Ultrasonic Sensor Beam Focusing for Wrinkle Prevention
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Solution Overview
Problem
Conventional ultrasonic sensors used in form conveying devices often cause objects to wrinkle or jam due to the design of the aperture sections, which can lead to inaccuracies in detecting overlap feeds and other object states.
Innovation Solution
The ultrasonic sensor design includes a transmission section with tilted elements and aperture parts, performing beam focusing to converge ultrasonic waves onto a small focal point, minimizing the aperture area and reducing the likelihood of object catch, while maintaining high sound pressure and detection accuracy.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Object-affected harmful factors
If the aperture area of the first aperture part is made small to prevent object catch, then object wrinkling and jamming are suppressed, but the ultrasonic wave transmission intensity may be reduced
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies parameter changes by using delayed drive to control the phase and timing of ultrasonic waves from multiple transmission elements, transforming the wave propagation characteristics to achieve focusing. This allows the aperture area to be reduced while maintaining transmission intensity through constructive interference at the focal point.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent introduces a temporal dimension to the ultrasonic wave transmission by applying delayed drive across multiple transmission elements. This transforms a spatial aperture problem into a spatiotemporal focusing problem, where the focusing effect is achieved through both spatial arrangement and temporal phase control of the transmitted waves.
2Area of stationary object
If delayed drive is applied to converge ultrasonic waves toward the first aperture part, then beam focusing is achieved and aperture area can be reduced, but the device complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The transmission section is segmented into multiple transmission elements that can be independently controlled with different drive timings. This segmentation allows the complex focusing function to be distributed across multiple simpler elements, where each element contributes to the overall beam focusing through its individually controlled ultrasonic wave transmission.
3Measurement precision
If the transmission section performs delayed drive to converge ultrasonic waves, then detection accuracy is enhanced, but the energy consumption increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent uses parameter changes in the drive timing and phase of transmission elements to achieve beam focusing, which concentrates the ultrasonic energy into a smaller focal area. This increases the intensity at the detection point, improving measurement precision while the total energy consumption remains controlled through efficient energy concentration rather than dispersion.
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
This configuration effectively prevents object wrinkling and jamming while enhancing the accuracy of state detection by ensuring high-intensity reception signals, even with a reduced aperture area, thus improving the reliability of overlap feed detection.
Implementation Method 1
a transmission section disposed on a first axis tilted with respect to the conveying surface, and at a side opposite to the first base to the conveying surface, and configured to transmit an ultrasonic wave toward the first axis
Implementation Method 2
the transmission section performs delayed drive on the plurality of transmission elements to thereby converge the ultrasonic wave transmitted from the transmission section toward the first aperture part
Implementation Method 3
a reception section disposed on the first axis, and at a side opposite to the conveying surface to the transmission section, and configured to receive the ultrasonic wave
Data Source
AI summary
An ultrasonic sensor includes a first base facing a conveying surface, a transmission section on a first axis tilted relative to the conveying surface and at a far side of the first base for transmitting an ultrasonic wave toward the first axis, and a reception section on the first axis and at a far side of the conveying surface for receiving the ultrasonic wave. The transmission section has a plurality of transmission elements for transmitting the ultrasonic wave arranged to cross the first axis. The first base has a first aperture through which the ultrasonic wave transmitted from the transmission section along the first axis passes. An area of the first aperture is smaller than an area of an ultrasonic wave transmission surface of the transmission section. The transmission section delays driving the transmission elements to converge the ultrasonic wave transmitted from the transmission section toward the first aperture.