Abstract: A driving device is provided. The driving device includes a boost inductor and a resonance circuit. The boost inductor receives a first power via a first terminal of the boost inductor in a first mode and provides a second power via a second terminal of the boost inductor. The resonance circuit stores a stored electric energy from the second power in the first mode, so that the boost inductor does not provide the second power in the second mode and drives a transducer by the stored electric energy in the first mode and the second mode.

Abstract: A solid-state hydrophone may include a piezoelectric rod positioned between at least two electrodes. The piezoelectric rod may be disposed within a metallic housing to shield the piezoelectric rod and its connections from acoustic and electromagnetic waves. The piezoelectric rod and the electrodes may be potted in the mechanical housing using a potting material that may be positioned adjacent to the piezoelectric rod. At least a layer of the potting material may be positioned between the piezoelectric rod and the metallic housing to physically separate the piezoelectric rod from the metallic housing.

Abstract: In one embodiment, a chip-scale LiDAR device can include a chip with three layers. The first layer includes a number of micromechanical system (MEMS) mirrors. The second layer includes a laser source; a beam splitter connected to the laser source; a number of waveguides, each connected to the beam splitter; and a number of beam deflectors, each beam deflector coupled with one of the number of waveguides. The third layer includes a receiving unit for receiving and processing reflected laser signals of one or more laser beams from the laser source. The first layer, the second layer, and the third layer are vertically attached to each other using either wafer bonding and/or solder bonding.

Abstract: Various example embodiments are directed to apparatuses and methods including an apparatus having sensor circuitry and processing circuitry. In one example, sensor circuitry produces and senses detected signals corresponding to physical objects located in an operational region relative to a location of the sensor circuitry. The processing circuitry records and organizes information associated with the detected signals in a plurality of sub-histograms respectively associated with different accuracy metrics for corresponding sub-regions of the operational region, each of the plurality of sub-histograms including a set of histogram bins characterized by a bin width linked to its accuracy metric, and refines at least one of the accuracy metric by adapting one or more of the bin widths dynamically in response to the detected signals.

Abstract: Systems, apparatuses, and method of measuring hydrophone impedance are provided herein. A sensor can convert an acoustic wave received via a liquid medium into an electric signal. A signal encoder can be coupled with the sensor to receive the electric signal. A test signal generator can be coupled in series with the sensor and the signal encoder and can generate a test signal. The test signal can measure an impedance of the sensor. A switch component can be coupled in series with the sensor, the signal encoder, and the test signal generator. The switch component can route the test signal to a first terminal of the sensor and through a second terminal of sensor during a first operational state. The switch component can route the test signal to the second terminal of the sensor and through the first terminal of sensor during a second operational state.

Abstract: Circuitry for ultrasound devices is described. A multi-level pulser is described, which can support time-domain and spatial apodization. The multi-level pulser may be controlled through a software-defined waveform generator. In response to the execution of a computer code, the waveform generator may access master segments from a memory, and generate a stream of packets directed to pulsing circuits. The stream of packets may be serialized. A plurality of decoding circuits may modulate the streams of packets to obtain spatial apodization.

Abstract: In an ultrasonic detection system that uses frequency-modulation coding to distinguish emitted bursts from multiple transducers, a receiver associated with a transducer uses dynamic thresholding to discriminate valid echoes from system and environmental noise in multiple envelope signals produced by multiple correlators. The time-varying dynamic thresholds are generated from the mean of noise in a respective envelope derived from the output of a respective correlator. Multiple thresholds can be combined together such that a single time-varying threshold is applied to all correlators' envelopes. Such thresholding has the benefits of a constant false-alarm rate with regard to detection of echoes (as opposed to false triggering from noise), and, owing to finer-resolution and adaptive thresholds, can detect targets or obstacles as further distances and with greater time responsiveness.

Abstract: The present disclosure describes systems and techniques for estimating a height of an object by processing wave signals transmitted from a detection device to the object and reflected by the object. In aspects, a detection device transmits wave signals, which propagate via a direct path and an indirect path via reflection over a reflecting surface, to be reflected by the object. Operations include measuring wave signals reflected by the object and generating measurement vectors and producing a spectrum of an estimated elevation angle of the object over the range. Further, the operations include estimating the height of the object from the spectrum. The length of the window can be determined by estimating the range interval covered by a full phase cycle of a phase difference between the direct path and the indirect path from a current value of the range and a current estimate of the height of the object.

Abstract: An ultrasonic transducer is disclosed. The transducer includes a wear cap and an active element. The wear cap includes at least one slot arranged so as to define a strip. The strip is arranged to be in vibrational communication with the active element. The ultrasonic transducer may include a rigid block. The active element may be interposed between the wear cap and the rigid block, and the rigid block may be configured to provide a backing mass for the active element. Optionally, the rigid block may include chamfered edges.

Abstract: An example optical transceiver system, such as a solid-state light detection and ranging (lidar) system, includes a tunable, optically reflective metasurface to selectively reflect incident optical radiation as transmit scan lines at transmit steering angles between a first steering angle and a second steering angle. In some embodiments, a feedback element, such as a volume Bragg grating element, may lock a laser to narrow the band of optical radiation. A receiver may include a tunable, optically reflective metasurface for receiver line-scanning or a two-dimensional array of detector elements forming a set of discrete receive scan lines. In embodiments incorporating a two-dimensional array of detector elements, receiver optics may direct optical radiation incident at each of a plurality of discrete receive steering angles to a unique subset of the discrete receive scan lines of detector elements.

Abstract: A laser measuring system comprising a laser transmitter and a laser receiver is provided. The laser transmitter includes one or more laser sources for projecting an initial laser pulse and a reflective surface. The laser receiver includes a first reflective surface for reflecting the initial laser pulse to provide a first reflected laser pulse, and a second reflective surface for reflecting the initial laser pulse to provide a second reflected laser pulse. The laser receiver further includes a photo detection unit for receiving 1) a first double reflected laser pulse produced by the first reflected laser pulse reflecting off the reflective surface of the laser transmitter, and 2) a second double reflected laser pulse produced by the second reflected laser pulse reflecting off the reflective surface of the laser transmitter. The laser receiver determines an orientation angle associated with the laser receiver based on the first and second double reflected laser pulse.

Abstract: An acoustic vector sensor has an array of sensors to detect at least the bearing of a target. The acoustic vector sensor or hydrophone with sensor array avoids the need to deploy multiple hydrophones each with a single sensor. The array of sensor signals can be processed using any one of a number of methods.

Abstract: A sonar system is provided including a display screen, a transducer assembly including at least one transducer that is configured to emit one or more sonar signals into an underwater environment and receive sonar return data reflected from one or more objects, and a sonar module configured to generate a 3D matrix based on the sonar return data including a plurality of sonar returns that are each defined by a 3D positional value, determine a group of the plurality of sonar returns associated with an object, assign a predetermined icon to the determined group, and generate and display 3D image of the sonar return data. The predetermined icon is positioned within the 3D image at a position that corresponds to the position of the determined group such that the position of the predetermined icon corresponds to the position of the object.

Abstract: The present disclosure relates to a sonar device (1) for detection of underwater objects. The sonar device comprises a body element (2) having a cavity. A piezo electric element (3) is comprised within the cavity. A resin filling (6) of the cavity protects the piezo electric element (3) from water at underwater operation. The sonar device further comprises a holder (4) adapted to hold the piezo electric element (3). The holder (4) is arranged to centre and hold the piezo electric element (3) within said body element (2). The holder (4) comprises in its structure a plurality of damping structures (5). A method of manufacturing holder and a sonar device is also disclosed.

Abstract: Embodiments use holographic projection in augmented reality to visualize a building in 3D and show, as a holographic figure, the position of personnel in the building. In some embodiments, a user can “tap” on a holographic figure to view data on that person, such as skin temperature, room temperature, heart rate, etc.

Abstract: A circuit, including: a photodetector including a first readout terminal and a second readout terminal different than the first readout terminal; a first readout circuit coupled with the first readout terminal and configured to output a first readout voltage; a second readout circuit coupled with the second readout terminal and configured to output a second readout voltage; and a common-mode analog-to-digital converter (ADC) including: a first input terminal coupled with a first voltage source; a second input terminal coupled with a common-mode generator, the common-mode generator configured to receive the first readout voltage and the second readout voltage, and to generate a common-mode voltage between the first and second readout voltages; and a first output terminal configured to output a first output signal corresponding to a magnitude of a current generated by the photodetector.

Abstract: An ultrasonic sensor includes: a first electrode that is provided in an ultrasonic microphone including a vibration element having a function of performing conversion between mechanical vibration and an electrical signal; a second electrode that is provided at a position different from the first electrode in an in-plane direction intersecting a directional axis of the ultrasonic microphone; and a detection section that is provided to detect the presence or absence of attached matter attached to the ultrasonic sensor on the basis of a change in capacitance between the first electrode and the second electrode.

Abstract: A detector (110) for determining a position of at least one object (112) is proposed. The detector (110) comprises: —at least two optical sensors (118, 120, 176), each optical sensor (118, 120, 176) having a light-sensitive area (122, 124), wherein each light-sensitive area (122, 124) has a geometrical center (182, 184), wherein the geometrical centers (182, 184) of the optical sensors (118, 120, 176) are spaced apart from an optical axis (126) of the detector (110) by different spatial offsets, wherein each optical sensor (118, 120, 176) is configured to generate a sensor signal in response to an illumination of its respective light-sensitive area (122, 124) by a light beam (116) propagating from the object (112) to the detector (110); and—at least one evaluation device (132) being configured for determining at least one longitudinal coordinate z of the object (112) by combining the at least two sensor signals.

Abstract: This document describes near-object detection using ultrasonic sensors. Specifically, when an object is in a near-object range or distance from a vehicle, an object-detection system of the vehicle can utilize raw range measurements and various parameters derived from the raw range measurements. The various parameters may include an average, a slope, and a variation of the range. In the near-object range, using the parameters derived from the raw range measurements may lead to increases in the accuracy and performance of a vehicle-based object-detection system. The increased accuracy in near-object detection capability enhances safe driving.

Abstract: A seismic source using tuned pulse sources to form an ultra-low frequency (ULF) cluster intended for use in generating seismic energy impulses for marine seismic exploration and more specifically to improved performance by increasing low frequency output to within a range of 1 Hz to 3 Hz to provide greater penetration of the seismic signal through complex overburden such as salt or basalt.