Patent ID: 6396570
Filing Date: 2002-05-28
Classification: G01C,G01S

Abstract:
A distance measurement apparatus for irradiating an object with a light from a light source whose luminance can be modulated or from a pulse light source, and receiving the reflected and returned light to obtain a distance to said object, said distance measurement apparatus comprising:a photoelectric converter for receiving said reflected light and photoelectrically converting the received light; a first charge accumulator for accumulating an electric charge transferred via a first gate driven by a first transfer pulse synchronized with an emitting timing of the light from said light source among electric charges generated by said photoelectric converter; a second charge accumulator for accumulating an electric charge transferred via a second gate driven by a second transfer pulse complementary to said first transfer pulse among the electric charges generated by said photoelectric converter; and a normalization circuit for reading a first signal based on the accumulated electric charge of said first charge accumulator, and a second signal based on the accumulated electric charge of said second charge accumulator, and normalizing the smaller signal of said first signal and said second signal with an added signal of said first signal and said second signal.