Ultrasonic underwater imaging for identification and inspection (UUIII)

Offentlig prosjektsammendrag

Ultrasonic underwater imaging for identification and inspection (UUIII) Ultralyd undervanns avbildning for identifikasjon og inspeksjon The idea of UUIII is to establish an underwater platform for inspection, identification and imaging utilizing high resolution ultrasound. Use cases are amongst others: Inspection of ship hulls or constructions, damage and corrosion assessment including wall thickness measurements, inspect fish farming facilities, anchor chains, weld inspection, material property assessment, harbor security, object identification, anchorage ground clearance and its automated maintenance or imaging for detailed orientation and precision navigation in turbid water. If the imaging system is mounted on a versatile underwater vehicle, it will be possible to carry out all those applications to areas rather than point-wise inspection. UUIII will fill the gap between sonar systems and dedicated non-destructive testing systems: Ultrasound is currently in use in sonar systems which cover large areas with low resolution. Ultrasound is also used in non-destructive testing with very high resolution but a very limited area, often at close distance or in direct contact. The gap between those areas of use, imaging with high resolution at a limited distance for identification and inspection is an emerging market segment.