Real-Time Fusion of Ultrasound and Eddy Current Data During Non-Destructive Examination

{
  "publication_number": "US2016349213A1",
  "country": "US",
  "kind": "A1",
  "title": "Real-Time Fusion of Ultrasound and Eddy Current Data During Non-Destructive Examination",
  "abstract": "Apparatus and methods for real-time fusion of data acquired using ultrasonic and eddy current area sensors during nondestructive examination. The ultrasonic data is acquired using an array of ultrasonic transducer elements configured to enable the production and display of a C-scan of a small area. The ultrasonic transducer array may be one- or two-dimensional. The eddy current sensor can be a single pair of induction coils, a multiplicity of coil pairs, or a coil configuration in which the numbers of drive coils and sense coils are not equal. The eddy current sensor is able to provide data about the test material, such as material thickness or conductivity, to complement the ultrasonic data or enable auto-setup of the ultrasonic inspection device.",
  "claims": [
    "1. A method for examination of a material, comprising: (a) arranging an eddy current sensor of an eddy current detection system, an array of ultrasonic transducers of an ultrasonic detection system, and a material so that the eddy current sensor is disposed between the array of ultrasonic transducers and a first portion of the material; (b) interrogating the first portion of material using the eddy current sensor; (c) acquiring first eddy current data from eddy currents induced in the eddy current sensor in response to step (b); (d) interrogating the first portion of material using the array of ultrasonic transducers to transmit ultrasound waves through the eddy current sensor; and (e) acquiring first ultrasonic data from ultrasound waves returned to the array of ultrasonic transducers in response step (d). 2. The method as recited in claim 1, further comprising: (f) moving the eddy current sensor and array of ultrasonic transducers so that the eddy current sensor is disposed between the array of ultrasonic transducers and a second portion of a material; (g) interrogating the second portion of material using the eddy current sensor; (h) acquiring second eddy current data from eddy currents induced in the eddy current sensor in response to step (g); (i) interrogating the second portion of material using the array of ultrasonic transducers to transmit ultrasound waves through the eddy current sensor; and (j) acquiring second ultrasonic data from ultrasound waves returned to the array of ultrasonic transducers in response step (i). 3. The method as recited in claim 1, wherein the material comprises a fiber-reinforced plastic laminate containing a layer of conductive material, said method further comprising: processing said first ultrasonic data to determine whether the fiber-reinforced plastic laminate in the first portion of the material has a delamination; and processing said first eddy current data to determine whether the layer of conductive material in the first portion of the material has a fault. 4. The method as recited in claim 1, wherein the material comprises conductive material, said method further comprising: processing said first ultrasonic data to determine whether the conductive material in the first portion of the material contains corrosion pits; and processing said first eddy current data to determine whether the conductive material in the first portion of the material has a crack. 5. The method as recited in claim 1, wherein the material comprises conductive material, said method further comprising: processing said first ultrasonic data to determine whether the conductive material in the first portion of the material contains erosion grooves; and processing said first eddy current data to determine whether the conductive material in the first portion of the material has a crack. 6. The method as recited in claim 1, wherein the material comprises conductive material, said method further comprising: processing said first ultrasonic data to determine whether the conductive material in the first portion of the material contains disbonding; and processing said first eddy current data to determine whether the conductive material in the first portion of the material has a crack. 7. The method as recited in claim 1, wherein the material comprises a substrate made of conductive material having a coating made of non-conductive material, said method further comprising: (f) processing said first eddy current data to determine a thickness of the coating; and (g) modifying said first ultrasonic data based on the coating thickness determined in step (f). 8. The method as recited in claim 1, wherein the material comprises a fiber-reinforced plastic laminate containing a layer of resin reinforced by conductive fibers, said method further comprising: processing said first ultrasonic data to identify changes associated with resin richness or starvation; and processing said first eddy current data to identify distortions in the conductive fibers. 9. The method as recited in claim 1, wherein the material comprises a substrate made of conductive material, said method further comprising: (f) processing said first eddy current data to determine a thickness of the substrate. 10. The method as recited in claim 9, further comprising: (g) selecting a parameter of the ultrasound waves to be transmitted in step (d), the selection being dependent on the thickness determined in step (f). 11. The method as recited in claim 10, wherein said parameter is the frequency of the ultrasound waves. 12. The method as recited in claim 9, further comprising: (g) calculating transmission focal laws based on the thickness determined in step (f), said transmission focal laws comprising a pattern of time delays for pulsing ultrasonic transducer elements of the array of ultrasonic transducers; and (h) programming an ultrasonic pulser/receiver unit with said pattern of time delays prior to step (d). 13. An apparatus for examination of material, comprising: an array of ultrasonic transducer elements; an ultrasonic pulser/receiver unit electrically connected to said array of ultrasonic transducer elements; an eddy current sensor comprising a flexible substrate made of dielectric material and electrical conductors embedded in said flexible substrate; and an eddy current instrument electrically connected to said electrical conductors of said eddy current sensor, wherein said array of ultrasonic transducer elements and said eddy current sensor are coupled to each other in an overlapping relationship such that ultrasound waves transmitted by said array of ultrasonic transducer elements would propagate through said flexible substrate of said eddy current sensor. 14. The apparatus as recited in claim 13, wherein said electrical conductors of said eddy current sensor comprise one or more drive coils and one or more sense coils. 15. The apparatus as recited in claim 13, wherein said electrical conductors of said eddy current sensor comprise a multiplicity of pairs of coils arranged in rows and columns. 16. The apparatus as recited in claim 13, wherein said array of ultrasonic transducer elements comprises a multiplicity of ultrasonic transducer elements arranged in rows and columns. 17. The apparatus as recited in claim 13, wherein said array of ultrasonic transducer elements comprises a plurality of mutually parallel transmit electrodes and a plurality of mutually parallel receive electrodes which overlap with, but are not parallel to, said transmit electrodes. 18. The apparatus as recited in claim 13, further comprising a control computer in communication with said eddy current instrument and said ultrasonic pulser/receiver unit, wherein said control computer is programmed to correlate eddy current scan data received from said eddy current instrument with ultrasonic scan data received from said ultrasonic pulser/receiver unit. 19. The apparatus as recited in claim 18, further comprising a display device operatively coupled to said control computer, wherein said control computer is programmed to control said display device to display eddy current scan data received from said eddy current instrument in combination with ultrasonic scan data received from said ultrasonic pulser/receiver unit. 20. The apparatus as recited in claim 13, further comprising: a processor in communication with said eddy current instrument, said processor being configured to determine focal laws based on eddy current data output by said eddy current instrument; and a control computer in communication with said processor and said ultrasonic pulser/receiver unit, said control computer being configured to determine ultrasonic array element timing to be employed by said ultrasonic pulser/receiver unit based on the focal laws received from said processor. 21. A method for examination of a material, comprising: (a) arranging an eddy current sensor of an eddy current detection system, an array of ultrasonic transducers of an ultrasonic detection system, and a material so that the eddy current sensor is disposed between the array of ultrasonic transducers and the material; (b) interrogating the material using the eddy current sensor; (c) acquiring eddy current data from eddy currents induced in the eddy current sensor in response to step (b); (d) processing the eddy current data to determine a thickness of the material near an edge of a doubler; (e) calibrating the ultrasonic detection system using the thickness determined in step (d); (f) after the ultrasonic detection system has been calibrated in step (e), interrogating the material near the edge of the doubler using the array of ultrasonic transducers to transmit ultrasound waves through the eddy current sensor; and (g) acquiring ultrasonic data from ultrasound waves returned to the array of ultrasonic transducers in response to step (f), wherein steps (b) and (f) are performed while the eddy current sensor and the array of ultrasonic transducers are in the same respective positions relative to the material. 22. The method as recited in claim 21, further comprising determining a depth of an interface within the material based on the ultrasonic data acquired in step (g) and the thickness determined in step (d)."
  ],
  "cpc": [
    "G01N 27/725",
    "G01B 7/06",
    "G01B 7/105",
    "G01N 2291/044",
    "G01N 2291/106",
    "G01N 27/82",
    "G01N 27/90",
    "G01N 27/9006",
    "G01N 27/904",
    "G01N 27/9073",
    "G01N 27/9086",
    "G01N 29/0645",
    "G01N 29/0654",
    "G01N 29/07",
    "G01N 29/11",
    "G01N 29/4436"
  ],
  "assignees": [
    "BOEING CO"
  ],
  "filing_date": "2015-05-26",
  "publication_date": "2016-12-01",
  "priority_date": "2015-05-26",
  "application_number": "US-201514721055-A",
  "family_id": "57397570",
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  ]
}