Ultrasonic inspection system and ultrasonic inspection method

An ultrasonic inspection method based on an immersion technique, comprising the steps of:

• mounting an ultrasonic sensor and a laser in a drive unit that is remotely controlled for driving, where the ultrasonic sensor includes at least two lasers disposed such that optical axes of the lasers are tilted toward each other so that visible laser beams of the lasers intersect at a position separated by a predetermined distance from an ultrasonic wave emitting surface of the ultrasonic sensor;
• irradiating a visible laser beam from the laser to an test object;
• imaging an irradiated position of the visible laser beam using imaging equipment including a camera;
• and
• performing inspection,
• wherein the distance to a position at which the visible laser beams intersect is squared with a water distance required for an ultrasonic wave, which is emitted from the ultrasonic sensor, to become incident with the test object.

An ultrasonic inspection system to be employed in ultrasonic inspection in which an ultrasonic wave is propagated to a test object via a medium such as a liquid or a gas, comprising:

• an ultrasonic wave transmitting/receiving unit that transmits or receives the ultrasonic wave;
• an acoustic image display device that displays information on a result of inspection;
• an optical irradiator that is mounted on the ultrasonic wave transmitting/receiving unit and irradiates an optical marker on the test object;
• imaging equipment that images the test object and an irradiated position of the optical marker;
• and
• an optical image display device that displays an image picked up by the imaging equipment,
• wherein the ultrasonic wave transmitting/receiving unit includes an ultrasonic array, the optical marker irradiated by the optical irradiator is a line shaped marker, and a direction of the ultrasonic array and a direction of the line shaped marker are parallel.

An ultrasonic inspection system to be employed in ultrasonic inspection in which an ultrasonic wave is propagated to a test object via a medium such as a liquid or a gas, comprising:

• an ultrasonic wave transmitting/receiving unit that transmits or receives the ultrasonic wave;
• an acoustic image display device that displays information on a result of inspection;
• an optical irradiator that is mounted on the ultrasonic wave transmitting/receiving unit and irradiates an optical marker on the test object;
• imaging equipment that images the test object and an irradiated position of the optical marker;
• and
• an optical image display device that displays an image picked up by the imaging equipment,
• wherein the ultrasonic wave transmitting/receiving unit includes an ultrasonic array, the optical marker irradiated by the optical irradiator is a line shaped marker, and a direction of the ultrasonic array and a direction of the line shaped marker perpendicularly cross.

An ultrasonic inspection method in which an ultrasonic wave is propagated to a test object by an ultrasonic wave transmitting/receiving unit via a medium such as a liquid or a gas, comprising the steps of:

• transmitting the ultrasonic wave to the test object;
• A receiving a reflected wave, which returned from the surface of the test object or the interior thereof, as a received signal;
• displaying an acoustic image as a result of inspection representing the received signal;
• irradiating an optical marker on the surface of the test object;
• imaging the test object and the optical marker using imaging equipment;
• displaying a pickup image of the imaging equipment as an optical image;
• and
• performing ultrasonic inspection,
• wherein the ultrasonic wave transmitting/receiving unit includes a plurality of optical irradiators irradiating a plurality of the optical markers, a shape of each of the optical markers on the surface of the test object is a line, the optical irradiators are arranged so that the optical markers intersect, an angle at which the ultrasonic wave transmitting/receiving unit is disposed with respect to the test object is identified based on directions of the optical markers irradiated on the test object, and
• wherein the ultrasonic wave transmitting/receiving unit includes an ultrasonic array, and a direction of the array arrangement of the ultrasonic array and a direction of one of the lines irradiated by the optical irradiators are parallel.

An ultrasonic inspection method in which an ultrasonic wave is propagated to a test object by an ultrasonic wave transmitting/receiving unit via a medium such as a liquid or a gas, comprising the steps of:

• transmitting the ultrasonic wave to the test object;
• receiving a reflected wave, which is returned from the surface of the test object or the interior thereof, as a received signal;
• displaying an acoustic image as a result of inspection representing the received signal;
• irradiating an optical marker on the surface of the test object;
• imaging the test object and the optical marker using imaging equipment;
• displaying a pickup image of the imaging equipment as an optical image;
• and
• performing ultrasonic inspection,
• wherein the ultrasonic wave transmitting/receiving unit includes a plurality of optical irradiators irradiating a plurality of the optical markers, a shape of each of the optical markers on the surface of the test object is a line, the optical irradiators are arranged so that the optical markers intersect, an angle at which the ultrasonic wave transmitting/receiving unit is disposed with respect to the test object is identified based on directions of the optical markers irradiated on the test object, and
• wherein the ultrasonic wave transmitting/receiving unit includes an ultrasonic array, and a direction of the array arrangement of the ultrasonic array and a direction of one of the lines irradiated by the optical irradiators cross at right angles.