Patent ID: 6229596
Filing Date: 2001-05-08
Classification: G01C

Abstract:
A range apparatus comprising:light-projecting means for projecting a luminous flux toward a range-finding object;light-detecting means for detecting, at a light-detecting position on a position sensing device corresponding to a distance to the range-finding object, reflected light of said luminous flux projected to the range-finding object and outputting a signal corresponding to the light-detecting position;stationary-light-eliminating means, having a stationary-light-eliminating capacitor, for eliminating a stationary light component from the output signal outputted from said light-detecting means;arithmetic means for carrying out an arithmetic operation according to the signal output from said light-detecting means and from which the stationary light component has been eliminated by said stationary-light-eliminating means and outputting a signal corresponding to the distance to the range-finding object;integrating means, having an integrating capacitor, for discharging and charging said integrating capacitor relative to a reference voltage, in response to the signal outputted from said arithmetic means, integrating the signal outputted from said arithmetic means and outputting a signal corresponding to the integration; anddetecting means for detecting the distance to the range-finding object according to the signal outputted from said integrating means wherein a light-projecting operation by said light-projecting means is terminated from an end of the integration by said integrating means until the stationary light component outputted from said light-detecting means starts to accumulate in said stationary-light-eliminating capacitor.