Receiving module, detection device, laser radar and terminal

Abstract

A receiving module, a detection device, a laser radar and a terminal are applied to the technical field of detection. Wherein the receiving module comprises a first light receiver, a second light receiver and a light splitting device, the light splitting device is used for splitting a light beam from a detection area into a first light beam and a second light beam, the first light beam is transmitted to the first light receiver, and the second light beam is transmitted to the second light receiver. The invention also correspondingly provides a detection device comprising the receiving module, a laser radar and a terminal. In the invention, the two groups of light receivers respectively receive the two paths of light beams divided by the light beams from the detection area, two groups of detection data with overlapped view fields can be obtained, the detection precision is obviously improved, the detection efficiency is ensured, the overall size of the detection device is not obviously influenced, and the heat dissipation pressure is not obviously increased.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] This application relates to the field of detection technologies, and in particular to a receiving module, a detection device, a lidar, and a terminal. Background Art

[0002] A lidar is a sensor that combines laser technology with optoelectronic conversion technology. Its basic working principle is as follows: The transmitting end emits detection light to a detection area, and the receiving end receives the returned light (or echo) returned from the detection area. Relevant information about the target in the detection area is obtained through the returned light. This information helps the device achieve rapid recognition and decision-making of surrounding objects and is widely applied in many fields such as intelligent vehicles, intelligent transportation, or surveying and mapping.

[0003] With the continuous development of device intelligence, people's requirements for the detection accuracy of lidars are getting higher and higher, which makes the size of the detection chips at the receiving end of lidars larger and larger. According to the optical Lagrange invariant, the larger the imaging size at the receiving end, the larger the volume of the receiving optical system, which greatly affects the overall size of the lidar and is not conducive to the miniaturization development of the lidar as a whole. Moreover, the large-sized detection chips also significantly increase the thermal load, resulting in a significant reduction in the detection accuracy of the lidar when working for a long time or in high-temperature conditions. Summary of the Invention

[0004] This application provides a receiving module, a detection device, a lidar, and a terminal, which can improve the detection accuracy of the detection device without significantly increasing the overall volume of the detection device.

[0005] In a first aspect, this application provides a receiving module, including a first array detector, a second array detector, and a beam splitting device. The beam splitting device is configured to split the beam from the detection area into a first beam and a second beam. The first beam forms a first light spot on the first array detector, and the second beam forms a second light spot on the second array detector. The relative position of the first light spot on the first array detector is different from the relative position of the second light spot on the second array detector.

[0006] In this application, the first light beam and the second light beam are obtained by splitting the received light beam, so the detection areas corresponding to these two light beams are the same. Using two sets of array detectors to receive the first light beam and the second light beam respectively is equivalent to obtaining two sets of detection data with consistent fields of view in one reception. These two sets of detection data can reflect the detection results of the same detection area, enabling the detection device to perform two detections on one detection area simultaneously, significantly improving the detection accuracy and ensuring the detection efficiency. Further, the two sets of detection data are used for fusion to obtain the detection result of the detection area. Since there is no parallax between these two sets of detection data, the computational complexity of the fusion process can be greatly reduced, and the accuracy of the detection result obtained by fusion can be improved. Moreover, since the array detector is located at the end of the optical path of the returned light beam and the light spot of the light beam is relatively small, adding an array detector will not cause a proportional increase in the receiving optical system, so it will not significantly affect the overall volume of the detection device.

[0007] By setting the positions of the two light spots on the array detector to be different, the acquisition areas of the first array detector and the second array detector for the light spot energy are misaligned, making the detection results obtained by the two intersect with each other, effectively improving the point cloud density and the fusion effect, and improving the detection accuracy of the detection area.

[0008] In a possible implementation manner of the first aspect, in the first direction, there is a first offset between the relative positions of the first light spot on the first array detector and the second light spot on the second array detector.

[0009] By offsetting the positions of the two light spots on the array detector, the acquisition areas of the first array detector and the second array detector for the light spot energy are misaligned, making the detection results obtained by the two intersect with each other, effectively improving the point cloud density and the fusion effect, and improving the detection accuracy of the detection area.

[0010] In another possible implementation manner of the first aspect, the photosensitive surfaces of the first array detector and the second array detector are of the same size. When the photosensitive surfaces are the same, it is easier to design the offset distance. Moreover, when the photosensitive surfaces are the same, the field of view sizes, the amounts of detection data, etc. of the two are relatively small (even without difference), which can reduce the complexity of registration and is easy to fuse.

[0011] Optionally, the pixel sizes of the first array detector and the second array detector are the same. In this way, it is easy to achieve pixel-level registration, reduce the complexity of registration, is easy to fuse, and can improve the resolution of the detection result after fusion.

[0012] Further, the pixel numbers and the arrangement modes of the two are also the same.

[0013] In yet another possible implementation of the first aspect, in the first direction, there is a first offset between the relative position of the first array detector and the center of the beam splitter device and the relative position of the second array detector and the center of the beam splitter device. In the above implementation, by offsetting the relative position of the array detector and the center of the beam splitter device, different receiving positions of the light spot are achieved, and the acquisition regions of the light spot energy by the first array detector and the second array detector are misaligned, so that the detection results obtained by the two are intertwined, effectively improving the point cloud density and the fusion effect, and improving the detection accuracy of the detection region.

[0014] In yet another possible implementation of the first aspect, both the first array detector and the second array detector include M pixels, and the M pixels are arranged in K rows. M is an integer and M≥2, and K is a positive number and M≥K≥2. The first offset is the length of (N + 0.5) pixels, and N is an integer less than K and N≥0.

[0015] When the offset between two light spots exceeds the number of rows, the misalignment distance of the receiving positions of the two light spots is relatively large, and it may be difficult to have an overlapping region. In the above implementation, the offset is performed in the first direction and the offset distance does not exceed the number of rows. On the one hand, the relative positions of the first light spot and the second light spot can overlap, achieving the effect of improving the point cloud density in the overlapping region.

[0016] In yet another possible implementation of the first aspect, the first offset is the length of 0.5 pixels, and there is an overlap between the relative position of the first light spot on the first array detector and the relative position of the second light spot on the second array detector. In the above implementation, by misaligning the width of half a pixel, a large overlap exists in the parts of the first light spot and the second light spot where energy is acquired, greatly improving the accuracy of the detection result.

[0017] In yet another possible implementation of the first aspect, there is an overlapping region between the relative position of the first light spot on the first array detector and the relative position of the second light spot on the second array detector, and the overlapping region is the region of interest (ROI). By misaligning a width greater than half a pixel, an overlap exists in the parts of the first light spot and the second light spot where energy is acquired, and the overlapping region is the middle region of the light spot, which is equivalent to repeatedly detecting the middle region of the field of view. In addition, by designing the size of the first offset, the overlapping region can be controlled so that the overlapping region of the light spot covers the ROI, thereby accurately improving the detection accuracy of the detection result within the ROI.

[0018] In yet another possible implementation of the first aspect, a pixel includes A rows and B columns of detection units, where A is an integer and A≥1, and B is a positive number and B≥1. In some cases, taking the output of the A-row and B-column detection units as the sampling of a pixel makes it easy to implement possible designs of pixel sizes and improves the design flexibility of the detection device.

[0019] In yet another possible implementation of the first aspect, the first direction is the column direction of the first array detector and the second array detector. In the above implementation, the relative positions of the first light spot and the second light spot can be offset in the column direction, so that the overlapping area is the middle area in the column direction, which makes it easy to adjust the field of view angle in the vertical direction (i.e., the column direction) and makes the overlapping area the middle area in the vertical direction, improving the adaptation to the ROI.

[0020] Optionally, the foregoing rows and columns can be interchanged.

[0021] In yet another possible implementation of the first aspect, the first array detector includes a plurality of first pixels, and the second array detector includes a plurality of second pixels, and the sizes of the first pixels and the second pixels are different. Due to the different pixel size designs, the energy acquisition areas of the first array detector and the second array detector can be intertwined, so that the light falling into the pixel gaps of one detector can be received by the other detector, thereby effectively increasing the density of the point cloud.

[0022] In yet another possible implementation of the first aspect, the viewpoints of the first array detector and the second array detector with respect to the relative detection area are the same. In this way, the first array detector and the second array detector can see the same field of view area and the physical ratio of the seen detection area is the same. Therefore, the detection data obtained by the two reach pixel-level alignment, are easy to fuse, and can effectively improve the accuracy of the detection result.

[0023] In yet another possible implementation of the first aspect, the beam splitting device is an amplitude beam splitting device. In this way, the signal-to-noise ratios of the first beam and the second beam are the same as, or close to, the signal-to-noise ratio of the received beam, so that the long-distance measurement capabilities of the first array detector and the second array detector are less different, improving the detection accuracy and the fusion effect.

[0024] In yet another possible implementation of the first aspect, the beam splitting device is a wavelength beam splitting device. In some solutions, the emission module can emit beams in two wavelength ranges, and the two groups of array detectors can respectively receive more beams in the wavelength ranges that match their own responses, increasing the energy of the optical signals received by the array detectors, improving the detection efficiency and the detection accuracy.

[0025] In yet another possible implementation of the first aspect, the first array detector and the second array detector belong to a single-photon avalanche diode (SPAD) array detector.

[0026] In yet another possible implementation of the first aspect, the receiving module further includes an imaging lens. The light beam from the detection area propagates through the imaging lens to the beam splitting device. In this way, the first array receiver and the second array receiver share an imaging lens, achieving a common viewing point for both and reducing the overall volume of the detection device, thereby improving the integration degree of the detection device.

[0027] In yet another possible implementation of the first aspect, the receiving module further includes a filtering module. The light beam from the detection area propagates through the filtering module to the beam splitting device. After filtering by the filtering module, the validity of the optical signal received by the array detector is high, which helps to improve the detection accuracy of the detection device.

[0028] In a second aspect, the present application provides a receiving module, which includes a beam splitting device, an array detector, and an image sensor. The beam splitting device is used to split the light beam from the detection area into a first light beam and a second light beam. The array detector is used to receive the first light beam, and the image sensor is used to form an image through the second light beam. Among them, the array detector and the image detector have the same viewing point for the detection area, and the photosensitive surface of the array detector is perpendicular to the photosensitive surface of the image sensor.

[0029] In some solutions, the image obtained by the image sensor is more conducive to identifying the contour and color of the target, and the detection data obtained by the array detector can determine the distance and point cloud of the target in the detection area. When the two are fused, the accuracy of target recognition can be improved. In the embodiments of the present application, the light beams received by the array detector and the image sensor are separated from the same light beam, so that the fields of view of the array detector and the image sensor can overlap, enabling the detection data obtained by the array detector to be aligned with the data obtained by the image sensor, and reducing the complexity of registration and calibration during the fusion process.

[0030] Furthermore, the array detector and the image detector have the same viewing point for the detection area, which enables the first array detector and the second array detector to see the same field of view area and the physical ratio of the seen detection area is the same. The detection data obtained by the two can achieve pixel-level alignment, are easy to fuse, and can effectively improve the accuracy of the detection result.

[0031] In a possible implementation of the second aspect, the array detector is a SPAD array detector. The image sensor is a complementary metal oxide semiconductor (CMOS) image sensor, such as an RGB sensor or a monosensor.

[0032] In a possible implementation of the second aspect, the beam splitting device is a wavelength beam splitting device.

[0033] In a possible implementation of the second aspect, the beam splitting device is an amplitude beam splitting device.

[0034] In a possible implementation of the second aspect, the receiving module further includes an imaging lens, and the light beam from the detection area propagates to the beam splitting device through the imaging lens.

[0035] In a possible implementation of the second aspect, the receiving module further includes a filtering module, and the filtering module is disposed between the beam splitting device and the array receiver.

[0036] In a third aspect, the present application provides a detection device, including a transmitting module and a receiving module. The receiving module is the receiving module described in any item of the first aspect, or the transmitting module is the receiving module described in any item of the second aspect. Wherein, the transmitting module is configured to emit a light beam to a detection area, and the receiving module is configured to receive the light beam from the detection area. The light beam from the detection area includes the echo of the emitted light beam.

[0037] In a fourth aspect, the present application provides a lidar, including the detection device described in the third aspect.

[0038] In a fifth aspect, the present application provides a terminal, including the receiving module described in any item of the first aspect or the second aspect, or including the detection device described in the third aspect, or including the lidar described in the fourth aspect. Optionally, the terminal includes intelligent terminals or transportation means such as vehicles, robots, drones, or ships. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0039] The drawings required for use in the description of the embodiments will be briefly introduced below.

[0040] Figure 1 is a schematic structural diagram of a detection device provided by an embodiment of the present application;

[0041] Figure 2 is a schematic structural diagram of a receiving module provided by an embodiment of the present application;

[0042] Figure 3 is a schematic diagram of the relative position between a light spot and an array detector provided by an embodiment of the present application;

[0043] Figure 4 It is a schematic diagram of the position of a point cloud provided by an embodiment of the present application;

[0044] Figure 5 It is a schematic diagram of the shapes of five light spots;

[0045] Figure 6 It is a schematic diagram of the relative position between an array detector and a beam splitting device provided by an embodiment of the present application;

[0046] Figure 7 It is a schematic diagram of the relative position between another light spot and an array detector provided by an embodiment of the present application;

[0047] Figure 8 It is a schematic diagram of the relative position between another light spot and an array detector provided by an embodiment of the present application;

[0048] Figure 9 It is a schematic diagram of a field of view provided by an embodiment of the present application;

[0049] Figure 10 It is a schematic diagram of an ROI provided by an embodiment of the present application;

[0050] Figure 11 It is a schematic diagram of the relative position between another light spot and an array detector provided by an embodiment of the present application;

[0051] Figure 12 It is a schematic diagram of the position of another point cloud provided by an embodiment of the present application;

[0052] Figure 13 It is a schematic diagram of the relative position between another light spot and an array detector provided by an embodiment of the present application;

[0053] Figure 14 It is a schematic diagram of the position of another point cloud provided by an embodiment of the present application;

[0054] Figure 15 It is a schematic diagram of the transmittance of a dichroic mirror for light beams of different wavelengths provided by an embodiment of the present application;

[0055] Figure 16 It is a schematic diagram of the structure of another receiving module provided by an embodiment of the present application;

[0056] Figure 17 It is a schematic diagram of the structure of a lidar provided by an embodiment of the present application;

[0057] Figure 18 It is a schematic diagram of the structure of another lidar provided by an embodiment of the present application. Detailed implementation manners

[0058] The following is an explanation of some terms in this application. It should be noted that these explanations are for the convenience of those skilled in the art and are not intended to limit the scope of protection required by this application.

[0059] The Lagrange-Helmholtz Invariant, or the Lagrange Invariant for short, refers to the fact that when an optical system forms an image within the paraxial range, the product of the refractive index, image height (or object height), and the on-axis aperture angle in any space is a constant.

[0060] The region of interest (ROI) is a region that needs to be processed or concerned about, represented by a square, circle, ellipse, or irregular polygon in the detection area. Generally, the detection target is included in the region of interest.

[0061] A light spot refers to the bright spot formed by a light beam, and also refers to the energy density (or intensity, power) distribution of the light beam. In the embodiments of this application, the light spot can be regarded as the projection of the light beam on a certain surface.

[0062] The viewpoint (or point of gaze) refers to the relative position of the observer with respect to the observed object, that is, the position where the observer is looking. In the field of detection technology, the viewpoint refers to the relative position between the receiving module and the detection area, or the relative position between the photosensitive surface of the light receiver and the measured plane of the detection area. The viewpoint is a factor that determines the relative proportions of the objects in the imaging picture. When the viewpoint remains unchanged, using lenses with different focal lengths can only expand or contract the picture proportionally, but the perspective remains unchanged (i.e., the perspective point), that is, the relative proportions of the objects in the picture remain unchanged. In some solutions, for a single lens, the viewpoint is the position of the entrance pupil. For a scanning detection device, the viewpoint can be the intersection point of the principal optical axes of different wave positions in the scanning direction.

[0063] Point cloud, that is, the aggregation or set of points. Here, the points (also called target points, data points) are usually used to indicate the characteristics of the target. Exemplarily, the points indicate one or more of position (such as one-dimensional, two-dimensional, or three-dimensional coordinate positions), distance, angle, reflection intensity, color information, etc.

[0064] The explanations of the above terms can be applied in the following text.

[0065] The detection device uses signals as the detection medium. By transmitting signals to the detection area (i.e., the object space) and receiving the echoes of the signals, it realizes the detection of the detection area. For example, distance measurement, speed measurement, or azimuth angle measurement, etc. A transmitting end and a receiving end are provided in the detection device. The transmitting end is used to transmit signals, and the receiving end is used to receive signals. The signals here include light, such as laser. In the case of using light for detection, an optical module will be set in the detection device to process the light beam. The processing here includes one or more of beam splitting, filtering, focusing, diverging, refracting, filtering, reflecting, or scanning, etc.

[0066] With the development of intelligence, the requirements of devices for the detection accuracy of the detection device are getting higher and higher. Some solutions improve the detection accuracy by expanding the scale of the detection chip at the receiving end. A large-scale detection chip can receive a larger imaging light spot, and the detection result obtained based on the imaging light spot is more precise, thus realizing the improvement of detection accuracy. However, according to the Lagrange invariant, at this time, the volume of the optical module used for imaging also needs to increase proportionally, which makes the overall volume of the detection device increase accordingly, which is not conducive to the miniaturization development of lidar and limits the installability and installation flexibility of the detection device. For example, the detection device is usually configured in the terminal. Taking the setting in a vehicle as an example, due to the large number of components in the vehicle, the installation position of the large-volume lidar in the vehicle will be severely limited, and it is difficult for the vehicle manufacturer to balance the vehicle's exterior design, cockpit comfort design, and the field of view design of the detection device. In addition, the larger the scale of the detection chip, the greater the thermal load, and the higher the demand for heat dissipation. This not only increases the difficulty of chip packaging but also causes the detection device and the terminal where the detection device is located to face greater reliability risks.

[0067] In view of this, the embodiments of the present application provide some receiving modules, detection devices, lidars, and terminals, which can improve the detection accuracy without significantly increasing the overall volume.

[0068] First, the detection device provided by the embodiments of the present application will be introduced below. The detection device includes a transmitting module and a receiving module, where:

[0069] The emission module is used to emit a light beam, which can also be referred to as detection light. Exemplarily, the emission module may include one or more of the following light sources: vertical cavity surface emitting laser (VCSEL), photonic crystal surface emitting semiconductor lasers (PCSEL), edge emitting laser (EEL), laser diode (LD), distributed feedback LD (DFB-LD), grating coupled sampling reflection LD (GCSR-LD), or micro opto electro mechanical system LD (MOEMS-LD), etc.

[0070] In a possible implementation, the emission module includes a laser emission chip, and the laser emission chip includes one or more of the aforementioned light sources. In a possible case, the emission module includes a single VCSEL chip. In another possible case, the emission module includes a laser emission chip formed by splicing multiple VCSEL chips. On the one hand, by splicing multiple VCSEL chips, the emission power of the detection device can be increased, the blind area of the detection device can be reduced, and the detection performance can be improved. On the other hand, in the case of the same luminous area, splicing multiple VCSEL chips has less stress than directly using a single VCSEL chip of approximate size. In addition, multi-chip splicing also has higher heat dissipation efficiency and can reduce crosstalk.

[0071] The receiving module is used to receive a light beam, and the received light beam includes the return light of the emission light beam. The receiving module may include a beam splitting device and multiple groups of light receivers. The beam splitting device is used to split the light beam into multiple sub-beams, and each group of detectors is used to receive one sub-beam.

[0072] Next, the beam splitting device in the receiving module will be introduced first. In this application, the basis for the beam splitting device to split the light beam can be amplitude, wavelength, etc. The following will be introduced separately:

[0073] In a possible implementation, the beam splitting device is an amplitude beam splitting device, such as a semi-transmissive and semi-reflective beam splitter. The semi-transmissive and semi-reflective beam splitter can split a beam of light into two beams of light with substantially the same spectral components. In some solutions, the semi-transmissive and semi-reflective beam splitter has the same transmittance and reflectance for light of each wavelength within a certain wavelength range, such as within the wavelength range of 300 nanometers (nm) to 100 micrometers (μm). It should be understood that the "same" here does not necessarily mean exactly the same. For example, the difference between the two is about 10%. Generally speaking, a beam splitter with 50% transmittance and 50% reflectance for the transmitted light and the reflected light respectively is commonly used. However, the present application is also applicable to beam splitters with other transmittance (reflectance) ratios, such as a beam splitter with 40% transmittance and 60% reflectance.

[0074] In another possible implementation, the beam splitting device is a wavelength beam splitting device, such as a dichroic mirror. A dichroic mirror is an optical device that has different reflectance and transmittance properties for light of different wavelengths, and can also be called a dichroic beamsplitter, dichroic filters, dichroic beam splitting sheet, etc. Exemplarily, a dichroic mirror has a relatively low reflectance within the wavelength range less than 750 nm and a relatively high reflectance within the wavelength range greater than 800 nm. That is, when an optical signal with a wavelength less than 750 nm passes through the dichroic mirror, most of it is transmitted, and when an optical signal with a wavelength greater than 800 nm passes through the dichroic mirror, most of it is reflected.

[0075] Optionally, the beam splitting device includes one or more of a prism (i.e., a beam splitting prism), an optical flat plate (i.e., a beam splitting flat plate), or a meta-lens, etc.

[0076] In a possible implementation, the beam splitting device is a beam splitting prism. On the one hand, the beam splitting prism has low requirements for the back focal length of the imaging lens, that is, the back focal length of the imaging lens can be designed to be relatively short, thus saving space and contributing to the miniaturization development of the detection device. On the other hand, when using the beam splitting prism for beam splitting, the requirements for the incident angle of the light beam on the beam splitting surface of the prism are relatively low, reducing the difficulty of the optical path design. In addition, when using the beam splitting prism, the optical paths of the two sub-beams obtained are the same, which can improve the registration effect.

[0077] In another possible implementation, the beam splitting device is a beam splitting flat plate, and the cost of the beam splitting flat plate is relatively low, which helps to reduce the overall cost of the detection device.

[0078] Next, the optical receiver in the receiving module is introduced. The optical receiver includes a photoelectric conversion unit (or called a photodetector), and the photoelectric conversion unit is used to receive an optical signal and output an electrical signal. The types of photoelectric conversion units included in multiple groups of optical receivers can be the same or different, or, when the number of optical receivers is more than 3, there are some receivers with the same type of photoelectric conversion unit.

[0079] As a possible example, multiple sets of optical receivers include detectors for obtaining one or more point clouds (or time-of-flight information, depth information, or ranging information), hereinafter simply referred to as detectors, and also called radar detectors, ranging detectors, etc. in some solutions. In this article, the photoelectric conversion unit in the detector is called the detection unit, and the detector includes one or more of the following detection units: single-photon avalanche diode (SPAD), Silicon photomultiplier (SiPM), multi-pixel photon counter (MPPC), avalanche photo detector (APD), or "positive-intrinsic-negative" (PIN) diode (or P-type semiconductor-impurity-N-type semiconductor diode), etc. In the case where the detector includes multiple detection units, the multiple detection units can be arranged in an array to form an array detector. For example, the receiving module includes a SPAD array detector.

[0080] In some solutions, in addition to the return light, the received light beam also includes background light, which is formed by the reflection of light from other light sources (i.e., light sources other than the emitted light beam) by objects (including living objects) in the detection area. Other light sources include, for example, the sun, lamps (such as street lamps, vehicle headlights, etc.).

[0081] As a possible implementation, multiple sets of optical receivers include an image sensor. In this application, the photoelectric conversion unit in the image sensor is called the photosensitive unit, and the photosensitive unit includes one or more of the following units: complementary metal oxide semiconductor (CMOS), charge-coupled device (CCD), Live MOS, etc. For example, the image sensor includes a CMOS image sensor (CIS), and the CIS is used to convert an optical image into an electrical signal.

[0082] Next, in combination with Figure 1 , taking the receiving module including two optical receivers as an example, the structure of the detection device will be introduced exemplarily. As Figure 1As shown, the detection device 100 includes a receiving module 1 and a transmitting module 2, the transmitting module 2 is used to generate a transmitting light beam, the transmitting light beam is propagated to the detection area, the receiving module 1 is used to receive the light beam, and the return light beam includes the light beam from the detection area. The receiving module 1 includes a spectrometer 13, the spectrometer 13 divides the received light beam into two sub-beams and provides them to the first light receiver 11 and the second light receiver 12 respectively, and the first light receiver 11 and the second light receiver 12 receive one of the sub-beams respectively. Since the two sub-beams are obtained by the spectrometer of the same receiving light beam, the detection areas corresponding to the two light beams are the same. Using two groups of light receivers to receive the two sub-beams respectively is equivalent to obtaining two groups of detection data with the same field of view or overlapping fields of view in one reception. The two groups of detection data can reflect the detection results of the same detection area, so that the detection device performs two detections on the detection area at the same time, which can significantly improve the detection accuracy and ensure the detection efficiency. Furthermore, the two groups of detection data are used to fuse to obtain the detection results of the detection area. Since the two groups of detection data have no parallax, the computational complexity of the fusion process can be greatly reduced, and the accuracy of the detection results obtained by fusion can be improved.

[0083] In addition, since the optical receiver is located at the end of the optical path of the return light beam, the light spot of the light beam is relatively small, so adding a light receiver will not lead to a proportional increase in the receiving optical system, and thus will not significantly affect the overall volume of the detection device. Since the size of the optical system does not need to be increased, the present application can also reduce the cost of the optical components of the detection device. Moreover, the thermal load of the two discretely arranged optical receivers will not increase significantly, reducing the heat dissipation pressure of the detection device and the equipment on which the detection device is installed.

[0084] In some possible implementations, the transmitting module 2 and the receiving module 1 are designed to be off-axis, and the off-axis architecture refers to an optical path architecture in which the main optical axis of the light beam emitted by the transmitting module 2 does not coincide with the main optical axis of the receiving module 1. In the present application, the off-axis design makes it possible for the transmitting light beam to not pass through the optical elements in the receiving module 1, and there is no need to set optical elements in the detection device 100 to achieve coaxial transmission and reception, thereby improving the integration of the receiving module 1, helping to reduce the cost of the detection device and reducing the overall volume of the detection device. In addition, compared with the coaxial architecture, the isolation between the transmitting light path and the receiving light path in the off-axis architecture is high, which can avoid stray interference to a certain extent and improve the effectiveness of the received signal.

[0085] In some possible implementations, the receiving module further includes an imaging lens, and the return light beam passes through the imaging lens to reach the receiving module. Figure 1 The two optical receivers share the imaging lens 15 , which not only helps to realize the common viewpoint of the two optical receivers but also reduces the overall volume of the detection device 100 and improves the integration of the detection device 100 .

[0086] Optionally, on the optical paths from the beam splitting device 13 to the first optical receiver 11 and from the beam splitting device 13 to the second optical receiver, there are no optical elements capable of changing the optical power. That is, the two optical receivers share an imaging lens and have the same imaging ratio, which can improve the registration complexity between the detection data obtained by the first optical receiver and the detection data obtained by the second optical receiver, and significantly improve the detection accuracy.

[0087] In some possible implementation manners, the detection device further includes a filtering module. The filtering module is used to filter the light beam from the detection area, so as to improve the effectiveness of the signal received by the optical receiver. Exemplarily, the filtering module may include a band-pass filter, such as a narrow-band filter. The band-pass filter allows optical signals to pass through in a specific wavelength band and blocks optical signals outside this wavelength band. The passband of the narrow-band filter is relatively narrower, and the bandwidth is generally less than 5% of the central wavelength value. Exemplarily, narrow-band means that the bandwidth is less than or less than or equal to 40 nanometers (nm), such as 22 nm, 21 nm, or 20 nm, etc. For example, when the emission module emits light with a wavelength of 1550 nm, the wavelength range that the narrow-band filter can pass through is the wavelength range including 1550 nm, and the bandwidth of the passable wavelength range is not higher than 20 nm. In this way, the interference of background light can be greatly reduced, the effectiveness of the received light beam can be improved, and the detection accuracy can be improved.

[0088] Optionally, the filtering module can be disposed at the entrance end of the beam splitting device, and the received light beam propagates to the beam splitting device after passing through the filtering module. Combining Figure 1 , in the detection device 100 including the imaging lens 15, the filtering module 14 is disposed on the optical path between the imaging lens 15 and the beam splitting device 13. After passing through the imaging lens 15, the size of the light beam is usually relatively small. At this time, the size of the filtering module 14 can be designed to be relatively small accordingly, and the two optical receivers can share the filtering module 14, further reducing the overall volume of the detection device 100.

[0089] Optionally, Figure 1 The position of the filtering module shown is only an example. In some solutions, the filtering module can also be disposed between the optical receiver and the beam splitting device. For example, the detection device 100 includes a filtering module, and the filtering module 14 is disposed between the beam splitting device 13 and the first optical receiver 11. Again, for example, the detection device 100 includes two filtering modules, and the filtering module 14 is disposed between the beam splitting device 13 and the second optical receiver 11.

[0090] The above Figure 1 The embodiments shown include various possible designs. The following combines Figures 2 to 15An introduction to the receiving module provided in this application. Optionally, the receiving module described below can be applied to the aforementioned detection device 100. It should be understood that the embodiments of this application can be combined with each other. For example, the embodiments described below can be combined with the embodiments of the aforementioned detection device, and the embodiments below can also be combined with each other.

[0091] In a possible design, the receiving module includes a plurality of detectors. As Figure 2 , the receiving module 1 includes a beam splitting device 13, a first array detector 16 (which can be regarded as a first optical receiver 11), and a second array detector 17 (which can be regarded as a second optical receiver 12). Among them, the beam splitting device 13 is used to divide the received light beam into a first light beam and a second light beam. The first light beam forms a first light spot on the first array detector 16, and the second light beam forms a first light spot on the second detector. The received light beam includes the light beam from the detection area. Based on the obtained light beam energy, the first array detector 16 and the second array detector 17 can obtain information about the detection area, including one or more pieces of information such as time of flight (TOF) information, the distance, position, angle, reflectivity, or color of the target in the detection area.

[0092] Furthermore, the first array detector 16 obtains the energy of the first light beam to obtain first detection data, and the second array detector 17 obtains the energy of the second light beam to obtain second detection data. The first detection data and the second detection data are used to fuse to obtain the point cloud of the detection area. Optionally, the positions of the first array detector 16 and the second array detector 17 can be interchanged with each other.

[0093] In some possible implementation manners, the relative position of the first light spot on the first array detector 16 is different from the relative position of the second light spot on the second array detector 17. Among them, the relative position is the position of a certain position point on the light spot relative to a certain same or corresponding position point on the two array detectors. For example, the relative position of the center of the light spot relative to the center of the array detector, or the relative position of the vertical center of the light spot relative to the vertical center of the array detector.

[0094] Exemplarily, there is an offset between the relative position of the first light spot on the first array detector 16 and the relative position of the second light spot on the second array detector 17, which is conveniently called the first offset. Please refer to Figure 3 , Figure 3 , (a) of which is a schematic diagram of the relative position of the first light spot on the first array detector 16. Along the first direction (such as the Y direction), the center of the first light spot is point P, and point P coincides with the center of the first array detector 16 along the first direction. Figure 3Figure (b) is a schematic diagram of the relative position of the second light spot on the second array detector 17. Along the first direction, the center of the second light spot is point Q, and point Q does not coincide with the center of the second array detector 17 along the first direction. In Figure 3 as shown in Figure 3 Figure (b), the position of the first light spot on the first array detector is as shown in the dotted area of

[0095] By offsetting the positions of the two light spots on the array detector, the distribution areas of the beam energies obtained by the first array detector 16 and the second array detector 17 are misaligned, so that in the detection results obtained by the two, the positions of the target points can be intertwined with each other, effectively improving the point cloud density and the fusion effect, and improving the detection accuracy of the detection area. For example, in Figure 3 Figure (a), some of the light rays in the first light spot fall into the gaps between the pixels, while in Figure 3 Figure (b) as shown, in the second light spot, this part of the light rays can fall into the pixels after being offset, improving the comprehensiveness of the acquisition of the light spot energy, improving the detection accuracy of the detection device, and significantly increasing the density of the point cloud.

[0096] Consider a possible situation. If the center of the light rays reflected by a certain target A in the detection area falls into the pixel gap, this may cause partial or all of the energy of the light rays reflected by target A to be lost. Even in the case of only partial energy loss, the other part of the energy may be scattered to multiple pixels, and the energy scattered in a single pixel may be difficult to reach the detection threshold of a single pixel, which will cause target A to may not be successfully detected. Through the misalignment design of the two array detectors of the present application, when the light rays reflected by target A fall into the gaps between the pixels of the first array detector, they can fall into the pixels on the second array detector, thereby greatly increasing the possibility of perceiving target A and improving the point cloud density and detection accuracy.

[0097] Combined with Figure 4 , for the sake of easy description, here the distribution area of the beam energy obtained on the array detector is represented in the form of the position of the point cloud. In the case of one-time reception, the present application makes the positions of the point clouds of the first array detector 16 and the second array detector 17 intertwined with each other through the first offset d1, so that the two complement each other's gaps in the positions of the point clouds, and two sets of nested point clouds can be formed, thereby effectively increasing the density of the point cloud. Of course, for the case where the detection results of a complete field of view are obtained through multiple (for example, W times, where W is a positive number and W≥2) detections (at this time, one detection can detect one wave position in the field of view), the present application can also achieve the effect of improving the point cloud density and detection accuracy.

[0098] In this text, a pixel refers to the basic unit of an image (including point clouds and images) and is also used to indicate a sampling. In the field of computer vision, the information of a pixel is usually obtained from the output of one or more photoelectric conversion units. Therefore, a pixel is also used to represent a photoelectric conversion unit or a group of photoelectric conversion units within a light receiver. In this field, a pixel is commonly used to refer to one or more photoelectric conversion units (or simply referred to as units, cells). Further, in the case of including multiple units, the multiple units within a pixel can be arranged in an array. Exemplarily, in an array detector, a pixel includes A rows and B columns of detection units, where A is an integer and A ≥ 1, and B is a positive number and B ≥ 1. As Figure 3 shown, a pixel includes 3 rows and 3 columns (represented as 3*3) of detection units.

[0099] It should be noted that the shape of the received light beam in the examples of this application can be linear or planar. Similarly, the first light beam and the second light beam are correspondingly linear or planar. Combining Figure 5 (a)(b)(c)(d)(e), in the case where the received light beam is a linear light beam, the length of the received light beam in the first direction is greater than the length in the second direction. Optionally, the linear light beam can be a single line, such as Figure 5 (a), or the linear light beam can also be a linear light beam formed by splicing multiple light beams, for example Figure 5 (b)(c)(d)(e). Further, in the case where the received light beam includes multiple light beams, the emission module correspondingly includes multiple light sources to form multiple light beams. In some solutions, the emission powers of the multiple light sources are the same, and in some other solutions, the emission powers of the multiple light sources are different. In some solutions, the wavelengths of the light emitted by the multiple light sources are the same, and in some other solutions, the wavelengths of the multiple light sources are different.

[0100] In some possible implementation manners, the photosensitive surfaces of the first array detector 16 and the second array detector 17 are of the same size. Herein, the photosensitive surface can also be referred to as the target surface, which is used to indicate the area of the photosensitive region capable of receiving optical signals (or refers to the peripheral area of multiple photoelectric conversion units).

[0101] In some possible implementation manners, the pixel sizes of the first array detector 16 and the second array detector 17 are the same. Further, the pixel numbers and arrangement manners of the two are also the same. As Figure 3As shown, in the first array detector 16 and the second array detector 17, one pixel includes 2×2 detection units, and the pixel numbers and arrangement manners of the two are the same. Of course, the present application is also applicable to the case where the photosensitive surfaces of the two are different. For example, the pixel sizes of the two are the same, but the numbers are different. For example, the first array detector has 256×256 pixels, while the second array detector has 200×200 pixels. Optionally, in this case, the relative position of the light spot is the position relative to the center of the array detector (for example, the center in a certain direction, or the centers in multiple directions).

[0102] In a possible example, the photosensitive surfaces of the first array detector and the second array detector are the same. Here, "the same" includes that the sizes of the photosensitive surfaces are the same, and the sizes, numbers, and arrangement manners of the pixels in the two array detectors are the same.

[0103] As mentioned above, there is an offset between the relative position of the first light spot on the first array detector 16 and the relative position of the second light spot on the second array detector 17. For ease of understanding, two implementation manners of the offset are introduced below:

[0104] Implementation manner one: There is an offset between the positions of the first array detector 16 and the second array detector 17 relative to the center of the beam splitting device 13. As shown in (a) of, in the first direction (such as the Y direction shown in), the center of the beam splitting device is represented as point O, and the midpoint of the first array detector 16 is point K. The positions of point O and point K in the first direction are the same. As shown in (b) of, in the first direction (such as the Y direction shown in), the center of the beam splitting device is represented as point O, and the center of the second array detector 17 is point L. There is a first offset d1 between the positions of point O and point L in the first direction. Since the principal optical axis of the light beam passes through the center of the beam splitting device and reaches the array detector, through the position offset of the array detector, the relative position of the first light spot on the first array detector 16 and the relative position of the second light spot on the second array detector 17 have a first offset d1 in the first direction. Figure 6 of the (a) shown, in the first direction (such as the Y direction shown in) Figure 6 shown, the center of the beam splitting device is represented as point O, and the midpoint of the first array detector 16 is point K. The positions of point O and point K in the first direction are the same. As shown in (b) of Figure 6 shown, in the first direction (such as the Y direction shown in) Figure 6 shown, the center of the beam splitting device is represented as point O, and the center of the second array detector 17 is point L. There is a first offset d1 between the positions of point O and point L in the first direction. Since the principal optical axis of the light beam passes through the center of the beam splitting device and reaches the array detector, through the position offset of the array detector, the relative position of the first light spot on the first array detector 16 and the relative position of the second light spot on the second array detector 17 have a first offset d1 in the first direction.

[0105] Implementation manner two: The relative position of the first light spot on the first array detector 16 and the relative position of the second light spot on the second array detector 17 are offset by an optical element. For example, through an optical element such as a mirror or a prism, the light spot of the first light beam is offset in the first direction, so as to fall into a relative position different from that of the second light spot.

[0106] The above two implementation manners can be combined.

[0107] In some possible embodiments, the first array detector 16 and the second array detector 17 each include at least K rows of pixels, where K is a positive number and K≥2. The first offset is the length of (N + 0.5) pixels, where N is an integer less than K and N≥0. Further, the first offset is an offset in the first direction, and the first direction is the column direction of the first array detector 16 and the second array detector 17. In combination with Figure 3 , the first array detector and the second array detector include 12 rows of pixels. In the first direction, the first offset is d1, where 0.5y1 < d1 < (11 + 0.5)y1, and y1 is the width of one pixel.

[0108] In some solutions, the number of pixels in the first array detector 16 is the same as the number of pixels in the second array detector 17. For example, both include M pixels, where M is a positive number and M≥K. When the number of pixels in both is the same, the detection data obtained by the two is more easily registered, so that the fused point cloud has a high resolution and the detection accuracy is improved.

[0109] Optionally, the foregoing pixels may also be replaced by detection units. That is, the first array detector and the second array detector each include at least H rows of detection units, where H is a positive number and H≥2. The first offset is the length of (N + 0.5) detection units, and N is an integer less than H and N≥0.

[0110] In some possible embodiments, the spot of the first light beam falling into the receivable area of the first array detector overlaps with the spot of the second light beam falling into the receivable area of the second array detector. At this time, the overlapping area is equivalent to obtaining energy twice, thereby significantly improving the detection accuracy. For example, in Figure 3 , the spot of the first light beam completely falls into the receivable area of the first array detector 16, and the spot of the second light beam also completely falls into the receivable area of the second array detector. At this time, the first spot completely overlaps with the second spot. For the two light beams divided from the same received light beam, the first array detector and the second array detector each obtain energy once, which can double the number of lines, thereby improving the detection accuracy.

[0111] Optionally, in the receivable area of the array detector, the detection unit is in an on state (or in operation) and can obtain the energy of the spot. The reason why the part exceeding the receivable area fails to obtain energy may be that it exceeds the array detector, and / or the detection unit at the corresponding position does not turn on although it does not exceed the array detector.

[0112] In some possible embodiments, there is an overlap between the relative positions of the first light spot on the first array detector 16 and the relative position of the second light spot on the second array detector 17. In the case where only a part of the first light beam falls on the first array detector 16 and / or only a part of the second light beam falls on the second array detector 17, the overlapping area of the relative positions is equivalent to obtaining energy twice, thus significantly improving the detection accuracy.

[0113] The following further lists two possible light spot distributions:

[0114] Example 1, the first offset is the width of half a pixel, and there is an overlap between the relative position of the first light spot on the first array detector and the relative position of the second light spot on the second array detector. Please refer to Figure 7 , Figure 7 . (a) in is the distribution of the first light spot on the first array detector 16. Part of the first light spot (i.e., the light spot of the first light beam) falls into the receivable area of the first array detector 16 (i.e., the area where the light spot energy can be obtained), while part of the light spot does not fall into the receivable area of the first array detector 16. Combining Figure 7 . (c) in, it can be seen that in the first light spot, the part where the energy is obtained is represented as black, while the part where the energy cannot be obtained is represented as white. Similarly, combining Figure 7 . (b) and (d) in, part of the second light spot falls into the receivable area of the second array detector 17, while part of the light spot does not fall into the receivable area of the second array detector 17.

[0115] Combining Figure 7 . (a) and (b) in, in the first direction (i.e., the y - direction), the first offset (i.e., Figure 7 the d1 shown) is the width of one pixel in the y - direction. Figure 7 Combining

[0116] . (e) in, it can be seen that by staggering the width of half a pixel, a large overlap exists between the parts where the energy of the first light spot and the second light spot is obtained, greatly improving the accuracy of the detection result. Figure 8 , Figure 8 . (a) and (c) in, the distribution of the first light spot on the first array detector 16. Part of the first light spot falls into the receivable area of the first array detector 16, while part of the light spot does not fall into the receivable area of the first array detector 16. Similarly, combining Figure 8In (b) and (d) thereof, a partial light spot of the second light spot falls within the receivable area of the second array detector 17, while a partial light spot does not fall within the receivable area of the second array detector 17.

[0117] Combined with Figure 8 (a) and (b) thereof, in the first direction (i.e., the y direction), the first offset d1 is greater than the width of one pixel in the y direction Exemplarily, the first offset is where N≥1. Exemplarily, N can take the number of rows of pixels in the array detector or etc. Combined with Figure 8 (e) thereof, it can be seen that by staggering by more than half the width of a pixel, there is an overlap in the parts of the first light spot and the second light spot where energy is acquired. The overlapping area is equivalent to performing two detections, which can double the point cloud density and thus greatly improve the accuracy of the detection result.

[0118] Combined with the foregoing solution, in some scenarios, the overlapping area of the relative positions of the first light spot and the second light spot is the ROI. Specifically, when the two array detectors are staggered, the overlapping area is the middle area between the first light spot and the second light spot, which is equivalent to repeatedly detecting the middle area of the field of view. By designing the size of the first offset, the control of the overlapping area and the adjustment of the field of view angle can be achieved, so that the overlapping area of the light spots covers the ROI, thereby accurately improving the detection accuracy of the detection result within the ROI.

[0119] Please refer to Figure 9 , Figure 9 which is a schematic diagram of the fields of view corresponding to a first array detector and a second array detector provided in the present application. The first light beam divided from the received light beam has the same field of view as the received light beam. Since the first array detector acquires a part of the first light spot corresponding to the first light beam, the field of view of the first array detector is part of the field of view of the received light beam. Similarly, the field of view of the second array detector is also another part of the received light beam and has an offset and an overlap with the field of view of the first array detector. Combined with Figure 7 , Figure 8 and Figure 9 , the overlapping part of the fields of view of the first array detector and the second array detector is the ROI. In this way, by adjusting the first offset, the corresponding field of view angle of the receiving module can be adjusted, improving the design flexibility of the detection device. When the first offset is designed to be relatively large, the detection device has a relatively large field of view angle, and at the same time, it can also achieve coverage of the ROI, improving the detection performance.

[0120] In some cases, the value of the detection result in the middle area of the field of view is higher than the value of the detection result in the edge area of the field of view. For example, taking the vehicle perception scenario as an example, combined with Figure 9 andFigure 10 , in the vertical direction, the central area of the field of view is the space where the vehicle is likely to travel. Obstacles, the vehicle in front, lane lines and other targets in the central area of the field of view will affect the driving of the vehicle. The detection results in this area have greater value for driving decisions and safety guarantee decisions. Therefore, the central area of the field of view is usually the ROI. And in this application, by designing the first offset and making the relative positions of the first light spot and the second light spot overlap, it is possible to achieve multiple detections of the ROI in one light projection, improve the detection accuracy of the ROI and ensure the detection efficiency, which helps to improve the driving safety of the vehicle. Especially for an intelligent driving system, the higher the detection accuracy and efficiency of the ROI, the more beneficial it is to the calculation and decision-making of the intelligent driving system, thus improving the safety and comfort of the intelligent driving system. Of course, only the vehicle perception is taken as an example here, and this application is also applicable to scenarios such as surveying and mapping or robot perception.

[0121] The foregoing describes the example where the position of the first light spot on the first array detector and the position of the second light spot on the second array detector have an offset in the first direction. In a possible implementation, in the second direction, the position of the first light spot on the first array detector and the position of the second light spot on the second array detector also have an offset, which is conveniently called the second offset for distinction. The first direction is different from the second direction, for example, the second direction is perpendicular to the second direction.

[0122] Combined with Figure 11 , along the first direction (such as the Y direction), there is a first offset d1 between the relative position of the first light spot on the first array detector and the relative position of the second light spot on the second array detector. In the second direction (such as the Y direction of the first array detector or the X direction of the second array detector), there is a second offset d2 between the relative position of the first light spot on the first array detector and the relative position of the second light spot on the second array detector. Please refer to Figure 11 , Figure 11 (a) in is a schematic diagram of the relative position of the first light spot on the first array detector 16. The center of the first light spot is point P, and point P coincides with the center of the first array detector along the first direction. Figure 11 (b) in is a schematic diagram of the relative position of the second light spot on the second array detector 17. The center of the second light spot is point Q, and point Q does not coincide with the center of the first array detector along the first direction. Moreover, there is a first offset d1 between point P and point Q in the Y direction and a second offset d2 in the Z direction. Please refer to Figure 12 , by designing the area where the light spot is received to be offset in two directions, the positions of the point clouds are intertwined and nested in two directions, and the gaps between the positions of the point clouds are further reduced, thereby effectively improving the density of the point clouds. Of course, for the case where a complete field of view detection result is obtained through multiple (such as W times) detections in this application, the effect of improving the point cloud density and detection accuracy can also be achieved.

[0123] It should be noted that the first array detector and the second array detector are set in the same absolute XYZ coordinate system here, so that the second direction is the Y direction from the perspective of the first array detector and the X direction from the perspective of the second array detector. However, in fact, as can be seen from Figure 2 it is known that the Y direction from the perspective of the first array detector and the X direction from the perspective of the second array detector are the same direction with respect to the light spot of the light beam, and the Y direction from the perspective of the first array detector and the X direction from the perspective of the second array detector are both the row directions of the array detector. It should be understood that the foregoing row direction, column direction, X direction, Y direction, Z direction, etc. are only for the convenience of understanding the present application and are exemplarily described. In specific implementations, the rows and columns can be interchanged, and the X direction, Y direction, Z direction, etc. can have other designs.

[0124] In the foregoing introduction of the drawings, it is described by taking the pixel sizes of the first array detector and the second array detector being the same as an example. In some possible implementation manners, the pixel sizes of the first array detector and the second array detector are different. Specifically, the first array detector includes a plurality of first pixels, the second array detector includes a plurality of second pixels, and the sizes of the first pixels and the second pixels are different.

[0125] Optionally, the number of detection units included in the first pixel and the second pixel may be different. Further, the sizes of the light-transmitting surfaces of each detection unit may be the same or different. Or optionally, the first pixel and the second pixel include the same number of detection units, but the sizes of the light-transmitting surfaces of the detection units included in each are different. Exemplarily, please refer to Figure 13 (a) of, the first pixel of the first array detector 16 includes 9 detection units of 3*3, while the second array detector 17 includes 16 detection units of 4*4. Due to the different pixels, the regions where the first array detector 16 receives the energy of the first light spot and the second array detector 17 receives the energy of the second light spot are also different. As shown in Figure 13 (b) of, the midpoint P of the first light spot along the first direction (such as the y direction) falls into the gap between the pixels of the first array detector 16, while the midpoint P of the second light spot along the first direction falls into the pixels of the second array detector 17. Combining Figure 14 and taking the equivalent reception point to reflect the reception energy region as an example, due to the different pixel size designs, the light falling into the pixel gap of one detector can be received by the other detector, so that the positions of the point clouds of the first array detector 16 and the second array detector 17 are intertwined, reducing the gap between the positions of the points, thereby effectively improving the density of the point cloud.

[0126] The various embodiments of the present application can be combined. As a possible implementation, when the pixel sizes of the first array detector 16 and the second array detector 17 are different, the relative positions of the light spots received by the two can also be offset. For example, there is a first offset in the first direction and / or a second offset in the second direction. Further, the first offset can be the width of (N + 0.5) first pixels in the first direction, or the width of (N + 0.5) second pixels in the first direction. Similarly, the second offset can be the width of (N + 0.5) first pixels in the second direction, or the width of (N + 0.5) second pixels in the second direction.

[0127] As a possible implementation, the viewpoints of the first array detector 16 and the second array detector 17 are the same, where the viewpoint here is relative to the detection area. That is to say, the imaging ratios of the first array detector 16 and the second array detector 17 for the detection area are the same, which enables the first array detector 16 and the second array detector 17 to see the same field of view area and the physical ratio of the detected area is the same. Therefore, the detection data obtained by the two reaches pixel-level alignment, is easy to fuse, and can effectively improve the accuracy of the detection result. Of course, the "first array detector and the second array detector can see the same field of view area" described here includes two cases: the fields of view seen by the two completely overlap, or there is partial overlap between the field of view areas of the two.

[0128] In a possible implementation, in combination with Figure 2 , on the optical paths between the beam splitter device 13 and the first array detector 16 and between the beam splitter device 13 and the second array detector 17, no optical elements for changing the optical power are provided, so that the corresponding imaging characteristics of the first beam and the second beam are consistent on the optical paths from the beam splitter device 13 to the first array detector 16 and the second array detector 17 respectively, and the viewpoints of the first array detector 16 and the second array detector 17 are the same.

[0129] Or, in another possible implementation, on the optical paths between the beam splitter device 13 and the first array detector 16 and between the beam splitter device 13 and the second array detector 17, two optical elements with the same optical properties are respectively provided to achieve the same viewpoints of the first array detector and the second array detector 17.

[0130] In a possible implementation, in combination with Figure 2 , the photosensitive surface of the first array detector 16 is perpendicular to the photosensitive surface of the second array detector 17. In combination with Figure 2, the photosensitive surface of the first array detector 16 is parallel to the XY plane, and the photosensitive surface of the second array detector 17 is parallel to the YZ plane. Through the design of the mutually perpendicular photosensitive planes, there is no need to set optical elements after the beam splitting device 13 to deflect the light beam, so that the first array detector 16, the second array detector 17 and the beam splitting device 13 can be arranged more concentratedly, reducing the design difficulty of the optical path and making it easier to implement the dual-array detector scheme.

[0131] As a possible implementation manner, in combination with Figure 2 , the beam splitting device 13 is a device for amplitude beam splitting, or the beam splitting device 13 is a device for wavelength beam splitting. Optionally, the beam splitting device 13 can be a beam splitting prism or a beam splitting plate. In addition, in some solutions, the beam splitting device 13 can also be a metasurface lens, and the splitting function can be realized by designing the shape and arrangement of the nano-units in the metasurface lens.

[0132] Exemplarily, taking the beam splitting device 13 as a semi-transmissive and semi-reflective beam splitter as an example, the received light beam is split into a first light beam and a second light beam by the beam splitting device 13. The first light beam and the second light beam each carry half of the energy of the received light beam, and the signal-to-noise ratios of the first light beam and the second light beam are the same as or similar to the signal-to-noise ratio of the received light beam, so that the long-distance measurement capabilities of the first array detector 16 and the second array detector 17 are less different, improving the detection accuracy and the fusion effect. The signal-to-noise ratio here refers to the ratio of the echo (or called signal light) of the transmitted light beam to the background light. The energy ratio, spectral width, etc. of the first light beam and the second light beam split by the beam splitting device 13 can be adjusted.

[0133] Exemplarily again, the beam splitting device can be a dichroic beam splitter, which has a high transmittance for light in the first wavelength range and a high reflectance for light in the second wavelength range, and the first wavelength range is different from the second wavelength range. Optionally, different can include completely different and partially overlapping. At this time, the first array detector 16 includes detection units that respond to light in the first wavelength range, and the second array detector 17 includes detection units that respond to light in the second wavelength range. For example, the emission module 2 can emit light with a wavelength of 600 nm and light with a wavelength of 950 nm. The second array detector 17 responds to light with a wavelength of 600 nm, and the first array detector 16 responds to light with a wavelength of 950 nm. In combination with Figure 15, and the dichroic mirror has a high reflectivity to light with a wavelength of 600 nm and a high transmittance to light with a wavelength of 950 nm. Thus, the two sets of array detectors respectively receive more light beams within the wavelength ranges that conform to their own responses, enhancing the energy of the optical signals received by the array detectors, improving the detection efficiency and the detection accuracy. In some solutions, the emission module may include two light sources, for example, referred to as the first light source and the second light source, where the first light source can be used to emit light with a wavelength belonging to the first wavelength range, and the second light source can emit light with a wavelength belonging to the second wavelength range.

[0134] Exemplarily again, the dichroic beam splitter has a certain proportion of transmittance and reflectivity to the light beam within a certain wavelength range. At this time, the dichroic beam splitter can transmit and reflect the light beam located within this wavelength range in a certain proportion. Combining Figure 15 , the emission module 2 can emit an emission beam with a wavelength of 700 nm, and both array receivers can respond to light around 700 nm, and the dichroic beam splitter has a transmittance of about 50% to the light beam around 700 nm (for example, 700 nm ± 20 nm), so that both array receivers can receive the echo of the emission beam.

[0135] As a possible implementation manner, the receiving module further includes an imaging lens. Combining Figure 2 , the received light beam (including the light beam from the detection area) propagates through the imaging lens 15 to the beam splitting device 13.

[0136] As a possible implementation manner, the receiving module further includes a filtering module. Combining Figure 2 , the filtering module 14 is arranged on the optical path between the imaging lens 15 and the beam splitting device 13, and the received light beam (including the light beam from the detection area) propagates through the filtering module 14 to the beam splitting device 13.

[0137] Optionally, the filtering module may include a plurality of filter sheets, and the plurality of filter sheets can be respectively arranged on the optical path from the beam splitting device 13 to the array detector. Combining the foregoing Figure 15 example, in the case where the first array detector 16 includes detection units that respond to light within the first wavelength range, and the second array detector 17 includes detection units that respond to light within the second wavelength range, the filtering module includes a first lens and a second lens. The first lens is arranged between the beam splitting device 13 and the first array detector 16, so that light within the first wavelength range can pass through while light of other wavelengths is blocked. The second lens is arranged between the beam splitting device 13 and the second array detector 17, so that light within the second wavelength range can pass through while light of other wavelengths is blocked.

[0138] It should be noted that Figures 2 to 15An example is given for the case of two array detectors. In some solutions, the light beam can be divided into more paths. Correspondingly, the detection device can be provided with more receivers to respectively receive the more sub-signals obtained by division. For example, the beam splitting device can divide the received light beam into 3 paths, and the energy ratio of each sub-signal can be the same or different, and 3 array detectors are correspondingly provided to respectively receive each sub-signal.

[0139] The above introduced a receiving module including two detectors. Next, a receiving module including a detector and an image sensor will be introduced.

[0140] In another possible design, the receiving module includes a detector and an image sensor. Please refer to Figure 16 , the receiving module 1 includes a beam splitting device 13, an array detector 18 (which can be regarded as the first light receiver 11) and an image sensor 19 (which can be regarded as the second light receiver 12). Among them, the beam splitting device 13 is used to divide the received light beam into a first light beam and a second light beam, the array detector 18 is used to receive the first light beam, and the image sensor is used to form an image through the second light beam. Further, based on the energy of the obtained light beam, the array detector can obtain information about the detection area, including one or more pieces of information such as TOF information, the distance, position, angle, reflectivity, or color of the target in the detection area. And based on the energy of the obtained light beam, the image sensor can obtain an image of the detection area. Of course, the image can also be regarded as a kind of detection data. Exemplarily, the array detector 18 is a SPAD array detector, or an APD array, etc., and the relevant description can be referred to the foregoing introduction to the detector. The image sensor 19 is a CIS, for example, including one or more of a color sensor or a single-channel sensor (monosensor), etc. The color sensor is, for example, a redgreenblue sensor (RGBsensor). Among them, the mono sensor can achieve imaging in low-light or even dark environments based on the emitted light beam, greatly improving the detection effect of the detection device in low-light conditions and improving the detection accuracy.

[0141] In some solutions, the image obtained by the image sensor is more conducive to identifying the contour and color of the target. The detection data obtained by the array detector can determine the position, distance, and / or angle, etc. of the target in the detection area. When the two are fused, the accuracy of target recognition can be improved. In the embodiments of the present application, the light beams received by the array detector and the image sensor are separated from the same light beam, so that the fields of view of the array detector and the image sensor overlap, and the detection data obtained by the array detector can be aligned with the image obtained by the image sensor, reducing the complexity of registration and calibration in the fusion process.

[0142] In the embodiments of the present application, the photosensitive surface of the array detector 18 is perpendicular to the photosensitive surface of the image sensor. Combining Figure 16 , the photosensitive surface of the array detector 18 is parallel to the XY plane, and the photosensitive surface of the image sensor 19 is parallel to the YZ plane. Through the design of the mutually perpendicular photosensitive planes of the two, there is no need to set up optical elements after the beam splitting device 13 to deflect the light beam, so that the array detector 18, the image sensor and the beam splitting device can be set more concentrically, reducing the design difficulty of the optical path and making it easier to implement the scheme of superimposing the array detector and the image sensor.

[0143] In a possible implementation, the array detector and the image detector have the same viewing point for the detection area. That is, the imaging ratios of the array detector and the image sensor for the detection area are the same, which enables the first array detector and the second array detector to see the same field of view area and the physical ratio of the detected area is the same. The detection data obtained by the two can be pixel-level aligned, are easy to fuse, and can effectively improve the accuracy of the detection result.

[0144] As a possible implementation, the beam splitting device 13 is a device for amplitude beam splitting, or the beam splitting device 13 is a device for wavelength beam splitting. Optionally, the beam splitting device 13 can be a beam splitting prism or a beam splitting plate. In addition, in some solutions, the beam splitting device 13 can also be a meta-lens, and the splitting function can be realized by designing the shape and arrangement of the nano-units in the meta-lens.

[0145] Exemplarily, the beam splitting device can be a dichroic beam splitter, which has a high transmittance for light in the third wavelength range and a high reflectance for light in the fourth wavelength range, and the third wavelength range is different from the fourth wavelength range. Optionally, different can include completely different and partially overlapping. At this time, the array detector 18 includes a detection unit that responds to light in the third wavelength range, and the image sensor 19 includes a detection unit that responds to light in the second wavelength range. For example, the array detector can respond to light with a wavelength of 1550 nm, while the image detector can respond to visible light (wavelength range of about 780 - 400 nm), and the dichroic mirror has a high transmittance for light with a wavelength of 905 nm and a high reflectance for visible light.

[0146] As a possible implementation, the receiving module further includes an imaging lens. Combining Figure 16 , the light beam from the detection area passes through the imaging lens 15 and propagates to the beam splitting device 13.

[0147] Further, the size of the photosensitive surface of the image sensor and the array detector, or the size scale of the image sensor and the array detector, can be selected according to the requirements of image and point cloud fusion. For example, the size of the photosensitive surface of the image sensor is larger than that of the array detector, and the overlapping area of the fields of view of the two is the ROI area.

[0148] As a possible implementation manner, the receiving module further includes a filtering module. In combination Figure 16 , the filtering module 14 is disposed between the beam splitting device 13 and the array detector 18.

[0149] As a possible implementation, there is an offset between the relative positions of the light spots of the first light beam on the array detector and the relative positions of the light spots of the second light beam on the image sensor, for example, there is a first offset in the first direction and / or a second offset in the second direction. The relevant description can be combined with Figures 2 to 14 the description of the embodiments and their possible implementation manners thereof, which will not be elaborated here.

[0150] An embodiment of the present application further provides a lidar, and the lidar includes the aforementioned detection device 100.

[0151] Please refer to Figure 17 , Figure 17 which is a schematic structural diagram of a lidar provided by an embodiment of the present application. The lidar 200 includes a transmitting module 2 and a receiving module 1. Among them, the transmitting module 2 and the receiving module 1 are arranged off-axis, and the transmitted light beam emitted by the transmitting module 2 does not pass through the optical elements in the receiving module 1. Further, the lidar further includes a housing 4. The housing 4 includes a bottom case, and the transmitting module 2 and the receiving module 1 are arranged along a direction parallel to the bottom case of the housing 4. Further, the bottom case is parallel to the ground, and at this time, the transmitting module 2 and the receiving module 1 are arranged along a direction parallel to the ground. Optionally, the lidar 200 further includes a structural member 3, and the structural member 3 is used to fixedly connect the transmitting module and / or the receiving module to the housing 4. Further, this connection can be a heat-conducting connection.

[0152] Optionally, Figure 17 the lidar shown is a flash-type lidar, that is, the transmitting module and the detection device provided by the present application can be applied to a flash-type lidar.

[0153] Please refer to Figure 18 , Figure 18It is a schematic structural diagram of another lidar provided by an embodiment of the present application. The lidar 200 includes a transmitting module 2 and a receiving module 1. Among them, the transmitting module 2 and the receiving module 1 are arranged off-axis, and the light beam emitted by the transmitting module 2 does not pass through the optical elements in the receiving module 1. Optionally, the lidar 200 further includes a scanning module 5, and the scanning module 5 is configured to scan the emitted light beam to a detection area and provide the light beam from the detection area to the receiving module 1. Further, the scanning module 5 includes one or more of a galvanometer, a polygon mirror, a micro-electro-mechanical system (MEMS) galvanometer, or a metal galvanometer. In some solutions, the scanning module may include one or more reflecting surfaces, and the reflecting surfaces may be mounted on the main body of the scanning module in the form of patches, or the reflecting surface of the scanning module and the body of the scanning module may also be integrated. Optionally, the scanning method of the scanning module 5 may be one-dimensional scanning, two-dimensional scanning, etc.

[0154] Optionally, Figure 18 The lidar shown is a scanning lidar, that is, the transmitting module and the detection device provided by the present application can be applied to a scanning lidar.

[0155] In some possible implementation manners, the transmitting module and the receiving module of the lidar are designed off-axis. For a lidar with an off-axis design, its transmitting optical path and receiving optical path are easy to isolate, which can reduce the interference caused by stray light to the reception of the receiving module and improve the detection accuracy of the lidar.

[0156] An embodiment of the present application further provides a terminal, and the terminal includes the aforementioned detection device, or includes the aforementioned receiving module, or includes the aforementioned lidar.

[0157] Optionally, the terminal may be an intelligent terminal or a transportation tool such as a vehicle, a drone, or a robot, or the terminal may also be an industrial device. It should be understood that the terminals involved in the present application may include intelligent terminals or transportation tools such as vehicles, robots, drones, ships, and boats. Among them, the vehicle is a vehicle in a broad sense, and can be a transportation vehicle (such as a commercial vehicle, a passenger vehicle, a motorcycle, a flying car, a train, etc.), an industrial vehicle (such as a forklift, a trailer, a tractor, etc.), an engineering vehicle (such as an excavator, a bulldozer, a crane, etc.), an agricultural device (such as a lawn mower, a harvester, etc.). Again, the robot may be an automated guided vehicle (AGV), a walking conversation robot, a service robot, etc. Industrial devices such as industrial robots and robotic arms. Leisure and entertainment devices such as virtual reality (VR) devices, mixed reality (MR) devices, or 4D cinema cockpits.

[0158] Optionally, the detection device may be installed at a location with a variety of possible implementations, such as being installed on a platform of a vehicle dashboard, or being installed on a cabin roof (such as Figure 9 ), or can also be installed on the head of the vehicle, the side of the vehicle, the rear of the vehicle, etc.

[0159] In the description of the present application, the terms "center", "upper", "lower", "vertical", "horizontal", "inner", "outer", "side", etc. indicate positions or positional relationships based on the positions or positional relationships shown in the accompanying drawings, and are only for the convenience of describing the present application and simplifying the description, and do not indicate or imply that the device or element referred to must have a specific orientation, be constructed and operate in a specific orientation, and therefore cannot be understood as a limitation on the present application. It should be understood that the Z direction, Y direction, X direction, etc. mentioned in some embodiments of the present application are based on the XYZ rectangular coordinate system as a reference to facilitate the description of the features in the present solution, and do not indicate or imply that the device or element referred to must have a specific orientation, be constructed and operate in a specific orientation.

[0160] In the embodiments of the present application, the words "exemplarily" or "for example" are used to indicate examples, illustrations or explanations. Any embodiment or design described as "exemplarily" or "for example" in the present application should not be interpreted as being more preferred or more advantageous than other embodiments or designs. Specifically, the use of words such as "exemplarily" or "for example" is intended to present related concepts in a specific way.

[0161] The "at least one" mentioned in the embodiments of the present application refers to one or more, and "plurality" refers to two or more. "At least one of the following" or similar expressions refers to any combination of these items, including any combination of single items or plural items. For example, at least one of a, b, or c can be represented by: a, b, c, (a and b), (a and c), (b and c), or (a and b and c), where a, b, c can be single or multiple. "And / or" describes the association relationship of associated objects, indicating that three relationships can exist. For example, A and / or B can be represented by: A exists alone, A and B exist at the same time, and B exists alone, where A and B can be singular or plural. The character " / " generally indicates that the associated objects before and after are in an "or" relationship.

[0162] Also, unless otherwise stated, the ordinal numbers such as "first", "second", etc. used in the embodiments of the present application are used to distinguish multiple objects, and are not used to limit the order, timing, priority or importance of the multiple objects. For another example, the first wavelength range, the second wavelength range, the third wavelength range, the fourth wavelength range, etc. are only used to describe the wavelength range in a certain implementation manner, and do not represent differences in the importance of the wavelength range, the order on the spectrum, etc. In some cases, the first wavelength range and the third wavelength range may be the same wavelength range.

Claims

1. A receiving module, characterized in that, It includes a first array detector, a second array detector, and a beam splitting device, and the beam splitting device is used to split the light beam from the detection area into a first light beam and a second light beam; The first light beam forms a first light spot on the first array detector, The second light beam forms a second light spot on the second array detector, The relative position of the first light spot on the first array detector is different from the relative position of the second light spot on the second array detector.

2. The receiving module according to claim 1, wherein, The photosensitive surfaces of the first array detector and the second array detector are of the same size, In the first direction, there is a first offset between the relative position of the first light spot on the first array detector and the relative position of the second light spot on the second array detector.

3. The receiving module according to claim 1 or 2, characterized in that In the first direction, there is a first offset between the relative position of the first array detector and the center of the beam splitting device and the relative position of the second array detector and the center of the beam splitting device.

4. The receiving module according to claim 2 or 3, characterized in that Both the first array detector and the second array detector include M pixels, and the M pixels are arranged in K rows. M is an integer and M≥2, and K is a positive number and M≥K≥2; The first offset is the length of (N + 0.5) pixels, and N is an integer less than K and N≥0.

5. The receiving module according to claim 4, wherein The first offset is the length of 0.5 pixels, and there is an overlap between the relative position of the first light spot on the first array detector and the relative position of the second light spot on the second array detector.

6. The receiving module according to any one of claims 1-5, characterized in that, There is an overlapping area between the relative position of the first light spot on the first array detector and the relative position of the second light spot on the second array detector, and the overlapping area is the region of interest ROI.

7. The receiving module according to claim 4 or 5, characterized in that, One pixel includes A rows and B columns of detection units, A is an integer and A≥1, and B is a positive number and B≥1.

8. The receiving module according to any one of claims 2-7, characterized in that, The first direction is the column direction of the first array detector and the second array detector.

9. The receiving module according to claim 1 or 2, characterized in that The first array detector includes a plurality of first pixels, the second array detector includes a plurality of second pixels, and the sizes of the first pixels and the second pixels are different.

10. The method according to any one of claims 1-9, characterized in that, The first array detector and the second array detector have the same viewing point relative to the detection area.

11. The receiving module according to any one of claims 1-10, characterized in that, The beam splitting device is an amplitude beam splitting device, or the beam splitting device is a wavelength beam splitting device.

12. The receiving module according to any one of claims 1-11, characterized in that, The first array detector and the second array detector belong to single photon avalanche diode SPAD array detectors.

13. The receiving module according to any one of claims 1-12, characterized in that, The receiving module further includes an imaging lens, and the light beam from the detection area propagates through the imaging lens to the beam splitting device.

14. The receiving module according to any one of claims 1-13, characterized in that, The receiving module further includes a filtering module, and the light beam from the detection area propagates through the filtering module to the beam splitting device.

15. A receiving module, characterized in that, The receiving module includes a beam splitting device, an array detector, and an image sensor, The beam splitting device is used to split the light beam from the detection area into a first light beam and a second light beam; The array detector is used to receive the first light beam; The image sensor is used to image through the second light beam, The array detector and the image detector have the same viewing point for the detection area, and the photosensitive surface of the array detector is perpendicular to the photosensitive surface of the image sensor.

16. The receiving module according to claim 15, wherein The array detector is a single-photon avalanche diode (SPAD) array detector, and the image sensor is a complementary metal-oxide-semiconductor (CMOS) image sensor.

17. The receiving module according to claim 15 or 16, characterized in that, The beam splitting device is a wavelength beam splitting device, or the beam splitting device is an amplitude beam splitting device.

18. The receiving module according to any one of claims 15-17, characterized in that, The receiving module further includes an imaging lens, and the light beam from the detection area propagates through the imaging lens to the beam splitting device.

19. The receiving module according to any one of claims 15-18, characterized in that, The receiving module further includes a filtering module, and the filtering module is disposed between the beam splitting device and the array receiver.

20. A detection device, characterized in that, The detection device includes a transmitting module and the receiving module according to any one of claims 1-19, and the transmitting module and the receiving module are off-axis arranged. The transmitting module is configured to emit a light beam to the detection area. The receiving module is configured to receive the light beam from the detection area, and the light beam from the detection area includes the echo of the emitted light beam.

21. A lidar, characterized in that, The lidar includes the detection device according to claim 20.

22. A terminal, characterized in that, The terminal includes the detection device according to claim 20, or includes the lidar according to claim 21.

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