An ultrasonic transducer includes a transducer case and an ultrasonic element. The transducer case is formed into a bottomed, cylindrical shape having a side plate portion and a bottom plate portion that seals one end side of the side plate portion in an axial direction to configure a diaphragm. The ultrasonic element is fixedly supported to the bottom plate portion to face an interior space surrounded by the side plate portion and the bottom plate portion. The ultrasonic element is arranged in a position being offset in an in-plane direction orthogonal to the axial direction relative to a center position of the diaphragm in the in-plane direction to be capable of generating a first transmission wave having first directivity characteristics and a second transmission wave having second directivity characteristics that are directivity characteristics differing from the first directivity characteristics and in which sound pressure in the axial direction is decreased.

A vehicular sensing system includes a first set of first sensors disposed at a first rear portion of a vehicle. The system includes a second set of second sensors disposed at a second rear portion of the vehicle that is above the first rear portion of the vehicle. A respective first field of sensing of at least one first sensor at least partially overlaps a respective second field of sensing of at least one second sensor. The system includes an electronic control unit (ECU) for processing sensor data to detect objects that are located within the at least partially overlapping fields of sensing of the at least one first sensor and the at least one second sensor. The vehicular sensing system, responsive to detecting the objects that are located within the at least partially overlapping fields of sensing, determines three-dimensional locations of the detected objects relative to the vehicle.

A method for determining the elevation angle and/or azimuth angle of a signal received by an ultrasound sensor includes: providing an ultrasound sensor with a frequency-dependent radiation pattern; transmitting a first ultrasound wave at a first frequency; transmitting a second ultrasound wave at a second frequency different from the first frequency; receiving reflections of the first and second waves, the reflections being caused by an object; and determining the elevation angle of the first and second reflected waves based on amplitudes of the reflections of the first and second waves. Determining the elevation angle (and/or azimuth angle includes calculating a ratio between the amplitudes of received reflections of the first and second waves and mapping a calculated ratio to an elevation angle and/or azimuth angle. The mapping is based on a predetermined ratio curve or ratio dataset which associates a certain amplitude ratio to an elevation angle and/or azimuth angle.

An intelligent ultrasonic system may include: a camera sensor unit configured to take an image of a road ahead of a driving vehicle; an ultrasonic signal input unit configured to receive an ultrasonic signal sensed through one or more ultrasonic sensors mounted on the vehicle; a feature extraction unit configured to extract a feature of the received ultrasonic signal; a data collision unit configured to collect one or more data related to a surrounding situation of the road on which the vehicle is driven; and a control unit configured to divide the surrounding situation into two or more classes based on the one or more data collected through the data collection unit, and change or reset an existing parameter to a parameter corresponding to any one class of the classes when the surrounding situation corresponds to the one class or is changed to the one class.

An ultrasonic sensor system for detecting objects in the environment of a vehicle is provided, which has a first group of ultrasonic sensors and a second group of ultrasonic sensors. The ultrasonic sensors of the first group each have a first installation height on the vehicle, the ultrasonic sensors of the second group of ultrasonic sensors each have a second installation height on the vehicle, the first installation height being greater than the second installation height. The ultrasonic sensors of the first group have a greater sensitivity for the detection of objects than the ultrasonic sensors of the second group.

An intelligent ultrasonic system may include: a camera sensor unit configured to take an image of a road ahead of a driving vehicle; an ultrasonic signal input unit configured to receive an ultrasonic signal sensed through one or more ultrasonic sensors mounted on the vehicle; a feature extraction unit configured to extract a feature of the received ultrasonic signal; a data collision unit configured to collect one or more data related to a surrounding situation of the road on which the vehicle is driven; and a control unit configured to divide the surrounding situation into two or more classes based on the one or more data collected through the data collection unit, and change or reset an existing parameter to a parameter corresponding to any one class of the classes when the surrounding situation corresponds to the one class or is changed to the one class.

An intelligent ultrasonic system may include: a camera sensor unit configured to take an image of a road ahead of a driving vehicle; an ultrasonic signal input unit configured to receive an ultrasonic signal sensed through one or more ultrasonic sensors mounted on the vehicle; a feature extraction unit configured to extract a feature of the received ultrasonic signal; a data collision unit configured to collect one or more data related to a surrounding situation of the road on which the vehicle is driven; and a control unit configured to divide the surrounding situation into two or more classes based on the one or more data collected through the data collection unit, and change or reset an existing parameter to a parameter corresponding to any one class of the classes when the surrounding situation corresponds to the one class or is changed to the one class.

The invention relates to an ultrasonic sensor arrangement (8) for a motor vehicle (14), with a panel part (9) of the motor vehicle (14) and an ultrasonic sensor (2) which has a front side (3) and is designed for transmitting and/or receiving ultrasonic signals via the front side (3), wherein the ultrasonic sensor (2) is arranged within a continuous recess (10) in the panel part (9) and the recess (10) is covered by a covering (11) which does not impair the transmission and/or reception of the ultrasonic signals, wherein the panel part (9) has a material (M) and/or a material thickness (d2), by means of which the transmission and/or the reception of the ultrasonic signals is blocked at least in a region of the panel part (9) surrounding the recess (10). The invention also relates to a motor vehicle (14) and to a method for installing an ultrasonic sensor (2) in a panel part (9) of a motor vehicle (14).

A method for ascertaining a three-dimensional position of a reflection point of an object in the environment of a vehicle using an ultrasonic sensor having at least three sensor elements. At least two sensor elements are arranged at a horizontal offset to one another and at least two sensor elements are arranged at a vertical offset to one another. The method includes: transmitting at least two ultrasonic signals using at least one of the sensor elements of the ultrasonic sensor, wherein the two ultrasonic signals are transmitted chronologically one after the other, and the two ultrasonic signals are transmitted in different spatial directions and/or with respectively differently shaped sonic cones and/or with respectively different ultrasonic frequencies; sensing the transmitted ultrasonic signals, each reflected on an object, as reflection signals using the at least three ultrasonic sensor elements; and ascertaining the three-dimensional position of a reflection point of the object.

A vehicular sensing system includes a first set of first sensors disposed at a first rear portion of a vehicle. The system includes a second set of second sensors disposed at a second rear portion of the vehicle that is above the first rear portion of the vehicle. A respective first field of sensing of at least one first sensor at least partially overlaps a respective second field of sensing of at least one second sensor. The system includes an electronic control unit (ECU) for processing sensor data to detect objects that are located within the at least partially overlapping fields of sensing of the at least one first sensor and the at least one second sensor. The vehicular sensing system, responsive to detecting the objects that are located within the at least partially overlapping fields of sensing, determines three-dimensional locations of the detected objects relative to the vehicle.