Ultrasonic Thickness Measurement Array for Material Sheets
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing ultrasonic devices for measuring the thickness and grammage of material sheets are limited in accuracy and efficiency, particularly in contactless and continuous measurement processes, often requiring mechanical moving parts and resulting in high reject rates due to material defects.
Innovation Solution
A system comprising an ultrasonic transmitting and receiving device with multiple transmitters and receivers, arranged in a distributed configuration to measure transmission and reflection of ultrasonic waves, allowing for parallel processing and continuous measurement without mechanical movement, thereby improving thickness and grammage determination accuracy and reducing defects.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Measurement precision
If a single ultrasonic transmitter and receiver are used for measurement, then the device complexity is low, but the measurement precision and productivity are insufficient due to limited spatial density and repetition rate
Solution Approach 1:
The ultrasonic measurement device is segmented into multiple transmitters and receivers arranged in arrays. Each transmitter-receiver pair forms an independent measurement channel, enabling parallel measurements across different spatial positions. This segmentation increases spatial density of measurements without requiring a single complex moving sensor system
Solution Approach 2:
The invention transitions from a single-point measurement approach to a distributed array measurement approach by adding spatial dimensions. Multiple transmitters and receivers are positioned at different locations to create a two-dimensional measurement grid, enabling simultaneous measurements across the material sheet width and improving both precision and productivity
2Productivity
If mechanical moving parts are used for measurement, then continuous measurement is possible, but the reliability decreases due to material defects and high reject rates
Solution Approach 1:
The invention replaces mechanical moving measurement systems with a stationary distributed array of ultrasonic transmitters and receivers. The material sheet moves continuously through the measurement zone while multiple fixed sensors perform parallel measurements, eliminating mechanical wear and positioning errors that cause defects and rejections
Solution Approach 2:
Multiple transmitters and receivers are pre-positioned in optimal locations before measurement begins. This preliminary arrangement of measurement points ensures continuous coverage of the material sheet as it passes through, enabling uninterrupted measurement without mechanical movement during the measurement process
3Productivity
If multiple ultrasonic transmitters and receivers are used in parallel, then the productivity and measurement density increase, but the device complexity and processing requirements increase
Solution Approach 1:
Multiple transmitter signals and receiver outputs are merged into a coordinated measurement system. The control unit combines signals from multiple transmitters and processes responses from multiple receivers simultaneously, achieving high measurement throughput through parallel processing while maintaining a manageable device architecture
Solution Approach 2:
The distributed array of transmitters and receivers serves multiple functions: individual measurement points, cross-validation through redundant measurements, and spatial mapping of material properties. This multi-functionality increases productivity without proportionally increasing device complexity
4Ease of operation
If contactless measurement is used, then the ease of operation improves, but the measurement precision decreases compared to contact-based methods
Solution Approach 1:
The contactless measurement beam is segmented into multiple ultrasonic paths through the material sheet. Each transmitter-receiver pair creates a discrete measurement path, and the combination of multiple paths provides redundant measurements that compensate for the lack of physical contact, maintaining precision while preserving ease of operation
Solution Approach 2:
The measurement information is copied through multiple parallel ultrasonic paths rather than relying on a single contact point. Each transmitter-receiver pair creates an independent copy of the thickness measurement, and the aggregation of these copies improves overall measurement precision while maintaining contactless operation
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 system enables precise and continuous measurement of material sheet thickness and grammage, significantly reducing defect detection times and reject rates by enhancing spatial density and repetition rate of measurements, thus improving quality control in material production.
Implementation Method 1
measuring the transmission T and/or the reflection R of ultrasonic waves on the thin material sheet
Implementation Method 2
measuring the transmission T and/or the reflection R of ultrasonic waves on the thin material sheet
Data Source
AI summary
An ultrasonic transmitting and receiving device is provided for measuring the transmission and/or reflection of ultrasonic waves on a thin material sheet, or a coating applied thereto. The device may include a plurality of ultrasonic transmitters, a plurality of ultrasonic receivers, wherein the number of the ultrasonic transmitters corresponds to the number of the ultrasonic receivers, and one receiver electronics respectively for each of the ultrasonic receivers or a group receiver electronics respectively for a predetermined number of ultrasonic receivers. A method is provided for ultrasonic absorption and/or transmission measurement, in which signals are emitted by multiple ultrasonic transmitters at the same time or nearly at the same time which are received by ultrasonic receivers and in which the received signals are evaluated in parallel.