Antenna detection circuit and method, and onboard device and vehicle

Abstract

An antenna detection circuit and method, and an onboard device and a vehicle, which relate to the technical field of communications, and are used for improving the accuracy of antenna detection and the safety of a device. The antenna detection circuit comprises: a controller (10), a switch circuit (20) and an in-place detection circuit (30), wherein an output end of the controller (10) is coupled to a control end of the switch circuit (20), an input end of the switch circuit (20) is used for being coupled to a power source, an output end of the switch circuit (20) is coupled to a first input end of the in-place detection circuit (30), and a second input end of the in-place detection circuit (30) is used for being coupled to an antenna; the controller (10) is used for controlling the gating or disconnection of the switch circuit (20); the switch circuit (20) is used for gating or switching off a power supply voltage for supplying power to the in-place detection circuit (30); and the in-place detection circuit (30) is used for receiving the power supply voltage and measuring a coupling-point voltage of the antenna, and performing two-stage comparison and amplification on the coupling-point voltage according to the power supply voltage, so as to output a first indication signal, which first indication signal is used for indicating whether the antenna is in place.

Description

Antenna detection circuit, method, vehicle-mounted device and vehicle

[0001] This application claims priority to the Chinese patent application filed with the State Intellectual Property Office on June 28, 2023, with application number 202310790263.6 and application name “An antenna detection circuit, method, vehicle-mounted equipment and vehicle”, the entire contents of which are incorporated by reference into this application. Technical Field

[0002] The present application relates to the field of communication technology, and in particular to an antenna detection circuit, method, vehicle-mounted equipment, and vehicle. Background Art

[0003] A self-driving car, also known as an unmanned vehicle, computer-driven vehicle, or wheeled mobile robot, is an intelligent vehicle that uses a computer system to achieve unmanned operation. The realization of self-driving technology relies on the continuous development of two key technologies: perception and decision-making. A core component of this perception technology is onboard positioning. This technology leverages the all-weather, omnidirectional capabilities of the Global Navigation Satellite System (GNSS) to provide real-time positioning information for vehicles.

[0004] The implementation of the aforementioned vehicle positioning function relies on the normal operation of the antenna. Therefore, it is necessary to detect abnormal antenna conditions, such as the antenna's presence. However, existing antenna detection circuits often compare the antenna's presence detection signal with a specific single threshold value to determine the antenna's presence. However, this method is prone to false positives, resulting in low accuracy.

[0005] Summary of the Invention

[0006] The present application provides an antenna detection circuit, method, vehicle-mounted equipment and vehicle for improving the accuracy of antenna status detection.

[0007] To achieve the above objectives, the embodiments of the present application adopt the following technical solutions:

[0008] In a first aspect, an antenna detection circuit is provided, comprising: a controller, a switch circuit, and a presence detection circuit, wherein the output of the controller is coupled to the control end of the switch circuit, the input of the switch circuit is coupled to a power supply, the output of the switch circuit is coupled to the first input of the presence detection circuit, and the second input of the presence detection circuit is coupled to the antenna. The node coupled to the antenna may also be referred to as the antenna coupling point. The controller is configured to control the switching circuit to be turned on or off, and may be, for example, a microcontroller unit. The switch circuit is configured to turn on or off the power supply voltage that powers the presence detection circuit. The presence detection circuit is configured to receive the power supply voltage and detect the voltage at the coupling point of the antenna, and perform a two-stage comparison and amplification of the coupling point voltage based on the power supply voltage to output a first indication signal, the first indication signal being configured to indicate whether the antenna is in position. Exemplarily, when the first indication signal is at a low level, the first indication signal may be configured to indicate that the antenna is in position; and when the first indication signal is at a high level, the first indication signal may be configured to indicate that the antenna is not in position.

[0009] In the above technical solution, the antenna detection circuit can detect the coupling point voltage of the antenna, and perform two-stage comparison and amplification on the coupling point voltage according to the power supply voltage to realize current hysteresis comparison, so that the in-position detection current has a hysteresis interval. This hysteresis interval can make the switching standard of the antenna in-position state higher, the judgment result more accurate, and the safety higher.

[0010] In a possible implementation of the first aspect, the presence detection circuit includes: a sampling circuit, a first-stage operational amplifier circuit, and a second-stage operational amplifier circuit; wherein the first end of the sampling circuit is coupled to the first input end of the second-stage operational amplifier circuit and serves as the first input end of the presence detection circuit; the second and third ends of the sampling circuit are respectively coupled to the first and second input ends of the first-stage operational amplifier circuit; the output end of the first-stage operational amplifier circuit is coupled to the second input end of the second-stage operational amplifier circuit; the output end of the second-stage operational amplifier circuit serves as the output end of the presence detection circuit; and the second end of the sampling circuit is further coupled to the antenna. In this possible implementation, after the current generated by the antenna passes through the sampling circuit, the weak current signal collected is converted into a voltage signal (i.e., the coupling point voltage and the first comparison voltage), and the first-stage operational amplifier circuit compares and amplifies the converted voltage signal. When the first-stage operational amplifier circuit outputs a high voltage, the second-stage operational amplifier circuit outputs a low voltage, at which point the antenna can be determined to be in place; when the first-stage operational amplifier circuit outputs a low voltage, the second-stage operational amplifier circuit outputs a high voltage, at which point the antenna can be determined to be out of place. In this way, by performing two-stage comparison and amplification on the detected voltage at the coupling point of the antenna, whether the antenna is in position can be determined according to the comparison result, thereby ensuring the accuracy of the antenna detection.

[0011] In a possible implementation of the first aspect, the sampling circuit is used to sample the coupling point voltage of the antenna and generate a first comparison voltage based on the power supply voltage; the first-stage operational amplifier circuit is used to compare the coupling point voltage with the first comparison voltage and amplify it to output the first amplified voltage; the second-stage operational amplifier circuit is used to generate a second comparison voltage based on the power supply voltage, compare the first amplified voltage with the second comparison voltage and amplify it to output a first indication signal. In the above possible implementation, the in-position detection circuit adopts a two-stage operational amplifier circuit design to implement a current hysteresis comparison function, that is, to implement a current hysteresis comparison for the in-position detection current. In this way, the in-position detection current has a hysteresis interval, and this hysteresis interval can make the switching standard of the antenna in-position state higher, the judgment result more accurate, and the security higher. For example, the hysteresis range can be 4mA to 10mA. When the presence detection current increases from a small value to 10mA (>10mA), the presence detection circuit will determine that the antenna has switched from an absent state to an present state; when the presence detection current decreases from a large value to 4mA (<4mA), the presence detection circuit will determine that the antenna has switched from an present state to an absent state.

[0012] In a possible implementation of the first aspect, the sampling circuit includes: a first resistor and a second resistor, one end of the first resistor and one end of the second resistor are coupled to serve as a first end of the sampling circuit, the other end of the first resistor serves as a second end of the sampling circuit, and the other end of the second resistor serves as a third end of the sampling circuit.

[0013] In a possible implementation of the first aspect, a first-stage operational amplifier circuit includes: a first operational amplifier and a switching amplifier circuit; wherein the first input terminal and the second input terminal of the first operational amplifier serve as the first input terminal and the second input terminal of the first-stage operational amplifier circuit, respectively; the output terminal of the first operational amplifier is coupled to the control terminal of the switching amplifier circuit; the second input terminal of the first operational amplifier is coupled to the input terminal of the switching amplifier circuit; the power supply terminal of the first operational amplifier is used to receive the power supply voltage; and the output terminal of the switching amplifier circuit serves as the output terminal of the first-stage operational amplifier circuit. In the above possible implementation, when the first-stage operational amplifier circuit outputs a high voltage, the transistor in the switching amplifier circuit is turned on; when the first-stage operational amplifier circuit outputs a low voltage, the transistor in the switching amplifier circuit is turned off, thereby enabling the first-stage operational amplifier circuit to achieve comparative amplification of the coupling point voltage and the first comparison voltage.

[0014] In one possible implementation of the first aspect, the switching amplifier circuit includes: a first transistor, a third resistor, a fourth resistor, and a fifth resistor; a control electrode of the first transistor is coupled to a control terminal of the switching amplifier circuit via the third resistor, the control terminal of the first transistor is coupled to a ground terminal via the fourth resistor, a first electrode of the first transistor is coupled to the ground terminal via the fifth resistor, and a second electrode of the first transistor is coupled to an input terminal of the switching amplifier circuit. This possible implementation provides a simple and effective switching amplifier circuit.

[0015] In one possible implementation of the first aspect, the second-stage operational amplifier circuit includes a first voltage divider circuit and an operational amplifier circuit; wherein the input of the first voltage divider circuit serves as the first input of the second-stage operational amplifier circuit, the output of the first voltage divider circuit is coupled to the first input of the operational amplifier circuit, the second input of the operational amplifier circuit serves as the second input of the second-stage operational amplifier circuit, and the output of the operational amplifier circuit serves as the output of the second-stage operational amplifier circuit. In this possible implementation, the first voltage divider circuit can be configured to generate a second comparison voltage based on a power supply voltage, and the operational amplifier circuit can compare the second comparison voltage with the first amplified voltage output by the first-stage operational amplifier to output first indication information, indicating whether the antenna is in position through the first indication information.

[0016] In a possible implementation of the first aspect, the first voltage divider circuit includes: a sixth resistor, a seventh resistor, and an eighth resistor; one end of the sixth resistor serves as an input end of the first voltage divider circuit, the other end of the sixth resistor is coupled to one end of the seventh resistor and one end of the eighth resistor, the other end of the seventh resistor is coupled to the ground end, and the other end of the eighth resistor serves as an output end of the first voltage divider circuit.

[0017] In one possible implementation of the first aspect, the operational amplifier circuit includes a second operational amplifier, a ninth resistor, and a tenth resistor; wherein the first and second input terminals of the second operational amplifier serve as the first and second input terminals of the operational amplifier circuit, respectively; one end of the ninth resistor is coupled to the first input terminal of the second operational amplifier; the output terminal of the second operational amplifier is coupled to the other end of the ninth resistor and one end of the tenth resistor; the other end of the tenth resistor serves as the output terminal of the operational amplifier circuit; and a power supply terminal of the second operational amplifier is configured to receive the power supply voltage. In this possible implementation, the second operational amplifier can compare the second comparison voltage with the first amplified voltage to output first indication information, indicating whether the antenna is in position through the first indication information.

[0018] In a possible implementation of the first aspect, the antenna detection circuit further includes: an overcurrent detection circuit, wherein the input end of the overcurrent detection circuit is used to couple with the antenna, and the power supply end of the overcurrent detection circuit is used to receive the power supply voltage; the switching circuit is also used to select or disconnect the power supply voltage that supplies power to the overcurrent detection circuit; the overcurrent detection circuit is used to receive the power supply voltage and detect the coupling point voltage of the antenna, generate a threshold voltage based on the power supply voltage, and compare the coupling point voltage with the threshold voltage to output a second indication signal, the second indication signal being used to indicate whether the antenna is in an overcurrent state. In the above possible implementation, the overcurrent detection circuit can determine whether the antenna is overcurrent by comparing the coupling point voltage of the antenna with the threshold voltage, thereby ensuring the accuracy of the antenna detection, while improving the safety and reliability of the device and avoiding user safety risks caused by short circuits.

[0019] In one possible implementation of the first aspect, the overcurrent detection circuit includes: a third operational amplifier, a second voltage divider circuit, a current-limiting resistor, and a first capacitor; wherein the input of the second voltage divider circuit and the power supply of the third operational amplifier are both used to receive the power supply voltage, the output of the second voltage divider circuit is coupled to the first input of the third operational amplifier, the second input of the third operational amplifier is coupled to the antenna and to the ground via the first capacitor, and the output of the third operational amplifier is coupled to the output of the overcurrent detection circuit via the current-limiting resistor. In this possible implementation, a simple and effective overcurrent detection circuit is provided, wherein the second voltage divider circuit can be used to generate a threshold voltage, and the third operational amplifier can be used to compare the voltage at the antenna coupling point with the threshold voltage to output a second indication signal.

[0020] In one possible implementation of the first aspect, the antenna detection circuit further includes: a short-circuit detection circuit having an input terminal coupled to the antenna; the short-circuit detection circuit configured to detect a voltage at a coupling point of the antenna, divide the voltage at the coupling point, and sample the voltage to output a third indication signal, the third indication signal being configured to indicate whether the antenna is short-circuited. In this possible implementation, the short-circuit detection circuit can determine whether the antenna is short-circuited by detecting whether the voltage at the coupling point of the antenna is zero, thereby ensuring the accuracy of antenna detection, improving the safety and reliability of the device, and avoiding user safety risks caused by short circuits.

[0021] In a possible implementation of the first aspect, the short-circuit detection circuit includes: a third voltage-divider circuit, a sampling resistor, and a second capacitor; wherein the input end of the third voltage-divider circuit is used to couple with the antenna, the output end of the third voltage-divider circuit is coupled with one end of the sampling resistor and one end of the second capacitor, the other end of the sampling resistor serves as the output end of the short-circuit detection circuit, and the other end of the second capacitor is coupled to ground. This possible implementation provides a simple and effective short-circuit detection circuit.

[0022] In a possible implementation of the first aspect, the controller is further configured to receive an indication signal and control the switching circuit to be turned on or off based on the indication information, the indication signal including at least one of a first indication signal, a second indication signal, or a third indication signal. In the above possible implementation, the controller may receive a first indication signal indicating whether the antenna is in place, a second indication signal indicating whether the antenna is overcurrent, and a third indication signal indicating whether the antenna is short-circuited. Thus, the controller may control the switching circuit to be turned on or off based on the received indication signal, such as disconnecting the switching circuit when the antenna is short-circuited or overcurrent occurs, thereby improving the safety and reliability of the antenna and the terminal device used in the antenna detection circuit.

[0023] In one possible implementation of the first aspect, the switching circuit includes: a second transistor, a third capacitor, and an RC circuit; wherein the third capacitor is coupled between a control electrode and a first electrode of the second transistor, the RC circuit is coupled between the control electrode and a second electrode of the second transistor, the first electrode of the second transistor is further configured to output a power supply voltage, the second electrode of the second transistor is further configured to receive the power supply voltage, and the control terminal of the second transistor is further configured to receive a control signal. This possible implementation provides a simple and effective switching circuit.

[0024] In a second aspect, an antenna detection method is provided, which is applied to an antenna detection circuit. The antenna detection circuit includes: a controller, a switching circuit and a presence detection circuit. The presence detection circuit is used to couple with an antenna. The method includes: the controller controlling the switching circuit to be turned on or off; the switching circuit turning on or off the power supply voltage that supplies power to the presence detection circuit; the presence detection circuit receiving the power supply voltage and detecting the coupling point voltage of the antenna, performing two-stage comparison and amplification on the coupling point voltage according to the power supply voltage to output a first indication signal, and the first indication signal is used to indicate whether the antenna is in place.

[0025] In a possible implementation of the second aspect, the presence detection circuit includes: a sampling circuit, a first-stage operational amplifier circuit, and a second-stage operational amplifier circuit: the sampling circuit samples the coupling point voltage of the antenna and generates a first comparison voltage based on the power supply voltage; the first-stage operational amplifier circuit compares the coupling point voltage with the first comparison voltage and amplifies it to output a first amplified voltage; the second-stage operational amplifier circuit generates a second comparison voltage based on the power supply voltage, compares the first amplified voltage and the second comparison voltage and amplifies them to output a first indication signal.

[0026] In a possible implementation of the second aspect, the antenna detection circuit also includes an overcurrent detection circuit, which is used to couple with the antenna. The method also includes: the switching circuit switches on or off the power supply voltage that powers the overcurrent detection circuit; the overcurrent detection circuit receives the power supply voltage and detects the coupling point voltage of the antenna, generates a threshold voltage based on the power supply voltage, and compares the coupling point voltage with the threshold voltage to output a second indication signal, and the second indication signal is used to indicate whether the antenna is in an overcurrent state.

[0027] In a possible implementation of the second aspect, the antenna detection circuit also includes a short-circuit detection circuit, which is used to couple with the antenna. The method also includes: the short-circuit detection circuit detects the coupling point voltage of the antenna, and divides and samples the coupling point voltage to output a third indication signal, and the third indication signal is used to indicate whether the antenna is in a short-circuit state.

[0028] In a possible implementation of the second aspect, the controller controls the switching circuit to be turned on or off, including: the controller receives an indication signal and controls the switching circuit to be turned on or off according to the indication information, and the indication signal includes at least one of a first indication signal, a second indication signal or a third indication signal.

[0029] In another aspect of the present application, a vehicle-mounted device is provided, which includes a power supply and an antenna detection circuit. The power supply is used to provide a power supply voltage for the antenna detection circuit. The antenna detection circuit is the antenna detection circuit provided by the above-mentioned first aspect or any possible implementation of the first aspect.

[0030] In another aspect of the present application, a vehicle is provided, which includes the on-vehicle device provided by any one of the above aspects or a possible implementation of any one of the aspects.

[0031] It can be understood that the beneficial effects that can be achieved by any of the antenna detection methods, vehicle-mounted equipment, and vehicles provided above can correspond to the beneficial effects of the antenna detection circuit provided above, and will not be repeated here. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0032] FIG1 is a schematic structural diagram of a terminal device provided in an embodiment of the present application;

[0033] FIG2 is a schematic structural diagram of an antenna detection circuit provided in an embodiment of the present application;

[0034] FIG3 is a schematic structural diagram of another antenna detection circuit provided in an embodiment of the present application;

[0035] FIG4 is a schematic structural diagram of another antenna detection circuit provided in an embodiment of the present application;

[0036] FIG5 is a schematic structural diagram of an overcurrent detection circuit provided in an embodiment of the present application;

[0037] FIG6 is a schematic structural diagram of a short-circuit detection circuit provided in an embodiment of the present application;

[0038] FIG7 is a schematic structural diagram of another terminal device provided in an embodiment of the present application;

[0039] FIG8 is a flow chart of an antenna detection method provided in an embodiment of the present application. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0040] The following sections discuss the making and use of various embodiments in detail. However, it should be understood that many applicable inventive concepts provided herein can be implemented in a variety of specific contexts. The specific embodiments discussed are merely illustrative of specific ways to implement and use this description and technology and do not limit the scope of this application.

[0041] Unless defined otherwise, all technical and scientific terms used herein have the same meanings as commonly understood by one of ordinary skill in the art.

[0042] Various circuits or other components may be described or referred to as being "configured to" perform one or more tasks. In this case, "configured to" is used to imply structure by indicating that the circuit / component includes structure (e.g., circuitry) that performs the one or more tasks during operation. Thus, even when a specified circuit / component is not currently operational (e.g., not turned on), the circuit / component may be referred to as being configured to perform the task. Circuits / components used with the phrase "configured to" include hardware, such as circuitry that performs an operation, etc.

[0043] The technical solutions in the embodiments of the present application will be described below with reference to the drawings in the embodiments of the present application. In the present application, "at least one" refers to one or more, and "more" refers to two or more. "And / or" describes the association relationship of associated objects, indicating that there may be three relationships. For example, A and / or B can represent: the existence of A alone, the existence of A and B at the same time, and the existence of B alone, where A and B can be singular or plural. The character " / " generally indicates that the previous and next associated objects are in an "or" relationship. "At least one of the following" or similar expressions refers to any combination of these items, including any combination of single or plural items. For example, at least one of a, b or c can represent: a, b, c, a and b, a and c, b and c, a, b and c; where a, b and c can be single or multiple.

[0044] The embodiments of this application use terms such as "first" and "second" to distinguish objects with similar names, functions, or effects. Those skilled in the art will understand that terms such as "first" and "second" do not limit the quantity or order of execution. The term "coupled" is used to indicate an electrical connection, including direct connection via wires or connectors or indirect connection via other devices. Therefore, "coupling" should be considered a broadly defined electronic communication connection.

[0045] In this application, words such as "exemplary" or "for example" are used to indicate examples, illustrations, or descriptions. Any embodiment or design described in this application as "exemplary" or "for example" should not be construed as preferred or advantageous over other embodiments or designs. Rather, the use of words such as "exemplary" or "for example" is intended to present the relevant concepts in a concrete manner.

[0046] A self-driving car, also known as an unmanned vehicle, computer-driven vehicle, or wheeled mobile robot, is an intelligent vehicle that uses a computer system to achieve unmanned operation. The realization of self-driving technology relies on the continuous development of two key technologies: perception and decision-making. A core component of this perception technology is onboard positioning. This technology leverages the all-weather, omnidirectional capabilities of the Global Navigation Satellite System (GNSS) to provide real-time positioning information for vehicles.

[0047] The implementation of the aforementioned vehicle positioning function relies on the normal operation of the antenna. Therefore, it is necessary to detect abnormal antenna conditions, such as antenna presence, short circuit, and overcurrent. However, existing antenna detection circuits typically only detect antenna presence, specifically by comparing the antenna presence detection signal with a specific single threshold value to determine the antenna's presence. However, this method is prone to false positives, resulting in low accuracy.

[0048] Based on this, embodiments of the present application provide an antenna detection circuit that can be used to detect the antenna's presence. When detecting the antenna's presence, the circuit can compare the antenna's signal parameters with different thresholds, thereby reducing the probability of misjudgment and improving accuracy. Furthermore, the antenna detection circuit can also be used to detect the antenna's short-circuit and overcurrent conditions, and control the power supply status of the antenna and antenna detection circuit based on the detection results, thereby protecting the antenna, the antenna detection circuit, and the equipment using the circuit, thereby improving product safety and reliability.

[0049] The technical solutions provided in the embodiments of the present application can be applied to various terminal devices having antenna detection circuits. These terminal devices may include, but are not limited to, mobile phones, tablet computers, computers, laptop computers, ultra-mobile personal computers (umPCs), netbooks, video cameras, cameras, wearable devices, vehicles (e.g., cars, bicycles, electric vehicles, airplanes, ships, trains, high-speed trains, etc.), on-board equipment, virtual reality (VR) devices, augmented reality (AR) devices, or intelligent robots. For ease of description, the following uses a vehicle as an example to illustrate the structure of the terminal device.

[0050] FIG1 is a schematic diagram of the structure of a vehicle 100 with an autonomous driving function provided in an embodiment of the present application. In one embodiment, the vehicle 100 is configured to be in a fully or partially autonomous driving mode. For example, the vehicle 100 can control itself while in the autonomous driving mode, and can determine the current state of the vehicle and its surrounding environment through human operation, determine the possible behavior of at least one other vehicle in the surrounding environment, and determine the confidence level corresponding to the possibility of the other vehicle performing the possible behavior, and control the vehicle 100 based on the determined information. When the vehicle 100 is in the autonomous driving mode, the vehicle 100 can be set to operate without human interaction.

[0051] The vehicle 100 may include various subsystems, such as a travel system 102, a sensor system 104, a control system 106, one or more peripheral devices 108, a power source 110, a computer system 112, and a user interface 116. Alternatively, the vehicle 100 may include more or fewer subsystems, and each subsystem may include multiple components. In addition, each subsystem and component of the vehicle 100 may be interconnected via wired or wireless connections.

[0052] Propulsion system 102 may include components that provide powered locomotion for vehicle 100. In one embodiment, propulsion system 102 may include engine 118, energy source 119, transmission 120, and wheels / tires 121. Engine 118 may be an internal combustion engine, an electric motor, an air compression engine, or a combination of other types of engines, such as a hybrid engine consisting of a gasoline engine and an electric motor, or a hybrid engine consisting of an internal combustion engine and an air compression engine. Engine 118 converts energy source 119 into mechanical energy.

[0053] Examples of energy source 119 include gasoline, diesel, other petroleum-based fuels, propane, other compressed gas-based fuels, ethanol, solar panels, batteries, and other sources of electricity. Energy source 119 may also provide energy to other systems of vehicle 100.

[0054] The transmission 120 can transmit mechanical power from the engine 118 to the wheels 121. The transmission 120 may include a gearbox, a differential, and a drive shaft. In one embodiment, the transmission 120 may also include other components, such as a clutch. The drive shaft may include one or more shafts that can be coupled to one or more wheels 121.

[0055] The sensor system 104 may include several sensors that sense information about the environment surrounding the vehicle 100. For example, the sensor system 104 may include a positioning system 122 (the positioning system may be a global positioning system (GPS) system, a BeiDou system, or other positioning systems), an inertial measurement unit (IMU) 124, a radar 126, a laser rangefinder 128, and a camera 130. The sensor system 104 may also include sensors for the internal systems of the monitored vehicle 100 (e.g., an in-vehicle air quality monitor, a fuel gauge, an oil temperature gauge, etc.). Sensor data from one or more of these sensors may be used to detect objects and their corresponding characteristics (position, shape, direction, speed, etc.). This detection and recognition is a key function for the safe operation of the autonomous vehicle 100.

[0056] Positioning system 122 may be used to estimate the geographic location of vehicle 100. IMU 124 may be used to sense changes in position and orientation of vehicle 100 based on inertial acceleration. In one embodiment, IMU 124 may be a combination of an accelerometer and a gyroscope.

[0057] Radar 126 may utilize radio signals to sense objects within the surrounding environment of vehicle 100. In some embodiments, in addition to sensing objects, radar 126 may also be used to sense the speed and / or heading of the objects.

[0058] The laser rangefinder 128 may utilize laser light to sense objects in the environment in which the vehicle 100 is located. In some embodiments, the laser rangefinder 128 may include one or more laser sources, a laser scanner, and one or more detectors, among other system components.

[0059] The camera 130 may be used to capture multiple images of the surrounding environment of the vehicle 100. The camera 130 may be a still camera or a video camera.

[0060] Control system 106 controls the operation of vehicle 100 and its components. Control system 106 may include various components, including a steering system 132 , a throttle 134 , a brake unit 136 , a sensor fusion algorithm 138 , a computer vision system 140 , a path control system 142 , and an obstacle avoidance system 144 .

[0061] The steering system 132 is operable to adjust the forward direction of the vehicle 100. For example, in one embodiment, the steering system 132 may be a steering wheel system.

[0062] The throttle 134 is used to control the operating speed of the engine 118 and, in turn, the speed of the vehicle 100 .

[0063] Braking unit 136 is used to control the deceleration of vehicle 100. Braking unit 136 can use friction to slow down wheels 121. In other embodiments, braking unit 136 can convert the kinetic energy of wheels 121 into electric current. Braking unit 136 can also take other forms to slow the rotation speed of wheels 121 to control the speed of vehicle 100.

[0064] The computer vision system 140 can be operated to process and analyze images captured by the camera 130 to identify objects and / or features in the environment surrounding the vehicle 100. The objects and / or features may include traffic signs, road boundaries, and obstacles. The computer vision system 140 can use object recognition algorithms, structure from motion (SFM) algorithms, video tracking, and other computer vision techniques. In some embodiments, the computer vision system 140 can be used to map the environment, track objects, estimate the speed of objects, and so on.

[0065] The route control system 142 is used to determine the driving route of the vehicle 100. In some embodiments, the route control system 142 may combine data from the sensors 138, the GPS 122, and one or more predetermined maps to determine the driving route for the vehicle 100.

[0066] The obstacle avoidance system 144 is used to identify, assess, and avoid or otherwise negotiate potential obstacles in the environment of the vehicle 100 .

[0067] Of course, in one example, the control system 106 may include additional or alternative components other than those shown and described, or may include fewer than some of the components shown.

[0068] Vehicle 100 interacts with external sensors, other vehicles, other computer systems, or users via peripherals 108. Peripherals 108 may include a wireless communication system 146, an onboard computer 148, a microphone 150, and / or a speaker 152.

[0069] In some embodiments, peripheral devices 108 provide a means for a user of vehicle 100 to interact with user interface 116. For example, onboard computer 148 can provide information to the user of vehicle 100. User interface 116 can also operate onboard computer 148 to receive user input. Onboard computer 148 can be operated via a touch screen. In other cases, peripheral devices 108 can provide a means for vehicle 100 to communicate with other devices located within the vehicle. For example, microphone 150 can receive audio (e.g., voice commands or other audio input) from the user of vehicle 100. Similarly, speaker 152 can output audio to the user of vehicle 100.

[0070] The wireless communication system 146 can communicate wirelessly with one or more devices directly or via a communication network. For example, the wireless communication system 146 can use 3G cellular communication, such as code division multiple access (CDMA), EVDO, global system for mobile communications (GSM) / general packet radio service (GPRS), or 4G cellular communication, such as long term evolution (LTE), or 5G cellular communication. The wireless communication system 146 can use WiFi to communicate with a wireless local area network (WLAN). In some embodiments, the wireless communication system 146 can use an infrared link, Bluetooth or ZigBee to communicate directly with the device. Other wireless protocols, such as various vehicle communication systems, for example, the wireless communication system 146 may include one or more dedicated short range communications (DSRC) devices, which may include public and / or private data communications between vehicles and / or roadside stations.

[0071] Power source 110 can provide power to various components of vehicle 100. In one embodiment, power source 110 can be a rechargeable lithium-ion or lead-acid battery. One or more battery packs of such batteries can be configured as a power source to provide power to various components of vehicle 100. In some embodiments, power source 110 and energy source 119 can be implemented together, such as in some all-electric vehicles.

[0072] Some or all functions of the vehicle 100 are controlled by a computer system 112. The computer system 112 may include at least one processor 113 that executes instructions 115 stored in a non-transitory computer-readable medium, such as a memory 114. The computer system 112 may also be a plurality of computing devices that control individual components or subsystems of the vehicle 100 in a distributed manner.

[0073] Processor 113 can be any conventional processor, such as commercially available central processing unit (CPU). Alternatively, the processor can be a dedicated device such as an application specific integrated circuit (ASIC) or other hardware-based processor. Although FIG. 1 functionally illustrates a processor, memory, and other elements of a computer in the same block, it will be understood by those skilled in the art that the processor, computer, or memory can actually include multiple processors, computers, or memories that may or may not be stored in the same physical housing. For example, the memory can be a hard drive or other storage medium that is located in a housing different from the computer. Therefore, reference to a processor or computer will be understood to include reference to a collection of processors or computers or memories that may or may not operate in parallel. Different from using a single processor to perform the steps described herein, each of some components such as a steering assembly and a deceleration assembly can have its own processor that only performs calculations related to the functions of the component.

[0074] In various aspects described herein, the processor can be located remotely from the vehicle and in wireless communication with the vehicle. In other aspects, some of the processes described herein are performed on a processor disposed within the vehicle while others are performed by a remote processor, including taking the necessary steps to perform a single maneuver.

[0075] In some embodiments, memory 114 may contain instructions 115 (e.g., program logic) that are executable by processor 113 to perform various functions of vehicle 100, including those described above. Memory 114 may also contain additional instructions, including instructions for transmitting data to, receiving data from, interacting with, and / or controlling one or more of travel system 102, sensor system 104, control system 106, and peripherals 108.

[0076] In addition to the instructions 115, the memory 114 may also store data such as road maps, route information, the vehicle's location, direction, speed, and other such vehicle data, as well as other information. This information may be used by the vehicle 100 and the computer system 112 during operation of the vehicle 100 in autonomous, semi-autonomous, and / or manual modes.

[0077] User interface 116 is used to provide information to or receive information from a user of vehicle 100. Optionally, user interface 116 may include one or more input / output devices within the set of peripherals 108, such as wireless communication system 146, onboard computer 148, microphone 150, and speaker 152.

[0078] Computer system 112 may control functions of vehicle 100 based on input received from various subsystems (e.g., travel system 102, sensor system 104, and control system 106) and from user interface 116. For example, computer system 112 may utilize input from control system 106 in order to control steering system 132 to avoid obstacles detected by sensor system 104 and obstacle avoidance system 144. In some embodiments, computer system 112 may be operable to provide control over many aspects of vehicle 100 and its subsystems.

[0079] Alternatively, one or more of the above components may be installed or associated separately from the vehicle 100. For example, the memory 114 may be partially or completely separate from the vehicle 100. The above components may be communicatively coupled together in a wired and / or wireless manner.

[0080] Optionally, the above components are only an example. In actual applications, the components in the above modules may be added or deleted according to actual needs. Figure 1 should not be understood as a limitation to the embodiments of the present application.

[0081] An autonomous vehicle, such as vehicle 100 above, traveling on a road can identify objects in its surroundings to determine adjustments to its current speed. The objects can be other vehicles, traffic control devices, or other types of objects. In some examples, each identified object can be considered independently, and the speed adjustment to be made to the autonomous vehicle can be determined based on its respective characteristics, such as its current speed, acceleration, and distance from the vehicle.

[0082] Optionally, the autonomous vehicle 100 or a computing device associated with the autonomous vehicle 100 (e.g., computer system 112, computer vision system 140, memory 114 of FIG. 1 ) can predict the behavior of the identified objects based on their characteristics and the state of the surrounding environment (e.g., traffic, rain, ice on the road, etc.). Optionally, the behavior of each identified object depends on the behavior of each other, so the behavior of all identified objects can be considered together to predict the behavior of a single identified object. The vehicle 100 can adjust its speed based on the predicted behavior of the identified objects. In other words, the autonomous vehicle can determine what stable state the vehicle should adjust to (e.g., accelerate, decelerate, or stop) based on the predicted behavior of the objects. Other factors can also be considered in determining the speed of the vehicle 100, such as the lateral position of the vehicle 100 on the road, the curvature of the road, the proximity of static and dynamic objects, etc.

[0083] In addition to providing instructions to adjust the speed of the autonomous vehicle, the computing device may also provide instructions to modify the steering angle of vehicle 100 so that the autonomous vehicle follows a given trajectory and / or maintains a safe lateral and longitudinal distance from objects near the autonomous vehicle (e.g., cars in adjacent lanes on the road).

[0084] The vehicle 100 may include a road vehicle, a water vehicle, an air vehicle, an industrial device, an agricultural device, or an entertainment device, etc. The vehicle may be a vehicle in a broad sense, for example, the vehicle may be a vehicle (such as a commercial vehicle, a passenger car, a motorcycle, an air vehicle, a train, etc.), an industrial vehicle (such as a forklift, a trailer, a tractor, etc.), an engineering vehicle (such as an excavator, a bulldozer, a crane, etc.), an agricultural device (such as a lawn mower, a harvester, etc.), an amusement device, a toy vehicle, etc.

[0085] Figure 2 is a structural diagram of an antenna detection circuit provided in an embodiment of the present application. The antenna detection circuit can be applied to the terminal device provided above. For example, the antenna detection circuit can be applied to a vehicle to support the vehicle to implement an on-board positioning function.

[0086] The antenna detection circuit includes a controller 10, a switch circuit 20, and a presence detection circuit 30. The output of the controller 10 is coupled to the control terminal of the switch circuit 20. The input of the switch circuit 20 is coupled to a power supply. The output of the switch circuit 20 is coupled to a first input of the presence detection circuit 30. The second input of the presence detection circuit 30 is coupled to the antenna. The node coupled to the antenna can also be referred to as the antenna coupling point. In Figure 2, the first and second inputs of the presence detection circuit 30 are denoted as ANT_P and ANT_N, respectively.

[0087] The controller 10 is used to control the switching circuit 20 to be turned on or off. Exemplarily, the controller 10 can be used to output a control signal that can be used to control the switching circuit 20 to be turned on or off. For example, when the control signal is at a high level, the control signal can be used to control the switching circuit 20 to be turned on; when the control signal is at a low level, the control signal can be used to control the switching circuit 20 to be turned off. Optionally, the controller 10 can be a microcontroller unit (MCU) or other device with control functions in the terminal device. The power supply can also be used to power the controller 10.

[0088] The switch circuit 20 is used to switch on or off the power supply voltage that powers the presence detection circuit 30. The power supply voltage can be provided by a power supply. The switch circuit 20 switching on the power supply voltage that powers the presence detection circuit 30 can also be referred to as the switch circuit 20 switching on the connection between the presence detection circuit 30 and the power supply. That is, when the switch circuit 20 is in the switched-on state, the power supply voltage can power the presence detection circuit 30 after passing through the switch circuit 20. Similarly, the switch circuit 20 disconnecting the power supply voltage that powers the presence detection circuit 30 can also be referred to as the switch circuit 20 disconnecting the connection between the presence detection circuit 30 and the power supply. That is, when the switch circuit 20 is in the disconnected state, the power supply voltage is disconnected, thereby no longer powering the presence detection circuit 30. Optionally, the switch circuit 20 can also be used to turn on or off the power supply to the antenna.

[0089] The presence detection circuit 30 is used to receive the power supply voltage and detect the coupling point voltage of the antenna, and perform two-stage comparison and amplification on the coupling point voltage according to the power supply voltage to output a first indication signal. The first indication signal is used to indicate whether the antenna is in place. The two-stage comparison and amplification of the coupling point voltage can refer to comparing the coupling point voltage under different antenna states with different thresholds, and is achieved through two-stage comparison and amplification. In addition, the antenna's presence status includes two states: in place and out of place. The antenna in place can mean that the antenna connection is normal, and the antenna out of place can mean that the antenna connection is abnormal or disconnected. The first indication signal is used to indicate whether the antenna is in place. For example, when the first indication signal is at a low level, the first indication signal can be used to indicate that the antenna is in place; when the first indication signal is at a high level, the first indication signal can be used to indicate that the antenna is out of place.

[0090] In a possible embodiment, as shown in FIG3 , the switch circuit 20 may include: a transistor M, a capacitor C, and an RC circuit. The capacitor is coupled between the control electrode and the first electrode of the transistor M, and the RC circuit is coupled between the control electrode and the second electrode of the transistor M. The first electrode of the transistor M is further configured to output a power supply voltage, the second electrode of the transistor M is further configured to receive the power supply voltage, and the control terminal of the transistor M is further configured to receive a control signal.

[0091] Optionally, the transistor M may be a metal-oxide-semiconductor (MOS) tube, which is divided into two types: N (negative) type transistors and P (positive) type transistors. The transistor M includes a source (source, s), a drain (drain, d), and a gate (gate, g). The on or off of the transistor M can be controlled by controlling the level of the input to the gate of the transistor M. The gate of the transistor M can also be called a control electrode, the source is called a first electrode, and the drain is called a second electrode; or the gate is called a control electrode, the drain is called a first electrode, and the source is called a second electrode.

[0092] Furthermore, as shown in FIG3 , the presence detection circuit 30 may include: a sampling circuit 31, a first-stage operational amplifier circuit 32, and a second-stage operational amplifier circuit 33. A first terminal of the sampling circuit 31 is coupled to a first input terminal of the second-stage operational amplifier circuit 33 and serves as the first input terminal of the presence detection circuit 30. A second terminal and a third terminal of the sampling circuit 31 are coupled to the first input terminal and the second input terminal of the first-stage operational amplifier circuit 32, respectively. An output terminal of the first-stage operational amplifier circuit 32 is coupled to a second input terminal of the second-stage operational amplifier circuit 33. An output terminal of the second-stage operational amplifier circuit 33 serves as an output terminal of the presence detection circuit 30. A second terminal of the sampling circuit 31 is also used to couple with the antenna.

[0093] In the presence detection circuit 30, the sampling circuit 31 can be used to sample the voltage at the antenna's coupling point and generate a first comparison voltage based on the power supply voltage. The first-stage operational amplifier circuit 32 can be used to compare the coupling point voltage with the first comparison voltage and amplify it to output a first amplified voltage. The second-stage operational amplifier circuit 33 is used to generate a second comparison voltage based on the power supply voltage, compare the first amplified voltage with the second comparison voltage, and amplify it to output a first indication signal. In Figure 3, the first indication signal is represented as / ANT_DET.

[0094] In one possible embodiment, as shown in FIG3 , the sampling circuit may include: a first resistor R1 and a second resistor R2, wherein one end of the first resistor and one end of the second resistor are coupled to serve as a first end of the sampling circuit 31, the other end of the first resistor R1 serves as a second end of the sampling circuit, and the other end of the second resistor R2 serves as a third end of the sampling circuit. The first end of the sampling circuit 31 may be configured to receive a power supply voltage, the second end of the sampling circuit may be configured to sample the voltage at the coupling point of the antenna, and the third end of the sampling circuit 31 may be configured to output a first comparison voltage.

[0095] In one possible embodiment, as shown in FIG3 , the first-stage operational amplifier circuit 32 may include: a first operational amplifier A1 and a switching amplifier circuit 321. The first input terminal and the second input terminal of the first operational amplifier A1 serve as the first input terminal and the second input terminal of the first-stage operational amplifier circuit 32, respectively. The output terminal of the first operational amplifier A1 is coupled to the control terminal of the switching amplifier circuit 321. The second input terminal of the first operational amplifier A1 is coupled to the input terminal of the switching amplifier circuit 321. The power supply terminal of the first operational amplifier A1 is configured to receive the power supply voltage. The output terminal of the switching amplifier circuit 321 serves as the output terminal of the first-stage operational amplifier circuit 32. Optionally, the first input terminal of the first operational amplifier A1 may be a negative-phase input terminal, and the second input terminal of the first operational amplifier A1 may be a positive-phase input terminal.

[0096] The first input terminal of the first operational amplifier A1 can be used to receive the coupling point voltage, the second input terminal of the first operational amplifier A1 can be used to receive the first comparison voltage, and the output terminal of the first operational amplifier A1 can be used to output a first comparison result, which can be a high level or a low level. For example, when the first comparison voltage is greater than the coupling point voltage, the output terminal of the first operational amplifier A1 can be used to output a high level; when the first comparison voltage is less than the coupling point voltage, the output terminal of the first operational amplifier A1 can be used to output a low level.

[0097] Optionally, as shown in FIG3 , the switching amplifier circuit 321 may include: a first transistor T, a third resistor R3, a fourth resistor R4, and a fifth resistor R5. The control terminal of the first transistor T is coupled to the control terminal of the switching amplifier circuit 321 via the third resistor R3. The control terminal of the first transistor T1 is coupled to the ground terminal GND via the fourth resistor R4. The first electrode of the first transistor T is coupled to the ground terminal via the fifth resistor R5; and the second electrode of the first transistor T is coupled to the input terminal of the switching amplifier circuit 321.

[0098] In the embodiment of the present application, the first transistor T may be a triode, and the type of the triode may be NPN or PNP. The control electrode (also referred to as the control terminal) of the first transistor T may be the base of the triode, the first electrode of the first transistor T may be one of the emitter or the collector, and the second electrode of the first transistor T may be the other of the emitter or the collector. FIG3 illustrates an example in which the first electrode of the first transistor T is the emitter and the second electrode of the first transistor T is the collector.

[0099] In the switching amplifier circuit 321, the control terminal of the switching amplifier circuit 321 (i.e., the end of the third resistor R3 away from the first transistor T) can be used to receive the first comparison result, the input terminal of the switching amplifier circuit 321 (i.e., the second terminal of the first transistor T) can be used to receive the first comparison voltage, and the output terminal of the switching amplifier circuit 321 (i.e., the first terminal of the first transistor T) can be used to output the first amplified voltage. Specifically, when the first comparison result output by the first operational amplifier A1 is a high level, the first transistor T is in an on state. At this time, the output terminal of the switching amplifier circuit 321 is used to output a high level, which can also be referred to as the first amplified voltage. When the first comparison result output by the first operational amplifier A1 is a low level, the first transistor T is in an off state, that is, the switching amplifier circuit 321 is in an off state. At this time, the output terminal of the switching amplifier circuit 321 is used to output a low level.

[0100] In one possible embodiment, as shown in FIG3 , the second-stage operational amplifier circuit 33 includes a first voltage divider circuit 331 and an operational amplifier circuit 332. The input end of the first voltage divider circuit 331 serves as the first input end of the second-stage operational amplifier circuit 333. The output end of the first voltage divider circuit 331 is coupled to the first input end of the operational amplifier circuit 332. The second input end of the operational amplifier circuit 332 serves as the second input end of the second-stage operational amplifier circuit 333. The output end of the operational amplifier circuit 332 serves as the output end of the second-stage operational amplifier circuit 333. The first voltage divider circuit 331 can be used to generate a second comparison voltage based on the power supply voltage, and the operational amplifier circuit 332 can be used to compare the second comparison voltage with the first amplified voltage to output a first indication signal.

[0101] Optionally, the first voltage divider circuit 331 includes a sixth resistor R6, a seventh resistor R7, and an eighth resistor R8. One end of the sixth resistor R6 serves as an input end of the first voltage divider circuit 331, the other end of the sixth resistor R6 is coupled to one end of the seventh resistor R7 and one end of the eighth resistor R8, the other end of the seventh resistor R7 is coupled to the ground terminal GND, and the other end of the eighth resistor R8 serves as an output end of the first voltage divider circuit 331.

[0102] Optionally, the operational amplifier circuit 332 includes a second operational amplifier A2, a ninth resistor R9, and a tenth resistor R10. The first and second input terminals of the second operational amplifier A2 serve as the first and second input terminals of the operational amplifier circuit 332, respectively. One terminal of the ninth resistor R9 is coupled to the first input terminal of the second operational amplifier A2. The output terminal of the second operational amplifier A2 is coupled to the other terminal of the ninth resistor R9 and one terminal of the tenth resistor R10. The other terminal of the tenth resistor R10 serves as the output terminal of the operational amplifier circuit 332. The power supply terminal of the second operational amplifier A2 is used to receive the power supply voltage. Optionally, the first input terminal of the second operational amplifier A2 may be a non-inverting input terminal, and the second input terminal of the first operational amplifier A1 may be a negative input terminal.

[0103] The above-mentioned presence detection circuit 30 adopts a two-stage operational amplifier circuit design to implement a current hysteresis comparison function, that is, it implements a current hysteresis comparison for the presence detection current (for example, the current at the first input terminal ANT_P or the second input terminal ANT_N of the presence detection circuit 30). In this way, the presence detection current has a hysteresis interval, which can make the switching standard of the antenna presence state higher, the judgment result more accurate, and the security higher. For example, the hysteresis interval can be 4mA to 10mA. When the presence detection current increases from a small value to 10mA (>10mA), the presence detection circuit 30 will determine that the antenna has switched from the absent state to the present state; when the presence detection current decreases from a large value to 4mA (<4mA), the presence detection circuit 30 will determine that the antenna has switched from the present state to the absent state.

[0104] Furthermore, based on the virtual short and virtual open characteristics of the operational amplifier circuit, the relationship between the output voltage Vout of the second operational amplifier A2 and the on-state detection current can be calculated, thereby determining the hysteresis range based on the relationship between the output voltage Vout of the second operational amplifier A2 and the on-state detection current. In practical applications, the hysteresis range can be set by adjusting the resistance values ​​of the resistors in the above circuit (e.g., the resistance values ​​of R1, R2, R5, R6, R7, R8, and R9).

[0105] In the embodiment of the present application, after the current generated by the antenna passes through the first resistor R1 and the second resistor R2 in the sampling circuit 31, the collected weak current signal is converted into a voltage signal (i.e., the voltage at the coupling point of the antenna and the first comparison voltage), and the converted voltage signal is compared and amplified by the first-stage operational amplifier circuit 32. When the first operational amplifier A1 outputs a high voltage, the transistor in the switching amplifier circuit 321 is turned on, and the second-stage operational amplifier circuit 33 outputs a low voltage. At this time, it can be determined that the antenna is in place; when the first operational amplifier A1 outputs a low voltage, the transistor in the switching amplifier circuit 321 is turned off, and the second-stage operational amplifier circuit 33 outputs a high voltage. At this time, it can be determined that the antenna is not in place. In this way, by performing two-stage comparison and amplification on the detected coupling point voltage of the antenna, it is possible to determine whether the antenna is in place based on the comparison result, thereby ensuring the accuracy of the antenna detection.

[0106] Furthermore, as shown in FIG4 , the antenna detection circuit may further include an overcurrent detection circuit 40 , wherein an input end of the overcurrent detection circuit 40 is used to couple with the antenna, and a power supply end of the overcurrent detection circuit 40 is used to receive the power supply voltage.

[0107] The switching circuit 20 is also used to switch on or off the power supply voltage that powers the overcurrent detection circuit 40. The overcurrent detection circuit 40 is used to receive the power supply voltage and detect the voltage at the coupling point of the antenna, generate a threshold voltage based on the power supply voltage, and compare the coupling point voltage with the threshold voltage to output a second indication signal, which is used to indicate whether the antenna is in an overcurrent state. Exemplarily, when the threshold voltage is greater than the coupling point voltage and the second indication signal is at a high level, the second indication signal can be used to indicate that the antenna is in an overcurrent state; when the threshold voltage is less than the coupling point voltage and the second indication signal is at a low level, the second indication signal can be used to indicate that the antenna is not in an overcurrent state.

[0108] In a possible embodiment, as shown in FIG5 , the overcurrent detection circuit 40 may include: a third operational amplifier A3, a second voltage divider circuit 41, a current limiting resistor R13, and a first capacitor C1. The input terminal of the second voltage divider circuit 41 and the power supply terminal of the third operational amplifier A3 are both used to receive a power supply voltage, the output terminal of the second voltage divider circuit 41 is coupled to the first input terminal of the third operational amplifier A3, the second input terminal of the third operational amplifier A3 is used to couple with the antenna and is coupled to the ground terminal through the first capacitor C1, and the output terminal of the third operational amplifier A3 is coupled to the output terminal of the overcurrent detection circuit 40 through the current limiting resistor R13. Optionally, the first input terminal of the third operational amplifier A3 may be a positive phase input terminal, and the second input terminal of the third operational amplifier A3 may be a negative phase input terminal. The second indication signal is represented as ANT_OC in FIG5 .

[0109] Optionally, the second voltage divider circuit 41 may include an eleventh resistor R11 and a twelfth resistor R12, with one end of the eleventh resistor R11 serving as the input of the second voltage divider circuit 41, the other end of the eleventh resistor R11 being coupled to one end of the twelfth resistor R12 and serving as the output of the second voltage divider circuit 41, and the other end of the twelfth resistor R12 being coupled to the ground terminal GND. A suitable threshold voltage, also referred to as an overcurrent point voltage, can be set by setting the resistance values ​​of the eleventh resistor R11 and the twelfth resistor R12.

[0110] In the antenna detection circuit, the second voltage divider circuit 41 in the overcurrent detection circuit 40 can divide the power supply voltage to generate a threshold voltage, and the third operational amplifier A3 can output a second indication signal indicating that the antenna has overcurrent by comparing the coupling point voltage of the antenna with the threshold voltage. That is, the overcurrent detection circuit 40 can determine whether the antenna is overcurrent by comparing the coupling point voltage of the antenna with the threshold voltage, thereby ensuring the accuracy of the antenna detection, while improving the safety and reliability of the equipment, and avoiding user safety risks caused by short circuits.

[0111] Furthermore, as shown in FIG4 , the antenna detection circuit may also include a short-circuit detection circuit 50, the input end of which is used to couple with the antenna. The short-circuit detection circuit 50 is used to detect the voltage at the coupling point of the antenna, and to divide and sample the voltage at the coupling point to output a third indication signal, which is used to indicate whether the antenna is in a short-circuit state (also referred to as whether the antenna is short-circuited). Exemplarily, when the third indication signal is low (or the voltage value corresponding to the third indication signal is 0), the third indication signal can be used to indicate that the antenna is in a short-circuit state; when the third indication signal is high (or the voltage value corresponding to the third indication signal is greater than 0), the third indication signal can be used to indicate that the antenna is not in a short-circuit state.

[0112] In one possible embodiment, as shown in FIG6 , the short-circuit detection circuit 50 may include: a third voltage divider circuit 51, a sampling resistor R16, and a second capacitor C2. The input end of the third voltage divider circuit 51 is coupled to the antenna, the output end of the third voltage divider circuit 51 is coupled to one end of the sampling resistor R16 and one end of the second capacitor C2, the other end of the sampling resistor R16 serves as the output end of the short-circuit detection circuit 50, and the other end of the second capacitor C2 is coupled to the ground terminal GND. In FIG6 , the third indication signal is represented as / ANT_ST.

[0113] Optionally, the third voltage divider circuit 51 may include a fourteenth resistor R14 and a fifteenth resistor R15, one end of the fourteenth resistor R14 serves as the input end of the third voltage divider circuit 51, the other end of the fourteenth resistor R14 is coupled to one end of the fifteenth resistor R15 and serves as the output end of the third voltage divider circuit 51, and the other end of the fifteenth resistor R15 is coupled to the ground end GND.

[0114] In the antenna detection circuit, the short-circuit detection circuit 50 is coupled to a voltage acquisition circuit and is used to acquire the voltage at the antenna's coupling point. When the antenna is short-circuited, the antenna's coupling point is grounded, and the short-circuit detection circuit 50 detects that the voltage at the antenna's coupling point is zero, resulting in the short-circuit detection circuit 50 outputting a low voltage. When the antenna is not short-circuited, the antenna's coupling point has a certain potential, and the short-circuit detection circuit 50 detects that the voltage at the antenna's coupling point is not zero, resulting in the short-circuit detection circuit 50 outputting a high voltage. In this way, by detecting whether the voltage at the antenna's coupling point is zero, the short-circuit detection circuit 50 can determine whether the antenna is short-circuited, thereby ensuring the accuracy of antenna detection, improving the safety and reliability of the device, and avoiding user safety risks caused by short circuits.

[0115] It can be understood that the structures of the in-position detection circuit 30, sampling circuit 31, first-stage operational amplifier circuit 32, second-stage operational amplifier circuit 33, overcurrent detection circuit 40 and short-circuit detection circuit 50 shown in the above embodiments are merely exemplary. The above circuits can also be implemented by circuits of other structures having the same or similar functions. The above examples do not constitute a limitation to the embodiments of the present application.

[0116] Furthermore, the controller 10 is further configured to receive an indication signal and control the switching circuit 20 to be turned on or off based on the indication information. The indication signal includes at least one of a first indication signal, a second indication signal, or a third indication signal. Thus, the controller 10 can control the switching circuit 20 to be turned on or off based on the received indication signal, i.e., generate a control signal based on the indication signal to control the switching circuit 20 to be turned on or off using the control signal. Furthermore, the controller 10 can also send feedback information to the back-end circuit to provide feedback on various antenna states, thereby facilitating protection of the back-end circuit.

[0117] In an embodiment of the present application, the controller 10 can receive a first indication signal for indicating whether the antenna is in place, a second indication signal for whether the antenna is overcurrent, and a third indication signal for whether the antenna is short-circuited, so that the controller 10 can control the switching circuit 20 to be turned on or off according to the received indication signal, such as disconnecting the switching circuit 20 when the antenna is short-circuited or overcurrent occurs, thereby improving the safety and reliability of the antenna and the terminal device applied to the antenna detection circuit.

[0118] Based on this, an embodiment of the present application further provides a terminal device, as shown in FIG7 , which includes a power supply and an antenna detection circuit. The power supply is used to provide a power supply voltage for the antenna detection circuit. The antenna detection circuit can be any of the antenna detection circuits provided above. Optionally, the terminal device can be a vehicle-mounted device.

[0119] In another aspect of the present application, a vehicle is further provided, which may include the vehicle-mounted device provided above. Optionally, the vehicle may be an autonomous vehicle with an on-board positioning function.

[0120] It can be understood that the detailed description of the antenna detection circuit above can be referred to in the corresponding embodiments of the terminal device and the vehicle, and the embodiments of the present application will not be repeated here.

[0121] FIG8 illustrates an antenna detection method provided in an embodiment of the present application. This method can be applied to the antenna detection circuit provided above. The antenna detection circuit includes a controller, a switch circuit, and a presence detection circuit coupled to the antenna. The antenna detection method may include the following steps.

[0122] S401: The controller controls the switching circuit to be turned on or off.

[0123] Illustratively, the controller can output a control signal that can be used to control the switching circuit to be on or off. For example, when the control signal is at a high level, the control signal can be used to control the switching circuit to be on; when the control signal is at a low level, the control signal can be used to control the switching circuit to be off. Optionally, the controller can be a microcontroller unit (MCU) or other device with control functionality in the terminal device.

[0124] S402: The switch circuit switches on or off the power supply voltage for supplying power to the presence detection circuit.

[0125] The switch circuit enables the power supply voltage that powers the presence detection circuit, which can also be referred to as the switch circuit enabling the connection between the presence detection circuit and the power supply. That is, when the switch circuit is in the enabled state, the power supply voltage can power the presence detection circuit after passing through the switch circuit. Similarly, the switch circuit disconnects the power supply voltage that powers the presence detection circuit, which can also be referred to as the switch circuit disconnecting the connection between the presence detection circuit and the power supply. That is, when the switch circuit is in the disconnected state, the power supply voltage is disconnected and no longer powers the presence detection circuit.

[0126] S403: The presence detection circuit receives the power supply voltage and detects the coupling point voltage of the antenna, performs two-stage comparison and amplification on the coupling point voltage according to the power supply voltage to output a first indication signal, where the first indication signal is used to indicate whether the antenna is in position.

[0127] Among them, performing two-stage comparison and amplification on the coupling point voltage may refer to comparing the coupling point voltage under different antenna states with different thresholds, and this is achieved through two-stage comparison and amplification. In addition, the antenna's in-place state includes two states: in-place and out-of-place. The antenna in-place may mean that the antenna connection is normal, and the antenna out-of-place may mean that the antenna connection is abnormal or disconnected. The first indication signal is used to indicate whether the antenna is in place. For example, when the first indication signal is at a low level, the first indication signal can be used to indicate that the antenna is in place; when the first indication signal is at a high level, the first indication signal can be used to indicate that the antenna is out of place.

[0128] In one possible embodiment, the presence detection circuit includes a sampling circuit, a first-stage operational amplifier circuit, and a second-stage operational amplifier circuit. Accordingly, the above-mentioned S403 may specifically include: the sampling circuit sampling the voltage at the coupling point of the antenna and generating a first comparison voltage based on the power supply voltage; the first-stage operational amplifier circuit comparing the coupling point voltage with the first comparison voltage and amplifying the comparison voltage to output a first amplified voltage; the second-stage operational amplifier circuit generating a second comparison voltage based on the power supply voltage, comparing the first amplified voltage with the second comparison voltage and amplifying the comparison voltage to output a first indication signal.

[0129] The above-mentioned presence detection circuit implements a current hysteresis comparison function, that is, it implements a current hysteresis comparison for the presence detection current. This allows the presence detection current to have a hysteresis range, which can improve the switching standard of the antenna's presence state, make the judgment result more accurate, and enhance safety. For example, the hysteresis range can be 4mA to 10mA. When the presence detection current increases from a small value to 10mA (>10mA), the presence detection circuit will determine that the antenna has switched from an absent state to an present state; when the presence detection current decreases from a large value to 4mA (<4mA), the presence detection circuit will determine that the antenna has switched from an absent state to an absent state.

[0130] In an embodiment of the present application, after the current generated by the antenna passes through the first resistor and the second resistor in the sampling circuit, the weak current signal collected is converted into a voltage signal (i.e., the coupling point voltage and the first comparison voltage), and the converted voltage signal is compared and amplified by the first-stage operational amplifier circuit. When the first-stage operational amplifier circuit outputs a high voltage, the transistor in the switching amplifier circuit is turned on, and the second-stage operational amplifier circuit outputs a low voltage. At this time, it can be determined that the antenna is in place; when the first-stage operational amplifier circuit outputs a low voltage, the transistor in the switching amplifier circuit is cut off, and the second-stage operational amplifier circuit outputs a high voltage. At this time, it can be determined that the antenna is not in place. In this way, by performing two-stage comparison and amplification on the detected coupling point voltage of the antenna, it is possible to determine whether the antenna is in place based on the comparison result, thereby ensuring the accuracy of the antenna detection and improving the safety of the device.

[0131] Furthermore, the antenna detection circuit also includes an overcurrent detection circuit, which is coupled to the antenna. Accordingly, the method further includes: the switching circuit switching the power supply voltage that powers the overcurrent detection circuit on or off; the overcurrent detection circuit receiving the power supply voltage and detecting the voltage at the antenna's coupling point, generating a threshold voltage based on the power supply voltage, and comparing the coupling point voltage with the threshold voltage to output a second indication signal, the second indication signal being used to indicate whether the antenna is in an overcurrent state. In this way, the overcurrent detection circuit can determine whether the antenna is overcurrent by comparing the antenna's coupling point voltage with the threshold voltage, thereby ensuring the accuracy of antenna detection, while also improving the safety and reliability of the device and avoiding user safety risks caused by short circuits.

[0132] Furthermore, the antenna detection circuit also includes a short-circuit detection circuit, which is coupled to the antenna. Accordingly, the method further includes: the short-circuit detection circuit detecting the voltage at the coupling point of the antenna, dividing and sampling the coupling point voltage to output a third indication signal, the third indication signal being used to indicate whether the antenna is in a short-circuit state. In this way, the short-circuit detection circuit can determine whether the antenna is short-circuited by detecting whether the voltage at the coupling point of the antenna is 0, thereby ensuring the accuracy of antenna detection, while also improving the safety and reliability of the device and avoiding user safety risks caused by short circuits.

[0133] In a possible embodiment, the controller controls the switching circuit to be turned on or off, including: the controller receives an indication signal and controls the switching circuit to be turned on or off according to the indication information, and the indication signal includes at least one of a first indication signal, a second indication signal or a third indication signal.

[0134] In an embodiment of the present application, the controller can receive a first indication signal for indicating whether the antenna is in place, a second indication signal for whether the antenna is overcurrent, and a third indication signal for whether the antenna is short-circuited, so that the controller can control the switching circuit to be turned on or off according to the received indication signal, such as disconnecting the switching circuit when the antenna is short-circuited or overcurrent occurs, thereby improving the safety and reliability of the antenna and the terminal device applied to the antenna detection circuit.

[0135] It can be understood that the detailed description of the antenna detection circuit above can be referred to in the corresponding embodiments of the antenna detection method, and the embodiments of the present application will not be repeated here.

[0136] Finally, it should be noted that the above description is merely a specific embodiment of this application, but the scope of protection of this application is not limited thereto. Any changes or substitutions within the technical scope disclosed in this application should be included in the scope of protection of this application. Therefore, the scope of protection of this application should be based on the scope of protection of the claims.

Claims

1. An antenna detection circuit, characterized in that: The antenna detection circuit comprises: a controller, a switch circuit and a presence detection circuit, wherein the output end of the controller is coupled to the control end of the switch circuit, the input end of the switch circuit is used to couple with a power supply, the output end of the switch circuit is coupled to the first input end of the presence detection circuit, and the second input end of the presence detection circuit is used to couple with the antenna; The controller is used to control the switching circuit to be turned on or off; The switch circuit is used to switch on or off the power supply voltage for supplying power to the presence detection circuit; The in-place detection circuit is used to receive the power supply voltage and detect the coupling point voltage of the antenna, and perform two-stage comparison and amplification on the coupling point voltage according to the power supply voltage to output a first indication signal, wherein the first indication signal is used to indicate whether the antenna is in place.

2. The antenna detection circuit according to claim 1, characterized in that: The in-situ detection circuit comprises: a sampling circuit, a first-stage operational amplifier circuit and a second-stage operational amplifier circuit; Among them, the first end of the sampling circuit is coupled to the first input end of the second-stage operational amplifier circuit and serves as the first input end of the presence detection circuit, the second end and the third end of the sampling circuit are respectively coupled to the first input end and the second input end of the first-stage operational amplifier circuit, the output end of the first-stage operational amplifier circuit is coupled to the second input end of the second-stage operational amplifier circuit, the output end of the second-stage operational amplifier circuit serves as the output end of the presence detection circuit, and the second end of the sampling circuit is also used to couple with the antenna.

3. The antenna detection circuit according to claim 2, characterized in that: The sampling circuit is used to sample the voltage at the coupling point of the antenna and generate a first comparison voltage according to the power supply voltage; The first-stage operational amplifier circuit is used to compare the coupling point voltage with the first comparison voltage and amplify it to output a first amplified voltage; The second-stage operational amplifier circuit is used to generate a second comparison voltage according to the power supply voltage, compare the first amplified voltage and the second comparison voltage and amplify them to output the first indication signal.

4. The antenna detection circuit according to claim 2 or 3, characterized in that: The sampling circuit includes: a first resistor and a second resistor, one end of the first resistor and one end of the second resistor are coupled as the first end of the sampling circuit, the other end of the first resistor is used as the second end of the sampling circuit, and the other end of the second resistor is used as the third end of the sampling circuit.

5. The antenna detection circuit according to any one of claims 2 to 4, characterized in that: The first-stage operational amplifier circuit includes: a first operational amplifier and a switching amplifier circuit; Among them, the first input terminal and the second input terminal of the first operational amplifier are respectively used as the first input terminal and the second input terminal of the first-stage operational amplifier circuit, the output terminal of the first operational amplifier is coupled to the control terminal of the switching amplifier circuit, the second input terminal of the first operational amplifier is coupled to the input terminal of the switching amplifier circuit, the power supply terminal of the first operational amplifier is used to receive the power supply voltage, and the output terminal of the switching amplifier circuit is used as the output terminal of the first-stage operational amplifier circuit.

6. The antenna detection circuit according to claim 5, characterized in that: The switch amplifier circuit comprises: a first transistor, a third resistor, a fourth resistor and a fifth resistor; The control electrode of the first transistor is coupled to the control end of the switching amplifier circuit through the third resistor, the control end of the first transistor is coupled to the ground end through the fourth resistor, the first electrode of the first transistor is coupled to the ground end through the fifth resistor, and the second electrode of the first transistor is coupled to the input end of the switching amplifier circuit.

7. The antenna detection circuit according to any one of claims 2 to 6, characterized in that: The second-stage operational amplifier circuit includes a first voltage divider circuit and an operational amplifier circuit; Among them, the input end of the first voltage divider circuit serves as the first input end of the second-stage operational amplifier circuit, the output end of the first voltage divider circuit is coupled to the first input end of the operational amplifier circuit, the second input end of the operational amplifier circuit serves as the second input end of the second-stage operational amplifier circuit, and the output end of the operational amplifier circuit serves as the output end of the second-stage operational amplifier circuit.

8. The antenna detection circuit according to claim 7, characterized in that: The first voltage divider circuit includes: a sixth resistor, a seventh resistor and an eighth resistor; One end of the sixth resistor serves as the input end of the first voltage divider circuit, the other end of the sixth resistor is coupled to one end of the seventh resistor and one end of the eighth resistor, the other end of the seventh resistor is coupled to the ground end, and the other end of the eighth resistor serves as the output end of the first voltage divider circuit.

9. The antenna detection circuit according to claim 7 or 8, characterized in that: The operational amplifier circuit includes a second operational amplifier, a ninth resistor and a tenth resistor; Among them, the first input terminal and the second input terminal of the second operational amplifier serve as the first input terminal and the second input terminal of the operational amplifier circuit respectively, one end of the ninth resistor is coupled to the first input terminal of the second operational amplifier, the output terminal of the second operational amplifier is coupled to the other end of the ninth resistor and one end of the tenth resistor, the other end of the tenth resistor serves as the output terminal of the operational amplifier circuit, and the power supply terminal of the second operational amplifier is used to receive the power supply voltage.

10. The antenna detection circuit according to any one of claims 1 to 9, characterized in that: The antenna detection circuit further includes: an overcurrent detection circuit, wherein an input end of the overcurrent detection circuit is used to couple with the antenna, and a power supply end of the overcurrent detection circuit is used to receive the power supply voltage; The switch circuit is further used to switch on or off the power supply voltage for supplying power to the overcurrent detection circuit; The overcurrent detection circuit is used to receive the power supply voltage and detect the coupling point voltage of the antenna, generate a threshold voltage according to the power supply voltage, and compare the coupling point voltage with the threshold voltage to output a second indication signal, wherein the second indication signal is used to indicate whether the antenna is in an overcurrent state.

11. The antenna detection circuit according to claim 10, characterized in that: The overcurrent detection circuit comprises: a third operational amplifier, a second voltage divider circuit, a current limiting resistor and a first capacitor; Among them, the input end of the second voltage divider circuit and the power supply end of the third operational amplifier are both used to receive the power supply voltage, the output end of the second voltage divider circuit is coupled to the first input end of the third operational amplifier, the second input end of the third operational amplifier is used to couple with the antenna and coupled with the ground end through the first capacitor, and the output end of the third operational amplifier is coupled with the output end of the overcurrent detection circuit through the current limiting resistor.

12. The antenna detection circuit according to any one of claims 1 to 11, characterized in that: The antenna detection circuit further includes: a short circuit detection circuit, wherein an input end of the short circuit detection circuit is used to couple with the antenna; The short-circuit detection circuit is used to detect the coupling point voltage of the antenna, and divide and sample the coupling point voltage to output a third indication signal, wherein the third indication signal is used to indicate whether the antenna is in a short-circuit state.

13. The antenna detection circuit according to claim 12, characterized in that: The short circuit detection circuit comprises: a third voltage divider circuit, a sampling resistor and a second capacitor; Among them, the input end of the third voltage divider circuit is used to couple with the antenna, the output end of the third voltage divider circuit is coupled with one end of the sampling resistor and one end of the second capacitor, the other end of the sampling resistor serves as the output end of the short-circuit detection circuit, and the other end of the second capacitor is coupled with the ground end.

14. The antenna detection circuit according to any one of claims 1 to 13, characterized in that: The controller is further used to receive an indication signal and control the switching circuit to be turned on or off according to the indication information, wherein the indication signal includes at least one of the first indication signal, the second indication signal or the third indication signal.

15. The antenna detection circuit according to any one of claims 1 to 14, characterized in that: The switch circuit includes: a second transistor, a third capacitor, and an RC circuit; Among them, the third capacitor is coupled between the control electrode and the first electrode of the second transistor, the RC circuit is coupled between the control electrode and the second electrode of the second transistor, the first electrode of the second transistor is also used to output the power supply voltage, the second electrode of the second transistor is also used to receive the power supply voltage, and the control end of the second transistor is also used to receive a control signal.

16. An antenna detection method, characterized in that: Applied in an antenna detection circuit, the antenna detection circuit includes: a controller, a switch circuit and a presence detection circuit, the presence detection circuit is used to couple with the antenna, and the method includes: The controller controls the switching circuit to be turned on or off; The switch circuit switches on or off the power supply voltage for supplying power to the presence detection circuit; The presence detection circuit receives the power supply voltage and detects the coupling point voltage of the antenna, performs two-stage comparison and amplification on the coupling point voltage according to the power supply voltage to output a first indication signal, wherein the first indication signal is used to indicate whether the antenna is in place.

17. The antenna detection method according to claim 16, characterized in that: The in-situ detection circuit comprises: a sampling circuit, a first-stage operational amplifier circuit and a second-stage operational amplifier circuit: The sampling circuit samples the voltage at the coupling point of the antenna and generates a first comparison voltage according to the power supply voltage; The first-stage operational amplifier circuit compares the coupling point voltage with the first comparison voltage and amplifies the voltage to output a first amplified voltage; The second-stage operational amplifier circuit generates a second comparison voltage according to the power supply voltage, compares and amplifies the first amplified voltage and the second comparison voltage to output the first indication signal.

18. The antenna detection method according to claim 16 or 17, characterized in that: The antenna detection circuit further includes an overcurrent detection circuit, and the overcurrent detection circuit is used to couple with the antenna. The method further includes: The switch circuit switches on or off the power supply voltage for supplying power to the overcurrent detection circuit; The overcurrent detection circuit receives the power supply voltage and detects the coupling point voltage of the antenna, generates a threshold voltage according to the power supply voltage, and compares the coupling point voltage with the threshold voltage to output a second indication signal, wherein the second indication signal is used to indicate whether the antenna is in an overcurrent state.

19. The antenna detection method according to any one of claims 16 to 18, characterized in that: The antenna detection circuit further includes a short circuit detection circuit, and the short circuit detection circuit is used to couple with the antenna. The method further includes: The short-circuit detection circuit detects the voltage at the coupling point of the antenna, and performs voltage division and sampling processing on the coupling point voltage to output a third indication signal, wherein the third indication signal is used to indicate whether the antenna is in a short-circuit state.

20. The antenna detection method according to any one of claims 16 to 19, characterized in that: The controller controls the switching circuit to be turned on or off, including: The controller receives an indication signal and controls the switching circuit to be turned on or off according to the indication information, wherein the indication signal includes at least one of the first indication signal, the second indication signal or the third indication signal.

21. A vehicle-mounted device, characterized in that: The vehicle-mounted device comprises a power supply and the antenna detection circuit according to any one of claims 1 to 15, wherein the power supply is used to provide a power supply voltage for the antenna detection circuit.

22. A vehicle, characterized in that: The vehicle includes the in-vehicle device according to claim 21.

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