Asset-condition monitoring system

1. An ultrasound sensing system for monitoring the condition or integrity of a structure, comprising:

one or more ultrasound sensors being mounted permanently or semi permanently to said structure, each sensor being configured to receive at least one first electrical signal, transmit an ultrasound signal in response to said first electrical signal, receive at least one reflected ultrasound signal, and transmit a second electrical signal in response to said reflected ultrasound signal, said first and second-electrical signals being analog; and

at least one digital sensor interface (PS 1) being mounted permanently or semi permanently to said structure to which at least a portion of said sensors are connectable, said DSI being configured to transmit said first electrical signal and receive said second electrical signal, and to generate an A-scan signal based on said first and second electrical signals for each sensor, said DSI being configured to calculate thickness data based on said A-scan signal and having circuitry for transmitting a digital signal and an address corresponding to said at least one DSI.

2. The system of claim 1 , wherein at least some of said sensors are dual element sensors.

3. The system of claim 1 , wherein said at least one DSI is configured to periodically transit said first electrical signal, generate an A-scan signal, and store said thickness data, and to transmit said digital signal at a subsequent, predetermined time.

4. The system of claim 1 , wherein said at least one DSI is configured to transmit said first electrical signal in response to a polling request signal from a controller connected digitally to said DSI.

5. The system of claim 1 were the DSI and said one or more sensors are configured to limit the energy available for the ignition of flammable gas or dust mixtures such that said system can be certified for operation in a hazardous environment as required by ATEX, iECX, NFPA or other such standards and/or certification schemes.

6. The system of claim 1 , wherein said DSI contains circuitry and software to interface to temperature monitoring devices, where at least one temperature monitoring device is mounted on the object under test.

7. The system of claim 6 , wherein the number of said temperature monitoring devices equals the number of said one or more sensors.

8. The system of claim 6 , wherein each temperature monitoring devices is connected to one or more of ultrasonic sensors.

9. The system of claim 1 , further comprising:

a digital bus configured to receive said digital signal from said at least one DSI; and

a user interface connected to said bus to receive said digital signal.

10. The system of claim 9 , wherein said digital bus is a multi-drop bus.

11. The system of claim 9 , wherein said user interface comprises a connector to interconnect a controller.

12. The system of claim 11 , wherein said controller is a tablet.

13. The system of claim 9 , wherein said user interface comprises a permanently-installed wireless controller for transmitting a wireless signal based on said digital signal.

14. The system of claim 13 , wherein said wireless controller is solar powered.

15. The system of claim 9 , wherein at least one DSI comprises multiple DSIs each connected to said digital bus.

16. The system of claim 1 , wherein at least one of said one or more sensors is a multi-element sensor and said DSI is configured to execute full matrix capture on data obtained from said multi-element sensor.

17. The system of claim 16 , further comprising a computational device, discrete from said DSI, configured to use a total focusing method on said data of said full matrix capture to generate an ultrasonic image.

18. The system of claim 17 , wherein said computational device is a remote, distributed computational resource.

19. The system of claim 17 wherein said computational device is configured to use a total focusing method on said data of said full matrix capture to determine the thickness of an asset.

20. The system of claim 1 , wherein said DSI is configured to transmit said digital signal wirelessly.

21. The system of claim 1 , wherein said one or more sensors comprises a plurality of sensors and wherein said plurality of sensors is connected to a single DSI.

22. The system of claim 1 , wherein said digital signal does not comprise said A-scan signal.

23. The system of claim 1 , wherein said digital signal comprises location data for said DSI.

24. A digital sensor interface (DSI) for use in an ultrasound sensing system for monitoring the condition or integrity of a structure, said DSI comprising:

transmit and receive circuitry to which at least one or more sensors are operatively connectable, said transmit and receive circuitry being configured to transmit a first electrical signal to each of said sensors and to receive a second electrical signal from said each of said sensors responsive to said first electrical signal;

a digital processor being configured to calculate an A-scan signal based on said first and second signals, and to calculate thickness data based on said A-scan signal; and

a digital transceiver to transmit a digital signal comprising at least said thickness data.

25. The DSI of claim 24 , wherein said digital transceiver is configured to transmit said digital signal wirelessly.

26. The DSI of claim 24 , wherein said digital transceiver is configured to transmit said digital signal over a digital bus.

27. The DSI of claim 24 , wherein said first and second signals are analog and said DSI further comprises a digital converter to digitize data related to said first and second signals.

28. The DSI of claim 24 , wherein said digital signal does not comprise said A-scan signal.

29. The DSI of claim 24 , wherein said digital signal comprises location data for said DSI.