Non destructive evaluation scanning probe with self-contained multi-axis position encoder

A reflected penetrating waveform scanning system for nondestructive evaluation of a non-living test sample, comprising:

• a scanning probe having a housing with an underside for abutment against and multi-dimensional translation across a surface of a non-living test sample, and having directed outwardly toward the surface:
• a test sensor system for transmitting a penetrating waveform into the test sample, receiving a reflected waveform from the test sample at a multi-dimensional spatial location on the test sample surface and generating reflected waveform data corresponding to that location;
• and
• a probe position encoder system that correlates multi-dimensional probe underside translation and rotation motion across the test sample surface with the multi-dimensional spatial location on the test sample surface and that generates corresponding multi-dimensional spatial location data, said probe position encoder system having a pair of first and second orthogonal axes position encoders respectively generating first and second orthogonal axes position readings, with the respective corresponding orthogonal axes in mutual parallel alignment, said probe position encoder system compensating for probe rotation when the respective first and second orthogonal axes position readings differ, while generating said multi-dimensional spatial location data;
• a scan data acquisition system, coupled to the test sensor and encoder systems, for receiving and correlating corresponding reflected waveform data at the location with its corresponding multi-dimensional spatial location data in a scan data set, and for sending the scan data set to a nondestructive evaluation analyzer;
• and
• a nondestructive evaluation analyzer coupled to the scan data acquisition system, for receiving and transforming the scan data set into spatially mapped internal structural characterizations of the test object.

A method for nondestructive evaluation of a non-living test sample, comprising:

• providing a reflected penetrating waveform scanning system for nondestructive evaluation of a non-living test sample, having:
• a scanning probe having a housing with an underside for abutment against and multi-dimensional translation across a surface of a non-living test sample, and having directed outwardly toward the surface, said scanning probe including:
• a test sensor system for transmitting a penetrating waveform into the test sample, receiving a reflected waveform from the test sample at a multi-dimensional spatial location on the test sample surface and generating reflected waveform data corresponding to that location;
• and
• a probe position encoder system that correlates multi-dimensional probe underside translation and rotation motion across the test sample surface with the multi-dimensional spatial location on the test sample surface and that generates corresponding multi-dimensional spatial location data, said probe position encoder system having a pair of first and second orthogonal axes position encoders respectively generating first and second orthogonal axes position readings, with the respective corresponding orthogonal axes in mutual parallel alignment, said probe position encoder system compensating for probe rotation when the respective first and second orthogonal axes position readings differ, while generating said multi-dimensional spatial location data;
• a scan data acquisition system, coupled to the test sensor and encoder systems, for receiving and correlating corresponding reflected waveform data at the location with its corresponding multi-dimensional spatial location data in a scan data set;
• and
• a nondestructive evaluation analyzer coupled to the scan data acquisition system, for receiving and transforming the scan data set into spatially mapped internal structural characterizations of the test object;
• abutting the scanning probe underside against the test sample surface at a multi-dimensional spatial location and transmitting a penetrating waveform into the test sample;
• receiving the reflected waveform from the test sample with scanning probe and generating reflected waveform data corresponding to the location;
• translating and rotating the scanning probe underside across the test sample surface in multiple dimensions at a plurality of locations, while at each location generating reflected waveform data with the test sensor system and generating multi-dimensional spatial location data with the probe position encoder system, said probe position encoder system compensating for probe rotation by determining whether the respective pairs of axes have the same position reading and compensating for rotation when the respective pairs have different position readings;
• receiving and correlating the corresponding reflected waveform and multi-dimensional spatial location data at each of the plurality of locations into a scan data set with the scan data acquisition system;
• and
• sending the scan data set to the nondestructive evaluation analyzer and transforming the scan data set into spatially mapped internal structural characterizations of the test object.