Patent Document ID: 7591583
Application ID: 11131628
Patent Status: 1

Claim One:
1. A method for detecting flaws at or substantially immediately below an outer surface of an object of solid material comprising the steps of: flash heating a portion of the outer surface of the object wherein the outer surface is defined by a plurality of individual surface elements; recording a plurality of thermal images of the portion over time with a thermal imaging device wherein each of the plurality of thermal images being defined by a plurality of pixels and wherein each of the plurality of pixels having an individual pixel address and corresponding to one of the plurality of individual surface elements; determining a pixel intensity for each of the plurality pixels in each of the plurality of thermal images; integrating the pixel intensity of each of the plurality of pixels having the same individual address from respective thermal images to establish elements within an array of integrated pixel intensity, each element representing an integrated pixel intensity for a discrete pixel and integrated pixel intensity location of said discrete pixel in the array; and wherein variations in integrated pixel intensities of various pixel locations are analyzed to identify variations which are indicative of the presence of a flaw; and using the array of said elements of said integrated pixel intensity of said plurality of pixels to detect the flaw in the object to about 0.004 inches below the surface by comparing variations between the integrated pixel intensities of two elements.