Real-Time Fully Focused Imaging with Parameter Estimation for In-Process Inspection and Manufacturing Control

Productivity, schedule, and environment sustainability considerations are driving research and development into in-process inspection and control during fusion welding applications. Ultrasonic inspection using the Total Focusing Method (TFM) has been shown to provide high quality imaging and adaptability to complex scenarios, making it a promising choice for these applications. However, its high computation requirements have thus far limited its use in inprocess inspection and weld control due to tight temporal requirements. Furthermore, in scenarios in which inspection geometry varies over time, as found during in-process weld inspection, focal law computation for each image adds additional delay.This work presents a novel GPU-Accelerated real-time approach for both estimating inspection setup parameters and focal law computation for fully focused imaging. This operates on the same Full Matrix Capture data required for TFM imaging, adding no acquisition latency. The implementation developed is capable of computation rates exceeding the capture rate of FMC, allowing it to operate within the temporal cycle window of welding control and in-process inspection applications.