Photoelectric detection device, control method, electronic device, and storage medium

Abstract

This invention discloses a photoelectric detection device, a control method, an electronic device, and a storage medium. The photoelectric detection device is configured to emit a sensing light signal at a first emission power and perform three-dimensional information detection on objects within a first detection distance in a detection range. The photoelectric detection device is also configured to emit a sensing light signal at a second emission power and detect the presence of objects within a second detection distance in the detection range. The first detection distance is greater than the second detection distance, and the first emission power is higher than the second emission power. The photoelectric detection device includes a power adjustment unit, configured to, when an object is detected within the second detection distance, control the photoelectric detection device to stop emitting the sensing light signal to the object at the first emission power, or reduce the first emission power to a preset safe emission power value. This invention solves the technical problem of limited ranging distance caused by the need to protect human eye safety in related technologies.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] This invention relates to the field of photoelectric detection, and more specifically, to a photoelectric detection device, control method, electronic device, and storage medium. Background Technology

[0002] LiDAR uses the Time of Flight (ToF) measurement principle to detect the three-dimensional information of objects in space. It has advantages such as long sensing distance, high accuracy and low power consumption, and is widely used in consumer electronics, intelligent driving, AR / VR and other fields.

[0003] The intensity of the detection light emitted by a lidar during ranging is usually positively correlated with the distance to be measured. However, in practical applications, to protect human eyes and prevent damage from direct eye contact with the lidar, the lidar limits its maximum emission power, thus restricting the ranging distance. Summary of the Invention

[0004] This invention provides a photoelectric detection device, a control method, an electronic device, and a storage medium to at least solve the technical problem of limited ranging distance caused by the need to protect human eye safety in related technologies.

[0005] According to one aspect of the present invention, a photoelectric detection device is provided, the photoelectric detection device being configured to emit a sensing light signal at a first emission power and perform three-dimensional information detection on an object within a first detection distance in a detection range; the photoelectric detection device is further configured to emit a sensing light signal at a second emission power and detect the presence of an object within a second detection distance in the detection range, wherein the first detection distance is greater than the second detection distance, and the first emission power is higher than the second emission power; the photoelectric detection device includes a control module, the control module including a power adjustment unit, the power adjustment unit being configured to, when an object is detected within the second detection distance, control the photoelectric detection device to stop emitting a sensing light signal to the object at the first emission power, or reduce the first emission power to a preset safe emission power value.

[0006] According to another aspect of the present invention, a control method for a photoelectric detection device is provided. The method includes: controlling the photoelectric detection device to emit a sensing light signal at a first emission power to perform three-dimensional information detection of an object within a first detection distance in a detection range; controlling the photoelectric detection device to emit a sensing light signal at a second emission power to detect the presence of an object within a second detection distance in the detection range; wherein the first detection distance is greater than the second detection distance, and the first emission power is higher than the second emission power; when an object is detected within the second detection distance, controlling the photoelectric detection device to stop emitting a sensing light signal to the object at the first emission power, or reducing the first emission power to a preset safe emission power value.

[0007] According to another aspect of the present invention, an electronic device is also provided, including the photoelectric detection device as described in any of the above embodiments, the electronic device further including an application module configured to perform corresponding functions based on the detection results of the photoelectric detection device.

[0008] According to another aspect of the present invention, a computer-readable storage medium is also provided, wherein a computer program is stored in the computer program, wherein the computer program is configured to execute the control method of the photoelectric detection device described above when running.

[0009] In this embodiment of the invention, the photoelectric detection device is configured to emit a sensing light signal at a first emission power and perform three-dimensional information detection on objects within a first detection distance in the detection range. The photoelectric detection device is also configured to emit a sensing light signal at a second emission power and detect the presence of objects within a second detection distance in the detection range. The first detection distance is greater than the second detection distance, and the first emission power is higher than the second emission power. The photoelectric detection device includes a control module, which includes a power adjustment unit. The power adjustment unit is configured to, when an object is detected within the second detection distance, control the photoelectric detection device to stop emitting a sensing light signal to the object at the first emission power, or to reduce the first emission power to a preset safe emission power value. In the above device, since determining whether an object exists within the detection range of the photoelectric detection device provides a condition for adjusting the power of the photoelectric detection device, the emission power of the ranging lidar can be precisely controlled. This achieves the effect of protecting human eye safety without affecting the ranging distance of the lidar, thereby solving the technical problem of limited ranging distance caused by protecting human eye safety in related technologies. Attached Figure Description

[0010] The accompanying drawings, which are included to provide a further understanding of the invention and form part of this application, illustrate exemplary embodiments of the invention and, together with their description, serve to explain the invention and do not constitute an undue limitation thereof. In the drawings:

[0011] Figure 1 This is a schematic diagram of an optional application environment for an electronic device according to an embodiment of the present invention;

[0012] Figure 2 This is a schematic diagram of the structure of an optional photoelectric detection device according to an embodiment of the present invention;

[0013] Figure 3 This is a schematic diagram of the structure of another optional photoelectric detection device according to an embodiment of the present invention;

[0014] Figure 4 This is a schematic diagram of the structure of another optional photoelectric detection device according to an embodiment of the present invention;

[0015] Figure 5 This is a statistical histogram of time-of-flight measurements of multiple reflected pulses detected by a photosensitive pixel according to an embodiment of the present invention;

[0016] Figure 6 This is a schematic diagram of the detection module structure of an optional photoelectric detection device according to an embodiment of the present invention;

[0017] Figure 7 This is a schematic diagram of the detection module structure of another optional photoelectric detection device according to an embodiment of the present invention;

[0018] Figure 8 This is a schematic diagram of the detection module structure of another optional photoelectric detection device according to an embodiment of the present invention;

[0019] Figure 9 This is a schematic diagram of the structure of another optional photoelectric detection device according to an embodiment of the present invention;

[0020] Figure 10 This is a schematic diagram of the structure of another optional photoelectric detection device according to an embodiment of the present invention;

[0021] Figure 11 This is a schematic diagram of the structure of another optional photoelectric detection device according to an embodiment of the present invention;

[0022] Figure 12 This is a schematic diagram of the application environment of a detection module of an optional photoelectric detection device according to an embodiment of the present invention;

[0023] Figure 13 This is a schematic diagram of the application environment of the detection module of another optional photoelectric detection device according to an embodiment of the present invention;

[0024] Figure 14 This is a schematic diagram of the application environment of a detection module of another optional photoelectric detection device according to an embodiment of the present invention;

[0025] Figure 15 This is a schematic diagram of the structure of another optional photoelectric detection device according to an embodiment of the present invention;

[0026] Figure 16 This is a schematic diagram of the structure of another optional photoelectric detection device according to an embodiment of the present invention;

[0027] Figure 17 This is a schematic flowchart of a control method for an optional photoelectric detection device according to an embodiment of the present invention. Detailed Implementation

[0028] To enable those skilled in the art to better understand the present invention, the technical solutions of the present invention will be clearly and completely described below with reference to the accompanying drawings of the embodiments of the present invention. Obviously, the described embodiments are only some embodiments of the present invention, and not all embodiments. Based on the embodiments of the present invention, all other embodiments obtained by those skilled in the art without creative effort should fall within the scope of protection of the present invention.

[0029] It should be noted that the terms "first," "second," etc., in the specification, claims, and accompanying drawings of this invention are used to distinguish similar objects and are not necessarily used to describe a specific order or sequence. It should be understood that such data can be interchanged where appropriate so that embodiments of the invention described herein can be implemented in orders other than those illustrated or described herein. Furthermore, the terms "comprising" and "having," and any variations thereof, are intended to cover a non-exclusive inclusion; for example, a process, method, system, product, or apparatus that comprises a series of steps or units is not necessarily limited to those steps or units explicitly listed, but may include other steps or units not explicitly listed or inherent to such processes, methods, products, or apparatus.

[0030] Reference Figure 1 The electronic device 1 includes a photoelectric detection device 10. The photoelectric detection device 10 can detect objects 2 within a detection range to obtain three-dimensional information about the objects 2. The detection range can be defined as the three-dimensional spatial range within which the photoelectric detection device 10 can effectively perform three-dimensional detection. The three-dimensional information includes, but is not limited to, one or more of the following: proximity information of the object 2, depth information of the object's surface, distance information of the object, and spatial coordinate information of the object.

[0031] The electronic device 1 may further include an application module 20, which is configured to perform corresponding functions based on the detection results of the photoelectric detection device 10. These functions may include, but are not limited to: determining whether an object 2 is present within a preset detection range in front of the electronic device 1 based on its proximity information; controlling the electronic device 1 to avoid obstacles based on the distance information of the object 2; or performing 3D modeling, facial recognition, machine vision, etc., based on the depth information of the object 2's surface. The electronic device 1 may also include a processor 30 and a storage medium 40. The processor 30 receives and analyzes the light-sensing signals sent by the photoelectric detection device 10, and the storage medium 40 supports the storage needs of the photoelectric detection device 10 during operation.

[0032] Optionally, in some embodiments, the photoelectric detection device 10 may be, for example, a dToF measurement device for three-dimensional information sensing based on the direct time of flight (dToF) principle. The dToF measurement device can emit a sensing light signal within its detection range and receive the sensing light signal reflected back from the object 2 within the detection range. The time difference between the emission and reception times of the reflected sensing light signal is called the flight time t of the sensing light signal. The distance information between the dToF measurement device and the object 2 can be obtained by calculating half the distance traveled by the sensing light signal within the flight time t. Where c is the speed of light.

[0033] Optionally, in other embodiments, the photoelectric detection device 10 may also be an iToF measurement device that uses the indirect time of flight (iToF) measurement principle to sense three-dimensional information. The iToF measurement device obtains the three-dimensional information of the object 2 by comparing the phase difference between the emitted sensing light signal and the received reflected sensing light signal.

[0034] In the following embodiments, the three-dimensional information sensing performed by the photoelectric detection device 10 using the dToF measurement principle is mainly used as an example for illustration. It should be understood that this application is not limited to this, and the photoelectric detection device 10 can also perform sensing using emitted and received light based on other different sensing principles.

[0035] like Figure 2As shown, in some embodiments, the photoelectric detection device 10 includes a first detection module 102, a second detection module 104, and a control module 106. The first detection module 102 has a corresponding first detection range and is configured to detect the three-dimensional information of objects within the first detection range. The first detection module 102 has a first detection distance within the first detection range, which is the farthest distance from which the detection module can effectively perform detection within the corresponding detection range, starting from the detection module itself. The second detection module 104 is configured to perform three-dimensional detection on a portion of the first detection range smaller than a second detection distance, to determine the distribution of objects in the portion of the first detection range smaller than the second detection distance. The second detection distance is less than the first detection distance. The control module 106 is used to adjust the operating parameters used by the first detection module 102 to perform detection based on the detection results of the second detection module 104, for example, adjusting the emission power of the sensing light signal emitted by the first detection module 102 during detection based on the detection results of the second detection module 104. Therefore, the photoelectric detection device 10 can prevent damage to objects that are close to it within the first detection range when performing detection.

[0036] It should be understood that the emission power of the sensing light signal emitted by the first detection module 102 during detection is positively correlated with the required detection distance. That is, the sensing light signal emitted by the first detection module 102 needs to have the highest first emission power in order to detect the object at the farthest first detection distance.

[0037] It should be understood that the second detection distance can be set according to the eye safety distance that the first transmission power of the first detection module 102 needs to meet when performing detection at the farthest first detection distance, so that the first transmission power of the sensing light signal emitted by the first detection module 102 when performing detection at the first detection distance will not cause harm to the human eye beyond the second detection distance. That is, in this case, if it is determined that there is no object within a range less than the second detection distance in the optical path of the first detection module 102 emitting the sensing light signal, the first detection module 102 can emit the sensing light signal at the first transmission power required for detection at the first detection distance. If an object is found within a range less than the second detection distance in the optical path of the first detection module 102 emitting the sensing light signal, it is necessary to reduce the first transmission power of the sensing light signal emitted by the first detection module 102 when performing detection at the first detection distance.

[0038] Alternatively, in some embodiments, such as Figure 3As shown, the first detection module 102 includes a first light emitter 1022 and a first light receiver 1024. The first light emitter 1022 is configured to emit sensing light signals into a first detection range to detect three-dimensional information of objects within that range. A portion of the sensing light signal is reflected back by the object, carrying the object's three-dimensional information, while a portion of the reflected sensing light signal can be sensed by the first light receiver 1024 to obtain the object's three-dimensional information. The first light receiver 1024 is configured to sense light signals from the first detection range and output corresponding photosensitive signals. By analyzing these photosensitive signals, three-dimensional information detection of objects within the first detection range can be achieved. It is understood that the light signals sensed by the first light receiver 1024 can be photons, including photons of the sensing light signals reflected back by objects within the first detection range and photons of ambient light within the first detection range.

[0039] The second detection module 104 includes a second light emitter 1042 and a second light receiver 1044. The second detection module 104 has a corresponding second detection range. Based on a principle similar to the first detection module 102 described above, the second detection module 104 performs three-dimensional information detection on the second detection range. The spatial range included in the second detection range is greater than or equal to the spatial range included in the first detection range. In one or more embodiments, the second detection range includes most of the area of ​​the first detection range; for example, the second detection range includes more than 95% of the area of ​​the first detection range. The second detection module 104 has a second detection distance for the second detection range, which is the farthest distance that the second detection module 104 can detect within the second detection range. Since the second detection range includes most of the area of ​​the first detection range, the second detection module 104 can perform distance detection on areas within the first detection range smaller than the second detection distance to determine the distribution of objects within areas where the first detection range is smaller than the second detection distance. It should be understood that in some embodiments, the spatial range included by the second detection range may also be smaller than the spatial range included by the first detection range. For example, the second detection range may only include a small portion of the first detection range, and the second detection module 104 is configured to detect the distribution of objects in a portion of the first detection range that is smaller than the second detection distance.

[0040] The second light emitter 1042 emits a sensing light signal with a corresponding second emission power when performing detection within the second detection distance. This second emission power meets the safety requirements for eye protection when the second detection module 104 performs detection within the second detection distance. It should be understood that, since the second detection distance is less than the first detection distance, the second emission power of the sensing light signal emitted by the second light emitter 1042 is also less than the first emission power of the sensing light signal emitted by the first light emitter 1022.

[0041] The photoelectric detection device 10 further includes a processing module 108, which is configured to analyze and process the light sensing signal output by the corresponding first light receiver 1024 or second light receiver 1044 to obtain the three-dimensional information of the object within the corresponding detection range.

[0042] Optionally, in some embodiments, the photoelectric detection device 10 may use the same processing module 108 to analyze and process the light sensing signals output by the first light receiver 1024 and the second light receiver 1044 respectively to obtain the corresponding three-dimensional information.

[0043] Optionally, in some embodiments, the processing module 108 may be disposed on the photoelectric detection device 10. Optionally, in other embodiments, all or part of the functional units of the processing module 108 may also be disposed on the electronic device 1.

[0044] Specifically, in some embodiments, such as Figure 4 As shown, the photoelectric detection device 10 uses the dToF principle for three-dimensional detection. Correspondingly, the processing module 108 may include a counting unit 1082, a statistics unit 1084, a time-of-flight acquisition unit 1086, and a distance acquisition unit 1088. The counting unit 1082 is configured to accumulate counts in the corresponding time bins based on the time when the corresponding first light receiver 1024 and / or second light receiver 1044 sense the light signal and output a corresponding light-sensing signal. The time bins are the time units Δt used by the counting unit 1082 to record the generation time of the light-sensing signal, and can reflect the accuracy of the counting unit 1082 in recording the time of the light-sensing signal. The finer the time bins, the higher the accuracy of the recorded time. Optionally, the counting unit 1082 may include a time-to-digital converter (TDC) and a counting memory. The counting memory has counting storage space allocated according to the time bins. The TDC increments the counting storage space in the corresponding time bin by one for each time the generation time of a light-sensing signal is recorded. The statistical unit 1084 can be configured to perform statistical analysis on the cumulative light-sensing signal counts within each corresponding time bin to generate corresponding data. Figure 5 The statistical histogram shown is as follows. Figure 5 As shown, the horizontal axis of the statistical histogram represents the timestamp of each corresponding time bin, and the vertical axis represents the cumulative photosensitive signal count within each corresponding time bin. Optionally, the statistical unit 1084 can be a histogram circuit. It should be understood that the statistical unit 1084 performs statistical analysis on the cumulative photosensitive signal count corresponding to multiple emitted photosensitive light signals within a detection frame. To make the count mathematically statistically meaningful, the number of emitted photosensitive light signals within a detection frame can be as high as tens of thousands, hundreds of thousands, or even millions of times.

[0045] During the sensing process, a large number of ambient light photons are also sensed by the first optical receiver 1024 or the second optical receiver 1044, generating corresponding photosensitive signal counts. The probability of these ambient light photons being sensed and leaving a count in the corresponding time bin tends to be the same, forming a noise level within the detection range. In scenarios with high ambient light intensity, the average level of the measured noise level is relatively high; in scenarios with low ambient light intensity, the average level of the measured noise level is relatively low. Based on this, the photosensitive signal count generated by the sensed light signal reflected from the object is superimposed on the noise level, making the photosensitive signal count in the time bin corresponding to the moment the sensed light signal is sensed significantly higher than the photosensitive signal counts in other time bins, thus forming a prominent signal peak. It is understood that the height of the signal peak count is affected by factors such as the optical power of the sensed light signal, the reflectivity of the object, and the detection range of the photoelectric detection device 10; the width of the signal peak is affected by factors such as the pulse width of the emitted sensed light signal, the photoelectric conversion element of the optical receiver, and the time jitter of the TDC. Therefore, the time-of-flight acquisition unit 1086 can be configured to identify a signal peak in the statistical histogram and obtain the flight time of the relevant sensing light signal reflected back by the object based on the time difference between the timestamp t1 of the time bin corresponding to the peak value of the signal peak and the emission time t0 (not shown) of the relevant sensing light signal that generated the signal peak. The distance acquisition unit 1088 can be configured to obtain distance information between the object reflecting the relevant sensing light signal and the photoelectric detection device 10 based on the flight time of the relevant sensing light signal determined by the statistical histogram, for example, the line distance between the object within the detection range and the photoelectric detection device 10.

[0046] Optionally, in some embodiments, the processing module 108 is respectively disposed on the first detection module 102 and the second detection module 104. For example: Figure 6 As shown, the first detection module 102 further includes a first processing module 1026, such as... Figure 7As shown, the second detection module 104 further includes a second processing module 1046. Correspondingly, the first processing module 1026 includes a first counting unit 1026a, a first statistical unit 1026b, a first time-of-flight acquisition unit 1026c, and a first distance acquisition unit 1026d. The first processing module 1026 can obtain the three-dimensional information of the object within the first detection range by analyzing and processing the photosensitive signal output by the first light receiver 1024 sensing the light signal. Thus, the three-dimensional information obtained by the first processing module 1026 can be used as the result of the photoelectric detection device 10 performing three-dimensional detection on the object within the first detection range. The second processing module 1046 includes a second counting unit 1046a, a second statistical unit 1046b, a second time-of-flight acquisition unit 1046c, and a second distance acquisition unit 1046d. The second processing module 1046 can obtain the three-dimensional information of the object within the second detection range by analyzing and processing the photosensitive signal output by the second light receiver 1044 sensing the light signal. Therefore, the three-dimensional information obtained by the second processing module 1046 can be used to determine the distribution of objects in the area smaller than the second detection distance within the first detection range portion included in the second detection range.

[0047] Optionally, such as Figure 8As shown, in some other embodiments, the second processing module 1046 of the second detection module 104 may also include a second counting unit 1046a, a second statistical unit 1046b, and a signal peak identification unit 1046e. The signal peak identification unit 1046e is configured to analyze the statistical histogram generated by the second statistical unit 1046b to identify signal peaks in the statistical histogram. The signal peaks in the statistical histogram conform to preset signal peak characteristics, such as, but not limited to, a combination of time bins comprising multiple continuously distributed time bins, wherein the photon count values ​​of multiple time bins in the combination exceed the noise background and exhibit a Gaussian distribution. The signal peak identification unit 1046e can analyze the changes in the count values ​​of each time bin in the statistical histogram based on the aforementioned signal peak characteristics to identify the signal peaks in the statistical histogram. It should be understood that if a signal peak is identified in the statistical histogram, it indicates that an object exists within the second detection distance. To prevent potential damage to the object within the second detection distance, the first detection module 102 needs to stop emitting sensing light signals or reduce the first emission power required to emit sensing light signals when performing detection at the first detection distance. If no signal peak is identified in the statistical histogram, it indicates that no object exists within the second detection distance, and the first detection module 102 can emit sensing light signals using the first emission power required for detection at the first detection distance. That is, in some embodiments, the second processing module 1046 of the second detection module 104 may not need to obtain the specific three-dimensional information of the object within the second detection distance; it only needs to determine whether an object exists within the second detection distance to control the emission power of the sensing light signals emitted by the first detection module 102 accordingly. This reduces the amount of data that the second detection module 104 needs to process during detection and increases the detection rate.

[0048] like Figure 9 As shown, the control module 106 includes a power adjustment unit 1062. Optionally, in some embodiments, the power adjustment unit 1062 is configured to reduce the first transmission power of the sensing light signal emitted by the first detection module 102 to a preset safe transmission power value when the second detection module 104 detects an object within a second detection distance. In this case, such as Figure 9As shown, the second processing module 1046 of the second detection module 104 may include a second counting unit 1046a, a second statistics unit 1046b, and a signal peak recognition unit 1046e. The second detection module 104 does not need to obtain the specific three-dimensional information of the object within the second detection distance; it only needs to determine that an object exists within the second detection distance. Optionally, the preset safe transmission power value can be the second transmission power. The transmission power of the first detection module 102 is reduced to the second transmission power to emit a sensing light signal to detect the three-dimensional information of the object within the second detection distance.

[0049] Optionally, in some embodiments, the power adjustment unit 1062 is configured to control the first detection module 102 to stop emitting sensing light signals when the second detection module 104 detects specific three-dimensional information of an object within a second detection distance. In this case, such as Figure 10 As shown, the second processing module 1046 of the second detection module 104 includes a second counting unit 1046a, a second statistics unit 1046b, a second flight time acquisition unit 1046c, and a second distance acquisition unit 1046d. It can directly output the specific three-dimensional information of the object within the second detection distance detected by the second detection module 104 as the detection result of the photoelectric detection device 10.

[0050] It is understood that in some other embodiments, the power adjustment unit 1062 may also be configured to reduce the first transmission power of the sensing light signal emitted by the first detection module 102 to a preset safe transmission power value when the second detection module 104 detects the specific three-dimensional information of an object within the second detection distance. The first detection module 102 has higher detection accuracy than the second detection module 104, and the first detection module 102 emits a sensing light signal at the preset safe transmission power value to detect the three-dimensional information of the object within the second detection distance. Optionally, the preset safe transmission power value can be the second transmission power, or it can be less than or greater than the second transmission power, as long as it can ensure that the first detection module 102 meets the safety requirements for eye protection when performing detection within the second detection distance. This application does not specifically limit this.

[0051] Optionally, such as Figure 11As shown, in some embodiments, the second processing module 1046 may further include a position determination unit 1046f, which is configured to determine the position of an object detected by the second detection module 104 within a second detection distance. Correspondingly, the power adjustment unit 1062 may also be configured to control the first detection module 102 to emit a sensing light signal at a first emission power in other areas avoiding the object's location, based on the object's position determined by the position determination unit 1046f, while stopping the emission of the sensing light signal at the object's location or reducing the emission power of the sensing light signal to a preset safe emission power value.

[0052] Optionally, such as Figure 12 As shown, the second light receiver 1044 may include a second photoelectric sensor 1044a and a second receiving optics 1044b. The second receiving optics 1044b is disposed on the light-incident side of the second photoelectric sensor 1044a and is configured to transmit light signals from the second detection range to the second photoelectric sensor 1044a for sensing. The second receiving optics 1044b is, for example, a receiving lens, including one lens or a lens combination consisting of multiple lenses. The second photoelectric sensor 1044a is configured to sense the light signals transmitted from the detection range via the corresponding receiving optics and output a corresponding light-sensing signal. The second photoelectric sensor 1044a may include, for example, a single photosensitive pixel or a photosensitive pixel array formed by multiple photosensitive pixels 1045a. The photosensitive pixels 1045a have a detection area at a corresponding position within the detection range. Light signals returning from the detection area are transmitted via the receiving optics to the corresponding photosensitive pixel 1045a for sensing. Optionally, in some embodiments, the position determination unit 1046f can determine the position of the corresponding object 2 within the second detection range by the position of the photosensitive pixel 1045a that senses the light signal on the second light receiver 1044. Optionally, a photosensitive pixel 1045a may include a single photoelectric conversion device or multiple photoelectric conversion devices. The photoelectric conversion device is configured to convert the sensed light signal into a corresponding electrical signal as a photosensitive signal output. The photoelectric conversion device is, for example, a single photon avalanche diode (SPAD), an avalanche photodiode (APD), a silicon photomultiplier (SiPM) composed of multiple SPADs connected in parallel, and / or other suitable photoelectric conversion elements.

[0053] Optionally, such as Figure 13As shown, the second light emitter 1042 may include a second light source 1042a and a second emitting optics 1042b. The second light source 1042a is configured to emit a light beam, and the second emitting optics 1042b is configured to emit the light beam from the second light source 1042a along a preset emission direction to form a sensing light signal, correspondingly illuminating a detection area at a preset position within the second detection range. Optionally, in some embodiments, the position determination unit 1046f can determine the position of the corresponding illuminated object 2 within the second range by the emission direction of the sensing light signal emitted by the second light emitter 1042. For example, sensing light signals can be emitted along different emission directions at different time periods of the detection frame to correspondingly illuminate detection areas at different positions within the second detection range. If the second light receiver 1044 senses a signal peak generated by the reflected sensing light signal during a certain time period, it indicates that an object 2 exists at the corresponding position within the second detection range. The corresponding position within the second detection range can be calibrated by the emission direction of the sensing light signal emitted by the second light emitter 1042.

[0054] Optionally, such as Figure 13 As shown, the light source may include at least one light-emitting unit 1043a. The light beam emitted by the light-emitting unit 1043a is propagated to the corresponding position in the detection range via the emitting optics. A correspondence between the light-emitting unit 1043a and the illuminated position in the detection range can be established. Thus, by determining the light-emitting unit 1043a that emits the light beam, the position in the illuminated detection range can be obtained. Similarly, the power adjustment unit 1062 can also control the emission power of different light-emitting units 1043a in the first light emitter 1022 to emit sensing light signals at a first emission power in other areas avoiding the location of the object 2, while stopping the emission of sensing light signals at the location of the object 2 or reducing the emission power of the sensing light signal to a preset safe emission power value.

[0055] Optionally, in some embodiments, the first detection module 102 detects a first detection range at a first detection frequency, and the second detection module 104 detects a second detection range at a second detection frequency, wherein the second detection frequency is higher than the first detection frequency. Therefore, even if both the first detection module 102 and the second detection module 104 are in operation, the second detection module 104 can detect the object 2 within the second detection distance earlier than the first detection module 102, thereby timely controlling the first detection module 102 to reduce its transmission power. It is understood that when both the first detection module 102 and the second detection module 104 are in operation, the first light emitter 1022 and the second light emitter 1042 can simultaneously transmit sensing light signals to their respective detection ranges.

[0056] It should be understood that, for the embodiment of distance detection based on the dToF principle, the detection frequency is the frame rate of the detection frame of the corresponding detection module. Each detection frame will output a corresponding statistical histogram and obtain the distance information of the object within the corresponding detection range. In each detection frame, the light emitter of the detection module needs to emit multiple sensing light signal pulses. Therefore, it can be seen that the emission frequency of the light emitter is not the same as the detection frequency of the detection module.

[0057] It is understood that when the photoelectric detection device 10 starts working, the second detection module 104 can start working earlier than the first detection module 102 in order to first sense whether there is an object within the second detection distance of the corresponding detection range.

[0058] Alternatively, in some embodiments, such as Figure 14 As shown, the first light emitter 1022 may further include a first scanner 1022c, and the second light emitter 1042 may further include a second scanner 1042c. The scanners (first scanner 1022c, second scanner 1042c) are configured to change the emission direction of the sensing light signal emitted by the light emitter at different time periods, so as to illuminate the detection area at different positions within the detection range at corresponding different time periods, thereby improving the spatial resolution of the photoelectric detection device 10. Optionally, the scanner can be a mechanical rotation mechanism, where the first scanner 1022c drives the first light emitter 1022 to rotate, and the second scanner 1042c drives the second light emitter 1042 to rotate, thereby changing the emission direction of the sensing light signal. Optionally, the scanner can be an optical device, where the emission direction of the sensing light signal emitted by the first light emitter 1022 and the second light emitter 1042 is changed by adjusting the optical path. For example, the scanner can be a rotating mirror, a micro-electro-mechanical system (EMS) galvanometer, a prism, an optical phased array (PA), or a super-liquid crystal, etc. Therefore, the control module 106 may also include a scanning control unit 1064, which is configured to control the second light emitter 1042 to first begin scanning and detecting along a preset route, and then control the first light emitter 1022 to follow the second light emitter 1042 for scanning and detection according to a preset time delay. It is understood that the detection frequencies of the second light emitter 1042 and the first light emitter 1022 during the scanning and detection process can be the same or different; this application does not specifically limit this.

[0059] Optionally, such as Figure 15As shown, in some embodiments, the photoelectric detection device 10 includes a single third detection module 110 and corresponding control module 106 and processing module 108. The third detection module 110 includes a third light emitter 1102 and a third light receiver 1104. The third light emitter 1102 is configured to emit a sensing light signal to a corresponding detection range for detection. The third light receiver 1104 is configured to sense the light signal from the detection range and output a corresponding light sensing signal. The processing module 108 is configured to analyze and process the light sensing signal output by the third light receiver 1104 to achieve the corresponding detection. The control module 106 includes a transmission control unit 1066, which is configured to control the third light emitter 1102 to alternately emit sensing light signals at a higher first transmission power and a lower second transmission power for corresponding detection. Specifically, a sensing light signal emitted at a higher first transmission power is used to perform three-dimensional information detection on portions within a first detection distance that are farther away in the detection range, while a sensing light signal emitted at a lower second transmission power is used to detect the presence of objects within a second detection distance that are closer in the detection range. It should be understood that the control module 106 is configured to control the third detection module 110 to begin the aforementioned alternating transmission at a lower second transmission power. The control module 106 includes a power adjustment unit 1062, which is configured to, when an object is detected within the second detection distance, control the third light emitter 1102 to stop emitting a sensing light signal to the object at the first transmission power or reduce the first transmission power to a preset safe transmission power value.

[0060] In summary, by using a low-power emitted sensing light signal to monitor the presence of objects in the near-field area of ​​the detection range, and controlling the high-power emitted sensing light signal required for detecting distant areas within the detection range, damage to objects in the near-field area caused by the high-power emitted sensing light signal can be prevented.

[0061] Optionally, such as Figure 16As shown, in some embodiments, the photoelectric detection device 10 includes a single fourth detection module 112 and corresponding processing module 108 and control module 106. The fourth detection module 112 includes a fourth light emitter 1122, a fifth light emitter 1126, and a fourth light receiver 1124, that is, one detection module is equipped with two different light emitters and one light receiver. The fourth light emitter 1122 is configured to emit a sensing light signal at a higher first emission power, and the fifth light emitter 1126 is configured to emit a sensing light signal at a lower second emission power. The fourth light receiver 1124 is configured to sense the light signal from the detection range and output a corresponding photosensitive signal. The processing module 108 is configured to analyze and process the photosensitive signal output by the fourth light receiver 1124 to achieve the corresponding detection. The control module 106 includes a transmission control unit 1066, which is configured to control the fourth detection module 112 to alternately emit sensing light signals at a higher first emission power and a lower second emission power to perform corresponding detections. The fourth light emitter 1122 is configured to emit a sensing light signal at a higher first emission power to detect portions within a first detection distance of the detection range. The fifth light emitter 1126 is configured to emit a sensing light signal at a lower second emission power to detect the presence of objects within a closer second detection distance of the detection range. The control module 106 includes a power adjustment unit 1062, which is configured to control the fourth light emitter 1122 to stop emitting a sensing light signal to the object at the first emission power or reduce the first emission power to a preset safe emission power value when an object is detected within the second detection distance.

[0062] Optionally, the detection frame duration for emitting the sensing light signal at a lower second transmission power may be shorter than the detection frame duration for emitting the sensing light signal at a higher first transmission power, but this application is not limited thereto.

[0063] In summary, by alternately emitting sensing light signals at high and low power using a single detection module, the emission power for long-distance detection can be controlled based on the object situation in the near-field area within the detection range, thus meeting the safety requirements for eye protection at a relatively low cost. Furthermore, using two different light emitters to alternately emit high and low power sensing light signals can reasonably reduce the difficulty of controlling light emission at a lower cost.

[0064] Optionally, in some embodiments, all or part of the functional units in the control module 106 and / or processing module 108 may be firmware embedded in a storage medium or computer software code stored in a storage medium, and executed by one or more corresponding processors to control related components to achieve corresponding functions. The processor may be, for example, but not limited to, an application processor (AP), a central processing unit (CPU), a microcontroller (MCU), etc. The storage medium may include, but is not limited to, flash memory, electrically erasable programmable read-only memory (EEPROM), programmable read-only memory (PROM), hard disk, etc.

[0065] Optionally, in some embodiments, the processor and / or storage medium may be disposed within the photoelectric detection device 10, for example, integrated on the same circuit board as the light emitter or light receiver. Optionally, in other embodiments, the processor and / or storage medium may also be disposed in other locations of the electronic device, such as on the main circuit board of the electronic device.

[0066] Optionally, in some embodiments, some or all of the functional units of the control module 106 and / or processing module 108 may also be implemented in hardware, for example, by any one or a combination of the following techniques: discrete logic circuits having logic gates for implementing logical functions on data signals, application-specific integrated circuits (ASICs) having suitable combinational logic gates, programmable gate arrays (PGAs), field-programmable gate arrays (FPGAs), etc. It is understood that the aforementioned hardware used to implement the functions of the control module and / or processing module may be located within the photoelectric detection device or in other locations within the electronic device, such as on the main circuit board of the electronic device.

[0067] Optionally, in some embodiments, some or all of the functional units of the control module 106 and / or processing module 108 described above may also be integrated into the photoelectric sensor. Optionally, the light source of the light emitter and the corresponding driving circuit may also be integrated with the photoelectric sensor on the same chip.

[0068] It should be understood that, in some embodiments, the photoelectric detection device 10 is, for example, a lidar, and the electronic device 1 is, for example, a car. The lidar can be installed at multiple different locations on the car to detect the distance information of objects within the car's surrounding area and thereby enable driving control.

[0069] It should be understood that, in some embodiments, the electronic device 1 described in this application can be an electronic device with three-dimensional detection capabilities, which can be used for three-dimensional information sensing or spatial distance determination. For example, it can be specifically used for face recognition, gesture recognition, posture or action recognition, autonomous driving, machine vision, object recognition, scene modeling, augmented reality (AR) / virtual reality (VR), ranging, proximity sensing, simultaneous localization and mapping (SLAM), or 3D mapping. The electronic device 1 can be, but is not limited to, smartphones, tablets, computers, laptops, desktop computers, smart wearable devices, smart door locks, in-vehicle electronic devices, medical devices, aviation devices, and other devices or apparatuses that require three-dimensional (3D) information sensing capabilities.

[0070] It should be understood that, in some embodiments, the storage medium 40 of the electronic device 1 and / or the photoelectric detection device 10 may store a corresponding computer program that can be executed by a corresponding processor to implement the control method of the photoelectric detection device disclosed in this application. In this way, the transmission power of the sensing light signal for long-distance detection can be controlled according to the distribution of objects at close range within the detection range to meet the safety requirements for eye protection.

[0071] As an alternative implementation method, such as Figure 17 As shown, an embodiment of the present invention provides a control method for a photoelectric detection device, the method comprising the following steps:

[0072] S2, control the photoelectric detection device to emit a sensing light signal with a first emission power to perform three-dimensional information detection on objects within a first detection distance in the detection range;

[0073] S4, control the photoelectric detection device to emit a sensing light signal at a second emission power to detect the presence of objects within a second detection distance in the detection range; wherein, the first detection distance is greater than the second detection distance, and the first emission power is higher than the second emission power;

[0074] S6, when an object is detected within the second detection distance, the photoelectric detection device is controlled to stop emitting a sensing light signal to the object at the first emission power, or the first emission power is reduced to a preset safe emission power value.

[0075] In this embodiment of the invention, by monitoring the presence of objects in the near-field area of ​​the detection range with a sensing light signal emitted at a lower power, the high-power sensing light signal required for detecting distant areas within the detection range can be controlled, thereby preventing damage to objects in the near-field area caused by the high-power sensing light signal.

[0076] Optionally, in some embodiments, the photoelectric detection device performs three-dimensional information detection on objects within the first detection distance at a first detection frequency; the photoelectric detection device detects the presence of objects within the second detection distance at a second detection frequency; wherein the second detection frequency is higher than the first detection frequency. Thus, the optical detection device can simultaneously emit sensing light signals into the detection range at a first transmission power and a second transmission power to achieve the corresponding detection.

[0077] The spatial range included by the second detection range is greater than or equal to the spatial range included by the first detection range, and the second detection range includes most of the area of ​​the first detection range.

[0078] Optionally, in some embodiments, the photoelectric detection device is controlled to alternately emit sensing signals at the first transmission power and the second transmission power to perform corresponding detections respectively.

[0079] In some embodiments, the photoelectric detection device includes a single light emitter and a single light receiver, and the single light emitter can be controlled to alternately emit sensing light signals at the first emission power and the second emission power, and the single light receiver can sense the light signals from the detection range to achieve the corresponding detection.

[0080] In some embodiments, the photoelectric detection device includes two different light emitters and a single light receiver. The two different light emitters can be alternately controlled to emit sensing light signals at the first emission power and the second emission power, respectively, and the single light receiver can sense the light signals from the detection range to achieve the corresponding detection.

[0081] Optionally, in some embodiments, step S4 of the control method for the photoelectric detection device may specifically be: controlling the photoelectric detection device to emit a sensing light signal at a second emission power to detect the position of an object within a second detection distance. Correspondingly, step S6 of the control method for the photoelectric detection device may specifically be: controlling the photoelectric detection device to emit a sensing light signal at a first emission power in other areas away from the object's location for detection, stopping the emission of a sensing light signal at the first emission power at the object's location, or reducing the first emission power to a safe emission power value.

[0082] Optionally, in some embodiments, step S4 of the control method for the photoelectric detection device may specifically be: controlling the photoelectric detection device to emit a sensing light signal at a second emission power to determine whether an object exists within a second detection distance. Correspondingly, step S6 of the control method for the photoelectric detection device may specifically be: controlling the photoelectric detection device to stop emitting a sensing light signal at a first emission power or to reduce the first emission power to a safe emission power value.

[0083] It should be noted that, for the sake of simplicity, the foregoing method embodiments are all described as a series of steps. However, those skilled in the art should understand that the present invention is not limited to the described order of steps, as some steps can be performed in other orders or simultaneously according to the present invention. Furthermore, those skilled in the art should also understand that the embodiments described in the specification are all optional embodiments, and the actions and modules involved are not necessarily essential to the present invention.

[0084] In other embodiments, the aforementioned electronic device 1 can be a node in a distributed system, wherein the distributed system can be a blockchain system, which is a distributed system formed by connecting multiple nodes through network communication. The nodes can form a peer-to-peer (P2P) network, and any form of computing device, such as a server, terminal, or other electronic device, can become a node in the blockchain system by joining this peer-to-peer network.

[0085] Optionally, in this embodiment, the computer-readable storage medium may be configured to store a computer program for performing the steps of the control method of the photoelectric detection device described above:

[0086] Optionally, in this embodiment, those skilled in the art will understand that all or part of the steps in the various methods of the above embodiments can be implemented by a program instructing the hardware related to the terminal device. The program can be stored in a computer-readable storage medium, which may include: flash drive, read-only memory (ROM), random access memory (RAM), disk or optical disk, etc.

[0087] The sequence numbers of the above embodiments of the present invention are for descriptive purposes only and do not represent the superiority or inferiority of the embodiments.

[0088] If the integrated units in the above embodiments are implemented as software functional units and sold or used as independent products, they can be stored in the aforementioned computer-readable storage medium. Based on this understanding, the technical solution of the present invention, in essence, or the part that contributes to the prior art, or all or part of the technical solution, can be embodied in the form of a software product. This computer software product is stored in a storage medium and includes several instructions to cause one or more computer devices (which may be personal computers, servers, or network devices, etc.) to execute all or part of the steps of the methods of the various embodiments of the present invention.

[0089] In the above embodiments of the present invention, the descriptions of each embodiment have different focuses. For parts not described in detail in a certain embodiment, please refer to the relevant descriptions of other embodiments.

[0090] In the several embodiments provided in this application, it should be understood that the disclosed client can be implemented in other ways. The device embodiments described above are merely illustrative; for example, the division of units is only a logical functional division, and in actual implementation, there may be other division methods. For example, multiple units or components may be combined or integrated into another system, or some features may be ignored or not executed. Furthermore, the coupling or direct coupling or communication connection shown or discussed may be through some interfaces, or the indirect coupling or communication connection of units or modules may be electrical or other forms.

[0091] The units described as separate components may or may not be physically separate. The components shown as units may or may not be physical units; that is, they may be located in one place or distributed across multiple network units. Some or all of the units can be selected to achieve the purpose of this embodiment according to actual needs.

[0092] Furthermore, the functional units in the various embodiments of the present invention can be integrated into one processing unit, or each unit can exist physically separately, or two or more units can be integrated into one unit. The integrated unit can be implemented in hardware or as a software functional unit.

[0093] The above are merely preferred embodiments of the present invention. It should be noted that those skilled in the art can make various improvements and modifications without departing from the principle of the present invention, and these improvements and modifications should also be considered within the scope of protection of the present invention.

Claims

1. A photodetecting device, characterized by, The photoelectric detection device includes a first detection module and a second detection module. The first detection module is configured to emit a sensing light signal with a first emission power and perform three-dimensional information detection on objects within a first detection distance in the detection range. The second detection module is configured to emit a sensing light signal at a second emission power and detect the presence of objects within a second detection distance in the detection range, wherein the first detection distance is greater than the second detection distance and the first emission power is higher than the second emission power; The photoelectric detection device includes a control module, which includes a power adjustment unit. The power adjustment unit is configured to control the first detection module to stop emitting a sensing light signal to the object at a first emission power or reduce the first emission power to a preset safe emission power value when the second detection module detects an object within the second detection distance. Wherein, the first detection module and the second detection module simultaneously emit the sensing light signal into the detection range to achieve corresponding detection, and the first detection module performs three-dimensional information detection on objects within the first detection distance at a first detection frequency; The second detection module detects the presence of objects within the second detection distance at a second detection frequency, where the second detection frequency is higher than the first detection frequency.

2. The photodetection device of claim 1, wherein The photoelectric detection device includes: The first detection module has a corresponding first detection range; The second detection module has a corresponding second detection range; wherein the second detection range includes at least a portion of the first detection range.

3. The photodetection device of claim 1, wherein The photoelectric detection device further includes a processing module, which includes a position determination unit; The position determination unit is configured to determine the position of an object detected within the second detection distance; The power adjustment unit is configured to control the photoelectric detection device to emit a sensing light signal with a first emission power in an area avoiding the location of the object, based on the object position determined by the position determination unit within the second detection distance, and to stop emitting a sensing light signal with the first emission power at the object position or reduce the first emission power to a preset safe emission power value.

4. The photodetector device of claim 1, wherein The photoelectric detection device includes at least one light emitter, at least one light receiver, and a processing module; The light emitter is configured to emit a sensing light signal at the second emission power and detect the presence of objects within the second detection distance in the detection range; The optical receiver is configured to sense optical signals from the detection range and output a corresponding optical sensing signal; The processing module is configured to analyze and process the light-sensing signal output by the light receiver to obtain distance information of objects within the second detection distance.

5. The photoelectric detection device according to claim 1, characterized in that, The photoelectric detection device includes at least one light emitter, at least one light receiver, and a processing module; The light emitter is configured to emit a sensing light signal at the second emission power and detect the presence of objects within the second detection distance in the detection range; The optical receiver is configured to sense optical signals from the detection range and output a corresponding optical sensing signal; The processing module is configured to analyze and process the light-sensing signal output by the light receiver to determine whether there is an object within the second detection distance.

6. An electronic device, comprising: The electronic device includes the photoelectric detection device as described in any one of claims 1-5, and further includes an application module configured to perform corresponding functions based on the detection results of the photoelectric detection device.

7. A control method of a photodetecting device, characterized by, The photoelectric detection device includes a first detection module and a second detection module, and includes the following steps: The first detection module is controlled to emit a sensing light signal at a first transmission power to perform three-dimensional information detection on objects within a first detection distance in the detection range; The second detection module is controlled to emit a sensing light signal at a second transmission power to detect the presence of objects within a second detection distance in the detection range; wherein the first detection distance is greater than the second detection distance, and the first transmission power is higher than the second transmission power; wherein the first detection module and the second detection module simultaneously emit the sensing light signal into the detection range to achieve corresponding detection, the first detection module performs three-dimensional information detection on objects within the first detection distance at a first detection frequency; the second detection module detects the presence of objects within the second detection distance at a second detection frequency, the second detection frequency being higher than the first detection frequency. When an object is detected within the second detection distance, the first detection module is controlled to stop emitting a sensing light signal to the object at the first emission power, or the first emission power is reduced to a preset safe emission power value.

8. The method of claim 7, wherein, The photoelectric detection device is controlled to alternately emit sensing light signals at the first emission power and the second emission power to perform corresponding detections respectively.

9. The method of claim 7, wherein, The specific steps of controlling the second detection module to emit a sensing light signal at a second transmission power to detect the presence of objects within a second detection distance in the detection range are as follows: The second detection module is controlled to emit a sensing light signal at a second transmission power in order to detect the position of the object within a second detection distance; The step of controlling the first detection module to stop emitting a sensing light signal to the object at the first emission power or to reduce the first emission power to a preset safe emission power value when an object is detected within the second detection distance specifically includes: The first detection module is controlled to emit sensing light signals at a first emission power to detect objects in other areas away from their location, and to stop emitting sensing light signals at the first emission power at the location of the object or reduce the first emission power to a safe emission power value.

10. The method of claim 7, wherein, The specific steps of controlling the second detection module to emit a sensing light signal at a second transmission power to detect the presence of objects within a second detection distance in the detection range are as follows: The second detection module is controlled to emit a sensing light signal at a second transmission power to determine whether an object exists within the second detection distance.

11. A computer readable storage medium, characterized in that, The computer readable storage medium comprises a stored program, wherein the program, when executed, performs the method of any one of claims 7 to 10.

Images