Multi-modal acoustic imaging tool

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-12379491-B2
Application number	US-202217583477-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Jan 25, 2022
Priority date	Nov 2, 2017
Publication date	Aug 5, 2025
Grant date	Aug 5, 2025

Abstract

Systems and methods directed toward acoustic analysis can include a plurality of acoustic sensor arrays, each including a plurality of acoustic sensor elements, and a processor in communication with the plurality of acoustic sensor arrays. The processor can be configured to select one or more of the plurality of acoustic sensor arrays based on one or more input parameters, and generate acoustic image data representative of an acoustic scene based on received acoustic data from the selected one or more acoustic sensor arrays. Such input parameters can include distance information and/or frequency information. Different acoustic sensor arrays can share acoustic sensor elements in common or can be entirely separate from one another. Acoustic image data can be combined with electromagnetic image data from an electromagnetic imaging tool to generate a display image.

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1. An acoustic analysis system comprising:
a plurality of acoustic sensors configured to receive acoustic signals from an acoustic scene and output acoustic data based on the acoustic signals; and
a processor in communication with the plurality of acoustic sensors, wherein the processor is configured to:
receive input parameters that include:
distance information representative of a distance from the plurality of acoustic sensors to a target in the acoustic scene, and
frequency information representative of a frequency content of acoustic signals generated in the acoustic scene, wherein the frequency information is based on a frequency content of a previously-received acoustic signal or based on a desired or expected frequency content of an acoustic signal to be received from the acoustic scene;

select a subset of acoustic sensors from the plurality of acoustic sensors, wherein the subset of acoustic sensors is selected based on a combination of both the distance information and the frequency information;
receive acoustic data from the subset of acoustic sensors; and
generate acoustic image data representative of the acoustic scene based on the acoustic data received from the subset of acoustic sensors.

2. The acoustic analysis system of claim 1 , wherein the processor is configured to:
receive an acoustic signal from at least one acoustic sensor of the plurality of acoustic sensors; and
determine, from the acoustic signal, the frequency information representative of the frequency content of acoustic signals generated in the acoustic scene.

3. The acoustic analysis system of claim 1 , wherein the processor is configured to:
receive the frequency information, wherein the frequency information is representative of a desired or expected frequency range of the frequency content to be received from the acoustic scene.

4. The acoustic analysis system of claim 1 , wherein the input parameters further include a selection of acoustic sensors from the plurality of acoustic sensors, the selection being received from a user interface.

5. The acoustic analysis system of claim 1 , wherein the processor is configured to receive the distance information from a distance measuring tool that outputs distance information representative of the distance from the plurality of acoustic sensors to the target in the acoustic scene.

6. The acoustic analysis system of claim 1 , wherein the plurality of acoustic sensors includes a first set of acoustic sensors arranged in a first acoustic sensor array and a second set of acoustic sensors arranged in a second acoustic sensor array, and the second acoustic sensor array has at least one acoustic sensor in common with the first acoustic sensor array, and
wherein the processor is configured to select the subset of acoustic sensors from the first acoustic sensor array or the second acoustic sensor array based on the input parameters.

7. The acoustic analysis system of claim 6 , wherein the second set of acoustic sensors is a subset of the first set of acoustic sensors.

8. The acoustic analysis system of claim 6 , wherein one or more acoustic sensors in the second acoustic sensor array that are not in common with the first acoustic sensor array are nested within the first acoustic sensor array.

9. The acoustic analysis system of claim 1 , wherein the processor is configured to:
select a back-propagation calculation from a plurality of back-propagation calculations based on the distance information and the frequency information; and
generate the acoustic image data by performing the back-propagation calculation on the acoustic data received from the subset of acoustic sensors.

10. The acoustic analysis system of claim 1 , wherein the plurality of acoustic sensors includes a first set of acoustic sensors arranged in a first acoustic sensor array and a second set of acoustic sensors arranged in a second acoustic sensor array, and the first acoustic sensor array and the second acoustic sensor array do not have any acoustic sensors in common, and
wherein the processor is configured to select the subset of acoustic sensors from the first acoustic sensor array or the second acoustic sensor array based on the combination of both the distance information and the frequency information.

11. The acoustic analysis system of claim 10 , wherein the first set of acoustic sensors includes at least an acoustic sensor of a first type, and the second set of acoustic sensors includes at least an acoustic sensor of a second type that is different from the first type.

12. The acoustic analysis system of claim 10 , wherein the second set of acoustic sensors in the second acoustic sensor array are positioned between the acoustic scene and the first set of acoustic sensors in the first acoustic sensor array.

13. The acoustic analysis system of claim 1 , wherein the plurality of acoustic sensors includes a first set of acoustic sensors arranged in a first acoustic sensor array, a second set of acoustic sensors arranged in a second acoustic sensor array, and a third set of acoustic sensors arranged in a third acoustic sensor array, and wherein the processor is configured to select the subset of acoustic sensors from the first acoustic sensor array, the second acoustic sensor array, or the third acoustic sensor array based on the combination of both the distance information and the frequency information.

14. The acoustic analysis system of claim 13 , wherein the first acoustic sensor array is optimized for a first frequency range, the second acoustic sensor array is optimized for a second frequency range, and the third acoustic sensor array is optimized for a third frequency range.

15. A method for acoustic analysis, comprising:
receiving, by an acoustic imaging tool, input parameters that include:
distance information representative of a distance from a plurality of acoustic sensors of the acoustic imaging tool to a target in an acoustic scene, and
frequency information representative of a frequency content of acoustic signals generated in the acoustic scene, wherein the frequency information is based on a frequency content of a previously-received acoustic signal or based on a desired or expected frequency content of an acoustic signal to be received from the acoustic scene;

selecting a subset of acoustic sensors from the plurality of acoustic sensors, wherein the subset of acoustic sensors is selected based on a combination of both the distance information and the frequency information;
receiving acoustic data from the subset of acoustic sensors; and
generating acoustic image data representative of the acoustic scene based on the acoustic data received from the subset of acoustic sensors.

16. The method of claim 15 , further comprising selecting a back-propagation calculation from a plurality of back-propagation calculations based on the distance information, and generating the acoustic image data by performing the back-propagation calculation on the acoustic data received from the subset of acoustic sensors.

17. The method of claim 15 , wherein the plurality of acoustic sensors includes a first set of acoustic sensors arranged in a first acoustic sensor array and a second set of acoustic sensors arranged in a second acoustic sensor array, and
wherein the subset of acoustic sensors is selected from the first acoustic sensor array or the second acoustic sensor array based on the combination of both the distance information and the frequency information.

18. The method of claim 15 , further comprising:
receiving an ac

Assignees

• Fluke Corp

Inventors

• Stuart Michael D

Classifications

• H04N23/20

  for generating image signals from infrared radiation only · CPC title

• G01S3/808

  using transducers spaced apart and measuring phase or time difference between signals therefrom, i.e. path-difference systems · CPC title

• 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

• G01J5/025

  Interfacing a pyrometer to an external device or network; User interface · CPC title

• G06T2207/20221

  Image fusion; Image merging · CPC title