PROPAGATION TIME MEASUREMENT DEVICE

A device determines the propagation time of an acoustic signal by cross-correlation analysis between a transmission signal and a reception signal. The device determines the propagation time by cross-correlation analysis between the transmission signal and the reception signal from which reverberation has yet to be removed, removes, from the reception signal, as the reverberation, a signal component at and after a time point based on the determined propagation time, and redetermines a propagation time by cross-correlation analysis between the transmission signal and the reception signal from which the reverberation has been removed.

TECHNICAL FIELD

The present invention relates to a technique for measuring the propagation time of an acoustic signal.

BACKGROUND ART

Known devices in practical use measure the propagation time of an acoustic signal propagating inside a pipe with a sensor externally mounted on the pipe. The devices nondestructively measure the flow velocity and the flow rate of a fluid flowing in the pipe based on the propagation time. Such a device typically uses ultrasound as an acoustic signal, and is referred to as, for example, an ultrasonic flowmeter.

For example, Patent Literature 1 describes a device that uses a pair of upstream and downstream ultrasonic transducers on a pipe to determine the flow rate of a fluid based on the difference in a propagation time between ultrasound propagating in the flow direction of the fluid and ultrasound propagating in the direction opposite to the flow direction. The device in Patent Literature 1 calculates, as the propagation time difference, the cross-correlation between the signal received by the upstream ultrasonic transducer and the signal received by the downstream ultrasonic transducer.

CITATION LIST

Patent Literature

SUMMARY OF INVENTION

Technical Problem

However, transducers that receive acoustic signals such as ultrasound cannot stop immediately after they stop receiving acoustic signals, and output electric signals (reception signals) containing reverberation. Any reverberation contained in a reception signal can be noise that affects accurate determination of the propagation time and undermine accurate determination of the flow velocity and the flow rate of the fluid flowing through the pipe.

In response to the above issue, one or more aspects of the present invention are directed to a technique for determining a propagation time accurately.

Solution to Problem

The technique according to one or more aspects of the present invention has the structure below.

A propagation time measurement device according to a first aspect of the present invention includes a plurality of transducers and a signal processor. The plurality of transducers are at different positions with respect to a pipe through which a fluid flows. The plurality of transducers include a first transducer that converts a transmission signal as an electrical signal to an acoustic signal and a second transducer that receives the acoustic signal transmitted from the first transducer through the fluid in the pipe and converts the received acoustic signal to a reception signal as an electrical signal. The signal processor removes reverberation from the reception signal and determines a propagation time of the acoustic signal from the first transducer to the second transducer by cross-correlation analysis between the transmission signal and the reception signal from which the reverberation has been removed. The signal processor determines a propagation time of the acoustic signal from the first transducer to the second transducer by cross-correlation analysis between the transmission signal and the reception signal from which the reverberation has yet to be removed, removes, as the reverberation, a signal component at and after a time point based on the determined propagation time, and redetermines the propagation time of the acoustic signal from the first transducer to the second transducer by cross-correlation analysis between the transmission signal and the reception signal from which the reverberation has been removed.

The reverberation contained in the reception signal affects determination of the propagation time. The time point at which the reverberation occurs can thus be determined accurately based on the propagation time determined using the reception signal from which the reverberation has yet to be removed. The above structure removes, as reverberation, any signal component at and after the time point determined as above from the reception signal and uses the reception signal from which the reverberation has been removed to redetermine the propagation time. The reverberation can thus be removed accurately, and the propagation time can be determined accurately. Additionally, calculating the propagation time can avoid use of unintended signal values (signal values representing the reverberation). This reduces the processing time for calculating the propagation time and the power consumption used to calculate the propagation time.

The receiving transducer is expected to receive an acoustic signal with the same duration as the transmission signal after the propagation time elapses. In the reception signal, any signal component after the acoustic signal is received serves as reverberation. In the first aspect, the time point may be a time point at which a total time of the propagation time determined by the cross-correlation analysis between the transmission signal and the reception signal from which the reverberation has yet to be removed and a duration of the transmission signal elapses from when the transmission signal is input into the first transducer. The reverberation can be removed more accurately to allow the propagation time to be determined more accurately.

A propagation time measurement device according to a second aspect of the present invention includes a plurality of transducers and a signal processor. The plurality of transducers are at different positions with respect to a pipe through which a fluid flows. The plurality of transducers include a first transducer that converts a transmission signal as an electrical signal to an acoustic signal and a second transducer that receives the acoustic signal transmitted from the first transducer through the fluid in the pipe and converts the received acoustic signal to a reception signal as an electrical signal. The signal processor removes reverberation from the reception signal and determines a propagation time of the acoustic signal from the first transducer to the second transducer by cross-correlation analysis between the transmission signal and the reception signal from which the reverberation has been removed. The signal processor approximates an envelope of a waveform of the reception signal from which the reverberation has yet to be removed, determines a threshold based on the envelope, and removes, as the reverberation, a signal component at and after a time point at which a signal value of the reception signal converges to or below the determined threshold.

The waveform of the reception signal defines an envelope with a relatively high value, whereas the reverberation has a relatively low signal value. The time point at which the reverberation occurs can thus be determined accurately based on the envelope. The above structure approximates the envelope from the reception signal and removes, from the reception signal, as reverberation, any signal component at and after the time point at which the signal value converges to or below a threshold based on the envelope. The reception signal from which the reverberation has been removed is then used to determine the propagation time. The reverberation can thus be removed accurately, and the propagation time can be determined accurately. Additionally, calculating the propagation time can avoid use of unintended signal values (signal values representing the reverberation). This reduces the processing time for calculating the propagation time and the power consumption used to calculate the propagation time.

In the second aspect, the signal processor may determine a value obtained by reducing a peak of the envelope by a predetermined factor as the threshold. In the second aspect, the signal processor may determine, as the threshold, one of a plurality of discrete values at a predetermined ordinal position from a greatest discrete value included in the envelope.

A propagation time measurement device according to a third aspect of the present invention includes a plurality of transducers and a signal processor. The plurality of transducers are at different positions with respect to a pipe through which a fluid flows. The plurality of transducers include a first transducer that converts a transmission signal as an electrical signal to an acoustic signal and a second transducer that receives the acoustic signal transmitted from the first transducer through the fluid in the pipe and converts the received acoustic signal to a reception signal as an electrical signal. The signal processor removes reverberation from the reception signal and determines a propagation time of the acoustic signal from the first transducer to the second transducer by cross-correlation analysis between the transmission signal and the reception signal from which the reverberation has been removed. The signal processor removes, as the reverberation, a signal component at and after a time point at which a signal value of the reception signal converges to or below a peak at a predetermined ordinal position from a highest peak of a plurality of peaks shown by the reception signal from which the reverberation has yet to be removed.

The reception signal shows multiple peaks that gradually increase and then gradually decrease. The reverberation has a relatively low signal value. The time point at which the reverberation occurs can thus be determined accurately based on the multiple peaks. The above structure uses one of the multiple peaks at the predetermined ordinal position from the highest peak to remove, from the reception signal, as reverberation, any signal component at and after the time point at which the signal value converges to or below the threshold, and determines the propagation time using the reception signal from which the reverberation has been removed. The reverberation can thus be removed accurately, and the propagation time can be determined accurately. Additionally, calculating the propagation time can avoid use of unintended signal values (signal values representing the reverberation). This reduces the processing time for calculating the propagation time and the power consumption used to calculate the propagation time.

The structure in each of the first, second, and third aspects may further include a storage that prestores information about the time point. The signal processor may remove the reverberation based on the information prestored in the storage. The information about the time point may or may not simply indicate the time point. For example, the information about the time point may indicate the propagation time determined using the reception signal from which the reverberation has yet to be removed or indicate the threshold based on the envelope or the multiple peaks.

In each of the first, second, and third aspects, the signal processor may obtain information about the time point using a plurality of reception signals resulting from a plurality of transmission operations from the first transducer and resulting from a plurality of reception operations at the second transducer. This allows the time point at which the reverberation occurs to be determined more accurately. This thus allows the reverberation to be removed more accurately and the propagation time to be determined more accurately.

In each of the first, second, and third aspects, the first transducer and the second transducer may be opposite to each other across the pipe. In each of the first, second, and third aspects, the first transducer and the second transducer may be at different positions in a longitudinal direction of the pipe.

The structure in each of the first, second, and third aspects may further include a switch that performs switching to cause the second transducer to receive an input of the transmission signal and transmit an acoustic signal and to cause the first transducer to receive the acoustic signal transmitted from the second transducer and output the reception signal. The signal processor may further remove reverberation from the reception signal output from the first transducer, and determine a propagation time of the acoustic signal from the second transducer to the first transducer by cross-correlation analysis between the transmission signal input into the second transducer and the reception signal output from the first transducer and from which the reverberation has been removed. This allows accurate determination of the propagation time of the acoustic signal propagating downstream and the propagation time of the acoustic signal propagating upstream for the same propagation path.

The signal processor may determine at least one of a flow velocity or a flow rate of the fluid in the pipe based on a difference between the propagation time of the acoustic signal from the first transducer to the second transducer and the propagation time of the acoustic signal from the second transducer to the first transducer. This allows information about the fluid in the pipe to be determined highly accurately.

One or more aspects of the present invention may be directed to a propagation time measurement device including at least one of the above components or to, for example, a flow velocity measurement device, a flow rate measurement device, a flowmeter, or a flow sensor. One or more aspects of the present invention may be directed to a propagation time measurement method, a flow velocity measurement method, or a flow rate measurement method including at least one of the above processes. One or more aspects of the present invention may be directed to a program for implementing any of these methods or to a non-transitory storage medium storing the program. The present invention may be implemented by combining the above components and processes in any possible manner.

Advantageous Effects of Invention

The technique according to the above aspects of the present invention allows a propagation time to be determined accurately.

DESCRIPTION OF EMBODIMENTS

Example Use

An example use of a propagation time measurement device will be described with reference toFIG.1.

A propagation time measurement device1includes two or more transducers101to receive an acoustic signal transmitted from one transducer (e.g., a transducer101a) with another transducer (e.g., a transducer101b) and determine the time (propagation time) taken for the acoustic signal to propagate on a path between the two transducers. The transducers101are at different positions with respect to a pipe120. The acoustic signal propagating between the two transducers101thus travels through (crosses) the pipe120. The propagation time of the acoustic signal is not constant but varies in accordance with the state (e.g., flow velocity, flow rate, or any bubbles or foreign matter) of a fluid121flowing in the pipe120. Thus, the propagation time measured by the propagation time measurement device1can be used to measure the state of the fluid121in the pipe120nondestructively.

The fluid121can be any substance that can transmit acoustic signals, including a liquid or a gas. Acoustic signals are typically ultrasonic but may include audible sound waves.

The propagation time measurement device1uses cross-correlation analysis to calculate the propagation time. For example, a transmission signal is an electric signal for driving a transmitting transducer101, and a reception signal is an electric signal output from a receiving transducer101. The propagation time measurement device1calculates the cross-correlation function between the transmission signal and the reception signal. The propagation time measurement device1then determines the lag (time delay) of the reception signal to the transmission signal based on the position of the maximum peak in the cross-correlation function. This lag corresponds to the propagation time of the acoustic signal from the transmitting transducer101to the receiving transducer101.

When the signal waveform of the transmission signal is retained sufficiently in the reception signal, a distinctive peak occurs in the cross-correlation function. Thus, the lag (or propagation time) between the two signals can be determined accurately. However, the receiving transducer101cannot stop immediately after stopping receiving an acoustic signal. The reception signal thus contains reverberation. Any reverberation contained in the reception signal can be noise that can cause, for example, peaks to occur at temporal positions different from the actual propagation time in the cross-correlation function and can undermine accurate determination of the propagation time. Thus, the flow velocity and the flow rate of the fluid121flowing in the pipe120cannot be determined accurately. Flowmeters that can measure low flow rates are now awaited to measure the propagation time with the accuracy of, for example, nanosecond order to picosecond order.

The propagation time measurement device1removes the reverberation from the reception signal and uses the resultant reception signal to determine the propagation time. More specifically, the propagation time measurement device1removes the reverberation with one of the first to third methods described below. Removing the reverberation is any process that excludes the signal value representing the reverberation from cross-correlation analysis (from calculation of the cross-correlation function). For example, the removal process may include setting (cutting) the signal value corresponding to the reverberation to zero or distinguishing the signal value representing the reverberation from other signal values.

With the first method, the propagation time measurement device1determines the propagation time by analyzing the cross-correlation between the transmission signal and the reception signal from which the reverberation has yet to be removed, and removes, as reverberation, any signal component at and after the time point based on the determined propagation time. The propagation time measurement device1then redetermines the propagation time by analyzing the cross-correlation between the transmission signal and the reception signal from which the reverberation has been removed.

The reverberation contained in the reception signal affects determination of the propagation time. The time point at which the reverberation occurs can thus be determined accurately based on the propagation time determined using the reception signal from which the reverberation has yet to be removed. The first method removes, as reverberation, any signal component at and after the time point determined as above from the reception signal and uses the reception signal from which the reverberation has been removed to redetermine the propagation time. This allows the reverberation to be removed accurately, the correct peak (peak at a position corresponding to the actual propagation time) to be detected accurately from the cross-correlation function, and the propagation time to be determined accurately.

With the second method, the propagation time measurement device1approximates, from the reception signal from which the reverberation has yet to be removed, the envelope of the waveform of the reception signal, determines a threshold based on the approximated envelope, and removes, as reverberation, any signal component at and after the time point at which the signal value converges to or below the determined threshold.

The waveform of the reception signal defines an envelope with a relatively high value, whereas the reverberation has a relatively low signal value. The time point at which the reverberation occurs can thus be determined accurately based on the envelope. With the second method, the envelope is approximated from the reception signal, and any signal component at and after the time point at which the signal value converges to or below the threshold based on the envelope is removed from the reception signal as reverberation. The reception signal from which the reverberation has been removed is then used to determine the propagation time. This allows the reverberation to be removed accurately, the correct peak to be detected accurately from the cross-correlation function, and the propagation time to be determined accurately.

With the third method, the propagation time measurement device1removes, as reverberation, any signal component at and after the time point at which the signal value converges to or below the peak at a predetermined ordinal position from the highest peak of the multiple peaks shown by the reception signal from which the reverberation has yet to be removed.

The reception signal shows multiple peaks that gradually increase and then gradually decrease. The reverberation has a relatively low signal value. The time point at which the reverberation occurs can thus be determined accurately based on the multiple peaks. The third method uses one of the multiple peaks at the predetermined ordinal position from the highest peak as a threshold to remove, as reverberation, any signal component at and after the time point at which the signal value converges to or below the threshold from the reception signal and determines the propagation time using the reception signal from which the reverberation has been removed. This allows the reverberation to be removed accurately, the correct peak to be detected accurately from the cross-correlation function, and the propagation time to be determined accurately.

With any of the first to third methods, calculating the propagation time (specifically, calculating the cross-correlation function) can avoid use of unintended signal values (signal values representing the reverberation). This reduces the processing time for calculating the propagation time and the power consumption used to calculate the propagation time.

First Embodiment

The specific structure of the propagation time measurement device1will be described with reference toFIGS.1and2.FIG.1is schematic block diagram of the propagation time measurement device1.FIG.2is a cross-sectional view of example transducers mounted on a pipe. The propagation time measurement device1according to the present embodiment nondestructively measures the flow velocity and the flow rate of the fluid121flowing in the pipe120. The device is also referred to as an ultrasonic flowmeter or an ultrasonic flow sensor.

The propagation time measurement device1includes a main body100and the multiple transducers101. The main body100and each transducer101are connected with a cable. In the present embodiment, the structure includes two transducers101, or more specifically, a first transducer101aupstream in the longitudinal direction of the pipe120and a second transducer101bdownstream from the first transducer101a. The two transducers are hereafter referred to as the first transducer101aand the second transducer101bwhen distinguished from each other and simply as transducers101or a transducer101when described commonly. The structure may include three or more transducers101, rather than two transducers101.

The transducers101convert an electrical signal to an acoustic signal and an acoustic signal to an electric signal. The transducers101may also be referred to as transducers. For example, the transducers101may be, for example, piezoelectric elements that use the piezoelectric effect to convert a force to a voltage and a voltage to a force. As shown inFIG.2, each transducer101is buried in a resin clamp 30. With the clamp 30 holding the pipe120, the two transducers101aand101bare opposite to each other across the pipe120. The line segment connecting the two transducers101aand101bextends at a predetermined angle θ with the axis of the pipe120. This clamp structure facilitates mounting of the transducers101onto the existing pipe120at appropriate positions (without any modification to the pipe120). Any grease or gel applied between the pipe120and the clamp 30 can tightly connect the pipe120and the clamp 30 together and increase the acoustic impedance matching between them. The angle θ is the propagation angle of the acoustic signal. The propagation angle θ may be 0 < θ < 90 degrees, or more specifically, 20 < θ < 60 degrees to use transit-time described below, although the angle may be set to any angle.

The main body100mainly includes a control circuit102, a digital-to-analog (D/A) converter103, an analog-to-digital (A/D) converter104, a switch105, and an output device106. The control circuit102controls the components of the propagation time measurement device1and performs, for example, signal processing and computations. The D/A converter103performs D/A conversion and signal amplification based on a transmission signal (digital data) input from the control circuit102and outputs the resulting transmission signal (analog signal) at a predetermined voltage to one of the transducers101. The A/D converter104converts a reception signal (analog signal) input from another transducer101to digital data at predetermined sampling intervals and outputs the resulting reception signal (digital data) to the control circuit102. The switch105switches the connection of the D/A converter103and the A/D converter104with the first transducer101aand the second transducer101b. The transducer101connected to the D/A converter103serves as a transmitter. The transducer101connected to the A/D converter104serves as a receiver. The output device106outputs information such as the results of signal processing and computations performed by the control circuit102. For example, the output device106is a display. The main body100may also include an input device (e.g., buttons or a touch panel) for user operations and a communication circuit (e.g., Wi-Fi module) to transmit information to an external device (e.g., an external computer or a server).

As shown inFIG.1, the control circuit102includes a transmission signal generator110, a signal processor111, and a storage112. The transmission signal generator110generates transmission signal data for measurement and outputs the data to the D/A converter103. The signal processor111calculates the propagation time of the acoustic signal based on the transmission signal and the reception signal and also calculates the flow velocity, the flow rate, or both of the fluid based on the propagation time. The signal processor111also removes reverberation from the reception signal. In the present embodiment, the signal processor111removes reverberation using the first method described above. The storage112stores waveform data that defines the waveform of the transmission signal. The transmission signal generator110reads the waveform data from the storage112and generates transmission signal data.

The control circuit102is, for example, a computer including a central processing unit (CPU), a random-access memory (RAM), a nonvolatile storage (e.g., read-only memory or ROM, a flash memory, or a hard disk drive), and an input-output (I/O) device. In this case, the CPU loads the program stored in the storage into the RAM and executes the program to implement the transmission signal generator110and the signal processor111. Any computer may be used. For example, the computer may be a personal computer, an embedded computer, a smartphone, or a tablet. In some embodiments, all or part of the functions provided by the control circuit102may be implemented by a circuit such as an application-specific integrated circuit (ASIC) or a field-programmable gate array (FPGA). In some embodiments, distributed computing and cloud computing may allow the control circuit102to work together with other computers to perform the processing described later.

The pipe120may be formed from any material, and have any size and any shape. For example, the pipe120may be a metal pipe or a resin pipe. The pipe120may be sized in accordance with the standard defined by Japanese Industrial Standards (JIS) or the American National Standards Institute (ANSI), or sized individually. The method in the present embodiment allows highly accurate measurement of low flow rates, and thus is particularly effective in measuring small pipes, such as ⅛-inch pipes (OD: 3.18 mm, ID: 1.59 mm), ¼-inch pipes (OD: 6.35 mm, ID: 3.97 mm), and ½-inch pipes (OD: 12.70 mm, ID: 9.53 mm). The pipe may be bent or curved, rather than straight, and may have any cross section.

The measurement performed by the propagation time measurement device1will be described with reference to the flowchart inFIG.3.

In step S100, the transmission signal generator110in the control circuit102reads the waveform data about a transmission signal from the storage112.

In step S101, the control circuit102controls the switch105to connect the D/A converter103to the first transducer101aand the A/D converter104to the second transducer101b. The first transducer101athus serves as a transmitter, and the second transducer101bas a receiver.

In step S102, the transmission signal generator110generates a transmission signal based on the waveform data read in step S100and outputs the signal to the D/A converter103. The transmission signal is temporarily stored in a RAM (work memory) for cross-correlation analysis performed later.

In step S103, the transmission signal resulting from D/A conversion and amplification performed by the D/A converter103is input into the first transducer101a, which then transmits an acoustic signal based on the transmission signal.FIG.4Ais a diagram of an example transmission signal, with the horizontal axis representing time and the vertical axis representing the signal value.FIG.4Bis a diagram of an example acoustic signal based on the transmission signal inFIG.4A, with the horizontal axis representing time and the vertical axis representing the sound pressure. In this example, the amplitude of the acoustic signal is not constant despite the constant amplitude of the transmission signal due to the frequency response of the transducer. The acoustic signal travels through the clamp 30, the pipe120, and the fluid121to the second transducer101b.

In step S104, the second transducer101bconverts the received acoustic signal to a reception signal and outputs the reception signal to the A/D converter104.FIG.4Cis a diagram of an example reception signal, with the horizontal axis representing time and the vertical axis representing the signal value. InFIG.4C, the vertical axis is enlarged relative to the vertical axis inFIG.4A. The acoustic signal is attenuated through propagation. Thus, the reception signal has an amplitude (a voltage) on the order of about 1/100 to 1/1000 of the transmission signal. For example, the transmission signal inFIG.4Ahas an amplitude of about 30 V, whereas the reception signal inFIG.4Chas an amplitude of about 10 mV. Additionally, various noise components including reverberation are contained in the reception signal, as shown inFIG.4C. The reception signal resulting from A/D conversion performed by the A/D converter104enters the control circuit102and is temporarily stored into the RAM (work memory).

In step S105, the signal processor111reads the transmission signal and the reception signal from the RAM and calculates the cross-correlation function between the two signals.FIG.4Dis a diagram of an example cross-correlation function, showing an area near the maximum peak alone in an enlarged manner. The horizontal axis represents time (time shift), and the vertical axis represents the value of cross-correlation normalized to have the maximum peak height of1. The cross-correlation function is a known technique, and is not described in detail herein.

In step S106, the signal processor111determines the temporal position of the maximum peak (vertex) in the cross-correlation function calculated in step S105as a propagation time T1 of the acoustic signal from the first transducer101ato the second transducer101b. The propagation time T1 is affected by, for example, reverberation of the reception signal and deviates from the actual propagation time.

Due to the limitation on digital signal processing, the cross-correlation function calculated in step S105is represented as discrete data. Thus, as inFIG.5A, the points at which the cross-correlation function data is obtained (the points indicated by solid circles) may not match the peak (vertex) position. In step S106, the signal processor111may thus approximate the shape of the waveform of the maximum peak and around the maximum peak (the waveform of the maximum peak) from the discrete data of the cross-correlation function and then estimate the position of the maximum peak. For example, as shown inFIG.5B, the signal processor111may transform the data near the maximum peak in the cross-correlation function to phase data by Hilbert transform. The resultant data may then be linearly approximated to use the zero crossing point (the position at which the phase is zero) on the approximate line as the position of the maximum peak. In some embodiments, the signal processor111may estimate the shape of the waveform of the maximum peak by interpolating the data near the maximum peak in the cross-correlation function by polynomial approximation to determine the vertex position. Such processing allows determination of the position at which the cross-correlation is maximum, or more specifically, the propagation time of the acoustic signal, with a resolution higher than the sampling intervals of A/D conversion.

In step S107, the signal processor111removes, as reverberation, any signal component at and after the time point based on the propagation time T1 determined in step S106from the reception signal read in step S105. The receiving transducer is expected to receive an acoustic signal with the same duration as the transmission signal after the propagation time elapses. Any signal component contained in the reception signal after the acoustic signal is received is expected to be reverberation. Thus, as shown inFIG.6, the signal processor111removes, from the reception signal, as reverberation, any signal component at and after the time point at which the total time of the propagation time T1 and a duration T0 of the transmission signal elapses from when the transmission signal is input into the first transducer101a. The reverberation can thus be removed accurately.

In step S108, the signal processor111calculates the cross-correlation function between the transmission signal read in step S105and the reception signal from which the reverberation has been removed in step S107.

In step S109, the signal processor111determines the temporal position of the maximum peak (vertex) in the cross-correlation function calculated in step S108as a propagation time T1′ of the acoustic signal from the first transducer101ato the second transducer101b. With the reverberation being removed from the reception signal, the propagation time T1′ determined in this step is close to the actual propagation time.

In step S110, the control circuit102controls the switch105to connect the D/A converter103to the second transducer101band the A/D converter104to the first transducer101a. In other words, the transmitting transducer is switched to the receiving transducer and the receiving transducer is to the transmitting transducer. The processing in subsequent steps S111to S118is the same as the processing in steps S102to S109(except that the first transducer101ais replaced with the second transducer101band the second transducer101bwith the first transducer101a). In step S115, a propagation time T2 of the acoustic signal from the second transducer101bto the first transducer101ais determined from the cross-correlation function based on the reception signal from which the reverberation has yet to be removed. In step S118, a propagation time T2′ of the acoustic signal from the second transducer101bto the first transducer101ais determined from the cross-correlation function based on the reception signal from which the reverberation has been removed.

The processing described above determines the propagation time T1′ of the acoustic signal from the first transducer101ato the second transducer101band the propagation time T2′ of the acoustic signal from the second transducer101bto the first transducer101a. When the fluid121flows in the pipe120, a time difference occurs between the propagation time T1′ and the propagation time T2′ in accordance with the flow velocity of the fluid121. Thus, the propagation time T1′ and the propagation time T2′ can be used to calculate the flow velocity and the flow rate of the fluid121. The propagation time T1′ and the propagation time T2′ are accurately determined after the reverberation is removed, thus allowing the flow velocity and flow rate of the fluid121to be determined accurately as well.

In step S119, the signal processor111determines a flow velocity V of the fluid121with the formula below.

In the formula, V is the flow velocity of the fluid, L is the length of the propagation path in the pipe, θ is the propagation angle, Tab is the propagation time T1′ from the upstream transducer to the downstream transducer, Tba is the propagation time T2′ from the downstream transducer to the upstream transducer, and To is the propagation time for a non-fluid portion. The propagation time To for the non-fluid portion is, for example, the time for the acoustic signal to propagate through the clamp 30 and the pipe120, and can be predetermined through experiment or simulation based on the specifications of the pipe120(e.g., the inner diameter, outer diameter, or material).

In step S120, the signal processor111determines a flow rate Q of the fluid with the formula below.

In the formula, Q is the flow rate of the fluid, V is the flow velocity of the fluid, and A is the hollow cross-section of the pipe. The hollow cross-section A is known in this example.

In step S121, the signal processor111outputs the processing results (e.g., the propagation time, the flow velocity, and the flow rate) to the output device106.

(Advantages of Present Embodiment)

The structure in the present embodiment described above allows the time point at which reverberation occurs to be determined accurately based on the propagation time determined using the reception signal from which the reverberation has yet to be removed. The structure then removes, as the reverberation, any signal component at and after the time point determined as above from the reception signal, and uses the resultant reception signal to redetermine the propagation time. The reverberation can thus be removed accurately, and the propagation time can be determined accurately. Thus, the structure can be used in highly-accurate measurement situations such as measuring a low flow rate. Additionally, calculating the propagation time can avoid use of unintended signal values (signal values representing the reverberation). This reduces the processing time for calculating the propagation time and the power consumption used to calculate the propagation time.

Second Embodiment

A propagation time measurement device1according to a second embodiment of the present invention removes reverberation with the second method described above. The basic structure is the same as in the first embodiment. Thus, the second embodiment will be described focusing on the difference from the first embodiment.

FIG.7is a flowchart of measurement performed by the propagation time measurement device1according to the second embodiment. The same step numbers denote the same processing steps in the flowchart in the first embodiment (FIG.3).

The processing in steps S100to S104is the same as in the first embodiment. In step S200, the signal processor111reads the reception signal from the RAM and approximates the envelope of the waveform of the reception signal, as shown inFIG.8. The envelope can be determined with a known technique and will not be described in detail.

In step S201, the signal processor111determines a value obtained by reducing the peak of the envelope determined in step S200by a predetermined factor as a threshold and detects a time Ta taken for the signal value to converge to or below the determined threshold from the reception signal read in step S200. The predetermined factor is not limited, but is, for example, ½ times.

In step S202, the signal processor111removes, as reverberation, any signal component after the time Ta detected in step S201from the reception signal read in step S200, as shown inFIG.8.

In step S203, the signal processor111reads the transmission signal from the RAM and calculates the cross-correlation function between the read transmission signal and the reception signal from which the reverberation has been removed in step S202.

In step S204, the signal processor111determines the temporal position of the maximum peak (vertex) in the cross-correlation function calculated in step S203as the propagation time T1′ of the acoustic signal from the first transducer101ato the second transducer101b. With the reverberation being removed from the reception signal, the propagation time T1′ determined in this step is close to the actual propagation time.

The processing in steps S110to S113is the same as in the first embodiment. The processing in steps S210to S214is the same as the processing in steps S200to S204(except that the first transducer101ais replaced with the second transducer101band the second transducer101bwith the first transducer101a). In step S211, the signal processor111determines, as a threshold, a value obtained by reducing the peak of the envelope determined in step S210by a predetermined factor and detects a time Tb taken for the signal value to converge to or below the determined threshold from the reception signal read in step S210. In step S214, a propagation time T2′ of the acoustic signal from the second transducer101bto the first transducer101ais determined from the cross-correlation function based on the reception signal from which the reverberation has been removed. The processing in steps S119to S121is the same as in the first embodiment.

The structure according to the present embodiment described above determines, as a threshold, the envelope of the waveform of the reception signal from which the reverberation has yet to be removed and determines the value obtained by reducing the peak of the determined envelope by the predetermined factor. The structure then removes any signal component at and after the time point at which the signal value converges to or below the determined threshold as reverberation and uses the reception signal from which the reverberation has been removed to determine the propagation time. The reverberation can thus be removed accurately, and the propagation time can be determined accurately. Thus, the structure can be used in highly-accurate measurement situations such as measuring a low flow rate. Additionally, calculating the propagation time can avoid use of unintended signal values (signal values representing the reverberation). This reduces the processing time for calculating the propagation time and the power consumption used to calculate the propagation time.

Third Embodiment

A propagation time measurement device1according to a third embodiment of the present invention removes reverberation with the second method described above. The specific method for removing reverberation differs from the method in the second embodiment. The basic structure is the same as in the above embodiments. Thus, the third embodiment will be described focusing on the difference from the above embodiments.

FIG.9is a flowchart of measurement performed by the propagation time measurement device1according to the third embodiment. The same step numbers denote the same processing steps in the flowchart in the second embodiment (FIG.7).

The processing in steps S100to S104and step S200is the same as in the second embodiment. The envelope data determined in step S200is discrete data. The time intervals of the multiple discrete values included in the envelope are not limited, but are equivalent to the time intervals of the multiple peaks shown by the reception signal, or more specifically, identical to the time intervals of the multiple peaks shown by the transmission signal.

In step S301, the signal processor111determines, as a threshold, one of the multiple discrete values at a predetermined ordinal position from the greatest value included in the envelope determined in step S200. The signal processor111then detects a time Ta taken for the signal value to converge to or below the determined threshold from the reception signal read in step S200. The predetermined ordinal position is not limited, but is, for example, the tenth position.

In step S302, the signal processor111removes, as reverberation, any signal component at and after the time Ta detected in step S301from the reception signal read in step S200, as shown inFIG.10.

In step S303, the signal processor111reads the transmission signal from the RAM and calculates the cross-correlation function between the read transmission signal and the reception signal from which the reverberation has been removed in step S302.

In step S304, the signal processor111determines the temporal position of the maximum peak (vertex) in the cross-correlation function calculated in step S303as a propagation time T1′ of the acoustic signal from the first transducer101ato the second transducer101b. With the reverberation being removed from the reception signal, the propagation time T1′ determined in this step is close to the actual propagation time.

The processing in steps S110to S113and step S210is the same as in the second embodiment. The processing in steps S311to S314is the same as the processing in steps S301to S304(except that the first transducer101ais replaced with the second transducer101band the second transducer101bwith the first transducer101a). In step S311, the signal processor111determines, as a threshold, one of the multiple discrete values at a predetermined ordinal position from the greatest value included in the envelope determined in step S210. The signal processor111then detects a time Tb taken for the signal value to converge to or below the determined threshold from the reception signal read in step S210. In step S314, a propagation time T2′ of the acoustic signal from the second transducer101bto the first transducer101ais determined from the cross-correlation function based on the reception signal from which the reverberation has been removed. The processing in steps S119to S121is the same as in the second embodiment.

The structure according to the present embodiment described above determines the envelope of the waveform of the reception signal from which the reverberation has yet to be removed and determines, as a threshold, one of the multiple discrete values at the predetermined ordinal position from the greatest value included in the determined envelope. The structure then removes any signal component at and after the time point at which the signal value converges to or below the determined threshold as reverberation and uses the reception signal from which the reverberation has been removed to determine the propagation time. The reverberation can thus be removed accurately, and the propagation time can be determined accurately. Thus, the structure can be used in highly-accurate measurement situations such as measuring a low flow rate. Additionally, calculating the propagation time can avoid use of unintended signal values (signal values representing the reverberation). This reduces the processing time for calculating the propagation time and the power consumption used to calculate the propagation time.

Fourth Embodiment

A propagation time measurement device1according to a fourth embodiment of the present invention removes reverberation with the third method described above. The basic structure is the same as in the above embodiments. Thus, the fourth embodiment will be described focusing on the difference from the above embodiments.

FIG.11is a flowchart of measurement performed by the propagation time measurement device1according to the fourth embodiment. The same step numbers denote the same processing steps in the flowchart in the first embodiment (FIG.3).

The processing in steps S100to S104is the same as in the first embodiment. In step S400, the signal processor111reads the reception signal from the RAM and determines, as a threshold, one of the multiple peaks at the predetermined ordinal position from the highest peak shown by the reception signal. The signal processor111then detects a time Ta taken for the signal value to converge to or below the determined threshold from the reception signal. The predetermined ordinal position is not limited, but is, for example, the tenth position.

In step S401, the signal processor111removes, as reverberation, any signal component at and after the time Ta detected in step S400from the reception signal read in step S400, as shown inFIG.12.

In step S402, the signal processor111reads the transmission signal from the RAM and calculates the cross-correlation function between the read transmission signal and the reception signal from which the reverberation has been removed in step S401.

In step S403, the signal processor111determines the temporal position of the maximum peak (vertex) in the cross-correlation function calculated in step S402as a propagation time T1′ of the acoustic signal from the first transducer101ato the second transducer101b. With the reverberation being removed from the reception signal, the propagation time T1′ determined in this step is close to the actual propagation time.

The processing in steps S110to S113is the same as in the first embodiment. The processing in steps S410to S413is the same as the processing in steps S400to S403(except that the first transducer101ais replaced with the second transducer101band the second transducer101bwith the first transducer101a). In step S410, the signal processor111reads the reception signal (the reception signal obtained in step S113) from the RAM and determines, as a threshold, one of the multiple peaks at the predetermined ordinal position from the highest peak shown by the reception signal. The signal processor111then detects a time Tb taken for the signal value to converge to or below the threshold from the reception signal. In step S413, a propagation time T2′ of the acoustic signal from the second transducer101bto the first transducer101ais determined from the cross-correlation function based on the reception signal from which the reverberation has been removed. The processing in steps S119to S121is the same as in the first embodiment.

The structure according to the present embodiment described above determines, as a threshold, one of the multiple peaks at the predetermined ordinal position from the highest peak shown by the reception signal from which the reverberation has yet to be removed. The structure then removes any signal component at and after the time point at which the signal value converges to or below the determined threshold as reverberation and uses the reception signal from which the reverberation has been removed to determine the propagation time. The reverberation can thus be removed accurately, and the propagation time can be determined accurately. Thus, the structure can be used in highly-accurate measurement situations such as measuring a low flow rate. Additionally, calculating the propagation time can avoid use of unintended signal values (signal values representing the reverberation). This reduces the processing time for calculating the propagation time and the power consumption used to calculate the propagation time. A reception signal sampled at certain periods (resolutions) may not include any peak that is to occur in the reception signals. In such cases, although the structures in the first to third embodiments may be expected to determine the propagation time more accurately, the structures involve more processes such as determining a tentative propagation time or determining the envelope.

Others

The embodiments described above are mere examples of the present invention. The present invention is not limited to the specific embodiments described above, but may be modified variously within the scope of the technical ideas of the invention. For example, in the device according to each of the above embodiments, after measurement of the propagation time of the acoustic signal, the measured propagation time is used to calculate the flow velocity and the flow rate of the fluid. In some embodiments, the flow velocity and the flow rate are not calculated. The propagation time measurement device may simply measure the propagation time (at least one of the propagation time T1′ or the propagation time T2′). The propagation angle θ may be 90 degrees for simply measuring the propagation time. In the above embodiments, the clamp-on device to clamp the pipe is used. In some embodiments, the device may be incorporated in the pipe. The transducers may be three or more transducers, including transducer pairs for propagating acoustic signals downstream and transducer pairs for propagating acoustic signals upstream. The transmitting transducer and the receiving transducer may be at any different positions with respect to the pipe, rather than being opposite to each other across the pipe or at different positions in the longitudinal direction of the pipe.

The storage112may prestore information about the time point at which reverberation occurs, and the signal processor111may remove the reverberation based on the information stored in the storage112. The information about the time point at which reverberation occurs may or may not simply indicate the time point (e.g., the time T1 + the time T0 or the time T2 + the time T0 in the first embodiment or the time Ta or the time Tb in the second to fourth embodiments). For example, the information about the time point at which reverberation occurs may indicate the propagation time (the propagation time T1 or the propagation time T2 in the first embodiment) determined using the reception signal containing reverberation. The information about the time point at which reverberation occurs may indicate a threshold (the thresholds used in the second to fourth embodiments) based on the envelope or multiple peaks. The information about the time point at which reverberation occurs is obtained in the same manner as described in the first to fourth embodiments in, for example, premeasurement. In measurement, instead of determining the information about the time point at which reverberation occurs, the signal processor111reads the same information from the storage112. For example, to obtain the propagation time T1′ with the method in the first embodiment, the processing in steps S101to S106inFIG.3is performed in the premeasurement. The signal processor111then stores the determined propagation time T1 into the storage112. In measurement, the processing in steps S101to S104is performed, and the signal processor111reads the propagation time T1 from the storage112and performs the processing in steps S107to S109.

The pair of transducers may transmit and receive the acoustic signal multiple times in measurement of the propagation time T1′ or the propagation time T2′. The signal processor111may then use the multiple reception signals resulting from the multiple transmission and reception operations to obtain information about the time point at which reverberation occurs. The combination of multiple reception signals can apparently increase the resolution, and thus the use of multiple reception signals allows the time point at which the reverberation occurs to be determined more accurately. For example, the propagation time T1, the propagation time T2, the envelope, and the peaks of the reception signal can be determined more accurately. This thus allows the reverberation to be removed more accurately and the propagation time to be determined more accurately.

In the second to fourth embodiments, the time Ta for removing the reverberation from the reception signal obtained by the second transducer101b(corresponding to the acoustic signal from the first transducer101ato the second transducer101b) and the time Tb for removing the reverberation from the reception signal obtained by the first transducer101a(corresponding to the acoustic signal from the second transducer101bto the first transducer101a) are determined separately. However, the manner of determining the times Ta and Tb is not limited to this example. For example, one of the time Ta or the time Tb may be detected, and the detected time may also be used as the other of the time Ta or the time Tb. This reduces the processing load and the processing time. For example, the time Ta alone is detected, and the time Ta is used as the time Tb. This eliminates the processing in steps S210and S211inFIG.7(detection of the envelope, determination of the threshold, and detection of the time Tb), the processing in steps S210and S311inFIG.9(detection of the envelope, determination of the threshold, and detection of the time Tb), and the processing in step S410inFIG.11(determination of the threshold and detection of the time Tb).

Similarly, in the first embodiment, one of the propagation time T1 or the propagation time T2 may also be used as the other of the propagation time T1 or the propagation time T2. In the second to fourth embodiments, one of the two thresholds for determining the two times Ta and Tb may also be used as the other of the two thresholds. This can also reduce the processing load and the processing time.

A propagation time measurement device (1), comprising:a plurality of transducers (101a,101b) at different positions with respect to a pipe (120) through which a fluid (121) flows, the plurality of transducers (101a,101b) including a first transducer (101a) configured to convert a transmission signal as an electrical signal to an acoustic signal and a second transducer (101b) configured to receive the acoustic signal transmitted from the first transducer (101a) through the fluid (121) in the pipe (120) and convert the received acoustic signal to a reception signal as an electrical signal; anda signal processor (111) configured to remove reverberation from the reception signal and determine a propagation time of the acoustic signal from the first transducer to the second transducer by cross-correlation analysis between the transmission signal and the reception signal from which the reverberation has been removed,wherein the signal processor (111)determines a propagation time of the acoustic signal from the first transducer (101a) to the second transducer (101b) by cross-correlation analysis between the transmission signal and the reception signal from which the reverberation has yet to be removed,removes, as the reverberation, a signal component at and after a time point based on the determined propagation time, andredetermines the propagation time of the acoustic signal from the first transducer (101a) to the second transducer (101b) by cross-correlation analysis between the transmission signal and the reception signal from which the reverberation has been removed.

A propagation time measurement device (1), comprising:a plurality of transducers (101a,101b) at different positions with respect to a pipe (120) through which a fluid (121) flows, the plurality of transducers (101a,101b) including a first transducer (101a) configured to convert a transmission signal as an electrical signal to an acoustic signal and a second transducer (101b) configured to receive the acoustic signal transmitted from the first transducer (101a) through the fluid (121) in the pipe (120) and convert the received acoustic signal to a reception signal as an electrical signal; anda signal processor (111) configured to remove reverberation from the reception signal and determine a propagation time of the acoustic signal from the first transducer to the second transducer by cross-correlation analysis between the transmission signal and the reception signal from which the reverberation has been removed,wherein the signal processor (111) approximates an envelope of a waveform of the reception signal from which the reverberation has yet to be removed, determines a threshold based on the envelope, and removes, as the reverberation, a signal component at and after a time point at which a signal value of the reception signal converges to or below the determined threshold.

A propagation time measurement device (1), comprising:a plurality of transducers (101a,101b) at different positions with respect to a pipe (120) through which a fluid (121) flows, the plurality of transducers (101a,101b) including a first transducer (101a) configured to convert a transmission signal as an electrical signal to an acoustic signal and a second transducer (101b) configured to receive the acoustic signal transmitted from the first transducer (101a) through the fluid (121) in the pipe (120) and convert the received acoustic signal to a reception signal as an electrical signal; anda signal processor (111) configured to remove reverberation from the reception signal and determine a propagation time of the acoustic signal from the first transducer to the second transducer by cross-correlation analysis between the transmission signal and the reception signal from which the reverberation has been removed,wherein the signal processor (111) removes, as the reverberation, a signal component at and after a time point at which a signal value of the reception signal converges to or below a peak at a predetermined ordinal position from a highest peak of a plurality of peaks shown by the reception signal from which the reverberation has yet to be removed.