Understanding Acoustic Emission Testing- Reading 1 Part B-A

Hit Driven AE Systems and Measurement of Signal Features
Although several AE system designs are available (combining various options,
sensitivity, and cost), most AE systems use a hit-driven architecture. The hitdriven
design is able to efficiently measure all detected signals and record
digital descriptions for each individual feature (detailed later in this section).
During periods of inactivity, the system lies dormant. Once a new signal is
detected, the system records the hit or hits, and the data is logged for present
and/or future display.
Also common to most AE systems is the ability to perform routine tasks that
are valuable for AE inspection. These tasks include quantitative signal
measurements with corresponding time and/or load readings, discrimination
between real and false signals (noise), and the collection of statistical
information about the parameters of each signal.