Ultrasonic

The Ultrasonic Medium

Special Ultrasonic transducers are used for signalling by incorporating a COMMANDER™ software generated pulsed coded format similar in manner to Sonar methods but rather more quickly rather like Morse coding. The pulsed ‘generated’ signal is transmitted through free air space whereas with Sonar uses water (as in the sea) to carry the signal for military shipping both surface and subsea and in more modern times for commercial shipping in a similar manner but usually silent for depth measurement. The systems function in all such applications in a not dissimilar manner.

Both Sonar and Ultrasonic signals measure and calculate the time over distance from transmission to receiving a returned ‘audible ping’ or ‘bounced’ signal which becomes more complex as the target could be static or in fact in a closing target scenario of which the speed could be considerably variable. With Sonar signalling it is well known that the signal return, the ‘audible ping’ is quite slow at rest but increases in frequency the closer the target as it is approached or if moving as it approaches the originating source. With COMMANDER™ Ultrasonic applications the reaction is similar but is more precise as the signalling coding can determine the exact static target distance or the closing speed where one or both, the signal source and the target, progressively close in.

In COMMANDER™ applications using Ultrasonic devices, usually for the highly successful Morsonic™ & Morsonic-II™ collision avoidance systems, the distance measurement can wholly rely on a static or moving target in a retro-reflective mode, this mode gives a shorter detection distance than when using a coded partner system where both devices communicate continually thus enabling a greater operating ‘handshake’ distance to be achieved.

The Ultrasonic computer generated signalling is repeated many times a second, the data is collected and reacts in accordance to the input settings set up during installation, these settings facilitate a controlled speed approach to prevent collisions between over-head crane applications. Connectivity between motion drive hardware is via up to 3 volt free zone speed relays.