Ultrasonic sensor and electronic apparatus

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-11225090-B2
Application number	US-201916414107-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	May 16, 2019
Priority date	May 17, 2018
Publication date	Jan 18, 2022
Grant date	Jan 18, 2022

Abstract

An ultrasonic sensor includes a first base facing a conveying surface, a transmission section on a first axis tilted relative to the conveying surface and at a far side of the first base for transmitting an ultrasonic wave toward the first axis, and a reception section on the first axis and at a far side of the conveying surface for receiving the ultrasonic wave. The transmission section has a plurality of transmission elements for transmitting the ultrasonic wave arranged to cross the first axis. The first base has a first aperture through which the ultrasonic wave transmitted from the transmission section along the first axis passes. An area of the first aperture is smaller than an area of an ultrasonic wave transmission surface of the transmission section. The transmission section delays driving the transmission elements to converge the ultrasonic wave transmitted from the transmission section toward the first aperture.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. An ultrasonic sensor comprising:
a first base opposed to a conveying surface on which an object is conveyed;
a transmission section disposed on a first axis tilted with respect to the conveying surface, and at a side opposite to the first base to the conveying surface, and configured to transmit an ultrasonic wave toward the first axis; and
a reception section disposed on the first axis, and at a side opposite to the conveying surface to the transmission section, and configured to receive the ultrasonic wave, wherein
the transmission section is provided with a plurality of transmission elements each configured to transmit the ultrasonic wave arranged along a direction crossing the first axis,
the first base is provided with a first aperture part through which the ultrasonic wave transmitted from the transmission section along the first axis passes, an aperture area of the first aperture part being smaller than an area of a transmission surface configured to transmit the ultrasonic wave of the transmission section, and
the transmission section performs delayed drive on the plurality of transmission elements to thereby converge the ultrasonic wave transmitted from the transmission section toward the first aperture part.

2. The ultrasonic sensor according to claim 1 , wherein
the transmission section converges the ultrasonic wave on a center of the first aperture part as a focal point.

3. The ultrasonic sensor according to claim 1 , wherein
the conveying surface is located within a focal depth of a beam of the ultrasonic wave transmitted from the transmission section.

4. The ultrasonic sensor according to claim 1 , further comprising:
a second base disposed between the reception section and the conveying surface, and opposed to the conveying surface, wherein
the second base is provided with a second aperture part through which the ultrasonic wave transmitted through the object along the first axis passes, an aperture area of the second aperture part being smaller than an area of a reception surface configured to receive the ultrasonic wave of the reception section.

5. The ultrasonic sensor according to claim 4 , wherein
the aperture area of the second aperture part is larger than the aperture area of the first aperture part.

6. The ultrasonic sensor according to claim 4 , wherein
the conveying surface is a surface of the second base, the surface being opposed to the first base.

7. An electronic apparatus comprising:
the ultrasonic sensor according to claim 1 ; and
a state detection section configured to detect a state of the object in accordance with an output from the reception section of the ultrasonic sensor.

Assignees

• Seiko Epson Corp

Inventors

• Osawa Eiji
• Honda Daisuke

Classifications

• G01N29/221

  Arrangements for directing or focusing the acoustical waves (electronic orientation or focusing G01N29/262; sound directing or focusing G10K11/26; mechanical steering of sound transducers or their beams G10K11/35) · CPC title

• G01B15/02 Primary

  for measuring thickness · CPC title

• B65H7/125

  sensing the double feed or separation without contacting the articles · CPC title

• G01B17/02

  for measuring thickness · CPC title

• G01N2291/106

  one or more transducer arrays · CPC title