US 12,146,966 B2
Distance measurement apparatus, information processing method, and information processing apparatus
Yumiko Kato, Osaka (JP); Yasuhisa Inada, Osaka (JP); Toshiyasu Sugio, Osaka (JP); and Noritaka Iguchi, Osaka (JP)
Assigned to PANASONIC INTELLECTUAL PROPERTY MANAGEMENT CO., LTD., Osaka (JP)
Filed by Panasonic Intellectual Property Management Co., Ltd., Osaka (JP)
Filed on Nov. 17, 2021, as Appl. No. 17/529,239.
Application 17/529,239 is a continuation of application No. PCT/JP2020/022058, filed on Jun. 4, 2020.
Claims priority of application No. 2019-138193 (JP), filed on Jul. 26, 2019; and application No. 2019-206498 (JP), filed on Nov. 14, 2019.
Prior Publication US 2022/0075077 A1, Mar. 10, 2022
Int. Cl. G01S 17/00 (2020.01); G01S 7/48 (2006.01); G01S 17/931 (2020.01)
CPC G01S 17/931 (2020.01) [G01S 7/4808 (2013.01); G06T 2207/10028 (2013.01)] 18 Claims
OG exemplary drawing
 
1. A distance measurement apparatus comprising:
a light emitter that emits a plurality of light beams toward a scene in different directions and at different timings;
a light receiver that includes an array of a plurality of light-receiving elements, and detects reflected light from the scene produced by the emission of each light beam with the plurality of light-receiving elements; and
a signal processing circuit that generates and outputs output data including measurement data indicating positions or distances of a plurality of points in the scene on a basis of a signal outputted by the light receiver, wherein
the output data includes a plurality of data sets, and individual time data is attached to each of the plurality of data sets, and
each of the plurality of data sets includes a plurality of data points representing the measurement data of each of the plurality of points in the scene, measured using the same light beam from among the plurality of light beams.