Method and system of consolidating multiple phased array instruments

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-9683973-B2
Application number	US-201514801399-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Jul 16, 2015
Priority date	Jul 25, 2014
Publication date	Jun 20, 2017
Grant date	Jun 20, 2017

Abstract

A non-destructive testing and inspection (NDT/NDI) system and method operable to conduct an ultrasonic scanning test on a test object that synchronizes and merges the apertures of two or more NDT sub-instruments in frequency and phase. Disclosed are a method of using a Phased Lock Loop (PLL) as a synchronizing clock/trigger generator, and also a method of using a General Positioning Clock (GPS) and a pulse per second (PPS) output. Both methods combine ultrasonic scanning data acquisition from two or more NDT sub-instruments, and transform the sub-instruments into one bigger NDT instrument.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A non-destructive testing and inspection (NDT/NDI) system operable to conduct an NDT/NDI test operation on a test object with N number of testing areas, including areas 1, 2, . . . N, the inspection system comprising,
a plurality of NDT/NDI instruments of the same type, including instruments 1, 2, . . . N, each coupled with a corresponding probe 1, 2, . . . N, which is further coupled with and receiving response signals from the corresponding testing area 1, 2, . . . , N, respectively, wherein each of the instruments has a corresponding operating clock 1, 2, . . . , N and a corresponding data acquisition unit 1, 2, . . . , N;
a plurality of M clock managing units, wherein M is less than or equal to N, including clock managing units 1, 2, . . . , M, and,
at least one supervising unit coupled with each of the instruments, and each supervising unit further comprising a data processing unit;
wherein the clock managing units are configured to produce at least one predetermined clock and phase command managing at least one corresponding operating clock, and each clock managing unit is coupled to at least one corresponding instrument to operate the instrument with the predetermined clock and phase command, and the data processing unit is operable to compose an inspection result merging the response signals from at least some of the probes.

2. The inspection system of claim 1 wherein the clock managing units each further comprise a corresponding clock generation module, namely clock generation modules 1, 2, . . . , M and trigger generation modules, namely, trigger generation modules 1, 2, . . . M.

3. The inspection system of claim 2 , wherein the clock generation modules are configured to each have a synchronization clock, according to which the corresponding operating clock of the at least one correspondingly coupled instrument is operated.

4. The inspection system of claim 2 , wherein the clock generation module uses its own predetermined clock as the operating clock.

5. The inspection system of claim 3 , wherein the predetermined clock and phase command is to have all the operating clocks to be at the same rate as the synchronization clock and to be in phase with each other.

6. The inspection system of claim 3 wherein each trigger generation module is configured to control each corresponding data acquisition unit of the correspondingly coupled instrument so that the triggering of all data acquisition units is within a time threshold.

7. The inspection system of claim 3 , wherein the clock generation module (i) is coupled with clock generation module (i−1) and clock generation module (i+1) in daisy-chain fashion.

8. The inspection system of claim 7 , wherein the clock generation module (i) has a phase lag behind the immediately connected clock generation module (i−1), and the clock generation module (i) is configured to compensate the phase lag and to instruct the operating clock (i) to be operated at the same phase as operating clock (i−1).

9. The inspection system of claim 7 , wherein the clock generation module (i−1) sends the synchronization clock to its immediately connected clock generation module (i).

10. The inspection system of claim 7 , wherein the phase lag is determined prior to the test operation and is substantially determined by the data transmission means and time delay between instruments (i−1) and (i).

11. The inspection system of claim 10 , wherein the clock managing units are connected to each other via electronic cables for which the lag is substantially related to the lengths of the corresponding cable.

12. The inspection system of claim 10 , wherein the clock managing units are connected to each other via wireless connections with the assistance of the Global Positioning System (GPS) and the associated phase lag between the clock managing units can be compensated after the acquisition is performed.

13. The inspection system of claim 3 , wherein the clock generation module (i) has a phase lag behind the immediately connected clock generation module (i−1), and the phase lag is stored in a phase delay adjustment module in the at least one supervising unit so that the supervising unit is operable to compensate the phase lag when composing the inspection result.

14. The inspection system of claim 1 further comprising at least one local oscillator providing an internal clock for each corresponding clock generation module.

15. The inspection system of claim 14 , wherein the clock managing unit adjusts the corresponding internal clock of the corresponding sub-instrument according to the predetermined clock and phase command.

16. The inspection system of claim 1 , wherein the clock managing units are circuits external to the correspondingly coupled instruments.

17. The inspection system of claim 1 , wherein the clock managing units are an integral part of the corresponding coupled instruments and are within the same enclosures of the correspondingly coupled instruments.

18. The inspection system of claim 1 , wherein the clock managing units utilize phase-locked loop logical circuits (PLLs).

19. The inspection system of claim 1 , wherein the at least one supervising unit is a supervising instrument of the same type as the plurality of NDT/NDI instruments.

20. The inspection system of claim 1 , wherein each of the at least one supervising unit is part of one of the NDT/NDI instruments.

21. The inspection system of claim 1 , wherein the at least one supervising unit and the NDT/NDI instruments are configured so that the supervising unit is operable to configure the instruments according to one or more of the following: the types of the instruments, the type of material of the test objects, the geometric characteristics of the test objects and the relative placement of the sub-instruments.

22. The inspection system of claim 1 wherein the inspection system is an ultrasonic inspection system and each of the instruments is an ultrasonic inspection instrument, and each of the probes is an ultrasonic probe.

23. The inspection system of claim 22 , wherein the ultrasonic inspection system is a phased-array ultrasonic inspection system and each of the instruments is a phased-array ultrasonic inspection instrument, an d each of the probes is a phased-array ultrasonic probe.

24. The inspection system of claim 23 , wherein the at least one supervising unit of each of the probes is configured to have apertures of ultrasonic probe elements and the system is configured to use one or more apertures of the probe to inspect the corresponding testing area.

Assignees

• Simard Christian
• Couillard Benjamin
• Olympus Scient Solutions Americas Inc

Inventors

• Simard Christian
• Couillard Benjamin

Classifications

• G01N2291/044

  Internal reflections (echoes), e.g. on walls or defects · CPC title

• G01N2291/02854

  Length, thickness · CPC title

• G01N29/348

  with frequency characteristics, e.g. single frequency signals, chirp signals (measuring frequency of mechanical vibrations or acoustic waves in general G01H1/06, G01H3/04; measuring frequency or analysing frequency spectra G01R23/00) · CPC title

• G01N29/28

  providing acoustic coupling {, e.g. water (impedance matching G10K11/02)} · CPC title

• G01N29/341

  with time characteristics · CPC title