DETAILED ACTION
Notice of Pre-AIA or AIA Status
The present application, filed on or after March 16, 2013, is being examined under the first inventor to file provisions of the AIA .
Claim Rejections - 35 USC § 102
The following is a quotation of the appropriate paragraphs of 35 U.S.C. 102 that form the basis for the rejections under this section made in this Office action:
A person shall be entitled to a patent unless –
(a)(1) the claimed invention was patented, described in a printed publication, or in public use, on sale, or otherwise available to the public before the effective filing date of the claimed invention.
Claims 1-4, 7-12 & 15-20 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(1) as being anticipated by Nirmalan et al (US 20170234772 A1) “hereinafter Nirmalan”.
In regards to claim 1, Nirmalan teaches a turbine engine (10) comprising a fan (20) including a plurality of fan blades (42) rotatable about an axis (12) (Paragraph 0012); an inlet guide vane assembly (24, 26, i.e. LP & HP compressor respectively) including a plurality of inlet guide vanes (56, 58, i.e. compressor blades) disposed forward of the fan (20) (Paragraph 0016; Figure 1); a case structure (40, i.e. fan casing) circumscribing the plurality of fan blades (42) and the inlet guide vane assembly (24, 26) (Paragraphs 0013 & 0014), the case structure (40) defining a portion of an inlet air flow path (115) (Paragraph 0020; Figure 2); and an optical inspection system (100, i.e. optical imaging system) including a probe body (118, i.e. hollow probe) extending from the case structure (40) into the inlet air flow path (115) upstream of the inlet guide vane assembly (24, 26) (Paragraph 0021; Figures 1 & 2), the optical inspection system (100) including an optical device (108, i.e. camera) at least partially disposed within the probe body (118) with a field of view (128) directed between at least two of the inlet guide vanes (56, 58) of the plurality of fan blades (42) (Paragraphs 0021-0026; Figure 1 & 2).
In regards to claim 2, Nirmalan teaches wherein the optical device (108) comprises a lens (114, i.e. image receiving device) disposed within a trailing edge of the probe body (116) and an optical path from the lens (114) to a camera (108).
In regards to claim 3, Nirmalan teaches wherein the camera (108) is disposed at a location remote from the lens (114) (Paragraph 0025; Figure 2).
In regards to claim 4, Nirmalan teaches wherein the optical path comprises an optical fiber (116, i.e. moving guide tube) between the lens (114) and the camera (108) (Paragraph 0025; Figure 2).
In regards to claim 7, Nirmalan teaches wherein the inlet guide vanes (56, 58) are at least partially variable to adjust (i.e. rotate) a direction of inlet airflow toward the plurality of fan blades (42) (Paragraph 0017).
In regards to claim 8, Nirmalan teaches wherein the optical inspection system (100) includes at least two optical devices (108 & 114) that are focused on a different radial region of the plurality of fan blades (42) (Paragraphs 0020 & 0021).
In regards to claim 9, Nirmalan teaches further comprising a temperature probe (108, i.e. wherein the camera functions as a temperature probe) disposed in the probe body (114) (Paragraph 0024).
In regards to claim 10, Nirmalan teaches wherein the optical inspection system (100) further comprises a controller (102) programmed to receive images of a portion of at least one of the plurality of fan blades (42) in response to a rotational speed of the fan (20) being with a predefined speed (Paragraphs 0020-0022 & 0030).
In regards to claim 11, Nirmalan teaches wherein the controller (102) is further programmed to determine a condition of at least one of the plurality of fan blades (42) based on the received images of at least one of the plurality of fan blades (42) (Paragraphs 0020-0022 & 0030).
In regards to claim 12, Nirmalan teaches an optical inspection system (100) for a turbine engine (10) comprising a probe body (118) extending configured to extend into an inlet air flow path (115) (Paragraph 0027); a lens (114) disposed on a trailing edge of the probe body (118) with a field of view (128) directed between at least two inlet guide vanes (56, 58) of a plurality of fan blades (42) (Paragraphs 0024-0026); a camera (108) located remote from the lens (114) and configured to generate images of at least one of the plurality of fan blades (42) (Paragraphs 0021-0026; Figure 1 & 2); an optic fiber (116, i.e. moving guide tube) providing an optical path between the lens (114) and the camera (108) (Paragraph 0025; Figure 2); and a controller (102) programmed to determine a condition of at least one of the plurality of fan blades (42) based on images of at least one of the plurality of fan blades (42) (Paragraphs 0020-0022 & 0030).
In regards to claim 15, Nirmalan teaches including a plurality of lenses (114) directed at different fields of view (i.e. traversing and rotating with the camera housing (106) along the longitudinal axis (112) provides differing fields of view) along the plurality of fan blades (42) (Paragraph 0027).
In regards to claim 16, Nirmalan teaches further including a temperature probe (108, i.e. wherein the camera functions as a temperature probe) configured to obtain information indictive of temperature within the inlet air flow path (115) (Paragraph 0024).
In regards to claim 17, Nirmalan teaches wherein the controller (102) is further programmed to receive images of a portion of at least one of the plurality of fan blades (42) in response to a rotational speed of the fan (20) being with a predefined speed (Paragraphs 0020-0022 & 0030).
In regards to claim 18, Nirmalan teaches a method of inspecting fan blades of turbine engine (10) comprising directing a lens (114) disposed within a probe body (118) that extends into an inlet airflow path (115) toward a portion of a fan blade (42) (Paragraph 0025); obtaining images of the portion of the fan blade (42) in response to a rotational speed of a fan (20) being within a predefined range (Paragraphs 0026 & 0030); and determining a condition of the fan blade (42) based on the obtained images (Paragraphs 0020-0022 & 0030).
In regards to claim 19, Nirmalan teaches further comprising directing the lens (114) to provide a field of view (128) between at least two inlet guide vanes (56, 58, i.e. compressor blades) upstream of the fan blade (42) (Paragraphs 0026-0028).
In regards to claim 20, Nirmalan teaches further comprising communicating images of the portion of the fan blade (42) through an optical fiber (116, i.e. moving guide tube) to a camera (108) located remote from the lens (114) (Paragraphs 0020-0022 & 0030).
Claim Rejections - 35 USC § 103
The following is a quotation of 35 U.S.C. 103 which forms the basis for all obviousness rejections set forth in this Office action:
A patent for a claimed invention may not be obtained, notwithstanding that the claimed invention is not identically disclosed as set forth in section 102, if the differences between the claimed invention and the prior art are such that the claimed invention as a whole would have been obvious before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to a person having ordinary skill in the art to which the claimed invention pertains. Patentability shall not be negated by the manner in which the invention was made.
Claims 5, 6, 13 & 14 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Nirmalan et al (US 20170234772 A1) “hereinafter Nirmalan” in view of Diwinsky et al (US 9458735 B1) “hereinafter Diwinsky”.
In regards to claims 5 & 13, Nirmalan teaches the claimed invention except for the turbine engine further including a lighting device disposed within the probe body and configured to illuminate the field of view.
Diwinsky teaches a turbine engine (10) further comprising a lighting device (106) disposed within the probe body (100) and configured to illuminate the field of view (Column 6, line 57 – Column 7, line 22; Figure 4). It would have been obvious to one having skill in the art before the effective filing date of the invention being made to provide a lighting device disposed within a probe body as taught by Diwinsky into the turbine engine of Nirmalan for the purpose of illuminating the interior of the gas turbine engine (Column 7, lines 19-22; Diwinsky).
In regards to claims 6 & 14, Nirmalan teaches wherein the probe body (118) includes a purge flow path for directing a purge flow across the lens (114) (Paragraph 0028).
Conclusion
The prior art made of record and not relied upon is considered pertinent to applicant's disclosure.
Goyette et al (US 12055053 B1) - The present disclosure relates to turbine engine rotor blade inspection in general, and to systems configured to inspect turbine engine rotor blades and provide inspection data in particular.
Gysling et al (US 10775269 B2) - The present disclosure relates to gas turbine engines, and more specifically, to systems and methods for blade health monitoring in gas turbine engines.
Ruhge (US 9366600 B2) - The present invention relates to the field of inspection of power generation equipment and, more particularly to inspection of turbine blades in a gas turbine engine.
Agoos et al (US 9297720 B2) - The present disclosure relates to a gas turbine engine and, more particularly, to an optical tip-timing probe system therefor. A method of observing an airflow passage within a gas turbine engine according to one disclosed non-limiting embodiment of the present disclosure includes locating a support in view of an airflow passage and housing an optical fiber within the support.
Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to JERMAINE L JENKINS whose telephone number is (571)272-2179. The examiner can normally be reached M-F 7-3 EST.
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/J.L.J/ Examiner, Art Unit 2855
/PETER J MACCHIAROLO/ Supervisory Patent Examiner, Art Unit 2855
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