Patent ID: 8217646

Claim:
An inspection apparatus comprising: (a) a probe receiving unit; (b) a central processing unit (CPU) incorporated in said probe receiving unit, (c) a probe holder disposed on said probe receiving unit communicatively coupled to said CPU; (d) a first probe having an elongated inspection tube and being of a certain probe type; (e) a second probe haying an elongated inspection tube and being of a probe type different from said certain probe type; (f) wherein each of said certain probe type and said probe type different from said certain probe type are probe types selected from the group consisting of a visual inspection probe type having an elongated inspection tube and an image sensor for generating image signals, an eddy current probe type having an elongated inspection tube and an eddy current sensor and an ultrasound probe type having an elongated inspection tube and an ultrasound sensor; (g) wherein said inspection apparatus is adapted so that said probe receiving unit can detachably receive, via said probe holder, one of said first probe and said second probe at a given time; (h) wherein said CPU is adapted to process data corresponding to information generated by a probe presently received in said probe holder, whether said first probe or said second probe is presently received in said probe holder; (i) wherein said inspection apparatus includes at least two of: visual probe resources adapting said inspection apparatus for processing image data, eddy current probe resources adapting said inspection apparatus for processing eddy current data, and ultrasound probe resources adapting said inspection apparatus for processing ultrasound data; (j) wherein said inspection apparatus is adapted so that said CPU receives probe data from a probe received in said probe holder whether said probe is said first probe or said second probe; (k) wherein said inspection apparatus is further adapted to run a software program which monitors said probe data to detect probe type signature characteristics so that said inspection apparatus can detect a probe type of a probe presently received in said probe holder, said probe type signature characteristics identifying a probe type of a probe presently received in said probe holder; and (l) wherein said inspection apparatus is further adapted so that said inspection apparatus activates an appropriate one of said visual probe resources, said eddy current probe resources, and said ultrasound probe resources responsively to a detection of said probe type.