Abstract: A device and method used to increase the resolution when imaging, measuring and inspecting wells, pipes and objects located therein. The device comprises an array of acoustic transducers that both transmit and receive acoustic signals. Scan lines may be overlapped by interlacing transmission and receiving windows thus increasing either the resolution or logging speed drastically compared to conventional approaches. The sequence of the scan lines making up an imaging frame is created by stratifying physically close lines and randomly selecting from within each stratum, preventing interference from neighboring transducers, signals and acoustic artifacts that fundamentally limit logging speed and resolution using conventional methods.

Abstract: A transducer system comprises a first frequency steered transducer array element and a second frequency steered transducer array element that is spaced apart from the first frequency steered transducer array element. The system additionally includes a processing element in communication with the first and second frequency steered transducer array elements. The processing element is configured to receive a first receive electronic signal from the first frequency steered sonar array element, receive a second receive electronic signal from the second frequency steered array sonar element, compare a difference in amplitude between the first receive electronic signal and the second receive electronic signal to determine a cross-track position of an underwater target, and control a display to present an indication of the cross-track position of the underwater target.

Abstract: Embodiments include devices, system and processes for facilitating ultra-short range detection of obstacles using a PAS sensor. A process may include obtaining a correlation of at least two characteristics of a transducer; determining a given transmission frequency and selecting a reverberation time desired for the transducer; obtaining a damping ratio corresponding to the selected reverberation time; generating a ranging signal command; generating a damping signal command; and outputting each of the ranging signal command and the damping signal command. The ranging signal command may instruct a PAS sensor to drive the transducer to output a ranging signal at the given transmission frequency, at a transmission amplitude, and at a transmission phase and the damping signal command results in a dampening, at the damping ratio, of transducer reverberations arising from the ranging signal. The damping ratio may be between thirty percent (30%) and eighty percent (80%) of the transmission amplitude.

Abstract: A method, apparatus and program product may evaluate a packaging material to determine various metrics associated with the packaging material. A test apparatus may be used to evaluate packaging material using a take up drum capable of sensing containment force imparted upon the drum by packaging material applied thereto, and in some instances, simulated flaws may be formed in a web of packaging material to evaluate a packaging materials response to such flaws when under tension.

Abstract: Disclosed is a SONAR system operable to transmit a pair of pulses including an up-chirp signal and a down-chirp signal wherein the down-chirp signal is a time-reversed version of the up-chirp signal. Also disclosed is a related method of operation.

Abstract: An ultrasonic wave measuring device including an ultrasonic wave device and a processor. The ultrasonic wave device transmits transmission ultrasonic waves toward an object, receives reflected ultrasonic waves, and outputs reception signals. The processor is configured to: detect a transmission time; detect zero-crossing points of the reception signals; detect zero-crossing times; calculate periods of time between the transmission time and each of the zero-crossing times; compare a reference period of time with each of the calculated periods of time so as to generate difference values therebetween; determine a minimum value among the difference values; and set a corresponding zero-crossing point having the minimum value as a reception zero-crossing point. The ultrasonic wave measuring device is configured to measure a distance toward the object based on the period of time between the zero-crossing time corresponding to the reception zero-crossing point and the transmission time.

Abstract: Techniques are disclosed relating to performing marine surveys with non-uniform spacing of survey elements in a cross-line direction. This may include, for example, performing a survey pass in a multi-pass survey by towing a plurality of sources and sensors in a towing pattern with non-uniform spacing between adjacent ones of the sources. In some embodiments, the non-uniform spacing between adjacent ones of the sources is determined based on a common mid-point (CMP) spacing parameter for the survey pass in the cross-line direction. The spacing parameter may relate, for example, to difference in average CMP spacing for different parts of the survey spread, variance in CMP spacing, and/or width of the survey spread for which a threshold CMP spacing distance is satisfied. In various embodiments, the disclosed techniques may improve survey resolution and/or accuracy and may require a smaller number of survey passes and/or a reduced amount of survey equipment relative to traditional techniques.

Abstract: Disclosed are systems and methods of operation for capacitive radio frequency micro-electromechanical switches, such as CMUT cells for use in an ultrasound system. An RFMEMS may include substrate, a first electrode connected to the substrate, a membrane and a second electrode connected to the membrane. In some examples, there is a dielectric stack between the first and second electrodes. The dielectric stack design minimizes drift in the membrane collapse voltage. In other examples, a voltage supply coupled to an ultrasonic array compressing the CMUT cells is adapted to provide a sequence of voltage profiles to the electrodes of the CMUT cell, wherein each profile includes a bias voltage and a stimulus voltage, and wherein a polarity of each subsequent voltage profile in the sequence is opposite to the polarity of the preceding profile. In another example, there is a capacitance sensing circuit provided, which is arranged to determine a drift voltage of the CMUT cell.

Abstract: The present invention relates to an ultra-thin acoustic lens for subwavelength focusing in a megasonic range and a design method thereof. More particularly, the present invention relates to a super-oscillatory planar ultra-thin acoustic lens for subwavelength focusing in the megasonic range, which includes a plurality of concentric regions arranged in a concentric shape with reference to the center point, wherein the concentric regions include a plurality acoustic insulation region for insulating incident acoustic waves, and a plurality of transmission regions for transmitting acoustic waves, the acoustic insulation regions and the transmission regions being formed alternatively in a radial direction from the center point so as to focus incident acoustic wave energy onto a subwavelength region.

Abstract: An ultrasonic device includes a substrate having a first surface and a second surface having a front and back relationship with the first surface, and provided with an opening penetrating the second surface from the first surface; a vibration film provided over the first surface of the substrate so as to close the opening; a vibration element provided at a position overlapping the opening in the vibration film; and a sound absorbing portion provided over the second surface of the substrate.

Abstract: A seismic sensor assembly includes a sensor body; cable connectors operatively coupled to the sensor body; and a grounding clamp operatively coupled to the cable connectors. A lightning strike kit for a seismic sensor assembly can include the grounding clamp as an electrically conductive component for electrical coupling to a base and/or a spike of a seismic sensor assembly.

Abstract: An acoustic lens suitable for a CMUT array (74) is provided. The acoustic lens comprising: a first layer (47) comprising a thermoset elastomer having a polymeric material selected from hydrocarbons, wherein the first layer has an inner surface (72) arranged to face the array and an outer convex shaped surface (40) arranged to oppose the inner surface; and a second layer (42) coupled to the outer surface of the first layer and comprising thermoplastic polymer polymethylpentene and an elastomer selected from the polyolefin family (POE) blended therein, wherein the outer layer located at the outer surface of the acoustic window layer, wherein the first layer has a first acoustic wave velocity (v1) and the second layer has a second acoustic wave velocity (v2), said second velocity is larger than the first acoustic wave velocity.

Abstract: An ultrasonic device includes nine ultrasonic array units arranged in a grid pattern of three rows and three columns, nine drive bypass wires that input and output drive signals to and from the respective ultrasonic array units, a first common bypass wire to which a common potential is applied, coupled to the eight ultrasonic array units, a second common bypass wire coupled to the ultrasonic array unit to which the first common bypass wire is not coupled, and a third common bypass wire coupling the first and the second common bypass wires. One of the drive bypass wires, the first common bypass wire, and the second common bypass wire is placed between the ultrasonic array units placed adjacent to each other. The third common bypass wire is placed inside of the ultrasonic array unit placed adjacent to the ultrasonic array unit coupled to the second common bypass wire.

Abstract: An object detector includes: an acquiring unit that acquires an oscillation signal corresponding to an oscillation of a microphone, the microphone transmitting a transmission wave, which is an ultrasonic wave, on a basis of a driving signal, and being caused to oscillate by a reflected wave generated as a result of the transmission wave being reflected from an object; a fall identifying unit that identifies a fall time point of a first drop from a value more than a threshold to the threshold or less after termination of the driving signal; a rise estimating unit that estimates a rise-in-reverberation time point of the reflected wave, the rise-in-reverberation time point being before the fall time point and after a time point of start of the driving signal; and a distance determining unit that determines a distance to the object on a basis of the rise-in-reverberation time point.

Abstract: Disclosed is a method and system for diffraction-aware non-line of sight (NLOS) sound source localization (SSL) that may reconstruct an indoor space, may generate acoustic rays into the indoor space based on an audio signal collected from the indoor space, and may estimate a position of an NLOS sound source based on a point at which one of the acoustic rays is diffracted.

Abstract: An ultrasonic sensor includes a transmission unit that is disposed on a first axis which is inclined with respect to a normal line of a surface of an object, a reception unit that is provided on a side opposite to the transmission unit of the object, on the first axis, and a transmission control unit that controls drive of the transmission unit. The transmission unit includes a plurality of transmission elements that transmit ultrasonic waves, and the plurality of transmission elements are arranged in a first direction that intersects the first axis in a plane including the normal line and the first axis. The transmission control unit delay-drives the plurality of transmission elements to align a direction of the ultrasonic wave that is transmitted from the transmission unit with the first axis.

Abstract: A sensor installation structure includes: a sensor that has a sensing portion that senses periphery information of a vehicle; an exterior member having an opening portion that exposes the sensing portion, the opening portion being configured so as to allow changes in an angle of the sensing portion; and a cover member that is provided at an outer edge portion of the sensing portion, the cover member covering a gap between the outer edge portion of the sensing portion and a peripheral edge portion of the opening portion such that the gap cannot be seen from an exterior.

Abstract: Described herein is a system for generating echolocation sounds to assist a user having no sight or limited sight to navigate a three-dimensional space (e.g., physical environment, computer gaming experience, and/or virtual reality experience). Input is received from a user to generate echolocation sounds to navigate a three-dimensional space. Based at least on the received input, a digital representation of the three-dimensional space is segmented into one or more depth planes using an unsupervised machine learning algorithm. For each depth plane, object segments are determined for each object within the particular depth plane. Locations of a plurality of echo sound nodes are determined in accordance with the depth level and surface area of each object defined by the determined segments. The echolocation sounds comprising a spatialized sound from each echo sound node originating from the determined location are generated.

Abstract: A method of operating electro-acoustical transducers such as PMUTs involves applying to the transducer an excitation signal over an excitation interval, acquiring at the transducer a ring-down signal indicative of the ring-down behavior of the transducer after the end of the excitation interval, and calculating, as a function of said ring-down signal, a resonance frequency of the electro-acoustical transducer. A bias voltage of the electro-acoustical transducer can be controlled as a function of the resonance frequency. An acoustical signal received can be transduced into an electrical reception signal and a damping parameter of the electro-acoustical transducer can be calculated as a function of the ring-down signal so that a cross-correlation reference signal can be synthesized as a function of the resonance frequency and the damping ratio of the electro-acoustical transducer.

Abstract: An underwater detection apparatus is provided, which may include a transmission transducer, a reception transducer, and processing circuitry. The transmission transducer may transmit a transmission wave in an underwater transmission space. The reception transducer may include a plurality of reception elements, each reception element generating a reception signal based on a reflection wave comprising a reflection of the transmission wave on an underwater target. The processing circuitry may perform beamforming in each of a plurality of reception spaces based on the reception signals, generate a 3D image data of the target based on the beamforming performed in each reception space, and extract a contour of the target detected in at least one of the reception spaces, and generate a contour image data to be displayed along with the 3D image data on a display unit.