公开(公告)号：US20240345252A1

公开(公告)日：2024-10-17

申请号：US18740327

申请日：2024-06-11

Applicant: DENSO CORPORATION

Inventor： Takayoshi FUJISAWA ,  Akifumi UENO ,  Noriyuki OZAKI

IPC: G01S17/931 ,  G01S7/4861 ,  G01S7/487 ,  G01S17/10

CPC classification number: G01S17/931 ,  G01S7/4861 ,  G01S7/487 ,  G01S17/10

Abstract: In a ranging device, a characteristic setting unit is configured to extract, from one or more pieces of received-light information representing changes with time in amount of received light acquired by the light receiving unit, at least one of a received-light amount range and a light reception time range of pulsed light other than emitted light from the light emitting unit, as a specified range. A received-light integration unit is configured to generate integrated received-light information by integrating the received-light information on a time axis with emission timings matched over a plurality of light receptions. A distance calculation unit is configured to exclude or identify distance noise formed of pulsed waveforms arising from pulsed light other than the emitted light, using the specified range extracted by the characteristic setting unit, and calculate a distance to the object reflecting the emitted light.

公开(公告)号：US20230273322A1

公开(公告)日：2023-08-31

申请号：US18303688

申请日：2023-04-20

Applicant: DENSO CORPORATION

Inventor： Teiyuu KIMURA ,  Noriyuki OZAKI ,  Akifumi UENO

IPC: G01S17/93 ,  G02B26/10 ,  G01C3/08 ,  G01S7/481

CPC classification number: G01S17/93 ,  G02B26/105 ,  G01C3/08 ,  G01S7/481

Abstract: A LIDAR device for measuring a distance to an object in a scanning zone includes a light source, a light receiver, a rotatable mirror, a motor, an angle sensor, and a controller. The rotatable mirror is configured to reflect the light beam emitted from the light source toward the scanning zone. The motor is configured to rotate the mirror back and forth between a first position and a second position. The angle sensor is configured to detect a rotation angle of the mirror and to output a detection signal indicative of the rotation angle of the mirror at a plurality of predetermined angle intervals during each rotation cycle between the first position and the second position of the mirror. The controller is configured to output a control signal to the light source to emit a light beam upon receiving the detection signal from the angle sensor.

公开(公告)号：US20210149026A1

公开(公告)日：2021-05-20

申请号：US17138699

申请日：2020-12-30

Applicant: DENSO CORPORATION

Inventor： Hitoshi YAMADA ,  Yoshiaki HOASHI ,  Fumiaki MIZUNO ,  Noriyuki OZAKI ,  Akifumi UENO

IPC: G01S7/481 ,  G02B27/30 ,  G02B26/12 ,  G02B5/10 ,  G01S7/484

Abstract: An optical distance measuring device includes a light emitting element in which a plurality of light emitting units 16 that emit light are arranged so that a gap is present between adjacent ones of the light emitting units, a transmission unit through which the light is transmitted, a drive unit that changes a positional relationship between the light emitting element and the transmission unit, and a light receiving unit that receives reflected light of the light. The drive unit changes the positional relationship between the light emitting element and the transmission unit, thereby changing an irradiation path of the light along an arrangement direction.

公开(公告)号：US20220187470A1

公开(公告)日：2022-06-16

申请号：US17653528

申请日：2022-03-04

Applicant: DENSO CORPORATION

Inventor： Takayoshi FUJISAWA ,  Akifumi UENO ,  Noriyuki OZAKI

IPC: G01S17/931 ,  G01S17/10 ,  G01S7/4861 ,  G01S7/487

Abstract: In a ranging device, a characteristic setting unit is configured to extract, from one or more pieces of received-light information representing changes with time in amount of received light acquired by the light receiving unit, at least one of a received-light amount range and a light reception time range of pulsed light other than emitted light from the light emitting unit, as a specified range. A received-light integration unit is configured to generate integrated received-light information by integrating the received-light information on a time axis with emission timings matched over a plurality of light receptions. A distance calculation unit is configured to exclude or identify distance noise formed of pulsed waveforms arising from pulsed light other than the emitted light, using the specified range extracted by the characteristic setting unit, and calculate a distance to the object reflecting the emitted light.

公开(公告)号：US20210239840A1

公开(公告)日：2021-08-05

申请号：US16778781

申请日：2020-01-31

Applicant: DENSO CORPORATION

Inventor： Teiyuu KIMURA ,  Noriyuki OZAKI ,  Akifumi UENO

IPC: G01S17/93 ,  G02B26/10 ,  G01C3/08 ,  G01S7/481

Abstract: A LIDAR device for measuring a distance to an object in a scanning zone includes a light source, a light receiver, a rotatable mirror, a motor, an angle sensor, and a controller. The rotatable mirror is configured to reflect the light beam emitted from the light source toward the scanning zone. The motor is configured to rotate the mirror back and forth between a first position and a second position. The angle sensor is configured to detect a rotation angle of the mirror and to output a detection signal indicative of the rotation angle of the mirror at a plurality of predetermined angle intervals during each rotation cycle between the first position and the second position of the mirror. The controller is configured to output a control signal to the light source to emit a light beam upon receiving the detection signal from the angle sensor.

公开(公告)号：US20210088658A1

公开(公告)日：2021-03-25

申请号：US17112559

申请日：2020-12-04

Applicant: DENSO CORPORATION

Inventor： Takehiro HATA ,  Noriyuki OZAKI ,  Teiyu KIMURA

IPC: G01S17/08 ,  G01S7/4863 ,  G01S7/484

Abstract: A distance measuring apparatus is provided which includes an illuminator, a plurality of photodetectors which detect reflected light arising from reflection of light, as emitted from the illuminator, from an object using SPADs, a time measuring unit which measures time elapsed after the emission of light from the illuminator until a number of the photodetectors which is larger than a given value have detected light, a timing controller which instructs the illuminator to emit the light, activates the SPADs in a Geiger mode, and instructs the time measuring unit to execute the time measurement, and a timing instruction unit which determines a light emission timing and an activation start timing of each of the SPADs for the timing controller.

公开(公告)号：US20200041621A1

公开(公告)日：2020-02-06

申请号：US16597109

申请日：2019-10-09

Applicant: DENSO CORPORATION

Inventor： Noriyuki OZAKI ,  Teiyu KIMURA ,  Kenta AZUMA ,  Takehiro HATA

IPC: G01S7/486 ,  G01S7/487 ,  G01S17/08 ,  H01L31/107

Abstract: A plurality of photodetectors form a light receiving group, and a plurality of the light receiving groups form one pixel. A light receiving array is provided with one or more of such pixels. The photodetectors each output a pulse signal in response to irradiation of a photon. A measuring unit is provided for each of the plurality of light receiving groups. The measuring unit generates time information representing an elapsed time from an irradiation timing input from outside and light quantity information acquired at each of one or more timings identified from the time information, in accordance with the pulse signal output from the light receiving group. The number of the photodetectors outputting the pulse signal among the plurality of photodetectors belonging to the light receiving group is used as the light quantity information.

公开(公告)号：US20220221565A1

公开(公告)日：2022-07-14

申请号：US17657667

申请日：2022-04-01

Applicant: DENSO CORPORATION

Inventor： Noriyuki OZAKI ,  Takehiro HATA ,  Akifumi UENO

IPC: G01S7/497 ,  G01S7/48

Abstract: A distance measuring apparatus includes a light emitter, a receiver, a calculator, a case having a window, and a determiner for determining that dirt is adhered to the window in response to determination that a dirt determination condition is satisfied. The dirt determination condition includes a first condition that a specified light intensity level at a specified value of a time of flight for at least one pixel of a view region in a histogram is larger than or equal to at least one value of an intensity threshold calculated for the at least one pixel of the view region.

公开(公告)号：US20200044109A1

公开(公告)日：2020-02-06

申请号：US16598295

申请日：2019-10-10

Applicant: DENSO CORPORATION ,  KABUSHIKI KAISHA TOYOTA CHUO KENKYUSHO

Inventor： Kenta AZUMA ,  Noriyuki OZAKI ,  Shinji KASHIWADA ,  Teiyu KIMURA ,  Isamu TAKAI ,  Hiroyuki MATSUBARA ,  Mitsuhiko OHTA ,  Shigeyoshi HIRATSUKA

IPC: H01L31/107 ,  H01L31/02 ,  H01L27/144

Abstract: A photodetector includes: a photoreceptor provided with a SPAD that is configured to respond to incidence of a photon, and as the response of the SPAD, configured to output a pulse signal; and a pulse rate control circuit configured to control sensitivity of the photoreceptor to have a pulse rate as the number of pulse signals outputted per unit time from the photoreceptor to be a set value set in advance, (i) in a set range including the set value, (ii) in a set range of the set value or more, or (iii) in a set range of the set value or less.

公开(公告)号：US20200018853A1

公开(公告)日：2020-01-16

申请号：US16584033

申请日：2019-09-26

Applicant: DENSO CORPORATION

Inventor： Takehiro HATA ,  Noriyuki OZAKI ,  Teiyu KIMURA ,  Kenta AZUMA ,  Shinji KASHIWADA

IPC: G01S17/10 ,  G01S7/481 ,  G01C3/08 ,  H01L31/0232

Abstract: A light reception array unit receives light irradiated from an irradiation unit and reflected from an object, and outputs in parallel a pulse signal respectively output from a plurality of light reception units. A timer unit measures an elapsed time since an input of an irradiation timing signal. A response acquisition unit acquires a number of responses, which is a number of the light reception units outputting the pulse signal, at each fixed cycle timing, and outputs an adjusted number of responses obtained by subtracting a bias value from the number of responses or dividing the number of responses by the bias value. An address of a memory is associated with a timer value measured by the timer unit. A histogram generation unit integrates and stores, in a memory address specified from a timer value, the adjusted number of responses as data at that address.