Ultrasonic HDR Digitizer Using Sequential Gain-Scaled Echo Sampling
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing ultrasonic inspection devices face challenges due to complex analog circuitry, high manufacturing costs, and limited miniaturization, which affect inspection measurement performance and circuit board space, particularly in high dynamic range applications.
Innovation Solution
A high dynamic range digitizer system that employs a minimum number of analog to digital converters and supporting circuitry, utilizing sequential pulser excitations, signal scaling, and digitization of response signals to achieve high performance, while detecting channel overflow conditions and merging channels into a steady output stream.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Measurement precision
If multiple analog to digital converters are used in parallel HDR design, then measurement precision and dynamic range are improved, but device complexity and manufacturing cost increase
Solution Approach 1:
The patent implements sequential HDR design where a single ADC is triggered multiple times in succession to acquire signal samples at different gain settings. The pulser generates periodic excitations, and the ADC sequentially samples the response signals through multiple acquisition cycles, replacing the need for multiple parallel ADCs while achieving the same dynamic range measurement precision
Solution Approach 2:
The patent merges the functions of multiple ADCs into a single ADC by combining multiple signal acquisition cycles with different gain settings. The digital logic device processes samples from multiple sequential acquisitions and merges them into a single high dynamic range output, reducing hardware complexity while maintaining measurement precision
2Measurement precision
If multiple analog to digital converters are used in parallel HDR design, then measurement precision and dynamic range are improved, but manufacturing cost increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent extracts the dynamic range measurement capability from multiple ADCs and implements it using a single ADC through sequential acquisitions with varying gain settings. This extraction approach eliminates the need for multiple expensive converter components while preserving the high dynamic range measurement precision through software-based signal processing
Solution Approach 2:
The patent uses a single, less expensive ADC component that can be sequentially reconfigured for different gain settings rather than requiring multiple expensive high-performance ADCs. The sequential acquisition approach allows the same hardware to be reused multiple times, reducing overall manufacturing cost while achieving equivalent measurement precision
3Adaptability or versatility
If complex analog circuitry is used, then signal processing capability is improved, but circuit board space increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent replaces complex analog signal processing circuitry with digital signal processing. The analog front end is simplified to minimal necessary components, while the majority of signal processing functions (gain adjustment, filtering, dynamic range expansion) are implemented through digital logic devices and software algorithms, dramatically reducing circuit board space requirements
Solution Approach 2:
The patent implements a universal digital processing platform that can handle multiple signal processing functions through software configuration. The same hardware components (single ADC, digital logic device) can be reconfigured to perform different processing tasks, replacing what would traditionally require multiple specialized analog circuits and reducing overall circuit board space
Applied Scientific Principles
This section explains which scientific principles are used to turn an abstract innovation direction into a practical engineering solution.
Function Achieved in This Case
The solution enables high-performance ultrasonic inspection with reduced hardware costs and increased miniaturization, maintaining high dynamic range sensitivity and accuracy, with the ability to represent measurements in logarithmic or linear amplitude scales.
Implementation Method 1
a digital logic device, configured to trigger the transmitter to cause a sequence of excitations of the probe system to produce a sequence of consecutive acoustical waves
Implementation Method 2
the probe system...is further configured to receive a sequence of reflected acoustical waves and to produce a sequence of corresponding electrical signals
Data Source
AI summary
An apparatus for performing ultrasonic inspection of an object, during one measurement on the object, triggers a sequence of excitations of the probe system and receives a sequence of substantially identical echo signals reflected from the object, and further scales each echo signal to different degrees to increase and extend the dynamic range of the echo signals. An A/D converter is then used to digitize the scaled signal sequentially in a manner which dispenses the need for using numerous A/D converters and the associated filters. The digitized signal samples are then combined to produce a single digital output in a manner that is not over-flowed and with desirable resolution. A sequence of successive acquisitions of the scaled signal with the highest sensitivity are averaged to reduce system noise.