KR20140045631A

KR20140045631A - Laser range finder

Info

Publication number: KR20140045631A
Application number: KR1020120111584A
Authority: KR
Inventors: 이용택
Original assignee: 주식회사 히타치엘지 데이터 스토리지 코리아
Priority date: 2012-10-09
Filing date: 2012-10-09
Publication date: 2014-04-17
Also published as: KR102011833B1

Abstract

Laser range finder according to the present invention, by using a small size laser distance measuring module (LRF Module) equipped with a laser light emitting unit and a laser light receiving unit, simply connected to a portable terminal such as a smart phone, such that the portable terminal is enlarged or product It is possible to prevent the price from rising, and through the interlocking action with the camera module already provided in the portable terminal, the measured distance value with the target is superimposed and displayed on the camera image of the target, When the distance can be selected and measured, and a mark indicating a predicted position at which the laser is irradiated to the target is superimposed on the camera image, the laser is automatically operated at that time when the mark is fixed for a predetermined time or more. By emitting light, the battery power consumed by the laser can be minimized.

Description

Laser Range Finder {Laser Range Finder}

The present invention relates to a laser range finder (LRF) that can be easily connected and used for various types of portable terminals such as, for example, a smart phone.

In general, the laser range finder (LRF) for measuring the distance using a laser, for example, as shown in Figure 1, the laser light emitting and receiving unit 101, the display unit 102, and the user key input unit ( 103) may be provided.

In addition, the laser range finder 100, after firing a laser on the target to be measured, and receives the return laser reflected by the target, to measure the distance to the target, for example, Recently developed and released laser range finder is designed to measure the distance of 0.05m to 80m with precision.

Meanwhile, Korean Patent Laid-Open Publication No. 10-2006-0061619 discloses a personal portable terminal and a length measuring method using the personal portable terminal. For example, as illustrated in FIGS. 2 and 3, a mobile phone ( The terminal body of 200 is composed of a sliding part 201 and a main part 202.

In addition, as shown in FIG. 3, the terminal body includes a laser light emitter 203, a laser light receiver 204, a light emission conversion filter 205, a distance calculator 206, and a length calculator 207. Etc., and the laser light emitting unit 203 emits a laser while reciprocating within a predetermined light emission angle range.

Since the laser has a straightness, the laser beam does not spread even when the laser beam proceeds, and thus the laser can be observed from a distance. It receives the laser that is reflected back.

For example, the laser light receiver 204 detects a laser reflected by the target object M after being emitted from the laser light emitter 203 using a photo detector, and calculating the distance. The unit 206 calculates the distance to the target based on the time t of detecting the laser in the laser light receiver 204, thereby calculating the distance d1 from the laser light emitter 203 to the target M. ) Is calculated.

On the other hand, the light emission angle conversion filter 205 is provided adjacent to the laser light emitting portion 203, and adjusts the effective light emission angle a1 of the laser light emitting portion 203, for example, a slit ( The effective light emission angle a1 can be adjusted using a slit groove.

In addition, the emission angle conversion filter 205 is movable toward the laser emission unit 203, the length L of the slit groove, the laser emission unit 203, and the emission angle conversion filter 205. Is the distance (l) from the equation tan (a / 2) = (x / d), where x = d * tan (a / 2) and 2x = 2d * tan (a / 2). The effective light emission angle a1 is obtained by substituting for.

The length calculator 207 receives data of the calculated distance d1 and the effective light emission angle a1 from the distance calculator 206 and the light emission angle conversion filter 205. The calculated distance d1 and the effective light emission angle a1 are substituted into the above equation to calculate the length 2x of the target object M. A detailed description thereof is provided in Korean Patent Publication No. 10-2006. Since it is specifically described in -0061619 it will be omitted.

On the other hand, the mobile phone 200 that can measure the distance using a laser as described above, there is no efficient interlocking action with a variety of unique functions, for example, a camera function or a communication function already provided in the mobile phone.

That is, simply adding components such as a laser light emitting unit and a laser light receiving unit included in a conventional laser range finder (LRF) to the main body of the mobile phone terminal, which increases the size of the mobile phone terminal, inefficient manufacturing cost, etc. This will cause a problem to rise.

The present invention, for example, by producing a laser range finder (LRF) in the form of a module (Module), so that it can be easily connected to a portable terminal such as a smart phone (Smart Phone), and is already provided in the smart phone It is to provide a laser range finder which can efficiently improve the laser distance measuring function and user convenience through the interlocking action with the camera module or the communication module.

Laser distance measuring apparatus according to the present invention, the laser light emitting unit and the laser light receiving unit is provided with a laser distance measuring module; And a portable terminal connected to the laser distance measuring module, supplying power, and displaying a measurement distance from a target to which the laser is irradiated.

In addition, the laser distance measuring module and the portable terminal, characterized in that connected via the USB terminal or earphone jack,

The portable terminal may also be configured to supply power to a laser distance measuring module connected through a USB connection terminal, to transmit control data for controlling the laser distance measuring module, and to receive measurement data from the laser distance measuring module. Characterized in that,

In addition, the portable terminal is a smart phone equipped with a camera module and a communication module, characterized in that for downloading and updating an application program for controlling the operation of the laser distance measuring module, through the communication module,

The portable terminal may compensate for the measurement distance with the target by reflecting a physical distance error caused by the thickness of the laser distance measurement module.

In addition, the portable terminal is provided with a camera module, the laser distance measuring module and the camera module is operated together, so that the measurement distance with the laser irradiated target is displayed superimposed on the camera image of the target. ,

In addition, the portable terminal is provided with a communication module and transmits the camera image in which the measured distance is superimposed to the outside through the communication module or stored in a memory.

In addition, the camera image of the target, characterized in that the laser beam spot irradiated to the target and a mark indicating a specific position in the camera image is superimposed,

In addition, when the mark and the laser beam spot coincides, the distance measuring operation is automatically performed.

In addition, the camera image of the target, characterized in that the mark indicating the expected position of the laser irradiation on the target is superimposed,

The portable terminal is characterized in that when the mark indicating the expected position is fixed for a predetermined time or more, the laser distance measuring module is operated to emit a laser beam automatically.

Laser range finder according to the present invention, by using a small size laser distance measuring module (LRF Module) equipped with a laser light emitting unit and a laser light receiving unit, simply connected to a portable terminal such as a smart phone, such that the portable terminal is enlarged or product This can prevent prices from rising inefficiently.

In addition, the user's convenience can be improved by downloading and using the latest version of an application program for controlling the operation of the laser distance measuring module through a linkage action with a communication module already provided in the portable terminal.

In addition, through the interlocking action with the camera module already provided in the portable terminal, by displaying the measured distance value with the target superimposed on the camera image of the target, the user's desired distance to the target more conveniently selected and measured You can do it.

In addition, the camera image in which the measured distance value with the target is superimposed can be transmitted to the outside through a communication module. Furthermore, a mark indicating an expected position at which the laser is irradiated to the target is superimposed and displayed on the camera image. After that, if the mark is fixed for a predetermined time or more, the laser is automatically emitted at that time to measure the distance, thereby minimizing the laser emission time and efficiently using the limited battery power.

1 illustrates an embodiment of a conventional laser range finder,
2 and 3 illustrate an embodiment in which a laser range finder is additionally installed in a conventional mobile phone.
Figure 4 shows a first embodiment in which the laser distance measuring module according to the present invention is used to connect to a portable terminal,
Figure 5 shows a second embodiment in which the laser distance measuring module according to the present invention is used to connect to a portable terminal,
6 shows a configuration of an embodiment of a portable terminal to which the present invention is applied,
FIG. 7 illustrates an embodiment in which a message informing of entering a laser distance measuring mode is displayed on a screen of a portable terminal to which the present invention is applied;
8 illustrates an embodiment in which a camera image and a laser beam are superimposed on a screen of a portable terminal to which the present invention is applied.
9 is a side view of a portable terminal to which a laser distance measuring module according to the present invention is connected;
10 illustrates an embodiment in which an offset selection menu is displayed on a screen of a portable terminal to which the present invention is applied.
11 and 12 illustrate embodiments of a laser distance measuring process according to the present invention.
FIG. 13 illustrates an embodiment of a video frame and a distance measurement value stored in association according to the present invention.

Hereinafter, a preferred embodiment of a laser range finder according to the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings.

First, the laser range finder (LRF) according to the present invention easily connects a small size laser distance measuring module (LRF Module) equipped with a laser light emitting unit and a laser light receiving unit to various portable terminals such as a smart phone. Can be used.

For example, as shown in FIG. 4, as shown in FIG. 4, the laser distance measuring module 400 including the laser light emitting unit LD and the laser light receiving unit PD is connected to a smart phone 300. It can be easily connected to the USB connection terminal provided in the terminal.

In addition, the laser light emitting part LD and the laser light receiving part PD of the laser distance measuring module 400 are installed adjacent to the maximum contact position and face the same direction as the camera lens CAM of the smartphone.

Then, by horizontally matching the center of the camera lens (CAM) and the center of the laser light emitting unit (PD), the separation distance between the center position of the camera image photographing the target and the position of the laser beam irradiated to the target Let be minimum.

On the other hand, as a second embodiment of the present invention, as shown in FIG. 5, the smart phone 300 includes a laser distance measuring module 500 equipped with a laser light emitting part LD and a laser light receiving part PD. It can also be used by simply connecting to an earphone jack.

In addition, the laser light emitting part LD and the laser light receiving part PD of the laser distance measuring module 500 are installed adjacent to the maximum contact position and face the same direction as the camera lens CAM of the smartphone.

In addition, by vertically matching the center of the camera lens (CAM) and the center of the laser light emitting unit (LD), the separation distance between the center position of the camera image photographing the target and the position of the laser beam irradiated to the target Let be minimum.

Hereinafter, on the basis of the first embodiment of the present invention, the laser distance measuring module 400 and the camera module or the communication module of the smart phone 300 interoperate, thereby providing a laser distance measuring function and user convenience. Details on improving the efficiency will be described in detail.

FIG. 6 illustrates a configuration of an embodiment of a portable terminal to which the present invention is applied. For example, the smart phone 300 to which the present invention is applied includes a wireless communication unit 310 and an A / V input unit 320. The user input unit 330, the sensing unit 340, the output unit 350, the memory unit 360, the interface unit 370, the control unit 380, and the power supply unit 390 may be included. .

The wireless communication unit 310 may include a broadcast receiving module 311, a mobile communication module 212, a wireless internet module 313, a short range communication module 314, and a location information module 315. Can be.

The A / V input unit 320 may include a camera 321, a microphone 322, and the like, and the sensing unit 340 may include a self sensing sensor 341. The display module 351, the sound output module 352, the alarm unit 353, and the haptic module 354 may be included in the 350.

The interface unit 370 may include an earphone jack 371, a USB connection terminal 372, and the like, and the control unit 380 described above with reference to FIG. 4. As described above, when the laser distance measuring module 400 is connected through the USB connection terminal 372, the display module 351 is controlled to notify the entry of the laser distance measuring mode. .

For example, as illustrated in FIG. 7, the display module 351, in which a touch screen is mainly used, guides the entry of the laser distance measurement mode according to the operation control of the controller 380. Along with the message (eg LRF Mode), a menu button (eg YES / NO) for user selection may be displayed.

The control unit 380 controls the power supply unit 390 to supply power to the laser distance measuring module 400 and to control the operation of the laser distance measuring module 400. Data is transmitted through the USB connection terminal.

The controller 380 controls the laser distance measuring module as described above, and also controls the camera 321 included in the A / V input unit 330 to measure a target to be measured in real time. I will shoot.

For example, as shown in FIG. 8, the display module 351 may display a camera image of a target photographed by the camera 21 and a laser beam spot irradiated onto the target.

In addition, a mark indicating a specific position of the camera image, for example, a central portion of the camera image may be superimposed on the display module 351. For example, in the controller 380, the center of the mark may be displayed. It automatically captures the moment when the laser beam overlaps, and calculates the distance measurement value at that time, so that the user can easily select the desired target.

Meanwhile, as another embodiment of the present invention, the control unit 380 controls the display module 351 to display a mark on the center portion of the camera image, while the laser distance measuring module 400 is displayed. ) To prevent the laser beam from firing.

When the marks superimposed on the camera image as described above are fixed without moving at a specific target position for a predetermined time (for example, 2 seconds), the laser distance measuring module 400 is operatively controlled at that time, and the laser Allow the beam to fire automatically.

For example, by continuously monitoring the luminance component and the color component in a specific region of the camera image in which the marks are superimposed, and if there is no change over a predetermined time, the user determines that the desired target is selected, and then the laser beam is In addition to the automatic firing, the laser emission time can be minimized by calculating the distance measurement value, thereby enabling efficient use of limited battery power.

On the other hand, the laser distance measuring module 300 connected to the USB connection terminal 372 as described above, for example, as shown in Figure 9, can be made thicker than the side (Side) thickness of the smart phone Therefore, an offset of a predetermined interval may exist between the light emitting point of the laser beam recognized by the user and the light emitting point of the laser beam actually fired by the laser distance measuring module 400.

Therefore, in order to accurately measure the distance, the offset according to the thickness of the side surface of the laser distance measuring module 300 must be compensated. Therefore, in the controller 380, for example, as shown in FIG. 10. In addition, an operation control of the display module 351 is performed to display a menu item for offset selection. The menu item may be classified as a front item and a rear item. .

In addition, when the offset of the rear is selected, the controller 380 separates the rear surface of the laser distance measuring module 400 from the light emitting point of the laser beam, for example, as illustrated in FIG. 11. The rear offset value D1_Offset, which is set in advance as the distance, is added to the measured distance D_det actually measured (+) to compensate for the distance calculation value D1_cal = D_det + D1_offset.

On the other hand, when the offset of the front (Front) is selected, the control unit 380, for example, as shown in Figure 12, the distance between the front surface of the laser distance measuring module 400 and the light emitting point of the laser beam. The rear offset value D2_Offset preset as the distance is subtracted from the actually measured measurement distance D_det to compensate for the distance calculation value D2_cal = D_det-D2_offset.

Accordingly, the distance between the obstacle and the target may be more accurately calculated regardless of the physical error caused by the side thickness of the laser distance measuring module.

On the other hand, the controller 380, the distance measurement value with the target object measured through the above series of processes can be stored in association with the camera image, for example, as shown in FIG. In the volatile memory 360, a video frame of a camera image and text data, which is a distance measurement value, may be cooperatively stored as one file (eg, LRF # 1).

The video frame may capture and store a camera image in which at least one of a distance measurement value, a mark, and a laser beam spot are overlapped, and the text data is stored. Values indicating a date, a time, and a measurement distance may be included.

Meanwhile, the controller 380 controls the communication module, for example, the mobile communication module 312 included in the wireless communication unit 310, in response to a user's request, and stores the file stored in the memory 360. By transmitting any one or more of the form of video frames and text data to the outside, it is possible to share information with any third party remotely located.

In addition, the controller 380 controls the communication module included in the wireless communication unit 310, for example, the wireless internet module 313, and downloads the latest version of an application program provided by an arbitrary Internet server. In response, optimal operation control of the laser distance measuring module 400 may be automatically performed.

For example, when the laser distance measuring module 400 is connected through the USB connection terminal 372, the controller 380 supplies power and performs an initial interface operation to perform the laser distance measuring module ( Unique identification information (eg, product model number) assigned to 400 may be obtained.

In addition, the controller 380 refers to the acquired unique identification information, and determines whether the latest version of the corresponding application program is stored in the smart phone. As a result of the determination, the latest version is not stored. If not, the wireless Internet module 313 may be controlled to perform a series of operations of downloading and updating the latest version of the application program corresponding to the unique identification information after connecting to a specific Internet server.

Accordingly, the user can automatically download and update the latest version of the application program corresponding thereto by simply connecting the laser distance measuring module 400 to the USB connection terminal 372.

In addition, by simply placing a mark superimposed on the camera image on a specific target, laser firing and distance measurement can be performed automatically, thereby improving user convenience and efficiently using a limited amount of battery power. Will be.

For reference, since the distance measurement technology according to laser light emission and light reception is a well-known technology, a detailed description thereof has been omitted, and the above-described preferred embodiments of the present invention have been disclosed for the purpose of illustration. It will be apparent to those skilled in the art that other various embodiments may be improved, changed, replaced, or added to within the spirit and scope of the present invention disclosed in the appended claims.

300,500: smartphone 400: laser distance measuring module
310: wireless communication unit 320: AV input unit
330: User input unit 340: Sensing unit
350: output unit 360: memory
370: interface unit 380: control unit
390: power supply

Claims

A laser distance measuring module including a laser light emitter and a laser light receiver; And
And a portable terminal connected to the laser distance measuring module, supplying power, and displaying a measurement distance from a target to which the laser is irradiated.

The method according to claim 1,
The laser distance measuring module and the portable terminal are connected via a USB connection terminal or an earphone jack.

The method according to claim 1,
The portable terminal supplies power to the laser distance measuring module connected through the USB connection terminal,
Transmit control data for controlling the laser distance measuring module,
And receiving measurement data from the laser distance measuring module.

The method according to claim 1,
The portable terminal is a smart phone equipped with a camera module and a communication module,
And download and update an application program for operating and controlling the laser distance measuring module through the communication module.

The method according to claim 1,
The portable terminal reflects a physical distance error caused by the thickness of the laser distance measuring module, and compensates for the measurement distance with the target.

The method according to claim 1,
The portable terminal is provided with a camera module,
And controlling the laser distance measuring module and the camera module together to display the measurement distance with the laser irradiated target on the camera image of the target.

The method according to claim 6,
The portable terminal is provided with a communication module,
And a camera image in which the measured distances are overlapped are transmitted to the outside through the communication module or stored in a memory.

The method according to claim 6,
And a mark indicating a specific position within the camera image and a laser beam spot irradiated to the target are superimposed on the camera image of the target.

The method of claim 8,
And a distance measuring operation is automatically performed when the mark and the laser beam spot coincide with each other.

The method according to claim 6,
And a mark indicating an expected position at which the laser is irradiated onto the target is superimposed on the camera image of the target.

The method of claim 10,
And the portable terminal, when the mark indicating the expected position is fixed for a predetermined time or more, operates the laser distance measuring module to automatically emit a laser.