High resolution measurement of a thickness using ultrasound
US5596508A · kind A · utility
Assignee
Inventor
Key dates
| Filing date | Dec 7, 1994 |
| Grant date | Jan 21, 1997 |
| Priority date | — |
| Expiry date | Dec 7, 2014 |
Classification
- Technology area (CPC G)Physics
- CPC primaryG01N2291/2634
- WIPO fieldMeasurement
- WIPO sectorInstruments
Abstract
Apparatus (10) for measuring physical properties of a tube (T). A pulse generator (12) generates an electrical pulse having predetermined characteristics. Transducers (20a, 20b) convert the pulse to an ultrasonic waveform (W) and propagate the waveform at the tube from different directions. Resulting echoes (E1-E3) are converted into electrical response pulses. Another transducer (24a) propagates a similar waveform at a reference object (B) and converts an echo therefrom into a reference electrical response pulse which is combined with each of the other response pulses. Receivers (28a, 28b) receive the combined response pulses and convert them to digital data stored in a memory (32). A processor (36) reconstructs each combined waveform and determines from each reconstruction a value representing a physical characteristic of the tube. This involves performing a "real time" evaluation of the combined waveform to determine if it meets threshold criteria. If it does, a linear interpolation and finite impulse response on the digital data is performed to precisely measure time of flight (TOF). A processor (54) mathematically combines respective TOF values derived from a reconstruction to…
Source: USPTO / EPO open patent data. Objective bibliographic and citation counts.