# US 12,601,591 B2 · Distance measuring device, distance measuring method, program, electronic apparatus, learning model generating method, manufacturing method, and depth map generating method > Agents: this data is available as JSON from the patentgrep API and MCP server — see https://patentgrep.com/llms.txt - Number: US 12,601,591 B2 - Document ID: US12601591B2 - Status: Granted - Kind: B2 - Application number: 17/760,897 - Filed: 2020-09-25 - Published: 2022-11-10 - Granted: 2026-04-14 - Earliest claimed: 2019-09-25 - Assignees: Sony Semiconductor Solutions Corporation - Applicants: Sony Semiconductor Solutions Corporation - Inventors: Takafumi Fujita; Hiroaki Ono; Hironaga Sano; Tomoharu Mukasa - Web page: https://patentgrep.com/patent/US12601591B2 ## CPC - G01C 3/02: Details - 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 - G01B 11/22: for measuring depth - G01C 3/08: Use of electric radiation detectors - G01S 7/497: Means for monitoring or calibrating - G01S 17/931: of land vehicles - G01S 17/933: of aircraft or spacecraft - G06T 7/50: Depth or shape recovery - G06T 2207/10028: Range image; Depth image; 3D point clouds - G06T 2207/20081: Training; Learning - G06T 2207/20084: Artificial neural networks [ANN] - H04N 25/77: Pixel circuitry, e.g. memories, A/D converters, pixel amplifiers, shared circuits or shared components - G01C: MEASURING DISTANCES, LEVELS OR BEARINGS; SURVEYING; NAVIGATION; GYROSCOPIC INSTRUMENTS; PHOTOGRAMMETRY OR VIDEOGRAMMETRY (measuring liquid level G01F; radio navigation, determining distance or velocity by use of propagation effects, e.g. Doppler effects, propagation time, of radio waves, analogous arrangements using other waves G01S) - 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 - G01B: MEASURING LENGTH, THICKNESS OR SIMILAR LINEAR DIMENSIONS; MEASURING ANGLES; MEASURING AREAS; MEASURING IRREGULARITIES OF SURFACES OR CONTOURS - G06T: IMAGE DATA PROCESSING OR GENERATION, IN GENERAL - H04N: PICTORIAL COMMUNICATION, e.g. TELEVISION ## Abstract The present technology relates to a distance measuring device, a distance measuring method, a program, an electronic apparatus, a learning model generating method, a manufacturing method, and a depth map generating method that are designed to enable distance measurement with higher precision. The distance measuring device includes: a first determination unit that determines whether or not the difference in depth value between a first pixel in a depth map and a second pixel adjacent to the first pixel is larger than a first threshold; and a second determination unit that determines whether or not the difference in confidence between the first pixel and the second pixel is larger than a second threshold, in a case where the first determination unit determines that the difference in distance between the first pixel and the second pixel is larger than the first threshold. In a case where the second determination unit determines that the difference in confidence between the first pixel and the second pixel is larger than the second threshold, the first pixel is confirmed to be a defective pixel. The present technology can be applied to a distance measuring device, for example. ## Claims ### Claim 1 A distance measuring device comprising: a light receiving unit configured to acquire depth information, a memory storing a program, and at least one processor configured to execute the program to perform operations comprising: performing a first determination based on depth values acquired by the light receiving unit that determines whether or not a difference in depth value between a first pixel in a depth map and a second pixel adjacent to the first pixel is larger than a first threshold; and performing a second determination that, when the first determination determines that a difference in distance between the first pixel and the second pixel is larger than the first threshold, determines whether or not a difference in confidence between the first pixel and the second pixel is larger than a second threshold, wherein, when the second determination determines that the difference in confidence between the first pixel and the second pixel is larger than the second threshold, the first pixel is confirmed to be a defective pixel. ### Claim 2 (depends on 1) The distance measuring device according to claim 1, wherein the second threshold is one of a fixed value or a variable value. ### Claim 3 (depends on 1) The distance measuring device according to claim 1, wherein the second threshold is set at a value obtained by multiplying an average value of the confidences of a plurality of the second pixels by a predetermined value. ### Claim 4 (depends on 1) The distance measuring device according to claim 1, wherein the second threshold is set at a value obtained by multiplying a standard deviation of the confidences of a plurality of the second pixels by a predetermined value. ### Claim 5 (depends on 1) The distance measuring device according to claim 1, wherein the second threshold is set at a value obtained by multiplying a difference between a greatest value and a smallest value of the confidences of a plurality of the second pixels by a predetermined value. ### Claim 6 (depends on 1) The distance measuring device according to claim 1, wherein the second threshold is set at a value obtained by multiplying the confidence of the first pixel by a predetermined value. ### Claim 7 A distance measuring method implemented by a distance measuring device that performs distance measurement, the distance measuring method comprising: receiving signals from a light receiving unit configured to acquire depth information; determining, based on depth values acquired by the light receiving unit, whether or not a difference in depth value between a first pixel in a depth map and a second pixel adjacent to the first pixel is larger than a first threshold; determining whether or not a difference in confidence between the first pixel and the second pixel is larger than a second threshold, when a difference in distance between the first pixel and the second pixel is determined to be larger than the first threshold; and confirming the first pixel to be a defective pixel, when the difference in confidence between the first pixel and the second pixel is determined to be larger than the second threshold. ### Claim 8 (depends on 7) The distance measuring method according to claim 7, wherein the second threshold is one of a fixed value or a variable value. ### Claim 9 (depends on 7) The distance measuring method according to claim 7, wherein the second threshold is set at a value obtained by multiplying an average value of the confidences of a plurality of the second pixels by a predetermined value. ### Claim 10 (depends on 7) The distance measuring method according to claim 7, wherein the second threshold is set at a value obtained by multiplying a standard deviation of the confidences of a plurality of the second pixels by a predetermined value. ### Claim 11 (depends on 7) The distance measuring method according to claim 7, wherein the second threshold is set at a value obtained by multiplying a difference between a greatest value and a smallest value of the confidences of a plurality of the second pixels by a predetermined value. ### Claim 12 (depends on 7) The distance measuring method according to claim 7, wherein the second threshold is set at a value obtained by multiplying the confidence of the first pixel by a predetermined value. ### Claim 13 A non-transitory computer readable medium storing a program, the program being executable by at least one processor to perform operations comprising: receiving signals from a light receiving unit configured to acquire depth information; determining, based on depth values acquired by the light receiving unit, whether or not a difference in depth value between a first pixel in a depth map and a second pixel adjacent to the first pixel is larger than a first threshold; determining whether or not a difference in confidence between the first pixel and the second pixel is larger than a second threshold, when a difference in distance between the first pixel and the second pixel is determined to be larger than the first threshold; and confirming the first pixel to be a defective pixel, when the difference in confidence between the first pixel and the second pixel is determined to be larger than the second threshold. ### Claim 14 (depends on 13) The non-transitory computer readable medium according to claim 13, wherein the second threshold is one of a fixed value or a variable value. ### Claim 15 (depends on 13) The non-transitory computer readable medium according to claim 13, wherein the second threshold is set at a value obtained by multiplying an average value of the confidences of a plurality of the second pixels by a predetermined value. ### Claim 16 (depends on 13) The non-transitory computer readable medium according to claim 13, wherein the second threshold is set at a value obtained by multiplying a standard deviation of the confidences of a plurality of the second pixels by a predetermined value. ### Claim 17 (depends on 13) The non-transitory computer readable medium according to claim 13, wherein the second threshold is set at a value obtained by multiplying a difference between a greatest value and a smallest value of the confidences of a plurality of the second pixels by a predetermined value. ### Claim 18 (depends on 13) The non-transitory computer readable medium according to claim 13, wherein the second threshold is set at a value obtained by multiplying the confidence of the first pixel by a predetermined value.