Radar control system and method and vehicle equipment

Abstract

The invention discloses a radar control system and method and vehicle equipment, and the system comprises a first chip which serves as an A2B master node and is used for multiplexing an A2B bus in the equipment to transmit radar control data to an A2B slave node, and the radar control data is used for indicating the working state of a radar; the at least one control unit serves as an A2B slave node and is used for receiving the radar control data transmitted by the A2B bus and configuring the voltage state of a target interface based on the radar control data; wherein the target interface is connected with radars in a radar group, and the voltage state is used for indicating the working state of the radars and comprises a first voltage for indicating the starting of the radars and a second voltage for indicating the standby of the radars.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] This application relates to control technology, and more specifically, to a radar control system, method, and vehicle equipment. Background Technology

[0002] Current radar control systems require each radar in the radar group to be equipped with an independent power supply, and many control lines need to be run from the fixed control unit to connect to the radars of each radar group. Since the distance between the radar groups on the vehicle is relatively far, the traditional solution has the problems of high system wiring complexity, large space occupation and high hardware cost. Summary of the Invention

[0003] In view of the above, this application provides the following technical solution:

[0004] The first aspect of this application provides a radar control system, comprising:

[0005] The first chip, which acts as the A2B master node, is used to multiplex the A2B bus in the device to transmit radar control data to the A2B slave node. The radar control data is used to indicate the working status of the radar.

[0006] At least one control unit, which acts as an A2B slave node, is used to receive radar control data transmitted via the A2B bus and configure the voltage state of the target interface based on the radar control data.

[0007] The target interface is connected to the radar in the radar group, and the voltage status is used to indicate the radar's operating status, including a first voltage indicating radar startup and a second voltage indicating radar standby.

[0008] In one possible implementation, the system includes at least two control units, wherein:

[0009] Each of the control units is connected to a radar group, and the radar group contains at least two radars with different scanning angles. The operating status of different radar groups is controlled by different control units, and the number of radars in different radar groups may be the same or different.

[0010] In one possible implementation:

[0011] The number of target interfaces on the control unit is the same as the number of radars in the corresponding radar group and they correspond one-to-one. Each target interface is used to control the working status of the corresponding connected radar.

[0012] In one possible implementation, the first chip is used for:

[0013] Identify the radar groups that require adjustments to their operational status;

[0014] The target control unit is determined based on the preset correspondence between the control unit and the radar group, wherein the target control unit is any one of at least two control units;

[0015] The radar control data is output to the target control unit via the A2B bus.

[0016] In one possible implementation, the control unit is used for:

[0017] The radar control data is received via the A2B bus;

[0018] Based on the preset correspondence between radar control data and radar operating status, the operating status of each radar in the radar group connected to the control unit is determined.

[0019] Configure the voltage status of each target interface based on the operating status of each radar.

[0020] One possible implementation also includes:

[0021] At least one voltage regulator, connected to the radar array, is used to provide a stable power supply voltage to the radar array.

[0022] In one possible implementation, the system includes at least two voltage regulators and at least two radar groups, with the at least two voltage regulators connected to the at least two radar groups in a one-to-one correspondence.

[0023] A second aspect of this application provides a radar control method, comprising:

[0024] The A2B bus in the multiplexing device receives and obtains radar control data, which is used to indicate the radar's operating status.

[0025] Configure the voltage state of the target interface based on the radar control data;

[0026] The target interface is connected to the radar in the radar group, and the voltage status is used to indicate the radar's operating status, including a first voltage indicating radar startup and a second voltage indicating radar standby.

[0027] In one possible implementation, the target interface has at least two, and the number of target interfaces on the control unit is the same as and corresponds one-to-one with the number of radars in the corresponding radar group. The step of configuring the voltage state of the target interface based on the radar control data includes:

[0028] The voltage combination state is determined based on the radar control data and the preset mapping relationship between the radar control data and the voltage combination state.

[0029] Configure the voltage state of each target interface based on the voltage combination state.

[0030] A third aspect of this application provides a vehicle device, comprising:

[0031] The first chip, which acts as the A2B master node, is used to multiplex the A2B bus in the vehicle equipment to transmit radar control data to the A2B slave node. The radar control data is used to indicate the working status of the radar.

[0032] At least one control unit, which acts as an A2B slave node, is used to receive radar control data transmitted via the A2B bus and configure the voltage state of the target interface based on the radar control data.

[0033] At least one radar group is connected to the at least one control unit in a one-to-one correspondence, and is used to control the working status of each radar in the group according to the voltage status of the target interface.

[0034] The voltage states include a first voltage indicating radar startup and a second voltage indicating radar standby. Attached Figure Description

[0035] To more clearly illustrate the technical solutions in the embodiments of this application or the prior art, the drawings used in the description of the embodiments or the prior art will be briefly introduced below. Obviously, the drawings described below are only embodiments of this application. For those skilled in the art, other drawings can be obtained based on the provided drawings without creative effort.

[0036] Figure 1 This is a schematic diagram of the circuit structure of a radar control system disclosed in an embodiment of this application;

[0037] Figure 2 This is a schematic diagram of the circuit structure of the second radar control system disclosed in the embodiments of this application;

[0038] Figure 3 This is a schematic diagram of the circuit structure of the third radar control system disclosed in the embodiments of this application;

[0039] Figure 4 This is an example diagram illustrating the mapping relationship between GPIO states and radar angles disclosed in an embodiment of this application.

[0040] Figure 5 This is a schematic diagram of the circuit structure of the fourth radar control system disclosed in the embodiments of this application;

[0041] Figure 6 This is a schematic diagram of the circuit structure of the five radar control systems disclosed in the embodiments of this application;

[0042] Figure 7This is a schematic diagram of the circuit connection for a voltage regulator to power multiple radar groups, as disclosed in an embodiment of this application.

[0043] Figure 8 This is a schematic diagram of the wiring connection for powering multiple radar groups using another voltage regulator disclosed in an embodiment of this application;

[0044] Figure 9 This is a schematic diagram of the circuit structure of the sixth radar control system disclosed in the embodiments of this application;

[0045] Figure 10 This is a flowchart of a radar control method disclosed in an embodiment of this application;

[0046] Figure 11 This is a schematic flowchart of the radar control method disclosed in the embodiments of this application;

[0047] Figure 12 This is a schematic diagram of the wiring structure of a vehicle device disclosed in an embodiment of this application. Detailed Implementation

[0048] For the sake of clarity and citation, the explanations, abbreviations, or acronyms used in the following text are summarized below:

[0049] A2B: an abbreviation for Automotive Audio Bus, is a high-bandwidth digital audio bus designed specifically for in-vehicle audio systems. It transmits audio, control signals, clock, and power through a single unshielded twisted pair (UTP) cable, achieving a lightweight and low-cost audio architecture.

[0050] A2B Master Node: This is the core control device in the automotive audio bus, responsible for the synchronization control and data transmission management of the entire bus.

[0051] A2B slave node: is the terminal device in automotive audio bus technology, used to connect audio devices (such as microphones, amplifiers, multimedia heads, etc.) and support bidirectional transmission of audio signals and control data.

[0052] The technical solutions of the embodiments of this application will be clearly and completely described below with reference to the accompanying drawings. Obviously, the described embodiments are only some embodiments of this application, and not all embodiments. Based on the embodiments of this application, all other embodiments obtained by those skilled in the art without creative effort are within the scope of protection of this application.

[0053] Figure 1 This is a schematic diagram of the circuit structure of a radar control system disclosed in an embodiment of this application. To better understand the working principle of the radar control system, Figure 1The image shows a radar array, but the radar array itself is not part of the radar control system; it is... Figure 1 The purpose of this is solely to help better understand the working process of the radar control system. Figure 1 The example shown is a radar array. The radar control system can be a system on any device with radar detection requirements, provided that the device has an A2B connection, such as a vehicle or robot.

[0054] See Figure 1 As shown, the radar control system may include:

[0055] The first chip 21, acting as the A2B master node, is used to transmit radar control data from the A2B bus in the multiplexing device to the A2B slave node. This radar control data is used to indicate the radar's operating status.

[0056] At least one control unit 22, which acts as an A2B slave node, is used to receive the radar control data transmitted by the A2B bus and configure the voltage state of the target interface 221 based on the radar control data.

[0057] The target interface 221 is connected to the radar in the radar group, and the voltage status is used to indicate the working status of the radar, including a first voltage indicating radar startup and a second voltage indicating radar standby.

[0058] In this application, the A2B bus in the vehicle is reused to transmit radar control data. Since audio control in the vehicle is typically performed by a System on Chip (SOC), the first chip can be an SOC chip or another host node with control functions connected to the audio bus. For ease of understanding, the following description will use the first chip as an SOC and the vehicle as the device served by the radar control system.

[0059] In this application, the first chip acts as the A2B master node, used to send radar control data to the A2B slave node via the A2B bus. The radar control data can originate from other chips or systems in the vehicle, such as the VCU (Vehicle Control Unit). The control unit acts as the A2B slave node, used to receive radar control data sent by the A2B master node via the A2B bus. The control unit can be a chip or a processor; this application is not fixed in this regard.

[0060] In one example, when the vehicle control unit (VCU) detects that the vehicle has entered assisted driving mode, it will control the radar groups at the front and sides of the vehicle to start operating and send the corresponding radar control commands to the first chip (SOC). Upon receiving the radar control commands, the SOC parses them to obtain the radar control data and sends it to the corresponding A2B slave node, i.e., the control unit, via the A2B bus. The target interface of the control unit is directly connected to the radars in the radar group. Therefore, by configuring different voltage states of the target interface, the control unit can control the different operating states of the connected radars. For example, when the voltage state is 1, the radar is controlled to start detection; when the voltage state is 0, the radar is controlled to standby or sleep.

[0061] The radars in the radar group described in this document can be any of the following: ultrasonic radar, millimeter-wave radar, and lidar. Different radar groups may contain radars of the same or different types. When a radar group includes at least two radars, the at least two radars may be of the same or different types.

[0062] Vehicles typically contain 6-8 speakers, and some high-end vehicles even have more than ten speakers. These speakers, horns, or amplifiers are distributed in different locations within the vehicle. Therefore, the A2B slave nodes connecting these devices are also often distributed in different locations within the vehicle. In the implementation of A2B bus transmission of radar control data in this application, the control lines of the radar group can be directly connected from the nearest A2B slave node. It is not necessary to run long-distance control lines from specific locations, and no additional hardware is required. This avoids the problems of complex wiring, large space occupation, and high hardware costs that exist in traditional solutions where the radar group needs to run lines from the power management module installed in a specific location to transmit radar control data.

[0063] Figure 2 This is a schematic diagram of the circuit structure of the second radar control system disclosed in the embodiments of this application. Figure 2 The example shown is a vehicle with three radar groups. (Combined with...) Figure 2 The radar control system includes at least two control units, wherein each control unit 221 is connected to a radar group, the radar group contains at least two radars corresponding to different scanning angles, the working state of different radar groups is controlled by different control units 22, and the number of radars in different radar groups may be the same or different.

[0064] One control unit is connected to one radar group, so that one control unit is responsible for controlling one radar group. This makes the radar control tasks of different radar groups independent of each other and do not interfere with each other, which is more flexible.

[0065] Figure 3This is a schematic diagram of the circuit structure of the third radar control system disclosed in the embodiments of this application. Figure 3 In this example, SOC represents the first chip, and A2B slave nodes represent control units. The radar control system includes three control units (A2B slave nodes), and the vehicle contains three radar groups, each containing two radars. Figure 3 As shown, the number of target interfaces 221 on the control unit 22 is the same as the number of radars in the corresponding radar group and they correspond one-to-one. Each target interface 221 is used to control the working status of the corresponding connected radar.

[0066] The number of target interfaces corresponds to the number of radars in the corresponding radar group, with one target interface controlling one radar. When the level of the target interface is 1, the connected radar starts performing detection work; when the level of the target interface is 0, the connected radar is in standby mode. The target interface can be a GPIO (General Purpose Input / Output) interface.

[0067] In implementation, each radar group corresponds to a control unit, and each control unit controls the power supply of different angles of the radar within the group through at least two GPIO pins (or GPIO interfaces). Figure 4 This is an example diagram illustrating the mapping relationship between GPIO states and radar angles disclosed in an embodiment of this application. Combined with... Figure 4 For radar groups containing radars at two angles, GPIO combination states (such as 00, 01, 10, 11) correspond to the switching of different radar angles, enabling precise control of multi-angle power supplies. Figure 4 In the configuration, GPIO state 00: no active angle, all angle radars are off; GPIO state 01: angle 1 radar is activated; GPIO state 10: angle 2 radar is activated; GPIO state 11: both angle 1 and angle 2 radars are activated simultaneously. This enables dynamic management of radar operating status, activating radars at specified angles as needed.

[0068] Based on the solution presented in this application, if radars at other angles need to be added to the radar array later, only the number of extended GPIO pins (target interface) of the control unit needs to be increased. For example, three GPIO pins can support eight state combinations for controlling three radars (radar A, radar B, and radar C).

[0069] 000: A, B, and C are all in standby mode;

[0070] 001: A and B are in standby mode, C is in startup mode;

[0071] 010: A and C are in standby mode, B is started.

[0072] 100: A starts up, B and C are in standby mode;

[0073] 011: A is in standby mode, B and C are powered on;

[0074] 101: A and C start up, B is in standby mode;

[0075] 110: A and B are started, C is in standby mode;

[0076] 111: A, B, and C are all started.

[0077] Figure 5 This is a schematic diagram of the circuit structure of the fourth radar control system disclosed in this application. See also... Figure 5 As shown, the control circuits for radars at the same angle within a radar group are connected together, while radars at the same angle in different radar groups share the same control circuit. In implementation, when it is necessary to simultaneously activate or deactivate radars at the same angle in each radar group, any control unit within the radar group can be controlled to send radar control data, thus achieving simultaneous control of radars at the same angle in multiple radar groups.

[0078] Combination Figure 5 For example, when it is necessary to activate the Angle 1 radar in three radar groups simultaneously, the SOC can send radar control data to the control unit 1 (or control unit 2 or control unit 3) via the A2B bus. The control unit 1 configures the GPIO state to 10 based on the radar control data. The voltage "1" is sent to the line connected to the Angle 1 radar. Since the control lines of the Angle 1 radar in the three radar groups are connected together, the Angle 1 radar in all three radar groups will be activated. The voltage "0" is sent to the line connected to the Angle 2 radar. Since the control lines of the Angle 2 radar in the three radar groups are connected together, the Angle 2 radar in all three radar groups will be in standby mode.

[0079] Of course, since the control circuits of radars at the same angle in different radar groups are interconnected, one control unit can control radars at the same angle in multiple radar groups. Therefore, in order to reduce wiring connections, one control unit can be configured for each radar angle. That is, one control unit is responsible for the unified control of radars at one angle. Thus, the number of control units required is equal to the number of angles in the radar group. The corresponding circuit structure diagram is shown below. Figure 6 As shown, the radar group has two radar angles, therefore requiring two control units.

[0080] In other implementations, a control unit may be connected to the radar group through only one target unit. In this implementation, regardless of the number of radars in the radar group, the target unit can uniformly control all radars in the radar group. For example, if the radar group includes 3 radars, when the target unit connected to the radar group sends a high level (1), the 3 radars in the radar group are simultaneously activated; when the target unit sends a low level (0), the 3 radars in the radar group are simultaneously in standby mode.

[0081] In other implementations, there may be scenarios where there are many radar groups but few control units. In this case, one control unit may control two or even more radar groups at the same time. For example, the control lines of two radar groups are connected together, and this control line is connected to a control unit, so that one control unit sends a GPIO control signal and the two radar groups are controlled.

[0082] In summary, the control circuit between the control unit and the radar group can be implemented in various ways, and this application is not fixed or limited. The implementation of sharing a control circuit among radars of the same angle in different radar groups as described in the foregoing embodiments allows radars of the same angle to share a single control circuit, thus eliminating the need to arrange control circuits for each radar in multiple radar groups (see reference). Figure 6 Therefore, the number of control lines was greatly reduced, from the number of radar groups × the number of angles to the number of angles.

[0083] Based on the above control circuit design, the architecture of the radar control system described in this embodiment supports future upgrades without the need for rewiring or hardware replacement. It is only necessary to expand the GPIO interface of the control unit or connect the radar to the existing control circuit when adding a new radar group or radar.

[0084] In one implementation, the first chip can be used to: determine the radar group whose operating state needs to be adjusted; determine the target control unit based on the preset correspondence between the control unit and the radar group, wherein the target control unit is any one of at least two control units; and output radar control data to the target control unit using the A2B bus.

[0085] Specifically, the control unit can be used to: receive radar control data via an A2B bus; determine the operating status of each radar in the radar group connected to the control unit based on a preset correspondence between radar control data and radar operating status; and configure the voltage status of each target interface based on the operating status of each radar.

[0086] Combination Figure 3 As shown, the vehicle includes multiple control units. Before sending radar control data, the first chip needs to determine which radar group is being controlled. Then, based on the mapping relationship between radar groups and control units, it can determine the control unit to which the radar control data needs to be sent and identify that target unit as the target control unit.

[0087] For example, if the radar control data indicates that the radar at the first angle of radar group 3 needs to be activated, then the SOC needs to add addressing information when sending the radar control data. The addressing information is used to control the transmission of the radar control data to the No. 3 control unit (No. 3 A2B slave node) connected to radar group 3. After receiving the radar control data, the No. 3 control unit determines that the radar at the first angle needs to be activated, and then configures the level combination state of the two GPIO interfaces to 10. Then, the radar at the first angle of radar group 3 (radar 1) is activated, and the radars at other angles are in standby mode.

[0088] The above content describes the specific workings of the first chip and control unit of the radar control system, which helps those skilled in the art to better understand and implement the technical solution of this application.

[0089] In one implementation, in addition to the parts described in the foregoing embodiments, the radar control system may also include: at least one voltage regulator 23, which is connected to the radar group and is used to provide a stable power supply voltage to the radar group.

[0090] The voltage regulator is also known as an LDO (Low Dropout Regulator). It is connected to the vehicle's power supply module and is part of the vehicle's existing hardware structure. Devices in the vehicle, such as horns and loudspeakers, require power from the LDO. In this application, a lead wire can be connected to the radar array to power the radar within the array. Figure 7 This is a schematic diagram of the circuit connection for a voltage regulator to power multiple radar groups, as disclosed in an embodiment of this application. It can be combined with... Figure 7 Understand the content of this implementation.

[0091] In another implementation, the radar control system includes at least two voltage regulators 23 and at least two radar groups, with the at least two voltage regulators 23 connected to the at least two radar groups in a one-to-one correspondence.

[0092] Typically, each device such as a horn or speaker in a vehicle has an independent voltage regulator nearby to power it. Therefore, the LDO that powers the horn or speaker and the A2B slave node (control unit) that provides audio data are often very close to each other. The A2B slave node is also very close to the radar group. Thus, the radar group can obtain the voltage provided by the LDO from the lead wire of the nearest LDO. In other words, the LDO closest to the radar group powers the radar group. Figure 8 This is a schematic diagram of the wiring connection for another voltage regulator disclosed in an embodiment of this application, which supplies power to multiple radar groups. Figure 8 In Chinese, LDO stands for voltage regulator, which can be combined with Figure 8 Understand the content of this implementation.

[0093] Since a voltage regulator can be selected nearby to power the radar group, the wiring required by the traditional solution to power each radar group from a fixed power management module is eliminated, which greatly shortens the wiring length, saves space and reduces costs; moreover, the technical solution of this application can eliminate the power management module compared with the traditional solution, further reducing hardware costs.

[0094] It should be noted that the improvements in the technical solutions disclosed in this application only involve the control and power supply parts of the radar group. In actual applications, the radar group also needs to send the radar data of the detection process to the second chip, which can be an MCU (Microcontroller Unit). The circuit connection and data interaction between the radar group and the MCU are described below.

[0095] Figure 9 This is a schematic diagram of the circuit structure of the sixth radar control system disclosed in the embodiments of this application. Figure 9 The radar control system shown includes a first chip 21, a control unit 22, a voltage regulator 23, and a second chip 24. This second chip can be a chip that processes radar group detection data, such as an MCU.

[0096] The first chip, the SOC, is responsible for audio and radar control. It adopts a master-slave architecture, implementing audio and radar control based on A2B. In this implementation, the first chip acts as the A2B master node, while the speaker and loudspeaker control chips can serve as A2B slave nodes (control units). When the first chip needs to perform audio and radar control simultaneously, audio-related data (including audio data and audio control data) and radar control data can be transmitted using time-division multiplexing technology.

[0097] The control unit controls the operating status of the radars in the radar group through the output of the voltage level of the GPIO interface. When the voltage level of the GPIO interface is high (1), the connected radar is active; when the voltage level of the GPIO interface is low (0), the connected radar is in standby mode.

[0098] The communication between the second chip (MCU) and the radar array is bidirectional. In implementation, the MCU can send calibration signals, configuration information, etc., to the radar array, while the radar array can send radar data from the detection process to the MCU for processing.

[0099] The LDO can be an LDO originally used to power devices such as horns and loudspeakers. In this application, the nearest LDO can be selected to power the radar group.

[0100] Based on the foregoing embodiments, the present application has the following advantages:

[0101] Significantly reduces cabling length: Reduces cabling complexity, decreases total cabling length, and minimizes space occupation;

[0102] Flexible scalability: When increasing the radar angle, only the target interface needs to be added, without modifying the wiring layout, saving hardware costs and time;

[0103] Simplified system architecture: A2B nodes unify the control of radar operating logic, reducing redundant circuits and independent power management modules; centralized management reduces maintenance difficulty and is suitable for high-density deployment scenarios (such as autonomous vehicles and robots).

[0104] Reduced power consumption and cost: Power supply on demand, activating only the radar angle currently needed, reducing unnecessary power consumption; Optimized hardware costs: Significantly reduced costs for connectors and wiring;

[0105] Wide range of applications: Suitable for scenarios with limited space and requiring multi-angle perception (such as vehicle radar and drone obstacle avoidance), balancing performance and compactness.

[0106] In summary, the radar control system disclosed in this application solves the problems of complex radar group connection lines and poor scalability in traditional solutions by using the A2B bus in the multiplexing equipment and the GPIO combination control of the radar working status and the radar group's local power supply mechanism. At the same time, it simplifies the hardware design, reduces cost and power consumption, and provides an efficient and scalable solution for multi-angle radar systems.

[0107] Figure 10 This is a flowchart illustrating a radar control method disclosed in an embodiment of this application. See also... Figure 10 As shown, the method may include:

[0108] Step 1101: The A2B bus in the multiplexing device receives and obtains radar control data, which is used to indicate the working status of the radar.

[0109] The A2B bus is the audio bus in the device. One end connects to the A2B master node, such as the SOC chip, and the other end connects to the A2B slave node, corresponding to the control unit mentioned earlier. The control unit is the executing entity of the radar control method described in this embodiment. The control unit receives radar control data sent by the SOC chip through the A2B bus, therefore it is not necessary to separately pull lines from the chip to transmit radar control data.

[0110] Step 1102: Configure the voltage status of the target interface based on the radar control data. The target interface is connected to the radar in the radar group. The voltage status is used to indicate the working status of the radar, including a first voltage indicating radar startup and a second voltage indicating radar standby.

[0111] The target interface can be a GPIO interface. After receiving radar control data, the control unit can configure the voltage state of its own GPIO interface to indicate the working state that the connected radar needs to enter or maintain. For example, a high voltage level (1) indicates that the radar needs to be activated, and a low voltage level (0) indicates that the radar is in standby mode.

[0112] In this application, the A2B bus in the vehicle is reused to transmit radar control data. The control lines of the radar group can be directly connected from the control unit that is closest to it, without having to run long control lines from a specific location. Moreover, no additional hardware is required to achieve this. This avoids the problems of complex wiring, large space occupation, and high hardware cost that exist in traditional solutions where the radar group needs to run lines from the power management module installed in a specific location to transmit radar control data.

[0113] Figure 11 This is a schematic flowchart of the radar control method disclosed in an embodiment of this application. (In conjunction with...) Figure 11 An illustrative control and management process includes the following:

[0114] The first chip determines that the angle 1 radar needs to be activated to generate the corresponding control command.

[0115] Control commands are sent to the control unit via the A2B bus;

[0116] The control unit parses the control command and sets the GPIO to state 0 or 1.

[0117] Radar at angle 1 is powered on, while radars at other angles remain off.

[0118] To better understand the process of controlling the radar, see [link to relevant documentation]. Figure 9 In practical applications, the radar control implementation process can include: the SOC chip, acting as the A2B master node, generates radar control commands according to requirements and sends them to the control unit via the A2B bus; the control unit parses the received radar control commands and configures the voltage state of the GPIO interface accordingly; the radar group controls the corresponding radar to be activated or in standby mode according to the voltage state of the GPIO interface; the activated radar starts detection and transmits the radar data during the detection process to the MCU.

[0119] In one implementation, the target interface has at least two, and the number of target interfaces on the control unit is the same as the number of radars in the corresponding radar group and corresponds one-to-one. The step of configuring the voltage state of the target interface based on the radar control data may include: determining the voltage combination state based on the radar control data and a preset mapping relationship between radar control data and voltage combination states; and configuring the voltage state of each target interface based on the voltage combination state.

[0120] Combination Figure 3 The number of target interfaces corresponds one-to-one with the number of radars in the corresponding radar group; that is, one target interface controls one radar. For example, if radar control data indicates that the radar at the second angle in radar group 2 needs to be activated, then the SOC needs to add addressing information when sending the radar control data. This addressing information is used to control the transmission of the radar control data to control unit 2 (slave node 2 A2B) connected to radar group 2. After receiving the radar control data, control unit 2 determines that the radar at the second angle (radar 2) needs to be activated. It then configures the level combination of the two GPIO interfaces to 01, thus activating the radar at the second angle in radar group 3, while the radars at other angles remain in standby mode.

[0121] The above implementation describes a single GPIO interface connecting to one radar. However, in practical applications, depending on the scenario, the control circuit design can be configured to allow one GPIO interface to control radars at the same angle in multiple radar groups, one control unit (or one GPIO interface) to control all radars in one radar group, or one control unit to control multiple radar groups, etc. For details, please refer to the relevant sections in the system embodiments above. For the foregoing method embodiments, for simplicity, they are all described as a series of actions. However, those skilled in the art should understand that this application is not limited to the described order of actions, as some steps can be performed in other orders or simultaneously according to this application. Furthermore, those skilled in the art should also understand that the embodiments described in the specification are preferred embodiments, and the actions and modules involved are not necessarily essential to this application.

[0122] The methods described in the above-disclosed embodiments of this application are detailed in terms of their specific implementation methods. These methods can be implemented using various types of devices. Therefore, this application also discloses a device, and specific embodiments are given below for detailed explanation.

[0123] This application also discloses a radar control device, including:

[0124] The data receiving module is used to receive radar control data from the A2B bus in the multiplexing device. This radar control data is used to indicate the radar's operating status.

[0125] A voltage configuration module is used to configure the voltage status of the target interface based on the radar control data; wherein the target interface is connected to the radar in the radar group, and the voltage status is used to indicate the operating status of the radar, including a first voltage indicating radar startup and a second voltage indicating radar standby.

[0126] The target interface can be a GPIO interface. The GPIO interface has two voltage states: a high level (1) corresponding to the first voltage, and a low level (0) corresponding to the second voltage. When the GPIO interface is at a high level (1), the corresponding connected radar is activated; when the GPIO interface is at a low level (0), the corresponding radar is in standby mode.

[0127] The radar control unit reuses the vehicle's A2B bus to transmit radar control data. The control lines of the radar group can be directly connected from the nearest control unit, without having to run long control lines from a specific location. Compared with the traditional solution, the wiring around the radar is simpler and the hardware cost is lower.

[0128] In one implementation, the target interface has at least two, and the number of target interfaces on the control unit is the same as the number of radars in the corresponding radar group and corresponds one-to-one. The voltage configuration module may include: a state determination module, used to determine the voltage combination state based on the radar control data and a preset mapping relationship between the radar control data and the voltage combination state; and a voltage configuration submodule, used to configure the voltage state of each target interface based on the voltage combination state.

[0129] For details on the implementation of the radar control device and its various modules, please refer to the relevant sections of the foregoing embodiments; they will not be repeated here.

[0130] Furthermore, this application also discloses a vehicle device, Figure 12 This is a schematic diagram of the wiring structure of a vehicle device disclosed in an embodiment of this application. See also... Figure 12 Vehicle equipment may include:

[0131] The first chip 21, which acts as the A2B master node, is used to multiplex the A2B bus in the vehicle equipment to transmit radar control data to the A2B slave node. The radar control data is used to indicate the working status of the radar.

[0132] At least one control unit 22, which acts as an A2B slave node, is used to receive the radar control data transmitted by the A2B bus and configure the voltage state of the target interface 221 based on the radar control data;

[0133] At least one radar group 24 is connected to at least one control unit 22 in a one-to-one correspondence, and is used to control the working status of each radar in the group according to the voltage status of the target interface 221.

[0134] The voltage states include a first voltage indicating radar activation and a second voltage indicating radar standby. The first voltage can be a high level (1) and the second voltage can be a low level (0).

[0135] In the vehicle equipment, the first chip and the control unit are connected via an A2B bus. In this application, since the first chip is responsible for the audio and radar control of the vehicle equipment, the A2B bus needs to transmit audio-related data and / or radar control data. When the first chip performs audio control or radar control alone, it directly sends the audio-related data or radar control data to the A2B bus; when the first chip needs to perform both audio and radar control simultaneously, time-division multiplexing technology can be used to send the audio-related data and radar control data. Considering that radar control data is usually only for command transmission and radar control does not change frequently, in the implementation of time-division multiplexing, a larger bandwidth resource can be configured for the transmission of audio-related data, and a smaller bandwidth resource can be configured for radar control data.

[0136] In this embodiment, the A2B bus in the vehicle equipment is multiplexed to transmit radar control data. The control lines of the radar group can be directly connected from the nearest control unit, eliminating the need to run long control lines from specific locations. Compared to traditional solutions, this reduces wiring around the radar and lowers costs. For specific implementation details of each structure in the vehicle equipment, as well as other possible implementations, please refer to the corresponding sections of the radar control system description; further details will not be repeated here.

[0137] Any of the radar control methods described in the above embodiments includes a processor and a memory. The data receiving module, voltage configuration module, status determination module, voltage configuration submodule, etc. in the above embodiments are all stored as program modules in the memory, and the processor executes the above program modules stored in the memory to realize the corresponding functions.

[0138] The processor contains a kernel, which retrieves the corresponding program modules from memory. One or more kernels can be configured, and the processing of backtracking data can be achieved by adjusting kernel parameters.

[0139] The memory may include non-permanent memory in computer-readable media, such as random access memory (RAM) and / or non-volatile memory, such as read-only memory (ROM) or flash RAM, and the memory includes at least one memory chip.

[0140] In an exemplary embodiment, a computer-readable storage medium is also provided, which can be directly loaded into the internal memory of a computer, and contains software code. After being loaded and executed by the computer, the computer program can implement the steps shown in any of the embodiments of the radar control method described above.

[0141] In an exemplary embodiment, a computer program product is also provided, which can be directly loaded into the internal memory of a computer and contains software code. After being loaded and executed by the computer, the computer program can implement the steps shown in any embodiment of the radar control method described above.

[0142] The various embodiments in this specification are described in a progressive manner, with each embodiment focusing on its differences from other embodiments. Similar or identical parts between embodiments can be referred to interchangeably. For the apparatus disclosed in the embodiments, since they correspond to the methods disclosed in the embodiments, the description is relatively simple; relevant parts can be referred to the method section.

[0143] It should also be noted that, in this document, relational terms such as "first" and "second" are used only to distinguish one entity or operation from another, and do not necessarily require or imply any such actual relationship or order between these entities or operations. Furthermore, the terms "comprising," "including," or any other variations thereof are intended to cover non-exclusive inclusion, such that a process, method, article, or apparatus that comprises a list of elements includes not only those elements but also other elements not expressly listed, or elements inherent to such a process, method, article, or apparatus. Without further limitations, an element defined by the phrase "comprising one..." does not exclude the presence of other identical elements in the process, method, article, or apparatus that includes said element.

[0144] The steps of the methods or algorithms described in conjunction with the embodiments disclosed herein can be implemented directly by hardware, a software module executed by a processor, or a combination of both. The software module can be located in random access memory (RAM), main memory, read-only memory (ROM), electrically programmable ROM, electrically erasable programmable ROM, registers, hard disk, removable disk, CD-ROM, or any other form of storage medium known in the art.

[0145] The above description of the disclosed embodiments enables those skilled in the art to make or use this application. 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 this application. Therefore, this application is not to be limited to the embodiments shown herein, but is to be accorded the widest scope consistent with the principles and novel features disclosed herein.

Claims

1. A radar control system, comprising: The first chip, which acts as the A2B master node, is used to multiplex the A2B bus in the device to transmit radar control data to the A2B slave node. The radar control data is used to indicate the working status of the radar. At least one control unit, which acts as an A2B slave node, is used to receive radar control data transmitted via the A2B bus and configure the voltage state of the target interface based on the radar control data. The target interface is connected to the radar in the radar group, and the voltage status is used to indicate the radar's operating status, including a first voltage indicating radar startup and a second voltage indicating radar standby.

2. The radar control system according to claim 1, wherein the system comprises at least two control units, wherein: Each of the control units is connected to a radar group, and the radar group contains at least two radars with different scanning angles. The operating status of different radar groups is controlled by different control units, and the number of radars in different radar groups may be the same or different.

3. The radar control system according to claim 2, wherein: The number of target interfaces on the control unit is the same as the number of radars in the corresponding radar group and they correspond one-to-one. Each target interface is used to control the working status of the corresponding connected radar.

4. The radar control system according to claim 2, wherein the first chip is used for: Identify the radar groups that require adjustments to their operational status; The target control unit is determined based on the preset correspondence between the control unit and the radar group, wherein the target control unit is any one of at least two control units; The radar control data is output to the target control unit via the A2B bus.

5. The radar control system according to claim 2, wherein the control unit is used for: The radar control data is received via the A2B bus; Based on the preset correspondence between radar control data and radar operating status, the operating status of each radar in the radar group connected to the control unit is determined. Configure the voltage status of each target interface based on the operating status of each radar.

6. The radar control system according to claim 1, further comprising: At least one voltage regulator, connected to the radar array, is used to provide a stable power supply voltage to the radar array.

7. The radar control system according to claim 6, the system includes at least two voltage regulators and at least two radar groups, wherein the at least two voltage regulators are connected to the at least two radar groups in a one-to-one correspondence.

8. A radar control method, comprising: The A2B bus in the multiplexing device receives and obtains radar control data, which is used to indicate the radar's operating status. Configure the voltage state of the target interface based on the radar control data; The target interface is connected to the radar in the radar group, and the voltage status is used to indicate the radar's operating status, including a first voltage indicating radar startup and a second voltage indicating radar standby.

9. The radar control method according to claim 8, wherein the target interface has at least two, the number of target interfaces on the control unit is the same as and corresponds one-to-one with the number of radars in the corresponding radar group, and configuring the voltage state of the target interface based on the radar control data includes: The voltage combination state is determined based on the radar control data and the preset mapping relationship between the radar control data and the voltage combination state. Configure the voltage state of each target interface based on the voltage combination state.

10. A vehicle device comprising: The first chip, which acts as the A2B master node, is used to multiplex the A2B bus in the vehicle equipment to transmit radar control data to the A2B slave node. The radar control data is used to indicate the working status of the radar. At least one control unit, which acts as an A2B slave node, is used to receive radar control data transmitted via the A2B bus and configure the voltage state of the target interface based on the radar control data. At least one radar group is connected to the at least one control unit in a one-to-one correspondence, and is used to control the working status of each radar in the group according to the voltage status of the target interface. The voltage states include a first voltage indicating radar startup and a second voltage indicating radar standby.

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