JPH10325872A - Light radar device - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To positively obtain homogeneous radar performance and stable performance for detecting an object over an entire azimuth in a light radar device being used, for example, for a vehicle. SOLUTION: A luminous flux being emitted from a light source 10 is introduced to optical elements 36 and 37 with focal distance corresponding to the ratio of small and large spread angles that are the astigmatic difference thus forming the shape of the section of the luminous flux in a circle. Furthermore, the luminous flux is generated into fan beams with a spread angle only in vertical direction by an optical element 40 on a cylindrical surface, and at the same time an actuator 50 is rotated for scanning the fan beams in an entire azimuth.

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a method of scanning light in a horizontal direction, receiving reflected light which is reflected by an object and returning to the object. The present invention relates to an optical radar device that detects a direction from a scanning angle at that time.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art Hitherto, it has been proposed that this type of optical radar device is mounted on a vehicle and widely used for a vehicle periphery monitoring device, an inter-vehicle distance control device, and the like. As an optical radar device mounted on a vehicle, for example, Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. Hei 6-13786
As disclosed in Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 7, there is a large number of devices that scan light in the horizontal direction to detect a target in a wide range in order to reduce the blind spot. However, the divergence angle of the transmitted light beam depends on the size of the light source and the lens. Was determined by the focal length.

[0003]

However, in a laser diode which emits light having an infrared wavelength as a light generating means, which is used in this type of optical radar device, the divergent angle of the emitted light is astigmatic. The difference is always unique. Here, the astigmatic difference is a phenomenon in which the diffusion angle in a cross section including the optical axis of emitted light varies depending on the direction of the cross section. That is, when the cross section of the beam is observed within a cross section perpendicular to the optical axis at a position relatively distant from the light source, the beam becomes elliptical. This is because the light emitting light source is 2 μm and 30 μm
The reason is that it has a long and thin linear shape of about 0 μm.

When the beam having the astigmatism is directly scanned in the horizontal direction, the beam cross section of the ellipse moves while rotating in a vertical plane. This means that if the relative position changes even for the same target, the state that the beam irradiates the target changes, and uniform radar performance over the entire scanning range such as lowering the resolution of the azimuth angle is exhibited. The problem that cannot be done will occur.

[0005] As described in Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 6-137867, when a light source is collimated using a lens, a substantially parallel light beam can be obtained.
If a high-performance lens with aberrations removed is used, a very elongated beam shape similar to the linear shape of the light source can be confirmed by observing the cross section of the beam after passing through the lens at a position relatively far from the lens. . In this state, if scanning is performed in the horizontal direction as described above, the elongated beam cross section also moves while rotating in the vertical plane as described above, and the same problem as described above occurs.

On the other hand, as disclosed in Japanese Unexamined Patent Publication No. Hei 5-113481, there is an idea that a fan-shaped beam shaping optical system is used to obtain a beam that spreads in only one direction. A very elongated beam similar to the above is further expanded in the longitudinal direction using a concave lens.

Therefore, even in this method, the astigmatic difference of the light source, which is generated, is not removed. As a result, when scanning is performed in all directions in the horizontal direction, the same elongated beam section rotates in the vertical section. However, the problem of horizontal scanning occurs.

In the horizontal scanning range when the optical radar device is mounted on a vehicle, the vicinity of the traveling direction of the vehicle needs to be detected from a relatively long distance, and the divergence angle of the fan beam in the vertical direction is relatively large. It is necessary to be narrow and to detect a relatively short distance near the side of the vehicle, but to be able to detect a wide-angle range vertically.

That is, it is desired that the vertical divergence angle of the beam repeats from a wide angle to a narrow one every 90 degrees of the scanning angle. In particular, when the scanning angle is narrow, the maximum detection distance can be improved by increasing the light density of the beam. At wide angle, it is necessary to improve the detection probability by increasing the retroreflected light by expanding the laser light irradiation range of the approaching object.

As can be seen from the optical radar apparatus of the present invention, when a light transmitting optical system and a light receiving optical system are provided, the direction of the light transmitting beam or the direction of the light transmitting beam is received within the range of the field of view of light reception. Adjustment or confirmation needed to fix the center of the field of view.

Further, by having a divergent angle in the vertical direction, a part of the beam irradiates a member for fixing the device itself, for example, the upper surface of a roof of a vehicle, thereby detecting the roof. Therefore, there is a problem that an object located farther from the roof cannot be measured in this direction.

When a lens is used in an optical system for condensing reflected light from an object in the light receiving means, it is necessary to focus on a rotation axis for the horizontal scanning, so that light enters from an aperture. In the optical path where the reflected light is refracted and converged by the lens ゛, it must be vertically reflected by a mirror and imaged at the focal point on the rotation axis. Since a mirror for changing the angle is required, there is a problem that the structure is complicated and inertia is increased.

In the present case, the light receiving optical system has the paraboloid of revolution formed by injection molding of the resin material. There is a problem that the balance cannot be completely adjusted, and a rotational moment is generated particularly in a vertical plane to cause vibration.

Further, in the light receiving system, when a lens is used for the optical system, the F number (focal length / effective aperture diameter) representing the ratio of the effective aperture diameter to the focal length of the lens is theoretically limited to 0.5. (Because it is limited by the refractive index of a light-transmitting substance such as a glass material), there is no brighter lens, and in other words, there is a physical characteristic of the lens that makes downsizing disadvantageous.

For example, when mounted on a vehicle, at least a structure for fixing the device in order to secure a light receiving aperture in a horizontal scanning range does not block an optical path.
For example, the device had to be protruded with respect to other structures.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION The present invention has been made to solve the above problems, and has as its object to eliminate the astigmatic difference of a laser diode as a light source and to generate a fan beam in all horizontal directions. This is an optical radar device for a vehicle.

[0017]

Means for Solving the Problems Claims 1 to 3 of the present invention
The light radar device according to the above, as a light generating means, a light source that emits light, a first optical element that performs collimation of a cross section where the spread angle of the light beam emitted from the light source is maximum, and a light beam that is emitted from the light source And a second optical element that performs collimation of a cross section that minimizes the divergence angle of the light source. The optical element removes the astigmatic difference inherent in the light from the light source.

As an optical element, a cylindrical surface lens,
At least two of a cylindrical mirror or a prism having at least two light transmitting surfaces are disposed.

As a result, the first optical element (cylindrical lens, cylindrical mirror, prism) collimates only one direction of the divergent light beam of the light source so as to become substantially parallel light, and collimates the second light beam. The optical element (cylindrical lens, cylindrical mirror, prism) can collimate the light flux collimated by the first optical element so as to be substantially parallel to the light flux in a direction substantially perpendicular to the first optical element.

According to a fourth aspect of the present invention, there is provided an optical radar device, comprising: means for adjusting a position of the first and second optical elements in a light beam passing through an optical system composed of optical elements. The cross section in the direction perpendicular to the optical axis of the light beam was made substantially circular.

That is, by providing an adjusting mechanism capable of moving the positions of the first and second optical elements in the optical axis direction,
The position of the best focus of each optical element can be adjusted, and a light beam almost parallel can be obtained.

In this case, by configuring and arranging the curved surface of the optical element so that the reciprocal of the ratio of the maximum and minimum divergence angles due to the astigmatic difference becomes the ratio of the focal length of the first and second optical elements. The astigmatic difference of the light source is removed, and the light beam can have a circular cross-sectional shape.

In the case of a prism, a similar parallel light beam can be obtained by a fixed position adjusting mechanism for adjusting the incident angle of the light beam from the light source. In this case, the cross section of the light beam can be a circle as described above from the ratio of the angle of incidence to the prism, the refractive index of the prism, and the maximum and minimum spread angles of the astigmatic difference.

An optical radar device according to a fifth or sixth aspect of the present invention includes light transmitting means for reflecting or refracting a light beam passing through the optical element, and using a mirror or prism of a cylindrical surface type as the light transmitting means. The mirror has a divergence only in the vertical direction by arranging the mirror so that the vertical cross section of the reflecting surface is curved or by arranging the prism to pass the light beam and emit light in the horizontal direction with respect to two or more refracting surfaces of the prism. It generates a fan beam.

In the optical radar device according to the fifth and sixth aspects, the parallel light beam from which the astigmatism has been removed by the optical element forms an optical path in the vertical direction, and is incident on a mirror or prism that reflects horizontally in this state. By forming the mirror reflecting in the horizontal direction or the prism refracting as a cylindrical surface optical element having a curved surface only in the vertical section, the parallel light beam is generated only in the vertical direction to generate a light transmission beam having a diverging angle. can do.

According to a seventh aspect of the present invention, in the optical radar device, the light transmitting means for generating the fan beam is rotated or rotated by an actuator having a rotation axis in a vertical direction, and a part in an omnidirectional or horizontal direction is provided. It scans the area with a fan beam.

In the optical radar device according to claim 7,
The light transmitting means for generating the divergence angle only in the vertical direction is rotated or rotated in the horizontal direction by an actuator having a common rotation axis with the optical axis when the parallel light flux from which the astigmatism has been removed constitutes an optical path in the vertical direction. By rotating the fan beam, it is possible to scan a fan beam having a uniform divergence angle in the vertical direction in all directions in the horizontal direction or in a part thereof. In this case, the cross section of the parallel light beam from which astigmatism has been removed must be circular.

An optical radar device according to an eighth aspect of the present invention is one in which at least two optical elements can be adjusted in position by an adjusting mechanism capable of moving in an optical axis direction.

That is, in the optical radar device according to the eighth aspect, by providing an adjusting mechanism capable of finely moving optical elements such as a cylindrical lens and a cylindrical mirror in the optical axis direction, the light emitted from the light source can be controlled. In order to eliminate the point difference, optical elements corresponding to large and small divergence angles are arranged at the position of the best focus. As a result, the astigmatic difference of the light emitted from the light source required for generating a fan beam having a uniform divergent angle in the entire horizontal direction or partially in the vertical direction is removed, and a light beam having a circular cross section can be obtained. .

Similarly, when a prism is used as an optical element, astigmatism can be eliminated by providing an adjusting mechanism capable of adjusting the incident angle from the light source to the prism.

Further, the position of the optical element is deliberately shifted from the best focus by this adjusting mechanism so that the astigmatic difference remains, and the light beam transmitted through this optical system has a large or small divergence angle in a state relatively close to parallel light. It is possible to make it.

The luminous flux with a small residual astigmatism is made incident on the light transmitting means for changing the optical path in the horizontal direction, and the light transmitting means is rotated or rotated in the horizontal direction, so that the scanning angle is 90 degrees. Each time, the divergence angle of the beam in the vertical direction changes so as to correspond to the residual astigmatism.

According to a ninth aspect of the present invention, in the optical radar device, the position of the optical element can be adjusted by an adjusting mechanism capable of moving the optical element in a direction perpendicular to the optical axis.

That is, the optical radar device according to the ninth aspect is provided with an adjusting mechanism capable of finely moving the optical element in a direction perpendicular to the optical axis. The position of the principal point of the optical element (the principle of the geometrical approximation of the optical element design that the light passing through the principal point goes straight) moves, so that the light flux transmitted through this optical element is The optical path is formed with the linear direction connecting the principal points as the optical axis.

Accordingly, since the direction of the optical path can be adjusted, it is possible to adjust the change in the position of the light beam incident on the light transmitting means for changing the optical path in the horizontal direction. This means that the optical element reflects and refracts and passes through the optical element. The direction of the light beam can be adjusted.

That is, the direction of the optical axis at the center of the fan beam having a divergent angle in the vertical direction can be adjusted horizontally. Naturally, since an adjustment mechanism capable of finely moving the principal point in the direction perpendicular to the optical axis of each optical element for eliminating astigmatism is provided, the fan beam is shifted every 90 degrees in horizontal scanning. If the optical axis can be adjusted horizontally, and if the directions of the optical axis of the fan beam in two horizontal directions can be adjusted at intervals of 90 degrees, the optical axis directions in all directions will eventually be horizontal.

An optical radar device according to a tenth aspect of the present invention is characterized in that, for example, the inside of the outer shell of a light-transmitting optical radar device is exposed to weak leakage light from light transmitting means or stray light emitted in a direction other than a desired direction. Perform masking with black lusca.

The direction of the optical axis of the fan beam of the light transmitting means is adjusted by an adjusting mechanism capable of finely moving the relative position of the optical element in the direction perpendicular to the optical axis.

That is, in the optical radar device according to the tenth aspect, for example, when the optical radar device of the present invention is disposed at the upper end of the roof of the vehicle, the comparison is made based on the vertical divergence angle of the fan beam emitted from the light transmitting means. In order to detect the opposite pole part of the roof that separates, a black gauze that blocks light in the direction where the fan beam does not illuminate the roof in this direction is disposed inside the outer shell of the device.

The position of the light beam entering the light transmitting means from the optical element is changed by an adjusting mechanism so that the direction of the light beam reflected and refracted by the light transmitting means so as not to irradiate the roof of the counter electrode portion, for example. The position is adjusted upward.

An optical radar device according to an eleventh aspect of the present invention includes a rotating parabolic mirror as reflected light reflecting means for receiving and reflecting the reflected light reflected on the target object, and means for scanning the light transmitting means. The actuator is integrally formed and rotated or rotated by the actuator having the rotation axis in the vertical direction, and has a focal point on the rotation axis.

That is, the optical radar device of claim 11 is
The light receiving optical system has a rotating parabolic mirror that can converge a parallel light beam at one point, and the vertical axis passing through the focal point is used as the rotation axis of the actuator, so that light can be received in all directions in the horizontal direction. .

The rotation axis is common to the rotation axis of the actuator. One of the rotation axes of the actuator is directly connected to the light receiving optical system, and the other is directly connected to the light transmitting means for changing the optical path in the horizontal direction. The optical system of the light transmitting means and the light receiving means is formed of a rigid body via the rotation axis of the actuator, and the light transmission and reception optical axes are naturally directly connected to the rotation axis so as to be in the same direction. .

According to a twelfth aspect of the present invention, there is provided an optical radar device for a vehicle, wherein the parabolic mirror of the light receiving optical system is made of a resin material by injection molding, and is fixed to a rotating shaft of an actuator which directly performs the scanning. It is.

In the optical radar device according to the twelfth aspect, the parabolic mirror molds the parabolic surface by injection molding of a resin, and the transfer of the parabolic shape can be easily performed. This enables large-scale and high-precision production without processing the surface by polishing. Further, by using a resin as a base material, it is lightweight, and high-speed scanning and high accuracy can be realized by reducing inertia. Further, the reflecting surface can be formed by vacuum deposition processing. In addition, since no lens is required, the number of components can be reduced, and low-cost and highly accurate production of the reflecting surface can be realized.

According to a thirteenth aspect of the present invention, in the optical radar device, after forming the parabolic mirror of the reflected light reflecting means, the reflecting surface is formed by vacuum vapor deposition forming and forming a metal reflecting surface.
In order to prevent the metal reflecting surface from being oxidized, an anti-oxidation film which transmits light of the wavelength generated by the light generating means but does not cause an oxidizing effect is formed by vapor deposition in a multilayer state.

That is, in the optical radar device of the tenth aspect, the reflection film of the parabolic mirror is formed by vacuum deposition of a metal and an antioxidant, and the reflectance is 90% or more (20 samples). It is. It is also known that the same reflectance can be obtained for the reflective film by vapor deposition of a dielectric multilayer film.

An optical radar device according to a fourteenth aspect of the present invention is configured such that a counterweight is provided on a part of the parabolic mirror made of a resin material.

That is, if the parabolic mirror is processed and manufactured by injection molding of resin, the weight can be reduced, and the scanning cycle can be shortened by increasing the speed. However, since vibration occurs during rotation, the A portion to which the counterweight can be fixed is provided on the resin material of the object mirror so as to balance the weight around the rotation axis.

According to a fifteenth aspect of the present invention, in the optical radar device, the counterweight according to the fourteenth aspect is an insert part at the time of injection molding.

That is, the optical radar device of claim 15 is
The weight balance is balanced by insert-molding the counterweight during injection molding of the paraboloid of revolution. As a result, it became possible to balance the weight around the rotation axis, perform fine adjustment of the balance, and insert the balance weight into the resin base material to perform injection molding.

An optical radar device according to a sixteenth aspect of the present invention uses a parabolic mirror having an F-number of 0.44 for a light receiving optical system.

Since the vertical divergence angle of the fan beam of the light transmitting means can be set relatively large, the field of view of the light receiving optical system can be widened and the aperture ratio which cannot be obtained with a lens can be easily obtained. Therefore, a reflecting mirror which is advantageous for miniaturization was adopted.

Even when the vertical divergence angle of the fan beam is relatively wide at about 10 degrees, the miniaturization of the optical radar apparatus is maintained when the aperture ratio of the rotating parabolic mirror is 0.44. In this state, the fan beam can be contained in the field of view.

In the optical radar device according to a seventeenth aspect of the present invention, the mounting portion is inside the door mirror of the vehicle, and the reflecting surface which the driver does not see reflects light having a wavelength of visible light. The near-infrared light of 850 nm of the light beam is formed as a reflecting surface by a dielectric film which transmits.

In the optical radar device according to the eighteenth aspect of the present invention, the outer shell of the door mirror is processed with a resin material added with a dye which has a desired color and transmits 850 nm light of the light transmission beam at the same time. Things.

That is, the outer shell member of the door mirror is made of a resin or the like added with a dye which transmits a light having a wavelength of the transmitted light beam but has a desired color. The position of the object can be detected.

An optical radar apparatus according to a nineteenth aspect of the present invention is used for detecting a distance or the like to a side of a host vehicle, for example, a guard rail.

According to a twentieth aspect of the present invention, an optical radar device for a vehicle has a mounting portion mounted in a space in a front grille, for example, in a front end panel of the vehicle.

[0060]

BEST MODE FOR CARRYING OUT THE INVENTION

Embodiment 1 FIG. First, the overall configuration of the optical radar device according to Embodiment 1 of the present invention will be described with reference to FIGS.

FIG. 1 is a diagram showing an internal structure of the optical radar device according to the first embodiment, and FIG. 2 is a block diagram showing a circuit configuration of the optical radar device.

The optical radar device according to the first embodiment includes a laser diode 10 as a light source for generating a laser beam.
It is driven by a light emitting circuit 31 equipped with an LD drive circuit 33. The laser light emitted from the laser diode 10 is
The light is introduced into the light emitting means 30 and transmitted or reflected. The light emitting means 30 is constituted by an optical element which will be described later in detail, and removes the astigmatic difference of the laser light emitted from the light source 10 to give a desired light flux characteristic.

The laser light having the desired characteristics given by the light emitting means 30 is sent to the light sending means 40. This light transmitting means 4
As will be described in detail later, 0 is a cylindrical reflecting mirror 40a having a curved surface in a vertical cross section in order to spread a light beam only in the vertical direction shown in the figure. Reflector 40a manufactured this time
Has a cylindrical surface with a constant curvature, thereby forming a fan beam having a divergence angle of about 6 degrees in all vertical angles. Further, the light transmitting means 40 is
The fan beam can be scanned in all directions by rotating or rotating in a horizontal plane.

The fan beam scanned in all directions hits the target object and is reflected, and the reflected light is guided to a rotating parabolic mirror 90 as reflected light reflecting means. The rotating parabolic mirror 90 has its focus 90
By arranging the focal point 90a on the extension of the rotation axis 52 at the same time as having the a, it becomes possible to receive and collect the omnidirectional retroreflected light. The light receiving circuit 110 is for amplifying the amount of electricity after the retroreflected light is photoelectrically converted by the pin photodiode 100 disposed at the focal point 90a. The shell 191 forms an outer shell of the device, and is formed by injection molding a resin to which a dye having a property of transmitting near-infrared rays but absorbing visible light is formed by injection molding. I have.

The photodiode 120 is a sensor for detecting the origin of the position. When scanning the fan beam in all directions via the light transmitting means 40, the photodiode 120 receives the fan beam at every scanning cycle. The position origin detection circuit 23 generates a position origin detection signal 24 described later.

The main board 20 of this optical radar device includes
The distance calculation unit 21 that calculates the distance to the target object based on the propagation delay time from when the laser diode 10 emits laser light to when the pin photodiode 100 as the light receiving unit receives the reflected light, rotates the actuator 50. Electronic and electrical components such as an actuator drive circuit 22 to be driven and the above-mentioned position origin detection circuit 23 are mounted, and are connected to the interface circuit 34 of the light emitting circuit 31 described above.

Next, the principle of distance detection of the optical radar device will be described with reference to the time chart of FIG. The position origin detection signal 24 is a signal obtained by photoelectrically converting and amplifying the light emitted by the laser diode 10 and received by the photodiode 120 for each scan by the position origin detection circuit 23, and includes the actuator drive signal 51, the LD emission signal 3g, Is a reference signal for performing the synchronous driving of. The LD light emission signal 3g is transmitted with a delay of the light emission start time 35 from the position origin detection signal 24, and the LD light emission signal 3g causes the laser diode 10 to emit.
Emits light to generate an LD light emission waveform 3h. At this time, a delay time 25 (ΔT1, ΔT1, ΔT1,
T2, ΔT3,...), The distance calculation unit 21 calculates the target distance Rn as Rn = 0.5 × C × ΔTn (C: speed of light). The target direction is detected by the number of drive pulses of the drive signal 51 of the actuator.

FIG. 4 is a structural view of an optical system for explaining the details of the light emitting means 30. FIG. 4 (a) is a front view, and FIG. 4 (b) is a side view. In the figure, a laser diode 10 as a light emitting source is mounted on a light emitting circuit 31. Generally, light emitted from a laser diode has astigmatism (astigmatism).
It is known that a phenomenon that a divergence angle of a light beam, which is referred to as a divergence angle, differs depending on a cross section to be observed. In the front view of FIG. 4A, reference numeral 38 denotes a state of a light beam having a large divergence angle due to the astigmatic difference, and FIG. 4B at this time.
The divergence angle due to the astigmatism in the cross section of the side view becomes small, and the state of the light beam indicated by 39 is obtained.

In order to convert a light beam generated from a light source having a different divergence angle in such a cross section of two surfaces into parallel light,
First, a cylindrical lens 36 on the first surface for collimating a light beam 38 having a large divergence angle is used.

The first surface cylindrical lens 36 is made of amorphous polyolefin and has a refractive index of 1.52 (wavelength 0.85 μm).
m) is processed by injection molding, and then an antireflection film (AR coating) is applied to the surfaces of both surfaces of the lens. The lens shape is a plano-convex lens, and the convex lens surface is a non-cylindrical surface. Basic lens surface data is curvature -0.42
79, non-circular coefficient −0.55.

When a light ray incident on the cylindrical lens 36 of the first surface has a divergence angle of 20 degrees with the optical axis, it is collimated by this lens 36, and after passing through the lens, it is 0.067 with respect to the optical axis. It has been confirmed by calculation that the light rays are almost parallel in degrees. The actual angle of incidence on the lens due to astigmatism is a light beam having an intensity of 13.5% of the maximum value at the center, and the large angle of the light beam 38 is about 15 to 20 degrees at half value. In general, it can be said that a light beam emitted from a laser diode can be taken in and has a collimating performance.

On the other hand, the light beam 39 whose divergence angle has a small astigmatic difference is collimated by the cylindrical lens 37 on the second surface. The cylindrical surface system 37 of the second surface is made of a general commercial product having a material of BK7 and a refractive index of 1.51 (at a wavelength of 0.85 μm), and has an antireflection film (AR coating) on both surfaces of the lens. The lens shape is a plano-convex lens, and the convex lens surface is a cylindrical surface. Basic lens surface data is curvature -0.1
284.

When a light ray incident on the cylindrical lens 37 of the second surface has a divergence angle of 10 degrees with the optical axis, the light ray is collimated by this lens 37, and after passing through the lens, it is collimated with respect to the optical axis. It has been confirmed by calculation that the light beam has an angle of -0.499 degrees. When the angle of incidence on the lens due to the actual astigmatic difference is a light ray having an intensity of 13.5% of the central maximum value, the small angle of the light flux 39 is about 5 to 10 degrees at half value, so The emitted light beam can be captured and the divergence angle is 0.5 degrees (half value)
It can be said that it has the performance to suppress to the extent. In addition,
This is the result of this cross section because the dimensions of the light source influence the divergence angle.

When the astigmatism is removed by the above optical system, the cross section of the light beam can be shaped substantially circular as shown in FIG. 4C, and as a result, as will be described later,
The characteristics of the optical elements formed in the optical path thereafter can be uniformly extracted over the entire area. Further, in order to make the cross section of the light beam a circular cross section, the cylindrical lenses 36 and 3 having a focal length which is the inverse ratio of the divergence angle of the astigmatic difference are used.
7. Here, the focal length of the cylindrical lens 36 on the first surface is 4.5 mm, and the focal length of the cylindrical lens 37 on the second surface is 15 mm. That is, the magnitude ratio of the astigmatic difference is 3.33.

The transmittance of the optical system of the light emitting means 30 composed of the two lenses 36 and 37 was 92.3% (wavelength 0.85 μm).

FIG. 5 is a front sectional view (a) and a side sectional view (b) showing the mechanical structure of the light emitting means 30, and explains the details of the adjusting mechanism for making the cross section of the light beam circular. . As described above, the optical system of the light emitting unit 30 includes the LD driving circuit 33 and the laser diode 1 serving as a light source.
0, a cylindrical lens 36 on the first surface, and a cylindrical lens 36 on the second surface. Laser diode 10 is 1
The primary base stage 300 is disposed substantially at the center of the next base stage 300, and the primary base stage 300 is
1 and the primary adjustment screw 30
2 enables reciprocating slide displacement only in one direction (horizontal direction in the figure).

At the center of the primary slide stage 301, a first cylindrical lens 36 is arranged, and this lens 36 is integrated with the lens barrel 303. Also,
The shape of the lens barrel 303 in the horizontal cross section is rectangular, so that the lens barrel 303 has a structure in which rotational displacement in a horizontal plane is prevented, and at the same time, sliding displacement is possible in the optical axis direction. That is, in a state where the lens barrel 303 to which the lens 36 is fixed is inserted into the space at the center of the primary slide stage 301 having a rectangular shape equivalent to the horizontal cross-sectional shape of the lens barrel 303, the coil spring 304 is used from below. In addition, the ring screw 305 is screwed into the upper part of the lens barrel 303 in accordance with the female screw provided on the primary slide stage 301 so that the lens barrel 303 is finely moved in the vertical direction, that is, in the optical axis direction. Enables sliding displacement.

In the above state, the laser diode 10, which is a light source, emits light, a screen is placed at a relatively distant position, and a cross-sectional image of the beam irradiated on the screen is taken by an infrared camera. Is adjusted by rotating the ring screw 305 so as to reduce the width of the beam or to obtain a desired beam cross-sectional dimension.

The primary slide stage 301 is an integral part which also serves as a secondary base stage. The secondary slide stage 306 with the secondary base stage 301 and the second cylindrical lens 37 fixed thereto. Are configured to enter each other's grooves. The secondary slide stage 306 is capable of reciprocating slide displacement only in one direction (horizontal direction in the drawing) by the secondary adjustment screw 307, and the direction of the displacement at this time is the displacement of the primary adjustment screw 302. It has an angle of 90 degrees with the direction in the horizontal plane.

The adjusting members of the above-described primary base stage 300, primary slide stage (secondary base stage), and secondary slide stage 306 are integrated by through bolts 308, and wave washers 309 are washed from both sides by washers 310. The thrust generated by the wave washer 309 acts as a frictional force between the respective adjusting members and is fixed, and the adjusting screw 302 generates a thrust exceeding the frictional force. And 307 make it possible to adjust the slide displacement. After the adjustment, it is fixed with a hardening material.

FIG. 6 is a block diagram of an optical system showing the light transmitting means 40 in detail. In the figure, the light-emitting circuit 31, the laser diode 10 as a light-emitting source, and the lenses 36 and 37, which are optical elements for removing astigmatism, have been described in more detail above.

The light transmitting means 40 of the present embodiment is constituted by a cylindrical reflecting mirror 40a having a curved surface in a vertical section in order to spread a light beam only in the vertical direction. The reflecting mirror 40a manufactured this time has a cylindrical surface with a constant curvature of 0.0133. When an incident light beam is incident parallel to the optical axis 52 at a position 2 mm from the optical axis 52, the light is reflected by the reflecting mirror 40a horizontally. A fan beam 41 having a divergence angle of 3.06 degrees in the directions of elevation and depression, that is, 6.12 degrees in full angle, is formed.

The divergence angle of the beam in the horizontal plane shown in the side view of FIG.
Strictly speaking, the angle between the direction of the light beam transmitted through the optical system of the light emitting means 30 and the optical axis is the angle formed between the light axis and the optical axis.

Further, the reflecting mirror 40a as the light transmitting means 40
Is directly connected to the rotation axis 52 of the actuator 50, and can rotate or rotate in a horizontal plane to scan the fan beam in all directions. Therefore, as shown in FIG. 6C, the sectional shape 43 of the fan beam with respect to the horizontal scanning angle has substantially the same vertically long shape in all directions.

FIG. 7 shows an optical axis direction adjusting means (focus adjustment) 60.
1 shows an example of shaping of a peculiar fan beam according to FIG. The optical axis direction adjusting means 60 is a means for changing the relative position of the optical system lenses 36 and 37 in the optical axis direction for removing astigmatism, and adjusts the laser beam emitted from the light emitting circuit 31 and the laser diode 10. The light is transmitted from the light transmitting means 40 through the optical lenses 36 and 37 whose relative positions have been changed. Reference numeral 41 denotes a vertical beam divergence angle, and reference numeral 50 denotes an actuator.

Here, for example, the case where the cylindrical lens 36 on the first surface is fixed at a position away from the focus as shown in FIG. 7 by loosening the ring screw 305 described in FIG. 5 from the position of the best focus. explain.

In the front view (a) of FIG. 7, the luminous flux emitted from the light source 10 and having a divergence angle with a large astigmatic difference is:
As described above, the light is converged at an angle close to the parallel light by the cylindrical lens 36 on the first surface, but if the lens 36 is arranged at a position away from the focal point as shown in FIG. The light is transmitted through the lens 36 in a state of being refracted to a large extent. When this light ray is reflected by the light transmitting means 40,
The divergence in the vertical direction is reflected with a divergence angle smaller than the dashed line indicating the direction of the light beam when the initial lens 36 is disposed at the focal position by the angle refracted inward.

At this time, if the horizontal scanning angle 43 is set to 0 degree, the cross-sectional shape of the fan beam becomes narrower in the vertical direction than the initial desired shape shown by the broken line as shown in FIG. It can be seen that it is formed in

In this state, when observing the side view cross section of FIG. 7B, in this cross section, the luminous flux having a divergence angle with a small astigmatic difference is collimated by the cylindrical lens 37 on the second surface. Since the lens 37 has a relatively long focal length, the depth of focus is large, and therefore, the desired optical performance can be secured with the processing accuracy of the structural member without adjusting the focal length. This is not done in the form of. Therefore, the light beam transmitted through the cylindrical lens 37 on the second surface is collimated into substantially parallel light.

Therefore, the divergence angle in the horizontal direction at the scanning angle of 0 degree is equal to the initial setting.

In the side view of FIG.
FIG. 7 (c) shows a state in which is scanned by 90 degrees. The luminous flux having a divergence angle with a small astigmatic difference from the light source is collimated into almost parallel light by the cylindrical surface lens 37 on the second surface as in the first case. Are also equal.

At this time, if the scanning angle 43 in the horizontal direction is 90 degrees, the cross-sectional shape of the fan beam is the same in the vertical direction as the initial desired shape shown by the broken line as shown in FIG. This time, the divergence angle in the horizontal direction is influenced by the position of the cylindrical lens 36 on the first surface.

That is, when the scanning angle is 0 degree, the angle obtained by narrowing the vertical divergence angle appears as the horizontal divergence angle when the scanning angle becomes 90 degrees.

As described above, by scanning the light transmitting means 40 in the horizontal direction by the actuator 50, the sectional shape of the fan beam is repeatedly changed every 90 degrees.

The above phenomenon is caused by the cylindrical lens 3 on the first surface.
6 is generated by adjusting the focal length of the lens 36. Even if the focal position of this lens 36 is changed at the focal position of the cylindrical surface lens 37 of the second surface, the same applies only to the phase difference of the scan angle of 90 degrees. The phenomenon occurs.

The same phenomenon can be observed even when the lens is located at a position closer than the focal length.

FIG. 8 shows an example of generating a peculiar fan beam trajectory by the optical axis perpendicular direction adjusting means (optical axis direction adjustment) 70. The optical axis orthogonal direction adjusting means 70 is provided with optical system lenses 36 and 3 for removing astigmatic difference.
The laser beam emitted from the light emitting circuit 31 and the laser diode 10 is transmitted through the optical system lenses 36 and 37 whose relative positions have been changed. Light is transmitted from the light means 40. Reference numeral 41 denotes the vertical beam divergence angle, 45 denotes the angle of the direction of the optical axis at the center of the fan beam to the horizontal, and 50 denotes the actuator.

Here, for example, by rotating the primary adjustment screw 302 described with reference to FIG. 5 and moving the primary slide stage 301, the position of the principal point 44 of the cylindrical lens 36 on the first surface is adjusted to the optical axis. A description will be given of a case where the antenna is fixed at a position off the top.

When the cylindrical lens 36 of the first surface arranged at the position of the best focus is finely moved in the direction perpendicular to the optical axis by the optical axis perpendicular direction adjusting means (optical axis direction adjustment) 70, the lens 36 Is moved away from the optical axis. The optical path is formed on a straight line connecting the light source 10 and the principal point 44 according to the above-described optical principle that a light beam passing through the principal point of the lens goes straight.

The angle between the optical axis of this optical path and the conventional optical axis, that is, the rotation axis 52, increases the angle of incidence on the light transmitting means 40. The direction of the optical axis at the center of the fan beam reflected horizontally by the optical principle of incident angle and reflection angle is
The angle of the increase of the incident angle is generated with respect to the horizontal and is represented by the angle 45. The light transmitting means 40 at this time
Is set to 0 degree.

This state will be described with reference to FIG. Here, the position in the vertical plane of the fan beam with respect to the horizontal scanning angle is shown. When the scanning angle 43 is 0 degrees, it indicates that the fan beam is emitted upward by 45 from the horizontal. I have.

Next, in a side view (FIG. 8B) showing a case where the light transmitting means 40 has a scanning angle of 180 degrees, the incident angle to the light transmitting means 40 when the scanning angle is 0 degree is shown. Radiated in the direction equal to the angle of incidence but in the opposite direction, ie, at an angle 45 below horizontal.

This state will be described with reference to FIG. 8C. When the scanning angle 43 is 180 degrees, the position of the fan beam is radiated downward by an angle 45 from the horizontal line.

As described above, the fan beam is scanned in all directions while moving up and down in the vertical direction every time the scanning angle of the light transmitting means 40 is 180 degrees.

FIG. 9 shows an example in which the optical radar device of the present invention is mounted on a vehicle. An optical radar device 190 is installed on the roof of the vehicle 230, and a vertical direction from the optical radar device 190 is obtained. Is emitted. Here, 3e is an irradiated portion of the light beam 41 irradiated to the own vehicle.

The optical radar device 190 mounted on the vehicle as shown in FIG. 9 irradiates the opposite pole portion of the roof of the vehicle 230, which is relatively far away, with the vertical divergence angle of the fan beam of the transmitting light beam 41. Irradiation occurs as shown in 3e.

FIG. 10 shows the outer shell 191 of the optical radar device 190 in order to eliminate the irradiation part 3e on the roof of the vehicle 230.
Is provided inside the laser radar device, and the visor 80 is arranged at a position where the scanning portion 3f of the transmitted beam is secured, so that a part of the beam is blocked inside the optical radar device.

FIG. 11 is a configuration diagram for explaining the details of the rotating parabolic mirror 90 as the reflected light reflecting means. In the figure, by arranging the focal point 90a of the rotating parabolic mirror 90 on an extension of the rotation axis 52, it is possible to receive and collect omnidirectional retroreflection light. The retroreflected light collected by the rotating parabolic mirror 90 is photoelectrically converted into an electric quantity by a pin photodiode 100 disposed at a focal point 90a of the parabolic mirror 90,
This quantity of electricity is amplified by the light receiving circuit 110.

The counter weight 94 is for suppressing vibration generated at the time of rotation or rotation by the actuator 50. In the present embodiment, the counter weight 94 is
Three sets of three screws (length 5 mm) and M3 nuts were used. Further, as shown in FIG. 11B, the counterweight 94 can be integrally molded as an insert component when the rotary parabolic mirror 90 is resin-injected.

On the reflecting surface of the paraboloid mirror 90, after depositing an aluminum thin film 91, silicon oxide (SiO ₂ ) is further deposited as an antioxidant film 92 to prevent oxidation.

The optical characteristics of the rotating parabolic mirror 90 are as follows: the aperture area is 1600 mm ² , the equivalent effective aperture diameter 95 is Φ45 mm,
The focal length is 20 mm. Therefore, the F number is 20 mm / 4
5 mm = 0.44 <0.5 was achieved, and a bright optical system that could not be realized by a refraction system such as a lens and miniaturization became possible.

FIG. 12 is a diagram showing a detection state of a peripheral object when the optical radar device of the present invention is mounted inside a door mirror of a vehicle. The optical radar device 190 is mounted inside a door mirror 200 of the own vehicle 230. For example, an attempt is made to detect a detection vehicle 240 obliquely rearward or a guardrail 250 on the side.

FIG. 13 shows the door mirror 200 of FIG.
FIG. 3 is a sectional view taken along a door mirror sectional position 201 of FIG. In the figure, an optical radar device 190 is installed in a door mirror shell 220 of a door mirror 200, and a dielectric multilayer film 211 is provided on an outer surface of the mirror 210.

12 and 13, an optical radar device 190 is mounted inside a door mirror shell 220. This shell 220 transmits near-infrared rays and is formed of a resin material to which a dye having a desired color is added. Is done. Also,
The mirror 210 also has a property of transmitting near infrared rays but reflecting visible light rays. Further, a dielectric multilayer film 211 can be disposed on the mirror 210, and the mirror 210 has two different refractive indexes.
The two dielectrics are alternately formed by vapor deposition, and at this time, by controlling the film thickness and the number of layers to be superposed, it is possible to reflect only light having a wavelength in the visible light band. Examples of the two types of dielectrics include silicon oxide (refractive index 1.51) and magnesium fluoride (refractive index 1.38).

FIG. 14 is a diagram showing a detection state of a peripheral object when the optical radar device of the present invention is mounted in the space of the front grill inside the front end panel of the vehicle. Radar device 19
0 to detect the front detection vehicle 240 or the side guardrail 250.

FIG. 15 is a cross-sectional view of the front grill of FIG. 14 at a cross-sectional position 261. In the figure, the optical radar device 190 is located within the front end panel and between the hood 262 and the bumper 263.
0 space.

Embodiment 2 FIGS. 16A and 16B are a plan view and a front view showing a configuration of an optical radar device according to Embodiment 2 of the present invention. In this embodiment, a cylindrical concave mirror is used as an optical element for removing astigmatism.

In the figure, light emitted from the laser diode 10 driven by the light emitting circuit 31 is introduced into two cylindrical concave mirrors 3a. This cylindrical concave mirror 3a is a mirror having two focal lengths corresponding to the inverse ratio of the ratio of the divergence angle due to astigmatism.

By forming these cylindrical concave mirrors 3a from two surfaces, astigmatism can be eliminated and shaping can be performed so that the cross section of the light beam becomes circular as shown by 3c.

The configuration of the optical path after obtaining the light beam 3c having a circular cross section is the same as that of the first embodiment, and the description is omitted. The central axis of the cross section of the light beam 3c is arranged coaxially with the rotation axis 52. Is easy to understand.

Embodiment 3 FIG. 17 (a) and 17 (b) are a front view and a side view showing a configuration of an optical radar device according to Embodiment 3 of the present invention. In this embodiment, a prism is used as an optical element for removing astigmatic difference.

In the figure, light emitted from the laser diode 10 driven by the light emitting circuit 31 is introduced into the collimator lens 3d and the prism 3b.

As shown in the front view of FIG. 17A, the light emitted from the laser diode 10 is first shaped into parallel light by the collimator lens 3d. However,
Since the cross section of the light beam shaped by the collimator lens 3d has astigmatic difference remaining, it becomes a light beam having a cross-sectional dimension corresponding to the ratio of its large and small divergence angles, and the cross-sectional dimensions are represented by D1 and D2.

Next, a case where the astigmatic difference is removed by the prism 3b to obtain a light beam having a circular cross section with a diameter D2 will be described.

Assuming that the angle of incidence on the prism 3b is θ1 and the angle of refraction is θ2, COS θ1 = {(n ² -1) / (n ² · m ² -1)} ^0.5 where m = COS θ2 / COS θ1, n It is a refractive index.

By configuring the above optical system, astigmatism can be eliminated, and shaping can be performed so that the cross section of the light beam has a circular shape and a diameter D2 as shown in FIG. 3c.

The configuration of the optical path after obtaining the light beam 3c having a circular cross section is the same as that of the first embodiment, and the description is omitted.
The arrangement of the center axis of the section c in the same axis as the rotation axis 52 is the same as described above.

Embodiment 4 FIG. 18 shows the configuration of an optical radar device according to Embodiment 4 of the present invention. In this embodiment, a prism is used as an optical element (light transmitting means) for generating a fan beam and simultaneously scanning in all directions in this state.

In the figure, light emitted from the laser diode 10 driven by the light emitting circuit 31 is introduced into the cylindrical surface lenses 36 and 37 on the first and second surfaces, and as described in the first embodiment. Astigmatism is removed.

The light beam having a circular cross section from which astigmatism has been removed by the optical systems 36 and 37 is incident on a prism 46 disposed thereon, and is refracted and deflected. Here, two prisms are combined because it is necessary to deflect the optical path by 90 degrees in the horizontal direction. Furthermore, in order to shape a fan beam whose divergence angle is relatively large only in the vertical direction, the prism 46 has a cylindrical surface as the final refraction surface, and emits a light beam in the direction indicated by 41.

Further, the two prisms 46 are integrated by a connect bracket 47, and
0 is fixed to the rotation axis. Therefore, the fan beam can be scanned in all directions by rotating the actuator 50.

[0132]

As described above, claims 1 to 3 of the present invention.
According to the optical radar device according to the above, by using at least two optical elements corresponding to the ratio of the divergence angle of the astigmatic difference of the light emitted from the light source, it is possible to shape a light beam having a circular cross section. This makes it possible to increase the degree of freedom in optical / optical path design.

According to the optical radar device of the fourth aspect of the present invention, by providing the position adjusting means for the two optical elements, the cross section is circular by a two-axis slide displacement mechanism which is orthogonal to the focal length adjustment. Alternatively, it can be adjusted so that it has an optimal shape and the optical path can be arranged at a desired position.

According to the optical radar device of the fifth and sixth aspects of the present invention, a fan beam having a relatively wide divergence angle in the vertical direction can be generated, and retroreflected light from an object can be increased.

According to the optical radar device of the seventh aspect of the present invention, the fan beam can be scanned in the horizontal direction, and an object in all directions can be detected.

According to the optical radar device of the eighth aspect of the present invention, by arranging the optical element at a position deviated from the position of the best focus at the time of adjusting the focal length, the cross-sectional shape of the fan beam scanned in the horizontal direction can be changed. The scanning angle can be changed every 90 degrees. When the cross section is narrow, the object can be detected at a relatively long distance. When the cross section is enlarged, the detection distance is shortened but the beam can be irradiated to a wide area of the object. Yes, the detection probability is improved.

According to the optical radar device of the ninth aspect of the present invention, the principal point or the apex of the optical element is shifted from the optical axis by, for example, a biaxial slide displacement mechanism provided on the optical element. Can be arranged. This allows
The position of the cross section of the fan beam scanned in the horizontal direction from the light transmitting means can be changed up and down every scanning angle of 180 degrees.

According to the optical radar device of the tenth aspect of the present invention, the light blocking means is disposed inside in the direction in which detection is not to be performed, and no beam is emitted by the orthogonal two-axis slide displacement mechanism. Can be adjusted as follows.

According to the optical radar device of the eleventh aspect of the present invention, the retroreflected light from the target object is condensed by the rotating parabolic mirror, and at the same time, the focal point is arranged on the rotation axis, so that the object can be omnidirectional. Detection can be performed continuously.

According to the optical radar apparatus of the twelfth aspect of the present invention, since the paraboloid of revolution is processed by injection molding the resin base material, the weight can be reduced and high-speed scanning can be performed.
Further, since the transfer of the curved surface of the reflection surface can be performed at high speed and with high accuracy, mass production is possible.

According to the optical radar device of the thirteenth aspect of the present invention, after depositing the metal film on the reflecting surface of the paraboloid of revolution,
In order to prevent the metal from being oxidized, an antioxidant film is laminated by vapor deposition, so that the deterioration with time of the reflectance can be suppressed.

According to the optical radar device of the fourteenth aspect of the present invention, in order to rotate the rotary parabolic mirror at a high speed, a counterweight for balancing the weight around the rotation axis is provided, and the vibration during rotation is provided. Generation can be suppressed.

According to the optical radar device of the fifteenth aspect of the present invention, the counterweight is integrally molded as an insert part when the rotary parabolic mirror is injection-molded, so that the time required for processing and assembly adjustment can be reduced.

According to the optical radar apparatus of the sixteenth aspect of the present invention, the F-number of the paraboloid of revolution is 0.44, which is 0.5 or less, which is the limit value of the lens. This is an optical system having a short focal length if the aperture area is the same, which is advantageous for miniaturization. In addition, if the focal length is the same, the aperture area can be increased and the light receiving performance can be improved.

According to the optical radar device of the seventeenth aspect of the present invention, when the mounting position is inside the door mirror of the vehicle, only the visible light is reflected by the mirror portion on the member constituting the door mirror, and the near infrared rays are reflected. By giving the spectral characteristics to be transmitted, the laser light emitted from the optical radar device can be transmitted.

According to the optical radar apparatus of the eighteenth aspect of the present invention, when the mounting position is inside the door mirror of the vehicle, a material having a desired color is used for the shell constituting the door mirror, but the near infrared ray is used. The laser beam emitted from the optical radar device can be transmitted by giving the spectral characteristics to transmit the light.

According to the optical radar device of the nineteenth aspect of the present invention, when the mounting position is inside the door mirror of the vehicle, it is possible to detect a wide range of objects from the front of the own vehicle to the rear through the side.

According to the optical radar device of the twentieth aspect of the present invention, when the mounting position is the space of the front grille of the front end panel of the vehicle, a wide range of 180 degrees from right to left around the front of the host vehicle. Object detection is enabled.

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 is a diagram showing an internal structure of an optical radar device according to the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a block diagram showing a circuit configuration of the optical radar device according to the present invention.

FIG. 3 is a chart showing the operation principle of the optical radar device of the present invention.

FIG. 4 is a detailed view of a light emitting unit according to the embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 5 is a detailed view of an adjusting mechanism of a light emitting unit according to the embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 6 is a detailed diagram illustrating a light transmitting unit according to an embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 7 is a detailed diagram illustrating fan beam shaping according to an embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 8 is a detailed diagram illustrating fan beam direction adjustment according to an embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 9 is a diagram illustrating a fan beam irradiation unit according to the embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 10 is an explanatory diagram of irradiation limiting means according to the embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 11 is an explanatory diagram of a rotating parabolic mirror according to an embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 12 is a diagram showing a detection situation of a peripheral object when the optical radar device of the present invention is mounted inside a door mirror of a vehicle.

13 is a sectional view of the optical radar device of FIG. 12 when the optical radar device is mounted inside a door mirror.

FIG. 14 is a diagram illustrating a detection state of surrounding objects when the optical radar device of the present invention is mounted in a space of a front grill inside a front end panel of a vehicle.

15 is a cross-sectional view of the optical radar device of FIG. 14 when the optical radar device is mounted in a front grill.

FIG. 16 is a diagram showing an optical system according to another embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 17 is a diagram showing an optical system according to another embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 18 is a view showing a light transmitting means according to another embodiment of the present invention.

[Explanation of symbols]

10 laser diode (light source), 20 main substrate,
21 distance calculation unit, 22 actuator drive circuit, 2
3 position origin detection circuit, 30 light emitting means, 31 light emitting circuit, 32 power supply circuit, 33 LD drive circuit, 36 first
37, a second cylindrical lens, 3a
Cylindrical mirror, 3b prism, 3d collimating lens, 40 light transmitting means, 46 prism, 50 actuator, 52 rotation axis, 60 optical axis direction adjusting means (focus adjustment), 70 optical axis perpendicular direction adjusting means (optical axis direction adjusting ), 90 parabolic mirror, 91 metal film, 92 antioxidant film, 93 dielectric film, 94 counterweight,
100 pin photodiode, 110 light receiving circuit, 1
20 photodiode, 190 optical radar device, 20
0 Door mirror.

Claims (20)

[Claims] 1. A light generating means for generating light, a light transmitting means for reflecting and transmitting the generated light, and a reflected light reflecting means for receiving and reflecting the reflected light of the transmitted light reflected on an object. And a light receiving unit that is disposed vertically separated from the light emitting unit and receives the reflected light reflected by the reflected light reflecting unit; and that the light transmitting unit and the reflected light reflecting unit are at predetermined relative positions. A holding unit that holds and is rotatably disposed; a horizontal scanning unit that rotates the holding unit and scans the light to be transmitted in a horizontal direction; and the light receiving unit after the light generating unit generates the light. An optical radar device comprising: a distance calculation unit that calculates a distance to the object based on a propagation time until the reflected light is received; and a direction detection unit that detects a direction of the light. Is a light source that emits light and this light At least two of a first optical element for performing collimation of a cross section in which a divergence angle of a light beam emitted from the light source is maximum, and a second optical element for performing collimation of a cross section in which a spread angle of a light beam emitted from the light source is minimum. An optical radar device comprising a surface optical element, wherein the astigmatic difference inherent to light from the light source is removed by the optical element. 2. A light source for emitting light, a first optical element for performing collimation of a cross section where a spread angle of a light beam emitted from the light source is the largest, and a spread angle of a light beam emitted from the light source is a minimum. An optical radar device, comprising: at least two optical elements, a second optical element for performing collimation of a cross section, and an astigmatic difference inherent in light from the light source is removed by the optical element. 3. A cylindrical lens as the optical element,
3. The optical radar device according to claim 1, wherein at least two of a cylindrical mirror or a prism having at least two light transmitting surfaces are provided. 4. A means for adjusting a position of the two optical elements in a light beam having passed through an optical system composed of the optical elements, wherein a cross section in a direction perpendicular to an optical axis of the light beam is substantially circular. The optical radar device according to any one of claims 1 to 3, wherein 5. A light transmitting means for reflecting a light beam passing through the optical element, wherein a cylindrical mirror is used as the light transmitting means, and a vertical cross section of a reflecting surface of the mirror has a curved line. 2. A fan beam having a divergence only in the vertical direction is generated by arranging the fan beams in the vertical direction.
The optical radar device according to any one of claims 1 to 4. 6. A light transmitting means for refracting a light beam passing through said optical element, wherein a prism is used as said light transmitting means, and said light beam passes through two or more refracting surfaces of said prism. The optical radar device according to any one of claims 1 to 4, wherein a fan beam having a divergence only in a vertical direction is generated by arranging the fan beam in a horizontal direction. 7. A light transmitting means for generating the fan beam is rotated or rotated by an actuator having a rotation axis in a vertical direction, and scans the fan beam in a partial range in all directions or a horizontal direction. The optical radar device according to claim 5 or 6, wherein 8. The apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising means for adjusting a position of the at least two optical elements, wherein the position of the optical elements is adjusted in an optical axis direction. The optical radar device as described in the above. 9. The apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising means for adjusting a position of the at least two optical elements, wherein the relative position of the optical elements is finely moved in a direction perpendicular to an optical axis. The optical radar device according to claim 1. 10. When the light transmitting means transmits a fan beam having a divergent angle in the vertical direction, means for blocking a light beam in the direction of a non-target object so as not to irradiate and detect an object other than the target object. 10. The optical axis direction of the fan beam is adjusted by an adjusting mechanism that has fine adjustment or that can finely move the relative position of the optical element in a direction perpendicular to the optical axis. 11. An optical radar device according to item 1. 11. A parabolic mirror as reflected light reflecting means for receiving and reflecting the reflected light of the fan beam reflected by an object, wherein the parabolic mirror is integrated with the means for scanning the light transmitting means, and is provided in the vertical direction. 11. An apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the actuator is rotated or rotated by an actuator having a rotation axis, and has a focal point on the rotation axis.
An optical radar device according to the item. 12. The optical radar according to claim 11, wherein the parabolic mirror as the reflected light reflecting means is formed of a resin material by injection molding, and is fixed to a rotation axis of an actuator for performing the scanning. apparatus. 13. The optical radar device according to claim 12, wherein a reflection film and an oxidation prevention film of a parabolic mirror as said reflected light reflection means are formed by vapor deposition. 14. The optical radar according to claim 11, wherein the reflection light reflection means includes a balance weight for balancing the weight around the rotation axis. apparatus. 15. An optical radar device, wherein the counterweight according to claim 14 is an insert part at the time of injection molding. 16. A reflected light reflecting means having an aperture ratio of 0.1.
The optical radar device according to any one of claims 1 to 15, wherein 44 parabolic mirrors are used. 17. The installation of an optical radar device inside a door mirror of a vehicle, and a reflection surface which a driver looks at silently reflects light having a wavelength including a visible light band and is near light which is generated by the optical radar device. The optical radar device according to any one of claims 1 to 16, wherein a light having an infrared wavelength is a reflection surface formed by a dielectric multilayer film that transmits the light. 18. The door mirror of the vehicle, wherein the housing of the door mirror other than the reflection surface which the driver does not see is molded of resin and uses a resin material to which a dye having a desired color is added, and the light generated at the same time. 18. The optical radar apparatus according to claim 17, wherein light having a near-infrared wavelength is transmitted. 19. The system according to claim 17, wherein a distance between a vehicle installed by the optical radar device installed inside the door mirror and an obstacle in a lateral direction, for example, a vehicle on an adjacent lane or a guardrail is measured. Or the optical radar device according to claim 18. 20. The optical radar device according to claim 1, wherein a space of a front grille of a front end panel of the vehicle is provided, and a vehicle in a front or adjacent lane which is a relatively wide obstacle in front of the own vehicle is detected. The optical radar device according to any one of claims 1 to 16.