The patent badge is an abbreviated version of the USPTO patent document. The patent badge does contain a link to the full patent document.
The patent badge is an abbreviated version of the USPTO patent document. The patent badge covers the following: Patent number, Date patent was issued, Date patent was filed, Title of the patent, Applicant, Inventor, Assignee, Attorney firm, Primary examiner, Assistant examiner, CPCs, and Abstract. The patent badge does contain a link to the full patent document (in Adobe Acrobat format, aka pdf). To download or print any patent click here.
Patent No.:
Date of Patent:
Jul. 15, 1980
Filed:
May. 12, 1978
H Dale Collins, Richland, WA (US);
International Submarine Services, S.A., London, GB;
Abstract
An underwater apparatus is described for acoustically inspecting a submerged object at considerable depths such as the lower structural portion of an off-shore drilling rig to determine if the structure has internal defect which cannot be optically detected. The apparatus is intended to operate in depths of up to 500 meters. The apparatus includes an underwater craft for transporting both humans and equipment to the submerged object. The apparatus includes a hand held acoustical and optical probe that is movable by a diver over the surface of the submerged object. The probe includes an array of acoustical transducers that are sequentially activated to acoustically scan the interior of the object. The acoustical transducers are mounted in a flexible support material to accommodate the array to the contour of the surface. The probe additionally includes a real-time display of the acoustical information to assist the diver in effectively inspecting the object. Additionally the probe includes an optical system for visually inspecting the exterior of the surface being inspected.