Panasonic Intellectual Property Management Co., Ltd.

Panasonic Corporation

Nuvoton Technology Corporation Japan

Panasonic Semiconductor Solutions Co., Ltd.

Miraxia Edge Technology Corporation

Haruka Takano

Mitsuhiko Otani

Junichi Matsuo

Toshiya Fujii

Masaya Kishimoto

Shinzo Koyama

Seiji Nakamura

Shigeru Saitou

Masahiko Nishimoto

Shigeru Soga

Hiroshi Azakami

Takuya Asano

Tomohiko Kanemitsu

Makoto Yarino

Makoto Kawamura

Tomohito Nagata

Yuki Minami

Mayu Nishikawa

Junji Tokumoto

Yousuke Kimura

Nobutaka Nakamae

Wataru Matsumoto

Toru Yamada

Syoma Takahashi

A drive controller in a distance-measuring imaging device generates an exposure control signal having first to third exposure control pulses based on output timings of corresponding ones of emission control pulses. The difference between output starting time of the third exposure control pulse and output starting time of one of the emission control pulses is greater than the difference between output starting time of the second exposure control pulse and output starting time of one of the emission control pulses. The difference between output starting time of the second exposure control pulse and output starting time of one of the emission control pulses is greater than the difference between output starting of the first exposure control pulse and output starting time of one of the emission control pulses. The imager outputs first to third exposure signals indicating amounts of charge generated through exposure by the first to third control pulses.

Distance-measuring imaging device

A ranging device includes: a pulse generator; a controller that controls the pulse generator according to n (n is an integer greater than or equal to 4) types of packet generation codes indicating whether or not to expose or emit light in each of unit segments corresponding to distance segments into which a ranging range is divided; a light source; a solid-state image capturer; and a distance calculator that calculates the distance based on n types of signal values per unit segment obtained from the solid-state image capturer.

Ranging device and ranging method

A distance-measuring imaging device includes a light source that applies light according to timing of a light emission signal; a solid-state imager that performs, for an object, exposure according to timing of an exposure signal, and generates raw data corresponding to an exposure amount of the exposure; a signal amount comparator that determines a magnitude relationship in signal amount in the raw data; and a distance calculator that generates and outputs a distance signal based on a determination result. The solid-state imager accumulates, in each of different signal accumulation regions for accumulating signals detected in a same pixel, a signal by exposure in an exposure period that differs in exposure signal timing. The signal amount comparator determines the magnitude relationship between the signals accumulated in the signal accumulation regions. The distance calculator calculates the distance to the object using an arithmetic expression selected depending on the determination result.

Distance-measuring imaging device, distance measuring method of distance-measuring imaging device, and solid-state imaging device

An imaging device includes: a light source that applies light at a timing according to a light emission control signal; a light receiver that performs exposure to reflected light from an object at different timings according to an exposure control signal, and outputs exposure signals generated as a result of the exposure; a calculator that calculates a distance to the object; and a controller that outputs the light emission control signal and the exposure control signal for any of: modulating a length of a light emission period and an exposure period by increasing or decreasing the number of pulses of each of the light emission control signal and the exposure control signal; and modulating a repetition sequence of the light emission period and the exposure period while maintaining a phase relationship between the light emission control signal and the exposure control signal, randomly or in conformity with a specific rule.

Imaging device, and solid-state imaging element used for same

A distance-measuring imaging device includes: a drive controller that outputs a light emission signal and an exposure signal; a light source; a solid-state imager that performs exposure to reflected light; and a TOF calculator that calculates a distance to an object using an imaging signal. The drive controller: cyclically outputs a first exposure signal group in which, before an exposure period of one exposure signal ends, an exposure period of at least one other exposure signal starts; and outputs a second exposure signal group having a dead zone period during which all exposure signals are in a non-exposure period. The TOF calculator calculates a first distance value using a first imaging signal obtained according to the first exposure signal group, calculates a second distance value using a second imaging signal obtained according to the second exposure signal group, and calculates the distance based on the first and second distance values.

Distance-measuring imaging device and solid-state imaging device

In a distance measuring device, a drive controller generates an emission timing signal and an exposure timing signal in accordance with a measurement condition. A light source irradiates light in response to the emission timing signal. A solid-state image sensor has a group of pixels arranged in a matrix pattern and divided into a plurality of regions on a line-by-line basis, and performs an exposure process on a selected one of the regions in response to the exposure timing signal. An imaging signal processor obtains distance information by performing an arithmetic operation on a signal output from the solid-state image sensor. The drive controller generates mutually different measurement conditions to the plurality of the regions of the solid-state image sensor.

Distance measuring device and solid-state image sensor

A distance measuring device using a TOF (Time of Flight) scheme includes a controller, a light receiver, and a calculator. The controller generates a first exposure signal, a second exposure signal, a third exposure signal, and one particular exposure signal selected from the first, the second, and the third exposure signals. The light receiver performs a first exposing process, a second exposing process, a third exposing process, and a particular exposing process corresponding to the particular exposure signal out of the first, the second, and the third exposing processes. The calculator determines, based on a difference between an exposure amount obtained from the particular exposing process and an exposure amount obtained from an exposing process according to one of the first, second, and the third exposure signals corresponding to the particular exposure signal, whether or not the light emitted from the distance measuring device interferes with light emitted from other distance measuring device.

Distance measuring device and solid-state image sensor used therein

A distance-measuring/imaging apparatus having a high S/N and a high distance measurement accuracy is provided. The distance-measuring/imaging apparatus includes: a signal generation unit for generating an emission signal and exposure signal; a light source unit for performing light irradiation by receiving the emission signal; an imaging unit for performing exposure by receiving the exposure signal and for acquiring the exposure amount of the reflected light; and a calculation unit for calculating and outputting the distance information on the basis of the exposure amount. The imaging unit acquires a first exposure amount corresponding to the exposure in a first emission/exposure period, in which the exposure is performed by receiving the exposure signal simultaneously with a receiving timing of the emission signal. The imaging unit acquires a second exposure amount corresponding to the exposure in a second emission/exposure period, in which the exposure is performed by receiving the exposure signal after a lapse of a delay time from the receiving timing of the emission signal. The calculation unit calculates the distance information on the basis of the first exposure amount and second exposure amount that are acquired by changing the repeat count of the emission signal in the first emission/exposure period.

Distance-measuring/imaging apparatus, distance measuring method of the same, and solid imaging element

A TOF (time of flight) type distance measuring system of high accuracy is provided. The distance measuring system includes: a light source unit for emitting light at a timing indicated by an emission signal; a light receiving unit for acquiring RAW data for each pixel from an imaging sensor, by exposing the imaging sensor to the light reflected from an object at a timing indicated by an exposure signal; a TOF calculation unit for supplying a TOF signal indicating the distance from each pixel to the object that is calculated based on the RAW data; a detection unit for detecting the difference between a standard value and the TOF signal for a standard pixel on the imaging sensor, and generating a phase control signal and a fine adjustment signal in accordance with the difference; a correction unit for correcting the TOF signal on the basis of the fine adjustment signal, and outputting the correction result as distance information for each pixel; and a control unit for controlling the phase shift of at least one of the emission signal and the exposure signal on the basis of the phase control signal.

Distance measuring system and imaging sensor

A distance-measuring imaging device includes: a drive control unit; a light source unit; an image processing unit including light receiving units and charge reading units arranged one-to-one; and an image processing unit. The charge reading units are arranged partly at the left side of corresponding ones of the light receiving units and partly at the right side of corresponding ones of the same. In each of a period in which the exposure is performed when the exposure control signal is received after a first delay time since when the light emission control signal is received and a period in which the exposure is performed when the exposure control signal is received after a second delay time longer than the first delay time, since when the light emission control signal is received, the left-side charge reading units read charge leftward, and the right-side charge reading units read charge rightward.

Distance-measuring imaging device and solid state imaging element

In a ranging system using a TOF method, an unwanted reflected light component included in reflected light is reduced or removed. A light source unit emits light at the timing indicated by a light emission control signal and can adjust for each of at least two irradiation regions the amount of light to be emitted. A light receiving unit is exposed to light from a region including a target object and produces three-dimensional information from the total exposure amount. An image processing unit generates a distance image based on the three-dimensional information received from the light receiving unit. The light source unit emits light according to a radiation pattern indicated by a region light amount signal. The radiation pattern is setting of the amount of light to be emitted to each irradiation region.

Three-dimensional measuring device and three-dimensional measuring method

A demodulator of a video demodulation device includes an analog-to-digital converter converting an analog IF signal into a digital IF signal, a luminance gain adjuster performing gain adjustment of a luminance component included in the digital IF signal such that a maximum of the luminance component within a predetermined period becomes equal to a predetermined reference value, and a synchronization corrector receiving as input a result of the gain adjustment, correcting a signal corresponding to a signaling period of the horizontal synchronizing signal, and outputting the signal as a CVBS signal. The synchronization corrector outputs, as the CVBS signal, a composite signal containing the luminance component and a color component included in the gain adjustment result when the composite signal is smaller than the reference value, or the reference value when the composite signal is equal to or greater than the reference value.

Video demodulation device

Tap coefficients of an FIR filter are prevented from converging to wrong values. A waveform equalizer for performing waveform equalization of an input signal and outputting a waveform equalization result as an output signal includes: an FIR filter for performing a convolution operation between the input signal and a plurality of tap coefficients; an IIR filter for performing a convolution operation between the output signal and a plurality of tap coefficients; an adding section for adding an operation result of the FIR filter and an operation result of the IIR filter and outputting an addition result as the output signal; an error detecting section for detecting an error of the output signal; and a tap coefficient updating section for updating respective tap coefficients of the FIR filter and the IIR filter based on the error. The tap coefficient updating section sets a step size for updating the tap coefficients of the FIR filter to a value smaller than a step size for updating the tap coefficients of the IIR filter during a period from start of operation of the waveform equalizer until a predetermined condition is satisfied.

Waveform equalizer

A waveform equalizing device for performing high-precision waveform equalization for an input signal and outputting the result as an output signal, includes: a FIR filter for performing convolution operation between the input signal and a plurality of tap coefficients; first and second slicers at least one of which makes decision on the value of the output signal; a first delay device for imparting a delay to the output of the second slicer; an IIR filter; and an addition section for summing the output of the FIR filter and the output of the IIR filter and outputting the sum as the output signal. The IIR filter includes first and second delay portions for respectively receiving the outputs of the first slicer and the first delay device and imparting delays, and performs convolution operation between the signal received by the first delay portion and tap coefficients for the first delay portion and between the signal received by the second delay portion and tap coefficients for the second delay portion.

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Osaka, Japan

Haruka Takano