US 12,228,641 B2
Ultrasonic breathing sensor and sensing method for vehicle occupant monitoring
Marek Hustava, Bratislava (SK); and Pavel Kostelnik, Bordovice (CZ)
Assigned to SEMICONDUCTOR COMPONENTS INDUSTRIES, LLC, Scottsdale, AZ (US)
Filed by SEMICONDUCTOR COMPONENTS INDUSTRIES, LLC, Scottsdale, AZ (US)
Filed on Jul. 19, 2023, as Appl. No. 18/355,284.
Claims priority of provisional application 63/483,229, filed on Feb. 3, 2023.
Prior Publication US 2024/0264303 A1, Aug. 8, 2024
Int. Cl. G01S 15/52 (2006.01); B60R 21/015 (2006.01); G01S 7/53 (2006.01); G01S 7/539 (2006.01)
CPC G01S 15/523 (2013.01) [B60R 21/01536 (2014.10); G01S 7/53 (2013.01); G01S 7/539 (2013.01)] 20 Claims
OG exemplary drawing
 
1. A method that comprises:
sensing an acoustic transducer's responses to a series of acoustic bursts;
differencing pairs of said responses to obtain difference signals;
converting the difference signals into magnitude signals each representing a time-dependent magnitude of a difference between responses in one of the pairs of said responses;
performing peak detection on each of the magnitude signals to obtain at least one peak amplitude; and
providing a breathing signal based on the at least one peak amplitude.