Laser distance measuring apparatus

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-2020103531-A1
Application number	US-201916545072-A
Country	US
Kind code	A1
Filing date	Aug 20, 2019
Priority date	Sep 28, 2018
Publication date	Apr 2, 2020
Grant date	—

Abstract

To provide a laser distance measuring apparatus that can set the irradiation range of the laser beam to the front ground surface appropriately regardless of the inclination of the front ground surface. A laser distance measuring apparatus controls the scanning mechanism to performs two-dimensional scan which scan laser beam in an irradiation angle range of the right and left direction to the traveling direction of own vehicle and scans laser beam in an irradiation angle range of the up and down direction with respect to the traveling direction of own vehicle; detects a relative inclination information of the up and down direction of a ground surface in front of own vehicle with respect to a ground surface where own vehicle is located; and moves the irradiation angle range of the up and down direction to up side or down side according to the relative inclination information.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1 . A laser distance measuring apparatus comprising:
a laser beam generator that emits a laser beam; a scanning mechanism that changes an irradiation angle of the laser beam, which is irradiated to front of an own vehicle, to a right and left direction and an up and down direction with respect to a traveling direction of the own vehicle; a scanning controller that controls the scanning mechanism to performs a two-dimensional scan which scan the laser beam in an irradiation angle range of the right and left direction with respect to the traveling direction of the own vehicle and scans the laser beam in an irradiation angle range of the up and down direction with respect to the traveling direction of the own vehicle; a light receiver that receives a reflected light of the laser beam reflected by an object in front of the own vehicle, and outputs a light receiving signal; a distance calculator that calculates a distance to the object which exists at the irradiation angle, based on the emitted laser beam, the light receiving signal, and the irradiation angle; and an inclination detector that detects a relative inclination information of the up and down direction of a ground surface in front of the own vehicle with respect to a ground surface where the own vehicle is located, wherein the scanning controller moves the irradiation angle range of the up and down direction to up side or down side according to the relative inclination information.

2 . The laser distance measuring apparatus according to claim 1 ,
wherein the inclination detector detects, as the relative inclination information, a relative inclination angle of the ground surface in the distance measurement range in front of the own vehicle with respect to the ground where the own vehicle is located, and Wherein the scanning controller moves the irradiation angle range of the up and down direction to the up side or the down side according to the relative inclination angle.

3 . The laser distance measuring apparatus according to claim 1 ,
wherein the inclination detector detects, as the relative inclination information, a relative height of the up and down direction of the ground surface, which is located ahead by a determination distance from the own vehicle, with respect to the ground surface where the own vehicle is located, and wherein the scanning controller moves the irradiation angle range of the up and down direction to the up side or the down side according to the relative height of the up and down direction.

4 . The laser distance measuring apparatus according to claim 1 ,
wherein the inclination detector obtains an altitude information or an inclination information of the ground surface where the own vehicle is located and the ground surface in front of the own vehicle, from a car navigation apparatus as an external apparatus; and detects the relative inclination information based on the altitude information or the inclination information.

5 . The laser distance measuring apparatus according to claim 2 ,
wherein the inclination detector obtains an altitude information or an inclination information of the ground surface where the own vehicle is located and the ground surface in front of the own vehicle, from a car navigation apparatus as an external apparatus; and detects the relative inclination information based on the altitude information or the inclination information.

6 . The laser distance measuring apparatus according to claim 3 ,
wherein the inclination detector obtains an altitude information or an inclination information of the ground surface where the own vehicle is located and the ground surface in front of the own vehicle, from a car navigation apparatus as an external apparatus; and detects the relative inclination information based on the altitude information or the inclination information.

7 . The laser distance measuring apparatus according to claim 1 ,
wherein the inclination detector obtains the relative height information of the up and down direction of the ground surface in front of the own vehicle with respect to the ground surface where the own vehicle is located from one or both of a monitoring camera and a millimeter wave radar as an external apparatus; and detects the relative inclination information based on the relative height information.

8 . The laser distance measuring apparatus according to claim 2 ,
wherein the inclination detector obtains the relative height information of the up and down direction of the ground surface in front of the own vehicle with respect to the ground surface where the own vehicle is located from one or both of a monitoring camera and a millimeter wave radar as an external apparatus; and detects the relative inclination information based on the relative height information.

9 . The laser distance measuring apparatus according to claim 3 ,
wherein the inclination detector obtains the relative height information of the up and down direction of the ground surface in front of the own vehicle with respect to the ground surface where the own vehicle is located from one or both of a monitoring camera and a millimeter wave radar as an external apparatus; and detects the relative inclination information based on the relative height information.

10 . The laser distance measuring apparatus according to claim 1 ,
wherein the inclination detector obtains the relative height information of the up and down direction of the ground surface in front of the own vehicle with respect to the ground surface where the own vehicle is located, based on the measurement result of distance by the distance calculator; and detects the relative inclination information based on the relative height information.

11 . The laser distance measuring apparatus according to claim 2 ,
wherein the inclination detector obtains the relative height information of the up and down direction of the ground surface in front of the own vehicle with respect to the ground surface where the own vehicle is located, based on the measurement result of distance by the distance calculator; and detects the relative inclination information based on the relative height information.

12 . The laser distance measuring apparatus according to claim 3 ,
wherein the inclination detector obtains the relative height information of the up and down direction of the ground surface in front of the own vehicle with respect to the ground surface where the own vehicle is located, based on the measurement result of distance by the distance calculator; and detects the relative inclination information based on the relative height information.

Assignees

• Mitsubishi Electric Corp

Inventors

• Kawai Masahiro
• Takagawa Yosuke
• Kameyama Shumpei

Classifications

• G01S17/42

  Simultaneous measurement of distance and other co-ordinates (indirect measurement G01S17/46) · CPC title

• G01S17/10

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

• G01S17/931 Primary

  of land vehicles · CPC title

• G01S7/4972

  Alignment of sensor · CPC title

• G01S17/89

  for mapping or imaging · CPC title