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Ultrasonic distance detector

  • US 4,490,716 A
  • Filed: 11/13/1981
  • Issued: 12/25/1984
  • Est. Priority Date: 11/14/1980
  • Status: Expired due to Term
First Claim
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1. An ultrasonic alarm system for detecting at least one object located with respect to a moving vehicle, comprising:

  • a first array of ultrasonic transmitting transducers for emitting ultrasonic energies in respective directivity patterns;

    a second array of ultrasonic receiving transducers disposed alternatively with said ultrasonic transmitting transducers and actuatable in timed alternate relation to said ultrasonic transmitting transducers for receiving ultrasonic echoes reflected from any objects located in laterally overlapping detecting regions defined in said directivity patterns;

    first means for sequentially energizing said ultrasonic transmitting transducers to emit the ultrasonic energies successively in said directivity patterns;

    second means for sequentially receiving echo signals indicative of said ultrasonic echoes from said ultrasonic receiving transducers;

    third means for generating first signals representative of sequential operations of said ultrasonic transmitting transducers;

    fourth means for generating second signals of varying durations indicative of different distance ranges in each of said laterally overlapping detecting regions;

    display means comprising a matrix of light-emitting elements; and

    display control means responsive to said echo signals and said first signals for energizing rows of said light-emitting elements to indicate any objects in said laterally overlapping detecting regions and responsive to said echo signals and said second signals for energizing columns of said light-emitting elements to indicate any objects in said distance ranges, said display control means comprising;

    a plurality of AND gates each having first input terminals receptive of said echo signals, second input terminals receptive of said first signals, and an output terminal for issuing position signals, and a plurality of groups of D-type flip-flops, said D-type flip-flops in each group having input terminals receptive of said second signals, respectively, clock terminals receptive of one of said first signals, and output terminals for issuing energization signals to one of said columns of said light-emitting elements.

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