Distance measuring device and distance measuring method

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-12535581-B2
Application number	US-202017431685-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Feb 10, 2020
Priority date	Feb 25, 2019
Publication date	Jan 27, 2026
Grant date	Jan 27, 2026

Abstract

Provided is a distance measuring device including a light emitting unit that emits irradiation light, a light receiving unit that receives reflected light of the irradiation light reflected by an object, a calculation unit that calculates a distance to the object, on the basis of the time from emission of the irradiation light to reception of the reflected light, and a control unit that controls the light emitting unit and the light receiving unit. The control unit controls first imaging that causes the light receiving unit to perform exposure for a first exposure time, and second imaging that causes the light receiving unit to perform exposure for a second exposure time. The calculation unit calculates the distance, using a signal obtained by the first imaging and a signal obtained by the second imaging. The present technology can be applied to a distance measuring device that measures a distance to a predetermined object, for example.

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1 . A distance measuring device, comprising:
a light emitting unit configured to emit irradiation light; a light receiving unit configured to receive reflected light of the irradiation light reflected by an object; a control unit configured to control the light emitting unit and the light receiving unit, wherein
the control unit is further configured to:
control a first imaging operation to obtain a first image, wherein the first imaging operation causes
the light emitting unit to emit light at a first frequency, and
the light receiving unit to perform exposure for a first exposure time;

control a second imaging operation to obtain a second image, wherein the second imaging operation causes
the light emitting unit to emit the light at the first frequency, and
the light receiving unit to perform exposure for a second exposure time;

control a third imaging operation to obtain a third image, wherein the third imaging operation causes
the light emitting unit to emit light at a second frequency, and
the light receiving unit to perform exposure for the first exposure time; and

generate a first high dynamic range image associated with the first frequency, from the first image and the second image; and

a calculation unit configured to calculate a distance to the object, based on the first high dynamic range image associated with the light of the first frequency and the third image associated with the light of the second frequency.

2 . The distance measuring device according to claim 1 , wherein the first exposure time is longer than the second exposure time.

3 . The distance measuring device according to claim 1 , wherein the control unit is further configured to:
generate the first high dynamic range image from the first image, in a case where the first image is not saturated; and generate the first high dynamic range image from the second image, in a case where the first image is saturated.

4 . The distance measuring device according to claim 1 , wherein the control unit is further configured to control a fourth imaging operation that:
causes the light emitting unit to emit the light at the second frequency, and causes the light receiving unit to perform exposure for the second exposure time.

5 . The distance measuring device according to claim 1 , wherein the first frequency is a higher frequency than the second frequency.

6 . The distance measuring device according to claim 4 , wherein
the control unit is further configured to generate a second high dynamic range image from the third image obtained by the third imaging operation and a fourth image obtained by the fourth imaging operation, and the calculation unit is further configured to calculate the distance, based on the first high dynamic range image and the second high dynamic range image.

7 . A distance measuring method, comprising:
emitting, by a light emitting unit, irradiation light; receiving, by a light receiving unit, reflected light of the irradiation light reflected by an object; controlling, by a control unit, first imaging to obtain a first image, wherein the first imaging causes
the light emitting unit to emit light at a first frequency, and
the light receiving unit to perform exposure for a first exposure time; and
controlling, by the control unit, second imaging to obtain a second image, wherein the second imaging causes
the light emitting unit to emit the light at the first frequency, and
the light receiving unit to perform exposure for a second exposure time; and
controlling, by the control unit, third imaging to obtain a third image, wherein the third imaging causes
the light emitting unit to emit light at a second frequency, and
the light receiving unit to perform exposure for the first exposure time;
generating, by the control unit, a high dynamic range image associated with the first frequency, from the first image and the second image; and calculating, by a calculation unit, a distance to the object, based on the high dynamic range image associated with the light of the first frequency and the third image associated with the light of the second frequency.

8 . A non-transitory computer-readable medium having stored thereon, computer-executable instructions which, when executed by a computer, cause the computer to execute operations, the operations comprising:
emitting, by a light emitting unit, irradiation light; receiving, by a light receiving unit, reflected light of the irradiation light reflected by an object; controlling, by a control unit, first imaging to obtain a first image, wherein the first imaging causes
the light emitting unit to emit light at a first frequency, and
the light receiving unit to perform exposure for a first exposure time;
controlling, by the control unit, second imaging to obtain a second image, wherein the second imaging causes
the light emitting unit to emit the light at the first frequency, and
the light receiving unit to perform exposure for a second exposure time;
controlling, by the control unit, third imaging to obtain a third image, wherein the third imaging causes
the light emitting unit to emit light at a second frequency, and
the light receiving unit to perform exposure for the first exposure time;
generating, by the control unit, a high dynamic range image associated with the first frequency, from the first image and the second image; and calculating, by a calculation unit, a distance to the object, based on the high dynamic range image associated with the light of the first frequency and the third image associated with the light of the second frequency.

9 . A distance measuring device, comprising:
a light emitting unit configured to emit irradiation light; a light receiving unit configured to receive reflected light of the irradiation light reflected by an object; a control unit configured to control the light emitting unit and the light receiving unit, wherein
the control unit further configured to:
control a first imaging operation to obtain subframes, wherein the first imaging operation causes the light emitting unit to emit light at a first duty ratio;
determine an exposure length of an exposure for a second imaging operation, based on the subframes obtained by the first imaging operation;
determine a second duty ratio based on the exposure length of the exposure for the second imaging operation; and
control the second imaging operation to obtain a specific frame, wherein
the second imaging operation causes the light emitting unit to emit light at the determined second duty ratio, and
the second duty ratio is lower than the first duty ratio; and

a calculation unit configured to calculate a distance of the object, based on the subframes obtained by the first imaging operation and the specific frame obtained by the second imaging operation.

10 . A distance measuring method, comprising:
emitting, by a light emitting unit, irradiation light; receiving, by a light receiving unit, reflected light of the irradiation light reflected by an object; controlling, by a control unit, first imaging to obtain subframes, wherein the first imaging causes the light emitting unit to emit light at a first duty ratio; determining, by the control unit, an exposure length of an exposure for second imaging, based on the subframes obtained by the first imaging; determining, by the control unit, a second duty ratio based on the exposure length of the exposure for the second imaging; and controlling, by the control unit, the second imaging to obtain a specific frame, wherein
the second imaging causes the light emitting unit to emit light at the determined second duty ratio,

Assignees

• Sony Semiconductor Solutions Corp

Inventors

• Ono Hiroaki
• Kusakari Takashi
• Kamiya Takuro

Classifications

• G01S17/89

  for mapping or imaging · 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

• G01S7/4861

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

• G01S17/18 Primary

  wherein range gates are used · CPC title

• G01S17/931

  of land vehicles · CPC title