Ultrasonic sensor

A vehicle comprising:

• a housing supporting a first ultrasonic transceiver positioned adjacent a second ultrasonic transceiver in a single integrated sensor module, the housing mounted on a vehicle body element such that the first ultrasonic transceiver and the second ultrasonic transceiver project at least one detection beam outwardly from the vehicle;
• a common waveform generator in the single integrated sensor module and coupled with the first ultrasonic transceiver and the second ultrasonic transceiver and configured to provide a waveform for driving the first ultrasonic transceiver and the second ultrasonic transceiver;
• a common echo detector in the single integrated sensor module and coupled with the first ultrasonic transceiver and the second ultrasonic transceiver;
• and
• a first controllable phase delay element positioned in the single integrated sensor module the common waveform generator, the common echo detector, and the first controllable phase delay element positioned within the housing of the single integrated sensor module, the first controllable phase delay element configured to receive the waveform from the waveform generator and provide a phase delayed waveform to the first ultrasonic transceiver, the at least one detection beam being steerable through a plurality of positions by varying an amount of phase delay provided by the first controllable phase delay element, an echo strength of at least one echo detected by the common echo detector increasing as the at least one detection beam is steered towards an object and decreasing as the at least one detection beam is steered away from the object.

A method of detecting an object comprising:

• providing a waveform to a first ultrasonic transceiver to generate a first wavefront using a waveform generator;
• providing the waveform to a second ultrasonic transceiver to generate a second wavefront using the waveform generator, the first ultrasonic transceiver and the second ultrasonic transceiver in a single integrated sensor module associated with a vehicle, wherein the first wavefront and the second wavefront interact to produce a detection beam extending outwardly from the vehicle in a field of view external to the vehicle that intersects an object, the detection beam being steerable through a plurality of positions in the field of view by varying an amount of phase delay;
• and
• receiving a first echo and a second echo at an echo detector, the waveform generator and the echo detector housed with a phase delay element within the single integrated sensor module, the first echo and the second echo from the intersection of the detection beam and the object, an echo strength increasing as the detection beam is steered towards the object in the field of view and decreasing as the detection beam is steered away from the object in the field of view.