Seal inspection device and seal inspection method

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-12085481-B2
Application number	US-202017764569-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Aug 31, 2020
Priority date	Nov 5, 2019
Publication date	Sep 10, 2024
Grant date	Sep 10, 2024

Abstract

A seal inspection device includes: a first holder including a port surrounded by an inspection target, and a through hole connected to an outside-leak detection flow path; a second holder holding the inspection target between the first and second holders; an inspection-place sealing portion forming, into a closed space, a space where the inspection target is arranged, in cooperation with the first and second holders; a pressurization valve connecting the port to both a supply source of an inspection gas and an exhaust system; a detector for the inspection gas; a first measurement valve connecting the detector to the port; and a second measurement valve connecting the outside-leak detection flow path to the detector.

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1. A seal inspection device comprising:
a first holder including
a port surrounded by an inspection target, and
a through hole connected to an outside-leak detection flow path;

a second holder configured to hold the inspection target between the first and second holders;
an inspection-place sealing portion configured to form, into a closed space, a space where the inspection target is arranged, in cooperation with the first holder and the second holder;
a pressurization valve configured to connect the port to both a supply source of an inspection gas and an exhaust system;
a detector for the inspection gas;
a first measurement valve configured to connect the detector to the port; and
a second measurement valve configured to connect the outside-leak detection flow path to the detector.

2. The seal inspection device according to claim 1 , wherein the first holder includes a plurality of the ports, the seal inspection device further comprising a plurality of the first measurement valves that are associated with a plurality of the respective ports and that switch the inspection target between the ports by being opened and closed.

3. The seal inspection device according to claim 2 , wherein the inspection gas includes a helium gas or a hydrogen gas.

4. The seal inspection device according to claim 2 , further comprising an inspection gas recovery device that is connected to a path of the inspection gas and that recovers the inspection gas.

5. The seal inspection device according to claim 2 , wherein the detector is a number-of-atoms measurement device.

6. The seal inspection device according to claim 2 , further comprising:
a peripheral sealing portion that surrounds a perimeter of the inspection-place sealing portion and that defines an evacuated space between the inspection-place sealing portion and the peripheral sealing portion; and
a vacuum-pump-side valve configured to connect the evacuated space to a vacuum pump.

7. The seal inspection device according to claim 1 , wherein the inspection gas includes a helium gas or a hydrogen gas.

8. The seal inspection device according to claim 7 , further comprising an inspection gas recovery device that is connected to a path of the inspection gas and that recovers the inspection gas.

9. The seal inspection device according to claim 7 , wherein the detector is a number-of-atoms measurement device.

10. The seal inspection device according to claim 7 , further comprising:
a peripheral sealing portion that surrounds a perimeter of the inspection-place sealing portion and that defines an evacuated space between the inspection-place sealing portion and the peripheral sealing portion; and
a vacuum-pump-side valve configured to connect the evacuated space to a vacuum pump.

11. The seal inspection device according to claim 1 , further comprising an inspection gas recovery device that is connected to a path of the inspection gas and that recovers the inspection gas.

12. The seal inspection device according to claim 11 , wherein the detector is a number-of-atoms measurement device.

13. The seal inspection device according to claim 1 , wherein the detector is a number-of-atoms measurement device.

14. The seal inspection device according to claim 1 , further comprising:
a peripheral sealing portion that surrounds a perimeter of the inspection-place sealing portion and that defines an evacuated space between the inspection-place sealing portion and the peripheral sealing portion; and
a vacuum-pump-side valve configured to connect the evacuated space to a vacuum pump.

15. A seal inspection method comprising: holding an inspection target between a first holder and a second holder, and evacuating an inside of the inspection target, thereby forming a closed space in a vacuum state surrounded by the inspection target, the inspection target being arranged so as to surround each of a port and a through hole, the port being provided in the first holder, the through hole being connected to an outside-leak detection flow path; introducing an inspection gas into a first closed space area that is included in the closed space and that includes the port to be a measurement target; and detecting the inspection gas that has leaked to a second closed space area included in the closed space and other than the port as the measurement target.

16. The seal inspection method according to claim 15 , further comprising:
opening and closing a plurality of first measurement valves associated with a plurality of the respective ports, thereby switching the measurement target between the ports.

17. The seal inspection method according to claim 15 , wherein the inspection gas includes a helium gas or a hydrogen gas.

18. The seal inspection method according to claim 15 , further comprising:
recovering the inspection gas.

19. The seal inspection method according to claim 15 , further comprising: by a number-of-atoms measurement device, detecting the inspection gas that has leaked to the second closed space area included in the closed space and other than the port as the measurement target.

20. The seal inspection method according to claim 15 , further comprising:
evacuating an evacuated space that surrounds a perimeter of the port as the measurement target.

Assignees

• Nok Corp

Inventors

• KASAI Yuta
• KARUBE Shotaro
• Tadano Hikaru
• TAKEKOSHI Masashi
• Sakurai Takayuki

Classifications

• H01M8/0271 Primary

  Sealing or supporting means around electrodes, matrices or membranes · CPC title

• G01M3/229

  removably mounted in a test cell · CPC title

• G01M3/20 Primary

  using special tracer materials, e.g. dye, fluorescent material, radioactive material · CPC title

• G01M3/26

  by measuring rate of loss or gain of fluid, e.g. by pressure-responsive devices, by flow detectors · CPC title

• H01M8/04671

  of the individual fuel cell · CPC title