Denso Corporation

Tomoki Tanemura

Itaru Ishii

Tatsuya Kamiya

Yukihiro Takeuchi

Takashi Aoki

Koichi Oyama

Tetsuya Katoh

Hiroyuki Wado

Takao Iwaki

Nobuaki Matsudaira

Megumi Suzuki

Shuichi Yamashita

Taku Suzuki

Ippei Takahashi

Daisuke Inoue

An obstacle detection apparatus that detects an obstacle existing around a vehicle is provided to include an ultrasonic sensor and a controller. The ultrasonic sensor is provided in the vehicle at a position having a predetermined height from a road surface. The ultrasonic sensor includes a plurality of ultrasonic elements configured to transmit an exploration wave toward outside of the vehicle, and receive a reflected wave reflected by an obstacle as a reception wave. The controller is configured to derive (i) an obstacle distance and (ii) an obstacle height based on an intensity of the reception wave received by each of the plurality of ultrasonic elements and a phase difference in the reception wave received by each of the plurality of ultrasonic elements.

Obstacle detection apparatus

An ultrasonic sensor includes: an ultrasonic element provided to transmit or receive an ultrasonic wave propagating along a directional axis; and an element housing case that includes a case diaphragm having a thickness direction along the directional axis. A resonant space is defined between the case diaphragm and the ultrasonic element for the propagating wave, by housing the ultrasonic element while separating the ultrasonic element from the case diaphragm. A horn shape is defined in the element housing case in which a width of the resonant space in a direction orthogonal to the directional axis is reduced as the resonant space extends in an axial direction parallel to the directional axis.

Ultrasonic sensor

A distance measurement sensor that detects a distance to an object based on heterodyne detection using light generated from a light source and another light received by a light receiver, includes: a scanning unit which scans the light in a first direction; a diffusing lens which diffuses the light in a second direction; multiplexers which multiplex the light and the another light to provide optical signals, respectively; and a processor which detects the distance to the object based on the optical signals. The light receiver has light receiving antennas in the second direction. The multiplexers are connected to the light receiving antennas, respectively. The processor performs a parallel processing for detecting the distance to the object based on the optical signals with respect to the light receiving antennas individually.

Distance measurement sensor

An ultrasonic sensor includes: an element storage case including a case-side diaphragm having a thickness direction along a directional axis; and an ultrasonic element accommodated in the element storage case and spaced apart from the case-side diaphragm. The ultrasonic element includes an element-side diaphragm having the thickness direction along the directional axis and provided by a thin part of a semiconductor substrate. The semiconductor substrate is arranged to provide a closed space between the case-side diaphragm and the element-side diaphragm. The semiconductor substrate is fixed and supported by the element-storage case.

A distance measuring sensor includes: a light source having a semiconductor optical amplifier and a resonator with a silicon photonic circuit, which are at a semiconductor substrate; a plurality of emitters, each emitter configured to emit a light beam generated by the light source to outside of the light source; a scanner configured to perform scanning with the light beam by enabling the light beam emitted from the light source to be reflected at a mirror and vibrating the mirror; an optical receiver configured to receive a reflected light beam, which is generated by the light beam reflected at the object; and a processor configured to measure the distance to the object based on the reflected light beam received at the optical receiver. Light beams respectively emitted from the emitters are incident on the mirror in different directions. The scanner performs scanning different regions with the respective light beams.

Distance measuring sensor

An ultrasonic sensor includes an ultrasonic element and an element accommodation case. A side wall portion of the element accommodation case has a tubular shape surrounding a directional central axis. A bottom wall portion and a top wall portion of the element accommodation case cover ends of the side wall portion in a direction along the directional central axis. The top wall portion has a diaphragm portion. The bottom wall portion supports the ultrasonic element. For example, the ultrasonic element is opposed to the diaphragm portion across a gap defining an interval corresponding to an integral multiple of half of a wavelength of ultrasonic vibration. Alternatively, the diaphragm portion is formed of a material having an acoustic impedance of 50&#xd7;10Pa&#xb7;s/m or more and 5000&#xd7;10Pa&#xb7;s/m or less, and has a thickness of 1 mm or less.

A Fabry-Perot interferometer includes an input mirror and an output mirror arranged facing the input mirror via a gap. Each mirror includes a pair of high-refractive layers and a space layer arranged selectively between the high-refractive layers. At least one of an input-side bridge part and an output-side bridge part arranged crossing the gap, is movable as a membrane. Each bridge part includes a transmission portion and a periphery portion. Each transmission portions includes a mirror element in which the space layer is sandwiched by the pair of high-refractive layers. In a second direction perpendicular to the first direction, the mirror element of the input mirror has a width larger than seven times of a maximum wavelength of a transmission light output from the output mirror, and functions as a diffraction restriction mirror.

Fabry-Perot interferometer

A Fabry-Perot interferometer includes a fixed mirror structure and a movable mirror structure. The fixed mirror structure has a fixed mirror in a spectral region. The movable mirror structure includes a membrane spaced from the fixed mirror structure. The membrane has a movable mirror in the spectral region and multiple springs arranged one inside the other around the spectral region. A spring constant of the inner spring is less than a spring constant of the outer spring. One of the fixed mirror structure and the membrane has multiple electrodes, and the other of the fixed mirror structure and the membrane has at least one electrode that is paired with the electrodes to form opposing electrode pairs arranged one inside the other around the spectral region. The number of the opposing electrode pairs is equal to the number of the springs.

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Kariya, Japan

Tomoki Tanemura