Electronic B-scan imaging using a wedge transducer

It has been shown in previous work that it is possible to do electronic scanning in one dimension in acoustical imaging using a wedge transducer. The basic principle, whereby different frequencies excite ultrasonic waves at different points along the length of the transducer, is extended to B-scanning by doing time-of-flight analysis at each frequency. Examples of B-scan images obtained by this method are presented for targets in aluminum and Plexiglas samples. The feasibility of obtaining real-time subsurface and surface profile images without mechanical movement is demonstrated. The disadvantage is the resolution degradation associated with the wedge transducer, but this may not be a problem for certain applications where the real time capacity is primordial