Detection device

Abstract

The invention provides a detection device. The detection apparatus includes: a first distance measurement unit including a light source configured to emit light having an irradiation intensity changeable for each of a plurality of detection regions, the first distance measurement unit configured to emit light to the detection regions, acquiring first distance information to the detection area by using the reflected light from the detection area; a second distance measurement unit configured to acquire second distance information to the detection region using image information; and a determination unit configured to determine the irradiation intensity based on the second distance information.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] One of the aspects of the embodiments relates to a detection device that improves distance measurement accuracy by determining a light emitting parameter of a light emitting element based on information related to an object. Background Art

[0002] Light detection and ranging (LiDAR) is known as a technology for measuring the distance to an object by detecting reflected light from an object irradiated with laser light. Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 2022-141781 discloses a configuration that improves the distance measurement accuracy for a distant object without increasing the laser intensity of the entire system by making the laser intensity in an area where the distance could not be measured in the previous frame higher than the laser intensity in an area where the distance could be measured.

[0003] However, the configuration disclosed in Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 2022-141781 may increase the laser intensity in areas such as the sky where distance measurement cannot be performed. In this case, while the laser intensity of the entire system is maintained constant, the laser intensity in areas other than the area where distance measurement cannot be performed decreases, and the distance measurement accuracy and the measurable distance may decrease. Summary of the invention

[0004] A detection device according to one aspect of the present disclosure includes: a first distance measurement unit, which includes a light source, the light source is configured to emit light with an illumination intensity that can be changed for each detection area in a plurality of detection areas, the first distance measurement unit is configured to emit light to the detection area, and use reflected light from the detection area to obtain first distance information to the detection area; a second distance measurement unit, which is configured to use image information to obtain second distance information to the detection area; and a determination unit, which is configured to determine the illumination intensity based on the second distance information.

[0005] According to another aspect of the present disclosure, a detection device includes: a first distance measuring unit, which includes a light source, the light source is configured to emit light with an illumination intensity that can be changed for each detection area in a plurality of detection areas, the first distance measuring unit is configured to emit light to the detection area, and use reflected light from the detection area to obtain first distance information to the detection area; a camera unit, which is configured to obtain image information related to the detection area; and an intensity determination unit, which is configured to determine the illumination intensity based on the image information.

[0006] Further features of various embodiments of the present disclosure will become apparent from the following description of the embodiments with reference to the attached drawings. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0007] Figure 1 is a block diagram illustrating the configuration of a detection device according to the first embodiment.

[0008] Figure 2 is a schematic diagram illustrating an example arrangement of pixel units on the image sensor according to the first embodiment.

[0009] Figure 3 is a schematic diagram illustrating the structure of a pixel unit on the image sensor according to the first embodiment.

[0010] Figure 4 is a schematic diagram illustrating a light emitter according to a first embodiment.

[0011] Figure 5 is a flowchart illustrating the processing according to the first embodiment.

[0012] Figure 6 is a conceptual diagram illustrating an example of an image signal according to the first embodiment.

[0013] Figure 7 is a conceptual diagram illustrating an example of a distance map according to the first embodiment.

[0014] Figure 8 is a conceptual diagram illustrating the irradiation intensity of laser light according to the first embodiment.

[0015] Fig. 9 is a conceptual diagram illustrating that the detection apparatus according to the first embodiment is mounted on a car.

[0016] Fig.10 is a block diagram illustrating the configuration of a detection device according to the second embodiment.

[0017] Fig.11 is a conceptual diagram illustrating an example of an image that has received area judgment according to the second embodiment.

[0018] Fig.12 is a conceptual diagram illustrating an example irradiation intensity of laser light according to the second embodiment.

[0019] Fig.13 is a conceptual diagram illustrating an example irradiation intensity of laser light according to the second embodiment.

[0020] Fig.14 is a conceptual diagram illustrating an example irradiation intensity of laser light according to the second embodiment.

[0021] Fig.15 is a conceptual diagram illustrating an example irradiation intensity of laser light according to the second embodiment. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0022] Hereinafter, the term "unit" may refer to a software context, a hardware context, or a combination of a software context and a hardware context. In the software context, the term "unit" refers to functionality, an application, a software module, a function, a routine, an instruction set, or a program that can be executed by a programmable processor such as a microprocessor, a central processing unit (CPU), or a specially designed programmable device or controller. The memory contains instructions or programs that cause the CPU to perform operations corresponding to the unit or function when executed by the CPU. In the hardware context, the term "unit" refers to a hardware element, circuit, assembly, physical structure, system, module, or subsystem. According to a specific embodiment, the term "unit" may include a mechanical, optical, or electronic component, or any combination thereof. The term "unit" may include an active component (e.g., a transistor) or a passive component (e.g., a capacitor). The term "unit" may include a semiconductor device including a substrate and other layers of a material having various concentrations of electrical conductivity. The term "unit" may include a CPU or a programmable processor that can execute a program stored in a memory to perform a specified function. The term "unit" may include a logic element (e.g., AND, OR) implemented by a transistor circuit or any other switching circuit. In a combination of software context and hardware context, the term "unit" or "circuit" refers to any combination of software context and hardware context as described above. In addition, the term "element", "assembly", "component" or "device" may also refer to a "circuit" that is integrated with or not integrated with packaging materials.

[0023] Now, with reference to the accompanying drawings, a detailed description of the embodiments according to the present disclosure will be given. Corresponding elements in the various drawings will be designated by the same reference numerals, and their repeated description will be omitted.

[0024] First embodiment

[0025] This embodiment will describe an example of determining the irradiation intensity of a light emitter for each of a plurality of irradiation areas (detection areas) using distance information based on a parallax image signal from an image sensor (imaging unit).

[0026] Figure 1 : is a block diagram illustrating the configuration of a detection device (distance measurement device) 100 according to the present embodiment.

[0027] The light emitter 105 and the light receiver 104 are used as a first distance measuring unit, which is configured to detect the distance to the object (detection area or object) using a time of flight (TOF) method. The light emitter 105 emits light from the light emitting elements arranged two-dimensionally according to the light emission timing and light source parameters sent from the light receiving / light emitting control unit 107. The light receiver 104 measures the distance data according to the light emission timing sent from the light receiving / light emitting control unit 107. The optical system 111 includes a semi-transparent mirror or a reflection suppression structure configured to transmit a part of the light and reflect a part of the light. The light emitted from the light emitter 105 passes through the optical system 111, irradiates the object, is reflected by the object, passes through the optical system 111, and is incident on the light receiver 104. The light source parameter generator ((intensity) determination unit) 114 determines the irradiation intensity of the light emitter 105, etc., and generates light source parameters for the light emitter 105 to emit predetermined light. The light receiving / light emitting control unit 107 outputs the light source parameters and the light emission timing to the light receiver 104 and the light emitter 105. The distance map corrector 106 performs various corrections such as error correction and optical correction on the distance data output from the optical receiver 104 .

[0028] The CPU 108 includes a microcomputer and the like, and is configured to control the entire detection device 100, give operation instructions to each functional block, and perform various control processes. The CPU 108 also performs calculations required for various control processes. The CPU 108 controls a memory control unit 115 and a non-volatile memory (NVM) control unit 116 and the like via a bus 112. A program required to start the CPU 108 is recorded in advance in a non-volatile memory (NVM) 117. Programs required after starting are also recorded in the non-volatile memory 117.

[0029] The memory 109 stores data such as a DRAM, etc., and has a storage capacity configured to store intermediate image data in image processing, constants and programs used for the operation of the CPU 108. The memory control unit 115 writes and reads data to and from the memory 109 in response to an instruction from the CPU 108.

[0030] The nonvolatile memory control unit 116 writes and reads data in and from the nonvolatile memory 117 in response to instructions from the CPU 108. The nonvolatile memory 117 is an electrically erasable and recordable memory, and stores constants and programs used for the operation of the CPU 108.

[0031] The bus 112 mainly transmits control signals from the CPU 108 and the like to each block, and transfers data such as a distance map and the like.

[0032] The optical system 120 includes a plurality of lens units including a focus lens and an aperture stop, and forms a subject image on the image sensor 101 .

[0033] The image sensor 101 includes a plurality of photoelectric conversion elements such as CCD or CMOS, photoelectrically converts an object image into an electrical signal, and outputs the electrical signal as an image signal. The photoelectric conversion element is configured to capture and receive light beams having different incident directions. The image sensor 101 can output a parallax image signal for each light beam having different incident directions, and can also collectively output the image signals received by the plurality of photoelectric conversion elements and converted into electrical signals as a single image signal.

[0034] Figure 2 201 is a schematic diagram illustrating an example arrangement of pixel units on the image sensor 101. In the light receptor 201, photoelectric conversion elements represented by photodiodes are arranged two-dimensionally, and color filters are provided above each photoelectric conversion element to transmit a specific wavelength band of a light beam from an object. Filters 202, 203, and 204 are color filters that transmit red light, green light, and blue light, respectively, and are regularly arranged. The light beams that have passed through the filters 202, 203, and 204 are photoelectrically converted by the photoelectric converters placed just below each filter, and are output from the image sensor 101 as electrical signals.

[0035] Figure 3 is a schematic diagram illustrating the structure of a pixel unit 303 of the image sensor 101. The pixel unit 303 includes two photoelectric converters 301 and 302 and a microlens 304. The filter is formed above the microlens 304 one-to-one with respect to the pixel unit 303. This structure can obtain an image signal by receiving light beams with different incident directions by extracting signals from the paired photoelectric converters respectively. Extracting signals from the paired photoelectric converters simultaneously can obtain an image signal for display or recording by an image processing device or an imaging device.

[0036] Other pixel units on the image sensor 101 are also configured in the illustrated positional relationship and are repeatedly arranged in the horizontal direction and the vertical direction on the image sensor 101 .

[0037] This embodiment provides a single microlens shared by two photoelectric converters, but the structure is not limited to the above structure, as long as the phase difference can be detected. Not all pixel units need to be able to detect the phase difference, as long as a part of the pixel units can detect the phase difference.

[0038] The image shift map generator 102 generates an image shift map from the parallax image signal obtained by the image sensor 101. The distance map generator 103 generates a distance map from the image shift map generated by the image shift map generator 102. In the present embodiment, the image sensor 101, the image shift map generator 102, and the distance map generator 103 are used as a second distance measurement unit. The distance map synthesizer (synthesizer) 110 synthesizes two distance maps respectively output from the distance map generator 103 and the distance map corrector 106 into a single distance map.

[0039] Figure 4 40 is a schematic diagram illustrating an example of the light emitter 105. The light emitter 105 includes a light source unit 402, a light source control unit 403, and a drive circuit 404.

[0040] The light source unit 402 includes a plurality of light emitting elements 401 arranged in a two-dimensional array on a substrate. The light emitting elements 401 are vertical cavity surface emitting lasers (VCSELs). The light source unit 402 can adjust the irradiation intensity of light for each region.

[0041] exist Figure 4 In the figure, eight light emitting elements 401 are arranged in the horizontal direction, and eight light emitting elements 401 are arranged in the vertical direction, but the number of arranged light emitting elements 401 can be set arbitrarily.

[0042] Although the light emitting element 401 is a VCSEL in the present embodiment, the present embodiment is not limited to this example. However, the light emitting element 401 can be a light emitting element that can be integrated into a one-dimensional or two-dimensional array, and can be, for example, an edge-face emitting laser or a light emitting diode (LED). In the case of using an edge-face emitting laser as the light emitting element 401, a laser bar arranged one-dimensionally on a substrate or a laser bar pile formed by stacking these laser bars to form a two-dimensional light emitting element array can be used. In the case of using an LED as the light emitting element 401, an LED arranged in a two-dimensional array on a substrate can be used.

[0043] In order to suppress the influence of ambient light, the wavelength of light emitted by the light emitting element 401 may be in the near infrared band, but the embodiment is not limited thereto.

[0044] The light source control unit 403 controls the drive circuit 404 according to the emission timing and light source parameters sent from the light receiving / emitting control unit 107. The drive circuit 404 drives the light source unit 402, and can switch the irradiation intensity of the laser light for each of a plurality of irradiation areas.

[0045] Reference now Figure 5 , a description will be given of the processing flow according to the present embodiment. Figure 5is a flowchart illustrating the processing according to the present embodiment.

[0046] In step S501, the image offset map generator 102 obtains the parallax image signal in the visible area from the image sensor 101. In this step, the output is Figure 3 The electric signals converted by the photoelectric converters included in the illustrated pixel unit are used as parallax image signals. Figure 6 is a conceptual diagram illustrating an example image signal obtained from the image sensor 101 .

[0047] In step S502, the image shift map generator 102 first uses the parallax image signal acquired in step S501 to perform correlation calculation processing such as sum of absolute difference (SAD) calculation between the parallax images. Next, the image shift map generator 102 calculates the image shift amount between the two parallax images based on the correlation, and generates an image shift map as a two-dimensional map of the image shift amount. The image shift amount can be calculated at the granularity of one pixel constituting the parallax image, or can be calculated for each area by defining the area as a predetermined number of pixels.

[0048] In step S503, the distance map generator 103 generates a distance map from the image displacement map generated in step S502. Conversion parameters for converting the image displacement map into the distance map are stored in the memory 109, and the distance map generator 103 reads the conversion parameters from the memory 109 to generate the distance map. Figure 7 is a conceptual diagram illustrating an example of a distance map. Figure 7 It is illustrated that the lighter the shading, the shorter the distance from the detection device to the object, and the darker the shading, the farther the distance from the detection device to the object.

[0049] In step S504, the light source parameter generator 114 first uses the distance map generated in step S503 to determine the irradiation intensity of the laser for each of the plurality of irradiation areas of the light emitter 105. Next, the light source parameter generator 114 generates light source parameters for the light emitter 105 to emit light at the determined irradiation intensity.

[0050] In the present embodiment, the light source parameter generator 114 determines the irradiation intensity so that the irradiation intensity is low in an area where the distance to the object is short, and the irradiation intensity is high in an area where the distance to the object is long. Figure 8 This is a conceptual diagram illustrating the irradiation intensity of laser light for each of a plurality of irradiation regions. Figure 8 It is illustrated that the lighter the shading, the higher the irradiation intensity, and the darker the shading, the lower the irradiation intensity.

[0051] The light intensity including the laser light decays as the flight distance increases. Since the light receptor 104 receives not only the reflected light from the object but also the ambient light, if the intensity of the reflected light from the object received by the light receptor 104 is low, the distance measurement accuracy decreases due to the influence of noise such as ambient light. Thus, the distance measurement for an object located at a short distance has a relatively high accuracy, and the distance measurement for an object located at a long distance has a relatively low accuracy or is impossible. The distance measurement accuracy also depends on the irradiation intensity of the laser light, and as the irradiation intensity becomes higher, the distance measurement accuracy and the measurable distance are improved. The present embodiment can improve the distance measurement accuracy and the measurable distance for an object located at a long distance by increasing the irradiation intensity of the laser light emitted to the object located at a long distance. On the other hand, the present embodiment reduces the irradiation intensity of the laser light emitted to the object located at a short distance and having a relatively high distance measurement accuracy. Thus, the present embodiment can reduce the power consumption required by the light receptor 104 and the light emitter 105 and improve the measurable distance.

[0052] In step S505, the light emitter 105 emits pulse light according to the light source parameters generated in step S504. The driving circuit 404 drives the light source unit 402 and adjusts each irradiation area to have a predetermined irradiation intensity.

[0053] In step S506, the light receiver 104 detects the distance to the object using the TOF method and acquires a distance map. The TOF method measures the distance to the object based on the time from the timing of light emission in step S505 until the timing of reception of reflected light from the object.

[0054] More specifically, the light receiving / light emitting control unit 107 outputs the light emission timing to the light emitter 105 and the light receiver 104. The light emitted from the light emitter 105 passes through the optical system 111 and is irradiated onto the object. A portion of the light irradiated onto the object is reflected, passes through the optical system 111, and is incident on the light receiver 104. The light receiver 104 measures the distance data based on the difference between the timing at which the reflected light is detected and the light emission timing notified from the light receiving / light emitting control unit 107. The light receiver 104 acquires the distance data measured for each light receiving element as a distance map.

[0055] In step S507 , the distance map synthesizer 110 synthesizes the distance map generated from the image offset map in step S503 and the distance map acquired using the TOF method in step S506 , and outputs a single distance map.

[0056] exist Figure 8In the area where the irradiation intensity of the laser is reduced, the distance measurement accuracy may be reduced or the distance cannot be measured. For the area where the irradiation intensity of the laser is reduced, the distance map generated from the image offset map in step S503 is synthesized instead of the distance map acquired in step S506, which can suppress the reduction in distance measurement accuracy caused by the reduction in the irradiation intensity of the laser.

[0057] When detecting the distance to an object using a parallax image, the distance measurement accuracy and the measurable distance depend on the size of the parallax in the parallax image. In the case of generating a distance map by using the parallax image output from the image sensor 101, the distance measurement accuracy for a distant object is low and the measurable distance is relatively short. On the other hand, in the TOF method, the measurable distance is relatively long.

[0058] Therefore, this embodiment combines the distance map generated from the image shift map in step S503 with the area where the irradiation intensity of the laser light is reduced in the area of ​​the distance map generated in step S506. This configuration can reduce the power consumption of the light receiver 104 and the light emitter 105, and improve the distance measurement accuracy in the entire field of view.

[0059] exist Figure 8 In the parallax image, the light emitter 105 may not illuminate the object at the measurable distance with laser light. In this case, the power consumption of the light receiver 104 and the light emitter 105 can be further reduced. The distance map generated in step S503 can be synthesized with the area not illuminated with laser light.

[0060] A description will be given of an example in which the detection device 100 according to the present embodiment is used in electronic equipment. Fig. 9 9 is a conceptual diagram illustrating that the detection device 100 is installed on a car 901. Fig. 9 In the embodiment, the detection device 100 is mounted on the front of the car 901, but the detection device 100 may be mounted on the rear of the car 901. Fig. 9 In the embodiment, a driving support system such as automatic braking and collision warning is operated based on the detection result (distance measurement result) of the detection device 100. The driving support system includes various detection devices such as a visible light sensor, a TOF distance measurement device, and a millimeter wave radar. In a driving support system having a visible light sensor or a distance measurement device using a parallax image and a distance measurement device using a TOF method, when the detection device 100 is applied, there is no need to additionally install a visible light sensor, etc., and the measurable distance can be increased. The detection device 100 can also be applied to autonomous driving vehicles.

[0061] Second embodiment

[0062] This embodiment will explain an example in which an area is judged using image information obtained by an image sensor and the irradiation intensity of a light emitter is determined.

[0063] Fig.10 : is a block diagram illustrating the configuration of a detection device (distance measurement device) 100 according to the present embodiment. Fig.10 The actions in Figure 1 Those elements that correspond to the elements in will be designated by the same figure numerals, and their description will be omitted.

[0064] The image sensor 802 outputs an image signal. Unlike the first embodiment, the image signal output by the image sensor 802 does not necessarily have to be a parallax image signal. The image signal obtained by the image sensor 802 is corrected by the image corrector 803 and output to the area determination unit 801.

[0065] The region determination unit 801 determines a region using the image signal corrected by the image corrector 803. More specifically, the region determination unit 801 determines an object and performs semantic segmentation on the image signal, divides the image signal into a plurality of regions, and labels each region. Fig.11 This is an example of the area determination unit 801 in Figure 6 A conceptual diagram showing an example of an image of a determination area in an illustrated image signal. Fig.11 This example shows how to use shading to Figure 6 The illustrated image signal is divided into regions, and each region is labeled. For example, regions 1101, 1102, 1103, 1104, and 1105 are labeled as sky, ground, tree, human body, and building, respectively.

[0066] The light source parameter generator 114 uses the segmented area output of the area determination unit 801 and the labels assigned to the respective areas to determine the irradiation intensity of the laser for each of the plurality of irradiation areas of the light emitter 105. The light source parameter generator 114 generates light source parameters for the light emitter 105 to emit light at the determined irradiation intensity.

[0067] Fig.12 is a conceptual diagram illustrating an example of the irradiation intensity of the laser light for each irradiation area. Fig.12 In the example, the illumination intensity is set so that the illumination intensity in the region determined by the region determination unit 801 to be the main subject is high, and the illumination intensity in other regions is low.

[0068] In the following description, in the diagram illustrating the irradiation intensity for each irradiation area, the lighter the shading, the higher the irradiation intensity, and the darker the shading, the lower the irradiation intensity. As the irradiation intensity of the laser becomes higher, the intensity of the reflected light from the object incident on the light receiver 104 also becomes higher. Since the light receiver 104 also receives ambient light that becomes noise, as the intensity of the reflected light from the object becomes higher, it becomes easier to detect the reflected light, and the distance measurement accuracy becomes higher. Therefore, by increasing the irradiation intensity of the laser toward the object area (such as the main subject, etc.) for the desired distance measurement, the distance measurement accuracy for the object area can be improved. Although in Fig.12 The human body is the object area, but depending on the shooting scene, the object area may be an animal, a car, an object, etc. The illumination intensity of the illumination area corresponding to the area focused by the optical system 120 may be increased.

[0069] Fig.13 is a conceptual diagram illustrating an example of the irradiation intensity of the laser light for each irradiation area. Fig.13 In the embodiment, the illumination intensity of the area judged as the sky is set to low. In the driving support system, etc., it is not necessary to measure the distance to the sky. It is sufficient to judge the area that does not require distance measurement (non-measurement area) according to the camera scene, and by reducing the illumination intensity for the area judged as the non-measurement area (such as the sky, etc.) and increasing the illumination intensity for other areas, the distance measurement accuracy and the measurable distance can be improved. In the case where it is not necessary to improve the distance measurement accuracy or the measurable distance, it is not necessary to increase the illumination intensity for areas other than the area where distance measurement is not required. In this case, the power consumption of the detection device 100 can be reduced.

[0070] Fig.14 is a conceptual diagram illustrating an example of the irradiation intensity of the laser light for each irradiation area. Fig.14 In the , the irradiation intensity of the area judged as the human body is set to low. The laser irradiated to the human eye may cause eye damage depending on the intensity and wavelength of the laser. Therefore, reducing the irradiation intensity of the area judged as the human body can reduce the impact of the laser on the human body. Fig.11 In the example, the irradiation intensity of the human body area is set to low, but the irradiation intensity can be set to low for the area including the head and eyes instead of the entire area judged to be a human body. The irradiation intensity can be set to low for objects such as artworks that deteriorate when irradiated with laser.

[0071] In the case where the human body area is moving, after the image sensor 802 acquires the image signal, a delay occurs due to the processing of the image corrector 803, the area judgment unit 801 and the light source parameter generator 114. The light emitter 105 emits light at the light emission timing output by the light receiving / light emitting control unit 107 at a predetermined timing, but the timing of generating the light source parameters by the light source parameter generator 114 is not necessarily synchronized with the light emission timing. Therefore, a delay may occur between the generation of the light source parameters and the next light emission timing. If the human body is moving during the delay, it may not be possible to reduce the laser in the area correctly judged as the human body. As the amount of movement of the human body becomes greater, the area of ​​the human body irradiated by the laser with a high irradiation intensity may be larger.

[0072] Therefore, the present embodiment writes the segmented area output from the area determination unit 801 into the memory 109 for the image information acquired by the image sensor 802 in the previous frame. In this frame, the movement amount of the area determined to be a human body can be calculated by reading the segmented areas of the previous frame from the memory 109 and comparing these segmented areas with the segmented areas of this frame. In the case where the movement amount of the area determined to be a human body is greater than a predetermined amount, such as Fig.15 As shown in the example, the irradiation intensity of the laser light in the area judged to be a human body and its surroundings is reduced. In other words, this corresponds to increasing the size of the area judged to be a human body (the irradiation intensity of the laser light on the area is to be reduced) (expanding the area judged to be a human body). In the case where the amount of movement of the area judged to be a human body is less than a predetermined amount, as shown in FIG. Fig.11 As illustrated, the irradiation intensity of the laser is reduced only in the area judged to be a human body. In other words, this corresponds to maintaining the size of the area judged to be a human body (the irradiation intensity of the laser on the area is to be reduced). The size of the area with low irradiation intensity around the human body can be changed according to the amount of movement. The amount of movement of the area judged to be a human body is estimated using multiple frames, thereby reducing the irradiation intensity of the laser even for a moving human body.

[0073] Other embodiments

[0074] The embodiments of the present invention may also be implemented by providing software (program) for performing the functions of the above-described embodiments to a system or device via a network or various storage media, and a computer or a central processing unit (CPU) or a microprocessing unit (MPU) of the system or device reads and executes the program.

[0075] Although the disclosure describes example embodiments, it is to be understood that some embodiments are not limited to the disclosed embodiments.The scope of the following claims is to be accorded the broadest interpretation so as to encompass all such modifications, equivalent structures, and functions.

[0076] Embodiments can provide a detection device capable of improving a measurable distance while suppressing power consumption.

Claims

1. A detection device comprising: a first distance measurement unit including a light source configured to emit light having an illumination intensity that can be changed for each of a plurality of detection areas, the first distance measurement unit configured to emit light to the detection area and acquire first distance information to the detection area using reflected light from the detection area; a second distance measurement unit configured to obtain second distance information to the detection area using the image information; as well as A determination unit is configured to determine the illumination intensity based on the second distance information.

2. The detection device according to claim 1, characterized in that: The plurality of detection areas include a first detection area and a second detection area, the second detection area being located farther from the detection device than the first detection area, The determining unit is configured to determine the illumination intensity so that the illumination intensity of the light emitted to the first detection area is lower than the illumination intensity of the light emitted to the second detection area.

3. The detection device according to claim 1, further comprising a synthesizer configured to synthesize the first distance information and the second distance information. It is characterized in that The synthesizer uses the second distance information as distance information to a detection area for which the first distance information has not been acquired.

4. The detection device according to claim 1, characterized in that: The determination unit determines the illumination intensity so that the illumination intensity of light emitted to a detection area for which the second distance information has been acquired is lower than the illumination intensity of light emitted to a detection area for which the second distance information has not been acquired.

5. The detection device according to any one of claims 1 to 4, characterized in that: The second distance measuring unit acquires the image information.

6. A detection device comprising: a first distance measurement unit including a light source configured to emit light having an illumination intensity that can be changed for each of a plurality of detection areas, the first distance measurement unit configured to emit light to the detection area and acquire first distance information to the detection area using reflected light from the detection area; A camera unit configured to acquire image information related to the detection area; as well as An intensity determination unit is configured to determine the illumination intensity based on the image information.

7. The detection device according to claim 6, further comprising a region determination unit configured to determine a specific object using the image information, It is characterized in that The intensity determination unit determines the illumination intensity so that the illumination intensity of light emitted to a detection region including the specific object is lower than the illumination intensity of light emitted to a detection region not including the specific object.

8. The detection device according to claim 7, characterized in that: When the movement amount of the specific object estimated using image information related to multiple frames is greater than a predetermined amount, the strength determination unit expands the detection area including the specific object, and when the movement amount is less than the predetermined amount, the strength determination unit maintains the detection area including the specific object.

9. The detection device according to claim 7, characterized in that: The specific object includes a human body.

10. The detection device according to claim 7, characterized in that: The specific object includes a head.

11. The detection device according to claim 7, characterized in that: The specific object includes an eye.

12. The detection device according to claim 7, characterized in that: The specific objects include works of art.

13. The detection device according to claim 6, further comprising an area determination unit configured to determine a main object using the image information, It is characterized in that The intensity determination unit determines the illumination intensity so that the illumination intensity of light emitted to a detection region including the main subject is higher than the illumination intensity of light emitted to a detection region not including the main subject.

14. The detection device according to claim 6, further comprising an area determination unit configured to determine a non-measurement area that does not require distance measurement using the image information, It is characterized in that The intensity determination unit determines the irradiation intensity so that the irradiation intensity of light emitted to a detection region including the non-measurement region is lower than the irradiation intensity of light emitted to a detection region excluding the non-measurement region.

15. The detection device according to claim 14, characterized in that: The non-measurement area is an area determined to be the sky.

16. The detection device according to any one of claims 7 to 14, characterized in that The intensity determination unit is configured to perform semantic segmentation on the image information.

Images