JPH11133007A - Ultrasonic inspection device and ultrasonic inspection device of adhesive surface of plastic member, etc. - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To promote automation and improve reliability in inspection results contrary to a proceeding device, in which the conditions of fusion in a fused part of plastic members are determined by a destructive inspection, automation is difficult, and inspection results are lowly reliable. SOLUTION: At the time of inspecting a fused part 2 of an object to be inspected 1 formed by fusing two plastic parts together by an ultrasonic flaw detecting method, a computation control device 20 connected to an ultrasonic flaw detector 18 performs following determination processes on an ultrasonic beam 4 irradiating the fused part 2 by an ultrasonic vertical probe 3. In the case that an ultrasonic reflection signal 22 from the contact part between the ultrasonic probe 3 and an upper-side member 1a is equal to a set value or more, and an ultrasonic reflection signal 23 from the fused part 2 is equal to a set value or less (or an ultrasonic reflection signal 24 from the bottom surface is equal to a set value or more), it is determined that the object to be inspected 1 is a defective unit. In the case that the relation with each set value is contrary, it is determined that the object to be inspected 1 is a defective unit.

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to an apparatus for inspecting a bonded part, and more particularly to an apparatus for inspecting a bonded part for inspecting the bonding state of a bonded part between plastic materials by ultrasonic flaw detection.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art In a recording apparatus or an information apparatus such as a laser printer or an electrophotographic copying machine, a toner image is formed by sequentially adsorbing fine particles called toner on a recording medium according to a recorded image on a recording medium. The toner image is transferred from the photoreceptor to the recording paper surface, and the toner image on the paper surface is heated and pressed to fix the toner image. The toner is
Usually, it is commercially available in the form of a toner package housed in a plastic package for easy replacement. An example of the configuration of the toner package will be described. In consideration of mass productivity and the like, a vertically divided structure is adopted, and the bonding surface thereof is fused using ultrasonic welding or the like.
They are glued together.

[0003] In recent years, a recording apparatus using a toner has also been required to have a high resolution. For this reason, if there is a slight gap due to poor adhesion or the like in the toner package, toner leakage occurs, causing problems such as deterioration of toner quality and soiling of user's clothes. Therefore, it is important to inspect the adhesion state of the toner package. The current inspection method is that plastic products are mass-produced and inexpensive,
A destructive inspection for cutting and observing a toner package by a sampling inspection is used, and a non-destructive inspection (for example, ultrasonic flaw detection or the like) as performed for a metal product is not performed. This is true for all plastic products, not limited to toner packages. However, since the conventional bonding portion inspection is a destructive inspection, automation is difficult, and the reliability of the inspection result is low. In addition, it is difficult to perform a large-scale inspection of all products.

[0004]

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION An object of the present invention is to provide an ultrasonic inspection apparatus capable of determining the state of adhesion of a bonded portion such as a plastic material with high reliability and high speed. It is a further object of the present invention to provide an ultrasonic inspection apparatus capable of reducing the occurrence of dirt or the like due to inspection of an inspection site.

[0005]

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION The present invention relates to an ultrasonic inspection apparatus for inspecting a plastic member formed by bonding or fusing two or more plastic parts by ultrasonic flaw detection. An ultrasonic probe that irradiates an ultrasonic beam to an adhesive or fusion surface of the plastic member and receives a reflection signal, and an ultrasonic reflection signal from an ultrasonic incident surface of the plastic member and adhesion of the plastic member or Means for judging the quality of the object to be inspected based on an ultrasonic reflection signal from the fused portion or an ultrasonic reflection signal from the bottom surface of the plastic member. An inspection device is disclosed. Further, the present invention relates to an ultrasonic inspection apparatus for inspecting a plastic member formed by bonding or fusing two or more plastic parts by ultrasonic flaw detection, such as a bonding surface of a plastic member, and bonding or fusing the plastic member. An ultrasonic probe that irradiates an ultrasonic beam to a surface and receives a reflected signal, and an ultrasonic reflected signal from an ultrasonic incident surface of the plastic member is equal to or more than a set value, and an ultrasonic wave from the bonded or fused portion is used. When the reflected signal is equal to or less than the set value or when the ultrasonic reflected signal from the bottom surface located behind the bonded or fused portion is equal to or more than the set value, the non-defective product is determined, and the relationship between each of the reflected signals and each set value is determined. Disclosed is an ultrasonic inspection apparatus for inspecting a bonding surface of a plastic member or the like, which is provided with a determination unit for determining a defective product when the reverse is performed.

According to the present invention, there is provided an ultrasonic probe, supply means for supplying a couplant to a contact surface between the probe and a member to be inspected, and recovery means for recovering the couplant on the contact surface. An ultrasonic inspection apparatus provided is disclosed. Further, in the present invention, the ultrasonic probe and at least the periphery of the probe are supported, and the ultrasonic probe is sealed so that the couplant on the contact surface between the probe and the part to be inspected is not exposed to the outside. A support member, a couplant supply port provided in the support member, a couplant recovery port provided in contact with the support member and the contact surface, a couplant supply means connected to the supply port, and an inflow from the supply port An inflow passage for allowing the couplant to flow into the contact surface between the probe and the inspected portion, and a couplant absorbent provided in the recovery hole,
An ultrasonic inspection apparatus comprising: a couplant recovery means connected to the recovery port and recovered via the absorbing material. Further, the present invention includes a first control means for controlling a supply amount and / or a supply timing by the supply means, and a second control means for controlling a recovery capacity and / or a recovery timing by the recovery means. An ultrasonic inspection apparatus according to claim 8 or 9 is disclosed.

[0007]

Embodiments of the present invention will be described below with reference to the drawings. FIG. 1 is a configuration diagram showing a bonded part inspection apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention. The test object 1 made of plastic includes an upper member 1a and a lower member 1b coupled to the upper member 1a. The upper member 1a and the lower member 1b are bonded together with an adhesive or fused using ultrasonic welding or the like to form a bonding surface (including fusion) 2. The bonding surface 2 serves as an inspection surface, and an ultrasonic vertical probe 3 (probe) is disposed in close contact with the bottom surface of the upper member 1a. An ultrasonic beam 4 passes through the bonding surface 2. At the time of inspection, a couplant 5 (water or other solution) is interposed on the contact surface of the ultrasonic vertical probe 3, an air layer is formed on the contact surface, and the ultrasonic beam 4 is reflected by the air layer. To prevent them from getting lost.

The ultrasonic vertical probe 3 has a cylindrical adapter 6
(Supporting member) and is fixed by a push bolt 3b,
An O-ring 7 for preventing the couplant 5 from leaking from above through the gap is provided at the upper part.
At the lower end of the adapter 6, a couplant 5 is provided.
In order to prevent spills out of
A groove (recovery port) formed in the lower end of the adapter 6 with the sponge 8 as an absorbent material with its lower end exposed.
6c (it goes without saying that there is an example in which a sealing means other than a sponge is used. At this time, the sponge merely functions as an absorbent). Therefore, when the ultrasonic vertical probe 3 mounted on the adapter 6 is used, both sides are sealed by the O-ring 7 and the sponge 8, so that a sealed space is formed inside the adapter 6, and the sealed space is formed in the sealed space. The couplant 5 is supplied from the outside. A supply tank 9 is prepared as a supply source of the couplant 5, a pipe 9 a is connected between the supply tank 9 and the adapter 6, and an electromagnetic valve 10 a and a throttle valve 11 are provided in the middle of the pipe 9 a. . Adapter 6 at the part to which pipe 9a is connected
The supply port 6b has an optimal hole size so as not to overflow through the gap 6a between the sponge 8 and the contact surface. The supply tank 9 is filled with water 12 at a predetermined level.
In order to pressurize the inside of the supply tank 9, the pressure regulating valve 1
The air compressor 14 is connected via a pipe 14a provided with 3a.

In order to discharge the couplant 5 in the adapter 6, a pipe 15a is guided to the recovery port 6c to absorb the couplant absorbed by the sponge 6c. The trap 15 and the air ejector 16 are sequentially connected to the pipe 15a. The pipe 16 is connected to the air ejector 16.
a is connected, its tip is guided near the contact portion of the ultrasonic vertical probe 3, and an air blowing port 17 is formed at the end. The air compressor 14 has a pressure regulating valve 13
b and a pipe 14 b provided with the solenoid valve 10 b are connected to the air ejector 16. The trap 15 has a function of sucking and collecting the collected couplant. The suction air used for the recovery is provided from the ejector 16. Further, the ejector 16 is also used for discharging the blowing air. An ultrasonic flaw detector 18 is connected to the ultrasonic vertical probe 3 via a cable 3a.
Is connected. The ultrasonic flaw detector 18 includes an electric shock pulse oscillator (not shown) for exciting the ultrasonic vertical probe 3, a receiving unit (not shown) for receiving an ultrasonic reflected signal (ultrasonic echo) from the inspection object 1, and A CRT 19 is provided. An arithmetic and control unit 20 that outputs a control signal 21 to the transport line is connected to the ultrasonic flaw detector 18. Arithmetic and control unit 2
Numeral 0 is provided with a judging unit for judging a non-defective / defective product based on a plurality of types of ultrasonic reflected signals received by the ultrasonic flaw detector 18, and a control unit for issuing various alarms.

Next, an outline of the entire operation of the configuration shown in FIG. 1 will be described. First, the solenoid valves 10a and 10b are opened, and water is supplied from the supply tank 9 into the gap 6a of the adapter 6 by the couplant 5
The couplant 5 is simultaneously supplied to the contact surface of the ultrasonic vertical probe 3 while being collected in the trap 15. In this state, as shown in FIG. 2, an automatic scanning mechanism (not shown) is activated so as to make a circuit just above the fusion section 2 and automatically moves the ultrasonic vertical probe 3 at a predetermined speed with an arrow A. Move in the direction. In the course of this movement, three ultrasonic reflection signals, that is, on the screen of the CRT 19 of the ultrasonic flaw detector 18, a portion where the ultrasonic vertical probe 3 has contacted the upper member 1a (hereinafter, "probe contact portion"). ), The ultrasonic reflected signal 23 from the fusion part 2, and the ultrasonic reflected signal 24 from the bottom surface (the lower surface of the lower member 1b).
The distance (depth) is displayed on the time axis. The reflection intensity is displayed on the vertical axis in the form of a pulse wave. When the ultrasonic vertical probe 3 returns to the initial movement position, the automatic scanning mechanism stops operating. Next, the solenoid valves 10a and 10b are closed, and the supply of the couplant 5 is stopped. The above series of operations are repeatedly executed each time the inspection object 1 is replaced.

Next, the couplant supply means in the configuration shown in FIG. 1 will be described. The water 12 in the supply tank 9 is pressurized by compressed air provided by a compressor 14 and a pressure regulating valve 13a, and a gap between the solenoid valve 10, the throttle valve 11, and the ultrasonic vertical probe 3 of the adapter 6 is provided. 6a, and is supplied to the contact surface between the ultrasonic vertical probe 3 and the upper member 1a. The amount of supplied water does not hinder the transmission of ultrasonic waves at the contact surface between the ultrasonic vertical probe 3 and the upper member 1a due to the opening degree of the throttle valve 11 and the pressurized pressure value by the pressure adjusting valve 13a. It is adjusted in advance so that the couplant 5 does not leak around the vertical probe 3. When the flaw detection scan is stopped, the electromagnetic valve 10 is closed to stop the supply of the couplant 5 and the ultrasonic vertical probe 3
The dimension of the gap 6a between the cable and the adapter 6 is limited, and the couplant 5 is held in the gap (passage) 6a by the surface tension.

Next, the recovery of the couplant 5 from the probe contact portion, the blowing of air to the contact surface, the escape of the couplant 5 and the drying mechanism will be described. This mechanism includes couplant supply means (supply tank 9, pipe 9a, solenoid valve 10a, throttle valve 11, pressure regulating valve 13a, air compressor 14, pipe 14a
Configuration including Supply port 6b may be included), couplant recovery means (including electromagnetic valve 10b, pressure regulating valve 13b, air compressor 14, trap 15, pipe 15a, air ejector 16), and couplant removal means ( (A configuration including an air ejector 16, a pipe 16a, and an air blowing port 17. The recovery port 6c and the sponge 8 may be included), and the couplant 5 remaining or leaking at the probe contact portion of the upper member 1a. In order to eliminate or reduce the cleaning work described above, the couplant 5 at the probe contact portion is collected, air is blown to the probe contact portion to dissipate into the air, and drying is performed. The individual members constituting the above three means are all shown in FIG.

The couplant supply means will be described. The required minimum couplant 5 is supplied by the pressure regulating valve 13a and the throttle valve 11. When the inspection is stopped, the solenoid valve 10 is turned off.
By closing a and restricting the supply opening, dripping of the residual couplant is suppressed. On the other hand, the couplant recovery means will be described. The couplant 5 in the gap 6a is vacuum-aspirated while being sealed with the sponge 8. An air ejector 16 (or a vacuum pump) is used as a suction source for vacuum suction, and the couplant 5 is collected by a trap 15. The couplant 5
If ethyl alcohol is used, natural drying is easy, so that a couplant recovery means can be eliminated. Further, the means for removing the couplant 5 remaining or leaking to the contact surface will be described. Compressed air from the air compressor 14 is blown from the air blowing port 17 toward the contact surface, and the water or ethyl The evaporating couplant, such as alcohol, is dissipated (evaporated) and dried. When the air ejector 16 is used for sucking the used couplant 5, the exhaust of the working air can be used for blowing the air to the contact surface, so that the equipment can be highly functional.

Next, flaw detection and flaw detection signal processing will be described. The ultrasonic beam 4 transmitted by bombarding the ultrasonic transducer 30 with the electric shock pulse oscillator built in the ultrasonic flaw detector 18 is inspected via the couplant 5 on the lower surface of the ultrasonic vertical probe 3. It is incident on the object 1. The ultrasonic beam 4 obtains the following ultrasonic reflected signal and displays it on the CRT 19 for signal display of the ultrasonic flaw detector 18. This display and processing will be described with reference to FIG.

FIG. 3 shows the display contents of the flaw detection signal on the CRT 19. In the drawing, 22 is an ultrasonic reflection signal from the probe contact portion, 23 is an ultrasonic reflection signal from the fusion bonding portion, 24 is an ultrasonic reflection signal from the bottom surface (the lower surface of the lower member 1b), 25,
26 and 27 are gate setting levels. The ultrasonic reflection signal 22 from the probe contact portion fluctuates in an increasing direction based on a minimum value determined by the acoustic impedance of the probe wedge member and the inspection object. The ultrasonic reflection signal 22 varies depending on the thickness of the couplant, that is, the gap between the probe surface and the object surface, the surface roughness of the object surface, the supply of the couplant, and the like.
When the supply of the couplant 5 is insufficient (or when the supply is insufficient), the ultrasonic beam 4 incident on the inspection object 1 decreases, and the ultrasonic reflection signal 22 from the probe contact portion increases. Note that the acoustic impedance of steel, which is frequently used for ultrasonic testing, is significantly different from that of the ultrasonic probe wedge material or the couplant, so that the ultrasonic reflection signal 22 becomes significantly large, It is impossible to display and measure on the same screen of the CRT 19 together with the ultrasonic reflection signal 23 and the ultrasonic reflection signal 24 from the bottom surface. However, when flaw detection is performed on plastic, these three signals are at substantially the same level, and the ultrasonic reflection signal 22 from the probe contact portion indicates the ultrasonic transmission state at the probe contact surface. It can be used as a useful index value.

The ultrasonic reflected signal 23 from the fusion part 2 varies depending on the size of the fusion area of the fusion part 2 of the upper member 1a and the lower member 1b. If the fusion area decreases, the ultrasonic reflection signal 23 increases. Ultrasonic reflection signal 24 from bottom
Is a signal in which the ultrasonic wave reaching the bottom surface is totally reflected by the bottom surface. This ultrasonic reflection signal 24 changes according to the ultrasonic reflection signal 23 from the fusion part 2. The ultrasonic reflected signal 24 is a surface reflected signal 22 from the probe contact portion.
Decreases when increases.

Based on these reflected signals, the ultrasonic flaw detector 1
8 outputs the following three types of event signals to the arithmetic and control unit 20. (1) The ultrasonic reflection signal 22 from the probe contact portion is equal to or higher than the gate setting level (setting value) 25. (2) The ultrasonic reflection signal 23 from the fusion part 2 is equal to or higher than the gate set level (set value) 26. (3) The ultrasonic reflection signal 24 from the bottom surface is equal to or higher than the gate setting level (setting value) 27.

Based on the above event signal, the arithmetic and control unit 20 determines a non-defective product as described below, outputs a control signal 21 to the transport line, and removes a defective product from the transport line. (A) Judgment of non-defective products Under the AND condition that there is no gate event signal from the ultrasonic reflection signal 22 from the probe contact part and no gate event signal from the ultrasonic reflection signal 23 from the fusion part 2, It is determined that there is, and if this condition is not satisfied, it is determined to be defective. Specifically, the reflected signal 22 from the probe contact portion is equal to or lower than the gate set level, and the ultrasonic reflected signal 23 from the fusion portion 2 is equal to or lower than the gate set level (or the ultrasonic reflected signal 24 from the bottom is gated). Above setting level)
Are used as conditions for discriminating non-defective products. Alternatively, when the reflected signal 22 from the probe contact portion is equal to or less than the gate set level,
An AND condition in which the ultrasonic reflection signal 23 from the fusion unit 2 is equal to or higher than the gate setting level is set as a defective product determination condition. Thus, it is possible to correctly evaluate the bonding state of the fusion bonding portion 2 in a state where the ultrasonic wave incidence between the surface of the ultrasonic vertical probe 3 and the surface of the inspection object is sufficiently ensured. (B) Device Failure (I) When the ultrasonic reflected signal 23 from the fusion part 2 and the ultrasonic reflected signal 24 from the bottom surface are lower than the respective gate setting levels, all of the ultrasonic flaw detectors 18 fail and the like. Since the signal is lost, the alarm display and the stop of the inspection device are performed to prevent the inspection line from being used continuously.
Specifically, the ultrasonic reflected signal 23 from the fusion unit 2 is at or below the gate setting level 26, and the ultrasonic reflected wave signal 24 from the bottom is at or below the gate setting level 27. When there is no control signal, a warning is displayed to indicate that the equipment has failed, and the control signal 2 for stopping the transport line
Outputs 1. (C) Device failure (II) Ultrasonic reflection signal 22 from the contact portion of ultrasonic vertical probe 3
Exceeds the gate setting level, a problem may have occurred in the couplant supply means or the like. Therefore, prompt countermeasures can be taken by displaying an alarm and performing one automatic re-inspection. If the same state is reproduced by the re-detection, the control signal 21 is output to stop the transport line.

In the above embodiment, the inspection object 1 is a plastic product. However, as long as an ultrasonic reflection signal of a level that can be used for inspection processing can be obtained, other non-metallic materials or the like can be used. The present invention can be applied to metal devices. Further, in the above embodiment, the fused portion 2
Is an inspection target, but the present invention can also be applied to an adhesive portion using an adhesive. Furthermore, although it has been described that it is absorbed by the sponge 8, it is not always necessary. Further, another absorbing material may be used. Further, it goes without saying that the couplant supply and recovery (including dissipation) means can be applied to an ultrasonic inspection apparatus for members other than plastics.

[0020]

As is clear from the above, according to the present invention, there is provided a bonded part inspection apparatus capable of performing a high-speed and highly reliable inspection of a state of a part to be inspected by bonding or fusion of a plastic object to be inspected. can do. Furthermore, it is possible to provide an adhesion inspection apparatus in which the occurrence of dirt or the like due to the inspection of the inspection site is reduced.

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 is an explanatory diagram illustrating a configuration of an adhesion inspection apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 2 is an explanatory view showing a flaw detection method of the bonding portion inspection apparatus according to the present invention.

FIG. 3 is a screen diagram showing display screen contents of the ultrasonic flaw detector shown in FIG. 1;

[Explanation of symbols]

 Reference Signs List 1 inspection object 1a upper member 1b lower member 2 fusion part 3 ultrasonic vertical probe 4 ultrasonic beam 5 couplant 6 adapter 6a couplant supply gap 6b supply port 6c recovery port 8 sponge 9 supply tank 10a, 10b Solenoid valve 11 Throttle valve 13a, 13b Pressure control valve 14 Air compressor 15 Trap 16 Air ejector 17 Air blowing port 18 Ultrasonic flaw detector 19 CRT 20 Arithmetic control unit 22 Ultrasonic reflection signal from probe contact part 23 Fusion welding Ultrasonic reflection signal from unit 24 Ultrasonic reflection signal from bottom 25, 26, 27 Gate setting level 30 Ultrasonic transducer

Claims (11)

[Claims] 1. An ultrasonic inspection apparatus for inspecting a plastic member formed by bonding or fusing two or more plastic parts by ultrasonic flaw detection, such as a bonding surface of a plastic member. An ultrasonic probe that irradiates an ultrasonic beam to a receiving surface and receives a reflected signal, an ultrasonic reflected signal from an ultrasonic incident surface of the plastic member, and an ultrasonic reflection from a bonded or fused portion of the plastic member Means for judging the quality of an object to be inspected from a signal or an ultrasonic reflection signal from the bottom surface of the plastic member. 2. An ultrasonic inspection apparatus for inspecting a plastic member formed by bonding or fusing two or more plastic parts by ultrasonic flaw detection, such as a bonding surface of a plastic member, wherein the plastic member is bonded or fused. An ultrasonic probe that irradiates an ultrasonic beam to a surface and receives a reflected signal, and an ultrasonic reflected signal from an ultrasonic incident surface of the plastic member is equal to or more than a set value, and an ultrasonic wave from the bonded or fused portion is used. When the reflected signal is equal to or less than the set value or when the ultrasonic reflected signal from the bottom surface located behind the bonded or fused portion is equal to or more than the set value, the non-defective product is determined, and the relationship between each of the reflected signals and each set value is determined. An ultrasonic inspection apparatus for inspecting an adhesion surface of a plastic member or the like, comprising a determination means for determining a defective product at the opposite time. 3. A control means for displaying an alarm and automatically performing flaw detection again when an ultrasonic reflection signal from an ultrasonic incident surface portion of a plastic member of the ultrasonic probe is equal to or larger than a set value. The ultrasonic inspection device for an adhesive surface or the like of a plastic member according to claim 2, wherein the ultrasonic inspection device is provided. 4. When both the ultrasonic reflected signal from the bonded or fused portion and the ultrasonic reflected signal from the bottom surface are equal to or less than a set value, an alarm display indicating a possibility of failure of the inspection device is performed. The ultrasonic inspection apparatus for an adhesive surface of a plastic member according to claim 2, further comprising control means for executing a process for stopping the inspection. 5. The ultrasonic probe is fitted in a support member with its upper part sealed, and a member for preventing overflow of the couplant is provided on the periphery of the lower end of the holding member. 3. The ultrasonic inspection apparatus for an adhesive surface of a plastic member according to claim 1 or 2, wherein: 6. The ultrasonic inspection apparatus for an adhesive surface of a plastic member according to claim 5, further comprising a couplant supply means for supplying a couplant to the support member of the ultrasonic probe. 7. A couplant recovery means for recovering the couplant supplied by the couplant supply means to the outside, and blowing and blowing air to the couplant leaked from a contact portion of the ultrasonic probe, and 7. The ultrasonic inspection apparatus as claimed in claim 6, further comprising a couplant removing means for drying. 8. An ultrasonic probe, comprising: a supply unit for supplying a couplant to a contact surface between the probe and a member to be inspected; and a collection unit for collecting the couplant on the contact surface. Become an ultrasonic inspection device. 9. An ultrasonic probe, which supports at least the periphery of the probe and is sealed so that a couplant on a contact surface between the probe and a part to be inspected is not exposed to the outside. A support member, a couplant supply port provided in the support member,
A couplant recovery port provided in contact with the support member and the contact surface,
A couplant supply means connected to the supply port, an inflow passage for allowing the couplant flowing from the supply port to flow into a contact surface between the probe and the part to be inspected, and a couplant absorption means provided in the recovery hole An ultrasonic inspection apparatus comprising: a material; and a couplant recovery means connected to the recovery port and recovered through the absorbing material. 10. A control apparatus comprising: a first control unit for controlling a supply amount and / or a supply timing of the supply unit; and a second control unit for controlling a collection capacity and / or a collection timing of the collection unit. The ultrasonic inspection apparatus according to claim 8 or 9, wherein: 11. The super-contact device according to claim 8, further comprising a couplant removing means for blowing and / or drying air by blowing air onto the contact surface, and a control means for controlling the operation of the removing means. Ultrasonic inspection device.