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US 8,149,648 B2Granted
Method of processing echo pulses, and pulse-echo ranging system using the method
AssigneeSiemens Aktiengesellschaft
InventorFrank Daigle
Life of this patent
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Abstract
Error correction in an echo pulse is performed by periodically (for example, every 100th pulse) generating a parabola derived from a selected part of the pulse leading edge. An error value is generated from the distance from a leading edge reference point to the peak of the generated parabola or to the echo peak, whichever is less. In this way an error correction is dynamically re-learned.
Claims16
A method of processing echo pulses in a pulse-echo measurement system, comprising:
- providing and using a tank containing a material, wherein the tank comprises an ultrasonic transducer;
- providing and using a microprocessor which is coupled to the ultrasonic transducer via a transmitter;
- generating ultrasonic pulses using the ultrasonic transducer, wherein the ultrasonic pulses are reflected by a top surface of the material in the tank;
- receiving reflected pulses by the transducer and converting the reflected pulses into electrical signals;
- generating a digital echo profile based on the electrical signals, wherein the digital echo profile is processed by the microprocessor, comprising:
- identifying a rising edge of an echo;
- defining a rising edge reference point;
- fitting a parabolic curve to the rising edge;
- calculating an error correction as being the lesser of
- a distance from the rising edge reference point to a peak of the parabolic curve, or
- a distance from the rising edge reference point to a peak amplitude of an echo profile;
- and
- adding the calculated error correction to a previous error correction using a first order filter to provide an updated error correction value.
10 more elements
A method of processing echo pulses in a pulse-echo measurement system, comprising:
- providing and using a tank containing a material, wherein the tank comprises an ultrasonic transducer;
- providing and using a microprocessor which is coupled to the ultrasonic transducer via a transmitter;
- generating ultrasonic pulses using the ultrasonic transducer, wherein the ultrasonic pulses are reflected by a top surface of the material in the tank;
- receiving reflected pulses by the transducer and converting the reflected pulses into electrical signals;
- generating a digital echo profile based on the electrical signals, wherein the digital echo profile is processed by the microprocessor, comprising:
- periodically calculating an error correction;
- maintaining a plurality of error buckets, each error bucket corresponding to a given part of a measurement range, each error correction calculated being assigned to an appropriate error correction bucket;
- and
- adding the calculated error correction to a previous error correction in that bucket using a first order filter.
6 more elements
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.