CN213693885U

CN213693885U - Time of flight measurement module and electronic equipment

Info

Publication number: CN213693885U
Application number: CN202022904130.1U
Authority: CN
Inventors: 陈蒙; 王旭; 罗建文
Original assignee: Kunshanqiu Titanium Photoelectric Technology Co Ltd
Current assignee: Kunshanqiu Titanium Photoelectric Technology Co Ltd
Priority date: 2020-12-04
Filing date: 2020-12-04
Publication date: 2021-07-13
Anticipated expiration: 2030-12-04

Abstract

The application discloses time of flight measurement module and electronic equipment, time of flight measurement module includes: a receiver provided with a light sensing portion; the input end of the control circuit is connected with the receiver so that an exposure area signal representing an area to be exposed in the photosensitive part can be transmitted to the control circuit; the control end of the emitter is connected with the output end of the control circuit, so that a light emitting area signal which is generated by the control circuit and corresponds to the exposure area signal can be transmitted into the emitter; and based on the light emitting area signal, a light emitting area corresponding to the area to be exposed in the emitter emits light. The application provides a module and equipment are used for solving the great technical problem of consumption that the time of flight measurement module exists among the prior art. An energy-saving flight time measuring module and an electronic device are provided.

Description

Time of flight measurement module and electronic equipment

Technical Field

The application relates to the technical field of electronics, especially, relate to a time of flight measurement module and electronic equipment.

Background

The current mobile phone camera is often integrated with a time of flight measurement module (D-TOF) to meet various requirements of users. However, the transmitter in the time-of-flight measurement module needs to emit light during each measurement, which causes a large consumption of power consumption and reduces the standby time of the mobile phone.

Therefore, the existing flight time measuring module has the technical problem of large power consumption.

Content of application

In view of the above, the present application is proposed in order to provide a time of flight measurement module and an electronic device that overcome or at least partially solve the above problems.

In a first aspect, the present application provides a time-of-flight measurement module, comprising:

a receiver provided with a light sensing portion;

the input end of the control circuit is connected with the receiver so that an exposure area signal representing an area to be exposed in the photosensitive part can be transmitted to the control circuit;

the control end of the emitter is connected with the output end of the control circuit, so that a light emitting area signal which is generated by the control circuit and corresponds to the exposure area signal can be transmitted into the emitter; and based on the light emitting area signal, a light emitting area corresponding to the area to be exposed in the emitter emits light.

Optionally, the light-sensing portion on the receiver is divided into N to-be-exposed regions, and the light-emitting portion on the emitter is divided into M light-emitting regions; the N to-be-exposed areas correspond to the M light-emitting areas one by one, N is larger than 1, and M is larger than 1.

Optionally, the time-of-flight measurement module further includes: a synchronization circuit connected to both the receiver and the transmitter to synchronize the receiver to a clock signal of the transmitter; and the power supply circuit is connected with the emitter and the control circuit and supplies power to the emitter and the control circuit.

Optionally, the power supply circuit includes: a DCDC converter and a low dropout linear regulator; the DCDC converter is connected between a power supply and the transmitter, and the low dropout regulator is connected between the power supply and the control circuit.

Optionally, the control circuit includes: an FPGA and a switch assembly; wherein the input end of the FPGA is connected with the receiver so that the exposure area signal is transmitted into the FPGA; the output end of the FPGA is connected with the control end of the emitter through the switch assembly, and the FPGA can control the switch assembly to be turned on and off according to a light-emitting area signal generated by the exposure area signal, so that the light-emitting area corresponding to the to-be-exposed area in the emitter emits light.

Optionally, the output end of the FPGA includes N pins, the control end of the transmitter includes N ports, and N is greater than 1; each pin of the N pins is connected with one port of the control end of the emitter through a group of switch assemblies, and a light emitting area corresponding to the to-be-exposed area in the emitter emits light through the combination of opening and closing of the N groups of switch assemblies.

Optionally, each group of the switch assemblies includes: the MOS transistor comprises a first MOS transistor, a resistor and a second MOS transistor; the drain electrode of the first MOS tube and the grid electrode of the second MOS tube are both connected with the same pin of the output end of the FPGA; the grid electrode of the first MOS tube and the drain electrode of the second MOS tube are both connected with one end of the resistor; the other end of the resistor and the source electrode of the first MOS tube are both connected with the same port of the control end of the emitter; and the source electrode of the second MOS tube is grounded.

Optionally, the to-be-exposed region is a region in a digital image sensor chip of the receiver, and the corresponding light-emitting region is a light-emitting point region in a vertical resonant cavity surface emission laser unit of the emitter.

In a second aspect, the present application provides an electronic device, including the time-of-flight measurement module of the first aspect.

The technical scheme provided in the embodiment of the application at least has the following technical effects or advantages:

the utility model provides a time of flight measurement module and electronic equipment, through connect control circuit between the output at the receiver and the control end of transmitter, the control circuit who adopts to add makes the transmitter not whole luminous when giving out light at every turn, but only the luminous region that the area corresponds is exposed to treating of receiver is luminous, on the basis that does not influence the exposure effect, has reduced the luminous energy consumption of transmitter, has realized energy-conserving effect.

The foregoing description is only an overview of the technical solutions of the present application, and the present application can be implemented according to the content of the description in order to make the technical means of the present application more clearly understood, and the following detailed description of the present application is given in order to make the above and other objects, features, and advantages of the present application more clearly understandable.

Drawings

Various other advantages and benefits will become apparent to those of ordinary skill in the art upon reading the following detailed description of the preferred embodiments. The drawings are only for purposes of illustrating the preferred embodiments and are not to be construed as limiting the application. Also, like reference numerals are used to refer to like parts throughout the drawings. In the drawings:

FIG. 1 is a block diagram of an embodiment of a time-of-flight measurement module;

FIG. 2 is a block diagram of a MOS switch according to an embodiment of the present application;

FIG. 3 is a test chart of the time-of-flight measurement module according to the embodiment of the present application;

fig. 4 is a block diagram of an electronic device in an embodiment of the present application.

Detailed Description

In order to make the objects, technical solutions and advantages of the embodiments of the present application clearer, the technical solutions in the embodiments of the present application will be clearly and completely described below with reference to the drawings in the embodiments of the present application, and it is obvious that the described embodiments are some embodiments of the present application, but not all embodiments. All other embodiments, which can be derived by a person skilled in the art from the embodiments given herein without making any creative effort, shall fall within the protection scope of the present application.

In an alternative embodiment, the present application provides a time-of-flight measurement module, as shown in fig. 1, comprising:

a receiver 1, the receiver 1 being provided with a light-sensing portion;

the input end of the control circuit 2 is connected with the receiver 1, so that an exposure area signal representing an area to be exposed in the photosensitive part can be transmitted to the control circuit 2;

a transmitter 3, wherein a control end of the transmitter 3 is connected with an output end of the control circuit 2, so that a light emitting area signal generated by the control circuit 2 and corresponding to the exposure area signal can be transmitted to the transmitter 3; wherein, based on the light emitting area signal, the light emitting area corresponding to the area to be exposed in the emitter 3 emits light.

In particular, the light-sensitive portions on the sensor chip of the receiver of the time-of-flight measurement module can often be exposed in a pattern by means of a zoned exposure, for example, a line-by-line exposure. The luminous points of the existing emitters all emit light together, which brings about larger energy consumption. The control circuit 2 is additionally arranged between the receiver 1 and the emitter 3, so that the electric signal can control the emitter 3 to emit light only in a light emitting area corresponding to a to-be-exposed area when emitting light each time, and energy conservation is realized.

Specifically, the light-sensing section on the receiver 1 is divided into N to-be-exposed regions, and the light-emitting section on the emitter 3 is divided into M light-emitting regions. The N to-be-exposed areas and the M light-emitting areas are more than 1, and M is more than 1. Optionally, N is equal to M, and at this time, N to-be-exposed regions correspond to the M light-emitting regions one to one.

In a specific implementation, the region to be exposed may be a region in a digital image SENSOR chip (SENSOR) of the receiver 1(RX) in a unit of a line, and the corresponding light emitting region may be a light emitting point region in a unit of a line in a vertical cavity surface emitting laser unit (VCSEL) of the transmitter 3 (TX). That is, RX is exposed line by line, and each exposure only needs the row of light emitting dots in TX corresponding to the exposed row to emit light. For example, the light-sensing portions on the receiver 1 have 6 rows, and are divided into 3 to-be-exposed regions in units of two rows, and correspondingly, the light-emitting portions on the emitter 3 are also arranged in 6 rows, and are divided into 3 light-emitting regions in units of two rows. The upper two rows of the to-be-exposed areas of the receiver 1 correspond to the upper two rows of the light-emitting areas of the transmitter 3, the middle two rows of the to-be-exposed areas of the receiver 1 correspond to the middle two rows of the light-emitting areas of the transmitter 3, and the lower two rows of the to-be-exposed areas of the receiver 1 correspond to the lower two rows of the light-emitting areas of the transmitter 3. Of course, the light sensing section may be divided into 1 to-be-exposed area by taking two lines as a unit, and the receiver 1 may be divided into 1 light-emitting area by taking one line as a unit, so that two light-emitting areas correspond to one to-be-exposed area. In addition, the area to be exposed and the light emitting area may be divided in units of columns or divided into blocks, which is not limited herein.

The area to be exposed may be determined according to a preset rule, for example, line-by-line exposure from top to bottom, or line-by-line exposure from left to right, which is not limited herein.

In a specific implementation process, the time-of-flight measurement module may further include a synchronization circuit, and the synchronization circuit is connected to both the receiver and the transmitter to synchronize clock signals of the receiver and the transmitter. Of course, the synchronization circuit may be integrated with the control circuit 2, or may be disposed outside the time-of-flight measurement module, as shown in fig. 1, and connected to synchronize the receiver with the clock signal of the transmitter.

The flight time measuring module can be powered by an external power supply, a more common 5V external power supply, or a 10V external power supply, which is not limited herein. The external power supply can be connected with the emitter 3 and the control circuit 2 through a power supply circuit to supply power to the emitter 3 and the control circuit 2, and the power supply circuit provides functions of voltage conversion, voltage stabilization and the like. Of course, the power supply circuit and the control circuit 2 may be integrated in a circuit board or a chip, or may be provided as a separate circuit board or chip.

In an alternative embodiment, the power supply circuit may be configured to include a DCDC converter and a low dropout linear regulator (LDO); wherein the DCDC converter is connected between a power supply and the transmitter for supplying power to a light source in the transmitter, for example, for supplying power to a direct cavity surface emitting laser. The low-dropout linear regulator is connected between a power supply and the control circuit and supplies power to the control circuit.

In an alternative embodiment, the control circuit 2 shown in fig. 1 may include a field programmable gate array 21(FPGA) and a switch assembly 22, wherein an input of the FPGA21 is connected to the receiver 1 to pass the exposure field signal into the FPGA 21; the output end of the FPGA21 is connected to the control end of the emitter 3 through the switch module 22, and the light emitting area signal generated by the FPGA21 based on the exposure area signal can control the switch module 22 to turn on and off, so that the light emitting area corresponding to the area to be exposed in the emitter 3 emits light. The FPGA21 and the switch assembly 22 are adopted as the control circuit 2, so that the design difficulty and the processing cost of the control circuit can be effectively reduced.

Of course, the control circuit 2 may be not only an FPGA and a switch module, but also an integrated application specific integrated circuit chip or a controller chip, which is not limited herein.

When the control circuit 2 includes the FPGA21 and the switch component 22, the output terminal of the FPGA21 includes N pins (for example, 4 pins of CH1, CH2, CH3, and CH4 in fig. 1 correspond to 4 groups of switch components, and 8 partitions of the transmitter are controlled to emit light respectively by opening and closing combinations of the 4 groups of switch components), the control terminal of the transmitter includes N ports, N is greater than 1, N may be equal to 4, and may also be equal to 6 or 7, and specific values are set as required, which is not limited herein. Each pin of the N pins is connected with one port of the control end of the emitter through a group of switch assemblies, and a light emitting area corresponding to the to-be-exposed area in the emitter emits light through the combination of opening and closing of the N groups of switch assemblies.

For example, assume that the transmitter has 8 partitions, the partitions of the 8 partitions corresponding to the partitions of the exposure area in the receiver. If the exposable area is divided into 8 rows by rows, 8 partitions of the emitter are also corresponding to 8 rows of luminous points; if the exposable area is divided into 8 rows by columns, 8 subareas of the emitter are also corresponding to 8 columns of luminous points; of course, the division may be performed according to the block area, which is not limited herein and is not listed. The output end of the FPGA has 4 pins CH1, CH2, CH3 and CH4, and the outputs of the correspondingly controlled 4 groups of switch components are 0001, 0010, 0011, 0100, 0101, 0110, 0111, 1000(0 indicates that the switch component corresponding to the pin is closed, and 1 indicates that the switch component corresponding to the pin is opened), and of course, 1001 and the like may be provided, which is not limited herein. These 8 outputs are respectively turned on for 8 zones of the emitter 3, for example: when the output of the 4 groups of switch components is 0001, the 1 st row luminous point corresponding to the emitter emits light; the row 2 luminous point corresponding to the emitter emits light when the output of the 4 groups of switch components is 0010, and so on.

The FPGA21 and the output of the receiver 1 can also be connected by multiple pins, such as VD and HD as shown in fig. 1, where VD transmits a frame synchronization (VSYNC) signal and HD transmits a line synchronization (HSYNC) signal. The FPGA21 can decode frame sync (VSYNC) and line sync (HSYNC) and adjust the timing to synchronize the exposure line of the receiver 1 with the light emitting area of the emitter 3, and turn off the non-synchronous light emitting area, so as to reduce the power consumption caused by the light emitting point of the non-synchronous area and the overall power consumption of the module.

Wherein, as shown in fig. 2, each set of the switch assemblies 22 includes: a first MOS 221, a resistor 222 and a second MOS 223. The drain of the first MOS transistor 221 and the gate of the second MOS transistor 223 are both connected to the same pin of the output terminal of the FPGA21 (for example, both are connected to CH1 in fig. 2); the gate of the first MOS transistor 221 and the drain of the second MOS transistor 223 are both connected to one end of the resistor 222; the other end of the resistor 222 and the source of the first MOS transistor 221 are both connected to the same port of the control end of the emitter 3; the source of the second MOS transistor 223 is grounded DGND. When the level of the pin input of the FPGA21 to the switch assembly is high, the switch assembly is turned on, and the output is high level; when the level of the pin input of the FPGA21 to the switch assembly is low, the switch assembly is closed, and the output is low or not output.

Specifically, the first MOS transistor 221 may be a PMH950UPE type, and the second MOS transistor 223 may be a PMH600UNE type. Of course, other types of MOS transistors may be selected, and are not limited herein. It should be noted that the MOS transistor in fig. 2 is an equivalent circuit diagram in simulation, and in practical application, the MOS transistor is in a block.

Of course, in the implementation process, other switches besides the MOS transistor, such as a triode switch or a diode switch, etc., may also be used, and are not limited herein.

In a specific implementation process, a camera product with a time-of-flight measurement module needs to be tested before leaving a factory, a test structure diagram shown in fig. 3 can be adopted, a test tool for image display is connected with a test board (a partition control drive board), a power module and a control circuit are arranged on the test board, and a transmitter TX and a receiver RX are connected with the test board. And after the flight time measuring module is tested to be qualified, the flight time measuring module is assembled into a camera to leave a factory.

Based on the same application concept, the present application further provides an electronic device, as shown in fig. 4, including the time-of-flight measurement module 501 provided by the present application.

The electronic device may be a smart phone, a tablet computer, or a smart watch, and is not limited herein.

Since the time-of-flight measurement module 501 included in the electronic device described in the embodiment of the present application is the time-of-flight measurement module provided in the foregoing embodiment of the present application, the structural features of the time-of-flight measurement module 501 are not described herein again.

Moreover, those skilled in the art will appreciate that while some embodiments herein include some features included in other embodiments, rather than other features, combinations of features of different embodiments are meant to be within the scope of the application and form different embodiments.

It should be noted that the above-mentioned embodiments illustrate rather than limit the application, and that those skilled in the art will be able to design alternative embodiments without departing from the scope of the appended claims. In the claims, any reference signs placed between parentheses shall not be construed as limiting the claim. The word "comprising" does not exclude the presence of elements or steps not listed in a claim. The word "a" or "an" preceding an element does not exclude the presence of a plurality of such elements. The application can be implemented by means of hardware comprising several distinct elements, and by means of a suitably programmed computer. In the unit claims enumerating several means, several of these means may be embodied by one and the same item of hardware. The usage of the words first, second and third, etcetera do not indicate any ordering. These words may be interpreted as names.

While the preferred embodiments of the present application have been described, additional variations and modifications in those embodiments may occur to those skilled in the art once they learn of the basic inventive concepts. Therefore, it is intended that the appended claims be interpreted as including preferred embodiments and all alterations and modifications as fall within the scope of the application.

It will be apparent to those skilled in the art that various changes and modifications may be made in the embodiments of the present application without departing from the spirit and scope of the embodiments of the present application. Thus, if such modifications and variations of the embodiments of the present application fall within the scope of the claims of the present application and their equivalents, the present application is also intended to encompass such modifications and variations.

Claims

1. A time-of-flight measurement module, comprising:

a receiver provided with a light sensing portion;

2. The time of flight measurement module of claim 1, wherein:

the light-sensing part on the receiver is divided into N to-be-exposed areas, and the light-emitting part on the emitter is divided into M light-emitting areas; the N to-be-exposed areas correspond to the M light-emitting areas, N is larger than 1, and M is larger than 1.

3. The time of flight measurement module of claim 1, further comprising:

a synchronization circuit connected to both the receiver and the transmitter to synchronize the receiver to a clock signal of the transmitter;

and the power supply circuit is connected with the emitter and the control circuit and supplies power to the emitter and the control circuit.

4. The time of flight measurement module of claim 3, in which the power supply circuit comprises:

a DCDC converter and a low dropout linear regulator; the DCDC converter is connected between a power supply and the transmitter, and the low dropout regulator is connected between the power supply and the control circuit.

5. The time of flight measurement module of claim 1, in which the control circuit comprises:

an FPGA and a switch assembly;

wherein the input end of the FPGA is connected with the receiver so that the exposure area signal is transmitted into the FPGA; the output end of the FPGA is connected with the control end of the emitter through the switch assembly, and the FPGA can control the switch assembly to be turned on and off according to a light-emitting area signal generated by the exposure area signal, so that the light-emitting area corresponding to the to-be-exposed area in the emitter emits light.

6. The time of flight measurement module of claim 5, wherein:

the output end of the FPGA comprises N pins, the control end of the transmitter comprises N ports, and N is greater than 1; each pin of the N pins is connected with one port of the control end of the emitter through a group of switch assemblies, and a light emitting area corresponding to the to-be-exposed area in the emitter emits light through the combination of opening and closing of the N groups of switch assemblies.

7. The time of flight measurement module of claim 6, in which each set of the switch assemblies comprises:

the MOS transistor comprises a first MOS transistor, a resistor and a second MOS transistor;

the drain electrode of the first MOS tube and the grid electrode of the second MOS tube are both connected with the same pin of the output end of the FPGA;

the grid electrode of the first MOS tube and the drain electrode of the second MOS tube are both connected with one end of the resistor; the other end of the resistor and the source electrode of the first MOS tube are both connected with the same port of the control end of the emitter;

and the source electrode of the second MOS tube is grounded.

8. The time-of-flight measurement module of claim 1, wherein the region to be exposed is a row-wise region of a digital image sensor chip of the receiver, and the corresponding light-emitting region is a row-wise region of a light-emitting point of a VCSEL unit of the transmitter.

9. An electronic device comprising a time-of-flight measurement module according to any one of claims 1-8.