Apparatus and method for data acquisition and processing

• US 5,280,723 A
• Filed: 10/02/1990
• Issued: 01/25/1994
• Est. Priority Date: 10/08/1989
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Scanmaster Systems Limited
• Original Assignee: IRT Inspection Research & Technologies Incorporated
• Inventors: Livne, Tzach, Segev, Itzhack, Aharoni, Abraham
• Primary Examiner(s): Williams, Hezron E.
• Assistant Examiner(s): MILLER, ROSE MARY
• Application Number:
  US07/591,745
• Time in Patent Office: 1,211 Days
• Field of Search: 73/602, 73/588, 73/618, 73/620, 364/507
• US Class Current: 73/602
• CPC Class Codes: B23K 31/12 relating to investigating the properties, e.g. the weldability, of materials
• CPC Class Codes: G01N 2291/0231 Composite or layered materials
• CPC Class Codes: G01N 2291/0234 Metals, e.g. steel
• CPC Class Codes: G01N 2291/044 Internal reflections (echoes), e.g. on walls or defects
• CPC Class Codes: G01N 2291/106 one or more transducer arrays
• CPC Class Codes: G01N 2291/2675 Seam, butt welding
• CPC Class Codes: G01N 29/043 in the interior, e.g. by shear waves
• CPC Class Codes: G01N 29/11 by measuring attenuation of acoustic waves
• CPC Class Codes: G01N 29/345 continuous waves
• CPC Class Codes: G01N 29/36 Detecting the response signal , e.g. electronic circuits specially adapted therefor
• CPC Class Codes: G01N 29/38 by time filtering, e.g. using time gates
• CPC Class Codes: G01N 29/40 by amplitude filtering, e.g. by applying a threshold or by gain control
• CPC Class Codes: G01N 29/4463 Signal correction, e.g. distance amplitude correction [DAC], distance gain size [DGS], noise filtering

Abstract

There is provided a programmable receiver for detecting signals reflected from, or transmitted through, a material for analyzing flaws in the material, having a circuit for dividing the signals into a multiplicity of separate, independent sections for selective evaluation of waveform portions as contained in each of the sections. A method for detecting and analyzing flaws in materials is also provided.

Claims

1. In a programmable receiver for detecting signals reflected from, or transmitted through, a material for analyzing flaws in said material, the improvement comprising:

an analog to digital converter for receiving signals from said material and converting the received signals into digital form; and

a memory and a processor connected in parallel for receiving signals from said analog to digital converter, said processor comprising circuit means for dividing said signals into a multiplicity of separate, independent sections for selective evaluation of waveform portions as contained in each of said sections.

2. The receiver as claimed in claim 1, wherein said circuit means of said processor is further operative for detecting peak signal amplitudes within one or more of said sections.

3. The receiver as claimed in claim 1, wherein said circuit means for dividing said signals into a multiplicity of separate independent sections for selective evaluation of waveform portions comprises means for assigning a time value to a peak, or to a time associated with a zero-crossing following a peak, of a signal in each of said sections subjected to said selective evaluation.

4. The receiver as claimed in claim 1, further comprising a time and amplitude memory connected to said time and amplitude processor, for storing data processed in said processor and for subsequent transfer to an additional processing device.

5. The receiver as claimed in claim 1, further comprising a multi-channel signal transmitting and receiving means for transmitting excitation pulses to said material being analyzed and for receiving resulting signals from said material being analyzed, the signals received from said material by said multi-channel signal transmitting and receiving means being sent to said analog to digital converter.

6. The receiver as claimed in claim 5, where the multi-channel signal transmitting and receiving means comprises a trigger circuit connectable to at least one pulser leading to a corresponding number of probes for transmitting to a material and receiving selectable signals for further processing.

7. The receiver as claimed in claim 6, comprising a programmable memory operationally coupled to said trigger circuit and to a signal preconditioning circuit.

8. The receiver as claimed in claim 7, wherein said preconditioning circuit includes an input selector for selecting signals from any channel of said multi-channel signal transmitting and receiving means, a filter and a distance amplitude correction circuit.

9. A method for detecting and analyzing flaws in materials, comprising the steps of:

transmitting signals in analog form towards a material and receiving signals reflected from, or transmitted through, said material, and

converting the received analog signals into digital signals;

dividing said digital signals into a multiplicity of separate, independent sections for selective evaluation of wave form portions as contained in each of said sections; and

assigning a time value to a peak, or to a time associated with a zero-crossing following a peak, of a signal in each of said sections subjected to said selective evaluation.

10. The method as claimed in claim 9, further comprising the step of storing said received signals in digital form in a memory for subsequent processing.

11. A programmable receiver for analyzing flaws in a material, comprising:

a trigger generator for transmitting signals in analog form to said material to be analyzed and for receiving the signals reflected from said material;

an analog to digital converter connected to the trigger generator for converting the received signals into digital form;

a raw data memory connected to said analog to digital converter for at least temporarily storing the digital signals from said converter;

a time and amplitude processor connected to said analog to digital converter for identifying signal peeks and zero-crossing points;

a time and amplitude memory connected to the time and amplitude processor for storing data processed in said time and amplitude processor; and

circuit means for dividing said digital signals into a multiplicity of separate, independent sections for selective evaluation of waveform portions as contained in each of said sections.