Total focusing method adaptively corrected by using plane wave
AssigneeOlympus Scientific Solutions Americas Inc.
InventorsBenoit Lepage, Guillaume Painchaud-April, Jason Habermehl
Life of this patent
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Abstract
Disclosed is a phased array ultrasound total focusing method in which the ultrasound energy is transmitted as plane waves and the response signals are processed as plane waves. The processing is adaptively corrected to account for geometric variations in the probes and the part being inspected. Methods are disclosed for measuring the geometric variations of the probes and the part.
Claims22
A phased array ultrasound (PAUT) imaging system comprising:
- at least one PAUT probe configured to be coupled with and to test a test object, each one of the at least one probe having an array of ultrasound transducers for transmitting ultrasound energy and receiving response energy;
- a plane wave generating unit configured to transmit a series of electronic pulses to the at least one probe, the series of electronic pulses configured to cause emission of a number N of transmitted plane waves from the array of ultrasound transducers;
- a plane wave receiving unit configured to receive response signals responsive to possible flaws in the test object, wherein the response signals from each of the transmitted plane waves are received as a number M of received plane waves, and wherein the response signals from corresponding transmitted plane waves and received plane waves are combined in a plane wave full matrix capture (FMC) matrix, which has a matrix dimension (N×M);
- and,
- a plane wave processing module configured to process the plane wave FMC matrix and to produce an image of the flaws in an imaging volume within the test object.
An ultrasonic imaging method for imaging flaws in a test object comprising the steps of:
- placing at least one phased array ultrasound (PAUT) probe in contact with the test object, each one of the at least one probe having an array of ultrasound transducers for transmitting ultrasound energy and receiving response energy;
- transmitting a series of electronic pulses to the at least one probe, the series of electronic pulses configured to cause emission of transmitted plane waves from the array of ultrasound transducers;
- receiving response signals responsive to possible flaws in the test object, wherein the response signals from each of the transmitted plane waves are received as received plane waves, and wherein the response signals from corresponding transmitted plane waves and received plane waves are combined in a plane wave full matrix capture (FMC) matrix;
- and
- processing the plane wave FMC matrix to produce an image of the flaws in an imaging volume within the test object.
A phased array ultrasound (PAUT) imaging system comprising:
- at least one PAUT array probe configured to be coupled with and to test a test object, each one of the at least one probe having an array of ultrasound transducers, the array comprising P transmitters for transmitting ultrasound energy and Q receivers for receiving response energy;
- a plane wave forming module configured to transmit electronic pulses to the at least one probe, to receive response signals responsive to possible flaws in the test object and to form a plane wave full matrix capture (FMC) matrix, the plane wave FMC matrix being a N×M matrix of N transmitted plane waves and M received plane waves;
- and,
- a plane wave processing module configured to process the plane wave FMC matrix and to produce an image of the flaws in the test object.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.