GB2145026A

GB2145026A - Apparatus for contamination- free handling or inspection of objects

Info

Publication number: GB2145026A
Application number: GB08319837A
Authority: GB
Inventors: Maurice Parfitt; Edward W Porter
Original assignee: JORDAN ENGINEERING
Current assignee: JORDAN ENGINEERING
Priority date: 1983-07-22
Filing date: 1983-07-22
Publication date: 1985-03-20
Also published as: GB8319837D0

Abstract

Contamination-free handling or inspection of objects in an enclosure (1) is effected by a glove or suit component (3) of flexible sheet material which is sealed around its periphery to the edge of an aperture in the enclosure by a peripheral seal consisting of a resilient peripheral sealing element 7 which is trapped in a continuous peripheral channel in a rigid frame (2) bounding the aperture. The sealing element may be a flexible- walled tube which is inflated in the channel. <IMAGE>

Description

SPECIFICATION Apparatus for contamination-free handling or inspection of objects This invention relates to apparatus for contamination-free handling or inspection of objects in enclosures.

The invention has particular application to the handling of objects in a contaminated enclosure, where it is necessary to provide a complete physical barrier between a worker and the interior of the enclosure.

It is known to provide gloves or suits which are sealed in a wall of an enclosure and by means of which a worker can handle objects in the enclosure while remaining physically separated from the interior of the enclosure by the flexible material, usually plastics sheet material, forming the glove or suit.

The present invention is concerned essentially with the provision of an effective peripheral seal between the material of a glove or suit and an aperture in a wall of an enclosure.

Accordingly the invention provides an apparatus for contamination-free handling or inspection of objects in an enclosure, comprising a glove or suit component of flexible sheet material which is sealed around its periphery to the edge of an aperture in the enclosure, in which the peripheral seal comprises a resilient peripheral sealing element which is sealingly located in a continuous peripheral channel in a rigid frame bounding the aperture.

The resilient peripheral sealing element forms a continuous seal around the edge of the aperture in the enclosure. In a preferred embodiment of the invention the sealing element is formed by a flexible-walled tube which is attached to the flexible sheet material, an air supply connector being provided for supplying air under pressure to the tube to inflate the latter so as to cause the tube wall to exert sealing pressure against the walls of the peripheral channel in the frame.

The sheet material of the glove or suit component is preferably wrapped around the peripheral sealing element so that the sheet material is trapped between the sealing element and the walls of the peripheral channel in the frame, which channel preferably has a C-section.

The glove or suit component may be formed entirely of clear plastics sheet material.

The invention will be further described, by way of examply only, with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which: Figure 1 is a diagrammatic perspective view illustrating a "quarter suit" apparatus for the contamination-free handling of objects, and Figure 2 is a diagrammatic cross sectional view, on an enlarged scale, on line ll-ll in Fig. 1.

The illustrated apparatus is designed for the contamination-free handling of objects in a sealed enclosure 1, shown in ghost outline.

The enclosure has an aperture in one wall bounded by a rigid mounting frame 2 which forms part of an apparatus according to the invention, embodied in this case as a "quarter suit", so-called because it is designed to accommodate the upper front part of a workers body including his two arms, head and shoulders.

The quarter suit, indicated generally by reference numeral 3, is fabricated entirely in clear plastics sheet material, preferably polished flexible polyvinyl chloride (PVC) sheet.

The suit is provided with two arms 4 at their extremities with glove portions 5, which may be formed integrally with the arms. The suit 3 also has a clear flat observation window 6, which may also be formed integrally with the remainder of the suit.

The periphery of the flexible plastics sheet forming the quarter suit 3 is attached to the peripheral mounting frame 2 by means of a continuous peripheral seal, the arrangement of which will be clear from the enlarged cross sectional view shown in Fig. 2.

The edge of the plastics sheet material forming the suit 3 is wrapped around a flexible-walled plastics tube 7 which extends continuously around the mounting frame 2 and is located within a C-shaped channel formed in the frame 2. The channel-section mounting frame 2 is attached, for example, by welding, to the surrounding wall of the enclosure 1, part of which is shown in Fig. 2. The tube 7 is a close fit within the C-shaped channel of the mounting frame 2, so that the peripheral portion of the flexible plastics sheet forming the suit 3 is trapped between the tube 7 and the walls of the channel section mounting frame 2, forming a gas-tight seal with the latter.

To enhance the seal effected between the tube 7 and the walls of the mounting frame 2 provision is made for the inflation of the tube 7. In the illustrated embodiment the tube 7 communicates with a branch connector 8 incorporating an inlet non-return valve through which air under pressure may be supplied to the interior of the tube 7 to inflate the latter.

When the tube 7 is inflated the walls of the tube expand to increase the sealing pressure between the tube 7 and the walls of the channel in the mounting frame 2, in which the peripheral portion of the plastics sheet material forming the suit 3 is trapped.

In a typical practical embodiment the tubular sealing element 7 would be inflated at a pressure of 5-10 p.s.i., using either a temporary air supply or a permanent compressed air supply through a self-relieving regulator. A pressure gauge or other indicator would be provided to give a measurement or indication of the internal pressure in the sealing element.

When used in conjunction with an enclosure 1 as illustrated, the enclosure itself would normally be at a sub-atmospheric pressure, typically - 2 inches water gauge.

The quarter suit 1 is fitted to the mounting frame 2 by squeezing the tubular sealing element 7 to collapse it, thereby allowing it to be fitted into and fed through the C-shaped channel in the frame 2 before inflation of the tubular element.

It will be appreciated that the invention, although described with particular reference to a quarter suit, is also applicable to other apparatus for the contamination-free handling or inspection of objects in an enclosure, wherever the need arises to provide an effective seal between a flexible component such as a glove or suit and the edge of an aperture in the enclosure.

Claims

1. Apparatus for contamination-free handling or inspection of objects in an enclosure, comprising a glove or suit component of flexible sheet material which is sealed around its periphery to the edge of an aperture in the enclosure, in which the peripheral seal comprises a resilient peripheral sealing element which is sealingly located in a continuous peripheral channel in a rigid frame bounding the aperture.

2. Apparatus according to Claim 1, in which the resilient peripheral sealing element is formed by a flexible-walled tube which is attached to the flexible sheet material, an air supply connector being provided for supplying air under pressure to the tube to inflate the latter so as to cause the tube wall to exert sealing pressure against the walls of the peripheral channel in the frame.

3. Apparatus according to Claim 1 or Claim 2, in which the sheet material of the glove or suit component is wrapped around the peripheral sealing element, so that the sheet material is trapped between the sealing element and the walls of the peripheral channel in the frame.

4. Apparatus according to any one of Claims 1 to 3, in which the frame bounding the enclosure aperture has a channel of Csection.

5. Apparatus according to any one of the preceding claims, in which the sheet material of the glove or suit component comprises clear plastics sheet.

6. Apparatus for contamination-free handling or inspection of objects in an enclosure, substantially as herein described and illustrated, and for the purposes stated.