Patent Publication Number: US-2023138429-A1

Title: Optical apparatus, in-vehicle system, and moving apparatus

Description:
BACKGROUND 
     Technical Field 
     The disclosure relates to an optical apparatus that detects an object by receiving reflected light from the illuminated object. 
     Description of the Related Art 
     One known method for measuring a distance to the object is LiDAR (Light Detection and Ranging) which calculates the distance based on a period necessary to receive the reflected light from the illuminated object or a phase of the reflected light. Japanese Patent No. 4476599 discloses a configuration that measures the position and distance of the object based on an angle of a deflecting unit (drive mirror) and a signal obtained from a light receiving element when the light receiving element receives the reflected light from the object. Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 2020-126065 discloses a configuration that introduces illumination lights from a plurality of illumination units to the deflecting unit at different angles. 
     In the configurations disclosed in Japanese Patent No. 4476599 and Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 2020-126065, as a light amount of the illumination light is made larger, the reflected light from the object is intensified and a longer distance can be measured. A light emitting surface of a laser having a large light amount is often long in a single direction, and in this case, a ratio of an area other than an area that receives the reflected light in the light receiving area of the light receiving element increases and thus a signal to noise (SN) ratio of the signal obtained from the light receiving element lowers. In addition, in a case where a plurality of light sources are used as disclosed in Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 2020-126065, a power consumption amount increases. 
     SUMMARY 
     The disclosure provides an optical apparatus that can efficiently detect a distant object. 
     An optical apparatus according to one aspect of the disclosure includes a first optical system configured to condense illumination light from a light source, a dividing unit configured to divide the illumination light from the first optical system into a plurality of illumination lights in a plurality of areas, a deflecting unit configured to scan an object by deflecting the plurality of illumination lights, and a light guide unit configured to guide the plurality of illumination lights from the dividing unit to the deflecting unit. 
     An in-vehicle system according to another aspect of the disclosure includes the above optical apparatus and determines whether a collision is likely to occur between a vehicle and the object based on distance information on the object acquired by the optical apparatus. A moving apparatus according to another aspect of the disclosure includes the above optical apparatus and can move while holding the optical apparatus. 
     Further features of the disclosure will become apparent from the following description of exemplary embodiments with reference to the attached drawings. 
    
    
     
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
         FIG.  1    is a schematic view of an optical apparatus according to a first embodiment. 
         FIG.  2    illustrates an example of a configuration of a light source. 
         FIG.  3    is a schematic diagram of a branching unit. 
         FIGS.  4 A and  4 B  illustrate an illumination optical path and a light receiving optical path of the optical apparatus. 
         FIG.  5    illustrates a relationship between a conjugate image of a light emitting surface of the light source and an edge portion of a light-beam (luminous-flux) separating unit. 
         FIG.  6    illustrates an angle of view that can be scanned by a scanning unit. 
         FIGS.  7 A and  7 B  illustrate a positional relationship between a light receiving area and imaged light. 
         FIGS.  8 A and  8 B  illustrate a positional relationship between an imaging position of the light source and the light-beam separating unit. 
         FIG.  9    illustrates a light ray emitted from the light source and an arrangement range of the light-beam separating unit. 
         FIG.  10    is a schematic view of a shaping optical system according to a second embodiment. 
         FIG.  11    is a schematic view of an optical apparatus of the second embodiment. 
         FIG.  12    illustrates a relationship among angles of view of three light beams. 
         FIG.  13    is a configuration diagram of an in-vehicle system according to this embodiment. 
         FIG.  14    is a schematic view of a vehicle (moving apparatus) according to this embodiment. 
         FIG.  15    is a flowchart showing an operation example of an in-vehicle system according to this embodiment. 
     
    
    
     DESCRIPTION OF THE EMBODIMENTS 
     Referring now to the accompanying drawings, a detailed description will be given of embodiments according to the disclosure. Corresponding elements in respective figures will be designated by the same reference numerals, and a duplicate description thereof will be omitted. 
     An optical apparatus (distance measuring apparatus) using LiDAR includes an illumination system that illuminates an object and a light receiving system that receives reflected or scattered light from the object. LiDAR can be classified into a coaxial system in which some of optical axes of the illumination system and the light receiving system coincide with each other, and a noncoaxial system in which these optical axes do not coincide with each other. The optical apparatus according to this embodiment is suitable for the coaxial system of LiDAR, but is applicable to the noncoaxial system of LiDAR. 
     First Embodiment 
       FIG.  1    is a schematic view of an optical apparatus  1  according to this embodiment. The optical apparatus  1  includes a light source  10 , a shaping optical system  20 , branching units (light guide units)  30   a  and  30   b , a scanning unit (deflecting unit)  40 , imaging lenses  51   a  and  51   b , light receiving elements  52   a  and  52   b , and a control unit  60 . 
     The light source  10  is, for example, a multi-stack multi-mode LD (laser diode) that emits high-power light.  FIG.  2    illustrates an example of a configuration of the light source  10 . The light source  10  emits light having different divergence angles on an LX-axis and an LY-axis orthogonal to the LX-axis from a surface having a radiation angle distribution in which a plurality of ellipses are arranged. In  FIG.  2   , a divergence angle in a direction orthogonal to a PN junction surface  10   j  (LY-axis direction) is large, and a divergence angle in a horizontal direction (LX-axis direction) is small. In the multi-stack light source, light emitting surfaces having different aspect ratios are often emitted. In  FIG.  2   , light emitting surfaces  10   a ,  10   b , and  10   c  are rectangles that are long in a single direction. Each of the light emitting surfaces  10   a ,  10   b , and  10   c  has a size of 10 μm×200 μm. 
     The shaping optical system  20  shapes the light from the light source  10  into predetermined divergent light. The branching units  30   a  and  30   b  are disposed between the light source  10  and the scanning unit  40 , and branch an illumination optical path for illuminating the object of the optical apparatus  1  and a light receiving optical path for receiving the reflected light from the object. More specifically, the branching units  30   a  and  30   b  guide the illumination light from the light source  10  to the scanning unit  40  and guide the reflected light from the scanning unit  40  to the light receiving elements  52   a  and  52   b . As illustrated in  FIG.  3   , the branching units  30   a  and  30   b  have a reflection unit  31  as a surface having a high reflectance and a transmission unit  32  as a surface having a low reflectance. The scanning unit  40  is, for example, a MEMS mirror that swings around a Y-axis and an M-axis orthogonal to the Y-axis. The imaging lenses  51   a  and  51   b  image the reflected lights from the object. The light receiving elements  52   a  and  52   b  receive the imaging lights from the imaging lenses  51   a  and  51   b , respectively. The control unit  60  controls the light source  10 , the scanning unit  40 , and the light receiving elements  52   a  and  52   b . The control unit  60  processes signals output from the light receiving elements  52   a  and  52   b.    
     A description will now be given of the operation of the optical apparatus  1 .  FIGS.  4 A and  4 B  illustrate an illumination optical path and a light receiving optical path.  FIG.  4 A  illustrates that a light beam from the light source  10  is shaped by the shaping optical system  20 , guided to the scanning unit  40 , and emitted as light beams ILa and ILb from an opening window  2  of the optical apparatus  1 . 
     The shaping optical system  20  includes, in order from the side of the light source  10  to the object side, an imaging optical system (condenser optical system)  21 , a light-beam separating unit (dividing unit)  22 , and light guide optical systems  23   a  and  23   b . The imaging optical system  21  condenses the illumination light from the light source  10  and forms an image on the light emitting surface of the light source  10 . In this embodiment, the imaging optical system  21  magnifies the light emitting surface of the light source  10  at a magnification β. For example, assume that the light emitting surface has a size of a×b (a&gt;b). Then, the imaging optical system  21  forms an image with a size of |β|×(a×b) on a conjugate surface. The light-beam separating unit  22  separates (or divides) the illumination light from the imaging optical system  21  into a plurality of illumination lights in a plurality of areas (divides the illumination for each area) and guides the illumination light as a plurality of lights (light beams) to the branching units  30   a  and  30   b . In this embodiment, the light-beam separating unit  22  includes a prism having a plurality of reflective surfaces, each of which reflects illumination light from the imaging optical system  21 . In this embodiment, the plurality of reflective surfaces are integrally formed, but each of them may be provided to different components. An edge portion  22   e  is a boundary between the plurality of reflective surfaces, and the illumination light from the imaging optical system  21  enters the edge portion  22   e . A conjugate image  10   i  of the light emitting surface of the light source  10  imaged by the imaging optical system  21  is separated into light beams ILa and ILb traveling in different directions by the edge portion  22   e.    
       FIG.  5    illustrates a relationship between the conjugate image  10   i  of the light emitting surface of the light source  10  and the edge portion  22   e  of the light-beam separating unit  22 . In a case where the edge portion  22   e  is disposed at the center of the conjugate image  10   i , each light beam is separated into a size of |β|×(a×b)/2, and guided as divergent light to a subsequent optical system. 
     The light guide optical systems  23   a  and  23   b  perform collimation that converts each of the plurality of light beams separated by the light-beam separating unit  22  into parallel light so that it does not widely spread at a distant location. The parallel light here is not limited to strictly parallel light, but includes approximately parallel light such as weakly convergent or divergent light. Each light beam is reflected by a part of the reflective surfaces of the branching units  30   a  and  30   b , but the light beams ILa and ILb reflected by the scanning unit  40  illuminate the object in different directions when angles of the light beams ILa and ILb reflected by the scanning unit  40  are made different from each other. That is, if no shaping optical system  20  is provided, a single light beam irradiates the object and a scanning range is determined only by the deflection angle of the scanning unit  40 . On the other hand, with the shaping optical system  20 , a plurality of light beams irradiate the object, and a wider range can be scanned by making different the angles of the light beams reflected by the scanning unit  40  from each other. 
     The scanning unit  40  has two scanning axes and two-dimensionally scans the external world.  FIG.  6    illustrates an angle of view scannable by the scanning unit  40 . Assume that the scanning angle by the scanning unit  40  is an angle Ha in a horizontal (H-axis) direction and an angle Vα in a vertical (V-axis) direction. In a case where the angle θab formed between the light beams ILa and ILb is the angle Ha, angles of view FOVa and FOVb scanned by the light beams ILa and ILb have the angle Ha in the H-axis direction and the angle Vα in the V-axis direction. In a case where the light beams ILa and ILb do not vertically enter the scanning unit  40 , the scanning range does not draw a rectangular angle of view unlike  FIG.  6    and is distorted, the angle of view θab may be set so that the angles of view FOVa and FOVb has an overlap. 
     A description will be given of the divergence angles of the light beams ILa and ILb. The divergence angle θ of each light beam is expressed by the following expression from the Lagrange-Helmholtz amount: 
       θ=tan −1 (|β|× a/ 4 f )×2
 
     where f is a focal length of the light guide optical system  23 . 
     If a collimator lens is provided as disclosed in Japanese Patent No. 4476599 and Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2020-126065 instead of the shaping optical system  20 , a divergence angle θ′ is expressed by the following expression from the Lagrange-Helmholtz amount: 
       θ=tan −1 ( a× 2 f ′)×2
 
     where f′ is a focal length of the collimator lens. 
     That is, the divergence angle θ can be made equal to or less than the divergence angle θ′ by setting |β|/2f≤1/f′. 
       FIG.  4 B  illustrates that reflected lights RCa and RCb from the object are guided from the scanning unit  40  to the branching units  30   a  and  30   b , passed through the transmission units  32  of the branching units  30   a  and  30   b , imaged by the imaging lenses  51   a  and  51   b , and received by the light receiving elements  52   a  and  52   b.    
       FIGS.  7 A and  7 B  illustrate a positional relationship between the light receiving area and the imaged light.  FIG.  7 A  illustrates a positional relationship among the light receiving area  53   a  in the light receiving element  52   a , ideal imaged light  101   a , and an area  102   a  which imaged light  101   a  in the light receiving area  53   a  does not enter where the shaping optical system  20  is provided and the light source image is separately illuminated.  FIG.  7 B  illustrates a positional relationship among the light receiving area  53   a , the imaged light  101   a , and the area  102   a  where no shaping optical system  20  is provided and the light source image is illuminated without being separated. An intersection of two dotted lines is the center of the light receiving area  53 . 
     The object is illuminated with illumination light that is long in the LX-axis direction, and the light receiving area  53   a  wholly covers the long illumination area. By separating the light source image into a plurality of light source images at the shaping optical system  20 , the illumination area can be shortened and the light receiving area can also be shortened. With the shaping optical system  20 , the size of the light receiving area can be quartered. The external light amount is also quartered, but a received light amount reflected from the object is only halved, and a ratio of an external light amount to the received light amount is relatively halved. Thus, even if the illumination light amount is halved, the external light is further halved and thus the SN ratio of the received signal is improved and distance measurement at a longer distance is available. The light source  10  can make the power of the emitted light twice as high as the conventional one. The longer the light source  10  is, the higher the power of the emitted light becomes, but the power of the emitted light per unit area does not significantly change. In a case where the light from the light source  10  having the light emitting surface that is long in the single direction is separated and used for illumination as in this embodiment, even if the power of the emitted light of the light source  10  is high, power of each light beam emitted from the optical apparatus  1  can be suppressed within the eye-safe range. 
     Hence, the optical apparatus  1  according to this embodiment separates the light source  10  and thereby improves a measurable distance while improving the resolution in comparison with a case where no shaping optical system  20  is provided. 
     In this embodiment, the light-beam separating unit  22  includes the reflective surfaces and forms a reflection optical path, but this embodiment may use the transmission light by utilizing a transmission surface. 
     As long as the divergence angle of each light beam becomes smaller while the number of optical paths is increased, the light-beam separating unit  22  does not have to perfectly coincide with the conjugate surface of the light source  10  and may be disposed at a position before or after the position of the conjugate image  10   i  formed by the imaging optical system  21 . For example,  FIG.  8 A  illustrates the light-beam separating unit  22  disposed at the position before the position of the conjugate image  10   i  formed by the imaging optical system  21 . The divergence of the emitted light beams ILa and ILb at this time is larger than that where the light-beam separating unit  22  is disposed at the position of the conjugate image  10   i  formed by the light-beam separating unit  22 . However, the degree of divergence of each light beam is smaller than that of the case where no light-beam separating unit  22  is provided. 
       FIG.  8 B  illustrates the light-beam separating unit  22  disposed at the position after the position of the conjugate image  10   i  formed by the imaging optical system  21 , but an effect is acquired similarly to the case where the light-beam separating unit  22  is disposed at the position before the position of the conjugate image  10   i . However, if the light-beam separating unit  22  is separated from the position of the conjugate image  10   i  so that the light beam diameter is larger than that of the imaging optical system  21 , the effect of separating the light source image is almost eliminated. 
       FIG.  9    illustrates a relationship between the light beam emitted from the light source  10  and the arrangement of the light-beam separating unit  22 . In  FIG.  9   , when viewed from the longitudinal direction of the light emitting surface of the light source  10 , reference numeral  10 U is set to one end portion (first end portion) of the two long sides of the light emitting surface of the light source  10 , and reference numeral  10 D is set to the other end portion (second end portion), and light rays from these end portions pass through the imaging optical system  21  and form an image at an imaging position F. In  FIG.  9   , P U1  and P D1  are top lines, and P U3  and P D3  are bottom lines. A position Fa is a position where the light rays P U1  and P D3  intersect each other, and a position Fb is a position where the light rays P D1  and P U3  intersect each other. The light rays from the end portions  10 U and  10 D are separated between the positions Fa and Fb. If the light-beam separating unit  22  is disposed between the positions Fa and Fb, the length in the longitudinal direction can be made shorter in comparison with the length in the lateral direction of the light emitting surfaces  10   a  to  10   c  in the separated light source image. The top and bottom lines depend on the focal length of the optical system, the optical configuration, an unillustrated aperture stop, etc., but it is important to dispose the light-beam separating unit  22  at a position for separating the light from the longer end portion of the light emitting surface. 
     An unillustrated magnification-varying optical system may be disposed on the light exit side of the scanning unit  40 . The magnification-varying optical system has no refractive power in the entire system, guides the illumination light from the scanning unit  40  to the object, and guides the reflected light from the object to the scanning unit  40 . In a case where the magnification-varying optical system is provided, there may be no stray light within the angle of view. For example, in the magnification-varying optical system, the optical axis may be eccentric from the center of the scanning unit  40 . 
     Second Embodiment 
     A basic configuration of an optical apparatus according to this embodiment is the same as that of the optical apparatus  1  according to the first embodiment. This embodiment will discuss a configuration different from that of the first embodiment, and a description of the common configuration will be omitted. 
     This embodiment is different from the first embodiment in that the configuration of the light-beam separating unit  22  is different and the number of light beam separations is three. In addition, when the reflected light is received, a focal length of the imaging lens for the central angle-of-view light beam is shorter than that of the other angle-of-view light beam, and the size of the reflected imaging light with respect to the light-receiving area is small.  FIG.  10    is a schematic view of a shaping optical system  20  according to this embodiment. 
     In this embodiment, the light-beam separating unit  22  includes a plurality of mirrors  22   a  and  22   b , each of which includes a plurality of reflective surfaces for reflecting the illumination light from the imaging optical system  21 . The light-beam separating unit  22  includes a mirror  22 FM, which will be described below. The mirrors  22   a  and  22   b  are spaced from each other. At least one of the mirrors  22   a  and  22   b  includes an edge portion which the illumination light from the imaging optical system  21  enters. This embodiment divides the magnification-varying image of the light source  10  formed by the imaging optical system  21  into three areas, i.e., two mirrors and a space between them, and forms light beams reflected by the mirrors  22   a  and  22   b  and a light beam transmitting between the mirrors  22   a  and  22   b . Thereby, the light source image is separated into three, and the light beams ILa, ILb, and ILc are formed. 
     The light beams reflected by the mirrors  22   a  and  22   b  follow the same illumination optical paths and light receiving optical paths as those of the first embodiment, but in a case where the light emitting surface of the light source  10  is as large as that of the first embodiment, an aspect ratio of the divergence angle of the light beam is smaller than that of the first embodiment due to the three branches. However, it is unnecessary to equally branch the light, and the length of the imaging light may be changed relative to the non-reflected optical path according to the desired measurement distance at the corresponding angle of view. For example, the imaged light of the light beam that is not reflected may be longer than that of the light beam that is reflected, and as a result, the emitted light amount can be increased. 
       FIG.  11    is a schematic view of the optical apparatus  1  according to this embodiment, and illustrates a configuration for guiding the light beams ILa, ILb, and ILc to the scanning unit  40  using a folding mirror or the like. The light beams ILa and ILb are reflected by the mirrors  22   a  and  22   b , pass through the light guide optical systems  23   a  and  23   b , are reflected by the branching units  30   a  and  30   b , and are guided to the scanning unit  40 . The reflected lights from the scanning unit  40  pass through the transmission units  32  of the branching units  30   a  and  30   b , are imaged by the imaging lenses  51   a  and  51   b , and are received by the light receiving elements  52   a  and  52   b . On the other hand, the light beam ILc passes through a space between the mirrors  22   a  and  22   b , is reflected by the mirror  22 FM, passes through a light guide optical system  23   c , is reflected by a branching unit  30   c , and is guided to the scanning unit  40 . The reflected light from the scanning unit  40  passes through the transmission unit  32  of the branching unit  30   c , is imaged by the imaging lens  51   c , and is received by a light receiving element  52   c . Due to this configuration, a single light source  10  can form three light beams ILa, ILb, and ILc, and each light beam can measure different angles of view. 
       FIG.  12    illustrates a relationship among the angles of view of the light beams ILa, ILb, and ILc. Angles of view FOVa, FOVb, and FOVc measured by the light beams ILa, ILb, and ILc are areas in which the angles of view are represented by angles Hα and Vα, and each contains a small overlap amount. Since the light beam ILc has a different guide angle to the scanning unit  40  from the light beams ILa and ILb, the angle of view in the V-axis direction is different from the angles of view FOVa and FOVb. The angles of view FOVa, FOVb, and FOVc can be set to the angles of view that can be measured as a whole by setting the incident angles of the light beams ILa, ILb, and ILc on the scanning unit  40  according to the situation to be measured. 
     If the light transmitting amount through the light-beam separating unit  22  is increased, the optical apparatus  1  according to this embodiment can distribute the power of the emitting light of the light source  10  to the central angle of view FOVc, and can make longer the measurable distance of the central angle of view FOVc than that of each of the side angles of view FOVa and FOVb. 
     As described above, even if the light source  10  has the light emitting surface that is long in a single direction, the configuration according to this embodiment can separate the light into a plurality of light beams at the shaping optical system  20  and can efficiently measure a distant object at a wide angle. 
     In-Vehicle System 
       FIG.  13    is a configuration diagram of an optical apparatus  1  according to this embodiment, and an in-vehicle system (driving support apparatus)  1000  having the same. The in-vehicle system  1000  is an apparatus held by a movable moving body (moving apparatus) such as an automobile (vehicle), and configured to support driving (steering) of the vehicle based on distance information on an object such as an obstacle or a pedestrian around the vehicle acquired by the optical apparatus  1 .  FIG.  14    is a schematic diagram of a vehicle  500  including the in-vehicle system  1000 .  FIG.  14    illustrates a case where the distance measurement range (detection range) of the optical apparatus  100  is set to the front of the vehicle  500 , but the distance measurement range may be set to the rear or side of the vehicle  500 . 
     As illustrated in  FIG.  13   , the in-vehicle system  1000  includes the optical apparatus  1 , a vehicle information acquiring apparatus  200 , a control apparatus (ECU: electronic control unit)  300 , and a warning apparatus (warning unit)  400 . In the in-vehicle system  1000 , the control unit  60  included in the optical apparatus  1  has functions of a distance acquiring unit (acquiring unit) and a collision determining unit (determining unit). However, if necessary, the in-vehicle system  1000  may include a distance acquiring unit and a collision determining unit separate from the control unit  60 , or each component may be provided outside of the optical apparatus  1  (for example, inside the vehicle  500 ). Alternatively, the control apparatus  300  may be used as the control unit  60 . 
       FIG.  15    is a flowchart showing an operation example of the in-vehicle system  1000  according to this embodiment. A description will now be given of the operation of the in-vehicle system  1000  with reference to this flowchart. 
     First, in step S 1 , the light source  10  of the optical apparatus  1  illuminates the object around the vehicle, and the control unit  60  acquires the distance information on object OBJ based on the signal output from the light receiving element by receiving the reflected light from the object. In step S 2 , the vehicle information acquiring apparatus  200  acquires vehicle information including the speed, yaw rate, steering angle of the vehicle, and the like. Then, in step S 3 , the control unit  60  determines whether the distance to the object OBJ is included within a preset distance range using the distance information acquired in step S 1  and the vehicle information acquired in step S 2 . 
     This configuration can determine whether or not the object exists within the set distance range around the vehicle, and determine whether a collision is likely to occur between the vehicle and the object. Steps S 1  and S 2  may be performed in the reverse order of the above order or in parallel with each other. The control unit  60  determines that the collision is likely to occur in a case where the object exists within the set distance (step S 4 ) and determines that the collision is unlikely to occur in a case where the object does not exist within the set distance (step S 5 ). 
     Next, in the case where the control unit  60  determines that the collision is likely to occur, the control unit  60  notifies (transmits) the determination result to the control apparatus  300  and the warning apparatus  400 . At this time, the control apparatus  300  controls the vehicle based on the determination result of the control unit  60  (step S 6 ), and the warning apparatus  400  warns the user (driver) of the vehicle based on the determination result of the control unit  60  (step S 7 ). The determination result may be notified to at least one of the control apparatus  300  and the warning apparatus  400 . 
     The control apparatus  300  can control the movement of the vehicle by outputting a control signal to a driving unit (engine, motor, etc.) of the vehicle. For example, in the vehicle, control can be made such as applying a brake, releasing an accelerator, turning a steering wheel, generating a control signal for generating a braking force on each wheel, and suppressing the output of the engine or motor. The warning apparatus  400  warns the vehicle driver, for example, by issuing a warning sound, displaying warning information on the screen of a car navigation system, or vibrating a seat belt or steering. 
     Thus, the in-vehicle system  1000  according to this embodiment can detect the object and measure the distance by the above processing, and avoid the collision between the vehicle and the object. In particular, applying the optical apparatus according to each of the embodiments to the in-vehicle system  1000  can realize high distance measuring accuracy, so that object detection and collision determination can be performed with high accuracy. 
     This embodiment applies the in-vehicle system  1000  to the driving support (collision damage mitigation), but the in-vehicle system  1000  is not limited to this example and is applicable to cruise control (including adaptive cruise control) and automatic driving. The in-vehicle system  1000  is applicable not only to a vehicle such as an automobile but also to a moving body such as a ship, an aircraft, or an industrial robot. It can be applied not only to moving objects but also to various devices that utilize object recognition such as intelligent transportation systems (ITS) and monitoring systems. 
     The in-vehicle system  1000  and the moving apparatus may include a notification apparatus (notifying unit) for notifying the manufacturer of the in-vehicle system, the seller (dealer) of the moving apparatus, or the like of any collisions between the moving apparatus and the obstacle. For example, the notification apparatus may use an apparatus that transmits information (collision information) on the collision between the moving apparatus and the obstacle to a preset external notification destination by e-mail or the like. 
     Thus, the configuration for automatically notifying the collision information through the notification apparatus can promote processing such as inspection and repair after the collision. The notification destination of the collision information may be an insurance company, a medical institution, the police, or another arbitrary destination set by the user. The notification apparatus may notify the notification destination of not only the collision information but also the failure information on each component and consumption information on consumables. The presence or absence of the collision may be detected based on the distance information acquired by the output from the above light receiving unit or by another detector (sensor). 
     Each embodiment can provide an optical apparatus that can provide efficiently detect a distant object. 
     While the disclosure has been described with reference to exemplary embodiments, it is to be understood that the disclosure is not limited to the disclosed exemplary embodiments. The scope of the following claims is to be accorded the broadest interpretation so as to encompass all such modifications and equivalent structures and functions. 
     This application claims the benefit of Japanese Patent Application No. 2021-176063, filed on Oct. 28, 2021, which is hereby incorporated by reference herein in its entirety.