Vibration sensor having a surface-integrated transducer

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-12078525-B2
Application number	US-202217699256-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Mar 21, 2022
Priority date	Mar 21, 2022
Publication date	Sep 3, 2024
Grant date	Sep 3, 2024

Abstract

A vibration sensor assembly having a rigid surface and a transducer integrated with the rigid surface. The transducer measures structure-borne sound waves that cause vibration motion of the rigid surface. The rigid surface may be glass, metal or plastic and may be part of an interior part or panel, or an exterior panel, of a vehicle.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A sensor comprising:
a surface structure having a front side and a backside; and
a transducer integrated with the backside of the surface structure, the transducer measures structure-borne vibrations carried by the surface structure.

2. The sensor of claim 1 , wherein the transducer is a piezo-diaphragm based vibration sensor completely enclosed by a housing and the housing is integrated with the backside of the surface structure.

3. The sensor of claim 1 , wherein the surface structure is selected from a group consisting of: at least one of glass, metal, and plastic.

4. The sensor of claim 3 , wherein the surface structure is glass, and the glass is mirrored.

5. The sensor of claim 4 , further comprising:
a frame encasing the surface structure and transducer; and
a mounting element for mounting the frame to a surface of a vehicle.

6. The sensor of claim 5 , wherein the mounting element mounts the frame to an interior surface of the vehicle and the transducer measures sound induced vibrations inside the vehicle.

7. The sensor of claim 5 , wherein the mounting element mounts the frame to an exterior surface of the vehicle and the transducer measures sound induced vibrations outside the vehicle.

8. A sensor assembly comprising:
a support frame;
a mirrored glass surface within the support frame;
a housing integrated with a backside of the mirrored glass surface; and
a transducer attached to a side wall of the housing along a circumferential edge, or attached to a bottom edge of the housing, the transducer measures structure-borne sound waves carried by the mirrored glass surface.

9. The sensor assembly of claim 8 , wherein the support frame is mounted to an interior surface of a vehicle.

10. The sensor assembly of claim 8 , wherein the support frame is mounted to an exterior surface of a vehicle.

11. The sensor assembly of claim 8 , wherein the transducer is a piezo-diaphragm based vibration sensor.

12. The sensor assembly of claim 11 , wherein the piezo-diaphragm based vibration sensor is completely enclosed in the housing and a bottom side of the housing is rigidly integrated with the backside of the mirrored glass surface.

13. The sensor assembly of claim 11 , wherein one surface of the piezo-diaphragm based vibration sensor is rigidly integrated directly to the backside of the mirrored glass surface and the housing encloses all other surfaces of the piezo-diaphragm based vibration sensor.

14. A vibration sensor, comprising:
a rigid surface selected from a group consisting of at least one of; glass, metal, and plastic; and
a transducer integrated with the rigid surface, the transducer measures structure-borne sound waves that cause vibration motion of the rigid surface.

15. The vibration sensor of claim 14 , wherein vibration motion of the rigid surface is measured as acceleration.

16. The vibration sensor of claim 14 , wherein vibration motion of the rigid surface is measured as velocity.

17. The vibration sensor of claim 14 , wherein vibration motion of the rigid surface is measured as displacement or deformation.

18. The vibration sensor of claim 14 , wherein vibration motion of the rigid surface is measured as strain or stress.

19. The vibration sensor of claim 14 , further comprising:
a housing integrated with the rigid surface; and
the transducer is rigidly connected to a bottom side of the housing.

20. The vibration sensor of claim 14 , further comprising:
a housing having a bottom surface;
a bottom side of the bottom surface of the housing is rigidly connected to the rigid surface; and
the transducer is rigidly connected to a top side of the bottom surface of the housing.

Assignees

• Harman Int Ind

Inventors

• Du Yu
• Krajewski Darin

Classifications

• G01H1/12

  of longitudinal or not specified vibrations · CPC title

• B60R2001/1223

  with sensors or transducers · CPC title

• B60R1/12

  Mirror assemblies combined with other articles, e.g. clocks · CPC title

• H10N30/88

  Mounts; Supports; Enclosures; Casings · CPC title

• H10N30/302

  Sensors · CPC title