Use the A121 Pulsed Coherent Radar sensor to monitor and measure water surface speed and direction. By measuring water surface velocity, blockages and backflow inside of a pipe can be detected. It will be useful to use the data for cleaning blockages before a pipe being clogged, because it will be more cost-effective than fixing a pipe after it is fully damaged.
This proof of concept can be implemented using the Evaluation kit featuring A121 sensor, a lens and the Exploration tool. In this video, the A121 sensor is placed 35cm from the water surface at the angle of 45 degrees.
UPDATE! The surface velocity implementation is now also available as a use case example in our SDK.
Moreover, it can also be used outside for measuring water surface velocity such as rivers and streams.
Hardware
One XE121 Evaluation Board, one XC120 Connector Board and one LH120 lens are necessary for this implementation.
- XE121 Evaluation Board can be purchased from Digi-Key
- XC120 Connector Board can be purchased from Digi-Key
- LH120 lens can be purchased from Digi-Key
Software
Flash the Evaluation kit through the Exploration tool. Follow the instructions indicated on the Acconeer documentation page.
- Download and install Python
- Download a software file called “acconeer_xc120_exploration_server_a121” from the Developer site
EXPLORATION TOOL
In the Exploration Tool, click “Surface velocity” on the left-side menu, and then click “Start measurement” on the right-side menu to start measuring surface velocity.
C CODE EXAMPLE IN SDK
- Download the SDK acconeer_xm125_a121 for XM125 from the Developer site
- Follow the XM125 Software User Guide (from the Developer site) to flash the example_surface_velocity.bin
TRY IT ON YOUR OWN AND GET IN TOUCH
If you try this, or work on something else, we’d love to hear about your project! Please get in touch with us on innovation@acconeer.com.