Patent US5777730A successfully refreshed from Google Patents.
US5777730A
Expired / Lapsed
US
⏱️ 0.0 years remaining
Systems, methods and apparatus for inspecting stator cores
Assignee: General Electric Co
•
Filing: 1997-10-14
•
Granted: 1998-07-07
•
Expires: 2017-10-14
Abstract
Abstract Methods and apparatus for automated inspection of stator cores are described. In one embodiment, a coherent light transmitter and a light detector are optically aligned so that the detector is in the path of an optical signal emitted from the light transmitter when such signal propagates substantially uninterrupted. The light transmitter and detector are also spaced from each other at a distance sufficient to allow a stator core to be moved, e.g., translated or rotated, therebetween. Output signals from the detector are processed to determine whether the core is acceptable.
Inventors
- 👤 Robert A. Dunlap
Bibliographic Details
Application Number
—
Jurisdiction
US
Data Source
google_patents
Last Synchronized
2026-11-09 06:58
CPC Classifications
G; G01; G01B; G01B11/00; G01B11/08; G01B11/12
Claims Analysis
Total Claims: 23
Claim 1
Independent Claim
137 words
Apparatus for performing an inspection of a stator core for an electric motor, the stator core having a plurality of slots, said apparatus comprising: an optical signal transmitter for flooding at least one stator core slot with an optical signal; an optical signal detector positioned so that when at least a portion of the optical signal emitted from said transmitter is substantially uninterrupted, at least a portion of said detector is within at least a portion of a path of the optical signal, said detector spaced from said transmitter so that at least a portion of the stator core can be positioned therebetween; and a control unit for controlling relative movement between said optical signal transmitter and the core during the inspection so that data obtained during the inspection is representative of a plurality of core characteristics.
Claim 2
Dependent Claim
137 words
Apparatus for performing an inspection of a stator core for an electric motor, the stator core having a plurality of slots, said apparatus comprising: an optical signal transmitter for flooding at least one stator core slot with an optical signal; an optical signal detector positioned so that when at least a portion of the optical signal emitted from said transmitter is substantially uninterrupted, at least a portion of said detector is within at least a portion of a path of the optical signal, said detector spaced from said transmitter so that at least a portion of the stator core can be positioned therebetween; and a control unit for controlling relative movement between said optical signal transmitter and the core during the inspection so that data obtained during the inspection is representative of a plurality of core characteristics.
Claim 3
Dependent Claim
17 words
Apparatus in accordance with claim 1 wherein the optical signal emitted by said transmitter is coherent light.
Claim 4
Dependent Claim
18 words
Apparatus in accordance with claim 1 wherein said control unit is coupled to said transmitter and said detector.
Claim 5
Dependent Claim
53 words
Apparatus in accordance with claim 3 wherein said control unit is configured to enable said transmitter so that an optical signal may be emitted therefrom, said control unit further configured to receive an output signal from said detector indicative of the intensity of the optical signal received by said detector from said transmitter.
Claim 6
Dependent Claim
12 words
Apparatus in accordance with claim 1 further comprising a robotic arm unit.
Claim 7
Dependent Claim
104 words
Apparatus in accordance with claim 5 wherein said robotic arm unit comprises movable arm members and wherein said apparatus further comprises a control unit, said control unit being coupled to said robotic arm unit to control movement of said arm members, said control unit further being coupled to said transmitter and said detector, said control unit configured to control said robotic arm to move at least a portion of the stator core between said transmitter and said detector and to enable said transmitter so that an optical signal may be emitted therefrom while the stator core is positioned between said transmitter and said detector.
Claim 8
Dependent Claim
52 words
Apparatus in accordance with claim 6 wherein said control unit receives an output signal from said detector indicative of the intensity of the optical signal received by said detector from said transmitter, and said control unit processes the output signal from said detector to determine whether the stator core is dimensionally acceptable.
Claim 9
Dependent Claim
83 words
Apparatus in accordance with claim 7 wherein said control unit comprises a processor and a memory storage, and wherein to determine whether the stator core is acceptable, said processor is programmed to: compare the magnitude of the signal received by said control unit from said detector with a prestored value in said memory storage; and if the difference between the signal magnitude and the prestored value is greater than a predetermined tolerance value, then identifying the stator core as at least potentially unacceptable.
Claim 10
Dependent Claim
233 words
Apparatus for performing an inspection of a stator core, the stator core having a plurality of slots, said apparatus comprising: an optical signal transmitter for flooding at least one stator core slot with an optical signal; an optical signal detector positioned so that when the optical signal emitted from said transmitter is substantially uninterrupted, at least a portion of said detector is within at least a portion of a path of the optical signal, said detector spaced from said transmitter so that at least a portion of the stator core can be positioned therebetween; a robotic arm unit comprising at least one movable arm member; and a control unit coupled to said robotic arm unit for controlling relative movement between said optical signal transmitter and the core during the inspection so that data obtained during the inspection is representative of a plurality of core characteristics, said control unit further coupled to said transmitter and said detector, said control unit configured to control said robotic arm unit to move at least a portion of the stator core between said transmitter and said detector and to enable said transmitter so that an optical signal may be emitted therefrom while the stator core is moved between said transmitter and said detector, said control unit comprising a central processing unit and a memory storage, standard data for at least one core configuration stored in said memory storage.
Claim 11
Dependent Claim
233 words
Apparatus for performing an inspection of a stator core, the stator core having a plurality of slots, said apparatus comprising: an optical signal transmitter for flooding at least one stator core slot with an optical signal; an optical signal detector positioned so that when the optical signal emitted from said transmitter is substantially uninterrupted, at least a portion of said detector is within at least a portion of a path of the optical signal, said detector spaced from said transmitter so that at least a portion of the stator core can be positioned therebetween; a robotic arm unit comprising at least one movable arm member; and a control unit coupled to said robotic arm unit for controlling relative movement between said optical signal transmitter and the core during the inspection so that data obtained during the inspection is representative of a plurality of core characteristics, said control unit further coupled to said transmitter and said detector, said control unit configured to control said robotic arm unit to move at least a portion of the stator core between said transmitter and said detector and to enable said transmitter so that an optical signal may be emitted therefrom while the stator core is moved between said transmitter and said detector, said control unit comprising a central processing unit and a memory storage, standard data for at least one core configuration stored in said memory storage.
Claim 12
Dependent Claim
17 words
Apparatus in accordance with claim 9 wherein the optical signal emitted by said transmitter is coherent light.
Claim 13
Dependent Claim
58 words
Apparatus in accordance with claim 9 wherein said control unit is configured to receive an output signal from said detector indicative of the intensity of the optical signal received by said detector from said transmitter, and said control unit is configured to process the output signal from said detector to determine whether the stator core is dimensionally acceptable.
Claim 14
Dependent Claim
79 words
Apparatus in accordance with claim 11 wherein said control unit comprises a processor and a memory storage, and wherein to determine whether the stator core is acceptable, said processor is programmed to: compare the magnitude of the signal received by said control unit from said detector with the standard data; and if the difference between the signal magnitude and the standard data is greater than a predetermined tolerance value, then identifying the stator core as at least potentially unacceptable.
Claim 15
Dependent Claim
21 words
Apparatus in accordance with claim 9 wherein said control unit controls said robotic unit to operate in a stop-and-shoot scanning mode.
Claim 16
Dependent Claim
21 words
Apparatus in accordance with claim 9 wherein said control unit controls said robotic unit to operate in a continuous scanning mode.
Claim 17
Independent Claim
305 words
A method for inspecting dimensions of a stator core using an optical signal transmitter and an optical signal detector coupled to a control unit, the stator core having a plurality of slots, the transmitter and detector being spaced at a sufficient distance with respect to one another to enable at least a portion of the stator core to be moved therebetween, the detector positioned so that when an optical signal is emitted from the transmitter, at least a portion of the detector is within at least a portion of a path of the optical signal if the optical signal is substantially uninterrupted, said method comprising the steps of: positioning a first portion of the stator core having at least a first slot therethrough between the transmitter and the detector; enabling the transmitter to emit an optical signal while the first portion of the core is positioned between the transmitter and detector so that the first slot is flooded with the optical signal; generating a signal in the detector indicative of the intensity of the signal received by the detector while the first portion of the core is positioned between the transmitter and detector while the transmitter was energized; positioning a second portion of the stator core having at least a second slot therethrough between the transmitter and the detector; enabling the transmitter to emit an optical signal while the second portion of the core is positioned between the transmitter and detector so that the second slot is flooded with the optical signal; generating a signal in the detector indicative of the intensity of the signal received by the detector while the second portion of the core is positioned between the transmitter and detector and while the transmitter was energized; and processing the signals generated in the detector to determine whether the core is dimensionally acceptable.
Claim 18
Independent Claim
305 words
A method for inspecting dimensions of a stator core using an optical signal transmitter and an optical signal detector coupled to a control unit, the stator core having a plurality of slots, the transmitter and detector being spaced at a sufficient distance with respect to one another to enable at least a portion of the stator core to be moved therebetween, the detector positioned so that when an optical signal is emitted from the transmitter, at least a portion of the detector is within at least a portion of a path of the optical signal if the optical signal is substantially uninterrupted, said method comprising the steps of: positioning a first portion of the stator core having at least a first slot therethrough between the transmitter and the detector; enabling the transmitter to emit an optical signal while the first portion of the core is positioned between the transmitter and detector so that the first slot is flooded with the optical signal; generating a signal in the detector indicative of the intensity of the signal received by the detector while the first portion of the core is positioned between the transmitter and detector while the transmitter was energized; positioning a second portion of the stator core having at least a second slot therethrough between the transmitter and the detector; enabling the transmitter to emit an optical signal while the second portion of the core is positioned between the transmitter and detector so that the second slot is flooded with the optical signal; generating a signal in the detector indicative of the intensity of the signal received by the detector while the second portion of the core is positioned between the transmitter and detector and while the transmitter was energized; and processing the signals generated in the detector to determine whether the core is dimensionally acceptable.
Claim 19
Dependent Claim
22 words
A method in accordance with claim 15 further comprising the step of storing standard data in a memory of the control unit.
Claim 20
Dependent Claim
45 words
A method in accordance with claim 16 wherein processing the signals generated in the detector to determine whether the core is dimensionally acceptable comprises the steps of: digitizing the signals from the detector; and comparing the values of the digitized signals with the standard data.
Claim 21
Dependent Claim
86 words
A method in accordance with claim 15 wherein the control unit includes a processor and a memory storage, and wherein processing the signals generated in the detector to determine whether the core is dimensionally acceptable comprises the steps of: comparing the magnitudes of the signals received by the control unit from the detector with the standard data; and if the difference between the signal magnitudes and the standard data is greater than a predetermined tolerance value, then identifying the stator core as at least potentially unacceptable.
Claim 22
Dependent Claim
22 words
A method in accordance with claim 18 wherein the control unit controls the robotic unit to operate in a stop-and-shoot scanning mode.
Claim 23
Dependent Claim
22 words
A method in accordance with claim 18 wherein the control unit controls the robotic unit to operate in a continuous scanning mode.
References Cited (Backward Citations)
US4480264A
Cited
US4657395A
Cited
US4678337A
Cited
US4772128A
Cited
US4978223A
Cited
US5563808A
Cited
USPTO Annuity & Maintenance Windows
| Annuity Stage | Window Opens | Payment Deadline | Surcharge Period Until | Estimated Fee | Status |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 3.5 Years (Year 4) | 2001-07-06 | 2002-01-05 | 2002-07-07 | $2000.00 | Window Closed / Lapsed |
| 7.5 Years (Year 8) | 2005-07-06 | 2006-01-05 | 2006-07-07 | $3760.00 | Window Closed / Lapsed |
| 11.5 Years (Year 12) | 2009-07-06 | 2010-01-05 | 2010-07-07 | $7700.00 | Window Closed / Lapsed |