Flexible guide tube assembly
US5381226A · kind A · utility
Assignee
Inventors
Key dates
| Filing date | Jul 15, 1993 |
| Grant date | Jan 10, 1995 |
| Priority date | — |
| Expiry date | Jul 15, 2013 |
Classification
- Technology area (CPC G)Physics
- CPC primaryG02B23/26
- WIPO fieldOptics
- WIPO sectorInstruments
Abstract
In accordance with an embodiment of the present invention, a hollow, flexible guide tube assembly is provided which is a combination of a front elbow attached to a flexible tubular coil spring which is attached to a hollow, tubular handle section, forming a continuous tubular compartment in a configuration that permits the inspector to penetrate and view the inside of an engine through an external access port. The assembly further may comprise an adjustable mounting flange, attachable to an engine bulkhead, movable along the tubular axis of a tubular handle attached to the flexible coil spring that frees the operator from holding the guide tube while performing the inspection. The flexible guide tube assembly facilitates passage of the endoscope into an inaccessible location of device which is to be visually inspected. The flexible guide tube assembly guides the endoscope past obstacles and large gaps that make insertion time consuming, laborious, and damaging to the endoscope.
Source: USPTO / EPO open patent data. Objective bibliographic and citation counts.