KR20120013526A - Leak testing apparatus and method - Google Patents
Leak testing apparatus and method Download PDFInfo
- Publication number
- KR20120013526A KR20120013526A KR1020100075535A KR20100075535A KR20120013526A KR 20120013526 A KR20120013526 A KR 20120013526A KR 1020100075535 A KR1020100075535 A KR 1020100075535A KR 20100075535 A KR20100075535 A KR 20100075535A KR 20120013526 A KR20120013526 A KR 20120013526A
- Authority
- KR
- South Korea
- Prior art keywords
- helium
- test
- chamber
- vacuum
- leak
- Prior art date
Links
Images
Classifications
-
- G—PHYSICS
- G01—MEASURING; TESTING
- G01B—MEASURING LENGTH, THICKNESS OR SIMILAR LINEAR DIMENSIONS; MEASURING ANGLES; MEASURING AREAS; MEASURING IRREGULARITIES OF SURFACES OR CONTOURS
- G01B13/00—Measuring arrangements characterised by the use of fluids
-
- G—PHYSICS
- G01—MEASURING; TESTING
- G01L—MEASURING FORCE, STRESS, TORQUE, WORK, MECHANICAL POWER, MECHANICAL EFFICIENCY, OR FLUID PRESSURE
- G01L21/00—Vacuum gauges
-
- G—PHYSICS
- G01—MEASURING; TESTING
- G01M—TESTING STATIC OR DYNAMIC BALANCE OF MACHINES OR STRUCTURES; TESTING OF STRUCTURES OR APPARATUS, NOT OTHERWISE PROVIDED FOR
- G01M3/00—Investigating fluid-tightness of structures
- G01M3/02—Investigating fluid-tightness of structures by using fluid or vacuum
- G01M3/04—Investigating fluid-tightness of structures by using fluid or vacuum by detecting the presence of fluid at the leakage point
- G01M3/20—Investigating fluid-tightness of structures by using fluid or vacuum by detecting the presence of fluid at the leakage point using special tracer materials, e.g. dye, fluorescent material, radioactive material
-
- G—PHYSICS
- G01—MEASURING; TESTING
- G01M—TESTING STATIC OR DYNAMIC BALANCE OF MACHINES OR STRUCTURES; TESTING OF STRUCTURES OR APPARATUS, NOT OTHERWISE PROVIDED FOR
- G01M3/00—Investigating fluid-tightness of structures
- G01M3/02—Investigating fluid-tightness of structures by using fluid or vacuum
- G01M3/26—Investigating fluid-tightness of structures by using fluid or vacuum by measuring rate of loss or gain of fluid, e.g. by pressure-responsive devices, by flow detectors
-
- F—MECHANICAL ENGINEERING; LIGHTING; HEATING; WEAPONS; BLASTING
- F17—STORING OR DISTRIBUTING GASES OR LIQUIDS
- F17C—VESSELS FOR CONTAINING OR STORING COMPRESSED, LIQUEFIED OR SOLIDIFIED GASES; FIXED-CAPACITY GAS-HOLDERS; FILLING VESSELS WITH, OR DISCHARGING FROM VESSELS, COMPRESSED, LIQUEFIED, OR SOLIDIFIED GASES
- F17C2221/00—Handled fluid, in particular type of fluid
- F17C2221/01—Pure fluids
- F17C2221/016—Noble gases (Ar, Kr, Xe)
- F17C2221/017—Helium
Landscapes
- Physics & Mathematics (AREA)
- General Physics & Mathematics (AREA)
- Examining Or Testing Airtightness (AREA)
Abstract
Description
The present invention relates to a leak inspection apparatus and method, and particularly, a leak inspection apparatus capable of detecting leakage more efficiently through multi-step determination when detecting minute leaks of an inspection object using helium (He). And to a method.
In general, leak testing is carried out when producing products that should not be tolerated by fine leaks. This is the case, for example, of automotive wheel rims cast from aluminum, air conditioning components, fuel supply components of internal combustion engines, and the like.
These parts require very precise pre-inspection because even the smallest leaks can be fatal. Therefore, in order to perform a more precise inspection, rather than performing a large amount of inspection, each part is individually inspected individually.
Recently, helium, which can detect finer leaks, has been widely used for precise inspection. Helium is a low density, inert gas with very suitable physical properties for detecting fine leaks. Therefore, a method of determining whether there is a leak by detecting helium by using a helium detector on the opposite side into which helium is injected into the inside or the outside of the inspected object is used.
However, in the conventional leak test method using helium, as described above, since helium is simply inputted to detect helium on the opposite side, there are various problems.
For example, it is very inefficient to apply a whole process to a product that is bad enough and can be leak-tested without helium inspection. Since helium has to go through several vacuum stages to finally check for leaks, it is not necessary to apply the whole process to the products with high defects. It is. Moreover, in the case of severe defect products, too much helium accumulates on the helium detector side, so that the equipment often has to be stopped for a considerable time to solve the problem, and even the equipment fails.
Referring to the method of inspecting the leak using the existing helium is as follows. First, the product is placed in the chamber so that the inside and the outside are hermetically isolated. Then, the inside and outside are vacuumed to have different degrees of vacuum. Then helium is fed to a low vacuum and the helium is detected using a helium detector on the other side. If there is a leak in the product, helium will be detected naturally on the side where helium is not supplied.
However, this conventional general method causes a problem that the system is frequently stopped. This is mainly due to the helium detector because helium leaks in large quantities and accumulates in the helium detector, preventing it from operating normally until it is resolved. This happens when the size of the hole in the product is large or when the sealing is not done properly in the inspection device itself. This is because the entire process is applied even to the products with severe defects or the process is performed even though the sealing is not performed correctly.
Such helium detectors are very inefficient because they do not operate or stop properly, causing inaccurate detection and further performing waiting and maintenance for a significant amount of time, or even causing catastrophic damage to the equipment.
The present invention is to solve such a conventional problem, before the leak test using helium leak inspection apparatus that can determine the efficiency of the overall process by determining whether or not in a steady state including the leak in multiple stages and Provide a method.
The present invention also provides a leak testing apparatus and method that can protect the helium detector and operate the apparatus stably.
The present invention also provides a leak inspection apparatus and method capable of determining whether a leak is substantially quick and precise by determining whether there is a leak over multiple stages.
The present invention provides a leak inspection apparatus, comprising: a chamber portion capable of hermetically receiving an inspection object and capable of hermetically separating an interior and an exterior of the inspection object from the inside; A first vacuum part connected to the chamber part to vacuum the chamber of the chamber part; A second vacuum part connected to the chamber part so as to enable vacuum while sensing the degree of vacuum inside the inspected object accommodated in the chamber of the chamber part; A helium supply unit connected to the chamber to supply and recover helium into the test object; A helium detection unit connected to the chamber unit to detect helium inside the chamber of the chamber unit except the test object; And a control unit configured to perform overall operation control of the apparatus, determine whether the test object leaks, and determine whether the test object is in a normal state according to the pressure inside the test object at a predetermined number of times. It is determined whether the leak exists in the test object when helium is detected in the chamber of the chamber except the test object, and whether or not the steady state is different from the pressure range determined at the time when the inside of the test object is determined. An abnormality decision is made when
The chamber part is further connected to a purge part capable of supplying and recovering purge gas to the inside of the inspection object.
The present invention also provides a method for leak testing, the method comprising: hermetically receiving an object in a chamber and also sealing the inside and the outside of the object within the chamber; The outside of the test object in the chamber is evacuated to a first vacuum and the inside of the test object is also vacuumed, and the inside of the test object is defined a plurality of times while the first vacuum and the second vacuum are achieved. Determining whether it is in a steady state according to whether a pressure range reached at a time point is reached; And leaking using helium to supply helium to the inside of the inspected object and detect helium from the outside of the inspected object in the chamber to determine whether there is a leak. Decision step; includes.
The leak determination step using helium includes: a low pressure helium test for supplying helium at low pressure, and a high pressure helium test for supplying helium at a high pressure which is performed only when no helium is detected in the low pressure helium test.
The determining of the normal state according to the internal pressure of the inspected object may include: a first vacuum test for checking an internal pressure of the inspected object while evacuating the outside of the inspected object in the chamber, and a predetermined vacuum into the inspected object An internal pressure test for supplying pressure nitrogen or dry air and checking the internal pressure of the test object, and a second vacuum test for checking the internal pressure of the test object while evacuating the inside of the test object to a second vacuum level; .
In addition, after the high-pressure helium test is completed, further comprising the step of cleaning the chamber and the passage through which helium for helium detection using nitrogen.
The present invention can perform the leak test more efficiently by determining whether the leak test and the steady state in a multi-step in-situ (In-Situ). In many cases during the inspection process, it is necessary to determine whether the condition is normal, including leakage, so that the subsequent process can be carried out only in a suitable state. This not only enables fast and accurate inspection of the entire inspection process, but also prevents the accumulation of helium in the helium detector by pre-filtering out specimens that are at high risk of leaking a large amount of helium during the leak inspection phase using helium. prevent. As a result, stop or breakdown of the device * can be prevented, which substantially improves the process speed. In addition, the consumption of expensive helium gas is minimized, which is very effective in reducing costs.
1 is a view schematically showing a leak test apparatus according to a preferred embodiment of the present invention.
2 is a graph showing the flow of a leak inspection process according to a preferred embodiment of the present invention.
3A and 3B show a part of the leak test apparatus of FIG. 1, and show results of a first vacuum test during a preceding test.
4A and 4B show a part of the leak test apparatus of FIG. 1, and show the results of the breakdown voltage test during the preceding test.
5A and 5B show a part of the leak test apparatus of FIG. 1, and show the results of the second vacuum test during the preceding test.
6A and 6B show a part of the leak test apparatus of FIG. 1, showing the results of the low pressure helium test during the present test.
7A and 7B show a part of the leak test apparatus of FIG. 1, showing the results of the high pressure helium test during the present test.
Hereinafter, preferred embodiments of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings. In the following description of the present invention, if it is determined that the detailed description of the related known function or configuration may unnecessarily obscure the subject matter of the present invention, the detailed description thereof will be omitted.
1 is a view schematically showing a leak test apparatus according to a preferred embodiment of the present invention.
Referring to FIG. 1, the
The
For example, as in the illustrated embodiment, the inspected object W may be accommodated alone, and the inside and the outside of the chamber may be hermetically isolated through the connector portion C. In this case, the connector part C serves to communicate the devices outside the
The
In addition, the
The
In addition, the
The
The apparatus of an embodiment of the present invention includes a controller 160 that performs overall control of the above-described device elements. The controller 160 also checks the pressure inside the inspected object W several times in the preceding test during the process to determine whether it is in a steady state, and determines the progress of the subsequent process according to the result. The control unit also uses helium in this test to determine whether there are leaks in two stages.
For reference, as shown in the drawings, the apparatus of the present invention can be connected to a plurality of chamber portions (100, 200), thereby improving efficiency in process progress.
Hereinafter, referring to FIGS. 1, 2, and 3A to 7B, the leak inspection method of the present invention will be described along with the operation of the leak inspection apparatus according to the preferred embodiment of the present invention.
2 is a graph showing the flow of a leak inspection process according to a preferred embodiment of the present invention.
First, a flow of a leak inspection process using the
The vacuum process is an initial process of vacuuming the inside of the chamber, that is, the outer space of the test object W in the chamber, and the inside of the test object after the test object W is mounted in a chamber in a state where the inside and the outside are hermetically isolated. In the present invention, it is determined whether or not the steady state by checking the pressure change in the inspection object (W) several times in this vacuum process. In the present invention, the test performed in the vacuum process is called a preliminary test prior to the present test in which the leak test is performed in earnest using helium.
In this way, in the preceding test during the vacuum process, the state of steady state is determined a plurality of times, and the possibility of mass leakage is determined in advance, and each time, it is possible to determine whether to proceed with the subsequent process. Therefore, it is possible to increase the efficiency of the process and to prevent the stoppage of the process or the failure of the device due to large leakage relatively accurately.
Prior tests performed in the chamber vacuum process include a first vacuum test, a breakdown voltage test, and a second vacuum test.
The first vacuum area in the vacuum process is a space outside the test object W in the chamber, and a first vacuum test is performed. As can be seen in FIG. 1, the outside (outside space) of the test object W in the chamber is vacuumed by the
Referring to FIG. 2, when the graph showing the pressure inside the test object W is normal in the first vacuum test section, there should be no change, but in case of abnormality, the graph inside the test object W is shown as a dotted line. The pressure will be lowered. As a result, the subsequent inspection process is not continued for the inspection object W, and the inspection of the connection state with the apparatus can be performed.
The target vacuum degree or pressure value herein should be understood as a range value and the same in the following description.
Subsequently, an internal pressure test is performed while purging the inside of the test object W. Referring to FIG. 1, the nitrogen (N 2 ) gas is supplied to the test object W at a predetermined pressure through the
The second vacuum test is a final step of the preceding test performed when the inside of the inspected object W is vacuumed, and is performed immediately before the present test of supplying helium into the inspected object W to check for leakage. At this time, the vacuum inside the inspected object W is performed to reach a second degree of vacuum by the
This test using helium is performed only on the inspected object (W) that passed in the normal state during the preceding test. Helium leak detection can detect even finer leaks. As a result, by filtering out the inspected object (W), which may cause a large amount of leakage in the preceding test, a substantially rapid process can be performed and stable device operation is possible.
Next, the present test using helium in the
As described above, the test object W passing the preceding test process may be considered to be ready for the microleakage test using helium. Leak test using helium is also carried out in two steps in the embodiment of the present invention. This not only prevents a large amount of helium gas leakage at once, but also accumulates excessively in the helium detector, and also provides an advantage of shortening the time. In the existing apparatus and method, when helium gas leaks excessively and accumulates in the helium detector, it takes a long time to solve it and even a problem that the helium detector fails, but the present invention completely solves this problem. .
In this test, a low pressure helium test is first performed. As shown in Figs. 6A and 6B, helium in the outer space of the test object W in the chamber is detected while helium is enclosed at a low pressure into the test object W mounted in the chamber. In order to detect helium, the
Next, the high pressure helium test is performed on the inspected object W that passed the low pressure helium test (FIGS. 7A and 7B). It is tested whether helium is detected in the space outside the test object W while encapsulating helium at a higher pressure than the low pressure helium test described above. Similarly, helium is detected by the
When the high pressure helium test is completed, helium is recovered from the
As described above, the present invention determines whether the subsequent process is continuously thickened and leaked through multiple stages, and thus, it is possible not only to perform a rapid and precise inspection substantially, but also to ensure stable operation of a device in which a process stop or failure is minimized. In addition, the consumption of expensive helium gas can be reduced compared to the existing device.
In addition, the present invention is not particularly limited in the manner in which the test object is loaded or seated in the chamber. As described above, the connector C may be used, but the inside and the outside of the inspection object are hermetically isolated in the chamber, and only the inside of the inspection object may be vacuumed or the gas used for the inspection process including helium may be supplied into the chamber. All other structures can be employed.
In the foregoing detailed description of the present invention, specific embodiments have been described. However, it will be apparent to those skilled in the art that various modifications can be made without departing from the scope of the present invention.
10:
110:
120: second vacuum unit 130: helium supply unit
140: helium detector 144: helium detector
150: purge unit 160: control unit
W: Test object C: Connector
Claims (6)
A chamber portion capable of hermetically receiving the inspected object and capable of hermetically separating the inside and the outside of the inspected object from the inside;
A first vacuum part connected to the chamber part to vacuum the chamber of the chamber part;
A second vacuum part connected to the chamber part so as to enable vacuum while sensing the degree of vacuum inside the inspected object accommodated in the chamber of the chamber part;
A helium supply unit connected to the chamber to supply and recover helium into the test object;
A helium detection unit connected to the chamber unit to detect helium inside the chamber of the chamber unit except the test object; And a control unit configured to perform overall operation control of the apparatus, determine whether the test object leaks, and determine whether the test object is in a normal state according to the pressure inside the test object at a predetermined number of times.
The leakage of the test object is determined that there is a leak in the test object when helium is detected in the chamber of the chamber except for the test object, and whether or not the steady state is determined at a time when the inside of the test object is determined. Is to make an anomaly determination when representing a value different from the range,
Leak test device.
The chamber portion is further connected to the purge portion capable of supplying and recovering purge gas to the inside of the inspection object,
Leak test device.
Hermetically receiving the inspected object in the chamber and sealing the interior and exterior of the inspected object within the chamber;
The outside of the test object in the chamber is evacuated to a first vacuum, the inside of the test object is also vacuumed, and the inside of the test object is defined a plurality of times while the first vacuum and the second vacuum are achieved. Determining whether or not a steady state is reached according to whether or not a predetermined pressure range is reached; And
Leakage determination using helium which supplies helium to the inside of the inspected object and detects helium from the outside of the inspected object in the chamber to determine whether there is a leak. Comprising;
Leak test method.
A low pressure helium test for supplying helium at low pressure, and a high pressure helium test for supplying helium at a high pressure performed only when no helium is detected in the low pressure helium test;
Leak test method.
A first vacuum test for checking an internal pressure of the test object while evacuating the outside of the test object in the chamber;
An internal pressure test for supplying nitrogen or dry air of a predetermined pressure into the test object and checking the internal pressure of the test object;
And a second vacuum test for checking an internal pressure of the test object while vacuuming the inside of the test object to a second vacuum degree.
Leak test method.
After the high pressure helium test is completed, further comprising the step of cleaning the chamber and the passage through which helium for helium detection using nitrogen,
Leak test method.
Priority Applications (1)
Application Number | Priority Date | Filing Date | Title |
---|---|---|---|
KR1020100075535A KR101182821B1 (en) | 2010-08-05 | 2010-08-05 | Leak testing apparatus and method |
Applications Claiming Priority (1)
Application Number | Priority Date | Filing Date | Title |
---|---|---|---|
KR1020100075535A KR101182821B1 (en) | 2010-08-05 | 2010-08-05 | Leak testing apparatus and method |
Publications (2)
Publication Number | Publication Date |
---|---|
KR20120013526A true KR20120013526A (en) | 2012-02-15 |
KR101182821B1 KR101182821B1 (en) | 2012-09-13 |
Family
ID=45836992
Family Applications (1)
Application Number | Title | Priority Date | Filing Date |
---|---|---|---|
KR1020100075535A KR101182821B1 (en) | 2010-08-05 | 2010-08-05 | Leak testing apparatus and method |
Country Status (1)
Country | Link |
---|---|
KR (1) | KR101182821B1 (en) |
Cited By (5)
Publication number | Priority date | Publication date | Assignee | Title |
---|---|---|---|---|
WO2016159409A1 (en) * | 2015-03-31 | 2016-10-06 | 태원물산 주식회사 | Method for inspecting for coolant leakage |
WO2016159410A1 (en) * | 2015-03-31 | 2016-10-06 | 태원물산 주식회사 | Method for inspecting for coolant leakage |
CN112753122A (en) * | 2018-09-25 | 2021-05-04 | 大日本印刷株式会社 | Valve device for electricity storage device and electricity storage device |
CN112985716A (en) * | 2021-01-18 | 2021-06-18 | 南京航空航天大学 | Aerostat envelope helium leakage monitoring device and method |
CN117928845A (en) * | 2023-12-12 | 2024-04-26 | 北京中科科仪股份有限公司 | Helium mass spectrometer leak detector suitable for efficient helium removal and leak detection method thereof |
Families Citing this family (2)
Publication number | Priority date | Publication date | Assignee | Title |
---|---|---|---|---|
KR102516705B1 (en) | 2020-08-26 | 2023-04-03 | 지에이씨피 주식회사 | Pipe leak inspection device |
KR20220007578A (en) | 2021-12-24 | 2022-01-18 | (주)이사나라 | Gas leak testing method of buried type air conditioner pipe |
Family Cites Families (4)
Publication number | Priority date | Publication date | Assignee | Title |
---|---|---|---|---|
JPH10300626A (en) * | 1997-04-25 | 1998-11-13 | Gas Mitsukusu Kogyo Kk | Method and system for inspecting leakage |
JP2005055263A (en) * | 2003-08-01 | 2005-03-03 | Ts:Kk | Leakage gas detector |
JP3790533B2 (en) * | 2004-03-24 | 2006-06-28 | ヤマハファインテック株式会社 | Multipath workpiece leak inspection system |
KR100889491B1 (en) * | 2007-05-09 | 2009-03-19 | 주식회사 동희산업 | Apparatus and method for testing leak of fuel tank |
-
2010
- 2010-08-05 KR KR1020100075535A patent/KR101182821B1/en active IP Right Grant
Cited By (7)
Publication number | Priority date | Publication date | Assignee | Title |
---|---|---|---|---|
WO2016159409A1 (en) * | 2015-03-31 | 2016-10-06 | 태원물산 주식회사 | Method for inspecting for coolant leakage |
WO2016159410A1 (en) * | 2015-03-31 | 2016-10-06 | 태원물산 주식회사 | Method for inspecting for coolant leakage |
CN112753122A (en) * | 2018-09-25 | 2021-05-04 | 大日本印刷株式会社 | Valve device for electricity storage device and electricity storage device |
CN112753122B (en) * | 2018-09-25 | 2023-11-17 | 大日本印刷株式会社 | Valve device for electric storage device and electric storage device |
CN112985716A (en) * | 2021-01-18 | 2021-06-18 | 南京航空航天大学 | Aerostat envelope helium leakage monitoring device and method |
CN112985716B (en) * | 2021-01-18 | 2022-06-10 | 南京航空航天大学 | Aerostat envelope helium leakage monitoring device and method |
CN117928845A (en) * | 2023-12-12 | 2024-04-26 | 北京中科科仪股份有限公司 | Helium mass spectrometer leak detector suitable for efficient helium removal and leak detection method thereof |
Also Published As
Publication number | Publication date |
---|---|
KR101182821B1 (en) | 2012-09-13 |
Similar Documents
Publication | Publication Date | Title |
---|---|---|
KR101182821B1 (en) | Leak testing apparatus and method | |
US5625141A (en) | Sealed parts leak testing method and apparatus for helium spectrometer leak detection | |
JP6791944B2 (en) | Method to control leakage resistance of sealed products and leakage detection device | |
KR100832345B1 (en) | Leak rate and life cycles test system of pneumatic angle valve for vacuum | |
JP6193216B2 (en) | Detection apparatus and associated detection process for detecting leaks in hermetic components | |
US10401255B1 (en) | Vacuum leak testing | |
CN103649709A (en) | Leak detection device and method for checking objects for fluid tightness by means of a leak detection device | |
CN104390747A (en) | Connector welding seal detection method | |
JP5806462B2 (en) | Leak inspection apparatus and method | |
JP2009198431A (en) | Apparatus and method of inspecting leakage | |
JP3737132B2 (en) | A method for inspecting leaks of many similar subjects | |
KR20140129717A (en) | A hose pipe of leak test method and thereof leak test device for the vehicle air conditioner pipe laying | |
KR101182818B1 (en) | Leak testing apparatus and method | |
WO2019004087A1 (en) | Method for detecting sealed state of cylinder device, and device for detecting sealed state | |
JP4793258B2 (en) | Manufacturing method for sealed products | |
KR102639481B1 (en) | Leakage inspection apparatus and leakage inspection method | |
US20200018663A1 (en) | Methods and Apparatus for Leak Testing | |
US20210396622A1 (en) | Apparatus and method for automatic leak detection | |
KR100572700B1 (en) | A method and apparatus for detecting a vacuum leakage | |
JP2000055769A (en) | Leakage-testing device | |
JP2007095728A (en) | Device manufacturing apparatus and leak check method | |
KR20080073518A (en) | Semiconductor manufacturing equipment and method for detecting leak | |
US9709081B2 (en) | Fluid testing device, and a method of testing a pressurized fluid for dissolved and/or entrained gasses | |
JP4091367B2 (en) | Leak inspection method | |
KR100857235B1 (en) | Gas leakage detector, semiconductor manufacturing equipment and method including the same |
Legal Events
Date | Code | Title | Description |
---|---|---|---|
A201 | Request for examination | ||
E902 | Notification of reason for refusal | ||
E701 | Decision to grant or registration of patent right | ||
GRNT | Written decision to grant | ||
FPAY | Annual fee payment |
Payment date: 20150904 Year of fee payment: 4 |
|
FPAY | Annual fee payment |
Payment date: 20160907 Year of fee payment: 5 |
|
FPAY | Annual fee payment |
Payment date: 20170906 Year of fee payment: 6 |
|
FPAY | Annual fee payment |
Payment date: 20180703 Year of fee payment: 7 |
|
FPAY | Annual fee payment |
Payment date: 20190821 Year of fee payment: 8 |