Abstract: In a first aspect, a valve/sensor assembly is provided that includes a door assembly. The door assembly has (1) a first position adapted to seal an opening of a chamber; (2) a second position adapted to allow at least a blade of a substrate handler to extend through the opening of the chamber; and (3) a mounting mechanism adapted to couple the door assembly to the chamber. The valve/sensor assembly also includes a sensor system having a transmitter and a receiver adapted to detect a presence of a substrate and to communicate through at least a portion of the door assembly. Systems, methods and computer program products are provided in accordance with this and other aspects.

Abstract: In a first aspect, a valve/sensor assembly is provided that includes a door assembly. The door assembly has (1) a first position adapted to seal an opening of a chamber; (2) a second position adapted to allow at least a blade of a substrate handler to extend through the opening of the chamber; and (3) a mounting mechanism adapted to couple the door assembly to the chamber. The valve/sensor assembly also includes a sensor system having a transmitter and a receiver adapted to detect a presence of a substrate and to communicate through at least a portion of the door assembly. Systems, methods and computer program products are provided in accordance with this and other aspects.

Abstract: In a first aspect, a valve/sensor assembly is provided that includes a door assembly. The door assembly has (1) a first position adapted to seal an opening of a chamber; (2) a second position adapted to allow at least a blade of a substrate handler to extend through the opening of the chamber; and (3) a mounting mechanism adapted to couple the door assembly to the chamber. The valve/sensor assembly also includes a sensor system having a transmitter and a receiver adapted to detect a presence of a substrate and to communicate through at least a portion of the door assembly. Systems, methods and computer program products are provided in accordance with this and other aspects.

Abstract: In a first aspect, a valve/sensor assembly is provided that includes a door assembly. The door assembly has (1) a first position adapted to seal an opening of a chamber; (2) a second position adapted to allow at least a blade of a substrate handler to extend through the opening of the chamber; and (3) a mounting mechanism adapted to couple the door assembly to the chamber. The valve/sensor assembly also includes a sensor system having a transmitter and a receiver adapted to detect a presence of a substrate and to communicate through at least a portion of the door assembly. Systems, methods and computer program products are provided in accordance with this and other aspects.

Abstract: A method and an apparatus for measuring and then controlling the refracted angle of ultrasonic waves propagating through a component. The method directly measures the actual refracted angle of ultrasound in an industrial component while performing nondestructive examination by measuring the slopes of characteristic echo-dynamic lines. These slopes are related to the angle of refraction by a simple mathematical relationship. A pattern recognition filtering method is used to identify the echo-dynamic pattern. The slope of an echo-dynamic line is computed after an edge detection algorithm is applied to the data.

Abstract: The remote inspection of seam welds in reactor vessels is improved through the utilization of a pulser network which is inductively isolated from the transducer circuit to which it applies an excitation signal. Through the utilization of a step-up transformer, the pulser network may perform in conjunction with linear d.c. power supplies of lower voltage rating. The inductive coupling between circuits also serves to provide for the positive commutation off of switching devices such as SCRs employed for excitation signal triggering. To avoid ground path induced noise, a different ground path is employed for the pulser network as for the transducer circuit. The transducer circuit ground path is that associated with a manipulator and, for example, a reactor vessel itself. Thus, the transducers employed may come in contact with the surface of the vessel being inspected. In similar fashion, an inductive coupling is provided between the transducer circuit and a pre-amplfying receiver circuit.

Abstract: The remote inspection of seam welds in reactor vessels is improved through the utilization of a pulser network which is inductively isolated from the transducer circuit to which it applies an excitation signal. Through the utilization of a step-up transformer, the pulser network may perform in conjunction with linear d.c. power supplies of lower voltage rating. The inductive coupling between circuits also serves to provide for the positive communication off of switching devices such as SCRs employed for excitation signal triggering. To avoid ground path induced noise, a different ground path is employed for the pulser network as for the transducer circuit. The transducer circuit ground path is that associated with a manipulator and, for example, a reactor vessel itself. Thus, the transducers employed may come in contact with the surface of the vessel being inspected. In similar fashion, an inductive coupling is provided between the transducer circuit and a pre-amplfying receiver circuit.

Abstract: The inspection head component of a manipulator employed in the inspection of the interior surface of a nuclear reactor vessel is aligned to an optimum orientation when positioned at a local surface to be inspected. This alignment is carried out by generating ranging information with respect to the local surface using ranging ultrasonic transducers positioned upon the inspection head. The propagation interval of the acoustic signal emitted by these ranging transducers is timed and quantified to develop orientation error signals. Such development is carried out in conjunction with known values for the local surface being inspected and in conjunction with a sequence of data collection at the position. The inspection head is pivotally mounted upon the manipulator so as to be movable about at least two axes by inspection head positioning assemblies which may be provided, for example, as stepper-motors and associated translational movement components.