JP2021156821A - Data processing device - Google Patents

Abstract

To make it possible to flexibly change data configurations according to output destinations.SOLUTION: A signal processing unit 33 acquires measurement data including a plurality of items related to reflected light with respect to emitted light. A data configuration of a communication frame when the acquired measurement data is output is set in a setting unit 32. The signal processing unit 33 outputs the communication frame with the data configuration based on the setting of the setting unit 32.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 1

Description

The present invention relates to a data processing method for performing predetermined processing on measurement data including a plurality of items related to reflected light with respect to emitted light.

Sensors that measure the distance to an object using light such as LiDAR (Light Detection and Ranging) are known. In this type of sensor, when the laser beam emitted at one time is reflected by a plurality of objects, a plurality of signals (multiple echoes) indicating each object may be detected (also referred to as multi-echo). say).

As a technique for removing a signal that becomes noise by such multi-echo, for example, there is an invention described in Patent Document 1. Patent Document 1 describes the distance indicated by the target AF point and a plurality of measurements in the irradiation region close to the target AF point for each of the plurality of target AF points to be determined among the plurality of AF points. The lower the continuity with the distance indicated by each of the plurality of proximity measurement points that are the distance points, the higher the possibility that the target distance measurement point is a noise point is evaluated, and the possibility that the target distance measurement point is a noise point is high. It is described that noise points whose characteristics are evaluated higher than the evaluation threshold are removed.

JP-A-2019-105654

In the future, LiDAR may be connected to various systems. Therefore, LiDAR is required to output with a data structure suitable for various systems. Therefore, for example, if the corresponding data structure is specified individually at the time of development, it becomes difficult to change it later. On the other hand, if many data configurations are supported in advance, unused parts will be wasted.

Patent Document 1 reduces the amount of data from the viewpoint of deleting unnecessary data such as noise, and cannot correspond to the data configuration according to the output destination.

As an example, the problem to be solved by the present invention is that the data structure can be flexibly changed according to the output destination.

In order to solve the above problem, the invention according to claim 1 is a unit for acquiring measurement data including a plurality of items related to reflected light with respect to emitted light, and a communication data for outputting the acquired measurement data. It is characterized by including a setting unit in which a data configuration is set and an output unit that outputs the communication data with a data configuration based on the setting of the setting unit.

The invention according to claim 5 is a data processing method executed by a data processing method that performs predetermined processing on measurement data including a plurality of items relating to reflected light with respect to emitted light, and includes the plurality of items. An acquisition process for acquiring measurement data, a setting unit for setting the data configuration of communication data when outputting the acquired measurement data, and an output for outputting the communication data with the data configuration set in the setting process. It is characterized by having a part and.

The invention according to claim 6 is characterized in that the data processing method according to claim 5 is executed by a computer.

The invention according to claim 7 is characterized in that the data processing program according to claim 6 is stored.

It is a functional block diagram of the LiDAR provided with the data processing apparatus which concerns on 1st Example of this invention. It is explanatory drawing which shows the data structure of the communication frame output from the LiDAR shown in FIG. It is a flowchart of the operation of the control part shown in FIG. It is explanatory drawing of the modification example of the data structure in the data processing apparatus which concerns on the 2nd Example of this invention. It is a flowchart of the operation of the control part which concerns on 2nd Example.

Hereinafter, the data processing apparatus according to the embodiment of the present invention will be described. In the data processing device according to the embodiment of the present invention, the acquisition unit acquires measurement data including a plurality of items related to the reflected light with respect to the emitted light, and the setting unit is the communication data when the acquired measurement data is output. Data structure is set. Then, the output unit outputs the communication data with the data configuration based on the setting of the setting unit. By doing so, the data configuration of the communication data to be output can be easily changed, and the data configuration can be flexibly changed according to the request of the output destination. Therefore, it is possible to deal with a wide variety of products in small quantities at low cost.

Further, the setting unit may set the order of the items constituting the communication data. By doing so, the communication data can be configured in the order of the items according to the request of the output destination.

In addition, the setting unit may set the items to be included in the communication data among the items included in the acquired measurement data. By doing so, the communication data can be configured only with the items required by the output destination, and the amount of communication data can be reduced.

Further, the setting unit may acquire information on the data configuration from the outside, and the output unit may output communication data with a data configuration based on the acquired information on the data configuration. By doing so, the data structure can be acquired from the outside as a file or the like. Therefore, the degree of freedom in the configuration of communication data can be further increased.

Further, the data processing method according to the embodiment of the present invention is an acquisition unit that acquires measurement data including a plurality of items related to reflected light with respect to emitted light in the acquisition step, and outputs the acquired measurement data in the setting step. The data structure of the communication data is set. Then, in the output process, the communication data is output with the data configuration based on the setting of the setting unit. By doing so, the output communication data can be easily changed, and the data configuration can be flexibly changed according to the request of the output destination. Therefore, it is possible to deal with a wide variety of products in small quantities at low cost.

Further, the above-mentioned data processing method is executed by a computer. By doing so, the communication data output by using the computer can be easily changed, and the data configuration can be flexibly changed according to the request of the output destination.

Further, the above-mentioned data processing program may be stored in a computer-readable storage medium. By doing so, the program can be distributed as a single unit in addition to being incorporated in the device, and version upgrades and the like can be easily performed.

The data device according to the first embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to FIGS. 1 to 3. FIG. 1 is a schematic functional configuration diagram of the LiDAR 1 provided with the data processing device according to the present embodiment.

As shown in FIG. 1, the LiDAR 1 includes an optical unit 2 and a control unit 3.

The optical unit 2 includes a light emitting unit 21, a scanning unit 22, and a light receiving unit 23. The light emitting unit 21 includes a light emitting element such as a laser diode and optical components such as a collimating lens, a beam splitter, and a light emitting / receiving lens.

The scanning unit 22 is composed of, for example, a MEMS (Micro Electro Mechanical Systems) mirror or the like. The scanning unit 22 scans the light emitted from the light emitting unit 21 in the horizontal direction and the vertical direction toward the region where the object exists.

The light receiving unit 23 includes a light receiving element such as an avalanche photodiode (APD) that receives light scanned by the scanning unit 22 and reflected by an object or the like, an optical component, or the like. A part of the optical components included in the light emitting unit 21 may be shared.

As shown in FIG. 1, the control unit 3 includes a light emission control unit 31, a setting unit 32, and a signal processing unit 33. The control unit 3 can be configured by a microprocessor equipped with a CPU (Central Processing Unit) or the like, an FPGA (Field Programable Gate Array), an ASIC (Application Specific Integrated Circuit), or the like. Further, the control unit 3 may be composed of a plurality of chips. Then, the control unit 3 functions as a data processing device according to this embodiment as will be described later.

The light emission control unit 31 performs light emission control such as causing the light emitting element of the light emitting unit 21 to emit light as pulsed light. The setting unit 32 sets extraction conditions for a plurality of received light data acquired by the signal processing unit 33. The extraction conditions will be described later.

The signal processing unit 33 receives a signal corresponding to the intensity of the light received by the light receiving unit 23 (light receiving intensity), and calculates the distance to the object based on the signal. Then, data including the light receiving intensity and distance for one pulsed light and the corresponding scanning direction (angle) is extracted based on the extraction conditions described later and output as communication data to an external device. That is, the signal processing unit 33 functions as an output unit that extracts and outputs from a plurality of received light data based on the settings of the setting unit 32. In this embodiment, for example, Ethernet (registered trademark) can be used as the communication standard with the external device, but other communication standards may be used.

FIG. 2 shows a frame configuration of communication data according to this embodiment. As shown in FIG. 2, the communication data 10 according to this embodiment includes a header unit 11 and a data unit 12. In addition to these data, a preamble for synchronization, an FCS (Frame Check Sequence), or the like may be provided.

The header portion 11 includes a transmission destination, a transmission source address, and the like. The data unit 12 includes a data set (light receiving data) including distance data 12a, intensity data 12b, and angle data 12c corresponding to the signal received by the light receiving unit 23. In this data set, when multi-echo occurs, a plurality of data sets are generated, and the amount of data increases. That is, the signal processing unit 33 functions as an acquisition unit capable of acquiring a plurality of received light data for one emitted light.

Therefore, in this embodiment, one or more data sets are extracted from a plurality of data sets, and the conditions of the extracted data are set in the setting unit 32 so that only the extracted data is transmitted. Extraction conditions include light receiving intensity, distance, S / N ratio, data reliability, number of data, and the like.

In the case of the light receiving intensity, conditions can be set such that a data set having a strong light receiving intensity is extracted or a data set having a weak light receiving intensity is extracted.

In the case of distance, conditions can be set such that a data set with a long calculated distance is extracted, or a data set with a short calculated distance is extracted.

In the case of the S / N ratio, the signal processing unit 33 can calculate the S / N ratio for each data set and set it when the S / N ratio is included in the data set. In this case, conditions can be set to extract a data set having a good S / N ratio. This S / N ratio is information indicating a ratio with, for example, the strength of a signal determined as noise.

In the case of data reliability, the signal processing unit 33 calculates the reliability for each data set, and it can be set when the reliability is included in the data set. In this case, conditions can be set to extract a data set with good reliability. This reliability is information indicating that the data set is not noise.

In the case of the number of data, the number of data sets to be extracted can be set. For example, when five data sets are acquired by multi-echo, if the data set to be extracted is set to "2", only two data sets will be extracted. In the case of the number of data, it may be set in combination with the above-mentioned conditions such as light receiving intensity. For example, it is possible to set two extractions in descending order of light receiving intensity.

Further, a plurality of the above-mentioned extraction conditions may be combined. For example, it is possible to extract a data set having the strongest light receiving intensity and a data set having the longest distance.

Next, the operation (data processing method) of the data processing device having the above-described configuration will be described with reference to the flowchart of FIG. Further, a data processing program can be obtained by configuring this flowchart as a program executed by a computer that functions as a data processing device. Further, this data processing program is not limited to being stored in a memory or the like of the data processing device, and may be stored in a storage medium such as a memory card or an optical disk.

First, the extraction conditions described above are set in the setting unit 32 (step S11). It should be noted that this step S11 may be performed once before operating LiDAR1.

Next, the signal processing unit 33 extracts a data set based on the signal received from the light receiving unit 23 according to the extraction conditions set in the setting unit 32 in step S11 (step S12).

Then, the signal processing unit 33 generates a communication frame including the data set extracted in step S12 (step S13), and outputs the communication frame to the external device (step S14).

As is clear from the above description, steps S11 function as a setting process, and steps S12 to S14 function as an acquisition process and an output process.

According to this embodiment, the signal processing unit 33 can acquire a plurality of data sets for one emitted light, and the setting unit 32 has the plurality of data sets acquired by the signal processing unit 33. Extraction conditions are set. Then, the signal processing unit 33 extracts from a plurality of data sets based on the settings of the setting unit 32, generates a communication frame, and outputs the communication frame. By doing so, the amount of data to be output can be adjusted according to the extraction conditions by setting the extraction conditions. Therefore, unnecessary data can be deleted according to the processing capacity of the subsequent system or the like, and communication costs and processing costs can be efficiently reduced.

Further, the extraction condition may be the light receiving intensity included in the data set. By doing so, it is possible to extract the data set under the condition that the light receiving intensity is strong or weak, and it is possible to reduce the amount of data.

Further, the extraction condition may be the distance to the object included in the data set. By doing so, it is possible to extract the data set under the condition that the distance to the object is long or short, and it is possible to reduce the amount of data.

Further, the extraction condition may be the S / N ratio included in the data set. By doing so, the data set can be extracted under the condition that the S / N ratio is good, and the amount of data can be reduced.

Further, the extraction condition may be the reliability included in the received light data. By doing so, it is possible to extract the received light data under the condition that the reliability is good, and it is possible to reduce the amount of data.

Further, the extraction condition may be the number of data to be extracted from a plurality of data sets. By doing so, the data set can be extracted by limiting the number of data to be extracted, and the amount of data can be reduced.

Next, the data processing apparatus according to the second embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to FIGS. 4 to 5. The same parts as those in the first embodiment described above are designated by the same reference numerals, and the description thereof will be omitted.

The functional configuration in this embodiment is the same as in FIG. In the first embodiment, the amount of data was mainly reduced, but in this embodiment, the frame configuration (data configuration) of the communication frame (communication data) when outputting to an external device is arbitrarily set. Can be done.

For example, as shown in FIG. 4A, the communication data 10A may have a frame configuration in which the header portion 11 is arranged after the data portion 12. Alternatively, as shown in FIG. 4B, the order of the distance data 12a, the intensity data 12b, and the angle data 12c may be changed as the configuration in the data unit 12. Alternatively, the order of the data in the header unit 11 or the order of the data other than the above data set in the data unit 12 may be changed.

In this embodiment, distance data 12a, intensity data 12b, and angle data 12c will be described as typical examples as a plurality of items related to the reflected light with respect to the emitted light, but the S / N ratio and reliability described in the first embodiment will be described. The degree etc. are also included. In short, it may be a signal (data) generated based on the reflected light and data (header or the like) related to the data.

The settings for the setting unit 32 described above are arranged on the GUI (Graphical User Interface) displayed on the adjustment device by connecting an adjustment device (a device different from the external device) or the like to LiDAR1 (control unit 3). You may set the order and the like.

Alternatively, a file having a specified data structure may be downloaded and acquired. That is, the setting unit 32 may acquire a file (information about the data configuration) in which the data configuration is defined from the outside, and the signal processing unit 33 may output communication data with the data configuration described in the acquired file. ..

Further, also in this embodiment, only necessary data may be transmitted according to the output destination (external device). That is, among the items included in the acquired measurement data, the items included in the communication data may be set. In this embodiment, not only the data unit 12 but also the data included in the header unit 11 may be arbitrarily selected. By doing so, it becomes possible to reduce the data as in the first embodiment.

That is, the signal processing unit 33 functions as an acquisition unit that acquires measurement data including a plurality of items related to reflected light with respect to the emitted light, and an output unit that outputs communication data with a data configuration based on the settings of the setting unit. .. The setting unit 32 sets the data configuration of the communication data when outputting the acquired measurement data.

Next, the operation (data processing method) of the data processing apparatus according to this embodiment will be described with reference to the flowchart of FIG. Further, a data processing program can be obtained by configuring this flowchart as a program executed by a computer that functions as a data processing device. Further, this data processing program is not limited to being stored in a memory or the like of the data processing device, and may be stored in a storage medium such as a memory card or an optical disk.

First, the above-mentioned data configuration is set in the setting unit 32 (step S21). It should be noted that this step S21 may be performed once before operating LiDAR1.

Next, the signal processing unit 33 acquires necessary data among the data based on the signal received from the light receiving unit 23 according to the data configuration set in the setting unit 32 in step S21 (step S22).

Then, the signal processing unit 33 is configured to include the data acquired in step S22 as a communication frame having the data configuration set in the setting unit 32 in step S21 (step S23), and outputs the data to an external device (step S24).

According to this embodiment, the signal processing unit 33 acquires measurement data including a plurality of items related to the reflected light with respect to the emitted light, and the setting unit 32 has a data configuration of a communication frame when outputting the acquired measurement data. Is set. Then, the signal processing unit 33 outputs the communication frame with the data configuration based on the setting of the setting unit 32. By doing so, the configuration of the output communication frame can be easily changed, and the data configuration can be flexibly changed according to the request of the output destination. Therefore, it is possible to deal with a wide variety of products in small quantities at low cost.

Further, the setting unit 32 may set the order of the items constituting the communication frame. By doing so, the communication frame can be configured in the order of the items according to the request of the output destination.

Further, the setting unit 32 may set an item to be included in the communication frame among the items included in the acquired measurement data. By doing so, the communication frame can be configured only with the items required by the output destination, and the amount of communication data can be reduced.

Further, the setting unit 32 may acquire a file related to the data configuration from the outside, and the signal processing unit 33 may output a communication frame with the data configuration based on the acquired file. By doing so, the data structure can be acquired from the outside by a file. Therefore, the degree of freedom in the configuration of communication data can be further increased.

As is clear from the above description, steps S21 function as a setting process, and steps S22 to S24 function as an acquisition process and an output process.

Further, the present invention is not limited to the above examples. That is, those skilled in the art can carry out various modifications according to conventionally known knowledge within a range that does not deviate from the gist of the present invention. Even with such a modification, as long as the data processing apparatus of the present invention is provided, it is, of course, included in the category of the present invention.

1 LiDAR
2 Optical unit 3 Control unit (data processing device)
31 Light emission control unit 32 Setting unit 33 Signal processing unit (acquisition unit, output unit)

Claims (7)

An acquisition unit that acquires measurement data including multiple items related to reflected light with respect to emitted light, and an acquisition unit.
A setting unit in which the data configuration of communication data when outputting the acquired measurement data is set, and
An output unit that outputs the communication data with a data configuration based on the settings of the setting unit, and
A data processing device comprising. The data processing device according to claim 1, wherein the setting unit sets the order of the items constituting the communication data. The data processing device according to claim 1, wherein the setting unit sets the item to be included in the communication data among the items included in the acquired measurement data. The setting unit acquires information on the data structure from the outside and obtains information about the data structure.
The output unit outputs the communication data with a data configuration based on the acquired information regarding the data configuration.
The data processing apparatus according to claim 1. It is a data processing method executed by a data processing method that performs predetermined processing on measurement data including a plurality of items related to reflected light with respect to emitted light.
An acquisition process for acquiring measurement data including the plurality of items, and
A setting unit in which the data configuration of communication data when outputting the acquired measurement data is set, and
An output unit that outputs the communication data with the data configuration set in the setting process, and
A data processing device comprising. A data processing program characterized in that the data processing method according to claim 5 is executed by a computer. A computer-readable storage medium comprising storing the data processing program according to claim 6.

Images