Denso Corporation

Nippon Soken, Inc.

Yasuyuki Okuda

Makiko Sugiura

Takahiko Yoshida

Mitsuyasu Matsuura

Kazuaki Watanabe

Toshiki Isogai

Hisanaga Matsuoka

Takaaki Kawai

Tetsuo Fujii

Hiromi Ariyoshi

Tetsuo Yoshioka

Ryonosuke Tera

Yuta Hasebe

Teruo Oda

Keiko Akiyama

Kenji Fukumura

Atsushi Kobayashi

Hiroshi Tanaka

Hirofumi Higuchi

Akio Sugiura

Akitoshi Yamanaka

Michihiro Makita

Kiyonari Kojima

Noboru Endo

Takayuki Ishikawa

Ayako Okamoto

Noboru Endoh

Hiroki Kajio

Ryounosuke Tera

Yuuta Hasebe

A magnetic detection element includes an element part and a metal film. The element part is arranged on a surface of a substrate, and has linear portions arranged in parallel with each other and connecting portions connecting the linear portions in a meandering shape. The metal film has a first layered portion stacked on a turn portion of the element part defined by the connecting portion and a connection between the connecting portion and the linear portion, and a second layered portion formed integrally with the first layered portion to entirely cover a region of the surface surrounded by an internal end of the turn portion. The first layered portion has a peripheral side disposed between the internal end and an external end of the turn portion so as to expose an outer periphery of the turn portion.

Magnetic detection element having element part and metal film

An ultrasonic sensor includes a transmitting device, a receiving device, and a circuit device. The circuit device determines that the receiving device receives an ultrasonic wave reflected from an object, when an output voltage of the receiving device is equal to or greater than a first threshold. The circuit device includes a humidity detection section configured to detect an ambient humidity of the transmitting and receiving devices and a threshold adjustment section configured to calculate, based on the detected ambient humidity, a sound pressure of the ultrasonic wave that is received by the receiving device after propagating over a round-trip distance between the ultrasonic sensor and the object. The threshold adjustment section reduces the first threshold, when the output voltage corresponding to the calculated sound pressure is less than a second threshold that is greater the first threshold.

Ultrasonic sensor

An obstacle detection device mountable on a surface of a movable body includes a transmitting portion for transmitting a transmitting wave, a receiving portion for receiving a reflected wave from an obstacle, a distance calculating portion, a direction calculating portion, a distance storing portion, a direction storing portion, a distance change calculating portion, a direction change calculating portion, and a determining portion. The determining portion determines a shape of the obstacle and a relative position of the obstacle to the movable body based on a direction of the obstacle calculated by the direction calculating portion, the amount of distance change calculated by the distance change calculating portion, and the amount of direction change calculated by the direction change calculating portion.

Obstacle detection device

A concentration sensor device includes a sensor unit, a substrate, and a sedimentation limit unit. The sensor unit detects a concentration of a specific component contained in liquid. The substrate has a face to which the sensor unit is arranged. The sedimentation limit unit is integrally arranged with the sensor unit or arranged at an upstream side of the sensor unit in a flowing direction of the liquid. The sedimentation limit unit is configured to prevent sedimentation of a foreign object on the sensor unit. The sedimentation limit unit includes a piezoelectric element to vibrate when electricity is supplied so as to promote the foreign object to be separated from the sensor unit. The substrate has a recess recessed in a thickness direction of the substrate.

Concentration sensor device and concentration detecting method

A transmission and reception device is located at a predetermined height on a movable object and directed toward an outside. The transmission and reception device includes a transmission unit for repeatedly transmitting sensing waves at a predetermined interval and a reception unit for receiving reflective waves of the sensing waves from a detected object. A peak value detecting unit detects peak values of the received reflective waves and stores the detected peak values. A difference arithmetic unit calculates a difference in the detected peak values with movement of the movable object closer to the detected object. An object determination unit determines the detected object to be a near-road-surface obstacle, which is close to a road surface, when the difference is a negative value. The object determination unit determines the detected object to be an other obstacle than the near-road-surface obstacle when the difference is a positive value.

Obstacle detection apparatus and method for detecting obstacle

In an obstacle detection system, a wave transmitted by a transmitting element and received by receiving elements as a receiving wave includes extraneous waves, which are reflection waves from other than an obstacle, and obstacle reflection waves from an obstacle. It is determined that, an obstacle is present, if the reflection waves are detected as having an amplitude (voltage) greater than a threshold level and a reception time difference between time points at which the amplitude exceeds threshold level at the receiving elements is less than a predetermined time.

Physical object detection system

An ultrasonic sensor includes a transmitting device, receiving devices arranged in an array, and a circuit device. One receiving device is configured as a reference receiving device. The circuit device includes a reference signal generator and first and second synchronous detectors. The reference signal generator generates a reference signal by using a received signal of the reference receiving device. The first synchronous detector performs synchronous detection of a received signal of one of the receiving devices based on the reference signal to detect a distance to an object. The second synchronous detector performs synchronous detection of received signals of the receiving devices except the reference receiving device based on the reference signal to detect a direction of the object.

Ultrasonic sensor with piezoelectric elements and acoustic matching members

An ultrasonic sensor for detecting an object includes: a piezoelectric element having a piezoelectric body and first and second electrodes for sandwiching the piezoelectric body; an acoustic matching element having a reception surface, which receives an ultrasonic wave reflected by the object; and a circuit electrically coupled with the piezoelectric element via a wire. The piezoelectric element is embedded in the acoustic matching element so that the acoustic matching element covers at least the first electrode, a part of a sidewall of the piezoelectric element and a part of the wire between the circuit and the piezoelectric element, and the sidewall of the piezoelectric element is adjacent to the first electrode.

A ultrasonic device detecting a direction to an object includes: a transmitting element of a ultrasonic wave; first and second receiving elements; a diffraction wave phase detector; an initial phase memory for an initial phase of a diffraction wave; a sound speed detector; a phase correction amount calculator calculating a phase shift caused by a sound speed change and calculating a phase correction amount based on the phase of the diffraction wave, the initial phase and the phase shift; a phase correction element correcting a phase of the reflection wave based on the phase correction amount; and a direction detector for detecting the direction to the object based on a difference between corrected phases of the reflection wave received by the first and second receiving elements, a distance between the first and second receiving elements, and a wavelength of the transmission ultrasonic wave corresponding to a sound speed.

Ultrasonic device for detecting direction to object

In an ultrasonic sensor, a first receiving device is configured to be sendable and receivable an ultrasonic wave. The ultrasonic wave sent from the first receiving device is transmitted through a vibration-reducing member disposed between the first receiving device and a second receiving device, and the second receiving device detects the ultrasonic wave. The ultrasonic sensor self diagnoses whether the second receiving device is operated without malfunction based on a detection signal of the second receiving device.

Ultrasonic sensor and self diagnostic method of the same

Ultrasonic sensor with piezoelectric elements and vibration isolator

A method for transmitting an ultrasonic wave is disclosed. The method includes: selecting a first combination of transmission elements from among multiple transmission elements, wherein the first combination of transmission elements includes at least two transmission elements adjacent to each other; and vibrating the transmission surfaces of the first combination of transmission elements in a substantially same phase to transmit the ultrasonic wave with a first directivity. The first directivity is different from a second directivity of the ultrasonic wave transmitted from single transmission element.

Method for ultrasonic wave transmission and apparatus for ultrasonic wave transmission

An ultrasonic sensor includes a piezoelectric element and an acoustic matching member that are joined together to form an ultrasonic detector base. The ultrasonic detector base is sectioned by a clearance extending in an ultrasonic propagation direction to form multiple ultrasonic detectors arranged in an array. The clearance does not entirely section the ultrasonic detector base so that the ultrasonic detectors are joined together by a portion of the ultrasonic detector base.

Ultrasonic sensor including a piezoelectric element

An ultrasonic sensor includes an ultrasonic detecting element, an acoustic matching member, and an oscillation damping member. The ultrasonic detecting element detects an ultrasonic wave. The acoustic matching member has a receiving surface that is adapted on a side of the certain object to be exposed to a space, in which the detected body exists. The receiving surface receives the ultrasonic wave reflected by the detected body. The acoustic matching member is made of a material having an acoustic impedance larger than that of air and smaller than that of the ultrasonic detecting element. The oscillation damping member is disposed between an attachment portion and the acoustic matching member. The attachment portion is adapted for attaching the ultrasonic sensor to the certain object. The oscillation damping member damps transmission of oscillation from the certain object to the acoustic matching member.

Growing community of inventors

Aichi-gun, Japan

Yasuyuki Okuda