Long-range sonar

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-10144138-B2
Application number	US-201113341386-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Dec 30, 2011
Priority date	Dec 30, 2011
Publication date	Dec 4, 2018
Grant date	Dec 4, 2018

Abstract

A long-range sonar assembly for detecting objects approximately 2.5-9.5 meters from a robotic device. The assembly includes a printed circuit board including a local controller operably connected to a processing device and configured to receive instructions from the processing device, a transmit potentiometer operably connected to the local controller and configured to produce a first transmit frequency, and a receive potentiometer operably connected to the local controller and configured to produce a first receive sensitivity; a transducer operably connected to the receive potentiometer; and a flared bell configured to house the transducer and the printed circuit board, the flared bell comprising at least a first enclosure for receiving a sub-assembly comprising the printed circuit board and the transducer.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A long-range sonar assembly comprising:
a printed circuit board comprising:
a local controller operably connected to a processing device and configured to receive instructions from the processing device,
a transmit potentiometer operably connected to the local controller and configured to adjust a first transmit frequency, and
a receive potentiometer operably connected to the local controller and configured to adjust a first receive sensitivity;

a transducer operably connected to the receive potentiometer and the transmit potentiometer; and
a flared bell housing configured to house the transducer, wherein the flared bell comprises an inner diameter configured for receiving a sub-assembly comprising the transducer, and wherein the inner diameter is less than an outer diameter of the flared bell, and wherein the flared bell housing enables a long range sonar assembly to detect objects between 1000 mm to 9500 mm from the long range sonar assembly.

2. The assembly of claim 1 , further comprising a grommet placed about the transducer and fitted within the inner diameter.

3. The assembly of claim 1 , wherein the transducer is configured to transmit one or more pulses at the first transmit frequency and to receive echoed pulses at the first receive sensitivity.

4. The assembly of claim 3 , wherein the inner diameter is shaped such that the one or more transmitted pulses are transmitted in a narrow beam.

5. The assembly of claim 4 , wherein the inner diameter is shaped such that the echoed pulses are received in a narrow beam.

6. The assembly of claim 1 , wherein the printed circuit board further comprises a tunable transformer.

7. The assembly of claim 1 , wherein the transducer comprises an ultrasonic piezoelectric transducer.

8. The assembly of claim 1 , further comprising a removable fastener for affixing the sub-assembly within the first enclosure.

9. A robotic device comprising:
a processing device;
a long-range sonar assembly comprising:
a printed circuit board comprising:
a local controller operably connected to a processing device and configured to receive instructions from the processing device,
a transmit potentiometer operably connected to the local controller and configured to adjust a first transmit frequency, and
a receive potentiometer operably connected to the local controller and configured to adjust a first receive sensitivity,

a transducer operably connected to the receive potentiometer and the transmit potentiometer, and
a flared bell housing configured to house the transducer, wherein the flared bell comprises an inner diameter configured for receiving a sub-assembly comprising the transducer, and wherein the inner diameter is less than an outer diameter of the flared bell, and wherein the flared bell housing enables the long range sonar assembly to detect objects between 1000 mm to 9500 mm from the long range sonar assembly; and

a transportation mechanism operably connected to the processing device and configured to move the robotic device in various directions in response to instructions from the processing device.

10. The device of claim 9 , further comprising a grommet placed about the transducer and fitted within the inner diameter.

11. The device of claim 9 , wherein the transducer is configured to transmit one or more pulses at the first transmit frequency and to receive echoed pulses at the first receive sensitivity.

12. The device of claim 11 , wherein the inner diameter is shaped such that the one or more transmitted pulses are transmitted in a narrow beam.

13. The device of claim 12 , wherein the inner diameter is shaped such that the echoed pulses are received in a narrow beam.

14. The device of claim 9 , wherein the printed circuit board further comprises a tunable transformer.

15. The device of claim 9 , wherein the transducer comprises an ultrasonic piezoelectric transducer.

16. The device of claim 9 , further comprising a removable fastener for affixing the sub-assembly within the first enclosure.

17. A method of detecting objects with a long-range sonar, the method comprising:
configuring, via a processing device, a transmit potentiometer operably connected to the processing device to a transmit frequency and a receive potentiometer operably connected to the processing device to a first receive sensitivity;
transmitting, via a transducer, one or more pulses at the transmit frequency, wherein the first transducer is mounted in an inner diameter of a flared bell housing such that the one or more pulses are transmitted in a narrow beam;
receiving, via the first transducer, the one or more pulses as echo pulses having reflected off an object, wherein the echo pulses are received as a narrow beam at the first receive sensitivity;
detecting, at a local controller operably connected to the first transducer, the echo pulses; and
determining, by a processing device operably connected to the local controller, a position of the object, wherein the object is located between 1000 mm to 9500 mm from the long range sonar.

18. The method of claim 17 , wherein the first transducer comprises a ultrasonic piezoelectric transducer.

Assignees

• Balas Stephen J
• Mccann Iii Ralph C
• Diversey Inc

Inventors

• Balas Stephen J
• Mccann Iii Ralph C

Classifications

• G01S15/931

  of land vehicles · CPC title

• G01S7/5276

  using analogue techniques · CPC title

• A47L2201/04

  Automatic control of the travelling movement; Automatic obstacle detection · CPC title

• G01S15/10

  using transmission of interrupted, pulse-modulated waves (determination of distance by phase measurement G01S15/32) · CPC title

• G01S7/524

  Transmitters · CPC title