Analysis of an ultrasonic spatial locating system

Author

Moritz, W.E. ; Shreve, P.L. ; Mace, L.E.

Author_Institution

Bioengng. Center, Univ. of Washington, Seattle, WA, USA

Issue

1

fYear

1976

fDate

3/1/1976 12:00:00 AM

Firstpage

43

Lastpage

50

Abstract

Describes and analyses an ultrasonic spatial locating system. Based on the transit time of a shock wave produced by a small electric spark, the position of one or more sparks can be determined with respect to a coordinate system. The coordinate system is formed by 3 linear electret microphones arranged orthogonally which detect the arrival of the wave front. A microcomputer is incorporated for system control and for calculating the spatial coordinates (X, Y, Z) from the measured transit times. In addition, the computer can be used to perform certain calibration and performance checks to maintain proper system operation. An analysis of the system indicates that it is possible to locate points within a cube 50 cm on a side with an accuracy of better than ±0.6 mm. The acoustic transit time and the ringing of the microphone determine how many samples per second may be taken. Data rates of about 100 per second are well within the capabilities of the system.

Keywords

engineering applications of computers; position measurement; ultrasonic applications; 3 linear electret microphones; coordinate system; measured transit times; microcomputer; shock wave transit time; small electric spark; spatial coordinates; ultrasonic spatial locating system; Accuracy; Linearity; Microphones; Radiation detectors; Random access memory; Sparks; Standards;

fLanguage

English

Journal_Title

Instrumentation and Measurement, IEEE Transactions on

Publisher

ieee

ISSN

0018-9456

Type

jour

DOI

10.1109/TIM.1976.6312303

Filename

6312303