Detector for determining a position of at least one object comprising at least one device to determine relative spatial constellation from a longitudinal coordinate of the object and the positions of reflection image and reference image

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-11143736-B2
Application number	US-201816760618-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Nov 16, 2018
Priority date	Nov 17, 2017
Publication date	Oct 12, 2021
Grant date	Oct 12, 2021

Abstract

A detector for determining a position of at least one object is disclosed and includes at least one sensor element having a matrix of optical sensors, the optical sensors each having a light-sensitive area. Each optical sensor is designed to generate at least one sensor signal in response to an illumination of its respective light-sensitive area by a light beam propagating from the object to the detector. The sensor element is adapted to determine at least one reflection image. The detector also includes at least one evaluation device adapted to select at least one reflection feature of the reflection image at least one first image position in the reflection image. The evaluation device is adapted to determine at least one reference feature in at least one reference image and at least one second image position in the reference image corresponding to the at least one reflection feature.

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1. A detector for determining a position of at least one object, the detector comprising:
at least one sensor element having a matrix of optical sensors, the optical sensors each having a light-sensitive area, wherein each optical sensor is designed to generate at least one sensor signal in response to an illumination of its respective light-sensitive area by a light beam propagating from the object to the detector, wherein the sensor element is adapted to determine at least one reflection image; and
at least one evaluation device, wherein the evaluation device is adapted to select at least one reflection feature of the reflection image at at least one first image position in the reflection image, wherein the evaluation device is configured for determining at least one longitudinal coordinate z of the object by evaluating a combined signal Q from the sensor signals, wherein the evaluation device is adapted to determine at least one reference feature in at least one reference image at at least one second image position in the reference image corresponding to the at least one reflection feature, wherein the reference image and the reflection image are determined at two different spatial configurations, wherein the spatial configurations differ by a relative spatial constellation, wherein the evaluation device is adapted to determine the relative spatial constellation from the longitudinal coordinate z and the first and second image positions.

2. The detector according to claim 1 , wherein the relative spatial constellation is at least one constellation selected from the group consisting of: a relative spatial orientation; a relative angle position; a relative distance; a relative displacement; relative movement.

3. The detector according to claim 1 , wherein the detector comprises at least two sensor elements separated by a relative spatial constellation, wherein at least one first sensor element is adapted to record the reference image and at least one second sensor element is adapted to record the reflection image.

4. The detector according to claim 1 , wherein the detector is adapted to record the reflection image and the reference image using the same matrix of optical sensors at different times.

5. The detector according to claim 4 , wherein the evaluation device is adapted to determine at least one scaling factor for the relative spatial constellation.

6. The detector according to claim 1 , wherein the evaluation device is adapted to determine a displacement of the reference feature and the reflection feature.

7. The detector according to claim 6 , wherein the evaluation device is adapted to determine at least one triangulation longitudinal coordinate z triang of the object using a pre-defined relationship between the triangulation longitudinal coordinate z triang of the object and the displacement.

8. The detector according to claim 7 , wherein the evaluation device is adapted to determine an actual relationship between the longitudinal coordinate z and the displacement considering the determined relative spatial constellation, wherein the evaluation device is adapted to adjust the pre-defined relationship depending on the actual relationship.

9. The detector according to claim 1 , wherein the evaluation device is adapted to determine at least one longitudinal region of the reflection feature by evaluating the combined signal Q from the sensor signals, wherein the longitudinal region is given by the longitudinal coordinate z and an error interval ±ε, wherein the evaluation device is adapted to determine at least one displacement region in the reference image corresponding to the longitudinal region, wherein the evaluation device is adapted to determine an epipolar line in the reference image, wherein the displacement region extends along the epipolar line, wherein the evaluation device is adapted to determine the reference feature along the epipolar line corresponding to the longitudinal coordinate z and to determine an extent of the displacement region along the epipolar line corresponding to the error interval ±ε.

10. The detector according to claim 9 , wherein the evaluation device is configured to perform the following steps:
determining a displacement region for the second image position of each reflection feature;
assigning an epipolar line to the displacement region of each reflection feature such as by assigning the epipolar line closest to a displacement region and/or within a displacement region and/or closest to a displacement region along a direction orthogonal to the epipolar line;
assigning and/or determining at least one reference feature to each reflection feature such as by assigning the reference feature closest to the assigned displacement region and/or within the assigned displacement region and/or closest to the assigned displacement region along the assigned epipolar line and/or within the assigned displacement region along the assigned epipolar line.

11. The detector according to claim 9 , wherein the evaluation device is adapted to match the reflection feature with the at least one reference feature within the displacement region.

12. The detector according to claim 1 , wherein the evaluation device is configured for deriving the combined signal Q by one or more of dividing the sensor signals, dividing multiples of the sensor signals, dividing linear combinations of the sensor signals.

13. The detector according to claim 1 , wherein the evaluation device is configured for using at least one predetermined relationship between the combined signal Q and the longitudinal region for determining the longitudinal coordinate z.

14. The detector according to claim 1 , wherein the evaluation device is configured for deriving the combined signal Q by

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Assignees

• Trinamix Gmbh

Inventors

• Schindler Patrick
• Schillen Peter
• Eberspach Michael
• Lennartz Christian
• Send Robert
• Bruder Ingmar
• Hengen Heiko
• Diesselberg Lars

Classifications

• G01S3/784 Primary

  using a mosaic of detectors · CPC title

• G01S7/481

  Constructional features, e.g. arrangements of optical elements · CPC title

• G06T7/70

  Determining position or orientation of objects or cameras (camera calibration G06T7/80) · CPC title

• G01S17/46 Primary

  Indirect determination of position data · CPC title

• G01S11/12 Primary

  using electromagnetic waves other than radio waves · CPC title