Detection method and device

Abstract

The embodiment of the invention provides a detection method and device, relates to a detection technology, and can be applied to the fields of intelligent driving, intelligent transportation, surveying and mapping, intelligent manufacturing and the like. In the embodiment of the invention, the controller can control the laser to emit the first laser signal to the detection area and obtain the first echo signal returned from the detection area and received by the detector, and the first echo signal is used for comprehensively detecting the whole detection area, so that the target object possibly existing in the detection area can be determined; according to the embodiment of the invention, the first echo signal is used as the first to-be-detected target, and then the second echo signal at the first distance corresponding to the first to-be-detected target is extracted from the first echo signal, so that the method can be used for finely detecting the target object possibly existing at the first distance to improve the detection performance. Therefore, the detection at the specific distance can be realized without additionally arranging auxiliary devices such as gating imaging equipment, so that the hardware cost and the complexity for realizing the detection at the specific distance can be reduced.

Description

Detection method and device Technical Field

[0001] This application relates to detection technology, which is applied to the fields of intelligent driving, intelligent transportation, surveying and mapping, intelligent manufacturing, etc., and in particular to a detection method and related devices. Background Art

[0002] LiDAR actively transmits light signals toward a target and receives reflected light signals, calculating the target's distance by measuring the round-trip time of the light signals. When detecting targets at a specific distance, solutions employ the collaborative use of LiDAR and gated imaging devices to achieve this.

[0003] However, the above solution requires the additional introduction of gated imaging equipment, such as an intensified charge coupled device (ICCD) / electron-multiplying charge coupled device (EMCCD) / scientific complementary metal-oxide-semiconductor (sCMOS) camera, which is expensive. In addition, the gated imaging equipment and the lidar form two independent systems, which is highly complex.

[0004] Summary of the Invention

[0005] The embodiments of the present application provide a detection method and device that can reduce the cost and complexity of achieving detection at a specific distance.

[0006] In a first aspect, an embodiment of the present application provides a detection method, the method comprising:

[0007] controlling the laser to emit a first laser signal;

[0008] Acquire a first echo signal of the first laser signal;

[0009] determining a first target to be measured according to the first echo signal;

[0010] A second echo signal is determined according to the first echo signal and the first target to be measured, where the second echo signal is an echo signal at a first distance corresponding to the first target to be measured.

[0011] The method can be performed by a detection device comprising a laser and a detector. Optionally, the detector can integrate the functionality of a controller. Optionally, the detection device also includes a controller. The method can specifically be performed by the detector or controller in the detection device. Exemplarily, the detection device can be a laser radar.

[0012] The first target to be detected can be understood as a target object that may exist in the detection area, and the first distance corresponding to the first target to be detected refers to the distance between the first target to be detected and the detection device.

[0013] Through the above embodiment, the controller can control the laser to emit a first laser signal to the detection area and obtain a first echo signal returned from the detection area and received by the detector. This first echo signal is used to comprehensively detect the entire detection area and determine the target object that may exist in the detection area as the first target to be detected. Then, a second echo signal at a first distance corresponding to the first target to be detected is extracted from the first echo signal. This second echo signal can be used to perform fine detection of the target object that may exist at the first distance to improve detection performance. Accordingly, there is no need to add additional auxiliary devices such as gated imaging equipment. Instead, detection at a specific distance can be achieved using the detection device alone, thereby reducing the hardware cost and complexity of achieving detection at a specific distance.

[0014] In a possible implementation of the first aspect, acquiring a first echo signal of the first laser signal includes:

[0015] The first detector is controlled to continuously receive the echo signal of the first laser signal from the emission moment of the first laser signal to obtain the first echo signal, where the first echo signal includes a plurality of echo signals corresponding to different times.

[0016] In the above embodiment, the time corresponding to the echo signal refers to the time delay between the reception moment of the echo signal and the emission moment of the first laser signal. The first detector is controlled to continuously receive the echo signal of the first laser signal from the emission moment of the first laser signal, so that the first detector can receive multiple echo signals corresponding to different times, that is, echo signals from different distances. This helps the first detector receive all echo signals that may be returned from the detection area, thereby achieving comprehensive detection of the entire detection area.

[0017] In a possible implementation of the first aspect, determining the first target to be detected according to the first echo signal includes:

[0018] determining a first time according to the echo signals corresponding to the multiple different times, wherein the echo signal corresponding to the first time includes a characteristic signal, and the characteristic signal includes at least one of a peak signal, a stretch signal, and a distortion signal;

[0019] The first target to be measured is determined according to the first time, and a first distance corresponding to the first target to be measured is related to the first time.

[0020] In the above embodiment, the echo signal containing the characteristic signal may correspond to the target object in the detection area, so that the first target to be measured can be determined based on the echo signal containing the characteristic signal. Specifically, the first distance corresponding to the first target to be measured can be determined based on the first time corresponding to the echo signal containing the characteristic signal, so as to subsequently extract the echo signal at the first distance to achieve fine detection at the first distance.

[0021] In a possible implementation of the first aspect, determining the second echo signal according to the first echo signal and the first target to be measured includes:

[0022] The echo signal corresponding to the first time is extracted from the multiple echo signals corresponding to different times to obtain the second echo signal.

[0023] In the above embodiment, the echo signal corresponding to the first time represents the echo signal from the first distance. By extracting the echo signal corresponding to the first time from multiple echo signals corresponding to different times, the echo signal at the first distance can be obtained, thereby realizing fine detection of the first distance.

[0024] In a possible implementation of the first aspect, the method further includes:

[0025] A first image is generated according to the second echo signal, where the first image is an image at the first distance, and the first image is used to identify the first target to be measured.

[0026] In the above embodiment, the second echo signal is an echo signal at a first distance from the detection device, and the first image generated based on the second echo signal is an image of a slice at the first distance from the detection device. Since the first distance is also the distance between the target object (i.e., the first target to be measured) that may exist in the detection area and the detection device, the first image contains relevant information about the first target to be measured. The first image can be used to further confirm or identify the first target to be measured, thereby improving the accuracy of the detection results and thus improving the detection performance.

[0027] In a possible implementation of the first aspect, the method further includes:

[0028] A third echo signal is determined according to the first echo signal and the first target to be measured, where the third echo signal is an echo signal at a second distance, and a distance difference between the second distance and the first distance is smaller than the first distance difference.

[0029] In the above embodiment, the distance difference between the second distance and the first distance is smaller than the first distance difference, indicating that the second distance is relatively close to the first distance. The echo signal at the second distance (i.e., the third echo signal) represents the echo signal near the first distance, which can be used to perform fine detection of target objects that may exist near the first distance, helping to reduce missed detections or false detections caused by interference or errors in the detection process, thereby improving detection performance.

[0030] In a second aspect, an embodiment of the present application provides a detection method, the method comprising:

[0031] determining a first target to be measured;

[0032] controlling the laser to emit a first laser signal;

[0033] Control the first detector to receive the echo signal of the first laser signal at a first moment to obtain a fourth echo signal; wherein the first moment is related to the emission moment of the first laser signal and the first distance corresponding to the first target to be measured, and the fourth echo signal is the echo signal at the first distance corresponding to the first target to be measured.

[0034] The method can be performed by a detection device comprising a laser and a detector. Optionally, the detector can integrate the functionality of a controller. Optionally, the detection device also includes a controller. The method can specifically be performed by the detector or controller in the detection device. Exemplarily, the detection device can be a laser radar.

[0035] The first target to be detected can be understood as a target object that may exist in the detection area, and the first distance corresponding to the first target to be detected refers to the distance between the first target to be detected and the detection device. The emission time of the first laser signal is the time when the laser emits the first laser signal. The first moment can be understood as the time when the first detector is turned on, at which time the first detector can receive the echo signal of the first laser signal.

[0036] Through the above embodiment, the controller can first determine the target object that may exist in the detection area as the first target to be detected, then control the laser to emit a first laser signal to the detection area, and control the first detector to receive the echo signal of the first laser signal at a first moment. Since the first moment is related to the emission moment of the first laser signal and the first distance corresponding to the first target to be detected, the first detector receives the echo signal at the first distance at the first moment. The echo signal at the first distance can be used to perform precise detection of the target object that may exist at the first distance, thereby improving detection performance. Accordingly, there is no need to add additional auxiliary devices such as gated imaging equipment. Instead, detection at a specific distance can be achieved using the detection device alone, thereby reducing the hardware cost and complexity of achieving detection at a specific distance.

[0037] In a possible implementation of the second aspect, a first time interval is between the first moment and the emission moment of the first laser signal, and the first time is the flight time of the laser signal corresponding to the first distance.

[0038] In the above embodiment, the first moment is separated from the emission moment of the first laser signal by a first time, indicating that the first moment is later than the emission moment of the first laser signal by the first time. Since the first time is the flight time of the laser signal corresponding to the first distance, the first moment is the start-up moment of the first detector, that is, the first detector is turned on when the echo signal at the first distance reaches the first detector, so that only the echo signal at the first distance can be received, which is used for fine detection of target objects that may exist at the first distance. Accordingly, the echo signals that need to be received and processed can be reduced, thereby reducing the influence of irrelevant signals on the detection results at the first distance.

[0039] In a possible implementation manner of the second aspect, when the first detector is in a moving state, the first moment is also related to a moving direction and a moving speed of the first detector.

[0040] In the above embodiment, the first distance corresponding to the first target to be measured can be used as the target position, and the first distance can be used as the current detection distance (that is, the current distance between the target position and the detection device). As the detection device moves, the current detection distance changes. Since the first moment is related to the current detection distance and the moving direction and speed of the first detector, the first moment also changes. Based on this, the detection position can be kept unchanged, that is, the first detector always receives the echo signal of the target position during the movement, thereby realizing the detection of a fixed position.

[0041] In a possible implementation manner of the second aspect, controlling the first detector to receive the echo signal of the first laser signal at the first moment to obtain a fourth echo signal includes:

[0042] Control the first detector to receive the echo signal of the first laser signal at the first moment M times to obtain the fourth echo signal; wherein M is an integer greater than 1; the value of M is predefined or preconfigured, or the value of M is related to the first distance.

[0043] In the above embodiment, the first detector can receive the echo signal of the first laser signal multiple times at the first moment, that is, perform multiple detections at the first distance. The fourth echo signal (that is, the echo signal at the first distance) obtained by accumulating the echo signals received multiple times at the first moment is stronger, and is used to detect target objects that may exist at the first distance, so that more accurate detection results can be obtained and the detection performance can be improved.

[0044] In a possible implementation manner of the second aspect, controlling the laser to emit the first laser signal includes:

[0045] Controlling the laser to sequentially emit a first laser signal to each scanning field of view in a scanning order;

[0046] The controlling the first detector to receive the echo signal of the first laser signal at the first moment to obtain a fourth echo signal includes:

[0047] The detection elements corresponding to the respective scanning fields in the first detector are controlled to sequentially receive the echo signals of the first laser signal at a first moment in accordance with the scanning sequence to obtain the fourth echo signal.

[0048] In the above embodiment, the scanning field of view can be understood as a sub-area in the detection area, and the scanning order can be predefined or preconfigured. When the first laser signal emitted by the laser is irradiated to each sub-area of ​​the detection area in sequence according to the scanning order, the detection element in the first detector can be turned on in time to receive the echo signal of the corresponding sub-area, thereby making the laser signal used for detection more focused, thereby helping to improve the accuracy of the detection results.

[0049] In a possible implementation manner of the second aspect, the first detector includes a plurality of detection elements;

[0050] The controlling the first detector to receive the echo signal of the first laser signal at the first moment to obtain a fourth echo signal includes:

[0051] controlling a first detection element group in the first detector to receive an echo signal of the first laser signal at a first moment to obtain the fourth echo signal, wherein the first detection element group includes at least one of the plurality of detection elements;

[0052] The method further comprises:

[0053] Control the second detection element group in the first detector to continuously receive the echo signal of the first laser signal from the emission moment of the first laser signal to obtain a fifth echo signal, the second detection element group includes at least one of the multiple detection elements, and the second detection element group does not overlap with the detection elements in the first detection element group.

[0054] In the above embodiment, the first detection element group is used to receive the echo signal of the first laser signal at the first moment, and the echo signal at the first distance (i.e., the fourth echo signal) can be obtained. The second detection element group is used to continuously receive the echo signal of the first laser signal from the moment the first laser signal is emitted, and the echo signal returned from the entire detection area (i.e., the fifth echo signal) can be obtained. In this way, the first detection element group and the second detection element group in the first detector respectively operate in different operating modes, so that the first detector can simultaneously operate multiple operating modes in different areas. Specifically, it can perform comprehensive detection of the entire detection area in free mode and enhance detection at a specific distance in gated mode, thereby meeting multiple detection needs at the same time and improving detection performance.

[0055] In a possible implementation manner of the second aspect, after controlling the first detector to receive the echo signal of the first laser signal at the first moment to obtain a fourth echo signal, the method further includes:

[0056] controlling the laser to emit a second laser signal;

[0057] The first detector is controlled to continuously receive the echo signal of the second laser signal from the emission moment of the second laser signal to obtain a sixth echo signal.

[0058] In the above embodiment, after performing detailed detection at a first distance, the first detector can switch its operating mode to perform comprehensive detection of the entire detection area. This allows the first detector to switch between different operating modes in a time-sharing or alternating manner. For example, after operating in gated mode for a certain period of time or a certain number of times, the first detector can switch to free mode. Alternatively, after operating in free mode for a certain period of time or a certain number of times, the first detector can switch to gated mode. This allows for flexible adaptation to changing detection needs.

[0059] In a possible implementation of the second aspect, the method further includes:

[0060] The second detector is controlled to continuously receive the echo signal of the first laser signal from the emission moment of the first laser signal to obtain a seventh echo signal, and the field of view of the second detector is aligned with the field of view of the first detector.

[0061] In the above implementation, while the first detector performs detailed detection at a first distance, a second detector is introduced to comprehensively detect the entire detection area. The second detector's field of view is aligned with the first detector's, meaning that the second detector and the first detector detect the same detection area, allowing the detection data from the two detectors to be fused. This allows the second detector to comprehensively detect the entire detection area in free mode, while the first detector can perform enhanced detection at a specific distance in gated mode. Combining the detection data from the two detectors yields more comprehensive and accurate detection results.

[0062] In a possible implementation of the second aspect, the method further includes:

[0063] A second image is generated according to the fourth echo signal, where the second image is an image at the first distance, and the second image is used to identify the first target to be measured.

[0064] In the above embodiment, the fourth echo signal is an echo signal at a first distance from the detection device, and the second image generated based on the fourth echo signal is an image of a slice at the first distance from the detection device. Since the first distance is also the distance between the target object (i.e., the first target to be measured) that may exist in the detection area and the detection device, the second image contains relevant information about the first target to be measured. The second image can be used to further confirm or identify the first target to be measured, thereby improving the accuracy of the detection results and thus improving the detection performance.

[0065] In a possible implementation of the second aspect, the method further includes:

[0066] controlling the first detector to receive the echo signal of the first laser signal at a second moment to obtain an eighth echo signal;

[0067] The second moment is related to the emission moment of the first laser signal and a second distance, the distance difference between the second distance and the first distance is smaller than the first distance difference, and the eighth echo signal is an echo signal at the second distance.

[0068] In the above embodiment, the distance difference between the second distance and the first distance is smaller than the first distance difference, indicating that the second distance is relatively close to the first distance, and the first detector is controlled to receive the echo signal of the first laser signal at the second moment. Since the second moment is related to the emission moment of the first laser signal and the second distance, the first detector receives the echo signal at the second distance at the second moment. The echo signal at the second distance represents the echo signal near the first distance, which can be used for fine detection of target objects that may exist near the first distance, helping to reduce missed detection or false detection caused by interference or errors in the detection process, thereby improving detection performance.

[0069] In a possible implementation of the second aspect, determining the first target to be measured includes:

[0070] Obtain relevant information within the detection area;

[0071] Identify whether a target object exists within the detection area according to the relevant information;

[0072] When a target object exists in the detection area, the first target to be detected is determined.

[0073] In the above embodiment, the relevant information within the detection area may be information collected by a sensing device, which may be connected to a controller to collect relevant information within the detection area and transmit the collected relevant information to the controller. The controller may identify the relevant information based on the information to obtain a preliminary detection result indicating whether a target object exists in the detection area, and then determine the first target to be detected based on the preliminary detection result.

[0074] In a possible implementation of the second aspect, determining the first target to be measured includes:

[0075] Obtaining a preliminary detection result indicating whether a target object exists within the detection area;

[0076] When the preliminary detection result indicates that a target object exists in the detection area, the first target to be detected is determined.

[0077] In the above embodiment, the preliminary detection result can be a detection result obtained by the sensing device based on the relevant information collected within the detection area. The sensing device can be connected to the controller to collect relevant information within the detection area, and identify whether there is a target object in the detection area based on the relevant information, and transmit the preliminary detection result indicating whether there is a target object in the detection area to the controller. The controller can directly obtain the preliminary detection result without performing an identification operation, and then determine the first target to be measured based on the preliminary detection result.

[0078] In a third aspect, an embodiment of the present application provides a detection device, which includes a laser, a first detector, and at least one processor; the laser is used to emit a laser signal; the first detector is used to receive an echo signal; the at least one processor is connected to the laser and the first detector, and is used to implement the method described in the first aspect or any possible implementation method of the first aspect.

[0079] In a possible implementation of the third aspect, the at least one processor is configured to:

[0080] controlling the laser to emit a first laser signal;

[0081] Acquire a first echo signal of the first laser signal;

[0082] determining a first target to be measured according to the first echo signal;

[0083] A second echo signal is determined according to the first echo signal and the first target to be measured, where the second echo signal is an echo signal at a first distance corresponding to the first target to be measured.

[0084] In a possible implementation of the third aspect, the at least one processor is further configured to:

[0085] The first detector is controlled to continuously receive the echo signal of the first laser signal from the emission moment of the first laser signal to obtain the first echo signal, where the first echo signal includes a plurality of echo signals corresponding to different times.

[0086] In a possible implementation of the third aspect, the at least one processor is further configured to:

[0087] determining a first time according to the echo signals corresponding to the multiple different times, wherein the echo signal corresponding to the first time includes a characteristic signal, and the characteristic signal includes at least one of a peak signal, a stretch signal, and a distortion signal;

[0088] The first target to be measured is determined according to the first time, and a first distance corresponding to the first target to be measured is related to the first time.

[0089] In a possible implementation of the third aspect, the at least one processor is further configured to:

[0090] The echo signal corresponding to the first time is extracted from the multiple echo signals corresponding to different times to obtain the second echo signal.

[0091] In a possible implementation of the third aspect, the at least one processor is further configured to:

[0092] A first image is generated according to the second echo signal, where the first image is an image at the first distance, and the first image is used to identify the first target to be measured.

[0093] In a possible implementation of the third aspect, the at least one processor is further configured to:

[0094] A third echo signal is determined according to the first echo signal and the first target to be measured, where the third echo signal is an echo signal at a second distance, and a distance difference between the second distance and the first distance is smaller than the first distance difference.

[0095] In a fourth aspect, an embodiment of the present application provides a detection device, which includes a laser, a first detector, and at least one processor; the laser is used to emit a laser signal; the first detector is used to receive an echo signal; the at least one processor is connected to the laser and the first detector, and is used to implement the method described in the second aspect or any possible implementation method of the second aspect.

[0096] In a possible implementation of the fourth aspect, the at least one processor is configured to:

[0097] determining a first target to be measured;

[0098] controlling the laser to emit a first laser signal;

[0099] Control the first detector to receive the echo signal of the first laser signal at a first moment to obtain a fourth echo signal; wherein the first moment is related to the emission moment of the first laser signal and the first distance corresponding to the first target to be measured, and the fourth echo signal is the echo signal at the first distance corresponding to the first target to be measured.

[0100] In a possible implementation of the fourth aspect, a first time interval is between the first moment and the emission moment of the first laser signal, and the first time is the flight time of the laser signal corresponding to the first distance.

[0101] In a possible implementation manner of the fourth aspect, when the first detector is in a moving state, the first moment is also related to a moving direction and a moving speed of the first detector.

[0102] In a possible implementation of the fourth aspect, the at least one processor is further configured to:

[0103] Control the first detector to receive the echo signal of the first laser signal at the first moment M times to obtain the fourth echo signal; wherein M is an integer greater than 1; the value of M is predefined or preconfigured, or the value of M is related to the first distance.

[0104] In a possible implementation of the fourth aspect, the at least one processor is further configured to:

[0105] Controlling the laser to sequentially emit a first laser signal to each scanning field of view in a scanning order;

[0106] The detection elements corresponding to the respective scanning fields in the first detector are controlled to sequentially receive the echo signals of the first laser signal at a first moment in accordance with the scanning sequence to obtain the fourth echo signal.

[0107] In a possible implementation manner of the fourth aspect, the first detector includes a plurality of detection elements; and the at least one processor is further configured to:

[0108] controlling a first detection element group in the first detector to receive an echo signal of the first laser signal at a first moment to obtain the fourth echo signal, wherein the first detection element group includes at least one of the plurality of detection elements;

[0109] Control the second detection element group in the first detector to continuously receive the echo signal of the first laser signal from the emission moment of the first laser signal to obtain a fifth echo signal, the second detection element group includes at least one of the multiple detection elements, and the second detection element group does not overlap with the detection elements in the first detection element group.

[0110] In a possible implementation of the fourth aspect, the at least one processor is further configured to:

[0111] controlling the laser to emit a second laser signal;

[0112] The first detector is controlled to continuously receive the echo signal of the second laser signal from the emission moment of the second laser signal to obtain a sixth echo signal.

[0113] In a possible implementation of the fourth aspect, the at least one processor is further configured to:

[0114] The second detector is controlled to continuously receive the echo signal of the first laser signal from the emission moment of the first laser signal to obtain a seventh echo signal, and the field of view of the second detector is aligned with the field of view of the first detector.

[0115] In a possible implementation of the fourth aspect, the at least one processor is further configured to:

[0116] A second image is generated according to the fourth echo signal, where the second image is an image at the first distance, and the second image is used to identify the first target to be measured.

[0117] In a possible implementation of the fourth aspect, the at least one processor is further configured to:

[0118] controlling the first detector to receive the echo signal of the first laser signal at a second moment to obtain an eighth echo signal;

[0119] The second moment is related to the emission moment of the first laser signal and a second distance, the distance difference between the second distance and the first distance is smaller than the first distance difference, and the eighth echo signal is an echo signal at the second distance.

[0120] In a possible implementation of the fourth aspect, the at least one processor is further configured to:

[0121] Obtain relevant information within the detection area;

[0122] Identify whether a target object exists within the detection area according to the relevant information;

[0123] When a target object exists in the detection area, the first target to be detected is determined.

[0124] In a possible implementation of the fourth aspect, the at least one processor is further configured to:

[0125] Obtaining a preliminary detection result indicating whether a target object exists within the detection area;

[0126] When the preliminary detection result indicates that a target object exists in the detection area, the first target to be detected is determined.

[0127] In a fifth aspect, an embodiment of the present application provides a detection device, which includes a laser and a first detector; the laser is used to emit a laser signal; the first detector is used to receive an echo signal; the first detector is also used to implement the method described in the first aspect or any possible implementation method of the first aspect.

[0128] In a possible implementation manner of the fifth aspect, the first detector is used to:

[0129] controlling the laser to emit a first laser signal;

[0130] Acquire a first echo signal of the first laser signal;

[0131] determining a first target to be measured according to the first echo signal;

[0132] A second echo signal is determined according to the first echo signal and the first target to be measured, where the second echo signal is an echo signal at a first distance corresponding to the first target to be measured.

[0133] In a possible implementation manner of the fifth aspect, the first detector is further configured to:

[0134] The first detector is controlled to continuously receive the echo signal of the first laser signal from the emission moment of the first laser signal to obtain the first echo signal, where the first echo signal includes a plurality of echo signals corresponding to different times.

[0135] In a possible implementation manner of the fifth aspect, the first detector is further configured to:

[0136] determining a first time according to the echo signals corresponding to the multiple different times, wherein the echo signal corresponding to the first time includes a characteristic signal, and the characteristic signal includes at least one of a peak signal, a stretch signal, and a distortion signal;

[0137] The first target to be measured is determined according to the first time, and a first distance corresponding to the first target to be measured is related to the first time.

[0138] In a possible implementation manner of the fifth aspect, the first detector is further configured to:

[0139] The echo signal corresponding to the first time is extracted from the multiple echo signals corresponding to different times to obtain the second echo signal.

[0140] In a possible implementation manner of the fifth aspect, the first detector is further configured to:

[0141] A first image is generated according to the second echo signal, where the first image is an image at the first distance, and the first image is used to identify the first target to be measured.

[0142] In a possible implementation manner of the fifth aspect, the first detector is further configured to:

[0143] A third echo signal is determined according to the first echo signal and the first target to be measured, where the third echo signal is an echo signal at a second distance, and a distance difference between the second distance and the first distance is smaller than the first distance difference.

[0144] In a sixth aspect, an embodiment of the present application provides a detection device, which includes a laser and a first detector; the laser is used to emit a laser signal; the first detector is used to receive an echo signal; the first detector is also used to implement the method described in the second aspect or any possible implementation method of the second aspect.

[0145] In a possible implementation manner of the sixth aspect, the first detector is used to:

[0146] determining a first target to be measured;

[0147] controlling the laser to emit a first laser signal;

[0148] Control the first detector to receive the echo signal of the first laser signal at a first moment to obtain a fourth echo signal; wherein the first moment is related to the emission moment of the first laser signal and the first distance corresponding to the first target to be measured, and the fourth echo signal is the echo signal at the first distance corresponding to the first target to be measured.

[0149] In a possible implementation of the sixth aspect, the first moment is separated from the emission moment of the first laser signal by a first time, and the first time is the flight time of the laser signal corresponding to the first distance.

[0150] In a possible implementation manner of the sixth aspect, when the first detector is in a moving state, the first moment is also related to the moving direction and moving speed of the first detector.

[0151] In a possible implementation manner of the sixth aspect, the first detector is further configured to:

[0152] Control the first detector to receive the echo signal of the first laser signal at the first moment M times to obtain the fourth echo signal; wherein M is an integer greater than 1; the value of M is predefined or preconfigured, or the value of M is related to the first distance.

[0153] In a possible implementation manner of the sixth aspect, the first detector is further configured to:

[0154] Controlling the laser to sequentially emit a first laser signal to each scanning field of view in a scanning order;

[0155] The detection elements corresponding to the respective scanning fields in the first detector are controlled to sequentially receive the echo signals of the first laser signal at a first moment in accordance with the scanning sequence to obtain the fourth echo signal.

[0156] In a possible implementation manner of the sixth aspect, the first detector includes a plurality of detection elements; and the first detector is further configured to:

[0157] controlling a first detection element group in the first detector to receive an echo signal of the first laser signal at a first moment to obtain the fourth echo signal, wherein the first detection element group includes at least one of the plurality of detection elements;

[0158] Control the second detection element group in the first detector to continuously receive the echo signal of the first laser signal from the emission moment of the first laser signal to obtain a fifth echo signal, the second detection element group includes at least one of the multiple detection elements, and the second detection element group does not overlap with the detection elements in the first detection element group.

[0159] In a possible implementation manner of the sixth aspect, the first detector is further configured to:

[0160] controlling the laser to emit a second laser signal;

[0161] The first detector is controlled to continuously receive the echo signal of the second laser signal from the emission moment of the second laser signal to obtain a sixth echo signal.

[0162] In a possible implementation manner of the sixth aspect, the first detector is further configured to:

[0163] The second detector is controlled to continuously receive the echo signal of the first laser signal from the emission moment of the first laser signal to obtain a seventh echo signal, and the field of view of the second detector is aligned with the field of view of the first detector.

[0164] In a possible implementation manner of the sixth aspect, the first detector is further configured to:

[0165] A second image is generated according to the fourth echo signal, where the second image is an image at the first distance, and the second image is used to identify the first target to be measured.

[0166] In a possible implementation manner of the sixth aspect, the first detector is further configured to:

[0167] controlling the first detector to receive the echo signal of the first laser signal at a second moment to obtain an eighth echo signal;

[0168] The second moment is related to the emission moment of the first laser signal and a second distance, the distance difference between the second distance and the first distance is smaller than the first distance difference, and the eighth echo signal is an echo signal at the second distance.

[0169] In a possible implementation manner of the sixth aspect, the first detector is further configured to:

[0170] Obtain relevant information within the detection area;

[0171] Identify whether a target object exists within the detection area according to the relevant information;

[0172] When a target object exists in the detection area, the first target to be detected is determined.

[0173] In a possible implementation manner of the sixth aspect, the first detector is further configured to:

[0174] Obtaining a preliminary detection result indicating whether a target object exists within the detection area;

[0175] When the preliminary detection result indicates that a target object exists in the detection area, the first target to be detected is determined.

[0176] In the seventh aspect, an embodiment of the present application provides a processing device, which includes at least one processor and a communication interface, wherein the communication interface is used to provide instruction or data input and / or output for the at least one processor, and the at least one processor is used to implement the method described in any aspect of the first to second aspects or any possible implementation method.

[0177] In an eighth aspect, an embodiment of the present application provides a terminal, which is used to implement the method described in any aspect or any possible implementation method of the first to second aspects.

[0178] Optionally, the above-mentioned terminal can be a vehicle, a drone, a robot or other terminal.

[0179] In the ninth aspect, an embodiment of the present application provides a terminal, which includes the detection device described in any aspect from the third aspect to the sixth aspect or any possible implementation method, and / or the terminal includes the processing device described in the seventh aspect.

[0180] In a tenth aspect, an embodiment of the present application provides a chip, comprising a processor configured to execute a computer program or instruction. When the processor executes the computer program or instruction, the method described in any one of the first and second aspects or any possible implementation manner is implemented. Optionally, the chip further comprises a communication interface configured to provide input / output for the processor and / or to send and / or receive data.

[0181] In the eleventh aspect, an embodiment of the present application provides a computer-readable storage medium, in which a computer program or instruction is stored. When the computer program or instruction is executed, the method described in any aspect or any possible implementation method of the first to second aspects is implemented.

[0182] In the twelfth aspect, an embodiment of the present application provides a computer program product, which includes a computer program or instructions. When the computer program or instructions are executed, the method described in any aspect or any possible implementation method of the first to second aspects is implemented.

[0183] The beneficial effects brought about by the third to twelfth aspects mentioned above can be referred to the description of the beneficial effects in the first to second aspects, and will not be repeated here.

[0184] It should be noted that the above-mentioned processor can be a processor specifically used to execute these methods (for convenience of distinction, referred to as a dedicated processor), or it can be a processor that executes these methods by calling a computer program, such as a general-purpose processor. Optionally, the at least one processor can also include both a dedicated processor and a general-purpose processor.

[0185] Optionally, the computer program may be stored in a memory. For example, the memory may be a non-transitory memory, such as a read-only memory (ROM), which may be integrated with the processor on the same device or provided on separate devices. The embodiments of the present application do not limit the type of memory or the configuration of the memory and the processor.

[0186] In a possible implementation manner, the memory is located outside the device.

[0187] In another possible implementation, the memory is located within the device.

[0188] In another possible implementation, part of the memory is located inside the device, and another part of the memory is located outside the device. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0189] The following is an introduction to the drawings used in the embodiments of this application.

[0190] FIG1 is a schematic structural diagram of a detection device provided in an embodiment of the present application;

[0191] FIG2 is a flow chart of a detection method provided in an embodiment of the present application;

[0192] FIG3 is a statistical diagram of a first sub-echo signal provided in an embodiment of the present application;

[0193] FIG4 is a flow chart of another detection method provided in an embodiment of the present application;

[0194] FIG5 is a statistical diagram of a fourth sub-echo signal provided in an embodiment of the present application;

[0195] FIG6 is a schematic diagram of a detection distance provided by an embodiment of the present application;

[0196] FIG7 is a schematic diagram of a fixed detection distance detection provided by an embodiment of the present application;

[0197] FIG8 is a schematic diagram of a fixed target position detection method provided by an embodiment of the present application;

[0198] FIG9 is a schematic diagram of detection results under different detection times provided in an embodiment of the present application;

[0199] FIG10 is a schematic diagram of synchronously opening a first detector provided in an embodiment of the present application;

[0200] FIG11 is a schematic diagram of a time-sharing activation of a first detector provided in an embodiment of the present application;

[0201] FIG12 is a schematic diagram of a segmentation method of a first detector provided in an embodiment of the present application;

[0202] FIG13 is a schematic diagram of a working mode switching of a first detector provided in an embodiment of the present application;

[0203] FIG14 is a schematic diagram of a joint detection method of a first detector and a second detector provided in an embodiment of the present application;

[0204] FIG15 is a flow chart of a detection method provided in an embodiment of the present application;

[0205] FIG16 is a schematic structural diagram of a detection device provided in an embodiment of the present application;

[0206] FIG17 is a schematic structural diagram of a processing device provided in an embodiment of the present application. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0207] The embodiments of the present application are described in detail below with reference to the accompanying drawings.

[0208] To facilitate understanding, some of the terms used in the embodiments of this application are explained below.

[0209] 1. Detection device

[0210] The detection device in the embodiments of the present application can be a laser radar (or a device within a laser radar, such as a chip, integrated circuit, software module, etc.), or it can be another optical detection device (or a device within an optical detection device, such as a chip, integrated circuit, software module, etc.), such as a fusion detection device. The working principle of the detection device is to detect the corresponding detection area by emitting a light signal to the detection area and receiving a light signal returned from the detection area.

[0211] The detection device in the embodiment of the present application can be applied in various fields such as intelligent driving, intelligent transportation, intelligent manufacturing, environmental monitoring, surveying and mapping, drones, etc., and can complete one or more functions of target detection, distance measurement, speed measurement, target tracking, imaging recognition, etc.

[0212] The detection device in the embodiments of the present application can be applied to vehicle-mounted detection devices (e.g., vehicle-mounted radar), roadside detection devices (e.g., intersection radar), etc., and can also be applied to other detection devices, such as detection devices installed on drones, robots, rail cars, bicycles, traffic lights, speed measuring devices, base stations, etc. This application does not limit the location where the detection device is installed.

[0213] 2. Detection area

[0214] The detection area refers to the physical world that can be detected, also known as the field of view (FOV). During detection, there needs to be a line of sight (LOS) between the transmitting end of the detection device and the target object, and / or between the receiving end of the detection device and the target object, where signal (e.g., radio waves, laser) transmission is uninterrupted. This line of sight area can be understood as the detection area. Signals from objects in the detection area can be transmitted to the receiving end of the detection device, and / or signals emitted by the transmitting end of the detection device can be transmitted to objects in the detection area.

[0215] 3. Flight time

[0216] Time of flight (TOF) refers to the time required for a laser to emit a laser signal to a target and then a detector to receive the light signal reflected from the target. The distance between the target and the detection device can be obtained by the speed of light and TOF. TOF measurement technology can include single laser pulse technology, multi-laser pulse technology, etc. Among them, in the single laser pulse technology, the measured flight time is the time it takes for a single pulse to return, and the signal-to-noise ratio (SNR, or S / N) is required to be high. In the multi-laser pulse technology, the time it takes for multiple pulses to return is measured each time, and the detection data is obtained through the histogram data. The multi-laser pulse technology can obtain good detection results under different SNRs, and if the SNR is improved, long-distance detection can also be achieved.

[0217] 4. Single-photon detectors

[0218] Since the laser signal emitted by the detection device covers the entire detection area, and the laser signal is diffusely reflected on the target in the detection area, the energy of the laser signal returned from the detection area is reduced. At the same time, ambient light (such as the sun, street lights, and laser signals from other detection devices) acts as noise and interferes with the detector's detection of the signal. In this case, due to the weak signal strength received by the detector, it may not be enough to match the received laser signal with the emitted laser signal, resulting in a large error in calculating the flight time. Therefore, a highly sensitive light detector is required to detect weak light signals during the detection process.

[0219] A single-photon detector has the sensitivity to detect a single photon and can be used to detect weak optical signals. For example, the single-photon detector can be a single-photon avalanche diode (SPAD).

[0220] The opening and closing of SPAD is controlled by the bias voltage. When the bias voltage is higher than a certain value, SPAD is in the on state (i.e., detectable state); when the bias voltage is lower than this value, SPAD is in the off state (i.e., undetectable state).

[0221] When a SPAD receives a light signal, it triggers an avalanche effect. This is when the SPAD absorbs photons, generating electron-hole pairs. The strong electric field generated by the high reverse bias voltage accelerates these electron-hole pairs, gaining sufficient energy. These pairs then collide with the crystal lattice, creating a chain reaction that generates a large number of electron-hole pairs, triggering an avalanche phenomenon and exponentially increasing the current. At this point, the SPAD's gain is theoretically infinite; a single photon can saturate the SPAD's photocurrent.

[0222] Lowering the bias voltage below the breakdown voltage stops the SPAD from avalanching (or quenching it). Restoring the bias voltage above the breakdown voltage allows the SPAD to detect again. The time between triggering the avalanche effect, quenching, and returning to a detectable state is called dead time, during which the SPAD cannot detect signals.

[0223] 5. Time to Digital Converter

[0224] A time-to-digital converter (TDC) is used to record the time-of-flight of the laser signal. Each detection element in the single-photon detector can be paired with a TDC. When the laser emits a laser signal, the TDC is triggered to start timing. When the detection element detects an echo photon, the TDC is triggered again to stop timing and outputs the time interval between the two triggers (i.e., the timing duration), which is used to represent the flight time of the optical signal (i.e., the time delay between the reception of the echo photon and the emission of the laser signal).

[0225] 6. Time-correlated photon counting

[0226] Time-correlated single photon counting (TCSPC) is a statistical detection method. Each single-photon detector outputs a binary signal, indicating the presence or absence of a photon, which cannot represent the echo signal strength. Through multiple detections, the echo photons with the same time delay are accumulated and counted, resulting in a statistical histogram. This histogram can reflect the distribution of echo photons with different time delays. Generally speaking, the vertical axis of the statistical histogram represents the echo photon count, and the horizontal axis represents time.

[0227] 7. Free Mode

[0228] Free mode, also known as ranging mode, is a detector operating mode. When the detector is in free mode, except for dead time, the detector is always in a detectable state, or in a state of waiting to receive light signals.

[0229] 8.Gated Mode

[0230] Gated mode is another operating mode of the detector. Gated modes include digital gating mode and physical gating mode. When the detector is in digital gating mode, it is always in a detectable state, or in a state ready to receive light signals, except during dead time. When the detector is in physical gating mode, it is initially in the off state, then turns on as needed within a specific time window or windows, becoming detectable. After detection is complete, it returns to the off state.

[0231] The above description of related concepts can be applied to the following embodiments.

[0232] The application scenarios and architecture of the embodiments of the present application are introduced below.

[0233] With the development of information technology and computer vision, detection technology has made rapid progress. Various detection devices have brought great convenience to people's lives and travel. For example, Advanced Driving Assistance Systems (ADAS) play a crucial role in smart cars. They use on-board detection devices to monitor the surrounding environment while the vehicle is in motion, collect data, identify stationary and moving objects, and perform systematic calculations and analysis based on navigation map data. This allows the driver to be aware of potential dangers in advance, effectively improving driving comfort and safety.

[0234] The detection device can be regarded as the "eyes" of electronic devices to perceive the environment, including visual sensors such as cameras and radar sensors such as millimeter-wave radar, lidar and ultrasonic radar.

[0235] The following uses laser radar as an example to exemplify the detection device involved in the embodiments of the present application.

[0236] Please refer to Figure 1, which is a schematic diagram of the structure of a detection device provided in an embodiment of the present application. As shown in Figure 1, the detection device 10 includes a laser 11 and a detector 12, and optionally also includes a controller 13. The controller 13 can be connected to the laser 11 and the detector 12 via a bus or other possible connection methods. Among them:

[0237] The laser 11 is used to emit a laser signal. Optionally, the laser 11 may include one or more light-emitting elements. For example, the laser 11 may include a laser diode (LD), a vertical cavity surface emitting laser (VCSEL), a photonic crystal surface emitting semiconductor lasers (PCSEL), an edge emitting laser (EEL), a distributed feedback laser diode (DFB-LD), a distributed Bragg reflection laser diode (DBR-LD), a grating coupled sampling reflection laser diode (GCSR-LD), or a micro opto electro mechanical system laser diode (MOEMS-LD).

[0238] Optionally, when the laser 11 includes multiple light-emitting elements, the multiple light-emitting elements can be arranged in an array, for example, a 1×2 array, a 2×3 array, or a 3×3 array, etc., in which case the laser can be referred to as an array laser. The embodiments of the present application do not limit the number of rows and columns of the light-emitting element array arrangement.

[0239] Optionally, the laser signal emitted by the laser 11 may be irradiated to the detection area through one or more optical elements. The optical elements may include, but are not limited to, collimators, polarizers, lenses, windows, filters, beam splitters, light homogenizers, reflectors, rotating mirrors, oscillating mirrors, or micro-vibration mirrors. The embodiments of this application do not limit the number or placement of the optical elements.

[0240] Optionally, the laser signal emitted by the laser 11 may illuminate the entire detection area at one time.

[0241] Optionally, the laser signal emitted by the laser 11 can be irradiated to the detection area through a scanning element to achieve scanning detection of the detection area. For example, the laser signal emitted by the laser 11 can be irradiated to different sub-areas of the detection area through scanning elements at different angles. Among them, the scanning element can include one or more of a rotating mirror, a micro-vibrating mirror, or a swinging mirror, etc., the scanning form can include point scanning, or line scanning, etc., and the scanning order can be from top to bottom, from bottom to top, from left to right, or from right to left, etc., which is not limited in the embodiment of the present application. In addition, scanning detection of the detection area can also be achieved by moving or rotating the laser 11 itself.

[0242] The detector 12 is used to receive the optical signal. Furthermore, the detector 12 can obtain an electrical signal based on the optical signal. Optionally, the detector 12 can include one or more detection elements. For example, the detector 12 can include a single-photon avalanche diode (SPAD), a silicon photomultiplier (SiPM), a semiconductor avalanche photodiode (APD), a multi-pixel photon counter (MPPC), or an electron multiplying charge-coupled device (EMCCD).

[0243] Optionally, when the detector 12 includes multiple detection elements, the multiple detection elements may be arranged in an array, such as a 1×2 array, a 2×3 array, or a 3×3 array. In this case, the detector may be referred to as an array detector. The embodiments of the present application do not limit the number of rows and columns of the detection element array arrangement.

[0244] Optionally, when the detector 12 includes multiple detection elements, when the detector 12 is working, only some of the detection elements may be in a working state (i.e., an on state, or a detectable state), while another part of the detection elements are in a non-working state (i.e., a off state, or an undetectable state).

[0245] Optionally, during the process of receiving the optical signal by the detector 12, the optical signal may pass through one or more optical elements before reaching the detector 12. The optical elements may include, but are not limited to, collimators, polarizers, lenses, windows, filters, beam splitters, light homogenizers, reflectors, rotating mirrors, oscillating mirrors, or micro-vibration mirrors. The present embodiment does not limit the number or placement of the optical elements.

[0246] Optionally, the detector 12 can have different operating modes, such as free mode, digital gate mode, or physical gate mode. The trigger conditions for entering different modes can be configured as needed. In one possible design, entering or switching between different modes can be achieved by controlling the bias voltage. For example, the voltage control signal for the free mode and the digital gate mode is the same, while the physical gate mode has an independent voltage control signal.

[0247] The controller 13 is used to control some or all of the components in the detection device 10. For example, the controller 13 is used to control the laser 11 and the detector 12 in the detection device 10.

[0248] Optionally, the controller 13 includes a driver module and a receiver module. The driver module is used to generate control signals to control corresponding components to achieve their functions. For example, the driver module can send a control signal to the laser 11 to control the laser 11 to emit a laser signal. For another example, the driver module can send a control signal to the detector 12 to control the detector 12 to receive optical signals and convert them into electrical signals. The receiver module is used to receive data output by the detector 12.

[0249] Optionally, the controller 13 further includes a timing module for recording and controlling the time delay between the detector 12 receiving the optical signal and the laser 11 emitting the laser signal, thereby controlling the start time of the detector 12 .

[0250] Optionally, the controller 13 may also be connected to an external controller (or external processor). For example, if the detection device 10 is a vehicle-mounted radar, the controller 13 in the detection device 10 may be connected to a multi-domain controller (MDC) or other possible in-vehicle controller in the vehicle. The in-vehicle controller may send instructions to the controller 13, and the controller 13 may generate control signals based on the instructions.

[0251] Optionally, the controller 13 further includes a processing module. The processing module is configured to process the data output by the detector 12 to obtain detection data. For example, the processing module may include one or more of a signal detection module, a time-dependent detection (TDC) module, a filter, and a time-of-flight (TOF) extraction module. For another example, the detection data may include one or more of TOF, point cloud information, a statistical histogram, or an image.

[0252] It should be understood that the above modules can be implemented through hardware (such as a processor, chip, or circuit), software (such as a computer program, computer instructions, or executable file), or a combination of hardware and software. Optionally, when the above modules are in the form of hardware, the multiple hardware components can be independent or integrated; when the above modules are in the form of software, there can be one or more hardware devices that execute the software to implement the functions.

[0253] It should be noted that the detection device shown in Figure 1 is only an example and is not intended to limit the detection device in the embodiments of the present application. In other examples, the detection device may include fewer or more components. In addition, as an example of a detection device, there may be multiple ways to implement a specific product of a laser radar. For example, the embodiments of the present application may be applicable to a scanning laser radar, a flash laser radar, or a fusion detection radar. For another example, the embodiments of the present application may be applicable to a mechanical laser radar, a solid-state laser radar, or a hybrid solid-state laser radar.

[0254] The detection method provided in the embodiment of the present application is described below.

[0255] Please refer to Figure 2, which is a flow chart of a detection method provided in an embodiment of the present application. Optionally, the detection method can be applied to the detection device shown in Figure 1. Exemplarily, the execution body of the detection method can be the controller 13 in Figure 1, and the laser and first detector described below can be the laser 11 and detector 12 in Figure 1, respectively.

[0256] As shown in FIG. 2 , the detection method at least includes the following steps S201 to S204 .

[0257] S201: Control the laser to emit a first laser signal.

[0258] Specifically, the controller may send a first control signal to the laser to control the laser to emit a first laser signal to the detection area. The laser responds to the first control signal from the controller to emit the first laser signal to the detection area.

[0259] S202: Acquire a first echo signal of a first laser signal.

[0260] Specifically, the controller may send a second control signal to the first detector, controlling the first detector to receive the optical signal returned from the detection area. In response to the second control signal from the controller, the first detector receives the optical signal returned from the detection area, thereby obtaining an echo signal of the first laser signal (referred to as the first echo signal for distinction). The first detector outputs the first echo signal to the controller, which then obtains the first echo signal.

[0261] For example, there may be a target object in the detection area. After the first laser signal is irradiated to the detection area, the target object in the detection area will reflect the first laser signal, generating a reflection signal (or echo signal) of the first laser signal. The first echo signal contains the reflection signal corresponding to the target object.

[0262] Optionally, when there are multiple target objects in the detection area, the multiple target objects may reflect respectively to generate multiple reflection signals of the first laser signal, and the first echo signal includes the multiple reflection signals corresponding to the multiple target objects.

[0263] In a possible implementation, the controller may control the first detector to continuously receive the echo signal of the first laser signal from the emission moment of the first laser signal to obtain a first echo signal, where the first echo signal includes multiple echo signals corresponding to different times.

[0264] The emission time of the first laser signal is the time when the laser emits the first laser signal. Specifically, the controller can control the first detector to turn on and remain in the on state (i.e., in a normally open state) from the emission time of the first laser signal, so that the first detector can continuously receive the echo signal of the first laser signal from the emission time of the first laser signal.

[0265] When in the normally-on state, the first detector can receive multiple echo signals. Each of these echo signals has different delays relative to the emission of the first laser signal. For simplicity, the delay between the reception of each echo signal and the emission of the first laser signal is denoted as the time corresponding to that echo signal. This means that the first echo signal contains multiple echo signals corresponding to different times.

[0266] For example, when multiple target objects are present in the detection area, each target object may generate an echo signal by reflecting the first laser signal, so that the first detector can receive multiple echo signals generated by the multiple target objects. Different target objects may be at different distances from the detection device. Since the time corresponding to the echo signal generated by each target object is related to the distance of the target object from the detection device, the time corresponding to the multiple echo signals generated by the multiple target objects may also be different.

[0267] In one possible implementation, when the laser emits the first laser signal, that is, at the moment of emission of the first laser signal, the controller starts timing, and at the same time, the controller can send a control signal to the first detector to trigger the first detector to enter the digital gating mode. In the digital gating mode, the first detector is in a normally open state, so that it can continuously receive the echo signal of the first laser signal.

[0268] In the above embodiment, the first detector is controlled to continuously receive the echo signal of the first laser signal from the emission moment of the first laser signal, so that the first detector can receive echo signals corresponding to multiple different times, that is, echo signals from different distances. This helps the first detector receive all echo signals that may be returned from the detection area, thereby achieving comprehensive detection of the entire detection area.

[0269] S203: Determine a first target to be detected according to the first echo signal.

[0270] The first target to be detected can be understood as a target object that may exist in the detection area. The number of the first target to be detected can be one or more.

[0271] Optionally, when there are multiple target objects in the detection area, the first echo signal may include multiple echo signals generated by the multiple target objects, and the corresponding one or more first targets to be detected can be determined based on one or more echo signals among the multiple echo signals.

[0272] In one possible embodiment, when the first echo signal includes multiple echo signals corresponding to different times, the first time is determined based on the multiple echo signals corresponding to the different times, the echo signal corresponding to the first time includes a characteristic signal, the first target to be measured is determined based on the first time, and the first distance corresponding to the first target to be measured is related to the first time.

[0273] The reflected signal from a target object in the detection area typically exhibits a specific waveform characteristic. This specific waveform characteristic of the reflected signal from the target object can be predefined, preconfigured, or calculated, and a signal (referred to as a characteristic signal) that satisfies this waveform characteristic can be detected. In other words, a characteristic signal exhibiting this waveform characteristic may correspond to a target object in the detection area, and thus can be used to identify the first target to be detected.

[0274] It should be noted that the characteristic signal may not correspond to the real target object, that is, the characteristic signal may not be able to completely match the real target object in the detection area, and the degree of matching may be limited by the manufacturing process, signal processing capabilities, actual detection environment, etc.

[0275] For example, the characteristic signal may include one or more of a peak signal, a stretch signal, and a distortion signal. A peak signal is a signal corresponding to the highest signal value within a period of time; a stretch signal is a signal with a continuously high signal value (e.g., above a certain set threshold) within a period of time; and a distortion signal is a signal with a distorted waveform (e.g., an irregular shape or contour).

[0276] Optionally, the characteristic signal may reflect information such as the distance, coordinates, position, color, reflectivity, reflection intensity, or speed of the target object. Alternatively, the characteristic signal may be processed to obtain information such as the distance, coordinates, position, color, reflectivity, reflection intensity, or speed of the target object.

[0277] Optionally, a detection rule can be set based on the above-mentioned special waveform characteristics, and the characteristic signal can be filtered out from the first echo signal using the detection rule. When the first echo signal includes multiple echo signals corresponding to different times, the echo signal containing the characteristic signal can be filtered out from the multiple echo signals corresponding to different times, and the time corresponding to the echo signal containing the characteristic signal can be determined as the first time, and then the first target to be detected can be determined based on the first time.

[0278] The first time can be understood as the time corresponding to the echo signal generated by the first target to be measured, that is, the time delay between the reception moment of the echo signal generated by the first target to be measured and the emission moment of the first laser signal. The first distance corresponding to the first target to be measured can be understood as the distance between the first target to be measured and the detection device. The first distance is related to the first time. For example, the first distance can be calculated using the speed of light and the first time.

[0279] In one example, the first time may be a single time, i.e., the first target to be measured corresponds to one time, and accordingly, the first distance may be a single distance, i.e., the first target to be measured corresponds to one distance. For example, when the echo signal generated by the first target to be measured is a peak signal, the first target to be measured corresponds to one time, and accordingly, the first target to be measured corresponds to one distance.

[0280] In another example, the first time may be a time range that includes multiple times, i.e., the first target to be measured corresponds to multiple times. Correspondingly, the first distance may be a distance range that includes multiple distances, i.e., the first target to be measured corresponds to multiple distances. For example, when the echo signal generated by the first target to be measured is a stretched signal or a distorted signal, the first target to be measured corresponds to multiple times, and accordingly, the first target to be measured corresponds to multiple distances. In this case, the first target to be measured may also be referred to as an extended target.

[0281] In the above embodiment, the echo signal containing the characteristic signal may correspond to the target object in the detection area, so that the first target to be measured can be determined based on the echo signal containing the characteristic signal. Specifically, the first distance corresponding to the first target to be measured can be determined based on the first time corresponding to the echo signal containing the characteristic signal, so as to subsequently extract the echo signal at the first distance to achieve fine detection at the first distance.

[0282] S204: Determine a second echo signal according to the first echo signal and the first target to be measured, where the second echo signal is an echo signal at a first distance corresponding to the first target to be measured.

[0283] After determining the first target to be detected based on the first echo signal, the distance between the first target to be detected and the detection device can be obtained, i.e., the first distance corresponding to the first target to be detected. The first echo signal includes echo signals from different distances, and the echo signal at the first distance can be extracted from the first echo signal to obtain a second echo signal.

[0284] Since the first target to be measured represents a target object that may exist in the detection area, that is, a target object may exist at a first distance from the detection device, the second echo signal obtained by extracting the echo signal at the first distance from the first echo signal can be used to further confirm or identify the target object that may exist at the first distance.

[0285] In a possible implementation, when the first echo signal includes multiple echo signals corresponding to different times, the echo signal corresponding to the first time is extracted from the multiple echo signals corresponding to different times to obtain the second echo signal.

[0286] Specifically, the detection area can be understood as including multiple sub-areas. The first laser signal emitted by the laser into the detection area can illuminate each sub-area. For each sub-area, the first detector receives the echo signal from that sub-area (referred to as a sub-echo signal) to obtain a first sub-echo signal. Each sub-area corresponds to a first sub-echo signal. The first echo signal includes multiple first sub-echo signals corresponding to multiple sub-areas, and each first sub-echo signal can include multiple sub-echo signals corresponding to different times.

[0287] In a possible design, the detector includes a plurality of detection elements, each detection element corresponds to a sub-area in the detection area and is configured to receive a sub-echo signal from the sub-area, thereby obtaining a first sub-echo signal.

[0288] In another possible design, the detector includes a detection element that sequentially receives sub-echo signals from each sub-area through a scanning detection manner, thereby obtaining a first sub-echo signal.

[0289] For each first sub-echo signal, a sub-echo signal corresponding to the first time is extracted from the first sub-echo signal to obtain a second sub-echo signal. The second sub-echo signal includes multiple second sub-echo signals extracted from the multiple first sub-echo signals, each second sub-echo signal being a sub-echo signal at the first distance.

[0290] Optionally, a statistical histogram corresponding to each first sub-echo signal can be obtained by performing statistics using a time-correlated single photon counting (TCSPC) method on each first sub-echo signal, and recorded as a first statistical histogram. The abscissa of the first statistical histogram is time, and the ordinate is the echo photon count used to characterize the first sub-echo signal.

[0291] Please refer to Figure 3, which is a statistical diagram of a first sub-echo signal provided in an embodiment of the present application. Part (a) of Figure 3 represents a first detector, which is a 6×6 array detector comprising 6×6 detection elements, with each square representing a detection element. Each detection element represented by each square can detect a corresponding sub-region to obtain a first sub-echo signal. Using the TCSPC method, statistics are taken of the first sub-echo signals detected by each detection element represented by each square in part (a) of Figure 3 to obtain a first statistical histogram.

[0292] Taking the first sub-echo signal detected by the detector element represented by the shaded square in part (a) of FIG. 3 (denoted as the example detector element) as an example, its corresponding first statistical histogram may be shown in part (b) or (c) of FIG. 3 . This first statistical histogram reflects the distribution of echo photons received by the example detector element at different times, with the echo photon counts corresponding to different times varying. Regarding the detector elements represented by the blank squares in part (a) of FIG. 3 , i.e., the detector elements other than the example detector element (denoted as other detector elements), the first statistical histogram corresponding to the first sub-echo signal detected by them is not shown.

[0293] In one example, as shown in part (b) of Figure 3 , the echo photon count corresponding to time t1 is the highest, i.e., time t1 corresponds to a peak signal. In this case, the first time is a single time t1, and correspondingly, the first distance is a single distance L1. The echo photon count corresponding to the first time t1 in the first statistical histogram represents the echo signal detected by the example detection element at the first distance L1, i.e., the second sub-echo signal.

[0294] By extracting the echo photon count corresponding to the first time t1 from the first statistical histogram shown in part (b) of Figure 3 , we can obtain the second sub-echo signal of the example detection element in part (a) of Figure 3 . Similarly, by extracting the echo photon count corresponding to the first time t1 from the first statistical histogram corresponding to other detection elements, we can obtain the second sub-echo signals of other detection elements. By combining the second sub-echo signals of all detection elements, we can obtain the second echo signal, namely the echo signal at the first distance L1, which is used to achieve fine detection at the first distance L1.

[0295] In another example, as shown in part (c) of Figure 3 , the echo photon count corresponding to time range t1-t2 is consistently high, i.e., time range t1-t2 corresponds to a broadened signal. In this case, the first time is time range t1-t2, which includes six time periods. Correspondingly, the first distance is distance range L1-L2, which includes six distances. The echo photon count corresponding to first time t1-t2 in this first statistical histogram represents the echo signal detected by the example detection element at the first distance L1-L2, i.e., the second sub-echo signal.

[0296] By extracting the echo photon counts corresponding to the first time interval t1-t2 from the first statistical histogram shown in part (c) of Figure 3 , we can obtain the second sub-echo signal of the example detection element in part (a) of Figure 3 . Similarly, by extracting the echo photon counts corresponding to the first time interval t1-t2 from the first statistical histograms corresponding to other detection elements, we can obtain the second sub-echo signals of other detection elements. By combining the second sub-echo signals of all detection elements, we can obtain the second echo signal, namely the echo signal at the first distance L1-L2, which is used to achieve fine detection at the first distance L1-L2.

[0297] In the above embodiment, the echo signal corresponding to the first time represents the echo signal from the first distance. By extracting the echo signal corresponding to the first time from multiple echo signals corresponding to different times, the echo signal at the first distance can be obtained, thereby realizing fine detection of the first distance.

[0298] In a possible implementation, after the second echo signal is determined, a first image may be generated according to the second echo signal. The first image is an image at a first distance, and the first image is used to identify the first target to be measured.

[0299] The first image can be understood as an image of a slice in the detection area at a first distance from the detection device. The slice being at the first distance from the detection device can be understood as meaning that each position of the slice is at the first distance from the detection device. In this case, the slice can be a curved surface. The slice being at the first distance from the detection device can also be understood as meaning that any position of the slice is at the first distance from the detection device, and the distances of other positions from the detection device are related to the first distance, for example, calculated based on the first distance and the field of view angles corresponding to other positions. In this case, the slice can be a plane.

[0300] Since the first distance is also the distance between the target object (i.e., the first target to be detected) that may exist in the detection area and the detection device, the slice at the first distance from the detection device can be considered to contain the first target to be detected, and the image of the slice (i.e., the first image) can be considered to contain relevant information about the first target to be detected, so that the first image can be used to further confirm or identify the first target to be detected. For example, the first image can reflect the outline of the first target to be detected, and based on the outline, the specific identity of the first target to be detected can be identified, such as a car, a person, a tree, etc.

[0301] In one example, the first distance is a single distance, and the second echo signal is an echo signal at the single distance. Accordingly, an image can be generated based on the echo signal at the single distance, so that the first image can be a single image for identifying the first target to be measured.

[0302] In another example, the first distance includes multiple distances, and the second echo signal includes echo signals at the multiple distances. Accordingly, an image can be generated based on the echo signal at each of the multiple distances, so that the first image can include multiple images for identifying the first target to be detected. Optionally, any number of the multiple images can be superimposed to obtain a superimposed image for identifying the first target to be detected.

[0303] In one possible implementation, generating the first image based on the second echo signal may specifically involve converting the second echo signal into image-related data, thereby obtaining the first image. Optionally, the image-related data is a grayscale value, and the first image is a grayscale image.

[0304] Optionally, when the first detector includes multiple detection elements, the second echo signal includes multiple second sub-echo signals, each second sub-echo signal corresponding to a detection element. Taking the 6×6 array detector shown in part (a) of Figure 3 as an example, the second echo signal includes 6×6 second sub-echo signals. The first image generated based on the second echo signal includes 6×6 pixels, where each pixel corresponds to a detection element, and the grayscale value of each pixel can be determined based on the second sub-echo signal of the detection element corresponding to the pixel.

[0305] For example, taking the example detection element in part (a) of FIG3 as an example, the second sub-echo signal of the example detection element can specifically be the echo photon count corresponding to the first time t1 in part (b) of FIG3 . This echo photon count is converted into a grayscale value and used as the grayscale value of the pixel corresponding to the example detection element. Similarly, the echo photon count corresponding to the first time t1 in the first statistical histogram corresponding to other detection elements can be converted into grayscale values ​​and used as the grayscale values ​​of the pixels corresponding to the other detection elements.

[0306] In the above embodiment, the second echo signal is an echo signal at a first distance from the detection device, and the first image generated based on the second echo signal is an image of a slice at the first distance from the detection device. Since the first distance is also the distance between the target object (i.e., the first target to be measured) that may exist in the detection area and the detection device, the first image contains relevant information about the first target to be measured. The first image can be used to further confirm or identify the first target to be measured, thereby improving the accuracy of the detection results and thus improving the detection performance.

[0307] In a possible implementation, a third echo signal is determined according to the first echo signal and the first target to be measured, the third echo signal is an echo signal at a second distance, and a distance difference between the second distance and the first distance is smaller than the first distance difference.

[0308] When a target object (i.e., a first target to be detected) may exist at a first distance from the detection device, considering possible interference and errors in the detection process, it can be assumed that a target object (referred to as a second target to be detected) may also exist near the first distance. The second target to be detected may be the same as or different from the first target to be detected. Therefore, the echo signal near the first distance can be used to assist in the detection of the possible target object.

[0309] The second distance can be understood as a distance that is relatively close to the first distance, and the number of second distances can be one or more. The second distance can be greater than the first distance, or the second distance can be less than the first distance. Specifically, the difference between the second distance and the first distance is less than the first distance difference, wherein the specific value of the first distance difference can be preconfigured or predefined, and this embodiment of the application does not limit this.

[0310] Optionally, after obtaining the first distance, one or more second distances can be determined based on the first distance and the first distance difference. The first echo signal includes echo signals from different distances, and the echo signal at the second distance can be extracted from the first echo signal to obtain a third echo signal. The echo signal at the second distance can be understood as an echo signal near the first distance.

[0311] In one possible implementation, the second time can be calculated based on the second distance. The second time can be understood as the time corresponding to the echo signal generated by the second target to be measured, that is, the time delay between the reception of the echo signal generated by the second target to be measured and the emission of the first laser signal. The second time is related to the second distance and can be calculated, for example, by combining the speed of light and the second distance. If the first echo signal contains multiple echo signals corresponding to different times, the echo signal corresponding to the second time can be extracted from these multiple echo signals corresponding to different times to obtain a third echo signal.

[0312] It should be understood that the specific description of extracting the echo signal corresponding to the second time from multiple echo signals corresponding to different times can be referred to the relevant description of extracting the echo signal corresponding to the first time from multiple echo signals corresponding to different times in the previous embodiment, and will not be repeated here.

[0313] In the above embodiment, the distance difference between the second distance and the first distance is smaller than the first distance difference, indicating that the second distance is relatively close to the first distance. The echo signal at the second distance (i.e., the third echo signal) represents the echo signal near the first distance, which can be used to perform fine detection of target objects that may exist near the first distance, helping to reduce missed detections or false detections caused by interference or errors in the detection process, thereby improving detection performance.

[0314] In a possible implementation, after the third echo signal is determined, a third image may be generated according to the third echo signal. The third image is an image at the second distance, and the third image is used to identify the second target to be measured.

[0315] The third image can be understood as an image of a slice in the detection area at a second distance from the detection device. The second distance between the slice and the detection device can be understood as meaning that each position of the slice is at the second distance from the detection device. In this case, the slice can be a curved surface. Alternatively, the second distance between the slice and the detection device can be understood as meaning that any position of the slice is at the second distance from the detection device, while the distances of other positions to the detection device are related to the second distance. For example, the image can be calculated based on the second distance and the field of view angles corresponding to other positions. In this case, the slice can be a plane.

[0316] Since the second distance is also the distance between the target object (i.e., the second target to be detected) that may exist in the detection area and the detection device, the slice at the second distance from the detection device can be considered to contain the second target to be detected, and the image of the slice (i.e., the third image) can be considered to contain relevant information about the second target to be detected, so that the third image can be used to further confirm or identify the second target to be detected. For example, the third image can reflect the outline of the second target to be detected, and based on this outline, the specific identity of the second target to be detected can be identified, such as a car, a person, a tree, etc.

[0317] It should be understood that for the specific description of generating the third image according to the third echo signal, reference may be made to the relevant description of generating the first image according to the second echo signal in the previous embodiment, and will not be repeated here.

[0318] In the above embodiment, the third echo signal is an echo signal at a second distance from the detection device, and the third image generated based on the third echo signal is an image of a slice at the second distance from the detection device. Since the second distance is also the distance between the target object (i.e., the second target to be measured) that may exist in the detection area and the detection device, the third image contains relevant information about the second target to be measured. The third image can be used to further confirm or identify the second target to be measured, thereby improving the accuracy of the detection results and thus improving the detection performance.

[0319] In the above embodiment, the controller can control the laser to emit a first laser signal into the detection area and obtain a first echo signal returned from the detection area by the detector. This first echo signal is used to comprehensively detect the entire detection area and identify target objects that may exist in the detection area as the first target to be detected. A second echo signal at a first distance corresponding to the first target to be detected is then extracted from the first echo signal. This second echo signal can be used to perform detailed detection of target objects that may exist at the first distance, thereby improving detection performance. Accordingly, there is no need to add additional auxiliary devices such as gated imaging equipment. Instead, detection at a specific distance can be achieved using the detection device alone, thereby reducing the hardware cost and complexity of achieving detection at a specific distance.

[0320] Please refer to Figure 4, which is a flow chart of another detection method provided in an embodiment of the present application. Optionally, the detection method can be applied to the detection device shown in Figure 1. Exemplarily, the execution body of the detection method can be the controller 13 in Figure 1.

[0321] As shown in FIG4 , the detection method at least includes the following steps S401 to S403 .

[0322] S401: Determine a first target to be measured.

[0323] The first target to be detected can be understood as a target object that may exist in the detection area. The number of the first target to be detected can be one or more.

[0324] In a possible implementation, the controller may obtain relevant information within the detection area, and identify whether there is a target object within the detection area based on the relevant information. When it is identified that there is a target object within the detection area, the controller may determine a first target to be detected.

[0325] Specifically, the controller can obtain relevant information within the detection area from a sensing device. The sensing device is connected to the controller and is used to collect (or sense) relevant information within the detection area and transmit the collected relevant information within the detection area to the controller. Exemplarily, the sensing device may include but is not limited to one or more of a visual sensor, a millimeter-wave radar, a lidar, and a position sensor. The relevant information within the detection area may be one-dimensional or multi-dimensional perception information.

[0326] For example, the sensing device is a visual sensor (such as a camera), which can capture images within the detection area and transmit the captured images to a controller. After obtaining the images, the controller can identify whether a target object exists within the detection area based on the images. For another example, the sensing device is a millimeter-wave radar, which can transmit electromagnetic wave signals to the detection area and receive electromagnetic wave signals returned from the detection area and transmit the received electromagnetic wave signals to the controller. After obtaining the electromagnetic wave signals, the controller can identify whether a target object exists within the detection area based on the electromagnetic wave signals.

[0327] In the above implementation, the sensor device collects relevant information of the detection area and transmits the relevant information of the detection area to the controller, and the controller identifies whether there is a target object in the detection area based on the relevant information, thereby obtaining a preliminary detection result.

[0328] Alternatively, the sensing device collects relevant information of the detection area and identifies whether there is a target object in the detection area based on the relevant information, that is, the sensing device determines a preliminary detection result and transmits the preliminary detection result to the controller, so that the controller can directly obtain the preliminary detection result without performing an identification operation.

[0329] After the controller determines the first target to be detected, it can further obtain prior distance information for the first target to be detected. This prior distance information can be the distance between the first target to be detected and the detection device (referred to as the first distance corresponding to the first target to be detected), i.e., the target object may be present at this first distance. The first distance can be a single distance; alternatively, the first distance can be a range of distances, including multiple distances.

[0330] S402: Control the laser to emit a first laser signal.

[0331] Specifically, the controller may send a first control signal to the laser to control the laser to emit a first laser signal to the detection area. The laser responds to the first control signal from the controller to emit the first laser signal to the detection area.

[0332] S403: Control the first detector to receive the echo signal of the first laser signal at a first moment to obtain a fourth echo signal; wherein the first moment is related to the emission moment of the first laser signal and the first distance corresponding to the first target to be measured, and the fourth echo signal is the echo signal at the first distance corresponding to the first target to be measured.

[0333] The emission moment of the first laser signal refers to the moment when the laser emits the first laser signal. The first moment can be understood as the moment when the first detector is turned on. At this time, the first detector can receive the echo signal of the first laser signal and obtain an echo signal at the first distance corresponding to the first target to be measured (referred to as the fourth echo signal for distinction). The first distance corresponding to the first target to be measured refers to the distance between the first target to be measured and the detection device. The fourth echo signal is the echo signal at the first distance and can be used to further confirm or identify the target object that may be present at the first distance.

[0334] Specifically, the controller may send a third control signal to the first detector, controlling the first detector to receive the optical signal returned from the first distance at a first moment. In response to the third control signal from the controller, the first detector receives the optical signal returned from the first distance, thereby obtaining a fourth echo signal. The first detector outputs the fourth echo signal to the controller, thereby obtaining the fourth echo signal.

[0335] In the above embodiment, the controller can first determine a target object that may exist in the detection area as the first target to be detected, then control the laser to emit a first laser signal into the detection area, and control the first detector to receive the echo signal of the first laser signal at a first moment. Because the first moment is related to the emission moment of the first laser signal and the first distance corresponding to the first target to be detected, the first detector receives the echo signal at the first distance at the first moment. The echo signal at the first distance can be used to perform precise detection of target objects that may exist at the first distance, thereby improving detection performance. Accordingly, there is no need to add additional auxiliary devices such as gated imaging equipment. Instead, detection at a specific distance can be achieved using the detection device alone, thereby reducing the hardware cost and complexity of achieving detection at a specific distance.

[0336] In a possible implementation, the first moment is separated from the emission moment of the first laser signal by a first time, and the first time is the flight time of the laser signal corresponding to the first distance.

[0337] The first moment is related to the emission moment of the first laser signal and the first distance corresponding to the first target to be measured. The controller can calculate the first moment according to the emission moment of the first laser signal and the first distance corresponding to the first target to be measured.

[0338] Specifically, after obtaining the first distance corresponding to the first target to be measured, the controller can convert the first distance into the corresponding laser signal flight time (i.e., the first time). For example, the first time can be calculated using the first distance and the speed of light. The first time can also be understood as the time delay between the moment of receiving the echo signal at the first distance (i.e., the first moment) and the moment of transmitting the first laser signal, i.e., the first moment is later than the moment of transmitting the first laser signal by the first time.

[0339] In one possible implementation, when the laser emits the first laser signal, that is, at the moment the first laser signal is emitted, the controller begins timing. Simultaneously, the controller may send a third control signal to the first detector to trigger the first detector to enter physical gating mode. In physical gating mode, the first detector is initially in an off state. When the timing reaches a first time, the first detector is turned on, thereby receiving the echo signal at the first distance. Optionally, the first detector's on-time (or detection gate width) is one time unit, and returns to the off state after detection is completed.

[0340] In the above embodiment, the first moment is separated from the emission moment of the first laser signal by a first time, indicating that the first moment is later than the emission moment of the first laser signal by the first time. Since the first time is the flight time of the laser signal corresponding to the first distance, the first moment is the start-up moment of the first detector, that is, the first detector is turned on when the echo signal at the first distance reaches the first detector, so that only the echo signal at the first distance can be received, which is used for fine detection of target objects that may exist at the first distance. Accordingly, the echo signals that need to be received and processed can be reduced, thereby reducing the influence of irrelevant signals on the detection results at the first distance.

[0341] Optionally, the first distance is a single distance, which can be converted into a corresponding laser signal flight time (i.e., the time delay between the activation time of the first detector and the emission time of the first laser signal). Accordingly, the first time is a single time, and the first moment is a single moment, so that the first detector receives the echo signal of the first laser signal at the single moment to obtain the fourth echo signal.

[0342] Optionally, the first distance is a distance range, and multiple distances can be selected from the range. Each of the multiple distances can be converted into a corresponding laser signal flight time (i.e., the time delay between the activation time of the first detector and the emission time of the first laser signal), thereby obtaining multiple times corresponding to the multiple distances. Accordingly, the first time includes multiple times, and the first moment includes multiple moments, so that the first detector receives the echo signal of the first laser signal at multiple moments, obtaining a fourth echo signal.

[0343] Specifically, the detection area can be understood to include multiple sub-areas, and the first laser signal emitted by the laser into the detection area can illuminate each sub-area. For each sub-area, the first detector receives an echo signal (referred to as a fourth sub-echo signal for distinction) from a first distance within that sub-area. Each sub-area corresponds to a fourth sub-echo signal. The fourth echo signal includes multiple fourth sub-echo signals corresponding to multiple sub-areas.

[0344] In one possible design, the detector includes a plurality of detection elements, each detection element corresponds to a sub-area in the detection area, and is configured to receive an echo signal from a first distance in the sub-area, thereby obtaining a fourth sub-echo signal.

[0345] In another possible design, the detector includes a detection element that sequentially receives echo signals from the first distance in each sub-area through a scanning detection manner, thereby obtaining a fourth sub-echo signal.

[0346] Optionally, a statistical histogram corresponding to each fourth sub-echo signal can be obtained by performing statistics using a time-correlated single photon counting (TCSPC) method on each fourth sub-echo signal, and recorded as a second statistical histogram. The abscissa of the second statistical histogram represents time, and the ordinate represents the echo photon count used to characterize the fourth sub-echo signal.

[0347] Please refer to Figure 5, which is a statistical diagram of a fourth sub-echo signal provided in an embodiment of the present application. Part (a) of Figure 5 represents a first detector, which is a 6×6 array detector comprising 6×6 detection elements, with each square representing a detection element. Each detection element represented by each square can detect the first distance within the corresponding sub-region, thereby obtaining a fourth sub-echo signal. Using the TCSPC method, statistics are taken of the fourth sub-echo signal detected by each detection element represented by each square in part (a) of Figure 5 to obtain a second statistical histogram.

[0348] Taking the fourth sub-echo signal detected at the first distance by the detection element represented by the shaded squares in part (a) of FIG. 5 (denoted as the example detection element) as an example, the corresponding second statistical histogram may be shown in part (b) or (c) of FIG. With respect to the detection elements represented by the blank squares in part (a) of FIG. 5 , i.e., the detection elements other than the example detection element (denoted as other detection elements), the second statistical histogram corresponding to the fourth sub-echo signal detected at the first distance by these detection elements is not shown.

[0349] In one example, as shown in part (b) of Figure 5 , the first distance is a single distance (denoted by L1), and correspondingly, the first time is a single time (denoted by t1). The example detection element corresponds to a single second statistical histogram, which shows the echo photon count corresponding to the first time t1 and is used to characterize the echo signal detected by the example detection element at the first distance L1. Similarly, based on the second statistical histograms corresponding to other detection elements, the echo signals detected by the other detection elements at the first distance L1 can be obtained. The echo signals detected by all detection elements at the first distance L1 are combined to achieve detailed detection at the first distance L1.

[0350] In another example, as shown in part (c) of Figure 5, the first distance is a distance range (represented by L1 to L2), and correspondingly, the first time is a time range (represented by t1 to t2). Two distances (L1 and L2) are selected for detection. Accordingly, the first time includes two times (t1 and t2). The example detection element corresponds to two second statistical histograms, wherein one second statistical histogram shows the echo photon count corresponding to time t1, which is used to characterize the echo signal detected by the example detection element at distance L1, and the other second statistical histogram shows the echo photon count corresponding to time t2, which is used to characterize the echo signal detected by the example detection element at distance L2. Similarly, based on the second statistical histograms corresponding to other detection elements, the echo signals detected by other detection elements at distances L1 and L2 can be obtained. The echo signals detected by all detection elements at distances L1 and L2 are combined to achieve fine detection of the first distances L1 to L2.

[0351] In a possible implementation, after the fourth echo signal is determined, a second image may be generated according to the fourth echo signal. The second image is an image at the first distance, and the second image is used to identify the first target to be measured.

[0352] The second image can be understood as an image of a slice in the detection area at a first distance from the detection device. The slice being at the first distance from the detection device can be understood as meaning that each position of the slice is at the first distance from the detection device. In this case, the slice can be a curved surface. The slice being at the first distance from the detection device can also be understood as meaning that any position of the slice is at the first distance from the detection device, and the distances of other positions from the detection device are related to the first distance, for example, calculated based on the first distance and the field of view angles corresponding to other positions. In this case, the slice can be a plane.

[0353] Since the first distance is also the distance between the target object (i.e., the first target to be detected) that may exist in the detection area and the detection device, the slice at the first distance from the detection device can be considered to contain the first target to be detected, and the image of the slice (i.e., the second image) can be considered to contain relevant information about the first target to be detected, so that the second image can be used to further confirm or identify the first target to be detected. For example, the second image can reflect the outline of the first target to be detected, and based on the outline, the specific identity of the first target to be detected can be identified, such as a car, a person, a tree, etc.

[0354] In one example, the first distance is a single distance, and the fourth echo signal is the echo signal at the single distance. Accordingly, an image can be generated based on the echo signal at the single distance, so that the second image can be a single image for identifying the first target to be measured.

[0355] In another example, the first distance includes multiple distances, and the fourth echo signal includes echo signals at the multiple distances. Accordingly, an image can be generated based on the echo signal at each of the multiple distances, so that the second image can include multiple images for identifying the first target to be detected. Optionally, any number of the multiple images can be superimposed to obtain a superimposed image for identifying the first target to be detected.

[0356] In one possible implementation, generating the second image based on the fourth echo signal may specifically involve converting the fourth echo signal into image-related data, thereby obtaining the second image. Optionally, the image-related data is a grayscale value, and the second image is a grayscale image.

[0357] Optionally, when the first detector includes multiple detection elements, the fourth echo signal includes multiple fourth sub-echo signals, each fourth sub-echo signal corresponding to a detection element. Taking the 6×6 array detector shown in part (a) of Figure 5 as an example, the fourth echo signal includes 6×6 fourth sub-echo signals. The second image generated based on the fourth echo signal includes 6×6 pixels, where each pixel corresponds to a detection element, and the grayscale value of each pixel can be determined based on the fourth sub-echo signal of the detection element corresponding to the pixel.

[0358] For example, taking the example detection element in part (a) of FIG5 as an example, the fourth sub-echo signal of the example detection element can specifically be the echo photon count corresponding to the first time t1 in part (b) of FIG5 . This echo photon count is converted into a grayscale value and used as the grayscale value of the pixel corresponding to the example detection element. Similarly, the echo photon count corresponding to the first time t1 in the second statistical histogram corresponding to other detection elements can be converted into grayscale values ​​and used as the grayscale values ​​of the pixels corresponding to the other detection elements.

[0359] In the above embodiment, the fourth echo signal is an echo signal at a first distance from the detection device, and the second image generated based on the fourth echo signal is an image of a slice at the first distance from the detection device. Since the first distance is also the distance between the target object (i.e., the first target to be measured) that may exist in the detection area and the detection device, the second image contains relevant information about the first target to be measured. The second image can be used to further confirm or identify the first target to be measured, thereby improving the accuracy of the detection results and thus improving the detection performance.

[0360] In one possible embodiment, the first detector is controlled to receive the echo signal of the first laser signal at a second moment to obtain an eighth echo signal; wherein the second moment is related to the emission moment of the first laser signal and the second distance, the distance difference between the second distance and the first distance is less than the first distance difference, and the eighth echo signal is the echo signal at the second distance.

[0361] When a target object (i.e., a first target to be detected) may exist at a first distance from the detection device, considering possible interference and errors in the detection process, it can be assumed that a target object (referred to as a second target to be detected) may also exist near the first distance. The second target to be detected may be the same as or different from the first target to be detected. Therefore, the echo signal near the first distance can be used to assist in the detection of the possible target object.

[0362] The second distance can be understood as a distance that is relatively close to the first distance, and the number of second distances can be one or more. The second distance can be greater than the first distance, or the second distance can be less than the first distance. Specifically, the difference between the second distance and the first distance is less than the first distance difference, wherein the specific value of the first distance difference can be preconfigured or predefined, and this embodiment of the application does not limit this.

[0363] Optionally, after obtaining the first distance, one or more second distances may be determined based on the first distance and the first distance difference.

[0364] The second moment can be understood as the moment when the first detector is turned on. At this time, the first detector can receive the echo signal of the first laser signal and obtain the echo signal at the second distance (recorded as the eighth echo signal for distinction). The echo signal at the second distance can be understood as the echo signal near the first distance.

[0365] Specifically, the controller may send a fourth control signal to the first detector, controlling the first detector to receive the optical signal returned from the second distance at the second moment. In response to the fourth control signal from the controller, the first detector receives the optical signal returned from the second distance, thereby obtaining an eighth echo signal. The first detector outputs the eighth echo signal to the controller, thereby obtaining the eighth echo signal.

[0366] In a possible implementation, the second moment is separated from the emission moment of the first laser signal by a second time, and the second time is the flight time of the laser signal corresponding to the second distance.

[0367] The second moment is related to the emission moment of the first laser signal and the second distance. The controller can calculate the second moment according to the emission moment of the first laser signal and the second distance.

[0368] Specifically, after obtaining the second distance, the controller can convert the second distance into a corresponding laser signal flight time (i.e., a second time). For example, the second time can be calculated using the second distance and the speed of light. The second time can also be understood as the time delay between the moment of reception of the echo signal at the second distance (i.e., the second moment) and the moment of emission of the first laser signal. In other words, the second moment is later than the moment of emission of the first laser signal by the second time.

[0369] In one possible implementation, when the laser emits the first laser signal, i.e., at the moment the first laser signal is emitted, the controller begins timing. Simultaneously, the controller may send a fourth control signal to the first detector to trigger the first detector to enter a physical gating mode. In physical gating mode, the first detector is initially off. When the timing reaches a second time, the first detector is turned on, thereby receiving an echo signal at a second distance. Optionally, the first detector's on-time (or detection gate width) is one time unit, and the detector returns to the off-time after completing detection.

[0370] In the above embodiment, the distance difference between the second distance and the first distance is smaller than the first distance difference, indicating that the second distance is relatively close to the first distance, and the first detector is controlled to receive the echo signal of the first laser signal at the second moment. Since the second moment is related to the emission moment of the first laser signal and the second distance, the first detector receives the echo signal at the second distance at the second moment. The echo signal at the second distance represents the echo signal near the first distance, which can be used for fine detection of target objects that may exist near the first distance, helping to reduce missed detection or false detection caused by interference or errors in the detection process, thereby improving detection performance.

[0371] Please refer to Figure 6, which is a schematic diagram of a detection distance provided by an embodiment of the present application. Part (a) of Figure 6 represents a first distance. As shown in part (a) of Figure 6, there can be multiple first distances, such as D1, D2, D3, D4, ..., D n Part (b) of FIG6 represents a second distance. As shown in part (b) of FIG6 , the second distance is located near the first distance D4 in part (a) of FIG6 . There may be multiple second distances, such as E1, E2, E3, and E4.

[0372] Based on this, in the distance dimension, large-scale slicing can be performed first to obtain multiple first distances, and then for the first distance of interest, small-scale dense slicing can be performed near it to obtain multiple second distances, thereby achieving detection granularity from coarse to fine, which helps to improve detection efficiency and the accuracy of detection results.

[0373] In a possible implementation, after the eighth echo signal is determined, a fourth image may be generated according to the eighth echo signal. The fourth image is an image at the second distance, and the fourth image is used to identify the second target to be measured.

[0374] The fourth image can be understood as an image of a slice in the detection area at a second distance from the detection device. The slice being at the second distance from the detection device can be understood as meaning that each position of the slice is at the second distance from the detection device. In this case, the slice can be a curved surface. The slice being at the second distance from the detection device can also be understood as meaning that any position of the slice is at the second distance from the detection device, while the distances of other positions to the detection device are related to the second distance. For example, the image can be calculated based on the second distance and the field of view angles corresponding to other positions. In this case, the slice can be a plane.

[0375] Since the second distance is also the distance between the target object (i.e., the second target to be detected) that may exist in the detection area and the detection device, the slice at the second distance from the detection device can be considered to contain the second target to be detected, and the image of the slice (i.e., the fourth image) can be considered to contain relevant information about the second target to be detected, so that the fourth image can be used to further confirm or identify the second target to be detected. For example, the fourth image can reflect the outline of the second target to be detected, and based on this outline, the specific identity of the second target to be detected can be identified, such as a car, a person, a tree, etc.

[0376] It should be understood that for the specific description of generating the fourth image according to the eighth echo signal, reference may be made to the relevant description of generating the second image according to the fourth echo signal in the previous embodiment, and will not be repeated here.

[0377] In the above embodiment, the eighth echo signal is an echo signal at a second distance from the detection device, and the fourth image generated based on the eighth echo signal is an image of a slice at the second distance from the detection device. Since the second distance is also the distance between the target object (i.e., the second target to be measured) that may exist in the detection area and the detection device, the fourth image contains relevant information about the second target to be measured. The fourth image can be used to further confirm or identify the second target to be measured, thereby improving the accuracy of the detection results and thus improving the detection performance.

[0378] In some possible scenarios, the detection device is in motion, and both the laser and the first detector in the detection device are in motion. For example, the detection device is a vehicle-mounted lidar, which moves as the vehicle moves. When the first detector is in motion, the following two detection methods can be used.

[0379] The first detection method is to detect at a fixed detection distance. The detection distance refers to the distance between the target position and the detection device, and the target position refers to the position to be detected. That is, the distance between the target position and the detection device remains unchanged. In this case, the target position is moving and maintains the same distance from the detection device.

[0380] In the first detection method, after the controller obtains the first distance corresponding to the first target to be measured, it can use the first distance as the detection distance, and control the first detector to be turned on each time and the emission time of the laser signal to be separated by a first time. The first time is related to the first distance. For example, the first time can be calculated based on the first distance and the speed of light.

[0381] Please refer to Figure 7, which is a schematic diagram of a fixed detection distance detection provided by an embodiment of the present application. As shown in Figure 7, the distance between the target position and the detection device (i.e., the detection distance) is represented by L0. When the detection device moves from left to right, the target position also moves from left to right accordingly to keep the detection distance always at L0. In this example, the first time remains unchanged, and the first time (represented by T) can be calculated as follows: T = 2L0 / c, where c represents the speed of light.

[0382] The above-mentioned detection method with a fixed detection distance can be applied to detecting dynamic targets. For example, when the detection device is a vehicle-mounted laser radar that is in a moving state as the vehicle runs, it can detect dynamic targets in front (such as a running vehicle).

[0383] The second detection method is to detect at a fixed target position. The target position refers to the position to be detected, that is, the target position remains unchanged. In this case, the target position is fixed.

[0384] In the second detection mode, after the controller obtains the first distance corresponding to the first target to be detected, the first distance is used as the target position, the first distance is used as the current detection distance (i.e., the current distance between the target position and the detection device), and the current start time of the first detector is controlled to be separated from the emission time of the laser signal by a first time (i.e., the current first time). The current first time is related to the current detection distance. For example, the current first time (denoted by T d can be calculated as follows: T d =2L d / c, where L dIndicates the current detection distance, and c indicates the speed of light.

[0385] It should be understood that in the second detection mode, as the detection device moves, the current detection distance changes, and accordingly, the current first time also changes. The change in the current detection distance is related to the moving direction and moving speed of the detection device. For example, when the detection device moves closer to the target position, the current detection distance decreases relative to the first distance, and the difference between the current detection distance and the first distance is equal to the moving distance of the detection device. For another example, when the detection device moves away from the target position, the current detection distance increases relative to the first distance, and the difference between the current detection distance and the first distance is equal to the moving distance of the detection device. Among them, the moving distance of the detection device can be calculated by the moving speed and moving time of the detection device.

[0386] Please refer to Figure 8, which is a schematic diagram of a fixed target position detection provided by an embodiment of the present application. As shown in Figure 8, the target position remains unchanged, and the distance between the target position and the detection device (i.e., the detection distance) changes as the detection device moves. The detection device moves from left to right, and after a time Δt, the detection distance changes from L3 to L4, L3-L4=v*Δt, where v represents the moving speed of the detection device and Δt represents the moving time of the detection device. In this example, when the current detection distance is L3, the corresponding current first time (represented by T3) can be calculated as follows: T3=2L3 / c; when the current detection distance is L4, the corresponding current first time (represented by T4) can be calculated as follows: T4=2L4 / c; where c represents the speed of light.

[0387] The above-mentioned fixed target position detection method can be applied to detecting static targets. For example, when the detection device is a vehicle-mounted laser radar that is in a moving state as the vehicle runs, it can detect static targets in front (such as traffic lights).

[0388] In one possible embodiment, the first detector is controlled to receive the echo signal of the first laser signal at the first moment M times to obtain a fourth echo signal; wherein M is an integer greater than 1; the value of M is predefined or preconfigured, or the value of M is related to the first distance.

[0389] Where M represents the number of detections at the first distance. Considering that the first detector may not receive the echo signal at the first distance during a single detection, for example, when the first distance is long, the echo signal strength returned from the first distance may be weak, resulting in the first detector not receiving the echo signal from the first distance, the number of detections M can be set to multiple times, and the echo signals received multiple times at the first moment are accumulated as the fourth echo signal, i.e., the echo signal at the first distance.

[0390] Optionally, the value of the number of detections M is positively correlated with the first distance, i.e., the number of detections M can be adaptively changed according to the first distance. Specifically, as the first distance increases, the value of the number of detections M increases, i.e., the cumulative number of detections increases; as the first distance decreases, the value of the number of detections M decreases, i.e., the cumulative number of detections decreases.

[0391] In the above embodiment, the first detector can receive the echo signal of the first laser signal multiple times at the first moment, that is, perform multiple detections at the first distance. The fourth echo signal (that is, the echo signal at the first distance) obtained by accumulating the echo signals received multiple times at the first moment is stronger, and is used to detect target objects that may exist at the first distance, so that more accurate detection results can be obtained and the detection performance can be improved.

[0392] Please refer to Figure 9, which is a schematic diagram of detection results under different detection times provided by an embodiment of the present application. As shown in Figure 9, different detection times are performed on a target at a first distance L1, for example, the detection times are m1, m2, m3, m4, and m5 from small to large. As the detection times increase, the resolution of the detection results increases, thereby more accurately identifying the target at the first distance L1.

[0393] Optionally, the first laser signal emitted by the laser can illuminate the entire detection area at once. For example, for a flash laser radar, it emits a large area of ​​light spot or laser dot matrix to the detection area, thereby illuminating the entire detection area at the same time.

[0394] Exemplarily, the first detector includes a plurality of detection elements, each detection element corresponding to a sub-region within the detection region and configured to receive an echo signal from the sub-region. When the first laser signal emitted by the laser irradiates the entire detection region at once, all detection elements in the first detector may be simultaneously activated.

[0395] In one possible implementation, the controller can control the laser to emit a first laser signal to the entire detection area, and control all detection elements in the first detector to receive the echo signal of the first laser signal at the first moment. This can improve the detection speed and frame rate to a certain extent.

[0396] In one possible implementation, when the laser emits a first laser signal to the entire detection area, the controller starts timing. At the same time, the controller can send a control signal to all control elements in the first detector to trigger all detection elements in the first detector to enter a physical gating mode. In the physical gating mode, all detection elements in the first detector are first in a closed state. When the timing reaches the first time, all detection elements in the first detector are turned on at the same time to synchronously receive the echo signal at the first distance, thereby realizing global synchronous execution of gating.

[0397] Please refer to Figure 10, which is a schematic diagram of a first detector synchronously activated according to an embodiment of the present application. The first detector is a 6×6 array detector comprising 6×6 detection elements, with each square representing a detection element. A blank square indicates a detection element in the off state, while a shaded square indicates a detection element in the on state.

[0398] Exemplarily, the laser emits a first laser signal to the entire detection area, and timing starts from the moment the first laser signal is emitted. When the timing duration has not reached the first time, as shown in part (a) of Figure 10, all detection elements in the first detector are turned off. When the timing duration reaches the first time, as shown in part (b) of Figure 10, all detection elements in the first detector are synchronously turned on.

[0399] Optionally, the first laser signal emitted by the laser may sequentially illuminate each sub-area of ​​the detection area. For example, a scanning laser radar may sequentially emit laser signals to each sub-area of ​​the detection area in a scanning order, thereby sequentially illuminating each sub-area of ​​the detection area until the full-angle scan is completed, thereby illuminating the entire detection area.

[0400] Exemplarily, the first detector includes a plurality of detection elements, each detection element corresponding to a sub-region within the detection region and configured to receive an echo signal from the sub-region. When the first laser signal emitted by the laser sequentially irradiates each sub-region within the detection region, different detection elements within the first detector may be activated in a time-sharing manner.

[0401] In one possible implementation, the controller can control the laser to sequentially emit a first laser signal to each scanning field of view in a scanning order, and control the detection elements corresponding to each scanning field of view in the first detector to sequentially receive echo signals of the first laser signal at the first moment in the scanning order. This can further focus the laser signal used for detection, thereby improving the accuracy of the detection results.

[0402] The scanning field of view can be understood as a sub-area within the detection area, and the scanning order can be predefined or preconfigured. For example, for a scanning multi-line lidar, the multi-line light beams it emits are arranged in the vertical direction, and the scanning order is from left to right (or from right to left) in the horizontal direction. When the multi-line light beams it emits in the vertical direction scan in the horizontal direction, they will sequentially illuminate the sub-areas of the detection area divided based on the horizontal direction.

[0403] In one possible implementation, when the laser emits a first laser signal toward a subregion, the controller begins timing. Simultaneously, the controller can send control signals to some control elements in the first detector corresponding to that subregion, triggering them to enter a physical gating mode. In physical gating mode, these detection elements are initially off. When the timing reaches a first time, these detection elements are turned on to receive echo signals at a first distance. Accordingly, as the laser sequentially emits the first laser signal toward each subregion, some control elements in the first detector corresponding to each subregion are turned on in a time-sharing manner, thereby performing gating in sequence.

[0404] Please refer to Figure 11, which is a schematic diagram of a time-sharing activation of a first detector provided by an embodiment of the present application. The first detector is a 6×6 array detector, comprising 6×6 detection elements. Each square represents a detection element. A blank square indicates an off detection element, while a shaded square indicates an on detection element. Each column of detection elements corresponds to a sub-region.

[0405] Exemplarily, a laser emits a first laser signal to a subregion corresponding to a first column of detection elements in a first detector, and timing begins from the moment the first laser signal is emitted. When the timing duration has not reached the first time, as shown in part (a) of FIG11 , all detection elements in the first detector are turned off. When the timing duration reaches the first time, as shown in part (b) of FIG11 , the first column of detection elements in the first detector are turned on, while the other columns of detection elements are turned off. Similarly, a laser emits a first laser signal to a subregion corresponding to a second column of detection elements in the first detector, and timing begins from the moment the first laser signal is emitted. When the timing duration reaches the first time, as shown in part (c) of FIG11 , the second column of detection elements in the first detector are turned on, while the other columns of detection elements are turned off. A laser emits a first laser signal to a subregion corresponding to a third column of detection elements in the first detector, and timing begins from the moment the first laser signal is emitted. When the timing duration reaches the first time, as shown in part (d) of FIG11 , the third column of detection elements in the first detector are turned on, while the other columns of detection elements are turned off.

[0406] In one possible embodiment, the first detector includes multiple detection elements; the controller can control the first detection element group in the first detector to receive the echo signal of the first laser signal at the first moment to obtain a fourth echo signal, and the first detection element group includes at least one of the multiple detection elements; the controller can also control the second detection element group in the first detector to continuously receive the echo signal of the first laser signal from the emission moment of the first laser signal to obtain a fifth echo signal, the second detection element group includes at least one of the multiple detection elements, and the detection elements in the second detection element group do not overlap with those in the first detection element group.

[0407] The first detection element group is used to receive the echo signal of the first laser signal at the first moment, and obtain the echo signal at the first distance (i.e., the fourth echo signal), that is, the working mode of the first detection element group is the physical gating mode. The second detection element group is used to continuously receive the echo signal of the first laser signal from the moment the first laser signal is emitted, and obtain the echo signal returned from the entire detection area (including the full distance) (for the purpose of distinction, it is recorded as the fifth echo signal), that is, the working mode of the second detection element group is the free mode. In this way, the first detection element group and the second detection element group in the first detector respectively operate in different working modes, so that the first detector can operate in two working modes at the same time and can switch freely.

[0408] For example, all detection elements in the first detector are divided into a first detection element group and a second detection element group. Each detection element in the first detector can be considered a pixel, and thus the first detector can be considered a pixel region. This pixel region is divided into two different sub-pixel regions, corresponding to the first detection element group and the second detection element group, respectively. This embodiment of the present application does not limit the specific division method.

[0409] Please refer to Figure 12, which is a schematic diagram of a segmentation method for a first detector provided in an embodiment of the present application. The first detector is a 6×6 array detector, comprising 6×6 detection elements, with each square (or pixel) representing a detection element, the shaded area representing the first detection element group, and the blank area representing the second detection element group. For example, the segmentation method shown in part (a) of Figure 12 is segmentation by region, the segmentation method shown in part (b) of Figure 12 is alternating segmentation by column, and the segmentation method shown in part (c) of Figure 12 is alternating segmentation by pixel.

[0410] In the above embodiment, the first detector can operate in multiple working modes simultaneously in different areas. Specifically, it can perform comprehensive detection of the entire detection area in free mode, and perform enhanced detection at a specific distance in gated mode, thereby meeting multiple detection needs at the same time and improving detection performance.

[0411] In a possible embodiment, after controlling the first detector to receive the echo signal of the first laser signal at the first moment to obtain the fourth echo signal, the controller can also control the laser to emit a second laser signal, and control the first detector to continuously receive the echo signal of the second laser signal from the moment of emission of the second laser signal to obtain the sixth echo signal.

[0412] The emission time of the second laser signal is the time when the laser emits the second laser signal. The controller can control the first detector to turn on and remain in the on state (i.e., in the normally open state) from the emission time of the second laser signal, so that the first detector can continuously receive the echo signal of the second laser signal from the emission time of the second laser signal, and obtain the echo signal returned from the entire detection area (recorded as the sixth echo signal for distinction).

[0413] In one possible implementation, the controller can send a control signal to the laser to control the laser to emit a second laser signal to the detection area. When the laser emits the second laser signal, that is, at the moment of emission of the second laser signal, the controller starts timing. At the same time, the controller can send a control signal to the first detector to trigger the first detector to enter free mode. In free mode, the first detector is in a normally open state, so that it can continuously receive the echo signal of the second laser signal.

[0414] In the above embodiment, the first detector can switch between different operating modes in a time-sharing or alternating manner. For example, after the first detector operates in the physical gating mode for a certain time or a certain number of times, it can switch to the free mode; for another example, after the first detector operates in the free mode for a certain time or a certain number of times, it can switch to the physical gating mode.

[0415] Please refer to Figure 13, which is a schematic diagram of the working mode switching of a first detector provided by an embodiment of the present application. As shown in Figure 13, the first detector alternately operates in free mode and physical gating mode, so as to flexibly adapt to changes in detection requirements.

[0416] In a possible implementation, the controller may further control the second detector to continuously receive the echo signal of the first laser signal from the emission moment of the first laser signal to obtain a seventh echo signal, and the field of view of the second detector is aligned with that of the first detector.

[0417] Based on the first detector's detailed detection at the first distance, a second detector is introduced to comprehensively detect the entire detection area. The second detector's field of view is aligned with the first detector's, meaning that the second detector and the first detector are detecting the same detection area, and the detection data from the two detectors can be fused.

[0418] Please refer to Figure 14, which is a schematic diagram of a first detector and a second detector combined for detection according to an embodiment of the present application. As shown in Figure 14, a controller controls the first detector and the second detector to operate in gated mode and free mode, respectively. The echo signal of the first laser signal is first split into two signals by a beam splitter, and then enters the first detector and the second detector respectively.

[0419] Specifically, the controller can control the second detector to turn on and keep it in the turned-on state (i.e., in the normally open state) from the moment the first laser signal is emitted, so that the second detector can continuously receive the echo signal of the first laser signal from the moment the first laser signal is emitted, and obtain the echo signal returned from the entire detection area (recorded as the seventh echo signal for distinction).

[0420] In one possible implementation, when the laser emits the first laser signal, that is, at the moment of emission of the first laser signal, the controller starts timing, and at the same time, the controller can send a control signal to the second detector to trigger the second detector to enter the free mode. In the free mode, the second detector is in a normally open state, so that it can continuously receive the echo signal of the first laser signal.

[0421] In the above embodiment, the second detector can perform comprehensive detection of the entire detection area in free mode, and the first detector can perform enhanced detection at a specific distance in gated mode. Combining the detection data of the two detectors can obtain more comprehensive and accurate detection results.

[0422] The following describes an embodiment of the present application in an autonomous driving scenario. In the autonomous driving scenario, the detection device may be a vehicle-mounted laser radar on an autonomous driving vehicle.

[0423] Please refer to Figure 15, which is a flow chart of a detection method provided in an embodiment of the present application. The detection method may include the following steps:

[0424] Step 1: The vehicle-mounted laser radar determines whether there is a first target to be detected in the detection area. Optionally, the first target to be detected is an extended target. If not, proceed to step 2; if so, proceed to steps 3 to 5.

[0425] Step 2: The vehicle-mounted lidar enters free mode for detection.

[0426] Step 3: The vehicle-mounted LiDAR obtains a priori distance, which represents the distance to the first target. Optionally, the vehicle-mounted LiDAR can also enhance the echo signal through signal processing methods such as multiple echo accumulation and gain control to extract the priori distance.

[0427] Step 4: The vehicle-mounted lidar enters the digital gating mode or physical gating mode for detection to obtain the echo signal at the prior distance.

[0428] Step 5: The vehicle-mounted lidar generates an image at the prior distance based on the echo signal at the prior distance.

[0429] Then, the on-board lidar can provide the image at the prior distance to the detection module, which can be a downstream detection and recognition network, for performing feature extraction and target recognition on the image at the prior distance, determining the specific classification of the first target to be measured and whether it affects the vehicle's driving, and feeding back the judgment result to the automatic driving control system so that the automatic driving control system can perform corresponding control on the vehicle's driving.

[0430] It should be understood that the specific descriptions of steps 1 to 5 above can be referred to the relevant descriptions in the previous embodiment, and will not be repeated here. Through the above embodiment, the vehicle-mounted LiDAR can switch between free mode and gated mode. For example, it can operate in free mode in a conventional ranging scenario and operate in gated mode in a scenario with a first target to be measured, thereby meeting the detection requirements in different scenarios. In addition, the vehicle-mounted LiDAR can reuse the same hardware structure in different operating modes, thereby reducing system complexity.

[0431] The above describes in detail the method of the embodiment of the present application. The following describes the device embodiment involved in the embodiment of the present application.

[0432] Please refer to Figure 16, which is a schematic diagram of the structure of a detection device provided in an embodiment of the present application. Optionally, the detection device 1600 can be an independent device (such as one or more of a laser radar, a handheld terminal, a vehicle, or a robot, etc.), or it can be a component within an independent device (such as a chip, a software module, or a hardware module, etc.).

[0433] The detection device 1600 is used to implement the aforementioned detection method, such as the detection method in the embodiment shown in FIG. 2 or FIG. 4 .

[0434] The detection device 1600 may include a laser 1601 and a first detector 1602 . The laser 1601 is used to emit laser signals, and the first detector 1602 is used to receive echo signals. Optionally, the detection device 1600 may further include at least one processor 1603 .

[0435] In one possible design, the first detector 1602 or the at least one processor 1603 is used to: control the laser to emit a first laser signal; obtain a first echo signal of the first laser signal; determine a first target to be measured based on the first echo signal; determine a second echo signal based on the first echo signal and the first target to be measured, the second echo signal being an echo signal at a first distance corresponding to the first target to be measured.

[0436] In a possible embodiment, the first detector 1602 or the at least one processor 1603 is further used to: control the first detector to continuously receive the echo signal of the first laser signal from the emission moment of the first laser signal to obtain the first echo signal, where the first echo signal includes multiple echo signals corresponding to different times.

[0437] In one possible embodiment, the first detector 1602 or the at least one processor 1603 is further used to: determine a first time based on the echo signals corresponding to the multiple different times, the echo signal corresponding to the first time includes a characteristic signal, and the characteristic signal includes at least one of a peak signal, a broadening signal and a distortion signal; determine the first target to be measured based on the first time, and the first distance corresponding to the first target to be measured is related to the first time.

[0438] In a possible implementation, the first detector 1602 or the at least one processor 1603 is further configured to extract the echo signal corresponding to the first time from the multiple echo signals corresponding to different times to obtain the second echo signal.

[0439] In a possible implementation, the first detector 1602 or the at least one processor 1603 is further configured to generate a first image according to the second echo signal, where the first image is an image at the first distance, and the first image is used to identify the first target to be detected.

[0440] In a possible embodiment, the first detector 1602 or the at least one processor 1603 is further used to: determine a third echo signal based on the first echo signal and the first target to be measured, the third echo signal is an echo signal at a second distance, and the distance difference between the second distance and the first distance is less than the first distance difference.

[0441] In another possible design, the first detector 1602 or the at least one processor 1603 is used to: determine a first target to be measured; control the laser to emit a first laser signal; control the first detector to receive the echo signal of the first laser signal at a first moment to obtain a fourth echo signal; wherein the first moment is related to the emission moment of the first laser signal and the first distance corresponding to the first target to be measured, and the fourth echo signal is the echo signal at the first distance corresponding to the first target to be measured.

[0442] In a possible implementation, a first time interval exists between the first moment and the emission moment of the first laser signal, and the first time is the flight time of the laser signal corresponding to the first distance.

[0443] In a possible implementation, when the first detector is in a moving state, the first moment is also related to the moving direction and moving speed of the first detector.

[0444] In one possible embodiment, the first detector 1602 or the at least one processor 1603 is further used to: control the first detector to receive the echo signal of the first laser signal at the first moment M times to obtain the fourth echo signal; wherein M is an integer greater than 1; the value of M is predefined or preconfigured, or the value of M is related to the first distance.

[0445] In a possible embodiment, the first detector 1602 or the at least one processor 1603 is further used to: control the laser to sequentially emit a first laser signal to each scanning field of view in a scanning order; control the detection elements corresponding to each scanning field of view in the first detector to sequentially receive the echo signal of the first laser signal at the first moment in accordance with the scanning order to obtain the fourth echo signal.

[0446] In one possible embodiment, the first detector includes multiple detection elements; the first detector 1602 or the at least one processor 1603 is further used to: control the first detection element group in the first detector to receive the echo signal of the first laser signal at a first moment to obtain the fourth echo signal, and the first detection element group includes at least one of the multiple detection elements; control the second detection element group in the first detector to continuously receive the echo signal of the first laser signal from the emission moment of the first laser signal to obtain the fifth echo signal, and the second detection element group includes at least one of the multiple detection elements, and the second detection element group does not overlap with the detection elements in the first detection element group.

[0447] In a possible embodiment, the first detector 1602 or the at least one processor 1603 is further used to: control the laser to emit a second laser signal; control the first detector to continuously receive the echo signal of the second laser signal from the emission moment of the second laser signal to obtain a sixth echo signal.

[0448] In a possible embodiment, the first detector 1602 or the at least one processor 1603 is further used to: control the second detector to continuously receive the echo signal of the first laser signal from the emission moment of the first laser signal to obtain a seventh echo signal, and the field of view of the second detector is aligned with that of the first detector.

[0449] In a possible implementation, the first detector 1602 or the at least one processor 1603 is further configured to generate a second image according to the fourth echo signal, where the second image is an image at the first distance, and the second image is used to identify the first target to be detected.

[0450] In one possible embodiment, the first detector 1602 or the at least one processor 1603 is further used to: control the first detector to receive the echo signal of the first laser signal at a second moment to obtain an eighth echo signal; wherein the second moment is related to the emission moment of the first laser signal and the second distance, the distance difference between the second distance and the first distance is less than the first distance difference, and the eighth echo signal is the echo signal at the second distance.

[0451] In a possible embodiment, the first detector 1602 or the at least one processor 1603 is further used to: obtain relevant information within the detection area; identify whether there is a target object in the detection area based on the relevant information; and determine the first target to be detected when there is a target object in the detection area.

[0452] In a possible implementation, the first detector 1602 or the at least one processor 1603 is further configured to: obtain a preliminary detection result indicating whether a target object exists within the detection area; and determine the first target to be detected when the preliminary detection result indicates that a target object exists within the detection area.

[0453] Please refer to Figure 17, which is a schematic diagram of the structure of a processing device provided in an embodiment of the present application. Optionally, the processing device 1700 can be an independent device (such as one or more of a laser radar, a handheld terminal, a vehicle, or a robot), or a component within an independent device (such as a chip, a software module, or a hardware module).

[0454] The processing device 1700 may include at least one processor 1701 and a communication interface 1702. Further optionally, the processing device 1700 may also include at least one memory 1703. Further optionally, the processing device 1700 may also include a bus 1704, wherein the processor 1701, the communication interface 1702, and the memory 1703 are connected via the bus 1704.

[0455] Among them, the processor 1701 is a module that performs arithmetic operations and / or logical operations, and specifically may include a central processing unit (CPU), an application processor (AP), a time-to-gigital converter (TDC), a filter, a graphics processing unit (GPU), a microprocessor unit (MPU), an application specific integrated circuit (ASIC), an image signal processor (ISP), a digital signal processor (DSP), a field programmable gate array (FPGA), a complex programmable logic device (CPLD), a coprocessor (assisting the central processing unit to complete corresponding processing and applications), a microcontroller unit (MCU), a neural-network processing unit (NPU), and other processing modules, or a combination of multiple of them.

[0456] The communication interface 1702 may be used to provide information input or output for the at least one processor. Furthermore, the communication interface 1702 may be used to receive data sent externally and / or send data externally. The communication interface 1702 may be a wired link interface such as an Ethernet cable, or a wireless link interface (Wi-Fi, Bluetooth, general wireless transmission, in-vehicle short-range communication technology, or other short-range wireless communication technology).

[0457] Memory 1703 is used to provide storage space for storing data such as the operating system and computer programs. Memory 1703 can be one or a combination of random access memory (RAM), read-only memory (ROM), erasable programmable read-only memory (EPROM), or compact disc read-only memory (CD-ROM).

[0458] The processing device 1700 is used to implement the aforementioned detection method, such as the detection method in the embodiment shown in FIG. 2 or FIG. 4 .

[0459] In one possible design, the at least one processor 1701 may be a processor specifically configured to execute these methods (referred to as a dedicated processor for ease of distinction), or may be a processor that executes these methods by invoking a computer program, such as a general-purpose processor. Optionally, the at least one processor 1701 may include both a dedicated processor and a general-purpose processor.

[0460] In one possible design, at least one processor 1701 in the processing device 1700 is used to call a computer program stored in at least one memory 1703 to execute the aforementioned detection method, such as the detection method in the embodiment shown in Figure 2 or Figure 4.

[0461] In one possible design, the above-mentioned processing device 1700 can be one or more of the detection devices, controllers, or processors in the aforementioned embodiments, or a component inside the detection devices, controllers, or processors (such as a chip, software module, or hardware module, etc.).

[0462] The processing device 1700 can control the laser and the detector. Optionally, the processing device 1700 is a detection device, and the detection device can also include a laser and a detector, or the processing device 1700 can be connected to the laser and the detector.

[0463] An embodiment of the present application further provides a terminal, which is used to implement the aforementioned detection method, such as the detection method in the embodiment shown in Figure 2 or Figure 4.

[0464] In one possible design, the terminal includes the aforementioned detection device, such as the detection device shown in Figure 1 or Figure 16, and / or the terminal includes the aforementioned processing device, such as the processing device shown in Figure 17.

[0465] Optionally, the terminal may be a vehicle, a drone, a robot or other terminal.

[0466] An embodiment of the present application provides a chip, comprising a processor configured to execute a computer program or instruction. When the processor executes the computer program or instruction, the aforementioned detection method is implemented, such as the detection method in the embodiment shown in FIG2 or FIG4. Optionally, the chip further comprises a communication interface configured to provide input / output for the processor and / or to send and / or receive data.

[0467] An embodiment of the present application provides a computer-readable storage medium, which stores a computer program or instruction. When the computer program or instruction is executed, the aforementioned detection method is implemented, such as the detection method in the embodiment shown in Figure 2 or Figure 4.

[0468] An embodiment of the present application provides a computer program product, which includes a computer program or instructions. When the computer program or instructions are executed, the aforementioned detection method is implemented, such as the detection method in the embodiment shown in Figure 2 or Figure 4.

[0469] It should be noted that, in this application, words such as "exemplary" or "for example" are used to indicate examples, illustrations, or descriptions. Any embodiment or design described in this application as "exemplary" or "for example" should not be construed as being preferred or advantageous over other embodiments or designs. Rather, the use of words such as "exemplary" or "for example" is intended to present the relevant concepts in a concrete manner.

[0470] The “at least one” mentioned in the embodiments of this application refers to one or more, and “plurality” refers to two or more. “At least one of the following items” 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 represent: 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 represent: 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 previous and next associated objects are in an “or” relationship.

[0471] In the embodiments of the present application, the term “when” may be interpreted to mean “if” or “after” or “in response to determining” or “in response to detecting”, depending on the context.

[0472] Furthermore, unless otherwise indicated, ordinal numbers such as "first" and "second" in the embodiments of this application are used to distinguish multiple objects and are not intended to limit the order, timing, priority, or importance of the multiple objects. For example, the first echo signal and the second echo signal are merely for ease of description and do not indicate a difference in the source, order, or importance of the first echo signal and the second echo signal.

[0473] The above description is merely an optional embodiment of the present application and is not intended to limit the present application. Any modifications, equivalent replacements, improvements, etc. made within the concepts and principles of the present application shall be included in the scope of protection of the present application.

[0474] Those skilled in the art will understand that all or part of the steps to implement the above embodiments may be accomplished by hardware, or by a program to instruct the relevant hardware, and the program may be stored in a computer-readable storage medium, which may be a read-only memory, a disk, or an optical disk, etc.

Claims

1. A detection method, characterized in that: The method comprises: Controlling the laser to emit a first laser signal; Acquire a first echo signal of the first laser signal; Determine a first target to be detected according to the first echo signal; A second echo signal is determined according to the first echo signal and the first target to be measured, where the second echo signal is an echo signal at a first distance corresponding to the first target to be measured.

2. The method according to claim 1, characterized in that The step of acquiring a first echo signal of the first laser signal comprises: The first detector is controlled to continuously receive the echo signal of the first laser signal from the emission moment of the first laser signal to obtain the first echo signal, wherein the first echo signal includes a plurality of echo signals corresponding to different times.

3. The method according to claim 2, characterized in that The step of determining a first target to be detected according to the first echo signal includes: Determine a first time according to the echo signals corresponding to the multiple different times, the echo signal corresponding to the first time includes a characteristic signal, and the characteristic signal includes at least one of a peak signal, a stretch signal, and a distortion signal; The first target to be measured is determined according to the first time, and a first distance corresponding to the first target to be measured is related to the first time.

4. The method according to claim 3, characterized in that Determining a second echo signal according to the first echo signal and the first target to be detected includes: The echo signal corresponding to the first time is extracted from the echo signals corresponding to the multiple different times to obtain the second echo signal.

5. The method according to any one of claims 1 to 4, characterized in that The method further comprises: A first image is generated according to the second echo signal, where the first image is an image at the first distance, and the first image is used to identify the first target to be measured.

6. The method according to any one of claims 1 to 5, characterized in that The method further comprises: A third echo signal is determined according to the first echo signal and the first target to be measured, the third echo signal being an echo signal at a second distance, and a distance difference between the second distance and the first distance is smaller than the first distance difference.

7. A detection method, characterized in that: The method comprises: Determining a first target to be measured; Controlling the laser to emit a first laser signal; Control the first detector to receive the echo signal of the first laser signal at a first moment to obtain a fourth echo signal; wherein the first moment is related to the emission moment of the first laser signal and the first distance corresponding to the first target to be measured, and the fourth echo signal is the echo signal at the first distance corresponding to the first target to be measured.

8. The method according to claim 7, characterized in that The first moment is separated from the emission moment of the first laser signal by a first time, and the first time is the flight time of the laser signal corresponding to the first distance.

9. The method according to claim 7, characterized in that: When the first detector is in a moving state, the first moment is also related to the moving direction and moving speed of the first detector.

10. The method according to any one of claims 7 to 9, characterized in that The controlling the first detector to receive the echo signal of the first laser signal at the first moment to obtain a fourth echo signal includes: Control the first detector to receive the echo signal of the first laser signal at the first moment M times to obtain the fourth echo signal; wherein M is an integer greater than 1; the value of M is predefined or preconfigured, or the value of M is related to the first distance.

11. The method according to any one of claims 7 to 10, characterized in that The controlling the laser to emit a first laser signal comprises: Controlling the laser to sequentially emit a first laser signal to each scanning field of view in a scanning order; The controlling the first detector to receive the echo signal of the first laser signal at the first moment to obtain a fourth echo signal includes: The detection elements corresponding to each of the scanning fields of view in the first detector are controlled to sequentially receive the echo signals of the first laser signal at a first moment according to the scanning sequence to obtain the fourth echo signal.

12. The method according to any one of claims 7 to 11, characterized in that The first detector includes a plurality of detection elements; The controlling the first detector to receive the echo signal of the first laser signal at the first moment to obtain a fourth echo signal includes: Controlling a first detection element group in the first detector to receive an echo signal of the first laser signal at a first moment to obtain the fourth echo signal, wherein the first detection element group includes at least one of the plurality of detection elements; The method further comprises: The second detection element group in the first detector is controlled to continuously receive the echo signal of the first laser signal from the emission moment of the first laser signal to obtain a fifth echo signal, wherein the second detection element group includes at least one of the multiple detection elements, and the detection elements in the second detection element group do not overlap with those in the first detection element group.

13. The method according to any one of claims 7 to 11, characterized in that After controlling the first detector to receive the echo signal of the first laser signal at the first moment to obtain a fourth echo signal, the method further includes: Controlling the laser to emit a second laser signal; The first detector is controlled to continuously receive the echo signal of the second laser signal from the emission moment of the second laser signal to obtain a sixth echo signal.

14. The method according to any one of claims 7 to 13, characterized in that The method further comprises: The second detector is controlled to continuously receive the echo signal of the first laser signal from the emission moment of the first laser signal to obtain a seventh echo signal, and the field of view of the second detector is aligned with the field of view of the first detector.

15. The method according to any one of claims 7 to 14, characterized in that The method further comprises: A second image is generated according to the fourth echo signal, where the second image is an image at the first distance, and the second image is used to identify the first target to be measured.

16. The method according to any one of claims 7 to 15, characterized in that The method further comprises: controlling the first detector to receive the echo signal of the first laser signal at the second moment to obtain an eighth echo signal; The second moment is related to the emission moment of the first laser signal and a second distance, the distance difference between the second distance and the first distance is smaller than the first distance difference, and the eighth echo signal is an echo signal at the second distance.

17. A detection device, characterized in that: The detection device includes a laser, a first detector and at least one processor; The laser is used to emit a laser signal; The first detector is used to receive the echo signal; The at least one processor is connected to the laser and the first detector, and the at least one processor is used to execute the method of any one of claims 1 to 6, or the method of any one of claims 7 to 16.

18. A detection device, characterized in that: The detection device includes a laser and a first detector; The laser is used to emit a laser signal; The first detector is used to receive the echo signal; The first detector is also used to perform the method of any one of claims 1 to 6, or the method of any one of claims 7 to 16.

19. A processing device, characterized in that: The processing device includes at least one processor and a communication interface, wherein the communication interface is used to provide instructions or data input and / or output to the at least one processor, and the at least one processor is used to execute the method described in any one of claims 1 to 6, or the method described in any one of claims 7 to 16.

20. A terminal, characterized in that: The terminal includes the detection device according to claim 17, or includes the detection device according to claim 18, or includes the processing device according to claim 19.

21. The terminal according to claim 20, characterized in that: The terminal is a vehicle, a drone or a robot.

22. A computer-readable storage medium, characterized in that: The computer-readable storage medium stores a computer program or instructions, and when the computer program or instructions are executed, the method according to any one of claims 1 to 6 is implemented, or the method according to any one of claims 7 to 16 is implemented.

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