Ultrasonic flaw detector

Claim 2

An ultrasonic flaw detector comprising a variable angle beam probe for transmitting and receiving an ultrasonic beam and effecting either sector scan or a combination of sector scan and transfer scan of an object, said variable angle beam probe being maintained in acoustic contact with said object and generating an electrical signal corresponding to the direction of transmission and reception of the ultrasonic beam, display means for displaying an acoustic sectional image of said object by means of a scanning line corresponding to the transmission path and velocity of said ultrasonic beam within said object, said scanning line being brightness-modulated by an echo signal associated with said ultrasonic beam, said echo signal being received by said variable angle beam probe from said object, means responsive to said electrical signal for calculating the time required for said ultrasonic beam to go from said variable angle beam probe to the incident point of said object and return from said incident point to said variable angle beam probe, means for generating an output signal corresponding to the refraction of said ultrasonic beam at said incident point and the transmission speed of said ultrasonic beam within said object, and means for generating said scanning line for said display means in response to the outputs from said time calculating means and said means for generating said output signal.

Claim 3

An ultrasonic flaw detector according to claim 1, in which said time calculating means comprIses means for calculating the distance from a transmission/reception element of said probe to the incident point of the object on the basis of the normal distance d from said transmission/reception element to said object and the scanning angle theta of the ultrasonic beam generated by said variable angle beam probe, means for generating an output corresponding to V1t where V1 is the velocity of sound within a medium for maintaining said probe in acoustic contact with said object and t time which is variable, and means for generating an output which is delayed by a period of time twice the value of time t which makes the output from said V1t generating means equal to the value of distance from said transmission/reception element to said incident point.

Claim 4

An ultrasonic flaw detector according to claim 1, in which said means for generating the scanning line for said display means comprises means for calculating the Y-axis component of the distance from a transmission/reception element to each point on the path of ultrasonic beam on the basis of the vertical distance d from said transmission/reception element to said object, the refractive index n of said object, the velocity of sound V2 in said object and the angle theta of said variable angle beam probe, said Y-axis component calculating means superposing the results of said calculation on an output of means for applying to said display means a signal representing the position of said probe, said Y-axis component calculating means applying a Y-axis input to said display means, and means for calculating the X-axis component of the distance from said transmission/reception element to each point on the path of ultrasonic beam on the basis of the values d, n, V2 and theta , said X-axis component calculating means superposing the results of said calculation on an output from said means for applying to said display means a signal representing the position of said probe, said X-axis component calculating means applying an X-axis input to said display means.

Claim 5

An ultrasonic flaw detector according to claim 1, further comprising means for controlling an electrical signal corresponding to the ultrasonic beam received by said variable angle beam probe in accordance with the changes in the scanning angle theta of the ultrasonic beam generated by said variable angle beam probe.

Claim 6

An ultrasonic flaw detector according to claim 1, in which said variable angle beam probe comprises arcuately movable means having an oscillation element for transmission and reception of ultrasonic wave, means for supporting said arcuately movable means and maintaining said arcuately movable means in acoustic contact with said object, and means for generating an electrical signal corresponding to the rotational angle of said arcuately movable means.

Claim 7

An ultrasonic flaw detector comprising: a variable angle beam probe for transmitting an ultrasonic beam and receiving an echo of the beam, said probe being capable of at least one of sector scan or a combination of sector scan and transfer scan of an object to generate electrical signals representative of both the direction of transmission of said ultrasonic beam and said echo, said probe being maintained in an acoustic contact with said object; display means for displaying an acoustic sectional image of said object by means of a scanning line corresponding to the transmission path and velocity of said ultrasonic beam within said object, said scanning line being brightness-modulated by said echo; calculating means responsive to said electrical signals from said probe for calculating time (t''R) required for said ultrasonic beam to go from said probe to an incident point on said object and return from said incident point to said probe; first circuit means responsive to the output of said calculating means for generating X- and Y-compOnents of a first signal contributing to the formation of said scanning line, said X-and Y-components of said first signal corresponding to a distance between said incident point on said object and a point within said object from which said ultrasonic beam reflects to said incident point; second circuit means responsive to said electrical signals from said probe for generating X- and Y-components of a second signal contributing to the formation of said scanning line, said X- and Y-components of said second signal corresponding to a distance between said probe and said incident point on said object; third circuit means for generating a third signal constituting said scanning line and corresponding to X- and Y-components of a coordinate position of said probe; fourth circuit means for adding all of the said X-components for application to said display means to produce an X-component for said scanning line; and fifth circuit means for adding all of the said Y-components for application to said display means to produce a Y-component for said scanning line.

Claim 8

An ultrasonic flaw detector comprising: a variable angle beam probe for transmitting an ultrasonic beam and receiving an echo of the beam, said probe being capable of at least one of sector scan or a combination of sector scan and transfer scan of an object to generate electrical signals representative of both the direction of transmission of said ultrasonic beam and said echo, said probe being maintained in an acoustic contact with said object; display means for displaying an acoustic sectional image of said object by means of a scanning line corresponding to the transmission path and velocity of said ultrasonic beam within said object, said scanning line being brightness-modulated by said echo; calculating means responsive to said electrical signals from said probe for calculating time (t''R) required for said ultrasonic beam to go from said probe to an incident point on said object and return from said incident point to said probe; first circuit means responsive to the output of said calculating means for generating X- and Y-compOnents of a first signal contributing to the formation of said scanning line, said X-and Y-components of said first signal corresponding to a distance between said incident point on said object and a point within said object from which said ultrasonic beam reflects to said incident point; second circuit means responsive to said electrical signals from said probe for generating X- and Y-components of a second signal contributing to the formation of said scanning line, said X- and Y-components of said second signal corresponding to a distance between said probe and said incident point on said object; third circuit means for generating a third signal constituting said scanning line and corresponding to X- and Y-components of a coordinate position of said probe; fourth circuit means for adding all of the said X-components for application to said display means to produce an X-component for said scanning line; and fifth circuit means for adding all of the said Y-components for application to said display means to produce a Y-component for said scanning line.

Claim 9

An ultrasonic flaw detector according to claim 6, in which said time calculating means comprises means for calculating the distance from a transmission/reception element of said probe to the incident point of the object on the basis of the normal distance d from said transmission/reception element to said object and the scanning angle theta of the ultrasonic beam generated by said variable angle beam probe, means for generating an output corresponding to V1t where V1 is the velocity of sound within a medium for maintaining said probe in acoustic contact with said object and t time which is variable, and means for generating an output which is delayed by a period of time twice the value of time t which makes the output from said V1t generating means equal to the value of distance from said transmission/reception element to said incident point.

Claim 10

An ultrasonic flaw detector according to claim 6, further comprising means for controlling an electrical signal corresponding to the ultrasonic beam received by said variable angle beam probe in accordance with the changes in the scanning angle theta of the ultrasonic beam generated by said variable angle beam probe.

Claim 11

An ultrasonic flaw detector according to claim 8, wherein said means for controlling said electrical signal corresponding to the ultrasonic beam received by said probe comprises a function generator circuit responsive to said electrical signal corresponding to the direction of transmission and reception of said ultrasonic beam, said function generator circuit providing a control signal for varying the gain of a variable gain amplifier to which said electrical signal corresponding to the received ultrasonic beam is applied.

Claim 12

An ultrasonic flaw detector according to claim 6, in which said variable angle beam probe comprises arcuately movable means having an oscillation element for transmission and reception of ultrasonic wave, means for supporting said arcuately movable means and maintaining said arcuately movable means in acoustic contact with said object, and means for generating an electrical signal corresponding to the rotational angle of said arcuately movable means.

Claim 13

An ultrasonic flaw detector according to claim 4, wherein said means for controlling said electrical signal corresponding to the ultrasonic beam received by said probe comprises a function generator circuit responsive to said electrical signal corresponding to the direction of transmission and reception of said ultrasonic beam, said function generator circuit providing a control signal for varying the gain of a variable gain amplifier to which said electrical signal corresponding to the received ultrasonic beam is applied.