A method of configuring a touch sensor includes transmitting an ultra-sonic test signal induced by a first excitation signal towards a touch structure that has a first interface with an enclosed interior volume of the touch sensor and a second interface with an external environment; receiving a plurality of ultra-sonic reflected signals produced from the ultra-sonic test signal and the touch structure, including a first ultra-sonic reflected signal internally reflected by the first interface and a last ultra-sonic reflected signal internally reflected by the second interface; determining a last time of flight corresponding to the last ultra-sonic reflected signal; and selectively configuring a second excitation signal based on the last time of flight. The second excitation signal is used for inducing further ultra-sonic signals.

Techniques for range finding for an unmanned aerial system are described. As one example, an unmanned aerial system includes at least one motor to provide propulsion, a piezoelectric acoustic actuator having a resonant frequency, a piezoelectric acoustic sensor having the resonant frequency, and a controller to modulate a fixed amplitude and fixed frequency, at the resonant frequency, carrier wave according to a pseudo-random sequence of bits to produce a modulated wave sequence having a respective section of the carrier wave for each bit of the bits of the pseudo-random sequence having a first value, and a respective section of the carrier wave for each bit of the bits of the pseudo-random sequence having a second value, transmit the modulated wave sequence from the piezoelectric acoustic actuator, receive a reflected wave sequence including a reflection of the modulated wave sequence with the piezoelectric acoustic sensor, determine a delay time between the transmit and the receive of the modulated wave sequence based on the reflected wave sequence received by the piezoelectric acoustic sensor and the modulated wave sequence transmitted by the piezoelectric acoustic actuator, and modify power provided to the at least one motor based on the delay time.

An apparatus for mobile machinery includes a sensor module configured for detachable fitment to mobile machinery, and a control module configured to interface with a control system of the mobile machinery. The sensor module includes an orthogonal sensor arrangement for sensing obstacles in three-dimensional space, an orthogonal indicator arrangement configured to provide a gradient proximity indication of an obstacle, and a wireless transceiver arranged in signal communication with the sensor and indicator arrangements. The control module includes a control wireless transceiver for communicating with the wireless transceiver of the sensor module, and a processor in signal communication with the control wireless transceiver, the processor configured to program, via the wireless transceiver of each sensor module, the sensor and indicator arrangements and with predetermined thresholds of obstacle proximity. If a sensed obstacle proximity exceeds a maximum threshold, the processor overrides the control system to facilitate situational awareness of an operator.

Disclosed is a front obstacle alerting system comprising an obstacle-side signal emitting device and a vehicle-side alerting device, wherein the obstacle-side signal emitting device is a signal emitting element of a front obstacle and emits a directional ultrasonic wave toward a rear side of the front obstacle, and the vehicle-side alerting device is disposed in or on a vehicle and correspondingly outputs an alerting signal according to the directional ultrasonic wave received from a front side of the vehicle.

An unmanned aerial system includes an unmanned aerial vehicle having a body and a primary propulsion system coupled to the body. The primary propulsion system includes at least one propeller and at least one motor coupled to the at least one propeller. The unmanned aerial system also includes a pair of landing gears coupled to the body of the unmanned aerial vehicle. Each landing gear of the pair of landing gears includes a buoyant elongated float. The unmanned aerial system also includes a SONAR device coupled to the unmanned aerial vehicle.

An example computing system is configured to: (i) receive, from one or more sensors of a vehicle in motion over a body of water, a set of sensor data, (ii) based on the set of sensor data, determine (a) an instantaneous distance between the vehicle and a surface of the body of water and (b) an instantaneous slope of the surface of the body of water, (iii) based on at least one of the instantaneous distance or the instantaneous slope, determine a statistical representation of the surface of the body of water, and (iv) based on the determined statistical representation of the surface of the body of water, adjust one or more control surfaces of the vehicle to change one or more of a speed, altitude, heading, or attitude of the vehicle.

The present invention provides an operating method and an operating system of a multiple underwater vehicles 30, wherein exploration missions and exploration depths of the multiple underwater vehicles 30 are differently set in the underwater vehicles 30 for exploring a water bottom, the multiple underwater vehicles 30 are submerged to the respective set exploration depths, the multiple underwater vehicles 30 are made to cruise at the respective set exploration depths to execute the exploration missions, and execution results of the exploration missions are recorded and/or transmitted. According to this, it is possible to deploy and operate the multiple underwater vehicles and safely and efficiently explore the water bottom.

The present invention provides an operating method and an operating system of a multiple underwater vehicles 30, wherein exploration missions and exploration depths of the multiple underwater vehicles 30 are differently set in the underwater vehicles 30 for exploring a water bottom, the multiple underwater vehicles 30 are submerged to the respective set exploration depths, the multiple underwater vehicles 30 are made to cruise at the respective set exploration depths to execute the exploration missions, and execution results of the exploration missions are recorded and/or transmitted. According to this, it is possible to deploy and operate the multiple underwater vehicles and safely and efficiently explore the water bottom.

A method for processing signals of active sensor systems including processing an emitted signal to include at least one distinguishing feature, the emitted signal emitted by an active sensor system adapted to intercept a reflection of the emitted signal, and to analyze the reflection of the emitted signal for determining at least one parameter of at least one object located in a space, analyzing an intercepted portion to verify the at least one distinguishing feature in the intercepted portion, and processing the intercepted portion as the reflection of the emitted signal when the at least one distinguishing feature is verified.

A system associated with predicting authentication of a device user based on a joint features representation related to an echo-signature associated with a device is disclosed. The system performs operations that include emitting acoustic signals in response to a request for processing of a profile associated with the device. The system receives a set of echo acoustic signals that are tailored based on reflection of the acoustic signals from unique contours of one or more depth portions associated with the user relative to a discrete epoch. One or one or more region segments associated with the echo acoustic signals are extracted in order to train a classification model. A classification model is generated based on the one or more region segments as extracted. A joint features representation based on the classification model is generated. A vector-based classification model is used in the prediction of the joint features representation. The system determines whether the joint features representation is associated with the echo-signature based on the prediction of the joint features representation. A corresponding method and computer-readable device are also disclosed.