Correlation calculating apparatus

Claim 3

The apparatus as set forth in claim 1, wherein said comparison means compares the data in the (m-i)-th transfer stage and the data in the (m+i+1)-th transfer stage, counting from one transfer stage out of said plurality of transfer stages which last receives transfer of said data, where m is a constant, and i is an integer of i≧0.

Claim 4

The apparatus as set forth in claim 1, wherein said comparison means generates a comparison output at every said transfer, and said apparatus further comprises a pair of accumulating means for individually and separately accumulating the comparison outputs which have been alternately received.

Claim 5

The apparatus as set forth in claim 3, further comprising means for comparing said accumulated values relative to each other.

Claim 6

The apparatus as set forth in claim 1, wherein one of the transfer stages of said selected pair is the final transfer stage out of said plurality of transfer stages, which last receives the transfer of said data, and the remaining transfer stage of said selected pair is a transfer stage preceding the final transfer stage.

Claim 9

The apparatus as set forth in claim 6, further comprising a plurality of counter means connected with each of said plurality of comparison means.

Claim 10

The apparatus as set forth in claim 7, further comprising means for comparing the contents of said plurality of counter means.

Claim 11

The apparatus as set forth in claim 6, wherein the data number N in said first set of data and the data number M in said second set of data hava a relationship of N≠M, and said plurality of comparison means compare each of the data in a plurality of transfer stages out of those transfer stages between the M-th and N-th order counting from said reference transfer stage with data in said reference transfer stage.

Claim 12

The apparatus as set forth in claim 9, wherein said data number N and said data number M have a relationship of N>M, and said each data is transferred, after its passage through said reference transfer stage, into each of a plurality of transfer stages which have received and stored therein the data to be compared by said comparison means.

Claim 13

In a range finding apparatus of a construction comprising an array made up of a plurality of photoelectric converting elements disposed on or in the vicinity of an optical image forming plane of first and second light beams which are emitted from one and the same object and have passed through spatially different regions, wherein the array is so arranged that relative positions on said array of an optical image formed by said first light beam and an optical image formed by said second light beam vary in response to variations in a distance from said object, and wherein first and second sets of data, each being composed of a plurality of data, are produced from said photoelectric converting elements with respect to said first and second light beams, an apparatus for determining correlation between said first and second sets of data comprising: (a) shift register means including a plurality of transfer stages to individually receive therein each said data, and transferring the data received in each of said transfer stages in succession to the subsequent transfer stage; (b) input means for introducing each of the data in said first and second sets of data into said shift register means alternately relative to said first and second sets of data in synchronization with said transfer; and (c) comparison means to mutually compare the data in a selected pair of transfer stages from among said plurality of transfer stages in said shift register means, with none or an even number of transfer stages being interposed between them.

Claim 14

In a range finding apparatus of a construction comprising an array made up of a plurality of photoelectric converting elements disposed on or in the vicinity of an optical image forming plane of first and second light beams which are emitted from one and the same object and have passed through spatially different regions, wherein the array is so arranged that relative positions on said array of an optical image formed by said first light beam and an optical image formed by said second light beam vary in response to variations in a distance from said object, and wherein first and second sets of data, each being composed of a plurality of data, are produced from said photoelectric converting elements with respect to said first and second light beams, an apparatus for determining correlation between said first and second sets of data comprising: (a) shift register means including a plurality of transfer stages to individually receive therein each said data, and transferring the data received in each of said transfer stages in succession to the subsequent transfer stage; (b) input means for introducing each of the data in said first and second sets of data into said shift register means alternately relative to said first and second sets of data in synchronization with said transfer; and (c) comparison means to mutually compare the data in a selected pair of transfer stages from among said plurality of transfer stages in said shift register means, with none or an even number of transfer stages being interposed between them.

Claim 15

In a range finding apparatus of a construction comprising an array made up of a plurality of photoelectric converting elements disposed on or in the vicinity of an optical image forming plane of first and second light beams which are emitted from one and the same object and have passed through spatially different regions, wherein the array is so arranged that relative positions on said array of an optical image formed by said first light beam and an optical image formed by said second light beam vary in response to variations in a distance from said object, and wherein a first set of data composed on N-number of data relative to said first light beam and a second set of data composed of M-number of data relative to said second light beam are produced from said photoelectric converting elements, an apparatus for determining correlation between said first and second sets of data comprising: (a) shift register means including at least N+1 number of transfer stages to individually receive each of said data, and transferring the data received in each of said transfer stages in succession to the subsequent stage; (b) input means for introducing each of said data in said first set of data into said shift register means, and subsequently introducing each of said data in said second set of data into said shift register means; and (c) a plurality of comparison means for comparing, at every said transfer, the data in one reference transfer stage out of the transfer stages in said shift register means and each of the data in a plurality of other transfer stages out of those transfer stages, wherein at least M-1 number of transfer stages are disposed between each of said other transfer stages and said reference transfer state.

Claim 16

In a range finding apparatus of a construction comprising an array made up of a plurality of photoelectric converting elements disposed on or in the vicinity of an optical image forming plane of first and second light beams which are emitted from one and the same object and have passed through spatially different regions, wherein the array is so arranged that relative positions on said array of an optical image formed by said first light beam and an optical image formed by said second light beam vary in response to variations in a distance from said object, and wherein a first set of data composed on N-number of data relative to said first light beam and a second set of data composed of M-number of data relative to said second light beam are produced from said photoelectric converting elements, an apparatus for determining correlation between said first and second sets of data comprising: (a) shift register means including at least N+1 number of transfer stages to individually receive each of said data, and transferring the data received in each of said transfer stages in succession to the subsequent stage; (b) input means for introducing each of said data in said first set of data into said shift register means, and subsequently introducing each of said data in said second set of data into said shift register means; and (c) a plurality of comparison means for comparing, at every said transfer, the data in one reference transfer stage out of the transfer stages in said shift register means and each of the data in a plurality of other transfer stages out of those transfer stages, wherein at least M-1 number of transfer stages are disposed between each of said other transfer stages and said reference transfer state.