NDT Scan Coverage Display Using Position Encoders
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing non-destructive testing systems face challenges in ensuring complete surface coverage and precise tracking during area scanning, often requiring manual adjustments and limited coverage areas, which can lead to gaps and inefficiencies in data acquisition.
Innovation Solution
A system utilizing two or more position encoders, such as omniwheel or rolling sphere encoders, to track and display scanned areas, allowing for precise positioning and orientation without a fixed reference point, enabling full surface coverage with adequate overlap and increased operator agility.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Productivity
If manual scanner head adjustment or stitching operations are used, then the scanning system can operate with simpler hardware, but the productivity and measurement precision deteriorate due to time-consuming operations and potential gaps
Solution Approach 1:
The patent replaces manual mechanical adjustment operations with an automated optical tracking system. The tracker mounted on the scanner head uses optical markers and cameras to automatically determine position and orientation, eliminating the need for manual scanner head adjustment and stitching operations while improving both productivity and measurement precision.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent creates a visual copy or representation of the scanned surface area through real-time display generation. The system generates a display showing the scanned surface area based on tracker data, allowing operators to verify coverage without physical overlap of scan areas, thus improving productivity while maintaining simplicity.
2Ease of operation
If a fixed reference point or mechanical link is used between scanner and part, then measurement precision can be maintained, but the ease of operation and adaptability deteriorate due to deployment time and operator agility limitations
Solution Approach 1:
The patent replaces mechanical links and fixed reference points with an optical tracking system. The tracker on the scanner head and markers on the part create a virtual reference system through optical fields, enabling fast deployment without mechanical constraints while maintaining measurement precision through real-time position and orientation data.
Solution Approach 2:
The optical tracking system serves multiple functions simultaneously: it provides position tracking, orientation measurement, and real-time display generation without requiring separate mechanical reference systems. This universal approach improves ease of operation while maintaining measurement precision across different scanning scenarios.
3Adaptability or versatility
If the scanner coverage area is limited to a defined surface, then the device complexity remains low, but the adaptability and productivity worsen due to the need to piece together multiple scans
Solution Approach 1:
The patent implements real-time feedback through a display that shows the scanned surface area as the scanner moves. This feedback mechanism allows the system to adapt to larger scan areas by continuously updating coverage information, enabling versatile scanning without increasing device complexity through multiple separate scan operations.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent adds the dimension of real-time visual feedback to the scanning process. By generating a display that represents the scanned surface area in real-time, the system transcends the limitation of fixed scanner coverage areas, allowing operators to verify complete coverage across large or complex geometries without increasing mechanical complexity.
Data Source
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AI summary
A system for displaying an area covered in a non-destructive scan of an area larger than the test probe is disclosed. Position encoders are included on the test probe to track the motion of the probe and to provide a record of the portion of the area under test that has been covered by the probe