CN115866427B

CN115866427B - Pulse data reading method, pulse data reading device, pulse data reading system, pulse data reading equipment and pulse data reading medium

Info

Publication number: CN115866427B
Application number: CN202310060235.9A
Authority: CN
Inventors: 韩润泽
Original assignee: Pulse Vision Beijing Technology Co ltd
Current assignee: Pulse Vision Beijing Technology Co ltd
Priority date: 2023-01-17
Filing date: 2023-01-17
Publication date: 2023-05-12
Anticipated expiration: 2043-01-17
Also published as: CN115866427A

Abstract

The embodiment of the disclosure discloses a pulse data reading method, a device, a system, equipment and a medium, according to a pixel area polling mode, one pixel area is sequentially determined from a pulse imaging array as a target pixel area, the pulse imaging array comprises m x n pixel units arranged in m rows and n columns, and the one pixel area comprises one of the following: p rows of pixel units, q columns of pixel units and p rows of q columns of pixel units, wherein the value of p is an integer which is more than 1 and not more than m, and the value of q is an integer which is more than 1 and not more than n; pulse data of each pixel unit in the target pixel area in a corresponding data frame reading period are obtained and output, so that the accuracy and the integrity of the pulse data can be effectively ensured, a pulse emission event in a shorter time interval can be detected, the detectable maximum light intensity is improved, and the dynamic range of the pulse sequence type image sensor is enlarged.

Description

Pulse data reading method, pulse data reading device, pulse data reading system, pulse data reading equipment and pulse data reading medium

Technical Field

The present disclosure relates to image sensing technology and pulse vision technology, and more particularly to a pulse data readout method and apparatus, system, device and medium.

Background

The pulse sequence type image sensor is a novel neuromorphic vision sensor, continuous light intensity information in a scene is recorded by issuing a high-density single-bit pulse sequence in an imaging mode of simulating retina in primate, capturing and recording of high-speed motion can be achieved, texture details in the scene can be reconstructed, and therefore the pulse sequence type image sensor has a high application value in the directions of machine vision, dynamic scene capturing and the like.

In the related art, an asynchronous reading mode triggered by a pulse emission event is adopted to read and output a pulse signal emitted in the existing pulse sequence type image sensor array, and the asynchronous reading mode can capture the pulse emission event in a very short time, but if the number of pulse emission times in the short time is too large, the phenomenon of losing the pulse emission event occurs in the process of outputting the pulse emission event outwards under the limit of a certain output bandwidth.

Disclosure of Invention

The embodiment of the disclosure provides a technical scheme for reading pulse signals.

In one aspect of the disclosed embodiments, there is provided a pulse data readout method including:

according to a pixel area polling mode, a pixel area is sequentially determined from the pulse imaging array and used as a target pixel area for reading pulse signals at the time; the pulse imaging array comprises m x n pixel units which are arranged in m rows and n columns, and the values of m and n are integers larger than 1 respectively; the one pixel region includes one of: p rows of pixel units, q columns of pixel units and p rows of q columns of pixel units, wherein the value of p is an integer which is more than 1 and not more than m, and the value of q is an integer which is more than 1 and not more than n;

And acquiring and outputting pulse data of each pixel unit in the target pixel area in a corresponding data frame reading period, wherein the pulse data is used for indicating whether the pixel unit generates a pulse signal or not.

In another aspect of the disclosed embodiments, there is provided a pulse data readout apparatus including:

the first determining unit is used for sequentially determining a pixel area from the pulse imaging array according to a pixel area polling mode, and the pixel area is used as a target pixel area for reading the pulse signal at the time; the pulse imaging array comprises m x n pixel units which are arranged in m rows and n columns, and the values of m and n are integers larger than 1 respectively; the one pixel region includes one of: p rows of pixel units, q columns of pixel units and p rows of q columns of pixel units, wherein the value of p is an integer which is more than 1 and not more than m, and the value of q is an integer which is more than 1 and not more than n;

and the acquisition unit is used for acquiring and outputting pulse data of each pixel unit in the target pixel area in a corresponding data frame reading period, wherein the pulse data is used for indicating whether the pixel unit generates a pulse signal or not.

In yet another aspect of embodiments of the present disclosure, a pulse data readout system is provided, comprising a pulse imaging array and a pulse data readout apparatus; wherein:

The pulse imaging array comprises m x n pixel units which are arranged in m rows and n columns, and the values of m and n are integers larger than 1 respectively;

each pixel unit in the pulse imaging array is respectively used for converting a received optical signal into an electric signal and accumulating the electric signal, and when the electric signal accumulation amount reaches a preset threshold value, generating a pulse signal and resetting the pulse signal so as to perform accumulation again;

the pulse data reading device is used for sequentially determining a pixel area from the pulse imaging array according to a pixel area polling mode, and the pixel area is used as a target pixel area for reading pulse signals at the time; the one pixel region includes one of: p rows of pixel units, q columns of pixel units and p rows of q columns of pixel units, wherein the value of p is an integer which is more than 1 and not more than m, and the value of q is an integer which is more than 1 and not more than n; and acquiring and outputting pulse data of each pixel unit in the target pixel area in a corresponding data frame reading period, wherein the pulse data is used for indicating whether the pixel unit generates a pulse signal or not.

In still another aspect of the embodiments of the present disclosure, an electronic device is provided, including a pulse data readout apparatus or a pulse data readout system according to any one of the embodiments of the present disclosure, and the pulse data readout apparatus or the pulse data readout system is controlled by executing an instruction to implement the pulse data readout method according to any one of the embodiments of the present disclosure.

In yet another aspect of embodiments of the present disclosure, a computer-readable storage medium having stored therein computer-executable instructions that, when executed, cause a computer to perform the pulse data readout method of any of the embodiments of the present disclosure is provided.

In yet another aspect of embodiments of the present disclosure, a computer program product is provided, comprising a computer program which, when executed by a processor, implements the pulse data readout method of any of the embodiments of the present disclosure.

According to the embodiment, according to a pixel area polling mode, a pixel area is sequentially determined from a pulse imaging array as a target pixel area of a pulse signal to be read, wherein one pixel area can comprise p rows of pixel units, q columns of pixel units or p rows and q columns of pixel units, pulse data of each pixel unit in the target pixel area in a corresponding data frame reading period are acquired and output, and therefore, the embodiment of the invention provides an implementation scheme for reading out the pulse data in a multi-row polling mode, or a multi-column polling mode, or a multi-row multi-column polling mode, and because only the pulse data of part of the pixel units in the pulse imaging array is read and output each time according to the polling mode, aiming at the situation that the pulse emission times are excessive in a short time, the phenomenon that the pulse data is lost in an external output process due to the limitation of output bandwidth can be avoided, and the accuracy and the integrity of the pulse data are effectively ensured; in addition, the embodiment of the disclosure adopts a mode of multi-line polling, multi-column polling, or multi-line multi-column polling to read out pulse data, and compared with a single-line polling mode, the pulse emission event in a shorter time interval can be detected, and the detectable maximum light intensity is improved, so that the dynamic range of the pulse sequence type image sensor is enlarged, and the light intensity information in a scene is more completely captured and recorded.

The technical scheme of the present disclosure is described in further detail below through the accompanying drawings and examples.

Drawings

The accompanying drawings, which are incorporated in and constitute a part of this specification, illustrate embodiments of the disclosure and together with the description, serve to explain the principles of the disclosure.

The disclosure may be more clearly understood from the following detailed description taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings in which:

FIG. 1 is a flow chart of one embodiment of a pulse data readout method of the present disclosure;

FIG. 2 is a diagram illustrating a distribution of read time intervals of pulse data of a pixel unit according to an embodiment of the disclosure;

FIG. 3 is a schematic diagram illustrating an implementation of sequentially acquiring pulse data of a row of pixel units in an embodiment of the disclosure;

FIG. 4 is a schematic diagram of an implementation of parallel acquisition of pulse data for multiple rows of pixel cells in an embodiment of the disclosure;

FIG. 5 is a flow chart of another embodiment of a pulse data readout method of the present disclosure;

FIG. 6 is a schematic diagram of alignment of pulse data in an embodiment of the present disclosure;

FIG. 7 is a schematic diagram of an embodiment of a pulse data read-out device of the present disclosure;

FIG. 8 is a schematic diagram of a pulse data read-out device according to another embodiment of the present disclosure;

FIG. 9 is a schematic diagram of a pulse data read-out device according to another embodiment of the present disclosure;

FIG. 10 is a schematic diagram of a pulse data readout system according to an embodiment of the present disclosure;

FIG. 11 is a schematic diagram of a pulse data readout system according to another embodiment of the present disclosure;

fig. 12 is a schematic structural diagram of an application embodiment of the electronic device of the present disclosure.

Detailed Description

Various exemplary embodiments of the present disclosure will now be described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings. It should be noted that: the relative arrangement of the components and steps, numerical expressions and numerical values set forth in these embodiments do not limit the scope of the present disclosure unless it is specifically stated otherwise.

It will be appreciated by those of skill in the art that the terms "first," "second," etc. in embodiments of the present disclosure are used merely to distinguish between different steps, devices or modules, etc., and do not represent any particular technical meaning nor necessarily logical order between them.

It should also be understood that in embodiments of the present disclosure, "plurality" may refer to two or more, and "at least one" may refer to one, two or more.

It should also be appreciated that any component, data, or structure referred to in the presently disclosed embodiments may be generally understood as one or more without explicit limitation or the contrary in the context.

In addition, the term "and/or" in this disclosure is merely an association relationship describing an association object, and indicates that three relationships may exist, for example, a and/or B may indicate: a exists alone, A and B exist together, and B exists alone. In addition, the character "/" in the present disclosure generally indicates that the front and rear association objects are an or relationship.

It should also be understood that the description of the various embodiments of the present disclosure emphasizes the differences between the various embodiments, and that the same or similar features may be referred to each other, and for brevity, will not be described in detail.

Meanwhile, it should be understood that the sizes of the respective parts shown in the drawings are not drawn in actual scale for convenience of description.

The following description of at least one exemplary embodiment is merely illustrative in nature and is in no way intended to limit the disclosure, its application, or uses.

Techniques, methods, and apparatus known to one of ordinary skill in the relevant art may not be discussed in detail, but are intended to be part of the specification where appropriate.

It should be noted that: like reference numerals and letters denote like items in the following figures, and thus once an item is defined in one figure, no further discussion thereof is necessary in subsequent figures.

Embodiments of the present disclosure may be applicable to electronic devices such as terminal devices, computer systems, servers, autopilot systems, etc., which may operate with numerous other general purpose or special purpose computing system environments or configurations. Examples of well known terminal devices, computing systems, environments, and/or configurations that may be suitable for use with the terminal device, computer system, server, or other electronic device include, but are not limited to: personal computer systems, server computer systems, thin clients, thick clients, hand-held or laptop devices, microprocessor-based systems, set-top boxes, programmable consumer electronics, network personal computers, small computer systems, mainframe computer systems, and distributed cloud computing technology environments that include any of the foregoing, and the like.

Electronic devices such as terminal devices, computer systems, servers, autopilot systems, etc. may be described in the general context of computer system-executable instructions, such as program modules, being executed by a computer system. Generally, program modules may include routines, programs, objects, components, logic, data structures, etc., that perform particular tasks or implement particular abstract data types. The computer system/server may be implemented in a distributed cloud computing environment in which tasks are performed by remote processing devices that are linked through a communications network. In a distributed cloud computing environment, program modules may be located in both local and remote computing system storage media including memory storage devices.

Fig. 1 is a flow chart of one embodiment of a pulse data readout method of the present disclosure. As shown in fig. 1, the pulse data readout method of the present embodiment includes:

102, determining a pixel area from the pulse imaging array in turn according to a pixel area polling mode, wherein the pixel area is used as a target pixel area for reading the pulse signal at the time.

The pulse imaging array comprises m x n pixel units which are arranged in m rows and n columns, and the values of m and n are integers larger than 1 respectively. One of the pixel regions may include any one of: the pixel array comprises p rows of pixel units, q columns of pixel units and p rows of q columns of pixel units, wherein the value of p is an integer which is more than 1 and not more than m, and the value of q is an integer which is more than 1 and not more than n.

104, acquiring and outputting pulse data of each pixel unit in the target pixel area in a corresponding data frame reading period.

The pulse data is used for indicating whether the pixel unit generates a pulse signal, wherein a binary symbol 1 can be used for indicating that the pixel unit generates the pulse signal in the data frame reading period, and a binary symbol 0 can be used for indicating that the pixel unit does not generate the pulse signal in the data frame reading period.

Thereafter, operation 102 is performed back to effect a polling readout of the pulse data for the pixel cells in the pulse imaging array.

In the embodiment of the disclosure, the size of the pixel area and/or the size of the data frame reading period may be determined according to any one or more of the detection requirement of the service scene, the size of the output bandwidth, the requirement of the detection light intensity dynamic range, and the like.

The embodiment of the disclosure provides an implementation scheme for reading pulse data in a multi-row polling mode, a multi-column polling mode or a multi-row multi-column polling mode, because only pulse data of part of pixel units in a pulse imaging array are read and output each time in the polling mode, aiming at the situation that the number of times of pulse emission is excessive in a short time, the phenomenon that the pulse data is lost in the process of outputting the pulse data outwards due to the limitation of output bandwidth can be avoided, and the accuracy and the integrity of the pulse data are effectively ensured; in addition, the embodiment of the disclosure adopts a mode of multi-line polling, multi-column polling, or multi-line multi-column polling to read out pulse data, and compared with a single-line polling mode, the pulse emission event in a shorter time interval can be detected, and the detectable maximum light intensity is improved, so that the dynamic range of the pulse sequence type image sensor is enlarged, and the light intensity information in a scene is more completely captured and recorded.

Optionally, in some implementations, the pulse data readout method of the embodiments of the disclosure further includes: each pixel unit in the pulse imaging array converts the received optical signals into electric signals and accumulates the electric signals, and when the accumulated amount of the electric signals (namely, the accumulated amount of the electric signals) reaches a preset threshold value, a pulse signal is generated and reset so as to perform accumulation again. Accordingly, in operation 104, whether each pixel unit in the target pixel area generates a pulse signal in the corresponding data frame period is acquired, and pulse data of each pixel unit in the corresponding data frame period is determined and output.

Based on the embodiment, each pixel unit in the pulse imaging array can continuously perform optical signal acquisition, photoelectric conversion and accumulation, generate a pulse signal when the electric signal accumulation amount reaches a preset threshold value, and simultaneously read out pulse data of each pixel unit in the target pixel area in parallel.

Alternatively, in some implementations, p rows of pixel cells may be determined from the pulse imaging array each time the one pixel region determined in operation 102 needs to include p rows of pixel cells, where at least two of the p rows are not adjacent in the pulse imaging array.

Alternatively, in some implementations, q columns of pixel cells may be determined from a pulse imaging array each time a pixel region determined in operation 102 needs to include q columns of pixel cells, wherein at least two of the q columns are not adjacent in the pulse imaging array.

Alternatively, in some implementations, where each pixel region determined in operation 102 needs to include p rows and q columns of pixel cells, p rows and q columns of corresponding pixel cells may be determined from the pulse imaging array, where at least two of the p rows are not adjacent in the pulse imaging array, and/or at least two of the q columns are not adjacent in the pulse imaging array.

In the embodiment of the present disclosure, specific rules for determining p rows of pixel units and q columns of pixel units or p rows and q columns of pixel units as target pixel areas at a time are not limited.

For example, taking the manner of two rows of pixel units being polled as an example, i.e., the value of p is 2, the row numbers of the pixel units of 2 rows each time determined as one pixel region can be expressed as i,

Wherein->

，/>

Can pass through

Determination of->

Representation->

The remainder after division by m. In the start state i=0, then the first 2 rows of pixel cells determined from the pulse imaging array are row 0 and +. >

Row pixel units, after the pulse data of the pixel units of the 2 rows are read out by the operation 104, i=i+1 is assigned, i.e. the value of i is increased by 1, and then the pulse data is read out by +.>

Determine->

And reads out the pulse data of the pixel units of the 2 rows by operation 104, and so on, the ith row and the +.th row are determined by polling in such a manner that i=i+1 is sequentially assigned>

The row pixel units serve as target pixel areas and perform pulse data readout. When i=m-1, i is set to 0, readout of the 0 th row and +.>

Pulse data of each row of pixels is read out reciprocally by the pulse data of each row of pixel units. In one specific implementation, let m=200, n=100, ++>

The numbers of the 2 rows read out by polling are respectively as follows: i=0, 0,5; i=1, 1,6; i=2, 2,7; …; i=13, 13, 18; …; i=199, 199,4; ….

Optionally, in some implementations, the determined adjacent row numbers in the p rows differ in order

、…、/>

Wherein->

、…、/>

The values of (2) are integers not less than 0, and +.>

、…、/>

The values of the two rows are different from each other, or are partially the same or are all the same, that is, the p rows are not adjacent to each other, or are partially adjacent to each other, or are sequentially adjacent to each other in the pulse imaging array, and in the p rows, when the row numbers are closest but not adjacent to each other or are partially not adjacent to each other in the pulse imaging array, the number of rows of the interval between the two rows with the closest row numbers may be the same, or are partially the same or are all different from each other, which is not limited by the embodiment of the disclosure. For example, in a specific implementation, when the value of p is 6, adjacent row numbers in the determined 6 rows may differ by 2, 4, 6, 8, and 16 in sequence, for example.

Optionally, in some implementations, the determined adjacent column numbers in the q columns differ in order

、…、/>

Wherein->

、…、/>

The values of (2) are integers not less than 0, and +.>

、…、/>

The values of the two columns are different from each other, or are partially the same or are all the same, that is, the q columns are not adjacent to each other, are partially adjacent to each other, or are sequentially adjacent to each other in the pulse imaging array, and when the column numbers are closest to each other but are not adjacent to each other or are partially not adjacent to each other in the pulse imaging array, the number of columns of the interval between the two columns with the closest column numbers may be the same, or are partially the same or are all different from each other, which is not limited by the embodiment of the disclosure. For example, in one implementation, when q has a value of 3, adjacent row numbers in the determined 3 rows may differ by 1, 2, and 3 in sequence, for example.

Assume that the time for reading pulse data of one row of pixel units (i.e., one data frame period) is

When p is 2, the pulse data of the pixel units of 2 rows are to be polled and read every time, so the required reading time for polling is +.>

. By->

For example, the pixel cells in a row, when i=0, +.>

The pulse data of the pixel cells in the row are read out once when

At the time->

The pulse data of the pixel cells in the row are read out again, again via +.>

After the time->

The pulse data of the pixel cells in the row are read out. Thus, read out->

The time intervals of the pulse data of the pixel units of a row are respectively +.>

And->

. FIG. 2 is a diagram showing the distribution of the read time intervals of pulse data for one pixel cell in an embodiment of the present disclosure, FIG. 2 shows the polling of pixel cells for 2 rows as an example, a pulse of the present disclosureThe readout time intervals of the pulse data of the imaging array are distributed.

Let m=1000 be the number,

，/>

the adjacent two readout time intervals of the pulse data of a single pixel unit are fixed, as in the single-line polling mode, to +.>

At this time, the light intensity of the electric signal preset threshold value accumulated within 10us can be detected at maximum. If the two-row pixel unit polling method in the embodiment of the present disclosure is adopted, under the condition that the output bandwidths are the same, the two readout time intervals of two adjacent single pixels are respectively

And->

That is, the intensity of light accumulated to a preset threshold of the electrical signal within a maximum detectable 200 ns. The maximum light intensity which can be detected is improved by 50 times according to a single-line polling mode, the weakest light intensity which can be detected is determined by dark current in the pixel units, and the single-line polling mode and the two-line pixel unit polling mode are the same, so that the dynamic range is obviously improved by adopting the two-line pixel unit polling mode of the embodiment of the invention, and particularly, the capturing and recording effects can be better for scenes with higher requirements on instantaneous light intensity detection such as explosion.

In the above example of the polling manner of two rows of pixel units, the readout time intervals of two adjacent pixels may be excessively different, the maximum light intensity detected in the readout time interval of 200ns is 50 times of the light intensity detected in the readout time interval of 19.8us, and the middle light intensity cannot be detected, so that the discontinuity between actually detected light intensities is larger.

While the differences between adjacent row numbers in p rows

、…、/>

When the values of (a) are different from each other or are partially identical, or the difference between adjacent column numbers in q columns ∈>

、…、/>

When the values of the pixels are different from each other or are partially the same, the readout time intervals of the single pixels in the whole process can be different, so that a certain dynamic range can be ensured.

In a specific implementation process, the value of the number p of rows of one pixel area in each poll and/or the difference value between the adjacent row numbers in p rows can be determined according to the requirement on the dynamic range

、…、/>

Or the number of columns q, and/or the difference between adjacent column numbers in q columns ∈>

、…、/>

And the embodiments of the present disclosure do not limit this.

Optionally, in some implementations, when the pixel area determined in operation 102 includes p rows of pixel units at a time, in operation 104, pulse data of one row of pixel units in the p rows of pixel units in a data frame reading period may be sequentially acquired and output, so that, by correspondingly acquiring and outputting pulse data of each row of pixel units in the p rows of pixel units in each data frame reading period, a time required for acquiring and outputting pulse data of the p rows of pixel units is p data frame reading periods.

Alternatively, in some implementations, when the pixel area determined in operation 102 includes q columns of pixel units at a time, in operation 104, pulse data of one column of pixel units in one data frame reading period of the q columns of pixel units is sequentially acquired and output, so that, by correspondingly acquiring and outputting pulse data of each row of pixel units in the q columns of pixel units through each data frame reading period, a time required for acquiring and outputting pulse data of the q columns of pixel units is q data frame reading periods.

Alternatively, in some implementations, when the pixel area determined in operation 102 includes p rows and q columns of pixel units at a time, in operation 104, pulse data of one row of pixel units or one column of pixel units in the p rows and q columns of pixel units in one data frame reading period is sequentially acquired and output, so that pulse data of each row or each column of pixel units in the p rows and q columns of pixel units is correspondingly acquired and output through each data frame reading period, and the time required for acquiring pulse data of the p rows and q columns of pixel units and outputting is correspondingly p or q data frame reading periods.

Fig. 3 is a schematic diagram of an implementation of sequentially acquiring pulse data of a row of pixel units in an embodiment of the disclosure. As shown in fig. 3, the pulse imaging array includes m×n pixel units arranged in m rows and n columns, each pixel unit converts a received optical signal into an electrical signal and accumulates the electrical signal, and when the accumulation amount of the electrical signal reaches a preset threshold value, generates a pulse signal and resets to perform accumulation again. After each determination of p rows of pixel units to be read, the pixel units of one row of the p rows of pulse data to be read out are sequentially gated in one data frame reading period by a controller, and then the pulse data of the pixel units in the gated row in the one data frame reading period are read by a data reading unit.

According to the embodiment, since the pulse data of the pixel units of one row or column are gated and read each time, one control unit and one data reading unit are arranged for the pulse imaging array, so that the circuit structure can be simplified, the circuit volume can be reduced, and the miniaturization of the circuit can be realized.

Optionally, in some implementations, when the pixel area determined in operation 102 includes p rows of pixel units at each time, in operation 104, pulse data of the corresponding row of pixel units in the p rows of pixel units in a data frame reading period may be obtained in parallel through p data reading units and output, that is, the number of the data reading units is the same as the number of rows of the pixel area determined in each time, each data reading unit in the p data reading units corresponds to one row of pixel units, so that, by the p data reading units, the pulse data of the p rows of pixel units can be read out in parallel in one data frame reading period, thereby improving the pulse data reading efficiency.

Alternatively, in some implementations, when the determined one pixel area in operation 102 includes P rows of pixel units, in operation 104, pulse data of P rows of pixel units in the P rows of pixel units in one data frame reading period may be sequentially obtained in parallel in the one data frame reading period by the P data reading units according to a polling manner of the P rows of pixel units, and output. The value of P is an integer greater than 1, the value of P is k times of the value of P, the value of k is an integer greater than 1, namely, the number of lines of a pixel area determined each time is k times of the number of data reading units, the P data reading units read pulse data of the P line pixel units in a mode of parallel reading in the same data frame reading period and carrying out k times of polling in k data frame reading periods, each data reading unit in the P data reading units respectively polls the k line pixel units in the P line pixel units in the k data frame reading periods, the P data reading units can read pulse data of the P line pixel units in the k data frame reading periods, and the pulse data reading efficiency can be improved under the condition that a circuit structure is saved by setting fewer data reading units.

Or, in some implementations, when each determined pixel area in operation 102 includes q columns of pixel units, in operation 104, pulse data of a corresponding column of pixel units in the q columns of pixel units in a data frame reading period may be obtained in parallel through q data reading units and output, that is, the number of the data reading units is the same as the number of columns of the pixel area determined each time, and each data reading unit in the q data reading units corresponds to one column of pixel units, so, by q data reading units, pulse data of the q columns of pixel units may be read out in parallel in one data frame reading period, thereby improving the pulse data reading efficiency.

Alternatively, in some implementations, when the determined one pixel area in operation 102 includes Q columns of pixel units, in operation 104, pulse data of Q columns of pixel units in the Q columns of pixel units in one data frame reading period may be sequentially acquired in parallel in the one data frame reading period by the Q data reading units according to the polling manner of the Q columns of pixel units, and output. The value of Q is an integer greater than 1, the value of Q is s times of the value of Q, the value of s is an integer greater than 1, namely, the number of columns of a pixel area determined each time is s times of the number of data reading units, the Q data reading units read pulse data of Q columns of pixel units in a mode of parallel reading in the same data frame reading period and carrying out s polling in s data frame reading periods, each data reading unit in the Q data reading units respectively polls s columns of pixel units in the Q columns of pixel units in s data frame reading periods, the Q data reading units can read pulse data of the Q columns of pixel units in s data frame reading periods, and the pulse data reading efficiency can be improved under the condition that fewer data reading units are arranged to save a circuit structure.

Or in some implementations, when one pixel area determined in operation 102 includes p rows and q columns of pixel units at a time, in operation 104, pulse data of the corresponding row of pixel units in the p rows and q columns of pixel units in a data frame reading period can be obtained in parallel through p data reading units and output, that is, the number of the data reading units is the same as the number of rows of the pixel area determined in each time, each data reading unit in the p data reading units corresponds to one row of pixel units, so that the pulse data of the p rows and q columns of pixel units can be read out in parallel in one data frame reading period through the p data reading units, thereby improving the pulse data reading efficiency.

Alternatively, in some implementations, when the determined one pixel area in operation 102 includes P rows and q columns of pixel units, in operation 104, pulse data of P rows and q columns of pixel units in one data frame reading period may be sequentially obtained in parallel in the one data frame reading period by the P data reading units according to a manner of polling the P rows and q columns of pixel units, and output. The value of P is an integer greater than 1, the value of P is k times of the value of P, the value of k is an integer greater than 1, namely, the number of lines of a pixel area determined each time is k times of the number of data reading units, the P data reading units read pulse data of the P rows and q columns of pixel units in a mode of parallel reading in the same data frame reading period and carrying out k times of polling in k data frame reading periods, each data reading unit in the P data reading units polls k rows of pixel units in the P rows and q columns of pixel units respectively in k data frame reading periods, the P data reading units can read the pulse data of the P rows and q columns of pixel units in k data frame reading periods, and the pulse data reading efficiency can be improved under the condition that a circuit structure is saved by setting fewer data reading units.

Or, in some implementations, when one pixel area determined in operation 102 includes p rows and q columns of pixel units at a time, in operation 104, pulse data of corresponding columns of pixel units in the p rows and q columns of pixel units in a data frame reading period can be obtained in parallel through q data reading units and output, that is, the number of the data reading units is the same as the number of columns of the pixel area determined in each time, each data reading unit in the q data reading units corresponds to one column of pixel units, so that, by q data reading units, the pulse data of the p rows and q columns of pixel units can be read in parallel in one data frame reading period, thereby improving the pulse data reading efficiency.

Alternatively, in some implementations, when the determined one pixel area in operation 102 includes p rows and Q columns of pixel units, in operation 104, pulse data of Q columns of pixel units in the p rows and Q columns of pixel units in one data frame reading period may be sequentially obtained in parallel in the one data frame reading period by Q data reading units according to a Q column of pixel unit polling manner, and output. The value of Q is an integer greater than 1, the value of Q is s times of the value of Q, the value of s is an integer greater than 1, namely the number of columns of a pixel area determined each time is s times of the number of data reading units, the Q data reading units read pulse data of the p rows and Q columns of pixel units in a mode of parallel reading in the same data frame reading period and carrying out s polling in s data frame reading periods, each data reading unit in the Q data reading units polls Q columns of pixel units in the p rows and Q columns of pixel units in s data frame reading periods respectively, the Q data reading units can read the pulse data of the p rows and Q columns of pixel units in s data frame reading periods, and the pulse data reading efficiency can be improved under the condition that a circuit structure is saved by setting fewer data reading units.

In the implementation shown in fig. 3, since one of the p rows of pulse data to be read needs to be sequentially gated and pulse data of pixel cells in the row in the one data frame read period is read, the readout speed of the pulse data is affected. Based on the present embodiment, a plurality of data reading units may be provided, a plurality of rows or a plurality of columns may be strobed at a time, and pulse data of pixel units of the strobed plurality of rows or columns may be read in parallel by the plurality of data reading units, so that the readout speed of the pulse data may be increased. Fig. 4 is a schematic diagram of an implementation of parallel acquisition of pulse data of a plurality of rows of pixel units in an embodiment of the disclosure. As shown in fig. 4, only an example in which 2 data reading units read pulse data of pixel units of 2 rows or columns of the strobe in parallel is exemplarily shown, a plurality of column lines are led out in each pixel unit, each row of pixel units is strobed by a controller, and pulse data of pixel units of a row strobed in parallel by 2 data reading units is outputted.

Fig. 5 is a flowchart of another embodiment of a pulse data readout method of the present disclosure. As shown in fig. 5, on the basis of any of the embodiments shown in fig. 1-4, after operation 104, the method may further include:

202, respectively aligning the output pulse data of each pixel unit to the corresponding pixel unit in the pulse imaging array so as to form a pulse data sequence of each pixel unit in the pulse imaging array.

Fig. 6 is a schematic diagram of alignment of pulse data in an embodiment of the present disclosure. In fig. 6, for example, the pulse data of the pixel units of 2 rows are read out every polling, and the pulse data of the pixel units of each row alternately appears because the pulse data of the pixel units of 2 rows are read out every time. In combination with the above example, the pulse data of the pixel cell of row 0 is read out once at the 1 st polling, at the 1 st

Is read again at the time of polling, in which case the first half pulse data (corresponding to row 0) read at the time of polling 1 can be read with +.>

The second half (corresponding to row 0) of the pulse data read out at the time of polling is aligned to row 0.

Based on the embodiment, the output pulse data of each pixel unit is aligned to the corresponding pixel unit in the pulse imaging array, so that the pulse data sequence of each pixel unit in the pulse imaging array can be obtained, so as to be used for subsequent image reconstruction, target detection and other applications.

Additionally, referring back to fig. 5, in a further embodiment, after forming the pulse data sequence for each pixel cell in the pulse imaging array by operation 202, it may further comprise:

204, respectively taking each pixel unit in the pulse imaging array as a target pixel unit, and acquiring the time interval between two adjacent pulse data used for representing the generation of pulse signals by the pixel units in the pulse data sequence of the target pixel unit.

As described above, in the embodiments of the present disclosure, the readout time interval of a single pixel unit may be different or not identical throughout the polling process, and in a specific implementation, assuming that the pulse data generating the pulse signal is represented by a binary symbol 1, in this operation 204, the time interval between two adjacent pulse data 1 of the pixel unit may be acquired.

And 206, determining the light intensity value of the target pixel unit in the time interval based on the time interval.

Since the readout time interval of a single pixel unit in the whole polling process may be different or not completely the same, in determining, for each pixel unit, the light intensity value of the pixel unit in the time interval, in some implementations, according to the pulse data sequence of the pixel unit and the dynamic variation rule thereof, the time interval between two adjacent pulse data (i.e. two adjacent 1 s) used for representing that the pixel unit generates a pulse signal may be converted into a base time interval (for example, the duration of a data frame reading period or the minimum time interval between two adjacent 1 s in a pulse data sequence corresponding to the whole pulse imaging array), for example, for each pulse data in the pulse data sequence of one pixel unit, according to the pulse data of five last times before the pulse data, if the pulse data of five last times is 1, the time interval between the pulse data 1 and the last pulse data 1 before the last time may be converted into the base time interval, and then the ratio between 1 and the base time interval is obtained as the light intensity value of the pixel unit in the time interval; alternatively, the light intensity value of the pixel unit in the time interval may be obtained by g=1×gmax/t, where G represents the light intensity value, gmax represents the light intensity value corresponding to the minimum time interval between two adjacent 1 in the pulse data sequence of the pixel unit, and t represents the duration of the basic time interval.

Or in other implementations, for each pixel unit, according to a readout time interval distribution sequence determined based on a window sliding manner (including r continuous readout time intervals determined in a window sliding manner, where r is an integer greater than 2), if pulse data in a pulse data sequence corresponding to the readout time interval distribution sequence are all 1, which indicates that an optical signal in a period corresponding to the readout time interval distribution sequence is always in a strongest state, when the readout time intervals in the readout time interval distribution sequence are not identical or not completely identical, a shortest readout time interval in the readout time interval distribution sequence may be used as another readout time interval in the readout time interval distribution sequence, and then a ratio between 1 and the shortest readout time interval is obtained as a light intensity value of the pixel unit in other readout time intervals; or the light intensity value corresponding to the shortest reading time interval is directly used as the light intensity value of the pixel unit in other reading time intervals.

And 208, performing image reconstruction based on the light intensity values in each time interval of each pixel unit in the pulse imaging array to obtain a reconstructed image sequence, wherein the reconstructed image sequence comprises a plurality of frames of reconstructed images based on a time sequence relation.

The gray value of each pixel in the reconstructed image is the light intensity value of the corresponding pixel unit.

Alternatively, in some of these implementations, image reconstruction may be performed, for example, by a pulse reconstruction algorithm (TFI) based on the inter-peak potential spacing (ISI), a pulse reconstruction algorithm (TFP) based on fixed window sliding, a pulse reconstruction algorithm based on convolutional neural networks (convolutional neural network, CNN), or the like. The embodiments of the present disclosure are not limited to the pulse reconstruction algorithm employed.

In the embodiment of the disclosure, since the readout time intervals of the single pixel units in the whole polling process may be different or not identical, the light intensity values of each pixel unit in the time interval can be determined for different time intervals and pulse data sequences, so that image reconstruction is performed.

Additionally, referring back to fig. 5, in a further embodiment, after obtaining the reconstructed image sequence through operation 208, it may further include:

and 210, performing target detection based on the reconstructed image sequence to obtain a target detection result.

Optionally, in some implementations, the target detection may be performed based on the gray values in the reconstructed image sequence and the distribution rules thereof, or the reconstructed image sequence may be performed by using a CNN obtained by training in advance, where the CNN may be obtained by training in advance based on a sample image sequence including the target to be detected.

Based on the present embodiment, target detection can be achieved for a reconstructed image sequence.

Alternatively, in yet another embodiment of the pulse data readout method of the present disclosure, after forming the pulse data sequence of each pixel unit in the pulse imaging array by operation 202, it may further include:

and performing target detection by utilizing a pulse neural network (SNN) obtained by training in advance based on a pulse data sequence of each pixel unit in the pulse imaging array to obtain a target detection result, wherein the SNN can be obtained by training in advance based on a sample pulse data sequence comprising a target to be detected.

Based on the embodiment, the target detection can be directly performed based on the pulse data sequence of the pulse imaging array without image reconstruction, so that the calculation resources are saved, and the target detection efficiency is improved.

Fig. 7 is a schematic diagram of a pulse data readout apparatus according to an embodiment of the present disclosure. The pulse data readout apparatus according to the embodiments of the present disclosure may be used to implement the above-described pulse data readout method embodiments of the present disclosure. As shown in fig. 7, the pulse data readout apparatus of this embodiment includes a first determination unit 302 and an acquisition unit 304. Wherein:

the first determining unit 302 is configured to sequentially determine, according to a pixel area polling manner, a pixel area from the pulse imaging array, as a target pixel area for which the pulse signal is to be read this time. The pulse imaging array comprises m x n pixel units which are arranged in m rows and n columns, and the values of m and n are integers larger than 1 respectively; a pixel region may include any one of: the pixel array comprises p rows of pixel units, q columns of pixel units and p rows of q columns of pixel units, wherein the value of p is an integer which is more than 1 and not more than m, and the value of q is an integer which is more than 1 and not more than n.

And an acquisition unit 304, configured to acquire and output pulse data of each pixel unit in the target pixel area in a corresponding data frame reading period, where the pulse data is used to indicate whether the pixel unit generates a pulse signal.

Optionally, in some implementations, the acquiring unit 304 is specifically configured to acquire whether each pixel unit in the target pixel area generates a pulse signal in the current data frame period, determine pulse data in the current data frame period, and output the pulse data.

Optionally, in some implementations, the first determining unit 302 is specifically configured to:

when the pixel area comprises p rows of pixel units, determining p rows of pixel units from the pulse imaging array in turn according to a pixel area polling mode, wherein at least two rows of the p rows are not adjacent in the pulse imaging array; or alternatively, the process may be performed,

when the pixel area comprises q columns of pixel units, sequentially determining q columns of pixel units from the pulse imaging array in a pixel area polling mode, wherein at least two columns of the q columns are not adjacent in the pulse imaging array; or alternatively, the process may be performed,

when the pixel area comprises p rows and q columns of pixel units, the pixel units corresponding to the p rows and the q columns are sequentially determined from the pulse imaging array according to a pixel area polling mode, wherein at least two rows of the p rows are not adjacent in the pulse imaging array, and/or at least two columns of the q columns are not adjacent in the pulse imaging array.

Optionally, in some implementations, adjacent row numbers in the p rows differ in order from each other

、…、

Wherein->

、…、/>

Different from each other, or partially identical or all identical. Alternatively, adjacent column numbers in the q columns are sequentially different from each other by +.>

、…、/>

Wherein->

、…、/>

Different from each other, or partially identical or all identical.

Fig. 8 is a schematic structural view of another embodiment of a pulse data readout apparatus of the present disclosure. As shown in fig. 8, the acquisition unit 304 specifically includes one data reading unit 3042 on the basis of the embodiment shown in fig. 7 described above. The pulse data readout apparatus further comprises a control unit 402 for: when the one pixel region includes p rows of pixel units, the control data reading unit 3042 sequentially obtains and outputs pulse data of one row of pixel units in the p rows of pixel units in one data frame reading period; or when the pixel region includes q columns of pixel units, the control data reading unit 3042 sequentially obtains and outputs pulse data of one column of pixel units in the q columns of pixel units in a data frame reading period; or, when the one pixel area includes p rows and q columns of pixel units, the control data reading unit 3042 sequentially obtains and outputs pulse data of one row of pixel units or one column of pixel units in the p rows and q columns of pixel units in one data frame reading period.

Fig. 9 is a schematic structural view of a further embodiment of the pulse data readout apparatus of the present disclosure. As shown in fig. 9, the pulse data readout apparatus of this embodiment further includes a control unit 402 on the basis of the embodiment shown in fig. 7 described above.

In some implementations, the one pixel region includes p rows of pixel units, and the acquisition unit 304 includes p data reading units 3044. And a control unit 402, configured to control the p data reading units 3044 to obtain, in parallel, pulse data of a corresponding row of pixel units in the p rows of pixel units in a data frame reading period, and output the pulse data, wherein each data reading unit 3044 in the p data reading units 3044 corresponds to a row of pixel units.

Alternatively, in some implementations, the pixel area includes P rows of pixel units, the acquiring unit 304 includes P data reading units 3044, where P has a value of an integer greater than 1, and P has a value of k times the value of P, and k is an integer greater than 1. The control unit 402 is configured to control the P data reading units 3044 to sequentially obtain, in parallel, pulse data of P rows of pixel units in the P rows of pixel units in one data frame reading period according to a polling manner of the P rows of pixel units, and output the pulse data, wherein each data reading unit 3044 in the P data reading units 3044 polls k rows of pixel units in the P rows of pixel units in k data frame reading periods.

Alternatively, in some implementations, the one pixel region includes q columns of pixel units, and the acquisition unit 304 includes q data reading units 3044. And a control unit 402, configured to control q data reading units 3044 to obtain, in parallel, pulse data of a corresponding column of pixel units in the q columns of pixel units in a data frame reading period, and output the pulse data, wherein each data reading unit 3044 in the q data reading units 3044 corresponds to a column of pixel units.

Alternatively, in some implementations, the pixel area includes Q columns of pixel units, the acquiring unit 304 includes Q data reading units 3044, where Q has a value of an integer greater than 1, Q has a value s times the value of Q, and s is an integer greater than 1. And a control unit 402, configured to control the Q data reading units 3044 to sequentially obtain, in parallel, pulse data of Q column pixel units in the Q column pixel units in one data frame reading period according to a polling manner of the Q column pixel units, and output the pulse data, wherein each data reading unit 3044 in the Q data reading units 3044 polls s column pixel units in the Q column pixel units in s data frame reading periods.

Alternatively, in some implementations, the one pixel region includes p rows and q columns of pixel units, and the acquisition unit 304 includes p data reading units 3044. And a control unit 402, configured to control the p data reading units 3044 to obtain, in parallel, pulse data of a corresponding row of pixel units in the p rows and q columns of pixel units in a data frame reading period, and output the pulse data, wherein each data reading unit 3044 in the p data reading units 3044 corresponds to a row of pixel units.

Alternatively, in some implementations, the pixel area includes P rows and q columns of pixel units, the acquiring unit 304 includes P data reading units 3044, where P has a value of an integer greater than 1, P has a value of k times the value of P, and k is an integer greater than 1. The control unit 402 is configured to control the P data reading units 3044 to sequentially obtain, in parallel, pulse data of P rows and q columns of pixel units in one data frame reading period according to a polling manner of the P rows and q columns of pixel units, and output the pulse data, wherein each data reading unit 3044 in the P data reading units 3044 polls k rows of pixel units in the P rows and q columns of pixel units in the k data frame reading periods.

Alternatively, in some implementations, the one pixel region includes p rows and q columns of pixel units, and the acquisition unit 304 includes q data reading units 3044. And a control unit 402, configured to control q data reading units 3044 to obtain, in parallel, pulse data of a corresponding column of pixel units in the p rows and q columns of pixel units in a data frame reading period, and output the pulse data, wherein each data reading unit 3044 in the q data reading units 3044 corresponds to a column of pixel units.

Alternatively, in some implementations, the pixel area includes p rows and Q columns of pixel units, the acquiring unit 304 includes Q data reading units 3044, where Q has a value of an integer greater than 1, Q has a value s times the value of Q, and s is an integer greater than 1. And a control unit 402, configured to control the Q data reading units 3044 to sequentially obtain, in parallel, pulse data of Q column pixel units in the p rows and Q column pixel units in one data frame reading period according to a polling manner of Q column pixel units, and output the pulse data, wherein each data reading unit 3044 in the Q data reading units 3044 polls column pixel units in the p rows and Q column pixel units in each data frame reading period.

Fig. 10 is a schematic diagram of a pulse data readout system according to an embodiment of the present disclosure. The pulse data readout system of the embodiments of the present disclosure may be used to implement the above-described pulse data readout method embodiments of the present disclosure. As shown in fig. 10, the pulse data readout system of this embodiment includes a pulse imaging array 502 and a pulse data readout apparatus 504. Wherein:

the pulse imaging array 502 includes m×n pixel units arranged in m rows and n columns, where the values of m and n are integers greater than 1.

Each pixel unit in the pulse imaging array 502 is configured to convert and accumulate a received optical signal into an electrical signal, and when the accumulated electrical signal reaches a preset threshold, generate a pulse signal and reset to perform accumulation again.

A pulse data readout device 504, configured to sequentially determine a pixel area from the pulse imaging array 502 according to a pixel area polling manner, as a target pixel area for which a pulse signal is to be read this time; one pixel region includes any one of the following: p rows of pixel units, q columns of pixel units and p rows of q columns of pixel units, wherein the value of p is an integer which is more than 1 and not more than m, and the value of q is an integer which is more than 1 and not more than n; and acquiring and outputting pulse data of each pixel unit in the target pixel area in a corresponding data frame reading period, wherein the pulse data is used for indicating whether the pixel unit generates a pulse signal or not.

The pulse data readout apparatus 504 in the embodiments of the present disclosure may be implemented by the structure described in any of the embodiments of fig. 7 to 9 of the present disclosure, which is not described herein.

Fig. 11 is a schematic structural diagram of another embodiment of a pulse data readout system of the present disclosure. As shown in fig. 11, on the basis of the embodiment shown in fig. 10, the pulse data readout system of this embodiment further includes an alignment unit 506 for aligning the output pulse data of each pixel unit to a corresponding pixel unit in the pulse imaging array 502, so as to form a pulse data sequence of each pixel unit in the pulse imaging array 502.

In addition, referring back to fig. 11, in still another embodiment of the pulse data readout system, it may further include: a judging unit 508, a second determining unit 510 and an image reconstructing unit 512. The determining unit 508 is configured to obtain, with each pixel unit in the pulse imaging array 502 as a target pixel unit, a time interval between two adjacent pulse data in the pulse data sequence of the target pixel unit, where the two adjacent pulse data are used to represent that the pixel unit generates a pulse signal. A second determining unit 510 for determining the light intensity value of the target pixel unit within the time interval based on the time interval. An image reconstruction unit 512, configured to reconstruct an image based on the light intensity values of each pixel unit in the pulse imaging array 512 within the time interval, to obtain a reconstructed image sequence.

In addition, referring back to fig. 11, in still another embodiment of the pulse data readout system, it may further include: a first object detection unit 514 for object detection based on the reconstructed image sequence.

Alternatively, in yet another embodiment of the pulse data readout system, a second target detection unit 516 may be further included for performing target detection using a pre-trained pulse neural network based on the pulse data sequence of each pixel unit in the pulse imaging array 502.

In addition, the embodiment of the disclosure further provides an electronic device, which includes the pulse data readout device or the pulse data readout system according to any one of the embodiments of the disclosure, and the timing signal processing device is controlled by executing an instruction to implement the pulse data readout method according to any one of the embodiments of the disclosure.

Optionally, in some possible implementations, the electronic device may include, for example, but is not limited to, any one of the following: pulse cameras, high-speed cameras, vision cameras, audio players, video players, navigation devices, fixed position terminals, entertainment units, smartphones, communication devices, mobile devices, devices in motor vehicles, vehicle cameras, cell phone cameras, sports or wearable cameras, traffic cameras, industrial detection cameras, cameras mounted on flyable objects, medical cameras, security cameras, or household appliance cameras, and the like.

Next, an electronic device according to an embodiment of the present disclosure is described with reference to fig. 12. The electronic device may be either or both of the first device and the second device, or a stand-alone device independent thereof, which may communicate with the first device and the second device to receive the acquired input signals therefrom.

Fig. 12 is a schematic structural diagram of an application embodiment of the electronic device of the present disclosure. As shown in fig. 12, the electronic device includes one or more processors 602 and memory 604.

The processor 602 may be a Central Processing Unit (CPU) or other form of processing unit having data processing and/or instruction execution capabilities, and may control other components in the electronic device to perform desired functions.

The memory 604 may store one or more computer program products, and the memory 604 may include various forms of computer-readable storage media, such as volatile memory and/or non-volatile memory. The volatile memory may include, for example, random Access Memory (RAM) and/or cache memory (cache), and the like. The non-volatile memory may include, for example, read Only Memory (ROM), hard disk, flash memory, and the like. One or more computer program products may be stored on the computer readable storage medium that can be run by the processor 602 to implement the pulse data readout methods and/or other desired functions of the various embodiments of the present disclosure described above.

In one example, the electronic device may further include: input device 606 and output device 608, which are interconnected by a bus system and/or other forms of connection mechanisms (not shown).

In addition, the input device 606 may include, for example, a keyboard, a mouse, and the like.

The output device 608 may output various information to the outside, including the determined distance information, direction information, and the like. The output device 608 may include, for example, a display, speakers, a printer, and a communication network and remote output devices connected thereto, etc.

Of course, only some of the components of the electronic device relevant to the present disclosure are shown in fig. 12, components such as buses, input/output interfaces, and the like are omitted for simplicity. In addition, the electronic device may include any other suitable components depending on the particular application.

In addition to the methods and apparatus described above, embodiments of the present disclosure may also be a computer program product comprising computer program instructions which, when executed by a processor, cause the processor to perform the steps in a pulse data readout method according to various embodiments of the present disclosure described in the above section of the present description.

The computer program product may write program code for performing the operations of embodiments of the present disclosure in any combination of one or more programming languages, including an object oriented programming language such as Java, C++ or the like and conventional procedural programming languages, such as the "C" programming language or similar programming languages. The program code may execute entirely on the user's computing device, partly on the user's device, as a stand-alone software package, partly on the user's computing device, partly on a remote computing device, or entirely on the remote computing device or server.

Furthermore, embodiments of the present disclosure may also be a computer-readable storage medium, having stored thereon computer program instructions, which when executed by a processor, cause the processor to perform the steps in the pulse data readout method according to the various embodiments of the present disclosure described in the above section of the present description.

The computer readable storage medium may employ any combination of one or more readable media. The readable medium may be a readable signal medium or a readable storage medium. The readable storage medium may include, for example, but is not limited to, an electronic, magnetic, optical, electromagnetic, infrared, or semiconductor system, apparatus, or device, or a combination of any of the foregoing. More specific examples (a non-exhaustive list) of the readable storage medium would include the following: an electrical connection having one or more wires, a portable disk, a hard disk, random Access Memory (RAM), read-only memory (ROM), erasable programmable read-only memory (EPROM or flash memory), optical fiber, portable compact disk read-only memory (CD-ROM), an optical storage device, a magnetic storage device, or any suitable combination of the foregoing.

The basic principles of the present disclosure have been described above in connection with specific embodiments, however, it should be noted that the advantages, benefits, effects, etc. mentioned in the present disclosure are merely examples and not limiting, and these advantages, benefits, effects, etc. are not to be considered as necessarily possessed by the various embodiments of the present disclosure. Furthermore, the specific details disclosed herein are for purposes of illustration and understanding only, and are not intended to be limiting, since the disclosure is not necessarily limited to practice with the specific details described.

In this specification, each embodiment is described in a progressive manner, and each embodiment is mainly described in a different manner from other embodiments, so that the same or similar parts between the embodiments are mutually referred to. For system embodiments, the description is relatively simple as it essentially corresponds to method embodiments, and reference should be made to the description of method embodiments for relevant points.

The block diagrams of the devices, apparatuses, devices, systems referred to in this disclosure are merely illustrative examples and are not intended to require or imply that the connections, arrangements, configurations must be made in the manner shown in the block diagrams. As will be appreciated by one of skill in the art, the devices, apparatuses, devices, systems may be connected, arranged, configured in any manner. Words such as "including," "comprising," "having," and the like are words of openness and mean "including but not limited to," and are used interchangeably therewith. The terms "or" and "as used herein refer to and are used interchangeably with the term" and/or "unless the context clearly indicates otherwise. The term "such as" as used herein refers to, and is used interchangeably with, the phrase "such as, but not limited to.

The methods and apparatus of the present disclosure may be implemented in a number of ways. For example, the methods and apparatus of the present disclosure may be implemented by software, hardware, firmware, or any combination of software, hardware, firmware. The above-described sequence of steps for the method is for illustration only, and the steps of the method of the present disclosure are not limited to the sequence specifically described above unless specifically stated otherwise. Furthermore, in some embodiments, the present disclosure may also be implemented as programs recorded in a recording medium, the programs including machine-readable instructions for implementing the methods according to the present disclosure. Thus, the present disclosure also covers a recording medium storing a program for executing the method according to the present disclosure.

It is also noted that in the apparatus, devices and methods of the present disclosure, components or steps may be disassembled and/or assembled. Such decomposition and/or recombination should be considered equivalent to the present disclosure.

The previous description of the disclosed aspects is provided to enable any person skilled in the art to make or use the present disclosure. Various modifications to these aspects will be readily apparent to those skilled in the art, and the generic principles defined herein may be applied to other aspects without departing from the scope of the disclosure. Thus, the present disclosure is not intended to be limited to the aspects shown herein but is to be accorded the widest scope consistent with the principles and novel features disclosed herein.

The foregoing description has been presented for purposes of illustration and description. Furthermore, this description is not intended to limit the embodiments of the disclosure to the form disclosed herein. Although a number of example aspects and embodiments have been discussed above, a person of ordinary skill in the art will recognize certain variations, modifications, alterations, additions, and subcombinations thereof.

Claims

1. A pulse data reading method, comprising:

acquiring and outputting pulse data of each pixel unit in the target pixel area in a corresponding data frame reading period, wherein the pulse data is used for indicating whether the pixel unit generates a pulse signal or not;

the method comprises the steps of acquiring pulse data of each pixel unit in the target pixel area in a corresponding data frame reading period and outputting the pulse data, wherein the pulse data comprises one of the following steps:

When the pixel area comprises p rows of pixel units, pulse data of one row of pixel units in the p rows of pixel units in a data frame reading period are sequentially acquired and output;

when the pixel area comprises p rows of pixel units, pulse data of the corresponding row of pixel units in the p rows of pixel units in a data frame reading period are obtained in parallel through p data reading units and output, wherein each data reading unit in the p data reading units corresponds to one row of pixel units respectively;

when the pixel area comprises P rows of pixel units, pulse data of the P rows of pixel units in a data frame reading period are sequentially obtained in parallel and output in the data frame reading period in a P row of pixel unit polling mode, wherein the value of P is an integer greater than 1, the value of P is k times of the value of P, the value of k is an integer greater than 1, and each data reading unit in the P rows of pixel units polls k rows of pixel units in the P rows of pixel units in the k data frame reading period respectively;

when the pixel area comprises q columns of pixel units, pulse data of one column of pixel units in the q columns of pixel units in a data frame reading period are sequentially acquired and output;

When the pixel area comprises q columns of pixel units, pulse data of the corresponding column of pixel units in the q columns of pixel units in a data frame reading period are obtained in parallel through q data reading units and output, wherein each data reading unit in the q data reading units corresponds to one column of pixel units;

when the pixel area comprises Q columns of pixel units, pulse data of the Q columns of pixel units in the one data frame reading period are sequentially obtained in parallel and output in the one data frame reading period through the Q data reading units according to a polling mode of the Q columns of pixel units, wherein the value of Q is an integer greater than 1, the value of Q is s times of the value of Q, the value of s is an integer greater than 1, and each data reading unit in the Q data reading units polls the s columns of pixel units in the Q columns of pixel units respectively through s data frame reading periods;

when the pixel area comprises p rows and q columns of pixel units, pulse data of one row of pixel units or one column of pixel units in the p rows and q columns of pixel units in a data frame reading period are sequentially acquired and output;

When the pixel area comprises p rows and q columns of pixel units, pulse data of the corresponding row of pixel units in the p rows and q columns of pixel units in a data frame reading period are obtained in parallel through p data reading units and output, wherein each data reading unit in the p data reading units corresponds to one row of pixel units respectively;

when the pixel area comprises P rows and q columns of pixel units, pulse data of the P rows and q columns of pixel units in one data frame reading period are sequentially obtained in parallel through the P data reading units in a polling mode of the P rows and q columns of pixel units and output, wherein the value of P is an integer greater than 1, the value of P is k times of the value of P, the value of k is an integer greater than 1, and each data reading unit in the P data reading units polls k rows of pixel units in the P rows and q columns of pixel units in each data frame reading period;

when the pixel area comprises p rows and q columns of pixel units, pulse data of corresponding columns of pixel units in the p rows and q columns of pixel units in a data frame reading period are obtained in parallel through q data reading units and output, wherein each data reading unit in the q data reading units corresponds to one column of pixel unit respectively;

When the pixel area comprises p rows and Q columns of pixel units, pulse data of the Q columns of pixel units in the p rows and the Q columns of pixel units in one data frame reading period are sequentially obtained in parallel and output through the Q data reading units according to a polling mode of the Q columns of pixel units, wherein the value of Q is an integer greater than 1, the value of Q is s times of the value of Q, the value of s is an integer greater than 1, and each data reading unit in the Q data reading units polls the s columns of pixel units in the p rows and the Q columns of pixel units respectively through the s data frame reading periods.

2. The method as recited in claim 1, further comprising:

each pixel unit in the pulse imaging array respectively converts the received optical signals into electric signals and accumulates the electric signals, and when the electric signal accumulation amount reaches a preset threshold value, a pulse signal is generated and reset so as to accumulate again;

acquiring pulse data of each pixel unit in the target pixel area in a corresponding data frame period comprises the following steps:

and respectively acquiring whether each pixel unit in the target pixel area generates a pulse signal in a corresponding data frame period, determining pulse data of each pixel unit in the corresponding data frame period and outputting the pulse data.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein determining a pixel area from a pulse imaging array comprises one of:

when the pixel area comprises p rows of pixel units, determining p rows of pixel units from the pulse imaging array, wherein at least two rows of the p rows are not adjacent in the pulse imaging array;

determining q columns of pixel units from the pulse imaging array when the one pixel region comprises q columns of pixel units, wherein at least two columns of the q columns are not adjacent in the pulse imaging array;

when the pixel region comprises p rows and q columns of pixel units, determining pixel units corresponding to the p rows and the q columns from the pulse imaging array, wherein at least two rows of the p rows are not adjacent in the pulse imaging array, and/or at least two columns of the q columns are not adjacent in the pulse imaging array.

4. A method according to claim 3, wherein adjacent row numbers in the p rows differ in sequence

、…、/>

Wherein->

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Different from each other, or partially identical or all identical; or alternatively, the process may be performed,

adjacent of the q columns Sequential phase differences between column numbers

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Wherein->

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Different from each other, or partially identical or all identical.

5. The method according to any one of claims 1 to 4, further comprising, after acquiring and outputting pulse data of each pixel unit in the target pixel region in a corresponding data frame reading period:

and respectively aligning the output pulse data of each pixel unit to the corresponding pixel unit in the pulse imaging array so as to form a pulse data sequence of each pixel unit in the pulse imaging array.

6. The method of claim 5, further comprising, after forming the pulse data sequence for each pixel cell in the pulse imaging array:

respectively taking each pixel unit in the pulse imaging array as a target pixel unit, and acquiring time intervals between two adjacent pulse data used for representing pulse signals generated by the pixel units in a pulse data sequence of the target pixel unit;

determining the time of the target pixel unit based on the time interval

A light intensity value within the interval;

and carrying out image reconstruction based on the light intensity value of each pixel unit in the pulse imaging array in the time interval to obtain a reconstructed image sequence.

7. The method of claim 6, further comprising, after obtaining the reconstructed image sequence:

and performing target detection based on the reconstructed image sequence.

8. The method of claim 5, further comprising, after forming the pulse data sequence for each pixel cell in the pulse imaging array:

and performing target detection by utilizing a pulse neural network obtained by training in advance based on the pulse data sequence of each pixel unit in the pulse imaging array.

9. A pulse data reading apparatus, comprising:

the acquisition unit is used for acquiring and outputting pulse data of each pixel unit in the target pixel area in a corresponding data frame reading period, wherein the pulse data is used for indicating whether the pixel unit generates a pulse signal or not;

The acquiring unit is specifically configured to:

10. A pulse data readout system comprising a pulse imaging array and a pulse data readout device; wherein:

the pulse data reading device is used for sequentially determining a pixel area from the pulse imaging array according to a pixel area polling mode, and the pixel area is used as a target pixel area for reading pulse signals at the time; the one pixel region includes one of: p rows of pixel units, q columns of pixel units and p rows of q columns of pixel units, wherein the value of p is an integer which is more than 1 and not more than m, and the value of q is an integer which is more than 1 and not more than n; acquiring and outputting pulse data of each pixel unit in the target pixel area in a corresponding data frame reading period, wherein the pulse data is used for indicating whether the pixel unit generates a pulse signal or not;

The pulse data reading device is specifically configured to, when acquiring and outputting pulse data of each pixel unit in the target pixel area in a corresponding data frame reading period:

11. An electronic device comprising the pulse data reading device according to claim 9 or the pulse data reading system according to claim 10, the pulse data reading device or the pulse data reading system being controlled by execution of instructions to implement the pulse data reading method according to any one of claims 1 to 8.

12. The device of claim 11, wherein the electronic device comprises any one of: pulse cameras, high-speed cameras, vision cameras, audio players, video players, navigation devices, fixed position terminals, entertainment units, smartphones, communication devices, mobile devices, devices in motor vehicles, vehicle cameras, cell phone cameras, sports or wearable cameras, traffic cameras, industrial detection cameras, cameras mounted on flyable objects, medical cameras, security cameras, or household appliance cameras.

13. A computer readable storage medium having stored therein computer executable instructions which when executed cause a computer to perform the pulse data readout method of any one of claims 1-8.