Range detecting method and apparatus
First Claim
1. A method of detecting a range of an object comprising the steps of:
- (A) deriving first and second images of the object along different sightlines;
(B) electrically sensing the first and second images to produce electrical analog data for each image element of the first and second images;
(C) storing the analog data of the first image on a first set of a plurality of N successive elements;
(D) successively correlating the analog data of said second image on each of a plurality of different sets of N successive elements with the analog data of said first image on the N successive elements, said correlating step including successively storing, on one set by set basis, the analog data on each of said plurality of sets of the N successive elements of the second image;
(E) successively storing the location, of each of the plurality of sets of the N successive elements of the second image whose analog data is correlated with the analog data on the N successive elements of the first image;
(F) detecting, through said correlation step, a set of the N successive elements of the second image which can be regarded as being in substantial coincidence with the N successive elements of the first image; and
(G) determining the range of the object on the basis of the location of the stored data with respect to the location of the second image, of the set of the N successive elements of the second image which has been regarded as being in substantial coincidence with the N successive elements of the first image.
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Abstract
A range detecting method and apparatus in which a first and a second image of an object each having a relative positional parallax corresponding to the object distance formed by a range finding optical system are purely electrically scanned by the use of one or more photosensor arrays and the resulting image scan signals in analog form relating to the first and second images are applied to first and second analog storing devices for storage therein, in which coincidence or non-coincidence between the analog image scan signals is detected by coincidence detecting drive while one of these image scan signals is shifted bit by bit relative to the other image scan signal, thereby counting an amount of shift bits required until the image scan signals of the same bit number relating to the first and second images are rendered most appropriately coincident with each other, whereby the object distance may be known from such amount of shift bits.
33 Citations
23 Claims
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1. A method of detecting a range of an object comprising the steps of:
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(A) deriving first and second images of the object along different sightlines; (B) electrically sensing the first and second images to produce electrical analog data for each image element of the first and second images; (C) storing the analog data of the first image on a first set of a plurality of N successive elements; (D) successively correlating the analog data of said second image on each of a plurality of different sets of N successive elements with the analog data of said first image on the N successive elements, said correlating step including successively storing, on one set by set basis, the analog data on each of said plurality of sets of the N successive elements of the second image; (E) successively storing the location, of each of the plurality of sets of the N successive elements of the second image whose analog data is correlated with the analog data on the N successive elements of the first image; (F) detecting, through said correlation step, a set of the N successive elements of the second image which can be regarded as being in substantial coincidence with the N successive elements of the first image; and (G) determining the range of the object on the basis of the location of the stored data with respect to the location of the second image, of the set of the N successive elements of the second image which has been regarded as being in substantial coincidence with the N successive elements of the first image. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5)
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6. An apparatus for detecting a range of an object comprising:
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(A) optical means arranged to form first and second images of the object along different sightlines; (B) image sensing means arranged to receive the first and second images to produce electrical analog data for each image element of the first and second images; (C) first data storing means adapted for storing the analog data of the first image on a first set of a plurality of N successive elements; (D) correlating means for successively correlating the analog data of the second image on each of a plurality of different sets of N successive elements with the analog data of the first image on the N successive elements, said correlating means including second data storing means for successively storing, on one set by set basis, the analog data on each of said plurality of sets of the N successive elements of the second image; (E) location storing means for successively storing the location of each of the plurality of sets of the N successive elements of the second image whose analog data is correlated by the correlating means with the analog data on the N successive elements of the first image; (F) detecting means for detecting, through said correlation by said correlation means, a set of the N successive elements of the second image which can be regarded as being in substantial coincidence with the N successive elements of the first image; and (G) range determining means for determining the range of the object on the basis of the location of the stored data with respect to the location of the second image, of the set of the N successive elements of the second image which has been regarded as being in substantial coincidence with the N successive elements of the first image. - View Dependent Claims (7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18, 19, 20, 21, 22, 23)
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Specification