Importance

Loading Importance Indicators...

Abstract

A measurement instrument comprises a sensor circuit comprising a drive circuit for transmitting a pulse signal at a target of interest and a receive circuit receiving reflected echoes of the pulse signal and developing an analog signal representative of the reflected echoes. An analog processing circuit is operatively coupled to the sensor circuit for receiving the analog signal and comprising a gate for selectively transferring the analog signal to a comparator that compares the gated analog signal to a select threshold level to develop a data signal representative of location of the target of interest. A programmed digital processing circuit is operatively coupled to the sensor circuit and the analog processing circuit and comprises a measurement module to control the drive circuit and evaluate the data signal to determine material location. An echo processing module periodically evaluates a digital representation of the analog signal to determine an expected window time and expected amplitude of a reflected echo representing the target of interest and developing a gate control signal to control the gate based on expected window time and developing the select threshold level based on the expected amplitude.

Loading the Abstract Image...

First Claim