Acoustic calibration array for tanks and vessels

A system for measuring a volume of a storage container, the system comprising:

• a plurality of acoustic devices configured to be deployed at respective positions on an exterior surface of a circumferential wall of the container, the acoustic devices including:
• a plurality of sensors configured to be acoustically coupled to the circumferential wall and to detect pulses radiating along the surface,
• a transducer configured to be acoustically coupled to the surface and generate one or more pulses that radiate along the surface away from, the transducer and toward the plurality of sensors along respective circumferential paths;
• a robot configured to deploy one or more of the acoustic devices on the surface of the circumferential wall, wherein the robot includes a drive system and one or more position sensors for monitoring a position of the robot, wherein the robot is configured to controllably deploy the one or more acoustic devices on the surface;
• and
• a control computing system comprising:
• a non-transitory computer readable storage medium,
• one or more processors in electronic communication with the plurality of acoustic devices, the robot and the computer readable storage medium,
• one or more software modules comprising executable instructions stored in the storage medium, wherein the one or more software modules are executable by the processor and include:
• a signal control module that configures the processor to, using the transducer, generate one or more pulses using the transducer at respective impulse times, wherein the signal control module further configures the processor to, using the sensors, detect the arrival of the one or more pulses at the sensors, respectively, and record respective detection times,
• a signal analysis module that configures the processor to calculate, based on the respective impulse times and respective detection times, respective times of flight (TOFs) for the one or more pulses, wherein respective TOFs are an elapsed time for the pulse to travel between two of the acoustic devices along a respective circumferential path,
• a geometric analysis module that configures the processor to calculate distances between the acoustic devices based on the respective TOFs and a speed of sound through the wall, and to calculate the volume of the storage container based on the calculated distances, and
• a position control module, among the software modules, wherein the position control module configures the processor to, using the robot, iteratively adjust the respective position of the transducer on the surface in the longitudinal direction and re-calculate respective TOFs until the transducer is aligned in the longitudinal direction with at least one of the acoustic sensors, wherein alignment achieved when a minimum re-calculated TOF of a pulse traveling between the transducer and the at least one sensor is identified by the processor.

A system for measuring a volume of a storage container, the system comprising:

• a plurality of acoustic devices configured to be deployed at respective positions on an exterior surface of a circumferential wall of the container, the acoustic devices including:
• a plurality of sensors configured to be acoustically coupled to the circumferential wall at respective positions that are separated by a known distance in one or more of the longitudinal direction and transverse direction and configured to detect pulses radiating along the surface, wherein the plurality of sensors include an array of acoustic sensors, the array including at least two parallel longitudinal rows of acoustic sensors, and the wherein acoustic sensors in a longitudinal row are spaced apart a known longitudinal spacing, and wherein the two rows are spaced apart in the transverse direction a known transverse spacing, and
• a transducer configured to be acoustically coupled to the surface and generate one or more pulses that radiate along the surface away from the transducer and toward the plurality of sensors along respective circumferential paths;
• and
• a control computing system comprising;
• a non-transitory computer readable storage medium,
• one or more processors in electronic communication with the plurality of acoustic devices, and the computer readable storage medium,
• one or more software modules comprising executable instructions stored in the storage medium, wherein the one or more software modules are executable by the processor and include:
• a signal control module that configures the processor to, using the transducer, generate one or more pulses using the transducer at respective impulse times, wherein the signal control module further configures the processor to, using the sensors, detect the arrival of the one or more pulses at the sensors respectively, and record respective detection times,
• a signal analysis module that configures the processor to calculate, based on the respective impulse times and respective detection times, respective times of flight (TOFs) for the one or more pulses, wherein respective TOFs are an elapsed time for the pulse to travel between two of the acoustic devices along a respective circumferential path, and
• a geometric analysis module that configures the processor to calculate distances between the acoustic devices based on the respective TOFs and a speed of sound through the wall, and to calculate the volume of the storage container based on the calculated distances.

A system for measuring a volume of a storage container, the system comprising:

• a plurality of acoustic devices configured to be deployed at respective positions on an exterior surface of a circumferential wall of the container, the acoustic devices including:
• a plurality of sensors configured to be acoustically coupled to the circumferential wall and to detect pulses radiating along the surface,
• a transducer configured to be acoustically coupled to the surface and generate one or more pulses that radiate along the surface away from the transducer and toward the plurality of sensors along respective circumferential paths;
• a robot configured to deploy one or more of the acoustic devices on the surface of the circumferential wall, wherein the robot includes a drive system and one or more position sensors for monitoring a position of the robot, wherein the robot is configured to controllably deploy the one or more acoustic devices on the surface;
• and
• a control computing system comprising:
• a non-transitory computer readable storage medium,
• one or more processors in electronic communication with the plurality of acoustic devices, the robot and the computer readable storage medium,
• one or more software modules comprising executable instructions stored in the storage medium, wherein the one or more software modules are executable by the processor and include:
• a signal control module that configures the processor to, using the transducer, generate one or more pulses using the transducer at respective impulse times, wherein the signal control module further configures the processor to, using the sensors, detect the arrival of the one or more pulses at the sensors, respectively, and record respective detection times,
• a signal analysis module that configures the processor to calculate, based on the respective impulse times and respective detection times, respective times of flight (TOFs) for the one or more pulses, wherein respective TOFs are an elapsed time for the pulse to travel between two of the acoustic devices along a respective circumferential path,
• a geometric analysis module that configures the processor to calculate distances between the acoustic devices based on the respective TOFs and a speed of sound through the wall, and to calculate the volume of the storage container based on the calculated distances, and
• a position control module that configures the processor to, using the robot, iteratively adjust the respective position of one or more of the acoustic devices on the surface and re-calculate respective TOFs until at least two of the acoustic devices are aligned in one of a transverse direction and a longitudinal direction, wherein the processor is configured to control alignment of at least two of the acoustic devices in one or more of a transverse and longitudinal direction relative to the circumferential wall of the container based on the calculated TOFs, and wherein alignment of the at least two devices is achieved when the re-calculated TOF of a pulse radiating between the at least two acoustic devices is minimized.