Synchronism system for generating ultrasonic images of complex geometry pieces using industrial robots

This paper presents a synchronism system that has been designed to facilitate the generation of ultrasonic images of pieces with complex geometry through the use of industrial robots. Modern robotic manipulators and, more specifically, industrial robotic arms integrated with server computers, sensors and actuators have revolutionized the way automated non-destructive testing is performed. Currently there are commercial industrial robots that have the precision, speed and repetitiveness in their movements that make them suitable for use in numerous non-destructive testing inspections whose designs are carried out by small and medium sized specialized companies. Automatic ultrasonic inspection of complex parts remains one of the most difficult challenges according to the specific and increasingly exigent demands of the markets. The closed configuration of these complex robotic arms makes it difficult to maintain adequate synchronism between the movement of the robot and the acquisition of the data, making it difficult to generate ultrasonic images consistent with the geometry of the part. This is a serious problem in the inspection of aerospace components where high quality is necessary to assess the condition of the inspected component. In this paper, we present an autonomous independent external system that provides control signals to synchronize the ultrasound system with the robot trajectories without needing to access its position in real time. A methodology to obtain the timing pattern for a given part inspected with a given robotic system will also be presented here.