Patent ID: 7427867
Filing Date: 2008-09-23
Classification: G01R

Abstract:
1. A system for non-destructive evaluation of an elongated conducting structure comprising a generator supplying a series of high frequency input signals to the conducting structure, said input signals having a frequency of at least 3 MHz; means providing a time delayed replica of each of said input signals; an analog multiplier receiving an output signal from the conducting structure in response to each of said input signals, receiving said time delayed replica of each of said input signals and producing a multiplication output thereof; a sample and hold circuit receiving said multiplication output and supplying unsynchronized samples forming an impulse response function output; an analog-to-digital converter receiving said sample and hold circuit output; and a data processor receiving an input from said analog-to-digital converter to produce an average signal from a fixed number of samples, to initiate successive series of input signals and time delayed replicas of each input signal with increasing time delays and to produce an average signal from each successive time delay of said time delayed replicas of said input signals creating, in aggregate, the impulse function of the conducting structure.