Signal receiving device and method and radar system

Abstract

The invention is suitable for the technical field of radars, and provides a signal receiving device and method, a radar system and N light sensing unit groups, each light sensing unit group comprises a plurality of light sensing units, and the light sensing unit groups are used for receiving echo light beams and outputting corresponding sampling data; the data selection module is connected with the N photosensitive unit groups and is used for selecting target sampling data according to a pixel distance measurement requirement; and the calculation module is connected with the data selection module and is used for performing echo data processing and calculation according to the target sampling data to obtain a pixel result, selecting the sampling data output by the fused photosensitive unit group according to a pixel distance measurement requirement, and determining the pixel result based on the sampling data. And the ranging performance of the radar is effectively improved.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] This application belongs to the field of radar technology, and in particular relates to a signal receiving device, method and radar system. Background Technology

[0002] LiDAR is a radar system that uses laser beams to detect the position, speed, and other information of a target. In addition to detecting the distance to an object, it can also detect the reflectivity of the object for target identification.

[0003] Radar ranging capability is one of the most important performance indicators of radar. When the detection efficiency of the receiving device in the receiving module is fixed, in order to improve the ranging capability of the radar, it is often necessary to increase the transmission power of the transmitting device in the transmitting module or increase the number of scans. However, this will lead to an increase in the overall power consumption of the radar.

[0004] Therefore, how to improve the ranging capability of radar without increasing transmission power or the number of scans is an urgent problem to be solved. Summary of the Invention

[0005] This application provides a signal receiving device, method, and radar system that can improve the ranging capability of radar without increasing transmission power or the number of scans.

[0006] In a first aspect, embodiments of this application provide a signal receiving device, including:

[0007] N photosensitive unit groups, each photosensitive unit group comprising multiple photosensitive units, are used to receive echo beams and output corresponding sampling data;

[0008] A data selection module, connected to the N photosensitive unit groups, is used to select target sampling data according to pixel ranging requirements;

[0009] A calculation module, connected to the data selection module, is used to perform echo data processing and calculation based on the target sampling data to obtain pixel results.

[0010] In one implementation of the first aspect, the signal receiving device further includes:

[0011] The superposition unit is connected to each of the photosensitive unit groups. The superposition unit is used to superimpose the electrical signals collected by each photosensitive unit in the photosensitive unit group to obtain the sampling data of the photosensitive unit group.

[0012] In one implementation of the first aspect, the data selection module includes a data selector array, the data selector array includes multiple data selectors, the output of each data selector corresponds to a pixel result, the data selector determines the target photosensitive unit group according to the corresponding pixel ranging requirement, and outputs the sampling data output by the target photosensitive unit group to the computing module.

[0013] In one implementation of the first aspect, the computing module includes:

[0014] A weighted fusion unit, connected to the data selector, is used to perform weighted fusion on the sampled data output by the data selector to obtain a fusion result;

[0015] A data calculation unit, connected to the weighted fusion unit, is used to process and calculate echo data based on the fusion result to obtain the pixel result.

[0016] In one implementation of the first aspect, the photosensitive unit includes a silicon photomultiplier tube and / or an avalanche diode.

[0017] Secondly, embodiments of this application provide a signal receiving method, applied to the signal receiving apparatus as described in the first aspect or any implementation thereof, comprising:

[0018] Target sampling data is allocated to pixels according to pixel ranging requirements, and the target sampling data is the sampling data output by the target photosensitive unit group;

[0019] The pixel result of the pixel is determined based on the target sampling data.

[0020] In one implementation of the second aspect, allocating target sampling data to pixels according to pixel ranging requirements includes:

[0021] Determine the target photosensitive unit group corresponding to each pixel based on pixel ranging requirements;

[0022] Acquire the sampling data output by the target photosensitive unit group.

[0023] In one implementation of the second aspect, when the pixel ranging requirement is an equidistant field of view distribution requirement, the number of target photosensitive unit groups corresponding to each pixel is equal;

[0024] When the required number of items for ranging is a requirement for unequal spacing field of view distribution, the number of target photosensitive unit groups corresponding to different pixels may be partially or completely unequal.

[0025] In one implementation of the second aspect, determining the pixel result of the pixel based on the target sampling data includes:

[0026] If the target sampling data includes sampling data output by a group of photosensitive units, then echo data processing and calculation are performed based on the sampling data output by the group of photosensitive units to obtain the pixel result;

[0027] If the target sampling data includes sampling data output from multiple photosensitive unit groups, then the sampling data output from the multiple photosensitive unit groups is fused to obtain a fusion result, and echo data processing and calculation are performed based on the fusion result to obtain the pixel result.

[0028] In one implementation of the second aspect, determining the pixel result of the pixel based on the target sampling data includes:

[0029] If the target sampling data includes sampling data output by a group of photosensitive units, then echo data processing and calculation are performed based on the sampling data output by the group of photosensitive units to obtain the pixel result;

[0030] If the target sampling data includes sampling data output from multiple photosensitive unit groups, then the sampling data output from the multiple photosensitive unit groups is fused to obtain a fusion result, and echo data processing and calculation are performed based on the fusion result to obtain the pixel result.

[0031] Thirdly, embodiments of this application provide a radar system, the radar system including a signal receiving device as described in the first aspect or any implementation thereof.

[0032] Fourthly, embodiments of this application provide a terminal device, which includes a processor, a memory, and a computer program stored in the memory and executable on the processor. When the processor executes the computer program, it implements the method described in the second aspect or any optional method of the second aspect.

[0033] Fifthly, embodiments of this application provide a computer-readable storage medium storing a computer program that, when executed by a processor, implements the method described in the second aspect or any alternative method of the second aspect.

[0034] Sixthly, embodiments of this application provide a computer program product that, when run on a terminal device, causes the terminal device to execute the method described in the second aspect or any optional method of the second aspect.

[0035] The beneficial effects of the embodiments in this application compared with the prior art are:

[0036] The present application provides a signal receiving device, method, radar system, terminal equipment, and computer-readable storage medium that can select sampling data output by multiple photosensitive unit groups based on the pixel ranging requirements according to the pixel ranging requirements using a data selection module. This can effectively improve the ranging performance of the radar without increasing the radar transmission power and the number of scans. Attached Figure Description

[0037] To more clearly illustrate the technical solutions in the embodiments of this application, 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 some embodiments of this application. For those skilled in the art, other drawings can be obtained based on these drawings without creative effort.

[0038] Figure 1 This is a schematic diagram of the structure of a lidar according to an embodiment of this application;

[0039] Figure 2 This is a schematic diagram of a signal receiving device;

[0040] Figure 3 This is a schematic diagram of the structure of a photosensitive unit group provided in an embodiment of this application;

[0041] Figure 4 This is a diagram showing the correspondence between photosensitive unit groups and sampled data in an embodiment of this application;

[0042] Figure 5 This is a schematic diagram of another photosensitive unit group provided in an embodiment of this application;

[0043] Figure 6 This is a schematic diagram of another signal receiving device provided in an embodiment of this application;

[0044] Figure 7 This is a schematic diagram illustrating the process by which the superposition unit, provided in this embodiment, superimposes the electrical signals collected by the photosensitive unit to obtain the sampling data corresponding to the photosensitive unit group.

[0045] Figure 8 This is a schematic diagram of the structure of another signal receiving device provided in the embodiments of this application;

[0046] Figure 9 This is an application example diagram of a signal receiving device provided in an embodiment of this application;

[0047] Figure 10 This is a schematic diagram of the equally spaced pixel distribution results provided in an embodiment of this application;

[0048] Figure 11This is an application example diagram of another signal receiving device provided in the embodiments of this application;

[0049] Figure 12 This is an application example diagram of another signal receiving device provided in the embodiments of this application;

[0050] Figure 13 This is a schematic diagram of the uneven pixel distribution results provided in this application.

[0051] Figure 14 This is a schematic diagram of another signal receiving device provided in the embodiments of this application;

[0052] Figure 15 This is a schematic diagram illustrating the implementation process of a signal receiving method provided in an embodiment of this application;

[0053] Figure 16 This is a schematic diagram of the structure of a terminal device provided in an embodiment of this application;

[0054] Figure 17 This is a schematic diagram of the structure of a computer-readable storage medium provided in an embodiment of this application. Detailed Implementation

[0055] In the following description, specific details such as particular system architectures and techniques are set forth for illustrative purposes and not for limitation, in order to provide a thorough understanding of the embodiments of this application. However, those skilled in the art will understand that this application may also be implemented in other embodiments without these specific details. In other instances, detailed descriptions of well-known systems, apparatuses, circuits, and methods have been omitted so as not to obscure the description of this application with unnecessary detail.

[0056] It should be understood that the term "and / or" as used in this application specification and the appended claims refers to any combination of one or more of the associated listed items, as well as all possible combinations, and includes such combinations. Furthermore, in the description of this application specification and the appended claims, the terms "first," "second," "third," etc., are used only for distinguishing descriptions and should not be construed as indicating or implying relative importance.

[0057] It should also be understood that references to "one embodiment" or "some embodiments" in this specification mean that one or more embodiments of this application include the specific features, structures, or characteristics described in connection with that embodiment. Therefore, the phrases "in one embodiment," "in some embodiments," "in other embodiments," "in still other embodiments," etc., appearing in different parts of this specification do not necessarily refer to the same embodiment, but rather mean "one or more, but not all, embodiments," unless otherwise specifically emphasized. The terms "comprising," "including," "having," and variations thereof mean "including but not limited to," unless otherwise specifically emphasized.

[0058] LiDAR (Light Detection and Ranging) is a radar system that uses laser beams to detect the position, velocity, and other information of targets. Besides detecting the distance to objects, it can also detect the reflectivity of objects used for target identification. The specific working principle of LiDAR is to emit a detection signal towards the target. After reaching the target, the detection signal is reflected by the target object, forming echo data. LiDAR receives the reflected signal (echo data) and then determines relevant information about the target based on the echo data, such as the target's distance, position, altitude, velocity, attitude, shape, and reflectivity, thereby achieving target detection, target tracking, and target identification. The reflectivity of an object refers to the percentage of radiated energy reflected by the object to the total radiated energy of the incident signal. Different objects have different reflectivities, which are mainly determined by factors such as the object's surface properties, the wavelength of the incident signal, and the angle of incidence.

[0059] For example, please refer to Figure 1 , Figure 1 A schematic diagram of a lidar structure is shown. Figure 1 As shown, a lidar 10 typically includes a transmitting module 11, a scanning system 12, a receiving module 13, and a control system 14. The transmitting module 11 may include a light source system 111.

[0060] The light source system 111 generates the laser beam required for detection by the lidar 10. Specifically, the light source system 111 may include optical devices such as a laser and a emitting lens group. The scanning system 12 deflects the laser beam generated by the light source system 111, allowing the laser beam to hit different positions at different times. The scanning system 12 can be a mechanical scanning system (i.e., a rotary drive platform) or a semi-solid-state scanning system (i.e., a rotating mirror, a galvanometer, or a combination of both). This application does not impose a unique limitation on the form of the scanning system.

[0061] It is understood that the lidar in this application can also be a solid-state lidar, that is, scanning is achieved by controlling light sources at different angles to emit light sequentially. After the laser beam emitted by the light source system reaches the target object, it is reflected by the target object, and the reflected light pulse is received by the receiving sensor 131 in the receiving module 13. Then, the echo signal processing circuit processes the echo signal to generate corresponding detection information.

[0062] Radar ranging capability is one of the most important performance indicators of radar. When the detection efficiency of the receiving device in the receiving module is fixed, in order to improve the ranging capability of the radar, it is often necessary to increase the transmission power of the transmitting device in the transmitting module or increase the number of scans. However, this will lead to an increase in the overall power consumption of the radar.

[0063] Therefore, how to improve the ranging capability of radar without increasing transmission power or the number of scans is an urgent problem to be solved.

[0064] Based on this, the present application provides a signal receiving device that can select the sampling data output by multiple photosensitive unit groups based on the pixel ranging requirements according to the pixel ranging requirements using a data selection module, thereby effectively improving the ranging performance of the radar without increasing the radar transmission power and the number of scans.

[0065] The signal receiving method provided in the embodiments of this application will be described in detail below:

[0066] Please see Figure 2 , Figure 2 A schematic diagram of the structure of a signal receiving device provided in an embodiment of this application is shown. Figure 2 As shown, the signal receiving device 20 includes N photosensitive unit groups 21, a data selection module 22, and a calculation module 23.

[0067] The aforementioned photosensitive unit group 21 is connected to the data selection module 22, and the data selection module 22 is connected to the computing module 23.

[0068] In specific applications, such as Figure 2 As shown, in the above N photosensitive unit groups 21, each photosensitive unit group 21 includes multiple photosensitive units 211, which are used to receive the echo beam and output corresponding sampling data. The above N is a positive integer greater than 2.

[0069] In specific applications, the aforementioned photosensitive unit 211 can be a silicon photomultiplier (SiPM) or an avalanche diode (APD).

[0070] It is understood that the number of photosensitive units 211 in different photosensitive unit groups 21 may be the same or different. This application uses the example of the same number of photosensitive units 211 in different photosensitive unit groups 21 as an example for illustration. Figure 3 A schematic diagram of a possible structure for a photosensitive unit assembly is shown, such as... Figure 3 As shown, each photosensitive unit group 21 may include 8 photosensitive units 211.

[0071] In some embodiments of this application, the number of photosensitive units 211 in the photosensitive unit group 21 corresponding to the edge region is less than the number of photosensitive units 211 in the photosensitive unit group 21 corresponding to the center detection region.

[0072] Each photosensitive unit group 21 performs independent photosensitive sampling (photosensitive sampling means receiving the echo beam and outputting corresponding sampling data), obtaining the sampling data corresponding to each photosensitive unit group 21, so as to... Figure 4 Taking the signal receiving device shown as an example, such as Figure 4 As shown, the signal receiving device 20 includes three groups of photosensitive units 21, referred to as photosensitive unit group 1, photosensitive unit group 2, and photosensitive unit group 3, respectively. The sampling data collected by photosensitive unit group 1 is the first sampling data, the sampling data collected by photosensitive unit group 2 is the second sampling data, and the sampling data collected by photosensitive unit group 3 is the third sampling data.

[0073] It should be noted that the aforementioned photosensitive unit group 21 can be not only as... Figure 3 or Figure 4 As shown in the one-dimensional matrix pattern, exemplarily, the photosensitive unit group 21 described above can also be as follows: Figure 5 The two-dimensional matrix photosensitive unit group shown is a multi-row, multi-column two-dimensional matrix composed of multiple photosensitive units within a photosensitive unit group.

[0074] In practical applications, the aforementioned data selection module 22 is used to select target sampling data according to pixel ranging requirements. That is, the sampling data collected by the multiple photosensitive unit groups will be transmitted to the data selection module 22 for selection. The data selection module 22 can select one or more groups of sampling data output by photosensitive units as target sampling data according to pixel ranging requirements.

[0075] Here, the aforementioned pixel ranging requirements can specifically refer to detection accuracy requirements and detection field of view requirements, etc.

[0076] Higher detection accuracy requirements allow for the selection of more photosensitive unit groups as target sampling data; conversely, lower accuracy requirements allow for the selection of fewer photosensitive unit groups. It's understandable that detection accuracy requirements can be determined based on different application environments, such as ambient light intensity and the distribution of highly reflective objects in the detection environment. For example, in low-light environments, to improve detection accuracy, more photosensitive unit groups' data can be superimposed for each pixel result; in high-light environments, because stronger light makes crosstalk more likely, fewer photosensitive unit groups' data can be superimposed; and in cases with highly reflective objects, fewer photosensitive unit groups' data can be selected as target sampling data.

[0077] Different detection fields of view may have different pixel ranging requirements. For example, the pixel density required for the center field of view is greater than that for the edge field of view.

[0078] In some embodiments of this application, the number of data selectors for different detection fields is different, and each data selector corresponds to one pixel result.

[0079] To achieve a higher pixel density in the central detection area than in the edge detection area, the number of data selectors in the edge detection field of view can be set to be greater than the number of data selectors in the central detection field of view. This can improve the point cloud density in the central detection field of view, thereby increasing the detection accuracy of the central detection area.

[0080] It should be noted that the central detection area of ​​a radar's detection field of view refers to the central scanning area, which is the area where the target is more likely to exist and requires more precise scanning. The edge detection area refers to the detection area outside the central detection area in the field of view, and the scanning angle is generally closer to the sky or the ground area.

[0081] Understandably, the function of the aforementioned data selection module 22 is to allocate superimposed data from photosensitive unit groups for each pixel. That is, for a given pixel, it determines which groups of photosensitive unit group output sampling data need to be fused. When selecting the sampling data output from photosensitive unit groups, the number of superimposed sampling data groups allocated to each pixel can be determined based on the required detection distance (i.e., pixel ranging requirements). For example, to detect targets at greater distances, more sampling data groups can be selected for fusion. Of course, the allocation of the number of superimposed sampling data groups can also consider the design requirements of the integrated optomechanical system. For example, to achieve better resistance to optical crosstalk, fewer photosensitive unit group output sampling data groups can be allocated for fusion.

[0082] In practical applications, the data selection module 22 can be pre-set to select which photosensitive unit groups output sampling data as target sampling data for each pixel.

[0083] In some implementations, corresponding selection mapping tables can be pre-set for different application scenarios. The function of the selection mapping table is to determine the input of the data selection module 22, that is, to select which photosensitive unit groups output sampling data as target sampling data. For example, for a highway driving scenario, selection mapping table 1 can be set, and for a parking scenario, selection mapping table 2 can be set. When it is determined that the vehicle or other device equipped with the signal receiving device provided in this application embodiment is operating in a highway driving scenario, the data selection module 22 determines the target sampling data corresponding to each pixel according to selection mapping table 1; when operating in a parking scenario, the data selection module 22 can determine the target sampling data corresponding to each pixel according to selection mapping table 2.

[0084] The calculation module 23 can perform echo data processing and calculation based on the target sampling data to obtain pixel results.

[0085] In some implementations, the aforementioned calculation module 23 can perform fusion calculations on the sampling data (i.e., target sampling data) output by one or more photosensitive unit groups selected by the data selection module to obtain the corresponding pixel results.

[0086] It should be noted that the signal receiving device 20 can ultimately output M pixel results, where M represents a positive integer, and M can be equal to or different from N.

[0087] In one embodiment of this application, the aforementioned fusion calculation of the target sampling data can specifically be a weighted fusion. For example, taking the target sampling data as including sampling data output from three groups of photosensitive units, the fusion result after weighted fusion can be expressed as:

[0088] data_sum=coe_1*data_group_1+coe_2*data_group_2+coe_3*data_group_3;

[0089] Wherein, coe_1 represents the weight coefficient of the first photosensitive unit group, data_group_1 is the sampled data output by the first photosensitive unit group, coe_2 represents the weight coefficient of the second photosensitive unit group, data_group_2 is the sampled data output by the second photosensitive unit group, coe_3 represents the weight coefficient of the third photosensitive unit group, and data_group_3 is the sampled data output by the third photosensitive unit group.

[0090] It should be noted that the weighting coefficients of different photosensitive unit groups can be related to the pixel distribution and spot distribution. For example, in the case mentioned above where sampled data from three photosensitive unit groups are selected as the target sampled data, the weighting coefficient of the middle photosensitive unit group can be set higher, for example, to 50%, while the weighting coefficients of the photosensitive unit groups on both sides can be set lower, for example, to 25%. Conversely, for cases where the spot distribution is symmetrical, the weighting coefficient of each photosensitive unit group can be chosen to be the same value.

[0091] In practical applications, the computing module 23 can fuse the target sampling data corresponding to each pixel, and then calculate the fusion result to obtain the pixel result corresponding to each pixel.

[0092] The pixel results mentioned above include, but are not limited to, distance, echo intensity, echo area value, reflectivity, and echo pulse width.

[0093] It should be noted that the calculation methods for the above-mentioned distance, echo intensity, echo area, reflectivity, and echo pulse width can be implemented based on existing calculation methods, and this application will not elaborate on them.

[0094] It should be noted that if the target sampling data only includes the sampling data output by one group of photosensitive units, then echo data processing and calculation can be performed based on the sampling data output by that group of photosensitive units to determine pixel results such as distance, echo intensity, echo area value, reflectivity, and echo pulse width.

[0095] It can be seen that the signal receiving device 20 provided in this application embodiment can select the sampling data output by multiple groups of photosensitive units 21 based on the data selection module 22 according to the pixel ranging requirements to determine the pixel result, thereby effectively improving the ranging performance of the radar without increasing the radar transmission power and the number of scans.

[0096] In one embodiment of this application, each photosensitive unit 211 in the photosensitive unit group 21 will collect an electrical signal, and the above-mentioned sampling data can be obtained by superimposing the data collected by the photosensitive units 211 in the photosensitive unit group 21.

[0097] In one embodiment of this application, as Figure 6 As shown, the signal receiving device 20 also includes a superposition unit 212. Each photosensitive unit group 21 is connected to a superposition unit 212. The superposition unit 212 is used to superimpose the electrical signals collected by each photosensitive unit 211 in the photosensitive unit group 21 to obtain the sampling data corresponding to the photosensitive unit group.

[0098] For example, such as Figure 7 As shown, Figure 7This diagram illustrates a process of superimposing electrical signals collected by photosensitive units to obtain sampling data corresponding to a group of photosensitive units. For example... Figure 7 As shown, each photosensitive unit 211 outputs a corresponding histogram based on the echo beam. Then, the electrical signals collected by all or part of the photosensitive units 211 are superimposed at the same time to obtain the sampling data corresponding to the photosensitive unit group 21.

[0099] In practical applications, the above-mentioned superposition unit 212 can be superimposed using the following formula:

[0100] data_group=data_elememt_1+data_elememt_2+.....+data_elememt_x;

[0101] Where x is the number of photosensitive units 211 in the photosensitive unit group 21, x is a positive integer, data_elememt_1 represents the electrical signal collected by the first photosensitive unit 211, data_elememt_2 represents the electrical signal collected by the second photosensitive unit 211, and data_elememt_x represents the electrical signal collected by the xth photosensitive unit 211.

[0102] It should be noted that the superposition unit 212 can superimpose the electrical signals collected by all photosensitive units in the photosensitive unit group, or it can select and superimpose the electrical signals collected by a portion of the photosensitive units according to a preset setting.

[0103] For a two-dimensional matrix of photosensitive units, the superposition unit 212 can superimpose the electrical signals collected by some rows of photosensitive units, or it can superimpose the electrical signals collected by some columns, or it can superimpose the electrical signals collected by all photosensitive units. This application does not impose any specific limitations on this.

[0104] In one embodiment of this application, the data selection module 22 may include a data selector array 221. For example, Figure 8 A schematic diagram of another signal receiving device provided in this application is shown. Figure 8 As shown, the data selector array 221 described above may include multiple data selectors 211a. The output of each data selector 221a in the data selector array 221 corresponds to a pixel result, for example... Figure 8In this process, the first data selector 221a1 takes as input the sampled data of photosensitive unit group 1, photosensitive unit group 2, and photosensitive unit group 3. The output sampled data is fused and calculated by the calculation module 23 to obtain the first pixel result. The second data selector 221a2 takes as input the sampled data of photosensitive unit group 2, photosensitive unit group 3, and photosensitive unit group 4. The output sampled data is fused and calculated by the calculation module 23 to obtain the second pixel result. The third data selector 221a3 takes as input the sampled data of photosensitive unit group 3, photosensitive unit group 4, and photosensitive unit group 5. The output sampled data is fused and calculated by the calculation module 23 to obtain the third pixel result. The fourth data selector 221a4 takes as input the sampled data of photosensitive unit group 4, photosensitive unit group 5, and photosensitive unit group 6. The output sampled data is fused and calculated by the calculation module 23 to obtain the fourth pixel result.

[0105] It should be noted that the number of input sample data selected by each data selector can be determined according to the application requirements. Different data selectors can select different numbers of sample data to achieve different detection requirements for different pixels.

[0106] For example, to achieve an evenly spaced pixel distribution, each data selector can be configured to select an equal number of sampled data points. Specifically, this can be done as follows: Figure 9 As shown, for applications requiring equidistant fields of view, such as scanning mapping or slow-moving scenarios, the data selection array can select the same number of sampled data as input. For example... Figure 9 As shown, each pair of adjacent photosensitive unit groups serves as the input to a data selector. For example, the input to the first data selector is sample data 1 output from photosensitive unit group 1 and sample data 2 output from photosensitive unit group 2; the input to the second data selector is sample data 3 output from photosensitive unit group 3 and sample data 4 output from photosensitive unit group 4; the input to the third data selector is sample data 5 output from photosensitive unit group 5 and sample data 6 output from photosensitive unit group 6; the input to the fourth data selector is sample data 7 output from photosensitive unit group 7 and sample data 8 output from photosensitive unit group 8; the input to the fifth data selector is sample data 9 output from photosensitive unit group 9 and sample data 10 output from photosensitive unit group 10; and the input to the sixth data selector is sample data 11 output from photosensitive unit 11 and sample data 12 output from photosensitive unit 12. The resulting pixel distribution is as follows: Figure 10 As shown.

[0107] For pixels that require increased pixel density, the selected sampling data can be increased using a data selector. For example, such as... Figure 11 As shown, to improve the ranging capabilities of intermediate pixels 3 and 4, the data selector array can select more sampled data from the photosensitive unit groups for fusion when choosing superimposed data for pixels 3 and 4. Figure 11 As can be seen, for pixel 1, the data selector selects sampled data 1 output from photosensitive unit group 1 and sampled data 2 output from photosensitive unit group 2 as input; for pixel 2, the data selector selects sampled data 3 output from photosensitive unit group 3 and sampled data 4 output from photosensitive unit group 4 as input; for pixel 3, the data selector selects sampled data 4 output from photosensitive unit group 4, sampled data 5 output from photosensitive unit group 5, and sampled data 6 output from photosensitive unit group 6 as input; for pixel 4, the data selector selects sampled data 7 output from photosensitive unit group 7, sampled data 8 output from photosensitive unit group 8, and sampled data 9 output from photosensitive data group 9 as input; for pixel 5, the data selector selects sampled data 9 output from photosensitive unit group 9 and sampled data 10 output from photosensitive unit group 10 as input; for pixel 6, the data selector selects sampled data 11 output from photosensitive unit group 11 and sampled data 12 output from photosensitive unit group 12 as input.

[0108] In other implementations, to achieve a non-uniformly spaced field of view, the input of the sampling data can be adjusted using a data selector. For applications requiring increased pixel density in certain areas, the number of times the sampling data of pixels in that area is collected can be increased. For example, in a highway driving scenario, the pixel density of the intermediate field of view needs to be increased, so the number of times the sampling data of the photosensitive unit group corresponding to the pixel results in the intermediate field of view can be adjusted. In a parking scenario, the pixel density of the ground field of view needs to be increased, so the number of times the sampling data of the photosensitive unit group corresponding to the pixel results in the ground area is collected can be adjusted.

[0109] As an example, such as Figure 12 As shown, to increase the number of pixels in the middle area, the selection intervals for the pixels on both sides and in the middle are different. For pixel 1, photosensitive unit group 1 and photosensitive unit group 2 are selected; for pixel 2, photosensitive unit group 3 and photosensitive unit group 4 are selected; for pixel 3, photosensitive unit group 4 and photosensitive unit group 5 are selected; for pixel 4, photosensitive unit group 5 and photosensitive unit group 6 are selected; for pixel 5, photosensitive unit group 6 and photosensitive unit group 7 are selected; for pixel 6, photosensitive unit group 7 and photosensitive unit group 8 are selected; for pixel 7, photosensitive unit group 8 and photosensitive unit group 9 are selected; for pixel 8, photosensitive unit group 9 and photosensitive unit group 10 are selected; for pixel 9, photosensitive unit group 11 and photosensitive unit group 12 are selected. Figure 12 It can be seen that, Figure 12The signal receiving device shown can output a total of 9 pixel results. The sampling data output by the photosensitive unit groups used by pixels 1 and 9 on the sides is used independently; while the sampling data output by the photosensitive unit groups used by pixels 4 to 7 in the middle area is a pixel distribution result obtained by alternating multiple uses. Figure 13 As shown. It can be understood that the number of data selectors in the central region is greater than the number of data selectors in the edge regions. As an example, in this embodiment, the number of sampled data units selected by the data selectors in the central region can also be greater than the number of sampled data units selected by the data selectors in the edge regions.

[0110] It can be seen that the signal receiving device provided in this application embodiment can select the required sampling data through the data selection module according to the requirements of ranging capability, field of view pixel density, etc., and can meet the requirements of different pixel densities in different areas.

[0111] It is understood that the data selection module 22 described above can also output the sampling data required by different pixels serially through only one data selector. The above example of outputting the sampling data required by different pixels in parallel by setting a data selector array including multiple data selectors is only an example and not a limitation. In practical applications, the data selector can be set according to radar performance requirements and cost requirements. This application does not impose specific limitations on this.

[0112] In one embodiment of this application, as Figure 14 As shown, the aforementioned calculation module 23 may include a weighted fusion unit 231 and a data processing unit 232. The weighted fusion unit 231 performs weighted fusion on the sampled data output by the data selector 221a to obtain a fusion result. The data processing unit 232 performs echo data processing and calculation based on the fusion result to obtain pixel results.

[0113] In one implementation, such as Figure 14 As shown, the above-mentioned calculation module 23 may include multiple weighted fusion units 231 and multiple data processing units 232. The number of weighted fusion units 231 may be equal to the number of pixel results (or equal to the number of data selectors 211a), or they may not be equal. Figure 14 This illustrates the case where the number of weighted fusion units 231 is equal to the number of data processing units 232 and the number of pixel results.

[0114] Figure 14 In this process, each weighted fusion unit 231 can perform weighted fusion on the sampled data output by its corresponding data selector 221a, and then output the fusion result to the corresponding data processing unit for echo data processing and calculation to obtain the pixel result of the corresponding pixel.

[0115] The weighted fusion unit 231 can weight the sampled data output by the photosensitive unit group according to the weight coefficients of different photosensitive unit groups, and then fuse the weighted sampled data. Specifically, it can superimpose and fuse the data at the same sampling time. The weight coefficients of different photosensitive unit groups can be related to the pixel distribution and spot distribution. For example, in the case where the sampled data output by three photosensitive unit groups is selected as the target sampled data, the weight coefficient of the middle photosensitive unit group can be set higher, for example, to 50%, while the weight coefficients of the photosensitive unit groups on both sides can be set lower, for example, to 25%. Alternatively, for the case of symmetrical spot distribution, the weight coefficient of each photosensitive unit group can be selected to have the same value.

[0116] It is understandable that when the number of weighted fusion units 231 and the number of data processing units 232 are not equal to the number of pixel results, the weighted fusion units 231 and the data processing units 232 can process the sampled data corresponding to multiple pixels in sequence. For example, if only one weighted fusion unit 231 and one data processing unit 232 are set, the sampled data output by each data selector will be processed in sequence through the weighted fusion unit 231 and the data processing unit 232.

[0117] It should be noted that the number of weighted fusion units 231 and data processing units 232 can be set according to actual application requirements, and this application does not impose specific restrictions on this.

[0118] The signal receiving apparatus provided in the embodiments of this application has been described in detail above. The signal receiving method provided in the embodiments of this application will now be described in detail with reference to the signal receiving apparatus provided in the above embodiments:

[0119] Please see Figure 15 , Figure 15 This illustration shows a schematic diagram of the implementation flow of a signal receiving method provided in an embodiment of this application, as shown below. Figure 15 As shown, the signal receiving method may include the following steps:

[0120] It should be noted that the execution subject of the signal receiving method provided in this application embodiment can be the above-mentioned signal receiving device, specifically the data selection module and calculation module of the above-mentioned signal receiving device. Of course, it can also be a separately provided data processing device, and this application does not make any specific restrictions on it.

[0121] In S151, target sampling data is allocated to pixels according to pixel ranging requirements.

[0122] In practical applications, the aforementioned target sampling data refers to the sampling data collected by one or more groups of photosensitive units. The signal receiving device can allocate sampling data to each pixel according to the pixel ranging requirements required by each pixel, that is, the corresponding sampling data can be selected through the data selector.

[0123] It should be noted that the target sampling data includes the sampling data output by which photosensitive unit groups, depending on various parameters of the LiDAR system, such as ranging requirements and the number of encrypted pixels.

[0124] In practical applications, the target photosensitive unit group corresponding to each pixel can be determined according to the pixel ranging requirements, and then the sampling data output by the target photosensitive unit group can be obtained as the target sampling data mentioned above.

[0125] In practical applications, when the pixel ranging requirement is an equidistant field-of-view distribution requirement, the data of the target photosensitive unit group corresponding to each pixel is equal, such as... Figure 9 The embodiment shown illustrates this. When the pixel ranging requirement is an unequal-spacing field-of-view distribution requirement, the number of target photosensitive unit groups corresponding to different pixels may be partially or completely unequal, such as... Figure 11 and Figure 12 The example shown.

[0126] It should be noted that different application scenarios can correspond to different pixel ranging requirements. Therefore, different selection mapping tables can be set based on different application scenarios. When determining the target photosensitive unit group, the target photosensitive unit group corresponding to each pixel can be determined based on the selection mapping table corresponding to the application scenario or pixel ranging requirement.

[0127] In S152, the pixel result of the pixel is determined based on the target sampling data.

[0128] In practical applications, if the target sampling data mentioned above only includes the sampling data output by a group of photosensitive units, echo data processing and calculation can be performed based on the sampling data output by that group of photosensitive units to determine pixel results such as distance, echo intensity, echo area value, reflectivity, and echo pulse width.

[0129] If the target sampling data includes sampling data output from multiple photosensitive unit groups, the sampling data output from multiple photosensitive unit groups can be weighted and fused first. After obtaining the fusion result, the pixel results such as distance, echo intensity, echo area value, reflectivity, and echo pulse width corresponding to the pixel can be calculated based on the fusion result.

[0130] In practical applications, taking the target sampling data as an example, which includes sampling data output from three groups of photosensitive units, the weighted fusion result can be expressed as:

[0131] data_sum=coe_1*data_group_1+coe_2*data_group_2+coe_3*data_group_3;

[0132] Wherein, coe_1 represents the weight coefficient of the first photosensitive unit group, data_group_1 is the sampled data output by the first photosensitive unit group, coe_2 represents the weight coefficient of the second photosensitive unit group, data_group_2 is the sampled data output by the second photosensitive unit group, coe_3 represents the weight coefficient of the third photosensitive unit group, and data_group_3 is the sampled data output by the third photosensitive unit group.

[0133] It should be noted that the weighting coefficients of different photosensitive unit groups can be related to the pixel distribution and spot distribution. For example, in the case mentioned above where sampled data from three photosensitive unit groups are selected as the target sampled data, the weighting coefficient of the middle photosensitive unit group can be set higher, for example, to 50%, while the weighting coefficients of the photosensitive unit groups on both sides can be set lower, for example, to 25%. Conversely, for cases where the spot distribution is symmetrical, the weighting coefficient of each photosensitive unit group can be chosen to be the same value.

[0134] As can be seen from the above, the signal receiving method provided in this application embodiment can also select the sampling data output by the fused photosensitive unit group according to the pixel ranging requirements. When it is necessary to increase the ranging performance, the sampling data output by multiple photosensitive unit groups can be selected as the target sampling data, and the pixel result can be determined based on this. This can effectively improve the ranging performance of the radar without increasing the radar transmission power and the number of scans.

[0135] It should be understood that the sequence number of each step in the above embodiments does not imply the order of execution. The execution order of each process should be determined by its function and internal logic, and should not constitute any limitation on the implementation process of the embodiments of this application.

[0136] Figure 16 This is a schematic diagram of the structure of a terminal device provided in another embodiment of this application. For example... Figure 16 As shown, the terminal device 16 provided in this embodiment includes: a processor 160, a memory 161, and a computer program 162 stored in the memory 161 and executable on the processor 160, such as an image segmentation program. When the processor 160 executes the computer program 162, it implements the steps in the various signal receiving method embodiments described above, for example... Figure 15 S151 to S152 are shown.

[0137] For example, the computer program 162 described above can be divided into one or more modules / units. One or more modules / units are stored in the memory 161 and executed by the processor 160 to complete this application. The one or more modules / units can be a series of computer program instruction segments capable of performing specific functions, which describe the execution process of the computer program 162 in the terminal device 16. For example, the computer program 162 can be divided into an acquisition unit, a determination unit, and a calculation unit. For the specific functions of each unit, please refer to [link to relevant documentation]. Figure 2 The relevant descriptions in the corresponding embodiments are not repeated here.

[0138] The aforementioned terminal device may include, but is not limited to, a processor 160 and a memory 161. Those skilled in the art will understand that... Figure 16 This is merely an example of terminal device 16 and does not constitute a limitation on terminal device 16. It may include more or fewer components than shown, or combine certain components, or different components. For example, the terminal device described above may also include input / output devices, network access devices, buses, etc.

[0139] The processor 160 may be a Central Processing Unit (CPU), or other general-purpose processors, digital signal processors (DSPs), application-specific integrated circuits (ASICs), field-programmable gate arrays (FPGAs), or other programmable logic devices, discrete gate or transistor logic devices, discrete hardware components, etc. A general-purpose processor may be a microprocessor or any conventional processor.

[0140] The aforementioned memory 161 can be an internal storage unit of the terminal device 16, such as a hard disk or RAM of the terminal device 16. The aforementioned memory 161 can also be an external storage device of the terminal device 16, such as a plug-in hard disk, Smart Media Card (SMC), Secure Digital (SD) card, or Flash Card equipped on the terminal device 16. Furthermore, the aforementioned memory 161 can include both internal and external storage units of the terminal device 16. The aforementioned memory 161 is used to store the aforementioned computer program and other programs and data required by the terminal device. The aforementioned memory 161 can also be used to temporarily store data that has been output or will be output.

[0141] This application also provides a computer-readable storage medium. Please refer to... Figure 17 , Figure 17 This is a schematic diagram of the structure of a computer-readable storage medium provided in an embodiment of this application, such as... Figure 17 As shown, a computer program 162 is stored in a computer-readable storage medium 170. When the computer program 162 is executed by a processor, it can implement the above-described signal receiving method.

[0142] This application provides a computer program product that, when run on a terminal device, enables the terminal device to implement the aforementioned signal receiving method.

[0143] This application also provides a radar system, which includes the signal receiving device described above, and the signal receiving device may also be referred to as a receiving module.

[0144] Those skilled in the art will clearly understand that, for the sake of convenience and brevity, the above-described division of functional units and modules is merely an example. In practical applications, the above functions can be assigned to different functional units and modules as needed, that is, the internal structure of the terminal device can be divided into different functional units or modules to complete all or part of the functions described above. The functional units and modules in the embodiments 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. The integrated unit can be implemented in hardware or as a software functional unit. Furthermore, the specific names of the functional units and modules are only for easy differentiation and are not intended to limit the scope of protection of this application. The specific working process of the units and modules in the above system can be referred to the corresponding process in the foregoing method embodiments, and will not be repeated here.

[0145] In the above embodiments, the descriptions of each embodiment have different focuses. For parts that are not described in detail or recorded in a certain embodiment, refer to the relevant descriptions of other embodiments.

[0146] Those skilled in the art will recognize that the units and algorithm steps of the various examples described in conjunction with the embodiments disclosed herein can be implemented in electronic hardware, or a combination of computer software and electronic hardware. Whether these functions are implemented in hardware or software depends on the specific application and design constraints of the technical solution. Those skilled in the art can use different methods to implement the described functions for each specific application, but such implementation should not be considered beyond the scope of this application.

[0147] The above embodiments are only used to illustrate the technical solutions of this application, and are not intended to limit them. Although this application has been described in detail with reference to the foregoing embodiments, those skilled in the art should understand that modifications can still be made to the technical solutions described in the foregoing embodiments, or equivalent substitutions can be made to some of the technical features. Such modifications or substitutions do not cause the essence of the corresponding technical solutions to deviate from the spirit and scope of the technical solutions of the embodiments of this application, and should all be included within the protection scope of this application.

Claims

1. A signal receiving apparatus characterized by comprising: The application relates to a signal receiving device and a signal receiving method. N groups of light sensing units, each group of light sensing units comprising a plurality of light sensing units, and configured to receive a reflected light beam and output corresponding sample data; a data selection module connected to the N groups of light sensing units, configured to select target sample data according to pixel ranging requirements; a calculation module connected to the data selection module, configured to perform echo data processing and calculation according to the target sample data to obtain a pixel result.

2. The signal receiving apparatus according to claim 1, characterized by The application further relates to: a superposition unit connected to each group of light sensing units, configured to superimpose electrical signals collected by each light sensing unit in the group of light sensing units to obtain sample data of the group of light sensing units.

3. The signal receiving apparatus according to claim 1 or 2, characterized by The data selection module comprises a data selector array, the data selector array comprising a plurality of data selectors, and the output of each data selector corresponding to a pixel result, wherein the data selector determines a target group of light sensing units according to pixel ranging requirements, and outputs sample data output by the target group of light sensing units to the calculation module.

4. The signal receiving apparatus according to claim 3, characterized by The number of data selectors corresponding to different detection fields of view is different.

5. The signal receiving apparatus according to claim 4, characterized by The number of data selectors corresponding to an edge detection region is less than the number of data selectors corresponding to a central detection region.

6. The signal receiving apparatus according to any one of claims 1 to 5, characterized by The number of light sensing units in a group of light sensing units corresponding to an edge detection region is less than the number of light sensing units in a group of light sensing units corresponding to a central detection region.

7. The signal receiving apparatus according to claim 3, wherein The calculation module comprises: a weighted fusion unit connected to the data selector, configured to perform weighted fusion on sample data output by the data selector to obtain a fusion result; a data calculation unit connected to the weighted fusion unit, configured to perform echo data processing and calculation according to the fusion result to obtain the pixel result.

8. The signal receiving apparatus according to any one of claims 1 to 7, characterized by The light sensing unit comprises a silicon photomultiplier and / or an avalanche diode.

9. A signal receiving method characterized by comprising: The application relates to a signal receiving device and a signal receiving method. According to pixel ranging requirements, target sample data is allocated to a pixel, and the target sample data is sample data output by a target group of light sensing units; According to the target sample data, a pixel result of the pixel is determined.

10. The signal receiving method of claim 9, wherein, According to pixel ranging requirements, a target group of light sensing units corresponding to each pixel is determined; Sample data output by the target group of light sensing units is obtained. When the pixel ranging requirements are equal-interval field-of-view distribution requirements, the number of target groups of light sensing units corresponding to each pixel is equal; 11. The signal receiving method of claim 9, wherein, When the pixel ranging requirements are unequal-interval field-of-view distribution requirements, the number of target groups of light sensing units corresponding to different pixels is partially or wholly unequal. According to the target sample data, a pixel result of the pixel is determined.

12. The signal receiving method of claim 9, wherein, If the target sample data comprises sample data output by a group of light sensing units, echo data processing and calculation are performed according to the sample data output by the group of light sensing units to obtain the pixel result. ​ If the target sampling data comprises sampling data output by multiple groups of photosensitive unit groups, the sampling data output by the multiple groups of photosensitive unit groups is fused to obtain a fusion result, and echo data processing and calculation are performed according to the fusion result to obtain the pixel result.

13. The signal receiving method of claim 11, wherein, If the target sampling data comprises sampling data output by multiple groups of photosensitive unit groups, the sampling data output by the multiple groups of photosensitive unit groups is fused to obtain a fusion result, and echo data processing and calculation are performed according to the fusion result to obtain the pixel result, including: determining a weight coefficient of each photosensitive unit group; performing weighted fusion according to the weight coefficient of each photosensitive unit group and the sampling data output by each photosensitive unit group to obtain the fusion result; performing echo data processing and calculation according to the fusion result to obtain the pixel result.

14. A radar system, characterized by The radar system comprises the signal receiving device according to any one of claims 1 to 8.

15. A terminal device comprising a memory, a processor, and a computer program stored in the memory and executable on the processor, characterized in that, The processor executes the readable instructions of the computer program to implement the signal receiving method according to any one of claims 7 to 13.

16. A computer-readable storage medium, the computer-readable storage medium storing a computer program, characterized in that, The readable instructions of the computer program are executed by the processor to implement the signal receiving method according to any one of claims 7 to 13.

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