Method, apparatus or software for determining the location of an acoustic emission emitter in a structure

1. A method for determining the location of an acoustic emission emitted in a physical structure, said method comprising the steps of:

creating a computer model of said structure, said model identifying a set of predetermined sensor locations in said structure;

selecting a set of data points on said model, each said data point being located at a known location;

calculating, from said model, a set of time of flights (ToFs) for an acoustic emission from each of said data points to each of said set of predetermined sensor locations, said sets of ToFs calculated from a set of one or more candidate shortest paths in said model between each of said data points via a set of other of said data points to each of said sensor locations, the ToF for each path taking into account one or more acoustic emission propagation characteristics of said path;

providing a set of sensors in said structure at said set of predetermined sensor locations, each said sensor being arranged to detect acoustic emissions from said structure;

receiving an acoustic emission at said sensors and determining the set of ToFs of said acoustic emission to each said sensor;

identifying a closest match between said sets of ToFs calculated from said model and said set of ToFs for said received acoustic emission and determining the set of closest data points to the origin of said acoustic emission; and

mathematically interpolating the location of said origin of said acoustic emission from said known data point locations, said sets of ToFs for each of said set of closest data points and said set of ToFs for said received acoustic emission.

2. A method according to claim 1 in which said interpolation is trigonometric interpolation.

3. A method according to claim 1 in which said set of ToFs for said acoustic emission and for each said data point are measured relative to the shortest ToF in each said set.

4. A method according to claim 1 in which said sets of ToFs for said data points are predetermined.

5. A method according to claim 1 in which said data point locations are arranged as a grid, said data points being located at the vertices of said grid and each edge of said grid defining a possible path between said data points.

6. A method according to claim 5 in which said data points are interconnected by four or more edges.

7. A method according to claim 1 in which each said ToF for said data points is calculated taking into account the structural properties of the respective shortest path.

8. A method according to claim 7 in which said structural properties of said structure are defined for each vertex of said grid.

9. A method according to claim 7 in which said structural properties comprise the mechanical properties of said structure.

10. A method according to claim 7 in which said structural properties comprise the structural features said structure.

11. A method according to claim 7 in which said structural properties comprise the acoustic emission propagation characteristics of said structure.

12. A method according to claim 11 in which said acoustic emission propagation characteristics are defined for one or more wave modes.

13. A method according to claim 1 in which each of said set of ToF for said data points are determined for a set of one or more acoustic emission frequency bands.

14. A method according to claim 13 in which said received acoustic emission is analyzed with respect to one or more of said acoustic emission frequency bands.

15. A computer program product, said product stored on a non-transitory computer readable storage medium, which controls a computer to perform the method of claim 1 .

16. Apparatus for determining the location of an acoustic emission emitted in a physical structure, said apparatus comprising a computer having circuitry configured to:

create a computer model of said structure, said model identifying a set of predetermined sensor locations in said structure;

select a set of data points on said model, each said data point being located at a known location;

calculate from said model a set of time of flights (ToFs) for an acoustic emission from each of said data points to each of said set of predetermined sensor locations, said sets of ToFs calculated from a set of one or more candidate shortest paths in said model between each of said data points via a set of other of said data points to each of said sensor locations, the ToF for each path taking into account one or more acoustic emission propagation characteristics of said path;

provide a set of sensors in said structure at said set of predetermined sensor locations, each said sensor being arranged to detect acoustic emissions from said structure;

receive an acoustic emission at said sensors and determining the set of ToFs of said acoustic emission to each said sensor;

identify a closest match between said sets of ToFs calculated from said model and said set of ToFs for said received acoustic emission and determining the set of closest data points to the origin of said acoustic emission; and

mathematically interpolate the location of said origin of said acoustic emission using said known locations, said sets of ToFs for each of said set of closest data points and said set of ToFs for said received acoustic emission.

17. Apparatus according to claim 16 in which said interpolation is trigonometric interpolation.

18. Apparatus according to claim 16 in which said set of ToFs for said acoustic emission and for each data point are measured relative to the shortest ToF in each said set.

19. Apparatus according to claim 16 in which said sets of ToFs for said data points are predetermined.

20. Apparatus according to claim 16 in which said data point locations are arranged as a grid, said data points being located at the vertices of said grid and each edge of said grid defining a possible path between said data points.

21. Apparatus according to claim 20 in which said data points are interconnected by four or more edges.

22. Apparatus according to claim 16 in which each said ToF for said data points is calculated taking into account the structural properties of the respective shortest path.

23. Apparatus according to claim 22 in which said structural properties of said structure are defined for each vertex of said grid.

24. Apparatus according to claim 22 in which said structural properties comprise the mechanical properties of said structure.

25. Apparatus according to claim 22 in which said structural properties comprise the structural features said structure.

26. Apparatus according to claim 22 in which said structural properties comprise the acoustic emission propagation characteristics of said structure.

27. Apparatus according to claim 26 in which said acoustic emission propagation characteristics are defined for one or more wave modes.

28. Apparatus according to claim 16 in which each of said set of ToF for said data points are determined for a set of one or more acoustic emission frequency bands.

29. Apparatus according to claim 28 in which said received acoustic emission is analysed with respect to one or more of said acoustic emission frequency bands.