JP2019168397A - Distance measuring device, distance measuring method, and image processing device equipped with distance measuring device - Google Patents

Abstract

To solve the problem that, in order to avoid damaging a user's health by an inadvertent direct gaze, a laser beam for measuring the distance to an object is required not to have excessively large output, but when output is low, the accuracy of measuring the distance to a remote object decreases, which may result in miscalculating the distance to an object when the distance is determined by one instance of measurement, while this will not cause a significant problem when it comes to a near object, even if the distance is determined by a few instances of measurement.SOLUTION: The present invention includes long distance measurement for determining the distance to an object using the results of multiple instances of measurement so that it is possible to detect even when a user is present a far away, and short distance measurement for determining the distance to an object using the results of a fewer number of measurements than the multiple measurements when it is determined that a user is present in a range nearer than a reference distance.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 6A

Description

  The present invention relates to a distance measuring device using an optical sensor. In particular, the present invention relates to a distance measuring device incorporated in an image processing apparatus and used for user detection.

  Recent multifunction devices (MFP: MultiFunction Peripheral) are equipped with a ranging device that measures the distance to an object, thereby detecting a person approaching the MFP and returning from a power saving state to a normal state. There is something.

  As a technique for measuring the distance to an object, there is a technique of irradiating visible light or invisible light and measuring the distance to the object based on the intensity of the reflected light. Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2004-228561 discloses a technique for making the output of light irradiated in a mode for detecting a distant object larger than the output of light irradiated in a mode for detecting a near object.

JP 2003-50127 A

When using laser light as the light to irradiate to measure the distance to the object, the laser light output should be set so that it does not harm health if the user looks at the laser light by mistake. It is required not to make it too large. However, if the output of the laser light is low, the intensity of the reflected light is attenuated, so that the distance measurement accuracy for a distant object is lowered.
In such a situation, if the distance to the far object is determined by only one distance measurement result, for example, the distance to the far object may be erroneously calculated. On the other hand, since the intensity of the reflected light is not attenuated so much in the case of a nearby object, even if the distance to the nearby object is determined based on a small number of distance measurement results, no major problem occurs.

  The present invention relates to an optical sensor comprising: a light emitting element that emits light; and a light receiving element that receives reflected light emitted from the light emitting element and reflected by an object; and the reflected light received by the light receiving element. Based on a detection means for detecting a distance from the optical sensor to the object as a detection distance, a storage means for storing a first reference distance, and the optical distance based on the detection distance detected by the detection means. A distance measuring device having a calculation means for calculating a distance from a sensor to the object, wherein the calculation means is based on the first detection distance detected by the detection means for a first number of times. The distance from the optical sensor to the object is calculated as a first determination distance, and when the first determination distance is closer than the first reference distance, the calculation means calculates the second number of times. ,in front Based on the second detection distance detected by the detection means, the distance from the optical sensor to the object is calculated as a second determination distance, and the first number is larger than the second number. Features.

  By having a mode for determining the distance to the object using a plurality of distance measurement results and a mode for determining the distance to the object using a distance measurement result that is less than the plurality of distance measurement results. The distance to the object can be determined appropriately.

1 is a side external view of an image processing apparatus. 1 is a top external view of an image processing apparatus. It is a block diagram of the hardware of an image processing apparatus. It is a block diagram of the hardware of an operation part. It is a figure which shows the detection distance of an optical sensor. 3 is a main flow of a distance measuring operation according to the first embodiment. This is a long ranging subroutine. This is a short distance measurement subroutine. 10 is a main flow of a distance measuring operation according to the second embodiment. This is a subroutine for motion ranging. It is a schematic diagram showing the structure and operation | movement of an optical sensor.

  Hereinafter, embodiments for carrying out the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings.

1 and 2 are external views of an image processing apparatus 100 used in the embodiment of the present invention.
FIG. 1 is an external view of the image processing apparatus 100 viewed from the side, and FIG. 2 is an external view of the image processing apparatus viewed from the top.

  In this embodiment, the image processing apparatus 100 is a multifunction peripheral (MFP) having a plurality of functions such as a print function, a scanner function, a copy function, and a FAX function.

  The image processing apparatus 100 includes an optical sensor 15 for detecting a person approaching the image processing apparatus 100. The image processing apparatus 100 can operate at least in a normal state (first power state) and a power saving state (second power state) in which power consumption is lower than that in the normal state. The image processing apparatus 100 transitions to the power saving state when an operation is not received from the user and a period in which none of the plurality of functions is executed is a predetermined time or more. Further, when the optical sensor 15 detects a person approaching the image processing apparatus 100, the image processing apparatus 100 returns from the power saving state to the normal state. Note that the power saving state is a state in which power consumption is smaller than a normal state in which any of the functions described above can be used.

The optical sensor 15 emits, for example, near-infrared laser pulse light and receives reflected light of a pulse reflected by an object.
FIG. 8 shows a schematic configuration diagram of the optical sensor 15.
The optical sensor 15 includes a light emitting element 800 made of laser, a light receiving element 801 made of PSD (Position Sensitive Device), a control circuit 802 for controlling these optical elements, a light projecting lens 803, a condenser lens 804, and the like. . Then, the laser light emitted from the light emitting element 800 is reflected by the object 805, and the reflected light is received by the light receiving element D801.
The control circuit 802 performs calculation based on the position where the reflected light of the laser output from the light emitting element 800 forms an image on the light receiving element 801. Thereby, the optical sensor 15 can detect the distance to the object 805 and functions as a distance measuring device.

In addition, by repeatedly measuring the distance between the image processing apparatus 100 and the target object 805, the transition of the distance between the image processing apparatus 100 and the target object 805 (that is, the locus of the target object 805) is confirmed. Can do.
In the above example, the case where the light receiving element 801 of the optical sensor 15 is a PSD has been described. However, the type of device is not limited as long as the optical sensor can measure the distance to the object. The optical sensor 15 has a fan-shaped detection area A1 as shown in FIG.

FIG. 3 is a hardware block diagram of the image processing apparatus 100.
As illustrated in FIG. 3, the image processing apparatus 100 includes a controller 11 that controls the operation of the image processing apparatus 100, an operation unit 12, a scanner unit 13, a printer unit 14, and an optical sensor 15.

The controller 11 is communicably connected to the operation unit 12, the scanner unit 13, and the printer unit 14.
The controller 11 includes a CPU 301, a RAM 302, a ROM 303, a power supply control unit 304, an input / output I / F 305, and a LAN controller 306. The CPU 301, RAM 302, ROM 303, power supply control unit 304, input / output I / F 305, and LAN controller 306 are connected to the system bus 307.
The controller 11 also includes an HDD 308, an image processing unit 309, and a scanner I / F 310 printer I / F 311. The HDD 308, the image processing unit 309, the scanner I / F 310, and the printer I / F 311 are connected to the image bus 312.

The CPU 301 comprehensively controls access to various connected devices based on a control program stored in the ROM 303. In addition, various processes executed by the controller 11 are also controlled in an integrated manner.
A RAM 302 is a system work memory for the CPU 301 to operate. The RAM 302 is also a memory for temporarily storing image data.
The ROM 303 stores a boot program for the image processing apparatus 100 and the like.

The power control unit 304 controls power supply to each unit of the image processing apparatus 100.
The power control unit 304 supplies power to each piece of hardware illustrated in FIG. 3 when the power state of the image processing apparatus 100 is the normal state. In addition, the power control unit 304 includes the RAM 302, the input / output I / F 305, the LAN controller 306, and the operation unit 12 for each piece of hardware illustrated in FIG. 3 when the power state of the image processing apparatus 100 is the power saving state. Some power is supplied to the optical sensor 15.
The power supply control unit 304 is supplied with power in both the normal state and the power saving state. In the power saving state, pressing of a state transition key provided in the operation unit 12 described later is performed via the input / output I / F 305. When detected, the image processing apparatus 100 is shifted to the normal state. When the state transition key is pressed in the normal state, the power control unit 304 causes the image processing apparatus 100 to transition to the power saving state.

The input / output I / F 305 is an interface unit for connecting the system bus 307 and the operation unit 12. The input / output I / F 305 receives image data to be displayed on the operation unit 12 from the system bus 307, outputs the image data to the operation unit 12, and outputs information input from the operation unit 12 to the system bus 307.
The LAN controller 306 transmits and receives information to and from the external device 20 connected to the network 30.

The HDD 308 is a hard disk drive and stores system software and image data.
The image processing unit 309 reads out image data stored in the RAM 302 and performs image processing such as conversion to JPEG, JBIG, etc., image enlargement or reduction, and color adjustment.

The scanner I / F 310 is an interface unit for communicating with the scanner control unit 331 of the scanner unit 13.
The printer I / F 311 is an interface unit for communicating with the printer control unit 341 of the printer unit 14.
The image bus 312 is a transmission path for transmitting and receiving image data, and includes a bus such as a PCI bus and IEEE1394.

The scanner unit 13 optically reads an image from a document and generates image data. The scanner unit 13 includes a scanner control unit 331 and a scanner driving unit 332.
The scanner driving unit 332 includes a driving unit for moving a reading head that reads a document, a driving unit for conveying the document to a reading position (both not shown), and the like.
The scanner control unit 331 controls the operation of the scanner driving unit 332. When performing scanner processing, the scanner control unit 331 receives setting information set by the user from the CPU 301 and controls the operation of the scanner driving unit 332 based on the setting information.

The printer unit 14 forms an image on a recording medium (paper) according to an electrophotographic method. The printer unit 14 includes a printer control unit 341 and a printer driving unit 342.
The printer driving unit 342 includes a motor that rotates the photosensitive drum, a mechanism unit that pressurizes the fixing device, a heater (all not shown), and the like.
The printer control unit 341 controls the operation of the printer driving unit 342. The printer control unit 341 receives setting information set by the user from the CPU 301 when performing print processing, and controls the operation of the printer driving unit 342 based on the setting information.

FIG. 4 is a block diagram of hardware inside the operation unit 12 of the image processing apparatus 100.
In the figure, a microcomputer 401 controls the entire operation unit 12. The microcomputer 401 incorporates a control program, a ROM for storing set values, a RAM used for work (both not shown), and the like. The microcomputer 401 is supplied with electric power in both a normal state and a power saving state.

  The key input unit 402 is operated for the user to input keys. The key input unit 402 includes a state transition key for causing the image processing apparatus 100 to transition to the power saving state and to transition from the power saving state to the normal state. In addition, the key input unit 402 includes keys that are pressed by the user in order to perform numeric keys and various settings. In the normal state, power is supplied to the detection unit that detects pressing of all these keys, but in the power saving state, power is supplied only to the detection unit that detects pressing of the state transition key. Information about which key is pressed is input to the controller 11 via the input / output I / F 405.

  The display unit 403 is a liquid crystal display that displays to the user. Display contents (display data) are acquired from the controller 11 via the input / output I / F 405. If the display unit 403 is a touch screen, the touch operation by the user is detected, and the content of the touch operation is input to the controller 11 via the input / output I / F 405. The display unit 403 is supplied with power in the normal state, but is not supplied with power in the power saving state.

A sensor I / F 404 is a sensor interface for performing communication between the optical sensor 15 and the microcomputer 401. Electric power is supplied to the sensor I / F 404 in both a normal state and a power saving state.
The input / output I / F 405 is an input / output interface for communicating with the input / output I / F 305 of the controller 11. The input / output I / F 405 is supplied with power in both a normal state and a power saving state.

  The operation unit 12 controls the optical sensor 15. When receiving an instruction from the microcomputer 401, as described above, the optical sensor 15 emits laser light from the light emitting element 800, and the light receiving element 801 receives the light reflected on the object. Then, the distance to the object is calculated from the received light result, and the measured result is output to the microcomputer 401.

The output of the laser light emitted by the optical sensor 15 cannot be increased for the safety of the user. Therefore, the reach of laser light is limited.
Since the laser beam to be output is affected by the reflectance due to the color of the object, a difference in detection distance occurs depending on the color of the object. Color unevenness and unevenness also increase the error of the light receiving element. For this reason, if the object has uneven color or surface irregularities, an error also occurs in the measurement distance calculated by the optical sensor 15.
In addition, the weaker the received light, the larger the error, and if it falls below a certain intensity, the detection itself cannot be performed. Therefore, the lower the intensity of the reflected light, the higher the possibility of erroneous distance measurement.

FIG. 5 is a diagram showing various threshold values related to the detection distance of the optical sensor 15.
A range in which the object can be detected is indicated by L1. In addition, a reference distance at which no error occurs in the detected distance depending on the color of the object is indicated by L2.
In addition, a return distance, which is a distance for returning the image processing apparatus 100 from the power saving state to the normal state, is indicated by L3.
The reference distance L2 is stored in advance in the ROM in the microcomputer 401. Similarly, the return distance L3 is also maintained.

The microcomputer 401 controls the optical sensor 15 and searches for a user near the image processing apparatus 100 when the image processing apparatus 100 is in the power saving state.
As described above, when the object is far away, a distance measurement error is likely to occur in the optical sensor.
Therefore, a reference distance L2 that does not cause a difference in the detected distance depending on the color of the object is determined in advance. Then, the distance measuring method is changed depending on whether the object is farther or closer than L2.
Specifically, when the distance to the object is longer than L2, the number of distance measurement is increased. On the other hand, when the distance to the object is closer than L2, the number of distance measurements is reduced.

Next, the distance measuring method according to the first embodiment will be described with reference to the flowchart of FIG.
FIG. 6A is a main flow of the distance measuring method according to the first embodiment.
6B is a long distance measurement subroutine in S601 of the main flow in FIG. 6A, and FIG. 6C is a short distance measurement subroutine in S604 of the main flow in FIG. 6A.
Hereinafter, a case will be described in which the number of distance measurements in long distance measurement is 7 and the number of distance measurements in short distance measurement is 3. However, the number of distance measurements is not limited to the above, and can be changed as appropriate.

First, the long distance measurement subroutine of FIG. 6B will be described.
When the main routine of FIG. 6A is started, a long ranging subroutine is called in S601.
In step S621 in FIG. 6B, the microcomputer 401 in the operation unit 12 of the image processing apparatus 100 clears the distance measurement counter that counts the number of distance measurements.

In step S <b> 622, the microcomputer 401 sends a command for performing distance measurement to the optical sensor 15. Then, the result of distance measurement performed by the optical sensor 15 is received as a detection distance.
In step S623, the microcomputer 401 stores the detection distance received in step S622 in a built-in memory in the microcomputer 401.
In step S624, the microcomputer 401 increments a distance measurement counter that counts the number of distance measurements.
In step S625, the microcomputer 401 determines whether the value of the distance measurement counter matches 7. If they match, the process proceeds to S626, and if they do not match, the process returns to S622.

In S626, the microcomputer 401 calculates the distance to the object as the determination distance from the detection distances of the seven distance measurements stored in the built-in memory.
In S627, the process returns to the main flow with the distance measurement result calculated in S626.

Next, the short distance measurement subroutine of FIG. 6C will be described.
When the process proceeds to S604 in the main flow of FIG. 6A, a short distance measurement subroutine is called.
In step S631 in FIG. 6C, the microcomputer 401 clears a distance measurement counter that counts the number of distance measurements.

In step S <b> 632, the microcomputer 401 sends a command for performing distance measurement to the optical sensor 15. Then, the result of distance measurement performed by the optical sensor 15 is received as a detection distance.
In step S633, the microcomputer 401 stores the detection distance received in step S632 in a built-in memory in the microcomputer 401.
In step S634, the microcomputer 401 increments a distance measurement counter that counts the number of distance measurements.
In step S635, the microcomputer 401 determines whether the value of the distance measurement counter matches 3. If they match, the process proceeds to S636, and if they do not match, the process returns to S632.

In S636, the microcomputer 401 calculates the distance to the object as the determination distance from the detection distances of the three distance measurements stored in the built-in memory.
In S637, the process returns to the main flow with the distance measurement result calculated in S626.

Next, the main flow of FIG. 6A will be described.
At the stage of starting the main flow, the user has not been detected yet.
Therefore, first, in S601, the long distance measurement subroutine of FIG. 6B is called.

In step S602, the microcomputer 401 determines the presence or absence of the user based on the distance measurement result in step S601 (long distance measurement).
When the user is detected in the long distance measurement, the process proceeds to S603, and when the user is not detected, the process returns to S601.

When a user is detected in S602, in S603, the microcomputer 401 determines whether the distance to the detected user is within the reference distance L2 described above with reference to FIG. 5 based on the distance measurement result in S601.
If it is shorter than the reference distance L2, the process proceeds to S604, and if it is farther than the reference distance L2, the process returns to S601.

  When the distance to the user detected in S603 is shorter than the reference distance L2, the short distance measurement subroutine of FIG. 6C is called in S604.

In step S605, the microcomputer 401 determines the presence / absence of the user based on the distance measurement result in step S604 (short distance measurement).
If the user is detected in the short distance measurement, the process proceeds to S606, and if the user is not detected, the process returns to S604.

When the user is detected even in the short distance measurement, in S606, the microcomputer 401 determines whether the distance to the detected user is within the return distance L3 described above with reference to FIG. 5 from the distance measurement result in S604. .
If the distance is shorter than the return distance L3, the process proceeds to S607. If the distance is longer than the return distance L3, the process returns to S604.

If it is determined in S606 that the user has been detected closer than the return distance L3, in S607, the microcomputer 401 outputs a device return signal to the CPU 301 of the controller 11 through the input / output I / F 405.
Then, the image processing apparatus 100 returns from the power saving state to the normal state.

When the image processing apparatus 100 is not used for a certain period of time, in S608, the microcomputer 401 determines whether or not the image processing apparatus 100 has entered a power saving state.
If the power saving state is entered, the process proceeds to S601. If the power saving state is not entered, the process stays in S608.

When the user is far away from the image processing apparatus, it is not necessary to immediately restore the image processing apparatus, so there is no problem even if it takes a long time to detect the user.
Further, regarding the optical sensor, when the distance to the object is long, erroneous detection is likely to occur in the detection result of the optical sensor. Therefore, depending on the measurement result of one time, an error is likely to occur in the presence or absence of the user and the distance, and a more reliable result can be obtained if the determination is made based on the result of many times of distance measurement.

On the other hand, when the distance to the object is short, the possibility that the optical sensor performs a distance measurement is low, so the number of times of distance measurement can be reduced compared to the case where the distance to the object is far.
In this way, by switching the number of distance measurements in accordance with the distance between the user and the image processing apparatus, it becomes possible to accurately detect the distance from the image processing apparatus to the user without waste.

As described above, in the first embodiment, first, the presence / absence of a user and the distance to the user are determined based on a large number of distance measurement as long distance measurement so that the user can be detected even when the user is far away. .
If it can be determined that the user is closer than the reference distance, the presence / absence of the user and the distance to the user are determined based on a small number of distance measurements as short distance measurement.
As a result, it is possible to reduce false detection and distance measurement errors while suppressing the number of distance measurements within a possible range according to the situation.
In addition, by setting the reference distance and measuring the distance, detection errors due to the color and shape of the detection target can be reduced.

In order to detect a distant object, it is necessary to increase the light receiving sensitivity of the optical sensor 15, that is, to increase the output of the laser beam. However, when the light receiving sensitivity is increased, the ranging error tends to increase.
Therefore, in the second embodiment, until the user who is the object is detected, the laser light output is increased and the distance is measured with high sensitivity. When it is detected that the user has approached the reference distance L2, for example, the laser light output is reduced to reduce the light receiving sensitivity, and distance measurement is performed to reduce the distance measurement error.
Similarly to the first embodiment, based on the reference distance L2, the number of distance measurements is increased when the distance to the object is far, and the number of distance measurements is decreased when the distance is close.
If it is determined that the user is within the return distance L3, the image processing apparatus is returned. Then, when the user is within the return distance L3, the distance to the user is continuously measured, and the user's locus is generated from the accumulated distance measurement results. When the user cannot detect from the return distance L3, the accumulated distance measurement result is deleted.

  Next, the distance measuring method according to the second embodiment will be described with reference to the flowchart of FIG.

FIG. 7A is a main flow of the distance measuring method according to the second embodiment.
FIG. 7B is a subroutine for motion ranging in S711 of the main flow of FIG. 7A.
Note that S702 and S706 in the main flow of FIG. 7A are the same as the long distance measurement subroutine of FIG. 6B and the short distance measurement subroutine of FIG.

First, the motion ranging subroutine of FIG. 7B will be described.
When the image processing apparatus returns to the normal state in the main flow of FIG. 7A, a motion distance measurement subroutine is called in S711.

In step S741 in FIG. 7B, the microcomputer 401 clears the distance measurement counter that counts the number of distance measurements.
In step S <b> 742, the microcomputer 401 sends a command for performing distance measurement to the optical sensor 15. Then, the result of distance measurement performed by the optical sensor 15 is received as a detection distance.
In step S <b> 743, the microcomputer 401 stores the detection distance received in step S <b> 742 in a built-in memory in the microcomputer 401.

In step S744, the microcomputer 401 increments a distance measurement counter that counts the number of distance measurements.
In step S745, the microcomputer 401 determines whether the value of the distance measurement counter matches 2. If they match, the process proceeds to S746, and if they do not match, the process returns to S742.

In step S746, the microcomputer 401 calculates the distance to the object as the determination distance from the detection distance obtained by the two distance measurements stored in the built-in memory. The number of distance measurements can be changed as appropriate.
In S747, the process returns to the main flow with the distance measurement result calculated in S746.

Next, the main flow of FIG. 7A will be described.
First, in S701, the microcomputer 401 sets the sensitivity of the light receiving element of the optical sensor 15 to be high.

In S702, since the user has not yet been detected, the long distance measurement subroutine of FIG. 6B is called.
In S703, the presence or absence of the user is determined based on the distance measurement result in S702 (long distance measurement).
When the user is detected in the long distance measurement, the process proceeds to S704, and when the user is not detected, the process returns to S702.

If it is determined in S703 that the user has been detected, in S704, the microcomputer 401 determines whether the distance to the detected user is within the reference distance L2 from the determination distance in S702.
If the distance is shorter than the reference distance L2, the process proceeds to S705. If the distance is longer than the reference distance L2, the process returns to S702.

In step S <b> 705, the microcomputer 401 changes the sensitivity of the light receiving element of the optical sensor 15 to be low.
If it is determined that the distance to the user detected in S704 is closer than the reference distance L2, in S706, the microcomputer 401 calls the short distance measurement subroutine of FIG. 6C.

In step S707, the microcomputer 401 determines the presence or absence of the user based on the distance measurement result in step S706 (short distance measurement).
If the user is detected in the short distance measurement, the process proceeds to S709. If the user is not detected, the process proceeds to S708.
In step S708, the microcomputer 401 changes the sensitivity of the light receiving element of the optical sensor 15 to be high.

If the user is detected even in the short distance measurement, in step S709, the microcomputer 401 determines whether the detected distance from the determination distance in step S706 is within the return distance L3.
If it is shorter than the return distance L3, the process proceeds to S710, and if it is farther than the return distance L3, the process returns to S706.

If it is determined in S707 that the user has been detected closer than the return distance L3, in S710, the microcomputer 401 outputs a device return signal to the CPU 301 of the controller 11 through the input / output I / F 405.
Then, the image processing apparatus 100 returns from the power saving state to the normal state.

In step S <b> 711, the microcomputer 401 calls the motion ranging subroutine of FIG. 7B.
In step S <b> 712, the microcomputer 401 stores the distance information obtained in step S <b> 711 (motion ranging) in a memory in the microcomputer 401.
In S713, the microcomputer 401 generates user trajectory data from the distance information stored in S712.

In S714, the microcomputer 401 determines whether or not the detected distance to the user is within the return distance L3.
If it is within the return distance L3, the process returns to S711, and if it is farther than the return distance L3, the process proceeds to S715.
In step S <b> 715, the microcomputer 401 deletes the distance information stored and held in the memory in the microcomputer 401. Then, the process proceeds to S708.

As described above, by setting the sensitivity of the optical sensor high, it is possible to detect an object farther than when the sensitivity is low, but false detection and errors increase.
Therefore, in Example 2, in order to increase the reliability of the distance measurement result, when performing long distance measurement farther than the reference distance, the sensitivity of the optical sensor is set high, and short distance measurement closer to the reference distance is performed. In this case, the sensitivity of the optical sensor is set low.
As a result, it is possible to detect a farther object, and it is possible to prevent a decrease in reliability of the distance measurement result.

  In the second embodiment, when there is a user within L3 that is the return distance, user trajectory data is acquired. However, it is not always necessary to determine the acquisition of trajectory data based on the return distance L3, and a separate distance can be determined.

  In each of the above-described embodiments, the distance measuring device is configured by one optical sensor, but a plurality of optical sensors may be used. In this case, the user's movement near the image processing apparatus 100 can be captured not only in the depth (perspective) direction but also in the left-right direction, and the user's movement can be tracked more accurately.

(Other examples)
The present invention supplies a program that realizes one or more functions of the above-described embodiments to a system or apparatus via a network or a storage medium, and one or more processors in a computer of the system or apparatus read and execute the program This process can be realized. It can also be realized by a circuit (for example, ASIC) that realizes one or more functions.
Further, the present invention may be applied to a system composed of a plurality of devices or an apparatus composed of a single device.
The present invention is not limited to the above-described embodiments, and various modifications (including organic combinations of the embodiments) are possible based on the spirit of the present invention, and these are excluded from the scope of the present invention. It is not a thing. That is, all the configurations in which the above-described embodiments and modifications thereof are combined are also included in the present invention.

15 Optical sensor 100 Image processing device 800 Light emitting element 801 Light receiving element

Claims (8)

An optical sensor comprising: a light emitting element that emits light; and a light receiving element that receives reflected light that is emitted from the light emitting element and reflected by an object;
Detecting means for detecting a distance from the optical sensor to the object as a detection distance based on the reflected light received by the light receiving element;
Storage means for storing a first reference distance;
A distance measuring device having calculation means for calculating a distance from the optical sensor to the object based on the detection distance detected by the detection means,
The calculating means calculates the distance from the optical sensor to the object as the first determination distance based on the first number of times and the first detection distance detected by the detection means;
When the first determination distance is closer than the first reference distance, the calculation means determines the second number of times from the optical sensor based on the second detection distance detected by the detection means. Calculating the distance to the object as a second determination distance;
The distance measuring device, wherein the first number of times is greater than the second number of times.   The sensitivity of the optical sensor when the detection means detects the first detection distance is higher than the sensitivity of the optical sensor when the detection means detects the second detection distance. The distance measuring device according to claim 1.   The intensity of the light emitting element when the detecting means detects the first detection distance is higher than the intensity of the light emitting element when the detecting means detects the second detection distance. The distance measuring device according to claim 2. The storage means stores a second reference distance shorter than the first reference distance;
The distance measuring device according to any one of claims 1 to 3, wherein it is determined whether or not the second determination distance is closer to the second reference distance.   When the second determination distance is closer than the second reference distance, the calculation unit generates a trajectory of the object based on the third detection distance detected by the detection unit a third number of times. The distance measuring device according to claim 4. An optical sensor comprising: a light emitting element that emits light; and a light receiving element that receives reflected light that is emitted from the light emitting element and reflected by an object;
Detecting means for detecting a distance from the optical sensor to the object as a detection distance based on the reflected light received by the light receiving element;
Storage means for storing a first reference distance;
A distance measuring method using a distance measuring device having a calculation means for calculating a distance from the optical sensor to the object based on the detection distance detected by the detection means,
The calculating means calculates a distance from the optical sensor to the object as a first determination distance based on the first number of times and the first detection distance detected by the detection means;
When the first determination distance is closer than the first reference distance, the calculation means determines the second number of times from the optical sensor based on the second detection distance detected by the detection means. Calculating a distance to the object as a second determination distance,
The distance measuring method, wherein the first number of times is greater than the second number of times.   An image processing apparatus comprising the distance measuring device according to claim 1. An image processing apparatus comprising the distance measuring device according to claim 3 and operable in at least a first power state and a second power state in which power consumption is smaller than the first power state,
The image processing apparatus according to claim 7, wherein when the second determination distance is shorter than the second reference distance, the image processing apparatus returns from the second power state to the first power state.