JP7367577B2 - Optical equipment and ranging equipment - Google Patents

Description

The present invention relates to an optical device and a distance measuring device.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION Distance measuring devices are known today that measure the distance to an object within a wide-angle viewing area. This distance measuring device includes a light projecting section having a light source and a light scanning mechanism such as a rotating mirror, and a light receiving section having a condensing lens, a light receiving element, and the like. A distance measuring device scans a viewing area as a reference light by deflecting light from a light source using an optical scanning mechanism and projecting the light onto a target object. The distance measuring device then measures the time it takes for the projected light to be reflected by the object within the viewing area and is observed by the light receiving element, and calculates the distance to the object based on the measured time. Calculate (Time of Flight method).

In addition, as another distance measuring device, reference light from a light source is irradiated onto an object within the field of view through a projection lens, and the reflected light reflected from the object is converted into a CCD (Charge Coupled Device) image. 2. Description of the Related Art Distance measuring devices that measure the distance to an object by receiving light with a sensor or a two-dimensional light receiving element such as a CMOS (Complementary Metal Oxide Semiconductor) image sensor are also known.

In the case of other distance measuring devices, distances to multiple measurement points on an object can be calculated simultaneously based on the light received by the light-receiving elements corresponding to each pixel of a two-dimensional image. Distance information can be obtained in real time.

Furthermore, in Patent Document 1 (Patent No. 6123163), for the purpose of measuring the distance to a target object, surrounding objects are detected within an omnidirectional field of view along only the horizontal direction, and the detected surrounding objects are A technique for measuring the distance and angle (azimuth) of is disclosed.

However, in the case of the conventional distance measuring device and the technique disclosed in Patent Document 1, there is a problem in that a large number of light projection/reception systems are required in order to enable imaging over a wide range, such as the entire celestial sphere.

The present invention has been made in view of the above-mentioned problems, and aims to provide an optical device and a distance measuring device that are capable of capturing a wide range of images using a pair of light projection/reception systems.

In order to solve the above-mentioned problems and achieve the objects, the present invention includes a pair of light emitting/receiving systems in which a light emitting part and a light receiving part are arranged in parallel, and each light emitting/receiving system has non-measurement surface parts facing each other. When viewing each light emitting/receiving system on a two-dimensional plane with the non-measurement surfaces facing each other in the housing, the light emitting part and light receiving part of one light emitting/receiving system and the light receiving part of the other light emitting/receiving system are The light emitting part and the light receiving part of the light emitting/receiving system are arranged in the housing so that they have a point-symmetrical positional relationship, and the total light emitting range including the light emitting range of each light emitting part is the same as that of each light receiving part. It is characterized in that the proportion of the light-emitting range of each light-emitting part and the proportion of the light-receiving range of each light-receiving part are respectively adjusted so as to correspond to the total light-receiving range including the light-receiving ranges.

According to the present invention, it is possible to capture a wide range of images using a pair of light emitting and receiving systems.

FIG. 1 is a block diagram showing the basic configuration of a distance measuring device according to a first embodiment. FIG. 2 is a timing chart for explaining the distance measurement operation using the TOF method. FIG. 3 is a top view of the light emitting and receiving device. FIG. 4 is a diagram showing a pair of light emitting/receiving systems that constitute the light emitting/receiving device. FIG. 5 is a side view of the light emitting and receiving device. FIG. 6 is a diagram showing the optical configuration of the first light projection/reception system and the second light projection/reception system. FIG. 7 is a side view of the light emitting and receiving device provided in the distance measuring device of the second embodiment. FIG. 8 is a diagram showing the optical configuration of the first light projection/reception system and the second light projection/reception system of the light projection/reception device provided in the distance measuring device according to the third embodiment.

Hereinafter, a distance measuring device according to an embodiment will be described with reference to the accompanying drawings.

(overview)
The distance measuring device of the embodiment includes a lens group that includes a light projecting system that projects a reference light, and a light receiving system that receives reflected light that is reflected by the reference light from a target object, each having an angle of view that is equal to or larger than a hemispherical area. (for example, a fisheye lens), the spatial distance measurement unit (first A light projecting/receiving system 1a or a second light projecting/receiving system 1b) is configured.

In this spatial distance measuring section, a part of the projected angle of view of the reference light emitted from the light projecting part is blocked by the fisheye lens of the light receiving part, and a part of the receiving field angle of the light receiving part is also blocked by the fisheye lens of the light projecting part. It will be done. For this reason, it is difficult to measure the entire hemispherical area with one set of light emitting and receiving systems. Therefore, even if two spatial distance measurement sections are arranged and used, it is difficult to perform omnidirectional distance measurement.

For this reason, the distance measuring device of the first embodiment is configured such that the non-measuring surfaces of the two spatial distance measuring units (the first light emitting/receiving system 1a and the second light emitting/receiving system 1b) face each other. The light emitting part and the light receiving part of each spatial distance measuring part are arranged in point symmetry with respect to each other.

As a result, the non-light-emitting area of the light-emitting part on one surface (obstructed viewing angle area) can be compensated for by the light-emitting area on the other surface, and also the non-light-receiving area of the light-receiving part on one surface (obstructed (field angle area) can be compensated for by the light receiving area on the other surface. Therefore, it is possible to realize a distance measuring device that can simultaneously measure the distance to an object in an omnidirectional space (360-degree space) with a simple configuration, without adding more light projectors and light receivers than necessary.

[First embodiment]
(Configuration of distance measuring device)
FIG. 1 is a block diagram showing the basic configuration of a distance measuring device according to a first embodiment. This distance measuring device is, for example, a distance measuring device that measures distance using a TOF (Time of Flight) method. The distance measuring device measures the distance to a target object within a viewing area of approximately 180 degrees. Then, the distance measuring device generates and outputs a distance image that shows distances to each part of the measured object, distinguished by color, for example.

The distance measuring device includes a light emitting/receiving device 1, a light emitting control section 2, a light emitting section 12, a light receiving section 13, a light receiving control section 10, a distance calculating section 7, an image processing section 8, and a CPU (Center Processing Unit) 26. There is. The light projecting section 12 and the light receiving section 13 form one light projecting and receiving system. As will be described later, in the case of the distance measuring device of the first embodiment, the light emitting/receiving device 1 has a pair of light emitting/receiving systems. That is, the distance measuring device of the first embodiment includes a first light emitting/receiving system 1a including a light projecting section 12 and a light receiving section 13, and a second light projecting/receiving system 1a including a light projecting section 14 and a light receiving section 15, which will be described later. The light emitting/receiving system 1b is provided.

The light projecting section 12 (and the light projecting section 14) includes a light source section 3 and a light projecting optical system 4. As the light source section 3, a vertical cavity surface emitting laser (VCSEL) including a plurality of laser emitting sections can be used. The light emission control section 2 performs lighting control, light-off control, and adjustment control of the amount of light emitted from each laser beam of the light source section 3. Laser light emitted from a plurality of light emitting parts of a surface emitting laser is irradiated onto a target object via a projection optical system 4 consisting of a group of lenses so that the irradiation areas overlap only with adjacent irradiation areas. . Note that an edge laser diode (LD) or a light emitting diode (LED) may be used instead of a surface emitting laser (VCSEL).

The light receiving section 13 (and the light receiving section 15) includes a light receiving optical system 5 including a group of lenses and a light receiving section (TOF sensor) 6. The light receiving section 6 has a first light receiving section 6a and a second light receiving section for storing phase signals having a predetermined phase difference, such as a phase signal with a phase of 0 degrees and a phase signal with a phase of 180 degrees. It has a light receiving section 6b.

The light reflected by the object (reflected light) is irradiated onto the light receiving section 6 via the light receiving optical system 5. The light receiving section 6 receives reflected light at different phase timings by the first light receiving section 6a and the second light receiving section 6b, and supplies phase signals of each phase to the distance calculating section 7. The light reception control section 10 performs light reception control of the reflected light in the light reception section 6 as described above.

The distance calculation section 7 calculates the distance to the object based on the phase signals of each phase, and supplies the distance data resulting from this calculation to the image processing section 8 .

The image processing unit 8 generates a distance image that is subjected to colorization processing that changes the hue of the image of the target object based on the distance data. This distance image is output and displayed on, for example, an external display device (display). By viewing the colored distance image, the user can easily recognize the distance and shape of the object. Note that the image processing performed when generating the distance image may be, for example, image processing that changes brightness or contrast.

The CPU 26 controls the overall operation of such a distance measuring device.

(Distance measurement operation using TOF method)
FIG. 2 is a timing chart for explaining the distance measurement operation using the TOF method. Of these, FIG. 2(a) shows the light projection time to the target object, and FIG. 2(b) shows the light reception time of the reflected light from the target object. Further, FIGS. 2(c) and 2(d) show the light receiving time (charge accumulation time) of the first light receiving section 6a and the second light receiving section 6b of the light receiving section 6, respectively.

In the TOF method, the distance is calculated based on the time difference between the light emission time shown in FIG. 2(a) and the light reception time shown in FIG. 2(b). That is, the reflected light of the light irradiated onto the object from the light source section 3 is received by the light receiving section (TOF sensor) 6 with a delay of time φ from the timing of light projection, depending on the distance to the object. As the irradiation light from the light source section 3, for example, infrared light is used.

The first light receiving section 6a receives light at intervals during which the light source section 3 irradiates the object with the irradiation light. The second light receiving section 6b receives light at the same intervals as the first light receiving section 6a from the time when the first light receiving section 6a finishes receiving light. As a result, the first light receiving section 6a accumulates charges for the first half of the light receiving time shown in FIG. 2(b) (see the shaded area in FIG. 2(c)), and the second light receiving section 6b Charges for the latter half of the light reception time shown in FIG. 2(b) are accumulated (see the shaded area in FIG. 2(d)).

The distance calculation unit 7 calculates the time difference φ [sec ] and calculate the distance to the object using the speed of light c [m/s].

The distance d [m] to the object is calculated based on the following formula.

d[m]=(c[m/s])×(φ[s]/2)

(Configuration of light emitting/receiving device)
Next, the light emitting/receiving device 1 provided in the distance measuring device according to the first embodiment will be explained. FIG. 3 is a top view of the light projecting and receiving device 1, and FIG. 4 is a diagram showing a pair of light projecting and receiving systems that constitute the light projecting and receiving device 1. Of these, FIG. 4(a) is a front view of the first light emitting/receiving system 1a, and FIG. 4(b) is a front view of the second light emitting/receiving system 2a. Moreover, FIG. 5 is a side view of the light emitting/receiving device 1.

As shown in FIGS. 3 to 5, the light emitting/receiving device 1 has a pair of first light emitting/receiving system 1a and second light emitting/receiving system 1b mounted in a housing 9 such that the non-measurement surfaces face each other. It is provided and formed. Note that the "non-measurement surface portion" is the surface portion of each light emitting/receiving system 1a, 1b on the side where light is not emitted or received. In other words, the first light emitting/receiving system 1a and the second light emitting/receiving system 1b are provided in the housing 9 so that their back surfaces face each other.

As shown in FIG. 4(a), the first light emitting/receiving system 1a is provided with a light receiving section 13 on the upper side and a light projecting section 12 on the lower side. On the other hand, for the second light emitting/receiving system 1b, as shown in FIG. 4(b), a light projecting section 14 is provided on the upper side, and a light receiving section 15 is provided on the lower side.

In other words, when the first light emitting/receiving system 1a and the second light emitting/receiving system 1b with their non-measurement surfaces facing each other are viewed on a two-dimensional plane, the first light emitting/receiving system 1a and the second light emitting/receiving system 1b are shown in FIG. The light emitting section 12 and the light receiving section 13 of the system 1a and the light emitting section 14 and the light receiving section 15 of the second light emitting/receiving system 1b are arranged in the housing 9 so that they have a point-symmetrical positional relationship with the target point 9 as the center. It is located in

In addition, each of the light emitting parts 12 and 14 is arranged so that the total light emitting range including the light emitting range of each of the light emitting parts 12 and 14 corresponds to the total light receiving range including the light receiving range of each of the light receiving parts 13 and 15. The proportion of the light emitting range and the proportion of the light receiving range of each of the light receiving sections 13 and 15 are adjusted.

Specifically, as shown in FIG. 5, the light projecting range (projection angle of view) of the light projecting section 12 of the first light projecting/receiving system 1a is a light projecting range of 180 degrees or more. The light receiving range (light receiving angle of view) is 180 degrees or more. Similarly, the light emitting range (projection angle of view) of the light emitting unit 14 of the second light emitting/receiving system 1b is a light emitting range of 180 degrees or more, and the light receiving range (light receiving angle of view) of the light receiving unit 15 is , has a light receiving range of 180 degrees or more.

A light projection range 49 shown by a solid line in FIG. 3 indicates a light projection range in the horizontal direction with respect to the ground in the light projection unit 14 of the second light projection/reception system 1b, and a light reception range 50 shown by a dotted line in FIG. The light receiving range in the light receiving section 13 of the first light emitting/receiving system 1a in the horizontal direction with respect to the ground is shown. By setting the light emitting range of each of the light emitting parts 12 and 14 to be a light emitting range of 180 degrees or more, and making the light receiving range of each of the light receiving parts 13 and 15 a light receiving range of 180 degrees or more, as shown in FIG. It is possible to realize an imaging range of 360 degrees in the horizontal direction.

Further, a light projection range 51 indicated by a solid line in FIG. 5 indicates a light projection range in a direction perpendicular to the ground in the light projection section 12 of the first light projection/reception system 1a, and a light reception range 52 indicated by a dotted line is a light projection range 51 indicated by a dotted line. 1 shows the light receiving range in the direction perpendicular to the ground in the light receiving section 13 of the light emitting/receiving system 1a of No. 1. Furthermore, a light projection range 53 shown by a solid line in FIG. This is the light receiving range of the light receiving section 15 of the light projecting/receiving system 1b of No. 2 in the direction perpendicular to the ground. By setting the light emitting range of each of the light emitting parts 12 and 14 to be a light emitting range of 180 degrees or more, and making the light receiving range of each of the light receiving parts 13 and 15 a light receiving range of 180 degrees or more, it is possible to It is possible to realize an imaging range of 360 degrees in the vertical direction.

FIG. 6 is a diagram showing the optical configuration of the first light projecting/receiving system 1a and the second light projecting/receiving system 1b. As shown in FIG. 6, each light projecting section 12, 14 has a VCSEL substrate 25 provided with a light source section 3 including a surface emitting laser (VCSEL). Furthermore, each of the light projecting units 12 and 14 includes a wide-angle lens group 40 that includes a wide-angle lens such as a fisheye lens that can project laser light in a light projection range (angle of view) of 180 degrees or more, and It has a projection lens group 41 that guides the laser beam to a wide-angle lens group 40.

Further, as shown in FIG. 6, each of the light receiving sections 13 and 15 includes a TOF substrate 24 on which a light receiving section (TOF sensor) 6 is provided. Each of the light receiving units 13 and 15 also includes a wide-angle lens group 42 equipped with a wide-angle lens such as a fisheye lens that collects reflected light from a light-receiving range (light-receiving angle of view) of 180 degrees or more; and a light-receiving lens group 43 that guides the reflected light to the light-receiving section (TOF sensor) 6.

(Light emitting/receiving operation of the light emitting/receiving device)
As described above, such a light emitting/receiving device 1 is configured such that the positions of the light projecting section 12 and the light receiving section 13 of the first light projecting/receiving system 1a and the positions of the light projecting section 14 and the light receiving section 15 of the second light projecting/receiving system 1b are determined. The positions are arranged in a point-symmetric manner with the symmetric point 19 as the center. With this arrangement, as shown in FIG. 3, the light projected from the light projecting unit 14 covers the light projecting range 49 without being blocked in a 360-degree space horizontally to the ground. Form. The reflected light from this light projection range can be received by the light receiving section 15 in the light receiving range 49.

Similarly, the light projected from the light projecting unit 12 forms a light projection range that is not blocked in a 360-degree space horizontally with respect to the ground. The light receiving section 13 can receive the reflected light from this light projection range.

On the other hand, in a 360-degree space perpendicular to the ground, as shown in FIG. Ru. However, this light blocking area of the light projecting section 12 is compensated by the light projecting range 53 of the light projecting section 12 of the second light projecting/receiving system 1b.

Similarly, in a 360-degree space perpendicular to the ground, as shown in FIG. be done. However, this light blocking area of the light projecting section 14 is compensated by the light projecting range 51 of the light projecting section 14 of the first light projecting/receiving system 1a.

Further, in a 360-degree space perpendicular to the ground, the light receiving range 52 of the light receiving section 13 of the first light projecting/receiving system 1a is blocked by the light projecting section 12. However, the light-blocking area of the light-receiving section 13 is compensated for by the light-receiving range 54 of the light-receiving section 15 of the second light emitting/receiving system 1b.

Similarly, in a 360-degree space perpendicular to the ground, the light receiving range 54 of the light receiving section 15 of the second light projecting/receiving system 1b is blocked by the light projecting section 14. However, the light-blocking area of the light-receiving section 15 is compensated for by the light-receiving range 52 of the light-receiving section 13 of the first light emitting/receiving system 1a.

In this way, the light emitting section 12 of the first light projecting and receiving system 1a, the light projecting section 14 of the second light projecting and receiving system 1b, the light receiving section 13 of the first light projecting and receiving system 1a, and the light projecting section 13 of the second light projecting and receiving system 1b. The light receiving sections 15 are arranged point-symmetrically. Thereby, the light blocking area (non-light emitting area) of the light projecting section in one light projecting/receiving system can be compensated for by the light projecting area of the other light projecting/receiving system. Further, the light-blocking area (non-light-receiving area) of the light-receiving section of one light-emitting/receiving system can be compensated for by the light-receiving area of the other light-emitting/receiving system.

(Effects of the first embodiment)
In this way, the distance measuring device of the first embodiment has a simple configuration consisting of a pair of light emitting/receiving systems 1a and 1b, and can simultaneously measure the distance to an object in a spherical space (360 degrees space). A distance measuring device can be realized. Since it can be realized with a pair of light emitting/receiving systems 1a and 1b, the number of required light emitting/receiving systems can be minimized, and the device can be made smaller and lower in cost.

In addition, when performing ranging over a spherical area, multiple light emitters and multiple light receivers are required to ensure that the light emitted from the light source is not blocked and to image the irradiated area. Therefore, there was a problem in that the distance measuring device became larger.

However, in the distance measuring device of the first embodiment, the loss of the light emitting area of one of the light emitting parts of the pair of light emitting/receiving systems 1a and 1b is compensated for by the light emitting area of the other light emitting part, The defect in the light receiving area of one light receiving part is compensated for by the light receiving area of the other light receiving part. Therefore, it is possible to realize a distance measuring device that can measure distances in a spherical space (360 degrees space) with a small number of parts, and it is possible to downsize the distance measuring device.

In addition, in the case of a distance measuring device consisting of multiple light emitting/receiving systems, it takes the time equal to "the number of light emitting/receiving systems x the distance measurement time required by one light emitting/receiving system" to complete distance measurement. , it takes a long time to complete distance measurement. This problem becomes more noticeable when distance information for all objects in an area larger than a hemispherical area is acquired.

However, in the case of the distance measuring device of the first embodiment, distance measurement for all objects in the entire celestial sphere region can be completed within the imaging time of the pair of light emitting/receiving systems 1a and 1b. Therefore, the time required for distance measurement can be significantly shortened.

In addition, since the optical scanning device provided in the conventional distance measuring device is driven by a motor via a rotor, there are also concerns about noise caused by rotation and reliability of the movable part.

However, in the case of the distance measuring device according to the first embodiment, since the movable part is unnecessary, noise caused by rotation can be prevented, and the durability of the movable part can be improved.

Note that the light projecting section 12 and the light projecting section 14 may emit light at a predetermined ratio, such as setting the light projecting range of the light projecting section 12 to 270 degrees and setting the light projecting range of the light projecting section 14 to 90 degrees. The light range may be shared. Similarly, the light receiving section 13 and the light receiving section 15 share the light receiving range at a predetermined ratio, such as setting the light receiving range of the light receiving section 13 to 120 degrees and setting the light receiving range of the light receiving section 15 to 140 degrees. Good too.

[Second embodiment]
Next, a distance measuring device according to a second embodiment will be explained. The distance measuring device according to the second embodiment is arranged between the light projecting section 12 and the light receiving section 13 of the first light projecting/receiving system 1a to block light that directly enters the light receiving section 13 from the light projecting section 12. A light blocking wall is provided between the light projecting section 14 and the light receiving section 15 of the second light projecting/receiving system 1b to block light directly entering the light receiving section 15 from the light projecting section 14. This is an example. This point is the difference between the first embodiment and the second embodiment. Therefore, below, only the differences between the two will be explained, and duplicate explanations will be omitted.

FIG. 7 is a side view of the light emitting/receiving device 1 according to the second embodiment. As shown in FIG. 7, a light shielding wall 27 is provided between the light projector 12 and the light receiver 13 of the first light projector/receiver system 1a for blocking light directly entering the light receiver 13 from the light projector 12. is provided. Further, a light blocking wall 27 is provided between the light projecting section 14 and the light receiving section 15 of the second light projecting/receiving system 1b to block light directly entering the light receiving section 15 from the light projecting section 14.

Since the light projection range of the light projector 12 is 180 degrees or more, a part of the light emitted from the light projector 12 directly enters the light receiver 13 and becomes noise light, causing problems in distance measurement. There is a risk. Similarly, a portion of the light emitted from the light projecting section 14 directly enters the light receiving section 15 and becomes noise light, which may cause problems in distance measurement.

However, as in the second embodiment, by providing the light blocking wall 27 between the light projecting section 12 and the light receiving section 13 and the light blocking wall 27 between the light projecting section 14 and the light receiving section 15, it is possible to Noise light can be prevented from entering the section 13 and the light receiving section 15. Therefore, in addition to being able to perform highly stable and accurate ranging in a spherical space (360-degree space), it is also possible to obtain the same effects as in the first embodiment described above.

[Third embodiment]
Next, a distance measuring device according to a third embodiment will be explained. The distance measuring device of the third embodiment is an example in which it is possible to obtain an RGB (red, green, blue) color image as well as a distance image for distance measurement. This point is a difference between each of the above embodiments and the third embodiment. Therefore, only the differences will be explained below, and duplicate explanations will be omitted.

FIG. 8 is a side view of the light emitting/receiving device 1 provided in the distance measuring device according to the third embodiment. In this third embodiment as well, the light emitting/receiving device 1 has a pair of light emitting/receiving systems 1a and 1b as described above, but the light receiving section 13 and the light receiving section 15 perform distance measurement using the TOF method. In addition, it is also possible to capture color images based on visible light (natural light).

Specifically, the light receiving section 13 includes, together with the TOF substrate 24 and the light receiving section (TOF sensor) 6, a wide-angle lens group 42 such as a fisheye lens, an infrared light receiving system 43a, a visible light receiving system 43b, a prism 28, and a CMOS (Complementary CMOS). (Metal Oxide Semiconductor) substrate 29 and a CMOS sensor 30. Note that the configuration of the light receiving section 15 is also the same as that of the light receiving section 13.

The wide-angle lens group 42 collects visible light in addition to the reflected infrared light emitted from the light source 3 . The prism 28 has a reflective film 28a that transmits infrared light and reflects visible light. Therefore, among the light focused by the wide-angle lens group 42, the infrared light passes through the reflective film 28a of the prism 28 and is irradiated onto the light receiving unit (TOF sensor) 6 via the infrared light receiving system 43a. . Thereby, the distance to the target object is calculated as described above.

On the other hand, visible light among the light focused by the wide-angle lens group 42 is reflected by the reflective film 28a of the prism 28, and is irradiated onto the CMOS sensor 30 of the CMOS substrate 29 via the visible light receiving system 43b. Ru. This allows the CMOS sensor 30 to capture a color image using natural light.

Further, the infrared light receiving system 43a and the visible light receiving system 43b are formed of the same optical component.

In the case of the third embodiment, it is possible to grasp the situation of a high-definition, colored object, etc., which is difficult to grasp using point group data acquired by the TOF sensor of the light receiving section 6. In addition, it is possible to obtain the same effects as in each of the above-described embodiments.

In addition, in the case of the third embodiment, as shown in FIG. 8, in the light receiving section 13 and the light receiving section 15, the wide-angle lens group 42 and the prism 28 are common optical components for the infrared light receiving system and the visible light receiving system. It becomes. Further, the optical axes of the wide-angle lens group 42 and the reflective film 28a of the prism 28 are the same for the infrared light receiving system and the visible light receiving system. Therefore, the number of wide-angle lens groups 42 required for each of the infrared light receiving system and the visible light receiving system can be reduced to one. Furthermore, the two optical path spaces required by the infrared light receiving system and the visible light receiving system can be made into one optical path space between the wide-angle lens group 42 and the reflective film 28a of the prism 28.

Therefore, the installation space for optical components and optical paths can be reduced, and by downsizing the light emitting/receiving device 1, the distance measuring device can be downsized. In particular, since the wide-angle lens group 42, such as a fisheye lens, which requires a large installation space, can be used as a common optical component, the installation space can be greatly reduced.

Furthermore, by forming the infrared light receiving system 43a and the visible light receiving system 43b using the same optical components, it is possible to reduce the types of optical components and their ancillary components, contributing to lower costs of the device. . Furthermore, since the number of assembly steps can be reduced, productivity can also be improved.

Finally, each of the embodiments described above is presented as an example, and is not intended to limit the scope of the present invention. Each of the novel embodiments can be implemented in various other forms, and various omissions, substitutions, and changes can be made without departing from the gist of the invention. Further, each embodiment and modifications of each embodiment are included within the scope and gist of the invention, and are included within the scope of the invention described in the claims and its equivalents.

1 Light emitting/receiving device 1a First light emitting/receiving system 1b Second light emitting/receiving system 2 Light emission control section 3 Light source section (VCSEL)
4 Light emitting optical system 5 Light receiving optical system 6 Light receiving section (TOF sensor)
6a First light receiving section 6b Second light receiving section 7 Distance calculation section 8 Image processing section 9 Housing of light emitting/receiving device 10 Light receiving control section 12 Light projecting section of first light emitting/receiving system 13 Light receiving section of first light emitting/receiving system Part 14 Light emitting part of the second light emitting and receiving system 15 Light receiving part of the second light emitting and receiving system 19 Point of symmetry 24 TOF board 25 VCSEL board 26 CPU
27 Light-shielding wall 28 Prism 28a Reflective film 29 CMOS substrate 30 CMOS sensor 40 Wide-angle lens group 41 Emitter lens group 42 Wide-angle lens group 43 Light-receiving lens group 43a Infrared light receiving system 43b Visible light receiving system

Patent No. 6123163

Claims (7)

An optical device comprising: a first light emitting/receiving system having a first light projecting section and a first light receiving section; and a second light projecting/receiving system having a second light projecting section and a second light receiving section. hand,
The first light emitting/receiving system and the second light emitting/receiving system are arranged in a housing so that the non-measurement surface portions face each other,
When the first light projecting/receiving system and the second light projecting/receiving system are viewed on a two-dimensional plane with their non-measurement surface portions facing each other, the first light projecting section is opposite to the second light projecting section. The light projecting unit and the first light receiving unit are arranged in the housing so as to have a point-symmetrical positional relationship with the second light receiving unit, respectively,
The total light emitting range that is the sum of the light emitting ranges of the first light emitting part and the second light emitting part is the total light receiving range that is the sum of the light receiving ranges of the first light receiving part and the second light receiving part. An optical device characterized by being equivalent to . A first light blocking wall through which light enters directly from the first light projecting section is provided between the first light projecting section and the first light receiving section of the first light projecting/receiving system, and a first light shielding wall that allows light to enter directly from the first light projecting section; A second light shielding wall that blocks light directly entering from the second light projector is provided between the second light projector and the second light receiver of the light projector/receiver system. The optical device according to claim 1, characterized in that: The first light receiving section is
a common optical system including a wide-angle lens and a beam splitter that splits light incident through the wide-angle lens into first light and second light;
a first optical system that guides the first light from the beam splitter to the first light receiving section;
a second optical system that guides the second light from the beam splitter to the second light receiving section,
The optical device according to claim 1 or 2, wherein the first optical system and the second optical system are formed with the same optical element configuration. The beam splitter guides infrared light as the first light to the first light receiving section, and guides visible light as the second light to the second light receiving section. Item 3. The optical device according to item 3. The second light receiving section is
a common optical system including a wide-angle lens and a beam splitter that splits light incident through the wide-angle lens into first light and second light;
a first optical system that guides the first light from the beam splitter to the first light receiving section;
a second optical system that guides the second light from the beam splitter to the second light receiving section,
The optical device according to claim 4, wherein the first optical system and the second optical system are formed with the same optical component configuration. An optical device according to any one of claims 1 to 5,
a distance calculation unit that generates phase images having different phases by a predetermined amount based on the light received by the optical device, and calculates a distance to the target object based on each of the phase images;
an image processing unit that generates a distance image corresponding to the distance to the target object based on the calculated distance to the target object;
A distance measuring device with a a light emission control section that simultaneously controls light emission of the first light projection section and the second light projection section;
The distance measuring device according to claim 6, further comprising: a light reception control section that simultaneously controls light reception of the first light receiving section and the second light receiving section.

Images