Ranging Device Spatial Segmentation for Frame Rate
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing ranging devices face challenges in ensuring a sufficient frame rate due to non-overlapping measurement periods, which limits their ability to efficiently measure distances and reduces their ranging performance.
Innovation Solution
A ranging device with a light emitting device divided into multiple regions, each with distinct emission timings, and a corresponding receiving unit with overlapping measurement periods, allowing for improved frame rate and reduced emission intensity while maintaining eye safety standards.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Illumination intensity
If measurement periods of respective regions are made non-overlapping to ensure eye safety and reduce average light energy, then the intensity of reflected light is increased, but the frame rate is reduced due to serial measurements
Solution Approach 1:
The light emitting device is divided into multiple emitting regions, and the light receiving device is divided into multiple receiving regions corresponding to the emitting regions. Each region performs measurement independently with its own time window, allowing parallel processing of multiple regions simultaneously.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent transitions from temporal serialization to spatial parallelization by assigning different spatial regions (emitting regions and receiving regions) to perform measurements simultaneously. This dimensional shift from time-based sequencing to space-based parallelism resolves the frame rate limitation.
2Device complexity
If measurement periods of respective regions are made non-overlapping to simplify timing control, then the device complexity is reduced, but the frame rate is insufficient
Solution Approach 1:
The measurement process is segmented into multiple independent time windows, each corresponding to a specific emitting region and its associated receiving region. This segmentation allows each segment to be controlled independently with simple timing logic, while the overall system achieves high frame rate through parallel execution of multiple segments.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent pre-assigns specific time windows to specific emitting and receiving regions before measurements begin. This preliminary assignment of temporal resources to spatial regions simplifies the timing control during actual measurement, as each region knows its designated measurement window in advance.
3Measurement precision
If light emission intensity is increased to improve measurement accuracy, then the ranging quality is improved, but eye safety standards are violated
Solution Approach 1:
The patent employs periodic pulsed light emission for each emitting region, with each pulse having high intensity for accurate measurement. The duty cycle is controlled by adjusting the pulse width and repetition rate, allowing high peak power for measurement accuracy while maintaining low average power to satisfy eye safety standards.
Solution Approach 2:
The total light emission is segmented across multiple emitting regions that operate at different time windows. This spatial-temporal segmentation allows each region to emit at high intensity for its designated period, while the overall average intensity across all regions remains within eye safety limits.
Applied Scientific Principles
This section explains which scientific principles are used to turn an abstract innovation direction into a practical engineering solution.
Function Achieved in This Case
The solution enhances the frame rate and ranging quality by allowing partial overlap of measurement periods, increasing the emission intensity of each region while adhering to eye safety standards and improving the accuracy of distance measurements.
Implementation Method 1
a ranging device that measures a distance to an object based on a time difference between a time at which light is irradiated and a time at which reflected light is received
Data Source
AI summary
A ranging device including: a control unit controlling a light emission timing in a light emitting device divided into emitting regions and a start timing of time counting; a receiving unit divided into receiving regions corresponding one-to-one to the emitting regions; a latch unit generating a light reception time value indicating an elapsed time from the start of the time counting to incidence of light based on the time count value and light reception signals; and a calculation unit calculating a flight time of light based on the light reception time value. Light emission timings of the emitting regions are different from each other, and a time difference between two light emission timings is shorter than a measurement period in each receiving region. The calculation unit calculates the flight time based on the light reception time value and the time difference.