Stereo Vision Encoded Ultrasonic Inspection

摘要

This invention applies optical tracking technology with an ultrasound inspection system to associate recorded position data with the inspection data. The reference targets of the optical tracking system can be attached to the inspection assembly to allow fully recorded position information to be associated with the ultrasonic, eddy current, or other nondestructive examination data without substantially impacting the overall envelope of the NDE inspection equipment. Moreover, the optical tracking system can be used to monitor skew or twist of the inspection equipment with respect to the normal rectilinear transducer orientation. The inspection equipment position information is then coupled to the inspection data to provide outputs equivalent to fully encoded multi-axis manipulator automated scans, but with less setup burden and equipment expense.

主权项

1. An inspection system, comprising:
a transducer for obtaining data regarding the internal structure of an object; a nondestructive examination instrument used to digitize information received from said transducer; a plurality of optical cameras positioned such that an area of the object to be inspected is within a field of vision of said camera for determining the location of the transducer relative the object; and a host computer for converting optical tracking information into a coordinate scheme to be used by the inspection system for recording examination results.