Positioning and removal device for a checking means or a tool in a receiver installation

Claim 1

Positioning and removal device for checking means or a tool in a receiver installation, in operating position in a medium inaccessible to an operator, said device comprising: (a) a guidance and displacement track constituted by a rack of flexible material which can follow a non-rectilinear path, fixed at an anchoring point to the receiver installation at one of its ends and of sufficient length for its other end to terminate outside of said inaccessible medium; (b) a carriage movable on said guidance track including a motor and a gear wheel rotated by said motor and engaging with said rack; (c) a loading sleeve fastened to said carriage, of tubular shape, constituting at its forward end, in the direction of movement of said carriage towards said receiver installation, an actuating cam on its outer surface, including on its inner surface a hooking groove and bearing a removable closure part obturating at least partly the inner bore of said sleeve at its rear end; (d) a support unit for said checking means provided with catches for hooking said support unit to said sleeve at the level of said groove, the rear portion of which is engageable in said sleeve to become supported on said closure part, and the forward portion of which includes hooking means complementary to the hooking means borne by said receiver installation, said cam formed on said sleeve being a cam for actuating the hooking means of said support unit on said receiver installation, this actuation in the direction of opening and hooking of the catches of said support unit on said sleeve being caused by a forward movement of said carriage when the closure part of said sleeve is in an out-of-service position, while the transport and hooking of the support unit on said receiver installation are produced also by forward movement of said carriage when said closure part is in service position in said sleeve.