Depth camera imaging method and device, electronic equipment and storage medium

Abstract

The invention relates to a depth camera imaging method and device, electronic equipment and a storage medium, a light receiving unit in a depth camera comprises a plurality of superpixels, and the superpixels comprise a plurality of photosensitive pixels; the timing subunits are in one-to-one correspondence with the superpixels, and the timing subunits are connected with the photosensitive pixels in the corresponding superpixels so as to record the time when the light emitting units emit the light signals and the time when the corresponding superpixels receive the light signals; the method comprises the steps of obtaining imaging parameters; determining a target photosensitive pixel in the superpixels according to the imaging parameters; and controlling the light emitting unit to emit a light signal, controlling the target photosensitive pixels in the same superpixel in turn to receive light information, and enabling only one target photosensitive pixel in each superpixel to be in a state of sensing the light signal at any moment. According to the invention, under the condition that the number of timing subunits is small, a high-resolution depth image can be generated, so that the requirement of high-precision depth imaging is met.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present disclosure relates to the field of ranging technology, and in particular to a depth camera imaging method, device, electronic device, and storage medium. Background Art

[0002] Time of Flight (TOF) is a technology that can be used to measure the distance to a target. It allows us to obtain the target's depth value and generate a depth image. This technology has been widely used in various fields, including consumer electronics, autonomous driving, and AR / VR.

[0003] Existing distance measurement devices based on the time-of-flight principle typically include a photosensitive pixel array and multiple time-to-digital converters. Each time-to-digital converter typically corresponds one-to-one with each photosensitive pixel in the photosensitive pixel array and calculates the time-of-flight of the light signal received by its corresponding photosensitive pixel. However, due to limitations in chip area, cost, and power consumption, the number of time-to-digital converters that can be accommodated on a single chip is relatively small. The number of time-to-digital converters limits the number of depth data points that can be generated in the depth image, resulting in a lower resolution depth map that cannot meet the requirements of high-precision applications. Summary of the Invention

[0004] In order to solve the above technical problems or at least partially solve the above technical problems, the present disclosure provides a depth camera imaging method, device, electronic device and storage medium.

[0005] In a first aspect, the present disclosure provides a depth camera imaging method based on time of flight, the depth camera imaging method is applicable to a depth camera based on time of flight, the depth camera based on time of flight comprising: a light emitting unit, a light receiving unit and a timing unit; the light emitting unit is used to emit a light signal; the light receiving unit comprises a plurality of superpixels, the superpixels comprise a plurality of photosensitive pixels; the photosensitive pixels are used to receive the light signal; the timing unit comprises a plurality of timing subunits, the timing subunits correspond one-to-one to the superpixels, and the timing subunits are connected to the photosensitive pixels in the corresponding superpixels, the timing subunits are used to record the time when the light emitting unit emits the light signal and the time when the corresponding superpixel receives the light signal;

[0006] The depth camera imaging method comprises:

[0007] Obtain imaging parameters;

[0008] determining a target photosensitive pixel in the superpixel according to the imaging parameter;

[0009] Control the light emitting unit to emit light signals, and control the target photosensitive pixels in the same superpixel in turn to receive the light information, so that at any moment only one target photosensitive pixel in each superpixel is in the state of sensing light signals.

[0010] In a second aspect, the present disclosure further provides a depth camera imaging device based on time of flight, the depth camera imaging device is suitable for a depth camera based on time of flight, the depth camera based on time of flight includes: a light emitting unit, a light receiving unit and a timing unit; the light emitting unit is used to emit a light signal; the light receiving unit includes a plurality of superpixels, the superpixels include a plurality of photosensitive pixels; the photosensitive pixels are used to receive the light signal; the timing unit includes a plurality of timing subunits, the timing subunits correspond to the superpixels one-to-one, and the timing subunits are connected to the photosensitive pixels in the corresponding superpixels, and the timing subunits are used to record the time when the light emitting unit emits the light signal and the time when the corresponding superpixel receives the light signal;

[0011] The depth camera imaging device comprises:

[0012] An acquisition module, used for acquiring imaging parameters;

[0013] a determination module, configured to determine a target photosensitive pixel in the superpixel according to the imaging parameter;

[0014] The control module is used to control the light emitting unit to emit light signals, and to control the target photosensitive pixels in the same superpixel to receive the light information in turn, so that at any moment only one target photosensitive pixel in each superpixel is in a state of sensing light signals.

[0015] In a third aspect, the present disclosure further provides an electronic device, comprising:

[0016] one or more processors;

[0017] a storage device for storing one or more programs;

[0018] When the one or more programs are executed by the one or more processors, the one or more processors implement the time-of-flight-based depth camera imaging method as described above.

[0019] In a fourth aspect, the present disclosure further provides a computer-readable storage medium having a computer program stored thereon, which, when executed by a processor, implements the time-of-flight-based depth camera imaging method as described above.

[0020] The technical solution provided by the embodiments of the present disclosure has the following advantages over the prior art:

[0021] The technical solution provided by the embodiment of the present disclosure is to set a superpixel including multiple photosensitive pixels, a timing unit including multiple timing subunits, the timing subunits corresponding to the superpixels one-to-one, and the timing subunits and the photosensitive pixels in the corresponding superpixels are connected; according to the imaging parameters, the target photosensitive pixels are determined in the superpixel; the light emitting unit is controlled to emit light signals, and the target photosensitive pixels in the same superpixel are controlled in turn to receive light information, so that at any moment only one target photosensitive pixel in each superpixel is in the state of sensing light signals. In essence, during the imaging process of the depth camera, different target photosensitive pixels of the same superpixel are scanned in turn in time, so that the timing subunits can record the flight time of the light signal received by each target photosensitive pixel. In this way, when the number of timing subunits is small, depth data points far more than the number of timing subunits are obtained, thereby generating a high-resolution depth image, thereby achieving the purpose of meeting high-precision application requirements. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0022] The accompanying drawings, which are incorporated in and constitute a part of this specification, illustrate embodiments consistent with the present disclosure and, together with the description, serve to explain the principles of the present disclosure.

[0023] In order to more clearly illustrate the embodiments of the present disclosure or the technical solutions in the prior art, the following briefly introduces the drawings required for use in the embodiments or the description of the prior art. Obviously, for ordinary technicians in this field, other drawings can be obtained based on these drawings without any creative work.

[0024] Figure 1 A flowchart of a time-of-flight depth camera imaging method provided in an embodiment of the present disclosure;

[0025] Figure 2 A structural block diagram of a time-of-flight depth camera provided in an embodiment of the present disclosure;

[0026] Figure 3 A schematic structural diagram of a light receiving unit provided in an embodiment of the present disclosure;

[0027] Figure 4 A flowchart of another time-of-flight-based depth camera imaging method provided by an embodiment of the present disclosure;

[0028] Figure 5-Figure 8 Schematic diagram of the structures of several superpixels provided in the embodiments of the present disclosure;

[0029] Figure 9 A schematic diagram of a time-of-flight depth camera imaging method provided by an embodiment of the present disclosure;

[0030] Figure 10 Schematic diagram of the structure of a time-of-flight depth camera imaging device in an embodiment of the present disclosure;

[0031] Figure 11 Schematic diagram of the structure of an electronic device in an embodiment of the present disclosure. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0032] In order to more clearly understand the above-mentioned objectives, features and advantages of the present disclosure, the scheme of the present disclosure will be further described below. It should be noted that the embodiments of the present disclosure and the features therein can be combined with each other in the absence of conflict.

[0033] In the following description, many specific details are set forth to facilitate a full understanding of the present disclosure, but the present disclosure may also be implemented in other ways different from those described herein; it is obvious that the embodiments in the specification are only part of the embodiments of the present disclosure, rather than all of the embodiments.

[0034] Figure 1 A flowchart of a time-of-flight (TOF)-based depth camera imaging method provided in an embodiment of the present disclosure is applicable to a TOF-based depth camera. The TOF-based depth camera includes: a light emitting unit, a light receiving unit, and a timing unit; the light emitting unit is configured to emit a light signal; the light receiving unit includes multiple superpixels, each of which includes multiple photosensitive pixels; the photosensitive pixels are configured to receive light signals; the timing unit includes multiple timing subunits, each corresponding to a superpixel, and each timing subunit is connected to the photosensitive pixels in the corresponding superpixel; the timing subunit is configured to record the time when the light emitting unit emits a light signal and the time when the corresponding superpixel receives the light signal.

[0035] For example, Figure 2 A specific structural block diagram of a time-of-flight depth camera is given. The time-of-flight depth camera is a depth camera based on direct time of flight (dToF). The time-of-flight depth camera includes: a light receiving unit, a timing unit, a processing unit, a control unit, a driving circuit, and a light emitting unit. The light receiving unit is connected to the timing unit, and the timing unit is also connected to both the processing unit and the control unit. The control unit is also connected to the driving circuit, and the driving circuit is connected to the light emitting unit.

[0036] Among them, the light emitting unit is a light source, which can be used to emit light signals. The light emitting unit can be a surface light source or a dot matrix light source. Alternatively, the light emitting unit includes both a surface light source and a dot matrix light source. If the light emitting unit includes a dot matrix light source, the dot matrix light source can be a dot matrix light source formed by a light emitting diode (LED) or a laser diode (LD), or the dot matrix light source is a vertical cavity surface emitting laser (VCSEL). If the light emitting unit includes a surface light source, it can be a module packaging structure including a vertical cavity surface emitting laser and a light homogenizer.

[0037] See also Figure 3 , the light receiving unit 1 includes a plurality of super pixels 11, and the super pixel 11 includes a plurality of photosensitive pixels 12. The photosensitive pixel 12 may include a photoelectric conversion device such as a single photon avalanche photodiode (SPAD) or an avalanche photodiode. The super pixel 11 is the result of grouping the plurality of photosensitive pixels 12. A group of photosensitive pixels 12 is called a super pixel 11. Figure 3 Four superpixels 11 are shown as an example, and each superpixel 11 includes 36 photosensitive pixels 12.

[0038] The timing unit includes multiple timing subunits. The timing subunits correspond one-to-one to the superpixels, and the timing subunits are connected to the photosensitive pixels in the corresponding superpixels; the timing subunits are used to record the time when the light emitting unit emits the light signal, and the time when the corresponding superpixel receives the light signal. The timing subunits can specifically be time-to-digital converters (TDCs). It should be noted that since the superpixel includes multiple photosensitive pixels, that is, one timing subunit is connected to multiple photosensitive pixels, in order to accurately record the flight time of the light signal, in practice, it is necessary to ensure that at any moment only one photosensitive pixel in each superpixel is in the state of sensing the light signal, and the photosensitive pixels in the state of sensing the light signal are connected to the time-to-digital converter, and the remaining photosensitive pixels that are not in the state of sensing the light signal are not connected to the time-to-digital converter. In this way, at any moment, the timing subunit only records the reception time of the light signal sensed by one photosensitive pixel, rather than recording the reception time of the light signals sensed by multiple photosensitive pixels at the same time, so that the flight time of the obtained light signal can be accurate.

[0039] Taking a single measurement cycle as an example, see Figure 2, the control module simultaneously generates synchronization signal 1 and synchronization signal 2. Synchronization signal 1 is transmitted to the timing unit to cause the timing subunit in the timing unit to start timing. Synchronization signal 2 is transmitted to the drive circuit to cause the light emitting unit to emit a light signal under the drive of the drive circuit. The light signal emitted by the light emitting unit is reflected by the imaged object (i.e., the detected object) and then received by the light receiving unit. After receiving the light signal, the light receiving unit generates a current signal, causing the timing subunit to interrupt timing, thereby obtaining a flight time t1. Repeating this process multiple times constitutes a complete measurement. Assuming N measurements are made, and n of them are valid (n < N), then n times can be obtained. The processing module statistically processes these n times into a histogram, and then based on the histogram, the depth information of the imaged object (i.e., the detected object) can be obtained.

[0040] As Figure 1 shown, the method may specifically include:

[0041] S110. Obtain imaging parameters.

[0042] The imaging parameters may, for example, be information used to reflect the current depth imaging requirements.

[0043] In some scenarios, the imaging parameters may include the target resolution information of the depth map, the focused object information of the depth map, and the estimated depth information of the focused object, etc.

[0044] Among them, the target resolution information of the depth map may, for example, be descriptive information about the resolution of the depth map that is desired to be obtained after performing the ranging method provided in this application.

[0045] The focused object information of the depth map may, for example, be an object that needs to be clearly presented in the depth map, which may specifically be a person, an animal, a plant, or an object, etc.

[0046] The estimated depth information of the focused object may, for example, be an estimated result obtained by estimating the depth information of the focused object. In practice, the estimated depth information of the focused object may be obtained based on the previous frame of depth image. Exemplarily, if a user is shooting a 3D image, and in the Mth captured 3D image, a specific person in the 3D image is designated as the focused object, the estimated depth information of the focused object can be obtained according to the Mth captured 3D image. The focused object information of the depth map and the estimated depth information of the focused object can be used to guide the determination of the target photosensitive pixels or the light source used when shooting the (N + 1)th 3D image.

[0047] S120. Determine the target photosensitive pixels in the superpixel according to the imaging parameters.

[0048] The target photosensitive pixels may be selected from all photosensitive pixels included in the superpixel to obtain a depth image as the photosensitive pixels of the object to be scanned. The number of target photosensitive pixels is less than or equal to the number of photosensitive pixels included in the superpixel.

[0049] In practice, all the photosensitive pixels in the superpixel can be used as target photosensitive pixels, or some of the photosensitive pixels in the superpixel can be used as target photosensitive pixels.

[0050] S130, control the light emitting unit to emit light signals, and control the target photosensitive pixels in the same superpixel to receive light information in turn, so that at any moment only one target photosensitive pixel in each superpixel is in a state of sensing light signals.

[0051] The above technical solution is to set a superpixel including multiple photosensitive pixels, a timing unit including multiple timing subunits, a timing subunit corresponding to a superpixel one-to-one, and the timing subunit and the photosensitive pixels in the corresponding superpixel are connected; according to the imaging parameters, the target photosensitive pixel is determined in the superpixel; the light emitting unit is controlled to emit a light signal, and the target photosensitive pixels in the same superpixel are controlled in turn to receive light information, so that at any moment, only one target photosensitive pixel in each superpixel is in the state of sensing the light signal. In essence, during the depth camera imaging process, different target photosensitive pixels of the same superpixel are scanned in turn in time, so that the timing subunit can record the flight time of the light signal received by each target photosensitive pixel. In this way, when the number of timing subunits is small, far more depth data points than the number of timing subunits are obtained, thereby generating a high-resolution depth image, thereby achieving the purpose of meeting high-precision application requirements.

[0052] Figure 4 A flowchart of another depth camera imaging method provided by an embodiment of the present disclosure.

[0053] See also Figure 4 , the depth camera imaging method includes:

[0054] S210: Obtain imaging parameters.

[0055] S220. Determine a target photosensitive pixel in the superpixel according to the imaging parameters.

[0056] There are multiple methods for implementing this step, which are not limited in this application. For example, in one embodiment, the imaging parameters include target resolution information of the depth map; the implementation method of this step includes: determining the target photosensitive pixel in the superpixel based on the target resolution information of the depth map.

[0057] Since only one target photosensitive pixel in each superpixel is sensing light signals at any given moment, the greater the number of target photosensitive pixels, the longer the scan takes and the lower the depth map frame rate. By setting the target resolution information based on the depth map, the target photosensitive pixels are determined in the superpixel. The essence is to reasonably limit the number of target photosensitive pixels so that the depth map has a higher frame rate while meeting the depth map resolution requirements.

[0058] Optionally, the number of target photosensitive pixels corresponding to each superpixel can be determined first based on the target resolution information of the depth map; and then the target photosensitive pixels can be determined from each superpixel based on the number of target photosensitive pixels corresponding to each superpixel.

[0059] If the number of target photosensitive pixels corresponding to a superpixel is a, then a target photosensitive pixels need to be determined from the superpixel. a is a positive integer and the value of a is less than or equal to the number of photosensitive pixels included in the superpixel.

[0060] For any superpixel, if a target photosensitive pixels need to be determined, a photosensitive pixels can be randomly selected from the superpixel as the target photosensitive pixels. Alternatively, the area occupied by the superpixel can be divided into a regions, and a photosensitive pixel can be randomly selected from each region as the target photosensitive pixel. Alternatively, the area occupied by the superpixel can be divided into a regions, and a photosensitive pixel can be randomly selected from each region as the target photosensitive pixel according to a preset rule.

[0061] For example, if it is necessary to determine 4 target photosensitive pixels from a superpixel, see Figure 5 , 4 photosensitive pixels can be randomly selected from the superpixel as the target photosensitive pixels. Figure 5 In the figure, the rectangle filled with diagonal lines represents the target photosensitive pixel. Figure 6 , divide the superpixel into 4 regions (in Figure 6 The four regions are divided by dotted lines), and a photosensitive pixel is randomly selected in each of the four regions as the target photosensitive pixel. Alternatively, see Figure 7 If the preset rule is to use the photosensitive pixel located in the middle of the area as the target photosensitive pixel, the photosensitive pixel in the middle of each area in the four areas is used as the target photosensitive pixel.

[0062] In one embodiment, the imaging parameters include the focus object information of the depth map; the implementation method of this step includes: determining a pixel area to be scanned in the superpixel based on the focus object information; and determining a target photosensitive pixel in the pixel area to be scanned. The pixel area to be scanned is the area in the superpixel associated with the focus object, which can collect the light signal reflected by the focus object. For example, see Figure 8, the pixel area 13 to be scanned includes some photosensitive pixels in the superpixel.

[0063] Since the focused object is the object that the user is paying attention to, by setting the pixel area to be scanned in the superpixel according to the focused object information; determining the target photosensitive pixels in the pixel area to be scanned, the number of depth data points reflecting the depth information of the focused object in the obtained depth map can be larger, and a better imaging effect of the focused object can be achieved.

[0064] The method for determining target photosensitive pixels in the pixel area to be scanned may also include: determining the number of target photosensitive pixels corresponding to the pixel area to be scanned; and determining the target photosensitive pixels from the pixel area to be scanned based on the number of target photosensitive pixels corresponding to the pixel area to be scanned.

[0065] The method of "determining the target photosensitive pixels from the pixel area to be scanned based on the number of target photosensitive pixels corresponding to the pixel area to be scanned" is similar to the method of "determining the target photosensitive pixels from each superpixel based on the number of target photosensitive pixels corresponding to each superpixel." These methods will not be repeated here.

[0066] It should be noted that in some scenarios, all photosensitive pixels in the pixel area to be scanned may need to be used as target photosensitive pixels.

[0067] S230: Determine the number of scanning time periods, where the number of scanning time periods is the same as the number of target photosensitive pixels.

[0068] S240: Determine the correspondence between the scanning time period and the target photosensitive pixel.

[0069] The essence of this step is to determine the scanning order of the target photosensitive pixels.

[0070] There are various specific implementation methods for this step, which are not limited in this application. In one embodiment, the implementation method for this step includes determining a scanning order for target photosensitive pixels based on a preset scanning order determination rule, and then determining a correspondence between scanning time periods and target photosensitive pixels based on the scanning order for the target photosensitive pixels. Specifically, the preset scanning order can be scanning row by row from left to right, or scanning column by column from top to bottom.

[0071] For example, see Figure 9If the preset scanning order is to scan row by row from left to right, the final scanning order of the target photosensitive pixels is the target photosensitive pixel 12-1, the target photosensitive pixel 12-2, the target photosensitive pixel 12-3, and the target photosensitive pixel 12-4. The first scanning period t1 corresponds to the target photosensitive pixel 12-1, the second scanning period t2 corresponds to the target photosensitive pixel 12-2, the third scanning period t3 corresponds to the target photosensitive pixel 12-3, and the fourth scanning period t4 corresponds to the target photosensitive pixel 12-4.

[0072] S250: Control the light emitting unit to emit a light signal.

[0073] Optionally, if the light emitting unit includes a surface light source and a dot matrix light source, one of them can be selected to emit the light signal.

[0074] In another embodiment, optionally, the imaging parameters include estimated depth information of the focused object; based on the estimated depth information of the focused object, a target light source is determined from the surface light source and the point array light source; this step includes: controlling the target light source to emit light information.

[0075] Optionally, if the estimated depth of the focused object is greater than a preset depth threshold, the dot matrix light source is determined as the target light source; if the estimated depth of the focused object is less than or equal to the preset depth threshold, the surface light source is determined as the target light source. The preset depth threshold can be pre-specified and used as a basis for determining whether to use the target light source or the dot matrix light source for this depth imaging.

[0076] The reason for this setup is that a surface light source can provide a larger illumination area, ensuring uniform illumination of closely focused objects, allowing accurate depth information to be obtained. In contrast, the concentrated light from a dot matrix light source can better penetrate the air or medium at a distance, allowing accurate depth information to be obtained for distant focused objects.

[0077] S260. According to the arrangement order of the scanning time periods and the correspondence between the scanning time periods and the target photosensitive pixels, the target photosensitive pixels are controlled to receive light information, so that in each scanning time period, only the target photosensitive pixels corresponding to the scanning time period are in a state of sensing light signals.

[0078] The above technical solution provides a specific method to achieve that at any moment, only one target photosensitive pixel in each superpixel is in the state of sensing light signals. It can achieve the acquisition of depth data points far greater than the number of timing subunits when the number of timing subunits is small, and then generate a high-resolution depth image, thereby achieving the purpose of meeting high-precision application requirements.

[0079] On the basis of the above technical solutions, the dot matrix light source includes multiple light-emitting units, and the light-emitting units correspond to photosensitive pixels; if the target light source is determined to be a dot matrix light source, after determining the target light source from the surface light source and the dot matrix light source, it also includes: determining the correspondence between the scanning time period and the target photosensitive pixels, and the correspondence between the target photosensitive pixels and the light-emitting units; controlling the target light source to emit light information, including: controlling each light-emitting unit to emit light information according to the correspondence between the scanning time period and the light-emitting units, so that in each scanning time period, the light-emitting unit corresponding to the scanning time period is in a state of emitting a light signal.

[0080] The correspondence between the target photosensitive pixels and the light-emitting units is obtained during the calibration process of the time-of-flight-based depth camera.

[0081] For example, see Figure 9 , assuming that the dot matrix light source 61 includes a light-emitting unit 6-1, a light-emitting unit 6-2, a light-emitting unit 6-3, and a light-emitting unit 6-4. In the process of calibrating the depth camera based on the time of flight, the light-emitting unit 6-1 is made to correspond to the photosensitive pixel 12-1, the light-emitting unit 6-2 is made to correspond to the photosensitive pixel 12-2, the light-emitting unit 6-3 is made to correspond to the photosensitive pixel 12-3, and the light-emitting unit 6-4 is made to correspond to the photosensitive pixel 12-4. And assuming that in a certain case, the photosensitive pixel 12-1, the photosensitive pixel 12-2, the photosensitive pixel 12-3, and the photosensitive pixel 12-4 are determined as the target photosensitive pixels, and the scanning order of the target photosensitive pixels is determined to be the photosensitive pixel 12-1, the photosensitive pixel 12-2, the photosensitive pixel 12-3, and the photosensitive pixel 12-4.

[0082] In one embodiment, it is determined that the photosensitive pixel 12-1 and the light-emitting unit 6-1 both correspond to the scanning time period t1, the photosensitive pixel 12-2 and the light-emitting unit 6-2 both correspond to the scanning time period t2, the photosensitive pixel 12-3 and the light-emitting unit 6-3 both correspond to the scanning time period t3, and the photosensitive pixel 12-4 and the light-emitting unit 6-4 both correspond to the scanning time period t4. Assume that the timing subunit corresponding to this superpixel is TDC1. During depth imaging, during the scanning time period t1, the light-emitting unit 6-1 is controlled to emit light information and the target photosensitive pixel 12-1 is controlled to collect light signals. At this time, the timing subunit TDC1 is connected to the target photosensitive pixel 12-1 to record the moment when the light-emitting unit 6-1 emits the light signal and the moment when the target photosensitive pixel 12-1 collects the light signal. During scanning time period t2, the light-emitting unit 6-2 is controlled to emit light information, and the target photosensitive pixel 12-2 is controlled to collect light signals. At this time, the timing subunit TDC1 is connected to the target photosensitive pixel 12-2 to record the time when the light-emitting unit 6-2 emits the light signal and the time when the target photosensitive pixel 12-2 collects the light signal. During scanning time period t3, the light-emitting unit 6-3 is controlled to emit light information, and the target photosensitive pixel 12-3 is controlled to collect light signals. At this time, the timing subunit TDC1 is connected to the target photosensitive pixel 12-3 to record the time when the light-emitting unit 6-3 emits the light signal and the time when the target photosensitive pixel 12-3 collects the light signal. During scanning time period t4, the light-emitting unit 6-4 is controlled to emit light information, and the target photosensitive pixel 12-4 is controlled to collect light signals. At this time, the timing subunit TDC1 is connected to the target photosensitive pixel 12-4 to record the time when the light-emitting unit 6-4 emits the light signal and the time when the target photosensitive pixel 12-4 collects the light signal.

[0083] In some scenarios, when determining the correspondence between scanning time periods and light-emitting units, one scanning time period may correspond to multiple light-emitting units. At the same time, it is necessary to ensure that at least one light-emitting unit corresponds to the target photosensitive pixel corresponding to the scanning time period.

[0084] For example, see Figure 9 , it is also assumed that the dot matrix light source 61 includes a light-emitting unit 6-1, a light-emitting unit 6-2, a light-emitting unit 6-3, and a light-emitting unit 6-4. In the process of calibrating the depth camera based on the time of flight, the light-emitting unit 6-1 is made to correspond to the photosensitive pixel 12-1, the light-emitting unit 6-2 is made to correspond to the photosensitive pixel 12-2, the light-emitting unit 6-3 is made to correspond to the photosensitive pixel 12-3, and the light-emitting unit 6-4 is made to correspond to the photosensitive pixel 12-4. And it is assumed that in a certain case, the photosensitive pixel 12-1, the photosensitive pixel 12-2, the photosensitive pixel 12-3, and the photosensitive pixel 12-4 are determined as the target photosensitive pixels, and the scanning order of the target photosensitive pixels is determined to be the photosensitive pixel 12-1, the photosensitive pixel 12-2, the photosensitive pixel 12-3, and the photosensitive pixel 12-4.

[0085] It is determined that the photosensitive pixel 12-1, the light-emitting unit 6-1 and the light-emitting unit 6-2 all correspond to the scanning time period t1, the photosensitive pixel 12-2, the light-emitting unit 6-1 and the light-emitting unit 6-2 all correspond to the scanning time period t2, the photosensitive pixel 12-3, the light-emitting unit 6-3 and the light-emitting unit 6-4 all correspond to the scanning time period t3, and the photosensitive pixel 12-4, the light-emitting unit 6-3 and the light-emitting unit 6-4 all correspond to the scanning time period t4. The timing subunit corresponding to this superpixel is TDC1. When the depth camera is imaging, in the scanning time period t1, the light-emitting unit 6-1 and the light-emitting unit 6-2 are controlled to emit light information, and the target photosensitive pixel 12-1 is controlled to collect light signals. At this time, the timing subunit TDC1 is connected to the target photosensitive pixel 12-1 to record the moment when the light-emitting unit 6-1 and the light-emitting unit 6-2 emit light signals, and the moment when the target photosensitive pixel 12-1 collects light signals. During scanning time period t2, light-emitting units 6-1 and 6-2 are controlled to emit light information, and target photosensitive pixel 12-2 is controlled to collect light signals. At this time, timing subunit TDC1 is connected to target photosensitive pixel 12-2 to record the time when light-emitting units 6-1 and 6-2 emit light signals, and the time when target photosensitive pixel 12-2 collects light signals. During scanning time period t3, light-emitting units 6-3 and 6-4 are controlled to emit light information, and target photosensitive pixel 12-3 is controlled to collect light signals. At this time, timing subunit TDC1 is connected to target photosensitive pixel 12-3 to record the time when light-emitting units 6-3 and 6-4 emit light signals, and the time when target photosensitive pixel 12-3 collects light signals. In the scanning time period t4, the light-emitting unit 6-3 and the light-emitting unit 6-4 are controlled to emit light information, and the target photosensitive pixel 12-4 is controlled to collect light signals. At this time, the timing subunit TDC1 is connected to the target photosensitive pixel 12-4 to record the moment when the light-emitting unit 6-3 and the light-emitting unit 6-4 emit light signals, and the moment when the target photosensitive pixel 12-4 collects light signals.

[0086] It should be noted that for the aforementioned method embodiments, for simplicity of description, they are all expressed as a series of action combinations. However, those skilled in the art should be aware that the present invention is not limited by the order of the actions described, because according to the present invention, certain steps can be performed in other orders or simultaneously. Secondly, those skilled in the art should also be aware that the embodiments described in this specification are all preferred embodiments, and the actions and modules involved are not necessarily required by the present invention.

[0087] Figure 10This is a structural diagram of a depth camera imaging device based on time of flight in an embodiment of the present disclosure. The depth camera imaging device is suitable for a depth camera based on time of flight, and the depth camera based on time of flight includes: a light emitting unit, a light receiving unit and a timing unit; the light emitting unit is used to emit a light signal; the light receiving unit includes a plurality of super pixels, and the super pixels include a plurality of photosensitive pixels; the photosensitive pixels are used to receive the light signal; the timing unit includes a plurality of timing sub units, and the timing sub units correspond to the super pixels one by one, and the timing sub units and the photosensitive pixels in the corresponding super pixels are connected; the timing sub units are used to record the time when the light emitting unit emits the light signal, and the time when the corresponding super pixels receive the light signal. See. Figure 10 The time-of-flight depth camera imaging device specifically includes:

[0088] An acquisition module 310 is used to acquire imaging parameters;

[0089] a determination module 320, configured to determine a target photosensitive pixel in the superpixel based on the imaging parameters;

[0090] The control module 330 is used to control the light emitting unit to emit light signals, and to control the target photosensitive pixels in the same superpixel to receive the light information in turn, so that at any moment only one target photosensitive pixel in each superpixel is in the state of sensing light signals.

[0091] Furthermore, the device further includes a corresponding relationship determination module, configured to:

[0092] After determining the target photosensitive pixels in the superpixel according to the imaging parameters, determining the number of scanning time periods, the number of the scanning time periods being the same as the number of the target photosensitive pixels;

[0093] Determining a correspondence between the scanning time period and the target photosensitive pixel;

[0094] The control module 330 is configured to:

[0095] According to the arrangement order of the scanning time periods and the correspondence between the scanning time periods and the target photosensitive pixels, the target photosensitive pixels are controlled to receive the light information so that in each scanning time period, only the target photosensitive pixels corresponding to the scanning time period are in the state of sensing light signals.

[0096] Furthermore, the imaging parameters include target resolution information of the depth map; the determination module is configured to:

[0097] According to the target resolution information of the depth map, a target photosensitive pixel is determined in the superpixel.

[0098] Furthermore, the imaging parameters include focus object information of the depth map; the determining module is used to:

[0099] Determining a pixel area to be scanned in the superpixel according to the focused object information;

[0100] A target photosensitive pixel is determined in the pixel area to be scanned.

[0101] Furthermore, the light emitting unit includes a surface light source and a point matrix light source; the imaging parameters include estimated depth information of the focused object; the device also includes a light source determination module for:

[0102] determining a target light source from the surface light source and the dot matrix light source according to the estimated depth information of the focused object;

[0103] Control module for:

[0104] The target light source is controlled to emit light information.

[0105] Furthermore, the dot matrix light source includes a plurality of light-emitting units, and the light-emitting units correspond to the photosensitive pixels. If it is determined that the target light source is a dot matrix light source, the device further includes a corresponding relationship determination module for:

[0106] Determining a correspondence between the scanning time period and the light-emitting unit according to a correspondence between the scanning time period and the target photosensitive pixel, and a correspondence between the target photosensitive pixel and the light-emitting unit;

[0107] Control module for:

[0108] According to the corresponding relationship between the scanning time period and the light emitting units, each light emitting unit is controlled to emit light information, so that in each scanning time period, the light emitting unit corresponding to the scanning time period is in a state of emitting light signals.

[0109] Furthermore, according to the estimated depth information of the focused object, the light source determination module is configured to:

[0110] If the estimated depth of the focused object is greater than a preset depth threshold, determining the dot matrix light source as a target light source;

[0111] If the estimated depth of the focused object is less than or equal to a preset depth threshold, the surface light source is determined as a target light source.

[0112] The time-of-flight depth camera imaging device provided in the embodiment of the present disclosure can execute the steps of the time-of-flight depth camera imaging method provided in the embodiment of the method of the present disclosure, and has the execution steps and beneficial effects, which will not be repeated here.

[0113] Figure 11 This is a schematic diagram of the structure of an electronic device in the embodiment of the present disclosure. Figure 11 , which shows a schematic structural diagram of an electronic device 1000 suitable for implementing the embodiments of the present disclosure. The electronic device 1000 in the embodiments of the present disclosure may include, but is not limited to, mobile terminals such as mobile phones, laptop computers, digital broadcast receivers, PDAs (personal digital assistants), PADs (tablet computers), PMPs (portable multimedia players), vehicle-mounted terminals (such as vehicle-mounted navigation terminals), wearable electronic devices, and fixed terminals such as digital TVs, desktop computers, smart home devices, and the like. Figure 11 The electronic device shown is only an example and should not limit the functions and scope of use of the embodiments of the present disclosure.

[0114] like Figure 11 As shown, the electronic device 1000 may include a processing device (e.g., a central processing unit, a graphics processing unit, etc.) 1001, which can perform various appropriate actions and processes according to a program stored in a read-only memory (ROM) 1002 or a program loaded from a storage device 1008 into a random access memory (RAM) 1003 to implement the time-of-flight depth camera imaging method according to the embodiment of the present disclosure. Various programs and information required for the operation of the electronic device 1000 are also stored in the RAM 1003. The processing device 1001, the ROM 1002, and the RAM 1003 are connected to each other via a bus 1004. An input / output (I / O) interface 1005 is also connected to the bus 1004.

[0115] Typically, the following devices may be connected to the I / O interface 1005: an input device 1006 including, for example, a touch screen, a touchpad, a keyboard, a mouse, a camera, a microphone, an accelerometer, a gyroscope, etc.; an output device 1007 including, for example, a liquid crystal display (LCD), a speaker, a vibrator, etc.; a storage device 1008 including, for example, a magnetic tape, a hard disk, etc.; and a communication device 1009. The communication device 1009 may allow the electronic device 1000 to communicate with other devices wirelessly or by wire to exchange information. Although Figure 11 The electronic device 1000 is shown with various devices, but it should be understood that it is not required to implement or possess all of the devices shown. More or fewer devices may be implemented or possessed instead.

[0116] In particular, according to an embodiment of the present disclosure, the process described above with reference to the flowchart can be implemented as a computer software program. For example, an embodiment of the present disclosure includes a computer program product, which includes a computer program carried on a non-transitory computer-readable medium, and the computer program contains program code for executing the method shown in the flowchart, thereby implementing the time-of-flight-based depth camera imaging method described above. In such an embodiment, the computer program can be downloaded and installed from the network through the communication device 1009, or installed from the storage device 1008, or installed from the ROM 1002. When the computer program is executed by the processing device 1001, the above-mentioned functions defined in the method of the embodiment of the present disclosure are performed.

[0117] It should be noted that the computer-readable medium mentioned above in the present disclosure may be a computer-readable signal medium or a computer-readable storage medium, or any combination of the two. A computer-readable storage medium may be, for example, but not limited to, an electrical, magnetic, optical, electromagnetic, infrared, or semiconductor system, device, or component, or any combination of the above. More specific examples of computer-readable storage media may include, but are not limited to: an electrical connection with one or more wires, a portable computer disk, a hard disk, a random access memory (RAM), a read-only memory (ROM), an erasable programmable read-only memory (EPROM or flash memory), an optical fiber, a portable compact disk read-only memory (CD-ROM), an optical storage device, a magnetic storage device, or any suitable combination of the above. In the present disclosure, a computer-readable storage medium may be any tangible medium that contains or stores a program that can be used by or in conjunction with an instruction execution system, device, or component. In the present disclosure, a computer-readable signal medium may include an information signal propagated in baseband or as part of a carrier wave, which carries computer-readable program code. Such a propagated information signal may take a variety of forms, including but not limited to electromagnetic signals, optical signals, or any suitable combination of the above. A computer-readable signal medium may also be any computer-readable medium other than a computer-readable storage medium that can transmit, propagate, or transport a program for use by or in conjunction with an instruction execution system, apparatus, or device. The program code contained on the computer-readable medium may be transmitted using any suitable medium, including but not limited to wires, optical cables, RF (radio frequency), etc., or any suitable combination thereof.

[0118] In some embodiments, the client and server can communicate using any known or future developed network protocol, such as HTTP (HyperText Transfer Protocol), and can be interconnected with any form or medium of digital information communication (e.g., a communication network). Examples of communication networks include a local area network ("LAN"), a wide area network ("WAN"), an internet (e.g., the Internet), and a peer-to-peer network (e.g., an ad hoc peer-to-peer network), as well as any known or future developed network.

[0119] The computer-readable medium may be included in the electronic device, or may exist independently without being incorporated into the electronic device.

[0120] The computer-readable medium carries one or more programs. When the one or more programs are executed by the electronic device, the electronic device:

[0121] Obtain imaging parameters;

[0122] determining a target photosensitive pixel in the superpixel according to the imaging parameter;

[0123] Control the light emitting unit to emit light signals, and control the target photosensitive pixels in the same superpixel in turn to receive the light information, so that at any moment only one target photosensitive pixel in each superpixel is in the state of sensing light signals.

[0124] Optionally, when the above one or more programs are executed by the electronic device, the electronic device may also execute other steps described in the above embodiments.

[0125] Computer program code for performing the operations of the present disclosure may be written in one or more programming languages, or a combination thereof, including, but not limited to, object-oriented programming languages such as Java, Smalltalk, C++, and conventional procedural programming languages such as "C" or similar programming languages. The program code may be executed entirely on the user's computer, partially on the user's computer, as a stand-alone software package, partially on the user's computer and partially on a remote computer, or entirely on the remote computer or server. In cases involving a remote computer, the remote computer may be connected to the user's computer through any type of network, including a local area network (LAN) or a wide area network (WAN), or may be connected to an external computer (e.g., through the Internet using an Internet service provider).

[0126] The flowcharts and block diagrams in the accompanying drawings illustrate the possible implementation architecture, functions and operations of the systems, methods and computer program products according to various embodiments of the present disclosure. In this regard, each box in the flowchart or block diagram can represent a module, program segment, or a part of code, and the module, program segment, or a part of code contains one or more executable instructions for realizing the specified logical function. It should also be noted that in some alternative implementations, the functions marked in the box can also occur in a different order than that marked in the accompanying drawings. For example, two boxes represented in succession can actually be executed substantially in parallel, and they can sometimes be executed in the opposite order, depending on the functions involved. It should also be noted that each box in the block diagram and / or flowchart, and the combination of the boxes in the block diagram and / or flowchart, can be implemented with a dedicated hardware-based system that performs the specified function or operation, or can be implemented with a combination of dedicated hardware and computer instructions.

[0127] The units involved in the embodiments described in this disclosure may be implemented in software or hardware, wherein the name of a unit does not necessarily limit the unit itself.

[0128] The functions described above herein may be performed, at least in part, by one or more hardware logic components. For example, and without limitation, exemplary types of hardware logic components that may be used include: field programmable gate arrays (FPGAs), application specific integrated circuits (ASICs), application specific standard products (ASSPs), systems on chip (SOCs), complex programmable logic devices (CPLDs), and the like.

[0129] In the context of the present disclosure, a machine-readable medium can be a tangible medium that can contain or store a program for use by or in conjunction with an instruction execution system, device or equipment. A machine-readable medium can be a machine-readable signal medium or a machine-readable storage medium. A machine-readable medium can include, but is not limited to, an electronic, magnetic, optical, electromagnetic, infrared, or semiconductor system, device or equipment, or any suitable combination of the foregoing. A more specific example of a machine-readable storage medium can include an electrical connection based on one or more lines, a portable computer disk, a hard disk, a random access memory (RAM), a read-only memory (ROM), an erasable programmable read-only memory (EPROM or flash memory), an optical fiber, a portable compact disk read-only memory (CD-ROM), an optical storage device, a magnetic storage device, or any suitable combination of the foregoing.

[0130] According to one or more embodiments of the present disclosure, the present disclosure provides an electronic device, including:

[0131] one or more processors;

[0132] a memory for storing one or more programs;

[0133] When the one or more programs are executed by the one or more processors, the one or more processors implement any time-of-flight-based depth camera imaging method provided in the present disclosure.

[0134] According to one or more embodiments of the present disclosure, the present disclosure provides a computer-readable storage medium having a computer program stored thereon, which, when executed by a processor, implements any time-of-flight-based depth camera imaging method provided by the present disclosure.

[0135] An embodiment of the present disclosure further provides a computer program product, which includes a computer program or instructions. When the computer program or instructions are executed by a processor, the time-of-flight-based depth camera imaging method as described above is implemented.

[0136] It should be noted that, in this document, relational terms such as "first" and "second" are used only to distinguish one entity or operation from another entity or operation, and do not necessarily require or imply any actual relationship or order between these entities or operations. Moreover, the terms "comprises," "comprising," or any other variations thereof are intended to cover non-exclusive inclusion, so that a process, method, article, or device comprising a series of elements includes not only those elements, but also other elements not explicitly listed, or elements inherent to such process, method, article, or device. In the absence of further limitations, an element defined by the phrase "comprising a ..." does not exclude the presence of other identical elements in the process, method, article, or device comprising the element.

[0137] The foregoing description is intended only to provide specific embodiments of the present disclosure, intended to enable those skilled in the art to understand and implement the present disclosure. Various modifications to these embodiments will be readily apparent to those skilled in the art, and the general principles defined herein may be implemented in other embodiments without departing from the spirit or scope of the present disclosure. Therefore, the present disclosure is not intended to be limited to the embodiments described herein, but rather to be construed in the broadest manner consistent with the principles and novel features disclosed herein.

Claims

1. A depth camera imaging method based on time of flight, characterized in that: The depth camera imaging method is applicable to a depth camera based on time of flight, and the depth camera based on time of flight includes: a light emitting unit, a light receiving unit and a timing unit; the light emitting unit is used to emit a light signal; the light receiving unit includes a plurality of super pixels, and the super pixels include a plurality of photosensitive pixels; the photosensitive pixels are used to receive the light signal; the timing unit includes a plurality of timing sub units, the timing sub units correspond to the super pixels one by one, and the timing sub units are connected to the photosensitive pixels in the corresponding super pixels, and the timing sub units are used to record the time when the light emitting unit emits the light signal and the time when the corresponding super pixels receive the light signal; The depth camera imaging method comprises: Obtain imaging parameters; determining a target photosensitive pixel in the superpixel according to the imaging parameter; Control the light emitting unit to emit light signals, and control the target photosensitive pixels in the same superpixel in turn to receive the light information, so that at any moment only one target photosensitive pixel in each superpixel is in the state of sensing light signals.

2. The method according to claim 1, characterized in that After determining the target photosensitive pixel in the superpixel according to the imaging parameter, the method further includes: Determining the number of scanning time periods, where the number of scanning time periods is the same as the number of target photosensitive pixels; Determining a correspondence between the scanning time period and the target photosensitive pixel; The controlling the target photosensitive pixel to receive the light information includes: According to the arrangement order of the scanning time periods and the correspondence between the scanning time periods and the target photosensitive pixels, the target photosensitive pixels are controlled to receive the light information so that in each scanning time period, only the target photosensitive pixels corresponding to the scanning time period are in the state of sensing light signals.

3. The method according to claim 1, characterized in that The imaging parameters include target resolution information of the depth map; and determining the target photosensitive pixel in the superpixel according to the imaging parameters includes: According to the target resolution information of the depth map, a target photosensitive pixel is determined in the superpixel.

4. The method according to claim 1, wherein The imaging parameters include focused object information of the depth map; and determining a target photosensitive pixel in the superpixel based on the imaging parameters includes: Determining a pixel area to be scanned in the superpixel according to the focused object information; A target photosensitive pixel is determined in the pixel area to be scanned.

5. The method according to claim 2, characterized in that The light emitting unit includes a surface light source and a point array light source; the imaging parameter includes estimated depth information of the focused object; the method further includes: determining a target light source from the surface light source and the dot matrix light source according to the estimated depth information of the focused object; The controlling the light emitting unit to emit a light signal comprises: The target light source is controlled to emit light information.

6. The method according to claim 5, characterized in that The dot matrix light source includes a plurality of light-emitting units, and the light-emitting units correspond to the photosensitive pixels; If the target light source is determined to be a point matrix light source, the method further includes: Determining a correspondence between the scanning time period and the light-emitting unit according to a correspondence between the scanning time period and the target photosensitive pixel, and a correspondence between the target photosensitive pixel and the light-emitting unit; The controlling the target light source to emit light information includes: According to the corresponding relationship between the scanning time period and the light emitting units, each light emitting unit is controlled to emit light information, so that in each scanning time period, the light emitting unit corresponding to the scanning time period is in a state of emitting light signals.

7. The method according to claim 5, characterized in that The determining of a target light source from the surface light source and the dot matrix light source according to the estimated depth information of the focused object includes: If the estimated depth of the focused object is greater than a preset depth threshold, determining the dot matrix light source as a target light source; If the estimated depth of the focused object is less than or equal to a preset depth threshold, the surface light source is determined as a target light source.

8. A time-of-flight depth camera imaging device, characterized in that: The depth camera imaging device is suitable for a depth camera based on time of flight, and the depth camera based on time of flight includes: a light emitting unit, a light receiving unit and a timing unit; the light emitting unit is used to emit a light signal; the light receiving unit includes a plurality of super pixels, and the super pixels include a plurality of photosensitive pixels; the photosensitive pixels are used to receive the light signal; the timing unit includes a plurality of timing sub units, the timing sub units correspond to the super pixels one by one, and the timing sub units are connected to the photosensitive pixels in the corresponding super pixels, and the timing sub units are used to record the time when the light emitting unit emits the light signal and the time when the corresponding super pixels receive the light signal; The depth camera imaging device comprises: An acquisition module, used for acquiring imaging parameters; a determination module, configured to determine a target photosensitive pixel in the superpixel according to the imaging parameter; The control module is used to control the light emitting unit to emit light signals, and to control the target photosensitive pixels in the same superpixel to receive the light information in turn, so that at any moment only one target photosensitive pixel in each superpixel is in a state of sensing light signals.

9. An electronic device, characterized in that: The electronic device comprises: one or more processors; a storage device for storing one or more programs; When the one or more programs are executed by the one or more processors, the one or more processors implement the method according to any one of claims 1 to 7.

10. A computer-readable storage medium having a computer program stored thereon, characterized in that: When the program is executed by a processor, the method according to any one of claims 1 to 7 is implemented.

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