公开(公告)号：US12189057B2

公开(公告)日：2025-01-07

申请号：US18471185

申请日：2023-09-20

Applicant: DENSO CORPORATION

Inventor： Noriyuki Ozaki ,  Mitsuhiro Kiyono ,  Teiyu Kimura ,  Shinji Kashiwada

IPC: G01S7/481 ,  G01C3/06 ,  G01J1/44 ,  G01S7/48 ,  G01S7/486 ,  G01S7/4861 ,  G01S7/4863 ,  G01S7/4865 ,  G01S17/08 ,  G01S17/89

Abstract: An optical distance measuring device includes: a light source unit that irradiates a measurement region with irradiation light; a light receiving unit that has a light receiving surface including a plurality of light receiving elements capable of receiving reflected light from a range including the measurement region corresponding to irradiation with the irradiation light and outputs a signal corresponding to a light receiving state of the reflected light for each of the light receiving elements; and a measurement unit that measures a distance to an object in the measurement region by using the signal outputted from the light receiving unit. The light receiving unit has a function of selecting a light receiving element that outputs the signal so that a light receiving position at which the reflected light is received is variable, and the light receiving unit changes the light receiving position to a plurality of positions with respect to a position of the reflected light.

公开(公告)号：US11953604B2

公开(公告)日：2024-04-09

申请号：US18303688

申请日：2023-04-20

Applicant: DENSO CORPORATION

Inventor： Teiyuu Kimura ,  Noriyuki Ozaki ,  Akifumi Ueno

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

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

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：US11422241B2

公开(公告)日：2022-08-23

申请号：US16584093

申请日：2019-09-26

Applicant: DENSO CORPORATION

Inventor： Kenta Azuma ,  Noriyuki Ozaki ,  Shinji Kashiwada ,  Teiyu Kimura ,  Isamu Takai ,  Hiroyuki Matsubara ,  Mitsuhiko Ohta ,  Shigeyoshi Hiratsuka

IPC: H01L31/107 ,  G01S7/4863 ,  G01S17/10

Abstract: A photodetector includes plural detectors. Each of the plural detectors has a single photon avalanche diode (hereinafter referred to as SPAD) which responds to incidence of a photon. The plural detectors include at least a first detector and a second detector. The SPAD has a recovery time period until the SPAD reaches a next photon-responsive state, in response to the SPAD responding to the incidence of the photon. The recovery time period of the SPAD in the first detector is different from the recovery time period of the SPAD in the second detector.

公开(公告)号：US11668826B2

公开(公告)日：2023-06-06

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 ,  H01L31/0232 ,  G01C3/08 ,  G01S7/481

CPC classification number: G01S17/10 ,  G01C3/08 ,  G01S7/4816 ,  H01L31/02327

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.

公开(公告)号：US11585907B2

公开(公告)日：2023-02-21

申请号：US16597109

申请日：2019-10-09

Applicant: DENSO CORPORATION

Inventor： Noriyuki Ozaki ,  Teiyu Kimura ,  Kenta Azuma ,  Takehiro Hata

IPC: G01S17/10 ,  G01S7/4865 ,  G01S7/487 ,  H01L31/107 ,  G01S17/08 ,  G01S7/4863

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：US11296241B2

公开(公告)日：2022-04-05

申请号：US16583674

申请日：2019-09-26

Applicant: DENSO CORPORATION

Inventor： Kenta Azuma ,  Teiyu Kimura ,  Noriyuki Ozaki ,  Shinji Kashiwada ,  Takehiro Hata ,  Isamu Takai ,  Hiroyuki Matsubara

IPC: H01L31/02 ,  H01L31/10 ,  G01S7/486 ,  H03F3/08

Abstract: A light detector is provided to include a detection module, and a monitoring SPAD. The detection module includes an SPAD that is an avalanche photodiode operable in Geiger mode; the detection module is configured to perform light detection by applying, to the SPAD, a reverse bias voltage in a reverse direction. The monitoring SPAD has characteristics identical to characteristics of the SPAD in the detection module. The reverse bias voltage is generated to be applied to the SPAD in the detection module based on (i) a reference breakdown voltage set from a breakdown voltage generated across the monitoring SPAD in Geiger mode and (ii) a predetermined excess voltage.

公开(公告)号：US11668832B2

公开(公告)日：2023-06-06

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

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

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：US11422240B2

公开(公告)日：2022-08-23

申请号：US16582290

申请日：2019-09-25

Applicant: DENSO CORPORATION

Inventor： Kenta Azuma ,  Noriyuki Ozaki ,  Shinji Kashiwada ,  Teiyu Kimura ,  Isamu Takai ,  Hiroyuki Matsubara

IPC: G01S7/486 ,  G01S7/4863 ,  H01L31/107 ,  G01S17/74

Abstract: A light detector is provided to include a light receiving array having a plurality of light receivers respectively outputting pulse signals upon incidence of photons. A delay setting value is set which is used to adjust a time interval from when the pulse signals are output from the light receiving array to when a response number, which is a specified number of the light receivers outputting the pulse signals, is acquired.

公开(公告)号：US11411130B2

公开(公告)日：2022-08-09

申请号：US16598295

申请日：2019-10-10

Applicant: DENSO CORPORATION

Inventor： Kenta Azuma ,  Noriyuki Ozaki ,  Shinji Kashiwada ,  Teiyu Kimura ,  Isamu Takai ,  Hiroyuki Matsubara ,  Mitsuhiko Ohta ,  Shigeyoshi Hiratsuka

IPC: H01L31/107 ,  G01J1/44 ,  H01L27/144 ,  H01L31/02 ,  G01T1/24 ,  G01T1/208 ,  G01T1/20

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：US20210240066A1

公开(公告)日：2021-08-05

申请号：US17161434

申请日：2021-01-28

Applicant: DENSO CORPORATION

Inventor： Mitsuhiro Kiyono ,  Kenichi Yanai ,  Teiyuu Kimura ,  Noriyuki Ozaki ,  Shinji Kashiwada ,  Fumiaki Mizuno ,  Kazuhisa Onda

IPC: G03B21/28 ,  G01S7/48 ,  G01S7/481 ,  G02B26/10 ,  G01S17/06

Abstract: An optical detector includes a light emitter having a light emitting window extended in an extension direction to emit a projection beam from the light emitting window toward a measurement area and to detect a return beam from the measurement area. The optical detector includes a scanning mirror that scans by reflecting the projection beam. The scanning mirror swings within a finite angular range around a rotation axis that is along a direction corresponding to the extension direction.