Ultrasonic transducer array control method, ultrasonic flowmeter, equipment, storage medium and program product

Abstract

The invention discloses an ultrasonic transducer array control method, an ultrasonic flowmeter, equipment, a storage medium and a program product, the array element spacing of an ultrasonic transducer array is larger than half of the ultrasonic wave length, the ultrasonic transducer array comprises a plurality of channels, and the method comprises the steps that the same excitation signals are applied to the channels respectively; wherein the excitation signals between the adjacent channels have time delay, so that the ultrasonic transducer array generates a multi-valve ultrasonic sound field. Therefore, controllable adjustment of the number and the direction of the valves can be realized by changing the array element spacing and the sequential control parameters of the excitation signals, and the flexibility and the adaptability of an ultrasonic sound field are effectively improved.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present invention relates to the technical field of ultrasonic transducers, and in particular to an ultrasonic transducer array control method, an ultrasonic flowmeter, a device, a storage medium and a program product. Background Art

[0002] Ultrasonic transducers are widely used in flow velocity measurement, non-destructive testing, distance detection, and medical imaging. Compared to traditional ultrasonic transducers based on bulk piezoelectric ceramic materials, micromachined ultrasonic transducers based on microelectromechanical systems (MEMS) technology offer better acoustic coupling performance and processing consistency, as well as ease of arraying and integration with electronic systems. Therefore, micromachined ultrasonic transducers are becoming the development trend of advanced ultrasonic transducers.

[0003] Based on the different driving methods, micromachined ultrasonic transducers are divided into capacitive microelectromechanical ultrasonic transducers (CMUT) and piezoelectric microelectromechanical ultrasonic transducers (PMUT). CMUT is known for its high bandwidth and high electromechanical coupling coefficient, but usually requires a higher DC bias voltage to achieve sufficient gap displacement to obtain a reasonable output sound pressure. PMUT does not need to consider gap distance, nor does it require a high DC bias voltage. It has a larger capacitance value and lower electrical impedance, is more compatible with the working circuit, and is less sensitive to parasitic capacitance. Therefore, PMUT has been widely used in ultrasonic flow meters, ultrasonic ranging, and fingerprint sensors.

[0004] However, the current PMUT can only generate an ultrasonic sound field of a single valve in a certain direction. For some applications, ultrasound with a certain intensity needs to be used in multiple directions. Therefore, it is particularly important to explore a PMUT that can generate an ultrasonic sound field of multiple valves. Summary of the Invention

[0005] The purpose of the present invention is to propose an ultrasonic transducer array control method, ultrasonic flowmeter, device, storage medium and program product to address the deficiencies of the above-mentioned prior art, and this purpose is achieved through the following technical solutions.

[0006] A first aspect of the present invention provides a method for controlling an ultrasonic transducer array, wherein the array element spacing of the ultrasonic transducer array is greater than half the ultrasonic wavelength, and the ultrasonic transducer array includes multiple channels. The method includes:

[0007] The same excitation signal is applied to the multiple channels respectively; wherein the excitation signals between adjacent channels are delayed, so that the ultrasonic transducer array generates a multi-valve ultrasonic sound field.

[0008] A second aspect of the present invention provides an ultrasonic flowmeter, comprising: a first ultrasonic transducer array, a second ultrasonic transducer array, and a third ultrasonic transducer array; the first ultrasonic transducer array and the second ultrasonic transducer array are both configured as ultrasonic receivers, and the third ultrasonic transducer array is configured as an ultrasonic transmitter;

[0009] The third ultrasonic transducer array is used to generate a multi-valve ultrasonic sound field using the method described in the first aspect;

[0010] a first ultrasonic transducer array, configured to receive the ultrasonic sound from the valve located upstream of the fluid;

[0011] The second ultrasonic transducer array is used to receive the valve located in the downstream direction of the fluid in the ultrasonic sound field.

[0012] A third aspect of the present invention provides an electronic device comprising an ultrasonic transducer array, a memory, a processor, and a computer program stored in the memory and executable on the processor, wherein the processor executes the program to implement the method described in the first aspect.

[0013] A fourth aspect of the present invention provides a computer-readable storage medium having a computer program stored thereon, wherein the program is executed by a processor to implement the method according to the first aspect.

[0014] A fifth aspect of the present invention provides a computer program product, comprising a computer program, characterized in that the computer program is executed by a processor to implement the method described in the first aspect.

[0015] Based on the above-mentioned ultrasonic transducer array control method, ultrasonic flowmeter, device, storage medium and program product, the present invention has the following beneficial effects or advantages:

[0016] By configuring the element spacing of the ultrasonic transducer array to be greater than half the wavelength of ultrasound and adding timing control to the excitation signals on each channel of the ultrasonic transducer array, that is, delaying the excitation signals between adjacent channels, a multi-valve sound field with uniform energy distribution is achieved. Therefore, by changing the element spacing and the timing control parameters of the excitation signal, the number and direction of the valves can be controlled and adjusted, effectively improving the flexibility and adaptability of the ultrasonic sound field.

[0017] By using an ultrasonic transducer array that generates a multi-valve ultrasonic sound field as a transmitter in an ultrasonic flowmeter, and using two ultrasonic transducer arrays as receivers to respectively receive the valves in the upstream direction of the fluid and the valves in the downstream direction of the fluid, the sensing of the upstream and downstream propagation time difference in a single measurement can be achieved. Compared with traditional ultrasonic flowmeters that can only generate a single valve and require the setting of a receive / transmit switch and two ultrasonic transducer arrays, the receive / transmit switch is used to switch the two ultrasonic transducer arrays between receiving and transmitting to achieve the measurement of the upstream and downstream propagation time difference. The solution can eliminate the need for a receive / transmit switch in traditional ultrasonic flowmeters and allow the ultrasonic transducer array as a transmitter and the ultrasonic transducer array as a receiver to be designed separately, making the system layout simpler. At the same time, since the complex switching process is eliminated, the real-time sensing capability of the ultrasonic flowmeter can be enhanced. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0018] The drawings described herein are used to provide a further understanding of the present invention and constitute a part of the present invention. The exemplary embodiments of the present invention and their descriptions are used to explain the present invention and do not constitute an improper limitation of the present invention. In the drawings:

[0019] Figure 1 1 is a schematic structural diagram of an ultrasonic transducer array according to an exemplary embodiment of the present invention;

[0020] Figure 2 This is a flow chart of an embodiment of a method for controlling an ultrasonic transducer array according to an exemplary embodiment of the present invention;

[0021] Figure 3A-3C is a schematic diagram showing generation of an ultrasonic sound field under conditions of different array element spacings according to an exemplary embodiment of the present invention;

[0022] Figure 4-Figure 5 1 is a diagram showing observation angles of different ultrasonic sound fields according to an exemplary embodiment of the present invention;

[0023] Figure 6 1 is a schematic structural diagram of an ultrasonic flowmeter according to an exemplary embodiment of the present invention;

[0024] Figure 7 Schematic diagram of an optimized structure of an ultrasonic flowmeter according to an exemplary embodiment of the present invention;

[0025] Figure 8 The figure is a schematic diagram showing the hardware structure of an electronic device according to an exemplary embodiment of the present invention. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0026] Exemplary embodiments will be described in detail herein, examples of which are illustrated in the accompanying drawings. In the following description, when referring to the drawings, like numbers in different figures represent the same or similar elements unless otherwise indicated. The embodiments described in the following exemplary embodiments are not intended to represent all possible embodiments consistent with the present invention. Rather, they are merely examples of systems and methods consistent with certain aspects of the present invention, as detailed in the appended claims.

[0027] The terms used in this invention are for the purpose of describing specific embodiments only and are not intended to limit the invention. The singular forms "a," "the," and "the" used in this invention and the appended claims are also intended to include plural forms unless the context clearly indicates otherwise. It should also be understood that the term "and / or" as used herein refers to and includes any or all possible combinations of one or more of the associated listed items.

[0028] It should be understood that although the terms "first," "second," "third," etc. may be used in the present invention to describe various information, such information should not be limited to these terms. These terms are merely used to distinguish information of the same type from one another. For example, first information may also be referred to as second information, and similarly, second information may also be referred to as first information, without departing from the scope of the present invention. Depending on the context, the term "if" as used herein may be interpreted as "when," "when," or "in response to determining."

[0029] PMUTs are categorized into single-tube and array types for different applications. A single-tube device is a MEMS device consisting of a single PMUT. Single-tube devices generally operate at lower frequencies, have stronger output and load capabilities, and are suitable for ultrasonic transmission. Array devices, consisting of multiple single-tube devices arranged together, generally operate at higher frequencies, offer a wider ultrasonic propagation range, and achieve high detection accuracy.

[0030] The present application embodiment is based on an array device (hereinafter referred to as an ultrasonic transducer array), such as Figure 1 In the ultrasonic transducer array structure shown, a single PMUT tube can be considered as an array element, and the array element spacing in the row and column directions is consistent. Typically, the array elements in a row of the array are connected in parallel, and multiple parallel array elements can be considered as a channel. Therefore, the number of channels in the ultrasonic transducer array is equal to the number of rows in the array. In transmit mode, each channel requires an excitation signal.

[0031] It should be noted that Figure 1 What is shown is an array composed of circular PMUT single tubes. Of course, the array can also be composed of square, rectangular, elliptical, etc. PMUT single tubes, and this application does not limit this.

[0032] Figure 2FIG. 1 is a flow chart of an embodiment of an ultrasonic transducer array control method according to an exemplary embodiment of the present invention, as shown in FIG. Figure 1 The ultrasonic transducer array shown includes multiple channels, and the control method includes:

[0033] Step 201: Apply the same excitation signal to multiple channels respectively; wherein there is a time delay in the excitation signals between adjacent channels, so that the ultrasonic transducer array generates a multi-valve ultrasonic sound field.

[0034] Among them, applying an excitation signal to the ultrasonic transducer array can make the ultrasonic transducer array emit an ultrasonic beam. If the excitation signals on each channel are time-controlled, there will be a delay in the excitation signals between adjacent channels, thereby causing beam deflection.

[0035] With the above Figure 1 Taking the ultrasonic transducer array shown as an example, it is assumed that the ultrasonic transducer array is composed of m*n array elements, which includes m channels. The first channel is the first row of array elements, the second channel is the second row of array elements, and so on.

[0036] For example, the timing control process of the excitation signal on each channel includes: first applying the excitation signal to the first channel, and after a certain delay, applying the same excitation signal to the second channel, and after a certain delay, applying the same excitation signal to the third channel, and so on, until the excitation signal is applied to the last channel, thereby completing the excitation of the ultrasonic transducer array.

[0037] The following explains the principle of changing the direction of the ultrasonic transducer array sound field by timing control:

[0038] When timing control is not performed, that is, the excitation signal is applied to each channel at the same time, under ideal conditions, the formula for calculating the intensity of the sound field at different angles generated by the array composed of circular PMUT single tubes is as follows:

[0039]

[0040] In the above formula 1, D represents the sound field intensity at an angle θ, the value range of θ is 0 degrees to 180 degrees, α is the radius of the circular PMUT single tube, N is the number of channels of the ultrasonic transducer array, d is the array element spacing, λ is the wavelength of the emitted ultrasonic wave, and J3 is the third-order form of the first-kind Bessel function.

[0041] When the excitation signals applied to different channels of the ultrasonic transducer array are controlled in sequence, the ultrasonic waves arriving at a certain point in the spatial sound field through different channels are delayed, causing the directionality of the sound field to deflect. The delay applied between different channels is the determining factor for the deflection angle of the sound field. After the excitation signals applied to different channels are controlled in sequence, under ideal conditions, the formula for calculating the intensity of the sound field generated by the array composed of circular PMUT single tubes in different angular directions is as follows:

[0042]

[0043] In the above formula 2, θ0 is the sound field deflection angle caused by the introduction of delay, θ0 = arcsin(cΔt / d), where c is the speed of sound and Δt is the delay value.

[0044] As can be seen from the above formula 2, by controlling the timing of the excitation signals applied to different channels, sound fields with different deflection angles can be obtained, so that the directionality of the sound field generated by the ultrasonic transducer array is the directionality desired in practical applications.

[0045] It is understandable that adjusting the element spacing d of the ultrasonic transducer array can significantly affect the grating lobes and beam shape in the sound field. In existing designs, to avoid the generation of grating lobes, the element spacing of the ultrasonic transducer array is typically limited to half the ultrasonic wavelength (λ / 2) to maximize the energy of the main lobe in the sound field and maintain the directivity of the sound field. In other words, the smaller the element spacing, the better.

[0046] However, when the array element spacing exceeds this limit, grating lobes may appear during the sound field deflection process. In the uniform excitation mode, where the excitation signals of different channels are not time-sequentially controlled, the sound field directivity is mainly controlled by the physical parameters of the ultrasonic transducer array. However, when the excitation signals of different channels are time-sequentially controlled, the active generation of a multi-lobe structure in the sound field can be achieved.

[0047] Therefore, the array element spacing of the ultrasonic transducer array in this embodiment must be greater than half the ultrasonic wavelength. That is, when designing the ultrasonic transducer array, the array element spacing must exceed the above limit to combine with timing control to achieve the generation of a multi-valve structure of the sound field.

[0048] Based on the above-described embodiments, by configuring the array element spacing of the ultrasonic transducer array to be greater than half the ultrasonic wavelength and adding timing control to the excitation signals for each channel of the ultrasonic transducer array, that is, delaying the excitation signals between adjacent channels, a multi-valve acoustic field with uniform energy distribution is achieved. Therefore, by varying the array element spacing and the timing control parameters of the excitation signals, the number and orientation of the valves can be controlled, effectively improving the flexibility and adaptability of the ultrasonic sound field.

[0049] In some embodiments of the present application, when the array element spacing is between half the ultrasonic wavelength and the ultrasonic wavelength, the delay of the excitation signal between adjacent channels is a first value, and the ultrasonic transducer array generates an ultrasonic sound field with two valves; when the array element spacing is greater than the ultrasonic wavelength, the delay of the excitation signal between adjacent channels is a second value, and the ultrasonic transducer array generates an ultrasonic sound field with more than two valves.

[0050] The critical condition for the appearance of grating lobes during the sound field deflection process can be calculated using the above formula 2 as follows:

[0051]

[0052] Put the above three inequalities into Approximately 1. The above critical conditions indicate that when the array element spacing is less than or equal to half the ultrasonic wavelength (λ / 2), that is, when inequality (1) is satisfied, the grating lobe does not appear during the beam deflection process, and a single-lobe sound field with only the main lobe is obtained; when the array element spacing is greater than half the ultrasonic wavelength (λ / 2) but less than or equal to the ultrasonic wavelength λ, that is, when inequality (2) is satisfied, the grating lobe appears during the beam deflection process, and a double-lobe sound field can be obtained; when the array element spacing is greater than the ultrasonic wavelength λ, that is, when inequality (3) is satisfied, more grating lobes appear in the sound field, thereby providing the possibility of obtaining a multi-lobe sound field.

[0053] It should be noted that this application does not specifically limit the derivation process of the above critical conditions, and the derivation can be achieved using existing technologies.

[0054] like Figure 3A As shown in the figure, it is the sound field diagram when the array element spacing is not equal to (1). The horizontal and vertical axes represent the plane space position. The black area represents the size of the sound pressure increase. The darker the color, the stronger the sound field. Figure 3A It means that when the array element spacing is limited to half the ultrasonic wavelength (λ / 2), as the sound field deflection angle θ0 caused by the introduction of delay continues to increase, only the main lobe is deflected, while the grating lobe does not appear during the sound field deflection process.

[0055] like Figure 3B As shown in the figure, it is the sound field diagram when the array element spacing is not equal to (2). The horizontal and vertical axes represent the plane space position. The black area represents the size of the sound pressure increase. The darker the color, the stronger the sound field. Figure 3B It means that when the array element spacing is limited to between half the ultrasonic wavelength (λ / 2) and the ultrasonic wavelength λ, as the sound field deflection angle θ0 caused by the introduction of delay continues to increase, grating lobes appear during the sound field deflection process, and by adjusting θ0, a symmetrical double-lobed sound field can be obtained.

[0056] Depend on Figure 3BIt can be seen from the three sound field diagrams in that compared with the main lobe width of the sound field diagram without deflection, the main lobe width after deflection is significantly narrower, and the beam directivity is significantly improved. Therefore, the beamforming capability of the array can be effectively optimized through timing control.

[0057] like Figure 3C As shown in the figure, it is the sound field diagram when the array element spacing is not equal to (3). The horizontal and vertical axes represent the plane space position. The black area represents the size of the sound pressure increase. The darker the color, the stronger the sound field. Figure 3C It means that when the array element spacing is greater than the ultrasonic wavelength λ, as the sound field deflection angle θ0 caused by the introduction of delay continues to increase, grating lobes appear during the sound field deflection process, and by adjusting θ0, a multi-lobed sound field can be obtained.

[0058] It should be noted that the first value is the optimal delay time for generating a symmetrical double-petal sound field when the array element spacing satisfies λ / 2-λ, and the second value is the optimal delay time for generating a multi-petal sound field when the array element spacing is greater than λ.

[0059] It should be further explained that the first value is greater than the second value, that is, the delay time required to generate a symmetrical double-valve when the array element spacing satisfies λ / 2-λ is greater than the delay time required to generate a multi-valve when the array element spacing is greater than λ.

[0060] In a specific embodiment, assuming that a 5-channel ultrasonic transducer array is used, the ultrasonic wavelength λ = 1372 μm, and the array element spacing d = 625 μm, thus satisfying the inequality (2) in the above critical condition, without timing control of the excitation signal of each channel, the sound field generated is processed by normalizing the sound pressure distribution to obtain Figure 4 The angle observation diagram shown is made by Figure 4 It can be seen that the main valve is presented in a single orientation.

[0061] Under the timing control of 2000ns delay for the excitation signal of each channel, the generated sound field is processed by normalized sound pressure distribution to obtain Figure 5 The angle observation diagram shown is made by Figure 5 It can be seen that a valve is formed in the 27 degree direction and a valve is formed in the 153 degree direction, and these two valves are symmetrical relative to the 90 degree direction.

[0062] Depend on Figure 5 and Figure 3B It can be seen that whether observing the double valves from the angle level or from the sound field level, the double valves are in a "V" shape.

[0063] Based on the above Figure 2Based on the shown embodiment, ultrasonic flowmeter is one of the important application scenarios of ultrasonic transducer array. This application designs an ultrasonic transducer array that generates a multi-valve sound field into the ultrasonic flowmeter to achieve real-time measurement of fluid flow rate.

[0064] In existing solutions, considering that ultrasonic transducer arrays can only produce a single-valve acoustic field in a single direction, existing ultrasonic flowmeters generally use a pair of ultrasonic transducer arrays placed on either side of the flow channel. By introducing a transmit / receive switch, the pair of ultrasonic transducer arrays alternately switch between transmitter and receiver to measure downstream and upstream propagation times, thereby obtaining the upstream and downstream propagation time difference. However, this method of fluid flow velocity measurement requires a high degree of performance balance between the ultrasonic transducer arrays, and the introduction of a transmit / receive switch increases system complexity and affects real-time measurement.

[0065] Based on this, an embodiment of the present application further proposes an ultrasonic flow meter to eliminate the need for a transmit / receive switch and achieve real-time measurement of fluid flow rate.

[0066] Figure 6 This is a structural schematic diagram of an ultrasonic flowmeter according to an exemplary embodiment of the present invention, including: a first ultrasonic transducer array, a second ultrasonic transducer array, and a third ultrasonic transducer array.

[0067] In this embodiment, the first ultrasonic transducer array and the second ultrasonic transducer array are both configured as ultrasonic receivers, that is, there is no need to apply excitation signals to the channels of the first ultrasonic transducer array and the second ultrasonic transducer array, and the third ultrasonic transducer array is configured as an ultrasonic transmitter, that is, it is necessary to apply excitation signals to the channels of the third ultrasonic transducer array.

[0068] The third ultrasonic transducer array is used to adopt the above Figure 1 The illustrated method embodiment generates a multi-valve ultrasonic sound field;

[0069] The first ultrasonic transducer array is used to receive the ultrasonic sound field of the valve located in the upstream direction of the fluid;

[0070] The second ultrasonic transducer array is used to receive the ultrasonic sound field from the valve located in the downstream direction of the fluid.

[0071] The valve located in the upstream direction of the fluid can be understood as a valve whose sound field direction is opposite to the fluid flow direction, and the valve located in the downstream direction of the fluid can be understood as a valve whose sound field direction is along the fluid flow direction.

[0072] During specific implementation, the first ultrasonic transducer array and the second ultrasonic transducer array are arranged on one side of the flow channel, and the third ultrasonic transducer array is arranged on the other side of the flow channel.

[0073] When measuring fluid flow rate, it is only necessary to apply an excitation signal to the third ultrasonic transducer array to generate a multi-valve ultrasonic sound field, so that the first ultrasonic transducer array and the second ultrasonic transducer array can simultaneously receive the valves, that is, the first ultrasonic transducer array receives the valves located in the upstream direction of the fluid, and the second ultrasonic transducer array receives the valves located in the downstream direction of the fluid in the ultrasonic sound field, and calculates the upstream propagation time and the downstream propagation time respectively, so that the upstream and downstream propagation time difference can be obtained in a single measurement.

[0074] Based on the above embodiment scheme, by using an ultrasonic transducer array that generates a multi-valve ultrasonic sound field as a transmitter in the ultrasonic flowmeter, and using two ultrasonic transducer arrays as receivers to respectively receive the valves in the upstream direction of the fluid and the valves in the downstream direction of the fluid, the sensing of the upstream and downstream propagation time difference in a single measurement is realized. Compared with the traditional ultrasonic flowmeter, which can only generate a single valve and requires the setting of a receive / transmit switch and two ultrasonic transducer arrays, the receive / transmit switch is used to switch the two ultrasonic transducer arrays between receiving and transmitting to realize the measurement of the upstream and downstream propagation time difference. The present scheme can eliminate the need for the receive / transmit switch in the traditional ultrasonic flowmeter, and allows the ultrasonic transducer array as the transmitter and the ultrasonic transducer array as the receiver to be designed separately, so that the system layout is simpler. At the same time, since the complex switching process is eliminated, the real-time sensing capability of the ultrasonic flowmeter can be enhanced.

[0075] In some embodiments, considering that only the upstream propagation time and the downstream propagation time need to be measured in the ultrasonic flowmeter, the element spacing of the third ultrasonic transducer array is between half the ultrasonic wavelength and the ultrasonic wavelength. By controlling the ultrasonic transducer array to generate a symmetrical double valve, the sound field energy is concentrated on the two valves, that is, one valve is located in the upstream direction of the fluid and the other valve is located in the downstream direction of the fluid. In this way, the first ultrasonic transducer array and the second ultrasonic transducer array can receive valves with relatively high energy intensity, which can improve the detection accuracy.

[0076] like Figure 7 As shown, the third ultrasonic transducer array transmits a V-shaped double-valve sound field, the first ultrasonic transducer array receives the valve propagating upstream, and the second ultrasonic transducer array receives the valve propagating downstream.

[0077] In some embodiments, the ultrasonic flow meter may further include:

[0078] The processor is configured to determine a fluid flow rate based on an ultrasonic emission time of the third ultrasonic transducer array, an ultrasonic reception time of the first ultrasonic transducer array, and an ultrasonic reception time of the second ultrasonic transducer array.

[0079] The ultrasonic transmission time of the third ultrasonic transducer array is the start time of ultrasonic signal transmission, and the ultrasonic reception time is the time when the ultrasonic signal is received. The upstream propagation time and the downstream propagation time of the first ultrasonic transducer array and the second ultrasonic transducer array can be used to calculate the upstream propagation time and the downstream propagation time difference, respectively. The fluid flow rate can then be calculated based on the upstream and downstream propagation time difference.

[0080] Figure 8 This is a hardware structure diagram of an electronic device according to an exemplary embodiment of the present invention. The electronic device includes: a communication interface 401, a processor 402, a machine-readable storage medium 403, and a bus 404. The electronic device can be understood as a device that utilizes an ultrasonic transducer array, such as an ultrasonic ranging device. The communication interface 401, processor 402, and machine-readable storage medium 403 communicate with each other via bus 404. The processor 402 executes the ultrasonic transducer array control method described above by reading and executing machine-executable instructions corresponding to the control logic of the ultrasonic transducer array control method in the machine-readable storage medium 403. The specific content of this method is described in the above embodiments and will not be repeated here.

[0081] The machine-readable storage medium 403 mentioned in the present invention can be any electronic, magnetic, optical, or other physical storage system that can contain or store information, such as executable instructions, data, etc. For example, the machine-readable storage medium can be: volatile memory, non-volatile memory, or similar storage medium. Specifically, the machine-readable storage medium 403 can be RAM (Random Access Memory), flash memory, a storage drive (such as a hard disk drive), any type of storage disk (such as a CD, DVD, etc.), or similar storage media, or a combination thereof.

[0082] An embodiment of the present invention further provides a computer-readable storage medium corresponding to the ultrasonic transducer array control method provided in the aforementioned embodiment, on which a computer program (i.e., a program product) is stored. When the computer program is run by a processor, it executes the ultrasonic transducer array control method provided in any of the aforementioned embodiments.

[0083] It should be noted that examples of the computer-readable storage medium may also include, but are not limited to, phase change memory (PRAM), static random access memory (SRAM), dynamic random access memory (DRAM), other types of random access memory (RAM), read-only memory (ROM), electrically erasable programmable read-only memory (EEPROM), flash memory or other optical or magnetic storage media, which are not listed here one by one.

[0084] The computer-readable storage medium provided by the above embodiment of the present invention and the ultrasonic transducer array control method provided by the embodiment of the present invention are based on the same inventive concept and have the same beneficial effects as the method adopted, run or implemented by the application program stored therein.

[0085] An embodiment of the present invention further provides a computer program product corresponding to the ultrasonic transducer array control method provided in the aforementioned embodiment. The computer program product includes a computer program, which is executed by a processor to implement the ultrasonic transducer array control method provided in the aforementioned embodiment.

[0086] The computer program product provided by the above-mentioned embodiment of the present invention and the ultrasonic transducer array control method provided by the embodiment of the present invention are based on the same inventive concept and have the same beneficial effects as the method adopted, run or implemented by the application program stored therein.

[0087] Other embodiments of the present invention will readily occur to those skilled in the art after considering the specification and practicing the invention disclosed herein. The present invention is intended to cover any variations, uses, or adaptations of the present invention that follow from the general principles of the invention and include common knowledge or customary techniques in the art not disclosed herein. The description and examples are to be considered as exemplary only, with the true scope and spirit of the invention being indicated by the following claims.

[0088] It should also be noted that the terms "comprises," "includes," or any other variations thereof are intended to encompass non-exclusive inclusion, such that a process, method, commodity, or apparatus that includes a series of elements includes not only those elements but also other elements not explicitly listed, or includes elements inherent to such process, method, commodity, or apparatus. In the absence of further limitations, an element defined by the phrase "comprises a ..." does not exclude the presence of other identical elements in the process, method, commodity, or apparatus that includes the element.

[0089] The above description is only a preferred embodiment of the present invention and is not intended to limit the present invention. Any modifications, equivalent substitutions, improvements, etc. made within the spirit and principles of the present invention should be included in the scope of protection of the present invention.

Claims

1. A method for controlling an ultrasonic transducer array, characterized in that: The array element spacing of the ultrasonic transducer array is greater than half of the ultrasonic wavelength, the ultrasonic transducer array includes multiple channels, and the method includes: The same excitation signal is applied to the multiple channels respectively; wherein the excitation signals between adjacent channels are delayed, so that the ultrasonic transducer array generates a multi-valve ultrasonic sound field.

2. The method according to claim 1, characterized in that When the array element spacing is between half the ultrasonic wavelength and the ultrasonic wavelength, the delay of the excitation signal between adjacent channels is a first value, and the ultrasonic transducer array generates a double-valve ultrasonic sound field; When the array element spacing is greater than the ultrasonic wavelength, the delay of the excitation signal between adjacent channels is a second value, and the ultrasonic transducer array generates an ultrasonic sound field with more than two lobes.

3. The method according to claim 2, characterized in that The first value is greater than the second value.

4. The method according to claim 2, characterized in that The ultrasonic sound field of the double valve is V-shaped.

5. An ultrasonic flow meter, characterized in that: include: a first ultrasonic transducer array, a second ultrasonic transducer array, and a third ultrasonic transducer array; the first ultrasonic transducer array and the second ultrasonic transducer array are both configured as ultrasonic receivers, and the third ultrasonic transducer array is configured as an ultrasonic transmitter; The third ultrasonic transducer array is used to generate an ultrasonic sound field of a multi-valve using the method according to any one of claims 1 to 4; a first ultrasonic transducer array, configured to receive the ultrasonic sound from the valve located upstream of the fluid; The second ultrasonic transducer array is used to receive the valve located in the downstream direction of the fluid in the ultrasonic sound field.

6. The ultrasonic flowmeter according to claim 5, characterized in that The array element spacing of the third ultrasonic transducer array is between half the ultrasonic wavelength and the ultrasonic wavelength. In the double valves generated by the ultrasonic transducer array, one valve is located in the upstream direction of the fluid, and the other valve is located in the downstream direction of the fluid.

7. The ultrasonic flowmeter according to claim 5, characterized in that Also includes: The processor is configured to determine a fluid flow rate based on an ultrasonic transmission time of the third ultrasonic transducer array, an ultrasonic reception time of the first ultrasonic transducer array, and an ultrasonic reception time of the second ultrasonic transducer array.

8. An electronic device, characterized in that: The invention comprises an ultrasonic transducer array, a memory, a processor and a computer program stored in the memory and executable on the processor, wherein the processor executes the program to implement the method according to any one of claims 1 to 4.

9. A computer-readable storage medium, characterized in that A computer program is stored thereon, and the program is executed by a processor to implement the method according to any one of claims 1 to 4.

10. A computer program product, characterized in that The method comprises a computer program, wherein the computer program is executed by a processor to implement the method according to any one of claims 1 to 4.

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