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

Abstract

The present application relates to a distance measurement correction device, a distance measurement correction method, a distance measurement correction program, and a distance measurement device. An image processing device (100) has a processor (102) that corrects a distance measurement result of a LiDAR device (1) that measures a distance to a reflection point by detecting reflection light from the reflection point by a pixel that detects irradiation of light. The image processing device (100) includes a pixel information acquisition section (110) that acquires correlation information for a plurality of reflection points, the correlation information being information related to a distance detected by a corresponding pixel; a normal line calculation section (130) that calculates a slope characteristic for a partial face of an object that constitutes a reflection point, the slope characteristic being related to a magnitude of a slope with respect to a reference face; and a distance correction section (150) that corrects a distance to each reflection point based on the slope characteristic.

Description

[0001] Cross Reference to Related Applications

[0002] This application is based on Japanese Patent Application No. 2021-23679 filed in Japan on February 17, 2021, and Japanese Patent Application No. 2022-3820 filed in Japan on January 13, 2022, the contents of which are incorporated herein by reference in its entirety. TECHNICAL FIELD

[0003] The disclosure in this specification relates to a technique of measuring a distance to a reflection point by detecting reflected light from the reflection point against irradiation of light. BACKGROUND

[0004] In Patent Literature 1, a device that corrects a measurement result of a distance measuring device is disclosed. The device measures a number of photons received by a light receiving section, and corrects a meandering error caused by a received light intensity based on the number of photons.

[0005] Patent Literature 1: International Publication No. 2017 / 42993

[0006] However, in a distance measuring device that detects reflected light, a detection error of a distance corresponding to a slope of a reflection surface can occur. In the technology of Patent Literature 1, an error corresponding to the slope of the reflection surface cannot be corrected. SUMMARY

[0007] An object of the disclosure is to provide a distance correction device, a distance correction method, a distance correction program, and a distance measuring device that can improve distance measurement accuracy.

[0008] The respective modes disclosed in this specification employ mutually different technical means in order to achieve respective objects. In addition, the reference signs in parentheses and the like described in the claims are one example of a correspondence relationship with the specific units described in the embodiments described later as one mode, and do not limit the technical scope.

[0009] One of the disclosed distance correction devices is a distance correction device that has a processor, corrects a distance measurement result of a distance measuring device that measures a distance to a reflection point by detecting reflected light from the reflection point of an object against irradiation of light by a pixel, and includes:

[0010] an acquisition section that acquires correlation information related to a distance detected by a corresponding pixel for a plurality of reflection points, the correlation information being information related to a size of a slope with respect to a reference surface;

[0011] a feature quantity calculation section that calculates a slope feature quantity for a partial surface of the object that constitutes the reflection point, the slope feature quantity being related to the size of the slope with respect to the reference surface; and

[0012] The correction unit corrects the distance to each reflection point based on the slope feature quantity.

[0013] One of the disclosed distance measurement correction methods is a distance measurement correction method executed by a processor in order to correct a distance measurement result of a distance measurement device that measures a distance to a reflection point from a reflection point of a subject by detecting a reflection light of the reflection point of the subject against irradiation of light by a pixel, including:

[0014] The acquisition step acquires correlation information related to a distance detected by a corresponding pixel for a plurality of reflection points;

[0015] The feature quantity calculation step calculates a slope feature quantity related to a size of a slope with respect to a reference surface for a partial surface of a subject constituting a reflection point; and

[0016] The correction step corrects the distance to each reflection point based on the slope feature quantity.

[0017] One of the disclosed distance measurement correction programs is a distance measurement correction program including a command for causing a processor to execute in order to correct a distance measurement result of a distance measurement device that measures a distance to a reflection point from a reflection point of a subject by detecting a reflection light of the reflection point of the subject against irradiation of light by a pixel, wherein

[0018] The command includes:

[0019] The acquisition step acquires correlation information related to a distance detected by a corresponding pixel for a plurality of reflection points;

[0020] The feature quantity calculation step calculates a slope feature quantity related to a size of a slope with respect to a reference surface for a partial surface of a subject constituting a reflection point; and

[0021] The correction step corrects the distance to each reflection point based on the slope feature quantity.

[0022] One of the disclosed distance measurement devices is a distance measurement device that measures a distance to a reflection point from a reflection point of a subject by detecting a reflection light of the reflection point of the subject against irradiation of light by a pixel, having a processor, including:

[0023] The acquisition unit acquires correlation information related to a distance detected by a corresponding pixel for a plurality of reflection points;

[0024] The feature quantity calculation unit calculates a slope feature quantity related to a size of a slope with respect to a reference surface for a partial surface of a subject constituting a reflection point; and

[0025] The correction unit corrects the distance to each reflection point based on the slope feature quantity.

[0026] According to these disclosures, the distance to each reflection point is corrected based on the slope characteristic quantity of each reflection point. Thus, an error corresponding to the slope of the partial surface constituting the reflection point can be corrected. As described above, a distance measuring correction device, a distance measuring correction method, and a distance measuring correction program capable of improving distance measuring accuracy can be provided. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF DRAWINGS

[0027] Figure 1 is a block diagram showing an example of the function possessed by the distance measuring correction device.

[0028] Figure 2 is a graph conceptually showing the change in the detection waveform corresponding to the slope.

[0029] Figure 3 is a graph conceptually showing the calculation method of the normal vector.

[0030] Figure 4 is a flowchart showing an example of the distance measuring correction method executed by the distance measuring correction device.

[0031] Figure 5 is a graph conceptually showing the calculation method of the normal vector in the second embodiment.

[0032] Figure 6 is a flowchart showing an example of the distance measuring correction method executed by the distance measuring correction device in the second embodiment.

[0033] Figure 7 is a block diagram showing an example of the function possessed by the distance measuring correction device in the third embodiment.

[0034] Figure 8 is a graph for explaining the characteristic quantity of the waveform.

[0035] Figure 9 is a flowchart showing an example of the distance measuring correction method executed by the distance measuring correction device in the third embodiment.

[0036] Figure 10 is a block diagram showing an example of the function possessed by the distance measuring correction device in the fourth embodiment.

[0037] Figure 11 is a flowchart showing an example of the distance measuring correction method executed by the distance measuring correction device in the fourth embodiment.

[0038] Figure 12 is a block diagram showing an example of the function possessed by the distance measuring correction device in the fifth embodiment.

[0039] Figure 13 is a graph conceptually showing the setting of the scanning speed in the fifth embodiment.

[0040] Figure 14 is a flowchart showing one example of a ranging correction method performed by the ranging correction device in the fifth embodiment.

[0041] Figure 15 is a diagram conceptually showing setting of a scanning speed in the sixth embodiment. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0042] (First Embodiment)

[0043] As shown in Figure 1 , an image processing device 100, which is a ranging correction device of one embodiment of the present disclosure, is mounted on a LiDAR (Light Detection and Ranging / Laser Imaging Detection and Ranging) device 1. The LiDAR device 1 is a ranging device that measures a distance to a reflection point by detecting reflected light from the reflection point against irradiation of light. The LiDAR device 1 is, for example, a sensor mounted on a vehicle provided with at least one of an advanced driver assistance function and an automatic driving function. The LiDAR device 1 is communicably connected to an in-vehicle ECU 10. The in-vehicle ECU 10 is an electronic control device that uses a measurement result of the LiDAR device 1 for processing.

[0044] The LiDAR device 1 is provided with a light emitting section 2 and a photographing section 3 in addition to the image processing device 100.

[0045] The light emitting section 2 is, for example, a semiconductor element such as a laser diode that emits directional laser light. The light emitting section 2 irradiates laser light toward the outside of a vehicle in a discontinuous pulsed light beam. The photographing section 3 is, for example, composed of a light receiving element such as a SPAD (Single Photon Avalanche Diode) that has high sensitivity to light. The photographing section 3 is exposed by light incident from a sensing region in the outside of the photographing section 3 determined by a viewing angle of the photographing section 3. The light receiving element that constitutes the photographing section 3 is, for example, arranged in a two-dimensional direction in a matrix. A pixel in reflected light detection is composed of a group of adjacent light receiving elements. That is, information representing a relationship between a distance to a reflection point described later and a reflection intensity is detected for each pixel composed of a group of light receiving elements.

[0046] The actuator 4 controls the reflection angle of a mirror that reflects laser light emitted from the light emitting section 2 toward the exit surface of the LiDAR device 1. The laser light is scanned by controlling the reflection angle of the mirror by the actuator 4. The scanning direction can be the horizontal direction or the vertical direction. Furthermore, the actuator 4 can also be an actuator that scans the laser light by controlling the posture angle of the housing of the LiDAR device 1.

[0047] The image processing device 100 is a computer that includes at least a memory 101 and a processor 102. The memory 101 is a non-transitory tangible storage medium that non-transiently stores or stores computer-readable programs and data, such as at least one of a semiconductor memory, a magnetic medium, and an optical medium. The memory 101 stores various programs executed by the processor 102, such as the distance correction program described below.

[0048] The processor 102 includes at least one of, for example, a CPU (Central Processing Unit), a GPU (Graphics Processing Unit), and a RISC (Reduced Instruction Set Computer)-CPU as a core. The processor 102 executes a plurality of commands included in the ranging correction program stored in the memory 101. Thus, the image processing device 100 configures a plurality of functional sections for performing correction processing in which a ranging result is corrected, that is, a distance to the object T measured based on the detection information of the imaging section 3 is corrected. In the image processing device 100, the plurality of functional sections are configured by the processor 102 executing the plurality of commands by the ranging correction program stored in the memory 101. Specifically, in the image processing device 100, as shown in FIG. 1, a pixel information acquisition section 110, a point cloud generation section 120, a normal line calculation section 130, a reliability calculation section 140, and a distance correction section 150 are configured. Figure 1

[0049] The pixel information acquisition section 110 controls exposure and scanning of a plurality of pixels in the imaging section 3 and processes and digitizes a signal from the imaging section 3. In a reflected light mode in which the imaging section 3 is exposed to reflected light by light from the light emitting section 2, an object point in the sensing area becomes a reflection point of the laser light. As a result, the laser light (hereinafter referred to as reflected light) reflected at the reflection point is incident on the imaging section 3 through the entrance surface. At this time, the pixel information acquisition section 110 senses the reflected light by scanning a plurality of pixels of the imaging section 3.

[0050] ​The pixel information acquisition section 110 accumulates the reflection intensity scanned in each pixel by each light receiving frequency. Thus, as shown in FIG. 2, the pixel information acquisition section 110 acquires, as information related to the distance to the reflection point (correlation information), the relationship between the distance to the reflection point corresponding to the time from the irradiation of light to the detection of reflected light and the reflection intensity for each pixel. Specifically, the pixel information acquisition section 110 can acquire the relationship information as histogram information obtained by accumulating the reflection intensity for each prescribed distance interval or waveform information based on the reflection intensity for each distance interval in the histogram. In the present embodiment, as shown in FIG. 2, the relationship information is waveform information. Thus, the pixel information acquisition section 110 acquires pixel information including information related to the distance to the reflection point. The portion of the object T in which the reflected light from the same pixel impinges on the partial surface SA constitutes the reflection point detected by the pixel. The pixel information acquisition section 110 can acquire two-dimensional data including such pixel information in each pixel as a distance image. Figure 2 Figure 2 Thus, the pixel information acquisition section 110 acquires pixel information including information related to the distance to the reflection point. The portion of the object T in which the reflected light from the same pixel impinges on the partial surface SA constitutes the reflection point detected by the pixel. The pixel information acquisition section 110 can acquire two-dimensional data including such pixel information in each pixel as a distance image.

[0051] On the other hand, in the external light mode in which the pixel information acquisition section 110 exposes the photographing section 3 in the intermittent light irradiation from the light emitting section 2, the object point within the sensing region becomes a reflection point of external light. As a result, the external light reflected at the reflection point is incident on the photographing section 3 through the incident surface. At this time, the pixel information acquisition section 110 senses the reflected external light by scanning a plurality of pixels of the photographing section 3. Here, in particular, the pixel information acquisition section 110 can acquire an external light image by two-dimensionally dataizing the luminance values acquired for each pixel according to the intensity of the sensed external light as each pixel value. Further, the external light image can also be referred to as a background light image or an interference light image.

[0052] The pixel information acquisition section 110 determines whether the detected reflection wave waveform information (detected waveform information) is valid for the newly acquired pixel information. For example, the pixel information acquisition section 110 can determine whether the detected waveform information is valid based on the magnitude of the S / N ratio of the waveform, the amplitude of the waveform, and the like. In the case where it is determined that the detected waveform information is not valid, the pixel information acquisition section 110 discards the acquired pixel information. The pixel information acquisition section 110 acquires pixel information for all pixels in each control period. The pixel information acquisition section 110 sequentially supplies the acquired pixel information to the point cluster generation section 120.

[0053] ​Further, the pixel information acquisition unit 110 performs noise removal on the generated distance image. For example, the pixel information acquisition unit 110 determines a region on which a noise removal filter is to be applied to the present distance image, based on a past distance image. Specifically, the pixel information acquisition unit 110 divides a frame of the distance image into a non-existing region in which a point group does not exist at the same position in a past (for example, a previous frame) distance image and an existing region in which a point group exists. The point group generation unit 120 skips the application of the noise removal filter to the non-existing region. Further, the pixel information acquisition unit 110 applies a noise removal filter with different parameters to the existing region depending on the kind of the object. For example, the pixel information acquisition unit 110 changes the parameters of the noise removal filter depending on an object in which a substantially flat portion is relatively more and an object in which a substantially flat portion is relatively less. The object in which a substantially flat portion is relatively more is, for example, a road, a building, or the like. Further, the object in which a substantially flat portion is relatively less is, for example, a person, an animal, or the like. Furthermore, the pixel information acquisition unit 110 can set the existing region to a region larger than an actual region in which an object actually exists, taking into account the movement of the object.

[0054] The point group generation unit 120 converts the distance value to the reflection point included in the acquired pixel information into three-dimensional coordinate information. The point group generation unit 120 can convert the distance value into a three-dimensional coordinate value in a LiDAR coordinate system centered on the LiDAR device 1, based on the focal length of the optical system, the number of pixels of the imaging element, the size of the imaging element, and the like. The point group generation unit 120 converts all the distance values into a three-dimensional coordinate system, and generates point group data including coordinate information of the reflection point corresponding to each pixel.

[0055] The normal line calculation unit 130 calculates the normal direction of the reflection point as a slope feature quantity. The slope feature quantity is a parameter related to the magnitude of the slope with respect to the reference surface R in the partial surface SA of the object target T constituting the reflection point. Here, the reference surface R is an imaginary surface facing the line-of-sight direction DL of each pixel in the LiDAR device 1 described later. The normal line calculation unit 130 calculates the normal direction of each reflection point based on the three-dimensional position information of the point group data. Specifically, the normal line calculation unit 130 calculates a normal vector Vn including information of the normal direction. For example, the normal line calculation unit 130 takes the outer product of two vectors (reference vectors) based on a plurality of reflection points corresponding to a plurality of pixels as the normal vector Vn.

[0056] Specifically, as described above, the point group generation unit 120 generates point group data including the distance value to the reflection point and the normal direction of the reflection point. Figure 3As shown, the normal calculation unit 130 uses the reflection point (reflection point of interest) RPi, from which the normal vector Vn is calculated, as the starting point of the reference vector Vr. Then, the normal calculation unit 130 selects two reflection points (reference reflection points) RPr located near the reflection point of interest RPi. The reference reflection points RPr can be, for example, reflection points detected by two pixels adjacent to the pixel corresponding to the reflection point of interest RPi. The normal calculation unit 130 sets a reference vector Vr starting from the reflection point of interest RPi and ending at each reference reflection point RPr. The normal calculation unit 130 calculates the outer product vector of the reference vectors Vr, which becomes the normal vector Vn of the reflection point of interest RPi. The normal calculation unit 130 calculates the normal vector Vn for virtually all reflection points in a frame. The normal calculation unit 130 sequentially provides the calculated normal vector Vn information to the distance correction unit 150. The normal calculation unit 130 is an example of a "feature calculation unit".

[0057] The reliability calculation unit 140 calculates the reliability associated with the normal vector Vn of each reflection point. Furthermore, in the following description, this reliability is referred to as the normal reliability. The normal reliability is an estimate related to the magnitude of the error in the calculated normal vector Vn. The higher the normal reliability, the smaller the error in the normal vector Vn. The reliability calculation unit 140 estimates the normal reliability, for example, based on at least one of the signal light intensity and the external light intensity contained in the detection waveform information detected by the corresponding pixel. The greater the signal light intensity, the higher the normal reliability. Conversely, the greater the external light intensity, the lower the normal reliability. The normal reliability is an example of "calculating reliability".

[0058] The distance correction unit 150 corrects the distance values ​​to each reflection point based on the normal vector Vn. For example, the distance correction unit 150 calculates the corrected distance value based on the normal vector Vn, the line-of-sight information of the LiDAR device 1, the distance value before correction, and the reliability of the normal vector.

[0059] Here, the so-called line-of-sight information of LiDAR device 1 refers to information related to the line-of-sight direction (DL) of each pixel of LiDAR device 1 in the reflection detection. The line-of-sight direction (DL) is, for example, the direction directly opposite to the direction of light reception of the reflected light. Figure 2 As shown by the dashed arrow, the viewing direction (DL) is the direction from the pixel center or, if the pixel is considered a point, towards the center of the pixel's detection range (PR). The viewing direction (DL) can also be the direction from the pixel center or, if the pixel is considered a point, towards the center of the corresponding pixel's viewpoint.

[0060] Here, the reflected light from the object T incident on the partial surface SA of the same pixel constitutes the reflection point detected by that pixel. Figure 2In this case, the partial surface SA is a portion of the surface of the object T that is included in the detection range PR. The greater the slope of the partial surface SA with respect to the reference surface R, the greater the difference in the optical path length of the reflected light within the partial surface. In addition, the greater the slope, the smaller the peak value of the reflected intensity waveform. Therefore, the greater the slope, the wider the waveform becomes. In addition, the greater the slope, the smaller the signal intensity of the peak value of the waveform, and the more delayed the light reception timing. Therefore, by calculating the correction amount that corrects the distance value in the direction in which the distance value is lengthened, i.e., in which the light reception timing is delayed, a corrected distance value that is closer to the true value can be calculated. In Figure 2 In the example shown in the graph, the direction in which the distance value is lengthened is the direction of the dotted arrow in the graph. In addition, in the present embodiment, the partial surface SA is treated as a substantially planar surface.

[0061] The greater the relative slope of the normal vector Vn with respect to the line-of-sight direction DL, the greater the correction amount that the distance correction section 150 increases. In addition, the greater the distance value before correction, the greater the correction amount that the distance correction section 150 increases. Furthermore, the lower the normal reliability, the greater the correction amount that the distance correction section 150 increases. The distance correction section 150 comprehensively determines the correction amount based on the above parameters. The distance correction section 150 corrects the distance value by the determined correction amount. The distance correction section 150 corrects the distance value for all of the reflection points for which the normal vector Vn is calculated, and generates a distance image based on the corrected distance values. The distance correction section 150 provides the generated distance image to the other in-vehicle ECUs 10. Furthermore, the distance correction section 150 can also generate point cloud data in which the distance image is converted to a three-dimensional point cloud, and provide the point cloud data to the in-vehicle ECUs 10.

[0062] Next, the following describes the flow of the distance correction method executed by the image processing device 100 through cooperation of the functional modules. Figure 4 The flow of the distance correction method executed by the image processing device 100 through cooperation of the functional modules will be described below. Furthermore, in the flow described below, "S" means a plurality of steps of the flow executed by a plurality of commands included in a program.

[0063] First, in S100, the pixel information acquisition section 110 acquires pixel information that has not been acquired from the imaging element. Next, in S110, it is determined whether the waveform data of the pixel information is valid. If it is determined that it is not valid, the present flow returns to S100, and other pixel information that has not been acquired is acquired. If it is determined that the waveform data is valid, the present flow moves to S120.

[0064] In S120, the point group generation section 120 converts the pixel information determined to be valid into coordinate data in three dimensions. Next, in S130, the coordinates of the reference reflection points RPr in the vicinity of the reflection point of interest RPi are acquired. Then, in S131, two reference vectors Vr are calculated based on the reflection point of interest RPi and the reference reflection points RPr. In the following S132, the normal vector Vn is calculated as the outer product of the reference vectors Vr with respect to each other.

[0065] Next, in S140, the normal calculation section 130 calculates the normal reliability. Next, in S150, the distance correction section 150 corrects the distance to the reflection point based on the slope of the normal vector Vn with respect to the line-of-sight direction DL, the distance to the reflection point, and the size of the normal reliability. In the following S160, the distance correction section 150 determines whether correction has been performed on all of the pixels in the current control period. If it is determined that correction has been performed on all of the pixels, in S170, the distance correction section 150 outputs the distance image data.

[0066] Further, the above-described S100 and S110 are one example of a "pixel information acquisition process", and S120 is one example of a "point group generation process". In addition, S130, S131, and S132 are one example of a "feature quantity calculation process", S140 is one example of a "reliability calculation process", and S150, S160, and S170 are one example of a "correction process".

[0067] According to the above-described first embodiment, the distance to each reflection point is corrected based on the normal vector Vn of each reflection point. Therefore, it is possible to correct the error corresponding to the slope of the reflection surface. As described above, it is possible to improve the distance measurement accuracy.

[0068] In addition, according to the first embodiment, the normal vector Vn is calculated using the outer product based on the position information of the reflection point of interest RPi and the plurality of reference reflection points RPr. Thereby, the slope of the normal vector Vn is calculated by vector operation. Therefore, it is possible to calculate the slope of the normal vector Vn relatively quickly.

[0069] Further, according to the first embodiment, the larger the size of the slope of the normal vector Vn of the reflection point of interest RPi with respect to the line-of-sight direction DL in the corresponding pixel, the larger the correction amount. Therefore, in the case where the slope of the reflection point, which is likely to become large as a deviation from the true value, is large, it is possible to correct the distance more greatly. Therefore, it is possible to correct the distance more correctly.

[0070] Further, according to the first embodiment, the larger the calculation reliability of the normal vector Vn, the larger the correction amount. Thereby, the higher the reliability of the normal vector Vn, the larger the correction amount corresponding to the slope of the normal vector Vn. Therefore, it is possible to correct the distance more correctly.

[0071] Furthermore, according to the first embodiment, the greater the distance to the point of interest (RPi) before correction, the greater the correction amount. A greater distance to the point of interest (RPi) results in a greater difference in the optical path length within one pixel of the reflection point, thus making the deviation from the true distance value more likely to increase. Therefore, by increasing the distance before correction, the correction amount can be increased more accurately to correct the distance.

[0072] (Second Implementation)

[0073] In the second embodiment, a variation of the image processing apparatus 100 in the first embodiment will be described. Figure 5 , Figure 6 The elements marked with the same reference numerals as those in the first embodiment are the same elements and have the same function and effect.

[0074] In the second embodiment, such as Figure 5 As shown, the normal calculation unit 130 selects multiple reflection points as reference reflection points RPr whose distance to the reflection point RPi is within an allowable range. The allowable range is a numerical range below or less than a threshold regarding the distance to the reflection point RPi. That is, if a reflection point is an adjacent pixel but its distance based on three-dimensional coordinates is outside the allowable range, the normal calculation unit 130 removes the reflection point from the reference reflection points RPr.

[0075] In the second embodiment, the normal calculation unit 130 performs principal component analysis based on multiple reference reflection points RPr and a reflection point of interest RPi. Based on the results of the principal component analysis, the normal calculation unit 130 calculates the normal vector Vn.

[0076] Next, the following is based on Figure 6 The flowchart describes the detailed processing of normal vector calculation in the ranging correction method executed by the image processing device 100 in the second embodiment.

[0077] After processing in S120, the process moves to S133. In S133, the normal calculation unit 130 acquires the coordinates of multiple reference reflection points RPr whose distances from the reflection point RPi are within an allowable range. Next, in S134, the normal calculation unit 130 calculates the normal vector Vn based on principal component analysis of the point group formed by the reflection point RPi and the reference reflection points RPr. If processing in S134 is complete, the process moves to S140.

[0078] According to the second embodiment described above, the normal direction of the reflection point RPi of interest is calculated based on the reflection point RPi of interest and multiple reference reflection points RPi whose inter-point distances with RPi of interest are within an allowable range. Therefore, it is easy to calculate the normal direction based on multiple reflection points in the same reflective object. Thus, the calculation accuracy of the normal direction can be improved.

[0079] (Third Implementation)

[0080] In the third embodiment, a variation of the image processing apparatus 100 in the first embodiment will be described. Figures 7-9 The elements marked with the same reference numerals as those in the first embodiment are the same elements and have the same function and effect.

[0081] In the third embodiment, the image processing apparatus 100 is pre-equipped with a correspondence table CT (refer to) that stores the correspondence between the detection waveform information and the normal of each pixel. Figure 7 Specifically, the correspondence table CT stores the slope of the normal corresponding to the detected waveform information in memory 101 according to the reflection characteristics of each reflector and the distance to each reflector. Furthermore, the correspondence table CT stores the slope of the normal corresponding to the detected waveform information according to each Lambert reflection characteristic and the distance to each reflector. Moreover, the detected waveform information stored in the correspondence table CT can be the detected waveform information with extracted feature points, or it can be the complete detected waveform information.

[0082] For example, the corresponding table CT stores at least one of the waveform's peak value, pulse width, and bottom width as waveform information. The peak value is the maximum signal strength of the waveform. Figure 8 The signal strength p at t3. The pulse width is the half-value point where the signal strength at the rise and fall of the pulse is half of the peak value (refer to...). Figure 8 The time amplitude is calculated by taking the absolute value of the difference between t2 and t4. The bottom width is taken as the pulse start time (refer to...). Figure 8 t1) and pulse end time (refer to Figure 8 The time amplitude is calculated by the absolute value of the difference between the background signal (after removing the pulse signal) and the pulse signal intensity. The pulse start time is the moment when, during the rise of the pulse, the difference between the intensity of the background signal and the pulse signal (after removing the pulse signal from the acquired signal) is above or greater than a specified threshold. The background signal may include signals originating from interfering light, or it may be the signal after removing the pulse signal from the acquired signal (after removing signals originating from interfering light). The pulse end time is the moment when, during the fall of the pulse, the difference between the intensity of the background signal and the pulse signal intensity is below or less than a specified threshold.

[0083] For example, given the same reflection characteristics and distance, a larger peak value corresponds to a greater slope of the normal direction relative to the reference direction. Additionally, a larger pulse width corresponds to a greater slope of the normal direction relative to the reference direction. Furthermore, a larger bottom width corresponds to a greater slope of the normal direction relative to the reference direction. Correspondence tables in CT store these relationships as a mapping between detected waveform information and the normal. Parameters related to the magnitude of the slope of the normal direction, such as peak value, pulse width, and bottom width, can also be called waveform characteristic quantities.

[0084] The normal calculation unit 130 calculates the slope of the normal by comparing the reflection characteristics, distance, and detection waveform information at each reflection point with the corresponding table CT. That is, the normal calculation unit 130 calculates the slope of the normal for a reflection point based on the information of the corresponding individual pixel. Furthermore, when the reflection characteristics of a reflection point are unclear, the normal calculation unit 130 assumes that the reflection point has Lambert reflection characteristics and compares the distance and detection waveform information with the corresponding table CT.

[0085] Next, below, according to Figure 9 The flowchart below describes the detailed processing of normal vector calculation in the ranging correction method executed by the image processing apparatus 100 in the third embodiment. In addition to the detailed processing, the description in the first embodiment is also referenced. First, in S135, the reflection characteristics and distance of the reflection point RPi of interest are obtained. Next, in S136, the slope of the normal is calculated by comparing the reflection characteristics and distance of the reflection point RPi of interest with the corresponding table CT and the detection waveform information.

[0086] According to the third embodiment described above, the normal direction of the reflection point RPi is calculated based on the detection waveform information obtained by detecting the reflected light from the reflection point RPi of interest, and the relationship information between the predefined distance and the waveform of the reflected light. Therefore, since the normal direction of the reflection point RPi of interest is calculated based on the correspondence, the computational load when determining the normal direction can be reduced. Furthermore, the distance to reflective objects that are difficult to detect, such as distant objects or small objects, spanning multiple pixels of reflection data, can be corrected more accurately.

[0087] (Fourth Implementation)

[0088] In the fourth embodiment, a variation of the image processing apparatus 100 in the first embodiment will be described. Figure 10 and Figure 11 The elements marked with the same reference numerals as those in the first embodiment are the same elements and have the same function and effect.

[0089] In the fourth embodiment, such as Figure 10As shown, the image processing apparatus 100 is provided with the reflection object determination section 115 as a functional section. The reflection object determination section 115 determines whether the reflection light information from the specific object T converges within a single pixel. Whether the reflection light information from the object T converges within a single pixel is a condition for switching the calculation method of the slope feature quantity of the attention reflection point RPi. Therefore, the reflection object determination section 115 can also be called a condition determination section that determines whether the condition is satisfied.

[0090] The normal line calculation section 130 changes the calculation method of the normal line per pixel based on the determination result. Specifically, the normal line calculation section 130 switches the calculation of the normal line vector Vn based on the plurality of pixel information and the calculation of the normal line vector Vn based on the single pixel information according to the kind of the reflection object.

[0091] Specifically, in a case where the reflection light information from the specific reflection object converges within a single pixel, the normal line calculation section 130 performs the calculation of the normal line vector Vn based on the single pixel information. On the other hand, in a case where the reflection light information from the specific reflection object is detected across a plurality of pixels, the normal line calculation section 130 performs the calculation of the normal line vector Vn based on the plurality of pixel information.

[0092] Next, the following describes the flow of the distance measurement correction method performed by the image processing apparatus 100 according to the fourth embodiment. Figure 11 The flow of the distance measurement correction method performed by the image processing apparatus 100 through cooperation of the functional modules will be described.

[0093] If the affirmative determination is made in S110, the present flow moves to S115. In S115, the reflection object determination section 115 determines whether the reflection object converges within a single pixel. If it is determined that it does not converge within a single pixel, the normal line calculation section 130 performs the calculation of the normal line vector Vn based on the plurality of pixel information in S130 to S132. On the other hand, if it is determined that it converges within a single pixel, the normal line calculation section 130 performs the calculation of the normal line vector Vn based on the single pixel information in S135 to S136.

[0094] According to the fourth embodiment described above, for the reflection object whose degree of convergence of the reflection light information within a single pixel is far or small, the normal line vector Vn is calculated based on the single pixel information. Also, for the reflection object whose degree of convergence of the reflection light information across a plurality of pixels is close or large, the normal line vector Vn is calculated based on the plurality of pixel information.

[0095] (Fifth Embodiment)

[0096] In the fifth embodiment, a modified example of the image processing apparatus 100 in the third embodiment will be described. In the fifth embodiment, the reflection object determination section 115 determines whether the reflection light information from the specific object T converges within a single pixel. Figures 12-14 The constituent elements denoted by the same reference numerals as those of the drawings of the third embodiment are the same constituent elements and function to achieve the same effects.

[0097] In the image processing apparatus 100 in the fifth embodiment, as shown in Figure 12 functional blocks such as the scan setting section 105, the pixel information acquisition section 110, the change degree calculation section 135, the reliability calculation section 140, and the distance correction section 150 are constructed.

[0098] The scan setting section 105 sets the scan speed of the laser emitted from the actuator 4. Specifically, the scan setting section 105 sets different scan speeds between the first scan period and the second scan period, in which the scan is performed at a prescribed scan speed in the first scan period and at a faster or slower scan speed than the first scan period in the second scan period. For example, the scan setting section 105 performs the scan across a plurality of periods by setting to alternately repeat the first scan period and the second scan period. Alternatively, the scan setting section 105 can be set to repeat the mode in which the scan in the second scan period is performed a plurality of times after the scan in the first scan period is performed a plurality of times in succession.

[0099] The change degree calculation section 135 calculates the change degree of the shape of each detection waveform, which is the detection waveform for each scan speed obtained by the detection of the reflected light from the same reflection point after the scan at the different scan speed. Specifically, the change degree calculation section 135 calculates the change degree of the detected waveform between the first scan period and the second scan period. The change degree calculation section 135, for example, calculates the difference between the waveform characteristic quantities as the change degree. The waveform characteristic quantity is, for example, at least one of the peak value, the pulse width, and the bottom width. The change degree can also be the evaluation value of the magnitude of the change after the plurality of characteristic quantities are integrated. The change degree is one example of the "slope characteristic quantity".

[0100] The distance correction section 150 corrects the distance according to the magnitude of the change degree. In detail, as shown in Figure 13 the shape change of the waveform increases compared to the case where the slope is relatively small. Specifically, the larger the slope, the smaller the peak value is generated, and the larger the pulse width and the bottom width are, such that the shape change occurs. Therefore, the larger the change degree, the larger the distance deviates from the true value. Therefore, the larger the change degree, the larger the correction value is increased by the distance correction section 150.

[0101] Next, the flow of the distance correction method performed by the image processing apparatus 100 through the cooperation of the functional blocks will be described below according to Figure 14

[0102] ​First, in S200, the scan setting section 105 sets so as to make the scan speed different between the first scan period and the second scan period. In S210, the pixel information acquisition section 110 acquires pixel information of the reflection point RPi of interest based on the above setting. At this time, the pixel information acquisition section 110 acquires both the pixel information in the first scan period and the pixel information in the second scan period. The following S220 is the same processing as S110.

[0103] If affirmative determination is made in S220, the present flow moves to S230. In S230, the variation degree calculation section 135 calculates the variation degree of the waveforms of each period. In the following S240, the reliability calculation section 140 calculates the reliability of the detection waveforms. The reliability of the detection waveforms can be calculated based on the signal intensity and the intensity of the interference light, and the like. Then, in S250, the distance correction section 150 performs distance correction based on the variation degree of the waveforms and the reliability. The following S260 and S270 are the same processing as S160 and S170. In the above, S210, S220 are one example of an "acquisition process", S230 is one example of a "feature quantity calculation process", and S250, S260, S270 are one example of a "correction process".

[0104] (Sixth Embodiment)

[0105] In the sixth embodiment, a modification of the image processing apparatus 100 in the fifth embodiment will be described. In the sixth embodiment, the scan setting section 105 changes the scan speed halfway in the detection range PR corresponding to one pixel. Specifically, as shown in FIG. 6, the scan setting section 105 sets a range in which the scan speed is different, the high-speed range A in which the scan speed is faster and the low-speed range B in which the scan speed is slower than the high-speed range A, in the detection range PR corresponding to one pixel. Figure 15

[0106] The pixel information acquisition section 110 acquires pixel information for each small pixel into which one pixel is divided into the high-speed range A and the low-speed range B.

[0107] The variation degree calculation section 135 calculates the variation degree of the shape of each detection waveform, which is a detection waveform of the reflected light from the reflection point in which the scan speed is changed halfway, detected by dividing the pixel corresponding to the reflection point into each small pixel corresponding to the scan speed. Specifically, the variation degree calculation section 135 calculates the variation degree of the detection waveform in the high-speed range A and the detection waveform in the low-speed range B as the slope feature quantity. The variation degree calculation section 135 can also calculate the variation amount of at least one or more waveform feature quantities as the variation degree, or can calculate the variation amount based on all points of the detection waveform as the variation degree. Such a variation degree is one example of a "slope feature quantity".​

[0108] The distance correction section 150 corrects the distance detected by the corresponding pixel according to the magnitude of the degree of change. In a case where the slope of the reflection surface with respect to the reference surface R is large, the shape change of the waveform detected in each of the ranges A, B increases compared to a case where the slope is relatively small. Specifically, the larger the slope, the larger the shape change in which the peak value is small and the pulse width and the bottom width are large. Therefore, the larger the degree of change, the larger the deviation of the distance from the true value. Therefore, the larger the degree of change, the larger the correction value by the distance correction section 150.

[0109] In the distance measurement correction method in the sixth embodiment, in S200, the scan setting section 105 sets ranges of different scan speeds, a high-speed range A in which the scan speed is fast and a low-speed range B in which the scan speed is slower than the high-speed range A. In S210, the pixel information acquisition section 110 acquires pixel information of the reflection point RPi of interest based on the above setting. At this time, the pixel information acquisition section 110 acquires pixel information for each small pixel after one pixel is divided into the high-speed range A and the low-speed range B. In addition, in S230, the degree of change calculation section 135 calculates the degree of change of the waveform for each small pixel.

[0110] (Other Embodiments)

[0111] The disclosure in this specification is not limited to the example embodiments. The disclosure includes the example embodiments and modifications made by those skilled in the art based on the example embodiments. For example, the disclosure is not limited to the combination of the components and / or elements shown in the embodiments. The disclosure can be implemented by various combinations. The disclosure can have an additional part that can be added to the embodiments. The disclosure includes a structure in which components and / or elements of the embodiments are omitted. The disclosure includes replacement or combination of components and / or elements between one embodiment and another embodiment. The scope of the disclosed technology is not limited to the description of the embodiments. It should be understood that several technical scopes disclosed by the description of the claims are represented, and further include the meaning and scope equivalent to the description of the claims and all modifications within the scope.

[0112] In the above-described embodiments, the special-purpose computer that constitutes the image processing device 100 is an electronic control device that constitutes the LiDAR device 1. Instead of this, the special-purpose computer that constitutes the image processing device 100 can be a drive control ECU mounted on a vehicle, or can be an actuator ECU. Alternatively, the special-purpose computer that constitutes the image processing device 100 can be a positioner ECU, or can be a navigation ECU. Alternatively, the special-purpose computer that constitutes the image processing device 100 can be an HCU.

[0113] In the second embodiment described above, the normal line calculation section 130 calculates the normal vector Vn based on principal component analysis, but can also calculate the normal vector Vn as the cross product of the reference vector Vr as in the first embodiment.

[0114] In the third embodiment described above, the normal line calculation section 130 calculates the normal line direction based on the correspondence table CT in which the magnitude of the slope of the normal line corresponding to the detected waveform information is stored, for each reflection characteristic of the reflection object and for each distance to the reflection object. Instead, the normal line calculation section 130 can calculate the normal line direction based on a function representing the correspondence.

[0115] In the fifth embodiment and the modification of the sixth embodiment described above, the variation degree calculation section 135 can further calculate the normal line direction based on the variation degree of the waveform. In this case, the distance correction section 150 can perform distance correction based on the normal line direction.

[0116] The image processing apparatus 100 can also be a dedicated computer configured to include at least one of a digital circuit and an analog circuit as a processor. Here, the digital circuit, in particular, refers to at least one of an ASIC (Application Specific Integrated Circuit), an FPGA (Field Programmable Gate Array), a SOC (System on a Chip), a PGA (Programmable Gate Array), and a CPLD (Complex Programmable Logic Device), for example. Such a digital circuit can also have a memory in which a program is stored.

[0117] The image processing apparatus 100 can be provided by one computer or a group of computer resources linked through a data communication apparatus. For example, a part of the functions provided by the image processing apparatus 100 in the embodiments described above can also be implemented by another ECU.

Claims

1. A ranging correction device comprising a processor for correcting the ranging result of a ranging device, wherein the ranging device determines the distance to a reflection point of an object by detecting reflected light from the object being illuminated by a light source using pixels, and the ranging device includes an actuator for scanning the illuminated light. The above-mentioned ranging correction device includes: The acquisition unit acquires association information for multiple of the aforementioned reflection points, the association information being information related to the aforementioned distance detected by the corresponding pixel; The feature quantity calculation unit calculates a slope feature quantity for the portion of the surface constituting the aforementioned reflection point, the slope feature quantity being related to the magnitude of the slope relative to the reference surface; and The correction unit corrects the distance to each of the aforementioned reflection points based on the aforementioned slope characteristic quantity. The aforementioned feature calculation unit calculates the normal direction of the reflection point as the slope feature, and calculates the normal direction of the reflection point based on the degree of change in the shape of each detected waveform, wherein... The above-mentioned detection waveforms are detection waveforms obtained by detecting the reflected light from the same reflection point at different scanning speeds for each of the above-mentioned scanning speeds.

2. The ranging correction device according to claim 1, wherein, The aforementioned feature quantity calculation unit calculates the normal direction for each of the aforementioned reflection points based on the three-dimensional position information of the reflection point of interest for calculating the normal direction and multiple reference reflection points other than the reflection point of interest.

3. The ranging correction device according to claim 2, wherein, The aforementioned feature quantity calculation unit extracts multiple reference reflection points whose inter-point distance with the aforementioned reflection point of interest is within an allowable range, and calculates the normal direction of the aforementioned reflection point of interest based on the aforementioned reflection point of interest and the multiple aforementioned reference reflection points.

4. The ranging correction device according to claim 1, wherein, The aforementioned feature calculation unit calculates the normal direction of each of the aforementioned reflection points based on the detection waveform information obtained by detecting the reflected light from the reflection point of interest that calculates the normal direction, and the relationship information between the predetermined distance and the waveform of the reflected light.

5. The ranging correction device according to claim 2, wherein, The correction unit determines the amount of distance correction based on the slope of the normal direction at the point of interest relative to the viewing direction of the corresponding pixel.

6. The ranging correction device according to any one of claims 1 to 5, wherein, The greater the reliability of the above-mentioned normal direction calculation, the greater the correction amount of the above-mentioned distance.

7. The ranging correction device according to any one of claims 1 to 5, wherein, The greater the distance to the aforementioned reflection point before correction, the greater the amount of correction the aforementioned distance will be.

8. A ranging correction device comprising a processor for correcting the ranging result of a ranging device, wherein the ranging device determines the distance to a reflection point by detecting reflected light from a reflection point of an object irradiated by light using pixels, and the ranging device includes an actuator for scanning the irradiated light. The above-mentioned ranging correction device includes: The acquisition unit acquires association information for multiple of the aforementioned reflection points, the association information being information related to the aforementioned distance detected by the corresponding pixel; The feature quantity calculation unit calculates a slope feature quantity for the portion of the surface constituting the aforementioned reflection point, the slope feature quantity being related to the magnitude of the slope relative to the reference surface; and The correction unit corrects the distance to each of the aforementioned reflection points based on the aforementioned slope characteristic quantity. The aforementioned feature calculation unit calculates the normal direction of the reflection point as the slope feature, and calculates the normal direction of the reflection point based on the degree of change in the shape of each detected waveform, wherein... The above detection waveforms are obtained by dividing the pixel corresponding to the above reflection point into each small pixel corresponding to the above scanning speed to detect the reflected light from the above reflection point when the scanning speed is changed midway.

9. A ranging correction device comprising a processor for correcting the ranging result of a ranging device, wherein the ranging device determines the distance to a reflection point by detecting reflected light from a reflection point of an object irradiated by light using pixels, and the ranging device includes an actuator for scanning the irradiated light. The above-mentioned ranging correction device includes: The acquisition unit acquires association information for multiple of the aforementioned reflection points, the association information being information related to the aforementioned distance detected by the corresponding pixel; The feature quantity calculation unit calculates a slope feature quantity for the portion of the surface constituting the aforementioned reflection point, the slope feature quantity being related to the magnitude of the slope relative to the reference surface; and The correction unit corrects the distance to each of the aforementioned reflection points based on the aforementioned slope characteristic quantity. The aforementioned feature calculation unit calculates the degree of shape change for each detected waveform as the slope feature quantity, wherein, The above-mentioned detection waveforms are detection waveforms obtained by detecting the reflected light from the same reflection point at different scanning speeds for each of the above-mentioned scanning speeds.

10. A ranging correction device comprising a processor for correcting the ranging result of a ranging device, wherein the ranging device determines the distance to a reflection point by detecting reflected light from a reflection point of an object irradiated by light using pixels, and the ranging device includes an actuator for scanning the irradiated light. The above-mentioned ranging correction device includes: The acquisition unit acquires association information for multiple of the aforementioned reflection points, the association information being information related to the aforementioned distance detected by the corresponding pixel; The feature quantity calculation unit calculates a slope feature quantity for the portion of the surface constituting the aforementioned reflection point, the slope feature quantity being related to the magnitude of the slope relative to the reference surface; and The correction unit corrects the distance to each of the aforementioned reflection points based on the aforementioned slope characteristic quantity. The aforementioned feature calculation unit calculates the degree of change in the shape of each detected waveform as the slope feature quantity, wherein, The above detection waveforms are obtained by dividing the pixel corresponding to the above reflection point into each small pixel corresponding to the above scanning speed to detect the reflected light from the above reflection point when the scanning speed is changed midway.

11. A ranging correction method, which is a ranging correction method executed by a processor to correct the ranging result of a ranging device, wherein, The aforementioned ranging device determines the distance to the reflected light from the reflected light of the target object by detecting the reflected light from the reflected light irradiated by the target object using pixels, and the ranging device includes an actuator for scanning the irradiated light. The above-mentioned distance correction method includes: The acquisition process involves acquiring associated information for multiple of the aforementioned reflection points, wherein the associated information is related to the aforementioned distance detected by the corresponding pixel; The characteristic quantity calculation process calculates the slope characteristic quantity for the partial surface of the above-mentioned object that constitutes the above-mentioned reflection point. The slope characteristic quantity is related to the magnitude of the slope relative to the reference surface. as well as The correction process involves adjusting the distances to each of the aforementioned reflection points based on the aforementioned slope characteristic values. In the above feature calculation process, the normal direction of the reflection point is calculated as the slope feature, and the normal direction of the reflection point is calculated based on the degree of change in the shape of each detection waveform. The detection waveforms are obtained by detecting the reflected light from the same reflection point after scanning at different scanning speeds.

12. The ranging correction method according to claim 11, wherein, In the aforementioned feature quantity calculation process, for each of the aforementioned reflection points, the aforementioned normal direction is calculated based on the three-dimensional position information of the reflection point of interest for calculating the aforementioned normal direction and multiple reference reflection points other than the aforementioned reflection point of interest.

13. The ranging correction method according to claim 12, wherein, In the above feature quantity calculation process, multiple reference reflection points whose inter-point distance with the above-mentioned reflection point of interest is within the allowable range are extracted, and the normal direction of the above-mentioned reflection point of interest is calculated based on the above-mentioned reflection point of interest and the multiple reference reflection points.

14. The ranging correction method according to claim 11, wherein, In the aforementioned feature quantity calculation process, for each of the aforementioned reflection points, the normal direction of the aforementioned reflection point is calculated based on the detection waveform information obtained by detecting the reflected light from the aforementioned reflection point of interest that is used to calculate the aforementioned normal direction, and the relationship information between the aforementioned distance and the waveform of the aforementioned reflected light that is predetermined.

15. The ranging correction method according to claim 12, wherein, In the above correction process, the amount of distance correction is determined based on the slope of the normal direction at the point of interest relative to the viewing direction of the corresponding pixel.

16. The ranging correction method according to any one of claims 11 to 15, wherein, In the above correction process, the greater the reliability of the calculation of the normal direction, the greater the correction amount of the distance.

17. The ranging correction method according to any one of claims 11 to 15, wherein, In the above correction process, the greater the distance to the reflection point before correction, the greater the amount of correction for the distance.

18. A ranging correction method, which is a ranging correction method executed by a processor to correct the ranging result of a ranging device, wherein, The aforementioned ranging device determines the distance to the reflected light from the reflected light of the target object by detecting the reflected light from the reflected light irradiated by the target object using pixels, and the ranging device includes an actuator for scanning the irradiated light. The above-mentioned distance correction method includes: The acquisition process involves acquiring associated information for multiple of the aforementioned reflection points, wherein the associated information is related to the aforementioned distance detected by the corresponding pixel; The characteristic quantity calculation process calculates the slope characteristic quantity for the partial surface of the above-mentioned object that constitutes the above-mentioned reflection point. The slope characteristic quantity is related to the magnitude of the slope relative to the reference surface. as well as The correction process involves adjusting the distances to each of the aforementioned reflection points based on the aforementioned slope characteristic values. In the above feature calculation process, the normal direction of the reflection point is calculated as the slope feature, and the normal direction of the reflection point is calculated based on the degree of change in the shape of each detection waveform. The detection waveform is obtained by dividing the pixel corresponding to the reflection point into each small pixel corresponding to the scanning speed to detect the reflected light from the reflection point that changed the scanning speed midway.

19. A ranging correction method, which is a ranging correction method executed by a processor to correct the ranging result of a ranging device, wherein, The aforementioned ranging device determines the distance to the reflected light from the reflected light of the target object by detecting the reflected light from the reflected light irradiated by the target object using pixels, and the ranging device includes an actuator for scanning the irradiated light. The above-mentioned distance correction method includes: The acquisition process involves acquiring associated information for multiple of the aforementioned reflection points, wherein the associated information is related to the aforementioned distance detected by the corresponding pixel; The characteristic quantity calculation process calculates the slope characteristic quantity for the partial surface of the above-mentioned object that constitutes the above-mentioned reflection point. The slope characteristic quantity is related to the magnitude of the slope relative to the reference surface. as well as The correction process involves adjusting the distances to each of the aforementioned reflection points based on the aforementioned slope characteristic values. In the above-mentioned feature quantity calculation process, for each detection waveform, the degree of shape change is calculated as the slope feature quantity. The detection waveforms are obtained by detecting the reflected light from the same reflection point after scanning at different scanning speeds.

20. A ranging correction method, which is a ranging correction method executed by a processor to correct the ranging result of a ranging device, wherein, The aforementioned ranging device determines the distance to the reflected light from the reflected light of the target object by detecting the reflected light from the reflected light irradiated by the target object using pixels, and the ranging device includes an actuator for scanning the irradiated light. The above-mentioned distance correction method includes: The acquisition process involves acquiring associated information for multiple of the aforementioned reflection points, wherein the associated information is related to the aforementioned distance detected by the corresponding pixel; The characteristic quantity calculation process calculates the slope characteristic quantity for the partial surface of the above-mentioned object that constitutes the above-mentioned reflection point. The slope characteristic quantity is related to the magnitude of the slope relative to the reference surface. as well as The correction process involves adjusting the distances to each of the aforementioned reflection points based on the aforementioned slope characteristic values. In the above feature calculation process, the degree of change in the shape of each detection waveform is calculated as the slope feature. Each detection waveform is obtained by dividing the pixel corresponding to the reflection point into each small pixel corresponding to the scanning speed to detect the reflected light from the reflection point that changed the scanning speed midway.

21. A storage medium storing a ranging correction program, said ranging correction program comprising commands executed by a processor to correct the ranging results of a ranging device, wherein, The aforementioned ranging device determines the distance to the reflected light from the reflected light of the target object by detecting the reflected light from the reflected light irradiated by the target object using pixels, and the ranging device includes an actuator for scanning the irradiated light. The above commands include: The acquisition process involves acquiring associated information for multiple of the aforementioned reflection points, wherein the associated information is related to the aforementioned distance detected by the corresponding pixel; The characteristic quantity calculation process calculates the slope characteristic quantity for the partial surface of the above-mentioned object that constitutes the above-mentioned reflection point. The slope characteristic quantity is related to the magnitude of the slope relative to the reference surface. as well as The correction process involves adjusting the distances to each of the aforementioned reflection points based on the aforementioned slope characteristic values. In the above feature calculation process, the normal direction of the reflection point is calculated as the slope feature, and the normal direction of the reflection point is calculated based on the degree of change in the shape of each detection waveform. The detection waveforms are obtained by detecting the reflected light from the same reflection point after scanning at different scanning speeds.

22. A storage medium storing a ranging correction program, said ranging correction program comprising commands executed by a processor to correct the ranging results of a ranging device, wherein, The aforementioned ranging device determines the distance to the reflected light from the reflected light of the target object by detecting the reflected light from the reflected light irradiated by the target object using pixels, and the ranging device includes an actuator for scanning the irradiated light. The above commands include: The acquisition process involves acquiring associated information for multiple of the aforementioned reflection points, wherein the associated information is related to the aforementioned distance detected by the corresponding pixel; The characteristic quantity calculation process calculates the slope characteristic quantity for the partial surface of the above-mentioned object that constitutes the above-mentioned reflection point. The slope characteristic quantity is related to the magnitude of the slope relative to the reference surface. as well as The correction process involves adjusting the distances to each of the aforementioned reflection points based on the aforementioned slope characteristic values. In the above feature calculation process, the normal direction of the reflection point is calculated as the slope feature, and the normal direction of the reflection point is calculated based on the degree of change in the shape of each detection waveform. The detection waveform is obtained by dividing the pixel corresponding to the reflection point into each small pixel corresponding to the scanning speed to detect the reflected light from the reflection point that changed the scanning speed midway.

23. A storage medium storing a ranging correction program, said ranging correction program comprising commands executed by a processor to correct the ranging results of a ranging device, wherein, The aforementioned ranging device determines the distance to the reflected light from the reflected light of the target object by detecting the reflected light from the reflected light irradiated by the target object using pixels, and the ranging device includes an actuator for scanning the irradiated light. The above commands include: The acquisition process involves acquiring associated information for multiple of the aforementioned reflection points, wherein the associated information is related to the aforementioned distance detected by the corresponding pixel; The characteristic quantity calculation process calculates the slope characteristic quantity for the partial surface of the above-mentioned object that constitutes the above-mentioned reflection point. The slope characteristic quantity is related to the magnitude of the slope relative to the reference surface. as well as The correction process involves adjusting the distances to each of the aforementioned reflection points based on the aforementioned slope characteristic values. In the above-mentioned feature quantity calculation process, for each detection waveform, the degree of shape change is calculated as the slope feature quantity. The detection waveforms are obtained by detecting the reflected light from the same reflection point after scanning at different scanning speeds.

24. A storage medium storing a ranging correction program, said ranging correction program comprising commands executed by a processor to correct the ranging results of a ranging device, wherein, The aforementioned ranging device determines the distance to the reflected light from the reflected light of the target object by detecting the reflected light from the reflected light irradiated by the target object using pixels, and the ranging device includes an actuator for scanning the irradiated light. The above commands include: The acquisition process involves acquiring associated information for multiple of the aforementioned reflection points, wherein the associated information is related to the aforementioned distance detected by the corresponding pixel; The characteristic quantity calculation process calculates the slope characteristic quantity for the partial surface of the above-mentioned object that constitutes the above-mentioned reflection point. The slope characteristic quantity is related to the magnitude of the slope relative to the reference surface. as well as The correction process involves adjusting the distances to each of the aforementioned reflection points based on the aforementioned slope characteristic values. In the above feature calculation process, the degree of change in the shape of each detection waveform is calculated as the slope feature. Each detection waveform is obtained by dividing the pixel corresponding to the reflection point into each small pixel corresponding to the scanning speed to detect the reflected light from the reflection point that changed the scanning speed midway.

25. A ranging device comprising a processor that determines the distance to a reflection point of an object by detecting reflected light from the object being illuminated by a light source using pixels, and an actuator that scans the illuminated light. The above-mentioned ranging device includes: The acquisition unit acquires association information for multiple of the aforementioned reflection points, the association information being information related to the aforementioned distance detected by the corresponding pixel; The feature quantity calculation unit calculates a slope feature quantity for the portion of the surface constituting the aforementioned reflection point, the slope feature quantity being related to the magnitude of the slope relative to the reference surface; and The correction unit corrects the distance to each of the aforementioned reflection points based on the aforementioned slope characteristic quantity. The aforementioned feature calculation unit calculates the normal direction of the reflection point as the slope feature, and calculates the normal direction of the reflection point based on the degree of change in the shape of each detected waveform, wherein... The above-mentioned detection waveforms are detection waveforms obtained by detecting the reflected light from the same reflection point at different scanning speeds for each of the above-mentioned scanning speeds.

26. A ranging device comprising a processor, wherein the distance to a reflection point of an object is determined by detecting reflected light from the reflection point of an object irradiated by a light source using pixels, and an actuator for scanning the irradiated light. The above-mentioned ranging device includes: The acquisition unit acquires association information for multiple of the aforementioned reflection points, the association information being information related to the aforementioned distance detected by the corresponding pixel; The feature quantity calculation unit calculates a slope feature quantity for the portion of the surface constituting the aforementioned reflection point, the slope feature quantity being related to the magnitude of the slope relative to the reference surface; and The correction unit corrects the distance to each of the aforementioned reflection points based on the aforementioned slope characteristic quantity. The aforementioned feature calculation unit calculates the normal direction of the reflection point as the slope feature, and calculates the normal direction of the reflection point based on the degree of change in the shape of each detected waveform, wherein... The above detection waveforms are obtained by dividing the pixel corresponding to the above reflection point into each small pixel corresponding to the above scanning speed to detect the reflected light from the above reflection point when the scanning speed is changed midway.

27. A ranging device comprising a processor, wherein the distance to a reflection point of an object is determined by detecting reflected light from the reflection point of an object irradiated by light through pixels, and an actuator for scanning the irradiated light. The above-mentioned ranging device includes: The acquisition unit acquires association information for multiple of the aforementioned reflection points, the association information being information related to the aforementioned distance detected by the corresponding pixel; The feature quantity calculation unit calculates a slope feature quantity for the portion of the surface constituting the aforementioned reflection point, the slope feature quantity being related to the magnitude of the slope relative to the reference surface; and The correction unit corrects the distance to each of the aforementioned reflection points based on the aforementioned slope characteristic quantity. The aforementioned feature calculation unit calculates the degree of shape change for each detected waveform as the slope feature quantity, wherein, The above-mentioned detection waveforms are detection waveforms obtained by detecting the reflected light from the same reflection point at different scanning speeds for each of the above-mentioned scanning speeds.

28. A ranging device comprising a processor that determines the distance to a reflection point of an object by detecting reflected light from the object being illuminated by a pixel, and an actuator that scans the illuminated light. The above-mentioned ranging device includes: The acquisition unit acquires association information for multiple of the aforementioned reflection points, the association information being information related to the aforementioned distance detected by the corresponding pixel; The feature quantity calculation unit calculates a slope feature quantity for the portion of the surface constituting the aforementioned reflection point, the slope feature quantity being related to the magnitude of the slope relative to the reference surface; and The correction unit corrects the distance to each of the aforementioned reflection points based on the aforementioned slope characteristic quantity. The aforementioned feature calculation unit calculates the degree of change in the shape of each detected waveform as the slope feature quantity, wherein, The above detection waveforms are obtained by dividing the pixel corresponding to the above reflection point into each small pixel corresponding to the above scanning speed to detect the reflected light from the above reflection point when the scanning speed is changed midway.

Images