US-12618928-B2 - Sensor array module for an advanced driver assistance system

US12618928B2US 12618928 B2US12618928 B2US 12618928B2US-12618928-B2

Abstract

A smart ultrasonic integrated-circuit that allows at least one MEMS device to be combined with a piezoelectric transducer in a sensor array module. The sensor array module is capable of additional functionality for an advanced driver assistance system. For example, the MEMS device can add functionality because its wide bandwidth allows for simultaneous detection of audio signals and ultrasonic signals. Accordingly, the sensor array module may provide dual-mode (audio and ultrasonic) sensing in a single module. Additionally the size/cost of a MEMS device allows for the use of a two-dimensional array for receiving ultrasonic echoes which can add a dimension to the ultrasonic range detection for a vehicle.

Inventors

Marek Hustava

Assignees

SEMICONDUCTOR COMPONENTS INDUSTRIES, LLC

Dates

Publication Date: 20260505
Application Date: 20230915

Claims (20)

1 . A smart ultrasonic integrated-circuit, comprising: a transmitter coupled to a piezoelectric transducer configured to transmit an ultrasonic-transmit-signal towards an obstacle; a first receiver configured to receive a first receive-signal from a first MEMS device, the first receive-signal including a first ultrasonic portion and a first audio portion; a second receiver configured to receive a second receive-signal from a second MEMS device, the second receive-signal including a second ultrasonic portion and a second audio portion; and a processor configured to: process the first ultrasonic portion of the first receive-signal and the second ultrasonic portion of the second receive-signal to determine two-dimensional range information for the obstacle; process the first audio portion of the first receive-signal and the second audio portion of the second receive-signal to determine audio information for a sound source; and output the two-dimensional range information and the audio information.
2 . The smart ultrasonic integrated-circuit according to claim 1 , wherein the processor is further configured to: capture a first ultrasonic-echo included in the first receive-signal; capture a second ultrasonic-echo included in the second receive-signal; determine a phase shift between the first ultrasonic-echo and the second ultrasonic-echo; and determine a time-of-flight based on the first ultrasonic-echo or the second ultrasonic-echo.
3 . The smart ultrasonic integrated-circuit according to claim 2 , wherein the processor is further configured to: output the time-of-flight and the phase shift as the two-dimensional range information.
4 . The smart ultrasonic integrated-circuit according to claim 2 , wherein the processor is further configured to: determine a range to the obstacle based on the time-of-flight; determine a height of the obstacle based on the phase shift; and output the range and the height as the two-dimensional range information.
5 . The smart ultrasonic integrated-circuit according to claim 1 , wherein the processor is further configured to: capture an audible sound included in the first receive-signal or the second receive-signal.
6 . The smart ultrasonic integrated-circuit according to claim 5 , wherein the processor is further configured to: output raw audio-data corresponding to the audible sound as the audio information.
7 . The smart ultrasonic integrated-circuit according to claim 5 , wherein the processor is further configured to: classify the audible sound to determine an identity of the sound source; and output the identity as the audio information.
8 . The smart ultrasonic integrated-circuit according to claim 1 , wherein: the first receiver is configured to capture the first ultrasonic portion of the first receive-signal and the first audio portion of the first receive-signal simultaneously; and the second receiver is configured to capture the second ultrasonic portion of the second receive-signal and the second audio portion of the second receive-signal simultaneously.
9 . A smart ultrasonic integrated-circuit, comprising: a transmitter coupled to a piezoelectric transducer configured to transmit an ultrasonic-transmit-signal towards an obstacle; a first receiver configured to receive a first receive-signal from the piezoelectric transducer, the first receive-signal including a first ultrasonic-echo; a second receiver configured to receive a second receive-signal from a MEMS device, the second receive-signal including a second ultrasonic-echo and an audio signal; and a processor configured to: determine a two-dimensional range based on the first ultrasonic-echo and the second ultrasonic-echo; determine audio information based on the audio signal; and output the two-dimensional range and the audio information.
10 . The smart ultrasonic integrated-circuit according to claim 9 , wherein the processor is further configured to: capture a leakage signal included in the second receive-signal, the leakage signal received by the MEMS device while the piezoelectric transducer is in a transmit mode; and determine an operating characteristic of the piezoelectric transducer based on the leakage signal.
11 . The smart ultrasonic integrated-circuit according to claim 9 , further including: a temperature sensor; and a memory that is configured to store a calibration file corresponding to an offset phase-shift between the piezoelectric transducer and the MEMS device.
12 . The smart ultrasonic integrated-circuit according to claim 9 , wherein the processor is further configured to: determine a range to the obstacle based on a time-of-flight of the first ultrasonic-echo or the second ultrasonic-echo; determine a height of the obstacle based on a phase shift between the first ultrasonic-echo and the second ultrasonic-echo; and output the range the height as the two-dimensional range.
13 . The smart ultrasonic integrated-circuit according to claim 9 , wherein the processor further includes a classifier configured to: recognize the audio signal; and output an identity of a sound source of the audio signal as the audio information.
14 . The smart ultrasonic integrated-circuit according to claim 9 , wherein the processor is further configured to: output a stream of audio samples corresponding to the audio signal as the audio information.
15 . The smart ultrasonic integrated-circuit according to claim 9 , wherein the second receiver includes an analog-to-digital converter configured to capture the second ultrasonic-echo and the audio signal simultaneously from the second receive-signal.
16 . The smart ultrasonic integrated-circuit according to claim 9 , wherein the smart ultrasonic integrated-circuit is disposed in an electronic package, the MEMS device is wire bonded to the smart ultrasonic integrated-circuit within the electronic package.
17 . A non-transitory computer-readable medium storing instructions that, when executed by a processor of a smart ultrasonic integrated-circuit, cause the smart ultrasonic integrated-circuit to: transmit, via a transmitter coupled to a piezoelectric transducer, an ultrasonic-transmit-signal towards an obstacle; receive, via a first receiver, a first receive-signal from a first MEMS device, the first receive-signal including a first ultrasonic portion and a first audio portion; receive, via a second receiver, a second receive-signal from a second MEMS device, the second receive-signal including a second ultrasonic portion and a second audio portion; process the first ultrasonic portion of the first receive-signal and the second ultrasonic portion of the second receive-signal to determine two-dimensional range information for the obstacle; process the first audio portion of the first receive-signal and the second audio portion of the second receive-signal to determine audio information for a sound source; and output the two-dimensional range information and the audio information.
18 . The non-transitory computer-readable medium according to claim 17 , wherein the instructions further cause the smart ultrasonic integrated-circuit to: capture a first ultrasonic-echo included in the first receive-signal; captured a second ultrasonic-echo included in the second receive-signal; determine a phase shift between the first ultrasonic-echo and the second ultrasonic-echo; determine a time-of-flight based on the first ultrasonic-echo of the second ultrasonic-echo; and output the time-of-flight and the phase shift as the two-dimensional range information.
19 . The non-transitory computer-readable medium according to claim 17 , wherein the instructions further cause the smart ultrasonic integrated-circuit to: capture a first ultrasonic-echo included in the first receive-signal; capture a second ultrasonic-echo included in the second receive-signal; determine a phase shift between the first ultrasonic-echo and the second ultrasonic-echo; determine a time-of-flight based on the first ultrasonic-echo or the second ultrasonic-echo; determine a range to the obstacle based on the time-of-flight; determine a height of the obstacle based on the phase shift; and output the range and the height as the two-dimensional range information.
20 . The non-transitory computer-readable medium according to claim 17 , wherein the instructions further cause the smart ultrasonic integrated-circuit to: capture an audible sound included in the first receive-signal or the second receive-signal; and output raw audio-data corresponding to the audible sound as the audio information.

Description

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATION This application claims the benefit of U.S. Provisional Application, No. 63/482,193, filed on Jan. 30, 2023, which is hereby incorporated by reference in its entirety. FIELD OF THE DISCLOSURE The present disclosure relates to an advanced driver assistance system (ADAS) and more specifically to a sensor array module that includes a smart ultrasound smart ultrasonic (ULS) integrated-circuit (IC). BACKGROUND ADAS sensors can provide information to help a driver and enhance the safety of the driver and passengers. A plurality of different sensors may be installed around a perimeter of a vehicle to provide information to recognize the environment around the car. The sensors may be based on camera, lidar, radar, and ultrasonic sensors based on the application. SUMMARY In some aspects, the techniques described herein relate to a smart ultrasonic integrated-circuit, including: a transmitter coupled to a piezoelectric transducer configured to transmit an ultrasonic-transmit-signal towards an obstacle; a first receiver configured to receive a first receive-signal from a first MEMS device, the first receive-signal including a first ultrasonic portion and a first audio portion; a second receiver configured to receive a second receive-signal from a second MEMS device, the second receive-signal including a second ultrasonic portion and a second audio portion; and a processor configured to: process the first ultrasonic portion of the first receive-signal and the second ultrasonic portion of the second receive-signal to determine two-dimensional range information for the obstacle; process the first audio portion of the first receive-signal and the second audio portion of the second receive-signal to determine audio information for a sound source; and output the two-dimensional range information and the audio information. In some aspects, the techniques described herein relate to a smart ultrasonic integrated-circuit, wherein the processor is further configured to: capture a first ultrasonic-echo included in the first receive-signal; capture a second ultrasonic-echo included in the second receive-signal; determine a phase shift between the first ultrasonic-echo and the second ultrasonic-echo; and determine a time-of-flight based on the first ultrasonic-echo or the second ultrasonic-echo. In some aspects, the techniques described herein relate to a smart ultrasonic integrated-circuit, wherein the processor is further configured to: output the time-of-flight and the phase shift as the two-dimensional range information. In some aspects, the techniques described herein relate to a smart ultrasonic integrated-circuit, wherein the processor is further configured to: determine a range to the obstacle based on the time-of-flight; determine a height of the obstacle based on the phase shift; and output the range and the height as the two-dimensional range information. In some aspects, the techniques described herein relate to a smart ultrasonic integrated-circuit, wherein the processor is further configured to: capture an audible sound included in the first receive-signal or the second receive-signal. In some aspects, the techniques described herein relate to a smart ultrasonic integrated-circuit, wherein the processor is further configured to: output raw audio-data corresponding to the audible sound as the audio information. In some aspects, the techniques described herein relate to a smart ultrasonic integrated-circuit, wherein the processor is further configured to: classify the audible sound to determine an identity of the sound source; and output the identity as the audio information. In some aspects, the techniques described herein relate to a smart ultrasonic integrated-circuit, wherein the first receiver is configured to capture the first ultrasonic portion of the first receive-signal and the first audio portion of the first receive-signal simultaneously; and the second receiver is configured to capture the second ultrasonic portion of the second receive-signal and the second audio portion of the second receive-signal simultaneously. In some aspects, the techniques described herein relate to a sensor array module for an advanced driver assistance system (ADAS) including: a piezoelectric transducer; a first MEMS device; a second MEMS device; and a smart-ultrasound integrated-circuit including: a transmitter coupled to the piezoelectric transducer, the piezoelectric transducer configured to transmit an ultrasonic-transmit-signal towards an obstacle; a first receiver configured to receive a first receive-signal from the first MEMS device, the first receive-signal including a first ultrasonic portion and a first audio portion; a second receiver configured to receive a second receive-signal from the second MEMS device, the second receive-signal including a second ultrasonic portion and a second audio portion; and a processor configured to: capture a first ultrasonic-echo included in the first