Modeling of ultrasound sensor for pipe inspection

This paper presents an innovative approach for the development of ultrasonic solutions for sewer inspection, through the creation of a simulation tool capable of generating simulated images from pipes filled with water. The developed tool is capable of creating two dimensional and three dimensional surface scans of pipes simulating rotational sonar scanners submerged in water. Pipe deformations and anomalous conditions can be simulated. The properties of the simulation tool and the comparison of simulations against experimental tests, to validate its capability and accuracy to generate ultrasound images, are presented. Additionally, an optimization approach used to reduce the processing time to run the simulations, and a method to create 3D surfaces from B-mode images based on an edge detection method are described. The developed simulation routines represent a valuable tool for the development and design of pipe inspection systems and operator training.