US 12,241,979 B2
Optical distance measuring device and method for the same
Masato Rinnai, Kariya (JP); and Isamu Takai, Kariya (JP)
Assigned to DENSO CORPORATION, Kariya (JP)
Filed by DENSO CORPORATION, Kariya (JP)
Filed on Dec. 3, 2020, as Appl. No. 17/110,339.
Application 17/110,339 is a continuation of application No. PCT/JP2019/021710, filed on May 31, 2019.
Claims priority of application No. 2018-108321 (JP), filed on Jun. 6, 2018.
Prior Publication US 2021/0088663 A1, Mar. 25, 2021
Int. Cl. G01S 17/42 (2006.01); G01S 7/484 (2006.01); G01S 7/486 (2020.01); G01S 17/931 (2020.01)
CPC G01S 17/42 (2013.01) [G01S 7/484 (2013.01); G01S 7/486 (2013.01); G01S 17/931 (2020.01)] 14 Claims
OG exemplary drawing
 
1. An optical distance measuring device for detecting a distance to an object, the optical distance measuring device comprising:
an emission unit driving a light source at a predetermined timing to emit light from the light source to a predetermined range of a space;
a light receiving unit including at least one light receiving element detecting reflected light corresponding to the emitted light, the light receiving unit outputting a detection signal corresponding to the reflected light detected;
a signal processing unit processing the detection signal to extract a peak signal including a peak value corresponding to the reflected light from the object;
a measurement unit measuring a distance to the object according to a time from driving of the light source by the emission unit until the peak value of the extracted peak signal is reached; and
an adjustment unit outputting an adjustment signal changing performance for measurement of the distance to the object to at least one of the emission unit, the light receiving unit, and the signal processing unit, depending on a state of the peak signal output by the signal processing unit, the state of the peak signal including an intensity and a width of the peak signal, wherein
the light receiving unit includes a plurality of light receiving elements,
the signal processing unit accumulates outputs from the light receiving elements to output, as the peak signal, a signal including a peak value corresponding to the reflected light,
the adjustment unit compares the peak value with a predefined threshold to set the adjustment signal to be output,
the emission unit performs the emission a plurality of times during one distance measurement,
the signal processing unit accumulates the outputs from the light receiving elements by accumulating a plurality of outputs from the light receiving elements corresponding to the plurality of emissions, and
the adjustment unit outputs the adjustment signal to the signal processing unit as a signal changing the number of accumulating operations.