A method for finding door location in an automated way based on observations of people that are equipped with a device whose position is determined acoustically. By observing positioning transitions across internal structures such as walls, the location of doors can be automatically identified.

Techniques for using ball joint sensor data to determine conditions relevant to a vehicle are described in this disclosure. For example, in one example, the ball joint sensor data may be used to determine a ride height at a portion of the vehicle, which may be used to determine roll data and/or pitch data. The ride height, roll data, and/or pitch data may be directly used to navigate through an environment, such as by the vehicle relying on the data when interpreting sensor data or planning driving operations. Also, the ride height, roll data, and/or pitch data may be used to verify the reliability of other sensor data used to navigate through the environment.

A micromachined ultrasonic transducer (MUT). The MUT includes: a substrate; a membrane suspending from the substrate; a bottom electrode disposed on the membrane; a piezoelectric layer disposed on the bottom electrode and an asymmetric top electrode is disposed on the piezoelectric layer. The areal density distribution of the asymmetric electrode along an axis has a plurality of local maxima, wherein locations of the plurality of local maxima coincide with locations where a plurality of anti-nodal points at a vibrational resonance frequency is located.

A micromachined ultrasonic transducer (MUT). The MUT includes: a substrate; a membrane suspending from the substrate; a bottom electrode disposed on the membrane; a piezoelectric layer disposed on the bottom electrode and an asymmetric top electrode is disposed on the piezoelectric layer. The areal density distribution of the asymmetric electrode along an axis has a plurality of local maxima, wherein locations of the plurality of local maxima coincide with locations where a plurality of anti-nodal points at a vibrational resonance frequency is located.

Devices and methods in which auscultation signals, ultrasound signals, and ambient noise signals may be simultaneously acquired by a same handheld device are provided. Moreover, in some embodiments, electrocardiogram (EKG) may be acquired by the handheld device. One such device includes a housing having a sensor portion at a distal end of the housing, and a handle portion between a proximal end and the distal end of the housing. An ultrasound sensor is positioned at least partially within the sensor portion of the housing, and a first auscultation sensor is positioned at least partially within the sensor portion of the housing. An ambient noise sensor is positioned at least partially within the housing between the handle portion and the proximal end of the housing.

Devices and methods in which auscultation signals, ultrasound signals, and ambient noise signals may be simultaneously acquired by a same handheld device are provided. Moreover, in some embodiments, electrocardiogram (EKG) may be acquired by the handheld device. One such device includes a housing having a sensor portion at a distal end of the housing, and a handle portion between a proximal end and the distal end of the housing. An ultrasound sensor is positioned at least partially within the sensor portion of the housing, and a first auscultation sensor is positioned at least partially within the sensor portion of the housing. An ambient noise sensor is positioned at least partially within the housing between the handle portion and the proximal end of the housing.

Techniques for using ball joint sensor data to determine conditions relevant to a vehicle are described in this disclosure. For example, in one example, the ball joint sensor data may be used to determine estimated steering data. The estimated steering data may be directly used to navigate through an environment, such as by the vehicle relying on the estimated steering data when planning, tracking, or executing a driving maneuver. Also, the estimated steering data may be used to verify the reliability of other steering sensor data used to navigate through the environment.

A method for finding door location in an automated way based on observations of people that are equipped with a device whose position is determined acoustically. By observing positioning transitions across internal structures such as walls, the location of doors can be automatically identified.

A method for finding door location in an automated way based on observations of people that are equipped with a device whose position is determined acoustically. By observing positioning transitions across internal structures such as walls, the location of doors can be automatically identified.

A 1D ultrasonic transducer unit for detecting danger for a vehicle, comprising a housing mounted on the vehicle, which includes at least three discrete ultrasonic transducers, designed to decouple sound waves at a corresponding working frequency between 20 kHz and 400 kHz into a gaseous medium, and a control unit, designed to control each ultrasonic transducer individually, two ultrasonic transducers directly adjacent to each other in each case having a distance, the 1D ultrasonic transducer unit having one sound channel per ultrasonic transducer, each with one inlet opening assigned to exactly one ultrasonic transducer and one outlet opening (26), the outlet openings being arranged along a straight line, a distance from directly adjacent outlet openings corresponding to no more than the full or half wavelength in the gaseous medium and being shorter than the corresponding distance.