A networked monitoring apparatus, and a monitoring system and monitoring method based on the apparatus, are disclosed. The apparatus includes at least one sensor, a wireless networking module and a processor operably connected to each other and to a power source, within a housing shielding the apparatus components from environmental conditions, which is attachable to at least one mounting point adjacent a plurality of discrete surface areas. The apparatus periodically monitors each of the discrete surface areas, detects a respective occupancy state thereof by a respective entity with the or each sensor, determines a start and/or end of occupancy state by each respective entity, and communicates respective occupancy state data to at least one remote data processing terminal with the wireless networking module. The monitoring system comprises at least one apparatus in data communication with the remote data processing terminal.

A method for checking a distance measuring device of a transportation vehicle wherein the distance measuring device has ultrasonic sensors. A functional impairment of at least one ultrasonic sensor, a check is performed to determine whether one of the ultrasonic sensors is maladjusted, and an often occurring source of a fault causing a functional impairment of ultrasonic sensors is considered.

A computer-implemented method including: triggering, with at least one processor, an acoustic wave generator to generate a predefined acoustic wave directed toward a 3-dimensional (3D) layout associated with an entity from plurality of entities, wherein each of the plurality of entities is registered with a corresponding 3D layout embedded with a predefined number of 3D geometric figures; in response to receiving a modified acoustic wave from the 3D layout, comparing, with at least one processor, the modified acoustic wave with a plurality of calibrated acoustic waves associated with the plurality of entities to determine identification details comprising a match between the modified acoustic wave and a calibrated acoustic wave from the plurality of calibrated acoustic waves; and based on the identification details, identifying, with at least one processor, the entity related to the calibrated acoustic wave. A system and medium are also disclosed.

A system compensates a motion of a vehicle component relative to another vehicle component or ground. One or more sensors are supported by the vehicle component. The system includes a control unit configured to perform the following acts: receiving sensor data from the one or more sensors; detecting the motion of the vehicle component; and determining compensation data to enable a compensation of deviations in sensor data that are caused by the motion.

This axial deviation estimating device estimates an axial deviation angle of a radar device mounted on a mobile body, and includes an acquiring unit, an extracting unit, a device-system coordinates unit, and an estimating unit. The estimating unit estimates an axial deviation angle using a relational expression. The relational expression is an expression that holds between at least one unknown parameter, which includes an axial deviation angle of a coordinate axis of the radar device about a target axis which is at least one of a horizontal axis and a traveling direction axis constituting the coordinate axes of the mobile body, and at least one element included in the device-system coordinates of a road surface reflection point.

An estimation device mounted to a mobile object comprises an acquisition unit, an extraction unit, and an estimation unit. The acquisition unit acquires reflection point information for each of a plurality of reflection points detected by a radar device mounted to the mobile object. The extraction unit extracts, among the plurality of reflection points, at least one road surface reflection point detected by reflection on a road surface, based on at least the reflection point information. The estimation unit estimates a device height which is the height of the radar device mounted to the mobile object, based on at least a road surface reflection point distance which is the distance from the radar device to the road surface reflection point.

A method for monitoring the function of ultrasonic sensors of a vehicle, an ultrasonic sensor of the vehicle emitting ultrasonic signals and receiving back reflected ultrasonic echoes. An instantaneous amplitude of a ground echo received by an ultrasonic sensor and an instantaneous vehicle position are determined. A reference threshold value or information regarding an expected ground echo amplitude is retrieved from a digital map as a function of the instantaneous vehicle position, the digital map being provided by a central unit. The instantaneous amplitude of the received ground echo is compared with a threshold value, a malfunction of the ultrasonic sensors being deduced if the threshold value is undershot and the threshold value being predefined by the reference threshold value or the threshold value being determined based on the information regarding an expected ground echo amplitude.

A method for detecting a ground echo signal of an ultrasonic sensor of a vehicle. The ultrasonic sensor emits a signal at a first frequency or having a first frequency profile, the signal is reflected by a roadway surface and the reflected signal is received by the ultrasonic sensor and/or by an additional ultrasonic sensor. The received echo signal is filtered with the aid of a matched filter, the matched filter being adapted to the emitted signal and having a characterizing frequency. In this way a ground echo signal is determined from the filtered signal. The instantaneous vehicle speed is determined and an expected Doppler shift of the reflected signal is determined as a function of the instantaneous vehicle speed. The first frequency or the first frequency profile and/or the characterizing frequency of the matched filter is/are adapted as a function of the Doppler shift to be expected.

A method for processing a receive signal recorded by an ultrasonic sensor. Echoes are filtered out from a signal curve of the receive signal using at least one echo criterion in order to obtain a filtered receive signal. At least one noise level of the filtered receive signal is determined in at least one subregion of the signal curve.

A method for checking a distance measuring device of a transportation vehicle wherein the distance measuring device has ultrasonic sensors. A functional impairment of at least one ultrasonic sensor, a check is performed to determine whether one of the ultrasonic sensors is maladjusted, and an often occurring source of a fault causing a functional impairment of ultrasonic sensors is considered.