CN-122029412-A - Using force sensing to prevent borescope damage

Abstract

A borescope includes an inspection tube having the following features. The access tube includes an actuatable portion that is closer to the distal end of the access tube than the proximal end of the tube. The actuatable drive cable extends along the length of the inspection tube. An actuatable drive cable is attached to the distal end of the examination tube and is arranged to transfer motion to the actuatable portion. A force sensor is coupled to each of the actuatable drive cables. An inspection head is attached to the distal end of the inspection tube. The control unit is configured to receive a signal from the force sensor. The signal indicates a stress within the actuatable drive cable. The controller is configured to actuate the actuatable drive cable to provide slack in response to the signal indicating that a stress within the actuatable drive cable exceeds a specified threshold.

Inventors

• A.Tang
• J. Del Monico

Assignees

• 贝克休斯控股有限责任公司

Dates

Publication Date

20260512

Application Date

20241001

Priority Date

20231009

Claims (20)

1. 1. A borescope, said borescope comprising: an inspection tube, the inspection tube comprising: an actuatable portion, the actuatable portion being closer to the distal end of the examination tube than the proximal end of the tube, an An actuatable drive cable extending along a length of the inspection tube, the actuatable drive cable attached to a distal end of the inspection tube, the actuatable drive cable arranged to transmit motion to the actuatable portion, and A force sensor coupled to each of the actuatable drive cables; An inspection head attached to the distal end of the inspection tube, and A control unit located at a proximal end of the inspection tube, the control unit configured to: receiving a signal from the force sensor, the signal being indicative of stress within the actuatable drive cable, and The actuatable drive cable is actuated to provide slack in response to the signal indicating that a stress within the actuatable drive cable exceeds a specified threshold.
2. 2. The borescope of claim 1, wherein the force sensor comprises a piezoelectric force sensor.
3. 3. The borescope of claim 1, wherein the force sensor comprises a strain gauge, a force sensitive resistor, a drive current sensor, or a torque sensor.
4. 4. The borescope of claim 1, wherein the force sensor extends between an actuator bracket and a housing of the borescope.
5. 5. The borescope of claim 1, wherein the inspection tube further comprises: a fiber optic cable extending through an interior passage defined by the inspection tube, the fiber optic cable extending between the inspection head and the control unit, and A communication cable extending through the internal passage, the communication cable extending between the inspection head and the control unit.
6. 6. The borescope of claim 1, further comprising an actuator coupled to a proximal end of the actuatable drive cable, the actuator configured to move the actuatable drive cable in response to a signal received from the control unit.
7. 7. The borescope of claim 1, wherein the controller is further configured to provide a warning to a user prior to actuating the actuatable drive cable.
8. 8. The borescope of claim 1, wherein the inspection tube is a first removable inspection tube, the actuatable portion is a first actuatable portion, the drive cables are a first set of drive cables, the force sensor is a first force sensor, and the specified threshold is a first specified threshold, the borescope further comprising: A second removable inspection tube having a different size or length than the first removable inspection tube, the second removable inspection tube comprising: a second actuatable portion closer to a distal end of the second inspection tube than a proximal end of the second inspection tube; a second set of actuatable drive cables extending along a length of the second inspection tube, the second set of actuatable drive cables attached to a distal end of the second inspection tube, the second set of actuatable drive cables arranged to transmit motion to the second actuatable portion, and A second force sensor coupled to each of the second set of actuatable drive cables, wherein the controller is configured to actuate the second set of actuatable drive cables in response to the signal indicating that a stress within the actuatable drive cables is above a specified threshold different from the first specified threshold.
9. 9. A method, the method comprising: receiving a signal from a force sensor coupled to an actuatable drive cable within a borescope, the signal being indicative of stress within the actuatable drive cable; Determining that stress within the actuatable drive cable has exceeded a specified threshold based on the signal, and The actuatable drive cable is actuated to provide slack such that the inspection head moves to a straight forward position.
10. 10. The method of claim 9, wherein actuating the actuatable drive cable comprises: transmitting signals to one or more actuators; adjusting the actuator in response to the signal, and A drive cable is adjusted by the actuator, the drive cable coupled to the actuator at a first end of the drive cable and to the inspection head at a second end of the drive cable.
11. 11. The method of claim 9, further comprising providing a warning to a user prior to actuating the actuatable drive cable.
12. 12. A borescope, said borescope comprising: an inspection tube, the inspection tube comprising: an actuatable portion, the actuatable portion being closer to the distal end of the examination tube than the proximal end of the tube, an An actuatable drive cable extending along a length of the inspection tube, the actuatable drive cable attached to a distal end of the inspection tube, the actuatable drive cable arranged to transmit motion to the actuatable portion; a force sensor coupled to each of the actuatable drive cables; An inspection head attached to the distal end of the inspection tube, and A control unit located at a proximal end of the inspection tube, the control unit comprising: Processor, and A non-transitory memory comprising instructions executable by the processor to: receiving a signal from the force sensor, the signal being indicative of stress within the actuatable drive cable, and The actuatable drive cable is actuated to provide slack in response to the signal indicating that a stress within the actuatable drive cable exceeds a specified threshold, the actuatable drive cable being actuated such that the inspection head moves to a straight-ahead position.
13. 13. The borescope of claim 12, wherein the force sensor comprises a piezoelectric force sensor.
14. 14. The borescope of claim 12, wherein the force sensor comprises a strain gauge, a force sensitive resistor, a drive current sensor, or a torque sensor.
15. 15. The borescope of claim 12, wherein the inspection tube further comprises: a fiber optic cable extending through an interior passage defined by the inspection tube, the fiber optic cable extending between the inspection head and the control unit, and A communication cable extending through the internal passage, the communication cable extending between the inspection head and the control unit.
16. 16. The borescope of claim 12, further comprising an actuator coupled to a proximal end of the actuatable drive cable, the actuator configured to move the actuatable drive cable in response to a signal received from the control unit.
17. 17. The borescope of claim 16, wherein the memory further comprises instructions executable by the processor to: The actuatable drive cable is actuated by the actuator such that the inspection head moves to face in a substantially upward direction.
18. 18. The borescope of claim 12, wherein the force sensor extends between an actuator bracket and a housing of the borescope.
19. 19. The borescope of claim 12, wherein the memory further comprises instructions executable by the processor to provide a warning to a user prior to actuating the actuatable drive cable.
20. 20. The borescope of claim 12, wherein the inspection tube is a first removable inspection tube, the actuatable portion is a first actuatable portion, the drive cables are a first set of drive cables, the force sensor is a first force sensor, and the specified threshold is a first specified threshold, the borescope further comprising: A second removable inspection tube having a different size or length than the first removable inspection tube, the second removable inspection tube comprising: a second actuatable portion closer to a distal end of the second inspection tube than a proximal end of the second inspection tube; a second set of actuatable drive cables extending along a length of the second inspection tube, the second set of actuatable drive cables attached to a distal end of the second inspection tube, the second set of actuatable drive cables arranged to transmit motion to the second actuatable portion, and A second force sensor coupled to each of the second set of actuatable drive cables, wherein the controller is configured to actuate the second set of actuatable drive cables in response to the signal indicating that a stress within the actuatable drive cables is above a specified threshold different from the first specified threshold.

Description

Using force sensing to prevent borescope damage Technical Field The subject matter described herein relates to borescope systems. Background Video inspection devices such as video endoscopes or borescopes may be used to make depth measurements of objects (e.g., anomalies such as the lowest point in a pit or dent, the height of a weld, measurements of offset or gap between surfaces, etc.). Additionally, the video inspection device may be used to observe defects (e.g., tears, cracks, scratches, etc.) on the surface of an object (e.g., an industrial machine). In many cases, the surface of the object is inaccessible and cannot be observed without the use of a video inspection device. For example, the video inspection device may be used to inspect the blade surfaces of turbine engines on an aircraft or power generation unit to identify any anomalies to determine whether any repair or further maintenance is required. To make this assessment, it is often necessary to obtain highly accurate dimensional measurements of the surface to verify that the anomaly does not fall outside the operational limits or required specifications of the object. Disclosure of Invention The present disclosure relates to using force sensing to prevent borescope damage. A borescope includes an inspection tube having the following features. The tube includes an actuatable portion that is closer to the distal end of the tube than the proximal end of the tube. An actuatable drive cable extends along the length of the inspection tube. The actuatable drive cable is attached to the distal end of the examination tube and is arranged to transfer motion to the actuatable portion. A force sensor is coupled to each of the actuatable drive cables. An inspection head is attached to the distal end of the inspection tube. A control unit is located at the proximal end of the inspection tube. The control unit is configured to receive a signal from the force sensor. The signal is indicative of stress within the actuatable drive cable. The control unit may include a processor and a non-transitory memory including instructions executable by the processor to actuate the actuatable drive cable to provide slack in response to the signal indicating that a stress within the actuatable drive cable exceeds a specified threshold. The actuatable drive cable is actuated such that the inspection head moves to a straight forward position. In some embodiments, the actuator may be coupled to a proximal end of the actuatable drive cable. The actuator may be configured to move the actuatable drive cable in response to a signal received from the control unit. In some embodiments, the inspection tube may be a first removable inspection tube, the actuatable portion may be a first actuatable portion, the drive cables may be a first set of drive cables, the force sensor may be a first force sensor, and the specified threshold may be a first specified threshold. The borescope may then further include a second removable inspection tube having a different size or length than the first removable inspection tube. The second removable inspection tube may include a second actuatable portion that is closer to the distal end of the second inspection tube than the proximal end of the second inspection tube. A second set of actuatable drive cables may extend along the length of the second inspection tube. The second set of actuatable drive cables may be attached to a distal end of the second inspection tube. The second set of actuatable drive cables may be arranged to transfer motion to the second actuatable portion. A second force sensor may be coupled to each of the actuatable drive cables of the second set of actuatable drive cables. The controller may be configured to actuate the second set of actuatable drive cables in response to the signal indicating that the stress within the actuatable drive cables is above a specified threshold different from the first specified threshold. In operation, the controller can receive a signal from the force sensor coupled to an actuatable drive cable within the borescope. In some embodiments and/or examples, the controller may determine that the stress within the actuatable drive cable has exceeded a specified threshold based on the signal. In some embodiments, the controller may then actuate the actuatable drive cable to provide slack such that the inspection head is moved to the straight forward position. In some embodiments, actuating the actuatable drive cable may include transmitting a signal to one or more actuators. The actuator is adjustable in response to the signal. A drive cable is adjustable by the actuator, the drive cable being coupled to the actuator at a first end of the drive cable and to the inspection head at a second end of the drive cable. In some embodiments and/or examples, the actuatable drive cable may be actuated by the actuator such that the inspection head moves to face in a substantially upward direction. In some embodime