Patent ID: 6860141

Claim:
A method for sequentially testing multiple instances of a part under test to determine if a first region of the part under test contains a leak, the method comprising the steps of: positioning a first instance of the part under test in a test region; introducing a tracer gas such that a first side of the first region of the first instance of the part under test is at a higher pressure than a second side of the first region of the first instance of the part under test; positioning a plurality of sensors proximate to the second side of the first region of the first instance of the part under test, each of the plurality of sensors configured to detect the presence of a tracer gas emanating from the leak and to provide a sensing signal; monitoring each of the plurality of sensors for a first period of time to determine if the tracer gas is being detected by any of the plurality of sensors; providing a leak detection signal in response to at least a first sensor of the plurality of sensors detecting the presence of the tracer gas, the leak detection signal including leak location information representative of the location of the leak in the first region based on the sensing signals received from at least the first sensor and a second sensor of the plurality of sensors; evacuating the tracer gas from the first side of the first region of the first instance of the part under test; removing the first instance of the part under test from the test region; and positioning a second instance of the part under test in the test region.