JP2021071471A - Distance image creation device - Google Patents

Abstract

To provide a distance image creation device that not only can create a distance image in all directions but also is hard to fail with a simple structure and can reduce its size and weight using an inexpensive lidar.SOLUTION: A distance image creation device for creating a distance image by measuring reflected light of light radiated on an object comprises: an optical component formed so that light can be incident from the whole circumference; at least one or more light emission sections arranged outside of the optical component; a light receiving section for receiving the reflected light incident on the optical component from the whole circumference; and an image creation section for creating the distance image on the basis of information on the reflected light. The optical component includes: an annular first light transmissive surface which is formed to be rotation symmetry about an optical axis of the optical component and on which the light can be incident from the whole circumference; a first reflection surface which is formed in an annular shape and reflects the light into the optical component; a second reflection surface which is provided at a center portion of the first light transmissive surface and reflects the reflected light from the first reflection surface toward the inside of a ring of the first reflection surface; and a second light transmissive surface which faces the second reflection surface at the center portion of the first reflection surface and transmits the light from the second reflection surface.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 2

Description

The present invention relates to a distance image creating device that creates an omnidirectional distance image.

With the recent advances in various robot devices such as robot vacuum cleaners and autonomous driving technology for vehicles, there is a demand for technology for measuring the distance to an object such as an obstacle in the vicinity. As such a measurement technique, there is a remote sensing technique using light (for example, Patent Documents 1 to 3), one of which is to irradiate a pulsed light toward an object, and the light is applied to the object. A lidar that measures the distance to an object by capturing the flight time (ToF: Time of Light), phase difference, frequency displacement (FMCW: Frequency Modified Pulse), etc. until it is reflected and returned with an optical sensor. (LiDAR: Light Detection and Ringing) (for example, Non-Patent Document 1).

Riders are roughly classified into two types, Flash lidar and Scanning Lidar, each of which has advantages and disadvantages.

That is, the flash rider directly measures the ToF, phase difference, and FMCW with all pixels using a camera or the like provided with a CMOS (Complementary Metal Oxide Semiconductor) that captures light at the picosecond level, and obtains a three-dimensional distance image. It is acquired all at once. For example, a plurality of light sources [LED, VCSEL (Vertical Cavity Surface Emitting Laser, etc.)] can be made to emit light at the same time, and a distance image of a distance measuring region can be acquired without scanning.

Due to such a structure, the flashrider has advantages that it does not require a spindle, has a simple structure, is small and lightweight, and is inexpensive, and is used in indoor robotics and the like. However, on the other hand, the flashrider has a disadvantage that the horizontal measurement range is as narrow as about 120 ° at the maximum, and it is difficult to acquire a distance image in all directions.

On the other hand, the scanning rider creates an omnidirectional distance image by rotating one or both of the illumination unit and the light receiving unit and scanning them in sequence, and has an advantage that the measurement distance is long. It is used for autonomous driving of vehicles outdoors. However, on the other hand, the scanning rider has a disadvantage that the scanning speed is slow and it takes time to create a distance image. It also has the disadvantages that the structure is complicated, it is easy to break down, it is difficult to reduce the size and weight, and it is difficult to reduce the cost.

In recent years, the need for omnidirectional distance images has increased even in indoor robotics applications where the measurement range is narrow, and in that case, a scanning rider had to be used, but as described above. There was a weakness, and there was a need for a rider who could acquire omnidirectional distance images while being small and inexpensive. In addition, there has been a demand for a rider who can acquire a distance image with even less distortion.

Japanese Unexamined Patent Publication No. 2008-281427 JP-A-2010-190675 JP-A-2017-195569

"Development of 3D LiDAR (rider) that realizes 3D distance measurement in a wide range" https://news. Panasonic. com / jp / press / data / 2017/09 / jn170911-1 / jn170911-1. html

The present invention not only eliminates the disadvantages of each type of rider described above to create an omnidirectional distance image, but also provides an inexpensive rider that is hard to break due to its simple structure and can be made smaller and lighter. It is an object of the present invention to provide a distance image creating device using a rider that can acquire a distance image that is used and has little distortion.

The present inventor has diligently studied the solution to the above problem, found that the above problem can be solved by the invention described below, and completed the present invention.

The invention according to claim 1
It is a distance image creation device that creates a distance image by measuring the reflected light of the light that irradiates the object.
Optical components formed so that lateral light can enter from the entire circumference of 360 °,
At least one or more light emitting portions arranged outside the optical component and emitting light in all directions or toward a target range outside the optical component.
A light receiving portion that receives reflected light from the object incident on the optical component from all directions or a target range, and a light receiving portion.
It is provided with an image creation unit that measures the reflected light and creates a distance image of a distance measuring region from an omnidirectional or target range based on the information of the reflected light.
The optical component is formed rotationally symmetrically around the optical axis at the center of the optical component, and an annular first translucent surface formed so that lateral light can enter from the entire circumference of 360 ° and the first transmissive light. A first reflecting surface formed in an annular shape so as to substantially face each other and reflecting light into an optical component, and a first reflecting surface provided in a central portion of the ring of the first translucent surface. A second reflecting surface that reflects the light reflected from the reflecting surface toward the inner portion of the ring of the first reflecting surface, and a second reflecting surface located at the center of the ring of the first reflecting surface and facing the second reflecting surface. It is a distance image creating apparatus characterized in that it is an optical component including a second light transmitting surface that transmits light from the second reflecting surface.

The invention according to claim 2
It is a distance image creation device that creates a distance image by measuring the reflected light of the light that irradiates the object.
Optical components that are formed so that light can be emitted toward the sides of the entire 360 ° circumference,
A light emitting unit that emits light toward the optical component,
At least one light receiving unit that is arranged outside the optical component and receives the light emitted from the optical component and reflected from the omnidirectional or target range.
It is provided with an image creation unit that measures the reflected light and creates a distance image of a distance measuring region from an omnidirectional or target range based on the information of the reflected light.
The optical component is formed in a rotationally symmetrical manner around the optical axis at the center of the optical component, and an annular first translucent surface formed so that light can be emitted laterally around the entire circumference of 360 °, and the first translucent surface. The first reflective surface, which is formed in an annular shape so as to substantially face each other and reflects light to the outside of the optical component, and the first one, which is provided at the center of the ring of the first translucent surface. From the second reflecting surface that reflects the light reflected to the reflecting surface toward the first reflecting surface, and from the light emitting portion that is located at the center of the ring of the first reflecting surface and faces the second reflecting surface. It is a distance image creating apparatus characterized in that it is an optical component including a second light transmitting surface that transmits the emitted light toward the second reflecting surface and enters the light.

The invention according to claim 3
It is a distance image creation device that creates a distance image by measuring the reflected light of the light that irradiates the object.
Optical components that are formed so that light can be emitted toward the sides of the entire 360 ° circumference,
A light emitting unit that emits light toward the optical component,
A light receiving unit that receives the light emitted from the optical component and reflected from the omnidirectional or target range.
An optical separation mechanism configured to separate emitted light and reflected light having a common optical axis between the optical component and the light receiving unit.
It is provided with an image creation unit that measures the reflected light and creates a distance image of a distance measuring region from an omnidirectional or target range based on the information of the reflected light.
The optical component is formed in a rotationally symmetric manner around the optical axis at the center of the optical component, and an annular first translucent surface formed so that light on the entire circumference of 360 ° can enter and exit, and the first transmissive surface. A first reflecting surface formed in an annular shape so as to substantially face the light surface and reflecting light into an optical component, and a first reflecting surface provided in a central portion of the ring of the first transmissive surface. A second reflecting surface that reflects the light reflected from the first reflecting surface toward the inner portion of the ring of the first reflecting surface, and a second reflecting surface located at the center of the ring of the first reflecting surface and facing the second reflecting surface. It is an optical component provided with a second light transmitting surface that transmits light from the second reflecting surface.
The light receiving unit is a distance image creating device characterized in that it is configured to receive the reflected light separated by the light separation mechanism.

The invention according to claim 4
Of the light incident on the first translucent surface, only light having a predetermined incident angle is designed to travel through the second transmissive surface to the light receiving portion substantially parallel to the optical axis of the optical component. The device for creating a distance image according to claim 1 or 3, wherein the distance image is created.

The invention according to claim 5
Light incident on the second light-transmitting surface from the light emitting portion substantially parallel to the optical axis of the optical component passes through the second reflection surface, the first reflection surface, and the first light-transmitting surface at 360 °. The second or third aspect of the present invention is characterized in that the light is designed to advance to the distance measuring region on the side of the periphery and the reflected light from the object in the ranging region travels to the light receiving portion. It is a device for creating the described distance image.

The invention according to claim 6
Light incident on the second translucent surface from the light emitting portion substantially parallel to the optical axis of the optical component passes through the second reflecting surface, the first reflecting surface, and the first translucent surface, and is 360 °. Of the reflected light from the object in the distance measuring region, which is incident on the first translucent surface, only the light having a predetermined incident angle is the second transmissive light. The distance image creating apparatus according to claim 3, wherein the device is designed so as to travel through an optical surface to the light receiving portion substantially parallel to the optical axis of the optical component.

The invention according to claim 7
2. The claim, wherein the light emitting portion is configured to form an annular light centered on the optical axis at the center of the optical component on the second reflecting surface of the optical component. The device for creating a distance image according to claim 3, claim 5 or claim 6.

The invention according to claim 8 is
The distance image according to claim 7, wherein the light emitting portion is configured to form the annular light by scanning the second reflecting surface in an annular shape using a laser beam as a light source. It is a making device of.

The invention according to claim 9 is
The optical path of light incident on the optical component is designed to be formed by reflection including at least one concave reflection.
The distance image creating apparatus according to any one of claims 1 to 8, wherein the work distance is configured to be negative.

The invention according to claim 10
Designed so that the optical path of light incident on the optical component is formed by reflection including one concave reflection and one convex reflection, and refraction at a refractive index of 1.90 or less. Being done
The distance image creating apparatus according to any one of claims 1 to 9, wherein the distortion in the vertical direction in the optical component is eliminated in an omnidirectional field of view. ..

The invention according to claim 11
The device for creating a distance image according to any one of claims 1 to 10, wherein an image sensor is used in the light receiving unit.

The invention according to claim 12
The distance according to claim 11, wherein only an image corresponding to a desired ranging region is imaged by the image pickup device having an image pickup area of 50 to 250% of the area of the image. It is an image creation device.

The invention according to claim 13
The light emitting unit is provided with a plurality of light sources, and is configured to blink and emit light by thinning out so that all of the plurality of light sources do not emit light at the same time.
The method according to any one of claims 1 to 12, wherein the image creating unit is configured to combine the distance images created in each blinking to create one distance image. It is a device for creating a distance image of.

The invention according to claim 14
The device for creating a distance image according to any one of claims 1 to 13, wherein the second light-transmitting surface is composed of a space portion.

According to the present invention, it is possible not only to create a distance image in all directions, but also to obtain a distance image with a simple structure, which is hard to break down, can be made smaller and lighter, uses an inexpensive rider, and has less distortion. It is possible to provide a device for creating a distance image using a rider capable of doing so.

It is a conceptual diagram of the distance image making apparatus which concerns on one Embodiment of this invention. It is a schematic diagram which shows the structure of an optical component and the arrangement of a light emitting part. It is a perspective view of an optical component and a light emitting part. It is a schematic diagram in the plan view of an optical component and a light emitting part. It is a schematic diagram which shows the structure of the distance image making apparatus which concerns on one Embodiment of this invention. It is a schematic diagram which shows the optical path of one Embodiment of this invention. It is a conceptual diagram of the distance image making apparatus which concerns on another Embodiment of this invention. It is a schematic diagram which shows the structure of the distance image making apparatus which concerns on another Embodiment of this invention. It is a perspective view which shows typically the structure of the distance image making apparatus which concerns on another Embodiment of this invention. It is a schematic diagram in the plan view of a light emitting part. It is a schematic diagram in the plan view of an image sensor. It is a schematic diagram which shows the structure of the distance image making apparatus which concerns on still another Embodiment of this invention. It is a schematic diagram in the plan view of a light emitting part. It is a figure explaining the formation of the image in the Example of this invention.

Hereinafter, the present invention will be specifically described based on the embodiments.

The distance image creating device (hereinafter, also simply referred to as “creating device”) according to the present embodiment is the distance of the distance measuring region based on the information possessed by the light (reflected light) reflected by irradiating the object. It is a distance image creating device that creates an image, but three types are created according to the arrangement pattern of the light emitting part that emits light toward the object and the light receiving part that receives the reflected light reflected by the object. There is a device. Therefore, in the following, each embodiment will be described. In the following, an example using the time-of-flight (ToF) until the light irradiated to the object is reflected and returned will be described as the light information, but the phase difference, frequency displacement, etc. will be used. May be good.

[1] Distance Image Creating Device According to the First Embodiment In the creating device according to the present embodiment, the light emitting portion is arranged outside the optical component, and the light receiving portion is the reflected light incident through the optical component. It is a making device located at the tip of the optical axis of.

1. 1. Basic configuration of the creating device FIG. 1 is a conceptual diagram of the creating device of the present embodiment, in which 10 is an optical component that receives reflected light from the ranging area, 20 is a light receiving unit, and 30 is light to the ranging area. It is a light emitting part that irradiates. The light receiving unit 20 includes an image sensor 22 (ToF image sensor) having an image element. Note that L ₁ is the emitted light and L ₂ is the reflected light.

_{The emitted light L 1} emitted from the light emitting unit 30 toward the ranging region is reflected by the ranging region and then received by the optical component 10 as _{reflected light L 2.} The optical component 10 includes a lens 21 and is formed so that lateral light can be incident from the entire circumference of 360 ° _{. After the reflected light L 2} from all directions of 360 ° is incident, the light receiving portion is passed through the lens 21. Sent towards 20. _{ToF is obtained by projecting the reflected light L 2} sent to the light receiving unit 20 onto the image sensor 22, and a distance image of the distance measuring region is created based on this ToF.

2. Optical component and light emitting unit Next, the optical component 10 and the light emitting unit 30 will be described. FIG. 2 is a schematic view showing the configuration of optical components and the arrangement of light emitting portions. FIG. 3 is a perspective view of the optical component and the light emitting portion, and FIG. 4 is a schematic view thereof in a plan view. Further, FIG. 5 is a schematic view showing a configuration of a distance image creating device according to the present embodiment.

In FIG. 2, 1 is a second reflecting surface, 2 is a first translucent surface, 3 is a first reflecting surface, and 4 is a second translucent surface. The second reflecting surface 1 and the first reflecting surface 3 are composed of a mirror (reflecting mirror). Reference numeral 21 denotes a lens for projecting an image in the ranging region on the image sensor 22 by the reflected light L _2. The light emitting unit 30 is configured by arranging at least one or more light sources 32 outside the optical component 10.

The optical component 10 includes a second reflecting surface 1 at the center of the lower surface, a first translucent surface 2 at the peripheral edge of the lower surface, a first reflecting surface 3 at the peripheral edge of the upper surface, and a second translucent surface 4 at the center of the upper surface. It is a rotating body made of transparent material. The transparent material indicates that the material contains any of solid, liquid, and gas inside.

The second reflecting surface 1 has a circular shape centered on the center of the optical component, and its inner surface is formed of a mirror. The first light transmitting surface 2 is formed in an annular shape on the radial outer side of the second reflecting surface 1 to form a light incident surface. The first reflecting surface 3 is formed in an annular shape so as to substantially face the light incident surface, and its inner surface is composed of a mirror. Further, the second light transmitting surface 4 is formed in a circular shape centered on the center of the optical component, and forms a light emitting surface.

Then, the first reflecting surface 3 passes the incident light from the first translucent surface 2 through the rotating body and collects it on the second reflecting surface 1, and the second reflecting surface 1 is from the first reflecting surface 3. Each of the mirrors is composed of an appropriate curved surface or a flat surface so as to form a mirror that allows the reflected light to pass through the rotating body and collect the reflected light on the second translucent surface 4.

_{As a result, the reflected light L 2} that has passed through the first translucent surface 2 from a substantially horizontal direction and is incident on the optical component 10 is emitted from the second transmissive surface 4 toward the lens 21. The "substantially horizontal direction" here includes a certain angle in the vertical direction shown by "View Field" in FIG. 2, and the range of the angle of the View Field is the range of the desired ranging region. It is appropriately determined according to the height and the width in the vertical direction.

The light emitting portion 30 is preferably installed on the outer side in the radial direction of the optical component 10 along the outer surface of the first reflecting surface 3. Then, as shown in FIGS. 3 and 4, it is determined that the light source 32 arranged in a ring shape covers the radial outer 360 ° omnidirectional or target range and covers the ranging area in the vertical direction. an angle, which is preferably configured to emit emission light L _1. As the light source 32, a light source having a narrow width and emitting unidirectional light is used, and specific light sources include a narrow-angle LED and a laser light source. Further, the installation location of the light emitting unit 30 is not limited to this, and it may be installed outside the optical component 10, or it may be installed at a predetermined position not along the first reflecting surface 3, and the light source 32 is arranged in an annular shape. It does not have to be.

The light receiving unit 20 is arranged on the optical axis of the _{reflected light L 2} emitted from the second light transmitting surface via the optical component 10. The light receiving unit 20 is _{arranged on a plane perpendicular to the optical axis of the reflected light L 2} and includes an image sensor 22 having a plurality of image pickup elements, and the reflected light L ₂ emitted from the optical component 10 is , An image of an object is formed on the image sensor 22 through the lens 21.

3. 3. Distance image creating apparatus distance image, as described above, the measured by the reflected light L ₂ projected onto the image sensor 22 optical information (e.g., ToF) is generated based on. Specifically, as shown in FIG. 5, when the light transmitted through the lens 21 is projected onto the image sensor 22 (ToF image sensor) of the light receiving unit 20, the timing generation circuit and time provided in the ToF image sensor are provided. ToF is measured by the measuring circuit.

That is, in the light receiving unit 20, ToF is measured in picoseconds by interlocking the timing generation circuit and the time measurement circuit for each pixel of the projected image, and the distance is measured based on the measurement result. The distance image P of the area is created. It is preferable to use COMS, CCD (Charge Coupled Device), APD (Avalanche Photodiode) or the like for the image sensor 22.

4. Preferred Embodiments In the present embodiment, the following embodiments are more preferable.

(1) Optical component The optical component 10 travels straight without changing the direction except when the incident light is reflected by the first reflecting surface and the second reflecting surface, and the first transmissive light is transmitted from the side of the entire 360 ° circumference. The light incident on the surface 2 emits light from the second translucent surface 4 in an annular shape centered on the optical axis at the center of the optical component 10, or the optical axis at the center of the optical component 10 is formed on the second reflecting surface 1. It is preferable that the light beam, which is an annular shape having a center and is incident substantially parallel to the optical axis, is designed to be emitted from the first translucent surface 2 toward the side of the entire circumference of 360 °.

Specifically, the optical component is designed as follows.

That is, the first translucent surface 2 is formed by a curved surface having a specific curvature at a specific angle and a specific refractive index, and the first reflecting surface 3 is a concave curved surface or a flat surface having a specific curvature and is specific. It is designed to be formed at an angle, and further, the second reflecting surface 1 is a convex curved surface or a plane having a specific curvature, and is formed at a specific angle, and these curvatures and angles are adjusted to satisfy the above conditions. To.

If it is not designed as described above, the light incident from the first translucent surface 2 does not proceed to the first reflecting surface 3, or the light incident from the first translucent surface 2 reaches the first reflecting surface 3. However, the light reflected by the second reflecting surface 1 does not travel substantially parallel to the optical axis at the center of the optical component and does not reach the light receiving unit 20.

Since the light incident from the first translucent surface 2 is incident from various angles, all the incident light satisfies the above conditions and travels substantially parallel to the optical axis at the center of the optical component 10. It does not always reach the light receiving unit 20.

For example, a part of the light incident from the first translucent surface 2 does not advance to the first reflecting surface 3 but is directly emitted from the second translucent surface 4 and is not the optical axis at the center of the optical component 10. It may travel in parallel directions. Further, due to scattering by the material of the optical component 10, the optical component 10 may not travel linearly or geometrically.

As described above, not all the light incident from the first translucent surface 2 can be received by the light receiving unit 20, but it is necessary that the image sensor 22 of the light receiving unit 20 reaches an amount of light that can be measured by the TOF. Therefore, it is preferable to design the optical component 10 in consideration of the purity of the material and the usage environment.

In order to ensure that only the light required for creating the distance image by the image sensor 22 of the light receiving unit 20 is emitted from the second translucent surface 4 substantially parallel to the optical axis at the center of the optical component 10 in this way. It is preferable to suppress light that obstructs the path of light traveling in an appropriate direction, that is, stray light.

As such a method, it is preferable to provide the light absorbing member shown in FIG. 60 in the vicinity of the second translucent surface 4 of the optical component 10.

Here, the optical path of the light receiving component 10 and the above-mentioned light absorbing member will be described.

FIG. 6 shows the optical component 10 provided with the light absorbing member 50 in the optical component 10 of FIG. 2, and also shows the optical path of the optical component 10. In FIG. 6, 50 is a light absorbing member, and p is one incident point of reflected light on the first translucent surface 2. Assuming one incident point p on the first translucent surface 2, reflected light is incident on the incident point p at various incident angles, for example, reflected light a to d. The behavior of the reflected light after incident differs depending on the incident angle.

In the optical component 10, mainly the curvature, angle and refractive index of the curved surface of the first translucent surface 2, the curvature and angle of the concave curved surface of the first reflecting surface 3, and the curvature and angle of the convex curved surface of the second reflecting surface 1. By adjusting the size of the distance between the second translucent surface 4 and the lens 21, the incident angle is reflected only by a specific light, that is, by the second reflecting surface 1, and then the light is optical from the second translucent surface 4. Only the light emitted substantially parallel to the optical axis of the component 10 reaches the lens 21 portion. That is, in FIG. 6, only the reflected light a reaches the light receiving portion and the others do not. The reflected light reflected at one point of the object is incident on various positions on the first translucent surface 2, but the incident angle differs depending on the position. Then, the light incident at a specific incident angle is emitted from the second translucent surface 4 substantially parallel to the optical axis of the optical component 10 and reaches the light receiving unit 20.

As described above, only the light incident at a specific incident angle is emitted from the second translucent surface 4 substantially parallel to the optical axis of the optical component 10 and reaches the light receiving unit 20, thereby improving the accuracy of creating a distance image. Can be improved.

That is, only the light incident on the first translucent surface 2 at a specific incident angle, that is, the light in the View Field reaches the light receiving unit 20, specifically, the annular image forming portion of the light receiving unit 20. The feature is that the light incident on the first translucent surface 2 at other incident angles can be prevented from reaching the inside of the annular image forming portion of the light receiving unit 20.

As described above, the feature that the light incident on the first translucent surface 2 at an incident angle other than the specific incident angle can be prevented from reaching the annular image forming portion of the light receiving unit 20 is a distance image. It has a great effect on improving the creation accuracy of.

For example, when a distance measuring device using a fish-eye lens as in the invention described in Patent Document 1 is used outdoors, sunlight containing a wavelength similar to the wavelength of the light projected by the light projecting means is collected by the fish-eye lens. It is illuminated and incident on the light receiving part. At this time, the sunlight interferes with the detection of the light reflected by the object in the light receiving portion. Even if a part of the surface of the fisheye lens is masked as a countermeasure against the disturbed light, the effect of blocking the disturbed light is low.

However, in the case of the optical component 10 of the present invention, only the light incident on the first translucent surface 2 at a specific incident angle reaches the annular image forming portion of the light receiving portion 20, and the light enters at an incident angle other than the specific incident angle. Since the light incident on the translucent surface 2 can be prevented from reaching the annular image forming portion of the light receiving unit 20, harmful light such as sunlight is directed to the annular image forming portion of the light receiving unit 20. It is possible to suppress the phenomenon of reaching and hindering the creation of a distance image.

Of the light that does not enter the first translucent surface 2 at a specific incident angle, some of the light passes through a plurality of reflections and then is emitted from the second transmissive surface 4 substantially parallel to the optical axis. It is assumed that it may reach the light receiving unit 20.

However, in the case of the optical component 10 of the present invention, such light is not received in the annular image forming portion of the light receiving portion 20, but travels outside the annular image forming portion, which affects the creation accuracy of the distance image. There is no such thing.

Further, depending on the size of the second reflecting surface 1 and the second translucent surface 4 of the optical component 10, the first translucent surface 2 near the edge of the second reflecting surface 1 may not be reflected even once. Light that is incident on the second translucent surface 4 substantially in parallel is assumed, but such light is not received inside the annular image forming portion of the light receiving portion 20, and travels outside the annular image forming portion. It does not affect the image creation accuracy.

As described above, in the optical component 10 of the present invention, only the light necessary for forming the annular image incident on the first translucent surface 2 at a specific incident angle reaches the annular image forming portion of the light receiving unit 20, and the light receiving unit 20 Even if there is other light that reaches 20, the light is not received inside the annular image forming portion of the light receiving portion 20, and the light travels outside the annular image forming portion. Therefore, the measurement is performed on the annular image forming portion for measuring the distance. Interfering light does not reach, and distance images can be created accurately.

Next, in the case of FIG. 6, in addition to the above optical path design, a tubular shape having the optical axis of the optical component 10 as the center between the second translucent surface 4 of the optical component 10 and the lens 21, for example, the inner surface parallel to the optical axis. The light absorbing member 50 of the above is installed. That is, there are reflected lights such as reflected lights b and d that are emitted from the second translucent surface 4 in a direction substantially parallel to the optical axis, and these may reach the lens 21 as stray light. In this case, an accurate image may not be formed. Therefore, by installing the light absorbing member 50, the stray light is removed before it reaches the lens, or the amount of light is reduced, so that a more reliable and accurate image is formed.

The material constituting the light absorbing member 50 is not particularly limited, and may be any material that absorbs stray light or reduces the amount of light. Specific examples thereof include a black material having extremely small reflection, and for example, an object coated with a paint containing a black pigment on the surface is applied. In addition, the stray light can be removed more effectively by making the surface rough. Further, the shape may be appropriately designed according to the optical component, and may have a surface parallel to the optical axis of the optical component, or may have some irregularities.

Next, in the optical component 10, the optical path of the light incident on the optical component 10 in the optical component 10 changes from the first translucent surface to the second transmissive surface, or from the second transmissive surface to the first transmissive surface. It is preferable that the optical path is designed to be formed by reflection including at least one concave reflection when bending the optical path, and is configured to have a negative work distance.

As described above, since the work distance is configured to be negative, it is possible to take an image of an object without causing out-of-focus.

Further, in the optical component 10, the optical path of the light incident on the optical component 10 is reflected including one concave reflection and one convex reflection, and refraction at a refractive index of 1.90 or less. It is preferable that the optical component is designed to be formed by the above-mentioned optical component so that the distortion in the vertical direction is eliminated in the omnidirectional field of view.

When a distance image of an omnidirectional field of view is acquired using a general wide-angle lens such as a fisheye lens or an ultra-wide-angle lens, an optical path design is made in which the omnidirectional field of view is acquired only by refraction in the lens. However, such a wide-angle lens has a high refractive index, and vertical distortion occurs in the optical omnidirectional field of view. That is, when the beam spot, which should be originally circular, passes through the wide-angle lens, a phenomenon of being distorted into a triangle occurs.

On the other hand, in the case of the optical component 10 of the present embodiment, unlike the wide-angle lens that acquires an omnidirectional field of view only by refraction of the lens, the optical path of the light incident on the optical component 10 in the optical component 10 is the first transparency. When bending the optical path from the light surface 2 to the second light-transmitting surface 4 or from the second light-transmitting surface 4 to the first light-transmitting surface 2, a reflection including one concave reflection and one convex reflection, and 1 Designed to be formed by refraction at a refraction of .90 or less, vertical distortion in the optics is eliminated in the omnidirectional field of view.

Further, the range of the angle of the View Field is appropriately determined according to the height of the desired range-finding region and the width in the vertical direction as described above, but in the case of an omnidirectional rider for vehicle use, for example, from the horizontal direction. It is preferable that the lower field of view is larger than the upper field of view. Specifically, the vertical field of view (angle of view) is −47 ° to + 5 ° with respect to the horizontal direction, that is, the inclination angle (depression angle) θ1 downward from the horizontal direction is 47 °, and the inclination is upward from the horizontal direction. It is preferable that the angle (elevation angle) θ2 is set to 5 °.

At this time, in the annular image obtained from the optical component 10, the image on the depression angle side is projected on the inside in the radial direction of the image sensor 22, and the image on the elevation angle side is projected on the outside in the radial direction. Since the number of pixels of 22 is larger in the radial direction of the annulus and less in the inner direction in proportion to the circumference of the image sensor 22, the resolution (angle resolution) in the horizontal field of view increases, and the image sensor 22 has a distant field of view. As the result increases, the angular resolution increases.

By configuring the creating device of the present embodiment as described above, it is possible to reduce the size and weight to a size that can be mounted on a vehicle.

That is, since the distance image obtained from the rider so far is created by superimposing a large number of two-dimensional images and adding depth to the two-dimensional image, the amount of information in creating the distance image is enormous. Become. Therefore, when trying to process with a PC (personal computer), the load and memory associated with the arithmetic processing become large, and an expensive PC must be used. Then, in such a state, if an attempt is made to apply the angular resolution required for obtaining distant information to all the visual field areas, the load and memory will be further increased, and more expensive and large power consumption arithmetic processing will be performed. A device is required, which exceeds the size that can be mounted on a vehicle.

However, in the above case, it is possible to easily create a distance image from a near distance to a long distance with sufficient resolution even using an inexpensive PC without requiring a large load or memory. Therefore, it is possible to provide a production device having a size that can be sufficiently mounted on a vehicle without causing an increase in size and power of the production device.

(2) Light emitting unit (a) Light source As the light source 32, as described above, a narrow-angle LED or a laser light source capable of emitting light having a narrow width and excellent unidirectionality is preferably used.

As the laser light source, a VCSEL that consumes a small amount of current, is easy to be densely packed, and is capable of high-speed modulation even with a low electric charge is preferable, and an infrared laser is more preferable. Of these, an eye-safe laser, which is highly safe for the eyes, is particularly preferable.

(B) the outgoing light L ₁ emitted from the light spots forming the light source 32 is preferably the exit from at least one light spot. Specifically, in the case of the LED light source is fitted with a diffusion lens for dispersing the emitted light L ₁ emitted from the light source to the light spot shape, and emitted from the plurality of light spots.

Then, in the case of a laser light source, it is preferable to attach a diffusion lens or a hologram lens so that the laser light is emitted from at least one or more light spots. By generating a plurality of light spots matching each pixel of the image sensor 22 in this way, interference of the emitted light emitted from the adjacent light source with the reflected light is reduced, so that a more accurate distance image is obtained. Can be created. In addition, the light that reaches farther can be measured at a plurality of points at once.

(C) Equal-minute blinking of light sources In addition, when there are multiple light sources, the plurality of light sources are thinned out at equal intervals so that adjacent light sources do not emit light at the same time, for example, they are blinked alternately. It is also preferable to combine the distance images created in the above to create one distance image. Specifically, as shown in FIG. 4, a plurality of light sources 32 arranged in an annular shape are alternately divided into A group and B group, and the light source 32 of group A and the light source 32 of group B are alternately blinked. , An image is taken for each lighting, and the captured distance image is combined into one distance image. By such intermittent blinking, it is possible to suppress a temperature rise of the light emitting portion due to heat generation of the light source, and it is possible to prevent the occurrence of interference between adjacent light sources.

(D) Hybridization of light source When an LED is used as a light source, it is possible to irradiate a wide range at once with a small number, but the distance that the light reaches is short. On the other hand, when a laser such as a VCSEL is used, the light reaches a long distance, but it is necessary to provide a large number of lasers in order to irradiate a wide range.

Therefore, it is preferable to use a production device provided with a light source in which an LED and a laser are hybridized. When a creating device equipped with such a hybridized light source is mounted on a vehicle (moving body), for example, it is possible to obtain information on the reflected light in the vicinity by irradiating a laser for a short-distance region in the immediate vicinity. On the other hand, for a distant region, information on the reflected light at a long distance can be secured by laser irradiation, so that an image from a near distance to a long distance can be created with a sufficient amount of information. It is possible to obtain high accuracy that could not be handled by the production device of.

(3) Light-receiving unit In the light-receiving unit 20, only a region designation mechanism for designating a desired region and a distance image corresponding to the designated region among the acquired distance images are provided with 50 to 250 of the area of the image. It is preferable to provide a distance image forming area designation mechanism for forming a desired area on the image sensor of the light receiving portion in the range of%.

In this way, by designating a desired region and forming only a distance image corresponding to the designated region in a desired area, more detailed distance information of the desired region can be obtained.

[2] Distance image creating device according to the second embodiment The creating device according to the present embodiment, contrary to the creating device according to the first embodiment, passes through an optical component from a light emitting unit. After being emitted from the entire circumference of 360 ° toward the side, the light reflected in the distance measuring region is received by a light receiving unit arranged outside the optical component.

1. 1. Basic configuration of the creating device FIG. 7 is a conceptual diagram of the creating device of the present embodiment. As shown in FIG. 7, in the present embodiment, the optical component 10 is placed in front of the light emitting unit 30. It is arranged so as to irradiate the distance measuring region with the light emitted from the light emitting unit 30 from the entire circumference of 360 °.

That is, the outgoing light L ₁ emitted from the light emitting unit 30, by way of the optical component 10, and is emitted toward the full 360 ° -direction or target range in the horizontal direction. _{Then, the reflected light L 2} from which the emitted light L ₁ is reflected in the distance measuring region is sent to the light receiving unit 20 through the lens 21. _{The reflected light L 2} sent to the light receiving unit 20 is projected onto the image sensor 22, and is based on the information of _{the reflected light L 2} such as ToF captured by the image sensor 22 as in the first embodiment. , A distance image of the ranging area is created.

2. Optical component, light emitting unit and light receiving unit Next, the optical component 10, the light emitting unit 30 and the light receiving unit 20 will be described. 8 and 9 are schematic views showing the configuration of the creating apparatus of this embodiment. Further, FIG. 10 is a schematic view of the light emitting portion in a plan view, and FIG. 11 is a schematic view of the light receiving portion in a plan view.

As shown in FIG. 8, also in the present embodiment, the optical component 10 includes the second reflecting surface 1 at the center of the lower surface, the first translucent surface 2 at the lower peripheral edge portion, and the first reflecting surface 3 at the upper surface peripheral portion. And, it is a rotating body made of a transparent material including the second translucent surface 4 at the center of the upper surface.

However, in this embodiment, above the second transparent surface 4 of the optical component 10, the light emitting unit 30 is provided, the outgoing light L ₁ emitted from the light source 32 is substantially parallel to the optical axis It is incident on the optical component 10 from the second translucent surface 4. Outgoing light L ₁ incident on the optical component 10 is reflected by the second mirror reflective surface 1, further reflected by 360 ° in the horizontal direction through the first transmission surface 2 by a mirror of the first reflecting surface 3 It is emitted to the emission region in all directions or the target range, and is irradiated toward the ranging region.

An annular light receiving portion 20 is installed along the outer surface of the first reflecting surface 3 on the radial outer side of the optical component 10. _{The reflected light L 2} reflected by the emitted light L ₁ in the ranging region passes through the lens 21 and is received by the light receiving unit 20, and an image in the ranging region is projected on the image sensor 22. The light receiving unit 20 creates a distance image of the distance measuring region based on the information of _{the reflected light L 2} projected on the image sensor 22.

In the present embodiment, as shown in FIG. 10, an annular light emitting unit 30 in which at least one or more light sources 32 are arranged in a circle having an outer diameter substantially equal to the diameter of the second reflecting surface 1 is used. _{In this way, when the emitted light L 1} emitted from the annular light source is emitted in the omnidirectional direction of 360 ° via the optical component 10, the emitted light L with a more uniform illuminance toward the entire ranging region. ₁ can be irradiated. As the light source 32, a narrow-angle LED, a laser light source, or the like is used as in the first embodiment.

When a laser beam is used as a light source, as a means for generating an annular emitted light, a method of emitting the light in an annular shape to instantaneously circulate the light, or scanning the light emitting surface in an annular shape with the emitted laser light. A method of forming an annular light by drawing an annular light can be mentioned. In the conventional scanning rider, the laser beam is rotated toward the circumference of 360 °, but in the present embodiment, by emitting the laser beam through the optical component, only the annular light is drawn on the second reflecting surface. Laser light can be emitted toward the surroundings. As a result, scanning required for drawing can be performed at high speed, and 360 ° omnidirectional images can be quickly acquired.

Specifically, in the case of the method of instantaneously circularizing, one laser light source is used, and the emitted light is formed into a plurality of light spots matching the pixels in the light receiving portion by the diffusion lens or the hologram lens. Try to be distributed. Instead of this, a plurality of laser light sources may be arranged so as to match the pixels in the light receiving unit. While this method can irradiate the entire surface in a short time, the scattered light of the laser is mutually reflected between the measurement targets to become indirect light, which may lead to a decrease in measurement accuracy.

In the case of the method of circularizing the emitted light by drawing, the emitted light is scanned (scanned) at high speed using one or more laser light sources to control the optical axis of the laser, and then the laser projector is operated. It is used to disperse the emitted light into a plurality of light spots. It is preferable that the plurality of light spots emitted at this time coincide with the pixels in the light receiving unit. In this method, although it takes time to irradiate the whole body, the above-mentioned indirect light is not generated and the measurement accuracy is not deteriorated.

The scanning means is not particularly limited as long as it can control the optical axis of the laser at high speed, but it is performed by using a MEMS mirror, a liquid lens, an optical phased array, a slow light beam sweep element, or the like. Is preferable.

As a method of drawing in a ring shape with a laser projector, vector scan, which can draw in a short time but has a high load and easily generates heat, and vector scan, which has a long drawing time but a low load (irradiation is stopped at a place where drawing is unnecessary), generates heat. From the difficult raster scan, it can be appropriately selected and used.

Further, when a camera in which a plurality of CMOSs and APDs are arranged in a ring shape as a light receiving element as shown in FIG. 11 is used as an image sensor of the light receiving unit, as an image acquisition means, a rolling shutter and a global shutter are used. It can be appropriately selected and used. When the above-mentioned raster scan is used for circularizing the emitted light, it is preferable to use a rolling shutter in consideration of the influence of indirect light.

3. 3. Preferred Embodiment (1) Optical component Also in the present embodiment, similarly to the first embodiment, the second reflecting surface 1 has an annular shape centered on the optical axis at the center of the optical component 10, and the optical axis is substantially the same. It is preferable that the light flux incident in parallel is designed so as to be emitted from the first translucent surface 2 toward the side of the entire circumference of 360 °.

That is, the first translucent surface 2 is formed by a curved surface having a specific curvature at a specific angle and a specific refractive index, and the first reflecting surface 3 is a concave curved surface or a flat surface having a specific curvature and is specific. It is designed to be formed at an angle, and further, the second reflecting surface 1 is a convex curved surface or a plane having a specific curvature, and is formed at a specific angle, and these curvatures and angles are adjusted to satisfy the above conditions. To.

If it is not designed as described above, the light incident on the second reflecting surface 1 substantially parallel to the optical axis does not proceed to the first reflecting surface 3, or is substantially parallel to the second reflecting surface 1 on the optical axis. The incident light travels to the first reflecting surface 3, but the light reflected by the first reflecting surface 3 may not be emitted from the first translucent surface 2 toward the entire 360 ° side.

Here, the optical path of the light receiving unit 10 will be described.

In the optical component 10, the curvature, angle, and refractive index of the curved surface of the first translucent surface 2 are mainly determined, the curvature and angle of the concave curved surface of the first reflecting surface 3, and the curvature and angle of the convex curved surface of the second reflecting surface 1. By adjusting, when the emitted light emitted from the light emitting unit 30 enters the second reflecting surface 1 substantially parallel to the optical axis, it is reflected by the second reflecting surface 1 at a specific angle, and the first reflecting surface 3 Reach at a specific angle.

The emitted light incident on the first reflecting surface 3 at a specific angle is reflected by the first reflecting surface 3 at a specific angle, reaches the first transmitting surface 2, is refracted by the first transmitting surface 2, and is an optical component. The outside of 10 is irradiated at a specific angle to the lateral ranging area around 360 °.

Then, at various positions on the second reflecting surface 1 where the emitted light emitted from the light emitting unit 30 is incident substantially parallel to the optical axis, the position where the first translucent surface 2 irradiates the outside of the optical component 10 and the position The emission angle is different. As a result, one light spot of the emitted light emitted from the light emitting unit 30 is not scattered in the optical component 10, but is irradiated to the side of the entire 360 ° of the optical component 10 as one light spot. When the light receiving unit 20 receives the reflected light from the object, the harmful light that becomes an interfering element can be suppressed.
That is, it is possible to suppress a phenomenon that hinders the creation of a distance image.

Further, as in the first embodiment, it is also preferable to use the optical component 10 configured so that the work distance is negative. By using such an optical component 10, for example, when the light source is a laser beam, the light emitted from the optical component 10 becomes a beam spot when the distance from the optical component 10 increases in the distance that the laser beam reaches. Although the diameter is large, the shape of the beam spot is maintained without blurring, so that the light receiving unit 20 can take an image of an object at any distance without causing out-of-focus. There is no error as a rider due to out of focus.

Further, as in the first embodiment, it is also preferable to use an optical component in which the distortion in the vertical direction in the omnidirectional field of view is eliminated.

(2) Light emitting unit Further, in the light emitting unit, as in the first embodiment, the light emitting unit 30 may be provided with a means for forming a plurality of light spots and a means for blinking the light source for equal minutes. preferable.

The light emitted from the light emitting unit 30 and the optical component 10 are optically aligned with the light emitting unit 30 so that the light emitted from the light emitting unit 30 enters the second reflecting surface 1 substantially parallel to the optical axis via the second translucent surface 4. Light emission angle adjusting means may be provided between the parts 10. Specifically, it is a convex lens or a concave lens.

[3] Distance Image Creating Device According to the Third Embodiment The creating device according to the third embodiment is a first embodiment and a second embodiment in which an optical component is used for either input or output of light. It is a production device that uses optical components for both light input and output, unlike the form of.

1. 1. Configuration of the Creation Device FIG. 12 is a schematic view showing the configuration of the creation device of the present embodiment, and FIG. 13 is a schematic view of the light emitting portion in a plan view. In FIG. 12, 40 is provided as an optical separation mechanism configured to separate the _{emitted light L 1} and the reflected light L ₂ having a common optical axis between the optical component 10 and the light receiving unit 20. It is a beam splitter.

As shown in FIG. 12, also in the present embodiment, the optical component 10 also includes the second reflecting surface 1 at the center of the lower surface, the first translucent surface 2 at the lower peripheral edge portion, and the first reflecting surface 3 at the upper surface peripheral portion. And, it is a rotating body made of a transparent material including the second translucent surface 4 at the center of the upper surface.

However, in the present embodiment, the optical component 10 emits light incident on the first translucent surface 2 from all directions from the second translucent surface 4 toward the light receiving portion 20 along the optical axis in the same direction. Light incident on the second translucent surface 4 with an optical axis in the same direction is emitted from the first transmissive surface 2 in the horizontal direction at 360 ° in all directions or toward a ranging region in a target range.

Specifically, the second translucent surface 4 is set as _{the incident surface of the emitted light L 1} and the emitted surface of the reflected light L ₂ , and the incident angle and the emitted angle are the same (90 ° in FIG. 12). Further, a beam splitter 40 is installed on the optical axes of the incident light and the emitted light so as to be inclined at a predetermined angle (45 ° in FIG. 12) with respect to the optical axis. The light emitting unit 30 is arranged on the side of the optical axis, is emitted light emitted L ₁ at an angle of 45 ° to the beam splitter 40, it is reflected toward the second transmission surface 4. Thus, it can be incident on the optical component 10 in a substantially parallel angles emitted light L ₁ to the optical axis. Then, the emitted light L ₁ incident on the optical component 10 is then emitted to the View Field provided in the horizontal direction 360 ° in all directions.

On the other hand, the light receiving unit 20 is arranged above the beam splitter 40 on the optical axis and receives light transmitted through the beam splitter 40. _{As a result, the reflected light L 2} from all directions of 360 ° in the horizontal direction that has passed through the beam splitter 40 is received by the light receiving unit 20, an image of the entire distance measuring region is projected on the image sensor of the light receiving unit 20, and the reflected light L A distance image of the ranging area is created based on the information of _2.

Further, in the present embodiment, since the optical component 10 is also used for emitting light, annular light is used as shown in FIG. 13, and a plurality of light sources 32 are arranged in a circle to emit light.

2. Preferred Embodiment (1) Optical component Also in the present embodiment, as in the first embodiment and the second embodiment, when the light reflected from the object is received by the light receiving unit 20, it becomes an interfering element. It is preferable that the design is such that harmful light is suppressed and a distance image can be created accurately. Further, also in the present embodiment, as in the first embodiment and the second embodiment, it is possible to take an image of an object at any distance without causing an out-of-focus. It is possible, and it is preferable that it is designed so that an error as a rider due to out-of-focus does not occur. Further, as in the first embodiment and the second embodiment, it is also preferable to use an optical component in which the distortion in the vertical direction in the omnidirectional field of view is eliminated.

(2) Light emitting unit Also, in the light emitting unit, as in the first embodiment and the second embodiment, the means and the light source for forming a plurality of light spots in the light emitting unit 30 are drawn for equal minutes. It is preferable to provide a means for blinking.

[4] First Translucent Section and Second Transmissive Section In the above embodiment, the first transmissive surface 2 and the second transmissive surface 4 are one surface of an optical component 10 formed of a transparent material. However, since the role of the translucent surface is to transmit light, it may not necessarily be one surface of the optical component 10 but may be a space portion. In particular, since the second translucent surface is located inside the device, there is no problem even in a space portion, and further weight reduction can be achieved. Even if the second translucent surface 4 is formed in the space portion in this way, the optical path is not different from the above-described embodiment.

[5] Application to drones In the above, the rider related to the autonomous driving technology of robot equipment and vehicles has been mainly described, but the distance image creating device of the present invention has a dramatically remarkable effect when applied to a drone. Was found to have.
This point will be described below.

In the conventional scanning rider, at the same time as the scan rotation, a reaction torque is generated in the device to rotate in the reverse direction, and the position and attitude of the drone fluctuate. However, since the flying object does not have a support for canceling the reaction torque, it is necessary to design the anti-torque by another mechanism. Further, in the conventional scanning rider, the rotation of the scan rotation causes a gyro effect to maintain the posture. For this reason, if the scanning speed is increased, the gyro effect becomes larger, which hinders the speedy change of posture and hinders the operation of the drone. Furthermore, since the conventional rider has a complicated structure such as a rotation mechanism, it is heavy and puts a heavy load on flight and energy consumption.

On the other hand, in the present embodiment, the light emitting unit 30 emits light in all directions of 360 °, and the optical component 10 receives the reflected light from all directions, so that the light is directed in all directions of 360 °. Images in all directions can be acquired without scanning with rotation. Therefore, it is not necessary to rotate the illumination unit and the light receiving unit 20, no reaction torque or gyro effect due to the scan rotation is generated, and there is no burden on flight or large energy consumption.

Further, since it has a simple structure and does not have a moving part, it is hard to break down, it can be made smaller and lighter, and it becomes an inexpensive device, and it becomes possible to provide an extremely preferable distance image creating device for mounting on a drone.

Further, by using the optical component 10 instead of the fisheye lens or the ultra-wide-angle lens for condensing the reflected light L2, it is possible to create a more accurate distance image in which distortion is suppressed.

Therefore, the distance image creating device of the present embodiment can dramatically exert a remarkable effect when applied to a drone.

[6] Effect of the present embodiment In any of the first to third embodiments, an optical component formed so that light can enter and exit is appropriately arranged on the side of the entire 360 ° circumference. As a result, it is possible to create a distance image in all directions with high accuracy over the entire distance measurement area.

The distance image creating device according to these embodiments is the same as the conventional flash rider in that the entire distance measuring region is irradiated with light to create a distance image based on the reflected light information. Therefore, it can be preferably used in indoor robotics applications where the measurement range is narrow, and can be used in the same way as a conventional scanning rider in outdoor autonomous driving applications.

In addition, since it is the same as a conventional flashrider, the advantages of the flashrider, that is, the advantages of no spindle, simple structure, small size, light weight, and low cost, are fully exhibited.

Hereinafter, the present invention will be described in more detail based on Examples.

In this embodiment, the conventional creation in which the distance image creation device is arranged in the vertical direction with respect to the ground to suppress the decrease in image resolution in the horizontal upward field of view when the reflected light is focused. It was verified that the improvement of functions that could not be achieved by the device can be achieved.

In this embodiment, as the distance image creating device, a distance image creating device (FIG. 2) including an optical component arranged so that the second reflecting surface is located on the ground side is used. At this time, as an optical component, the radial dimension of the annular image is 1/3 (in terms of the diameter in the vertical direction, the upper 1/3 and the lower 1/3 are images in a place where the central 1/3 is not reflected). An optical component having a maximum depression angle of 47 ° (about 45 °) was prepared. Further, an image sensor having 480 × 480 dots of pixels was used as the image sensor, and the circular images were matched (inscribed circles) (see FIG. 14). Note that FIG. 14 is a diagram illustrating the formation of an image in this embodiment.

In the case of the above configuration, the inner peripheral dimension, that is, the horizontal (horizontal) angular resolution of the depression angle of about 45 ° (≈ depression angle of 47 °) is 0. It becomes 72 ° / dot. Further, since the number of pixels is about 1000 dots in the horizontal (horizontal) angular resolution of the downward depression angle of 21 °, which is equivalent to the vertical half of the circular image, when 360 ° is divided by this, (360 ° / 1000 dots) = 0. It becomes 36 ° / dot. On the other hand, the outer peripheral dimension, that is, the horizontal (horizontal) angular resolution in the substantially horizontal direction (depression angle ≈5 °) has a number of pixels of about 1500 dots, so when 360 ° is divided by this, (360 ° / 1500 dots). = 0.24 ° / dot. From this result, it can be seen that the angular resolution improves as the field of view shifts from the downward field of view to the horizontal field of view.

Next, the resolution when the creating device was installed at a height of 1.5 m was investigated. First, when the depression angle is 45 °, the linear distance from the creation device to the measurement target on the ground is 1.5 m ÷ cos (90 ° -45 °) = 2.1 m, and the resolution with respect to the ground is 2.1 m. × tan (0.76 ° / 2) × 2 = 26.6 mm / dot. At a depression angle of 21 °, the linear distance from the creation device to the measurement target is 1.5 m ÷ cos (90 ° -21 °) = 7.9 m, and the angular resolution is 0.72 ° / dot, which is the same as the depression angle of 45 °. Assuming that, the resolution with respect to the ground is 7.9 m × tan (0.79 ° / 2) × 2 = 104.4 mm / dot, which is significantly worse than the depression angle of 45 °.

On the other hand, in this embodiment, the angular resolution at a depression angle of 21 ° is as high as 0.36 ° / dot as described above. Therefore, the resolution is 7.9 m × tan (0.36 ° / 2) × 2 = 49.5 mm / dot, and it can be seen that the decrease in resolution is suppressed.

In the first to third embodiments described above, as shown in each figure, a distance image creating device is installed so that the second reflecting surface of the optical component is located downward. However, the installation is not limited to such an orientation, and the installation can be appropriately performed in an appropriate orientation according to the intended use and the distance measuring area.

Further, when the distance measuring area is wider than the width in the vertical direction of the View Field or when a blind spot is generated due to an obstacle, it is possible to deal with these by installing a plurality of distance image creating devices.

Although the present invention has been described above based on the embodiments, the present invention is not limited to the above embodiments. Various modifications can be made to the above embodiments within the same and equivalent scope as the present invention.

1 Second reflective surface 2 First transmissive surface 3 First reflective surface 4 Second transmissive surface 10 Optical component 20 Light receiving part 21 Lens 22 Image sensor 30 Light emitting part 32 Light source 40 Beam splitter 50 Light absorbing member L ₁ Emitted light L ₂ Reflected light P Distance image θ1 Depression angle θ2 Elevation angle p Incident point

Claims (14)

It is a distance image creation device that creates a distance image by measuring the reflected light of the light that irradiates the object.
Optical components formed so that lateral light can enter from the entire circumference of 360 °,
At least one or more light emitting portions arranged outside the optical component and emitting light in all directions or toward a target range outside the optical component.
A light receiving portion that receives reflected light from the object incident on the optical component from all directions or a target range, and a light receiving portion.
It is provided with an image creation unit that measures the reflected light and creates a distance image of a distance measuring region from an omnidirectional or target range based on the information of the reflected light.
The optical component is formed rotationally symmetrically around the optical axis at the center of the optical component, and an annular first translucent surface formed so that lateral light can enter from the entire circumference of 360 ° and the first transmissive light. A first reflecting surface formed in an annular shape so as to substantially face each other and reflecting light into an optical component, and a first reflecting surface provided in a central portion of the ring of the first translucent surface. A second reflecting surface that reflects the light reflected from the reflecting surface toward the inner portion of the ring of the first reflecting surface, and a second reflecting surface located at the center of the ring of the first reflecting surface and facing the second reflecting surface. An apparatus for creating a distance image, which is an optical component including a second light transmitting surface that transmits light from the second reflecting surface. It is a distance image creation device that creates a distance image by measuring the reflected light of the light that irradiates the object.
Optical components that are formed so that light can be emitted toward the sides of the entire 360 ° circumference,
A light emitting unit that emits light toward the optical component,
At least one light receiving unit that is arranged outside the optical component and receives the light emitted from the optical component and reflected from the omnidirectional or target range.
It is provided with an image creation unit that measures the reflected light and creates a distance image of a distance measuring region from an omnidirectional or target range based on the information of the reflected light.
The optical component is formed in a rotationally symmetrical manner around the optical axis at the center of the optical component, and an annular first translucent surface formed so that light can be emitted laterally around the entire circumference of 360 °, and the first translucent surface. The first reflective surface, which is formed in an annular shape so as to substantially face each other and reflects light to the outside of the optical component, and the first one, which is provided at the center of the ring of the first translucent surface. From the second reflecting surface that reflects the light reflected to the reflecting surface toward the first reflecting surface, and from the light emitting portion that is located at the center of the ring of the first reflecting surface and faces the second reflecting surface. An apparatus for creating a distance image, which is an optical component including a second translucent surface that transmits the emitted light toward the second reflecting surface and is incident. It is a distance image creation device that creates a distance image by measuring the reflected light of the light that irradiates the object.
Optical components that are formed so that light can be emitted toward the sides of the entire 360 ° circumference,
A light emitting unit that emits light toward the optical component,
A light receiving unit that receives the light emitted from the optical component and reflected from the omnidirectional or target range.
An optical separation mechanism configured to separate emitted light and reflected light having a common optical axis between the optical component and the light receiving unit.
It is provided with an image creation unit that measures the reflected light and creates a distance image of a distance measuring region from an omnidirectional or target range based on the information of the reflected light.
The optical component is formed in a rotationally symmetric manner around the optical axis at the center of the optical component, and an annular first translucent surface formed so that light on the entire circumference of 360 ° can enter and exit, and the first transmissive surface. A first reflecting surface formed in an annular shape so as to substantially face the light surface and reflecting light into an optical component, and a first reflecting surface provided in a central portion of the ring of the first transmissive surface. A second reflecting surface that reflects the light reflected from the first reflecting surface toward the inner portion of the ring of the first reflecting surface, and a second reflecting surface located at the center of the ring of the first reflecting surface and facing the second reflecting surface. It is an optical component provided with a second light transmitting surface that transmits light from the second reflecting surface.
The light receiving unit is a distance image creating device characterized in that it is configured to receive the reflected light separated by the light separation mechanism. Of the light incident on the first translucent surface, only light having a predetermined incident angle is designed to travel through the second transmissive surface to the light receiving portion substantially parallel to the optical axis of the optical component. The device for creating a distance image according to claim 1 or 3, wherein the distance image is created. Light incident on the second light-transmitting surface from the light emitting portion substantially parallel to the optical axis of the optical component passes through the second reflection surface, the first reflection surface, and the first light-transmitting surface at 360 °. The second or third aspect of the present invention is characterized in that the light is designed to advance to the distance measuring region on the side of the periphery and the reflected light from the object in the ranging region travels to the light receiving portion. The device for creating the described distance image. Light incident on the second translucent surface from the light emitting portion substantially parallel to the optical axis of the optical component passes through the second reflecting surface, the first reflecting surface, and the first translucent surface, and is 360 °. Of the reflected light from the object in the distance measuring region, which is incident on the first translucent surface, only the light having a predetermined incident angle is the second transmissive light. The distance image creating apparatus according to claim 3, wherein the device is designed so as to travel through an optical surface to the light receiving portion substantially parallel to the optical axis of the optical component. 2. The claim, wherein the light emitting portion is configured to form an annular light centered on the optical axis at the center of the optical component on the second reflecting surface of the optical component. Item 3. The device for creating a distance image according to claim 5 or 6. The distance image according to claim 7, wherein the light emitting portion is configured to form the annular light by scanning the second reflecting surface in an annular shape using a laser beam as a light source. Creation device. The optical path of light incident on the optical component is designed to be formed by reflection including at least one concave reflection.
The device for creating a distance image according to any one of claims 1 to 8, wherein the work distance is configured to be negative. Designed so that the optical path of light incident on the optical component is formed by reflection including one concave reflection and one convex reflection, and refraction at a refractive index of 1.90 or less. Being done
The distance image creating apparatus according to any one of claims 1 to 9, wherein the distortion in the vertical direction in the optical component is eliminated in an omnidirectional field of view. The device for creating a distance image according to any one of claims 1 to 10, wherein an image sensor is used in the light receiving unit. The distance according to claim 11, wherein only an image corresponding to a desired ranging region is imaged by the image pickup device having an image pickup area of 50 to 250% of the area of the image. Image creation device. The light emitting unit is provided with a plurality of light sources, and is configured to blink and emit light by thinning out so that all of the plurality of light sources do not emit light at the same time.
The method according to any one of claims 1 to 12, wherein the image creating unit is configured to combine the distance images created in each blinking to create one distance image. Distance image creation device. The device for creating a distance image according to any one of claims 1 to 13, wherein the second translucent surface is composed of a space portion.

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