# US 2021/0278375 A1 · Method and device for compensating for coupling nonuniformities in ultrasonic testing

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- Number: US 2021/0278375 A1
- Document ID: US20210278375A1
- Status: Published application
- Kind: A1
- Application number: 16/328,379
- Filed: 2016-10-19
- Published: 2021-09-09
- Earliest claimed: 2016-10-19
- Assignees: Proceq SA
- Applicants: Proceq SA
- Inventors: Felix GATTIKER; Thomas SCHLEGEL; Ralph MENNICKE
- Web page: https://patentgrep.com/patent/US20210278375A1

## CPC

- G01N 29/043: {in the interior, e.g. by shear waves}
- G01N 29/07: by measuring propagation velocity or propagation time of acoustic waves
- G01N 29/226: {Handheld or portable devices}
- G01N 29/24: Probes {(transducers for acoustic waves B06B, G10K; for measuring G01H)}
- G01N 29/32: Arrangements for suppressing undesired influences, e.g. temperature or pressure variations {, compensating for signal noise}
- G01N 29/4445: {Classification of defects}
- G01N 29/4454: {Signal recognition, e.g. specific values or portions, signal events, signatures}
- G01N 29/4463: {Signal correction, e.g. distance amplitude correction [DAC], distance gain size [DGS], noise filtering}
- G01N 2291/011: Velocity or travel time
- G01N 2291/0232: Glass, ceramics, concrete or stone
- G01N 2291/0423: Surface waves, e.g. Rayleigh waves, Love waves
- G01N 2291/0426: Bulk waves, e.g. quartz crystal microbalance, torsional waves
- G01N 2291/103: one emitter, two or more receivers
- G01N 2291/106: one or more transducer arrays
- G01N: INVESTIGATING OR ANALYSING MATERIALS BY DETERMINING THEIR CHEMICAL OR PHYSICAL PROPERTIES (measuring or testing apparatus or processes other than immunoassay, involving enzymes or microorganisms C12M, C12Q)

## Abstract

A method and a device for testing a component by means of ultrasound is described. It is based on using transducers (4) for sending a probe signal into the component and monitoring its propagation. The response signals (C1 . . . C7) of the individual receivers are analyzed for the strength (A) of the arriving surface wave, and this strength (A) is used for scaling the response signals (C1 . . . C7). This allows to compensate for variations in the coupling strength between the various ultrasonic transducers {4}.

## Claims

### Claim 1

A method for testing a component via ultrasound comprising:
applying a device (1) having at least one ultrasound emitter and a plurality of ultrasound receivers against the component, wherein the ultrasound receivers are located at differing locations in respect to said ultrasound emitter,
generating a probe signal via said ultrasound emitter,
receiving, via said ultrasound receivers, a plurality of response signals (Ci), and
in the response signal (Ci) of at least a group of said ultrasound receivers:
a) identifying, in said response signal (Ci), a first signal section caused by a surface wave traveling in said component from said ultrasound emitter to the ultrasound receiver having received said response signal (Ci),
b) deriving a correction value (Vi) from said first signal section, and
c) rescaling at least a second signal section of said response signal (Ci) with a scale factor depending on said correction value (Vi).

### Claim 2 (depends on 1)

The method of claim 1 further comprising combining said second signal sections for generating a result data set.

### Claim 3 (depends on 1)

The method of claim 1 further comprising, for each ultrasound receiver in said group,
attributing, to said ultrasound receiver, a time window (W), and
using said time window (W) for identifying the first signal section in the response signal (Ci) measured by said ultrasound receiver.

### Claim 4 (depends on 3)

The method of claim 3 wherein a temporal location of the time window (W) is a function of a distance (xi) of the ultrasound receiver from the ultrasound emitter.

### Claim 5 (depends on 4)

The method of claim 4 wherein the temporal location of the time window (W) is proportional to the distance (xi) between the ultrasound receiver and the ultrasound emitter.

### Claim 6 (depends on 3)

The method of claim 3, wherein a temporal location of the time window (W) is selected as a function of a time of arrival of a first pulse in the response signal (Ci) after the probe signal.

### Claim 7 (depends on 3)

The method of claim 3, wherein a length of the time window (W) is between the length of the probe signal emitted by the ultrasound emitter and five times the length of the probe signal, in particular equal to two times the length of the probe signal.

### Claim 8 (depends on 1)

The method of claim 1, comprising calculating an envelope of said response signal (Ci) at least in said first section and using said envelope for deriving said correction value (Vi).

### Claim 9 (depends on 1)

The method of claim 1, wherein said correction value (Vi) is proportional to a maximum (A) of said response signal (Ci) or of an envelope of said response signal (Ci) in said first section.

### Claim 10 (depends on 1)

The method of claim 1, wherein the ultrasound emitter and/or each ultrasound receiver comprises several ultrasonic transducers (4).

### Claim 11 (depends on 1)

The method of claim 1, wherein each ultrasound receiver comprises one or more tips (5a) that are applied to the component while receiving the response signals.

### Claim 12 (depends on 1)

The method of claim 1, wherein generating the probe signals and receiving the response signals takes place while a user is manually holding the device against the component to be tested.

### Claim 13

A device for testing a component via ultrasound comprising
at least one ultrasound emitter for generating a probe signal,
a plurality of ultrasound receivers for receiving a plurality of response signals (Ci), wherein the ultrasound receivers are located at differing locations in respect to said ultrasound emitter, and
a control unit adapted and structured, for the response signal (Ci) of at least a group of said ultrasound receivers, to
a) identify, in said response signal (Ci), a first signal section caused by a surface wave traveling in said component from said ultrasound emitter to the ultrasound receiver having received said response signal (Ci),
b) derive a correction value (Vi) from said first signal section, and
c) rescale at least a second signal section of said response signal (Ci) with a scale factor depending on said correction value (Vi).

### Claim 14 (depends on 1)

A method for probing concrete and/or for creating image representations of an inner structure of the component comprising the ultrasound testing method of claim 1.

### Claim 15 (depends on 13)

A device for probing concrete and/or for creating image representations of an inner structure of the component comprising the ultrasound component testing device of claim 13.