Denso Corporation

Shinji Kashiwada

Noriyuki Ozaki

Teiyu Kimura

Kenta Azuma

Hiroyuki Matsubara

Isamu Takai

Takehiro Hata

Hiroshi Ando

Mitsuhiro Kiyono

Takayuki Fujikawa

Kenichi Yanai

Kazuhisa Onda

Koji Nakamura

Masaru Kakizaki

Akifumi Ueno

Shigeyoshi Hiratsuka

Fumiaki Mizuno

Mitsuhiko Ohta

Akira Kamiya

Teiyuu Kimura

Nozomi Kitagawa

Junya Inada

Yoshihide Tachino

Nobuaki Kawahara

Naoyuki Aoki

Akira Takahashi

Kazuya Yasuda

Yoshio Shinoda

Tomoo Aoki

An optical detector is configured to project a projection beam toward a measurement area and detect a return beam from the measurement area. The optical detector includes: a projecting optical system that forms a projection optical axis to project the projection beam; a receiving optical system that forms a receiving optical axis to receive the return beam, and a housing having a housing chamber to house the projecting optical system and the receiving optical system, and an optical window for the projection beam and the return beam to travel between the housing chamber and the measurement area. The projection optical axis and the receiving optical axis are offset from each other to define an overlap region inside the housing chamber where footprints of the projection beam and the return beam overlap with each other.

Optical detector

An optical detector includes a light emitter having a light emitting window extended in an extension direction to emit a projection beam from the light emitting window toward a measurement area and to detect a return beam from the measurement area. The optical detector includes a scanning mirror that scans by reflecting the projection beam. The scanning mirror swings within a finite angular range around a rotation axis that is along a direction corresponding to the extension direction.

An optical distance measuring device includes: a light source unit that irradiates a measurement region with irradiation light; a light receiving unit that has a light receiving surface including a plurality of light receiving elements capable of receiving reflected light from a range including the measurement region corresponding to irradiation with the irradiation light and outputs a signal corresponding to a light receiving state of the reflected light for each of the light receiving elements; and a measurement unit that measures a distance to an object in the measurement region by using the signal outputted from the light receiving unit. The light receiving unit has a function of selecting a light receiving element that outputs the signal so that a light receiving position at which the reflected light is received is variable, and the light receiving unit changes the light receiving position to a plurality of positions with respect to a position of the reflected light.

Optical distance measuring device

An optical ranging device includes a light emitting section provided with a semiconductor laser element having a light emitting region whose length in a first direction is more than that in a second direction intersecting the first direction. The device measures the distance to an object based on the time from light emission from the light emitting section to reception of the light by a light receiving section. A plurality of light emitting regions may be provided in the light emitting section such that they are separated in the second direction and abut or partially overlap each other in the first direction so that the light emitting regions are continuous in the first direction.

Optical ranging device, laser light emitting device, and method for manufacturing the same

A light reception array unit receives light irradiated from an irradiation unit and reflected from an object, and outputs in parallel a pulse signal respectively output from a plurality of light reception units. A timer unit measures an elapsed time since an input of an irradiation timing signal. A response acquisition unit acquires a number of responses, which is a number of the light reception units outputting the pulse signal, at each fixed cycle timing, and outputs an adjusted number of responses obtained by subtracting a bias value from the number of responses or dividing the number of responses by the bias value. An address of a memory is associated with a timer value measured by the timer unit. A histogram generation unit integrates and stores, in a memory address specified from a timer value, the adjusted number of responses as data at that address.

Photodetector

An optical distance measurement apparatus that measures a distance using a round-trip time of light to an object includes an irradiator, a plurality of SPADs, a plurality of signal output units, a response number detector, a timing identifier, and a timing corrector. The response number detector detects a response number representing the number of responding one of the SPADs based on a pulse signal. The timing identifier identifies a temporary timing based on a state of variation in the response number along a time series and identifies a detection timing representing a timing when the optical distance measurement apparatus detects light in accordance with the temporary timing. The timing corrector acquires a correction time representing a time difference between the temporary timing and a true timing corresponding to a distance to an object and sets a timing corrected from the temporary timing by the correction time as the detection timing.

Distance measurement apparatus with detection timing correction

A light detector is provided to include a light receiving array having a plurality of light receivers respectively outputting pulse signals upon incidence of photons. A delay setting value is set which is used to adjust a time interval from when the pulse signals are output from the light receiving array to when a response number, which is a specified number of the light receivers outputting the pulse signals, is acquired.

Light detector comprising a time interval adjusting performance by a delay setting module

A photodetector includes plural detectors. Each of the plural detectors has a single photon avalanche diode (hereinafter referred to as SPAD) which responds to incidence of a photon. The plural detectors include at least a first detector and a second detector. The SPAD has a recovery time period until the SPAD reaches a next photon-responsive state, in response to the SPAD responding to the incidence of the photon. The recovery time period of the SPAD in the first detector is different from the recovery time period of the SPAD in the second detector.

Photodetector and distance measurement apparatus comprising plural single photon avalanche diodes with different recovery time periods

A photodetector includes: a photoreceptor provided with a SPAD that is configured to respond to incidence of a photon, and as the response of the SPAD, configured to output a pulse signal; and a pulse rate control circuit configured to control sensitivity of the photoreceptor to have a pulse rate as the number of pulse signals outputted per unit time from the photoreceptor to be a set value set in advance, (i) in a set range including the set value, (ii) in a set range of the set value or more, or (iii) in a set range of the set value or less.

A light detector is provided to include a detection module, and a monitoring SPAD. The detection module includes an SPAD that is an avalanche photodiode operable in Geiger mode; the detection module is configured to perform light detection by applying, to the SPAD, a reverse bias voltage in a reverse direction. The monitoring SPAD has characteristics identical to characteristics of the SPAD in the detection module. The reverse bias voltage is generated to be applied to the SPAD in the detection module based on (i) a reference breakdown voltage set from a breakdown voltage generated across the monitoring SPAD in Geiger mode and (ii) a predetermined excess voltage.

Light detector having monitoring single photon avalanche diode (SPAD)

A light detection device has light receiving parts, edge detection circuits and an addition unit. Each light receiving part has a quench resistance, a SPAD and a pulse signal output part. The SPAD responses incident photons, i.e. incident light. The quench resistance and pulse signal output part generate and transmit a pulse signal to a corresponding edge detection circuit when the SPAD receives and responds to the incident light. The edge detection circuits and the addition unit detects the number of edges during a period from a previously received CLK signal to a currently received CLK signal every time it receives a CLK signal transmitted at a predetermined period. The edge represents a state change from a first state which receives no pulse signal to a second state which receives the pulse signal.

Light detection device

An information display apparatus reflects light representing information off a projection target to display the information as a virtual image, and includes a projector, at least two image forming devices and a focus adjusting device. The projector projects the light representing information. The image forming devices, to which the light from the projector is projected, are on an optical path from the projector to the projection target. At least one of the image forming devices is at a distance from the projector different from that of other image forming devices. The focus adjusting device adjusts a focal length of one optical system on an optical path from the projector to each of the image forming devices such that the light from the projector is in focus at each of the image forming devices. An image of information on each of the image forming devices is reflected off the projection target.

Information display apparatus

A vehicle information display system includes a head-up display for reflecting an image on a windshield of a vehicle and displaying the image so that a driver recognizes the image as a virtual image. Information is collected for being displayed by the head-up display. A circumstance of the vehicle, a circumstance of surrounding of the vehicle, or a circumstance of the driver is detected. The collected information is classified in accordance with a detection result. Then, display contents of the head-up display are controlled in accordance with a classification result.

Vehicle information display system

In a head-up display device, when a preceding vehicle exists between a pre-movement information conveyor and a vehicle, the pre-movement information conveyor is moved to another position at which the pre-movement information conveyor is displayed as a recognizable post-movement information conveyor. Thus, the pre-movement information conveyor is removed from a state in which the pre-movement information conveyor is hidden behind the preceding vehicle, hence, becoming invisible. As a result, the incompatibility sense felt by the driver of the vehicle can be reduced and the information conveyor will be less overlooked.

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Kariya, Japan

Shinji Kashiwada