The present invention concerns a method and apparatus for the modulation of an acoustic field for providing tactile sensations. A method of creating haptic feedback using ultrasound is provided. The method comprises the steps of generating a plurality of ultrasound waves with a common focal point using a phased array of ultrasound transducers, the common focal point being a haptic feedback point, and modulating the generation of the ultrasound waves using a waveform selected to produce little or no audible sound at the haptic feedback point.

The invention relates to a method for detecting an object (8) in a surrounding region (9) of a motor vehicle (1) in which in each of a plurality of temporally sequential measurement cycles a raw signal (10) is received, which describes an ultrasonic signal of an ultrasonic sensor (4) reflected in the surrounding region (9), the raw signal (10) is compared with a predetermined ground threshold value curve (11), and a signal component (14) of the raw signal (10) that is to be tracked which exceeds the ground threshold value curve (11) is detected and assigned to the object (8), and the object (8) is tracked in the measurement cycles on the basis of the detected signal component (14) that is to be tracked, wherein to track the object (8) after recognition of the signal component (14) that is to be tracked, in the subsequent measurement cycles, signal peaks (13) of the raw signal (10) are detected, and an assignment to the object (8) is checked for the detected signal peaks (13).

Provided are a sonar system and transducer assembly for producing a 3D image of an underwater environment. The sonar system may include a housing having a transmit transducer that may transmit sonar pulses into the water. The system may include at least one transducer array in the housing that receives first, second, and third sonar returns with first, second, and third transducer elements and converts the first, second, and third returns into first, second, and third sonar return data. A sonar signal processor may then generate a first and second set of 2D sonar data based on the sonar return data, generate a third set of 2D sonar data based on a correlation of the first and second set of 2D sonar data, and generate a 3D mesh data based on the third set of 2D sonar data. An associated method of using the sonar system is also provided.

A tracking system includes a first device and a second device. The second device comprises an optical module, an ultrasonic module and a processor. The optical module is configured to capture image data in a first detection field. The ultrasonic module is configured to collect ultrasonic data in a second detection field different from the first detection field. The processor is configured to determine a relative position of a target device relative to the tracking device in a third detection field according to the image data and the ultrasonic data. The third detection field is larger than the first detection field and larger than the second detection field.

The shape or position of an object is estimated using a device comprising one or more transmitters and one or more receivers, forming a set of at least two transmitter-receiver combinations. Signals are transmitted from the transmitters, through air, to the object. They are reflected by the object and received by the receivers. A subset of the transmitter-receiver combinations which give rise to a received signal meeting a predetermined clarity criterion is determined. The positions of points on the object are estimated using substantially only signals from the subset of combinations.

The invention relates to an ultrasonic sensor system (USSS), in which the ultrasonic sensor system (USSS) ascertains distance values on the basis of ultrasonic echoes, which are sensed by at least four ultrasonic sensors, and the ultrasonic sensor system (USSS) ascertains solutions from these distance values by means of a trilateration method and filters each of these solutions by means of a respective Kalman filtering method to form filtered solutions and clusters the filtered solutions by means of a clustering method to form accepted solutions and discards unaccepted unaccepted filtered solutions.

A plurality of control points are defined having a known spatial relationship relative to an array of transducers. An amplitude is assigned to each control point. A matrix is produced containing elements which represent, for each of the control points, the effect that producing a modeled acoustic field having the assigned amplitude with a particular phase at the control point has on the consequential amplitude and phase of the modeled acoustic field at the other control points. Eigenvectors of the matrix are determined, each eigenvector representing a set of phases and relative amplitudes of the modeled acoustic field at the control points. One of the sets is selected and the transducer array is operated to cause one or more of the transducers to output an acoustic wave each having an initial amplitude and phase such that the phases and amplitudes of the resultant acoustic field at the control points correspond to the phases and relative amplitudes of the selected set.

Various implementations described herein are directed to a transducer array. The transducer array may include a first receiver having a first aperture width. The transducer array may include a second receiver having a second aperture width that is substantially equal to the first aperture width. The transducer array may also include a transceiver having a third aperture width that is larger than the first aperture width and the second aperture width.

A detection system to check the position of a pipeline in a bed of a body of water and extending along a predetermined route; the system comprising a device, which is configured to be moved in a moving direction and along the predetermined route and comprises a support, which mainly extends transversely to the moving direction, a quantity of acoustic wave sources, which are mounted on the support and are configured to transmit acoustic waves through the body of water and the bed of the body of water, and a quantity of acoustic wave receivers, which are located along the support and are configured to receive reflected acoustic waves and emit reception signals related to the reflected acoustic waves; and a processing unit comprising an acquisition unit, which is configured to receive, from the outside, at least one datum selected within a group of known or expected data comprising: the known value of the cross-section of the pipeline, an expected value of the trenching height of the pipeline, the known shape of the pipeline, the expected bathymetric profile of the bed of the body of water, and an expected value of the position of the pipeline; the processing unit being configured to calculate a parameter related to the position of the pipeline in the bed of the body of water on the basis of the reception signals and of said at least one datum selected within the group of data.

The present invention concerns a method for calibrating an array of receivers (r.sub.j), each receiver being configured for receiving a signal transmitted by at least one transmitter (s.sub.i), and echoes of the transmitted signal as reflected by one or more reflective surfaces (w), said method comprising the following steps: sorting said echoes, by assigning each echo to a reflective surface or to a combination of reflective surfaces (w) calibrating said array of receivers (r.sub.j) based on said sorting.