Patent ID: 9316495
Filing Date: 2016-04-19
CPC Classification: G01C,G01S

Claim Text:
1. A distance measurement apparatus to measure distance to a target by irradiating laser beams to the target and receiving a reflection light reflected from the target, the distance measurement apparatus comprising: a light projection unit including a plurality of light emission units to project a plurality of laser beams onto the target while setting optical paths of the plurality of laser beams radially along a given virtual plane, each of the light emission units including a light source and a projection optical system disposed on an optical path of the laser beam emitted from the light source; and a light receiving unit including a plurality of light receivers to receive the plurality of laser beams, projected from the light projection unit and reflected by the target, each one of the plurality of light receivers provided for a corresponding one of the plurality of light emission units, wherein the plurality of light receivers is disposed separately in a direction perpendicular to the virtual plane with respect to the corresponding plurality of light emission units, wherein each of the plurality of light receivers includes a light receiving element provided for the light source of the corresponding light emission unit, and a light condensing system to condense laser beams, projected from the corresponding light source and reflected by the target, onto the light receiving element, wherein each of the light receiving elements includes a plurality of light receiving portions arranged along one axis direction parallel to the virtual plane, wherein the light condensing system includes a first cylindrical lens and a second cylindrical lens, wherein the first cylindrical lens condenses laser beams to a direction perpendicular to the one axis direction, and the second cylindrical lens, disposed separately with respect to the first cylindrical lens in a direction parallel to an exit direction of the corresponding light source, condenses the laser beams to the one axis direction.