Distance measuring sensor, signal processing method, and distance measuring module

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-2022155459-A1
Application number	US-202017594030-A
Country	US
Kind code	A1
Filing date	Mar 26, 2020
Priority date	Apr 9, 2019
Publication date	May 19, 2022
Grant date	—

Abstract

The present technology relates to a distance measuring sensor, a signal processing method, and a distance measuring module that enable calculation of distance information and outdoor judgment to be performed by the distance measuring sensor alone. The distance measuring sensor includes a distance measuring unit that calculates distance information to an object from a signal obtained by a light receiving unit that receives reflected light obtained by reflection of irradiation light emitted from a predetermined light emitting source by the object, an ambient light calculation unit that calculates an ambient light component included in the signal obtained by the light receiving unit, and an outdoor information calculation unit that calculates outdoor information on the basis of the ambient light component. The present technology can be applied to, for example, for example, a distance measuring module or the like that measures the distance to a subject.

First claim

1 . A distance measuring sensor comprising:
a distance measuring unit that calculates distance information to an object from a signal obtained by a light receiving unit that receives reflected light obtained by reflection of irradiation light emitted from a predetermined light emitting source by the object; an ambient light calculation unit that calculates an ambient light component included in the signal obtained by the light receiving unit; and an outdoor information calculation unit that calculates outdoor information on a basis of the ambient light component.

2 . The distance measuring sensor according to claim 1 further comprising
a normalization unit that normalizes the ambient light component calculated by the ambient light calculation unit,
wherein the outdoor information calculation unit estimates the outdoor information on a basis of the ambient light component that has been normalized.

3 . The distance measuring sensor according to claim 2 ,
wherein the normalization unit normalizes the ambient light component by using an exposure time and a number of pixels.

4 . The distance measuring sensor according to claim 2 ,
wherein the normalization unit normalizes the ambient light component by using an exposure time, a number of pixels, and the distance information.

5 . The distance measuring sensor according to claim 1 ,
wherein the ambient light calculation unit calculates the ambient light component by subtracting a dark current component from the signal obtained by the light receiving unit.

6 . The distance measuring sensor according to claim 1 ,
wherein both the distance information and the outdoor information are calculated by using a signal obtained by the light receiving unit.

7 . The distance measuring sensor according to claim 1 , wherein as an operation mode,
a first operation mode of calculating both the distance information and the outdoor information, a second operation mode of calculating the distance information without calculating the outdoor information, or a third operation mode of calculating the outdoor information without calculating the distance information is provided.

8 . The distance measuring sensor according to claim 1 ,
wherein the ambient light calculation unit calculates the ambient light component of a region of interest that is part of a light receiving region of the light receiving unit.

9 . The distance measuring sensor according to claim 8 ,
wherein the ambient light calculation unit acquires region information indicating the region of interest and calculates the ambient light component of the region of interest.

10 . The distance measuring sensor according to claim 9 ,
wherein the ambient light calculation unit acquires region information indicating the region of interest, the region information having been detected by an imaging sensor that generates a captured image obtained by receiving RGB light, and calculates the ambient light component of the region of interest.

11 . The distance measuring sensor according to claim 8 ,
wherein the distance measuring unit further calculates reliability information in addition to the distance information, the distance measuring sensor further comprising a region detecting unit that detects the region of interest by using at least one of the distance information or the reliability information, and the ambient light calculation unit calculates the ambient light component of the region of interest.

12 . The distance measuring sensor according to claim 1 further comprising
a filtering unit that performs predetermined filter processing on the distance information,
the filtering unit performing the predetermined filtering processing on a basis of the outdoor information.

13 . The distance measuring sensor according to claim 1 further comprising
a controlling unit that controls an exposure time on a basis of the signal obtained by the light receiving unit.

14 . The distance measuring sensor according to claim 1 ,
wherein the outdoor information calculation unit calculates, as the outdoor information, whether the outdoor information represents the outdoors or indoors.

15 . The distance measuring sensor according claim 1 ,
wherein the outdoor information calculation unit calculates a probability of being the outdoors as the outdoor information.

16 . A signal processing method comprising:
by using a distance measuring sensor, calculating distance information to an object from a signal obtained by a light receiving unit that receives reflected light obtained by reflection of irradiation light emitted from a predetermined light emitting source by the object; by using the distance measuring sensor, calculating an ambient light component included in the signal obtained by the light receiving unit; and by using the distance measuring sensor, calculating outdoor information on a basis of the ambient light component.

17 . A distance measuring module comprising:
a predetermined light emitting source; and a distance measuring sensor, the distance measuring sensor including a distance measuring unit that calculates distance information to an object from a signal obtained by a light receiving unit that receives reflected light obtained by reflection of irradiation light emitted from the predetermined light emitting source by the object, an ambient light calculation unit that calculates an ambient light component included in the signal obtained by the light receiving unit, and an outdoor information calculation unit that calculates outdoor information on a basis of the ambient light component.

Assignees

• Sony Semiconductor Solutions Corp

Inventors

• Ono Hiroaki
• Sano Hironaga

Classifications

• G01C3/08

  Use of electric radiation detectors · CPC title

• G01S7/487 Primary

  Extracting wanted echo signals {, e.g. pulse detection} · CPC title

• G01S17/89

  for mapping or imaging · CPC title

• G01S17/36

  with phase comparison between the received signal and the contemporaneously transmitted signal · CPC title

• G01S17/931 Primary

  of land vehicles · CPC title