Imaging through a convex interface with unknown position and shape using an ultrasonic linear array

Abstract

This paper presents a technique for improving the internal imaging of a solid object immersed in water using an ultrasonic array. This technique consists in determining the position and shape of a convex object surface using a combination of synthetic transmit aperture (STA) and sign coherence factor (SCF) methods. The SCF attenuates the grating lobe noise. The technique is applied to a cylindrical aluminium object with internal holes simulating defects. The first step is the acquisition of a sequence of STA images with SCF, using a distinct group of adjacent array elements for each image. In the second step, a circle is fitted to the positions of the peak values in each image. Finally, using the Fermat's principle and this circle as the interface between the water and the metallic object, the propagation delays from the array elements to the image grid points may be calculated and used in another STA image. In this final image, the small holes in the cylindrical object can clearly be identified. The effects of the SCF for a large diameter circular reflector are simulated and compared with experimental data.