Position measurement system

• US 20060215178A1
• Filed: 08/19/2005
• Published: 09/28/2006
• Est. Priority Date: 03/28/2005
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Fuji Xerox Company Limited (Fujifilm Holdings Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Fuji Xerox Company Limited (Fujifilm Holdings Corporation)
• Inventors: Yamaguchi, Yoshinori, Miyake, Hiroyuki, Seko, Yasuji
• Granted Patent: US 7,474,418 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 356/614
• CPC Class Codes: G01B 11/002 for measuring two or more coordinates

Abstract

A position measurement system includes a photographing unit and an arithmetic processing unit. The photographing unit has a lens and a light-receiving element. The lens forms an optical ring image from light from a light source through spherical aberration. The light-receiving element detects the optical ring image formed by the lens. The arithmetic processing unit measures a distance to the light source on the basis of the quantity of light of the optical ring image detected by the light-receiving element.

Claims

1. A position measurement system comprising:

a photographing unit having;

a lens forming an optical ring image from light from a light source through spherical aberration, and

a light-receiving element detecting the optical ring image formed by the lens; and

an arithmetic processing unit for measuring a distance to the light source on the basis of the quantity of light of the optical ring image detected by the light-receiving element.

2. The position measurement system according to claim 1, wherein the arithmetic processing unit measures the distance to the light source on the basis of a quantity of light in an unsaturated area of the optical ring image detected by the light-receiving element.

3. The position measurement system according to claim 1, wherein, when the distance to the light source falls within a predetermined range, the arithmetic processing unit measures the distance to the light source on the basis of a diameter of the optical ring image detected by the light-receiving element in place of the quantity of light of the optical ring image.

6. The position measurement system according to claim 1, wherein the lens is a hemispherical lens.

4. A position measurement system comprising:

a photographing unit having;

a lens forming an optical ring image from light from a light source through spherical aberration; and

a light-receiving element detecting the optical ring image formed by the lens; and

an arithmetic processing unit measuring a distance to the light source on the basis of detection information about the optical ring image detected by the light-receiving element, wherein the arithmetic processing unit measures the distance to the light source on the basis of a diameter of the optical ring image detected by the light-receiving element when the distance to the light source falls within a predetermined range, and

wherein the arithmetic processing unit measures the distance to the light source on the basis of a quantity of light of the optical ring image detected by the light-receiving element when the distance to the light source falls outside the predetermined range.

5. The position measurement system according to claim 4, wherein the arithmetic processing unit measures the distance to the light source on the basis of the diameter of the optical ring image detected by the light-receiving element when the distance to the light source falls within a predetermined range, and

wherein the arithmetic processing unit measures the distance to the light source on the basis of a quantity of light in an unsaturated area of the optical ring image detected by the light-receiving element when the distance to the light source falls outside the predetermined range.

7. The position measurement system according to claim 4, wherein the lens is a hemispherical lens.

8. A position measurement method comprising:

forming an optical ring image from light from the light source through spherical aberration;

detecting the formed optical ring image;

measuring a distance to the light source on the basis of a quantity of light of the detected optical ring image.

9. The position measurement method according to claim 8, wherein the quantity of light of the detected optical ring image corresponds to a quantity of light in an unsaturated area of the optical ring image.

10. The position measurement method according to claim 8, further comprising:

measuring the distance to the light source on the basis of a diameter of the detected optical ring image in place of the quantity of light of the optical ring image when the distance to the light source falls within a predetermined range.

13. The position measurement method according to claim 8, further comprising:

forming the optical ring image by spherical aberration of a hemispherical lens.

11. A position measurement method comprising:

forming an optical ring image from light from the light source through spherical aberration, and

detecting the formed optical ring image,

measuring a distance to the light source on the basis of detection information about the detected optical ring image,

measuring the distance to the light source on the basis of a diameter of the detected optical ring image when the distance to the light source falls within a predetermined range,

measuring the distance to the light source on the basis of a quantity of light in the detected optical ring image when the distance to the light source falls outside the predetermined range.

12. The position measurement method according to claim 11, wherein the quantity of light of the detected optical ring image corresponds to a quantity of light in an unsaturated area of the optical ring image.

14. The position measurement method according to claim 11, further comprising

forming the optical ring image by spherical aberration of a hemispherical lens.

15. A position measurement system comprising:

a photographing unit having;

a lens forming an optical ring image from light from a light source through spherical aberration; and

a light-receiving element detecting the optical ring image formed by the lens; and

an arithmetic processing unit measuring a distance to the light source on the basis of a quantity of light of the optical ring image detected by the light-receiving element,

wherein the distance to the light source is measured on the basis of a diameter of the optical ring image detected by the light-receiving element when the distance to the light source falls within a predetermined range, and

wherein a value of position measurement is corrected on the basis of the quantity of light of the optical ring image.