JPH1078419A - Ultrasonic inspection device - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide an ultrasonic inspection device wherein leakage of ultrasonic propagation medium is small and inspection can be performed in a short time. SOLUTION: The ultrasonic inspection device is provided with a case body 101 forming an opening closed by the specimen face of a specimen 150 during inspection, an ultrasonic probe 104 for transmitting an ultrasonic wave through the opening, a division film SF dividing the case body 101 between the case body 101 and the ultrasonic probe 104, a water feed pipe 114a for feeding water to a lower chamber DP formed between the division film SF and the opening.

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to an ultrasonic inspection apparatus suitable for nondestructive inspection using ultrasonic waves, particularly for inspection of large structures.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art A non-destructive inspection method using ultrasonic waves is known. In this method, the state of the inside of the subject is inspected by irradiating the subject with ultrasonic waves and analyzing the reflected waves. Inspection methods using such ultrasonic waves include a direct contact method in which an ultrasonic probe is brought into direct contact with a subject, and a non-contact inspection method in which an inspection is performed in a state where both are separated from each other.

Conventionally, as a non-contact ultrasonic inspection method,
As shown in FIG. 5, a submerged liquid immersion method in which a subject 51 is submerged in a liquid in a liquid tank 52 and inspected by an ultrasonic probe 53,
As shown in FIG. 8, a local liquid immersion is performed by supplying water from the bottom of the liquid tank 52 to cause overflow, and an object 51 moving on the upper surface of the liquid tank 52 is inspected by an ultrasonic probe 53 submerged in the liquid tank 52. As shown in FIG. 7, a gap method is known in which an upper surface of a subject 51 is moved while water is supplied from an upper part of a liquid reservoir 54 integrally formed around an ultrasonic probe 53 for inspection. (Non-Destructive Inspection Vol. 37 No. 12 (198
8), pp. 919-928).

[0004]

However, when the conventional ultrasonic inspection method is applied to a large structure, there are the following problems. First, in the direct contact method, glycerin, water glass, etc. are applied to the inspection surface of the structure, and then the ultrasonic probe is brought into contact with the inspection for inspection. Since it is difficult to completely fill the gap with the above-mentioned coating material, there is a problem that the propagation of the ultrasonic wave is not stable and an accurate inspection cannot be performed.

[0005] Further, the above-mentioned submerged liquid immersion method requires a liquid tank in which the entirety of the subject is filled, and is not suitable for inspection of a large-sized structure in particular.

The local immersion method and the gap method can be applied to large structures because there is no need to immerse the entire subject.
The liquid tank 52 or the liquid tank 54 has a structure in which a relatively large amount of water accumulates (FIGS. 6 and 7), and there is a possibility that the internal water may erroneously drain. Therefore, it is difficult to apply the method to a subject who dislikes water, for example, generates rust. Further, since the capacities of the liquid tanks 52 and 54 are set to be large to some extent, it takes time to supply and discharge the water from the liquid tanks 52 and 54, and there is a problem that the inspection cannot be completed in a short time.

An object of the present invention is to provide an ultrasonic inspection apparatus capable of performing an inspection in a short time with little leakage of an ultrasonic propagation medium.

[0008]

FIG. 1 shows an embodiment of the present invention.
According to the first aspect of the present invention, an ultrasonic wave is transmitted toward an object 150 through an ultrasonic wave propagation medium, and the ultrasonic wave is reflected based on information of the ultrasonic wave reflected by the object 150. The present invention is applied to an ultrasonic inspection apparatus for inspecting a specimen 150. A liquid tank 101 having an opening which is closed by an object surface of the object 150 at the time of examination; an ultrasonic transmitting / receiving device 104 housed in the liquid tank 101 for transmitting and receiving ultrasonic waves through the opening; A division film SF that divides 101 between the opening and the ultrasonic transmission / reception device 104; a medium supply device 114a that supplies an ultrasonic propagation medium to an opening-side liquid chamber DP formed between the division film SF and the opening; The above object is achieved by providing the above. According to a second aspect of the present invention, in the ultrasonic inspection apparatus according to the first aspect, a supply control means 132 for controlling the medium supply device 114a is attached to the liquid tank 101. According to a third aspect of the present invention, in the ultrasonic inspection apparatus according to the first aspect, a medium discharging device 114b for discharging a medium from the opening-side liquid chamber DP is further provided. According to a fourth aspect of the present invention, in the ultrasonic inspection apparatus according to the third aspect, the opening side liquid chamber DP is provided.
A supply / discharge control switch for controlling supply / discharge of the medium is further attached to the liquid tank 101. The invention according to claim 5 is the ultrasonic inspection apparatus according to claim 1,
The ultrasonic transmission / reception device 104 (304) is connected to the liquid tank 101 (30).
The driving mechanisms 106 and 110 (306) that are driven with respect to 1)
A, 306B, 310). According to a sixth aspect of the present invention, in the ultrasonic inspection apparatus according to the fifth aspect, the driving mechanisms 106 and 110 (306A, 30
6B, 310).
4) is attached to the liquid tank 101 (301).

In the section of the means for solving the above-mentioned problems, which explains the configuration of the present invention, the drawings of the embodiments are used to make the present invention easy to understand. However, the present invention is not limited to this.

[0010]

BEST MODE FOR CARRYING OUT THE INVENTION

-First Embodiment- Hereinafter, a first embodiment of an ultrasonic inspection apparatus according to the present invention will be described with reference to FIGS.

In FIG. 1A, a housing 101 is opened downward, and an opening end 101a is formed around the opening.
Are formed. The housing 101 is located at the center of the housing 101.
A partition plate 101b for partitioning the inside of the ultrasonic probe up and down is provided, and below the partition plate 101b, an array-type ultrasonic probe 10b is provided.
4 are provided.

As shown in FIG. 3, the ultrasonic probe 104 is provided with a number of minute ultrasonic transmitting / receiving elements 104a arranged in a row, and is a group of elements 1 having a fixed area for performing an ultrasonic transmitting / receiving operation.
By performing electronic switching so that 04X sequentially moves in the X direction, the ultrasonic beam B3 is scanned in the X direction. The transmitted ultrasonic beam B3 is focused toward the focal point by the phase difference of the vibration of each element 104a constituting the element group 104X and the function of the acoustic lens 104b attached to the ultrasonic transmitting / receiving element 104a.

The ultrasonic probe 104 is screwed with a male screw 106 rotatably mounted on the housing 101,
It is slidably mounted on a guide rail 105 provided in parallel with the male screw 106.

The male screw 106 is mounted so as to penetrate the side wall of the housing 101, and a pulley 107 is mounted at the end of the male screw 106 projecting from the side wall. On the other hand, a motor 110 is provided above the partition plate 101b,
A pulley 109 is attached to a tip of a rotation shaft 111 of a motor 110 provided through the motor 110. A belt 108 is wound around these pulleys 107 and 109,
The pulleys 107 and 109 and the belt 108 are
Is housed in a cover 102 attached to the camera.

When the motor 110 rotates, the motor 110
Of the pulley 109, the belt 108 and the pulley 1
The ultrasonic probe 10 is transmitted to the external thread 106 through the external thread 07 and screwed into the external thread 106 with the rotation of the external thread 106.
4 is guided by the guide rail 105 and slides in the Y-axis direction. An encoder 112 for reading the rotation angle of the motor 110 is attached to the motor 110, and the Y coordinate of the ultrasonic probe 104 is calculated based on the output signal 112A of the encoder 112.

A mounting member 131 is circumferentially mounted on the side surface of the ultrasonic probe 104, and a flexible, highly stretchable and water-tight bellows-like member 130 is provided on the lower side of the housing 101 and the mounting member 131. It is installed in a water seal between the inside and the inside. The bellows-like member 130 is deformed in accordance with the movement of the ultrasonic probe 104 while maintaining the water sealing property.

The subject 150 in contact with the open end 101a
And the ultrasonic probe 104 housed in the housing 101, the divided film S substantially parallel to the object surface of the object 150.
F is attached. The dividing film SF separates the inside of the casing 101 vertically into a water seal, and as shown in FIG.
Upper water chamber U surrounded by housing 101, bellows-like member 130, mounting member 131, and ultrasonic probe 104
P and a lower water chamber DP surrounded by the divided membrane SF, the casing 101, and the subject surface of the subject 150 are formed. Since the division film SF is provided at a position close to the opening end 101a, the volume of the lower water chamber DP is extremely small.

Since the divided film SF needs to transmit the ultrasonic wave transmitted from the ultrasonic probe 104 without being attenuated as much as possible, the divided film SF has an acoustic impedance with water so that the reflection of the ultrasonic wave hardly occurs. It is desirable to use the same material and reduce its thickness in order to suppress the attenuation. As the division film SF, for example, a polyimide film or the like having a thickness of about 50 μm can be used.

A supply pipe 113 is penetrated through a mounting member 131 mounted around the ultrasonic probe 104, and a liquid such as distilled water is supplied to the upper water chamber UP via the supply pipe 113. Since the upper water chamber UP is connected to the outside only through the supply pipe 113, once the upper water chamber UP is filled with liquid via the supply pipe 113 and then the supply pipe 113 is closed, the filled liquid leaks. Upper water chamber UP without doing
Will be maintained within The liquid filled in the upper water chamber UP functions as a medium for transmitting the ultrasonic waves transmitted from the ultrasonic probe 104.

A water supply pipe 114a and a drainage pipe 114b are connected to the lower water chamber DP through the casing 101, and supply and drainage of the lower water chamber DP is performed through the water supply pipe 114a and the drainage pipe 114b. As shown in FIG. 1 (b), the lower water chamber DP has a substantially hexagonal shape in which the width gradually increases from the side where the water supply pipe 114a is connected, and decreases again toward the drain pipe 114b. doing. By forming the lower water chamber DP in such a shape, the flow of water is made smooth and air in the lower water chamber DP is efficiently removed.

As shown in FIG. 1A, the water supply pipe 114a
Is connected to a water supply pump (not shown) via a water supply control valve 132 attached to the upper part of the housing 101, and the water supply to the lower water chamber DP is controlled by operating the water supply control valve 132. Further, a water supply control valve 1 is provided at an upper part of the housing 101.
A scan control switch 133 is mounted in line with 32. By operating the scan control switch 133, the motor 110 starts rotating. As a result, the scanning of the ultrasonic probe 104 is started. For example, when one-line scanning is completed, the ultrasonic probe 104 automatically returns to the start position and stops. Alternatively, it can be set so that start and stop are repeated each time the scan control switch 133 is operated.

As shown in FIGS. 1A and 2, the ultrasonic probe 104 is connected to an ultrasonic transceiver 120 provided outside the housing 101 via a signal line 119. The transmission pulse 121A output from the transmission unit 121 of the ultrasonic transceiver 120 is input to the vibration element 104a of the ultrasonic probe 104, and the received signal 1 of the ultrasonic probe 104
04A is input to the receiving unit 122 of the ultrasonic transceiver 120. Further, the output signal 122A of the receiving unit 122 and the signal 1 of the encoder 112 for reading the rotation angle of the motor 110
12A is input to the signal display unit 123 and the flaw detection image 124
Is displayed.

The operation in the case where the subject 150 is inspected using the ultrasonic inspection apparatus of the present embodiment configured as described above will be described below. Supply pipe 11 for inspection
The upper water chamber UP is filled with distilled water via 3 and a valve (not shown) of the supply pipe 113 is closed. Thereby, the state where the upper water chamber UP is filled with the distilled water is maintained.

Next, with the open end 101a of the casing 101 in contact with the subject surface of the subject 150, the water supply control valve 13
By operating 2, water is supplied into the lower water chamber DP via the water supply pipe 114a. Since the capacity of the lower water chamber DP is extremely small, the lower water chamber DP is filled with water soon after water supply is started, and the air in the lower water chamber DP is discharged. After filling the lower water chamber DP with water, the water supply control valve 1
32 is operated to stop the water supply to the lower water chamber DP.

After both the upper water chamber UP and the lower water chamber DP are filled with distilled water or water, the ultrasonic probe 1
When the ultrasonic waves are transmitted from 04, the transmitted ultrasonic waves pass through the upper water chamber UP, the divided membrane SF, and the lower water chamber DP, and reach the subject 150. The ultrasonic wave that has reached the subject 150 is reflected on the surface or inside of the subject 150, and is received again by the ultrasonic probe 104 via the lower water chamber DP, the divided membrane SF, and the upper water chamber UP.

The ultrasonic wave transmitted from the ultrasonic probe 104 is
In the X direction by electronically switching the operation of each element 104a,
Since the scanning is performed in the Y direction by the movement of the ultrasonic probe 104 according to the rotation of the ball screw 106, the housing 1
It is possible to perform two-dimensional scanning over a predetermined range of the object surface while keeping 01 fixed. As described above, in the first embodiment, when scanning the ultrasonic probe 104, the housing 1
Since it is not necessary to move the entire water, the operation of replacing the water in the lower water chamber DP becomes unnecessary, and the inspection time can be reduced.
Further, the periphery of the subject 150 is not inadvertently wetted. Note that it is preferable that the opening end 101a is formed of an elastic material itself, or that the elastic material is attached to a surface in contact with the subject 150.

The position of the ultrasonic probe 104 is determined by the encoder 1
12 is read in real time via the rotation angle of the motor 110. The ultrasonic wave that has reached the ultrasonic probe 104 is converted into an electric signal by the ultrasonic probe 104 and processed by the ultrasonic transceiver 120. The electric signal transmitted through the ultrasonic transceiver 120 and the signal of the encoder 112 are input to the signal display unit 123, and a flaw detection image of the subject 150 is displayed on the signal display unit 123.

To move the inspection site, it is necessary to move the housing 101 to the next inspection member.
Since the volume of the sample is extremely small, the amount of water remaining on the subject 150 is small even if the draining operation before the movement is omitted. You may.

In FIG. 1, the metal plate 151 and the metal plate 1 joined at the spot weld 153 as the subject 150 are shown.
52 is illustrated, for example, when it is desired to inspect the site of the spot weld 153, the ultrasonic beam B1 emitted from the ultrasonic probe 104 focuses on the depth of the spot weld 153. The distance between the subject 150 and the ultrasound probe 104 may be adjusted before the examination so as to tie them.

In the first embodiment, the water supply control valve 132
Is attached to the casing 101, the operation of supplying and draining the lower water chamber DP can be easily performed, and the work load of the ultrasonic inspection can be reduced and the inspection time can be shortened.

The water supply / drainage control switch may be further provided in the housing 101 to control the rotation direction of a pump (not shown) together with the operation of the water supply control valve 132 to supply / drain the medium in the lower water chamber DP. In this case, for example, if the medium is discharged in advance when the inspection site is moved, the leakage of the medium can be further reduced.

In the apparatus of the first embodiment, the lower water chamber D
Since the volume of P is reduced, the work of water supply and drainage before and after the inspection can be performed in a short time, and the entire inspection time can be shortened. Further, since the capacity of the lower water chamber DP is small, there is no possibility that a large amount of water will flow out due to an erroneous operation or the like at the time of inspection, which is suitable for an inspection of a subject who dislikes water.

In the ultrasonic inspection apparatus according to the first embodiment, the liquid in the upper water chamber UP does not leak, so that the liquid in the upper water chamber UP does not need to be replaced every time the inspection is performed. . Therefore, a high-performance but expensive liquid such as distilled water or a chlorofluorocarbon-based solvent can be used as the ultrasonic wave propagation medium of the upper water chamber UP.

Further, since the scan control switch 133 for controlling the scanning of the ultrasonic probe 104 is mounted on the housing 101, the scanning of the ultrasonic probe 104 can be started or stopped by a simple operation. it can. In the first embodiment, the ultrasonic probe 104 can be driven only in one direction. However, the ultrasonic probe 104 may be two-dimensionally scanned in accordance with the object surface. In the first embodiment, the water supply control valve 132 and the scan control switch 13
The water supply control valve 132 and the scan control switch 133 only need to be provided at a position where an operator can easily operate the inspection, for example, the water supply control valve 132 and the scan control switch 133 are mounted on the side surface of the housing 101. You may.

In the first embodiment, an array-type ultrasonic probe 104 is used to scan ultrasonic waves two-dimensionally while the housing 101 is fixed. Instead of using a type ultrasonic probe, a single element type ultrasonic probe may be used. By providing a mechanism for moving the single-element probe on a straight line, one-dimensional scanning becomes possible. By providing a two-dimensional scanner, two-dimensional scanning can be performed as in the first embodiment.

Second Embodiment Hereinafter, a second embodiment of the ultrasonic inspection apparatus according to the present invention will be described with reference to FIG.
An embodiment will be described.

As shown in FIG. 4, the housing 301 is provided with a protruding portion 301a protruding downward.
For example, a rectangular opening 301b is formed at the tip of the. In the inspection apparatus according to the second embodiment, the inspection of the subject is performed by pressing the opening 301b against the surface of the subject.
An ultrasonic probe 304 having an acoustic lens 304a is housed in the housing 301, and the ultrasonic probe 304 and the opening 301 are accommodated.
A flexible and highly elastic bellows-like member 330 is interposed between the inner periphery of b and the inner periphery of the b. Also, the opening 301b
A dividing film SF that vertically separates the inside of the housing 301 in a water-sealed manner is provided between the opening 301b and the ultrasonic probe 304, and the ultrasonic probe 304 and the bellows-like member. Upper water chamber UP surrounded by 330 and divided membrane SF
Is surrounded by a subject (not shown) closing the division membrane SF, the housing 301, and the opening 301b.
Are formed respectively.

The upper water chamber UP is filled with distilled water via a supply pipe (not shown). In addition, a water supply pipe 3 is provided in the lower water chamber DP.
14a and the drain pipe 314b are connected, and the water supply pipe 314 is connected.
Water is supplied to the lower water chamber DP via a, and drainage from the lower water chamber DP is performed via a drain pipe 314b. As shown in FIG. 4, the water supply pipe 314a and the drain pipe 3
14b are routed according to the shape of the protruding portion 301a of the housing 301, and are connected to the lower water chamber DP.

A water supply control valve 332 is attached to an upper portion of the housing 301, and a water supply pipe 314a is connected to a water supply pump (not shown) via the water supply control valve 332. Water supply control valve 3
By operating 32, the start and stop of water supply to the lower water chamber DP can be controlled.

A pinion 306A is attached to the rotating shaft of the motor 310 housed in the housing 301, and the pinion 30
A rack 306B meshed with 6A is slidably provided inside the housing 301. The ultrasonic probe 304 is attached to the rack 306B. When the motor 310 is rotated, the pinion 306A rotates, and the rack meshed with the pinion 306A moves in the AB direction. Thereby, the ultrasonic probe 304 attached to the rack 306B is scanned in the AB direction. As the ultrasonic probe 304 moves, the bellows-like member 330 flexibly deforms while maintaining the water-sealing property.

A water supply control valve 332 is provided at the upper part of the housing 301.
A scan control switch 334 is attached alongside The scan control switch 334 is connected to a motor control circuit (not shown) that controls the motor 310, and the motor 31 is operated by operating the scan control switch 334.
0 starts rotating, and scanning of the ultrasonic probe 304 is started.

When the housing 301 is brought into contact with the subject so as to close the opening 301b with the test surface of the subject and water supply to the lower water chamber DP is started, the lower water chamber DP is soon filled with water. After the water supply to the lower water chamber DP is stopped by operating the water supply control valve 332, the scanning of the ultrasonic probe 304 is started by operating the scan control switch 334. The ultrasonic waves transmitted from the ultrasonic probe 304 pass through the upper water chamber UP, the divided membrane SF, and the lower water chamber DP, and reach the subject. Ultrasound reflected from the surface or inside of the subject
The signal is received by the ultrasonic probe 304 following the outward path in the reverse direction. While scanning the ultrasonic probe 304 in the AB direction,
By processing the received wave converted into an electric signal, a flaw detection image of the subject can be obtained as in the first embodiment.

In the inspection apparatus of the second embodiment, the water supply control valve 332 is attached to the housing 301 as in the first embodiment, so that the work of supplying and draining the lower water chamber DP can be easily performed. Further, since the scan control switch 334 for controlling the scanning of the ultrasonic probe 304 is attached to the housing 301, the scanning of the ultrasonic probe 304 can be started by a simple operation. Therefore, in the inspection apparatus of the second embodiment, the operation after the housing 301 is brought into contact with the subject, that is, a series of operations from the start of water supply, the stop of water supply, and the scanning of the ultrasonic probe 304 is performed. Can be performed by a simple operation of the user.

In the second embodiment, the ultrasonic probe 30
4 is performed using the rack 306B and the pinion 306A, the size of the drive mechanism can be reduced, and the housing 301 can be made compact.
In addition, as shown in FIG. 4, since the opening 301b is formed at a position shifted from the center line of the housing 301, the direction of the opening 301 can be selected by selecting the direction of the housing 301 according to the shape of the subject.
It is possible to widen the range in which 1b can contact the subject, thereby expanding the test site where the subject can be tested. The ultrasonic probe 304
May be a single element type probe or an array type probe.

In the embodiments and the claims, the housing 101 and the housing 301 are used as liquid tanks, the ultrasonic probe 104 is used as an ultrasonic transmitting / receiving device, the water supply pipe 114a is used as a medium supplying device, and the drainage water is used as a drain. The pipe 114b serves as the medium discharge device, the water supply control valve 132 serves as the supply control means, the scan control switch 133 serves as the drive control means, the motor 110 and the ball screw 106 serve as the drive mechanism, the motor 310 and the pinion 306.
A and the rack 306B correspond to the drive mechanism, the scan control switch 334 corresponds to the drive control means, and the lower water chamber DP corresponds to the opening side liquid chamber.

[0046]

According to the first aspect of the present invention, since the capacity of the liquid chamber on the opening side can be reduced by dividing the liquid tank by the dividing film, the leakage of the ultrasonic wave propagation medium is small, and the inspection time is reduced. Can be shortened. According to the second aspect of the present invention, since the supply control means is attached to the liquid tank,
The work of supplying water to the opening side liquid chamber becomes easy. According to the third aspect of the present invention, since the medium discharge device is provided, it can be confirmed whether or not the medium has been supplied to the opening-side liquid chamber, and the amount of water remaining in the subject can be further reduced. According to the fourth aspect of the present invention, since the supply / discharge control switch is attached to the liquid tank,
The work of supplying and discharging the medium in the opening side liquid chamber is facilitated. Claim 5
According to the invention described in (1), since the drive mechanism for driving the ultrasonic transmission / reception device with respect to the liquid tank is provided, the ultrasonic probe can be scanned without moving the liquid tank. According to the sixth aspect of the present invention, since the drive control means is attached to the liquid tank, it is easy to control the scanning of the ultrasonic probe.

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 is a diagram showing a first embodiment of an ultrasonic inspection apparatus according to the present invention, wherein (a) is a longitudinal sectional view and (b) is (a).
The figure which shows the part of the lower water chamber seen from the bb direction in FIG.

FIG. 2 is a block diagram showing an ultrasonic inspection apparatus according to the first embodiment.

FIG. 3 is a diagram showing an array type ultrasonic probe of the apparatus according to the first embodiment.

FIG. 4 is a diagram showing a second embodiment of the ultrasonic inspection apparatus according to the present invention.

FIG. 5 is a cross-sectional view showing a conventional submerged liquid immersion method.

FIG. 6 is a sectional view showing a conventional local immersion method.

FIG. 7 is a sectional view showing a conventional gap method.

[Explanation of symbols]

 101 Housing 104 Ultrasonic Probe 106 Ball Screw 110 Motor 114a Water Supply Pipe 114b Drain Pipe 132 Supply Control Valve 133 Scan Control Switch 150 Subject 301 Housing 304 Ultrasonic Probe 306A Pinion 306B Rack 310 Motor 334 Scan Control Switch SF Split membrane DP Lower water chamber

Continued on the front page (72) Inventor Tamio Hayasaka 1 Toyota Town, Toyota City, Aichi Prefecture Inside Toyota Motor Corporation (72) Inventor Yasuhiko Morinaga 1 Toyota Town, Toyota City, Toyota City Inside Toyota Motor Corporation

Claims (6)

[Claims] 1. An ultrasonic inspection apparatus for transmitting an ultrasonic wave toward an object through an ultrasonic wave propagation medium and for inspecting the object based on information of the ultrasonic wave reflected by the object. A liquid tank in which an opening closed by the subject surface of the subject is formed at the time of examination; an ultrasonic transmitting / receiving device which is housed in the liquid tank and transmits / receives ultrasonic waves through the opening; A dividing film that divides between the opening and the ultrasonic transmitting and receiving device; and a medium supply device that supplies the ultrasonic wave propagation medium to an opening-side liquid chamber formed between the dividing film and the opening. An ultrasonic inspection apparatus characterized by the above-mentioned. 2. The ultrasonic inspection apparatus according to claim 1, wherein supply control means for controlling the medium supply device is attached to the liquid tank. 3. The apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising a medium discharging device for discharging the medium from the opening-side liquid chamber.
The ultrasonic inspection apparatus according to claim 1. 4. The ultrasonic inspection apparatus according to claim 3, wherein a supply / discharge control switch for controlling supply / discharge of the medium from the opening side liquid chamber is further attached to the liquid tank. 5. The ultrasonic inspection apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising a driving mechanism for driving the ultrasonic transmission / reception apparatus with respect to the liquid tank. 6. The ultrasonic inspection apparatus according to claim 5, wherein drive control means for controlling said drive mechanism is attached to said liquid tank.