Robert Boschgmbh

Martin Noll

Peter Rapps

Waldemar Ernst

Meike Fehse

Peter Knoll

Dirk Schmid

Dieter Karr

Hermann Winner

Michael U Fischer

Jens Schick

Christian Danz

Ulrich Kanzler

Christoph Gauger

Frank Hoenes

Frank Seidel

Klaus Krockenberger

Juergen Leinberger

Dietmar Wannke

Thilo Nass

Franz Pachner

A parking aid for a vehicle used for detecting parking spaces as the vehicle travels past the parking spaces. Properties of the parking spaces are stored in a memory and information on the parking spaces is output in an output unit.

Parking aid

In an ultrasonic sensor, including a housing having a plug connector, an ultrasonic converter, and a circuit board, the housing is divided into a support and a hood enclosing the support. The support carries the circuit board, the plug connector, and the ultrasonic converter.

Ultrasound sensor

An ultrasonic transducer having a pot-like casing has an outer bottom face which is designed in part as a vibrating diaphragm. A stabilizing ring is arranged on the outside of the wall of the pot-like casing, imparting a greater rigidity to the casing and limiting the ultrasonic vibration essentially to the bottom of the pot as a vibrating diaphragm. The propagation and reception beams of the ultrasonic waves can be shaped further by an additional arrangement of a sound directing device in the area of the vibrating diaphragm.

Ultrasonic transducer

An arrangement for detecting the presence of an obstacle in the vicinity of an object includes art least one transmitter that emits a pulsed signal from a predetermined location of the object, at least two receivers capable of receiving echoes of such a pulsed signal as reflected from the obstacle each at a different location of the object, and an evaluating device that measures respective time intervals elapsing between the emission of the pulsed signal and the receipt of the respective echo by the associated receiver. The evaluating device furthermore establishes the presence of the obstacle in a first environmental region of the object when either the time interval to a first one of the two locations is smaller than a first threshold or the time interval to a second one of the two locations is smaller than a second threshold, as well as the presence of the obstacle in a second environmental region of the object when the time interval to the first location is smaller than a third threshold exceeding the first threshold and the time interval to the second location is simultaneously greater than a fourth threshold exceeding the second threshold.

Method and an arrangement for detecting an obstacle

A parking aid system for a vehicle includes a device that measures the instantaneous distance of a vehicle part from an obstacle located in its path and generates at least one output signal indicative of the measured distance, as well as a device capable of issuing warning signals. An evaluating unit is connected between the measuring device and the warning device. The evaluating device dynamically determines, as a function of vehicle speed, an instantaneous distance limit value, compares the measured distance value with the respective distance limit value and activates the warning device when the measured distance value is smaller than the respective distance limit value to alert the driver of the vehicle to the presence of the obstacle. The distance limit value may be determined by adding a first distance value independent of the speed of the vehicle and a second distance value linearly proportional to the speed of movement of the vehicle. The proportionality constant for the second distance value is at least equal to at least one of the reaction time of the driver, the reaction time of the measuring means, the dead time of the braking system of the vehicle and the time that is required to stop the vehicle after the braking system has become effective.

Vehicle parking aid system

An arrangement having a module for installation in a bumper of a motor vehicle and having a retaining part for attaching the module to the bumper. The retaining part, in this context, is fixedly attached on the interior side of the bumper blade, so that the module can be inserted from the interior side. Provision is made in the bumper for a corresponding bore, through which the head piece of the module can be plugged in until the surface is roughly flush with the exterior surface of the bumper. As the module, an ultrasonic sensor is preferably proposed, which can be used for measuring distance in a motor vehicle. Since only the head piece of the module is visible from the outside but not its attachment parts, the resulting appearance is particularly advantageous since it is not disruptive from a design point of view.

Modular device to be inserted into a vehicle bumper

A method and a device for operating an ultrasonic sensor, in which the measuring sensitivity is monitored and the measuring result is compensated for temperature. This is accomplished by measuring the distance of a fixed marking, which is situated on the vehicle and has a known distance from the ultrasonic sensor, to extract a signal, whose amplitude is a measure of the sensitivity of the ultrasonic sensor. From the measured delay time and the theoretical delay time to the marking, a value is attained, which is a measure of the temperature of the ambient air. Suited as a marking is, for example, an edge of a raised license plate frame, which is mounted on a bumper bar of a motor vehicle and lies within the detecting range of the ultrasonic sensor.

Method and device for operating an ultrasonic sensor

An auxiliary back-up and trailer coupling device for motor vehicles includes ultrasonic sensors mounted on the motor vehicle. The ultrasonic sensors transmit and receive sound waves, and are linked to a control and display device. The device permits the position of a trailer unit that is equipped with a coupling device and arranged behind the motor vehicle to be exactly determined. The trailer is equipped with a coupling device, preferably a tow bar, and has an additional transmitting and receiving ultrasonic sensor.

Auxiliary back-up and trailer coupling device for motor vehicles

Several exemplary embodiments for an ultrasound transducer are suggested, in which the sound propagation in the vertical plane is narrow-angled and in the horizontal plane wide-angled by means of appropriate damping measures. The effect on the propagation characteristic is achieved by means of the embodiment in accordance with the invention of the oscillating diaphragm and/or the housing, as well as multiple disposition of piezo oscillators. Because of these measures, damping of the sound waves or the sensitivity of the sensor is approximately the same over the entire horizontal angle up to almost 180.degree..

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Muggensturm, Germany

Martin Noll