Patent ID: 7832275

Claim:
An ultrasonic detection system for scanning objects to be tested, the system comprising: a transmit and receive device to generate a test signal and to receive a responsive echo signal; a transducer that converts the test signal to an ultrasonic signal, applies the ultrasonic signal to a target object to be tested, receives an ultrasonic echo signal and produces the echo signal for the transmit and receive device; a signal processing circuit coupled with the transmit and receive device for receiving and processing the echo signal, the signal processing circuit including at least one digital to analog converter for converting an analog version of the echo signal to a digital echo signal comprising streaming digital data at a sampling clock rate; and a digital tuner circuit including: a memory in which the streaming data is received; an infinite impulse response (IIR) filter that processes data originating from the memory, and a finite impulse response (FIR) filter which receives an output originating from the IIR filter and applies a band pass function to the received data; and a sample rate adjuster interposed between the IIR filter and the FIR filter which adjusts the sample rate for the FIR filter, the sample rate adjuster being configured to enable adjustment of the sample rate of the FIR filter by interpolating the output originating from the IIR filter, the number of data points being processed by the FIR filter exceeds the number of data points obtained from the IIR filter by a predetermined factor, thereby increasing the perceived resolution of the streaming digital data by a predetermined factor.