Distance measurement image pickup apparatus

A distance measurement image pickup apparatus for measuring a distance to a target using a time of flight of light, the distance measurement image pickup apparatus comprising:

• a light emitting unit that irradiates the target with pulsed light emitted by a light source;
• a light receiving unit that exposes pulsed light reflected by the target using an image sensor and converts the pulsed light into an electric signal;
• a distance computation unit that computes a distance to the target from an output signal of the light receiving unit;
• and
• a controller that controls a light emission timing at which the pulsed light is irradiated from the light emitting unit and an exposure timing at which the pulsed light is exposed by the light receiving unit,
• wherein one frame corresponding to a unit of a measurement operation includes a first distance measurement period having a pulsed light width TH and a second distance measurement period having a pulsed light width TL(where TH<TL),
• the first distance measurement period is divided into a plurality of exposure periods in which exposure timings are shifted with respect to the irradiated pulsed light,
• an exposure gate is opened n times (n is plural) at a predetermined interval between one pulsed light and subsequent pulsed light to perform repetitive exposure in each of the divided exposure periods,
• a first non-exposure period in which exposure is not performed from when a last exposure gate is closed until subsequent pulsed light is irradiated is provided,
• the second distance measurement period is divided into a plurality of exposure periods in which exposure timings are shifted with respect to the irradiated pulsed light,
• an exposure gate is opened once to perform exposure between one pulsed light and subsequent pulsed light in each of the divided exposure periods, and
• a second non-exposure period in which exposure is not performed from when the exposure gate is closed until subsequent pulsed light is irradiated is provided.