Acoustical holography with multi-level square wave excitation signals

US9639056B2 · kind B2 · utility

Assignee

• General Electric Company · US

Inventors

• Stephan Falter · Simmerath, DE
• James Norman Barshinger · State College, US
• Dirk Lange · Neubukow, DE
• Mark Howard Feydo · Reedsville, US
• Werner Lammerich · Siegburg, DE

Key dates

• Filing date: Sep 17, 2013
• Grant date: May 2, 2017
• Expiry date: Dec 22, 2035

Classification

• Technology area (CPC G): Physics
• CPC primary: G01S7/523
• WIPO field: Measurement
• WIPO sector: Instruments

Abstract

Systems and methods are disclosed herein in which multi-level square wave excitation signals are used instead of or in addition to fully-analog excitation signals to drive an array of transceiver elements to create a sound field. Use of multi-level square wave excitation signals produces acceptable transceiver output with reduced complexity, cost, and/or power consumption as compared with use of fully-analog excitation signals. In addition, use of such signals facilitates system implementation using application-specific integrated circuits (ASICs) and is not as restricted in voltage level and speed. At the same time, the benefits and applications of fully-analog excitation signals (e.g., acoustic holography, beam superposition, signal-to-noise ratio (SNR) improvements, suppression of parasitic modes, increased material penetration, potential for coded pulsing algorithms and suppression of side lobes in ultrasonic field) can still be achieved with multi-level square wave excitation signals.