JPS6319580A - Operation checking system for ultrasonic wave transmission circuit - Google Patents

Abstract

PURPOSE:To attain rapid and sure correction by connecting an exciting voltage detecting coil to an exciting voltage boosting transformer arranged on the output side of an ultrasonic wave transmitting circuit and detecting the induced voltage of the detecting coil to form a transmission checking signal. CONSTITUTION:When a burst-like transmission pulse is applied from a transmis sion circuit 2 to the primary coil 6a of the exciting voltage boosting transformer 6, the induced voltage with an almost similar waveform is generated in the detecting coil 7 synchronously with the exciting voltage to be applied to a transmitter 1. The induction voltage induced in the coil 7 is detected by a trans mission checking signal forming part 8 to form a pulse-like transmission checking signal. Thereby, whether the exciting voltage for forming the transmis sion wave is transmitted or not can be detected at every output of the transmis sion wave, so that the generation of a failure can be always monitored and immediately informed by an alarm circuit. Since the failure position is generated in a transmission system or a receiving system can be easily distinguished, rapid and sure correction can be attained.

Description

[Detailed Description of the Invention] [Industrial Field of Application] The present invention is applicable to ultra-wave measurement devices used in ultra-wave measuring devices such as berthing speed meters, ultrasonic level meters, and distance measuring devices such as ultrasonic radars. This invention relates to a method for checking the operation of a sound wave transmitting circuit.

[Prior Art] Ultrasonic measuring equipment has a transmitting circuit that excites a transmitter to emit ultrasonic waves, and a receiving circuit that receives reflected waves from a target object at a receiver. configured. An example is shown in FIG.

The ultrasonic measuring device shown in FIG. 5 is an example applied to a berthed speed meter, and includes a transducer 1 and a transmitting circuit 2 that sends an excitation voltage consisting of burst pulses to the transducer 1 according to a pulse transmission command signal. and a receiving circuit 3 that receives a reflected wave signal received by the transducer 1 and input.

Note that in the receiving circuit 3, only a limiter 4 and an amplifier 5 are shown.

By the way, the circuit configuration of this type of measuring instrument has become more complex as its performance has improved, so if it breaks down, it is not easy for the user of the measuring instrument to repair it, and it is difficult for the user to repair it. Repairs are generally performed by maintenance technicians. In this case, in order to perform quick and accurate repairs, it is desirable for maintenance engineers to know the location of the failure in advance and to prepare necessary parts, tools, etc. in a timely manner.

To this end, it is desirable for the measuring instrument user to be able to easily identify the location of the failure, and at the very least, it is necessary to be able to distinguish whether the failure location is on the transmitting side or on the receiving side.

Furthermore, in order to perform accurate measurements in this type of measuring instrument, it is necessary to check for failures in a timely manner.

In particular, it is necessary to promptly know that a failure has occurred in a transmitter circuit that includes circuit elements that are prone to failure, such as an oscillator.

[Problems to be Solved by the Invention] Conventionally, however, this type of measuring instrument does not have a means for detecting its own failures, so in order to detect failures, it is necessary to use a Δ14 meter or the like. In addition, it was necessary to check the operating waveforms, operating voltages, etc. of each part of the circuit, which was not easy for non-experts.

Therefore, there is a problem in that failure detection may be delayed, leading to erroneous measurements. In addition, since it is not possible to accurately determine the location of a failure, maintenance technicians may not be able to know the location of the failure in advance, and may not be able to repair it at once due to lack of repair parts, or conversely, may find it impossible to repair. There were problems such as the need to prepare more parts than necessary to prevent this from happening, which required a lot of time and effort to prepare.

The present invention was made to solve such problems,
In particular, for transmitter circuits that have circuit elements that are prone to failure, such as oscillators, it is possible to constantly detect the occurrence of a failure, quickly know that a failure has occurred, and easily determine whether the failure is in the transmission or reception system. It is an object of the present invention to provide an operation check method for an ultrasonic transmitting circuit, which allows maintenance technicians to make accurate repair preparations and perform quick and accurate repairs.

[Means for Solving the Problems] The present invention provides an operation check method in an ultrasonic transmitting circuit that sends excitation voltage to an ultrasonic transmitter, and as a means for solving the above problems, the present invention provides an ultrasonic transmitting circuit. A detection coil for detecting the excitation voltage is installed in the excitation voltage step-up transformer installed on the output side of the

Further, the present invention is characterized in that it includes a transmission check signal forming section that detects the induced voltage induced in the detection coil and forms a pulsed transmission check signal.

[Operation] In the means for solving the above problem, the detection coil provided in the excitation voltage step-up transformer synchronizes with the excitation voltage to the transmitter when a burst wave-like transmission pulse is applied to the transformer from the transmission circuit. A voltage with a nearly similar waveform is induced, and the transmitted wave is detected.

Further, the transmission check signal forming section detects the induced voltage induced in the detection coil to form a pulsed transmission check signal.

As a result 1, the present invention can detect whether or not the excitation voltage for forming the transmission wave has been transmitted for each output of the transmission wave, and can constantly monitor the occurrence of a failure, and promptly detect the occurrence of a failure. In addition, it is possible to easily distinguish whether the failure location is in the transmitting system or the receiving system, allowing the maintenance engineer to make appropriate repair arrangements, and making it possible to carry out quick and accurate repairs.

[Example] Embodiments of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings.

<Configuration of Embodiment> FIG. 1 shows the configuration of an embodiment of an operation check system for an ultrasonic transmitting circuit according to the present invention. Note that the operation check method shown in the figure is applied to an ultrasonic measuring device of a berthing speed meter, similar to the method shown in FIG.

The ultrasonic meter 111 device shown in the figure includes a transducer 1, a transmitter circuit 2 that sends an excitation voltage consisting of burst pulses to the transducer 1 according to a pulse command signal, and a wave that is received by a transducer 31. The receiving circuit 3 receives an input reflected wave signal, and a step-up transformer 6 is provided on the output side of the transmitting circuit 2.

The operation check system of this embodiment is provided in the ultrasonic measuring device configured as described above, and the step-up transformer 6
a detection coil 7 provided in the detection coil 7, and a transmission check signal forming section 8 that detects the induced voltage induced in the detection coil 7 and forms a pulsed transmission check signal, and
A flip-flop circuit 9 stores and holds the transmission check signal in correspondence with the transmission repetition period, and a warning display circuit l
It is configured with O.

The transmission check signal forming section 8 includes, for example, a detection diode D, a smoothing capacitor C, as shown in FIG.
Resistors R1 and R2 and switching transistor Tr
and an inverter In21.

In the flip-flop circuit 9, the output of the transmission check signal forming section 8 is connected to a set terminal S, and a reset signal synchronized with the repetition period of transmission is connected to a reset terminal R. A normality check signal indicating that the transmission is normal is output from the Q terminal, and a part of it is output from the warning display circuit 1.
Sent to 0.

The warning display circuit IO is constructed by connecting in series an inverter In that inverts the phase of the normality check signal, a light emitting diode Ld that displays a warning, and a current limiting resistor R3.

<Operation of the Embodiment> The operation of the operation check method of the embodiment configured as described above will be explained with reference to the above-mentioned figures and the time chart of FIG. 3.

First, in the ultrasonic measurement device to which this embodiment is applied, when a pulse transmission command signal that is formed in synchronization with a pulse repetition signal output from a synchronization signal formation circuit (not shown) is input, a transmission bar of a constant pulse width is transmitted. - forming a strike signal; This transmission burst signal is applied to the primary coil 6a of the step-up transformer, is boosted, and is sent from the secondary coil 6b to the wave transmitter/receiver S1 as a high voltage, for example, an excitation voltage of approximately 40 (IV P-p).

The wave transmitting/receiving device 1 is excited by this transmission burst signal, transmits ultrasonic waves, receives reflected waves from the target object, and converts them into electrical signals. This received signal is input to the amplifier 5 via the limiter 4, where it is amplified and then becomes a termination signal for a receiving gate circuit (not shown). Thereby, the time required for the ultrasonic pulse emitted from the transducer l to travel back and forth to the target object can be measured.

Now, as described above, when the transmission burst signal is output from the transmission circuit 2 and applied to the primary coil 6a of the step-up transformer 6, an induced voltage is generated in the secondary coil 6b, and an induced voltage is also generated in the detection coil 7. occurs. This voltage is
It has a waveform substantially similar to the transmission burst signal, and is output at a timing corresponding to the transmission burst signal.

The detection voltage induced in the detection coil 7 is detected by a transmission check signal forming section 8 and output as a transmission check signal. That is, the detected voltage is detected by a detection diode D shown in FIG.

This detection output turns on the transistor Tr, and its output is inverted by the inverter In21 to form a transmission check signal (FT!).

This PTx signal is sent to the set terminal S of the flip-flop circuit 9, sets the flip-flop circuit 9, and makes the Q terminal output high level. This high level output is inverted by the inverter In, and as a result, a forward bias is applied to the light emitting diode Ld, so that the light emitting diode Ld emits light. This light emission continues until a reset signal is input. Note that the Q terminal may be used and the inverter In may be omitted.

Therefore, in this embodiment, when the transmission circuit 2 is normally outputting a transmission burst signal, a transmission check signal is formed, a normality check signal is output based on this, and the light emitting diode Ld of the warning display circuit 10 is activated. Emits light.

On the other hand, when the transmission burst signal is not output from the transmission circuit 2 despite the input of the transmission command signal, the transmission check signal forming section 8 does not output the transmission check signal. As a result, the flip-flop circuit 9 is not set and remains in the reset state until the next transmission timing.
The normality check signal is low level, and the warning display circuit 1
The light emitting diode Ld of 0 does not emit light.

As described above, according to this embodiment, if the transmitting circuit is operating normally, the light emitting diode Ld of the warning display circuit 10 emits light, so the operating state can be easily checked by simply checking the light emitting state. For example,
If the ultrasonic measuring device does not operate properly,
If the light emitting diode Ld is not emitting light normally, it can be determined that there is an abnormality in the transmitting circuit, whereas if it is emitting light normally, it can be determined that there is an abnormality in a portion other than the transmitting circuit.

Therefore, when a measuring instrument user calls a maintenance engineer, the maintenance engineer can estimate the location of the failure, take sufficient steps for repair, and perform the repair more efficiently. can.

Next, another example of the alarm function using the above transmission check signal will be explained with reference to FIG.

The circuit shown in FIG. 4 includes an exclusive OR gate circuit 12 that takes the exclusive OR of a transmission command signal and a transmission check signal, a smoothing circuit 14 consisting of a resistor R4 and a capacitor C2, a flip-flop circuit 11, and an alarm circuit 13. It is composed of: The transmission command signal and the transmission check signal are applied to the input terminal of the exclusive OR gate circuit 12.

This alarm function works as follows.

First, if the transmission circuit is normal, when a transmission command signal is generated, a transmission check signal is generated in response. Since both the transmission command signal and the transmission check signal are applied to the exclusive OR gate circuit 12, the exclusive OR gate circuit 12
No output signal is generated from , and the flip-flop circuit 11 is not set.

On the other hand, if the transmitting circuit is abnormal, even if the transmitting command signal is generated, the transmitting check signal is not generated, and as a result, the output of the exclusive OR gate circuit 12 becomes high level, and the flip-flop circuit 11 is set. , alarm circuit 1
3 is activated and issues an alarm to the central control unit.

Note that the smoothing circuit 14 is a circuit for absorbing a hazard signal output from the exclusive OR gate circuit 12 due to a subtle timing difference between the transmission command signal and the transmission check signal, and the output of the normal exclusive OR gate circuit 12 is , one circuit constant is selected so as not to cause overslip.

By providing such an alarm function, transmission abnormalities are automatically detected, so there is no need for the user of the measuring device to constantly monitor the measurement, and abnormalities can be detected immediately, preventing erroneous measurements. Can be done.

<Modification of Embodiment> Although the above embodiment shows an example in which it is applied to an ultrasonic measuring device used in a berthing speed meter, the present invention is not limited to this, and can be applied to an ultrasonic level meter, an ultrasonic radar, etc. It can be applied to ultrasonic measuring devices such as distance measuring devices.

[Effects of the Invention] As explained above, the present invention is capable of always detecting the occurrence of a failure in a transmission circuit having circuit elements that are prone to failure, such as an oscillator, and quickly knowing that a failure has occurred. This has the effect that it is possible to easily distinguish whether the failure location is in the transmitting system or the receiving system, allowing maintenance engineers to make appropriate repair arrangements, and to enable quick and accurate repairs.

[Brief explanation of the drawing]

FIG. 1 is a block diagram showing the configuration of an embodiment of an operation check method for an ultrasonic transmitting circuit according to the present invention, and FIG. 2 is a circuit diagram showing an example of a transmission check signal forming section constituting the above embodiment. Fig. 3 is a time chart showing the operation of the above embodiment, Fig. 4 is a block diagram showing another example of the alarm function using the transmission check signal mentioned in 1, and Fig. 5 shows an outline of the ultrasonic measuring device. It is a block diagram. 1... Transducer/receiver 2... Transmission circuit 3...
Receiving circuit 4...Limiter 5...Amplifier
6...Step-up transformer 7...Detection coil 8...Transmission check signal forming section 9.11...Flip-flop circuit 10...Warning display circuit 12...Exclusive OR gate circuit 13...Alarm Circuit 14...Mosule circuit

Claims (2)

[Claims] (1) An operation check method for an ultrasonic transmitting circuit that sends an excitation voltage to an ultrasonic transmitter, in which an excitation voltage step-up transformer installed on the output side of the ultrasonic transmitter has a detection function for detecting the excitation voltage. An operation check of an ultrasonic transmitter circuit, comprising: a coil; and a transmission check signal forming section that detects the induced voltage induced in the detection coil and forms a pulsed transmission check signal. method. (2) A patent claim comprising a flip-flop circuit that is set by the transmission check signal and reset in synchronization with the transmission repetition period, and configured to store and hold the transmission check signal in correspondence with the transmission repetition period. A method for checking the operation of the ultrasonic transmitting circuit according to item 1.