System and method for locating and positioning an ultrasonic signal generator for testing purposes

A method of guiding at least one beam of light through axes of a mechanical positioning system and directing the at least one beam of light at an object under test, comprising the steps of:

• generating at least one beam of light from a remote light source;
• injecting said at least one beam of light into a mechanical armature;
• transmitting said at least one beam of light along axes of motion of said mechanical armature via an optical transmission channel, wherein said mechanical armature operates to deliver the at least one beam of light to any location within a workspace;
• directing said mechanical armature be positioned according to an optical scan plan by a positioning controller;
• determining from an alignment fixture coupled to a position feedback sensor if the at least one beam of light is obstructed within said mechanical armature;
• directing with a first optical assemble the at least one beam of light to the object under test, wherein said at least one beam of light generates ultrasonic displacements in said object under test;
• collecting phase modulated light scattered by said ultrasonic displacements;
• and
• processing said phase modulated light to determine and display an internal structure of said object under test.

A method of guiding at least one laser beam through axes of a mechanical positioning system and directing the at least one laser beam at an object under test, comprising the steps of:

• modeling said object under test with CAD or emperical methods;
• determining an orientation of said object under test relative to said mechanical armature;
• developing said optical scan plan based on said step of modeling an object under test and determining an orientation of said object under test;
• generating at least one laser beam from a remote light source;
• injecting said at least one laser beam into a mechanical armature;
• transmitting said at least one laser beam along axes of motion of said mechanical armature via an optical transmission channel, wherein said mechanical armature operates to deliver the at least one laser beam to any location within a workspace;
• determining an orientation of said object under test relative to said mechanical armature;
• developing said optical scan plan based on said step of modeling an object under test and determining an orientation of said object under test;
• directing said mechanical armature be positioned according to an optical scan plan by a positioning controller;
• determining from an alignment fixture coupled to a position feedback sensor if the at least one laser beam is obstructed within said mechanical armature;
• directing with a first optical assemble the at least one laser beam to the object under test, wherein said at least one laser beam generates ultrasonic displacements in said object under test;
• collecting phase modulated light scattered by said ultrasonic displacements;
• and
• processing said phase modulated light to determine and display an internal structure of said object under test.