Proximity sensing systems and methods
First Claim
1. An ultrasonic sensing system, comprising:
- an attenuator circuit connectable to an ultrasonic receiver via a switch and configured to attenuate ultrasonic signals received by the ultrasonic receiver, wherein the ultrasonic signals comprise a reverberation signal and an echo signal; and
a controller configured to control the switch so as to electrically couple the attenuator circuit with the ultrasonic receiver during a predetermined period of time after a transmission of an ultrasonic signal and electrically decouple the attenuator circuit from the ultrasonic receiver prior to and after the predetermined period of time.
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Accused Products
Abstract
Methods, systems and device are provided for improving the range and accuracy of proximity measurement such as in ultrasonic sensing systems. In particular, the blind zone caused by reverberation signals can be reduced or eliminated by attenuating signals received during the time period corresponding to the blind zone without. In an implementation, an attenuator circuit is selected by a switch to process received signals during the blind zone time period and deselected by the switch after the time zone time period. Additionally, the accuracy and range of the measurement can be improved by varying the gain provided to the received signals based on the varying measuring distance. In an implementation, a gain-adjustable amplifier is controlled by a gain control signal to provide incremental gain as time increases.
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Citations
20 Claims
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1. An ultrasonic sensing system, comprising:
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an attenuator circuit connectable to an ultrasonic receiver via a switch and configured to attenuate ultrasonic signals received by the ultrasonic receiver, wherein the ultrasonic signals comprise a reverberation signal and an echo signal; and a controller configured to control the switch so as to electrically couple the attenuator circuit with the ultrasonic receiver during a predetermined period of time after a transmission of an ultrasonic signal and electrically decouple the attenuator circuit from the ultrasonic receiver prior to and after the predetermined period of time. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10)
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11. A method for operating an ultrasonic sensing system, comprising:
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determining whether an ultrasonic signal detected by an ultrasonic receiver occurs within a predetermined period of time after termination of a transmission of an ultrasonic signal, wherein the detected ultrasonic signal comprises a reverberation signal and an echo signal; in response to a determination that the detected ultrasonic signal occurs within the predetermined period of time, electrically coupling the ultrasonic receiver with an attenuator circuit so as to attenuate the reverberation signal; and electrically decoupling the ultrasonic receiver from the attenuator circuit when the predetermined period of time has elapsed. - View Dependent Claims (12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18, 19, 20)
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Specification