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US 12,674,875 B2Granted
Modified UART interface and UART data transmission for real-time data transmission of echo data to a higher-level computer system
AssigneeElmos Semiconductor AG
InventorDennis Kreiß
Life of this patent
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Abstract
A method and a device perform data communication between a superordinate computer system of an ultrasonic measurement system and an associated ultrasonic sensor via a modified UART data interface. The method and device exit the UART protocol and use a special signaling protocol and a modification of the UART data interface for the duration of an ultrasonic measurement phase to transmit the arrival of echoes at the ultrasonic sensor promptly to the superordinate computer system and return to the UART protocol for the data transmission from the ultrasonic sensor to the superordinate computer system after the end of the ultrasonic measurement phase.
Claims43
An ultrasonic sensor comprising:
- an ultrasonic transducer;
- and
- a processor programmed to:
- communicate with a superordinate computer system by means of a UART protocol via a UART data interface of the ultrasonic sensor;
- perform a method for communicating with the superordinate computer system using the UART protocol;
- perform the method in temporally sequential and temporally non-overlapping ultrasonic measurement cycles;
- perform a respective current ultrasonic measurement cycle in at least three temporally successive phases, wherein the ultrasonic sensor is configured such that a same UART data line of the UART data interface is used, in a first and third phases, for transmission of data frames in accordance with the UART protocol, and, in a second phase, for transmission of signaling information not in accordance with the UART protocol;
- receive a command in UART form;
- based on the received command, start an ultrasonic measurement cycle at a beginning of a first phase of the ultrasonic measurement cycle, hereinafter referred to as a command phase;
- receive at least one command from the superordinate computer system in the command phase, which command specifies which type of measurement the ultrasonic sensor is to perform in the ultrasonic measurement cycle;
- emit, via the ultrasonic transducer, an ultrasonic burst or signal at a beginning of a second phase, hereinafter referred to as an ultrasonic measurement phase, wherein, the ultrasonic sensor is arranged such that characteristics of the ultrasonic burst and/or the ultrasonic signal depend on a temporally preceding and/or an immediately temporally preceding command received by the ultrasonic sensor in a temporally preceding and/or the immediately temporally preceding command phase;
- interrupt communication, within the ultrasonic measurement cycle, from the ultrasonic sensor to the superordinate computer system in accordance with the UART protocol during the ultrasonic measurement phase;
- set the signal of the UART data interface of the ultrasonic sensor to a first logical value during the ultrasonic measurement phase when the ultrasonic sensor is not receiving an echo, and to set the signal of the UART data interface to a second logical value during the ultrasonic measurement phase when the ultrasonic sensor is receiving, via the ultrasonic transducer, an echo, the first logical value being different from the second logical value, and wherein, during the ultrasonic measurement phase, the ultrasonic sensor does not transmit any UART frames on the UART data interface, but instead drives the UART data interface continuously to a first logical value when no echo is received and to a second logical value and/or pulse sequence when an echo is received;
- terminate the ultrasonic measurement phase after a predetermined time and/or when predetermined conditions are present and to begin a third phase of the ultrasonic measurement cycle;
- restart communication according to the UART protocol after an end of the ultrasonic measurement phase in the third phase of the ultrasonic measurement cycle;
- and
- transmit data in the third phase of the ultrasonic measurement cycle from the ultrasonic sensor to the superordinate computer system and wherein a plurality of ultrasonic measurement cycles are performed in succession, each ultrasonic measurement cycle comprising a command phase, an ultrasonic measurement phase, and a third phase in this order, with no temporal overlap between the first, second and third phases, and wherein communication from the ultrasonic sensor to the superordinate computer system according to the UART protocol occurs only in the command phase and the third phase of each ultrasonic measurement cycle and not in the ultrasonic measurement phase.
14 more elements
A method of communicating between a superordinate computer system and an ultrasonic sensor using a UART protocol over a UART data interface of the ultrasonic sensor, comprising:
- performing an ultrasonic measurement cycle comprising three temporally successive phases, wherein the ultrasonic sensor is configured such that a same UART data line of the UART data interface is used, in a first and third phases, for transmission of data frames in accordance with the UART protocol, and, in a second phase, for transmission of signaling information not in accordance with the UART protocol;
- receiving a command in UART form;
- based on the received command, starting the ultrasonic measurement cycle at a beginning of a first temporal phase of the ultrasonic measurement cycle, hereinafter referred to as a command phase;
- transmitting a command from the superordinate computer system to the ultrasonic sensor as to what type of measurement the ultrasonic sensor is to perform in the ultrasonic measurement cycle, said transmitting occurring in the command phase;
- emitting an ultrasonic burst or ultrasonic signal at a beginning of a second phase, hereinafter referred to as ultrasonic measurement phase, wherein characteristics of the ultrasonic burst or ultrasonic signal depend on the temporally preceding and/or an immediately temporally preceding command received by the ultrasonic sensor in a temporally preceding and/or the immediately temporally preceding command phase;
- interrupting communication, within the measurement cycle, according to the UART protocol during the ultrasonic measurement phase;
- setting the signal of the UART data interface on the ultrasonic sensor side to a first logical value for a duration of the ultrasonic measurement phase when the ultrasonic sensor is not receiving an echo, and setting the signal of the UART data interface on the ultrasonic sensor side to a second logical value in the ultrasonic measurement phase when the ultrasonic sensor is receiving an echo, wherein the first logical value is different from the second logical value, and wherein, during the ultrasonic measurement phase, the ultrasonic sensor does not transmit any UART frames on the UART data interface, but instead drives the UART data interface continuously to a first logical value when no echo is received and to a second logical value and/or pulse sequence when an echo is received;
- terminating the ultrasonic measurement phase after a predetermined time and/or when predetermined conditions are present and beginning a third phase of the ultrasonic measurement cycle;
- resuming communication between the ultrasonic sensor and the superordinate computer system using a data exchange protocol corresponding to the UART protocol after an end of the ultrasonic measurement phase in the third phase of the ultrasonic measurement cycle;
- and
- transferring data in the third phase of the ultrasonic measurement cycle from the ultrasonic sensor to the superordinate computer system and wherein a plurality of ultrasonic measurement cycles are performed in succession, each ultrasonic measurement cycle comprising a command phase, an ultrasonic measurement phase, and a third phase in this order, with no temporal overlap between the first, second and third phases, and wherein communication from the ultrasonic sensor to the superordinate computer system according to the UART protocol occurs only in the command phase and the third phase of each ultrasonic measurement cycle and not in the ultrasonic measurement phase.
8 more elements
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.