Panasonic Intellectual Property Management Co., Ltd.

Masato Takemoto

Shinzo Koyama

Motonori Ishii

Shigeru Saitou

Shota Yamada

Tsuyoshi Tanaka

Yutaka Hirose

Akihiro Odagawa

Shigetaka Kasuga

Susumu Fukushima

Akito Inoue

Hiroshi Koshida

Yusuke Fukushima

A voltage control system has a light receiving array part receiving incident light and a light shielding array part shielding light receiving elements from incident light by a light shielding mechanism. The voltage control system also includes: a voltage application unit applying a bias voltage to an anode terminal; a multiplication state determination unit determining the multiplication state of the light shielding array part based on output signals from cathodes of the light receiving elements in the light shielding array part; and a voltage setting unit performing voltage setting for the bias voltage to be output from the voltage application unit based on the determination results from the multiplication state determination unit.

Voltage control system

An imaging device includes: a solid-state imaging element having a plurality of pixel cells arranged in a matrix; and a signal processing part configured to process a detection signal outputted from each of the pixel cells. The pixel cells each include an avalanche photodiode and output a voltage corresponding to a count number of photons received by the avalanche photodiode as the detection signal. The signal processing part includes a variation calculation part configured to calculate a variation between the pixel cells in the detection signal outputted from each of the pixel cells, and a correction calculation part configured to correct the detection signal outputted from each of the pixel cells, on the basis of the variation calculated by the variation calculation part.

Imaging device

A distance measuring device is to be connected to a wave transmitter and a wave receiver. The distance measuring device includes a distance measuring unit, which calculates a distance to the target based on a time interval between transmission of a measuring wave from a wave transmitter and reception of the measuring wave at a wave receiver. The target may be present across a preceding distance range and a succeeding distance range which are continuous with each other and both of which belong to a plurality of distance ranges defined by dividing a measurable distance range. In such a situation, the distance measuring unit calculates the distance to the target based on respective amounts of a preceding wave received at the wave receiver over a period corresponding to the preceding distance range and a succeeding wave received at the wave receiver over a period corresponding to the succeeding distance range.

Distance measuring device, distance measuring system, distance measuring method, and program

A distance measurement device includes: an image capturer that captures N segmental images corresponding to N segmental distances into which a distance measurement range is divided; and a range image generator that generates a range image from the N segmental images. The range image generator determines: among segmental pixels included in the N segmental images, a segmental pixel having a maximum signal value from N segmental pixels at the same pixel position among pixel positions; a value indicating a segmental distance of the segmental pixel having the maximum signal value to be a distance value of the pixel position of the range image, when the maximum signal value is greater than or equal to a threshold; and a value indicating a value outside the distance measurement range to be the distance value of the pixel position of the range image, when the maximum signal value is less than the threshold.

Distance measurement device and image generation method

A distance measurement device includes: a light source configured to emit visible illumination light; an imaging element configured to receive reflected light of the illumination light from an object; and a signal processing circuit configured to reduce the emission of the illumination light in a predetermined period, detect a timing when the reception of the reflected light at the imaging element is reduced due to the reduction of the illumination light, and measure a distance to the object on the basis of the detected timing.

Distance measurement device

A distance measuring device includes a light emitter; a light receiver; a protection cover that is located on an optical path between the light emitter and the light receiver; a mode switch that switches between a first mode and a second mode; a distance calculator that calculates a distance from a target object based on a difference between a time when light is emitted from the light emitter and a time when reflected light is received by the light receiver in the first mode; and an LD light emission intensity adjuster that adjusts a light emission intensity of the light emitter. The adjustment is performed such that a light emission intensity of the light emitter in the second mode is lower than a light emission intensity of the light emitter in the first mode.

Distance measuring device

An image recognition device includes a light source that emits lighting pulses to a measurement space, a image generator that generates a distance image based on reflected light acquired by a light receiving element, a reflectivity calculator that calculates a correction coefficient corresponding to a reflectivity for each measurement section, and a lighting pulse controller that controls a number of lighting pulses emitted from the light source according to the correction coefficient for each measurement section.

Image recognition device and distance image generation method

Each of column signal lines is connected to two or more of P pixels belonging to one of Q pixel columns of pixels. In each of the pixels, a first switch switches connection and disconnection between a light receiver and a first charge storage. A second switch switches connection and disconnection between the first charge storage and a second charge storage. A third switch switches connection and disconnection between the first charge storage and one of column signal lines corresponding to the pixel. The fourth switch switches the connection and disconnection between the second charge storage and the one of the column signal lines corresponding to the pixel.

Solid-state imaging device, solid-state imaging system, and method of driving the solid-state imaging device

A distance measuring device includes a controller and a distance calculator. The controller sets, in a first time period, a first measurement time range corresponding to a first measurement distance range; causes a light emitter to emit light and places a light receiver into an exposure state, in the first measurement time range; sets, in a second time period, a second measurement time range corresponding to a second measurement distance range; and causes the light emitter to emit light and places the light receiver into an exposure state, in the second measurement time range. At least one measurement condition is different between the first and second time periods. The distance calculator calculates the distance from the distance measuring device to a measurement target, based on the time from the emission to the reflection of light. The time is in at least one of the first and second time periods.

A solid-state imaging device including a plurality of two-dimensionally arranged pixels is provided. The pixels each include a light receiving circuit that senses incident light having arrived at the light receiving element in a light exposure period, a counter circuit that counts the number of arrivals of the incident light based on the light reception signal from the light receiving circuit, a comparison circuit that outputs a comparison signal according to the count from the counter circuit, and a storage circuit that stores a time signal as a distance signal when the comparison signal from the comparison circuit is ON. Transistors included in the light receiving circuit, the counter circuit, the comparison circuit, and the storage circuit have the same conductivity type.

Solid-state imaging device

Heat-blocking filter is a heat-blocking filter to be installed in a window glass of a vehicle. The heat-blocking filter substantially transmits visible light and infrared light in a first wavelength range, and substantially blocks infrared light outside the first wavelength range.

Heat-blocking filter and monitoring system

A distance measurement device includes: a pulse light emitter that emits pulse light to a measurement target; an optical sensor that receives reflected light which is the pulse light reflected by the measurement target; and a controller that controls a light emission timing of the pulse light emitted by the pulse light emitter, and determines a distance to the measurement target, from a light reception timing of the reflected light detected by the optical sensor. The controller sets the light emission timing in each of N periods (N being a natural number less than K) selected randomly from continuous K periods (K being a natural number greater than or equal to 2) to a timing that is delayed by a random first time from a start time of the period.

An image recognition device includes: a luminance image generator and a distance image generator that generate a luminance image and a distance image, respectively, based on an image signal of an imaging target object output from a photoreceptor element; a target object recognition processor that extracts a target-object candidate from the luminance image using a machine learning database; and a three-dimensional object determination processor that uses the distance image to determine whether the extracted target-object candidate is a three-dimensional object. If it is determined that the target-object candidate is not a three-dimensional object, the target-object candidate extracted from the luminance image is prevented from being used, in the machine learning database, as image data for extracting a feature value of a target object.

Image recognition device

A plurality of pixels in a solid-state imaging device each include: a light receiving circuit that includes a light receiving element performing photoelectric conversion, sets, by an exposure signal, a photoelectric time for performing the photoelectric conversion, and outputs a light reception signal depending on whether or not incident light has reached the pixel within the photoelectric time; a counter circuit that counts, as a count value, the number of times the incident light has reached the pixel, based on the light reception signal; a comparison circuit that sets a value corresponding to the count value as a threshold, and sets a comparison signal to an on state in the case where the count value is greater than the threshold; and a storage circuit that stores, as a distance signal, a time signal when the comparison signal is in the on state.

Solid-state imaging device, distance measurement device, and distance measurement method

A projection image pickup device includes a pulsed-light emitter, an optical sensor, a reference timing generator that generates a signal indicating an operation reference timing, a controller, and a signal processor. The signal processor sets a differential signal between an output signal from the optical sensor in the second exposure period and an output signal from the optical sensor in the first exposure period as a first differential signal, sets a differential signal between an output signal from the optical sensor in the third exposure period and the output signal from the optical sensor in the first exposure period as a second differential signal, and outputs the sum total of at least two differential signals including the first differential signal and the second differential signal.

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Osaka, Japan

Masato Takemoto