Distance measurement device

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-10871568-B2
Application number	US-201615567645-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Apr 8, 2016
Priority date	Apr 28, 2015
Publication date	Dec 22, 2020
Grant date	Dec 22, 2020

Abstract

The processing unit causes a light source unit to emit modulated light in one or more emission periods in a plurality of charge transfer cycles within a frame period from connection of an accumulating region to a reset potential to next connection of the accumulating region to the reset potential by controlling a reset switch, and increases the number of emission periods per charge transfer cycle within one frame period. The processing unit obtains, from a sensor unit, a plurality of read values corresponding to a charge amount accumulated in the accumulating region at an alternate point with the plurality of charge transfer cycles, in each of a plurality of read cycles corresponding to each of the plurality of charge transfer cycles. The processing unit calculates the distance based on the plurality of obtained read values.

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1. A distance measuring device configured to obtain a distance to an object by a time-of-flight method, the device comprising:
a light source unit configured to emit modulated light;
a sensor unit including a photosensitive region configured to generate a charge in accordance with incident light, an accumulating region configured to accumulate the charge generated in the photosensitive region, a transfer electrode provided between the photosensitive region and the accumulating region, and a reset switch provided between the accumulating region and a reset potential, and;
a processing unit configured to calculate the distance by controlling emission timing of the modulated light and controlling the sensor unit,
wherein the processing unit
causes the light source unit to emit the modulated light in one or more emission periods in a plurality of charge transfer cycles within a frame period from connection of the accumulating region to the reset potential to next connection of the accumulating region to the reset potential by controlling the reset switch, and increases the number of emission periods per charge transfer cycle within the one frame period,
accumulates the charge generated in the photosensitive region into the accumulating region by controlling a voltage applied to the transfer electrode in one or more transfer periods synchronized with the one or more emission periods,
obtains, from the sensor unit, a plurality of read values corresponding to a charge amount accumulated in the accumulating region at an alternate point with the plurality of charge transfer cycles in each of a plurality of read cycles corresponding to each of the plurality of charge transfer cycles, and
calculates the distance based on the plurality of read values.

2. The distance measuring device according to claim 1 ,
wherein the processing unit increases the number of emission periods per one charge transfer cycle by reducing a cycle of the emission period.

3. The distance measuring device according to claim 1 ,
wherein the processing unit increases the number of emission periods per one charge transfer cycle by increasing a period of the charge transfer cycle.

4. The distance measuring device according to claim 1 ,
wherein the processing unit increases, in stages, the number of emission periods per one charge transfer cycle.

5. The distance measuring device according to claim 1 ,
wherein the processing unit gradually increases the number of emission periods per one charge transfer cycle from 1 to M, M being an integer.

6. The distance measuring device according to claim 1 ,
wherein the sensor unit
includes a first accumulating region and a second accumulating region as the accumulating region,
includes a first transfer electrode provided between the photosensitive region and the first accumulating region, and a second transfer electrode provided between the photosensitive region and the second accumulating region, as the transfer electrode,
includes a first reset switch provided between the first accumulating region and the reset potential and a second reset switch provided between the second accumulating region and the reset potential, as the reset switch, and
the processing unit
accumulates the charge generated in the photosensitive region into the first accumulating region by controlling a voltage applied to the first transfer electrode in one or more first transfer periods synchronized with the one or more emission periods and accumulates the charge generated in the photosensitive region into the second accumulating region by controlling a voltage applied to the second transfer electrode in one or more second transfer periods phase-reversed with respect to the one or more first transfer periods, in a plurality of charge transfer cycles within the frame period from connection of the first accumulating region and the second accumulating region to the reset potential, to next connection of the first accumulating region and the second accumulating region to the reset potential, by controlling the first reset switch and the second reset switch,
obtains, from the sensor unit, a plurality of first read values corresponding to a charge amount accumulated in the first accumulating region at an alternate point with the plurality of charge transfer cycles and a plurality of second read values corresponding to a charge amount accumulated in the second accumulating region at the point, in each of a plurality of read cycles corresponding to each of the plurality of charge transfer cycles, and
calculates the distance based on the plurality of first read values and the plurality of second read values.

7. The distance measuring device according to claim 6 ,
wherein the processing unit compares a sum of the first read value of the n-th read cycle and a difference value between the first read value of the n-th read cycle and the first read value of the (n−1)th read cycle, with a predetermined threshold, or compares a sum of the second read value of the n-th read cycle and a difference value between the second read value of the n-th read cycle and the second read value of the (n−1)th read cycle, with the predetermined threshold, and when any of the sums exceeds the predetermined threshold, the processing unit stops the read cycle of the (n+1)th and subsequent read cycles, where “n” indicates the order of the plurality of read cycles.

8. The distance measuring device according to claim 6 ,
wherein the processing unit
calculates a first estimated value using an approximate expression based on the plurality of first read values and calculates a second estimated value using an approximate expression based on the plurality of second read values, and
calculates the distance based on the first estimated value and the second estimated value.

Assignees

• Hamamatsu Photonics Kk

Inventors

• Mase Mitsuhito
• HIRAMITSU Jun
• Shimada Akihiro

Classifications

• G01S7/486 Primary

  Receivers · CPC title

• G01S7/4861

  Circuits for detection, sampling, integration or read-out · CPC title

• G01S17/10 Primary

  using transmission of interrupted, pulse-modulated waves (determination of distance by phase measurements G01S17/32) · CPC title

• G01S7/4865

  Time delay measurement, e.g. time-of-flight measurement, time of arrival measurement or determining the exact position of a peak (peak detection in noise, signal conditioning G01S7/487) · CPC title

• G01C3/06 Primary

  Use of electric means to obtain final indication · CPC title