Object detector and sensor

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-10591602-B2
Application number	US-201916384629-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Apr 15, 2019
Priority date	Dec 6, 2013
Publication date	Mar 17, 2020
Grant date	Mar 17, 2020

Abstract

An object detector includes a projector including a light source having a two-dimensionally arranged plurality of light emitter groups, each of the light emitter groups having a plurality of light emitters, a light receiver which receives light emitted from the projector, and reflected by an object, and a light source driver which lights on and lights off each of the light emitter groups of the light source.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. An object detector, comprising:
a projector including a light source having a two-dimensionally arranged plurality of light emitter groups, each of the light emitter groups having a plurality of light emitters;
a light receiver which receives light emitted from the projector, and reflected by an object; and
a light source driver which lights on and lights off each of the light emitter groups of the light source, wherein
the light receiver includes a single light-receiving element, and
a size of a light-receiving area is the same as a size of an emission area when the plurality of light emitter groups in the light source are simultaneously lighted on.

2. The object detector according to claim 1 , further comprising: a processor which independently and sequentially lights on and lights off the plurality of light emitter groups with the light source driver, and obtains distance information to the object based on lighting-on timing of the light emitter group and light-receiving timing of the light receiver when the light receiver receives light reflected by the object.

3. The object detector according to claim 2 , wherein the processor simultaneously lights on and lights off at least two light emitter groups among the plurality of light emitter groups until the light receiver receives the light reflected by the object.

4. The object detector according to claim 2 , wherein the processor adjusts emission light volume of the light emitter group based on the distance information to the object.

5. The object detector according to claim 2 , wherein the processor adjusts a number of light emitters to be lighted on in the light emitter group based on the distance information to the object.

6. The object detector according to claim 2 , wherein the processor adjusts driving current to the light emitter group based on the distance information to the object.

7. The object detector according to claim 2 , wherein the processor sequentially lights on the light emitter group at least one light emitter group away from a previously lighted-on light emitter group.

8. The object detector according to claim 1 , wherein
the projector includes a projection optical system disposed on an optical path of light emitted from the light source, and
a focal length of the projection optical system is variable.

9. The object detector according to claim 1 , wherein the light receiver includes a bandpass filter which transmits only the light reflected by the object.

10. A sensor, comprising:
the object detector according to claim 1 ; and
a monitoring controller which obtains moving information including at least one of existence or non-existence of movement, a moving direction, and a moving speed of the object based on output of the object detector.

11. An object detector, comprising:
a projector including a light source having a two-dimensionally arranged plurality of light emitter groups, each of the light emitter groups having a plurality of light emitters;
a light receiver which receives light emitted from the projector, and reflected by an object; and
a light source driver which lights on and lights off each of the light emitter groups of the light source, wherein
the plurality of light emitter groups is disposed along a first direction and a second direction orthogonal to each other,
the light receiver includes a light-receiving optical system which collects the light reflected by the object, and
the light-receiving optical system has a focal length which differs between the first direction and the second direction.

12. The object detector according to claim 11 , comprising: a processor which independently and sequentially lights on and lights off the plurality of light emitter groups with the light source driver, and obtains distance information to the object based on lighting-on timing of the light emitter group and light-receiving timing of the light receiver when the light receiver receives light reflected by the object.

13. The object detector according to claim 12 , wherein the processor simultaneously lights on and lights off at least two light emitter groups among the plurality of light emitter groups until the light receiver receives the light reflected by the object.

14. The object detector according to claim 12 , wherein the processor adjusts emission light volume of the light emitter group based on the distance information to the object.

15. The object detector according to claim 12 , wherein the processor adjusts a number of light emitters to be lighted on in the light emitter group based on the distance information to the object.

16. The object detector according to claim 12 , wherein the processor adjusts driving current to the light emitter group based on the distance information to the object.

17. The object detector according to claim 12 , wherein the processor sequentially lights on the light emitter group at least one light emitter group away from a previously lighted-on light emitter group.

18. The object detector according to claim 11 , wherein
the projector includes a projection optical system disposed on an optical path of light emitted from the light source, and
a focal length of the projection optical system is variable.

19. The object detector according to claim 11 , wherein
a size of a sectional shape of light toward the object in the first direction is larger than a size of a sectional shape of light toward the object in the second direction when the plurality of light emitter groups is simultaneously lighted on, and
a focal distance of the light-receiving optical system in the first direction is shorter than a focal distance of the light-receiving optical system in the second direction.

20. A sensor, comprising:
the object detector according to claim 11 ; and

a monitoring controller which obtains moving information including at least one of existence or non-existence of movement, a moving direction, and a moving speed of the object based on output of the object detector.

Assignees

• Akatsu Kazuhiro
• Nakamura Tadashi
• Sakai Kohji
• Ricoh Co Ltd

Inventors

• Akatsu Kazuhiro
• Nakamura Tadashi
• Sakai Kohji

Classifications

• G01S17/931

  of land vehicles · CPC title

• G01S7/4815

  using multiple transmitters · CPC title

• G01S7/51

  Display arrangements · CPC title

• G01S17/42 Primary

  Simultaneous measurement of distance and other co-ordinates (indirect measurement G01S17/46) · CPC title

• G01S7/4868

  Controlling received signal intensity or exposure of sensor · CPC title