An Optimal Shaped Sensor Array Derivation

In Structural Health Monitoring (SHM) applications, the Direction of Arrival (DoA) estimation of Guided Waves (GW) on sensor arrays is often used as a fundamental means to locate Acoustic Sources (AS) generated by damages growth or undesired impacts in thin-wall structures (e.g., plates or shells). In this paper, we consider the problem of designing the arrangement and shape of piezo-sensors in planar clusters in order to optimize the DoA estimation performance in noise-affected measurements. We assume that: (i) the wave propagation velocity is unknown, (ii) the DoA is estimated via the time delays of wavefronts between sensors, and (iii) the maximum value of the time delays is limited. The optimality criterion is derived basing on the Theory of Measurements. The sensor array design is so that the DoA variance is minimized in an average sense by exploiting the Calculus of Variations. In this way, considering a three-sensor cluster and a monitored angles sector of 90°, the optimal time delays–DoA relations are derived. A suitable re-shaping procedure is used to impose such relations and, at the same time, to induce the same spatial filtering effect between sensors so that the sensor acquired signals are equal except for a time-shift. In order to achieve the last aim, the sensors shape is realized by exploiting a technique called Error Diffusion, which is able to emulate piezo-load functions with continuously modulated values. In this way, the Shaped Sensors Optimal Cluster (SS-OC) is derived. A numerical assessment via Green’s functions simulations shows improved performance in DoA estimation by means of the SS-OC when compared to clusters realized with conventional piezo-disk transducers.