Sub-surface imaging under paints and coatings using early light spectroscopy
First Claim
1. A system for non-destructively imaging surfaces through a coating, comprising:
- a near-infrared (NIR) light source for illuminating a coated surface;
a detector positioned in an operative relationship with the NIR light source to receive early backscattered light from the coated surface and from the coating; and
a gating device positioned in an operative relationship with the detector to selectively permit the early backscattered light to, pass to the detector to measure optical characteristics of the early backscattered light such that determinations of a state of a surface below the coating is determined based on the optical characteristics of the early backscattered light.
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Abstract
A system for non-destructively imaging surfaces through a coating, in accordance with the present invention, includes a near-infrared (NIR) light source for illuminating a coated surface. A detector is positioned in an operative relationship with the NIR light source to receive light backscattered from the coated surface and from the coating. A gating device is positioned in an operative relationship with the detector to selectively permit light to pass to the detector to measure optical characteristics of the backscattered light such that determinations of a state of a surface below the coating is determined based on the optical characteristics of the backscattered light. Methods for performing the non-destructive imaging of the present invention are also disclosed.
116 Citations
52 Claims
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1. A system for non-destructively imaging surfaces through a coating, comprising:
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a near-infrared (NIR) light source for illuminating a coated surface;
a detector positioned in an operative relationship with the NIR light source to receive early backscattered light from the coated surface and from the coating; and
a gating device positioned in an operative relationship with the detector to selectively permit the early backscattered light to, pass to the detector to measure optical characteristics of the early backscattered light such that determinations of a state of a surface below the coating is determined based on the optical characteristics of the early backscattered light. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18, 19, 20, 21, 22, 23, 24, 25, 26, 27)
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28. A method for non-destructively imaging surfaces covered by a coating, comprising the steps of:
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irradiating a coated surface with near-infrared light to provide backscattered light from the coating and the coated surface;
gating the backscattered light to selectively permit early light to pass to a detector; and
measuring optical characteristics of the early light received by the detector to image the coated surface below the coating to determine if damage exists on the coated surface. - View Dependent Claims (29, 30, 31, 32, 33, 34, 35, 36, 37, 38, 39, 40, 41, 42, 43, 44, 45, 46, 47, 48, 49, 50, 51, 52)
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Specification