Patents Assigned to Agfa NDT GmbH
  • Patent number: 7577533
    Abstract: The invention relates to an ultrasound control device for non-destructively inspecting a workpiece. The inventive ultrasound control device comprises a transmitting-receiving sensor provided with an element for connecting to the input surface of a controlled workpiece, a transmitter which is connected to the sensor and sends pulses produced thereby to said sensor, a receiver connected to the sensor and a screen which is connected to the receiver for displaying electric echo signals received by the receiver. The sensor transmits ultrasound pulses which, on one hand are reflected by the input surface and return to said sensor, and penetrate into the workpiece and are reflected at least once by the back wall thereof, on the other hand. Said ultrasound control device also comprises a bar display for visualising the received electric echo signals.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 24, 2003
    Date of Patent: August 18, 2009
    Assignee: Agfa NDT GmbH
    Inventors: Paul Buschke, Bernd Kirchner
  • Patent number: 7472598
    Abstract: An ultrasonic inspection apparatus for non-destructive inspection of a test body. The apparatus includes a probe, a transmitter operably connected to the probe, a receiver operably connected to the probe and a monitor with a display operably connected to the receiver for representing the echo signals received. The receiver receives echo signals. The transmitter generates transmitter pulses and delivers the transmitter pulses to the probe, wherein the probe delivers ultrasonic pulses and insonifies them at a certain angle (?) into a test body. The pulses penetrate the test body where the test pulses are at least once reflected from a rear wall of the test body forming, as a result thereof, at least one first leg that extends from an entrance surface to the rear wall and a second leg that extends from the rear wall to the entrance surface. The echo signals received are represented on the display so as to show from which leg the echo signals originate.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 4, 2003
    Date of Patent: January 6, 2009
    Assignee: Agfa NDT GmbH
    Inventor: Wollfgang Kleinert
  • Patent number: 7210329
    Abstract: The invention relates to a method for determining the threshold value of screens which enable an evaluation of a sound coupling during the ultrasound testing of a series of spot welding joints of a selected type. Initially, a geometrical minimal thickness dMin is established for the spot welding joints. At least one echo of the front surface (entrance echo) is received in addition to one echo of the first reflection on a rear wall of the spot welding joint (first rear wall echo) and at least one further (n-th) rear wall echo. The propagation time tMin of the ultra sound pulse is defined for the path to the front surface to the rear wall and back to the front surface at a minimal thickness dMin and a propagation time tT for the total thickness. A first screen (B1) is set for the signal of the rear wall echo, starting at a moment in time t1S=tE+tMin?tSA and ending at a moment in time t1T=tE+tT+tSE, whereby tSA and tSE are additional small security measures.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 13, 2003
    Date of Patent: May 1, 2007
    Assignee: Agfa NDT GmbH
    Inventors: Paul Buschke, Bernd Kirchner
  • Patent number: 6976387
    Abstract: The hardness measuring device (18) is provided with a) a penetration body (20), which penetrates a workpiece (28) along a penetration vector (58) during a measuring process, b) a housing (30) which embodies a guide track (32) for the penetration body (20) which moves along said guide track (32) between a rest position and a measuring position and with a mechanical drive (spring 40, 62), which engages with the penetration body (20), at least in the rest position and which fixes the test force or the test impulse for a measuring process and c) an electronic control circuit (48), which controls the measuring process and which determines a hardness value from the movement and/or the penetration action of the penetration body (20) into the workpiece (20). The hardness measuring device (18) comprises an acceleration sensor (54), which produces an angular signal, depending on the angle which the penetration vector (58) makes with the local gravitational vector (56).
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 30, 2002
    Date of Patent: December 20, 2005
    Assignee: Agfa NDT GmbH
    Inventors: Enno Anthe, Werner Lammerich
  • Patent number: 6796182
    Abstract: A method for non-destructive testing of a weld joint of a bolt welded onto a contact area on a planar sheet metal using the lift ignition method uses directed ultrasonic signals. During the welding operation a weld pool having a modified material structure is formed beneath the contact area in the sheet metal. Ultrasonic signals are transmitted into the sheet metal using a directed and obliquely transmitting ultrasonic transmitter positioned at a coupling-in point A. An ultrasonic receiver is positioned at a coupling-out point B and receives the ultrasonic signals transmitted through the sheet metal at the coupling-out point B, an acoustic path being formed between the coupling-in point A and the coupling-out point B.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 15, 2003
    Date of Patent: September 28, 2004
    Assignee: Agfa NDT GmbH
    Inventors: Joachim Wagner, Walter Schappacher
  • Patent number: 6739188
    Abstract: The invention relates to a test device for the ultrasonic testing of strand material, comprising a) a stationary container that defines a substantially cylindrical interior space that has a larger diameter than the strand material and that has a cylinder axis, and b) a device for producing a peripheral water jacket that is associated either with at least one nozzle for a water feed disposed substantially tangential to an inner surface of the interior space and leading to said interior space, and/or with a bucket wheel that rotates about the cylinder axis and that is provided with a drive unit, and c) at least one ultrasonic probe that is linked with the container and that has an active surface that is freely accessible from the cylindrical interior space.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 24, 2003
    Date of Patent: May 25, 2004
    Assignee: Agfa NDT GmbH
    Inventor: Reinhard Prause
  • Patent number: 6641535
    Abstract: The invention relates to an ultrasonic probe comprising: —a housing (20), which accommodates an ultrasonic transducer and has a contact surface for making contact with the surface (28) of a body (30) to be inspected; —at least one digital camera (36), which is allocated to the housing (20) and which is aligned in such a way that it registers the surface (28) of the body (30) and supplies a respective electronic image of sub-sections of the surface (28) of the body (30) at intervals; —a circuit for image processing (40), which has an image memory (42) for at least one electronic image that has been registered by the digital camera (36).
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 13, 2003
    Date of Patent: November 4, 2003
    Assignee: Agfa NDT GmbH
    Inventors: Paul Buschke, Wolf Kleinert, Horst Guenter Thum