3D ultrasonic sensor probe

Abstract

A 3D ultrasonic sensor probe, comprising a housing, a vibrating diaphragm, a piezoelectric element, and a plurality of ultrasonic receiving elements. The bottom of the housing is connected to the vibrating diaphragm. The housing is provided with a first through hole and a plurality of second through holes having the same number as that of the ultrasonic receiving elements, the first through hole and the plurality of second through holes all extending in the height direction of the housing. The piezoelectric element is arranged in the first through hole and is fixed to the vibrating diaphragm. The plurality of ultrasonic receiving elements are respectively arranged in the plurality of second through holes on a one-to-one basis and are fixed to the vibrating diaphragm or side walls of the second through holes. The present invention has a simple structure, is easy to manufacture, and has a great ability to identify obstacles.

Description

3D ultrasonic sensor probe TECHNICAL FIELD

[0001] The present application relates to ultrasonic sensor technology. BACKGROUND

[0002] A known 3D ultrasonic sensor probe can be found in Chinese patent application No. 201480017488.7 entitled "Sensor device and method for detecting the surroundings of a vehicle". The 3D ultrasonic sensor probe includes one piezoelectric element and multiple electret sensor elements, which has a function of one transmitting and multiple receiving. By using the ultrasonic echo signals received by the multiple electret sensor elements, information such as the distance, position and shape of an obstacle can be obtained, and the 3D ultrasonic sensor probe can be applied to the detection of the surroundings of a vehicle or robot.

[0003] The existing 3D ultrasonic sensor probe has the disadvantages of complex structure, difficult manufacturing and large ultrasonic energy loss. In the aforementioned patent application, the multiple electret sensor elements and the piezoelectric element in the 3D ultrasonic sensor probe are arranged on the upper and lower surfaces of the bottom surface (diaphragm) of the tank-shaped element respectively, and a cover layer configured as a vibrating diaphragm is further arranged above the electret sensor elements, and the cover layer and the bottom surface of the tank-shaped element are connected to each other by adhesion. The contact area of the multiple electret sensor elements and the piezoelectric element with the bottom surface of the tank-shaped element is large, which reduces the energy of the ultrasonic waves emitted by the bottom surface of the tank-shaped element. SUMMARY

[0004] The technical problem to be solved by the present application is to provide a 3D ultrasonic sensor probe which has a simple structure, is easy to manufacture and has strong obstacle recognition ability.

[0005] The embodiment of the present application provides a 3D ultrasonic sensor probe, which comprises a shell, a vibrating diaphragm, one piezoelectric element and multiple ultrasonic receiving elements; the bottom of the shell is connected with the vibrating diaphragm, the shell is provided with a first through hole and multiple second through holes which are the same in number as the ultrasonic receiving elements, the first through hole and the multiple second through holes all extend along the height direction of the shell; the piezoelectric element is arranged in the first through hole and fixed on the vibrating diaphragm; the multiple ultrasonic receiving elements are arranged one by one in the multiple second through holes respectively and fixed on the vibrating diaphragm or the side wall of the second through hole.

[0006] Optionally, the material of the vibrating diaphragm is metal.

[0007] Optionally, the material of the shell is plastic.

[0008] Optionally, the side wall of each second through hole is provided with a stepped surface, and the ultrasonic receiving element is fixed on the stepped surface.

[0009] Optionally, each ultrasonic receiving element is a MEMS microphone.

[0010] The present application has at least the following advantages:

[0011] 1. The 3D ultrasonic sensor probe core of the embodiment of the present application only needs to fix the piezoelectric element on the vibrating diaphragm, fix the plurality of ultrasonic receiving elements on the vibrating diaphragm or the side wall of the second through hole, and connect the bottom of the shell with the vibrating diaphragm, so that the manufacturing is easy and the manufacturing cost is reduced.

[0012] 2. When the ultrasonic receiving elements are fixed on the side wall of the second through hole, there is no contact with the vibrating diaphragm, so that the structural rigidity of the vibrating diaphragm is reduced, thereby reducing the energy loss of the ultrasonic wave, increasing the energy of the emitted ultrasonic wave, and improving the recognition degree of the ultrasonic echo signal. In addition, the air cavity formed between the ultrasonic receiving elements and the vibrating diaphragm can reduce the interference of the ultrasonic energy generated when the piezoelectric element vibrates, which helps to further enhance the recognition ability of the 3D ultrasonic sensor probe core to obstacles.

[0013] SUMMARY

[0014] The present application will be further described below in conjunction with the drawings.

[0015] Fig. 1 shows a top view of a 3D ultrasonic sensor probe core according to a first embodiment of the present application.

[0016] Fig. 2 shows a cross-sectional view of a 3D ultrasonic sensor probe core according to the first embodiment of the present application.

[0017] Fig. 3 shows a cross-sectional view of a 3D ultrasonic sensor probe core according to a second embodiment of the present application. BEST MODE FOR CARRYING OUT THE INVENTION

[0018] The present application will be further described below in conjunction with the drawings.

[0019] Figs. 1 and 2 show the structure of a 3D ultrasonic sensor probe core according to a first embodiment of the present application. Referring to Figs. 1 and 2, the 3D ultrasonic sensor probe core according to the first embodiment of the present application includes a shell 1, a vibrating diaphragm 2, a piezoelectric element 3, and a plurality of ultrasonic receiving elements 4.

[0020] The bottom of the shell 1 is connected with the vibrating diaphragm 2, the shell 1 is provided with a first through hole 13 and a plurality of second through holes 14 which are equal in number to the ultrasonic receiving elements 4, the first through hole 13 and the plurality of second through holes 14 extend along the height direction of the shell 1. The piezoelectric element 3 is arranged in the first through hole 13, and the plurality of ultrasonic receiving elements 4 are arranged one by one in the plurality of second through holes 14, respectively, and the piezoelectric element 3 and the plurality of ultrasonic receiving elements 4 are fixed on the vibrating diaphragm 2.

[0021] In the embodiment, the bottom surface of the shell 1, the piezoelectric element 3 and the plurality of ultrasonic receiving elements 4 are respectively bonded to the diaphragm 2. The piezoelectric element 3 is arranged at the center of the diaphragm 2, and the plurality of ultrasonic receiving elements 4 are uniformly arranged around the periphery of the piezoelectric element 3. In the example shown in the figure, the number of ultrasonic receiving elements 4 is three, and each adjacent two ultrasonic receiving elements 4 are spaced 60° apart. In other embodiments, the number of ultrasonic receiving elements 4 can also be two, four, etc. During manufacturing, the piezoelectric element 3 and the plurality of ultrasonic receiving elements 4 are first attached to the diaphragm 2 with glue, and then the shell 1 and the diaphragm 2 are bonded together with glue, and the entire manufacturing process is very simple.

[0022] Optionally, the diaphragm 2 is made of metal, such as aluminum, and the shell 1 is made of plastic. Plastic has a high free-forming space, and the first through hole 13, the second through hole 14 and the step surface 12 to be mentioned below can be manufactured by injection molding, etc., thereby facilitating further simplification of the manufacturing process and reduction of manufacturing costs.

[0023] In the embodiment, the piezoelectric element 3 is a piezoelectric ceramic sheet, such as a PZT piezoelectric ceramic sheet, and each ultrasonic receiving element 4 is a MEMS microphone (MEMS is the abbreviation of Micro Electro Mechanical Systems, which means micro-electro-mechanical system in Chinese), but is not limited thereto.

[0024] Figure 3 shows a cross-sectional view of a 3D ultrasonic sensor probe according to a second embodiment of the application. The main difference between the second embodiment and the first embodiment is that the sidewall of each second through hole 14 is provided with a step surface 12, and the ultrasonic receiving element 4 is fixed on the step surface 12, forming an air cavity 15 between the ultrasonic receiving element 4 and the diaphragm 2. Optionally, the ultrasonic receiving element 4 is bonded to the step surface 12, but is not limited thereto. During manufacturing, the piezoelectric element 3 is attached to the diaphragm 2 with glue, the plurality of ultrasonic receiving elements 4 are attached to the step surface 12 with glue, and then the shell 1 and the diaphragm 2 are bonded together with glue, and the manufacturing process is also very simple.

[0025] Compared with the first embodiment, in the second embodiment, the diaphragm 2 is not in contact with the ultrasonic receiving element 4, so that the decoupling effect is achieved, the rigidity of the diaphragm 2 is reduced, the diaphragm 2 can generate multiple modes in a plane, and the influence of the respective structure surface wave is reduced. The structure makes the piezoelectric element 3 more easily drive the diaphragm 2 to deform, the ultrasonic wave energy emitted is stronger, and the diaphragm 2 is more easily impacted by the ultrasonic echo F to excite vibration, thereby reducing the energy loss of the ultrasonic wave and improving the recognition degree of the ultrasonic echo signal. The diaphragm 2 after vibration transmits the ultrasonic wave to the ultrasonic receiving element 4 through the air cavity 15, the air cavity 15 can reduce the ultrasonic wave energy interference generated when the piezoelectric element 3 vibrates, and is helpful to further enhance the recognition ability of the 3D ultrasonic sensor to the obstacle.

[0026] In the example of FIG. 3, the ultrasonic receiving element 4 is fixed on the upward step surface 12. In order to enable the ultrasonic receiving element 4 to receive more ultrasonic signals, the side surface of the air cavity 15 below the ultrasonic receiving element 4 is provided with a downward step surface. In other embodiments, the ultrasonic receiving element 4 can be directly fixed on the downward step surface (similar to the step surface 16 in FIG. 3).

[0027] In a specific application, the 3D ultrasonic sensor probe according to the first embodiment or the second embodiment of the present application is assembled with a shell and other parts to form a 3D ultrasonic sensor. The shell is provided with a PCBA circuit board, and the PCBA circuit board is electrically connected with the piezoelectric element and the plurality of MEMS microphones. The working process of the 3D ultrasonic sensor using the 3D ultrasonic sensor probe according to the first embodiment or the second embodiment of the present application is as follows.

[0028] The PCBA circuit board (not shown in the figure) drives the piezoelectric element 3, the piezoelectric element 3 converts electrical energy into mechanical energy to drive the diaphragm 2 to deform and emit ultrasonic waves. The ultrasonic waves are reflected back to the 3D ultrasonic sensor after encountering an obstacle. The plurality of MEMS microphones convert the received ultrasonic echo signals into electrical signals and transmit them to an industrial computer. The industrial computer calculates the distance, size and direction of the obstacle by using the triangular positioning method of multiple signals, so as to obtain more detailed obstacle information. According to the need, the piezoelectric element 3 can be arranged to generate ultrasonic emission signals and also receive ultrasonic reflection signals. In this case, the piezoelectric element 3 can also transmit electrical signals corresponding to the ultrasonic echo signals to the industrial computer.

[0029] The 3D ultrasonic sensor probe of the present application can be applied to the detection of the environment around a vehicle or a robot. One piezoelectric element is used to generate ultrasonic signals, and a plurality of ultrasonic receiving elements are used to receive reflected ultrasonic signals. The one-to-many receiving mode is conducive to the detection of the surrounding environment and improves the recognition ability to the obstacle. Industrial applicability

[0030] The 3D ultrasonic sensor probe according to the embodiment of the application can be applied to detection of the environment around a vehicle or a robot, has simple structure, low manufacturing cost and strong obstacle recognition capability.

Claims

1. A 3D ultrasonic sensor probe tip comprising a housing, a diaphragm, one piezoelectric element and a plurality of ultrasonic receiving elements, characterized in that, The bottom of the shell is connected with a vibrating diaphragm, the shell is provided with a first through hole and a plurality of second through holes with the same number as the ultrasonic receiving elements, the first through hole and the plurality of second through holes extend along the height direction of the shell; The piezoelectric element is arranged in the first through hole and fixed on the vibrating diaphragm, and the plurality of ultrasonic receiving elements are arranged in the plurality of second through holes one by one and fixed on the vibrating diaphragm or the side wall of the second through hole.

2. The 3D ultrasonic sensor probe according to claim 1, characterized in that, The vibrating diaphragm is made of metal.

3. The 3D ultrasonic sensor probe head of claim 1 or 2, characterized in that, The shell is made of plastic.

4. The 3D ultrasonic sensor probe according to claim 1, characterized in that, The side wall of each second through hole is provided with a stepped surface, and the ultrasonic receiving element is fixed on the stepped surface.

5. The 3D ultrasonic sensor probe according to claim 4, characterized in that, The ultrasonic receiving element is adhesively connected with the stepped surface.

6. The 3D ultrasonic sensor probe core of claim 1, wherein, Each ultrasonic receiving element is a MEMS microphone.

7. The 3D ultrasonic sensor probe according to claim 1, characterized in that, The piezoelectric element is adhesively connected with the vibrating diaphragm.

8. The 3D ultrasonic sensor probe according to claim 1, characterized in that, The piezoelectric element is a piezoelectric ceramic sheet.

9. The 3D ultrasonic sensor probe according to claim 1, characterized in that, The piezoelectric element is arranged at the center of the vibrating diaphragm, and the plurality of ultrasonic receiving elements are uniformly arranged around the periphery of the piezoelectric element.

10. The 3D ultrasonic sensor probe core of claim 1, wherein, The bottom surface of the shell is adhesively connected with the vibrating diaphragm.

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