Omnidirectional eddy current probe and inspection system

An omnidirectional eddy current (EC) array probe (ECAP) comprising:

• a plurality of EC channels, each of said EC channels comprising a first sense coil and a second sense coil, wherein said first and second sense coils are offset from one another in a first (x) and a second (y) direction and overlap one another in at least one of the first and second directions (x,y), and wherein said first sense coil has one polarity and said second sense coil has an opposite polarity;
• a plurality of drive coils, wherein at least one drive coil is configured to generate a probing field for each of said EC channels in a vicinity of said first and second sensing coils, and wherein said drive coils have alternating polarity with respect to neighboring drive coils;
• a plurality of electrical connections operatively connecting said first and second sense coils within each of the respective EC channels;
• and
• a plurality of flexible substrates arranged in a stack, wherein said EC channels, said drive coils and said electrical connections are formed on said flexible substrates,
• wherein each of said EC channels further comprises at least one supplemental pair of sense coils, wherein each of said supplemental pairs of sense coils comprises a first supplemental sense coil aligned with said first sense coil and a second supplemental sense coil aligned with said second sense coil, wherein said first and second sense coils are disposed on a first one of said flexible substrates, and said first and second supplemental sense coils are disposed on another one of said flexible substrates.

An omnidirectional eddy current (EC) inspection system comprising:

• an omnidirectional eddy current array probe (ECAP) comprising:
• a plurality of EC channels, each of said EC channels comprising a first sense coil and a second sense coil, wherein said first and second sense coils are offset from one another in a first (x) direction and overlap one another in a second direction (y), and wherein said first sense coil has one polarity and said second sense coil has an opposite polarity,
• a plurality of drive coils, wherein at least one drive coil is configured to generate a probing field for each of said EC channels in a vicinity of said first and second sensing coils, and wherein said drive coils have alternating polarity with respect to neighboring drive coils,
• a plurality of electrical connections operatively connecting said first and second sense coils within each of the respective ones of said EC channels, wherein said electrical connections are configured to perform differential sensing for respective ones of said EC channels, and
• a pair of corrective drive coils, wherein a first one of said corrective drive coils is disposed at a first end of said EC channels, wherein a second one of said corrective drive coils is disposed at a second end of said EC channels, and wherein each of said corrective drive coils is configured to generate a probing field;
• and
• an eddy current instrument connected to said omnidirectional ECAP and configured to receive a plurality of differential sensing signals from said EC channels.