# US 2022/0276341 A1 · Measurement device, measurement method, and program > Agents: this data is available as JSON from the patentgrep API and MCP server — see https://patentgrep.com/llms.txt - Number: US 2022/0276341 A1 - Document ID: US20220276341A1 - Status: Published application - Kind: A1 - Application number: 17/597,406 - Filed: 2020-07-02 - Published: 2022-09-01 - Earliest claimed: 2019-07-16 - Assignees: Sony Semiconductor Solutions Corporation - Applicants: Sony Semiconductor Solutions Corporation - Inventors: KAZUKI AKUTAGAWA; YASUNORI TSUKUDA; HIROYUKI HIRANO; NOBORU SAKIMURA; TATSUO KUROIWA - Web page: https://patentgrep.com/patent/US20220276341A1 ## CPC - G01S 7/484: Transmitters - G01C 3/06: Use of electric means to obtain final indication - 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 7/487: Extracting wanted echo signals {, e.g. pulse detection} - G01S 17/10: using transmission of interrupted, pulse-modulated waves (determination of distance by phase measurements G01S17/32) - 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 - 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) ## Abstract The present disclosure relates to a measurement device, a measurement method, and a program that enable measurement of a distance with high accuracy in a shorter time. A signal for giving an instruction on emission timing to emit a pulse of laser light is generated repeatedly for each predetermined processing cycle, and a count code indicating timing at which a pulse of reflected light that is the laser light reflected by a distance measurement target and returned is received is continuously counted at the time of switching a processing cycle. Then, an instruction on an emission delay value indicating a time for delaying the emission timing from the start of the processing cycle is given to be different for each processing cycle. The present disclosure can be applied to a measurement device that measures a distance. ## Claims ### Claim 1 A measurement device comprising: an emission timing signal generation unit configured to generate a signal for giving an instruction on emission timing to emit a pulse of laser light repeatedly for each predetermined processing cycle; a counter configured to continuously count a count code at a time of switching the processing cycle, the count code indicating timing at which a pulse of reflected light that is the laser light reflected by a distance measurement target and returned is received; and a timing instruction unit configured to make an emission delay value different for the each processing cycle, the emission delay value indicating a time for delaying the emission timing from start of the processing cycle, and instruct the emission timing signal generation unit on the emission delay value. ### Claim 2 (depends on 1) The measurement device according to claim 1, further comprising: a calculation unit configured to subtract the emission delay value an instruction on which is given by the timing instruction unit from the count code indicating timing at which a pulse of reflected light is received to calculate a measurement value corresponding to a value obtained by measuring a flight time in which light reciprocates between the measurement device and the distance measurement target. ### Claim 3 (depends on 2) The measurement device according to claim 2, further comprising: a histogram generation unit configured to generate a histogram of the measurement value obtained by the calculation unit every time the processing cycle is repeatedly performed, and cause the processing cycle to be repeatedly performed until the measurement value indicating a peak is specified in the histogram is specified. ### Claim 4 (depends on 2) The measurement device according to claim 2, wherein, when a distance to the distance measurement target is set as a target for distance measurement, a distance measurement range time that is a width of a flight time in which light reciprocates between the measurement device and a distance measurement range representing a fixed distance width including the distance is caused to coincide with a time of the processing cycle, and the distance measurement range time is started from the emission timing delayed from start of the processing cycle. ### Claim 5 (depends on 4) The measurement device according to claim 4, wherein the emission timing signal generation unit outputs the laser light having a number of pulse emissions of two or more times within the processing cycle of one time, and the calculation unit subtracts, for the each count code at which the pulse of the reflected light is detected, each of the emission delay values that are timings at which a plurality of the distance measurement range times including the count code is started from the count code to obtain the measurement value. ### Claim 6 (depends on 1) The measurement device according to claim 1, wherein a configuration in which the count code counted by the counter is set as a lower bit and an upper bit is counted separately from counting by the counter is provided. ### Claim 7 (depends on 1) The measurement device according to claim 1, wherein the timing instruction unit changes the emission timing of the pulse by the laser light over the entire processing cycle. ### Claim 8 (depends on 1) The measurement device according to claim 1, wherein the counter changes a maximum value of the count code in the arbitrary processing cycle to change a length of the processing cycle. ### Claim 9 (depends on 4) The measurement device according to claim 4, wherein the distance measurement range time is shifted to the emission timing serving as a starting point of the distance measurement range time at which the fixed measurement value is obtained. ### Claim 10 (depends on 3) The measurement device according to claim 3, wherein the timing instruction unit changes the emission delay value so as to randomly change for the each processing cycle. ### Claim 11 (depends on 3) The measurement device according to claim 3, wherein the timing instruction unit changes the emission delay value so as to change in a predetermined pattern for the each processing cycle. ### Claim 12 (depends on 11) The measurement device according to claim 11, wherein, when a distance to the distance measurement target is set as a target for distance measurement, a width of a flight time in which light reciprocates between the measurement device and a distance measurement range representing a fixed distance width including the distance is set as a distance measurement range time, and the histogram generation unit predicts a histogram shape of a ghost measurement value caused by a pulse of reflected light detected outside the distance measurement range time, and extracts the histogram shape of a ghost measurement value, on a basis of a predetermined pattern in which the emission delay value changes. ### Claim 13 (depends on 12) The measurement device according to claim 12, wherein the histogram generation unit performs predetermined calculation processing for the histogram shape of a ghost measurement value. ### Claim 14 A measurement method comprising: by a measurement device, generating a signal for giving an instruction on emission timing to emit a pulse of laser light repeatedly for each predetermined processing cycle; continuously counting a count code at a time of switching the processing cycle, the count code indicating timing at which a pulse of reflected light that is the laser light reflected by a distance measurement target and returned is received; and making an emission delay value different for the each processing cycle, the emission delay value indicating a time for delaying the emission timing from start of the processing cycle, and giving an instruction on the emission delay value. ### Claim 15 A program for causing a computer of a measurement device to execute measurement processing comprising: generating a signal for giving an instruction on emission timing to emit a pulse of laser light repeatedly for each predetermined processing cycle; continuously counting a count code at a time of switching the processing cycle, the count code indicating timing at which a pulse of reflected light that is the laser light reflected by a distance measurement target and returned is received; and making an emission delay value different for the each processing cycle, the emission delay value indicating a time for delaying the emission timing from start of the processing cycle, and giving an instruction on the emission delay value.