US 11,988,745 B2
Distance measuring device
Hiroshi Kubota, Tokyo (JP); Tomonori Fukushima, Kanagawa (JP); and Nobu Matsumoto, Kanagawa (JP)
Assigned to Kabushiki Kaisha Toshiba, Tokyo (JP)
Filed by Kabushiki Kaisha Toshiba, Tokyo (JP)
Filed on Feb. 27, 2020, as Appl. No. 16/803,182.
Application 16/803,182 is a division of application No. 15/263,614, filed on Sep. 13, 2016, granted, now 10,613,225.
Claims priority of provisional application 62/221,477, filed on Sep. 21, 2015.
Prior Publication US 2020/0191961 A1, Jun. 18, 2020
Int. Cl. G01S 17/10 (2020.01); G01S 7/4865 (2020.01); G01S 7/487 (2006.01); G01S 17/42 (2006.01)
CPC G01S 17/10 (2013.01) [G01S 7/4865 (2013.01); G01S 7/487 (2013.01); G01S 17/42 (2013.01)] 14 Claims
OG exemplary drawing
 
1. A distance measuring device which emits light intermittently and measures distance based on the time between the time when the light is emitted and the time when the light which is scattered on the measured object is detected , the device comprising:
an optical detector to detect the scattered light;
a light source to intermittently emit first light and to emit second light which is weaker in power than the first light at least once during two emissions of at least part of the first light;
an optical mechanism system to scan the first light and the second light on the surface of the measured object and to inject the first light and the second light scattered on the measured object into the optical detector;
a measurer to measure a distance to each position on the measured object based on a detection result of the optical detector; and
a drive circuit to drive the light source based on a first pulse and a second pulse, wherein
the drive circuit has
a first driver to cause current to flow in the light source, and cause the light source to emit the first light when the first pulse is supplied, and
a second driver to cause current to flow in the light source, and cause the light source to emit the second light when the second pulse is supplied.