US20150226707A1 - Scanner - Google Patents
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- US20150226707A1 US20150226707A1 US14/691,406 US201514691406A US2015226707A1 US 20150226707 A1 US20150226707 A1 US 20150226707A1 US 201514691406 A US201514691406 A US 201514691406A US 2015226707 A1 US2015226707 A1 US 2015226707A1
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- United States
- Prior art keywords
- chassis
- scanner
- array
- workpiece
- rotating component
- Prior art date
- Legal status (The legal status is an assumption and is not a legal conclusion. Google has not performed a legal analysis and makes no representation as to the accuracy of the status listed.)
- Abandoned
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- G—PHYSICS
- G01—MEASURING; TESTING
- G01N—INVESTIGATING OR ANALYSING MATERIALS BY DETERMINING THEIR CHEMICAL OR PHYSICAL PROPERTIES
- G01N29/00—Investigating or analysing materials by the use of ultrasonic, sonic or infrasonic waves; Visualisation of the interior of objects by transmitting ultrasonic or sonic waves through the object
- G01N29/22—Details, e.g. general constructional or apparatus details
- G01N29/225—Supports, positioning or alignment in moving situation
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- G—PHYSICS
- G01—MEASURING; TESTING
- G01N—INVESTIGATING OR ANALYSING MATERIALS BY DETERMINING THEIR CHEMICAL OR PHYSICAL PROPERTIES
- G01N29/00—Investigating or analysing materials by the use of ultrasonic, sonic or infrasonic waves; Visualisation of the interior of objects by transmitting ultrasonic or sonic waves through the object
- G01N29/04—Analysing solids
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- G—PHYSICS
- G01—MEASURING; TESTING
- G01N—INVESTIGATING OR ANALYSING MATERIALS BY DETERMINING THEIR CHEMICAL OR PHYSICAL PROPERTIES
- G01N29/00—Investigating or analysing materials by the use of ultrasonic, sonic or infrasonic waves; Visualisation of the interior of objects by transmitting ultrasonic or sonic waves through the object
- G01N29/22—Details, e.g. general constructional or apparatus details
- G01N29/26—Arrangements for orientation or scanning by relative movement of the head and the sensor
- G01N29/265—Arrangements for orientation or scanning by relative movement of the head and the sensor by moving the sensor relative to a stationary material
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- G—PHYSICS
- G01—MEASURING; TESTING
- G01N—INVESTIGATING OR ANALYSING MATERIALS BY DETERMINING THEIR CHEMICAL OR PHYSICAL PROPERTIES
- G01N29/00—Investigating or analysing materials by the use of ultrasonic, sonic or infrasonic waves; Visualisation of the interior of objects by transmitting ultrasonic or sonic waves through the object
- G01N29/22—Details, e.g. general constructional or apparatus details
- G01N29/28—Details, e.g. general constructional or apparatus details providing acoustic coupling, e.g. water
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- G—PHYSICS
- G01—MEASURING; TESTING
- G01N—INVESTIGATING OR ANALYSING MATERIALS BY DETERMINING THEIR CHEMICAL OR PHYSICAL PROPERTIES
- G01N2291/00—Indexing codes associated with group G01N29/00
- G01N2291/02—Indexing codes associated with the analysed material
- G01N2291/023—Solids
-
- G—PHYSICS
- G01—MEASURING; TESTING
- G01N—INVESTIGATING OR ANALYSING MATERIALS BY DETERMINING THEIR CHEMICAL OR PHYSICAL PROPERTIES
- G01N2291/00—Indexing codes associated with group G01N29/00
- G01N2291/02—Indexing codes associated with the analysed material
- G01N2291/028—Material parameters
-
- G—PHYSICS
- G01—MEASURING; TESTING
- G01N—INVESTIGATING OR ANALYSING MATERIALS BY DETERMINING THEIR CHEMICAL OR PHYSICAL PROPERTIES
- G01N2291/00—Indexing codes associated with group G01N29/00
- G01N2291/10—Number of transducers
- G01N2291/101—Number of transducers one transducer
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- G—PHYSICS
- G01—MEASURING; TESTING
- G01N—INVESTIGATING OR ANALYSING MATERIALS BY DETERMINING THEIR CHEMICAL OR PHYSICAL PROPERTIES
- G01N2291/00—Indexing codes associated with group G01N29/00
- G01N2291/26—Scanned objects
- G01N2291/263—Surfaces
- G01N2291/2638—Complex surfaces
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- G—PHYSICS
- G01—MEASURING; TESTING
- G01N—INVESTIGATING OR ANALYSING MATERIALS BY DETERMINING THEIR CHEMICAL OR PHYSICAL PROPERTIES
- G01N2291/00—Indexing codes associated with group G01N29/00
- G01N2291/26—Scanned objects
- G01N2291/269—Various geometry objects
- G01N2291/2694—Wings or other aircraft parts
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- Physics & Mathematics (AREA)
- Health & Medical Sciences (AREA)
- Life Sciences & Earth Sciences (AREA)
- Chemical & Material Sciences (AREA)
- Analytical Chemistry (AREA)
- Biochemistry (AREA)
- General Health & Medical Sciences (AREA)
- General Physics & Mathematics (AREA)
- Immunology (AREA)
- Pathology (AREA)
- Acoustics & Sound (AREA)
- Investigating Or Analyzing Materials By The Use Of Ultrasonic Waves (AREA)
- Ultra Sonic Daignosis Equipment (AREA)
- Measurement Of Velocity Or Position Using Acoustic Or Ultrasonic Waves (AREA)
- Image Input (AREA)
Abstract
An ultrasonic scanner has an encoder contacting a drum containing an array. The scanning assembly can be replaced via a snap fit formation. The encoder and drum are resiliently biased and movable relative to the chassis. The array can also be movable relative to the chassis.
Description
- The present application is a divisional of U.S. application Ser. No. 12/922,889, filed Sep. 16, 2010, which is a national phase of PCT/GB2009/050338, filed Apr. 7, 2009, and claims the benefit of Great Britain Application Number 0806997.3, filed Apr. 17, 2008, the disclosures of which are incorporated herein by reference in their entirety.
- The present invention is concerned with a scanner. More specifically, the present invention is concerned with an ultrasonic testing (UT) scanner for non-destructive testing of metal and composite structures etc.
- Non-visible areas of materials, such as the interiors of components, welds and composite materials can be analysed using ultrasonic testing. This type of non-destructive testing (NDT) utilises the reflection of sound waves to detect faults and features which would otherwise be very difficult to detect without destroying the component in the process. Ultrasonic testing is a common technique in the aerospace sector to test the integrity of materials at manufacture and during service.
- Scanners tend to be of the portable type (i.e. more suited to in-service scanning) or non-portable type (specifically for production).
- A feature of ultrasonic testing is that a couplant is required to aid transmission of the ultrasonic energy to the test specimen because the acoustic impedance mismatch between air and solids (i.e. such as the test specimen) is large. This causes reflection of the sound waves and a loss in scan quality if a couplant is not used. Couplants generally take the form of water or gel or a deformable solid.
- Traditionally, ultrasonic testing has been limited in terms of inspection speed as the operation had to be carried out on a point-by-point basis. Improvements have led to the development of array scanning, or “paintbrush” scanning which permits a continuous scan over a surface to produce a two dimensional image of the desired region of the test component. Such equipment however is bulky and limited to use in a production (as opposed to service) environment and is not considered portable.
- The issue of portability has been addressed with the development of the RapidScan system marketed by NDT Solutions Ltd. This system utilises a chassis to which a water filled rubber drum is rotatably mounted. An ultrasonic array is mounted to the axle and the water contained within the deformable rubber drum acts as the couplant.
- The RapidScan system also features a rotary encoder mounted to the chassis proximate the drum. The chassis comprises a handle extending in the direction of travel of the RapidScan system.
- In use, the chassis is held by the handle, proximate a workpiece with the drum and encoder contacting said workpiece, and moved such that the drum and encoder rotate. As this occurs, scanning takes place via the array. The scanned signal is fed from the array to a nearby computer for analysis. Simultaneously, the encoder transmits a signal to the computer such that the scanning position and hence the location of any features found can be determined.
- There are various problems exhibited by this system. Firstly, the requirement for simultaneous contact of the drum and encoder means that the system cannot easily traverse significant changes in gradient of the workpiece. The device may become “grounded” (i.e. a part of the chassis between the encoder and drum may contact the workpiece). Alternatively, the drum or encoder may part contact with the surface leading to loss of useful results or loss of data relating to the distance travelled.
- Also, the orientation of the chassis, and hence handle is fixed relative to the surface of the workpiece and hence the position of the user's hand is constrained in this respect. As such, in workpieces with particularly uneven surfaces, the user has to change the position of their hand relative to their arm/body several times. The various positions may also be uncomfortable to the user.
- Also, it is often desirable to use a different frequency ultrasound array. Therefore it is necessary to carry several systems, each with different arrays to provide this functionality.
- Further, the drum is mounted directly to the chassis. This limits the speed at which the array can traverse the workpiece as the user has to be careful not to allow the array to leave the workpiece surface at, for example, sharp changes in gradient of the surface or imperfections which the drum may “jump” over. If the drum leaves the workpiece the effect of the couplant is lost and the effectiveness of the scanner is significantly reduced.
- Additionally, the stiff mounting arrangement between the drum and the chassis means that all of the force transmitted between the workpiece and the drum is transmitted to the user's hand, which may be uncomfortable in the case of shock or repetitive loading.
- It is an aim of the present invention to overcome or at least mitigate at least one of the above problems.
- According to a first aspect of the above invention there is provided a portable scanner comprising: a chassis, a scanning assembly having an ultrasonic scanning array and a rotating component rotatably mounted relative to the chassis, the rotating component comprising an ultrasonic couplant and having a peripheral contact surface for contacting a surface of a workpiece to provide ultrasonic coupling between the array and a surface of a workpiece such that movement of the chassis relative to a workpiece with the contact surface in contact with a surface of a workpiece results in rotation of the rotating component, and an encoder comprising a movement sensor, wherein the sensor is arranged to sense a movement of the rotating component.
- In this way, the sensor does not need to have any kind of relationship with the surface of the workpiece which could impair its movement around certain features.
- According to a second aspect of the above invention there is provided a portable scanner comprising: a chassis and a scanning assembly having an ultrasonic scanning array and
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- a rotating component rotatably mounted relative to the chassis, the rotating component comprising an ultrasonic couplant and having a peripheral contact surface for contacting a surface of a workpiece to provide ultrasonic coupling between the array and a surface of a workpiece such that movement of the chassis relative to a workpiece with the contact surface in contact with a surface of a workpiece results in rotation of the rotating component, and wherein the rotating component is resiliently, translationally moveable relative to the chassis.
- As such a form of suspension is provided in which the position of the rotating component is able to adjust to follow variations in the surface without the user needing constantly to adjust the position of their hand holding the scanner.
- According to a third aspect of the above invention there is provided a portable scanner comprising: a chassis and a scanning assembly having an ultrasonic scanning array and
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- a rotating component rotatably mounted relative to the chassis, the rotating component comprising an ultrasonic couplant and having a peripheral contact surface for contacting a surface of a workpiece to provide ultrasonic coupling between the array and a surface of a workpiece such that movement of the chassis relative to a workpiece with the contact surface in contact with a surface of a workpiece results in rotation of the rotating component, and wherein; the scanning assembly is removably mounted to the chassis via a quick release formation.
- As such, only one scanner chassis is required and scanning assemblies can be easily replaced depending on the requirements of the task.
- According to a fourth aspect of the above invention there is provided portable scanner comprising: a chassis and a scanning assembly having an ultrasonic scanning array and
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- a rotating component rotatably mounted relative to the chassis, the rotating component comprising an ultrasonic couplant and having a peripheral contact surface for contacting a surface of a workpiece to provide ultrasonic coupling between the array and a surface of a workpiece such that movement of the chassis relative to a workpiece with the contact surface in contact with a surface of a workpiece results in rotation of the rotating component, and wherein the array is rotatable relative to the chassis.
- As such the handle can be moved relative to the array to suit the user's preference for comfort or to use the array in environments where space is limited.
- Embodiments of the invention will now be described with reference to the accompanying drawings in which:
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FIG. 1 a-1 c shows various side views of a prior art scanner in a first position, -
FIG. 2 a shows a perspective view of a first embodiment of a scanner in accordance with the present invention, -
FIG. 2 b shows a schematic view of a part of the scanner ofFIG. 1 in a first state, -
FIG. 2 c shows a schematic view of a part of the scanner ofFIG. 1 in a second state, -
FIG. 3 shows a schematic view of a part of the scanner ofFIG. 1 , -
FIG. 4 a shows a schematic view of the scanner ofFIG. 1 in use, -
FIG. 4 b shows a schematic view of a second embodiment of a scanner in use, -
FIG. 5 shows a top partial section view of a third embodiment of a scanner in accordance with the present invention, -
FIG. 6 shows a schematic view of a part of the scanner ofFIG. 5 , -
FIGS. 7 a-7 c show a schematic side view of the scanner ofFIG. 5 in use, -
FIG. 8 a shows a partially sectioned front view of a third embodiment of a scanner in accordance with the present invention, -
FIG. 8 b shows a side view of the scanner ofFIG. 8 a, and -
FIGS. 9 a-9 c show schematic views of the hand scanner ofFIG. 8 a in a variety of configurations. - Referring to
FIGS. 1 a to 1 c aprior art scanner 10 is shown schematically and comprises achassis 12, anencoder wheel 14 and adrum 16. Theencoder wheel 14 and thedrum 16 both contact a surface of aworkpiece 8. Theencoder 10 further comprises an array (not shown) located fixed to thechassis 12 and substantially coincident with the axis of rotation of the drum. The array has ascanning direction 18 in which it emits and receives ultrasonic waves to and from theworkpiece 8. Thescanning direction 18 is fixed relative to thechassis 12. The chassis has ahandle 20 by which it may be moved across theworkpiece 8 with theencoder wheel 14 and drum 16 rotating relative to the chassis. - In order for the
scanner 10 to satisfactorily scan theworkpiece 8, thescanning direction 18 should be perpendicular to the surface of theworkpiece 8. This occurs inFIG. 1 a in which theworkpiece 8 has a flat surface. - In
FIG. 1 b, the scanner has encountered a convex surface of theworkpiece 8. In traversing theworkpiece 8 thescanner chassis 12 has fouled on it. As such one of theencoder wheel 14 and drum 16 cannot contact theworkpiece 8 leading to poor performance. In particular, thescanning direction 18 is not perpendicular to theworkpiece 8. - In
FIG. 1 c the scanner has encountered a concave surface of theworkpiece 8. Although both theencoder wheel 14 and thedrum 16 are contacting the workpiece, thescanning direction 18 is not perpendicular to it as theencoder wheel 14 restricts rotational movement of thescanner 10. This results in poor performance. - Referring now to
FIG. 2 a, ascanner 100 in accordance with the present invention is shown. Thescanner 100 comprises achassis 102, anencoder assembly 104 and ascanning assembly 106. - The
chassis 102 comprises an elongatecylindrical handle 110 for a user to grip in his/her hand. Thechassis 102 further comprises aframe 112 extending from thehandle 110 which splits into twoarms arms parallel sections parallel sections - The inwardly depending
sections 124 in turn terminate in clip plates 128 (only one is shown inFIG. 3 ). - A pair of parallel, facing grooves 130 (only one shown) are formed in the
parallel sections - The
encoder assembly 104 comprises ashaft 132 on which anencoder 134 is rotatably mounted. Theencoder 134 is of the rotary type and is configured to determine the distance travelled over the surface in which it is in contact. - The
scanning assembly 106 comprises anaxle 136 onto which anultrasonic scanning array 138 is mounted. At either end of theaxle 136 there are positioned clip receiving assemblies 140 (only one shown inFIG. 3 ) which comprise (with reference toFIG. 3 ) abase plate 142, achannel section rim 144 and resiliently mounted retaining pins 146. - The scanning assembly further comprises a
drum 148 having a rubber body containing water to act as a couplant for thearray 138. Thedrum 148 is rotatably mounted to theaxle 136 such that it can rotate relative to thearray 138. - The
encoder assembly 104 is mounted to thechassis 102 by inserting the ends of theshaft 132 into thegrooves 130. Springs 150 (only one shown inFIG. 2B ) are also inserted into thegrooves 130 to bias theshaft 132 away from thehandle 110 of thechassis 102. - The
scanning assembly 106 can then be assembled to thechassis 102 by inserting theclip plates 128 into theclip receiving assemblies 140. As this is performed, the retaining pins 146 are urged outwards to allow theclip plates 128 to pass. Once theclip plates 128 are securely within the clip receiving assemblies the retaining pins resile to their original positions to retain the scanning assembly in position. - Whilst the scanning assembly is being assembled to the
chassis 102 as described above, thedrum 148 contacts theencoder 134 and moves it against the bias of thesprings 150. When in position, thedrum 148 is therefore reliably contacted by theencoder 134. - Both the
array 138 and theencoder 134 are connected to acomputer 152 for collecting information regarding the scanning results (via the array 138) and the position of the scanner (via the encoder 134). The encoder and scanner have signal feed wires (not shown) which connect to amain cable 154 which leads from thehandle 110 to thecomputer 152. - Referring to
FIG. 4 a thescanner 100 is shown traversing aworkpiece 80 similar to that shown inFIG. 1 b. Thescanner 100 is held by a user (not shown) with thehandle 110 perpendicular to the surface of theworkpiece 80. Thearray 138 scans theworkpiece 80 by sending and receiving ultrasonic waves in ascanning direction 156. When moving over the corner of the workpiece, thehandle 110 can be manoeuvred by the user to remain perpendicular to the surface, thus maintaining aperpendicular scanning direction 156 as shown. - As can be observed, the ability to keep the
scanning direction 156 perpendicular to the surface is enabled by the single contact point (or line) between thedrum 148 and theworkpiece 80. As theencoder 134 determines the distance travelled by thedrum 148 there is no need for it to contact theworkpiece 80 and as such the problems observed inFIGS. 1 b and 1 c do not occur. -
Scanner 100 inFIG. 4 a shows thearray 138 arranged with itsscanning direction 156 parallel to thehandle 110. It is envisaged that the array may be arranged at an angle to thehandle 110. An example of this is shown inFIG. 4 b where anscanner 200 has features numbered asscanner 100, but 100 greater. - The
scanner 200 is similar to thescanner 100 except that theclip plates 228 are mounted at an angle to thechassis 202 and hence handle 210. Therefore in order to maintain thescanning direction 256 parallel to theworkpiece 80 thehandle 210 needs to be positioned at an angle A relative thereto. An arrow or sign may be provided on the clip plate outer to inform the user of the requiredscanning direction 256. - This arrangement may be more comfortable for the user than when the handle is perpendicular to the surface (i.e. when A=90 degrees).
- The
clip plates 228 may be adjustably mounted to thechassis 202 to provide user adjustment capability which may be varied depending on the user's comfort levels and space available for scanning. - Alternatively, the clip receiving assemblies may be oriented as per
scanner 100, and the array may be angled with respect to theclip receiving assemblies 140. As such the angle A would be dependent on the choice ofscanning assembly 106. - Referring to
FIG. 5 , ascanner 300 is shown which is similar to thescanner 100. Common features are numbered 200 greater. In place ofparallel sections arms frame 312 of thechassis 302 compriselongitudinal bores pistons respective bores springs - The
pistons frame 312. - Each of the
pistons 364. 366 has a clip plate (not shown) mounted thereto which is engaged with theclip retaining formations 340 of thescanning assembly 306 as described above. - The
encoder assembly 304 is also resiliently mounted to be biased towards the scanningassembly 306 as perscanner 100. However, due to the location of the above piston arrangement the encoder assembly is resiliently mounted with theshaft 332 movable in slots 330 inadditional lugs 372 and biased with spring 350 (seeFIG. 6 ). - In use, the
scanning assembly 306 of thescanner 300 is therefore resiliently movably mounted to thechassis 302. During use, movement of thedrum 348 is accompanied by movement of theencoder assembly 304 such that thedrum 348 andencoder 334 are always in contact. - Referring to
FIGS. 7 a-7 c, thescanner 300 is propelled along a surface of aworkpiece 80 in a direction D by the user. The surface contains an imperfection orconcave feature 82 which thescanner 300 has to traverse. The user is applying a light pressure in thescanning direction 356. Thesprings - When the scanner encounters the
feature 82 thesprings drum 348 to remain in contact with theworkpiece 80. As such, contact is not lost and the scan may be completed successfully. - Turning to
FIGS. 8 a and 8 b ascanner 400 is shown substantially similar to thehand scanner 300 with common features numbered 100 greater. - In the case of
scanner 400, theaxle 436 is mounted to thearms frame 412 of thechassis 402 viatilt bearings 474 such that theaxle 436 may rotate relative to theframe 412. Thearray 438 is mounted to the axle to scan in thescanning direction 456. - The
drum 448 of thescanning assembly 406 is rotationally mounted relative to theaxle 436 as in previous embodiments. Thedrum 448 is shown in section with water filledbladder 476 acting as the couplant. - Two
stabilisers 478 are attached to theaxle 436 where it protrudes from thedrum 448 and extend radially therefrom. The stabilisers extend approximately to the outer perimeter of thedrum 448. - In use, the outer periphery of the
drum 448 contacts theworkpiece 80 and can roll on it as previously described. Inscanner 400 however, thestabilisers 478 prevent rotation of theaxle 436 with respect to the surface of theworkpiece 80 as they run over it. As such, thearray 438 is orientated such that thescanning direction 456 is always perpendicular to the surface of theworkpiece 80. - Additionally, the
frame 412 may be rotated with respect to thescanning assembly 406 without moving the position of thearray 438 by virtue of thetilt bearings 474. Accordingly, the user can continuously adjust his/her hand position if desired to achieve a greater comfort level or use thescanner 400 in confined spaces. - Turning to
FIGS. 9 a to 9 c, thescanner 400 is shown in a variety of positions with thedrum 448 and thestabilisers 478 contacting theworkpiece 80. As shown inFIGS. 9 b and 9 c, the angle of the surface and/or the angle of the handle of the device can be altered without affecting the scanning direction's perpendicularity to the surface of theworkpiece 80. - Many variations of the embodiments described fall within the scope of the present invention.
- For example, the use of the encoder contacting the drum, the resiliently mounted drum, the snap fit and the stabilisers may be used alone or in any suitable combination depending on the application.
- The improvements described above may be applied to a non-portable (production type) scanner as well as a portable (in-service) scanner as discussed.
- The snap fit connection may be any quick release formation such as recessed sprung pins, quarter turn bolts/screws, butterfly nuts and the like.
- The encoder may be of any type, for example a mechanical device as discussed above, or an optical device which reads the surface of the drum without contact.
- The drum may take any form and need not be water filled to achieve coupling, for example deformable solids or gels may be appropriate.
- The array and encoder may not be connected to the computer via a wired connection, but may be wireless.
- The connection between the array and the computer may be achieved via a contact connection within the mounting point of the scanning assembly and the frame—for example the frame may have exposed connections on the clip plate and the scanning assembly may have corresponding connections on the clip receiving assemblies.
- The device may only comprise a single stabiliser.
- Various figures depict an
encoder 234, an array 238, aclip receiving assembly 240, adrum 248 and anencoder 434. As detailed above,encoder 200 has features numbered asencoder 100, but 100 greater,scanner 300 is shown which is similar to thescanner 100, where common features are numbered 200 greater, andscanner 400 is shown substantially similar to thehand scanner 300 with common features numbered 100 greater.
Claims (20)
1. A scanner comprising:
a chassis,
a scanning assembly having an ultrasonic scanning array having a scanning direction, the scanning assembly having a rotating component rotatably mounted relative to the chassis, the rotating component comprising an ultrasonic couplant and having a peripheral contact surface for contacting a surface of a workpiece to provide ultrasonic coupling between the array and a surface of a workpiece such that movement of the chassis relative to a workpiece with the contact surface in contact with a surface of a workpiece results in rotation of the rotating component with the array orientated to keep the scanning direction perpendicular to the surface, and
an encoder comprising a movement sensor, wherein.
2. A scanner according to claim 1 in which the movement sensor contacts the rotating component.
3. A scanner according to claim 1 in which the movement sensor contacts the peripheral contact surface of the rotating component.
4. A scanner according to claim 16 , wherein the scanner includes an axle that enables the array to rotate relative to the chassis to provide a selectable fixed chassis position in use.
5. A scanner according to claim 2 in which the movement sensor is movably mounted to the chassis and resiliently biased towards the rotating component.
6. A scanner comprising:
a chassis and
a scanning assembly having an ultrasonic scanning array and a rotating component rotatably mounted relative to the chassis, the rotating component comprising an ultrasonic couplant and having a peripheral contact surface for contacting a surface of a workpiece to provide ultrasonic coupling between the array and a surface of a workpiece such that movement of the chassis relative to a workpiece with the contact surface in contact with a surface of a workpiece results in rotation of the rotating component, wherein:
the rotating component is resiliently, translationally moveable relative to the chassis.
7. A scanner comprising:
a chassis;
a movement sensor; and
a scanning assembly having an ultrasonic scanning array and a rotating component rotatably mounted relative to the chassis, the rotating component comprising an ultrasonic couplant and having a peripheral contact surface for contacting a surface of a workpiece to provide ultrasonic coupling between the array and a surface of a workpiece such that movement of the chassis relative to a workpiece with the contact surface in contact with a surface of a workpiece results in rotation of the rotating component, wherein at least one of:
(i) the scanning assembly is removably mounted to the chassis via a quick release formation; or
(ii) the array is rotatable relative to the chassis, and the scanner comprises a stabiliser rotationally fixed to the array, which stabiliser comprises a surface positioned to contact a surface of a workpiece to prevent rotation of the array relative to the surface of the workpiece in use.
8. A scanner according to claim 7 , wherein the scanning assembly is removably mounted to the chassis via the quick release formation, and wherein the quick release formation is a snap-fit arrangement.
9. A scanner according to claim 7 , wherein the scanning assembly is removably mounted to the chassis via the quick release formation, and wherein the quick release formation comprises opposing electrical contacts for the transfer of electrical signals from the scanning assembly to the chassis.
10. A scanner according to claim 7 , wherein the array is rotatable relative to the chassis,
and the scanner comprises the stabiliser rotationally fixed to the array, which stabiliser comprises the surface positioned to contact the surface of the workpiece to prevent rotation of the array relative to the surface of the workpiece in use.
11. A scanner according to claim 7 , wherein the scanning assembly is removably mounted to the chassis via the quick release formation.
12. A scanner according to claim 7 , wherein the movement sensor is configured to sense a movement of the rotating component.
13. A scanner according to claim 12 in which the movement sensor contacts the rotating component.
14. A scanner according to claim 10 , wherein the movement sensor is configured to sense a movement of the rotating component.
15. A scanner according to claim 14 in which the movement sensor contacts the rotating component.
16. A scanner according to claim 7 , wherein the scanner is a hand held scanner.
17. A scanner according to claim 7 , wherein the scanner includes an apparatus configured to enable the array to be rotationally adjustable relative to the chassis to provide a selectable fixed chassis position in use.
18. A scanner according to claim 7 , wherein the scanner includes means for the array to be rotationally adjustable relative to the chassis to provide a selectable fixed chassis position in use.
19. A scanner according to claim 7 , wherein the array is mounted to an axle, and the axle is rotationally adjustably mounted to the chassis to provide a selectable fixed chassis position in use.
20. A scanner according to claim 7 , wherein the scanner includes an axle that enables the array to rotate relative to the chassis to provide a selectable fixed chassis position in use.
Priority Applications (1)
Application Number | Priority Date | Filing Date | Title |
---|---|---|---|
US14/691,406 US20150226707A1 (en) | 2008-04-17 | 2015-04-20 | Scanner |
Applications Claiming Priority (5)
Application Number | Priority Date | Filing Date | Title |
---|---|---|---|
GB0806997A GB0806997D0 (en) | 2008-04-17 | 2008-04-17 | A scanner |
GB0806997.3 | 2008-04-17 | ||
PCT/GB2009/050338 WO2009127854A2 (en) | 2008-04-17 | 2009-04-07 | A scanner |
US92288910A | 2010-09-16 | 2010-09-16 | |
US14/691,406 US20150226707A1 (en) | 2008-04-17 | 2015-04-20 | Scanner |
Related Parent Applications (2)
Application Number | Title | Priority Date | Filing Date |
---|---|---|---|
US12/922,889 Division US9010187B2 (en) | 2008-04-17 | 2009-04-07 | Scanner |
PCT/GB2009/050338 Division WO2009127854A2 (en) | 2008-04-17 | 2009-04-07 | A scanner |
Publications (1)
Publication Number | Publication Date |
---|---|
US20150226707A1 true US20150226707A1 (en) | 2015-08-13 |
Family
ID=39472262
Family Applications (2)
Application Number | Title | Priority Date | Filing Date |
---|---|---|---|
US12/922,889 Expired - Fee Related US9010187B2 (en) | 2008-04-17 | 2009-04-07 | Scanner |
US14/691,406 Abandoned US20150226707A1 (en) | 2008-04-17 | 2015-04-20 | Scanner |
Family Applications Before (1)
Application Number | Title | Priority Date | Filing Date |
---|---|---|---|
US12/922,889 Expired - Fee Related US9010187B2 (en) | 2008-04-17 | 2009-04-07 | Scanner |
Country Status (8)
Country | Link |
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US (2) | US9010187B2 (en) |
EP (1) | EP2263080A2 (en) |
JP (1) | JP5885503B2 (en) |
CN (1) | CN102016562B (en) |
CA (1) | CA2718671A1 (en) |
GB (1) | GB0806997D0 (en) |
RU (1) | RU2492465C2 (en) |
WO (1) | WO2009127854A2 (en) |
Families Citing this family (6)
Publication number | Priority date | Publication date | Assignee | Title |
---|---|---|---|---|
GB201105116D0 (en) | 2011-03-28 | 2011-05-11 | Airbus Operations Ltd | Ultrasonic wheel scanner |
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-
2008
- 2008-04-17 GB GB0806997A patent/GB0806997D0/en not_active Ceased
-
2009
- 2009-04-07 EP EP20090732243 patent/EP2263080A2/en not_active Withdrawn
- 2009-04-07 RU RU2010145060/28A patent/RU2492465C2/en not_active IP Right Cessation
- 2009-04-07 CA CA 2718671 patent/CA2718671A1/en not_active Abandoned
- 2009-04-07 WO PCT/GB2009/050338 patent/WO2009127854A2/en active Application Filing
- 2009-04-07 US US12/922,889 patent/US9010187B2/en not_active Expired - Fee Related
- 2009-04-07 CN CN2009801129695A patent/CN102016562B/en not_active Expired - Fee Related
- 2009-04-07 JP JP2011504536A patent/JP5885503B2/en not_active Expired - Fee Related
-
2015
- 2015-04-20 US US14/691,406 patent/US20150226707A1/en not_active Abandoned
Also Published As
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EP2263080A2 (en) | 2010-12-22 |
CN102016562A (en) | 2011-04-13 |
US9010187B2 (en) | 2015-04-21 |
WO2009127854A2 (en) | 2009-10-22 |
CA2718671A1 (en) | 2009-10-22 |
CN102016562B (en) | 2013-05-22 |
RU2010145060A (en) | 2012-05-27 |
JP5885503B2 (en) | 2016-03-15 |
JP2011518325A (en) | 2011-06-23 |
GB0806997D0 (en) | 2008-05-21 |
WO2009127854A3 (en) | 2009-12-17 |
US20110013486A1 (en) | 2011-01-20 |
RU2492465C2 (en) | 2013-09-10 |
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