US 11,988,750 B2
Distance measurement device and image generation method
Shigeru Saitou, Kyoto (JP); Shinzo Koyama, Osaka (JP); Motonori Ishii, Osaka (JP); and Masato Takemoto, Osaka (JP)
Assigned to PANASONIC INTELLECTUAL PROPERTY MANAGEMENT CO., LTD., Osaka (JP)
Filed by Panasonic Intellectual Property Management Co., Ltd., Osaka (JP)
Filed on Sep. 22, 2021, as Appl. No. 17/482,365.
Application 17/482,365 is a continuation of application No. PCT/JP2020/011668, filed on Mar. 17, 2020.
Claims priority of application No. 2019-060983 (JP), filed on Mar. 27, 2019.
Prior Publication US 2022/0011436 A1, Jan. 13, 2022
Int. Cl. G01S 17/89 (2020.01); G01S 17/10 (2020.01); G01S 17/894 (2020.01); G06T 7/11 (2017.01)
CPC G01S 17/894 (2020.01) [G01S 17/10 (2013.01); G06T 7/11 (2017.01)] 17 Claims
OG exemplary drawing
 
1. A distance measurement device, comprising:
an image capturer that captures N segmental images corresponding to N segmental distances into which a distance measurement range is divided, N being an integer of 2 or more; and
a range image generator that generates a range image from the N segmental images, wherein
the range image generator determines:
among segmental pixels included in the N segmental images, a segmental pixel having a maximum signal value from N segmental pixels at a pixel position among pixel positions, the pixel position being a same pixel position in the N segmental images;
a value indicating a segmental distance of the segmental pixel having the maximum signal value to be a distance value of the pixel position of the range Image, when the maximum signal value is greater than or equal to a threshold; and
a value indicating a value outside the distance measurement range to be the distance value of the pixel position of the range image, when the maximum signal value is less than the threshold,
wherein for each of the pixel positions, the range image generator:
excludes at least one segmental pixel including the segmental pixel having the maximum signal value from the N segmental pixels;
calculates a mean value of segmental pixels remaining after exclusion of the at least one segmental pixel; and
calculates the threshold based on the mean value.