Light supplementing module and camera system

Abstract

The invention provides a light supplementing module and a camera system. The light supplementing module has the sensing and light supplementing functions at the same time, the direction of the sensing light beam and the direction of the light supplementing light beam do not need to be calibrated, the assembling complexity and cost are reduced, and when the light supplementing module is applied to a camera shooting system, miniaturization and integration of the camera shooting system are facilitated. The light supplementing module comprises a light supplementing unit, a sensing unit and a beam combining unit. Wherein the light supplementing unit and the sensing unit have the same light emitting aperture. When the light supplementing module carries out target detection, the sensing unit is used for emitting a first light beam to the beam combining unit, receiving a second light beam from the beam combining unit and obtaining information of a target based on the second light beam reflected by the target. The beam combining unit is used for emitting the first light beam from the sensing unit and emitting the second light beam to the sensing unit; and when the light supplementing module performs light supplementing, the light supplementing unit is used for emitting a third light beam for illuminating the target. The beam combining unit is further used for combining the first light beam and the third light beam and emitting a fourth light beam to the target.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] This application relates to the field of intelligent transportation technology, and in particular to a supplementary lighting module and a camera system. Background Technology

[0002] A checkpoint monitoring system is a roadside detection system used to photograph, record, and process images at specific checkpoints along a road. It requires various devices such as cameras, supplementary lighting, and speed radar to perform multiple functions including image capture, lighting, and speed measurement.

[0003] Current checkpoint monitoring systems require multiple devices to perform functions such as supplemental lighting, speed measurement, and photography. Therefore, how to use a single device to achieve vehicle perception and detection and accurate supplemental lighting is a problem that needs to be solved. Summary of the Invention

[0004] This application provides a supplementary lighting module and a camera system. The supplementary lighting module provided by this application has both sensing and supplementary lighting functions, and does not require calibration of the direction of the sensing beam and the supplementary lighting beam, reducing assembly complexity and cost. When applied to a camera system, it helps to achieve miniaturization and integration of the camera system.

[0005] In a first aspect, embodiments of this application provide a supplementary lighting module. The supplementary lighting module includes: a supplementary lighting unit, a sensing unit, and a beam combining unit, wherein the supplementary lighting unit and the sensing unit have the same light-emitting aperture. When the supplementary lighting module performs target detection, the sensing unit is used to emit a first light beam towards the beam combining unit, receive a second light beam from the beam combining unit, and acquire target information based on the second light beam, wherein the second light beam is a beam reflected from the target; the beam combining unit is used to emit the first light beam from the sensing unit and emit the second light beam to the sensing unit; when the supplementary lighting module performs supplementary lighting, the supplementary lighting unit is used to emit a third light beam, which illuminates the target detected by the sensing unit; the beam combining unit is further used to combine the first light beam and the third light beam and emit a fourth light beam to the target.

[0006] This application designs the light-emitting unit and the sensing unit to have the same light-emitting aperture, and emits the combined beam through a beam-combining unit. This eliminates the need for additional calibration of the beam directions emitted by the light-emitting unit and the sensing unit. Furthermore, by combining the light-emitting unit and the sensing unit with the same light-emitting aperture through the beam-combining unit, the light-emitting module provided by this application simultaneously possesses detection and light-emitting functions, which helps to achieve product integration and miniaturization.

[0007] In conjunction with the first aspect, in some implementations of the first aspect, the supplementary lighting module further includes a deflection unit. When the supplementary lighting module performs target detection, the deflection unit is used to output the first beam from the beam combining unit and output the second beam to the beam combining unit. When the supplementary lighting module performs supplementary lighting, the deflection unit is also used to output the fourth beam from the beam combining unit to the target.

[0008] By sharing the same deflection unit between the sensing unit and the supplementary lighting unit, when the sensing unit senses the target (or target area) that needs supplementary lighting, there is no need to use additional deflection components to deflect the supplementary lighting beam to the supplementary lighting position, which reduces the number of deflection components and the size of the supplementary lighting module.

[0009] In conjunction with the first aspect, in some implementations of the first aspect, the supplementary lighting unit includes a light source and a beam shaping unit, wherein the light source is used to emit a fifth beam to the beam shaping unit; and the beam shaping unit is used to shape the fifth beam and emit the third beam.

[0010] In conjunction with the first aspect, in some implementations of the first aspect, the supplementary lighting unit further includes a polarizing beam combiner, the fifth beam is a first polarized light, the polarizing beam combiner is used to transmit a portion of the first polarized light in the fifth beam to the beam combiner, convert another portion of the first polarized light in the fifth beam into a second polarized light, and send the second polarized light out to the beam combiner through reflection and transmission of the portion of the first polarized light, the polarization directions of the first polarized light and the second polarized light are perpendicular, and the third beam includes the first polarized light and the second polarized light.

[0011] By using a polarizing beam combiner in the supplementary lighting unit, the aperture of the third beam emitted from the supplementary lighting unit can be further compressed, thereby reducing the size of the supplementary lighting module.

[0012] In conjunction with the first aspect, in some implementations of the first aspect, the light source is a laser light source or a light-emitting diode (LED) light source.

[0013] Laser or LED light sources can extend the lifespan of supplementary lighting modules, reduce light pollution, and achieve energy-saving effects.

[0014] In conjunction with the first aspect, in some implementations of the first aspect, the deflection unit is a microelectromechanical system (MEMS) micromirror array.

[0015] By using MEMS micromirror arrays, the first beam emitted by the sensing unit can have different emission angles, thereby achieving more refined scanning and sensing. At the same time, the third beam emitted by the supplementary lighting unit can achieve precise supplementary lighting at different angles.

[0016] Secondly, embodiments of this application provide a camera system. The system includes: a supplementary lighting module, a camera module, and a control module provided in the first aspect or any of the above implementations of the first aspect. The control module is connected to both the supplementary lighting module and the camera module. The control module is configured to acquire a first signal, send a second signal to the supplementary lighting module based on the first signal, and send a third signal to the camera module based on the first signal. The first signal is used to indicate that the supplementary lighting module has detected the target, the second signal is used to indicate that the supplementary lighting module provides supplementary lighting, and the third signal is used to indicate that the camera module acquires an image of the target. The supplementary lighting module is used to provide supplementary lighting to the target based on the second signal, and the camera module is used to acquire an image of the target based on the third signal.

[0017] By applying the supplementary lighting module provided in this application to the camera system, it is possible to achieve miniaturization and integration of the camera system.

[0018] In conjunction with the second aspect, in some implementations of the second aspect, the supplementary lighting module is disposed inside the camera module.

[0019] By placing the supplementary lighting module provided in this application inside the camera module, the size of the camera system can be further reduced. Attached Figure Description

[0020] Figure 1 This is a schematic diagram of the structure of the first type of supplementary lighting module 100 provided in the embodiments of this application.

[0021] Figure 2 This is a schematic diagram of the structure of a supplementary lighting unit 110 provided in an embodiment of this application.

[0022] Figure 3 This is a schematic diagram of the specific structure of the first type of supplementary lighting module 300 provided in the embodiments of this application.

[0023] Figure 4 This is a schematic diagram of the specific structure of the second type of supplementary lighting module 400 provided in the embodiments of this application.

[0024] Figure 5 This is a schematic diagram of the structure of the second type of supplementary lighting module 500 provided in the embodiments of this application.

[0025] Figure 6 This is a schematic diagram of the specific structure of the third type of supplementary lighting module 600 provided in the embodiments of this application.

[0026] Figure 7 This is a schematic diagram illustrating the working principle of a MEMS micromirror array.

[0027] Figure 8 This is a schematic diagram of the structure of a camera system 800 provided in an embodiment of this application. Detailed Implementation

[0028] The technical solutions in this application will now be described with reference to the accompanying drawings.

[0029] The following description is provided to facilitate understanding of the embodiments of this application.

[0030] First, the terms "first," "second," and various numerical designations used in the textual descriptions or drawings of the embodiments of this application shown below are merely for descriptive convenience and are not intended to limit the scope of the embodiments of this application. For example, the first beam and the second beam are different beams, etc.

[0031] Second, the term "comprising" and any variations thereof in the embodiments of this application shown below are intended to cover non-exclusive inclusion, for example, a system, product or device that includes a series of units is not necessarily limited to those units that are explicitly listed, but may include other units that are not explicitly listed or that are inherent to such products or devices.

[0032] Third, in the embodiments of this application, the words "exemplarily" or "for example" are used to indicate examples, illustrations, or descriptions. Embodiments or designs described as "exemplarily" or "for example" should not be construed as being more preferred or advantageous than other embodiments or designs. The use of words such as "exemplarily" or "for example" is intended to present the relevant concepts in a specific manner to facilitate understanding.

[0033] Fourth, in the accompanying drawings of this application, the thickness, size, and shape of the various optical elements have been slightly exaggerated for ease of explanation. Specifically, the shapes of the optical elements shown in the drawings are illustrated by way of example, and the drawings are for illustrative purposes only and are not drawn strictly to scale.

[0034] Fifth, unless otherwise specified, all terms used in this application (including technical and scientific terms) shall have the same meaning as commonly understood by one of ordinary skill in the art to which this application pertains.

[0035] In current checkpoint monitoring systems, a single checkpoint requires multiple devices to perform supplementary lighting, speed measurement, and image capture. This not only increases the number of devices, creating a "sparrow pole" effect, but also necessitates additional calibration work for each device during installation. To ensure the quality of supplementary lighting, each lane requires a xenon lamp. Furthermore, to increase the lighting range of the xenon lamps, larger lamps are typically used, leading to severe light pollution and making it impossible to integrate them into the camera, thus increasing installation complexity.

[0036] In view of this, this application proposes a supplementary lighting module that can be applied to a camera system. The supplementary lighting module provided by this application, by designing the sensing unit and the supplementary lighting unit to share a common aperture, not only reduces the number of light-emitting apertures in the optical system, eliminating the need for additional directional calibration between the beams emitted by the sensing unit and the supplementary lighting unit, but also gives the supplementary lighting module of this application the characteristics of high integration and miniaturization. At the same time, the supplementary lighting module provided by this application also possesses excellent characteristics of precise supplementary lighting, reduced light pollution, and energy saving. Furthermore, in some supplementary lighting modules, by integrating deflection components, the beam emitted by the light source can be deflected to achieve supplementary lighting over a wider range.

[0037] This application solution applies to checkpoint monitoring systems, which are road traffic on-site monitoring systems that rely on specific locations on the road to photograph, record, and process all motor vehicles passing through the checkpoint, such as toll stations, traffic or security checkpoints, etc.

[0038] Figure 1 This is a schematic diagram of the structure of the first type of supplementary lighting module 100 provided in an embodiment of this application. Figure 1 As shown, the supplementary lighting module 100 includes a supplementary lighting unit 110, a sensing unit 120, and a beam combining unit 130. The supplementary lighting unit 110 and the sensing unit 120 have the same output aperture. Specifically, when the supplementary lighting module 100 performs target detection, the sensing unit 120 emits a first light beam to the beam combining unit 130, receives a second light beam from the beam combining unit 130, and acquires target information based on the second light beam. The beam combining unit 130 emits the first light beam from the sensing unit 120 and emits the second light beam reflected from the target to the sensing unit 120. When the supplementary lighting module 100 provides supplementary lighting, the supplementary lighting unit 110 emits a third light beam, which illuminates the target detected by the sensing unit 120. The beam combining unit 130 also combines the first and third light beams and emits a fourth light beam to the target.

[0039] Based on the above solution, this application designs the light-emitting unit and the sensing unit to have the same light-emitting aperture, and emits the combined beam through a beam-combining unit. This eliminates the need for additional calibration of the beam directions emitted by the light-emitting unit and the sensing unit in the light-emitting module designed in this application. Furthermore, by combining the light-emitting unit and the sensing unit with the same light-emitting aperture through the beam-combining unit, the light-emitting module provided in this application simultaneously possesses detection and light-emitting functions, which helps to achieve product integration and miniaturization.

[0040] It should be noted that when the supplementary lighting module provided in this application (including...) Figure 1When the supplementary lighting module 100 (and supplementary lighting module 500) is used in a checkpoint monitoring system, the target information acquired by the sensing unit 120 can be the three-dimensional spatial coordinate information of the target vehicle, the target vehicle's category, distance information, speed information, orientation information, etc.

[0041] Next, the supplementary lighting unit 110, sensing unit 120 and beam combining unit 130 in this application will be described respectively.

[0042] Figure 2 This is a schematic diagram of the structure of a supplementary lighting unit 110 provided in an embodiment of this application. Figure 2 As shown, the supplementary lighting unit 110 includes a light source 111 and a beam shaping unit 112. The light source 111 emits a fifth beam to the beam shaping unit 112. The beam shaping unit 112 shapes the fifth beam and emits a third beam.

[0043] Optionally, the light source 111 can be a laser light source or a light-emitting diode (LED) light source. In some embodiments, the laser light source can be an edge-emitting laser (EEL), a vertical cavity surface-emitting laser (VCSEL), a solid-state laser, or a fiber laser, etc. It can be a monochromatic laser, such as, but not limited to, an 808nm or 850nm infrared laser; or it can be a white light laser, such as a blue laser that excites white light through a phosphor wheel, etc. In other embodiments, the LED light source can be a white LED, an infrared LED, etc. It is understood that, compared with xenon lamps, using a laser light source or an LED light source can extend the lifespan of the supplementary lighting module 100 provided in this application, avoiding frequent replacement and adjustment of the light source.

[0044] This application does not limit the type or number of optical elements in the beam shaping unit 112. Optionally, the optical elements in the beam shaping unit 112 may be at least one of a single or multiple lenses, a total internal reflector (TIR), an optical fiber, a square rod, a graded refractive index lens, a microlens array, a metasurface, or a binary optical element. For example, when the beam shaping unit 112 includes at least one lens and an optical fiber (or square rod), the fifth beam emitted from the light source 111 is converged by at least one lens and coupled into the optical fiber, then homogenized by the optical fiber (or square rod) before being emitted as a third beam. When the beam shaping unit 112 includes at least one lens, an optical fiber (or square rod), and at least one reflecting or refracting mirror, the fifth beam emitted from the light source 111 is converged by at least one lens and coupled into the optical fiber, then homogenized by the optical fiber (or square rod), and finally shaped by at least one reflecting or refracting mirror into a third beam with a predetermined divergence angle and intensity distribution before being emitted. When the beam shaping unit 112 includes at least one lens, the fifth beam emitted from the light source 111 is shaped by the at least one lens into a third beam with a predetermined divergence angle and intensity distribution before being emitted. When the beam shaping unit 112 includes a microlens array, the fifth beam emitted from the light source 111 is shaped by the microlens array into a third beam with a predetermined divergence angle and intensity distribution before being emitted.

[0045] It is understood that in this application, the beam shaping unit 112 shapes the fifth beam in order to optimize the distribution and shape of the fifth beam. That is, the beam shaping unit 112 adjusts the shape, spot size and energy distribution of the fifth beam, including but not limited to adjusting the shape, spot size and energy distribution of the fifth beam, so that the third beam generated after shaping has a high light energy utilization rate and illumination effect, thereby meeting the application requirements.

[0046] Optionally, in order to further achieve precise illumination, and to cooperate with a high-precision deflection unit (i.e., as described below) Figure 5 In the second type of supplementary lighting module 500, the deflection unit 540, in some embodiments, the beam shaping unit 112 may also include optical elements for compressing the beam aperture, such as polarizing beam combiners, etc., in which case the light source 111 adopts a polarized light source.

[0047] In some embodiments, the sensing unit 120 can be a lidar, millimeter-wave radar, or the like. For example, when the sensing unit 120 is a lidar, it includes an emitting optical path capable of emitting light signals and a receiving optical path capable of receiving light signals. Specifically, when the supplementary lighting module 110 performs target detection, when the emitting optical path of the sensing unit 120 emits a first beam towards the target in the detection area, the first beam reflects a second beam back to the sensing unit 120 after encountering the target object and is received by the receiving optical path. The receiving optical path then obtains target information based on the received second beam. When the sensing unit 120 is a lidar, this application does not limit the operating wavelength of the lidar. To improve the accuracy and precision of detection, the lidar wavelength can be selected, for example, 905nm, 940nm, 1550nm, etc. It should be noted that when the beam combining unit 130 includes a dichroic mirror, the sensing unit 120 and the supplementary lighting unit 110 operate in different frequency bands.

[0048] In other embodiments, the sensing unit 120 can also be a visual sensing unit. In this case, the sensing unit 120 uses a camera as a sensor input and performs a series of calculations and processing to accurately perceive the target and obtain target information. It is understood that when the sensing unit 120 is a visual sensing unit, it no longer emits the detection beam to the beam combining unit 130, and the area perceived by the sensor in the sensing unit 120 is substantially the same as the area of ​​the third beam emitted by the supplementary lighting unit 110.

[0049] This application does not limit the type or number of optical elements in the beam combining unit 130. For example, the beam combining unit 130 includes, but is not limited to, at least one of a dichroic mirror, a prism, a polarization beam combiner, and a spectral beam combiner.

[0050] Understandably, in Figure 1 In the supplementary lighting module 100 shown, when the sensing unit 120 identifies the target (or target area) requiring supplementary lighting, for example, when the sensing unit 120 detects the target by scanning along a certain path using a lidar, the supplementary lighting unit 110 turns on the light source to provide supplementary lighting. After the supplementary lighting is completed, the light source in the supplementary lighting unit 110 is turned off, thereby achieving energy saving.

[0051] For example, Figure 3This is a schematic diagram illustrating the specific structure of the first type of supplementary lighting module 300 provided in this application embodiment. It is understood that the supplementary lighting module 300 is an example of the aforementioned supplementary lighting module 100. The supplementary lighting module 300 includes a supplementary lighting unit 310, a sensing unit 320, and a beam combining unit 330. The supplementary lighting unit 310 is described using an example of a beam shaping unit composed of a laser light source and multiple spherical mirrors. The sensing unit 320 is described using an example of a lidar. The beam combining unit 330 is described using an example of a prism.

[0052] Specifically, the supplementary lighting unit 310 includes a light source composed of a vertical-cavity surface-emitting laser (VCSEL) 311 and a beam shaping unit composed of a first spherical mirror 3121, a second spherical mirror 3122, a third spherical mirror 3123, and a reflector 3124. The emitting area of ​​the VCSEL 311 is 2*2mm, and the divergence angle is 20°. When the supplementary lighting module 300 provides supplementary lighting, the fifth beam emitted from the VCSEL 311 is shaped into a third beam with a divergence angle of 8° and a spot diameter of 6mm after passing through the three spherical mirrors. This third beam is then reflected by the reflector 3124 and emitted into the beam combining unit 330.

[0053] The sensing unit 320 is an EEL lidar with a wavelength of 905nm. The transmitting optical path, from left to right, consists of a light source 321, a fast-axis cylindrical collimating lens 322, a first slow-axis cylindrical collimating lens 323, a second slow-axis cylindrical collimating lens 324, a polarizing beam combiner 325, and a transmission mirror 326. The receiving optical path, from right to left, consists of a reflecting mirror 327, a first lens 328 (a cemented doublet lens), a second lens 329, a third lens 331, a bandpass filter 332, and a silicon photomultiplier (SiPM) detector 333. Specifically, when the supplementary lighting module 300 performs target detection, the polarized beam emitted from the light source 321 passes through the fast-axis cylindrical collimating lens 322, the first slow-axis cylindrical collimating lens 323, and the second slow-axis cylindrical collimating lens 324, resulting in a beam diameter of 12mm. After passing through the polarization combiner 325, the beam diameter is compressed to 6mm. This first beam's beam diameter is the same as the diameter of the third beam emitted from the supplementary lighting unit 310. The compressed first beam then passes through the reflector 326 and the beam combiner 330 before exiting, thus detecting the target. When the first beam detects a target in the detection area, it is reflected by the target to generate a second beam. This second beam is transmitted through the beam combiner 330 to the sensing unit 320 and received by the receiving optical path. The second beam is reflected by the mirror 326, then passes through the first lens 328, the second lens 329, and the third lens 331 in sequence. After being filtered by the bandpass filter 332 to remove the 905nm laser light, it is focused onto the SiPM detector 333, so that the SiPM detector 333 can obtain the target information based on the received 905nm laser light.

[0054] The beam combining unit 330 is a prism. When the supplementary lighting module 300 detects a target, the prism emits a first beam from the sensing unit 320 and simultaneously emits a second beam reflected from the target to the sensing unit 320. Furthermore, when the supplementary lighting module 330 provides supplementary lighting, it combines the first beam from the sensing unit 320 and the third beam from the supplementary lighting unit 310 to generate a fourth beam, which is then emitted to the target (or target area).

[0055] For example, Figure 4 This is a schematic diagram illustrating the specific structure of the second type of supplementary lighting module 400 provided in this application embodiment. It can be understood that the supplementary lighting module 400 is another example of the supplementary lighting module 100 described above. The supplementary lighting module 400 includes a supplementary lighting unit 410, a sensing unit 420, and a beam combining unit 430. Figure 3 Compared to the supplementary lighting module 300 shown, in Figure 4 In the supplementary lighting module 400 shown, a polarizing beam combiner 4125 is added to the supplementary lighting unit 410, and the fifth beam emitted by the vertical cavity surface-emitting laser 411 is polarized light, so as to compress the output aperture of the supplementary lighting module 400.

[0056] The supplementary lighting unit 410 includes a light source composed of a vertical-cavity surface-emitting laser 411 and a beam shaping unit composed of a first spherical mirror 4121, a second spherical mirror 4122, a third spherical mirror 4123, a polarizing beam combiner 4125, and a reflecting mirror 4124. The polarizing beam combiner 4125 has two opposing surfaces, namely... Figure 4 Surfaces #1 and #2 are respectively provided with a polarizing beam splitter and a half-wave plate. Specifically, when the supplementary lighting module 400 provides supplementary lighting, the vertical cavity surface-emitting laser 411 emits P-polarized light. This P-polarized light passes through the first spherical mirror 4121, the second spherical mirror 4122, and the third spherical mirror 4123 before being incident on the polarizing beam combiner 4125. Surface #1 of the polarizing beam combiner 4125 transmits half of the P-polarized light to the reflector 4124, and surface #2 of the polarizing beam combiner 4125 converts the other half of the P-polarized light into S-polarized light. This S-polarized light continues to be reflected in the polarizing beam combiner 4125 and then reflected through surface #1 to the reflector 4124, thus compressing the aperture of the third beam from the polarizing beam combiner 4125 by half. This third beam is then reflected by the reflector 4124 and emitted to the beam combining unit 430.

[0057] Understandably, in Figure 4 In the middle, the sensing unit 420 and the beam combining unit 430 and Figure 3 Similarly, the description of the beam transmission and the components inside the sensing unit 420 and the beam combining unit 430 can be found above. Figure 3 This will not be elaborated upon here. It should be noted that, due to the aperture of the third beam emitted by the supplementary lighting unit 410 relative to... Figure 3 It has been reduced by half, therefore, in Figure 4 In the process, the aperture of the second beam emitted by the sensing unit 420 also needs to be reduced accordingly, while maintaining a spot size that is basically the same as that of the third beam. At this time, the aperture of the fourth beam emitted by the beam combining unit 430 is also reduced by half.

[0058] It should be noted that the above Figure 3 and Figure 4 Only Figure 1 The illustrated supplementary lighting module 100 is an exemplary description, meaning that the supplementary lighting unit 110, sensing unit 120, and beam combining unit 130 in the supplementary lighting module 100 may not be limited to those described above. Figure 3 and Figure 4 The structure within. Furthermore, in the above... Figure 4 The example described uses light source 411 emitting P-polarized light and polarizing beam combiner 4125 being P-transmitting and S-reflecting. However, this application is not limited to this. It can also be that light source 411 emits S-polarized light and polarizing beam combiner 4125 is S-transmitting and P-reflecting.

[0059] Figure 5 This is a structural schematic diagram of the second type of supplementary lighting module 500 provided in an embodiment of this application. Figure 5 As shown, the supplementary lighting module 500 includes a supplementary lighting unit 510, a sensing unit 520, a beam combining unit 530, and a deflection unit 540. The supplementary lighting unit 510 and the sensing unit 520 have the same light-emitting aperture. Figure 1 Compared to the supplementary lighting module 100 shown, in the supplementary lighting module 500, the deflection unit 540 can deflect the direction of the second beam emitted by the beam combining unit 530, thereby achieving a wide range of scanning perception and scanning detection; and the deflection unit 540 can deflect the direction of the fourth beam emitted by the beam combining unit 530, thereby achieving supplementary lighting effects at different angles and ranges.

[0060] Specifically, when the supplementary lighting module 500 performs target detection, the sensing unit 520 emits a first beam to the beam combining unit 530, receives a second beam from the beam combining unit 530, and acquires target information based on the second beam. The beam combining unit 530 emits the first beam from the sensing unit 520 to the deflection unit 540 and emits the second beam from the deflection unit 540 back to the sensing unit 520; the second beam is a beam reflected from the target. The deflection unit 540 emits the first beam from the beam combining unit 530 and emits the second beam reflected from the target back to the beam combining unit 530. When the supplementary lighting module 500 provides supplementary lighting, the supplementary lighting unit 510 emits a third beam to illuminate the target detected by the sensing unit 520. At this time, the beam combining unit 530 also combines the first and third beams and emits a fourth beam to the deflection unit 540. The deflection unit 540 also emits the fourth beam from the beam combining unit 530 back to the target.

[0061] In this application, the deflection unit 540 can be a fixed deflection component or a dynamic deflection component. Fixed deflection components include, but are not limited to, mirrors, prisms, etc. Dynamic deflection components include, but are not limited to, micro-electro-mechanical systems (MEMS), motorized mirrors (capable of one-dimensional or two-dimensional angle deflection), motorized prisms (capable of one-dimensional or two-dimensional angle deflection), and fast-reflecting mirrors (using piezoelectric ceramics or voice coil motors to rapidly deflect or displace the light beam).

[0062] Based on the above scheme, it can be seen that, Figure 5In the illustrated supplementary lighting module 500, the sensing unit 520 and the supplementary lighting unit 510 share the same deflection unit 540. During the scanning and detection process of the sensing unit 520 along a certain path, when the target (or target area) requiring supplementary lighting is identified, the supplementary lighting unit 510 turns on its light source to provide supplementary lighting. Therefore, the supplementary lighting module 500 does not require additional deflection components to deflect the supplementary light beam to the supplementary lighting position. It is understood that, to save energy, the light source in the supplementary lighting unit 510 can be automatically turned off after supplementary lighting is completed.

[0063] exist Figure 5 In the supplementary lighting module 500 shown, the supplementary lighting unit 510, sensing unit 520 and beam combining unit 530 can be referred to the above for supplementary lighting unit 110, sensing unit 120 and beam combining unit 130 respectively, and will not be repeated here.

[0064] For example, Figure 6 This is a schematic diagram illustrating the specific structure of the third type of supplementary lighting module 600 provided in this application embodiment. It can be understood that the supplementary lighting module 600 is an example of the aforementioned supplementary lighting module 500. The supplementary lighting module 600 includes a supplementary lighting unit 610, a sensing unit 620, a beam combining unit 630, and a deflection unit 640. Figure 6 In the illustrated lighting module 600, the lighting unit 610 is described using a laser light source and multiple spherical mirrors as an example for beam shaping. The sensing unit 620 is described using a lidar as an example. The beam combining unit 630 is described using a prism as an example. The deflection unit 640 is described using a MEMS micromirror array as an example. The structures and related descriptions of the lighting unit 610, sensing unit 620, and beam combining unit 630 can be found in the above descriptions. Figure 3 The supplementary lighting unit 310, sensing unit 320 and beam combining unit 330 are described in detail here.

[0065] Figure 7 This diagram illustrates the working principle of a MEMS micromirror array. A MEMS micromirror array can be used to modulate the direction of incident light. Each small mirror can reverse its positive and negative angles (i.e., +θ and -θ in the diagram) along a reference, allowing the incident light to be reflected at different angles, generating the first and second reflected light directions shown in the diagram. It can be understood that the supplementary lighting module 600 can rotate the micromirrors at different angles to achieve detection and scanning in different directions while simultaneously providing supplementary lighting in different directions. For example, when the supplementary lighting module is applied to a checkpoint monitoring system, due to the characteristics of the MEMS micromirror array, only one supplementary lighting module can be used to detect and illuminate all lanes, avoiding the current "sparrow pole" approach, reducing the number of devices, and achieving energy saving and cost reduction.

[0066] Specifically, when the supplementary lighting module 600 performs target detection, the polarized beam emitted from the light source in the sensing unit 620 passes through a fast-axis cylindrical collimating lens, a first slow-axis cylindrical collimating lens, and a second slow-axis cylindrical collimating lens, and then passes through a polarization beam combiner and a transmission mirror before exiting as a first beam to the prism in the beam combiner unit 630. This prism transmits the first beam to the MEMS micromirror array in the deflection unit 640. Different detection areas are scanned using the first beam and the different reflection angles of the MEMS micromirror array. When the first beam scans the target in the detection area, the target reflects the first beam to generate a second beam to the MEMS micromirror array. The MEMS micromirror array reflects the second beam to the prism in the beam combiner unit 630, and the second beam is then emitted to the sensing unit 620. This second beam is reflected by the transmission mirror in the sensing unit 620, and then transmitted through a first lens, a second lens, and a third lens. Finally, it is filtered by a bandpass filter and converged onto the SiPM detector, allowing the SiPM detector to obtain target information based on the received second beam.

[0067] Subsequently, the supplementary lighting module 300 activates the light source in the supplementary lighting unit 610 to provide supplementary lighting. At this time, the fifth beam emitted from the light source in the supplementary lighting unit 610 is shaped into a third beam with the same aperture as the first beam after passing through three spherical mirrors. This third beam is then emitted through a reflector to a prism in the beam combining unit 630. The prism combines the first and third beams and emits a fourth beam into the MEMS micromirror array in the deflection unit 640. After being reflected by the MEMS micromirror array, the fourth beam reaches the target, thus achieving supplementary lighting.

[0068] Understandably, based on the above Figure 4 The supplementary lighting module 400 provided in the text can also be used to compress the output aperture of the supplementary lighting module 600 by adding a polarizing beam combiner in the supplementary lighting unit 610, and the light source in the supplementary lighting unit 610 emits polarized light. This will not be elaborated here.

[0069] Figure 8 This is a schematic diagram of the structure of a camera system 800 provided in an embodiment of this application. Figure 8As shown, the camera system 800 includes a lighting module 810, a control module 820, and a camera module 830. The control module 820 is connected to both the lighting module 810 and the camera module 830. Specifically, the control module 820 acquires a first signal, sends a second signal to the lighting module 810 based on the first signal, and sends a third signal to the camera module 830 based on the first signal. The first signal indicates that the lighting module 810 has detected a target, the second signal indicates that the lighting module 810 provides supplemental lighting, and the third signal indicates that the camera module 830 acquires an image of the target. The lighting module 810 provides supplemental lighting to the target based on the second signal. The camera module 830 acquires an image of the target based on the third signal.

[0070] It should be noted that this application does not limit the connection method between the control module 820 and the supplementary lighting module 810, or between the control module 820 and the camera module 830. The connection can be via a wired link or a wireless link, and can be mechanical or electrical. Furthermore, the connection can be direct or indirect, via other network devices or controllers, allowing the control module 820 to interact with the supplementary lighting module 810 or the camera module 830 through the connected links. For example, when the control module 820 is electrically connected to both the supplementary lighting module 810 and the camera module 830, after the sensing module in the supplementary lighting module 810 detects a target, it sends a first electrical signal to the control module 820. Based on this first electrical signal, the control module 820 controls the supplementary lighting module 810 to provide supplementary lighting while simultaneously controlling the camera module 830 to acquire an image of the target.

[0071] Understandably, in Figure 8 In the camera system 800 shown, the supplementary lighting module 810 can be as described above. Figure 1 , Figure 5 Any one of the supplementary lighting modules mentioned above, as well as other supplementary lighting modules not listed in the embodiments of this application.

[0072] In the embodiments of this application, the supplementary lighting module 810 can be disposed inside the camera module 830 or outside the camera module 830, and this application does not limit it.

[0073] The control module 820 may include one or more processors. A processor is a circuit with signal processing capabilities. In one implementation, the processor may be a circuit with instruction read and execute capabilities, such as a CPU, microprocessor, GPU (which can be understood as a type of microprocessor), or DSP. In another implementation, the processor can implement certain functions through the logical relationships of hardware circuits. These logical relationships of hardware circuits may be fixed or reconfigurable. For example, the processor may be a hardware circuit implemented using an application-specific integrated circuit (ASIC) or a programmable logic device (PLD), such as a field-programmable gate array (FPGA). In reconfigurable hardware circuits, the process of the processor loading a configuration document and configuring the hardware circuit can be understood as the processor loading instructions to implement the functions of some or all of the above units. Furthermore, it can also be a hardware circuit designed for artificial intelligence, which can be understood as a type of ASIC, such as a neural network processing unit (NPU), tensor processing unit (TPU), or deep learning processing unit (DPU).

[0074] Optionally, the camera system 800 also includes a memory for storing instructions or images. Some or all of the processors in the control module 820 can call the instructions in the memory and execute the instructions to achieve the corresponding functions.

[0075] In the several embodiments provided in this application, it should be understood that the disclosed modules and systems can be implemented in other ways. For example, the module embodiments described above are merely illustrative; for instance, the division of units is only a logical functional division, and in actual implementation, there may be other division methods. For example, multiple units or components may be combined or integrated into another system, or some features may be ignored or not executed. Furthermore, the coupling or direct coupling or communication connection shown or discussed may be through some interfaces; the indirect coupling or communication connection between modules or units may be electrical, mechanical, or other forms.

[0076] The units described as separate components may or may not be physically separate. The components shown as units may or may not be physical units; that is, they may be located in one place or distributed across multiple network units. Some or all of the units can be selected to achieve the purpose of this embodiment according to actual needs.

[0077] In addition, the functional units in the various embodiments of this application can be integrated into one processing unit, or each unit can exist physically separately, or two or more units can be integrated into one unit.

[0078] If the aforementioned functions are implemented as software functional units and sold or used as independent products, they can be stored in a computer-readable storage medium. Based on this understanding, the technical solution of this application, in essence, or the part that contributes to the prior art, or a portion of the technical solution, can be embodied in the form of a software product. This computer software product is stored in a storage medium and includes several instructions to cause a computer device (which may be a personal computer, server, or network device, etc.) to execute all or part of the steps of the methods described in the various embodiments of this application. The aforementioned storage medium includes various media capable of storing program code, such as USB flash drives, portable hard drives, read-only memory (ROM), random access memory (RAM), magnetic disks, or optical disks.

[0079] The above description is merely a specific embodiment of this application, but the scope of protection of this application is not limited thereto. Any variations or substitutions that can be easily conceived by those skilled in the art within the scope of the technology disclosed in this application should be included within the scope of protection of this application. Therefore, the scope of protection of this application should be determined by the scope of the claims.

Claims

1. A supplementary lighting module, characterized in that, include: The system includes a supplementary lighting unit, a sensing unit, and a beam combining unit, wherein the supplementary lighting unit and the sensing unit have the same light output aperture. When the supplementary lighting module performs target detection. The sensing unit is configured to emit a first beam into the beam combining unit, receive a second beam from the beam combining unit, and acquire target information based on the second beam, wherein the second beam is a beam reflected from the target. The beam combining unit is used to output the first beam from the sensing unit and output the second beam to the sensing unit; When the supplementary lighting module provides supplementary lighting... The supplementary lighting unit is used to emit a third light beam, which is used to illuminate the target detected by the sensing unit; The beam combining unit is also used to combine the first beam and the third beam, and to emit a fourth beam to the target.

2. The supplementary lighting module according to claim 1, characterized in that, The supplementary lighting module also includes a deflection unit. When the supplementary lighting module performs target detection. The deflection unit is used to output the first beam from the beam combining unit and output the second beam to the beam combining unit; When the supplementary lighting module provides supplementary lighting... The deflection unit is also used to output the fourth beam from the beam combining unit to the target.

3. The supplementary lighting module according to claim 1 or 2, characterized in that, The supplementary lighting unit includes a light source and a beam shaping unit. The light source is used to emit a fifth beam into the beam shaping unit; The beam shaping unit is used to shape the fifth beam and output the third beam.

4. The supplementary lighting module according to claim 3, characterized in that, The supplementary lighting unit also includes a polarizing beam combiner, and the fifth beam is first polarized light. The polarization beam combiner is used to transmit a portion of the first polarized light in the fifth beam to the beam combiner unit, convert another portion of the first polarized light in the fifth beam into second polarized light, and send the second polarized light out to the beam combiner unit together with the portion of the first polarized light that has been reflected and transmitted. The polarization directions of the first polarized light and the second polarized light are perpendicular. The third beam includes the first polarized light and the second polarized light.

5. The supplementary lighting module according to claim 3 or 4, characterized in that, The light source is a laser light source or a light-emitting diode (LED) light source.

6. The supplementary lighting module according to any one of claims 2 to 5, characterized in that, The deflection unit is a microelectromechanical system (MEMS) micromirror array.

7. A camera system, characterized in that, include: The lighting module, camera module, and control module as described in any one of claims 1 to 6, wherein the control module is connected to both the lighting module and the camera module. The control module is configured to acquire a first signal, send a second signal to the fill light module based on the first signal, and send a third signal to the camera module based on the first signal. The first signal is configured to instruct the fill light module to detect the target, the second signal is configured to instruct the fill light module to provide fill light, and the third signal is configured to instruct the camera module to acquire an image of the target. The supplementary lighting module is used to provide supplementary lighting to the target according to the second signal; The camera module is used to acquire an image of the target based on the third signal.

8. The camera system according to claim 7, characterized in that, The supplementary lighting module is located inside the camera module.

Images