Ultrasonic Detection and Ranging
Device for Use in Air
Team Members: Bradley Hughes ‐ Team Leader
Michael Twieg
Jonathan Hall
Steven Ehret
Technical Advisor: Ed Burwell
EECS 398 – Engineering Design Projects I
Dr. Frank Merat
Bob Gura
December 12, 2008
1. Introduction
The rise in demand for more accurate and robust detection and ranging devices
in academic research and in industry application presents a need for a new ranging
solution to be applied to mobile robotics. This project designs and prototypes a SODAR
(Sound Detection and Ranging) device capable of detecting the distance to multiple
objects that are in the field of view of the transducers. Digital signal processing has
been implemented using the cross‐correlation function and has been proven effective
to reliably identify the reflection of a known transmission. Coupling the knowledge of
the time interval between transmission of a signal and the receipt of its reflection with
the local environment’s measured speed of sound, the distance of an object in front of
the sensor can be calculated using the relationship
where d is the distance, v is the local speed of sound, and ∆t is the elapsed time from
transmission to receipt of the signal.
The SODAR device is implemented using two transducers: an electrostatic gold‐
sputtered mylar‐film‐based ultrasonic transducer to transmit band limited noise and a
MEMS‐based ultrasonic pressure sensor to receive the acoustic reflection. Onboard
hardware is capable of performing all signal processing to generate pseudo‐random
noise and compute the cross correlation function of the receive and transmit signals.
Peak detection is performed on the cross correlation resulting in a series of objects
found to be in front of the sensor. All hardware is mounted on custom PCBs (printed
circuit boards) designed by members of the project team that connect in a modular
Ultrasonic Detection and Ranging for Use in Air ‐ 2
fashion. The device is able to resolve objects and their distances over a dynamic range,
which can be adjusted by the user (see Section 2.1 for more information.) The user is
also be able to select two modes of operation: (1) Stand‐alone, where the device
detects objects, resolves their respective distances from the sensor, and outputs this
data, and (2) Array‐mode, where the device is part of a larger array of these devices
that communicate to a separate central processing controller which is able to use the
raw data transmitted from the array of devices to do synthetic aperture imaging. The
latter application will be implemented in the future, as it is outside of the scope and
timeline of this project. However, the device that was designed supports both modes
of data output in a hope to support future development.
2. Technical Specifications
2.1. Operational requirements
i. Dynamic distance ratio: 10 (Max distance/Minimum distance;
ie. 1m max/ .10m min)
ii. Theoretical absolute minimum/maximum distance: 0.10m/3.07m
iii. Distance resolution / error: 1cm +/‐ 0.5cm
iv. Max number of objects simultaneously resolved: 3
v. Angular sensitivity: Polar response of transducer to be characterized; different
transducers will have different responses regardless of driving circuitry
vi. Temperature compensation: Distance calculated to within +/‐0.5cm across
operating temperature range (to be determined from temperature range of
components used, but at least commercial 0C to +85C)
vii. Continuous tracking of objects, response time <0.1ms
Ultrasonic Detection and Ranging for Use in Air ‐ 3
2.2. Power
i. Operates off of an unfiltered +12v supply
ii. Internal switching regulators required to power internal components:
a. +1.2V ‐ FPGA Core (<2W)
iii. Internal linear regulators
a. +2.5V ‐ FPGA VCCA
b. +3.3V ‐ System I/O
c. +5V ‐ Analog supply
Detailed specifications are available in Appendix A.
3. Methodology
3.1. Introduction
The project group conducted the research necessary to understand the theory
behind the device required to meet the design specifications. An initial prototype
indicated baselines for the data transmission and acquisition needs. This initial
research resulted in two options for the transmission and receipt of the pseudo‐
random noise and its reflections. The first option used a single transducer to both
transmit and receive the signal and the second option used a transducer to transmit
the signal and a MEMS‐based sound pressure sensor to receive the reflections of the
transmission. The project group began considering each of these options by coming
up with a high‐level block‐diagrams (See Figure 3.1 on next page) for both setups that
could implement the functions required by the device. From the block‐diagrams, the
group began designing and prototyping the necessary circuits in an isolated fashion
to ensure the functionality of each part of the overall design. As a result, a modular
Ultrasonic Detection and Ranging for Use in Air ‐ 4
Figure 3.1 – High Level block diagram
design was chosen to allow for experimentation and prototype expansion after this
project was completed. The modular design approach also allowed building and
prototyping of the circuit in parallel. The project group decided that custom PCB
designs for the final prototype would be necessary to implement each of the
prototyped parts of the circuit.
3.2. Chosen Design
The final design chosen by the group uses an electrostatic transducer to transmit
pseudo‐random noise and a MEMS‐based sound pressure sensor to detect the
reflections of the transmitted signal. Working from this premise, all other
components were selected to facilitate the receipt and transmission of a clean signal
to and from the FPGA, which does the onboard signal processing.
The signal transmitted is pseudo‐random noise and originates from the FPGA.
The pseudo‐random noise generator requires a seed to begin generating data. This
Ultrasonic Detection and Ranging for Use in Air ‐ 5
seed is supplied by the user via RS‐232 serial and a RJ‐45 jack. The FPGA generates
pseudo‐random noise using a LFSR (linear feedback shift register) and transmits it
digitally to a DAC (digital to analog converter.) The signal is then transformed from a
single‐ended output to a differential output and amplified using a power op‐amp
with the help of a step‐up transformer. The signal is then transmitted into the air as
ultrasonic noise through the Polaroid ultrasonic transducer.
The received signal of the reflection of the transmitted signal is processed
similarly. The MEMS‐based sound pressure sensor produces a voltage when it
detects differences in sound pressure. The signal coming directly from the sensor is
small in magnitude and requires an analog PGA (programmable gain amplifier) before
being sent to the FPGA digitally by being converted with an ADC (analog to digital
converter.)
Because some components such as the FPGA, DAC, and ADC, require different
operating voltages, a power board that can supply 1.2V, 3.3V, 2.5V, and 5V from an
unfiltered 12V source was implemented into the design. These operating voltages
were derived directly from the specifications of components selected to carry out
other functions. Also, the power board uses a high‐voltage step‐up transformer to
drive the transducer. A block diagram of the modular circuit boards is displayed in
Figure 3.2 on the next page. Circuit drawings for the modular circuit boards that have
been designed are displayed in Appendix B.
Ultrasonic Detection and Ranging for Use in Air ‐ 6
Front-end board Power Amp Board Analog Board FPGA Board
Feedback path
Electrostatic
Interface Connector
Transducer Transformer
and Bias
DAC
Single-ended to
Differential Converter FPGA
MEMS mic Power Amplifiers
Programmable
Gain Amplifier
Buffer
ADC
+3.3v LDO
+12v
Figure 3.2 – Block diagram of modular circuit boards
All signal processing is carried out via the FPGA. A cross‐correlation of the
transmitted and received signals will indicate when a received signal is a reflection of
a previous signal. This identifies that there is an object in front of the sensor. The
distance of the object from the sensor can be determined using the known speed of
sound in the local environment and the known time between the transmission of a
signal and the receipt of its reflection. This data can then be output as the raw data
(transmitted and received signals) or as point distances of the objects in front of the
sensor, depending on the mode of operation selected. A block diagram of the
implementation of the FPGA is shown in Figure 3.3 on the next page.
Ultrasonic Detection and Ranging for Use in Air ‐ 7
Figure 3.3 – FPGA Implementation Block Diagram
3.3. Alternative Designs
The project group investigated the possibility of continuously transmitting a
signal and receiving the reflection on a single transducer. This design would have
allowed the circuit to function without the need for the MEMS‐sound pressure
sensor, but at the cost of more analog signal processing and more demanding
magnetic selection. The choice to use the MEMS‐based sound pressure sensor
simplifies the circuit design by eliminating additional magnetic components and
additional filtering.
Ultrasonic Detection and Ranging for Use in Air ‐ 8
3.4. Design Changes
Only minor design changes have been implemented by the project group. The
decisions to change the design arose from the desire to simplify the overall product
while maximizing performance. The decisions were not in response to a previous
design not working as intended or any other problems with respect to component
availability, functionality, or usability. The design changes include: (1) mounting the
transducer and MEMS‐based sound pressure sensor directly to the PCB; (2)
eliminating the need to design and integrate a high‐voltage power supply to bias the
transducer by using a simpler voltage doubler circuit; and (3) using a MEMS‐based
sound pressure sensor to receive reflected signals instead of using a single transducer
to act as a hybrid‐coupled transmitter/receiver.
4. Results and Verification
4.1. Results
After extensive review, the project group has determined that the device meets all
operational specifications outlined in Section 2. These results are verified in
Section 4.2.
Ultrasonic Detection and Ranging for Use in Air ‐ 9
4.2. Verification
4.2.1. Verification of operational requirements
i. Dynamic Distance Ratio: 10
a. Objects were placed in the field of view of the transducer at various
Figure 4.2.1 – Project group member Jonny Hall
providing two of the three objects being
tested. The third object is the ceiling of the
room.
distances within the specified range. This requirement is considered met
because the system consistently detects all objects placed within the
specified range. Three objects were placed in the view of the device at
distances of approximately 20cm , 60cm, and 2m (see Figure 4.2.1). The
Ultrasonic Detection and Ranging for Use in Air ‐ 10
cross correlation of the signals for this setup are displayed in Figure 4.2.2
(next page) and illustrate that all three objects were detected
simultaneously.
Figure 4.2.2 – Filtered cross‐correlation with three objects in the field of view of the device illustrating
multiple object resolution and dynamic distance ratio of device.
Note on interpreting cross correlation graphs:
All cross correlation graphs depicted in this report use the sample taps measured
in units of time lag. The x‐axis is offset by 10000, so the actual distance can be
calculated as follows
x=
( t − 10000 ) ⋅ v
2 s
where x is the distance in meters, t is the tap in time lag samples, v is the local
is divided by two because it is the round trip time. For example the distance of
the rightmost spike in Figure 4.2.2 correlates to approximately 1.79 m.
Ultrasonic Detection and Ranging for Use in Air ‐ 11
ii. Minimum Distance:
b. An object was placed at the minimum specified distance (10cm) (see
Figure 4.2.3). The cross correlation was then checked to confirm that
the device detected the object.
.09m
Figure 4.2.3 – Cross correlation of an object placed 10 cm away from the device (see Figure 4.2.4 – next page).
Figure 4.2.4 – Object placed at 10cm from device demonstrating minimum distance
Ultrasonic Detection and Ranging for Use in Air ‐ 12
iii. Maximum Distance:
a. Due to the limitations of the group’s testing space, we can verify the
maximum distance using multiple reflections. This is illustrated in Figure
4.2.5. The distance to the ceiling is approximately 1.8m, so the round
trip distance is 3.6m.
1.79m 3.6m
Figure 4.2.5 – Cross correlation displaying peak from the ceiling and a second,
smaller, peak of the reflection of the signal off of the ceiling (note this second
peak is at exactly two times the distance of the first peak).
iv. Distance resolution / error: 1cm +/‐ 0.5cm
a. The distance resolution is determined using the FWHM (full‐width at half
maximum). Using Figure 4.2.3, this is calculated to be 2.7mm. This
exceeds the specification.
Ultrasonic Detection and Ranging for Use in Air ‐ 13
v. Max number of objects simultaneously resolved: 3
a. Multiple objects were placed in front of the device (see Figure 4.2.1) and
the cross correlation of the signals was viewed to verify that all three
objects were indeed detected (see Figure 4.2.2).
vi. Temperature compensation:
a. The first peak in the cross correlation indicates the cross‐talk between
the transducer and the sound pressure sensor (see Figure 4.2.5). Using
the known distance between the transducer and the sound pressure
sensor, the local speed of sound can be calculated.
Temperature compensation peak (cross talk)
Edges of ruler ‐ average: 0.16m
Figure 4.2.6 – Cross correlation of test setup depicted in Figure 4.2.7 (next page). The first peak illustrates
the cross talk between the transducer and the sound pressure sensor – this is the data used to calculate the
local speed of sound. The two far right peaks are the respective edges of the ruler.
Ultrasonic Detection and Ranging for Use in Air ‐ 14
Figure 4.2.7 –
Test setup with a metal ruler
on edge above the
transducer.
vii. Continuous tracking of objects, response time <0.1ms
a. Objects were placed in front of the device and then moved continuously.
The live display of the cross correlation confirmed that the system could
track the object as it moved through the viewable range of the device.
5. Administrative
5.1. Team Complement
5.1.1. Team Members
i. Brad Hughes
a. Previous robotics experience with the autonomous lawnmower. Has
extensive experience using LabVIEW for fast prototype of signal
acquisition and generation.
Ultrasonic Detection and Ranging for Use in Air ‐ 15
ii. Mike Twieg
a. Has previous layout experience with analog circuitry. Has extensive
experience implementing analog circuits.
iii. Jonny Hall
a. Has previous layout experience as well as extensive FPGA/embedded
systems implementation experience
iv. Steve Ehret
a. Has previous experience with design and implementation of analog
circuits and project management/planning.
5.1.2. Team Chemistry
i. The team is well diversified with respect to interests and concentration. This
allows an expert in each area to be part of a team to develop and prototype a
system that requires analog and digital subsystems. However, two team
members are well rounded enough between electrical engineering and project
management/planning that the team will benefit from a well defined project
plan and timeline.
5.2. Management Plan
5.2.1. Milestone Tracking
i. Microsoft Project was used to track the intermediate goals and class milestones
for presentation purposes. Attached in Appendix D is a Gantt Chart that outlines
the individual team member responsibilities for the semester.
Ultrasonic Detection and Ranging for Use in Air ‐ 16
5.2.2. Adherence to Project Plan
i. Throughout the course of the project, the project team followed the Gantt chart
created at the beginning of the project as closely as possible. Throughout the
first half of the project, the project goals were met by their deadlines.
Unfortunately, the project group was unable to meet a deadline to order the
custom PCBs required by the project. The orders were submitted, but were not
accepted by the manufacturer because of a miscommunication of the design
requirements for the price package we had agreed upon. The boards had to be
redesigned using a different specification and resubmitted. This redesign was
done quickly and efficiently and this delay did not affect the overall project plan
because the project plan allowed for some slippage in dates in case of any
problems. The project plan was then updated to redistribute the remaining
workload over the time left in the project and amongst all of the group members
to ensure that project was still successfully completed on‐time. After this
setback was overcome, the project group was able to finish the project adhering
to the revised project plan.
5.3. Budget
5.3.1. Explanation of Project Budget
i. The goal of this project is to not build a cheap SODAR system, but a single SODAR
transceiver that is capable of being integrated into an imaging SODAR system.
ii. Dr. Roger Quinn of Mechanical Engineering has offered funding support for this
project.
Ultrasonic Detection and Ranging for Use in Air ‐ 17
6. Design Implications
6.1. Cost
The components to construct the device are displayed in Appendix C.
Calculating from this list, the final cost of the prototype will be $172.48. This cost is
well within the project budget.
6.2. Product Lifetime
The device is not intended to need regular repair, but if an unusual circumstance
causes the device to become defective it may be easily repairable because of the
modular design of the device. If the failure occurs on a single level of the device, this
PCB can be removed and functional replacement can be plugged into its place.
Individual components are not intended to be serviceable.
6.3. Field of Impact
The device could have a significant impact on the field of mobile robotics by
offering another alternative to object detection and ranging. The possibility of using
the device in an array to do synthetic aperture imaging could allow mobile robotics
designers to image objects in three dimensions for object recognition or simple
avoidance.
7. Discussions and Conclusions
The project was completed successfully, though there were a few small problems along
the way. These problems were overcome and the final product was completed on‐time and
was able to meet operational design specifications. The project did not deviate from the
project group’s original plans in any major way and the overall project plan was followed
Ultrasonic Detection and Ranging for Use in Air ‐ 18
entirely from start to finish with only a few dates being pushed back due to delays with a
manufacturer. Future work regarding the use of this device and its application to synthetic
aperture imaging will continue to be done by one of the group members, Jonny Hall, as his
Master’s thesis. The project group considers this project to be a success.
Ultrasonic Detection and Ranging for Use in Air ‐ 19
Appendix A: Detailed Specifications
1.1. Digital Processing Capabilities
i. Hardware: Onboard Cyclone III FPGA: EP3C25
a. 24624 Logic Elements
b. 594Kbit RAM
c. 66 embedded 18x18 multipliers
d. 144‐pin QFP, 82 user‐accessible pins
e. EPCS4 Configuration Device
f. Serial programming header provided
ii. Functionality:
a. Band‐limited white noise generation
• Pseudorandom number generator, configurable seed
• FIR Filter
b. Synchronous interfaces with ADC and DAC
• Typically proprietary SPI or I2C variants
c. Post‐filtering of received signal if necessary
• Compensation for transducer frequency response
d. Locate objects
• Cross‐correlate transmitted and received signals
• Find consistent peaks in cross‐correlation
• Calculate distance to object based on time lag and speed of sound
e. Interface to array controller
• Synchronization to master frame clock
• Configuration of transmitted waveform
• Synchronization of start of transmission to master
1.2. Analog to Digital Interface
i. 16‐bit digital representations
ii. Final sampling rate target 200ksps
iii. Prototype to use 1Msps converters to permit increased sampling rate if required.
iv. Analog output through high‐voltage amplifier to transducer drive
v. Analog input may have additional amplification / signal conditioning: To be
investigated
1.3. Interfaces
i. Four twisted pairs, differential signaling on data / sync streams
a. I2C bus slave: Control interface and basic distance readout
b. Data stream output 1: Unprocessed Tx data stream
c. Data stream output 2: Unprocessed Rx data stream, or range information output
(depending on mode set)
d. Sync / trigger: Output in standalone mode, input in clustered mode
1.4. Transducer
i. Electrostatic, Mylar‐film ultrasonic transducer
ii. Possible addition of MEMS‐based ultrasonic receiver
Ultrasonic Detection and Ranging for Use in Air ‐ 20
iii. Transducer mode of operation:
a. Band‐limited white noise continuously transmitted with electrostatic transducer.
Separate MEMS microphone used for reception of reflected signals. Cross‐
correlation carried out as in primary plan. Requires MEMS transducer.
1.5. Transducer Characterization
1.5.1. Polar Response
i.
Source: SensComp Datasheet for 600 Series Transducer
1.5.2. Frequency Response
i.
Source: SensComp Datasheet for 600 Series Transducer
Ultrasonic Detection and Ranging for Use in Air ‐ 21
1.5.3. Capacitance
i.
1.6. Modes of operation
i. Standalone simple mode:
a. Device addressable via I2C, registers contain distances to detected objects
b. Data stream 2 provides readout stream (16‐bit fixed point) of distances, clocked
by Sync/trigger
c. Used for standalone, simple object detection / ranging
ii. Array mode
a. Device provides transmit and receive streams via data streams 1 and 2
b. Frame clock derived from Sync/trigger input
c. Tx pattern configurable via I2C interface
d. Tx wavefront start can be triggered by sequences on Sync/trigger input
e. Used with a central controller for coordinating several modules in a
phased array / synthetic aperture setup.
1.7. Physical
i. Enclosure suitable for mounting in an array
ii. Max size 8cm x 8cm x 15cm
iii. Circuitry divided into subsystems; stacking modular boards
Ultrasonic Detection and Ranging for Use in Air ‐ 22
Appendix B:
Circuit schematics:
Ultrasonic Detection and Ranging for Use in Air ‐ 23
Circuit schematic of ADC/DAC Board
Ultrasonic Detection and Ranging for Use in Air ‐ 24
Circuit schematic of Transducer Board
Ultrasonic Detection and Ranging for Use in Air ‐ 25
Appendix C:
Component List:
Number required Number
Part name Part number(s) for each unit to order Price each
DAC DAC8831 1 0 13.24
ADC AD7980 1 0 20.07
Op1 FHP3430IM14X 1 2 1.6
TS924IDT 2.31
OP2 OPA340NA 2 3 1.9
OP3 LMH6672MR/NOPB 1 5 3.8
AD815 10.86
OPA2677IDDAR 2.75
PGA MCP6S91‐E/SN 1 0 1.15
VR2.5 LT1761ES5‐2.5#TRMPBF 1 3 2.38
VR3.3 LT1761ES5‐3.3#TRMPBF 2 3 2.38
VR5.0 LT1761ES5‐5#TRMPBF 1 3 2.38
VREF2.5 TL4050A25IDBZR 1 3 1.58
VREF5.0 TL4050A50IDBZR 1 3 1.58
MIC SPM0204 1 1 15.47
D1 MMBD3004S‐7‐F 1 4 0.48
ES1G‐13‐F 0.81
CEFA104‐G 0.58
CB1(large
bypass) C3225X7R1C226K 5 10 1.485
CB2(HV
blocking) GRM43DR72E474KW01L 2 10 1.66
CB3(general
0.1uF) ECJ‐2VB1E104K 20 30 0.1
CB4(general
10nF) GRM2195C1H103JA01D 5 10 0.451
CS1 (NP0 470pF) GRM2165C1H471JA01D 2 10 0.136
CS2 (NP0 47uF) CC0805JRNP09BN47 1 10 0.078
R(general 0805
resistors)
Transformer
core 1 5
Ultrasonic Detection and Ranging for Use in Air ‐ 26
Header FX6A‐40P‐0.8SV1(71) 2 2 3.65
6pin IDC header DF1B series 2 3
75869‐131LF 0.88
71918‐106LF
6pin IDC plug DF1B series 2 3
Quickie™, Basics+
71600‐606LF 1.07
FPGA EP3C25E144C8N 1 39.5
FPGA
Configuration
Device EPCS16SI8N 1 14.75
FPGA Core
Regulator LT1913 1 7.75
Total Cost 172.48
Ultrasonic Detection and Ranging for Use in Air ‐ 27
Appendix D:
Attached as next two sheets. This page intentionally left blank:
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ID Task Name Sep 21, '08 Sep 28, '08 Oct 5, '08 Oct 12, '08 Oct 19, '08 Oct 26, '08 Nov 2, '08 Nov 9, '08 Nov 16, '08 Nov 23, '08 Nov 30, '08 Dec 7, '08 Dec
SMTWT F S SMTWT F S SMTWT F S SMTWT F S SMTWT F S SMTWT F S SMTWT F S SMTWT F S SMTWT F S SMTWT F S SMTWT F S SMTWT F S SM
1 Write Project Proposal Team
Project: EECS398 SONAR Timeline Task Progress Summary External Tasks Deadline
Date: Fri 12/12/08 Split Milestone Project Summary External Milestone
Page 1
ID Task Name Sep 21, '08 Sep 28, '08 Oct 5, '08 Oct 12, '08 Oct 19, '08 Oct 26, '08 Nov 2, '08 Nov 9, '08 Nov 16, '08 Nov 23, '08 Nov 30, '08 Dec 7, '08 Dec
SMTWT F S SMTWT F S SMTWT F S SMTWT F S SMTWT F S SMTWT F S SMTWT F S SMTWT F S SMTWT F S SMTWT F S SMTWT F S SMTWT F S SM
36 Thanksgiving No Work
37 Oral Presentations
Project: EECS398 SONAR Timeline Task Progress Summary External Tasks Deadline
Date: Fri 12/12/08 Split Milestone Project Summary External Milestone
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