Gating systems used with nondestructive material testers and the like

Claim 2

A nondestructive testing system for ultrasonic inspection of a workpiece including: a pulse generator adapted to provide a train of electrical pulses; a transmitter coupled to said pulse generator for receiving such train of electrical pulses; an ultrasonic search unit being adapted to be acoustically coupled to the workpiece and coupled to said transmitter for responding to transmitted electrical pulses of said train, said search unit being adapted to transmit ultrasonic pulses into the workpiece corresponding to said train of electrical pulses and to receive ultrasonic echo pulses from the workpiece and provide electrical pulses corresponding thereto; a receiver coupled to said search unit for receiving electrical pulses representing said ultrasonic echo pulses; a display means adapted to be coupled to said receiver for displaying the electrical pulses received by said receiver; auxiliary gate signal generating means coupled to said pulse generator and to said receiver for generating a gate signal corresponding to only a selected portion of the electrical pulses received by said receiver; and gating means for coupling said receiver and said auxiliary gate signal generating means to said display means, said gating means including means coupled to said pulse generator for alternately passing electrical pulse signals from said receiver and from said auxiliary gate generating means to said display means in response to certain preselected pulses from said pulse generator.

Claim 3

A gating circuit for an ultrasonic inspection system including: a pulse generator; an ultrasonic search unit connected and responsive to said pulse generator for transmitting ultrasonic pulses into a workpiece and for receiving ultrasonic echo signals from such workpiece tO provide corresponding electrical echo signals; receiver means connected to said search unit for receiving said electrical echo signals; auxiliary gate means coupled to said pulse generator and to said receiver means and responsive to electrical pulse signals therefrom for generating a gated signal of a selected portion of electrical echo signals received by said receiver means; display means for displaying electrical echo signals, said display means including a sweep generator means coupled and synchronized to said pulse generator; gating means alternately coupling the electrical echo signals from said receiver means and the selected portion of electrical echo signals from said auxiliary gate means to said display means, said gating means including means connected to said pulse generator for providing said alternate coupling of said receiver means and said auxiliary gate means to said display means in response to said pulse generator.

Claim 4

A gating circuit for an ultrasonic inspection system including: a pulse generator; an ultrasonic search unit connected and responsive to said pulse generator for transmitting ultrasonic pulses into a workpiece and for receiving ultrasonic echo signals from such workpiece tO provide corresponding electrical echo signals; receiver means connected to said search unit for receiving said electrical echo signals; auxiliary gate means coupled to said pulse generator and to said receiver means and responsive to electrical pulse signals therefrom for generating a gated signal of a selected portion of electrical echo signals received by said receiver means; display means for displaying electrical echo signals, said display means including a sweep generator means coupled and synchronized to said pulse generator; gating means alternately coupling the electrical echo signals from said receiver means and the selected portion of electrical echo signals from said auxiliary gate means to said display means, said gating means including means connected to said pulse generator for providing said alternate coupling of said receiver means and said auxiliary gate means to said display means in response to said pulse generator.

Claim 5

The gating circuit of claim 2, wherein said gating means includes: a display gate having a first input coupled to said receiver means and a second input coupled to said auxiliary gate means, said display gate further having an output coupled to said display means and a control input, and a switching device coupled between said pulse generator and the control input of said display gate to provide said means responsive to said pulse generator to alternately couple said receiver means and said auxiliary gate means to said display means in response to certain preselected pulses from said pulse generator.

Claim 6

The gating circuit of claim 3 wherein said switching device is a flip-flop and said display gate is responsive at its control input to said flip-flop to alternately couple said receiver means and said auxiliary gate means to said display means in response to the certain preselected pulses from said pulse generator.

Claim 7

The gating circuit of claim 3 wherein said switching device is a counter and said display gate is responsive at its control input to said counter to alternately couple said receiver means and said auxiliary gate means to said display means in response to the certain preselected pulses from said pulse generator.

Claim 8

An ultrasonic tester for testing a workpiece including: a pulse generator for providing a train of pulses, a search unit coupled to said pulse generator for transmitting ultrasonic pulses into the workpiece and receiving ultrasonic echos therefrom to provide electrical pulse signals corresponding to such echos, receiver means coupled to said search unit for receiving electrical pulse signals corresponding to said ultrasonic echos, display means for receiving the electrical pulse signals from said receiver means, gating means coupled between said receiver means and said display means for selectively gating electrical signals received by said receiver means to and for display by said display means, switching means connected between said pulse generator and said gating means for providing said selective gating of said electrical signals from said receiver means to said display means in response to pulses issued by said pulse generator, and auxiliary gate means having inputs connected to said pulse generator and to said receiver means and having an output for coupling to said display means, said auxiliary gate means responsive to pulses from said pulse generator and electrical pulse signals from said receiver means for passing only preselected portions of said receiver means pulse signals to and for display by said display means.

Claim 9

An ultrasonic tester for testing a workpiece including: a pulse generator for providing a train of pulses, a search unit coupled to said pulse generator for transmitting ultrasonic pulses into the workpiece and receiving ultrasonic echos therefrom to provide electrical pulse signals corresponding to such echos, receiver means coupled to said search unit for receiving electrical pulse signals corresponding to said ultrasonic echos, display means for receiving the electrical pulse signals from said receiver means, gating means coupled between said receiver means and said display means for selectively gating electrical signals received by said receiver means to and for display by said display means, switching means connected between said pulse generator and said gating means for providing said selective gating of said electrical signals from said receiver means to said display means in response to pulses issued by said pulse generator, and auxiliary gate means having inputs connected to said pulse generator and to said receiver means and having an output for coupling to said display means, said auxiliary gate means responsive to pulses from said pulse generator and electrical pulse signals from said receiver means for passing only preselected portions of said receiver means pulse signals to and for display by said display means.

Claim 10

A nondestructive tester system for ultrasonic inspection of a workpiece including: a pulse generator constructed and arranged to provide a train of electrical pulses; a transmitter coupled to said pulse generator and constructed and arranged to be responsive to said train of pulses from said pulse generator; a search unit coupled to said transmitter and responsive thereto to transmit ultrasonic pulses into a workpiece under test and to receive ultrasonic echos returned from the workpiece; a receiver coupled to said search unit and responsive to electrical signals caused by ultrasonic echos received by said search unit, said receiver being constructed and arranged to respond to at least an electrical pulse signal caused by a front workpiece surface echo from said search unit; display means for displaying the electrical signals received by said receiver; an auxiliary gate means having an input coupled to said pulse generator, an input coupled to said receiver and an output, said auxiliary gate means responsive to said train of pulses from said pulse generator and electrical pulse signals from said receiver to provide at said auxiliary gate means output an auxiliary gate signal in response to the reception of said front workpiece surface echo pulse signal from said receiver; a display gate having a first input coupled to said receiver, a second input coupled to the output of said auxiliary gate means, and having an output coupled to said display means, said display gate having a control input responsive to a signal applied thereat to selectively alternately pass a signal from said receiver and a signal from said auxiliary gate means to said display means; and a switching device having a control input connected to said pulse generator and having an output connected to said control input of said display gate for causing said display gate to alternately pass said receiver and auxiliary gate means signals to said display means in response to preselected pulses from said pulse generator.

Claim 11

A nondestructive tester system for ultrasonic inspection of a workpiece including: a pulse generator constructed and arranged to provide a train of electrical pulses; a transmitter coupled to said pulse generator and constructed and arranged to be responsive to said train of pulses from said pulse generator; a search unit coupled to said transmitter and responsive thereto to transmit ultrasonic pulses into a workpiece under test and to receive ultrasonic echos returned from the workpiece; a receiver coupled to said search unit and responsive to electrical signals caused by ultrasonic echos received by said search unit, said receiver being constructed and arranged to respond to at least an electrical pulse signal caused by a front workpiece surface echo from said search unit; display means for displaying the electrical signals received by said receiver; an auxiliary gate means having an input coupled to said pulse generator, an input coupled to said receiver and an output, said auxiliary gate means responsive to said train of pulses from said pulse generator and electrical pulse signals from said receiver to provide at said auxiliary gate means output an auxiliary gate signal in response to the reception of said front workpiece surface echo pulse signal from said receiver; a display gate having a first input coupled to said receiver, a second input coupled to the output of said auxiliary gate means, and having an output coupled to said display means, said display gate having a control input responsive to a signal applied thereat to selectively alternately pass a signal from said receiver and a signal from said auxiliary gate means to said display means; and a switching device having a control input connected to said pulse generator and having an output connected to said control input of said display gate for causing said display gate to alternately pass said receiver and auxiliary gate means signals to said display means in response to preselected pulses from said pulse generator.

Claim 12

The tester system as defined in claim 7, further including alarm means coupled to the output of said auxiliary gate means.

Claim 13

A nondestructive testing system including: a pulser means for providing electrical pulses; a search unit coupled to said pulser means; a receiver coupled to said search unit to receive electrical signals therefrom; an auxiliary gate signal generator having a first input means coupled to said pulser means and a second input means coupled to said receiver for generating a gating signal in response to a predetermined sequence of signals from said pulser means and from said receiver; display means for being coupled to said auxiliary gate signal generator and to said receiver for displaying electrical signals thereform; and display gating means coupled to said receiver and to said auxiliary gate generator and to said display means for causing the signals from said receiver and from said auxiliary gate generator to be alternately displayed.

Claim 14

A nondestructive testing system including: a pulser means for providing electrical pulses; a search unit coupled to said pulser means; a receiver coupled to said search unit to receive electrical signals therefrom; an auxiliary gate signal generator having a first input means coupled to said pulser means and a second input means coupled to said receiver for generating a gating signal in response to a predetermined sequence of signals from said pulser means and from said receiver; display means for being coupled to said auxiliary gate signal generator and to said receiver for displaying electrical signals thereform; and display gating means coupled to said receiver and to said auxiliary gate generator and to said display means for causing the signals from said receiver and from said auxiliary gate generator to be alternately displayed.

Claim 15

The system as defined in claim 9 wherein said gating means includes: a display gate having a first input means coupled to said receiver and a second input means coupled to said auxiliary gate signal generator and an output means coupled to said display means; and a switching device having first and second states coupled to said pulser means and coupled to said display gate to alternately enable said display gate to pass signals from said receiver to said display means when in said first state and to enable said display gate to pass signals from said auxiliary gate signal generator to said display means when in said second state.