Non-destructive test apparatus and methods
AssigneeOcean Bay Information & Systems Management, LLC
InventorKaren Bruer
Life of this patent
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Abstract
The present disclosure relates to portable devices for detecting substandard or counterfeit materials on-site at ports of entry or other locations where the materials are situated, preferably before acceptance or entry of such materials into the supply chain. In particular, the devices and methods relate to use of a handheld probe capable of applying a temperature change to the surface of a suspect material at a contact area, sensing the material's temperature response at one or more surface locations distinct from the contact area, and comparing the temperature response data to a reference standard, which corresponds to temperature response of a standard or noncounterfeit sample.
Claims41
A portable or handheld apparatus for convenient on-site detection of counterfeit or substandard material, the apparatus comprising:
- a probe having a face surface configured for juxtaposition or contact with a surface of the material;
- a temperature varying source configured to heat or chill at least a portion of the material;
- a plurality of sensors located at different locations than the temperature varying source and configured to sense a thermometric response transmitted through at least a portion of the material;
- a data collection system configured to collect one or more thermometric response signals from the plurality of sensors;
- a database of predetermined thermometric response data corresponding to thermometric response in non-counterfeit or standard material;
- a processor configured to compare data from the data collection system to data in the database of predetermined thermometric response data;
- and
- an indicator configured to signal whether the data from the data collection system matches the data in the database of predetermined thermometric response data, wherein a mis-match indicates that the material is potentially counterfeit or substandard material.
A method for detection of counterfeit or substandard material, the method comprising:
- contacting a surface of the material with a temperature varying source to heat or chill at least a portion of the material;
- sensing the material's thermometric response at one or more locations different than the contacting;
- collecting one or more thermometric response signals from the sensors;
- comparing data from the thermometric response signals to a database of predetermined thermometric data corresponding to non-counterfeit or standard material;
- and
- determining whether the data from the data collection system matches the data in the database of predetermined thermometric data, wherein a data mismatch indicates a substandard or counterfeit material.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.