US 12,140,670 B2
Ranging device
Shintaro Sugimoto, Shizuoka (JP); and Masato Gomi, Shizuoka (JP)
Assigned to KOITO MANUFACTURING CO., LTD., Tokyo (JP)
Appl. No. 17/263,252
Filed by KOITO MANUFACTURING CO., LTD., Tokyo (JP)
PCT Filed Jul. 19, 2019, PCT No. PCT/JP2019/028428
§ 371(c)(1), (2) Date Jan. 26, 2021,
PCT Pub. No. WO2020/022206, PCT Pub. Date Jan. 30, 2020.
Claims priority of application No. 2018-141097 (JP), filed on Jul. 27, 2018.
Prior Publication US 2021/0190949 A1, Jun. 24, 2021
Int. Cl. G01S 17/931 (2020.01); G01S 17/10 (2020.01)
CPC G01S 17/10 (2013.01) [G01S 17/931 (2020.01)] 5 Claims
OG exemplary drawing
 
1. A ranging device adapted to be mounted on a vehicle, comprising:
a light emitting element configured to emit detecting light;
a light receiving element;
a translucent cover configured to form a part of an outer surface of the vehicle and covering the light emitting element and the light receiving element;
a first timer configured to start time measurement when the detecting light is emitted;
a second timer; and
a processor configured to cause the second timer to start time measurement when a time period measured by the first timer reaches a prescribed value, and to calculate a distance to an object that generated reflected light based on a time period to a time when the reflected light is incident on the light receiving element, that is measured by the second timer,
wherein the prescribed value corresponds to at least a time period from a time when the detecting light is emitted to a time when reflected light generated by an inner surface of the translucent cover is incident on the light receiving element.