LiDAR Chip and LiDAR

Abstract

The present application relates to the field of functional safety technology, and discloses a laser radar chip and a laser radar. The laser radar chip includes multiple functional circuits and multiple built-in self-test modules. The functional circuit includes multiple D flip-flops. The built-in self-test modules correspond one-to-one to the functional circuits. The laser radar chip is configured to string the D flip-flops in the functional circuits into a preset number of scan chains in the test mode. The test mode includes a first test mode and a second test mode. In the first test mode, the built-in self-test modules are respectively connected to each scan chain and used to detect whether the functional circuit is abnormal. In the second test mode, each functional circuit is connected in series in sequence, and the scan chains between any two adjacent functional circuits correspond one-to-one. Between the two corresponding scan chains, the output end of one scan chain is connected in series with the input end of another scan chain. In the above manner, each functional circuit can be detected individually, and all functional circuits can be detected as a whole, which can effectively achieve functional safety.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The embodiments of the present application relate to the technical field of functional safety, and particularly to a lidar chip and a lidar. Background Art

[0002] The lidar chip is the core component of the lidar, responsible for the acquisition, processing, and transmission of all lidar information. Especially in vehicle-mounted systems, the lidar chip undertakes an important object sensing function. Once the function fails, the consequences will directly affect the life safety of the passengers and drivers. Therefore, how to achieve the functional safety of the modules in the lidar chip is particularly important. Summary of the Invention

[0003] The embodiments of the present application provide a lidar chip and a lidar, which can not only separately detect each functional circuit to determine whether the function of the corresponding functional circuit is abnormal, but also integrally detect all functional circuits to determine whether the overall function of the lidar chip is abnormal.

[0004] In a first aspect, the embodiments of the present application provide a lidar chip, including a plurality of functional circuits and a plurality of built-in self-test modules. The functional circuits include a plurality of D flip-flops. The built-in self-test modules correspond to the functional circuits one by one. The lidar chip is configured to string the D flip-flops in the functional circuits into scan chains with a preset number of strips in a test mode. The test mode includes a first test mode and a second test mode. In the first test mode, the built-in self-test modules are respectively connected to the scan chains and are used to detect whether the functional circuits are abnormal. In the second test mode, the functional circuits are connected in series in sequence, and the scan chains between any two adjacent functional circuits correspond one by one. Between the corresponding two scan chains, the output end of one scan chain is connected in series with the input end of the other scan chain.

[0005] Through the above process, it not only realizes the separate detection of each functional circuit to ensure the normal operation of each functional circuit, but also realizes the overall detection of all functional circuits to ensure the normal cooperation of each functional circuit, which is beneficial to effectively realizing the functional safety of the lidar chip. Secondly, by using the existing functional circuits to form scan chains without additionally designing a circuit structure for detecting functional safety, it is beneficial to save costs. In addition, without entering a specific application scenario, the fault coverage rate can be greatly improved.

[0006] In one or more embodiments, the built-in self-test module includes: a storage unit configured to store test excitation information for testing each scan chain in the functional circuit; and a control unit connected to the storage unit and used to obtain the test excitation information to test each scan chain.

[0007] In one or more embodiments, the built-in self-test module further includes: an input buffer unit, which is connected to the control unit and the head ends of the respective scan chains in the first test mode, and is configured to receive the test excitation information output by the control unit, and convert the test excitation information into multiple test excitation data for parallel input to the respective scan chains; and an output buffer unit, which is connected to the tail ends of the respective scan chains and the control unit in the first test mode, and is configured to receive the test result data obtained by the respective test excitation data flowing through the corresponding scan chains, and convert the respective test result data into serial test result information for transmission to the control unit.

[0008] In one or more embodiments, the storage unit is further configured to store test expected results corresponding to the test excitation information; the control unit is configured to determine whether the functional circuit is abnormal according to the test result information and the test expected results.

[0009] In one or more embodiments, the lidar chip further includes a plurality of multiplexing modules, each multiplexing module corresponding to one of the functional circuits; the multiplexing module includes a preset number of multiplexers, each multiplexer including a first input terminal, a second input terminal and a first output terminal, the first input terminal being connected to the built-in self-test module, the second input terminal corresponding to the functional circuit located at the most upstream being configured to access test excitation information from outside the lidar chip, and the second input terminal corresponding to the functional circuit not located at the most upstream being connected to the tail end of the scan chain of the adjacent upstream functional circuit; in the first test mode, the first input terminal and the first output terminal are gated; in the second test mode, the second input terminal and the first output terminal are gated.

[0010] In one or more embodiments, the lidar chip further includes a monitoring module, the monitoring module including: a plurality of switch units, each switch unit corresponding to one of the first input terminals, the switch unit being connected between the built-in self-test module and the first input terminal; and a monitoring unit, which is connected to each of the switch units respectively and is configured to control each of the switch units to conduct or disconnect.

[0011] In one or more embodiments, the monitoring unit is specifically configured to: during the idle time of the service flow working mode of the lidar chip, control the lidar chip to be in the test mode and control each of the switch units to conduct.

[0012] In one or more embodiments, the lidar chip further includes a functional safety status unit; the functional safety status unit is connected to each of the built-in self-test modules respectively to obtain information on whether each of the functional circuits is abnormal.

[0013] In one or more embodiments, at least one of the multiple functional circuits is a laser emission module control circuit, a laser reception module control circuit, and / or a scanning module control circuit.

[0014] In a second aspect, an embodiment of the present application provides a lidar, including: a housing; a transmission module received in the housing for emitting detection laser to detect a target object; a reception module received in the housing for receiving echo laser, where the echo laser is formed by reflection of the detection laser by the target object; and the lidar chip as described above.

[0015] The beneficial effects of the present application are as follows: The lidar chip in the embodiment of the present application includes multiple functional circuits and multiple built-in self-test modules. The functional circuits include multiple D flip-flops. The built-in self-test modules correspond to the functional circuits one by one. The lidar chip is configured to form scan chains with a preset number of D flip-flops in the functional circuits in a test mode. The test mode includes a first test mode and a second test mode. In the first test mode, the built-in self-test modules are respectively connected to each scan chain and used to detect whether the functional circuits are abnormal. Thus, each functional circuit can be individually detected. In the second test mode, the functional circuits are connected in series in sequence. The scan chains between any two adjacent functional circuits correspond to each other. Between the corresponding two scan chains, the output end of one scan chain is connected in series with the input end of the other scan chain. Thus, all functional circuits can be integrally detected. It can be seen that through the above process, both the individual detection of each functional circuit is realized to ensure the normal operation of each functional circuit, and the overall detection of all functional circuits is realized to ensure the normal operation of the coordinated work of each functional circuit, which is beneficial to more effectively achieve functional safety. Description of the Drawings

[0016] One or more embodiments are exemplarily illustrated by the pictures in the corresponding drawings. These exemplary illustrations are not intended to limit the embodiments. Elements with the same reference numerals in the drawings represent similar elements.

[0017] Figure 1 is a schematic diagram of the composition block diagram of the lidar chip provided by the embodiment of the present application Figure 1 ;

[0018] Figure 2 is a schematic diagram of the composition block diagram of the first functional circuit provided by the embodiment of the present application;

[0019] Figure 3 is a schematic diagram of the composition block diagram of the lidar chip provided by the embodiment of the present application Figure 2 ;

[0020] Figure 4 is a schematic diagram of the composition block diagram of the lidar chip provided by the embodiment of the present applicationFigure 3 ;

[0021] Figure 5 It is a schematic diagram of the block diagram of the lidar chip when K = 1 provided by the embodiments of the present application Figure 1 ;

[0022] Figure 6 It is a schematic diagram of the block diagram of the lidar chip when K = 1 provided by the embodiments of the present application Figure 2 ;

[0023] Figure 7 It is a schematic diagram of the block diagram of the lidar chip provided by the embodiments of the present application Figure 4 ;

[0024] Figure 8 It is a schematic diagram of the block diagram of the lidar chip when K = 2 provided by the embodiments of the present application;

[0025] Figure 9 It is provided by the embodiments of the present application in the second test mode Figure 7 A schematic diagram of the simplified diagram of the block diagram shown;

[0026] Figure 10 It is a schematic diagram of the block diagram of the lidar chip when K = 1 provided by the embodiments of the present application Figure 3 ;

[0027] Figure 11 It is a schematic diagram of the block diagram of the lidar chip provided by the embodiments of the present application Figure 5 . Detailed implementation manners

[0028] To make the objectives, technical solutions and advantages of the embodiments of the present application clearer, the technical solutions in the embodiments of the present application will be clearly and detailedly described below with reference to the accompanying drawings in the embodiments of the present application. Obviously, the described embodiments are part of the embodiments of the present application, rather than all of them. It should be understood that the specific embodiments described herein are only used to explain the present application, and are not used to limit the present application.

[0029] It should be noted that when an element is expressed as "connected" to another element, it can be directly connected to the other element, or there can be one or more intermediate elements therebetween.

[0030] In addition, the technical features involved in the various embodiments of the present application described below can be combined with each other as long as there is no conflict between them.

[0031] Please refer to Figure 1 , Figure 1 It is a schematic diagram of the block diagram of the lidar chip provided by the embodiments of the present application Figure 1 . AsFigure 1 As shown, the lidar chip 100 includes multiple functional circuits and multiple built-in self-test modules, and the built-in self-test modules correspond to the functional circuits one by one. The multiple functional circuits include a first functional circuit A 1 , a second functional circuit A 2 , …, a Kth functional circuit A K , where K is an integer greater than 1. The multiple built-in self-test modules include a first built-in self-test module B 1 , a second built-in self-test module B 2 , …, a Kth built-in self-test module B K .

[0032] Among them, the functional circuit includes multiple D flip-flops. For example, Figure 2 an exemplary composition block diagram of the first functional circuit A1 is shown. As Figure 2 shown, the first functional circuit A 1 includes M*N D flip-flops, where both M and N are integers greater than or equal to 1, and M*N is greater than 1. The M*N D flip-flops include a first D flip-flop D 1 , a second D flip-flop D 2 , …, an Nth D flip-flop D N , an (N + 1)th D flip-flop D N+1 , an (N + 2)th D flip-flop D N+1 , …, a 2Nth D flip-flop D 2N , a ((M - 1)N + 1)th D flip-flop D （M-1）N+1 , a ((M - 1)N + 2)th D flip-flop D （M-1）N+2 , …, an MNth D flip-flop D MN . A D flip-flop is the smallest unit capable of storing one bit of binary information and is often the basic component for storing data in digital circuits.

[0033] The lidar chip 100 is configured to string the D flip-flops in the functional circuit into scan chains with a preset number of lines in the test mode. Still taking Figure 2 the first functional circuit A in 1 as an example, the first D flip-flop D 1 , the second D flip-flop D 2 , …, the Nth D flip-flop D N are strung into a first scan chain C 1 ; the (N + 1)th D flip-flop D N+1 , the (N + 1)th D flip-flop D N+1 , …, the 2Nth D flip-flop D 2N are strung into a second scan chain C 2 ; …; the ((M - 1)N + 1)th D flip-flop D （M-1）N+1 , the ((M - 1)N + 2)th D flip-flop D （M-1）N+2, …, the MN-th D flip-flop D MN Strung into the M-th scan chain C M .

[0034] It can be understood that in the test mode, similar to the first functional circuit A 1 , the second functional circuit A 2 , …, the K-th functional circuit A K Are respectively strung into M scan chains

[0035] The built-in self-test module is a module carried inside the lidar chip and can test the above-mentioned functional circuits. In this embodiment, the built-in self-test module is the LBIST module; the LBIST module is a circuit module based on the built-in self-test technology, mainly used to test the logic circuits in integrated circuits. It tests the logic circuits inside the lidar chip by generating test vectors using the linear feedback shift register built inside the lidar chip, thereby detecting potential faults

[0036] The test mode includes the first test mode and the second test mode. In the first test mode, the built-in self-test module is respectively connected to each scan chain and is used to detect whether the functional circuit is abnormal. As Figure 3 Shown, in the first test mode, the first built-in self-test module B 1 Is connected to the first scan chain C 1 In the first functional circuit A 1 , the second scan chain C 2 , …, the M-th scan chain C M , and the first built-in self-test module B 1 Is used to detect whether the first functional circuit A 1 Is abnormal; the second built-in self-test module B 2 Is connected to the first scan chain C 2 In the second functional circuit A 1 , the second scan chain C 2 , …, the M-th scan chain C M , and the second built-in self-test module B 2 Is used to detect whether the first functional circuit A 2 Is abnormal; …; the K-th built-in self-test module B K Is connected to the first scan chain C K In the K-th functional circuit A 1 , the second scan chain C 2 , …, the M-th scan chain C M , and the K-th built-in self-test module B K Is used to detect whether the K-th functional circuit A K Is abnormal. It can be seen that in the first test mode, it is possible to realize the detection of the first functional circuit A 1 , the second functional circuit A2 ,..., the K-th functional circuit A K is separately detected.

[0037] In the second test mode, the functional circuits are connected in series in sequence, and the scan chains between any two adjacent functional circuits correspond one by one. Between the corresponding two scan chains, the output end of one scan chain is connected in series with the input end of the other scan chain. As Figure 4 shown, in the second test mode, the first scan chain C 1 in the first functional circuit A 1 is connected to the input end of the first scan chain C 2 in the second functional circuit A 1 ; the output end of the first scan chain C 2 in the second functional circuit A 1 is connected to the input end of the first scan chain C 3 in the third functional circuit A 1 ;...; the output end of the first scan chain C K-1 in the (K - 1)-th functional circuit A 1 is connected to the input end of the first scan chain C K in the K-th functional circuit A 1 . The output end of the second scan chain C 1 in the first functional circuit A 2 is connected to the input end of the second scan chain C 2 in the second functional circuit A 2 ; the output end of the second scan chain C 2 in the second functional circuit A 2 is connected to the input end of the second scan chain C 3 in the third functional circuit A 2 ;...; the output end of the second scan chain C K-1 in the (K - 1)-th functional circuit A 2 is connected to the input end of the second scan chain C K in the K-th functional circuit A 2 . And so on, the output end of the M-th scan chain C 1 in the first functional circuit A M is connected to the input end of the M-th scan chain C 2 in the second functional circuit A M ; the output end of the M-th scan chain C 2 in the second functional circuit A M is connected to the input end of the M-th scan chain C 3 in the third functional circuit A M ;...; the output end of the M-th scan chain C K-1 in the (K - 1)-th functional circuit A M is connected to the input end of the M-th scan chain C Kin the M-th scan chain C M is connected to the input terminal. It can be seen that in the second test mode, since the scan chains are connected in sequence, according to the first functional circuit A 1 the input of the scan chain in and the K-th functional circuit A K the output of the scan chain in, it is possible to determine the first functional circuit A 1 the second functional circuit A 2 ... the K-th functional circuit A K when operating as a whole, whether there is an abnormality, that is, to implement the overall detection of the first functional circuit A 1 the second functional circuit A 2 ... the K-th functional circuit A K to perform an overall detection.

[0038] In summary, the lidar chip provided by the embodiment of the present application can not only implement individual detection of each functional circuit (including the first functional circuit A 1 the second functional circuit A 2 ... the K-th functional circuit A K ) to ensure the normal operation of each functional circuit; but also can implement the overall detection of all functional circuits to ensure that the cooperation of each functional circuit is also normal, which is beneficial to more effectively implement the functional safety of the lidar chip. Secondly, in this embodiment, by using the existing functional circuits to form scan chains, there is no need to additionally design a circuit structure for detecting functional safety, which is beneficial to cost savings. In addition, in the related art, detecting functional safety usually requires entering a specific application scenario, and not all the electronic devices in the functional circuit to be tested are in the working state, which results in a low fault coverage rate (usually 50%-60%) and poor detection effect; in contrast, the present application does not require the lidar chip to be configured to enter a specific application scenario, but can detect all D flip-flops in the functional circuit through the scan chain, which can greatly improve the fault coverage rate and can be increased to more than 90%.

[0039] In some embodiments, any built-in self-test module includes a storage unit and a control unit. The storage unit is configured to store test excitation information for testing each scan chain in the functional circuit. The control unit is connected to the storage unit, and the control unit is used to obtain the test excitation information to test each scan chain.

[0040] Among them, in a specific implementation, the test excitation information consists of a series of input vectors, which are applied to the scan chain to activate the internal logic and capture the response, thereby evaluating the functionality of the circuit.

[0041] Figure 5 Exemplarily shows a block diagram of the composition of the lidar chip 100 when K = 1. As Figure 5As shown, the first built-in self-test module B 1 includes a storage unit 10 and a control unit 20. The storage unit 10 is configured to store test stimulus information for testing each scan chain in the first functional circuit A 1 . The control unit 20 is connected to the storage unit 10, and the control unit 20 is used to obtain the test stimulus information to test each scan chain in the first functional circuit A 1 .

[0042] The storage unit 10 is a basic physical or logical component for storing data. It can refer to the smallest storage unit at the hardware level, or it can be a more complex structure composed of multiple hardware units that can store multiple bits of data. In some embodiments, the storage unit 10 is a read-only memory (ROM).

[0043] The control unit 20 can be a microcontroller unit (MCU) or a digital signal processing (DSP) controller, etc.

[0044] It can be understood that when K is greater than 1, the second built-in self-test module B in the lidar chip 100 2 , …, the Kth built-in self-test module B K also includes a storage unit 10 and a control unit 20.

[0045] In some embodiments, as Figure 6 shown, the first built-in self-test module B 1 further includes an input buffer unit 30 and an output buffer unit 40. Figure 6 Exemplarily shows a block diagram of the lidar chip 100 when K = 1.

[0046] Among them, in the first test mode, the input buffer unit 30 is respectively connected to the control unit 20 and the heads of each scan chain (i.e., Figure 6 the left end of the first scan chain C shown 1 , the left end of the second scan chain C 2 , …, the left end of the Mth scan chain C M ). The input buffer unit 30 is used to receive the test stimulus information output by the control unit 20, and convert the test stimulus information into multiple test stimulus data to be input into each scan chain in parallel. The multiple test stimulus data includes the first test stimulus data SI 11 , the second test stimulus data SI 12 , …, the Mth test stimulus data SI 1M . The first test stimulus data SI 11 is input into the first scan chain C 1 , and the second test stimulus data SI12 Input to the second scan chain C 2 , …, the Mth test excitation data SI 1M Input to the Mth scan chain C M . By setting the input buffer unit 30, on the one hand, the test excitation information can be temporarily stored; on the other hand, the serial data output by the control unit 20 can be converted into parallel data, so as to facilitate the detection of each scan chain respectively.

[0047] In the first test mode, the output buffer unit 40 is respectively connected to the tail ends of each scan chain (i.e., Figure 6 the right end of the first scan chain C shown 1 , the right end of the second scan chain C 2 , …, the right end of the Mth scan chain C M ) and the control unit 20. The output buffer unit 40 is used to receive the test result data obtained by each test excitation data flowing through the corresponding scan chain, and convert each test result data into serial test result information, and transmit it to the control unit 20. The test result data includes the first test result data SO 11 , the second test result data SO 12 , …, the Mth test result data SO 1M . By setting the output buffer unit 40, the test result data of each scan chain can be temporarily stored and converted into serial data, so as to facilitate sending to the control unit, which can effectively reduce the number of requests to the control unit 20, thereby reducing the burden on the control unit 20 and accelerating the processing speed.

[0048] It can be understood that when K is greater than 1, the second built-in self-test module B in the lidar chip 100 2 , …, the Kth built-in self-test module B K also includes the input buffer unit 30 and the output buffer unit 40.

[0049] In some embodiments, the storage unit 10 is further used to store the test expected results corresponding to the test excitation information. The control unit 20 is used to determine whether the functional circuit is abnormal according to the test result information and the test expected results.

[0050] Among them, the test expected results corresponding to the test excitation information are: on the premise that the tested functional circuit is normal, the first test excitation data SI 11 is input to the first scan chain C of the functional circuit 1 , the second test excitation data SI 12 is input to the second scan chain C of the functional circuit 2 , …, the Mth test excitation data SI 1M is input to the Mth scan chain C of the functional circuit M After that, the first scan chain C1 and the second scan chain C 2 …, and the Mth scan chain C M The data obtained by serially arranging the test result data that should be output respectively from the ends of …. That is to say, the test result information is the data actually output from the ends of the first scan chain C 1 and the second scan chain C 2 …, and the Mth scan chain C M The test expected result is the data that should be output from the ends of the first scan chain C 1 and the second scan chain C 2 …, and the Mth scan chain C M under ideal conditions. When the test result information is the same as the test expected result, it can be determined that the functional circuit under test is normal; on the contrary, when the test result information is different from the test expected result, it can be determined that the functional circuit under test is abnormal. For example, in Figure 6 , the control unit 20 can determine that the first functional circuit A 1 is normal according to the fact that the test result information is the same as the test expected result; and can determine that the first functional circuit A 1 is abnormal according to the fact that the test result information is different from the test expected result.

[0051] Please also refer to Figure 7 and Figure 8 . Figure 7 Exemplarily shows a schematic diagram of adding a multiplexing module on the basis of the block diagram shown in Figure 3 . Figure 8 Exemplarily shows a schematic diagram of the block diagram of the lidar chip 100 when K = 2.

[0052] As shown in Figure 7 and Figure 8 , the lidar chip 100 further includes a plurality of multiplexing modules, and the plurality of multiplexing modules include a first multiplexing module E 1 and a second multiplexing module E 2 …, and the Mth multiplexing module E M . Each multiplexing module corresponds to a functional circuit. Specifically, the first multiplexing module E 1 is connected between the first built-in self-test module B 1 and the first functional circuit A 1 , the second multiplexing module E 2 is connected between the second built-in self-test module B 2 and the second functional circuit A 2 , …, the Kth multiplexing module E K is connected between the Kth built-in self-test module B K and the Kth functional circuit A K .

[0053] The multiplexing module includes a preset number of multiplexers. For example, the first multiplexing module E 1 includes M multiplexers 50; the second multiplexing module E 2 includes M multiplexers 50;... the Kth multiplexing module E k includes M multiplexers 50. Each multiplexer 50 includes a first input terminal IA 1 , a second input terminal IB 1 and a first output terminal O 1 . The first input terminal IA 1 is connected to the built-in self-test module; that is, the first input terminal IA of the first multiplexing module E1 1 is all connected to the first built-in self-test module B 1 , the first input terminal IA of the second multiplexing module E 2 is all connected to the second built-in self-test module B 1 ,..., the first input terminal IA of the Kth multiplexing module E 2 is all connected to the Kth built-in self-test module B K . 1 is all connected to the Kth built-in self-test module B K .

[0054] For the second input terminal IB 1 , the connection conditions of the second input terminals IB corresponding to the functional circuits at different positions 1 will be different; specifically, the second input terminal IB corresponding to the functional circuit located at the most upstream 1 is used to access the external test excitation information from the lidar chip 100. In Figure 7 and Figure 8 , the functional circuit at the most upstream is the first functional circuit A 1 , and the second input terminal corresponding to the first functional circuit A 1 is the second input terminal IB of each multiplexer 50 in the first multiplexing module E 1 . The test excitation information input by the second input terminal IB in the first multiplexing module E 1 includes multiple test excitation data, which are respectively the first test excitation data SI 21 , the second test excitation data SI 22 ,..., the Mth test excitation data SI 2M , and the test excitation data at this time comes from the outside of the lidar chip 100, for example, from external devices such as a test machine. The second input terminal corresponding to the functional circuit located at a non-upstream position is connected to the end of the scan chain of the adjacent upstream functional circuit. In 2 and K , Figure 7 and Figure 8Among them, the functional circuits located not at the most upstream include the second functional circuit A 2 to the Kth functional circuit A K , taking the second functional circuit A 2 as an example, the second input terminal corresponding to the second functional circuit A 2 is the second input terminal IB of each multiplexer 50 in the second multiplexing module E 2 . The functional circuit adjacent to the upstream of the second functional circuit A 1 is the first functional circuit A 2 . The tail end of the scan chain of the first functional circuit A 1 is the right end of the first scan chain C 1 to the Mth scan chain C 1 in the first functional circuit A 1 . The second input terminals IB M in the second multiplexing module E 2 are respectively connected to the right ends of the first scan chain C 1 to the Mth scan chain C 1 in the first functional circuit A 1 . The first test excitation data SI M , the second test excitation data SI 2 , …, the Mth test excitation data SI 1 input to each second input terminal IB 21 in the second multiplexing module E 22 are respectively the first test result data SO 2M , the second test result data SO 1 , …, the Mth test result data SO 1 output from the right ends of the first scan chain C M to the Mth scan chain C 21 in the first functional circuit A 22 , …, the Mth test result data SO 2M .

[0055] In the first test mode, the first input terminal IA 1 and the first output terminal O 1 are gated. At this time, Figure 8 the overall implementation process of the first built-in self-test module B 1 , the first functional circuit A 1 and the first multiplexing module E1 can be simplified as Figure 6 shown. The first test excitation data SI 11 is input to the first scan chain C 1 , the second test excitation data SI 12 is input to the second scan chain C 2 , …, the Mth test excitation data SI 1M is input to the Mth scan chain C M。The first scan chain C 1 Output the first test result data SO 11 ,the second scan chain C 2 Output the second test result data SO 12 ,…,the Mth scan chain C M Output the Mth test result data SO 1M 。Thus, individual detection of each functional circuit can be achieved, which is beneficial to ensuring the normal operation of each functional circuit.

[0056] In the second test mode, the second input terminal IB 1 is gated with the first output terminal O 1 。At this time, Figure 7 The block diagram of the lidar chip 100 in Figure 9 can be simplified as shown in Figure 8 Of course, Figure 9 The block diagram shown can also be simplified into as shown in 1 The first functional circuit A 2 And the second functional circuit A 21 The first test excitation data SI 1 is input to the first scan chain C 22 ,the second test excitation data SI 2 is input to the second scan chain C 2M ,…,the Mth test excitation data SI M is input to the Mth scan chain C 1 The first scan chain C 21 outputs the first test result data SO 2 ,the second scan chain C 22 outputs the second test result data SO M ,…,the Mth scan chain C 2M outputs the Mth test result data SO 1 。Meanwhile, the input signals of the scan chains of the first functional circuit A 2 are provided externally by the lidar chip 100; the test excitation data input to the second functional circuit A K to the Kth functional circuit A 2 is the test result data output by the upstream adjacent functional circuit. For example, the first test excitation data SI 21 ,the second test excitation data SI 22 ,…,the Mth test excitation data SI 2M input to each scan chain in the second functional circuit A 1 are the first test result data SO 21 ,the second test result data SO 22 ,…,the Mth test result data SO 2M. In some embodiments, the external device for outputting the first test excitation data SI 21 , the second test excitation data SI 22 , …, the Mth test excitation data SI 2M stores the test expected results corresponding to the first test excitation data SI 21 , the second test excitation data SI 22 , …, the Mth test excitation data SI 2M . According to the test expected results and the first test result data SO K output by each scan chain in the Kth functional circuit A 21 , the second test result data SO 22 , …, the Mth test result data SO 2M , it can be determined whether there is an abnormality in the cooperative work of each functional circuit. Specifically, if the test expected results are the same as the first test result data SO K output by each scan chain in the Kth functional circuit A 21 , the second test result data SO 22 , …, the Mth test result data SO 2M , it is determined that the cooperative work of each functional circuit is normal; otherwise, if the test expected results are different from the first test result data SO K output by each scan chain in the Kth functional circuit A 21 , the second test result data SO 22 , …, the Mth test result data SO 2M , it is determined that the cooperative work of each functional circuit is abnormal.

[0057] It is worth mentioning that in the second test mode, the external device for providing test excitation data can also provide serial test excitation information and convert it into multiple parallel test excitation data before the test excitation information enters the lidar chip, and each test excitation data corresponds to a scan chain; after the above external device obtains each test result data from the lidar chip, it can also be converted into serial test result information and compare the test result information with the test expected results to determine whether the lidar chip is abnormal.

[0058] In some embodiments, the second test module can be used for screening the lidar chip 100. This mode can be carried out when the lidar chip 100 leaves the factory, that is, by performing an overall test on the scan chains of the entire functional module of the lidar chip 100. If the test result is abnormal, it is determined that the lidar chip 100 is a defective product; otherwise, if the test result is normal, it is determined that the lidar chip 100 is a good product.

[0059] In some embodiments, such as Figure 10As shown, the lidar chip 100 further includes a monitoring module 60, and the monitoring module 60 includes a plurality of switching units 61 and a monitoring unit 62. Among them, Figure 10 FIG. is only an exemplary schematic diagram of the block diagram of the lidar chip 100 when K = 1.

[0060] Each switching unit 61 corresponds to a first input terminal IA 1 In this embodiment, since there are M first input terminals IA 1 , a total of M switching units 61 are provided. The switching unit 61 is connected between the first built-in self-test module B 1 and the first input terminal IA 1 . The monitoring unit 62 is respectively connected to each switching unit 61, and the monitoring unit 62 is used to control each switching unit 61 to conduct or disconnect. When it is necessary to separately detect each functional circuit, the monitoring unit 62 can control each switching unit 61 to conduct, so as to input the first test excitation data SI 11 , the second test excitation data SI 12 , …, the Mth test excitation data SI 1M to each first input terminal IA 1 in the first multiplexing module E 1 .

[0061] It should be noted that this embodiment only exemplarily shows the schematic diagram of the block diagram of the lidar chip 100 when K = 1. When K is greater than 1, the number of switching units 61 is correspondingly increased according to the number of the first input terminals IA 1 , and the monitoring unit 62 only needs to remain one, that is, all switching units 61 are controlled by one monitoring unit 62.

[0062] In some embodiments, the monitoring unit 62 is specifically used for: during the idle time of the service flow working mode of the lidar chip 100, controlling the lidar chip 100 to be in the test mode and controlling each switching unit to conduct.

[0063] Specifically, the idle time in the service flow working mode of the lidar chip 100 refers to the time interval or waiting period that may occur during data acquisition, processing, and application. These idle times may occur at different stages, such as between one scan and the next scan, between data preprocessing and classification, or the transition period between information processing completion and decision output. In a specific implementation, the idle time in the service flow working mode of the lidar chip 100 is the blanking period of each frame of point cloud, specifically the short interval between the end of the acquisition of one frame of point cloud data and the start of the acquisition of the next frame. During this period, the system does not emit laser pulses or record return signals to ensure the stability and data quality of the system.

[0064] By controlling the lidar chip 100 to be in the test mode only during the idle time in the service flow working mode of the lidar chip 100, the normal function of the lidar chip 100 can be not affected.

[0065] In a specific embodiment, as Figure 10 shown, the specific working process of the lidar chip 100 is as follows: First, during the idle time in the service flow working mode of the lidar chip 100, the monitoring unit 62 controls the lidar chip 100 to be in the first test mode, controls M switch units 61 to conduct, and at the same time controls the D flip-flops in the first functional circuit A 1 to form a scan chain. The control unit 20 obtains test excitation information from the storage unit 10 and outputs it to the input buffer unit 30. The input buffer unit 30 converts the test excitation information into multiple test excitation data (i.e., the first test excitation data SI 11 、the second test excitation data SI 12 、…、the Mth test excitation data SI 1M ), and then inputs them in parallel to each scan chain (i.e., the first scan chain C 1 、the second scan chain C 2 、…、the Mth scan chain C M ). After the first test excitation data SI 11 、the second test excitation data SI 12 、…、the Mth test excitation data SI 1M are processed by the corresponding scan chains, the first scan chain C 1 、the second scan chain C 2 、…、the Mth scan chain C M output the first test result data SO 11 、the second test result data SO 12 、…、the Mth test result data SO 1M to the output buffer unit 40. The output buffer unit 40 converts the first test result data SO 11 、the second test result data SO 12 、…、the Mth test result data SO 1M into serial test result information and conveys it to the control unit 20. The control unit 20 compares the test result information with the expected test result. When the test result information is the same as the expected test result, it can be determined that the functional circuit under test is normal; otherwise, when the test result information is different from the expected test result, it can be determined that the functional circuit under test is abnormal. Thus, the detection process of the first functional circuit A 1 is realized, and the safety of the first functional circuit A 1 can be ensured.

[0066] In some embodiments, as Figure 11As shown, the lidar chip 100 further includes a functional safety status unit 70. Among them, the functional safety status unit 70 is respectively connected to each built-in self-test module to obtain information on whether each functional circuit is abnormal.

[0067] It can be understood that this embodiment adds a functional safety status unit 70 on the basis of the Figure 1 block diagram shown, and the lidar chip 100 in other embodiments of the present application may all include a functional safety status unit 70.

[0068] In some embodiments, at least one of the multiple functional circuits is a laser emission module control circuit, a laser reception module control circuit, and / or a scanning module control circuit. Among them, the laser emission module control circuit is used to generate, modulate, and emit laser pulses. The laser reception module control circuit is used to capture the laser signal reflected by the target and convert the optical signal into an electrical signal for subsequent processing. The scanning module control circuit is used to control the rotation of the scanning device so that after the laser pulse is emitted through it, a specific detection field of view can be formed outside the lidar, and then the target object within the detection field of view can be detected.

[0069] The embodiment of the present application also provides a lidar, which includes a housing, a transmission module, a reception module, and the lidar chip 100 in any embodiment of the present application. Among them, the transmission module is housed in the housing, and the transmission module is used to emit detection laser to detect the target object. The reception module is housed in the housing, and the reception module is used to receive the echo laser, and the echo laser is formed by the detection laser reflected by the target object.

[0070] The lidar can be a mechanical lidar, a solid-state lidar, a semi-solid-state lidar, etc., and the present application does not make a unique limitation on this. The lidar can be applied to any device that requires laser detection, such as a mobile robot, a ship, or a vehicle. When the lidar is applied to a vehicle, the lidar can detect parameters such as the distance and speed between the vehicle and the obstacle. The vehicle detects nearby moving or approaching obstacles through the lidar, such as taller vehicles, static objects on the roadside, and suddenly approaching hovering flying objects, so that the vehicle can plan a path that can avoid obstacles according to the detected information, so that the vehicle can avoid colliding with the obstacle. The vehicle can be an autonomous vehicle or an ordinary vehicle, and the present application does not make a unique limitation on this.

[0071] The above are only the embodiments of the present application, and do not limit the patent scope of the present application. Any equivalent structure or equivalent process transformation made by using the specification and drawings of the present application, or directly or indirectly applied in other related technical fields, shall be equally included in the patent protection scope of the present application.

[0072] The above embodiments are only used to illustrate the technical solutions of the present application, rather than limiting them; under the idea of the present application, the technical features in the above embodiments or different embodiments can also be combined, and the steps can be implemented in any order. Those of ordinary skill in the art should understand that they can still modify the technical solutions recorded in the foregoing embodiments, or perform equivalent replacements on some of the technical features; and these modifications or replacements do not cause the essence of the corresponding technical solutions to deviate from the scope of the technical solutions of the various embodiments of the present application.

Claims

1. A laser radar chip, characterized in that: The laser radar chip comprises a plurality of functional circuits and a plurality of built-in self-test modules, wherein the functional circuit comprises a plurality of D flip-flops, the built-in self-test modules correspond to the functional circuits one by one, and the laser radar chip is configured to string the D flip-flops in the functional circuits into a preset number of scan chains in a test mode, wherein the test mode comprises a first test mode and a second test mode; In the first test mode, the built-in self-test module is connected to each of the scan chains respectively, and is used to detect whether the functional circuit is abnormal; In the second test mode, the functional circuits are connected in series in sequence, the scan chains between any two adjacent functional circuits correspond to each other, and between the two corresponding scan chains, the output end of one scan chain is connected in series with the input end of the other scan chain; The laser radar chip further includes a plurality of multiplexing modules, each of which corresponds to one of the functional circuits; The multiplexing module includes a preset number of multiplexers, each of the multiplexers includes a first input terminal, a second input terminal and a first output terminal, the first input terminal is connected to the built-in self-test module, the first input terminal is used to receive test stimulus information from the built-in self-test module, the second input terminal corresponding to the most upstream functional circuit is used to access test stimulus information from the outside of the laser radar chip, and the second input terminal corresponding to the non-most upstream functional circuit is connected to the tail end of the scan chain of the upstream adjacent functional circuit; In the first test mode, the first input terminal and the first output terminal are enabled; In the second test mode, the second input terminal and the first output terminal are enabled.

2. The laser radar chip according to claim 1, characterized in that: The built-in self-test module comprises: a storage unit configured to store test stimulus information for testing each of the scan chains in the functional circuit; and A control unit is connected to the storage unit and is used to obtain the test stimulus information to test each of the scan chains.

3. The laser radar chip according to claim 2, characterized in that: The built-in self-test module also includes: an input buffer unit, in the first test mode, connected to the control unit and the head end of each scan chain respectively, for receiving the test stimulus information output by the control unit, and converting the test stimulus information into a plurality of test stimulus data to be input in parallel to each scan chain; and The output cache unit is connected to the tail end of each scan chain and the control unit in the first test mode, and is used to receive the test result data obtained by each test stimulus data flowing through the corresponding scan chain, and convert each test result data into serial test result information and transmit it to the control unit.

4. The laser radar chip according to claim 3, characterized in that: The storage unit is also used to store the expected test result corresponding to the test stimulus information; The control unit is used to determine whether the functional circuit is abnormal according to the test result information and the expected test result.

5. The laser radar chip according to claim 1, characterized in that: The laser radar chip also includes a monitoring module, which includes: a plurality of switch units, each of the switch units corresponds to one of the first input terminals, and the switch units are connected between the built-in self-test module and the first input terminal; and The monitoring unit is connected to each of the switch units respectively, and is used to control each of the switch units to be turned on or off.

6. The laser radar chip according to claim 5, characterized in that: The monitoring unit is specifically used to: during the interval time of the business flow working mode of the laser radar chip, control the laser radar chip to be in the test mode, and control each of the switch units to be turned on.

7. The laser radar chip according to claim 1, characterized in that: The laser radar chip also includes a functional safety status unit; The functional safety status unit is connected to each of the built-in self-test modules respectively to obtain information on whether each of the functional circuits is abnormal.

8. The laser radar chip according to claim 1, characterized in that: At least one of the multiple functional circuits is a laser emission module control circuit, a laser receiving module control circuit and / or a scanning module control circuit.

9. A laser radar, characterized in that: include: case; A transmitting module, housed in the housing, for transmitting a detection laser to detect a target object; a receiving module, housed in the housing, for receiving an echo laser, the echo laser being formed by the detection laser being reflected by the target object; and A laser radar chip as claimed in any one of claims 1 to 8.

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