Abstract: A detection apparatus detects a tilt of a LiDAR apparatus that is mounted to a vehicle. The detection apparatus includes a distance image acquiring unit, a surroundings information acquiring unit, and a detecting unit. The distance image acquiring unit acquires a distance image that is expressed by a detection point group that is detected by the LiDAR apparatus. The surroundings information acquiring unit acquires surroundings information on a periphery of a traveling route of the vehicle. The detecting unit that determines the tilt of the LiDAR apparatus based on the acquired distance image and the acquired surroundings information.

Abstract: A rangefinder includes a light emitting part, a light receiving part, a calculating part that calculates the distance from a reflective object, and a control part. The calculating part has a received light intensity determining part, a peak detecting part, and a distance calculating part, and a distance determining part. The control part controls at least one of the intensity of the pulsed light, the sensitivity of the light receiving part to received light, and a position of the region of interest so that a first received light intensity is obtained as the received light intensity of each of the plurality of times of flight at least once, and a second received light intensity having a higher S/N ratio is obtained as the received light intensity of each of the plurality of times of flight at least once.

Abstract: A distance measuring device includes a deflecting mirror configured to reflect transmission waves, and a swing motor configured to swing the deflecting mirror round a swing shaft so that scanning with the transmission waves is performed within a predetermined scanning region. The swing motor is configured to swing the deflecting mirror within a range of a predetermined rotation angle from a reference position, which is a rotational position of the deflecting mirror that reflects the transmission waves in a direction to a substantial center of the scanning region. The deflecting mirror is configured to return to the reference position when a distance measuring process, in which scanning with the transmission waves is repeated, ends.

Abstract: A light-emitting element drive device for driving a light-emitting element includes a capacitor that is charged by a power supply and is for supplying a current to the light-emitting element, a first wire for allowing the current to flow from the capacitor to the light-emitting element, a second wire through which a current that is output from the light-emitting element flows, a first switch for switching a state of the capacitor between a charged state in which the capacitor is charged by the power supply and a discharged state in which the current is supplied from the capacitor to the light-emitting element, a diode that is reversely connected to the first wire and the second wire in parallel with the light emitting element, and a resistance element connected in series with the diode. The diode is a body diode included in a field-effect transistor.

Abstract: A semiconductor laser light source module includes an emission unit provided with an upper electrode and a lower electrode, emitting a laser light in one direction; a laser diode having a plurality of emission units arranged in a state where emission directions of the laser light are aligned; a plurality of package side electrodes that supply current to respective emission units; and a plurality of first wires that electrically connect respective upper electrodes of the plurality of emission units with the package side electrodes corresponding to the upper electrodes individually. One first wire that connects one emission unit in the arranged emission units with one of package side electrodes corresponding to the one emission unit, and the other first wire that connects the other emission unit adjacent to the one emission unit with one of package side electrodes corresponding to the other emission unit are non-parallel in plan view.

Abstract: An optical scanning device is provided in a pulse distance measurement radar apparatus. The optical scanning device includes reflectors that are arranged right outside a scanning angle of an optical beam, an optical detector that is arranged at a position where reflected light from the reflectors reaches, and a scanning angle detector that detects the scanning angle of the optical beam based on result of detection by the optical detector.

Abstract: An optical distance measuring device includes a light emitting element in which a plurality of light emitting units 16 that emit light are arranged so that a gap is present between adjacent ones of the light emitting units, a transmission unit through which the light is transmitted, a drive unit that changes a positional relationship between the light emitting element and the transmission unit, and a light receiving unit that receives reflected light of the light. The drive unit changes the positional relationship between the light emitting element and the transmission unit, thereby changing an irradiation path of the light along an arrangement direction.

Abstract: A detection apparatus detects a tilt of a LiDAR apparatus that is mounted to a vehicle. The detection apparatus includes a distance image acquiring unit, a surroundings information acquiring unit, and a detecting unit. The distance image acquiring unit acquires a distance image that is expressed by a detection point group that is detected by the LiDAR apparatus. The surroundings information acquiring unit acquires surroundings information on a periphery of a traveling route of the vehicle. The detecting unit that determines the tilt of the LiDAR apparatus based on the acquired distance image and the acquired surroundings information.

Abstract: An optical scanning device is provided in a pulse distance measurement radar apparatus. The optical scanning device includes reflectors that are arranged right outside a scanning angle of an optical beam, an optical detector that is arranged at a position where reflected light from the reflectors reaches, and a scanning angle detector that detects the scanning angle of the optical beam based on result of detection by the optical detector.

Abstract: An optical radar device for scanning an object that reduces the effects of stray light is provided. The optical radar device has a light source, a light scanning section, a light path change section, a light receiver, and an opposite phase signal adder. The opposite phase signal adder adds an opposite phase signal to the output signal from the light receiver. A rise timing of the opposite phase signal is delayed by a predetermined time relative to an output timing of the pulse light, and the opposite phase signal has an opposite phase with respect to a phase of the reflected light.

Abstract: An optical radar device for scanning an object that reduces the effects of stray light is provided. The optical radar device has a light source, a light scanning section, a light path change section, a light receiver, and an opposite phase signal adder. The opposite phase signal adder adds an opposite phase signal to the output signal from the light receiver. A rise timing of the opposite phase signal is delayed by a predetermined time relative to an output timing of the pulse light, and the opposite phase signal has an opposite phase with respect to a phase of the reflected light.

Abstract: An optical laser device for scanning an object is provided. The optical radar device includes a light source that outputs a beam having an elliptical cross section. The beam is output towards a light scanning section that rotates a mirror plate about an axis for (i) reflecting the beam toward the object and (ii) reflecting a reflected light received from the object. The device also includes a light path change section that guides the beam toward the light scanning section and guides the reflected light from the light scanning section in a direction that is different from a direction of the light source. A light receiver receives the reflected light. Further, the elliptical cross section of the beam has a major axis and the major axis is substantially parallel to the axis of the mirror plate.

Abstract: A laser array circuit decreases the size of a circuit pattern. A laser-diode (LD) driving switching element with a low on resistance is used in common with and switches conduction and non-conduction of a large current to each of a plurality of charge capacitors and charge switching elements that accumulate charge in the charge capacitors in respective drive circuits. An LD array and the LD driving switching element are closely located on a light-emitting board. By laying out the LD array and charge capacitors considering only the positional relationship therebetween, the size of a circuit pattern including LDs and the charge capacitors can be decreased.

Abstract: In an object recognition apparatus for a vehicle which uses intensities of reflected waves from reflecting objects to make a recognition on whether a reflecting object is a vehicle or a non-vehicle, a plurality of transmission waves are emitted to receive a plurality of reflected waves from the reflecting objects, and a decision is made as to whether or not the reflecting object producing the plurality of reflected waves is a unitary reflecting object. If the decision shows a unitary reflecting object, the highest intensity of intensities of the reflected waves from the unitary reflecting object is compared with a reference intensity to makes a decision on whether the reflecting object is a vehicle or a non-vehicle. This enables univocally making a decision for each unitary reflecting object as to whether the reflecting object is more likely to be a vehicle or to be a non-vehicle, thus improving the recognition accuracy.

Abstract: An object recognition apparatus in a subject vehicle includes a radar unit for transmitting a plurality of laser beams in a scan range spread in horizontal and vertical directions of the subject vehicle and receiving a reflection, a recognition unit for recognizing the object in front of the subject vehicle based on the reflection, a determination sub-unit in the radar unit, a calculation sub-unit in the radar unit; and an adjustment sub-unit in the radar unit. The radar unit is so disposed in the subject vehicle with a center axis of one of the plurality of the laser beams aligned with a target angle that the determination sub-unit uses coverage in the vertical direction of the laser beam being sufficient for variation of heights of the reflector on the object at a first distance detected by the radar unit as the predetermined condition for selecting of the object.

Abstract: A laser array circuit decreases the size of a circuit pattern. A laser-diode (LD) driving switching element with a low on resistance is used in common with and switches conduction and non-conduction of a large current to each of a plurality of charge capacitors and charge switching elements that accumulate charge in the charge capacitors in respective drive circuits. An LD array and the LD driving switching element are closely located on a light-emitting board. By laying out the LD array and charge capacitors considering only the positional relationship therebetween, the size of a circuit pattern including LDs and the charge capacitors can be decreased.

Abstract: In an object recognition apparatus for a vehicle which uses intensities of reflected waves from reflecting objects to make a recognition on whether a reflecting object is a vehicle or a non-vehicle, a plurality of transmission waves are emitted to receive a plurality of reflected waves from the reflecting objects, and a decision is made as to whether or not the reflecting object producing the plurality of reflected waves is a unitary reflecting object. If the decision shows a unitary reflecting object, the highest intensity of intensities of the reflected waves from the unitary reflecting object is compared with a reference intensity to makes a decision on whether the reflecting object is a vehicle or a non-vehicle. This enables univocally making a decision for each unitary reflecting object as to whether the reflecting object is more likely to be a vehicle or to be a non-vehicle, thus improving the recognition accuracy.

Abstract: In an object recognition apparatus for a vehicle which uses intensities of reflected waves from reflecting objects to make a recognition on whether a reflecting object is a vehicle or a non-vehicle, a plurality of transmission waves are emitted to receive a plurality of reflected waves from the reflecting objects, and a decision is made as to whether or not the reflecting object producing the plurality of reflected waves is a unitary reflecting object. If the decision shows a unitary reflecting object, the highest intensity of intensities of the reflected waves from the unitary reflecting object is compared with a reference intensity to makes a decision on whether the reflecting object is a vehicle or a non-vehicle. This enables univocally making a decision for each unitary reflecting object as to whether the reflecting object is more likely to be a vehicle or to be a non-vehicle, thus improving the recognition accuracy.

Abstract: A laser radar sensor includes a photoreceptor, a dummy circuit, an amplifier, a selector, and the first and the second detection circuits. A photoreception signal outputted from the photoreceptor and an output signal of the dummy circuit are amplified by the amplifier, and inputted to the second detection circuit. A noise component included in the photoreception signal based on the output signal of the dummy circuit when distance detection is not performed. The distance detection is performed based on the reception signal from which the noise component is removed. As a result, a reduction in detectable distance of the laser radar sensor is less likely to occur. Furthermore, the noise component is detected using the dummy circuit and the selector. Thus, the consideration of the predetermined rotation angle is not required in optical system design and limiting factors in the optical system design can be reduced.

Abstract: An object detecting apparatus for a vehicle has a light radiation unit and a light receiver unit disposed in a case for detecting an object or a distance to the object. When a vehicle is at a stop, the apparatus detects an output power of a laser light radiated from the light radiation unit by the light receiving unit and feedback-controls the output power of the laser light to a predetermined level based on the detected output power of the laser light. The feedback control is effected by an amplifier circuit, a pulse width detector circuit and a current regulator circuit. Thus, the output power of the laser light is reduced not to damage human eyes when the vehicle is at a stop.