An illustrative controller includes: a transmitter to drive an acoustic transducer to generate a first acoustic burst and a second acoustic burst; a receiver coupled to the acoustic transducer to sense a first response to the first acoustic burst and a second response to the second acoustic burst; and a processing circuit to derive output data from the first and second responses in part by determining an offset frequency difference between the first and second responses, wherein the first acoustic burst has a first characteristic frequency and the second acoustic burst has a second characteristic frequency different from the first characteristic frequency.

The invention relates to an ultrasonic measuring system (10), in particular for measuring distance and/or as a parking aid in vehicles, having an electroacoustic ultrasonic transducer (12) which has a oscillating element (14), does not have a voltage converter, can be alternately operated as an ultrasonic transmitter and an ultrasonic receiver and has a signal connection (16), which is used either as an input or as an output of the ultrasonic transducer (12), and an earth connection (18) which is connected to earth, and a control and evaluation unit (20) for exciting the oscillating element (14) of the ultrasonic transducer (12) to emit ultrasonic waves for operating the ultrasonic transducer (12) during a transmission interval for the purpose of subsequently deactivating the excitation of the oscillating element (14) and attenuating the latter during a decay phase and for receiving and processing ultrasonic waves in a reception interval. The control and evaluation unit (20) has a bridge circuit (28) which is connected to a DC supply voltage (80) and has controllable switches (30 to 40) and a charge storage capacitance (42), the polarity of which can be reversed and which is intended to alternately output a positive and a negative excitation voltage for the signal connection (16) of the ultrasonic transducer (12) during the transmission interval. The control and evaluation unit (20) outputs a voltage pulse of substantially 0 V at the end of the transmission interval for the signal connection (16) of the ultrasonic transducer (12).

An ultrasound circuit comprising a trans-impedance amplifier (TIA) with built-in time gain compensation functionality is described. The TIA is coupled to an ultrasonic transducer to amplify an electrical signal generated by the ultrasonic transducer in response to receiving an ultrasound signal. The TIA is, in some cases, followed by further analog and digital processing circuitry.

An ultrasound circuit comprising a trans-impedance amplifier (TIA) with built-in time gain compensation functionality is described. The TIA is coupled to an ultrasonic transducer to amplify an electrical signal generated by the ultrasonic transducer in response to receiving an ultrasound signal. The TIA is, in some cases, followed by further analog and digital processing circuitry.

An object detection system includes distance measurement sensors and a hardware processor functioning as a wave transmission control circuit and a determination circuit. The distance measurement sensors provided at different positions in a vehicle. The wave transmission control circuit sets one of the distance measurement sensors as a top of a wave transmission order. A detection range of the one of the distance measurement sensors covers a region where an object is located. The object has been detected through preliminary detection when power supply to the vehicle is started. The wave transmission control circuit then repeats a cyclic wave transmission control on the distance measurement sensors to emit ultrasonic waves sequentially in the wave transmission order. The determination circuit determines an object as a detection target object when any one of the distance measurement sensors has detected the object a predetermined number of times.

An object detecting apparatus is configured to detect a surrounding object. The object detecting apparatus is provided with a driving signal generation unit provided to generate a driving signal that drives a transmitter unit including a transmitter emitting transmission waves externally; and a control unit provided to control an output of the driving signal transmitted to the transmitter unit from the driving signal generation unit. The driving signal generation unit is configured to generate the driving signal of which the frequency changes stepwise.

An object detecting apparatus is configured to detect a surrounding object. The object detecting apparatus is provided with a driving signal generation unit provided to generate a driving signal that drives a transmitter unit including a transmitter emitting transmission waves externally; and a control unit provided to control an output of the driving signal transmitted to the transmitter unit from the driving signal generation unit. The driving signal generation unit is configured to generate the driving signal of which the frequency changes stepwise.

A ranging function is implemented using a collection of core independent peripherals (CIPs) in a microcontroller without software overhead to the central processor during operation thereof. A pulse width modulation (PWM) peripheral generates a high frequency drive signal, a counter to set the duration of the PWM drive signal (pulse), and a second timer coupled to a comparator to measure the time it takes to receive back a reflection of the ranging signal from an object. The ranging peripheral starts ranging with ultrasonic pulses, and when corresponding reflected ultrasonic pulse are receives an interrupt signal is provided when the ranging measurement is complete. Time dependent sensitivity and/or gain adjustments are contemplated. The ultrasonic ranging peripheral uses on chip resources for most of its functions and therefore requires very few external components. It's set and forget nature may be based on CIP based timers, signal generators and configurable logic cells.

A ranging function is implemented using a collection of core independent peripherals (CIPs) in a microcontroller without software overhead to the central processor during operation thereof. A pulse width modulation (PWM) peripheral generates a high frequency drive signal, a counter to set the duration of the PWM drive signal (pulse), and a second timer coupled to a comparator to measure the time it takes to receive back a reflection of the ranging signal from an object. The ranging peripheral starts ranging with ultrasonic pulses, and when corresponding reflected ultrasonic pulse are receives an interrupt signal is provided when the ranging measurement is complete. Time dependent sensitivity and/or gain adjustments are contemplated. The ultrasonic ranging peripheral uses on chip resources for most of its functions and therefore requires very few external components. It's set and forget nature may be based on CIP based timers, signal generators and configurable logic cells.

Circuitry comprising excitation circuitry for supplying a transducer with an excitation signal to generate a detection signal and current monitor circuitry for monitoring current through the transducer.