Photoelectric detection devices and electronic equipment

Abstract

The application belongs to the technical field of light sensing, and provides a photoelectric detection device and an electronic equipment. The photoelectric detection device divides a plurality of light sensing units of a light sensing pixel into different light sensing unit groups according to different pixel opening rates, and respectively counts light signal counts of the corresponding light sensing unit groups in a plurality of sensing time periods by using a light signal counting module, so as to obtain a light signal count sequence of different light signal counting modules. Since the number of reflected photons of a to-be-measured object at different distances is different, a data processing module comprehensively determines a sensing result of a light sensing module according to the light signal count sequence of the different light signal counting modules, which not only ensures photon detection efficiency, but also reasonably avoids photon stacking effect, and is beneficial to improving distance sensing accuracy.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] This application relates to the field of optical sensing technology, specifically to a photoelectric detection device and an electronic device. Background Technology

[0002] LiDAR, also known as laser radar, is a radar system that uses laser beams to detect the position, velocity, and other characteristics of targets. LiDAR based on dToF (direct time-of-flight) ranging technology works by directly emitting light pulses towards the object being measured and measuring the time interval between the reflected and emitted pulses to obtain the direct time of flight of the light. From the direct time of flight, a single-point dToF sensor can calculate the depth of the sensed point, while an array-type dToF sensor, through multi-point sensing in partitioned areas, can ultimately obtain a spatial point cloud and depth image of the entire environment.

[0003] The core components of a dToF lidar system can be divided into three parts: the emitting laser, the SPAD sensor, and the signal processing circuit and chip. The SPAD sensor detects reflected photons and triggers an avalanche. The timing of this avalanche is random each time; the location with the highest light intensity corresponds to the highest avalanche probability, which in this case corresponds to the object's distance. After multiple transmissions, the results of N transmissions are superimposed onto a histogram. By statistically identifying the signal peak, the flight time is calculated, and thus the distance is determined.

[0004] However, SPAD sensors receive photons from the environment while simultaneously receiving reflected light pulse echoes. Conventional SPADs can only sense and record the flight time of a single photon within a single reception cycle. Therefore, it is necessary to repeatedly transmit and receive light signals N times within a single frame measurement time, and then perform histogram statistics on the recorded N flight times. Thus, to prevent the signal peak from being overwhelmed by ambient light background noise, the transmitted light power needs to meet certain requirements. On the other hand, the larger the ranging range, the larger the sensing area within the field of view corresponding to a single pixel of the SPAD sensor. This may cause the transmitted light pulse to illuminate multiple objects, resulting in a dispersed flight time of the reflected echo, a non-concentrated count rate, and a weakened signal peak intensity.

[0005] A single pixel in a SPAD sensor can be implemented using multiple SPAD arrays. Given the same amount of ambient light per unit area of ​​sensor, the more SPADs per unit area, the less ambient light each SPAD receives. This reduces the probability of ambient light triggering avalanche, improves the signal-to-noise ratio, and also mitigates the problem of strong reflected light at close range. However, the number of SPADs per unit area cannot be increased indefinitely. Current dToF LiDARs are designed for optimal range. When the radar design distance is long and requires high-power laser emission, the pixels implemented by multiple SPADs will still suffer from the pile-up effect if encountering nearby objects. Summary of the Invention

[0006] In view of this, embodiments of this application provide a photoelectric detection device and an electronic device to solve the problem that existing photoelectric detection devices cannot meet the requirement of accurate measurement of objects at different distances.

[0007] In a first aspect, embodiments of this application provide a photoelectric detection device, comprising: a photosensitive module and a processing circuit; the photosensitive module includes at least one photosensitive pixel, the photosensitive pixel includes multiple photosensitive units, the photosensitive units are configured with different aperture ratios according to the size of the photosensitive area; for each photosensitive pixel, the multiple photosensitive units are divided into at least two photosensitive unit groups according to different aperture ratios; the processing circuit includes a data processing module and at least two optical signal counting modules, the same photosensitive unit group in all photosensitive pixels is correspondingly connected to the same optical signal counting module, the optical signal counting module is used to acquire the optical signal counting sequence sensed by each photosensitive unit in the corresponding photosensitive unit group in multiple sensing periods; the data processing module is electrically connected to different optical signal counting modules respectively, and is used to output the sensing result of the photosensitive module according to the processing result of the optical signal counting sequence counted by the different optical signal counting modules in multiple sensing periods.

[0008] Secondly, embodiments of this application also provide an electronic device, including the photoelectric detection device described in the first aspect.

[0009] The embodiments of this application have at least the following technical effects:

[0010] The photoelectric detection device and electronic device provided in this application divide multiple photosensitive units of photosensitive pixels into different photosensitive unit groups according to different pixel aperture ratios, and use a light signal counting module to count the light signals of the corresponding photosensitive unit groups in multiple sensing periods, thereby obtaining the light signal counting sequence of different light signal counting modules. Since the number of photons reflected back by the test object at different distances is different, the data processing module comprehensively determines the sensing result of the photosensitive module based on the light signal counting sequence of different light signal counting modules. This not only ensures the photon detection efficiency, but also reasonably avoids the photon stacking effect, which is beneficial to improving the distance sensing accuracy. Attached Figure Description

[0011] Figure 1 The diagram shown is a functional module schematic of an electronic device provided in an embodiment of this application;

[0012] Figure 2 The diagram shown is a functional module schematic of a photoelectric detection device provided in an embodiment of this application;

[0013] Figure 3 The image shown is a schematic diagram of a statistical histogram provided in an embodiment of this application;

[0014] Figure 4 The figure shown is a schematic diagram of a planar structure of a photosensitive module provided in an embodiment of this application;

[0015] Figure 5 The figure shown is a schematic diagram of the planar structure of a photosensitive pixel in a photosensitive module provided in an embodiment of this application;

[0016] Figure 6 The figure shown is a schematic diagram of the planar structure of the photosensitive pixel of another photosensitive module provided in an embodiment of this application;

[0017] Figure 7 The diagram shown is an electrical connection diagram of a photosensitive module and a processing circuit provided in an embodiment of this application.

[0018] Figure 8 The diagram shown is a schematic representation of the internal structure of a data processing module in a processing circuit according to an embodiment of this application.

[0019] Figure 9 The figure shown is a schematic diagram of a planar structure of another photosensitive module provided in an embodiment of this application;

[0020] Figure 10 The figure shown is a schematic diagram of the planar structure of a photosensitive pixel in another photosensitive module provided in this application embodiment;

[0021] Figure 11The diagram shown is an electrical connection diagram of another photosensitive module and processing circuit provided in an embodiment of this application.

[0022] Figure 12 The figure shown is a statistical histogram of the light signal sensed by the photosensitive unit group with a large aperture ratio under low light conditions provided in the embodiments of this application.

[0023] Figure 13 The figure shown is a statistical histogram of the light signal sensed by the photosensitive unit group with a small aperture ratio in low light conditions provided in the embodiments of this application.

[0024] Figure 14 The image shown illustrates a low-light scenario as provided in an embodiment of this application. Figure 12 and Figure 13 The statistical histogram is obtained by overlaying statistical histograms.

[0025] Figure 15 The image shown illustrates a low-light scenario as provided in an embodiment of this application. Figure 12 After weighted processing of the statistical histogram, and Figure 13 The statistical histogram is obtained by overlaying statistical histograms.

[0026] Figure 16 The figure shown is a statistical histogram of the light signal sensed by the photosensitive unit group with a large aperture ratio under strong light conditions provided in the embodiments of this application.

[0027] Figure 17 The figure shown is a statistical histogram of the light signal sensed by the photosensitive unit group with a small aperture ratio under strong light conditions provided in the embodiments of this application.

[0028] Figure 18 The image shown illustrates a strong light scenario as provided in an embodiment of this application. Figure 16 and Figure 17 The statistical histogram is obtained by overlaying statistical histograms.

[0029] Figure 19 The image shown illustrates a strong light scenario as provided in an embodiment of this application. Figure 16 After weighted processing of the statistical histogram, and Figure 17 The statistical histogram is obtained by overlaying statistical histograms. Detailed Implementation

[0030] The technical solutions in the embodiments of this application will be clearly and completely described below with reference to the accompanying drawings. Obviously, the described embodiments are only some embodiments of this application, and not all embodiments.

[0031] The embodiments described below with reference to the accompanying drawings are exemplary and are only used to explain this application, and should not be construed as limiting this application. In the description of this application, it should be understood that the terms "first" and "second" are used for description only and should not be construed as indicating or implying relative importance or implicitly specifying the number or order of the indicated technical features. Therefore, technical features defined with "first" and "second" may explicitly or implicitly include one or more technical features. In the description of this application, "multiple" means two or more, unless otherwise explicitly specified.

[0032] In the description of this application, it should be noted that, unless otherwise expressly specified or limited, the terms "installation," "connection," and "linking" should be interpreted broadly. For example, they can refer to fixed connections, detachable connections, or integrated connections; they can refer to mechanical connections, electrical connections, or mutual communication; they can refer to direct connections or indirect connections through an intermediate medium; they can refer to the internal communication of two components or the interaction between two components. Those skilled in the art can understand the specific meaning of the above terms in this application according to the specific circumstances.

[0033] The following disclosure provides numerous different embodiments or examples for implementing various structures of this application. To simplify the disclosure, only specific examples of components and settings are described below. These are merely examples and are not intended to limit the scope of this application. Furthermore, reference numerals and / or reference letters may be repeated in different examples; such repetition is for the purpose of simplifying and clearly describing this application and does not in itself indicate a specific relationship between the various embodiments and / or settings discussed. Moreover, the various specific processes and materials described below are merely examples for implementing the technical solutions of this application; however, those skilled in the art should recognize that the technical solutions of this application can also be implemented using other processes and / or other materials not described below.

[0034] Furthermore, the described features and structures can be combined in any suitable manner in one or more embodiments. Numerous specific details are provided in the following description to provide a thorough understanding of the embodiments of this application. However, those skilled in the art will recognize that the technical solutions of this application can be practiced even without one or more of the specific details, or by employing other structures, components, etc. In other instances, well-known structures or operations are not shown or described in detail to avoid obscuring the focus of this application.

[0035] Embodiments of this application provide a photoelectric detection device, comprising: a photosensitive module including at least one photosensitive pixel, the photosensitive pixel including multiple photosensitive units, the photosensitive units being configured with different aperture ratios according to the size of the photosensitive area; for each photosensitive pixel, the multiple photosensitive units therein are divided into at least two photosensitive unit groups according to different aperture ratios; a processing circuit including a data processing module and at least two optical signal counting modules, the same photosensitive unit group in different photosensitive pixels being correspondingly connected to the same optical signal counting module, the optical signal counting module being used to acquire the optical signal counting sequence sensed by each photosensitive unit in the corresponding photosensitive unit group during multiple sensing periods; the data processing module being electrically connected to different optical signal counting modules respectively, and being used to output the sensing result of the photosensitive module according to the processing result of the optical signal counting sequence statistically analyzed by the different optical signal counting modules during multiple sensing periods.

[0036] Optionally, in some embodiments, all photosensitive units within a photosensitive unit group have the same aperture ratio.

[0037] Optionally, in some embodiments, the optical signal counting module includes: a timing unit and a statistics unit; the timing unit is electrically connected to the photosensitive pixel and configured to determine the reception time of the optical signal sensed by the photosensitive pixel; the statistics unit is electrically connected to the timing unit and configured to perform statistics on the cumulative optical signal counts in each time slot to obtain a statistical histogram that reflects the time distribution of multiple optical signals sensed by the optical sensing module in different sensing periods; the data processing module is electrically connected to the corresponding statistics unit and is used to output the sensing result of the optical sensing module according to the processing result of the optical signal counting sequence corresponding to the statistical histogram.

[0038] Optionally, in some embodiments, for each photosensitive pixel, multiple photosensitive units are divided into a first photosensitive unit group and a second photosensitive unit group according to their different aperture ratios. All photosensitive units in the first photosensitive unit group have a first aperture ratio, and all photosensitive units in the second photosensitive unit group have a second aperture ratio, wherein the first aperture ratio is smaller than the second aperture ratio. The first photosensitive unit groups of different photosensitive pixels are correspondingly connected to a first timing unit, and a first statistical unit is electrically connected to the first timing unit to obtain a first statistical histogram corresponding to the first photosensitive unit group. The second photosensitive unit groups of different photosensitive pixels are correspondingly connected to a second timing unit, and a second statistical unit is electrically connected to the second timing unit to obtain a second statistical histogram corresponding to the second photosensitive unit group. The data processing module is electrically connected to the first statistical unit and the second statistical unit respectively to determine the sensing result of the photosensitive module based on the light signal counting sequence corresponding to the first statistical histogram and the second statistical histogram.

[0039] Optionally, in some embodiments, the data processing module includes a credibility judgment module and a result output module; the result output module is electrically connected to the credibility judgment module, and the credibility judgment module is electrically connected to the first statistical unit and the second statistical unit respectively, for judging the credibility of the first statistical histogram and the second statistical histogram, and determining the output signal of the result output module based on the credibility judgment result.

[0040] Optionally, in some embodiments, the data processing module determines the output signal of the result output module based on the confidence level judgment result, including: if the confidence level of the first statistical histogram is greater than that of the second statistical histogram, the result output module outputs the sensing result of the photosensitive module based on the signal peak value of the first statistical histogram; if the confidence level of the first statistical histogram is less than that of the second statistical histogram, the result output module outputs the sensing result of the photosensitive module based on the signal peak value of the second statistical histogram; if the confidence level of the first statistical histogram is close to that of the second statistical histogram, the result output module outputs the sensing result of the photosensitive module based on the average of the signal peak values ​​of the first and second statistical histograms.

[0041] Optionally, in other embodiments, the first statistical histogram and the second statistical histogram are processed by corresponding algorithms to obtain more accurate output results. For example, the histogram results are corrected based on the difference between the first statistical histogram and the second statistical histogram to deduce more accurate signal peaks, thereby enabling the result output module to output more accurate distance positions.

[0042] Optionally, in some embodiments, the data processing module further includes: a first arithmetic module and a first output module; the first arithmetic module is electrically connected to the first statistical unit and the second statistical unit respectively, and is used to obtain a third statistical histogram based on the superposition result of photon counts of the first statistical unit and the second statistical unit in the corresponding sensing period; the first output module is electrically connected to the first arithmetic module and is used to output the sensing result of the optical sensing module based on the optical signal counting sequence corresponding to the third statistical histogram.

[0043] Optionally, in some embodiments, the data processing module further includes: a second calculation module and a second output module; the second calculation module is electrically connected to the first statistical unit and the second statistical unit respectively, and is used to superimpose the weighted count result of the photon count of the first statistical unit in the corresponding sensing period with the photon count of the second statistical unit in the corresponding sensing period to obtain a fourth statistical histogram; the second output module is electrically connected to the second calculation unit, and is used to output the sensing result of the optical sensing module according to the optical signal counting sequence corresponding to the fourth statistical histogram.

[0044] Optionally, in some embodiments, the ratio of the number of photosensitive units with a first aperture ratio to the number of photosensitive units with a second aperture ratio is 1:1 to 1:10.

[0045] Optionally, in some embodiments, the first preset weight value is preset or dynamically adjusted according to the ranging requirements; and / or, the first preset weight value is greater than or equal to 2 and less than or equal to 5.

[0046] Embodiments of this application also provide an electronic device including a photoelectric detection device. The electronic device performs corresponding functions based on the three-dimensional information obtained by the photoelectric detection device. Examples of electronic devices include mobile phones, automobiles, robots, access control / monitoring systems, smart locks, and drones. The three-dimensional information includes, for example, proximity information, depth information, distance information, and coordinate information of objects within the detection range. This three-dimensional information can be used in fields such as 3D modeling, facial recognition, autonomous driving, machine vision, monitoring, drone control, augmented reality (AR) / virtual reality (VR), simultaneous localization and mapping (SLAM), and object proximity detection; this application does not limit its application to these areas.

[0047] Optoelectronic detection devices, such as lidar, can be used to obtain three-dimensional information of objects within the detection range. LiDAR is applied in fields such as autonomous vehicles, autonomous aircraft, 3D printing, VR, AR, and service robots. Taking autonomous vehicles as an example, lidar can scan the surrounding environment by rapidly and repeatedly emitting laser beams to obtain point cloud data reflecting the shape, position, and movement of one or more objects in the environment. Specifically, lidar emits laser beams into the surrounding environment and receives the echo beams reflected back by various objects in the environment. By calculating the time delay (time of flight) between the emission time of the laser beam and the return time of the echo beams, the distance / depth information of each object is determined. Simultaneously, lidar can also determine the angular information describing the orientation of the laser beam's detection range. Combining the distance / depth information of each object with the angular information of the laser beam generates a three-dimensional map including all objects in the scanned surrounding environment. This three-dimensional map can guide the autonomous driving of the vehicle.

[0048] Hereinafter, embodiments of photoelectric detection devices applied to electronic devices will be described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings.

[0049] Figure 1 This is a schematic diagram of the functional modules of the photoelectric detection device 10 provided in this application embodiment applied to the electronic device 1. Figure 2This is a schematic diagram of the functional modules of the photoelectric detection device 10 provided in the embodiments of this application.

[0050] Reference Figure 1 and Figure 2 The electronic device 1 includes a photoelectric detection device 10. The photoelectric detection device 10 can detect an object 2 within its detection range to obtain three-dimensional information about the object 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 information detection, or it can be referred to as the field of view of the photoelectric detection device 10. 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 surface of the object 2, distance information of the object 2, and spatial coordinate information of the object 2.

[0051] Electronic device 1 may include application module 20, which is configured to perform preset operations or implement corresponding functions based on the sensing results of photoelectric detection device 10. For example, but not limited to: determining whether an object 2 is present within a preset detection range in front of electronic device 1 based on its proximity information; or controlling the movement of electronic device 1 to avoid obstacles based on the distance information of object 2; or realizing 3D modeling, face recognition, machine vision, etc., based on the depth information of the surface of object 2. Electronic device 1 may also include storage medium 30, which supports the storage needs of electronic device 1 and / or photoelectric detection device 10 during operation. Electronic device 1 may also include processor 40, which supports the data processing needs of electronic device 1 and / or photoelectric detection device 10 during operation.

[0052] Optionally, in some embodiments, the photoelectric detection device 10 can be, for example, a dToF measurement device that performs three-dimensional information sensing based on the direct time of flight (dToF) principle. The dToF measurement device can emit a sensing beam within the detection range and receive the sensing beam reflected back from the object 2 within the detection range. The time difference between the emission time and the reception time of the reflected sensing beam is called the flight time t of the sensing beam. By calculating half the distance traveled by the sensing beam within the flight time t, the three-dimensional information D = (c × t) / 2 of the object 2 can be obtained, where c is the speed of light.

[0053] Alternatively, in some other embodiments, the photoelectric detection device 10 may also be an iToF measurement device that performs three-dimensional information sensing based on the indirect time of flight (iToF) measurement principle. The iToF measurement device obtains the three-dimensional information of the object 2 by comparing the phase difference between when the sensing beam is emitted and when it is reflected back and received.

[0054] In the embodiments described below, the photoelectric detection device 10 is mainly used as a dToF measurement device for illustration.

[0055] Optionally, such as Figure 2 As shown, the photoelectric detection device 10 includes a light emitting module 110, a light sensing module 120, and a processing circuit 130. The light emitting module 110 is configured to emit a sensing beam into a detection range to detect the three-dimensional information of an object 2 within the detection range. A portion of the sensing beam is reflected back by the object 2, and the reflected beam carries the three-dimensional information of the object 2. A portion of the reflected beam can be sensed by the light sensing module 120 to obtain the three-dimensional information of the object 2. The light sensing module 120 is configured to sense light signals from the detection range and output corresponding light sensing signals. By analyzing the light sensing signals, the three-dimensional information of the object 2 within the detection range can be detected. It is understood that the light signals sensed by the light sensing module 120 can be photons, such as photons from the sensing beam reflected back from the object 2 within the detection range and photons from ambient light within the detection range. The light sensing module 120 includes at least one photosensitive pixel 121, which is used to sense light signals from the detection range and output corresponding light sensing signals. The processing circuit 130 is configured to analyze and process the light-sensing signal to obtain the moment when the sensing beam is sensed by the light-sensing module 120, and to obtain the three-dimensional information of the object 2 based on the time difference between the emission time of the sensing beam and the time when it is reflected back and sensed.

[0056] Optionally, the processing circuit 130 can be configured as a separate component, such as a stand-alone microprocessor. Alternatively, in some other embodiments, all or part of the functional units of the processing circuit 130 can also be located on the electronic device 1.

[0057] Optionally, the sensing beam can be a laser pulse with a preset frequency. The light emitting module 110 is configured to periodically emit laser pulses as a sensing beam at a preset frequency during a partition detection period of a detection frame. Specifically, the light emitting module 110 emits sensing beam pulses to partitions in different directions within the detection range according to a preset scanning method for distance detection. Multiple sensing beam pulses are emitted to each partition according to a corresponding preset time sequence. After emitting multiple sensing beam pulses to one partition, the distance information of that partition can be obtained. This process can be considered as a partition detection period. Scanning multiple partitions sequentially is considered as completing a frame detection of the entire detection range, obtaining the distance information of all partitions within the entire detection range, which can be used to construct a point cloud of the entire detection range for one frame. In other words, a frame detection of the detection range includes multiple partition detection periods corresponding to partition scanning.

[0058] To ensure the statistical significance of the time-correlated single-photon counting method used in dToF measurements, the light source module of the optical emission module emits multiple sensing beam pulses according to a preset time sequence within a single detection period. These pulses can be dozens, hundreds, thousands, tens of thousands, or even millions. Each sensing beam pulse corresponds to one detection period; that is, a single detection period includes multiple sensing periods. The duration of each sensing period can be set based on the maximum detection distance required for the detected region, and should be at least greater than the photon flight time corresponding to that maximum detection distance. Multiple different sensing periods belonging to the same single detection period can be set to have the same duration or different durations.

[0059] In some embodiments, for multiple different sensing time periods, the sensing beam pulses can be emitted at the same time in the corresponding sensing time period, for example, all emitted at the beginning of the sensing time period; while in other embodiments, for multiple different sensing time periods, the sensing beam pulses can also be emitted at different times in each corresponding sensing time period, so as to prevent interference between different photoelectric detection devices 10 or reduce crosstalk between adjacent photosensitive pixels on the receiving module. The multiple different sensing time periods can belong to the same partition detection time period or belong to different partition detection time periods.

[0060] In some embodiments, the sensing time period can be different when scanning and sensing partitions located at different preset deflection angles within the detection range. For example, the sensing time period in the partition detection time period is positively correlated with the maximum distance detection value that the corresponding detection area needs to meet. For detection areas with a larger maximum distance detection value, the corresponding sensing time period is longer; for detection areas with a smaller maximum distance detection value, the corresponding sensing time period is shorter.

[0061] It should be understood that the light emitting module 110 and the light sensing module 120 are arranged side by side, with the light emitting surface of the light emitting module 110 and the light incident surface of the light sensing module 120 both facing the same side of the light sensing module 120. The distance between the light emitting module 110 and the light sensing module 120 can range from, for example, 2 millimeters (mm) to 20 millimeters. Because the light emitting module 110 and the light sensing module 120 are relatively close, although the emission path of the sensing beam from the light emitting module 110 to the object 2 and the return path after reflection from the object 2 to the light sensing module 120 are not exactly equal, both are much larger than the distance between the light emitting module 110 and the light sensing module 120, and can be considered approximately equal. Therefore, the distance between the object 2 and the photoelectric detection device 10 can be calculated based on the product of half the flight time t of the sensing beam reflected back from the object 2 and the speed of light c.

[0062] Optionally, in some embodiments, the light sensing module 120 may include a photoelectric sensor and a receiving optics. The receiving optics are disposed on the light-incident side of the photoelectric sensor and configured to transmit light signals from the detection range to the photoelectric sensor for sensing. For example, in some embodiments, the receiving optics include a receiving lens (not shown). Optionally, the receiving lens may include one lens or multiple lenses. The photoelectric sensor is configured to sense the light signals transmitted from the detection range via the receiving optics and output a corresponding light-sensing signal.

[0063] Optionally, continue reading Figure 2 The photoelectric detection device 10 also includes a control circuit 140, which includes a light source control unit 141 and a sensing control unit 142. The light source control unit 141 is configured to control the light emitting module 110 to emit a sensing beam to scan the detection range, and the sensing control unit 142 is configured to control the light sensing module 120 to sense the beam returning from the detection range in conjunction with the scanning of the sensing beam.

[0064] In this embodiment, the light-sensing module 120 includes a single photosensitive pixel 121 or an array of multiple photosensitive pixels 121, which are located on a photoelectric sensor. The detection range of the light-sensing module 120 may include multiple detection areas located at different positions. For example... Figure 4 As shown, Figure 4 The illustrated light sensing module 120 includes four photosensitive pixels 121 arranged in an array. It should be noted that the light sensing module 120 in this embodiment actually refers to the photoelectric sensor in the light sensing module 120, and the photosensitive pixels 121 are part of the photoelectric sensor.

[0065] Optionally, the photosensitive pixel 121 has a corresponding detection area within the detection range. The light signal returning from the detection area is propagated to the corresponding photosensitive pixel 121 via a receiving optics for sensing. That is, the detection area corresponding to the photosensitive pixel 121 can be considered as the spatial range covered by the field of view formed by the receiving optics of the photosensitive pixel 121. It should be understood that the light signal returning from the detection area includes the sensing beam that is projected onto the detection area and reflected back by the object 2 located within the detection area, as well as photons of ambient light from the detection area.

[0066] like Figure 5 As shown, Figure 5The planar structure of a single photosensitive pixel 121 is illustrated. A single photosensitive pixel 121 includes multiple photosensitive units 1211, each photosensitive unit 1211 acting as a photoelectric conversion device. The photoelectric conversion device is configured to sense received light signals and convert them into corresponding electrical signals as a photosensitive signal output. Examples of photoelectric conversion devices include single-photon avalanche diodes (SPADs), avalanche photodiodes (APDs), silicon photomultipliers (SiPMs) composed of multiple SPADs connected in parallel, and / or other suitable photoelectric conversion elements. In this embodiment, the photosensitive unit 1211 is described using a SPAD as an example of a photoelectric conversion device.

[0067] Continue reading Figure 4 and Figure 5 The photosensitive unit 1211 can be configured with different aperture ratios according to the size of the photosensitive area; the larger the photosensitive area, the larger the aperture ratio. For each photosensitive pixel 121, its multiple photosensitive units 1211 are divided into at least two photosensitive unit groups according to different aperture ratios, and the aperture ratios of different photosensitive unit groups are different. For example, each photosensitive unit 1211 includes a photosensitive array composed of 2×2 or 3×3 SPADs. This embodiment uses 3×3 SPADs per photosensitive unit 1211 as an example for explanation.

[0068] like Figure 5 As shown, the nine SPADs in the photosensitive unit 1211 are divided into two groups of photosensitive units 1211 according to their pixel aperture ratios: a first photosensitive unit group 121a and a second photosensitive unit group 121b. The first photosensitive unit group 121a may include four SPADs, and the second photosensitive unit group 121b may include five SPADs (not shown in the figure); alternatively, the first photosensitive unit group 121a may include three SPADs, and the second photosensitive unit group 121b may include six SPADs. Figure 5 The first photosensitive unit group 121a and the second photosensitive unit group 121b are divided in a horizontal direction. Figure 6 The first photosensitive unit group 1211 and the second photosensitive unit group 121b are divided in a vertical direction. In this embodiment, the division method of the photosensitive unit group 1211 is not specifically limited. Figure 5 and Figure 6 The area of ​​the gray region in the diagram represents the corresponding pixel aperture size. A larger pixel aperture size corresponds to a higher pixel aperture ratio, and a smaller pixel aperture size corresponds to a lower pixel aperture ratio. The aperture ratio is the ratio of the actual photosensitive area to the size of the SPAD device.

[0069] Continue reading Figure 5 and Figure 6 In the first photosensitive unit group 121a, each SPAD has the same aperture ratio, possessing a first aperture ratio. Similarly, in the second photosensitive unit group 121b, each SPAD has the same aperture ratio, possessing a second aperture ratio. Having the same aperture ratio in each group of photosensitive units 121b improves the efficiency of the fabrication process and reduces manufacturing costs. The size of the photosensitive area corresponding to the first aperture ratio is smaller than the size of the photosensitive area corresponding to the second aperture ratio.

[0070] Optionally, for the same photosensitive pixel 121, the first photosensitive unit group 121a includes a first aperture ratio, and the second photosensitive unit group 121b includes a second aperture ratio. The ratio of the number of photosensitive units 1211 with the first aperture ratio to the number of photosensitive units 1211 with the second aperture ratio is 1:1 to 1:10. Optionally, Figure 5 and Figure 6 The ratio of the number of photosensitive units 1211 with the first aperture ratio to the number of photosensitive units 1211 with the second aperture ratio shown in the diagram is 1:2, but other ratios are also possible.

[0071] Optionally, the ratio of the opening size corresponding to the first opening ratio to the opening size corresponding to the second opening ratio is 1:3 to 1:20.

[0072] like Figure 2 and Figure 7 As shown, the processing circuit 130 includes a data processing module 130b and at least two optical signal counting modules 130a. Optionally, the number of optical signal counting modules 130a corresponds one-to-one with the number of photosensitive units 1211 groups, so as to facilitate the statistical counting of optical signals in different unit groups.

[0073] Specifically, for the photosensitive module 120, which includes one or more photosensitive pixels 121, photosensitive pixels 121 belonging to the same photosensitive unit group are connected to the same optical signal counting module 130a. The optical signal counting module 130a acquires the optical signal counting sequence sensed by each photosensitive unit 1211 within the corresponding photosensitive unit group 1211 during multiple sensing periods. The statistical analysis of the optical signal counting sequence reflects the corresponding photosensitive result. Each sensing period corresponds to the time difference between the reception times of two adjacent laser pulses, and the optical signal counting sequence represents the optical signal counts obtained by the photosensitive unit group 1211 during different sensing periods.

[0074] Furthermore, the data processing module 130b is electrically connected to different optical signal counting modules 130a, and is used to output the sensing result of the photosensitive module 120 based on the processing results of the optical signal counting sequences statistically obtained by the different optical signal counting modules 130a in multiple sensing periods. That is, the data processing module 130b processes the optical signal counts obtained by different photosensitive unit groups in different sensing periods to obtain a more reasonable processing result, and finally outputs the final sensing result based on the more reasonable processing result. This embodiment does not limit the specific processing method, as long as a more accurate sensing result can be obtained.

[0075] The data processing module 130b is electrically connected to different optical signal counting modules 130a. It acquires optical signal counting sequences from the different optical signal counting modules 130a over multiple sensing periods, and processes these sequences to output the sensing results of the optical sensing module 120. The optical signal counting sequence is a numerical sequence corresponding to the optical signal count values ​​of each time bin in the statistical histogram.

[0076] The photoelectric detection device 10 provided in this embodiment divides the multiple photosensitive units 1211 of the photosensitive pixel 121 into different photosensitive unit groups according to different pixel aperture ratios, and uses the light signal counting module 130a to count the light signals of the corresponding photosensitive unit groups in multiple sensing periods, thereby obtaining the light signal counting sequence of different light signal counting modules 130a. Since the number of photons reflected back by the test object 2 at different distances is different, the data processing module 130b comprehensively determines the sensing result of the photosensitive module 120 based on the light signal counting sequence of different light signal counting modules 130a. This ensures photon detection efficiency and can reasonably avoid photon stacking effect, which is beneficial to improving distance sensing accuracy.

[0077] In some embodiments, continue reading Figure 2 and Figure 7 The optical signal counting module 130a includes a timing unit 131 and a statistics unit 132. The timing unit 131 is electrically connected to the photosensitive unit 1211 in the corresponding photosensitive unit group, and the statistics unit 132 is electrically connected to the timing unit 131. The data processing module 130b is electrically connected to the statistics unit 132 corresponding to different photosensitive unit groups, and is used to output the sensing result of the photosensitive module 120 according to the optical signal counting sequence corresponding to the statistical histogram, so as to realize photon counting statistics for different photosensitive unit groups respectively.

[0078] Specifically, the timing unit 131 is configured to determine the reception time of the light signal sensed by the photosensitive pixel 121, thereby forming a reception time sequence corresponding to different sensing periods by determining the reception time of different sensing periods. During the detection process, the photoelectric detection device 10 emits multiple sensing beams through the light emitting module 110. The timing unit 131 starts timing each time the light emitting module 110 emits a sensing beam to record the reception time of the light signal sensed by the photosensitive module 120 between two adjacent sensing beam emissions. During this period, the photosensitive module 120 outputs a corresponding light sensing signal for each light signal received. The timing unit 131 records the reception time of the sensed light signal based on the light sensing signal output by the photosensitive module 120 and counts it in the time bin corresponding to the reception time, forming a corresponding light signal count. The time bin is the smallest time unit Δt in which the timing unit 131 records the moment the light sensing signal is generated, reflecting the accuracy of the timing unit 131 in recording the light signal's time. The finer the time bin, the higher the accuracy of the recorded time. Optionally, the timing unit 131 can implement the timing function using a time-to-digital converter (TDC1311). The TDC1311 can be connected to one or more photosensitive unit groups with the same aperture ratio and is configured to record the reception time of the sensed light signal based on the light-sensing signal generated by the corresponding photosensitive pixel 121. Optionally, in some embodiments, the timing unit 131 may include a counting memory 1312, which has counting storage space allocated according to time bins. Each time the TDC1311 records the reception time of a light signal, it increments the counting storage space in the corresponding time bin by one.

[0079] The statistics unit 132 is configured to statistically analyze the cumulative optical signal counts within each time slot based on the received time series, thereby obtaining a statistical histogram reflecting the time distribution of multiple optical signals sensed by the optical sensing module 120 at different sensing periods. The statistical histogram can also be seen as a visual representation of the corresponding optical signal count sequence, or in other words, the optical signal count sequence is a count sequence composed of the histogram counts of the corresponding time slots arranged in the order of the time slots. For example, Figure 3 As shown, the horizontal axis of the statistical histogram represents the timestamp of each corresponding time bin, and the vertical axis represents the cumulative optical signal count value within each corresponding time bin. Optionally, the statistical unit 132 may include a histogram circuit 1321 (see...). Figure 2The histogram circuit 1321 is configured to statistically analyze the optical signal counts within each time bin to generate a statistical histogram. It should be understood that the statistical unit 132 performs statistical analysis on the cumulative optical signal counts during the process of multiple transmissions of the sensing beam within a single detection period of the detection frame (i.e., each transmission of the sensing beam corresponds to a transmission period, and the sensing period and transmission period are set accordingly). To ensure the counts have mathematical statistical significance, the number of transmissions of the sensing beam within a detection frame can reach thousands, tens of thousands, hundreds of thousands, or even millions.

[0080] Continue reading Figure 2 and Figure 3 The optical signal counting module 130a also includes a time-of-flight acquisition unit 133 and a three-dimensional information acquisition unit 134. During the sensing process, a large number of ambient light photons are also sensed by the optical sensing module 120, generating corresponding optical signal counts. The probability of these ambient light photons being sensed and leaving a count in each time bin tends to be the same, forming a noise level within the detection range. In scenes with high ambient light intensity, the average level of the measured noise level is relatively high, while in scenes with low ambient light intensity, the average level of the measured noise level is relatively low. Based on this, the optical signal count generated by the sensing beam reflected from object 2 is superimposed on the noise level, making the optical signal count in the time bin corresponding to the moment the sensing beam is sensed significantly higher than the optical signal count in other time bins, thus forming a prominent signal peak.

[0081] Understandably, the height of the signal peak count is affected by factors such as the optical power of the sensing beam, the reflectivity of the object 2, 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 sensing beam, the photoelectric conversion element of the photosensitive module 120, and the time jitter of the TDC 1311. Therefore, the time-of-flight acquisition unit 133 can obtain the flight time of the relevant sensing beam reflected back by the object 2 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 of the relevant sensing beam that generated the signal peak. The three-dimensional information acquisition unit 134 can be configured to obtain three-dimensional information between the object 2 reflecting the sensing beam and the photoelectric detection device 10 based on the flight time of the sensing beam determined by the statistical histogram, such as the distance between the object 2 and the photoelectric detection device 10 within the detection range.

[0082] The photoelectric detection device and electronic device provided in this application divide multiple photosensitive units of photosensitive pixels into different photosensitive unit groups according to different pixel aperture ratios, and use a light signal counting module to count the light signals of the corresponding photosensitive unit groups in multiple sensing periods, thereby obtaining the light signal counting sequence of different light signal counting modules. Since the number of photons reflected back by the test object at different distances is different, the data processing module comprehensively determines the sensing result of the photosensitive module based on the light signal counting sequence of different light signal counting modules. This not only ensures the photon detection efficiency, but also reasonably avoids the photon stacking effect, which is beneficial to improving the distance sensing accuracy.

[0083] The following explanation will take the example of each photosensitive pixel 121 comprising two photosensitive unit groups.

[0084] See Figure 4 , Figure 5 as well as Figure 7 In this embodiment, each photosensitive pixel 121 comprises multiple photosensitive units 1211 divided into a first photosensitive unit group 121a and a second photosensitive unit group 121b according to their different aperture ratios. All photosensitive units 1211 in the first photosensitive unit group 121a have a first aperture ratio, and all photosensitive units 1211 in the second photosensitive unit group 121b have a second aperture ratio. The first aperture ratio is smaller than the second aperture ratio, and the number of photosensitive units 1211 in the first photosensitive unit group 121a is less than the number of photosensitive units 1211 in the second photosensitive unit group 121b.

[0085] Specifically, the first photosensitive unit group 121a that is the same in all photosensitive pixels 121 is connected to the first timing unit 131a. The first timing unit 131a is used to acquire the first reception time sequence sensed by each unit in the corresponding first photosensitive unit group 121a during multiple sensing periods. The first statistical unit 132a is electrically connected to the first timing unit 131a and is used to acquire the first statistical histogram corresponding to the first photosensitive unit group 121a according to the first reception time sequence.

[0086] Correspondingly, the same second photosensitive unit group 121b in all photosensitive pixels 121 is connected to the second timing unit 131b. The second timing unit 131b is used to acquire the second reception time sequence sensed by each unit in the corresponding second photosensitive unit group 121b during multiple sensing periods. The second statistical unit 132b is electrically connected to the second timing unit 131b and is used to acquire the second statistical histogram corresponding to the second photosensitive unit group 121b based on the second reception time sequence.

[0087] The data processing module 130b is electrically connected to the first statistical unit 132a and the second statistical unit 132b respectively, and is used to determine the sensing result of the photosensitive module 120 according to the light signal counting sequence corresponding to the first statistical histogram and the second statistical histogram respectively. For example, the final ranging result is determined according to the confidence of the signal peak value of the first statistical histogram and the signal peak value of the second statistical histogram, or the final ranging result is obtained according to the processing result of the signal peak value of the first statistical histogram and the signal peak value of the second statistical histogram.

[0088] Optionally, see Figure 8 To facilitate the statistical counting of optical signals, the data processing module 130b in this embodiment includes a confidence judgment module 1301 and a result output module 1302. The result output module 1302 is electrically connected to the confidence judgment module 1301, and the confidence judgment module 1301 is electrically connected to the first statistical unit 132a and the second statistical unit 132b, respectively. The confidence judgment module 1301 is used to determine the confidence levels of the first and second statistical histograms and to determine the output signal of the result output module 1302 based on the confidence judgment results.

[0089] Understandably, the small aperture ratio photosensitive unit 1211 has a smaller window, resulting in a lower probability of receiving photons; while the large aperture ratio photosensitive unit 1211 has a larger window, resulting in a higher probability of receiving photons. For a distant object 2, fewer photons are reflected back. The large aperture ratio photosensitive unit 1211 can receive enough photons to statistically determine the peak value, thus calculating the distance to the object 2. However, the small aperture ratio photosensitive unit 1211 cannot receive enough photons for statistical analysis, leading to inaccurate measurement results. However, for a nearby object 2, due to the larger number of reflected photons, the large aperture ratio photosensitive unit 1211 suffers from photon stacking effects. Because of signal loss during the dead time peak, the statistical peak value is closer than the actual result, leading to inaccurate results. Therefore, it is necessary to calculate the distance to the object 2 based on the statistical results of the small aperture ratio photosensitive unit 1211; that is, the measurement results of the small aperture ratio photosensitive unit 1211 are more reliable.

[0090] In this embodiment, the reliability is determined based on the signal-to-noise ratio (SNR) and confidence level of each statistical histogram. The SNR reflects the ratio of signal to noise background in the histogram data; a better ratio indicates a stronger signal. The confidence level reflects the proportion of true data in the histogram; a higher confidence level indicates more reliable statistics. Therefore, when comparing the reliability of two first and second statistical histograms, the SNR and confidence levels of these two histograms can be compared. Since SNR and confidence level are standard statistical concepts, this embodiment will not elaborate on their specific details.

[0091] Optionally, the output signal of the result output module 1302 is determined based on the confidence level judgment result, including the following situations:

[0092] If the confidence level of the first statistical histogram is greater than that of the second statistical histogram, the result output module 1302 outputs the sensing result of the light sensing module 120 based on the signal peak value of the first statistical histogram.

[0093] If the confidence level of the first statistical histogram is less than that of the second statistical histogram, the result output module 1302 outputs the sensing result of the light sensing module 120 based on the signal peak value of the second statistical histogram.

[0094] If the confidence levels of the first and second statistical histograms are close, the result output module 1302 outputs the sensing result of the photosensitive module 120 based on the average of the signal peak values ​​of the first and second statistical histograms. It is understood that the close confidence levels of the first and second statistical histograms indicate that both are highly accurate. In this case, it is not easy to determine which result is more accurate, so the average value is used to obtain the final result.

[0095] It should be noted that the difference between the signal peak value of the first statistical histogram and the signal peak value of the second statistical histogram must be within a preset range and can be considered to have similar credibility. For example, the ratio of the absolute value of the difference between the signal peak value of the first statistical histogram and the signal peak value of the second statistical histogram to the signal peak value of the first statistical histogram is less than 5%.

[0096] Optionally, in some embodiments, if the difference between the signal peak value of the first statistical histogram and the signal peak value of the second statistical histogram is greater than a preset threshold, then the result of one of the statistical histograms is likely incorrect, and therefore the final output result needs to be re-evaluated. Specifically, the first and second statistical histograms are processed by corresponding algorithms to obtain a more accurate output result. For example, based on the difference between the first and second statistical histograms, the histogram results are corrected to deduce a more accurate signal peak, thereby enabling the result output module to output a more accurate distance value.

[0097] It should be noted that, for example, the statistical histograms mentioned above are calculated every 1 ns (equivalent to a bin in the histogram). If 500 ns of results are calculated, the corresponding histogram will represent 500 bins. Assuming the signal peak of the first statistical histogram is at 100 ns and the signal peak of the second statistical histogram is at 110 ns, the difference between these two signal peaks is 10 ns. The minimum step generally refers to a bin in the histogram, meaning the difference between these two signal peaks is 10 steps. In this embodiment, when the difference between the peak values ​​of the two signal peaks is greater than 5 steps (a preset threshold), it can be considered that one of the signal peak values ​​of the first and second statistical histograms is inaccurate, and appropriate algorithmic processing is needed for both histograms to improve the accuracy of the detection results.

[0098] In other embodiments, see further. Figure 8 The data processing module 130b also includes a first calculation module 1303 and a first output module 1304. The first calculation module 1303 is electrically connected to the first statistical unit 132a and the second statistical unit 132b respectively, and is mainly used to perform calculations on the results of the first statistical unit 132a and the second statistical unit 132b to meet the distance measurement requirements of the corresponding ranging scenario.

[0099] Specifically, to improve the accuracy of the output results, the first calculation module 1303 in this embodiment obtains a third statistical histogram based on the superposition of photon counts from the first statistical unit 132a and the second statistical unit 132b during the corresponding sensing time period. That is, the first calculation module 1303 superimposes the photon counts from the first statistical unit 132a and the second statistical unit 132b within the corresponding time bins to obtain the superimposed histogram statistical result. It should be noted that when superimposing and correcting photon counts within the corresponding time bins, the detection scene and the distance, light intensity, reflectivity, and severity of the stacking effect of objects in the scene need to be considered to improve the accuracy of the superimposed statistical result.

[0100] Furthermore, the first output module 1304 is electrically connected to the first arithmetic module 1303, and the first output module 1304 is used to output the sensing result of the optical sensing module 120 according to the optical signal counting sequence corresponding to the third statistical histogram.

[0101] In other embodiments, such as Figure 8As shown, the data processing module 130b further includes a second calculation module 1305 and a second output module 1306. The second calculation module 1305 is electrically connected to the first statistical unit 132a and the second statistical unit 132b, respectively, and is used to superimpose the weighted count result of the photon count of the first statistical unit 132a in the corresponding sensing period with the photon count of the second statistical unit 132b in the corresponding sensing period to obtain a fourth statistical histogram.

[0102] Specifically, weighting the photon count of the first statistical unit 132a during the corresponding sensing period can be expressed as follows: multiplying the photon count of the corresponding sensing period by a first preset weight value, thereby increasing the photon count base of the first statistical unit 132a. This results in a more accurate count by the first statistical unit 132a, and consequently, a more accurate final photon count statistical result. The second output module 1306 is electrically connected to the second arithmetic unit and is used to output the sensing result of the optical sensing module 120 based on the optical signal counting sequence corresponding to the fourth statistical histogram.

[0103] Optionally, the first preset weight value is preset within the second calculation module 1305, for example, based on empirical values. Alternatively, the first preset weight value can be dynamically adjusted according to the ranging requirements, thereby improving the accuracy of the ranging results.

[0104] Optionally, the first preset weight value is determined by the product of (photosensitive area with large aperture ratio / photosensitive area with small aperture ratio) and (number of photosensitive units with large aperture ratio / number of photosensitive units with small aperture ratio). Since the number of photosensitive units with small aperture ratio is smaller, when the output result of the photosensitive unit with small aperture ratio is multiplied by the first preset weight, its proportion in the histogram calculation result is comparable to that of the photosensitive unit with large aperture ratio, making the final output result more accurate. It can be understood that in this embodiment, the photosensitive area with small aperture ratio is the photosensitive region size corresponding to the photosensitive unit in the first photosensitive unit group, and the photosensitive area with large aperture ratio is the photosensitive region size corresponding to the photosensitive unit in the second photosensitive unit group; the number of photosensitive units with small aperture ratio is the number of photosensitive units in each first photosensitive unit group, and the number of photosensitive units with large aperture ratio is the number of photosensitive units in each second photosensitive unit group.

[0105] In other embodiments, such as Figure 9 and Figure 10As shown, the nine SPADs in the photosensitive unit 1211 can be further divided into three photosensitive unit groups according to their pixel aperture ratios. Each photosensitive unit group includes three SPADs. The three photosensitive unit groups can be arranged in rows from top to bottom or columns from left to right as needed. This embodiment does not impose a specific limitation on this arrangement. These three photosensitive unit groups are respectively connected to three optical signal counting modules 130a. The optical signal count of each photosensitive unit group is counted by the corresponding optical signal counting module 130a. The final sensing result is determined by comprehensively analyzing the processing results of the optical signal count sequences counted by each optical signal counting module 130a.

[0106] The following explanation uses the example of each photosensitive pixel 121 comprising three photosensitive unit groups.

[0107] For each photosensitive pixel 121, multiple photosensitive units 1211 are divided into a third photosensitive unit group 121c, a fourth photosensitive unit group 121d, and a fifth photosensitive unit group 121e according to their different aperture ratios. All photosensitive units 1211 in the third photosensitive unit group 121c have a third aperture ratio, all photosensitive units 1211 in the fourth photosensitive unit group 121d have a fourth aperture ratio, and all photosensitive units 1211 in the fifth photosensitive unit group 121e have a fifth aperture ratio; the third, fourth, and fifth aperture ratios increase sequentially. Figure 10 As shown, the nine SPADs in the photosensitive unit 1211 are sequentially divided into a third photosensitive unit group 121c, a fourth photosensitive unit group 121d, and a fifth photosensitive unit group 121e according to their pixel aperture ratios. Each photosensitive unit group includes three SPADs, and the three SPADs in the same photosensitive unit group have the same aperture ratio. Optionally, the aperture ratios of the three SPADs in the same photosensitive unit group increase sequentially, for example, the third aperture ratio, the fourth aperture ratio, and the fifth aperture ratio increase sequentially.

[0108] like Figure 11 As shown, the same third photosensitive unit group 121c in all photosensitive pixels 121 is connected to the third timing unit 131c. The third timing unit 131c is used to obtain the third reception time sequence sensed by all photosensitive units 1211 in the corresponding third photosensitive unit group 121c in multiple sensing periods. The third statistics unit 132c is electrically connected to the third timing unit 131c and is used to obtain the fifth statistical histogram corresponding to the third photosensitive unit group 121c according to the third reception time sequence.

[0109] The fourth photosensitive unit group 121d, which is the same in all photosensitive pixels 121, is connected to the fourth timing unit 131d to obtain the fourth reception time sequence sensed by all photosensitive units 1211 in the fourth photosensitive unit group 121d during multiple sensing periods; the fourth statistical unit 132d is electrically connected to the fourth timing unit 131d to obtain the sixth statistical histogram corresponding to the fourth photosensitive unit group 121d according to the fourth reception time sequence.

[0110] The fifth photosensitive unit group 121e of all photosensitive pixels 121 is connected to the fifth timing unit 131e. The fifth timing unit 131e is used to obtain the fifth reception time sequence sensed by all photosensitive units 1211 in the fifth photosensitive unit group 121e in multiple sensing periods. The fifth statistics unit 132e is electrically connected to the fifth timing unit 131e and is used to obtain the seventh statistical histogram corresponding to the fifth photosensitive unit group 121e according to the fifth reception time sequence.

[0111] The data processing module 130b is electrically connected to the third statistical unit 132c, the fourth statistical unit 132d, and the fifth statistical unit 132e, respectively, and is used to determine the sensing result of the photosensitive module 120 based on the optical signal counting sequence corresponding to the fifth statistical histogram, the sixth statistical histogram, and the seventh histogram.

[0112] Optionally, in some embodiments, the data processing module 130b determines the confidence level of the signal peak values ​​of the fifth, sixth, and seventh statistical histograms, and outputs the signal peak value corresponding to the statistical histogram with higher confidence level as the sensing result. The confidence level of each histogram can still be compared using the signal-to-noise ratio and confidence level, which will not be elaborated upon here.

[0113] In some embodiments, the data processing module 130b further includes a third arithmetic module and a third output module. The third arithmetic module is electrically connected to the third statistical unit 132c, the fourth statistical unit 132d, and the fifth statistical unit 132e. It superimposes the weighted count results of the photon counts of the third statistical unit 132c, the fourth statistical unit 132d, and the fifth statistical unit 132e during the corresponding sensing period to obtain an eighth statistical histogram. The third output module is electrically connected to the third arithmetic module and is used to output the optical signal counting sequence corresponding to the eighth statistical histogram as the sensing result of the optical sensing module 120.

[0114] It should be noted that the number of each photosensitive unit 1211 in the third photosensitive unit group 121c, the fourth photosensitive unit group 121d, and the fifth photosensitive unit group 121e does not differ by more than two. In this way, the number of photosensitive units 1211 with different aperture ratios is not significantly different, and the photoelectric detection device 10 can adapt to the measurement situation of objects 2 at different distances, which is beneficial to improving the accuracy of the distance measurement results.

[0115] The following examples illustrate the processing results of optical signal counting sequences from photosensitive unit groups with two different aperture ratios. The first photosensitive unit group 121a represents a small aperture ratio, and the second photosensitive unit group 121b represents a large aperture ratio. The following explanations will illustrate these results using different application scenarios:

[0116] First scenario (weak light): When the light reflected back from the object is weak, the signal-to-noise ratio of the first statistical histogram of the light signal sensed by the first photosensitive unit group 121a is high (e.g., Figure 12 As shown), the signal-to-noise ratio of the second statistical histogram of the light signal sensed by the second photosensitive unit group 121b is low (e.g., Figure 13 (As shown). Therefore, different data processing methods can be applied to these two statistical histograms, and the final output should be determined based on the reliability of the new histogram obtained after data processing.

[0117] (1) Directly compare the reliability of the first and second statistical histograms: based on Figure 12 and Figure 13 In comparison, when the light reflected back from the object is weak, the second statistical histogram corresponding to the large aperture ratio (second photosensitive unit group 121b) has higher reliability. At this time, the second statistical histogram corresponding to the second photosensitive unit group 121 can be directly used as the final output result, or the reliability can be compared again with the processing results of other methods.

[0118] (2) The photon counts of the corresponding time bins of the first and second statistical histograms are superimposed, and the superimposed histogram is as follows: Figure 14 As shown, for example: can Figure 14 and Figure 12 The corresponding statistical histograms are then compared again to assess their reliability. Clearly... Figure 12 The corresponding statistical histograms are more reliable.

[0119] (3) The photon counts of the corresponding time bins of the first statistical histogram and the second statistical histogram are superimposed after weighted processing. The superimposed histogram is as follows: Figure 15 As shown, for example: can Figure 15 and Figure 12 and Figure 14 The corresponding statistical histograms are then compared again to assess their reliability. Clearly... Figure 15 The corresponding histogram has higher reliability, so ultimately it can be... Figure 15 The corresponding histogram serves as the basis for calculating the distance measurement results, thereby improving the accuracy of distance measurement.

[0120] The second scenario (strong light): When the light reflected back from an object is strong, the second photosensitive unit group with a large aperture ratio cannot sense the true signal peak due to pile-up (e.g., Figure 16 As shown), the first photosensitive unit group with a small aperture ratio does not experience pile-up when receiving weak light, although the signal-to-noise ratio of the statistical histogram of the sensed light signal is low (e.g., ...). Figure 17 (As shown). Therefore, different data processing methods can be applied to these two statistical histograms, and the final output should be determined based on the reliability of the new histogram obtained after data processing.

[0121] (4) Directly compare the reliability of the first and second statistical histograms: based on Figure 16 and Figure 17 The comparison, although Figure 17 The signal-to-noise ratio is low, but its confidence level is higher than that of the statistical histogram corresponding to a large aperture ratio. The final sensing result is based on the peak value of the first histogram corresponding to the first photosensitive unit group as the basis for ranging calculation. Of course, the confidence level can also be compared with the processing results of other methods.

[0122] (5) The photon counts of the corresponding time bins of the first and second statistical histograms are superimposed, and the superimposed histogram is as follows: Figure 18 As shown, for example: can Figure 17 and Figure 18 A further comparison of the reliability of the corresponding statistical histograms clearly shows that... Figure 17 The corresponding histogram is more reliable.

[0123] (6) The photon counts of the corresponding time bins of the first statistical histogram and the second statistical histogram are superimposed. The superimposed histogram is as follows: Figure 19 As shown, for example: can Figure 19 and Figure 17 and Figure 18 The corresponding statistical histograms are then compared again to assess their reliability. Clearly... Figure 19 The corresponding histogram has higher reliability, so ultimately it can be... Figure 19 The corresponding histogram serves as the basis for calculating the distance measurement results, thereby improving the accuracy of distance measurement.

[0124] In summary, for different light intensity application scenarios, different processing methods can be used to process the statistical histograms corresponding to photosensitive unit groups with different aperture ratios. The reliability of the processed histograms is then compared, and the final sensing result is obtained based on the processing result with the highest reliability, thus meeting the requirements for accurate measurement of objects at different distances. Of course, for specific application scenarios, specific calculation methods can be directly used based on experience. For example, under medium light intensity conditions, the average count of the time bins corresponding to the histogram can be used directly, without needing to compare the reliability of different processing results again, thereby improving processing efficiency.

[0125] The above are merely specific embodiments of this application, but the scope of protection of this application is not limited thereto. Any variations or substitutions that can be easily conceived by those skilled in the art within the scope of the technology disclosed in this application should be included within the scope of protection of this application. Therefore, the scope of protection of this application should be determined by the scope of the claims.

Claims

1. A photodetecting device, characterized by, include: A photosensitive module includes at least one photosensitive pixel, the photosensitive pixel including multiple photosensitive units, the photosensitive units being configured with different aperture ratios according to the size of the photosensitive area; for each photosensitive pixel, the multiple photosensitive units are divided into at least two photosensitive unit groups according to different aperture ratios; The processing circuit includes a data processing module and at least two optical signal counting modules. The same photosensitive unit group in all the photosensitive pixels is connected to the same optical signal counting module. The optical signal counting module is used to acquire the optical signal counting sequence sensed by each photosensitive unit within the corresponding photosensitive unit group during multiple sensing periods. The data processing module is electrically connected to different optical signal counting modules and is used to output the sensing result of the optical sensing module based on the processing results of the optical signal counting sequences statistically analyzed by the different optical signal counting modules during multiple sensing periods. The optical signal counting module includes: a timing unit and a statistics unit; The timing unit is electrically connected to the photosensitive pixel and is configured to determine the reception time of the light signal sensed by the photosensitive pixel; the statistics unit is electrically connected to the timing unit and is configured to perform statistics on the cumulative light signal count in each time block to obtain a statistical histogram that reflects the distribution of multiple light signals sensed by the light sensing module in different sensing periods over time. The data processing module is electrically connected to the corresponding statistical unit and is used to obtain the corresponding optical signal counting sequence based on the statistical histogram.

2. The photodetection device of claim 1, wherein All photosensitive units within the photosensitive unit group have the same aperture ratio.

3. The photodetection device of claim 1, wherein For each photosensitive pixel, the plurality of photosensitive units are divided into a first photosensitive unit group and a second photosensitive unit group according to their different aperture ratios. All photosensitive units in the first photosensitive unit group have a first aperture ratio, and all photosensitive units in the second photosensitive unit group have a second aperture ratio. The first aperture ratio is smaller than the second aperture ratio. The first photosensitive unit group in different photosensitive pixels is connected to the first timing unit, and the first statistical unit is electrically connected to the first timing unit to obtain the first statistical histogram corresponding to the first photosensitive unit group; the second photosensitive unit group in different photosensitive pixels is connected to the second timing unit, and the second statistical unit is electrically connected to the second timing unit to obtain the second statistical histogram corresponding to the second photosensitive unit group. The data processing module is electrically connected to the first statistical unit and the second statistical unit respectively, and is used to determine the sensing result of the optical sensing module based on the processing results of the optical signal counting sequences corresponding to the first statistical histogram and the second statistical histogram respectively.

4. The photodetector device of claim 3, wherein The data processing module includes a credibility judgment module and a result output module; The result output module is electrically connected with the credibility judging module, the credibility judging module is electrically connected with the first statistical unit and the second statistical unit respectively, is used for judging the credibility of the first statistical histogram and the second statistical histogram, and the output signal of the result output module is determined according to the credibility judging result.

5. The photodetector device of claim 4, wherein, The output signal of the result output module according to the credibility judging result comprises: If the credibility of the first statistical histogram is greater than the credibility of the second statistical histogram, the result output module outputs the sensing result of the light sensing module according to the signal peak value of the first statistical histogram; If the credibility of the first statistical histogram is less than the credibility of the second statistical histogram, the result output module outputs the sensing result of the light sensing module according to the signal peak value of the second statistical histogram; If the credibility of the first statistical histogram is close to the credibility of the second statistical histogram, the result output module outputs the sensing result of the light sensing module according to the average value of the signal peak value of the first statistical histogram and the signal peak value of the second statistical histogram.

6. The photodetector device of claim 3, wherein The data processing module further comprises a first operation module and a first output module; The first operation module is electrically connected with the first statistical unit and the second statistical unit respectively, and is used for obtaining a third statistical histogram according to the superposition result of the photon counts of the first statistical unit and the second statistical unit in the corresponding sensing period; The first output module is electrically connected with the first operation module, and is used for outputting the sensing result of the light sensing module according to the light signal count sequence corresponding to the third statistical histogram.

7. The photodetector device of claim 3, wherein The data processing module further comprises a second operation module and a second output module; The second operation module is electrically connected with the first statistical unit and the second statistical unit respectively, and is used for obtaining a fourth statistical histogram by superimposing the weighted count result of the photon counts of the first statistical unit in the corresponding sensing period and the photon counts of the second statistical unit in the corresponding sensing period; The second output module is electrically connected with the second operation module, and is used for outputting the sensing result of the light sensing module according to the light signal count sequence corresponding to the fourth statistical histogram.

8. The photodetector device of claim 3, wherein, The ratio of the number of the light sensing units with the first opening rate to the number of the light sensing units with the second opening rate is 1:2-1:3; And / or, the ratio of the opening size corresponding to the first opening rate to the opening size corresponding to the second opening rate is 1:3-1:

6.

9. The photodetector device of claim 7, wherein, The weighting of the photon counts of the first statistical unit in the corresponding sensing period can be represented as the multiplication operation of the photon counts in the corresponding sensing period and a first preset weight value, and the first preset weight value is pre-set or dynamically adjusted according to the ranging requirement; And / or, the first preset weight value is greater than or equal to 2 and less than or equal to 5.

10. The photodetector device of claim 1, wherein Further comprising: A light emission module and a control circuit; the control circuit is configured to control the light emission module to emit a sensing light beam to scan a detection range, and control the light sensing module to sense a light beam returned from the detection range in cooperation with the scanning of the sensing light beam.

11. An electronic device, comprising: An optoelectronic detection device comprising the optoelectronic detection device according to any one of claims 1 to 10.

Images