Distance measurement device and distance measurement system

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-12591065-B2
Application number	US-202218057757-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Nov 21, 2022
Priority date	Jun 19, 2020
Publication date	Mar 31, 2026
Grant date	Mar 31, 2026

Abstract

A distance measurement device is used in a system including two or more distance measurement devices having distance measurement ranges that are adjacent to each other or partially overlap each other. The distance measurement device includes: a light emission device; a light reception device which detect reflected light and to output a detection signal; and a processing circuit which determine the position of the target object. The processing circuit generates, based on the determined position of the target object, setting data defining an irradiation range of light to be emitted from the other distance measurement device and transmits the setting data to the other distance measurement device, and controls light emission from the light emission device in accordance with setting data defining an irradiation range of light to be emitted from the light emission device, when having received the setting data from the other distance measurement device.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1 . A distance measurement device in a system including two or more distance measurement devices having distance measurement ranges that are adjacent to each other or partially overlap each other, the distance measurement device comprising:
a light emission device configured to change an irradiation range of light; a light reception device which detects reflected light generated from the light emitted from the light emission device when reflected at a target object and outputs a detection signal; and a processing circuit having a function to communicate with another distance measurement device in the system and which determines the position of the target object by calculating the distance to the target object based on the detection signal, wherein the processing circuit
generates, based on the determined position of the target object, first setting data for defining an irradiation range of light to be emitted from the other distance measurement device and transmits the first setting data to the other distance measurement device, and
controls light emission from the light emission device in accordance with second setting data for defining an irradiation range of light to be emitted from the light emission device, when having received the second setting data from the other distance measurement device.

2 . The distance measurement device according to claim 1 , wherein
the light emission device is configured to change a spread angle of emitted light, and the second setting data defines a spread angle of light to be emitted from the light emission device.

3 . The distance measurement device according to claim 1 , wherein the first setting data defines a spread angle of light to be emitted from the other distance measurement device.

4 . The distance measurement device according to claim 1 , wherein the first setting data includes information indicating the position of the target object the distance to which is calculated by the processing circuit.

5 . The distance measurement device according to claim 1 , wherein
the second setting data includes information indicating the position of a distance measurement target object, and the processing circuit controls light emission from the light emission device so that the distance measurement target object is irradiated with light.

6 . The distance measurement device according to claim 1 , wherein
the light emission device is configured to switch between emission of an optical beam and emission of diffused light and is configured to change the direction of the optical beam, the second setting data includes information indicating whether light to be emitted from the light emission device is the optical beam or the diffused light, and information defining the direction of the optical beam when light to be emitted from the light emission device is the optical beam, and the processing circuit causes, in accordance with the second setting data, the light emission device to emit the diffused light or emit the optical beam in the defined direction.

7 . The distance measurement device according to claim 1 , wherein the first setting data includes information indicating whether light to be emitted from the other distance measurement device is an optical beam or diffused light, and information defining the direction of the optical beam when light to be emitted from the other distance measurement device is the optical beam.

8 . The distance measurement device according to claim 1 , wherein, when having determined that the target object enters the distance measurement range of the other distance measurement device based on data defining the distance measurement range of the other distance measurement device and based on temporal change of the determined position of the target object, the processing circuit generates the first setting data and transmits the first setting data to the other distance measurement device.

9 . The distance measurement device according to claim 1 , wherein
the distance measurement range of the other distance measurement device includes a first range of distance measurement with an optical beam and a second range of distance measurement with diffused light, and the processing circuit
determines whether the target object enters the first range or the second range based on data defining the first range and the second range and based on temporal change of the determined position of the target object,
when having determined that the target object enters the first range, generates the first setting data including information indicating that light to be emitted from the other distance measurement device is an optical beam and information defining the direction of the optical beam and transmits the first setting data to the other distance measurement device, and
when having determined that the target object enters the second range, generates the first setting data including information indicating that light to be emitted from the other distance measurement device is diffused light and transmits the first setting data to the other distance measurement device.

10 . The distance measurement device according to claim 1 , wherein
the processing circuit periodically executes an operation that causes the light emission device to emit light and the light reception device to output the detection signal, and when having predicted that the position of the target object determined based on the detection signal enters the distance measurement range of the other distance measurement device in the next period, the processing circuit generates the first setting data and transmits the first setting data to the other distance measurement device.

11 . The distance measurement device according to claim 1 , wherein the processing circuit
transmits the first setting data to the other distance measurement device through a processing device included in the system, and receives the second setting data from the other distance measurement device through the processing device.

12 . A system including two or more distance measurement devices having distance measurement ranges that are adjacent to each other or partially overlap each other, wherein
each of the two or more distance measurement devices includes
a light emission device configured to change an irradiation range of light,
a light reception device which detects reflected light generated from the light emitted from the light emission device when reflected at a target object and outputs a detection signal, and
a processing circuit having a function to communicate with another distance measurement device in the system and which determines the position of the target object by calculating the distance to the target object based on the detection signal, and
the processing circuit
generates, based on the determined position of the target object, first setting data for defining an irradiation range of light to be emitted from the other distance measurement device and transmits the first setting data to the other distance measurement device, and
controls light emission from the light emission device in accordance with second setting data for defining an irradiation range of light to be emitted from the light emission device, when having received the second setting data from the other distance measurement device.

13 . A method executed by a computer of a distance measurement device in a system including two or more distance measurement devices having distance measurement ranges that are adjacent to each other or partially overlap each other, the method comprising:
causing a light emission device to emit light, t

Assignees

• Panasonic Ip Man Co Ltd

Inventors

• Kato Yumiko
• Narumi Kenji
• Inada Yasuhisa

Classifications

• G06T2207/30252

  Vehicle exterior; Vicinity of vehicle · CPC title

• G01S17/89

  for mapping or imaging · CPC title

• G01S7/4817

  relating to scanning · CPC title

• G06T7/521

  from laser ranging, e.g. using interferometry; from the projection of structured light · CPC title

• G01S7/4802

  using analysis of echo signal for target characterisation; Target signature; Target cross-section · CPC title