Ultrasonic signal triangulation

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-10761183-B2
Application number	US-201816037515-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Jul 17, 2018
Priority date	Jul 17, 2018
Publication date	Sep 1, 2020
Grant date	Sep 1, 2020

Abstract

A system for a vehicle includes a trio of ultrasonic sensors, and a controller configured to, responsive to a location of an object identified from a distance between the ultrasonic sensors, a receive time at each of the ultrasonic sensors associated with a same ultrasonic pulse from a transmitter of the object, and an absence of data regarding a send time of the ultrasonic pulse, steer the vehicle to the object.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A system for a vehicle comprising:
a trio of ultrasonic sensors; and
a controller configured to, responsive to a location of an object identified from a distance between the trio of ultrasonic sensors, a receive time at each of the ultrasonic sensors associated with a same ultrasonic pulse from a transceiver of the object, and an absence of data regarding a send time of the ultrasonic pulse, steer the vehicle to the object.

2. The system of claim 1 , wherein the ultrasonic sensors are equally spaced relative to one another.

3. The system of claim 2 , wherein the ultrasonic sensors are linearly disposed relative to one another.

4. The system of claim 3 , wherein the distance between the ultrasonic sensors is between the ultrasonic sensors not adjacent to one another.

5. The system of claim 1 , wherein the receive times define a difference between the receive times of a pair of the ultrasonic sensors adjacent to one another.

6. The system of claim 5 , wherein the difference between the receive times of the pair is proportional to a difference between distances from each of the pair to the object.

7. The system of claim 1 , wherein the receive times are defined by timestamps recorded when the ultrasonic pulse is received at the ultrasonic sensors.

8. A method for a vehicle comprising:
steering, by a controller, the vehicle to an object responsive to a location of the object being identified from a distance between an outer pair of a trio of ultrasonic sensors on the vehicle, a receive time at each of the ultrasonic sensors associated with a same ultrasonic pulse from a transceiver of the object, and an absence of data regarding a send time of the ultrasonic pulse.

9. The method of claim 8 further comprising recording timestamps associated with the ultrasonic pulse to define the receive times.

10. The method of claim 8 , wherein the receive times define a difference between the receive times of an adjacent pair of the ultrasonic sensors.

11. The method of claim 10 , wherein the difference between the receive times of the adjacent pair is proportional to a difference between distances from each of the adjacent pair to the object.

12. The method of claim 8 , wherein the ultrasonic sensors are equally spaced relative to one another.

13. The method of claim 12 , wherein the ultrasonic sensors are linearly disposed relative to one another.

14. A vehicle comprising:
a bumper having a trio of sensors thereon; and
a controller configured to steer the vehicle to an object based on a location of the object identified from receive times at each of the trio of sensors associated with a same pulse emitted from the object and an absence of data regarding a send time of the pulse.

15. The vehicle of claim 14 , wherein the location is further identified from a distance between the sensors.

16. The vehicle of claim 14 , wherein the sensors are ultrasonic sensors.

17. The vehicle of claim 14 , wherein the sensors are equally spaced relative to one another.

Assignees

• Ford Global Tech Llc

Inventors

• Gibeau John Paul
• Ferrel Mark J
• Bell Christopher W

Classifications

• G05D1/0214

  in accordance with safety or protection criteria, e.g. avoiding hazardous areas (monitoring the location of vehicles within a certain area, e.g. forbidden or allowed areas, in traffic control systems for road vehicles G08G1/13) · CPC title

• G01S5/22 Primary

  Position of source determined by co-ordinating a plurality of position lines defined by path-difference measurements (G01S5/28 takes precedence) · CPC title

• B62D15/0285 Primary

  Parking performed automatically · CPC title

• G01S15/931

  of land vehicles · CPC title

• G01S2015/938

  in the bumper area · CPC title