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Key Challenges

Detecting weak ultrasonic signatures in noisy environments

Industrial environments contain substantial acoustic interference such as machinery vibrations, electromagnetic interference, reflections from hard surfaces and broadband environmental noises.

This brings forth a significant challenge to isolate leak-specific ultrasonic frequencies while maintaining sensitivity.

Solution

A dedicated ultrasound sensing front-end with analog filtering and digital post-processing was developed to extract relevant signatures.

Precise spatial correlation between acoustic and visual data

Ultrasound detection alone provides limited intuitive information.

The challenge was accurately mapping acoustic source direction onto the optical camera image.

Solution

Sensor fusion algorithms were developed to calibrate and align:

  • Acoustic sensor coordinates
  • Camera intrinsic parameters
  • Spatial transformation matrices

This enables accurate visual leak pinpointing.

Real-time processing

Industrial usability requires immediate feedback, this requires the processing pipeline to implement low-latency signal acquisition, fast localization computation and real-time image overlay rendering.

Solution

Optimized embedded processing pipelines were implemented for deterministic performance.

Rugged deployment

Factory settings place significant stress on devices with factors such as dust exposure, resistance to mechanical shocks and variable lighting conditions. Furthermore they must be easy to operate with minimal training.

Solution

The enclosure and mounting system were designed for industrial robustness, the operator's interface was kept clean and simple whilst advanced settings do allow fine-tuning by an expert.