An Accurate Detection for Dynamic Liquid Level Based on MIMO Ultrasonic Transducer Array

In many circumstances, the conventional ultrasonic liquid-level detection presents the unreliable estimations due to the dynamically changed liquid level. In addition, there are circumstances where the level change involves not only the fluctuation but also the rise or fall of liquid level. To improve the measuring accuracy of liquid level using the ultrasonic method in dynamically changed level case, an attractive ultrasonic method, named the liquid-level detection based on the multiple-input multiple-output ultrasonic transducer array, is proposed in this paper. This method is different from the early ultrasonic liquid-level detections, including those that utilize transducer array. Based on the virtual element technology, the method employs the multitransducer array to achieve the reduction of system complexity and cost, and then applies the synthetic aperture technology to realize rapid samples of liquid level. Besides, one adaptive searching scheme of focused position in beamforming of synthetic aperture in each scanning direction is optimized to get the high precise samples of liquid level. The proposed method is verified by simulation and a real system, and compared with the conventional single-channel approach. We still proposed a simulation method of ultrasonic echo signal from liquid level based on the boundary-layer theory and the ultrasonic scattering theory. The simulated and actual measurement results demonstrate that the proposed method is obviously superior to the conventional approach. Meanwhile, the factors influencing on the proposed method are investigated by simulation also. The investigations reveal that the focus position in beamforming, the SNR of echo signal, and the wave size of liquid level have impact on the suggested method. However, it is indicated that the good performance of the proposed method remains, provided that the focus in beamforming is properly set in every scanning direction and the noise of echo signal is effectively controlled.