Non-Destructive Testing (NDT) Scanner and Operator Interface

Abstract

The nondestructive testing device may include, for example, a scanner assembly configured to encode movement in one or two directions. The scanner assembly may include a carriage with one or more respective wheels oriented to rotate in a circumferential scanning direction, and a carriage housing or other method guides the transducer probe assembly. A first encoder may be configured to generate a first signal representing displacement of the carriage in the first direction, and the scanner assembly may also include at least one wheel oriented to rotate in an index direction, and a second encoder configured to generate a second signal representing displacement of the carriage in the second direction in response to rotation of the at least one wheel oriented to rotate in the second direction. An operator interface mounted on the scanner assembly may receive user input and simultaneously present a status display to guide the inspection.

Description

[Technical Field]

[0001] Priority claims This patent application claims the benefit of priority to U.S. Provisional Patent Application No. 63 / 376,839 (Attorney Docket No. 6409.236PRV) to Veronique Simard et al., filed September 23, 2022, and entitled "DUAL ENCODER SCANNER AND RELATED OPERATOR INTERFACE," which is incorporated herein by reference in its entirety.

[0002] This document relates generally to apparatus and techniques for non-destructive testing, such as facilitating non-destructive testing, such as acoustic testing, and more particularly, but not exclusively, to apparatus and techniques for implementing scan position encoding, including, optionally, including visual feedback to an operator. [Background technology]

[0003] Non-destructive testing (NDT) can refer to the use of one or more different techniques to inspect an area on or within an object, for example, to determine whether flaws or defects are present in the inspected object, or to otherwise characterize the inspected object. Examples of non-destructive testing approaches can include the use of eddy current testing approaches in which electromagnetic energy is applied to an object and the resulting induced current is detected on or within the object, with the value of the detected current (or associated impedance) providing an indication of the structure of the object under test, such as indicating the presence of cracks, voids, porosity, or other inhomogeneities.

[0004] Another approach for NDT may involve the use of acoustic inspection techniques, such as using one or more electroacoustic transducers to irradiate an area on or within an object under test with ultrasound waves and then detecting and processing scattered or reflected acoustic energy. Such scattered or reflected energy may be referred to as an acoustic echo signal. Generally, such acoustic inspection schemes involve the use of acoustic frequencies in the ultrasonic range of frequencies, including pulses having energy within a specified range, which may include, by way of illustrative example, values ​​from hundreds of kilohertz to tens of megahertz. Summary of the Invention

[0005] Nondestructive testing can be performed using a variety of modalities. For example, as described above, acoustic testing is a nondestructive testing (NDT) approach that can be used to evaluate structures such as pipes, vessels, plates, or associated welds, as illustrative examples. Such evaluations can include thickness gaging, corrosion monitoring, or inspection of welded structures for defects such as voids or porosity. Scanning approaches can include the use of phased array ultrasonic transducer assemblies. Generally, to achieve desired coverage without gaps or unusable acquisitions, the approach can involve manually positioning a test probe assembly at an index location along the object under test and then manually rotating or sliding the test probe assembly in the scanning direction to perform scans (e.g., acquiring each A-scan or compiling a C-scan view, as illustrative examples). After a "line" scan is completed, the test probe assembly can be moved to a new index location (e.g., "indexed") and another scan can be performed. In such an approach, which can be referred to as a raster scan, the composite material can be assembled into each circumferential scan. In applications involving scanning circular or tubular structures such as pipes or vessels, the line scan may be circumferential and the index direction may be axial, although the devices and techniques described herein are not limited to such acquisition configurations.

[0006] Typically, the test probe assembly is coupled using an umbilical cable to a separate test instrument that has a display and key input (or illustratively a touchscreen). Therefore, the operator of the test probe assembly may need to view the separate test instrument while performing a scan, shifting the operator's viewpoint away from the test probe assembly. Furthermore, aligning the test probe in such a setup may involve either using an entirely separate position encoder, manually marking index locations, or performing sometimes unintuitive arithmetic calculations for each index step.

[0007] As an example, corrosion mapping of an area using acoustic inspection can be performed using one coded axis ("clicker mode"); such a scheme generally involves drawing a line on the surface to be inspected. Each time the probe assembly is indexed, a position increment in the second axis is implemented by displacing the probe assembly to perform another line scan parallel to the previous axis but offset in the second axis. Drawing or scribing a line on a part can be complex and very time-consuming. If a fixed increment of instrumentation is assumed per scan, the probe assembly positioning is performed according to such a fixed increment, which can affect the flexibility of the inspection. For example, if an obstacle prevents the scanner from indexing to a given increment, scanning the remaining surface at that index location may be excluded because the data will not be properly aligned with the previous line scan data.

[0008] The inventors have also recognized that, among other things, the inclusion of an operator interface that may mate with the scanner assembly housing or otherwise guide the transducer probe assembly may facilitate non-destructive testing data acquisition using single-axis or dual-axis encoding using a user input device and a display provided on the scanner assembly. In this manner, the operator may maintain their own view of the scanner assembly without needing to monitor a display on a separate acoustic testing instrument. As shown and described herein, the operator may also use user input (such as a button) to select, for example, between a scan (e.g., line) mode and an index mode. The display may simultaneously provide feedback, such as indicating readiness to perform a scan or indicating that such acquisition has reached a specified boundary.

[0009] The inventors have also recognized that, among other things, using a second encoder (to support a raster scan mode) can provide additional flexibility, such as providing feedback regarding indexing or supporting freehand acquisition, in which movement can occur in both the scan and index directions during each acquisition. For example, without an operator interface mounted on the scanner assembly, an operator may need to view the second axis value on a separate display on the acquisition instrument (separate from the scanner assembly) and attempt to adjust it as close to the optimal value as possible before performing the next line scan. For example, in an acoustic inspection application, if the ultrasound probe effective beam is 63 millimeters wide, the index position may be one of the following non-intuitive values: 63, 126, 189, 252, 315 mm, etc. As noted above, it would be inconvenient for the operator to look at a separate acquisition instrument each time indexing in the second axis occurs and perform the calculation of the next index position value if it were not displayed. To address such challenges, a second encoder may be used to provide feedback using an operator interface mounted on or otherwise fixed to the scanner assembly. In this way, a user can be provided with the appropriate information to perform a scanning or indexing operation without having to look at a separate acquisition instrument, perform mental calculations, or mark the object under test.

[0010] In one example, a non-destructive testing apparatus may include a scanner assembly comprising: a carriage having at least one wheel oriented to rotate in a first direction, the carriage configured to mechanically guide a transducer probe assembly; a first encoder configured to generate a first signal representing a displacement of the carriage in the first direction in response to rotation of the at least one wheel oriented to rotate in the first direction; and an operator interface comprising a user input device and a display, the operator interface comprising a modular assembly removably mated with the carriage, the operator interface configured to receive input at the user input device to control an operational mode associated with the non-destructive testing and to present a status display associated with the non-destructive testing scanning operation. In one example, a technique, such as a method, may include facilitating non-destructive testing (NDT), the method including receiving input at a user input device of an operator interface to control an operational mode associated with the non-destructive testing, and in response thereto, initiating acquisition of non-destructive testing data associated with the non-destructive testing scanning operation, and presenting a status indication using a display of the operator interface, the status indication being associated with the non-destructive testing scanning operation using displacement data acquired using a first encoder, the user input device and display being included as part of the operator interface on a scanner assembly, the scanner assembly comprising: a carriage having at least one wheel oriented to rotate in a first direction, the carriage configured to mechanically guide a transducer probe assembly; a first encoder configured to generate a first signal representative of a displacement of the carriage in the first direction in response to rotation of the at least one wheel oriented to rotate in the first direction; and an operator interface, the operator interface comprising the user input device and the display.

[0011] In such an example, the scanner assembly may include at least one wheel oriented to rotate in a second direction orthogonal to the first direction, and a second encoder configured to generate a second signal representative of displacement of the carriage in the second direction in response to rotation of the at least one wheel oriented to rotate in the second direction, the second direction being orthogonal to the first direction.

[0012] In one example, a non-destructive testing apparatus may include a scanner assembly configured to encode movement in at least two directions, the scanner assembly comprising: a carriage with respective wheels oriented to rotate in a first direction comprising a circumferential scan direction, the carriage guiding a transducer probe assembly; a first encoder configured to generate a first signal representative of displacement of the carriage in the first direction; at least one wheel oriented to rotate in a second direction orthogonal to the first direction, the second direction comprising an index direction along the object under test; and a second encoder configured to generate a second signal representative of displacement of the carriage in the second direction in response to rotation of the at least one wheel oriented to rotate in the second direction; and an operator interface comprising a user input device and a display, the operator interface configured to receive input at the user input device to control an operational mode associated with non-destructive testing, and to present a status indication using the display and displacement data obtained using the first encoder or the second encoder depending on the operational mode.

[0013] Other aspects of the scanner assembly described herein may include local immersion configurations, such as providing a couplant chamber (e.g., a water box) and a chamfered or rounded gasket arrangement for coupling the active surface of the acoustic transducer probe array to the object under test. Modular configurations may be provided that may include an operator interface and a second encoder as a removable (e.g., detachable) assembly that can be secured to the carriage with the first encoder. Different acoustic inspection probe arrays may be removably housed or otherwise guided by the carriage.

[0014] This Summary is intended to provide an overview of the subject matter of this patent application. It is not intended to provide an exclusive or exhaustive description of the invention. The Detailed Description is included to provide further information regarding this patent application. [Brief explanation of the drawings]

[0015] In the drawings, which are not necessarily drawn to scale, like numerals may describe like components in different views. Like numerals with different letter suffixes may represent different instances of similar components. The drawings generally illustrate, by way of example, various embodiments discussed in this document, although not by way of limitation.

[0016] [Figure 1] 1 generally illustrates one embodiment including an acoustic inspection system, such as may be used to implement at least a portion of one or more of the techniques shown and described herein. [Figure 2A] 1A-1C generally illustrate respective views of a scanner assembly that can house an acoustic transducer probe assembly. [Figure 2B] 1A-1C generally illustrate respective views of a scanner assembly that can house an acoustic transducer probe assembly. [Figure 2C] 1A-1C generally illustrate respective views of a scanner assembly that can house an acoustic transducer probe assembly. [Figure 3A] 1A-1C generally show respective views of the encoder wheel handling portion of the scanner assembly. [Figure 3B] 1A-1C generally show respective views of the encoder wheel handling portion of the scanner assembly. [Figure 3C] 1A-1C generally show respective views of the encoder wheel handling portion of the scanner assembly. [Figure 4] 1 shows an exploded view of an acoustic transducer probe assembly, which may include a chamfered gasket. [Figure 5] The present invention generally describes techniques, such as machine-implemented methods, that may include an operator interface located on the scanner assembly to receive input from a user or to present a status display, or a combination thereof. [Figure 6A] 6A-6C generally illustrate illustrative examples of operator interfaces that may be included as part of the scanner assembly described above in connection with FIGS. 2A, 2B, 2C, 3A, 3B, or 3C, and that may be used to perform the techniques of FIG. 5 or other operations such as those described in connection with the illustrative example of FIG. 6B. [Figure 6B] An illustrative example is given. [Figure 7] 1 generally shows a scanner assembly positioned over an object under test and non-destructive testing equipment, e.g., communicatively coupled to the scanner assembly. [Figure 8] 1 shows a block diagram of one embodiment comprising a machine upon which any one or more of the techniques (eg, methodologies) discussed herein may be implemented. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0017] As generally discussed above and described in detail below, a nondestructive testing device may include a scanner assembly configured to encode movement in one or two directions, for example. The scanner assembly may include a carriage with one or more respective wheels oriented to rotate in a circumferential scanning direction, and a carriage housing or other method guides the transducer probe assembly. A first encoder may be configured to generate a first signal representing the displacement of the carriage in the first direction, and the scanner assembly may also include at least one wheel oriented to rotate in an indexing direction, and a second encoder may be configured to generate a second signal representing the displacement of the carriage in the second direction in response to rotation of the at least one wheel oriented to rotate in the second direction. An operator interface mounted on or mechanically secured to the scanner assembly may receive user input and simultaneously present a status display to guide the inspection. Such an approach may be useful for providing a "heads-down" configuration that allows a user, such as a test technician, to focus their attention on the scanner assembly during acquisition or indexing without having to observe the index position or acquisition status on a separate test instrument. Such an approach may also facilitate the selection or use of other modes of operation, such as a freehand mode of acquisition.

[0018] Generally, as shown in the examples below, a first encoder (e.g., a "scan" encoder) may track movement of the scanner in the scan direction as the scanner assembly moves across the surface of the object under test. This movement may be interpreted by a separate acquisition instrument and converted into position data in the scan direction. Alternatively, a second encoder (e.g., an "index" encoder) may track movement in a direction orthogonal to the scan direction. This movement may be interpreted by a separate acquisition instrument and converted into position data in an index direction (e.g., orthogonal to the scan direction). Using the scan and index position information, the instrument may display a 2D mapping of data acquired during an inspection, such as for performing thickness or corrosion inspections using a phased array ultrasonic transducer (PAUT) probe assembly housed or otherwise guided by the scanner assembly's carriage, or using another non-destructive testing technique, such as eddy current testing.

[0019] FIG. 1 generally illustrates an example including an inspection system 100 that may be used to implement at least a portion of one or more of the techniques shown and described herein. The inspection system 100 may include a test instrument 140, such as a handheld or portable assembly. The test instrument 140 may be electrically coupled to a probe assembly 150, such as using a multi-conductor interconnect 130. In the context of acoustic testing, the probe assembly 150 may include one or more electroacoustic transducers, such as a transducer array 152 including respective transducers 154A-154N. The transducer array may follow a linear or curved contour, or may include an array of elements extending in two axes, such as providing a matrix of transducer elements. The size and pitch of the elements may vary depending on the testing application.

[0020] A modular probe assembly 150 configuration can be used to allow the test instrument 140 to be used with a variety of different probe assemblies. Generally, the transducer array 152 includes, for example, a piezoelectric transducer that can be acoustically coupled to a target 158 ​​(e.g., a test sample or “object under test”) via a coupling medium 156. The coupling medium can include a fluid or gel, or a solid membrane (e.g., an elastomer or other polymeric material), or a combination of fluid, gel, or solid structures. For example, the acoustic transducer assembly can include a transducer array coupled to a wedge structure comprising a rigid thermosetting polymer with known acoustic propagation properties (e.g., Rexolite® available from C-Lec Plastics Inc.), and water can be injected between the wedge and the structure under test as the coupling medium 156 during testing, or testing can be performed by otherwise immersing the interface between the probe assembly 150 and the target 158 ​​in the coupling medium.

[0021] The test instrument 140 may include digital and analog electrical circuitry, such as a front-end circuit 122 including one or more transmit signal chains, receive signal chains, or switching circuitry (e.g., transmit / receive switching circuitry). The transmit signal chain may include amplifier and filter circuitry to provide transmit pulses for delivery to the probe assembly 150 via the interconnect 130 for sonicating the target 158, and to image or otherwise detect defects 160 on or within the target 158 ​​structure by receiving scattered or reflected acoustic energy elicited in response to the sonication.

[0022] 1 shows a single probe assembly 150 and a single transducer array 152, other configurations can be used, such as multiple probe assemblies connected to a single test fixture 140, or multiple transducer arrays 152 used with a single probe assembly 150 or multiple probe assemblies for a pitch / catch inspection mode. Similarly, test protocols can be implemented using coordination among multiple test fixtures 140, for example, in response to an overall test scheme established from a master test fixture 140 or established by another remote system such as computing equipment 108 or a general-purpose computing device such as a laptop 132, tablet, smartphone, or desktop computer. The test scheme can be established in accordance with published standards or regulatory requirements and can be implemented repeatedly, as illustrative examples, at initial production or for ongoing monitoring.

[0023] The receive signal chain of the front-end circuitry 122 may include one or more filter or amplifier circuits, along with analog-to-digital conversion facilities, to digitize echo signals received using the probe assembly 150. The digitization may be performed coherently to provide multiple channels of digitized data that are aligned or referenced to each other in time or phase. The front-end circuitry may be coupled to and controlled by one or more processor circuits, such as the processor circuit 102 included as part of the test instrument 140. The processor circuit may be coupled to the memory circuit 104, for example, to execute instructions that cause the test instrument 140 to perform one or more of acoustic transmission, acoustic acquisition, processing, or storage of data related to acoustic testing, or otherwise implement techniques such as those shown and described herein. The test instrument 140 may be communicatively coupled to other portions of the system 100, such as using a wired or wireless communication interface 120.

[0024] For example, performance of one or more techniques as shown and described herein may be achieved on the test instrument 140 or using other processing or storage facilities, such as using the computing equipment 108 or general-purpose computing devices, such as laptops 132, tablets, smartphones, desktop computers, etc. For example, processing tasks that would be unnecessarily slow if performed on the test instrument 140 or beyond the capabilities of the test instrument 140 may be performed remotely (e.g., on a separate system), e.g., in response to a request from the test instrument 140. Similarly, storage of intermediate data, such as, e.g., A-scan matrices of imaging data or time series data, or other representations of such data may be achieved using remote facilities communicatively coupled to the test instrument 140. The test instrument may include a display 110, such as for presenting configuration information or results, and input devices 112, including one or more of a keyboard, trackball, function keys or softkeys, a mouse interface, a touch screen, a stylus, etc., for receiving operator commands, configuration information, or responses to queries.

[0025] 2A, 2B, and 2C generally illustrate respective views of a scanner assembly 250 that can house an acoustic transducer probe assembly 253. As shown in FIGS. 2A, 2B, and 2C, the scanner assembly 250 can be modular, for example, allowing for the use of different acoustic transducer probe assembly 253 configurations (e.g., supporting an acoustic transducer array 252 having a specified number of acoustic transducer elements, such as defining a specified aperture width, or having other specified characteristics). The transducer array 252 can be communicatively coupled to an analog front end on a separate acoustic test fixture, such as via cable 230. The acoustic probe assembly can include a gasket support frame 256 and a housing that provides a couplant chamber (e.g., water box 283) and supports a gasket (e.g., including cover 255) to provide localized immersion of the interface between the object under test and the active surface 233 of the acoustic transducer array 252. For example, a gasket can be configured to hold the couplant in the area between the surface of the object under test and active surface 233. The couplant chamber can be fed through couplant opening 231, such as by couplant line 276.

[0026] The scanner assembly 250 may include a carriage 270 that defines or otherwise includes a region 249 for receiving the acoustic transducer probe assembly 253 to mechanically accommodate the acoustic transducer probe assembly 253. Other configurations may be used, such as an arrangement in which one or more acoustic transducer probe assemblies are mechanically secured to the carriage via an arm or support frame. The carriage 270 may include a wheel 272 aligned to rotate in a first direction (e.g., defining a scan axis for acquiring a line scan). The line scan direction may be longitudinal for axial scan alignment, or may orbit around a cylindrical or tubular object under test, or may be aligned in another direction, such as a specific direction along a planar object under test. The wheel 272 may be magnetized or include a permanent magnet to hold the carriage 270 against a ferromagnetic object under test during scanning. As shown in FIGS. 2A, 2B, and 2C, the operator interface 262 may be removably mated with the carriage 270. For example, operator interface 262 may include one or more user inputs and a display, as shown and described below in other embodiments. Operator interface 262 may be custom manufactured for scanner assembly 250, or operator interface 262 may be or include an off-the-shelf assembly, such as, for example, a mobile or tablet device having a touchscreen or other user input device and a display, mechanically secured to carriage 270 by a mount or otherwise mechanically coupled to carriage 270. Operator interface 262 may house or otherwise include one or more encoders, such as first encoder 267, which may monitor the rotation of one or more of wheels 272 forming scan encoder assembly 264. The operator interface may include electrical connector 263 or other provisions for communication and power, such as interconnection via cable and connector 263 with separate acoustic testing equipment.One or more of the couplant line 276 , the cable 230 , or the cable coupled with the connector 263 can be bundled together and held in a cable loom or umbilical bundle 274 .

[0027] The scanner assembly 250 may include a second wheel 268 configured to rotate in a second direction, for example, orthogonal to the direction of rotation of the wheel 272. Such a direction may be an index direction along the object under test. For example, as shown in the diagram of FIG. 2A, the index encoder assembly 266 may house a second encoder that may monitor the rotation of the second wheel 268. The first wheel 272 and the second wheel 268 may be configured to rotate exclusively in their respective directions (e.g., the first wheel 272 rotates to move along a first direction, and the second wheel 268 rotates to move along an orthogonal second direction).

[0028] As shown and described below, operator interface 262 may provide a user with indications, such as status indicators, indicating whether the first encoder, the second encoder, or both are active, or otherwise indicating the active operating mode of scanner assembly 250. As shown in FIGS. 2B and 2C, index encoder assembly 266 may include a retractable lever 265 to raise or lower second wheel 268. Second wheel 268 may also include other features, such as limiting engagement or facilitating circumferential sliding. For example, as shown in FIGS. 2A, 2B, and 2C, second wheel 268 may be chamfered or rounded.

[0029] As an illustration of the operation of the retraction lever 265 and other features that may be included as part of the index encoder assembly 266, FIGS. 3A, 3B, and 3C generally show respective views of an encoder wheel handling portion of the scanner assembly 250, such as may be included as part of the index encoder assembly 266. In FIG. 3A, the second wheel may be in a raised, or disengaged, position 268A, for example, in response to the retraction control being in a raised position 265A. In this raised position 268A, the second wheel may avoid binding or causing off-axis displacement of the carriage when the carriage is moving orthogonal (or substantially orthogonal) to the direction of rotation of the second wheel. As shown in FIG. 3A, the resistance or friction associated with rotation of the second wheel may be adjusted, for example, using a resistance control 269 (such a control may apply or select the application of force to the shaft or hub of the second wheel). In Figure 3B, the second wheel may be moved to a lowered or engaged position 268B, such as by moving the storage control to lowered position 265B. Figure 3C shows a locking configuration for the storage lever of index encoder assembly 266 of scanner assembly 250, where in raised position 268A, the storage lever may engage with a clip, tab, or other retention feature 271 that may engage the storage lever and prevent the storage lever from lowering unless the storage lever is pushed inward.

[0030] 3A and 3B also show end views of the gasket cover 255, the features of which are described with respect to FIG. 4, which shows an exploded view of the acoustic transducer probe assembly 253 (the acoustic transducer array 252 itself is not shown), which may include the gasket cover 255. The gasket cover 255 may be a replaceable element made of either a porous (e.g., moisture-absorbing) or non-porous material and may include or define respective chamfered or rounded edges, such as chamfered edge 282, to inhibit one or more of binding, pinching, or damage to the flexible gasket 259, such as when the acoustic transducer probe assembly 253 moves in the scan direction (relative to the index direction). The gasket 259 and gasket cover 255 may help maintain the couplant within the couplant chamber defined by the interior of the transducer housing water box 283 and the gasket support frame 256. The acoustic transducer probe assembly 253 may include other elements such as plates 281 and 285, and the assembled acoustic transducer probe assembly 253 is configured to provide localized couplant immersion of the surface of the object under test.

[0031] FIG. 5 generally illustrates a technique 500, such as a machine-implemented method, that may include receiving input from a user or presenting a status display, or a combination thereof, at an operator interface located on the scanner assembly. The technique 500 may be implemented with software or firmware instructions executed by one or more processors locally mounted on the scanner assembly or in cooperation with another device, such as an acoustic test instrument having one or more processors. At 505, the scanner assembly's operator interface may receive input (such as a user pressing a button or input provided on a touchscreen). Such input may control an operational mode associated with the acoustic inspection. For example, such input may be used to select a scan operation mode, such as indicating the initiation of a line scan operation in a first direction. At 510, in the scan operation mode, acquisition of acoustic inspection data associated with the scan operation may be initiated in response to the user input.

[0032] A status indication may be provided using the display at 515, such as upon initiation of acquisition or during acquisition. The display may include a light emitter (e.g., a light-emitting diode or other lamp) or display element that illuminates (e.g., changes brightness) or displays a specified color (e.g., green) to indicate that acquisition is active in a scanning mode of operation. Such a status indication may indicate that a scan in a first direction should be initiated, continued, or terminated. For example, the display may be updated or otherwise provided using displacement data acquired using a first encoder, which represents the displacement of the scanner assembly in the first direction. For example, a light-emitting device may shift from green to red, flash, or turn off when a boundary defining the specified coverage for each line scan is encountered or breached. For example, if the scanner assembly moves beyond a line scan boundary, the light-emitting device may shift from green to flashing green or from green to red.

[0033] In another embodiment, the input received at 505 may switch or otherwise select an indexing mode of operation from among other modes of operation. The operator interface may present a status display associated with the indexing mode at 525 in response to the selection of the indexing mode of operation. For example, such a status display may provide contemporaneous feedback to the user using displacement data acquired using a second encoder configured to encode displacement in a direction orthogonal to the first encoder. Examples of such status displays are discussed further below in connection with the illustrative (but non-limiting) examples of FIGS. 6A and 6B. By way of example, the status indicator may change brightness or color to indicate that movement in a second (e.g., indexing) direction should be initiated or should be continued to achieve a specified index location. The status indicator may change to indicate that movement in the indexing direction should be terminated or that the scanner has overshot (or is outside a specified margin from) a specified index location. The scan and index modes of operation may generally be referred to as embodiments supporting raster scanning, where each line scan may be performed at a different index location to assemble the composite, and encoding is performed in both the scan direction and the orthogonal index direction (e.g., a "dual" encoding approach). The operator interface may also support selection of the freehand mode of operation at 530, for example, providing a status indication using an operator interface display indicating that the freehand mode of operation is active, where the freehand mode of operation includes using displacement data acquired using both the first and second encoders simultaneously.

[0034] FIG. 6A generally illustrates an illustrative example of an operator interface 562, such as may be included as part of the scanner assembly described above in connection with FIGS. 2A, 2B, 2C, 3A, 3B, or 3C, and may be used to implement the techniques of FIG. 5 or other operations, such as those described elsewhere herein in connection with the illustrative example of FIG. 6B. Operator interface 562, as illustrated in FIGS. 6A and 6B, may include user input devices, such as momentary contact buttons 583, a keypad, a touch screen, or other inputs. Operator interface 562 may include a display, including, for example, light-emitting devices, such as status indicators 584 or couplant status indicators 597, or other display elements (e.g., index guide 585 and scan guide 586 indicators, pixel elements, or icons, such as presented using a bit field or liquid crystal display, such as graphical display 599). As noted elsewhere herein, operator interface 562 need not be custom or scanner-specific and may be implemented on a mobile or tablet device, such as being fixed to the scanner assembly.

[0035] In examples herein, the status indication may be presented using one or more purpose-specific indicators or annunciators or may be generic (e.g., a bit field display). Referring to FIG. 6B , a variety of different scanning configurations or workflows may be implemented using the scanner assembly and its associated operator interface 562. For example, the user interface 600 may be presented by another device or system, such as a non-destructive testing instrument used to configure an acoustic inspection operation or a respective acquisition comprising such an operation. For example, the scanner assembly may be selected or detected from among multiple available assemblies that may be compatible with the non-destructive testing instrument. The probe aperture value 589 may be set, either manually or automatically, and an associated index increment value 593 may be established. For example, the index increment value 593 may be less than the probe aperture value 589, resulting in an overlap value 591 corresponding to overlap in the index direction between adjacent or consecutive line scans.

[0036] As an illustrative example, a "clicker" workflow, as described in user interface 600 guide and shown in region 590, may behave as follows: Initially, the workflow may start with the first encoder (e.g., scan encoder) of the scanning assembly activated, as indicated by status indicator 584 illuminating (e.g., showing a green display with neither index guide 585 nor scan guide 586 illuminated), allowing the operator to perform a line scan. In the "clicker" workflow, when the operator clicks button 583, the first encoder can toggle between active and inactive status. When inactive, status indicator 584 may illuminate a different color (e.g., red), allowing the operator to move the scanner assembly in the index direction without overwriting previously acquired line scan data. Once the index movement is performed, the operator may click button 583 to actuate the scan encoder (changing the operating mode to scan mode) and perform the next line scan using the index value increment stored within the instrument. In this "clicker" mode, no encoding of index or axial movement is performed, and index increments are generally fixed within the instrument. Other modes, such as a "reverse" indexing mode, may be supported. For example, in a "clicker" workflow, a transition to "reverse" indexing mode may be achieved in response to a series of clicks (e.g., double-click actions) of button 583. In this mode, the index location may be shifted in the opposite direction to the normal indexing direction by an associated index increment value 593, for example, to perform a rescan of a previous line scan.

[0037] Another type of workflow may include a “raster” workflow, in which encoding may be performed in both the scanning (e.g., circumferential) and indexing (e.g., axial) directions. For example, as shown in FIG. 6B , operator interface 562 may be used to select between a “clicker” mode and a “raster” mode, e.g., in response to sustained pressure by the operator on button 583 (e.g., pressing and holding a momentary contact push button for a specified duration longer than the “click” duration described above, such as approximately 8 seconds). In the “guidance” mode, shown in region 594, a first state may include activating the first (e.g., scanning) encoder and disabling or ignoring the second (e.g., index) encoder. This may be referred to as “muting” the encoders. Muting the encoders may prevent erroneous counts from being processed by the acquisition instrument.

[0038] In the operator interface 562, the scan guide 586 and the index guide 585 may be selectively illuminated, such as to indicate which encoder axis is active. A status indicator 584 may indicate a scan mode (as opposed to an index mode), such as the "clicker" mode of operation described above. Upon completion of each line scan at each index location, the operator may click button 583 to select the index mode of operation. For example, this may mute the scan encoder and unmute the index encoder, where the scan guide 586 indicator is unlit and the index guide 585 is illuminated (or may provide other indications). The status indicator 584 may be unlit. In the index mode of operation, index movement is tracked and compared to an associated index increment value 593. The status indicator 584 may change, for example, to illuminate (e.g., show green) when the index position is within a specified range of a desired value, such as a specified range selected or indicated by a warning tolerance 595 display. If the index movement continues beyond the location corresponding to the associated index increment value 593, the status indicator 584 may change, for example, to change color (e.g., show red) or to provide some other indication of overshoot. In this manner, the status indicator 584 changes in response to the distance traversed by the scanner assembly. Once indexing is completed by the operator, the operator may click button 583 to select a scan operating mode and perform a new encoded line scan at the new index location.

[0039] Another raster operation mode may be available, illustratively shown in area 592 as a “freehand” mode. In the freehand operation mode, both the index encoder and the scan encoder can be active simultaneously. The status indicator may still provide index incremental tracking (e.g., changing from unlit to green to red in response to movement along the index axis), but in freehand mode, the index encoder remains active even during line-scan acquisition. As an illustrative example, switching between freehand and guided non-freehand operation may be achieved, for example, in response to a series of clicks (e.g., double-click actions) of button 583. Generally, the indicator colors or other behaviors and user inputs discussed above are merely illustrative examples. Other methods or devices for display may be used in conjunction with operator interface 562, such as, as illustrative examples, bit-field displays, text, numeric, or icon-based indicators, touchscreen input, or softkeys. Generally, the above-described approaches and workflows enable a “heads-down” view of the scanner assembly during acquisition or indexing (or both) without the user needing to look at a separate display on the acquisition instrument.

[0040] For additional context regarding this distinction, FIG. 7 generally illustrates a system 700 comprising a scanner assembly 750 positioned over an object under test 758 and a non-destructive testing instrument 740 (e.g., a separate acquisition instrument that stores inspection data acquired by the scanner assembly 750) communicatively coupled to the scanner assembly 750. The workflow described above may be performed using an operator interface located on-board the scanner assembly 750 without requiring the operator to view a display on the non-destructive testing instrument 740 during acquisition. Various acoustic inspection parameters or other configurations may be performed using a user interface presented by the non-destructive testing instrument 740, and line scan acquisition and indexing is performed using the operator interface of the scanner assembly 750 without requiring the operator to manually calculate index increments or view cues or values ​​on the non-destructive testing instrument 740 during index or line scan acquisition. Such an approach may address various challenges, such as improving index positioning accuracy, increasing inspection throughput (e.g., allowing inspections to be performed more quickly with less setup or rework), or simplifying the operation of system 700, or a combination of such technical improvements. While FIG. 7 illustrates the index direction as axial and the scan direction as circumferential, using a cylindrical object under test, the apparatus and techniques described herein are applicable to other objects and orientations. For example, the scan direction could be longitudinal or axial instead of circumferential. Planar objects may also be inspected using the approaches and apparatus described herein.

[0041] Although many of the examples in this document refer to acoustic inspection using an acoustic transducer probe, the devices and techniques described herein are generally applicable to other non-destructive testing modalities, such as eddy current or optical inspection, as illustrative examples.

[0042] 8 illustrates an example block diagram comprising a machine 800 upon which any one or more of the techniques (e.g., methodologies) discussed herein may be implemented. The machine 800 (e.g., a computer system) may include a hardware processor 802 (e.g., a central processing unit (CPU), a graphics processing unit (GPU), a hardware processor core, or any combination thereof), a main memory 804, and a static memory 806, which are connected via an interlink 830 (e.g., a link or bus), and some or all of these components may constitute hardware for the systems or related implementations discussed above.

[0043] Specific examples of main memory 804 include semiconductor memory devices, which may include storage locations in a semiconductor, such as random access memory (RAM) and registers. Specific examples of static memory 806 include non-volatile memory, such as semiconductor memory devices (e.g., electrically programmable read-only memory (EPROM), electrically erasable programmable read-only memory (EEPROM)) and flash memory devices, magnetic disks, such as internal hard disks and removable disks, magneto-optical disks, RAM, or optical media, such as CD-ROM and DVD-ROM disks.

[0044] The machine 800 may further include a display device 810, an input device 812 (e.g., a keyboard), and a user interface (UI) navigation device 814 (e.g., a mouse). In one example, the display device 810, the input device 812, and the UI navigation device 814 may be touchscreen displays. The machine 800 may further include a mass storage device 808 (e.g., a drive unit), a signal generating device 818 (e.g., a speaker), a network interface device 820, and one or more sensors 816, such as a global positioning system (GPS) sensor, a compass, an accelerometer, or other sensor. The machine 800 may include an output controller 828, such as a serial (e.g., Universal Serial Bus (USB), parallel, or other wired or wireless (e.g., infrared (IR), near field communication (NFC), etc.) connection, for communicating with or controlling one or more peripheral devices (e.g., a printer, a card reader, etc.).

[0045] The mass storage device 808 may comprise a machine-readable medium 822 having stored thereon one or more sets of data structures or instructions 824 (e.g., software) that embody or are utilized by any one or more of the techniques or functions described herein. The instructions 824 may also reside, completely or at least partially, within the main memory 804, within the static memory 806, or within the hardware processor 802 during execution thereof by the machine 800. In one example, one or any combination of the hardware processor 802, the main memory 804, the static memory 806, or the mass storage device 808 comprises a machine-readable medium.

[0046] Specific examples of machine-readable media include one or more of the following: non-volatile memory, such as semiconductor memory devices (e.g., EPROM or EEPROM) and flash memory devices; magnetic disks, such as internal hard disks and removable disks; magneto-optical disks; RAM; or optical media, such as CD-ROM and DVD-ROM disks. Although the machine-readable medium is illustrated as a single medium, the term "machine-readable medium" may include a single medium or multiple media (e.g., a centralized or distributed database, or associated caches and servers) configured to store one or more instructions 824.

[0047] The device of machine 800 includes one or more of a hardware processor 802 (e.g., a central processing unit (CPU), a graphics processing unit (GPU), a hardware processor core, or any combination thereof), a main memory 804 and static memory 806, a sensor 816, a network interface device 820, an antenna, a display device 810, an input device 812, a UI navigation device 814, a mass storage device 808, an instruction device 824, a signal generation device 818, or an output controller 828. The device may be configured to perform one or more of the methods or operations disclosed herein.

[0048] The term "machine-readable medium" includes any medium capable of storing, encoding, or carrying instructions for execution by machine 800, causing machine 800 to perform any one or more of the techniques of this disclosure, or causing another device or system to perform any one or more of the techniques, or capable of storing, encoding, or carrying data structures used by or associated with such instructions. Non-limiting examples of machine-readable media include solid-state memory, and optical or magnetic media. Specific examples of machine-readable media include non-volatile memory, such as semiconductor memory devices (e.g., electrically programmable read-only memory (EPROM), electrically erasable programmable read-only memory (EEPROM)) and flash memory devices, magnetic disks, such as internal hard disks and removable disks, magneto-optical disks, random access memory (RAM), or optical media, such as CD-ROM and DVD-ROM disks. In some embodiments, machine-readable media include non-transitory machine-readable media. In some embodiments, machine-readable media include machine-readable media that are not transitory, propagating signals.

[0049] The instructions 824 may be transmitted or received over a communications network 826 using a transmission medium via network interface device 820, for example, utilizing any one of several transport protocols (e.g., frame relay, Internet Protocol (IP), Transmission Control Protocol (TCP), User Datagram Protocol (UDP), Hypertext Transfer Protocol (HTTP), etc.). Exemplary communications networks include, among others, local area networks (LANs), wide area networks (WANs), packet data networks (e.g., the Internet), mobile telephone networks (e.g., cellular networks), plain old telephone service (POTS) networks, and wireless data networks (e.g., the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers (IEEE) 802.11 family of standards known as Wi-Fi®), the IEEE 802.15.4 family of standards, the Long Term Evolution (LTE) 4G or 5G family of standards, the Universal Mobile Telecommunications System (UMTS) family of standards, peer-to-peer (P2P) networks, and satellite networks.

[0050] In one example, network interface device 820 includes one or more physical jacks (e.g., Ethernet, coaxial, or interconnect) or one or more antennas for accessing communications network 826. In one example, network interface device 820 includes one or more antennas that communicate wirelessly using at least one of single-input multiple-output (SIMO), multiple-input multiple-output (MIMO), or multiple-input single-output (MISO) technologies. In some embodiments, network interface device 820 communicates wirelessly using multi-user MIMO technologies. The term “transmission medium” should be understood to include any intangible medium capable of storing, encoding, or carrying instructions for execution by machine 800, including digital or analog communications signals or other intangible media for facilitating the communication of such software.

[0051] Various notes Each of the above non-limiting aspects can stand alone or can be combined in various permutations or combinations with one or more of the other aspects or other subject matter described in this document.

[0052] The above detailed description includes references to the accompanying drawings, which form a part of the detailed description. The drawings show, by way of illustration, specific embodiments in which the invention may be practiced. These embodiments are also generally referred to as "examples." Such examples may include elements in addition to those shown or described. However, the inventors also contemplate examples in which only the elements shown or described are provided. Furthermore, the inventors also contemplate examples that use any combination or permutation of those elements (or one or more aspects thereof) shown or described with respect to a particular example (or one or more aspects thereof), or with respect to any other example (or one or more aspects thereof) shown or described herein.

[0053] In the event of a conflict of usage between this document and any document so incorporated by reference, the usage in this document shall take precedence.

[0054] As used herein, the terms "a" or "an" are used to include one or more, as is common in patent documents, regardless of any other instance or usage of "at least one" or "one or more." As used herein, the term "or" is used to refer to a non-exclusive or, unless otherwise indicated, such that "A or B" includes "A but not B," "B but not A," and "A and B." As used herein, the terms "including" and "in which" are used as the plain-English equivalents of the respective terms "comprising" and "wherein." Also, in the following claims, the terms "including" and "comprising" are open-ended, i.e., systems, devices, articles, compositions, formulations, or processes that include elements in addition to those listed after such terms in a claim are still deemed to be within the scope of that claim. Moreover, in the following claims, the terms "first," "second," and "third," etc., are used merely as labels and are not intended to impose numerical requirements on their objects.

[0055] The method examples described herein may be at least partially implemented in a machine or computer. Some examples may include a computer-readable medium or machine-readable medium encoded with instructions operable to configure an electronic device to perform the method described in the above examples. Implementations of such methods may include code, such as microcode, assembly language code, higher-level language code, etc. Such code may include computer-readable instructions for implementing various methods. The code may form part of a computer program product. Such instructions may be read and executed by one or more processors to enable performance of operations, including methods. The instructions may be in any suitable form, such as, but not limited to, source code, compiled code, interpreted code, executable code, static code, dynamic code, etc. Furthermore, in one example, the code may be tangibly stored on one or more volatile, non-transitory, or non-volatile tangible computer-readable media, such as during execution or at other times. Examples of these tangible computer-readable media include, but are not limited to, hard disks, removable magnetic disks, removable optical disks (e.g., compact discs and digital video discs), magnetic cassettes, memory cards or sticks, random access memory (RAM), read-only memory (ROM), and the like.

[0056] The above description is intended to be illustrative, not limiting. For example, the examples described above (or one or more aspects thereof) may be used in combination with each other. Other embodiments may be used, for example, by one of ordinary skill in the art upon reviewing the above description. The Abstract is provided to allow the reader to quickly ascertain the nature of the technical disclosure. It is submitted with the understanding that it will not be used to interpret or limit the scope or meaning of the claims. Also, in the above Detailed Description, various features may be grouped together to streamline the disclosure. This should not be construed as intending that an unclaimed disclosed feature is essential to any claim. Rather, inventive subject matter may lie in fewer than all features of a particular disclosed embodiment. Accordingly, the following claims are incorporated into the Detailed Description as an example or embodiment, with each claim standing on its own as a separate embodiment, and it is contemplated that such embodiments can be combined with each other in various combinations or permutations. The scope of the invention should be determined with reference to the appended claims, along with the full range of equivalents to which such claims are entitled.

Claims

1. A non-destructive testing device comprising: a scanner assembly, the scanner assembly comprising: a carriage including at least one wheel oriented to rotate in a first direction, said carriage configured to mechanically guide a transducer probe assembly; a first encoder configured to generate a first signal representative of a displacement of the carriage in the first direction in response to rotation of the at least one wheel oriented to rotate in the first direction; an operator interface comprising a user input device and a display, said operator interface comprising a modular assembly removably mated with said carriage, said operator interface comprising: receiving input at the user input device to control an operational mode associated with non-destructive testing; an operator interface configured to present a status display associated with the non-destructive testing scanning operation.

2. The operator interface uses the display to: that a scan in the first direction should be started or continued; or 10. The non-destructive testing device of claim 1, configured to present a status indication indicating at least one of: that the scan should be terminated;

3. the operator interface is configured to receive the input at the user input device to select the operational mode as a scan operational mode; 3. A non-destructive testing apparatus as claimed in claim 1 or 2, wherein in response the operator interface is configured to use the display to present a status indication to indicate that a scan in the first direction should be commenced.

4. the scanner assembly at least one wheel oriented to rotate in a second direction orthogonal to the first direction; a second encoder configured to generate a second signal representative of displacement of the carriage in a second direction in response to rotation of the at least one wheel oriented to rotate in the second direction, the second direction being orthogonal to the first direction.

5. 5. The non-destructive testing device of claim 4, wherein the second direction comprises an axial index direction along the object under test.

6. the operator interface is configured to receive the input at the user input device to select the mode of operation from among a scanning mode and an indexing mode of operation; 5. The non-destructive testing device of claim 4, wherein in response, the operator interface is configured to use the display to present a status indication indicating whether a scanning mode of operation or an indexing mode of operation is active.

7. In the indexing mode of operation, the operator interface is configured to use the displacement data acquired using the second encoder to present a status indication using the display, the status indication comprising: that movement along the index direction should be initiated or continued to achieve the specified index location, or 7. The non-destructive testing device of claim 6, wherein the index direction indicates at least one of: that movement along the index direction should end;

8. 8. The non-destructive testing device of claim 7, wherein in the indexing mode of operation, the operator interface is configured to use the display to present a status indication indicating that movement along the indexing direction has overshot the designated index location.

9. 9. The non-destructive testing device of claim 8, wherein in the indexing mode of operation, the operator interface is configured to use the display to present a status indication indicating that movement along the indexing direction should be in the reverse direction.

10. A non-destructive testing device according to any one of claims 4 to 9, wherein at least one of the first encoder or the second encoder is included as part of the modular assembly that can be removably mated with the carriage.

11. 11. A non-destructive testing apparatus according to any one of claims 4 to 10, comprising a retraction control configured to lower or raise, respectively, the at least one wheel configured to rotate in the second direction to engage or disengage from the at least one wheel configured to rotate in the second direction.

12. A non-destructive testing apparatus according to any one of claims 4 to 11, wherein the at least one wheel configured to rotate in the second direction comprises a chamfered edge.

13. A non-destructive testing apparatus according to any one of claims 4 to 12, comprising a resistance adjusting unit configured to adjust the rotational resistance of the at least one wheel configured to rotate in the second direction.

14. the at least one wheel configured to rotate in the first direction is configured to rotate exclusively in the first direction; or the at least one wheel configured to rotate in the second direction is configured to rotate exclusively in the second direction; or A non-destructive testing apparatus according to any one of claims 4 to 13, wherein both wheels are configured to rotate exclusively in their respective first and second directions.

15. A non-destructive testing apparatus according to any preceding claim, wherein the first direction comprises a circumferential scanning direction along the object under test.

16. further comprising the transducer probe assembly; the transducer probe assembly includes a gasket configured to hold a couplant in a region between a surface of an object under test and an active surface of the transducer probe assembly; A non-destructive testing apparatus according to any preceding claim, wherein the transducer probe assembly comprises an acoustic transducer probe assembly.

17. 17. The non-destructive testing device of claim 16, wherein the gasket or corresponding gasket protector comprises a chamfered or rounded edge configured to inhibit binding or pinching of the gasket as the transducer probe assembly moves along the object under test.

18. 18. The non-destructive testing apparatus of claim 16 or 17, wherein the operator interface is configured to provide an indication of a status of a couplant condition, the couplant condition corresponding to an interface between the acoustic transducer probe assembly and an object under test.

19. 19. A non-destructive testing apparatus according to any preceding claim, further comprising a non-destructive acquisition instrument, the non-destructive acquisition instrument comprising a second display and configured to initiate or terminate acquisition of non-destructive testing data associated with the scanning operation of the non-destructive testing in response to the input received at the user input device and using the signal representative of the displacement of the carriage in the first direction.

20. 1. A method for facilitating non-destructive testing (NDT), said method comprising: receiving input at a user input device of an operator interface to control an operational mode associated with the non-destructive testing; In response, initiating acquisition of non-destructive testing data associated with said non-destructive testing scanning operation; presenting a status indication using a display of the operator interface, the status indication being associated with the scanning operation of the non-destructive inspection using displacement data acquired using a first encoder; The user input device and the display are included as part of an operator interface on a scanner assembly, the scanner assembly comprising: a carriage including at least one wheel oriented to rotate in a first direction, said carriage configured to mechanically guide a transducer probe assembly; the first encoder configured to generate a first signal representative of a displacement of the carriage in the first direction in response to rotation of the at least one wheel oriented to rotate in the first direction; and an operator interface, wherein the operator interface comprises the user input device and the display.

21. Using the display, that a scan in the first direction should be started or continued; or 21. The method of claim 20, including presenting a status indicator indicating at least one of: that the scan should be completed;

22. receiving an input at the user input device to select the operational mode as a scan operational mode; and in response thereto, using the display to present a status indication to indicate that scanning in the first direction should be commenced.

23. the scanner assembly at least one wheel oriented to rotate in a second direction orthogonal to the first direction; a second encoder configured to generate a second signal representative of displacement of the carriage in a second direction in response to rotation of the at least one wheel oriented to rotate in the second direction, the second direction being orthogonal to the first direction.

24. the second direction comprises an index direction along the object under test; the operator interface is configured to receive the input at the user input device to select the mode of operation from among a scanning mode and an indexing mode of operation; 24. The method of claim 23, wherein in response, the operator interface is configured to use the display to present a status indication indicating whether a scanning mode or an indexing mode of operation is active.

25. In the indexing mode of operation, the operator interface uses the display to: that movement along the index direction should be initiated or continued to achieve a specified index location; or and that movement along the index direction should terminate.

26. 26. The method of claim 25, wherein in the indexing mode, the operator interface uses the display to present a status indication indicating that movement along the indexing direction has overshot the designated index location.

27. 27. A method according to any one of claims 24 to 26, wherein in the indexing mode, the operator interface uses the display to present a status indication indicating that movement along the indexing direction should be in the reverse direction.

28. 28. The method of any one of claims 24 to 27, wherein the operator interface is configured to receive the input at the user input device to select the operation mode from among the scanning operation mode, the indexing operation mode, or a freehand operation mode in which encoding is performed simultaneously in both index and scanning directions.

29. The method of any one of claims 20 to 27, wherein the first direction comprises a circumferential scanning direction along the object under test.

30. 30. The method of any one of claims 20 to 29, wherein the transducer probe assembly includes an acoustic transducer probe assembly, and the method includes providing an indication of a status of a couplant condition at the operator interface, the couplant condition corresponding to an interface between the acoustic transducer probe assembly and an object under test.

31. 31. The method of any one of claims 20 to 30, comprising using a separate non-destructive acquisition tool to acquire non-destructive testing data associated with the scanning operation of the non-destructive testing in response to the input received at the user input device and using the signal representative of the displacement of the carriage in the first direction.

32. A machine-readable medium comprising instructions which, when executed by at least one processor circuit, cause a non-destructive testing system to perform the method of any one of claims 20 to 30.

33. A non-destructive testing device comprising: a scanner assembly configured to encode movement in at least two directions, the scanner assembly comprising: a carriage including respective wheels oriented to rotate in a first direction including a circumferential scan direction, said carriage guiding a transducer probe assembly; a first encoder configured to generate a first signal representative of a displacement of the carriage in the first direction; at least one wheel oriented to rotate in a second direction orthogonal to the first direction, the second direction comprising an index direction along the object under test; a second encoder configured to generate a second signal representative of a displacement of the carriage in a second direction in response to rotation of the at least one wheel oriented to rotate in the second direction; an operator interface comprising a user input device and a display, said operator interface comprising: receiving input at the user input device to control an operational mode associated with non-destructive testing; an operator interface configured to present a status indication using the display and using displacement data obtained using the first encoder or the second encoder depending on the operational mode.

34. the user input device comprises a button; the display comprises respective indicators; the input received at the user input device comprises one of a single click of the button, a double click of the button, or a sustained pressure on the button for a specified period of time; 34. The non-destructive testing device of claim 33, wherein the operator interface is configured to responsively indicate an operational mode depending on whether the user input comprises a single click, a double click, or a sustained pressure on the button.

35. 35. A non-destructive testing device according to claim 34, wherein the respective indicators include respective light emitters or respective display elements that indicate whether the carriage is moving in the first direction, the second direction, or both.

36. 36. A non-destructive testing device as described in claim 34 or 35, wherein each indicator comprises a light emitter or display element that changes at least one of brightness or color depending on the distance traversed by the carriage in either the first direction or the second direction.

37. A non-destructive testing device according to any one of claims 33 to 36, wherein the display comprises light emitters or display elements that indicate couplant status.

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