Flexible electro-ultrasonic transducer imaging system

Abstract

A flexible electro-ultrasonic transducer imaging system includes a polytetrafluoroethylene (PTFE) layer, a plurality of flexible UT transducers, and a multiplexer. The PTFE layer includes a front surface and a back surface, and the plurality of flexible UT transducers are attached to the back surface of the PTFE layer. Each UT transducer has a front end and a back end, and the front end of each flexible UT transducer is attached to the back surface of the PTFE layer. The flexible UT transducers are arranged as a two-dimensional array along the back surface of the PTFE layer, and each flexible UT transducer is configured to vibrate in a normal direction of the back surface of the PTFE layer. The multiplexer is in signal communication with each flexible UT transducer, wherein the flexible UT transducers are sandwiched between the multiplexer and the PTFE layer.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] This disclosure relates to imaging systems, and more particularly to ultrasound imaging systems. Background Technology

[0002] Known applications of ultrasonic nondestructive testing utilize high-frequency sound waves for flaw detection and thickness determination of objects and / or material layers on objects. These applications employ test systems comprising multiple ultrasonic transducers (UT transducers), where each UT transducer is typically a small probe that generates, transmits, and receives high-frequency sound waves. These small probes can be combined to form a larger probe phase array, which generates a steered sound beam to perform ultrasonic nondestructive testing.

[0003] Unfortunately, known UT transducers are made of piezoelectric crystal actuators. These actuators are ridged piezoelectric crystals, which require high voltages to detect changes in polarization due to movement. Furthermore, the stiffness and size of these known piezoelectric crystals limit their use in portable UT imaging systems, which can be used for defect detection and thickness correction of objects with different surfaces. Therefore, a UT imaging sensor is needed to address these issues. Summary of the Invention

[0004] A flexoelectric ultrasound (UT) transducer imaging system is disclosed, comprising a polytetrafluoroethylene (PTFE) layer, a plurality of flexoelectric UT transducers, and a multiplexer. The PTFE layer includes a front surface and a rear surface, and the plurality of flexoelectric UT transducers are attached to the rear surface of the PTFE layer. Each of the plurality of flexoelectric UT transducers has a front end and a rear end, and the front end of each UT transducer is attached to the rear surface of the PTFE layer, wherein the PTFE layer is configured as an audio diaphragm for the front end of each UT transducer. The plurality of flexoelectric UT transducers are arranged in a two-dimensional array along the rear surface of the PTFE layer, and each UT transducer is configured to vibrate in the normal direction of the rear surface of the PTFE layer. The multiplexer communicates signals with each UT transducer, wherein the plurality of flexoelectric UT transducers are sandwiched between the multiplexer and the PTFE layer.

[0005] In this operational example, a flexible UT transducer imaging system is placed on and covers the part being inspected. A first set of voltages is applied to multiple flexible UT transducers using a multiplexer to induce vibrations within them. The vibrations of the multiple flexible UT transducers and the PTFE layer generate acoustic waves that propagate toward the part being inspected using the PTFE layer. The PTFE layer then receives multiple reflected acoustic waves from the part under inspection, which cause the flexible UT transducers to vibrate and generate a second set of voltages received by the multiplexer. The multiplexer then transmits pixel data corresponding to each UT transducer within the two-dimensional array to a controller to produce a complete image of the part under inspection.

[0006] Other apparatus, devices, systems, methods, features, and advantages of the present invention will be apparent to those skilled in the art upon review of the following accompanying drawings and detailed description. It is intended that all such additional apparatus, devices, systems, methods, features, and advantages be included in this description, within the scope of the invention, and protected by the appended claims. Attached Figure Description

[0007] The invention can be better understood by referring to the accompanying drawings. The components in the drawings are not necessarily drawn to scale, but are used to emphasize the principles of the invention. In the drawings, similar reference numerals represent corresponding parts in different views.

[0008] Figure 1 This is a system block diagram illustrating an example implementation of the flexible UT transducer imaging system according to the present disclosure.

[0009] Figure 2 This is a side view of the flexible UT transducer imaging system according to this disclosure, such as Figure 1 As shown, it is placed on the nonlinear component being tested.

[0010] Figure 3 It is in accordance with this disclosure along Figure 1 and Figure 2 A system block diagram illustrating an embodiment of the distribution of multiple flexible UT transducers on the back surface of a polytetrafluoroethylene (PTFE) layer.

[0011] Figure 4A This is a system block diagram illustrating an example implementation of a UT transducer in a stationary state according to the present disclosure, such as... Figures 1 to 3 As shown.

[0012] Figure 4B This is a system block diagram of a UT transducer in an active low-frequency state according to this disclosure, such as... Figures 1 to 4A As shown.

[0013] Figure 4C This is a system block diagram of a UT transducer in an active high-frequency state according to this disclosure, such as... Figures 1 to 4B As shown.

[0014] Figure 4D This is a system block diagram of a UT transducer in a passive receiving state according to this disclosure, such as... Figures 1 to 4C As shown.

[0015] Figure 5 This is a system block diagram of an embodiment of a flexible electrical UT transducer imaging system operating in a first operating mode according to the present disclosure, as shown below. Figures 1 to 2 As shown.

[0016] Figure 6 This is a system block diagram of a flexible UT transducer imaging system operating in another operating mode according to this disclosure, such as... Figures 1 to 2 As shown.

[0017] Figure 7 It is based on this disclosure as follows Figures 1 to 2 The flowchart illustrates an embodiment of the method performed by the flexible UT transducer imaging system. Detailed Implementation

[0018] A flexible ultrasonic (UT) transducer imaging system is disclosed, comprising a polytetrafluoroethylene (PTFE) layer, a plurality of flexible UT transducers, and a multiplexer. The PTFE layer includes a front surface and a rear surface, and the plurality of flexible UT transducers are attached to the rear surface of the PTFE layer. Each of the plurality of flexible UT transducers has a front end and a rear end, and the front end of each UT transducer is attached to the rear surface of the PTFE layer, wherein the PTFE layer is configured as an audio diaphragm for the front end of each UT transducer. The plurality of flexible UT transducers are arranged in a two-dimensional array along the rear surface of the PTFE layer, and each UT transducer is configured to vibrate in the normal direction of the rear surface of the PTFE layer. The multiplexer communicates signals with each UT transducer, wherein the plurality of flexible UT transducers are sandwiched between the multiplexer and the PTFE layer.

[0019] In one operational example, a flexible UT transducer imaging system is placed over and covers the part under test. A first set of voltages is applied to multiple flexible UT transducers using a multiplexer to induce vibrations within them. The vibrations of the multiple flexible UT transducers and the PTFE layer generate acoustic waves that propagate toward the part under test using the PTFE layer. Multiple reflected acoustic waves are then received from the part under test using the PTFE layer, causing the flexible UT transducers to vibrate and generate a second set of voltages received by the multiplexer. The multiplexer then transmits pixel data corresponding to each UT transducer within a two-dimensional array to a controller to produce a complete image of the part under test.

[0020] Turning Figure 1This diagram illustrates a system block diagram of an example embodiment of a flexible UT transducer imaging system 100 according to the present disclosure. In this example, the flexible UT transducer imaging system 100 is placed on top of a component under test 102, which is a linear component. The flexible UT transducer imaging system 100 may include a polytetrafluoroethylene (PTFE) layer 104, a plurality of flexible UT transducers 106, a multiplexer 108, and a controller 110. The PTFE layer 104 includes a front surface 112 and a rear surface 114, and the plurality of flexible UT transducers 106 are attached to the rear surface 114 of the PTFE layer 104. In this example, each of the plurality of flexible UT transducers 106 has a front end and a rear end, wherein the front end of each UT transducer is attached to the rear surface 114 of the PTFE layer 104. A PTFE layer 104 is configured as an audio diaphragm at the front end of each UT transducer, and a plurality of flexible UT transducers 106 are arranged in a two-dimensional array along the rear surface 114 of the PTFE layer 104. In this example, each UT transducer is configured to vibrate in the normal direction to the rear surface 114 of the PTFE layer 104. In this example, the PTFE layer 104 can be placed on the test component 102 using UT adhesive 116 to form a near-vacuum seal between the front surface 112 of the PTFE layer 104 and the surface 118 of the test component 102.

[0021] In this example, controller 110 can be any device capable of receiving pixel data from each of a plurality of flexible UT transducers 106 and, in response, generating a complete image of the inspected part 102, which can be used for defect detection and thickness correction of the inspected part 102. Controller 110 can be, for example, a field-programmable gate array (FPGA) or a computing device including one or more processors, such as microprocessors, single-core processors, multi-core processors, microcontrollers, application-specific integrated circuits (ASICs), logic devices (e.g., programmable logic devices configured to perform processing operations), digital signal processing (DSP) devices, one or more memories (e.g., software, firmware, or other instructions) for storing executable instructions, and / or any other suitable combination of processing devices and / or memories to execute instructions to perform any of the various operations described herein. The one or more processors are adapted to connect to and communicate with memories and other devices via one or more communication interfaces to perform the methods and processing steps described herein. The one or more communication interfaces include wired or wireless communication buses.

[0022] In various examples, those skilled in the art will understand that processing operations and / or instructions may be integrated into software and / or hardware as part of one or more processors, or stored in memory as code (e.g., software or configuration data). Examples of processing operations and / or instructions disclosed herein may be stored in a non-transitory manner by a machine-readable medium (e.g., memory, hard disk drive, compact disk, digital video disk, or flash memory) to be executed by one or more processors (e.g., a computer such as a logic or processor-based system) to perform the various methods disclosed herein. In this example, the machine-readable medium may reside in memory within a computing device, but those skilled in the art will understand that the machine-readable medium may reside on other memory external to the controller.

[0023] In this example, the PTFE layer 104 may be implemented as a cover layer or part of a cover layer of the flexible UT transducer imaging system 100. If the cover layer is separated from the PTFE layer 104, the cover layer may be attached to the PTFE layer 104 and include a front surface and a rear surface, wherein the PTFE layer 104 is attached to the rear surface of the cover layer, and the front surface is configured to be attached to the component under test 102. In this example, the cover layer may be a separate component protecting the structural integrity of the PTFE layer 104, or simply a flexible version of the PTFE layer 104 extending beyond the physically occupied area of ​​multiple UT transducers 106.

[0024] Furthermore, the flexible UT transducer imaging system 100 may include a power supply (not shown), or signal to a power supply (not shown), to provide a set of excitation voltages to the flexible UT transducers among a plurality of flexible UT transducers 106. In this example, the power supply provides a voltage, for example, less than about 80 volts.

[0025] Figure 2 This is a side view of a flexible electric UT transducer imaging system 100 placed on a nonlinear test component 200 according to this disclosure. In this example, the controller 110 is shown as a combination of the PTFE layer 104, multiple flexible electric UT transducers 106, and multiplexer 108, but still in signal communication with them via signal path 202, which may be wired or wireless.

[0026] Those skilled in the art will understand that the circuits, components, modules, and / or devices of the Flexible UT Transducer Imaging System 100, or circuits, components, modules, and / or devices associated with the Flexible UT Transducer Imaging System 100, are described as signal communicating with each other. Signal communication refers to any type of communication and / or connection between circuits, components, modules, and / or devices to allow a circuit, component, module, and / or device to receive signals and / or information from another circuit, component, module, and / or device. Communication and / or connection can be along any signal path between circuits, components, modules, and / or devices that allows signals and / or information to be transferred from one circuit, component, module, and / or device to another, and includes wireless or wired signal paths. Signal paths can be physical, such as conductive wires, electromagnetic waveguides, cables, attachments and / or electromagnetic or mechanical coupling terminals, semiconducting or dielectric materials or devices, or other similar physical connections or couplings. Furthermore, the signal path can be non-physical, such as in free space (in the case of electromagnetic propagation) or via digital components, where communication information is transferred from one circuit, component, module, and / or device to another in varying digital formats without a direct electromagnetic connection.

[0027] exist Figure 3The diagram illustrates a system block diagram of an embodiment of the distribution of a plurality of flexible UT transducers 106 along the rear surface 114 of a PTFE layer 104 according to the present disclosure. In this example, a plurality of flexible UT transducers 300, 302, 304, 306, 308, 310, 312, 314, and 316 are attached to the rear surface 114 of the PTFE layer 104. The plurality of flexible UT transducers 300 correspond to pixel elements on the flexible UT transducer imaging system 100 and can be oriented in rows and columns along the rear surface 114 of the PTFE layer 104. As an example, flexible UT transducers 300, 302, 304, and 306 can be oriented along a first row 318, and flexible UT transducers 300, 308, 310, and 312 can be oriented along a first column 320. As previously stated, the front end of each flexible UT transducer is attached to the rear surface 114 of the PTFE layer 104. As an example, the first front end 322 of the first flexible UT transducer 300, the second front end 324 of the second flexible UT transducer 306, the third front end 326 of the third flexible UT transducer 312, and the fourth front end 328 of the fourth flexible UT transducer 316 are all attached to the rear surface 114 of the PTFE layer 104. In this example, multiplexer 108 communicates with each of the flexible UT transducers 300, 302, 304, 306, 308, 310, 312, 314, and 316, and when the flexible UT transducers 300, 302, 304, 306, 306, 308, 310, 312, 314, and 316 detect the acoustic wave received at the PTFE layer 104, it applies a set of voltage signals to the flexible UT transducers 300, 302, 304, 304, 306, 308, 310, 312, 314, and 316 or receives another set of voltage signals from the flexible UT transducers 300, 302, 304, 304, 306, 308, 310, 312, 314, and 316.

[0028] As discussed above, multiple flexible UT transducers 300, 302, 304, 306, 308, 310, 312, 314, and 316 are arranged in a two-dimensional array on the rear surface 114 of the PTFE layer 104, wherein each flexible UT transducer 300, 302, 304, 306, 308, 310, 312, 314, and 316 corresponds to a pixel of the two-dimensional array. In this example, the size of the two-dimensional array can optionally vary depending on the design preferences of the flexible UT transducer imaging system 100. For example, the two-dimensional array can be as small as a 2×2 array to as large as a required array, such as a 1000×1000 array or larger. Therefore, the number of flexible UT transducers can vary from four (4) elements to millions of elements.

[0029] Turning Figures 4A to 4DThe image shows a flexible UT transducer 400 among multiple flexible UT transducers 106. In this example, Figure 4A The image shows the flexible UT transducer 400 in a rest state. Figure 4B The Zhongrou Electric UT transducer 400 is in an active low-frequency state. Figure 4C The Zhongrou Electric UT transducer 400 is in an active high-frequency state and Figure 4D The flexible UT transducer 400 is in a passive receiving state. In this example, the flexible UT transducer includes a front end 402 and a rear end 404. The front end 402 of the flexible UT transducer 400 is attached to the rear surface 114 of the PTFE layer 104. The flexible UT transducer 400 may include and be constituted by one or more flexible crystal elements 406, 408, 410, and 412.

[0030] In this example, only four flexible transistor elements 406, 408, 410, and 412 are shown for illustrative purposes. However, those skilled in the art will understand that any number of flexible transistor elements 406, 408, 410, and 412 can be used when forming a flexible UT transducer 400 with multiple flexible transistor elements arranged in a stacked structure as shown. Therefore, in this example, the front end 402 of the flexible UT transducer 400 corresponds to the front end of the first flexible transistor element 406. In this example, each flexible transistor element 406, 408, 410, and 412 communicates with the multiplexer 108 via multiple signal paths 414, 416, 418, and 420, respectively. Furthermore, in this example, each of the flexible transistor elements 406, 408, 410, and 412 can be made of a polarized ceramic material (e.g., barium titanate (BaTiO3)). Furthermore, in this example, the front end 402 of the flexible UT transducer 400 has a corresponding front end impedance that matches the PTFE impedance of the PTFE layer 104.

[0031] The polarization ceramic materials of the flexible transistor elements 406, 408, 410 and 412 respond to the applied voltage and align along the applied voltage, such that when a voltage is applied to the flexible transistor elements 406, 408, 410 and 412, the polarization ceramic materials of the flexible transistor elements 406, 408, 410 and 412 will align and expand in the vertical direction 422 and the horizontal direction 424.

[0032] In an example of operation for transmission, initially, the flexible UT transducer 400 is in a stationary state, with no voltage applied to the flexible transistor elements 406, 408, 410, and 412. The flexible UT transducer 400 will have an initial height 426 and an initial width 428. When a first set of voltages is applied in a low-frequency mode, the polarization material within the flexible transistor elements 406, 408, 410, and 412 will align itself along the applied first set of voltages, causing the height of the flexible UT transducer 400 to increase to a second height 430, and increasing the width of some of the flexible transistor elements 406, 408, 410, and 412 to be greater than the initial width 428. When the applied first set of voltages is removed, the flexible transistor elements 406, 408, 410, and 412 will return to their original positions. Figure 4A The static state is shown. By applying alternating current (AC) voltages 401, 403, 405, and 407 to the flexible transistor elements 406, 408, 410, and 412, the flexible UT transducer 400 can vibrate vertically 432 (in the normal direction, i.e., perpendicular to the rear surface 114 of the PTFE layer 104) and horizontally 434. These vertical vibrations 432 and horizontal vibrations 434 will generate mechanical forces on the rear surface 114 of the PTFE layer 104, thereby generating low-frequency vibrations 436 of acoustic waves that are transmitted through the PTFE layer 104 to the component under test 102.

[0033] If the applied voltage is increased in high-frequency mode, and a second set of voltages 409, 411, 413, and 415 are applied in high-frequency mode, the polarization materials within the flexible transistor elements 406, 408, 410, and 412 will further align along the applied second set of voltages, causing the height of the flexible UT transducer 400 to further increase to a third height 438, and further increasing the width of some of the flexible transistor elements 406, 408, 410, and 412 to greater than the initial width 428. Again, when the applied second set of voltages is removed, the flexible transistor elements 406, 408, 410, and 412 will return to... Figure 4A The static state is shown. By applying an AC voltage for applying the second set of voltages to the flexible transistor elements 406, 408, 410, and 412, the flexible UT transducer 400 will... Figure 4B The example in the text shows more intense vertical vibrations 440 and horizontal vibrations 442. These vertical vibrations 440 and horizontal vibrations 442 will again generate mechanical forces on the rear surface 114 of the PTFE layer 104, thereby generating high-frequency vibrations 444 of the sound waves, which are transmitted from the PTFE layer 104 to the component under test 102.

[0034] In an example of operation for receiving the reflected acoustic wave 446, the process is reversed. The flexible UT transducer 400 receives the reflected acoustic wave 446 at the front surface 112 of the PTFE layer 104. The received reflected acoustic wave 446 causes a deflection of the PTFE layer 104, which causes the flexible UT transducer 400 to deflect as it is attached to the rear surface 114 of the PTFE layer 104. The deflection of the PTFE layer 104 will cause the flexible UT transducer 400 to vibrate vertically 448 and horizontally 450, which will generate a first voltage 452 from the first flexible transistor element 406, a second voltage 454 from the second flexible transistor element 408, a third voltage 456 from the third flexible transistor element 410, and a fourth voltage 458 from the fourth flexible transistor element 412. These voltages will be received by the multiplexer 108 and passed to the controller 110.

[0035] In this example, note that the multiplexer 108 can be configured to drive or receive very large amounts of voltage because the multiplexer 108 communicates with each flexible crystal element 406, 408, 410, and 412 of each UT transducer 400 in an M-by-N two-dimensional array of flexible UT transducers 300, 302, 304, 306, 308, 310, 312, 314, and 316, which can exceed one million, where M is the number of flexible UT transducers 300, 302, 304, 306, 308, 310, 312, 314, and 316 along row 318, and N is the number of flexible UT transducers 300, 302, 304, 310, and 312 along column 320.

[0036] Figure 5 This is a system block diagram of an embodiment of a flexible electric UT transducer imaging system 100 operating in a first operating mode according to the present disclosure. In this example, a plurality of flexible electric UT transducers 300, 302, 304, 306, 308, 310, 312, 314, and 316 are arranged into multiple subsets, wherein the multiple subsets are columns along the rear surface 114 of the PTFE layer 104. Furthermore, in this example, a first subset 500 of the flexible electric UT transducers may include two columns of flexible electric UT transducers 502 and 504. A second subset 506 of the flexible electric UT transducers may include all other flexible electric UT transducers not included in the first subset 500. For ease of illustration, only two columns of flexible electric UT transducers 502 and 504 are shown in the first subset 500; however, it will be understood that the number of flexible electric UT transducers in the first subset 500 may vary based on design.

[0037] In this example, flexible UT transducers 502 and 504 are combined with a PTFE layer 104 to generate multiple acoustic waves transmitted to the component under test 102. The resulting acoustic waves reflected from the component under test 102 are received by a second subset 506 of the flexible UT transducers, rather than by the flexible UT transducers 502 and 504 of the first subset 500. In this example, each flexible UT transducer within the second subset 506 generates a set of voltages received by the multiplexer 108.

[0038] Turning Figure 6 This diagram illustrates a system block diagram of a flexible electric UT transducer imaging system 100 operating in another mode according to the present disclosure. In this example, a plurality of flexible electric UT transducers 106 are arranged as a two-dimensional array 600 of flexible electric UT transducers, some of which (i.e., a first subset) are used to generate acoustic waves transmitted to the component under test 102. Flexible electric UT transducers 603 of the first subset 602 are located, for example, at the center of the two-dimensional array 600 of flexible electric UT transducers. In this example, the flexible electric UT transducers 605 of the second subset 604 include all the flexible electric UT transducers in the two-dimensional array 600 of flexible electric UT transducers other than the first subset 602.

[0039] Similar to the previous example, in this example, the flexible UT transducers in the first subset 602 of the flexible UT transducers, combined with the PTFE layer 104, generate multiple acoustic waves transmitted to the component under test 102. The acoustic waves reflected from the component under test 102 are received by the second subset 604 of the flexible UT transducers, rather than by the flexible UT transducers in the first subset 602. Furthermore, each flexible UT transducer within the second subset 602 generates a set of voltages received by the multiplexer 108.

[0040] It is understandable that the flexible UT transducer imaging system 100 can also use other combinations. In these examples, the controller 110 can be programmed to utilize different combinations for different measurements based on the component under test 102 or other factors.

[0041] exist Figure 7The diagram shows a flowchart of an embodiment of a method 700 performed by a flexible UT transducer imaging system 100 according to the present invention. Method 700 begins by covering the component under test 102 702 with the flexible UT transducer imaging system 100 and applying a first set of voltages 404, 403, 405, 407, 409, 411, 413, and 415 704 to a plurality of flexible UT transducers 106 using a multiplexer 108 to generate vibrations in the plurality of flexible UT transducers 106. Method 700 then includes transmitting a plurality of acoustic waves 436 or 444 706 to the component under test 102 using a PTFE layer 104, wherein the plurality of acoustic waves 436 or 444 are generated by a combination of the vibrations of the PTFE layer 104 and the plurality of flexible UT transducers 106. Then, method 700 includes receiving 708 multiple acoustic waves 446 reflected from the component under test 102 using a PTFE layer 104, and generating 710 a second set of voltages from multiple flexible UT transducers 106, which are received 712 by a multiplexer 108. Then, method 700 includes transmitting 714 pixel data from each flexible UT transducer 300, 302, 304, 306, 308, 310, 312, 316, or 400 to a controller 110 to generate a complete image of the component under test 102, and generating 716 a complete image using the controller 110. The method then ends.

[0042] In this example, step 710 of generating a second set of voltages from the plurality of flexible UT transducers 106 includes generating subset voltages 452, 454, 456, and 458 from each flexible crystal element 406, 408, 410, and 412 of each flexible UT transducer 300, 302, 304, 306, 308, 310, 312, 316, or 400. Furthermore, the step of receiving 712 of the second set of voltages from the plurality of flexible UT transducers 106 using multiplexer 108 includes receiving subset voltages 452, 454, 456, and 458 from each flexible crystal element 406, 408, 410, and 412 of each flexible UT transducer 300, 302, 304, 306, 308, 310, 312, 316, or 400.

[0043] In method 700, the transmission step 706 may further include generating a plurality of acoustic waves 436 or 444 from a combination of vibrations of the PTFE layer 104 and a first subset 500 or 602 of the flexible UT transducer 106, receiving a plurality of reflected acoustic waves 446 from the component under test 102 with the PTFE layer 104 and a second subset 506 or 602 of the flexible UT transducer 106, and generating a second set of voltages from the second subset 506 or 602 of the flexible UT transducer 106. In this example, the first subset 500 or 602 of the flexible UT transducer 106 has a pattern within a two-dimensional array 600. In this example, the first set of voltages 401, 403, 405, 407, 409, 411, 413, and 415 may be less than approximately 80 volts.

[0044] Furthermore, this disclosure includes the following examples, wherein the scope of protection is provided by the claims.

[0045] Example 1: A flexible electric ultrasound (UT) transducer imaging system 100 includes: a polytetrafluoroethylene (PTFE) layer 104 having a front surface 112 and a rear surface 114; a plurality of flexible electric UT transducers 106, the flexible electric UT transducers 106 being attached to the rear surface 114 of the PTFE layer 104, wherein each of the plurality of flexible electric UT transducers 106 is a flexible electric UT transducer 300, 302, 304, 305, 306, 306, 307, 308, 309, 30 ... 6, 308, 310, 312, 316, 400 have front ends 322, 324, 326, 328, 402 and a rear end 404, and the front ends 322, 324, 326, 328, 402 of each flexible UT transducer 300, 302, 304, 306, 308, 310, 312, 316, 400 are attached to the rear surface 114 of the PTFE layer 104, wherein the PTFE layer 104 is configured as the audio diaphragm of the front end 322, 324, 326, 328, 402 of each flexible electric UT transducer 300, 302, 304, 306, 308, 310, 312, 316, 400. Multiple flexible electric UT transducers 106 are arranged in a two-dimensional array along the rear surface 114 of the PTFE layer 104, and each flexible electric UT transducer 300, 302, 304, 306, 308, 310, 312, 316, 400... 8, 310, 312, 316, and 400 are configured to vibrate in the normal direction of the rear surface 114 of the PTFE layer 104; and a multiplexer 108 communicates with each of the flexible UT transducers 300, 302, 304, 306, 308, 310, 312, 316, and 400, wherein a plurality of flexible UT transducers 106 are sandwiched between the multiplexer 108 and the PTFE layer 104.

[0046] Example 2: The flexible UT transducer imaging system 100 of Example 1, wherein each of the plurality of flexible UT transducers 106, 300, 302, 304, 306, 308, 310, 312, 316, 400, is composed of flexible crystal elements 406, 408, 410, 412.

[0047] Example 3: The flexible UT transducer imaging system 100 as in Example 2, wherein the flexible crystal elements 406, 408, 410, and 412 are barium titanate (BaTiO3) crystal elements.

[0048] Example 4: A flexible UT transducer imaging system 100 as in Example 2 or 3, wherein each flexible UT transducer 300, 302, 304, 306, 308, 310, 312, 316, 400 includes a plurality of flexible crystal elements 406, 408, 410, 412 arranged in a stacked structure.

[0049] Example 5: The flexible UT transducer imaging system 100 as in Example 4, wherein the multiplexer 108 communicates with each of the multiple flexible UT transducers 106, namely 300, 302, 304, 306, 308, 310, 312, 316, 400.

[0050] Example 6: The flexible UT transducer imaging system 100 of Example 5, wherein the multiplexer 108 communicates with each of the multiple flexible crystal elements 406, 408, 410, 412 among the multiple flexible crystal elements 300, 302, 304, 306, 308, 310, 312, 316, 400.

[0051] Example 7: A flexible electric UT transducer imaging system 100 as in Example 1, wherein the front end 322, 324, 326, 328, 402 of each flexible electric UT transducer 300, 302, 304, 306, 308, 310, 312, 316, 400 has a corresponding front end impedance, the PTFE layer 104 has a PTFE impedance, and the corresponding front end impedance of each flexible electric UT transducer is matched with the PTFE impedance.

[0052] Example 8: The flexible UT transducer imaging system 100 of Example 1 further includes a cover layer attached to a PTFE layer 104, wherein the cover layer includes a front surface and a rear surface, the PTFE layer 104 is attached to the rear surface of the cover layer, and the front surface is configured to be attached to the component under test 102.

[0053] Example 9: The flexible UT transducer imaging system 100 of Example 1 further includes a controller 110 that communicates signals with the multiplexer 108.

[0054] Example 10: A flexible UT transducer imaging system 100 as in Example 9, wherein each of a plurality of flexible UT transducers 106, 300, 302, 304, 306, 308, 310, 312, 316, 400, corresponds to a pixel of a two-dimensional array, and a controller 110 is configured to receive pixel data from each flexible UT transducer 300, 302, 304, 306, 308, 310, 312, 316, 400, and in response, generate a complete image of the component 102 under inspection.

[0055] Example 11, a method 102 for inspecting a component under inspection using the flexible UT transducer imaging system 100 of Example 1.

[0056] Example 12. A method 700 for inspecting a component 102 using a flexible UT transducer imaging system 100, the method 700 comprising: covering the component 102 with the flexible UT transducer imaging system 100, wherein the flexible UT transducer imaging system 100 has a polytetrafluoroethylene (PTFE) layer 104, a plurality of flexible UT transducers 106 attached to a rear surface 114 of the PTFE layer 104, and a flexible UT transducer 30 of each of the plurality of flexible UT transducers 106. A multiplexer 108 for 0, 302, 304, 306, 308, 310, 312, 316, and 400 signal communication is provided. Multiple flexible UT transducers 106 are sandwiched between the multiplexer 108 and a PTFE layer 104. The multiple flexible UT transducers 106 are arranged in a two-dimensional array along the rear surface 114 of the PTFE layer 104. Each flexible UT transducer has 300, 302, 304, 306, 308, 310, 312, 316, and 400 pairs of... For pixels in a two-dimensional array; a first set of voltages 401, 403, 405, 407, 409, 411, 413, and 415 are applied to a plurality of flexible UT transducers 106 using a multiplexer 108 to generate vibrations in the plurality of flexible UT transducers 106; a plurality of acoustic waves 436 and 444 are transmitted to component 102 via a PTFE layer 104, wherein the plurality of acoustic waves 436 and 444 are a combination of the vibrations of the PTFE layer 104 and the plurality of flexible UT transducers 106. The process involves: generating; receiving 708 reflected sound waves 446 from component 102 using PTFE layer 104; generating 710 second group voltages from multiple flexible UT transducers 106; receiving 712 second group voltages from multiple flexible UT transducers 106 using multiplexer 108; and transmitting 714 pixel data from each flexible UT transducer 300, 302, 304, 306, 308, 310, 312, 316, 400 to controller 110 to generate a complete image of component 102.

[0057] Example 13, method 700 as in Example 12, wherein each of the plurality of flexible UT transducers 106, 300, 302, 304, 306, 308, 310, 312, 316, 400, is composed of flexible crystal elements 406, 408, 410, 412.

[0058] Example 14, method 700 as in Example 13, wherein the flexible crystal elements 406, 408, 410, and 412 are barium titanate (BaTiO3) crystal elements.

[0059] Example 15, method 700 as in Example 13, wherein each flexible UT transducer 300, 302, 304, 306, 308, 310, 312, 316, 400 includes a plurality of flexible crystal elements 406, 408, 410, 412 arranged in a stacked structure, and wherein generating a second set of voltages from the plurality of flexible UT transducers 106 includes generating a subset of voltages 452, 454, 456, 458 from each flexible crystal element 406, 408, 410, 412 of each flexible UT transducer 300, 302, 304, 306, 308, 310, 312, 316, 400.

[0060] Example 16, Example 15 method 700, wherein multiplexer 108 communicates signals with each of a plurality of flexible UT transducers 300, 302, 304, 306, 308, 310, 312, 316, 400, and wherein the multiplexer 108 receives a second set of voltages from the plurality of flexible UT transducers 106, including a subset of voltages 452, 454, 456, 458 received from each flexible crystal element 406, 408, 410, 412 of each flexible UT transducer 300, 302, 304, 306, 308, 310, 312, 316, 400.

[0061] Example 17, method 700 as in Example 12, wherein transmitting a plurality of acoustic waves 436, 444 to component 102 using PTFE layer 104 includes: generating a plurality of acoustic waves 436, 444 from a combination of vibrations of a first subset of PTFE layer 104 and flexible UT transducers 106; receiving a plurality of reflected acoustic waves 446 from component 102 using PTFE layer 104; and generating a second set of voltages from a second subset of flexible UT transducers 106.

[0062] Example 18, method 700 as in Example 17, wherein a first subset of the flexible UT transducers 106 has a pattern within a two-dimensional array.

[0063] Example 19, the method 700 of Example 12, further includes receiving pixel data from each flexible UT transducer 300, 302, 304, 306, 308, 310, 312, 316, 400 using a controller 110, and generating a complete image of the tested component 102 in response.

[0064] Example 20, method 700 as in Example 12, wherein the first group of voltages 401, 403, 405, 407, 409, 411, 413, 415 are less than approximately 80 volts.

[0065] Further illustrative and non-exclusive examples according to the invention are described in the following paragraphs:

[0066] In one example of the invention, a flexible electric ultrasound (UT) transducer imaging system (100) includes: a polytetrafluoroethylene (PTFE) layer (104) having a front surface (112) and a rear surface (114); a plurality of flexible electric UT transducers (106) attached to the rear surface (114) of the PTFE layer (104), wherein each of the plurality of flexible electric UT transducers (106) is a flexible electric UT transducer (300, 302, ...). 304, 306, 308, 310, 312, 316, 400) have a front end (322, 324, 326, 328, 402) and a rear end (404), wherein the front end (322, 324, 326, 328, 402) of each flexible UT transducer (300, 302, 304, 306, 308, 310, 312, 316, 400) is attached to the rear surface (114) of the PTFE layer (104), wherein P The TFE layer (104) is configured as the audio diaphragm of the front end (322, 324, 326, 328, 402) of each flexible UT transducer (300, 302, 304, 306, 308, 310, 312, 316, 400). Multiple flexible UT transducers (106) are arranged in a two-dimensional array along the rear surface (114) of the PTFE layer (104), and each flexible UT transducer (300, 302, 304, 306, 308, 310, 312, 316, 400) is positioned as such. 08, 310, 312, 316, 400) are configured to vibrate in the normal direction of the rear surface (114) of the PTFE layer (104); and a multiplexer (108) is configured to signal communicate with each flexible UT transducer (300, 302, 304, 306, 308, 310, 312, 316, 400), wherein a plurality of flexible UT transducers (106) are sandwiched between the multiplexer (108) and the PTFE layer (104).

[0067] Optionally, in the flexible UT transducer imaging system (100) described in the preceding paragraph, each of the plurality of flexible UT transducers (106) (300, 302, 304, 306, 308, 310, 312, 316, 400) is composed of flexible crystal elements (406, 408, 410, 412).

[0068] Optionally, in the flexible UT transducer imaging system (100) of one of the preceding paragraphs, the flexible crystal elements (406, 408, 410, 412) are barium titanate (BaTiO3) crystal elements.

[0069] Optionally, in the flexible UT transducer imaging system (100) of one of the preceding paragraphs, each flexible UT transducer (300, 302, 304, 306, 308, 310, 312, 316, 400) includes a plurality of flexible crystal elements (406, 408, 410, 412) arranged in a stacked structure.

[0070] Optionally, in the flexible UT transducer imaging system (100) of one of the preceding paragraphs, the multiplexer (108) communicates signals with each of the multiple flexible UT transducers (300, 302, 304, 306, 308, 310, 312, 316, 400) among the multiple flexible UT transducers (106).

[0071] Optionally, in the flexible UT transducer imaging system (100) of one of the preceding paragraphs, the multiplexer (108) communicates signals with each of the multiple flexible crystal elements (406, 408, 410, 412) among the multiple flexible crystal elements (300, 302, 304, 306, 308, 310, 312, 316, 400).

[0072] Optionally, in the flexible UT transducer imaging system (100) of one of the preceding paragraphs, the front end (322, 324, 326, 328, 402) of each flexible UT transducer (300, 302, 304, 306, 308, 310, 312, 316, 400) has a corresponding front end impedance, the PTFE layer (104) has a PTFE impedance, and the corresponding front end impedance of each flexible UT transducer is matched with the PTFE impedance.

[0073] Optionally, the flexible UT transducer imaging system (100) of one of the preceding paragraphs further includes a cover layer attached to a PTFE layer (104), wherein the cover layer includes a front surface and a rear surface, the PTFE layer (104) is attached to the rear surface of the cover layer, and the front surface is configured to be attached to the component under test (102).

[0074] Optionally, the flexible UT transducer imaging system (100) in one of the preceding paragraphs also includes a controller (110) that communicates signals with a multiplexer (108).

[0075] Optionally, in the flexible UT transducer imaging system (100) of one of the preceding paragraphs, each of the plurality of flexible UT transducers (106) (300, 302, 304, 306, 308, 310, 312, 316, 400) corresponds to a pixel of a two-dimensional array, and the controller (110) is configured to receive pixel data from each flexible UT transducer (300, 302, 304, 306, 308, 310, 312, 316, 400) and, in response, generate a complete image of the component under test (102).

[0076] In another example according to this disclosure, a method for inspecting a component (102) using a flexible UT transducer imaging system (100) from one of the preceding paragraphs.

[0077] In another example according to this disclosure, a method (700) for examining a component (102) with a flexible UT transducer imaging system (100) is provided. The method (700) includes: covering the component (102) with the flexible UT transducer imaging system (100), the flexible UT transducer imaging system (100) having a polytetrafluoroethylene (PTFE) layer (104), a plurality of flexible UT transducers (106) attached to a rear surface (114) of the PTFE layer (104), and flexible UT transduction with each of the plurality of flexible UT transducers (106). A multiplexer (108) for signal communication of devices (300, 302, 304, 306, 308, 308, 310, 312, 316, 400) is provided, wherein multiple flexible UT transducers (106) are sandwiched between the multiplexer (108) and a PTFE layer (104), and the multiple flexible UT transducers (106) are arranged in a two-dimensional array along the rear surface (114) of the PTFE layer (104), wherein each flexible UT transducer (300, 302, 304, 306, 308, 310, 312, 316, 400) corresponds to The pixels of the two-dimensional array; a first set of voltages (401, 403, 405, 407, 409, 411, 413, 415) are applied (704) to a plurality of flexible UT transducers (106) using a multiplexer (108) to generate vibrations in the plurality of flexible UT transducers (106); a plurality of acoustic waves (436, 444) are transmitted (706) to the component (102) using a PTFE layer (104), wherein the plurality of acoustic waves (436, 444) are generated by a combination of the vibrations of the PTFE layer (104) and the plurality of flexible UT transducers (106). The process involves: receiving (708) multiple reflected acoustic waves (446) from component (102), wherein a PTFE layer (104) generates (710) a second set of voltages from multiple flexible UT transducers (106); receiving (712) the second set of voltages from multiple flexible UT transducers (106) using a multiplexer (108); and transmitting (714) pixel data from each flexible UT transducer (300, 302, 304, 306, 308, 310, 312, 316, 400) to controller (110) to generate a complete image of component (102).

[0078] Optionally, in the method (700) of the preceding paragraph, each of the plurality of flexible UT transducers (106) (300, 302, 304, 306, 308, 310, 312, 316, 400) is composed of flexible crystal elements (406, 408, 410, 412).

[0079] Optionally, in one of the methods (700) in the preceding paragraphs, the flexible crystal element (406, 408, 410, 412) is a barium titanate (BaTiO3) crystal element.

[0080] Optionally, in one of the methods (700) in the preceding paragraphs, each flexible UT transducer (300, 302, 304, 306, 308, 310, 312, 316, 400) includes a plurality of flexible crystal elements (406, 408, 410, 412) arranged in a stacked structure, and wherein generating a second set of voltages from the plurality of flexible UT transducers (106) includes generating a subset of voltages (452, 454, 456, 458) from each flexible crystal element (406, 408, 410, 412) of each flexible UT transducer (300, 302, 304, 306, 308, 310, 312, 316, 400).

[0081] Optionally, in one of the methods (700) in the preceding paragraphs, the multiplexer (108) communicates signals with each of the plurality of flexible UT transducers (300, 302, 304, 306, 308, 312, 316, 400) of the plurality of flexible UT transducers (106), and wherein receiving a second set of voltages from the plurality of flexible UT transducers (106) by the multiplexer (108) includes receiving a subset of voltages (452, 454, 456, 458) from each flexible crystal element (406, 408, 410, 412) of each flexible UT transducer (300, 302, 304, 306, 310, 312, 316, 400).

[0082] Optionally, in one of the preceding methods (700), transmitting multiple acoustic waves (436, 444) to the component (102) using the PTFE layer (104) includes generating multiple acoustic waves (436, 444) from a combination of vibrations from the PTFE layer (104) and the first subset of flexible UT transducers (106), receiving multiple reflected acoustic waves (446) from the component (102) using the PTFE layer (104), and generating a second set of voltages from a second subset of the flexible UT transducers (106).

[0083] Alternatively, in one of the methods (700) in the preceding paragraphs, a first subset of the flexible UT transducers (106) has a pattern within a two-dimensional array.

[0084] Optionally, the method (700) in one of the preceding paragraphs also includes receiving pixel data from each flexible UT transducer (300, 302, 304, 306, 308, 310, 312, 316, 400) using a controller (110) and generating a complete image (102) of the component under test in response.

[0085] Alternatively, in one of the methods (700) in the preceding paragraphs, the first group of voltages (401, 403, 405, 407, 409, 411, 413, 415) is less than approximately 80 volts.

[0086] It will be understood that various aspects or details of this disclosure may be changed without departing from the scope of this disclosure. It is not exhaustive, nor does it limit the claimed disclosure to the precise form disclosed. Furthermore, the foregoing description is for illustrative purposes only and not for limiting purposes. Modifications and variations are possible based on the foregoing description, or may be obtained from practicing this disclosure. The claims and their equivalents define the scope of this disclosure. Moreover, although these techniques have been described in language specific to structural features and / or methodological behavior, it should be understood that the appended claims are not necessarily limited to the described features or behaviors. Rather, the features and behaviors are described as exemplary implementations of these techniques.

[0087] Within the scope of the terms “including,” “comprising,” “having,” “containing,” and variations thereof, used herein are intended to include in a manner similar to the term “including” as an open transition word, without excluding any additional or other elements. Furthermore, conditional language such as “may,” “can,” “may,” or “possibly,” unless otherwise specifically stated, is understood in the context to indicate that some examples include certain features, elements, and / or steps, while other examples do not. Therefore, such conditional language is generally not intended to imply that certain features, elements, and / or steps are required in any way for one or more examples, or that one or more examples must include logic for determining whether certain features, elements, and / or steps are included or will be performed in any particular example, with or without user input or prompting. The phrase “at least one of X, Y, or Z,” unless otherwise specifically stated, should be understood to indicate that an item, term, etc., can be X, Y, or Z, or a combination thereof.

[0088] In some alternative examples of the implementation, one or more functions described in a block may not appear in the order shown in the figures. For example, in some cases, two blocks shown consecutively may be executed simultaneously, or sometimes these blocks may be executed in reverse order depending on the functions involved. Furthermore, additional blocks may be added besides those shown in the flowchart or block diagram. Moreover, the operations of the example process are described in a single block and summarized with reference to those blocks. The process is shown as a logical flow of blocks, each of which may represent one or more operations that can be implemented in hardware, software, or a combination thereof. In the context of software, an operation represents computer-executable instructions stored on one or more computer-readable media that, when executed by one or more processing units, enable one or more processing units to perform that operation. Typically, computer-executable instructions include routines, programs, objects, modules, components, data structures, etc., that perform a particular function or implement a particular abstract data type. The order in which operations are described is not intended to be construed as limiting, and any number of the described operations may be performed in any order, combined in any order, subdivided into multiple sub-operations, and / or executed in parallel to implement the described process. The described process can be performed by resources associated with one or more devices such as one or more internal or external CPUs or GPUs and / or one or more hardware logic chips such as FPGAs, DSPs, or other types of accelerators.

[0089] All the methods and processes described above can be embodied in software code modules executed by one or more general-purpose computers or processors, and fully automated by such software code modules. The code modules can be stored in any type of computer-readable storage medium or other computer storage device. Optionally, some or all of the methods can be embodied in specialized computer hardware.

Claims

1. A flexible electric ultrasonic transducer imaging system (100), comprising: A polytetrafluoroethylene (PTFE) layer (104) has a front surface (112) and a rear surface (114). Multiple flexible UT transducers (106) are attached to the rear surface (114) of the PTFE layer (104), wherein, Each of the plurality of flexible UT transducers (106) has a front end (300, 302, 304, 306, 308, 310, 312, 316, 400) and a rear end (404). The front end (322, 324, 326, 328, 402) of each flexible UT transducer (300, 302, 304, 306, 308, 310, 312, 316, 400) is attached to the rear surface (114) of the PTFE layer (104), wherein the PTFE layer (104) is configured as an audio diaphragm of the front end (322, 324, 326, 328, 402) of each flexible UT transducer (300, 302, 304, 306, 308, 310, 312, 316, 400). The plurality of flexible UT transducers (106) are arranged in a two-dimensional array along the rear surface (114) of the PTFE layer (104), and Each flexible UT transducer (300, 302, 304, 306, 308, 310, 312, 316, 400) is configured to vibrate in the normal direction of the rear surface (114) of the PTFE layer (104); and A multiplexer (108) communicates with each flexible UT transducer (300, 302, 304, 306, 308, 310, 312, 316, 400) via signal communication, wherein the plurality of flexible UT transducers (106) are sandwiched between the multiplexer (108) and the PTFE layer (104).

2. The flexible ultrasonic transducer imaging system (100) according to claim 1, wherein, Each of the plurality of flexible UT transducers (106) (300, 302, 304, 306, 308, 310, 312, 316, 400) is composed of flexible crystal elements (406, 408, 410, 412).

3. The flexible ultrasonic transducer imaging system (100) according to claim 2, wherein, The flexible crystal elements (406, 408, 410, 412) are barium titanate (BaTiO3) crystal elements.

4. The flexible ultrasonic transducer imaging system (100) according to claim 2, wherein, Each flexible UT transducer (300, 302, 304, 306, 308, 310, 312, 316, 400) includes multiple flexible crystal elements (406, 408, 410, 412) arranged in a stacked structure.

5. The flexible ultrasonic transducer imaging system (100) according to claim 4, wherein, The multiplexer (108) communicates with each of the plurality of flexible UT transducers (300, 302, 304, 306, 308, 310, 312, 316, 400) in signal communication.

6. The flexible ultrasonic transducer imaging system (100) according to claim 5, wherein, The multiplexer (108) communicates with each of the plurality of flexible transistor elements (300, 302, 304, 306, 308, 310, 312, 316, 400) for signal communication.

7. The flexible ultrasonic transducer imaging system (100) according to any one of claims 1 to 6, wherein, The front end (322, 324, 326, 328, 402) of each flexible UT transducer (300, 302, 304, 306, 308, 310, 312, 316, 400) has a corresponding front end impedance. The PTFE layer (104) has PTFE resistance, and The corresponding front-end impedance of each flexible UT transducer is matched with the PTFE impedance.

8. The flexible ultrasonic transducer imaging system (100) according to any one of claims 1 to 6, further comprising a cover layer attached to the PTFE layer (104), wherein The cover layer includes a front surface and a rear surface. The PTFE layer (104) is attached to the rear surface of the cover layer, and The front surface of the cover layer is configured to attach to the component under test (102).

9. The flexible ultrasonic transducer imaging system (100) according to any one of claims 1 to 6 further includes a controller (110) that communicates with the multiplexer (108) via signal communication.

10. The flexible ultrasonic transducer imaging system (100) according to claim 9, wherein, Each of the plurality of flexible UT transducers (106) (300, 302, 304, 306, 308, 310, 312, 316, 400) corresponds to a pixel of the two-dimensional array, and The controller (110) is configured to receive pixel data from each flexible UT transducer (300, 302, 304, 306, 308, 310, 312, 316, 400) and, in response, generate a complete image of the tested component (102).

11. A method (700) for inspecting a component (102) using a flexible ultrasonic transducer imaging system (100) according to any one of claims 1 to 10, the method (700) comprising: The component (102) is covered (702) by the flexible ultrasonic UT transducer imaging system (100), the flexible ultrasonic UT transducer imaging system (100) having a polytetrafluoroethylene (PTFE) layer (104), a plurality of flexible UT transducers (106) attached to the rear surface (114) of the PTFE layer (104), and a multiplexer (108), the multiplexer (108) being connected to each of the plurality of flexible UT transducers (106) (300, 302, 304, 306, ...). Signal communication of 308, 310, 312, 316, 400), wherein the plurality of flexible UT transducers (106) are sandwiched between the multiplexer (108) and the PTFE layer (104), and the plurality of flexible UT transducers (106) are arranged in a two-dimensional array along the rear surface (114) of the PTFE layer (104), wherein each flexible UT transducer (300, 302, 304, 306, 308, 310, 312, 316, 400) corresponds to a pixel of the two-dimensional array; The first set of voltages (401, 403, 405, 407, 409, 411, 413, 415) are applied (704) to the plurality of flexible electric UT transducers (106) using the multiplexer (108) to generate vibration in the plurality of flexible electric UT transducers (106); Multiple acoustic waves (436, 444) are transmitted (706) toward the component (102) via the PTFE layer (104), wherein the multiple acoustic waves (436, 444) are generated by a combination of the vibrations of the PTFE layer (104) and the multiple flexible UT transducers (106); Multiple reflected sound waves (446) are received (708) from the component (102) using the PTFE layer (104). A second set of voltages (710) is generated from the plurality of flexible UT transducers (106); The second set of voltages is received (712) from the plurality of flexible UT transducers (106) using the multiplexer (108); and Pixel data is transmitted (714) from each Soft Electric UT transducer (300, 302, 304, 306, 308, 310, 312, 316, 400) to the controller (110) to generate a complete image of the component (102).

12. The method (700) according to claim 11, wherein, Each flexible UT transducer (300, 302, 304, 306, 308, 310, 312, 316, 400) is composed of flexible transistor elements (406, 408, 410, 412) and includes multiple flexible transistor elements (406, 408, 410, 412) arranged in a stacked structure. The generation of a second set of voltages from the plurality of flexible UT transducers (106) includes generating a subset of voltages (452, 454, 456, 458) from each flexible crystal element (406, 408, 410, 412) of each flexible UT transducer (300, 302, 304, 306, 308, 310, 312, 316, 400).

13. The method (700) according to claim 12, wherein, The multiplexer (108) communicates with each of the plurality of flexible UT transducers (106) (300, 302, 304, 306, 308, 310, 312, 316, 400) and signals. The second set of voltages received from the plurality of flexible UT transducers (106) using the multiplexer (108) includes receiving the voltage subset (452, 454, 456, 458) from each flexible crystal element (406, 408, 410, 412) of each flexible UT transducer (300, 302, 304, 306, 308, 310, 312, 316, 400).

14. The method (700) according to any one of claims 11 to 13, wherein, The transmission of multiple sound waves (436, 444) toward the component (102) using the PTFE layer (104) includes: The plurality of acoustic waves (436, 444) are generated from the combination of vibrations of the first subset (500) of the PTFE layer (104) and the flexible UT transducer (106). Utilizing the PTFE layer (104), the plurality of reflected sound waves (446) are received from the component (102), and The second set of voltages is generated from a second subset of the flexible UT transducer (106).

15. The method (700) according to any one of claims 11 to 13 further includes receiving pixel data from each flexible UT transducer (300, 302, 304, 306, 308, 310, 312, 316, 400) using the controller (110) and generating a complete image of the tested component (102) in response.

Images