JP2006038798A - Position detecting device of exothermic object - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a position detecting device of exothermic objects, capable of realizing simplification and miniaturization of the whole device, in addition to realizing improved precision detection of the position of exothermic objects. <P>SOLUTION: In the position detecting device equipped with a optical transmitting section 2, a focusing lens 3 focusing the reflected light LR reflected at an exothermic object A, and infrared radiation IR emitted from the exothermic object A; a spectroscopic means 4 implementing spectroscopy of infrared radiation IR and reflected light LR; an infrared sensor 5 detecting infrared radiation IR via the spectroscopic means 4; an optical receiving section 6 detecting reflected light LR via the spectroscopic means 4; and a signal processing means 7 measuring the distance to the exothermic object A, based on the data from the infrared sensor 5 and the optical receiving section 6, the azimuth and the distance are detected to the exothermic object A captured by infrared images. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2006,JPO&NCIPI

Description

  The present invention relates to a position detection device for a heating object used to detect the position of a heating object such as a person.

2. Description of the Related Art As a conventional heat generating object position detecting device, there is one as shown in FIG. The illustrated position detection apparatus includes a condenser lens 101 that collects infrared rays emitted from the heating object A, an infrared sensor 102 that detects infrared rays that have passed through the condenser lens 101, an amplifier 103 that amplifies the detection signal of the infrared sensor 102, and A signal processing device 104 is provided. The infrared sensor 102 is, for example, an infrared image sensor having a large number of pixels. Then, the position detection device processes the detection signal from the infrared sensor 102 by the signal processing device 104 to create an infrared image, and detects the position of the heating object A in the image (screen).
“Sensor Device Handbook” Information Research Co., Ltd., November 15, 1983, p. 97-100

  However, in the conventional heat generating object position detection device as described above, the position (direction) of the heat generating object in the image can be detected, but the distance to the heat generating object cannot be detected, Depending on the influence of the background heat distribution, there is a problem that it is difficult to accurately detect a heat-generating object, and it has been a problem to solve such a problem.

  An example of detecting the distance to the target is a laser range finder. If both the position detection device and the laser range finder are used, the position of the heat generating object can be accurately detected. However, there is no conventional technique that combines the two, and there is a problem that the entire apparatus is complicated and large-sized only by using both.

  The present invention has been made in view of the above-described conventional situation. In addition to achieving high accuracy in detecting the position of the heat generating object, the heat generating object capable of simplifying and downsizing the entire apparatus. An object of the present invention is to provide a position detecting device.

  The present invention is an apparatus for detecting the position of a heat generating object. According to a first aspect of the present invention, there is provided a light transmitting unit that transmits visible light, and a light collecting unit that collects infrared light emitted from the heat generating object and reflected light reflected by the heat generating object. A lens, a spectroscopic unit that splits infrared light and reflected light that has passed through a condenser lens in two directions, an infrared sensor that detects infrared light that has passed through the spectroscopic unit, a light receiving unit that detects reflected light that has passed through the spectroscopic unit, and an infrared sensor The signal processing means for measuring the distance to the heat generating object based on the data from the light receiving unit is provided, and the above structure is used as a means for solving the conventional problems.

According to a second aspect of the present invention, the spectroscopic means is a half mirror (for example, a cold mirror) that transmits infrared rays and reflects reflected light. The half mirror and the infrared sensor are arranged on the same axis, and as a third aspect of the present invention, the scanner includes a scanner that scans at least one axis of visible light from the light transmission unit, and the scanner emits infrared and reflected light from a heating object. It also features a reflector that reflects light toward the condenser lens.
* Hereafter, the name of the configuration will be modified according to the above contents.

  According to the position detecting device of the heat generating object according to claim 1 of the present invention, the infrared light receiving system and the visible light transmitting / receiving system are combined by using the condensing lens for condensing both the infrared light and the reflected light. Therefore, the position, direction and distance of the heat generating object can be detected with high accuracy in the infrared image. At this time, the position of the heat generating object such as a person can be detected with high accuracy without being affected by the heat distribution of the background. Can be detected. In addition, by adopting the above configuration, the structure of the entire apparatus can be simplified. Accordingly, the size and weight can be reduced and the cost can be reduced, and the temperature of a heating object can be measured.

  According to the position detecting device of the heat generating object according to the second aspect of the present invention, the same effect as the first aspect can be obtained, and the light transmitting unit, the condensing lens, the half mirror as the spectroscopic means, and the infrared sensor. By arranging them on the same axis, the structure can be further simplified, and further reduction in size and weight and cost can be achieved.

  According to the heating object position detecting apparatus of the third aspect of the present invention, if the visible light is scanned around one axis by the scanner, the heating object can be captured two-dimensionally, and the visible light is orthogonalized by the scanner. By scanning around two axes, the heat generating object can be captured three-dimensionally, and accordingly, the position detection accuracy of the heat generating object can be further enhanced. Further, since the scanner also serves as a reflector for the condenser lens, the structure can be further simplified. Further, since the infrared ray is received through the scanner, a single infrared detection element is used as the infrared sensor. Can be used to create an infrared image, and the structure can be further simplified.

FIG. 1 is a diagram for explaining one embodiment of a position detecting device for a heating object according to the present invention.
The position detection apparatus shown in the figure includes, for example, a light transmitting unit 2 that transmits a laser beam LT that is visible light in a cylindrical case 1, an infrared ray IR emitted from a heating object A, and a reflected laser beam reflected by the heating object A ( (Reflected light) a condensing lens 3 for condensing LR, an infrared IR passing through the condensing lens 3 and a spectroscopic means 4 for splitting the reflected laser light LR in two directions, and an infrared sensor for detecting the infrared IR via the spectroscopic means 4 5 and an optical receiver 6 that detects the reflected laser light LR that has passed through the spectroscopic means 4.

  In addition, the position detection device includes at least one axis of signal processing means 7 for measuring the distance to the heat generating object A based on data from the infrared sensor 5 and the light receiving unit 6 and the laser light LT from the light transmitting unit 2. The scanner 8, the optical transmitter 2, the condenser lens 3, the spectroscopic means 4, and the infrared sensor 5 are arranged in this order on the same axis.

  The optical transmission unit 2 is a light transmission lens having a diameter sufficiently smaller than the diameter of the condensing lens 3, and the scanner 8 receives the pulsed laser light LT transmitted from the laser diode 9 through the optical fiber 10. To send.

The condensing lens 3 may be any lens that passes both infrared IR and reflected laser light LR. For example, a lens made of barium fluoride (BaF ₂ ) can be used.

  The spectroscopic means 4 is a half mirror provided in an inclined state with respect to the central axis of the case 1, and more specifically, a cold mirror is used. This cold mirror transmits infrared IR having a long wavelength (about 8 to 12 μm) toward the infrared sensor 5 and reflects reflected laser light LR having a short wavelength (about 0.9 μm) toward the light receiving unit 6. .

  The infrared sensor 5 is a conventionally known sensor composed of a single infrared detection element. The signal detected by the infrared sensor 5 is input to the signal processing means 7 via the amplifier 11.

  The light receiving unit 6 is, for example, a photodiode. The signal detected by the optical receiver 6 is input to the signal processing means 7 via the amplifier 12.

  The signal processing means 7 converts the analog signals from the central processing unit (CPU) 7A, the laser drive oscillator 7B for the laser diode 9, the infrared sensor 5 and the light receiving unit 6 into digital signals and inputs them to the central processing unit 7A. A converter 7C is provided. The laser driven oscillator 7B outputs a reference signal used for distance measurement, that is, a reference signal corresponding to reference light known in the laser range finder, to the converter 7C.

  The scanner 8 is a reflecting mirror driven by a driving device (not shown). In addition to scanning the laser light LT as it rotates, the infrared light IR and the reflected laser light LR from the heating object A are directed to the condenser lens. It also serves as a reflector to reflect. The scanner 8 swings around the first rotation shaft 13 and tilts around a second rotation shaft (not shown) orthogonal to the first rotation shaft 13. The laser beam LT is scanned in a predetermined plane by these operations. The previous signal processing means 7 also inputs the rotation angle (swing angle and tilt angle) of the scanner 8 and creates an image so that the scanning range by the rotation of the scanner 8 matches the infrared image. Do.

  The heating object position detection apparatus having the above configuration scans the pulse train-like laser light LT transmitted from the light transmission unit 2 within a predetermined range by the scanner 8 and reflects the infrared ray IR generated by the heating object A and the heating object A. The reflected laser beam LR thus reflected is reflected by the scanner 8 and condensed by the condenser lens 3.

  Then, the infrared IR passing through the spectroscopic means 4 is detected by the infrared sensor 5, and the signal is input to the signal processing means 7. At this time, since the position detecting device receives the infrared IR via the rotating scanner 8, the signal processing means 7 receives the signal from the infrared sensor 5 composed of a single infrared detecting element and the scanner 8. A predetermined infrared image can be created based on the rotation angle data.

  On the other hand, the reflected laser beam LR reflected by the spectroscopic unit 4 is detected by the light receiving unit 6, and the signal is input to the signal processing unit 7. The signal processing means 7 measures the distance to the heating object A based on the time lag between the reference signal generated during transmission of the laser light LT and the detection signal of the reflected laser light LR and the speed of light.

  In this way, the position detection device can capture the heat generating object A three-dimensionally in the infrared image and detect the position, that is, the direction and the distance of the heat generating object A with high accuracy. Therefore, for example, even when a plurality of heating objects A are captured in one image, the distance to each heating object A can be measured to determine the positional relationship between them, and the influence of the background heat distribution is also affected. The position of the heating object A such as a person can be detected with high accuracy without any problem. In addition to the position detection described above, the position detection device can also measure the temperature of the heating object A.

  Further, the position detection device combines the infrared IR light receiving system and the laser light LT, LR transmission / reception system using the condenser lens 3 that collects both the infrared IR and the reflected laser light LR. The structure of the entire apparatus can be simplified, and in association with this, a reduction in size and weight and cost can be realized.

  As described in the above embodiment, the scanner 8, the light transmitter 2, the condensing lens 3, the spectroscopic means 4 and the infrared sensor 5 are arranged on the same axis, the scanner 8 is a reflecting mirror, the scanner 8 However, the structure can be further simplified, for example, by combining the scanning of the laser beam LT with the reflector for the condenser lens 3.

  It should be noted that the specific configuration of the heat generating object position detection apparatus according to the present invention is not limited to the above embodiment, and the configuration can be changed as appropriate without departing from the gist of the present invention. Thus, for example, it is possible to provide a separate laser beam transmission system for the infrared and reflected laser beam reception systems, or use a polygon mirror for the scanner.

  If laser light is used as visible light as in the above embodiment, accurate detection can be performed even if the position of the heating object is far, but if the position of the heating object is relatively close, the laser Even if visible light other than light is used, the same operation and effect as in the above embodiment can be obtained. In this case, the laser-driven oscillator 7B is omitted and a light-emitting diode (LED) is used instead of the laser diode 9. Can be used.

It is explanatory drawing which shows one Example of the position detection apparatus of the heat generating object concerning this invention. It is explanatory drawing which shows the position detection apparatus of the conventional heat generating object.

Explanation of symbols

A Heating object IR Infrared LR Reflected laser light (reflected light)
LT Laser light (visible light)
2 Optical transmitter 3 Condensing lens 4 Spectroscopic means (half mirror)
5 Infrared sensor 6 Optical receiver 7 Signal processing means 8 Scanner

Claims (3)

  An apparatus for detecting the position of a heat generating object, a light transmitting unit that transmits visible light, a condensing lens that condenses infrared light emitted from the heat generating object and reflected light reflected from the heat generating object, and infrared light that passes through the condensing lens And a spectroscopic means for splitting the reflected light in two directions, an infrared sensor for detecting the infrared light passing through the spectroscopic means, a light receiving unit for detecting the reflected light passing through the spectroscopic means, and data from the infrared sensor and the light receiving unit A position detecting device for a heat generating object, comprising signal processing means for measuring a distance to the heat generating object.   The spectroscopic means is a half mirror that transmits infrared light and reflects reflected light, wherein the light transmitting unit, the condensing lens, the half mirror, and the infrared sensor are arranged coaxially. Heating object position detection device.   A scanner that scans at least one axis of visible light from an optical transmission unit is provided, and the scanner also serves as a reflector that reflects infrared rays and reflected light from a heating object toward a condenser lens. Item 3. The heating object position detection device according to Item 1 or 2.

Images