METHOD AND SYSTEM FOR TRANSDUCER ELEMENT FAULT DETECTION FOR PHASED ARRAY ULTRASONIC INSTRUMENTS
First Claim
Patent Images
1. A method of detecting transducer element faults in ultrasonic phased array instruments having a plurality of transducer elements, comprising:
- applying ultrasonic pulses to the transducer elements of the phased array system;
calculating an energy level for the transducer elements individually according to a response signal reading obtained from the transducer elements individually during a predetermined time period;
noting a dropped energy level in one or more transducer elements owing to an element fault; and
identifying any of the elements as a faulty element based on the energy level thereof.
1 Assignment
0 Petitions
Accused Products
Abstract
The invention disclosed herein provides a method and system related to phased array ultrasonic systems to identify faults in individual element on a regular basis. The method and system of the present disclosure are based on a simple approach of calculating energy levels in response signals from each individual element and then identifying any discontinuities or unexpected drops in energy levels sensed during a typical phased array operation.
25 Citations
20 Claims
-
1. A method of detecting transducer element faults in ultrasonic phased array instruments having a plurality of transducer elements, comprising:
-
applying ultrasonic pulses to the transducer elements of the phased array system; calculating an energy level for the transducer elements individually according to a response signal reading obtained from the transducer elements individually during a predetermined time period; noting a dropped energy level in one or more transducer elements owing to an element fault; and identifying any of the elements as a faulty element based on the energy level thereof. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12)
-
-
13. A method of detecting transducer element faults in ultrasonic phased array instruments having a plurality of transducer elements, comprising:
-
applying ultrasonic pulses to the transducer elements of the phased array system with a phase shift with respect to the elements; calculating an energy level for the transducer elements individually according to a response signal reading obtained from the transducer elements individually during a predetermined time period, with the phase shift removed with respect to the elements; noting a dropped energy level in one or more transducer elements owing to an element fault; and identifying any of the elements as a faulty element based on the energy level thereof.
-
-
14. A system for detecting transducer element faults for ultrasonic phased array instruments, comprising:
-
a phased array transducer having a plurality of transducer elements operable to be pulsed by ultrasonic signals and to receive response signals; an energy calculator operable to calculate an energy level of the response signals received from the transducer elements individually during a predetermined time period; and a fault analyzer operable to identify a drop in the energy level received on the transducer elements to identify a faulty element. - View Dependent Claims (15, 16, 17, 18, 19, 20)
-
Specification