Ultrasonic transducers using adaptive multi-frequency hopping and coding

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-10564016-B2
Application number	US-201816039529-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Jul 19, 2018
Priority date	Dec 6, 2017
Publication date	Feb 18, 2020
Grant date	Feb 18, 2020

Abstract

An ultrasonic flow meter (UFM) includes a first and second ultrasonic transducer for attaching to a pipe, and a transceiver coupled to the transducers by a multiplexer. A controller having an associated memory runs an adaptive multi-frequency hopping and coding algorithm that selects ≥1 frequency to be hopped within the measured transducer impedance spectrum using a threshold level that selects at least a peak for the phase or a valley for the magnitude, and selects a coding scheme for the chosen frequency to provide a coded frequency sequence. A received signal generated responsive to an ultrasonic signal with the coded frequency sequence into the fluid is decoded, and peak detection is performed on the decoded received signal. The travel time is calculated from the decoded signal, and a speed of the fluid is then determined from the travel time.

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1. A method of flow measurement for a fluid flowing in a pipe using an ultrasonic flow meter (UFM), comprising:
measuring a magnitude or a phase of an impedance for each of a sample of ultrasonic transducers as a function of frequency to generate an impedance spectrum;
selecting at least one transducer pair from said sample of ultrasonic transducers including a first ultrasonic transducer and a second ultrasonic transducer based on a matching of their said impedance spectrum;
selecting at least one chosen frequency to be hopped within a bandwidth or frequency range of said impedance spectrum using a threshold level to select at least one peak for said phase or at least one valley for said magnitude;
selecting at least one coding scheme for said chosen frequency to provide a coded frequency sequence;
transmitting an ultrasonic signal with said coded frequency sequence into said fluid;
decoding a received signal that is generated in responsive to said transmitting;
performing peak detection on said decoded received signal;
computing a travel time from said decoded received signal, and
using said travel time to determine a speed of said fluid.

2. The method of claim 1 , wherein said selecting at least one chosen frequency comprises selecting said valley for said magnitude.

3. The method of claim 1 , wherein said selecting at least one chosen frequency comprises selecting said peak for said phase.

4. The method of claim 1 , wherein said at least one chosen frequency comprises at least two chosen frequencies, and wherein said at least one coding scheme comprises a plurality of different coded frequency sequences.

5. The method of claim 1 , wherein said coding scheme is performed with a pulse shape signal coded with a pulse repetition frequency (PRF) equal to said chosen frequency.

6. The method of claim 1 , wherein said coding scheme is performed with a sinusoid shape signal coded with a sinusoid frequency equal to the chosen frequency.

7. The method of claim 1 , wherein said coding scheme is performed with a sinusoid coded signal with a pulsed interval where its pulse repetition frequency (PRF) is equal to said chosen frequency.

8. An ultrasonic flow meter (UFM), comprising:
at least one ultrasonic transducer pair selected based on a matching of their impedance spectrum comprising a first ultrasonic transducer and a second ultrasonic transducer spaced apart by a distance for attaching to a pipe;
a transceiver coupled to said ultrasonic transducers by a digitally controlled multiplexer;
a controller coupled to said transceiver that has an associated memory which stores an adaptive multi-frequency hopping and coding algorithm, or said algorithm is implemented as digital logic, said algorithm,
selecting at least one chosen frequency to be hopped within a frequency range or bandwidth of said impedance spectrum using a threshold level to select at least one peak for said phase or at least one valley for said magnitude;
selecting at least one coding scheme for said chosen frequency to provide a coded frequency sequence;
decoding a received signal that is generated in responsive to transmitting an ultrasonic signal with said coded frequency sequence into said fluid;
performing peak detection on said decoded received signal;
computing a travel time from said decoded received signal, and
determining a speed of said fluid from said travel time.

9. The UFM of claim 8 , wherein said selecting at least one chosen frequency comprises selecting said valley for said magnitude.

10. The UFM of claim 8 , wherein said selecting at least one chosen frequency comprises selecting said peak for said phase.

11. The UFM of claim 8 , wherein said algorithm is implemented as said digital logic.

12. The UFM of claim 8 , wherein said algorithm is implemented as a stored algorithm in said memory.

13. The UFM of claim 8 , wherein said at least one chosen frequency comprises at least two chosen frequencies, and wherein said at least one coding scheme comprises a plurality of different coded frequency sequences.

14. The UFM of claim 8 , wherein said coding scheme is performed with a pulse shape signal coded with a pulse repetition frequency (PRF) equal to said chosen frequency.

15. The UFM of claim 8 , wherein said coding scheme is performed with a sinusoid shape signal coded with a sinusoid frequency equal to the chosen frequency.

16. The UFM of claim 8 , wherein said coding scheme is performed with a sinusoid coded signal with a pulsed interval where its pulse repetition frequency (PRF) is equal to said chosen frequency.

Assignees

• Honeywell Int Inc

Inventors

• Sai Bin
• Bies Christian
• Aeschlimann Fabien

Classifications

• G01P5/245

  by measuring transit time of acoustical waves (measuring propagation velocity of acoustical waves per se G01H5/00) · CPC title

• G01F1/66

  by measuring frequency, phase shift or propagation time of electromagnetic or other waves, e.g. using ultrasonic flowmeters · CPC title

• G01F1/667 Primary

  Arrangements of transducers for ultrasonic flowmeters; Circuits for operating ultrasonic flowmeters · CPC title