Ultrasonic radar sensor assembly

An ultrasonic radar sensor assembly for detecting obstacles, being installed on an automobile that includes an attached structure, the automobile including a container that has a first side wall, a second side wall that is opposite to the first side wall, and a back wall that defines a back surface, the ultrasonic radar sensor assembly comprising:

• an ultrasonic radar sensor that is disposed on a surface of the automobile, the ultrasonic radar sensor, when activated, being configured to emit an ultrasonic wave, and to obtain a response wave signal that results from a reflection of the ultrasonic wave by a nearby object and that indicates a plurality of detected distances;
• and
• a control unit that is connected to the ultrasonic radar sensor, and that includes a controller and an alert module, the controller being configured to operate in one of a learning mode and a detecting mode, wherein:
• when operating in the learning mode, the controller activates the ultrasonic radar sensor, receives the response wave signal, and determines a fixed distance range based on the response wave signal;
• when operating in the detecting mode, the controller activates the ultrasonic radar sensor, receives the response wave signal, performs a filtering operation to filter out the detected distances that are within the fixed distance range, determines each of the detected distances that are not within the fixed distance range as an effective detected distance, and in the case that the effective detected distance is not larger than a predetermined distance threshold, generates an alert and controls the alert module to output the alert;
• the ultrasonic radar sensor assembly comprising a plurality of ultrasonic radar sensors disposed on the surface of the automobile, wherein:
• the control unit further includes a plurality of alert units that correspond with the ultrasonic radar sensors, respectively;
• when operating in the learning mode, the controller activates each of the ultrasonic radar sensors, respectively receives the response wave signals from the ultrasonic radar sensors, and determines a fixed distance range for each of the ultrasonic radar sensors based on the corresponding response wave signal;
• when operating in the detecting mode, the controller activates each of the ultrasonic radar sensors, respectively receives the response wave signals from the ultrasonic radar sensors, performs, for each of the ultrasonic radar sensors, a filtering operation to filter out the detected distances that are within the fixed distance range determined for the ultrasonic radar sensor, determines, for each of the ultrasonic radar sensors, each of the detected distances that are not within the fixed distance range as an effective detected distance, and in the case that one of the effective detected distances determined for the ultrasonic radar sensors is not larger than the predetermined distance threshold, generates the alert and controls the alert module to output the alert;
• wherein:
• the control unit further includes a plurality of wires having different lengths for connecting the controller and the ultrasonic radar sensors, and;
• the ultrasonic radar sensor assembly is arranged in one of a first arrangement, in which the wires extend across the first side wall and the back surface, and a second arrangement, in which the wires extend across the second side wall and the back surface;
• the alert module further includes a shell, a vehicle icon disposed on the shell and a display disposed on the shell, the alert units are disposed at different locations on the shell, and a relation of locations between each of the alert units and the vehicle icon correspond with a relative location where a corresponding one of the ultrasonic radar sensors is disposed on the automobile;
• the controller is operable in one of a first arrangement mode, in which the alert units are associated with the ultrasonic radar sensors based on the first arrangement, and a second arrangement mode, in which the alert units are associated with the ultrasonic radar sensors based on the second arrangement;
• and
• in the case that one of the effective detected distances from one of the ultrasonic radar sensors is not larger than the predetermined distance threshold, the controller controls a corresponding one of the alert units to output the alert.