Processing module and lidar, control method and device, and storage medium

Abstract

The embodiment of the present disclosure relates to the technical field of laser radar, and provides a processing module, a laser radar, a control method and device of the laser radar, and a storage medium. The processing module disclosed by the embodiment of the present disclosure comprises: a processing component, which is connected with a receiving module and processes an electrical signal generated by a received echo signal; the receiving module comprises a plurality of receiving channels; a switching component is used for switching the receiving channels electrically connected with the processing component on in a measurement period of a laser signal of one emission angle according to the emission angle and a time difference between a starting emission time and a current time of the laser signal; wherein the echo signal is returned based on the laser signal; wherein the echo signal is returned based on the laser signal.

Description

TECHNICAL FIELD

[0001] The present application relates to the technical field of laser radar, in particular to a processing module, a laser radar, a control method and device of the laser radar, and a storage medium. BACKGROUND

[0002] The laser radar transmits a laser signal, and the laser signal changes the propagation direction to form a return signal after encountering an object to be measured. After the return signal is received by the laser radar, the ranging of the laser radar can be realized according to the transmission parameters of the laser signal and the reception parameters of the return signal.

[0003] However, the change in distance between the object to be measured and the laser radar will cause the phenomenon of spot drift of the return signal. In view of this, a multi-receiving channel is introduced in the laser radar.

[0004] In some related technologies, the multi-receiving channels are respectively connected to processing modules. However, it is found that although this laser radar can solve the problem of spot drift of the return signal, the laser radar with different receiving channels connected to different processing modules has a complex structure and high hardware cost.

[0005] In another related technology, two receiving channels sharing a set of processing modules each receive a signal value of the return signal, and determine which return signal received by the receiving channel is processed by comparing the signal value with a distance threshold and other processing. This laser radar with operation of the signal value and the distance threshold has the problems of complex processing or more ranging delay introduced due to complex processing. SUMMARY

[0006] Embodiments of the present application provide a processing module, a laser radar, a processing method, a device, and a storage medium.

[0007] The first aspect of the embodiments of the present application provides a processing module, which comprises:

[0008] A processing component is configured to be connected to a receiving module and process an electrical signal generated by the receiving module receiving a return signal; the receiving module comprises a plurality of receiving channels;

[0009] A switching component is configured to switch the receiving channel electrically connected and conducted with the processing component in a measurement period of a laser signal of one transmission angle according to the transmission angle and a time difference between a starting transmission time and a current time of the laser signal; wherein the return signal is returned based on the laser signal.

[0010] Based on the above scheme, the processing component comprises:

[0011] An amplification module is configured to amplify the electrical signal provided by the receiving module;

[0012] The processing module, connected to the amplification module, is used to receive the amplified electrical signal from the amplification module and perform signal processing on the amplified electrical signal.

[0013] Based on the above scheme, the processing module includes:

[0014] An analog-to-digital converter (ADC) is used to perform analog-to-digital conversion on the electrical signal provided by the receiving module.

[0015] or,

[0016] A time-to-digital converter (TDC) is used to output time information based on the electrical signal provided by the receiving module.

[0017] Based on the above scheme, the amplification module includes:

[0018] A transimpedance amplifier (TIA) is used to convert the photocurrent provided by the receiving module into a voltage signal and amplify the voltage signal.

[0019] Based on the above scheme, the amplification module further includes:

[0020] An operational amplifier, connected to the TIA, is used to discharge the amplified voltage signal output by the TIA and then provide it to the processing module.

[0021] Based on the above scheme, the operational amplifier is a common operational amplifier shared by multiple receiving modules;

[0022] One of the TIAs is used to connect to one of the receiving channels;

[0023] The switching component is specifically used to switch the TIA that is electrically connected to the operational amplifier within a measurement cycle of a laser signal at a certain emission angle, based on the emission angle and the time difference between the start emission time and the current time of the laser signal.

[0024] Based on the above scheme, the amplification module is a common amplification module;

[0025] The switching component is specifically used to switch the receiving channel connected to the amplification module within a measurement cycle of a laser signal at a certain emission angle, based on the emission angle and the time difference between the start emission time and the current time of the laser signal.

[0026] Based on the above scheme, one of the amplification modules is used to connect to one of the receiving channels;

[0027] The switching component is specifically used to switch the amplification module that is electrically connected to the processing module within a measurement cycle of a laser signal at a certain emission angle, based on the emission angle and the time difference between the start emission time and the current time of the laser signal.

[0028] Based on the above scheme, the switching component is used to adjust the laser signal according to the first... The transmission angle queries the reception configuration of the reception time window for different reception channels, and based on the current time and the first... The time difference between the start emission times of the laser signal at the emission angle is used to determine the receiving time window including the time difference, and the electrical connection between the processing component and the receiving channel corresponding to the receiving time window including the time difference is established.

[0029] Based on the above scheme, for the first The echo signal corresponding to the laser signal emitted at the specified angle, the first... The reception time window for the receiving channel is: ,in,

[0030]

[0031]

[0032]

[0033] ;

[0034] The receiving angle corresponding to the maximum ranging distance of the receiving module;

[0035] The receiving angle is the minimum ranging distance corresponding to the receiving module.

[0036] The total number of receiving channels;

[0037] The distance between the receiving module and the transmitting module that emits the laser signal;

[0038] For the first The launch angle value;

[0039] Among them, the It is a positive integer equal to or greater than 2.

[0040] A second aspect of this disclosure provides a lidar, including:

[0041] The transmitting module is used to transmit laser signals.

[0042] The receiving module includes multiple receiving channels for receiving the echo signal of the laser signal and outputting an electrical signal based on the received echo signal.

[0043] The processing module provided by any of the aforementioned technical solutions is connected to the receiving module and is used to process the electrical signals provided by the receiving module.

[0044] Based on the above scheme, the transmitting optical axis of the transmitting module is different from the receiving optical axis of the receiving module.

[0045] A third aspect of this disclosure provides a lidar control method, including:

[0046] Within the measurement period of a laser signal at a certain emission angle, the target receiving channel for receiving the echo signal at the current moment is determined from multiple alternative receiving channels based on the emission angle and the time difference between the initial emission time and the current time of the laser signal.

[0047] The conduction processing module is electrically connected to the target receiving channel.

[0048] Based on the above scheme, within the measurement period of a laser signal at a certain emission angle, determining the target receiving channel for receiving the echo signal at the current moment from multiple candidate receiving channels, according to the emission angle and the time difference between the initial emission time and the current time of the laser signal, includes:

[0049] According to the laser signal of the first Launch angle, query and the first The receiving configuration corresponding to the transmission angle, wherein the receiving configuration at least indicates the receiving time window for different alternative receiving channels to receive the echo signal;

[0050] Based on the current time and the first The time difference between the initial transmission time of the transmission angle is used to determine the reception time window that includes the time difference;

[0051] The candidate receiving channel corresponding to the receiving time window containing the time difference is determined as the target receiving channel.

[0052] Based on the above scheme, for the first The echo signal corresponding to the laser signal emitted at the specified angle, the first... The reception time window for the receiving channel is: ,in,

[0053]

[0054]

[0055]

[0056] ;

[0057] The receiving angle corresponding to the maximum ranging distance of the receiving module;

[0058] The receiving angle is the minimum ranging distance corresponding to the receiving module.

[0059] The total number of receiving channels;

[0060] The distance between the receiving module and the transmitting module that emits the laser signal;

[0061] For the first The launch angle value;

[0062] Among them, the It is a positive integer equal to or greater than 2.

[0063] A fourth aspect of this disclosure provides a lidar control device, comprising:

[0064] The determination module is used to determine the target receiving channel for receiving the echo signal at the current moment from multiple alternative receiving channels based on the emission angle of the laser signal.

[0065] The control module is used to electrically connect the processing module and the target receiving channel.

[0066] Based on the above scheme, the determining module is specifically used to determine the laser signal based on the first... Launch angle, query and the first The receiving configuration corresponding to the transmission angle, wherein the receiving configuration at least indicates the receiving time window for different alternative receiving channels to receive the echo signal; based on the current time and the first... The time difference between the initial transmission time of the transmission angle is used to determine a reception time window that includes the time difference; the alternative reception channel corresponding to the reception time window that includes the time difference is determined as the target reception channel.

[0067] Based on the above scheme, for the first The echo signal corresponding to the laser signal emitted at the specified angle, the first... The reception time window for the receiving channel is: ,in,

[0068]

[0069]

[0070]

[0071] ;

[0072] The receiving angle corresponding to the maximum ranging distance of the receiving module;

[0073] The receiving angle is the minimum ranging distance corresponding to the receiving module.

[0074] The total number of receiving channels;

[0075] The distance between the receiving module and the transmitting module that emits the laser signal;

[0076] For the first The launch angle value;

[0077] Among them, the It is a positive integer equal to or greater than 2.

[0078] According to a fifth aspect of this disclosure, a computer storage medium stores computer-executable instructions; when executed by a processor, the computer-executable instructions can realize the control method for a lidar as provided in any of the technical solutions of the third aspect.

[0079] The beneficial effects of the technical solution provided in this disclosure compared with the prior art are as follows:

[0080] The processing module includes a switching component and a processing component. Within the measurement cycle of a laser signal at a given emission angle, the switching component switches the electrically connected receiving channels based on the time difference between the start and current emission times. This allows multiple receiving channels to share a single processing component within the measurement cycle of a laser signal at a given emission angle. Compared to a single processing component connected to each receiving channel, this reduces the number of processing components in the lidar, simplifying its structure, reducing its size, and lowering its hardware cost. Simultaneously, the processing component can process the electrical signal from only one receiving channel at a time, offering simplicity and avoiding the introduction of additional ranging delays due to complex electrical signal processing, thus resulting in high ranging efficiency. Attached Figure Description

[0081] Figure 1 This is a schematic diagram of the structure of a processing module provided in an embodiment of the present invention;

[0082] Figure 2 This is a schematic diagram of a receiving channel provided in an embodiment of the present invention;

[0083] Figure 3 This is a schematic diagram of the structure of a processing module provided in an embodiment of the present invention;

[0084] Figure 4 This is a schematic diagram of the structure of a lidar provided in an embodiment of the present invention;

[0085] Figure 5 This is a schematic diagram of a receiving channel provided in an embodiment of the present invention;

[0086] Figure 6 This is a schematic diagram of laser signal transmission and reception of a lidar provided in an embodiment of the present invention;

[0087] Figure 7 This is a schematic diagram of the structure of a lidar provided in an embodiment of the present invention;

[0088] Figure 8 This is a flowchart illustrating a lidar control method provided in an embodiment of the present invention;

[0089] Figure 9 This is a flowchart illustrating a lidar control method provided in an embodiment of the present invention;

[0090] Figure 10 This is a schematic diagram of the structure of a lidar control device provided in an embodiment of the present invention. Detailed Implementation

[0091] In the following description, specific details such as particular system architectures and techniques are set forth for illustrative purposes and not for limitation, in order to provide a thorough understanding of the embodiments of the invention. However, those skilled in the art will understand that the invention can be implemented in other embodiments without these specific details. In other instances, detailed descriptions of well-known systems, apparatuses, circuits, and methods are omitted so as not to obscure the description of the invention with unnecessary detail.

[0092] To illustrate the technical solution described in this invention, specific embodiments are described below.

[0093] like Figure 1 As shown, this embodiment of the disclosure provides a processing module 01, which includes:

[0094] Processing component 10 is used to connect to the receiving module and process the electrical signals generated by the receiving module receiving echo signals; the receiving module includes multiple receiving channels;

[0095] The switching component 20 is used to switch the receiving channel electrically connected to the processing component within a measurement cycle of a laser signal at a certain emission angle, based on the emission angle and the time difference between the start emission time and the current time of the laser signal.

[0096] The receiving module can be an avalanche photodiode (APD) array. One receiving module includes multiple receiving channels, with different receiving channels corresponding to different regions of the APD array. For example... Figure 2 As shown, different areas of the array-type APD belong to different receiving channels. There may or may not be gap areas between receiving channels. Figure 2 The display shows receiving channel A and receiving channel B; by Figure 2 It can be seen that receiving channel A and receiving channel B correspond to different areas of the APD array.

[0097] An echo signal is an optical signal, which is the signal of a laser signal reflected back by an obstacle. The receiving module converts the optical signal into an electrical signal. This electrical signal includes, but is not limited to, photocurrent.

[0098] The laser signal can be emitted by a laser transmitter. For example, the transmitting module in a lidar system emits laser signals at different emission angles according to a laser emission configuration file. This laser signal includes, but is not limited to, laser pulse signals.

[0099] The transmitting module can emit laser signals at different angles, and one emission angle corresponds to one measurement cycle. Within this measurement cycle, the receiving module receives the echo signal generated when the laser signal at that emission angle strikes the object being measured, and performs distance measurement based on the signal's time of flight. Within the measurement cycle of a single emission angle, different receiving channels electrically connected to the processing component can have different time differences. Thus, within a single emission angle measurement cycle, different receiving channels can share a single processing component.

[0100] The processing component 10 performs signal processing on the electrical signals converted by the receiving module.

[0101] The signal processing of the electrical signal provided by the receiving module by the processing component includes, but is not limited to, at least one of the following:

[0102] Signal amplification;

[0103] Signal denoising, including but not limited to: filtering out crosstalk signals from the received echo signals;

[0104] Conversion between different types of signals, such as the conversion from analog signals to digital signals;

[0105] The conversion between electrical signals and various information used to calculate ranging values, for example, includes, but is not limited to, time information. This time information may include: the duration of the laser signal emission time and the reception time of the echo signal.

[0106] In this embodiment, the switching component 20 may include various control circuits and / or control chips, etc. The switching component 20 controls the receiving modules connected to the processing component 10. The receiving modules connected to the processing component 10 provide the electrical signals generated by receiving optical signals to the processing component 10, and the processing component 10 processes the electrical signals provided by the receiving modules. Thus, when the electrical connection between the processing component 10 and other receiving channels is established, it processes the electrical signals provided by other receiving channels, enabling multiple receiving channels to share a single processing component 10. This reduces the number of processing components 10, shrinks the size of the processing module, and lowers the hardware cost of the processing module 01. Simultaneously, the processing component 10 can process only the electrical signals of one receiving channel at a time, exhibiting simple processing characteristics and avoiding the introduction of more ranging delays due to the complexity of electrical signal processing, thereby achieving high ranging efficiency.

[0107] The switching component 20 has an electrical connection with the processing component 10, which can at least be used to transmit control signals to the processing component 10, and the control signals can be used to control the receiving channel to which the processing component 10 is connected.

[0108] In some embodiments, the switching component 20 and the processing component 10 may be integrated. For example, the switching component 20 and the processing component 10 may be located on the same printed circuit board (PCB) to form a system on chip (SoC).

[0109] For example, an independent interface is provided on the SoC, one of which can be used for electrical connection to a receiving channel. This independent interface has one or more connection pins. The SoC's PCB has electrical connections connecting the processing component 10 to each of these independent interfaces. These electrical connections have controlled switches. A switching component 20 controls the on / off state of the corresponding controlled switch according to the current emission angle of the laser signal, thereby controlling the on / off state of the electrical connection between the processing component 10 and the receiving channel.

[0110] For example, the SoC has a common interface that connects to multiple receiving modules. Different pins within this common interface establish electrical connections with different receiving channels. The processing module 01 has an electrical connection to this common interface, and these electrical connections have controlled switches. The switching component 20 can control the on and off of the corresponding controlled switches according to the emission angle of the laser signal, thereby controlling the on and off of the electrical connection between the processing component 10 and the receiving channel.

[0111] The aforementioned controlled switches include, but are not limited to, various transistors.

[0112] In some embodiments, such as Figure 3 As shown, the processing component 10 includes:

[0113] Amplification module 11 is used to amplify the electrical signal provided by the receiving module;

[0114] The processing module 12 is connected to the amplification module 11 and is used to receive the amplified electrical signal from the amplification module 11 and perform signal processing on the amplified electrical signal.

[0115] The amplification module 11 can be used to amplify at least electrical signals. For example, the amplification module 11 can amplify the photocurrent generated by the optical signal detected by the APD array.

[0116] For example, the amplification module 11 may include: electronic components for amplifying photocurrent, and / or electronic components for amplifying the voltage after photocurrent conversion.

[0117] The processing module 12 is connected to the rear end of the amplification module 11 and is used to process the electrical signal amplified by the amplification module 11.

[0118] The processing module 01 may include various application-specific integrated circuits, CPUs, or MCUs. In summary, the processing module 12 has various structures and is not limited to any of the above-mentioned ones in its specific implementation.

[0119] In some embodiments, the processing module 12 includes:

[0120] An analog-to-digital converter (ADC) is used to perform analog-to-digital conversion on the electrical signals provided by the receiving module.

[0121] or,

[0122] A time-to-digital converter (TDC) is used to output time information based on the electrical signal provided by the receiving module.

[0123] The receiving module converts the optical signal into an electrical signal, which is an analog signal at this point. To facilitate subsequent calculations and data storage, the ADC converts the analog signal into a digital signal.

[0124] A TDC (Time Diode Controller) is a more functional chip or integrated circuit that first converts the analog signal acquired by the receiving module into a digital signal, and then performs further analysis and processing on the digital signal to directly obtain time information. This time information can be converted into the emission angle and / or reception angle of the laser signal corresponding to the ranging value obtained by devices such as programmable arrays, thus obtaining the relative position between the measured object and the lidar.

[0125] This time information, such as a time series in digital signal form, can be used to subsequently calculate the ranging value of the lidar. For example, this information includes, but is not limited to, time information. This time information may include: the duration of the laser signal emission time and the reception time of the echo signal.

[0126] The amplification module 11 further includes a trans-impedance amplifier (TIA), which converts the photocurrent provided by the receiving module into a voltage signal and provides the amplified voltage signal directly to the processing module 12, or provides the voltage signal output by the TIA to the processing module 12 after further amplification.

[0127] For example, the amplification module 11 may further include an operational amplifier (OPA), which can amplify the electrical signal in multiple stages, thereby facilitating subsequent circuitry or chips to convert and process the electrical signal to obtain the ranging value. This OPA is connected to the back end of the TIA and is used to amplify the voltage signal output by the TIA in one or more stages before transmitting it to the processing module 12 for processing. Figure 4 As shown, the processing component 10 includes: OPA and ADC, or the processing component 10 may include: OPA and TDC.

[0128] The TIA can convert the current signal corresponding to the photocurrent into a voltage signal, amplify the voltage signal, and output the amplified voltage signal. This amplified voltage signal can be input into the OPA, which will further amplify the voltage signal.

[0129] In some embodiments, the processing module 12 may include an OPA. If the processing module 12 does not include an OPA, the TIA can be integrated with the chip where the receiving module is located. After the receiving module collects the photocurrent, it directly amplifies and converts the photocurrent through its integrated TIA and then provides the voltage signal to the processing module 12, which does not include an OPA, for processing. In this case, if the TIA can be an independent TIA, that is, one TIA corresponds to one receiving channel, then the switching component 20 is specifically used to switch the TIA electrically connected to the processing module 12 within a measurement cycle of a laser signal at a certain emission angle, based on the emission angle and the time difference between the start emission time and the current time of the laser signal.

[0130] If multiple receiving channels share a single TIA, i.e., a single TIA is a common TIA shared by multiple receiving channels, then the switching component 20 can, within a measurement cycle of a laser signal at a certain emission angle, switch the receiving channel connected to the TIA based on the emission angle and the time difference between the start emission time and the current time of the laser signal.

[0131] In one embodiment, the operational amplifier may be a common operational amplifier shared by multiple receiving modules;

[0132] One of the TIAs is used to connect to one of the receiving channels;

[0133] The switching component 20 is specifically used to switch the TIA that is electrically connected to the operational amplifier within a measurement cycle of a laser signal at a certain emission angle, based on the emission angle and the time difference between the start emission time and the current time of the laser signal.

[0134] In this embodiment of the disclosure, multiple receiving modules do not share a TIA, but share an OPA. In this case, the switching component 20 specifically controls the electrical connection between the OPA and the corresponding TIA to be turned on or off, thereby switching the receiving channel that is electrically connected to the processing component 11.

[0135] In some embodiments, the amplification module 11 is a common amplification module 11;

[0136] The switching component 20 is specifically used to switch the receiving channel connected to the amplification module 11 within a measurement cycle of a laser signal at a certain emission angle, based on the emission angle and the time difference between the start emission time and the current time of the laser signal.

[0137] In this embodiment, the entire amplification module 11 is a common amplification module 11, meaning that the TIA and OPA included in this amplification module 11 are shared by multiple receiving channels. In this case, the switching component 20 specifically controls the connection or disconnection of the electrical connection between the amplification module 11 and the receiving channel based on the emission angle of the laser signal, thereby switching the receiving channel with which the electrical connection with the processing component 10 is established. It is worth noting that the common amplification module 11 may include at least a TIA; in some embodiments, the common amplification module may include a TIA and an OPA connected to the back end of the TIA.

[0138] If the amplification module 11 in the processing component 10 is also a common amplification module 11 shared by multiple receiving channels, then the sharing of the entire processing component 10 by multiple receiving channels is realized, further reducing the electronic components used and saving hardware costs.

[0139] In some embodiments, one of the amplification modules 11 is configured to be connected to one of the receiving channels;

[0140] The switching component 20 is specifically used to switch the amplification module 11 that is electrically connected to the processing module 12 within a measurement cycle of a laser signal at a certain emission angle, based on the emission angle and the time difference between the start emission time and the current time of the laser signal.

[0141] That is, the amplification module 11 in the processing component 10 is not shared by multiple receiving channels, but the processing module 12 in the processing component 10 is shared by multiple receiving channels. In this case, the switching component 20 is specifically used to switch the conduction and disconnection of the electrical connection between the independent amplification module 11 and the processing module 12 according to the emission angle of the laser signal, thereby realizing the switching of the receiving channel to which the electrical connection between the processing component 10 and the receiving channel is conducted.

[0142] In some embodiments, the switching component 20 is configured to, according to the first laser signal... The transmission angle queries the reception configuration of the reception time window for different reception channels, and based on the current time and the first... The time difference between the start emission times of the laser signal at the emission angle is used to determine the receiving time window that includes the time difference, and the electrical connection between the processing component 10 and the receiving channel corresponding to the receiving time window that includes the time difference is established.

[0143] The receiving module may further include a memory.

[0144] The memory stores a predetermined receiving configuration. Specifically, the switching component 20 queries the receiving configuration based on the current emission angle of the laser signal, and controls the receiving modules connected to the processing component 10 according to the receiving configuration indicating the receiving time window of each receiving module.

[0145] Assuming that the APD array areas corresponding to different receiving channels may be the same or different, these receiving channels can equally divide the angle values ​​of all receiving angles corresponding to a certain transmission angle. The angle value can be converted into a receiving time window and stored in the receiving configuration so that the control component can switch the receiving channel that is electrically connected to the processing component according to the receiving configuration.

[0146] The receiving configuration of a laser signal at one emission angle can be mapped to multiple receiving time windows, and the receiving configurations of laser signals at multiple emission angles can be stored in the same configuration file or different configuration files.

[0147] like Figure 5 As shown, the APD array of the photosensitive surface of the receiving module is divided into... This area, Each region corresponds to One receiving channel.

[0148] If a receiving time window is configured for each receiving module, the receiving time can be determined based on the current time and the laser transmitting module's transmission time. The time difference between the initial emission times of the laser signal at the emission angle. Then, from the receiving time windows of multiple receiving channels, determine which receiving time window contains the time difference. The receiving channel containing the time difference can be the target receiving channel that the processing component 10 needs to maintain electrical connection conduction.

[0149] In some embodiments, for the first The echo signal corresponding to the laser signal emitted at the specified angle, the first... The reception time window for the receiving channel is: ,in,

[0150]

[0151]

[0152]

[0153] ;

[0154] The receiving angle corresponding to the maximum ranging distance of the receiving module;

[0155] The receiving angle is the minimum ranging distance of the receiving module.

[0156] The total number of receiving channels;

[0157] The distance between the receiving module and the transmitting module that emits the laser signal;

[0158] For the first The launch angle value;

[0159] in, It is a positive integer equal to or greater than 2.

[0160] In the above formula, This represents the maximum ranging distance of the receiving module. This is the minimum ranging distance for the receiving module.

[0161] In this embodiment, the receiving module and the transmitting module are spaced apart, and the receiving optical axis of the receiving module does not overlap with the transmitting optical axis of the transmitting module; that is, the transmitting module and the receiving module are not coaxial. Since the transmitting module and the receiving module are not coaxial, it is preferable that... Not equal to 0. The value is determined by the structure of the lidar system and the parameters of each component. When this value is relatively small, it indicates that the lidar has a smaller blind zone for short-range ranging.

[0162] It can be the first The receiving channel receives the first The minimum ranging distance of the echo signal corresponding to the transmission angle or the first The receiving channel receives the first The maximum ranging distance of the echo signal corresponding to the emission angle; It can be the first The receiving channel receives the first The maximum ranging distance of the echo signal corresponding to the emission angle.

[0163] The value of can be any positive integer equal to or greater than 2. For example, The value can be 4, 9, 16, 32, or 64, etc. The specific value can be determined based on the drift angle of the maximum and minimum ranging distances of the lidar.

[0164] refer to Figure 6 As shown, the distance between the receiving module and the transmitting module is... The emission angle of the laser emitted by the emission module is: ; and This can be the distance between the object being measured and the line connecting the transmitting module and the receiving module, i.e., the distance between the object being measured and the lidar.

[0165] The angle at which the receiving module receives the echo signal varies depending on the distance between the object being measured and the lidar, corresponding to different distances between the object and the lidar. and The receiving angles are: and .

[0166] Considering If the optical path length is relatively small, the triangulation effect when the laser signal reaches the measured object and returns can be ignored, and the optical path length of the laser signal can be considered to be 2. or 2 Then, the following functional relationship exists:

[0167]

[0168] For ranging distance from Change to The resulting change in receiving angle If it occurs This indicates that after the echo signal drifts, it is necessary to switch the receiving channel that is electrically connected to the processing component, which means that for the same emission angle at different distances... and Different receiving channels are needed to receive the data. Let be the receiving field of view of one of the receiving channels. Thus, in When the receiving angle is The distance is The angle of reception at that time is The calculation formula is as follows:

[0169]

[0170] Therefore, the actual angle can be calculated. arrive The change in angle between them is Based on the actual angle region covered by the photosensitive surface of each receiving channel. The angle change is compared to the actual angle change to determine if different receiving channels are needed for processing. For example, the following functional relationship can be used to determine whether it is necessary to switch the receiving channel electrically connected to the processing component:

[0171]

[0172] If the conditions are met, then it is necessary to switch the receiving channel for receiving the echo signal; if not, then in practice, it is sufficient to receive the echo signal only through the current receiving channel.

[0173] Based on the actual acquired range and the angular range covered by a single channel, determine the number of receiving channels required for processing. The specific calculation formula is as follows:

[0174]

[0175] In response to needs To process the entire range of each receiving channel, it is necessary to successively solve for the angular differences mapped from the original ranging range. The inverse function of .

[0176] Based on the angle change, the distribution is made evenly, meaning the total change in receiving angle for the entire receiving module is: .

[0177] In order to achieve optimal reception of the echo signal,

[0178] Therefore, the angle difference between two adjacent receiving channels is .

[0179] Taking the measurement period of a single pulse at a transmission angle as T, the following reception time windows are all within a single measurement period, from... The moment begins. The starting time of a single pulse at a given emission angle.

[0180] The first receiving channel is responsible for The area, in which The calculation process is as follows:

[0181]

[0182] in,

[0183] Then the reception time window of the first receiving channel is Where c is the speed of light.

[0184] By analogy, we can conclude that: the first The receiving distance of each receiving channel is The corresponding echo signal, of which The calculation process is as follows

[0185]

[0186] in Then the first The reception time window for each receiving channel is , where c is the speed of light.

[0187] No. Each receiving channel is responsible for ranging at a distance of... The echo signal was received, and the first The receive window of each receive channel is , where c is the speed of light.

[0188] The first receiving channel is in the receiving time window. The received signal, the second receiving channel in the receiving time window Received signal, ..., and the first The receiving channel is in the receiving time window The received signal, until the first Each receiving channel during the receiving time window The received signal. The echo signals received by the receiving channel are spliced ​​in the time domain to obtain all the echo signals of the laser signal emitted at a certain emission angle.

[0189] like Figure 7 As shown, this disclosure provides a lidar, including:

[0190] Transmitting module 02 is used to transmit laser signals;

[0191] The receiving module 03 includes multiple receiving channels for receiving the echo signal of the laser signal and outputting an electrical signal based on the received echo signal.

[0192] The processing module 01 provided by any of the aforementioned technical solutions is connected to the receiving module 03 and is used to process the electrical signals provided by the receiving module 03.

[0193] The transmitting module 02 may include at least one laser emitter for emitting laser signals. Exemplarily, the transmitting module 02 transmits laser pulses. The measurement period of a laser pulse emitted at a given angle by the transmitting module 02 may be T, during which the transmitting module 02 continuously emits a laser signal equal to that emission angle. When the laser signal encounters an obstacle such as the object being measured, its propagation direction changes, thereby forming an echo signal received by the receiving module 03.

[0194] The receiving module 03 may include multiple receiving channels arranged in parallel, which may correspond to different areas of the APD array, and different receiving channels include different APDs.

[0195] Multiple receiving channels share a single processing module 01. This processing module 01 includes a processing component and a switching component. At any given time, only one receiving channel is electrically connected to the processing component, and the receiving channel electrically connected to the processing component is the channel currently receiving the echo signal. In this way, by setting up multiple channels, the detection of objects at different distances can be achieved. By using a processing module 01 that includes a switching component and a processing component, multiple receiving channels can share a single processing module 01, reducing the number of processing modules 01 included in the lidar, lowering the hardware cost of the lidar, and providing the advantages of simple electrical signal processing and simple range calculation.

[0196] In some embodiments, the transmitting optical axis of the transmitting module 02 is different from the receiving optical axis of the receiving module 03.

[0197] In this embodiment of the disclosure, if the transmitting optical axis of the transmitting module 02 is different from the receiving optical axis of the receiving module 03, it indicates that the lidar is a lidar with opposite transmitting and receiving axes.

[0198] like Figure 8 As shown, this disclosure provides a lidar control method, including:

[0199] S110: Within the measurement period of a laser signal at a certain emission angle, based on the emission angle and the time difference between the initial emission time and the current time of the laser signal, determine the target receiving channel for receiving the echo signal at the current time from multiple alternative receiving channels.

[0200] S120: Electrical connection between the conduction processing module and the target receiving channel.

[0201] In this embodiment, the target receiving channel to be activated at the current moment is determined from multiple alternative receiving channels of the receiving module based on the emission angle of the laser signal and the time difference between the current moment and the laser's initial emission moment at that emission angle. The controlled lidar is the lidar provided in any of the foregoing embodiments.

[0202] For example, the time difference can be obtained by starting a timer when a laser signal at a certain emission angle is initially emitted; the current duration of the timer is the time difference between the current moment and the initial emission moment of the laser signal at the corresponding emission angle. By introducing a timer, the target receiving channel can be determined directly based on the timer's timing, without calculating the time difference, thus simplifying the implementation.

[0203] For example, S110 may include: periodically determining a target receiving channel, wherein the period of determining the target channel may be less than or equal to the duration of the receiving time window of any receiving channel.

[0204] As another example, S110 may include: determining the target receiving channel in real time.

[0205] After the target receiving channel is identified, the electrical connection between the processing module and the target receiving channel is established. In this way, the processing module receives the electrical signal detected by the echo signal from the target receiving channel and performs signal processing on the electrical signal.

[0206] Different time points may require different receiving channels that are electrically connected to the processing module. Therefore, S120 may include: switching the receiving channel that is electrically connected to the processing module to the target receiving channel.

[0207] This allows multiple receiving channels to share a single processing module, thereby simplifying the structure of the lidar and reducing its hardware costs.

[0208] In one embodiment, such as Figure 9 As shown, S110 may include:

[0209] S111: According to the laser signal of the first... Launch angle, query and the first The receiving configuration corresponding to the transmission angle, wherein the receiving configuration at least indicates the receiving time window for different alternative receiving channels to receive the echo signal;

[0210] S112: Based on the current time and the aforementioned... The time difference between the initial transmission time of the transmission angle is used to determine the reception time window that includes the time difference;

[0211] S113: Determine the alternative receiving channel corresponding to the receiving time window containing the time difference as the target receiving channel.

[0212] The receiving configuration can be pre-written into the laser's configuration file. Therefore, based on the current laser signal emission angle, this receiving configuration can be queried, and combined with the duration of the emitted laser signal, the target receiving channel for receiving the echo signal can be determined. Furthermore, by establishing an electrical connection between the target receiving channel and the processing module, the electrical signal generated by the echo signal received by the target receiving channel is submitted to the processing module based on the established electrical connection.

[0213] For example, during the launch of the first When a laser signal (e.g., a laser pulse) is emitted at a specific angle, the first pulse is recorded. The starting emission time of the laser signal at the emission angle is determined by the time difference between the current time and the starting emission time (or simply the starting time). The candidate receiving channel corresponding to the receiving time window that the time difference falls into is then determined as the target receiving channel.

[0214] In some embodiments, if the duration of the reception duration window of any two receiving channels is equal, and the duration of the reception duration window is also equal to the duration of the reception duration window, then... Then, according to Determine the target receiving channel. For example, The channel number of the target receiving channel. This could be the current moment; It can be the first The initial emission time of the laser signal at the emission angle.

[0215] In another embodiment, for the first The echo signal corresponding to the laser signal emitted at the specified angle, the first... The reception time window for the receiving channel is: ,in,

[0216]

[0217]

[0218]

[0219] ;

[0220] The receiving angle corresponding to the maximum ranging distance of the receiving module;

[0221] The receiving angle is the minimum ranging distance corresponding to the receiving module.

[0222] The total number of receiving channels;

[0223] The distance between the receiving module and the transmitting module that emits the laser signal;

[0224] For the first The launch angle value;

[0225] Among them, the It is a positive integer equal to or greater than 2.

[0226] If the receiving configuration records the receiving time range for each receiving time window, then even if the area of ​​the APD array corresponding to the receiving channel is different, the switching of the receiving channel with the electrical connection between the receiving channel and the processing module can be well realized. In this way, the receiving channel can be flexibly set.

[0227] like Figure 10As shown, this disclosure provides a lidar control device, including:

[0228] The determination module 110 is used to determine the target receiving channel for receiving the echo signal at the current time from multiple alternative receiving channels within the measurement period of a laser signal at a certain emission angle, based on the emission angle and the time difference between the start emission time and the current time of the laser signal.

[0229] The control module 120 is used to electrically connect the conduction processing module and the target receiving channel.

[0230] The lidar control device may include the aforementioned lidar.

[0231] In some embodiments, the determining module 110 and the control module 120 may be program modules; after the program module is executed by the processor, it can enable multiple receiving channels to share a processing module, thereby simplifying the structure of the lidar and reducing the hardware cost of the lidar.

[0232] In some embodiments, the determining module 110 and the control module 120 may be hardware-software combined modules; the hardware-software combined modules include, but are not limited to, various programmable arrays; the programmable arrays include, but are not limited to, field-programmable arrays and / or complex programmable arrays.

[0233] In some embodiments, the determining module 110 and the control module 120 may be pure hardware modules; the pure hardware modules include, but are not limited to, various application-specific integrated circuits.

[0234] In some embodiments, the determining module 110 is specifically configured to determine the laser signal based on the first... Launch angle, query and the first The receiving configuration corresponding to the transmission angle, wherein the receiving configuration at least indicates the receiving time window for different alternative receiving channels to receive the echo signal; based on the current time and the first... The time difference between the initial transmission time of the transmission angle is used to determine a reception time window that includes the time difference; the alternative reception channel corresponding to the reception time window that includes the time difference is determined as the target reception channel.

[0235] In some embodiments, for the first The echo signal corresponding to the laser signal emitted at the specified angle, the first... The reception time window for the receiving channel is: ,in,

[0236]

[0237]

[0238]

[0239] ;

[0240] The receiving angle corresponding to the maximum ranging distance of the receiving module;

[0241] The receiving angle is the minimum ranging distance corresponding to the receiving module.

[0242] The total number of receiving channels;

[0243] The distance between the receiving module and the transmitting module that emits the laser signal;

[0244] For the first The launch angle value;

[0245] Among them, the It is a positive integer equal to or greater than 2.

[0246] This disclosure also provides a computer storage medium storing computer-executable instructions. When executed by a processor, the computer-executable instructions can implement the lidar control method provided by any of the foregoing technical solutions. For example, by executing the executable instructions, the processor can achieve... Figure 8 and / or Figure 9 Any of the methods shown.

[0247] Those skilled in the art will understand that the sequence number of each step in the above embodiments does not imply the order of execution. The execution order of each process should be determined by its function and internal logic, and should not constitute any limitation on the implementation process of the embodiments of the present invention.

[0248] The above-described embodiments are only used to illustrate the technical solutions of the present invention, and are not intended to limit it. Although the present invention has been described in detail with reference to the foregoing embodiments, those skilled in the art should understand that modifications can still be made to the technical solutions described in the foregoing embodiments, or equivalent substitutions can be made to some of the technical features. Such modifications or substitutions do not cause the essence of the corresponding technical solutions to deviate from the spirit and scope of the technical solutions of the embodiments of the present invention, and should all be included within the protection scope of the present invention.

Claims

1. A processing module, characterized in that, The processing module includes: A processing component is used to connect to a receiving module and process the electrical signals generated by the receiving module receiving echo signals; the receiving module includes multiple receiving channels. A switching component is used to switch the receiving channel electrically connected to the processing component within a measurement cycle of a laser signal with a emission angle, based on the emission angle and the time difference between the start emission time and the current time of the laser signal; wherein the echo signal is based on the laser signal returned, and the laser signal with a emission angle corresponds to one measurement cycle; Specifically, the switching component is used to: based on the first laser signal... The transmission angle queries the reception configuration of the reception time window for different reception channels, and based on the current time and the first... The time difference between the start emission times of the laser signal at the emission angle is used to determine the receiving time window including the time difference, and the electrical connection between the processing component and the receiving channel corresponding to the receiving time window including the time difference is established.

2. The processing module according to claim 1, characterized in that, The processing component includes: An amplification module is used to amplify the electrical signal provided by the receiving module; The processing module, connected to the amplification module, is used to receive the amplified electrical signal from the amplification module and perform signal processing on the amplified electrical signal.

3. The processing module according to claim 2, characterized in that, The processing module includes: An analog-to-digital converter (ADC) is used to perform analog-to-digital conversion on the electrical signal provided by the receiving module. or, A time-to-digital converter (TDC) is used to output time information based on the electrical signal provided by the receiving module.

4. The processing module according to claim 2, characterized in that, The amplification module includes: A transimpedance amplifier (TIA) is used to convert the photocurrent provided by the receiving module into a voltage signal and amplify the voltage signal.

5. The processing module according to claim 4, characterized in that, The amplification module also includes: An operational amplifier, connected to the TIA, is used to discharge the amplified voltage signal output by the TIA and then provide it to the processing module.

6. The processing module according to claim 5, characterized in that, The operational amplifier is a common operational amplifier shared by multiple receiving modules; One of the TIAs is used to connect to one of the receiving channels; The switching component is specifically used to switch the TIA that is electrically connected to the operational amplifier within a measurement cycle of a laser signal at a certain emission angle, based on the emission angle and the time difference between the start emission time and the current time of the laser signal.

7. The processing module according to claim 2, characterized in that, The amplification module is a common amplification module; The switching component is specifically used to switch the receiving channel connected to the amplification module within a measurement cycle of a laser signal at a certain emission angle, based on the emission angle and the time difference between the start emission time and the current time of the laser signal.

8. The processing module according to claim 2, characterized in that, One of the amplification modules is configured to be connected to one of the receiving channels; The switching component is specifically used to switch the amplification module that is electrically connected to the processing module within a measurement cycle of a laser signal at a certain emission angle, based on the emission angle and the time difference between the start emission time and the current time of the laser signal.

9. The processing module according to claim 1, characterized in that, Regarding the first The echo signal corresponding to the laser signal emitted at the specified angle, the first... The reception time window for the receiving channel is: ,in, ； For the first The receiving channel receives the first The minimum ranging distance of the echo signal corresponding to the transmission angle or the first The receiving channel receives the first The maximum ranging distance of the echo signal corresponding to the emission angle; For the first The receiving channel receives the first The maximum ranging distance of the echo signal corresponding to the emission angle; The receiving angle corresponding to the maximum ranging distance of the receiving module; The receiving angle is the minimum ranging distance corresponding to the receiving module. The total number of receiving channels; The distance between the receiving module and the transmitting module that emits the laser signal; For the first The launch angle value; The speed of light; Among them, the It is a positive integer equal to or greater than 2; in, It is a positive integer equal to or greater than 2.

10. A lidar, characterized in that, include: The transmitting module is used to transmit laser signals. The receiving module includes multiple receiving channels for receiving the echo signal of the laser signal and outputting an electrical signal based on the received echo signal. The processing module according to any one of claims 1 to 9 is connected to the receiving module and is used to process the electrical signals provided by the receiving module.

11. The lidar according to claim 10, characterized in that, The transmitting optical axis of the transmitting module is different from the receiving optical axis of the receiving module.

12. A lidar control method, characterized in that, include: Within a measurement cycle of a laser signal at a certain emission angle, the target receiving channel for receiving the echo signal at the current moment is determined from multiple alternative receiving channels based on the emission angle and the time difference between the initial emission time and the current time of the laser signal. Here, the laser signal at a certain emission angle corresponds to a measurement cycle. The conduction processing module is electrically connected to the target receiving channel; Specifically, within the measurement period of a laser signal at a given emission angle, determining the target receiving channel for receiving the echo signal at the current moment from multiple candidate receiving channels, based on the emission angle and the time difference between the initial emission time and the current time of the laser signal, includes: According to the laser signal of the first Launch angle, query and the first The receiving configuration corresponding to the transmission angle, wherein the receiving configuration at least indicates the receiving time window for different alternative receiving channels to receive the echo signal; Based on the current time and the first The time difference between the initial transmission time of the transmission angle is used to determine the reception time window that includes the time difference; The candidate receiving channel corresponding to the receiving time window containing the time difference is determined as the target receiving channel.

13. The method according to claim 12, characterized in that, Regarding the first The echo signal corresponding to the laser signal emitted at the specified angle, the first... The reception time window for the receiving channel is: ,in, ； For the first The receiving channel receives the first The minimum ranging distance of the echo signal corresponding to the transmission angle or the first The receiving channel receives the first The maximum ranging distance of the echo signal corresponding to the emission angle; For the first The receiving channel receives the first The maximum ranging distance of the echo signal corresponding to the emission angle; This is the receiving angle corresponding to the maximum ranging distance of the receiving module; The receiving angle is the minimum ranging distance corresponding to the receiving module. The total number of receiving channels; The distance between the receiving module and the transmitting module that emits the laser signal; For the first The launch angle value; The speed of light; Among them, the It is a positive integer equal to or greater than 2.

14. A lidar control device, characterized in that, include: The determination module is used to determine the target receiving channel for receiving the echo signal at the current time from multiple alternative receiving channels within a measurement cycle of a laser signal with a certain emission angle, based on the emission angle and the time difference between the start emission time and the current time of the laser signal. The laser signal with a certain emission angle corresponds to a measurement cycle. The control module is used to electrically connect the conduction processing module and the target receiving channel; The determining module is specifically used to determine the laser signal based on the first... Launch angle, query and the first The receiving configuration corresponding to the transmission angle, wherein the receiving configuration at least indicates the receiving time window for different alternative receiving channels to receive the echo signal; based on the current time and the first... The time difference between the initial transmission time of the transmission angle is used to determine a reception time window that includes the time difference; the alternative reception channel corresponding to the reception time window that includes the time difference is determined as the target reception channel.

15. The apparatus according to claim 14, characterized in that, Regarding the first The echo signal corresponding to the laser signal emitted at the specified angle, the first... The reception time window for the receiving channel is: ,in, ； For the first The receiving channel receives the first The minimum ranging distance of the echo signal corresponding to the transmission angle or the first The receiving channel receives the first The maximum ranging distance of the echo signal corresponding to the emission angle; For the first The receiving channel receives the first The maximum ranging distance of the echo signal corresponding to the emission angle; This is the receiving angle corresponding to the maximum ranging distance of the receiving module; The receiving angle is the minimum ranging distance corresponding to the receiving module. The total number of receiving channels; The distance between the receiving module and the transmitting module that emits the laser signal; For the first The launch angle value; The speed of light; Among them, the It is a positive integer equal to or greater than 2.

16. A computer storage medium, characterized in that, The computer storage medium stores computer-executable instructions; after being executed by the processor, the computer-executable instructions can realize the control method of the lidar as described in claim 12 or 13.

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