US 2006/0132804 A1 · System and method to decrease probe size for improved laser ultrasound detection

Abstract

The present invention provides a compact optical probe assembly that measures ultrasound in materials. The probe uses angle-terminated optical fiber to direct illumination laser light at the surface of a remote target. Ultrasonic displacements at the surface scatter the illumination laser light. Angle-terminated optical fibers collect phase modulated light and direct the phase modulated light to an optical processor to produce a signal representative of the ultrasonic surface displacements. The probe may also incorporate angle-terminated optical fibers to direct generation laser light to the surface of a remote target to generate ultrasonic surface displacements. Optional shared beam forming element(s) may optically act on the illumination laser and collected phase modulated light.

Claims19

Dependent claims

A method for making ultrasonic measurements on a remote target comprising:

generating ultrasonic surface displacements at a surface of the remote target;
generating an illumination laser beam;
directing the illumination laser beam to the surface of the remote target with at least one optical fiber;
scattering the illumination laser beam with the ultrasonic surface displacements to produce phase-modulated light;
collecting the phase-modulated light with at least one additional optical fiber wherein the at least one optical fiber terminates with an angled or curved surface and wherein a field of view of the optical fibers substantially overlap;
and
processing the phase-modulated light to obtain data representative of the ultrasonic surface displacements at the surface.

4 more elements

Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.

System and method to decrease probe size for improved laser ultrasound detection

Life of this patent

System and method to decrease probe size for improved laser ultrasound detection

Life of this patent

Abstract

Claims19