# US 12,181,577 B2 · Sensor device and detection method > Agents: this data is available as JSON from the patentgrep API and MCP server — see https://patentgrep.com/llms.txt - Number: US 12,181,577 B2 - Document ID: US12181577B2 - Status: Granted - Kind: B2 - Application number: 17/279,078 - Filed: 2019-09-25 - Published: 2021-12-16 - Granted: 2024-12-31 - Earliest claimed: 2018-10-30 - Assignees: OMRON Corporation - Applicants: OMRON Corporation - Inventors: Shoichi Ohnaka; Kiyoshi Imai; Yusuke Iida; Ryosuke Tsuzuki - Web page: https://patentgrep.com/patent/US12181577B2 ## CPC - G01S 7/4865: Time delay measurement, e.g. time-of-flight measurement, time of arrival measurement or determining the exact position of a peak (peak detection in noise, signal conditioning G01S7/487) - G01S 17/10: using transmission of interrupted, pulse-modulated waves (determination of distance by phase measurements G01S17/32) - G01S 7/484: Transmitters - G01S 7/487: Extracting wanted echo signals {, e.g. pulse detection} - G01S 7/4873: {by deriving and controlling a threshold value} - G01S 7/497: Means for monitoring or calibrating - G01V 8/12: using one transmitter and one receiver - 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 - G01V: GEOPHYSICS; GRAVITATIONAL MEASUREMENTS; DETECTING MASSES OR OBJECTS; TAGS (means for indicating the location of accidentally buried, e.g. snow-buried, persons A63B29/02) ## Abstract Provided are a sensor device and a detection method. The sensor device includes: a light emitting unit transmitting a transmission signal toward a target; a light receiving unit receiving a reflected signal of the transmission signal and generating a binarized signal; a TDC delay line measurement unit and a waveform integration unit generating waveform data indicating temporal changes in the binarized signal and integrating the waveform data to generate integrated waveform data; a stage number calculation unit and a distance conversion unit calculating a near-side distance value and a far-side distance value from intersections of the integrated waveform data and a high threshold value and a low threshold value, respectively; and a determination unit determining whether the target is present on the basis of a distance value calculated from the near-side distance value and the far-side distance value and on the basis of a predetermined distance threshold value. ## Claims ### Claim 1 A sensor device comprising: a light emitting unit that transmits a transmission signal toward a target object; a light receiving unit that receives a reflected signal of the transmission signal and generates a binarized signal; a field-programmable gate array that generates waveform data indicating a change in the binarized signal over time, integrates a plurality of pieces of the waveform data to generate integrated waveform data and calculates a first distance value and a second distance value from respective intersections of a first integration threshold value and a second integration threshold value with the integrated waveform data; and a controller that determines presence or absence of the target object on a basis of a predetermined distance threshold value and a distance value calculated from the first distance value and the second distance value, wherein the first integration threshold value and the second integration threshold value are set with respect to a number of times of integration of an integration signal. ### Claim 2 (depends on 1) The sensor device according to claim 1, wherein the controller determines presence or absence of the target object on a basis of the distance value, the predetermined distance threshold value and a hysteresis value based on an absolute value of a difference between the first distance value and the second distance value, when a previous determination result indicates presence of the target object. ### Claim 3 (depends on 1) The sensor device according to claim 1, wherein the field-programmable gate array calculates the first distance value and the second distance value by performing sub-pixel processing using data obtained immediately in front of and immediately behind the respective intersections of the first integration threshold value and the second integration threshold value with the integrated waveform data. ### Claim 4 (depends on 1) The sensor device according to claim 1, wherein the field-programmable gate array is configured to: perform sampling of the binarized signal at a predetermined cycle to generate first waveform data and integrate the first waveform data for a plurality of times of transmission of the transmission signal to generate first integrated waveform data; and determine a reference timing based on a position of a characteristic point appearing on the first integrated waveform data due to the presence of the target object and generate a stop signal on a basis of the reference timing, and the field-programmable gate array includes at least one delay circuit unit, the at least one delay circuit unit comprising a plurality of delay elements connected to each other in series, wherein second waveform data is generated by causing each of the delay elements to incorporate the binarized signal in response to the stop signal, and second integrated waveform data is generated by integrating the second waveform data a plurality of times at the predetermined cycle, and wherein the distance calculation unit calculates the first distance value and the second distance value from the respective intersections of the first integration threshold value and the second integration threshold value with the second integrated waveform data. ### Claim 5 (depends on 4) The sensor device according to claim 4, wherein the the at least one delay circuit unit comprises a plurality of the delay circuit units connected to each other in parallel and integrates the second integrated waveform data generated by each of the delay circuit units. ### Claim 6 (depends on 4) The sensor device according to claim 4, wherein the field-programmable gate array has a nanosecond-order resolution, and the at least one delay circuit unit has a picosecond-order resolution. ### Claim 7 A detection method for detecting a target object, comprising: a signal transmission step of transmitting a transmission signal toward the target object; a signal reception step of receiving a reflected signal of the transmission signal and generating a binarized signal; an integration step of generating waveform data indicating a change in the binarized signal over time and integrating a plurality of pieces of the waveform data to generate integrated waveform data; a distance calculation step of calculating a first distance value and a second distance value from respective intersections of a first integration threshold value and a second integration threshold value with the integrated waveform data; and a determination step of determining presence or absence of the target object on a basis of a predetermined distance threshold value and a distance value calculated from the first distance value and the second distance value, wherein the first integration threshold value and the second integration threshold value are set with respect to a number of times of integration of an integration signal. ### Claim 8 (depends on 7) The detection method according to claim 7, wherein the determination step comprises determining presence or absence of the target object, on a basis of the distance value, the predetermined distance threshold value and a hysteresis value based on an absolute value of a difference between the first distance value and the second distance value, when a previous determination result indicates presence of the target object. ### Claim 9 (depends on 7) The detection method according to claim 7, wherein the distance calculation step comprises calculating the first distance value and the second distance value by performing sub-pixel processing using data obtained immediately in front of and immediately behind the respective intersections of the first integration threshold value and the second integration threshold value with the integrated waveform data. ### Claim 10 (depends on 7) The detection method according to claim 7, wherein the integration step comprises: a first integration step of sampling the binarized signal at a predetermined cycle to generate first waveform data and integrating the first waveform data for a plurality of times of transmission of the transmission signal to generate first integrated waveform data, a timing determination step of determining a reference timing based on a position of a characteristic point appearing on the first integrated waveform data due to the presence of the target object and generating a stop signal on a basis of the reference timing, and a second integration step of generating, in a delay circuit unit comprising a plurality of delay elements connected to each other in series, second waveform data by causing each of the delay elements to incorporate the binarized signal in response to the stop signal and generating second integrated waveform data by integrating the second waveform data a plurality of times at the predetermined cycle, and wherein the distance calculation step comprises calculating the first distance value and the second distance value from the respective intersections of the first integration threshold value and the second integration threshold value with the second integrated waveform data. ### Claim 11 (depends on 10) The detection method according to claim 10, wherein the second integration step comprises integrating, in a plurality of the delay circuit units connected to each other in parallel, the second integrated waveform data generated by each of the delay circuit units. ### Claim 12 (depends on 10) The detection method according to claim 10, wherein the first integration step is executed with a nanosecond-order resolution, and the delay circuit unit has a picosecond-order resolution.