Method for transmitting data from an ultrasound system to a data processing device

Abstract

The present disclosure relates to a method for transmitting data from an ultrasound system to a data processing device via a vehicle data bus. In a method for transmitting data from an ultrasound system having at least one ultrasound transmitter and an ultrasound receiver to a data processing device via a vehicle data bus, a predetermined signal profile characteristic is extracted from an echo signal received from at least one ultrasound receiver of the ultrasound system. Echo signal data representing the signal profile characteristic extracted from the echo signal is generated. The echo signal data is transmitted from the ultrasound system to the data processing device via the vehicle data bus.

Description

[0001] This patent application is a divisional application of a Chinese invention patent application with application number 201880035869.6 and invention name “Method for transmitting data from an ultrasonic system to a data processing device via a vehicle data bus”, which entered the national phase of the People’s Republic of China based on the PCT international application with application number PCT / EP2018 / 062808 filed on May 16, 2018. Technical Field

[0002] The present invention relates to a method for transmitting data from an ultrasound system having at least one ultrasound transmitter and an ultrasound receiver via a vehicle data bus (a unidirectional or bidirectional single-wire, two-wire, or multi-wire data bus, optionally differential) to a data processing device. In particular, the present invention relates to a method for classifying echo signals of an ultrasound system in a vehicle for data compression and for transmitting the compressed data from the ultrasound system to a data processing device. Background Art

[0003] Ultrasonic systems have been used for some time in vehicles for environmental recognition. In this case, at least one ultrasonic transmitter emits an ultrasonic burst signal, which, after reflection from an obstacle (usually an object), is received by at least one ultrasonic receiver of the ultrasonic system. Ultrasonic transmitters / receivers primarily use so-called ultrasonic transducers, which operate as transmitters in a first phase of a polling interval and as ultrasonic receivers in a subsequent second phase of the polling interval.

[0004] In recent years, the demand for ultrasonic systems to identify obstacles or objects in a vehicle's environment has steadily increased. While previously knowing the distance of an obstacle from the vehicle might have been sufficient, today efforts are underway to reconstruct the type of obstacle in the vehicle's environment based on the echo signal's profile.

[0005] However, this increases the amount of data to be transmitted between the ultrasound system and the data processing device of the vehicle.However, the data buses conventionally used in vehicles have only a limited maximum data transmission rate, in particular for cost reasons.

[0006] Therefore, efforts have been made in the past to reduce the amount of data to be transmitted. This is sometimes accomplished by obstacle object recognition (with corresponding confidence information regarding the reliability of the obstacle recognition), as described, for example, in DE 10 2008 042640 A1. Other examples of the use of ultrasound systems with the possibility of reducing data transmission can be found in DE 10 2005 024 716 A1 and DE 10 2012 207 164 A1.

[0007] There is an increasing desire to transmit the actual measurement signal data of ultrasonic sensors to a central computer system, where it is further processed, along with data from other ultrasonic sensor systems and / or other types of sensor systems (e.g., radar systems), into a so-called environment map through sensor fusion. Therefore, it is desirable to perform object detection not in the ultrasonic sensor system itself, but primarily through this sensor fusion in the computer system to avoid data loss, thereby reducing the probability of erroneous information and resulting incorrect decisions, and reducing the risk of accidents. However, at the same time, the transmission bandwidth of available sensor data buses is limited. Replacing sensor data buses should be avoided, as they have proven their worth in the field. Therefore, it is also desirable not to increase the amount of data to be transmitted. In short: the information content of the data and its relevance to the obstacle detection (i.e., object detection) later executed in the computer system must be increased without significantly increasing the data rate, or even better, without increasing the data rate at all. On the contrary, the data rate requirement should preferably be reduced to allow for sufficient data rate capacity for transmitting status data and self-test information of the ultrasonic sensor system to the computer system, a mandatory requirement within the context of Functional Safety (FuSi). This problem is solved by the invention proposed herein.

[0008] Various methods of processing ultrasonic sensor signals are known in the prior art.

[0009] For example, WO-A-2012 / 016 834 discloses a method for evaluating echo signals for detecting a vehicle's surroundings. This document proposes transmitting a measurement signal with a predeterminable coding and shape, searching the received signal for components of the measurement signal in the received signal by means of correlation with the measurement signal, and determining these components. A threshold value is then used to evaluate the correlation level (rather than the level of the echo signal's envelope).

[0010] DE-A-4 433 957 discloses the periodic emission of ultrasonic pulses for obstacle detection and the inference of the position of the obstacle from the propagation time, wherein temporally correlated residual echoes over a plurality of measuring cycles are amplified during the evaluation, while uncorrelated residual echoes are suppressed.

[0011] DE-A-10 2012 015 967 discloses a method for decoding a received signal received by an ultrasonic sensor of a motor vehicle, wherein a transmit signal of the ultrasonic sensor is transmitted in a coded manner and, for decoding, the received signal is correlated with a reference signal, wherein before the correlation of the received signal with the reference signal, a frequency shift of the received signal relative to the transmit signal is determined, and the received signal is correlated with the transmit signal as a reference signal, the frequency of which is shifted by the determined frequency shift, wherein, to determine the frequency shift of the received signal, the received signal is subjected to a Fourier transformation and the frequency shift is determined based on the result of the Fourier transformation.

[0012] DE-A-10 2011 085 286 discloses a method for detecting the surroundings of a vehicle by means of ultrasound, wherein ultrasonic pulses are emitted and ultrasonic echoes reflected by an object are detected, and the detection range is subdivided into at least two distance ranges, and wherein the ultrasonic pulses used for the detection in the respective distance ranges are emitted independently of one another and are encoded by different frequencies.

[0013] WO-A-2014 / 108300 discloses a device and a method for detecting an environment with the aid of a signal converter and an evaluation unit, wherein a signal received from the environment and having a first impulse response length at a first moment during a measuring cycle and a second, larger impulse response length at a later moment in the same measuring cycle is filtered depending on the propagation time.

[0014] However, the technical teachings of the aforementioned patents all derive from the idea that obstacles (objects) detected by the ultrasonic sensor are already identified in the ultrasonic sensor itself, and the object data is then transmitted only after the object has been identified. However, in this case, the synergistic effects of using multiple ultrasonic transmitters are lost.

[0015] DE-A-197 07 651, DE-A-10 2010 044 993, DE-A-10 2012 200 017, DE-A-10 2013 015 402 and EP-A-2 455 779 disclose various methods for (partially pre-)processing signals from ultrasonic sensors and subsequently transmitting these signals. Summary of the Invention

[0016] The present invention is based on the goal of further increasing the degree of data compression in ultrasonic systems for vehicles without thereby compromising the reliability of obstacle and obstacle type detection. Another goal is to further reduce the bus bandwidth required for transmitting measurement data from the ultrasonic sensor system to the computer system, or to increase the efficiency of data transmission.

[0017] To achieve these objects, the present invention proposes a method for transmitting data from an ultrasound system having at least one ultrasound transmitter and an ultrasound receiver via a vehicle data bus to a data processing device, in which method a predetermined signal profile characteristic is extracted from an echo signal received from at least one ultrasound receiver of the ultrasound system.

[0018] - identifying a signal variation curve object in the echo signal based on a set of extracted signal variation curve features,

[0019] - assigning each identified signal curve object to one of a plurality of predefined signal curve object classes, each of which is designated by an identifier,

[0020] - determining for each identified signal variation curve object at least one object parameter describing the signal variation curve object, wherein the at least one object parameter is the time of occurrence of the signal variation curve object relative to a reference time, the time range of the signal variation curve object, the time distance to a preceding or subsequent signal variation curve object in the echo signal and / or the size, height and in particular the maximum height of the signal variation curve object, the time of the height of the signal variation curve object within its time range and in particular the time of the maximum height, and / or the size of the area of an echo signal segment belonging to the signal variation curve object and in particular the size of the part of the area of the echo signal segment belonging to the signal variation curve object which is located above a threshold value or above a threshold signal variation curve, and wherein the echo signal segment belonging to the signal variation curve object can be reconstructed from an identifier for the signal variation curve object class and one or more object parameters determined for the signal variation curve object, and

[0021] - The ultrasound system transmits the identifier and the one or more object parameters via the vehicle data bus for the identified signal change curve object as echo signal segment data representing the echo signal segment of the signal change curve object for identifying an obstacle and / or the distance of an obstacle to at least one ultrasound receiver or one of the ultrasound receivers of the ultrasound system.

[0022] In this context, the basic concept of the present invention involves identifying potentially relevant structures in the measurement signals and compressing them by transmitting only a small amount of data about the identified potentially relevant structures, rather than the measurement signals themselves. The actual identification of objects, such as obstacles during parking, occurs after the measurement signals have been reconstructed into reconstructed measurement signals in a computer system, where typically multiple compressed measurement signals from multiple ultrasonic sensor systems are combined (and decompressed, if necessary). The present invention therefore relates specifically to data compression by identifying structures in the measurement signals.

[0023] Therefore, according to the present invention, the echo signal is checked for specific, predefined signal profile characteristics, and data representing these signal profile characteristics are subsequently transmitted. Further conclusions can then be drawn from these echo signal data in a data processing device in the vehicle. For example, an obstacle, its type, a change in the distance from the vehicle to the obstacle, etc. can be inferred by regenerating the echo signal or repeatedly identifying the same, possibly time-shifted, signal profile characteristics. Importantly, the task of detecting obstacles is shifted from the ultrasound system to the data processing device. This reduces the intelligence requirements placed on the ultrasound system's components and, consequently, reduces the amount of data to be transmitted from the ultrasound system to the data processing device. This is because the data processing device actually analyzes the echo signal data to determine which obstacles are in the vehicle's surroundings and how they vary within the vehicle's surroundings (particularly with respect to their distance from the vehicle).

[0024] According to the present invention, the received echo signal is checked for the presence of certain predefined signal profile characteristics. One or more of these signal profile characteristics define a specific signal profile, referred to below as a signal profile object. There are a number of object classes, with the identified signal profile object now being assigned to one of these object classes. Each object class is provided with an identifier. Furthermore, according to the present invention, at least one object parameter is determined, which further describes or characterizes the identified signal profile object. Possible object parameters include, for example:

[0025] the time of occurrence of the signal profile object relative to a reference time,

[0026] - the time range of the signal curve object,

[0027] - a temporal distance to a preceding or subsequent signal profile object in the echo signal, and / or - a size, a height and in particular a maximum height of the signal profile object,

[0028] - the time of the height of the signal curve object within its time range and in particular the time of the maximum height, and / or

[0029] or

[0030] - the size of the area (integral) of the echo signal segments belonging to the signal curve object, and - in particular the size of the part of the area (integral) of the echo signal segments belonging to the signal curve object that is located above the threshold value or above the threshold signal curve.

[0031] In the data processing device, echo signal segments belonging to the signal profile object can be reconstructed from an identifier for the signal profile object class and one or more object parameters determined for the signal profile object. In this way, echo signal segments based on the identified signal profile object can now be transmitted to the data processing device in a compressed manner (i.e., using significantly less data), whereas the echo signal segments themselves must be transmitted to the data processing device via their (digital) sample values. According to the present invention, so-called echo signal segment data are transmitted, which comprises at least an identifier for the signal profile object class and at least one object parameter describing the signal profile object. Additional data may also be transmitted as needed, as will be discussed later.

[0032] In a suitable embodiment of the present invention, it is provided that the ultrasonic system has a plurality of ultrasonic transmitters and a plurality of ultrasonic receivers, and that echo signal segment data representing signal curve objects respectively identified from a plurality of echo signals received in a predefinable time window are transmitted to the data processing device via the vehicle data bus for the purpose of identifying obstacles and / or the distance of obstacles to at least one ultrasonic receiver or one of the ultrasonic receivers of the ultrasonic system.

[0033] As described above, in addition to the identifier of the signal curve object class and the one or more object parameters, further data can also be transmitted as echo signal segment data. Advantageously, in this case, provision can be made for a confidence value assigned to the respective identified signal curve object to be transmitted from the ultrasonic measuring device to the data processing device via the vehicle data bus in addition to the echo signal segment data.

[0034] According to the present invention, the signal change curve characteristics searched in the echo signal are preferably the local extreme value of the echo signal located above the threshold value or threshold signal and the time of occurrence, the absolute extreme value of the echo signal located above the threshold value or threshold signal together with the time of occurrence, the absolute extreme value of the echo signal located above the threshold value or threshold signal together with the time of occurrence, the saddle point of the echo signal located above the threshold value or threshold signal together with the time of occurrence, exceeding a threshold value or the threshold value or exceeding a threshold signal or the threshold signal together with the time of exceeding when the signal level of the echo signal becomes larger, and / or falling below a threshold value or the threshold value or falling below a threshold signal or the threshold signal together with the time of falling below when the signal level of the echo signal becomes smaller, or one or more predeterminable combinations of the above-mentioned signal change curve characteristics occurring continuously in chronological order.

[0035] Preferably, it can further be provided that the signal profile characteristics or the object parameters also include whether, when, and how the received echo signal is modulated, more precisely, for example, with a monotonically increasing or strictly monotonically increasing frequency (positive chirp), for example, with a monotonically decreasing or strictly monotonically decreasing frequency (negative chirp), or for example, with a constant frequency (no chirp). In this connection, reference is made to DE-B-10 2017 123 049, DE-B-10 2017 123 051, DE-B-10 2017 123 052, and DE-B-10 2017 123 050, the contents of which are incorporated by reference into the subject matter of the present invention.

[0036] Other frequency modulation methods, or other modulation methods in general, can also be used. In this context, the modulation of the ultrasound signal is provided, for example, by various types of coding. Advantageously, coding that is robust against Doppler effects is used. In general, the coding can be understood as a predetermined wavelet whose time average value, in particular, may not be equal to zero.

[0037] In another advantageous embodiment of the present invention, it is provided that a plurality of ultrasonic transmitters of the ultrasonic system transmit differently modulated ultrasonic signals, the echo signal segment data sent by the ultrasonic receiver further include a modulation identifier of the respectively received echo signal, and based on the modulation identifier it is determined in the data processing device: from which ultrasonic transmitter has the ultrasonic transmission signal been transmitted that has been received as an echo signal or an echo signal component by the following ultrasonic receiver, and the ultrasonic receiver transmits the echo signal segment data about the echo signal or the echo signal component to the data processing device.

[0038] The method according to the present invention is particularly advantageous in that the ultrasonic system has multiple ultrasonic transmitters and multiple ultrasonic receivers, wherein echo signal data representing signal profile features extracted from each of the multiple echo signals received within a predeterminable time window is transmitted to the data processing device via the vehicle data bus. The data processing device then receives echo signal data describing the echo signals received by the multiple ultrasonic receivers or the signal profile features detected in these echo signals within the predeterminable measurement time window. For example, if adjacent ultrasonic receivers receive similar echo signals, these echo signals can be used to classify obstacles. It has been found that determining obstacle type based on multiple compressed echo signals from multiple ultrasonic receivers is significantly more efficient than first examining each echo signal from each ultrasonic receiver individually to infer the obstacle type and then, if necessary, comparing the resulting knowledge of the obstacle type.

[0039] The method according to the present invention thus generates a feature vector of the echo signal, which contains the signal profile characteristics and the associated time points in the echo signal profile. The feature vector thus describes individual segments of the echo signal and events in the echo signal, before obstacle detection, etc., has been performed.

[0040] According to the present invention, it can also be provided that an envelope signal is formed from the echo signal, and that this envelope signal is part of the characteristic vector, or that a part of this envelope signal can be a component of the characteristic vector. It is also possible to convolve the received echo signal with the associated ultrasound transmit signal, i.e., with the ultrasound signal received as an echo signal after reflection, and thereby form a correlation signal, the characteristics of which can be part of the characteristic vector.

[0041] The echo signal data characterizing the signal profile can advantageously include parameter data. In this case, the parameter data can preferably be a timestamp that indicates when the feature or features appeared in the echo signal profile. The time reference (i.e., the reference instant) of the timestamp is arbitrary but predefined for the system consisting of the ultrasound system and the data processing device. Another parameter can be the amplitude and / or extension of a segment of the echo signal characterizing the signal profile, etc. It should be noted that the term "amplitude" is to be understood in the following text in a general sense and is used, for example, for the (current) signal level of a signal and / or a peak value of the signal.

[0042] On the one hand, the compression of the data to be transmitted via the data bus between the ultrasound system and the data processing device, implemented according to the present invention, reduces the data bus load and thus the stringency of EMC requirements. On the other hand, free data bus capacity is available during the reception time of the echo signal, wherein this free data bus capacity can then be used to transmit control commands from the data processing device to the ultrasound system and to transmit status information and other data of the ultrasound system to the data processing device. In this case, the prioritization of the data to be transmitted advantageously ensures that safety-related data is transmitted first, thereby avoiding unnecessary dead time for the echo signal data.

[0043] According to an advantageous embodiment of the present invention, it can be provided that the ultrasonic system includes a plurality of ultrasonic transmitters and a plurality of ultrasonic receivers, and transmits echo signal data representing signal curve features respectively extracted from a plurality of echo signals received in a predefinable time window to the data processing device via the vehicle data bus.

[0044] According to an advantageous embodiment of the invention, provision can be made that, in addition to the echo signal data, a confidence value assigned to the respectively extracted signal profile feature is also transmitted from the ultrasonic measuring device to the data processing device via the vehicle data bus.

[0045] According to another advantageous embodiment of the present invention, the signal profile characteristics may be local extreme values of the echo signal along with their time instants, absolute extreme values of the echo signal along with their time instants, saddle points of the echo signal along with their time instants, threshold value crossings occurring when the signal level of the echo signal increases along with their time instants, and / or threshold value subsidence and the time instants occurring when the signal level of the echo signal decreases. However, the signal profile characteristic may also be a temporal sequence (with a predeterminable order) of a plurality of the aforementioned signal profile characteristics.

[0046] Furthermore, according to an advantageous embodiment of the present invention, it can be provided that the signal variation curve characteristics also include: whether, when and how the received echo signal is modulated, more precisely, for example, with a monotonically increasing frequency (positive linear frequency modulation), for example, with a monotonically decreasing frequency (negative linear frequency modulation), or for example, with a constant frequency (non-linear frequency modulation).

[0047] According to another advantageous embodiment of the present invention, it can be provided that a plurality of ultrasound transmitters of the ultrasound system transmit modulated ultrasound signals, and based on the modulation of the echo signal it can be determined from which ultrasound transmitter the ultrasound transmit signal received by the ultrasound receiver as an echo signal or an echo signal component was transmitted.

[0048] Therefore, the present invention proposes a method for transmitting sensor data from a sensor to a computer system. It is particularly suitable to use this method for transmitting data of an ultrasonic receive signal from an ultrasonic receiver (hereinafter referred to as an ultrasonic sensor) to a control device (as a computer system or data processing device) in a vehicle. According to a variant of the present invention, an ultrasonic burst pulse is first generated and emitted into free space, typically in the environment of a vehicle. In this case, the ultrasonic burst pulse consists of a plurality of sound pulses that follow one another at an ultrasonic frequency. The ultrasonic burst pulse is formed by the start-up and stop-down of a mechanical oscillator. The ultrasonic burst thus emitted is then reflected by an object (for example, an obstacle) and received by a receiver as an ultrasonic signal and converted into a received signal. Particularly preferably, the ultrasonic transmitter is identical to the ultrasonic receiver, so it is referred to as a transducer hereinafter, and the transducer works alternately as an ultrasonic transmitter and an ultrasonic receiver. However, the principle explained below can also be applied to separate receivers and transmitters.

[0049] The ultrasonic sensor is assigned a signal processing unit that analyzes the received signal for a predeterminable or predefined signal profile characteristic in order to minimize the amount of data required to transmit the echo signal profile. Thus, the ultrasonic sensor's signal processing unit compresses the received signal to generate compressed data, i.e., characteristic echo signal data. This information is then transmitted to the computer system in a compressed form. This data transmission minimizes EMC load, and status data of the ultrasonic sensor, useful for detecting system faults, can be transmitted to the computer system at regular intervals via a data bus between the ultrasonic sensor and the computer system.

[0050] Prioritizing the data transmission via the data bus has proven advantageous. In this context, notification of safety-critical sensor faults (here, by way of example, of ultrasonic sensors) to the computer system has the highest priority, as these faults have a high probability of affecting the validity of the ultrasonic sensor's measurement data. This data is sent from the ultrasonic system to the computer system. Requests for the computer system to perform safety-related self-tests have the second highest priority. Such instructions are sent from the computer system to the ultrasonic system. Data from the ultrasonic sensor itself has the third highest priority, as increased latency is not permitted. All other data has a lower priority for transmission via the data bus.

[0051] Particularly advantageous is a method for transmitting sensor data, in particular sensor data of an ultrasonic sensor, from a sensor to a computer system, in particular in a vehicle, comprising transmitting an ultrasonic burst having a start 57 and an end 56 of transmitting the ultrasonic burst, and comprising receiving an ultrasonic signal and transmitting the ultrasonic signal at a reception time T starting at least from the end 56 of transmitting the ultrasonic burst. E The computer system (comprising the formation of a received signal within the computer system and the transmission of the compressed data to the computer system via a data bus, in particular a single-wire data bus) is configured such that the data transmission 54 from the sensor to the computer system begins with a start instruction 53 from the computer system to the sensor via the data bus and before the end 56 of the emission of the ultrasound burst, or after a start instruction 53 from the computer system to the sensor via the data bus and before the start 57 of the emission of the ultrasound burst. The transmission 54 then continues periodically after the start instruction 53 until the end of the data transmission 58. This end of the data transmission 58 then temporally lies at the reception time T E After the end of.

[0052] As a first step in data compression, another variant of the proposed method provides for forming a feature vector signal from the received signal. Such a feature vector signal can include multiple analog and digital data signals. Thus, the feature vector signal represents a more or less complex data / signal structure. In the simplest case, the feature vector signal can be understood as a vector signal composed of multiple sub-signals.

[0053] For example, it may be expedient to form first-order and / or higher-order time derivatives of the received signal or to form single or multiple integrations of the received signal, which are then subsignals within the eigenvector signal.

[0054] It is also possible to form an envelope signal, which is then a sub-signal within the eigenvector signal.

[0055] Furthermore, it may be useful to convolve the received signal with the transmitted ultrasound signal and thereby form a correlation signal, which can then be a sub-signal within the eigenvector signal. In this case, this signal can be used, on the one hand, as the transmitted ultrasound signal that was used to control the driver of the transmitter, or, on the other hand, as a signal that was measured at the transmitter and thus better corresponds to the actually radiated sound waves.

[0056] Finally, it may be useful to detect the presence of predetermined signal profile features by means of a matched filter and to form matched filter signals for the corresponding signal profile features of some of the predetermined signal profile features. In this context, a matched filter is to be understood as a filter which optimizes the signal-to-noise ratio (SNR). The predetermined signal profile feature is to be identified in the echo signal that is subject to interference. The terms "correlation filter," "signal matched filter (SAF)," or simply "matched filter" are also frequently used in this document. The matched filter serves to optimally determine the presence (detection) of the amplitude and / or position of a known signal shape, i.e., the presence of the predetermined signal profile feature, even in the presence of interference (parameter estimation), such as signals from other ultrasonic transmitters and / or in the presence of ground echoes.

[0057] The matched filter signal is then preferably a sub-signal within said eigenvector signal.

[0058] Certain events can be detected in other sub-signals of the characteristic vector signal. Within the meaning of the present invention, these events are also considered signal profile features. Signal profile features therefore include not only specific signal shapes, such as rectangular pulses, wavelets, or wave trains, but also prominent points in the profile of the received signal and / or in the profile of a signal derived from the received signal, such as, for example, an envelope signal that can be obtained by filtering the received signal.

[0059] A further signal, which may be a sub-signal of the eigenvector signal, may detect, for example, whether the envelope of the received signal, ie, the envelope signal, intersects a predefined first threshold value.

[0060] A further signal, which may be a sub-signal of the eigenvector signal, may detect, for example, whether the envelope of the received signal, ie the envelope signal, rises and crosses a second, possibly predefinable, threshold value, which may be identical to the first threshold value.

[0061] A further signal, which may be a sub-signal of the eigenvector signal, may detect, for example, whether the envelope of the received signal, ie the envelope signal, intersects a predefined third threshold value in a decreasing manner, which may be identical to the first threshold value.

[0062] A further signal, which may be a sub-signal of the eigenvector signal, may detect, for example, whether the envelope of the received signal, ie the envelope signal, has a maximum value greater than a fourth threshold value, which may be identical to the aforementioned threshold value.

[0063] Another signal, which can be a sub-signal of the eigenvector signal, can, for example, detect whether the envelope of the received signal, i.e., the envelope signal, has a minimum value greater than a fifth threshold value, which can be identical to the aforementioned threshold value. In this case, it is preferably evaluated whether at least one preceding maximum of the envelope has a minimum distance to the minimum value to avoid detecting noise. Other filtering options are possible. It can also be checked whether the time interval between the minimum value and the preceding maximum value is greater than a first time minimum distance. The fulfillment of these conditions sets a flag or signal, which itself is preferably a sub-signal of the eigenvector signal.

[0064] Similarly, the time distances and distances measured in amplitude of other signal curve features should be checked in a similar manner to see whether they meet certain plausibility requirements, such as a minimum time distance and / or a minimum distance in amplitude. These checks can also lead to the derivation of further analog, binary, or digital sub-signals, which thus further increase the dimensionality of the feature vector signal.

[0065] If necessary, the feature vector signal can be converted into a significant feature vector signal in the significance enhancement stage. However, practice has shown that this is not necessary at least for current requirements.

[0066] According to a variant of the method according to the invention, a signal profile feature is identified in the received signal based on the feature vector signal or the significant feature vector signal and is classified into a recognized signal profile feature class.

[0067] If, for example, the amplitude of the output signal of the matched filter, and therefore the amplitude of the sub-signals of the characteristic vector signal, exceeds a sixth threshold value, which may be specific to the matched filter, then the signal profile characteristic for which the matched filter is designed can be considered identified. In this case, other parameters are preferably also taken into account. For example, if an ultrasonic burst with increasing frequency (known as a positive chirp) is transmitted during the burst, then an echo with this modulation characteristic is also expected. If the signal shape of the envelope (e.g., the triangular signal shape of the envelope) locally coincides with the expected signal shape in time, but the modulation characteristic does not, then it is not the echo of the transmitter, but rather an interference signal, possibly from another ultrasonic transmitter or from an out-of-range source. In this regard, the system can then distinguish between intrinsic echoes and extraneous echoes, thereby assigning the same signal shape to two different signal profile characteristics: the intrinsic echo and the extraneous echo. In this case, the transmission of the intrinsic echo preferably takes precedence over the transmission of the extraneous echo, as the former is generally relevant for safety, while the latter is generally not.

[0068] Typically, at least one signal profile characteristic parameter is assigned to each identified signal profile characteristic or is determined for this signal profile characteristic. This is preferably a timestamp indicating when the characteristic appeared in the echo signal. In this case, the timestamp can, for example, relate to the temporal start point of the signal profile characteristic in the received signal, the temporal end point of the signal profile characteristic, the temporal position of the temporal center of gravity of the signal profile characteristic, etc. Other signal profile characteristic parameters such as amplitude, extension, etc. are also conceivable. Therefore, in one variant of the proposed method, at least one assigned signal profile characteristic parameter of at least one identified signal profile characteristic class is transmitted, which is a time value and indicates a temporal position suitable for inferring the time since the emission of the previous ultrasonic burst. Preferably, the determined distance to an object (e.g., an obstacle) in the vehicle's surroundings is then determined based on the time value determined and transmitted in this way.

[0069] Finally, the identified signal profile characteristic class is preferentially transmitted, preferably together with the assigned signal profile characteristic parameters. This transmission can also be performed using a more complex data structure. For example, it is conceivable to first transmit the time of the identified safety-related signal profile characteristic (e.g., a recognized obstacle), and then transmit the identified signal profile characteristic class of the safety-related signal object. This further reduces waiting times.

[0070] According to a variant of the method of the present invention, in one variant, at least a chirp value is determined as an assigned signal variation curve characteristic parameter, wherein the assigned signal variation curve characteristic parameter indicates whether the identified signal variation curve characteristic is an echo of an ultrasonic transmission burst pulse with positive chirp, negative chirp or nonlinear chirp characteristics. "Positive chirp (Chirp-up)" refers to an increase in frequency within the signal variation curve characteristic received in the received signal. "Negative chirp (Chirp-down)" refers to a decrease in frequency within the signal variation curve characteristic received in the received signal. "Nonlinear chirp (No-Chirp)" refers to a substantially unchanged frequency within the signal variation curve characteristic received in the received signal.

[0071] According to a variant of the method according to the invention, a confidence signal (confidence value Konfidenzwert) can also be formed, for example, by forming a correlation between the received signal or a signal derived from the received signal and a reference signal, such as the ultrasound transmission signal or another expected wavelet. The confidence signal is then typically a sub-signal of the eigenvector signal.

[0072] In another variant of the method, a phase signal is also formed on this basis, which indicates, for example, a phase shift of the received signal or a signal formed from the received signal (for example a confidence signal) relative to a reference signal (for example the ultrasound transmission signal and / or another reference signal).

[0073] Similarly, in another variant of the proposed method, a phase position confidence signal can be formed by correlating the phase signal or a signal derived from the phase signal with a reference signal and used as a sub-signal of the eigenvector signal.

[0074] When evaluating the eigenvector signal, it is then expedient to compare the phase position confidence signal with one or more threshold values in order to generate a discretized phase position confidence signal, which itself can in turn become part of the eigenvector signal.

[0075] In one variation of the proposed method, the evaluation of the characteristic vector signal and / or the significant characteristic vector signal can be performed such that one or more distance values between the characteristic vector signal and one or more signal characteristic prototype values are formed for a recognizable signal profile characteristic class. Such distance values can be Boolean, binary, discrete, digital, or analog values. Preferably, all distance values are logically interconnected in a nonlinear function. Thus, if a triangular-shaped positive chirp echo is expected, a received triangular-shaped negative chirp echo can be discarded. This discarding is a nonlinear process.

[0076] Conversely, the triangles in the received signal may be formed differently. This primarily relates to the amplitude of the triangles in the received signal. If the amplitude in the received signal is sufficiently large, for example, a matched filter assigned to this triangular signal delivers a signal that is above a predetermined seventh threshold value. In this case, for example, the signal profile characteristic identified by the signal profile characteristic class (triangular signal) can be assigned to the overrun time. In this case, the distance value between the characteristic vector signal and the prototype (here, the seventh threshold value) falls below one or more predetermined binary, digital, or analog distance values (here, 0 = intersection).

[0077] In another embodiment of the method, at least one of the signal profile characteristic classes is a wavelet, which is estimated by an estimation device (e.g., a matched filter) and / or an estimation method (e.g., an estimation program running in a digital signal processor) and thus detected. The term "wavelet" denotes a function that can be used as the basis for a continuous or discrete wavelet transform. The word is a recreation of the French "ondelette," meaning "little wave," and is translated into Chinese partly literally ("onde" -> "wave") and partly phonetically ("-lette" -> "little"). The term "wavelet" was coined in geophysics in the 1980s (Jean Morlet, Alex Grossman) to describe a function that generalizes the short-time Fourier transform, but has only been used in its current common sense since the late 1980s. In the 1990s, a veritable wavelet boom was triggered by the discovery of compact, continuous (differentiable to any order), and orthogonal wavelets by Ingrid Daubechies (1988), and the development of the fast wavelet transform (FWT) algorithm by Stéphane Mallat and Yves Meyer (1989) with the help of multiresolution analysis (MRA).

[0078] In contrast to the Fourier-transformed sine and cosine functions, the most commonly used wavelets are localized not only in the frequency spectrum but also in the time domain. "Locality" is understood here in the sense of small dispersion. The probability density is the square of the normalized absolute value of the observed function or its Fourier transform. In this case, analogous to Heisenberg's uncertainty principle, the product of the two variances is always greater than a constant. This limitation gave rise to the Paley-Wiener theory (Raymond Paley, Norbert Wiener), a forerunner of the discrete wavelet transform, and the Calderón-Zygmund theory (Alberto Calderón, Antoni Zygmund), corresponding to the continuous wavelet transform, in function analysis.

[0079] Although the integral of a wavelet function is always zero in professional applications, wavelet functions are usually in the form of outgoing (decreasing) waves (i.e., 2 wavelets = ondelet = wavelet). However, within the meaning of the present invention, wavelets with integrals other than zero are also permitted. The rectangular and triangular wavelets described below are exemplified herein.

[0080] Important examples of wavelets with zero integral are the Haar wavelet (Alfred Haar 1909), the Daubechies wavelet named after Ingrid Daubechies (about 1990), the Coiflet wavelet also constructed by Ingrid Daubechies, and the theoretically more important Meyer wavelet (Yves Meyer, about 1988).

[0081] Wavelets exist for arbitrary-dimensional spaces, most of which use the tensor product of a one-dimensional wavelet basis. Due to the fractal nature of the two-scalar equation in MRA, most wavelets have complex shapes, most of which lack a closed form. This is particularly important because the eigenvector signals mentioned above are multidimensional, thus allowing the use of multidimensional wavelets for signal object recognition.

[0082] Therefore, a special variant of the proposed method is to use multidimensional wavelets with more than two dimensions for signal object recognition. In particular, it is recommended to use corresponding matched filters to recognize such wavelets with more than two dimensions in order to supplement the eigenvector signal with other sub-signals suitable for the recognition, if necessary.

[0083] A particularly suitable wavelet, in particular for the envelope signal, is, for example, a triangular wavelet. This triangular wavelet is characterized by a starting moment of the triangular wavelet, a wavelet amplitude that increases linearly in time after the starting moment of the triangular wavelet to a maximum amplitude of the triangular wavelet, and a wavelet amplitude that decreases linearly in time after the maximum amplitude of the triangular wavelet to one end of the triangular wavelet.

[0084] Another particularly suitable wavelet is the rectangular wavelet, which also includes trapezoidal wavelets within the meaning of the present invention. A rectangular wavelet is characterized by a starting moment of the rectangular wavelet followed by an increase in the wavelet amplitude at a first temporal slope of the rectangular wavelet until the first stationary moment of the rectangular wavelet. Following the first stationary moment of the rectangular wavelet, the wavelet amplitude continues at a second temporal slope of the wavelet amplitude until the second stationary moment of the rectangular wavelet. Following the second stationary moment of the rectangular wavelet, the wavelet amplitude decreases at a third temporal slope until the temporal end of the rectangular wavelet. In this case, the absolute value of the second temporal slope is less than 10% of the absolute value of the first temporal slope and less than 10% of the absolute value of the third temporal slope.

[0085] Instead of the wavelets described above, other two-dimensional wavelets, such as half-sine wavelets, which likewise have an integral not equal to zero, can also be used.

[0086] When using wavelets, it is recommended to use the time shift of the wavelet in question of the signal profile characteristic as a signal profile characteristic parameter, for example by correlation and / or detecting the time at which the output level of a matched filter suitable for detecting the wavelet in question exceeds a predefined threshold for the identified signal profile characteristic or the wavelet. Preferably, the envelope and / or phase signal and / or confidence signal of the received signal are evaluated.

[0087] Another possible signal profile characteristic parameter that can be determined is the time compression or expansion of the relevant wavelet of the identified signal profile. Likewise, the amplitude of the wavelet of the identified signal profile can be determined.

[0088] In the proposed development of the method disclosed herein, it was recognized that it is advantageous to first transmit the data of the identified signal profile characteristics of very quickly arriving echoes from the sensor to the computer system, and only then transmit the subsequent data of subsequently identified signal profile characteristics. Preferably, in this case, at least the identified signal profile characteristic class and a timestamp are always transmitted; the timestamp preferably indicates when the signal profile characteristic reaches the sensor again. Within the scope of the identification process, scores can be assigned to the different signal profile characteristics considered for a segment of the received signal. These scores indicate the probability assigned to the presence of the signal profile characteristic based on the estimation algorithm used. In the simplest case, such scores are binary. However, they are preferably complex, real, or integer. If multiple signal profile characteristics have high scores, it may be useful in some cases to also transmit data for identified signal profile characteristics with lower scores. To enable the computer system to process correctly, in such cases, not only the data of the identified signal profile characteristics and the timestamp for the respective signal profile characteristics should be transmitted, but also the determined scores. In this case, a hypothesis list consisting of the identified signal profile features and their temporal positions and additionally the assigned score values is therefore transmitted to the computer system.

[0089] Preferably, the data of the identified signal profile characteristic class and the data assigned to it (e.g., the timestamp and score value of the respective identified signal profile characteristic class), i.e., the assigned signal profile characteristic parameters, are transmitted according to the FIFO principle. This ensures that the data of the reflection closest to the object is always transmitted first, and thus safety-critical collision situations involving the vehicle and an obstacle are handled with probabilistic priority.

[0090] In addition to the transmission of measurement data, the fault status of the sensor can also be transmitted. If the sensor is determined to be defective by the self-test device and the previously transmitted data may be potentially erroneous, this can also be transmitted at the reception time T E occurs during this period. This ensures that the computer system can obtain knowledge about changes in the evaluation of the measurement data at the earliest possible moment and can discard the changes or process them in a different way. This is particularly important for emergency braking systems, since emergency braking is a safety-critical intervention, which can only be introduced if the basic data have a corresponding confidence value. Therefore, in contrast, the transmission of the measurement data, i.e., the transmission of data of the identified signal change curve characteristic category and / or the transmission of an assigned signal change curve characteristic parameter, is postponed and therefore given a lower priority. Of course, if a fault occurs in the sensor, it is conceivable to terminate the transmission. However, in some cases it may appear that a fault has occurred, but it is not certain. In this regard, in this case, the continuation of the transmission is indicated. Therefore, the transmission of safety-critical faults of the sensor is preferably determined to be of higher priority.

[0091] In addition to the already described wavelets with an integral value of zero and signal segments with integral values other than zero, additionally referred to herein as wavelets, specific moments in the profile of the received signal can also be understood within the meaning of the present invention as signal profile features, which can be used for data compression and transmitted instead of sampled values of the received signal. These subsets of the set of possible signal profile features are hereinafter referred to as signal moments. Therefore, within the meaning of the present invention, signal moments are a special form of signal profile features.

[0092] The first possible signal profile point and therefore the signal profile feature is the intersection of the amplitude of the envelope signal 1 with the amplitude of the threshold signal SW in the rising direction.

[0093] A second possible signal profile point and thus a signal profile characteristic is the intersection of the amplitude of the envelope signal 1 with the amplitude of the threshold signal SW in a falling direction.

[0094] A third possible signal profile point and therefore a signal profile feature is the maximum value of the amplitude of envelope signal 1 above the amplitude of threshold signal SW.

[0095] A fourth possible signal profile point and therefore a signal profile characteristic is a minimum value of the amplitude of envelope signal 1 above the amplitude of threshold signal SW.

[0096] It may be expedient to use threshold signals specific to the signal instant type for these four exemplary signal instant types and for other types of signal instants.

[0097] The temporal sequence of signal profile characteristics is typically not arbitrary. For example, if a triangular wavelet is expected in an envelope signal 1 with sufficient amplitude, then, in addition to the corresponding minimum level at the output of a matched filter suitable for detecting such a triangular wavelet, the following can also be expected, in temporal relation to the exceeding of the minimum level at the output of the matched filter:

[0098] 1. The occurrence of a first possible signal profile point with an intersection of the amplitude of the envelope signal 1 with the amplitude of the threshold signal SW in the rising direction, and the temporally subsequent

[0099] 2. The occurrence of a third possible signal profile point with an amplitude maximum of the envelope signal 1 above the amplitude of the threshold signal SW, and the temporally subsequent

[0100] 3. The occurrence of a second possible signal profile point with an intersection of the amplitude of the envelope signal 1 with the amplitude of the threshold signal SW in a falling direction.

[0101] Furthermore, exceeding the minimum level at the output of the matched filter is a further example of a fifth possible signal profile point and thus a further possible signal profile feature.

[0102] The resulting grouping and time sequence of the identified signal profile features can itself be identified, for example, by a Veterbi decoder, as a predefined expected grouping or time sequence of signal profile features and can therefore itself again represent a signal profile feature. The sixth possible signal profile point, and therefore the signal profile feature, is thus such a predefined grouping and / or time sequence of other signal profile features.

[0103] If such a grouping of signal profile features or a time series of such a signal profile feature class is identified, it is preferred to transmit the identified combined signal profile feature class and at least one associated signal profile feature parameter rather than the individual signal profile features, as this saves significant data bus capacity. It is possible that both are transmitted. In this case, the data for the signal profile feature class of the signal profile features is transmitted, which is a predefined time series and / or grouping of other signal profile features. To achieve compression, it is advantageous not to transmit at least one signal profile feature class of at least one of these other signal profile features.

[0104] Temporal grouping of signal profile features exists particularly when the time intervals between these signal profile features do not exceed a predefined distance. In the examples mentioned above, the signal propagation time in the matched filter should be taken into account. Typically, the matched filter is allowed to be slower than the comparator. Therefore, the transformation of the output signal of the matched filter should have a fixed temporal relationship with the occurrence time of the relevant signal moment.

[0105] Particularly preferably, data transmission in the vehicle occurs via a bidirectional, single-wire data bus. In this case, the return line is preferably provided by the vehicle body. Sensor data is preferably transmitted to the computer system using current modulation. Data for controlling the sensors is preferably transmitted to the sensors via the computer system using voltage modulation. According to the present invention, it has been recognized that the use of a PSI5 data bus and / or a DSI3 data bus is particularly suitable for data transmission. Furthermore, it has been recognized that data transmission to the computer system at a transmission rate of >200 kbit / s and data transmission from the computer system to the at least one sensor at a transmission rate of >10 kbit / s, preferably 20 kbit / s, is particularly advantageous. Furthermore, it has been recognized that data transmission from the sensor to the computer system should be modulated onto the data bus using a transmission current having a current intensity of less than 50 mA, preferably less than 5 mA, and preferably less than 2.5 mA. These buses must be adapted accordingly for these operating values. However, the basic principle remains.

[0106] To carry out the above-described methods, a computer system is required that has a data interface to the data bus, preferably to the single-wire data bus, and that supports decompression of such compressed data. However, the computer system typically does not perform full decompression, but rather, for example, only evaluates the timestamp and the identified signal profile characteristic type. The sensor required for carrying out one of the above-described methods comprises at least one transmitter and at least one receiver for generating a received signal, which can also be combined into one or more transducers. Furthermore, the sensor comprises at least one device for processing and compressing the received signal and a data interface for transmitting the data to the computer system via the data bus, preferably the single-wire data bus. For the compression, the device for compression preferably comprises at least one of the following sub-devices: a matched filter, a comparator, a threshold signal generating device for generating one or more threshold signals SW, a comparator, a differentiator for forming a derivative, an integrator for forming an integral signal, further filters, an envelope former for generating an envelope signal from the received signal, and a correlation filter for comparing the received signal or a signal derived therefrom with a reference signal. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0107] The present invention will be explained in more detail below based on embodiments and with reference to the accompanying drawings. Specifically:

[0108] Figure 1 Shows the principle flow of signal compression and transmission,

[0109] Figure 2 The principle flow of signal compression and transmission is shown in more detail.

[0110] Figure 3 Part (a) shows a conventional ultrasound echo signal and its conventional evaluation,

[0111] Figure 3 Part (b) shows a conventional ultrasound echo signal and its evaluation, where the amplitude is transmitted together,

[0112] Figure 3 Part (c) shows the ultrasonic echo signal, which contains the linear frequency modulation direction,

[0113] Figure 3 Part (d) shows the case where the unidentified signal components are discarded. Figure 3 The signal object (triangular signal) has been identified in the signal of part (c),

[0114] Figure 4a shows a conventional transmission which is not claimed,

[0115] Figure 4b shows the unclaimed transmission of the analyzed data after complete reception of the ultrasound echo,

[0116] Figure 4c shows the claimed transmission of compressed data, wherein in this example the symbols of the signal elementary objects are substantially not compressed according to the prior art,

[0117] Figure 5 shows the claimed transmission of compressed data, wherein in this example the symbols of a signal elementary object are compressed into symbols of a signal object,

[0118] Figure 6 The claimed transmission of compressed data is shown, wherein in this example the symbols of signal elementary objects are compressed into symbols of signal objects and both an envelope signal and a confidence signal are evaluated.

[0119] As explained above, the technical teachings of the prior art are based on the idea that the recognition of objects in front of the vehicle by means of ultrasonic sensors is already performed in the ultrasonic sensors themselves, and the object data is then transmitted only after the object has been recognized. However, since the synergy effect is lost when using multiple ultrasonic transmitters in this case, the present invention has recognized that it is meaningless to transmit only the echo data of the ultrasonic sensors themselves, rather than all data.

[0120] Furthermore, data from preferably multiple sensors can advantageously be evaluated in a central computer system. However, unlike the prior art, this requires data compression for transmission via a data bus with a lower bus bandwidth. This allows for synergistic effects. For example, it is conceivable that a vehicle has more than one ultrasonic sensor. To be able to distinguish between the two sensors, it makes sense for them to transmit using different encodings. However, in contrast to the prior art, both sensors must now detect the two ultrasonic echoes radiated by the two ultrasonic sensors and transmit them in an appropriately compressed manner to the central computer system, where the ultrasonic receive signals are reconstructed and fused. Obstacles (objects in the environment) are only detected after this reconstruction (decompression). This also enables further fusion of ultrasonic sensor data with data from other sensor systems (e.g., radar).

[0121] The present invention provides a method for transmitting sensor data from a sensor to a computer system. The method is particularly suitable for transmitting data of ultrasonic reception signals from an ultrasonic sensor to a control unit as a computer system in a vehicle. Figure 1 According to the proposed method, an ultrasonic burst is first generated and emitted into free space, typically in the environment of the vehicle ( Figure 1 In this case, the ultrasonic burst consists of a plurality of successive sound pulses at an ultrasonic frequency. The ultrasonic burst is generated by slowly starting and stopping a mechanical oscillator in an ultrasonic transmitter or ultrasonic transducer. The ultrasonic burst thus emitted by the exemplary ultrasonic transducer is then reflected by an object in the vehicle's environment and received by the ultrasonic receiver or the ultrasonic transducer itself as an ultrasonic signal and converted into an electrical reception signal ( Figure 1Particularly preferably, the ultrasonic transmitter is identical to the ultrasonic receiver, hereinafter referred to as a transducer, which is an electroacoustic component that operates alternately as an ultrasonic transmitter and an ultrasonic receiver and thus as an ultrasonic sensor. However, the principles explained below can also be applied to separate receivers and transmitters. In the proposed ultrasonic sensor, a signal processing unit is present, which now analyzes and compresses the electrical receive signal (hereinafter referred to as "receive signal") corresponding to the ultrasonic receive signal ( Figure 1 Step γ) in order to minimize the necessary data transmission (amount of data to be transmitted) and to create free space for the transmission of, for example, status messages and other control instructions of the control computer to the signal processing unit or the ultrasonic sensor system. Subsequently, the compressed electrical reception signal is transmitted to the computer system ( Figure 1 Step δ).

[0122] The method is therefore used to transmit sensor data, in particular sensor data of an ultrasonic sensor, from a sensor to a computer system, in particular in a vehicle. This is preceded by the emission of an ultrasonic burst ( Figure 1 Step α) and the reception of ultrasonic signals and the formation of electrical reception signals ( Figure 1 After that, data compression of the received signal is performed by detecting preferably at least two or three or more predetermined characteristics in the received signal ( Figure 1 Step γ) to generate compressed data ( Figure 1 Preferably, by sampling ( Figure 2 The step γa of converting the electrical received signal into a sampled received signal, which consists of a time-discrete stream of sample values. In this case, each sample value can typically be assigned a sampling instant as a timestamp of the sample value. The compression can be performed, for example, by wavelet transformation ( Figure 2Step γb). For this purpose, the received ultrasound signal in the form of the sampled received signal is compared with a predetermined basic signal shape (referred to above as signal feature) by forming a correlation integral (also see Wikipedia for this term) between the predetermined basic signal shape and the sampled received signal, the basic signal shape being stored in a library, for example. The time sequence of basic signal shapes in the received signal correspondingly forms a signal object, which is assigned to one of a plurality of signal object classes. By forming the correlation integral, the spectral value belonging to this signal object class is determined for each of these signal object classes. Since this occurs continuously, the spectral values themselves represent a time-discrete instantaneous spectral value stream, wherein a timestamp can in turn be assigned to each spectral value. A mathematically equivalent alternative is to use a matched filter for each predetermined signal object class (basic signal shape). Since a plurality of signal object classes are usually used, which may also be subjected to different time extensions (see also "wavelet analysis"), a multidimensional vector of spectral values of the different signal object classes and their respective time-discrete streams of different time extensions are typically obtained in this way, wherein each of these multidimensional vectors is in turn assigned a time stamp. Each of these multidimensional vectors is a so-called eigenvector. It is therefore a time-discrete stream of eigenvectors. Preferably, each of these eigenvectors is in turn assigned a time stamp ( Figure 2 Step γb).

[0123] The continuous time shifting thus also results in a time dimension. The feature vectors of the spectral values can thus also be supplemented with past values or values that depend on them, for example, the time integral or derivative of one or more of these values or filtered values, etc. This can further increase the dimensionality of these feature vectors within the feature vector data stream. Therefore, in order to keep the workload low in the following text, it makes sense to limit the extraction of the feature vectors from the sampled received signal of the ultrasonic sensor to a few signal object classes. Thus, for example, a matched filter can then be used to continuously monitor the occurrence of these signal object classes in the received signal.

[0124] Particularly simple signal object classes include, for example, isosceles triangles and double peaks. In this case, the signal object class usually consists of a predetermined spectral coefficient vector, ie, of predetermined eigenvector values.

[0125] In order to determine the relevance of the spectral coefficients of the eigenvector of the ultrasound echo signal, the absolute values of the distances between these characteristics, i.e. the elements of the vector of instantaneous spectral coefficients (eigenvector) and at least one combination of these characteristics (prototype) in the form of a signal object class represented by a predetermined eigenvector (prototype or prototype vector) from a library of predetermined signal object class vectors are determined ( Figure 2 Preferably, the spectral coefficients of the eigenvector are normalized ( Figure 2 Step γc). The distance determined in this distance determination can, for example, consist of the sum of all differences between each spectral coefficient of the predetermined eigenvector (prototype or prototype vector) of the corresponding prototype and the corresponding normalized spectral coefficient of the current eigenvector of the ultrasonic echo signal. The Euclidean distance will be formed by the square root of the sum of the squares of all differences between each spectral coefficient of the predetermined eigenvector (prototype or prototype vector) of the prototype and the corresponding normalized spectral coefficient of the current eigenvector of the ultrasonic echo signal. However, this distance formation is usually too complicated. Other distance formation methods can be considered. A sign can then be assigned to each predetermined eigenvector (prototype or prototype vector) before normalization and, if necessary, parameters such as distance values and / or amplitudes can also be assigned. If the distance determined in this way is below a first threshold value and it is the minimum distance between the current eigenvector value and one of the predetermined eigenvector values (prototype vector or value of prototype vector), its sign continues to be used as the identified prototype. This results in a pair consisting of the timestamp of the identified prototype and the current eigenvector. Preferably, then, the data ( Figure 2 The step δ) - here the determined symbol that best characterizes the recognized prototype - and the transmission of, for example, the distance and the time of occurrence (time stamp) to the computer system is only performed if the absolute value of the distance is below the first threshold value and the recognized prototype is the prototype to be transmitted. It is possible that prototypes that are not to be recognized are also stored, for example, for noise, i.e., if reflections, etc. are not present. These data are not relevant for obstacle recognition and should therefore not be transmitted if necessary. Therefore, if the absolute value of the distance determined between the current feature vector value and the predetermined feature vector value (the value of the prototype or prototype vector) is below the first threshold value ( Figure 2 In step γe), the prototype is identified.

[0126] Therefore, it is preferred that the ultrasound echo signal itself is no longer transmitted, but only the symbols of the identified typical time signal profiles within the echo signal and the sequence of time stamps belonging to these signal profiles within a specific time period ( Figure 2Step δ). Preferably, for each identified signal object, only the symbol for the identified signal shape prototype, its parameters (e.g., amplitude and / or temporal extension of the envelope), and the time reference point (timestamp) at which the signal shape prototype appeared are transmitted as the identified signal object. The transmission of individual sampled values or the time instants at which threshold values were exceeded by the envelope of the sampled received signal, etc., is omitted. In this way, the selection of relevant prototypes results in significant data compression and a reduction in the required bus bandwidth.

[0127] Therefore, the presence of a characteristic combination is quantitatively detected by forming an estimated value (here, for example, an inverse distance between representatives of a predetermined signal object class in the form of a characteristic vector (prototype or prototype vector)), and compressed data is subsequently transmitted to the computer system if the absolute value of the estimated value (e.g., inverse distance) is greater than a second threshold value or the inverse estimated value is below a first threshold value. The signal processing unit of the ultrasonic sensor thus compresses the received signal to generate compressed data. The ultrasonic sensor then transmits this compressed data, preferably only the code (symbol) of the thus identified prototype, its amplitude and / or temporal extension, and the time of occurrence (time stamp), to the computer system. Transmitting data via the data bus between the ultrasonic sensor and the computer system thus minimizes EMC load, and other data, such as status data of the ultrasonic sensor for detecting system faults, can be transmitted to the computer system via the data bus between the ultrasonic sensor and the computer system within time intervals, thereby improving latency.

[0128] As stated within the scope of the present invention, data should be transmitted via the data bus with priority. In this context, notifications of safety-critical sensor failures (in this case, ultrasonic sensors) to the computer system have the highest priority, as they have a high probability of affecting the validity of the ultrasonic sensor's measurement data. This data is sent from the sensor to the computer system. Requests from the computer system to perform safety-related self-tests have the second highest priority. Such commands are sent from the computer system to the sensor. The ultrasonic sensor's own data has the third highest priority, as increased latency is not permitted. All other data has a (still) lower priority for transmission via the data bus.

[0129] It is particularly advantageous if the method for transmitting sensor data, in particular sensor data of an ultrasonic sensor, from a sensor to a computer system, in particular in a vehicle, comprises:

[0130] - transmitting an ultrasound burst, with a start (57) and an end (56) of transmitting said ultrasound burst,

[0131] - receiving an ultrasound signal and at a reception time (T E ) to form a received signal, and

[0132] - transmitting the compressed data to the computer system via a data bus, in particular a single-wire data bus, and causing the data transmission (54) from the sensor to the computer system to start with a start instruction (53) from the computer system to the sensor via the data bus and before the end (56) of transmitting the ultrasound burst, or after a start instruction (53) from the computer system to the sensor via the data bus and before the start (57) of transmitting the ultrasound burst, wherein the transmission (54) is then performed periodically after the start instruction (53) until the end of the data transmission (58), the end of the data transmission being located at the time of reception (T E ) after the end.

[0133] Therefore, as a first step in data compression, another variant of the proposed method provides for forming a feature vector signal (a feature vector stream with n feature vector values, where n is the dimension of the feature vector) from the received signal. Such a feature vector signal can include multiple analog and digital data signals. Thus, the feature vector signal represents a time sequence of more or less complex data / signal structures and, in the simplest case, can be understood as a vector signal composed of multiple sub-signals.

[0134] For example, it may be expedient to form first-order and / or higher-order time derivatives of the received signal or to form one or more integrals of the received signal, which are sub-signals within the eigenvector signal.

[0135] It is also possible to form an envelope signal of the received signal, which is then a sub-signal within the eigenvector signal.

[0136] Furthermore, it may be expedient to convolve the received signal with the transmitted ultrasound signal and thereby form a correlation signal, which can then be a sub-signal within the eigenvector signal. In this case, this signal can be used, on the one hand, as the transmitted ultrasound signal, which was used to control the driver of the transmitter, or, on the other hand, as a signal that was measured at the transmitter and thus better corresponds to the actually radiated sound waves.

[0137] Finally, it may be useful to detect the presence of predetermined signal objects by means of a matched filter and to form matched filter signals for corresponding signal objects of some of the predetermined signal objects. In this case, a matched filter is to be understood as a filter which optimizes the signal-to-noise ratio (SNR). Predefined signal objects are to be identified in an ultrasonic receive signal that is subject to interference. In this document, the terms "correlation filter", "signal matched filter (SAF)" or simply "matched filter" are also frequently used. The matched filter serves to optimally determine the presence of a known signal shape (detection), i.e., the presence of a predetermined signal object, also in the presence of interference (parameter estimation). The interference can be, for example, signals of other ultrasonic transmitters and / or ground echoes.

[0138] The matched filter output signal is then preferably a sub-signal within said eigenvector signal.

[0139] Certain events can be signaled in the individual sub-signals of the eigenvector signal. Within the meaning of the present invention, these events are signal primitives. Signal primitives therefore do not include signal shapes such as rectangular pulses or wavelets or other shapes of wave trains, but rather prominent points in the profile of the received signal and / or in the profile of a signal derived from the received signal, such as, for example, a derived envelope signal that can be obtained by filtering the received signal.

[0140] A further signal, which can be a sub-signal of the eigenvector signal, can, for example, detect whether the envelope of the received signal, i.e., the envelope signal, intersects a predefined third threshold value. This is thus a signal that signals the presence of a signal element in the received signal and, therefore, the presence of the eigenvector signal.

[0141] A further signal, which can be a sub-signal of the eigenvector signal, can, for example, detect whether the envelope of the received signal, i.e., the envelope signal, intersects a predetermined fourth threshold value in a rising direction, which can be identical to the third threshold value. This is thus a signal that signals the presence of a signal element object in the received signal and, therefore, the eigenvector signal.

[0142] A further signal, which can be a sub-signal of the eigenvector signal, can, for example, detect whether the envelope of the received signal, i.e., the envelope signal, intersects a predetermined fifth threshold value in a decreasing manner. This fifth threshold value can be the same as the third or fourth threshold value. This is thus a signal that signals the presence of a signal element object in the received signal and, therefore, the presence of the eigenvector signal.

[0143] Another signal, which can be a sub-signal of the eigenvector signal, can, for example, detect whether the envelope of the received signal, i.e., the envelope signal, has a maximum value above a sixth threshold value, which can be identical to the third to fifth threshold values described above. This is thus a signal that signals the presence of a signal element in the received signal and, therefore, the presence of the eigenvector signal.

[0144] Another signal, which can be a sub-signal of the eigenvector signal, can, for example, detect whether the envelope of the received signal, i.e., the envelope signal, has a minimum value above a seventh threshold value, which can be identical to the third to sixth threshold values described above. This is thus a signal that signals the presence of a signal element in the received signal and, therefore, the presence of the eigenvector signal.

[0145] In this case, it is preferably evaluated whether at least one preceding maximum of the envelope has a minimum distance to the minimum in order to avoid detecting noise. Other filtering methods are conceivable in this regard. It is also possible to check whether the time interval between the minimum and the preceding maximum is greater than a first temporal minimum distance. The fulfillment of these conditions sets a flag or signal, which itself is preferably a sub-signal of the eigenvector signal.

[0146] Likewise, the time distances and distances measured in amplitude of other signal objects should be checked in a similar manner to see whether they meet certain authenticity requirements, such as compliance with minimum time distances and / or minimum amplitude distances. From these checks, other analog, binary or digital sub-signals can also be derived, which further increase the dimensionality of the feature vector signal.

[0147] If necessary, the feature vector signal can be converted into a significant feature vector signal in the significance enhancement stage, for example, by linear mapping or by a higher-order matrix polynomial. However, practice has shown that this is not necessary at least for current requirements.

[0148] According to the proposed method, signal objects are identified within the received signal and classified into identified signal object classes based on the eigenvector signal or the significant eigenvector signal.

[0149] If, for example, the amplitude of the output signal of the matched filter, and therefore the amplitude of the sub-signals of the eigenvector signal, is above a threshold value (e.g., the eighth threshold value) of the matched filter, the signal object for which the matched filter is designed to detect can be considered identified. In this case, other parameters are preferably also taken into account. For example, if an ultrasonic burst with increasing frequency (so-called positive chirp) is transmitted during the burst, an echo with this modulation characteristic is also expected. If the signal shape of the envelope (e.g., the triangular signal shape of the envelope) locally corresponds to the expected signal shape in time but does not correspond to the modulation characteristic, it is not the echo of the transmitter, but rather an interference signal, possibly from another ultrasonic transmitter or an interference signal from an out-of-range source. In this regard, the system can then distinguish between intrinsic echoes and extraneous echoes, thereby assigning the same signal shape to two different signal objects, namely, the intrinsic echo and the extraneous echo. In this case, the transmission of the intrinsic echo from the sensor to the computer system via the data bus preferably takes precedence over the transmission of the extraneous echo, as the former is generally safety-related, while the second echo type is generally not.

[0150] Typically, during the identification process, at least one signal object parameter is assigned to each identified signal object or is determined for that signal object. This is preferably a timestamp indicating when the object was received. In this case, the timestamp can, for example, relate to the temporal start point of the signal object in the received signal, the temporal end point of the signal object, the temporal length of the signal object, the temporal position of the temporal center of gravity of the signal object, etc. Other signal object parameters such as amplitude, extension, etc. are also conceivable. Therefore, in a variant of the proposed method, at least one assigned signal object parameter is transmitted with a symbol for at least one signal object class to which the at least one identified signal object belongs. The signal object parameter is preferably a time value serving as a timestamp and indicates a temporal position suitable for inferring the time since the previous ultrasonic burst was transmitted. Preferably, the distance to the object is subsequently determined based on the time value thus determined and transmitted.

[0151] Finally, the identified signal object class is preferentially transmitted in the form of an assigned symbol with a time stamp, preferably together with the assigned signal object parameters. This transmission can also be performed using more complex data structures (records). For example, it is conceivable to first transmit the time of the identified safety-related signal object (e.g., a recognized obstacle), and then transmit the identified signal object class of the safety-related signal object. This further reduces waiting times.

[0152] In one embodiment, the method includes determining at least a chirp value as an assigned signal object parameter, wherein the assigned signal object parameter indicates whether the identified signal object is an echo of an ultrasound transmit burst having positive chirp, negative chirp, or nonlinear chirp characteristics. A "positive chirp" refers to an increase in frequency within a received signal object in the received signal. A "negative chirp" refers to a decrease in frequency within a received signal object in the received signal. A "nonlinear chirp" refers to a substantially constant frequency within a received signal object in the received signal.

[0153] Therefore, in a variant of the method, the confidence signal can also be formed by forming a correlation, for example, by forming a time-continuous or time-discrete correlation integral between the received signal or a signal derived from the received signal instead of the received signal, on the one hand, and a reference signal, on the other hand, such as the ultrasound transmission signal or another expected wavelet. The confidence signal is then typically a sub-signal of the eigenvector signal, i.e., a component of a eigenvector consisting of a sequence of vector sample values (eigenvector values).

[0154] In another variant of the method, a phase signal is also formed on this basis, which indicates, for example, a phase shift of the received signal or a signal formed from the received signal (e.g., a confidence signal) relative to a reference signal (e.g., the ultrasound transmit signal and / or another type of reference signal). The phase signal is then typically also a sub-signal of the eigenvector signal, i.e., a component of a eigenvector consisting of a sequence of vector sample values (eigenvector values).

[0155] Similarly, in another variant of the proposed method, a phase position confidence signal can be formed by correlating the phase signal or a signal derived from the phase signal with a reference signal, and this phase position confidence signal can be used as a sub-signal of the eigenvector signal. The phase position confidence signal is then typically also a sub-signal of the eigenvector signal, i.e., a component of a eigenvector consisting of a sequence of vector sample values (eigenvector values).

[0156] When evaluating the eigenvector signal, it may be expedient to compare the phase position confidence signal with one or more threshold values in order to generate a discretized phase position confidence signal, which itself can in turn be a sub-signal of the eigenvector signal.

[0157] In a variant of the proposed method, the evaluation of the eigenvector signal and / or the significant eigenvector signal can be performed so as to form one or more distance values between the eigenvector signal and one or more signal object prototype values for identifiable signal object classes. Such distance values can be Boolean, binary, discrete, digital, or analog values. Preferably, all distance values are logically interconnected in a nonlinear function. Thus, in the case of an expected triangular-shaped positive chirp echo, a received triangular-shaped negative chirp echo can be discarded. This discarding is a "nonlinear" process within the meaning of the present invention.

[0158] Conversely, the triangles in the received signal may have different shapes. This primarily relates to the amplitude of the triangles in the received signal. If the amplitude in the received signal is sufficiently large, for example, a matched filter assigned to the triangular signal provides a signal above a predetermined ninth threshold. In this case, for example, the signal object identified at the time of the crossing can be assigned to the signal object class (for the triangular signal). In this case, the distance value between the feature vector signal and the prototype (here, the ninth threshold) falls below one or more predetermined binary, digital, or analog distance values (here, 0 = intersection).

[0159] Within the scope of the present invention, it has been recognized that it is advantageous to first transmit the data of identified signal objects of very quickly arriving echoes from the sensor to the computer system, and only then transmit subsequent data of subsequently identified signal objects. Preferably, in this case, at least the identified signal object class and a timestamp are always transmitted, the timestamp preferably indicating when the signal object arrives again at the sensor. Within the scope of the identification process, scores can be assigned to the different signal objects considered for a segment of the received signal. These scores indicate the probability assigned to the presence of the signal object based on the estimation algorithm used. In the simplest case, such scores are binary. However, they are preferably complex, real, or integer numbers. For example, they can be determined distances. If multiple signal objects have high scores, it may sometimes be useful to also transmit data for identified signal objects with lower scores. To enable the computer system to process correctly, in this case, not only the data (symbol) of the identified signal object and the timestamp for the respective signal object should be transmitted, but also the determined score value. Rather than transmitting only the data (symbol) of the identified signal object and the time stamp for the signal object corresponding to that symbol, the data (symbol) of the signal object with the second smallest distance and the time stamp for the signal object corresponding to the second most probable symbol may also be transmitted. Thus, in this case, a hypothesis list consisting of two identified signal objects, their temporal positions, and additionally assigned score values is transmitted to the computer system. Similarly, a hypothesis list consisting of more than two symbols, their temporal positions, and additionally assigned score values for more than two identified signal objects may also be transmitted to the computer system.

[0160] Preferably, the data of the identified signal object classes and the assigned data (e.g., timestamp and score value of the respective identified signal object class), i.e., the assigned signal object parameters, are transmitted according to the FIFO principle. This ensures that the data of the reflection closest to the object is always transmitted first, and thus safety-critical collision situations of the vehicle with an obstacle are handled with probabilistic priority.

[0161] In addition to the transmission of measurement data, the fault status of the sensor can also be transmitted. If the sensor is determined by the self-test device to be "defective and the previously transmitted data may be erroneous", this can also be transmitted at the time of reception (T E) occurs during the measurement data evaluation. This ensures that the computer system can obtain knowledge about changes in the measurement data evaluation at the earliest possible moment and can discard the changes or process them in a different way. This is particularly important for emergency braking systems, since emergency braking is a safety-critical intervention that may only be initiated if the basic data have a corresponding confidence value, and is also particularly important for other driver assistance systems. Therefore, in contrast, the transmission of the measurement data, i.e., the transmission of data of an identified signal object class and / or the transmission of an assigned signal object parameter, is postponed and therefore given a lower priority. If a fault occurs in the sensor, it is also conceivable to abort the transmission. However, it is also possible that a fault appears to have occurred, but it is not certain that this fault exists. In this respect, it may be indicated in this case to continue the transmission. Therefore, the transmission of safety-critical faults of the sensor is preferably determined to be of higher priority.

[0162] In addition to the already described wavelets with an integral value of zero and signal segments with integral values other than zero, also referred to herein as wavelets, certain locations / phases in the profile of the received signal can also be understood as signal objects within the meaning of the present invention, which can be used for data compression and transmitted instead of sampled values of the received signal. These subsets of the set of possible signal elementary objects are hereinafter referred to as signal moments. Therefore, these signal profile points are a special form of the signal elementary objects within the meaning of the present invention.

[0163] The first possible signal profile point and thus the signal basic object is the intersection of the profile of the envelope signal (1) with the threshold value signal (SW) in the rising direction.

[0164] A second possible signal profile point and thus a signal basic object is the intersection of the profile of the envelope signal (1) with the threshold value signal (SW) in a falling direction.

[0165] A third possible signal profile point, and therefore a signal elementary object, is a local maximum or absolute maximum in the profile of the envelope signal (1) above the amplitude of the thirteenth threshold value signal (SW).

[0166] A fourth possible signal profile point, and therefore a signal basic object, is a local minimum or an absolute minimum in the profile of the envelope signal (1) above the threshold signal (SW).

[0167] It may be expedient to use threshold signals (SW) that are typical of signal base objects for these four exemplary types of signal curve points and for further types of signal curve points.

[0168] The temporal sequence of signal elementary objects is typically not arbitrary. This is exploited according to the invention since preferably not signal elementary objects with simple properties should be transmitted, but rather recognized patterns of the temporal sequence of these signal elementary objects, which then represent the actual signal objects. For example, if a triangular wavelet is expected in the envelope signal (1) with a sufficiently high amplitude, then in addition to the corresponding minimum level at the output of a matched filter suitable for detecting such a triangular wavelet, a time-dependent overshoot of said minimum level at the output of said matched filter can also be expected.

[0169] 1. The occurrence of a first possible signal curve point at which the amplitude of the envelope signal (1) crosses the threshold signal (SW) in a rising direction, and the temporally subsequent

[0170] 2. The occurrence of a second possible signal curve point at a maximum of the envelope signal (1) above one or the threshold signal (SW), and the temporally subsequent

[0171] 3. The occurrence of a third possible signal curve point when the envelope signal (1) crosses one or the threshold signal (SW) in a falling direction.

[0172] Thus, in this example, an exemplary signal object for a triangular wavelet consists of a predefined sequence of three signal elementary objects, with the aid of which a signal object is identified and assigned to a signal object class. This information is transmitted as a symbol for the signal object class and via parameters describing the identified signal object (e.g., in particular, the time of occurrence, i.e., a timestamp). Furthermore, exceeding the minimum level at the output of the matched filter is another example of a fifth possible signal curve point and, therefore, another possible signal elementary object.

[0173] The resulting grouping and time sequence of the identified signal elementary objects can itself be recognized, for example, by a Veterbi decoder, as a predefined expected grouping or time sequence of signal elementary objects and can therefore itself again represent a signal elementary object. Thus, the sixth possible signal curve point, and therefore the signal elementary object, is a time sequence of other signal elementary objects and / or such a predefined grouping.

[0174] If such a grouping of signal curve features or a temporal sequence of signal object classes is identified, it is preferred to transmit the symbol of the identified combined signal object class and at least one assigned signal object parameter rather than the transmission of individual signal elementary objects, as this saves a significant amount of data bus capacity. However, it is also possible that both are transmitted. In this case, the data (symbols) of the signal object class of the signal object are transmitted, which data are predefined temporal sequences and / or groupings of other signal elementary objects. To achieve compression, it is advantageous if at least one signal object class (symbol) of at least one of these other signal elementary objects is not transmitted.

[0175] The time grouping of signal elementary objects exists particularly when the time intervals of these signal elementary objects do not exceed a predefined distance. In the example mentioned above, the propagation time of the signal in the matched filter should be taken into account. Typically, the matched filter is allowed to be slower than the comparator. Therefore, the transformation of the output signal of the matched filter should have a fixed time relationship with the time of occurrence of the relevant signal moment.

[0176] Therefore, according to a variant of the present invention, a method for transmitting sensor data, particularly sensor data from an ultrasonic sensor, from a sensor to a computer system, particularly in a vehicle, is proposed. The method begins after transmitting an ultrasonic burst and receiving an ultrasonic signal to form a time-discrete received signal, the received signal consisting of a sequence of sample values. In this case, a time datum (time stamp) is assigned to each sample value. The method begins by determining at least two parameter signals from the sequence of sample values of the received signal using at least one suitable filter (e.g., a matched filter), each relating to the presence of a signal element object assigned to the respective parameter signal. The resulting parameter signal (eigenvector signal) is also constructed as a time-discrete sequence of respective parameter signal values (eigenvector values), each parameter signal value being associated with a datum (time stamp). Therefore, preferably, each parameter signal value (eigenvector value) is assigned exactly one time datum (time stamp). These parameter signals are collectively referred to below as eigenvector signals. The eigenvector signal is thus constructed as a time-discrete sequence of eigenvector signal values, each eigenvector signal value having n parameter signal values, each consisting of the parameter signal value and another parameter signal value, each having the same time datum (time stamp). In this case, n is the dimension of the individual eigenvector signal values, preferably the same from one eigenvector value to the next. Each eigenvector signal value thus formed is assigned the corresponding time data (time stamp). Next, the time profile of the eigenvector signal in the resulting n-dimensional phase space is evaluated and, by determining an evaluation value (e.g., a distance), an identified signal object is inferred. As explained above, a signal object in this case consists of a time sequence of signal elementary objects. In this case, the signal objects are typically assigned predefined symbols. Figuratively speaking, this involves checking whether the point pointed to by the n-dimensional eigenvector signal in the n-dimensional phase space, along its path through the n-dimensional phase space in a predetermined time sequence, is close to a predetermined point in the n-dimensional phase space at a distance less than a predetermined maximum distance. Thus, the eigenvector signal has a time profile. An evaluation value (e.g., a distance) is then calculated, which can, for example, reflect the probability of the presence of a certain sequence. This evaluation value, again assigned with the time data (time stamp), is then compared with a threshold vector, forming a Boolean result, which can have a first value and a second value. If the Boolean result has the first value for the time data (time stamp), the symbol of the signal object and the time data (time stamp) assigned to it are transmitted from the sensor to the computer system. Optionally, further parameters can be transmitted depending on the identified signal object.

[0177] Particularly preferably, data transmission in the vehicle occurs via a serial, bidirectional, single-wire data bus. In this case, the electrical return line is preferably provided by the vehicle body. Sensor data is preferably transmitted to the computer system using current modulation. Data for controlling the sensors is preferably transmitted to the sensors via the computer system using voltage modulation. According to the present invention, it has been recognized that the use of a PSI5 data bus and / or a DSI3 data bus is particularly suitable for data transmission. Furthermore, it has been recognized that data transmission to the computer system at a transmission rate of >200 kbit / s and data transmission from the computer system to the at least one sensor at a transmission rate of >10 kbit / s, preferably 20 kbit / s, is particularly advantageous. Furthermore, it has been recognized that data transmission from the sensor to the computer system should be modulated onto the data bus using a transmission current having a current intensity of less than 50 mA, preferably less than 5 mA, and preferably less than 2.5 mA. These buses must be adapted accordingly for these operating values. However, the basic principle remains. In order to carry out the above-described method, a computer system is required that has a data interface to the data bus, preferably to the single-wire data bus, wherein the computer system supports decompression of such compressed data. However, the computer system usually does not carry out a complete decompression, but, for example, only evaluates the timestamp and the identified signal object type. The sensor required for carrying out one of the above-described methods has at least one transmitter and at least one receiver for generating a received signal, which can also be combined into one or more transducers. In addition, the sensor has at least a device for processing and compressing the received signal and a data interface for transmitting the data to the computer system via the data bus, preferably via the single-wire data bus. For the data compression, the device preferably has at least one of the following units:

[0178] matched filters,

[0179] Comparator,

[0180] a threshold signal generating device for generating one or more threshold signals (SW),

[0181] A differentiator for forming derivatives,

[0182] an integrator to form the integrated signal,

[0183] Other filters,

[0184] an envelope former for generating an envelope signal from said received signal,

[0185] • A correlation filter for comparing the received signal, or a signal derived from the received signal, with a reference signal.

[0186] In a particularly simple form, the proposed method for transmitting sensor data, in particular sensor data of an ultrasonic sensor, from a sensor to a computer system, in particular in a vehicle, is carried out as follows:

[0187] This is preceded by, for example, the emission of an ultrasonic burst and the reception of an ultrasonic signal, which typically involves reflections and the formation of a time-discrete received signal consisting of a time series of sampled values. In this case, each sampled value is assigned a time datum (time stamp). This time datum typically reflects the moment of sampling. Based on this data stream, according to the present invention, a first parameter signal having a first characteristic is determined from the sequence of sampled values of the received signal using a first filter. In this case, the parameter signal is preferably again constructed as a time-discrete sequence of parameter signal values. Each parameter signal value is again assigned exactly one time datum (time stamp). Preferably, this datum corresponds to the most recent time datum of the sampled value used to form the corresponding parameter signal value. Temporally parallel to this, at least one additional parameter signal and / or a characteristic assigned to the additional parameter signal is determined from the sequence of sampled values of the received signal, preferably using additional filters assigned to the additional parameter signals. Each additional parameter signal is again constructed as a time-discrete sequence of additional parameter signal values. Here, each additional parameter signal value is also assigned the same time datum (time stamp) as the corresponding parameter signal value.

[0188] In the following, the first parameter signal and the further parameter signal are collectively referred to as a parameter vector signal or also as a feature vector signal. Thus, the feature vector signal represents a time-discrete sequence of feature vector signal values, which consist of parameter signal values and further parameter signal values, each having the same time data (time stamp). Thus, each feature vector signal value thus formed, i.e., each parameter signal value, can be assigned the corresponding time data (time stamp).

[0189] The feature vector signal values of the time data (time stamps) are then preferably compared quasi-continuously with a threshold vector (preferably a prototype vector), and a Boolean result is formed, which can have a first value and a second value. For example, it is conceivable to compare the absolute value of the current feature vector signal value, representing, for example, the first component of the feature vector signal value, with a threshold value representing the first component of the threshold vector, and to set the Boolean result to the first value if the absolute value of the feature vector signal value is less than the threshold value, and to the second value if it is not less than the threshold value. If the Boolean result has the first value, it is further conceivable to compare the absolute value of another feature vector signal value, for example, representing another component of the feature vector signal, with another threshold value representing another component of the threshold vector, and to retain the Boolean result at the first value if the absolute value of the another feature vector signal value is less than the threshold value, or to set the Boolean result to the second value if it is not less than the threshold value. In this way, all other feature vector signal values can be checked. Of course, other classifiers are also conceivable. Comparisons with multiple different threshold vectors are also possible. These threshold vectors thus represent prototypes with a predetermined signal shape. They are derived from the library.Again preferably a sign is assigned to each threshold vector.

[0190] Then, as a final step in this case, the symbol and, if necessary, also the characteristic vector signal value and the time data (time stamp) assigned to the symbol or the characteristic vector signal value are transmitted from the sensor to the computer system if the Boolean result has a first value for this time data (time stamp).

[0191] Therefore, all other data are not (any longer) transmitted. Furthermore, interference is avoided by the multidimensional evaluation.

[0192] Based on this, a sensor system is proposed. The sensor system includes at least one computer system capable of performing one of the above-described methods and at least two sensors also capable of performing one of the above-described methods. The at least two sensors can communicate with the computer system through signal object recognition and can also compactly transmit incoming echoes and provide this information to the computer system. The sensor system is typically configured such that data transmission between the at least two sensors and the computer system operates or can operate according to the above-described method. Ultrasonic receive signals, i.e., at least two ultrasonic receive signals, are compressed in each of the at least two sensors of the sensor system, typically using one of the above-described methods, and transmitted to the computer system. In this case, the at least two ultrasonic receive signals are reconstructed in the computer system into a reconstructed ultrasonic receive signal. The computer system then uses the reconstructed ultrasonic receive signal to perform object recognition of objects in the sensor environment. Thus, in contrast to the prior art, the sensors do not perform object recognition. They only provide coded data regarding the identified signal objects and their parameters, thus transmitting the receive signal profile in compressed form.

[0193] Preferably, the computer system additionally detects objects, ie obstacles in the sensor environment, with the aid of the reconstructed ultrasound reception signal and, if appropriate, additional signals from further sensors, in particular signals from a radar sensor.

[0194] As a final step, the computer system preferably creates an environment map for the sensor or the device to which the sensor belongs or which has the sensor as a component, based on the identified objects.

[0195] The proposed transmission of compressed signal profile data between the sensor and the computer system via a data bus, as proposed according to the present invention, reduces the data bus load and thus the criticality for EMC requirements. Furthermore, it provides additional free data bus capacity for transmitting control commands from the computer system to the sensor and for transmitting status information and other data from the sensor to the computer system. The proposed priority for transmitting compressed data of the received signal profile and other data (such as status information or fault messages) ensures that safety-related data is transmitted first, thus preventing unnecessary sensor downtime.

[0196] Figure 3 Part (a) of FIG. 1 shows the time profile of a conventional ultrasound echo signal (1) (see the wider solid line) and its conventional evaluation in freely selectable units. Starting from the emission of the transmit burst (SB) (see the signal profile segment shown on the far left and Figure 3The output (2) (see the thinner solid line) is set to logic 1 whenever the envelope signal of the ultrasound echo signal (1) exceeds the threshold signal (SW). This is a time-dependent analog interface with digital output levels. Further evaluation is then performed in the sensor's control unit. It is not possible to signal faults or control the sensor via this analog interface, as is the case with the prior art.

[0197] Figure 3 Part (b) shows the time profile of a conventional ultrasonic echo signal (1) and its conventional evaluation in freely selectable units. Starting with the emission of a transmit burst (SB), a threshold signal (SW) is carried. However, now, whenever the envelope signal of the ultrasonic echo signal (1) exceeds the threshold signal (SW), the output (2) is set to a level corresponding to the magnitude of the detected reflection (see the thicker dot-dash line). This is a time analog interface with analog output levels. Further evaluation is then performed in the sensor. It is not possible to signal a fault or control the sensor via this analog interface corresponding to the prior art.

[0198] Figure 3 Part (c) shows an ultrasonic echo signal for explanation, wherein chirp directions (eg, A=positive chirp, B=negative chirp) are marked by hatching from upper left to lower right or from lower left to upper right.

[0199] exist Figure 3 The principle of symbolic signal transmission is explained in part (d) of FIG. 1 . For example, only two types of (triangle) signal objects are transmitted here instead of Figure 3 Specifically, they are the first triangular object (A) (both for the positive chirp case and the negative chirp case) Figure 3 (d) of the diagram) and a second triangular object (B) (shown for a negative chirp). At the same time, the instant and peak value and, if necessary, the base width of the triangular object are transmitted. If a signal reconstruction is now performed based on these data, the corresponding Figure 3 The signal in part (d) of FIG. Signal components that do not correspond to the triangular signal are removed from this signal. Thus, the unidentified signal components have been discarded, resulting in a significant amount of data compression.

[0200] Figure 4a An unclaimed conventional analog transmission of the intersection of an envelope signal (1) of an ultrasound echo signal and a threshold signal (SW) is shown.

[0201] Figure 4b The non-claimed transmission of analyzed data after complete reception of the ultrasound echo is shown.

[0202] Figure 4c The claimed transmission of compressed data is shown, wherein in this example the symbols for the signal elementary objects are transmitted substantially without compression.

[0203] Figure 5 The claimed transmission of compressed data is shown, wherein in this example the symbols for the signal elementary objects are compressed into symbols for the signal objects. First, a first triangular object (59) is identified and transmitted, which is characterized by a time sequence consisting of threshold exceeding, maximum value and below threshold value (see Figure 5 The time series of signal change curve points 5, 6, and 7 in the time change curve of the ultrasonic echo signal in the upper figure). Then, a double peak with a saddle point (60) above the threshold signal is identified. The characteristic here is a time series consisting of the envelope signal (1) exceeding the threshold signal (SW), the maximum value of the envelope signal (1), the minimum value above the threshold signal (SW), the maximum value above the threshold signal (SW), and the value below the threshold signal (SW) (see the signal change curve points 8, 9, 10, 11, and 12 in the upper figure). After identification, the sign of the double peak with the saddle point is transmitted. In this case, the time stamp is also transmitted together. Preferably, other parameters of the double peak with the saddle point are also transmitted together, such as the position of the maximum and minimum values, or the scaling factor. Then, as the envelope signal exceeds the threshold signal (SW), followed by the maximum value of the envelope signal, and then again the envelope signal is below the threshold signal (SW) (see the signal change curve points 13, 14, and 15 in the upper figure), a triangular signal (61) (i.e., a signal basic object) is identified. Then, a double peak (62) is again identified, but now the minimum of the envelope signal is below the threshold signal (SW) (see signal curve points 16, 17, 18, 19, 20, 21 in the figure above). Therefore, this double peak can be processed as a separate signal object, for example. Finally, a triangular signal is identified from the signal curve points 22, 23, 24 in the figure above. It can be easily seen that this processing of the signal results in a significant data reduction.

[0204] Figure 6 Shown according to Figure 3 The claimed transmission of compressed data of , wherein in this example not only the envelope but also the confidence signal is evaluated. Figure 6 In the upper and middle figures of FIG, the threshold signal is indicated by a thick dashed line. It can be seen that the received signal is evaluated only when the received signal exceeds the threshold signal. Figure 6 The dotted signal curve lines in the middle diagram of FIG. 1 show that the signal object is modulated with positive or negative linear frequency modulation (see also FIG. 2 ). Figure 3(c) and (d) of FIG. 1 , wherein the positive chirp and the negative chirp are distinguished by hatching with different slopes. An upward dotted signal line variation curve indicates that the signal object has been identified as a modulation of a positive chirp, while a downward dotted signal line variation curve indicates that the signal object has been identified as a modulation of a negative chirp.

[0205] For the above and following content, attention should be paid to the following defined terms:

[0206] -Signal object is also called signal change curve object

[0207] -Signal object class is also called signal change curve object class

[0208] - Symbol is the identifier of the signal curve object class

[0209] - Signal object parameters are synonymous with object parameters

[0210] -The basic shape of the signal refers to the characteristics of the signal change curve.

[0211] By definition, a signal object consists of one or more signal primitives, meaning a signal curve object consists of one or more signal curve features. Signal objects belong to one of several signal object classes. They can be described by one or more signal object parameters, such as position, size, deformation, and extension.

[0212] The basic signal object can also become the basic feature of the signal change curve, that is, the signal change curve feature.

[0213] Parameters also describe the shape of the signal object.

[0214] A parameter signal consists of multiple parameter signal values.

[0215] The eigenvector signal is composed of multiple parameter signals.

[0216] The value of the feature vector signal is composed of multiple parameter signal values.

[0217] A plurality of parameter signals forms the feature vector signal.A feature vector signal value, also referred to as a parameter vector signal value, comprises a plurality of parameter signal values.

[0218] The following describes various embodiments of the present invention, wherein it should be noted that the feature groups described below can be combined with each other arbitrarily (the reference numerals refer to Figure 1 and 2 , and are merely exemplary and therefore should not be construed restrictively):

[0219] 1. A method for transmitting sensor data, in particular sensor data of an ultrasonic sensor, from a sensor to a computer system, in particular in a vehicle,

[0220] - Sending ultrasound bursts;

[0221] - receiving an ultrasonic signal and forming a received signal;

[0222] - performing data compression on the received signal to generate compressed data;

[0223] - transmitting said compressed data to said computer system.

[0224] 2. A method for transmitting sensor data, in particular sensor data of an ultrasonic sensor, from a sensor to a computer system, in particular in a vehicle,

[0225] - transmitting an ultrasound burst having a start 57 and an end 56 of transmitting said ultrasound burst;

[0226] - receiving an ultrasound signal and at a reception time T from at least the end 56 of transmitting said ultrasound burst E A receiving signal is formed internally;

[0227] - transmitting the compressed data to the computer system via a data bus, in particular a single-wire data bus;

[0228] - wherein data transmission from said sensor to said computer system 54

[0229] - starts with a start instruction 53 from the computer system via the data bus to the sensor and before the end 56 of transmitting the ultrasound burst, or

[0230] - starts after a start instruction 53 from the computer system via the data bus to the sensor and before the start 57 of transmitting the ultrasound burst, and

[0231] wherein the transmission 54 is performed periodically and continuously after the start instruction 53 until the end of the data transmission 58, and

[0232] - wherein the end of the data transmission 58 is located temporally at the reception time T E After the end of.

[0233] 3. A method for transmitting sensor data, in particular sensor data of an ultrasonic sensor, from a sensor to a computer system, in particular in a vehicle,

[0234] - transmitting ultrasound bursts;

[0235] - receiving an ultrasonic signal and forming a received signal;

[0236] - forming an eigenvector signal from the received signal;

[0237] identifying signal profile features within the received signal and classifying the signal profile features into identified signal profile feature categories, wherein at least one assigned signal profile feature parameter is assigned to each identified signal profile feature or at least one assigned signal profile feature parameter is determined for the signal profile feature;

[0238] Prioritizing the transmission of at least one identified signal profile characteristic class and the at least one associated signal profile characteristic parameter.

[0239] 4. The method according to claim 3, wherein the at least one assigned signal characteristic parameter transmitted together with the at least one identified signal characteristic class is a time value indicating a time position suitable for being able to infer the time since the emission of the preceding ultrasonic burst.

[0240] 5. The method according to item 4, comprising the additional step of determining the distance of the obstacle object based on the time value.

[0241] 6. The method according to figure 3 includes the following steps: determining a linear frequency modulation value as an assigned signal change curve characteristic parameter, which signal change curve characteristic parameter indicates whether the identified signal change curve characteristic is an echo of an ultrasonic emission burst pulse with positive linear frequency modulation, negative linear frequency modulation or nonlinear frequency modulation characteristics.

[0242] 7. The method according to item 3, comprising the step of generating a confidence signal by forming a correlation between the received signal or a signal derived from the received signal and a reference signal.

[0243] 8. The method according to number 3 comprises the following steps: generating a phase signal.

[0244] 9. The method according to item 8, comprising the step of generating a phase position confidence signal by forming a correlation between the phase signal or a signal derived from the phase signal and a reference signal.

[0245] 10. The method according to item 9, comprising the step of comparing the phase position confidence signal with one or more thresholds to generate a discrete phase position confidence signal.

[0246] 11. The method according to item 3, comprising the following steps:

[0247] forming at least one binary, digital or analog distance value between the characteristic vector signal and one or more signal profile feature prototype values for a recognizable signal profile feature class;

[0248] - assigning a recognizable signal profile feature category as a recognized signal profile feature when the distance value falls below one or more predetermined binary, digital or analog distance values.

[0249] 12. The method according to item 3, wherein at least one signal characteristic class is a wavelet.

[0250] 13. The method of number 12, wherein the at least one wavelet is a triangular wavelet.

[0251] 14. The method of number 12, wherein the at least one wavelet is a rectangular wavelet.

[0252] 15. The method of number 12, wherein the at least one wavelet is a half-sine wavelet.

[0253] 16. The method of item 12, wherein one of the signal object parameters is

[0254] - the time displacement of the wavelet characteristic of the identified signal curve, or

[0255] - time compression or expansion of the wavelet of the identified signal curve characteristics, or

[0256] - The amplitude of the wavelet that characterizes the identified signal curve.

[0257] 17. The method according to item 3, wherein the transmission of the at least one identified signal profile characteristic class and the at least one assigned signal profile characteristic parameter is performed according to the FIFO principle.

[0258] 18. The method according to item 3, wherein the transmission of the fault state of the sensor

[0259] - with respect to the transmission of the at least one identified signal profile characteristic class and / or - with respect to the transmission of the assigned signal profile characteristic parameter

[0260] Performed with higher priority.

[0261] 19. The method according to item 3, wherein the signal curve characteristic is an intersection of the amplitude of the envelope signal 1 and the amplitude of the threshold signal SW in an increasing direction.

[0262] 20. The method according to item 3, wherein the signal profile characteristic is an intersection of the amplitude of the envelope signal 1 and the amplitude of the threshold signal SW in a decreasing direction.

[0263] 21. The method according to item 3, wherein the signal profile characteristic is a maximum value of the amplitude of the envelope signal 1 above the amplitude of the threshold signal SW.

[0264] 22. The method according to item 3, wherein the signal profile characteristic is a minimum value of the amplitude of the envelope signal 1 above the amplitude of the threshold signal SW.

[0265] 23. The method according to item 3, wherein the signal profile feature is a predefined time series and / or time grouping of other signal profile features.

[0266] 24. A method according to number 23, wherein the transmission of the at least one identified signal change curve feature category and the at least one assigned signal change curve feature parameter is the transmission of the signal change curve feature category as a signal change curve feature of a predefined time series of other signal change curve features, and wherein at least one signal change curve feature category of at least one of the other signal change curve features is not transmitted.

[0267] 25. The method of claim 1 or 3, wherein the data transmission is performed via a bidirectional single-wire data bus, wherein the sensor sends the data to the computer system in a current-modulated manner, and wherein the computer system sends the data to the sensor in a voltage-modulated manner.

[0268] 26. The method according to item 25, characterized in that the data transmission is performed using a PSI5 data bus and / or a DSI3 data bus.

[0269] 27. The method according to number 25, wherein the data is transmitted to the computer system at a transmission rate of >200 kbit / s and the data is transmitted from the computer system to the at least one sensor at a transmission rate of >10 kbit / s, preferably 20 kbit / s.

[0270] 28. The method according to item 25, wherein, for transmitting data from the sensor to the computer system, a transmission current is modulated onto the data bus, and wherein the current intensity of the transmission current is <50 mA, preferably <5 mA.

[0271] 29. A sensor, in particular an ultrasonic sensor, suitable for carrying out the method according to one or more of numbers 1 to 28.

[0272] 30. A computer system adapted to execute the method according to one or more of numbers 1 to 28.

[0273] 31. A method for transmitting sensor data, in particular sensor data of an ultrasonic sensor, from a sensor to a computer system, in particular in a vehicle, comprising or including the following steps:

[0274] - transmitting an ultrasound burst α;

[0275] - receiving an ultrasonic signal and forming a received signal β;

[0276] - performing data compression on the received signal to generate compressed data γ;

[0277] - transmitting said compressed data to said computer system δ.

[0278] 32. A method for transmitting sensor data, in particular sensor data of an ultrasonic sensor, from a sensor to a computer system, in particular in a vehicle, comprising or including the following steps:

[0279] - transmitting an ultrasound burst having a start 57 and an end 56α of transmitting said ultrasound burst;

[0280] - receiving an ultrasound signal and at a reception time T from at least the end 56 of transmitting said ultrasound burst E The received signal β is formed inside;

[0281] - transmitting the compressed data γ, δ to the computer system via a data bus, in particular a single-wire data bus;

[0282] - wherein data transmission from said sensor to said computer system 54

[0283] upon a start instruction 53 from the computer system via the data bus to the sensor and before the end 56 of transmitting the ultrasound burst, or

[0284] starts after a start instruction 53 from the computer system via the data bus to the sensor and before the start 57 of transmitting the ultrasound burst, and

[0285] wherein the transmission 54 is performed periodically and continuously after the start instruction 53 until the end of the data transmission 58, and

[0286] - wherein the end of the data transmission 58 is located temporally at the reception time T E After the end of.

[0287] 33. A method for transmitting sensor data, in particular sensor data of an ultrasonic sensor, from a sensor to a computer system, in particular in a vehicle, comprising or including the following steps:

[0288] - transmitting ultrasound bursts;

[0289] - receiving an ultrasonic signal and forming a received signal;

[0290] - forming an eigenvector signal from the received signal;

[0291] - identifying signal objects within the received signal and classifying the signal objects into identified signal object classes,

[0292] wherein each signal object thus identified and classified is assigned at least one assigned signal object parameter and a symbol corresponding to the signal object class assigned to said signal object, or

[0293] wherein for each signal object thus identified and classified, at least one assigned signal object parameter and a symbol for said signal object are determined;

[0294] - transmitting at least one symbol of the identified signal object class and at least one assigned signal object parameter of said identified signal object class.

[0295] 34. The method of number 33, wherein at least one symbol of an identified signal object class and at least one assigned signal object parameter of the identified signal object class are preferentially transmitted.

[0296] 35. A method according to one or more of numbers 33 to 34, wherein at least one assigned signal object parameter transmitted together with at least one identified signal object class is a time value indicating a time position from which the time since the emission of a previous ultrasonic burst pulse can be inferred.

[0297] 36. The method according to one or more of numbers 34 or 35, comprising the additional steps of:

[0298] - determining a determined distance of the object as a function of said time value.

[0299] 37. The method according to one or more of numbers 33 to 36, comprising the additional step of:

[0300] - determining a chirp value as an assigned signal object parameter, which chirp value indicates whether the identified signal object is an echo of an ultrasound transmission burst with a positive chirp, a negative chirp or a non-linear chirp characteristic.

[0301] 38. The method according to one or more of numbers 33 to 37, comprising the additional step of:

[0302] - generating a confidence signal by forming a correlation between the received signal or a signal derived from the received signal on the one hand and a reference signal on the other hand.

[0303] 39. The method according to one or more of numbers 33 to 38, comprising the additional step of:

[0304] -Generate a phase signal.

[0305] 40. The method of claim 39, comprising the additional step of:

[0306] - generating a phase position confidence signal by forming a correlation between, on the one hand, the phase signal or a signal derived from the phase signal and a reference signal.

[0307] 41. The method according to item 40, comprising the additional steps of:

[0308] - comparing the phase position confidence signal with one or more thresholds to generate a discrete phase position confidence signal.

[0309] 42. The method according to one or more of numbers 33 to 41, comprising the additional step of:

[0310] - forming at least one binary, digital or analog distance value between the feature vector signal and one or more signal object prototype values for identifiable signal object classes;

[0311] - assigning the recognizable signal object class as a recognized signal object when the absolute value of the distance value is numerically lower than one or more predetermined binary, digital or analog distance values.

[0312] 43. The method according to one or more of numbers 33 to 42, wherein at least one signal object class is a wavelet.

[0313] 44. The method of number 43, wherein the at least one wavelet is a triangular wavelet.

[0314] 45. The method according to one or more of numbers 43 to 44, wherein the at least one wavelet is a rectangular wavelet.

[0315] 46. The method of one or more of numbers 43 to 45, wherein the at least one wavelet is a half-sine wavelet.

[0316] 47. The method according to one or more of numbers 43 to 46, wherein one of the signal object parameters is

[0317] the time displacement of the wavelet of the identified signal object, or

[0318] · temporal compression or expansion of the wavelet of the identified signal objects, or

[0319] • The amplitude of the wavelet of the identified signal object.

[0320] 48. A method according to one or more of numbers 33 to 47, wherein the at least one identified signal object class and the at least one assigned signal object parameter are transmitted according to a FIFO principle, wherein the FIFO principle means that an identified signal object class with an earlier timestamp is transmitted earlier than an identified signal object class with a later timestamp.

[0321] 49. The method according to one or more of numbers 33 to 48, wherein the transmission of the fault state of the sensor

[0322] Transmission with respect to said at least one identified signal object class and / or

[0323] Transmission of parameters relative to the allocated signal object

[0324] Performed with higher priority.

[0325] 50. The method according to one or more of numbers 33 to 49, wherein the signal object comprises a combination of two or three or four or more signal basic objects.

[0326] 51. The method according to claim 50, wherein the signal elementary object is the intersection of the absolute value of the amplitude of the envelope signal 1 and the absolute value of the threshold signal SW at the intersection instant.

[0327] 52. The method according to one or more of numbers 50 to 51, wherein the signal elementary object is the intersection of the absolute value of the amplitude of the envelope signal 1 and the absolute value of the threshold signal SW in a rising direction at the intersection instant.

[0328] 53. The method according to one or more of numbers 50 to 52, wherein the signal elementary object is the intersection of the absolute value of the amplitude of the envelope signal 1 and the absolute value of the threshold signal SW in a falling direction at the intersection instant.

[0329] 54. The method according to one or more of numbers 50 to 53, wherein the signal elementary object is the maximum of the absolute value of the amplitude of the envelope signal 1 above the absolute value of the threshold signal SW at the maximum moment.

[0330] 55. The method according to one or more of numbers 50 to 54, wherein the signal elementary object is a minimum of the absolute value of the amplitude of the envelope signal 1 above the absolute value of the threshold signal SW at the time of the minimum.

[0331] 56. The method according to one or more of numbers 50 to 55, wherein a signal elementary object is a predefined time sequence and / or time grouping of other signal elementary objects.

[0332] 57. A method according to one or more of numbers 33 to 56, wherein transmitting at least one symbol of an identified signal object class and at least one assigned signal object parameter of the identified signal object class is transmitting a signal object class that is a predefined time sequence of other signal objects, and wherein at least one signal object class is not transmitted for at least one of these other signal objects.

[0333] 58. The method according to one or more of items 31 to 57,

[0334] - wherein the data transmission is carried out via a bidirectional single-wire data bus,

[0335] - wherein the sensor sends the data to the computer system in a current-modulated manner, and

[0336] - wherein the computer system sends data to the sensor in a voltage-modulated manner.

[0337] 59. The method according to claim 58, characterized in that the data transmission is performed using a PSI5 data bus and / or a DSI3 data bus.

[0338] 60. A method according to one or more of numbers 58 or 59, wherein data is transmitted to the computer system at a transmission rate greater than 200 kbit / s, and data is transmitted from the computer system to the at least one sensor at a transmission rate greater than 10 kbit / s, preferably 20 kbit / s.

[0339] 61. A method according to one or more of numbers 58, 59 or 60, wherein, in order to transmit data from the sensor to the computer system, an emission current is modulated onto the data bus, and wherein the current intensity of the emission current is less than 50 mA, preferably less than 5 mA.

[0340] 62. A method for transmitting sensor data, in particular sensor data of an ultrasonic sensor, from a sensor to a computer system, in particular in a vehicle, comprising the steps of:

[0341] - transmitting ultrasound bursts;

[0342] - receiving an ultrasonic signal and forming a time-discrete received signal consisting of a sequence of sample values,

[0343] - wherein time data (time stamp) is assigned to each sample value;

[0344] - determining a first parameter signal having a first characteristic from the sequence of sampled values of the received signal by means of a first filter,

[0345] wherein the parameter signal is constructed as a time-discrete sequence of parameter signal values, and

[0346] wherein each parameter signal value is assigned exactly one time datum (time stamp);

[0347] determining at least one further parameter signal assigned to a characteristic of the further parameter signal from the sequence of sampled values of the received signal by means of a further filter assigned to the further parameter signal,

[0348] wherein the further parameter signals are each constructed as a time-discrete sequence of further parameter signal values, and

[0349] wherein each further parameter signal value is respectively assigned the same time data (time stamp) as the corresponding parameter signal value, and

[0350] wherein the first parameter signal and the further parameter signal are together referred to hereinafter as eigenvector signal, and

[0351] wherein the characteristic vector signal is thus constructed as a time-discrete sequence of characteristic vector signal values, also referred to below as characteristic vector signal values, which consists of parameter signal values and further parameter signal values, each having the same time data (time stamp), and

[0352] wherein each characteristic vector signal value formed in this way is assigned the corresponding time data (time stamp);

[0353] - comparing the signal value of the feature vector of the time data with a threshold vector, while forming a Boolean result, which may have a first value and a second value;

[0354] - transmitting the characteristic vector signal value and the time data (time stamp) assigned to the characteristic vector signal value from the sensor to the computer system if the Boolean result has a first value for the time data (time stamp).

[0355] 63. A method for transmitting sensor data, in particular sensor data of an ultrasonic sensor, from a sensor to a computer system, in particular in a vehicle, comprising the steps of:

[0356] - transmitting ultrasound bursts;

[0357] - receiving an ultrasonic signal and forming a time-discrete received signal consisting of a sequence of sample values,

[0358] - wherein time data (time stamp) is assigned to each sample value;

[0359] - determining at least two parameter signals from the sequence of sampled values of the received signal by means of at least one filter, each relating to the presence of a signal elementary object assigned to the respective parameter signal,

[0360] wherein the parameter signal is constructed as a time-discrete sequence of corresponding parameter signal values, and

[0361] wherein each parameter signal value is assigned exactly one time datum;

[0362] wherein the first parameter signal and the further parameter signal are together referred to hereinafter as eigenvector signal, and

[0363] wherein the feature vector signal is thus constructed as a time-discrete sequence of feature vector signal values, which consists of parameter signal values and further parameter signal values, each having the same time data (time stamp), and

[0364] wherein each characteristic vector signal value formed in this way is assigned the corresponding time data (time stamp);

[0365] - evaluating the time profile of the characteristic vector signal and, by determining an evaluation value (distance) with the time profile, inferring a signal object, which consists of a time sequence of signal elementary objects and is assigned a sign,

[0366] - comparing the evaluation value of the time data (time stamp) with a threshold vector, while forming a Boolean result, which can have a first value and a second value;

[0367] - transmitting the sign of the signal object and the time data (time stamp) assigned to the sign from the sensor to the computer system if the Boolean result has a first value for the time data (time stamp).

[0368] 64. A sensor, in particular an ultrasonic sensor, which is suitable or configured to carry out the method according to one or more of numbers 32 to 63.

[0369] 65. A computer system adapted or arranged to carry out the method according to one or more of numbers 32 to 63.

[0370] 66. A sensor system,

[0371] - having at least one computer system according to number 63, and

[0372] - having at least two sensors according to number 65,

[0373] wherein the sensor system is configured such that a data transmission between the sensor and the computer system is or can be performed according to the method according to one or more of numbers 32 to 63 .

[0374] 67. The sensor system according to number 66,

[0375] wherein the ultrasound reception signals, ie at least two ultrasound reception signals, are compressed in the sensors by means of a method according to one or more of the methods according to numbers 32 to 63 and transmitted to the computer system, and

[0376] - wherein the at least two ultrasound receive signals are reconstructed into a reconstructed ultrasound receive signal within the computer system.

[0377] 68. The sensor system according to number 67, wherein the computer system performs object recognition on objects in the environment of the sensor with the help of the reconstructed ultrasound receive signal.

[0378] 69. Sensor system according to number 68, wherein the computer system performs object recognition of objects in the environment of the sensor with the aid of the reconstructed ultrasound reception signal and additional signals of further sensors, in particular signals of a radar sensor.

[0379] 70. The sensor system of one or more of numbers 68 or 69, wherein the computer system creates an environment map for the sensor or a device of which the sensor is a part based on the identified objects.

[0380] List of reference symbols

[0381] α-emission ultrasonic burst

[0382] β receives the ultrasonic burst pulse reflected by the object and converts it into an electrical receiving signal

[0383] gamma compressing the electrical reception signal and forming a sampled electrical reception signal, wherein preferably a time stamp can be assigned to each sample value of the electrical reception signal

[0384] γb is determined, for example, by a matched filter for the signal object class. The multiple spectral values together form a feature vector. Preferably, the formation occurs continuously, so that a stream of feature vector values is obtained. Each feature vector value can preferably again be assigned a timestamp value.

[0385] γc Optionally, but preferably, the eigenvector spectral coefficients of the corresponding eigenvectors of the time stamp values are normalized before being correlated with the signal object classes in the form of predetermined eigenvector values of the prototype library.

[0386] γd determines the distance between the current feature vector value and the value of the signal object class in the form of a predetermined feature vector value of the prototype library

[0387] γe selects the most similar signal object class in the form of a predetermined feature vector value from the (prototype) library, which preferably has the smallest distance to the current feature vector, and accepts the symbol of the signal object class as the recognized signal object together with the time stamp value as compressed data. If necessary, additional data, in particular signal object parameters such as their amplitude, can also be accepted as compressed data. The compressed data then forms the compressed image of the received signal.

[0388] δ transmits the compressed electrical received signal to the computer system:

[0389] 1Envelope of the received ultrasonic signal

[0390] 2 Output signal (transmitted information) of the IO interface according to the prior art

[0391] 3 Information transmitted according to the prior art LIN interface

[0392] 4 The first intersection of the envelope 1 of the received signal and the threshold signal SW in the downward direction

[0393] 5 The first intersection of the envelope 1 and the threshold signal SW in the upward direction

[0394] 6 First maximum of envelope 1 above threshold signal SW

[0395] 7 The second intersection of the envelope 1 and the threshold signal SW in the downward direction

[0396] 8 The second intersection of the envelope 1 and the threshold signal SW in the upward direction

[0397] 9 Second maximum value of envelope 1 above threshold signal SW

[0398] 10 First minimum of envelope 1 above threshold signal SW

[0399] 11 The third maximum value of envelope 1 above the threshold signal SW

[0400] 12 The third intersection of envelope 1 and threshold signal SW in the downward direction

[0401] 13 The third intersection of envelope 1 and threshold signal SW in the upward direction

[0402] 14 The fourth maximum value of the envelope 1 above the threshold signal SW

[0403] 15 The fourth intersection of the envelope 1 and the threshold signal SW in the downward direction

[0404] 16 The fourth intersection of the envelope 1 and the threshold signal SW in the upward direction

[0405] 17 Fifth maximum value of envelope 1 above threshold signal SW

[0406] 18 The fifth intersection of the envelope 1 and the threshold signal SW in the downward direction

[0407] 19 The fifth intersection of the envelope 1 and the threshold signal SW in the upward direction

[0408] 20 The sixth maximum value of envelope 1 above the threshold signal SW

[0409] 21 The sixth intersection of the envelope 1 and the threshold signal SW in the downward direction

[0410] 22 The sixth intersection of the envelope 1 and the threshold signal SW in the upward direction

[0411] 23 seventh maximum value of envelope 1 above threshold signal SW

[0412] 24 seventh intersection of envelope 1 and threshold signal SW in the downward direction

[0413] 25 Envelope during ultrasound burst

[0414] 26 Transmitting the data of the first intersection 4 of the envelope 1 with the threshold signal SW in the downward direction via the preferably bidirectional data bus

[0415] 27 Transmission of the data of the first intersection 5 of the envelope 1 with the threshold signal SW in the upward direction via the preferably bidirectional data bus

[0416] 28 Transmission of the data of the first maximum 6 of the envelope 1 above the threshold signal SW via the preferably bidirectional data bus

[0417] 29 Transmitting the data of the second intersection 7 of the envelope 1 with the threshold signal SW in the downward direction via the preferably bidirectional data bus

[0418] 30 Transmitting the data of the second intersection 8 of the envelope 1 with the threshold signal SW in the upward direction via the preferably bidirectional data bus

[0419] 31 Transmission of the data of the second maximum value 9 of the envelope 1 above the threshold value signal SW and of the data of the exemplary first minimum value 10 of the envelope 1 above the threshold value signal SW via the preferably bidirectional data bus

[0420] 32 Transmission of data of the third maximum value 1 of the envelope 1 above the threshold signal SW via the preferably bidirectional data bus

[0421] 34 Transmission of the data of the third intersection 12 of the envelope 1 with the threshold signal SW in the downward direction via the preferably bidirectional data bus

[0422] 35 Transmission of the data of the third intersection 13 of the envelope 1 with the threshold signal SW in the upward direction via the preferably bidirectional data bus

[0423] 36 Transmission of the data of the fourth maximum value 14 of the envelope 1 above the threshold value signal SW via the preferably bidirectional data bus

[0424] 37 Transmission of the data of the fourth intersection 15 of the envelope 1 with the threshold signal SW in the downward direction via the preferably bidirectional data bus

[0425] 38 Transmitting the data of the fourth intersection 16 of the envelope 1 with the threshold value signal SW in the upward direction via the preferably bidirectional data bus

[0426] 39 Transmission of the data of the fifth maximum value 17 of the envelope 1 above the threshold value signal SW via the preferably bidirectional data bus

[0427] 40 Transmitting the data of the fifth intersection 18 of the envelope 1 with the threshold signal SW in the downward direction via the preferably bidirectional data bus

[0428] 41 Transmission of the data of the fifth intersection 19 of the envelope 1 with the threshold signal SW in the upward direction via the preferably bidirectional data bus

[0429] 42 Transmitting the data of the sixth intersection 21 of the envelope 1 with the threshold signal SW in the downward direction via the preferably bidirectional data bus

[0430] 43 After the reception is completed, the data of the received echo is transmitted on the LIN bus according to the prior art

[0431] 44 Transmission of data on a LIN bus according to the prior art before transmitting an ultrasound burst

[0432] 45 Transmitting data via the IO interface according to the prior art before transmitting the ultrasound burst

[0433] Effect of ultrasonic emission burst pulse on the output signal of IO interface according to the prior art

[0434] 47 Signals of the first echo 5, 6, 7 at the IO interface according to the prior art

[0435] 48 Signals of the second echo 8, 9, 10, 11, 12 at the IO interface according to the prior art

[0436] 49 Signals of the third and fourth echoes 13, 14, 15 at the IO interface according to the prior art,

[0437] 50 Signal of the fifth echo signal 16, 17, 18 on the IO interface according to the prior art

[0438] 51 Signal of the sixth echo 19, 20, 21 at the IO interface according to the prior art

[0439] 52 Signal of the seventh echo 22, 23, 24 at the IO interface according to the prior art

[0440] 53 Start command from computer system to sensor via data bus

[0441] 54 Periodic automatic data transmission between the sensor and the computer system, preferably according to the DSI3 standard

[0442] 55 Diagnostic bit after measurement cycle

[0443] 56 End of transmit ultrasound burst (End of transmit burst). Preferably, the end of the ultrasound burst coincides with point 4

[0444] 57 Start of transmit ultrasound burst (Start of transmit burst)

[0445] 58 End of data transmission

[0446] a is used to transmit information transmitted by transmitting the received ultrasonic echo by means of the IO interface of the prior art

[0447] A first triangle object

[0448] au "arbitrary unit" = freely chosen unit

[0449] B The second triangle object

[0450] b Information transmitted for transmitting the received ultrasound echo by means of the LIN interface of the prior art

[0451] c Information transmitted for the transmission of the received ultrasound echo by means of the proposed method and the proposed device, with envelope for comparison

[0452] d for transmitting the information transmitted by means of the proposed method and the proposed device of the received ultrasound echo without envelope

[0453] e Schematic signal shape when transmitting received echo information by means of the IO interface of the prior art En Amplitude of the envelope of the received ultrasonic signal

[0454] Schematic signal shape when transmitting received echo information via a LIN interface according to the prior art

[0455] g Schematic signal shape when transmitting received echo information via a bidirectional data interface

[0456] SB transmit burst pulse

[0457] SW threshold

[0458] t time

[0459] T E Receiving time. The receiving time typically starts with the end 56 of the transmitted ultrasound burst. Receiving can already have started earlier. However, this can lead to problems that may require additional measures.

Claims

1. A method for transmitting sensor data from a sensor to a computer system, comprising: - transmitting ultrasound bursts; - receiving an ultrasonic signal and forming an ultrasonic receiving signal; - generating a confidence signal by correlating the received signal or a signal derived from the received signal with a reference signal; - forming a feature vector signal from the ultrasound reception signal; - identifying signal objects within the ultrasound receive signal and classifying these signal objects into identified signal object classes, wherein each signal object thus identified and classified is assigned at least one assigned signal object parameter and a symbol corresponding to the signal object class assigned to said signal object, or wherein for each signal object thus identified and classified, at least one assigned signal object parameter and a symbol for said signal object are determined; - transmitting at least said symbol of the identified signal object class and at least one assigned signal object parameter of said identified signal object class; - determining a chirp value as an assigned signal object parameter, which chirp value indicates whether the identified signal object is an echo of an ultrasound transmission burst with a positive chirp, a negative chirp or a non-linear chirp characteristic.

2. The method according to claim 1, comprising the additional step of: -Generate a phase signal.

3. The method according to claim 2, comprising the additional step of: - generating a phase position confidence signal by forming a correlation between the phase signal or a signal derived from the phase signal and a reference signal.

4. The method according to claim 3, comprising the additional step of: - comparing the phase position confidence signal with one or more thresholds to generate a discrete phase position confidence signal.

5. The method according to claim 1, wherein At least one signal object class is a wavelet.

6. The method according to claim 5, characterized in that The at least one wavelet is a triangular wavelet.

7. The method according to claim 5, characterized in that The at least one wavelet is a rectangular wavelet.

8. The method according to claim 5, characterized in that The at least one wavelet is a half-sine wavelet.

9. The method according to claim 5, characterized in that One of the signal object parameters is the time displacement of the wavelet of the identified signal object, or · temporal compression or expansion of the wavelet of the identified signal objects, or • The amplitude of the wavelet of the identified signal object.

10. The method according to claim 1, characterized in that Transmission of the sensor's fault status Transmission with respect to said at least one identified signal object class and / or Transmission of parameters relative to the allocated signal object Performed with higher priority.

11. The method according to claim 1, wherein A signal object consists of a combination of two, three, four or more signal basic objects.

12. The method according to claim 11, characterized in that The signal basic object is the intersection of the absolute value of the amplitude of the envelope signal (1) of the received signal and the absolute value of the threshold signal (SW) at the intersection time.

13. The method according to claim 11, characterized in that The signal basic object is the intersection of the absolute value of the amplitude of the envelope signal (1) of the received signal and the absolute value of the threshold signal (SW) in the rising direction at the intersection time.

14. The method according to claim 11, characterized in that The signal basic object is the intersection of the absolute value of the amplitude of the envelope signal (1) of the received signal and the absolute value of the threshold signal (SW) in the descending direction at the intersection time.

15. The method according to claim 11, characterized in that The signal basic object is the maximum value of the absolute value of the amplitude of the envelope signal (1) of the received signal which is above the absolute value of the threshold signal (SW) at the maximum moment.

16. The method according to claim 11, characterized in that The signal basic object is the minimum value of the absolute value of the amplitude of the envelope signal (1) of the received signal above the absolute value of the threshold signal (SW) at the minimum time.

17. The method according to claim 11, characterized in that A signal primitive object is a predefined time sequence and / or time grouping of other signal primitive objects.

18. The method according to one of claims 1 to 4, characterized in that Transmitting at least one symbol of an identified signal object class and at least one assigned signal object parameter of said identified signal object class is a signal object class in which signal objects that are a predefined time sequence of other signal objects are transmitted, and at least one signal object class in which at least one of these other signal objects is not transmitted.

19. A sensor configured to carry out the method according to one of claims 1 to 18.

20. The sensor according to claim 19, characterized in that The sensor is an ultrasonic sensor.

21. A sensor system, - have a computer system, and - having at least two sensors according to claim 19 or 20, -in, The sensor system is designed such that a data transmission between the sensor and the computer system operates or is operable according to the method according to one of claims 1 to 18 .

22. The sensor system according to claim 21, characterized in that - compressing an ultrasound reception signal, ie at least two ultrasound reception signals, in each case by means of the method in the sensor and transmitting them to the computer system, and - reconstructing the at least two ultrasound reception signals into a reconstructed ultrasound reception signal within the computer system.

23. The sensor system according to claim 22, characterized in that The computer system performs object recognition on objects in the environment of the sensor by means of the reconstructed ultrasound receive signals.

24. The sensor system according to claim 23, wherein The computer system performs object recognition of objects in the environment of the sensor by means of the reconstructed ultrasound receive signal and the additional signals of the further sensors.

25. The sensor system according to claim 23 or 24, characterized in that The computer system creates a map of the environment for the sensor or the device of which the sensor is a part based on the identified objects.

26. A method for transmitting sensor data from a sensor to a computer system, comprising: - transmitting ultrasound bursts; - receiving an ultrasonic signal and forming an ultrasonic receiving signal; -Generate a phase signal; - forming a feature vector signal from the ultrasound reception signal; - identifying signal objects within the ultrasound receive signal and classifying these signal objects into identified signal object classes, wherein each signal object thus identified and classified is assigned at least one assigned signal object parameter and a symbol corresponding to the signal object class assigned to said signal object, or wherein for each signal object thus identified and classified, at least one assigned signal object parameter and a symbol for said signal object are determined; - transmitting at least said symbol of the identified signal object class and at least one assigned signal object parameter of said identified signal object class.

27. The method according to claim 26, comprising the additional step of: - determining a chirp value as an assigned signal object parameter, which chirp value indicates whether the identified signal object is an echo of an ultrasound transmission burst with a positive chirp, a negative chirp or a non-linear chirp characteristic.

28. The method of claim 26, comprising the additional step of: - generating a confidence signal by forming a correlation between said received signal or a signal derived from said received signal and a reference signal.

29. The method according to one of claims 26 to 28, comprising the additional step of: - generating a phase position confidence signal by forming a correlation between the phase signal or a signal derived from the phase signal and a reference signal.

30. The method according to claim 29, comprising the additional step of: - comparing the phase position confidence signal with one or more thresholds to generate a discrete phase position confidence signal.

31. The method according to one of claims 26 to 28, characterized in that At least one signal object class is a wavelet.

32. The method according to claim 31, characterized in that The at least one wavelet is a triangular wavelet.

33. The method according to claim 31, characterized in that The at least one wavelet is a rectangular wavelet.

34. The method according to claim 31, wherein The at least one wavelet is a half-sine wavelet.

35. The method according to claim 31, wherein One of the signal object parameters is the time displacement of the wavelet of the identified signal object, or · temporal compression or expansion of the wavelet of the identified signal objects, or • The amplitude of the wavelet of the identified signal object.

36. Method according to one of claims 26 to 28, characterized in that Transmission of the sensor's fault status Transmission with respect to said at least one identified signal object class and / or Transmission of parameters relative to the allocated signal object Performed with higher priority.

37. The method according to one of claims 26 to 28, characterized in that A signal object consists of a combination of two, three, four or more signal basic objects.

38. The method according to claim 37, wherein The signal basic object is the intersection of the absolute value of the amplitude of the envelope signal (1) of the received signal and the absolute value of the threshold signal (SW) at the intersection time.

39. The method according to claim 37, wherein The signal basic object is the intersection of the absolute value of the amplitude of the envelope signal (1) of the received signal and the absolute value of the threshold signal (SW) in the rising direction at the intersection time.

40. The method according to claim 37, wherein The signal basic object is the intersection of the absolute value of the amplitude of the envelope signal (1) of the received signal and the absolute value of the threshold signal (SW) in the descending direction at the intersection time.

41. The method according to claim 37, wherein The signal basic object is the maximum value of the absolute value of the amplitude of the envelope signal (1) of the received signal which is above the absolute value of the threshold signal (SW) at the maximum moment.

42. The method according to claim 37, wherein The signal basic object is the minimum value of the absolute value of the amplitude of the envelope signal (1) of the received signal above the absolute value of the threshold signal (SW) at the minimum time.

43. The method according to claim 37, wherein A signal primitive object is a predefined time sequence and / or time grouping of other signal primitive objects.

44. The method according to one of claims 26 to 28, characterized in that Transmitting at least one symbol of an identified signal object class and at least one assigned signal object parameter of said identified signal object class is a signal object class in which signal objects that are a predefined time sequence of other signal objects are transmitted, and at least one signal object class in which at least one of these other signal objects is not transmitted.

45. A sensor configured to perform a method according to one of claims 26 to 44.

46. The sensor according to claim 45, characterized in that The sensor is an ultrasonic sensor.

47. A sensor system, - have a computer system, and - having at least two sensors according to claim 45 or 46, -in, The sensor system is designed such that a data transmission between the sensor and the computer system operates or is operable according to a method according to one of claims 26 to 44 .

48. The sensor system according to claim 47, characterized in that - compressing an ultrasound reception signal, ie at least two ultrasound reception signals, in each case by means of the method in the sensor and transmitting them to the computer system, and - reconstructing the at least two ultrasound reception signals into a reconstructed ultrasound reception signal within the computer system.

49. The sensor system according to claim 48, characterized in that The computer system performs object recognition on objects in the environment of the sensor by means of the reconstructed ultrasound receive signals.

50. The sensor system according to claim 49, wherein The computer system performs object recognition of objects in the environment of the sensor by means of the reconstructed ultrasound receive signal and the additional signals of the further sensors.

51. The sensor system according to claim 49 or 50, characterized in that The computer system creates a map of the environment for the sensor or the device of which the sensor is a part based on the identified objects.

52. A method for transmitting sensor data from a sensor to a computer system, having or including the steps of: - transmitting ultrasound bursts; - receiving an ultrasonic signal and forming an ultrasonic receiving signal; - forming a feature vector signal from the ultrasound reception signal; - identifying signal objects within the ultrasound receive signal and classifying these signal objects into signal object classes, where at least one signal object class is a wavelet, and wherein each signal object thus identified and classified is assigned at least one assigned signal object parameter and a symbol corresponding to the signal object class assigned to said signal object, or wherein for each signal object thus identified and classified, at least one assigned signal object parameter and a symbol for said signal object are determined; - transmitting at least said symbol of the identified signal object class and at least one assigned signal object parameter of said identified signal object class.

53. The method of claim 52, comprising the additional step of: - determining a chirp value as an assigned signal object parameter, which chirp value indicates whether the identified signal object is an echo of an ultrasound transmission burst with a positive chirp, a negative chirp or a non-linear chirp characteristic.

54. The method of claim 52, comprising the additional step of: - generating a confidence signal by forming a correlation between said received signal or a signal derived from said received signal and a reference signal.

55. The method according to one of claims 52 to 54, comprising the additional step of: -Generate a phase signal.

56. The method of claim 55, comprising the additional step of: - generating a phase position confidence signal by forming a correlation between the phase signal or a signal derived from the phase signal and a reference signal.

57. The method of claim 56, comprising the additional step of: - comparing the phase position confidence signal with one or more thresholds to generate a discrete phase position confidence signal.

58. The method according to one of claims 52 to 54, characterized in that The at least one wavelet is a triangular wavelet.

59. The method according to one of claims 52 to 54, characterized in that The at least one wavelet is a rectangular wavelet.

60. The method according to one of claims 52 to 54, characterized in that The at least one wavelet is a half-sine wavelet.

61. The method according to one of claims 52 to 54, characterized in that One of the signal object parameters is the time displacement of the wavelet of the identified signal object, or · temporal compression or expansion of the wavelet of the identified signal objects, or • The amplitude of the wavelet of the identified signal object.

62. The method according to one of claims 52 to 54, characterized in that Transmission of the sensor's fault status Transmission with respect to said at least one identified signal object class and / or Transmission of parameters relative to the allocated signal object Performed with higher priority.

63. The method according to one of claims 52 to 54, characterized in that A signal object consists of a combination of two, three, four or more signal basic objects.

64. The method according to claim 63, wherein The signal basic object is the intersection of the absolute value of the amplitude of the envelope signal (1) of the received signal and the absolute value of the threshold signal (SW) at the intersection time.

65. The method according to claim 63, wherein The signal basic object is the intersection of the absolute value of the amplitude of the envelope signal (1) of the received signal and the absolute value of the threshold signal (SW) in the rising direction at the intersection time.

66. The method according to claim 63, characterized in that The signal basic object is the intersection of the absolute value of the amplitude of the envelope signal (1) of the received signal and the absolute value of the threshold signal (SW) in the descending direction at the intersection time.

67. The method according to claim 63, characterized in that The signal basic object is the maximum value of the absolute value of the amplitude of the envelope signal (1) of the received signal which is above the absolute value of the threshold signal (SW) at the maximum moment.

68. The method according to claim 63, wherein The signal basic object is the minimum value of the absolute value of the amplitude of the envelope signal (1) of the received signal above the absolute value of the threshold signal (SW) at the minimum time.

69. The method according to claim 63, wherein A signal primitive object is a predefined time sequence and / or time grouping of other signal primitive objects.

70. The method according to one of claims 52 to 54, characterized in that Transmitting at least one symbol of an identified signal object class and at least one assigned signal object parameter of said identified signal object class is a signal object class in which signal objects that are a predefined time sequence of other signal objects are transmitted, and at least one signal object class in which at least one of these other signal objects is not transmitted.

71. A sensor configured to perform a method according to one of claims 52 to 70.

72. The sensor according to claim 71, characterized in that The sensor is an ultrasonic sensor.

73. A sensor system, - have a computer system, and - having at least two sensors according to claim 71 or 72, -in, The sensor system is designed such that a data transmission between the sensor and the computer system operates or is operable according to a method according to one of claims 52 to 70 .

74. The sensor system of claim 73, wherein: - compressing an ultrasound reception signal, ie at least two ultrasound reception signals, in each case by means of the method in the sensor and transmitting them to the computer system, and - reconstructing the at least two ultrasound reception signals into a reconstructed ultrasound reception signal within the computer system.

75. The sensor system of claim 74, wherein: The computer system performs object recognition on objects in the environment of the sensor by means of the reconstructed ultrasound receive signals.

76. The sensor system of claim 75, wherein: The computer system performs object recognition of objects in the environment of the sensor by means of the reconstructed ultrasound receive signal and the additional signals of the further sensors.

77. The sensor system according to claim 75 or 76, characterized in that The computer system creates a map of the environment for the sensor or the device of which the sensor is a part based on the identified objects.

78. A method for transmitting sensor data from a sensor to a computer system, having or including the steps of: - transmitting ultrasound bursts; - receiving an ultrasonic signal and forming an ultrasonic receiving signal; - forming a feature vector signal from the ultrasound reception signal; - identifying signal objects within the ultrasound receive signal and classifying these signal objects into identified signal object classes, wherein each signal object thus identified and classified is assigned at least one assigned signal object parameter and a symbol corresponding to the signal object class assigned to said signal object, or wherein for each signal object thus identified and classified, at least one assigned signal object parameter and a symbol for said signal object are determined; - transmitting at least said symbol of an identified signal object class and at least one assigned signal object parameter of said identified signal object class, wherein transmitting at least said symbol of an identified signal object class and at least one assigned signal object parameter of said identified signal object class is transmitting a signal object class that is a predefined time 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.

79. The method of claim 78, comprising the additional step of: - determining a chirp value as an assigned signal object parameter, which chirp value indicates whether the identified signal object is an echo of an ultrasound transmission burst with a positive chirp, a negative chirp or a non-linear chirp characteristic.

80. The method of claim 78, comprising the additional step of: - generating a confidence signal by forming a correlation between said received signal or a signal derived from said received signal and a reference signal.

81. The method of claim 78 or 79, comprising the additional step of: -Generate a phase signal.

82. The method of claim 81 , comprising the additional step of: - generating a phase position confidence signal by forming a correlation between the phase signal or a signal derived from the phase signal and a reference signal.

83. The method of claim 82, comprising the additional step of: - comparing the phase position confidence signal with one or more thresholds to generate a discrete phase position confidence signal.

84. The method according to one of claims 78 to 80, characterized in that At least one signal object class is a wavelet.

85. The method according to claim 84, characterized in that The at least one wavelet is a triangular wavelet.

86. The method according to claim 84, characterized in that The at least one wavelet is a rectangular wavelet.

87. The method according to claim 84, characterized in that The at least one wavelet is a half-sine wavelet.

88. The method according to claim 84, characterized in that One of the signal object parameters is the time displacement of the wavelet of the identified signal object, or · temporal compression or expansion of the wavelet of the identified signal objects, or • The amplitude of the wavelet of the identified signal object.

89. The method according to one of claims 78 to 80, characterized in that Transmission of the sensor's fault status Transmission with respect to said at least one identified signal object class and / or Transmission of parameters relative to the allocated signal object Performed with higher priority.

90. The method according to one of claims 78 to 80, characterized in that A signal object consists of a combination of two, three, four or more signal basic objects.

91. The method according to claim 90, wherein The signal basic object is the intersection of the absolute value of the amplitude of the envelope signal (1) of the received signal and the absolute value of the threshold signal (SW) at the intersection time.

92. The method according to claim 90, wherein The signal basic object is the intersection of the absolute value of the amplitude of the envelope signal (1) of the received signal and the absolute value of the threshold signal (SW) in the rising direction at the intersection time.

93. The method according to claim 90, wherein The signal basic object is the intersection of the absolute value of the amplitude of the envelope signal (1) of the received signal and the absolute value of the threshold signal (SW) in the descending direction at the intersection time.

94. The method according to claim 90, wherein The signal basic object is the maximum value of the absolute value of the amplitude of the envelope signal (1) of the received signal which is above the absolute value of the threshold signal (SW) at the maximum moment.

95. The method according to claim 90, wherein The signal basic object is the minimum value of the absolute value of the amplitude of the envelope signal (1) of the received signal above the absolute value of the threshold signal (SW) at the minimum time.

96. The method according to claim 90, wherein A signal primitive object is a predefined time sequence and / or time grouping of other signal primitive objects.

97. A sensor configured to perform a method according to one of claims 78 to 96.

98. The sensor according to claim 97, characterized in that The sensor is an ultrasonic sensor.

99. A sensor system, - has at least one computer system, and - having at least two sensors according to claim 97 or 98, -in, The sensor system is designed such that a data transmission between the sensor and the computer system operates or is operable according to a method according to one of claims 78 to 96 .

100. The sensor system according to claim 99, characterized in that - compressing an ultrasound reception signal, ie at least two ultrasound reception signals, in each case by means of the method in the sensor and transmitting them to the computer system, and - reconstructing the at least two ultrasound reception signals into a reconstructed ultrasound reception signal within the computer system.

101. The sensor system according to claim 100, characterized in that The computer system performs object recognition on objects in the environment of the sensor by means of the reconstructed ultrasound receive signals.

102. The sensor system according to claim 101, characterized in that The computer system performs object recognition of objects in the environment of the sensor by means of the reconstructed ultrasound receive signal and the additional signals of the further sensors.

103. The sensor system according to claim 101 or 102, characterized in that The computer system creates a map of the environment for the sensor or the device of which the sensor is a part based on the identified objects.

104. A method for transmitting sensor data from a sensor to a computer system, having or including the steps of: - transmitting ultrasound bursts; - receiving an ultrasonic signal and forming an ultrasonic receiving signal; - forming a feature vector signal from the ultrasound reception signal; - identifying signal objects within the ultrasound receive signal and classifying these signal objects into identified signal object classes, wherein each signal object thus identified and classified is assigned at least one assigned signal object parameter and a symbol corresponding to the signal object class assigned to said signal object, or wherein for each signal object thus identified and classified, at least one assigned signal object parameter and a symbol for said signal object are determined; - transmitting at least the symbol of the identified signal object class and at least one assigned signal object parameter of the identified signal object class, wherein the at least one symbol of the identified signal object class and the at least one assigned signal object parameter of the identified signal object class are transmitted with time priority relative to a temporal transmission sequence of the symbols of the signal object classes identified in the sensor and at least the signal object parameters respectively assigned to these signal object classes from the sensor to the computer system.

105. The method according to claim 104, comprising the additional step of: - determining a chirp value as an assigned signal object parameter, which chirp value indicates whether the identified signal object is an echo of an ultrasound transmission burst with a positive chirp, a negative chirp or a non-linear chirp characteristic.

106. The method according to claim 104, comprising the additional step of: - generating a confidence signal by forming a correlation between said received signal or a signal derived from said received signal and a reference signal.

107. The method according to one of claims 104 to 106, comprising the additional step of: -Generate a phase signal.

108. The method according to claim 107, comprising the additional step of: - generating a phase position confidence signal by forming a correlation between the phase signal or a signal derived from the phase signal and a reference signal.

109. The method according to claim 108, comprising the additional step of: - comparing the phase position confidence signal with one or more thresholds to generate a discrete phase position confidence signal.

110. The method according to one of claims 104 to 106, characterized in that At least one signal object class is a wavelet.

111. The method according to claim 110, characterized in that The at least one wavelet is a triangular wavelet.

112. The method according to claim 110, characterized in that The at least one wavelet is a rectangular wavelet.

113. The method according to claim 110, characterized in that The at least one wavelet is a half-sine wavelet.

114. The method according to claim 110, characterized in that One of the signal object parameters is the time displacement of the wavelet of the identified signal object, or · temporal compression or expansion of the wavelet of the identified signal objects, or • The amplitude of the wavelet of the identified signal object.

115. The method according to one of claims 104 to 106, characterized in that Transmission of the sensor's fault status Transmission with respect to said at least one identified signal object class and / or Transmission of parameters relative to the allocated signal object Performed with higher priority.

116. The method according to one of claims 104 to 106, characterized in that A signal object consists of a combination of two, three, four or more signal basic objects.

117. The method according to claim 116, characterized in that The signal basic object is the intersection of the absolute value of the amplitude of the envelope signal (1) of the received signal and the absolute value of the threshold signal (SW) at the intersection time.

118. The method according to claim 116, characterized in that The signal basic object is the intersection of the absolute value of the amplitude of the envelope signal (1) of the received signal and the absolute value of the threshold signal (SW) in the rising direction at the intersection time.

119. The method according to claim 116, characterized in that The signal basic object is the intersection of the absolute value of the amplitude of the envelope signal (1) of the received signal and the absolute value of the threshold signal (SW) in the descending direction at the intersection time.

120. The method according to claim 116, wherein The signal basic object is the maximum value of the absolute value of the amplitude of the envelope signal (1) of the received signal which is above the absolute value of the threshold signal (SW) at the maximum moment.

121. The method according to claim 116, characterized in that The signal basic object is the minimum value of the absolute value of the amplitude of the envelope signal (1) of the received signal above the absolute value of the threshold signal (SW) at the minimum time.

122. The method according to claim 116, characterized in that A signal primitive object is a predefined time sequence and / or time grouping of other signal primitive objects.

123. The method according to one of claims 104 to 106, characterized in that Transmitting at least one symbol of an identified signal object class and at least one assigned signal object parameter of said identified signal object class is a signal object class in which signal objects that are a predefined time sequence of other signal objects are transmitted, and at least one signal object class in which at least one of these other signal objects is not transmitted.

124. A sensor configured to perform a method according to one of claims 104 to 123.

125. A computer system arranged to perform the method according to one of claims 104 to 123.

126. A sensor system, - having at least one computer system according to claim 125, and - having at least two sensors according to claim 124, -in, The sensor system is designed such that a data transmission between the sensor and the computer system operates or is operable according to a method according to one of claims 104 to 123 .

127. The sensor system according to claim 126, characterized in that - compressing an ultrasound reception signal, ie at least two ultrasound reception signals, in each case by means of the method in the sensor and transmitting them to the computer system, and - reconstructing the at least two ultrasound reception signals into a reconstructed ultrasound reception signal within the computer system by decompressing the data received from the sensor.

128. The sensor system according to claim 126, characterized in that The computer system performs object recognition on objects in the environment of the sensor by means of the reconstructed ultrasound receive signals.

129. The sensor system according to claim 128, characterized in that The computer system performs object recognition of objects in the environment of the sensor by means of the reconstructed ultrasound receive signal and the additional signals of the further sensors.

130. The sensor system according to claim 128 or 129, characterized in that The computer system creates a map of the environment for the sensor or the device of which the sensor is a part based on the identified objects.

131. A method for transmitting sensor data from a sensor to a computer system, having or including the steps of: - transmitting ultrasound bursts; - receiving an ultrasonic signal and forming an ultrasonic receiving signal; - determining a chirp value as an assigned signal object parameter, which chirp value indicates whether the identified signal object is an echo of an ultrasound transmission burst with positive chirp, negative chirp or nonlinear chirp characteristics; - forming a feature vector signal from the ultrasound reception signal; - identifying signal objects within the ultrasound receive signal and classifying these signal objects into identified signal object classes, wherein each signal object thus identified and classified is assigned at least one assigned signal object parameter and a symbol corresponding to the signal object class assigned to said signal object, or wherein for each signal object thus identified and classified, at least one assigned signal object parameter and a symbol for said signal object are determined; - transmitting at least said symbol of the identified signal object class and at least one assigned signal object parameter of said identified signal object class.

132. The method according to claim 131, comprising the additional step of: - generating a confidence signal by forming a correlation between said received signal or a signal derived from said received signal and a reference signal.

133. The method according to claim 131, comprising the additional step of: -Generate a phase signal.

134. The method according to claim 133, comprising the additional step of: - generating a phase position confidence signal by forming a correlation between the phase signal or a signal derived from the phase signal and a reference signal.

135. The method according to claim 134, comprising the additional step of: - comparing the phase position confidence signal with one or more thresholds to generate a discrete phase position confidence signal.

136. The method according to one of claims 131 to 134, characterized in that At least one signal object class is a wavelet.

137. The method according to claim 136, characterized in that The at least one wavelet is a triangular wavelet.

138. The method according to claim 136, characterized in that The at least one wavelet is a rectangular wavelet.

139. The method according to claim 136, characterized in that The at least one wavelet is a half-sine wavelet.

140. The method according to claim 136, characterized in that One of the signal object parameters is the time displacement of the wavelet of the identified signal object, or · temporal compression or expansion of the wavelet of the identified signal objects, or • The amplitude of the wavelet of the identified signal object.

141. The method according to one of claims 131 to 134, characterized in that Transmission of the sensor's fault status Transmission with respect to said at least one identified signal object class and / or Transmission of parameters relative to the allocated signal object Performed with higher priority.

142. The method according to one of claims 131 to 134, characterized in that A signal object consists of a combination of two, three, four or more signal basic objects.

143. The method according to claim 142, characterized in that The signal basic object is the intersection of the absolute value of the amplitude of the envelope signal (1) of the received signal and the absolute value of the threshold signal (SW) at the intersection time.

144. The method according to claim 142, characterized in that The signal basic object is the intersection of the absolute value of the amplitude of the envelope signal (1) of the received signal and the absolute value of the threshold signal (SW) in the rising direction at the intersection time.

145. The method according to claim 142, characterized in that The signal basic object is the intersection of the absolute value of the amplitude of the envelope signal (1) of the received signal and the absolute value of the threshold signal (SW) in the descending direction at the intersection time.

146. The method according to claim 142, characterized in that The signal basic object is the maximum value of the absolute value of the amplitude of the envelope signal (1) of the received signal which is above the absolute value of the threshold signal (SW) at the maximum moment.

147. The method according to claim 142, characterized in that The signal basic object is the minimum value of the absolute value of the amplitude of the envelope signal (1) of the received signal above the absolute value of the threshold signal (SW) at the minimum time.

148. The method according to claim 142, characterized in that A signal primitive object is a predefined time sequence and / or time grouping of other signal primitive objects.

149. The method according to one of claims 131 to 134, characterized in that Transmitting at least one symbol of an identified signal object class and at least one assigned signal object parameter of said identified signal object class is a signal object class in which signal objects that are a predefined time sequence of other signal objects are transmitted, and at least one signal object class in which at least one of these other signal objects is not transmitted.

150. A sensor configured to perform a method according to one of claims 131 to 149.

151. The sensor according to claim 150, characterized in that The sensor is an ultrasonic sensor.

152. A sensor system, - have a computer system, and - having at least two sensors according to claim 150 or 151, -in, The sensor system is designed such that a data transmission between the sensor and the computer system operates or is operable according to a method according to one of claims 131 to 149 .

153. The sensor system according to claim 152, wherein an ultrasound reception signal, ie at least two ultrasound reception signals, is compressed in each of the sensors by means of the method and transmitted to the computer system, and - wherein the at least two ultrasound receive signals are reconstructed into a reconstructed ultrasound receive signal within the computer system.

154. The sensor system of claim 153, wherein the computer system performs object recognition on objects in the environment of the sensor with the aid of the reconstructed ultrasound receive signal.

155. The sensor system of claim 154, wherein the computer system performs object recognition on objects in the environment of the sensor with the aid of the reconstructed ultrasound receive signal and additional signals of further sensors.

156. A sensor system according to claim 154 or 155, wherein the computer system creates an environment map for the sensor or a device of which the sensor is a part based on the identified objects.

157. A method for transmitting sensor data from a sensor to a computer system, having or including the steps of: - transmitting ultrasound bursts; - receiving an ultrasonic signal and forming an ultrasonic receiving signal; - forming a feature vector signal from the ultrasound reception signal; - identifying signal objects within the ultrasound receive signal and classifying these signal objects into identified signal object classes, wherein each signal object thus identified and classified is assigned at least one assigned signal object parameter and a symbol corresponding to the signal object class assigned to said signal object, or wherein for each signal object thus identified and classified, at least one assigned signal object parameter and a symbol for said signal object are determined; - transmitting at least said symbol of the identified signal object class and at least one assigned signal object parameter of said identified signal object class; - wherein the transmission of the fault status of the sensor Transmission with respect to said at least one identified signal object class and / or Transmission of parameters relative to the allocated signal object Performed with higher priority.

158. The method of claim 157, comprising the additional steps of: - determining a chirp value as an assigned signal object parameter, which chirp value indicates whether the identified signal object is an echo of an ultrasound transmission burst with a positive chirp, a negative chirp or a non-linear chirp characteristic.

159. The method of claim 157, comprising the additional steps of: - generating a confidence signal by forming a correlation between said received signal or a signal derived from said received signal and a reference signal.

160. The method according to one of claims 157 to 159, comprising the additional step of: -Generate a phase signal.

161. The method according to claim 160, comprising the additional step of: - generating a phase position confidence signal by forming a correlation between the phase signal or a signal derived from the phase signal and a reference signal.

162. The method according to claim 161, comprising the additional step of: - comparing the phase position confidence signal with one or more thresholds to generate a discrete phase position confidence signal.

163. The method according to one of claims 157 to 159, characterized in that At least one signal object class is a wavelet.

164. The method according to claim 163, characterized in that The at least one wavelet is a triangular wavelet.

165. The method according to claim 163, characterized in that The at least one wavelet is a rectangular wavelet.

166. The method according to claim 163, characterized in that The at least one wavelet is a half-sine wavelet.

167. The method according to claim 163, characterized in that One of the signal object parameters is the time displacement of the wavelet of the identified signal object, or · temporal compression or expansion of the wavelet of the identified signal objects, or • The amplitude of the wavelet of the identified signal object.

168. The method according to one of claims 157 to 159, characterized in that A signal object consists of a combination of two, three, four or more signal basic objects.

169. The method according to claim 168, characterized in that The signal basic object is the intersection of the absolute value of the amplitude of the envelope signal (1) of the received signal and the absolute value of the threshold signal (SW) at the intersection time.

170. The method according to claim 168, characterized in that The signal basic object is the intersection of the absolute value of the amplitude of the envelope signal (1) of the received signal and the absolute value of the threshold signal (SW) in the rising direction at the intersection time.

171. The method according to claim 168, characterized in that The signal basic object is the intersection of the absolute value of the amplitude of the envelope signal (1) of the received signal and the absolute value of the threshold signal (SW) in the descending direction at the intersection time.

172. The method according to claim 168, characterized in that The signal basic object is the maximum value of the absolute value of the amplitude of the envelope signal (1) of the received signal which is above the absolute value of the threshold signal (SW) at the maximum moment.

173. The method according to claim 168, characterized in that The signal basic object is the minimum value of the absolute value of the amplitude of the envelope signal (1) of the received signal above the absolute value of the threshold signal (SW) at the minimum time.

174. The method according to claim 168, characterized in that A signal primitive object is a predefined time sequence and / or time grouping of other signal primitive objects.

175. The method according to one of claims 157 to 159, characterized in that Transmitting at least one symbol of an identified signal object class and at least one assigned signal object parameter of said identified signal object class is a signal object class in which signal objects that are a predefined time sequence of other signal objects are transmitted, and at least one signal object class in which at least one of these other signal objects is not transmitted.

176. A sensor configured to perform a method according to one of claims 157 to 175.

177. The sensor according to claim 176, characterized in that The sensor is an ultrasonic sensor.

178. A sensor system, - have a computer system, and - having at least two sensors according to claim 176 or 177, -in, The sensor system is designed such that a data transmission between the sensor and the computer system operates or is operable according to a method according to one of claims 157 to 175 .

179. The sensor system according to claim 178, characterized in that - compressing an ultrasound reception signal, ie at least two ultrasound reception signals, in each case by means of the method in the sensor and transmitting them to the computer system, and - reconstructing the at least two ultrasound reception signals into a reconstructed ultrasound reception signal within the computer system.

180. The sensor system according to claim 179, characterized in that The computer system performs object recognition on objects in the environment of the sensor by means of the reconstructed ultrasound receive signals.

181. The sensor system according to claim 180, characterized in that The computer system performs object recognition of objects in the environment of the sensor by means of the reconstructed ultrasound receive signal and the additional signals of the further sensors.

182. The sensor system according to claim 180 or 181, characterized in that The computer system creates a map of the environment for the sensor or the device of which the sensor is a part based on the identified objects.

183. A method for transmitting sensor data from a sensor to a computer system, having or including the steps of: - transmitting ultrasound bursts; - receiving an ultrasonic signal and forming an ultrasonic receiving signal; - forming a feature vector signal from the ultrasound reception signal; - identifying signal objects within the ultrasound receive signal and classifying these signal objects into identified signal object classes, - wherein the signal object comprises a combination of two or three or four or more signal primitive objects, and wherein each signal object thus identified and classified is assigned at least one assigned signal object parameter and a symbol corresponding to the signal object class assigned to said signal object, or wherein for each signal object thus identified and classified, at least one assigned signal object parameter and a symbol for said signal object are determined; - transmitting at least said symbol of the identified signal object class and at least one assigned signal object parameter of said identified signal object class.

184. The method according to claim 183, comprising the additional step of: - determining a chirp value as an assigned signal object parameter, which chirp value indicates whether the identified signal object is an echo of an ultrasound transmission burst with a positive chirp, a negative chirp or a non-linear chirp characteristic.

185. The method of claim 183, comprising the additional step of: - generating a confidence signal by forming a correlation between said received signal or a signal derived from said received signal and a reference signal.

186. The method of claim 183 or 184, comprising the additional step of: -Generate a phase signal.

187. The method of claim 186, comprising the additional step of: - generating a phase position confidence signal by forming a correlation between the phase signal or a signal derived from the phase signal and a reference signal.

188. The method of claim 187, comprising the additional step of: - comparing the phase position confidence signal with one or more thresholds to generate a discrete phase position confidence signal.

189. The method according to one of claims 183 to 185, characterized in that At least one signal object class is a wavelet.

190. The method according to claim 189, characterized in that The at least one wavelet is a triangular wavelet.

191. The method according to claim 189, characterized in that The at least one wavelet is a rectangular wavelet.

192. The method according to claim 189, characterized in that The at least one wavelet is a half-sine wavelet.

193. The method according to claim 189, characterized in that One of the signal object parameters is the time displacement of the wavelet of the identified signal object, or · temporal compression or expansion of the wavelet of the identified signal objects, or • The amplitude of the wavelet of the identified signal object.

194. The method according to one of claims 183 to 185, characterized in that Transmission of the sensor's fault status Transmission with respect to said at least one identified signal object class and / or Transmission of parameters relative to the allocated signal object Performed with higher priority.

195. The method according to claim 194, characterized in that The signal basic object is the intersection of the absolute value of the amplitude of the envelope signal (1) of the received signal and the absolute value of the threshold signal (SW) at the intersection time.

196. The method according to one of claims 183 to 185, characterized in that The signal basic object is the intersection of the absolute value of the amplitude of the envelope signal (1) of the received signal and the absolute value of the threshold signal (SW) in the rising direction at the intersection time.

197. The method according to one of claims 183 to 185, characterized in that The signal basic object is the intersection of the absolute value of the amplitude of the envelope signal (1) of the received signal and the absolute value of the threshold signal (SW) in the descending direction at the intersection time.

198. The method according to one of claims 183 to 185, characterized in that The signal basic object is the maximum value of the absolute value of the amplitude of the envelope signal (1) of the received signal which is above the absolute value of the threshold signal (SW) at the maximum moment.

199. The method according to one of claims 183 to 185, characterized in that The signal basic object is the minimum value of the absolute value of the amplitude of the envelope signal (1) of the received signal above the absolute value of the threshold signal (SW) at the minimum time.

200. The method according to one of claims 183 to 185, characterized in that A signal primitive object is a predefined time sequence and / or time grouping of other signal primitive objects.

201. The method according to one of claims 183 to 185, characterized in that Transmitting at least one symbol of an identified signal object class and at least one assigned signal object parameter of said identified signal object class is a signal object class in which signal objects that are a predefined time sequence of other signal objects are transmitted, and at least one signal object class in which at least one of these other signal objects is not transmitted.

202. A sensor configured to perform a method according to one of claims 183 to 201.

203. The sensor according to claim 202, characterized in that The sensor is an ultrasonic sensor.

204. A sensor system, - have a computer system, and - having at least two sensors according to claim 202 or 203, -in, The sensor system is designed such that a data transmission between the sensor and the computer system operates or is operable according to a method according to one of claims 183 to 201 .

205. The sensor system according to claim 204, characterized in that - compressing an ultrasound reception signal, ie at least two ultrasound reception signals, in each case by means of the method in the sensor and transmitting them to the computer system, and - reconstructing the at least two ultrasound reception signals into a reconstructed ultrasound reception signal within the computer system.

206. The sensor system according to claim 205, characterized in that The computer system performs object recognition on objects in the environment of the sensor by means of the reconstructed ultrasound receive signals.

207. The sensor system according to claim 206, characterized in that The computer system performs object recognition of objects in the environment of the sensor by means of the reconstructed ultrasound receive signal and the additional signals of the further sensors.

208. The sensor system according to claim 206 or 207, characterized in that The computer system creates a map of the environment for the sensor or the device of which the sensor is a part based on the identified objects.

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