Laser Radar Driving Apparatus

• US 20080252873A1
• Filed: 09/10/2007
• Published: 10/16/2008
• Est. Priority Date: 04/10/2007
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Sanyo Electric Company Limited (Panasonic Holdings Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Sanyo Electric Company Limited (Panasonic Holdings Corporation)
• Inventors: Onojima, Noboru
• Granted Patent: US 7,663,736 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 356/3
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 17/42 Simultaneous measurement of distance and other co-ordinates indirect measurement G01S17/46
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 7/4814 of transmitters alone
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 7/4817 relating to scanning
• CPC Class Codes: G02B 26/101 with both horizontal and vertical deflecting means, e.g. raster or XY scanners colour television using laser beams scanning a display screen H04N9/3129
• CPC Class Codes: G02B 7/1821 for rotating or oscillating mirrors

Abstract

A laser radar driving apparatus applying a laser beam to a target object and detecting the laser beam reflected and returned from the target object to measure a distance to the target object, at least comprising: an optical member that the laser beam is applied to; a main body member that the optical member is mounted to; and a coil capable of manipulating the main body member, a drive assembly being configured with mounting the optical member and the coil to the main body member.

Claims

1. A laser radar driving apparatus applying a laser beam to a target object and detecting the laser beam reflected and returned from the target object to measure a distance to the target object, at least comprising:

an optical member that the laser beam is applied to;

a main body member that the optical member is mounted to; and

a coil capable of manipulating the main body member,

a drive assembly being configured with mounting the optical member and the coil to the main body member.

2. The laser radar driving apparatus of claim 1, wherein

the main body member includes a turning shaft capable of turning the drive assembly, and wherein

a gravity center portion of the drive assembly substantially coincides with a center portion on a center axis of the turning shaft.

3. The laser radar driving apparatus of claim 1, further comprising:

a magnetic member corresponding to the coil; and

a frame yoke that the magnetic member is fixed to, wherein

when the frame yoke is provided with the drive assembly, the coil is substantially positioned in an effective magnetic field of the magnetic member.

4. The laser radar driving apparatus of claim 3, wherein

the frame yoke includes a housing unit that the drive assembly is mounted to, and wherein

the drive assembly is rotatably provided for the housing unit.

5. The laser radar driving apparatus of claim 1, further comprising

a substantially flat-plate magnetic member corresponding to the coil, wherein

the coil is configured as a substantially annular flat-plate coil, and wherein

the substantially flat-plate magnetic member is positioned on a side of one surface portion of the substantially annular flat-plate coil.

6. The laser radar driving apparatus of claim 1, further comprising

a magnetic member corresponding to the coil, wherein

the magnetic member is disposed for the coil, wherein

the magnetic member is formed in a substantially flat-plate shape, including a positive pole portion and a negative pole portion which is opposite in polarity to the positive pole portion, wherein

the coil is formed in a substantially annular flat-plate shape, including a first side portion corresponding to the positive pole portion and a second side portion, which is opposite to the first side portion, corresponding to the negative pole portion, wherein

the positive pole portion is faced with the first side portion, and wherein

the negative pole portion is faced with the second side portion.

7. The laser radar driving apparatus of claim 1, wherein

the drive assembly is configured substantially laterally symmetrically when viewed from the front.

8. A laser radar driving apparatus applying a laser beam to a target object and detecting the laser beam reflected and returned from the target object to measure a distance to the target object, at least comprising:

an optical member that the laser beam is applied to;

a first-direction drive main body member that the optical member is mounted to;

a first-direction drive coil capable of manipulating the first-direction drive main body member substantially in a first direction;

a second-direction drive main body member that the first-direction drive main body member is rotatably assembled to; and

a second-direction drive coil capable of manipulating the second-direction drive main body member substantially in a second direction,

a first-direction drive assembly being configured with mounting the optical member and the first-direction drive coil to the first-direction drive main body member,

a second-direction drive assembly being configured with mounting the second-direction drive coil to the second-direction drive main body member,

the first-direction drive assembly being rotatably assembled to the second-direction drive assembly.

9. The laser radar driving apparatus of claim 8, wherein

the second-direction drive main body member includes a housing unit corresponding to the first-direction drive assembly, and wherein

the first-direction drive assembly is rotatably mounted to the housing unit.

10. The laser radar driving apparatus of claim 8, further comprising

a frame yoke capable of holding the second-direction drive assembly, wherein

the second-direction drive assembly is rotatably assembled to the frame yoke.

11. The laser radar driving apparatus of claim 10, wherein

the frame yoke includes a housing unit corresponding to the second-direction drive assembly, and wherein

the second-direction drive assembly is rotatably mounted to the housing unit.

12. The laser radar driving apparatus of claim 8, further comprising:

a first-direction drive magnetic member corresponding to the first-direction drive coil;

a second-direction drive magnetic member corresponding to the second-direction drive coil; and

a frame yoke that the first-direction drive magnetic member and the second-direction drive magnetic member are fixed to, wherein

when the second-direction drive assembly including the first-direction drive assembly is rotatably assembled to the frame yoke,

the first-direction drive coil is substantially positioned in an effective magnetic field of the first-direction drive magnetic member, and

the second-direction drive coil is substantially positioned in an effective magnetic field of the second-direction drive magnetic member.

13. The laser radar driving apparatus of claim 12, wherein

the frame yoke includes a housing unit that the first-direction drive magnetic member and the second-direction drive magnetic member are mounted to, the housing unit corresponding to the second-direction drive assembly, and wherein

the second-direction drive assembly is rotatably mounted to the housing unit.

14. The laser radar driving apparatus of claim 8, further comprising:

a substantially flat-plate first-direction drive magnetic member corresponding to the first-direction drive coil; and

a substantially flat-plate second-direction drive magnetic member corresponding to the second-direction drive coil, wherein

the first-direction drive coil is configured as a substantially annular flat-plate coil, wherein

the second-direction drive coil is configured as a substantially annular cylindrical coil, wherein

the first-direction drive magnetic member is mounted to be faced with one surface portion of the first-direction drive coil, and wherein

the second-direction drive magnetic member is mounted to be faced with a side surface portion of the second-direction drive coil.

15. The laser radar driving apparatus of claim 8, further comprising

a first-direction drive magnetic member corresponding to the first-direction drive coil, wherein

a plurality of the first-direction drive magnetic members are disposed for the one first-direction drive coil, wherein

each of the first-direction drive magnetic members is formed in a substantially flat-plate shape, including a substantially flat positive pole portion, and a substantially flat negative pole portion which is opposite in polarity to the substantially flat positive pole portion, wherein

the first-direction drive coil is formed in a substantially annular flat-plate shape, including a substantially flat first side portion corresponding to a substantially flat positive pole portion of a first first-direction drive magnetic member, and a substantially flat second side portion which is opposite to the substantially flat first side portion, corresponding to a substantially flat negative pole portion of a second first-direction drive magnetic member, wherein

the substantially flat positive pole portion of the first first-direction drive magnetic member is faced with the substantially flat first side portion of the first-direction drive coil, and wherein

the substantially flat negative pole portion of the second first-direction drive magnetic member is faced with the substantially flat second side portion of the first-direction drive coil,

the laser radar driving apparatus further comprising a second-direction drive magnetic member corresponding to the second-direction drive coil, wherein

a plurality of the second-direction drive magnetic members are disposed for the one second-direction drive coil, wherein

each of the second-direction drive magnetic members is formed in a substantially flat-plate shape, including a substantially flat positive pole portion, and a substantially flat negative pole portion which is opposite in polarity to the substantially flat positive pole portion, wherein

the second-direction drive coil is formed in a substantially annular cylindrical shape, including

a substantially flat-plate first side portion corresponding to a substantially flat positive pole portion of a first second-direction drive magnetic member and corresponding to a substantially flat negative pole portion of a second second-direction drive magnetic member, and

a substantially flat-plate second side portion which is opposite to the substantially flat-plate first side portion, corresponding to a substantially flat positive pole portion of a third second-direction drive magnetic member and corresponding to a substantially flat negative pole portion of a fourth second-direction drive magnetic member, wherein

the substantially flat positive pole portion of the first second-direction drive magnetic member is faced with the substantially flat-plate first side portion of the second-direction drive coil, wherein

the substantially flat negative pole portion of the second second-direction drive magnetic member is faced with the substantially flat-plate first side portion of the second-direction drive coil, wherein

the substantially flat positive pole portion of the third second-direction drive magnetic member is faced with the substantially flat-plate second side portion of the second-direction drive coil, and wherein

the substantially flat negative pole portion of the fourth second-direction drive magnetic member is faced with the substantially flat-plate second side portion of the second-direction drive coil.

16. The laser radar driving apparatus of claim 8, wherein

the first-direction drive main body member includes a first-direction drive turning shaft capable of turning the first-direction drive assembly, and wherein

the second-direction drive main body member includes a first shaft supporting portion corresponding to the first-direction drive turning shaft.

17. The laser radar driving apparatus of claim 8, wherein

the first-direction drive main body member includes a first-direction drive turning shaft capable of turning the first-direction drive assembly, and wherein

a gravity center portion of the first-direction drive assembly substantially coincides with a center portion on a center axis of the first-direction drive turning shaft.

18. The laser radar driving apparatus of claim 8, further comprising

a frame yoke capable of holding the second-direction drive assembly, wherein

the second-direction drive main body member includes a second-direction drive turning shaft capable of turning the second-direction drive assembly, and wherein

the frame yoke includes a second shaft supporting portion corresponding to the second-direction drive turning shaft.

19. The laser radar driving apparatus of claim 8, wherein

the second-direction drive main body member includes a second-direction drive turning shaft capable of turning the second-direction drive assembly, wherein

a two-direction drive assembly is configured with assembling the first-direction drive assembly rotatably to the second-direction drive assembly, and wherein

a gravity center portion of the two-direction drive assembly substantially coincides with a center portion on a center axis of the second-direction drive turning shaft.

20. The laser radar driving apparatus of claim 8, wherein

when the first direction is defined as the lateral turn direction and the second direction is defined as the longitudinal turn direction, the first-direction drive assembly is made lighter in weight than the second-direction drive assembly.

21. The laser radar driving apparatus of claim 8, wherein

when the first direction is defined as the lateral turn direction and the second direction is defined as the longitudinal turn direction, the first-direction drive assembly is made smaller in size than the second-direction drive assembly

22. The laser radar driving apparatus of claim 8, wherein

if the first direction is defined as the lateral turn direction, the first-direction drive assembly is configured substantially laterally symmetrically when viewed from the front.

23. The laser radar driving apparatus of claim 8, wherein

if the second direction is defined as the longitudinal turn direction, the first-direction drive assembly is configured substantially longitudinally symmetrically when viewed from the front.

24. The laser radar driving apparatus of claim 8, wherein

if the second direction is defined as the longitudinal turn direction, the second-direction drive assembly is configured substantially longitudinally symmetrically when viewed from the front.

25. The laser radar driving apparatus of claim 8, wherein

if the first direction is defined as the lateral turn direction and the second direction is defined as the longitudinal turn direction,

a two-direction drive assembly is configured with assembling the first-direction drive assembly rotatably to the second-direction drive assembly, and

the two-direction drive assembly is configured substantially laterally symmetrically and is configured substantially longitudinally symmetrically, when viewed from the front.