Portable acoustic imaging tool with scanning and analysis capability

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-11913829-B2
Application number	US-202117560836-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Dec 23, 2021
Priority date	Nov 2, 2017
Publication date	Feb 27, 2024
Grant date	Feb 27, 2024

Abstract

Systems and methods directed toward acoustic analysis can include an acoustic sensor array comprising a plurality of acoustic sensor elements, an electromagnetic imaging tool, and a processor in communication with the acoustic sensor array and the electromagnetic imaging tool. The processor can be configured to analyze acoustic data to extract one or more acoustic parameters representative of acoustic signals at one or more locations in an acoustic scene and generate a display image that includes electromagnetic image data and acoustic image data. The display image can further include information indicative of the one or more acoustic parameters at one or more locations in the acoustic scene, such as including acoustic image data in the display image at locations in the scene at which the one or more acoustic parameters satisfies a predetermined condition.

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1. A method for analyzing a scene for one or more sounds of interest, comprising:
receiving acoustic signals from the scene;
identifying a subset of the acoustic signals at one or more locations in the scene where the acoustic signals have at least one acoustic parameter that satisfies a predetermined condition;
generating acoustic image data based on the subset of the acoustic signals; and
generating a display image that includes the acoustic image data and electromagnetic image data representative of electromagnetic radiation from the scene, wherein the display image visually indicates at least one of the one or more locations in the scene where the acoustic signals have the at least one acoustic parameter that satisfies the predetermined condition.

2. The method of claim 1 , wherein the display image visually indicates all locations in the scene where the acoustic signals have the at least one acoustic parameter that satisfies the predetermined condition.

3. The method of claim 1 , further comprising:
generating a series of display images that include acoustic image data and electromagnetic image data, wherein each display image in the series of the display images visually indicates a different location in the scene where the acoustic signals have the at least one acoustic parameter that satisfies the predetermined condition; and
displaying the series of display images in a cycle, each display image in the cycle visually indicating the different location in the scene where the acoustic signals have the at least one acoustic parameter satisfying the predetermined condition.

4. The method of claim 1 , wherein generating the display image includes generating the display image such that the acoustic image data in the display image includes only acoustic image data that is based on the subset of the acoustic signals.

5. The method of claim 1 , wherein the at least one acoustic parameter is a frequency, intensity, periodicity of occurrence, or proximity of the acoustic signals at the one or more locations in the scene.

6. The method of claim 5 , wherein the predetermined condition includes at least one of an amount, an amount of change, or a rate of change, of the frequency, intensity, periodicity of occurrence, or proximity of the acoustic signals.

7. The method of claim 1 , wherein generating the display image includes palettizing the acoustic image data according to at least one of an amount, an amount of change, or a rate of change, of the at least one acoustic parameter of the acoustic signals, and including the palettized acoustic image data in the display image.

8. The method of claim 1 , further comprising:
comparing the acoustic signals received from the scene with acoustic data in a baseline profile of the scene, wherein the baseline profile includes one or more baseline acoustic parameters associated with the scene,
wherein the acoustic signals in the subset of the acoustic signals have at least one acoustic parameter that satisfies the predetermined condition when the at least one acoustic parameter differs from a corresponding baseline acoustic parameter in the baseline profile by at least a predetermined amount.

9. The method of claim 8 , wherein the scene includes a plurality of locations where the acoustic signals have the at least one acoustic parameter satisfying the predetermined condition, and the baseline profile includes one or more baseline acoustic parameters associated with each location in the plurality of locations.

10. The method of claim 8 , further comprising:
outputting an alert if the at least one acoustic parameter differs from the corresponding baseline acoustic parameter in the baseline profile by at least the predetermined amount.

11. The method of claim 1 , further comprising:
updating the predetermined condition;
identifying an updated subset of the acoustic signals at one or more locations in the scene where the acoustic signals have at least one acoustic parameter that satisfies the updated predetermined condition; and
updating the display image to visually indicate at least one of the one or more locations in the scene where the acoustic signals have the at least one acoustic parameter that satisfies the updated predetermined condition.

12. A handheld acoustic imaging tool, comprising:
an acoustic sensor array comprising a plurality of acoustic sensor elements configured to receive acoustic signals from a scene;
an electromagnetic imaging tool configured to receive electromagnetic radiation from the scene and output electromagnetic image data representative of the electromagnetic radiation; and
a processor configured to:
identify a subset of the acoustic signals at one or more locations in the scene where the acoustic signals have at least one acoustic parameter that satisfies a predetermined condition;
generate acoustic image data based on the subset of the acoustic signals; and
generate a display image that includes the acoustic image data and the electromagnetic image data.

13. The handheld acoustic imaging tool of claim 12 ,
wherein the acoustic image data in the display image is palettized according to the at least one acoustic parameter to visually indicate at least one of the one or more locations in the scene where the acoustic signals have the at least one acoustic parameter that satisfies the predetermined condition.

14. The handheld acoustic imaging tool of claim 12 , wherein the processor is configured to:
generate a series of display images that include the acoustic image data and the electromagnetic image data, wherein the acoustic image data in each display image of the series of display images is palettized according to the at least one acoustic parameter; and
display the series of display images in a cycle, each display image in the cycle visually indicating a different location in the scene where the acoustic signals have the at least one acoustic parameter satisfying the predetermined condition.

15. The handheld acoustic imaging tool of claim 14 , further comprising a user interface that enables a user to control the display of the series of display images.

16. The handheld acoustic imaging tool of claim 12 , wherein the processor is configured to combine the acoustic image data and the electromagnetic image data in the display image only at a location or locations in the scene where the acoustic signals have the at least one acoustic parameter satisfying the predetermined condition.

17. The handheld acoustic imaging tool of claim 12 , wherein the at least one acoustic parameter is a frequency, intensity, periodicity of occurrence, or proximity of the acoustic signals in the scene.

18. The handheld acoustic imaging tool of claim 17 , wherein the predetermined condition includes at least one of an amount, an amount of change, or a rate of change, of the frequency, intensity, periodicity of occurrence, or proximity of the acoustic signals in the scene.

19. The handheld acoustic imaging tool of claim 12 , wherein the processor is configured to compare the acoustic signals with a baseline profile that includes one or more baseline acoustic parameters associated with the scene, and
wherein the at least one acoustic parameter satisfies the predetermined condition when the at least one acoustic parameter differs from a corresponding baseline acoustic parameter in the baseline profile by at least a predetermined amount.

20. The handheld acoustic imaging tool of claim 12 , wherein the processor is configured to compare

Assignees

• Fluke Corp

Inventors

• Stuart Michael D
• Prabhakar Dileepa

Classifications

• G01H3/125 Primary

  for representing acoustic field distribution (using optical means G01H9/002; sonar systems for imaging G01S7/56, G01S15/89; acoustic holography G03H3/00) · CPC title

• G01S3/801

  Details {(G01S3/82, G01S3/84, G01S3/86 take precedence)} · CPC title

• G01S3/8083

  determining direction of source · CPC title

• H04R29/008

  Visual indication of individual signal levels (visual indication of stereophonic sound image H04S7/40) · CPC title

• H04R2430/20

  Processing of the output signals of the acoustic transducers of an array for obtaining a desired directivity characteristic (H04R2203/12 takes precedence) · CPC title