Acoustic proximity sensing

• US 9,199,380 B2
• Filed: 10/29/2012
• Issued: 12/01/2015
• Est. Priority Date: 10/28/2011
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: University of Washington
• Original Assignee: University of Washington
• Inventors: Smith, Joshua R., Jiang, Liang-Ting
• Primary Examiner(s): HULKA, JAMES R
• Application Number:
  US13/663,355
• Publication Number:
  US 20130158711A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,128 Days
• Field of Search: 367/124
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: B25J 9/1612 characterised by the hand, wrist, grip control
• CPC Class Codes: B25J 9/1694 characterised by use of sensors other than normal servo-feedback from position, speed or acceleration sensors, perception control, multi-sensor controlled systems, sensor fusion
• CPC Class Codes: B25J 9/1697 Vision controlled systems
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 1/72 using ultrasonic, sonic or infrasonic waves
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 11/14 using ultrasonic, sonic, or infrasonic waves
• CPC Class Codes: G05B 2219/37433 Detected by acoustic emission, microphone
• CPC Class Codes: G05B 2219/39466 Hand, gripper, end effector of manipulator
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 901/46 Sensing device
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 901/47 Optical

Abstract

An acoustic pretouch sensor or proximity sensor (110) includes a cavity (104) with a first microphone (106) disposed therein, and optionally a second microphone (108) disposed outside of the cavity. A processing system (110) receives the signals generated by the first microphone and analyzes the spectrum to produce a result representing the resonant frequency of the cavity. The processing system may optionally subtract the second microphone signal spectrum from the first to automatically compensate for changes in ambient noise. The processing system uses the resonant frequency to estimate the distance from the cavity opening to a surface (90). For example, the pretouch sensors may be incorporated into a stand alone device (100), into a robotic end effector (204), or into a device such as a phone (300).

Claims

1. An acoustic proximity sensor comprising:

a housing defining a cavity having a cavity opening;

a first microphone disposed in the cavity;

a second microphone disposed outside of the cavity; and

a processing system configured to receive a first signal from the first microphone and a second signal from the second microphone, and is further configured to analyze the first and second signals to estimate an acoustic resonant frequency of the cavity, wherein the analysis includes estimating a first signal power spectrum for the first signal;

wherein the processing system is further configured to use the acoustic resonant frequency of the cavity to calculate a distance from the cavity opening to an external surface near the cavity opening.

2. The acoustic proximity sensor of claim 1 wherein the sensor is operable to calculate the distance to the surface in a range of 0-10 mm.

3. The acoustic proximity sensor of claim 1, wherein the first microphone is an electret condenser microphone.

4. The acoustic proximity sensor of claim 1, wherein the first signal corresponds to sound detected in the cavity and the second signal corresponds to ambient noise outside of the cavity.

5. The acoustic proximity sensor of claim 4, wherein the processing system further estimates a second signal power spectrum for the second signal and subtracts the second signal power spectrum from the first signal power spectrum.

6. The acoustic proximity sensor of claim 5, wherein the first and second power spectrums are estimated using one of Welch'"'"'s method, Bartlett'"'"'s method, and the periodogram method.

7. The acoustic proximity sensor of claim 5, wherein the processing system comprises a preamplifier that amplifies the first signal and an analog to digital converter that operates on the amplified first signal.

8. The acoustic proximity sensor of claim 5, wherein the differenced spectrums are filtered prior to calculating the distance from the cavity to the surface.

9. The acoustic proximity sensor of claim 1, wherein the sensor is passive.

10. A phone handset comprising an earphone, a user microphone, and a video display, wherein the phone handset further comprises the acoustic proximity sensor of claim 1.

11. The phone handset of claim 10, wherein the acoustic proximity sensor is operable to control a parameter of the video display.

12. The phone handset of claim 10, wherein the user microphone also functions as the first microphone or the second microphone recited in claim 1.

13. An acoustic proximity sensor comprising:

a substrate having a cavity with a cavity opening;

a first microphone disposed inside the cavity; and

a processing system configured to receive a first signal from the first microphone and to analyze the first signal to estimate an acoustic resonant frequency of the cavity, wherein the analysis of the first signal includes calculating a first signal power spectrum for the first signal;

wherein the processing system is further configured to use the acoustic resonant frequency to calculate a distance from the cavity opening to an external surface near the cavity opening.

14. The acoustic proximity sensor of claim 13, further comprising a second microphone disposed outside the cavity, and wherein the processing system is configured to receive a second signal from the second microphone.

15. The acoustic proximity sensor of claim 14, wherein the processing system further calculates a second signal power spectrum for the second signal and subtracts the second signal power spectrum from the first signal power spectrum.

16. The acoustic proximity sensor of claim 13, wherein the sensor is passive.

17. A robot comprising:

a base;

a finger operably connected to the base;

an end effector attached to the finger and incorporating an acoustic pretouch sensor, wherein the pretouch sensor comprises;

a first microphone disposed in a cavity having a cavity opening;

a second microphone disposed outside of the cavity; and

a processing system configured to receive a first signal from the first microphone and a second signal from the second microphone, to calculate a cavity power spectrum for the first signal, and to use the first and second signals to estimate an acoustic resonant frequency of the cavity;

wherein the processing system is further configured to use the acoustic resonant frequency to calculate a distance from the cavity opening to an external surface near the cavity opening.

18. The robot of claim 17 wherein the pretouch sensor is operable to calculate the distance to the surface in a range of 0-10 mm.

19. The robot of claim 17, wherein the first microphone is an electret condenser microphone.

20. The robot of claim 17, wherein the first signal corresponds to noise in the cavity and the second signal corresponds to ambient noise outside the cavity.

21. The robot of claim 20, wherein the processing system further calculates a reference signal power spectrum and subtracts the reference signal power spectrum from the cavity signal power spectrum.

22. The robot of claim 21, wherein the processing system amplifies and digitizes the first and second signals prior to calculating the cavity and reference signal spectrums.

23. The robot of claim 22, wherein the differenced spectrums are filtered prior to estimating the distance from the cavity to the surface.

24. The robot of claim 17, wherein the pretouch sensor is passive.

25. The robot of claim 17, further comprising an optical sensor mounted to the base.

26. The robot of claim 17, further comprising a tactile sensor disposed in the end effector.

27. The robot of claim 17, further comprising a second finger attached to the base and having a second end effector, wherein the second end effector incorporates a second pretouch sensor.

28. A method for acoustic pretouch sensing comprising:

providing an end effector with a first pretouch sensor comprising a cavity having a cavity opening, a first microphone disposed inside the cavity, and a second microphone disposed outside of the cavity;

comparing a cavity acoustic signal generated by the first microphone with a simultaneous reference acoustic signal generated by the second microphone to calculate an acoustic resonant frequency of the cavity, wherein the calculation includes estimating the power spectrum for the cavity acoustic signal; and

estimating from the calculated resonant frequency of the cavity a distance from the cavity opening to an external surface near the cavity opening.

29. The method of claim 28, wherein the step of comparing the cavity acoustic signal with the reference acoustic signal comprises amplifying the signals, digitizing the signals, estimating the power spectrum of the signals, and differencing the power spectrums.

30. The method of claim 29, wherein the step of estimating the power spectrum of the signals comprises using Welch'"'"'s method, Bartlett'"'"'s method, or the periodogram method.

31. The method of claim 28, wherein the step of estimating the distance from the cavity to the surface comprises using a lookup table that correlates distance with resonant frequency of the cavity.

32. The method of claim 28, further comprising providing a longer range sensor, and using the longer range sensor to preposition the acoustic proximity sensor near the surface.

33. The method of claim 32, wherein the longer range sensor is a camera.