Optical scanning implementation method

Abstract

The invention discloses an optical scanning implementation method. The method comprises the steps that in a light-emitting time period, a plurality of light-emitting unit sets included in a light source module are controlled to emit light beams respectively so as to irradiate a sub-area in a view field range, and the light-emitting moments of at least two light-emitting unit sets in the light-emitting time period are different; and controlling the light beams emitted by the same light-emitting unit group in different light-emitting time periods to irradiate different sub-regions in the view field range respectively, wherein each light-emitting unit group comprises at least one light-emitting unit. The crosstalk phenomenon in the laser radar sensing process can be reduced, and the sensing accuracy is ensured.

Description

TECHNICAL FIELD

[0001] The present application relates to the technical field of depth sensing, in particular to a light scanning implementation method. BACKGROUND

[0002] As a new technology, laser radar is applied more and more widely in the field of unmanned driving and other fields. The working principle of laser radar is to emit laser beams through a transmitting module, and to receive the laser beams reflected back by a target through a receiving module. After the light signals of the return beams are converted into electrical signals by the receiving module, three-dimensional point cloud data can be obtained through signal processing.

[0003] In the scanning process of the laser radar, the receiving end receives the light beams returned from the scanned area of different light sources through the corresponding photosensitive pixels to measure the distance of the area. In order to measure a farther distance, it is usually considered to increase the luminous power of the light source. If the luminous power is large and the reflectivity of the object is high, the reflected light energy is particularly large, which will crosstalk to other photosensitive pixels next to the corresponding photosensitive pixels, thereby affecting the normal sensing of the other photosensitive pixels. Since the light beams emitted by the light source are received by the receiving end after being irradiated to the scanned area, the corresponding multiple photosensitive pixels are adjacent to each other. In the case that multiple light emitting units in the light source are synchronously lighted, the crosstalk signals between the corresponding multiple photosensitive pixels will continuously add up in the fixed time bin of the histogram generated by the crosstalk pixels to form a clear crosstalk peak, thereby seriously affecting the accuracy of distance measurement and reducing the accuracy of laser radar detection.

[0004] Moreover, the more the number of light emitting units that are lighted at the same time, the higher the instantaneous driving current required, which will increase the design difficulty of the circuit. If the number of light emitting units that are emitted at the same time is reduced, although it is beneficial to reduce the instantaneous total current required by the transmitting module, the luminous power of the single light source and the distance measurement range of the corresponding scanned area can be relatively increased, but the number of rounds of time-sharing emission of the light source in each frame of sensing needs to be increased to maintain the signal-to-noise ratio of the sensing, which will affect the sensing frame rate of the laser radar.

[0005] Therefore, how to effectively avoid crosstalk to ensure the accuracy of detection while not increasing the design difficulty of the circuit and reducing the instantaneous current of the light source has become a technical problem to be solved in the application process of laser radar technology. SUMMARY

[0006] In view of the above problems, the present application is proposed to provide a light scanning implementation method which overcomes the above problems or at least partially solves the above problems.

[0007] The embodiment of the present application provides a light scanning implementation method, which comprises:

[0008] During a light emission period, the light source module includes several light-emitting unit groups that emit light beams to illuminate a sub-region within the field of view. During the light emission period, the light emission times of at least two light-emitting unit groups are different. The same light-emitting unit group emits light beams during different light emission periods to illuminate different sub-regions within the field of view.

[0009] Each light-emitting unit group includes at least one light-emitting unit.

[0010] In some optional embodiments, controlling the plurality of light-emitting unit groups included in the light source module to emit light beams during a light-emitting period includes:

[0011] Within a single emission period, the light-emitting unit groups in the light source module are controlled to emit light in parallel. Parallel emission means that the emission times of different light-emitting unit groups are not completely staggered. Specifically, the emission time of each light-emitting unit group is delayed by a random duration relative to the start time of the emission period; or

[0012] Within a certain light emission period, each light emission unit group in the light source module is controlled to emit light in a series according to a preset light emission sequence. The series light emission means that the light emission times of different light emission unit groups are completely staggered.

[0013] In some optional embodiments, controlling the parallel emission of each light-emitting unit group in the light source module during a light-emitting period includes:

[0014] The light-emitting unit group is controlled to emit multiple light pulses according to a preset time sequence within a light-emitting period; wherein, a light-emitting period includes multiple pulse periods corresponding to the multiple light pulses respectively, the light-emitting unit group emits one light pulse corresponding to a pulse period, the time when the light-emitting unit group starts to emit light in a pulse period is delayed by a random time relative to the start time of the pulse period, and at least two light-emitting unit groups emit light pulses at different times within a pulse period.

[0015] In some optional embodiments, the timing of light pulse emission from multiple light-emitting unit groups within a light-emitting period is determined as follows:

[0016] Based on the random number sequence generated corresponding to the pulse period, the random duration of the delay between the time when each light-emitting unit group emits a light pulse and the start time of the pulse period is determined. The time when each light-emitting unit group emits a light pulse within the pulse period is then determined based on this random duration. Specifically, a random number sequence is generated for each pulse period, and each random number sequence includes multiple random numbers corresponding one-to-one with multiple light-emitting unit groups. These multiple random numbers can each serve as the random duration of the delay between the time when each light-emitting unit group emits a light pulse and the start time of the pulse period. The value of each random number is greater than or equal to zero and less than or equal to a preset maximum random duration.

[0017] Based on the random number sequence generated corresponding to the light-emitting unit group, the random duration of the delay between the time when the light-emitting unit group emits a light pulse and the start time of the pulse period is determined. The time when the light-emitting unit group emits a light pulse in each pulse period is determined based on the random duration. Specifically, a random number sequence is generated for each light-emitting unit group. Each random number sequence includes multiple random numbers that correspond one-to-one with multiple pulse periods of the light-emitting unit group. The multiple random numbers can be used as the random duration of the delay between the time when the light-emitting unit group emits a light pulse in each of the multiple pulse periods and the start time of each corresponding pulse period. The value of the random number is greater than or equal to zero and less than or equal to a preset maximum random duration.

[0018] In some optional embodiments, during a light emission period, at least two light-emitting unit groups emit light pulses at times that have a time difference within a pulse period, and the duration of the time difference formed by the at least two light-emitting unit groups in different pulse periods is randomly set.

[0019] In some optional embodiments, during a light emission period, the times at which several light-emitting unit groups in the light source module emit light pulses during a pulse period form corresponding time differences with each other, and the duration of the time differences formed by the several light-emitting unit groups in different pulse periods is randomly set.

[0020] In some optional embodiments, controlling each light-emitting unit group in the light source module to emit light sequentially according to a preset light-emitting order during a light-emitting period includes:

[0021] A light-emitting period is divided into multiple sub-light-emitting periods, and a group of light-emitting units emits light in a corresponding sub-light-emitting period.

[0022] The light-emitting unit group is controlled to emit multiple light pulses according to a preset time sequence within a sub-light-emitting period; wherein, a sub-light-emitting period includes multiple pulse periods corresponding to the multiple light pulses respectively, and at least one light-emitting unit in the light-emitting unit group emits one light pulse corresponding to one pulse period.

[0023] In some alternative embodiments, all light-emitting units in a light-emitting unit group emit light simultaneously within a pulse period, wherein the light-emitting time of the light-emitting unit group in the pulse period is delayed by a random duration relative to the start time of the pulse period.

[0024] In some optional embodiments, the timing of light pulse emission by the multiple light-emitting unit groups within their respective sub-emission periods is determined in the following manner:

[0025] Based on the random number sequence generated corresponding to the light-emitting unit group, the random duration of the delay between the time when the light-emitting unit group emits a light pulse and the start time of the pulse period is determined. The time when the light-emitting unit group emits a light pulse in each pulse period is determined based on the random duration. Specifically, a random number sequence is generated for each light-emitting unit group. Each random number sequence includes multiple random numbers that correspond one-to-one with multiple pulse periods of the light-emitting unit group. The multiple random numbers can be used as the random duration of the delay between the time when the light-emitting unit emits a light pulse in each of the multiple pulse periods and the start time of the pulse period. The value of the random number is greater than or equal to zero and less than or equal to a preset maximum random duration.

[0026] In some optional embodiments, the light-emitting units in a light-emitting unit group do not emit light completely simultaneously within a pulse period, and the emission time of each light-emitting unit is delayed by a random duration relative to the start time of the pulse period, wherein at least two light-emitting units emit light pulses at different times within a pulse period.

[0027] In some optional embodiments, during a sub-light emission period, at least two light-emitting units emit light pulses at times that have a time difference within a pulse period, and the duration of the time difference formed by the at least two light-emitting units in different pulse periods is randomly set.

[0028] In some optional embodiments, within a sub-emission period, the times at which multiple light-emitting units of the same light-emitting unit group emit light pulses within a pulse period form corresponding time differences with each other, and the duration of the time differences formed by the multiple light-emitting units in different pulse periods is randomly set.

[0029] In some optional embodiments, the timing of light pulse emission by multiple light-emitting units in a light-emitting unit group within a corresponding sub-emission period is determined in the following manner:

[0030] Based on the random number sequence generated corresponding to the pulse period, the random duration of the delay between the time when each light-emitting unit in the current light-emitting unit group emits a light pulse and the start time of the pulse period is determined. The time when each light-emitting unit emits a light pulse within the pulse period is then determined based on this random duration. Specifically, a random number sequence is generated for each pulse period, and each random number sequence includes multiple random numbers corresponding one-to-one with multiple light-emitting units. These multiple random numbers can be used as the random duration of the delay between the time when each light-emitting unit emits a light pulse and the start time of the pulse period. The value of each random number is greater than or equal to zero and less than or equal to a preset maximum random duration.

[0031] Based on the random number sequence generated corresponding to the light-emitting unit, the random duration of the delay between the time when the light-emitting unit emits a light pulse and the start time of the pulse period is determined. The time when the light-emitting unit emits a light pulse in each pulse period is determined based on the random duration. Specifically, a random number sequence is generated for each light-emitting unit. Each random number sequence includes multiple random numbers that correspond one-to-one with multiple pulse periods of the light-emitting unit. The multiple random numbers can be used as the random duration of the delay between the time when the light-emitting unit emits a light pulse in each of the multiple pulse periods and the start time of each corresponding pulse period. The value of the random number is greater than or equal to zero and less than or equal to a preset maximum random duration.

[0032] In some optional embodiments, the light source module includes a light source and a light deflection device, wherein the light source includes a plurality of light-emitting unit groups;

[0033] During a light emission period, controlling a plurality of light-emitting unit groups included in the light source module to emit light beams to illuminate a sub-region within the field of view includes:

[0034] During a light emission period, each light-emitting unit group in the light source is controlled to emit a light beam, and the light deflection device is controlled to deflect the light beam emitted by each light unit group. During a light emission period, the light beam is deflected by one of multiple final deflection angles, corresponding to a sub-region in the scanning field of view.

[0035] The control of the same light-emitting unit group to emit light beams during different light-emitting periods to illuminate different sub-regions within the field of view includes:

[0036] The light deflection device controls the light beam to deflect multiple different deflection angles during different light emission periods, so that the light beam emitted by the same light emission unit group illuminates different sub-regions in the field of view during different light emission periods.

[0037] In some optional embodiments, the light source module includes a light source, and the light source includes a plurality of light-emitting unit groups;

[0038] During a light emission period, controlling a plurality of light-emitting unit groups included in the light source module to emit light beams to illuminate a sub-region within the field of view includes:

[0039] During a light emission period, each light-emitting unit group in the light source is controlled to emit light beams with the same emission angle to correspond to a sub-region in the scanning field of view; wherein, the emission angle of the light beam is determined by setting the phase difference of the light beams emitted by each light-emitting unit in a light-emitting group.

[0040] The control of the same light-emitting unit group to emit light beams during different light-emitting periods to illuminate different sub-regions within the field of view includes:

[0041] The same light-emitting unit group is controlled to emit light beams with different emission angles during different emission periods, and a light beam with one emission angle corresponds to illuminating a sub-region in the field of view; wherein, the direction of the light beam emitted by the light-emitting unit group is controlled by controlling the phase difference of the light beam emitted by each light-emitting unit in the light-emitting unit group.

[0042] This invention provides a transmitting module, including: a light source module and a controller;

[0043] The light source module includes several light-emitting unit groups, and each light-emitting unit group includes at least one light-emitting unit.

[0044] The control device is used to control each light-emitting unit group in the light source module to emit a light beam during a light emission period to scan a sub-region in the field of view, wherein the light emission times of at least two light-emitting unit groups are different during a light emission period; and to control the light beams emitted by the same light-emitting unit group during different light emission periods to scan different sub-regions in the field of view.

[0045] In some optional embodiments, the controller is configured to control the parallel emission of each light-emitting unit group in the light source module during a light emission period, including:

[0046] The light-emitting unit group is controlled to emit multiple light pulses according to a preset time sequence within a light-emitting period; wherein, a light-emitting period includes multiple pulse periods corresponding to the multiple light pulses respectively, the light-emitting unit group emits one light pulse corresponding to a pulse period, the time when the light-emitting unit group starts to emit light in a pulse period is delayed by a random time relative to the start time of the pulse period, and at least two light-emitting unit groups emit light pulses at different times within a pulse period.

[0047] In some alternative embodiments, the light source module includes several light-emitting unit groups that emit light pulses at different times during at least one pulse period.

[0048] In some optional embodiments, the light-emitting unit group has a time interval with a randomly set duration between multiple light pulses emitted during a light emission period.

[0049] In some optional embodiments, during a light emission period, at least two light-emitting unit groups emit light pulses at times that have a time difference within a pulse period, and the duration of the time difference formed by the at least two light-emitting unit groups in different pulse periods is randomly set.

[0050] In some optional embodiments, during a light emission period, the times at which several light-emitting unit groups in the light source module emit light pulses during a pulse period form corresponding time differences with each other, and the duration of the time differences formed by the several light-emitting unit groups in different pulse periods is randomly set.

[0051] In some optional embodiments, the pulse period includes a random duration adjustment interval with a preset duration, wherein the duration of the time difference is greater than or equal to zero and less than or equal to the duration of the random duration adjustment interval.

[0052] In some optional embodiments, the pulse period includes a random duration adjustment interval with a preset duration, and the controller is configured to set multiple light-emitting unit groups within the random duration adjustment interval of a pulse period to a random duration delay of the time at which the light pulse is emitted during the pulse period relative to the start time of the pulse period.

[0053] In some alternative embodiments, the controller is configured to determine the timing of light pulse emission from the plurality of light-emitting unit groups within a light emission period in such a manner as follows:

[0054] Based on the random number sequence generated corresponding to the pulse period, the random duration of the time when each light-emitting unit group emits a light pulse within the pulse period is determined relative to the start time of the pulse period. The time when each light-emitting unit group emits a light pulse within the pulse period is determined based on the random duration. Specifically, a random number sequence is generated for each pulse period, and each random number sequence includes multiple random numbers that correspond one-to-one with multiple light-emitting unit groups. The multiple random numbers can be used as the random duration of the time when each of the multiple light-emitting unit groups emits a light pulse within the pulse period relative to the start time of the pulse period. The value of the random number is greater than or equal to zero and less than or equal to a preset maximum random duration.

[0055] or

[0056] Based on the random number sequence generated corresponding to the light-emitting unit group, the random duration of the delay between the time when the light-emitting unit group emits a light pulse and the start time of the pulse period is determined. The time when the light-emitting unit group emits a light pulse in each pulse period is determined based on the random duration. Specifically, a random number sequence is generated for each light-emitting unit group. Each random number sequence includes multiple random numbers that correspond one-to-one with multiple pulse periods of the light-emitting unit group. The multiple random numbers can be used as the random duration of the delay between the time when the light-emitting unit group emits a light pulse in each of the multiple pulse periods and the start time of each corresponding pulse period. The value of the random number is greater than or equal to zero and less than or equal to a preset maximum random duration.

[0057] In some alternative embodiments, the light-emitting units included in the same light-emitting unit group are configured to emit light simultaneously.

[0058] In some optional embodiments, the light emission times of different light emission units in the same light emission unit group are at least partially different or different within a pulse period, and the light emission times of the light emission units that first emit light pulses in different light emission unit groups are different within a pulse period.

[0059] In some optional embodiments, the controller is configured to control each light-emitting unit group in the light source module to emit light serially in a preset light-emitting order during a light-emitting period, including:

[0060] A light-emitting period is divided into multiple sub-light-emitting periods, and a group of light-emitting units emits light in a corresponding sub-light-emitting period.

[0061] The light-emitting unit group is controlled to emit multiple light pulses according to a preset time sequence within a sub-light-emitting period; wherein, a sub-light-emitting period includes multiple pulse periods corresponding to the multiple light pulses respectively, and at least one light-emitting unit in the light-emitting unit group emits one light pulse corresponding to one pulse period.

[0062] In some alternative embodiments, all light-emitting units in a light-emitting unit group emit light simultaneously within a pulse period, wherein the light-emitting time of the light-emitting unit group in the pulse period is delayed by a random duration relative to the start time of the pulse period.

[0063] In some alternative embodiments, the controller is configured to determine the timing of light pulse emission from the plurality of light-emitting unit groups within their respective sub-emission periods in such a manner as follows:

[0064] Based on the random number sequence generated corresponding to the light-emitting unit group, the random duration of the delay between the time when the light-emitting unit group emits a light pulse and the start time of the pulse period is determined. The time when the light-emitting unit group emits a light pulse in each pulse period is determined based on the random duration. Specifically, a random number sequence is generated for each light-emitting unit group. Each random number sequence includes multiple random numbers that correspond one-to-one with multiple pulse periods of the light-emitting unit group. The multiple random numbers can be used as the random duration of the delay between the time when the light-emitting unit group emits a light pulse in each of the multiple pulse periods and the start time of the pulse period. The value of the random number is greater than or equal to zero and less than or equal to a preset maximum random duration.

[0065] In some optional embodiments, the light-emitting units in a light-emitting unit group do not emit light completely simultaneously within a pulse period, and the emission time of each light-emitting unit is delayed by a random duration relative to the start time of the pulse period, wherein at least two light-emitting units emit light pulses at different times within a pulse period.

[0066] In some alternative embodiments, multiple light-emitting units in the same light-emitting unit group emit light pulses at different times during at least one pulse period.

[0067] In some optional embodiments, multiple light pulses emitted by the same light-emitting unit within a corresponding sub-light-emitting period have a time interval with a randomly set duration.

[0068] In some optional embodiments, during a sub-light emission period, at least two light-emitting units emit light pulses at times that have a time difference within a pulse period, and the duration of the time difference formed by the at least two light-emitting units in different pulse periods is randomly set.

[0069] In some optional embodiments, within a sub-emission period, the times at which multiple light-emitting units of the same light-emitting unit group emit light pulses within a pulse period form corresponding time differences with each other, and the duration of the time differences formed by the multiple light-emitting units in different pulse periods is randomly set.

[0070] In some alternative embodiments, the controller is configured to determine the timing of light pulse emission by multiple light-emitting units in a group of light-emitting units within a corresponding sub-emission period in such a manner as follows:

[0071] Based on the random number sequence generated corresponding to the pulse period, the random duration of the delay between the time when each light-emitting unit in the current light-emitting unit group emits a light pulse and the start time of the pulse period is determined. The time when each light-emitting unit emits a light pulse within the pulse period is then determined based on this random duration. Specifically, a random number sequence is generated for each pulse period, and each random number sequence includes multiple random numbers corresponding one-to-one with multiple light-emitting units. These multiple random numbers can be used as the random duration of the delay between the time when each light-emitting unit emits a light pulse and the start time of the pulse period. The value of each random number is greater than or equal to zero and less than or equal to a preset maximum random duration.

[0072] Based on the random number sequence generated corresponding to the light-emitting unit, the random duration of the delay between the time when the light-emitting unit emits a light pulse and the start time of the pulse period is determined. The time when the light-emitting unit emits a light pulse in each pulse period is determined based on the random duration. Specifically, a random number sequence is generated for each light-emitting unit. Each random number sequence includes multiple random numbers that correspond one-to-one with multiple pulse periods of the light-emitting unit. The multiple random numbers can be used as the random duration of the delay between the time when the light-emitting unit emits a light pulse in each of the multiple pulse periods and the start time of each corresponding pulse period. The value of the random number is greater than or equal to zero and less than or equal to a preset maximum random duration.

[0073] In some optional embodiments, the pulse period includes a random duration adjustment interval with a preset duration, and the control module is configured to randomly set the time when the light-emitting unit emits light pulses during the pulse period within the random duration adjustment interval of a pulse period.

[0074] In some alternative embodiments, the duration of the pulse period is greater than or equal to the sum of the charging duration of the light-emitting unit, the maximum random duration of the light-emitting unit, and the photon flight time required for the ranging range.

[0075] In some optional embodiments, the light source in the light source module includes at least one pair of light-emitting units arranged along a specified direction; when the light source includes more than one pair of light-emitting units, the light-emitting units in different pairs are aligned or staggered.

[0076] In some optional embodiments, a group of light-emitting units includes a plurality of light-emitting units that are arranged in a continuous and adjacent manner, and there are no light-emitting units from other groups of light-emitting units between any two light-emitting units in the group.

[0077] Alternatively, a group of light-emitting units may include multiple light-emitting units that are not adjacent to each other in their arrangement, with at least one light-emitting unit from another group of light-emitting units spaced apart from any two adjacent light-emitting units in the group.

[0078] In some optional embodiments, the light source module includes a light source and a light deflection device;

[0079] The light source includes several light-emitting unit groups, and each light-emitting unit group includes at least one light-emitting unit;

[0080] The light deflection device is used to deflect the light beams emitted by each light-emitting unit group;

[0081] The control device is used to control each light-emitting unit group in the light source to emit a light beam during a light emission period, and to control the light deflection device to deflect the light beam. During a light emission period, the light beam is deflected to one of multiple final deflection angles, corresponding to a sub-region in the scanning field of view.

[0082] In some optional embodiments, the optical deflection device includes at least one optical deflection device, which includes any one or more combinations of acousto-optic deflection devices, electro-optic deflection devices, liquid crystal polarization gratings, metasurface devices, rotating mirrors, and MEMS galvanometers.

[0083] In some alternative embodiments, the length of the sub-region in the first direction is less than its length in the second direction, and the length of the field of view in the first direction is less than its length in the second direction.

[0084] In some alternative embodiments, the optical deflection device includes an acousto-optic deflector and a liquid crystal polarization grating;

[0085] The acousto-optic deflection device is configured to deflect the light beam along a first direction by a plurality of first deflection angles;

[0086] The liquid crystal polarizing grating is configured to deflect a light beam deflected by an acousto-optic deflector by a plurality of second deflection angles along a first direction and a second direction to project a scanning beam; the length of the scanning beam in the first direction is less than its length in the second direction; wherein the field of view is less than its length in the second direction.

[0087] The control device is also used to control the deflection of the light beam by the acousto-optic deflection device and the liquid crystal polarization grating.

[0088] In some optional embodiments, it further includes:

[0089] The polarization amplification device is configured to amplify the beam deflected by the acousto-optic deflection device or the liquid crystal polarization grating by a preset factor along the corresponding deflection direction, and amplify the divergence angle of the beam by a corresponding preset factor.

[0090] In some optional embodiments, the optical deflection device includes at least one acoustic optical deflection device, and the transmitting module further includes:

[0091] A collimating device is configured to collimate the light beam before it enters the acousto-optic deflector; wherein the collimated light beam has a higher collimation along a first direction than along a second direction; the first direction is perpendicular to the second direction; and the field of view is shorter in the first direction than in the second direction.

[0092] In some optional embodiments, the light source module includes a light source;

[0093] The light source includes several light-emitting unit groups, and each light-emitting unit group includes at least one light-emitting unit;

[0094] The control device is configured to control each light-emitting unit group in the light source to emit light beams with the same emission angle during a light emission period, so as to scan a sub-region in the field of view; and to control the same light-emitting unit group to emit light beams with different emission angles during different light emission periods, wherein a light beam with one emission angle corresponds to illuminating a sub-region in the field of view; wherein the control device is configured to control the direction of the light beam emitted by the light-emitting unit group by controlling the phase difference of the light beams emitted by each light-emitting unit in the light-emitting unit group.

[0095] In some optional embodiments, a charging circuit is also included;

[0096] The charging circuit includes several charging sub-circuits corresponding to several light-emitting unit groups. Each charging sub-circuit is used to charge multiple light-emitting units within a corresponding light-emitting unit group.

[0097] In some optional embodiments, a trigger circuit is also included;

[0098] The triggering circuit includes multiple trigger sub-circuits, each trigger sub-circuit connecting multiple light-emitting units, and the connected multiple light-emitting units belong to different light-emitting unit groups. The trigger sub-circuit is used to trigger the connected light-emitting units to emit light according to a preset emission sequence; or...

[0099] The triggering circuit includes multiple triggering sub-circuits. Each triggering sub-circuit is connected to multiple light-emitting units of a light-emitting unit group to trigger the multiple light-emitting units of the light-emitting unit group to emit light simultaneously. Different triggering sub-circuits are used to trigger the corresponding connected different light-emitting unit groups to emit light simultaneously according to a preset emission sequence.

[0100] This invention provides a lidar, including the above-described transmitting module and receiving module. The receiving module includes multiple sensing partitions, which are configured to receive light signals returned from a sub-region scanned by a group of light-emitting units.

[0101] The controller is also used to control the sensing partition to turn on during the light emission period of the corresponding light-emitting unit group.

[0102] In some optional embodiments, the controller includes a transmission driving circuit, a sensing driving circuit, and a main controller. The transmission driving circuit is configured to drive the light-emitting units to emit light beams, the sensing driving circuit is configured to drive the sensing partitions to start operating, and the main controller is configured to control the light-emitting sequence of the light-emitting units and the operating sequence of the sensing partitions.

[0103] The transmit drive circuit, the sense drive circuit, and the main controller are each mounted on different chips; or...

[0104] The transmission drive circuit, the sensing drive circuit, and the main controller are integrated on the same chip; or...

[0105] The transmission drive circuit and the sensing drive circuit are integrated on the same chip; or...

[0106] The transmit drive circuit and the main controller are integrated on the same chip; or...

[0107] The sensing drive circuit and the main controller are integrated on the same chip.

[0108] This invention provides an electronic device including the aforementioned lidar.

[0109] The beneficial effects of the above-described technical solutions provided in the embodiments of the present invention include at least the following:

[0110] The optical scanning method provided in this invention divides the light-emitting units in a light source module into several light-emitting unit groups. A controller manages the light-emitting unit groups and their emission times and sequences within the light source module, ensuring that each light-emitting unit group emits a beam of light within a single emission period. Furthermore, the emission times of at least two light-emitting unit groups are different, thereby reducing crosstalk caused by reflected energy when the light beams are reflected by objects, thus ensuring accurate sensing. In addition, the controller controls the propagation direction of the light beams emitted by the light-emitting unit groups during different emission periods. This allows different light-emitting unit groups to scan a sub-region within the field of view within a single emission period, and different sub-regions within the field of view during different emission periods. This reduces the number of light-emitting units that need to be lit within a single emission period. By confining the emitted beam of the light source to a certain range, the coverage area of ​​a single laser beam is reduced. Without changing the sensing frame rate of the lidar, the sensing distance and angular resolution of the lidar are maximized.

[0111] Other features and advantages of the invention will be set forth in the description which follows, and will be apparent in part from the description, or may be learned by practicing the invention. The objects and other advantages of the invention may be realized and obtained by means of the structures particularly pointed out in the written description, claims, and drawings.

[0112] The technical solution of the present invention will be further described in detail below with reference to the accompanying drawings and embodiments. Attached Figure Description

[0113] The accompanying drawings are provided to further illustrate the invention and form part of the specification. They are used in conjunction with embodiments of the invention to explain the invention and do not constitute a limitation thereof. In the drawings:

[0114] Figure 1 This is a schematic diagram of the structure of the transmitting module in Embodiment 1 of the present invention;

[0115] Figure 2 This is a schematic diagram of the operation of the transmitting module in Embodiment 1 of the present invention;

[0116] Figure 3 This is a schematic diagram of the scanning field of view of the transmitting module in Embodiment 1 of the present invention;

[0117] Figure 4 This is a schematic diagram of the serial emission of light from the light-emitting unit group in Embodiment 2 of the present invention;

[0118] Figure 5 This is a schematic diagram of a grouping method for the transmitting array and receiving array in Embodiment 2 of the present invention;

[0119] Figure 6 This is a schematic diagram of another grouping method for the transmitting array and the receiving array in Embodiment 2 of the present invention;

[0120] Figure 7 This is an example diagram of a trigger circuit and optical signal emission timing in Embodiment 2 of the present invention;

[0121] Figure 8 This is an example diagram of another trigger circuit and optical signal emission timing in Embodiment 2 of the present invention;

[0122] Figure 9 This is a schematic diagram of the light source module using a light deflection device in Embodiment 2 of the present invention;

[0123] Figure 10 This is a specific structural example diagram of a light source module employing a light deflection device in Embodiment 2 of the present invention;

[0124] Figure 11 This is a schematic diagram of the optical path in the vertical direction in Embodiment 2 of the present invention;

[0125] Figure 12 This is a schematic diagram of the horizontal optical path in Embodiment 2 of the present invention;

[0126] Figure 13 This is one of the example diagrams showing the splicing method of the light-emitting units in the light source in Embodiment 2 of the present invention;

[0127] Figure 14 This is the second example diagram of the splicing method of the light-emitting units in the light source in Embodiment 2 of the present invention;

[0128] Figure 15 This is the third example diagram illustrating the splicing method of the light-emitting units in the light source in Embodiment 2 of the present invention;

[0129] Figure 16 This is the fourth example diagram illustrating the splicing method of the light-emitting units in the light source in Embodiment 2 of the present invention;

[0130] Figure 17 This is the fifth example diagram illustrating the splicing method of the light-emitting units in the light source in Embodiment 2 of the present invention;

[0131] Figure 18 This is one of the example diagrams of control signals and light emission timing in Embodiment 3 of the present invention;

[0132] Figure 19 This is the second example diagram of the control signal and light emission timing in Embodiment 3 of the present invention;

[0133] Figure 20 This is a schematic diagram illustrating the accumulation of crosstalk signals during serial emission of light from the light-emitting unit group in Embodiment 3 of the present invention;

[0134] Figure 21This is a schematic diagram of parallel light emission from the light-emitting unit group in Embodiment 4 of the present invention;

[0135] Figure 22 This is a schematic diagram illustrating the accumulation of crosstalk signals during parallel emission of light-emitting unit groups in Embodiment 4 of the present invention;

[0136] Figure 23 This is a schematic diagram of the light-emitting unit triggering status of each light-emitting unit group in Embodiment 5 of the present invention;

[0137] Figure 24 This is a schematic diagram of the lidar structure in Embodiment Six of the present invention.

[0138] Explanation of reference numerals in the attached figures:

[0139] 1. Transmitting module; 2. Receiving module; 11. Light source module; 12. Controller; 110. Light source; 120. Optical deflection device; 130. Acousto-optic deflection device; 140. Liquid crystal polarization grating; 150. Collimating device; 160. Polarization expansion device; 111. Light-emitting unit group; 112. Light-emitting unit. Detailed Implementation

[0140] Exemplary embodiments of the present disclosure will now be described in more detail with reference to the accompanying drawings. While exemplary embodiments of the present disclosure are shown in the drawings, it should be understood that the present disclosure may be implemented in various forms and should not be limited to the embodiments set forth herein. Rather, these embodiments are provided so that this disclosure will be thorough and complete, and will fully convey the scope of the disclosure to those skilled in the art.

[0141] In the description of this invention, it should be noted that the terms "center," "upper," "lower," "left," "right," "vertical," "horizontal," "inner," and "outer," etc., indicate the orientation or positional relationship based on the orientation or positional relationship shown in the accompanying drawings. They are used only for the convenience of describing the invention and for simplifying the description, and do not indicate or imply that the device or element referred to must have a specific orientation, or be constructed and operated in a specific orientation. Therefore, they should not be construed as limitations on the invention. Furthermore, the terms "first," "second," and "third" are used for descriptive purposes only and should not be construed as indicating or implying relative importance.

[0142] In the description of this invention, it should be noted that, unless otherwise explicitly specified and limited, the terms "installation," "connection," and "linking" should be interpreted broadly. For example, they can refer to a fixed connection, a detachable connection, or an integral connection; they can refer to a mechanical connection or an electrical connection; they can refer to a direct connection or an indirect connection through an intermediate medium; and they can refer to the internal connection of two components. Those skilled in the art can understand the specific meaning of the above terms in this invention based on the specific circumstances.

[0143] The LiDAR transmitter has multiple light-emitting units forming a transmitting array, and its receiver sensor has up to hundreds of receiving channels forming a receiving array. Through multiple receiving channels, it can provide higher point frequency and longer sensing distance, and has high integration, which has great application potential in the fields of autonomous driving, industrial automation and robotics.

[0144] To meet the measurement requirements of long distance, high frame rate, and high angular resolution, and to effectively avoid crosstalk to ensure detection accuracy, the light source at the transmitting end can be divided into several groups, and the corresponding sensor at the receiving end can also be divided into multiple sensing zones. Different groups of the light source emit at different times, and different zones of the receiving end receive at different times, in order to reduce mutual interference between different receiving channels.

[0145] One possible approach is that at the transmitting end, each light-emitting unit in the light source emits light sequentially in series, and the corresponding multiple sensing partitions at the receiving end work sequentially in series. This can effectively avoid mutual interference between channels. However, when there are a large number of light-emitting units, in order to meet the same detection frame rate, the measurement time of each partition will be shortened, thus affecting the number of transmissions and the measurement distance.

[0146] One alternative approach involves multiple light-emitting units in the light source operating in parallel, but each light-emitting unit and its corresponding sensing partition have a short random delay in their activation time. This prevents the emission times of multiple light-emitting units from completely overlapping without shortening the measurement time, thus improving the anti-interference capability between multiple channels. However, this approach has limitations when scanning requires a large number of light-emitting units and sensing partitions. To ensure sufficient ranging time and a certain detection frame rate, the range of possible random delay variations is limited. As the number of light-emitting units and partitions increases, the probability of random delay repetition increases, leading to a decrease in anti-interference capability.

[0147] Extensive research has revealed that by combining beam deflection, ensuring that each beam emitted by the light source scans only a sub-region within the field of view corresponding to the deflected angle, and simultaneously grouping the light-emitting units of the light source while scanning each sub-region, and controlling the emission of different groups of light-emitting units, it is possible to meet the measurement requirements of long distance, high frame rate, and high angular resolution while more effectively avoiding crosstalk between different receiving channels. Based on this, embodiments of the present invention provide a transmitting module capable of achieving the above functions, a lidar and electronic device using the transmitting module, and a corresponding optical scanning method. Detailed descriptions are provided below through specific embodiments.

[0148] Example 1

[0149] Embodiment 1 of the present invention provides a transmitting module, the structure of which is as follows: Figure 1As shown, it includes: a light source module 11 and a control device 12.

[0150] The light source module 11 includes a plurality of light-emitting unit groups 111, and each light-emitting unit group 111 includes at least one light-emitting unit 112;

[0151] The controller 12 is configured to control each light-emitting unit group 111 in the light source module 11 to emit a light beam during a light emission period to scan a sub-region in the field of view, wherein the light emission times of at least two light-emitting unit groups 111 are different during a light emission period; and to control the light beams emitted by the same light-emitting unit group 111 during different light emission periods to scan different sub-regions in the field of view.

[0152] In some embodiments, a controller controls the light source module to emit light beams at different emission angles. Each light-emitting unit group in the light source module can emit a light beam at one emission angle within a single emission period, and a light beam at one emission angle can correspond to a sub-region within the scanning field of view. Within a single emission period, different light-emitting unit groups can be designed to emit light in parallel or in sequence. At least two light-emitting unit groups emitting light at different times can reduce crosstalk to some extent. When all light-emitting unit groups emit light at different times, crosstalk is minimized.

[0153] See Figure 2 The schematic diagram of the transmitting module's operation shows that a frame time period (Frame_Sync) can include multiple emission time periods (Slot_Sync). Each emission unit can emit multiple light pulses within an emission time period; that is, an emission time period can include multiple pulse time periods (Tx-Trig). In the above transmitting module, the emission unit groups 111 in the light source module 11 can emit light in parallel or in series. The controller 12 controls the emission sequence and emission time of the emission units 112 in the light source module 11. See also... Figure 3 As shown, the field of view is divided into multiple blocks 3. The figure uses 16 blocks 3 as an example. Each block 3 includes multiple sub-regions 30. During one emission period, after each light-emitting unit group 111 emits light, it can scan one sub-region 30 within the field of view, such as a small elongated area in the figure. In the next emission period, the controller 12 controls the light source module 11 to change the emission angle of the light beam emitted by each light-emitting unit group 111 to scan another sub-region. This process is repeated. After multiple emission periods of one frame, the scanning of all sub-regions can be completed, that is, one frame scan of the entire field of view is completed. See [link to relevant documentation]. Figure 3 As shown, 16·P emission periods in one frame can scan 16·P sub-regions, that is, the entire field of view, where P is the number of sub-regions included in a block.

[0154] Optionally, the controller can be configured to control the light-emitting unit groups in the light source module to emit light in parallel within a light-emitting period. Parallel emission means that the emission times of different light-emitting unit groups are not completely staggered, wherein the emission time of each light-emitting unit group is delayed by a random duration relative to the start time of the light-emitting period. In this case, the light-emitting unit groups are controlled to emit multiple light pulses according to a preset time sequence within a light-emitting period; wherein a light-emitting period includes multiple pulse periods corresponding to the multiple light pulses, and the light-emitting unit group emits one light pulse corresponding to one pulse period. The start time of the light-emitting unit group in one pulse period is delayed by a random duration relative to the start time of that pulse period, and at least two light-emitting unit groups emit light pulses at different times within a pulse period. The duration of the pulse period is greater than or equal to the sum of the charging time of the light-emitting unit, the maximum random duration of the light-emitting unit, and the photon flight time required for the ranging range.

[0155] The random duration of the delay is a duration that is randomly set within a preset range.

[0156] Optionally, the controller can be configured to: control each light-emitting unit group in the light source module to emit light serially according to a preset emission sequence within a light emission period, where serial emission means that the emission times of different light-emitting unit groups are completely staggered. In this case, a light emission period is divided into multiple sub-light emission periods, and a light-emitting unit group emits light within a corresponding sub-light emission period; the light-emitting unit group is controlled to emit multiple light pulses according to a preset time sequence within a corresponding sub-light emission period; wherein, a sub-light emission period includes multiple pulse periods corresponding to the multiple light pulses, and at least one light-emitting unit in the light-emitting unit group emits one light pulse in one pulse period.

[0157] From a hardware perspective, the aforementioned control device 12 can be selected, but is not limited to, an application processor (AP), a central processing unit (CPU), a microcontroller unit (MCU), or a programmable gate array (PGA), field-programmable gate array (FPGA), etc. All or part of the functions of the control device 12 can be implemented by computer software, such as the hardware description language (HDL) code accompanying the FPGA hardware. This embodiment of the invention does not limit the specific implementation method of the computer program.

[0158] The transmitting module provided in this invention divides the light-emitting units in the light source module into several light-emitting unit groups. A controller manages the light-emitting unit groups and their emission times and order within the light source module, ensuring that each light-emitting unit group emits a beam of light within a single emission period. Furthermore, the emission times of at least two light-emitting unit groups are different, thereby reducing crosstalk between corresponding sensing zones when the light beams emitted by each light-emitting unit are reflected by an object, thus improving sensing accuracy. In addition, the controller changes the propagation direction of the light beams emitted by the light-emitting unit groups in different emission periods. This allows all light-emitting unit groups to scan a sub-region within the field of view within a single emission period, and different sub-regions within the field of view in different emission periods. This allows for scanning a larger field of view using fewer light-emitting unit groups. By confining the emitted beam of the light source to a certain range, the coverage area of ​​a single laser beam is reduced. Without changing the sensing frame rate of the lidar, the sensing distance and angular resolution of the lidar are maximized.

[0159] The light-emitting unit can be, for example, but not limited to, at least one of the following forms of light-emitting structures: Vertical Cavity Surface Emitting Laser (VCSEL), Edge Emitting Laser (EEL), Light Emitting Diode (LED), Laser Diode (LD), Semiconductor Laser, Fiber Laser, etc. The edge-emitting laser can be a Fabry Perot (FP) laser, a Distributed Feedback (DFB) laser, an Electro-absorption Modulated (EML) laser, etc., and this application does not limit this specific type.

[0160] The following examples two, three, four, and five describe different structures of the emitting module and different light emission modes of the light-emitting unit group, respectively.

[0161] Example 2

[0162] Embodiment 2 of the present invention provides a transmitting module in which different light-emitting unit groups 111 emit light in series, and the light-emitting units in the same light-emitting unit group are configured to emit light simultaneously.

[0163] In this embodiment, the light source module emits light in series between different light-emitting unit groups, each with its own non-overlapping sub-light-emitting time periods. Each light-emitting unit group emits multiple light pulses, and the light-emitting units within the same light-emitting unit group emit light simultaneously, that is, each light-emitting unit group emits light as a whole. The next light-emitting unit group will only emit light after each light-emitting unit group has emitted all of its multiple pulses. During the sub-light-emitting time period when one light-emitting unit group is emitting light, other light-emitting unit groups will not emit light.

[0164] The emission module provided in this embodiment of the invention includes a light source module 11 and a control device 12. The light source module 11 includes a plurality of light-emitting unit groups 111, and each light-emitting unit group 111 includes at least one light-emitting unit 112;

[0165] The controller 12 is used to control each light-emitting unit group in the light source module to emit light in a preset light-emitting order during a light-emitting period. After each light-emitting unit group emits a beam of light in sequence during a light-emitting period, it completes the scanning of a sub-region within the scanning field of view. Since each light-emitting unit group emits light in sequence, the light-emitting times of different light-emitting unit groups are completely staggered, and the light-emitting times of each light-emitting unit group 111 are different within a light-emitting period.

[0166] When different light-emitting unit groups 111 emit light in series, a light-emitting period can be divided into multiple sub-light-emitting periods, and a light-emitting unit group emits light in a corresponding sub-light-emitting period; the light-emitting unit group can be controlled to emit multiple light pulses in a sub-light-emitting period according to a preset time sequence; wherein, a sub-light-emitting period includes multiple pulse periods corresponding to multiple light pulses respectively, and each light-emitting unit in the light-emitting unit group emits one light pulse in a pulse period.

[0167] In this embodiment, all light-emitting units in a light-emitting unit group emit light simultaneously within a pulse period to form a light pulse emitted by the light-emitting unit group within this pulse period. The light-emitting time of the light-emitting unit group in a pulse period is delayed by a random duration relative to the start time of the pulse period.

[0168] See Figure 4 As shown, a group of light-emitting units in Figure 4 Within a corresponding sub-emission period, multiple light pulses are emitted. After the first light-emitting unit group finishes emitting light, the second light-emitting unit group emits multiple light pulses in the second sub-emission period; and so on. After the light-emitting unit group M completes its emission, the emission of one emission period is completed, achieving scanning of a sub-region within the field of view. After the emission of one emission period is completed, the emission of the next emission period can begin. By changing the angle of the beam emitted by the light source module, scanning of the next sub-region can be achieved in the next emission period, until all emission periods within one frame cycle are completed, achieving scanning of the entire field of view.

[0169] See Figure 4 As shown, trigger1 triggers the first group of light-emitting units to emit multiple light pulses, trigger2 triggers the second group of light-emitting units to emit multiple light pulses, trigger3 triggers the third group of light-emitting units to emit multiple light pulses, and so on. The emission time of each light pulse has a random delay relative to the start time of the pulse period. The figure shows an example where the delay time of each light pulse is different. In practical applications, it is permissible for some light pulses to have the same trigger time.

[0170] The transmitting module provided in this embodiment of the invention can be applied to linear array lidar. The light source in its light source module adopts a strip light source. The light source in the light source module includes at least one pair of light-emitting units arranged along a specified direction. When the light source includes more than one pair of light-emitting units, the light-emitting units in different pairs are aligned or staggered.

[0171] In some optional embodiments, the light-emitting unit groups can adopt different grouping methods. A light-emitting unit group may consist of multiple light-emitting units arranged consecutively and adjacently, with no light-emitting units from other light-emitting unit groups separating any two light-emitting units in the group; or, a light-emitting unit group may consist of multiple light-emitting units arranged non-consecutively and adjacent light-emitting units separated by at least one light-emitting unit from another light-emitting unit group. Since the light-emitting units within the same light-emitting unit group can be continuous or discontinuous, the sensing zones in the receiving zones corresponding to different light-emitting unit groups at the receiving end can also be continuous or discontinuous in position.

[0172] See one alternative grouping method. Figure 5As shown, taking the staggered arrangement of multiple light-emitting units in a light source in an emitting module as an example, a group of light-emitting units includes multiple light-emitting units that are continuously adjacent in position, and there are no light-emitting units from other light-emitting unit groups between any two light-emitting units in this group. Specifically: the emitting module includes two teams of light-emitting units arranged along a specified direction, each team including multiple light-emitting units, and both teams of light-emitting units are arranged along the column direction. The positions of the two teams of light-emitting units along the specified column arrangement direction are staggered, with one light-emitting unit in one team aligning with the gap between two adjacent light-emitting units in the other team, so that the two teams of light-emitting units are alternately adjacent along the specified column arrangement direction. A group of light-emitting units is formed by multiple consecutively adjacent light-emitting units. As shown in the figure, the transmitting module includes M×N light-emitting units, with each group consisting of N consecutively adjacent units, resulting in M ​​groups. The top N consecutively adjacent light-emitting units form the first group (Group1), the N consecutive light-emitting units below it form the second group (Group2), and so on, with the bottom N consecutive light-emitting units forming the Mth group (GroupM). Correspondingly, the receiving module includes M×N sensing partitions, with N consecutively adjacent sensing partitions forming a sensing partition group, resulting in M ​​sensing partition groups.

[0173] See one alternative grouping method. Figure 6As shown, taking the staggered arrangement of multiple light-emitting units in a light source in an emitting module as an example, the multiple light-emitting units in a light-emitting unit group are not consecutively adjacent in their arrangement position, and there are no light-emitting units from other light-emitting unit groups between any two light-emitting units in this light-emitting unit group. Specifically: the emitting module includes two teams of light-emitting units arranged along a specified direction, each team including multiple light-emitting units, and both teams of light-emitting units are arranged along the column direction. The positions of the two teams of light-emitting units along the specified column arrangement direction are staggered, wherein the gap between one light-emitting unit in one team and two adjacent light-emitting units in the other team is aligned, so that the two teams of light-emitting units are alternately adjacent along the specified column arrangement direction. The multiple light-emitting units in a light-emitting unit group are not consecutively adjacent in their arrangement position, and there is at least one light-emitting unit from another light-emitting unit group between any two adjacent light-emitting units. Multiple non-contiguous light-emitting units form a light-emitting unit group. As shown in the figure, the transmitting module includes M×N light-emitting units. The topmost light-emitting unit is the first light-emitting unit in the first group (Group1), the second light-emitting unit is the first light-emitting unit in the second group (Group2), the third light-emitting unit is the first light-emitting unit in the third group (Group3), and so on. The Mth light-emitting unit is the first light-emitting unit in the Mth group (GroupM); the (M+1)th light-emitting unit is the second light-emitting unit in the first group, the (M+2)th light-emitting unit is the second light-emitting unit in the second group, the (M+3)th light-emitting unit is the first light-emitting unit in the third group, and so on. The 2Mth light-emitting unit is the second light-emitting unit in the Mth group; and so on, thus forming a light-emitting unit group from multiple light-emitting units spaced apart in position. The receiving module includes M×N sensing partitions with corresponding groupings. Multiple sensing partitions spaced apart in position form a sensing partition group. In other words, multiple light-emitting units are arranged in a specific order, with each M light-emitting units forming a group with the same order, and this configuration of M light-emitting units per group is repeated N times. In this case, adjacent light-emitting units within the same group are separated by M-1 light-emitting units from other groups. The multiple light-emitting units in the same group are spaced apart and not adjacent in position; correspondingly, the receiving zones at the receiving end are also not adjacent. Within a sub-lighting period corresponding to a light-emitting unit group, the light-emitting units and receiving zones are not adjacent, thus better avoiding crosstalk. The M×N light-emitting units can be grouped according to a certain pattern as described above, or they can be grouped randomly.

[0174] See one alternative grouping method. Figure 7As shown, taking the alignment of multiple light-emitting units in a light source in an emitting module as an example, a group of light-emitting units includes multiple light-emitting units that are continuously adjacent in their arrangement position. There are no light-emitting units from other light-emitting unit groups between any two light-emitting units in this group. Specifically: the emitting module includes a group of light-emitting units arranged along a specified direction, including multiple light-emitting units, all of which are arranged along the column direction. Multiple light-emitting units that are continuously adjacent in multiple positions form a light-emitting unit group. As shown in the figure, the emitting module includes M×N light-emitting units, and every N consecutive adjacent positions form a light-emitting unit group, resulting in M ​​light-emitting unit groups; among them, the top N consecutive adjacent light-emitting units are the first light-emitting unit group (Group1), the N consecutive light-emitting units below it are the second light-emitting unit group (Group2), and so on, with the bottom N consecutive light-emitting units being the Mth light-emitting unit group (GroupM). Correspondingly, the receiving module includes M×N sensing partitions. N consecutively adjacent sensing partitions form a sensing partition group, and there are M sensing partition groups.

[0175] See one alternative grouping method. Figure 8As shown, taking the alignment of multiple light-emitting units in a light source in an emitting module as an example, the multiple light-emitting units in a light-emitting unit group are not consecutively adjacent in their arrangement position, and there is at least one light-emitting unit from another light-emitting unit group between two adjacent light-emitting units. Specifically: the emitting module includes a row of light-emitting units arranged along a specified direction, including multiple light-emitting units, all of which are arranged along the column direction. Multiple non-contiguous light-emitting units form a light-emitting unit group. As shown in the figure, the transmitting module includes M×N light-emitting units. The topmost light-emitting unit is the first light-emitting unit in the first group (Group1), the second light-emitting unit is the first light-emitting unit in the second group (Group2), the third light-emitting unit is the first light-emitting unit in the third group (Group3), and so on. The Mth light-emitting unit is the first light-emitting unit in the Mth group (GroupM); the (M+1)th light-emitting unit is the second light-emitting unit in the first group, the (M+2)th light-emitting unit is the second light-emitting unit in the second group, the (M+3)th light-emitting unit is the first light-emitting unit in the third group, and so on. The 2Mth light-emitting unit is the second light-emitting unit in the Mth group; and so on, thus forming a light-emitting unit group from multiple light-emitting units spaced apart in position. The receiving module includes M×N sensing partitions with corresponding groupings. Multiple sensing partitions spaced apart in position form a sensing partition group. In other words, multiple light-emitting units are arranged in a specific order, with each M light-emitting units forming a group with the same order, and this configuration of M light-emitting units per group is repeated N times. In this case, adjacent light-emitting units within the same group are separated by M-1 light-emitting units from other groups. The multiple light-emitting units in the same group are spaced apart and not adjacent in position; correspondingly, the receiving zones at the receiving end are also not adjacent. Within a sub-lighting period corresponding to a light-emitting unit group, the light-emitting units and the receiving zones are not adjacent, thus better avoiding crosstalk.

[0176] In some embodiments, the controller is configured to determine the timing of light pulse emission from a plurality of light-emitting unit groups within their respective sub-emission periods in the following manner:

[0177] Based on the random number sequence generated corresponding to the light-emitting unit group, the random duration of the delay between the time when the light-emitting unit group emits a light pulse and the start time of the pulse period is determined. The time when the light-emitting unit group emits a light pulse in each pulse period is determined based on the random duration. Specifically, a random number sequence is generated for each light-emitting unit group. Each random number sequence includes multiple random numbers that correspond one-to-one with multiple pulse periods of the light-emitting unit group. The multiple random numbers can be used as the random duration of the delay between the time when the light-emitting unit group emits a light pulse in each of the multiple pulse periods and the start time of the pulse period. The value of the random number is greater than zero and less than or equal to the preset maximum random duration.

[0178] The pulse period includes a random duration adjustment interval with a preset duration. The timing of light pulse emission by each light-emitting unit group within the pulse period is randomly set within this interval. The maximum random duration is the time delay between the end point of the random duration adjustment interval and the start point of the pulse period. The random duration adjustment interval is determined based on the required scanning frame rate of the transmitting module, the number of light pulses in one light-emitting period, and the duration of the light-emitting period. Alternatively, the random number sequence is generated based on a predetermined maximum random duration, which is determined by the required scanning frame rate of the transmitting module, the number of light pulses in one light-emitting period, and the duration of the light-emitting period. The control module is configured to randomly set the timing of light pulse emission by the light-emitting units within the random duration adjustment interval of a pulse period.

[0179] In some optional embodiments, the above-mentioned transmitting module further includes a charging circuit; the charging circuit includes several charging sub-circuits corresponding to several light-emitting unit groups, and one charging sub-circuit is used to charge multiple light-emitting units within a corresponding light-emitting unit group. Optionally, one charging sub-circuit can also charge two or more light-emitting unit groups; similarly, one light-emitting unit group can be configured with two or more charging sub-circuits. Optionally, one charging sub-circuit is connected to one light-emitting unit. A slow-speed power-on switch can be set in the charging sub-circuit to control the on / off state of the circuit. Alternatively, no switch can be set, and the light-emitting unit is directly connected to the power supply.

[0180] In some optional embodiments, the above-mentioned transmitting module further includes a trigger circuit for triggering each light-emitting unit to emit light. The trigger circuit can be configured as needed and may include multiple trigger sub-circuits. A single trigger circuit can connect multiple light-emitting units belonging to different groups, or it can connect multiple light-emitting units within the same group; alternatively, a single trigger circuit can be connected to a single light-emitting unit. A trigger switch can be configured in the trigger circuit to control the on / off state of the circuit.

[0181] Optionally, the trigger circuit includes multiple trigger sub-circuits, each connecting multiple light-emitting units, and the connected light-emitting units belong to different light-emitting unit groups. The trigger sub-circuit is used to trigger the connected light-emitting units to emit light according to a preset emission sequence. See also Figure 7 As shown, the first trigger sub-circuit trig1 is connected to the first light-emitting unit in the light-emitting unit group 1-M, the second trigger sub-circuit trig2 is connected to the second light-emitting unit in the light-emitting unit group 1-M, and so on, with the Nth trigger sub-circuit trigN connected to the Nth light-emitting unit in the light-emitting unit group 1-M. The light-emitting units in each light-emitting unit group are consecutively adjacent, for example, the light-emitting units 1-N in the figure are consecutively adjacent. The N trigger sub-circuits simultaneously trigger the N light-emitting units in one light-emitting unit group to emit light within one pulse period. In the sub-light-emitting period corresponding to each light-emitting unit group, multiple light-emitting units in the trigger group emit multiple light pulses. Figure 7 The example used is the alignment of light-emitting units. Figure 5 The staggered arrangement shown can also be implemented using the trigger circuit described above.

[0182] See Figure 8 As shown, the first trigger sub-circuit trig1 is connected to the first light-emitting unit in the light-emitting unit group 1-M, the second trigger sub-circuit trig2 is connected to the second light-emitting unit in the light-emitting unit group 1-M, and so on, with the Nth trigger sub-circuit trigN connected to the Nth light-emitting unit in the light-emitting unit group 1-M. The positions of the multiple light-emitting units in each light-emitting unit group are not consecutive. During the sub-emission period corresponding to each light-emitting unit group, multiple light-emitting units in the trigger group emit multiple light pulses. For example, starting from the topmost first light-emitting unit, ..., N trigger sub-circuits simultaneously trigger N light-emitting units in one light-emitting unit group within one pulse period.

[0183] Optionally, the trigger circuit includes multiple trigger sub-circuits. Each trigger sub-circuit is connected to multiple light-emitting units in a light-emitting unit group to trigger the multiple light-emitting units in that group to emit light simultaneously. Different trigger sub-circuits are used to trigger different light-emitting unit groups connected to them to emit light simultaneously according to a preset emission sequence. The first trigger sub-circuit trig1 is connected to N light-emitting units in the first light-emitting unit group, the second trigger sub-circuit trig2 is connected to N light-emitting units in the second light-emitting unit group, and so on, until the Mth trigger sub-circuit trigM is connected to N light-emitting units in the Mth light-emitting unit group.

[0184] Those skilled in the art will understand that the charging sub-circuit and the trigger sub-circuit can be configured as needed, and are not limited to the configuration methods listed above.

[0185] In some optional embodiments, the light source module in the above-mentioned emission module can change the propagation direction of the light beam emitted by the light source through a light deflection device, or it can control the light source to emit light beams with different propagation directions through a control device.

[0186] When the light source module can change the propagation direction of the light beam emitted by the light source through a light deflection device, the structure of the light source module is described in [reference needed]. Figure 9 As shown, the light source module includes a light source 110 and a light deflection device 120; wherein:

[0187] The light source 110 includes a plurality of light-emitting unit groups 111, and each light-emitting unit group 111 includes at least one light-emitting unit 112;

[0188] The light deflection device 120 is used to deflect the light beams emitted by each light-emitting unit group 111;

[0189] The controller 12 is specifically used to control each light-emitting unit group 111 in the light source 110 to emit a light beam during a light emission period, and to control the light deflection device 120 to deflect the light beam. During a light emission period, the light beam is deflected by one of multiple final deflection angles, corresponding to a sub-region in the scanning field of view.

[0190] The optical deflection device 120 can change the deflection angle of the light beam emitted by the light source 110 by deflecting the light beam, thereby changing its propagation direction. The optical deflection device 120 includes at least one optical deflection device, which includes, but is not limited to, any one or more combinations of acousto-optic deflection devices, electro-optic deflection devices, liquid crystal polarization gratings, metasurface devices, rotating mirrors, and MEMS galvanometers.

[0191] By using a light deflection device, the light source can emit light beams with different propagation directions during different light emission periods, thereby correspondingly scanning a sub-region within the market range. This sub-region can be determined based on the shape of the light source and the shape of the emitted light beam. One option is that when the light source emits a strip-shaped light beam, the sub-region is also strip-shaped. When the light deflection device deflects the light beam in the first direction, the length of the sub-region in the first direction is less than its length in the second direction, and the length of the entire field of view in the first direction is also less than its length in the second direction.

[0192] Optionally, one specific structure of the above-mentioned transmitting module can be found in [reference needed]. Figure 10As shown, the optical deflection device 120 includes an acousto-optic deflector 130 and a liquid crystal polarizing grating 140; the acousto-optic deflector is configured to deflect the light beam along a first direction by a plurality of first deflection angles; the liquid crystal polarizing grating is configured to deflect the light beam deflected by the acousto-optic deflector along a first direction and a second direction by a plurality of second deflection angles to project a scanning light beam; the length of the scanning light beam in the first direction is less than its length in the second direction; wherein, the length of the field of view in the first direction is less than its length in the second direction; correspondingly, the control device is also used to control the deflection of the light beam by the acousto-optic deflector and the liquid crystal polarizing grating.

[0193] Optionally, one specific structure of the above-mentioned transmitting module can be found in [reference needed]. Figure 10 As shown, the transmitting module may further include: a polarization amplification device 160, configured to amplify the beam deflected by the acousto-optic deflection device or the liquid crystal polarization grating by a preset multiple along the corresponding deflection direction, and amplify the divergence angle of the beam by a corresponding preset multiple.

[0194] The aforementioned polarizing device 160 includes at least one polarizing lens, which can be a single lens or a combination of two or more lenses. The polarizing lens includes at least one or any combination of cylindrical lenses, spherical lenses, superlenses, and Fresnel lenses. When the polarizing lens includes a combination of two or more lenses, the combination of the two or more lenses can be considered as a single lens. The positional relationship between the acousto-optic deflection device 130, the liquid crystal polarizing grating 140, and the polarizing device 160 can be designed according to the parameters of each device. The polarizing device can be positioned before or after the liquid crystal polarizing grating 140.

[0195] Optionally, one specific structure of the above-mentioned transmitting module can be found in [reference needed]. Figure 13 As shown, the optical deflection device includes at least one acoustic optical deflection element, and the emission module further includes:

[0196] Collimating device 150 is configured to collimate the light beam before it enters the acousto-optic deflector; wherein the collimated beam has a higher collimation along a first direction than along a second direction; the first direction is perpendicular to the second direction; the field of view is shorter in the first direction than in the second direction. The first direction can be vertical and the second direction can be horizontal, or the first direction can be horizontal and the second direction vertical.

[0197] The collimating device 150 includes at least one collimating lens, such as two cylindrical lenses, a spherical lens, or a cylindrical lens and a spherical lens, to collimate the strip beam emitted by the light source in a first and a second direction that are perpendicular to each other. Optionally, in order to achieve collimation of the beam according to the collimation requirements, the positional relationship between the collimating device 150 and the light source 110 can be set according to the beam collimation requirements.

[0198] Figure 10 The specific structure of the emission module shown includes a light source 110, a collimating device 150, an acousto-optic deflector 130, a polarizing amplifier 160, a liquid crystal polarizing grating 140, and a control device 12 (not shown in the figure). The optical path of this light source module in the vertical direction (first direction) is shown below. Figure 11 As shown, the optical path in the horizontal direction (second direction) is shown in the diagram. Figure 12 As shown, the light beam emitted by the light source 110 enters the collimating device 150, and after being collimated by the collimating device 150, it enters the acousto-optic deflecting device 130. After being deflected by the acousto-optic deflecting device 130, it enters the polarization expanding device 160. After being expanded by the polarization expanding device 160, it enters the liquid crystal polarization grating 140. After being deflected by the liquid crystal polarization grating 140, a scanning light beam that conforms to the propagation direction is obtained.

[0199] The light beam is deflected by an optical deflection device including but not limited to an acousto-optic deflector (AOD) and a liquid crystal deflector grating (LCPG). The acousto-optic deflector (AOD) is used to achieve one-dimensional optical scanning at the transmitting end through ultrasonic control, and at the receiving end, the time-division and block reception of the signal light is achieved by matching the spatial distribution of the transmitted signal light through timing control.

[0200] The controller can control the light source to emit beams with different propagation directions according to the principle of optical phase array (OPA). In this case, the light source module in the above-mentioned emission module includes a light source; the light source includes several light-emitting unit groups, and each light-emitting unit group includes multiple light-emitting units; the controller 12 is specifically used to control each light-emitting unit group in the light source to emit beams with the same exit angle during a light emission period to scan a sub-region in the field of view; and to control the same light-emitting unit group to emit beams with different exit angles during different light emission periods, and a beam with one exit angle corresponds to illuminating a sub-region in the field of view; wherein, the controller is configured to control the direction of the beam emitted by the light-emitting unit group by controlling the phase difference of the beams emitted by each light-emitting unit in the light-emitting unit group.

[0201] At the transmitting end, the light source is controlled by a controller to emit light beams in different propagation directions to achieve one-dimensional optical scanning. At the receiving end, timing control is used to match the spatial distribution of the transmitted signal light to achieve time-division and block reception of the signal light.

[0202] In the aforementioned emission module, the splicing method of the light source can be selected as needed.

[0203] Optional, see Figure 13As shown, multiple light-emitting units can be spliced ​​together along the long axis to form a long beam that conforms to the aspect ratio. This splicing method can form a relatively thin and long beam, and the length direction of the beam is horizontal.

[0204] Optional, see Figure 14 As shown, multiple light-emitting units can be spliced ​​together in two rows along the long axis to form a long beam that conforms to the aspect ratio. This splicing method creates a long beam with a width ratio of... Figure 13 The method shown can be slightly wider.

[0205] Optional, see Figure 15 As shown, multiple light-emitting units can be spliced ​​together along their long axis to form a long beam of light that conforms to the aspect ratio. This splicing method can create a relatively slender long beam of light. Figure 13 The difference is that the length direction of the beam is perpendicular.

[0206] Optional, see Figure 16 As shown, multiple light-emitting units can be spliced ​​together in two columns along the long axis to form a long beam of light that conforms to the aspect ratio. This splicing method creates a long beam of light with a width ratio of... Figure 15 The method shown can be slightly wider.

[0207] Optional, see Figure 17 As shown, multiple light-emitting units can be spliced ​​together in a row along the short axis to form a long strip beam that conforms to the aspect ratio. This splicing method can form a relatively square block beam with small differences in length and width.

[0208] The transmitting module described in this embodiment of the invention disperses crosstalk signals by grouping the light-emitting units and having different groups of light-emitting units emit light serially. Since other groups of light-emitting units do not emit light when one group emits light, there is no crosstalk signal from other groups of light-emitting units. Moreover, after the light-emitting units are grouped, each group of light-emitting units illuminates a portion of a sub-region, and the area illuminated by each group is smaller. Even if there is high reflectivity in this portion of the region, it will not crosstalk to the corresponding illuminated areas of other groups of light-emitting units. When different groups of light-emitting units emit light serially, and each light-emitting unit in a group emits light simultaneously, the time of each light pulse emitted by the group of light-emitting units within its own sub-emission period has a random delay, which can also effectively avoid crosstalk with other lidar. In addition, the grouped time-division emission method of the light-emitting units can reduce the number of light-emitting units emitting light simultaneously, thereby reducing the total instantaneous current required by the transmitting module and reducing the requirements and design difficulty of the transmitting drive circuit of the transmitting module.

[0209] Example 3

[0210] Embodiment 3 of the present invention provides a transmitting module in which different light-emitting unit groups 111 emit light in series, light-emitting units in the same light-emitting unit group emit light in parallel, and the light-emitting time of each light-emitting unit has a random delay, so that at least two light-emitting units in the same light-emitting unit group emit light at different times within a pulse period.

[0211] In this embodiment, the light source module emits light serially from multiple groups of different light-emitting units, each with its own independent light-emitting period that does not overlap. Each group of light-emitting units emits multiple light pulses, and there is a random delay between the times when the multiple light-emitting units within the same group emit each pulse. The next group of light-emitting units will only emit light after each group has emitted all of its multiple pulses. During the period when one group of light-emitting units is emitting light, other groups of light-emitting units will not emit light. The difference between this embodiment's light source module and the emission module in Embodiment 2 is that the light-emitting units within the same group do not emit light simultaneously. This asynchronous emission between different light-emitting units within the same group can solve the crosstalk between sensing pixels of the lidar under high reflectivity conditions.

[0212] The emission module provided in this embodiment of the invention has a light-emitting unit group in which each light-emitting unit does not emit light completely simultaneously within a pulse period. The emission time of each light-emitting unit is delayed by a random duration relative to the start time of the pulse period. Among them, at least two light-emitting units emit light pulses at different times within a pulse period.

[0213] For a light-emitting unit group, each light-emitting unit in the group completes one emission within a pulse period. The time when each light-emitting unit emits a light pulse has a randomly set delay relative to the start time of the pulse period. The so-called randomness means that the emission time of each light-emitting unit is randomly determined within a preset range, so that the time when each light-emitting unit emits a light pulse in different pulse periods is not exactly the same.

[0214] See Figure 18 and Figure 19 The diagram illustrates control signals and emission timing examples, emphasizing that the delay times of each emission unit within each emission unit group are different. In practical applications, due to the randomness of the delay, the emission time after the random delay may vary. That is, the emission times of different emission units within the same emission unit group may be at least partially different, completely different, or partially the same within a single pulse period. Furthermore, the emission times of the first emission unit in different emission unit groups within a single pulse period may differ. Alternatively, several emission unit groups within the same emission unit group may emit light pulses at different times within at least one pulse period.

[0215] Due to the randomness of the random delay, the time intervals between multiple light pulses emitted by the same light-emitting unit within the corresponding sub-light-emitting period are randomly set.

[0216] Since the emission time of each light-emitting unit is randomly delayed relative to the start time of the pulse period, there is a time difference between the times when at least two light-emitting unit groups emit light pulses in a pulse period within a sub-emission period. The duration of the time difference formed by at least two light-emitting unit groups in different pulse periods is randomly set.

[0217] Optionally, within a sub-emission period, the times at which multiple light-emitting units in the same light-emitting unit group emit light pulses within a pulse period form corresponding time differences, and the duration of the time differences formed by the multiple light-emitting units in different pulse periods is randomly set.

[0218] In some embodiments, the controller is configured to determine the time when multiple light-emitting units of a light-emitting unit group emit light pulses within a corresponding sub-emission period in the following manner: based on a random number sequence generated corresponding to the pulse period, the controller determines the random duration of the delay between the time when each light-emitting unit in the currently emitting light-emitting unit group emits a light pulse and the start time of the pulse period, and determines the time when each light-emitting unit emits a light pulse within the pulse period based on the random duration; wherein, a random number sequence is generated corresponding to a pulse period, and each random number sequence includes multiple random numbers corresponding one-to-one with multiple light-emitting units, and the multiple random numbers can be used as the random duration of the delay between the time when each light-emitting unit emits a light pulse and the start time of the pulse period, respectively, and the value range of the random number is the random duration adjustment interval, that is, the value range of the random duration is greater than or equal to zero and less than or equal to a preset maximum random duration.

[0219] In some embodiments, the controller is configured to determine the time when multiple light-emitting units emit light pulses within a light-emitting period in the following manner: based on a random number sequence generated corresponding to the light-emitting unit, the controller determines the random duration of the delay between the time when the light-emitting unit emits light pulses in each pulse period and the start time of the pulse period, and determines the time when the light-emitting unit emits light pulses in each pulse period based on the random duration; wherein, a random number sequence is generated for each light-emitting unit, and each random number sequence includes multiple random numbers that correspond one-to-one with the multiple pulse periods of the light-emitting unit, and the multiple random numbers can be used as the random duration of the delay between the time when the light-emitting unit emits light pulses in each of the multiple pulse periods and the start time of each corresponding pulse period, and the value of the random number is greater than or equal to zero and less than or equal to a preset maximum random duration.

[0220] The pulse period includes a random duration adjustment interval with a preset duration. The timing of light pulse emission by each light-emitting unit in a light-emitting unit group within the pulse period is randomly set within the random duration adjustment interval. The maximum random duration is the time delay between the end point of the random duration adjustment interval and the start time of the pulse period. The random duration adjustment interval is determined based on the scanning frame rate required by the transmitting module, the number of light pulses in one light-emitting period, and the duration of the light-emitting period. In other words, the random number sequence is generated based on a predetermined maximum random duration, which is determined by the system's scanning frame rate, the number of light pulses in one light-emitting period, and the duration of the light-emitting period.

[0221] The arrangement of the light-emitting units and the triggering circuit is similar to that in Embodiment 2 above. The light-emitting units can be aligned or staggered, and the triggering circuit can include multiple trigger sub-circuits.

[0222] See Figure 18 As shown, taking the alignment of multiple light-emitting units in a light source in an emitting module as an example, a group of light-emitting units includes multiple light-emitting units that are continuously adjacent in their arrangement position. There are no light-emitting units from other light-emitting unit groups between any two light-emitting units in this group. Specifically: the emitting module includes a group of light-emitting units arranged along a specified direction, including multiple light-emitting units, all of which are arranged along the column direction. Multiple light-emitting units that are continuously adjacent in multiple positions form a light-emitting unit group. As shown in the figure, the emitting module includes M×N light-emitting units, and every N consecutive adjacent positions form a light-emitting unit group, resulting in M ​​light-emitting unit groups; among them, the top N consecutive adjacent light-emitting units are the first light-emitting unit group (Group1), the N consecutive light-emitting units below it are the second light-emitting unit group (Group2), and so on, with the bottom N consecutive light-emitting units being the Mth light-emitting unit group (GroupM). Correspondingly, the receiving module includes M×N sensing partitions. N consecutively adjacent sensing partitions form a sensing partition group, and there are M sensing partition groups. The first trigger sub-circuit trig1 is connected to the first light-emitting unit in the light-emitting unit group 1-M, the second trigger sub-circuit trig2 is connected to the second light-emitting unit in the light-emitting unit group 1-M, and so on, with the Nth trigger sub-circuit trigN connected to the Nth light-emitting unit in the light-emitting unit group 1-M. The light-emitting units in each light-emitting unit group are consecutively adjacent, for example, the 1-N light-emitting units in the figure are consecutively adjacent. The N trigger sub-circuits simultaneously trigger the N light-emitting units in one light-emitting unit group to emit light within a pulse period. In each sub-light-emitting period corresponding to the light-emitting unit group, multiple light-emitting units in the trigger group emit multiple light pulses.

[0223] SeeFigure 19 As shown, taking the alignment of multiple light-emitting units in a light source in an emitting module as an example, the multiple light-emitting units in a light-emitting unit group are not consecutively adjacent in their arrangement position, and there is at least one light-emitting unit from another light-emitting unit group between two adjacent light-emitting units. Specifically: the emitting module includes a row of light-emitting units arranged along a specified direction, including multiple light-emitting units, all of which are arranged along the column direction. Multiple non-contiguous light-emitting units form a light-emitting unit group. As shown in the figure, the transmitting module includes M×N light-emitting units. The topmost light-emitting unit is the first light-emitting unit in the first group (Group1), the second light-emitting unit is the first light-emitting unit in the second group (Group2), the third light-emitting unit is the first light-emitting unit in the third group (Group3), and so on. The Mth light-emitting unit is the first light-emitting unit in the Mth group (GroupM); the (M+1)th light-emitting unit is the second light-emitting unit in the first group, the (M+2)th light-emitting unit is the second light-emitting unit in the second group, the (M+3)th light-emitting unit is the first light-emitting unit in the third group, and so on. The 2Mth light-emitting unit is the second light-emitting unit in the Mth group; and so on, thus forming a light-emitting unit group from multiple light-emitting units spaced apart in position. The receiving module includes M×N sensing partitions with corresponding groupings. Multiple sensing partitions spaced apart in position form a sensing partition group. In other words, multiple light-emitting units are arranged in a specific order, with each M light-emitting units forming a group with the same order, and this configuration of M light-emitting units per group is repeated N times. In this case, adjacent light-emitting units within the same group are separated by M-1 light-emitting units from other groups. The multiple light-emitting units in the same group are spaced apart and not adjacent in position; correspondingly, the receiving partitions at the receiving end are also not adjacent. During a sub-emission period corresponding to a light-emitting unit group, the light-emitting units and receiving partitions are not adjacent, thus better avoiding crosstalk. The first trigger sub-circuit trig1 is connected to the first light-emitting unit in light-emitting unit group 1-M, the second trigger sub-circuit trig2 is connected to the second light-emitting unit in light-emitting unit group 1-M, ..., the Nth trigger sub-circuit trigN is connected to the Nth light-emitting unit in light-emitting unit group 1-M. The multiple light-emitting units in each group are not consecutive in position, and during each sub-emission period corresponding to a group, multiple light-emitting units in the trigger group emit multiple light pulses. For example: starting from the first light-emitting unit at the top, ... N trigger sub-circuits simultaneously trigger N light-emitting units in a light-emitting unit group within a pulse period.

[0224] When multiple light-emitting units of the light source in the emitting module are arranged in an alternating manner, the triggering circuit is similar, and will not be described in detail here.

[0225] In the above-described emission module of this invention, for a beam with a deflection angle, the light source emits multiple pulse signals to sense the field of view corresponding to that deflection angle. The sensing pixels accumulate the counts sensed during each pulse period to generate a histogram of the sensed field of view. By grouping the light-emitting units, different groups of light-emitting units emit light in sequence to disperse crosstalk signals. Since other groups of light-emitting units do not emit light when one group emits light, there are no crosstalk signals from other groups of light-emitting units. For light-emitting units within the same group, since there is a random delay when each light-emitting unit emits light in parallel, crosstalk signals from other light-emitting units are also dispersed and reduced. See [link to relevant documentation]. Figure 20 As shown, the left side is the histogram of the received signal of light-emitting unit A in a group of light-emitting units without random delay. During each pulse period, such as TX1, TX2, TX3, etc., the relative time interval between the effective echo beam signal of light-emitting unit A and the crosstalk signal from light-emitting unit B remains constant, and the accumulated crosstalk signal forms a crosstalk peak. The right side is the histogram of the received signal of light-emitting unit A in a group of light-emitting units with random delay. During each pulse period, such as TX1, TX2, TX3, etc., since there is a random delay in the emission time between each light-emitting unit in the same group, the effective echo beam signal of light-emitting unit A can be effectively accumulated according to the delay. However, due to the random difference in the emission time between light-emitting units A and B, the crosstalk signal from light-emitting unit B is recorded in different time bins during different pulse periods, making accumulation impossible. Even if the beam emitted by the light-emitting unit has a high emissivity after reflection from an object, resulting in high reflection, no obvious crosstalk peak will form. In addition, since the number of light-emitting units lit at the same time is reduced, the instantaneous total drive current of the emitting module can be reduced, thus reducing the design difficulty of the circuit.

[0226] When the aforementioned transmitting module uses AOD+LCPG to deflect the beam, it leverages the microsecond-level response speed of AOD to achieve high angular resolution while deflecting the beam. Subsequent optical elements, including a liquid crystal deflection grating (LCPG), amplify the deflection angle to achieve coverage of the field of view. For one beam deflection angle of AOD+LCPG, the light source emits multiple beams to sense a corresponding sub-region within the field of view. The light source uses multiple light-emitting units spliced ​​together to achieve a strip beam effect. This strip beam, combined with the deflection of AOD+LCPG, covers and scans the entire field of view with fewer deflections. One deflection angle of the strip beam corresponds to a sub-region corresponding to multiple sensing pixels at the receiving end; this sub-region can also be strip-shaped. By controlling the emission time of the light-emitting units in the light-emitting unit group, their emission times can be randomly staggered to a certain extent. This ensures that when the light-emitting strip beam illuminates the sub-area, the crosstalk signals between multiple adjacent sensing pixels will not overlap and count within a fixed time bin of the histogram generated by the crosstalked pixels, thus preventing the formation of obvious crosstalk peaks. This reduces or avoids crosstalk as much as possible, improving the accuracy of ranging.

[0227] The aforementioned emission module leverages the advantages of acousto-optic deflection devices (AODs)—fast response speed and high number of resolvable points—to achieve high-resolution, rapid scanning. Combining AODs with an LCPG array utilizes the high diffraction efficiency and large deflection angle of LCPGs to achieve large-angle and long-distance ranging. Multiple light-emitting units of the light source are grouped, and during detection, different groups of light-emitting units emit pulses at random time intervals to avoid the superposition of crosstalk signals between pixels, reduce sensing crosstalk between different sensing pixel areas, prevent the occurrence of crosstalk peaks, and reduce the power burden of all light-emitting units emitting simultaneously.

[0228] Example 4

[0229] Embodiment 4 of the present invention provides a transmitting module in which different light-emitting unit groups 111 emit light in parallel, and the light-emitting units in the same light-emitting unit group are configured to emit light simultaneously.

[0230] In this embodiment of the light source module, different M light-emitting unit groups emit light in parallel during the same pulse period. Multiple light-emitting units within the same light-emitting group emit light simultaneously as a light pulse emitted by the light-emitting unit group during this pulse period. That is, each light-emitting unit group emits light as a whole, and there is a random delay between the times when different light-emitting unit groups emit each pulse. In other words, the time periods when multiple light-emitting unit groups emit multiple pulses overlap with each other.

[0231] The controller in the emission module is configured to control the parallel emission of each light-emitting unit group in the light source module within a light emission period. The controller controls the light-emitting unit group to emit multiple light pulses according to a preset time sequence within a light emission period; wherein, a light emission period includes multiple pulse periods corresponding to the multiple light pulses, the light-emitting unit group emits one light pulse corresponding to one pulse period, the time when the light-emitting unit group starts emitting light in a pulse period is delayed by a random duration relative to the start time of the pulse period, and at least two light-emitting unit groups emit light pulses at different times within a pulse period.

[0232] See Figure 21 As shown, a frame period can include multiple emission periods, such as the first emission period, the second emission period, ..., the Nth emission period. Each emission period includes multiple pulse periods, such as T1, T2, ..., Tnum. Each emission period can also include a charging period Tchg. The transmitting module includes multiple emission unit groups, such as emission unit group 1, emission unit group 2, ..., emission unit group M. Each emission unit group emits light once within each pulse period, and the emission time of each emission unit group has a random delay compared to the start time of each pulse period. The completion of one emission period scans a sub-region within the field of view. After the completion of one emission period, the next emission period can begin. By changing the angle of the beam emitted by the light source module, the next sub-region can be scanned in the next emission period, until all emission periods within a frame period are completed, achieving scanning of the entire field of view.

[0233] In this embodiment, the grouping and arrangement of the light-emitting units in the emitting module can refer to the relevant descriptions in Embodiments 1 and 2 above, similar to... Figure 5 , 6 As shown in Figures 7 and 8, the light-emitting units can be arranged aligned or misaligned. The light-emitting units in a group of light-emitting units can be continuously adjacent or discontinuously adjacent. The trigger circuit can also refer to the description in Embodiment 1 or 2, similar to... Figure 7 and Figure 8 , Figure 18 and 19As shown, the trigger circuit can include multiple trigger sub-circuits. For example, the first trigger sub-circuit trig1 is connected to the first light-emitting unit in the light-emitting unit group 1-M, the second trigger sub-circuit trig2 is connected to the second light-emitting unit in the light-emitting unit group 1-M, and so on, with the Nth trigger sub-circuit trigN connected to the Nth light-emitting unit in the light-emitting unit group 1-M. Optionally, one trigger sub-circuit can be responsible for triggering one light-emitting unit group; that is, Trig_1 triggers the light-emitting units in the first light-emitting unit group to emit light, Trig_2 triggers the light-emitting units in the second light-emitting unit group to emit light, and so on.

[0234] When several light-emitting unit groups in a light source module emit light in parallel, their emission delay time is random. Within a pulse period, the emission times of all light-emitting unit groups may be different, or some may be the same and some different. For the same light-emitting unit group, its random delay time within each pulse period may be the same or different. One possible approach is that the light-emitting unit groups in the light source module emit light pulses at different times within at least one pulse period.

[0235] In the case where the light-emitting unit group emits light randomly, optionally, there is a time interval with a randomly set duration between multiple light pulses emitted by the light-emitting unit group within a light emission period.

[0236] When the light-emitting unit groups emit light randomly, there may be a time difference in the time when different light-emitting unit groups emit light pulses within a pulse period. This time difference may be the same or different for different light-emitting unit groups.

[0237] Optionally, within a light emission period, the times at which at least two light-emitting unit groups emit light pulses within a pulse period have a time difference, and the duration of the time difference formed by the at least two light-emitting unit groups in different pulse periods is randomly set.

[0238] In the case of random emission of light by light-emitting unit groups, optionally, within a light emission period, the times at which several light-emitting unit groups in the light source module emit light pulses within a pulse period form corresponding time differences with each other, and the duration of the time differences formed by several light-emitting unit groups in different pulse periods is randomly set.

[0239] Optionally, the pulse period includes a random duration adjustment interval with a preset duration. The timing at which each light-emitting unit group emits a light pulse during the parallel light-emitting pulse period is randomly set within the random duration adjustment interval. The maximum random duration is the time delay between the end point of the random duration adjustment interval and the start time of the pulse period. The duration of the time difference is greater than or equal to zero and less than or equal to the maximum random duration.

[0240] In some embodiments, the controller is configured to determine the timing of light pulse emission from a plurality of light-emitting unit groups within a light emission period in the following manner:

[0241] Based on the random number sequence generated corresponding to the pulse period, the random duration of the time when each light-emitting unit group emits a light pulse within the pulse period is determined relative to the start time of the pulse period. The time when each light-emitting unit group emits a light pulse within the pulse period is determined based on the random duration. Specifically, a random number sequence is generated for each pulse period, and each random number sequence includes multiple random numbers that correspond one-to-one with multiple light-emitting unit groups. The multiple random numbers can be used as the random duration of the time when each of the multiple light-emitting unit groups emits a light pulse within the pulse period relative to the start time of the pulse period. The value of the random number is greater than or equal to zero and less than or equal to a preset maximum random duration.

[0242] In some embodiments, the controller is configured to determine the timing of light pulse emission from a plurality of light-emitting unit groups within a light emission period in the following manner:

[0243] Based on the random number sequence generated corresponding to the light-emitting unit group, the random duration of the delay between the time when the light-emitting unit group emits a light pulse and the start time of the pulse period is determined. The time when the light-emitting unit group emits a light pulse in each pulse period is determined based on the random duration. Specifically, a random number sequence is generated for each light-emitting unit group. Each random number sequence includes multiple random numbers that correspond one-to-one with multiple pulse periods of the light-emitting unit group. The multiple random numbers can be used as the random duration of the delay between the time when the light-emitting unit group emits a light pulse in each of the multiple pulse periods and the start time of each corresponding pulse period. The value of the random number is greater than or equal to zero and less than or equal to a preset maximum random duration.

[0244] The above-described transmitting module of this invention disperses crosstalk signals by grouping the light-emitting units and having different groups of light-emitting units emit light in parallel. Since there is a random delay when each group of light-emitting units emits light in parallel, crosstalk signals from other groups are also dispersed and reduced. In this case, even if crosstalk signals exist between multiple sensing pixels corresponding to different groups of light-emitting units, these crosstalk signals will be counted in different time bins during multiple pulse transmissions, thus preventing them from accumulating and forming crosstalk peaks in the same time bin. See also... Figure 22As shown, the left side is the histogram of the received signal of a single light-emitting unit group A without random delay. During each pulse period, such as TX1, TX2, TX3, etc., the effective echo beam signal of light-emitting unit group A and the crosstalk signal from light-emitting unit group B occur at the same time, resulting in a relatively strong accumulated crosstalk signal. The right side is the histogram of the received signal of a single light-emitting unit group A with random delay. During each pulse period, such as TX1, TX2, TX3, etc., since the emission time of each light-emitting unit group has a random delay, the effective echo beam signal of light-emitting unit group A can be effectively accumulated according to the delay. However, the crosstalk signal from light-emitting unit group B, due to the random difference in the emission time between light-emitting unit groups A and B, is recorded at different time bins in different pulse periods and cannot be accumulated. Even if the beam emitted by the light-emitting unit has a high emissivity after reflection from an object, resulting in a high reflection phenomenon, no obvious crosstalk peak will be formed. Furthermore, since the number of simultaneously lit light-emitting units is reduced, the instantaneous total drive current of the transmitting module can be reduced, lowering the design complexity of the circuit.

[0245] Meanwhile, because multiple light-emitting units are divided into multiple groups with staggered emission times, the number of light-emitting units that need to emit simultaneously is reduced, the required driving current can be lowered, and the performance requirements of the driving circuit can be correspondingly reduced. For example, in some cases, the instantaneous laser power required by a single light-emitting unit is very high, such as 1000W. If the light source emits light all at once, the instantaneous current required for driving will be very large, which will be a significant challenge for the driving circuit, and may even be impossible to implement. By using parallel grouping, the required instantaneous current will be much smaller, and the difficulty of laser driving will be greatly reduced. Assuming it is divided into 4 groups, the instantaneous current will be reduced to one-quarter compared to not grouping. Reducing the instantaneous current of laser driving also reduces the implementation difficulty of the driving circuit. In addition, by using parallel grouping, multiple light-emitting unit groups emit light pulses randomly and staggered within the same emission period. Based on breaking down the crosstalk between them, the length of the emission period can be further compressed, which is beneficial to improving the frame rate.

[0246] Example 5

[0247] Embodiment 5 of the present invention provides a transmitting module in which different light-emitting unit groups 111 emit light in parallel, and the light-emitting units in the same light-emitting unit group emit light at different times.

[0248] The difference from Embodiment 4 is that, in addition to different light-emitting unit groups emitting light in parallel during the same pulse period, the emission times of multiple light-emitting units within the same light-emitting unit group for each light pulse are also randomly differentiated. This ensures that the emission times of each light-emitting unit are randomly staggered, dispersing crosstalk signals as much as possible and minimizing crosstalk occurrence. Compared to Embodiment 4, this embodiment further reduces high reverse crosstalk and also further reduces instantaneous current.

[0249] In this embodiment, the light emission times of different light emission units in the same light emission unit group are at least partially different or different within a pulse period, and the light emission times of the light emission units that first emit light pulses in different light emission unit groups are different within a pulse period.

[0250] Optionally, within a pulse period, the emission time of the first emitting unit in one group of emitting units is randomly delayed from the emission time of the first emitting unit in other groups. Overall, it is equivalent to no grouping, with all emitting units emitting each pulse at random delays from each other, but the starting times of the emitting units are randomly staggered by group.

[0251] See Figure 23 As shown, a frame period can include multiple emission periods, such as the first emission period, the second emission period, ..., the Nth emission period. Each emission period includes multiple pulse periods, such as T1, T2, ..., Tnum. Each emission period can also include a charging period Tchg. The transmitting module includes multiple emission unit groups, such as emission unit group 1, emission unit group 2, ..., emission unit group M. For each emission unit group, each emission unit in that group emits light once within each pulse period, and the emission time of each emission unit has a random delay compared to the start time of each pulse period. The completion of one emission period scans a sub-region within the field of view. After the completion of one emission period, the next emission period can begin. By changing the angle of the beam emitted by the light source module, the next sub-region can be scanned in the next emission period, until all emission periods within a frame period are completed, achieving scanning of the entire field of view.

[0252] In this embodiment, the grouping and arrangement of the light-emitting units in the emitting module can refer to the relevant descriptions in Embodiments 1 and 2 above, similar to... Figure 5 , 6As shown in Figures 7 and 8, the light-emitting units can be arranged aligned or misaligned. The light-emitting units in a group of light-emitting units can be continuously adjacent or discontinuously adjacent. The trigger circuit can also refer to the description in Embodiment 1 or 2, similar to... Figure 7 and Figure 8 , Figure 18 and 19 As shown, the trigger circuit may include multiple trigger sub-circuits. For example, the first trigger sub-circuit trig1 is connected to the first light-emitting unit in the light-emitting unit group 1-M, the second trigger sub-circuit trig2 is connected to the second light-emitting unit in the light-emitting unit group 1-M, ..., the Nth trigger sub-circuit trigN is connected to the Nth light-emitting unit in the light-emitting unit group 1-M.

[0253] By controlling each light-emitting unit in each light-emitting unit group to emit light randomly, the crosstalk signals generated by adjacent light-emitting units are dispersed as much as possible within different pulse periods due to the random differences in the emission times of each unit, preventing them from accumulating. Even if the light beam emitted by the light-emitting unit has a high emissivity after being reflected by an object and exhibits high reflection, no obvious crosstalk peak will be formed. Furthermore, since the number of light-emitting units lit simultaneously is further reduced, the instantaneous total drive current of the emission module can be further reduced, lowering the design complexity of the circuit.

[0254] Example 6

[0255] Based on the same inventive concept, Embodiment Six of the present invention provides a lidar, the structure of which is as follows: Figure 24 As shown, it includes a transmitting module 1 and a receiving module 2. The receiving module 2 includes multiple sensing partitions, each of which corresponds to a multiple light-emitting unit in the transmitting module 1. The sensing partitions are configured to receive light signals returned from the sub-regions scanned by the corresponding light-emitting unit groups.

[0256] The transmitting module 1 can be the transmitting module provided in the above embodiments.

[0257] The controller is also used to control the sensing zones to turn on during the light-emitting period of the corresponding light-emitting unit group. The controller can be a single device located in the transmitting module, or it can be two or more separate devices located in the transmitting module and the receiving module respectively.

[0258] The aforementioned lidar controller includes a transmission drive circuit, a sensing drive circuit, and a main controller. The transmission drive circuit is configured to drive the light-emitting units to emit light beams, the sensing drive circuit is configured to drive the sensing zones to activate, and the main controller is configured to control the emission sequence of the light-emitting units and the operating sequence of the sensing zones.

[0259] The transmitter drive circuit, the sensor drive circuit, and the main controller are each located on different chips; or,

[0260] The transmit drive circuit, the sense drive circuit, and the main controller are integrated on the same chip; or...

[0261] The transmit drive circuit and the sense drive circuit are integrated on the same chip; or...

[0262] The transmitter drive circuit and the main controller are integrated on the same chip; or,

[0263] The sensing drive circuit and the main controller are integrated on the same chip.

[0264] Embodiment 4 of the present invention provides an electronic device, including the aforementioned lidar.

[0265] Example 7

[0266] Embodiment 7 of the present invention provides a method for implementing optical scanning, comprising: controlling a plurality of light-emitting unit groups included in a light source module to emit light beams respectively during a light emission period to illuminate a sub-region in the field of view, wherein the light emission times of at least two light-emitting unit groups are different during the light emission period; and controlling the light beams emitted by the same light-emitting unit group in different light emission periods to illuminate different sub-regions in the field of view respectively; wherein each light-emitting unit group includes at least one light-emitting unit.

[0267] Optionally, within a single emission period, the light source module can control several light-emitting unit groups to emit light beams separately. This can be achieved by controlling the light-emitting unit groups to emit light beams in parallel or sequentially. Wherein:

[0268] Parallel emission of light beams includes: controlling each light-emitting unit group in the light source module to emit light in parallel during a light emission period. Parallel emission means that the light emission times of different light-emitting unit groups are not completely staggered, wherein the light emission time of each light-emitting unit group is delayed by a random duration relative to the start time of the light emission period.

[0269] The above-mentioned control of each light-emitting unit group in the light source module to emit light in parallel during a light-emitting period includes: controlling the light-emitting unit group to emit multiple light pulses according to a preset time sequence during a light-emitting period; wherein, a light-emitting period includes multiple pulse periods corresponding to the multiple light pulses respectively, the light-emitting unit group emits one light pulse corresponding to one pulse period, the light-emitting time of each light-emitting unit group in a pulse period is randomly delayed by a random duration relative to the start time of the pulse period, and at least two light-emitting unit groups emit light pulses at different times during a pulse period.

[0270] Optionally, within a light emission period, the times at which at least two light-emitting unit groups emit light pulses within a pulse period have a time difference, and the duration of the time difference formed by the at least two light-emitting unit groups in different pulse periods is randomly set.

[0271] Optionally, within a light emission period, the times at which several light-emitting unit groups in the light source module emit light pulses within a pulse period form corresponding time differences with each other, and the duration of the time differences formed by the several light-emitting unit groups in different pulse periods is randomly set.

[0272] Optionally, different methods can be used to determine the timing of light pulse emission from multiple light-emitting unit groups within a single emission period, including but not limited to the methods listed below:

[0273] Method 1: Based on the random number sequence generated corresponding to the pulse period, determine the random duration of the delay between the time when each light-emitting unit group emits a light pulse and the start time of the pulse period. Then, determine the time when each light-emitting unit group emits a light pulse within the pulse period based on this random duration. Specifically, a random number sequence is generated for each pulse period, and each random number sequence includes multiple random numbers corresponding one-to-one with multiple light-emitting unit groups. These multiple random numbers can be used as the random duration of the delay between the time when each light-emitting unit group emits a light pulse and the start time of the pulse period. The value of each random number is greater than or equal to zero and less than or equal to a preset maximum random duration.

[0274] Method 2: Based on the random number sequence generated corresponding to the light-emitting unit group, determine the random duration of the delay between the time when the light-emitting unit group emits a light pulse and the start time of the pulse period. Determine the time when the light-emitting unit group emits a light pulse in each pulse period based on the random duration. Here, a random number sequence is generated for each light-emitting unit group, and each random number sequence includes multiple random numbers that correspond one-to-one with multiple pulse periods of the light-emitting unit group. The multiple random numbers can be used as the random duration of the delay between the time when the light-emitting unit group emits a light pulse in each of the multiple pulse periods and the start time of each corresponding pulse period. The value of the random number is greater than or equal to zero and less than or equal to a preset maximum random duration.

[0275] The serial emission of light beams includes: controlling each light-emitting unit group in the light source module to emit light serially in a preset emission sequence within a light emission period, wherein the serial emission means that the emission times of different light-emitting unit groups are completely staggered. The above-mentioned control of each light-emitting unit group in the light source module to emit light serially in a preset emission sequence within a light emission period includes:

[0276] A light emission period is divided into multiple sub-light emission periods, and a light emission unit group emits light in a corresponding sub-light emission period; the light emission unit group is controlled to emit multiple light pulses according to a preset time sequence in a sub-light emission period; wherein, a sub-light emission period includes multiple pulse periods corresponding to the multiple light pulses respectively, and at least one light emission unit in the light emission unit group emits one light pulse in a pulse period.

[0277] Optionally, all light-emitting units in a light-emitting unit group emit light simultaneously within a pulse period, wherein the emission time of the light-emitting unit group within the pulse period is delayed by a random duration relative to the start time of the pulse period. In this case, the timing of light pulse emission by multiple light-emitting unit groups within their respective sub-emission periods can be determined as follows:

[0278] Based on the random number sequence generated corresponding to the light-emitting unit group, the random duration of the delay between the time when the light-emitting unit group emits a light pulse and the start time of the pulse period is determined. The time when the light-emitting unit group emits a light pulse in each pulse period is determined based on the random duration. Specifically, a random number sequence is generated for each light-emitting unit group. Each random number sequence includes multiple random numbers that correspond one-to-one with multiple pulse periods of the light-emitting unit group. The multiple random numbers can be used as the random duration of the delay between the time when the light-emitting unit emits a light pulse in each of the multiple pulse periods and the start time of the pulse period. The value of the random number is greater than or equal to zero and less than or equal to a preset maximum random duration.

[0279] Optionally, the light-emitting units in a light-emitting unit group do not emit light completely simultaneously within a pulse period. The emission time of each light-emitting unit is delayed by a random duration relative to the start time of the pulse period. Among them, at least two light-emitting units emit light pulses at different times within a pulse period.

[0280] Optionally, within a sub-light emission period, at least two light-emitting units emit light pulses at times that have a time difference within a pulse period, and the duration of the time difference formed by the at least two light-emitting units in different pulse periods is randomly set.

[0281] Optionally, within a sub-emission period, the times at which multiple light-emitting units in the same light-emitting unit group emit light pulses within a pulse period form corresponding time differences, and the duration of the time differences formed by the multiple light-emitting units in different pulse periods is randomly set.

[0282] In this case, the timing of light pulse emission by multiple light-emitting units in a light-emitting unit group within the corresponding sub-emission period can be determined as follows:

[0283] Based on the random number sequence generated corresponding to the pulse period, the random duration of the time when each light-emitting unit in the current light-emitting unit group emits a light pulse within the pulse period is determined relative to the start time of the pulse period. The time when each light-emitting unit emits a light pulse within the pulse period is determined based on the random duration. Specifically, a random number sequence is generated for each pulse period, and each random number sequence includes multiple random numbers that correspond one-to-one with multiple light-emitting units. The multiple random numbers can be used as the random duration of the time when each light-emitting unit emits a light pulse within the pulse period relative to the start time of the pulse period. The value of the random number is greater than or equal to zero and less than or equal to a preset maximum random duration.

[0284] In this case, the timing of light pulse emission from multiple light-emitting unit groups within a single emission period can also be determined using the following method:

[0285] Based on the random number sequence generated corresponding to the light-emitting unit, the random duration of the delay between the time when the light-emitting unit emits a light pulse and the start time of the pulse period is determined. The time when the light-emitting unit emits a light pulse in each pulse period is determined based on the random duration. Specifically, a random number sequence is generated for each light-emitting unit. Each random number sequence includes multiple random numbers that correspond one-to-one with multiple pulse periods of the light-emitting unit. The multiple random numbers can be used as the random duration of the delay between the time when the light-emitting unit emits a light pulse in each of the multiple pulse periods and the start time of each corresponding pulse period. The value of the random number is greater than or equal to zero and less than or equal to a preset maximum random duration.

[0286] In some optional embodiments, the light source module includes a light source 110 and a light deflection device 120. The light source 110 includes a plurality of light-emitting unit groups 111. Correspondingly, during a light emission period, controlling the plurality of light-emitting unit groups included in the light source module to emit light beams to illuminate a sub-region in the field of view includes: controlling each light-emitting unit group in the light source to emit light beams during a light emission period, and controlling the light deflection device to deflect the light beams emitted by each light unit group. The light beams are deflected by one of a plurality of final deflection angles during a light emission period, and correspondingly scan a sub-region in the field of view.

[0287] Correspondingly, controlling the light beam emitted by the same light-emitting unit group during different light-emitting periods to illuminate different sub-regions in the field of view includes: controlling the light deflection device to deflect the light beam by multiple different deflection angles during different light-emitting periods, so that the light beam emitted by the same light-emitting unit group illuminates different sub-regions in the field of view during different light-emitting periods.

[0288] In some optional embodiments, the light source module includes a light source 110, and the light source 110 includes a plurality of light-emitting unit groups 111; correspondingly, during a light emission period, controlling the plurality of light-emitting unit groups included in the light source module to emit light beams respectively to illuminate a sub-region within the field of view includes:

[0289] During a light emission period, each light-emitting unit group in the light source is controlled to emit light beams with the same emission angle to correspond to a sub-region in the scanning field of view; wherein, the emission angle of the light beam is determined by setting the phase difference of the light beams emitted by each light-emitting unit in a light-emitting group.

[0290] Controlling the same light-emitting unit group to emit light beams at different emission periods to illuminate different sub-regions within the field of view includes: controlling the same light-emitting unit group to emit light beams at different emission angles at different emission periods, with each emission angle corresponding to an illumination of a sub-region within the field of view.

[0291] The methods described in the above embodiments have been described in detail in the embodiments of the transmitting module and the lidar, and will not be elaborated here.

[0292] Unless otherwise specifically stated, terms such as processing, calculation, operation, determination, display, etc., may refer to the actions and / or processes of one or more processing or computing systems or similar devices that represent the manipulation and conversion of data representing physical (e.g., electronic) quantities within the registers or memory of the processing system into other data similarly representing physical quantities within the memory, registers, or other such information storage, transmission, or display devices of the processing system. Information and signals can be represented using any of a variety of different techniques and methods. For example, data, instructions, commands, information, signals, bits, symbols, and chips mentioned throughout the above description can be represented by voltage, current, electromagnetic waves, magnetic fields or particles, light fields or particles, or any combination thereof.

[0293] It should be understood that the specific order or hierarchy of steps in the disclosed process is an example of an exemplary method. Based on design preferences, it should be understood that the specific order or hierarchy of steps in the process may be rearranged without departing from the scope of this disclosure. The appended method claims provide elements of various steps in an exemplary order and are not intended to limit the scope to the specific order or hierarchy described.

[0294] In the detailed description above, various features are combined together in a single embodiment to simplify this disclosure. This approach to disclosure should not be construed as reflecting an intention that embodiments of the claimed subject matter require more features than are explicitly stated in each claim. Rather, as reflected in the appended claims, the invention is presented with fewer features than all of the features in a single disclosed embodiment. Therefore, the appended claims are hereby explicitly incorporated into the detailed description, with each claim representing a separate preferred embodiment of the invention.

[0295] Those skilled in the art will also understand that the various illustrative logic blocks, modules, circuits, and algorithm steps described in conjunction with the embodiments herein can be implemented as electronic hardware, computer software, or a combination thereof. To clearly illustrate the interchangeability between hardware and software, the various illustrative components, blocks, modules, circuits, and steps described above are generally described in terms of their functionality. Whether such functionality is implemented as hardware or software depends on the specific application and the design constraints imposed on the overall system. Those skilled in the art can implement the described functionality in alternative ways for each specific application; however, such implementation decisions should not be construed as departing from the scope of this disclosure.

[0296] The steps of the methods or algorithms described in conjunction with the embodiments herein can be directly embodied in hardware, software modules executed by a processor, or a combination thereof. The software modules can reside in RAM memory, flash memory, ROM memory, EPROM memory, EEPROM memory, registers, hard disks, removable disks, CD-ROMs, or any other form of storage medium well known in the art. An exemplary storage medium is connected to the processor, enabling the processor to read information from and write information to the storage medium. Of course, the storage medium can also be a component of the processor. The processor and storage medium can reside in an ASIC. The ASIC can reside in a user terminal. Alternatively, the processor and storage medium can exist as discrete components in the user terminal.

[0297] For software implementation, the techniques described in this application can be implemented using modules (e.g., procedures, functions, etc.) that perform the functions described in this application. This software code can be stored in memory units and executed by a processor. The memory units can be implemented within the processor or outside the processor; in the latter case, they are communicatively coupled to the processor via various means, as is well known in the art.

[0298] The foregoing description includes examples of one or more embodiments. It is certainly impossible to describe all possible combinations of components or methods in order to describe the above embodiments, but those skilled in the art will recognize that further combinations and arrangements of the various embodiments are possible. Therefore, the embodiments described herein are intended to cover all such changes, modifications, and variations that fall within the scope of the appended claims. Furthermore, the term "comprising" as used in the specification or claims is interpreted in a manner similar to the term "including," as interpreted when used as a conjunction in the claims. Additionally, the use of any term "or" in the specification of the claims is intended to mean "non-exclusive or."

Claims

1. A method for implementing optical scanning, characterized in that, include: During a light emission period, the light source module includes several light-emitting unit groups that emit light beams to illuminate a sub-region within the field of view. During the light emission period, the light emission times of at least two light-emitting unit groups are different. The same light-emitting unit group emits light beams during different light emission periods to illuminate different sub-regions within the field of view. Each light-emitting unit group includes at least one light-emitting unit.

2. The method as described in claim 1, characterized in that, During a light-emitting period, controlling the plurality of light-emitting unit groups included in the light source module to emit light beams respectively includes: Within a single emission period, the light-emitting unit groups in the light source module are controlled to emit light in parallel. Parallel emission means that the emission times of different light-emitting unit groups are not completely staggered. Specifically, the emission time of each light-emitting unit group is delayed by a random duration relative to the start time of the emission period; or Within a certain light emission period, each light emission unit group in the light source module is controlled to emit light in a series according to a preset light emission sequence. The series light emission means that the light emission times of different light emission unit groups are completely staggered.

3. The method as described in claim 2, characterized in that, The method of controlling the parallel emission of each light-emitting unit group in the light source module during a light-emitting period includes: The light-emitting unit group is controlled to emit multiple light pulses according to a preset time sequence within a light-emitting period; wherein, a light-emitting period includes multiple pulse periods corresponding to the multiple light pulses respectively, the light-emitting unit group emits one light pulse corresponding to a pulse period, the time when the light-emitting unit group starts to emit light in a pulse period is delayed by a random time relative to the start time of the pulse period, and at least two light-emitting unit groups emit light pulses at different times within a pulse period.

4. The method as described in claim 3, characterized in that, The timing of light pulse emission from multiple light-emitting unit groups within a single emission period is determined using the following method: Based on the random number sequence generated corresponding to the pulse period, the random duration of the time when each light-emitting unit group emits a light pulse within the pulse period is determined relative to the start time of the pulse period. The time when each light-emitting unit group emits a light pulse within the pulse period is determined based on the random duration. Specifically, a random number sequence is generated for each pulse period, and each random number sequence includes multiple random numbers that correspond one-to-one with multiple light-emitting unit groups. The multiple random numbers can be used as the random duration of the time when each of the multiple light-emitting unit groups emits a light pulse within the pulse period relative to the start time of the pulse period. The value of the random number is greater than or equal to zero and less than or equal to a preset maximum random duration. or Based on the random number sequence generated corresponding to the light-emitting unit group, the random duration of the delay between the time when the light-emitting unit group emits a light pulse and the start time of the pulse period is determined. The time when the light-emitting unit group emits a light pulse in each pulse period is determined based on the random duration. Specifically, a random number sequence is generated for each light-emitting unit group. Each random number sequence includes multiple random numbers that correspond one-to-one with multiple pulse periods of the light-emitting unit group. The multiple random numbers can be used as the random duration of the delay between the time when the light-emitting unit group emits a light pulse in each of the multiple pulse periods and the start time of each corresponding pulse period. The value of the random number is greater than or equal to zero and less than or equal to a preset maximum random duration.

5. The method as described in claim 3, characterized in that, Within a light emission period, at least two light-emitting unit groups emit light pulses at times with a time difference within a pulse period, and the duration of the time difference formed by the at least two light-emitting unit groups in different pulse periods is randomly set.

6. The method as described in claim 3, characterized in that, During a light emission period, the light emission units in the light source module emit light pulses at different times within a pulse period, and the duration of the time difference formed by the light emission units in different pulse periods is randomly set.

7. The method as described in claim 1, characterized in that, The control of each light-emitting unit group in the light source module to emit light sequentially in a preset light-emitting order during a light-emitting period includes: A light-emitting period is divided into multiple sub-light-emitting periods, and a group of light-emitting units emits light in a corresponding sub-light-emitting period. The light-emitting unit group is controlled to emit multiple light pulses according to a preset time sequence within a sub-light-emitting period; wherein, a sub-light-emitting period includes multiple pulse periods corresponding to the multiple light pulses respectively, and at least one light-emitting unit in the light-emitting unit group emits one light pulse corresponding to one pulse period.

8. The method as described in claim 7, characterized in that, All light-emitting units in a light-emitting unit group emit light simultaneously within a pulse period, wherein the light-emitting time of the light-emitting unit group in a pulse period is delayed by a random duration relative to the start time of the pulse period.

9. The method as described in claim 8, characterized in that, The timing of light pulse emission by multiple light-emitting unit groups within their respective sub-emission periods is determined using the following method: Based on the random number sequence generated corresponding to the light-emitting unit group, the random duration of the delay between the time when the light-emitting unit group emits a light pulse and the start time of the pulse period is determined. The time when the light-emitting unit group emits a light pulse in each pulse period is determined based on the random duration. Specifically, a random number sequence is generated for each light-emitting unit group. Each random number sequence includes multiple random numbers that correspond one-to-one with multiple pulse periods of the light-emitting unit group. The multiple random numbers can be used as the random duration of the delay between the time when the light-emitting unit emits a light pulse in each of the multiple pulse periods and the start time of the pulse period. The value of the random number is greater than or equal to zero and less than or equal to a preset maximum random duration.

10. The method as described in claim 7, characterized in that, In a group of light-emitting units, the light-emitting units do not emit light completely simultaneously within a pulse period. The emission time of each light-emitting unit is delayed by a random duration relative to the start time of the pulse period. Among them, at least two light-emitting units emit light pulses at different times within a pulse period.

11. The method as described in claim 10, characterized in that, Within a single emission period, at least two emission units emit light pulses at times that have a time difference within a pulse period, and the duration of the time difference formed by the at least two emission units in different pulse periods is randomly set.

12. The method as described in claim 10, characterized in that, Within a single emission period, the times at which multiple light-emitting units in the same light-emitting unit group emit light pulses within a pulse period form corresponding time differences. The duration of the time differences formed by these multiple light-emitting units in different pulse periods is randomly set.

13. The method as described in claim 10, characterized in that, The timing of light pulse emission by multiple light-emitting units in a light-emitting unit group within a corresponding sub-emission period is determined using the following method: Based on the random number sequence generated corresponding to the pulse period, the random duration of the delay between the time when each light-emitting unit in the current light-emitting unit group emits a light pulse and the start time of the pulse period is determined. The time when each light-emitting unit emits a light pulse within the pulse period is then determined based on this random duration. Specifically, a random number sequence is generated for each pulse period, and each random number sequence includes multiple random numbers corresponding one-to-one with multiple light-emitting units. These multiple random numbers can be used as the random duration of the delay between the time when each light-emitting unit emits a light pulse and the start time of the pulse period, respectively. The value range of these random numbers is the random duration adjustment interval. Based on the random number sequence generated corresponding to the light-emitting unit, the random duration of the delay between the time when the light-emitting unit emits a light pulse and the start time of the pulse period is determined. The time when the light-emitting unit emits a light pulse in each pulse period is determined based on the random duration. Specifically, a random number sequence is generated for each light-emitting unit, and each random number sequence includes multiple random numbers that correspond one-to-one with multiple pulse periods of the light-emitting unit. The multiple random numbers can be used as the random duration of the delay between the time when the light-emitting unit emits a light pulse in each of the multiple pulse periods and the start time of each corresponding pulse period. The value range of the random number is the random duration adjustment interval.

14. The method as described in claim 1, characterized in that, The light source module includes a light source and a light deflection device, and the light source includes several light-emitting unit groups; During a light emission period, controlling a plurality of light-emitting unit groups included in the light source module to emit light beams to illuminate a sub-region within the field of view includes: During a light emission period, each light-emitting unit group in the light source is controlled to emit a light beam, and the light deflection device is controlled to deflect the light beam emitted by each light unit group. During a light emission period, the light beam is deflected by one of multiple final deflection angles, corresponding to a sub-region in the scanning field of view. The control of the same light-emitting unit group to emit light beams during different light-emitting periods to illuminate different sub-regions within the field of view includes: The light deflection device controls the light beam to deflect multiple different deflection angles during different light emission periods, so that the light beam emitted by the same light emission unit group illuminates different sub-regions in the field of view during different light emission periods.

15. The method as described in claim 1, characterized in that, The light source module includes a light source, and the light source includes a plurality of light-emitting unit groups; During a light emission period, controlling a plurality of light-emitting unit groups included in the light source module to emit light beams to illuminate a sub-region within the field of view includes: During a light emission period, each light-emitting unit group in the light source is controlled to emit light beams with the same emission angle to correspond to a sub-region in the scanning field of view; wherein, the emission angle of the light beam is determined by setting the phase difference of the light beams emitted by each light-emitting unit in a light-emitting group. The control of the same light-emitting unit group to emit light beams during different light-emitting periods to illuminate different sub-regions within the field of view includes: The same light-emitting unit group is controlled to emit light beams with different emission angles during different emission periods, and a light beam with one emission angle corresponds to illuminating a sub-region in the field of view; wherein, the direction of the light beam emitted by the light-emitting unit group is controlled by controlling the phase difference of the light beam emitted by each light-emitting unit in the light-emitting unit group.

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