Moving object and ranging apparatus capable of acquiring image and high-accurately measuring distance

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-11280606-B2
Application number	US-201716074278-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Feb 28, 2017
Priority date	Mar 4, 2016
Publication date	Mar 22, 2022
Grant date	Mar 22, 2022

Abstract

Provided is a ranging apparatus capable of acquiring an image and high-accurately measuring a distance. The ranging apparatus includes a camera 10 which includes an optical system 53 and an image pickup device 12 having a plurality of pixels arranged therein, an image analysis section 13, and a distance information acquisition section 14, the optical system 53 includes an aperture 51 disposed between two lenses 11a and 11b, the aperture 51 includes two aperture holes 52 corresponding to two ranging pupils 31 and 32, and the pixels include two image pickup pixels 12b corresponding to two aperture holes 52.

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1. A ranging apparatus comprising:
an image pickup part that includes an optical system including an aperture and an image pickup device including a plurality of pixels arranged therein; and
a distance information acquisition part configured to acquire object distance information on the basis of output signals of a pair of images including a parallax from each of the plurality of pixels,
wherein the aperture is provided with:
first and second aperture holes that define first and second ranging light fluxes; and
a third aperture hole that defines an image pickup light flux,

wherein each of the plurality of pixels includes:
a first photoelectric conversion part for receiving the first ranging light flux to output an image signal of one of the pair of images;
a second photoelectric conversion part for receiving the second ranging light flux to output an image signal of the other one of the pair of images; and
a third photoelectric conversion part for receiving the image pickup light flux to output an image signal of an optical image of an object, the third photoelectric conversion part being interposed between the first photoelectric conversion part and the second photoelectric conversion part in the parallax direction.

2. The ranging apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein:
the plurality of pixels include first and second pixels with different incident angle sensitivity characteristics,
the first pixel includes a first light shielding film with a first opening through which a first light flux having passed through the first aperture hole passes and interrupting a second light flux having passed through the second aperture hole, and
the second pixel includes a second light shielding film with a second opening through which the second light flux passes and interrupting the first light flux.

3. The ranging apparatus according to claim 2 , wherein:
the first opening is eccentrically disposed in the parallax direction from a center of the first pixel, and
the second opening is eccentrically disposed in a second direction opposite to the parallax direction from a center of the second pixel.

4. The ranging apparatus according to claim 2 , wherein:
the first pixel includes a first micro lens,
the second pixel includes a second micro lens,
the first opening is eccentrically disposed in the parallax direction from an optical axis of the first micro lens, and
the second opening is eccentrically disposed in a second direction opposite to the parallax direction from an optical axis of the second micro lens.

5. The ranging apparatus according to claim 2 , wherein:
the first aperture hole and the second aperture hole are arranged in the parallax direction,
a width of an optical image of the first aperture hole on the first light shielding film in the parallax direction is smaller than a width of the first opening in the parallax direction, and
a width of an optical image of the second aperture hole on the second light shielding film in the parallax direction is smaller than a width of the second opening in the parallax direction.

6. The ranging apparatus according to claim 2 , wherein the third aperture hole is interposed between the first aperture hole and the second aperture hole.

7. The ranging apparatus according to claim 6 , wherein the plurality of pixels include a third pixel with an incident angle sensitivity characteristic different from those of the first pixel and the second pixel.

8. The ranging apparatus according to claim 7 , wherein:
the third pixel includes a third light shielding film with a third opening through which a third light flux having passed through the third aperture hole passes and interrupting the first light flux and the second light flux,
the first light shielding film interrupts the second light flux and the third light flux, and
the second light shielding film interrupts the first light flux and the third light flux.

9. The ranging apparatus according to claim 8 , wherein the third opening is disposed on a center of the third pixel.

10. The ranging apparatus according to claim 8 , wherein:
the third pixel includes a third micro lens, and
the third opening is disposed on an optical axis of the third micro lens.

11. The ranging apparatus according to claim 6 , wherein the optical image of the object is formed by a light flux having passed through the third aperture hole.

12. The ranging apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein:
the first aperture hole and the second aperture hole are arranged in the parallax direction,
a width of an incident angle distribution of a light flux having passed through the first aperture hole in the parallax direction is smaller than a half value width of an incident angle sensitivity characteristic of the pixel in the parallax direction, and
a width of an incident angle distribution of a light flux having passed through the second aperture hole in the parallax direction is smaller than a half value width of an incident angle sensitivity characteristic of the second pixel in the parallax direction.

13. The ranging apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein the distance information acquisition part acquires the object distance information on the basis of a parallax of an optical image formed by a light flux passing through the first aperture hole and an optical image formed by a light flux passing through the second aperture hole.

14. The ranging apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein the aperture is formed so that the first light flux having passed through the first aperture hole and the second light flux having passed through the second aperture hole have the same polarization state and the same wavelength.

15. A moving object comprising:
a ranging apparatus; and
a control device configured to control the moving object on the basis of a distance measurement result of the ranging apparatus,
wherein the ranging apparatus includes:
an image pickup part that includes an optical system including an aperture and an image pickup device including a plurality of pixels arranged therein; and
a distance information acquisition part that acquires object distance information on the basis of output signals of a pair of images including a parallax from each of the plurality of pixels,

wherein the aperture is provided with:
first and second aperture holes that define first and second ranging light fluxes; and
a third aperture hole that defines an image pickup light flux,

wherein each of the plurality of pixels includes:
a first photoelectric conversion part for receiving the first ranging light flux to output an image signal of one of the pair of images;
a second photoelectric conversion part for receiving the second ranging light flux to output an image signal of the other one of the pair of images; and
a third photoelectric conversion part for receiving the image pickup light flux to output an image signal of an optical image of an object, the third photoelectric conversion part being interposed between the first photoelectric conversion part and the second photoelectric conversion part in the parallax direction.

16. The moving object according to claim 15 , further comprising:
a moving object information acquisition device configured to acquire information of the moving object,
wherein the control device controls at least one of a moving direction or a moving speed of the moving object on the basis of the moving object information and a distance measurement result.

Assignees

• Canon Kk

Inventors

• Takagi Akinari

Classifications

• G01C3/085 Primary

  with electronic parallax measurement · CPC title

• G02B7/30

  using parallactic triangle with a base line · CPC title

• G02B7/34

  using different areas in a pupil plane · CPC title

• G01S11/12 Primary

  using electromagnetic waves other than radio waves · CPC title