JP6506098B2 - Ranging device and ranging method - Google Patents

Description

  The present invention relates to a distance measuring apparatus and a distance measuring method, and more particularly to a distance measuring apparatus and a distance measuring method for performing distance measurement by image recognition.

2. Description of the Related Art Conventionally, there is a distance measuring apparatus which includes a camera and measures the distance to an object to be measured by image recognition.
For example, in Patent Document 1, a city block distance between small areas of a pair of images consisting of a reference image and a comparison image captured by a stereo camera is calculated, and the discrete value in pixel units of this city block distance is minimized. A range finder using a stereo image, which searches small areas as mutually corresponding small areas and performs distance measurement according to the principle of triangulation with the amount of pixel displacement generated according to the distance to an object in corresponding small areas as parallax The point at which the discrete value in the pixel block of the city block distance is minimized is taken as a temporary corresponding point, and the city block distances are continuously distributed based on the change in city block distance before and after the temporary corresponding point, (D) means for specifying the position of the local minimum when the city block distance distribution is regarded as symmetrical around the local minimum, and based on the difference between the temporary corresponding point and the local minimum, Distance measuring apparatus according to the stereo image, characterized in that a means for interpolating the following resolution 1 pixel disparity by elementary shift amount is described.
In the device of Patent Document 1, the convergence angle is obtained from the parallax (angular difference) by the stereo camera, and calculation is performed based on the principle of triangulation in combination with the known baseline distance.

Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 2000-283753

  However, since the distance measuring apparatus described in Patent Document 1 uses a stereo camera, there is a problem that the size and weight at the time of mounting increase and the load of image processing becomes very large. The

  The present invention has been made in view of such a situation, and an object of the present invention is to provide a distance measuring apparatus which is suitable for small size and light weight and has a small image processing load.

A distance measuring apparatus according to the present invention is a distance measuring apparatus for measuring a distance L to an object to be measured, the laser light source irradiating a laser to a specific shape on the object to be measured, and the object to be measured by the laser light source Imaging means for imaging the spot of the laser irradiated to the specific shape and acquiring image data, a tilt drive mechanism for tilting the laser light source or the imaging means by a designated angle .theta., An initial position, and the tilt drive mechanism Between the spot between the spots in the image data photographed by the photographing means and the ratio of the known length included in the specific shape, with respect to the position tilted by the designated angle θ, From the actual distance Δ 'between the spots calculated by the inter-spot distance calculation means, which calculates the actual distance Δ', and the designated angle θ, Characterized in that it comprises a measurement object distance calculating means for calculating the distance L to the object to be measured.
By configuring in this way, compared to a stereo camera, since there is one camera, weight reduction and downsizing can be achieved, and the load of image processing can be reduced.

In the distance measuring device according to the present invention, the specific shape is a circle or an ellipse whose longitudinal direction is a direction orthogonal to the direction of the designated angle θ, and the diameter of the circle or the length of the major or minor axis of the elliptical shape Is the known length.
With this configuration, the circular shape or the elliptical shape having the longitudinal direction is obtained, so that the error can be reduced even if the beam outline on the image data is somewhat blurred as compared with the case where the beam diameter of the laser is small. it can.

In the distance measuring apparatus according to the present invention, the specific shape is two laser beams emitted in parallel to the object to be measured, and the distance between the laser beams in the direction orthogonal to the direction of the designated angle θ is It is characterized in that it has the known length.
With this configuration, if the distance between the centers of the two laser beams is detected, the distance Δ between the spots can be detected accurately, so that the actual distance Δ ′ can be calculated with high accuracy.

In the distance measuring apparatus according to the present invention, the inter-spot distance calculating means recognizes a part corresponding to the specific shape in the image data, and the distance between the spots in the image data from the number of pixels of the recognized part. It is characterized in that Δ is calculated.
With this configuration, the distance can be easily calculated by the number of pixels.

In the distance measuring apparatus according to the present invention, the tilt driving mechanism may move the movable body to which the laser light source or the optical unit including the photographing means is attached, and an axis line intersecting the optical axis direction of the laser light source or the photographing means It has two support mechanisms for swingably supporting the movable body, and drive means for driving the movable body around the axis, and the support mechanisms are provided at two places axially separated from the movable body. A swing axis is provided at a position overlapping with the driving means in a direction orthogonal to the optical axis direction of the laser light source or the photographing means.
By configuring in this manner, the system of the present invention can be compared with the system of supporting and rocking the lower end and the upper end of the movable body with a pivot or the like (hereinafter referred to as "Pipot support system"). Since the moving shaft is provided at a position overlapping the driving means, when the same angular swing is performed in the pivot support method and the method of the present invention, the displacement of the movable body becomes smaller in the method of the present invention. It becomes difficult to contact the fixed body. Therefore, in the case of the pivot support method and the method of the present invention, if the gap between the magnet and the coil is the same, the method of the present invention can make the inclination of the instruction angle θ larger.

In the distance measuring apparatus according to the present invention, the driving unit is a magnetic driving unit including a magnet and a coil, and the laser light source or the photographing unit is inclined by supplying a current corresponding to the designated angle θ to the coil. It is characterized by
With this configuration, even without a shake detection element such as a gyro sensor, the laser light source can be inclined to the specified angle θ only by the current command.

The range finder according to the present invention is characterized in that the tilt drive mechanism tilts the laser light source by a specified angle θ.
With this configuration, the laser light source is lighter in weight than the imaging means, and hence the driving power can be small.

A distance measuring method according to the present invention is a distance measuring method which is executed by a distance measuring apparatus which measures a distance L to an object to be measured, wherein the object to be measured is irradiated with a laser in a specific shape and irradiated to the specific shape The image of the spot of the laser beam is photographed by the photographing means, and the irradiated laser of the specific shape or the photographing means is inclined by the designated angle .theta., And the initial position and the position tilted by the designated angle .theta. The actual distance Δ ′ between the spots is calculated from the distance Δ between the spots in the image taken by the imaging means and the ratio of the known length included in the specific shape, and the spots calculated The distance L to the object to be measured is calculated from the actual distance Δ 'and the designated angle θ.
By configuring in this manner, the distance measuring apparatus can be reduced in weight and size because it has one camera as compared with a stereo camera, and the load of image processing can be reduced.

  According to the present invention, the spot is irradiated by irradiating the laser of the specific shape at the initial position and the position inclined by the designated angle θ by the tilt drive mechanism, and the configuration of calculating the distance L from the photographed image It is possible to provide a lightweight distance measuring apparatus with low image processing load.

It is a perspective view showing an outline appearance of a range finder concerning an embodiment of the invention. It is a block diagram showing control composition of a ranging device concerning an embodiment of the invention. It is a flow chart of ranging processing concerning an embodiment of the invention. It is a conceptual diagram of ranging processing concerning an embodiment of the invention. It is a conceptual diagram of ranging processing concerning an embodiment of the invention. It is a conceptual diagram of the ranging process based on other Embodiment 1 of this invention. It is a conceptual diagram of the ranging process based on other Embodiment 2 of this invention.

Embodiment
[Configuration of Ranging Device 1]
First, with reference to FIG. 1, the structure of the mechanical part of the distance measuring apparatus 1 according to the embodiment of the present invention will be described.
The distance measuring device 1 measures the distance L to the object to be measured 2 (FIG. 4). The range finder 1 includes, for example, a smart phone (Smart Phone), a portable PC (Personal Computer), a mobile phone, a PDA (Personal Data Assistant), a dedicated terminal, a digital camera (Digital Camera), an in-vehicle camera, an action cam, and the like. , A compact and lightweight terminal provided with an image capturing function.
The distance measuring device 1 can also be used to measure the distance or length of a vehicle such as a car, a ship or a train, a machine tool, a robot, a construction device, or an actuator of a machine of a factory.

  The mechanical unit of the distance measuring device 1 includes an optical unit 10, a tilt drive mechanism 20, an imaging unit 30 (imaging unit), and a fixed body 40.

The optical unit 10 includes an optical element such as a laser light source 100 and a lens.
The laser light source 100 applies a laser to the object to be measured 2 with a specific shape S. In the embodiment of the present invention, the specific shape S is a circular shape of a specific diameter that allows the imaging unit 30 to confirm the shape across the pixels. In this embodiment, this specific diameter is about several mm to several tens cm in diameter. In addition, the wavelength of the laser of the laser light source 100 is a general visible wavelength of red to green to blue to purple, or a mixed white or the like. In addition to this, the wavelength of the laser may be a non-visible wavelength that can be imaged as an image by the imaging unit 30, for example, a near infrared ray.
The optical element includes a glass or resin concave / convex lens, a prism or the like for spreading and keeping the laser in a circular shape of a specific diameter. In the present embodiment, the object to be measured 2 is irradiated with the laser of the specific shape of the circular shape at least in a range of several centimeters to several hundreds of meters.
The optical element may include a mechanism for switching the laser from a circular shape of a specific diameter to a mode that diffuses the circular shape and so on and use it as illumination of the imaging unit 30, a diaphragm, and the like. .

The tilt drive mechanism 20 is a mechanism for tilting the laser light source 100 by a designated angle θ. The tilt drive mechanism 20 includes an optical unit 10, a movable body 200, a support mechanism 210, and a drive unit 220.
The movable body 200 is a member such as an axis to which the optical unit 10 is attached.
The support mechanism 210 is a bearing such as two bearings that supports the movable body 200 so as to be able to pivot about an axis (X axis) intersecting the optical axis P of the laser light source 100. This axis is shown as an X-axis in the present embodiment. Further, in the support mechanism 210, rocking shafts 211 are provided at two places separated in the X-axis direction between the movable body 200 and the fixed body 40. In FIG. 1, a direction orthogonal to the X axis is taken as a Y axis and a Z axis, and a direction along the optical axis P (a lens optical axis, an optical axis of an optical element) is taken as a Z axis.
The drive unit 220 drives the movable body 200 around the X axis. Specifically, the drive unit 220 is a magnetic drive unit such as an actuator or a motor including the coil 221 (FIG. 2) and the magnet 222. The drive unit 220 pivotally supports the support mechanism 210 and is fixed to the fixed body 40. The drive unit 220 is provided at a position overlapping the support mechanism 210 with respect to the X axis.

The imaging unit 30 is a still image and / or moving image imaging unit including a charge-coupled device (CCD), a complementary metal-oxide-semiconductor (CMOS) image sensor, and a shutter such as a mechanical or electronic shutter.
The photographing unit 30 photographs the spot of the laser irradiated to the measurement target 2 in a specific shape, and acquires the image data 610 (FIG. 2). At this time, the imaging unit 30 acquires the image data 610 at the initial position when the laser light source 100 of the optical unit 10 is irradiated and the position tilted by the designated angle θ from the initial position by the tilt drive mechanism 20. . In the present embodiment, at the time of this laser irradiation and driving, the shutter is released, and the light trace of the laser light source 100 is captured as a “blurred image”.

The fixed body 40 is a member for supporting the movable body 200 pivotably around the X axis via the support mechanism 210. The fixed body 40 can be attached to the case of the distance measuring device 1, and at least one surface is opened to transmit the light of the laser light source 100 and the photographing unit 30.
In addition, in FIG. 1, the fixing body 40 was described in the box-like shape. However, the shape of the fixing body 40 is arbitrary.

Next, a control configuration of the distance measuring apparatus 1 will be described with reference to FIG.
The distance measuring apparatus 1 includes a control unit 50 and a storage unit 60 in addition to the above-described mechanism unit.
The control unit 50 is a control arithmetic unit such as a central processing unit (CPU), a microcontroller, a graphics processing unit (GPU), a digital signal processor (DSP), an application specific integrated circuit (ASIC), and the like. Further, the control unit 50 includes various I / O (Input / Output) circuits, a current measurement circuit, and an A / D converter (Analog to Digital Converter). The control unit 50 may also include an accelerator for image recognition.
The storage unit 60 is a non-temporary storage medium such as a random access memory (RAM), a read only memory (ROM), a flash memory, or a hard disk drive (HDD).

  The control unit 50 includes a drive imaging instruction unit 500 (drive imaging instruction unit), an inter-spot distance calculation unit 510 (inter-spot distance calculation unit), and a measurement object distance calculation unit 520 (measurement object distance calculation unit). It contains.

The drive shooting instruction unit 500 controls the optical unit 10, the tilt drive mechanism 20, and the shooting unit 30 at the start and end of distance measurement.
When distance measurement is started, the drive shooting instruction unit 500 opens the shutter of the shooting unit 30 and starts shooting of the object to be measured 2 (FIG. 1). Then, the drive imaging instruction unit 500 reads the angle current value table 600 and controls so as to flow the current corresponding to the designated angle θ to the coil 221. Then, the laser light source 100 is driven by the designated angle θ by the drive unit 220. Thereafter, the drive shooting instruction unit 500 causes the shutter of the shooting unit 30 to be closed and causes the image data 610 to be acquired.
Although FIGS. 1 and 2 show an example in which the same drive unit 220 is present on the left and right of the X axis, the magnetic drive means may be provided on only one side. In addition, the drive imaging instruction unit 500 may start imaging after detecting that the object 2 to be measured and the imaging unit 30 are substantially perpendicular to each other by an ultrasonic sensor (not shown) or the like.

  The inter-spot distance calculation unit 510 calculates the distance Δ of the number of pixels between spots in the image data 610 captured by the imaging unit 30. Specifically, the inter-spot distance calculation unit 510 recognizes the spot portion corresponding to the specific shape from the image data 610 by various image recognition. On this, the inter-spot distance calculation unit 510 counts the number of pixels between spots of the recognized specific shape, and calculates the distance Δ of the number of pixels between spots. Further, the inter-spot distance calculation unit 510 calculates the length A of the pixel corresponding to the “known length” A ′ included in the specific shape from the location corresponding to the recognized specific shape. The “known length” A ′ is a diameter of a circle in a circular shape in the present embodiment. Further, the inter-spot distance calculation unit 510 reads the specific shape data 620 from the storage unit 60, and the pixels corresponding to the “known length” A ′ and the “known length” A ′ included in the specific shape. Calculate the ratio to the length A. The inter-spot distance calculation unit 510 calculates an actual distance Δ ′ between the spots from the calculated ratio and the distance Δ of the number of pixels.

The to-be-measured object distance calculation unit 520 calculates the distance L to the to-be-measured object 2 from the actual distance Δ ′ between the spots calculated by the inter-spot distance calculation unit 510 and the designated angle θ. The equation for this calculation is the following equation (1):

Distance L = actual distance Δ '/ tan θ ...... Formula (1)

The storage unit 60 also stores an angle current value table 600, image data 610, and specific shape data 620.
The angle current value table 600 is a table of current values corresponding to a plurality of designated angles θ. When a current is supplied to the coil 221 according to the value of the angle current value table 600, the tilt drive mechanism 20 is tilted to the indicated angle θ.
The image data 610 is data of an image acquired by the imaging unit 30. The image data 610 is, for example, a file of a format such as BMP (Bitmap) or JPEG (Joint Photographic Experts Group). Further, the image data 610 may be a file of still images extracted by extracting still images from moving image data.
The specific shape data 620 includes definition data of a specific shape, data of “known length” A ′ included in the specific shape, and the like. Further, in the present embodiment, the specific shape data 620 includes data of a length corresponding to the diameter of the circular laser irradiated from the optical unit 10.

  The drive shooting instruction unit 500, the inter-spot distance calculation unit 510, and the measurement object distance calculation unit 520 cause the control unit 50 to execute the control program (not shown) stored in the storage unit 60. Execute each function.

[Range Measurement Process According to Embodiment of the Present Invention]
Next, the distance measurement process according to the embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to FIGS.
In the distance measurement process of the present embodiment, a laser is irradiated to the measurement target 2 (FIG. 4) in a specific shape, the movable body 200 is rotated about the X axis, and the irradiated specific shape laser is designated by a specified angle θ Just tilt. At this time, the image of the spot of the laser is taken at the initial position and the position which is tilted by the designated angle θ. Then, the actual distance Δ ′ between the spots is calculated from the distance Δ of the number of pixels between spots in the captured image and the ratio of the known length included in the specific shape. Finally, the distance L to the object to be measured 2 is calculated from the calculated actual distance Δ 'between the spots and the designated angle θ.
In the distance measurement process of the present embodiment, the control unit 50 mainly executes the control program stored in the storage unit 60 in cooperation with each unit and using hardware resources.
Hereinafter, the distance measurement process of the present embodiment will be described in detail step by step with reference to the flowchart of FIG. 3.

(Step S101)
First, the drive imaging instruction unit 500 performs laser irradiation imaging start processing.
When starting the distance measurement, the drive shooting instruction unit 500 moves the tilt drive mechanism 20 to the initial position, causes the shooting unit 30 to open the shutter, and instructs to start shooting.
Further, the value corresponding to the specified angle θ is read out from the angle current value table 600 of the storage unit 60.
In this state, the optical unit 10 and the object 2 to be measured face the optical axis P substantially perpendicularly.

(Step S102)
Next, the drive shooting instruction unit 500 performs tilt drive processing.
The drive shooting instruction unit 500 starts to flow current to the coil 221 of the drive unit 220 of the tilt drive mechanism 20.
At this time, the drive imaging instruction unit 500 monitors the current flowing through the coil 221 by the current measurement circuit.

(Step S103)
Next, the drive shooting instruction unit 500 determines whether a specified current is flowing corresponding to the value of the angle current value table 600. When it is detected by the current measurement circuit that the current flows so as to be inclined by the designated angle θ, the drive imaging instruction unit 500 determines as Yes. In any other case, the control unit 50 determines No.
If the determination is Yes, the drive shooting instruction unit 500 advances the process to step S104.
If the determination is No, the drive imaging instruction unit 500 returns the process to step S102 and continues monitoring the current.

(Step S104)
When the current flows so as to incline by the designated angle θ, the drive imaging instruction unit 500 performs the laser irradiation drive end processing.
The drive shooting instruction unit 500 instructs the shooting unit 30 to close the shutter and obtain the image data 610. Thereby, the image data 610 is stored from the imaging unit 30 to the storage unit 60 by DMA (Direct Memory Access) transfer or the like.

The relationship of the spots when irradiating and tilting the above-mentioned laser will be described with reference to FIGS. 4 and 5.
The side view of FIG. 4 shows that the optical unit 10 is tilted downward from the initial position by the designated angle θ.
The left view of FIG. 5 shows the spot of the object to be measured 2 immediately after the laser irradiation.
The right view of FIG. 5 shows a blur image actually acquired as a light trace of the spot in a state of being inclined by the designated angle θ.

(Step S105)
Next, the inter-spot distance calculation unit 510 performs inter-spot distance calculation processing.
The inter-spot distance calculation unit 510 reads out the specific shape data 620. The inter-spot distance calculation unit 510 recognizes the stored image data 610 and detects a specific shape. In the case of the present embodiment, the inter-spot distance calculation unit 510 recognizes, for example, a light trace in which a circular spot of a color corresponding to the wavelength of the laser has moved.
According to FIG. 5, the inter-spot distance calculation unit 510 further calculates the length A of the pixel corresponding to the “known length” A ′ included in the specific shape.

Further, the inter-spot distance calculation unit 510 recognizes the spot of the specific shape S by the laser at the initial position, and recognizes the maximum length of this spot as the diameter. The inter-spot distance calculation unit 510 calculates the number of pixels of this diameter as the pixel length A.
The inter-spot distance calculation unit 510 also calculates the distance Δ on the number of pixels, which is the distance between spots in the image data 610. The inter-spot distance calculation unit 510 recognizes the spot of the laser of the specific shape S ′ after the inclination of the designated angle θ in the blurred image. The inter-spot distance calculation unit 510 recognizes, for the spot of S ′, the position of a line (long axis) which is the maximum length in the direction perpendicular to the direction of inclination. The inter-spot distance calculation unit 510 further calculates the total number of images between the diameter of the spot of S and the line of the spot of S ′ as the distance Δ of the number of pixels between the spots.

The inter-spot distance calculation unit 510 calculates an actual distance Δ 'from the relationship of the following equation (2).

Pixel length A: "known length" A '
= Distance of the number of pixels Δ: actual distance Δ '... equation (2)

Thus, the actual distance Δ 'between the spots can be accurately calculated from the pixel length A.

The inter-spot distance calculation unit 510 may correct the spot S ′ slightly because the circular laser is inclined.

(Step S106)
Next, the to-be-measured object distance calculation unit 520 performs a to-be-measured object distance calculation process.
The to-be-measured object distance calculation unit 520 calculates the distance L to the to-be-measured object 2 from the actual distance Δ 'between the spots and the designated angle θ according to the above-mentioned equation (1).
The to-be-measured object distance calculation unit 520 outputs the calculated distance L. At this time, even if the actual distance L is displayed on a display or another device (not shown) or the like, the measured object distance calculation unit 520 outputs only numerical values so as to be used for processing of other programs and the like. Good.
Thus, the distance measurement process according to the embodiment of the present invention is completed.

[Main effects of this embodiment]
By configuring as described above, the following effects can be obtained.
Conventionally, in the technology as disclosed in Patent Document 1, distance measurement is performed by performing image processing using a stereo camera.
On the other hand, the distance measuring apparatus 1 according to the embodiment of the present invention irradiates the laser in the specific shape to the object to be measured 2 in the distance measuring apparatus 1 which measures the distance L to the object to be measured 2 The laser light source 100, the photographing unit 30 for photographing the spot of the laser irradiated to the measurement target 2 in the specific shape by the laser light source 100 and acquiring the image data 610, and the tilt drive mechanism for tilting the laser light source 100 by the specified angle θ The distance Δ between spots in the image data 610 captured by the imaging unit 30 and the known shape included in the specific shape for the initial position 20 and the position tilted by the designated angle θ by the tilt drive mechanism 20. The inter-spot distance calculation unit 510 that calculates the actual distance Δ ′ between the spots from the ratio of the lengths, and the actual distance between the spots calculated by the inter-spot distance calculation unit 510 And a delta 'and the specified angle theta, characterized in that it comprises a measurement object distance calculating part 520 which calculates the distance L to the object 2 to be measured.
By configuring in this manner, compared to a stereo camera, since there is one camera, weight reduction and downsizing can be achieved. In addition, the load of image processing can be reduced. In addition, distance measurement in real time (real time) becomes possible.

Also, conventionally, there have been distance measuring devices that perform distance measurement by measuring the reflection time of a laser or the like.
However, in such a conventional distance measuring device, the wavelength of the laser for performing distance measurement is fixed.
On the other hand, in the distance measuring device 1 according to the present embodiment, distance measurement can be performed as long as the wavelength of the laser that can be photographed by the photographing unit 30 including infrared rays and the like. Therefore, for example, a laser whose wavelength can be changed or a laser for a photographing light source can be used for distance measurement.

Further, in the distance measuring device 1 according to the embodiment of the present invention, the specific shape is a circular shape whose longitudinal direction is a direction orthogonal to the direction of the designated angle θ, and the diameter or length of the circle is the aforementioned known It is characterized in that it is a length.
With such a configuration, it is possible to easily calculate the pixel length A simply by calculating the diameter of the circle in the image data 610. Further, since it is circular, the pixel length A can be easily calculated even if the object to be measured 2 is slightly inclined, and the measurement accuracy of the distance L can be enhanced.

Further, in the distance measuring device 1 according to the embodiment of the present invention, the inter-spot distance calculation unit 510 recognizes a portion corresponding to a specific shape in the image data 610, and the image data 610 based on the number of pixels of the recognized portion. It is characterized in that the distance Δ between the spots inside is calculated.
With this configuration, since the distance Δ between spots can be detected by the number of pixels, the burden of recognition of the length from the image can be reduced and the distance L can be easily calculated.

In the distance measuring device 1 according to the embodiment of the present invention, the tilt drive mechanism 20 crosses the movable body 200 to which the optical unit 10 including the laser light source 100 is attached and the optical axis direction of the laser light source 100. The support mechanism 210 includes two support mechanisms 210 that pivotally support the movable body 200 about its axis, and a drive unit 220 that drives the movable body 200 around the X axis. The support mechanism 210 includes the movable body 200 and the X axis direction. The rocking shaft 211 is provided at two positions separated at a position overlapping the driving unit 220 in the X-axis direction.
By configuring in this manner, the distance measuring apparatus 1 according to the present embodiment can be compared with the X axis direction orthogonal to the direction of the optical axis P, as compared with the pivot support method in which the movable body is supported by a pivot and pivoted. When viewed, the support mechanism 210 is provided at a position overlapping the drive unit 220. For this reason, when the pivot support method and the measuring apparatus 1 of the present embodiment are compared, the displacement of the movable body 200 becomes smaller when the movable body 200 is swung, and the movable body 200 and the fixed body 40 hardly contact with each other. Become. For this reason, if the magnet and the coil have the same gap in the measuring apparatus 1 of the pot support method and the present embodiment, the inclination of the designated angle θ may be larger in the measuring apparatus 1 of the present embodiment. This makes it possible to tilt at an appropriate angle with respect to the object 2 to be measured.

In the distance measuring device 1 according to the embodiment of the present invention, the driving unit 220 is a magnetic driving unit including the magnet 222 and the coil 221, and a laser corresponding to the designated angle θ is supplied to the coil 221. The light source 100 is inclined. According to this configuration, the pointing angle can be inclined only by the current command, even without a shake detection element such as a gyro sensor. For this reason, the configuration of the distance measuring device 1 can be simplified, and the cost can be reduced.

Further, the distance measuring apparatus 1 according to the embodiment of the present invention is characterized in that the tilt drive mechanism 20 tilts the laser light source 100 by a specified angle θ.
With this configuration, the laser light source 100 is lighter in weight than the imaging unit 30, and therefore, the driving force is smaller than when the imaging unit 30 is included in the movable body 200 and the whole thereof is inclined. For this reason, it is possible to reduce the current consumption required to tilt the laser light source 100 and to quickly tilt for imaging.

Other Embodiments
<Other Embodiment 1>
In the embodiment described above, the specific shape of the laser is described as being a circular shape of a specific diameter. However, the particular shape of the laser may be other than circular.
According to FIG. 6, according to another embodiment 1 of the present invention, it has an elliptical shape whose longitudinal direction is a direction orthogonal to the direction of the designated angle θ, and the major axis length of the elliptical shape is “known length”. It is also possible to use an elliptical specific shape which is
In this case, the length of the major axis in the longitudinal direction is obtained as the length A of the above-mentioned pixel for the spot of the specific shape S2 at the initial position of the elliptical shape and the spot of the specific shape S2 'after the inclination of the pointing angle θ. . Thus, the distance L can be calculated as in the above embodiment.
By making the longitudinal direction into an elliptical shape in this manner, the error can be reduced even if the beam outline is somewhat blurred as compared with the case of a circular shape in which the diameter of the laser is small. That is, when the blur is larger than the size of the spot diameter, the error is reduced by increasing the length of the spot.

<Other Embodiment 2>
Further, according to FIG. 7, as another embodiment 2 of the present invention, the specific shape is two laser beams irradiated in parallel to the object to be measured 2, and is orthogonal to the direction of the designated angle θ. It is also possible to configure so that the distance between the laser beams in the direction is the known length.
By this configuration, it is possible to calculate the length between the spots S3a and S3b, which is a specific shape of two lasers, as the length A of the pixel corresponding to the "known length" A '. At this time, if the distance between the centers of the two lasers is detected as the pixel length A based on the beam intensity of the laser, etc., it can be detected with high accuracy.
For this reason, it is possible to accurately calculate the actual distance Δ '. In addition, the cost can be reduced because an optical element for expanding the diameter of the laser or making it elliptical is not necessary.

<Other Embodiments>
In the above-described embodiment, another embodiment 1, and another embodiment 2, the position where the laser light source 100 is tilted from the initial position to the designated angle θ while the photographing unit 30 opens the shutter. It was described that the image of the to-be-measured object 2 of was acquired. However, the imaging unit 30 may be configured to acquire images separately at the initial position and the position at which the tilt drive is performed. In addition, the imaging unit 30 may acquire a moving image from the initial position to a position where tilt driving is performed, and may recognize a specific shape of the initial position and the position where tilt driving is performed.
With such a configuration, in the case of a complex specific shape, the specific shape can be recognized more easily than the blurred image. In addition, the image data is compared between the initial position and the tilt-driven position, so that the specific shape itself can be easily recognized. In addition, even with a configuration in which the photographing unit 30 does not have a shutter, distance measurement becomes possible even while shooting a moving image.

Further, in the above-described embodiment, the other embodiment 1 and the other embodiment 2, it is described that the laser is inclined from the top to the bottom with respect to the X axis. However, the laser may be tilted slightly from the bottom up, to the left, right, slightly.
With such a configuration, the configuration at the time of photographing and ranging can be made flexible. In addition, by tilting the laser vertically or horizontally regardless of the initial position, the waiting time until the distance measurement is completed can be reduced.

  Further, in the above-described embodiment, the other embodiment 1 and the other embodiment 2, the configuration for tilting the laser has been described. However, distance measurement can be performed by the same method even if the imaging unit 30 is driven to tilt by the designated angle θ instead of the laser. In this case, it is possible to include the camera in the optical unit 10 of the movable body 200 and replace the laser light source 100 with the position of the imaging unit 30 in the arrangement as shown in FIG.

That is, the distance measuring apparatus having such another configuration is the distance measuring apparatus for measuring the distance L to the object to be measured 2, and the laser light source 100 for irradiating the object to be measured 2 with a laser in a specific shape; A photographing unit 30 for photographing a spot of a laser irradiated to the measurement target 2 in a specific shape by the light source 100 and acquiring the image data 610, a tilt drive mechanism 20 for tilting the photographing unit 30 by a designated angle θ, an initial position From the distance Δ between the spots in the image data 610 captured by the imaging unit 30 and the ratio of the known length included in the specific shape, with respect to the position where the tilt drive is performed by the designated angle θ by the tilt drive mechanism 20 , An inter-spot distance calculation unit 510 which calculates an actual distance Δ 'between spots, and an actual distance Δ' between spots calculated by the inter-spot distance calculation unit 510 and a designated angle θ , Characterized in that it comprises a measurement object distance calculating part 520 which calculates the distance L to the object 2 to be measured.
In the distance measuring apparatus having such another configuration, the tilt drive mechanism 20 rotates around the X axis intersecting the movable body 200 to which the optical unit 10 including the imaging unit 30 is attached and the optical axis direction of the imaging unit 30. , And a drive unit 220 for driving the movable body 200 around the X axis. The support mechanism 210 separates the movable body 200 from the movable body 200 in the X axis direction. The swing shaft 211 is provided at two positions where the drive shaft 220 overlaps the drive unit 220 in the X-axis direction.
Further, in the distance measuring apparatus having such another configuration, the driving unit 220 is a magnetic driving unit including the magnet 222 and the coil 221, and the photographing unit 30 is obtained by supplying a current corresponding to the designated angle θ to the coil 221. It is characterized by tilting.
In such a configuration, distance measurement can be performed simply by adding a fixed laser light source to the photographing unit with a camera shake correction function, and the cost can be reduced.

The angle current value table 600 may also include the value of a specific time which is the time until the indicated angle θ is inclined after the current flows.
In this case, it is detected that a specific time has elapsed since the current was supplied to the coil 221 by a real time timer or the like (not shown), and the drive imaging instruction section 500 becomes the designated angle θ when the specific time has elapsed. It may be determined that
With this configuration, the image data 610 can be acquired after the optical unit 10 is reliably tilted by the tilt drive mechanism 20. Therefore, the accuracy of distance measurement can be enhanced.

Further, as described above, the laser may be configured to be inclined at an accurate angle by an angle sensor instead of being inclined to the designated angle θ by the current.
As a result, distance measurement can be performed with high accuracy, and the distance measuring apparatus 1 can be configured flexibly.

  It is needless to say that the configuration and operation of the above-described embodiment are examples and can be appropriately changed and executed without departing from the scope of the present invention.

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 ranging apparatus 2 measurement object 10 optical unit 20 tilt drive mechanism 30 imaging | photography part 40 fixed body 50 control part 60 memory part 100 laser light source 200 movable body 210 support mechanism 211 rocking shaft 220 drive part 221 coil 222 magnet 500 drive Shooting instruction unit 510 Distance-to-spot calculation unit 520 Measured object distance calculation unit 600 Angle current value table 610 Image data 620 Specific shape data

Claims (8)

In a distance measuring device for measuring a distance L to an object to be measured,
A laser light source for irradiating a laser in a specific shape to the object to be measured;
An imaging unit configured to capture an image of a spot of the laser irradiated to the object to be measured in the specific shape by the laser light source;
A tilt drive mechanism for tilting the laser light source or the photographing means by a specified angle θ;
The distance Δ between the spots in the image data captured by the imaging unit and the known length included in the specific shape for the initial position and the position tilted by the designated angle θ by the tilt drive mechanism Inter-spot distance calculating means for calculating an actual distance Δ 'between the spots from the ratio of
The object distance calculation means for calculating a distance L to the object to be measured from the actual distance Δ 'between the spots calculated by the distance calculation means between spots and the designated angle θ A distance measuring device characterized by The specific shape is a circle or an ellipse whose longitudinal direction is a direction orthogonal to the direction of the designated angle θ, and the diameter of the circle or the length of the major or minor axis of the ellipse is the known length. The distance measuring apparatus according to claim 1, wherein The specific shape is two laser beams emitted in parallel to the object to be measured, and a distance between the laser beams in a direction orthogonal to the direction of the designated angle θ is the known length. The distance measuring apparatus according to claim 1, characterized in that The inter-spot distance calculation means
4. The distance Δ between the spots in the image data is calculated from the number of pixels of the recognized portion by recognizing a portion corresponding to the specific shape in the image data. The distance measuring device according to claim 1 or 2. The tilt drive mechanism
A movable body attached with an optical unit including the laser light source or the photographing means;
Two support mechanisms that support the movable body so as to be able to pivot about an axis intersecting the direction of the optical axis of the laser light source or the imaging means;
And driving means for driving the movable body about the axis,
The support mechanism is provided with a swing axis at two positions spaced apart from the movable body in the axial direction at positions overlapping the drive means in a direction orthogonal to the optical axis direction of the laser light source or the imaging means The distance measuring device according to any one of claims 1 to 4, characterized in that: The driving means is
A magnetic drive means including a magnet and a coil;
The distance measuring apparatus according to claim 5, wherein the laser light source or the imaging unit is inclined by supplying a current corresponding to the designated angle θ to the coil. The distance measuring apparatus according to any one of claims 1 to 6, wherein the tilt drive mechanism tilts the laser light source by a specified angle θ. In a distance measuring method executed by a distance measuring device for measuring a distance L to an object to be measured,
Irradiating the target object with a laser in a specific shape;
Taking an image of the spot of the laser irradiated to the specific shape by the photographing means;
Tilting the laser of the specific shape or the photographing means that has been irradiated by a specified angle θ;
Regarding the initial position and the position tilted by the designated angle θ, the above-mentioned ratio of the distance Δ between the spots in the image taken by the photographing means and the known length included in the specific shape Calculate the actual distance Δ 'between the spots,
A distance measuring method, comprising: calculating a distance L to the object to be measured from the calculated actual distance Δ ′ between the spots and the designated angle θ.

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