Patent ID: 8446796

Claim:
A method of processing signals in a pulse-echo measurement system, comprising: repetitively transmitting pulse energy towards a target, wherein the target lies in a plant and has a measurement environment in the plant, wherein the measurement environment in the plant comprises a vessel containing a material, wherein a surface of the material is the target; for each pulse energy transmission, receiving reflected pulses in order to form echo signals; processing the echo signals to derive one or more desired measurements from the echo signals via a signal processor by: providing a model of the measurement environment, wherein the model includes component models related to a plurality of parameters related to the measurement environment, wherein at least one of the plurality of parameters is unknown and pre-estimated, and wherein the model is designed to calculate a modeled echo profile on the basis of the plurality of parameters; comparing, via a difference calculator, each echo signal obtained from the measurements with the modeled echo profile calculated by the model to derive difference signals resulting from a difference in one or more of the plurality of parameters between the measurement environment and the model of the measurement environment; adjusting one or more of the unknown and pre-estimated parameters based upon the difference signals via a parameter re-calculator in a manner to minimize a difference; inputting the one or more adjusted parameters as feedback signals into the model of the measurement environment to modify the plurality of parameters used in the model, and to adapt the modeled echo profile to account for the difference; and providing at least one of the one or more adjusted parameters as a final output of the pulse-echo measurement system, wherein the at least one of the one or more adjusted parameter comprises a level of the material in the vessel.