Method and apparatus for processing a signal received by an electromagnetic prober

• US 7,205,769 B2
• Filed: 11/14/2005
• Issued: 04/17/2007
• Est. Priority Date: 09/18/2000
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Cos Co. Ltd.
• Original Assignee: Cos Co. Ltd.
• Inventors: Fujiwara, Masahiro
• Primary Examiner(s): Lefkowitz; Edward
• Assistant Examiner(s): WHITTINGTON, KENNETH
• Application Number:
  US11/273,535
• Publication Number:
  US 20060076957A1
• Time in Patent Office: 519 Days
• Field of Search: 324/642, 324/326, 324/327, 324/328, 324/329, 324/332, 324/341, 342/22, 342/165, 342/173, 342/174
• US Class Current: 324/337
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 13/88 Radar or analogous systems specially adapted for specific applications electromagnetic prospecting or detecting of objects, e.g. near-field detection, G01V3/00
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 13/885 for ground probing prospecting or detecting using electromagnetic waves G01V3/12
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 7/06 Cathode-ray tube displays or other two dimensional or three-dimensional displays
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 7/062 in which different colours are used
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 7/10 Providing two-dimensional and co-ordinated display of distance and direction
• CPC Class Codes: G01V 3/12 operating with electromagnetic waves operating with millimetre waves G01V8/005
• CPC Class Codes: G01V 3/15 specially adapted for use during transport, e.g. by a person, vehicle or boat
• CPC Class Codes: H01Q 1/22 by structural association with other equipment or articles

Abstract

An electromagnetic prober comprising a transmission antenna, a reception antenna, a reception signal processing section for generating an analytic signal on the basis of a detection signal of the reception antenna, and an analytic processing section for performing a predefined analytic process on the basis of the analytic signal, wherein the analytic processing section divides the analytic signal into a plurality of time-based ranges and performs a predefined computation on average cycle periods in the respective time-based ranges of the analytic signal to calculate average dielectric constants in depth ranges of the medium corresponding to the respective time-based ranges.

Claims

1. A reception signal processing method of an electromagnetic prober which is adapted to non-invasively probe into a medium by holding a plurality of reception signals obtained at different probing sites and analyzing the plurality of reception signals, the electromagnetic prober comprising a transmission antenna, a reception antenna for receiving echoes of electromagnetic radiation radiated from the transmission antenna, and a reception unit for generating reception signals on the basis of detection signals of the reception antenna, the method comprising the steps of:

phase-correcting the respective reception signals on the basis of specific peak points of the respective reception signals defined as basis points so as to eliminate a phase difference between the plurality of reception signals occurring due to a variation in a distance between the antenna and the medium to be probed, and

performing a computation on predetermined signals of the plurality of reception signals subjected to the phase correction with the use of a second amplitude correction coefficient given as a time-based function,

wherein the method further comprises the steps of comparing the amplitudes of the plurality of reception signals at the phase correction base points, and performing a computation on predetermined signals of the plurality of reception signals with the use of a first amplitude correction coefficient given as a constant according to the ratio of the amplitudes.

2. A reception signal processing method of an electromagnetic prober which is adapted to non-invasively probe into a medium by holding a plurality of reception signals obtained at different probing sites and analyzing the plurality of reception signals, the electromagnetic prober comprising a transmission antenna, a reception antenna for receiving echoes of electromagnetic radiation radiated from the transmission antenna, and a reception unit for generating reception signals on the basis of detection signals of the reception antenna, the method comprising the steps of:

phase-correcting the respective reception signals on the basis of specific peak points of the respective reception signals defined as basis points so as to eliminate a phase difference between the plurality of reception signals occurring due to a variation in a distance between the antenna and the medium to be probed, and

performing a computation on predetermined signals of the plurality of reception signals subjected to the phase correction with the use of a second amplitude correction coefficient given as a time-based function,

wherein the computation of the second amplitude correction coefficient is performed on a portion of the reception signal following a predetermined phase.

3. A reception signal processing method of an electromagnetic prober which is adapted to non-invasively probe into a medium by holding a plurality of reception signals obtained at different probing sites and analyzing the plurality of reception signals, the electromagnetic prober comprising a transmission antenna, a reception antenna for receiving echoes of electromagnetic radiation radiated from the transmission antenna, and a reception unit for generating reception signals on the basis of detection signals of the reception antenna, the method comprising the steps of:

phase-correcting the respective reception signals on the basis of specified peak points of the respective reception signals defined as basis points so as to eliminate a phase difference between the plurality of reception signals occurring due to a variation in a distance between the antenna and the medium to be probed, and

performing a computation on predetermined signals of the plurality of reception signals subjected to the phase correction with the use of a second amplitude correction coefficient given as a time-based function,

wherein the computation of the second amplitude correction coefficient is performed on a portion of the reception signal following the phase correction base point.

4. A reception signal processing method of an electromagnetic prober which is adapted to non-invasively probe into a medium by holding a plurality of reception signals obtained at different probing sites and analyzing the plurality of reception signals, the electromagnetic prober comprising a transmission antenna, a reception antenna for receiving echos of electromagnetic radiation radiated from the transmission antenna, and a reception unit for generating reception signals on the basis of detection signals of the reception antenna, the method comprising the steps of:

phase-correcting the respective reception signals on the basis of specific peak points of the respective reception signals defined a basis points so as to eliminate a phase difference between the plurality of reception signals occurring due to a variation in a distance between the antenna and the medium to be probed, and

performing a computation on predetermined signals of the plurality of reception signals subjected to the phase correction with the use of a first amplitude correction coefficient and a second amplitude correction coefficient, the first correction given as a constant according to the ratio of the amplitudes of the plurality of reception signals at the phase correction base points, and the second amplitude correction coefficient given as a time-based function.

5. A reception signal processing method of an electromagnetic prober as set forth in claim 4, the computation of the second amplitude correction coefficient being performed on a portion of the reception signal following a predetermined phase.

6. A reception signal processing method of an electromagnetic prober as set forth in claim 4, the computation of the second amplitude correction coefficient being performed on a portion of the reception signal following the phase correction base point.

7. A reception signal processing apparatus for an electromagnetic prober which is adapted to non-invasively probe into a medium by holding a plurality of reception signals obtained at different probing sites and analyzing the plurality of reception signals, the apparatus comprising a transmission antenna, a reception antenna for receiving echoes of electromagnetic radiation radiated from the transmission antenna, a reception unit for generating the reception signals on the basis of detection signals of the reception antenna, phase correction means for phase-correcting the respective reception signals on the basis of specific peak points of the respective reception signals defined as basis points, and a second amplitude correction means for performing a computation on predetermined signals of the plurality of reception signals subjected to the phase correction with the use of a second amplitude correction coefficient given a time-based function,

the apparatus further comprising a first amplitude correction means for comparing the amplitudes of the plurality of reception signals at the phase correction base points, and performing a computation on predetermined signals of the plurality of reception signals with the use of a first amplitude correction coefficient given as a constant according to the ratio of the amplitudes.

8. A reception signal processing apparatus for an electromagnetic prober which is adapted to non-invasively probe into a medium by holding a plurality of reception signals obtained at different probing sites and analyzing the plurality of reception signals, the apparatus comprising a transmission antenna, a reception antenna for receiving echoes of electromagnetic radiation radiated from the transmission antenna, a reception unit for generating the reception signals on the basis of detection signals of the reception antenna, phase correction means for phase-correcting the respective reception signals on the basis of specific peak points of the respective reception signals defined as basis points, and a second amplitude correction means for performing a computation on predetermined signals of the plurality of reception signals subjected to the phase correction with the use of a second amplitude correction coefficient given a time-based function,

the computation of the second amplitude correction coefficient being performed on a portion of the reception signal following the phase correction base point.

9. A reception signal processing apparatus for an electromagnetic prober which is adapted to non-invasively probe into a medium by holding a plurality of reception signals obtained at different probing sites and analyzing the plurality of reception signals, the apparatus comprising a transmission antenna, a reception antenna for receiving echoes of electromagnetic radiation radiated from the transmission antenna, a reception unit for generating the reception signals on the basis of detection signals of the reception antenna, phase correction means for phase-correcting the respective reception signals on the basis of specific peak points of the respective reception signals defined as basis points, and a second amplitude correction means for performing a computation on predetermined signals of the plurality of reception signals subjected to the phase correction with the use of a second amplitude correction coefficient given a time-based function,

the computation of the second amplitude correction coefficient being performed on a portion of the reception signal following the phase correction base point.

10. A reception signal processing apparatus for an electromagnetic prober, which is adapted to non-invasively probe into a medium by holding a plurality of reception signals obtained at different probing sites and analyzing the plurality of reception signals, the apparatus comprising a transmission antenna, a reception antenna for receiving echoes of electromagnetic radiation radiated from the transmission antenna, a reception unit for generating the reception signals on the basis of detection signals of the reception antenna, phase correction means for phase-correcting the respective reception signals on the basis of specific peak points of the respective signals defined as basis points, and an amplitude correction means for performing computations on predetermined signals of the plurality of reception signals with the use of a first amplitude correction coefficient and a second amplitude correction coefficient, the first amplitude correction coefficient given as a constant according to the ratio of the amplitudes of the plurality of reception signals at the phase correction base points, and the second amplitude correction coefficient give aa a time-based function.

11. A reception signal processing apparatus for an electromagnetic prober as set forth in claim 10, the computation of the second amplitude correction coefficient being performed on a portion of the reception signal following the phase correction base point.

12. A reception signal processing apparatus for an electromagnetic prober as set forth in claim 10, the computation of the second amplitude correction coefficient being performed on a portion of the reception signal following the phase correction base point.