Peacock UVP: the multi-purpose module for velocity and echo profiling

The Peacock UVP is designed for being embedded in systems where reliability, robustness, consumption, size or weight matter. This acoustic profiler offers a wide range of applications in the control and monitoring of industrial applications.

Advantages

  • Very small size and low weight
  • Very low consumption
  • High accuracy

The UVP (Ultrasonic Velocity Profiler) technology allows to measure high resolution velocity and echo profiles in liquids. It provides a detailed visualisation of a flow in environmental or industrial applications. Our new miniature UVP module, the Peacock UVP, uses UBERTONE’s proprietary technology, based on coded pulsed coherent Doppler. The Peacock UVP delivers high quality measurements and can be integrated in any solution which requires a detailed monitoring of liquid’s properties. It was designed for engineers who develop industrial equipment, for researcher who want to work on applied science, as well as for makers who want to develop their own UVP solution. The panel of possible applications is wide and we are keen to discover new ideas.

Furthermore, it breaks new ground by giving access to acoustic turbidity through the backscattered ultrasonic energy (or echo) by the suspended particles. This is used to monitor the suspended sediment load within a few meters depth.

The Peacock UVP pushes further the limits of the UVP technology in terms of weight and energy consumption. This module is based on the same principle as our UB-Lab and UB-Flow, but on a completely new design, including an innovative architecture of the emission stage and the demodulation process. The signal processing was optimized for this new architecture and includes coherent Doppler estimation, automatic gain control, static echo filter, pulse coding and blind zone compensation. The result is a much lighter (14 g), smaller (21 x 85 mm) and low power (0.5 to 1 W) circuit that can drive two channels (transducers) from 400 kHz to 3.6 MHz. According to the settings, the device can switch alternatively from one channel to the other. The Doppler signal processing provides many information as mean velocity (projected on the transducer axis), velocity standard deviation, SNR and echo amplitude profiles on the given transducer. Saturation and Nyquist jump information are also given along the profile. Temperature, plus pitch and roll angles can also be measured. Precise and accurate velocity profiles are measured along the acoustic beam with a high spatial resolution (down to 0.73 mm in water). The communication with the Peacock UVP goes through Modbus protocol via RS485, which can be wired through USB directly on the computer, and allows to transmit up to 5 profiles per second (for 100 cells).

The Peacock UVP, designed by UBERTONE, breaks new ground for a wide range of applications and make it perfect for being embedded in systems where reliability, robustness, consumption, size or weight matter.

The supplied product is an electronic board. It is possible to provide the USB adaptor (for communication and powering). It is also possible to add a DC-DC module to expand the voltage range. On the photo above, the Peacock UVP is shown in a case for development, with an USB cable for communication and powering on one side and two BNC connectors for transducers on the other side.


A driver library is available on Github. It is a Modbus API written in Python for measurement control of Ubertone's Peacock UVP.

Ubertone can help you in the integration of the board in your project. As an OEM instrument, there is a minimum volume order.

For proof of applicability and performance studies, we propose to buy or rent a UB-Lab P, which needs no software development before achieving measurements.

Measurement Performances
Sampling range 0.005 to 10 m
Number of cells 1 to 200
Cell size 0.20 to 30 mm / down to 0.73 mm
Velocity Range [-4 to 4] m/s (under Nyquist condition)
Velocity accuracy 0.2 to 1%
Sampling rates Up to 20 Hz
Signal Processing Coherent Doppler with phase coding
Temperature sensor and accelerometer for pitch and roll measurement
Acoustics
Number of channels 2 for transducers in emission/reception
Frequency range 400 kHz to 3.6 MHz
Physical
Dimensions 21 x 85 mm
Weight 14 g
Data Management
Communication Modbus protocol over RS485 or USB
Internal data logger NA (optional: logger, GSM modem, Wifi, Bluetooth)
Velocity Velocity profile data (relative to acoustic beam directions) per beam and cell
Echo Backscattered echo RMS amplitude per beam and cell
Velocity standard deviation Standard deviation of the velocity per beam and cell
Data Quality Profile data quality indicator per beam and cell
Power
Input 5V DC ± 10 % (optional battery adaptor 3 to 12 V)
Consumption 0.5 to 1 W
Power up 0.6 s
  • ROV / drone
  • OEM integration
  • food processing
  • complex opaque liquids (paint, liquid metal, etc.)
  • environmental flow
  • waste water
  • etc.

A Peacock UVP sent in deep sea, at 1300m!

At ISUD2023, the Power and Energy Lab of TUMSAT (Tokyo University of Marine Science and Technology) presented measurements from their deployment of a Peacock UVP from Ubertone to study hydrothermal jets ... read more


Peacock UVP revolution

"A Miniature UVP Hardware Applied to Environmental Monitoring", by M. Burckbuchler and S. Fischer

In this paper, the characteristics of the Peacock UVP, as well as the results in two flumes and an urban river are presented.


Sludge level measurement in a clarifier with Peacock UVP

During a measurement session in a Wastewater Treatment Plant (WWTP) near Strasbourg in this early time of the year, we could demonstrate the ability of the Peacock UVP to easily detect the sludge level in a clarifier ... read more

Optional features available :

  • Powering in 3.3V and 12V (+/-10%),

Accessories :

  • Transducers
  • Logger GSM
  • USB adapter
  • DC-DC module for a larger voltage range