Distance measurement apparatus and vehicle

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-2020011998-A1
Application number	US-201716489619-A
Country	US
Kind code	A1
Filing date	Dec 27, 2017
Priority date	Mar 31, 2017
Publication date	Jan 9, 2020
Grant date	—

Abstract

Provided is a distance measurement apparatus including: a light projector that projects reference pulsed light to an object region; a light receiver that receives reflected pulsed light from the object region; a scanning unit including a plurality of movable mirrors provided between the light projector and the object region and synchronously operated; and a calculation unit that calculates a distance to the object region on the basis of a difference between light projection timing of projecting the reference pulsed light and light receiving timing of receiving the reflected pulsed light.

First claim

1 . A distance measurement apparatus comprising:
a light projector configured to project reference pulsed light to an object region; a light receiver configured to receive reflected pulsed light from the object region; a scanning unit including a plurality of movable mirrors provided between the light projector and the object region and synchronously operated; and a calculation unit configured to calculate a distance to the object region on a basis of a difference between light projection timing of projecting the reference pulsed light and light receiving timing of receiving the reflected pulsed light.

2 . The distance measurement apparatus according to claim 1 , further comprising: a first clock unit configured to measure light projection timing of projecting the reference pulsed light; and a second clock unit configured to measure timing of receiving the light by the light receiver.

3 . The distance measurement apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein the movable mirrors perform reciprocating rotational movement around rotary axes respectively, and the rotary axes are set on a same straight line.

4 . The distance measurement apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein the object region is irradiated with the reference pulsed light by using at least one or more movable mirrors of the scanning unit, and the reflected pulsed light is received by using at least two or more movable mirrors of the scanning unit.

5 . The distance measurement apparatus according to claim 1 , further comprising a condenser lens configured to condense the reflected pulsed light received by each of the movable mirrors of the scanning unit.

6 . The distance measurement apparatus according to claim 5 , wherein the light receiver is provided at a position deviated from a focal position of the condenser lens.

7 . The distance measurement apparatus according to claim 6 , wherein an optical delay adjustment element to correct optical delay is provided between the condenser lens and the light receiver.

8 . The distance measurement apparatus according to claim 6 , wherein the light receiver includes a plurality of light receiving elements, and the light receiving element is an element that responds to only one photon at a time of receiving a plurality of photons at a time.

9 . The distance measurement apparatus according to claim 8 , wherein the light receiving element includes a SPAD.

10 . The distance measurement apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein the plurality of movable mirrors includes a first movable mirror that is irradiated with the reference pulsed light, and a second movable mirror that is not irradiated with the reference pulsed light, and a light amount of the reflected pulsed light guided to the light receiver via the second movable mirror is set to be larger than a light amount of the reflected pulsed light guided to the light receiver via the first movable mirror.

11 . The distance measurement apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein the light receiver is provided corresponding to each of the plurality of movable mirrors.

12 . A vehicle comprising the distance measurement apparatus according to claim 1 .

Assignees

• Sony Corp

Inventors

• Koyama Takahiro
• Ono Tomoki

Classifications

• G01S7/481

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

• G01S17/931 Primary

  of land vehicles · CPC title

• G02B26/10

  Scanning systems · CPC title

• G01S17/10

  using transmission of interrupted, pulse-modulated waves (determination of distance by phase measurements G01S17/32) · CPC title

• G01C22/00

  Measuring distance traversed on the ground by vehicles, persons, animals or other moving solid bodies, e.g. using odometers, using pedometers · CPC title