OPTICAL QUANTIZED DISTANCE MEASURING APPARATUS AND METHOD THEREOF

• US 20100277711A1
• Filed: 05/04/2009
• Published: 11/04/2010
• Est. Priority Date: 05/04/2009
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: Capella Microsystems, Corp.
• Original Assignee: Capella Microsystems, Corp.
• Inventors: Shih, Cheng-Chung, Lin, Yuh-Min
• Application Number:
  US12/435,081
• Publication Number:
  US 20100277711A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 356/4.01
• CPC Class Codes: G01C 3/085 with electronic parallax measurement

Abstract

The present invention discloses an optical quantized distance measuring apparatus and a method thereof. The optical distance quantized measuring apparatus comprises an illuminating module, a sensing component array and a processing module. The illuminating module projects a light source onto an object to generate a reflecting light. The sensing component array receives the reflecting light, which generates a light source location on the sensing component array. The processing module determines the light source location, and determines an interval between the object and the sensing component array according to the light source location. The processing module determines the light source location with the binary search algorithm.

Claims

1. An optical quantized distance measuring apparatus, comprising:

an illuminating module capable of emitting a light onto an object for obtaining a reflecting light;

a sensing component array capable of receiving the reflecting light, and the reflecting light being projected on a light source location on the sensing component array; and

a processing module capable of determining the light source location and determining the distance between the object and the sensing component array.

2. The optical quantized distance measuring apparatus of claim 1, wherein the processing module uses binary search algorithm to determine the light source location.

3. The optical quantized distance measuring apparatus of claim 1, further comprising a monitor PD module capable of determining whether the distance is infinitely great.

4. The optical quantized distance measuring apparatus of claim 3, wherein the sensing component array is defined a central axis, and the monitor PD module determines whether the light source location is located on the central axis.

5. The optical quantized distance measuring apparatus of claim 1, wherein the sensing component array is a photodiode array.

6. The optical quantized distance measuring apparatus of claim 2, further comprising a comparator and a digital control circuit for performing the binary search algorithm.

7. An optical quantized distance measuring method, applicable to an optical quantized distance measuring apparatus having an illuminating module, a sensing component array and a processing module, wherein the sensing component array is defined a central axis, and the optical quantized distance measuring method comprises the steps of:

using the illuminating module to emit a light on an object for obtaining a reflecting light, and the reflecting light being projected on a light source location on the sensing component array;

using the processing module to determine the distance between the sensing component array and the object according to a binary search algorithm and the central axis.

8. The optical quantized distance measuring method of claim 7, wherein the binary search algorithm is operated with a comparator and a digital control circuit.

9. A method of determining the light source location generated by the reflecting light applicable to the method of claim 7, comprising the steps of:

providing a first clock cycle and a second clock cycle;

driving the illuminating module at the second clock cycle, and allowing the reflecting light projecting onto the sensing component array;

stopping driving the illuminating module at the first clock cycle;

measuring a monitor PD module at the first clock cycle to generate a first voltage signal;

measuring the monitor PD module at the second clock cycle to generate a second voltage signal; and

comparing the first voltage signal and the second voltage signal to obtain a voltage value generated by the reflecting light.

10. The method of determining the light source location generated by the reflecting light of claim 9, wherein the first voltage signal is generated by an ambient light and noise interference.

11. The method of determining the light source location generated by the reflecting light of claim 9, wherein the second voltage signal is generated by the ambient light noise interference, and the reflecting light.