A method for determining soiling of a first ultrasonic sensor of a motor vehicle in which a first ultrasonic signal is emitted by means of the first ultrasonic sensor and the first reflected ultrasonic signal is received by means of the first ultrasonic sensor, and in which a second ultrasonic signal that differs from the first ultrasonic signal is emitted into the environment substantially at the same time as the first ultrasonic signal by a second ultrasonic sensor, wherein the second ultrasonic signal is received by means of the first ultrasonic sensor and the first received ultrasonic signal is compared with the second received ultrasonic signal by an electronic computing device, and the soiling is determined on the basis of the comparison.

An ultrasonic system of a vehicle. The ultrasonic system includes: at least one ultrasonic sensor for ascertaining a distance of objects from the vehicle by comparing an emitted signal and a reflected echo, and a calculation apparatus for evaluating a measured signal of the ultrasonic sensor. The calculation apparatus is configured to determine a variance of a ground echo distribution within a roadway portion on which the vehicle is moving, and to ascertain the condition of the roadway portion on the basis of at least one predefined classifier that associates individual values of the variance with a roadway condition.

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.

An object detection device mounted on a vehicle includes a transmitter, a receiver, a measurement unit, and a determination unit. The transmitter intermittently transmits a signal wave to space around the vehicle. The receiver receives a reflected wave from an object. The measurement unit measures a distance to the object based on the reflected wave received by the receiver. The determination unit determines that the object is abnormally close to the vehicle if the distance measured by the measurement unit is within a determination distance range, counts the number of determinations that the object is abnormally close to the vehicle, and determines that at least one of the transmitter or the receiver malfunctions if the number of determinations reaches a threshold.

An autonomous moving object includes: at least one distance sensor configured to detect distances to first and second positions located in a moving direction of the autonomous moving object on a road surface; and a determination unit configured to calculate a difference between a differential time between a time when the distance value to the first position detected by the at least one distance sensor is greater than a first threshold value and a time when the distance value to the second position is greater than a second threshold value and a moving time in which the autonomous moving object moves between the first and second positions and to determine that the distance sensor is abnormal only when the calculated difference is equal to or greater than a predetermined value.

An object detection apparatus mounted to a vehicle includes a transmitter, a receiver, a filter, a threshold calculator, and an object determinator. The transmitter transmits a probe wave in pulse form. The receiver receives a reflected wave of the probe wave. The filter passes, among the received reflected wave, only frequencies that are at least smaller than a pulse frequency of the probe wave. Based on an output of the filter, the threshold calculator calculates an objection determination threshold for determining presence and absence of an object. The object determinator determines the presence and absence of the object by using the objection determination threshold calculated by the threshold calculator.

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.

An autonomous moving object includes: at least one distance sensor configured to detect distances to first and second positions located in a moving direction of the autonomous moving object on a road surface; and a determination unit configured to calculate a difference between a differential time between a time when the distance value to the first position detected by the at least one distance sensor is greater than a first threshold value and a time when the distance value to the second position is greater than a second threshold value and a moving time in which the autonomous moving object moves between the first and second positions and to determine that the distance sensor is abnormal only when the calculated difference is equal to or greater than a predetermined value.

An ultrasonic system of a vehicle. The ultrasonic system includes: at least one ultrasonic sensor for ascertaining a distance of objects from the vehicle by comparing an emitted signal and a reflected echo, and a calculation apparatus for evaluating a measured signal of the ultrasonic sensor. The calculation apparatus is configured to determine a variance of a ground echo distribution within a roadway portion on which the vehicle is moving, and to ascertain the condition of the roadway portion on the basis of at least one predefined classifier that associates individual values of the variance with a roadway condition.