Control device of laser emission chip and laser radar module
By introducing a first switch module, a second switch module, and MCU control into the laser emitting chip, the problem of the inability to flexibly light up 2D addressable VCSEL arrays is solved, and flexible lighting of partial zones of the laser emitting chip and efficient energy utilization are realized.
Patent Information
- Application Number
- CN202422717324.9
- Authority / Receiving Office
- CN · China
- Patent Type
- Utility models(China)
- Current Assignee / Owner
- Filing Date
- 2024-11-07
- Publication Date
- 2025-11-11
- Estimated Expiration
- 2034-11-07
AI Technical Summary
In existing solid-state lidar, 2D addressable VCSEL arrays cannot be flexibly illuminated, resulting in low efficiency in environmental perception and measurement.
A laser emitting chip control device, comprising a first switch module, a second switch module, and an MCU, is used to flexibly light up LEDs by controlling the conduction and disconnection of n first switches and m second switches.
This technology enables flexible lighting of partial zones of the laser emitting chip, improving beam control accuracy and scanning efficiency, reducing unnecessary energy consumption, and achieving more efficient energy utilization.
Smart Images
Figure CN223538995U_ABST
Abstract
Description
Technical Field
[0001] This utility model relates to the field of lidar technology, and in particular to a control device for a laser emitting chip and a lidar module. Background Technology
[0002] Solid-state LiDAR is one of the key sensors in autonomous vehicles. Solid-state LiDAR uses 2D addressable vertical-cavity surface-emitting lasers (VCSELs) as one of its core technologies to achieve high-precision and high-efficiency environmental perception and measurement.
[0003] In the context of solid-state lidar, how to flexibly control the illumination of 2D addressable VCSEL arrays is a technical problem that urgently needs to be solved by those in the field. Utility Model Content
[0004] The purpose of this invention is to provide a control device for a laser emitting chip and a laser radar module to solve the technical problem that 2D addressable VCSEL arrays cannot be flexibly lit.
[0005] To solve the above technical problems, this utility model provides a control device for a laser emitting chip, the laser emitting chip including n rows * m columns of light-emitting diodes, including: a first switching module, a second switching module and an MCU;
[0006] The first switch module includes n first switches, one end of each first switch is connected to a high-voltage power supply, and the other end is connected to the anode of a row of light-emitting diodes in the laser emitting chip;
[0007] The second switch module includes m second switches, one end of each second switch is connected to ground, and the other end is connected to the cathode of a row of light-emitting diodes in the laser emitting chip;
[0008] The MCU is connected to the first switch module and the second switch module, and is used to control the on and off of the n first switches and the m second switches.
[0009] For example, the control device for the laser emitting chip also includes: an I / O expander and a buffer;
[0010] The IO expander has its input connected to the MCU and its output outputs m GPIO signals.
[0011] The buffer has its input terminal connected to the GPIO signal and its output terminal outputting m trigger signals as control signals for the m second switches.
[0012] For example, the output terminal of the laser receiving chip outputs an exposure signal, which serves as an input to the buffer; when the exposure signal is high, the control signals of the m second switches are controlled by the m GPIO signals.
[0013] For example, the second switch is a GaN switch;
[0014] The control device for the laser emitting chip also includes a drive module that provides drive for the control signal of each GaN switch.
[0015] For example, the first switch module further includes n drivers for providing drive for the control signals of the n first switches.
[0016] To address the aforementioned technical problems, this utility model also provides a laser radar module, including a laser emitting chip, a laser receiving chip, and a control device for the aforementioned laser emitting chip.
[0017] The control device for the laser emitting chip provided by this invention includes a light-emitting diode array, a second switch module, a first switch module, and an MCU. Compared to when the cathode of a light-emitting diode is directly grounded, where the cathode is in a ON state, the entire row of LEDs will be lit when the anode of any row of LEDs is turned on. In the control device provided by this invention, by connecting one end of each of m second switches to the cathode of a light-emitting diode, and grounding the other end of each second switch, the cathode of a light-emitting diode is only ON when the switch corresponding to the cathode of that LED is turned on. Then, the corresponding LED will only light up after the anode of any row of LEDs is turned on through the first switch. Through the flexible switching of the m second switches, flexible lighting of sections within a row of the laser emitting chip is achieved.
[0018] In addition, this utility model also provides a lidar module that has the same or corresponding technical features as the control device for the laser emitting chip mentioned above, and has the same effect. Attached Figure Description
[0019] To more clearly illustrate the embodiments of this utility model, the drawings used in the embodiments will be briefly introduced below. Obviously, the drawings described below are only some embodiments of this utility model. For those skilled in the art, other drawings can be obtained based on these drawings without creative effort.
[0020] Figure 1 A schematic diagram of a control device for a laser emitting chip provided in an embodiment of this utility model;
[0021] Figure 2 A schematic diagram of a control column switch module provided for an embodiment of this utility model;
[0022] Figure 3 for Figure 1 A schematic diagram of the partitioning of LEDs in a row;
[0023] Figure 4 This is a schematic diagram of a lidar module provided in an embodiment of the present invention. Detailed Implementation
[0024] The technical solutions of the present utility model will be clearly and completely described below with reference to the accompanying drawings of the embodiments. Obviously, the described embodiments are only some embodiments of the present utility model, and not all embodiments. Based on the embodiments of the present utility model, all other embodiments obtained by those of ordinary skill in the art without creative effort are within the protection scope of the present utility model.
[0025] The core of this invention is to provide a control device for a laser emitting chip and a laser radar module to solve the technical problem that 2D addressable VCSEL arrays cannot be flexibly lit.
[0026] To enable those skilled in the art to better understand the present invention, the present invention will be further described in detail below with reference to the accompanying drawings and specific embodiments. The laser emitting chip includes n rows * m columns of light-emitting diodes, and comprises: a first switching module, a second switching module, and an MCU;
[0027] The first switch module includes n first switches, one end of each first switch is connected to a high-voltage power supply, and the other end is connected to the anode of a row of light-emitting diodes inside the laser emitting chip;
[0028] The second switch module includes m second switches, one end of each second switch is connected to ground, and the other end is connected to the cathode of a row of light-emitting diodes in the laser emitting chip;
[0029] The MCU is connected to the first switch module and the second switch module to control the on and off of n first switches and m second switches.
[0030] The number and type of the first switches in the first switch module (such as single-pole single-throw switches and single-pole multi-throw switches), and the number and type of the second switches in the second switch module (such as single-pole single-throw switches and single-pole multi-throw switches) are not limited, and are determined according to actual needs. The following description uses a laser emitting chip comprising 8 rows * 12 columns of light-emitting diodes as an example to illustrate the control device for the laser emitting chip provided in this embodiment of the invention. Figure 1This is a schematic diagram of a control device for a laser emitting chip provided in an embodiment of the present invention. Figure 1 Both the row switch module (i.e., the first switch module, including HS1 to HS8) and the column switch module (i.e., the second switch module, including VS1 to VS12) use single-pole single-throw switches. One end of each row switch is connected to the power supply, and the other end of each row switch is connected to the anode of a row of LEDs; one end of each column switch is grounded, and the other end of each column switch is connected to the cathode of a column of LEDs.
[0031] To control the first and second switch modules, a microcontroller unit (MCU) is connected to both modules to control their on / off states. Figure 1 The MCU controls the on / off state of 8*12 second switches.
[0032] A first switch is set on each row and a second switch is set on each column. When the second switch set on the column receives the instruction from the MCU to indicate that the switch is closed, the second switch that receives the instruction to indicate that the switch is closed will close. Then, the corresponding LED will light up after the first switch set on the row receives the instruction to close the switch from the MCU.
[0033] It's worth noting that one LED can be controlled to light up at a time, or multiple LEDs can be controlled to light up simultaneously. Specifically, if one LED in a row is lit at a time, the second switch in a column closes after receiving a closing instruction from the MCU; then, the corresponding LED lights up only after the first switch in the row receives a closing instruction from the MCU. Figure 1 For example, to turn on the LED in the second column of the first row, the second switch in the second column receives a command from the MCU indicating that the switch is closed, and then the second switch in the second column is turned on. Then, after the first switch in the first row receives a command from the MCU indicating that the switch is closed, the LED in the second column of the first row lights up. The lighting process for other individual LEDs is the same and will not be described further here.
[0034] The above describes the scenario where a single LED is lit at a time. To simultaneously illuminate multiple LEDs in a row, the second switches on each column must close after receiving a closing instruction from the MCU. Then, the corresponding LEDs will only light up after the first switch on each row receives a closing instruction from the MCU. (Continuing with the previous example...) Figure 1For example, if each row is divided into four smaller sections for lighting, then each smaller section contains three LEDs. Taking lighting up the first smaller section in the first row as an example, when the second switches set on the first to third columns receive the instruction from the MCU to indicate that the switch is closed, the second switches on the first to third columns close. Then, after the first switch set on the first row receives the instruction from the MCU to close the switch, the three LEDs in the first smaller section of the first row will light up.
[0035] The control device for the laser emitting chip provided in this embodiment includes a light-emitting diode array, a second switch module, a first switch module, and an MCU. Compared to when the cathode of a light-emitting diode is directly grounded, since the cathode is in the ON state, the entire row of light-emitting diodes will be turned on and illuminated when the anode of any row of light-emitting diodes is turned on. In the control device provided by this invention, by connecting one end of each of m second switches to the cathode of a light-emitting diode, and grounding the other end of the second switches, the cathode of a light-emitting diode is only turned on when the switch corresponding to the cathode of the light-emitting diode is turned on. Then, the corresponding light-emitting diode will only light up after the anode of any row of light-emitting diodes is turned on through the first switch. Through the flexible switching of the m second switches, flexible illumination of sections within a row of the laser emitting chip is achieved.
[0036] The output exposure signal (Trig_O) of the laser receiver chip (Single Photon Avalanche Diode, SPAD) controls the entire exposure time of the light-emitting diode in the laser emitter chip. If the driving capability of the laser receiver chip is sufficient, and the number of output pins of the laser receiver chip is greater than or equal to the number of second switches in the control device of the laser emitter chip, then the output of the laser receiver chip can be directly connected to each of the second switches; that is, each trigger signal (Trig_n) of the output of the laser receiver chip can be directly used as the control signal of each of the second switches. However, if the driving capability of the laser receiver chip is insufficient, or the number of output pins of the laser receiver chip is less than the number of second switches in the control device of the laser emitter chip, then a buffer needs to be set in the control device of the laser emitter chip to ensure sufficient driving capability and output pins.
[0037] Similarly, if the MCU's driving capability is sufficient, the general purpose input / output (GPIO) signals output by the MCU can be directly used as control signals for the second switch. However, if the MCU's driving capability is insufficient, an input / output (IO) expander is set between the MCU and the second switch module. Specifically, the IO expander has its input connected to the MCU and its outputs m GPIO signals.
[0038] The buffer has its input connected to a GPIO signal and its output outputs m trigger signals as control signals for m second switches.
[0039] The laser receiver chip outputs an exposure signal, which serves as an input to the buffer. When the exposure signal is high, the control signals of the m second switches are controlled by the m GPIO signals.
[0040] Still under control Figure 1 Taking the 12 column switches in the middle as an example, Figure 2 A schematic diagram of a control column switch module provided in an embodiment of this utility model. Figure 2 In the process, the SPAD output (Trig signal) is buffered and then output as Trig1 to Trig12 signals; the MCU outputs GPIO1 to GPIO12 signals. The Trig1 to Trig12 signals and GPIO1 to GPIO12 signals are used to control the on or off of the second switch on the column switch module.
[0041] To achieve higher switching frequency and lower on-resistance, a gallium nitride (GaN) switch was selected as the second switch in this implementation. To ensure sufficient drive capability for the second switch, a drive module is also included in the laser emission chip's control device to provide drive for the control signals of each GaN switch. One end of the drive module receives the trigger signal, and the other end is connected to the second switch. The type and number of drive modules are not limited and are determined based on the actual situation. For example, if a TPM2205 module is selected, each TPM2205 module can simultaneously receive two trigger signals and output two trigger signals. To control... Figure 1 If there are 12 second switches on one row, then six TPM2205 modules need to be set up.
[0042] In the above embodiment, a driver is provided for the second switch module. In practice, n drivers can also be provided for the first switch module to provide driving for the control signals of the n first switches.
[0043] To enable those skilled in the art to better understand the present invention, the control method will be further described below in conjunction with the accompanying drawings and specific embodiments. Figure 1 The process of lighting up the small sections on the control row will be explained in further detail. Figure 3 for Figure 1 A schematic diagram of the LED partitioning on a single row. Figure 1 The 12 LEDs in the middle row are divided into four small sections (e.g., Figure 3 The system consists of three partitions (partition 1, partition 2, partition 3, and partition 4), each containing three LEDs. Four exposures are performed horizontally in a single line, activating three VCSEL partitions each time, with each exposure lasting 1ms. The implementation method is as follows:
[0044] 1) SPAD outputs TRIG_O first, which, after passing through the buffer, generates 12 Trig channels;
[0045] 2) Configure 12 GPIOs in the IO expander, with GPIO1 to GPIO3 enabled first and GPIO4 to GPIO12 disabled to ensure that Trig1 to Trig3 output pulse signals;
[0046] 3) After operation 2) is completed, the MCU establishes communication with the first switch on the first row, opening the channel of the first switch on the first row for 1ms; at this time, the three small VCSELs in the first exposure (i.e., Figure 3 Partition 1) Illumination.
[0047] 4) If you want the three small partitions VCSEL in the second exposure (i.e. Figure 3 In the second partition of the light-up module, after executing step 1), GPIO1 to GPIO3 and GPIO7 to GPIO12 are turned off, and only GPIO4 to GPIO6 are turned on.
[0048] 5) After operation 4) is completed, the MCU establishes communication with the first switch on the first row, opening the channel of the first switch on the first row for 1ms; at this time, the three small VCSEL partitions in the second exposure (i.e., Figure 3 (Part 2) Illumination.
[0049] 6) If you want the three small VCSEL partitions to emit light in the third exposure, after executing 1), turn off GPIO1 to GPIO6 and GPIO10 to GPIO12, and only turn on GPIO7 to GPIO9;
[0050] 7) After operation 6) is completed, the MCU establishes communication with the first switch, opens the channel of the first switch on the first row, and the opening time is 1ms; at this time, the three small VCSEL partitions in the third exposure (i.e., Figure 3 (Part 3) Illumination.
[0051] 8) If you want the four small VCSEL zones to emit light in the fourth exposure, after executing 1), turn off GPIO1 to GPIO9 and only turn on GPIO10 to GPIO12;
[0052] 9) After operation 8) is completed, the MCU establishes communication with the first switch and opens the channel of the first switch on the first row, with an opening time of 1ms; at this time, the four small VCSEL partitions in the fourth exposure (i.e., Figure 3 (Part 4) Illumination.
[0053] The control device of the laser emitting chip described above enables flexible lighting of the VCSEL array, precise beam control and scanning, and reduces unnecessary energy consumption by activating only the required VCSEL units, thus achieving more efficient energy utilization.
[0054] The above describes a control device for a laser emitting chip. This embodiment also provides a laser radar module. Figure 4 A schematic diagram of a lidar module provided in an embodiment of this utility model is shown below. Figure 4 As shown, the lidar module includes a laser emitting chip, a laser receiving chip, and a control device for the laser emitting chip. The control device is connected to the laser emitting chip and controls the laser emitting chip to emit photons, which are then received by the laser receiving chip.
[0055] The lidar module provided in this embodiment includes a control device for the laser emitting chip described above. The embodiments of the control device for the laser emitting chip have been described in detail above, and will not be repeated here for the lidar module embodiments.
[0056] The lidar module provided in this embodiment includes a control device for a laser emitting chip. This control device comprises an LED array, a second switch module, a first switch module, and an MCU. Compared to when the cathode of an LED is directly grounded, where the cathode is in a ON state, the entire row of LEDs will be lit when the anode of any row of LEDs is turned on. However, in the control device for the laser emitting chip in this lidar module, one end of each of m second switches is connected to the cathode of an LED, and the other end of each switch is grounded. This ensures that the cathode of an LED is only ON when the switch corresponding to the cathode of the LED is turned on. Then, the corresponding LED will only light up after the anode of any row of LEDs is turned on by the first switch. By flexibly switching on the m second switches, flexible lighting of sections within a row of the laser emitting chip is achieved.
[0057] The control device for a laser emitting chip and a laser radar module provided by this utility model have been described in detail above. The various embodiments in the specification are described in a progressive manner, with each embodiment focusing on its differences from other embodiments. Similar or identical parts between embodiments can be referred to interchangeably. It should be noted that those skilled in the art can make various improvements and modifications to this utility model without departing from its principles, and these improvements and modifications also fall within the protection scope of this utility model.
[0058] It should also be noted that, in this specification, relational terms such as "first" and "second" are used only to distinguish one entity or operation from another, and do not necessarily require or imply any such actual relationship or order between these entities or operations. Furthermore, the terms "comprising," "including," or any other variations thereof are intended to cover non-exclusive inclusion, such that a process, method, article, or apparatus that comprises a list of elements includes not only those elements but also other elements not expressly listed, or elements inherent to such a process, method, article, or apparatus. Without further limitations, an element defined by the phrase "comprising one..." does not exclude the presence of other identical elements in the process, method, article, or apparatus that includes said element.
Claims
1. A control device for a laser emitting chip, the laser emitting chip comprising n rows * m columns of light-emitting diodes, characterized in that, include: First switch module, second switch module, and MCU; The first switch module includes n first switches, one end of each first switch is connected to a high-voltage power supply, and the other end is connected to the anode of a row of light-emitting diodes in the laser emitting chip; The second switch module includes m second switches, one end of each second switch is connected to ground, and the other end is connected to the cathode of a row of light-emitting diodes in the laser emitting chip; The MCU is connected to the first switch module and the second switch module, and is used to control the on and off of the n first switches and the m second switches.
2. The control device for the laser emitting chip according to claim 1, characterized in that, Also includes: IO expanders and buffers; The IO expander has its input connected to the MCU and its output outputs m GPIO signals. The buffer has its input terminal connected to the GPIO signal and its output terminal outputting m trigger signals as control signals for the m second switches.
3. The control device for the laser emitting chip according to claim 2, characterized in that, The laser receiver chip outputs an exposure signal, which serves as an input to the buffer. When the exposure signal is high, the control signals of the m second switches are controlled by the m GPIO signals.
4. The control device for the laser emitting chip according to claim 1, characterized in that, The second switch is a GaN switch; The control device for the laser emitting chip also includes a drive module that provides drive for the control signal of each GaN switch.
5. The control device for the laser emitting chip according to claim 1, characterized in that, The first switch module further includes n drivers for providing drive for the control signals of the n first switches.
6. A lidar module, characterized in that, It includes a laser emitting chip, a laser receiving chip, and a control device for the laser emitting chip as described in any one of claims 1 to 5.