Elastic wave measurement apparatus and method

• US 20100170345A1
• Filed: 03/17/2010
• Published: 07/08/2010
• Est. Priority Date: 09/19/2007
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Toppan Printing Co., Ltd. (TOPPAN Holdings, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Toppan Printing Co., Ltd. (TOPPAN Holdings, Inc.)
• Inventors: Noguchi, Kazuhiro, Nakaso, Noritaka
• Granted Patent: US 8,413,516 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 73/646
• CPC Class Codes: G01N 2291/0423 Surface waves, e.g. Rayleigh waves, Love waves
• CPC Class Codes: G01N 29/022 Fluid sensors based on microsensors, e.g. quartz crystal-microbalance [QCM], surface acoustic wave [SAW] devices, tuning forks, cantilevers, flexural plate wave [FPW] devices microdevices per se B81B
• CPC Class Codes: G01N 29/2462 Probes with waveguides, e.g. SAW devices
• CPC Class Codes: G01N 29/343 pulse waves, e.g. particular sequence of pulses, bursts
• CPC Class Codes: G01N 29/348 with frequency characteristics, e.g. single frequency signals, chirp signals measuring frequency of mechanical vibrations or acoustic waves in general G01H1/06, G01H3/04; measuring frequency or analysing frequency spectra G01R23/00

Abstract

The elastic wave measurement apparatus, when a high-frequency burst signal is input to the first ball SAW device, an input destination of the high-frequency burst signal is switched in sequence to another one of the ball SAW devices before a detection time at which an output signal from the first ball SAW device is detected, and at and after the detection time, output signals of the response characteristics of those ball SAW devices from the first ball SAW device to the last ball SAW device are detected in sequence.

Claims

1. An elastic wave measurement apparatus configured to measure response characteristics from a plurality of elastic wave devices configured to excite elastic waves in accordance with input of a high-frequency signal, the apparatus comprising:

a single high-frequency signal generator configured to generate the high-frequency signal;

an input device configured to input the high-frequency signal to each of the elastic wave devices;

a switching configures to, when the high-frequency signal is input to a first elastic wave device, switch in sequence an input destination of the high-frequency signal to another one of the elastic wave devices before a detection time at which an output signal from the first elastic wave device is detected;

a detector configured to, at and after the detection time, detect in sequence output signals of response characteristics of those elastic wave devices from the first elastic wave device to a last elastic wave device; and

a measurement device configured to measure elastic waves excited at each of the elastic wave devices based on the output signals detected by the detector.

2. The elastic wave measurement apparatus according to claim 1, wherein

the measurement device measures a phase of the elastic wave excited at each of the elastic wave devices.

3. The elastic wave measurement apparatus according to claim 1, wherein

the measurement device measures an intensity of the elastic wave excited at each of the elastic wave devices.

4. The elastic wave measurement apparatus according to claim 1, wherein

the measurement device simultaneously measures a phase and an intensity of the elastic wave excited at each of the elastic wave devices.

5. The elastic wave measurement apparatus according to claim 1, wherein

the measurement device measures a delay time of the elastic wave excited at each of the elastic wave devices for a reference time.

6. The elastic wave measurement apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising an averaging unit configured to repetitively execute input of the high-frequency signal to those elastic wave devices from the first elastic wave device to the last elastic wave device averaging times of a number set in advance, and to average the output signals from the elastic wave devices or measurement values.

7. The elastic wave measurement apparatus according to claim 1, wherein

when the output signal from the elastic wave device is an analog signal, the detector detects the output signal after converting the analog signal into a digital signal.

8. The elastic wave measurement apparatus according to claim 1, wherein

the switch switches the input destination of the high-frequency signal to the elastic wave devices from one to another of the devices at predetermined time intervals.

9. The elastic wave measurement apparatus according to claim 1, wherein

when a time at which the input destination of the high-frequency signal to the elastic wave devices is switched from one to another of the devices, and a time at which the output signal from one of the elastic wave devices is detected coincide with each other, the switch stands by to input the high-frequency signal.

10. The elastic wave measurement apparatus according to claim 1, wherein

the elastic wave device comprises a surface acoustic wave device in which a surface acoustic wave is excited on a surface of a piezoelectric substance.

11. The elastic wave measurement apparatus according to claim 10, wherein

in the elastic wave device, the piezoelectric substance is provided with a cylindrical surface, and includes a circling path along which the surface acoustic wave excited on the cylindrical surface circles.

12. The elastic wave measurement apparatus according to claim 10, wherein

the elastic wave device comprises a spherical surface acoustic wave device in which a piezoelectric substance is formed into a spherical shape, and includes a circling path along which the excited surface acoustic wave circles.

13. The elastic wave measurement apparatus according to claim 11, wherein

the input device inputs the high-frequency signal to each of the elastic wave devices in such a manner that the surface acoustic wave becomes shorter than the circling time in which the surface acoustic wave makes a circuit along the circling path.

14. The elastic wave measurement apparatus according to claim 12, wherein

the input device inputs the high-frequency signal to each of the elastic wave devices in such a manner that the surface acoustic wave becomes shorter than the circling time in which the surface acoustic wave makes a circuit along the circling path.

15. An elastic wave measurement method used for an elastic wave measurement apparatus comprising a plurality of elastic wave devices configured to output response characteristics of elastic waves in accordance with input of a high-frequency signal, a single high-frequency signal generator configured to generate the high-frequency signal, and a switch configured to input the high-frequency signal generated by the high-frequency signal generator to each of the elastic wave devices by switching in sequence the input to each of the elastic wave devices, the method comprising:

an input step of inputting the high-frequency signal to a first elastic wave device;

a switch step of inputting, after inputting the high-frequency signal to the first elastic wave device, the high-frequency signal to one of the elastic wave devices by switching in sequence an input destination of the high-frequency signal to another one of the elastic wave devices before a detection time at which an output signal from the first elastic wave device is detected;

a detection step of detecting, at and after the detection time, in sequence output signals of response characteristics of those elastic wave devices from the first elastic wave device to a last elastic wave device; and

a measurement step of measuring elastic waves excited at each of the elastic wave devices based on the output signals detected by the detection step.

16. The elastic wave measurement method according to claim 15, wherein

in the detection step, a phase of the elastic wave excited at each of the elastic wave devices is measured.

17. The elastic wave measurement method according to claim 15, wherein

in the measurement step, an intensity of the elastic wave excited at each of the elastic wave devices is measured.

18. The elastic wave measurement method according to claim 15, wherein

in the measurement step, a phase and an intensity of the elastic wave excited at each of the elastic wave devices are simultaneously measured.

19. The elastic wave measurement method according to claim 15, wherein

in the measurement step, a delay time of the elastic wave excited at each of the elastic wave devices for a reference time is measured.

20. The elastic wave measurement method according to claim 15, further comprising an averaging step of repetitively executing a processing from the input step to the measurement step averaging times of a number set in advance, and averaging the output signals from the elastic wave devices or measurement values.

21. The elastic wave measurement method according to claim 15, wherein

in the detection step, when the output signal from the elastic wave device is an analog signal, the output signal is detected after the analog signal is converted into a digital signal.

22. The elastic wave measurement method according to claim 15, wherein

in the switch step, the input destination of the high-frequency signal to the elastic wave devices is switched from one to another of the devices at predetermined time intervals.

23. The elastic wave measurement method according to claim 15, wherein

in the switch step, when a time at which the input destination of the high-frequency signal to the elastic wave devices is switched from one to another of the devices, and a time at which the output signal from one of the elastic wave devices is detected coincide with each other, input of the high-frequency signal is made on standby.

24. The elastic wave measurement method according to claim 15, wherein

the elastic wave device is a surface acoustic wave device in which a surface acoustic wave is excited on a surface of a piezoelectric substance.

25. The elastic wave measurement method according to claim 24, wherein

in the elastic wave device, the piezoelectric substance is provided with a cylindrical surface, and includes a circling path along which the surface acoustic wave excited on the cylindrical surface circles.

26. The elastic wave measurement method according to claim 24, wherein

the elastic wave device comprises a spherical surface acoustic wave device in which a piezoelectric substance is formed into a spherical shape, and includes a circling path along which the excited surface acoustic wave circles.

27. The elastic wave measurement method according to claim 25, wherein

in the input step, the high-frequency signal is input to each of the elastic wave devices in such a manner that the surface acoustic wave becomes shorter than the circling time in which the surface acoustic wave makes a circuit along the circling path.

28. The elastic wave measurement method according to claim 26, wherein

in the input step, the high-frequency signal is input to each of the elastic wave devices in such a manner that the surface acoustic wave becomes shorter than the circling time in which the surface acoustic wave makes a circuit along the circling path.