Detection method and detection device

Abstract

According to the present embodiment, a detection device includes a transmission section that outputs a pulse signal, and a reception section that receives and processes a reflection signal formed by reflection of the pulse signal from a target, wherein the reception section includes a sampling and expansion section that samples the received signal and expands the duration of the sampled value to form an expanded signal having a frequency lower than the frequency of the reflection signal.

Description

[0001] Cross-reference to related applications

[0002] This application claims priority and benefit to Korean Patent Application No. 10-2020-0175279, filed on December 15, 2021, the disclosure of which is incorporated herein by reference in its entirety. Technical Field

[0003] This invention relates to detection methods and detection devices. Background Technology

[0004] Detection devices for detecting people, animals, or external objects are under continuous development. These technologies include methods that acquire and process images by optically identifying external objects, or methods that identify objects by emitting radio waves. Summary of the Invention

[0005] Techniques for optically identifying external objects are sensitive to changes in the external environment, and the accuracy of detection is affected by these changes. Furthermore, since image quality is affected by optical elements such as lenses used to acquire the image, expensive optical components are required to ensure the reliability of the detection results.

[0006] In the case of transmitting radio waves and detecting the signal reflected from an object, both the transmitted radio waves and the signal reflected from the object have high frequencies. In order to detect and analyze these, high-speed samplers, high-speed analog-to-digital converters, etc. are required, which are very expensive.

[0007] This embodiment aims to address the difficulties of the prior art. Specifically, one of the technical problems this embodiment seeks to solve is to provide a technology capable of detecting external objects using non-optical methods, and to provide a technology capable of detecting objects, their movement, and their shapes with high accuracy without using expensive components.

[0008] The detection apparatus according to this embodiment includes: a transmitting unit that outputs a pulse signal; and a receiving unit that receives and processes a reflected signal formed by the pulse signal reflecting from a target. The receiving unit includes: a sampling and expansion unit that samples the received reflected signal and expands the duration of the sampled value to form an expanded signal having a frequency lower than that of the reflected signal.

[0009] According to one aspect of this embodiment, the target is any one or more of animals and objects outside the detection device, or human movement.

[0010] According to one aspect of this embodiment, the receiving unit includes: a sampling and expansion unit, including a plurality of unit sampling and expansion circuits, wherein the unit sampling and expansion circuit includes: an input node for inputting the reflected signal; an output node for outputting the expanded signal; a storage element for storing the sampled value of the reflected signal; a sampling switch connected between the input node and the storage element for sampling the reflected signal; and an expansion switch connected between the storage element and the output node for outputting the expanded signal.

[0011] According to one aspect of this embodiment, in the plurality of unit sampling and expansion circuits, each of the input nodes is connected to each other, and each of the output nodes is connected to each other.

[0012] According to one aspect of this embodiment, the sampling switch operates via a sampling clock, and the extension switch operates via an extension clock having a frequency lower than the sampling clock, and outputs the value stored in the storage element to form the extended signal.

[0013] According to one aspect of this embodiment, the receiving unit further includes: an analog-to-digital converter, which receives the extended signal and forms a corresponding digital code.

[0014] According to one aspect of this embodiment, the detection device further includes: a neural network circuit that receives the digital code and detects the motion of the target corresponding to the digital code.

[0015] According to one aspect of this embodiment, the detection device further includes a low-noise amplifier (LNA) that receives a signal reflected from the target and amplifies the signal to form the reflected signal.

[0016] According to one aspect of this embodiment, the detection device further includes: a timing control unit, comprising: a time-to-digital converter (TDC) that generates a corresponding digital code at the moment when the sampling and expansion unit begins sampling; and a sampling clock generator that receives the digital code and generates a plurality of sampling clocks starting from the moment when sampling begins.

[0017] According to one aspect of this embodiment, the timing control unit divides the reflected signal into multiple time intervals, the timing control unit controls the time-to-digital converter to generate digital codes corresponding to the start times of each divided interval, and the sampling clock forming unit receives the digital codes corresponding to the start times of the divided intervals, and forms and outputs multiple sampling clocks starting from the start times of the divided intervals.

[0018] The detection method according to this embodiment includes: a step of transmitting a pulse signal; a step of receiving a reflected signal formed by the pulse signal reflecting from a target; and a sampling and expansion step of sampling the reflected signal and expanding the reflected signal to form an expanded signal having a frequency lower than that of the reflected signal.

[0019] According to one aspect of this embodiment, the target is any one or more of animals and objects outside the detection device, or human movement.

[0020] According to one aspect of this embodiment, the sampling and expansion steps include: sampling the reflected signal using a sampling clock; and outputting the sampled value at a frequency lower than the sampling clock to form the expanded signal, wherein the sampled value is any bit of the reflected signal quantized, and the sampling step and the step of forming the expanded signal are performed multiple times.

[0021] According to one aspect of this embodiment, the sampling step is performed by controlling a switch at the moment the sampling clock is provided to store the value of the reflected signal, and the step of forming the extended signal is performed by outputting the value of the sampled reflected signal via a switch that is turned on at a frequency lower than the sampling clock.

[0022] According to one aspect of this embodiment, a pre-charging process is performed before the step of sampling the reflected signal.

[0023] According to one aspect of this embodiment, after the step of forming the extended signal, the step further includes receiving the extended signal and forming a corresponding digital code.

[0024] According to one aspect of this embodiment, the detection method further includes the step of receiving the digital code by a neural network circuit and detecting the motion of the target corresponding to the digital code.

[0025] According to one aspect of this embodiment, in the detection method, the reflected signal is formed by amplifying the signal reflected from the target using a low-noise amplifier.

[0026] According to one aspect of this embodiment, the detection method further includes the steps of: generating a digital code corresponding to the time from the moment the pulse signal is output to the moment the reflected signal is received; and forming a plurality of sampling clocks corresponding to the digital code starting from the moment the reflected signal is received.

[0027] According to one aspect of this embodiment, the detection method includes: dividing the reflected signal into multiple time intervals; generating digital codes corresponding to the start times of each of the divided intervals; receiving digital codes corresponding to the start times of the divided intervals, and forming and outputting multiple sampling clocks starting from the start times of the divided intervals.

[0028] According to this embodiment, the motion and shape of an object can be detected with high accuracy without using expensive components. Attached Figure Description

[0029] Figure 1 This is a schematic diagram of the detection method according to this embodiment.

[0030] Figure 2 This is a schematic diagram of the detection device according to this embodiment.

[0031] Figure 3 This is a schematic block diagram of the sending section.

[0032] Figure 4 This is a schematic diagram of a pulse signal generated and transmitted by the transmitting unit.

[0033] Figure 5 It is a schematic timing diagram used to illustrate the operation of the receiving unit.

[0034] Figure 6 This is a schematic block diagram of the sampling and expansion circuit section according to this embodiment.

[0035] Explanation of reference numerals in the attached figures

[0036] 10: Detection device

[0037] 100: Receiving unit; 110: Sampling and expansion unit

[0038] 120: Digital-to-Analog Converter (ADC) 200: Timing Control Unit

[0039] 210: Time-to-Digital Converter (TDC) 220: Clock Forming Unit

[0040] 500: Sending unit; 510: Edge forming unit

[0041] 520: Window Generator 530: Push-Pull Level Detailed Implementation

[0042] The following description of this embodiment is based on the accompanying drawings. Figure 1 This is a schematic diagram of the detection method according to this embodiment, and Figure 2 This is a schematic diagram of the detection device according to this embodiment. (Refer to...) Figure 1 and Figure 2 The detection method according to this embodiment includes: a step of transmitting a pulse signal (S100); a step of receiving a reflected signal formed by the pulse signal reflected from the target (S200); and a sampling and expansion step (S300) of sampling the reflected signal and expanding the reflected signal to form an extended signal Se having a frequency lower than that of the reflected signal.

[0043] The detection device 10 includes a transmitting unit 500 that outputs a pulse signal and a receiving unit 100 that receives and processes a reflected signal formed by the pulse signal reflected from the target T. The receiving unit 100 includes a sampling and expansion unit 110 that samples the received signal and expands the duration of the sampled value to form an expanded signal with a frequency lower than that of the reflected signal.

[0044] As one embodiment, the detection device 10 further includes a timing control unit 200, which includes a time-to-digital converter (TDC) 210 and a clock generator 220.

[0045] Figure 3 This is a schematic block diagram of the transmitting unit 500, and Figure 4 This is a schematic diagram of the pulse signal I generated and transmitted by the transmitting unit 500. (Refer to...) Figure 3 and Figure 4 The transmitting unit 500 may include an edge forming unit 510, a window generator 520, and a push-pull stage 530. In an embodiment not shown, the transmitting unit 500 may further include a power amplifier for amplifying the pulse signal I to a power sufficient for wireless transmission and an antenna.

[0046] The edge forming unit 510 receives the clock signal CLK and delays the clock signal CLK to form an edge, and outputs the edge to the window generator 520. In the illustrated embodiment, the reference edge of the clock signal CLK for forming the edge is a rising edge. The edge is provided to the window generator 520 to form a window. The clock signal CLK is provided to the window generator 520.

[0047] Window generator 520 delays edges by at least one delay unit to a predetermined delay time and combines multiple edges corresponding to the delayed edges to form a window. The formed window may have a configuration consisting of multiple rising and falling edges. The window is provided to a pulse generator, and in one embodiment, the pulse generator outputs the formed window to a push-pull stage 530 and controls the bias current of the push-pull stage 530.

[0048] The push-pull stage 530 receives the window and generates and outputs a pulse signal I with an amplitude corresponding to the magnitude of the bias current.

[0049] like Figure 4 As shown, the transmitting unit 500 can transmit signals with a duration t longer than the pulse signal I. i Long duration dead time t d It is appended to pulse signal I and transmitted (S100). As described below, during the dead time t d The internal execution extension receives the reflected signal Rx (see Figure 5 The process of ), therefore, the dead time t d The process has sufficient duration to execute the extended reflected signal Rx.

[0050] As one embodiment, one period t of the signal transmitted by the transmitting unit 500 p It can be the duration t of the pulse signal I. i 100 to 1000 times. For example, when the duration t of the pulse signal I... i When the time is 2nsec, one period t of the signal p It can be any value between 200 nsec and 2 μsec. For example... Figure 2 As shown, the transmitting unit 500 can output a start signal s to the timing control unit 200 at the same time as transmitting the signal.

[0051] The transmitted signal undergoes a waveform change and is reflected at the target T. As an example, the target T can be any object, such as a person or animal, located outside the detection device 10. Furthermore, the target T can be part of an object, such as a person's hand. The waveform of the signal transmitted by the transmitting unit 500 changes according to the state of the target, such as a hand gesture, fist, or cloth. This allows for the detection of various postures, including hand gestures, hand movements, body postures, and movements of the body.

[0052] Furthermore, the target T can be an object such as a person or an animal, and the signal output by the transmitting unit 500 can change according to the movement of the object, and the movement of the target T can be detected by detecting this.

[0053] Figure 5 This is a schematic timing diagram used to illustrate the operation of the receiving unit 100. (Refer to...) Figures 1 to 5 ,exist Figure 5 In the figure, the reflected signal that changes and is reflected at target T is shown as Rx. As shown in the figure, it can be seen that the waveform of the changed reflected signal Rx changes according to the target's motion, shape, etc.

[0054] The time-to-digital converter 210 receives the start signal s provided by the transmitting unit 500 before the first cycle P1, detects the time difference t1 up to the time difference t1 before receiving the reflected signal Rx, and forms and outputs a digital code corresponding to the time difference t1. The clock forming unit 220 receives the digital code output by the time-to-digital converter 210, and provides a sampling clock CLKs in the first cycle P1 starting from the time of receiving the reflected signal Rx, so that the receiving unit 100 can perform sampling of the reflected signal Rx.

[0055] like Figure 5 As shown, the reflected signal Rx can be divided into multiple intervals, and the reflected signal Rx can be sampled for each interval. For example, the pulse signal I transmitted by the transmitting unit 500 can be reflected from the target T, causing its duration to extend. For example, when the duration of the pulse signal I transmitted by the transmitting unit 500 is 2 nsec, the duration of the reflected signal Rx can extend to more than 3 nsec. In this case, it may be difficult to sample all the reflected signals whose duration extends during one period. Therefore, the reflected signal can be divided into multiple intervals and sampled for each interval.

[0056] The following example illustrates this embodiment by dividing the reflected signal into two intervals. However, this is merely an example, and the reflected signal may not be divided, or it may be divided into three or more intervals for sampling.

[0057] When the time-to-digital converter 210 calculates the initial time of each interval and provides a digital code, the clock forming unit 220 receives the digital code and forms and provides a sampling clock CLKs so that the receiving unit 100 can start sampling from the calculated initial time. By dividing the reflected signal into multiple intervals and sampling for each interval, the reflected signal Rx can be sampled more sensitively and accurately.

[0058] Figure 6 This is a block diagram of the sampling and expansion unit 110 according to this embodiment. (Refer to...) Figure 6The sampling and expansion unit 110 includes multiple unit sampling and expansion circuits 110a, 110b, ..., 110n. Each of the unit sampling and expansion circuits 110a, 110b, ..., 110n includes: an input node Input, for receiving the reflected signal Rx; and an output node Output, for outputting the extended signal Se (see [reference]) formed by expanding the sampled reflected signal Rxs. Figure 5 The system includes: a storage element C that stores the voltage formed by sampling the reflected signal Rx; a sampling switch SWs connected between the input node Input and the storage element C, which samples the reflected signal Rx; and an extension switch SWe connected between the storage element C and the output node Output, which outputs an extension signal Se.

[0059] As one embodiment, the sampling switch SWs receives a sampling clock CLKs from the clock forming unit 220 and samples the reflected signal Rx, while the expansion switch SWe receives an expansion clock CLKe with a frequency lower than the sampling clock CLKs from the clock forming unit 220 and expands the sampled reflected signal Rxs to form an expansion signal Se. As one embodiment, the sampling clock has a frequency of 33 GHz, and each of the sampling switches can operate at a speed of approximately 30 psec. Additionally, the expansion clock can operate at a frequency of 50 MHz, and the frequencies of both the sampling clock and the expansion clock can be adjusted.

[0060] Now examine the operation of the sampling and expansion unit 110. This is achieved via a low-noise amplifier (LNA) (see...). Figure 2 The amplified reflected signal Rx is input to the receiving unit 100 through the input node Input. The input nodes of the unit sampling and expansion circuits 110a, 110b, ..., 110n are all connected to the input node Input of the sampling and expansion unit 110. Furthermore, the output nodes of the unit sampling and expansion circuits 110a, ... are all connected to the output node of the sampling and expansion unit 110.

[0061] As the reflected signal Rx is input to the input node, the sampling clock CLKs is provided to the control electrode of the sampling switch SWs, and the charge generated by the reflected signal Rx is stored in the storage element C, forming a voltage of the reflected signal Rx at the sampling moment in the storage element C. As an example, when the sampling switch SWs is on, the reflected signal Rx is continuously provided to the storage element C, and when the sampling switch SWs is turned off by the sampling clock CLKs, the charge generated by the reflected signal Rx at the sampling moment can be stored in the storage element C and sampled.

[0062] In another embodiment, although the sampling switch SWs is in the off state, as the sampling switch SWs is turned on by the sampling clock CLKs, the charge generated by the reflected signal Rx can be stored in the storage element C, and the reflected signal Rx at the sampling time can be sampled.

[0063] After a unit sampling and expansion circuit 110a completes sampling of the reflected signal Rx, the clock forming unit 220 provides a sampling clock CLKs to another unit sampling and expansion circuit 110b to perform sampling of the reflected signal Rx, and can perform the sampling process until the sampling process of a predetermined number of unit sampling and expansion circuits is completed.

[0064] As charge is stored in storage element C, a voltage is formed in storage element C. When the clock forming unit 220 generates an extended clock CLKe and provides it to the control electrode of the extended switch SWI, the extended switch SWI turns on, thereby outputting the voltage formed in storage element C to the output node Output. Since the on and off of the extended switch SWI is controlled by the extended clock CLKe, if the pulse width and frequency of the extended clock CLKe are sufficiently controlled, then... Figure 5 As shown, the sampled reflected signal Rxs can be extended to have the desired duration.

[0065] As one embodiment, the interval between the edges of the extension clock CLKe provided to each extension switch SWe can be set to enable the extension operation to be performed during the dead time of the pulse. For example, if the sampling and extension unit 110 includes 40 extension switches SWe, and the interval between the extension clock CLKe provided to each extension switch SWe is maintained at 20ns, the signal will be restored to 50MHz, and all extensions can be performed within the system clock of 1us, including the dead time.

[0066] As an embodiment of the sampling and expansion process, when the sampling process of the unit sampling and expansion circuit 110a is completed, the sampling process of the unit sampling and expansion circuit 110b is executed. As described above, after the sampling of the unit sampling and expansion circuits 110a, 110b, ..., 110n in the sampling and expansion unit 110 is completed, the expanded signal Se can be sequentially output starting from the unit sampling and expansion circuit 110a. By sequentially executing the output of the sampled and expanded signals, the logic of the timing control unit 200 can be easily implemented.

[0067] As another embodiment of the sampling and expansion process, when the sampling process of the unit sampling and expansion circuit 110a is completed, the sampling process of the unit sampling and expansion circuit 110b can be executed. At this time, while the sampling process of the unit sampling and expansion circuit 110b is being executed, the unit sampling and expansion circuit 110a can output an expanded signal Se. By executing the output of the sampling and expansion signal in a pipelined manner in this way, the effects of charge leakage from the storage element C can be mitigated.

[0068] As an example, before performing sampling using the unit sampling and expansion circuits 110a, 110b, ..., 110n, the sampling and expansion unit 110 may also perform a preparation process to charge the storage element C to a predetermined voltage.

[0069] Next, in the second cycle P2, sampling and expansion of the next interval of the reflected signal Rx are performed. As described above, in the first cycle P1, the time-to-digital converter 210 forms and outputs a code corresponding to the time difference t1 between the time of receiving the start signal s and the time of receiving the reflected signal Rx. The clock forming unit 220 receives the code and provides the sampling clock CLKs after the time difference t1.

[0070] In the second cycle P2, the time-to-digital converter 210 adds the time difference t1 to the sampling time ts performed in the first cycle P1 to calculate the start time t2 of the second cycle P2 and forms a code corresponding to t2. The clock forming unit 220 receives the code corresponding to t2 and provides a sampling clock CLKs to the unit sampling and expansion circuits 110a, 110b, ..., 110n after the time difference t2 to perform sampling and signal expansion.

[0071] As the unit sampling and expansion circuits 110a, 110b, ..., 110n sequentially output the extended signal Se, the extended signal Se, expanded from the sampled reflected signal Rx, is formed at the output node Output of the sampling and expansion unit 110 and input to the analog-to-digital converter (ADC) 120. The ADC 120 forms and outputs a digital code corresponding to the input extended signal Se.

[0072] As an example, the analog-to-digital converter 120 can store the code formed in the first cycle P1 and can add the code formed in the second cycle P2 together to form and output the code corresponding to the reflected signal.

[0073] Neural Network Circuit 600 (see) Figure 2The system receives digital codes output from the analog-to-digital converter 120 and detects targets corresponding to the input digital codes. As an example, the neural network circuit 600 may be a neural network circuit that has been pre-learned based on the pattern of the code of the target to be detected.

[0074] For example, the neural network circuit 600 can learn from body postures and movements such as hand movements and finger movements, and can receive codes output by the analog-to-digital converter 120, and can recognize corresponding postures and movements and output corresponding signals.

[0075] As another example, the neural network circuit 600 can learn from people, animals, or objects, and can receive codes output by the analog-to-digital converter 120. It can also identify whether the corresponding object is a person, animal, or other object and output corresponding signals. Furthermore, it can learn from the movement of the object and identify the movement of the object and output corresponding signals.

[0076] In this embodiment, the signal transmitted to the target is a high-speed pulse. Since the signal altered and reflected at the target by the high-speed pulse signal has the same frequency as the pulse signal, an expensive high-speed analog-to-digital converter is required for detection. However, according to this embodiment, the extended signal has a lower frequency than both the pulse signal and the reflected signal. Therefore, an advantage of this invention is that a digital code corresponding to the reflected signal sampled at high resolution can be formed without using an expensive high-speed analog-to-digital converter.

[0077] The invention has been described with reference to the embodiments shown in the accompanying drawings to aid in understanding, but these are merely embodiments for implementation and are exemplary only. Those skilled in the art will understand that various modifications and equivalent embodiments can be made therefrom. Therefore, the true scope of protection of this invention should be determined by the appended claims.

Claims

1. A detection device, comprising: The transmitting unit outputs a pulse signal, and along with the pulse signal output by the transmitting unit, it outputs a start signal; as well as The receiving unit receives and processes the reflected signal formed by the pulse signal reflecting off the target. The receiving unit includes: The sampling and expansion unit samples the received reflected signal and extends the duration of the sampled values ​​to form an expanded signal with a frequency lower than that of the reflected signal. The detection device further includes a timing control unit, which includes: A time-to-digital converter generates a digital code corresponding to the time interval between the received signals of the initial signal and the reflected signal, and the digital code corresponds to the moment when the sampling and expansion unit begins sampling. The sampling clock forming unit receives the digital code and forms multiple sampling clocks starting from the moment sampling begins. The timing control unit divides the reflected signal into multiple time intervals. The timing control unit controls the time-to-digital converter to generate digital codes corresponding to the start times of each segmented interval. The sampling clock forming unit receives digital codes corresponding to the start time of the divided intervals, and forms and outputs multiple sampling clocks starting from the start time of the divided intervals. The receiving unit includes: The sampling and expansion section includes multiple unit sampling and expansion circuits. The unit sampling and expansion circuit includes: Input node, for inputting the reflected signal; The output node outputs the extended signal; Storage element for storing sampled values ​​of the reflected signal; A sampling switch, connected between the input node and the storage element, samples the reflected signal; and An extension switch is connected between the storage element and the output node and outputs the extension signal.

2. The detection device according to claim 1, wherein, The target is any one or more of the following: animals and objects outside the detection device, and human movement.

3. The detection device according to claim 1, wherein, In the plurality of unit sampling and expansion circuits, Each of the input nodes is connected to each other, and Each of the output nodes is connected to the others.

4. The detection device according to claim 1, wherein, The sampling switch is operated via a sampling clock, and The extended switch operates with an extended clock having a frequency lower than the sampling clock and outputs the value stored in the storage element to form the extended signal.

5. The detection device according to claim 1, wherein, The receiving unit further includes: An analog-to-digital converter receives the extended signal and generates a corresponding digital code.

6. The detection device according to claim 1, further comprising: A neural network circuit receives the digital code and detects the motion of the target corresponding to the digital code.

7. The detection device according to claim 1, further comprising: A low-noise amplifier receives the signal reflected from the target and amplifies the signal to form the reflected signal.

8. A detection method, comprising: The steps of transmitting a pulse signal and outputting a start signal; The step of receiving a reflected signal formed by the pulse signal reflected from the target; The step of generating a digital code corresponding to the time period between receiving the start signal and receiving the reflected signal; The steps include: generating multiple sampling clocks corresponding to the digital code starting from the moment the reflected signal is received; and sampling and expanding the reflected signal to form an expanded signal having a frequency lower than that of the reflected signal. The detection method further includes: The step of dividing the reflected signal into multiple time intervals; The steps for generating numerical codes corresponding to the start times of each segmented interval; and The steps include receiving a digital code corresponding to the start time of the segmented interval, and forming and outputting a plurality of sampling clocks starting from the start time of the segmented interval. The sampling and expansion steps include: The step of sampling the reflected signal using a sampling clock; and The step of generating the extended signal by outputting sampled values ​​at a frequency lower than the sampling clock. Wherein, the sampled value is any bit of the quantized reflected signal, and The sampling step and the step of forming the extended signal are performed multiple times. The sampling step is performed by controlling a switch at the moment the sampling clock is provided, thereby storing the value of the reflected signal. The step of forming the extended signal is performed by outputting the value of the sampled reflected signal via a switch that is turned on at a frequency lower than the sampling clock.

9. The detection method according to claim 8, wherein, The target is any one or more of the following: animals and objects outside the detection device, and human movement.

10. The detection method according to claim 8, wherein, A pre-charging process is performed before the step of sampling the reflected signal.

11. The detection method according to claim 8, wherein, After the step of forming the extended signal, the method further includes the step of receiving the extended signal and forming a corresponding digital code.

12. The detection method according to claim 11, further comprising: The steps of receiving the digital code by a neural network circuit and detecting the motion of the target corresponding to the digital code.

13. The detection method according to claim 8, wherein, The reflected signal is formed by amplifying the signal reflected from the target using a low-noise amplifier.

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