Multi-sonic sensor
View Patent ↗A multi-sonic sensor having a housing, a removable clamp member, a sonic sensor array, and a magnetically connected temperature bail that operates in three modes—a running average, an outlier average, and a string line steering mode.
1. A multi-sonic sensor, comprising:
a housing having a top, sides, and a bottom;
a mounting clamp connected to the top of the housing;
an array of sonic sensors aligned longitudinally along the bottom surface of the housing; and
a temperature bail magnetically connected to the bottom surface of the housing and extending longitudinally in spaced relation to the array of sensors.
2. The sensor of claim 1 wherein the mounting clamp includes a mounting plate secured to the top of the housing wherein the mounting plate has a plurality of locking grooves that surround a centrally located mounting tube, a mount member that fits onto the mount tube and has a plurality of feet that extend outwardly from a bottom edge of the mount member and are rotatably received within the locking grooves of the mounting plate, and a releasable clamp member that fits around the mount member.
3. The sensor of claim 1 wherein the array of sonic sensors includes six sonic sensors.
4. The sensor of claim 1 wherein the bottom of the housing has a groove formed to receive the temperature bail for storage.
5. The sensor of claim 1 wherein each sensor in the array of sonic sensors takes a temperature compensated measurement that is sent to a controller wherein the controller calculates a running average height of all sensors.
6. The sensor of claim 1 wherein each sensor in the array of sonic sensors takes a temperature compensated measurement that is sent to a controller wherein the controller compares the measurements with stored predetermined set points and calculates a running average height of three sensors that have a measurement closest to the stored predetermined set point.
7. The sensor of claim 1 wherein a controller calculates an average distance for each sensor in the array of sensors, determines whether each sensor is within a specified range, and calculates a string line position by assigning a sensor position value to each sensor within the predetermined specified range, multiplying the sensor position value by a sonic return for each sensor, adding the product of the multiplied sensor returns, and dividing by the sum of the sonic return for each sensor.
8. The sensor of claim 1 wherein a controller calculates a string line height by triangulating a distance using two sensor measurements.
9. The sensor of claim 7 wherein the computer calculates a running average based upon the last eight calculated string line positions.
10. The sensor of claim 7 wherein the running average position is compared by the controller with a set of predetermined specified ranges.
11. The sensor of claim 1 wherein the sensor senses a top of a curb for an elevation reference and the sensor sense an edge of a curb for a steering reference.
12. The sensor of claim 1 wherein when the bail encounters an object from any direction it detaches from the housing.
13. The sensor of claim 1 wherein the temperature bail extends the length of the array of sensors.
14. The sensor of claim 1 wherein the sensors detect the presence of the temperature bail.
15. The sensor of claim 2 wherein a RFID tag disk is secured under the mounting member.
16. The sensor of claim 4 wherein the groove selectively receives the temperature bail in both a stowed and operating position.