Automotive Ultrasonic Sensor System with Independent Wire Harness

An ultrasonic object detection sensor system for automotive applications, comprising:

• a main sensor including, in one enclosure, a master microcontroller functionally connected to a DC/DC voltage regulator, a vehicular communication interface, an internal ultrasonic sensor disposed within the enclosure, and an external sensor interface, wherein the DC/DC regulator has an input receiving a power signal from a vehicular wire harness at a first voltage level and has an output providing a power signal at a different, second voltage level, the DC/DC regulator output being connected to at least the external sensor interface;
• a plurality of ultrasonic sensors each disposed external of the enclosure;
• and
• a wire harness interconnecting the external ultrasonic sensors with the main sensor via its external sensor interface, the wire harness operating at the second voltage level and carrying at least one instance of the output power signal;
• wherein the master microcontroller controls the internal and external ultrasonic sensors to send and receive ultrasonic bursts in order to detect a potential object within the field of view of each ultrasonic sensor, the master microcontroller consolidating data from the internal and external ultrasonic sensors and communicating the existence of an object to another device within the vehicle via the vehicular communication interface.