To provide a spatial information detector capable of taking out reflected light from a target while reducing influence from environment light with a simple structure, and having a relatively large aperture ratio for a light receiving unit.
A light emitting source 2 which is alternatively turned on and off irradiates light to a target space. A photosensitive unit 1a receives the light from the target space, and generates electric charge corresponding to the received light volume. The photosensitive unit 1a is provided with a control electrode 13 in its proximity, and when voltage is applied to the control electrode 13, the electric charge in the photosensitive unit 1a is accumulated in an electric charge accumulation portion 1b formed in the photosensitive unit 1a. Moreover, by changing control voltage applied to the control electrode 13, a dimension of the electric charge accumulation portion 1b on a face along a light receiving surface of the photosensitive unit 1a changes. An electric charge extraction unit 1c takes out received light output, which is the electric charge accumulated in the electric charge accumulation portion 1b in an ON period and that of the OFF period of the light emitting source 2 and its OFF period, respectively. An evaluation unit 3 calculates a difference between the received light output of the ON period and that of the OFF period of the light emitting source 2, and evaluates the target space.
COPYRIGHT: (C)2006,JPO&NCIPI
Motoi Ikari
Kenichi Hagio
Eiji Nakamoto
| JP2001148808A |
| WO2004090994A1 |
Atsuo Mori