CCD based particle image direction and zero velocity resolver

Claim 2

Apparatus for reporting the magnitude and direction of fluid velocities in a flowing fluid having light reflective particles disposed therein, comprising: light source means, for providing light pulses to periodically illuminate the light reflective particles at the pulse repetition rate of a gate signal presented thereto, to provide an optical speckle pattern image representative of the spatial position of the particles in the flowing fluid in each of two successive time intervals which are spaced in time by an interpulse period; video recording means, having an array with a receiving surface for receiving each said optical speckle pattern image at a point of incidence thereon and for recording each received optical speckle pattern image as a corresponding electrical signal pattern, said video recording means shifting each said electrical signal pattern in said interpulse period from said point of incidence to a second position on said array major surface which is displaced from said point of incidence by a spatial increment whose value is determined by the magnitude of a bias displacement signal presented thereto; and signal processor means, responsive to said light source means and to said recording means, and having keyboard means responsive to operator control, for providing said gate signal to said light source means and for providing said bias displacement signal to said video recording means, respectively, at a pulse repetition rate and bias magnitude selected by an operator to shift said recorded electrical signal pattern by a known velocity bias value in said interpulse period.

Claim 3

The apparatus of claim 1, wherein: said signal processor means further comprises memory means for storing signals representative of a vector autocorrellation algorithm, said processor means utilizing said autocorrellation algorithm to analyze successive stored electrical signal patterns to determine the direction and magnitude of the fluid velocities in subregions of the fluid flow field, said processor means providing a calculated flow velocity magnitude and a calculated flow direction for each said subregion.

Claim 4

The apparatus of claim 2, wherein said calculated flow velocity magnitude is net of said known velocity bias value.

Claim 5

The apparatus of claim 2, wherein: said signal processor means further comprises display means for displaying signal information; and wherein said signal processor means displays said calculated flow velocity and said calculated flow direction for each fluid field subregion as a vector.

Claim 6

The apparatus of claim 1, wherein: said video recording means further includes a gate signal actuated shutter means, said shutter means admitting light impulses to said array in response to a first state of a bistable shutter gate signal presented thereto from said signal processor means.

Claim 7

The apparatus of claim 5, wherein said shutter means comprises a liquid crystal panel.

Claim 8

The apparatus of claim 1, wherein said video recording means is a charge coupled device (CCD) video camera.

Claim 9

The apparatus of claim 7, wherein said array receiving surface comprises a plurality of pixel elements disposed in lines, each line spaced at a known spatial distance from adjacent lines; and wherein said signal processor means provides said bias displacement signal magnitude as a numerical quantity corresponding to a number of said pixel lines, said video recording means shifting a recorded electrical signal pattern by the number of pixel lines represented by said displacement signal, so as to provide a known spatial increment shift in said pattern.

Claim 10

The apparatus of claim 8, wherein said plurality of pixel elements are disposed in a matrix of rows and columns, each of said rows being spaced at a known spatial distance from adjacent ones thereof.

Claim 11

Apparatus, for reporting the magnitude and direction of fluid velocities in a fluid flow having particles disposed therein, comprising: light source means, for illuminating a test region of the fluid flow with pulsed light at a pulse repetition rate controlled by a gate signal presented thereto, to create optical images of the speckle pattern of the light reflected from the particles in each of two successive time intervals spaced in time by an interpulse period, each optical image indicating the spatial position of the particles in the flow in the associated time interval and successive optical images indicating the time lapsed displacement of the particles in the flow; video recording means, having aperture means for receiving each said optical image at a point of incidence on a receiving surface of an array therein and for recording the speckle pattern of each optical image as a corresponding electrical signal pattern and, in response to a bias signal presented thereto, for shifting the position of each recorded electrical signal pattern from said point of incidence to a displaced position offset therefrom by a distance determined by the magnitude of said bias signal; and signal processor means, having keyboard means responsive to operator control for providing said gate signal to said light source means and for providing said bias signal to said video recording means, each respectively at a pulse repetition rate and a bias magnitude selected by an operator, and having memory means for storing signals representative of a vector autocorrellation algorithm, said processor means being responsive to each said recorded electrical signal pattern for applying said autocorrellation algorithm to successive ones of said recorded electrical signal patterns to provide a calculated flow direction and a calculated flow velocity magnitude in dependence on the time lapsed displacement value of the particles in successive optical images.

Claim 12

Apparatus, for reporting the magnitude and direction of fluid velocities in a fluid flow having particles disposed therein, comprising: light source means, for illuminating a test region of the fluid flow with pulsed light at a pulse repetition rate controlled by a gate signal presented thereto, to create optical images of the speckle pattern of the light reflected from the particles in each of two successive time intervals spaced in time by an interpulse period, each optical image indicating the spatial position of the particles in the flow in the associated time interval and successive optical images indicating the time lapsed displacement of the particles in the flow; video recording means, having aperture means for receiving each said optical image at a point of incidence on a receiving surface of an array therein and for recording the speckle pattern of each optical image as a corresponding electrical signal pattern and, in response to a bias signal presented thereto, for shifting the position of each recorded electrical signal pattern from said point of incidence to a displaced position offset therefrom by a distance determined by the magnitude of said bias signal; and signal processor means, having keyboard means responsive to operator control for providing said gate signal to said light source means and for providing said bias signal to said video recording means, each respectively at a pulse repetition rate and a bias magnitude selected by an operator, and having memory means for storing signals representative of a vector autocorrellation algorithm, said processor means being responsive to each said recorded electrical signal pattern for applying said autocorrellation algorithm to successive ones of said recorded electrical signal patterns to provide a calculated flow direction and a calculated flow velocity magnitude in dependence on the time lapsed displacement value of the particles in successive optical images.

Claim 13

The apparatus of claim 10, wherein said signal processor means calculates said time lapsed displacement value as the net value of the detected particle displacement over successive optical images minus the magnitude of said bias signal.

Claim 14

The apparatus of claim 11, wherein said signal processor means provides said calculated flow direction and said calculated flow velocity magnitude in each of a plurality of subregions of said test region.

Claim 15

The apparatus of claim 10, wherein: said signal processor means further provides a shutter command signal to said video recording means in said interpulse period; and wherein said aperture means further comprises shutter means for closing said aperture to prevent incidence of said optical images on said array in the presence of said shutter command signal.