TRANSMITTING ULTRASONIC SIGNAL DATA
A method for transmitting data from an ultrasonic sensor to a computer system includes forming a feature vector signal from an electric reception signal; recognizing signal objects in the reception signal and classifying the signal objects according to predetermined signal object classes. The signal objects are forms or sequences of forms. At least one object parameter allocated to the signal object and one symbol for the signal object class are allocated to each signal object, or for each signal object, at least one signal object parameter and a symbol object are determined. The method further includes transmitting the symbol, the at least one signal object parameter, and an error condition of the sensor to the computer system as data of a recognized signal object, wherein the transmission of the error condition is performed with higher priority than the signal object class and the allocated signal object parameter.
1 . A method for transmitting sensor data, from a sensor to computer system in a vehicle, comprising:
emitting an ultrasonic burst;
receiving an ultrasonic signal and forming an ultrasound reception signal;
forming a feature vector signal from the ultrasonic reception signal;
recognizing signal objects and classifying the signal objects in recognized signal object classes within the ultrasonic reception signal based on the feature vector signal;
wherein, to each signal object thus recognized and classified, at least one allocated signal object parameter and one symbol are allocated corresponding to the signal object class allocated to this signal object or
wherein, for each signal object thus recognized and classified, at least one allocated signal object parameter and a symbol for this signal object are determined; and
transmitting the symbol of the recognized signal object class, the at least one allocated signal object parameter of the recognized signal object class and an error condition of the sensor;
wherein the transmission of the error condition of the sensor is performed with higher priority than:
the transmission of the at least one recognized signal object class and/or
the transmission of the at least one allocated signal object parameter.
2 . The method of claim 1 , further comprising:
determining a chirp value as one of the allocated signal object parameters which indicates, whether the signal object recognized is an echo of an ultrasonic transmission burst with chirp-up or chirp-down or no-chirp features, wherein the at least one allocated signal object parameter includes the chirp value.
3 . The method of claim 1 , further comprising:
generating a confidence signal by establishing a correlation between the reception signal or a signal derived therefrom and a reference signal; and
transmitting, the confidence signal.
4 . The method of claim 3 , wherein the feature vector signal includes the confidence signal as a partial signal in the feature vector signal.
5 . The method according to claim 1 , further comprising:
generating a phase signal;
generating a phase confidence signal by forming a correlation between the phase signal or a signal derived therefrom and a reference signal;
comparing the phase confidence signal to one or more threshold vales for generating a discretized phase confidence signal; and
transmitting the discretized phase confidence signal.
6 . The method according to claim 1 , wherein at least one recognized signal object class is a wavelet.
7 . The method according to claim 6 , wherein the wavelet is a triangular wavelet.
8 . The method according to claim 6 , wherein the wavelet is a rectangular wavelet.
9 . The method according to claim 6 , wherein the wavelet is a half sine wavelet.
10 . The method according to claim 6 , wherein one of the at least one signal object parameters:
includes a temporal shift of the wavelet of the recognized signal object, or
includes a temporal compression or extension of the wavelet of the recognized signal object, or
includes an amplitude of the wavelet of the recognized signal object.
11 . The method according to claim 1 , wherein a signal object comprises a combination of two or more basic signal objects.
12 . The method according to claim 11 , wherein a basic signal object of the two or more basic signal objects is an intersection of an amount of an amplitude of an envelope signal with an amount of a threshold value signal at a time of crossing.
13 . The method according to claim 11 , wherein a basic signal object of the two or more basic signal objects is an intersection of an amount of an amplitude of an envelope signal with an amount of a threshold value signal at a time of crossing in an ascending direction.
14 . The method according to claim 11 , wherein a basic signal object of the two or more basic signal objects is an intersection of an amount of an amplitude of an envelope signal with an amount of a threshold value signal at a time of crossing in a descending direction.
15 . The method according to claim 11 , wherein a basic signal object of the two or more basic signal objects is a maximum amount of an amplitude of an envelope signal above an amount of a threshold value signal at a time of maximum.
16 . The method according to claim 11 , wherein a basic signal object of the two or more basic signal objects is a minimum amount of an amplitude of an envelope signal above an amount of a threshold value signal at a time of minimum.
17 . The method according to claim 11 , wherein a basic signal object of the two or more basic signal objects is a predefined temporal sequence and/or temporal grouping of other basic signal objects.
18 . The method according to claim 1 , wherein the transmission of the at least one symbol of the recognized signal object class and the at least the one allocated signal object parameter of the recognized signal object class is a transmission of a signal object class of a signal object having a predefined temporal sequence of other signal objects, and wherein at least one signal object class of at least one of these other signal objects is not transmitted.
19 . A sensor suitable or provided for performing the method according to claim 1 , wherein the sensor is an ultrasonic sensor.
20 . A sensor system comprising:
at least one computer system and
at least two sensors according to claim 19 .
21 . The sensor system according to claim 20 , wherein the sensor system is configured to transmit data from each of the at least two sensors to the computer system according to a method comprising:
emitting an ultrasonic burst;
receiving an ultrasonic signal and forming an ultrasound reception signal;
forming a feature vector signal from the ultrasonic reception signal;
recognizing signal objects and classifying the signal objects in recognized signal object classes within the ultrasonic reception signal based on the feature vector signal;
wherein, to each signal object thus recognized and classified, at least one allocated signal object parameter and one symbol are allocated corresponding to the signal object class allocated to this signal object or
wherein, for each signal object thus recognized and classified, at least one allocated signal object parameter and a symbol for this signal object are determined; and
transmitting the symbol of the recognized signal object class, the at least one allocated signal object parameter of the recognized signal object class and an error condition of the sensor;
wherein the transmission of the error condition of the sensor is performed with higher priority than:
the transmission of the at least one recognized signal object class and/or
the transmission of the at least one allocated signal object parameter.
22 . The sensor system according to claim 21 , wherein,
in each of the at least two sensors, a respective ultrasonic reception signal, is compressed and transmitted to the computer system, and
in the computer system, each of the at least two ultrasonic reception signals are reconstructed into a respective reconstructed ultrasonic reception signals.
23 . The sensor system according to claim 22 , wherein the computer system performs an object recognition of objects in an environment of the sensors based on the at least two reconstructed ultrasonic reception signals.
24 . The sensor system according to claim 23 , wherein the computer system performs the object recognition of objects in the environment of the sensors, further based on additional sensor signals of additional sensors.
25 . The sensor system according to claim 24 , wherein the additional sensors are radar sensors.
26 . The sensor system according to claim 21 , wherein, based on the recognized signal objects, the computer system creates an environment map for the sensors or a device of which the sensors are a part.
27 . A method for transmitting sensor data from a sensor to a computer system in a vehicle, the method comprising:
emitting an ultrasonic burst;
receiving an ultrasonic signal and forming an ultrasonic reception signal;
forming a feature vector signal from the ultrasonic reception signal;
recognizing signal objects and classifying these signal objects in recognized signal object classes within the ultrasonic reception signal based on the feature vector signal;
wherein, to each signal object thus recognized and classified, at least one allocated signal object parameter and one symbol are allocated corresponding to the signal object class allocated to this signal object; or
wherein, for each signal object thus recognized and classified, at least one allocated signal object parameter and a symbol for this signal object are determined;
transmitting at least the symbol of a recognized signal object class and at least the one allocated signal object parameter of this recognized signal object class;
wherein the transmission of the at least one symbol of the recognized signal object class and the at least one allocated signal object parameter of the recognized signal object class is performed in a manner temporally prioritized with respect to a sensor's chronological transmission sequence of the symbols of the signal object classes recognized in the sensor and at least the signal object parameters of the signal object classes, respectively allocated thereto, from this sensor to the computer system.
28 . A sensor suitable or provided for performing the method according to claim 27 , wherein the sensor is an ultrasonic sensor.