Ultrasonic pulser/receiver for ultrasonic test equipment
First Claim
1. A computer controlled nondestructive testing system for performing ultrasonic inspections, comprising:
- a programmable digital processor;
said processor generating trigger signals initiating transducer excitation, storing system configuration information and test data, and supporting a menu-driven user interactive system control interface;
an ultrasonic transducer pulser-receiver unit electrically interfaced to said processor, said pulser-receiver unit comprising;
ultrasonic transducer pulser circuit for generating high-voltage pulses for exciting an ultrasonic transducer;
an adjustable linear gain ultrasonic signal amplification circuit for ultrasonic transducer return signal acquisition; and
transducer positional control logic circuitry, said control logic circuitry having a plurality of ultrasonic beam configuration settings that are selectable manually or through operation of said digital processor.
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Accused Products
Abstract
A configuration flexible computer-controlled ultrasonic diagnostic test equipment arrangement for examining large turbine rotors incorporates improved ultrasonic signal "pulser-receiver" circuitry that is used to drive one or more an ultrasonic transducers and to receive and amplify ultrasonic returns from a specimen under test. The improved pulser-receiver circuitry comprises both an ultrasonic pulse generating circuit and an associated ultrasonic return signal linear amplification circuit. The pulse generating circuitry and the ultrasonic return signal amplification circuitry are modular and functionally independent of each other and, consequently, may be used together in the testing system or as stand-alone instrumentation. Overall ultrasonic diagnostic system flexibility is significantly enhanced by providing improved pulser-receiver circuitry with digitally driveable computer control inputs in addition to manual controls to enable selecting initial parameters and transducer position settings. A menu-driven display machine-operator interface is also provided as a user-friendly and efficient means for setting and accessing system configuration information and test data.
67 Citations
20 Claims
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1. A computer controlled nondestructive testing system for performing ultrasonic inspections, comprising:
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a programmable digital processor;
said processor generating trigger signals initiating transducer excitation, storing system configuration information and test data, and supporting a menu-driven user interactive system control interface;an ultrasonic transducer pulser-receiver unit electrically interfaced to said processor, said pulser-receiver unit comprising; ultrasonic transducer pulser circuit for generating high-voltage pulses for exciting an ultrasonic transducer; an adjustable linear gain ultrasonic signal amplification circuit for ultrasonic transducer return signal acquisition; and transducer positional control logic circuitry, said control logic circuitry having a plurality of ultrasonic beam configuration settings that are selectable manually or through operation of said digital processor. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8)
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9. In a programmable digital processor controlled ultrasonic diagnostic test equipment arrangement, an interactive operator-machine interface, comprising:
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a programmable digital processor; a display device; a keyboard input device; wherein a plurality of option selection menus is displayed on said display device, said menus allowing an operator to input operational control parameters or choose from a variety of system operational control selections, and wherein said processor is programmed to provide for display on said display device a plurality of option selection menus including a main menu for selecting from a variety of system programs and sub-menus, at least one of said sub-menus comprising a menu for selecting and configuring ultrasonic testing procedures and inputting specific desired test parameters.
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10. In a computer controlled nondestructive testing system for performing ultrasonic inspections, said system having a programmable digital processor for data acquisition and equipment control, a modular ultrasonic transducer excitation and return signal amplification circuit arrangement, comprising:
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a plurality of transducer interface circuit cards, each card containing either a transducer excitation circuit or a return signal amplification circuit; and a testing system digital control processor having an interactive operator-machine interface including a display device for providing a plurality of selection menus allowing an operator to choose from a variety of system operational control selections, wherein at least one return signal amplification circuit comprises a logarithmic-gain ultrasonic signal amplification circuit having a plurality of selectable gain settings, and wherein said gain settings are selectable by said digital processor via said selection menus and are also selectable manually by operation of a selector switch. - View Dependent Claims (11, 12, 13)
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14. In a programmable digital processor controlled ultrasonic diagnostic test equipment arrangement for performing ultrasonic testing of solid rotor forgings, an interactive operator-machine interface including a display device and a means for inputting operator selections, comprising:
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means for displaying on said display device a main testing system menu presenting a selection of submenus and system operation commands for election by an operator, including at least one menu selection for storing and accessing previously stored rotor descriptions and corresponding scanning motion control information; and means for controlling said ultrasonic diagnostic test equipment to initialize the test equipment and perform an ultrasonic diagnostic test in accordance with elections made by an operator. - View Dependent Claims (15)
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16. In a computer controlled ultrasonic diagnostic test equipment arrangement having a menu oriented interactive operator-machine system interface comprising a display device for displaying various selection menus and a means for inputting operator selections, a method for selecting and setting desired ultrasonic testing parameters and operations for controlling diagnostic testing procedures, comprising steps of:
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(a) presenting on said display device a display of one or more procedure and parameter selection menus; (b) initializing the test equipment in accordance with selections or information inputted by an operator in response to menus presented in step (a); and (c) conducting ultrasonic scanning and acquisition of data in accordance with selections or information inputted by an operator in response to said menus.
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17. In a programmable digital processor controlled ultrasonic diagnostic test equipment arrangement having an interactive operator-machine interface including a display device and a means for inputting operator selections, a method for performing ultrasonic testing of solid forgings, comprising steps of:
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(a) displaying on said display device a main testing system menu presenting a selection of submenus and system operation commands for election by an operator, including at least one menu selection for storing and accessing previously stored rotor descriptions and corresponding scanning motion control information; and (c) controlling said ultrasonic diagnostic test equipment to initialize the test equipment and perform an ultrasonic diagnostic test in accordance with elections made by an operator during a display of menu and submenus.
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18. In a programmable digital processor controlled ultrasonic diagnostic equipment arrangement for examining rotor forgings, including a display device and a means for inputting operator selections, a method for providing an interactive operator-machine interface, comprising steps of:
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(a) displaying on said display device a main menu for selecting from a variety of system programs and sub-menus, said programs and sub-menus providing prompts for selectively arranging ultrasonic testing procedures, configurations and for inputting specific desired test parameters; and (b) configuring the ultrasonic diagnostic equipment in accordance with selections made by a user when viewing the menus.
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19. In a programmable digital processor controlled ultrasonic diagnostic equipment arrangement for examining a cylindrical forging, a method of acquiring ultrasonic data indication sets, comprising the steps of:
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rotating said forging along its longitudinal axis; setting up a "zero degree" reference indication with respect to a predetermined rotational position of said cylindrical forging, wherein the "zero degree" reference of said cylindrical forging is determined by monitoring signal pulses generated by a switch actuated by a trip device attached to the cylindrical forging; generating ultrasonic diagnostic signals and acquiring ultrasonic return signal data from one or more transducers in sliding contact with the forging during each revolution of its rotation; and associating ultrasonic return signal data acquired during a rotation of said cylinder with a position along the cylindrical forging by reference to said "zero degree" reference indication and signal pulses generated by said trip device. - View Dependent Claims (20)
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Specification