# US 10,313,655 B2 · Image capture device and image capture method

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- Number: US 10,313,655 B2
- Document ID: US10313655B2
- Status: Granted
- Kind: B2
- Application number: 15/794,408
- Filed: 2017-10-26
- Published: 2018-05-10
- Granted: 2019-06-04
- Earliest claimed: 2016-11-09
- Assignees: Fanuc Corporation
- Applicants: Fanuc Corporation
- Inventors: Minoru Nakamura; Yuuki Takahashi; Atsushi Watanabe
- Web page: https://patentgrep.com/patent/US10313655B2

## CPC

- H04N 13/167: Synchronising or controlling image signals
- G01S 7/4816: {of receivers alone}
- G01S 17/00: Systems using the reflection or reradiation of electromagnetic waves other than radio waves, e.g. lidar systems
- G01S 17/36: with phase comparison between the received signal and the contemporaneously transmitted signal
- G01S 17/894: Three-dimensional [3D] imaging with simultaneous measurement of time-of-flight at a two-dimensional [2D] array of receiver pixels, e.g. time-of-flight cameras or flash lidar
- H04N 13/254: in combination with electromagnetic radiation sources for illuminating objects
- H04N 2213/005: Aspects relating to the "3D+depth" image format
- H04N: PICTORIAL COMMUNICATION, e.g. TELEVISION
- G01S: RADIO DIRECTION-FINDING; RADIO NAVIGATION; DETERMINING DISTANCE OR VELOCITY BY USE OF RADIO WAVES; LOCATING OR PRESENCE-DETECTING BY USE OF THE REFLECTION OR RERADIATION OF RADIO WAVES; ANALOGOUS ARRANGEMENTS USING OTHER WAVES

## Abstract

To provide an image capture device capable of doing multiple image captures by using multiple image capture units and capable of measuring a distance between each of the image capture units and a target more correctly. An image capture device according to the present invention is an image capture device with multiple image capture units. The image capture device comprises: one light emission unit for distance measurement that emits a reference beam; and the multiple image capture units that capture images of a reflected beam of the reference beam while having common timing of image capture.

## Claims

### Claim 1

An image capture device with multiple image capture units, the image capture device comprising:
one light emission unit for distance measurement that emits a reference beam; and
the multiple image capture units that capture images of a reflected beam of the reference beam while having common timing of image capture, wherein
the multiple image capture units include a first image capture unit as a master and a second image capture unit as a slave,
a control unit for the first image capture unit outputs a light emission timing signal to the light emission unit and outputs an image capture timing signal to a control unit for the second image capture unit,
the light emission unit emits a beam based on the light emission timing signal input from the control unit for the first image capture unit,
the second image capture unit captures an image based on the image capture timing signal input from the control unit for the first image capture unit, and
an output unit or an input unit that outputs or inputs the light emission timing signal and/or the image capture timing signal, and comprises a phase shifter which controls deviation in timing between the light emission timing signal and the image capture timing signal due to differences or changes in characteristics of components.

### Claim 2

An image capture device with multiple image capture units, the image capture device comprising:
one light emission unit for distance measurement that emits a reference beam;
the multiple image capture units that capture images of a reflected beam of the reference beam while having common timing of image capture; and
a sensor control unit that outputs a light emission timing signal and an image capture timing signal, wherein
the light emission unit emits the reference beam based on the light emission timing signal input from the sensor control unit,
each of the multiple image capture units captures an image based on the image capture timing signal input from the sensor control unit, and
an output unit or an input unit that outputs or inputs the light emission timing signal and/or the image capture timing signal, and comprises a phase shifter which controls deviation in timing between the light emission timing signal and the image capture timing signal due to differences or changes in characteristics of components.

### Claim 3

An image capture method implemented by an image capture device with multiple image capture units including one light emission unit for distance measurement that emits a reference beam and the multiple image capture units that capture images of a reflected beam of the reference beam while having common timing of image capture, the multiple image capture units including a first image capture unit as a master and a second image capture unit as a slave, the method comprising:
a control unit for the first image capture unit outputting a light emission timing signal to the light emission unit and outputs an image capture timing signal to a control unit for the second image capture unit,
the light emission unit emitting a beam based on the light emission timing signal input from the control unit for the first image capture unit,
the second image capture unit capturing an image based on the image capture timing signal input from the control unit for the first image capture unit, and
an output unit or an input unit that outputs or inputs the light emission timing signal and/or the image capture timing signal, and including a phase shifter for controlling deviation in timing between the light emission timing signal and the image capture timing signal due to differences or changes in characteristics of components.