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US 11,821,848 B2Granted
Laser-based non-destructive spike defect inspection system
AssigneeUniversity of South Carolina
InventorYu Qian
Life of this patent
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Abstract
Described herein are a low-cost, non-destructive, and contact-free intelligent inspection system that is field-deployable on a geometry car, high-rail vehicle, or other types of track inspection platforms to identify broken railway/railroad spikes in real-time.
Claims15
A method for detecting structural integrity in an object comprising:
- identifying via a mobile, field-deployed intelligent inspection system implementing an automatic target detection system employing computer vision a railroad spike or screw for analysis;
- employing at least one laser-air hybrid ultrasonic beam source to excite the railroad spike or screw;
- generating an internal acoustic wave within the railroad spike or screw due to heat flux, wherein the acoustic wave propagates within the object;
- receiving the acoustic wave from the railroad spike or screw via at least one capacitive air-coupled transducer;
- and
- determining the presence or absence of a structural fault within the railroad spike or screw based on analyzing the acoustic wave from the railroad spike or screw to enable on-site decision making to quantify crack depth and severity in real time.
3 more elements
A method of non-destructive and contact-free structural integrity inspection comprising;
- recognizing via a mobile, field-deployed intelligent inspection system implementing an automatic target detection system employing computer vision an object for structural analysis;
- determining a location on the object to activate laser excitation;
- employing at least one laser-air hybrid ultrasonic beam source to excite the object;
- generating an internal acoustic wave within the object due to heat flux, wherein the acoustic wave propagates within the object;
- receiving the acoustic wave from the object via at least one capacitive air-coupled transducer;
- and
- determining the presence or absence of a structural fault within the object based on analyzing the acoustic wave from the object to enable on-site decision making to quantify depth and severity of the structural fault in real time;
- wherein the object is a railroad spike or screw.
5 more elements
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.