Motorized Boroscope Head for Small-Aperture Internal Cleaning
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing boroscopes face issues with heating and damage to optical fibers due to external motors and flexible drive shafts, and the flexible shafts may not fit through small apertures, leading to increased weight and diameter, which limits their effectiveness in cleaning and processing internal components of gas turbine engines.
Innovation Solution
A boroscope design with an electrical motor and tool arranged coaxially, eliminating the need for a flexible drive shaft, and featuring a bendable section to facilitate access through small apertures, while using a brush or machining tool driven by an electrical motor within the boroscope tube to clean and process components.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Extent of automation
If an external motor and flexible drive shaft are used to drive tools in the boroscope, then the tool can be driven to process components, but heating and damage to the optical fiber occurs
Solution Approach 1:
The patent removes the external motor and flexible drive shaft from the boroscope system. Instead, a motor is integrated directly into the working head at the distal end of the boroscope tube, eliminating the need for power transmission through the optical fiber and thus preventing heating and damage to the optical fiber.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent replaces the mechanical flexible drive shaft transmission system with an integrated electrical motor system. The motor is positioned within the working head and directly drives the tool, substituting the mechanical flexibility requirement with an integrated electromechanical system that eliminates harmful mechanical power transmission through the boroscope tube.
2Ease of operation
If a flexible drive shaft is used to extend through the boroscope, then the tool can be driven remotely, but the shaft diameter is too large to pass through small apertures
Solution Approach 1:
The patent extracts and removes the flexible drive shaft from the boroscope system. The motor is instead integrated into the working head, eliminating the need for a long flexible drive shaft that would increase the boroscope diameter and prevent passage through small apertures.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent changes the spatial arrangement by integrating the motor within the working head at the distal end, rather than transmitting power through the length of the boroscope. This dimensional reorganization allows the boroscope to maintain a small diameter suitable for passing through apertures while still achieving remote tool driving capability.
3Reliability
If the flexible shaft is made more robust to prevent wear, then the shaft durability improves, but the weight and diameter increase
Solution Approach 1:
The patent removes the flexible drive shaft entirely from the system. By integrating the motor directly into the working head, the patent eliminates the need for a robust flexible shaft, thereby reducing both the weight and diameter of the boroscope while maintaining tool driving capability.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent discards the flexible shaft component that causes weight and diameter issues. The motor is recovered and repositioned within the working head, allowing the system to achieve the same tool driving function without the problematic flexible shaft, thus reducing overall weight and improving accessibility.
4Power
If an external motor is used to drive the flexible drive shaft, then the tool can be powered, but the motor and shaft produce heating that damages the optical fiber
Solution Approach 1:
The patent extracts the external motor from the power transmission path. Instead of using an external motor to drive a flexible shaft through the boroscope tube, the motor is integrated into the working head, eliminating the source of heating that would damage the optical fiber.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent replaces the external motor and mechanical drive shaft system with an integrated motor system positioned within the working head. This substitution eliminates the mechanical power transmission through the boroscope tube, preventing the generation of harmful heat that would damage the optical fiber while maintaining full tool power capability.
Applied Scientific Principles
This section explains which scientific principles are used to turn an abstract innovation direction into a practical engineering solution.
Function Achieved in This Case
This design reduces heating and damage to optical fibers, allows the boroscope to pass through smaller apertures, and effectively cleans and processes internal components without the need for external motors, enhancing the tool's durability and accessibility within gas turbine engines.
Implementation Method 1
The boroscope tube has a light source and an optical fibre at a first end of the boroscope tube. The optical fibre extends through the boroscope tube from the first end of the boroscope tube to a second end of the boroscope tube.
Implementation Method 2
The working head has an electrical motor and a tool which is arranged to be driven by the electrical motor.
Data Source
Figure 1
Figure 2
Figure 3~5
AI summary
A boroscope (60) has a first end (62) and a second end (64) and the first end (62) of the boroscope (60) has an optical fibre (66) and light source (68). A working head (70) is attached to the first end (62) of the boroscope (60). The working head (70) has an electrical motor (72) and a tool (74) is attached to and is arranged to be driven by the electrical motor (72) and the boroscope (60) carries a cable (76) extending from the electrical motor (72) to the second end (64) of the boroscope (60).