Position detecting system, and transmitting and receiving apparatuses for the position detecting system

• US 7,474,256 B2
• Filed: 08/12/2004
• Issued: 01/06/2009
• Est. Priority Date: 08/21/2003
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Sharp Kabushiki Kaisha (Hon Hai Precision Industry Co., Ltd.)
• Original Assignee: Sharp Kabushiki Kaisha (Hon Hai Precision Industry Co., Ltd.)
• Inventors: Hamamoto, Masaki, Hara, Keita, Ohta, Yoshiji
• Primary Examiner(s): ALSOMIRI, ISAM A
• Application Number:
  US10/918,018
• Publication Number:
  US 20050043039A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,608 Days
• Field of Search: 342/147, 342/450, 342 5- 12, 342/126, 342/140, 342/11, 342/25.B, 342/28, 342/47, 342/54, 455/456.1, 356/4, 3561521-1523, 356/141, 356/5, 356/493, 356/3.05, 356/502, 356/9, 367/8, 398/151, 398/169, 340/853.1, 340/903
• US Class Current: 342/146
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 17/003 Bistatic lidar systems; Multistatic lidar systems
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 17/48 Active triangulation systems, i.e. using the transmission and reflection of electromagnetic waves other than radio waves

Abstract

A transmitting apparatus and a receiving apparatus of a position detecting system execute a program including the steps of transmitting a laser beam; detecting an azimuth α(Y) at which the laser beam is transmitted; detecting an azimuth β at which the reflected laser beam is received; calculating a distance L(1) between the transmitting apparatus and a moving body from α(Y), β and a distance D between the transmitting apparatus and the receiving apparatus; and calculating a distance L(2) between the receiving apparatus and the moving body.

Claims

1. A position detecting system, comprising:

a transmitting apparatus;

a receiving apparatus; and

a moving body, wherein a position of the moving body is detected by using the transmitting apparatus and the receiving apparatus;

wherein

said moving body is provided with a reflector;

said transmitting apparatus includes transmitting means for transmitting a wave through a space, and means for detecting a direction of transmitting said wave;

said receiving apparatus includes receiving means for receiving a reflected wave, the reflected wave corresponding to said wave reflected by said reflector, and direction detecting means for detecting a direction from which said reflected wave is received;

said transmitting apparatus and said receiving apparatus are provided apart from each other and arranged separately;

said reflector reflects said wave such that an amount of movement of said reflected wave incident on said receiving apparatus in a movement direction of said moving body is greater than an actual amount of movement of said moving body in the movement direction; and

at least one of said transmitting apparatus, said receiving apparatus and said moving body detects the position of said moving body based on the direction of transmitting said wave, the direction of receiving the reflected wave and a distance between said transmitting apparatus and said receiving apparatus.

2. The position detecting system according to claim 1, wherein said transmitting apparatus and said receiving apparatus are provided to be apart from each other at a predetermined distance.

3. The position detecting system according to claim 1, wherein at least one of said transmitting apparatus and said receiving apparatus further includes moving means for changing at least one of position and orientation.

4. The position detecting system according to claim 3, wherein said moving means is three-dimensional moving means capable of moving three-dimensionally in the space.

5. The position detecting system according to claim 3, wherein

said moving means includes first moving means for changing at least one of position and orientation of said transmitting apparatus and second moving means for changing at least one of position and orientation of said receiving apparatus;

and

each of said transmitting apparatus and receiving apparatus further includes means for transmitting and receiving to and from each other information related to a result of detection.

6. The position detecting system according to claim 3, wherein each of said transmitting apparatus and said receiving apparatus further includes means for detecting apposition of itself, and means for transmitting and receiving to and from each other information related to said position.

7. The position detecting system according to claim 1, wherein

said transmitting means includes directional wave transmitting means for transmitting a directional wave;

said receiving means includes directional wave receiving means for receiving a reflected wave of the directional wave; and

said direction detecting means includes directional wave direction detecting means for detecting a direction of receiving a reflected wave of the directional wave.

8. The position detecting system according to claim 7, wherein

said receiving apparatus further includes non-directional wave transmitting means for transmitting a non-directional wave;

and

said transmitting apparatus further includes non-directional wave receiving means for receiving a reflected wave of said non-directional wave reflected by said reflector, and non-directional wave direction detecting means for detecting a direction of receiving the reflected wave of the non-directional wave.

9. The position detecting system according to claim 8, wherein

said directional wave transmitting means includes a directional wave transmitting portion transmitting a directional wave;

said directional wave receiving means includes a plurality of directional wave receiving portions receiving reflected waves of the directional wave;

said directional wave direction detecting means includes means for detecting a direction at which each of said directional wave receiving means receives a reflected wave of the directional wave, means for detecting a first average direction of the directions at which said directional wave receiving portions receive the reflected waves of the directional wave;

said non-directional wave transmitting means includes non-directional wave generating portion generating a non-directional wave;

said non-directional wave receiving means includes a plurality of non-directional wave receiving portions receiving reflected waves of the non-directional wave;

said non-directional wave direction detecting means includes means for detecting a direction from which each of said non-directional wave receiving portions receives a reflected wave of said non-directional wave, and means for detecting a second average direction of the directions at which said non-directional wave receiving portions receive the reflected waves of the non-directional wave;

each of said non-directional wave receiving portions is arranged such that said second average direction matches the direction of said reflector to said directional wave transmitting portion; and

each of said directional wave receiving portions is arranged such that said first average direction matches the direction of said reflector to said non-directional wave transmitting portion.

10. The position detecting system according to claim 1, wherein said transmitting means includes means for transmitting said wave in a predetermined scope.

11. The position detecting system according to claim 1, wherein said receiving apparatus-further includes means for preventing direct reception of the wave transmitted from said transmitting apparatus.

12. The position detecting system according to claim 1, wherein said receiving apparatus further includes means for determining whether said wave is a reflected wave or not.

13. The position detecting system according to claim 1, wherein

said receiving apparatus further includes means for detecting an amount of movement of said reflected wave;

and

at least one of said transmitting apparatus, said receiving apparatus and said moving body further includes means for calculating an amount of movement of said moving body from the amount of movement of said reflected wave.

14. The position detecting system according to claim 13, wherein said transmitting apparatus further includes means for changing the direction of transmitting said wave as said moving body moves.

15. The position detecting system according to claim 1, wherein

said moving body is provided with a plurality of reflectors;

said transmitting means includes means for transmitting said wave separately to each of said reflectors; and

said receiving means includes means for separately receiving reflected waves reflected by each of said reflectors.

16. The position detecting system according to claim 1, wherein said reflector has a curvature.

17. The position detecting system according to claim 16, wherein said reflector has a spherical shape.

18. The position detecting system according to claim 16, wherein said reflector has a cylindrical shape.

19. The position detecting system according to claim 16, wherein said reflector is a part of a spherical surface.

20. The position detecting system according to claim 16, wherein said reflector is a part of a cylindrical surface.

21. The position detecting system according to claim 16, wherein curvature of said reflector changes portion to portion.

22. The position detecting system according to claim 21, wherein said reflector has a parabolic surface.

23. The position detecting system according to claim 21, wherein said reflector has a shape of an elliptical cylinder.

24. A transmitting apparatus in the position detecting system according to claim 1.

25. A receiving apparatus in the position detecting system according to claim 1.

26. A position detecting system, comprising:

a transmitting apparatus;

a receiving apparatus; and

a moving body, wherein a position of the moving body is detected by using the transmitting apparatus and the receiving apparatus;

wherein

said moving body is provided with a reflector;

said transmitting apparatus includes a transmitting portion transmitting said wave, and a detecting portion detecting a direction of transmitting said wave;

said receiving apparatus includes a receiving portion receiving a reflected wave, the reflected wave corresponding to said wave reflected by said reflector, and a direction detecting portion detecting a direction from which said reflected wave is received;

said transmitting apparatus and said receiving apparatus are provided apart from each other and arranged separately;

said reflector reflects said wave such that an amount of movement of said reflected wave incident on said receiving apparatus in a movement direction of said moving body is greater than an actual amount of movement of said moving body in the movement direction; and

at least one of said transmitting apparatus, said receiving apparatus and said moving body detects the position of said moving body based on the direction of transmitting said wave, the direction of receiving the reflected wave and a distance between said transmitting apparatus and said receiving apparatus.

27. The position detecting system according to claim 26, wherein said transmitting apparatus and said receiving apparatus are provided to be apart from each other at a predetermined distance.

28. The position detecting system according to claim 26, wherein at least one of said transmitting apparatus and said receiving apparatus further includes a moving portion changing at least one of position and orientation.

29. The position detecting system according to claim 28, wherein said moving portion is a three-dimensional moving portion capable of moving three-dimensionally in the space.

30. The position detecting system according to claim 28, wherein

said moving portion includes a first moving portion changing at least one of position and orientation of said transmitting apparatus and a second moving portion changing at least one of position and orientation of said receiving apparatus;

and

each of said transmitting apparatus and receiving apparatus further includes a transmitting and receiving portion for transmitting and receiving to and from each other information related to a result of detection.

31. The position detecting system according to claim 28, wherein each of said transmitting apparatus and said receiving apparatus further includes a position detecting portion detecting the position of itself, and a transmitting and receiving portion transmitting and receiving to and from each other information related to said position.

32. The position detecting system according to claim 26, wherein

said transmitting portion includes a directional wave transmitting portion transmitting a directional wave;

said receiving means includes a directional wave receiving portion receiving a reflected wave of the directional wave; and

said direction detecting portion includes a directional wave direction detecting portion detecting the direction of receiving a reflected wave of the directional wave.

33. The position detecting system according to claim 32, wherein

said receiving apparatus further includes a non-directional wave transmitting portion transmitting a non-directional wave;

and

said transmitting apparatus further includes a non-directional wave receiving portion receiving a reflected wave of said non-directional wave reflected by said reflector, and a non-directional wave direction detecting portion detecting a direction of receiving the reflected wave of the non-directional wave.

34. The position detecting system according to claim 33, wherein

said directional wave receiving portion and said non-directional wave receiving portion are provided in plural;

said directional wave direction detecting portion includes a first receiving direction detecting portion detecting a direction at which each of said directional wave receiving portions receives a reflected wave of the directional wave, and a first average direction detecting portion detecting a first average direction of the directions at which said directional wave receiving portions receive the reflected waves of the directional wave;

said non-directional wave direction detecting portion includes a second receiving direction detecting portion detecting a direction at which each of said non-directional wave receiving portions receives a reflected wave of the non-directional wave, and a second average direction detecting portion detecting a second average direction of directions at which said non-directional wave receiving portions receive the reflected waves of the non-directional wave;

each of said non-directional wave receiving portions is arranged such that said second average direction matches the direction of said reflector to said directional wave transmitting portion; and

each of said directional wave receiving portions is arranged such that said first average direction matches the direction of said reflector to said non-directional wave transmitting portion.

35. The position detecting system according to claim 26, wherein said transmitting portion transmits said wave in a predetermined scope.

36. The position detecting system according to claim 26, wherein said receiving apparatus further includes a preventing portion preventing direct reception of the wave transmitted from said transmitting apparatus.

37. The position detecting system according to claim 26, wherein said receiving apparatus further includes a determining portion determining whether said wave is a reflected wave or not.

38. The position detecting system according to claim 26, wherein

said receiving apparatus further includes an amount of movement detecting portion detecting an amount of movement of said reflected wave;

and

at least one of said transmitting apparatus, said receiving apparatus and said moving body further includes a calculating portion calculating an amount of movement of said moving body from the amount of movement of said reflected wave.

39. The position detecting system according to claim 38, wherein said transmitting apparatus further includes a changing portion changing the direction of transmitting said wave as said moving body moves.

40. The position detecting system according to claim 26, wherein

said moving body is provided with a plurality of reflectors;

said transmitting portion transmits said wave separately to each of said reflectors; and

said receiving portion separately receives reflected waves reflected by each of said reflectors.

41. The position detecting system according to claim 26, wherein said reflector has a curvature.

42. The position detecting system according to claim 41, wherein said reflector has a spherical shape.

43. The position detecting system according to claim 41, wherein said reflector has a cylindrical shape.

44. The position detecting system according to claim 41, wherein said reflector is a part of a spherical surface.

45. The position detecting system according to claim 41, wherein said reflector is a part of a cylindrical surface.

46. The position detecting system according to claim 41, wherein curvature of said reflector changes portion to portion.

47. The position detecting system according to claim 46, wherein said reflector has a parabolic surface.

48. The position detecting system according to claim 46, wherein said reflector has a shape of an elliptical cylinder.

49. A transmitting apparatus in the position detecting system according to claim 26.

50. A receiving apparatus in the position detecting system according to claim 26.