Patent · US Expired

Ultrasonic hand-held refrigerant leak detector

US4879546A · kind A · utility

25Cited by
14References
22Claims
0Family size

Assignee

Inventors

Key dates

Filing dateApr 26, 1989
Grant dateNov 7, 1989
Priority date
Expiry dateApr 26, 2009

Classification

  • Technology area (CPC G)Physics
  • CPC primaryG01N2291/0215
  • WIPO fieldMeasurement
  • WIPO sectorInstruments

Abstract

Hand-held apparatus for detecting presence of halogen refrigerant agents in air in which a pair of ultrasonic transducers are spaced from each other within a measurement probe and test air is continuously drawn between the transducers by a fan. One transducer is energized at constant ultrasonic frequency, and the other transducer is coupled to a rectifier or a phase detector for providing a measurement signal as a function of radiation received at and reflected by such other transducer. A reference signal level is established by selectively sampling and electronically storing of the measurement signal, such that the reference level is automatically or manually updated to reflect changes in ambient conditions. An audio/visual alarm is activated when the measurement signal departs from the ambient reference level by more than a preselected threshold.

Source: USPTO / EPO open patent data. Objective bibliographic and citation counts.