Ranging Device With Variable-Power Light Array for Eye Safety
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing ranging devices face a challenge in achieving both improved ranging performance and eye safety, particularly in managing light emission power to prevent eye damage while maintaining effective distance measurement.
Innovation Solution
A ranging device with a light emitting element array where light emitting elements have variable power, employing thinned-out light emission control and power control to ensure that light emission power per unit area does not exceed a threshold, using a thinning rate to manage light emission and reception.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Measurement precision
If light emission power is increased to improve ranging performance, then measurement precision and distance range are improved, but eye safety is compromised
Solution Approach 1:
The light emitting element array is divided into multiple individually controllable elements. By selectively activating specific elements and controlling their emission power independently, the system can distribute light emission across multiple elements rather than concentrating high power in fewer elements, thereby improving ranging performance while maintaining eye safety through spatial distribution of optical energy
Solution Approach 2:
Different regions of the light emitting element array are controlled to emit light with different power levels according to a predetermined pattern. This local quality variation allows certain areas to emit higher power for improved ranging while other areas emit lower power or remain inactive to maintain eye safety, achieving both objectives simultaneously through spatially differentiated emission characteristics
2Object-affected harmful factors
If thinned-out light emission control is applied to ensure eye safety, then eye safety is improved, but light emission power per unit area decreases
Solution Approach 1:
The system dynamically adjusts the emission power of individual light emitting elements based on real-time conditions and predetermined patterns. By varying the emission state (active/inactive) and power level of each element dynamically, the system maintains eye safety through thinned-out control while compensating for reduced per-unit-area power through increased total power output and optimized spatial distribution
Solution Approach 2:
The emission power parameter of each light emitting element is independently controlled and adjusted according to predetermined patterns. By changing the power parameter across different elements rather than uniformly reducing power, the system achieves eye safety through thinned-out control while maintaining sufficient total light emission for effective ranging through parameter optimization
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 ranging performance by ensuring eye safety, allowing for increased laser power without exceeding safety thresholds, expanding the measurable distance range and improving frame rate.
Implementation Method 1
a light emitting element array 21 in which a plurality of light emitting elements 210, each of which has variable light emission power, are two-dimensionally arranged
Data Source
AI summary
A ranging device includes a light emitting element array in which a plurality of light emitting elements, each of which has variable light emission power, are two-dimensionally arranged, a thinning control unit configured to perform thinned-out light emission control such that some of the plurality of light emitting elements emit light and the other light emitting elements do not emit light, and a power control unit configured to control the light emission power of each of the plurality of light emitting elements such that light emission power per unit area does not exceed a threshold based on a first thinning rate indicating a proportion of the light emitting elements that do not emit light among the plurality of light emitting elements.