Electronic device and control method thereof

Abstract

An electronic device is provided. The electronic device includes a sensor, a first light source configured to illuminate a first light, a second light source configured to illuminate a second light in a different direction from the first light, and a processor configured to calculate a first distance between the electronic device and an object that reflects the first light and a second distance between the electronic device and an object that reflects the second light using different calculation methods based on first reflected light and second reflected light received by the sensor when the first light and the second light are reflected by the objects.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] This disclosure relates to an electronic device and a control method thereof. More specifically, this disclosure relates to an electronic device capable of sensing objects around the electronic device and a control method thereof. Background Technology

[0002] The development of electronic technology has driven the development of various electronic devices. In particular, electronic devices such as autonomous vehicles that drive on behalf of humans, automated guided vehicles that sort goods and deliver them to their destinations, and robotic cleaners that can clean while moving around the interior spaces of a house.

[0003] To avoid collisions with objects during operation, such electronic devices need to sense various objects surrounding them. For this purpose, electronic devices have been developed that incorporate sensors (e.g., image sensors or LiDAR sensors) capable of sensing objects around the electronic device using multiple light sources.

[0004] Electronic devices employing related technologies with multiple light-based sensors emit multiple lights from multiple light sources and identify different objects at different locations when multiple reflected lights are received by the sensors. However, the multiple reflected lights could be light reflected from a single object, rather than light reflected from different objects. In the latter case, even if only one object actually exists around the electronic device, the related technology's electronic devices have the problem of recognizing the appearance of multiple objects.

[0005] The above information is presented as background information only to aid in understanding this disclosure. No determination or assertion is made regarding whether any of the above content is applicable as prior art to this disclosure. Summary of the Invention

[0006] Technical issues

[0007] This disclosure provides an electronic device and its control method capable of identifying whether multiple reflected lights received at a sensor are reflected by a single object or by multiple objects.

[0008] Technical solution

[0009] Other aspects will be set forth in part in the description which follows, and in part will be apparent from the description or may be learned by practicing the presented embodiments.

[0010] According to one aspect of this disclosure, a method for controlling an electronic device is provided. The method includes illuminating a first light with a first light source and illuminating a second light with a second light source in a direction different from the first light; and calculating, using different calculation methods, a first distance between the electronic device and an object reflecting the first light and a second distance between the electronic device and an object reflecting the second light, based on first reflected light and second reflected light received by sensors when the first light and the second light are reflected by objects.

[0011] According to another aspect of this disclosure, a sensor is provided. The sensor includes a plurality of pixels, a first light source configured to illuminate a first light, a second light source configured to illuminate a second light in a direction different from the first light, and a processor configured to calculate, using different calculation methods, a first distance between an electronic device and an object reflecting the first light and a second distance between an electronic device and an object reflecting the second light, based on receiving first reflected light and second reflected light at the plurality of pixels when the first light and the second light are reflected by an object.

[0012] Other aspects, advantages, and distinctive features of this disclosure will become apparent to those skilled in the art from the following detailed description of various embodiments disclosed in conjunction with the accompanying drawings.

[0013] Beneficial effects

[0014] According to the various embodiments described above, an electronic device and its control method are provided that are capable of identifying whether multiple reflected lights received at a sensor are reflected by a single object or by multiple objects. Attached Figure Description

[0015] The above and other aspects, features and advantages of certain embodiments of this disclosure will become more apparent from the following description taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings, wherein:

[0016] Figure 1a This is a diagram illustrating an electronic device according to an embodiment of the present disclosure;

[0017] Figure 1b This is a diagram illustrating a sensor according to an embodiment of the present disclosure;

[0018] Figure 1c This is a diagram illustrating a sensor receiving a plurality of reflected light according to an embodiment of the present disclosure;

[0019] Figure 2 This is a block diagram illustrating an electronic device according to an embodiment of the present disclosure;

[0020] Figure 3 This is a diagram illustrating a sensor according to an embodiment of the present disclosure;

[0021] Figure 4a This is a diagram illustrating the reception of reflected light from a first light source according to an embodiment of the present disclosure;

[0022] Figure 4b This is a diagram illustrating a sensor that receives reflected light from a first light source according to an embodiment of the present disclosure;

[0023] Figure 4c This is a diagram illustrating a method for calculating the distance between an electronic device and an object based on reflected light from a first light source, according to an embodiment of the present disclosure;

[0024] Figure 5a This is a diagram illustrating the reception of reflected light from a second light source according to an embodiment of the present disclosure;

[0025] Figure 5b This is a diagram illustrating a sensor that receives reflected light from a second light source according to an embodiment of the present disclosure;

[0026] Figure 5c This is a diagram illustrating a method for calculating the distance between an electronic device and an object based on reflected light from a second light source, according to an embodiment of the present disclosure;

[0027] Figure 6a This is a diagram illustrating a sensor receiving a plurality of reflected light in a second region according to an embodiment of the present disclosure;

[0028] Figure 6b This is a diagram illustrating multiple objects located in an area where the objects can be sensed by a second light source, according to an embodiment of the present disclosure;

[0029] Figure 6c This is a diagram illustrating an object according to an embodiment of the present disclosure located in an area where the object can be sensed by a second light source;

[0030] Figure 7 This is a block diagram illustrating a sensor according to an embodiment of the present disclosure;

[0031] Figure 8a This is a diagram illustrating an embodiment of light with different patterns illuminated by multiple light sources according to an embodiment of the present disclosure;

[0032] Figure 8b This is a diagram illustrating a sensor that receives multiple patterns of light according to an embodiment of the present disclosure;

[0033] Figure 9a This is a diagram illustrating an embodiment of light of thickness illuminated by multiple light sources according to an embodiment of the present disclosure;

[0034] Figure 9b This is a diagram illustrating a sensor that receives multiple light sources of different thicknesses according to an embodiment of the present disclosure;

[0035] Figure 10 This is a diagram illustrating an embodiment of using information about the thickness of the reflected light to identify the reflected light of a first light source and a second light source according to an embodiment of the present disclosure;

[0036] Figure 11 This is a diagram illustrating an embodiment of periodic identification of reflected light from a first light source and reflected light from a second light source according to an embodiment of the present disclosure;

[0037] Figure 12 This is a flowchart illustrating a method for controlling an electronic device according to an embodiment of the present disclosure;

[0038] Figure 13 This is a flowchart illustrating a method for controlling a sensor according to embodiments of the present disclosure; and

[0039] Figure 14 This is a detailed block diagram illustrating an electronic device according to an embodiment of the present disclosure.

[0040] Throughout the accompanying drawings, the same reference numerals are used to denote the same elements. Detailed Implementation

[0041] The following description, provided with reference to the accompanying drawings, is intended to aid in a full understanding of the various embodiments of this disclosure as defined by the claims and their equivalents. It includes various specific details to aid understanding, but these are to be considered exemplary only. Therefore, those skilled in the art will recognize that various changes and modifications can be made to the various embodiments described herein without departing from the scope and spirit of this disclosure. Furthermore, for clarity and brevity, descriptions of well-known functions and structures may be omitted.

[0042] The terms and words used in the following description and claims are not limited to their literal meaning, but are used by the inventors only to enable a clear and consistent understanding of this disclosure. Therefore, it will be apparent to those skilled in the art that the following description providing various embodiments of this disclosure is for illustrative purposes only and is not intended to limit the purpose of this disclosure as defined by the appended claims and their equivalents.

[0043] It should be understood that, unless the context clearly specifies otherwise, the singular forms “a,” “an,” and “the” include plural indicators. Thus, for example, a reference to “component surface” includes a reference to one or more such surfaces.

[0044] When it is determined that a detailed description of known techniques related to this disclosure may unnecessarily obscure the spirit of this disclosure, the detailed description of known techniques may be shortened or omitted.

[0045] Various exemplary embodiments will now be described in more detail with reference to the accompanying drawings; however, it should be understood that this disclosure is not limited to the various exemplary embodiments described herein.

[0046] In the following description, embodiments will be described in more detail with reference to the accompanying drawings.

[0047] This disclosure provides an electronic device and a control method thereof capable of identifying whether multiple reflected lights received at a sensor are reflected by a single object or by multiple objects.

[0048] Figure 1a This is a diagram illustrating an electronic device according to an embodiment of the present disclosure.

[0049] Figure 1b This is a diagram illustrating a sensor according to an embodiment of the present disclosure.

[0050] Reference Figure 1a and Figure 1b The electronic device 100 according to embodiments of this disclosure can be a portable electronic device. As an example, the electronic device 100 can be an autonomous vehicle that performs driving on behalf of a person, an automated guided vehicle capable of moving goods to a destination, or a robotic cleaner capable of performing cleaning operations while moving through a space in a house. However, the embodiments are not limited to these, and the electronic device 100 can be implemented using various electronic devices, such as a robot capable of performing air purification operations while moving through a building's space, a housekeeping support robot capable of performing tasks (such as laundry, washing dishes, etc.) while moving through a house's space, or a security robot capable of performing guard duties while moving through a building's space, etc.

[0051] The electronic device 100 can be illuminated by multiple light sources. The light illuminated by each light source can be, for example, a fan-shaped planar light, but the embodiment is not limited to this and can be of various forms.

[0052] Reference Figure 1a The electronic device 100 can be illuminated by a first light source 110 to emit a first light 111, and by a second light source 120 to emit a second light 121. The first light source 110 can illuminate the first light 111 in a frontal direction of the electronic device 100, and the second light source 120 can illuminate the second light 121 in a downward direction at a predetermined angle from the frontal direction of the electronic device 100. In one example, the second light source 120 can illuminate the second light in a downward direction at a 30-degree angle from the frontal direction.

[0053] like Figure 1a As shown, the second light source 120 can be located below the first light source 110. The first light source 110 and the second light source 120 can be positioned at the same height on the left or right side.

[0054] Figure 1a Two light sources are shown, but this is only one embodiment, and the number of light sources is not limited thereto. Electronic device 100 may include three or more light sources. Electronic device 100 may also include one light source. In this example, electronic device 100 may illuminate two or more lights by including a beam splitter in the light source. In one example, when two lights are illuminated by the beam splitter, a first light of the two lights may be illuminated in a forward direction from electronic device 100, and a second light may be illuminated in a downward direction at a predetermined angle from the forward direction of electronic device 100.

[0055] For ease of description, assume that electronic device 100 includes two light sources.

[0056] When the first light 111, illuminated by the first light source 110, and the second light 121, illuminated by the second light source 120, are reflected by an object, the sensor 130 of the electronic device 100 can receive the first reflected light and the second reflected light. The first reflected light can be light reflected by the object, and the second reflected light can also be light reflected by the object. For example, refer to... Figure 1a The sensor 130 can receive the first reflected light 112 when the first light 111 is reflected by the first object 10, and can receive the second reflected light 122 when the second light 121 is reflected by the second object 20. For ease of description, refer to... Figure 1a Light emanating from a light source is shown in solid lines, and reflected light reflected from an object is shown in dashed lines, but the shape of the reflected light depends on the type of light.

[0057] The sensor 130 can be implemented as an image sensor including multiple pixels.

[0058] Reference Figure 1b Sensor 130 can be implemented using an image sensor comprising multiple pixels. The multiple pixels can be arranged in a matrix, and the aspect ratio of the multiple pixels can be 2:1, such as... Figure 1b As shown, but not necessarily limited to this.

[0059] Figure 1c This is a diagram illustrating a sensor that receives multiple reflected lights according to an embodiment of the present disclosure.

[0060] Reference Figure 1a When the first light 111 is reflected by the first object 10 and the second light 121 is reflected by the second object 20, the sensor 130 can receive the first reflected light 121 and the second reflected light 122, such as... Figure 1cAs shown. In this example, the electronic device 100 can calculate the distance from the first light source 110 to the first object 10 based on the position of the pixel receiving the first reflected light 121 among a plurality of pixels included in the sensor 130, and can calculate the distance from the second light source 120 to the second object 20 based on the position of the pixel receiving the second reflected light 122. This will refer to Figure 2 Detailed description.

[0061] Figure 2 This is a block diagram illustrating an electronic device according to an embodiment of the present disclosure.

[0062] Figure 3 This is a diagram illustrating a sensor according to an embodiment of the present disclosure.

[0063] Reference Figure 2 The electronic device 100 includes a first light source 110, a second light source 120, a sensor 130, and a processor 140.

[0064] The first light source 110 can illuminate the first light 111. The first light source 110 can illuminate the first light in a direction in front of the electronic device 100. The processor 140 can identify objects located away from the electronic device 100 and / or nearby objects based on the first reflected light of the first light.

[0065] The second light source 120 can illuminate the second light in a different direction than the first light. The first light source 110 can illuminate the first light in a frontal direction of the electronic device 100, and the second light source 120 can illuminate the second light in a downward direction at a predetermined angle from the frontal direction of the electronic device 100. In one example, the second light source 120 can illuminate the second light in a downward direction at 30 degrees from the frontal direction, but is not necessarily limited to this. As described below, the processor 140 can identify objects located close to the electronic device 100 based on the second reflected light of the second light.

[0066] The first light source 110 and the second light source 120 can be implemented as various light sources capable of illuminating light (such as laser diodes, line lasers, etc.).

[0067] Sensor 130 may be located above the first light source 110. Sensor 130 may receive reflected light from light illuminating an object. Sensor 130 may receive first reflected light when first light illuminating the first light source 110 is reflected by the object, and may receive second reflected light when second light illuminating the second light source 120 is reflected by the object.

[0068] As described above, sensor 130 can be implemented as an image sensor comprising a plurality of pixels arranged in a matrix. The plurality of pixels can be arranged in the form of M×M or M×N, where M and N are integers. For example, refer to... Figure 3Sensor 130 may include 200 pixels, and these 200 pixels may be arranged in ten rows and twenty columns, but are not necessarily limited thereto. However, for ease of description, it is assumed that sensor 130 is arranged in ten rows and twenty columns, as follows: Figure 3 As shown.

[0069] When reflected light is received from sensor 130, sensor 130 can sense pixels among a plurality of pixels that have received reflected light. Specifically, sensor 130 can sense pixels among a plurality of pixels that have received reflected light as pixels with a brightness greater than or equal to a predetermined brightness value. The predetermined brightness value can be set differently depending on the brightness value of the light irradiated by the light source.

[0070] Reference Figure 3 The multiple pixels included in the sensor 130 can be divided into pixels in a first region and pixels in a second region. The first region is used to calculate the distance from the electronic device 100 to an object located at a certain distance from the electronic device 100, and the second region can be used to calculate the distance from the electronic device 100 to an object located at a close distance from the electronic device 100.

[0071] Multiple pixels can be divided into pixels in a first region and pixels in a second region based on pixels in a predetermined row. For example, if the predetermined row is row 3, pixels included in the lower rows of row 3 (including row 3) can be divided into pixels in the second region, and pixels included in the higher rows of row 3 (i.e., rows 4 to 10) can be divided into pixels in the first region.

[0072] A predetermined row can be determined based on the position of the reflected light from the second light source 120 that can be received at the sensor 130. For example, if the reflected light from the second light source 120 can be received only in the pixels included in rows 1 to 3 of the plurality of pixels included in the sensor 130, then row 3 can be the predetermined row. The position of the reflected light from the second light source 120 that can be received in the sensor 130 can vary depending on the embodiment, based on the illumination angle of the second light source 120, the angle at which the sensor 130 is tilted in the ground direction, etc.

[0073] Processor 140 controls the overall operation of electronic device 100. Processor 140 may include, for example, but not limited to, one or more of a central processing unit (CPU), application processor (AP), communication processor (CP), etc. Processor 140 may be implemented as at least one of a general-purpose processor, digital signal processor, application-specific integrated circuit (ASIC), system-on-a-chip (SoC), microcomputer (MICOM), etc.

[0074] The processor 140 can control the first light source 110 to illuminate the first light and control the second light source 120 to illuminate the second light. In this example, when the first light illuminated by the first light source 110 is reflected by an object, the sensor 130 can receive the first reflected light, and if the second light illuminated by the second light source 120 is reflected by an object, the sensor 130 can receive the second reflected light.

[0075] The processor 140 can receive information from the sensor 130 regarding the positions of pixels among a plurality of pixels included in the sensor 130 that receive a first reflected light and the positions of pixels that receive a second reflected light. When the first and second reflected light are received, the sensor 130 can sense the brightness of the plurality of pixels included in the sensor 130. The sensor 130 can sense pixels among the plurality of pixels that have a brightness greater than or equal to a predetermined brightness value as pixels that receive the first reflected light and pixels that receive the second reflected light, and can send information regarding the positions of the pixels receiving the first and second reflected light to the processor 140. For example, as... Figure 3 As shown, when the first reflected light 112 is received at column 8-12 of row 7 and the second reflected light 122 is received at column 8-12 of row 2, the sensor 130 can send the information of receiving the first reflected light 112 at column 8-12 of row 7 and the information of receiving the second reflected light 122 at column 8-12 of row 2 to the processor.

[0076] Processor 140 can determine (or identify) whether the location of a pixel receiving first reflected light 112 is included in a first region or a second region. Processor 140 can determine whether the location of a pixel receiving second reflected light 122 is included in a first region or a second region. In one example, when processor 140 receives information from sensor 130 that first reflected light 112 has been received at columns 8-12 of row 7, since the row where first reflected light 112 is received is row 7, which is higher than row 3, which is a predetermined lower row, it is determined that first reflected light 112 has been received in the first region. When processor 140 receives information from sensor 130 that second reflected light 122 has been received at columns 8-12 of row 2, processor 140 can determine that second reflected light 122 has been received in the second region because the row where second reflected light 122 is received is a row lower than row 3, which is a predetermined lower row.

[0077] The processor 140 can identify the first reflected light 112 included in the first region as reflected light of the first light, and can identify the second reflected light 122 included in the second region as reflected light of the second light. For example, as Figure 1aAs shown, when the first light 111 is reflected by the first object 10 and the second light 121 is reflected by the second object 20, if the sensor 130 receives the first reflected light 112 and the second reflected light 122 as shown... Figure 3 As shown, the processor 140 can identify the first reflected light 112 included in the first region as reflected light of the first light source, and can identify the second reflected light 122 included in the second region as reflected light of the second light source. This is because, as described above, the first region is a region that may not receive reflected light from the second light source 120.

[0078] The first and second reflected light can be received in the second region. This will refer to... Figures 6a to 6c Describe it.

[0079] When the first reflected light 112 of the first light 111 is identified, the processor 140 can use a first algorithm to calculate the distance from the first light source 110 to the first object 10 reflecting the first light 111. When the processor 140 identifies the second reflected light 122 of the second light 121, the processor 140 can use a second algorithm to calculate the distance from the second light source 120 to the second object 20 reflecting the second light 121. The processor 140 can use different calculation schemes to calculate the first distance from the object reflecting the first light 111 to the electronic device 100 and the second distance from the object reflecting the second light 121 to the electronic device 100. In the following, for convenience, an example in which only the first reflected light 112 is received at the sensor 130, and an example in which only the second reflected light 122 is received at the sensor 130, will be used to describe the method for calculating the distance between the electronic device 100 and the object.

[0080] Figure 4a This is a diagram illustrating the reception of reflected light from a first light source according to an embodiment of the present disclosure.

[0081] Figure 4b This is a diagram illustrating a sensor that receives reflected light from a first light source according to an embodiment of the present disclosure.

[0082] Figure 4c This is a diagram illustrating a method for calculating the distance between an electronic device and an object based on reflected light from a first light source, according to an embodiment of the present disclosure.

[0083] Reference Figure 4aWhen the first light 111, illuminated by the first light source 110, is reflected by the first object 10, the sensor 130 can receive the first reflected light 112. In this example, when the first reflected light 112 is received, the sensor 130 can sense the brightness of a plurality of pixels included in the sensor 130. The sensor 130 can sense pixels among the plurality of pixels that have a brightness greater than or equal to a predetermined brightness value as pixels receiving the first reflected light 112, and send the position of the pixel receiving the first reflected light 112 to the processor 140. For example, as Figure 4b As shown, sensor 130 can send information about receiving the first reflected light 112 at columns 8-12 of row 7 to processor 140.

[0084] Therefore, processor 140 can determine whether the location of the pixel that received the first reflected light 112 is included in the first region or the second region. In one example, when processor 140 receives information from sensor 130 that the first reflected light 112 has been received from sensor 130 in columns 8-12 of row 7, since row 7 is the row where the first reflected light 112 was received, and row 7 is higher than row 3 which is a predetermined row, processor 140 can determine that the first reflected light 112 was received in the first region.

[0085] The processor 140 can identify the first reflected light 112 included in the first region as reflected light of the first light. For example, as Figure 1a As shown, when the first light 111 is reflected by the first object 10, when the sensor 130 receives the first reflected light 112, as... Figure 4b As shown, the processor 140 can identify the first reflected light 112 included in the first region as reflected light of the first light source. This is because, as described above, the first region is a region that may not receive reflected light from the second light source 120.

[0086] If the first reflected light 112 of the first light 111 is identified, the processor 140 can use the first algorithm to calculate the distance from the first light source 110 to the first object 10 that reflects the first light 111.

[0087] Processor 140 may determine a first angle based on the position of the pixel row that received the first reflected light 112. Processor 140 may determine the first angle by multiplying the row value of the pixel that received the first reflected light 112 by the angle per pixel in the column. For example, as... Figure 4b As shown, if the first reflected light 112 is received at the pixel of row 7, and the angle of each pixel in the column is 8 degrees, then the processor 140 can determine 56 degrees as the first angle.

[0088] The angle of each pixel in a column can be determined based on the angular range of sensor 130 and the number of rows forming the plurality of pixels included in sensor 130. The angle of each pixel in a column can be the angle value of sensor 130 divided by the number of rows forming the plurality of pixels. For example, if the angular range of sensor 130 is 80 degrees (e.g., in…), Figure 4c In the case where the viewing angle of sensor 130 is the angle between imaginary lines h1 and h2, and includes multiple pixels in sensor 130 such as Figure 4b The images are arranged in ten rows, and the angle of each pixel in a column can be eight degrees. The viewing angle of sensor 130 can vary depending on the type of lens included in sensor 130, etc.

[0089] The determined first angle can be the angle formed by the line connecting the point (z) where the first light 111 is reflected by the first object 10 and the virtual line h1 according to the minimum angle in the field of view of the sensor 130.

[0090] The processor 140 can use the following equation to calculate the distance between the first light source 110 and the first object 10 that reflects the first light 111.

[0091] y = r1 × tan(a + b)

[0092] Where y is the distance from the first light source 110 to the first object 10, and a is the aforementioned first angle. Here, r1 is the distance between the first light source 110 and the sensor 130, and b is the mounting angle of the sensor 130. The distance r1 between the first light source 110 and the sensor 130 and the mounting angle b of the sensor 130 can be preset in the electronic device 100. The distance r1 and the angle b can be set during the product manufacturing stage, but can be set in different ways according to user operation. When the sensor 130 is mounted such that a virtual line based on the minimum angle in the field of view of the sensor 130 is perpendicular to the ground, the angle b can be zero.

[0093] Figure 5a This is a diagram illustrating the reception of reflected light from a second light source according to an embodiment of the present disclosure.

[0094] Figure 5b This is a diagram illustrating a sensor that receives reflected light from a second light source according to an embodiment of the present disclosure.

[0095] Figure 5c This is a diagram illustrating a method for calculating the distance between an electronic device and an object based on reflected light from a second light source, according to an embodiment of the present disclosure.

[0096] Reference Figure 5aWhen the second light 121, illuminated by the second light source 120, is reflected by the second object 20, the sensor 130 can receive the second reflected light 122. In this example, upon receiving the second reflected light 122, the sensor 130 can sense the brightness of a plurality of pixels included in the sensor 130. The sensor 130 can sense pixels among the plurality of pixels that have a brightness greater than or equal to a predetermined brightness value as pixels that have received the second reflected light 122, and send the position of the pixel that received the second reflected light 122 to the processor 140.

[0097] Reference Figure 5b Sensor 130 can send the information that the second reflected light 122 has been received at column 8-12 of row 2 to processor 140.

[0098] Therefore, the processor 140 can determine whether the location of the pixel receiving the second reflected light 122 is included in the first region or the second region. For example, when the processor 140 receives information from the sensor 130 that the second reflected light 122 has been received from the sensor 130, the processor 140 can determine that the second reflected light 122 was received in the second region because the row in which the second reflected light 122 was received is row 2, which is lower than the predetermined row 3.

[0099] The processor 140 can identify the second reflected light 122 included in the second region as reflected light of the second light. For example, when... Figure 1a When the second light 121 shown is reflected by the second object 20, as shown... Figure 5b When the second reflected light 122 is received in the second region of the sensor 130, the processor 140 can identify the second reflected light 122 included in the second region as the reflected light of the second light.

[0100] When the second reflected light 122 of the second light 121 is identified, the processor 140 can use the second algorithm to calculate the distance from the second light source 120 to the second object 20 that reflects the second light 121.

[0101] Processor 140 can determine the second angle based on the position of the pixel row receiving the second reflected light 122. Processor 140 can determine the second angle as a value obtained by multiplying the row value of the pixels receiving the second reflected light 122 by the angle per pixel in the column. For example, as... Figure 5b As shown, if the second reflected light 122 is received at the pixel of row 2, and the angle of each pixel in the column is 8 degrees, then the processor 140 can determine 16 degrees as the second angle.

[0102] Reference Figure 5cThe second angle determined by the second object 20 can be an angle formed by a line connecting the point z2 reflected by the second object 20 and the sensor 130 and a virtual line h1 according to the minimum angle in the field of view of the sensor 130.

[0103] The processor 140 can use the following equation to calculate the distance between the second light source 120 and the second object 20 that reflects the second light 121:

[0104] y=r2×tan(a+b)×tan(c) / (tan(c)-tan(a+b))

[0105] This equation can be obtained by combining equations 1 and 2.

[0106] y=(r2+r3)×tan(a+b)…Equation 1

[0107] y = r³ × tan(c)... Equation 2

[0108] Here, y is the distance from the second light source 120 to the second object 20, and a is the aforementioned second angle. r2 is the distance between the second light source 110 and the sensor 130, b is the mounting angle of the sensor 130, c is the illumination angle of the second light source 120, and r3 is the distance on the vertical axis between the second light source 120 and the point z2 where the second light 121 is reflected by the second object 20. The distance r2 between the second light source 120 and the sensor 130, the mounting angle b of the sensor 130, and the illumination angle c of the second light source 120 can be preset in the electronic device 100. The distance r1, angle b, and angle c can be set during product manufacturing operations, but can be set differently according to user operations without limitation. When the sensor 130 is mounted such that a virtual line based on the minimum angle in the field of view of the sensor 130 is established in a direction perpendicular to the ground, the angle b can be zero.

[0109] A method for calculating the distance between electronic device 100 and an object is described, considering both the case of receiving reflected light in a first region and the case of receiving reflected light in a second region of sensor 130. This technical concept can be applied even when multiple reflected lights are received at sensor 130, such as... Figure 3 As shown. Processor 140 can calculate the distance between electronic device 100 and object by applying a first algorithm to first reflected light 112 received in a first region, and can calculate the distance between electronic device 100 and object by applying a second algorithm to second reflected light 122 received in a second region. As described above, by dividing the region to calculate the distance between electronic device 100 and object, the distance between electronic device 100 and object can be accurately calculated even when multiple reflected lights are received at sensor 130.

[0110] According to an embodiment, first reflected light and second reflected light can be received in the second region. This will refer to... Figures 6a to 6c Describe it.

[0111] Figure 6a This is a diagram illustrating a sensor receiving multiple reflected light in a second region according to an embodiment of the present disclosure.

[0112] Figure 6b This is a diagram illustrating multiple objects located in areas where the objects can be sensed by a second light source, according to embodiments of the present disclosure.

[0113] Figure 6c This is a diagram illustrating an object according to an embodiment of the present disclosure located in an area where the object can be sensed by a second light source.

[0114] Reference Figure 6a The sensor 130 can receive the first reflected light 612 and the second reflected light 622 in the second region.

[0115] This could be as follows Figure 6b Or such as Figure 6c One of the situations shown, in which, Figure 6b In the case where the first object 10, having a size reachable by light irradiated by the first light source 110, or the second object 20, having a size reachable by light irradiated by the second light source 120, is within a distance d (i.e., within the range where light irradiated by the second light source 120 can reach the ground), in Figure 6c In this case, the third object 30, which has a size that can be reached by light irradiated by the first light source 110 and light irradiated by the second light source 120, is within a distance d.

[0116] In the latter case, if the distance is calculated by applying the second algorithm to each of the first reflected light 612 and the second reflected light 622 based on the reflected light received in the second region, the electronic device can identify that the first object 10 and the second object 20 exist in different locations. Therefore, when multiple reflected lights are received in the second region, it is necessary to distinguish whether the multiple reflected lights are reflected by one object or by multiple objects.

[0117] The processor 140 can identify the reflected light of the first light 611 and the reflected light of the second light 621 in the first reflected light 612 and the second reflected light 622 received in the second region. The processor 140 can identify the first reflected light 612 received at a pixel in a relatively higher row among a plurality of pixels receiving the first reflected light 612 and the second reflected light 622 as the reflected light of the first light 611, and can identify the second reflected light 622 received at a pixel in a relatively lower row as the reflected light of the second light 621. This is because, by arranging the geometry of the first light source 110 in the vertical direction of the second light source 120, the reflected light of the first light 611 can be received at pixels in a relatively lower row, and the reflected light of the second light 621 can also be received at pixels in a relatively lower row.

[0118] Processor 140 can calculate a first distance by applying the first algorithm described above to the first reflected light 612 reflected by the first light 611. Processor 140 can determine a first angle based on the position of the pixel row receiving the first reflected light 612, and apply the first algorithm to the first angle, the mounting angle of sensor 130, and the distance from the first light source 110 to sensor 130 to calculate the first distance. For example, as... Figure 6a As shown, if the first reflected light 612 is received at the pixel of row 3 and the angle of each pixel in the column is 8 degrees, then the processor 140 can determine 24 degrees as the first angle.

[0119] The equation for calculating the first distance is as follows:

[0120] y1 = r1 × tan(a + b)

[0121] Here, y1 is the first distance, which is the distance from the first light source 110 to the object reflecting the first light; a is the aforementioned first angle; r1 is the distance between the first light source 110 and the sensor 130; and b is the mounting angle of the sensor 130. As described above, the distance r1 between the first light source 110 and the sensor 130 and the mounting angle b of the sensor 130 can be preset in the electronic device 100.

[0122] Processor 140 can calculate the second distance by applying the second algorithm described above to the second reflected light 622 reflected by the second light 621. Processor 140 can determine the second angle based on the position of the row pixels receiving the second reflected light 622, and apply the second algorithm to the second angle, the mounting angle of sensor 130, the illumination angle of the second light source 120, and the distance from the second light source 120 to sensor 130 to calculate the second distance. For example, as... Figure 6a As shown, if the second reflected light 622 is received at the pixel of row 2, and the angle of each pixel in the column is 8 degrees, then the processor 140 can determine 16 degrees as the second angle.

[0123] The equation for calculating the second distance is as follows:

[0124] y2=r2×tan(a+b)×tan(c) / (tan(c)-tan(a+b))

[0125] Here, y2 is the second distance, which is the distance from the second light source 120 to the object reflecting the second light, and a is the aforementioned second angle. Additionally, r2 is the distance between the second light source 110 and the sensor 130, and b is the mounting angle of the sensor 130. c is the illumination angle of the second light source 120, and r3 is the distance on the vertical axis between the point where the second light 121 is reflected by the second object 20 and the second light source 120. The distance r2 between the second light source 120 and the sensor 130, the mounting angle b of the sensor 130, and the illumination angle c of the second light source 120 can be preset in the electronic device 100.

[0126] If the pixel column receiving the first reflected light 612 and the pixel column receiving the second reflected light 622 at least partially match, the processor 140 can calculate the aforementioned first distance and second distance. For example, as Figure 6a As shown, as an example where the number of pixels receiving the first reflected light 612 is 8 to 12 and the number of pixels receiving the second reflected light 622 is 8 to 12, if the number of pixels receiving the first reflected light 612 and the number of pixels receiving the second reflected light 622 match, the first distance and the second distance described above can be calculated.

[0127] The absence of a matching portion between the columns of received reflected light indicates that the first and second reflected light were received at different locations in the horizontal direction relative to the electronic device 100, and each of the first and second reflected light can be considered as being reflected by a different object. In this example, the processor 140 can calculate the distance between the first light source 110 and the first object, and the distance between the second light source 120 and the second object, by applying the second algorithm described above to each of the first and second reflected light. If multiple reflected lights are received in the second region and the columns of the multiple reflected lights received in the second region are at least partially matched, the processor 140 can calculate the first distance using the first algorithm and the second distance using the second algorithm. Therefore, any unnecessary operations by the processor 140 can be avoided.

[0128] The processor 140 can identify whether the object reflecting the first light and the object reflecting the second light are the same object or different objects based on the difference between the first distance and the second distance calculated by the above method. If the difference between the calculated first distance and the second distance is less than or equal to a predetermined value, the processor 140 can identify that the object reflecting the first light 611 and the object reflecting the second light 621 are the same object 30. For example, if the difference between the calculated first distance and the second distance is zero, such as... Figure 6c As shown, the processor 140 can identify that the object reflecting the first light 611 and the object reflecting the second light 621 are the same object 30. If the difference between the calculated first distance and the second distance exceeds a predetermined value, the processor 140 can identify that the object 10 reflecting the first light 611 and the object 20 reflecting the second light 621 are different objects. For example, if it is determined that the difference between the calculated first distance and the second distance is greater than or equal to one meter (1m), the processor 140 can identify that the object 10 reflecting the first light 611 and the object 20 reflecting the second light 621 are different objects. Figure 6b As shown. Here, 1m is merely an example, and the predetermined value can be set in different ways (such as 50cm, 2m, etc.).

[0129] Then, the processor 140 can perform different operations depending on whether the object reflecting the first light and the object reflecting the second light are the same object or different objects. In one example, if it is determined that the object reflecting the first light and the object reflecting the second light are the same third object 30, the processor 140 can control the electronic device 100 to avoid the third object 30 at a first distance (which is the same as the second distance) while driving, and if it is determined that the object reflecting the first light is the first object 10 and the object reflecting the second light is the second object 20, the processor 140 can control the electronic device 100 to avoid the first object 10 at the first distance while driving, and avoid the second object 20 at the second distance while driving.

[0130] The above description illustrates that reflected light is received at a higher position on the sensor 130 as the distance from the electronic device 100 increases. However, this is merely an example. The invention can also be configured such that reflected light is received at a higher position on the sensor 130 as the distance from the electronic device 100 increases. In this case, a technical concept similar to the one described above can be applied. In this example, reflected light received in the relatively higher row of reflected light received in the second region can be identified as reflected light of the second light, and reflected light received in the relatively lower row can be identified as reflected light of the first light.

[0131] The geometry based on the first light source 110 and the second light source 120 is described. Among the reflected light received in the second region, reflected light received in relatively higher rows is identified as reflected light of the first light, and reflected light received in relatively lower rows is identified as reflected light of the second light. However, the reflected light of the first light and the reflected light of the second light can be identified by various methods. This will be referred to later. Figures 8a to 11 Describe it.

[0132] Figure 7 This is a block diagram illustrating a sensor according to an embodiment of the present disclosure.

[0133] Reference Figure 7 The sensor 700 may include a first light source 710, a second light source 720, an image sensor 730, and a processor 740. The sensor 700 may be included in the aforementioned electronic device 100. The image sensor 730 may include multiple pixels. Although... Figure 7 It is not shown in the figure, but the sensor 700 may also include a lens for receiving reflected light.

[0134] The first light source 710 can perform the same function as the first light source 110. The first light source 710 can illuminate the first light in the direction in front of the electronic device 100.

[0135] The second light source 720 can perform the same function as the second light source 120. The second light source 720 can illuminate the second light in a different direction than the first light. For example, the second light source 720 can be set below the first light source 710 and can illuminate the second light in a downward direction at 30 degrees from the front of the electronic device 100, but it is not necessarily limited to this.

[0136] The first light source 710 and the second light source 720 can be implemented as various light sources capable of illuminating light (such as laser diodes, line lasers, etc.).

[0137] Image sensor 730 may be located above the first light source 710. Image sensor 730 may receive reflected light from light illuminating an object. Image sensor 730 may receive first reflected light when first light illuminating the first light source 710 is reflected by the object, and may receive second reflected light when second light illuminating the second light source 720 is reflected by the object.

[0138] The multiple pixels included in the image sensor 730 can be arranged in a matrix. The multiple pixels can be arranged in an M×M or M×N form, where M and N are integers. In one example, the image sensor 730 may include 200 pixels, and the 200 pixels may be arranged in ten rows and 20 columns, but are not necessarily limited to this.

[0139] The image sensor 730 can be divided into pixels in a first region and pixels in a second region. The first region is used to calculate the distance from the electronic device 100 to an object located at a distance from the electronic device 100, and the second region can be used to calculate the distance from the electronic device 100 to an object located at a close distance from the electronic device 100.

[0140] The image sensor 730 can be divided into pixels in a first region and pixels in a second region based on pixels in a predetermined row. For example, if the predetermined row is row 3, pixels included in rows equal to or lower than row 3 (i.e., rows 1 to 3, including row 3) can be divided into pixels in the second region, and pixels included in rows equal to or higher than row 3 (i.e., rows 4 to 10) can be divided into pixels in the first region.

[0141] A predetermined row can be determined based on the position where the reflected light from the second light source 720 can be received at the image sensor 730. For example, if the reflected light from the second light source 720 can be received only in pixels included in rows 1 to 3 of the plurality of pixels 730, then row 3 can be the predetermined row. The position in the image sensor 730 where the reflected light from the second light source 720 can be received can vary depending on the embodiment, based on the illumination angle of the second light source 720, the angle at which the sensor 130 is tilted in the ground direction, etc.

[0142] Processor 740 controls the overall operation of sensor 700. Processor 740 may include, for example, but not limited to, one or more central processing units (CPU), application processors (AP), communication processors (CP), etc. Processor 740 may be implemented as at least one of general-purpose processors, digital signal processors, application-specific integrated circuits (ASICs), system-on-a-chip (SoCs), microcomputers (MICOMs), etc.

[0143] When the processor 740 receives reflected light, it can sense pixels among a plurality of pixels that have already received reflected light. The processor 740 can sense pixels among the plurality of pixels whose brightness is greater than or equal to a predetermined brightness value as pixels that have received reflected light. The predetermined brightness value can be set differently depending on the brightness value of the light irradiated by the light source.

[0144] The processor 740 can receive information from the image sensor 730 regarding the positions of pixels among the plurality of pixels included in the image sensor 730 that receive first reflected light and pixels that receive second reflected light. When the first and second reflected light are received, the image sensor 730 can sense the brightness of the plurality of pixels included in the image sensor 730. The image sensor 730 can sense pixels among the plurality of pixels that have a brightness greater than or equal to a predetermined brightness value as pixels receiving the first reflected light and pixels receiving the second reflected light, and sends information regarding the positions of the pixels receiving the first and second reflected light to the processor 740.

[0145] Processor 740 can determine whether the location of the pixel receiving the first reflected light is included in the first region or the second region. Processor 740 can determine whether the location of the pixel receiving the second reflected light is included in the first region or the second region.

[0146] The processor 740 can identify the first reflected light included in the first region as reflected light of the first light source, and the second reflected light included in the second region as reflected light of the second light source. As described above, the first region is a region that may not receive reflected light from the second light source 720.

[0147] When processor 740 identifies the first reflected light of the first light, processor 740 can use a first algorithm to calculate the distance between the first light source and the first object reflecting the first light. When processor 740 identifies the second reflected light of the second light, processor 740 can use a second algorithm to calculate the distance from the second light source to the second object reflecting the second light. Processor 740 can use different calculation schemes to calculate the first distance between electronic device 100 and the object reflecting the first light, and the second distance from the electronic device to the object reflecting the second light. The descriptions of the first and second algorithms have been described above and will therefore be omitted.

[0148] When a first reflected light and a second reflected light are received in the second region of the image sensor 730, the processor 740 can identify the reflected light of the first light and the reflected light of the second light in the first reflected light and the second reflected light based on the position of the first pixel that received the first reflected light and the position of the second pixel that received the second reflected light.

[0149] The processor 740 can identify reflected light received in pixels located in a relatively high row of pixels as reflected light of a first light, and can identify reflected light received in pixels located in a relatively low row as reflected light of a second light.

[0150] The processor 740 can calculate a first distance by applying the first algorithm described above to the first reflected light, which is the first light. The processor 740 can determine a first angle based on the position of the pixel row where the first reflected light is received, and apply the first algorithm to the first angle, the mounting angle of the image sensor 730, and the distance from the first light source 710 to the image sensor 730 to calculate the first distance. For example, if the first reflected light is received at a pixel in row 3, and the angle of each pixel in the column is 8 degrees, then the processor 740 can determine 24 degrees as the first angle.

[0151] The equation for calculating the first distance is as follows:

[0152] y1 = r1 × tan(a + b)

[0153] Here, y1 is the first distance from the first light source 710 to the object reflecting the first light, and a is the aforementioned first angle. Additionally, r1 is the distance between the first light source 710 and the image sensor 730, and b is the mounting angle of the image sensor 730. The distance r1 between the first light source 710 and the image sensor 730 and the mounting angle b of the image sensor 730 can be preset in the sensor 700.

[0154] The processor 740 can calculate the second distance by applying the second algorithm described above to the second reflected light reflected by the second light. The processor 740 can determine the second angle based on the position of the row of pixels receiving the second reflected light, and apply the second algorithm to the second angle, the mounting angle of the image sensor 730, the illumination angle of the second light source 720, and the distance from the second light source 720 to the image sensor 730 to calculate the second distance. As an example, if the second reflected light is received at the pixel in row 2, and the angle per pixel in the column is 8 degrees, then the processor 740 can determine 16 degrees as the second angle.

[0155] The equation for calculating the second distance is as follows:

[0156] y2=r2×tan(a+b)×tan(c) / (tan(c)-tan(a+b))

[0157] y2 is the second distance, which is the distance from the second light source 720 to the object reflecting the second light. a is the aforementioned second angle. r2 is the distance between the second light source 710 and the image sensor 730, and b is the mounting angle of the image sensor 730. c is the illumination angle of the second light source 720, and r3 is the distance on the vertical axis between the point where the second light is reflected by the second object and the second light source 720. The distance r2 between the second light source 720 and the image sensor 730, the mounting angle b of the image sensor 730, and the illumination angle c of the second light source 720 can be preset in the sensor 700.

[0158] If the pixel column receiving the first reflected light and the pixel column receiving the second reflected light are at least partially matched, the processor 740 can calculate the first distance and the second distance. For example, if the pixel column receiving the first reflected light is 6 to 12 and the pixel column receiving the second reflected light is 8 to 12, if the pixel column receiving the first reflected light 612 and the pixel column receiving the second reflected light 622 are at least partially matched, the first distance and the second distance can be calculated.

[0159] If no matching portion exists in the column of received reflected light, the first and second reflected light are received at different positions in the horizontal direction relative to the electronic device 100, and each of the first and second reflected light can be considered as being reflected by a different object. In this example, the processor 740 can apply the aforementioned second algorithm to each of the first and second reflected light to calculate the distance between the first light source 710 and the first object, and the distance from the second light source 720 to the second object. If multiple reflected lights are received in the second region and the columns of the multiple reflected lights received in the second region are at least partially matched, the processor 740 can calculate the first distance using the first algorithm and the second distance using the second algorithm. Therefore, unnecessary operations by the processor 740 can be avoided.

[0160] The processor 740 can identify whether the object reflecting the first light and the object reflecting the second light are the same object or different objects based on the difference between a first distance and a second distance calculated by the method described above. If the difference between the calculated first distance and the second distance is less than or equal to a predetermined value, the processor 740 can identify that the object reflecting the first light and the object reflecting the second light are the same object. If the difference between the calculated first distance and the second distance exceeds a predetermined value, the processor 740 can identify that the object reflecting the first light and the object reflecting the second light are different objects. For example, if it is determined that the difference between the calculated first distance and the second distance is greater than or equal to 1m, the processor 740 can identify that the object reflecting the first light and the object reflecting the second light can be identified as different objects. 1m is merely an example, and the predetermined value can be set in different ways (such as 50cm, 2m, etc.).

[0161] Figure 8a This is a diagram illustrating an embodiment of light with different patterns illuminated by multiple light sources according to an embodiment of the present disclosure.

[0162] Figure 8b This is a diagram illustrating a sensor that receives multiple patterns of light according to an embodiment of the present disclosure.

[0163] Reference Figure 8aAccording to the embodiment, the first light source 110 can illuminate the first light 811 with a solid line pattern, and the second light source 120 can illuminate the second light 821 with a dashed line pattern. For this purpose, a film for illuminating the dashed line pattern can be attached to the second light source 120.

[0164] Reference Figure 8b The sensor 130 can receive the first reflected light 812 of the solid line pattern and the second reflected light 822 of the dashed line pattern.

[0165] The processor 140 can identify the reflected light of a first light 811 and the reflected light of a second light 821 from a plurality of reflected lights based on the pattern of the reflected light. The processor 140 can identify a first reflected light 812 having the same pattern as the first light 811 as the reflected light of the first light 811, and identify a second reflected light 822 having the same pattern as the dashed line pattern of the second light 821 as the reflected light of the second light 812.

[0166] The processor 140 may apply a first algorithm to the first reflected light 812 to calculate a first distance, apply a second algorithm to the second reflected light 822 to calculate a second distance, and determine whether the first reflected light 812 and the second reflected light 822 are reflected from the same object or from different objects, as described above. Since its detailed description has already been described above, its detailed description will be omitted.

[0167] It has been described that the first light 811 is a solid line pattern and the second light 821 is a dashed line pattern, and the patterns of the first light 811 and the second light 821 can be various patterns that are different from each other.

[0168] Figure 9a This is a diagram illustrating an embodiment of light of thickness illuminated by multiple light sources according to an embodiment of the present disclosure.

[0169] Figure 9b This is a diagram illustrating a sensor that receives multiple light sources of different thicknesses according to an embodiment of the present disclosure.

[0170] Reference Figure 9a According to the embodiment, the first light source 110 can illuminate the first light 911 with a first thickness, and the second light source 120 can illuminate the second light 921 with a second thickness. The first thickness may be thicker than the second thickness, but is not limited thereto, and the second thickness may be thicker than the first thickness. The size of the diode for illuminating the light included in the first light source 110 may be larger than the size of the diode for illuminating the light included in the second light source 120.

[0171] Sensor 130 can receive first reflected light 912 of a first thickness and second reflected light 922 of a second thickness, such as Figure 9b As shown.

[0172] The processor 140 can identify the reflected light of a first light 911 and the reflected light of a second light 921 from a plurality of reflected lights based on the thickness of the reflected light. The processor 140 can identify a first reflected light 912 having the same thickness as the first light 911 as the reflected light of the first light 911, and identify a second reflected light 922 having the same thickness as the second light 921 as the reflected light of the second light 912.

[0173] The processor 140 may apply a first algorithm to the first reflected light 912 to calculate a first distance, apply a second algorithm to the second reflected light 922 to calculate a second distance, and determine whether the first reflected light 912 and the second reflected light 922 are reflected from the same object or from different objects, as described above. Since its detailed description has already been described above, its detailed description will be omitted.

[0174] Although this embodiment describes the identification of the reflected light of the first light 911 and the reflected light of the second light 921 based on the thickness of the reflected light, this disclosure allows the identification of the reflected light of the first light and the reflected light of the second light based on the brightness of the reflected light. As an example, a first light source 110 can illuminate a first light of a first brightness, and a second light source 120 can illuminate a second light of a second brightness. The first brightness may be brighter than, but is not limited to, the second brightness may be brighter than the first brightness. For this purpose, a diode capable of illuminating light of the first brightness may be included in the first light source 110, and a diode capable of illuminating light of the second brightness may be included in the second light source 120.

[0175] Figure 10 This is a diagram illustrating an embodiment of using information about the thickness of the reflected light to identify the reflected light from a first light source and a second light source, according to an embodiment of the present disclosure.

[0176] Reference Figure 10 The electronic device 100 can store information about the thickness of the reflected light from the first light source divided by the distance and information about the thickness of the reflected light from the second light source. For each distance between the electronic device 100 and the object, the information about the thickness of the reflected light from the first light source is matched with the thickness of the reflected light from the first light source received at the sensor 130, and for each distance between the electronic device 100 and the object, the information about the thickness of the reflected light from the second light source can be matched with the thickness of the reflected light from the second light source received at the sensor 130.

[0177] The processor 140 can identify, among a plurality of reflected lights reflected to the sensor 112, the reflected light of the first light irradiated by the first light source 110 and the reflected light of the second light irradiated by the second light source 120, based on information about the thickness of the first and second reflected lights.

[0178] Processor 140 can apply the second algorithm described above to multiple reflected lights included in the second region to determine a second distance as the distance between electronic device 100 and an object. For example... Figure 10 As shown, processor 140 can determine the thickness of reflected light matching the second distance based on information about the thickness of reflected light from the second light source. In one example, when the second distance is determined to be 3m, processor 140 can determine 0.3mm as the thickness of reflected light matching the second distance based on information about the thickness of reflected light from the second light source. If the thickness of reflected light received by sensor 130 matches the thickness of reflected light matching the second distance, processor 140 can determine that the reflected light is reflected light from the second light source 120; otherwise, processor 140 can determine that the reflected light is reflected light from the first light source 110. For example, if the thickness of reflected light determined based on information about the thickness of reflected light from the second light source is determined to be 0.3mm, but the actual thickness of reflected light received by sensor 130 is determined to be 0.2mm, processor 140 can determine that the reflected light is emitted by the first light source 110. In this example, processor 140 can again apply the first algorithm to the reflected light to calculate the distance between electronic device 100 and the object. If the actual thickness of the reflected light received by sensor 130 is 0.3 mm, and the thickness of the reflected light determined based on information about the thickness of the reflected light from the second light source is 0.3 mm, then processor 140 can determine that the reflected light is emitted from the second light source 120.

[0179] Figure 11 This is a diagram illustrating an embodiment of periodic identification of reflected light from a first light source and reflected light from a second light source according to an embodiment of the present disclosure.

[0180] Reference Figure 11 According to an embodiment, the first light source 110 and the second light source 120 can illuminate light with different periods. The first light source 110 can illuminate the first light for a time period T1. For example, when T1 is 1 millisecond, the first light source 110 can illuminate light for a time period of 0 to 1 millisecond and can not illuminate light for a time period of 2 to 3 milliseconds. The second light source 120 can illuminate light with a different period than the first light source 110. For example, when T1 is 1 millisecond, the period T2 of the second light source 120 can be 2 milliseconds. In this example, the second light source 120 can not illuminate light for a time period of 0 to 1 millisecond and can illuminate light for a time period of 2 to 3 milliseconds.

[0181] Based on the periods of the first light source 110 and the second light source 120, the processor 140 can identify whether the reflected light is reflected by the first light source 110 or the second light source 120. The processor 140 can identify the reflected light received at the sensor 130 in period T1 as reflected light from the first light source 110, and can identify the reflected light received at the sensor 130 in period T2 as reflected light from the second light source 120.

[0182] Processor 140 can calculate a first distance by applying a first algorithm to the reflected light from the first light source 110 and a second distance by applying a second algorithm to the reflected light from the second light source 120, to determine whether the multiple reflected lights are reflected from the same object or from different objects. This has been described in detail above and will not be described further.

[0183] Figure 12 This is a flowchart illustrating a method for controlling an electronic device according to an embodiment of the present disclosure.

[0184] Reference Figure 12 In operation S1210, the electronic device 100 can be illuminated with a first light source by a first light source, and can be illuminated with a second light source in a direction different from the first light by a second light source. The first light source can be located at a position higher than or equal to that of the second light source.

[0185] In operation S1220, when the first light and the second light are reflected by the object and the sensor receives the first reflected light and the second reflected light, the electronic device can use different calculation methods to calculate the first distance between the electronic device 100 and the object reflecting the first light and the second distance between the electronic device 100 and the object reflecting the second light.

[0186] The sensor includes multiple pixels and can be divided into pixels in a first region and pixels in a second region based on pixels in predetermined rows. When a first reflected light and a second reflected light are received in the second region of the sensor and the column of the first pixel receiving the first reflected light and the column of the second pixel receiving the second reflected light at least partially match, the electronic device 100 can calculate a first distance between the electronic device 100 and the object reflecting the first light and a second distance between the electronic device 100 and the object reflecting the second light.

[0187] The electronic device 100 can identify reflected light received at a pixel in a relatively higher row of a plurality of pixels included in the second region as reflected light of a first light, and will identify reflected light received at a pixel in a relatively lower row as reflected light of a second light.

[0188] The electronic device 100 can determine a first angle based on the position of the row of first pixels that receive the first reflected light, and calculate a first distance by applying a first algorithm to the mounting angle of the sensor and the distance from the first light source to the sensor. It can also determine a second angle based on the position of the row of second pixels that receive the second reflected light, and calculate a second distance by applying a second algorithm to the second angle, the mounting angle of the sensor, the illumination angle of the second light source, and the distance from the second light source to the sensor. Since a detailed description of the methods for calculating the first and second distances has been described above, its description will be omitted.

[0189] In operation S1230, the electronic device 100 can identify whether the object reflecting the first light and the object reflecting the second light are the same object or different objects based on the calculated first distance and second distance.

[0190] If the difference between the calculated first distance and the second distance is less than or equal to a predetermined value, the electronic device 100 can identify that the object reflecting the first light and the object reflecting the second light are the same object; if the difference between the calculated first distance and the second distance exceeds the predetermined value, the electronic device 100 can identify that the object reflecting the first light and the object reflecting the second light are different objects.

[0191] Figure 13 This is a flowchart illustrating a method for controlling a sensor according to an embodiment of the present disclosure.

[0192] Reference Figure 13 In operation S1310, the sensor 700 can be illuminated by a first light source and by a second light source in a direction different from the first light. The first light source can be located above the second light source.

[0193] In operation S1320, when the first light and the second light are reflected by the object, if the image sensor receives the first reflected light and the second reflected light, the sensor 700 can calculate the first distance between the electronic device 100 and the object reflecting the first light and the second distance between the electronic device 100 and the object reflecting the second light by using different calculation methods.

[0194] An image sensor may include a plurality of pixels, and may divide the plurality of pixels into pixels in a first region and pixels in a second region based on pixels in a predetermined row. When a first reflected light and a second reflected light are received in the second region of the sensor and the column of the first pixel receiving the first reflected light and the column of the second pixel receiving the second reflected light at least partially match, the sensor 700 may calculate a first distance between the electronic device 100 and the object reflecting the first light and a second distance from the object reflecting the second light.

[0195] The sensor 700 can identify reflected light received at a pixel in a relatively high row of a plurality of pixels included in the second region as reflected light of a first light, and will identify reflected light received at a pixel in a relatively low row as reflected light of a second light.

[0196] Sensor 700 can determine a first angle based on the position of the row of first pixels receiving the first reflected light, calculate a first distance by applying a first algorithm to the first angle, the mounting angle of the image sensor, and the distance from the first light source to the image sensor, determine a second angle based on the position of the row of second pixels receiving the second reflected light, and calculate a second distance by applying a second algorithm to the second angle, the mounting angle of the image sensor, the illumination angle of the second light source, and the distance from the second light source to the image sensor. Since a detailed description of the methods for calculating the first and second distances has been described above, its description will be omitted.

[0197] Figure 14 This is a detailed block diagram illustrating an electronic device according to an embodiment of the present disclosure.

[0198] Reference Figure 14 The electronic device 100 may include a first light source 110, a second light source 120, a sensor 130, a memory 150, an input device 160, a display 170, a driver 180, a communicator 190, and a processor 140. Details overlapping with the above description will be omitted or shortened.

[0199] The memory 150 may store the operating system (OS) for controlling the overall operation of the components of the electronic device 100 and instructions or data associated with the components of the electronic device 100.

[0200] The processor 140 can use various instructions or data stored in the memory 150 to control multiple hardware or software components of the electronic device 100, load instructions or data received from at least one of the other components into volatile memory, and store various data in non-volatile memory.

[0201] The memory 150 may store information about a first algorithm for calculating the distance between the electronic device 100 and an object based on reflected light from the first light source 110, and information about a second algorithm for calculating the distance between the electronic device 100 and the object based on reflected light from the second light source 120. The memory 150 may also store information about the thickness of the reflected light from the first light source 110 divided by the distance, and information about the thickness of the reflected light from the second light source 120.

[0202] Input device 160 can receive user input. Input device 160 may include buttons and a touch screen.

[0203] The display 170 can display various screens. For example, the display 170 can display information about the distance to the object and the objects around the electronic device 100.

[0204] The display 170 can be implemented as various types of displays, such as, but not limited to, liquid crystal displays (LCDs) and plasma display panels (PDPs). The display 170 may also include driving circuitry and a backlight unit, which can be implemented in formats such as a-si thin-film transistors (TFTs), low-temperature polycrystalline silicon (LTPS) TFTs, and organic TFTs (OTFTs). The display 170 can be combined with a touch sensor and implemented as a touchscreen.

[0205] A driver 180 can move electronic device 100. Driver 180 may include a drive unit (such as a motor connected to one or more wheels and capable of rotating the wheels). Driver 180 can perform drive operations (such as moving, stopping, changing direction, etc.) of electronic device 100 according to control signals from processor 140. For example, if an object is near electronic device 100, driver 180 can be driven so that electronic device 100 moves by avoiding the corresponding object; and if multiple objects are near electronic device 100, driver 180 can be driven so that electronic device 100 moves by avoiding multiple objects.

[0206] The communicator 190 is configured to communicate with external devices. For example, the communicator 190 can communicate with various external devices via wireless communication methods such as Bluetooth (BT), Bluetooth Low Energy (BLE), Wi-Fi, ZigBee, or infrared (IR) communication methods. The communicator 190 may be mounted on the processor 140 and may be included in the electronic device 100 as a separate configuration from the processor 140.

[0207] In one embodiment, the electronic device 100 may be implemented in configurations other than some of the above-described configurations, and may also include multiple additional configurations in addition to the above-described configurations.

[0208] For example, electronic device 100 may also include a speaker. The speaker may include components that output various audio data, to which an audio processor (not shown) performs various processes, such as, but not limited to, decoding, amplification, and noise filtering. The speaker may output sound when the electronic device 100 begins to move or when the direction of travel is changed.

[0209] The electronic device 100 may also include a microphone. The microphone can receive user voice. The user voice may be user voice used for task execution by the electronic device 100, etc.

[0210] According to the various embodiments described above, an electronic device and its control method are provided that are capable of identifying whether multiple reflected lights received in a sensor are reflected by a single object or by multiple objects.

[0211] The methods according to various embodiments can be implemented as software or applications that can be installed on electronic devices of the related technology.

[0212] The methods according to various embodiments can be implemented by software upgrades or hardware upgrades of related electronic devices.

[0213] The various embodiments described above can be implemented by an embedded server located in an electronic device or a server located outside the electronic device.

[0214] A non-transitory computer-readable medium may be provided, which stores a program for sequentially executing a method for controlling an electronic device according to an embodiment.

[0215] Non-transitory computer-readable media refers to media that can be read by a device. Specifically, the various applications or programs mentioned above can be stored in non-transitory computer-readable media (e.g., optical discs (CDs), digital versatile discs (DVDs), hard disks, Blu-ray discs, universal serial buses (USB), memory cards, read-only memory (ROMs), etc.) and can be provided.

[0216] Although this disclosure has been shown and described with reference to various embodiments thereof, those skilled in the art will understand that various changes in form and detail may be made therein without departing from the spirit and scope of this disclosure as defined by the appended claims and their equivalents.

Claims

1. An electronic device, comprising: The sensor includes a plurality of pixels, wherein the plurality of pixels are divided into pixels of a first region and pixels of a second region based on pixels of a predetermined row; The first light source is configured to illuminate the first light; A second light source is configured to illuminate the second light in a direction different from that of the first light; and The processor is configured as follows: Based on the first and second reflected light received by the sensor when the first and second light are reflected by the object, a first distance between the electronic device and the object reflecting the first light and a second distance between the electronic device and the object reflecting the second light are calculated. The processor is configured as follows: In the second region, where the first reflected light and the second reflected light are received, and the columns of pixels receiving the first reflected light and the columns of pixels receiving the second reflected light are at least partially matched, a first distance is calculated using a first calculation method, and a second distance is calculated using a second calculation method different from the first calculation method. In the case where the first and second reflected light are received in the second region and there is no matching portion between the column of pixels receiving the first reflected light and the column of pixels receiving the second reflected light, the distance between the first light source and the first object and the distance between the second light source and the second object are calculated by applying the second calculation method to each of the first and second reflected light. The processor is further configured to identify whether the object reflecting the first light and the object reflecting the second light are the same object or different objects based on a calculated first distance and a second distance.

2. The electronic device according to claim 1, in, The processor is also configured to: Based on the position of the first pixel receiving the first reflected light and the position of the second pixel receiving the second reflected light among the plurality of pixels, the reflected light of the first light and the reflected light of the second light are identified in the first reflected light and the second reflected light, and The first and second distances are calculated based on the identified reflected light.

3. The electronic device according to claim 2, wherein, The processor is also configured to: The reflected light received at a pixel located in a relatively high row among the plurality of pixels is identified as the reflected light of the first light, and The reflected light received at a pixel in a relatively lower row on the same column as the reflected light of the first light will be identified as the reflected light of the second light.

4. The electronic device according to claim 1, in, The first light source illuminates the first light in the direction in front of the electronic device. The second light source illuminates the second light in a downward direction at a predetermined angle from the front direction. The second region includes pixels in rows that are less than or equal to pixels in the predetermined rows among the plurality of pixels.

5. The electronic device according to claim 2, wherein, The processor is also configured to: A first angle is identified based on the position of the row of the first pixel that received the first reflected light, and a first distance is calculated by applying a first calculation method to the first angle, the mounting angle of the sensor, and the distance between the first light source and the sensor. The second angle is identified based on the position of the row of the second pixel that received the second reflected light, and the second distance is calculated by applying the second calculation method to the second angle, the mounting angle of the sensor, the illumination angle of the second light source, and the distance between the second light source and the sensor.

6. The electronic device according to claim 1, wherein, The processor is also configured to: Based on the fact that the difference between the calculated first distance and the second distance is less than or equal to a predetermined value, the object reflecting the first light is identified as the same as the object reflecting the second light. Based on the fact that the difference between the calculated first distance and the second distance is greater than the predetermined value, the object reflecting the first light is identified as different from the object reflecting the second light.

7. A method for controlling an electronic device, the method comprising: The first light is irradiated by a first light source, and the second light is irradiated by a second light source in a direction different from the first light. as well as Based on the first and second reflected light received by the sensors of the electronic device when the first and second light are reflected by the object, a first distance between the electronic device and the object reflecting the first light and a second distance between the electronic device and the object reflecting the second light are calculated. The sensor includes a plurality of pixels, wherein the plurality of pixels are divided into pixels in a first region and pixels in a second region based on pixels in a predetermined row. The step of calculating the distance includes: In the second region, where the first reflected light and the second reflected light are received, and the columns of pixels receiving the first reflected light and the columns of pixels receiving the second reflected light are at least partially matched, a first distance is calculated using a first calculation method, and a second distance is calculated using a second calculation method different from the first calculation method. The method further includes: In the case where the first and second reflected light are received in the second region and there is no matching portion between the column of pixels receiving the first reflected light and the column of pixels receiving the second reflected light, the distance between the first light source and the first object and the distance between the second light source and the second object are calculated by applying the second calculation method to each of the first and second reflected light. The method further includes: The first and second distances are calculated to identify whether the object reflecting the first light and the object reflecting the second light are the same object or different objects.

8. The method according to claim 7, in, The steps for calculating the distance include: Based on the position of the first pixel receiving the first reflected light and the position of the second pixel receiving the second reflected light among the plurality of pixels, the reflected light of the first light and the reflected light of the second light are identified in the first reflected light and the second reflected light, and The first and second distances are calculated based on the identified reflected light.

9. The method according to claim 8, wherein, The step of identifying reflected light includes: The reflected light received at a pixel in a relatively high row among the plurality of pixels is identified as the reflected light of the first light, and The reflected light received at a pixel in a relatively lower row on the same column as the reflected light of the first light will be identified as the reflected light of the second light.

10. The method according to claim 7, in, The first light source illuminates the first light in the direction in front of the electronic device. The second light source illuminates the second light in a downward direction at a predetermined angle from the front direction, and The second region includes pixels in rows that are less than or equal to pixels in the predetermined rows among the plurality of pixels.

11. The method according to claim 8, wherein, The steps for calculating the distance include: A first angle is identified based on the position of the row of the first pixel that received the first reflected light, and a first distance is calculated by applying a first calculation method to the first angle, the mounting angle of the sensor, and the distance between the first light source and the sensor. The second angle is identified based on the position of the row of the second pixel that received the second reflected light, and the second distance is calculated by applying the second calculation method to the second angle, the mounting angle of the sensor, the illumination angle of the second light source, and the distance between the second light source and the sensor.

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