Distance measuring device

Abstract

A distance measuring device (10) is provided with: a light emitting unit (20) that emits irradiation light (Lo); a light-receiving unit (60) having a light-receiving surface (61) for receiving incident light (Li) including reflected light of the irradiation light, one pixel (65) of the light-receiving surface including a plurality of single-photon avalanche diodes (68); an aperture part (50) which has an opening part (55) through which incident light incident on the light receiving part passes, and which restricts the throughput of the incident light; and an optical system (40) having different refractive powers in the longitudinal direction of the opening and in the short direction of the opening, the optical system condensing the incident light on the light receiving surface in the longitudinal direction and condensing the incident light on the opening in the short direction.

Description

[0001] Cross-reference to related applications

[0002] This application is based on Japanese application No. 2022-139817 filed on September 2, 2022, and the contents thereof are cited herein. Technical Field

[0003] The present application relates to a distance measuring device. Background Art

[0004] Patent Document 1 discloses a distance measuring device that measures the distance to an object by measuring the time from when laser light is emitted until it is reflected by the object and enters a detector including a single photon avalanche diode (SPAD).

[0005] Prior art literature

[0006] Patent Literature

[0007] Patent Document 1: U.S. Patent No. 10663586 Summary of the invention

[0008] Since the output signal of SPAD is binary, in order to use SPAD to measure light intensity at multiple levels, a pixel of the light-receiving surface needs to be composed of multiple SPADs. However, according to the detailed research results of the inventors, the following problem was found. If the size of each SPAD is not changed but the number of SPADs constituting a pixel is increased, the amount of interference light incident on a pixel increases with the increase in the area of ​​a pixel, and the ratio of the amount of signal light (laser) incident on a pixel to the amount of interference light (hereinafter referred to as the light SN ratio) decreases, and there is a possibility that the distance to the object cannot be measured. Therefore, a technology is needed to suppress the decrease in the light SN ratio and improve the resolution of light intensity.

[0009] The present application can be implemented in the following forms.

[0010] According to one embodiment of the present application, a distance measuring device is provided. The distance measuring device comprises: a light emitting unit that emits irradiation light; a light receiving unit having a light receiving surface that receives incident light including reflected light of the irradiation light, wherein one pixel of the light receiving surface includes a plurality of single photon avalanche diodes; an aperture unit having an opening for the incident light incident on the light receiving unit to pass through, and limiting the amount of incident light passing through; and an optical system having different refractive powers in the long side direction of the opening and in the short side direction of the opening, the optical system focusing the incident light on the light receiving surface in the long side direction and focusing the incident light on the opening in the short side direction.

[0011] According to the distance measuring device of this aspect, it is possible to improve the resolution of light intensity while suppressing a decrease in the light SN ratio. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0012] The above-mentioned purpose and other purposes, features and advantages of the present application will become more apparent through reference to the accompanying drawings and the following detailed description. The accompanying drawings are:

[0013] Figure 1 is an explanatory diagram showing a schematic structure of a distance measuring device according to a first embodiment,

[0014] Figure 2 is a perspective view showing a light-converging optical system, an aperture unit, and a light-receiving unit according to the first embodiment.

[0015] Figure 3 is a first cross-sectional view showing the structure of the light-converging optical system according to the first embodiment,

[0016] Figure 4 is a second cross-sectional view showing the structure of the light-converging optical system according to the first embodiment,

[0017] Figure 5 is an explanatory diagram showing the structure of the light receiving surface of the first embodiment,

[0018] Figure 6 is an explanatory diagram showing a case where the number of columns of light-receiving elements constituting one pixel is increased,

[0019] Figure 7 is a first cross-sectional view showing the structure of a light-converging optical system according to a second embodiment,

[0020] Figure 8 is a second cross-sectional view showing the structure of the light-converging optical system according to the second embodiment,

[0021] Fig. 9 is a first cross-sectional view showing the structure of a light-converging optical system according to a third embodiment,

[0022] Fig.10 is a second cross-sectional view showing the structure of the light-converging optical system according to the third embodiment,

[0023] Fig.11 is a first cross-sectional view showing the structure of a light-converging optical system according to a fourth embodiment,

[0024] Fig.12 is a second cross-sectional view showing the structure of the light-converging optical system according to the fourth embodiment,

[0025] Fig.13 is an explanatory diagram showing a schematic structure of a distance measuring device according to a fifth embodiment,

[0026] Fig.14 It is an explanatory diagram showing the structure of the aperture unit according to the fifth embodiment. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0027] A. First Implementation Method:

[0028] like Figure 1 As shown, in this embodiment, the distance measuring device 10 includes a light emitting unit 20, a scanning unit 30, a focusing optical system 40, an aperture unit 50, a light receiving unit 60, a control unit 70, and a housing 80. The light emitting unit 20, the scanning unit 30, the focusing optical system 40, the aperture unit 50, the light receiving unit 60, and the control unit 70 are accommodated in the housing 80. In addition, the control unit 70 may also be accommodated in another housing other than the housing 80.

[0029] The light emitting unit 20 emits irradiation light Lo. In the present embodiment, the light emitting unit 20 includes an end-emitting laser diode, and emits a linear laser light in the vertical direction of the distance measuring device 10 as the irradiation light Lo from the end face of the laser diode arranged parallel to the vertical direction of the distance measuring device 10. The scanning unit 30 includes a reflector 31 that reflects the irradiation light Lo, a motor 32 that rotates the reflector 31 around a rotation axis RX parallel to the vertical direction of the distance measuring device 10, and a rotation angle sensor 33 that detects the rotation angle of the reflector 31. The scanning unit 30 rotates the reflector 31 using the motor 32, thereby scanning the irradiation light Lo emitted from the light emitting unit 20 in the horizontal direction of the distance measuring device 10. If there is an object within the range scanned by the irradiation light Lo, that is, the scanning range SR, the irradiation light Lo is reflected on the surface of the object, and the incident light Li including the reflected light of the irradiation light Lo returns to the reflector 31. The incident light Li is reflected by the reflector 31 and enters the focusing optical system 40.

[0030] The focusing optical system 40 has at least one lens for focusing the incident light Li. The aperture section 50 is arranged behind the direction of travel of the incident light Li relative to the focusing optical system 40. The aperture section 50 includes a light-shielding component having an opening section 55 for allowing the incident light Li to pass. The light receiving section 60 is arranged behind the direction of travel of the incident light Li relative to the aperture section 50. The light receiving section 60 includes a light receiving surface 61 for receiving the incident light Li. The incident light Li that has passed through the focusing optical system 40 and the opening section 55 of the aperture section 50 enters the light receiving surface 61. The light receiving surface 61 includes a plurality of light receiving elements 68 for detecting the incident light Li. In the present embodiment, the light receiving element 68 is a single-photon avalanche diode.

[0031] The control unit 70 is composed of a computer having a CPU, a memory, an input / output interface for inputting and outputting external input / output signals, and an internal bus. The control unit 70 performs the measurement of the distance between the object existing in the scanning range SR and the distance measuring device 10 by controlling the light emitting unit 20, the scanning unit 30, and the light receiving unit 60. Specifically, the control unit 70 causes the irradiation light Lo to be emitted from the light emitting unit 20 in a pulsed state, measures the time from the emission of the irradiation light Lo to the detection of the incident light Li by the light receiving unit 60, and calculates the distance between the distance measuring device 10 and the reflection point on the object using the time. In the present embodiment, the control unit 70 causes the irradiation light Lo to be emitted from the light emitting unit 20 in a pulsed state while rotating the reflector 31 using the motor 32. The control unit 70 detects the rotation angle of the reflector 31 when the incident light Li is detected by the rotation angle sensor 33, and determines the azimuth of the reflection point on the object with respect to the distance measuring device 10 using the rotation angle.

[0032] like Figure 2 As shown, in this embodiment, the aperture section 50 is configured in a flat plate shape. The opening 55 of the aperture section 50 is formed in a slit shape, in other words, in an elongated rectangular shape. The long side direction of the opening 55 is parallel to the vertical direction Dv of the distance measuring device 10, and the short side direction of the opening 55 is parallel to the horizontal direction Dh of the distance measuring device 10. The aperture section 50 is arranged opposite to the light receiving surface 61 of the light receiving section 60 to limit the amount of incident light Li passing through.

[0033] The light-converging optical system 40 is arranged on the side opposite to the light-receiving surface 61 with respect to the aperture portion 50. The light-converging optical system 40 has positive refractive power in the horizontal direction Dh and the vertical direction Dv. The refractive power of the light-converging optical system 40 is different in the horizontal direction Dh and the vertical direction Dv. Since the refractive power is equal to the reciprocal of the focal length, the focal length of the light-converging optical system 40 is different in the horizontal direction Dh and the vertical direction Dv. In the present embodiment, the focal length Fh of the light-converging optical system 40 in the horizontal direction Dh is shorter than the focal length Fv of the light-converging optical system 40 in the vertical direction Dv. The light-converging optical system 40, the aperture unit 50, and the light-receiving unit 60 are arranged so that the center of the opening 55 is located on the extension line of the optical axis OA of the light-converging optical system 40, and the distance between the principal point OC of the light-converging optical system 40 and the center of the opening 55 is equal to the focal length Fh of the light-converging optical system 40 in the horizontal direction Dh, and the distance between the principal point OC of the light-converging optical system 40 and the light-receiving surface 61 is equal to the focal length Fv of the light-converging optical system 40 in the vertical direction Dv, and the light-converging optical system 40 converges the incident light Li at the center of the opening 55 in the horizontal direction Dh, and converges the incident light Li at the light-receiving surface 61 in the vertical direction Dv. Therefore, the incident light Li defocused in the horizontal direction Dh is incident on the light-receiving surface 61, and the incident light Li is incident in the vertical direction Dv with just focus.

[0034] exist Figure 1 as well as Figure 2 In the figure, the focusing optical system 40 is simplified to a lens for illustration, but Figure 3 as well as Figure 4 As shown, in this embodiment, the focusing optical system 40 includes a first lens 41 and a second lens 42 arranged between the first lens 41 and the aperture unit 50. In this embodiment, the first lens 41 is a cylindrical lens, more specifically, a concave cylindrical lens having a central axis parallel to the horizontal direction Dh, and is arranged so that the plane faces the reflector 31, and the cylindrical surface having a curvature in the vertical direction Dv faces the second lens 42. The second lens 42 is a spherical lens, more specifically, a plano-convex lens, and is arranged so that the spherical surface having a curvature in the horizontal direction Dh and the vertical direction Dv faces the first lens 41, and the plane faces the aperture unit 50. The cylindrical surface referred to here is a curved surface after a part of the cylindrical surface is cut out, and the spherical surface referred to here is a curved surface after a part of the spherical surface is cut out. In this embodiment, since the focusing optical system 40 includes two lenses 41 and 42, the focal lengths Fh and Fv of the above-mentioned focusing optical system 40 are the combined focal lengths of the two lenses 41 and 42.

[0035] like Figure 5 As shown, the light receiving surface 61 has a plurality of pixels 65 arranged in a grid pattern along the horizontal direction Dh and the vertical direction Dv. Each pixel 65 includes a plurality of light receiving elements 68 arranged in a grid pattern along the horizontal direction Dh and the vertical direction Dv. In the following description, each pixel 65 is referred to as a pixel 65. In this embodiment, the length of a pixel 65 in the horizontal direction Dh is longer than the length of a pixel 65 in the vertical direction Dv. The length of a pixel 65 in the horizontal direction Dh is longer than the length of the opening 55 in the horizontal direction Dh. Figure 5 In FIG. 6 , the region where the incident light Li is incident on the light receiving surface 61 is indicated by a dotted line. In the present embodiment, the incident light Li is incident on a row of pixels 65. In the present embodiment, even if the reflective mirror 31 is rotated, the region where the incident light Li is incident does not move.

[0036] The position resolution of the distance measuring device 10 in the vertical direction Dv is determined by the distance between the centers of the pixels 65 adjacent in the vertical direction Dv. The azimuth resolution of the distance measuring device 10 is determined by the amount of change in the rotation angle of the reflector 31 during the time interval of emitting the irradiation light Lo. Since the light receiving element 68 is a single photon avalanche diode, the light intensity resolution of the distance measuring device 10 is determined by the number of light receiving elements 68 constituting one pixel 65.

[0037] The distance measuring device 10 is mounted on a vehicle, for example, and is used to measure the distance between an object such as a person or an obstacle and the vehicle. Since the reflectivity of the irradiation light Lo on the asphalt surface and the white line on the road is different, the light intensity of the reflected light is different when the irradiation light Lo is reflected on the asphalt surface and when the irradiation light Lo is reflected on the white line. Therefore, the position of the white line can be inferred using the light intensity at each reflection point measured by the distance measuring device 10. However, when the light intensity resolution is not high enough, the position of the white line cannot be inferred because the white line cannot be distinguished from the asphalt surface.

[0038] like Figure 6 As shown in FIG. 1 , when the number of light receiving elements 68 constituting one pixel 65 increases from 3×3 (vertical×horizontal)=9 to 3×8 (vertical×horizontal)=24, the light intensity resolution can be improved from 9 levels to 24 levels. However, if the number of columns of the light receiving elements 68 constituting one pixel 65 in the horizontal direction Dh is increased in a mode where the aperture unit 50 is not provided, the amount of disturbance light incident on one pixel 65 increases with the increase in the area of ​​one pixel 65, and the light SN ratio may decrease. For example, in an environment where disturbance light is uniformly incident on the light receiving surface 61 from between the focusing optical system 40 and the light receiving surface 61, the amount of disturbance light incident on one pixel 65 increases to 8 / 3 times, but even if the length of the incident light Li on the light receiving surface 61 in the horizontal direction Dh is increased by increasing the defocus amount, the amount of incident light Li incident on one pixel 65 does not increase, and thus the light SN ratio decreases to 3 / 8 times.

[0039] In addition, in a manner in which the refractive power of the condensing optical system 40 is the same in the horizontal direction Dh and the vertical direction Dv, if the defocus amount in the horizontal direction Dh is increased in accordance with the increase in the number of columns in the horizontal direction Dh of the light receiving element 68 constituting one pixel 65, the defocus amount in the vertical direction Dv is also increased, and thus the density of the incident light Li in the vertical direction Dv is reduced, the light amount of the incident light Li incident on one pixel 65 is reduced, and the light SN ratio is reduced. If the number of rows in the vertical direction Dv of the light receiving element 68 constituting one pixel 65 is increased so as not to reduce the light SN ratio, the position resolution in the vertical direction Dv is reduced.

[0040] According to the distance measuring device 10 of the present embodiment described above, since the aperture unit 50 having the slit-shaped opening unit 55 whose long side direction is parallel to the vertical direction Dv and whose short side direction is parallel to the horizontal direction Dh is arranged between the focusing optical system 40 and the light receiving surface 61, the amount of disturbance light incident on one pixel 65 does not increase even if the number of columns in the horizontal direction Dh of the light receiving elements 68 constituting one pixel 65 is increased. In addition, since the distance measuring device 10 includes the focusing optical system 40 having different refractive powers in the horizontal direction Dh and the vertical direction Dv, the increase in the defocus amount in the vertical direction Dv caused by the increase in the defocus amount in the horizontal direction Dh corresponding to the increase in the number of columns in the horizontal direction Dh of the light receiving elements 68 constituting one pixel 65 is suppressed, and a decrease in the optical SN ratio can be suppressed. Therefore, by increasing the number of columns in the horizontal direction Dh of the light receiving elements 68 constituting a pixel 65 and increasing the defocus amount in the horizontal direction Dh without changing the defocus amount in the vertical direction Dv, the reduction in the light SN ratio can be suppressed and the light intensity resolution can be improved, and the reduction in the position resolution in the vertical direction Dv can be suppressed.

[0041] In addition, in the present embodiment, since the first lens 41 of the light-convex optical system 40 is a concave cylindrical lens and the second lens is a plano-convex lens, the light-convex optical system 40, the aperture section 50, and the light-receiving surface 61 can be easily aligned by adjusting the position and orientation of the first lens 41 after adjusting the position and orientation of the second lens 42. In addition, the light-converging optical system 40, the aperture section 50, and the light-receiving surface 61 can be aligned without moving the first lens 41 and the second lens 42, but by adjusting the position and orientation of the aperture section 50 and adjusting the position and orientation of the light-receiving surface 61.

[0042] In this embodiment, since the length of the opening 55 of the aperture unit 50 in the horizontal direction Dh is shorter than the length of one pixel 65 in the horizontal direction Dh, the aperture unit 50 can effectively suppress an increase in the amount of disturbance light incident on one pixel 65 .

[0043] In this embodiment, the light emitting unit 20 emits linear irradiation light Lo along the vertical direction Dv, and the light receiving surface 61 has a plurality of pixels 65 arranged along the vertical direction Dv. Therefore, the position resolution in the vertical direction Dv can be ensured.

[0044] In addition, in the present embodiment, a scanning unit 30 is provided for scanning the irradiation light Lo emitted from the light emitting unit 20 in the horizontal direction Dh by rotating the reflector 31 and causing the incident light Li to enter the focusing optical system 40, and the azimuth resolution is determined by the amount of change in the rotation angle of the reflector 31 during the time interval for emitting the irradiation light Lo. Therefore, even if the number of columns in the horizontal direction Dh of the light receiving element 68 constituting one pixel 65 is increased to improve the light intensity resolution, the azimuth resolution will not be reduced.

[0045] B. Second Implementation Method:

[0046] like Figure 7 as well as Figure 8 As shown, in the distance measuring device 10b of the second embodiment, the structure of the focusing optical system 40b is different from that of the first embodiment. Specifically, in the present embodiment, the first lens 41b of the focusing optical system 40b is a convex cylindrical lens having a central axis parallel to the vertical direction Dv, and is configured so that the cylindrical surface having a curvature in the horizontal direction Dh faces the reflector 31, and the plane faces the second lens 42b. The second lens 42b of the focusing optical system 40b is a plano-convex lens, and is configured so that the spherical surface having a curvature in the horizontal direction Dh and the vertical direction Dv faces the first lens 41b, and the plane faces the aperture 50. The other structures are the same as those of the first embodiment. According to the distance measuring device 10b of the second embodiment described above, as in the first embodiment, it is also possible to suppress the reduction of the light SN ratio and improve the light intensity resolution, and it is possible to suppress the reduction of the position resolution in the vertical direction Dv.

[0047] C. Third Implementation Method:

[0048] like Fig. 9 as well as Fig.10 As shown, in the distance measuring device 10c of the third embodiment, the structure of the focusing optical system 40c is different from that of the first embodiment. Specifically, in this embodiment, the first lens 41c of the focusing optical system 40c is a plano-convex lens, and is configured so that the spherical surface having a curvature in the horizontal direction Dh and the vertical direction Dv faces the reflector 31, and the plane faces the second lens 42c. The second lens 42c of the focusing optical system 40c is a concave cylindrical lens having a central axis parallel to the horizontal direction Dh, and is configured so that the plane faces the first lens 41c, and the cylindrical surface having a curvature in the vertical direction Dv faces the aperture 50. The other structures are the same as those of the first embodiment. According to the distance measuring device 10c of the third embodiment described above, as in the first embodiment, it is also possible to suppress the reduction of the light SN ratio and improve the light intensity resolution, and it is possible to suppress the reduction of the position resolution in the vertical direction Dv.

[0049] D. Fourth Implementation Method:

[0050] like Fig.11 as well as Fig.12 As shown, in the distance measuring device 10d of the fourth embodiment, the structure of the focusing optical system 40d is different from that of the first embodiment. Specifically, in this embodiment, the first lens 41d of the focusing optical system 40d is a convex cylindrical lens having a central axis parallel to the horizontal direction Dh, and is configured so that the cylindrical surface having a curvature in the vertical direction Dv faces the reflector 31, and the plane faces the second lens 42d. The second lens 42d of the focusing optical system 40d is a convex cylindrical lens having a central axis parallel to the vertical direction Dv, and is configured so that the cylindrical surface having a curvature in the horizontal direction Dh faces the first lens 41d, and the plane faces the aperture 50. The other structures are the same as those of the first embodiment. According to the distance measuring device 10d of the fourth embodiment described above, as in the first embodiment, it is also possible to suppress the reduction of the light SN ratio and improve the light intensity resolution, and it is possible to suppress the reduction of the position resolution in the vertical direction Dv. In addition, in this embodiment, since the first lens 41d is a cylindrical lens having a central axis parallel to the horizontal direction Dh, and the second lens 42d is a cylindrical lens having a central axis parallel to the vertical direction Dv, the focal position of the focusing optical system 40d in the horizontal direction Dh and the focal position in the vertical direction Dv can be adjusted independently of each other.

[0051] E. Fifth Implementation Method:

[0052] like Fig.13 as well as Fig.14 As shown, in the distance measuring device 10e of the fifth embodiment, the configuration of the irradiation unit 20e and the aperture unit 50e is different from that of the first embodiment. The other configurations are the same as those of the first embodiment. Fig.13 As shown in FIG. 1 , in this embodiment, the irradiation unit 20e includes a vertical cavity surface emitting laser (VCSEL: Vertical Cavity Surface Emitting Laser) as a light emitting element, and emits a plurality of dot-shaped irradiation lights Lo arranged along the vertical direction Dv. Fig.14As shown, the opening 55e of the aperture section 50e is composed of a plurality of through holes arranged along the vertical direction Dv. The shape of each through hole is circular. In the present embodiment, the direction in which the plurality of through holes are arranged is referred to as the long side direction of the opening 55e, and the direction perpendicular to the long side direction and the central axis of the through hole is referred to as the short side direction of the opening 55e. According to the distance measuring device 10e of the fifth embodiment described above, as in the first embodiment, it is possible to suppress the reduction of the light SN ratio and improve the light intensity resolution, and it is possible to suppress the reduction of the position resolution in the vertical direction Dv. In addition, the distance measuring device 10e of the fifth embodiment may not include the aperture section 50e described above, but may include the aperture section 50 that is the same as the first embodiment. The distance measuring device 10e may not include the focusing optical system 40 that is the same as the first embodiment, but may include any of the focusing optical systems 40b to 40d in the second embodiment, the third embodiment, and the fourth embodiment.

[0053] F. Other implementations:

[0054] (F1) In the distance measuring devices 10 to 10e of the above-mentioned embodiments, the focusing optical system 40 to 40d includes two lenses 41 to 41d and 42 to 42d. The focusing optical system 40 to 40d may also include a lens having different refractive powers in the horizontal direction Dh and the vertical direction Dv. The focusing optical system 40 may also be composed of, for example, a toroidal lens, a toric lens, or an anamorphic lens. In this case, compared with a method in which the focusing optical system 40 to 40d is composed of a plurality of lenses, the focusing optical system 40 to 40d can be miniaturized.

[0055] (F2) The distance measuring devices 10 to 10 e of the above-described embodiments include the scanning unit 30 that scans the irradiation light Lo in the horizontal direction Dh. However, the distance measuring devices 10 to 10 e may not include the scanning unit 30 .

[0056] The present application is not limited to the above-mentioned embodiments, and can be implemented in various configurations within the scope of the subject matter. For example, the technical features in the embodiments can be appropriately replaced or combined in order to solve part or all of the above-mentioned problems, or to achieve part or all of the above-mentioned effects. In addition, the technical features can be appropriately deleted as long as they are not described as essential items in this specification.

[0057] [Method 1]

[0058] The distance measuring device (10) comprises: a light emitting unit (20) for emitting irradiation light (Lo); a light receiving unit (60) having a light receiving surface (61) for receiving incident light (Li) including reflected light of the irradiation light, wherein one pixel (65) of the light receiving surface comprises a plurality of single photon avalanche diodes (68); an aperture unit (50) having an opening (55) for allowing the incident light incident on the light receiving unit to pass through and limiting the amount of incident light passing through; and an optical system (40) having different refractive powers in the long side direction of the opening and in the short side direction of the opening, the optical system focusing the incident light on the light receiving surface in the long side direction and focusing the incident light on the opening in the short side direction.

[0059] [Method 2]

[0060] The distance measuring device described in method 1 may also include a scanning unit (30), which has a reflection mirror (31) that reflects the irradiation light and the incident light, and by rotating the reflection mirror around a rotation axis (RX) parallel to the long side direction of the opening, the irradiation light emitted from the light-emitting unit is scanned along the short side direction, so that the incident light is incident on the optical system.

[0061] [Method 3]

[0062] In the distance measuring device described in aspect 1 or aspect 2, the length of the one pixel in the short-side direction of the opening may be longer than the length of the one pixel in the long-side direction of the opening.

[0063] [Method 4]

[0064] In the distance measuring device described in any one of aspects 1 to 3, the light emitting unit may emit the linear irradiation light along the longitudinal direction of the opening.

[0065] [Method 5]

[0066] In the distance measuring device described in any one of aspects 1 to 3, the light emitting unit may emit the irradiation light in a plurality of spots arranged along the longitudinal direction of the opening.

[0067] [Method 6]

[0068] In the distance measuring device described in any one of aspects 1 to 5, the optical system may include a spherical lens and a cylindrical lens.

[0069] [Method 7]

[0070] In the distance measuring device described in any one of Modes 1 to 5, the optical system may include a cylindrical lens having a central axis parallel to the long side direction of the opening, and a cylindrical lens having a central axis parallel to the short side direction of the opening.

[0071] [Method 8]

[0072] In the distance measuring device described in any one of aspects 1 to 5, the optical system may include a toroidal lens.

[0073] This application is described based on the embodiments, but it should be understood that this application is not limited to the embodiments and structures. This application also includes various modifications and modifications within the equivalent range. In addition, various combinations, methods, and other combinations and methods including only one element, above, or below it also fall within the scope and concept of this application.

Claims

1. A distance measuring device (10), characterized in that: have: A light emitting unit (20) emitting irradiation light (Lo); A light receiving unit (60) having a light receiving surface (61) for receiving incident light (Li) including reflected light of the irradiated light, wherein one pixel (65) of the light receiving surface includes a plurality of single photon avalanche diodes (68); an aperture portion (50) having an opening portion (55) for allowing the incident light incident on the light receiving portion to pass through, and limiting the amount of incident light passing through; as well as An optical system (40) having different refractive powers in the long side direction of the opening and in the short side direction of the opening, the optical system focuses the incident light on the light receiving surface in the long side direction and focuses the incident light on the opening in the short side direction.

2. The distance measuring device according to claim 1, characterized in that: The distance measuring device comprises a scanning unit (30) having a reflector (31) for reflecting the irradiation light and the incident light, and the reflector is rotated around a rotation axis (RX) parallel to the long side direction of the opening to scan the irradiation light emitted from the light emitting unit along the short side direction, so that the incident light is incident on the optical system.

3. The distance measuring device according to claim 1, characterized in that: The length of the one pixel in the short-side direction of the opening is longer than the length of the one pixel in the long-side direction of the opening.

4. The distance measuring device according to claim 1, characterized in that: The light emitting section emits the linear irradiation light along the long side direction of the opening.

5. The distance measuring device according to claim 1, characterized in that: The light emitting section emits the irradiation light in a plurality of dots arranged along the longitudinal direction of the opening.

6. The distance measuring device according to claim 1, characterized in that: The optical system includes a spherical lens and a cylindrical lens.

7. The distance measuring device according to claim 1, characterized in that: The optical system includes a cylindrical lens having a central axis parallel to the long-side direction of the opening, and a cylindrical lens having a central axis parallel to the short-side direction of the opening.

8. The distance measuring device according to claim 1, characterized in that: The optical system includes a toroidal lens.

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