wherein an acoustic path isdefined in the load bearing medium between
the source and receiving transducers; determining a first acoustic wave
propagation time delay associated with the acoustic path in an unloaded
state based on the sending and detecting of the first acousticwave;
when the acoustic path is loaded by a moving load supported by the
medium, sending and detecting a second acoustic wave from the source
acoustic transducer to the receiving acoustic transducer; determining a
second acoustic wave propagation timedelay associated with the acoustic
path in a loaded state based on the sending and detecting of the second
acoustic wave; determining an acoustic propagation time delay
difference between the first and second acoustic wave propagation time
delays forthe unloaded and loaded states; and determining a weight or
mass of the moving load based on the acoustic propagation time delay
difference.
2. The method in claim 1, wherein the moving load includes a moving vehicle or a moving object.
3. The method in claim 1, wherein the loading bearing medium is a road,
a ship deck, an aircraft runway, a moving belt, a moving-person support
medium, or a moving-animal support medium.
4. The method in
claim 1, further comprising: establishing a baseline for the acoustic
wave propagation time delay associated with the acoustic path in the
unloaded state by determining the acoustic wave propagation time delay
associated withthe acoustic path in the unloaded state over time to
account for environmental or other changes affecting the propagation
time delay associated with the acoustic path in the unloaded state, and
using the baseline to ensure that the determined acousticpropagation
time delay difference between the first and second acoustic propagation
time delays for the unloaded and loaded states is attributable to the
moving load over the acoustic path.
5. The method in claim 1,
wherein the acoustic propagation time delay difference is associated
with a change or difference in a velocity V of the acoustic wave over
the acoustic path, and wherein V=2FL/M, with F being the acoustic
wavefrequency, L being a distance between the source and receiver
transducers, and M being a constant depending on a harmonic of the
acoustic wave.
6. The method in claim 1, wherein the acoustic propagation time delay difference is determined using a phase locked loop.
7. The method in claim 1, further comprising: using a moving load with
a known weight or mass to calibrate the acoustic wave propagation time
delay associated with the acoustic path in one or both of the unloaded
state and the loaded state.
8. The method in claim 1, wherein
multiple source and receiving acoustic transducers are attached to or
embedded in the load bearing medium and each source-receiver transducer
pair through the load bearing medium defines an associated
acousticpath, the method further comprising: determining acoustic
propagation time delay differences for the associated acoustic paths;
and determining a weight or mass of the moving load based on the
acoustic propagation time delay differences.
9. The method in
claim. 1, further comprising: imaging the moving load to determine
information for identifying the moving load.
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10. The method in claim 1, further comprising: developing weight or
mass profiles for particular moving objects, and using the weight or
mass profiles to identify a particular object moving over the acoustic
path.
11. The method in claim 1, further comprising: arranging
multiple source acoustic transducers and multiple receiver acoustic
transducers in an array across an area of the load bearing medium to
establish multiple acoustic paths through the loadbearing medium
between each source-receiver acoustic transducer pair, and selecting
certain ones of the source-receiver acoustic transducer pairs to
determine a weight or mass associated with a moving load at a
particular point in the area of the loadbearing medium.
12. The
method in claim 1, further comprising: monitoring a network of
source-receiver acoustic transducer pairs at different geographic
locations.
13. Apparatus for weighing a moving load moving over
a load bearing medium, comprising: a source acoustic transducer,
attached to or embedded in the load bearing medium, for sending a first
acoustic wave through the load bearing medium in anunloaded state; a
receiving acoustic transducer, attached to or embedded in the load
bearing medium, for detecting the first acoustic wave having propagated
through the load bearing medium, wherein an acoustic path is defined in
the load bearing mediumbetween the source and receiving transducers;
electronic circuitry configured to: determine a first acoustic wave
propagation time delay associated with the acoustic path in an unloaded
state based on the sending and detecting of the first acousticwave;
initiate sending a second acoustic wave from the source acoustic
transducer to the receiving acoustic transducer when the acoustic path
is loaded by a moving load supported by the medium; determine a second
acoustic propagation time delayassociated with the acoustic path in a
loaded state based on sending and detecting of the second acoustic
wave; determine an acoustic propagation time delay difference between
the first and second acoustic propagation time delays for the unloaded
andloaded states; and determine a weight or mass of the moving load
based on the acoustic propagation time delay difference.
14. The apparatus in claim 13, wherein the moving load includes a moving vehicle or a moving object.
15. The apparatus in claim 13, wherein the loading bearing medium, is a
road, a ship deck, an aircraft runway, a moving beltway, a
moving-person support medium, or a moving-animal support medium.
16. The apparatus in claim 13, wherein the electronic circuitry is
further configured to: establish a baseline for the acoustic wave
propagation time delay associated with the acoustic path in the
unloaded state by determining the acoustic wavepropagation time delay
associated with the acoustic path in the unloaded state over time to
account for environmental or other changes affecting the propagation
time delay associated with the acoustic path in the unloaded state, and
use the baseline toensure that the determined acoustic propagation time
delay difference between the first and second acoustic propagation time
delays for the unloaded and loaded states is attributable to the moving
load over the acoustic path.
17. The apparatus in claim 13,
wherein the acoustic propagation time delay difference is associated
with a change or difference in a velocity V of the acoustic wave over
the acoustic path, and wherein V=2FL/M, with F being the acoustic
wavefrequency, L being a distance between the source and receiver
transducers, and M being a constant depending on a harmonic of the
acoustic wave.
18. The apparatus in claim 13, wherein the
electronic circuitry includes a phase locked loop to determine the
acoustic propagation time delay difference.
19. The apparatus
in claim 13, wherein the electronic circuitry is further configured to:
calibrate the acoustic wave propagation time delay associated with the
acoustic path in one or both of the unloaded state and the loaded state
when amoving load with a known weight or mass moves over the acoustic
path.
20. The apparatus in claim 13, further comprising:
multiple source and receiving acoustic transducers attached to or
embedded in the load beating medium, each source-receiver transducer
pair through the load bearing medium defining anassociated acoustic
path, wherein the electronic circuitry is further configured to:
determine acoustic propagation time delay differences for the
associated acoustic paths; and determine a weight or mass of the moving
load based on the acousticpropagation time delay differences.
21. The apparatus in claim 13, further comprising: one or more cameras
for imaging the moving load, wherein the electronic circuitry is
further configured to determine information for identifying the moving
load on image information from theone or more cameras.
22. The
apparatus in claim 13, wherein the electronic circuitry is further
configured to: develop weight or mass profiles for particular moving
objects, and identify a particular object moving over the acoustic path
using the weight or massprofiles.
23. The apparatus in claim
13, further comprising: multiple source acoustic transducers and
multiple receiver acoustic transducers arranged in an array across an
area of We load bearing medium to establish multiple acoustic paths
through theload hearing medium between each source-receiver acoustic
transducer pair, wherein the electronic circuitry is further configured
to: select certain ones of the source-receiver acoustic transducer
pairs to determine a weight or mass associated with amoving load at a
particular point in the area of the load bearing medium.
24. A
network of source-receiver acoustic transducers as recited in claim 13,
wherein different source-receiver acoustic transducers pairs are
located at different geographic locations, comprising a central
controller for monitoring informationassociated with the
source-receiver acoustic transducers pairs at the different geographic
locations.
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الأربعاء ديسمبر 02, 2009 3:33 am
