Stmicroelectronics Gmbh

Cheng Peng

Xiaoyong Yang

Robert Krysiak

Jean-Marc Tessier

A robotic device including one or more proximity sensing systems coupled to various portions of a robot body. The proximity sensing systems detect a distance of an object about the robot body and the robotic device reacts based on the detected distance. The proximity sensing systems obtain a three-dimensional (3D) profile of the object to determine a category of the object. The distance of the object is detected multiple times in a sequence to determine a movement path of the object.

Robotic device with time-of-flight proximity sensing system

Disclosed herein is a system for detecting rotational speed and early failures of an electronic device. The system includes a rotating disk affixed to a rotating shaft of the electronic device. The rotating disk has projections extending from its periphery. A time of flight ranging system determines distance to the projections extending from the rotating disk. Processing circuitry determines a rotational speed of the rotating shaft from the determined distances to the projections extending from the rotating disk, and detects whether the electronic device is undergoing an early failure from the determined distances to the projections extending from the rotating disk. Rotational speed is determined from the time between successive peaks in the determined distances, and early failures (for example, due to wobble of the shaft) are determined where the peaks vary unexpectedly in magnitude.

Time of flight based rotary speed sensor with early fault detection

The present disclosure is directed to an obstacle awareness device for vehicle systems. A threshold distance is set that identifies the range at which an obstruction interferes with fluid dynamics around and through at least one propulsion motor. One or more ranging sensors on the vehicle system detect relative position information of the obstruction when it is within the threshold distance. The relative position information is communicated to a controller, which adjusts a motor control signal to compensate for the obstruction interfering with the fluid dynamics around the at least one propulsion motor. The threshold distance may be defined by a three dimensional shape that encapsulated the vehicle system, and the three dimensional shape may change in shape or size with movement of the vehicle system.

Vehicle dynamic obstacle compensation system

A system in package encloses a sensor and motor driver circuit. In an implementation, the sensor is an integrated circuit micro-electro-mechanical-systems (MEMS) sensor and the driver circuit is a motor driver circuit. Non-motor winding data information is sensed by the MEMS sensor and processed for the purpose of characterizing known fault patterns for motors; characterizing normal operation of the motor; and evaluating continued operation of the motor to detect abnormal motor behavior and instances of motor fault. The motor is driven using PWM control and the information output by the MEMS sensor is sampled at sampling times having a fixed timing relationship relative to the PWM control signals.

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Plano, TX, United States of America

Cheng Peng