JPH10339720A - Ultrasonic probe and ultrasonic examination device - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide an ultrasonic probe and an ultrasonic examination device with which the degree of change is detected in a contactless state when a distance between the end face of probe holder and the surface of reagent is changed in the case of measurement based on a local water immersion injury searching method, following measurement is appropriately controlled, and further the flow rate of medium can be appropriately managed. SOLUTION: Concerning the ultrasonic probe with which a local water immersion injury search is performed by supplying water from a water supply hose 17, while keeping constant an interval between a reagent 16 and a probe holder 13 by additionally providing the water supply hose 17 for supplying a medium (such as water) 19 for propagating ultrasonic waves 20 only to the measuring part of reagent 16, a pressure sensor 21 is provided for detecting the pressure of water, and based on a detecting signal outputted by this pressure sensor 21, the fluctuation of interval between the reagent 16 and the probe holder 13 is detected. Besides, the ultrasonic examination device is constituted by utilizing such an ultrasonic probe.

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to an ultrasonic probe and an ultrasonic inspection apparatus. The present invention relates to an ultrasonic probe and an ultrasonic inspection apparatus for controlling the ultrasonic probe.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art Local immersion flaw detection using an ultrasonic probe is based on
This is a method in which a probe is scanned and a measurement is performed while supplying an ultrasonic wave propagation medium (water or the like) from the probe only to a portion of the subject surface where measurement is to be performed by ultrasonic waves. In the local immersion flaw detection method, during the measurement, the ultrasonic propagation range from the probe to the object surface is completely filled with the propagation medium, and the distance between the probe and the object surface is constant. That is essential. If this condition is not satisfied, the ultrasonic echo will not reach the subject, return as a reflected echo on the way, or the information of the position to be measured cannot be obtained, and appropriate measurement will not be performed.
This may cause a misjudgment. In order to prevent this, it is necessary to manage the flow rate of the medium and the distance between the probe and the object surface, that is, the gap between the probe holder end surface and the object surface, which is resistant to the outflow of the medium. In particular, when the subject is a large plate material and the plane is scanned over the entire surface with an XY scanner to perform measurement, the influence of the parallelism between the surface of the subject and the XY scanner, and the flatness of the subject surface, etc.
The distance between the end face of the probe holder and the object surface changes, and the above-described problem is likely to occur.

Therefore, conventionally, a structure shown in FIG. 10 has been adopted for a probe. In this structure, a Z scanner 102 is attached to an XY scanner 101, and a probe holder case 103 is attached to the Z scanner 102. A probe holder 105 is slidably provided in the recess at the tip of the probe holder case 103 while being urged by a coil spring 104. The probe 106 is fixed to the center of the tip of the probe holder 105. The probe 106 is
A signal line 107 connects to a transmitter (not shown). The water supply hose 1 is provided on the tip side of the probe holder 105.
08 is connected. A proportional valve 109 is provided in the middle of the water supply hose 108, and its opening / closing operation is controlled by a control signal 110.
And water supply from the water supply source is controlled. A protruding gap adjusting jig 1 is provided on the tip end surface of the probe holder 105.
11 are provided.

At the time of measurement, the subject 112 and the probe holder 1
Water 113, which is an ultrasonic wave propagation medium, is supplied from a water supply hose 108 to the gap between lines 05, and ultrasonic waves 114 emitted from the probe 106 propagate through the water 113 and are given to the subject 112. The probe holder 105 is a coil spring 10
4, the gap adjusting jig 111 is pressed against the surface of the subject 112. Therefore, the gap adjusting jig 11
1, the surface of the subject 112 and the probe holder 105
Are maintained at a constant distance. Therefore X
When scanning is performed by the Y scanner 101, the object surface and the X
The distance L is kept constant within the range of the movable stroke by the Z scanner 102 even if the parallelism with the Y scanner and the flatness of the object surface are affected, and the distance between the probe and the object surface is maintained. Management issues are resolved. The problem of medium flow rate management is solved by controlling the flow rate by a proportional valve 109 attached to the water supply hose 108 and always supplying a constant flow rate.

[0005]

In the above-described structure of the ultrasonic probe, since the tip of the gap adjusting jig 111 is always kept in contact with the surface of the subject, the relationship between the subject and the material of the gap adjusting jig is required. As a result, the surface of the subject 112 may be scratched, or the tip of the gap adjusting jig 111 may be worn, and the gap distance L may be shortened. is there. In particular, when the specimen is expensive such as a target used in a sputtering apparatus,
It is required to avoid damaging the subject.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION An object of the present invention is to solve the above-mentioned problem. When the distance between the end face of the probe holder and the surface of the test object changes in the measurement by the local water immersion testing method, the degree of the change is measured. The present invention is to provide an ultrasonic probe and an ultrasonic inspection apparatus capable of detecting a non-contact in a non-contact state, appropriately controlling the subsequent measurement, and appropriately controlling the flow rate of the medium.

[0007]

An ultrasonic probe according to the present invention is configured as follows to achieve the above object.

A first ultrasonic probe (corresponding to claim 1)
Is provided with a medium supply unit (water supply hose, water supply source, etc.) for supplying a medium (water, etc.) that propagates ultrasonic waves only to the measurement site of the subject, and keeps the distance between the subject and the probe holder constant. An ultrasonic probe that supplies a medium from a medium supply unit and performs local water immersion flaw detection, which is provided with a pressure detection unit that detects a pressure state of the medium, and receives a signal based on a detection signal output from the pressure detection unit. It is configured to detect a change in the distance between the sample and the probe holder.

In the above configuration, the distance between the probe and the subject can be monitored by detecting the pressure state of the ultrasonic wave propagation medium, and the probe can be accurately probed without damaging the subject. It is possible to monitor whether or not the distance between the child and the subject is at a certain distance. In local water immersion testing, it is essential to maintain a constant distance between the probe holder and the subject and a constant flow rate of the medium. By detecting, the distance between the probe holder and the subject can be monitored.

Second ultrasonic probe (corresponding to claim 2)
In the first configuration, the pressure detector is preferably provided in the passage member that supplies the medium.

Third ultrasonic probe (corresponding to claim 3)
In the first or second configuration, the detection signal of the pressure detection unit is input to the control unit, and the control unit is configured to generate a control signal for controlling a measurement state based on the detection signal.

Fourth ultrasonic probe (corresponding to claim 4)
In the third configuration, preferably, the control signal is a signal for stopping the measurement.

A fifth ultrasonic probe (corresponding to claim 5)
In the third configuration, preferably, the control signal is a control signal for controlling a drive mechanism for displacing the probe holder, and the control signal is used to keep the distance between the subject and the probe holder constant. It is composed of

The ultrasonic inspection apparatus according to the present invention is configured as follows to achieve the above object. Basically, it has a configuration including the above-described ultrasonic probe.

A first ultrasonic inspection apparatus (corresponding to claim 6)
Consists of an ultrasonic probe, a probe holder that supports the ultrasonic probe, a drive mechanism that displaces the probe holder, and a medium that transmits ultrasonic waves only to the measurement point of the subject. A medium supply unit for supplying the medium, the medium is supplied from the medium supply unit, and the ultrasonic probe is scanned while the distance between the subject and the probe holder is kept constant by the drive mechanism to perform local water immersion flaw detection. A pressure detector for detecting a pressure state of the medium is provided, and a change in the distance between the subject and the probe holder is detected based on a detection signal of the pressure detector.

Second ultrasonic inspection apparatus (corresponding to claim 7)
In the first configuration, the pressure detector is provided in the passage member that supplies the medium.

Third ultrasonic inspection apparatus (corresponding to claim 8)
In the first or second configuration, the detection signal of the pressure detection unit is input to the control unit, and the control unit creates a control signal for controlling the measurement state based on the detection signal.

Fourth ultrasonic inspection apparatus (corresponding to claim 9)
Is preferably characterized in that, in the third configuration, the control signal is a signal for stopping the measurement by the ultrasonic probe.

In a fifth ultrasonic inspection apparatus (corresponding to claim 10), in the above-mentioned third configuration, preferably, the control signal is a control signal for controlling a driving mechanism, and the control signal is used to communicate with the subject. It is configured to keep the distance between the probe holders constant.

[0020]

Preferred embodiments of the present invention will be described below with reference to the accompanying drawings.

FIG. 1 shows a first embodiment of the present invention, and shows a subject, an ultrasonic probe, and a relevant portion of the ultrasonic probe at the time of measurement by local immersion flaw detection.

Referring to FIG. 1, the basic configuration of an ultrasonic probe for performing local water immersion flaw detection and its related parts will be described. The Z scanner 12 is attached to the XY scanner 11, and the probe holder 13 is attached to the Z scanner 12. The probe holder 13 is movable in the Z direction by the Z scanner 12, the Z scanner 12 itself is movable in the X direction by the XY scanner 11, and the XY scanner 11 is also movable in the Y direction. is there. An ultrasonic probe (hereinafter abbreviated as “probe”) is provided at the center of the tip of the probe holder 13.
14 is fixed. The probe 14 is connected to the transmitter by a signal line 15. The three-dimensional drive mechanism of the probe holder 13 (and the probe 14) is formed by the XY scanner 11, the Z scanner 12, and the driving device that drives them. The XY scanner 11 and the Z scanner 12 move the probe holder 13 and the probe 14 in the orthogonal X, Y, and Z directions. The XY scanner 11 moves along the XY plane, and the Z scanner 12 changes the distance between the probe holder 13 (and the probe 14) and the subject 16.

A water supply hose 17, which is a passage member for supplying an ultrasonic medium (water or the like), is connected to the tip side of the probe holder 13. In this embodiment, an example of a water supply hose will be described, but the path member of the ultrasonic medium is not limited to this. At an arbitrary position in the middle of the water supply hose 17, a flow control device (for example, a proportional valve) 18 is provided. The operation of the flow control device 18 is controlled by a control signal 18a, whereby the flow rate of water supplied from a water supply source (not shown) is controlled. When an appropriate amount of water is supplied by the water supply hose 17, an appropriate amount of water 19 exists between the probe holder 13 and the subject 16. According to the probe 14, the local immersion flaw detection is performed while maintaining the distance between the probe holder 13 and the subject 16 at a fixed distance (L). The probe 14 is moved so as to scan the object surface 16 by the above-described driving mechanism. At this time, the distance between the probe holder 13 and the object 16, that is, the probe 14 and the object The distance between 16 is kept constant. Further, on the surface of the subject 16, water 19, which is an ultrasonic wave propagation medium, is discharged from the water supply hose 17 and supplied only to the portion where the probe 14 is to measure. Since the water 19 flows out of the gap to the outside, it is continuously supplied. Under the condition that water 19 is present, the ultrasonic wave 20 is emitted from the probe 14 to the subject surface 16.

In the above configuration, the distance L between the tip surface of the probe holder 13 and the subject 16 is, for example, 3 to 20 mm. Preferably, one or two or more holes, which are outlets of the water supply hose 17, are formed on the inner surface of the probe installation hole 13a formed at the tip of the probe holder 13. The amount of water supplied by the water supply hose 17 is, for example, 0.5 to 1 liter / minute. Water supplied by the water supply hose 17 flows out of a gap formed between the probe holder 13 and the subject 16 to the outside. Since this gap, that is, the distance L described above is kept constant, the amount of water discharged per unit time is constant, and water flowing through the water supply hose 17 is determined based on the size of the gap (distance L). The pressure is kept constant.

In the above configuration, a pressure sensor 21 is provided at an arbitrary position in the water supply hose 17. The pressure sensor 21 detects a pressure state of water flowing in the water supply hose 17. In the measurement of the subject 16 by the probe 14, the distances L and X between the probe and the subject are measured as measurement conditions.
Based on the scanning speed of the Y scanner 11, the flow rate of water supplied from the flow rate control device 18 to the probe 14 is determined. As a result, as described above, the pressure of the water flowing through the water supply hose 17 remains constant as long as the distance L of the gap is kept constant. The pressure sensor 21 monitors the fluctuation state of the pressure by detecting the pressure of the water flowing through the water supply hose 17 during the measurement of the local water immersion flaw detection by the probe 14, and thus monitors the probe holder 13 ( And probe 1
It is to monitor whether the distance between 4) and the subject 16 is maintained at a fixed distance L.

The detection signal output from the pressure sensor 21 is input to the control device 22. The distance between the probe holder 13 and the subject 16 is monitored by the control device 22. When the distance fluctuates more than necessary, the control device 22 performs a predetermined process described below. The necessary control signal 18a is also supplied to the flow control device 18 from the control device 22 located at a higher level.

Next, the operation of the probe 14 having the above-described structure and parts related thereto will be described with reference to FIGS. FIG. 3 shows a state where the probe holder 13 is moved up and down by the Z scanner 12 (arrow 23) while the probe 14 scans the ideal surface of the subject 16 at a predetermined scanning speed. FIG. 4 shows the relationship between the distance L of the gap and the detection signal output of the pressure sensor 21 when it is moved up and down by the Z scanner 12, which is experimentally obtained.

As is clear from the graph of FIG.
Is longer, the pressure of the water 19 decreases and the pressure sensor 21
And the distance L becomes shorter, the pressure of the water increases, and the output of the detection signal of the pressure sensor 21 increases. Therefore, the probe 14
In the measurement of the subject 16 by the method described above, for example, when the surface degree of the subject 16 and the parallelism of the XY scanner 11 are not good, the probe holder 13 is moved to the arrow 2 as shown in FIG.
When scanning is performed as shown in FIG. 4, the level of the detection signal output from the pressure sensor 21 fluctuates as shown in FIG. There is no problem if the degree of the fluctuation of the detection signal fluctuates within a preset allowable range ΔS, but if the fluctuation exceeds ΔS, the measurement error becomes large. Need to be stopped. Therefore, for example, as shown in FIG. 6, a comparison control unit 25 for inputting an output signal of the pressure sensor 21 is provided, and the operation of the XY scanner 11 is stopped by an emergency stop signal output from the comparison control unit 25. . By employing such a configuration, it is possible to avoid collision of the probe holder 14 with the subject 16 and measurement failure. The comparison control unit 25 can be realized as a functional unit inside the control device 22 or can be configured as an individual control circuit. Further, instead of the emergency stop signal, an alarm signal may be output and an alarm may be issued by the alarm means.

Next, a second embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to FIG. FIG. 2 shows the overall configuration of an ultrasonic inspection apparatus including the ultrasonic probe 14 having the above configuration.
In the present embodiment, when the fluctuation of the output signal of the pressure sensor exceeds the allowable range, the measurement is continued without performing an emergency stop during the measurement.

In FIG. 2, a subject 16 is placed horizontally on a stage 31, an XY scanner 11 is mounted on a column 32 provided on the stage 31, a Z scanner 12 is mounted on the XY scanner, and a Z scanner is mounted on the XY scanner. Probe holder 13 attached to scanner, water supply hose 1
7. The configurations of the flow control device 18 and the pressure sensor 21 are the same as those described above.

As another basic configuration of the ultrasonic inspection apparatus, a control device 33 for performing main control, a driving device 34 for driving a motor built in each of the XY scanner 11 and the Z scanner 12, and a probe A transmitter 35 for driving the ultrasonic wave 14 to emit ultrasonic waves; a receiver 36 for receiving a signal related to a reflected echo received by the probe 14; a detector 37 for extracting an original echo signal from an output signal of the receiver 36; An oscilloscope 38 for displaying a signal is provided. The drive device 34 receives a control signal for a drive command from the control device 33. Further, there are provided an image processing device 39 for creating an image relating to a portion in the measurement using data obtained as a result of a series of measurements, and a display 40 and a printer 41 for outputting the created image.

In the above configuration, the flow controller 18 is directly connected to the controller 33 and receives a control signal from the controller 33. The detection signal output from the pressure sensor 21 is input to the control device 33 via the pulse conversion unit 42.

Next, the pulse conversion unit 42 will be described in detail. The pulse conversion unit 42 is a device that generates a correction signal, and includes an amplifier circuit 51, an offset circuit 52, and a V / F converter 53, as shown in FIG. In the pulse conversion unit 42, the pressure sensor 21
Is amplified by the amplifier circuit 51 to become a control signal S11. In this case, the relationship between the distance L and the voltage V related to the control signal S11 is represented by a characteristic curve C1 shown in FIG. Next, an appropriate offset voltage is given by the offset circuit 52 to control the control signal S1.
It becomes 2.

The output voltage (V ₀ ) of the control signal S 11 when the distance L between the end face of the probe holder 13 and the surface of the subject 16 is proper, that is, when the distance L is the proper distance L _0. Is set as an offset voltage, whereby the characteristic curve C1 is shifted downward by V ₀ . As a result, a characteristic curve C2 is obtained as shown in FIG. According to the characteristic curve C2, a portion having 0 volt, that is, a portion crossing the horizontal axis (L axis) is formed. According to the characteristic curve C2, when the variation width of the distance L is ΔL, the output voltage V varies within a range from Va to Vb. When the output voltage is positive, the distance L is shorter than the appropriate distance L ₀ , and when the output voltage is negative, the distance L is longer than the appropriate distance L ₀ . Therefore, the state of the distance L can be determined based on whether the control signal S12 output from the offset circuit 52 is positive or negative.

Next, the control signal S12 is input to the V / F converter 53. The V / F converter 53 generates a forward rotation pulse or a reverse rotation pulse at a preset frequency according to the polarity of the voltage of the control signal S12. This forward rotation pulse or reverse rotation pulse is output to the control device 33 as a corresponding correction signal S13. The control device 33 sends a control command to the drive device 34 so that the Z-axis motor built in the Z scanner 12 rotates forward or backward, and performs necessary control.

According to the above configuration, following control is performed so that the distance L between the probe holder 13 and the subject 16 fluctuates so that the distance L is maintained at a set constant distance. The contact holder 13 is moved up and down. In other words, the distance between the probe holder 13 and the subject 16 is an appropriate distance L ₀
Is corrected so that the distance is maintained. Thus, the control device 33, the driving device 34, and the Z scanner 12
Constitutes correction means for correcting the distance between the probe holder end face and the subject surface based on the correction signal S13.

The operation of the ultrasonic inspection apparatus having the above configuration is shown in the time chart of FIG. In FIG. 9, an output signal S when the probe 14 is moved by scanning with the XY scanner 11 is shown.
12, the time change of S13 is shown. Probe holder 13
Is moved at a constant speed in the X-axis direction as indicated by arrow 24, the output signal S10 from the pressure sensor 21 changes as shown in FIG. Output signal S10 of pressure sensor 21
Is amplified by the amplifier circuit 51, and then the offset circuit 5
2, the output signal S as shown in FIG.
It is converted to 12. Further, the output signal S12 is converted into a correction signal S13 by the V / F converter 53. The correction signal S13 is input to the control device 33. Control device 33
Rotates the Z-axis motor of the Z scanner 12 forward or backward based on the correction signal S13, and corrects the distance between the end face of the probe holder 13 and the surface of the subject 16. The above signal processing and the operation of the Z scanner 12
Is constantly performed during the movement of the probe holder, and the correction is performed so that the distance between the end face of the probe holder and the surface of the subject becomes an appropriate distance at any position in the measurement range.

It is needless to say that the above-described ultrasonic inspection apparatus can also be configured to make an emergency stop or generate an alarm as described above. Also, the pressure of the water supplied by the water supply hose increases as the amount of supplied water increases, and decreases as the amount of supplied water decreases. Of course, it can be done.

[0039]

As apparent from the above description, the present invention has the following effects.

In an ultrasonic probe for performing measurement by local immersion flaw detection or an ultrasonic inspection apparatus including the same, the state of the fluctuation of the distance between the probe holder and the subject is monitored by detecting the pressure of the medium. With this configuration, the distance between the probe holder and the object can be accurately monitored without damaging the object in a non-contact state, and an emergency stop or alarm is quickly given when the distance exceeds the allowable range. And other measures can be taken.

Further, based on the output signal of the pressure sensor, a drive mechanism for displacing the probe holder is controlled to generate a control signal (correction signal) for keeping the distance between the subject and the probe holder constant. Since the (correction means) is provided, good measurement can be performed without interrupting the measurement.

Also, the flow rate of the ultrasonic medium (such as water) can be appropriately controlled by using the detection signal of the pressure sensor.

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 is a main part configuration diagram of an ultrasonic probe according to a first embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a configuration diagram of an ultrasonic inspection apparatus according to a second embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 3 is an enlarged view of the ultrasonic probe.

FIG. 4 is a graph showing output characteristics of a pressure sensor.

FIG. 5 is a time chart of a detection signal of a pressure sensor.

FIG. 6 is a block diagram showing an example of control contents.

FIG. 7 is a circuit diagram illustrating an example of a pulse conversion unit.

FIG. 8 is a graph illustrating the operation of the offset circuit.

FIG. 9 is a term chart of output signals of an offset circuit and a V / F converter.

FIG. 10 is a configuration diagram of a conventional ultrasonic probe.

[Explanation of symbols]

 DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 11 XY scanner 12 Z scanner 13 Probe holder 14 Ultrasonic probe 16 Subject 17 Water supply hose 18 Flow control device 19 Water (medium) 21 Pressure sensor 42 Pulse conversion unit

Claims (10)

[Claims] 1. A medium supply unit for supplying a medium for transmitting an ultrasonic wave only to a measurement point of a subject is provided, and the medium supply unit keeps a constant distance between the subject and a probe holder from the medium supply unit. An ultrasonic probe that performs local water immersion flaw detection by supplying a pressure detection unit that detects a pressure state of the medium, and based on a detection signal output from the pressure detection unit, the subject and the probe An ultrasonic probe for detecting a change in the interval between child holders. 2. The ultrasonic probe according to claim 1, wherein the pressure detector is provided in a passage member that supplies the medium. 3. The control unit according to claim 1, wherein the detection signal of the pressure detection unit is input to a control unit, and the control unit generates a control signal for controlling a measurement state based on the detection signal. The described ultrasonic probe. 4. The ultrasonic probe according to claim 3, wherein the control signal is a signal for stopping the measurement. 5. The control signal is a control signal for controlling a drive mechanism for displacing the probe holder, and the control signal keeps a distance between the subject and the probe holder constant. The ultrasonic probe according to claim 3, wherein 6. An ultrasonic probe, a probe holder for supporting the ultrasonic probe, a driving mechanism for displacing the probe holder, and an ultrasonic wave propagating only at a measurement point of the subject. A medium supply unit for supplying a medium to be supplied, and the medium is supplied from the medium supply unit, and the ultrasonic probe is scanned by the drive mechanism while keeping a constant distance between the subject and the probe holder. An ultrasonic inspection apparatus that performs local water immersion flaw detection by providing a pressure detection unit that detects a pressure state of the medium, and based on a detection signal of the pressure detection unit, determines a distance between the subject and the probe holder. An ultrasonic inspection device for detecting a change. 7. The ultrasonic inspection apparatus according to claim 6, wherein the pressure detector is provided in a passage member that supplies the medium. 8. The control unit according to claim 6, wherein the detection signal of the pressure detection unit is input to a control unit, and the control unit creates a control signal for controlling a measurement state based on the detection signal. The ultrasonic inspection apparatus according to the above. 9. The ultrasonic inspection apparatus according to claim 8, wherein the control signal is a signal for stopping measurement by the ultrasonic probe. 10. The control signal according to claim 8, wherein the control signal is a control signal for controlling the drive mechanism, and the control signal keeps a distance between the subject and the probe holder constant. Ultrasonic inspection equipment.