A computer implemented information extraction process that locates and identifies eddy current signal features in digital point-ordered signals, said signals representing data from inspection of test materials, by enhancing the signal features relative to signal noise, detecting features of the signals, verifying the location of the signal features that can be known in advance, and outputting information about the identity and location of all detected signal features.

The present invention is a miniature videoprobe system having a probe termination box, a strong back, and a videoprobe housing. The videoprobe system is able to obtain images from a restricted space at least as small as 0.125 inches while producing a high quality image. The strong back has a hockey stick shape with the probe termination box connecting to the top of the handle-like portion of the hockey stick and the videoprobe housing attaching to the opposite end or nose of the hockey stick shape. The videoprobe housing has a roughly arrowhead shape with two thin steel plates sandwiching the internal components there between. The internal components are connected in series to allow for a minor dimension of the videoprobe housing of 0.110 inches. The internal components include an optics train, a CCD chip, and an electronics package. An electrical signal is transmitted from the electronics package through wiring within an internal channel of the strong back to the probe termination box. The strong back has milled into it multiple internal channels for facilitating the transfer of information, items, or devices between the probe termination box and the videoprobe housing.

The present invention relates to an ultrasonic scanner and method for the imaging of a part surface, the scanner comprising: a probe assembly spaced apart from the surface including at least two tracking signals for emitting electromagnetic radiation and a transmitter for emitting ultrasonic waves onto a surface in order to induce at least a portion of said waves to be reflected from the surface, at least one detector for receiving the electromagnetic radiation wherein the detector is positioned to receive said radiation from the tracking signals, an analyzing means for recognizing a three-dimensional location of the tracking signals based on said emitted electromagnetic radiation, a differential conversion means for generating an output signal representative of the waveform of the reflected waves, and a means for relating said tracking signal location with the output signal and projecting an image of the resulting data. The scanner and method are particularly useful to acquire ultrasonic inspection data by scanning the probe-over a complex part surface in an arbitrary scanning pattern.

A pulsed laser is provided wherein the B-integral accumulated in the laser pulse is reduced using a semiconductor wafer. A laser pulse is generated by a laser pulse source. The laser pulse passes through a semiconductor wafer that has a negative nonlinear index of refraction. Thus, the laser pulse accumulates a negative B-integral. The laser pulse is then fed into a laser amplification medium, which has a positive nonlinear index of refraction. The laser pulse may make a plurality of passes through the laser amplification medium and accumulate a positive B-integral during a positive non-linear phase change. The semiconductor and laser pulse wavelength are chosen such that the negative B-integral accumulated in the semiconductor wafer substantially cancels the positive B-integral accumulated in the laser amplification medium. There may be additional accumulation of positive B-integral if the laser pulse passes through additional optical mediums such as a lens or glass plates. Thus , the effects of self-phase modulation in the laser pulse are substantially reduced.

A new pinhole architecture incorporates features intended to reduce the rate of plasma generation in a spatial filter for high-energy laser pulse beams. An elongated pinhole aperture is provided in an apertured body for rejecting off-axis rays of the laser pulse beam. The internal surface of the elongated aperture has a diameter which progressively tapers from a larger entrance cross-sectional area at an inlet to a smaller output cross-sectional area at an outlet. The tapered internal surface causes off-axis rays to be refracted in a low density plasma layer that forms on the internal surface or specularly reflected at grazing incidence from the internal surface. Off-axis rays of the high-energy pulse beam are rejected by this design. The external surface of the apertured body adjacent to the larger entrance cross-sectional area at the inlet to the elongated aperture is angled obliquely with respect to the to direction of the path of the high-energy laser pulse beam to backscatter off-axis rays away from the high-energy pulse beam. The aperture is formed as a truncated cone or alternatively with a tapered square cross-section. The internal surface of the aperture is coated with an ablative material, preferably high-density material which can be deposited …