Patent application number | Description | Published |
20080247011 | DATA STORAGE METHOD AND DEVICE - A method for storing data including: providing a first substrate having a plurality of micro-holograms therein, the micro-holograms being indicative of the data; providing a second hologram-supporting substrate; illuminating the plurality of micro-holograms in the first substrate through the second substrate, thereby producing a holographic pattern in the second substrate indicative of reflections of the plurality of micro-holograms in the first substrate; providing a third hologram-supporting substrate; and, illuminating the holographic pattern in the second substrate through the third substrate, thereby substantially replicating the plurality of micro-holograms in the first substrate in the third substrate. | 10-09-2008 |
20080291465 | NON-DESTRUCTIVE INSPECTION USING LASER-ULTRASOUND AND INFRARED THERMOGRAPHY - An inspection system is provided to examine internal structures of a target material. This inspection system includes a generation laser, an ultrasonic detection system, a thermal imaging system, and a processor/control module. The generation laser produces a pulsed laser beam that is operable to induce ultrasonic displacements and thermal transients at the target material. The ultrasonic detection system detects ultrasonic surface displacements at the target material. The thermal imaging system detects thermal transients at the target material. The processor analyzes both detected ultrasonic displacements and thermal imagery of the target material to yield information about the target material's internal structure. | 11-27-2008 |
20080316498 | APPARATUS AND METHOD FOR TWO WAVE MIXING (TWM) BASED ULTRASONIC LASER TESTING - A system and method for detecting ultrasonic surface displacements at a remote target are disclosed, one embodiment of the system comprising: a first laser to generate a first laser beam. The first laser beam produces ultrasonic surface displacements on a surface of the remote target. A second laser generates a second laser beam operable to detect the ultrasonic surface displacements on the surface of the remote target and to provide a reference beam to an interferometer. The second laser beam is split, at a beam-splitter, into a pump beam and a probe beam. The pump beam is amplified by a first amplifier and the probe beam is amplified by a second amplifier. The pump beam is then provided to the interferometer as a reference beam and the probe beam is directed to the target to detect the ultrasonic surface displacements. The first and second amplifiers can be controlled independently of one another to control their respective laser beam's power. Collection optics collect phase modulated light from the probe beam either reflected or scattered by the remote target, which can be optionally optically processed to increase the light intensity. The interferometer is a TWM interferometer that receives and processes the phase modulated light and generates at least one output signal based on the phase-modulated light and the amplified reference laser beam. | 12-25-2008 |
20090010285 | Articulated robot for laser ultrasonic inspection - An ultrasonic non-destructive evaluation (NDE) system operable to inspect target materials is provided. This ultrasonic NDE system includes an articulated robot, an ultrasound inspection head, a processing module, and a control module. The ultrasound inspection head couples to or mounts on the articulated robot. The ultrasound inspection head is operable to deliver a generation laser beam, a detection laser beam, and collect phase modulated light scattered by the target materials. The processing module processes the phase modulated light and produces information about the internal structure of the target materials. The control module directs the articulated robot to position the ultrasound inspection head according to a pre-determined scan plan. | 01-08-2009 |
20090282919 | MID-IR LASER FOR GENERATION OF ULTRASOUND USING A CO2 LASER AND HARMONIC GENERATION - A mid infrared range laser source for ultrasound inspection that comprises a high energy laser coupled with one or more harmonic generation devices. The high energy laser may be a CO2 laser and tuned to emit laser light at a single wavelength. The harmonic generation devices convert the laser beam into the mid infrared range for optimal ultrasound inspection. | 11-19-2009 |
20090284751 | METHOD AND APPARATUS FOR GENERATING MID-IR LASER FOR ULTRASOUND INSPECTION - A method of ultrasonic testing comprising conditioning a radiation wave from a laser source by efficiently converting the radiation wave's wavelength to a mid-IR wavelength for enhanced ultrasonic testing of a composite. The method includes passing the radiation wave through a first optical frequency converter where the radiation wave is converted into a signal wave and an idler wave, where the idler wave is at a mid-IR wavelength. The method further includes directing the signal and idler waves to a second optical frequency converter where the signal wave wavelength is converted to a mid-IR wavelength which combines with the idler wave to form a generation wave. The generation wave is directed at a composite surface to be tested. | 11-19-2009 |
20090284752 | METHOD AND APPARATUS FOR SPECTROSCOPIC CHARACTERIZATION OF SAMPLES USING A LASER-ULTRASOUND SYSTEM - A method of spectroscopic analysis of a material using a laser ultrasound system. The method includes measuring amplitude displacement of a target surface that has been excited with a generation laser. The amplitude displacements relate to the target's optical absorption properties. Amplitude displacements are generated over a range of laser wavelengths to obtain an optical absorption signature useful to identify the target material characteristics. | 11-19-2009 |
20090285244 | MID-IR LASER FOR GENERATION OF ULTRASOUND - A compact high average power mid infrared range laser for ultrasound inspection. The laser comprises one of a Nd:YAG or Yb:YAG laser pumped by a diode at 808 nm to produce a 1 micron output beam. The 1 micron output beam is directed to an optical parametric oscillator where the beam wavelength is converted to 1.94 microns and conveyed to a mid infrared emission head. The emission head comprises one of a Ho:YAG or Ho:YLG laser optically coupled with a second optical parametric oscillator. The second optical parametric oscillator forms a generation output beam for creating ultrasonic displacements on a target. The generation output beam wavelength ranges from about 3 to about 4 microns, and can be 3.2 microns. | 11-19-2009 |
20090285523 | HOLLOW CORE WAVEGUIDE FOR LASER GENERATION OF ULTRASONIC WAVES - A laser transmission system. | 11-19-2009 |
20090285527 | BLOCK-TERMINATED FIBER FOR LASER GENERATION OF ULTRASONIC WAVES - A laser transmission system. | 11-19-2009 |
20090290163 | Laser Ultrasonic Measurement System With Movable Beam Delivery - A laser ultrasonic measurement system includes a first and a second laser source configured to generate a first and a second laser beam, respectively. A movable mechanical link is arranged to transmit the first laser beam. The movable mechanical link is formed by a plurality of rigid sections interconnected by rotating joints. A robot is configured to support and control the movement of at least a section of the mechanical link to transmit the first laser beam to an object. An optical scanner is positioned proximate to the mechanical link. The optical scanner is configured to direct the first and second laser beams onto the object. An interferometer is optically coupled to the optical scanner. The interferometer is configured to receive reflected light from the object and in response generate an electrical signal. The first laser source is kinematically mounted in a housing assembly. | 11-26-2009 |
20090290166 | Adjustable Interferometer for Laser Ultrasonic Measurement - An interferometer includes a cavity including a pair of mirrors defining a cavity length. An input beam and a counter-propagating reference beam are directed into the cavity. The interferometer generates a feedback control signal and an ultrasound signal for optimal performance and measurement of a target, respectively. | 11-26-2009 |
20120320383 | Enclosed Laser-Ultrasonic Inspection System - A laser ultrasonic inspection system comprises laser sources configured to generate laser beams, an optical scanner configured to direct the laser beams onto an object thereby generating ultrasonic waves in the object and illuminating the object, an interferometer configured to generate an electrical signal in response to the reflected light, and a radiation restricting inspection chamber for housing the object. Another laser ultrasonic inspection system comprises a radiation restricting inspection chamber, laser sources located outside of the inspection chamber, an optical scanner located inside the inspection chamber, a visible laser tracer representative of the orientation of the laser beams; an interferometer, a scanner positioning mechanism, and an object positioning mechanism. A method for inspecting an object comprises the steps of positioning an object inside of an inspection chamber, defining a scanning profile, and directing laser beams onto the object according to the inspection profile. | 12-20-2012 |
20130088724 | METHOD AND APPARATUS FOR THE INSPECTION OF SANDWICH STRUCTURES USING LASER-INDUCED RESONANT FREQUENCIES - A method for inspecting a sandwich structure may comprise determining a reference frequency, directing first and second laser beams onto the structure, collecting reflected light, processing it using an interferometer, acquiring a time-dependent signal for a predetermined duration greater than a period corresponding to the reference frequency, processing the time-dependent signal to produce a frequency-dependent signal, and comparing characteristics of the processed frequency-dependent signal to the reference frequency. A laser-ultrasonic apparatus configured to inspect sandwich structures may comprise first and second laser beams configured to generate acoustic energy in and illuminate a sandwich structure, respectively, an interferometer configured to receive reflected light and generate a time-dependent signal, detection electronics configured to process the time-dependent signal to produce a time-dependent electrical signal, and one or more processing units configured to convert the time-dependent electrical signal into a frequency-dependent signal and to compare characteristics thereof to characteristics of a reference frequency-dependent signal. | 04-11-2013 |
20130120758 | LASER ULTRASONIC MEASUREMENT SYSTEM WITH MOVABLE BEAM DELIVERY - A laser ultrasonic measurement system includes a first and a second laser source configured to generate a first and a second laser beam, respectively. A movable mechanical link is arranged to transmit the first laser beam. The movable mechanical link is formed by a plurality of rigid sections interconnected by rotating joints. A robot is configured to support and control the movement of at least a section of the mechanical link to transmit the first laser beam to an object. An optical scanner is positioned proximate to the mechanical link. The optical scanner is configured to direct the first and second laser beams onto the object. An interferometer is optically coupled to the optical scanner. The interferometer is configured to receive reflected light from the object and in response generate an electrical signal. The first laser source is kinematically mounted in a housing assembly. | 05-16-2013 |
20140081459 | DEPTH MAPPING VISION SYSTEM WITH 2D OPTICAL PATTERN FOR ROBOTIC APPLICATIONS - A depth mapping device equipped with a 2D optical pattern projection mounted on a tool attached to a robot may be used to measure distance between the tool and an object. Depth data generated by the depth mapping device can be used to generate an augmented-reality image to provide real-time information about the object position, orientation, or other measurements to an operator performing a industrial robotic process. Images also may be generated with a camera located on the robot. Real-time depth information may be used to prevent collision. Fast depth information acquisition may be used to modify robot position for better processing. Real-time data acquisition plus fast processing may provide augmented-reality images to operators for better robot programming. Location data of the industrial process on the object may be used to improve analysis of the industrial process data. | 03-20-2014 |
20140327746 | VOLUME RECONSTRUCTION OF AN OBJECT USING A 3D SENSOR AND ROBOTIC COORDINATES - Real-time 3D information may be collected about the shape of an object on which an industrial process is applied. By using the position and orientation information provided by the robot controller to integrate the 3D information provided by the sensor, improved volume information for shapes presenting few features, for example, a slowly varying wall, may be provided. In addition, the total error in the reconstructed volume may be independent from the number of views because the position and orientation information for any view need not rely on the position and orientation information of the previous views. | 11-06-2014 |
20140365158 | LASER ULTRASOUND MATERIAL TESTING - A laser ultrasound system may be utilized to test material quality. The laser ultrasound system may generate a laser for application to a material and measure signal generated by the application of the laser to the material. The measured signals may be altered based on correction factors and the quality of the material may be determined based on the altered signals. | 12-11-2014 |