Ultrasonic transducer system and motor vehicle including an ultrasonic system

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-9962738-B2
Application number	US-201414899733-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Apr 3, 2014
Priority date	Jun 20, 2013
Publication date	May 8, 2018
Grant date	May 8, 2018

Abstract

An ultrasonic transducer system includes at least one transducer element, a diaphragm, and at least one resonance body, the ultrasonic transducer system being configured for transmitting and/or receiving ultrasonic signals, the resonance body being coupled at an end face to the diaphragm and the at least one transducer element being coupled to a lateral surface of the resonance body so that the at least one transducer element and the resonance body have a shared interface. Also described is a method for the manufacture and to a motor vehicle having an ultrasonic transducer system of this type, the diaphragm of the ultrasonic transducer system being formed by an outer skin of a bumper, a side mirror, or a door section, and the transducer element(s) and resonance bodies being situated concealed behind the outer skin.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. An ultrasonic transducer system, comprising:
an ultrasonic transducer arrangement, including at least one transducer element, a diaphragm, and at least one resonance body;
wherein:
the ultrasonic transducer arrangement is configured to at least one of transmit and receive ultrasonic signals;
the resonance body is coupled at an end face of the resonance body to the diaphragm;
the at least one transducer element is coupled to a lateral surface of the resonance body so that the at least one transducer element and the resonance body have a shared interface; and
at least one of:
the resonance body tapers inwardly with a slope that gradually narrows from a first width distal from the end face to a second width at the end face;
at least one of the resonance body and the at least one transducer element is cylindrical about a longitudinal axis with a bore that extends parallel to the longitudinal axis through at least a part of the at least one of the resonance body and the at least one transducer element;
the at least one transducer element is formed as a single transducer element that is fully circumferentially coupled to the lateral surface; and
the at least one transducer element is formed as a plurality of transducer elements that are each partly circumferentially coupled to the lateral surface.

2. The ultrasonic transducer system of claim 1 , wherein the diaphragm has a thickness between 0.1 mm and 5 mm.

3. The ultrasonic transducer system of claim 1 , wherein the resonance body has a front mass and a rear mass which are manufactured from different materials.

4. The ultrasonic transducer system of claim 1 , wherein the resonance body tapers inwardly with the slope that gradually narrows from the first width distal from the end face to the second width at the end face.

5. The ultrasonic transducer system of claim 1 , wherein the at least one of the resonance body and the at least one transducer element is cylindrical about the longitudinal axis with the bore that extends parallel to the longitudinal axis through the at least the part of the at least one of the resonance body and the at least one transducer element.

6. The ultrasonic transducer system of claim 1 , wherein the transducer element and the resonance body are coupled to one another by a press fit or by adhesive bonding.

7. The ultrasonic transducer system of claim 1 , wherein the at least one transducer element is formed as the single transducer element that is fully circumferentially coupled to the lateral surface.

8. The ultrasonic transducer system of claim 1 , wherein the at least one transducer element is formed as the plurality of transducer elements that are each partly circumferentially coupled to the lateral surface.

9. A method for manufacturing an ultrasonic transducer system, which is configured for at least one of transmitting and receiving ultrasonic signals, the method comprising:
manufacturing a device including a transducer element and a resonance body, the at least one transducer element being coupled to a lateral surface of the resonance body so that the at least one transducer element and the resonance body have a shared interface; and
fastening the device to a diaphragm which is formed by an outer skin of a component, the resonance body being coupled at an end face to the diaphragm;
wherein at least one of:
the resonance body tapers inwardly with a slope that gradually narrows from a first width distal from the end face to a second width at the end face;
at least one of the resonance body and the at least one transducer element is cylindrical about a longitudinal axis with a bore that extends parallel to the longitudinal axis through at least a part of the at least one of the resonance body and the at least one transducer element;
the at least one transducer element is formed as a single transducer element that is fully circumferentially coupled to the lateral surface; and
the at least one transducer element is formed as a plurality of transducer elements that are each partly circumferentially coupled to the lateral surface.

10. A motor vehicle, comprising:
one of a bumper, a side mirror, and a door section;
an ultrasonic transducer system:
wherein:
the ultrasonic transducer system includes an ultrasonic transducer arrangement that includes at least one transducer element, a diaphragm, and at least one resonance body;
the ultrasonic transducer arrangement is configured to at least one of transmit and or receive ultrasonic signals;
the resonance body is coupled at an end face of the resonance body to the diaphragm;
the at least one transducer element is coupled to a lateral surface of the resonance body so that the at least one transducer element and the resonance body have a shared interface;
the diaphragm is formed by an outer skin of the one of the bumper, the side mirror, and the door section;
the at least one transducer element and the resonance body are situated in a concealed manner behind the outer skin; and
at least one of:
the resonance body tapers inwardly with a slope that gradually narrows from a first width distal from the end face to a second width at the end face;
at least one of the resonance body and the at least one transducer element is cylindrical about a longitudinal axis with a bore that extends parallel to the longitudinal axis through at least a part of the at least one of the resonance body and the at least one transducer element;
the at least one transducer element is formed as a single transducer element that is fully circumferentially coupled to the lateral surface; and
the at least one transducer element is formed as a plurality of transducer elements that are each partly circumferentially coupled to the lateral surface.

11. The ultrasonic transducer system of claim 5 , wherein the resonance body is cylindrical about the longitudinal axis with the bore that extends parallel to the longitudinal axis through at least a part of the resonance body and the at least one transducer element is housed within the bore of the resonance body.

12. The ultrasonic transducer of claim 11 , wherein at least one transducer is also cylindrically formed with a bore extending longitudinally there-through.

13. The ultrasonic transducer of claim 5 , wherein the resonance body is cylindrical about the longitudinal axis with the bore that extends parallel to the longitudinal axis, and the bore does not extend completely through to the end face of the resonance body.

14. The ultrasonic transducer of claim 13 , wherein a width of the resonance body distal from the end face is narrower than a width of the resonance body at the end face, and the bore extends longitudinally within a section of the resonance body where the resonance body is widest until a point at which the resonance body begins to narrow.

Assignees

• Bosch Gmbh Robert

Inventors

• Gerlach Andre

Classifications

• G10K11/18

  Methods or devices for transmitting, conducting or directing sound (G10K11/02, G10K11/36 take precedence) · CPC title

• G10K11/004

  Mounting transducers, e.g. provided with mechanical moving or orienting device (mountings specially adapted to a particular sound-producing device, see the preceding groups G10K1/00 - G10K9/00, e.g. G10K1/26, G10K1/28, G10K9/22; arrangements of sonic watch equipment on submarines B63G8/39; buoys B63B22/00) · CPC title

• H01L41/25

  Electricity · mapped topic

• B06B1/06

  operating with piezoelectric effect or with electrostriction (piezoelectric or electrostrictive devices per se H10N30/00) · CPC title

• B06B1/0644 Primary

  using a single piezoelectric element (B06B1/0688 takes precedence) · CPC title