Patent ID: 6424597
Filing Date: 2002-07-23
Classification: G01N,G01S,G10K

Abstract:
Ultrasonic contact transducer with multiple elements (6), each element being an ultrasound emitting and/or receiving element, the transducer being designed to be moved with respect to an object to be inspected (8) and with a deformable emitting surface designed to come into contact with the surface of this object, and from which ultrasounds are emitted to the object, control means (62) being provided to generate excitation pulses for emitting elements, this transducer being characterized in that it comprises means (16, 18, 20, 22, 24, 56, 58, 60; 24, 38, 40, 42, 44, 46, 48, 50, 52, 54, 56, 58, 60) of determining the positions of each of the ultrasound emitting elements with respect to the object as the transducer is being moved, processing means being provided to:generate delay laws, starting from the positions thus determined, such that emitting elements can generate a focused ultrasonic beam (F) with characteristics that are controlled with respect to the object, and apply these delay laws to excitation pulses, the ultrasound receiving elements being designed to supply signals for the formation of images related to the object.