JP2004037274A - Height measuring apparatus and monitoring device - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a height measuring apparatus which is not only simple but also capable of of high-speed processing, and to provide a monitoring device which uses the height measuring apparatus. <P>SOLUTION: The height measuring apparatus which measures the height of an object 3 existing in an objective region, is provided with an emission line projection means 10 which projects an emission line 10b to the objective region, an imaging means 11 which picks up an image of a pattern 10a formed by the projection, and a height computing portion 22 which computes the height of the object 3 by triangulation on the basis of the picked-up pattern image and a reference image. The imaging means 11 which the height measuring apparatus 1 comprises, picks up two or more one-dimensional images in a direction which crosses the direction of the emission line 10b and coincides with the direction of the base line of the triangulation, and the two of more one-dimensional images are separated at predetermined selected intervals. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2004,JPO

Description

[0001]
TECHNICAL FIELD OF THE INVENTION
The present invention relates to a height measuring device and a monitoring device using the height measuring device, and more particularly, to a height measuring device capable of simple and high-speed processing and a monitoring device using the height measuring device.
[0002]
[Prior art]
As a conventional height measuring device, there has been a device that projects a bright spot array on an object using a fiber grating element (FG element) and captures an image of the bright spot array. The bright spot array projected on the object moves on the captured image depending on the height of the object. The height of the target object is measured by measuring the movement of the bright spot array from the image. The FG element is a device in which several tens to several hundreds of optical fibers having a diameter of several tens of microns and a length of about 10 mm are arranged in a sheet shape, and two such fibers are overlapped so as to be orthogonal to each other. When the laser light L1 is incident on the sheet perpendicularly to the sheet, the FG element condenses the laser light L1 at the focal point of each optical fiber, and then forms a diffraction beam array. Could be projected.
[0003]
[Problems to be solved by the invention]
However, according to the above-described conventional apparatus, it is necessary to acquire a relatively high-density image and process this image in order to finely measure the position of the bright spot. For this reason, the amount of image processing is large, and it has been difficult to increase the processing speed. A complicated device such as a high-density image sensor was required.
[0004]
Therefore, an object of the present invention is to provide a height measuring device that is not only simple, but also capable of high-speed processing, and a monitoring device using the height measuring device.
[0005]
[Means for Solving the Problems]
In order to achieve the above object, a height measuring device 1 according to the first aspect of the present invention provides a height for measuring the height of an object 3 existing in an object area as shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, for example. A measuring device; a bright line projecting means 10 for projecting a bright line 10b on the target area; an imaging means 11 for imaging a pattern 10a formed by the projection; a trigonometric method based on the captured pattern image and reference image. And a height calculating unit 22 for calculating the height of the object 3 by using the imaging means 11; a one-dimensional image in a direction intersecting with the direction of the bright line 10b and coinciding with the base line direction of the trigonometry. Are imaged, and the plurality of one-dimensional images are separated by a predetermined selected interval.
[0006]
With such a configuration, the pattern 10a formed by the projected bright lines 10b can be captured because the bright line projecting means 10 and the imaging means 11 are provided. Further, since the height calculating unit 22 is provided, the height of the object 3 can be calculated by trigonometry based on the captured pattern image and the reference image, and the image capturing unit 11 can detect the direction intersecting the direction of the bright line 10b. It is possible to capture a plurality of one-dimensional images in a direction coinciding with the baseline direction of the trigonometry, and the plurality of one-dimensional images are separated at a predetermined selected interval. A height measuring device capable of high-speed processing can be provided.
[0007]
As described in claim 2, in the height measuring device 1 according to claim 1, a plurality of bright lines 10b are projected in parallel.
[0008]
Further, as described in claim 3, in the height measuring device 1 according to claim 1 or 2, it is preferable that the direction of the bright line 10b and the base line direction of the trigonometry are substantially perpendicular.
[0009]
With this configuration, for example, the calculation of the height of the object 3 by trigonometry becomes easy to perform, and the device can be simply configured.
[0010]
In order to achieve the above object, the monitoring devices 201 and 301 according to the invention according to claim 4 have the height according to any one of claims 1 to 3, as shown in FIGS. It comprises a measuring device 1; and is configured to monitor the object based on the measured height of the object.
[0011]
With this configuration, the apparatus includes the height measuring device 1 and is configured to monitor the object based on the measured height of the object. For example, the height of the object is measured. Since the object is monitored based on the measured height, it is possible to provide a monitoring device that is not only simple but also capable of high-speed processing.
[0012]
Further, as shown in FIG. 9, for example, the bright line projecting means 10 includes a first fiber grating element in which a plurality of optical fibers 111 are arranged in a plane in parallel with the axis of each optical fiber 111 in a first direction v1. 112; a second fiber grating element 113 in which the plurality of optical fibers 111 are arranged in parallel and in a plane with the axis of each optical fiber 111 directed in a second direction v2 different from the first direction v1; A third fiber grating element 114 in which the axis of each optical fiber 111 is arranged in parallel and in a plane in a third direction v3 different from the first and second directions v1 and v2; Grating element 112, second fiber grating element 113, and third fiber grating element 114 superimposes constitute a fiber grating 110, the fiber grating 110, may be configured to transmit a light beam of coherent.
[0013]
With this configuration, the first fiber grating element 112, the second fiber grating element 113, and the third fiber grating element 114 are superposed to form a fiber grating 110, and the fiber grating 110 has Is transmitted, for example, the transmitted coherent light beam is diffracted by each of the fiber grating elements 112, 113, and 114, and the diffracted light interferes to project a bright spot array. Therefore, for example, a bright line with uniform luminance can be projected with a simple configuration.
[0014]
In the bright line projection means 10, the first direction v1 and the second direction v2 may be substantially orthogonal to each other. Further, in the emission line projecting means 10, the third fiber grating element 114 is overlapped by rotating the third direction v3 from the first direction v1 by a predetermined angle θ in a plane parallel to the plane. Good. With this configuration, for example, a plurality of rows of bright lines can be projected.
[0015]
Further, in the above-mentioned bright line projection means 10, as shown in FIG. 10, for example, the third fiber grating element 114 may be configured to be rotatable in the plane. In other words, the third fiber grating element 114 may be configured to be able to change the predetermined angle θ.
[0016]
The bright line projecting means 10 may include a light beam generating means 105 for generating the coherent light beam, for example, as shown in FIG.
BEST MODE FOR CARRYING OUT THE INVENTION
Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings. In the drawings, the same or corresponding members are denoted by the same reference numerals, and redundant description will be omitted.
[0017]
FIG. 1 is a conceptual perspective view of a height measuring device 1 according to a first embodiment of the present invention. The height measuring device 1 measures the height of an object existing in a plane 2 as an object area. Furthermore, the height measuring device 1 is typically configured to measure the distribution of the height of an object. That is, the three-dimensional shape of the object can be measured based on the height distribution.
[0018]
In the figure, an object 3 as an object is placed on the plane 2. An orthogonal coordinate system XYZ is set so that the XY axes are located in the plane 2, and the object 3 as an object is located in the first quadrant of the XY coordinate system.
[0019]
On the other hand, above the plane 2 on the Z axis in the figure, a bright line projection device 10 as a bright line projection unit that projects the bright line 10b on the flat surface 2 as an object area, and a pattern 10a formed by projection of the bright line projection device 10 And an imaging device 11 as imaging means for imaging the image. The term “imaging” used herein is a concept that includes light reception. The imaging device 11 images the object 3 on which the pattern 10a is projected by the bright line projection device 10. A plurality of bright lines 10b are projected in parallel. Further, a plurality of bright lines 10b are projected at equal intervals. The plurality of bright lines 10b form a pattern 10a.
[0020]
The imaging lens 11a of the imaging device 11 is arranged so that its optical axis coincides with the Z axis. An imaging plane 15 ′ (image plane) of the imaging device 15 on which the imaging lens 11 a forms an image of the plane 2 or the object 3 is a plane orthogonal to the Z axis. An xy orthogonal coordinate system is set in the image plane 15 'so that the Z axis passes through the origin of the xy coordinate system. The bright line projector 10 is arranged at a distance d (base line length d) in the negative direction of the Y axis from the imaging lens 11a at the same distance from the plane 2 and the imaging lens 11a. An emission line 10 a is projected onto the object 3 and the plane 2 by an emission line projection device 10. The y-axis direction is also the base line direction of trigonometry used for height calculation described later with reference to FIG. The direction of the bright line 10b and the base line direction of the trigonometry are substantially perpendicular. That is, the direction of the bright line 10b is perpendicular to the y-axis.
[0021]
The control device 14 is connected to the image sensor 15. In other words, the imaging device 11 is connected to the control device 14. The control device 14 controls the entire height measuring device 1. The control device 14 is typically installed separately from the imaging device 11, but may be configured integrally. The control device 14 is typically a computer such as a personal computer. In the control device 14, a one-dimensional position detection device 21 for acquiring an image captured by the imaging device 11 is incorporated.
[0022]
Further, a height calculation unit 22 that calculates the height of the object by trigonometry based on the pattern image and the reference image captured by the imaging device 11 is incorporated in the control device 14. Here, the reference image and the pattern image are images on the image captured by the imaging device 11, for example, but are concepts that include information on the positions of the reference image and the pattern image on the respective images. The reference image and the pattern image are images of the pattern 10a formed by the projection of the bright line projection device 10. Here, the reference image is an image of the pattern 10a when the object 3 as the target is not in the plane 2, and the pattern image is an image of the pattern 10a when the object 3 is in the plane 2. It is. That is, the reference image is an image indicating the reference position of each bright line 10b of the pattern 10a. The reference image may be stored in the one-dimensional position detection device 21 in advance. Here, the reference image may be stored, for example, not as a so-called image but in the form of information on the position of each bright line, such as coordinates and directions. In this way, when detecting the movement amount of the bright line based on the pattern image and the reference image, which will be described later, it is only necessary to compare the coordinates and directions of the bright lines, so that the processing is simplified.
[0023]
Further, the image sensor 15 is configured to capture a plurality of one-dimensional images in a direction intersecting with the direction of the bright line 10b and coinciding with the base line direction of trigonometry. Further, the one-dimensional images are spaced at a predetermined selected interval. Here, the predetermined selected interval is, for example, an interval selected (determined) by the light receiving area of the image sensor 15 and the number of one-dimensional images. That is, by selecting the number of one-dimensional images, the one-dimensional images to be captured are separated at the selected interval. The light receiving area is, for example, about 6.4 × 4.8 mm. Note that, for example, the size of a two-dimensional image sensor has recently been reduced, and thus the light receiving area described above is only a guide, and a size suitable for implementation may be appropriately selected. The number of one-dimensional images is 10 to 50, preferably 20 to 30, but may be appropriately determined depending on the object to be measured. Further, the predetermined selected interval is a concept including not only equal intervals but also unequal intervals. Here, the predetermined selected intervals are equal intervals.
[0024]
Here, the image sensor 15 will be described with reference to FIG. The image sensor 15 may be a plurality of one-dimensional light receiving element arrays 150 or a two-dimensional image sensor array. The plurality of one-dimensional light receiving element arrays 150 are typically arranged so that each one-dimensional light receiving element array 150 is parallel. As the one-dimensional light receiving element array 150, for example, there is a one-dimensional CCD array 150a (hereinafter, referred to as a linear sensor 150a) in which a plurality of light receiving elements are arranged one-dimensionally as shown in FIG. A plurality of linear sensors 150a are arranged at a predetermined selected interval in the image sensor 15a using the linear sensors 150a. The imaging element 15a acquires a plurality of one-dimensional images by the plurality of linear sensors 150a. The predetermined selected interval is appropriately determined depending on, for example, the size and properties of the object to be measured. For example, when targeting a patient on a bed, the number of one-dimensional images may be set to 20 to 30. As described above, this defines a predetermined selected interval. In addition, by doing so, it is preferable from the viewpoint of privacy protection, for example, as compared with the case where a two-dimensional image is obtained as it is, and furthermore, the data to be processed is reduced, so that the processing speed is greatly improved.
[0025]
Another example of the one-dimensional light receiving element array 150 is a one-dimensional PSD array 150b in which a plurality of position detecting elements 150b '(hereinafter referred to as PSD 150b') are arranged one-dimensionally as shown in FIG. In the image sensor 15b using the one-dimensional PSD array 150b, a plurality of one-dimensional PSD arrays 150b are arranged at predetermined intervals. The image sensor 15b acquires a plurality of one-dimensional images by using the plurality of one-dimensional PSD arrays 150b.
[0026]
Further, it is preferable that the arrangement interval of the individual PSDs 150 'in the one-dimensional PSD array 150b in the arrangement direction is determined by a range in which the image of the bright line 10b moves due to a change in the height of the object. In this case, the individual PSDs 150b in the one-dimensional PSD array 150b are arranged in association with the bright lines of the pattern 10a. That is, it is preferable that the arrangement interval of the PSDs 150b 'in the one-dimensional PSD array 150b be substantially equal to the interval of the bright lines on the image plane 15' (see FIG. 1). In the linear sensor 150a described above, the positions of the images of the plurality of bright lines are obtained. On the other hand, in the one-dimensional PSD array 150b, the position of the center of gravity of the image of the bright line received by each PSD 150b ′ is obtained. It will correspond to the position of the image of the bright line.
[0027]
Here, the PSD 150b 'will be described. The PSD 150b 'has such a length that the bright line image does not protrude due to the movement of the bright line image in the moving direction of the bright line image due to the change in the height of the object. By the way, the image of the bright line formed on the PSD 150b 'is photoelectrically converted, and divided and output as a photocurrent from electrodes provided at both ends of the flat silicon. The PSD 150b 'outputs the position of the center of gravity of the image of the bright line by calculating the light receiving signal of the photocurrent output from the electrodes at both ends.
[0028]
Further, the one-dimensional CCD array 150a and the one-dimensional PSD array 150b can increase the speed of acquiring a one-dimensional image, so that the processing speed of the height measuring device 1 can be further improved. In addition, the one-dimensional CCD array 150a and the one-dimensional PSD array 150b can speed up the acquisition speed of a one-dimensional image, and thus are suitable when, for example, the height measuring device 1 measures a change in a moving object.
[0029]
Further, here, the imaging devices 15a and 15b are described in a case where one two-dimensional image formed by the imaging lens 11a is formed on a plurality of one-dimensional light receiving element arrays 150. Each one-dimensional light receiving element array 150 may include an imaging lens. In other words, one one-dimensional light receiving element array 150 may include one imaging lens.
[0030]
As a two-dimensional image sensor array, for example, there is a CCD image sensor having a large number of scanning lines as shown in FIG. In addition, devices having a CMOS structure other than the CCD have been recently actively reported, and they can be used as a matter of course. In particular, among these, there are elements which have a function of inter-frame subtraction or binarization in the element itself, and the use of these elements is preferable.
[0031]
When a CCD image pickup device (two-dimensional image pickup device array) is used as the image pickup device 15, the one-dimensional position detection device 14 selects a required number of scan lines from the scan lines of the CCD image pickup device and selects the selected scan line. An image of a line, that is, a one-dimensional image is acquired. Further, the plurality of selected scanning lines have a predetermined selected interval between the scanning lines. The image sensor 15c acquires a plurality of one-dimensional images by a plurality of scanning lines. Even in the case of a CCD image sensor, by selecting the required number of scanning lines and acquiring a one-dimensional image of the selected scanning lines, privacy protection can be improved compared to a case where a two-dimensional image is directly acquired from a CCD image sensor, for example. In addition to the above, the processing speed is greatly improved because the amount of data to be processed is reduced.
[0032]
The configuration of the height measuring device 1 can be simplified using any of the imaging elements 15 described here. Here, the directions of the one-dimensional light receiving element array 150 and the scanning lines are perpendicular to the y-axis. In other words, it is perpendicular to the bright line 10b. Hereinafter, the case where the image sensor 15a is used as the image sensor 15 will be described.
[0033]
In addition, the imaging device 11 may include a filter 11b that attenuates light having a wavelength other than the peripheral portion of the wavelength of the laser beam L1 generated by the beam generator 105 (see FIG. 8) described later. The filter 11b is typically an optical filter, and may be arranged on the optical axis of the imaging lens 11a. In this way, the imaging device 11 can reduce the influence of disturbance light because the intensity of the light projected from the bright line projection device 10 among the light received by the imaging device 15 increases relatively. The laser beam L1 generated by the beam generator 105 (see FIG. 8) is typically an infrared laser.
[0034]
The height measuring device 1 may be configured to perform modulation to distinguish it from disturbance light when the image capturing device 11 captures an image of the pattern 10a. The modulation is, for example, an operation of periodically stopping the emission (irradiation) of the laser beam L1 by the beam generating unit 105. In this case, the light emission of the laser beam L1 may be stopped, for example, by stopping the light source, or by rotating a light shielding plate or a slit. In this case, by extracting an image signal synchronized with the modulation, the influence of disturbance light can be significantly reduced. Further, in addition to the above-described modulation, the output of the laser beam L1 may be changed according to the intensity of disturbance light. In addition, the one-dimensional position detecting device 21 generates a signal obtained by subtracting a light receiving signal when the laser beam L1 is not irradiated from a light receiving signal when the laser beam L1 is irradiated. Thereby, the influence of disturbance light can be reduced. Note that the above subtraction is performed for each light receiving signal output from one of the linear sensors, one PSD, and one scanning line of the CCD image sensor, and a signal obtained by assembling the results for each image sensor is described above. A signal obtained by subtracting the light receiving signal may be used. Further, in order to ensure reliability, the height measuring device 1 may be configured to perform the modulation operation a plurality of times and obtain an average output signal as acquired data, that is, a pattern image.
[0035]
Here, the operation of the height measuring device 1 will be described with reference to FIG. First, the concept of measuring the height of the object 3 will be described. The pattern 10 a projected on the plane 2 by the bright line projection device 10 is blocked by the object 3 and does not reach the plane 2 in a portion where the object 3 exists. Here, if the object 3 does not exist, the bright line to be projected on the point 2 a on the plane 2 is projected on the point 3 a on the object 3. Since the bright line has moved from the point 2a to the point 3a, and because the imaging lens 11a and the bright line projector 10 are separated by a distance d (base line length d), the point 2a 'on the image plane 15'. The part to be imaged at (x, y) forms an image at point 3a '(x, y + δ). That is, between the time when the object 3 does not exist and the time when the object 3 exists, the luminescent spot moves by the distance δ in the y-axis direction.
[0036]
This means that, for example, as shown in FIG. 3, the image of the bright line 10 b formed on the image plane 15 ′ of the image sensor 15 moves in the y-axis direction by δ due to the object 3 having a height.
[0037]
The height measuring device 1 can specify the position of the point 3a on the object 3 three-dimensionally by measuring this δ. That is, the height of the point 3a is known. As described above, when a certain point does not exist in the object 3, the difference between the point to be imaged on the imaging plane 15 'and the actual imaging position on the imaging plane 15' is measured. , The distribution of the height of the object 3, in other words, the three-dimensional shape can be measured. Alternatively, three-dimensional coordinates of the object 3 can be measured. In addition, if the pitch of the pattern 10a, that is, the pitch of the bright lines 10b is reduced to such an extent that the correspondence between the bright lines 10b is not unknown, the distribution of the height of the object 3 can be measured in more detail.
[0038]
4A, the image sensor 15 captures a pattern image of a plurality of bright lines 10b formed on an image plane 15 ′ by a plurality of linear sensors 150a, as shown in FIG. I do. The pattern image captured by the image sensor 15a, that is, the plurality of linear sensors 150a becomes a plurality of one-dimensional images as shown in FIG. The one-dimensional position detecting device 21 acquires the plurality of one-dimensional images from the image sensor 15 as pattern images. Further, the one-dimensional position detecting device 21 stores the acquired pattern image. Then, the height calculation unit 22 calculates the height of the object 3 by trigonometry based on the pattern image stored in the one-dimensional position detection device 21 and the reference image serving as a reference.
[0039]
Here, the height calculation by the height calculation unit 22 will be described with reference to FIG. Here, a description will be given focusing on one one-dimensional image. The height calculator 22 reads the corresponding pattern image and reference image, and measures the movement amount δ of the bright line 10b. In the measurement of the movement amount δ, first, a difference image between the pattern image and the reference image is created. Then, the movement amount δ of the position of the corresponding bright line is measured from the difference image. The movement amount δ is obtained, for example, by counting the number of pixels to which the position of the bright line 10b has moved (how many pixels have moved). In the above description, the case where a difference image is created has been described. However, information on the position of each bright line 10b of the reference image is stored, and information on the position of each bright line 10b of the pattern image and the bright line 10b of the reference image are stored. The movement amount δ may be measured by comparing the position information with the position information. The height calculator 22 calculates the height of the object 3 by trigonometry based on the movement amount δ. The calculation of the height of the object 3 by the trigonometry will be described with reference to FIG.
[0040]
FIG. 6 is a side view of the relationship between the imaging device 11, the bright line projection device 10, the object 3, and the plane 2, as viewed in the X-axis direction (see FIG. 1). Here, the case where the height of the object 3 is Z1 will be described. The center of the bright line projection device 10 (the center of the pattern light source) and the center of the imaging lens 11a are arranged at a distance d parallel to the plane 2 and separated from the imaging lens 11a by an imaging surface 15 '(imaging element). The distance from the imaging lens 11a to the plane 2 is h, and the height of the point 3a of the object 3 from the plane 2 is Z1. is there. It is assumed that as a result of the object 3 being placed on the plane 2, the point 2a 'on the imaging plane 15' has moved to a point 3a 'separated by δ.
[0041]
Assuming that a point at which the line connecting the center of the imaging lens 11a and the point 3a intersects the plane 2 is 2a ", the distance D between the point 2a and the point 2a" is equal to the triangle 3a'-2a'-11a. If attention is paid to the triangle 2a ″ -2a-11a, D = δ · h / l, and if attention is paid to the triangle 11a-10-3a and the triangle 2a ″ -2a-3a, D = (d · Z1) / (H-Z1). When Z1 is obtained from both equations, the following equation is obtained.
Z1 = (h ² .Delta.) / (D.l + h..delta.) (1)
As described above, the height of the object 3 can be calculated.
[0042]
Furthermore, the height of the object 3 calculated by the height calculating unit 22 may be a moving average value or a period average value of the height calculated a fixed number of times in the past or calculated within a fixed period in the past. By doing so, random noise or sudden noise due to flickering sunlight coming in from a window can be reduced, and the reliability of the calculated height of the object 3 is improved.
[0043]
As described above, the height measuring device 1 captures a plurality of one-dimensional images in which the image sensor 15 is in a direction orthogonal to the direction of the bright line 10b and is separated by a predetermined selected interval. For this reason, for example, a two-dimensional image of the pattern 10a is captured using a two-dimensional light receiving element array, and the processing amount of the image is significantly reduced as compared with measuring the movement of the bright line or the bright point from the two-dimensional image. Can be reduced. That is, high-speed processing becomes possible. In addition, since the pattern is a bright line orthogonal to the one-dimensional image, the pattern image (bright point) is not missing from the one-dimensional image as in the case of using a bright point in the pattern, so that the reliability is high. Further, since there is no need to adjust the bright spots so as to overlap the one-dimensional image, manufacture and installation are easy.
[0044]
Also, the height measuring device 1 measures the movement of an arbitrary point of the bright line by comparing the pattern 10a with a plurality of bright lines 10b and measuring the movement of the bright line 10b as compared with the case where the pattern 10a is a bright point. The continuous shape in the bright line direction can be recognized. In other words, the resolution of measurement in the X-axis direction in the figure can be improved. In addition, since the bright line projection device 10 can perform the projection of the bright line with a simple configuration, the configuration of the height measuring device 1 can be simplified.
[0045]
With reference to FIG. 7, the bright line projection device 1 suitable for the height measurement device 10 will be described. FIG. 7 is a schematic perspective view of the bright line projection device 1. Here, an orthogonal coordinate system XYZ is taken so that the XY axes are located within the plane 102. Above the plane 102 on the Z axis in the figure, the bright line projection device 10 is arranged. The bright line projection device 10 projects a pattern 110a as pattern light on a plane 102. In the present embodiment, as will be described in detail with reference to FIG. 12, the pattern light to be projected is typically a plurality of bright lines that are parallel and arranged at equal intervals.
[0046]
The bright line projection device 10 will be further described with reference to the schematic perspective view of FIG. The bright line projection device 10 includes a light beam generating unit 105 as a light beam generating unit that generates a coherent light beam, and a fiber grating 110 (hereinafter, simply referred to as a grating 110). The coherent light beam is typically a laser. The light beam generator 105 is configured to generate a parallel light beam. The light beam generator 105 is typically a semiconductor laser device including a collimator lens (not shown), and the generated parallel light beam is a laser light beam L1. Here, the parallel light beam may be substantially parallel, and includes a light beam that is nearly parallel.
[0047]
Here, the case where the grating 110 is arranged parallel to the plane 102 (perpendicular to the Z axis) will be described. The laser beam L1 is incident on the grating 110 in the Z-axis direction. Then, the laser light L1 is condensed by the individual optical fibers 111 in a plane having the lens effect, then spreads as a divergent wave, interferes, and the pattern 110a is projected on the plane 102 which is a projection plane. You. As described later with reference to FIG. 9, to arrange the grating 110 in parallel with the plane 102 means, for example, that the plane including the axis of each optical fiber 111 of the first FG element 112 constituting the grating 110 is parallel to the plane 102. It is to arrange so that.
[0048]
The grating 110 will be described with reference to the schematic diagram of FIG. (A) is a perspective view, (b) is a front view. The grating 110 includes a first fiber grating element 112 (hereinafter, referred to as a first FG element 112) in which the plurality of optical fibers 111 are arranged in parallel and in a plane with the axis of each optical fiber 111 facing the first direction v1. A second fiber grating element 113 (hereinafter referred to as a second FG element 13) in which the optical fibers 111 are arranged in parallel and in a plane with the axis of each optical fiber 111 directed in a second direction v2 different from the first direction v1; A third fiber grating element 114 (hereinafter, referred to as a third FG) in which the optical fibers 111 are arranged in a plane in parallel with the axis of each optical fiber 111 in a third direction v3 different from the first direction v1 and the second direction v2. Element 14). In the present embodiment, the planes of the FG elements 112, 113, and 114 are parallel to each other. Here, in order to identify each FG element, they are called a first FG element, a second FG element, and a third FG element. In the present embodiment, the first FG element, the second FG element, and the third FG element are superimposed in this order. However, another order, for example, the first FG element, the third FG element, and the second FG element may be superposed. Hereinafter, the plane of each of the FG elements 112, 113, and 114 is referred to as an element plane.
[0049]
Each of the first FG element 112, the second FG element 113, and the third FG element 114 is configured by, for example, tens to hundreds of optical fibers 111 having a diameter of several tens of microns and a length of about 10 mm, which are arranged in parallel in a sheet shape. Things. Further, each of the FG elements 112, 113, and 114 may be configured to be attached to a glass plate as described later with reference to FIG. This facilitates handling of the FG elements 112, 113, and 114. Further, since the grating 110 can be easily assembled, it is easy to manufacture. Also, in the drawing, the FG elements 112, 113, and 114 are shown as being in contact with each other, but they may be arranged with a distance in the normal direction of the element plane. In this case, the distance between the FG elements 112, 113, and 114 is set to such an extent that the projection of the pattern 10a can be performed.
[0050]
The first FG element 112, the second FG element 113, and the third FG element 114 constitute a grating 110 by being overlapped. Here, the superposition is performed so that the element planes of the FG elements 112, 113, and 114 are substantially parallel. In other words, in the present embodiment, the gratings 110 are overlapped in the order of the first FG element 112, the second FG element 113, and the third FG element 114 such that their element planes are parallel. That is, the first FG element 112 and the second FG element 113 are adjacent. Further, the second FG element 113 and the third FG element 114 are adjacent. The grating 110 is configured to transmit the laser beam L1 generated by the beam generating unit 105. Here, the laser beam L1 is incident from the first FG element 112 side. In other words, the laser beam L1 is transmitted through the first FG element 112, the second FG element 113, and the third FG element 114 in this order. Typically, the laser beam L1 is perpendicularly incident on the element plane of the grating 110 (first FG element 112).
[0051]
Further, as shown in FIG. 9B, in the present embodiment, the first direction v1 and the second direction v2 are substantially orthogonal. Further, the third FG elements 114 are overlapped by rotating the third direction v3 from the first direction v1 by a predetermined angle θ in a plane parallel to the element plane. The predetermined angle θ will be described later with reference to FIG.
[0052]
As shown in FIG. 10, in the grating 110, the third FG element 114 may be configured to be rotatable in a plane parallel to the element plane. That is, it is configured such that the predetermined angle θ can be freely changed by rotating in a plane parallel to the element plane. The drawing shows a case where the first FG element 112, the second FG element 113, and the third FG element 114 are attached to glass plates 112a, 113a, and 114a, respectively. This facilitates the handling of each FG element 112, 113, 114, as described above.
[0053]
The rotation of the third FG element 114 in a plane parallel to the element plane is performed by a rotation device 116 as direction control means. The rotation device 116 is configured to rotate and fix the third FG element 114 in a plane parallel to the element plane. That is, the rotation device 116 is configured to rotate the third FG element 114 at an arbitrary angle in a plane parallel to the element plane and to fix the third FG element 114 at the angle. The angle may be fixed by, for example, a screw (not shown) attached to the outer cylinder 116a side in the center direction of the outer cylinder 116a. The rotation device 116 is configured to rotate the third FG element 114 on the same plane. The rotation device 116 includes an outer cylinder 116a and an inner cylinder 116b. Then, the first FG element 112 and the second FG element 113 are mounted on the inner cylinder 116b side via glass plates 112a and 112b, respectively, and the third FG element 114 is mounted on the outer cylinder 116a side via the glass plate 114a. I have. In FIG. 10, the front half of the rotating device 116 is cut away in the drawing so that the first FG element 112, the second FG element 113, and the third FG element 114 can be clearly seen.
[0054]
In this way, by manually rotating the outer cylinder 116a of the rotating device 116, the grating 110 sets the third direction of the third FG element 114 to an arbitrary direction in a plane parallel to the element plane. it can. That is, the predetermined angle θ can be freely changed and set. Therefore, the setting of the pattern 110a and the change of the pattern 110a can be easily performed, which is simple. Further, since the pattern 110a can be easily set and changed, the device can be diverted. Further, the pattern 10a can be easily made into a plurality of bright lines.
[0055]
In the above description, the direction control means is described as being manual, but may be automatic. In the case of automatic operation, a driving unit (not shown) for rotating the rotation device 116 may be provided in addition to the above-described configuration. Also, the direction control means has been described in the case of using the rotation device 116, but is not limited to this. For example, the direction control means is formed of an inner cylinder and an outer cylinder like a rotating helicoid, and the third FG is rotated by rotating the outer cylinder. The element 114 may be configured to be rotatable in a plane parallel to the element plane.
[0056]
Here, the predetermined angle θ will be described with reference to FIG. First, a description will be given of a change in a luminescent spot caused by giving a predetermined angle θ. In (a), a case where the predetermined angle θ is θ1 as shown in (b) will be described. (A) is a diagram showing a part of the pattern 110a projected when the laser beam L1 is transmitted from the back side to the near side in the figure (b). In the drawing, θ1 is shown as about 10 ° for reference. First, attention is paid to bright points 151, 152, 153, 154, and 155, which are parts of the pattern 110a projected when the predetermined angle θ is 0 °. When a predetermined angle θ1 is given to the third FG element 114, each bright point diffracts in a direction of a straight line 151a ′ forming an angle θ1 with respect to a straight line 151a that is a direction in which each bright point is generated. Project a bright spot. More specifically, focusing on the bright point 151, the bright point 151 diffracts in the direction of the straight line 151a 'and projects a new bright point 151'.
[0057]
As a result, the diffraction direction of the luminescent spot changes depending on the predetermined angle θ, and depending on θ, for example, a plurality of bright line arrays (hereinafter simply referred to as a plurality of bright lines) which are parallel and arranged at equal intervals or a dense luminescent point The array can be projected. In other words, by adjusting the predetermined angle θ on the third FG element 114, a plurality of bright lines can be easily projected.
[0058]
With reference to the schematic diagram of FIG. 12, an example in which the pattern 110a is made into a plurality of bright lines by adjusting the predetermined angle θ will be described. The bright line is formed by linearly gathering a plurality of bright points. In the FG element, the diffraction efficiency is nearly constant over low to high order diffracted light, and the bright line is formed by a collection of a plurality of bright spots. However, it is hard to change even when going from the center to the end of the bright line. That is, a bright line with uniform luminance can be projected. When a plurality of bright lines are used, the predetermined angle θ is set to 0.1 to 10 °, preferably 1 to 8 °, and most preferably about 5 °. Also, in the case of θ = 85 °, there are a plurality of similar bright lines. However, in this case, the projected pattern 110a is a pattern obtained by rotating (b) by 90 °.
[0059]
Other than the case described above, the pattern 10a can be a plurality of bright lines. In this case, for example, the angle between the first direction v1 and the second direction v2 is 2θ ′. Then, the third FG element 14 overlaps the third direction v3 by rotating the third direction v3 by θ ′ from the first direction v1. In other words, the third direction v3 is the direction of the bisector of 2θ ′. Further, the interval between the axes of the optical fibers 11 of the first FG element 12 and the interval between the axes of the optical fibers 11 of the second FG element 13 are set to the same interval P1. Then, the interval between the axes of the optical fibers 11 of the third FG element 14 is set to an interval P2 which is 1/2 cos θ 'times P1. In this way, for example, when θ ′ <60 °, if the distance between the axes of the optical fibers 11 of the first FG element 12 and the second FG element 13 is the diameter of the optical fiber 11, the axis of each optical fiber 11 can be further increased. Can not be narrowed. In this case, each optical fiber 11 of the third FG element 14 uses an optical fiber thinner than that of the first FG element 12 and the second FG element 13. In addition, it is preferable that there is no gap between the optical fibers, but if it is, for example, a light-blocking material is inserted into the gap between the optical fibers. By doing so, the pattern 10a can be a plurality of bright lines.
[0060]
As described above, the bright line projection device 10 includes the grating 110 including the first FG element 112, the second FG element 113, and the third FG element 114. Further, the first direction v1 and the second direction v2 are orthogonal to each other, and the third FG element 114 rotates the third direction v3 in a plane parallel to the element plane by a predetermined angle θ from the first direction v1. It is superimposed. Thus, the bright line projection device 10 can project a plurality of bright line patterns 110a by transmitting the laser beam L1 through the first FG element 112, the second FG element 113, and the third FG element 114, and thus can be configured simply. . In addition, the bright line projection apparatus 10 requires a complicated optical system because the grating 110 including the first FG element 112, the second FG element 113, and the third FG element 114 which are superimposed is an optical system. The optical housing can be miniaturized without performing. Further, with this configuration, a plurality of bright lines can be projected on the plane 2 as the pattern 10a. Further, since the bright line is formed by a set of bright points, a plurality of bright lines having uniform luminance can be projected. Therefore, there is an advantage in measuring the movement of the bright line as in the present embodiment.
[0061]
The height measuring device 1 can convert the pattern 10a into a plurality of bright lines 10b by using the bright line projecting device 10 as described above. The movement of an arbitrary point on the bright line can be measured, and the continuous shape in the bright line direction can be recognized as compared with the case where. In other words, the resolution of measurement in the X-axis direction in the figure can be improved. In addition, since the bright line projection device 10 can perform the projection of the bright line with a simple configuration, the configuration of the height measuring device 1 can be simplified.
[0062]
In the present embodiment, the bright line projecting means is described in the case of the bright line projecting apparatus 10 described above, but is not limited to this. For example, a bright lens projecting unit projects a plurality of bright lines as a pattern 10a using a cylindrical lens, a slit, or the like. May be configured.
[0063]
FIG. 13 shows a bright line projection device 120 as another example of the bright line projecting means. The emission line projection device 120 has an optical element 121 formed of optical glass. In the optical element 121, a convex portion 121a having a substantially triangular cross section is formed on the light incident side, and a cylindrical surface 121b is formed on the light incident side end of the convex portion 121a. The optical element 121 is typically a Powell lens disclosed in US Pat. No. 4,826,299. When the laser beam L1 'having a smaller diameter than the radius of curvature of the cylindrical surface 121b is made incident on the cylindrical surface 121b of the optical element 121 by the light beam generating unit 105', a bright line can be projected in the target area. Further, by disposing a diffraction element, for example, the above-mentioned FG element on the target area side of the optical element 121, a plurality of bright lines can be projected. By using such an optical element 121, the bright line projection device 120 can project a plurality of bright lines having uniform luminance.
[0064]
The height measuring device 1 described above is a device that detects the state of an object by measuring the movement of each bright line and measuring the height distribution or a change in the height distribution, for example, an object region. The present invention can be applied to a monitoring device or the like that monitors a state of a person by monitoring a person or an object existing in the room or detecting a breathing of the person.
Hereinafter, the application examples described above will be described.
[0065]
Referring to FIG. 14, it is a schematic perspective view of a monitoring device 201 according to a second embodiment of the present invention. The monitoring device 201 includes the height measuring device 1 described in the first embodiment. In addition, the monitoring device 201 is configured to monitor the target based on the height of the target measured by the height measuring device 1. In the present embodiment, the target object is the person 202. The target area is inside the toilet. That is, the monitoring device 201 monitors the inside of the toilet.
[0066]
As shown in the perspective view of FIG. 15, the height measuring device 1 includes a bright line projection device 10 and an imaging device 11 which are linearly arranged on a storage panel 14 'in which a control device 14 (see FIG. 1) is stored. I have. In the present embodiment, the height measuring device 1 is typically arranged at or near a ceiling of a toilet, for example, above a wall. Further, in the present embodiment, the height measuring device 1 and the control device 220 described later with reference to FIG. 17 are described as separate bodies, but may be integrally configured. When configured integrally, the monitoring device 201 can be configured more simply. Also, the size can be reduced.
[0067]
In the present embodiment, the monitoring device 201 is described as monitoring a toilet, but is also suitable for monitoring a closed space, for example, a bathroom, an elevator, or an office.
FIG. 16 shows an example of the monitoring device 201 when installed in a bathroom. In this case, as in the case of the toilet described above, the height measuring device 1 may be arranged above the ceiling or the wall.
[0068]
An example of the configuration of the monitoring device 201 will be described with reference to FIG. The monitoring device 201 includes the height measuring device 1 described in the first embodiment and the control device 220. The height measurement device 1 is connected to the control device 220, and is configured to be able to acquire the height distribution of the person 202 from the height measurement device 1. The height distribution may be obtained from the height measuring device 1 in time series. The control device 220 is, for example, a computer such as a personal computer or a microcomputer.
[0069]
The control device 220 includes a control unit 221 and controls the entire monitoring device 201. The height control device 1 is connected to the control unit 221 and is controlled. The control unit 221 is configured so that the monitoring unit 222 can determine the movement, the position, the posture, and the like of the person 202 based on the height distribution acquired in time series from the height measuring device 1. . That is, based on the height distribution in the toilet as the target area, the existence, the movement, the position, the posture, and the like of the person 202 can be determined. Further, it is configured to determine whether or not the person 202 is in a dangerous state based on the determination result of the presence, movement, position, posture, and the like of the person 202. The dangerous state is, for example, a state in which the person 202 has fallen, or the person 202 has not changed for a long time (stunned). The movement of the person 202 includes not only a change in the position of the person 202 but also a change in which the person 2 stands or sits, for example.
[0070]
The storage unit 224 is connected to the control unit 221. The storage unit 224 stores the distribution of heights obtained in time series from the height measuring device 1. The storage unit 224 can store data such as calculated information.
[0071]
In addition, an input device 227 for inputting information for operating the monitoring device 201 and an output device 228 for outputting a result processed by the monitoring device 201 are connected to the control unit 221. The input device 227 is, for example, a touch panel, a keyboard, or a mouse, and the output device 228 is, for example, a display or a printer. Although the input device 227 and the output device 228 are shown as externally attached to the control device 220 in this drawing, they may be built-in. The input device 227 may be, for example, a switch for starting or canceling monitoring, and the output device 228 may be, for example, an LED as an operation indicator. In this way, the monitoring device 201 can be simply configured. In particular, when the height measuring device 1 and the control device 220 are integrally configured, it is preferable that the height measuring device 1 and the control device 220 be configured as described above.
[0072]
The control unit 221 is provided with an interface 229 for communicating with the outside. The interface 229 is configured to be able to notify the outside when the monitoring unit 222 of the control unit 221 determines that the person 202 is in a dangerous state, for example. The notification is based on, for example, the intensity of light including sound, characters, symbols, and indoor lighting, or vibration. The interface 229 has a function of connecting to a communication line such as a general telephone line, an ISDN line, a PHS line, or a mobile telephone line. Further, the control unit 221 may be provided with a voice output function, and may notify a third party by voice via the interface 229 that the person 202 is in a dangerous state.
[0073]
Further, the control unit 221 has an alarm device 290 configured to operate when an abnormality occurs in the monitoring device 201. The alarm device 290 is activated, for example, when the monitoring unit 222 determines that the person 202 is in a dangerous state, that is, when an abnormality occurs in the person 202 or when an abnormality such as a failure of the monitoring device 201 occurs. It is good to constitute. By doing so, it is possible to quickly respond when the person 202 is in a dangerous state, so that reliability can be improved. The control device 220 may be configured to notify the occurrence of the abnormality to the outside via the interface 229 when the alarm device 290 operates, as described above. In this drawing, the alarm device 290 is shown as an external device, but may be built in.
[0074]
Here, the operation of the monitoring device 201 according to the present embodiment will be described.
The monitoring device 201 monitors the inside of the toilet. The monitoring device 201 uses the height measuring device 1 to measure the height distribution in the toilet, and inputs the height distribution to the control unit 221 of the control device 220 in a time-series manner. The control unit 221 monitors the person 202 existing in the toilet input in time series by the monitoring unit 128.
[0075]
Here, for example, when the person 202 enters the toilet, the entering person 202 is measured as a change in the height distribution near the toilet entrance, and the height distribution is output to the control unit 221. The control unit 221 having input the height distribution is controlled by the monitoring unit 222. The height and the position of the person 202 are determined.
[0076]
Further, the monitoring unit 222 determines the movement of the person 202 by evaluating a change in the height distribution based on the height distribution input in time series. Then, based on the determination of the height, position, and movement of the person 202, the presence, the posture, the position, and the movement state of the person 202 are determined. In this determination, for example, when the person 202 does not move and the height becomes low, it can be determined that the person 2 is sitting, and the person 202 is measured over a wide range at a low height and there is no movement. In this case, it can be determined that the person 202 is in a state of falling down. In this way, the monitoring device 201 can monitor the approach, presence, and state of the person 202 in the toilet.
[0077]
As described above, the monitoring apparatus 201 determines how large the person 202 enters the toilet as the target area, and in what state (in which position, standing, sitting, ), And the person 202 can follow a series of movements, such as whether the person is moving or has left, with a simple device.
[0078]
According to the above-described second embodiment, the monitoring device 201 determines the state of the person 202 and very easily monitors that the person 202 has fallen or that an illegal intruder exists. Can do it. Furthermore, high-speed processing is possible with a simple device.
[0079]
Next, a monitoring apparatus 301 according to a third embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to the schematic perspective view of FIG. The monitoring device 301 includes the height measuring device 1 described in the first embodiment. The monitoring device 301 is configured to monitor the target based on the height of the target measured by the height measuring device 1. In the present embodiment, the target object is the person 202. The target area is on the bed 306. Further, the monitoring device 301 monitors the breathing of the person 302 typically lying on the bed 306.
[0080]
In the figure, a person 302 as a target object and a periodically changing object is lying on a bed 306. Bedding 303 is further placed on the person 302, and covers a part of the person 302 and a part of the bed 306. That is, the monitoring device 301 monitors the upper surface of the bedding 303. When the bedding 303 is not used, the monitoring device 301 may monitor the body of the person 302 itself. In the present embodiment, the shape change of the person 302 is a concept including a periodic change and a transitive change. The periodic change of the person 302 is, for example, breathing of the person 302. The transitive change of the person 302 is, for example, body movement or movement of the person 302. In addition, the periodic change is, for example, a respiratory cycle of the person 302, for example, a change of 5 to 60 cycles per minute. That is, in the present embodiment, the periodic change does not include a periodic change that greatly deviates from the respiratory cycle. By the way, the respiratory rate of an adult is in a range of about 5 to 30 times per minute, but the respiratory rate of an infant tends to be further increased.
[0081]
Further, the monitoring device 1 is configured to determine the state of the person 302 based on the detected shape change of the person 302. The state of the person 302 is, for example, normal breathing, abnormal breathing and danger, physical motion such as turning over, movement such as landing on the floor, trying to leave the floor, and the like. .
[0082]
On the other hand, an imaging device 11 as an imaging unit for imaging the person 302 on which the pattern 310a is projected by the bright-line projection device 10 is installed right above the periphery of the abdomen of the person 302. A bright line projection device 10 is installed approximately above the foot or head of the person 302 (in the case shown above the foot), and illuminates the bedding 303 on the abdomen of the person 302 as a center. The illuminated range may be set to a range that covers the positions that the abdomen, chest, back, and shoulders of the person 302 can take while sleeping. Similarly, it is preferable to set the range of the shooting area by the imaging device 11.
[0083]
Furthermore, the imaging device 11 and the bright line projection device 10 are installed such that the axis connecting the imaging device 11 and the bright line projection device 10 is substantially parallel to the center line of the bed 306. Further, the direction of the bright line of the pattern 310a projected by the bright line projection device 10 is perpendicular to the center line of the bed 306. Further, the imaging device 11 and the bright line projection device 10 may be installed at a certain distance. By doing so, the distance d (base line length d) described above with reference to FIG. 1 is increased, so that a change can be detected with sensitivity. The installation location of the imaging device 11 and the emission line projection device 10 may be installed on a ceiling, for example. With this arrangement, the periodic change of the person 302, that is, respiration, can be detected sensitively. In the present embodiment, the installation location of the imaging device 11 and the emission line projection device 10 is on the ceiling, but may be attached to a stand, for example.
[0084]
Further, in the present embodiment, the one-dimensional position detection device 21 may be configured to generate a difference image between two frames of images at predetermined time intervals obtained by the imaging element 15 (see FIG. 1). In this case, the one-dimensional position detection device 21 generates a difference image by taking, for example, a difference for each pixel of the linear sensor 150a (see FIG. 2) of the imaging element 15. The predetermined time interval is an interval sufficient to monitor a fine periodic change of the person 302, that is, a breathing of the person 302, and is, for example, about 2 to 5 frames / sec. There may be. By generating the difference image, the imaging device 11 may cause the person 302 to be shaded by an object other than the person 302 due to, for example, sunlight, or the illumination intensity due to disturbance light may vary in a part of the person 302. However, the influence of such shading and variation can be eliminated.
[0085]
When generating the difference image, the imaging device 11 may use a moving object detection element as the linear sensor 150a of the imaging element 15. The moving object detection element has a function of storing a pixel value of a frame at each pixel of the linear sensor 150a, obtaining a difference from a pixel value of a latest frame shifted by one frame, performing threshold processing on the difference, and outputting a value. An element having a (binarization processing function) can generate a difference image in which bright lines move without being affected by noise in a signal transmission process.
[0086]
When a difference image is further generated, the laser light L1 may be a low-power laser or may be continuously emitted even when the above-described moving object detection element is used in the imaging device 11, for example. That is, the pattern 310a may be continuously irradiated.
[0087]
An example of the configuration of the monitoring device 301 will be described with reference to FIG. The monitoring device 301 includes the height measuring device 1 described in the first embodiment and the control device 320. The height measuring device 1 is connected to the control device 320, and is configured to be able to acquire the height distribution of the person 302 from the height measuring device 1. The height distribution may be obtained from the height measuring device 1 in time series. The control device 320 is, for example, a computer such as a personal computer or a microcomputer.
[0088]
The storage unit 324 is connected to the control unit 321. The storage unit 324 stores the height distribution obtained in time series from the height measuring device 1. The storage unit 324 can store data such as calculated information. Further, the storage unit 324 includes a breathing pattern storage unit 326 that stores a normal breathing pattern and an abnormal breathing pattern of the person 302. The normal and abnormal breathing patterns will be described later with reference to FIG.
[0089]
The control unit 321 is connected to an input device 327 for inputting information for operating the monitoring device 301 and an output device 328 for outputting a result processed by the monitoring device 301. The input device 327 and the output device 328 are similar to the input device 327 and the output device 328 described in the second embodiment. The control unit 321 includes an interface 229 for communicating with the outside. The interface 329 is similar to the interface 229 described in the second embodiment.
[0090]
Further, the control unit 321 has an alarm device 390 configured to operate when an abnormality occurs in the monitoring device 301. The alarm device 390 is activated, for example, when the detection processing unit 323 determines that the person 302 is in a dangerous state, that is, when an abnormality occurs in the person 302 or when an abnormality such as a failure of the monitoring device 301 occurs. It is good to be constituted so that. By doing so, it is possible to quickly respond to an abnormality that has occurred in the person 302, and it is possible to improve reliability. The control device 320 may be configured to notify the occurrence of an abnormality to the outside via the interface 329 when the alarm device 390 operates. In this figure, the alarm device 390 is shown as an external device, but may be built in.
[0091]
The control unit 321 includes a calculation unit 322 as a calculation device that calculates a temporal change in the height output from the height measurement device 1. The height output from the height measuring device 1 may be a moving average value or a period average value of distances acquired a fixed number of times in the past or acquired within a fixed period in the past. By doing so, it is possible to reduce random noise or sudden noise due to flickering of sunlight coming in from a window, and to reduce erroneous determination of a peak position and erroneous determination of a zero-cross position (an intersection where a sign is inverted). .
[0092]
In addition, to calculate the time change means that the height is acquired at regular time intervals from the height measuring device 1, and the height acquired from the height measuring device 1 is stored in the storage unit 324 in time series. This is to extract a change in the shape of the person 302 obtained by taking the difference from the height. This is to extract, for example, the breathing, body movement, and movement of the person 302. Thereby, the breathing of the extracted person 302 forms a waveform pattern.
FIG. 20 is a diagram illustrating an example of a waveform pattern of respiration.
[0093]
Further, the control unit 321 includes a detection processing unit 323 as a detection processing device. The detection processing unit 323 is configured to detect a change in the shape of the person 302 based on the time change calculated by the calculation unit 322. That is, it is configured to detect the respiration, body movement, and movement of the person 302.
[0094]
Further, the detection processing unit 323 is configured to detect the presence of the person 302 in the floor by comparing the height distribution when the person 302 does not exist and the input height distribution.
[0095]
Further, the detection processing unit 323 detects that the person 302 is present on the bed 306 as the target area, that is, the position of the person 302 is detected after the detected periodic change (respiration of the person 302) during the shape change is detected for a certain period of time. It may be configured to determine the floor. Further, the monitoring device 301 may start the determination of the danger state of the person 302 on the condition that the presence of the person 302 is determined. The certain time is a time during which respiration can be stably detected, for example, 30 to 120 seconds, and more preferably 30 to 90 seconds.
[0096]
In addition, after detecting the transitive change during the detected shape change, the detection processing device 323 does not detect the periodic change, and enters a state in which both the transitive change and the periodic change cannot be detected for a predetermined time or more. Then, it may be configured to determine that the target object has gone out of the target area, that is, that the person 302 has left the floor. The certain time is, for example, about 1 to 3 minutes. For example, if the person 302 actually leaves the bed after detecting body movement and movement, the value of the time change gradually decreases, so that if only looking at the amount of change, it will be within the range where respiration is detected. There is some time, and then nothing is detected. For this reason, the determination of leaving the bed is made when both the transitive change and the periodic change cannot be detected. However, before this happens, if breathing is detected, it means that the body is in a resting state after detecting body movement or movement, so if breathing, body movement, movement disappears thereafter You must judge that it is dangerous.
[0097]
Further, the detection processing device 323 may be configured to monitor the period of the periodic change based on the detected shape change of the person 302. That is, the detection processing device 323 is configured to monitor the respiration cycle of the person 302 based on the detected respiration, body movement, and movement of the person 302. The detection processing unit 323 is configured to detect a change in the shape of the person 302 based on one or both of the period and the amplitude of the periodic change. Further, the detection processing device 23 may be configured to monitor the respiratory rate from the respiratory cycle. Here, monitoring the respiratory rate is also included in the concept of monitoring the cycle.
[0098]
The monitoring device 301 determines the state of the person 302 based on the shape change detected by the detection processing unit 323. For example, if the cycle of the breathing pattern is disturbed in a short time, or if the cycle of the breathing pattern changes rapidly, for example, spontaneous pneumothorax, lung disease such as bronchial asthma, heart disease such as congestive heart failure, Alternatively, it can be assumed that the disease is a cerebrovascular disease such as cerebral hemorrhage. If the disappearance of the breathing pattern continues, it can be estimated that the person 302 has stopped breathing. Then, when the body movement of the person 302 frequently occurs instead of the breathing pattern in a short time, it can be estimated that the person 302 suffers for some reason and is rampaging.
[0099]
Further, the detection of the body movement or the movement of the person 302 fluctuates much more than the case where only the respiration is detected from the time change, and therefore, the detection can be easily performed. In this case, the detection processing unit 323 further detects a temporal change in height for each location on the bed 306, so that the person 302 is moving on the spot such as turning over, for example, getting up from the bed. It is also possible to detect whether or not it is moving. Further, even when the person 302 makes a periodic small motion such as a convulsion, an abnormality can be detected from the waveform pattern. Further, by storing the waveform pattern in a state of being cramped in the storage unit 324, it is possible to detect that the person 302 is in a state of cramping.
[0100]
Examples of normal and abnormal breathing patterns will be described with reference to FIG. The normal breathing pattern stored in the breathing pattern storage unit 326 in the storage unit 324 is a periodic pattern as shown in FIG. However, in the case of an adult, the normal range of the respiratory rate per minute is about 10 to 20 times. The abnormal respiratory pattern stored in the respiratory pattern storage unit 326 is, for example, Cheyne-Stokes respiration, central hyperventilation, ataxic respiration, and large respiration of Kussmul. This is a respiratory pattern that is considered to occur when a failure has occurred in a subject.
[0101]
FIG. 21 (b) shows a Cheyne-Stokes breathing pattern, FIG. 21 (c) shows a central hyperventilating breathing pattern, and FIG. 21 (d) shows an ataxic breathing pattern.
Further, FIG. 22 shows a disease name or a diseased part when the abnormal breathing pattern described above occurs.
[0102]
The detection processing unit 323 uses the fact that the breathing frequency, the number of appearances, and the depth of each breathing pattern are different to determine which breathing pattern the person 302 belongs to, and determines the state of the person 302. I do.
[0103]
Further, when the detection processing unit 323 determines that the breathing of the person 302 belongs to a breathing pattern that is considered to occur physiologically when a failure occurs in the body, the person 302 performs abnormal breathing. Is detected as dangerous.
The state of the person 302 detected in this way is output to, for example, the output device 328 or the alarm device 290 by the control unit 321. The output contents include the detected respiratory rate and movement frequency of the person 302, the name of an abnormal respiratory pattern, the name of a disease that is considered to be the cause of the respiration, a diseased organ, a diseased part, and the like.
[0104]
According to the above-described third embodiment, the breathing of the person 302 can be reliably detected, and the state of the person 302 can be determined. Furthermore, high-speed processing is possible with a simple device. Further, the monitoring device 302 is a simple device, and can reliably detect the breathing of the person without being affected by the posture of the person 302 or disturbance light. Thus, the monitoring device 302 can realize quick emergency response when an elderly or sick person falls into a crisis situation.
[0105]
【The invention's effect】
As described above, according to the present invention, in a height measuring device that measures the height of an object existing in a target region, a bright line projecting unit that projects a bright line on the target region, An imaging unit for imaging a pattern, and a height calculation unit for calculating the height of the object by trigonometry based on the captured pattern image and the reference image, wherein the imaging unit includes a direction of the bright line. A plurality of one-dimensional images are taken in a direction that intersects with the base direction of the trigonometry, and the plurality of one-dimensional images are separated at a predetermined selected interval. In addition, a height measuring device capable of high-speed processing can be provided.
[Brief description of the drawings]
FIG. 1 is a conceptual perspective view of a height measuring device according to a first embodiment of the present invention.
FIG. 2 is a schematic plan view showing an example of an image sensor in the case of FIG.
FIG. 3 is a diagram illustrating a pattern image in the case of FIG. 1;
4A is a schematic plan view showing an image of a pattern on an image sensor, and FIG. 4B is a schematic plan view showing a plurality of one-dimensional images.
FIG. 5 is a schematic plan view illustrating the movement amount of a bright line on a one-dimensional image in the case of FIG.
FIG. 6 is a diagram illustrating the calculation of the height of the object in the case of FIG. 1;
FIG. 7 is a schematic perspective view of a bright line projection device according to the first embodiment of the present invention.
FIG. 8 is a schematic perspective view illustrating a bright line projection device according to the first embodiment of the present invention.
FIGS. 9A and 9B are a perspective view and a front view illustrating a grating according to the first embodiment of the present invention. FIGS.
FIG. 10 is a perspective view illustrating a case where the grating according to the first embodiment of the present invention includes direction control means.
FIGS. 11A and 11B are a schematic diagram of a pattern and a front view of the grating, for explaining a pattern projected by the grating according to the first embodiment of the present invention; FIGS.
FIG. 12 is a schematic plan view showing a pattern projected by the grating according to the first embodiment of the present invention.
FIG. 13 is a schematic perspective view showing another embodiment of the bright line projection device according to the first embodiment of the present invention.
FIG. 14 is a schematic perspective view of a monitoring device according to a second embodiment of the present invention.
FIG. 15 is a schematic perspective view of the height measuring device in the case of FIG.
FIG. 16 is a schematic perspective view illustrating a case where a monitoring device according to a second embodiment of the present invention is attached to a bathroom.
FIG. 17 is a block diagram illustrating a configuration of a monitoring device according to a second embodiment of the present invention.
FIG. 18 is a schematic perspective view of a monitoring device according to a third embodiment of the present invention.
FIG. 19 is a block diagram illustrating a configuration of a monitoring device according to a third embodiment of the present invention.
FIG. 20 is a schematic diagram showing a waveform pattern of respiration used in the embodiment of the present invention.
FIG. 21 is a schematic diagram showing waveform patterns of normal and abnormal respiration in the case of FIG. 20;
FIG. 22 is a diagram showing a table of disease names or disease locations corresponding to abnormal breathing waveform patterns in the case of FIG. 21;
[Explanation of symbols]
1 Height measuring device
2 plane
3 objects
10 Emission line projection device
10a pattern
10b bright line
11 Imaging device
14 Control device
15 Image sensor
15a Image sensor (using linear sensor)
15b Image sensor (using PSD)
15c Image sensor (using two-dimensional CCD device)
21 One-dimensional position detector
22 Height calculator
105 Beam generation unit
110 grating
110a pattern
111 Optical fiber
112 1st FG element
113 2nd FG element
114 3rd FG element
116 Rotating device
201 Monitoring device
222 monitoring unit
301 Monitoring device
322 arithmetic unit
323 detection processing unit

Claims (4)

A height measuring device for measuring the height of an object present in the target area;
Emission line projection means for projecting an emission line onto the target area;
Imaging means for imaging the pattern formed by the projection;
A height calculator for calculating the height of the object by trigonometry based on the captured pattern image and the reference image;
The imaging unit captures a plurality of one-dimensional images in a direction intersecting with the direction of the bright line and in a direction coinciding with a baseline direction of the trigonometry, and the plurality of one-dimensional images are formed at predetermined selected intervals. Separated;
Height measuring device. The height measuring device according to claim 1, wherein a plurality of the bright lines are projected in parallel. The height measuring device according to claim 1, wherein a direction of a bright line and a base line direction of the trigonometry are substantially perpendicular. A height measuring device according to any one of claims 1 to 3;
Configured to monitor the object based on the measured height of the object;
Monitoring device.

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