Distance measurement device and distance measurement method

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-12235340-B2
Application number	US-202017634621-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	May 19, 2020
Priority date	Aug 19, 2019
Publication date	Feb 25, 2025
Grant date	Feb 25, 2025

Abstract

Provided are a distance measurement device and a distance measurement method for accurately measuring a distance even when multipath occurs.
The present technology provides a distance measurement device including a first transceiver, a second transceiver, a response information acquisition section, a filter, and a distance calculator. The first transceiver transmits a first pulse signal to the second transceiver while performing frequency sweeping. The second transceiver receives the first pulse signal transmitted from the first transceiver. The response information acquisition section acquires response information on a basis of a phase difference obtained by reception of the first pulse signal. The filter extracts initial response information from the response information, the initial response information being the response information related to the first pulse signal to be received at an initial stage. The distance calculator calculates group delay on a basis of the initial response information, and calculates a distance between the first transceiver and the second transceiver by multiplying the group delay by a light velocity.

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1. A distance measurement device comprising:
a first transceiver;
a second transceiver;
a processor configured to perform a response information acquisition;
a filter; and
a distance calculator, wherein
the first transceiver transmits a first pulse signal to the second transceiver while performing frequency sweeping,
the second transceiver receives the first pulse signal transmitted from the first transceiver,
the response information acquisition acquires response information on a basis of a phase difference obtained by reception of the first pulse signal,
the filter extracts initial response information from the response information, the initial response information being the response information related to the first pulse signal to be received at an initial stage,
the distance calculator calculates group delay on a basis of the initial response information, and calculates a distance between the first transceiver and the second transceiver by multiplying the group delay by a light velocity,
the distance calculator includes a group delay calculator, a frequency selector, and a multiplier,
the group delay calculator calculates a gradient of group delay on a basis of the initial response information,
the frequency selector selects a frequency on a basis of the gradient of the group delay, and
the multiplier calculates the distance by multiplying the group delay at the frequency by the light velocity.

2. The distance measurement device according to claim 1 , wherein
the first transceiver transmits the first pulse signal to the second transceiver,
the second transceiver receives the first pulse signal transmitted by the first transceiver, and transmits a second pulse signal to the first transceiver,
the first transceiver receives the second pulse signal transmitted by the second transceiver,
the response information acquisition acquires the response information on a basis of a phase difference obtained by reception of the first pulse signal and/or the second pulse signal, and
the filter extracts initial response information from the response information, the initial response information being the response information related to the first pulse signal and/or the second pulse signal to be received at the initial stage.

3. The distance measurement device according to claim 2 , wherein the second transceiver generates the second pulse signal by adding, to the first pulse signal, a difference between a phase of the first pulse signal based on a timing of transmission and a phase of the first pulse signal based on a timing of reception.

4. The distance measurement device according to claim 2 , wherein the first pulse signal and the second pulse signal each have a narrow frequency bandwidth.

5. The distance measurement device according to claim 2 , wherein the first pulse signal and the second pulse signal each have a frequency bandwidth of lower than or equal to 160 MHz.

6. The distance measurement device according to claim 2 , wherein the initial response information is the response information related to the first pulse signal and/or the second pulse signal to be received first.

7. The distance measurement device according to claim 1 , wherein
the filter includes an inverse Fourier transformer, an initial response information extractor, and a Fourier transformer,
the inverse Fourier transformer transforms the response information from frequency domain information to time domain information,
the initial response information extractor extracts the initial response information from the response information that has been transformed to the time domain information, and
the Fourier transformer transforms the initial response information from the time domain information to the frequency domain information.

8. The distance measurement device according to claim 1 , wherein the frequency selector selects a frequency at which the gradient of the group delay is minimum.

9. A method for distance measurement between a first transceiver and a second transceiver, wherein the first transceiver transmits a first pulse signal to the second transceiver while performing frequency sweeping and the second transceiver receives the first pulse signal transmitted from the first transceiver, the method comprising:
acquiring response information on a basis of a phase difference obtained by reception of the first pulse signal;
extracting initial response information from the response information, the initial response information being the response information related to the first pulse signal to be received at an initial stage;
calculating group delay on a basis of the initial response information;
calculating a distance between the first transceiver and the second transceiver by multiplying the group delay by a light velocity;
calculating a gradient of group delay on a basis of the initial response information; and
selecting a frequency on a basis of the gradient of the group delay, wherein
calculating the distance includes multiplying the group delay at the frequency by the light velocity.

10. A non-transitory computer readable medium storing a program for determining a distance measurement between a first transceiver and a second transceiver, wherein the first transceiver transmits a first pulse signal to the second transceiver while performing frequency sweeping and the second transceiver receives the first pulse signal transmitted from the first transceiver, the program being executable by a processor to perform operations comprising:
acquiring response information on a basis of a phase difference obtained by reception of the first pulse signal;
extracting initial response information from the response information, the initial response information being the response information related to the first pulse signal to be received at an initial stage;
calculating group delay on a basis of the initial response information;
calculating a distance between the first transceiver and the second transceiver by multiplying the group delay by a light velocity;
calculating a gradient of group delay on a basis of the initial response information; and
selecting a frequency on a basis of the gradient of the group delay, wherein
calculating the distance includes multiplying the group delay at the frequency by the light velocity.

Assignees

• Sony Semiconductor Solutions Corp

Inventors

• Tanaka Masayuki
• Nakano Hiroaki
• Omae Uichiro

Classifications

• G01S7/282

  Transmitters · CPC title

• G01S7/006

  using shared front-end circuitry, e.g. antennas (G01S13/765, G01S13/825 take precedence) · CPC title

• G01S11/02

  using radio waves (G01S19/00 takes precedence) · CPC title

• G01S13/282 Primary

  using a frequency modulated carrier wave (G01S13/286 takes precedence) · CPC title

• G01S13/76 Primary

  wherein pulse-type signals are transmitted · CPC title