CONTROL METHOD, LIDAR AND TERMINAL DEVICE

Abstract

In order to improve the flexibility of detection in the sensing field, a control method, a lidar and a terminal device are provided. The method includes: a control device controls a receiving optical system to receive a first echo signal reflected by a target object (501); and controls a detector to convert the first echo signal into an electrical signal by using a first pixel configuration, where in the first pixel configuration, different regions of the detector have different pixel configurations, or the detector has different pixel configurations in different periods (502). In this way, the detector can convert the echo signals received in different regions or in different periods into differentiated electrical signals based on the different pixel configurations, so that the pixel density in the generated point cloud data can also be flexibly adjusted based on the actual pixel configuration scheme. This effectively improves the flexibility of detection.

Description

[Technical field]

[0001] The present application relates to the field of sensing technology, in particular to the field of laser detection, and provides a control method, a lidar and a terminal device. [Background technology]

[0002] LiDAR (light detection and ranging) is an optical measurement device. The working principle of LiDAR is to send a laser signal to an object, receive the echo signal reflected by the object, and compare the echo signal with the laser signal to obtain relevant parameters such as the distance and speed of the object. LiDAR can form high-definition images by precisely scanning the surrounding objects, which helps to quickly identify and determine the surrounding objects. At present, LiDAR is widely used in scenarios such as intelligent vehicles, smart transportation, three-dimensional city mapping, and air quality monitoring.

[0003] However, currently, the detection method of the LIDAR is usually set based on the hardware configuration of the LIDAR. When the hardware configuration of the LIDAR is better, the pixel density of the image detected by the LIDAR is higher. When the hardware configuration of the LIDAR is poorer, the pixel density of the image detected by the LIDAR is lower. The current detection method cannot well meet the requirements of users and is not conducive to improving the flexibility of detection.

[0004] In view of this, the present application provides a control method to improve the flexibility of detection. Summary of the Invention

[0005] The present application provides a control method, a lidar and a terminal device to improve the flexibility of detection.

[0006] According to a first aspect, the present application provides a control method. The method is applicable to a control device. The method includes: a control device controls a receiving optical system to receive a first echo signal reflected by a target object, and controls a detector to convert the first echo signal into an electrical signal by using a first pixel configuration. Specifically, the first echo signal includes a reflected signal corresponding to a first detection signal. In the first pixel configuration, different regions of the detector have different pixel configurations, and / or the detector has different pixel configurations in different time periods. According to the control method, the detector is configured to use different pixel configurations in different regions and / or different time periods by using software, so that after receiving the echo signal, the detector can convert the echo signals received in different regions and / or different time periods into differentiated electrical signals based on the different pixel configurations, and the pixel density in the point cloud data generated based on the differentiated electrical signals (i.e., the number of pixels in an image per unit area corresponding to the point cloud data) can also be flexibly adjusted based on the actual pixel configuration scheme. This improves the flexibility of detection. Furthermore, in this manner, the detector can be configured to implement the pixel configuration by using software. Therefore, the detection process may be less dependent on the hardware configuration of the lidar, and detection flexibility may be further improved.

[0007] It should be noted here that the first echo signal may include reflected signals corresponding to all the detection signals, may include only reflected signals corresponding to some of the detection signals, or may further include some ambient noise signals, which is not specifically limited.

[0008] In a possible design, the first echo signal may be presented as a linear spot to implement a line scan-line reception scanning mode.

[0009] In a possible design, the first echo signals may be presented as staggered spots, the staggered spots being staggered in a horizontal and / or vertical direction of the detector. The detector is a device including a number of rows and columns of cells. The horizontal direction of the detector is a direction defined by a row of cells, and the vertical direction of the detector is a direction defined by a column of cells. When the lidar scans an object in a horizontal direction, the staggered spots are spots in at least two portions of the staggered spots in the horizontal direction of the detector. When the lidar scans an object in a vertical direction, the staggered spots are spots in at least two portions of the staggered spots in the vertical direction of the detector. When the lidar scans an object in an oblique direction, the staggered spots are spots in at least two portions of the staggered spots in a direction corresponding to the oblique direction of the detector, i.e., staggered in both the horizontal and vertical directions of the detector. The areas in which the cells on the detector used to generate adjacent pixels are located can be staggered by using staggered spots, thereby reducing crosstalk between the areas in which the cells of adjacent pixels are located and improving isolation between the areas in which the cells of adjacent pixels are located, further improving point cloud quality.

[0010] In a possible design, the different regions of the detector may be different sub-regions in the region on the detector where the first echo signal is focused, and the number of cells corresponding to all pixels in the pixel configuration corresponding to the different regions may be different. The total number of cells used to generate pixels on the detector is fixed. When the number of cells corresponding to all pixels in the pixel configuration corresponding to the different regions is different, the number of pixels that can be generated in the different regions corresponding to the fixed number of cells is also different, so that the pixel densities of the two regions on the presented point cloud data are different, and the region with higher pixel density corresponds to a higher angular resolution. It can be seen that in this pixel configuration scheme, pixel encryption can be performed in a specific region in the finally presented point cloud data to flexibly improve the angular resolution of the specific region.

[0011] In a possible design, the different regions on the detector can be regions corresponding to the central vision region and non-central vision region of the lidar. The central vision region is a region in a preset angular range in front of the lidar. In this design, the central vision region and the non-central vision region correspond to different pixel configurations, so that the pixel density of the central vision region and the pixel density of the non-central vision region on the point cloud data can be different, and the angular resolution of the central vision region and the non-central vision region detected by the lidar can be flexibly adjusted.

[0012] In a possible design, the number of cells corresponding to each pixel in the pixel configuration corresponding to the central vision region may be less than the number of cells corresponding to each pixel in the pixel configuration corresponding to the non-central vision region. The number of cells corresponding to one pixel is the number of pixels used to generate one pixel. The total number of cells used to generate pixels on the detector is fixed. When the number of cells corresponding to one pixel is larger, a fixed number of pixels are used to generate fewer pixels, which may result in a lower pixel density on the point cloud data, and when the number of cells corresponding to one pixel is smaller, a fixed number of pixels are used to generate more pixels, which may result in a higher pixel density on the point cloud data. In this way, the number of cells corresponding to each pixel in the pixel configuration corresponding to the central vision region is less than the number of cells corresponding to each pixel in the pixel configuration corresponding to the non-central vision region, which may result in the central vision region having a higher pixel density than the non-central vision region in the finally presented point cloud data, and the central vision region having a higher angular resolution than the non-central vision region. This reduces unnecessary power consumption of the lidar while maintaining the required detection accuracy of the central vision region.

[0013] In a possible design, the different regions of the detector may be a region in the detector where the target object is presented and a region other than the region where the target object is presented. Before the controller controls the detector to convert the first echo signal into an electrical signal by using a first pixel configuration, the method further includes: controlling the detector to convert a second echo signal into an electrical signal by using a second pixel configuration, where the second echo signal includes a reflected signal corresponding to a second detection signal. In the region in the detector where the target object is presented, the number of cells corresponding to each pixel in the first pixel configuration is less than the number of cells corresponding to each pixel in the second pixel configuration, and in the region in the detector other than the region where the target object is presented, the number of cells corresponding to each pixel in the first pixel configuration is equal to the number of cells corresponding to each pixel in the second pixel configuration. In this way, the region corresponding to the target object in the finally presented point cloud data may have a higher angular resolution than the region corresponding to a non-target object. This helps to reduce unnecessary power consumption of the lidar while ensuring that the target object can be accurately detected.

[0014] In a possible design, the different periods include a first period and a second period, the first period corresponding to pixel configuration 1 and the second period corresponding to pixel configuration 2, the number of cells corresponding to all pixels in pixel configuration 1 and pixel configuration 2 is the same, and the regions including activated cells in pixel configuration 1 and the regions including activated cells in pixel configuration 2 are staggered in the horizontal and / or vertical direction of the detector, the staggering distance being shorter than a cell distance corresponding to one pixel. When the first echo signal is presented as a horizontal linear spot on the detector, the regions including activated cells in pixel configuration 1 and the regions including activated cells in pixel configuration 2 may be staggered in the horizontal direction of the detector. When the first echo signal is presented as a vertical linear spot on the detector, the regions including activated cells in pixel configuration 1 and the regions including activated cells in pixel configuration 2 may be staggered in the vertical direction of the detector. When the first echo signal is presented as an oblique linear spot on the detector, the regions including cells activated in pixel configuration 1 and the regions including cells activated in pixel configuration 2 may be staggered in the diagonal direction of the detector, i.e., staggered in both the horizontal and diagonal directions. Thus, there may also be a misalignment relationship between pixels generated in pixel configuration 1 and pixel configuration 2. The misalignment may allow a pixel generated in one pixel configuration to be inserted between any two adjacent pixels generated in another pixel configuration, thereby increasing the number of pixels included in the point cloud data. It can be seen that even if the lidar cannot improve the angular resolution based on the hardware configuration, the overall angular resolution of the lidar may be further improved by configuring the staggered cells by using software.

[0015] In a possible design, the different periods include a first period and a second period, the first period corresponding to pixel configuration 1 and the second period corresponding to pixel configuration 2, the cells in an activated state in the pixel configuration 1 and the pixel configuration 2 are the same, and the number of cells corresponding to each pixel in the pixel configuration 1 is greater than the number of cells corresponding to each pixel in the pixel configuration 2. In this way, the pixel density in the point cloud data generated based on pixel configuration 2 is higher than the pixel density in the point cloud data generated based on pixel configuration 2, which can flexibly improve the detected angular resolution in a required time.

[0016] In a possible design, the different time periods may correspond to one of the following time periods: time periods corresponding to different first echo signals returned through detection of the same area of ​​the target object, time periods corresponding to first echo signals returned through detection of different areas of the target object, or time periods corresponding to first echo signals returned through detection of the entire target object at different times. In this way, the pixel configuration can be flexibly adjusted within a suitable time period based on actual requirements, thereby increasing the scenarios to which the control method is applicable.

[0017] In a possible design, the control device may further receive an upgrade command, where the upgrade command includes a third pixel configuration. The control device controls the detector to convert a third echo signal into an electrical signal by using the third pixel configuration, where the third echo signal includes a reflected signal corresponding to a third detection signal. In this way, the pixel configuration of the detector is updated by upgrading the software. This is easy to implement without improving the hardware of the lidar, and can match the pixel configuration requirements of users for different scenarios as much as possible, which helps to improve the flexibility of the lidar detection.

[0018] In a possible design, upgrade commands can be sent by using a master computer or the pixel configuration can be updated over-the-air (OTA) to implement unified management and control of the lidar upgrade pixel configuration.

[0019] According to a second aspect, the present application provides a control device including at least one processor and an interface circuit configured to provide data or code instructions to the at least one processor, the at least one processor configured to implement a method according to any design of the first aspect by using logic circuitry or by executing the code instructions.

[0020] According to a third aspect, the present application provides a chip including a processor and an interface, the processor configured to read instructions via the interface to perform a method according to any design of the first aspect.

[0021] According to a fourth aspect, the present application provides a lidar including a control device configured to execute a control method according to any design of the first aspect, the receiving optics configured to receive echo signals, and the detector configured to convert the echo signals into electrical signals.

[0022] In a possible design, the lidar may further include a transmitter and transmission optics, the transmitter configured to emit a detection signal under the control of a controller, and the transmission optics configured to transmit the detection signal.

[0023] In a possible design, the detector may comprise a single photon avalanche diode (SPAD) detector array.

[0024] In a possible design, the lidar may further include a scanning mechanism, where the scanning mechanism comprises one or more of a multi-faceted rotating mirror, an oscillating mirror, a micro-electro-mechanical system (MEMS), a scanning mirror, or a prism.

[0025] In a possible design, the lidar may further include a processing module, where the processing module is configured to process the electrical signals to obtain point cloud data.

[0026] In a possible design, the processing module may further determine target features based on the point cloud data.

[0027] In a possible design, the controller and the processing module are integrated into a system on chip (SoC).

[0028] According to a fifth aspect, the present application provides a terminal device including a lidar according to any design of the fourth aspect. For example, some examples of terminal devices include, but are not limited to, smart home devices (e.g., televisions, robot vacuum cleaners, smart desk lamps, speaker systems, intelligent lighting systems, electrical appliance control systems, home background music systems, home theater systems, intercom systems, or video surveillance systems), intelligent transportation devices (e.g., vehicles, ships, unmanned aerial vehicles, trains, freight cars, or trucks), intelligent manufacturing devices (e.g., robots, industrial devices, intelligent logistics, or smart factories), and intelligent terminals (such as mobile phones, computers, tablet computers, palmtop computers, desktop computers, headsets, speakers, wearable devices, in-vehicle devices, virtual reality devices, or augmented reality devices).

[0029] According to a sixth aspect, the present application provides a computer readable storage medium storing a computer program which, when executed, performs a method according to any design of the first aspect.

[0030] According to a seventh aspect, the present application provides a computer program product which, when executed on a processor, implements a method according to any design of the first aspect.

[0031] For the beneficial effects of the second to seventh aspects, please refer to the technical effects that can be realized in the corresponding designs in the first aspect, and the details will not be described again here. [Brief description of the drawings]

[0032] [Figure 1] 1A-1C are schematic diagrams of example application scenarios of a lidar according to an embodiment of the present application;

[0033] [Diagram 2] FIG. 1 is an example schematic diagram of the internal architecture of a lidar according to an embodiment of the present application.

[0034] [Diagram 3] FIG. 2 is a schematic diagram of an example pixel configuration of a detector according to an embodiment of the present application.

[0035] [Figure 4] 1 is a schematic diagram of an example of a partitioning of a lidar field of view according to an embodiment of the present application;

[0036] [Diagram 5] 1 is a schematic flow chart example of a control method according to an embodiment of the present application.

[0037] [Figure 6] FIG. 2 is a schematic diagram of an example pixel configuration scheme for a detector according to an embodiment of the present application.

[0038] [Figure 7] FIG. 2 is a schematic diagram example of another pixel configuration scheme for a detector according to an embodiment of the present application.

[0039] [Figure 8] FIG. 13 is a schematic diagram example of yet another pixel configuration scheme for a detector according to an embodiment of the present application.

[0040] [Figure 9] FIG. 13 is an example of a schematic diagram of an adjustment period for a pixel configuration according to an embodiment of the present application.

[0041] [Figure 10] FIG. 13 is a schematic diagram example of yet another pixel configuration scheme for a detector according to an embodiment of the present application.

[0042] [Figure 11] FIG. 13 is an example schematic diagram of yet another pixel configuration scheme for a detector according to an embodiment of the present application. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

[0043] The control method disclosed in the present application may be applied to a terminal device having detection capability, and is particularly applicable to a terminal device having laser detection capability. The terminal device may be an intelligent device having laser detection capability, including but not limited to a smart home device, such as a television, a robot vacuum cleaner, a smart desk lamp, a speaker system, an intelligent lighting system, an electrical appliance control system, a home background music system, a home theater system, an intercom system, or a video surveillance system; an intelligent transportation device, such as a vehicle, a ship, an unmanned aerial vehicle, a train, a freight car, or a truck; an intelligent manufacturing device, such as a robot, an industrial device, an intelligent logistics, or a smart factory. Alternatively, the terminal device may be a computer device having laser detection capability, such as a desktop computer, a personal computer, or a server, etc. It should be further understood that the terminal device may alternatively be a portable electronic device having laser detection capability, such as a mobile phone, a tablet computer, a palmtop computer, a headset, a speaker, a wearable device (such as a smart watch), an in-vehicle device, a virtual reality device, or an augmented reality device, etc. Examples of portable electronic devices include, but are not limited to, portable electronic devices using iOS®, Android®, Microsoft®, Harmony®, or another operating system. The portable electronic device may alternatively be, for example, a laptop computer having a touch-sensitive surface (e.g., a touch panel).

[0044] In a specific application scenario, the control method may be applied to a lidar. FIG. 1 is an example of a schematic diagram of an application scenario of a lidar according to an embodiment of the present application. In this example, the lidar 100 is installed in a vehicle, and is therefore also referred to as an on-board lidar. In addition to the on-board lidar, the lidar further includes a ship-mounted lidar installed on a ship, and an airborne lidar installed on a machine. In a possible example, as shown in FIG. 1, the lidar 100 may be specifically installed at the head position of the vehicle. During the operation of the vehicle, the lidar 100 may transmit a laser signal. After the laser signal is irradiated on an object, it may be reflected by the object in front of the vehicle, and the reflected echo signal may be received by the lidar 100. Then, the lidar 100 detects information about an obstacle in front of the vehicle, such as the size and distance of the obstacle, based on the echo signal, thereby implementing a driving function of the vehicle, including, for example, but not limited to, automatic driving or driving assistance, by using the information about the obstacle.

[0045] It should be noted that the lidar 100 may be one of a mechanical lidar, a liquid lidar, a pure solid-state lidar, or a hybrid solid-state lidar (also referred to as a semi-solid lidar), or may be another type of lidar, which is not specifically limited in the embodiments of the present application.

[0046] Further, for example, FIG. 2 is a schematic diagram of the internal architecture of a lidar according to an embodiment of the present application. As shown in FIG. 2, in this example, the lidar 100 may include a control device 110, a transmission module 120, a scanning mechanism 130, a receiving module 140, and a processing module 150. The transmission module 120 includes a laser 121 and a transmission optical system 122, and the receiving module 140 includes a receiving optical system 141 and a detector 142. In the lidar 100, the control device 110 may have signal control capabilities and may be connected to other components in the lidar 100, including, for example, but not limited to, the transmission module 120, the scanning mechanism 130, the receiving module 140, and the processing module 150, via a controller area network (CAN) bus or in another manner. The laser 121 is a device capable of transmitting a laser, and the type of the laser 121 may be any one of a semiconductor laser, a gas laser, an optical fiber laser, a solid-state laser, a dye laser, a diode laser, or an excimer laser. The transmit optics 122 and receive optics 141 are systems including optical elements. The optical elements include, but are not limited to, lenses, optical filters, polarizers, reflectors, beam splitters, prisms, window sheets, and scattering sheets. The scanning mechanism 130 may include one or more of a multi-faceted rotating mirror, an oscillating mirror, a micro-electro-mechanical system (MEMS) scanning mirror, or a prism. The detector 142 may include, but is not limited to, an avalanche photo diode (APD), a single photon avalanche diode (SPAD), a photodiode (positive intrinsic-negative (PIN), and a silicon photo multiplier (SiPM). The processing module 150 may have signal processing capabilities and may be connected to the detector 142 via a CAN bus or otherwise.

[0047] It should be noted that the controller 110 and the processing module 150 may be integrated into one component for implementation, or may be implemented separately in multiple components. For example, the controller 110 and the processing module 150 may be integrated into one component for implementation. The component may be specifically an integrated circuit chip, such as a general-purpose processor, a field programmable gate array (FPGA), an application-specific integrated circuit (ASIC), a system on chip (SoC), a network processor (NP), a digital signal processor (DSP), a micro controller unit (MCU), a programmable logic device (PLD), another programmable logic device, a discrete gate or transistor logic device, a discrete hardware component, or another integrated chip. Such devices may include, but are not limited to, a central processor unit (CPU), a neural-network processing unit (NPU), and a graphics processing unit (GPU), and may further include an application processor (AP), a modem processor, an image signal processor (ISP), a video codec, a digital signal processor (DSP), a baseband processor, and / or the like.

[0048] In the implementation, the control device 110 may control the laser 121 to transmit a detection signal (e.g., a pulsed laser), control the transmitting optical system 122 to transmit the detection signal from the laser 121, and further control the scanning mechanism 130 to scan and traverse the detection area by using the detection signal. It should be noted that the scanning mechanism 130 is not a required component, and the traversal function that may be implemented by the scanning mechanism 130 may also be essentially implemented by using an array design inside the transmitting module 120 and the receiving module 130 and an array control device. Furthermore, the detection signal is reflected by the object after the object in the detection area is scanned. The reflected echo signal is received by the receiving optical system 141 and transmitted to the detector 142 under the control of the control device 110. Then, the detector 142 converts the optical echo signal into an electrical signal and transmits the electrical signal to the processing module 150, which analyzes the electrical signal under the control of the control device 110 to generate point cloud data. The point cloud data can be used to obtain target information such as distance, orientation, height, speed, attitude, and even shape of objects, which can then be further used in combination with other sensor information of the vehicle to plan autonomous or assisted driving of the vehicle.

[0049] In an optional implementation, the transmitting optical system 122 and the receiving optical system 141 may scan an object in a scanning mode of line scan-line receive. For example, still refer to FIG. 2. After being transmitted by the transmitting optical system 122, the detection signal transmitted by the laser 121 is displayed as a linear spot on the YOX plane. After being adjusted by the scanning mechanism 130, the linear spot scans a linear area on the object corresponding to the vertical field of view FOV1 (i.e., the area on the object filled with diagonal lines shown in FIG. 2) each time. In addition, the control device 110 may control the laser 121 to repeatedly transmit multiple detection signals in the form of a pulsed laser to detect the same linear area on the object, and the number of detection signals may be set at a value between 10 and 500, for example. After scanning the linear area by using multiple detection signals, the scanning mechanism 130 controls the multiple detection signals transmitted later by the transmitting optical system 122 to move to the next linear area in the positive direction of the X-axis shown in the figure until the area corresponding to the entire horizontal field of view FOV2 is scanned, and determines that the detection area has been traversed. Accordingly, after being reflected by the object, the linear spot emitted by the transmitting optics 122 is still a linear spot. The linear spot is transmitted back to the receiving optics 141 by using the scanning mechanism 130, where it is transmitted and focused onto the photosensitive surface of the detector 142. The detector 142 converts the signal received on the photosensitive surface into an electrical signal and transmits the electrical signal to the processing module 150. The processing module 150 then generates point cloud data corresponding to each linear region, and then generates a frame of an image based on the point cloud data of each linear region.

[0050] It should be understood that the spot adjusted by the scanning mechanism 130 shown in FIG. 2 is a linear spot parallel to the Y axis. This is only a possible design. The presentation format of the spot is not specifically limited in the embodiment of the present application. For example, in some other designs, the linear spot adjusted by the scanning mechanism 130 may alternatively be parallel to the X axis. In addition, the linear spot is used to scan a linear area on the object corresponding to the horizontal field of view FOV2 each time, and moves in the positive or negative direction of the Y axis shown in the figure until the area corresponding to the entire vertical field of view FOV1 is scanned. Alternatively, in some other designs, the linear spot adjusted by the scanning mechanism 130 may be an oblique linear spot having an included angle with both the X axis and the Y axis, and may move in the positive or negative direction of the X axis, the positive or negative direction of the Y axis, or another direction on the XOY plane shown in the figure, until the area corresponding to the entire vertical field of view FOV1 and the entire horizontal field of view FOV2 is scanned. Alternatively, in some other designs, some optical lenses may be placed at special positions in the transmission optical system 122, so that the pulsed laser emitted by the laser 121 is transformed into a staggered spot (for the presented form, see the following embodiment, details are not described here) or another specially shaped spot under the action of these optical lenses to be adapted to more detection scenarios.

[0051] The following describes in detail the technical solutions in the embodiments of the present application with reference to specific accompanying drawings. Before the specific embodiments are described, some terms used hereinafter will be first explained by way of example.

[0052] (1) Detector cell and pixel configuration

[0053] In this embodiment of the present application, the detector may be an array structure including multiple rows and columns of cells. A cell is the smallest unit that can receive an echo signal in the detector. The direction defined by a row of cells is referred to as the horizontal direction of the detector, and the direction defined by a column of cells is referred to as the vertical direction of the detector. In the process of using the detector, the state of each cell may be in an active state or an inactive state. When the cell is in an active state, the cell may convert the received echo signal into an electric signal. When the cell is in an inactive state, the cell does not convert the echo signal into an electric signal, regardless of whether the echo signal exists on the cell or not. Generally, the echo signal that can be received by one cell is limited, and the method of generating a pixel based on the echo signal received by a single cell causes a low signal-to-noise ratio. Therefore, in practical operation, the detector usually generates a pixel by combining multiple rows and columns of cells. In other words, the detector combines multiple echo signals received by multiple rows and columns of cells into one electric signal and sends the electric signal to a processing module, which generates one pixel in the point cloud data.

[0054] Furthermore, the pixel configuration of the detector may include cells in the detector that are in an activated state, and for the activated cells, the detector generates pixels in a manner that combines cells of several rows and several columns. For example, FIG. 3 is a schematic diagram example of a pixel configuration of a detector according to an embodiment of the present application. In this example, the detector is an array structure including 549 rows and 7 columns of cells, each grid in the array structure corresponds to one cell, and the controller controls the 3×547 cells located in the long strip area shown in the figure to be in an activated state, and controls other pixels located outside the rectangular box shown in the figure to be in an inactivated state.

[0055] FIG. 3A is a schematic diagram of pixel generation corresponding to a 3×3 pixel configuration used by the detector. As shown in FIG. 3A, in the 3×3 pixel configuration, each 3×3 cell in the detector corresponds to one pixel. Specifically, the detector combines the echo signals received for each of the nine cells of three rows and three columns into one electrical signal and transmits the electrical signal to a processing module, which then generates one pixel in the point cloud data. In this case, the processing module generates 192 pixels for each linear region shown in the figure in the detector.

[0056] FIG. 3B is a schematic diagram of pixel generation corresponding to the 3×6 pixel configuration used by the detector. As shown in FIG. 3B, in the 3×6 pixel configuration, each 3×6 cell in the detector corresponds to one pixel. Specifically, the detector combines the echo signals received for each 3×6 cell into one electrical signal and transmits the electrical signal to a processing module, which then generates one pixel in the point cloud data. In this case, the processing module generates 96 pixels for each linear region shown in the figure in the detector.

[0057] (2) Different pixel configurations

[0058] In this embodiment of the present application, the pixel configuration of the detector includes cells in the detector that are in an activated state, and for each activated cell, the detector generates a pixel in a manner that combines cells of several rows and several columns, so that the detector uses different pixel configurations may mean that the activated cells in the detector are different, and / or for each activated cell, the detector generates a pixel in a manner that combines cells of several rows and several columns. For specific implementation of the contents of this part, please refer to the following embodiments. Details will not be described in this specification.

[0059] (3) The number of cells corresponding to one pixel

[0060] In this embodiment of the present application, the number of cells corresponding to one pixel is the total number of cells in a number of rows and columns used to generate one pixel based on the pixel configuration of the detector. For example, when a 3×3 pixel configuration is used, one pixel is generated by using echo signals received by nine cells in three rows and three columns, and therefore the number of cells corresponding to one pixel is considered to be nine. When a 3×6 pixel configuration is used, one pixel is generated by using echo signals received by 18 pixels in six rows and three columns, and therefore the number of cells corresponding to one pixel is considered to be eighteen.

[0061] In some other examples, the number of cells corresponding to one pixel may alternatively be the number of rows of cells in the rows and columns of cells used to generate one pixel based on the pixel configuration of the detector. For example, when a 3×3 pixel configuration is used, the number of cells corresponding to one pixel may alternatively be considered to be 3, and when a 3×6 pixel configuration is used, the number of cells corresponding to one pixel may alternatively be considered to be 6.

[0062] (4) Cell distance corresponding to one pixel

[0063] In this embodiment of the present application, the cell distance corresponding to one pixel is the height of the cells of the rows (also referred to as the total side length of the cells of the rows) in the cells of the rows and columns used to generate one pixel based on the pixel configuration of the detector. For example, it is assumed that the height of one cell is 1 μm, and when a 3×3 pixel configuration is used, the cell distance corresponding to one pixel is the height of the cells of three rows, i.e., 3 μm; when a 3×6 pixel configuration is used, the cell distance corresponding to one pixel is the height of the cells of six rows, i.e., 6 μm.

[0064] (5) Cell area corresponding to one pixel

[0065] In this embodiment of the present application, the cell area corresponding to one pixel is an area including a number of rows and columns of cells that are used to generate one pixel based on the pixel configuration of the detector.For example, when a 3×3 pixel configuration is used, the cell area corresponding to one pixel is an area including 9 cells in 3 rows and 3 columns, such as each square area shown in (A) in FIG. 3; when a 3×6 pixel configuration is used, the cell area corresponding to one pixel is an area including 18 cells in 6 rows and 3 columns, such as each rectangular area shown in (B) in FIG. 3.

[0066] (6) Different regions of the detector

[0067] In this embodiment of the present application, in the whole detection process, the scanning mechanism focuses the echo signal on some same cells of the detector every time. For example, when the vertical linear spot shown in FIG. 2 is used to scan an object, the echo signal is focused on a cell in the long strip shown in FIG. 3A or FIG. 3B every time. The long strip may be pre-configured based on the internal component settings of the lidar. For ease of understanding, in the following embodiments of the present application, the area on the detector including the cell on which the echo signal is focused is referred to as the focal area of ​​the detector. On this basis, different areas of the detector may be different sub-areas in the focal area of ​​the detector. For example, the upper half and the lower half of the long strip shown in FIG. 3A or FIG. 3B belong to different areas of the detector.

[0068] (7) Different time periods

[0069] In this embodiment of the present application, for each detection area (linear area shown in FIG. 2) on the target object, the control device may control the laser in the transmission module to emit multiple detection signals in the form of a pulsed laser. For example, assume that the number of detection signals is 6, the scanning device horizontally scans the target object in the direction shown in FIG. 2 at a speed of 1° / ms, and the horizontal field of view of the lidar is 20°. In this case, in the first detection, the control device may control the laser to repeatedly emit six laser detection signals within 1 ms, thereby detecting a linear area within the leftmost 1° range of the entire field of view of the lidar shown in the figure. In the second detection, the control device may further control the laser to repeatedly emit other six laser detection signals within 1 ms, thereby detecting the next linear area within the leftmost 1° to 2° range of the entire field of view of the lidar shown in the figure. After 20 detections have been performed, the control device may determine that the scanning mechanism has completed one complete scan, and then control the processing module to generate a frame of an image based on the point cloud data acquired through the 20 detections, and repeat the above process to generate the next frame of an image.

[0070] Based on the foregoing, in this embodiment of the present application, the different periods can be any two different periods in the entire detection process of the lidar. For example, the different periods can be periods in any one of the following cases:

[0071] Case 1: The different time periods are time periods corresponding to different echo signals returned through detection of the same region of the object. For example, six detection signals are used to detect the same region of the object, and six echo signals are received accordingly at the focal region of the detector of the same region, and the time periods during which any two or any two parts of the six echo signals are focused on the focal region of the detector are assumed to be different time periods. For example, the time period during which the first three echo signals are focused on the focal region of the detector is a first time period, and the time period during which the last three echo signals are focused on the focal region of the detector is a second time period, and the first time period and the second time period are different time periods.

[0072] Case 2: The different time periods are time periods corresponding to echo signals returned through detection of different regions of the object. For example, six detection signals are used to detect the same region of the object, and six corresponding echo signals are received at the focal region of the detector for all regions, and the time periods during which the six echo signals received for the different regions are focused on the focal region of the detector are assumed to be different time periods. For example, the time period during which the six echo signals received through detection of one region are focused on the focal region of the detector is a first time period, and the time period during which the six echo signals received through detection of another region are focused on the focal region of the detector is a second time period, and the first time period and the second time period are different time periods.

[0073] Case 3: The different time periods correspond to echo signals returned through different detections of the whole object. For example, assume that 120 detection signals are used each time to detect the whole object (e.g., 6 detection signals are used each time to detect one area, and a total of 20 areas of the object are detected in the whole field of view), 120 corresponding echo signals are received at the focal area of ​​the detector for each detection, and the 120 echo signals received at each detection are subsequently used to generate a frame of an image. In this case, the time period during which the 120 echo signals received through one detection of the whole object are focused on the focal area of ​​the detector is a first time period, and the time period during which the 120 echo signals received through another detection of the whole object are focused on the focal area of ​​the detector is a second time period, and the first time period and the second time period are different time periods.

[0074] It should be understood that the above different periods can alternatively be configured by those skilled in the art based on actual requirements. For example, a period corresponding to a part of the echo signal returned through the detection of the area of ​​the object can be used as the first period, and a period corresponding to another echo signal returned through the detection of the area of ​​the object and a period corresponding to the echo signal returned through the detection of another area of ​​the object can be used as the second period. There are still many possible cases of different periods. In the embodiment of the present application, examples are not listed one by one.

[0075] (8) Lidar's field of view

[0076] A conventional lidar sets the same pixel configuration for the regions on the whole detector. However, in this embodiment of the present application, a user may pay more attention to the central region than the non-central region during the use of the lidar (for example, in the application scenario of an on-vehicle lidar, a user tends to pay more attention to the right road region in front of the lidar, and pay less attention to the sky, the road surface, or even other left and right lanes, for example, even if there is a plastic bag on the road surface, a bird in the sky, or a vehicle in the opposite lane on the left, it has little impact on the vehicle on the current lane, and the vehicle does not need to slow down to give way). Therefore, based on the user's attention to different regions, the field of view of the lidar is further partitioned in the embodiment of the present application. For example, FIG. 4 is an example of a schematic diagram of partitioning the field of view of the lidar according to an embodiment of the present application. (A) in FIG. 4 is a schematic diagram of partitioning the vertical field of view of the lidar, and (B) in FIG. 4 is a schematic diagram of partitioning the horizontal field of view of the lidar. As shown in (A) and (B) of FIG. 4, the vertical field of view of the lidar may be partitioned into a central field of view, an upper field of view above the central field of view, and a lower field of view below the central field of view, and the horizontal field of view may be partitioned into a central field of view, a left field of view to the left of the central field of view, and a right field of view to the right of the central field of view. The central field of view is predetermined by a person skilled in the art based on the requirements of the user, and may be specifically a field within a preset angle range in front of the lidar. For example, the area to which the user pays attention in the application scenario of the vehicle-mounted lidar is analyzed, and the preset angle range may be defined as a range of angle values ​​between 30° and 40° from directly in front of the lidar to the upper, lower, left, and right sides.

[0077] Currently, for multiple detection signals transmitted by the transmission module to each region of the object, the control device controls the detector to use the same pixel configuration, for example, to use a 3×3 pixel configuration for all cells in the entire focal region in the manner shown in FIG. 3 (A), or to use a 3×6 pixel configuration for all cells in the entire focal region in the manner shown in FIG. 3 (B). However, in some cases, the user pays different attention to different viewing regions of the lidar. For example, the user may pay more attention to the central viewing region shown in FIG. 4 and less attention to the non-central viewing regions. Specifically, it is expected that the central viewing region of the lidar has a high angular resolution, and the upper and lower viewing regions and the left and right viewing regions have low angular resolution. However, the control device in the prior art sets the same pixel configuration for all viewing regions, so that the central viewing region and the other viewing regions have the same angular resolution. If the angular resolution is set to an excessively small value, the detection accuracy of the central viewing region is affected, and if the angular resolution is set to an excessively large value, the power consumption of the lidar increases. It can be seen that the control method in the prior art cannot meet the actual requirements of the user, is not conducive to improving the flexibility of detection, and cannot reduce the power consumption of the lidar while ensuring the required detection accuracy. In addition, after the hardware configuration of the lidar is fixed, the angular resolution of the lidar is also fixed. For example, based on the control method in the prior art, the lidar can only generate point cloud data in a 3×3 pixel combination manner shown in (A) in FIG. 3 at most, and the angular resolution of the lidar cannot be further improved. However, the user is expected to obtain a higher angular resolution in some cases. In this case, the control method in the prior art is no longer applicable.

[0078] In view of this, the present application provides a control method to adjust the pixel configuration of the detector through a software adjustment manner based on actual requirements, thereby flexibly improving the angular resolution of the lidar for some regions or further improving the angular resolution of the lidar, and reducing the power consumption of the lidar as much as possible while ensuring the required detection accuracy.

[0079] It should be noted that the control method of the present application may be applied to a lidar, or may be applied to another apparatus, device, or chip other than a lidar, for example, may be applied to another intelligent terminal having a detection function other than a lidar, or may be disposed in a component of another intelligent terminal. The above components include, but are not limited to, controllers, chips, or other sensors such as cameras, and other components. Alternatively, the control method of the present application may be applied to the aforementioned driving scenarios, or may be applied to another image system other than the aforementioned driving scenarios, such as, for example, a three-dimensional building modeling system, a terrain mapping system, or a rendezvous and docking system. In addition, with the evolution of system architectures and the emergence of new scenarios, the control method provided in the present application may also be applicable to similar technical challenges. This is not specifically limited in the present application.

[0080] In the following, a specific implementation of the control method in the present application will be described based on the lidar shown in Fig. 2 with reference to a specific embodiment. It is clear that the described embodiment is only a part, but not all, of the embodiments of the present application.

[0081] It should be noted that the terms "system" and "network" may be used interchangeably in the embodiments of the present application. In addition, "multiple" means two or more than two. The term "and / or" describes a correspondence between related objects and may indicate three relationships. For example, A and / or B may indicate the following cases: only A is present, both A and B are present, only B is present. A and B may be singular or plural. "One or more of the following items (portions)" or similar expressions indicate any combination of these items, including any combination of a single item (portion) or multiple items (portions). For example, one or more of the items (portions) a, b, or c may indicate a, b, c, a and b, a and c, b and c, or a, b and c, where a, b, and c may be singular or plural.

[0082] Unless otherwise specified, ordinal numbers such as "first" and "second" referred to in the embodiments of the present application are used to distinguish between multiple objects, but are not used to limit the priority or importance of the multiple objects. For example, a first pixel configuration, a second pixel configuration, and a third pixel configuration are merely used to distinguish between different pixel configurations, and do not indicate different priorities, importance, etc. of these pixel configurations.

[0083] 5 is a schematic flowchart of an example of a control method according to an embodiment of the present application. As shown in FIG. 5, the method includes the following steps:

[0084] Step 501: The control device controls the receiving optical system to receive a first echo signal reflected by a target object.

[0085] In the above step 503, the first echo signal may include a reflected signal corresponding to the first detection signal. The first echo signal may include reflected signals corresponding to all detection signals, may include only reflected signals corresponding to some detection signals, or may further include some ambient noise signals. For example, in the process of detecting the entire field of view by a lidar, the first echo signal may include reflected signals corresponding to all detection signals used to detect the entire field of view, may include reflected signals corresponding to all detection signals used to detect the area of ​​the target object, may include reflected signals corresponding to some detection signals used to detect the area of ​​the target object, may further include noise signals generated due to the reflected signals being reflected or refracted by components in the lidar, or may include another ambient noise signal, etc. This is not specifically limited.

[0086] For example, the first echo signal may be presented as a spot of any shape. For example, the first echo signal may be presented as a linear spot, as shown in FIG. 2. In another example, the first echo signal may be presented as a staggered spot. The staggered spot is a spot that is staggered in the horizontal and / or vertical directions of the detector. The staggered spot includes at least two sub-spots. When the lidar scans the target object in the horizontal direction, the at least two sub-spots are staggered by a certain distance in the horizontal direction of the detector. As shown in (B) in FIG. 6, when the lidar scans the target object in the vertical direction, the at least two sub-spots are staggered by a certain distance in the vertical direction of the detector. When the lidar scans the target object in an oblique direction, the at least two sub-spots are staggered by a certain distance in a direction corresponding to the oblique direction on the detector, i.e., staggered in both the horizontal direction of the detector and the vertical direction of the detector. In yet another example, the first echo signal may be presented as a spot of another shape, for example, a trapezoidal spot, a circular spot, or a specially shaped spot, which is not specifically limited in this application.

[0087] Step 502: The control device controls the detector to convert the first echo signal into an electrical signal by using a first pixel configuration, where in the first pixel configuration, different areas of the detector have different pixel configurations and / or the detector has different pixel configurations in different time periods.

[0088] In an optional implementation, the first pixel configuration may be written in a software version program of the lidar, and the software version program is pre-configured in the lidar before the lidar is delivered from the factory. When a user needs to update the configuration to another pixel configuration, the user may provide a request to a research and development person at the lidar, and after the research and development person compiles a new software version program, the user upgrades the software version of the lidar to obtain the other pixel configuration. For example, the user may send an upgrade command to the master computer, and after receiving the upgrade command, the master computer delivers the new software version program to the control device in the lidar. Alternatively, in another example, the pixel configuration may be updated in an OTA manner. For example, the user may dynamically request a new software version program by using the user's mobile phone or another client, and after obtaining the new software version program, install the new software version program on the lidar. Alternatively, the lidar may have a communication capability, such as a short message sending and receiving capability, and the user may directly control the lidar to dynamically request a new software version program. The new software version program may include an upgraded third pixel configuration. After obtaining the third pixel configuration by analyzing the new software version program, the control device controls the detector to convert the third echo signal into an electrical signal by using the third pixel configuration. Specifically, the third echo signal may include a reflected signal corresponding to the third detection signal. For example, in a possible application scenario, the third echo signal may be all or a part of the echo signal received by the detector within a certain period of time, so that the lidar may process the echo signal within the certain period of time by using another pixel configuration.The specific period may be, for example, held in the upgrade command and synchronously delivered to the control device, or may be a pre-agreed or pre-configured period, for example, within 5 milliseconds after the upgrade command is received, or may be a period corresponding to the detection of the area of ​​the target object, or may be all echo signals received in the period from the time when the detector receives the upgrade command including the third pixel configuration to the time when the detector receives the next upgrade command. This is not specifically limited. In another example, in another possible scenario, the third echo signal may alternatively be all or a part of echo signals other than the first echo signal among all echo signals received by the detector in the current detection, so that the lidar may process different echo signals in one detection by using different pixel configurations. It should be understood that there are many more possible application scenarios. In the embodiment of the present application, the examples are not listed one by one. In this implementation, the pixel configuration of the detector is updated in the form of software. This is easy to implement without improving the hardware of the lidar, and can match the pixel configuration requirements of users in different scenarios as much as possible, which helps to improve the flexibility of the lidar detection.

[0089] In this embodiment of the present application, since the detector uses different pixel configurations in different regions and / or different time periods, after receiving the first echo signal, the detector may convert the first echo signal received in different regions or different time periods into differentiated electrical signals based on the different pixel configurations, and send the differentiated electrical signals to the processing module. In this way, after the processing module generates point cloud data based on the differentiated electrical signals, the pixel density in the point cloud data (i.e., the number of pixels per unit area on the image corresponding to the point cloud data) may be flexibly adjusted based on the actual pixel configuration scheme. Furthermore, in the above manner, the detector may be configured to implement the pixel configuration by using software. Therefore, the dependency of the detection process on the hardware configuration of the lidar may be reduced, and the flexibility of detection may be further improved.

[0090] In the following, the two aspects that different regions of the detector have different pixel configurations and that the detector has different pixel configurations in different periods are described separately.

[0091] Different regions of the detector have different pixel configurations.

[0092] For example, the control device may control the number of cells corresponding to all pixels in the pixel configuration corresponding to different regions of the detector to be different. In this way, the total number of cells used to generate pixels on the detector is fixed. When the number of cells corresponding to all pixels in the pixel configuration corresponding to different regions is different, the number of pixels that can be generated in different regions corresponding to the fixed number of cells is also different, so that the pixel density in the point cloud data generated based on the first echo signals received in different regions is different, and the region with higher pixel density has more pixels in the same size range. Therefore, the region with higher pixel density also corresponds to higher angular resolution. It can be seen that in this pixel configuration method, pixel encryption can be performed in a specific region in the point cloud data finally presented to improve the angular resolution of the specific region and effectively improve the flexibility of detection.

[0093] In the following, some possible application scenarios for this pixel configuration scheme are described.

[0094] In a possible application scenario, the different regions of the detector may be a region corresponding to a central field of view (central field of view shown in FIG. 4) and a region corresponding to a non-central field of view in the focal region of the detector (including, but not limited to, an upper field of view, a lower field of view, a left field of view, or a right field of view shown in FIG. 4). Furthermore, for example, the number of cells corresponding to each pixel in the pixel configuration corresponding to the central field of view may be configured to be less than the number of cells corresponding to each pixel in the pixel configuration corresponding to the non-central field of view, so that the central field of view in the finally presented point cloud data has a higher pixel density than the non-central field of view, and the central field of view has a higher angular resolution than the non-central field of view. This reduces unnecessary power consumption of the lidar while maintaining the required detection accuracy of the central field of view.

[0095] For example, FIG. 6 is a schematic diagram of an example of a pixel configuration scheme of a detector according to an embodiment of the present application. FIG. 6A shows a pixel configuration scheme of a detector in which the first echo signal is presented as a linear spot. FIG. 6B shows a pixel configuration scheme of a detector in which the first echo signal is presented as a staggered spot. For example, the staggered spot can be implemented by disposing an optical collimator in the transmission optical system. As shown in FIG. 6A and FIG. 6B, it is assumed that the presentation directions of the linear spot and the staggered spot are both vertical, and for an area a corresponding to a central visual field area in the focal area of ​​the detector, the control device can control the detector to use a 3×3 pixel configuration, i.e., the detector combines the first echo signals on nine cells of every three rows and three columns in the area a into one electrical signal and transmits the electrical signal to the processing module. In this way, the processing module generates one pixel based on the first echo signals on nine cells of every three rows and three columns. Accordingly, for an upper viewing area b1 above the central viewing area and a lower viewing area b2 below the central viewing area in the focal area of ​​the detector, the control device may control the detector to use a 3x6 pixel configuration, i.e., the detector combines the first echo signals on 18 pixels of every 6 rows and 3 columns in the areas b1 and b2 into one electrical signal and transmits the electrical signal to the processing module. In this way, the processing module generates one pixel based on the first echo signals on 18 pixels of every 6 rows and 3 columns. In the final point cloud data presentation, it can be seen that the pixels in the central viewing area are twice as dense as the pixels in the non-central viewing areas. In other words, the accuracy of the angular resolution corresponding to the central viewing area is twice as high as the accuracy of the angular resolution in the non-central viewing areas. In addition, compared to the linear spots, the staggered spots can be used to further reduce crosstalk between the cell areas of adjacent pixels by staggering the cell areas of adjacent pixels on the detector, thereby improving the degree of isolation between the cell areas of adjacent pixels to further improve the point cloud quality.

[0096] It should be noted that when the control solution in this embodiment of the present application is applied to the aforementioned application scenario, information about the most users' requirements in the art for the lidar's interest area can be collected first. The central and non-central vision areas are defined based on the above-mentioned requirement information, then different pixel configurations are set for the defined central and non-central vision areas based on the aforementioned solution, then a software version is compiled based on the pixel configuration corresponding to the central vision area and the pixel configuration corresponding to the non-central vision area, and then the software version is encapsulated in the lidar for delivery. In addition, the product description of the lidar may further include information such as the definition of the central vision area, the definition of the non-central vision area, the pixel configuration corresponding to the central vision area, the pixel configuration corresponding to the non-central vision area, the pixel density corresponding to the central vision area on the point cloud data, the pixel density corresponding to the non-central vision area on the point cloud data, etc. In this way, before using the lidar, the user can also read the product description of the lidar to learn about the relevant information of the application of the lidar.

[0097] In addition, the above application scenario is merely illustrated by using an example in which the point cloud in the central field of view is encrypted. In actual operation, the control device may further set different pixel configurations shown above for any two different sub-regions in the focal region of the detector based on actual requirements. For example, FIG. 7 is a schematic diagram example of another pixel configuration scheme of the detector according to an embodiment of the present application. In this example, the control device may set 3×3 pixel configurations for the upper and lower regions in the focal region of the detector, and set 3×6 pixel configurations for the central region in the focal region of the detector, thereby encrypting the upper and lower field of view regions, as shown in FIG. 7A; set 3×3 pixel configurations for the upper half of the focal region of the detector, and set 3×6 pixel configurations for the lower half of the focal region of the detector, thereby encrypting the upper half of the field of view regions; or set 3×3 pixel configurations for any several small regions in the focal region of the detector, and set 3×6 pixel configurations for other regions, thereby encrypting any several regions, as shown in FIG. 7C. There are many possible cases. In this application, examples are not listed one by one.

[0098] In another possible application scenario, the different regions of the detector may be a region in the focal region of the detector where the target object is presented, and a region other than the region where the target object is presented. Furthermore, for example, the number of cells corresponding to each pixel in the region where the target object is presented to the detector may be configured to be less than the number of cells corresponding to each pixel in the region other than the region where the target object is presented. The target object may be an object to which the user pays more attention. For example, when crossing a cross road, the user pays more attention to the position of a pedestrian or a car at the cross road to avoid affecting the pedestrian or the car in the process of crossing the cross road. In this case, the target object may be set to a pedestrian or a car. In the implementation, before controlling the detector to use the first pixel configuration, the control device may further first control the detector to convert a second echo signal into an electrical signal by using a second pixel configuration. The second echo signal includes a reflected signal corresponding to the second detection signal. Specifically, the second echo signal may include a reflected signal corresponding to the detection signal emitted by scanning at least twice before the first echo signal is received. Then, after processing the electrical signals to generate point cloud data corresponding to images of at least two frames, the processing module analyzes a movement rule of the target object based on the position of the target object on the point cloud data corresponding to images of at least two frames, and then predicts a position where the target object will appear in a next scan based on the movement rule, and controls the detector to convert a first echo signal returned in the next scan into an electrical signal by using a first pixel configuration.The number of cells corresponding to each pixel in the region where the target object is presented on the detector in the first pixel configuration may be less than the number of cells corresponding to each pixel in the region where the target object is presented on the detector in the second pixel configuration, and the number of cells corresponding to each pixel in the region other than the region where the target object is presented on the detector in the first pixel configuration may be equal to the number of cells corresponding to each pixel in the region other than the region where the target object is presented on the detector in the second pixel configuration. In this way, the region corresponding to the target object in the finally presented point cloud data may have a higher pixel density than the region corresponding to the non-target object, and therefore the region corresponding to the target object has a higher angular resolution than the region where the non-target object is located. This ensures that the target object can be accurately detected and reduces unnecessary power consumption of the lidar.

[0099] For example, Fig. 8 is a schematic diagram example of yet another pixel configuration scheme of the detector according to the embodiment of the present application. As shown in Fig. 8, when the whole object is detected K times and the whole object is detected (K+1) times (K is a positive integer), the control device controls the detector to perform detection by using 3x6 pixel configuration (i.e., second pixel configuration). In this way, after the corresponding Kth frame image and the corresponding (K+1)th frame image are generated, the control device predicts the position L3 of the pedestrian in the (K+2)th frame image generated in the (K+2)th scan based on the position L1 of the pedestrian in the Kth frame image generated in the Kth scan and the position L2 of the pedestrian in the (K+1)th frame image generated in the (K+1)th scan, and then uses 3x3 pixel configuration for the region d corresponding to the position L3 of the detector, and still uses 3x6 pixel configuration (i.e., first pixel configuration) for another region other than the region d. Thus, in region d, the detector combines the first echo signals of 9 cells in every 3 rows and 3 columns into one electrical signal, and sends the electrical signal to the processing module, so that the processing module generates one pixel corresponding to the 9 cells in every 3 rows and 3 columns. In another region other than region d, the detector combines the first echo signals of 18 pixels in every 6 rows and 3 columns into one electrical signal, and sends the electrical signal to the processing module, so that the processing module generates one pixel corresponding to the 18 pixels in every 6 rows and 3 columns. In the final point cloud presentation, it can be seen that the pixels in the region corresponding to the target object are twice as dense as the pixels in the other region. In other words, the accuracy of the angular resolution of the region corresponding to the target object is twice as high as that of the other region.

[0100] In the above pixel configuration scheme, the number of cells corresponding to each pixel in the pixel configuration corresponding to a region of the detector is controlled to be less than the number of cells corresponding to each pixel in the pixel configuration corresponding to another region, so that the pixel density in the point cloud data generated for the region can be higher than the pixel density in the point cloud data generated based on the other region. It can be seen that in this pixel configuration scheme, pixel encryption can be performed in a specific region in the finally presented point cloud data to improve the angular resolution of the specific region and reduce unnecessary power consumption.

[0101] The detector has different pixel configurations in different time periods.

[0102] For example, the controller controlling the detector to use different pixel configuration schemes in different time periods may be: configuring the pixel configuration scheme in one time period and temporarily switching to another pixel configuration scheme in another time period. For example, FIG. 9 is a schematic diagram example of an adjustment period of pixel configuration according to an embodiment of the present application. As shown in FIG. 9, assume that the controller detects the same region of the object by controlling the transmitting optics to transmit six detection signals each time, and detects N regions (N is a positive integer) by traversing the entire field of view. In this case, the focal region of the detector accordingly receives six first echo signals per region, and 6N first echo signals for the entire object. In one example, based on case 1 in the above description of terms (7), the control device may control the detector to collect any one or more first echo signals among the six first echo signals received for each region by using one pixel configuration, and control the detector to collect another one or more first echo signals among the six first echo signals received for the above region by using another pixel configuration, for example, set one pixel configuration at time T1 shown in FIG. 9 and switch to another pixel configuration at time T2 shown in FIG. 9. In another example, based on case 2 in the above description of terms (7), the control device may control the detector to collect six first echo signals received for a certain region by using one pixel configuration, and control the detector to collect six first echo signals received for another region by using another pixel configuration, for example, set one pixel configuration at time T1 shown in FIG. 9 and switch to another pixel configuration at time T3 shown in FIG. 9.In yet another example, based on case 3 in the explanation of terms (7) above, the control device may control the detector to collect 6N first echo signals received through one detection of the entire object by using one pixel configuration, and control the detector to collect 6N first echo signals received through another detection of the entire object by using another pixel configuration, for example, setting one pixel configuration at time T1 shown in FIG. 9 and switching to another pixel configuration at time T4 shown in FIG. 9, thereby one pixel configuration is used throughout the process of generating an image of the Ith frame, and another pixel configuration is used throughout the process of generating an image of the (I+1)th frame, where I is a positive integer.

[0103] Further, for example, the control device may control the focal area of ​​the detector to use different pixel configurations in different time periods. The different pixel configurations may be that the cells in the activated state are not exactly the same, or that the detector uses different cell combination schemes in different time periods (i.e., the number of cells corresponding to every pixel in the different pixel configurations is different). In the following, the two different pixel configuration schemes are described separately in detail.

[0104] [Controlling different cells to be in an active state at different times]

[0105] In this embodiment of the present application, the control device may control the detector to use the same pixel combination scheme in different periods, but the cells in the activated state of the focal region of the detector in different periods are not completely the same. Not completely the same may mean completely different, or may mean partially the same and partially different, or may mean completely different. This is not specifically limited. For example, there is a first period and a second period in the different periods. The control device uses pixel configuration 1 for the focal region of the detector in the first period, and uses pixel configuration 2 for the focal region of the detector in the second period. The number of cells corresponding to each pixel in pixel configuration 1 is the same as that in pixel configuration 2. However, the cell area in which the cells in the activated state are located in pixel configuration 1 and the cell area in which the cells in the activated state are located in pixel configuration 2 are staggered in the horizontal and / or vertical directions of the detector, and the staggered distance is shorter than the cell distance corresponding to one pixel. When the first echo signal is presented as a horizontal linear spot on the detector, the area including the cells in the activated state in pixel configuration 1 and the area including the cells in the activated state in pixel configuration 2 may be staggered in the horizontal direction of the detector. When the first echo signal is presented as a vertical linear spot on the detector, the area including activated cells in pixel configuration 1 and the area including activated cells in pixel configuration 2 may be staggered in the vertical direction of the detector. When the first echo signal is presented as a diagonal linear spot on the detector, the area including activated cells in pixel configuration 1 and the area including activated cells in pixel configuration 2 may be staggered in the diagonal direction of the detector, i.e., staggered in both the horizontal and diagonal directions. In this way, there may also be an offset relationship between pixels generated based on pixel configuration 1 and pixels generated based on pixel configuration 2. The offset allows a pixel generated based on one pixel configuration to be inserted between any two adjacent pixels generated based on another pixel configuration, thereby effectively improving the overall angular resolution of the area.

[0106] For example, it is assumed that the first echo signal is presented as a vertical linear spot and the detector uses a 6×6 pixel configuration, and FIG. 10 is a schematic diagram example of yet another pixel configuration scheme of the detector according to the embodiment of the present application. FIG. 10 (A) shows the presentation format of pixel configuration 1 used by the detector in the first period, and FIG. 10 (B) shows the presentation format of pixel configuration 2 used by the detector in the second period. Case 1 in the above explanation of terms (7) is used as an example. It is assumed that the first period is a period corresponding to the first three first echo signals in the six first echo signals returned through the detection of the same area of ​​the object, and the second period is a period corresponding to the last three first echo signals in the six first echo signals. In this case, in the vertical linear area where the six first echo signals are focused on the detector, the control device controls the cells in box 1 to be in an active state in the first period in the manner shown in FIG. 10 (A), and controls the cells in box 2 to be in an active state in the second period in the manner shown in FIG. 10 (B). Thus, compared with the cells in box 1 shown in FIG. 10A, the cells in box 2 shown in FIG. 10B are staggered in the vertical direction of the detector by a cell distance corresponding to half a pixel (i.e., the height of three cells). In this way, the control device controls the processing module to generate 12 pixels separately for the first three first echo signals received by the cells in box 1 and the last three first echo signals received by the cells in box 2, and the 12 pixels generated accordingly in box 2 are just inserted between any two adjacent pixels generated accordingly in box 1. In this way, the final point cloud data generated by the lidar through the detection of the area of ​​the object includes 24 pixels, and thus the vertical angular resolution of the point cloud data generated through the detection of the area can be doubled.

[0107] Please note that the above scenario is described by only using an example in which different pixel configurations are used in two periods. In actual operation, different pixel configurations may be used in three or more periods, respectively, and at least two misalignment relationships described in the above content exist between the three or more pixel configurations. For example, assuming that six first echo signals are received in the same vertical linear region, the control device may: configure pixel configuration 1 shown in (A) of FIG. 10 for the detector in the period when the first two first echo signals are received; configure pixel configuration 3 for the detector in the period when the middle two first echo signals are received, where, compared to the area where the activated cells are located in pixel configuration 1, the area where the activated cells are located in pixel configuration 3 are staggered in the vertical direction of the detector by a cell distance corresponding to 1 / 3 of a pixel (e.g., staggered by the height of two cells when a 6×6 pixel configuration is used); configure pixel configuration 4 for the detector in the period when the last two first echo signals are received, where, compared to the area where the activated cells are located in pixel configuration 3, the area where the activated cells are located in pixel configuration 4 are further staggered in the vertical direction of the detector by a cell distance corresponding to 1 / 3 of a pixel. In this way, each pixel can be synthetically generated based on the detection results of the two first echo signals, thereby effectively improving the accuracy of each pixel on the point cloud, and the pixel generated based on the middle two first echo signals can be inserted into the 1 / 3 position of any two pixels generated based on the first two first echo signals through two misplacements, while the pixel generated based on the last two first echo signals is inserted into the 2 / 3 position of any two pixels generated based on the first two first echo signals. In other words, the pixel density can be increased by two times, and the vertical angular resolution of the point cloud data generated through the detection of the object area is increased by two times.

[0108] It can be seen that in the above-mentioned staggered pixel configuration scheme, even if the hardware configuration of the lidar is fixed and the angular resolution of the lidar cannot be further improved by relying on the hardware, the misregistration relationship can still be configured between the cells in the working state on the detector at different time periods by using software, thereby further improving the angular resolution of the lidar. For example, when the point cloud can only be generated in a maximum 3×3 pixel configuration scheme due to the hardware configuration of the lidar, this means that the lidar can generate a maximum of 12 pixels, as shown in FIG. 10. Based on the above-mentioned staggered pixel configuration scheme, by inserting pixels in a staggered manner, more pixels can be further inserted into the point cloud data, so that the lidar can further improve the angular resolution of the lidar without being limited by the hardware.

[0109] It should be understood that in FIG. 10, how to improve the vertical angular resolution of the region is simply described by using an example in which the first echo signal is presented as a vertical linear spot. This pixel configuration scheme may also be applicable to a scenario in which the first echo signal is presented as a non-vertical linear spot. For example, when the first echo signal is presented as a horizontal linear spot, in this pixel configuration scheme, the region including the activated cells may be staggered in the horizontal direction of the detector to improve the horizontal angular resolution of the region. When the first echo signal is presented as a diagonal linear spot, in the pixel configuration scheme, the region including the activated cells may be staggered in the horizontal and vertical directions of the detector to improve both the vertical angular resolution of the region and the horizontal angular resolution of the region. Please refer to FIG. 10 for related implementations. Details will not be described again here.

[0110] In addition, the above only describes possible examples of staggered pixel configurations by using the different periods shown in case 1 in the description of terms (7) as an example. In another example, the staggered pixel configurations can alternatively be configured in the different periods in case 2 or case 3 in the description of terms (7) in the same manner. For example, when the staggered pixel configurations are configured in different periods corresponding to the first echo signals received through the detection of different regions in case 2 in the description of terms (7), there may be a misregistration relationship between the pixels of different image regions in the finally generated image. When the staggered pixel configurations are configured in different periods corresponding to the first echo signals received through the detection of the whole object different times in case 3 in the description of terms (7), there may be a misregistration relationship between the pixels in different finally generated images. For specific implementation processes, please refer to the above contents. Details will not be described in this embodiment of the present application.

[0111] [Use different cell combination methods for different periods]

[0112] In this embodiment of the present application, the control device may control that all cells in the focal region of the detector are in an activated state, but the number of cells corresponding to all pixels in the pixel configuration used in different time periods is different. For example, there is a first period and a second period in the different time periods. The control device uses pixel configuration 1 for the focal region of the detector in the first period, and uses pixel configuration 2 for the focal region of the detector in the second period. The cells in an activated state in pixel configuration 1 are the same as the cells in an activated state in pixel configuration 2, but the number of cells corresponding to each pixel in pixel configuration 1 is greater than the number of cells corresponding to each pixel in pixel configuration 2. In this way, the number of pixels in the point cloud data generated based on pixel configuration 2 is also greater than the number of pixels in the point cloud data generated based on pixel configuration 1. In this way, the angular resolution of detecting an object can be improved in time based on actual requirements.

[0113] For example, it is assumed that the first echo signal is presented as a vertical linear spot, and Fig. 11 is a schematic diagram example of yet another pixel configuration scheme of a detector according to an embodiment of the present application, Fig. 11 (A) shows the presentation format of pixel configuration 1 used by the detector in the first period, and Fig. 11 (B) shows the presentation format of pixel configuration 2 used by the detector in the second period.

[0114] Based on case 1 in the above explanation of terms (7), it is assumed that the first period is a period corresponding to the first three echo signals in the six first echo signals returned through the detection of the same region of the object, and the second period is a period corresponding to the last three first echo signals in the six first echo signals, and for a vertical linear region in which the six first echo signals are focused on the detector, the control device uses a 3×3 pixel combination scheme shown in FIG. 11 (A) in the first period and a 3×6 pixel combination scheme in the scheme shown in FIG. 11 (B) in the second period. In this way, the control device controls the processing module to generate 12 pixels for the first three first echo signals and generate 6 pixels for the last three first echo signals. In addition, the 6 pixels generated for the last three first echo signals are just inserted between any two pixels generated for the first three first echo signals, so that a total of 18 pixels are generated for the region. It can be seen that in this pixel configuration scheme, the angular resolution of the point cloud data generated through the detection of the region may be further improved without being limited by hardware.

[0115] Based on the case 2 in the above explanation of terms (7), it is assumed that the first period is a period corresponding to six first echo signals returned through detection of an area of ​​the object, and the second period is a period corresponding to six first echo signals returned through detection of another area of ​​the object, and for a vertical linear area in which 12 first echo signals are focused on the detector, the control device uses a 3×3 pixel combination scheme in the scheme shown in FIG. 11 (A) in the first period, and a 3×6 pixel combination scheme in the scheme shown in FIG. 11 (B) in the second period. In this way, the control device controls the processing module to generate point cloud data for the area, where the point cloud data includes 12 pixels, and the point cloud data generated for the other area includes 6 pixels. It can be seen that in this pixel configuration scheme, the angular resolution of detecting a specific area of ​​the object can be improved.

[0116] Based on the case 3 in the above explanation of terms (7), it is assumed that the first period is a period corresponding to 6N first echo signals returned through one detection of the whole object, and the second period is a period corresponding to 6N first echo signals returned through another detection of the whole object, and for a vertical linear region in which 12N first echo signals are focused on the detector, the control device uses a 3×3 pixel combination scheme in the scheme shown in FIG. 11 (A) in the first period, and a 3×6 pixel combination scheme in the scheme shown in FIG. 11 (B) in the second period. In this way, the control device controls the processing module to generate an image through one detection, where the image includes 12N pixels evenly, and the image generated through another detection includes 6N pixels evenly. It can be seen that in this pixel configuration scheme, the angular resolution of detecting the whole object at one time can be improved.

[0117] It can be seen that in the above pixel configuration manner, the LIDAR can further flexibly adapt to more scenarios and further flexibly improve the angular resolution by switching pixel configurations in a certain period based on actual requirements. For example, the LIDAR can further improve the angular resolution of the LIDAR without being limited by hardware, or the LIDAR can have higher angular resolution when detecting an area of ​​an object, or the LIDAR can have higher angular resolution when detecting an object at one time.

[0118] It should be noted that the pixel configurations shown above can alternatively be used in combination. For example, when different pixel configurations are configured for different periods, in a pixel configuration configured for a period, different pixel configurations can be further implemented for different sub-areas in the focal region of the detector. Alternatively, when different pixel configurations are configured for different periods, in one aspect, different cells in an active state can be configured in two periods, in another aspect, different pixel combination methods can be further used in two periods, etc. There are many possible combination methods. In the embodiments of this application, examples are not listed one by one.

[0119] It should be understood that the control method provided in this application can be further extended to any information system that has requirements for angular resolution. It should be understood that all technical solutions for improving angular resolution by using the control solutions provided in this application are included in the protection scope of this application. In this application, examples are not listed one by one.

[0120] According to the control solution provided in the embodiments of the present application, the present application further provides a control device including at least one processor and an interface circuit, the interface circuit being configured to provide data or code instructions to the at least one processor, the at least one processor being configured to implement the methods performed by said control device by using logic circuits or by executing the code instructions.

[0121] According to the control solution provided in the embodiments of the present application, the present application further provides a lidar including a control device, a receiving optical system and a detector, the control device being configured to execute the control method executed by any of the control devices in the previous embodiments, the receiving optical system being configured to receive echo signals, and the detector being configured to convert the echo signals into electrical signals.

[0122] In a possible design, the lidar may further include a transmitter and transmission optics, the transmitter configured to emit a detection signal under the control of a controller, and the transmission optics configured to transmit the detection signal.

[0123] In a possible design, the detector includes a SPAD detector array.

[0124] In a possible design, the lidar may further include a scanning mechanism, where the scanning mechanism comprises one or more of a multi-faceted rotating mirror, an oscillating mirror, a MEMS scanning mirror, or a prism.

[0125] In a possible design, the lidar may further include a processing module, where the processing module is configured to process the electrical signals to obtain point cloud data.

[0126] In a possible design, the processing module may further determine target features based on the point cloud data.

[0127] In a possible design, the controller and the processing module may be integrated into a system-on-chip SOC.

[0128] According to the control solution provided in the embodiment of the present application, the present application further provides a terminal device including the lidar described in the foregoing content. Some examples of terminal devices include, but are not limited to, smart home devices (e.g., televisions, robot vacuum cleaners, smart desk lamps, speaker systems, intelligent lighting systems, electrical appliance control systems, home background music systems, home theater systems, intercom systems, or video surveillance systems), intelligent transportation devices (e.g., vehicles, ships, unmanned aerial vehicles, trains, freight cars, or trucks), intelligent manufacturing devices (e.g., robots, industrial devices, intelligent logistics, or smart factories), and intelligent terminals (such as mobile phones, computers, tablet computers, palmtop computers, desktop computers, headsets, speakers, wearable devices, in-vehicle devices, virtual reality devices, or augmented reality devices).

[0129] According to the control solution provided in the embodiment of the present application, the present application further provides a computer-readable storage medium, which stores a computer program, and when the computer program is executed, the method executed by the control device in the above content is executed.

[0130] According to the control solution provided in the embodiment of the present application, the present application further provides a computer program product, which, when executed on a processor, implements the method performed by the control device in the above content.

[0131] As used herein, terms such as "component," "module," and "system" refer to computer-related entities, hardware, firmware, a combination of hardware and software, software, or software in execution. For example, a component may be, but is not limited to, a process running on a processor, a processor, an object, an executable file, a thread of execution, a program, and / or a computer. As illustrated with the figures, both computing devices and applications running on computing devices may be components. One or more components may reside within a process and / or thread of execution, and a component may be located on one computer and / or distributed across two or more computers. Additionally, these components may execute from various computer readable media that store various data structures. For example, components may communicate by using local and / or remote processes and based on signals that have, for example, one or more data packets (e.g., data from two components interacting with another component in a local system, a distributed system, and / or across a network such as the Internet that interacts with other systems by using signals).

[0132] Those skilled in the art may recognize that various illustrative logical blocks and steps described with reference to the embodiments disclosed herein may be implemented by electronic hardware or by a combination of computer software and electronic hardware. Whether these functions are performed by hardware or software depends on the specific application and design constraints of the technical solution. Those skilled in the art may use different methods to implement the described functions for each specific application, but such implementation should not be considered to go beyond the scope of this application.

[0133] For the purpose of simple and concise description, the detailed operation processes of the above-mentioned systems, devices and units may be clearly understood by those skilled in the art by referring to the corresponding processes in the above-mentioned method embodiments, and the details will not be described again here.

[0134] In some embodiments provided in the present application, it should be understood that the disclosed system, device, and method may be implemented in other ways. For example, the described device embodiment is only an example. For example, the division into multiple units is only a logical division of functions, and there may be other divisions in actual implementation. For example, multiple units or components may be combined or integrated into another system, or some features may be ignored or not implemented. In addition, the shown or described interconnections or direct couplings or communication connections may be implemented through some interfaces. Indirect couplings or communication connections between devices or units may be implemented in electronic, mechanical, or other forms.

[0135] The units described as separate components may or may not be physically separate, and the components shown as units may or may not be physical units, and may be located in one location or distributed over multiple network units. Some or all of the units may be selected based on actual requirements to achieve the objectives of the solutions in the embodiments.

[0136] In addition, the functional units in the embodiments of the present application may be integrated into one processing unit, or each unit may exist physically alone, or two or more units may be integrated into one unit.

[0137] When a function is implemented in the form of a software functional unit and sold or used as an independent product, the function may be stored in a computer-readable storage medium. Based on this understanding, the technical solution of the present application may be essentially implemented in the form of a software product, or a part of the technical solution may be implemented in the form of a software product. The computer software product is stored in a storage medium and includes some instructions for instructing a computer device (which may be a personal computer, a server, a network device) to execute all or part of the steps of the method described in the embodiments of the present application. The aforementioned storage medium includes any medium that can store program code, such as a USB flash drive, a removable hard disk, a read-only memory (ROM), a random access memory (RAM), a magnetic disk, or an optical disk.

[0138] The above description is merely a specific implementation of the present application, and is not intended to limit the scope of protection of the present application. Any variations or replacements that a person skilled in the art can easily think of within the technical scope disclosed in the present application shall be included in the scope of protection of the present application. Therefore, the scope of protection of the present application shall be subject to the scope of protection of the claims.

Claims

1. 1. A control method comprising: controlling the receiving optics to receive a first echo signal reflected by the target object; and controlling a detector to convert the first echo signals into electrical signals by using a first pixel configuration; where A method wherein in the first pixel configuration, different areas of the detector have different pixel configurations and / or the detector has different pixel configurations in different time periods.

2. The method of claim 1 , wherein the first echo signals are presented as linear spots or staggered spots, the staggered spots being spots staggered in the horizontal and / or vertical direction of the detector.

3. 3. The method of claim 1 or 2, wherein the different regions of the detector are regions of the detector corresponding to a central field of vision of a lidar and a non-central field of vision of the lidar, the central field of vision being a region within a preset angular range in front of the lidar.

4. The method of claim 3 , wherein the number of cells corresponding to each pixel in the pixel configuration corresponding to the central vision region is less than the number of cells corresponding to each pixel in the pixel configuration corresponding to the non-central vision region.

5. the different regions of the detector being a region of the detector in which the target object is presented and a region other than the region in which the target object is presented; Prior to the step of controlling a detector to convert the first echo signal into an electrical signal by using a first pixel configuration, the method further comprises: controlling the detector to convert second echo signals into electrical signals by using a second pixel configuration. where 5. A method according to claim 1, wherein in the region in the detector where the target object is presented, the number of cells corresponding to each pixel in the first pixel configuration is less than the number of cells corresponding to each pixel in the second pixel configuration, and in the region in the detector other than the region in which the target object is presented, the number of cells corresponding to each pixel in the first pixel configuration is equal to the number of cells corresponding to each pixel in the second pixel configuration.

6. 6. The method of claim 1, wherein the different periods include a first period and a second period, the first period corresponding to a pixel configuration 1 and the second period corresponding to a pixel configuration 2, the number of cells corresponding to all pixels in the pixel configuration 1 and the pixel configuration 2 is the same, and the regions including cells in an activated state in the pixel configuration 1 and the regions including cells in an activated state in the pixel configuration 2 are staggered in the horizontal and / or vertical directions of the detector, and the staggered distance is shorter than a cell distance corresponding to one pixel.

7. 6. The method of claim 1, wherein the different periods include a first period and a second period, the first period corresponding to a pixel configuration 1 and the second period corresponding to a pixel configuration 2, the cells in an activated state in the pixel configuration 1 and the pixel configuration 2 are the same, and a number of cells corresponding to each pixel in the pixel configuration 1 is greater than a number of cells corresponding to each pixel in the pixel configuration 2.

8. the different regions of the detector being different sub-regions of a region on the detector where the first echo signal is focused; or The different time periods are the following time periods: time periods corresponding to different first echo signals returned via detection of the same region of the target object; time periods corresponding to first echo signals returned via detection of different regions of the target object; or A time period corresponding to the first echo signal returned through different detection times across the target object.

8. The method according to claim 1 , wherein the first and second substrates are selected from the group consisting of fluorophenyl, ...

9. The method further comprises: receiving an upgrade command, where the upgrade command includes a third pixel configuration; and controlling the detector to convert a third echo signal into an electrical signal by using the third pixel configuration. The method of any one of claims 1 to 8, comprising:

10. A lidar comprising a control device, a receiving optical system, and a detector, The control device is configured to carry out a control method according to any one of claims 1 to 9; The receiving optics is configured to receive echo signals; The detector is configured to convert the echo signals into electrical signals.

11. Further comprising a transmitter and a transmission optical system; The transmitter is configured to emit a detection signal under control of the controller; The lidar of claim 10 , wherein the transmission optics is configured to transmit the detection signal.

12. 12. A lidar according to claim 10 or 11, wherein the detector comprises a single photon avalanche diode SPAD detector array.

13. The lidar of any one of claims 10 to 12, further comprising a scanning mechanism, the scanning mechanism having one or more of a multi-faceted rotating mirror, an oscillating mirror, a micro-electro-mechanical system (MEMS), a scanning mirror, or a prism.

14. 14. A lidar according to any one of claims 10 to 13, further comprising a processing module, wherein the processing module is configured to process the electrical signals to obtain point cloud data.

15. The lidar of claim 14 , wherein the processing module is further configured to determine target features based on the point cloud data.

16. 16. The lidar according to claim 14 or 15, wherein the control device and the processing module are integrated in a system-on-chip SOC.

17. A terminal device comprising a lidar according to any one of claims 10 to 16.

18. A computer readable storage medium, the computer readable storage medium storing a computer program, the computer program being capable of performing the method according to any one of claims 1 to 9 when executed.

19. A computer program product, which, when said computer program product is executed on a processor, implements the method of any one of claims 1 to 9.

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