0008] The receiver can be a radio receiver, such as an RFID reader, a Bluetooth receiver or an infrared receiver, or an optical reader, such as a barcode scanner or an optical camera.

[0009] The first data containing the first information can be stored on the device under test in an electronic memory provided on the device under test. In this case, the first data is electronic data containing the first information in coded form. Alternatively or additionally, the first data can be optically coded data, such as a barcode, DataMatrix code, QR code, or characters / symbols, which are attached to the outside of the device under test and which contain the first information in coded form.

[0010] A second memory can be provided on the detector side, in which second data with second information relating to different first information items are stored, for example, in the form of a table or a matrix. Associated second data or information items are assigned to different first data or information items. Thus, depending on the received first information, a respective second piece of information can be read from the second memory from the received first information about the properties of the test object, which is relevant for the evaluation or interpretation of the gas detector's measurement signal.

[0011] For example, the first information may be the type of test fluid or test gas contained in the test object, with the second memory storing the molecular masses associated with different test fluids or test gases, which, in the case of a mass spectrometric gas detector, are important for the evaluation of the measurement signal for leak detection.

[0012] Alternatively or additionally, the second piece of information can include information about possible interactions with gases from the test environment, which must be considered when evaluating the leak rate measurement. Furthermore, the second piece of information can be a suitable rejection limit, which specifies the permissible leak rate assigned to the test gas that must not be exceeded on the test object. If this read-in rejection limit is exceeded during measurement on a test object, a warning can be issued indicating a "failed part." Furthermore, the second piece of information can specify the test leak rate and / or test leak gas type. For example, the optimal operating conditions for the mass spectrometer (mass linewidth, signal amplification factor, etc.) can be specified and assigned to the first piece of information.

[0013] In the case of leak detection systems that detect the test gas optically, e.g. via a spectroscopic measurement of the wavelengths absorbed or emitted by the test gas, the second piece of information may be the wavelength range suitable for detecting the respective leak gas, which must be evaluated to determine the leak rate.

[0014] The second data can be stored on the gas detector in an electronic memory, wherein the second data is electronic data containing the second information in coded form. Alternatively or additionally, the second data can be optically coded data, such as a barcode or characters / symbols, which are attached to or in the gas detector and which contain the second information in coded form. An exemplary embodiment of the invention is explained in more detail below with reference to the figure. The figure shows a block diagram of the exemplary embodiment.

[0015] The leak detection device 10 of the illustrated embodiment comprises a handheld sniffer probe 12 with a handle 14 and a sniffer probe 16 protruding from the handle 14. A receiver 18 is arranged on the handle 14 next to the sniffer probe 16. The receiver 18 points from a distal end 20 of the handpiece 14 in the same direction as the sniffer tip 16. The proximal end 22 opposite the distal end 20 is connected to a conventional gas detector 26 via a gas-conducting connecting line 24. The gas detector 26 can be a partial pressure sensor in vacuum operation with a vacuum pump (not shown in the figure), which generates a vacuum pressure to suck in gas from the external environment of the sniffer tip 16. In particular, the gas detector 26 can be a mass spectrometer.

[0016] A test specimen 28 is filled with a test gas not shown in the figure. The test specimen has a leak not shown in the figure. The test specimen can be a test leak device with a known test gas, and the leak can be a test leak of known size for calibrating the leak detection device 10. Alternatively, the test specimen 28 can be a cooling device, such as a refrigerator or an air conditioner.

[0017] The test object is provided with a first memory 30, which can be an electronic data storage device or optical information, for example in the form of a sticker or an imprint on an outer surface of the test object 28. Initial information about the properties of the test object 28 is stored in coded form in the first memory 30. This information can be information about the leak rate or size of the leak in the test object, about the age or temperature of the test object or the test fluid within the test object 28, or about the test gas or test fluid in the test object 28. The initial information is important for evaluating the measurement signal of the gas detector 26 in order to be able to reliably deduce the presence and size of a possible leak from the measurement signal.

[0018] For this purpose, the receiver 18 receives the data from the first memory 30 when the sniffer probe 12 approaches the test object 28, e.g., by the receiver 18 being a radio receiver and receiving the first data in the form of a radio signal (RFID, Bluetooth, infrared, Wi-Fi, etc.). Alternatively, the receiver 18 can be an optical reader, e.g., with a camera or a barcode scanner that scans the data.

[0019] The sniffer probe 14 is brought closer to the test object 28. Upon falling below a certain distance from the test object 28, upon increasing or exceeding the signal amplitude of the data signal containing the first data received by the receiver 18, or upon actuation of an actuation button (not shown in the figure) on the sniffer probe 12, the data transmission from the first memory 30 to the receiver 18 or the reception of the first data by the receiver 18 is triggered. The received first data is then transmitted to an evaluation device 32 of the leak detection device 10. For this purpose, the evaluation device 32 is electronically connected to the receiver 18 via a wired or wireless connection.

[0020] In the illustrated embodiment, the evaluation device 32 is provided on the gas detector 26. The evaluation device 32 includes a second data memory in which second data is stored in the form of a tabular matrix. Second information associated with various first information items is stored, which are relevant for evaluating the measurement signal of the gas detector 26 to detect a leak in the test object 28.

[0021] When gas is sucked in from the environment of the test object 28 through the sniffer tip 16 and fed to the gas detector 26, the gas detector 26 analyzes the sucked-in gas taking into account the received first information and / or the second information. If the first information is, for example, the leak rate of a test leak in the test object 28, the evaluation device 32 can calibrate the leak detector 26 by assigning the received leak rate to the measurement signal. The first information can also be the type of test gas used in the test object 28, with the second information specifying, for example, the respective molecular mass if the gas detector 26 is a mass spectrometer.Furthermore, it is conceivable that, in the case where the first information indicates the type of test fluid present in the test object, for example, a specific coolant in a cooling device, the evaluation device 32 assigns a specific threshold value as the second information associated with the first information. If the measurement signal of the gas detector 26 exceeds this gas-specific threshold value, a gas leak is assumed to be detected and displayed to the user.

Claims

Claims: Leak detection device (10) comprising a gas detector and a guided sniffer probe (12) connected to the gas detector in a gas-conducting manner, characterized in that the sniffer probe (12) is provided with a receiver (18) configured to receive first data provided on or transmitted by a test object (28), containing first information about properties of the test object (28) that are relevant for leak detection with the gas detector. Leak detection device (10) according to claim 1, characterized in that the receiver (18) is a radio receiver or an optical receiver (18).Leak detection device (10) according to claim 1 or 2, characterized in that the first data are stored as electronic data in a first digital memory (30) of the test object (28) or are attached to the test object (28) as optically readable coded data, for example in the form of a barcode, DataMatrix code, or QR code. Leak detection device (10) according to any one of the preceding claims, characterized in that the properties are the leak rate or the size of the leak to be detected, a test fluid contained in the test object (28), the age or temperature of the test object (28), or the age or temperature of a test fluid contained in the test object (28). Leak detection device (10) according to any one of the preceding claims, characterized in that the test object (28) is a... The test leak device comprises a test leak of known size for calibrating the leak detector. The leak detection device (10) according to one of the preceding claims is characterized in that the test object (28) is a cooling device, such as a refrigerator or an air conditioner. The leak detection device (10) according to one of the preceding claims is characterized in that the leak detection device (10) is provided with a second memory (32) which contains, for various first pieces of information stored on the test object (28) and to be received by the receiver (18), second pieces of information, from which the gas detector selects at least one respective second piece of information depending on the transmitted first pieces of information in order to perform the gas detection with respect to the transmitted first pieces of information of the test object (28).Leak detection device (10) according to the preceding claim, characterized in that the gas detector is a mass spectrometer, the first pieces of information are the test fluid, and the second pieces of information are the respective molecular masses of each test fluid, wherein the respective molecular masses to be evaluated by the gas detector are stored in the memory (32) of the gas detector for different test fluids. Leak detection device (10) according to claim 7, characterized in that the gas detector is an optical spectroscopic gas detector, the first pieces of information are the test fluid, and the second pieces of information are the respective wavelength range for each test fluid, wherein the respective molecular masses of the gas detector are stored in the memory (32) of the gas detector for different test fluids. Various test fluids are stored in the respective wavelength ranges of the gas detector to be evaluated. Leak detection device (10) according to one of the preceding claims, characterized in that the leak detection device (10) has an evaluation device (32) configured to retrieve the first data from the first memory (30) when the distance between the sniffer probe (12) and the test object (28) falls below a certain threshold, when the signal amplitude of the signal received by the receiver (18) increases or exceeds a certain threshold, or when an actuating button on the sniffer probe (12) is pressed. Combination of a leak detection device (10) according to one of the preceding claims and a test object (28) with a memory (30) containing the first information.Method for leak detection with a leak detection device (10) according to one of claims 1-10 and a test object (28) to be examined, which has a first memory (30) in which first data with first information about properties of the test object (28) are stored, comprising the steps:. Approaching the sniffing probe (12) to the test subject (28), Suction of gas from the environment of the test object (28) by the sniffing probe (12), Receiving the first data from the first memory (30) of the test subject (28) with the receiver (18) of the sniffing probe (12), Analyzing the aspirated gas with the gas detector (26) taking into account the initial information from the received initial data. A method according to the preceding claim, characterized in that measured values ​​determined from the measurement signal of the gas detector (26) are compared with the received initial information in order to calibrate the leak detector. A method according to any of the preceding claims, characterized in that second data, each containing second information, is read from a second memory (32) of the gas detector (26) as a function of the received initial information, in order to evaluate the measurement signal of the gas detector (26) as a function of the read-out second information.Method according to one of the preceding claims, characterized in that when a certain distance to the test object (28) is undershot, when a signal amplitude of the data signal received by the receiver (18) increases or is exceeded, or when an actuation button on the sniffer probe (12) is pressed, the receiver (18) receives the first data from the first memory (30) and transmits it to an evaluation device (32) of the leak detection device (10).

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