Ultrasonic examination apparatus

Claim 1

APPARATUS FOR ULTRASONICALLY TESTING A LONGITUDINALLY EXTENDED REGION OF A WORKPIECE COMPRISING ULTRASONIC PROBE MEANS HAVING A WORKING FACE, MEANS FOR TRAVERSING SAID PROBE MEANS OVER A SURFACE OF THE WORKPIECE IN A RELATIVE MOVEMENT HAVING A COMPONENT OF MOTION IN THE LONGITUDINAL DIRECTION OF SAID REGION AND A RECIPROCATORY MOVEMENT TRANSVERSE TO SAID DIRECTION, A DOWNWARDLY EXTENDING CROSSHEAD OVERLYING SAID WORKPIECE AND ARRANGED FOR EFFECTING SAID RECIPROCATORY MOVEMENT, A CARRIAGE PIVOTLY CONNECTED TO SAID CROSSHEAD SO AS TO BE CAPABLE OF ROCKING RELATIVE THERETO, THE AXIS OF ROCKING BEING IN A DIRECTION NORMAL TO SAID RECIPROCATORY MOVEMENT, GUIDE MEANS CONNECTED TO SAID CARRIAGE AND EXTENDING ARCUATELY AROUND THE ROCKING AXIS OF SAID CARRIAGE, SPRING MEANS ARRANGED ON SAID GUIDE MEANS AND INTERCONNECTING SAID CARRIAGE AND SAID CROSSHEAD ON OPPOSITE SIDES THEREOF FOR ANGULARLY BIASING THE CARRIAGE TOWARD A POSITION IN WHICH THE WORKING FACE OF THE PROBE MEANS IS PARALLEL TO THE DIRECTION OF SAID RECIPROCATORY MOVEMENT, A PROBE HOLDER CONNECTED TO SAID CARRIAGE, SAID PROBE MEANS BEING MOUNTED ON SAID PROBE HOLDER, AND MEANS INCLUDING SPRINGS INTERCONNECTING SAID CARRIAGE AND SAID PROBE HOLDER FOR CONTINUOUSLY URGING SAID PROBE HOLDER IN A DIRECTION TOWARD SAID SURFACE OF THE WORKPIECE.