Object detection device

Abstract

The present invention relates to an object detection device. The object detection device (10) comprises: a light emitting unit (30) emitting laser light as irradiation light; a light receiving unit (40) receiving light including reflected light of the irradiation light; a plurality of components (50, 60, 70) operating to detect information related to an object through the operation of the light emitting unit (30) and the light receiving unit (40), and having an increasing current period in which the consumed current becomes a current larger than the average current; a common power supply (20) supplying power to the plurality of components (50, 60, 70); and a control unit (80) controlling the operation of the plurality of components (50, 60, 70) so that the current output by the common power supply (20) is less than a predetermined upper limit current.

Description

[0001] CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

[0002] This application claims priority based on Japanese Patent Application No. 2020-048828 filed on March 19, 2020 and Japanese Patent Application No. 2021-009395 filed on January 25, 2021, the entire disclosure of which is incorporated herein by reference. Technical Field

[0003] The present disclosure relates to an object detection device. Background Art

[0004] Japanese Patent Application Publication No. 2019-128221 discloses a scanning laser radar as an object detection device that projects laser light and receives light reflected by an object to detect information related to the object, such as the presence or absence of the object and the distance to the object.

[0005] In the object detection device as described above, in addition to the actuator for scanning, in order to ensure stable light emission and light reception of the laser, it is also considered to have a plurality of components that consume a large current, such as a temperature regulator for adjusting the temperature of the light emitting part, a temperature regulator for adjusting the temperature of the light receiving part, and a temperature regulator for adjusting the temperature of the window for laser light emission and light reception. In order to supply the peak current consumed in each of these components to each component at the same time, a power supply composed of a battery that allows the total value of the peak current of each component, an overcurrent protection circuit, etc. is required, resulting in a large power supply used. In addition, when the peak current consumption timing of each component changes and the current output from the power supply changes greatly, the output voltage of the power supply changes accordingly. Summary of the invention

[0006] According to one embodiment of the present disclosure, an object detection device is provided. The object detection device includes: a light emitting unit that emits laser light as irradiation light; a light receiving unit that receives light including reflected light of the irradiation light; a plurality of components that operate to detect information related to the object through the operation of the light emitting unit and the light receiving unit, and have an increase current period in which the consumption current becomes a current larger than the average current; a common power supply that supplies power to the plurality of components; and a control unit that controls the operation of the plurality of components so that the current output by the common power supply is less than a predetermined upper limit current.

[0007] According to this object detection device, since the current output from the common power supply can be made lower than a predetermined upper limit current, it is possible to suppress an increase in the size of the common power supply and suppress a variation in the output voltage of the common power supply. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0008] The above-mentioned purpose and other purposes, features and advantages of the present disclosure will become more apparent through the following detailed description with reference to the accompanying drawings. The accompanying drawings are:

[0009] Figure 1 It is a schematic configuration diagram of the object detection device according to the first embodiment.

[0010] Figure 2 : is a timing chart showing an example of the driving current in the first embodiment.

[0011] Figure 3 1 is a timing chart showing the driving current as a comparison method.

[0012] Figure 4 : is a timing chart showing an example of the driving current in the second embodiment.

[0013] Figure 5 It is a schematic configuration diagram of an object detection device according to a third embodiment. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0014] A. First Implementation Method:

[0015] The object detection device is a scanning radar (also called "LiDAR: Light Detection and Ranging") that detects information about the object, such as the presence or absence of the object and the distance to the object, by irradiating laser light as irradiation light and receiving light including reflected light from the object.

[0016] like Figure 1 As shown, the object detection device 10 of the embodiment includes a common power supply 20 , a light emitting unit 30 , a light receiving unit 40 , a scanning unit 50 , a light emitting unit temperature adjustment unit 60 , a window temperature adjustment unit 70 , and a control unit 80 .

[0017] The light emitting unit 30 is composed of a light emitting element that emits laser light and a light emitting control circuit that controls the light emitting element (not shown), and emits laser light as irradiation light according to the control of the control unit 80. The irradiation light emitted from the light emitting unit 30 is emitted to the outside of the object detection device 10 via a scanning mirror 56 of a scanning unit 50 described later and a window 12 provided in the housing.

[0018] The scanning unit 50 includes: a scanning mirror 56 for reflecting the irradiation light emitted from the light emitting unit 30, a scanning motor 54 for rotating the scanning mirror 56, and a motor driving circuit 52 for driving the scanning motor 54. The scanning motor 54 is, for example, a rotary solenoid, and is driven by the motor driving circuit 52 under the control of the control unit 80 to repeatedly rotate forward and reverse within a predetermined angle range (also referred to as a "field of view angle range"). As a result, the scanning unit 50 can reciprocate the irradiation light within the scanning range of the angle specified by the window 12 by rotating the scanning mirror 56. In addition, the scanning motor 54 is not limited to a rotary solenoid, and any actuator that can repeatedly rotate forward and reverse within an angle range corresponding to the scanning range to reciprocate the irradiation light will suffice.

[0019] When there is an object such as a person or a car (hereinafter also referred to as an "object") within the scanning range, the irradiation light emitted from the light emitting unit 30 is diffusely reflected on the surface of the object, and a part of it is returned to the scanning mirror 56 as reflected light through the window 12. The reflected light is reflected by the scanning mirror 56 together with other external light and received by the light receiving unit 40.

[0020] The light receiving unit 40 is composed of a plurality of light receiving elements and a light receiving control circuit (not shown), and outputs a light receiving signal corresponding to the light receiving state of the plurality of light receiving elements to the control unit 80 under the control of the control unit 80. The control unit 80 detects information related to the object, such as the presence or absence of an object and the distance to the object, based on the light receiving signal received from the light receiving unit 40.

[0021] The light emitting unit temperature adjustment unit 60 includes a light emitting unit temperature adjuster 64 for adjusting the temperature of the light emitting unit 30, and a light emitting unit temperature adjuster driving circuit 62 for driving the light emitting unit temperature adjuster 64. The light emitting unit temperature adjuster 64 is driven by the light emitting unit temperature adjuster driving circuit 62 according to the control of the control unit 80, and adjusts the temperature of the light emitting unit 30. Thus, the light emitting unit 30 can generate laser light in a stable wavelength band that can be received by the light receiving unit 40. In addition, as for the light emitting unit temperature adjuster 64, not only a temperature adjuster such as a heater and a Peltier element but also various temperature adjusters such as a temperature adjuster capable of heating and cooling can be applied.

[0022] The window temperature adjustment unit 70 includes: a window temperature adjuster 74 for adjusting the temperature of the window 12, and a window temperature adjuster driving circuit 72 for driving the window temperature adjuster 74. The window temperature adjuster 74 is driven by the window temperature adjuster driving circuit 72 according to the control of the control unit 80, and adjusts the temperature of the window 12. In this way, freezing and fogging of the window 12 can be eliminated, and the emission of irradiated light to the outside and the incidence of reflected light to the inside can be stably performed. In addition, the window temperature adjuster 74 can also apply various temperature adjusters in the same way as the light emitting unit temperature adjuster 64. In the following, it is assumed that the light emitting unit temperature adjuster 64 and the window temperature adjuster 74 are temperature adjusters that adjust the temperature by turning them on / off like a heater for explanation.

[0023] The common power supply 20 includes: a battery 22, a DC voltage conversion circuit (represented as "DCDC" in the figure) 24, and an overcurrent protection circuit (represented as "OCP" in the figure) 26. The DC voltage conversion circuit 24 converts the DC voltage output from the battery 22 into a DC voltage that can be supplied to the motor drive circuit 52, the light emitting unit temperature regulator drive circuit 62, and the window temperature regulator drive circuit 72. In the case where an overcurrent is detected as the current supplied to each circuit, the overcurrent protection circuit 26 cuts off the supply of power to each circuit. In addition, power is supplied to the light emitting unit 30, the light receiving unit 40, and the control unit 80 in the same manner as the motor drive circuit 52, the light emitting unit temperature regulator drive circuit 62, and the window temperature regulator drive circuit 72 or via a power supply circuit not shown in the figure connected to the battery 22, but the figure is omitted for the convenience of explaining the embodiment.

[0024] The control unit 80 is composed of, for example, a microcomputer, and the CPU executes a pre-prepared program to control the light emitting unit 30, the light receiving unit 40, the motor driving circuit 52 of the scanning unit 50, the light emitting unit temperature regulator driving circuit 62 of the light emitting unit temperature regulator 60, and the window temperature regulator driving circuit 72 of the window temperature regulator 70, which are required for the detection of the object. In particular, the control unit 80 controls the motor driving circuit 52, the light emitting unit temperature regulator driving circuit 62, and the window temperature regulator driving circuit 72 as described below to reduce the peak value of the current supplied from the battery 22 (hereinafter also referred to as "peak current").

[0025] When the irradiation light is reciprocated and scanned as described above, the motor driving circuit 52 switches the rotation direction of the scanning motor 54 in a scanning cycle (also referred to as a "frame cycle"). Figure 2 as well as Figure 3 As shown in FIG. 1 , the motor drive current required in the constant period Tds when the scanning direction is switched at the beginning of the scanning cycle Ts is several to dozens times larger than the current required in other periods. Figure 2 as well as Figure 3 As shown, for the light emitting unit temperature regulator 64 and the window temperature regulator 74, a larger current is required as a driving current during the period of temperature regulation than during the period of no temperature regulation. Figure 2 as well as Figure 3 The actual driving currents shown are currents that change during the corresponding periods, and are currents that are larger in the corresponding periods as a whole than in other periods. In addition, the peak value (hereinafter also referred to as "peak current") generated during the period Tds of the motor driving current is larger than the peak value (peak current) of the driving current during the operation period of the light-emitting portion temperature adjuster and the peak value (peak current) of the driving current generated during the operation period of the window temperature adjuster, and the power consumption of the scanning motor 54 is greater than the power consumption of the light-emitting portion temperature adjuster 64 and the power consumption of the window temperature adjuster 74.

[0026] Here, the case where the light emitting unit temperature regulator 64 and the window temperature regulator 74 repeatedly operate during the period Tds when the motor drive current becomes the peak current, and the case where the light emitting unit temperature regulator 64 and the window temperature regulator 74 repeatedly operate during the period other than the period Tds are described as a comparative method. Figure 3 As shown in FIG. 1 , the peak value of the motor drive current (peak current), the peak value of the current generated during the operation of the light-emitting unit temperature adjuster (hereinafter, also referred to as the "peak current of the light-emitting unit temperature adjuster drive current"), and the peak value of the current generated during the operation of the window temperature adjuster (hereinafter, also referred to as the "peak current of the window temperature adjuster drive current") need to be summed to obtain the drive current. In addition, during the period other than the period Tds, as Figure 3 As shown in FIG. 1 , there is a case where a driving current that is sufficiently smaller than the period Tds, a peak current of the light-emitting unit temperature regulator driving current, and a peak current of the window temperature regulator driving current need to be obtained by summing up the driving current. As a result, the battery 22 is required to allow output of power corresponding to the sum of the driving currents. Therefore, there is a problem that the power source used as the battery 22 is enlarged. In addition, as Figure 3 As shown in FIG. 1 , there is also a problem that the total variation of the repeated drive current increases according to the operation timing of the scanning motor 54, the light emitting unit temperature regulator 64, and the window temperature regulator 74, so the variation of the output voltage of the battery 22 increases. In addition, there is also a problem that, when the scanning unit 50, the light emitting unit temperature regulator 60, and the window temperature regulator 70 use separate power supplies instead of the common power supply 20, the device will also be enlarged.

[0027] In contrast, in the object detection device 10 of the embodiment, Figure 2 During the period Tds when the motor drive current shown in FIG. 1 is at the peak current, the control unit 80 (see FIG. 1 ) Figure 1 ) is controlled so that the light emitting unit temperature regulator 64 and the window temperature regulator 74 do not operate (are turned off). That is, the control unit 80 performs control during the period Tds when the motor drive current becomes the peak current so that the period when the light emitting unit temperature regulator drive current becomes the peak current and the period when the window temperature regulator drive current becomes the peak current do not overlap. As a result, during the period Tds, the total of the drive current requested as the output current of the common power supply 20 can be only the peak current of the motor drive current. In addition, during Figure 2 In the periods other than the period Tds shown, the control unit 80 controls the light emitting unit temperature adjuster 64 and the window temperature adjuster 74 so as not to repeat the operation (turn on). That is, the control unit 80 controls in the periods other than the period Tds so that the period when the light emitting unit temperature adjuster driving current becomes the peak current and the period when the window temperature adjuster driving current becomes the peak current do not repeat. Thus, in the periods other than the period Tds, the total of the driving current requested as the output current of the common power supply 20 can be made to repeat only the peak current of the motor driving current and the light emitting unit temperature adjuster driving current or the window temperature adjuster driving current, which is less than a fraction to a dozen of the peak current.

[0028] Therefore, in the object detection device 10, the current requested as the output current of the common power supply 20 in the scanning period Ts can be reduced to less than the predetermined upper limit current. Figure 3 Compared with the case of the comparative method shown in the figure, it can be reduced. As a result, the size of the connector and wiring connecting the power supply and each component can be reduced. In addition, the problem of the large size of the power supply composed of the battery used as the battery 22, the overcurrent protection circuit, etc. can be improved. In addition, the problem of the large fluctuation of the output voltage of the battery 22 can be improved. In addition, since a common power supply 20 is set for the scanning unit 50, the light-emitting unit temperature adjustment unit 60, and the window temperature adjustment unit 70, the problem of the large size of the device can be improved.

[0029] In addition, the motor drive current in the period Tds is a current that includes a peak current that is several to more than ten times larger than the current in other periods (Ts-Tds), and there is no problem in treating it as a current larger than the average current of the motor drive current. Therefore, the period Tds when the motor drive current becomes a peak current can be treated as an increasing current period when the motor drive current becomes a current larger than the average current. In addition, the light-emitting unit regulator drive current in the period when the light-emitting unit temperature regulator is turned on is also a current that includes a peak current that is larger than the light-emitting unit regulator drive current in the period when the light-emitting unit temperature regulator is turned off, and there is no problem in treating it as a current larger than the average current of the light-emitting unit regulator drive current. Therefore, the period when the light-emitting unit temperature regulator drive current becomes a peak current can be treated as an increasing current period when the light-emitting unit temperature regulator drive current becomes a current larger than the average current. The window temperature regulator drive current is also the same as the light-emitting unit temperature regulator drive current, and the period when the window temperature regulator drive current becomes a peak current can be treated as an increasing current period when the window temperature regulator drive current becomes a current larger than the average current. Furthermore, when the temperature regulator is activated (turned on), a configuration may be adopted in which the adjustment amount is controlled, that is, a configuration in which the current amount of the drive current is adjusted.

[0030] In the above description, the scanning unit 50, the light emitting unit temperature adjustment unit 60, and the window temperature adjustment unit 70 correspond to the "plurality of components" in the present embodiment, the scanning unit 50 corresponds to the "reference component", and the light emitting unit temperature adjustment unit 60 and the window temperature adjustment unit 70 correspond to the "other components". The motor driving current corresponds to the "current consumption in the scanning unit", the light emitting unit temperature adjustment unit driving current corresponds to the "current consumption in the temperature adjustment unit", and the window temperature adjustment unit driving current corresponds to the "current consumption in the window temperature adjustment unit". In addition, the period during which the motor driving current becomes the peak current corresponds to the "current peak period during which the current consumption in the scanning unit becomes a current larger than the average current at a constant cycle", and corresponds to the "current increase period during which the current consumption in the scanning unit becomes a current larger than the average current". The period during which the light emitting unit temperature adjustment unit driving current becomes the peak current corresponds to the "current peak period during which the current consumption in the light emitting unit temperature adjustment unit becomes a current larger than the average current, i.e., the current increase period", and the period during which the window temperature adjustment unit driving current becomes the peak current corresponds to the "current peak period during which the current consumption in the window temperature adjustment unit becomes a current larger than the average current, i.e., the current increase period".

[0031] B. Second Implementation Method:

[0032] The object detection device of the second embodiment is the same as the object detection device 10 of the first embodiment except for the method of controlling each temperature adjustment unit as described below. Therefore, illustration and description of the structure of the object detection device of the second embodiment are omitted.

[0033] In the first embodiment, in the period (Ts-Tds) other than the period Tds which is the peak current period of the scanning unit 50, the light emitting unit temperature regulator 64 and the window temperature regulator 74 are controlled so as not to operate repeatedly, so that the increasing current period during which the light emitting unit temperature regulator driving current becomes the peak current and the increasing current period during which the window temperature regulator driving current becomes the peak current do not overlap (refer to Figure 2 ). That is, adjustment is performed so that the supply timing of the light emitting unit temperature regulator driving current from the common power source 20 and the supply timing of the window temperature regulator driving current from the common power source 20 do not overlap.

[0034] In contrast, Figure 4 As shown, in the period (Ts-Tds) other than the period Tds, the light emitting portion temperature adjuster 64 and the window temperature adjuster 74 may be repeatedly operated to adjust the current of the light emitting portion temperature adjuster driving current and the current of the window temperature adjuster driving current, so that the output current of the common power supply 20 is reduced to less than the predetermined upper limit current. For example, the current of each driving current may be adjusted by controlling the temperature adjustment amount relative to each target temperature so that the total current of each driving current is not more than the upper limit current. In this case, the same effect as the first embodiment can be obtained.

[0035] Furthermore, considering the period Tds during which the drive current does not flow, the period during which the drive current to each temperature adjuster is adjusted in the period (Ts-Tds) corresponds to a current increase period larger than the average current of each drive current.

[0036] In the second embodiment described above, Figure 4 In the timing diagram shown, the case where the drive current to each temperature adjuster is adjusted during the entire period within the period (Ts-Tds) is used as an example for explanation, but it is not limited to this. For example, the temperature adjustment amount of each temperature adjuster relative to the target temperature can also be controlled so that the drive current to each temperature adjuster is repeated during a part of the period, and the total current amount of the drive current to each temperature adjuster during the repeated period is not above the upper limit current. Specifically, for example, the action of each temperature adjuster can also be turned on / off separately, and the current amount of each drive current can be adjusted during the period when the action of turning on each temperature adjuster is repeated.

[0037] C. Third Implementation Method:

[0038] like Figure 5 As shown, the object detection device 10C of the third embodiment has the following features in addition to the object detection device 10 of the first embodiment (see Figure 1) is different from the object detection device 10 in that it also includes a light receiving unit temperature adjustment unit 90 in addition to the structure of the light receiving unit 40. The light receiving unit temperature adjustment unit 90 includes: a light receiving unit temperature adjuster 94 for adjusting the temperature of the light receiving unit 40, and a light receiving unit temperature adjuster driving circuit 92 for driving the light receiving unit temperature adjuster 94. The light receiving unit temperature adjuster 94 is driven by the light receiving unit temperature adjuster driving circuit 92 according to the control of the control unit 80, and adjusts the temperature of the light receiving unit 40.

[0039] The operations of the light emitting unit temperature adjustment unit 60, the window temperature adjustment unit 70, and the light receiving unit temperature adjustment unit 90 are as described in the first embodiment (see Figure 2 ), in the period (Ts-Tds) other than the period Tds which is the peak current period of the scanning unit 50, the light emitting unit temperature regulator 64, the window temperature regulator 74, and the light receiving unit temperature regulator 94 are controlled so as not to repeat the operation. That is, control is performed so that the increasing current period during which the light emitting unit temperature regulator driving current becomes the peak current, the increasing current period during which the window temperature regulator driving current becomes the peak current, and the increasing current period during which the light receiving unit temperature regulator driving current becomes the peak current do not repeat. In addition, as described in the second embodiment (refer to Figure 4 ), the light emitting part temperature regulator 64, the window temperature regulator 74 and the light receiving part temperature regulator 94 can also repeat the action and adjust the current amount of the light emitting part temperature regulator driving current, the window temperature regulator driving current and the light receiving part temperature regulator driving current.

[0040] The plurality of light receiving elements of the light receiving unit 40 are usually provided with a band pass filter (not shown) to receive light of a wavelength after passing through the band pass filter. The band pass characteristic of the band pass filter generally changes depending on the temperature. Therefore, if the temperature of the light receiving unit 40 is adjusted by the light emitting unit temperature adjusting unit 60, the characteristic of the band pass filter can be stabilized. Thus, the light receiving state of the plurality of light receiving elements of the light receiving unit 40 can be stabilized.

[0041] Furthermore, when the light receiving unit temperature adjustment unit 90 is provided, the light emitting unit temperature adjustment unit 60 can be omitted. In this case, for example, the temperature of the light receiving unit 40 is adjusted so that the bandpass characteristics of the bandpass filter of the light receiving unit 40 include the wavelength band of the laser light that changes according to the temperature change of the light emitting unit 30. In this way, the light receiving state of the plurality of light receiving elements of the light receiving unit 40 can also be stabilized.

[0042] In the above description, the scanning unit 50, the light emitting unit temperature adjustment unit 60, the window temperature adjustment unit 70 and the light receiving unit temperature adjustment unit 90 are equivalent to the “multiple components” in this embodiment, the scanning unit 50 is equivalent to the “reference component”, and the light emitting unit temperature adjustment unit 60, the window temperature adjustment unit 70 and the light receiving unit temperature adjustment unit 90 are equivalent to the “other components”.

[0043] D. Other implementation methods:

[0044] (1) In the first and second embodiments described above, the configuration including the scanning unit 50, the light emitting unit temperature adjustment unit 60, and the window temperature adjustment unit 70 as components for supplying current from a common power supply is described as an example, but the present invention is not limited thereto. For example, a configuration may be provided in which the window temperature adjustment unit 70 or the light emitting unit temperature adjustment unit 60 is omitted. In this case, the timing of supplying current from the common power supply 20 to each component or the amount of current supplied is adjusted so that the current increase period of the light emitting unit temperature adjustment unit 60 or the window temperature adjustment unit 70 included as a component does not overlap with the peak current period of the scanning unit 50.

[0045] In addition, in the third embodiment described above, the structure including the scanning unit 50, the light emitting unit temperature adjustment unit 60, the window temperature adjustment unit 70, and the light receiving unit temperature adjustment unit 90 as components for supplying current from a common power supply is described as an example, but the present invention is not limited thereto. It is also possible to set a structure in which either or both of the light emitting unit temperature adjustment unit 60 and the window temperature adjustment unit 70 are omitted. In the case where the light receiving unit temperature adjustment unit 90 is included as a component, the supply timing of the current from the common power supply 20 to the component or the supply amount of the current is adjusted so that the increase current period of the light receiving unit temperature adjustment unit 90 does not overlap with the peak current period of the scanning unit 50. In addition, when the light receiving part temperature adjustment unit 90 and any one of the light emitting part temperature adjustment unit 60 and the window temperature adjustment unit 70 are included as components, the current supply timing or the current supply amount from the common power supply 20 to each component is adjusted so that the current increase period of the light receiving part temperature adjustment unit 90 and the current increase period of any one of the light emitting part temperature adjustment unit 60 and the window temperature adjustment unit 70 do not overlap with the peak current period of the scanning unit 50.

[0046] In addition, the components of the object detection device are not limited to the scanning unit 50, the light emitting unit temperature adjustment unit 60, the window temperature adjustment unit 70, and the light receiving unit temperature adjustment unit 90. As components supplied with power from a common power supply, components such as a cleaning device for cleaning the window and an angle adjustment device for adjusting the angle of the entire object detection device in the up-down direction and the left-right direction can also be applied. That is, it can be applied to various components that perform an operation to project a laser as an irradiation light and receive light including reflected light of the irradiation light to detect information related to an object, and have a period of increasing current during which the consumption current becomes a current larger than the average current.

[0047] (2) In the first embodiment, the scanning unit 50, which consumes the most power, is set as the reference component, and the light emitting unit temperature adjustment unit 60 and the window temperature adjustment unit 70 are set as other components. Moreover, the supply timing of the current from the common power supply 20 to the light emitting unit temperature adjustment unit 60 and the window temperature adjustment unit 70, which are other components, is adjusted based on the peak current period of the motor drive current of the scanning unit 50, that is, the operation timing of the light emitting unit temperature adjustment unit 60 and the window temperature adjustment unit 70. However, the present invention is not limited to this.

[0048] For example, when the peak current of the light emitting unit temperature adjustment unit 60 is the largest and the power consumption is the largest, the peak current period can be used as a reference to adjust the operation timing of the scanning unit 50 and the window temperature adjustment unit 70 so that the peak current period of the scanning unit 50 and the peak current period of the window temperature adjustment unit 70 do not overlap. The same is true when the peak current of the window temperature adjustment unit 70 is the largest and the power consumption is the largest. In addition, the same is true in the second embodiment and the third embodiment. In addition, multiple components can also be set as reference components.

[0049] (3) Based on the above embodiment and the description of other embodiments (1) and (2), the object detection device of the present disclosure may be as follows. That is, the operation of a plurality of components may be controlled so that the current output by the common power supply is less than a predetermined upper limit current, the plurality of components operate to project laser light as irradiation light and receive light including reflected light of the irradiation light to detect information related to the object, and have an increasing current period in which the consumption current becomes a current larger than the average current.

[0050] (4) The present disclosure may be implemented in various forms other than the object detection device. For example, the present disclosure may be implemented in the form of a vehicle having an object detection device, an object detection method, a computer program for implementing the device and the method, a storage medium storing the computer program, and the like.

[0051] (5) The control unit and method thereof described in the present disclosure may also be implemented by a dedicated computer provided by a processor and a memory programmed to execute one or more functions embodied by a computer program. Alternatively, the control unit and method thereof described in the present disclosure may also be implemented by a dedicated computer provided by a processor composed of one or more dedicated hardware logic circuits. Alternatively, the control unit and method thereof described in the present disclosure may also be implemented by one or more dedicated computers composed of a combination of a processor and a memory programmed to execute one or more functions and a processor composed of one or more hardware logic circuits. In addition, the computer program may also be stored as instructions executed by a computer in a non-transitory tangible recording medium that can be read by a computer.

[0052] The present disclosure is not limited to the above-mentioned embodiments, and can be implemented in various structures within the scope of the main purpose. For example, in order to solve part or all of the above-mentioned problems, or to achieve part or all of the above-mentioned effects, the technical features of the embodiments corresponding to the technical features in each method recorded in the invention content column can be appropriately replaced or combined. In addition, if the technical feature is not described as a necessary technical feature in this specification, it can be appropriately deleted.

Claims

1. An object detection device, comprising: a light emitting unit for emitting laser light as irradiation light; a light receiving part for receiving light including reflected light of the irradiated light; A plurality of components are operated to detect information related to an object through the operation of the light emitting unit and the light receiving unit, and have an increasing current period in which the current becomes larger than the average current, wherein: The above average current is the average of the current consumption during operation; A common power source supplies power to the above-mentioned multiple components; as well as a control unit that controls the operations of the plurality of components so that the current output by the common power supply is less than a predetermined upper limit current, The plurality of components include at least one reference component having a peak current period during which the increase current period is generated at a constant cycle. The control unit adjusts the current supplied from the common power supply to other components based on the peak current period so that the increase current period of components other than the reference component does not overlap with the peak current period of the reference component.

2. The object detection device according to claim 1, wherein: The control unit adjusts a supply timing of the current from the common power source to the other components during a period between the peak current periods.

3. The object detection device according to claim 1, wherein: The control unit adjusts the amount of current supplied from the common power supply to the other components during a period between the peak current periods.

4. The object detection device according to any one of claims 1 to 3, wherein: have: a scanning unit corresponding to the reference component and reciprocatingly scanning the irradiation light; and The light emitting unit temperature adjustment unit corresponds to the other components and adjusts the temperature of the light emitting unit.

5. The object detection device according to any one of claims 1 to 3, wherein: have: a scanning unit corresponding to the reference component and reciprocatingly scanning the irradiation light; and The light receiving unit temperature adjustment unit corresponds to the other components and adjusts the temperature of the light receiving unit.

6. The object detection device according to any one of claims 1 to 3, wherein: have: a scanning unit corresponding to the reference component and reciprocatingly scanning the irradiation light; and a light emitting portion temperature adjustment portion, corresponding to the other components and adjusting the temperature of the light emitting portion; and The light receiving unit temperature adjustment unit adjusts the temperature of the light receiving unit.

7. The object detection device according to claim 4, wherein: The device further includes a window for emitting the irradiated light to the outside and for receiving the reflected light from the outside, and a window temperature adjustment unit for adjusting the temperature of the window as the other constituent element.

8. The object detection device according to any one of claims 1 to 3, wherein: Also available: a window for the irradiated light to be emitted to the outside and for the reflected light to be incident from the outside; A scanning unit corresponding to the reference component and reciprocatingly scanning the irradiation light; as well as The window temperature adjustment unit corresponds to the other components and adjusts the temperature of the window.

9. The object detection device according to claim 2 or 3, wherein: The power consumption of the reference component is greater than the power consumption of the other components.

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