Optical devices, vehicle-mounted systems, and mobile devices

Abstract

[Problem] To provide an optical device, a vehicle-mounted system, and a mobile device that are compact and have a wide scanning range. [Solution] The optical device includes: a deflection unit configured to deflect illumination light from a light source to scan an object, and to deflect reflected light from the object; and a light guiding unit configured to guide the illumination light to the deflection unit, and to guide the reflected light from the deflection unit to a light receiving unit, wherein the light guiding unit includes a first passing area and a second passing area through which the illumination light passes, and a reflecting area for reflecting the reflected light, wherein the illumination light is branched into a first illumination light and a second illumination light by the light guiding unit, and wherein the first illumination light is emitted from the first passing area and the second illumination light is emitted from the second passing area, so that an emission direction of the first illumination light and an emission direction of the second illumination light form an angle, and then the first illumination light and the second illumination light enter the deflection unit.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present invention relates to an optical device, a vehicle-mounted system, and a mobile device, each of which detects an object by receiving reflected light from the illuminated object. Background Art

[0002] One known method for measuring the distance to an object is LiDAR (Light Detection and Ranging), which calculates the distance based on a period of time required to receive reflected light from an illuminated object or a phase of the reflected light.

[0003] The reflected light from the object becomes weaker as the object is farther away. In order to receive a large amount of reflected light from the object, the diameter of the driving mirror of the deflection unit for illuminating and scanning the object can be increased, but when the diameter of the driving mirror is increased, the variable angle of the driving mirror becomes smaller and the scanning range of the object becomes narrower.

[0004] Patent Document 1 discloses a device that introduces illumination light from each of a plurality of light sources to a deflection unit at a different angle and illuminates an object with the illumination light of each light source in order to expand a scanning range of the object.

[0005] Patent Document 2 discloses a device that separates illumination light from a single light source using a prism and introduces two illumination light beams into a deflection unit at different incident angles.

[0006] Prior art literature

[0007] Patent Literature

[0008] Patent Document 1: U.S. Patent Application Publication No. 2018 / 143302

[0009] Patent Document 2: Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 11-203701 Summary of the invention

[0010] Problems to be solved by the present invention

[0011] However, the device disclosed in Patent Document 1 requires a plurality of light sources and light receiving units that receive reflected light from an object and correspond to the light sources, so the number of components is large and the device becomes large.

[0012] The device disclosed in Patent Document 2 cannot expand the scanning range because one illumination beam illuminates the object and the other illumination beam is used to detect the angle of the deflection unit.

[0013] An object of the present invention is to provide an optical device, a vehicle-mounted system, and a mobile device that are compact and have a wide scanning range.

[0014] Means of solving the problem

[0015] As one aspect of the present invention, an optical device includes: a deflection unit, which is configured to deflect illumination light from a light source to scan an object, and to deflect reflected light from the object; and a light guiding unit, which is configured to guide the illumination light to the deflection unit, and guide the reflected light from the deflection unit to a light receiving unit, wherein the light guiding unit includes a first passing area and a second passing area through which the illumination light passes, and a reflection area for reflecting the reflected light, wherein the illumination light is branched into a first illumination light and a second illumination light by the light guiding unit, and wherein the first illumination light is emitted from the first passing area and the second illumination light is emitted from the second passing area, so that an emission direction of the first illumination light and an emission direction of the second illumination light form an angle, and then the first illumination light and the second illumination light enter the deflection unit.

[0016] Effects of the Invention

[0017] The present invention can provide an optical device, a vehicle-mounted system, and a mobile device that are compact and have a wide scanning range. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0018] Figure 1 is a schematic diagram of a main portion of an optical device according to a first embodiment.

[0019] Figure 2 is a schematic diagram of a main portion of a branching optical element according to the first embodiment.

[0020] Figure 3 is a light path diagram of the illumination light passing through one of the pass areas.

[0021] Figure 4 It is the light path diagram of the illumination light passing through another pass area.

[0022] Figure 5 It is a light path diagram of reflected light corresponding to the illumination light that passes through one of the pass-through areas.

[0023] Figure 6 It is the optical path diagram of the reflected light corresponding to the illumination light that passes through another pass area.

[0024] Figure 7 It is an explanatory diagram of the lighting range.

[0025] Figure 8 is a schematic diagram of a main part of a modification of the branching optical element according to the first embodiment.

[0026] Fig. 9is a schematic diagram of main parts of another modification of the branching optical element according to the first embodiment.

[0027] Fig.10 is a schematic diagram of main parts of another modification of the branching optical element according to the first embodiment.

[0028] Fig.11 is a schematic diagram of a main portion of an optical device according to a second embodiment.

[0029] Fig.12 is a schematic diagram of a main portion of a branching optical element according to a second embodiment.

[0030] Fig.13 is a light path diagram of the illumination light passing through one of the pass areas.

[0031] Fig.14 It is the light path diagram of the illumination light passing through another pass area.

[0032] Fig.15 It is a light path diagram of reflected light corresponding to the illumination light that passes through one of the pass-through areas.

[0033] Fig.16 It is the optical path diagram of the reflected light corresponding to the illumination light that passes through another pass area.

[0034] Fig.17 is a schematic diagram of a main part of a modification of the branching optical element according to the second embodiment.

[0035] Fig.18 is a schematic diagram of a main portion of an optical device according to a third embodiment.

[0036] Fig.19 is a schematic diagram of a main portion of an optical device according to a fourth embodiment.

[0037] Fig. 20 is a light path diagram of illumination light according to the fourth embodiment.

[0038] Fig.21 is a schematic diagram of a main portion of a branching optical element according to a fourth embodiment.

[0039] Fig. 22 : is a diagram showing light amount distribution in a case where illumination light passes through a branching optical element according to the fourth embodiment.

[0040] Fig.23 is a light path diagram of reflected light according to the fourth embodiment.

[0041] Fig.24 is a schematic diagram of a main part of a modification of the branching optical element according to the fourth embodiment.

[0042] Fig.25 is a schematic diagram of main parts of another modification of the branching optical element according to the fourth embodiment.

[0043] Fig.26 is a configuration diagram of the vehicle-mounted system according to this embodiment.

[0044] Fig. 27 is a schematic diagram of a vehicle (mobile device) according to this embodiment.

[0045] Fig.28 is a flowchart showing an operation example of the in-vehicle system according to this embodiment. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0046] Now, with reference to the accompanying drawings, a detailed description of embodiments according to the present invention will be given. Corresponding elements in the various drawings will be marked with the same reference numerals, and their repeated description will be omitted.

[0047] The optical device using LiDAR includes an illumination system for illuminating an object and a light receiving system for receiving reflected or scattered light from the object. LiDAR can be classified into a coaxial system in which some of the optical axes of the illumination system and the light receiving system coincide with each other, and a non-coaxial system in which these optical axes do not coincide with each other. The optical device according to this embodiment is suitable for LiDAR of a coaxial system.

[0048] The optical device according to each embodiment is used, for example, as an automatic driving support system for a vehicle such as an automobile. The object is, for example, a pedestrian, an obstacle, a vehicle, etc., and is separated by about 1 to 300 m. The optical device according to each embodiment measures the distance to the object, and controls the direction and speed of the vehicle based on the measurement result.

[0049] First embodiment

[0050] Figure 1 1 is a schematic diagram of the main parts of the optical device 1 according to this embodiment. The optical device 1 includes a light source 11, a collimating lens 12, an aperture 13, a branching optical element (light guiding unit, branching unit) 21, a driving mirror (deflection unit) 31, a condenser mirror 41 and light receiving elements (light receiving units) 51 and 52, and a control unit 60.

[0051] The coordinate system according to this embodiment is defined as Figure 1 More specifically, one swing direction of the drive mirror 31 is set as the X axis, the other swing direction orthogonal to the X axis is set as the Y axis, and the Z axis is a direction orthogonal to the X axis and the Y axis.

[0052] The light source 11 can use a semiconductor laser or the like as a laser having high energy concentration and good directivity. For example, a semiconductor laser having a wavelength in the near-infrared region is used. The aperture 13 has an elliptical shape having a short axis of 1.3 mm and a long axis of 1.6 mm parallel to the Y-axis direction. The divergent light (illumination light) emitted from the light source 11 is collimated by the collimating lens 12 and becomes parallel light. The parallel light here includes not only strictly parallel light beams, but also weak divergent light and weak converging light. After passing through the collimating lens 12, the illumination light is limited by the aperture 13 and travels to the branching optical element 21.

[0053] Figure 2 21 is a schematic diagram of a main part of a branching optical element 21 according to this embodiment. The branching optical element 21 has a first surface 211 , a second surface 212 , a third surface 213 , and a fourth surface 214 . Figure 2 (a) illustrates the path of illumination light passing through the branching optical element 21. Figure 2 B is a diagram of the second surface 212 viewed from the plane normal direction.

[0054] The second surface 212 has through areas 2121 and 2122 for transmitting illumination light, and a reflection area (reflection surface) 2123 for reflecting reflected light from the object OBJ. The distance d between the through areas 2121 and 2122 is 15.41 mm. In this embodiment, each of the through areas 2121 and 2122 has a rectangular shape of 1.3 mm in the Y-axis direction and 1.35 mm in the Z-axis direction, but the present invention is not limited to this example. For example, it can have a semicircular shape. An anti-reflection film can be formed on the through areas 2121 and 2122. In the reflection area 2123, a layer that reflects the incident light from the inside of the branching optical element 21 and the incident light from the outside is made of a metal film, a dielectric film, etc. A layer for absorbing light can be formed on a non-effective area where the light of the reflection area 2123 does not reach.

[0055] The branching optical element 21 may be made of a material having high transmittance for the wavelength of light emitted from the light source 11 and having few impurities and defects. In this embodiment, the material used for the branching optical element 21 has a refractive index of 1.972.

[0056] Figure 3 It is a light path diagram of the illumination light passing through the passing area (first passing area) 2121. Figure 4 It is a light path diagram of the illumination light passing through the passing area (second passing area) 2122. Figure 5 It is a light path diagram of reflected light from object OBJ illuminated by the illumination light passing through region 2121. Figure 621 and 21 are light path diagrams of reflected light from the object OBJ illuminated by the illumination light transmitted through the pass region 2122. In each figure, (a) is an XZ cross-sectional diagram, and (b) is a YZ cross-sectional diagram.

[0057] This embodiment illustrates a means for branching the light from the first surface by spatially dividing the light.

[0058] The light that has passed through the aperture 13 is refracted on the first surface 211 according to Snell's law, travels in the branching optical element 21, and reaches the second surface 212. Among the illumination light that has reached the second surface 212, the light that has entered the passing area 2121 is refracted and emitted according to Snell's law. Hereinafter, this optical path will be referred to as the first optical path ( Figure 2 On the other hand, among the illumination light that has reached the second surface 212, the light that has entered the reflection area 2123 is reflected, reaches the first surface 211 again, and is then totally reflected toward the third surface 213 having the reflection area. The light incident on the third surface 213 is totally reflected, refracted in the passing area 2122 according to Snell's law, and emitted. Hereinafter, this optical path will be referred to as the second optical path ( Figure 2 (a) is a dotted line). In this way, the illumination light is branched into two illumination lights (a first illumination light and a second illumination light) by the branching optical element 21, and the first and second illumination lights are emitted from the first and second passing regions so that their emission directions form an angle. "Forming an angle" does not include a case where the emission directions of the two illumination lights are parallel (the emission directions of the two illumination lights form 0 degrees). In addition, this includes a case where the passing regions are not formed on the same surface and the emission angles of the two illumination lights are equal to each other but the emission directions of the two illumination lights are different from each other.

[0059] The driving mirror 31 is a dual-axis driving mirror configured to swing around the X-axis and the Y-axis, and is, for example, a micro-electromechanical system (MEMS) mirror. In this embodiment, the driving mirror 31 has a swing angle of ±15 degrees and a driving frequency of about 1kHz. The driving mirror 31 deflects the illumination light to scan the object OBJ, and also deflects the reflected light from the object OBJ to guide the light to the branching optical element 21.

[0060] The illumination light of the first optical path and the second optical path is reflected by the driving mirror 31, passes through the branching optical element 21 and the bottom of the light source 11, and then illuminates the object OBJ while being two-dimensionally scanned. The two light beams emitted from the branching optical element 21 are incident on the driving mirror 31 at different angles and are scanned to illuminate different areas. That is, the illumination range can be expanded.

[0061] Figure 7 It is an explanatory diagram of the lighting range. Figure 7(a) illustrates the illumination range when the drive mirror 31 swings ±6 degrees around the X axis and ±15 degrees around the Y axis. In this case, since the two illumination ranges are set to overlap each other exactly at the center of the entire illumination range, the entire illumination range is greatly expanded. Figure 7 (b) illustrates the illumination range when the driving mirror 31 swings ±6 degrees around the X axis and ±24 degrees around the Y axis. In this case, since the two illumination ranges are set to overlap each other by ±9 degrees at the center of the entire illumination range, the distance can be measured by overlapping the center parts while expanding the entire illumination range.

[0062] The condenser mirror 41 is used as the same mirror for the light in the first optical path and the second optical path, but can be separated at a central position where the light does not pass.

[0063] The light receiving elements 51 and 52 may use a photodiode (PD), an avalanche photodiode (APD), a single photon avalanche diode (SPAD), or the like.

[0064] The reflected light from the object OBJ is deflected by the driving mirror 31 to the branching optical element 21. More specifically, the reflected light of the first optical path passes through the light source 11 and the bottom of the branching optical element 21 in the optical path in the direction opposite to the illumination light, then enters the driving mirror 31 and is deflected toward a position near the passing area 2121. Among the deflected light, the light reaching the reflection area 2123 is reflected toward the condenser 41, is condensed on the light receiving element 51 and is received by the light receiving element 51. The reflected light on the second optical path passes through the light source 11 and the bottom of the branching optical element 21 in the optical path in the direction opposite to the illumination light, then enters the driving mirror 31, and is deflected toward a position near the passing area 2122. Among the deflected light, the light reaching the reflection area 2123 is reflected toward the condenser 41, is condensed on the light receiving element 52 and is received by the light receiving element 52.

[0065] The control unit 60 controls the light source 11, the driving mirror 31, and the light receiving elements 51 and 52. More specifically, the control unit 60 drives the light source 11 and the driving mirror 31 at a predetermined driving voltage and driving frequency, respectively, and measures the light receiving waveforms during light reception of the light receiving elements 51 and 52 at a specific frequency. The control unit 60 determines the distance to the object OBJ using the difference between the light receiving time of the light receiving elements 51 and 52 and the light emission time of the light source 11, or the difference between the phase of the light receiving signal obtained by the light receiving elements 51 and 52 and the phase of the output signal of the light source 11.

[0066] The following expression (1) may be satisfied, where α1 is an angle (degrees) formed between the first surface 211 and the second surface 212 of the branching optical element 21, and α2 is an angle (degrees) formed between the second surface 212 and the third surface 213:

[0067] α1+α2=90 (1)

[0068] By satisfying expression (1), the reflected light reflected by the first surface 211 in the second optical path becomes parallel to the second surface 212, and the light emitted from the pass-through area 2121 and the light emitted from the pass-through area 2122 can have angles with the same absolute value but different signs. As a result, the angles incident on the driving mirror 31 have the same absolute value, but are opposite in direction to each other, so that the areas of the respective illumination ranges are equal, and the object OBJ can be illuminated symmetrically with respect to the Y axis.

[0069] In this embodiment, the angle α1 formed between the first surface 211 and the second surface 212 is 38.2 degrees about the Y axis, and the angle α2 formed between the second surface 212 and the third surface 213 is 51.8 degrees about the Y axis. That is, the configuration according to this embodiment satisfies expression (1), and Figure 7 As shown in , the areas of each lighting range are equal.

[0070] When the illumination light passes through the branching optical element 21, it is refracted twice on the first surface 211 and the second surface 212, and the beam diameter (beam diameter) is doubled. In this embodiment, the beam diameter h2 of the illumination light emitted from the passing area 2121 and the beam diameter h3 of the illumination light emitted from the passing area 2122 are set to be equal to each other. In this case, the following expression (2) is established between the beam diameter h1 of the illumination light limited by the aperture 13 and entering the first surface 211 and the beam diameter h2 of the illumination light emitted from the passing area 2121. θ1, θ2, θ3, and θ4 are the incident angle of the illumination light on the first surface 211, the exit angle from the first surface 211, the incident angle on the second surface 212, and the exit angle from the passing area 2121.

[0071]

[0072] In the case where the angle θ1 at which the illumination light enters the first surface 211 is greater than the angle θ4 at which the illumination light is emitted from the passing area 2121, the expression (2) is greater than 1. That is, when the illumination light passes through the branching optical element 21, the beam diameter of the illumination light expands. When the beam diameter expands, the divergence angle of the illumination light becomes smaller, and the diffusion of the illumination light at a distance can be suppressed. By suppressing the divergence of the illumination light, the resolution and illumination at a distance can be improved.

[0073] In this embodiment, the angles θ1, θ2, θ3, and θ4 are 55.2 degrees, 24.6 degrees, 13.6 degrees, and 27.6 degrees, respectively, and the expression (2) is 1.45 and the illumination light is expanded.

[0074] The light amount of the illumination light in the first optical path can be approximately equal to the light amount of the illumination light in the second optical path. By making the light amounts of the illumination lights approximately equal to each other, the distance measurement accuracy does not change for each illumination range, and highly reliable measurement can be performed. Calibration for each illumination range is not required. In this embodiment, the transmittance through the regions 2121 and 2122 and the reflectance of the reflection region 2123 are 100%, respectively, but the area, position, transmittance or reflectance of the regions 2121 and 2122 can be finely adjusted so that their light amounts can also be equal in other cases.

[0075] Figure 8 2 is a schematic diagram of a main part of a branching optical element 24 according to a modification of the branching optical element 21. The branching optical element 24 has the same outer shape as that of the branching optical element 21. Figure 8 (a) illustrates the path of illumination light passing through the branching optical element 24. Figure 8 B is a diagram of the second surface 242 viewed from the plane normal direction.

[0076] The second surface 242 has passing regions 2421 and 2422 for transmitting illumination light, and a reflecting region 2423 for reflecting reflected light from the object OBJ. This variation illustrates means for branching light from the first surface by dividing the light intensity.

[0077] For example, in this modification, the pass region 2421 has a characteristic of 50% transmittance and 50% reflectance, and the pass region 2422 has a characteristic of 99% transmittance and 1% reflectance. In this modification, these characteristics are set so that the light amounts of the first light path and the second light path are approximately equal to each other, but the present invention is not limited to these characteristics.

[0078] The light incident from the first surface 241 reaches the passing area 2421 of the second surface 242. At this time, due to the characteristics of the passing area 2421, 50% of the intensity of the light beam is transmitted, and 50% is reflected. Figure 2 The reflected light is totally reflected on the first surface 241 and further totally reflected on the third surface 243, and is emitted from the passing area 2422 and forms a second light path. Thereafter, both the first light path and the second light path enter the driving mirror 31.

[0079] On the other hand, the reflected light from the driving mirror 31 is reflected on the passing regions 2421 and 2422 and the reflecting region 2423 , enters the light receiving element corresponding to each surface, and is received by the light receiving element corresponding to each surface.

[0080] Fig. 9 21 is a schematic diagram of main parts of branching optical elements 25 and 26 according to a modification of the branching optical element 21. The branching optical element 25 has the same outer shape as that of the branching optical element 21. Fig. 9 (a) illustrates the path of illumination light passing through the branching optical elements 25 and 26. Fig. 9 (b) is a diagram of the second surface 262 viewed from the plane normal direction.

[0081] The branching optical element 26 is a flat plate, and the second surface 262 has passing areas 2621 and 2622 for transmitting illumination light, and a reflecting area 2623 for reflecting reflected light from the object OBJ. This variation illustrates means for branching light from the first surface using polarization.

[0082] In this modification, the pass region 2621 is a polarization beam splitter surface having characteristics of 100% transmittance and 0% reflectance in the first polarization direction and 0% transmittance and 100% reflectance in the second polarization direction, and the pass region 2622 has characteristics of 99% transmittance and 1% reflectance. In this modification, the above characteristics are set so that the light amounts of the first optical path and the second optical path are approximately equal, but the present invention is not limited to these characteristics.

[0083] The light incident from the first surface 251 of the branching optical element 25 may be circularly polarized or non-polarized. In particular, in the case of using a semiconductor laser for the light source 11, the polarization characteristic of the laser beam is linear polarization, so it is desirable to convert it into circular polarization using a 1 / 4 wave plate before it reaches the branching optical element 25.

[0084] Light incident from the first surface 251 of the branching optical element 25 passes through the second surface 252 and the first surface 261 of the branching optical element 26, and then reaches the through region 2621. At this time, due to the polarization characteristics of the through region 2621, light in the first polarization direction (first polarized light component) is transmitted and light in the second polarization direction (second polarized light component) is reflected. The transmitted light is as follows Figure 2 The reflected light is totally reflected by the first surface 251 of the branching optical element 25, further totally reflected by the third surface 253, and emitted from the passing area 2622 to form a second light path. Thereafter, both the first light path and the second light path enter the driving mirror 31.

[0085] On the other hand, the reflected light from the driving mirror 31 is reflected on the passing regions 2621 and 2622 and the reflecting region 2623 , introduced to and received by the light receiving element corresponding to each surface.

[0086] Fig.10 21 is a schematic diagram of main parts of branching optical elements 25 and 27 according to a modification of the branching optical element 21. The branching optical element 25 has the same outer shape as that of the branching optical element 21. Fig.10 (a) illustrates the path of illumination light passing through the branching optical elements 25 and 27. Fig.10 (b) is a diagram of the second surface 272 viewed from the plane normal direction.

[0087] The branching optical element 27 is a flat plate, and has passing regions 2721 and 2722 as holes through which illumination light passes, a reflection region 271 for reflecting illumination light from the light source 11, and a reflection region 272 for reflecting reflected light from the object OBJ.

[0088] The light incident from the first surface 251 of the branching optical element 25 passes through the second surface 252 and then reaches the first surface 271 of the branching optical element 27. Among the illumination light that has reached it, the light that has entered the passing region 2721 passes through the branching optical element 27 as it is, and this optical path will be referred to as the first optical path. On the other hand, the illumination light that has reached the second surface 272 is reflected, totally reflected by the first surface 251 of the branching optical element 25, further totally reflected by the third surface 253, and emitted from the passing region 2722, and forms the second optical path. Thereafter, both the first optical path and the second optical path enter the driving mirror 31.

[0089] On the other hand, the reflected light from the driving mirror 31 is reflected on the reflection area 272 , introduced to and received by the light receiving element corresponding to each surface.

[0090] As described above, the configuration according to this embodiment is small but can expand the scanning range.

[0091] Second embodiment

[0092] Fig.11 1 is a schematic diagram of the main parts of the optical device 2 according to this embodiment. The optical device 2 includes a light source 11, a collimating lens 12, a diaphragm 13, a branching optical element 28, a driving mirror (deflection unit) 31, a condenser lens 41, light receiving elements (light receiving units) 51 and 52, and a control unit 60. The configuration other than the branching optical element 28 is the same as that of the first embodiment, and the description thereof will be omitted.

[0093] The branching optical element 28 has a function of branching the illumination optical path and separating the illumination optical path and the light receiving optical path.

[0094] Fig.12 28 is a schematic diagram of a main part of a branching optical element 28 according to this embodiment. The branching optical element 28 has a first surface 281, a second surface 282, and a third surface 283. The angle formed between the first surface 281 and the second surface 282 and the angle formed between the first surface 281 and the third surface 283 are both 7.3 degrees around the Y axis. Fig.12 (a) illustrates the path of illumination light as it passes through the branching optical element 28. Fig.12 (b) is a diagram of the branching optical element 28 viewed from the -Z axis direction.

[0095] The second surface 282 has a passing area 2821 for transmitting illumination light and a reflection area 2822 for reflecting reflected light from the object OBJ. The third surface 283 has a passing area 2831 for transmitting illumination light and a reflection area 2832 for reflecting reflected light from the object OBJ. In this embodiment, the passing areas 2821 and 2831 have a semicircular shape with a radius of 1.6 mm, but the present invention is not limited to this example. For example, it can be a rectangle. In this embodiment, the areas of the passing areas 2821 and 2831 are equal to each other, so that the light amount of illumination light in the first light path and the second light path to be described later is approximately equal. An anti-reflection film can be formed on the passing areas 2821 and 2831. A layer reflecting incident light from the outside of the branching optical element 28 is formed on each of the reflection areas 2822 and 2832 by a metal film, a dielectric film, etc. A layer for absorbing light can be formed on a non-effective area where the incident light of the reflection areas 2822 and 2832 does not reach.

[0096] Fig.13 It is a light path diagram of the illumination light passing through the passing area (first passing area) 2821. Fig.14 It is a light path diagram of the illumination light passing through the passing area (second passing area) 2831. Fig.15 It is a light path diagram of reflected light from object OBJ illuminated by the illumination light transmitted through region 2821 . Fig.16 28 and 29 are optical path diagrams of reflected light from the object OBJ illuminated by the illumination light transmitted through the pass region 2831. In each figure, (a) is an XZ cross-sectional diagram, and (b) is a YZ cross-sectional diagram.

[0097] The light having passed through the aperture 13 is refracted on the first surface 281 according to Snell's law, travels in the branching optical element 28, and reaches the second surface 282 and the third surface 283. The illumination light having reached the second surface 212 is emitted from the passing area 2821 and enters the driving mirror 31. Hereinafter, this optical path will be referred to as the first optical path ( Fig.12 On the other hand, the illumination light having reached the third surface 283 is emitted from the passing region 2831 and enters the driving mirror 31. Hereinafter, this optical path will be referred to as the second optical path ( Fig.12 (a) (dashed line). In this way, the illumination light is branched into two illumination lights (first illumination light and second illumination light) by the branching optical element 28, and the first and second illumination lights are emitted from the passing areas 2821 and 2831 so that their emission directions form an angle.

[0098] The illumination light of the first optical path and the illumination light of the second optical path are reflected by the driving mirror 31, pass through the branching optical element 28 and the bottom of the light source 11, and then illuminate the object OBJ while being two-dimensionally scanned. The two lights emitted from the branching optical element 28 enter the driving mirror 31 at different angles and are scanned to illuminate different areas. That is, the illumination range can be expanded.

[0099] The reflected light from the object OBJ is deflected by the driving mirror 31 to the branching optical element 28. More specifically, the reflected light in the first optical path passes through the light source 11 and the bottom of the branching optical element 28 in the optical path in the opposite direction to the illumination light, then enters the driving mirror 31 and is deflected toward the second surface 282. Among the deflected light, the light that has reached the reflection area 2822 is reflected toward the condenser 41, is focused on the light receiving element 51 and is received by the light receiving element 51. The reflected light in the second optical path passes through the light source 11 and the bottom of the branching optical element 28 in the optical path opposite to the illumination light, then enters the driving mirror 31 and is deflected toward the third surface 283. Among the deflected light, the light that has reached the reflection area 2832 is reflected toward the condenser 41, is focused on the light receiving element 52 and is received by the light receiving element 52.

[0100] The light emitted from the passing area 2821 and the light emitted from the passing area 2831 have angles with the same absolute value but different signs. As a result, the angles incident on the driving mirror 31 have the same absolute value but opposite directions to each other, so that the areas of the respective illumination ranges are equal to each other, and the object OBJ can be illuminated symmetrically with respect to the Y axis.

[0101] The illumination light in the first optical path and the illumination light in the second optical path may intersect each other before they enter the driving mirror 31. The intersecting illumination light in the first optical path and the second optical path may suppress the width of each illumination light in the first optical path and the second optical path incident on the driving mirror 31, and prevent the diameter of the driving mirror 31 from increasing.

[0102] Fig.17 29 is a schematic diagram of a main part of a branching optical element 29 according to a modification of the branching optical element 28. The branching optical element 29 has a first surface 291, a second surface 292, a third surface 293, a fourth surface 294, and a fifth surface 295. Fig.17 (a) is a diagram of the branching optical element 29 viewed from the +Y axis direction. Fig.17 (b) is a diagram of the branching optical element 29 viewed from the -Z axis direction. Fig.17 (c) is a diagram of the branching optical element 29 viewed from the -X axis direction.

[0103] The branching optical element 28 has two surfaces or a reflection area and a passing area, while the branching optical element 29 has four surfaces. More specifically, the second surface 292 has a passing area 2921 for transmitting illumination light and a reflection area 2922 for reflecting reflected light from the object OBJ. The third surface 293 is a passing area 2931 for transmitting illumination light, and a reflection area 2932 for reflecting reflected light from the object OBJ. The fourth surface 294 has a passing area 2941 for transmitting illumination light and a reflection area 2942 for reflecting reflected light from the object OBJ. The fifth surface 295 has a passing area 2951 for transmitting illumination light and a reflection area 2952 for reflecting reflected light from the object OBJ. All of the second surface 292, the third surface 293, the fourth surface 294, and the fifth surface 295 are surfaces rotated around the X-axis and the Y-axis.

[0104] The illumination light transmitted through the first surface 231 passes through the passing regions 2921, 2931, 2941, and 2951, and enters the driving mirror 31. On the other hand, the reflected light from the driving mirror 31 is reflected in the reflection regions 2922, 2932, 2942, and 2952, introduced into and received by the light receiving elements (not shown) corresponding to each surface.

[0105] As described above, the configuration according to this embodiment is small but can expand the scanning range.

[0106] Third embodiment

[0107] Fig.18: is a schematic diagram of a main part of an optical device 3 according to this embodiment. The optical device 3 includes the optical device 2 according to the second embodiment and a telescope 70. The configuration other than the telescope 70 is the same as that of the second embodiment, and a description thereof will be omitted.

[0108] The telescope 70 is an optical system (afocal system) including a plurality of optical elements (lenses) having refractive power (focal power) and having no refractive power in the entire system. In this embodiment, the telescope 70 includes lenses 71 and 72 having positive refractive power. The telescope 70 is disposed on the illumination side of the drive mirror 31. The drive mirror 31 is disposed at a position (entrance pupil position) which is optically the entrance pupil of the telescope 70. The optical magnification β of the telescope 70 is greater than 1 (|β|>1) with respect to the exit pupil from the drive mirror 31 side.

[0109] The illumination light emitted from the light source 11 reaches the driving mirror 31 in the same optical path as that in the second embodiment, is reflected by the driving mirror 31, and enters the telescope 70. The illumination light having entered the telescope 70 is magnified according to the optical magnification β and illuminates the object OBJ. The reflected light from the illuminated object OBJ enters the telescope 70, is reduced according to the optical magnification 1 / β, and reaches the driving mirror 31. The optical path after the driving mirror 31 is the same as that of the second embodiment.

[0110] The telescope 70 thus deployed can expand the beam diameter of the illumination light and reduce the divergence angle of the illumination light. As a result, the diffusion of the illumination light at a distance can be suppressed, and the resolution and illumination at a distance can be improved. Moreover, the pupil diameter with the telescope 70 deployed is larger than the pupil diameter without the telescope 70 deployed, and a larger amount of reflected light from the object OBJ can be taken in, so that the measured distance and distance measurement accuracy can be performed.

[0111] Fourth embodiment

[0112] Fig.19 1 is a schematic diagram of the main parts of the optical device 4 according to this embodiment. The optical device 4 includes a light source 11, a collimating lens 12, a diaphragm 13, branching optical elements 81 and 82, a driving mirror (deflection unit) 31, condenser lenses 42 and 43, light receiving elements (light receiving units) 51 to 53, and a control unit 60 (not shown). The configuration other than the branching optical elements 81 and 82 is the same as that of the first embodiment, and the description thereof will be omitted.

[0113] The coordinate system according to this embodiment is defined as Fig.19 More specifically, one swing direction of the driving mirror 31 is set as the X axis, the direction in which light travels from the light source 11 to the driving mirror 31 is set as the Y axis, and the direction orthogonal to the X axis and the Y axis is set as the Z axis. Fig. 20is a light path diagram of the illumination light according to this embodiment. Fig. 20 (a) is the YZ cross-sectional view, Fig. 20 (b) is an XY cross-sectional view, and Fig. 20 (c) is a bottom view viewed from the -Y axis direction.

[0114] The branching optical element 81 has a function of branching the illumination optical path, and the branching optical element 82 has a function of separating the illumination optical path and the light receiving optical path.

[0115] Fig.21 is a schematic diagram of main parts of branching optical elements 81 and 82 according to this embodiment. Fig.21 (a) illustrates the configuration of the branching optical elements 81 and 82 and the illumination light paths through the branching optical elements 81 and 82. The branching optical element 81 has a first surface 811, a second surface 812, a third surface 813, and a fourth surface 814. The angle formed between the second surface 812 and the third surface 813 and the angle formed between the second surface 812 and the fourth surface 814 are 21.4 degrees with the same absolute value and different signs around the Z axis.

[0116] In the case of using the above semiconductor laser for the light source 11, as Fig. 22 As shown in FIG. 1 , the light quantity distribution of the illumination light has an approximately Gaussian distribution. The illumination light travels from the first surface 811 to the branching optical element 81 after being shielded at its periphery by the aperture 13. The light beam near the center of the illumination light passes through the second surface 812. This light path will be referred to as the first light path 91. The light beam passing through the first light path 91 has Fig. 22 The light quantity distribution 91a shown in FIG. A portion of the light beam near the periphery of the illumination light passes through the third surface 813. This light path will be referred to as the second light path 92. The light beam passing through the second light path 92 has Fig. 22 Another part of the light beam near the periphery of the illumination light passes through the fourth surface 814. This light path will be referred to as the third light path 93. The light beam passing through the third light path 93 has Fig. 22 93a shown in FIG. 9. In this embodiment, the light amount of the light beam passing through the first light path 91 is greater than the light amount of the light beam passing through the second light path 92 and the light amount of the light beam passing through the third light path 93. Since the third surface 813 and the fourth surface 814 have an angle relative to the second surface 812, the second light path 92 and the third light path 93 have an angle of 12.0 degrees with the same absolute value and different signs relative to the first light path 91.

[0117] The branching optical element 82 has a first surface 821 and a second surface 822 . Fig.21(b) is a diagram of the branching optical element 82 viewed from the plane normal direction of the second surface 822. The second surface 822 has a pass region 8221 for transmitting illumination light and a reflection region 8222 for reflecting reflected light from the object OBJ. In this embodiment, the pass region 8221 has a rectangular shape of 2.5×6.6 mm, but the present invention is not limited to this example. For example, it may have an elliptical shape. An anti-reflection film may be formed on the pass region 8221. A layer for reflecting incident light from the outside of the branching optical element 82 may be formed on the reflection region 8222 by a metal film, a dielectric film, or the like. A layer for absorbing light may be formed on an ineffective region of the reflection region 8222 where the incident light does not reach.

[0118] Each light beam emitted from the branching optical element 81 enters the first surface 821 of the branching optical element 82 and is emitted from the passing area 8221 of the second surface 822. Since the branched light beams pass through the same passing area, assembly adjustment can be easy.

[0119] The light beams emitted from the branching optical element 82 and passing through the first to third optical paths 91 to 93 are reflected by the driving mirror 31 and scanned two-dimensionally, and illuminate the object OBJ. The three light beams emitted from the branching optical element 81 enter the driving mirror 31 at different angles and are scanned to illuminate different areas. That is, the illumination range can be expanded.

[0120] Fig.23 is a light path diagram of reflected light according to this embodiment. Fig.23 (a) is a YZ cross-sectional view, and Fig.23 (b) is a bottom view viewed from the -Y direction. The reflected light in each optical path from the object OBJ is deflected by the drive mirror 31 to the branching optical element 82. Among the deflected light, the light that has reached the reflection area 8222 is reflected toward the focusing lens 42 and passes through the focusing lens 43. The light beam passing through the first optical path 91 is focused on the light receiving element 51 and received by the light receiving element 51, the light beam passing through the second optical path 92 is focused on the light receiving element 52 and received by the light receiving element 52, and the light beam passing through the third optical path 93 is focused on the light receiving element 53 and received by the light receiving element 53. That is, in this embodiment, each light beam reflected by the branching optical element 82 passes through the same lens and is focused on the light receiving element.

[0121] This embodiment uses a condenser lens, so unlike a reflector, the size of the entire device can be reduced. The distance between the light receiving elements can be narrowed, and each light receiving element can be disposed on the same substrate, or an array of light receiving elements can be used.

[0122] The entrance pupil of the focusing optical system (common optical system) including the focusing lenses 42 and 43 can be located above the driving mirror 31. Thus, the main ray of each reflected light beam can enter the light receiving element approximately vertically. In general, the closer the angle is to vertical incidence, the higher the sensitivity of the light receiving element, so that the detection distance can be extended when the entire light beam enters the light receiving element at a small angle.

[0123] As described above, since the light amount of the light beam passing through the first optical path 91 is greater than the light amount of the light beam passing through the second optical path 92 and the light amount of the light beam passing through the third optical path 93, the amount of reflected light can be increased and thus the measurable distance can be increased. In this embodiment, a wide-angle scheme can be achieved by branching the illumination light into three, while measuring the distance farther using the light beam passing through a position near the center of the viewing angle.

[0124] Fig.24 (a) is a schematic diagram of a main part of a branching optical element 83 according to a modification of the branching optical element 81, and Fig.24 (b) is a diagram showing the light amount distribution of the illumination light passing through the branching optical element 83. The branching optical element 83 has a first surface 831, a second surface 832, a third surface 833, and a fourth surface 834. The angle formed between the first surface 831 and the second surface 832 and the angle formed between the first surface 831 and the third surface 833 are 22.8 degrees with the same absolute value and different signs around the Z axis.

[0125] The illumination light travels in the branching optical element 83 after being shielded at its periphery by the aperture 13. A light beam near the center of the illumination light passes through the first surface 831. This light path will be referred to as a first light path 91. The light beam passing through the first light path 91 has Fig.24 (b) shows the light quantity distribution 91a. A portion of the light beam near the periphery of the illumination light passes through the second surface 832. This light path will be referred to as the second light path 92. The light beam passing through the second light path 92 has Fig.24 (b) shows the light quantity distribution 92a. Another part of the light beam near the periphery of the illumination light passes through the third surface 833. This light path will be referred to as the third light path 93. The light beam passing through the third light path 93 has Fig.24 (b) shows the light quantity distribution 93a. This embodiment increases the light quantity in the order of the light quantity of the light beam passing through the third light path 93, the light quantity of the light beam passing through the first light path 91, and the light quantity of the light beam passing through the second light path 92. Since the second surface 832 and the third surface 833 form an angle with respect to the first surface 831, the second light path 92 and the third light path 93 have angles with the same absolute value and different signs with respect to the first light path 91. The light beams passing through the first light path 91 to the third light path 93 are respectively emitted from the fourth surface 834 and enter the branching optical element 82.

[0126] Fig.25 81 and 82 are schematic diagrams of main parts of a branching optical element 85 according to a modification of the branching optical elements 81 and 82 . Fig.25 (a) is an XY cross-sectional view, and Fig.25 (b) is a YZ cross-sectional view. The branching optical element 85 has a first surface 851, a second surface 852, a third surface 853, and a fourth surface 854. The angle formed between the first surface 851 and the second surface 852 and the angle formed between the first surface 852 and the third surface 853 are 30.0 degrees with the same absolute value and different signs around the Z axis. The angle formed between the first surface 851 and the fourth surface 854 is 33.5 degrees around the X axis.

[0127] The fourth surface 854 has a transmission area 8541 for transmitting illumination light and a reflection area 8542 for reflecting reflected light from the object OBJ.

[0128] The illumination light travels in the branching optical element 85 after being shielded at its periphery by the aperture 13. The light beam near the center of the illumination light passes through the first surface 851. This optical path will be referred to as the first optical path 91. A portion of the light beam near the periphery of the illumination light passes through the second surface 852. This optical path will be referred to as the second optical path 92. Another portion of the light beam near the periphery of the illumination light passes through the third surface 853. This optical path will be referred to as the third optical path 93. In this embodiment, the amount of light of the light beam passing through the first optical path 91 is greater than the amount of light of the light beam passing through the second optical path 92 and the amount of light of the light beam passing through the third optical path 93. Since the second surface 852 and the third surface 853 have an angle relative to the first surface 851, the second optical path 92 and the third optical path 93 have angles with the same absolute value and different signs relative to the first optical path 91. The light beams passing through the first optical path 91 to the third optical path 93 are respectively emitted from the passing area 8541 of the fourth surface 854. In this embodiment, as Fig.25 As shown in (b), since the illumination light is emitted downward from the passing area 8541, the deflecting mirror 31 is also disposed downward.

[0129] On the other hand, the reflected light from the object OBJ is deflected by the driving mirror 31 to the branching optical element 85. Among the deflected light, the light that has reached the reflection area 8542 is reflected toward the condenser lens 42.

[0130] In this variation, the two branch optical elements are integrated with each other, and thus the cost can be reduced by reducing the number of components and the number of assembly steps.

[0131] In this embodiment, the light amount of the illumination light from the light source follows a Gaussian distribution, but the present invention is not limited to this light amount distribution and may be a uniform distribution or an annular distribution.

[0132] [In-vehicle system]

[0133] Fig.26 1 is a configuration diagram of an optical device 100 as one of the optical devices according to various embodiments and an in-vehicle system (driving support device) 1000 having the optical device 100. The in-vehicle system 1000 is a device that is held by a movable moving body (mobile device) such as a car (vehicle) and is configured to support driving (steering) of the vehicle based on distance information about objects such as obstacles or pedestrians around the vehicle acquired by the optical device 100. Fig. 27 is a schematic diagram of a vehicle 500 including an in-vehicle system 1000 . Fig. 27 A case where the distance measurement range (detection range) of the optical device 100 is set in front of the vehicle 500 is illustrated, but the distance measurement range may be set in the rear or side of the vehicle 500 .

[0134] like Fig.26 As shown in , the vehicle-mounted system 1000 includes an optical device 100, a vehicle information acquisition device 200, a control device (ECU: Electronic Control Unit) 300, and a warning device (warning unit) 400. In the vehicle-mounted system 1000, the control unit 60 included in the optical device 100 has the functions of a distance acquisition unit (acquisition unit) and a collision determination unit (determination unit). However, if necessary, the vehicle-mounted system 1000 may include a distance acquisition unit and a collision determination unit separated from the control unit 60, or each may be provided outside the optical device 100 (for example, inside the vehicle 500). Alternatively, the control device 300 may be used as the control unit 60.

[0135] Fig.28 1000 is a flowchart showing an operation example of the in-vehicle system 1000 according to this embodiment. A description will now be given of the operation of the in-vehicle system 1000 with reference to this flowchart.

[0136] First, in step S1, the light source unit of the optical device 100 illuminates an object around the vehicle, and the control unit 60 acquires distance information about the object based on a signal output from the light receiving element by receiving reflected light from the object. In step S2, the vehicle information acquisition device 200 acquires vehicle information, which includes the speed, yaw rate, steering angle, etc. of the vehicle. Then, in step S3, the control unit 60 determines whether the distance to the object is included in a preset distance range using the distance information acquired in step S1 and the vehicle information acquired in step S2.

[0137] This configuration can determine whether there is an object within the set distance range around the vehicle, and determine the possibility of a collision between the vehicle and the object. Steps S1 and S2 can be performed in the reverse order of the above order or in parallel with each other. The control unit 60 determines "there is a possibility of a collision" (step S4) when there is an object within the set distance, and determines "there is no possibility of a collision" (step S5) when there is no object within the set distance.

[0138] Next, in the case where the control unit 60 determines that "there is a possibility of a collision", the control unit 60 notifies (transmits) the determination result to the control device 300 and the warning device 400. At this time, the control device 300 controls the vehicle based on the determination result of the control unit 60 (step S6), and the warning device 400 warns the user (driver) of the vehicle based on the determination result of the control unit 60 (step S7). The determination result may be notified to at least one of the control device 300 and the warning device 400.

[0139] The control device 300 can control the movement of the vehicle by outputting a control signal to a driving unit (engine, motor, etc.) of the vehicle. For example, in the vehicle, controls such as applying the brakes, releasing the accelerator, turning the steering wheel, generating a control signal for generating a braking force for each wheel, and suppressing the output of the engine or motor can be performed. The warning device 400 warns the vehicle driver by, for example, emitting a warning sound, displaying a warning message on the screen of the car navigation system, or vibrating the seat belt or steering device.

[0140] Therefore, the vehicle-mounted system 1000 according to this embodiment can detect objects and measure distances through the above processing, and avoid collisions between vehicles and objects. In particular, applying the optical device according to each of the embodiments to the vehicle-mounted system 1000 can achieve high distance measurement accuracy, so that object detection and collision determination can be performed with high accuracy.

[0141] This embodiment applies the in-vehicle system 1000 to driving support (collision damage mitigation), but the in-vehicle system 1000 is not limited to this example and can be applied to cruise control (including adaptive cruise control) and automatic driving. The in-vehicle system 1000 can be applied not only to vehicles such as cars but also to mobile bodies such as ships, airplanes, or industrial robots. It can be applied not only to mobile objects but also to various devices that utilize object recognition (such as intelligent transportation systems (ITS) and surveillance systems).

[0142] The in-vehicle system 1000 and the mobile device may include a notification device (notification unit) for notifying the manufacturer of the in-vehicle system, the seller (dealer) of the mobile device, etc. of any collision between the vehicle 700 and the obstacle. For example, the notification device may use a device that sends information about the collision between the vehicle 700 and the obstacle (collision information) to a preset external notification destination by e-mail, etc.

[0143] Therefore, a configuration for automatically notifying collision information by a notification device can facilitate processing such as inspection and repair after the collision. The notification destination of the collision information may be an insurance company, a medical institution, the police, or another arbitrary destination set by the user. The notification device may notify the notification destination not only of the collision information but also of failure information about each component and consumption information about consumables. The presence or absence of a collision may be detected based on distance information acquired by an output from the above light receiving unit or by another detector (sensor).

[0144] Although the preferred embodiments of the present invention have been described above, the present invention is not limited to these embodiments, and various modifications and changes can be made within the scope of the gist thereof.

Claims

1. An optical device, comprising: a deflection unit configured to deflect illumination light from a light source to scan an object, and to deflect reflected light from the object; as well as a light guiding unit configured to guide the illumination light to the deflecting unit and guide the reflected light from the deflecting unit to a light receiving unit, wherein the light guide unit comprises a first passing area and a second passing area through which the illumination light passes, and a reflection area for reflecting the reflected light, wherein the illumination light is branched into a first illumination light and a second illumination light by the light guiding unit, and The first illumination light is emitted from the first passing area and the second illumination light is emitted from the second passing area, so that an emission direction of the first illumination light and an emission direction of the second illumination light form an angle, and then the first illumination light and the second illumination light enter the deflection unit. 2 . The optical device according to claim 1 , wherein the illumination light is branched by spatially dividing a part of the light beam by the light guiding unit. 3 . The optical device according to claim 1 , wherein the illumination light is branched by dividing light intensity by the light guiding unit. 4 . The optical device according to claim 1 , wherein the illumination light is branched by the light guiding unit dividing the illumination light into a first polarization component and a second polarization component, the second polarization component being orthogonal to the first polarization component. 5 . The optical device according to claim 1 , wherein the first illumination light and the second illumination light have light amounts equal to each other. 6 . The optical device according to claim 1 , wherein the first illumination light and the second illumination light have light quantities different from each other.

7. The optical device according to any one of claims 1 to 6, wherein the light guiding unit comprises a first surface into which the illumination light enters and a reflecting surface for reflecting the illumination light, and The second illumination light from the first surface is branched in the light guide unit, then reflected by the reflection surface, and emitted from the second passing area.

8. The optical device according to claim 7, wherein the optical device satisfies the following expression, α1+α2＝90 wherein α1 is an angle formed between the first surface and the second passing region or the reflecting region, and α2 is an angle formed between the second passing region or the reflecting region and the reflecting surface. 9 . The optical device according to claim 1 , wherein the light guiding unit expands a beam diameter of the illumination light.

10. The optical device according to any one of claims 1 to 9, wherein the first passing area and the second passing area are common. 11 . The optical device according to claim 1 , wherein the light guiding unit comprises a second surface having the first passing area and the reflecting area, and a third surface having the second passing area and the reflecting area. 12 . The optical device according to claim 11 , wherein the first illumination light and the second illumination light intersect each other before entering the deflection unit. 13 . The optical device according to claim 1 , wherein the reflected light of the first illumination light and the reflected light of the second illumination light pass through a common optical system after passing through the light guiding unit and before entering the light receiving unit.

14. The optical device according to claim 13, wherein an entrance pupil of the common optical system is located above the deflection unit.

15. The optical device of claim 13, wherein the common optical system comprises a condenser lens. 16 . The optical device according to claim 1 , further comprising a telescope configured to increase a beam diameter of the illumination light deflected by the deflection unit and to reduce a beam diameter of the reflected light from the object.

17. The optical device according to claim 16, wherein the deflection unit is disposed at an entrance pupil position of the telescope. 18 . The optical device according to claim 1 , wherein an illumination range of the first illumination light and an illumination range of the second illumination light partially overlap with each other. 19 . The optical device according to claim 1 , further comprising a control unit configured to acquire distance information about the object based on an output from the light receiving unit.

20. An in-vehicle system comprising the optical device according to any one of claims 1 to 19 and configured to determine a possibility of a collision between a vehicle and an object based on distance information about the object acquired by the optical device.

21. The in-vehicle system according to claim 20, further comprising a control device configured to output a control signal for generating a braking force in the vehicle if the in-vehicle system determines that there is a possibility of a collision between the vehicle and the object.

22. The in-vehicle system according to claim 20 or 21, further comprising a warning device configured to warn a user of the vehicle if the in-vehicle system determines that there is a possibility of a collision between the vehicle and the object. 23 . The in-vehicle system according to claim 20 , further comprising a notification device configured to notify information on the collision between the vehicle and the object to the outside.

24. A mobile device comprising the optical device according to any one of claims 1 to 19 and configured to hold the optical device and move. 25 . The mobile device according to claim 24 , further comprising a determination unit configured to determine a possibility of a collision with the object based on distance information about the object acquired by the optical device. 26 . The mobile device according to claim 25 , further comprising a control unit configured to output a control signal for controlling movement if the determination unit determines that there is a possibility of a collision with the object. 27 . The mobile device according to claim 25 , further comprising a warning unit configured to warn a user of the mobile device if the determination unit determines that there is a possibility of a collision with the object. 28 . The mobile device according to claim 24 , comprising a notification unit configured to notify information about the collision with the object to the outside.

Images