KR20150051763A - Acoustic Sensors for Receiving Sound Wave with High Directivity, Array using the same and the Method for Controlling thereof - Google Patents

Abstract

The present invention relates to a sensing device which can pinpoint where the sound wave originates by making use of a reception-only acoustic sensor and reception-only acoustic sensor arrays that can improve the directivity of the receiving signals by the use of a curve-shaped reflector. A reception-only acoustic sensor with improved directivity according to an embodiment of the present invention includes a reflecting plate which is curve shaped and reflects sound waves coming from outside; and a reception sensor unit which is located inside the concave part of the reflecting plate, receives at least some of the reflected sound waves in the form of first sound waves, and detects second sound waves out of the reflected first sound waves. The reception-only sensor unit improves the reception directivity by detecting the second sound waves only. The second sound waves enter within the predetermined angle into the reflecting plate before going into the reception-only sensor unit, and can be detected by the reception-only sensor unit by entering the front of the sensor unit. The reception directivity is the range of the angle at which the second sound waves enter the reflecting plate before going into the reception-only sensor unit, and the narrower the angle′s range is, the more the reception directivity improves.

Description

TECHNICAL FIELD [0001] The present invention relates to a receiving-only acoustic sensor having improved directivity, a sensing device using an arrangement of a reception-only acoustic sensor having improved directivity, and a control method thereof. [0002]

The present invention is characterized in that a curved reflection plate is formed in the direction of a receiving sensor for sensing a sound wave, and a sound-only acoustic sensor capable of improving directivity of a received signal and a reception- And a control method of the sensing device.

Sound waves are a type of seismic waves propagated by the vibration of air or other medium. They are widely used in various fields such as physical rocks and ocean exploration, and provide convenience in many areas of our lives.

In particular, ultrasound is a sound wave having a frequency exceeding 20 kHz, which is larger than an audible frequency band that can be heard by humans, and can not be heard by humans using auditory sense, and is widely used.

For example, it can be used in medical imaging diagnostic devices, which is non-invasive and has the advantage of obtaining images or images of the tissues or organs of the body.

An ultrasonic transducer, which is an essential device for utilizing such an ultrasonic wave, is an apparatus that converts an electric signal into an ultrasonic signal, or conversely, an ultrasonic signal into an electric signal.

The ultrasonic transducer may be utilized for detecting an external object. That is, after outputting the ultrasonic signal by using the ultrasonic transducer, if the outputted ultrasonic signal is reflected by the external object and is returned, it can receive the ultrasonic signal and measure the time taken for the ultrasonic signal to return. The presence of an external object and the distance to the external object can be calculated using the measured time.

There are three types of ultrasonic transducers that are commonly used today: a magnetic field, an electric field, and a piezoelectric material.

Among them, a piezoelectric material is widely used because it is relatively advantageous for miniaturization in a high frequency band (ultrasound band) and has excellent durability.

Piezoelectric effect refers to a phenomenon in which a potential difference occurs in a crystal when mechanical vibration is applied. On the contrary, it includes the phenomenon that dynamic vibration occurs when an electric field is applied to a crystal body.

Accordingly, an ultrasonic transducer using a piezoelectric element generates an ultrasonic wave by applying an electric field to the piezoelectric element to generate vibration from the piezoelectric element.

Rochelle salt and quartz are single crystals. Barium titanate (BaTiO3), lead titanate (PbTiO3) and lead zirconate system (PbZrO3) It is multi-crystal.

Using these piezoelectric properties, transducers for generating ultrasonic waves, receiving transducers, and transmitting / receiving transducers can be made.

On the other hand, when a sound wave is used for the detection of an external object or a visual aid for a person with a disability, the directivity of the sound wave to be output generally does not have a great relation, but it is required to have a high directivity when receiving a sound wave.

In the case of transmitting sound waves, sound waves are outputted in various directions. Therefore, directivity is not a serious problem. However, in the case of receiving sound waves, it is necessary to have high directivity because it is necessary to precisely understand that a reflector exists in a direction to be received.

However, in the related art, it is difficult to design a sound wave sensor unit having a high directivity, and a complicated procedure is required, so that it is difficult to increase the reception directivity.

In addition, there is a problem in that detection of an external object using a sound wave is not precise, and there is a limitation in actually using a sound wave.

On the other hand, in the case of a sensing device for determining the position of an external object by arranging a plurality of conventional acoustic sensors, a plane wave model has been developed, but the incident sound waves are more likely to be spherical waves than plane waves.

There is a problem that the shape and position of the detected external object may not be accurate due to the inconsistency of the theoretical basic assumption and the acoustic sensor having low directivity.

Accordingly, it is desired to develop a reception-only acoustic sensor and a sensing apparatus using the array-type acoustic sensor, which have a high reception directivity by a simple method and can mainly detect a plane wave component and improve the accuracy of the detected sound source.

Korean Patent Publication No. 10-2012-0004896 Korean Patent Publication No. 10-2003-0082303

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION The present invention has been made in order to solve the above-mentioned problems, and it is an object of the present invention to provide a receiving acoustic sensor which can easily improve a directivity of a received signal by forming a curved reflecting plate in the direction of a receiving sensor, And an object of the present invention is to provide a sensing device and a control method thereof that can accurately determine a position where a sound wave is generated by using a reception-only acoustic sensor array having improved directivity.

In particular, the present invention has an object to provide a reception-only acoustic sensor capable of improving reception directivity simply and effectively by forming a reflection plate in the direction of a receiving sensor for sensing a sound wave.

It is another object of the present invention to provide a receiving-only acoustic sensor capable of adjusting the reception directivity easily and at a low cost by adjusting the curvature of the reflection plate or the distance between the reflection plate and the reception sensor unit.

It is another object of the present invention to provide a sensing device capable of sensing a plane wave component using an array of receive-only acoustic sensors having improved directivity and improving localization and identification of external objects.

It is to be understood that both the foregoing general description and the following detailed description of the present invention are exemplary and explanatory and are not intended to limit the invention to the precise form disclosed. It can be understood.

A reception-only acoustic sensor having improved directivity in accordance with an example of the present invention for solving the above-mentioned problems is provided with a reflection plate which is formed as a curved surface and reflects sound waves coming from the outside through the curved surface, And a reception sensor unit for sensing a second sound wave which is at least a part of the incident first sound wave, wherein the reception sensor unit receives the first sound wave, which is at least a part of the sound wave, And the second sound wave enters a predetermined angle into the reflection plate before being incident on the reception sensor unit, is incident on the front surface of the reception sensor unit and is received by the reception sensor unit And the reception directivity is detected by the reception sensor unit And before much of the incoming angle range as the direction to the reflection plate 2, a sound wave is incident to the receiving sensor, the smaller the angular range of the reception directivity can be increased.

Further, the reception directivity may be adjusted corresponding to the curvature of the curved surface.

Also, the reception directivity may be adjusted corresponding to the distance between the reflection plate and the reception sensor unit.

In addition, the front surface of the receiving sensor unit for sensing the second sound wave may be installed to face the reflection plate.

In addition, the first sound wave incident on a portion other than the front surface of the reception sensor unit may not be detected by the reception sensor unit.

The controller may further include a controller for determining position information on a source of the second sound wave using the sensed second sound wave.

The position information may be at least one of a distance between the source of the second sound wave and the receiver sensor, and an angle of the distance between the source of the second sound wave and the receiver sensor.

The apparatus may further include an alarm unit for outputting at least one of a vibration signal, an acoustic signal, and a video signal to the user, and when it is determined that the source of the second sound wave is in the first position range using the determined position information, The control unit may control the alarm unit to operate.

According to another aspect of the present invention, there is provided a sensing apparatus using an array of receive-only acoustic sensors having improved directivity, including a sound source for generating sound waves and a control unit, The plurality of sensors are arrayed, and the plurality of directivity-enhancing receive-only acoustic sensors sense the sound waves generated from the sound source, and the controller uses the sound waves sensed by the plurality of directivity- The position of the sound source can be determined.

Further, the receive-only acoustic sensors having improved directivity may be arranged in any one of a linear array, a cruciform array, a circular array, and a lattice array.

In addition, the reception directivity of the reception-only acoustic sensor having improved directivity may be adjustable.

The control unit may further include an alarm unit for outputting at least one of a vibration signal, an acoustic signal, and a video signal to the user. If the controller determines that the determined position of the sound source is in the second position range, can do.

According to another aspect of the present invention, there is provided a method of controlling a receive-only acoustic sensor having improved directivity, comprising the steps of: inputting a sound wave to a reflection plate; reflecting a sound wave entering the reflection plate by a reflection plate; Wherein the first sound wave, which is at least a part of the reflected sound waves, is incident on the reception sensor unit, and the reception sensor unit senses a second sound wave that is at least a part of the first sound waves, And the reception sensor unit is positioned inside the curved surface of the reflection plate, and the reception sensor unit enhances the reception directivity by sensing only the second sound wave among the sound waves coming from the outside, and the second sound wave is transmitted to the reception sensor unit Enters the reflection plate within a predetermined angle before being incident on the reflection plate, And the reception directivity is a degree of an angle range in which the second sound wave sensed by the reception sensor unit enters the reflection plate before entering the reception sensor unit , And the smaller the angular range is, the higher the reception directivity can be.

According to another aspect of the present invention, there is provided a method of controlling a sensing device using an array of receive-only acoustic sensors having improved directivity, comprising the steps of: arranging a plurality of receive-only acoustic sensors having improved directivity; Generating a sound wave in the sound source, and detecting the sound waves generated from the sound source by the reception-only acoustic sensor having improved directivity, and determining the position of the sound source using the sensed sound wave .

On the other hand, in a recording medium on which a program of instructions executable by a digital processing apparatus for implementing a control method of a reception-only acoustic sensor having improved directivity is tangibly embodied and can be read by the digital processing apparatus, A method of controlling a receive-only acoustic sensor having improved directivity according to an embodiment of the present invention for solving the above-mentioned problems includes a step of receiving a sound wave on a reflection plate, a step of reflecting a sound wave entering the reflection plate by a reflection plate, Wherein the first sound wave, which is at least a part of the reflected sound waves, is incident on the reception sensor unit, and the reception sensor unit senses a second sound wave which is at least part of the first sound wave, Wherein the reception sensor unit is located inside the curved surface of the reflection plate, And the second sound wave is received by the reflection plate within a predetermined angle before being incident on the reception sensor unit, And the reception directivity is set such that the second sound wave sensed by the reception sensor unit is incident on the front surface of the reflection sensor before entering the reception sensor unit, And the reception directivity can be increased as the angular range is smaller.

The present invention is characterized in that a curved reflection plate is formed in the direction of a receiving sensor for sensing a sound wave, and a sound-only acoustic sensor capable of improving directivity of a received signal and a reception- It is possible to provide the user with a sensing device and a control method thereof that can accurately determine the position where they are generated.

More specifically, the present invention can provide a user with a reception-only acoustic sensor capable of improving reception directivity simply and effectively by forming a reflection plate in the direction of a receiver for sensing a sound wave.

In addition, by adjusting the curvature of the reflection plate or the distance between the reflection plate and the reception sensor unit, it is possible to provide a reception-only acoustic sensor capable of adjusting the reception directivity with ease and at a low cost.

In addition, it is possible to provide a sensing device capable of sensing the plane-wave component mainly using the reception-only acoustic sensor array having improved directivity and improving the localization and identification of external objects.

It should be understood, however, that the effects obtained by the present invention are not limited to the above-mentioned effects, and other effects not mentioned may be clearly understood by those skilled in the art to which the present invention belongs It will be possible.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS The accompanying drawings, which are incorporated in and constitute a part of the specification, illustrate a preferred embodiment of the invention and, together with the description, serve to provide a further understanding of the technical idea of the invention, It should not be construed as limited.
FIG. 1 shows an example of a block diagram of a reception-only acoustic sensor having improved directivity which can be applied to the present invention.
Fig. 2 shows an embodiment of a reception-only acoustic sensor having improved directivity that can be implemented according to the present invention.
Figures 3a and 3b show the reflection of sound waves by a reflector that can be performed according to an example of the present invention.
4 is a flowchart for explaining a method of operating a receive-only acoustic sensor having improved directivity in association with an example of the present invention.
5A to 5C illustrate an embodiment of a sensing device using an array of receive-only acoustic sensors having improved directivity that can be implemented according to the present invention.
FIG. 6 shows an example in which the sensing device using the array of the reception-only acoustic sensors with improved directivity according to the present invention is applied to the rear sensing device of the vehicle.

Hereinafter, a preferred embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings. In addition, the embodiment described below does not unduly limit the contents of the present invention described in the claims, and the entire configuration described in this embodiment is not necessarily essential as the solution means of the present invention.

Generally, sound waves are widely used in electronic / communication devices, medical instruments, measuring instruments and so on, which are indispensable to our daily life and provide convenience in many areas of life. Especially, when the sound wave is sensed, the reception directivity is designed to be large.

However, in the past, it has been difficult to design the reception directivity to a high degree, and since the directivity has to be adjusted by using a complicated process, it is not easy to design the reception directivity according to the user's needs and uses.

This was a major limitation in utilizing sound waves in various fields, especially in areas where precise measurement is required, and there were problems in terms of cost when using other equipment instead.

In addition, the conventional sensing device using the arrangement of the reception-only acoustic sensor is designed based on the plane wave model and has a problem that it is difficult to accurately detect the object because the acoustic sensor having low reception directivity is used.

The present invention proposes an acoustic sensor capable of easily improving the reception directivity by a simple method and a sensing device capable of detecting an accurate external object using the acoustic sensor.

<Receive-only sound sensor with improved directionality>

Hereinafter, a reception-only acoustic sensor having improved directivity proposed by the present invention will be described in detail.

FIG. 1 shows an example of a block diagram of a reception-only acoustic sensor having improved directivity which can be applied to the present invention.

A reception-only acoustic sensor 1 having improved directivity of the present invention includes a reflection plate 10, a reception sensor unit 20, an output unit 30, a communication unit 40, a memory 50, an interface unit 60, A user input unit 70, a power supply unit 80, a control unit 90, and the like.

However, the components shown in FIG. 1 are not essential, and a reception-only acoustic sensor having improved directivity with components having fewer components or fewer components may be implemented.

Hereinafter, the components will be described in order.

The reflection plate 10 and the reception sensor unit 20 are the essential mechanical devices constituting the reception-only acoustic sensor 1 with improved directivity of the present invention.

The reflector 10 reflects the sound waves coming from the outside and may be formed into a curved surface such that a part of the reflected sound waves is directed toward the receiving sensor part 20. [

The receiving sensor unit 20 can detect an external object by detecting a part of the sound waves reflected by the reflection plate 10. The reception sensor unit 20 may be disposed at an appropriate position inside the curved surface of the reflection plate 10 to improve the directivity for reception of sound waves.

The output unit 30 generates an output related to a visual, auditory or tactile sense. The output unit 30 may include a sound wave generating unit 32, an alarm unit 34, a display unit 36, and the like.

The sound wave generating unit 32 is an apparatus for outputting a sound wave to be sensed by the receiving sensor unit 20, and may preferably be an ultrasonic transducer capable of outputting ultrasonic waves. The sound wave generating unit 32 may be installed together with the receiving sensor unit 20 or may be installed separately.

The sound waves output from the sound wave generator 32 to the outside are reflected by an external object to return to the reception-dedicated sound sensor 1 having improved directivity of the present invention, and a part of the returned sound waves are reflected on the reflector 10 And may be incident on the credit sensor unit 20. The receiving sensor unit 20 can detect the incident sound wave and recognize position information related to an external object such as the existence of an external object or a distance to an external object.

The alarm unit 34 outputs a signal for notifying the occurrence of an event of the reception-dedicated sound sensor 1 having improved directivity. Examples of the event generated in the reception-only acoustic sensor 1 having improved directionality include existence of an external object in the direction of the user's direction and presence of an external object located in a predetermined area.

The alarm unit 34 may output a signal for informing occurrence of an event in a form other than an audio signal or a video signal, for example, vibration. The video signal may be output through the display unit 36. In this case, the display unit 36 may be classified as a kind of the alarm unit 34. [

The display unit 36 can display (output) the information processed by the reception-only acoustic sensor 1 having improved directivity. For example, it is possible to output the presence or position information of an external object detected by the reception-only acoustic sensor 1 having improved directivity and to display a UI (User Interface) or a GUI (Graphic User Interface) And can display a video, a UI, a GUI, and the like transmitted / received through the communication unit 40.

In addition, the display unit 36 may be used as an illumination lamp for preparing a reception-only acoustic sensor 1 having improved directivity at night or in a dark space.

The display unit 36 may be a liquid crystal display (LCD), a thin film transistor liquid crystal display (TFT LCD), an organic light-emitting diode (OLED) A flexible display, and a three-dimensional display (3D display).

On the other hand, the communication unit 40 includes a reception-dedicated acoustic sensor 1 that improves the directivity and a reception-dedicated acoustic sensor 1 that improves the directivity between the reception-only acoustic sensor 1 and the wire / wireless communication system, Lt; RTI ID = 0.0 &gt; network, &lt; / RTI &gt; For example, the communication unit 40 may include a wired / wireless Internet module 42, a short distance communication module 44, a location information module 46, and the like.

The wired / wireless Internet module 42 is a module for wired / wireless Internet access, and may be built in or externally mounted on a reception-only acoustic sensor.

WLAN (Wi-Fi), Wibro (Wireless broadband), Wimax (World Interoperability for Microwave Access), WCDMA (Wideband Code Division Multiple Access), HSDPA (High Speed Downlink Packet Access) , LTE (Long Term Evolution), or the like can be used.

The short range communication module 44 is a module for short range communication. Bluetooth, Radio Frequency Identification (RFID), Infrared Data Association (IrDA), Ultra Wideband (UWB), ZigBee, and the like can be used as the technique of the short range communication.

The position information module 46 is a module for acquiring the position of the reception-only acoustic sensor 1 with improved directivity, and a representative example thereof is a Global Position System (GPS) module. According to the present technology, the GPS module calculates distance information and accurate time information from three or more satellites, and then applies trigonometry to the calculated information to obtain three-dimensional current position information according to latitude, longitude, and altitude It can be calculated accurately. At present, a method of calculating position and time information using three satellites and correcting an error of the calculated position and time information using another satellite is widely used. In addition, the GPS module can calculate speed information by continuously calculating the current position in real time.

The memory 50 may store a program for processing and control of the controller 90 and may store functions for temporarily storing input / output data (for example, location information of a detected external object) . &Lt; / RTI &gt; The memory 50 may also store the frequency of use of each of the data.

The memory 50 may be a flash memory type, a hard disk type, a multimedia card micro type, a card type memory (for example, SD or XD memory, etc.) ), A random access memory (RAM), a static random access memory (SRAM), a read-only memory (ROM), an electrically erasable programmable read-only memory (EEPROM), a programmable read- A magnetic disk, an optical disk, a memory, a magnetic disk, or an optical disk. A reception-only acoustic sensor 1 having improved directivity may operate in association with a web storage that performs a storage function of the memory 50 on the Internet.

On the other hand, the interface unit 60 serves as a pathway to all the external devices connected to the reception-dedicated acoustic sensor 1 having improved directivity. The interface unit 60 receives data from an external device or transmits power to each component in the reception-dedicated acoustic sensor 1 that has improved directionality by receiving power, To be transmitted to an external device.

For example, an external charger port, a wired / wireless data port, a memory card port, a port for connecting a device having an identification module, an audio I / O port, a video I / Output port may be included in the interface unit 60.

Meanwhile, the user input unit 70 generates input data for controlling the operation of the reception-only acoustic sensor by the user.

The user input unit 70 can receive from the user a signal designating two or more contents among the displayed contents according to the present invention. A signal for designating two or more contents may be received via the touch input, or may be received via the hard key and soft key input.

The user input unit 70 may receive an input from the user for selecting the one or more contents. It is also possible to receive an input that generates an icon associated with a function that the receive-only acoustic sensor 1 with improved directionality from the user can perform.

The user input unit 70 may include a direction key, a key pad, a dome switch, a touch pad (static / static), a jog wheel, a jog switch, and the like.

Meanwhile, the power supply unit 80 receives external power and internal power under the control of the controller 90, and supplies power required for operation of the respective components.

On the other hand, the controller 90 controls the overall operation of the reception-only acoustic sensor 1, which typically improves the directivity. For example, the receiving sensor unit 20 performs related control and processing for determining positional information of an external object using sound waves sensed by the sensor unit 20.

The various embodiments described herein may be implemented in a recording medium readable by a computer or similar device using, for example, software, hardware, or a combination thereof.

According to a hardware implementation, the embodiments described herein may be implemented as application specific integrated circuits (ASICs), digital signal processors (DSPs), digital signal processing devices (DSPDs), programmable logic devices (PLDs), field programmable gate arrays May be implemented using at least one of a processor, controllers, micro-controllers, microprocessors, and other electronic units for performing other functions. In some cases, The embodiments described may be implemented by the control unit 90 itself.

According to a software implementation, embodiments such as the procedures and functions described herein may be implemented in separate software modules. Each of the software modules may perform one or more of the functions and operations described herein. Software code may be implemented in a software application written in a suitable programming language. The software code is stored in the memory 50 and can be executed by the control unit 90. [

Hereinafter, a reception-only acoustic sensor having the above-described configuration and having improved directivity will be described in detail. Fig. 2 shows an embodiment of a reception-only acoustic sensor having improved directivity that can be implemented according to the present invention.

The reception-specific acoustic sensor 1 having improved directivity of the present invention can basically include the reflection plate 10, the reception sensor unit 20, and the like.

The reflection plate 10 reflects sound waves coming from the outside and adjusts the reflected sound waves to be received on the front surface 20a of the receiving sensor unit 20. [ The reflection plate 10 may be made of a material having a suitable refractive index so that the sound wave can be completely reflected.

The reflection plate 10 is installed toward the direction in which the sound waves to be received are received by the reception-dedicated acoustic sensor 1 having improved directivity of the present invention.

The reflection plate 10 is preferably formed as a curved surface as shown in FIG. 2, and the sound waves entering the reflection plate 10 are reflected on the curved surface. The sound waves reflected from the curved surface of the reflection plate 10 are reflected by an angle equal to the incident angle by Snell's law.

The receiving sensor unit 20 is designed to be positioned inside the curved surface of the reflecting plate 10 so that some of the sound waves reflected by the reflecting plate 10 can be incident on the front surface 20a of the receiving sensor unit 20 have.

In addition, the reception directivity of the reception-only acoustic sensor 1 having improved directivity of the present invention by adjusting the curvature of the curved surface of the reflection plate 10 can be designed in a desired range.

Since the sound waves coming into the reflection plate 10 are reflected on the curved surface of the reflection plate 10 and the angle reflected by the Snell's law is equal to the incident angle, the curvature of the curved surface formed on the reflection plate 10 is adjusted, And can be designed to have a high directivity.

On the other hand, the receiving sensor unit 20 is located inside the curved surface of the reflection plate 10 and can sense at least a part of the incident sound waves.

The sound waves incident on the front surface 20a of the receiving sensor unit 20 are detected by the receiving sensor unit 20 while the sound waves incident on the rear surface 20b other than the front surface 20a of the receiving sensor unit 20 Can not be detected by the receiving sensor unit 20.

The front surface 20a of the receiving sensor unit 20 for sensing the sound waves may be installed to face the reflection plate 10 so that the sound waves reflected by the reflection plate 10 can be incident thereon. The sound waves incident on the rear surface 20b of the receiving sensor unit 20 are not sensed and therefore the sound waves incident on the rear surface 20b of the receiving sensor unit 20 at a large angle with the direction in which the reflecting plate 10 faces, Is not detected. Thus, it is possible to improve the reception directivity.

In addition, it is possible to design the reception directivity of the reception-only acoustic sensor 1 having improved directivity of the present invention by adjusting the distance between the reflection plate 10 and the reception sensor unit 20 in a desired range.

The sound waves coming into the reflection plate 10 are reflected on the curved surface of the reflection plate 10 and some of the reflected sound waves are incident on the reception sensor unit 20, The sound wave incident on the front surface 20a of the unit 20 is detected by the receiving sensor unit 20. [

Therefore, by adjusting the distance between the reflection plate 10 and the reception sensor unit 20, it is possible to control the sound waves incident on the front surface 20a of the reception sensor unit 20 among the sound waves incident on the reception sensor unit 20 The reception directivity can be designed in a desired range, and the directivity can be designed to have a high directivity.

Hereinafter, the operation of the receive-only acoustic sensor having improved directivity of the present invention having the above-described configuration will be described with reference to FIGS. 3A and 3B. Figures 3a and 3b show the reflection of sound waves by a reflector that can be performed according to an example of the present invention.

The sound waves coming into the reflection plate 10 are reflected on the curved surface of the reflection plate 10, and some of the reflected sound waves are incident on the reception sensor unit 20 as shown in FIG. 3A and reflected by the reflection plate 10 And the rest of the sound waves are not incident on the reception sensor unit 20 but go outside as shown in FIG. 3B.

The sound wave incident on the front face 20a of the receiving sensor unit 20 among the sound waves incident on the receiving sensor unit 20 is detected by the receiving sensor unit 20 and is detected by the receiving sensor unit 20, The sound wave incident on a portion other than the front surface 20a of the receiving sensor unit 20 among the sound waves incident on the receiving sensor unit 20 is not detected by the receiving sensor unit 20. [

3A, if there is not a large angle difference between the direction of the sound waves entering the reflection plate 10 and the direction of the reflection plate 10, the sound waves are reflected by the reflection plate 10, It can be detected by being incident on the front surface 20a.

3B, when a large angle difference occurs between the sound waves entering the reflection plate 10 and the direction of the reflection plate 10, the sound waves are reflected by the reflection plate 10 and transmitted to the reception sensor unit 20 ), But goes outside.

Since the sound wave can be detected only when the direction of the sound wave entering the reflection plate 10 does not greatly differ from the direction in which the reflection plate 10 faces, the reception directivity can be improved and the reception specific sound By using the sensor 1, it is possible to detect only a sound wave coming from a specific direction.

Herein, the reception directivity refers to the degree of the angle range in which the sound wave sensed by the reception sensor unit 20 enters the reflection plate direction 10 before entering the reception sensor unit 20, and the smaller the angle range The reception directivity becomes high.

Hereinafter, a method of controlling the reception-only acoustic sensor having the above-described structure and having improved directivity according to the present invention will be described with reference to FIG. 4 is a flowchart for explaining a method of operating a receive-only acoustic sensor having improved directivity in association with an example of the present invention.

4, an external sound wave enters the direction of the reflection plate 10 (S10), and a sound wave entering the reflection plate 10 is reflected by the reflection plate 10 (S20). The reflection plate 10 has a curved surface, and the sound waves entering the reflection plate are reflected at the same angle as the incident angle.

The first sound wave, which is at least part of the sound waves reflected by the reflection plate 10, is incident on the reception sensor unit 20 (S30). Since the receiving sensor unit 20 is located inside the curved surface of the reflection plate 10, the first sound wave, which is at least a part of the reflected sound waves, can be incident on the receiving sensor unit 20. The remaining sound waves other than the first sound wave among the reflected sound waves are reflected by the reflection plate 10 and exit to the outside.

Then, the reception sensor unit 20 senses a second sound wave that is at least a part of the first sound wave (S40). The second sound wave incident on the front surface 20a of the receiving sensor unit 20 among the first sound waves incident on the receiving sensor unit 20 can be sensed by the receiving sensor unit 20. [ The sound waves incident on the portion of the first sound wave other than the front surface 20a of the sensor portion 20 are not detected by the receiving sensor portion 20. [

<Using the array of receive-only acoustic sensors with improved directionality Sensing device >

Hereinafter, an apparatus for sensing external objects by arranging a plurality of reception-only acoustic sensors having improved directivity will be described. 5A to 5C illustrate an embodiment of a sensing device using an array of receive-only acoustic sensors having improved directivity that can be implemented according to the present invention.

As shown in Figs. 5A to 5C, when the reception-specific acoustic sensors 1 having improved directivity of the present invention are arranged in a plurality of arrangements to detect the sound waves generated by the sound source 5, Can be determined.

Fig. 5A shows a linear arrangement, Fig. 5B shows a cruciform arrangement, and Fig. 5C shows a circular arrangement. However, the arrangement applicable to the present invention is not limited thereto, and a three-dimensional arrangement as well as a lattice-like arrangement or other two-dimensional arrangement may be applied.

Since the reception-dedicated acoustic sensor 1 having improved directivity has a configuration in which the reception directivity is greatly improved as compared with the conventional acoustic sensor, the reception-dedicated acoustic sensors 1 having improved directivity are arranged in a predetermined arrangement, When the sound wave is detected, the position of the sound source can be accurately detected.

6 shows an example in which the sensing device using the arrangement of the reception-only acoustic sensor having improved directivity according to the present invention is applied to the rear sensing device of the vehicle.

As shown in Fig. 6, in recent years, a rear sensor of a vehicle has been widely used in which an acoustic sensor is installed at the rear of the vehicle and an obstacle behind the vehicle can be detected and alarmed to the driver.

Fig. 6 shows a case in which the obstacle 7 is on the rear road of the vehicle even if the vehicle is low due to its low height.

In the case of using a conventional acoustic sensor with low reception directivity, the obstacle 7 may be detected and alarmed to the driver in the case of FIG. Such unnecessary alarms have a problem in that the driver's nerves can be dispersed and stable operation can be prevented.

However, when the sensing device using the reception-only acoustic sensor 1 arrangement having improved directivity of the present invention is mounted on the rear side of the vehicle, such a low-height obstacle 7 is not detected due to low reception directivity. Therefore, the driver can precisely determine the obstacle behind the vehicle and can operate the vehicle quickly and safely.

As described above, the reception-only acoustic sensor having improved directivity of the present invention can improve the reception directivity of the reception-only acoustic sensor by using a reflector in a simple and inexpensive manner, and it is possible to easily design the reception directivity . In addition, the sensing device using the arrangement of the reception-only acoustic sensor with improved directivity can detect the external object more accurately by detecting only the plane wave component using the high-order property, and can broaden the application in various fields.

The present invention can also be embodied as computer-readable codes on a computer-readable recording medium. A computer-readable recording medium includes all kinds of recording apparatuses in which data that can be read by a computer system is stored. Examples of the computer-readable recording medium include a ROM, a RAM, a CD-ROM, a magnetic tape, a floppy disk, an optical data storage device, and the like, and may be implemented in the form of a carrier wave (for example, transmission via the Internet) . The computer readable recording medium may also be distributed over a networked computer system so that computer readable code can be stored and executed in a distributed manner. In addition, functional programs, codes, and code segments for implementing the present invention can be easily inferred by programmers of the technical field to which the present invention belongs.

It should be understood that the above-described apparatus and method are not limited to the configuration and method of the embodiments described above, but the embodiments may be modified so that all or some of the embodiments are selectively combined .

Claims (15)

A reflection plate formed of a curved surface and reflecting the sound waves coming from the outside through the curved surface; And
And a reception sensor unit located inside the curved surface of the reflection plate for receiving a first sound wave that is at least part of the sound waves reflected by the reflection plate and sensing a second sound wave that is at least part of the incident first sound wave,
Wherein the reception sensor unit senses only the second sound wave among the sound waves coming from the outside, thereby improving reception directivity,
The second sound wave enters a predetermined angle into the reflection plate before being incident on the reception sensor unit, is incident on the front surface of the reception sensor unit and is detectable by the reception sensor unit,
Wherein the reception directivity is a degree of an angle range in which a second sound wave sensed by the reception sensor unit enters the reflection plate before entering the reception sensor unit,
And the reception directivity is increased as the angular range is smaller. The method according to claim 1,
Wherein the reception directivity is adjusted corresponding to the curvature of the curved surface. The method according to claim 1,
Wherein the reception directivity is adjusted corresponding to a distance between the reflection plate and the reception sensor unit. The method according to claim 1,
Wherein the front face of the receiving sensor unit for sensing the second sound wave is installed to face the reflection plate. 5. The method of claim 4,
Wherein the first sound wave incident on a portion other than the front surface of the receiving sensor unit is not detected by the receiving sensor unit. The method according to claim 1,
And a controller for determining position information on a source of the second sound wave using the sensed second sound wave. The method according to claim 6,
The location information may include:
Wherein the second acoustic wave is at least one of a separation distance between the generation source of the second sound wave and the reception sensor unit, and an angle information between the generation source of the second sound wave and the separation distance of the reception sensor unit. The method according to claim 6,
And an alarm unit for outputting at least one of a vibration signal, an acoustic signal and a video signal to the user,
Wherein the control unit controls the alarm unit to operate when it is determined that the source of the second sound wave is in the first position range using the determined position information. A sensing device using an array of reception-only acoustic sensors having improved directivity according to claim 1,
A sound source for generating a sound wave; And
And a control unit,
The reception-only acoustic sensors having improved directivity are arranged in plural,
Wherein the plurality of directivity-enhanced receive-only acoustic sensors sense the sound waves generated in the sound source,
Wherein the control unit determines the position of the sound source by using the sound waves sensed by the receive-only acoustic sensor having improved directivity. 10. The method of claim 9,
Wherein the plurality of directivity-enhanced receive-
Wherein the array is arranged in any one of a linear array, a cruciform array, a circular array, and a lattice array. 10. The method of claim 9,
Wherein the reception directivity of the plurality of directivity-enhancing receive-only acoustic sensors is adjustable. 10. The method of claim 9,
And an alarm unit for outputting at least one of a vibration signal, an acoustic signal and a video signal to the user,
Wherein the control unit controls the alarm unit to operate when the determined position of the sound source is in the second position range. A step in which a sound wave enters the reflection plate;
Reflecting a sound wave entering the reflection plate by a reflection plate;
A first sound wave, which is at least a part of a sound wave reflected by the reflection plate, is incident on a reception sensor unit; And
Sensing the second sound wave, which is at least part of the first sound wave,
Wherein the reflection plate is formed as a curved surface,
Wherein the reception sensor unit is located inside the curved surface of the reflection plate,
Wherein the reception sensor unit senses only the second sound wave among the sound waves coming from the outside, thereby improving reception directivity,
The second sound wave enters a predetermined angle into the reflection plate before being incident on the reception sensor unit, is incident on the front surface of the reception sensor unit and is detectable by the reception sensor unit,
Wherein the reception directivity is a degree of an angle range in which a second sound wave sensed by the reception sensor unit enters the reflection plate before entering the reception sensor unit,
And the reception directivity increases as the angular range becomes smaller. &Lt; RTI ID = 0.0 &gt; 18. &lt; / RTI &gt; A method of controlling a sensing device using an array of receive-only acoustic sensors having improved directivity according to claim 1,
Arranging a plurality of receive-only acoustic sensors having improved directivity;
Generating a sound wave in the sound source;
Wherein the plurality of directivity-enhanced receive-only acoustic sensors sense sound waves generated from the sound source; And
And determining a position of the sound source using the sensed sound waves. The method of controlling the sensing device using the arrangement of the sound-only receiving acoustic sensor having improved directivity. There is provided a recording medium on which a program of instructions executable by a digital processing apparatus to implement a control method of a receive-only acoustic sensor having improved directivity is tangibly embodied and can be read by the digital processing apparatus,
A method of controlling a reception-only acoustic sensor having improved directivity includes:
A step in which a sound wave enters the reflection plate;
Reflecting a sound wave entering the reflection plate by a reflection plate;
A first sound wave, which is at least a part of a sound wave reflected by the reflection plate, is incident on a reception sensor unit; And
Sensing the second sound wave, which is at least part of the first sound wave,
Wherein the reflection plate is formed as a curved surface,
Wherein the reception sensor unit is located inside the curved surface of the reflection plate,
Wherein the reception sensor unit senses only the second sound wave among the sound waves coming from the outside, thereby improving reception directivity,
The second sound wave enters a predetermined angle into the reflection plate before being incident on the reception sensor unit, is incident on the front surface of the reception sensor unit and is detectable by the reception sensor unit,
Wherein the reception directivity is a degree of an angle range in which a second sound wave sensed by the reception sensor unit enters the reflection plate before entering the reception sensor unit,
Wherein the smaller the angular range is, the higher the reception directivity becomes.

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