Ultrasound detector!

pganjon · Sep 13, 2009

Hello! While I am dreaming, I thought this up :icon_thumright:

A detector that works off the principles of Ultrasound to give you a visible image on a screen of what you found. I know the image would not be perfect, but it may help to distinguish between a pulltab, a lump of foil or a piece of jewelry. It could be combined with an audible response so you no you are looking at something metallic. You would also be able to see those buried bottles :icon_thumleft:

Thanks for reading :coffee2:

Paul

savant365 · Sep 13, 2009

The only thing I know about ultrasound is when my wife was pregnant. Doesn't it need something like that jelly for a conductor to work?

savant365 · Sep 13, 2009

http://www.okmmetaldetectors.com/downloads/videos.php?MediaID=11&VideoID=0&Format=gif&lang=en

Oops! someone already did it.

pganjon · Sep 13, 2009

You may be right, I always thought that the jelly was just a lubricant :dontknow:

Thanks for the link to about someone already making one :icon_thumleft:

Once again I am a day late and probably 50,000 short

Thanks

Paul

spartacus53 · Sep 13, 2009

You did raise an interesting question. Some sonar can outline images although that is on a grand scale, I am sure you come come up with a way to scale it back a bit.. Well maybe :dontknow:

But it is still something to thing about.

Carl-NC · Sep 19, 2009

Ultrasound needs good impedance matching so, yes, you would need jelly or something like it to get any ground penetration. I'm pretty sure OKM does NOT have a ground-penetrating ultrasound detector, regardless of what they may imply.

- Carl

cassbiz · Oct 24, 2009

OKM also has a new seismic unit.

http://www.okmmetaldetectors.com/products/seismics/reflexion.php?lang=en

pganjon · Oct 24, 2009

Hello! That's what I love about this site :icon_thumleft:

Fellow treasure hunters brainstorming :sign13:

I know a working small scale model will come about someday! Thanks to all of you :headbang:

Paul

21stTNCav · Oct 27, 2009

Physical Therapy is my day job (Other than detecting I have a night job as a underwear model :sign10:

) and we use Ultra Sound as a modality to induce heat deep within tissue without having surface thermal effect. A conducting agent must be used such as a jelly. Sonar is Ultra Sound and works quite well in water. Of course that is the reason it works well, it is moving sound through water and water is a conducting agent. The sound waves that find water so easy to travel through would find soil impossible to go through, let alone return once it struck an object. I think trying to find a way to pentrate the ground and produce a image a excellent concept, just that sound waves might not be the way to go. Radio waves and radar have already been thought of, but could it be made affordable like a detector? Hey, build a better mouse trap....
Oh yeah, I forgot to say that in therapy when treating a extremity such as a wrist or ankle with Ultra sound many times a bucket of water is used because you can immerse the extremity and not have to worry about breaking contact with the skin and thus the conducting agent. Later y'all

Functional · Oct 30, 2009

pganjon said:
Hello! While I am dreaming, I thought this up A detector that works off the principles of Ultrasound to give you a visible image on a screen of what you found. I know the image would not be perfect, but it may help to distinguish between a pulltab, a lump of foil or a piece of jewelry. It could be combined with an audible response so you no you are looking at something metallic. You would also be able to see those buried bottles Thanks for reading Paul

That's not totally different from the concept of the geophone vibration sensor used in seismic exploration. They use them for security and in some cases it is used to sense vibrations from earthquakes, other times explosions set off at depth and other times to sense the vibration of a large metal "thumper" attached to a truck, that drives a large heavy metal plate down onto the ground to cause a vibration. When it comes to detecting voids under ground, its about the best method. And since it can detect at great depth, its good for oil exploration. With the right 3D software, it can be scaled up for deep under ground penetration or down for higher resolution shapes closer to the surface, all depending on a person's need.

K.

21stTNCav · Nov 2, 2009

Intriguing. Could it be made affordable, going down just 15 or 20 feet should be a snap compared to finding a void mile deep with oil in it. Nice thought. Hmmmmmmmm......

Functional · Nov 3, 2009

21stTNCav said:
Intriguing. Could it be made affordable, going down just 15 or 20 feet should be a snap compared to finding a void mile deep with oil in it. Nice thought. Hmmmmmmmm......

Affordable is a relative term. Have any rich relatives? :icon_pirat:

There's always eBay. A string of a dozen 10hz geophones sold last week for under $200.00 USD. Item: 260494312173
Not many of them listed though. I just checked for current listings and there were none.

For the electronics geeky types, there are plans around. Like this small 93 page PDF file: http://www.google.ca/url?sa=t&sourc..._oxIkH&usg=AFQjCNHA0xnkEekwTguGO9DDyrY-J_8enA.

I don't know how different a geophone is from a standard ultrasonic transducer, but the latter are are fairly common. I've got a spare one from an ultrasonic humidifier unit and I've had others from fish finders that I've since sold. Assembling a device to transmit and receive signals using these devices is something else again. But then, there's a freeware program for older pda's like mine that used the Windows Pocket PC 2003 operating system called Sonar CE, that could be wired for an external microphone and speaker for connection to a transducer. Similarly, there are various applications for laptops designed for the mineral exploration industry. It's just a matter of interfacing the right devices together and your off!

F.

21stTNCav · Nov 4, 2009

Well, I have not hit the lottery yet

. Seriously, if you could make a unit that is small and capabilities were much lower( like a 20 ft depth capibility) for about $1100 to $1800 bucks then you would really be in business. I wonder what you would need to set up a vibration that would pentrate 20 ft? Just brainstorming.

Functional · Nov 8, 2009

21stTNCav said:
Well, I have not hit the lottery yet . Seriously, if you could make a unit that is small and capabilities were much lower( like a 20 ft depth capibility) for about $1100 to $1800 bucks then you would really be in business. I wonder what you would need to set up a vibration that would pentrate 20 ft? Just brainstorming.

Big feet?

They actually use geophones for security, to detect people walking. I would think that if they can be used for a "small scale" application like that, it would be a no brainer to make something suitable and capable of doing what your looking to do, if you happen to be an electronics geek, (which I'm not).

From what I can deduce from the descriptions I've found of geophone applications, they basically act like any common microphone, or speaker, but are enclosed to protect them from the environment. The main difference would seem to be the frequency of transmission and reception. I don't doubt that a person could use the already "graphical" interface of a fishfinder/depth finder, or equivalent software for a laptop, connected to the appropriate type of transducer, to get the needed results for imaging of subsurface objects and voids.

Just my thoughts on the matter.

F.

Monty · Nov 8, 2009

Maybe you could hook it up to a slug and use the slime trail as a conductor? Stupid is as stupid does says Forrest Gump! M :wink:

nty

long · Sep 12, 2012

21stTNCav said:
Well, I have not hit the lottery yet . Seriously, if you could make a unit that is small and capabilities were much lower( like a 20 ft depth capibility) for about $1100 to $1800 bucks then you would really be in business. I wonder what you would need to set up a vibration that would pentrate 20 ft? Just brainstorming.

Hi!
Did you make the device?