Ultrasonic locating
AssigneeFord Global Technologies, LLC
InventorsChristopher W. Bell, John Paul Gibeau
Life of this patent
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Abstract
A system for a vehicle includes an ultrasonic sensor including a layer of material such that vibration of the material is indicative of frequency of transmitted and received ultrasonic signals, and a controller configured to, through electrical excitation, cause the material to vibrate to transmit an inquiry ultrasonic signal and, responsive to receiving from an object an acknowledgement ultrasonic signal having frequency different from frequency of the inquiry signal, steer the vehicle from the object.
Claims19
A system for a vehicle comprising:
- an ultrasonic sensor including a layer of material such that vibration of the material is indicative of frequency of transmitted and received ultrasonic signals;
- and
- a controller configured to, through electrical excitation, cause the material to vibrate to transmit an inquiry ultrasonic signal and, responsive to receiving from an object an acknowledgement ultrasonic signal having frequency different from frequency of the inquiry signal, steer the vehicle from the object.
A method for a vehicle comprising:
- steering, by a controller, the vehicle away from an object responsive to an acknowledgement ultrasonic signal received via an ultrasonic sensor, that includes a layer of material such that vibration of the material is indicative of frequency of transmitted and received ultrasonic signals, and having frequency different from frequency of an inquiry signal previously generated by the sensor.
An object detection system for a vehicle comprising:
- an ultrasonic sensor including piezoelectric crystals;
- and
- a controller configured to
- power electrical excitation to cause the crystals to oscillate generating an inquiry ultrasonic signal toward an object and
- steer the vehicle from the object responsive to a difference, between corresponding frequencies of the inquiry signal and an acknowledgement ultrasonic signal from the object, being greater than a threshold.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.