System and method for fuzzy logic based measurement of a content of a bin

• US 9,518,860 B2
• Filed: 01/31/2013
• Issued: 12/13/2016
• Est. Priority Date: 01/31/2013
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Rosemount Tank Radar AB (Emerson Electric Company)
• Original Assignee: APM Automation Solutions Ltd. (Emerson Electric Company)
• Inventors: Bartov, Avishai, Zlotnick, Yossi
• Primary Examiner(s): Le, Toan
• Assistant Examiner(s): Aiello, Jeffrey
• Application Number:
  US13/755,176
• Publication Number:
  US 20140214359A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,412 Days
• Field of Search: 367/87, 367/99, 367/908, 702/3, 702/55, 702/156
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: G01F 23/2962 Measuring transit time of reflected waves
• CPC Class Codes: G01F 23/804 containing circuits handling parameters other than liquid level

Abstract

A method, non-transitory computer readable medium and a system that includes a fuzzy logic module arranged to apply a fuzzy logic algorithm for calculating, in response to received echoes that are received by a receiver, confidence levels of origins of received echoes; wherein the received echoes are reflected or scattered from the origins; and a volume calculator that is arranged to calculate a volume of the content in response to (a) estimated locations of the origins, and (b) the confidence levels of the origins.

Claims

1. A system for estimating a volume of a content of a bin, the system comprising:

at least three acoustic transceivers that are non-collinear;

wherein a transmitter of an acoustic transceiver of the at least three acoustic transceivers is configured to transmit pulses of radiation towards an interior of the bin;

wherein a receiver of at least one of the acoustic transceivers is configured to receive received echoes of the pulses of radiation;

a fuzzy logic module arranged to apply a fuzzy logic algorithm for calculating, in response to the received echoes, confidence levels of origins of received echoes;

wherein the received echoes are reflected or scattered from the origins; and

a volume calculator that is arranged to calculate the volume of the content in response to (a) estimated locations of the origins, and (b) the confidence levels of the origins; and

wherein the volume calculator is arranged to classify a received echo as a false echo when an origin of the receive echo is positioned outside the bin.

2. The system according to claim 1, wherein the receiver of the at least one of the acoustic transceivers is arranged to detect peaks of the received echoes, and to calculate times of arrivals of the peaks and directions of arrivals of the received echoes.

3. The system according to claim 1, wherein the receiver of the at least one of the acoustic transceivers is arranged to calculate received echoes parameters;

and wherein the fuzzy logic module is arranged to calculate received echoes attributes by applying a fuzzy logic algorithm on the received echoes parameter.

4. The system according to claim 1, wherein the fuzzy logic module is arranged to calculate at least one received echo attribute out of a signal to noise ratio attribute and a constant false alarm threshold attribute.

5. The system according to claim 1, wherein the fuzzy logic module is arranged to apply a non-linear fuzzy logic algorithm.

6. The system according to claim 1, wherein the fuzzy logic module is arranged to apply a linear fuzzy logic algorithm.

7. The system according to claim 1, wherein the volume calculator is arranged to maintain a database of reference echoes and to compare received echoes to reference echoes to provide comparison results.

8. The system according to claim 7, wherein the volume calculator is arranged to update at least one attribute of a reference echo in response to a comparison result out of the comparison results.

9. The system according to claim 8, wherein the volume calculator is arranged to determine to update the at least one attribute of the reference echo if the comparison result indicates that a signal to noise ratio of the reference echo is lower than a signal to noise ratio of a received echo that corresponds to the reference echo.

10. The system according to claim 7, wherein the volume calculator is arranged to delete from the database of reference echoes a reference echo that is associated with an origin that did not reflect or scatter a received echo during multiple transmission and reception cycles.

11. The system according to claim 10, wherein the volume calculator is arranged to delete the reference echo from the database of the reference echoes if during the multiple transmission and reception cycles a noise level facilitated a reception of received echoes from the origin.

12. The system according to claim 1, wherein the volume calculator is arranged to detect false echoes.

13. The system according to claim 1, wherein the volume calculator is arranged to change attributes of a received echo based upon attributes of another received echo.

14. The system according to claim 1, wherein the volume calculator is arranged to classify a received echo as a false echo if a virtual slope formed between the origin of the received echo and an origin of another origin exceeds a maximal allowable slope of the content.

15. A computerized method for estimating a volume of content of a bin, comprising:

transmitting by a transmitter of an acoustic transceiver of the at least three acoustic transceivers that are non-collinear, pulses of radiation towards an interior of the bin;

receiving by a receiver of at least one of the acoustic transceivers, received echoes of the pulses of radiation;

applying, by a fuzzy logic module, a fuzzy logic algorithm for calculating, in response to the received echoes, confidence levels of origins of received echoes;

wherein the received echoes are reflected or scattered from the origins;

calculating, by a volume calculator, the volume of the content in response to (a) estimated locations of the origins, and (b) the confidence levels of the origins; and

classifying a received echo as a false echo when an origin of the receive echo is positioned outside the bin.

16. The method according to claim 15, comprising detecting peaks of the received echoes, and calculating times of arrivals of the peaks and directions of arrivals of the received echoes.

17. The method according to claim 15, comprising calculating received echoes parameters;

and calculating received echoes attributes by applying a fuzzy logic algorithm on the received echoes parameter.

18. The method according to claim 15, calculating at least one received echo attribute out of a signal to noise ratio attribute and a constant false alarm threshold.

19. The method according to claim 15, comprising applying a non-linear fuzzy logic algorithm.

20. The method according to claim 15, comprising applying a linear fuzzy logic algorithm.

21. The method according to claim 15, comprising maintaining a database of reference echoes and comparing received echoes to reference echoes to provide comparison results.

22. The method according to claim 21, comprising updating at least one attribute of a reference echo in response to a comparison result out of the comparison results.

23. The method according to claim 22, comprising determining to update the at least one attribute of the reference echo if the comparison result indicates that a signal to noise ratio of the reference echo is lower than a signal to noise ratio of a received echo that corresponds to the reference echo.

24. The method according to claim 21, comprising deleting from the database of reference echoes a reference echo that is associated with an origin that did not reflect or scatter a received echo during multiple transmission and reception cycles.

25. The method according to claim 24, comprising deleting the reference echo from the database of reference echoes if during the multiple transmission and reception cycles a noise level facilitated a reception of received echoes from the origin.

26. The method according to claim 15, comprising detecting false echoes.

27. The method according to claim 15, comprising changing attributes of a received echo based upon attributes of another received echo.

28. The method according to claim 15, comprising classifying a received echo as a false echo if a virtual slope formed between the origin of the received echo and an origin of another origin exceeds a maximal allowable slope of the content.

29. The method according to claim 15, wherein the method comprises receiving echoes of the pulses of acoustic energy.

30. A non-transitory computer readable medium that stores instructions that cause a computerized system to:

apply a fuzzy logic algorithm for calculating, in response to received echoes that are received by a receiver of at least one acoustic transceiver out of at least three non-collinear acoustic transceivers, confidence levels of origins of received echoes;

wherein the received echoes are reflected or scattered from the origins;

calculate a volume of a content of a bin in response to (a) estimated locations of the origins, and (b) the confidence levels of the origins; and

classify a received echo as a false echo when an origin of the receive echo is positioned outside the bin.