An ultrasonic sensor 1000 has a transmission/reception processing circuit 100, and the transmission/reception processing circuit 100 has a burst signal transmission circuit 1 that generates and transmits burst signals S0, and a signal processing circuit 7 that processes reception signals received by a piezoelectric element 4. The signal processing circuit 7 verifies the reverberation frequency of the reverberation signals of ultrasonic signals (reception signals) reflected to the piezoelectric element 4 from a subject, and on the basis of the verified reverberation frequency and reverberation time of the reception signals, adjusts the frequency of the burst signals S0 to be substantially equal to the reverberation frequency, said burst signals being to be generated by the burst signal transmission circuit 1.

In a sonar-based transducer system, single or multiple transducers may collect and transmit data to a management module for analysis to optimize and/or control a process. Secondary sensors may provide additional product data for analysis. Historical data may be stored in a data library for future reference. Real time data may be transmitted to a control center via a virtual dashboard.

In a sonar-based transducer system, single or multiple transducers may collect and transmit data to a management module for analysis to optimize and/or control a process. Secondary sensors may provide additional product data for analysis. Historical data may be stored in a data library for future reference. Real time data may be transmitted to a control center via a virtual dashboard.

An acoustic, preferably ultrasonic, wave emission and/or reception device, including a wave emitter configured to transmit waves at an emission frequency, and a receiver of preferably ultrasonic waves, separate from the emitter, having a resonance frequency, and configured to receive waves generated by the emitter and including direct waves and reflected waves, wherein the device includes a resonance frequency modulator of the receiver and a control unit configured to control the resonance frequency modulator during a predetermined time period, so as to reduce the sensitivity of the receiver during the predetermined time period by moving the resonance frequency of the receiver away from the emission frequency of the emitter. The acoustic device relates to the field of ultrasonic sensors, particularly PMUTs or CMUTs, having a high quality factor.

An acoustic, preferably ultrasonic, wave emission and/or reception device, including a wave emitter configured to transmit waves at an emission frequency, and a receiver of preferably ultrasonic waves, separate from the emitter, having a resonance frequency, and configured to receive waves generated by the emitter and including direct waves and reflected waves, wherein the device includes a resonance frequency modulator of the receiver and a control unit configured to control the resonance frequency modulator during a predetermined time period, so as to reduce the sensitivity of the receiver during the predetermined time period by moving the resonance frequency of the receiver away from the emission frequency of the emitter. The acoustic device relates to the field of ultrasonic sensors, particularly PMUTs or CMUTs, having a high quality factor.

An object detection device comprises a transmission sound pressure adjustment unit adjusting a sound pressure of the search wave so that the sound pressure of the search wave or a reflected wave based on the search wave is within a predetermined transmission target range. The transmission unit transmits, as the search wave, a first search wave with a first frequency changing with time at a first rate and a second search wave with a second frequency changing with time at a second rate that is different from the first rate. The transmission sound pressure adjustment unit is configured to adjust the sound pressure of each of the first and second search waves so that the sound pressure of the corresponding one of the first and second search waves or the reflected wave based on the corresponding one of the first and second search waves is within the transmission target range.

An object detection device comprises a transmission sound pressure adjustment unit adjusting a sound pressure of the search wave so that the sound pressure of the search wave or a reflected wave based on the search wave is within a predetermined transmission target range. The transmission unit transmits, as the search wave, a first search wave with a first frequency changing with time at a first rate and a second search wave with a second frequency changing with time at a second rate that is different from the first rate. The transmission sound pressure adjustment unit is configured to adjust the sound pressure of each of the first and second search waves so that the sound pressure of the corresponding one of the first and second search waves or the reflected wave based on the corresponding one of the first and second search waves is within the transmission target range.

A method of operating a PMUT electro-acoustical transducer, the method comprising: applying over an excitation interval to the transducer an excitation signal which is configured to emit corresponding ultrasound pulses towards a surrounding space, acquiring at a receiver reflected ultrasound pulses as reflected in said surrounding space, generating a reference echo signal, performing a cross-correlation of said acquired received ultrasound pulses with said reference echo signal, performing a measurement based on the cross-correlation results, in particular a measurement of the time of flight of the ultrasound pulses, wherein said reference echo is obtained by finding an oscillation frequency of the transmitter on the basis of a transmitter ringdown signal, finding an oscillation frequency of the receiver on the basis of a receiver ringdown signal, performing a frequency tuning respectively on the transmitter and the receiver on the basis of said respective oscillation frequencies, then sweeping an input frequency of the transmitter to find a frequency of the maximum displacement in the ringdown signal, performing a frequency tuning of the receiver at said frequency of the maximum displacement in the ringdown signal of the transmitter.

A method of operating a PMUT electro-acoustical transducer, the method comprising: applying over an excitation interval to the transducer an excitation signal which is configured to emit corresponding ultrasound pulses towards a surrounding space, acquiring at a receiver reflected ultrasound pulses as reflected in said surrounding space, generating a reference echo signal, performing a cross-correlation of said acquired received ultrasound pulses with said reference echo signal, performing a measurement based on the cross-correlation results, in particular a measurement of the time of flight of the ultrasound pulses, wherein said reference echo is obtained by finding an oscillation frequency of the transmitter on the basis of a transmitter ringdown signal, finding an oscillation frequency of the receiver on the basis of a receiver ringdown signal, performing a frequency tuning respectively on the transmitter and the receiver on the basis of said respective oscillation frequencies, then sweeping an input frequency of the transmitter to find a frequency of the maximum displacement in the ringdown signal, performing a frequency tuning of the receiver at said frequency of the maximum displacement in the ringdown signal of the transmitter.

A system (1) is provided. The system comprises two primary sensor units (10) and two secondary sensor units (20). The secondary sensor units are configured to receive ultrasonic pulses during time windows, wherein a time window of the time windows comprises a corresponding transmit time of predetermined transmit times. The system is configured to determine a time-of-flight of an ultrasonic pulse of the ultrasonic pulses transmitted at a transmit time of the transmit times based on when the ultrasonic pulse was received during the corresponding time window. The system is further configured to determine a distance between two of the sensor units based on the determined time-of-flight between said sensor units. The system is configured to determine the positions of the sensor units in real-time based on measured movements and the determined distances.