Ultrasound sensor and object detecting method thereof

• US 10,684,367 B2
• Filed: 06/17/2015
• Issued: 06/16/2020
• Est. Priority Date: 11/26/2014
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Samsung Electronics Co. Ltd.
• Original Assignee: Samsung Electronics Co. Ltd.
• Inventors: Yoo, Jae-hyeon, Choi, Sung-do, Jeong, Moon-sik, Choi, Hyun-soo
• Primary Examiner(s): Blancha, Jonathan M
• Application Number:
  US15/528,254
• Publication Number:
  US 20170329004A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,826 Days
• Field of Search: 345 8
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 15/04 Systems determining presence of a target
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 15/10 using transmission of interrupted, pulse-modulated waves determination of distance by phase measurement G01S15/32
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 15/42 Simultaneous measurement of distance and other co-ordinates indirect measurement G01S15/46
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 15/50 Systems of measurement, based on relative movement of the target
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 15/89 for mapping or imaging
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 7/52003 Techniques for enhancing spatial resolution of targets G01S7/52046 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 7/524 Transmitters
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 7/526 Receivers
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/011 Arrangements for interaction with the human body, e.g. for user immersion in virtual reality blind teaching G09B21/00
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/017 Gesture based interaction, e.g. based on a set of recognized hand gestures interaction based on gestures traced on a digitiser G06F3/04883
• CPC Class Codes: G10K 11/346 using phase variation

Abstract

Provided are a low-power ultrasound sensor that detects whether an object exists at a high speed, an object detecting method of the ultrasound sensor, and a computer-readable storage medium. The ultrasound sensor may include: a transmitter that outputs a plurality of first ultrasound beams having different frequencies; a receiver that receives a first reflection signal that is output when the output plurality of first ultrasound beams are reflected from an object; and a controller that determines a first area in a space, controls the transmitter to respectively output the plurality of first ultrasound beams to a plurality of first sub-areas that are included in the first area, and determines whether the object is included in each of the plurality of first sub-areas, based on the first reflection signal.

Claims

1. An ultrasound sensor comprising:

a transmitter;

a receiver; and

a controller configured to;

identify a first area in a space,

control the transmitter to simultaneously output a plurality of first ultrasound beams having different frequencies to respective first sub-areas of a plurality of first sub-areas that are included in the first area,

control the receiver to receive a first reflection signal from an object reflecting the plurality of ultrasound beams, and

identify whether the object is included in each of the plurality of first sub-areas, based on the first reflection signal.

2. The ultrasound sensor of claim 1, wherein the transmitter comprises a plurality of output elements and the controller is configured to:

control a first output element from among the plurality of output elements to output an ultrasound beam for identifying the first area,

control the receiver to receive a reflection signal for identifying the first area from the object reflecting the ultrasound beam output by the first output element,

identify a first point of the object that is closest to the first output element, based on the reflection signal for identifying the first area, and

identify the first area that includes the first point.

3. The ultrasound sensor of claim 2, wherein the controller is configured to:

control a second output element from among the plurality of output elements to output an ultrasound beam for identifying a second area,

control the receiver to receive a reflection signal for identifying the second area from the object reflecting the ultrasound beam output by the second output element,

identify a second point of the object that is closest to the second output element, based on the reflection signal for identifying the second area, and

identify the second area that includes the second point.

4. The ultrasound sensor of claim 3, wherein the controller is configured to:

control the transmitter to respectively output the plurality of first ultrasound beams to a plurality of second sub-areas that are included in the second area, and

identify whether the object is included in each of the plurality of second sub-areas, based on a reflection signal from the object reflecting the plurality of first ultrasound beams output to the plurality of second sub-areas.

5. The ultrasound sensor of claim 1, wherein the ultrasound sensor is included in an electronic device,

wherein the controller is configured to identify the first area based on a user interface (UI) that is provided by the electronic device.

6. The ultrasound sensor of claim 1, wherein the controller is configured to:

control the transmitter to output a plurality of second ultrasound beams having different frequencies to a plurality of second sub-areas that are included in the plurality of first sub-areas,

control the receiver to receive a plurality of second reflection signals from an object reflecting the plurality of second ultrasound beams, and

identify whether the object is included in each of the plurality of second sub-areas, based on the plurality of second reflection signals.

7. The ultrasound sensor of claim 6, wherein the transmitter comprises a plurality of output elements, and,

wherein a number of output elements that are used to output at least one ultrasound beam from among the plurality of first ultrasound beams is less than a number of output elements that are used to output at least one ultrasound beam from among the plurality of second ultrasound beams.

8. The ultrasound sensor of claim 6, wherein a frequency of an ultrasound beam having a highest frequency from among the plurality of first ultrasound beams is lower than a frequency of an ultrasound beam having a highest frequency from among the plurality of second ultrasound beams.

9. The ultrasound sensor of claim 1, wherein the transmitter comprises:

a pulse generator configured to generate a plurality of pulses having different frequencies corresponding to the plurality of first ultrasound beams;

a transmission delay configured to generate delayed pulses by delaying the plurality of pulses by predetermined delay times in order to determine directivities of the plurality of first ultrasound beams; and

an output element array configured to output the plurality of first ultrasound beams based on the delayed pulses.

10. The ultrasound sensor of claim 9, wherein the transmitter comprises an output element array comprising a plurality of linearly-arranged output elements configured to vibrate according to a transmitted electrical signal transmitted thereto to generate ultrasound, and

the receiver comprises an input element array comprising a plurality of linearly-arranged input elements configured to receive the first reflection signal and convert the first reflection signal into an electrical signal,

wherein the output element array and the input element array are not parallel to each other.

11. The ultrasound sensor of claim 1, wherein the receiver is configured to receive the first reflection signal, divide the first reflection signal into signals according to frequencies, and sum signals having the same frequency from among the signals that are divided according to frequencies.

12. The ultrasound sensor of claim 11, wherein the first reflection signal comprises two reflection signals, and

wherein the receiver comprises:

an input element array comprising a first input element configured to receive one of the two reflection signals and a second input element configured to receive the other of the two reflection signals;

a filter configured to generate first divided signals by dividing the one of the two reflection signals according to different frequencies and generate second divided signals by dividing the other of the two reflection signals according to different frequencies;

a reception delay configured to generate first delayed signals by delaying reception of the first divided signals based on frequencies of the first divided signals and generate second delayed signals by delaying reception of the second divided signals based on frequencies of the second divided signals; and

a summer configured to sum signals having the same frequency from among the first delayed signals and the second delayed signals.

13. An object detecting method of an ultrasound sensor, the object detecting method comprising:

identifying a first area in a space;

simultaneously outputting a plurality of first ultrasound beams having different frequencies to respective first sub-areas of a plurality of first sub-areas that are included in the first area;

receiving a first reflection signal from an object reflecting the plurality of first ultrasound beams; and

identifying whether the object is included in each of the plurality of first sub-areas, based on the first reflection signal.

14. The object detecting method of claim 13, further comprising:

outputting a first ultrasound beam for identifying the first area, wherein the outputting is performed by a first output element configured to vibrate according to an electrical signal;

receiving a reflection signal for identifying the first area from the object reflecting the first ultrasound beam;

identifying a first point of the object that is closest to the first output element, based on the reflection signal for identifying the first area; and

identifying the first area that includes the first point.

15. The object detecting method of claim 14, further comprising:

outputting a second ultrasound beam for identifying a second area, wherein the outputting is performed by a second output element;

receiving a reflection signal for identifying the second area from the object reflecting the second ultrasound beam;

identifying a second point of the object that is closest to the second output element, based on the reflection signal for identifying the second area;

identifying the second area that includes the second point;

respectively outputting the plurality of first ultrasound beams to a plurality of second sub-areas that are included in the second area; and

determining whether the object is included in each of the plurality of second sub-areas, based on a reflection signal from the object reflecting the plurality of first ultrasound beams output to the second sub-areas.

16. The object detecting method of claim 13, further comprising:

respectively outputting the plurality of second ultrasound beams to a plurality of second sub-areas that are included in the plurality of first sub-areas;

receiving a second reflection signal from the object reflecting the plurality of second ultrasound beams; and

identifying whether the object is included in each of the plurality of second sub-areas, based on the second reflection signal.

17. The object detecting method of claim 13, wherein the respectively outputting of the plurality of first ultrasound beams comprises:

generating a plurality of pulses having different frequencies corresponding to the plurality of first ultrasound beams;

generating delayed pulses by delaying the plurality of pulses by predetermined delay times in order to determine directivities of the plurality of first ultrasound beams; and

outputting the plurality of first ultrasound beams based on the delayed pulses.

18. The object detecting method of claim 13, further comprising:

receiving the first reflection signal;

dividing the first reflection signal into signals according to frequencies; and

summing signals having the same frequency from among the signals that are divided according to frequencies.

19. The object detecting method of claim 18, wherein the first reflection signal comprises two reflection signals,

the receiving of the first reflection signal comprises receiving the two reflection signals,

the dividing of the first reflection signal comprises generating first divided signals by dividing one of the two reflection signals according to different frequencies and generating second divided signals by dividing the other of the two reflection signals according to different frequencies, and

the summing of the signals having the same frequency comprises generating first delayed signals by delaying reception of the first divided signals based on frequencies of the first divided signals, generating second delayed signals by delaying reception of the second divided signals based on frequencies of the second divided signals, and summing signals having the same frequency from among the first delayed signals and the second delayed signals.

20. A non-transitory computer-readable recording medium having embodied thereon a program which, when executed by a processor, causes the processor to:

determine a first area in a space;

control simultaneously outputting a plurality of first ultrasound beams having different frequencies to respective first sub-areas of a plurality of first sub-areas that are included in the first area;

control receiving a first reflection signal from an object reflecting the output plurality of first ultrasound beams; and

identify whether the object is included in each of the plurality of first sub-areas, based on the first reflection signal.