# US 10,371,817 B2 · Object detecting apparatus > Agents: this data is available as JSON from the patentgrep API and MCP server — see https://patentgrep.com/llms.txt - Number: US 10,371,817 B2 - Document ID: US10371817B2 - Status: Granted - Kind: B2 - Application number: 16/001,710 - Filed: 2018-06-06 - Published: 2018-10-04 - Granted: 2019-08-06 - Earliest claimed: 2013-11-05 - Assignees: Ricoh Company, Ltd. - Applicants: Ricoh Company, Ltd. - Inventors: Kohji Sakai; Tadashi Nakamura - Web page: https://patentgrep.com/patent/US10371817B2 ## CPC - G01S 17/42: Simultaneous measurement of distance and other co-ordinates (indirect measurement G01S17/46) - G01S 7/4815: {using multiple transmitters} - G01S 7/4816: {of receivers alone} - G01S 7/4817: {relating to scanning} - G01S 7/484: Transmitters - G01S 17/04: Systems determining the presence of a target - G01S 17/58: Velocity or trajectory determination systems; Sense-of-movement determination systems - G01S 17/931: of land vehicles - G06V 10/145: Illumination specially adapted for pattern recognition, e.g. using gratings - G06V 20/58: Recognition of moving objects or obstacles, e.g. vehicles or pedestrians; Recognition of traffic objects, e.g. traffic signs, traffic lights or roads - G08G 1/165: {for passive traffic, e.g. including static obstacles, trees} - G08G 1/166: {for active traffic, e.g. moving vehicles, pedestrians, bikes} - 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 - G06V: IMAGE OR VIDEO RECOGNITION OR UNDERSTANDING - G08G: TRAFFIC CONTROL SYSTEMS (guiding railway traffic, ensuring the safety of railway traffic B61L; arrangement of road signs or traffic signals E01F9/00; radar or analogous systems, sonar systems, lidar systems specially adapted for traffic control G01S13/91, G01S15/88, G01S17/88; {radar or analogous systems, sonar systems, lidar systems specially adapted for anti-collision purposes G01S13/93, G01S15/93, G01S17/93}) ## Abstract An object detecting apparatus includes: a light projection unit that is an array light source in which each of a plurality of light emission areas emits light, an optical scanning unit that performs scanning with the light, which is emitted from the light projection unit, in a first direction, and a light receiving unit that receives reflected light which is the light, with which the scanning is performed, being reflected by an object, and an object information acquiring unit that detects presence/absence of the object based on emission timing at which the light is emitted from the light projection unit and light receiving timing at which the light receiving unit receives the reflected light. ## Claims ### Claim 1 An object detecting apparatus comprising: a light projector that includes an array light source in which each of a plurality of light emission areas emits light; and a coupling lens that couples light emitted from the light emission areas; an optical scanner that performs scanning with the light, which is emitted from the light projector, in a first direction; a light receiver that includes a photodetector and an imaging forming lens and receives reflected light, with which scanning is performed, being reflected by an object, the coupling lens being arranged at a position which is away from the array light source by a distance corresponding to a focal length of the coupling lens when seen from the array light source, the photodetector being arranged at a position farther than a focal length of the imaging forming lens when seen from the imaging forming lens; and a processor to detect a presence/absence of the object based on emission timing at which the light is emitted from the light projector and light receiving timing at which the light receiver receives the reflected light. ### Claim 2 (depends on 1) The object detecting apparatus according to claim 1, wherein a formed position of a conjugate image of the photodetector by the imaging forming lens is set as the shortest detection distance. ### Claim 3 (depends on 1) The object detecting apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the light emission areas are arrayed in a direction different from the first direction, and the processor determines a light emission area to be lighted among the plurality of light emission areas according to a detection region by the light used for the scanning. ### Claim 4 (depends on 1) The object detecting apparatus according to claim 1, wherein each of the light emission areas is an aggregation of a plurality of light emission units. ### Claim 5 (depends on 1) The object detecting apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the optical scanner is a polygon mirror including a plurality of reflection surfaces, and light emitted from the different light emission areas are respectively projected on the reflection surfaces. ### Claim 6 (depends on 1) The object detecting apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the optical scanner is a polygon mirror including a plurality of reflection surfaces, and light emitted from the different light emission areas are projected on one of the reflection surfaces while the one reflection surface performs scanning. ### Claim 7 (depends on 6) The object detecting apparatus according to claim 6, wherein a range scanned by the one reflection surface is divided into a plurality of regions, and the light emission areas to project the light are switched in one of the plurality of regions. ### Claim 8 (depends on 1) The object detecting apparatus according to claim 1, wherein when detecting the object, the processor calculates a distance to the object based on emission timing at which the light is emitted from the light projector and light receiving timing at which the light receiver receives the reflected light. ### Claim 9 (depends on 8) The object detecting apparatus according to claim 8, wherein the processor acquires a shape of the object based on a distance to the object in each emitting direction of the light emitted from the optical scanner. ### Claim 10 An object detecting apparatus comprising: a light projector that includes an array light source in which each of a plurality of light emission areas emits light; and a coupling lens that couples light emitted from the light emission areas; an optical scanner that performs scanning with the light, which is emitted from the light projector, in a first direction; a light receiver that includes a photodetector and an imaging forming lens and receives reflected light, with which scanning is performed, being reflected by an object, the coupling lens being arranged at a position farther than a focal length of the coupling lens when seen from the array light source, the photodetector being arranged at a position which is away from the imaging forming lens by a distance corresponding to the focal length of the imaging forming lens when seen from the imaging forming lens; and a processor to detect a presence/absence of the object based on emission timing at which the light is emitted from the light projector and light receiving timing at which the light receiver receives the reflected light. ### Claim 11 (depends on 10) The object detecting apparatus according to claim 10, wherein the light emission areas are arrayed in a direction different from the first direction, and the processor determines a light emission area to be lighted among the plurality of light emission areas according to a detection region by the light used for the scanning. ### Claim 12 (depends on 10) The object detecting apparatus according to claim 10, wherein each of the light emission areas is an aggregation of a plurality of light emission units. ### Claim 13 (depends on 10) The object detecting apparatus according to claim 10, wherein the optical scanner is a polygon mirror including a plurality of reflection surfaces, and light emitted from the different light emission areas are respectively projected on the reflection surfaces. ### Claim 14 (depends on 10) The object detecting apparatus according to claim 10, wherein the optical scanner is a polygon mirror including a plurality of reflection surfaces, and light emitted from the different light emission areas are projected on one of the reflection surfaces while the one reflection surface performs scanning. ### Claim 15 (depends on 14) The object detecting apparatus according to claim 14, wherein a range scanned by the one reflection surface is divided into a plurality of regions, and the light emission areas to project the light are switched in one of the plurality of regions. ### Claim 16 (depends on 10) The object detecting apparatus according to claim 10, wherein when detecting the object, the processor calculates a distance to the object based on emission timing at which the light is emitted from the light projector and light receiving timing at which the light receiver receives the reflected light. ### Claim 17 (depends on 16) The object detecting apparatus according to claim 16, wherein the processor acquires a shape of the object based on a distance to the object in each emitting direction of the light emitted from the optical scanner.