US-12625258-B2 - Systems and methods for detachable and attachable acoustic imaging sensors

US12625258B2US 12625258 B2US12625258 B2US 12625258B2US-12625258-B2

Abstract

Some systems include an electromagnetic imaging tool configured to receive electromagnetic radiation, a communication interface, a processor in communication with the electromagnetic imaging tool and the communication interface, and a housing. Systems can include a first sensor head having a first plurality of acoustic sensor elements arranged in a first acoustic sensor array. The communication interface can provide communication between the processor and the sensor head via wired or wireless communication. The communication interface can comprise a docking port in communication with the processor and configured to removably receive a corresponding docking mechanism of the first sensor head. Some systems may include a second sensor head having a second plurality of acoustic sensor elements. The second sensor head may be interchangeably connectable to the communication interface and/or the first sensor head.

Inventors

Michael D. Stuart
Dileepa Prabhakar

Assignees

FLUKE CORPORATION

Dates

Publication Date: 20260512
Application Date: 20240419

Claims (20)

1 . A system for acoustic imaging, comprising: an acoustic imaging tool having an acoustic sensor head, the acoustic sensor head including: a main sensor section having a first acoustic sensor array; and a folding hinge configured to removably attach a secondary sensor section to the main sensor section, wherein when the secondary sensor section is attached to the main sensor section, the secondary sensor section is selectively positionable via the folding hinge between a first position and a second position; a communication interface; and a processor configured to communicate, via the communication interface, with the acoustic sensor head and receive first acoustic data from the first acoustic sensor array, wherein the acoustic sensor head is configured to receive second acoustic data from the secondary sensor section.
2 . The system of claim 1 , wherein in the first position, the secondary sensor section is folded inward toward the main sensor section and overlays at least a portion of the main sensor section, and in the second position, the secondary sensor section is unfolded outward from the main sensor section and positioned adjacent to the main sensor section.
3 . The system of claim 1 , wherein the secondary sensor section has a second acoustic sensor array and is configured to communicate the second acoustic data to the acoustic sensor head for communication by the acoustic sensor head to the processor.
4 . The system of claim 1 , wherein the acoustic sensor head includes a plurality of folding hinges configured to removably attach a plurality of secondary sensor sections to the main sensor section, and the acoustic sensor head is configured to receive the second acoustic data from the plurality of secondary sensor sections.
5 . The system of claim 4 , wherein the acoustic sensor head is configured to communicate the second acoustic data from the plurality of secondary sensor sections to the processor via the communication interface.
6 . The system of claim 1 , wherein the secondary sensor section has a second acoustic sensor array comprised of acoustic sensor elements that are spaced from each other differently than acoustic sensor elements in the first acoustic sensor array of the main sensor section.
7 . The system of claim 1 , wherein the acoustic sensor head is a first acoustic sensor head, the system further comprising a second acoustic sensor head, wherein the first acoustic sensor head and the second acoustic sensor head are interchangeably connectable to the acoustic imaging tool and configured to communicate with the processor via the communication interface.
8 . The system of claim 1 , further comprising an electromagnetic imaging tool configured to communicate electromagnetic image data to the processor, wherein the processor is configured to combine the electromagnetic image data with acoustic image data generated from at least the first acoustic data and generate a display image comprising the acoustic image data and the electromagnetic image data.
9 . The system of claim 8 , wherein the acoustic sensor head comprises the electromagnetic imaging tool.
10 . The system of claim 3 , wherein the processor, in operation, receives the first acoustic data from the main sensor section in response to acoustic sensor elements in the first acoustic sensor array receiving a plurality of first acoustic signals from a first scene, and the processor, in operation, receives the second acoustic data from the secondary sensor section in response to acoustic sensor elements in the second acoustic senor array receiving a plurality of second acoustic signals from a second scene.
11 . A system for acoustic imaging, comprising: an acoustic imaging tool having an acoustic sensor head, the acoustic sensor head including: a main sensor section having a first acoustic sensor array; and a secondary sensor section having a second acoustic sensor array, wherein the secondary sensor section is removably attached to the main sensor section; a communication interface; and a processor configured to communicate, via the communication interface, with the acoustic sensor head and receive: first acoustic data from the first acoustic sensor array; and second acoustic data from the secondary sensor section via the acoustic sensor head.
12 . The system of claim 11 , wherein the acoustic sensor head further includes a folding hinge by which the secondary sensor section is removably attached to the main sensor section.
13 . The system of claim 12 , wherein the secondary sensor section is positionable between a first position in which the secondary sensor section is folded inward and overlays at least a portion of the main sensor section, and a second position in which the secondary sensor section is unfolded outward from the main sensor section and positioned adjacent to the main sensor section.
14 . The system of claim 11 , wherein the acoustic sensor head includes a plurality of secondary sensor sections that are removably attached to the main sensor section, and wherein the acoustic sensor head is configured to receive the second acoustic data from the plurality of secondary sensor sections.
15 . The system of claim 11 , wherein the acoustic sensor head has a first array of acoustic sensor elements and a second array of acoustic sensor elements, wherein the first array of acoustic sensor elements is different from the second array of acoustic sensor elements.
16 . The system of claim 15 , wherein a distance between adjacent acoustic sensor elements in the first array of acoustic sensor elements is smaller than a distance between adjacent acoustic sensor elements in the second array of acoustic sensor elements.
17 . A method for acoustic imaging, comprising: removably attaching a secondary sensor section to a main sensor section of an acoustic sensor head, the main sensor section having a first acoustic sensor array and the secondary sensor section having a second acoustic sensor array; receiving, by a processor of an acoustic imaging tool, first acoustic data generated by the first acoustic sensor array of the main sensor section; and receiving, by the processor of the acoustic imaging tool, second acoustic data generated by the second acoustic sensor array of the secondary sensor section, wherein the secondary sensor section is configured to communicate the second acoustic data to the acoustic sensor head, and the acoustic sensor head is configured to communicate the first acoustic data and the second acoustic data to the processor of the acoustic imaging tool.
18 . The method of claim 17 , further comprising: generating first acoustic image data from the first acoustic data generated by the first acoustic sensor array; combining the first acoustic image data and first electromagnetic image data from an imaging device to generate a first displayable image; generating second acoustic image data from the second acoustic data generated by the second acoustic sensor array; and combining the second acoustic image data and second electromagnetic image data from the imaging device to generate a second displayable image.
19 . The method of claim 17 , further comprising: unfolding the secondary sensor section from the main sensor section of the acoustic sensor head, wherein the secondary sensor section is selectively positionable in a first position in which the secondary sensor section overlays at least a portion of the main sensor section, and in a second position in which the secondary sensor section is oriented outward from the main sensor section.
20 . The method of claim 17 , further comprising: detaching the secondary sensor section from the main sensor section of the acoustic sensor head; and removably attaching, to the main sensor section, a different secondary sensor section having a different second acoustic sensor array.

Description

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS This application is a continuation of U.S. application Ser. No. 17/262,488, filed Jan. 22, 2021, which was a U.S. national phase of PCT/US2019/043233, filed Jul. 24, 2019, which claimed the benefit of U.S. Provisional Application No. 62/702,716, filed Jul. 24, 2018, all of which are incorporated herein by reference. BACKGROUND Technical Field The present disclosure pertains to imaging of acoustic signals. Description of the Related Art Presently available acoustic imaging devices include acoustic sensor array configurations that have various frequency sensitivity limitations due to a variety of factors. For instance, some acoustic imaging devices are designed to be responsive to a range of acoustic frequencies between approximately 20 Hz and approximately 20 kHz. Other devices (e.g., ultrasonic devices) are designed to be responsive to a range of acoustic frequencies between approximately 38 kHz and approximately 45 kHz. However, acoustic imaging devices that are generally designed operating in the 20 Hz to 20 KHz frequency range cannot effectively detect or image higher frequencies, for example, up to or above approximately 50 kHz. Likewise, acoustic or ultrasonic devices that are designed to operate in the 20 kHz to 50 KHz frequency range cannot effectively detect and/or image lower frequencies, for example, at or below 20 kHz. This can be for a variety of reasons. For example, sensor arrays which are optimized for lower (e.g., audible) frequencies typically contain individual sensors that are farther apart than do sensor arrays that are optimized for higher (e.g., ultrasonic) frequencies. Additionally or alternatively to hardware concerns, different calculation algorithms and methods of acoustic imaging are often better suited for acoustic signals having different frequencies and/or different distances to target, making it difficult to determine how to best to acoustically image a scene without, particularly to an inexperienced user. Such discrepancies in imaging different acoustic frequency ranges are due, in part, to the physics behind the propagation of sound waves of different frequencies and wavelengths through air. Certain array orientations, array sizes, and calculation methods can generally be better suited for acoustic signals having different frequency characteristics (e.g., audible frequencies, ultrasonic frequencies, etc.). Similarly, different array properties and/or calculation methods can be better suited for acoustic scenes at different distances to target. For example, near field acoustic holography for targets at very close distances, various acoustic beamforming methods for targets at greater distances. Accordingly, acoustic inspection using acoustic arrays (e.g., for acoustic imaging) can require a wide range of equipment, for example, for analysis of acoustic signals having different frequency ranges as well as expertise in understanding when different hardware and calculation techniques are appropriate for performing acoustic analysis. This can make acoustic inspections time- and cost-intensive, and can require an expert to perform such inspections. For example, a user may be forced to manually select various hardware and/or software for performing acoustic analysis. However, an inexperienced analyst may be incapable of knowing the preferred combination of hardware and software for a given acoustic analysis and/or acoustic scene. Additionally, isolating a sound of interest from within a scene can provide its own challenges, particularly in a cluttered scene, and may prove tedious and frustrating to an inexperienced user. For instance, a given acoustic scene, especially in a noisy environment, can include acoustic signals including any number of frequency, intensity, or other characteristics that may obscure acoustic signals of interest. Traditional systems often require users to manually identify various acoustic parameters of interest prior to inspection in order to analyze the sounds of interest. However, an inexperienced user may be unaware of how to best isolate and/or identify various sounds of interest. Additionally, when multiple imaging technologies (e.g., visible light, infrared, ultraviolet, acoustic, or other imaging techniques) are used in tandem while inspecting the same object or scene, the physical placement and or other settings (e.g., focus position) of the tools used to perform the different imaging techniques can impact the analysis. For example, different locations and/or focus positions of each imaging device can result in a parallax error wherein the resulting images may be misaligned. This may result in inability to properly localize areas of interest and/or problem areas within a scene, documentation errors, and misdiagnosis of problems. For example, with respect to acoustic image data, it can be difficult to identify a location or source of an acoustic signal of interest if acoustic image data is misaligned with respec