Elmos Semiconductor Se

Elmos Semiconductor Ag

Mechaless Systems Gmbh

Nokia Corporation

Elmos Semiconductors Ag

Egbert Spiegel

Gerd Reime

Bernd Mayer

Peter Langer

Stefanie Heppekausen

Guido Schlautmann

Michael Domokos

André Schmidt

Andreas Kribus

Robert Brands

Andre Schmidt

A method to operate an ultrasonic sensor includes the step of sending an ultrasonic burst as a series of ultrasonic pulses that have a pulse length and a pulse spacing. The sum of the pulse length and pulse spacing represents the pulse period length. The ultrasonic burst starts at a first time and ends at a second time. The current pulse frequency corresponds to an inverse of the current pulse length. The current pulse frequency, during a first time period passes through a first frequency range, in a following middle time period a middle frequency range and in a following second time period a second frequency range. The length of time of the middle time period is equal to or longer than the sum of the first time period and the second time period.

Optimized chirp signal shaping for ultrasonic sensing systems

The disclosure relates to a method and an associated device for detecting uneven surfaces in vehicle environments. The method comprises emitting a first ultrasonic pulse or first ultrasonic burst and emitting a second ultrasonic pulse or second ultrasonic burst, and receiving a first reflection signal of the first ultrasonic pulse or a first reflection signal of the first ultrasonic burst and receiving a second reflection signal of the second ultrasonic pulse or a second reflection signal of the second ultrasonic burst. In the further course of the method, a comparison is made of the first reflection signal with the second reflection signal, and the presence of a surface unevenness in the vehicle's environment, or the presence of a surface curvature in the vehicle's environment, is determined.

Ditch and obstruction detection system for motor vehicles

Disclosed is a method for detecting a value which represents the temperature of a vibrating element of an ultrasonic transducer. The ultrasonic transducer has a resonant frequency (f). The method comprises the steps of operating the ultrasonic transducer with an electric measuring signal at a measuring frequency (f) which is above the resonant frequency, and of detecting the absolute value of the complex impedance of the ultrasonic transducer at this measuring frequency (f) and, building thereon, ascertaining the desired value, which is to represent the temperature of a vibrating element of an ultrasonic transducer, as a function of the detected absolute value of the complex impedance of the ultrasonic transducer at this measuring frequency (f).

Method and device for detecting the temperature of the vibrating element of an ultrasonic converter

A method for detecting an obstacle utilizing reflected ultrasonic waves, comprises transmitting an ultrasonic burst transmission signal by an ultrasonic transmitter to a detection area to be observed and receiving an ultrasonic signal reflected by an obstacle in the detection area by an ultrasonic receiver as an ultrasonic reception signal. In the ultrasonic reception signal at least one echo is detected resulting from an obstacle. The echo section of the ultrasonic reception signal belonging to the echo is transformed from the time domain into the frequency domain. The frequency spectrum of the echo section is then examined for the presence of at least one of a plurality of predetermined spectral characteristics, wherein each spectral characteristic is representative of a predetermined obstacle type or a plurality of predetermined obstacle types. The echo section is allocated to a predetermined obstacle type based on the examination.

Method for detecting an obstacle by means of reflected ultrasonic waves

In the method for transmitting data representing an ultrasonic measurement signal of an ultrasonic measuring device, in particular for a vehicle, from a transmitter to a receiver a digitized analog ultrasonic measurement signal is provided in the transmitter. On the transmitter side the ultrasonic measurement signal is sampled at a multiple of its frequency and divided into individual successive blocks of sampling values. The sampling values of the sampled ultrasonic measurement signal are transformed in blocks into the frequency range. Those frequency portions of the spectrum whose amplitude is smaller than a presettable threshold value, or the frequency portions of the spectrum above an upper frequency limit value and/or below a lower frequency limit value are removed. The amplitude range covered by the remaining frequency spectrum is scaled by a scaling factor for further reduction of the data. The data of each block with the scaling factor assigned to the respective block are transmitted to the receiver. On the receiver side the scaling of the amplitude range of the frequency spectrum of each block is reversed using the respective scaling factor and the frequency spectrum is transformed back into the time range.

Method for transmitting data representing ultrasonic measurement signals, in particular in a vehicle

The invention relates to an ultrasonic measuring system (), in particular for measuring distance and/or as a parking aid in vehicles, having an electroacoustic ultrasonic transducer () which has a oscillating element (), does not have a voltage converter, can be alternately operated as an ultrasonic transmitter and an ultrasonic receiver and has a signal connection (), which is used either as an input or as an output of the ultrasonic transducer (), and an earth connection () which is connected to earth, and a control and evaluation unit () for exciting the oscillating element () of the ultrasonic transducer () to emit ultrasonic waves for operating the ultrasonic transducer () during a transmission interval for the purpose of subsequently deactivating the excitation of the oscillating element () and attenuating the latter during a decay phase and for receiving and processing ultrasonic waves in a reception interval. The control and evaluation unit () has a bridge circuit () which is connected to a DC supply voltage () and has controllable switches (to) and a charge storage capacitance (), the polarity of which can be reversed and which is intended to alternately output a positive and a negative excitation voltage for the signal connection () of the ultrasonic transducer () during the transmission interval. The control and evaluation unit () outputs a voltage pulse of substantially 0 V at the end of the transmission interval for the signal connection () of the ultrasonic transducer ().

Ultrasonic measuring system, in particular for measuring distance and/or as a parking aid in vehicles

A method for measuring transmission characteristics of a transmission path between a transmitter and a receiver. A first transmitter sends a first signal into a first transmission path. The first signal is detected by the receiver. A second transmitter sends a second signal into a second transmission path having known characteristics or characteristics that can be predetermined. The second signal is superimposed with the first signal. A transmission signal is intermittently distributed between the first and second transmitters in a controlled manner. The signal received by the receiver comprises first and second signal components to be assigned to the first and second transmitters, respectively. The first signal component averaged over a predefined time period essentially is exactly as large as the averaged second signal component and the deviation between the averaged signal components is at least intermittently used as control signal for the switching between the first and second transmitters.

Method for measuring a transmission path by means of compensating amplitude measurement and delta-sigma method, and device for implementing the method

In the device and method for generating and evaluating ultrasound signals, particularly for determining the distance of a vehicle from an obstacle, an ultrasound received signal is received by at least one ultrasound receiver subscriber of a data bus, after a burst transmission signal comprising a plurality of ultrasound pulses and having a burst length has been transmitted by at least one ultrasound transmitter subscriber of the data bus. The ultrasound received signal is subdivided into time sections which are substantially equal to half the burst length. The peak value for each time section of the ultrasound received signal is transmitted via the data bus to a central control and evaluation unit. On the basis of the peak values of the received signal for each time section, taking into account threshold value tracking, it is determined in the control and evaluation unit whether the ultrasound received signal has time sections in which the ultrasound received signal is greater than the tracked threshold value or equal to the tracked threshold value.

Device and method for generating and evaluating ultrasound signals, particularly for determining the distance of a vehicle from an obstacle

An optoelectronic measuring system comprises at least two transmission light sources that emit time-sequentially clocked, phased light. A compensation light source is controlled independently of the transmission light sources. A receiver receives the light radiated by the transmission light sources, and the compensation light source converts them into an electrical received signal. At least two evaluation units evaluate the received signal and generate one control signal each. At least two transmission paths each comprise a transmission light source, an evaluation unit and a clock generator. The clock generator generates the clock for the transmission light sources and for the evaluation unit. The evaluation units each generate a control signal. A control unit generates a compensation control signal from the control signals, with which the compensation light source is controlled and supplied. The evaluation unit generates a clock-synchronous control signal for the transmission light source from the received signal.

Optoelectronic measuring system with a compensation light source

A digital optimal filter having an especially sinusoidal pulse response uses a filter structure with a recursive and a transversal portion. The transversal portion comprises filter coefficients for the representation of scan results of half a period of the sinusoidal pulse response signal. The recursive filter structure is used to change the sign after generation of the scan results for half a period and to mark the start and the end of the pulse response. A plurality of periods can lie in between the start and the end of the pulse response, this is why the digital optimal filter can be used to extract especially sinusoidal burst signals from an original signal, namely in digital technology, which is advantageous for the implementation of IC's.

Digital optimal filter for periodically alternating signals

The invention relates to a method for determining and/or evaluating a differential, optical signal. According to the invention, at least two first light sources (S, S) which are sequentially clocked in terms of light and emitted in a phased manner are provided, in addition to at least one receiver (E) which is used to receive at least the alternating light portion arising from the first light sources (S, S). The light intensity radiating through at least one light source (S, S) in the measuring arrangement is controlled in such a manner that the clock synchronous alternating light portion, which occurs between different phases, is zero in the receiver (E). By determining the reception signal in the receiver (E) in relation to the phase position in order to regulate the radiated light intensity and by producing an adjustable variable (R) directly or by adding current in the receiver, it is possible to simplify digital implementation of the method with as little sensitivity loss as possible.

Method of determining and/or evaluating a differential optical signal

The invention relates to a method for temperature compensation in an electric circuit. In order to get rid of costly manufacturing processes and external components, a PTAT resistor is replaced by a series connection of two resistive elements (Rx, ), the first of said elements (Rx) having essentially constant resistance regardless of the temperature, and the second element ( ) having a resistance which is non-linearly dependent on the temperature. The resistance value of the first element is selected so that an approximation of the resistance of said series connection is directly proportional to the temperature.

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Dortmund, Germany

Egbert Spiegel