Test block

Abstract

A test block is formed of at least one profile block and one mating block, wherein the two blocks lying one on top of the other with varying thickness combinations are radiographed together, in order to ascertain, for the pairings of the materials in the respective thickness, in each case a reference value relating to their common radiographic properties.

Claims

1. A test block for X-ray inspection systems, the test block including: (a) a profile block formed of a first material and extending in an X direction, a Y direction, and a Z direction, the Y direction running at right angles to the X direction to define an X-Y plane, and the Z direction running perpendicular to both the X direction and Y direction, the profile block having, in a profile block X-Y matrix extending in the X direction and Y direction, profile block segments each having a constant dimension in the Z direction, each profile block segment being identifiable by its respective coordinates in the X direction and Y direction with a number (n) of profile block segments provided in the X direction and a number (k) of profile block segments provided in the Y direction; (b) a mating block formed from a second material which differs in at least one radiographic property from the first material, the mating block extending in the X, Y, and Z directions and including a number (m) of steps in the Y direction, each respective step having a constant Z dimension along the X direction; (c) the profile block having a number of profile block thickness areas, each of the number of profile block thickness areas having a different respective dimension in the Z direction; (d) the mating block having a number of mating block thickness areas, each of the number of mating block thickness areas having a different respective dimension in the Z direction; (e) the profile block and the mating block, when placed in a test arrangement, forming a number of material pairings aligned in the Z direction, each material pairing including one of the number of profile block thickness areas and one of the number of mating block thickness areas, the number of material pairings being arranged in an X-Y matrix extending in the X direction and the Y direction such that a portion of at least two different profile block thickness areas are aligned in the Z direction with at least a portion of a respective one of the mating block thickness areas extending in the X direction, while at least a portion of two different mating block thickness areas are aligned in the Z direction with at least a portion of a respective one of the profile block thickness area extending in the Y direction; and (f) when placed in the test arrangement, (i) a projection section of the profile block extends in the X direction or in the Y direction beyond the mating block so that no section of the mating block aligns in the Z direction with the projection section of the profile block and (ii) a projection section of the mating block extends in the X direction or in the Y direction beyond the profile block so that no section of the profile block aligns in the Z direction with the projection section of the mating block, wherein the dimension by which the projection section of the profile block extends beyond the mating block and the dimension by which the projection section of the mating block extends beyond the profile block each corresponds to the dimension, in the same direction, of a respective profile block segment adjacent to the respective projection section.

2. The test block of claim 1 wherein the number of material pairings include a number of first material pairings of a first overall dimension in the Z direction with each respective one of the first material pairings having a different combination of profile block dimension in the Z direction and mating block dimension in the Z direction.

3. The test block of claim 1 wherein: (a) each profile block segment extends in the Z direction from a respective top side with an associated top side height (HO.sub.xy) to a respective bottom side with an associated bottom side height (HU.sub.xy) and thereby forms the dimension of that segment in the Z direction; (b) all of the profile block segments extend in the Z direction between a base level (H.sub.min) which forms a minimum value for each bottom side height (HU.sub.xy), and a maximum level (H.sub.max) which forms a maximum value for each top side height (HO.sub.xy); (c) a number (ff) of the profile block segments include a different respective top side height (HO.sub.xy) above the base level (H.sub.min); and (d) for at least four profile block segments the respective top side height (HO.sub.xy) increases as the coordinate in the X direction increases and as the coordinate in the Y direction increases up to at most the maximum level (H.sub.max), and the bottom side height (HU.sub.xy) remains constant as the coordinate in the X direction increases and increases as the coordinate in the Y direction increases.

4. The test block of claim 3 wherein each change in dimension in the Z direction from one respective profile block segment to a next profile block segment as the coordinate in the X direction increases has a constant value.

5. The test block of claim 3 wherein the dimension of each profile block segment in the Z direction increases as the coordinate in the X direction increases and remains constant as the coordinate in the Y direction increases.

6. The test block of claim 3 wherein for each profile block segment the dimension in the Z direction (Dxy) is given by Dxy=HOxy−HUxy, wherein the following relationships apply to a group of at least four profile block segments:
HOxy=H min+(H max−H min).Math.(x+y−1)/ff
and
HUxy=H min+(H max−H min).Math.(y−1)/ff.

7. The test block of claim 1 wherein the dimension in the Y direction of each respective step corresponds to the dimension in the Y direction of each of the profile block segments.

8. The test block of claim 1 wherein each step extends from a substantially planar bottom side of the mating block, which is common to all of the steps, to a height which is different for each step above the bottom side.

9. A test block for X-ray inspection systems, the test block including: (a) a profile block formed of a first material and extending in an X direction, a Y direction, and a Z direction, the Y direction running at right angles to the X direction to define an X-Y plane, and the Z direction running perpendicular to both the X direction and Y direction; (b) a mating block formed from a second material which differs in at least one radiographic property from the first material, the mating block extending in the X, Y, and Z directions; (c) the profile block having a number of profile block thickness areas, each of the number of profile block thickness areas having a different respective dimension in the Z direction; (d) the mating block having a number of mating block thickness areas, each of the number of mating block thickness areas having a different respective dimension in the Z direction; (e) the profile block and the mating block, when placed in a test arrangement, forming a number of material pairings aligned in the Z direction, each material pairing including one of the number of profile block thickness areas and one of the number of mating block thickness areas, the number of material pairings being arranged in an X-Y matrix extending in the X direction and the Y direction such that a portion of at least two different profile block thickness areas are aligned in the Z direction with at least a portion of a respective one of the mating block thickness areas extending in the X direction, while at least a portion of two different mating block thickness areas are aligned in the Z direction with at least a portion of a respective one of the profile block thickness area extending in the Y direction; and (f) wherein the profile block includes a profile block identification device which identifies the profile block, or the mating block includes a mating block identification device which identifies the mating block, or both the profile block includes the profile block identification device and the mating block includes the mating block identification device.

10. The test block of claim 9 wherein the profile block identification device if included indicates a spatial orientation or position of the profile block and the mating block identification device if included indicates a spatial orientation or position of the mating block.

11. The test block of claim 9 wherein the profile block identification device if included indicates characteristic values or correction values for individual areas of the profile block and the mating block identification device if included indicates characteristic values or correction values for individual areas of the mating block.

12. The test block of claim 9 wherein the profile block identification device if included indicates radiographic properties of the profile block and the mating block identification device if included indicates radiographic properties of the mating block.

13. A test block for X-ray inspection systems, the test block including: (a) a profile block formed of a first material and extending in an X direction, a Y direction, and a Z direction, the Y direction running at right angles to the X direction to define an X-Y plane, and the Z direction running perpendicular to both the X direction and Y direction; (b) a mating block formed from a second material which differs in at least one radiographic property from the first material, the mating block extending in the X, Y, and Z directions; (c) the profile block having a number of profile block thickness areas, each of the number of profile block thickness areas having a different respective dimension in the Z direction; (d) the mating block having a number of mating block thickness areas, each of the number of mating block thickness areas having a different respective dimension in the Z direction; (e) the profile block and the mating block, when placed in a test arrangement, forming a number of material pairings aligned in the Z direction, each material pairing including one of the number of profile block thickness areas and one of the number of mating block thickness areas, the number of material pairings being arranged in an X-Y matrix extending in the X direction and the Y direction such that a portion of at least two different profile block thickness areas are aligned in the Z direction with at least a portion of a respective one of the mating block thickness areas extending in the X direction, while at least a portion of two different mating block thickness areas are aligned in the Z direction with at least a portion of a respective one of the profile block thickness area extending in the Y direction; and (f) an additional block formed from a third material different from the first material and second material, the additional block, when placed in an operating position relative to the profile block and mating block in the test arrangement, residing in alignment in the Z direction with at least a portion of the profile block and with at least a portion of mating block.

14. A method of using a test block for detecting the radiographic properties of a combination of a first material and a second material where the test block includes, (i) a profile block formed of a first material and extending in an X direction, a Y direction, and a Z direction, the Y direction running at right angles to the X direction to define an X-Y plane, and the Z direction running perpendicular to both the X direction and Y direction; (ii) a mating block formed from a second material which differs in at least one radiographic property from the first material, the mating block extending in the X, Y, and Z directions; (iii) the profile block having a number of profile block thickness areas, each of the number of profile block thickness areas having a different respective dimension in the Z direction; (iv) the mating block having a number of mating block thickness areas, each of the number of mating block thickness areas having a different respective dimension in the Z direction; and (v) the profile block and the mating block, when placed in a test arrangement, forming a number of material pairings aligned in the Z direction, each material pairing including one of the number of profile block thickness areas and one of the number of mating block thickness areas, the number of material pairings being arranged in an X-Y matrix extending in the X direction and the Y direction such that a portion of at least two different profile block thickness areas are aligned in the Z direction with at least a portion of a respective one of the mating block thickness areas extending in the X direction, while at least a portion of two different mating block thickness areas are aligned in the Z direction with at least a portion of a respective one of the profile block thickness area extending in the Y direction, the method including: (a) with the profile block and the mating block in the test arrangement, transmitting electromagnetic radiation in the Z direction through a segment of the profile block and through an area of the mating block aligned in the Z direction with the segment of the profile block; and (b) acquiring at least one quantity characterizing a radiographic property of the test block in the area of the segment of the profile block, the at least one quantity being acquired in an area of the segment of the profile block which has a predefined minimum spacing in the X direction and the Y direction from each adjacent segment of the profile block.

15. A method of using a test block for detecting the radiographic properties of a combination of a first material and a second material where the test block includes, (i) a profile block formed of a first material and extending in an X direction, a Y direction, and a Z direction, the Y direction running at right angles to the X direction to define an X-Y plane, and the Z direction running perpendicular to both the X direction and Y direction; (ii) a mating block formed from a second material which differs in at least one radiographic property from the first material, the mating block extending in the X, Y, and Z directions; (iii) the profile block having a number of profile block thickness areas, each of the number of profile block thickness areas having a different respective dimension in the Z direction; (iv) the mating block having a number of mating block thickness areas, each of the number of mating block thickness areas having a different respective dimension in the Z direction; and (v) the profile block and the mating block, when placed in a test arrangement, forming a number of material pairings aligned in the Z direction, each material pairing including one of the number of profile block thickness areas and one of the number of mating block thickness areas, the number of material pairings being arranged in an X-Y matrix extending in the X direction and the Y direction such that a portion of at least two different profile block thickness areas are aligned in the Z direction with at least a portion of a respective one of the mating block thickness areas extending in the X direction, while at least a portion of two different mating block thickness areas are aligned in the Z direction with at least a portion of a respective one of the profile block thickness area extending in the Y direction, and where the number of material pairings includes a number of segments, each segment made up of a respective portion of the profile block aligned in the Z direction with a respective portion of the mating block, the method including: (a) in a training phase (i) irradiating one or all of the segments with a training phase electromagnetic radiation beam directed transverse to the X-Y plane, (ii) for each irradiated segment, detecting electromagnetic radiation from the training phase electromagnetic radiation beam passing through that irradiated segment to produce a grayscale value for that irradiated segment, and (iii) for each irradiated segment, storing the grayscale value produced for that segment and the dimension of the first material in the Z direction for that segment and the dimension of the second material in the Z direction for that segment; and (b) in a production phase (i) irradiating a product with a production phase electromagnetic radiation beam corresponding to the training phase electromagnetic radiation beam and directed in a direction transverse to an X-Y plane of the product, (ii) detecting electromagnetic radiation from the production phase electromagnetic radiation beam passing through the product to produce a product grayscale value for the product, and (iii) determining a respective grayscale value stored in the training phase that best corresponds to the product grayscale value, the dimension of the first material in the Z direction and the dimension of the second material in the Z direction indicating a thickness of material layers in the product.

16. A test block for X-ray inspection systems, the test block including: (a) a profile block formed of a first material and extending in an X direction, a Y direction, and a Z direction, the Y direction running at right angles to the X direction to define an X-Y plane, and the Z direction running perpendicular to both the X direction and Y direction, the profile block having, in a profile block X-Y matrix extending in the X direction and Y direction, profile block segments each having a constant dimension in the Z direction, each profile block segment being identifiable by its respective coordinates in the X direction and Y direction with a number (n) of profile block segments provided in the X direction and a number (k) of profile block segments provided in the Y direction; (b) a mating block formed from a second material which differs in at least one radiographic property from the first material, the mating block extending in the X, Y, and Z directions and including a number (m) of steps in the Y direction, each respective step having a constant Z dimension along the X direction; (c) the profile block having a number of profile block thickness areas, each of the number of profile block thickness areas having a different respective dimension in the Z direction; (d) the mating block having a number of mating block thickness areas, each of the number of mating block thickness areas having a different respective dimension in the Z direction; (e) the profile block and the mating block, when placed in a test arrangement, forming a number of material pairings aligned in the Z direction, each material pairing including one of the number of profile block thickness areas and one of the number of mating block thickness areas, the number of material pairings being arranged in an X-Y matrix extending in the X direction and the Y direction such that a portion of at least two different profile block thickness areas are aligned in the Z direction with at least a portion of a respective one of the mating block thickness areas extending in the X direction, while at least a portion of two different mating block thickness areas are aligned in the Z direction with at least a portion of a respective one of the profile block thickness area extending in the Y direction; and (f) wherein when the profile block and mating block are in the test arrangement, multiple profile block segments combine with portions of the mating block to provide a combined overall thickness having a common value across each such multiple profile block segments and such multiple profile block segments in the X-Y matrix are located at coordinates in the X-Y matrix obeying the condition (x+y)=a constant value, where x equals the coordinate in the X direction and y equals the coordinate in the Y direction for the respective profile block segment.

Description

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

(1) FIG. 1 is perspective view of a profile block above a mating block.

(2) FIG. 2 is a perspective view with the blocks shown in FIG. 1 lying directly one on top of the other.

(3) FIG. 3 is a view similar to FIG. 1 but showing further details.

(4) FIG. 4 is a perspective view of a profile block placed atop a mating block and showing upper surfaces of the mating block with hidden lines.

(5) FIG. 5 is an image of the radiographic result of a test block according to the invention.

(6) FIG. 6 is a perspective view of the profile block and mating block of FIG. 1 together with an additional material block C all within an inspection device.

DESCRIPTION OF REPRESENTATIVE EMBODIMENTS

(7) FIG. 1 shows a simplified perspective representation of a test block R according to the invention. The test block R comprises a profile block A, which is formed of a first material M.sub.A and extends in a longitudinal direction X, a transverse direction Y and a vertical direction Z. A staircase-shaped mating block B made of a second material M.sub.B is arranged underneath the profile block A in the Z direction. Wide areas of the profile block A lie above the mating block B in the Z direction. An X-ray directed from above through the profile block A in the Z direction therefore penetrates first the profile block A and thereafter also the mating block B lying underneath.

(8) FIG. 2 shows, in a perspective arrangement, the combination of the profile block A with the mating block B already known from FIG. 1, wherein here the profile block lies directly on top of the mating block with virtually no gap in between.

(9) FIG. 3 shows the matrix system, according to which a test block according to the invention is constructed. The profile block A extends in the X direction along a number n of segments S.sub.xy, wherein n=10 in this embodiment. In the Y direction, the profile block A is divided into a number k of segments, wherein k=10 is chosen in this embodiment. Each segment S.sub.xy is denoted by its X and Y coordinates x, y. Thus, for instance, the segment with the coordinates x=1 and y=1, which would then be denoted “S.sub.1,1”, lies in the frontmost lowest section of the profile block A in FIG. 1. For further segments the coordinates are entered by way of example (namely (1,9), (2,4), (5,2), and (1,1)), and the segments S.sub.7,2 and S.sub.2,5 are indicated for illustration.

(10) Referring to both FIGS. 3 and 4, the profile block A extends from a top side O.sub.A to a bottom side U.sub.A. The bottom side U.sub.A is limited at the bottom by a minimum level H.sub.min, while the top side lies at a maximum level H.sub.max.

(11) As perhaps best shown in the view of FIG. 3, each segment of the profile block A extends from a segment-related bottom side height HU.sub.xy to a segment-related top side height HO.sub.xy (HO.sub.4,3 and HO.sub.6,4 being called out as examples) and in between forms the thickness D.sub.xy of the segment in each case (with D.sub.9,1 being shown for example). As can be seen in particular along the coordinate y=1, the thickness of the profile block A in each case increases as the X coordinate increases and reaches the maximum height H.sub.max of the profile block in the segment S.sub.10,1. In the Y direction, the respective thickness of the profile block A does not change, as long as the maximum height H.sub.max of the profile block A is not reached. In the area below the maximum height, the thickness therefore only depends on the X position. In the Y direction, on the other hand, the top side height HO.sub.xy increases as the Y coordinate increases, while the bottom side height HU.sub.xy also increases in each case by the same amount, and the thickness D.sub.xy therefore remains constant within the same Y coordinate. The bottom side height HU.sub.xy does not change as the X coordinate increases. The surface O.sub.A thereby forms in the manner of a two-dimensionally ascending staircase, while the bottom side U.sub.A has a simple staircase shape.

(12) The mating block B arranged underneath the profile block A in FIG. 3 likewise extends in the X and Y directions and is formed as a staircase with individual steps T.sub.y. These extend in the Z direction from a common bottom side U.sub.B to a step height, which is different for each Y coordinate, with an individual step thickness DT.sub.y. Step thicknesses DT.sub.9 and DT.sub.6 and steps T.sub.7 and T.sub.4 are labeled by way of example in FIG. 3. The width of a step in the Y direction corresponds in each case to the width of the segments of the profile block A here. Due to this shaping of the bottom side U.sub.A of the profile block and of the top side O.sub.B of the mating block, the respective surfaces of the two blocks can nestle against each other largely with no gap in between if they are laid one on top of the other (FIG. 2).

(13) In this arrangement (shown in FIG. 2), the profile block A projects laterally in the Y direction beyond the mating block B with a projection A.sub.0. In this area, an X-ray directed along the Z direction through the test block detects only the material of the profile block A, while the area underneath the projection is considered to be the material “air”. In the same way, the mating block projects laterally in the X direction under the profile block A with a projection B.sub.0, with the result that here again the material “air” would be X-rayed instead of the profile block material.

(14) The arrangement of the profile block and the mating block shown among other things in FIG. 2, which is also referred to as the test arrangement, according to the invention forms the combination of different material thicknesses of the two blocks in an X-Y matrix in a compact design. If the test block is transported, for example in the X direction, through an X-ray fan beam which penetrates the test block parallel to the Y direction for example, all relevant thickness combinations can be radiographed and the in each case common radiographic properties can be individually detected for each segment by a detector (line or area sensor), not shown in more detail, and processed, stored or transmitted via a suitable data processing device in a short time and without having to change the arrangement of profile block and mating block relative to each other.

(15) FIGS. 1-3 show that in an embodiment in accordance with the present invention, both the profile block A and mating block B may include a respective identification device I. Such an identification device I is preferably detectable by means of X-rays and/or contains information or otherwise makes the respective block classifiable. For example, a respective identification device I may comprise an arrangement of suitable metallic elements or codes from which information about the nature of the respective block may be ascertained from the X-ray image of the block, typically by reference to stored information regarding the block. The identification devices I or elements making up such devices may also be used to detect the spatial alignment and/or position of the block or position of the given block relative to another block.

(16) FIG. 5 shows the radiographic result of a test block according to the invention with a projection of both the profile block and the mating block. The segment S.sub.1,1 is labeled for orientation. It can be seen that the intensity of the X-ray reaching the detector decreases as the X and Y coordinates increase, because the overall thickness of the test block increases in this direction, as long as the maximum height is not yet reached. As the test block is limited in this embodiment to the maximum height of the segment S.sub.10,1 (H.sub.max=HO.sub.10,1), the thickness of the profile block A no longer increases for segments, the coordinate sum (x+y) of which is greater than 11. As the step thickness DT.sub.y of the mating block B is also constant in the X direction, the grayscale values for all segments where (x+y)>11 are constant as the X coordinate increases. The outlined areas E.sub.A indicated in the individual segments of FIG. 5 represent those areas which are used for the evaluation of the radiography, where appropriate with the generation of average values, in order to be able to safely rule out possible effects of adjacent segments with a deviating thickness.

(17) FIG. 6 shows the profile block A and mating block B as in FIGS. 1-3. However, the test block R in the case of FIG. 6 further includes and additional block C of an additional material M.sub.C. These three blocks A, B, and C are shown separated in FIG. 6 for clarity, but are shown in an order vertically in which they may reside supported on a surface L of an inspection device. This surface L of the inspection device may be the surface of a suitable conveyor which conveys the test block R through the inspection device such as in the X direction relative to an X-ray beam F projected in a Y-Z plane from a suitable X-ray source (not shown). The bottom line of beam F is shown at the level at which it intersects the upper surface of profile block A, however, it will be appreciated that the beam continues on downwardly in the orientation of the figure to pass through all of the blocks A, B, and C of test block R.

(18) As used herein, whether in the above description or the following claims, the terms “comprising,” “including,” “carrying,” “having,” “containing,” “involving,” and the like are to be understood to be open-ended, that is, to mean including but not limited to. Also, it should be understood that the terms “about,” “substantially,” and like terms used herein when referring to a dimension or characteristic of a component indicate that the described dimension/characteristic is not a strict boundary or parameter and does not exclude variations therefrom that are functionally similar. At a minimum, such references that include a numerical parameter would include variations that, using mathematical and industrial principles accepted in the art (e.g., rounding, measurement or other systematic errors, manufacturing tolerances, etc.), would not vary the least significant digit.

(19) Any use of ordinal terms such as “first,” “second,” “third,” etc., in the following claims to modify a claim element does not by itself connote any priority, precedence, or order of one claim element over another, or the temporal order in which acts of a method are performed. Rather, unless specifically stated otherwise, such ordinal terms are used merely as labels to distinguish one claim element having a certain name from another element having a same name (but for use of the ordinal term).

(20) In the above descriptions and the following claims, terms such as top, bottom, upper, lower, and the like with reference to a given feature are made with reference to the orientation of the structures shown in the drawings and are not intended to exclude other orientations of the structures.

(21) The term “each” may be used in the following claims for convenience in describing characteristics or features of multiple elements, and any such use of the term “each” is in the inclusive sense unless specifically stated otherwise. For example, if a claim defines two or more elements as “each” having a characteristic or feature, the use of the term “each” is not intended to exclude from the claim scope a situation having a third one of the elements which does not have the defined characteristic or feature.

(22) The above described preferred embodiments are intended to illustrate the principles of the invention, but not to limit the scope of the invention. Various other embodiments and modifications to these preferred embodiments may be made by those skilled in the art without departing from the scope of the present invention. For example, in some instances, one or more features disclosed in connection with one embodiment can be used alone or in combination with one or more features of one or more other embodiments. More generally, the various features described herein may be used in any working combination.

LIST OF REFERENCE CHARACTERS

(23) A profile block A.sub.0 section, projection of the profile block B mating block B.sub.0 section, projection of the mating block C, D supplementary block D.sub.A a thickness of the profile block A D.sub.B a thickness of the mating block B D.sub.xy thickness of the segment S.sub.xy E.sub.A Evaluation areas F X-ray fan beam in inspection device ff number of different top side heights H.sub.max maximum level H.sub.min base level HO.sub.xy top side height of the segment S.sub.xy HU.sub.xy bottom side height of the segment S.sub.xy I Identification device k number of segments in the Y direction L surface of inspection device conveyor m number of steps T M.sub.A material of the profile block A M.sub.B material of the mating block B M.sub.C material of additional block C n number of segments in the X direction O.sub.A top side of the profile block A O.sub.B top side of the mating block B R test block S.sub.xy segment in the position x, y T.sub.y step of the mating block B in the position y U.sub.A bottom side of the profile block A U.sub.B bottom side of the mating block B x index, X coordinate X longitudinal direction y index, Y coordinate Y transverse direction Z vertical direction