US 12,455,382 B2
Distance measuring sensor, signal processing method, and distance measuring module
Hiroaki Ono, Kanagawa (JP); and Hironaga Sano, Kanagawa (JP)
Assigned to SONY SEMICONDUCTOR SOLUTIONS CORPORATION, Kanagawa (JP)
Appl. No. 17/594,030
Filed by SONY SEMICONDUCTOR SOLUTIONS CORPORATION, Kanagawa (JP)
PCT Filed Mar. 26, 2020, PCT No. PCT/JP2020/013572
§ 371(c)(1), (2) Date Sep. 30, 2021,
PCT Pub. No. WO2020/209079, PCT Pub. Date Oct. 15, 2020.
Claims priority of application No. 2019-073959 (JP), filed on Apr. 9, 2019.
Prior Publication US 2022/0155459 A1, May 19, 2022
Int. Cl. G01S 17/93 (2020.01); G01C 3/06 (2006.01); G01S 7/486 (2020.01); G01S 17/08 (2006.01); G01S 17/931 (2020.01)
CPC G01S 17/931 (2020.01) [G01C 3/06 (2013.01); G01S 7/486 (2013.01); G01S 17/08 (2013.01)] 12 Claims
OG exemplary drawing
 
1. A distance measuring sensor, comprising:
a pixel array unit comprising a plurality of pixels, wherein the pixel array unit is configured to:
receive, by the plurality of pixels, light reflected by an object; and
generate, by the plurality of pixels, a detection signal based on the received light; and
circuitry configured to:
calculate distance information from the distance measuring sensor to the object, wherein the distance information is calculated based on the detection signal;
calculate an ambient light component included in the detection signal;
normalize the ambient light component based on an exposure time of a light emission controlling unit, the plurality of pixels, and the distance information; and
calculate outdoor information based on the normalized ambient light component, wherein the outdoor information is a binary value indicating one of an environment of the object is outdoors or the environment of the object is indoors.