Ultrasonic probe

Abstract

To provide an ultrasonic probe capable of obtaining proper test results without applying a couplant even when the surface of a test object is curved.SOLUTION: An ultrasonic probe 1 includes: an ultrasonic receiver / transmitter unit 10 having flexibility with electrodes placed on the tip and base of a transducer for transmitting and receiving ultrasonic waves; and a tip end 20 made of a material that has both adhesion and flexibility in which the tip surface is abutted against the test object, and the base end surface abuts against the tip end surface of the ultrasonic receiver / transmitter 10. The ultrasonic receiver 10 and a bottom 21 of the tip end 20 is capable of elastically deformed.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 3

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present invention relates to an ultrasonic probe whose tip is brought into contact with an object to be inspected during ultrasonic inspection.

Background Art

[0002] Conventionally, in inspections using the propagation of ultrasonic waves, the tip of an ultrasonic probe is brought into contact with an object to be inspected, and ultrasonic waves are transmitted and received. At this time, in order to improve the propagation efficiency of ultrasonic waves, a liquid or viscous contact medium such as glycerin or vaseline is interposed between the tip of the ultrasonic probe and the object to be inspected.

[0003] However, the process of applying or removing a liquid or viscous contact medium is complicated and has been a factor increasing the inspection time and man-hours. Therefore, there has been proposed an ultrasonic inspection apparatus including an ultrasonic probe having a vibrator configured to perform at least one of transmission and reception of sound waves and having an ultrasonic functional surface constituting at least one of a sound wave transmission surface and a sound wave reception surface, a contact member having a first surface that directly contacts or contacts via an intermediate member the ultrasonic functional surface of the ultrasonic probe and a second surface opposite to the first surface, a contact medium containing an elastomer, and a sheet-like member containing a polymer, the contact medium being laminated so as to contact the second surface, and a load mechanism for applying a load to the contact member (see, for example, Patent Document 1).

Prior Art Documents

Patent Documents

[0004]

Patent Document 1

Summary of the Invention

Problems to be Solved by the Invention

[0005] However, with the above ultrasonic inspection device, it is difficult to achieve both closely adhering the ultrasonic probe to the subject without using a coupling medium and performing measurement from a curved surface by deforming the contact surface when the surface of the subject is curved, and there has been a problem that appropriate inspection results cannot be obtained.

[0006] The present invention has been made in view of the above points, and an object thereof is to provide an ultrasonic probe capable of obtaining appropriate inspection results without using a coupling medium even when the surface of the subject is curved.

Means for Solving the Problems

[0007] (1) An ultrasonic probe whose tip is brought into contact with a subject during ultrasonic inspection, which includes an ultrasonic transmitting and receiving unit that transmits and receives ultrasonic waves and has electrodes disposed on the front end side and the base end side surfaces of the vibrator and has flexibility, and a tip portion formed of a material having adhesiveness and flexibility, wherein the front end side surface is brought into contact with the subject and the base end side surface is brought into contact with the front end side surface of the ultrasonic transmitting and receiving unit, wherein the ultrasonic transmitting and receiving unit and the tip portion are elastically deformable along the curved surface of the subject.

[0008] In the ultrasonic probe of (1), during ultrasonic inspection, the tip is brought into contact with the subject, and it includes an ultrasonic transmitting and receiving unit and a tip portion. The ultrasonic transmitting and receiving unit transmits and receives ultrasonic waves, and has electrodes disposed on the front end side and the base end side surfaces of the vibrator and has flexibility. The tip portion is formed of a material having adhesiveness and flexibility, wherein the front end side surface is brought into contact with the subject and the base end side surface is brought into contact with the front end side surface of the ultrasonic transmitting and receiving unit. And along the curved surface of the subject, the ultrasonic transmitting and receiving unit and the tip portion are elastically deformable.

[0009] According to the ultrasonic probe of (1), the ultrasonic transmitting and receiving unit that transmits and receives ultrasonic waves is made elastically deformable, the surface on the tip side is brought into contact with the object to be inspected, and the tip portion where the surface on the base end side is brought into contact with the surface on the tip side of the ultrasonic transmitting and receiving unit is formed of a material having adhesiveness and flexibility, so that the ultrasonic transmitting and receiving unit and the tip portion can be elastically deformed along the curved surface of the object to be inspected. As a result, even if the surface of the object to be inspected is curved, the tip of the ultrasonic probe that propagates ultrasonic waves to the object to be inspected can be brought into close contact with the surface by elastically deforming the ultrasonic transmitting and receiving unit and the tip portion along the curved surface. Therefore, even when the surface of the object to be inspected is curved, it is possible to obtain appropriate inspection results without using a coupling medium.

[0010] (2) A damper portion that abuts against the surface on the base end side of the ultrasonic transmitting and receiving unit and is formed of a flexible material, A base end portion that abuts against the surface on the base end side of the damper portion and can press the damper portion are further provided. The tip portion has a bottom portion that abuts against the surface on the tip side of the ultrasonic transmitting and receiving unit, and a wall portion that extends from the outer edge of the bottom portion toward the base end side. It is formed in a cylindrical shape with the base end side open, the base end side of the wall portion is connected to the base end portion, The ultrasonic probe according to (1), characterized in that the damper portion, the ultrasonic transmitting and receiving unit, and the tip portion are integrated.

[0011] The ultrasonic probe of (2) further includes a damper portion and a base end portion. The damper portion abuts against the surface on the base end side of the ultrasonic transmitting and receiving unit and is formed of a flexible material. The base end portion abuts against the surface on the base end side of the damper portion and can press the damper portion. The tip portion has a bottom portion and a wall portion. The bottom portion abuts against the surface on the tip side of the ultrasonic transmitting and receiving unit. The wall portion extends from the outer edge of the bottom portion toward the base end side. Further, the distal end portion is formed in a cylindrical shape with the proximal end side open, and the proximal end side of the wall portion is connected to the proximal end portion. And, the ultrasonic probe has a damper portion, an ultrasonic transmitting and receiving portion, and a distal end portion integrated therewith.

[0012] According to the ultrasonic probe of (2), for example, the user holds a holder with the proximal end portion fixed and presses the bottom portion of the distal end portion against the surface of the subject to be inspected. Then, the force applied to the proximal end portion is applied to the ultrasonic transmitting and receiving portion and the bottom portion of the distal end portion via the damper portion, and the ultrasonic transmitting and receiving portion and the bottom portion of the distal end portion are pressed against the surface of the subject to be inspected, and the ultrasonic transmitting and receiving portion and the distal end portion elastically deform along the curved surface of the subject to be inspected. Further, by integrating the damper portion, the ultrasonic transmitting and receiving portion, and the proximal end portion, and connecting the proximal end side of the wall portion extending from the outer edge of the bottom portion with which the ultrasonic transmitting and receiving portion abuts to the proximal end portion to which a force is applied by the user, the force applied by the user can be transmitted to the ultrasonic transmitting and receiving portion and the bottom portion of the distal end portion in a well-balanced manner, so that it becomes easy to bring the tip of the ultrasonic probe into close contact with the surface of the subject to be inspected. Thereby, even when the surface of the subject to be inspected is curved, it becomes possible to obtain a more appropriate inspection result without using a coupling medium.

[0013] (3) The ultrasonic probe according to (2), wherein the wall portion is disposed at a position spaced apart from the outer edges of the damper portion and the ultrasonic transmitting and receiving portion.

[0014] According to the ultrasonic probe of (3), since the wall portion is disposed at a position spaced apart from the outer edges of the damper portion and the ultrasonic transmitting and receiving portion, it is possible to prevent the wall portion from obstructing when deforming the flexible damper portion and ultrasonic transmitting and receiving portion, so that the degree of freedom of deformation of the damper portion and the ultrasonic transmitting and receiving portion is improved, and it becomes possible to inspect a subject to be inspected having a more diverse form.

[0015] (4) The proximal end portion includes a base portion disposed on the proximal end side, and an intermediate portion extending from the base portion toward the distal end side and abutting against the proximal end side surface of the damper portion. The ultrasonic probe according to (2) or (3), characterized in that a protruding portion is formed at the outer edge and the center on the tip side of the middle portion.

[0016] According to the ultrasonic probe of (4), a protruding portion is formed at the outer edge and the center on the tip side of the middle portion of the base end portion that abuts on the surface of the base end side of the damper portion. As a result, it becomes possible to reliably hold the outer edge and the center of the ultrasonic transmitting / receiving portion and the bottom portion of the tip portion. Therefore, even when the surface of the object to be inspected is curved, it becomes easy to bring the tip of the ultrasonic probe into close contact with the entire surface of the object to be inspected.

Effect of the Invention

[0017] According to the present invention, it is possible to provide an ultrasonic probe capable of obtaining an appropriate inspection result even when the surface of the object to be inspected is curved without using a coupling medium.

Brief Description of the Drawings

[0018]

Figure 1

Figure 2

Figure 3

Figure 4

Mode for Carrying Out the Invention

[0019] Hereinafter, with reference to the drawings, an embodiment for carrying out the present invention (hereinafter referred to as this embodiment) will be described in detail. In each figure, the same or similar components are denoted by the same reference numerals.

[0020] FIG. 1 is a perspective view of the appearance of an ultrasonic probe according to an embodiment of the present invention. The ultrasonic probe 1 of this embodiment can be used with a general-purpose ultrasonic flaw detector. For example, it is connected to an ultrasonic pulser-receiver (not shown) and used. In a dry state (without passing through a liquid or viscous contact medium such as glycerin or vaseline), flaw detection, measurement, etc. can be performed on a test object (for example, a member made of metal or resin, a human body, etc.). By having the configuration described later, the ultrasonic probe 1 can bring the tip into close contact with the surface of the test object even if the surface of the test object is curved.

[0021] FIG. 2 is an exploded perspective view of an ultrasonic probe according to an embodiment of the present invention. The ultrasonic probe 1 is used by bringing the tip into contact with the test object during ultrasonic inspection. In the following description, in the axial direction of the ultrasonic probe 1, the side in contact with the test object is referred to as the tip side, and the side opposite to the tip side is referred to as the base end side.

[0022] The ultrasonic probe 1 includes an ultrasonic transceiver unit 10, a tip portion 20, a damper portion 30, a base end portion 40, and a holding portion 50.

[0023] The ultrasonic transceiver unit 10 transmits and receives ultrasonic waves, and electrodes are disposed on the surfaces of the tip side and the base end side of the vibrator, and it has flexibility. The vibrator of the ultrasonic transceiver unit 10 is a plate-like member that generates ultrasonic waves used for ultrasonic flaw detection. In this embodiment, it will be described by applying an example using a vibrator called a composite vibrator described below.

[0024] The vibrator of the ultrasonic transceiver unit 10 is mainly composed of piezoelectric elements, which are a plurality of piezoelectric ceramics that generate ultrasonic waves based on an applied voltage (drive signal) input from the outside, and a coating material (such as a polymer) that covers the plurality of piezoelectric elements and has flexibility. The piezoelectric elements are arranged side by side in a grid pattern, and the coating material is disposed between the piezoelectric elements. When this coating material compresses and expands, the vibrator has flexibility.

[0025] Further, the electrodes of the ultrasonic transmitting / receiving unit 10 are respectively disposed on the surfaces on the tip side and the base end side with the vibrator interposed therebetween, are connected to an external device (for example, an ultrasonic pulser / receiver, etc.), and supply an applied voltage for generating ultrasonic waves to the vibrator.

[0026] The tip portion 20 is formed of a flexible material, with the surface on the tip side being in contact with the object to be inspected and the surface on the base end side being in contact with the surface on the tip side of the ultrasonic transmitting / receiving unit 10. Specifically, the tip portion 20 is formed in a cylindrical shape with an open base end side, and has a bottom portion 21 and a wall portion 22.

[0027] FIG. 3 is a cross-sectional view of an ultrasonic probe according to an embodiment of the present invention. The bottom portion 21 is formed in a plate shape, with the surface on the base end side being in contact with the surface on the tip side of the ultrasonic transmitting / receiving unit 10 and the surface on the tip side being in contact with the surface of the object to be inspected. The bottom portion 21 functions as, for example, an acoustic matching layer to improve the passage of sound to the object to be inspected. The bottom portion 21 is flexible and is formed of a material (for example, resin, etc.) having a relatively close acoustic impedance value to the object to be inspected (for example, compared to the vibrator). Further, the bottom portion 21 can be made to have a thickness corresponding to the frequency of the ultrasonic waves used in the inspection. Note that by making the bottom portion 21 relatively thin, the variation in noise during measurement can be suppressed.

[0028] The wall portion 22 is formed of a flexible material (for example, rubber, etc.) and includes a body portion 221, a concave portion 222, a convex portion 223, and a receiving portion 224.

[0029] The body portion 221 is formed in a cylindrical shape, with the tip side being connected to the outer edge of the bottom portion 21, extending toward the base end side at a position separated from the outer edges of the damper portion 30 and the ultrasonic transmitting / receiving unit 10, and the base end side being connected to the base end portion 40.

[0030] The concave portion 222 is a groove that depresses toward the base end side from the tip of the bottom portion 21 at the tip of the body portion 221 and is formed along the outer edge of the bottom portion 21.

[0031] The convex portions 223 are connected to the outside of the concave portions 222 at the tip of the body portion 221, protrude toward the tip side from the bottom portion 21, and are partially formed in a plurality (four locations in the example shown in FIG. 2) along the outer edge of the bottom portion 21.

[0032] Here, for example, during ultrasonic inspection, when the bottom portion 21 comes into contact with the surface of the object to be inspected and a vacuum is generated between the bottom portion 21 and the surface of the object to be inspected, the bottom portion 21 adheres to the surface of the object to be inspected. If the bottom portion 21 is separated from the surface of the object to be inspected in this state, the bottom portion 21 may be damaged. By providing the concave portions 222 and the convex portions 223 at the tip portion 20 and pressing the bottom portion 21 against the surface of the object to be inspected to bring the bottom portion 21 into close contact with the surface of the object to be inspected, the convex portions 223 are elastically deformed toward the base end side, and the outer edge of the bottom portion 21 is drawn toward the concave portion 222 side. Thereby, it is possible to prevent a vacuum from being generated between the bottom portion 21 and the surface of the object to be inspected.

[0033] The receiving portion 224 protrudes outward at the intermediate position on the side surface of the body portion 221, extends in the circumferential direction of the body portion 221, and the tip of the holding portion 50 abuts thereon. Thereby, the ultrasonic transceiver 10 can transmit the force for pressing the holding portion 50 against the surface side of the object to be inspected to the outer edge of the bottom portion 21 where the ultrasonic transceiver 10 abuts, making it easier to bring the bottom portion 21 into close contact with the surface of the object to be inspected.

[0034] The damper portion 30 abuts on the surface on the base end side of the ultrasonic transceiver 10 and is formed of a flexible material. The damper portion 30 suppresses the free vibration of the vibrator in the ultrasonic transceiver 10 and is arranged at least in the region where the vibrator is arranged. Specifically, the damper portion 30 absorbs the vibration energy of the vibrator after the application of the voltage has ended and converges the vibration of the vibrator. The damper portion 30 is formed of a material that has flexibility and a relatively close acoustic impedance value (for example, compared to the object to be inspected) to the vibrator.

[0035] The ultrasonic probe 1 has a damper section 30, an ultrasonic transmitting / receiving section 10, and a tip section 20 integrated together. Specifically, from the tip side, the bottom 21 of the tip section 20 and the ultrasonic transmitting / receiving section 10 are adhered, and the ultrasonic transmitting / receiving section 10 and the damper section 30 are adhered.

[0036] The base end section 40 abuts on the surface on the base end side of the damper section 30 and can press the damper section 30. Note that the base end section 40 may abut on the surface on the base end side of the damper section 30 via a buffer material (for example, silicon, etc.). Specifically, the base end section 40 includes a base section 41 disposed on the base end side and connected to the inner wall of the holding section 50, and an intermediate section 42 extending from the base section 41 toward the tip side and abutting on the surface on the base end side of the damper section 30.

[0037] At the tip side of the intermediate section 42, a protruding section 421 having a mountain-shaped cross section is formed. The protruding section 421 includes an outer edge side protruding section 421a formed along the outer edge on the outer edge side of the intermediate section 42, and a central protruding section 421b formed at the center of the intermediate section 42, with the apex on the tip side disposed on the base end side of the outer edge side protruding section 421a.

[0038] The holding section 50 is formed of, for example, metal and includes a main body 51 and a lid section 52. The main body 51 is formed in a cylindrical shape and holds the base end side of the tip section 20 in which the ultrasonic transmitting / receiving section 10, the damper section 30, and the base end section 40 are disposed inside. From the opening on the tip side, the tip section 20 in which the ultrasonic transmitting / receiving section 10, the damper section 30, and the base end section 40 are disposed is inserted from the base end side until the tip of the main body 51 abuts on the receiving section 224 of the tip section 20. Also, the main body 51 is provided with a connection section (not shown) to an external device (for example, an ultrasonic pulser / receiver, etc.). The lid section 52 is detachably attached to the end on the base end side of the main body 51 and covers the opening on the base end side.

[0039] Next, the elastic deformation modes of the ultrasonic transmitting / receiving section 10, the damper section 30, and the tip section 20 in which the base end section 40 of the ultrasonic probe 1 is disposed inside will be described. FIG. 4 is a diagram for explaining an elastic deformation mode of an ultrasonic probe according to an embodiment of the present invention.

[0040] During ultrasonic inspection, the user holds the holding portion 50 and brings the bottom portion 21 of the tip portion 20 provided at the tip of the ultrasonic probe 1 into contact with the surface of the object to be inspected T. Then, as shown in FIG. 4, when the surface of the object to be inspected T is curved, although the vicinity of the center of the bottom portion 21 is in contact with the surface, the outer end side of the bottom portion 21 is not in contact with the surface. In this case, the user further presses the ultrasonic probe 1 against the surface of the object to be inspected T.

[0041] Thereby, inside the ultrasonic probe 1, the outer edge side protrusion 421a formed along the tip side outer edge of the intermediate portion 42 of the base end portion 40 presses the vicinity of the outer edge of the damper portion 30 toward the object to be inspected T side. Then, the ultrasonic transmitting / receiving portion 10 and the bottom portion 21 of the tip portion 20 are pressed against the vicinity of the outer edge of the damper portion 30 and elastically deformed along the curved surface of the object to be inspected T, and the outer end side of the bottom portion 21 also comes into contact with the surface, and the bottom portion 21 is in close contact with the entire surface, resulting in the state shown in FIG. 4.

[0042] Also, on the outer surface of the ultrasonic probe 1, the wall portion 22 of the tip portion 20 is pressed toward the object to be inspected T side by the tip of the holding portion 50. Then, the convex portion 223 elastically deforms toward the base end side, the outer edge of the bottom portion 21 is drawn into the concave portion 222 side, and the integrated bottom portion 21 and the ultrasonic transmitting / receiving portion 10 elastically deform along the curved surface of the object to be inspected T, and the outer end side of the bottom portion 21 also comes into contact with the surface, and the bottom portion 21 is in close contact with the entire surface, resulting in the state shown in FIG. 4.

[0043] According to the ultrasonic probe 1 as described above, even when the surface of the object to be inspected is curved, by elastically deforming the ultrasonic transmitting / receiving portion 10 and the bottom portion 21 of the tip portion 20 along this curved surface, the tip (bottom portion 21) of the ultrasonic probe 1 that propagates ultrasonic waves to the object to be inspected can be brought into close contact with the surface. Therefore, even when the surface of the object to be inspected is curved, it is possible to obtain appropriate inspection results without using a coupling medium.

[0044] Further, according to the ultrasonic probe 1, the force applied by the user can be transmitted to the ultrasonic transmitting and receiving unit 10 and the bottom 21 of the tip 20 in a well-balanced manner from the inside and the outer surface of the ultrasonic probe 1. Therefore, it becomes easy to bring the tip of the ultrasonic probe 1 into close contact with the surface of the subject T. Thereby, even when the surface of the subject is curved, it is possible to obtain a more appropriate inspection result without using a contact medium.

[0045] Further, according to the ultrasonic probe 1, since the wall portion 22 is disposed at a position separated from the outer edges of the damper portion 30 and the ultrasonic transmitting and receiving unit 10, when the flexible damper portion 30 and the ultrasonic transmitting and receiving unit 10 are deformed, it is possible to prevent being obstructed by the wall portion 22. Therefore, the degree of freedom of deformation of the damper portion 30 and the ultrasonic transmitting and receiving unit 10 is improved, and it becomes possible to inspect a subject having a more diverse form.

[0046] Further, according to the ultrasonic probe 1, since it is possible to surely hold the outer edges and the center of the bottom 21 of the ultrasonic transmitting and receiving unit 10 and the tip 20, even when the surface of the subject T is curved, it becomes easy to bring the tip of the ultrasonic probe 1 into close contact with the entire surface of the subject T.

[0047] Note that the present invention is not limited to the above-described embodiment, and modifications, improvements, etc. within the scope that can achieve the object of the present invention are included in the present invention.

Explanation of Signs

[0048] 1 Ultrasonic probe 10 Ultrasonic transmitting and receiving unit 12 Vibrator 14 Address 20 Tip 21 Bottom 22 Wall portion 30 Damper portion 40 Base end portion 41 Base portion 42 Intermediate portion 50 Holding portion 51 Main body 52 Lid portion 221 Body 222 Concave part 223 Convex part 224 Receiving part 421 Protrusion 421a Outer edge side protrusion 421b Central protrusion

Claims

1. An ultrasonic probe that contacts the tip with an object to be inspected during ultrasonic inspection, comprising an ultrasonic transmitting / receiving unit that transmits and receives ultrasonic waves and has electrodes disposed on the front end side and the base end side surfaces of the vibrator and has flexibility, a tip portion formed of a material having adhesion and flexibility, with the front end side surface contacting the object to be inspected and the base end side surface contacting the front end side surface of the ultrasonic transmitting / receiving unit, wherein the ultrasonic transmitting / receiving unit and the tip portion are elastically deformable along the curved surface of the object to be inspected. The ultrasonic probe is characterized by this.

2. a damper portion formed of a flexible material and contacting the base end side surface of the ultrasonic transmitting / receiving unit, and a base end portion that contacts the base end side surface of the damper portion and can press the damper portion. The ultrasonic probe further comprises these. The tip portion has a bottom portion that contacts the front end side surface of the ultrasonic transmitting / receiving unit and a wall portion that extends from the outer edge of the bottom portion toward the base end side, is formed in a cylindrical shape with the base end side open, the base end side of the wall portion is connected to the base end portion, The ultrasonic probe according to claim 1, characterized in that the damper portion, the ultrasonic transmitting / receiving unit, and the tip portion are integrated.

3. The ultrasonic probe according to claim 2, characterized in that the wall portion is disposed at a position separated from the outer edges of the damper portion and the ultrasonic transmitting / receiving unit.

4. The base end portion comprises a base portion disposed on the base end side and an intermediate portion that extends from the base portion toward the front end side and contacts the base end side surface of the damper portion, The ultrasonic probe according to claim 2 or 3, characterized in that protrusions are formed at the outer edge and the center on the front end side of the intermediate portion.

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