Ultrasonic two probe system for locating and sizing
US5383366A · kind A · utility
Assignee
Inventors
Key dates
| Filing date | Oct 26, 1992 |
| Grant date | Jan 24, 1995 |
| Priority date | — |
| Expiry date | Oct 26, 2012 |
Classification
- Technology area (CPC G)Physics
- CPC primaryG01N2291/267
- WIPO fieldMeasurement
- WIPO sectorInstruments
Abstract
A two probe time-of-flight system has a transmit probe emitting a diverging beam into a test material at a certain beam-center angle, and a receive probe with its main beam extending into the test material at that same angle, with the two probes being arranged symmetrical about a centerline normal to the test face. The transmit probe generates a pulse wherein a portion of the pulse reflects at the incident angle back to the receive probe, which detects the reflections and marks the reception time as a reference. A sampling unit captures subsequent echo energy returning from a region within the test material. The sampled energy above a given threshold is processed to identify the sample times relative to the marked reference time. The identified sample times are used to determine the depth that the echo energy originated from. Consecutive identified samples in the depth direction are used to detect the height of a flaw within the test material. By scanning the probes in an x-y pattern, the planar dimensions of the flaw are determined.
Source: USPTO / EPO open patent data. Objective bibliographic and citation counts.