EP4118480A1

EP4118480A1 - Apparatus for borescope inspection of technical devices

Info

Publication number: EP4118480A1
Application number: EP21710910.7A
Authority: EP
Inventors: Thorsten SCHÜPPSTUHL; Lukas BATH; Maik Dammann; Mattes Schumann; Tarek Mostafa; Oliver Neumann; Werner Neddermeyer; Sven Rasche; Tomas Domaschke; Sönke Bahr; Jan Oke Peters; Michael Thies
Original assignee: Lufthansa Technik AG
Current assignee: Lufthansa Technik AG
Priority date: 2020-03-10
Filing date: 2021-03-05
Publication date: 2023-01-18
Also published as: WO2021180582A1; CN115516363A; DE102020106508A1; US20230120378A1

Abstract

The invention relates to an apparatus (1) for borescope investigation of a technical device (20), in particular of aircraft engines and components thereof such as combustion chambers (21); the invention also relates to an arrangement comprising such an apparatus. The apparatus (1) comprises a guide tube (2), which can be introduced through a borescopy opening (22) in a technical device (20) to be borescoped, and a repeatedly plastically deformable carrier element (3) for guiding a borescope head (7) arranged on one end of the carrier element (3), the guide tube (2) being designed to deform the carrier element (3) as the carrier element (3) is guided through the guide tube (2). The arrangement comprises such an apparatus (1) and a flexible borescope, the carrier element (3) of the apparatus (1) being tubular and the borescope being introduced into the carrier element (3) of the apparatus (1).

Description

Device for the borescope inspection of technical devices

The invention relates to a device for borescope examination of technical devices, in particular aircraft engines and their components such as their combustion chambers, and an arrangement comprising such a device.

In the prior art it is known to use boroscopes to inspect technical equipment in areas that are not directly visible. The borescopes can be inserted into the areas in question through small openings and provide insight into otherwise inaccessible areas either directly via optics or by displaying a video image recorded by suitable sensors on the tip of the borescope. Boroscopy is used, for example, for the inspection of aircraft engines, in order to gain an insight into the interior of the engine without having to take it apart in a laborious manner. At least for individual areas of the aircraft engine, such as the combustion chamber, for example, it is necessary or at least desirable to find and document the area in full.

At present, a video borescope with a flexible shaft is used for boroscopy of the interior of the combustion chamber, which is manually guided through the combustion chamber. To do this, the flexible borescope is guided along the entire inner circumference of the combustion chamber and then slowly pulled out. The images captured by the borescope are recorded while it is being pulled out. An attempt is made to ensure that the complete circumference of the usually ring-shaped Combustion chamber is detected. If a possible problem point is identified in the combustion chamber, a manual 3-D recording of the corresponding point can then be carried out with specially designed 3-D borescopes.

However, due to the manual guidance of the boroscope with flexible shaft, complete and reproducible documentation of the condition of a combustion chamber is hardly possible. In addition, the subsequent 3-D recording of possible problem areas in particular is very complex and time-consuming.

The object of the present invention is to create a device for boroscope examination with which the inspection of technical devices, such as aircraft engines, can be simplified and improved.

This object is achieved by a device according to the main claim, as well as an arrangement comprising this device according to the independent claim. Advantageous developments are the subject of the dependent claims.

Accordingly, the invention relates to a device for boroscopic examination of a technical device comprising a guide tube that can be inserted through a boroscopy opening on a technical device to be boroscoped and a repeatedly plas table deformable support element for guiding a borescope head arranged at one end of the support element, the guide tube for deforming the Support element is formed when performing the support element through the guide tube.

Furthermore, the invention relates to an arrangement comprising a device according to the invention and a flexible borescope, wherein the carrier element of the device is tubular and the borescope is inserted into the carrier element. First, some terms used in connection with the invention are explained.

The "borescope head" is that part of a borescope that ultimately determines the recording area of the borescope. In a purely optical borescope, this corresponds, for example, to the borescope lens or the entry surface of a light guide which defines the final recording cone In a video borescope, this is the recording area of the image recording sensors provided for this purpose The Boroksop head can be arranged on a rigid or flexible shaft, but it is also possible to arrange the Boroksop head without its own structural shaft on another element, such as, for example, the carrier element.

The device according to the invention enables a borescope head to be guided inside a technical device without component contact along a reproducible path, for example a circular path. The invention has recognized that due to the geometry of some technical devices, such as aircraft engines, and the paths required for the borescope inspection, a completely pre-formed guide device that can be inserted into the technical device is not possible.

The invention therefore proposes to use a plastically deformable support element, the final shape of which is determined when inserted into a technical device by a guide tube arranged on the technical device. The guide tube is therefore used for plastic deformation of the carrier gerelements formed when guiding the carrier element through the guide tube. The guide tube also specifies from where the carrier element actually protrudes freely into the technical device. A predetermined path of the carrier element inside the technical device can be reproducibly achieved through a suitable design and arrangement of the guide tube and, if necessary, suitable pre-deformation of the carrier element (e.g. bending or torsional deformation). A borescope head guided through the carrier element can then also be guided along this path without direct contact with the technical device. The path can be selected in such a way that the boroscope is guided past the surfaces to be examined inside the technical device at a suitable distance. The device according to the invention thus not only enables reproducible boroscopy, but can often also improve the quality of the data obtained by the boroscopy. These data can be image data or, for example, 3-D surface data obtained by triangulation.

According to the invention, the carrier element is repeatedly plastically deformable, this deformability having to be such that an actual deformation is possible or actually takes place when the carrier element is passed through the guide tube. "Repeatedly plastically deformable" denotes the property that the carrier element shows little or no signs of fatigue during deformation and the carrier element essentially retains the shape achieved by deformation, in particular any elastic part of the deformation is less than that Percentage of the plastic deformation of the carrier element Deformations to be expected can be deformed without noticeable signs of fatigue.

The designation as a carrier element also makes it clear that the shape of the carrier element achieved after deformation is essentially retained, even with the borescope head arranged thereon, so that the carrier element is thus self-supporting. In the prior art, some types of tubes are known which are basically suitable as a support element of the device according to the invention. It is particularly advantageous and therefore preferred if the carrier element is a composite tube. The carrier element can comprise a core made of wound metal strip, the metal strip preferably being an aluminum strip and / or wound lengthways. In order to maintain the dimensional stability of the carrier element after deformation, the core is preferably sheathed from plastic, preferably polyethylene.

A protective coating, preferably a protective film, can be provided on the side of the core opposite the cladding, so that in this case the core is completely surrounded by the cladding and protective covering. As a result, a smooth surface of the carrier element on its outer and inner side can be achieved regularly. In addition, the risk of damage to a component of the technical device in the event of (unintentional) contact with the carrier element is reduced. Suitable pipes are available at the priority date, for example, under the trade name "Dekabon" or under the brand "Synflex" from Eaton Corporation, USA, and are described in more detail, for example, in US Pat. No. 4,216,802.

The borescope head can be arranged directly on the carrier element, the leads to the borescope head - be it cables or light guides - can be passed through or along the carrier element. But it is also possible that the boroscopic head is arranged on a flexible boroscope shaft which is guided through the carrier element, which is then for example tubular in shape.

The guide tube of the device can be designed for direct attachment to the technical device in a clear and thus reproducibly restorable position, for example by attaching the guide tube to the borescope opening itself or to the surrounding fastening points on the technical device. However, it is also possible that a guide tube fastening is provided, which can also be fastened in a definite position on the technical device, but which allows the position of the guide tube relative to the guide tube fastening to be changed in a planned and preferably controllable manner. It is then possible after the attachment of the guide tube attachment to the technical device by changing the position of the guide tube appropriately to guide the carrier element one after the other along different paths inside the technical technical device. The different tracks are still completely reproducible. Boroscope openings can be openings provided for this purpose, but - for example in the case of an aircraft engine - also spark plug, fuel nozzle or maintenance openings.

The device can preferably comprise a pre-deformation unit for pre-deforming the carrier element before the carrier element is guided through the guide tube. Even if the guide tube deforms the carrier element when it is inserted into an aircraft engine, the shape of the carrier element that is ultimately achieved, and thus the path along which a borescope is guided through the aircraft engine, can be determined by the shape of the carrier element before it is carried out by the Guide tube are also determined. This applies in particular to deformations such as torsional pre-deformation, but also for bending pre-deformation. It is preferred if the pre-deformation unit is controllable. By suitable control of the pre-deformation unit, different paths for the carrier element in the interior of the aircraft engine can be achieved.

It is preferred if the device has a drive unit for the carrier element and / or a flexible borescope guided through the carrier element. The drive unit can be designed for the propulsion of the carrier element and / or a boroscope guided therein. It is preferred if the drive unit is designed in addition to the rotation of the carrier element and / or a boroscope guided therein.

As an alternative or in addition to the above possibilities of influencing the ultimate path of the carrier element inside the technical technical device, the guide tube can be adaptively adaptable, d. H. its shape is fundamentally changeable. The adaptive adaptation can take place mechanically, thermomechanically and / or electromechanically.

At the end of the carrier element to be inserted into the aircraft engine, a probe unit for determining the position and / or the orientation of the insertion end of the carrier element can be provided. A corresponding probe unit can be used to check whether the carrier element is following a given path. The probe unit can be designed to determine the position using any known measuring principle, for example time-of-flight analysis from radio or light signals sent and / or received by the probe unit. It is also possible to determine the position on the basis of image evaluation, for which purpose the probe unit comprises suitable image acquisition sensors. The probe unit can also be integrated into the borescope head. The device preferably comprises a control device for controlling the guide tube fastening, the pre-deformation unit, the adaptive adjustment of the guide tube and / or that of the drive unit. It is preferred here if the control takes place taking into account the position and / or orientation information of the borescope head obtained via a probe unit or through the carrier element. The corresponding position and / or orientation information, which can be determined either by a probe unit or - depending on the design of the boroscope guided by the device - also via the guided boroscope, can be used to compare the actual position and / or orientation take place along the specified path and, if a deviation is determined, a suitable countermeasure is initiated.

In addition to a device according to the invention with a tubular carrier element, the arrangement according to the invention also includes a borescope which is inserted into the carrier element of the device. Reference is made to the above explanations for an explanation of the arrangement.

The borescope head can be a video borescope head in which an electronic image acquisition unit is provided for generating image and / or video data. It can also be designed to acquire 3-D surface data, for example by means of triangulation on the basis of image data from two image acquisition units arranged adjacent to one another.

The technical device to be boron-copied can in particular be a gas turbine or an aircraft engine. The invention will now be described by way of example on the basis of an advantageous embodiment with reference to the accompanying drawings. Show it:

FIG. 1: a schematic representation of a device according to the invention when used on a combustion chamber of an aircraft engine; and

FIG. 2: a schematic sectional view of FIG. 1.

In Figures 1 and 2, the use of a device 1 according to the invention for inspecting the combustion chamber 21 of an aircraft engine as a technical device 20 is outlined. For the sake of clarity, only the combustion chamber 21 of the aircraft engine 20 is shown. The device according to the invention can, however, be used in particular when the combustion chamber 21 is installed in an aircraft engine 20.

The device comprises a guide tube 2, which is fastened to the aircraft engine 20 via a guide tube fastening 4 and protrudes through a borescope opening 22 into the combustion chamber 21. The guide tube fastening 4 can be controlled by the control device 8 in such a way that the position of the guide tube 2 with respect to the borescope opening 22 can be systematically changed.

In the guide tube 2 a repeatedly plastically deformable res support element 3 is inserted. The carrier element 3 is a composite material tube comprising a core made of longitudinally wound aluminum tape, an outer sheath made of polyethylene, and a protective film as a protective coating on the inside. The carrier element 3 is self-supporting or also supports the borescope or borescope head, so that it follows the path 10 inside the combustion chamber 21 after being passed through the guide tube 2, in which a deformation takes place. In principle, it is possible for a flexible borescope (not shown) for the actual borescope to be guided through the tubular carrier element 3. In the exemplary embodiment shown, however, a borescope head 7 is arranged at the end 3 'of the carrier element 3 inserted into the combustion chamber 21, the images generated by image sensors being transmitted to a control device 8 via data lines passed through the carrier element 3 and distributed from there can.

In order to ensure that the carrier element 3 actually corresponds to the web 10 shown, which in this example is to run in a plane 11, a pre-deformation unit 5 is provided with which the carrier element 3 is deformed before being passed through the guide tube 2, in particular with regard to torsion is in order to compensate for any twisting deformations that may occur due to the design of the carrier element 3 during the deformation in the guide tube 2.

A drive unit 6 is designed integrally with the pre-deformation unit 5, with which the propulsion, that is to say the ultimate passage of the carrier element 3 through the guide tube 2, is achieved.

The pre-deformation unit 5 and the drive unit 6 are also controlled by the control unit 8.

With the borescope head 7 executed integrally a probe unit with which the position and orientation of the insertion end 3 'of the carrier element 3 or the borescope head 7 can be determined. This information is made available to the control unit 8, which checks compliance with the web 10 and, if necessary, by appropriate control of the guide tube fastening 4, the pre-deformation unit 5 and / or the drive unit 6 can act on the carrier element 2 in such a way that the position and orientation determined by the probe unit correspond to the desired position along the path 10. The probe unit can use any known method to determine its position and orientation. However, it is also possible for the probe unit to use the image acquisition sensors of the borescope head. By suitable analysis of the image and / or 3-D data obtained from the borescope head 7, the position and orientation of the borescope head 7 or the insertion end 3 'of the carrier element 3 can be determined and taken into account by the control device 8, as described will.

Claims

1. Device (1) for borescope examination of a technical device (20) comprising a guide tube (2) which can be inserted through a borescope opening (22) on a technical device (20) to be boroscopic and a repeatedly plastically deformable support element (3) for guiding one on one End of the carrier element (3) arranged borescope head (7), wherein the guide tube (2) is designed to deform the Trä gerelements (3) when the carrier element (3) is guided through the guide tube (2).

2. Apparatus according to claim 1, characterized in that the carrier element (3) is a composite material tube, preferably comprising a core made of wound metal tape, preferably aluminum tape and / or longitudinally wound, with a sheath made of plastic, preferably polyethylene, and / or a Protective cover, preferably a protective film, on the inside.

3. Device according to one of the preceding claims, characterized in that the guide tube (2) or a guide tube attachment (4) is designed for attachment to the technical device (20) in a unique position, the guide tube attachment (4) preferably designed for this purpose is to change the position of the guide tube (2) relative to the technical device (20) in a planned, preferably controllable manner.

4. Device according to one of the preceding claims, characterized in that a pre-deformation unit (5) for pre-deformation, in particular Their torsional and / or bending pre-deformation of the carrier element (3) is provided before the carrier element (3) is passed through the guide tube (2), the pre-deformation unit (5) preferably being controllable.

5. Device according to one of the preceding claims, characterized in that a drive unit (6) for the carrier element (3) and / or a through the carrier element (3) guided boroscope is vorgese hen.

6. Device according to one of the preceding claims, characterized in that the guide tube (2) is adaptively, preferably mechanically, thermomechanically and / or electromechanically adjustable.

7. Device according to one of the preceding claims, characterized in that at the end (3 ') of the carrier element (3) to be inserted into the aircraft engine (20) a probe unit for determining the position and / or orientation of the insertion end (3') of the carrier element ( 3) and / or the borescope head (7) is provided.

8. The device according to claim 7, characterized in that the probe unit is formed integrally with the borescope head (7).

9. Device according to one of the preceding claims, characterized in that the borescope head (7) is arranged directly on the carrier element (3) or on a flexible borescope shaft guided by the carrier element (3).

10. Device according to one of the preceding claims, characterized in that a control device (8) for controlling the guide tube fastening (4), the pre-deformation unit (5) and / or the drive unit (6), preferably taking into account the supply via a probe unit or Position and / or orientation information of the insertion end (3 ') of the carrier element (3) and / or the borescope head obtained by the borescope guided by the support element (3).

11. An arrangement comprising a device (1) according to one of the preceding claims and a flexible borescope, wherein the carrier element (3) of the device (1) is tubular and the borescope is inserted into the carrier element (3) of the device (1) .