SYSTEMS AND METHODS FOR INSPECTING AN OBJECT USING ULTRASOUND

• US 20100126277A1
• Filed: 11/25/2008
• Published: 05/27/2010
• Est. Priority Date: 11/25/2008
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: General Electric Company
• Original Assignee: General Electric Company
• Inventors: Keller, Michael Everett, Sheets, Timothy Jesse, Wu, Yanyan, Faidi, Waseem Ibrahim, Batzinger, Thomas James, Li, Jian, Singh, Prabhjot, Little, Francis Howard, Kray, Nicholas Joseph, Nieters, Edward James, Barshinger, James Norman
• Granted Patent: US 8,205,500 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 73/602
• CPC Class Codes: G01N 2291/011 Velocity or travel time
• CPC Class Codes: G01N 29/0654 Imaging
• CPC Class Codes: G01N 29/07 by measuring propagation velocity or propagation time of acoustic waves
• CPC Class Codes: G01N 29/4418 with a model, e.g. best-fit, regression analysis

Abstract

An ultrasound inspection system is provided for inspecting an object. The inspection system includes an ultrasound probe configured to scan the object and acquire a plurality of ultrasound scan data. The inspection system further includes a processor coupled to the ultrasound probe and configured to apply a transfer function to the ultrasound scan data to compensate for distortion of a plurality of ultrasound signals through the object and thereby generate a plurality of compensated ultrasound scan data, and to process the compensated ultrasonic scan data to characterize a feature in the object.

Claims

1. An ultrasound inspection system for inspecting an object, the system comprising:

an ultrasound probe configured to scan the object and acquire a plurality of ultrasound scan data;

a processor coupled to the ultrasound probe and configured to apply a transfer function to the ultrasound scan data to compensate for distortion of a plurality of ultrasound signals through the object and thereby generate a plurality of compensated ultrasound scan data, and to process the compensated ultrasonic scan data to characterize a feature in the object.

2. The ultrasound inspection system of claim 1, wherein the probe is configured to acquire the ultrasound scan data by transmitting the ultrasound signals into the object and receiving a plurality of reflected echo signals from the object.

3. The ultrasound inspection system of claim 1, wherein the processor is further configured to measure a size of the feature or identify a shape or a location of the feature.

4. The ultrasound inspection system of claim 1, wherein the processor is configured to generate the transfer function based on at least one of a plurality of ultrasound experimental data and a plurality of ultrasound modeling data.

5. The ultrasound inspection system of claim 4, wherein the object comprises a material, wherein the ultrasound experimental data comprises a plurality of ultrasound distortion data within the material, and wherein the ultrasound modeling data comprises a plurality of ultrasound sound behavior data within the material.

6. The ultrasound inspection system of claim 1, wherein the object comprises an anisotropic material or a composite material.

7. The ultrasound inspection system of claim 1, wherein the processor is further configured to transform the compensated ultrasound scan data from one or more ultrasonic scans in a three-dimensional space to generate a three-dimensional representation of the object.

8. The ultrasound inspection system of claim 7, wherein the processor is configured to perform the transform by fusing the compensated ultrasound scan data from the one or more ultrasonic scans onto a three-dimensional model of the object.

9. The ultrasound inspection system of claim 1, wherein the ultrasound probe is configured to acquire ultrasound scan data from a plurality of orientations.

10. The ultrasound inspection system of claim 1, wherein the processor is configured to apply the transfer function based on at least one of an orientation of the ultrasound probe and a geometry of the object.

11. An ultrasound inspection system for inspecting an object, the system comprising:

an ultrasound probe configured to scan the object and acquire a plurality of ultrasound scan data from a plurality of orientations;

a processor coupled to the ultrasound probe and configured to map the ultrasound scan data from each of the orientations onto a three-dimensional model of the object to generate a three-dimensional inspection model for the object, and to characterize a feature in the object based on the three-dimensional inspection model for the object.

12. The ultrasound inspection system of claim 11, wherein the processor is further configured to apply a transfer function to the ultrasound scan data from each of the orientations to compensate for distortion of a plurality of ultrasound signals through the object in the ultrasound scan data.

13. The ultrasound inspection system of claim 12, wherein the processor is configured to apply the transfer function based on at least one of an orientation of the ultrasound probe and a geometry of the object.

14. The ultrasound inspection system of claim 11, further comprising a display device coupled to the processor for displaying the three-dimensional inspection model for the object.

15. A method for inspecting an object, the method comprising:

acquiring a plurality of ultrasound scan data via an ultrasound probe;

adjusting the ultrasound scan data by applying a transfer function to the ultrasound scan data to generate a plurality of adjusted ultrasound scan data; and

characterizing a feature in the object based on the adjusted ultrasound scan data.

16. The method of claim 15, wherein characterizing comprises performing at least one of measuring a size of the feature or identifying a shape or a location of the feature.

17. The method of claim 15, further comprising generating the transfer function based on at least one of a plurality of ultrasound experimental data and a plurality of ultrasound modeling data, wherein the object comprises a material, wherein the ultrasound experimental data comprises a plurality of ultrasound distortion data within the material, and wherein the ultrasound modeling data comprises a plurality of ultrasound sound behavior data within the material.

18. The method of claim 15, further comprising transforming the adjusted ultrasound scan data from one or more ultrasonic scans in a three-dimensional space to generate a three-dimensional representation of the object, wherein the transforming comprises fusing the adjusted ultrasound scan data from the one or more ultrasonic scans onto a three-dimensional model of the object.

19. The method of claim 15, wherein acquiring the ultrasound scan data comprises acquiring ultrasound scan data from a plurality of orientations.

20. The method of claim 15, wherein applying the transfer function is based on at least one of an orientation of the ultrasound probe and a geometry of the object.

21. A method for inspecting an object, the method comprising:

acquiring a plurality of ultrasound scan data from a plurality of orientations via an ultrasound probe;

mapping the ultrasound scan data from each of the orientations onto a three-dimensional model of the object to generate a three-dimensional inspection model for the object; and

characterizing a feature in the object based on the three-dimensional inspection model for the object.

22. The method of claim 21, further comprising adjusting the ultrasound scan data from each of the orientations by applying a transfer function to the ultrasound scan data.