Method and device for detection of surroundings

• US 8,363,511 B2
• Filed: 06/03/2008
• Issued: 01/29/2013
• Est. Priority Date: 06/28/2007
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Robert Bosch GmbH
• Original Assignee: Robert Bosch GmbH
• Inventors: Frank, Michael, Schmid, Dirk
• Primary Examiner(s): Alsomiri, Isam
• Assistant Examiner(s): HULKA, JAMES R
• Application Number:
  US12/451,992
• Publication Number:
  US 20100182874A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,701 Days
• Field of Search: 367/101
• US Class Current: 367/101
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 13/30 using more than one pulse per radar period
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 13/931 of land vehicles
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 15/104 wherein the transmitted pulses use a frequency- or phase-modulated carrier wave
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 15/108 using more than one pulse per sonar period
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 15/32 using transmission of continuous waves, whether amplitude-, frequency-, or phase-modulated, or unmodulated
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 15/42 Simultaneous measurement of distance and other co-ordinates indirect measurement G01S15/46
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 15/87 Combinations of sonar systems
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 15/878 wherein transceivers are operated, either sequentially or simultaneously, both in bi-static and in mono-static mode, e.g. cross-echo mode
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 15/931 of land vehicles
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 2013/9314 Parking operations
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 2013/9324 Alternative operation using ultrasonic waves
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 2013/93275 in the bumper area
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 2015/934 for measuring the depth, i.e. width, not length, of the parking space
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 2015/938 in the bumper area radar in bumper area G01S2013/93275; bumper with obstacle sensor of electric or electronic type B60R19/483
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 7/0232 Avoidance by frequency multiplex

Abstract

In a method and a device for detecting the surroundings, carrier waves in the form of transmission pulses are transmitted by at least one transducer, and reflections of the pulses are detected by the pulse-echo method. In this manner, the successive transmission pulses of one transducer or various transducers operated at the same time are differentiable by individual signal modulation.

Claims

1. A method for detection of surroundings by using carrier waves transmitted by at least one transducer and detecting reflections of the transmitted carrier waves by a pulse-echo technique, comprising:

transmitting a pulse of a first type by a first transducer using a carrier wave for a pulse length;

transmitting a pulse of a second type by one of the first transducer or another transducer, wherein the pulse of the first type differs from the pulse of the second type in modulations of the respective carrier waves; and

differentiating a reflection of the pulse of the first type from a reflection of the pulse of the second type on the basis of the different modulations.

2. The method as recited in claim 1, wherein the first transducer transmits the pulses of the first and second types.

3. The method as recited in claim 2, wherein the reflection of a pulse is detected respectively by the same transducer which transmitted the pulse.

4. The method as recited in claim 3, wherein the reflection of a pulse is additionally detected by at least one neighboring transducer.

5. The method as recited in claim 1, wherein the pulses of the first and second types are transmitted by different transducers.

6. The method as recited in claim 1, wherein the modulation is one of analog amplitude modulation or digital amplitude modulation.

7. The method as recited in claim 1, wherein the modulation is one of analog angle modulation or digital angle modulation.

8. The method as recited in claim 7, wherein the modulation uses Manchester coding.

9. The method as recited in claim 1, wherein the modulation is digital modulation in the form of a coding.

10. The method as recited in claim 9, wherein the digital modulation uses Hamming coding.

11. The method as recited in claim 1, wherein the pulses of the first and second types additionally differ from one another in using different carrier waves.

12. The method as recited in claim 1, wherein ultrasonic waves are used as the carrier waves.

13. A method for detection of surroundings, comprising:

transmitting a first pulse of a first type;

transmitting a second pulse of the first type after at least a predefined measurement interval following the transmitting of the first pulse, wherein arrival of a reflection of the first pulse at a transducer is to be expected; and

transmitting, during the predefined measurement interval, a pulse of a second type differing from the pulses of the first type in modulation.

14. The method as recited in claim 13, further comprising:

transmitting, before the predetermined measurement interval has elapsed, at least one pulse of a third type differing from the pulses of the first type and the second type in modulation.

15. The method as recited in claim 14, wherein at least three ultrasonic transducers are used in parallel.

16. A device for detection of surroundings, comprising:

at least one ultrasonic transducer configured to transmit pulses;

a central unit configured to allocate different modulations to at least one of different transmission times and different transducers;

at least one ultrasonic transducer configured to detect reflections of transmitted pulses; and

an evaluation unit configured to analyze reflection times for the transmitted pulses, taking into account at least one of different modulations, different transducers and different times of transmission of the respective pulses.