Light measuring apparatus and light measuring method

• US 8,422,019 B2
• Filed: 02/25/2011
• Issued: 04/16/2013
• Est. Priority Date: 03/05/2010
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: NEC Corporation, Toyota Jidosha Kabushiki Kaisha (Toyota Motor Corporation)
• Original Assignee: NEC Corporation, Toyota Jidosha Kabushiki Kaisha (Toyota Motor Corporation)
• Inventors: Funayama, Ryuji, Kawamata, Shinya, Ishi, Tsutomu, Yoshikawa, Yumiko
• Primary Examiner(s): Toatley, Gregory J.
• Assistant Examiner(s): Underwood, Jarreas C
• Application Number:
  US13/034,880
• Publication Number:
  US 20110216323A1
• Time in Patent Office: 781 Days
• Field of Search: 356445-448, 356450-458
• US Class Current: 356/448
• CPC Class Codes: G01J 1/4204 with determination of ambient light solar light G01J2001/4266
• CPC Class Codes: G01J 1/4228 arrangements with two or more detectors, e.g. for sensitivity compensation
• CPC Class Codes: G01N 21/55 Specular reflectivity

Abstract

A light with a known spectrum is emitted from a light source toward a road surface, a first reflected light that is a reflected light of the known light reflected from the road surface is received by a first light receiver, and a reflectance spectrum of the light of the road surface is calculated from a spectrum of the first reflected light received by the first light receiver and the spectrum of the known light stored in the storage unit. A second reflected light that is reflected light of an environmental light reflected from the road surface is received by a second light receiver, and a spectrum of the environmental light is calculated from a spectrum of the second reflected light received by the second light receiver and the calculated reflectance spectrum of the light of the road surface.

Claims

1. A light measuring apparatus comprising:

a light source that emits a light with a known spectrum toward a road surface;

a first light receiver that receives a first reflected light that is a reflected light of the known light reflected from said road surface;

a second light receiver that receives a second reflected light that is a reflected light of an environmental light reflected from said road surface;

a storage unit that previously stores data on the spectrum of said known light; and

a calculator that calculates a reflectance spectrum of the light of said road surface from a spectrum of said first reflected light received by said first light receiver and the spectrum of said known light stored in said storage unit, and calculates a spectrum of said environmental light from a spectrum of said second reflected light received by said second light receiver and the calculated reflectance spectrum of the light of said road surface.

2. The light measuring apparatus according to claim 1, wherein said calculator divides the spectrum of said first reflected light received by said first light receiver by the spectrum of said known light stored in said storage unit to calculate the reflectance spectrum of the light of said road surface, and

divides the spectrum of said second reflected light received by said second light receiver by the calculated reflectance spectrum of the light of said road surface to calculate the spectrum of said environmental light.

3. The light measuring apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising a third light receiver that receives a third reflected light that is a reflected light of the environmental light reflected from an object to be detected,

wherein said calculator calculates a reflectance spectrum of the light of said object from a spectrum of said third reflected light received by said third light receiver and the calculated spectrum of said environmental light.

4. The light measuring apparatus according to claim 1, wherein said second light receiver receives a third reflected light that is the reflected light of said environmental light reflected from said object to be detected so as to be separable from said second reflected light,

said calculator calculates the reflectance spectrum of the light of said object from the spectrum of said third reflected light received by said second light receiver and the calculated spectrum of said environmental light.

5. A light measuring method comprising:

emitting a light with a known spectrum from a light source toward a road surface;

receiving a first reflected light that is a reflected light of the known light reflected from said road surface with a first light receiver;

calculating a reflectance spectrum of said road surface from a spectrum of said first reflected light received by said first light receiver and the spectrum of said known light previously stored in a storage unit;

receiving a second reflected light that is a reflected light of an environmental light reflected from said road surface with a second light receiver; and

calculating a spectrum of said environmental light from a spectrum of said second reflected light received by said second light receiver and the calculated reflectance spectrum of the light of said road surface.

6. The light measuring method according to claim 5, further comprising:

dividing the spectrum of said first reflected light received by said first light receiver by the spectrum of said known light stored in said storage unit to calculate the reflectance spectrum of the light of said road surface; and

dividing the spectrum of said second reflected light received by said second light receiver by the calculated reflectance spectrum of the light of said road surface to calculate the spectrum of said environmental light.

7. The light measuring method according to claim 5, further comprising:

receiving a third reflected light that is a reflected light of the environmental light reflected from an object to be detected with a third light receiver; and

calculating a reflectance spectrum of the light of said object from a spectrum of said third reflected light received by said third light receiver and the calculated spectrum of said environmental light.

8. The light measuring method according to claim 5, further comprising:

receiving a third reflected light that is the reflected light of the environmental light reflected from the light of said object to be detected so as to be separable from said second reflected light with said second light receiver; and

calculating the reflectance spectrum of the light of said object from the spectrum of said third reflected light received by said second light receiver and the calculated spectrum of said environmental light.