US 12,014,485 B1
Method and assembly for non-destructively inspecting a surface structure
Markus Klippstein, Jena (DE); André Heber, Weimar (DE); and Eric Günl, Jena (DE)
Assigned to siOPTICA GmbH, Jena (DE)
Appl. No. 18/558,299
Filed by siOPTICA GmbH, Jena (DE)
PCT Filed May 4, 2022, PCT No. PCT/EP2022/061987
§ 371(c)(1), (2) Date Oct. 31, 2023,
PCT Pub. No. WO2022/233939, PCT Pub. Date Nov. 10, 2022.
Claims priority of application No. 10 2021 111 707.0 (DE), filed on May 5, 2021.
Int. Cl. G06T 7/00 (2017.01)
CPC G06T 7/0004 (2013.01) [G06T 2207/10056 (2013.01); G06T 2207/30164 (2013.01)] 13 Claims
OG exemplary drawing
 
9. An arrangement for the nondestructive inspection of a surface structure, comprising:
a) a cavity or a tub for receiving a liquid, wherein the liquid wets at least a portion of the surface structure to be inspected and forms above this portion of the surface structure a layer having a thickness, wherein a variation in the thickness of the liquid above this portion of the surface structure is at most 50% of the maximum thickness of the liquid above the surface structure so that the liquid forms a light guide with two large surfaces, the light guide having and being bounded by an inverse shape of the surface structure at a first large surface and bounded by air or another gas at a second large surface,
b) means for coupling light into the light guide so that the inverse shape of the surface structure at the first large surface is impinged by light due to the light-conducting effect in the light guide, as a result of which at least a portion of the light coupled into the light guide is coupled out of the light guide via the second large surface,
c) a camera for capturing an image of the light coupled out of the second large surface of the light guide,
d) a computing unit connected to the camera and having software which evaluates the captured image with respect to at least one parameter, wherein the inspection is negative when the evaluation of the at least one parameter shows that this parameter lies outside of a predetermined parameter range.