Method and apparatus for determining transit-time differentials for signal waveforms for real-time pattern recognition, localization and monitoring of optical and acoustic signals

• US 6,442,510 B1
• Filed: 06/02/2000
• Issued: 08/27/2002
• Est. Priority Date: 11/17/1997
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Frank Klefenz
• Original Assignee: Frank Klefenz
• Inventors: Klefenz, Frank
• Primary Examiner(s): SHAH, KAMINI S
• Application Number:
  US09/530,956
• Time in Patent Office: 816 Days
• Field of Search: 702/189, 702/39, 735/87, 735/92, 73/405.A, 736/01, 367/118, 367/125, 367/127, 367/129
• US Class Current: 702/189
• CPC Class Codes: G01H 3/00 Measuring characteristics of vibrations by using a detector in a fluid G01H7/00, G01H9/00, G01H11/00 take precedence
• CPC Class Codes: G01H 5/00 Measuring propagation velocity of ultrasonic, sonic or infrasonic waves , e.g. of pressure waves
• CPC Class Codes: G01V 1/001 Acoustic presence detection

Abstract

A method includes the steps of segment-wise detecting and bringing into coincidence signal waveforms for conversion into monotone and continuous trajectories for real-time pattern recognition, localization, and monitoring optical and acoustic signals. The method also determines transit-time differentials, wherein pre-programmed key signals are detected by signal sampling, data is correlated from the sampled signals, and pairs of signal combinations of given signal transit-time differentials from the coincidence of the detected signals are determined. The apparatus includes at least two receivers for generating sequences of digital values from incoming acoustic signals, vector generators to convert the digital values into input vectors (7), a signal detection unit (C1) downstream from each vector generator and having parallel, programmable signal-flow chains and adder/comparator units (1, 10) mounted perpendicularly to the signal-flow chains at equidistant spacings, and a multi-coincidence unit (C2) consisting of two antiparallel shift-register forming flipflop chains and an AND gate (20).

Claims

1. A method to segment-wise detect and bring into coincidence signal waveforms which can be converted into monotone and continuous trajectories for real-time pattern recognition, localization and monitoring optical and acoustic signals and to determine transit-time differentials, wherein pre-programmed key signals are detected by sampling the signals, data is correlated from the sampled signals, and pairs of signal combinations of given signal transit-time differentials from the coincidence of the detected signals are determined, the method comprising:

sampling the signal waveforms in a sequence of input vectors (7) at an input side, wherein each input vector (7) consecutively passes through a signal detection unit (C1), the signal detection unit (C1) comprising parallel, programmable signal-flow chains having consecutively mounted switching/delay units (15, 21, 24), and adder/comparator units (1, 10) which are situated at signal nodes equidistantly along and perpendicularly to the signal-flow chains, each adder/comparator (1, 10) having an adder (1), and a comparator (10),

triggering a signal wavefront evoked by an inciding signal along the signal-flow chains,

controlling the speed of propagation of the signal through the signal-flow chains,

determining a correlation result by summing states of the signal nodes of the adder/comparator units (1, 10) perpendicularly to a direction of propagation in each signal detection unit,

comparing the correlation result of the comparator (10) with a programmable threshold value (17),

generating a standard pulse when the threshold value (17) is exceeded,

passing the standard pulses of all adder/comparator units (1,10) through a multi-coincidence unit (C2), wherein the multi-coincidence unit (C2) comprises antiparallel pairs of delay chains defining a delay path for the standard pulses, and

generating a coincidence when two opposite standard pulses impact each other by use of AND gates (20) mounted equidistantly along the delay path, and producing the transit-time differential of the signal (18) using time and a particular spatial position of said coincidence along the delay path.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein a number of signals are sampled, and a set of transit-time differentials of various signals (18) are determined in parallel and the set of signal transit-time differentials is emitted per clock step.

3. The method of claim 2, comprising programming a set of different, pre-defined key signals using flipflop setted switches in the signal-flow chains.

4. The method of claim 3, wherein signal propagation speeds in the signal flow chains are programmable.

5. The method of claim 4, wherein a maximum transit-time differential interval and a sub-division of the transit-time differential interval are programmable.

6. The method of claim 5, characterized in that bit flows as adder results are selectively emitted as signals (18) for processing in the multi-coincidence unit (C2).

7. The method of claim 6, wherein after a programmed signal pattern is recognized, new programmed signal patterns are employed to detect new signal patterns.

8. The method of claim 7, wherein the multi-coincidence unit (C2) and signal detection units (Cl) are arranged on one chip, and at least two chips are provided in a multi-cascade configuration whereby the at least two chip configuration allows simultaneous pattern recognition of different signals and their coincidence, the different signals including optical and acoustical signals.

9. An apparatus to segment-wise detect and bring into coincidence signal waveforms, which can be converted into monotone and continuous trajectories for real-time pattern recognition, localization and monitoring of optical and acoustic signals, and to determine transit-time differentials, wherein pre-programmed key signals are detected by sampling the signals, data is correlated from the sampled signals, and pairs of signal combinations as signal transit-time differentials from the coincidence of the detected signals are determined, the apparatus comprising:

(a) at least two receivers sampling incoming acoustic signals and generating sequences of digital values from the incoming acoustic signals,

(b) a vector generator for each receiver for converting the sequences of digital values into sequences of input vectors (7),

(c) a signal detection unit (C1) downstream from each vector generator and comprising parallel, programmable signal-flow chains and adder/comparator units (1, 10) mounted perpendicularly to the signal-flow chains at equidistant spacings, each adder/comparator unit each time picking up a signal state of the signal-flow chains at a signal node in the signal-flow chain, each adder/comparator unit having a predetermined threshold value (17) to generate a time standard pulse when the threshold value (17) is exceeded, and

(d) a multi-coincidence unit (C2) consisting of two antiparallel shift-register forming flipflop chains, each chain being combined pairwise by connecting the pairs of flipflop chains with an AND gate (20) in such a way that the impact of two opposite standard pulses along the shift-register chains triggers a timed standard pulse which by a predetermined timing point and a particular spatial position along the shift-register chains, a signal transit-time differential is encoded.

10. The apparatus of claim 9, characterized in that the each signal flow chain has an array of switching/delay cells (24).

11. The apparatus of claim 10, wherein the signal flow chains are programmable by varying switch positions in the switching/delay cell (24).

12. The apparatus of claim 10, wherein each switching/delay cell (24) can be programmed by an assigned flipflop.

13. The apparatus of claim 12, wherein the signal pattern is programmable by setting the flipflop in the signal flow chains.