Low-power-consumption infrared detector system and working method

Abstract

The invention provides a low-power-consumption infrared detector system and a working method, and solves the technical problems that an existing infrared detector is large in size and high in power consumption, and long-time stable communication of a laser communication system is restricted. The PCB circuit board comprises a first PCB circuit board and a second PCB circuit board. The top of the first PCB is provided with an infrared detector chip, the bottom of the first PCB is connected with the top of the second PCB through an internal connector, the bottom of the second PCB is provided with an external high-speed connector, and the external high-speed connector is used for transmitting infrared image data to the main control processor. The method can be widely applied to the technical field of laser communication.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] This application belongs to the field of laser communication technology, and more specifically, relates to a low-power infrared detector system and its operating method. Background Technology

[0002] With the development of laser communication technology, various infrared detectors have been launched on the market. However, existing infrared detectors generally suffer from bulky design and complex structure, which not only makes them susceptible to temperature and external pressure, but also leads to excessive power consumption, severe heat generation during operation, and difficulty in supporting long-term continuous communication.

[0003] Specifically, in existing laser communication systems, infrared detectors need to be installed in the optical head and connected to the processor via cables. To achieve high-speed image processing and real-time transmission, the detector often integrates an FPGA for image data processing and is configured with interfaces such as Camlink or USB 3.0 to transmit image signals. This integrated design causes the processor and image transmission module to consume a large amount of resources, increasing the size and power consumption of the infrared detector. During communication, the continuous high power consumption translates into heat accumulation within the system, eventually leading to excessively high internal temperatures and system malfunction. Therefore, the heat dissipation problem caused by large size and high power consumption has become a key issue restricting the long-term stable communication of laser communication systems. Summary of the Invention

[0004] The purpose of this application is to provide a low-power infrared detector system and its working method to solve the technical problems of large size and high power consumption of infrared detectors in the prior art, which restrict the long-term stable communication of laser communication systems.

[0005] To achieve the above objectives, a first aspect of the present application provides a low-power infrared detector system, including a main control processor, and further including a first PCB circuit board and a second PCB circuit board; The first PCB circuit board has an infrared detector chip on its top and is connected to the top of the second PCB circuit board through an internal connector at its bottom. The bottom of the second PCB circuit board has an external high-speed connector for transmitting infrared image data to the main control processor.

[0006] Preferably, the second PCB circuit board includes a multi-channel power supply circuit, an image parallel buffer circuit, an MCU circuit, and a 422 serial port; The internal connector is connected to the external high-speed connector via an image parallel buffer circuit. The internal connector also connects to external high-speed connectors via multiple power supply circuits, MCU circuits, and a 422 serial port.

[0007] Preferably, the multi-power supply circuit uses a PMIC integrated chip to provide digital power and analog power; Digital power supplies are powered by DC-DC power supplies, while analog power supplies are powered by LDOs. The MCU circuit controls the start-stop sequence of each DC-DC and LDO through the enable pin, thereby achieving power-on / off timing management.

[0008] Preferably, the first PCB circuit board includes peripheral circuitry and a temperature sensor, the temperature sensor being connected to an internal connector for real-time monitoring of the temperature data of the infrared detector chip; The infrared detector chip is connected to the internal connector via an external circuit.

[0009] Preferably, the MCU circuit is used to receive temperature data from the temperature sensor, set configuration parameters for the infrared detector chip, monitor the operating status of the multiple power supply circuits, and exchange control signals with an external high-speed connector via a 422 serial port.

[0010] Preferably, the main control processor includes an FPGA processing circuit, a power supply, an image parallel receiving circuit, a 422 serial port / CAN interface, a refresh circuit, and a display circuit; The FPGA processing circuit is used to allocate logic resources to receive infrared image data and perform image processing. The image parallel receiving circuit is used to receive infrared image data via an external high-speed connector; The 422 serial / CAN interface is used to send control commands to the infrared detector system, enabling bidirectional communication. The refresh circuit is used for updating the configuration of the FPGA processing circuit or refreshing the status of the infrared detector system. The display circuit is used to output the processed infrared image data to the display device.

[0011] Preferably, the external high-speed connector transmits infrared image data to the main control processor via a high-speed connection cable assembly.

[0012] A second aspect of this application provides a method for operating a low-power infrared detector, including the following steps: The infrared detector chip collects infrared image data, which is then transmitted via the first PCB circuit board and internal connector to the second PCB circuit board for buffering. The second PCB circuit board transmits the cached infrared image data to the main control processor through an external high-speed connector, thus completing the infrared image transmission.

[0013] Preferably, the temperature sensor on the first PCB circuit board monitors the operating temperature of the infrared detector chip in real time and transmits it to the MCU circuit through an internal connector. After processing the temperature data, the MCU circuit transmits it to the main control processor through a 422 serial port and an external high-speed connector.

[0014] Preferably, when the infrared detector system enters standby mode, the MCU circuit detects the system idle command and automatically switches to a low-power operating mode through the PMIC integrated chip, so that the power supply enters a sleep state.

[0015] The beneficial effects of this application are as follows: This application provides a low-power infrared detector system and its operating method. By removing the image processing function from the infrared detector and transferring the image processing task to the main control processor, the circuit structure of the infrared detector is significantly simplified, the number of internal components is reduced, and thus the system size and overall power consumption are effectively reduced. After eliminating the FPGA in the infrared detector, the image processing circuit and display circuit are both handled by the main control processor, which reduces heat loss at the detector end and improves the heat accumulation problem caused by long-term operation, thereby enhancing the thermal stability and reliability of the system. Simultaneously, the use of a double-layer PCB circuit board design and a PMIC integrated power chip achieves a compact structural layout and efficient power management, further reducing system power consumption and meeting the requirements of low power consumption, miniaturization, and high stability for spaceborne and long-term laser communication applications. Attached Figure Description

[0016] To more clearly illustrate the technical solutions in the embodiments of this application, the drawings used in the description of the embodiments or the prior art will be briefly introduced below. Obviously, the drawings described below are only some embodiments of this application. For those skilled in the art, other drawings can be obtained based on these drawings without creative effort.

[0017] Figure 1 This is a schematic diagram of the structure of a low-power infrared detector system provided in an embodiment of this application; Figure 2 This is a schematic diagram of the connection between a low-power infrared detector system and a main control processor provided in an embodiment of this application; Figure 3 This is a schematic diagram of the circuit connection relationship in the first PCB circuit board of a low-power infrared detector system provided in an embodiment of this application; Figure 4 A schematic diagram of the circuit connection relationship of the second-layer circuit board in a low-power infrared detector system provided in an embodiment of this application; Figure 5 A schematic diagram of the internal circuit structure of the main control processor of a low-power infrared detector system provided in an embodiment of this application; Figure 6 A schematic diagram of a multi-channel power supply circuit structure in a low-power infrared detector system provided in an embodiment of this application; Figure 7 This is a schematic diagram of the internal structure of a multi-channel power supply circuit chip provided in an embodiment of this application.

[0018] In the diagram: 1. Infrared detector chip; 2. First PCB board; 21. Peripheral circuit; 22. Temperature sensor; 3. Internal connector; 4. Second PCB board; 41. Multi-channel power supply circuit; 42. MCU circuit; 43. Image parallel buffer circuit; 44. 422 serial port; 5. External high-speed connector; 6. High-speed connection cable assembly; 7. Main control processor; 71. FPGA processing circuit; 72. Power supply; 73. Image parallel receiving circuit; 74. 422 serial port / CAN interface; 75. Refresh circuit; 76. Display circuit. Detailed Implementation

[0019] To make the technical problems, technical solutions, and beneficial effects to be solved by this application clearer, the following detailed description is provided in conjunction with the accompanying drawings and embodiments. It should be understood that the specific embodiments described herein are merely illustrative and are not intended to limit the scope of this application.

[0020] This application provides a low-power infrared detector system and its operating method. The system includes two PCB circuit boards, a first PCB circuit board and a second PCB circuit board, which are combined through an internal connector to form the infrared detector system. This application eliminates the internal FPGA image processing circuit of the infrared detector, retaining only the configuration circuit and data transmission circuit of the infrared detector. It communicates with the main control processor through an external high-speed connector, and the image processing is performed by the FPGA processing circuit of the main control processor. This significantly reduces the power consumption and size of the infrared detector, reduces its own heat generation and heat accumulation, and is suitable for spaceborne and long-term laser communication applications.

[0021] Please see Figure 1 The first embodiment of this application provides a low-power infrared detector system, including: a first PCB circuit board 2 and a second PCB circuit board 4; The first PCB circuit board 2 has an infrared detector chip 1 on its top and is connected to the top of the second PCB circuit board 4 through an internal connector 3 at its bottom. The bottom of the second PCB circuit board 4 has an external high-speed connector 5, which is used to transmit infrared image data to the main control processor 7.

[0022] In this embodiment, the infrared detector chip 1 is fixedly mounted on the top of the first PCB circuit board 2. This chip uses a high-sensitivity infrared sensing element, which can accurately collect infrared image data in laser communication. The bottom of the first PCB circuit board 2 is physically connected to the second PCB circuit board 4 through an internal connector 3 to achieve signal conduction. The internal connector 3 adopts a high-density pin design to ensure the stability and anti-interference of data transmission between the two PCB boards. The bottom of the second PCB circuit board 4 is connected to an external high-speed connector 5. This connector is a high-speed differential connector, which supports multi-channel parallel data transmission and meets the bandwidth requirements of high-speed transmission of infrared image data.

[0023] Further, please refer to Figure 2 A high-speed connection cable assembly 6 is provided between the external high-speed connector 5 and the main control processor 7. The external high-speed connector 5 transmits infrared image data to the main control processor 7 through the high-speed connection cable assembly 6, thereby achieving efficient transmission of infrared image data.

[0024] The infrared detector system establishes a communication link with the main control processor 7 through a high-speed connection cable assembly 6. The high-speed connection cable assembly 6 uses low-loss shielded cable, which effectively reduces attenuation and interference during data transmission, ensuring efficient transmission of infrared image data from the infrared detector system to the main control processor 7. The main control processor 7, as the control and processing core of the entire system, receives infrared image data from the infrared detector and achieves low-power image transmission.

[0025] Preferably, please refer to Figure 3 The first PCB circuit board 2 includes an external circuit 21, a temperature sensor 22, and an infrared detector chip 1 located on top of the first PCB circuit board 2. The temperature sensor 22 is connected to an internal connector 3, and the infrared detector chip 1 is connected to the internal connector 3 through the external circuit 21. The temperature sensor 22 is used to monitor the temperature data of the infrared detector system in real time and feed it back to the internal connector 3 in real time.

[0026] Further, please refer to Figure 4The second PCB board 4 includes a multi-channel power supply circuit 41, an image parallel buffer circuit 43, an MCU circuit 42, and a 422 serial port 44. The internal connector 3 connects to the external high-speed connector 5 via the image parallel buffer circuit 43. The internal connector 3 also connects to the external high-speed connector 5 via the multi-channel power supply circuit 41, the MCU circuit 42, and the 422 serial port 44. The image parallel buffer circuit 43 uses a high-speed cache chip to temporarily store and buffer the original infrared image data, solving the problem of data transmission rate mismatch and ensuring the continuity of subsequent transmission. The MCU circuit 42 uses a low-power microcontroller. Its core functions include receiving temperature data from the temperature sensor 22, setting configuration parameters for the infrared detector, monitoring the operating status of the multi-channel power supply circuit, and exchanging control signals with the external high-speed connector 5 via the 422 serial port 44. The 422 serial port 44 uses differential transmission, which has strong anti-interference capabilities and is suitable for control signal transmission in industrial and communication equipment.

[0027] The multi-channel power supply circuit 41 provides a stable power supply for the entire infrared detector system. The input terminal of the external high-speed connector 5 is connected to the output terminal of the image parallel buffer circuit 43, which is used to transmit the buffered infrared image data to the main control processor 7. Its control terminal is connected to the MCU circuit 42, which receives the control signals forwarded by the main control processor 7 through the serial port 44 to realize the start and stop control of data transmission.

[0028] Preferably, please refer to Figure 5 The main control processor 7 includes an FPGA processing circuit 71, a power supply 72, an image parallel receiving circuit 73, a RS-422 serial port / CAN interface 74, a refresh circuit 75, and a display circuit 76. The FPGA processing circuit 71 allocates some logic resources to receive and process infrared image data transmitted at high speed from the infrared detector. The power supply 72 provides stable and reliable operating voltage and current to the entire main control processor and its modules, ensuring normal system operation. The image parallel receiving circuit 73 receives image data from the infrared detector system, supports parallel data transmission, and ensures high-speed and complete input of infrared image data. The RS-422 serial port / CAN interface 74 provides an external communication interface. RS-422 is used for long-distance, differential signal transmission with strong anti-interference capabilities; the CAN interface is used for reliable communication under industrial control. The refresh circuit 75 updates the configuration of the FPGA processing circuit 71 or refreshes the status of the infrared detector system, ensuring normal loading and operation of the logic circuits. The display circuit 76 outputs the processed images or information to a display device. Optionally, the display circuit 76 may include functions such as display driving and signal conversion to realize human-computer interaction or monitoring.

[0029] To ensure the stable operation of the infrared detector chip 1, its internal multi-channel power supply circuit 41 requires a low-ripple power supply, but multi-channel discrete power supplies typically occupy a large PCB area. To solve this problem, this application uses a PMIC integrated chip, such as... Figure 6 As shown in the power supply tree diagram, the system input, after passing through a fuse, is divided into two DC-DC power supplies (DC-DC1 and DC-DC2) to power the digital circuits, and four LDOs (LDO, LDO2, LDO3, and LDO4) to power the analog circuits. This application selects the TPS65051 power chip, which not only reduces the PCB layout area of ​​the power supply but also achieves low-power supply and power management functions.

[0030] In an infrared detector power supply system, multiple different power rails are required. Please refer to... Figure 6-7 This embodiment uses six power supplies: a digital 3.3V power supply, a digital 1.2V power supply, an analog 3.3V power supply, an analog 2.2V power supply, an analog 1.2V power supply, and an analog 1.8V power supply. These power supplies not only need to provide a certain amount of power, but also need to manage the power-on and power-off sequence. For example... Figure 6 As shown in the control logic, the MCU circuit 42 precisely controls the start-up and shutdown sequence of each DC-DC and LDO through the enable pins EN1-EN5 to ensure safe and stable system startup. In terms of specific power supply selection, the design uses a DC-DC power supply to power the digital section to ensure conversion efficiency, while the analog section uses an LDO power supply to provide cleaner power quality and reduce noise interference.

[0031] To further optimize power consumption performance, this application uses, for example... Figure 7 The multi-channel integrated power supply chip TPS65051 is shown. From Figure 7 The pin connections (EN_DCDC1, EN_DCDC2, EN_LDO1, EN_LDO2, EN_LDO3, EN_LDO4) show that the chip integrates multiple DC-DC and LDO controllers internally. Only a few external resistors are needed to set the output voltage (OUT_3V3, OUT_1V2, OUT_3V3, OUT_2V2, OUT_1V2, OUT_1V8), achieving a conversion efficiency of 95% and effectively reducing energy loss. Furthermore, the chip can automatically switch to a low-power operating mode when the infrared detector is in standby mode, significantly reducing heat generation caused by power consumption and improving the thermal stability and reliability of the infrared detector system.

[0032] The second embodiment of this application provides a method for operating a low-power infrared detector system, including the following steps: Infrared detector chip 1 collects infrared image data, and the infrared image data is transmitted to the image parallel buffer circuit 43 of the second PCB circuit board 4 through the peripheral circuit 21 and internal connector 3 of the first PCB circuit board 2 for buffering. The image parallel buffer circuit 43 transmits the buffered infrared image data to the main control processor 7 via the external high-speed connector 5, completing the infrared image transmission. This application eliminates the FPGA chip used for image processing inside the infrared detector, retaining only the detector configuration circuit. The infrared detector is connected to the main control processor 7 via the external high-speed connector 5, and the infrared image data acquired by the infrared detector is transmitted to the main control processor 7. The main control processor 7 completes the reception and processing of the image data, achieving low-power infrared image transmission.

[0033] Specifically, after the infrared detector system is powered on, the multi-channel power supply circuit 41 in the second PCB circuit board 4 starts. The input power is divided into two DC-DC power supplies and four LDO power supplies after passing through the fuse. The multi-channel power supply circuit 41 uses a TPS65051 PMIC integrated chip, which outputs six power supplies in sequence according to the set power-on and power-off sequence: digital 3.3V, digital 1.2V, analog 3.3V, analog 2.2V, analog 1.2V, and analog 1.8V, providing stable operating voltages for the various circuit modules on the first PCB circuit board 2 and the second PCB circuit board 4.

[0034] The MCU circuit 42 on the second PCB board 4 establishes a communication connection with the first PCB board 2 through the internal connector 3. The MCU circuit 42 reads the configuration parameters of the infrared detector chip 1 on the top of the first PCB board 2, and writes the initialization configuration information to the infrared detector chip 1 through the internal connector 3, thus completing the setting of the working mode of the infrared detector chip 1.

[0035] Temperature sensor 22 on the first PCB board 2 monitors the operating temperature of infrared detector chip 1 in real time. The temperature data collected by temperature sensor 22 is transmitted to MCU circuit 42 on the second PCB board 4 through internal connector 3. MCU circuit 42 processes the temperature data and uploads the temperature data to main control processor 7 in real time through serial port 422 44, internal connector 3 and external high-speed connector 5.

[0036] Infrared detector chip 1 collects infrared image data from laser communication and transmits it to second PCB board 4 via external circuit 21 on the first PCB board 2 and internal connector 3. The infrared image data enters image parallel buffer circuit 43 for temporary storage and buffering, solving the problem of data transmission rate mismatch and ensuring continuous and stable transmission of image data.

[0037] The image parallel buffer circuit 43 outputs the buffered infrared image data through the external high-speed connector 5, and transmits the infrared image data to the main control processor 7 at high speed.

[0038] In an alternative embodiment, the external high-speed connector 5 transmits infrared image data to the main control processor 7 via the high-speed connection cable assembly 6.

[0039] The image parallel receiving circuit 73 of the main control processor 7 receives infrared image data through the high-speed connection cable assembly 6. The image parallel receiving circuit 73 transmits the infrared image data to the FPGA processing circuit 71. The FPGA processing circuit 71 allocates some logic resources to perform real-time processing on the infrared image data, including image correction, enhancement, and format conversion.

[0040] The main control processor 7 sends control commands to the infrared detector system via the 422 serial port / CAN interface 74 and the high-speed connection cable assembly 6. After receiving the commands through the external high-speed connector 5, the MCU circuit 42 on the second PCB circuit board 4 adjusts the working state of the multi-channel power supply circuit 41, or adjusts the configuration parameters of the infrared detector chip 1 through the internal connector 3, thereby realizing bidirectional communication and closed-loop control.

[0041] The processed infrared image data is output from the FPGA processing circuit 71 to the display circuit 76, driving the display device to display the infrared image in real time. Simultaneously, the refresh circuit 75 periodically updates the logic configuration of the FPGA processing circuit 71 to ensure the stable operation of the image processing function.

[0042] When the infrared detector system enters standby mode, the MCU circuit 42 detects the system idle command and automatically switches to a low-power operating mode via the TPS65051 PMIC integrated chip in the multi-channel power supply circuit 41. At this time, some power rails enter a dormant state, significantly reducing the overall power consumption and heat accumulation of the system, and extending the service life of the infrared detector system.

[0043] Those skilled in the art will recognize that the units and algorithm steps of the various examples described in conjunction with the embodiments disclosed herein can be implemented in electronic hardware, or a combination of computer software and electronic hardware. Whether these functions are implemented in hardware or software depends on the specific application and design constraints of the technical solution. Those skilled in the art can use different methods to implement the described functions for each specific application, but such implementation should not be considered beyond the scope of this application.

[0044] The above embodiments are only used to illustrate the technical solutions of this application, and are not intended to limit them. Although this application has been described in detail with reference to the foregoing embodiments, those skilled in the art should understand that modifications can still be made to the technical solutions described in the foregoing embodiments, or equivalent substitutions can be made to some of the technical features. Such modifications or substitutions do not cause the essence of the corresponding technical solutions to deviate from the spirit and scope of the technical solutions of the embodiments of this application, and should all be included within the protection scope of this application.

Claims

1. A low-power infrared detector system, comprising a main control processor, characterized in that, Also includes: First PCB board and second PCB board; The first PCB circuit board has an infrared detector chip on its top and is connected to the top of the second PCB circuit board via an internal connector at its bottom. The bottom of the second PCB circuit board has an external high-speed connector for transmitting infrared image data to the main control processor.

2. The low-power infrared detector system as described in claim 1, characterized in that, The second PCB circuit board includes a multi-channel power supply circuit, an image parallel buffer circuit, an MCU circuit, and a 422 serial port; The internal connector is connected to the external high-speed connector via the image parallel buffer circuit. The internal connector is also connected to the external high-speed connector via the multi-channel power supply circuit, the MCU circuit, and the 422 serial port.

3. The low-power infrared detector system as described in claim 2, characterized in that, The multi-channel power supply circuit uses a PMIC integrated chip to provide digital and analog power. The digital power supply is powered by a DC-DC power supply, and the analog power supply is powered by an LDO. The MCU circuit controls the start-stop sequence of each DC-DC and LDO through the enable pin, thereby achieving power-on / off timing management.

4. The low-power infrared detector system as described in claim 2, characterized in that, The first PCB circuit board includes peripheral circuitry and a temperature sensor. The temperature sensor is connected to the internal connector and is used to monitor the temperature data of the infrared detector chip in real time. The infrared detector chip is connected to the internal connector via the peripheral circuit.

5. The low-power infrared detector system as described in claim 4, characterized in that, The MCU circuit is used to receive temperature data from the temperature sensor, configure parameters for the infrared detector chip, monitor the operating status of the multi-channel power supply circuit, and interact with the external high-speed connector via the 422 serial port.

6. The low-power infrared detector system as described in claim 1, characterized in that, The main control processor includes an FPGA processing circuit, a power supply, an image parallel receiving circuit, a 422 serial port / CAN interface, a refresh circuit, and a display circuit. The FPGA processing circuit is used to allocate logic resources to receive the infrared image data and perform image processing. The parallel image receiving circuit is used to receive the infrared image data through the external high-speed connector; The 422 serial / CAN interface is used to send control commands to the infrared detector system to achieve bidirectional communication; The refresh circuit is used for updating the configuration of the FPGA processing circuit or refreshing the status of the infrared detector system. The display circuit is used to output the processed infrared image data to a display device.

7. The low-power infrared detector system as described in claim 1, characterized in that, The external high-speed connector transmits the infrared image data to the main control processor via a high-speed connection cable assembly.

8. A method for operating a low-power infrared detector, applied to a low-power infrared detector system according to any one of claims 1-7, characterized in that, Includes the following steps: The infrared detector chip collects infrared image data, and the infrared image data is transmitted to the second PCB circuit board for buffering via the first PCB circuit board and internal connector. The second PCB circuit board transmits the cached infrared image data to the main control processor through an external high-speed connector to complete the infrared image transmission.

9. The low-power infrared detector operating method as described in claim 8, characterized in that, The temperature sensor on the first PCB circuit board monitors the operating temperature of the infrared detector chip in real time and transmits it to the MCU circuit through the internal connector. After processing the temperature data, the MCU circuit transmits it to the main control processor through the 422 serial port and the external high-speed connector.

10. The low-power infrared detector operating method as described in claim 9, characterized in that, When the infrared detector system enters standby mode, the MCU circuit detects the system idle command and automatically switches to low-power operating mode through the PMIC integrated chip, so that the power supply enters sleep mode.

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