SIGNAL PROCESSING APPARATUS, SERVER, DETECTION SYSTEM, AND SIGNAL PROCESSING METHOD

• US 20160139084A1
• Filed: 11/10/2015
• Published: 05/19/2016
• Est. Priority Date: 11/18/2014
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Kabushiki Kaisha Toshiba (Toshiba Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Kabushiki Kaisha Toshiba (Toshiba Corporation)
• Inventors: Kasahara, Akihiro, USUI, Takashi, Watabe, Kazuo, Omori, Takahiro
• Granted Patent: US 10,545,119 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: G01N 2291/011 Velocity or travel time
• CPC Class Codes: G01N 29/14 using acoustic emission techniques echo of particles G01N29/046; measuring mechanical vibrations or acoustic waves in solids in general G01H1/00
• CPC Class Codes: G01N 29/38 by time filtering, e.g. using time gates
• CPC Class Codes: G01N 29/4445 Classification of defects

Abstract

According to an embodiment, a signal processing apparatus includes a receiver, a time information generator, a processor, and a communicator. The receiver receives a voltage signal from a sensor that detects an elastic wave generated from a structure. The time information generator generates time information having a bit length based on a measurement continuing time period of the structure, a propagation velocity of the elastic wave, and a position identification accuracy of a generation source of the elastic wave. The processor generates detection information in which feature amount information that indicates a feature of the voltage signal and the time information that indicates a reception time of the voltage signal are in association with each other. The communicator transmits the detection information to a server.

Claims

1. A signal processing apparatus, comprising:

a receiver configured to receive a voltage signal from a sensor that detects an elastic wave generated from a structure;

a time information generator configured to generate time information having a bit length based on a measurement continuing time period of the structure, a propagation velocity of the elastic wave, and a position identification accuracy of a generation source of the elastic wave;

a processor configured to generate detection information in which feature amount information that indicates a feature of the voltage signal and the time information that indicates a reception time of the voltage signal are in association with each other; and

a communicator configured to transmit the detection information to a server.

2. The apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the bit length has a value equal to or larger than a value obtained by dividing a product of the measurement continuing time period and the propagation velocity by the position identification accuracy.

3. The apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the processor includes:

a gate signal generator configured to generate a gate signal that indicates whether a waveform of the voltage signal continues;

an extractor configured to extract, on the basis of the gate signal, the feature amount information when the waveform of the voltage signal continues; and

a determiner configured to determine the reception time on the basis of the time information and the gate signal.

4. The apparatus according to claim 2, wherein the feature amount information includes at least any one of an amplitude of the waveform of the voltage signal, energy of the waveform of the voltage signal, a rise time period of the gate signal, a continuing time period of the gate signal, a frequency of the voltage signal, and zero-crossing counts of the voltage signal.

5. A server, comprising:

a communicator configured to receive detection information in which feature amount information that indicates a feature of an acoustic emission signal representing an elastic wave generated from a structure and time information that indicates a reception time of the acoustic emission signal are in association with each other;

a memory configured to store therein the detection information; and

an identifier configured to identify position information about a generation source of the elastic wave on the basis of the detection information, wherein

the time information has a bit length based on a measurement continuing time period of the structure, a propagation velocity of the elastic wave, and a position identification accuracy of the generation source of the elastic wave.

6. The server according to claim 5, wherein the identifier

calculates similarities of pieces of the feature amount information,

calculates time difference information about the reception times of the voltage signals among a plurality of acoustic emission sensors by comparing pieces of the time information associated with the corresponding pieces of feature amount information each having the similarity equal to or larger than a certain threshold, and

identifies the position information about the generation source of the elastic wave on the basis of position information about the AE sensors, the time difference information, and the propagation velocity of the elastic wave.

7. The server according to claim 6, wherein

the memory further stores therein propagation velocity information in which a material of the structure and a propagation velocity of the elastic wave are in association with each other, and

the identifier determines the propagation velocity of the elastic wave by referring to the propagation velocity information.

8. The server according to claim 5, further comprising a display controller configured to perform control to display, on a display, position information about the elastic wave and cumulative information that indicates cumulative energy of the elastic wave in accordance with the position information.

9. The server according to claim 6, further comprising a calibrator configured to cause the AE sensors to operate as vibration generation sources and to calibrate the position information about the AE sensors or the propagation velocity of the elastic wave on the basis of the detection information that includes pieces of the feature amount information each indicating a feature of a voltage signal representing an elastic wave generated from the corresponding vibration generation source.

10. A detection system, comprising:

a plurality of acoustic emission sensors;

a signal processing apparatus; and

a server, wherein

the AE sensors each includes;

a detector configured to detect, as a voltage signal, an elastic wave generated from a structure,

the signal processing apparatus includes;

a receiver configured to receive the voltage signals from the AE sensors;

a time information generator configured to generate time information having a bit length based on a measurement continuing time period of the structure, a propagation velocity of the elastic wave, and a position identification accuracy of a generation source of the elastic wave;

a processor configured to generate detection information in which feature amount information that indicates a feature of the voltage signal and the time information that indicates a reception time of the voltage signal are in association with each other; and

a communicator configured to transmit the detection information to the server, and

the server includes;

a communicator configured to receive the detection information from the signal processing apparatus;

a memory configured to store therein the detection information; and

an identifier configured to identify a position of the elastic wave on the basis of the detection information.

11. A signal processing method performed by a signal processing apparatus, the method comprising:

receiving a voltage signal from an acoustic emission sensor that detects an elastic wave generated from a structure;

generating time information having a bit length based on a measurement continuing time period of the structure, a propagation velocity of the elastic wave, and a position identification accuracy of a generation source of the elastic wave;

generating detection information in which feature amount information that indicates a feature of the voltage signal and the time information that indicates a reception time of the voltage signal are in association with each other; and

transmitting the detection information to a server.