Ultrasonic inspection device and ultrasonic inspection method
Patent Information
- Application Number
- PCT/JP2026/014088
- Authority / Receiving Office
- WO · WO
- Patent Type
- Applications
- Current Assignee / Owner
- Priority Date
- 2025-04-16
- Filing Date
- 2026-04-03
- Publication Date
- 2026-10-22
Smart Images
Figure JP2026014088_22102026_PF_FP_ABST
Abstract
Description
Ultrasonic inspection apparatus and ultrasonic inspection method
[0001] The present disclosure relates to an ultrasonic inspection apparatus and an ultrasonic inspection method.
[0002] Conventionally, an ultrasonic inspection system is known that includes a first inspection unit composed of a first ultrasonic transducer and a first ultrasonic transducer for oscillation / ultrasonic transducer for reception, a second inspection unit composed of a second ultrasonic transducer and a second ultrasonic sensor, and a signal processing system that performs signal processing on a first detection signal acquired by the first inspection unit and a second detection signal acquired by the second inspection unit (for example, see Patent Document 1). The signal processing system obtains each index value based on each detection signal, compares the obtained index values with each other, and evaluates soundness.
[0003] Japanese Patent No. 6506393
[0004] In the ultrasonic inspection system of Patent Document 1, signals after being subjected to various signal processing such as noise removal processing, averaging processing, and envelope detection processing are used as detection signals. Then, in the ultrasonic inspection system, using the detection signals after signal processing, a cross-correlation coefficient, a squared error, a representative value of a difference signal, or a representative value of a division signal is obtained as an index value. In addition, the ultrasonic inspection system of Patent Document 1 may require correction in consideration of the influence on the sensor environment and the like. For this reason, the ultrasonic inspection system of Patent Document 1 requires complicated processing such as correction processing.
[0005] Accordingly, an object of the present disclosure is to provide an ultrasonic inspection apparatus and an ultrasonic inspection method capable of performing inspection with high accuracy through simple processing while eliminating the influence of the sensor environment.
[0006] The ultrasonic inspection apparatus of this disclosure is an ultrasonic inspection apparatus that inspects an inspection target by emitting ultrasonic waves onto the inspection target, and comprises: a first ultrasonic unit including a first oscillating sensor for emitting ultrasonic waves and a first receiving sensor for receiving ultrasonic waves; a second ultrasonic unit including a second oscillating sensor for emitting ultrasonic waves and a second receiving sensor for receiving ultrasonic waves; and a processing unit for processing first detection data detected by the first ultrasonic unit and second detection data detected by the second ultrasonic unit, wherein the processing unit includes the steps of: acquiring first base detection data which is first detection data detected by the first ultrasonic unit in the inspection target in an initial state; and acquiring first detection data detected by the first ultrasonic unit in the inspection target during inspection. The following steps are performed: a step of performing a basic detection operation; a step of obtaining first comparison data generated by a basic comparison process that compares the first basic detection data with the first detection data; a step of obtaining second basic detection data which is second detection data detected by the second ultrasonic unit in the inspection target unit in its initial state; a step of obtaining second detection data detected by the second ultrasonic unit in the inspection target unit during inspection; a step of obtaining second comparison data generated by a basic comparison process that compares the second basic detection data with the second detection data; a step of performing a similarity comparison process that compares the first comparison data with the second comparison data; and a step of determining the inspection result of the inspection target unit based on the processing result of the similarity comparison process.
[0007] The ultrasonic inspection method of this disclosure is an ultrasonic inspection method performed by an ultrasonic inspection apparatus that emits ultrasonic waves to an object to be inspected and inspects the object to be inspected, the ultrasonic inspection apparatus comprising: a first ultrasonic unit including a first oscillating sensor that emits ultrasonic waves and a first receiving sensor that receives ultrasonic waves; a second ultrasonic unit including a second oscillating sensor that emits ultrasonic waves and a second receiving sensor that receives ultrasonic waves; and a processing unit that processes first detection data detected by the first ultrasonic unit and second detection data detected by the second ultrasonic unit, wherein the processing unit takes the steps of: acquiring first base detection data which is first detection data detected by the first ultrasonic unit in the object to be inspected in an initial state; and during inspection, detecting in the object to be inspected by the first ultrasonic unit The process involves: obtaining first detection data; obtaining first comparison data generated by a base comparison process that compares the first base detection data with the first detection data; obtaining second base detection data, which is second detection data detected by the second ultrasonic unit in the inspection target unit in its initial state; obtaining second detection data detected by the second ultrasonic unit in the inspection target unit during inspection; obtaining second comparison data generated by a base comparison process that compares the second base detection data with the second detection data; performing a similarity comparison process that compares the first comparison data with the second comparison data; and determining the inspection result of the inspection target unit based on the processing result of the similarity comparison process.
[0008] According to this disclosure, accurate inspections can be performed with simple processing while eliminating the influence of the sensor environment.
[0009] Figure 1 is a schematic diagram of the ultrasonic inspection apparatus according to this embodiment. Figure 2 is a block diagram of the ultrasonic inspection apparatus according to this embodiment. Figure 3 is an explanatory diagram of the ultrasonic inspection method according to this embodiment. Figure 4 is an explanatory diagram of the area difference obtained by the base comparison process.
[0010] Embodiments relating to this disclosure will be described in detail below with reference to the drawings. However, these embodiments do not limit this disclosure. Furthermore, some components in the embodiments described below are substituted or substantially identical to those easily substituted by those skilled in the art. Moreover, the components described below can be combined as appropriate, and if there are multiple embodiments, each embodiment can be combined.
[0011] [This Embodiment] The ultrasonic inspection device 1 according to this embodiment is a device that emits ultrasonic waves to the inspection target part P of a structure 2 to inspect whether or not damage or other abnormalities have occurred in the inspection target part P. The inspection target part P is, for example, the joint portion between members that make up the structure 2, and the joint portion is, for example, a joint portion by adhesive or fusion, or a mechanical joint by fastening, etc. Multiple locations of this inspection target part P are subject to inspection, and the conditions of the usage environment and the conditions due to aging are the same for multiple inspection target parts P. For this reason, the sensor environment sensed by the ultrasonic inspection device 1 is the same for multiple inspection target parts P. Although Figure 1 shows one inspection target part P, the inspection target parts P are set at predetermined intervals along the direction in which the structure 2 extends.
[0012] (Ultrasonic Inspection Apparatus) Figure 1 is a schematic diagram of the ultrasonic inspection apparatus according to this embodiment. Figure 2 is a block diagram of the ultrasonic inspection apparatus according to this embodiment. The ultrasonic inspection apparatus 1 comprises a plurality of ultrasonic units 3 and a control unit 10.
[0013] Multiple ultrasonic units 3 are provided according to multiple inspection target parts P. In other words, the multiple ultrasonic units 3 are provided from the first ultrasonic unit 3 to the nth (n ≤ 2) ultrasonic unit 3. For this reason, the multiple ultrasonic units 3 are arranged at predetermined intervals in the joint portion along the direction in which the structure 2 extends.
[0014] The ultrasonic unit 3 includes an oscillation sensor 5 and a receiving sensor 6. The oscillation sensor 5 emits ultrasonic waves toward the part to be inspected P. The receiving sensor 6 receives ultrasonic waves transmitted from the oscillation sensor 5 through the part to be inspected P. The oscillation sensor 5 and the receiving sensor 6 are connected to a control unit 10, which acquires detection data from the receiving sensor 6. The detection data is the detection waveform of the received ultrasonic waves.
[0015] The control unit 10 has a processing unit 11 and a storage unit 12. The processing unit 11 includes an integrated circuit such as a CPU (Central Processing Unit). The processing unit 11 performs data processing based on the received detection data. As data processing, for example, it performs base comparison processing and similarity comparison processing, which will be described later. The storage unit 12 is any storage device such as a semiconductor storage device and a magnetic storage device. This storage unit 12 stores data generated by various data processing, as well as programs for performing various data processing. The data includes base detection data, detection data, and comparison data. Base detection data is detection data acquired in the inspection target unit P in its initial state. Here, the initial state is the base state in which there are no abnormalities in the coupling part. Detection data is detection data acquired in the inspection target unit P during inspection. Comparison data is data generated in the base comparison processing.
[0016] (Ultrasonic Inspection Method) Next, the ultrasonic inspection method performed by the ultrasonic inspection apparatus 1 will be described with reference to Figures 3 and 4. Figure 3 is an explanatory diagram of the ultrasonic inspection method according to this embodiment. Figure 4 is an explanatory diagram of the area difference obtained by the base comparison process.
[0017] As shown in Figure 3, the ultrasonic inspection method uses multiple detection data acquired from multiple ultrasonic units 3 to inspect the part P to be inspected. In Figure 3, the first ultrasonic unit 3 and the second ultrasonic unit 3 are explained separately. The first ultrasonic unit 3 is the unit that performs abnormality inspection of the part P to be inspected, and the second ultrasonic unit 3 is one or more units that have the same sensor environment as the first ultrasonic unit 3.
[0018] First, the processing unit 11 of the ultrasound inspection device 1 acquires detection data detected by the ultrasound unit 3 in the inspection target P during the inspection (step S1). Step S1 is performed by step S1a, which acquires first detection data detected by the first ultrasound unit 3, and step S1b, which acquires second detection data detected by the second ultrasound unit 3. In step S1, for example, detection data from the inspection stored in the storage unit 12 is acquired.
[0019] Next, the processing unit 11 acquires base detection data detected by the ultrasonic unit 3 in the inspection target unit P, which is in its initial state (step S2). Step S2 is performed by step S2a, which acquires first base detection data detected by the first ultrasonic unit 3, and step S2b, which acquires second base detection data detected by the second ultrasonic unit 3. In step S2, the base detection data stored in the storage unit 12 is acquired.
[0020] Next, the processing unit 11 performs a base comparison process to compare the base detection data with the detection data (step S3). As shown in Figure 4, the base comparison process calculates the area difference ΔS, which is the difference between the detection waveform of the base detection data L2 and the detection waveform of the detection data L1, and generates the calculated area difference ΔS as comparison data. The area difference ΔS is the cumulative difference between the detection values of the detection data L1 and the base detection data L2 at each detection period. In step S3, a base comparison process to compare the first base detection data L2 with the first detection data L1 (step S3a) and a base comparison process to compare the second base detection data L2 with the second detection data L1 (step S3b) are performed. In this embodiment, the area difference ΔS was used as the difference, but since abnormalities are affected by the phase, amplitude, or frequency of the ultrasound, the amplitude at the same phase between the detection waveform of the base detection data L2 and the detection waveform of the detection data L1 may also be used.
[0021] Next, the processing unit 11 performs a similarity comparison process that compares the first comparison data obtained in the first base comparison process with the second comparison data obtained in the second base comparison process (step S4). The similarity comparison process can be, for example, a similarity comparison process using majority voting or a similarity comparison process using the mean. In other words, in the similarity comparison process, multiple comparison data are compared, and a small number of outlier comparison data are extracted using statistical methods, and these outlier comparison data are treated as abnormal comparison data. Other statistical methods include the mean square method.
[0022] In the similarity comparison process using majority voting, the processing unit 11 determines whether the comparison data is smaller than a preset threshold. If the comparison data is smaller than the threshold, the processing unit 11 determines it is normal, while if the comparison data is greater than or equal to the threshold, it determines it is abnormal. The processing unit 11 then sorts the multiple comparison data into normal comparison data and abnormal comparison data and takes a majority vote. After this, the processing unit 11 performs an abnormality determination process based on the result of the majority vote (step S5). In the abnormality determination process of step S5, if the comparison data of the first ultrasonic unit 3 is abnormal and there are only a few of these abnormal comparison data, the processing unit 11 determines that the inspection target part P inspected by the first ultrasonic unit 3 corresponding to the few abnormal comparison data is abnormal.
[0023] In the similarity comparison process using the mean, the processing unit 11 takes the average value of multiple comparison data and extracts the comparison data that deviates the most from the mean as the abnormal comparison data. After this, the processing unit 11 performs an abnormality determination process based on the extraction result (step S5). In the abnormality determination process of step S5, if there is abnormal comparison data, it is determined that the inspection target part P inspected by the ultrasonic unit 3 corresponding to the abnormal comparison data is abnormal.
[0024] In addition, in the similarity comparison process, multiple comparison data may be used as is, and the inspection target unit corresponding to the comparison data with a value greater than or equal to a predetermined value may be determined to be abnormal.
[0025] As described above, the ultrasonic inspection apparatus 1 and ultrasonic inspection method described in this embodiment can be understood, for example, as follows.
[0026] The ultrasonic inspection apparatus 1 according to the first embodiment is an ultrasonic inspection apparatus 1 that inspects an inspection target P by emitting ultrasonic waves to the inspection target P, and comprises: a first ultrasonic unit 3 including a first oscillation sensor 5 for emitting ultrasonic waves and a first receiving sensor 6 for receiving ultrasonic waves; a second ultrasonic unit 3 including a second oscillation sensor 5 for emitting ultrasonic waves and a second receiving sensor 6 for receiving ultrasonic waves; and a processing unit 11 for processing first detection data detected by the first ultrasonic unit 3 and second detection data detected by the second ultrasonic unit 3, wherein the processing unit 11 includes steps S2a for acquiring first base detection data which is first detection data detected by the first ultrasonic unit in the inspection target P in an initial state, and acquiring first detection data detected by the first ultrasonic unit in the inspection target P during inspection. Step S1a: Step S3a: Acquire first comparison data generated by a base comparison process that compares the first base detection data with the first detection data; Step S2b: Acquire second base detection data which is second detection data detected by the second ultrasonic unit 3 in the inspection target P in its initial state; Step S1b: Acquire second detection data detected by the second ultrasonic unit 3 in the inspection target P during inspection; Step S3b: Acquire second comparison data generated by a base comparison process that compares the second base detection data with the second detection data; Step S4: Execute a similarity comparison process that compares the first comparison data with the second comparison data; Step S5: Determine the inspection result of the inspection target based on the processing result of the similarity comparison process.
[0027] This configuration allows for the presence or absence of abnormalities in the inspection target P, which changes over time, through base comparison processing, while eliminating the influence of the sensor environment through similarity comparison processing. Therefore, the inspection target P can be inspected accurately with simple processing.
[0028] In a second embodiment, in the ultrasonic inspection apparatus 1 according to the first embodiment, the base comparison process generates the difference between the detected waveform of the base detection data L2 and the detected waveform of the detection data L1 as the comparison data.
[0029] With this configuration, it is possible to detect the presence or absence of abnormalities in the inspection target part P, which changes over time, through a simple process using differences such as the area difference ΔS.
[0030] In a third embodiment, in the ultrasound inspection apparatus 1 according to the first or second embodiment, in step S4 in which the similarity comparison process is performed, a plurality of the comparison data are compared, a small number of outlier comparison data are extracted using a statistical method, and the small number of outlier comparison data are determined to be abnormal comparison data.
[0031] This configuration allows for the appropriate identification of anomalies in comparative data using statistical methods.
[0032] In a fourth embodiment, in the ultrasonic inspection apparatus 1 according to the third embodiment, in step S4 in which the similarity comparison process is performed, if the comparison data is smaller than a preset threshold, it is considered normal, while if the comparison data is greater than or equal to the threshold, it is considered abnormal. In step S5, in which the multiple comparison data are divided into normal comparison data and abnormal comparison data and a majority vote is taken to determine the inspection result of the inspection target part P, if there are a small number of abnormal comparison data, it is determined that the inspection target part P inspected by the ultrasonic unit 3 corresponding to the small number of abnormal comparison data is abnormal.
[0033] This configuration allows for the elimination of the influence of the sensor environment through a simple process using majority voting.
[0034] In a fifth embodiment, in the ultrasonic inspection apparatus 1 according to the third embodiment, in step S4 in which the similarity comparison process is performed, the average value of a plurality of comparison data is taken, and the comparison data that deviates the most from the average value is determined to be the abnormal comparison data, and in step S5 in which the inspection result of the inspection target part P is determined to be abnormal when the inspection target part P is inspected by the ultrasonic unit 3 corresponding to the abnormal comparison data.
[0035] With this configuration, the influence of the sensor environment can be eliminated with a simple process using averages.
[0036] The sixth embodiment of the ultrasonic inspection method is an ultrasonic inspection method performed by an ultrasonic inspection device 1 that emits ultrasonic waves to an inspection target P and inspects the inspection target P, the ultrasonic inspection device 1 comprising: a first ultrasonic unit 3 including a first oscillation sensor 5 that emits ultrasonic waves and a first receiving sensor 6 that receives ultrasonic waves; a second ultrasonic unit 3 including a second oscillation sensor 5 that emits ultrasonic waves and a second receiving sensor 6 that receives ultrasonic waves; and a processing unit 11 that processes first detection data detected by the first ultrasonic unit 3 and second detection data detected by the second ultrasonic unit 3, wherein the processing unit 11 performs the steps of: acquiring first base detection data which is first detection data detected by the first ultrasonic unit in the inspection target P in an initial state, and during inspection, detecting in the inspection target P by the first ultrasonic unit Step S1a to acquire first detection data; Step S3a to acquire first comparison data generated by a base comparison process that compares the first base detection data with the first detection data; Step S2b to acquire second base detection data, which is second detection data detected by the second ultrasonic unit 3 in the inspection target unit P in its initial state; Step S1b to acquire second detection data detected by the second ultrasonic unit 3 in the inspection target unit P during inspection; Step S3b to acquire second comparison data generated by a base comparison process that compares the second base detection data with the second detection data; Step S4 to perform a similarity comparison process that compares the first comparison data with the second comparison data; and Step S5 to determine the inspection result of the inspection target unit based on the processing result of the similarity comparison process.
[0037] This configuration allows for the presence or absence of abnormalities in the inspection target P, which changes over time, through base comparison processing, while eliminating the influence of the sensor environment through similarity comparison processing. Therefore, the inspection target P can be inspected accurately with simple processing.
[0038] 1. Ultrasonic inspection device 2. Structure 3. Ultrasonic unit 5. Oscillation sensor 6. Receiving sensor 10. Control unit 11. Processing unit 12. Memory unit P. Unit to be inspected
Claims
1. An ultrasonic inspection apparatus for inspecting an object to be inspected by emitting ultrasonic waves onto the object to be inspected, comprising: a first ultrasonic unit including a first oscillating sensor for emitting ultrasonic waves and a first receiving sensor for receiving ultrasonic waves; a second ultrasonic unit including a second oscillating sensor for emitting ultrasonic waves and a second receiving sensor for receiving ultrasonic waves; and a processing unit for processing first detection data detected by the first ultrasonic unit and second detection data detected by the second ultrasonic unit, wherein the processing unit includes the steps of: acquiring first base detection data which is first detection data detected by the first ultrasonic unit in the object to be inspected in an initial state; acquiring first detection data detected by the first ultrasonic unit in the object to be inspected during inspection; acquiring first comparison data generated by a base comparison process that compares the first base detection data with the first detection data; and acquiring second base detection data which is second detection data detected by the second ultrasonic unit in the object to be inspected in an initial state. An ultrasonic inspection apparatus that performs the following steps during inspection: acquiring second detection data detected by the second ultrasonic unit in the part to be inspected; acquiring second comparison data generated by a base comparison process that compares the second base detection data with the second detection data; performing a similarity comparison process that compares the first comparison data with the second comparison data; and determining the inspection result of the part to be inspected based on the processing result of the similarity comparison process.
2. The ultrasonic inspection apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the base comparison process generates the difference between the detected waveform of the base detection data and the detected waveform of the detection data as the comparison data.
3. The ultrasonic inspection apparatus according to claim 1, wherein in the step of performing the similarity comparison process, a plurality of comparison data are compared, a small number of outlier comparison data are extracted by statistical methods, and the small number of outlier comparison data are determined to be abnormal comparison data.
4. In the step of performing the similarity comparison process, if the comparison data is smaller than a preset threshold, it is considered normal, while if the comparison data is greater than or equal to the threshold, it is considered abnormal, and the multiple comparison data are divided into normal comparison data and abnormal comparison data and a majority vote is taken, and in the step of determining the inspection result of the part to be inspected, if there are a small number of abnormal comparison data, it is determined that the part to be inspected inspected by the ultrasonic unit corresponding to the small number of abnormal comparison data is abnormal, as described in claim 3.
5. The ultrasonic inspection apparatus according to claim 3, wherein in the step of performing the similarity comparison process, the average value of a plurality of comparison data is taken, and the comparison data that deviates the most from the average value is determined to be the abnormal comparison data, and in the step of determining the inspection result of the part to be inspected, it is determined that the part to be inspected inspected by the ultrasonic unit corresponding to the abnormal comparison data is abnormal.
6. An ultrasonic inspection method performed by an ultrasonic inspection apparatus that emits ultrasonic waves to an area to be inspected and inspects the area to be inspected, wherein the ultrasonic inspection apparatus comprises: a first ultrasonic unit including a first oscillating sensor that emits ultrasonic waves and a first receiving sensor that receives ultrasonic waves; a second ultrasonic unit including a second oscillating sensor that emits ultrasonic waves and a second receiving sensor that receives ultrasonic waves; and a processing unit that processes first detection data detected by the first ultrasonic unit and second detection data detected by the second ultrasonic unit, wherein the processing unit includes the steps of: acquiring first base detection data which is first detection data detected by the first ultrasonic unit in the area to be inspected in an initial state; acquiring first detection data detected by the first ultrasonic unit in the area to be inspected during inspection; acquiring first comparison data generated by a base comparison process that compares the first base detection data with the first detection data; and acquiring second base detection data which is second detection data detected by the second ultrasonic unit in the area to be inspected in an initial state. An ultrasonic inspection method comprising the steps of: acquiring second detection data detected by the second ultrasonic unit in the part to be inspected during inspection; acquiring second comparison data generated by a base comparison process that compares the second base detection data with the second detection data; performing a similarity comparison process that compares the first comparison data with the second comparison data; and determining the inspection result of the part to be inspected based on the processing result of the similarity comparison process.