# US 10,371,666 B2 · Structure evaluation system, structure evaluation apparatus, and structure evaluation method > Agents: this data is available as JSON from the patentgrep API and MCP server — see https://patentgrep.com/llms.txt - Number: US 10,371,666 B2 - Document ID: US10371666B2 - Status: Granted - Kind: B2 - Application number: 15/456,075 - Filed: 2017-03-10 - Published: 2017-11-23 - Granted: 2019-08-06 - Earliest claimed: 2016-05-17 - Assignees: Kabushiki Kaisha Toshiba; Kyoto University - Applicants: Kabushiki Kaisha Toshiba; Kyoto University - Inventors: Kazuo Watabe; Hidefumi Takamine; Tomoki Shiotani - Web page: https://patentgrep.com/patent/US10371666B2 ## CPC - G01N 29/14: using acoustic emission techniques {(echo of particles G01N29/046; measuring mechanical vibrations or acoustic waves in solids in general G01H1/00)} - G01M 5/0008: {of bridges} - G01M 5/0033: {by determining damage, crack or wear} - G01M 5/0066: {by exciting or detecting vibration or acceleration (vibration testing of structures G01M7/00)} - G01N 29/043: {in the interior, e.g. by shear waves} - G01N 29/07: by measuring propagation velocity or propagation time of acoustic waves - G01N 29/2437: {Piezoelectric probes} - G01N 29/4436: {with a reference signal (amplitude comparison G01N29/48)} - G01N 29/4445: {Classification of defects} - G01N 29/4463: {Signal correction, e.g. distance amplitude correction [DAC], distance gain size [DGS], noise filtering} - G01N 2291/0232: Glass, ceramics, concrete or stone - G01N 2291/0258: Structural degradation, e.g. fatigue of composites, ageing of oils - G01N 2291/0289: Internal structure, e.g. defects, grain size, texture - G01N: INVESTIGATING OR ANALYSING MATERIALS BY DETERMINING THEIR CHEMICAL OR PHYSICAL PROPERTIES (measuring or testing apparatus or processes other than immunoassay, involving enzymes or microorganisms C12M, C12Q) - G01M: TESTING STATIC OR DYNAMIC BALANCE OF MACHINES OR STRUCTURES; TESTING OF STRUCTURES OR APPARATUS, NOT OTHERWISE PROVIDED FOR ## Abstract According to an embodiment, a structure evaluation system includes a plurality of sensors, a position locator, a velocity calculator, and an evaluator. The sensors detect an elastic wave generated from a structure. The position locator derives a wave source distribution of the elastic waves generated from the structure, on the basis of the elastic waves. The velocity calculator derives a propagation velocity of the elastic wave generated from the structure, on the basis of the elastic waves. The evaluator evaluates the soundness of the structure on the basis of the wave source distribution and the propagation velocity of the elastic waves. ## Claims ### Claim 1 A structure evaluation system comprising: a plurality of sensors configured to detect an elastic wave generated from a structure; a position locator configured to derive a wave source distribution of the elastic waves generated from the structure, on the basis of the elastic waves; a velocity calculator configured to derive a propagation velocity of the elastic wave generated from the structure, on the basis of the elastic waves; and an evaluator configured to segment the soundness of the structure into a plurality of determination regions based on a reference value of the wave source distribution of the elastic wave and a reference value of the propagation velocity of the elastic wave, wherein the evaluator sets a region which has a predetermined range including at least one of the reference value of the wave source distribution of the elastic wave and the reference value of the propagation velocity of the elastic wave between the determination regions, and wherein the evaluator evaluates the soundness of the structure depending on which of the determination regions each region of the structure to be evaluated corresponds to. ### Claim 2 (depends on 1) The structure evaluation system according to claim 1, wherein, on the basis of a reference value related to a density of the wave sources of the elastic waves, the evaluator segments the wave source distribution into two regions, including a region in which the wave sources are sparsely arranged and a region in which the wave sources are densely arranged, and evaluates a region in which the wave sources are sparsely arranged and the propagation velocity of the elastic wave is lower than a reference value related to the propagation velocity of the elastic wave as a region in which deterioration of the structure is the most advanced. ### Claim 3 (depends on 1) The structure evaluation system according to claim 1, wherein: the velocity calculator derives a propagation velocity distribution indicating a distribution of the propagation velocity of the elastic waves by performing tomography analysis based on the elastic waves; and the evaluator segments, on the basis of a reference value related to the propagation velocity of the elastic waves, the propagation velocity distribution into two regions, including a region in which the propagation velocity is high and a region in which the propagation velocity is low, and evaluates the region in which the wave sources are sparsely arranged and the propagation velocity is low as a region in which deterioration of the structure is the most advanced by using the wave source distribution and the propagation velocity distribution. ### Claim 4 (depends on 1) The structure evaluation system according to claim 1, wherein the evaluator is configured to retrieve a region which satisfies conditions for evaluating a state of deterioration of the structure to be limit deterioration which represents that the deterioration is most advanced; to derive an evaluation result distribution showing regions satisfying the conditions; and to output the evaluation result distribution as derived. ### Claim 5 (depends on 1) The structure evaluation system according to claim 1, wherein the evaluator evaluates each region of the structure as being in one of four phases, Sound, Intermediate deterioration I, Intermediate deterioration II, and Limit deterioration, derives an evaluation result distribution indicating to which phase among Sound, Intermediate deterioration I, Intermediate deterioration II, and Limit deterioration each of the regions of the structures corresponds, and outputs the derived evaluation result distribution. ### Claim 6 (depends on 2) The structure evaluation system according to claim 2, wherein the evaluator evaluates a region in which the wave sources are sparsely arranged and the propagation velocity of the elastic wave is higher than a reference value related to the propagation velocity of the elastic wave as a region in the Sound phase in which deterioration of the structure is least advanced. ### Claim 7 (depends on 1) The structure evaluation system according to claim 1, wherein the position locator derives the wave source distribution in which a distribution of the wave sources having an amplitude equal to or larger than a predetermined value is shown, on the basis of amplitude information of the elastic waves detected by the sensors. ### Claim 8 (depends on 7) The structure evaluation system according to claim 7, wherein the amplitude information of the elastic wave is information on an amplitude of a first arrival wave of the elastic wave in each event detected by the sensors. ### Claim 9 (depends on 1) The structure evaluation system according to claim 1, wherein the elastic wave is generated from damage to a surface or an inside of the structure as a result of stress applied to the structure. ### Claim 10 A structure evaluation apparatus comprising: a position locator configured to derive a wave source distribution of elastic waves generated from a structure, on the basis of the elastic waves; a velocity calculator configured to derive a propagation velocity of the elastic wave generated from the structure on the basis of the elastic waves; and an evaluator configured to segment the soundness of the structure into a plurality of determination regions based on a reference value of the wave source distribution of the elastic wave and a reference value of the propagation velocity of the elastic wave, wherein the evaluator sets a region which has a predetermined range including at least one of the reference value of the wave source distribution of the elastic wave and the reference value of the propagation velocity of the elastic wave between the determination regions, and wherein the evaluator evaluates the soundness of the structure depending on which of the determination regions each region of the structure to be evaluated corresponds to. ### Claim 11 A structure evaluation method comprising: a position locating step of deriving a wave source distribution of elastic waves generated from a structure, on the basis of the elastic waves; a velocity calculating step of deriving a propagation velocity of the elastic wave generated from the structure on the basis of the elastic waves; and an evaluating step of segmenting the soundness of the structure into a plurality of determination regions based on a reference value of the wave source distribution of the elastic wave and a reference value of the propagation velocity of the elastic wave, wherein the evaluating step sets a region which has a predetermined range including at least one of the reference value of the wave source distribution of the elastic wave and the reference value of the propagation velocity of the elastic wave between the determination regions, and wherein the evaluating step evaluates the soundness of the structure depending on which of the determination regions each region of the structure to be evaluated corresponds to. ### Claim 12 A structure evaluation system comprising: a plurality of sensors configured to detect an elastic wave generated from a structure; a position locator configured to derive a wave source distribution of the elastic waves generated from the structure, on the basis of the elastic waves; a velocity calculator configured to derive a propagation velocity of the elastic wave generated from the structure, on the basis of the elastic waves; and an evaluator configured to segment the soundness of the structure into a plurality of determination regions which including at least sound determination region and Limit deterioration determination region indicating that deterioration of the structure is the most advanced based on a reference value of the source distribution of the elastic wave and a reference value of the propagation velocity of the elastic wave, wherein the evaluator sets a region which has a predetermined range including the reference value of the propagation velocity of the elastic wave between the sound determination region and the Limit deterioration determination region, and wherein the evaluator evaluates the soundness of the structure depending on which of the determination regions each region of the structure to be evaluated corresponds to.