A Novel Ultrasonic Method for Measuring the Position and Velocity of Moving Objects in 3D Space

Abstract

This study proposes a method for concurrently determining the position and velocity of a moving object in three-dimensional (3D) space using echolocation. A spherical object, i.e., a flying ball, is used to demonstrate the ability of the proposed method. The position of the object is calculated using a time-of-flight (TOF) technique based on a cross-correlation function, which requires less computational time when using one-bit signal technology. The velocity of the object is subsequently computed from the length of chirp signals and the velocity vector measurements between the position of the object and the position of acoustical receivers. The coordinate of the object location is identified by the distance from the sound source to the object, the elevation angle, and the azimuth angle. The validity and repeatability of the experimental results are evaluated by statistical methods, showing ±1% of accuracy. It is concluded that the proposed method can identify the position and velocity of a rigid body in 3D space.