Driver chip with multiple driver blocks for lighting system

Abstract

A driver chip for a lighting system comprises a plurality of driver blocks (20), wherein the driver blocks include a plurality of light sources (32) and a plurality of charging devices (24) for the light sources (32), wherein each driver block (20) comprises a driver part (22), in which a predetermined, fixed number of charging devices (24) are arranged; each driver block (20) has a configuration part (26) and an assembly area (28) which at least partially overlap each other; the assembly area (28) has a variable number of receiving areas (30), each receiving area is used for one light source (32); the receiving areas (30) can be metallized; the number of the receiving areas (30) is at most the same as the number of the charging devices (24); wherein the number of the receiving areas (30) is independent of the number of the charging devices (24).

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The invention relates to a driver chip for a lighting system, in particular for a laser system or a lidar system, having a plurality of driver blocks, the driver blocks comprising a plurality of charging devices for a light source for charging the plurality of light sources. Each driver block of the driver chip has a driver part in which a predetermined, fixed number of charging devices are arranged. Such a driver chip can be part of a lidar system, which can be used, for example, in a vehicle and for distance measurement. Background Art

[0002] For a lidar system including a system environment (e.g. a vehicle environment when used in a vehicle), optical radiation in the visible or invisible range is emitted and detected by a corresponding detector. Objects in the environment can be inferred by means of the transit time measurement, thereby creating an image of the environment. In this case, the position and location of the individual objects are identified by the determined transit time. The size and contour of the objects can also be determined.

[0003] In many systems, pulsed light sources with diodes are used, which can be charged via a charging device with a charging circuit. The diode usually contains a capacitor as an energy storage, which is first charged and then discharged via the diode, thereby outputting a light signal. Usually, the light signal is a pulse with a short pulse duration and a short rising edge and a short falling edge.

[0004] For driver chips known to date, the driver architecture is fixedly predefined. This not only concerns the charging device, but also the light sources to be arranged, their size and their distance from one another. A change in the architecture requires a complex redesign of the driver chip, making it difficult to implement specific customer wishes.

[0005] In particular, in solid-state LiDAR systems with rolling shutter sensors, line-by-line illumination is necessary so that such systems can work efficiently and effectively. However, this requires that the light sources are accurately adapted to the sensor (detector), which in turn presupposes an adaptation of the driver chip on which the light sources are arranged. Therefore, it is necessary to design a specific multi-channel driver chip for this purpose that is suitable for the respective application. Usually, this multi-channel driver chip cannot be adapted and reconfigured to a different number of channels or to other distances and sizes of the light sources.

[0006] Since redesign is often technically complex and costly, it is worthwhile only for applications manufactured in very high volumes. Summary of the invention

[0007] It is therefore an object of the present invention to specify a driver chip which can be adapted to customer requirements in a simple manner and which allows a high degree of flexibility, in particular with regard to the driver architecture.

[0008] This object is achieved by a driver chip having the features of claim 1 , a lidar system having the features of claim 11 and a method having the features of claim 13 .

[0009] In a first aspect, the present invention relates to a driver chip having a plurality of driver blocks for a lighting system, in particular for a lidar system. The driver chip is configured for a plurality of light sources, in particular laser light sources, and comprises a plurality of charging devices for the light sources. Each driver block has a driver part, in which a predetermined fixed number of charging devices are arranged. In addition, each driver block comprises a configuration part and an assembly area that at least partially overlap each other. The assembly area has a variable number of accommodating areas, wherein each accommodating area is configured for a light source. The accommodating areas can be metallized so that the desired connection ends of the light sources can be easily realized. The driver chip is characterized in that the number of accommodating areas is variable and is at most as many as the number of charging devices. Here, the number of accommodating areas is independent of the number of charging devices.

[0010] In another aspect, the invention relates to a laser radar system having a driver chip as described above. The laser radar system typically has, in addition to a driver chip equipped with a mounted light source emitting radiation, a plurality of photodetectors, which are usually arranged in a receiving diode array, wherein the receiving diodes can be, for example, SPAD diodes (Single Photo Avalanche Diodes).

[0011] Further aspects of the invention relate to a vehicle having such a driver chip and a corresponding method for producing a driver chip having a driver block having a separate number of light sources and a fixed predefined number of charging devices.

[0012] Preferred designs of the invention are described in the dependent claims. It should be understood that the above-mentioned features and the features to be explained below can be used not only in the respectively described combination, but also in other combinations or alone without departing from the scope of the invention. In particular, the method can be performed corresponding to the designs described for the device in the dependent claims.

[0013] According to the invention, the individual driver blocks of a driver chip are divided into two parts, wherein a predetermined and fixed number of charging devices are arranged in the driver part. The design of the driver part is thus fixedly predetermined, while the configuration part defines the part of the driver block that can be configured variably and customer-specifically. This provides the possibility of producing and using preassembled driver chips, wherein the driver block has a driver part with a fixed predetermined, preferably identical number of charging devices. Such preconfigured driver chips can be produced in large quantities at low cost, since such driver chips can be used for many specific applications. Only the configuration part is adapted to these specific applications.

[0014] It has been recognized within the scope of the present invention that the number of light sources and the spatial dimensions and distances of the light sources are crucial for the individualization of the laser channel. According to the present invention, an area on the driver chip is provided by means of a configuration area and an assembly area, which can be equipped with a variable number of light sources. For this purpose, a variable number of accommodation areas are provided in the assembly area, each for one light source. The accommodation areas can be adapted to the light sources required for the specific individual design of the driver chip in terms of their size and number as well as their distance. Thus, for example, a small number of large accommodation areas can be provided in the assembly area or accommodation areas with large distances can be implemented, wherein the number of accommodation areas can be less than the number of charging devices used. In this case, the individual charging devices remain unused. However, since the preconfigured driver chips are manufactured in large quantities and the charging devices or a greater number of charging devices on the driver part can be implemented cost-effectively, the unused charging devices are not important. In the case of an increase in the number of charging devices, only the distance between two charging devices is shortened. However, this distance between the charging devices is independent of the number or distance of the accommodation areas, and therefore independent of the number and distance of the light sources to be set later.

[0015] Since an even number of lighting channels is usually preferred, the number of charging devices is usually also even. However, an odd number of light sources can be operated without having to adapt the preconfigured driver chip in a special way. This results in a high degree of flexibility when using preconfigured driver chips.

[0016] It is also possible that the individual driver blocks in the driver chip have different configurations. Thus, for example, an odd number of receiving areas for light sources can be provided in one driver block, while an even number of receiving areas can be provided in the other driver blocks. However, even in this case, the number of charging devices can always be the same and independent of the number of receiving areas, at least independent of whether the number of receiving areas is less than or equal to the number of charging devices. The background is that each charging device preferably controls only one light source.

[0017] In a preferred design of the driver chip, it is provided that the number of the accommodation areas is set individually. Preferably, the number of accommodation areas is set in different manufacturing steps. Preferably, the number of accommodation areas is set in a later manufacturing step. Thus, it is possible to develop and produce preconfigured driver chips in which the driver part of each driver block is constructed and equipped with a fixed predetermined number of charging devices. However, the configuration part of the driver block can remain free and not be processed until the number of accommodation areas is set. Thus, it can be provided that metallization is only carried out in the configuration part when the number of accommodation areas is known and predetermined. This is preferably done based on the light source provided for use, which should be positioned in the accommodation area and in any case partially requires a special configuration and design of the accommodation area.

[0018] In a preferred embodiment of the driver chip, at least 2 driver blocks are provided, preferably at least 4 driver blocks. A typical driver chip for a lidar system includes, for example, at least 6 channels, which can typically be implemented with 4 driver blocks of a driver chip. Thus, a total of 24 channels can be implemented. Each driver block can preferably have 4 channels, i.e., 4 light sources. Another preferred embodiment of the driver chip provides 6 driver blocks, very preferably 8 driver blocks, and further preferably at least 16 driver blocks. In this way, a lidar system with very many channels (i.e., light sources) can be implemented.

[0019] A preferred embodiment of the driver chip has at least two driver blocks with different numbers of receiving areas. Such a driver chip represents an individual embodiment of the driver chip, according to which the individual driver blocks can be individually adapted to the specific requirements of the customer in a simple manner. For example, it can be provided that one driver block has 6 receiving areas and another driver block has only 5 receiving areas. The driver chip thus produced has 6 light sources in one driver block and correspondingly 5 light sources in the other driver block. Of course, several driver blocks can have the same number of light sources, i.e., for example, one block has 5 light sources and 3 driver blocks have 6 light sources.

[0020] In a preferred embodiment, the driver chip has at least one driver block, and the driver part of the driver block has at least 4 charging devices, preferably at least 6 charging devices, and more preferably at least 8 charging devices. Further preferred is a driver chip in which at least 16 charging devices are included in at least one driver part, that is, in at least one driver part of a driver block. The embodiment of a driver chip with 8 charging devices in the driver part of a driver block has been proven to be sufficient in practice. Such a driver chip generally provides sufficient flexibility because up to 8 light sources can be arranged in the configuration part. On the other hand, the cost of the total number of charging devices is manageable, so that the 8 charging devices in the driver part represent a good compromise between cost and flexibility. In a particularly preferred embodiment, the number of charging devices is the same in each driver part, that is, in the driver parts of all driver blocks. This makes the manufacture and design of each driver block simple. At the same time, a sufficiently high configuration flexibility is provided.

[0021] The charging devices in the driver part are preferably installed side by side so that the connecting lines of the light sources installed later on the receiving area have the same length. In this way, transit time delays can be avoided and the switching behavior can be unified.

[0022] In order to further improve the flexibility of configuration, it is provided in a preferred embodiment of the driver chip that the assembly area of ​​the driver block extends into the configuration part of the adjacent driver block. As a result, the accommodation area of ​​the driver block can also be located in the area of ​​the adjacent driver block. In this way, a driver block having an assembly area extending beyond the configuration part can be equipped with a larger number of light sources. In the adjacent driver block, the assembly area of ​​the neighbor extends into the adjacent driver block, and the assembly area is correspondingly smaller. Thus, the configuration part is partially used by two assembly areas anyway. However, the assembly areas of adjacent driver blocks do not overlap. The accommodation areas are placed correspondingly so that there is no overlap in the metallization of the accommodation areas, and therefore no overlap of the assembly area with the metal layer occurs. The two assembly areas are electrically isolated.

[0023] An alternative embodiment does not electrically isolate the overlapping receiving areas, so that adjacent drivers are short-circuited by metallization. This represents a simplification of the production technology, wherein each light source can still be driven individually via an anode separated from the other light sources, but the parasitic capacitance of the cathode is increased due to the additional short-circuited driver blocks.

[0024] A preferred embodiment of the driver chip provides that the light source comprises a diode and a capacitor for supplying energy to the diode. Preferably, the light source is a laser light source and the diode is a laser diode. Laser light sources with laser diodes and capacitors are typically used in lidar systems. In this case, the capacitor is charged by a charging device and discharged via the laser diode, so that laser pulses can be output by means of the laser diode.

[0025] In a preferred embodiment of the driver chip, the assembly area has at least 4 accommodating areas, each of which is used for a light source. Further preferably, there are 6 accommodating areas in the assembly area, each of which is used for a light source, and particularly preferably 8 accommodating areas, each of which is used for a light source. These accommodating areas then provide corresponding spaces for accommodating light sources. After the driver chip is manufactured, the accommodating areas are equipped with light sources, and the light sources are correspondingly assembled to the accommodating areas before the driver chip is used in the laser radar system.

[0026] In a preferred embodiment, the light sources have a common cathode and are controlled according to the common cathode principle in a preferred implementation. In this way, all light sources can be simultaneously ready to output light pulses by switching on the common cathode. It is then only necessary to control each individual light source at its anode so that the capacitance of the light source can output its charge in the form of a current via the laser diode and the laser diode generates a light pulse.

[0027] In addition to the driver chip, the present invention is also solved by a laser radar system including the above-mentioned driver chip. In addition to the driver chip and the light source arranged and installed in the personalized and configured part in the accommodation area, the laser radar system also has a plurality of receiving detectors, such as photodiodes, to receive the light rays reflected by the emitted light rays. These detectors are usually arranged in a photodetector array.

[0028] The method according to the invention is used to produce a driver chip having a driver block. The method is used to produce a driver block having a separate number of light sources and a fixed predetermined number of charging devices. The method comprises the following steps.

[0029] In a first step, a driver chip is provided with a plurality of driver blocks, each of which has a driver part and a configuration part. The driver part is then partially metallized corresponding to the fixed predetermined number of charging devices to be installed. After the driver part has been prepared, the driver part is equipped with a fixed predetermined number of charging devices, wherein the charging devices can be arranged and electrically connected in the metal structure of the driver part provided for this purpose. Of course, further components or assemblies can be installed in further optional steps.

[0030] In a further step of the method, a mounting area of ​​the light source to be mounted is set. The setting is performed in such a way that the mounting area at least partially overlaps with the configuration part of the driver block. At least partially overlapping in this sense means that at least some parts of the mounting area and the configuration part coincide. Preferably, the surface of the mounting area is a subset of the surface of the configuration part.

[0031] A further step involves setting the receiving area for the light sources in the mounting area. The receiving area is set according to the number of light sources to be arranged in the mounting area. The size of the mounting area and the size and number of receiving areas depend in particular on the number of light sources.

[0032] A further method step provides for partially metallizing the receiving area and / or the mounting area in preparation for mounting the light source. The metallization is performed in such a way that the light source can be arranged and mounted in the receiving area and an electrical connection between the light source and the driver chip can be established.

[0033] In a further step, the driver block is equipped with the light source by arranging and mounting the light source in the receiving area. Next comes the step of wiring a charging device with the mounted light source.

[0034] Typically, the production of the driver chip, the application of the metallization and the assembly of the laser diode represent different processes that occur separately in time and space. Thus, for the production of the driver a CMOS process can be used, for the application of the customer-specific metallization a redistribution layer process (RDL) can be used, and for the assembly of the light source a bonding or soldering process can be used.

[0035] A preferred embodiment of the method provides that the light source is a laser light source and comprises a laser diode and a capacitor. The step of wiring the charging device to the installed light source can then, for example and preferably, comprise wiring the charging device to the associated capacitor of the light source and further wiring the capacitor to the (associated) laser diode of the light source. The charging device is thus wired, i.e. electrically connected, e.g. by bonding wires, to the capacitor of the light source. Further wiring and connection is performed between the laser diode of the light source and the capacitor. This is preferably performed for all existing light sources.

[0036] In a preferred embodiment of the method, the steps of standardizing the driver chip, i.e. providing the driver chip, metallizing the driver part of the driver chip and assembling and installing a fixed predetermined number of charging devices for the driver part are performed separately from the further steps. In the three steps mentioned above, a semi-finished product of the driver chip is manufactured, which is equipped with a fixed predetermined number of charging devices. Such a driver chip (semi-finished product or blank of the driver chip) can be manufactured in large quantities, because it can be used for any driver chip to be configured or in any case for a large number of driver chips to be configured.

[0037] Then, in the further steps 4 to 8 of the method, the individual driver chips are individualized, in which the mounting area and the receiving area are set and the number of light sources is set, the configuration is metallized, and the light sources are mounted and installed and wired. These steps can be performed at a significantly later point in time, just like the above three steps of the standard configuration.

[0038] The personalization step can be divided again into steps for preparing and setting the assembly and receiving areas, including partial metallization, and method steps including assembly of the light source and wiring of the light source with the charging device. The personalization step can be carried out separately in space and time from the standard execution steps (manufacturing of semi-finished products). For example, assembly and wiring can be carried out by the end customer, where the light source is processed and installed specifically for this end customer, while the metallization can be carried out in an enterprise set up and specialized for this purpose, which does not necessarily have to coincide with the end customer.

[0039] It is obvious to those skilled in the art that some steps can be performed in other orders or only partially performed. Partial steps or individual steps or groups of steps can also be repeated, repeated multiple times or repeated in other orders. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0040] The present invention will be described and explained in more detail below based on some selected embodiments in conjunction with the accompanying drawings.

[0041] Figure 1 shows a schematic diagram of a driver chip having multiple driver blocks;

[0042] Figure 2 An embodiment of a driver chip having 4 driver blocks is shown;

[0043] Figure 3 Another embodiment of a driver chip having 8 driver blocks is shown;

[0044] Figure 4 An embodiment of a driver chip having 16 driver blocks is shown;

[0045] Figure 5Another embodiment of a driver chip with 4 driver blocks and a variable mounting area is shown;

[0046] Figure 6 A driver for an illumination system of a laser radar system having a charging device and a light source is shown;

[0047] Figure 7 A vehicle with a lidar system is shown; and

[0048] Figure 8 The schematic diagram shows the method sequence of the method according to the present invention. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0049] Figure 1 A driver chip 10 is shown with a plurality of driver blocks 20 arranged side by side. The driver chip 10 can be formed by a common circuit board or chip that accommodates a plurality of driver blocks. Each driver block 20 comprises a driver part 22 having a fixed predetermined number of charging devices 24, with which light sources installed later can be charged and controlled. The driver block 20 also comprises a configuration part 26 adjacent to the driver part 22. The driver part 22 and the configuration part 26 do not overlap each other.

[0050] In the embodiment shown here, each driver part 22 has a total of 8 charging devices 24. The configuration part 26 is unprocessed and can be individually configured in a further process step. This individual configuration includes an individual design of the configuration part 26, wherein the configuration part 26 of each driver block 20 can be configured differently and can have a different design of the light source and arrangement according to manufacturer predefined values ​​or according to customer-specific instructions. The driver chip 10 shown here is therefore a preliminary product or semi-finished product for a later customer-specific configuration of the driver chip 10, which has an individual arrangement of ground surfaces, connections and receptacles for components, in particular light sources.

[0051] Figure 2 An embodiment of a driver chip 10 is shown with a total of four driver blocks 20. Each driver block 20 has a driver part 22 and a configuration part 26. In each driver part 22 of the driver block 20, eight charging devices are provided which are mounted on the driver block 20. Therefore, each driver block 20 has the same, fixedly predetermined number of charging devices 24.

[0052] The configuration part 26 of the driver block 20 has an assembly area 28, in which a plurality of accommodating areas 30 are arranged. The accommodating areas 30 are used to accommodate light sources 32. The accommodating areas 30 are at least partially metallized to provide suitable connection terminals for the light sources 32. In the embodiment shown here, the two left driver blocks 20 each have two accommodating areas 30 equipped with light sources 32. The light sources 32 and the accommodating areas 30 are coordinated with each other. In particular, the accommodating areas 30 can be different in terms of their size and design. The accommodating areas 30 are generally larger than the light sources 32 mounted on the accommodating areas 30. The embodiment shown shows 4 accommodating areas 30 in the assembly area 28, respectively, so that a total of 4 light sources 32 can be controlled. Although only 4 of the 8 charging devices 24 are used for this purpose. Therefore, the wiring will be carried out in the following manner: when all accommodating areas 30 are equipped with light sources 32, only 4 charging devices 24 will be connected to the light sources 32 respectively.

[0053] Figure 3 A further embodiment of a driver chip according to the invention is shown. The driver chip 10 comprises a total of eight driver blocks, each of which has four receiving areas 30 in the mounting area 28 of the corresponding driver block 20 in the example shown here.

[0054] Since a typical driver for a LiDAR system includes a driver chip 10, each driver chip 10 having four driver blocks 20, it is possible to separate the individual driver blocks 20. Typically, the separation will be along the dashed line 34, thereby forming two driver chips 10, each driver chip 10 having four driver blocks 20.

[0055] Figure 4 A version of a driver chip 10 is shown with a total of 16 driver blocks 20. If a driver chip 10 with only 4 blocks is to be provided, the individual driver blocks 20 can also be separated along the line 34, so that in the case shown here a total of 4 driver chips 10 can be formed from the semi-finished product, each driver chip 10 having 4 driver blocks 20. This is entirely possible because the standardized driver chip 10 only has a plurality of driver blocks 20, each driver block 20 having a driver part 22 and a configuration part 26, wherein the driver part 22 includes a fixed predetermined number of charging devices 24, preferably 8 charging devices 24. Simple large-scale mass production can be easily realized. Further configurations can be produced at a later point in time to form individual driver chips 10.

[0056] Since the individualization of the driver block 20 is not carried out until a later method and process step, it is possible to mass produce the blanks of the driver chip 10. The individualization is then carried out in a further step so that the mounting areas 28 can be configured accordingly. Thus, each mounting area 28 of the driver chip 10 can have a different number of receiving areas 30 or different distances between adjacent receiving areas 30.

[0057] Figure 5 Another special embodiment of a driver chip 10 is shown with a total of four driver blocks 20. Each driver block has a total of eight charging devices 24 in its respective driver section 22.

[0058] The driver block 20a has a mounting area 28 in its configuration part 26, in which four receiving areas 30 are provided. Therefore, a total of four light sources 32 can be arranged. Here, a light source 32 is shown, the area of ​​which is the same as the receiving area 30. The wiring 36 connects each light source 32 to the associated charging device 24 arranged in the driver part 22. Here, only four of the eight charging devices 24 are wired to one light source 32 each.

[0059] The further driver block 20 b has a mounting area 28 in which a total of six receiving areas 30 are shown, in which light sources 32 are arranged (shown overlapping here). The six light sources 32 are connected to six of the total eight charging devices 24 using corresponding wiring 36 .

[0060] A particularity can be seen in the embodiment shown here. Driver block 20c has a mounting area 28 that extends into the configuration section 26 of the adjacent driver block 20d. The extended mounting area 28 shows a total of eight receiving areas 30 with eight light sources 32, so that each light source 32 is connected to one of the eight charging devices 24 by means of wiring 36. In this way, a plurality of light sources 32 can also be arranged in the mounting area 28, which light sources generally have a greater spatial extension and a greater distance from each other than is provided by the width of the configuration section 26. However, since the mounting area 28 can extend into the configuration section 26 of the adjacent driver block 20d, the degree of individualization can be further increased.

[0061] The adjacent driver block 20d has a correspondingly smaller mounting area 28, in which only two receiving areas 30 with light sources 32 are provided. Of course, it is also possible to arrange a plurality of light sources 32 in the mounting area 28, as long as the number, size and distance of the light sources 32 from one another correspond to the available mounting area 28. In the embodiment shown here with two light sources 32, only two charging devices 24 are also wired. All other charging devices remain unused.

[0062] Although an even number of light sources 32 or receiving areas 30 is always shown in the embodiments shown here, an odd number of light sources 32 or receiving areas 30 may of course also be provided.

[0063] Figure 6 A further embodiment of a driver chip is shown, which has individual configuration sections 26 in the individual driver blocks 20. The receiving area 30 of the mounting area 28 is equipped with light sources 32, each of which has a capacitor 38 and a diode 40. In a preferred embodiment, these light sources are laser light sources, each of which has a laser diode 42 as diode 40. The wiring 36 of the charging device 24 to the capacitor 38 of the light source 32 and the further wiring 36 of the capacitor 38 to the laser diode 42 can be clearly seen.

[0064] In the embodiment shown here, the driver parts 22 of all driver blocks 20 also have 8 charging devices 24 as standard. Of course, other numbers are conceivable. These charging devices are installed and manufactured in a first process step. Then, in a further process step, the assembly area 28 and the receiving area 30 are set and designed in the corresponding configuration part 26 of the driver block 20. Further process steps, which can be performed at other locations and by other manufacturers, include assembling the receiving area 30 with corresponding light sources or capacitors 38 and laser diodes 42 or diodes 40 and their wiring 36 by means of predetermined wiring (for example by means of bonding wires).

[0065] Although Figure 6 The left driver block 20 in FIG. 1 includes only four light sources 32, but all other driver blocks 20 have six light sources 32. Therefore, only the required number of charging devices 24 are wired in each driver block 20.

[0066] Figure 7 A vehicle 70 is shown, which has a lidar system 60 in the front area to detect the vehicle's environment. The lidar system 60 comprises a driver chip 10 with four driver blocks 20, each of which is equipped with a plurality of light sources 32. The individual driver chip 10 is controlled by a lidar controller (not shown here) so that the laser diode 42 of the driver chip 10 emits the desired laser pulses. The laser pulses reflected on objects in the environment are received by a photodetector array 50 with a plurality of photodetectors and processed in a corresponding evaluation unit (not shown here) of the lidar system 60.

[0067] Figure 8The principle flow of the method according to the present invention is shown. The method involves the manufacture of a driver chip 10 having a driver block 20, wherein the driver block 20 has a separate number of light sources 32 and a fixed predetermined number of charging devices 24. In a first step S10, a driver chip 10 having a plurality of driver blocks 20 is provided, wherein each driver block 20 has a driver part 22 and a configuration part 26. In step S12, the driver part 22 is partially metallized corresponding to the fixed predetermined number of charging devices 24 to be installed. After the metallization, step S14 follows, in which a fixed predetermined number of charging devices 24 are assembled to the driver part. The charging device 24 is thus installed in the driver part 22.

[0068] The three first steps S10 to S14 are carried out in order to produce a standard configuration of a semi-finished product of the driver chip 10, while the subsequent method steps are used to personalize the corresponding driver chip 10. In step S16, the mounting area for the light source 32 to be mounted is set in the configuration part 26, so that the configuration part 26 and the mounting area 28 overlap at least partially. The setting can also be carried out as follows, that is, the surface of the mounting area 28 is a subset of the configuration part 26. Alternatively, the mounting area 28 can also partially extend beyond the configuration part 26 of the driver block 20.

[0069] In step S18, the accommodation area 30 of the light source 32 is set in the mounting area 28. This setting is performed according to the individual number of the light sources 32.

[0070] In step S20, the receiving area 30 and / or the mounting area 28 are at least partially metallized in preparation for the mounting of an individual number of light sources 32. The metallization is therefore dependent on the respective driver block 20 and a customer-specific number of light sources 32.

[0071] Next is step S22 of assembling the receiving area 30 with the light source 32. This step may include multiple sub-steps, such as the step of assembling the receiving area 30 with capacitors 38 as energy sources for the laser diodes 42 of the light source 32. It may also be provided as a further step of assembling the receiving area 30 with the laser diodes 42.

[0072] In step S24, the charging device 24 is wired to the installed light source 32. As long as the light source 32 is a laser light source having a laser diode 42 and a capacitor 38, this step S24 can also include a plurality of steps. In this case, wiring is performed between the charging device 24 and the capacitor 38, and the capacitor 38 is additionally wired to the (associated) laser diode 42 of the light source 32. In this case, only the charging device 24 is connected to the capacitor 38 required for operating the respective light source 32.

[0073] The present invention has been fully described and explained based on the drawings and description. These descriptions and explanations should be understood as exemplary rather than restrictive. The present invention is not limited to the disclosed embodiments. Other embodiments or variations will become apparent to those skilled in the art after using the present invention and accurately analyzing the drawings, the content of the invention and the subsequent claims. For example, the number of driver blocks of a driver chip is different and variable. The number and arrangement of the accommodating areas in each assembly area are also variable and can be personalized and adapted specifically to the customer. Even and odd numbers of accommodating areas and corresponding light sources can be provided. Each assembly area or each driver block can be configured differently.

[0074] It is understandable to a person skilled in the art that the driver chip may include further components and elements which are not explicitly shown in the drawings for the sake of clarity. The driver chip and the driver chip equipped with a light source, such as a so-called driver for a lidar system, may also have additional photodiodes or receiving diodes or an array with photodiodes or detectors, so that a compact lidar system can be constructed as a whole.

[0075] In the claims, the terms "comprising" and "having" do not exclude the presence of further elements or steps. The indefinite article "a" or "an" does not exclude the presence of a plurality. A single element or a single unit may perform the functions of several units mentioned in the claims. Elements, units, devices and systems may be implemented partly or completely in hardware. The mere mention of some measures in several different dependent claims should not be understood as not being able to use a combination of these measures to advantage. Reference signs in the claims should not be understood as restrictive.

Claims

1. A driver chip for a lighting system, comprising a plurality of driver blocks (20), wherein the driver blocks include: a plurality of light sources (32) and a plurality of charging devices (24) for the light sources (32), in Each driver block (20) comprises a driver part (22) in which a predetermined, fixed number of charging devices (24) are arranged; Each driver block (20) has a configuration portion (26) and a mounting area (28) that at least partially overlap each other; The mounting area (28) has a variable number of receiving areas (30), each receiving area being used for a light source (32); The receiving area (30) can be metallized; The number of the accommodating areas (30) is at most the same as the number of the charging devices (24); The number of the receiving areas (30) is independent of the number of the charging devices (24).

2. The driver chip according to claim 1, wherein the number of the receiving areas (30) is individually set in different manufacturing steps.

3. The driver chip according to any of the preceding claims, wherein the driver chip (10) has at least 2 driver blocks (20).

4. The driver chip according to claim 3, wherein the driver chip (10) has at least four driver blocks (20).

5. The driver chip according to claim 3, wherein the driver chip (10) has at least 6 driver blocks (20).

6. The driver chip according to claim 3, wherein the driver chip (10) has at least 8 driver blocks (20).

7. The driver chip according to claim 3, wherein the driver chip (10) has at least 16 driver blocks (20).

8. The driver chip according to claim 1, wherein at least two driver blocks (20) of the driver chip (10) have different numbers of accommodation areas (30).

9. The driver chip according to claim 1, wherein the driver part (22) of at least one driver block (20) has at least 8 charging devices (24).

10. The driver chip according to claim 1, wherein the driver part (22) of at least one driver block (20) has at least 16 charging devices (24).

11. The driver chip according to claim 1, wherein the number of charging devices (24) is the same for each driver block (20).

12. The driver chip according to claim 1, wherein the charging devices (24) are arranged side by side in the driver section (22).

13. The driver chip according to claim 1, wherein the mounting area (28) of a driver block (20) extends into the configuration portion (26) of an adjacent driver block (20).

14. The driver chip according to claim 1, wherein the light source (32) comprises a diode (40) and a capacitor (38) for supplying energy to the diode (40).

15. The driver chip of claim 14, wherein the light source (32) is a laser light source and the diode is a laser diode (42).

16. The driver chip according to claim 1, wherein the mounting area (28) comprises at least four receiving areas (30), each receiving area being used for one light source (32).

17. The driver chip according to claim 1, wherein the light sources (32) have a common cathode and are operated according to the common cathode principle.

18. A laser radar system (60) comprising a driver chip (10) according to any one of claims 1 to 17.

19. A vehicle having a lidar system (60) according to claim 18.

20. A method for producing a driver chip (10) having a driver block (20) with a separate number of light sources (32) and a fixed predetermined number of charging devices (24), the method comprising the following steps: 1 provides a plurality of driver blocks (20) for a driver chip (10), each driver block (20) having a driver part (22) and a configuration part (26); 2. Partially metallizing the driver part (22) in accordance with a fixed predetermined number of charging devices (24) to be installed; 3. equipping the driver part (22) with the fixed predetermined number of charging devices (24); 4. setting a mounting area (28) for mounting a light source (32) so that the mounting area (28) at least partially overlaps with the configuration portion (26); 5. setting a receiving area (30) for the light sources (32) in the assembly area (28) according to the number of the light sources (32); 6. Partially metallizing the receiving area (30) and / or the mounting area (28) to prepare for the installation of the light source (32); 7. equipping the receiving area with a light source (32); 8. Connect the charging device (24) to the installed light source (32).

21. The method of claim 20, wherein the light source (32) is a laser light source and comprises a laser diode (42) and a capacitor (38).

22. The method of claim 21, wherein connecting the charging device (24) to the light source (32) comprises connecting the respective charging device (24) to an associated capacitor (38) and connecting the capacitor (38) to an associated laser diode (42).

23. The method of claim 20, wherein steps 4 to 8 of personalization are performed separately from steps 1 to 3.

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