Patent · US Expired

Ultrasonic sensor and pipetting apparatus using same

US5705750A · kind A · utility

14Cited by
9References
22Claims
0Family size

Assignee

Inventors

Key dates

Filing dateMar 13, 1996
Grant dateJan 6, 1998
Priority date
Expiry dateMar 13, 2016

Classification

  • Technology area (CPC G)Physics
  • CPC primaryG01S15/88
  • WIPO fieldMeasurement
  • WIPO sectorInstruments

Abstract

An ultrasonic sensor detects the time of rise of the first of transmitted waves and also detects peak points Po appearing in the waveform of received waves to detect a waveform reference point where the time-base coordinate of a phantom envelope connecting these peak points Po is a minimum. The time T2 of rise of the first of the received waves is calculated by adding a predetermined period of offset time To to the time t2 of the waveform reference point of the received waves to calculate the elapsed time .DELTA.T from the time of rise of the first transmitted wave to the time of rise of the first received wave. The distance L to an object of measurement is calculated based on the result of calculation. The distance L to the object can be calculated alternatively based on the elapsed time .DELTA.T' from a waveform reference point of the transmitted waves to the waveform reference point of the received waves. The sensor thus realized gives measurements with high accuracy even with use of ultrasonic waves of relatively low frequency.

Source: USPTO / EPO open patent data. Objective bibliographic and citation counts.