Phased-array ultrasonic surface contour mapping system and method for solids hoppers and the like
First Claim
1. An ultrasonic surface contour mapping system comprising:
- a material whose surface is to be mapped confined within a known boundary and whose surface is subdivided into preselected scanning areas identified as pixels;
a plurality of transmitter/receiver means for generating ultrasonic energy to be directed onto said surface in response to activation signals applied thereto and receiving echoes of said ultrasonic energy and generating receiver signals in response thereto, said plurality of transmitter/receiver means being disposed in an ordered array within a single plane above said surface to be monitored;
a transmitter means for generating and applying separate ones of said activation signals to each of said plurality of transmitter/receiver means during a transmit period, said activation signals being in the form of modulated signal bursts having an ordered phased relationship relative to the distance of the respective ones of said transmitter/receiver means from a selected pixel of said surface being monitored;
a receiver means responsive to said receiver signals during a receive period following said transmit period for separately receiving and storing said receiver signals from each of said transmitter/receiver means in accordance with said ordered phased relationship so that the signals can be combined in phase;
a signal processing means for combining said stored receiver signals to determine the range of said pixel being monitored based on a determination of the two-way sound wave travel time from said combined signal;
a clock signal generator means for generating a clock signal having a selected fixed frequency;
a controller means operable in response to said clock signal for controlling said transmitter and receiver means during said transmit and receive periods to continually scan each of said pixels of said surface so that a plurality of range signal values are generated consecutively corresponding to the range of each pixel of said surface being monitored from said plane of said transmitter/receiver means; and
a display means including an imaging processor means responsive to said plurality of range signals for generating a real time display of said surface being monitored.
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Abstract
A real time ultrasonic surface contour mapping system is provided including a digitally controlled phased-array of transmitter/receiver (T/R) elements located in a fixed position above the surface to be mapped. The surface is divided into a predetermined number of pixels which are separately scanned by an arrangement of T/R elements by applying phase delayed signals thereto that produce ultrasonic tone bursts from each T/R that arrive at a point X in phase and at the same time relative to the leading edge of the tone burst pulse so that the acoustic energies from each T/R combine in a reinforcing manner at point X. The signals produced by the reception of the echo signals reflected from point X back to the T/Rs are also delayed appropriately so that they add in phase at the input of a signal combiner. This combined signal is then processed to determine the range to the point X using density-corrected sound velocity values. An autofocusing signal is developed from the computed average range for a complete scan of the surface pixels. A surface contour map is generated in real time form the range signals on a video monitor.
64 Citations
12 Claims
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1. An ultrasonic surface contour mapping system comprising:
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a material whose surface is to be mapped confined within a known boundary and whose surface is subdivided into preselected scanning areas identified as pixels; a plurality of transmitter/receiver means for generating ultrasonic energy to be directed onto said surface in response to activation signals applied thereto and receiving echoes of said ultrasonic energy and generating receiver signals in response thereto, said plurality of transmitter/receiver means being disposed in an ordered array within a single plane above said surface to be monitored; a transmitter means for generating and applying separate ones of said activation signals to each of said plurality of transmitter/receiver means during a transmit period, said activation signals being in the form of modulated signal bursts having an ordered phased relationship relative to the distance of the respective ones of said transmitter/receiver means from a selected pixel of said surface being monitored; a receiver means responsive to said receiver signals during a receive period following said transmit period for separately receiving and storing said receiver signals from each of said transmitter/receiver means in accordance with said ordered phased relationship so that the signals can be combined in phase; a signal processing means for combining said stored receiver signals to determine the range of said pixel being monitored based on a determination of the two-way sound wave travel time from said combined signal; a clock signal generator means for generating a clock signal having a selected fixed frequency; a controller means operable in response to said clock signal for controlling said transmitter and receiver means during said transmit and receive periods to continually scan each of said pixels of said surface so that a plurality of range signal values are generated consecutively corresponding to the range of each pixel of said surface being monitored from said plane of said transmitter/receiver means; and a display means including an imaging processor means responsive to said plurality of range signals for generating a real time display of said surface being monitored. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12)
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Specification