Laser beam aiming apparatus for ultrasonic inspection
US5773721A · kind A · utility
Assignee
Inventor
Key dates
| Filing date | Jul 31, 1996 |
| Grant date | Jun 30, 1998 |
| Priority date | — |
| Expiry date | Jul 31, 2016 |
Classification
- Technology area (CPC Y)Emerging Cross-Sectional Technologies
- CPC primaryY10S73/01
- WIPO fieldMeasurement
- WIPO sectorInstruments
Abstract
An apparatus for aiming an ultrasonic beam to nondestructively test an object has an ultrasonic transducer for generating the ultrasonic beam having a beam axis and impinging the ultrasonic beam upon the object. The apparatus includes a laser aiming apparatus for directing at least one laser beam having a laser sight line substantially coaxial with the ultrasonic beam axis. The laser aiming apparatus, in one embodiment of the invention, includes a cross-hair apparatus for generating a laser beam cross-hair having a center along the laser sight line. Another embodiment of the present invention provides an ultrasonic mirror apparatus for bending the ultrasonic beam and which has a mirror made of a material that is substantially transparent to the laser beam. A mounting apparatus is used for initially directing a single laser beam and the ultrasonic beam along two different co-planar axes on opposite sides of the mirror and to set the mirror to bend the ultrasonic beam and align its axis with the laser beam axis so that the laser beam and ultrasonic beam axes are substantially coaxial at the object.
Source: USPTO / EPO open patent data. Objective bibliographic and citation counts.