Data Processing Unit

Abstract

To make it possible to flexibly change data configurations according to output destinations.SOLUTION: A signal processing unit 33 acquires measurement data including a plurality of items related to reflected light with respect to emitted light. A data configuration of a communication frame when the acquired measurement data is output is set in a setting unit 32. The signal processing unit 33 outputs the communication frame with the data configuration based on the setting of the setting unit 32.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 1

Description

[Technical Field]

[0001] The present invention relates to a data processing method for performing predetermined processing on measurement data including a plurality of items related to reflected light relative to emitted light. [Background technology]

[0002] There are known sensors that use light, such as LiDAR (Light Detection and Ranging), to measure the distance to an object. In this type of sensor, when a laser beam is irradiated once and reflected by multiple objects, multiple signals (multiple echoes) indicating the respective objects may be detected (also known as multi-echo).

[0003] A technology for removing signals that become noise due to such multi-echoes is disclosed, for example, in Patent Document 1. Patent Document 1 describes that for each of a plurality of target ranging points to be determined among a plurality of ranging points, the lower the continuity between the distance indicated by the target ranging point and the distance indicated by each of a plurality of adjacent ranging points, which are a plurality of ranging points in an irradiation area that are close to the target ranging point, the higher the possibility that the target ranging point is a noise point is evaluated, and noise points that are evaluated to be more likely to be noise points than an evaluation threshold are removed from the plurality of ranging points. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0004] [Patent Document 1] Japanese Patent Application Publication No. 2019-105654 Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0005] In the future, LiDAR may be connected to a variety of systems. Therefore, LiDAR will be required to output data in a format that is compatible with various systems. For example, if a specific data format is specified during development, it will be difficult to change it later. On the other hand, if it is made compatible with many data formats in advance, unused parts will go to waste.

[0006] Patent Document 1 reduces the amount of data from the viewpoint of deleting unnecessary data such as noise, and is not capable of adapting to a data configuration according to the output destination.

[0007] One example of a problem that the present invention aims to solve is to be able to flexibly change the data configuration depending on the output destination. [Means for solving the problem]

[0008] In order to solve the above problem, the present invention provides an acquisition unit that acquires measurement data including a plurality of items related to a plurality of reflected lights generated by the reflection of one emitted light, and , out a setting unit that can arbitrarily set a data configuration based on data required as communication data when inputting data; Lottery Depending on the conditions From the measurement data Extracted Received an output unit that outputs the communication data including optical data in the set data configuration; a reliability calculation unit that calculates the reliability of the light reception data acquired by the acquisition unit, and when the reliability is included in the light reception data output by the output unit, the extraction conditions include a condition based on the reliability. It is characterized by the following.

[0009] The invention described in claim 4 comprises an acquisition unit that acquires measurement data including multiple items related to multiple reflected lights generated by the reflection of one emitted light, a setting unit that can arbitrarily set the data configuration of the measurement data acquired by the acquisition unit using data necessary as communication data when output, and an output unit that outputs the communication data including received light data extracted from the measurement data according to set extraction conditions in the set data configuration, wherein the extraction conditions include conditions based on the number of data to be extracted from the multiple received light data. Claim 1 0 The invention described in the item (2) is a data processing method executed by a data processing device that performs predetermined processing on measurement data including a plurality of items related to a plurality of reflected lights generated by reflection of one emitted light, the method comprising: an acquisition step of acquiring measurement data including the plurality of items; , out a setting process for arbitrarily setting a data configuration based on data required as communication data when inputting data; Lottery Depending on the conditions From the measurement data Extracted Received an output step of outputting the communication data including optical data in the set data configuration; a calculation step of calculating the reliability of the received light data, and when the reliability is included in the received light data output by the output step, the extraction conditions include a condition based on the reliability. It is characterized by the following. The invention described in claim 11 is a data processing method executed by a data processing device that performs predetermined processing on measurement data including multiple items related to multiple reflected light beams generated by the reflection of one emitted light, and includes an acquisition step of acquiring measurement data including the multiple items, a setting step of arbitrarily setting a data configuration of data from the acquired measurement data that is necessary as communication data when output, and an output step of outputting the communication data including received light data extracted from the measurement data according to set extraction conditions in the set data configuration, characterized in that the extraction conditions include conditions based on the number of data to be extracted from the multiple received light data.

[0010] The invention described in claim 12 is 10 or 11 is characterized in that the data processing method described in Item 11 is executed by a computer.

[0011] The invention as set forth in claim 13 is characterized in that the data processing program as set forth in claim 12 is stored. [Brief explanation of the drawings]

[0012] [Figure 1] FIG. 1 is a functional configuration diagram of a LiDAR including a data processing device according to a first embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 2] 2 is an explanatory diagram showing the data structure of a communication frame output from the LiDAR shown in FIG. 1. [Figure 3] 2 is a flowchart of the operation of the control unit shown in FIG. 1. [Figure 4] FIG. 10 is an explanatory diagram of a modified example of the data configuration in the data processing device according to the second embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 5] 10 is a flowchart of the operation of a control unit according to the second embodiment. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0013] A data processing device according to one embodiment of the present invention will be described below. In the data processing device according to one embodiment of the present invention, an acquisition unit acquires measurement data including multiple items related to reflected light relative to emitted light, and a setting unit sets the data configuration of communication data when outputting the acquired measurement data. An output unit then outputs the communication data with a data configuration based on the settings of the setting unit. In this way, the data configuration of the communication data to be output can be easily changed, and the data configuration can be flexibly changed according to the needs of the output destination. Therefore, it is possible to handle small-volume, high-mix production at low cost.

[0014] The setting unit may also set the order of items that make up the communication data. In this way, the communication data can be configured in an order of items that meets the requirements of the output destination.

[0015] The setting unit may also set items to be included in the communication data from among the items included in the acquired measurement data. In this way, the communication data can be configured with only the items required by the output destination, making it possible to reduce the amount of communication data.

[0016] The setting unit may also acquire information about the data structure from an external device, and the output unit may output the communication data in a data structure based on the acquired information about the data structure. In this way, the data structure can be acquired from an external device, such as a file. This allows for greater flexibility in the structure of the communication data.

[0017] In addition, in a data processing method according to one embodiment of the present invention, an acquisition unit acquires measurement data including multiple items related to reflected light relative to emitted light in an acquisition step, and a setting unit sets the data configuration of communication data when outputting the acquired measurement data in a setting step. Then, in an output step, the communication data is output in a data configuration based on the setting by the setting unit. In this way, the communication data to be output can be easily changed, and the data configuration can be flexibly changed according to the needs of the output destination. Therefore, it is possible to handle small-lot, high-mix production at low cost.

[0018] Furthermore, the above-mentioned data processing method is executed by a computer, which makes it possible to easily change the communication data to be output using the computer, and to flexibly change the data structure according to the needs of the output destination.

[0019] The data processing program may be stored in a computer-readable storage medium. In this way, the program can be installed in the device or used as a standalone program. It can be distributed and version upgrades can be easily carried out. [Example]

[0020] A data processing device according to a first embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to Figures 1 to 3. Figure 1 is a schematic functional configuration diagram of a LiDAR 1 equipped with a data processing device according to this embodiment.

[0021] As shown in FIG. 1, the LiDAR 1 includes an optical unit 2 and a control unit 3.

[0022] The optical unit 2 includes a light emitting unit 21, a scanning unit 22, and a light receiving unit 23. The light emitting unit 21 includes a light emitting element such as a laser diode, and optical components such as a collimator lens, a beam splitter, and a light projecting and receiving lens.

[0023] Scanning unit 22 is configured with, for example, a MEMS (Micro Electro Mechanical Systems) mirror, etc. Scanning unit 22 scans the light emitted from light emitting unit 21 in the horizontal and vertical directions toward an area where an object exists.

[0024] The light receiving unit 23 includes optical components and a light receiving element such as an avalanche photodiode (APD) that receives light scanned by the scanning unit 22 and reflected by an object, etc. Note that some of the optical components included in the light emitting unit 21 may be shared.

[0025] 1, the control unit 3 includes a light emission control unit 31, a setting unit 32, and a signal processing unit 33. The control unit 3 includes a microphone having a CPU (Central Processing Unit) and the like. The control unit 3 may be configured with a microprocessor, a Field Programmable Gate Array (FPGA), an Application Specific Integrated Circuit (ASIC), or the like. The control unit 3 may also be configured with multiple chips. The control unit 3 functions as a data processing device according to this embodiment, as will be described later.

[0026] The light emission control unit 31 controls light emission, such as by causing the light emitting element of the light emitting unit 21 to emit pulsed light. The setting unit 32 sets extraction conditions for a plurality of pieces of light reception data acquired by the signal processing unit 33. The extraction conditions will be described later.

[0027] The signal processing unit 33 receives a signal corresponding to the intensity of light received by the light receiving unit 23 (received light intensity), and calculates the distance to the target based on the signal. Then, data including the received light intensity and distance for one pulse of light and the corresponding scanning direction (angle) is extracted based on extraction conditions described below, and output to an external device as communication data. That is, the signal processing unit 33 functions as an output unit that extracts and outputs the received light data from multiple pieces of data based on the settings of the setting unit 32. Note that in this embodiment, for example, Ethernet (registered trademark) can be used as a communication standard with the external device, but other communication standards may also be used.

[0028] Fig. 2 shows the frame structure of communication data according to this embodiment. As shown in Fig. 2, communication data 10 according to this embodiment includes a header section 11 and a data section 12. In addition to these data, the data may also include a synchronization preamble, an FCS (Frame Check Sequence), etc.

[0029] The header section 11 contains addresses of the destination and the sender, etc. The data section 12 contains a data set (received light data) consisting of distance data 12a, intensity data 12b, and angle data 12c corresponding to the signal received by the light receiving section 23. When multiple echoes occur, multiple data sets are generated, and the amount of data increases. In other words, the signal processing section 33 is an acquisition section that can acquire multiple received light data for one emitted light. It functions as:

[0030] Therefore, in this embodiment, one or more data sets are extracted from the multiple data sets, and conditions for the extracted data are set in the setting unit 32 so that only the extracted data is transmitted. The extraction conditions include received light intensity, distance, S / N ratio, data reliability, number of data, etc.

[0031] In the case of the received light intensity, conditions can be set to extract a data set with a strong received light intensity or a data set with a weak received light intensity.

[0032] In the case of distance, a condition can be set to extract a data set for which the calculated distance is far, or to extract a data set for which the calculated distance is close.

[0033] In the case of the S / N ratio, the signal processing unit 33 calculates the S / N ratio for each data set, and the S / N ratio can be set when included in the data set. In this case, conditions can be set to extract data sets with a good S / N ratio. This S / N ratio is information indicating the ratio to the intensity of signals determined to be noise, for example.

[0034] In the case of data reliability, the signal processing unit 33 calculates reliability for each data set, and this reliability can be set when the data set includes the calculated reliability. In this case, conditions can be set to extract data sets with high reliability. This reliability is information indicating that the data set is not noise.

[0035] For the number of data items, the number of data sets to be extracted can be set. For example, if five data sets are acquired by multi-echo, setting the number of data sets to be extracted to "2" will result in only two data sets being extracted. Note that the number of data items can be set in combination with the above-mentioned conditions such as received light intensity. For example, it is possible to set it so that the two data sets with the strongest received light intensity are extracted.

[0036] Furthermore, a plurality of the above-described extraction conditions may be combined, making it possible to extract, for example, a data set with the strongest received light intensity and a data set with the longest distance.

[0037] Next, the operation of the data processing device (data processing method) configured as described above will be described with reference to the flowchart in Fig. 3. This flowchart can be configured as a program executed by a computer that functions as a data processing device, thereby creating a data processing program. This data processing program is not limited to being stored in a memory or the like of the data processing device, but may also be stored in a storage medium such as a memory card or optical disk.

[0038] First, the above-mentioned extraction conditions are set in the setting unit 32 (step S11). Note that this step S11 only needs to be performed once before the LiDAR 1 is operated.

[0039] Next, the signal processing unit 33 extracts a data set based on the signal received from the light receiving unit 23 in accordance with the extraction conditions set in the setting unit 32 in step S11 (step S12).

[0040] Then, the signal processing unit 33 generates a communication frame including the data set extracted in step S12 (step S13), and outputs the communication frame to the external device (step S14).

[0041] As is clear from the above explanation, step S11 functions as a setting step, and steps S12 to S14 function as an acquisition step and an output step.

[0042] According to this embodiment, the signal processing unit 33 can acquire multiple data sets for one emitted light, and the setting unit 32 sets extraction conditions for the multiple data sets acquired by the signal processing unit 33. The signal processing unit 33 then extracts data from the multiple data sets based on the settings of the setting unit 32, generates a communication frame, and outputs it. In this way, the amount of data to be output can be adjusted according to the extraction conditions by setting the extraction conditions. Therefore, unnecessary data can be deleted according to the processing capabilities of downstream systems, etc., and communication costs and processing costs can be efficiently reduced.

[0043] The extraction condition may also be the intensity of received light included in the data set. In this way, data sets can be extracted based on conditions such as strong or weak received light intensity, making it possible to reduce the amount of data.

[0044] The extraction condition may also be the distance to the object included in the data set. In this way, data sets can be extracted based on conditions such as whether the distance to the object is far or close, thereby making it possible to reduce the amount of data.

[0045] The extraction condition may also be the S / N ratio included in the data set. In this way, data sets can be extracted based on conditions such as a good S / N ratio, making it possible to reduce the amount of data.

[0046] The extraction condition may also be the reliability included in the received light data. In this way, it is possible to extract received light data with a high reliability, thereby reducing the amount of data.

[0047] The extraction condition may also be the number of data to be extracted from multiple data sets. In this way, data sets can be extracted by limiting the number of data to be extracted, thereby reducing the amount of data. [Example]

[0048] Next, a data processing device according to a second embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to Figures 4 and 5. Note that the same parts as those in the first embodiment described above are given the same reference numerals and the description thereof will be omitted.

[0049] The functional configuration in this embodiment is the same as that in Fig. 1. In the first embodiment, the main focus was on reducing the amount of data, but in this embodiment, the frame configuration (data configuration) of the communication frame (communication data) when outputting to an external device can be set arbitrarily.

[0050] For example, as shown in Fig. 4(a), communication data 10A may have a frame configuration in which the header section 11 is positioned after the data section 12. Alternatively, as shown in Fig. 4(b), the order of distance data 12a, intensity data 12b, and angle data 12c may be reversed in the configuration of data section 12. Alternatively, the order of data in header section 11 or the order of data other than the above data sets in data section 12 may be reversed.

[0051] In this embodiment, distance data 12a, intensity data 12b, and angle data 12c are described as representative examples of multiple items related to reflected light relative to emitted light, but the S / N ratio, reliability, etc. described in the first embodiment are also included. In short, all that is required is a signal (data) generated based on reflected light and data related to that data (header, etc.).

[0052] The setting of the setting unit 32 described above can be performed by connecting an adjustment device (which may be a device different from the external device) to the LiDAR 1 (control unit 3) and using a GUI (Graphical User Interface) displayed on the adjustment device. The order of arrangement may be set on the user interface.

[0053] Alternatively, the data may be acquired by downloading a file in which the data structure is defined. That is, the setting unit 32 may acquire a file in which the data structure is defined (information on the data structure) from the outside, and the signal processing unit 33 may output communication data in the data structure described in the acquired file.

[0054] Also in this embodiment, only the data required may be transmitted depending on the output destination (external device). That is, items to be included in the communication data may be set from among the items included in the acquired measurement data. In this embodiment, data included in the header section 11 may be arbitrarily selected, not limited to the data section 12. In this way, data reduction can be achieved, similar to the first embodiment.

[0055] That is, the signal processing unit 33 functions as an acquisition unit that acquires measurement data including multiple items related to reflected light relative to emitted light, and an output unit that outputs communication data in a data configuration based on the setting in the setting unit. The setting unit 32 sets the data configuration of the communication data when outputting the acquired measurement data.

[0056] Next, the operation of the data processing device (data processing method) according to this embodiment will be described with reference to the flowchart in Fig. 5. This flowchart can be configured as a program executed by a computer that functions as a data processing device, thereby creating a data processing program. This data processing program may not only be stored in a memory or the like of the data processing device, but may also be stored in a storage medium such as a memory card or an optical disk.

[0057] First, the above-described data configuration is set in the setting unit 32 (step S21). Note that this step S21 only needs to be performed once before the LiDAR 1 is operated.

[0058] Next, the signal processing unit 33 acquires necessary data from among data based on the signal received from the light receiving unit 23 in accordance with the data configuration set in the setting unit 32 in step S21 (step S22).

[0059] Then, the signal processing unit 33 composes a communication frame having the data configuration set in the setting unit 32 in step S21, including the data acquired in step S22 (step S23), and outputs the frame to the external device (step S24).

[0060] According to this embodiment, the signal processing unit 33 acquires measurement data including multiple items related to reflected light relative to emitted light, and the setting unit 32 sets the data configuration of the communication frame when outputting the acquired measurement data. The signal processing unit 33 then outputs the communication frame with the data configuration based on the setting of the setting unit 32. In this way, the configuration of the communication frame to be output can be easily changed, and the data configuration can be flexibly changed according to the requirements of the output destination. Therefore, it is possible to respond to small-volume, high-mix production at low cost.

[0061] The setting unit 32 may also set the order of items that make up the communication frame. In this way, the communication frame can be configured in an order of items that meets the requirements of the output destination.

[0062] The setting unit 32 may also set items to be included in the communication frame from among the items included in the acquired measurement data. In this way, the communication frame can be configured with only the items required by the output destination, making it possible to reduce the amount of communication data.

[0063] Alternatively, the setting unit 32 may externally acquire a file relating to the data configuration, and the signal processing unit 33 may output a communication frame with a data configuration based on the acquired file. In this way, the data configuration can be acquired from an external file. Therefore, the degree of freedom in the configuration of communication data can be further increased.

[0064] As is clear from the above explanation, step S21 functions as a setting step, and steps S22 to S24 function as an acquisition step and an output step.

[0065] Furthermore, the present invention is not limited to the above-described embodiments. In other words, those skilled in the art can implement various modifications in accordance with conventional knowledge without departing from the gist of the present invention. As long as such modifications still include the data processing device of the present invention, they are of course included in the scope of the present invention. [Explanation of symbols]

[0066] 1. LiDAR 2 Optical unit 3. Control unit (data processing unit) 31 Light emission control unit 32 Setting section 33 Signal processing unit (acquisition unit, output unit)

Claims

1. an acquisition unit that acquires measurement data including a plurality of items related to a plurality of reflected lights generated by reflection of one emitted light; a setting unit capable of arbitrarily setting a data configuration of data necessary as communication data when outputting the measurement data acquired by the acquisition unit; an output unit that outputs the communication data including the light reception data extracted from the measurement data according to a set extraction condition in the set data configuration; a reliability calculation unit that calculates the reliability of the light reception data acquired by the acquisition unit, When the reliability is included in the light reception data output by the output unit, the extraction conditions include a condition based on the reliability. A data processing device characterized by:

2. The data processing device according to claim 1 , wherein the setting unit sets the items to be included in the communication data from among the items included in the acquired measurement data.

3. the setting unit acquires information about the data configuration from an external source, 2. The data processing device according to claim 1, wherein the output unit outputs the communication data in a data configuration based on the acquired information on the data configuration.

4. An acquisition unit that acquires measurement data including multiple items related to multiple reflected lights generated by reflecting one emitted light; a setting unit capable of arbitrarily setting a data configuration of data necessary as communication data when outputting the measurement data acquired by the acquisition unit; an output unit that outputs the communication data including the light reception data extracted from the measurement data according to a set extraction condition in the set data configuration, The extraction conditions include a condition based on the number of data to be extracted from the plurality of light reception data. A data processing device characterized by:

5. 5. The data processing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the extraction conditions include a condition based on the intensity of received light included in the received light data.

6. 5. The data processing device according to claim 1, wherein the extraction conditions include a condition based on a distance to an object included in the received light data.

7. an S / N ratio calculation unit that calculates an S / N ratio of the light reception data acquired by the acquisition unit; 5. The data processing device according to claim 1, wherein, when the S / N ratio is included in the light reception data output by the output unit, the extraction conditions include a condition based on the S / N ratio.

8. 5. The data processing device according to claim 1, wherein the setting unit sets an order of items constituting the communication data.

9. 5. The data processing device according to claim 1, wherein the acquisition unit acquires necessary data from the measurement data in accordance with the data configuration set in the setting unit.

10. A data processing method executed by a data processing device that performs predetermined processing on measurement data including a plurality of items related to a plurality of reflected lights generated by reflection of one emitted light, the method comprising: an acquisition step of acquiring measurement data including the plurality of items; a setting step of arbitrarily setting a data configuration of data necessary as communication data when outputting the acquired measurement data; an output step of outputting the communication data including the light reception data extracted from the measurement data according to the set extraction conditions in the set data configuration; a calculation step of calculating the reliability of the light reception data, When the reliability is included in the light reception data output in the output step, the extraction conditions include a condition based on the reliability. A data processing method comprising:

11. A data processing method executed by a data processing device that performs predetermined processing on measurement data including multiple items related to multiple reflected lights generated by reflection of one emitted light, an acquisition step of acquiring measurement data including the plurality of items; a setting step of arbitrarily setting a data configuration of data necessary as communication data when outputting the acquired measurement data; an output step of outputting the communication data including the light reception data extracted from the measurement data according to the set extraction conditions in the set data configuration, A data processing method, wherein the extraction conditions include a condition based on the number of data to be extracted from the plurality of light reception data.

12. 12. A data processing program for causing a computer to execute the data processing method according to claim 10.

13. A computer-readable storage medium storing the data processing program according to claim 12.

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