G. Vogt

The ultrasonic instrument upi-50 including the ScanMaster data capture- and evaluation software as well as the connected manual- and automatic scanners provide wide spread abilities for use by the flexible adaptation of the type of the scanner and the software for signal processing, which is used.

By the use of an integrated Pentium-Microprocessor, additional tasks can be transferred to the ultrasonic instrument, as e.g. control of scanner movements and on-line ultrasonic data-evaluations as well as performances.

Depending on the application, the operator gets the most important information on the screen during the inspection. Ultrasonic signals of several channels, up to 10 axes of a motion control, on-line-imaging results also signal fields for flaw statistics and supervision functions can be displayed. By simply clicking on the function fields on the ultrasonic instrument screen it can be switched back and forth between the operation of the ultrasonic instrument and the motion control or other function modules. With this a unique interactive quick working on only one monitor is possible.

In combination with a scanner, which supplies encoder-signals to the ultrasonic instrument, flat- or line like scan-information can be captured. By this it is possible to test with the same system rotation symmetric built parts, flat plane and manifold curved built parts. The inspection is made mainly line- or meander-shaped. The information chosen at random regarding the resolution of the raster point will be displayed immediately in colour and will be stored. At the same time a co-ordination of the amplitudes as well as of the time of flight to a 256-colour pallet-scale or also to a shading value display will be made. The rough data will be stored, so that at a later evaluation different kinds of display can be used, as for example B-, C-, D-, TOFD-, FFT-C- or FFT-B-images as well as side views as sectional views and projections.

These performances can then be processed further. It is possible to set a cursor to look at certain ultrasonic signals and amplitudes, time-of-flights as well as to measure out surfaces with search- and identify algorithms, to make out automatical flaw lists, horizontal- and vertical cuts as well as to put projections into the built part surface, also to zoom or to show the values in a 3-D-display.

More and more important especially in the field of testing of safety relevant built parts becomes the complete storage of signal images (A-scans) in high resolution, so that later during a check of the results the complete original information are available. The stored A-scan images can then be analysed with customer- respectively application specific evaluation algorithms or with neural networks for the pattern recognition and feature classification. This calls very much for the automation process.

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