US3889227A
Expired / Lapsed
US
⏱️ 0.0 years remaining
Ultrasonic wave receiving apparatus
Assignee: Toshiba Corp
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Filing: 1973-09-18
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Granted: 1975-06-10
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Expires: 1993-09-18
Abstract
Abstract An ultrasonic wave receiving apparatus which comprises an electroacoustic transducer array consisting of a plurality of transducer elements, any two of which are arranged in the same plane for an integral multiple of a prescribed distance; a signal processing circuit which includes a multiplicative circuit, an extracting circuit for extracting the D.C. component of an output from the multiplicative circuit, a gain controlling circuit, and an adder, and process an output signal from each transducer element so as to cause the subject apparatus to indicate a directionality approximating a prescribed pattern. The prescribed distance is determined by reference to the angle between the main lobe and an adjacent grating lobe of the prescribed directionality. The gain of the gain controlling circuit is set according to the coefficients of the Fourier series into which the preset directionality is expanded as a function of the incident angle of ultrasonic waves brought to the electroacoustic transducer array.
Inventors
- 👤 Kinya Takamizawa
- 👤 Kazuhiro Iinuma
Bibliographic Details
Application Number
—
Jurisdiction
US
Data Source
google_patents
Last Synchronized
2026-10-23 06:44
CPC Classifications
H; H01; H01Q; H01Q3/00; H01Q3/26; H01Q3/2605; H01Q3/2611; G; G10; G10K; G10K11/00; G10K11/18; G10K11/26; G10K11/34; G10K11/341; G10K11/346; Y; Y10; Y10S; Y10S367/00; Y10S367/905
Claims Analysis
Total Claims: 6
Claim 1
Independent Claim
293 words
An ultrasonic wave receiving apparatus comprising: an electroacoustic transducer array including a plurality of transducer elements arranged in the same plane so that any two adjacent transducer elements are spacially arranged at an integral multiple of a distance, said distance being determined from the equation D/ lambda sin theta 1 1 in which D represents said distance, lambda the wave length of the receiving ultrasonic wave and theta 1 the spacial angle between a main lobe and a grating lobe adjacent to said main lobe, said distance also being selected so as to cause said grating lobe to be outside of a predetermined scanning range which limits the maximum incident angle of said ultrasonic wave into said plane, and said main lobe and grating lobe together with said spacial angle being factors for determining a receiving directionality pattern of said apparatus; and signal processing means which includes a multiplicative circuit, an extracting circuit for extracting the D.C. component of an output from said multiplicative circuit, a gain control circuit for setting gains of the outputs from said transducer array, and an adder, and means for processing an output signal from each transducer element so as to cause the subject apparatus to indicate a receiving directionality pattern approximating a preset receiving directionality pattern; wherein the gain of said gain control circuit is set corresponding to the levels of the coefficients of the Fourier series into which said preset receiving directionality pattern is expanded as a function of the incident angle of the ultrasonic waves brought to said electroacoustic transducer array so as to approximate said receiving directionality patterns to said preset receiving directionality pattern, thereby sharpening said main lobe and reducing the levels of side lobes generating between said main lobe and grating lobe.
Claim 2
Dependent Claim
293 words
An ultrasonic wave receiving apparatus comprising: an electroacoustic transducer array including a plurality of transducer elements arranged in the same plane so that any two adjacent transducer elements are spacially arranged at an integral multiple of a distance, said distance being determined from the equation D/ lambda sin theta 1 1 in which D represents said distance, lambda the wave length of the receiving ultrasonic wave and theta 1 the spacial angle between a main lobe and a grating lobe adjacent to said main lobe, said distance also being selected so as to cause said grating lobe to be outside of a predetermined scanning range which limits the maximum incident angle of said ultrasonic wave into said plane, and said main lobe and grating lobe together with said spacial angle being factors for determining a receiving directionality pattern of said apparatus; and signal processing means which includes a multiplicative circuit, an extracting circuit for extracting the D.C. component of an output from said multiplicative circuit, a gain control circuit for setting gains of the outputs from said transducer array, and an adder, and means for processing an output signal from each transducer element so as to cause the subject apparatus to indicate a receiving directionality pattern approximating a preset receiving directionality pattern; wherein the gain of said gain control circuit is set corresponding to the levels of the coefficients of the Fourier series into which said preset receiving directionality pattern is expanded as a function of the incident angle of the ultrasonic waves brought to said electroacoustic transducer array so as to approximate said receiving directionality patterns to said preset receiving directionality pattern, thereby sharpening said main lobe and reducing the levels of side lobes generating between said main lobe and grating lobe.
Claim 3
Dependent Claim
106 words
An ulTrasonic wave receiving apparatus according to claim 1 wherein the signal processing means comprises a plurality of multiplicative circuits each multiplying outputs from any two of the transducer elements constituting the electroacoustic transducer array which are arranged at different intervals; a plurality of extracting circuits for extracting the D.C. component of outputs from the multiplicative circuits; a plurality of gain controlling circuits for setting the gains of outputs from the extracting circuits to values equal to the values of the coefficients of those terms of the Fourier series which correspond to said outputs; and an adder for adding together outputs from the gain controlling circuits.
Claim 4
Dependent Claim
204 words
An ultrasonic wave receiving apparatus according to claim 1 wherein the electroacoustic transducer array consists of a first to a fourth transducer element, the first and second transducer elements, as well as the third and fourth transducer elements, being spaced from each other at the selected distance and the second and third transducer elements being spaced from each other at twice the selected distance; and the signal processing means comprises a first adder for adding together outputs from the first and second transducer elements, a second adder for adding together outputs from the third and fourth transducer elements, a first multiplicative and extracting circuit for multiplying outputs from the second and third transducer elements and extracting the D.C. component of the multiplied outputs, a second multiplicative and extracting circuit for multiplying outputs from the first and second transducer elements and extracting the D.C. component of the multiplied outputs, a third multiplicative and extracting circuit for multiplying outputs from the first and second adders and extracting the D.C. component of the multiplied outputs gain control, circuits for setting the gains of outputs from the first, second and third multiplicative and extracting circuits, and a third adder for adding together outputs from the gain controlling circuits.
Claim 5
Dependent Claim
183 words
An ultrasonic wave receiving apparatus according to claim 1 wherein the electroacoustic transducer array consists of a first to an n order transducer element arranged in succession, the first and second transducer elements being spaced from each other at the selected distance and every adjacent ones of the second to the n order transducer elements being spaced from each other at twice the selected distance; the signal processing means comprises a first to an n order gain controlling circuit for setting the gains of the outputs from the respective transducer elements, gain controlling circuits of the (n + 1) and (n + 2) orders for setting the gains of outputs from the first and second transducer elements, a first adder for adding together outputs from the first to the n order gain controlling circuits, a second adder for adding together outputs from the gain controlling circuits of the (n + 1) and (n + 2) orders, a multiplicative circuit for multiplying outputs from the first and second adders, and an extracting circuit for extracting the D.C. component of outputs from the multiplicative circuit.
Claim 6
Dependent Claim
120 words
An ultrasonic wave receiving apparatus according to claim 1 wherein the electroacoustic transducer array consists of a first to an n order transducer element arranged in succession at the selected distance; and the signal processing means comprises a first to an n order gain controlling circuit for setting the gains of outputs from the respective transducer elements, an amplifier for amplifying output from the first transducer element, an adder for adding together outputs from the first to the n order gain controlling circuits, a limiter for limiting the amplitude of output from the amplifier, a multiplicative circuit for multiplying outputs from the limiter and adder, and an extracting circuit for extracting the D.C. component of ouTputs from the multiplicative circuit.
References Cited (Backward Citations)
US3500414A
Cited
USPTO Annuity & Maintenance Windows
| Annuity Stage | Window Opens | Payment Deadline | Surcharge Period Until | Estimated Fee | Status |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 3.5 Years (Year 4) | 1978-06-09 | 1978-12-09 | 1979-06-10 | $2000.00 | Window Closed / Lapsed |
| 7.5 Years (Year 8) | 1982-06-09 | 1982-12-09 | 1983-06-10 | $3760.00 | Window Closed / Lapsed |
| 11.5 Years (Year 12) | 1986-06-09 | 1986-12-09 | 1987-06-10 | $7700.00 | Window Closed / Lapsed |