US RE50,447 E1
System and method for in-situ measurement of viscoelastic material properties using continuous-wave ultrasound
Jinglu Tan, Columbia, MO (US); and Nilesh Salvi, Columbia, MO (US)
Assigned to THE CURATORS OF THE UNIVERSITY OF MISSOURI, Columbia, MO (US)
Filed by THE CURATORS OF THE UNIVERSITY OF MISSOURI, Columbia, MO (US)
Filed on Jun. 30, 2022, as Appl. No. 17/854,118.
Application 17/854,118 is a reissue of application No. 15/880,849, filed on Jan. 26, 2018, granted, now 10,697,875, issued on Jun. 30, 2020.
Claims priority of provisional application 62/450,729, filed on Jan. 26, 2017.
Int. Cl. G01N 11/00 (2006.01); G01N 29/024 (2006.01); G01N 29/22 (2006.01); G01N 29/24 (2006.01); G01N 29/36 (2006.01); G01N 29/46 (2006.01)
CPC G01N 11/00 (2013.01) [G01N 29/024 (2013.01); G01N 29/223 (2013.01); G01N 29/225 (2013.01); G01N 29/2456 (2013.01); G01N 29/36 (2013.01); G01N 29/46 (2013.01); G01N 2011/0073 (2013.01); G01N 2203/0094 (2013.01); G01N 2291/02818 (2013.01); G01N 2291/102 (2013.01)] 25 Claims
OG exemplary drawing
 
1. A system for measuring at least one viscoelastic [ material ] property of a material under measurement, comprising:
an emitter-observer transducer pair configured to be positioned within the material under measurement, wherein the transducer pair comprises [ comprising ] an emitter transducer spaced from an observer transducer [ , wherein the emitter transducer and the observer transducer are positioned on opposite sides of the material under measurement] ;
a signal processing assembly connected to the emitter transducer and the observer transducer, wherein the signal processing assembly is operable to:
apply a plurality of excitation signals to the emitter transducer, wherein each of the excitation signals comprises a continuous-wave sinusoidal waveform;
record a plurality of output signals at the observer transducer, wherein each of the output signals corresponds to one of the excitation signals, and wherein each of the output signals comprises a sum of the corresponding one of the excitation signals and a plurality of attenuated echoes traveling between the emitter transducer and the observer transducer; [ and ]
analyze the output signals to measure the sound speed of the material; and [ determine a material property of the material under measurement, wherein the material property comprises one of a sound speed, a viscosity, an elasticity, and a density of the material under measurement ]
utilize the measured sound speed to determine the viscoelastic property of the material under measurement.