Patents Represented by Attorney, Agent or Law Firm Jonathan Anan Quine
  • Patent number: 6578424
    Abstract: A hand-held Variable Angle Membrane (VAM) ultrasonic scanning head consisting of transmitting and receiving transducers is used to excite guided waves to detect corrosion, MIC and foreign objects in containers such as pipes. The scanning head includes transducers mounted on a fluid filled housing sealed by a membrane. This system couples ultrasound from the transducer to the pipe wall. The transducer housings are mounted in a rigid frame that holds the ultrasonic transducer housings a specific distance apart and allows each transducer housing to rotate about a pivot point. The membrane deforms to the pipe diameter to be scanned. The scanning head is adjusted to perform inspections in various container diameters and thicknesses. Once adjusted for diameter and thickness, the operator places the scanning head on the pipe and couples the rubber membranes to the pipe with a small amount of couplant.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 27, 2000
    Date of Patent: June 17, 2003
    Assignee: Digital Wave Corporation
    Inventors: Steven M. Ziola, Michael R. Gorman, William J. Miller