Ultrasonic ground speedometer utilizing Doppler effect

• US 5,148,409 A
• Filed: 09/06/1991
• Issued: 09/15/1992
• Est. Priority Date: 04/28/1989
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Nissan Motor Co., Ltd.
• Original Assignee: Nissan Motor Co., Ltd.
• Inventors: Kobayashi, Hiroshi, Negishi, Masami, Kimura, Toshiya
• Primary Examiner(s): Pihulic, Daniel T.
• Application Number:
  US07/755,707
• Time in Patent Office: 375 Days
• Field of Search: 367/90, 367/91
• US Class Current: 367/91
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 15/60 wherein the transmitter and receiver are mounted on the moving object, e.g. for determining ground speed, drift angle, ground track

Abstract

An ultrasonic ground speedometer utilizing Doppler effect comprises an ultrasonic transmitter for outputting an ultrasonic wave at a predetermined angle against a road surface, an ultrasonic receiver for receiving a reflected ultrasonic wave caused by reflection of the output ultrasonic wave from a road surface, an arithmetic circuit for deriving ground speed from Doppler shift between the output ultrasonic wave and the reflected ultrasonic wave. The ultrasonic ground speedometer also includes an output frequency control circuit for controlling the output ultrasonic wave frequency in such a manner as to keep the reflected ultrasonic wave frequency to a constant value in response to changes in ground speed. An amplification degree control circuit is also included for controlling the amplitude of the output ultrasonic wave to keep a substantially constant output intensity of the output ultrasonic wave over an output ultrasonic wave frequency range controlled by the output frequency control circuit.

Claims

1. An ultrasonic ground speedometer utilizing Doppler effect comprising:

ultrasonic transmitting means for outputting an ultrasonic wave at a predetermined angle against a road surface,

ultrasonic receiving means for receiving a reflected ultrasonic wave caused by reflection of the output ultrasonic wave from the road surface;

arithmetic means for deriving ground speed from Doppler shift between the frequencies of the output ultrasonic wave from said ultrasonic transmitting means and the reflected ultrasonic wave received by said ultrasonic receiving means;

means for controlling the output ultrasonic wave frequency to keep the reflected ultrasonic wave frequency represented by the sum of the output ultrasonic wave frequency and the Doppler shift to a constant value in response to change in the ground speed derived by said arithmetic means;

wherein said ultrasonic receiving means includes a resonance type ultrasonic transducer having a resonance point in the vicinity of said reflected ultrasonic wave frequency, and

wherein said ultrasonic transmitting means includes an ultrasonic transducer having a flat/sensitivity ultrasonic transducer having a flat frequency/sensitivity characteristic over a relatively wide frequency range obtained by subtracting and adding the Doppler shift from and to a resonance frequency of said ultrasonic receiving means.

2. The ultrasonic ground speedometer utilizing Doppler effect as set forth in claim 1, wherein said ultrasonic transducer comprises a piezoelectric transducer for converting acoustical signals to electric signals or vice versa.

3. An ultrasonic ground speedometer in accordance with claim 1, wherein said resonance type ultrasonic transducer of said ultrasonic receiving means has said resonance point thereof in the vicinity of said constant value of the reflected ultrasonic wave frequency, so as to filter ultrasonic wave frequency components other than said reflected ultrasonic wave frequency.

4. An ultrasonic ground speedometer in accordance with claim 1, wherein:

said resonance type ultrasonic transducer of said ultrasonic transmitting means exhibits a predetermined level of sensitivity within said relatively wide frequency range;

said resonance type ultrasonic transducer of said ultrasonic receiving means has said resonance point thereof in the vicinity of said constant value of the reflected ultrasonic wave frequency, so as to filter ultrasonic wave frequency components other than said constant frequency value; and

said resonance point of said resonance type ultrasonic transducer of said ultrasonic receiving means is set in the vicinity of an uppermost ultrasonic wave frequency included in said frequency range of flat frequency/sensitivity characteristic of said ultrasonic transducer of said ultrasonic transmitting means when said output ultrasonic wave is emitted at said predetermined angle in a forward direction, and is set in the vicinity of a lowermost ultrasonic wave frequency included in said frequency range of flat frequency/sensitivity characteristic of said ultrasonic transducer of said ultrasonic transmitting means when said output ultrasonic wave is emitted at said predetermined angle in a rearward direction.