Abstract: Disclosed is a circuit for controlling the temperature and the bias voltage of a detector used by an X-ray analytical instrument. The circuit uses a single common reference voltage for the temperature measurement and for all the ADCs and DACs in the circuit, resulting in reduced drift and improved reproducibility of detector temperature and bias voltage. ADCs with a larger number of bits are used to produce precision values of the temperature, the bias voltage, and their respective setpoints. The setpoints are digitally varied until the precision setpoint values correspond to desired values of temperature and bias setpoints.

Abstract: Disclosed is an ultrasonic transducer and a manufacturing method thereof. The transducer comprises a piezoelectric composite array having an array of rigid posts made of a piezoelectric material, with kerf spaces between the posts filled with a low density aerogel material.

Abstract: Disclosed is a circuit for controlling the temperature and the bias voltage of a detector used by an X-ray analytical instrument. The circuit uses a single common reference voltage for the temperature measurement and for all the ADCs and DACs in the circuit, resulting in reduced drift and improved reproducibility of detector temperature and bias voltage. ADCs with a larger number of bits are used to produce precision values of the temperature, the bias voltage, and their respective setpoints. The setpoints are digitally varied until the precision setpoint values correspond to desired values of temperature and bias setpoints.

Abstract: Inventive features of a portable ultrasonic phased array test instrument are disclosed. The instrument has a battery rack that can be repurposed to host a re-programming module for testing and re-programming electronic components.

Abstract: A compact, low cost device for laser induced breakdown spectroscopy (LIBS) makes use of a silicon photomultiplier detector and a photon counting method.

Abstract: Disclosed is a system and method of determining the test surface profile and compensating the gain amplitude when using time reversal focal laws in ultrasound non-destructive testing. Computer simulations are used to compute the diffraction field at time of incidence of the transmitted parallel wave front on the test surface. Knowledge of the surface profile and the diffraction field allows determination of coverage at the test surface and improved accuracy of flaw sizing.

Abstract: The invention relates to an industrial testing device communicating with a data center located in a remote computer network, such as the cloud. Disclosed is a method of registering the device to the cloud and specifying the geographical location of the data center.

Abstract: Disclosed is a circuit for controlling the temperature and the bias voltage of a detector used by an X-ray analytical instrument. The circuit uses a single common reference voltage for the temperature measurement and for all the ADCs and DACs in the circuit, resulting in reduced drift and improved reproducibility of detector temperature and bias voltage. ADCs with a larger number of bits are used to produce precision values of the temperature, the bias voltage, and their respective setpoints. The setpoints are digitally varied until the precision setpoint values correspond to desired values of temperature and bias setpoints.

Abstract: Disclosed is an ultrasonic non-destructive testing and inspection system and method for determining acoustic velocities in a test object. Beams of acoustic energy from firing an element of an emitting probe propagate in a first wedge, and a beam incident at the critical angle generates a surface wave in the test object. The surface wave propagates to a second wedge and signals are received at receiving elements of a receiving probe array. When a set of appropriate delays is applied to the receiving elements, the acoustic time-of-flight is the same to all receiving elements. Determination of the appropriate delays and the times-of-flight for P-type surface waves and Rayleigh surface waves enables computation of the P- and S-wave acoustic velocities in the test object. The time-of-flight measurement also enables computation of the separation between the first and second wedges.

Abstract: Disclosed is a beam overlap verification system and method for phased array ultrasonic inspection. A scan plan for the ultrasonic inspection defines a suitable probe, wedge and calibration block having machined defects for the geometry to be inspected, and makes a beam definition which defines a set of ultrasonic beams emitted by the phased array. An intersection amplitude unit records the response amplitudes from each defect at predetermined intersection points of adjacent beam pairs as the probe and wedge are manually scanned across the calibration block. An overlap verification module determines the ?6 dB overlap of all adjacent beam pairs which are relevant to the geometry to be inspected, and verifies that the beam overlap conforms to the required coverage according to the ASME or other relevant codes. In this way, coverage is experimentally verified during calibration prior to inspection of a known geometry, such as a weld.

Abstract: Disclosed is an apparatus and method for generating virtual inspection channels mid-way between the physical inspection channels of an eddy current array probe, thereby reducing the coverage loss and improving defect sizing and imaging. The method is based upon a calibration to determine the mid-channel coverage loss for parallel defects having their long axis parallel to the scanning direction. Based on the coverage loss measurement, a vector analysis system is constructed enabling generation of virtual channel signals which are available for processing in the same way as physical channels, with impedance plane representation including real and/or imaginary signal components. The system differentiates between parallel and perpendicular defects and employs different algorithms to generate virtual channel signals for parallel and perpendicular defect orientations.

Abstract: Herein disclosed is an x-ray florescence (XRF) test system which comprises an XRF test instrument used for testing a test target's responses to X-rays, the instrument including a test window allowing the X-ray and its responsive energy to pass through, and a window protecting film assembly allowing X-rays to pass through and providing protection to the window, the film assembly being configured to be coupled with the window in a fashion to be removed from or applied or reapplied over the window. The corresponding calibration mode can be manually or automatically applied according to the specific film assembly presently in use. An embodiment of the film assembly comprises a thin film fixed with an adhesive layer to a supporting frame having a closely spaced array of apertures.

Abstract: The phased-array probe to be received on a probe receiving area of a wedge generally has a probe housing, a plurality of acoustic transducer elements disposed in the probe housing and distributed along a length of a working surface of the probe housing, and a matching layer covering the plurality of acoustic transducer elements and extending to cover an extended region of the working surface of the probe housing such that the matching layer forms a closed contact with an upper end of an acoustic damping junction of the wedge when the working surface of the probe housing of the phased-array probe is received on the probe receiving area of the wedge, wherein the closed contact prevents acoustic energy from being reflected from the extended region of the working surface of the probe housing.

Abstract: Disclosed is an assisted analysis unit for facilitating phased array defect inspection. The analysis unit comprises an identification & merging module, and a sizing module. The modules are capable of displaying defect contours from multiple groups of indications, and of recommending defect merging candidates and defect sizing methods. However both modules also accept user input so that the final decisions rest with the operator.

Abstract: Disclosed is a portable non-destructive testing (NDT) instrument system that transmits spectrum data measured from a test material sample to a remotely located computer for computation of the sample's atomic element composition. The atomic element composition is subsequently transmitted back to the portable instrument for display to the operator in real time. The precision and accuracy of the compositional computation is improved by the greater processing power of the high performance remote computer. The operator of the NDT instrument may choose to use the remote computer to perform part or all of the compositional computation.

Abstract: Disclosed is a calibration system and method for a phased array ultrasound pipe inspection system, in which reliable calibration is obtained for notches at all angles using only a small number of notches for the calibration. The method comprises a one-time normalization step and a system calibration step which may be performed at regular intervals. Ultrasound transmission is in a single diverging beam for each aperture, while reception is selective for multiple well-defined reception angles. During the normalization step, plots of maximum response vs reception angle are plotted for each notch, and a normalization curve is constructed by fitting the maxima of these plots. The normalization curve is used to derive calibration targets at specific reception angles for specific calibration notches, which are then used for the system calibrations.

Abstract: Disclosed is a touchscreen display assembly for use in harsh environments. The touchscreen cable emerges from the touchscreen through a hole in a glass panel. The hole is inside the perimeter of a sealing strip which forms the seal for the touchscreen airgap. The touchscreen may be assembled and tested independently, and subsequently integrated with a display screen and protective front cover. The seal to the front cover is made without the need for a bezel overlapping the touchscreen top film, thereby avoiding possible damage to the touchscreen. Elimination of the bezel allows the touchscreen display assembly to have an attractive planar front surface, and also avoids accumulation of dirt between a bezel and the touchscreen top film.

Abstract: Disclosed is an ultrasonic inspection probe assembly comprising a water wedge and a flexible probe array assembly having a flexible acoustic module. The wedge is machined to match a test surface to be inspected and is configured to shape the acoustic module so that the active surface of the acoustic module is parallel to the test surface. Different wedges may be machined to match different test surfaces, but the same flexible probe array assembly may be used for all such surfaces.

Abstract: Quantization noise in an oversampled eddy current digital drive circuit is reduced using a noise shaping filter.

Abstract: A combination of pulse-amplitude modulation and time division multiplexing is used to increase the scan speed when performing non-destructive inspection, such as with an eddy current array.