US 11,808,607 B2
Ranging apparatus and moving object capable of high-accuracy ranging
Akinari Takagi, Yokosuka (JP); and Kazuya Nobayashi, Tokyo (JP)
Assigned to Canon Kabushiki Kaisha, Tokyo (JP)
Filed by CANON KABUSHIKI KAISHA, Tokyo (JP)
Filed on May 18, 2020, as Appl. No. 16/876,270.
Application 16/876,270 is a continuation of application No. 15/450,321, filed on Mar. 6, 2017, granted, now 10,690,495.
Claims priority of application No. 2016-050237 (JP), filed on Mar. 14, 2016; and application No. 2017-031363 (JP), filed on Feb. 22, 2017.
Prior Publication US 2020/0278202 A1, Sep. 3, 2020
This patent is subject to a terminal disclaimer.
Int. Cl. G01C 3/08 (2006.01); G06V 20/58 (2022.01)
CPC G01C 3/085 (2013.01) [G06V 20/58 (2022.01)] 25 Claims
OG exemplary drawing
 
1. A ranging apparatus comprising:
an optical system that includes a plurality of optical lenses which are fixed so as to implement a fixed focal length;
an image pickup device that receives light fluxes from the optical system; and
a distance information acquisition unit that is configured to acquire distance information based on image signals from the image pickup device,
wherein the distance information acquisition unit acquires the distance information on an object, based on parallax in a first direction between (a) a first image based on a first light flux from an object, having passed through a first region of an exit pupil of the optical system, and (b) a second image based on a second light flux from the object, having passed through a second region of the exit pupil,
wherein the optical system is configured such that the parallax of an object existing at a distance of 100 m from the ranging apparatus is smaller than the parallax of an object existing at a distance of 1 m from the ranging apparatus,
wherein the image pickup device includes (a) a plurality of micro lenses positioned at an image surface of the optical system and (b) pixels corresponding respectively to the micro lenses, and
wherein each of the pixels includes (a) an image pickup photodiode, and (b) a ranging photodiode or ranging photodiodes paired for parallax.