WO2022042548A1 - 电源单元、包括其的发射装置及控制方法 - Google Patents

电源单元、包括其的发射装置及控制方法 Download PDF

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Publication number
WO2022042548A1
WO2022042548A1 PCT/CN2021/114304 CN2021114304W WO2022042548A1 WO 2022042548 A1 WO2022042548 A1 WO 2022042548A1 CN 2021114304 W CN2021114304 W CN 2021114304W WO 2022042548 A1 WO2022042548 A1 WO 2022042548A1
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Prior art keywords
voltage
laser
unit
power supply
output
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PCT/CN2021/114304
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English (en)
French (fr)
Inventor
陈杰
路静静
田津铭
李力
向少卿
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上海禾赛科技有限公司
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Priority claimed from CN202010857698.4A external-priority patent/CN114089374A/zh
Priority claimed from CN202010858924.0A external-priority patent/CN114167432A/zh
Application filed by 上海禾赛科技有限公司 filed Critical 上海禾赛科技有限公司
Publication of WO2022042548A1 publication Critical patent/WO2022042548A1/zh
Priority to US18/091,849 priority Critical patent/US20230132592A1/en

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    • H—ELECTRICITY
    • H02—GENERATION; CONVERSION OR DISTRIBUTION OF ELECTRIC POWER
    • H02M—APPARATUS FOR CONVERSION BETWEEN AC AND AC, BETWEEN AC AND DC, OR BETWEEN DC AND DC, AND FOR USE WITH MAINS OR SIMILAR POWER SUPPLY SYSTEMS; CONVERSION OF DC OR AC INPUT POWER INTO SURGE OUTPUT POWER; CONTROL OR REGULATION THEREOF
    • H02M3/00—Conversion of dc power input into dc power output
    • H02M3/02—Conversion of dc power input into dc power output without intermediate conversion into ac
    • H02M3/04—Conversion of dc power input into dc power output without intermediate conversion into ac by static converters
    • H02M3/10—Conversion of dc power input into dc power output without intermediate conversion into ac by static converters using discharge tubes with control electrode or semiconductor devices with control electrode
    • H02M3/145—Conversion of dc power input into dc power output without intermediate conversion into ac by static converters using discharge tubes with control electrode or semiconductor devices with control electrode using devices of a triode or transistor type requiring continuous application of a control signal
    • H02M3/155—Conversion of dc power input into dc power output without intermediate conversion into ac by static converters using discharge tubes with control electrode or semiconductor devices with control electrode using devices of a triode or transistor type requiring continuous application of a control signal using semiconductor devices only
    • H—ELECTRICITY
    • H02—GENERATION; CONVERSION OR DISTRIBUTION OF ELECTRIC POWER
    • H02M—APPARATUS FOR CONVERSION BETWEEN AC AND AC, BETWEEN AC AND DC, OR BETWEEN DC AND DC, AND FOR USE WITH MAINS OR SIMILAR POWER SUPPLY SYSTEMS; CONVERSION OF DC OR AC INPUT POWER INTO SURGE OUTPUT POWER; CONTROL OR REGULATION THEREOF
    • H02M3/00—Conversion of dc power input into dc power output
    • H02M3/02—Conversion of dc power input into dc power output without intermediate conversion into ac
    • H02M3/04—Conversion of dc power input into dc power output without intermediate conversion into ac by static converters
    • H02M3/10—Conversion of dc power input into dc power output without intermediate conversion into ac by static converters using discharge tubes with control electrode or semiconductor devices with control electrode
    • H02M3/145—Conversion of dc power input into dc power output without intermediate conversion into ac by static converters using discharge tubes with control electrode or semiconductor devices with control electrode using devices of a triode or transistor type requiring continuous application of a control signal
    • H02M3/155—Conversion of dc power input into dc power output without intermediate conversion into ac by static converters using discharge tubes with control electrode or semiconductor devices with control electrode using devices of a triode or transistor type requiring continuous application of a control signal using semiconductor devices only
    • H02M3/156—Conversion of dc power input into dc power output without intermediate conversion into ac by static converters using discharge tubes with control electrode or semiconductor devices with control electrode using devices of a triode or transistor type requiring continuous application of a control signal using semiconductor devices only with automatic control of output voltage or current, e.g. switching regulators
    • H02M3/158—Conversion of dc power input into dc power output without intermediate conversion into ac by static converters using discharge tubes with control electrode or semiconductor devices with control electrode using devices of a triode or transistor type requiring continuous application of a control signal using semiconductor devices only with automatic control of output voltage or current, e.g. switching regulators including plural semiconductor devices as final control devices for a single load
    • G—PHYSICS
    • G01—MEASURING; TESTING
    • G01S—RADIO DIRECTION-FINDING; RADIO NAVIGATION; DETERMINING DISTANCE OR VELOCITY BY USE OF RADIO WAVES; LOCATING OR PRESENCE-DETECTING BY USE OF THE REFLECTION OR RERADIATION OF RADIO WAVES; ANALOGOUS ARRANGEMENTS USING OTHER WAVES
    • G01S17/00—Systems using the reflection or reradiation of electromagnetic waves other than radio waves, e.g. lidar systems
    • G01S17/02—Systems using the reflection of electromagnetic waves other than radio waves
    • G01S17/06—Systems determining position data of a target
    • G01S17/08—Systems determining position data of a target for measuring distance only
    • G01S17/10—Systems determining position data of a target for measuring distance only using transmission of interrupted, pulse-modulated waves
    • G—PHYSICS
    • G01—MEASURING; TESTING
    • G01S—RADIO DIRECTION-FINDING; RADIO NAVIGATION; DETERMINING DISTANCE OR VELOCITY BY USE OF RADIO WAVES; LOCATING OR PRESENCE-DETECTING BY USE OF THE REFLECTION OR RERADIATION OF RADIO WAVES; ANALOGOUS ARRANGEMENTS USING OTHER WAVES
    • G01S17/00—Systems using the reflection or reradiation of electromagnetic waves other than radio waves, e.g. lidar systems
    • G01S17/02—Systems using the reflection of electromagnetic waves other than radio waves
    • G01S17/06—Systems determining position data of a target
    • G01S17/42—Simultaneous measurement of distance and other co-ordinates
    • G—PHYSICS
    • G01—MEASURING; TESTING
    • G01S—RADIO DIRECTION-FINDING; RADIO NAVIGATION; DETERMINING DISTANCE OR VELOCITY BY USE OF RADIO WAVES; LOCATING OR PRESENCE-DETECTING BY USE OF THE REFLECTION OR RERADIATION OF RADIO WAVES; ANALOGOUS ARRANGEMENTS USING OTHER WAVES
    • G01S7/00—Details of systems according to groups G01S13/00, G01S15/00, G01S17/00
    • G01S7/48—Details of systems according to groups G01S13/00, G01S15/00, G01S17/00 of systems according to group G01S17/00
    • G01S7/481—Constructional features, e.g. arrangements of optical elements
    • G01S7/4814—Constructional features, e.g. arrangements of optical elements of transmitters alone
    • G01S7/4815—Constructional features, e.g. arrangements of optical elements of transmitters alone using multiple transmitters
    • G—PHYSICS
    • G01—MEASURING; TESTING
    • G01S—RADIO DIRECTION-FINDING; RADIO NAVIGATION; DETERMINING DISTANCE OR VELOCITY BY USE OF RADIO WAVES; LOCATING OR PRESENCE-DETECTING BY USE OF THE REFLECTION OR RERADIATION OF RADIO WAVES; ANALOGOUS ARRANGEMENTS USING OTHER WAVES
    • G01S7/00—Details of systems according to groups G01S13/00, G01S15/00, G01S17/00
    • G01S7/48—Details of systems according to groups G01S13/00, G01S15/00, G01S17/00 of systems according to group G01S17/00
    • G01S7/483—Details of pulse systems
    • G01S7/484—Transmitters
    • G—PHYSICS
    • G01—MEASURING; TESTING
    • G01S—RADIO DIRECTION-FINDING; RADIO NAVIGATION; DETERMINING DISTANCE OR VELOCITY BY USE OF RADIO WAVES; LOCATING OR PRESENCE-DETECTING BY USE OF THE REFLECTION OR RERADIATION OF RADIO WAVES; ANALOGOUS ARRANGEMENTS USING OTHER WAVES
    • G01S7/00—Details of systems according to groups G01S13/00, G01S15/00, G01S17/00
    • G01S7/48—Details of systems according to groups G01S13/00, G01S15/00, G01S17/00 of systems according to group G01S17/00
    • G01S7/483—Details of pulse systems
    • G01S7/486—Receivers
    • G01S7/4868—Controlling received signal intensity or exposure of sensor
    • H—ELECTRICITY
    • H02—GENERATION; CONVERSION OR DISTRIBUTION OF ELECTRIC POWER
    • H02M—APPARATUS FOR CONVERSION BETWEEN AC AND AC, BETWEEN AC AND DC, OR BETWEEN DC AND DC, AND FOR USE WITH MAINS OR SIMILAR POWER SUPPLY SYSTEMS; CONVERSION OF DC OR AC INPUT POWER INTO SURGE OUTPUT POWER; CONTROL OR REGULATION THEREOF
    • H02M1/00—Details of apparatus for conversion
    • H02M1/0045—Converters combining the concepts of switch-mode regulation and linear regulation, e.g. linear pre-regulator to switching converter, linear and switching converter in parallel, same converter or same transistor operating either in linear or switching mode
    • H—ELECTRICITY
    • H02—GENERATION; CONVERSION OR DISTRIBUTION OF ELECTRIC POWER
    • H02M—APPARATUS FOR CONVERSION BETWEEN AC AND AC, BETWEEN AC AND DC, OR BETWEEN DC AND DC, AND FOR USE WITH MAINS OR SIMILAR POWER SUPPLY SYSTEMS; CONVERSION OF DC OR AC INPUT POWER INTO SURGE OUTPUT POWER; CONTROL OR REGULATION THEREOF
    • H02M3/00—Conversion of dc power input into dc power output
    • H02M3/02—Conversion of dc power input into dc power output without intermediate conversion into ac
    • H02M3/04—Conversion of dc power input into dc power output without intermediate conversion into ac by static converters
    • H02M3/10—Conversion of dc power input into dc power output without intermediate conversion into ac by static converters using discharge tubes with control electrode or semiconductor devices with control electrode
    • H02M3/145—Conversion of dc power input into dc power output without intermediate conversion into ac by static converters using discharge tubes with control electrode or semiconductor devices with control electrode using devices of a triode or transistor type requiring continuous application of a control signal
    • H02M3/155—Conversion of dc power input into dc power output without intermediate conversion into ac by static converters using discharge tubes with control electrode or semiconductor devices with control electrode using devices of a triode or transistor type requiring continuous application of a control signal using semiconductor devices only
    • H02M3/156—Conversion of dc power input into dc power output without intermediate conversion into ac by static converters using discharge tubes with control electrode or semiconductor devices with control electrode using devices of a triode or transistor type requiring continuous application of a control signal using semiconductor devices only with automatic control of output voltage or current, e.g. switching regulators
    • H02M3/158—Conversion of dc power input into dc power output without intermediate conversion into ac by static converters using discharge tubes with control electrode or semiconductor devices with control electrode using devices of a triode or transistor type requiring continuous application of a control signal using semiconductor devices only with automatic control of output voltage or current, e.g. switching regulators including plural semiconductor devices as final control devices for a single load
    • H02M3/1584—Conversion of dc power input into dc power output without intermediate conversion into ac by static converters using discharge tubes with control electrode or semiconductor devices with control electrode using devices of a triode or transistor type requiring continuous application of a control signal using semiconductor devices only with automatic control of output voltage or current, e.g. switching regulators including plural semiconductor devices as final control devices for a single load with a plurality of power processing stages connected in parallel
    • G—PHYSICS
    • G01—MEASURING; TESTING
    • G01S—RADIO DIRECTION-FINDING; RADIO NAVIGATION; DETERMINING DISTANCE OR VELOCITY BY USE OF RADIO WAVES; LOCATING OR PRESENCE-DETECTING BY USE OF THE REFLECTION OR RERADIATION OF RADIO WAVES; ANALOGOUS ARRANGEMENTS USING OTHER WAVES
    • G01S17/00—Systems using the reflection or reradiation of electromagnetic waves other than radio waves, e.g. lidar systems
    • G01S17/88—Lidar systems specially adapted for specific applications
    • G01S17/93—Lidar systems specially adapted for specific applications for anti-collision purposes
    • G01S17/931—Lidar systems specially adapted for specific applications for anti-collision purposes of land vehicles

Definitions

  • the present invention generally relates to the technical field of laser radar, and in particular, to a power supply unit of a laser, including a transmitter thereof and a method for controlling the light emission of a laser by using the same.
  • the laser is usually driven by a common anode.
  • a laser radar transmitting system in the prior art, multiple lasers LAS1...LASN share a power supply HV, and HV is continuously supplied, and the cathode of each laser is connected to a switching device (J1 in the figure). ...JN), the light-emitting of this channel of laser is determined by the gating of this channel of switching device.
  • each laser is equipped with a discharge capacitor (C1...CN as shown in the figure), limited by the size of the switching device and capacitor in the existing technology, multiple lasers cannot be arranged more densely, making the radar vertical. Resolution is limited.
  • Figure 1B shows the power supply and its driving circuit of a single laser LAS1.
  • the switching device used is GaN.
  • the specific working process is as follows: when the high-side switch is closed (conducted), the power supply HV charges the capacitor C. After a period of time, the high-side switch is disconnected (cannot be energized, the charging circuit of capacitor C is disconnected), and the driving signal of the GaN switch is sufficient to turn on the GaN switch tube, and a discharge circuit is formed between the capacitor C and the laser LAS1, the GaN switch and the ground. Make laser LAS1 glow.
  • Figure 2A shows the relative arrangement of multiple lasers, GaN switching devices and capacitors on the PCB.
  • GaN switches and capacitors both GaN switches and capacitors are relatively large, for example
  • the capacitor that can be selected is 0402 (EIA nominal), the size is 1000um*500um, and the SMT ( Surface mount technology) process, the package size is generally recommended to be 1400um*900um; for GaN switching devices: consider the withstand voltage and current capacity when selecting, the minimum size that can be achieved by the existing process is about 680um*680um, considering the SMT process , the package is generally recommended to be 800um*800um.), the capacitor and the GaN switch can only be arranged on both sides of the laser separately, and because one GaN switch drives one laser (that is, the ratio of the number of lasers to the number of GaN switches is 1). : 1), the GaN switches themselves should also be arranged in two columns and staggered.
  • FIG. 2B The simplified arrangement of FIG. 2A is shown in FIG. 2B.
  • the distance between the laser LAS2 and its corresponding GaN switch greater distance.
  • the staggered placement of GaN switches results in different discharge loop lengths between two lasers (eg, LAS1 and LAS2), which may result in differences in the luminous power of the two lasers.
  • the GaN switch cannot fit well with the laser, which also affects the response speed of the laser.
  • Lidars used for unmanned vehicles, logistics trolleys, and sweeping robots are usually multi-line radars, which means that the transmitting system has multiple lasers. If they are arranged according to the relative relationship shown in Figure 2A and Figure 2B, then The distance between each laser and its corresponding GaN switch is relatively inconsistent, resulting in different parameters such as the detection accuracy of each channel or wire beam, which is not conducive to the consistency of detection, thereby affecting the overall performance of the lidar.
  • the current high-voltage supply usually adopts DC-DC power supply or LDO (low dropout regulator)
  • the switching speed is slow, so the light intensity of the laser cannot be adjusted quickly.
  • the external environment that lidar faces varies widely. If the same fixed light intensity is used for detection, due to the difference in reflectivity of external objects, it is easy to cause the detector to be saturated or unable to detect signals, which cannot meet the needs of various scenarios. .
  • the detection indicators of the radar's various wiring harnesses such as detection distance, may also be different, and there is also a need for adjustment.
  • the present invention also provides a power supply unit for the laser, include:
  • Primary voltage source configured to output primary voltage
  • a high-voltage generating unit coupled to the primary voltage source, configured to input a primary voltage, generate an output voltage higher than the primary voltage, and output the output voltage through an output terminal;
  • a capacitor unit coupled to the output end of the high-voltage generating unit
  • the high voltage generating unit and the capacitor unit are configured to adjust the output voltage through the coordination of charging and discharging.
  • the high pressure generating unit comprises:
  • a first inductor the first end of which is coupled to the primary voltage source, and is configured to input electrical energy from the primary voltage source;
  • first switch tube the first end is coupled to the second end of the first inductor, the second end is grounded, and is configured to make the primary voltage source and the first inductor form a charging loop when turned on, and send the charge to the first switch tube.
  • the first inductor is charged;
  • the first end is coupled to the second end of the first inductor, the second end is coupled to the capacitor unit, and is used as an output end of the high voltage generating unit.
  • the power supply unit further includes a reset switch, which is connected across the primary voltage source and the capacitor unit and configured to pull the output voltage back to the primary Voltage.
  • the first switch transistor, the second switch transistor, and the reset switch transistor include one or more of a GaN switch and a CMOS switch transistor.
  • the present invention also provides a laser radar transmitter, comprising:
  • a plurality of power supply units as described above, configured to convert the primary voltage to a high voltage output
  • a laser unit comprising a plurality of lasers, wherein one end of each laser is connected to the output end of one of the power supply units, so that at least two lasers are connected to the output ends of different power supply units;
  • At least one switching device the cathodes of the partial lasers not sharing the high voltage are connected to one of the switching devices, and the switching device is configured to selectively turn on and off the current loop formed by one of the high voltages, the lasers connected thereto and the ground.
  • the present invention also provides a control unit for controlling the above-mentioned power supply unit, wherein the high-voltage generating unit includes a first switch tube, a second switch tube and a reset switch tube, and the control unit includes:
  • the present invention also provides a method for controlling laser light emission by using the above-mentioned power supply unit, comprising:
  • the output voltage is adjusted by charging and discharging the capacitor unit and the high voltage generating unit.
  • the high-voltage generating unit comprises: a first inductor, the first end of which is coupled to the primary voltage source, and a first switch tube, the first end of which is coupled to the second end of the first inductor connected, the second end is grounded, the second switch tube, the first end is coupled to the second end of the first inductor, the second end is coupled to the capacitor unit, and the method further includes:
  • the primary voltage source and the first inductor form a charging loop, and the primary voltage source charges the first inductor
  • the primary voltage source and the first inductance form a discharge loop, and the capacitor unit is charged through the primary voltage source and the first inductance, so that The output voltage is higher than the primary voltage.
  • the method further includes:
  • the capacitor unit When the first switch tube is turned off and the second switch tube is turned on, the capacitor unit is discharged, and the first inductor inputs electrical energy from the capacitor unit to reduce the output voltage.
  • the power supply unit further includes a reset switch transistor
  • the reset switch transistor is connected across the primary voltage source and the capacitor unit
  • the method further includes:
  • the output voltage is pulled back to the primary voltage through the reset switch.
  • the present invention provides a launch device that can be used for laser radar, including:
  • a plurality of power supply units configured to input a primary voltage and output a high voltage, and at least two of the power supply units output a high voltage relatively asynchronously, wherein the high voltage is a higher voltage relative to the primary voltage;
  • a laser unit comprising a plurality of lasers, wherein the anode of each laser is connected to the output of the power supply unit, such that at least two of the lasers are connected to different power supply units;
  • At least one switching device the cathodes of the partial lasers that do not share the high voltage are connected to one of the switching devices, the switching device is configured to selectively turn on and off the current loop formed by the corresponding power supply unit, the laser connected thereto and the ground.
  • the present invention also provides a method for controlling the light emission of the above-mentioned emitting device, comprising:
  • the current loop of some of the lasers is controlled to be turned on, so that the laser connected to the power supply unit of the output voltage emits light under the action of the voltage.
  • the present invention also provides a laser radar, including the above-mentioned transmitting device, receiving device and control device, wherein:
  • the transmitting device is adapted to drive the laser to emit a detection laser beam according to a certain time sequence under the control of the control device;
  • the receiving device is adapted to receive echoes reflected from external obstacles relative to the radar;
  • the control device is adapted to generate a voltage control signal according to the detection requirements of the radar, control the output voltage of the power supply unit, and generate a driving signal to select part of the lasers to emit light; and is adapted to respond to the echoes received by the receiving device processing, and calculating the distance and/or reflectivity between the external obstacle and the radar according to the echo signal.
  • a preferred embodiment of the present invention provides a transmitting device that can be used for lidar.
  • a plurality of power supply units sharing a primary voltage source are used to select the lasers connected thereto to emit light respectively, and a plurality of lasers with non-shared voltages can pass through a common GaN switching device.
  • the GaN switching device realizes gating a certain or a certain row or a certain column of lasers individually and one by one, saving the cost and volume of the transmitting end, and making the size of the GaN switching device no longer the limit of the vertical angular resolution of the lidar, and the GaN switching device
  • the devices can be arranged at both ends of multiple lasers or the wiring method behind the PCB can be used, so that the transmit power and various parameters of multiple lasers tend to be consistent, thereby improving the performance of the radar.
  • the angular resolution in the vertical direction is also increased.
  • a preferred embodiment of the present invention provides a power supply unit including an LC resonant circuit. Due to the characteristics of the LC resonant circuit, the power supply unit charges and discharges a mounted capacitor at a greatly increased speed, and the feedback used in the prior art is improved. Compared with the circuit scheme, the speed is increased by a thousand times, and the light intensity of the multiple lasers of the lidar can be adjusted relatively faster to match the situation of external obstacles or usage scenarios, thereby improving the accuracy of point cloud detection. sex.
  • FIG. 1A schematically shows a transmitter of a lidar under a single bus power system
  • FIG. 1B schematically shows the circuit structure of a GaN switching device driving a laser
  • Fig. 2A schematically shows the arrangement of various components on the PCB board under the single bus power supply system
  • FIG. 2B schematically shows the arrangement of various components on the PCB under the single bus power system
  • FIG. 3 schematically shows a transmitting device according to a preferred embodiment of the present invention
  • FIG. 4A schematically shows a transmitting device according to a preferred embodiment of the present invention
  • FIG. 4B schematically shows a specific implementation structure of a 3-bus transmitting apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention
  • Figure 4C shows the output voltage waveform of the preferred embodiment shown in Figure 4B;
  • FIG. 4D schematically shows a specific implementation structure of a 2-bus transmitting apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention
  • Figure 4E shows the output voltage waveform of the preferred embodiment shown in Figure 4D
  • Fig. 5 schematically shows the arrangement of each component on the PCB board under the two-bus power supply system according to a preferred embodiment of the present invention
  • FIG. 6 schematically shows the wiring mode of each component on the PCB under the two-bus power supply system according to a preferred embodiment of the present invention
  • Fig. 7 schematically shows the arrangement of various components on the PCB board under the four-bus power supply system according to a preferred embodiment of the present invention
  • FIG. 8 schematically shows a power supply unit of a laser according to a preferred embodiment of the present invention.
  • FIG. 9A schematically shows a specific implementation structure of a power supply unit
  • Fig. 9B schematically shows a simulation curve of the operation of the power supply unit in Fig. 9A;
  • FIG. 9C schematically shows a specific implementation structure of a power supply unit according to a preferred embodiment of the present invention.
  • FIG. 10A schematically shows a first charging process of the high-voltage generating unit according to a preferred embodiment of the present invention
  • FIG. 10B shows the change curve of the first inductance and the output voltage of the power supply unit according to a preferred embodiment of the present invention
  • FIG. 11A schematically shows a second charging process of the high-voltage generating unit according to a preferred embodiment of the present invention
  • FIG. 11B shows the change curve of the first inductance and the output voltage of the power supply unit according to a preferred embodiment of the present invention
  • FIG. 12A schematically shows a first discharge process of the high-voltage generating unit according to a preferred embodiment of the present invention
  • FIG. 12B shows the change curve of the first inductance and the output voltage of the power supply unit according to a preferred embodiment of the present invention
  • FIG. 13A schematically shows a second discharge process of the high-voltage generating unit according to a preferred embodiment of the present invention
  • FIG. 13B shows the change curve of the first inductance and the output voltage of the power supply unit according to a preferred embodiment of the present invention
  • FIG. 14A schematically shows the reset process of the high voltage generating unit according to a preferred embodiment of the present invention
  • FIG. 14B shows the change curve of the first inductance and the output voltage of the power supply unit according to a preferred embodiment of the present invention
  • FIG. 15 shows a method for controlling laser light emission by using a power supply unit according to a preferred embodiment of the present invention
  • FIG. 16 schematically shows a lidar according to a preferred embodiment of the present invention
  • FIG. 17 schematically shows an application scenario of a lidar according to a preferred embodiment of the present invention.
  • Figure 18 shows a four-bus driver for lidar
  • Fig. 19 shows the capacitor charge-discharge curve during the operation of the multi-bus drive device
  • Figure 20 shows switching losses, charging losses and total losses during operation of a multi-bus drive
  • FIG. 21 shows a multi-bus driving device for lidar according to an embodiment of the present invention
  • FIG. 22 shows a four-bus driving device for lidar according to an embodiment of the present invention
  • FIG. 23 shows an energy transfer unit of a multi-bus drive device according to an embodiment of the present invention
  • FIG. 24 shows an energy transfer unit of a multi-bus drive device according to an embodiment of the present invention
  • FIG. 25 shows an energy transfer unit of a multi-bus drive device according to an embodiment of the present invention
  • FIG. 26 shows an energy transfer unit of a multi-bus drive device according to an embodiment of the present invention
  • Figure 27 shows an eight-bus drive and its energy transfer unit according to an embodiment of the present invention.
  • connection should be understood in a broad sense, for example, it may be a fixed connection or a detachable connection Connection, or integral connection: it can be a mechanical connection, an electrical connection or can communicate with each other; it can be directly connected or indirectly connected through an intermediate medium, it can be the internal communication of two elements or the interaction of two elements relation.
  • connection should be understood in a broad sense, for example, it may be a fixed connection or a detachable connection Connection, or integral connection: it can be a mechanical connection, an electrical connection or can communicate with each other; it can be directly connected or indirectly connected through an intermediate medium, it can be the internal communication of two elements or the interaction of two elements relation.
  • a first feature "on” or “under” a second feature may include direct contact between the first and second features, or may include the first and second features Not directly but through additional features between them.
  • the first feature being “above”, “over” and “above” the second feature includes that the first feature is directly above and diagonally above the second feature, or simply means that the first feature is level higher than the second feature.
  • the first feature “below”, “below” and “beneath” the second feature includes the first feature being directly above and obliquely above the second feature, or simply means that the first feature has a lower level than the second feature.
  • the laser used in the future lidar can be packaged as a chip, and the driving circuit used to drive the laser can also be packaged as a chip. Due to the limitation of the current process, most of the lasers are common cathodes, so the laser chips packaged in the laser chip have multiple lasers. The cathodes are made together and then grounded (GND), so other devices cannot be set between the cathodes of each laser and GND. However, if the driving circuit is set between the cathode of the laser and GND, and since the cathodes of multiple lasers are connected, multiple lasers need to share a switching device for input driving.
  • the laser 1 can be gated separately, so that the laser 1 emits light, but the laser 2 does not emit light at this time; the laser 2 can also be gated separately, so that the laser 2 emits light, and the laser 1 does not emit light at this time; it is not necessary to gate the laser 1 and the laser 2 at the same time.
  • a solution can be driven by arranging the switching device on the anode of the laser, but this solution requires the use of a high-side switch. To achieve this control, the solution is more complicated.
  • the present application proposes a technical solution of supplying power supply to multiple lasers respectively instead of sharing the power supply. The following will be combined with Figure 3- Figure 17 provides a detailed description and introduction of the solution of the present application.
  • the present invention provides a transmitter 10 that can be used for lidar, including a plurality of power supply units 11 , such as the power supply unit 11-1 shown in the Unit 11 - 2 . . . power supply unit 11 -N, laser unit 12 and at least one switching device 13 .
  • a transmitter 10 that can be used for lidar, including a plurality of power supply units 11 , such as the power supply unit 11-1 shown in the Unit 11 - 2 . . . power supply unit 11 -N, laser unit 12 and at least one switching device 13 .
  • the plurality of power supply units 11 are configured to convert the primary voltage into a high voltage output (HV1, HV2...HVN as shown in the figure, hereinafter referred to as any one of the high voltage HV1, HV2...HVN by the high voltage HVx, the high voltage HVx is voltage higher than the primary voltage), and at least two power supply units 11 do not output high voltages simultaneously, for example, power supply unit 11-1 can output high voltage HV1 at time t1, and power supply unit 11-2 can output high voltage HV2 at time t2 , t1 ⁇ t2.
  • the laser unit 12 includes a plurality of lasers 121, such as the laser 121-1, the laser 121-2...the laser 121-N shown in the figure.
  • the laser unit 12 may be a one-dimensional laser or a two-dimensional laser array.
  • the laser 121-x shown in FIG. 3 (including the laser 121-1, the laser 121-2 . ) may be one laser, one column of lasers, or one row of lasers.
  • the anode of each laser 121-x is connected to the output end of the power supply unit 11, wherein at least two lasers 121-x can be connected to different power supply units 11, for example, the anode of the laser 121-1 is connected to the power supply unit 11
  • the output terminal of the unit 11-1 and the anode of the laser 121-2 are connected to the output terminal of the power supply unit 11-2.
  • At least one switching device 13 the cathodes of some lasers that do not share a high voltage (such as laser 121-1, laser 121-2...laser 121-N shown in the figure) are connected to the same switching device 13, and the switching device 13 is configured to For example, when the power supply unit 11-1 outputs the high voltage HV1 at time t1, if the switching device 13 is at time t1 If it is also turned on, the discharge circuit formed by the high voltage HV1, the laser 121-1 connected to it and the ground can be gated.
  • a high voltage such as laser 121-1, laser 121-2...laser 121-N shown in the figure
  • the laser unit 12 includes the laser 121-1, the laser 121-2...the laser 121-N), and, skilled in the art Persons can easily understand that the laser 121 in the laser unit 12 shown in FIG. 3 is all one laser.
  • the laser 121 can also be multiple lasers in a row, or multiple lasers in a row, so that the defect of insufficient light intensity of one laser can be overcome, and the distance measurement capability of the lidar can be further improved.
  • FIG. 4A shows an embodiment of a two-bus power supply system provided by the present invention.
  • the two buses share a primary voltage source 112 .
  • the transmitter 10 includes a plurality of voltage buses 14 corresponding to the plurality of power supply units 11 .
  • the input terminal of the voltage bus 14 inputs the primary voltage (VBASE shown in the figure), and the output terminal outputs a voltage higher than the primary voltage (HV1, HV2 in the figure), and each laser 121-x is connected to the phase through one of the voltage buses 14. on the output terminal of the corresponding power supply unit 11 .
  • the transmitting device 10 includes a plurality of voltage buses 14, respectively outputting voltages HV1, HV2...HVN higher than the primary voltage (VBASE), that is, HVx> VBASE, and the multiple voltage buses 14 may not share the primary voltage source 112, which is also within the protection scope of the present invention.
  • the power supply unit 11 of the transmitting device 10 includes a capacitor unit 111 , which is connected to the voltage bus 14 and configured to be charged through the voltage bus 14 , and when the switching device 13 is turned on , discharge to one or more lasers 121-x connected to the voltage bus 14 and gated by the switching device 13 to drive the one or more lasers 121-x to emit light.
  • the power supply unit 11 further includes a primary voltage source 112 and a high voltage generating unit 113 .
  • Primary voltage source 112 is configured to output a primary voltage (VBASE).
  • the high voltage generating unit 113 is connected to a primary voltage source 112 adapted to input the primary voltage (VBASE) to the high voltage generating unit 113 configured to generate a voltage HVx higher than the primary voltage (VBASE).
  • 9C shows a circuit of a voltage bus
  • FIG. 4B shows a laser circuit of a 3-way voltage bus
  • FIG. 4D shows a 2-way voltage bus circuit. voltage bus for the laser circuit.
  • the inductor Lx (including the inductor L1, the inductor L2 and the inductor L3), the gatex signal (including the gate1, gate2 and gate3), the switch Mx (including the switch M1, the switch M2 and the switch M3) and the diode Dx (including D1, D2 and D3) constitutes a tank circuit
  • high-side transistor Px (including high-side transistor P1, high-side transistor P2 and high-side transistor P3) and high-side transistor driver (including driver 1, driver 2 and driver 3 ) constitute the gating circuit
  • LD1-Ldx (including LD1, LD2 and LD3) and the trigger signal constitute the laser circuit.
  • diodes D11, D21 and D31 are used to protect the respective parallel switches, such as diode D11 to protect M1.
  • the tank circuit 1 includes an inductor L1, a gate1, a switch tube M1 and a diode D1
  • the gating circuit 1 includes a high-side transistor P1 and a driver 1, and the specific structures of other energy storage circuits x and gating circuits x can be deduced by analogy, here I won't repeat them one by one.
  • the general working process of laser light emission is: the energy storage circuit is used to receive the input primary voltage VBase and store electrical energy, and then the gating circuit is turned on, the energy storage inductor can charge the boost capacitor C, and a high voltage is established on the boost capacitor C. .
  • the input voltage is usually not very high, such as 5V or 12V, which cannot be directly used to drive the laser, and needs to be boosted.
  • the high voltage built up on the boost capacitor C can be significantly higher than the input voltage VBase, eg, 60V, so that it can be used to drive the laser LD. After the high voltage is established, the boost capacitor C can drive the laser LDx to emit a laser beam.
  • the 3 HV buses share a primary voltage source VBase, and the 3 laser LDs share a driving device S3.
  • the 3 HV buses HV1, HV2 and HV3 are not output at the same time point.
  • HV1, HV2 and HV3 There is only one output, so that the capacitors C, HV, S3 and the discharge circuit of the ground of the output are gated (it can be understood that a certain energization circuit, specifically a charging circuit or a discharging circuit, is a relative concept.
  • the laser it is a charging circuit, and for the capacitor C, it is a discharging circuit), which drives the laser LD connected to the HV of the circuit to emit light.
  • the above-mentioned laser LD can be various types of lasers, such as a vertical cavity surface emitting laser VCSEL, or an edge emitting laser EEL, and the protection scope of the present invention is not limited by the type of laser.
  • the tank circuit 1 includes an inductor L1, a diode D1 connected to the inductor L1 respectively, and a switch M1.
  • One end of the inductor L1 is connected to the input voltage VIN (usually very small, such as 5V), and the other end is connected to the diode D1 and the switch M1.
  • the gate1 controls the switch M1 to close, and the closed switch M1 can be equivalent to a short circuit on the circuit, so the current generated by the input voltage VIN flows through the inductor L1 and passes through the switch M1. ground. As the inductor current increases, electrical energy is stored in the inductor L1.
  • the switch M1 When the energy storage phase is completed, the switch M1 is turned off, and the high-side driver is used to gate P1 in the gating circuit 1. At this time, due to the current holding characteristics of the inductor L1, the current flowing through the inductor L1 will not immediately become zero, but Slowly, the current value when charging is completed becomes zero. During this process, since the switch M1 is turned off and P1 is turned on, the inductor L charges the boost capacitor C1, so the voltage across the boost capacitor C1 increases. high.
  • the boost capacitor C1 After a high voltage (eg 60V) has been established on the boost capacitor C1, if the drive switch S3 in the laser circuit is selected to be turned on (it can be turned on or off by the trigger3 signal), due to the unidirectional conductivity of the diode D1, the capacitor C1 cannot discharge through the diode D1, and can only discharge through the loop of the laser LD1 and the switch S3, so the current flows through the laser LD1, and the capacitor C1 drives the laser LD1 to emit light.
  • a high voltage eg 60V
  • the tank circuit 2 the gating circuit 2 and LD2 can repeat the working process of the tank circuit 1, the gating circuit 1 and LD1; and if the laser LD3 is driven to emit light at the next moment, the storage circuit
  • the energy circuit 3, the gating circuit 3 and the LD3 can repeat the working process of the tank circuit 1, the gating circuit 1 and the LD1, which will not be repeated here.
  • Figure 4C provides a simulation diagram of the operation of the laser circuit shown in Figure 4B, the horizontal axis is time t, the vertical axis is voltage V, curve 401 represents the change of HV1, curve 402 represents the change of HV2, curve 403 represents the change of HV3, from As can be seen from the figure, HV1 has output during the period of 0.5 ⁇ s-3.5 ⁇ s, HV2 has output during the period of 5.5 ⁇ s-8.5 ⁇ s, HV3 has output during the period of 10.5 ⁇ s-13.5 ⁇ s, HV1, HV2 and The output times of the three HV3 are not coincident, and one or more lasers connected to the voltage bus of the output HV1, HV2 and HV3 can be separately selected to emit light.
  • FIG. 4D shows a laser circuit scheme with 2 buses.
  • the high-voltage generating unit 113 It includes a first inductor 1131 , a first switch tube 1132 and a second switch tube 1133 .
  • the first end of the first inductor 1131 is connected to the primary voltage source 112 , and is configured to be capable of inputting electrical energy from the primary voltage source 112 .
  • the first end of the first switch tube 1132 is connected to the second end of the first inductance 1131 , and the second end is grounded, and is configured to make the primary voltage source 112 and the first inductance 1131 form a charging loop when turned on to charge the first inductance 1131 .
  • the first end of the second switch tube 1133 is connected to the second end of the first inductor 1131 , and the second end is connected to the capacitor unit 111 . Unit 111 is charged.
  • the diodes D1 are used to protect the respective parallel switch tubes, for example, the diode D1 protects the switch tubes 1132 .
  • Diode D2 is used to speed up conduction and power supply, such as diode D2 to speed up the supply of HV2. Compared with the solution in FIG. 4B , the capacitance value of the capacitor C that can be selected for charging the laser in this embodiment is relatively larger.
  • the high voltages output by the two voltage buses are HV1 and HV2 respectively, and a certain number of lasers 121 are mounted on each bus (specifically, as shown in FIG. 4D ) , 121-1, 121-3 and 121-5 are hung on the voltage bus whose output voltage is HV1, and 121-2, 121-4 and 121-6 are hung on the voltage bus whose output voltage is HV2), two adjacent The lasers share one GaN switch as a driver (specifically, as shown in FIG. 4D , the lasers 121-1 and 121-2 share the GaN switch 13-1, the lasers 121-3 and 121-4 share the GaN switch 13-2, and the lasers 121- 5.
  • the driving signal DRV1 shown in the figure is used to drive the GaN switch 13-1 to determine the on-off and on-off duration of the GaN switch 13-1;
  • the driving signal DRV2 shown is used to drive the GaN switch 13-2 to determine the on-off and on-off duration of the GaN switch 13-2;
  • DRV3 is used to drive the GaN switch 13-3 to determine the on-off and on-off of the GaN switch 13-2 duration.
  • the high-voltage generating unit 113 of the power supply unit 11 has three control signals, which are the low-side driving DRVL_HV1 (driving the first switch tube 1132 ) and the high-side driving DRVH_HV1 (driving the first switching transistor 1132 ) as shown in the figure.
  • the control signal input terminals of the low-side driver DRVL_HV1, the high-side driver DRVH_HV1 and the reset driver DRVRST_HV1 together form the voltage control terminal of the power supply unit 11.
  • the voltage control terminal can accept an external voltage control signal to control
  • the power supply unit 11 outputs a voltage.
  • each switching device 13 includes a control terminal (the input terminals of the driving signals of DRV1, DRV2 and DRV3 shown in the figure), a first terminal and a second terminal,
  • the control terminal is configured to receive a driving signal to control the on-off between the first terminal and the second terminal, the first terminal is connected to the cathode of the one or more lasers 121 gated by the switching device, the second terminal is grounded, and the voltage
  • the control signal cooperates with the driving signal to control the laser 121 to emit light.
  • the switching device 13 includes one or more of a GaN switch and a CMOS switch.
  • FIG. 4E provides a working simulation diagram of the laser circuit shown in FIG. 4D, the horizontal axis is time t, the vertical axis is voltage V, the relatively thin curve 404 represents the change of HV1, and the relatively thick curve 405 represents the change of HV2, It can be seen from the figure that HV1 has output during the period of 0.5 ⁇ s-3.5 ⁇ s, and HV2 has output during the period of 5.5 ⁇ s-8.5 ⁇ s. The output times of HV1 and HV2 do not overlap, and they can be connected by gating separately. One or more lasers on the voltage bus output HV1, HV2 emit light.
  • the present invention also provides a method for controlling the light emission of the emitting device 10 as described above (as shown in FIG. 4A ), which may include:
  • step S201 a power supply unit 11 is controlled to output a high voltage
  • step S202 the current loop of some of the lasers 121 is controlled to be turned on by the switching device 13 , so that the lasers 121 connected to the power supply unit 11 emit light under the action of high voltage.
  • the transmitting device 10 further includes a plurality of voltage buses 14 corresponding to the plurality of power supply units 11, and each voltage bus 14 is connected to each component on the corresponding power supply unit 11, and the voltage bus
  • the input terminal of 14 inputs the primary voltage, and the output terminal outputs a voltage higher than the primary voltage.
  • Each laser 121 is connected to the output terminal of the corresponding power supply unit 11 through one of the voltage buses 14.
  • the power supply unit 11 includes a capacitor unit 111, connected to On the voltage bus 14, the control method further includes:
  • the capacitor unit 111 is charged through the voltage bus 14 and discharged to the corresponding laser 121 connected to the same voltage bus 14 through the capacitor unit 111 to drive the corresponding laser 121 to emit light.
  • the power supply unit 11 further includes a primary voltage source 112 and a high voltage generating unit 113, and the control method further includes:
  • a voltage higher than the primary voltage is generated by the high voltage generating unit 113 and outputted through the voltage bus 14 .
  • the high-voltage generating unit 113 includes: a first inductor 1131, the first end of which is connected to the primary voltage source 112, and the first switch tube 1132, whose first end is connected to the second end of the first inductor 1131 , the second end is grounded, the first end of the second switch tube 1133 is connected to the second end of the first inductor 1131, and the second end is connected to the capacitor unit 111.
  • the control method further includes:
  • the primary voltage source 112 and the first inductor 1131 form a charging loop to charge the first inductor 1131;
  • the primary voltage source 112 and the first inductor 1131 form a discharge loop to charge the capacitor unit 111 .
  • the control method further includes:
  • the voltage control signal is received through the voltage control terminal to control the output voltage of the power supply unit 11 .
  • each switching device 13 includes a control terminal, a first terminal and a second terminal, and the control terminal is configured to receive a driving signal to control the communication between the first terminal and the second terminal.
  • the first end is connected to the cathode of the laser selected by the first end, the second end is grounded, and the control method further includes:
  • the voltage control signal and the driving signal are matched to control the corresponding one or more lasers to emit light.
  • the present invention provides a method for arranging the above-mentioned emitting device 10 on a PCB: as shown in FIG. 5 , a plurality of lasers 121 are arranged in a single column, and the GaN switching devices corresponding to adjacent lasers can be arranged on both sides respectively, As shown, lasers 121-1 and 121-2 correspond to GaN switch 13-1, and lasers 121-3 and 121-4 correspond to GaN switch 13-2.
  • Lasers 121-0 and 121-1 supply high voltage HV3 through capacitor 111-3
  • lasers 121-2 and 121-3 supply high voltage HV1 through capacitor 111-1
  • laser 121-4 supplies high voltage HV2 through capacitor 111-2, wherein high voltage HV1 , HV2 and HV3 can be supplied non-simultaneously, ie at different times, so that any one of the plurality of lasers 121 can be individually gated.
  • the ratio of the number of lasers to the number of GaN switching devices is 2:1, which is equivalent to two lasers sharing one GaN switching device, which is driven to emit light. In the above-mentioned preferred embodiments, this can be easily realized by using the transmitting device of the present invention.
  • the switching devices are arranged on both sides of the single-row laser, so that the distances from the multiple lasers to the switching devices that are gated are approximately equal, and there will be no inconsistency in test parameters, so that the consistency of each detection channel is better.
  • the discharge loop lengths are basically the same, and the emission power of the lasers is also relatively consistent.
  • the present invention also provides another method for arranging the above-mentioned emitting device 10 on a PCB board: a plurality of lasers 121 are arranged in a single row, and GaN switching devices and capacitors C are arranged in this row of lasers on the same side.
  • the traces are divided into three layers, the first layer is grounded, connected to the GaN switch and capacitor; the second layer is connected to the GaN switch device and the laser, the third layer is connected to all capacitors, and the capacitor unit mounted on the voltage bus of the output voltage HV1 is in the first layer.
  • One layer of wiring is connected to its corresponding laser, and the capacitor unit mounted on the voltage bus of the output voltage HV2 is connected to its corresponding laser on the second layer of wiring. Since the number of GaN devices is less than the number of lasers, this wiring method can also be used. The distances from each laser to the GaN switching device driving it are made equal so that the discharge loops of each laser are approximately equal, with no difference in transmit power.
  • a method for arranging the transmitting device 10 of a 4-bus power system on a PCB board arranging two columns of lasers in a staggered manner, as shown in the figure, the lasers 121- 1. 121-2, 121-3 and 121-4 are respectively connected to four different power supply units (as shown in the figure, the output voltages of the four power supply units are HV1, HV2, HV3 and HV4 respectively), four lasers 121-1, 121-2, 121-3 and 121-4 share one GaN switch 13-1, saving the number of GaN switching devices.
  • the GaN switch 13-1 connects the lasers 121-1 and 121-3 by wiring on the PCB board, and connects the lasers 121-2 and 121-4 by wiring on the back of the PCB board, so that the four lasers 121-1, The distances from 121-2, 121-3 and 121-4 to the GaN switch 13-1 driving them are approximately equal, their discharge loops are equal, and the emission powers of the multiple lasers are the same. And the staggered arrangement of the two columns of lasers can double the density of laser placement, thereby doubling the vertical angular resolution of the lidar.
  • each GaN switching device corresponds to multiple lasers, which can not only ensure the consistency of the connection lines between multiple lasers and their corresponding GaN switching devices, but also because the two GaN switching devices Between the devices, the GaN switch 13-1 and the GaN switch 13-2 shown in the figure are farther apart, and the arrangement space is also more generous.
  • the four lasers 121-1, 121-2, 121-3 and 121-4 shown in FIG. 7 correspond to different capacitors 111-1, 111-4, 111-2 and 111-5 respectively. Their corresponding capacitors and GaN switching devices together form a power-on loop, so the four lasers can emit light according to a certain timing.
  • the present invention further provides a lidar 20, including the above-mentioned transmitting device 10, receiving device 21 and control device 22, wherein: the transmitting device 10 is suitable for Under the control of the control device 22, the laser is driven according to a certain time sequence to emit a detection laser beam.
  • the receiving means 21 are adapted to receive echoes reflected back by external obstacles with respect to the radar.
  • the control device 22 is adapted to generate voltage control signals (DRVH_HV1, DRVL_HV1, DRVRST_HV1 as shown in FIG. 4D ), control the output voltage of the power supply unit, and generate drive signals (as shown in FIG. 4A , DRV1, DRV2, DRV3) to select some of the lasers to emit light; and is adapted to process the echo received by the receiving device 21, and calculate the distance and/or reflectivity between the external obstacle and the radar according to the echo signal.
  • the transmitting device 10 is suitable for Under the control of the control device 22, the laser is driven according to a certain time sequence to
  • FIG. 17 shows an application scenario of the present invention.
  • the unmanned vehicle is equipped with a lidar 20.
  • the transmitter 10 in the lidar 20 is controlled by the control device 22 through Different power supply units output voltages at different times, respectively gating part of the lasers to emit detection beams, and the receiving device 21 receives the echoes of the detection beams reflected by external obstacles, and then processed by the control unit 22 to calculate according to the echo signals. Get the distance and/or reflectivity of external obstacles to lidar (driverless cars).
  • the control unit 22 controls the output voltages of the multiple power supply units of the transmitting device 10 by generating a voltage control signal, and generates a driving signal to select some of the lasers to emit light.
  • a preferred embodiment of the present invention provides a laser radar transmitting device and a control method thereof.
  • Multiple power supply units are used to separately gate the lasers connected to them to emit light, and multiple lasers with non-shared voltage can share the GaN switching device, so as to achieve independent , gate a certain row or a certain column of lasers one by one, save the cost and volume of the transmitter, and make the size of the GaN switch device no longer the limit of the vertical angular resolution of the lidar, and the GaN switch device can be divided into columns
  • the two ends of the multiple lasers or the wiring method behind the PCB is used, so that the emission power of the multiple lasers is consistent, the multiple lasers are staggered, and the angular resolution in the vertical direction is increased.
  • the present invention also provides a power supply unit 11 for a laser, comprising: : capacitor unit 111 , primary voltage source 112 and high voltage generating unit 113 .
  • Primary voltage source 112 is configured to output a primary voltage.
  • the high voltage generating unit 113 is coupled to the primary voltage source 112 and configured to input the primary voltage, generate an output voltage higher than the primary voltage, and output the high voltage through the output terminal.
  • the capacitor unit 111 is coupled to the output terminal of the high voltage generating unit 113 .
  • the capacitor unit 111 and the high voltage generating unit 113 are configured to adjust the output voltage through charging and discharging.
  • the primary voltage source 112 outputs the primary voltage (VBASE1 shown in the figure)
  • the high voltage generating unit 113 is coupled to the primary voltage source 112
  • the primary voltage VBASE1 is converted into a high voltage output (HV1 shown in the figure)
  • the capacitor unit 111 is coupled to the output terminal of the high voltage generating unit 113, and cooperates with the high voltage generating unit 113 to adjust the output voltage HV1 through charging and discharging.
  • the high-voltage generating unit 113 includes a first inductor 1131 , a first switch tube 1132 and a second switch tube 1133 .
  • the first end of the first inductor 1131 is connected to the primary voltage source 112 , and is configured to be capable of inputting electrical energy from the primary voltage source 112 .
  • the first end of the first switch tube 1132 is connected to the second end of the first inductance 1131 , and the second end is grounded, and is configured to make the primary voltage source 112 and the first inductance 1131 form a charging loop when turned on to charge the first inductance 1131 .
  • the first end of the second switch tube 1133 is connected to the second end of the first inductor 1131 , and the second end is connected to the capacitor unit 111 , which is used as the output end of the high voltage generating unit 113 .
  • the current flows in the charging stage 1, the first switch 1132 is turned on, the second switch 1133 is turned off, and the primary voltage source 112 and the first inductor 1131 form a charging loop.
  • the horizontal axis is time
  • the upper curve is the curve of the current of the first inductor 1131 changing with time
  • the lower curve is the curve of the output voltage HV1 of the power supply unit 11 changing with time.
  • the first switch tube 1132 is turned on, and the current of the first inductor 1131 increases linearly according to the slope of VBASE/L, where L is the inductive reactance of the first inductor 1131, and the output voltage HV1 of the power supply unit 11 maintains the initial value (equal to VBASE) )constant.
  • the current flows in the charging stage 2, and the first switch tube 1132 is turned off. Since the current on the first inductor 1131 cannot change abruptly in an instant, a reverse electromotive force Vls is generated on the inductor Ls to keep the passing current from flowing. Change.
  • the second switch tube 1133 is turned on, and the primary voltage source 112 and the first inductor 1131 are connected in series to charge the capacitor unit 111 with a voltage exceeding VBASE, so that the voltage of the capacitor unit 111 rises to VBASE+VLs. As shown in FIG.
  • the horizontal axis is time
  • the upper curve is the curve of the current of the first inductor 1131 as a function of time
  • the lower curve is the curve of the output voltage HV1 of the power supply unit 11 as a function of time.
  • the first switch tube 1132 is turned off and the second switch tube 1133 is turned on.
  • the first inductor 1131 and the capacitor unit 111 form resonance, and the voltage of the capacitor unit 111 rises from the initial voltage VBASE resonance; when the current of the first inductor 1131 decreases to When it is 0, the second switch tube 1133 is turned off, and the capacitance of the capacitor unit is charged to the target voltage at this time.
  • the current flows in the discharge stage 1, the first switch tube 1132 is turned off, the second switch tube 1133 is turned on, and the capacitor unit 111 is used as a power source to discharge the first inductor 1131.
  • the horizontal axis is time
  • the upper curve is the curve of the current of the first inductor 1131 changing with time
  • the lower curve is the curve of the output voltage HV1 of the power supply unit 11 changing with time.
  • the first switch tube 1132 is turned off, the second switch tube 1133 is turned on, the capacitor unit 111 and the first inductor 1131 form resonance, and the voltage resonance of the capacitor unit 111 drops; when the voltage drops to the target voltage, the second switch tube 1133 is turned off.
  • the current flows in the discharge phase 2, the first switch 1132 is turned on, the second switch 1133 is turned off, and the primary voltage source 112 and the first inductor 1131 form a discharge loop.
  • the horizontal axis is time
  • the upper curve is the curve of the current of the first inductor 1131 changing with time
  • the lower curve is the curve of the output voltage HV1 of the power supply unit 11 changing with time
  • the current of the first inductor is according to - The slope of VBASE/L is down.
  • the power supply unit 10 further includes a reset switch tube 1134, and the reset switch tube 1134 is connected across the primary voltage source 112 and the capacitor unit 111, and is configured to convert the output voltage HV1 pulled back to the primary voltage VBASE.
  • the first switch transistor 1132, the second switch transistor 1133, and the reset switch transistor 1134 include one or more of a GaN switch and a CMOS switch transistor.
  • the reset switch tube 1134 can be constructed by discrete devices such as MOS tube and GaN switch tube, or a gate switch can be used.
  • the reset switch 1134 is turned on to reset the first inductor 1131 to prevent the parasitic capacitance of the first inductor 1131 and the first switch 1132 from resonating again, which will affect the capacitor unit 111 and the next charging process.
  • the horizontal axis is time
  • the upper curve is the curve of the current of the first inductor 1131 changing with time
  • the lower curve is the curve of the output voltage HV1 of the power supply unit 11 changing with time, and the output voltage HV1 rises rapidly to the primary voltage VBASE.
  • the fast bus power system provided by the present invention requires three control signals, which are the low-side driving signal (DRVL_HV1 shown in FIG.
  • the high-side driving signal of the second switch transistor 1133 (DRVH_HV1 shown in FIG. 9C )
  • the reset signal that controls the reset switch transistor 1134 DRVRST_HV1 shown in FIG. 9C .
  • the reasonable cooperation of these three signals can realize the adjustment time of ⁇ 1us, which can satisfy the ability of pixel-by-pixel adjustment of laser light intensity.
  • the present invention also provides a control unit for controlling the above-mentioned power supply unit 11, wherein the high-voltage generating unit 113 includes a first switch tube 1132, a second switch tube 1133 and a reset switch tube 1134,
  • the control unit includes: generating a voltage control signal according to the light-emitting sequence of the laser, and outputting the voltage control signal to the gates of the first switch tube 1132, the second switch tube 1133, and the reset switch tube 1134 respectively (ie, DRVL_HV1, DRVH_HV1, DRVRST_HV1), to control the high voltage generation unit 113 to output an output voltage higher than the primary voltage, and to control the capacitor unit 111 and the high voltage generation unit 113 to adjust the output voltage through charging and discharging.
  • the present invention further provides a laser radar transmitter 10 , comprising: a plurality of power supply units 11 as described above, configured to input a primary voltage and output a high voltage, and At least two power supply units 11 output a high voltage relatively non-simultaneously, wherein the high voltage is a higher voltage relative to the primary voltage.
  • the laser unit 12 includes a plurality of lasers 121 , wherein the anode of each laser 121 is connected to the output end of one of the power supply units 11 , so that at least two of the lasers 121 are connected to different power supply units 11 .
  • At least one switching device 13 the other end of the part of the lasers 121 that do not share a voltage is connected to one of the switching devices 13, and the switching device 13 is configured to selectively switch on the current loop formed by the corresponding power supply unit 11, the laser 121 connected to it, and the ground. break.
  • the present invention further provides a method 30 for controlling laser light emission by using the power supply unit 11 as described above, including:
  • step S301 the primary voltage is output through the primary voltage source 112;
  • step S302 an output voltage higher than the primary voltage is generated by the high voltage generating unit 113;
  • step S303 the output voltage is adjusted by charging and discharging through the capacitor unit 111 and the high voltage generating unit 113 .
  • the high-voltage generating unit 113 includes: a first inductor 1131, the first end of which is coupled to the primary voltage source 112, a first switch tube 1132, the first end of which is connected to the second end of the first inductor 1131 coupling, the second end is grounded, the second switch tube 1133, the first end is coupled to the second end of the first inductor 1131, the second end is coupled to the capacitor unit 111, the method 30 further includes:
  • the primary voltage source 112 and the first inductor 1131 form a charging loop, and the primary voltage source 112 charges the first inductor 1131;
  • the primary voltage source 112 and the first inductor 1131 form a discharge loop, and the capacitor unit 111 is charged through the primary voltage source 112 and the first inductor 1131, so that the output voltage is high at the primary voltage.
  • the method 30 further includes:
  • the first switch tube 1132 is turned off and the second switch tube 1133 is turned on, so that the capacitor unit 111 is discharged, and the first inductor 1131 inputs electrical energy from the capacitor unit 111 to reduce the output voltage.
  • the power supply unit 11 further includes a reset switch tube 1134
  • the reset switch tube 1134 is connected across the primary voltage source 112 and the capacitor unit 111
  • the method 30 further includes:
  • the output voltage is pulled back to the primary voltage by the reset switch 1134 .
  • a preferred embodiment of the present invention provides a power supply unit including an LC resonant circuit. Due to the characteristics of the LC resonant circuit, the power supply unit charges and discharges the mounted capacitors at a high speed, and the power supply unit used in another embodiment Compared with the feedback circuit scheme, the speed is increased by a thousand times.
  • FIG. 9A shows the structure of an existing HV supply circuit.
  • the power supply in FIG. 9A outputs a high voltage HV. After sampling, it is compared with the reference voltage Vref to obtain an error signal , the control signal u is generated by the PID controller, and the PWM comparator compares u with the sawtooth wave with a fixed frequency (the value is specifically related to the system using the HV circuit), and outputs a set of control pulses to control the conduction of the power switch.
  • the entire circuit has relatively many components, and because its working process requires negative feedback, the HV switching speed is also slow.
  • FIG. 9B shows an operation simulation diagram of supplying HV with the power supply in FIG. 9A .
  • the same output high voltage HV1 is 30V.
  • HV can be output quickly, and HV switching can also be performed quickly, so that the light intensity of multiple lasers of the lidar can be adjusted relatively faster to match the situation of external obstacles Or use scenes to improve the accuracy of point cloud detection.
  • FIG. 18 shows an embodiment of a driving device 100 for a four-way fast bus lidar, and the driving device 100 includes four buses HVBUSA, HVBUSB, HVBUSC and HVBUSD.
  • Two lasers are mounted on each bus, lasers LAS1 and LAS2 are mounted on bus HVBUSA, lasers LAS3 and LAS4 are mounted on bus HVBUSB, lasers LAS5 and LAS6 are mounted on bus HVBUSC, and lasers LAS5 and LAS6 are mounted on bus HVBUSD.
  • the four lasers mounted on different buses share a GaN switch device.
  • Each fast bus includes an energy storage unit, such as capacitors C1-C4 as shown in the figure.
  • the energy storage unit on the bus HVBUSA is C1
  • the energy storage unit on the bus HVBUSB is C2
  • the energy storage unit on the bus HVBUSC is C3
  • the energy storage unit on the bus HVBUSD is C4.
  • the switching loss and charging loss generated during the operation of the multi-bus driving device are further described below by taking the embodiment of the four-bus driving device.
  • the lasers emit light one by one as an example.
  • the GaN switching device GaN1 is turned on, the bus HVBUSA outputs a high voltage, charges C1, and then discharges through the energy storage unit C1, so that the laser LAS1 mounted on the bus HVBUSA is emit laser pulses. After the laser LAS1 completes the work, it is switched from the bus HVBUSA to the bus HVBUSB. The GaN switching device GaN1 is turned on again.
  • the bus HVBUSB outputs a high voltage to charge C3, and then discharges through the energy storage unit C3, so that the laser LAS3 mounted on the bus HVBUSB emits laser pulses.
  • the GaN switching device GaN1 Before the GaN switching device GaN1 is turned on again, the remaining energy in the energy storage unit C1 on the bus HVBUSA needs to be emptied. Otherwise, after the GaN switching device GaN1 is turned on again, the laser LAS1 will emit laser pulses again, which will affect the detection of the laser LAS3. . Moreover, this also affects the individual gating of the lasers. In detail, the laser LAS1 emits laser pulses again through the remaining energy on the energy storage unit C1.
  • f bus is the bus switching frequency
  • C is the capacitance value of the energy storage unit
  • V is the voltage on the energy storage unit. It is approximately considered that V is the output voltage of the bus, which is roughly HV.
  • the output voltage of the bus should be set to be low, and the capacitance value of the energy storage unit should be small.
  • reducing the capacitance value of the energy storage unit will lead to an increase in the charging loss on the bus.
  • the following describes the charging losses incurred by the bus device during operation.
  • the lidar may be possible to set multiple lasers of the lidar to emit light one by one (in other embodiments, it may be non-simultaneous, that is, some multiple lasers may emit light simultaneously), and each time (1 time refers to obtaining the external The distance value of one of the points of the obstacle) detection emits 3 laser pulses.
  • the GaN switching device GaN1 is turned on, and the energy storage unit C1 provides it with energy, and the laser LAS1 mounted on the bus HVBUSA emits the first laser pulse. After that, the energy storage unit C1 provides energy for the laser LAS1 again, and the laser LAS1 emits a second laser pulse...
  • Figure 19 shows the change of the voltage on the energy storage unit C1 during the discharge-charge process: before the discharge, the voltage on the energy storage unit C1 is V, and the discharge starts at time t1 to provide energy for the laser emission pulse, and at time t2 After the discharge is completed, the voltage on the energy storage unit C1 is V'.
  • the energy storage unit can be charged from time t2, and after the charging is completed, the voltage on the energy storage unit C1 reaches V or is close to V again.
  • the energy storage unit C1 completes power supply at time t3, that is, the energy on the energy storage unit C1 is discharged and then recharged.
  • the voltage reached by the recharging of the energy storage unit C1 can be adjusted according to the detection requirements, and may be the same or different from the voltage V required for the previous detection.
  • the present invention adopts a double-edge charging scheme, and the charging loss generated under the charging scheme is calculated below.
  • the calculated ⁇ V should be inversely proportional to the capacitance value C of the energy storage unit.
  • the energy storage unit C1 is charged through the bus HVBUSA, and after the charging is completed, the voltage on the energy storage unit C1 reaches V again. Charging is usually done through an RC loop, so the charging loss of the bus is mainly determined by the depth of discharge ⁇ V. which is:
  • R is the equivalent resistance of the switching transistors Q1/Q2/Q3/Q4 as shown in FIG. 18
  • I is the current flowing therethrough.
  • the switching loss and charging loss generated by the multi-bus drive during operation are:
  • f pulse is the frequency of the emitted laser pulse.
  • the switching loss, the pulse charging loss and the total loss of the multi-bus driving device used for the 128-line mechanical radar during operation under the condition of different capacitance values C of the energy storage units are solved. It can be seen from Figure 20 that with the increase of the capacitance value C, the bus switching loss increases linearly, while the pulse charging loss decreases. But the minimum value of the sum of the two still reaches 4W, where the black horizontal line marks the bottom value.
  • the multi-bus driving device includes a plurality of capacitors, which are relatively scattered, it is difficult to reduce the charging loss.
  • the invention provides a driving device of a laser radar, which transfers the remaining power in the energy storage unit through the energy transfer unit, thereby reducing the switching loss without changing the capacitance value and the switching frequency.
  • the total loss (Equation 4) almost only includes the charging loss, and the charging loss is related to the capacitance parameter of the energy storage unit, and the charging loss can be further reduced by increasing the capacitance value.
  • the present invention provides a driving device 100 for a lidar, which is used to drive a laser.
  • a plurality of the lasers work in a round-robin manner, and the driving device 100 includes a plurality of driving devices.
  • Units 110, 110-1, 110-2 . . . 110-n as shown in the figure, and energy transfer unit 120. in:
  • Each driving unit 110 includes at least one energy storage unit 111, such as 111-1, 111-2 . . . 111-n shown in FIG. 21, configured to provide energy for the corresponding laser.
  • the driving unit 110-1 supplies power for the corresponding laser LAS1 to emit light, and the provided energy is stored in the energy storage unit 111-1.
  • the energy storage unit 111-1 discharges to it, the laser LAS1 emits laser pulses, the energy in the energy storage unit 111-1 is consumed, and the voltage decreases.
  • the driving unit 110-1 inputs the primary voltage through the external voltage source, and then generates a high voltage higher than the primary voltage through the high voltage generating unit to charge the energy storage unit 111-1, so that the energy storage unit 111- 1 again stores enough energy for the operation of the laser LAS1.
  • the laser that emits next time is on another bus, for example, the laser that emits next time is the laser LAS2, which corresponds to the driving unit 110-2, the remaining energy in the energy storage unit 111-1 can be emptied to prevent the laser LAS2 from gating , the laser LAS1 corresponding to the energy storage unit 111-1 emits light again, which affects the detection work of the lidar and causes each laser to be unable to be individually addressable.
  • the driving units 110-1, 110-2, . . . 110-n shown in FIG. 21 all correspond to one laser, which is easily understood by those skilled in the art, this is an equivalent method of illustration, and each laser can Corresponding to one or more driving units 110 , the defect of insufficient switching speed between multiple pulses sent by one laser can be overcome.
  • the energy transfer unit 120 is coupled between the two driving units 110-n (n is a positive integer), and is configured to store the energy storage unit of the driving unit 110-n after the driving unit 110-n currently working completes driving to realize the emission of the laser connected to it.
  • the remaining energy in 111-m (m is a positive integer) is transferred to the energy storage unit 111-m of the next operating driving unit 110-n, so that the laser connected to it emits light.
  • the energy transfer unit 120 shown in FIG. 21 is currently coupled between adjacent driving units. Those skilled in the art can understand that this is just an example. In actual implementation, the energy transfer unit 120 may It is only necessary to bridge between the driving units that are not physically adjacent to each other as long as the light-emitting timing of the lasers bridged by the energy transfer unit 120 is sufficient.
  • the driving unit 110-1 is switched to the driving unit 110-2, and the remaining energy in the energy storage unit 111-1 can be emptied at this time.
  • the present invention transfers the remaining energy in the energy storage unit 111-1 to the energy storage unit 111-2 through the energy transfer unit 120 coupled between the driving unit 110-1 and the driving unit 110-2.
  • the driving unit 110-2 charges the energy storage unit 111-2 through an external voltage source, so that the energy storage unit 111-2 stores enough energy for the operation of the laser LAS2 .
  • the energy storage unit 111-2 discharges it, and the laser LAS2 emits laser pulses.
  • the energy transfer unit 120 in the present invention is coupled between two driving units 110, and the specific position of the energy transfer unit 120 is determined by the working order of the plurality of driving units 110, so that the energy transfer unit 120 The remaining energy can be transferred according to the working order of the plurality of driving units 110 , and the arrangement of the energy transfer units 120 is not limited to the situation shown in FIG. 21 .
  • the multi-bus driving device for laser radar provided by the present invention transfers the remaining energy in the energy storage unit corresponding to the currently working laser through the energy transfer unit, thereby avoiding the problem of emptying the remaining energy in the energy storage unit. Switching loss, and the remaining energy after the transfer is utilized by the energy storage unit corresponding to the next working laser, further saving power consumption.
  • the present invention provides a four-bus driving device for a lidar, wherein the lidar includes a plurality of lasers, and the plurality of lasers emit light in turn, wherein The anode of each laser is connected to the output of one of the plurality of drive units, shown in Figure 22, the anode of each laser is connected to one of the plurality of buses, the lidar also includes an energy transfer The unit 120 and the GaN switching device, wherein the energy transfer unit 120 is connected between the capacitors C1 and C2 for transferring the remaining energy in the energy storage units C1/C2 to the energy storage units C2/C1. It should be noted that FIG.
  • FIG. 22 is just an example, it just directly shows the equivalent diagram when the energy transfer unit 120 is connected across the capacitors C1 and C2 and is in a working state (the capacitors C1 and C2 are directly connected).
  • One or more switches may also be provided on the circuit connected across the capacitors C1 and C2 to control whether the energy transfer unit 120 is working and the length of the working state.
  • similar energy transfer units 120 can also be bridged between other HVBUS buses.
  • the cathodes of the lasers of the non-shared driving units are connected to one of the GaN switching devices, and the GaN switching devices are used to gate or turn off the current loop formed by the corresponding driving unit, the laser connected to it, and the ground. Thereby making the laser light or not.
  • the multiple lasers LAS1-LAS8 of the lidar patrol (it does not represent the specific light-emitting sequence, but indicates that LAS1-LAS8 are not 8 lasers emitting at the same time) to emit light. It is possible to set the GaN switching device GaN1 to be turned on, the energy storage unit C1 to charge, to provide energy for the laser through the energy storage unit C1, and the laser LAS1 mounted on the bus HVBUSA to emit laser pulses. After the laser LAS1 completes the work, it is switched from the bus HVBUSA to the bus HVBUSB. The energy transfer unit 120 transfers the remaining energy in the energy storage unit C1 to the energy storage unit C2, and subsequently, the laser LAS2 emits laser pulses through the charging and discharging process of the corresponding capacitor.
  • the driving unit further includes:
  • An external voltage source configured to charge the energy storage unit.
  • a plurality of driving units input primary voltage through an external voltage source HV, and then generate a high voltage higher than the primary voltage through a high voltage generating unit (not shown), and use the high voltage to charge the energy storage unit .
  • the energy storage unit includes a capacitor, which is coupled between the external voltage source and the ground, and is configured to discharge the laser on the gated current loop when the corresponding GaN switching device is turned on, so as to drive the The laser emits a single pulse.
  • the energy storage unit includes capacitors.
  • the energy storage units on the buses HVBUSA, HVBUSB, HVBUSC, and HVBUSD are capacitors C1, C2, C3, and C4, respectively.
  • the capacitors C1, C2, C3, and C4 are charged by an external voltage source HV , and discharge to the laser on the gated current loop when the corresponding GaN switching device is turned on.
  • the energy transfer unit includes:
  • the inductor L is coupled between the output end of the current driving unit and the output end of the next driving unit.
  • the switch components K1 and K2 are connected in series with the inductance L, and are configured so that when the switch components K1 and K2 are turned on, the inductance L and the capacitance of the energy storage unit form resonance.
  • the inductor L shown in FIG. 23 is coupled between the bus HV1 and the bus HV2, each bus corresponds to a drive unit, and each drive unit includes at least one energy storage unit.
  • the energy storage unit on the bus HV1 is a capacitor C1
  • the energy storage unit on the bus HV2 is the capacitor C2. If the laser mounted on the bus HV1 works first, the bus HV1 outputs a high voltage to charge the energy storage unit C1, and the energy storage unit C1 provides the energy required to emit light for the laser mounted on the bus HV1. After the laser mounted on the bus HV1 finishes emitting light, the energy on the energy storage unit C1 is consumed, and a large amount of residual energy may still be stored.
  • the switch components K1 and K2 are turned on, the inductor L and the capacitors C1 and C2 form resonance, and the residual energy stored in the capacitor C1 is transferred to the capacitor C2.
  • the switch components K1 and K2 are turned off.
  • the laser mounted on the bus HV2 will work, and the high voltage can be output by the bus HV2.
  • the energy storage unit C2 is charged by the bus HV2 on the basis of the transferred residual energy to reach the energy required by the laser mounted on the bus HV2 to emit light. value, there is also the fact that after receiving the remaining energy from capacitor C1, capacitor C2 can directly support the energy of the laser that will emit light next time, and there is no need to be additionally charged by HV2 at this time.
  • the conduction period of the switch components K1 and K2 is determined according to the resonance period of the resonant circuit, so that within the conduction period of the switch components K1 and K2, the current driving All the remaining energy in the energy storage unit of the unit is transferred to the energy storage unit of the next working drive unit.
  • the switch components K1 and K2 When the switch components K1 and K2 are turned on, the capacitor C1, the capacitor C2 and the inductor L form a resonant circuit. Within the time, the transfer of the remaining energy is completed, the electricity on the capacitor C1 is all transferred to the capacitor C2, the voltage on the capacitor C1 decreases, and the voltage on the capacitor C2 increases. At this time, the switch components K1 and K2 are turned off to prevent the electricity on the capacitor C2 from returning to the capacitor C1 through the resonant circuit. Since the current on the inductor L is close to 0 when the switch components K1 and K2 are turned on/off, there is almost no distributed parameter loss on the switch components K1 and K2. Preferably, by controlling the inductor L and the switch component K1 , The internal resistance of K2 can make the transfer efficiency of residual energy reach more than 90%.
  • the remaining energy on the energy storage unit C1 on HVBUS1 is 20.
  • the next working laser is mounted on the bus HVBUS2.
  • the remaining energy on the energy storage unit C1 is transferred to the energy storage unit C2 through the inductance L, assuming that the conversion efficiency of the resonant circuit is 90%, Then, after the energy transfer is completed, the initial energy on the energy storage unit C2 is 18.
  • the energy 2 can be supplemented to the energy storage unit C2 through the HVBUS2.
  • the magnitude of the switching loss depends entirely on the conversion efficiency of the resonant circuit, and is not positively correlated with the capacitance value of the energy storage unit.
  • the size of the capacitance value is no longer the limiting factor for the switching loss during the operation of the multi-bus driving device.
  • the charging loss is reduced.
  • the inductor L is coupled between the bus HV1 and the bus HV2, the buses HV1 and HV2 respectively correspond to a drive unit, each drive unit includes at least one energy storage unit, and the bus
  • the energy storage unit on HV1 is capacitor C1
  • the energy storage unit on bus HV2 is capacitor C2. Switching from the bus HV1 to the bus HV2, and from the bus HV2 to the bus HV1, the switching of the two directions shares a set of switch components. It forms resonance with the capacitors C1 and C2 of the energy storage unit.
  • the bus HV1 When the laser mounted on the bus HV1 works first, the bus HV1 outputs a high voltage to charge the energy storage unit C1, and the energy storage unit C1 provides the energy required to emit light for the laser mounted on the bus HV1. After the laser mounted on the bus HV1 finishes emitting light, the energy on the energy storage unit C1 is consumed, but there is still a large amount of residual energy, and the energy on the energy storage unit C2 is zero. At this time, the NMOS switch transistors Q1 and Q4 are turned on, and the gates of the PMOS switch transistors Q2, Q3, Q5, and Q6 are pulled down, thereby turning on the resonant circuit.
  • the inductor L forms resonance with the capacitors C1 and C2, and transfers the residual energy stored in the capacitor C1 to the capacitor C2.
  • the NMOS switch transistors Q1 and Q4 are turned off, and the gates of the PMOS switch transistors Q2, Q3, Q5, and Q6 are reset by the resistor, thereby being turned off.
  • the laser mounted on the bus HV2 works, the bus HV2 outputs a high voltage, and the energy storage unit C2 is charged by the bus HV2 on the basis of the transferred residual energy to reach the energy value required by the laser mounted on the bus HV2 to emit light.
  • the bus HV2 When the laser mounted on the bus HV2 works first, the bus HV2 outputs a high voltage to charge the energy storage unit C2, and the energy storage unit C2 provides the energy required to emit light for the laser mounted on the bus HV2. After the laser mounted on the bus HV2 finishes emitting light, the energy on the energy storage unit C2 is consumed, but there is still a large amount of residual energy, and the energy on the energy storage unit C1 is zero. At this time, the NMOS switch transistors Q1 and Q4 are turned on, and the gates of the PMOS switch transistors Q2, Q3, Q5, and Q6 are pulled down, thereby turning on the resonant circuit.
  • the inductor L forms resonance with the capacitors C1 and C2, and transfers the residual energy stored in the capacitor C2 to the capacitor C1.
  • the NMOS switch transistors Q1 and Q4 are turned off, and the gates of the PMOS switch transistors Q2, Q3, Q5, and Q6 are reset by the resistor, thereby being turned off.
  • the laser mounted on the bus HV1 works, the bus HV1 outputs a high voltage, and the energy storage unit C1 is charged by the bus HV1 on the basis of the transferred residual energy to reach the energy value required by the laser mounted on the bus HV1 to emit light.
  • This embodiment provides a bidirectional conduction energy transfer unit, and the direction and sequence of the gating can match the light-emitting sequence of the laser.
  • the laser mounted on the bus HV1 emits light first
  • the laser mounted on the bus HV2 emits light first
  • the laser mounted on the bus HV2 emits light first
  • the laser mounted on the bus HV1 emits light later.
  • multiple lasers emit light in a polling manner. In other words, all lasers of the radar do not emit light at the same time. The opposite of polling is that all lasers emit light at the same time, and the lasers that emit light in adjacent timings will be physically separated from each other as far as possible. , to reduce crosstalk.
  • the energy transfer unit further includes:
  • a diode is configured to be connected in series with the inductor and the switch component, and the conduction direction of the diode is determined according to the working sequence of the two driving units, that is, to match the light-emitting sequence of the laser.
  • the energy transfer unit further includes a diode SD and a bidirectional analog switch SW, an inductor L is coupled between the bus HV1 and the bus HV2, each bus corresponds to a drive unit, and each drive unit includes at least one energy storage unit
  • the energy storage unit on the bus HV1 is the capacitor C1
  • the energy storage unit on the bus HV2 is the capacitor C2.
  • the laser mounted on the bus HV1 works first, and the bus HV1 outputs a high voltage to charge the energy storage unit C1, and the energy storage unit C1 provides the energy required to emit light for the laser mounted on the bus HV1.
  • the bidirectional analog switch SW is turned on, the inductor L and the capacitors C1 and C2 form resonance, and the residual energy stored in the capacitor C1 is transferred to the capacitor C2.
  • the bidirectional analog switch SW is turned off.
  • the laser mounted on the bus HV2 works, the bus HV2 outputs a high voltage, and the energy storage unit C2 is charged by the bus HV2 on the basis of the transferred residual energy to reach the energy value required by the laser mounted on the bus HV2 to emit light.
  • the bus HV2 outputs a high voltage to charge the energy storage unit C2, and the energy storage unit C2 provides the energy required to emit light for the laser mounted on the bus HV2. After the laser mounted on the bus HV2 finishes emitting light, the energy on the energy storage unit C2 is consumed, but there is still a large amount of remaining energy. At this time, even if the bidirectional analog switch SW is turned on, due to the unidirectionality of the diode SD, the inductor L cannot form resonance with the capacitors C1 and C2, and the residual energy stored in the capacitor C2 cannot be transferred to the capacitor C1.
  • This embodiment provides a one-way conduction energy transfer unit.
  • the conduction direction matches the working sequence of the laser. For example, in each detection period, the laser mounted on the bus HV1 emits light first, and the laser on the bus HV2 emits light first. The mounted laser emits light after it is mounted.
  • This embodiment is applicable to a lidar where the light-emitting sequence of multiple lasers is a loop; it is also applicable to a lidar where multiple lasers are grouped, the lasers of each group emit light at the same time, and the detection is performed group by group.
  • the driving device includes two energy transfer units, wherein:
  • Each of the energy transfer units includes a diode and a switch component, respectively connected in series with the inductors and coupled between the two drive units, configured to transfer the remaining energy from opposite directions, respectively.
  • the energy transfer unit 120-1 includes a diode SD-1 and a switch element SW-1
  • the energy transfer unit 120-2 includes a diode SD-2 and a switch element SW-2, which are respectively connected in series with the inductor L and coupled in parallel.
  • each bus corresponds to a drive unit
  • each drive unit includes at least one energy storage unit, such as the energy storage unit on the bus HV1 is a capacitor C1, and the energy storage unit on the bus HV2 is a capacitor. C2.
  • the laser mounted on the bus HV1 works first, and the bus HV1 outputs a high voltage to charge the energy storage unit C1, and the energy storage unit C1 provides the energy required to emit light for the laser mounted on the bus HV1. After the laser mounted on the bus HV1 finishes emitting light, the energy on the energy storage unit C1 is consumed, but there is still a large amount of remaining energy. At this time, the switch component SW-1 is turned on, the inductor L and the capacitors C1 and C2 form resonance, and the residual energy stored in the capacitor C1 is transferred to the capacitor C2. After completing the energy transfer, the switch assembly SW-1 is turned off.
  • the laser mounted on the bus HV2 works, the bus HV2 outputs a high voltage, and the energy storage unit C2 is charged by the bus HV2 on the basis of the transferred residual energy to reach the energy value required by the laser mounted on the bus HV2 to emit light.
  • the energy on the energy storage unit C2 is consumed, but there is still a large amount of remaining energy.
  • the switch component SW-2 is turned on, the inductor L and the capacitors C1 and C2 form resonance, and the residual energy stored in the capacitor C2 is transferred to the capacitor C1. After completing the energy transfer, the switch assembly SW-2 is turned off.
  • the laser mounted on the bus HV1 works again, the bus HV1 outputs a high voltage, and the energy storage unit C1 is charged by the bus HV1 on the basis of the transferred residual energy to reach the energy value required by the laser mounted on the bus HV1 to emit light.
  • each energy transfer unit can transfer the remaining energy from one direction, and can match the light-emitting sequence of the laser, thereby realizing energy transfer between specific energy storage units to reduce power consumption, Improve energy efficiency.
  • switch components SW-1 and SW-2 shown in FIG. 26 are only an equivalent method of illustration. When used in actual engineering, one or more switch devices can be used, and NMOS can be used. Switch tubes, PMOS switch tubes, field effect transistors, digital switches and other switching devices are not limited in the present invention.
  • an eight-bus driving device for lidar there are two energy transfer units between corresponding two driving units, which are configured to transfer energy storage from opposite directions respectively. remaining energy in the cell. And the multiple energy transfer units share the inductor.
  • the energy storage unit on the bus HV1 provides energy for it.
  • the remaining energy in the energy storage unit on the bus HV1 is transmitted to the energy storage on the bus HV2 along the route of the diode D1—>inductance L1—>inductance L2—>the switch component K2 in the unit.
  • the on/off period of the switch component K2 is determined according to the resonant period of the resonant circuit, so as to complete the transfer of all remaining energy.
  • the bus HV2 On the basis of the transferred residual energy, the bus HV2 outputs a high voltage to charge the energy storage unit on the bus HV2, the laser mounted on the bus HV2 works, and the energy storage unit on the bus HV2 provides energy for it. After the laser mounted on the bus HV2 completes the work, the remaining energy in the energy storage unit on the bus HV2 is transmitted to the energy storage on the bus HV3 along the route of diode D2—>inductance L2—>inductance L1—>switch component K3 in the unit.
  • the on/off period of the switch element K3 is determined according to the resonant period of the resonant circuit to complete the transfer of all remaining energy.
  • the bus HV3 On the basis of the transferred residual energy, the bus HV3 outputs a high voltage to charge the energy storage unit on the bus HV3, the laser mounted on the bus HV3 works again, and the energy storage unit on the bus HV3 provides energy for it. After the laser mounted on the bus HV3 completes the work, the remaining energy in the energy storage unit on the bus HV3 is transmitted to the energy storage on the bus HV4 along the route of the diode D3—>inductance L1—>inductance L2—>the switch component K4 in the unit.
  • the on/off period of the switch component K4 is determined according to the resonant period of the resonant circuit, so as to complete the transfer of all remaining energy.
  • the bus HV4 On the basis of the transferred residual energy, the bus HV4 outputs a high voltage to charge the energy storage unit on the bus HV4, the laser mounted on the bus HV4 works again, and the energy storage unit on the bus HV4 provides energy for it. After the laser mounted on the bus HV4 completes the work, the remaining energy in the energy storage unit on the bus HV4 is transmitted to the energy storage on the bus HV5 along the route of the diode D4—>the inductor L2—>the inductor L1—>the switch component K5 in the unit.
  • the on/off period of the switch component K5 is determined according to the resonant period of the resonant circuit, so as to complete the transfer of all or at least a part of the remaining energy.
  • the residual energy in the energy storage unit of the bus HV5 can be transferred to the bus HV6 or to the energy storage units of HV2, HV4 and HV8, and the residual energy in the energy storage unit of the bus HV6 can be transferred to the bus HV7 or to the HV1.
  • the remaining energy in the energy storage unit of bus HV7 can be transferred to the energy storage unit of bus HV8 or to the energy storage unit of HV2, HV4 and HV6.
  • the direction of transfer is controlled by the on/off timing of each switch component, which is equivalent to switching the remaining energy between the energy storage units of the two sets of drive units, which is determined by the light-emitting sequence of the multiple lasers of the lidar.
  • the switching sequence of energy transfer is coordinated with the emitting sequence of the laser.
  • the light-emitting sequence of the multiple lasers of the laser is: one or more lasers mounted on the bus HV1 emit light first, then one or more lasers mounted on the bus HV2 emit light, and then mounted on the bus HV3 One or more of the lasers emit light...
  • the light-emitting sequence of the multiple lasers determines the power supply sequence of the multiple drive units, which in turn determines the transfer sequence of the remaining energy.
  • the light-emitting sequence of the above-mentioned multiple lasers is only an example.
  • different laser light-emitting sequences can be set. For example, one or more lasers mounted on the bus HV1 emit light first, After that, one or more lasers mounted on the bus HV2 emit light, and then one or more lasers mounted on the bus HV5 emit light... and set the bus working order according to the lighting sequence of the lasers, for example, the bus HV1 works first, After that, the bus HV2 works, the bus HV5 works... and then the transfer sequence of the remaining energy is set according to the bus work sequence, and the transfer sequence is realized by setting the on/off cycle of each switch component.
  • two energy transfer units are arranged between the corresponding two drive units to transfer the remaining energy in the energy storage unit respectively from opposite directions, and the multiple energy transfer units share an inductance, so that the remaining energy can be transferred between the two energy transfer units.
  • Switching between groups of drive units ensures the light-emitting sequence of multiple lasers of the lidar, and reduces switching loss at the same time.
  • the multi-bus driving device for laser radar provided by the present invention can effectively reduce the switching loss of the multi-bus driving device in the working process. Since the bus switching frequency is much lower than the pulse frequency, the energy transfer unit can be set in the transmitter. Places other than the circuit board to reduce the wiring burden of the launch circuit board.
  • the plurality of driving units output the same or different driving voltages
  • the residual energy includes: the laser corresponding to the driving unit emits a laser once The remaining power in the energy storage unit after the pulse.
  • the present invention further provides a method for driving a lidar by using the above-mentioned driving device, including steps S101 and S102.
  • step S101 the energy storage unit provides energy for the currently emitting laser.
  • the driving unit supplies power for the corresponding laser to emit light, and the provided energy is stored in the energy storage unit.
  • the energy storage unit discharges to it, the laser emits laser pulses, the energy in the energy storage unit is consumed, and the voltage decreases.
  • the drive unit inputs the primary voltage through the external voltage source, and then generates a high voltage higher than the primary voltage through the high voltage generating unit to charge the energy storage unit, so that enough energy for the laser to work again is stored in the energy storage unit.
  • the remaining energy in the energy storage unit can be emptied to prevent the laser corresponding to the energy storage unit from emitting light again when other lasers are gated, affecting the lidar
  • step S102 after the current emitting laser completes work, the energy transfer unit transfers the remaining energy in the energy storage unit to the energy storage unit corresponding to the next emitting laser.
  • the currently powered driving unit switches to the next powered driving unit, which can empty the remaining energy in the energy storage unit.
  • the present invention transfers the remaining energy in the energy storage unit of the driving unit that completes the power supply to the energy storage unit of the next driving unit that supplies power through the energy transfer unit coupled between the two driving units.
  • the next powered drive unit inputs the primary voltage through the external voltage source, and the high voltage generating unit generates a high voltage higher than the primary voltage to charge its energy storage unit and store it in the energy storage unit Enough energy for the next working laser to emit light.
  • the corresponding energy storage unit discharges to it, so that it emits laser pulses.
  • the method further includes:
  • the residual energy is transferred from opposite directions by the two energy transfer units, respectively.
  • each energy transfer unit can only transfer the remaining energy from one direction. Even if a problem occurs in one energy transfer, it will not continuously affect the subsequent energy transfer, and two energy transfer units are used. unit, effectively reducing the probability of circuit failure.
  • the remaining energy can be switched between the two groups of driving units according to the light-emitting timing matched with the lasers, which ensures that the multiple lasers of the lidar can be operated effectively. Lighting timing, while reducing switching losses.
  • the lidar includes n lasers, where n ⁇ 32, the multiple lasers emit light one by one, and the driving method further includes:
  • the plurality of driving units work one by one to provide energy to the plurality of lasers.
  • the residual energy is sequentially transferred among the plurality of drive units.
  • the multiple lasers of the laser radar emit light one by one for detection, that is, the lighting sequence of the multiple lasers of the laser radar is a loop, and the remaining energy is transferred among the multiple driving units in turn through the energy transfer unit, so as to realize multiple The power supply sequence corresponding to each drive unit.
  • the plurality of lasers emit light in groups, wherein each group includes at least one laser, and the driving method further includes:
  • the plurality of driving units work in groups to provide energy to the plurality of lasers.
  • the remaining energy in the energy storage unit is transferred to the energy storage unit corresponding to any one of the next group of emitting lasers.
  • the multiple lasers mounted on the buses HV1 and HV3 emit light first, and then the multiple lasers mounted on the buses HV8 and HV13 emit light. After the multiple lasers mounted on the buses HV1 and HV3 complete the detection, you can The remaining energy in the energy storage unit on the bus HV1 is transferred to the energy storage unit on the bus HV8 through the energy transfer unit, and the remaining energy in the energy storage unit on the bus HV1 can also be transferred to the bus HV13 through the energy transfer unit in the energy storage unit above. The same is true for the transfer scheme of the remaining energy in the energy storage units on the bus HV2.
  • the driving unit further includes an external voltage source
  • the energy storage unit includes a capacitor, and is coupled between the external voltage source and the ground
  • the method further includes:
  • the capacitor is charged by the external voltage source.
  • the laser on the gated current loop is discharged through the capacitor to drive the laser to emit a single pulse.
  • the method further includes:
  • a preferred embodiment of the present invention provides a driving device for a laser radar, which transfers the remaining energy in the energy storage unit corresponding to the currently working laser through the energy transfer unit, so as to avoid emptying the remaining energy in the energy storage unit The resulting switching loss, and the remaining energy after the transfer is utilized by the energy storage unit corresponding to the next working laser, further saving power consumption.
  • the preferred embodiment of the present invention reduces switching losses without changing the capacitance value and switching frequency.
  • the total loss of the bus drive device almost only includes the charging loss, and the charging loss is related to the capacitance parameter of the energy storage unit. Further, the charging loss can be reduced by increasing the capacitance value.

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Abstract

一种激光器（121）的电源单元，包括：初级电压源（112），配置成可输出初级电压；高压产生单元（113），与初级电压源（112）耦接，配置成输入初级电压，产生高于初级电压的输出电压，并通过输出端输出输出电压；电容单元（111），耦接到高压产生单元（113）的输出端；高压产生单元（113）及电容单元（111）配置成可通过充放电配合调节输出电压。

Description

电源单元、包括其的发射装置及控制方法 技术领域
本发明大致涉及激光雷达技术领域，尤其涉及一种激光器的电源单元，包括其的发射装置以及使用其控制激光器发光的方法。
背景技术
在激光雷达发射系统中，通常采用共阳极的方式驱动激光器。例如如图1A所示，现有技术中的激光雷达的发射系统中，多个激光器LAS1…LASN共用一路供电电源HV，HV持续供应，每一个激光器的阴极各自连接一个开关器件(图中的J1…JN)，由这一路开关器件的选通决策这一路激光器的发光。理想状态下，每个激光器配备一个放电电容(如图中所示的C1…CN)，受制于现有技术下的开关器件以及电容的尺寸，多个激光器无法排列地更加密集，使得雷达的垂直分辨率受限。
图1B示出了单个激光器LAS1的供电电源及其驱动电路，采用的开关器件为GaN，其具体的工作过程为：当高边开关闭合(导通)时，供电电源HV向电容C充电，经过一段时间后，高边开关断开(无法通电，电容C的充电回路断开)，GaN开关的驱动信号足以打开GaN开关管之后，电容C与激光器LAS1、GaN开关及地之间形成放电回路，使激光器LAS1发光。
图2A示出了多个激光器、GaN开关器件及电容在PCB板上的相对排布关系，参考图2A所示，由于GaN开关和电容尺寸的限制(GaN开关和电容都相对比较大，举个例子：在实际封装过程中，对放电电容：选取需要考虑到电容容值、电容耐压等参数，可以选到的电容为0402(EIA标称),尺寸为1000um*500um，又考虑到SMT(表面贴装技术)过程，封装大小一般建议为1400um*900um；对GaN开关器件：选择时考虑耐压和同流能力，现有工艺可以做到的最小尺寸约为680um*680um，考虑到SMT过程，封装一般建议为800um*800um。)，只能将电容与GaN开关分立排布于激光器的两侧，且因要满足一个GaN开关驱动一个激光器(即激光器数量与GaN开关器件数量的比值为1：1)的要求，GaN开关本身也要排成两列、交错放置。
图2A的排布方式简化后如图2B所示，参考图2A及图2B可以看出，相对于激光器LAS1与自己对应驱动的GaN开关之间的距离，激光器LAS2与自己对应的GaN开关之间的距离更大。交错放置GaN开关导致两两激光器(如LAS1及LAS2)之间的放电环路长度不同，从而可能造成了两两激光器发光功率的差异。且GaN开关无法与激光器很好的贴合，也对激光器的响应速度造成了一定影响。
用于无人驾驶车辆、物流小车、扫地机器人的激光雷达通常都是多线雷达，这意味着发射系统具备多个激光器，如果按照如图2A、图2B所示的相对关系去排布，则每个激光器与自己对应的GaN开关的距离相对不一致，导致各个通道或者线束的探测精 度等参数不同，不利于探测的一致性，进而影响激光雷达整体的性能表现。
此外，如图1A中所示，供电电源HV以固定值提供至线路中(例如HV＝20V)，无法快速地被调节。这是由于供电电源调节速度过快之后，线路上各种电容、电感效应积累，无法按照预期进行改变。另外，由于现在的高压供应通常采用DC-DC电源或者LDO(low dropout regulator)的方式，切换速度较慢，因此也导致了激光器的光强无法快速调节。但是，激光雷达面对的外界环境变化多端，采用同一种固定的光强进行探测的话，由于外界目标物的反射率差异，容易导致探测器饱和或探测不到信号，无法满足各种场景的需求。并且，雷达的各个线束探测指标，如探测距离等可能亦不同，也有调整的需求。
背景技术部分的内容仅仅是公开人所知晓的技术，并不当然代表本领域的现有技术。
发明内容
为了解决现有技术中总线电压调节速度慢，无法按照预期进行改变，也即无法实现高速变化，因此也导致了激光器的光强无法快速调节的问题，本发明还提供一种激光器的电源单元，包括：
初级电压源，配置成可输出初级电压；
高压产生单元，与所述初级电压源耦接，配置成输入初级电压，产生高于所述初级电压的输出电压，并通过输出端输出所述输出电压；
电容单元，耦接到所述高压产生单元的输出端；
其中，所述高压产生单元及电容单元配置成可通过充放电配合调节所述输出电压。
根据本发明的一个方面，其中所述高压产生单元包括：
第一电感，第一端与所述初级电压源耦接，配置成可从所述初级电压源输入电能；
第一开关管，第一端与所述第一电感的第二端耦接，第二端接地，配置成导通时使所述初级电压源、所述第一电感形成充电回路，向所述第一电感充电；
第二开关管，第一端与所述第一电感的第二端耦接，第二端与所述电容单元耦接，用作所述高压产生单元的输出端。
根据本发明的一个方面，所述电源单元还包括复位开关管，所述复位开关管跨接在所述初级电压源和所述电容单元之间，配置成可将输出电压拉回至所述初级电压。
根据本发明的一个方面，其中所述第一开关管、所述第二开关管、所述复位开关管包括GaN开关、CMOS开关管中的一种或多种。
本发明还提供一种激光雷达的发射装置，包括：
多个如上所述的电源单元，配置成可将初级电压转换为高电压输出；
激光器单元，包括多个激光器，其中每个激光器的一端连接至其中一个电源单元的输出端，使得至少两个激光器连接在不同的电源单元的输出端上；
至少一个开关器件，非共用高电压的部分激光器的阴极连接到其中一个开关器件，所述开关器件配置成可选通其中一路高电压、与其连接的激光器及地构成的电流回路 的通断。
本发明还提供一种控制如上所述的电源单元的控制单元，其中所述高压产生单元包括第一开关管、第二开关管和复位开关管，所述控制单元包括：
根据激光器的发光时序生成电压控制信号，分别向所述第一开关管、所述第二开关管、所述复位开关管的控制极输出所述电压控制信号，以控制所述高压产生单元输出高于所述初级电压的输出电压，并控制所述电容单元和所述高压产生单元通过充放电配合调节所述输出电压。
本发明还提供一种使用如上所述的电源单元控制激光器发光的方法，包括：
通过所述初级电压源输出初级电压；
通过所述高压产生单元产生高于所述初级电压的输出电压；
通过所述电容单元和所述高压产生单元充电、放电，配合调节所述输出电压。
根据本发明的一个方面，其中所述高压产生单元包括：第一电感，第一端与所述初级电压源耦接，第一开关管，第一端与所述第一电感的第二端耦接，第二端接地，第二开关管，第一端与所述第一电感的第二端耦接，第二端与所述电容单元耦接，所述方法还包括：
通过所述第一电感从所述初级电压源输入电能；
通过所述第一开关管闭合、所述第二开关管断开，使所述初级电压源、所述第一电感形成充电回路，由所述初级电压源向所述第一电感充电；
通过所述第一开关管断开、所述第二开关管闭合，使所述初级电压源、所述第一电感形成放电回路，通过初级电压源和第一电感向所述电容单元充电，使得所述输出电压高于所述初级电压。
根据本发明的一个方面，所述方法还包括：
通过所述第一开关管断开、所述第二开关管闭合，使所述电容单元放电，所述第一电感从所述电容单元输入电能，使所述输出电压下降。
根据本发明的一个方面，其中所述电源单元还包括复位开关管，所述复位开关管跨接在所述初级电压源和所述电容单元之间，所述方法还包括：
通过所述复位开关管将输出电压拉回至所述初级电压。
本发明提供一种可用于激光雷达的发射装置，包括：
多个供电单元，配置成输入初级电压输出高电压，且至少两个供电单元相对不同时地输出高电压，其中，所述高电压为相对于所述初级电压更高的电压；
激光器单元，包括多个激光器，其中每个激光器的阳极连接到供电单元的输出端，使得其中至少两个激光器连接于不同的供电单元；
至少一个开关器件，非共用高电压的部分激光器的阴极连接到其中一个开关器件，所述开关器件配置成可选通对应供电单元、与其连接的激光器及地构成的电流回路的通断。
本发明还提供一种控制如上所述的发射装置发光的方法，包括：
控制一个所述供电单元输出电压；
通过所述开关器件，控制其中部分激光器的电流回路导通，从而与所述输出电压 的供电单元连接的激光器在所述电压的作用下发光。
本发明还提供一种激光雷达，包括如上所述的发射装置，接收装置及控制装置，其中：
所述发射装置，适于在所述控制装置的控制下，按照一定的时序驱动所述激光器发出探测激光束；
所述接收装置，适于接收经相对于雷达的外部障碍物反射回来的回波；
所述控制装置，适于根据雷达的探测需求，生成电压控制信号，控制所述供电单元输出电压，生成驱动信号以选通其中部分激光器发光；并适于对所述接收装置接收到的回波进行处理，并根据所述回波信号计算得到所述外部障碍物与雷达的距离和/或反射率。
本发明的优选实施例提供了一种可用于激光雷达的发射装置，通过多个共用初级电压源的供电单元分别选通与其连接的激光器发光，非共用电压的多个激光器可通过共用GaN开关器件，实现单独地、一一地选通某个或者某行或者某列激光器，节省了发射端的成本以及体积，并使GaN开关器件的尺寸不再成为激光雷达垂直角分辨率的限制，且GaN开关器件可以分列于多个激光器的两端或采用PCB背后走线的布线方式，使得多个激光器的发射功率及各项参数趋向一致，从而提升雷达的性能。另外，通过将多个激光器交错排列，垂直方向上的角分辨率亦有增加。
本发明的优选实施例提供了一种包含LC谐振电路的供电单元，由于LC谐振电路的特性，使得该供电单元给挂载的电容充电、放电的速度大大提高，和现有技术所使用的反馈电路的方案相比，提升了千倍的速度，进而可以相对速度更快地调节激光雷达的多个激光器的光强，以匹配于外界障碍物的情况或者使用场景，从而提升点云探测的精确性。
附图说明
附图用来提供对本发明的进一步理解，并且构成说明书的一部分，与本发明的实施例一起用于解释本发明，并不构成对本发明的限制。在附图中：
图1A示意性地示出了单总线电源系统下激光雷达的发射装置；
图1B示意性地示出了一个GaN开关器件驱动一个激光器的电路结构；
图2A示意性地示出了单总线电源系统下各部件在PCB板上的排布；
图2B示意性地示出了单总线电源系统下各部件在PCB板上的排布；
图3示意性地示出了根据本发明的一个优选实施例的发射装置；
图4A示意性地示出了根据本发明的一个优选实施例的发射装置；
图4B示意性地示出了根据本发明的一个实施例的3总线的发射装置的具体实现结构；
图4C示出了图4B所示的优选实施例的输出电压波形；
图4D示意性地示出了根据本发明的一个实施例的2总线的发射装置的具体实现结构；
图4E示出了图4D所示的优选实施例的输出电压波形；
图5示意性地示出了根据本发明的一个优选实施例的两总线电源系统下各部件在PCB板上的排布；
图6示意性地示出了根据本发明的一个优选实施例的两总线电源系统下各部件在PCB板上的走线方式；
图7示意性地示出了根据本发明的一个优选实施例的四总线电源系统下各部件在PCB板上的排布；
图8示意性地示出了根据本发明的一个优选实施例的激光器的供电单元；
图9A示意性地示出了一个供电单元的具体实现结构；
图9B示意性地示出了图9A中的供电单元工作的仿真曲线；
图9C示意性地示出了根据本发明的一个优选实施例的供电单元的具体实现结构；
图10A示意性地示出了根据本发明的一个优选实施例的高压产生单元的第一充电过程；
图10B示出了根据本发明的一个优选实施例供电单元的第一电感、输出电压的变化曲线；
图11A示意性地示出了根据本发明的一个优选实施例的高压产生单元的第二充电过程；
图11B示出了根据本发明的一个优选实施例供电单元的第一电感、输出电压的变化曲线；
图12A示意性地示出了根据本发明的一个优选实施例的高压产生单元的第一放电过程；
图12B示出了根据本发明的一个优选实施例供电单元的第一电感、输出电压的变化曲线；
图13A示意性地示出了根据本发明的一个优选实施例的高压产生单元的第二放电过程；
图13B示出了根据本发明的一个优选实施例供电单元的第一电感、输出电压的变化曲线；
图14A示意性地示出了根据本发明的一个优选实施例的高压产生单元的复位过程；
图14B示出了根据本发明的一个优选实施例供电单元的第一电感、输出电压的变化曲线；
图15示出了根据本发明的一个优选实施例使用供电单元控制激光器发光的方法；
图16示意性地示出了根据本发明的一个优选实施例的激光雷达；
图17示意性地示出了根据本发明的一个优选实施例的激光雷达的应用场景；
图18示出了用于激光雷达的四总线驱动装置；
图19示出了多总线驱动装置工作过程中的电容充放电曲线；
图20示出了多总线驱动装置工作过程中的切换损耗、充电损耗以及总损耗；
图21示出了本发明的一个实施例的用于激光雷达的多总线驱动装置；
图22示出了本发明的一个实施例的用于激光雷达的四总线驱动装置；
图23示出了本发明的一个实施例的多总线驱动装置的能量转移单元；
图24示出了本发明的一个实施例的多总线驱动装置的能量转移单元；
图25示出了本发明的一个实施例的多总线驱动装置的能量转移单元；
图26示出了本发明的一个实施例的多总线驱动装置的能量转移单元；
图27示出了本发明的一个实施例的八总线驱动装置及其能量转移单元。
具体实施方式
在下文中，仅简单地描述了某些示例性实施例。正如本领域技术人员可认识到的那样，在不脱离本发明的精神或范围的情况下，可通过各种不同方式修改所描述的实施例。因此，附图和描述被认为本质上是示例性的而非限制性的。
在本发明的描述中，需要理解的是，术语"中心"、"纵向"、"横向"、"长度"、"宽度"、"厚度"、"上"、"下"、"前"、"后"、"左"、"右"、"竖直"、"水平"、"顶"、"底"、"内"、"外"、"顺时针"、"逆时针"等指示的方位或位置关系为基于附图所示的方位或位置关系，仅是为了便于描述本发明和简化描述，而不是指示或暗示所指的装置或元件必须具有特定的方位、以特定的方位构造和操作，因此不能理解为对本发明的限制。此外，术语"第一"、"第二"仅用于描述目的，而不能理解为指示或暗示相对重要性或者隐含指明所指示的技术特征的数量。由此，限定有"第一"、"第二"的特征可以明示或者隐含地包括一个或者更多个所述特征。在本发明的描述中，"多个"的含义是两个或两个以上，除非另有明确具体的限定。
在本发明的描述中，需要说明的是，除非另有明确的规定和限定，术语"安装"、"相连"、"连接"应做广义理解，例如，可以是固定连接，也可以是可拆卸连接，或一体地连接:可以是机械连接，也可以是电连接或可以相互通讯；可以是直接相连，也可以通过中间媒介间接相连，可以是两个元件内部的连通或两个元件的相互作用关系。对于本领域的普通技术人员而言，可以根据具体情况理解上述术语在本发明中的具体含义。
在本发明中，除非另有明确的规定和限定，第一特征在第二特征之"上"或之"下"可以包括第一和第二特征直接接触，也可以包括第一和第二特征不是直接接触而是通过它们之间的另外的特征接触。而且，第一特征在第二特征"之上"、"上方"和"上面"包括第一特征在第二特征正上方和斜上方，或仅仅表示第一特征水平高度高于第二特征。第一特征在第二特征"之下"、"下方"和"下面"包括第一特征在第二特征正上方和斜上方，或仅仅表示第一特征水平高度小于第二特征。
下文的公开提供了许多不同的实施方式或例子用来实现本发明的不同结构。为了简化本发明的公开，下文中对特定例子的部件和设置进行描述。当然，它们仅仅为示例，并且目的不在于限制本发明。此外，本发明可以在不同例子中重复参考数字和/或参考字母，这种重复是为了简化和清楚的目的，其本身不指示所讨论各种实施方式和/或设置之间的关系。此外，本发明提供了的各种特定的工艺和材料的例子，但是本领域普通技术人员可以意识到其他工艺的应用和/或其他材料的使用。
以下结合附图对本发明的实施例进行说明，应当理解，此处所描述的实施例仅用于说明和解释本发明，并不用于限定本发明。
第一方面
合理推测，由于激光雷达产品的升级，从装配的难易程度、成本、小型化等各方面考量，雷达趋向于芯片化设计。未来的激光雷达采用的激光器可以封装为一个芯片，用于驱动激光器的驱动电路也可以封装为芯片，又由于当前工艺的限制，激光器大多是共阴极，则激光器的芯片中封装的多个激光器的阴极共同制成在一起，且之后接地(GND)，则每个激光器的阴极与GND之间,无法设置其他的器件。而如果驱动电路设置在激光器的阴极与GND之间，又由于多个激光器的阴极相连，多个激光器需要共用一个开关器件以输入驱动，如要实现这多个激光器彼此相对单独地选通(比如可以单独选通激光器1，使得激光器1发光，此时激光器2不发光；也可以单独选通激光器2，使得激光器2发光，此时激光器1不发光；而非必须同时选通激光器1及激光器2)，一种方案是可以通过将开关器件设置于激光器的阳极来驱动，但这种方案需要采用高边开关，要实现这个调控，方案比较复杂。基于要实现多个激光器可独立地被选通的目的，以及节约GaN的动机，本申请提出将多个激光器分别被提供供电电源，而不再共用电源的技术方案，以下将结合附图3-附图17对本申请的方案进行详细的说明和介绍。
根据本发明的一个优选实施例，如图3所示，本发明提供一种可用于激光雷达的发射装置10，包括多个供电单元11，比如如图中所示的供电单元11-1、供电单元11-2…供电单元11-N，激光器单元12和至少一个开关器件13。
多个供电单元11配置成可将初级电压转换为高电压输出(如图中所示的HV1、HV2…HVN，以下用高电压HVx指代高压HV1、HV2…HVN中任意一个，高电压HVx为高于初级电压的电压)，且至少两个供电单元11不同时地输出高电压，比如供电单元11-1可以于t1时刻输出高电压HV1，供电单元11-2可以于t2时刻输出高电压HV2，t1≠t2。
激光器单元12包括多个激光器121，比如图中所示的激光器121-1、激光器121-2…激光器121-N。并且，激光器单元12可以为一维的激光器，也可以为二维的激光器阵列，相应地，图3中示出的激光器121-x(包括激光器121-1、激光器121-2…激光器121-N)可以是1个激光器，也可以为1列激光器，还可以为1行激光器。在连接关系上，每个激光器121-x的阳极均连接到供电单元11的输出端，其中至少两个激光器121-x可以连接于不同的供电单元11，比如激光器121-1的阳极连接于供电单元11-1的输出端，激光器121-2的阳极连接于供电单元11-2的输出端。至少一个开关器件13，非共用高电压的部分激光器(比如图中所示的激光器121-1、激光器121-2…激光器121-N)的阴极连接到同一个开关器件13，开关器件13配置成可选通对应输出的一路高电压HVx、与其连接的激光器及地(GND)构成的放电回路的通断，比如供电单元11-1于t1时刻输出高电压HV1时，若开关器件13在t1时刻也导通，则可以选通高电压HV1、与其连接的激光器121-1及地构成的放电回路。
通过采用本发明所提供的方案，纵然多个激光器共用同一个开关器件13，但是通 过至少两个供电单元11(包括供电单元11-1、供电单元11-2…供电单元11-N)不同时地输出高电压,仍然可以来单独一一地选通激光器单元12中的部分激光器121-x(激光器单元12包括激光器121-1、激光器121-2…激光器121-N)，并且，本领域技术人员容易理解，目前图3中示出的激光器单元12中的激光器121均是1个激光器。在另一实施例中，该激光器121也可以为一列多个激光器，或者是一行多个激光器，从而可以克服1个激光器光强不够的缺陷，进一步提升激光雷达的测远能力。另外，通过不同的供电单元11输出不同的高电压(例如HV1＝20V、HV2＝40V)，来控制激光器单元12中的部分激光器121以不同的发光强度进行探测，也在本发明的保护范围之内。
为便于理解，本发明中，将构成供电单元的各个部件以及连接相对应的各部件的线路统称为电压总线，多个电压总线(BUS)将供电单元11的各个功能部件连接在一起，形成HVBUS。具体而言，1个Vbase+1个升压电路合一起是构成一个供电单元11，这个供电电源11的输出对于激光雷达而言，就是供应高压HV1，从而构成了1条电压总线HVBUS；1个Vbase和另1个升压电路合一起是构成另一个供电单元11，这个供电电源11的输出对于雷达而言，就是供应高压HV2，从而构成了另外1条电压总线HVBUS。图4A示出了本发明提供的一个两总线电源系统的实施例，两个总线共用一个初级电压源112，具体地，发射装置10包括与多个供电单元11相对应的多条电压总线14，电压总线14的输入端输入初级电压(图中所示VBASE)，输出端输出高于初级电压的电压(图中的HV1、HV2),每个激光器121-x通过其中一条电压总线14连接到相对应的供电单元11的输出端上。
本领域技术人员容易理解，虽然图4A示出了一种两总线的情况，发射装置10包括多条电压总线14，分别输出高于初级电压(VBASE)的电压HV1、HV2…HVN，即HVx＞VBASE，而且多条电压总线14也可以不共用初级电压源112，也在本发明的保护范围之内。
根据本发明的一个优选实施例，如图4A所示，发射装置10的供电单元11包括电容单元111，连接在电压总线14上，配置成通过电压总线14充电，并在开关器件13导通时，向连接在该电压总线14上并由该开关器件13选通的一个或多个激光器121-x放电，以驱动该一个或多个激光器121-x发光。
根据本发明的一个优选实施例，如图4A所示，供电单元11还包括初级电压源112和高压产生单元113。初级电压源112配置成可输出初级电压(VBASE)。高压产生单元113与初级电压源112连接，初级电压源112适于将初级电压(VBASE)输入到高压产生单元113，高压产生单元113配置成可产生高于初级电压(VBASE)的电压HVx。
为便于本领域技术人员更好地理解和实现本发明，9C示出了一种电压总线的电路，图4B示出了一种3路电压总线的激光器电路，图4D示出了一种2路电压总线的激光器电路。参考图4B所示，电感Lx(包括电感L1、电感L2及电感L3)、gatex信号(包括gate1、gate2及gate3)、开关管Mx(包括开关管M1、开关管M2及开关管M3)及二极管Dx(包括D1、D2及D3)构成储能电路，高边管Px(包括高边管P1、高边管P2及高边管P3)以及高边管驱动器(包括驱动器1、驱动器2及驱动器3)构成选通电路，LD1-Ldx(包括LD1、LD2及LD3)以及trigger信号构成了激光器电路。另外，二 极管D11、D21及D31用于保护各自并联的开关管，如二极管D11保护M1。其中，储能电路1包括电感L1、gate1、开关管M1及二极管D1，选通电路1包括高边管P1及驱动器1，其他储能电路x与选通电路x的具体构成可以类推，此处不再一一赘述。
激光器发光的大概工作过程是：储能电路用于接收输入初级电压VBase并储存电能，进而选通电路导通，储能电感可以对升压电容C进行充电，在升压电容C上建立高电压。通常输入电压通常不会很高，例如为5V或者12V，无法直接用于驱动激光器，需要进行升压。升压电容C上建立的高压可以显著高于输入电压VBase，例如为60V，从而可用于驱动激光器LD。该高电压建立完成后，升压电容C可以驱动所述激光器LDx，使其发出激光束。3路HV总线共用1个初级电压源VBase，3个激光器LD共用1个驱动器件S3,这3路HV总线HV1、HV2及HV3并不于同一时间点输出，某一个时刻，HV1、HV2及HV3只有其一输出，从而选通输出的那一路的电容C、HV、S3及地的放电回路(可以理解的是，对某一个通电回路，具体是充电回路还是放电回路，是相对的概念，对于激光器而言是充电回路，对于电容C而言，是放电回路)，驱动该路与该路HV连接的激光器LD发光。上述激光器LD可以是各种类型的激光器，例如垂直腔面发射激光器VCSEL，或者边发射型激光器EEL，本发明的保护范围不受激光器的类型的限制。
以下参考图4B，具体地，拿储能电路1、选通电路1及LD1举例子，来说明具体储能电路、选通电路以及激光器电路彼此之间具体怎么配合工作。储能电路1包括电感L1、分别与电感L1连接的二极管D1以及开关M1。电感L1的一端连接输入电压VIN(一般很小，比如5V)，另一端连接二极管D1和开关M1。
如果某一时刻选择输出HV1，则在储能阶段，通过gate1控制开关M1闭合，闭合的开关M1在电路上可等效于短路，因此输入电压VIN产生的电流流过电感L1，并通过开关M1接地。随着电感电流的增加，电感L1中存储了电能。
当储能阶段完成后，开关M1断开，选通电路1中通过高边驱动器选通P1，此时由于电感L1的电流保持特性，流经电感L1的电流不会马上变为零，而是缓慢地由充电完成时的电流值变为零，在这个过程中，由于开关M1已经断开，且P1导通，因此电感L对升压电容C1进行充电，因而升压电容C1两端的电压升高。
当升压电容C1上已经建立起高压(例如60V)之后，若选择激光器电路中的驱动开关S3导通(可通过trigger3信号来选通或者关断)，由于二极管D1的单向导通性，电容C1无法通过二极管D1放电，只能通过激光器LD1和开关S3的回路来进行放电，因此电流流过激光器LD1，电容C1驱动激光器LD1发光。
下一时刻如若驱动激光器LD2发光，则储能电路2、选通电路2及LD2可以重复储能电路1、选通电路1及LD1的工作过程；再下一时刻如若驱动激光器LD3发光，则储能电路3、选通电路3及LD3可以重复储能电路1、选通电路1及LD1的工作过程，在此不再赘述。
图4C提供了图4B示出的激光器电路工作的仿真图，横轴为时间t，纵轴为电压V，曲线401表征HV1的变化，曲线402表征HV2的变化，曲线403表征HV3的变化，从图中可见，HV1于0.5μs-3.5μs这段时间段有输出,HV2于5.5μs-8.5μs这段时间段有输出,HV3于10.5μs-13.5μs这段时间段有输出,HV1、HV2及HV3三者的 输出时间并不重合，可分别选通连接在输出HV1、HV2及HV3的电压总线上的一个或多个激光器发光。
为便于本领域技术人员理解本发明，图4D示出了1种2总线的激光器电路方案，接下来参考图4D及图9C对本申请另外一个实施例加以介绍，如图所示，高压产生单元113包括第一电感1131、第一开关管1132和第二开关管1133。第一电感1131的第一端与初级电压源112连接，配置成可从初级电压源112输入电能。第一开关管1132的第一端与第一电感1131的第二端连接，第二端接地，配置成导通时使初级电压源112、第一电感1131形成充电回路，向第一电感1131充电。第二开关管1133的第一端与第一电感1131的第二端连接，第二端与电容单元111连接，配置成导通时使初级电压源112、第一电感1131形成放电回路，向电容单元111充电。另外，二极管D1均用于保护各自并联的开关管，如二极管D1保护开关管1132。二极管D2用于加速导通及供电，如二极管D2加速HV2的供应。相对于图4B中的方案，本实施例中可以选用的为激光器充电的电容C的电容值相对更大一些。
根据本发明的一个优选实施例，如图4D所示，两路电压总线输出的高电压分别为HV1及HV2，每路总线上面分别挂载一定数量的激光器121(具体地，如图4D所示，输出电压为HV1的电压总线上挂有121-1、121-3和121-5，输出电压为HV2的电压总线上挂有121-2、121-4和121-6)，相邻两路激光器共用一个GaN开关作为驱动(具体地，如图4D所示，激光器121-1、121-2共用GaN开关13-1,激光器121-3、121-4共用GaN开关13-2,激光器121-5、121-6共用GaN开关13-3)，图中所示的驱动信号DRV1用以驱动GaN开关13-1,决策GaN开关13-1的通断及通断时长；类似地，图中所示的驱动信号DRV2用以驱动GaN开关13-2，决策GaN开关13-2的通断及通断时长；DRV3用以驱动GaN开关13-3,决策GaN开关13-2的通断及通断时长。
如图4D及图9C所示，供电单元11的高压产生单元113具有三个控制信号，分别为图中所示的低边驱动DRVL_HV1(驱动第一开关管1132)、高边驱动DRVH_HV1(驱动第二开关管1133)、复位驱动DRVRST_HV1(驱动复位开关管1134)。低边驱动DRVL_HV1、高边驱动DRVH_HV1和复位驱动DRVRST_HV1的控制信号输入端共同组成供电单元11的电压控制端，根据本发明的一个优选实施例，该电压控制端可接受外部的电压控制信号以控制供电单元11输出电压。
根据本发明的一个优选实施例，如图4A所示，其中每个开关器件13包括控制端(图中所示的DRV1、DRV2、DRV3驱动信号的输入端)、第一端和第二端，控制端配置成可接收驱动信号以控制第一端和第二端之间的通断，第一端连接到该开关器件选通的一个或多个激光器121的阴极，第二端接地，该电压控制信号和该驱动信号相配合以控制激光器121发光。优选地，开关器件13包括GaN开关、CMOS开关管中的一种或多种。
图4E提供了图4D示出的激光器电路的工作仿真图，横轴为时间t，纵轴为电压V，相对较细的曲线404表征HV1的变化，相对较粗的曲线405表征HV2的变化，从图中可见，HV1于0.5μs-3.5μs这段时间段有输出,HV2于5.5μs-8.5μs这段时间段有输出,HV1与HV2二者的输出时间并不重合，可分别选通连接在输出HV1、HV2的电 压总线上的一个或多个激光器发光。
根据本发明的一个优选实施例，本发明还提供一种控制如上所述(如图4A中所示的)的发射装置10发光的方法，可以包括：
在步骤S201中，控制一个供电单元11输出高电压；
在步骤S202中，通过开关器件13，控制其中部分激光器121的电流回路导通，从而与该供电单元11连接的激光器121在高电压的作用下发光。
根据本发明的一个优选实施例，其中发射装置10还包括与多个供电单元11相对应的多条电压总线14，每条电压总线14连接相对应的供电单元11上的各部件，该电压总线14的输入端输入初级电压，输出端输出高于初级电压的电压，每个激光器121通过其中一条电压总线14连接到相对应的供电单元11的输出端上，供电单元11包括电容单元111，连接在电压总线14上，该控制方法还包括：
通过电压总线14向电容单元111充电，通过电容单元111向连接在同一条电压总线14上相对应的激光器121放电，以驱动相对应的激光器121发光。
根据本发明的一个优选实施例，其中供电单元11还包括初级电压源112、高压产生单元113，该控制方法还包括：
通过初级电压源112输出初级电压；
通过高压产生单元113产生高于初级电压的电压，并将该电压通过电压总线14输出。
根据本发明的一个优选实施例，其中高压产生单元113包括：第一电感1131，第一端与初级电压源112连接，第一开关管1132，第一端与第一电感1131的第二端连接，第二端接地，第二开关管1133，第一端与第一电感1131的第二端连接，第二端与电容单元111连接，该控制方法还包括：
通过第一电感1131从初级电压源112输入电能；
通过将第一开关管1132导通，使初级电压源112、第一电感1131形成充电回路，向第一电感1131充电；
通过将第二开光管1133导通，使初级电压源112、第一电感1131形成放电回路，向电容单元111充电。
根据本发明的一个优选实施例，其中供电单元11还包括电压控制端，该控制方法还包括：
通过电压控制端接收电压控制信号以控制供电单元11输出电压。
根据本发明的一个优选实施例，其中每个开关器件13包括控制端、第一端和第二端，该控制端配置成可接收驱动信号以控制该第一端和第二端之间的通断，该第一端连接到其所选通的激光器的阴极，该第二端接地，该控制方法还包括：
通过该电压控制信号和该驱动信号相配合以控制与其相对应的一个或多个激光器发光。
本发明提供一种将如上所述的发射装置10排布在PCB上的方法：如图5所示，多个激光器121单列设置，相邻的激光器对应的GaN开关器件可以分别列于两侧，如图所示：激光器121-1和121-2对应于GaN开关13-1，激光器121-3和121-4对应于GaN 开关13-2。激光器121-0和121-1通过电容111-3供应高压HV3，激光器121-2和121-3通过电容111-1供应高压HV1，激光器121-4通过电容111-2供应高压HV2，其中高压HV1、HV2及HV3可以非同时地，也即于不同的时间加以供应，从而可以对多个激光器121中任意一个进行单独的选通控制。激光器的数量与GaN开关器件的数量的比值为2：1，相当于两个激光器共用一个GaN开关器件，采用该GaN器件驱动来发光。这在上述多个优选实施例中，采用本发明中的发射装置是容易实现的。将开关器件设置在单列激光器的两侧，使得多个激光器到选通其的开关器件的距离大致相等，不会产生测试参数上的不一致，从而使各个探测通道的一致性较好。相比于一个GaN开关器件驱动一个激光器的布局(如图2A、图2B所示)，放电环路长度基本相等，激光器的发射功率也比较一致。
如图6所示，本发明还提供将如上所述的发射装置10排布在PCB板上的另一种方法：多个激光器121单列设置，将GaN开关器件与电容C分列于该列激光器的同一侧。将走线分为三层，第一层接地，连接GaN开关及电容；第二层连接GaN开关器件和激光器，第三层连接所有电容，将输出电压HV1的电压总线挂载的电容单元在第一层走线与其对应的激光器相连，将输出电压HV2的电压总线挂载的电容单元在第二层走线与其对应的激光器连接，由于GaN器件的数量小于激光器的数量，这样的布线方式也可以使各个激光器到驱动其的GaN开关器件的距离相等，从而使各个激光器的放电环路大致相等，不会产生发射功率的差异。
根据本发明的一个优选实施例，如图7所示，一种4总线电源系统的发射装置10在PCB板上的排布方法：将两列激光器交错排列，如图中所示的激光器121-1、121-2、121-3和121-4分别连接在四个不同的供电单元上(如图所示，四个供电单元的输出电压分别为HV1、HV2、HV3和HV4)，四个激光器121-1、121-2、121-3和121-4共用一个GaN开关13-1，节省了GaN开关器件的数量。其中GaN开关13-1连接激光器121-1和121-3通过在PCB板上走线，连接激光器121-2和121-4通过在PCB板的背面走线，从而使四个激光器121-1、121-2、121-3和121-4到驱动其的GaN开关13-1的距离大致相等，其放电环路相等，多个激光器的发射功率一致。且两列激光器交错排列的布局，可以将激光器放置的密度提高一倍，从而将激光雷达的垂直角分辨率提高一倍。
该优选实施例将所有的GaN开关器件排列在一侧，每一个GaN开关器件对应多个激光器，不仅能确保多个激光器与其对应的GaN开关器件连线上的一致性，且因为两个GaN开关器件之间，如图中所示的GaN开关13-1与GaN开关13-2相隔更远，在排列空间上也更加宽裕。如图7所示的四个激光器121-1、121-2、121-3和121-4，分别对应不同的电容111-1、111-4、111-2、111-5，每一个激光器与自己对应的电容及GaN开关器件共同构成一个通电回路，因此这四个激光器可以按照一定的时序分别发光。
根据本发明的一个优选实施例，如图16所示，本发明还提供一种激光雷达20，包括如上所述的发射装置10，接收装置21及控制装置22，其中：发射装置10适于在控制装置22的控制下，按照一定的时序驱动激光器发出探测激光束。接收装置21适于接收经相对于雷达的外部障碍物反射回来的回波。控制装置22适于根据雷达的探测需求，生成电压控制信号(如图4D中所示的DRVH_HV1、DRVL_HV1、DRVRST_HV1)，控制 供电单元输出电压，生成驱动信号(如图4A中所示DRV1、DRV2、DRV3)以选通其中部分激光器发光；并适于对接收装置21接收到的回波进行处理，并根据该回波信号计算得到外部障碍物与雷达的距离和/或反射率。
根据本发明的一个优选实施例，图17示出了本发明的一个应用场景，无人驾驶的汽车上搭载激光雷达20，激光雷达20中的发射装置10，在控制装置22的控制下，通过不同的供电单元不同时地输出电压，分别选通其中部分激光器发出探测光束，接收装置21接收该探测光束经外部障碍物反射的回波，再经由控制单元22的处理，根据该回波信号计算得到外部障碍物与激光雷达(无人驾驶汽车)的距离和/或反射率。其中控制单元22通过生成电压控制信号，控制发射装置10的多个供电单元输出电压，通过生成驱动信号以选通其中部分激光器发光。
本发明的优选实施例提供了一种激光雷达的发射装置及其控制方法，通过多个供电单元分别选通与其连接的激光器发光，非共用电压的多个激光器可共用GaN开关器件，实现单独地、一一地选通某个或者某行或者某列激光器，节省了发射端的成本以及体积，并使GaN开关器件的尺寸不再成为激光雷达垂直角分辨率的限制，且GaN开关器件可以分列于多个激光器的两端或采用PCB背后走线的布线方式，使得多个激光器的发射功率一致，多个激光器交错排列，垂直方向上的角分辨率增加。
第二方面
为了实现供电电源HV的电压快速调节，从初级电压迅速升压，以及快速调节输出电压，以快速调节激光器的光强，如图9C所示，本发明还提供一种激光器的供电单元11，包括：电容单元111、初级电压源112和高压产生单元113。初级电压源112配置成可输出初级电压。高压产生单元113与初级电压源112耦接，配置成输入初级电压，产生高于初级电压的输出电压，并通过输出端输出该高电压。电容单元111耦接到高压产生单元113的输出端。电容单元111及高压产生单元113配置成可通过充放电配合调节输出电压。
图9C示出了根据本发明的一个优选实施例，供电单元11的具体实现结构，初级电压源112输出初级电压(图中所示的VBASE1)，高压产生单元113与初级电压源112耦接，将初级电压VBASE1转换为高电压输出(图中所示的HV1)，电容单元111耦接到高压产生单元113的输出端，与高压产生单元113配合，通过充电、放电调节输出电压HV1。
根据本发明的一个优选实施例，如图9C所示，其中高压产生单元113包括第一电感1131、第一开关管1132和第二开关管1133。第一电感1131的第一端与初级电压源112连接，配置成可从初级电压源112输入电能。第一开关管1132的第一端与第一电感1131的第二端连接，第二端接地，配置成导通时使初级电压源112、第一电感1131形成充电回路，向第一电感1131充电。第二开关管1133的第一端与第一电感1131的第二端连接，第二端与电容单元111连接，用作高压产生单元113的输出端。
如图10A所示，充电阶段1的电流流向，第一开关管1132导通，第二开关管1133断开，初级电压源112与第一电感1131形成充电回路。如图10B所示，横轴为时间， 上面一条曲线为第一电感1131的电流随时间变化的曲线，下面一条曲线为供电单元11的输出电压HV1随时间变化的曲线。第一开关管1132导通，此时第一电感1131的电流按照VBASE/L的斜率线性上升，其中L为第一电感1131的感抗，供电单元11的输出电压HV1维持初始值(与VBASE相等)不变。
如图11A所示，充电阶段2的电流流向，第一开关管1132断开，由于第一电感1131上的电流不能在瞬间发生突变，因此在电感Ls上产生反向电动势Vls以维持通过电流不变。此时第二开关管1133导通，初级电压源112和第一电感1131两电压串联后，以超过VBASE大小的电压向电容单元111充电，使电容单元111的电压升到VBASE+VLs。如图11B所示，横轴为时间，上面一条曲线为第一电感1131的电流随时间变化的曲线，下面一条曲线为供电单元11的输出电压HV1随时间变化的曲线。第一开关管1132断开，第二开关管1133导通，此时第一电感1131和电容单元111形成谐振，电容单元111的电压从初始电压VBASE谐振上升；当第一电感1131的电流降低到0的时候，第二开关管1133断开，此时电容单元的电容被冲到目标电压。
如图12A所示，放电阶段1的电流流向，第一开关管1132断开，第二开关管1133导通，电容单元111作为电源向第一电感1131放电，此时是某一个或某些激光器无需发光或者需要降低发光强度，则让本已经充满电的电容单元111中释放一些能量回存至第一电感1131，从而节约能量。如图12B所示，横轴为时间，上面一条曲线为第一电感1131的电流随时间变化的曲线，下面一条曲线为供电单元11的输出电压HV1随时间变化的曲线。第一开关管1132断开，第二开关管1133导通，电容单元111和第一电感1131形成谐振，电容单元111的电压谐振下降；当下降到目标电压之后，第二开关管1133断开。
如图13A所示，放电阶段2的电流流向，第一开关管1132导通，第二开关管1133断开，初级电压源112与第一电感1131形成放电回路。如图13B所示，横轴为时间，上面一条曲线为第一电感1131的电流随时间变化的曲线，下面一条曲线为供电单元11的输出电压HV1随时间变化的曲线，第一电感的电流按照-VBASE/L的斜率下降。
根据本发明的一个优选实施例，如图9C所示，供电单元10还包括复位开关管1134，复位开关管1134跨接在初级电压源112和电容单元111之间，配置成可将输出电压HV1拉回至初级电压VBASE。优选地，第一开关管1132、第二开关管1133、复位开关管1134包括GaN开关、CMOS开关管中的一种或多种。复位开关管1134可以用MOS管、GaN开关管等离散器件搭建，也可以利用选通开关。
如图14A所示，复位开关管1134导通，对第一电感1131进行复位，避免第一电感1131和第一开关管1132的寄生电容再次谐振，该谐振会影响到电容单元111以及下次的充电过程。如图14B所示，横轴为时间，上面一条曲线为第一电感1131的电流随时间变化的曲线，下面一条曲线为供电单元11的输出电压HV1随时间变化的曲线，输出电压HV1迅速拉升至初级电压VBASE。
由上述多个实施例可以看出，本发明所提供的快速总线电源系统需要三个控制信号，分别是控制第一开关管1132的低边驱动信号(如图9C中所示的DRVL_HV1)、控制第二开关管1133的高边驱动信号(如图9C中所示的DRVH_HV1)、以及控制复位开关管 1134的复位信号(如图9C中所示的DRVRST_HV1)。这3个信号的合理配合，可以实现<1us的调节时间，能够满足激光器光强逐像素(pixel)调节的能力。
根据本发明的一个优选实施例，本发明还提供一种控制如上所述的供电单元11的控制单元，其中高压产生单元113包括第一开关管1132、第二开关管1133和复位开关管1134，该控制单元包括：根据激光器的发光时序生成电压控制信号，分别向第一开关管1132、第二开关管1133、复位开关管1134的控制极输出电压控制信号(即图9C中所示的DRVL_HV1、DRVH_HV1、DRVRST_HV1)，以控制高压产生单元113输出高于初级电压的输出电压，并控制电容单元111和高压产生单元113通过充放电配合调节该输出电压。
根据本发明的一个优选实施例，如图4A所示，本发明还提供一种激光雷达的发射装置10，包括：多个如上所述的供电单元11，配置成输入初级电压输出高电压，且至少两个供电单元11相对不同时地输出高电压，其中，该高电压为相对于该初级电压更高的电压。激光器单元12，包括多个激光器121，其中每个激光器121的阳极连接到其中一个供电单元11的输出端，使得其中至少两个激光器121连接于不同的供电单元11。至少一个开关器件13，非共用电压的部分激光器121的另一端连接到其中一个开关器件13，开关器件13配置成可选通对应供电单元11、与其连接的激光器121及地构成的电流回路的通断。
根据本发明的一个优选实施例，如图15所示，本发明还提供一种使用如上所述的供电单元11控制激光器发光的方法30，包括：
在步骤S301中，通过初级电压源112输出初级电压；
在步骤S302中，通过高压产生单元113产生高于初级电压的输出电压；
在步骤S303中，通过电容单元111和高压产生单元113充电、放电，配合调节该输出电压。
根据本发明的一个优选实施例，其中高压产生单元113包括：第一电感1131，第一端与初级电压源112耦接，第一开关管1132，第一端与第一电感1131的第二端耦接，第二端接地，第二开关管1133，第一端与第一电感1131的第二端耦接，第二端与电容单元111耦接，方法30还包括：
通过第一电感1131从初级电压源112输入电能；
通过第一开关管1132闭合、第二开关管1133断开，使初级电压源112、第一电感1131形成充电回路，由初级电压源112向第一电感1131充电；
通过第一开关管1132断开、第二开关管1133闭合，使初级电压源112、第一电感1131形成放电回路，通过初级电压源112和第一电感1131向电容单元111充电，使得输出电压高于初级电压。
根据本发明的一个优选实施例，方法30还包括：
通过第一开关管1132断开、第二开关管1133闭合，使电容单元111放电，第一电感1131从电容单元111输入电能，使输出电压下降。
根据本发明的一个优选实施例，其中供电单元11还包括复位开关管1134，复位开关管1134跨接在初级电压源112和电容单元111之间，方法30还包括：
通过复位开关管1134将输出电压拉回至初级电压。
本发明的优选实施例提供了一种包含LC谐振电路的供电单元，由于LC谐振电路的特性，使得该供电单元给挂载的电容充电、放电的速度大大提高，和另外一实施例所使用的反馈电路的方案相比，提升了千倍的速度。
为了体现本申请中HV供应电路的效果，图9A示出了一种现有的HV供应电路的结构，图9A中的电源输出高压HV，经过采样后，与基准电压Vref进行比较，得到误差信号，经过PID控制器产生控制信号u，PWM比较器将u和固定某个频率(数值大小具体和采用该HV电路的系统有关)的锯齿波比较，输出一组控制脉冲控制功率开关管的导通和关断，以维持输出电压的相对稳定，从电路结构上看，整个电路的部件相对比较多，而且，由于其工作过程需要负反馈，也导致HV切换速度较慢。图9B示出了采用图9A中的电源供应HV的工作仿真图。对比图9B及图10B，同样是输出高压HV1为30V，图9B中花费了0.9ms＝1.9ms-1ms，但是10B中花费了不到0.2μs≈0.8μs-0.6μs，提升了千倍的速度。因此，采用本申请中的供电单元11，可以快速输出HV，也可以快速进行HV的切换，进而可以相对速度更快地调节激光雷达的多个激光器的光强，以匹配于外界障碍物的情况或者使用场景，从而提升点云探测的精确性。
第三方面
图18示出了四路快速总线的激光雷达的驱动装置100的实施例，驱动装置100包括四条总线HVBUSA、HVBUSB、HVBUSC和HVBUSD。其中每条总线上挂载两个激光器，总线HVBUSA上挂载有激光器LAS1和LAS2，总线HVBUSB上挂载有激光器LAS3和LAS4，总线HVBUSC上挂载有激光器LAS5和LAS6，总线HVBUSD上挂载有激光器LAS7和LAS8。挂载于不同总线的四个激光器共用一个GaN开关器件，激光器LAS1、LAS3、LAS5和LAS7的阴极共同耦接于GaN开关器件GaN1，激光器LAS2、LAS4、LAS6和LAS8的阴极共同耦接于GaN开关器件GaN2。通过GaN开关器件GaN1、GaN2的选通，使对应的激光器发光。每条快速总线上包括一个储能单元，如图中所示的电容C1-C4。总线HVBUSA上的储能单元为C1，总线HVBUSB上的储能单元为C2，总线HVBUSC上的储能单元为C3，总线HVBUSD上的储能单元为C4。
下面以四总线驱动装置的实施例来进一步说明多总线驱动装置在工作过程中产生的切换损耗和充电损耗。
如图18所示，不妨设探测中，激光雷达的多个激光器非并行地发光，换言之，多个激光器可以有一部分并行发光，但并非全部同时发光。在本实施例中，以激光器逐个发光为例进行介绍，GaN开关器件GaN1导通，总线HVBUSA输出高电压，为C1充电，然后通过储能单元C1放电，使得挂载于总线HVBUSA上的激光器LAS1发出激光脉冲。激光器LAS1完成工作后，由总线HVBUSA切换至总线HVBUSB。GaN开关器件GaN1再次导通，此时总线HVBUSB输出高电压，为C3充电，然后通过储能单元C3放电，使得挂载于总线HVBUSB上的激光器LAS3发出激光脉冲。在GaN开关器件GaN1再次导通以前，需要将总线HVBUSA上的储能单元C1内剩余的能量清空，否则在GaN开关器件GaN1再次导通后，激光器LAS1会再次发出激光脉冲，影响激光器LAS3的探测。而且，这样 也会影响到激光器的逐个选通。详细而言，激光器LAS1通过储能单元C1上的剩余能量再次发出激光脉冲，纵然脉冲能量小于激光器LAS1进行探测时发出的脉冲能量，但仍然对激光器LAS3的探测形成严重干扰。因此，每次切换可以将上一个工作的总线上的储能单元内的剩余能量清空，由于电容内存储的电量满足Q＝0.5CV 2，由此总线切换产生的总损耗为：
切换损耗＝0.5f busCV 2        ……公式1
其中，f bus为总线切换频率，C为储能单元的电容值，V为储能单元上的电压，近似认为V为总线的输出电压，大概为HV。
所以，为了降低切换损耗，应设置总线的输出电压较低，储能单元的电容值较小。但降低储能单元的电容值，又会导致总线上的充电损耗增加。下面介绍总线装置在工作过程中产生的充电损耗。
如图18所示，不妨设激光雷达的多个激光器逐个发光(在其它实施例中，可以是非同时发光，即也可以是部分多个激光器同时发光)，且每次(1次是指获得外界障碍物的其中一个点的距离值)探测发射3个激光脉冲。GaN开关器件GaN1导通，通过储能单元C1为其提供能量，挂载于总线HVBUSA上的激光器LAS1发射第一个激光脉冲。之后，储能单元C1再次为激光器LAS1提供能量，激光器LAS1发射第二个激光脉冲……设充电后储能单元C1上的电压为V，放电(对应发了单个脉冲)后储能单元C1上的电压为V＇，每次放电时的电压跌落为ΔV＝V-V′。图19示出了储能单元C1上的电压在放电-充电过程中的变化：放电前，储能单元C1上的电压为V，于t1时刻开始放电，为激光器发射脉冲提供能量，于t2时刻结束放电，放电后，储能单元C1上的电压为V＇。在本发明一实施例中，对储能单元，可以从t2时刻开始充电，充电完成后，储能单元C1上的电压再次达到V或者接近于V。本发明另一实施例中，对储能单元，储能单元C1于t3时刻完成供电，也即将储能单元C1上的电量放空，继而再充电。本领域技术人员容易理解，储能单元C1再次充电达到的电压根据探测需求可以进行调整，与上次探测所需的电压V可能相同或不同。
本发明采用双沿式充电方案，下面计算该充电方案下产生的充电损耗。
不妨设在一次探测中发射激光脉冲的能量为ΔE，设光电转换效率为PCE，根据储能单元C1在放电前后的电压跌落计算能量差：
Figure PCTCN2021114304-appb-000001
ΔE/PCE设定的情况下，求解出的ΔV应与储能单元的电容值C成反比。
储能单元C1通过总线HVBUSA充电，充电完成后，储能单元C1上的电压再次达到V。充电通常通过RC回路完成，因此总线的充电损耗主要由放电深度ΔV决定。即：
Figure PCTCN2021114304-appb-000002
其中R为如图18中所示的开关管Q1/Q2/Q3/Q4的等效电阻，I为流过其的电流。
根据公式2，由上述分析已知，放电深度ΔV与储能单元的电容值C成反比，再根 据公式3，可知总线的充电损耗与储能单元的电容值C成反比。
综上所述，多总线驱动装置在工作过程中产生的切换损耗和充电损耗为：
总损耗＝0.5f busCV 2+0.5f pulseCΔV 2   ……公式4
其中f pulse为发射激光脉冲的频率。
以128线的机械旋转雷达为例，若一共8路HVBUS，水平角分辨率为0.1°，转速20HZ，9通道同时发光，每个点云2个脉冲，每个脉冲光能量为6ns*35W，总线的输出电压V＝16V，光电转换效率PCE＝20％。f bus为总线切换频率，f pulse为脉冲频率。则
Figure PCTCN2021114304-appb-000003
f pulse＝f bus/8*16*2＝0.432MHz    ……公式5
如图20所示，求解在不同的储能单元的电容值C的情况下，用于128线机械雷达的多总线驱动装置在工作过程中的切换损耗、脉冲充电损耗以及总损耗。由图20可知，随着电容值C的增加，总线切换损耗线性增加，脉冲充电损耗则下降。但是二者之和的最小值仍然达到4W，其中黑色横线标出了谷底值。
由于多总线驱动装置上包括多个电容，比较分散，降低充电损耗是比较难以实现的。本发明提供一种激光雷达的驱动装置，通过能量转移单元将储能单元中的剩余电量进行转移，从而在不改变电容值和切换频率的情况下，降低了切换损耗。进而使得总损耗(公式4)中几乎只包含充电损耗，而充电损耗和储能单元的电容参数有关，进一步可以通过增加电容值来降低充电损耗。
根据本发明的一个优选实施例，如图21所示，本发明提供一种激光雷达的驱动装置100，用于驱动激光器，多个所述激光器轮巡工作，所述驱动装置100包括多个驱动单元110，如图中所示的110-1、110-2……110-n，以及能量转移单元120。其中：
每个驱动单元110包括至少一个储能单元111，如图21中所示的111-1、111-2……111-n，配置成为对应的激光器提供能量。
如图21所示，驱动单元110-1为对应的激光器LAS1发光供电，所提供的能量储存于储能单元111-1之中。在激光器LAS1工作时，由储能单元111-1向其放电，激光器LAS1发出激光脉冲，储能单元111-1中的能量被消耗，电压降低。在激光器LAS1下一次发光之前，驱动单元110-1通过外部电压源输入初级电压，再通过高压产生单元产生高于初级电压的高电压，为储能单元111-1充电，使储能单元111-1中再次储存足够激光器LAS1工作的能量。如果下一次发光的激光器在其他总线上，例如下一次发光的激光器为激光器LAS2，对应驱动单元110-2，则可以将储能单元111-1中的剩余能量清空，以防止在激光器LAS2选通时，储能单元111-1对应的激光器LAS1再次发光，影响激光雷达的探测工作以及导致每个激光器无法单独地可寻址。
此外，图21中所示的驱动单元110-1、110-2……110-n，均对应一个激光器，本领域技术人员容易理解，这是一种等效的图示方法，每一个激光器可以对应一个或多个驱动单元110，从而可以克服一个激光器所发的多个脉冲间的切换速度不够的缺陷。
能量转移单元120耦接于两个驱动单元110-n(n为正整数)之间，配置成在当前工作的驱动单元110-n完成驱动实现与之连接的激光器发光后，将其储能单元111-m(m为正整数)中的剩余能量转移到下一个工作的驱动单元110-n的储能单元111-m中，以使得与之连接的激光器发光。需要说明的是，当前图21中示出的能量转移单元120耦接于相邻的驱动单元之间，本领域技术人员可以理解，这只是一种示例，在实际实施中，能量转移单元120可以跨接于物理上不直接相邻的驱动单元之间，只要能量转移单元120所跨接的激光器的发光时序即可。
如上文所述，激光器1完成探测工作后，由驱动单元110-1切换至驱动单元110-2，此时可以将储能单元111-1中的剩余能量清空。本发明通过耦接于驱动单元110-1、驱动单元110-2之间的能量转移单元120，将储能单元111-1中的剩余能量转移到储能单元111-2之中。在转移到储能单元111-2的剩余能量的基础之上，驱动单元110-2通过外部电压源为储能单元111-2充电，使储能单元111-2中储存足够激光器LAS2工作的能量。在激光器LAS2工作时，由储能单元111-2向其放电，激光器LAS2发出激光脉冲。
本领域技术人员容易理解，本发明中的能量转移单元120耦接于两个驱动单元110之间，能量转移单元120的具体位置由多个驱动单元110的工作顺序决定，以使能量转移单元120能够按照多个驱动单元110的工作顺序将剩余能量进行转移，能量转移单元120的设置方式并不限于图21所示的情形。
本发明所提供的用于激光雷达的多总线驱动装置，通过能量转移单元将当前工作的激光器对应的储能单元中的剩余能量转移，避免了将该储能单元中的剩余能量清空所造成的切换损耗，且转移后的剩余能量被下一个工作的激光器对应的储能单元所利用，进一步节省了功耗。
根据本发明的一个优选实施例，如图22所示，本发明提供一种用于激光雷达的四总线驱动装置，其中所述激光雷达包括多个激光器，所述多个激光器轮巡发光，其中每个激光器的阳极连接到多个驱动单元中的一个驱动单元的输出端，图22中所示为每个激光器的阳极连接到多条总线中的一条总线上，所述激光雷达还包括能量转移单元120及GaN开关器件，其中，能量转移单元120跨接于电容C1和C2之间，用于将储能单元C1/C2中的剩余能量转移到储能单元C2/C1之中。需要说明的是，图22只是示例，只是直接示出能量转移单元120跨接于电容C1和C2且处于工作状态(直接连通了电容C1和C2)下的等效图，实际在能量转移单元120跨接于电容C1和C2的电路上，还可以设置一个或者多个开关，以控制能量转移单元120是否工作以及处于工作状态的长短。另外，本领域技术人员可以理解，在其它的HVBUS总线彼此之间，也可以跨接类似的能量转移单元120。
而GaN开关器件，非共用驱动单元的激光器的阴极连接到一个所述GaN开关器件，所述GaN开关器件用于选通或者关断对应的驱动单元、与其连接的激光器及地构成的电流回路，从而让激光器发光或者不发光。
如图22所示，激光雷达的多个激光器LAS1-LAS8轮巡(不代表具体的发光时序， 而表示LAS1-LAS8并非8个激光器同时发光)发光，如果激光器LAS1先发光，LAS2后发光，则不妨设GaN开关器件GaN1导通，储能单元C1充电，通过储能单元C1为激光器提供能量，挂载于总线HVBUSA上的激光器LAS1发出激光脉冲。激光器LAS1完成工作后，由总线HVBUSA切换至总线HVBUSB。能量转移单元120将储能单元C1中的剩余能量转移到储能单元C2之中，后续类似的，经历对应电容的充放电过程激光器LAS2发出激光脉冲。
根据本发明的一个优选实施例，用于激光雷达的多总线驱动装置中，所述驱动单元还包括：
外部电压源，配置成为所述储能单元充电。
如图22所示，多个驱动单元通过外部电压源HV输入初级电压，再通过高压产生单元(图未示)产生高于所述初级电压的高电压，并以该高电压为储能单元充电。
所述储能单元包括电容，耦接于所述外部电压源与地之间，配置成在对应的所述GaN开关器件导通时，向选通的电流回路上的激光器放电，以驱动所述激光器发出单个脉冲。
如图22所示，储能单元包括电容，总线HVBUSA、HVBUSB、HVBUSC、HVBUSD上的储能单元分别为电容C1、C2、C3、C4，电容C1、C2、C3、C4通过外部电压源HV充电，并在对应的GaN开关器件导通时，向选通的电流回路上的激光器放电。
根据本发明的一个优选实施例，如图23所示，用于激光雷达的多总线驱动装置中，所述能量转移单元包括：
电感L，耦接于当前工作的驱动单元的输出端与下一个工作的驱动单元的输出端之间。
开关组件K1、K2，与所述电感L串联，配置成当所述开关组件K1、K2导通时，所述电感L和储能单元的电容形成谐振。
图23中所示的电感L耦接于总线HV1和总线HV2之间，每条总线对应一个驱动单元，每个驱动单元包括至少一个储能单元，如总线HV1上的储能单元为电容C1，总线HV2上的储能单元为电容C2。如果总线HV1上挂载的激光器首先工作，总线HV1输出高电压，给储能单元C1充电，储能单元C1为总线HV1上挂载的激光器提供发光所需的能量。总线HV1上挂载的激光器完成发光之后，储能单元C1上的能量被消耗，可以仍存有大量剩余能量。此时开关组件K1、K2导通，电感L与电容C1、C2形成谐振，将电容C1中存储的剩余能量转移到电容C2之中。完成能量转移后，开关组件K1、K2断开。总线HV2上挂载的激光器将工作，可以由总线HV2输出高电压，储能单元C2在转移的剩余能量的基础上，被总线HV2所充电，达到总线HV2上挂载的激光器发光所需的能量值，也存在接收到来自电容C1的剩余能量后，电容C2直接可以支持当次将要发光激光器的能量，此时则无需被HV2额外充电。
根据本发明的一个优选实施例，其中所述开关组件K1、K2的导通周期根据所述谐振电路的谐振周期确定，以使所述开关组件K1、K2的导通周期内，当前工作的驱动单元的储能单元中的剩余能量全部转移到下一个工作的驱动单元的储能单元中。
当开关组件K1、K2导通后，电容C1、电容C2和电感L构成一个谐振电路，在
Figure PCTCN2021114304-appb-000004
的时间内，完成了剩余能量的转移，电容C1上的电量全部转移到电容C2上，电容C1上的电压降低，电容C2上的电压升高。此时，断开开关组件K1、K2，避免电容C2上的电量通过谐振电路回到电容C1上。由于在开关组件K1、K2导通/断开时，电感L上的电流均接近于0，所以开关组件K1、K2上几乎不会有分布参数损耗，优选地，通过控制电感L和开关组件K1、K2的内阻，可以使剩余能量的转移效率达到90％以上。
举例而言，假设当前工作的激光器挂载在总线HVBUS1上，激光器完成发光之后，HVBUS1上的储能单元C1上的剩余能量为20。下一个工作的激光器挂载在总线HVBUS2上，在下一个工作的激光器发光之前，将储能单元C1上的剩余能量通过电感L转移到储能单元C2上，假设谐振电路的转换效率为90％，则完成能量转移后，储能单元C2上的起始能量为18。假设先后工作的两个激光器发光所需的能量一致，则通过HVBUS2给储能单元C2补充能量2即可。而现有的HVBUS多总线方案中，需要在当前工作的激光器完成发光之后，将HVBUS1上的储能单元C1上的剩余能量全部清空，造成的损耗巨大。
本发明中，切换损耗的大小完全取决于谐振电路的变换效率本身，而与储能单元的电容值非正相关。
也就是说，电容值的大小不再是多总线驱动装置工作过程中的切换损耗的限制因素，进一步地，可以通过采用电容值较大的电容作为储能单元，使多总线驱动装置工作过程中的充电损耗降低。如上文所述的例子中，128线激光雷达的多总线驱动装置的总损耗中，如果选用200nf的电容，总损耗降低到0.4+3.8*0.1＝0.78W。
根据本发明的一个优选实施例，如图24所示，电感L耦接于总线HV1、总线HV2之间，总线HV1、HV2分别对应一个驱动单元，每个驱动单元包括至少一个储能单元，总线HV1上的储能单元为电容C1，总线HV2上的储能单元为电容C2。从总线HV1切换至总线HV2、从总线HV2切换至总线HV1，两个方向的切换共用一套开关组件，该开关组件与电感L串联，配置成当所述开关组件导通时，所述电感L和储能单元的电容C1、C2形成谐振。
如图24所示，当NMOS开关管Q1,Q4导通时，PMOS开关管Q2,Q3,Q5,Q6的栅极被拉低，从而双向导通。当NMOS开关管Q1,Q4截止时，PMOS开关管Q2,Q3,Q5,Q6的栅极被电阻复位，从而截止。
当总线HV1上挂载的激光器首先工作时，总线HV1输出高电压，给储能单元C1充电，储能单元C1为总线HV1上挂载的激光器提供发光所需的能量。总线HV1上挂载的激光器完成发光之后，储能单元C1上的能量被消耗，但仍存有大量剩余能量，而储能单元C2上的能量为零。此时NMOS开关管Q1,Q4导通，PMOS开关管Q2,Q3,Q5,Q6的栅极被拉低，进而导通谐振电路。电感L与电容C1、C2形成谐振，将电容C1中存储的剩余能量转移到电容C2之中。完成能量转移后，NMOS开关管Q1,Q4截止，PMOS开关管Q2,Q3,Q5,Q6的栅极被电阻复位，从而截止。总线HV2上挂载的激光器工作，总线HV2输出高电压，储能单元C2在转移的剩余能量的基础上，由总线HV2充电，达到总 线HV2上挂载的激光器发光所需的能量值。
当当总线HV2上挂载的激光器首先工作时，总线HV2输出高电压，给储能单元C2充电，储能单元C2为总线HV2上挂载的激光器提供发光所需的能量。总线HV2上挂载的激光器完成发光之后，储能单元C2上的能量被消耗，但仍存有大量剩余能量，而储能单元C1上的能量为零。此时NMOS开关管Q1,Q4导通，PMOS开关管Q2,Q3,Q5,Q6的栅极被拉低，进而导通谐振电路。电感L与电容C1、C2形成谐振，将电容C2中存储的剩余能量转移到电容C1之中。完成能量转移后，NMOS开关管Q1,Q4截止，PMOS开关管Q2,Q3,Q5,Q6的栅极被电阻复位，从而截止。总线HV1上挂载的激光器工作，总线HV1输出高电压，储能单元C1在转移的剩余能量的基础上，由总线HV1充电，达到总线HV1上挂载的激光器发光所需的能量值。
本实施例提供了一种双向导通的能量转移单元，选通的方向和顺序可以配合激光器的发光时序，例如，在一个探测周期内，总线HV1上挂载的激光器先发光，总线HV2上挂载的激光器后发光；在另一个探测周期内，总线HV2上挂载的激光器先发光，总线HV1上挂载的激光器后发光。在多线激光雷达中，多个激光器轮询发光，换言之，雷达的所有激光器并非同时发光，轮询的反面就是所有的激光器同时发光，并且会尽量让相邻时序发光的激光器彼此物理间隔较远，以降低串扰。
根据本发明的一个优选实施例，如图25所示，所述能量转移单元还包括：
二极管，配置成与所述电感和所述开关组件串联，所述二极管的导通方向根据所述两个驱动单元的工作顺序确定，也即要配合激光器的发光时序。
如图25所示，能量转移单元进一步包括二极管SD与双向模拟开关SW，电感L耦接于总线HV1和总线HV2之间，每条总线对应一个驱动单元，每个驱动单元包括至少一个储能单元，如总线HV1上的储能单元为电容C1，总线HV2上的储能单元为电容C2。总线HV1上挂载的激光器首先工作，总线HV1输出高电压，给储能单元C1充电，储能单元C1为总线HV1上挂载的激光器提供发光所需的能量。总线HV1上挂载的激光器完成发光之后，储能单元C1上的能量被消耗，但仍存有大量剩余能量。此时双向模拟开关SW导通，电感L与电容C1、C2形成谐振，将电容C1中存储的剩余能量转移到电容C2之中。完成能量转移后，双向模拟开关SW断开。总线HV2上挂载的激光器工作，总线HV2输出高电压，储能单元C2在转移的剩余能量的基础上，由总线HV2充电，达到总线HV2上挂载的激光器发光所需的能量值。
如果总线HV2上挂载的激光器首先工作，总线HV2输出高电压，给储能单元C2充电，储能单元C2为总线HV2上挂载的激光器提供发光所需的能量。总线HV2上挂载的激光器完成发光之后，储能单元C2上的能量被消耗，但仍存有大量剩余能量。此时即使将双向模拟开关SW导通，由于二极管SD的单向性，电感L与电容C1、C2无法形成谐振，电容C2中存储的剩余能量无法转移到电容C1之中。
本实施例提供了一种单向导通的能量转移单元，该导通的方向配合激光器的工作顺序，例如，在每一个探测周期内，均是总线HV1上挂载的激光器先发光，总线HV2上挂载的激光器后发光。本实施例适用于激光雷达的多个激光器的发光时序为环路；也适于多个激光器进行分组，每组的激光器同时发光，逐组进行探测的激光雷达。
根据本发明的一个优选实施例，如图26所示，所述驱动装置包括两个能量转移单元，其中：
每个所述能量转移单元包括二极管和开关组件，分别与所述电感串联，并耦接于两个驱动单元之间，配置成分别从相反方向转移所述剩余能量。
如图26所示，能量转移单元120-1包括二极管SD-1与开关组件SW-1，能量转移单元120-2包括二极管SD-2与开关组件SW-2，分别与电感L串联，并耦接于总线HV1和总线HV2之间，每条总线对应一个驱动单元，每个驱动单元包括至少一个储能单元，如总线HV1上的储能单元为电容C1，总线HV2上的储能单元为电容C2。总线HV1上挂载的激光器首先工作，总线HV1输出高电压，给储能单元C1充电，储能单元C1为总线HV1上挂载的激光器提供发光所需的能量。总线HV1上挂载的激光器完成发光之后，储能单元C1上的能量被消耗，但仍存有大量剩余能量。此时开关组件SW-1导通，电感L与电容C1、C2形成谐振，将电容C1中存储的剩余能量转移到电容C2之中。完成能量转移后，开关组件SW-1断开。
之后，总线HV2上挂载的激光器工作，总线HV2输出高电压，储能单元C2在转移的剩余能量的基础上，由总线HV2充电，达到总线HV2上挂载的激光器发光所需的能量值。总线HV2上挂载的激光器完成发光之后，储能单元C2上的能量被消耗，但仍存有大量剩余能量。此时开关组件SW-2导通，电感L与电容C1、C2形成谐振，将电容C2中存储的剩余能量转移到电容C1之中。完成能量转移后，开关组件SW-2断开。总线HV1上挂载的激光器再次工作，总线HV1输出高电压，储能单元C1在转移的剩余能量的基础上，由总线HV1充电，达到总线HV1上挂载的激光器发光所需的能量值。
采用本实施例所提供的两个能量转移单元，每个能量转移单元能从一个方向转移剩余能量，可以配合激光器的发光时序，从而实现特定储能单元之间的能量转移，以降低功耗，提高能量利用效率。
本领域技术人员容易理解，图26所示的开关组件SW-1、SW-2只是一种等效的图示方法，实际工程中使用时，可以采用一个或多个开关器件，且可以采用NMOS开关管、PMOS开关管、场效应管、数字开关等多种开关器件，本发明对此不做限制。
根据本发明的一个优选实施例，如图27所示，用于激光雷达的八总线驱动装置中，对应的两个驱动单元之间具有两个能量转移单元，配置成分别从相反方向转移储能单元中的剩余能量。且所述多个能量转移单元共用电感。
例如，当总线HV1上挂载的激光器先工作时，由总线HV1上的储能单元为其提供能量。总线HV1上挂载的激光器完成工作后，总线HV1上的储能单元中的剩余能量沿着二极管D1—>电感L1—>电感L2—>开关组件K2的路线，传送到总线HV2上的储能单元之中。开关组件K2的导通/断开周期根据谐振电路的谐振周期决定，以完成全部剩余能量的转移。
在转移的剩余能量的基础上，总线HV2输出高电压，给总线HV2上的储能单元充电，总线HV2上挂载的激光器工作，由总线HV2上的储能单元为其提供能量。总线HV2上挂载的激光器完成工作后，总线HV2上的储能单元中的剩余能量沿着二极管D2—>电感L2—>电感L1—>开关组件K3的路线，传送到总线HV3上的储能单元之中。开关 组件K3的导通/断开周期根据谐振电路的谐振周期决定，以完成全部剩余能量的转移。
在转移的剩余能量的基础上，总线HV3输出高电压，给总线HV3上的储能单元充电，总线HV3挂载的激光器再次工作，由总线HV3上的储能单元为其提供能量。总线HV3上挂载的激光器完成工作后，总线HV3上的储能单元中的剩余能量沿着二极管D3—>电感L1—>电感L2—>开关组件K4的路线，传送到总线HV4上的储能单元之中。开关组件K4的导通/断开周期根据谐振电路的谐振周期决定，以完成全部剩余能量的转移。
在转移的剩余能量的基础上，总线HV4输出高电压，给总线HV4上的储能单元充电，总线HV4挂载的激光器再次工作，由总线HV4上的储能单元为其提供能量。总线HV4上挂载的激光器完成工作后，总线HV4上的储能单元中的剩余能量沿着二极管D4—>电感L2—>电感L1—>开关组件K5的路线，传送到总线HV5上的储能单元之中。开关组件K5的导通/断开周期根据谐振电路的谐振周期决定，以完成全部或者至少一部分剩余能量的转移。
以此类推，总线HV5的储能单元中的剩余能量可以向总线HV6或者向HV2、HV4及HV8的储能单元之中转移，总线HV6的储能单元中的剩余能量可以向总线HV7或者向HV1、HV3及HV5的储能单元之中转移，总线HV7的储能单元中的剩余能量可以向总线HV8或者向HV2、HV4及HV6的储能单元之中转移。转移的方向受各个开关组件的导通/断开的时序控制，相当于剩余能量在两组驱动单元的储能单元之间做切换，这是激光雷达的多个激光器的发光顺序所决定的，或者说能量转移的切换顺序和激光器的发光时序配合。例如，激光的多个激光器的发光顺序为：挂载于总线HV1上的一个或多个激光器首先发光，之后，挂载于总线HV2上的一个或多个激光器发光，之后挂载于总线HV3上的一个或多个激光器发光……多个激光器的发光顺序决定了多个驱动单元的供能顺序，进而决定了剩余能量的转移顺序。
本领域技术人员容易理解，以上所述多个激光器的发光顺序只是举例说明，在实际工程中，可以设置不同的激光器发光顺序，例如，挂载于总线HV1上的一个或多个激光器首先发光，之后，挂载于总线HV2上的一个或多个激光器发光，之后挂载于总线HV5上的一个或多个激光器发光……并根据激光器的发光顺序设置总线工作顺序，例如，总线HV1首先工作，之后总线HV2工作，总线HV5工作……再根据总线工作顺序设置剩余能量的转移顺序，该转移顺序通过设置各个开关组件的导通/断开的周期实现。
本实施例通过将对应的两个驱动单元之间设置两个能量转移单元，分别从相反方向转移储能单元中的剩余能量，且所述多个能量转移单元共用电感，实现了剩余能量在两组驱动单元之间切换，保证了激光雷达的多个激光器的发光时序，同时降低了切换损耗。
本发明所提供的用于激光雷达的多总线驱动装置，能够有效降低多总线驱动装置在工作过程中的切换损耗，由于总线切换频率远低于脉冲频率，可以将其中的能量转移单元设置在发射电路板以外的地方，以减少发射电路板的布线负担。
根据本发明的一个优选实施例，用于激光雷达的多总线驱动装置中，所述多个驱 动单元输出相同或不同的驱动电压，所述剩余能量包括：所述驱动单元对应的激光器发射一次激光脉冲后所述储能单元中的剩余电量。
根据本发明的一个优选实施例，本发明还提供一种采用如上文所述的驱动装置驱动激光雷达的方法，包括步骤S101、步骤S102。
在步骤S101中，通过所述储能单元为当前发光的激光器提供能量。
驱动单元为对应的激光器发光供电，所提供的能量储存于储能单元之中。在激光器工作时，由储能单元向其放电，激光器发出激光脉冲，储能单元中的能量被消耗，电压降低。在激光器下一次发光之前，驱动单元通过外部电压源输入初级电压，再通过高压产生单元产生高于初级电压的高电压，为储能单元充电，使储能单元中再次储存足够激光器工作的能量。如果下一次发光的激光器在其他总线上，对应其他的驱动单元，则可以将储能单元中的剩余能量清空，以防止在其他激光器选通时，储能单元对应的激光器再次发光，影响激光雷达的探测工作或者单个激光器的选通功能的实现。
在步骤S102中，在当前发光的激光器完成工作之后，通过所述能量转移单元将所述储能单元中的剩余能量转移到下一个发光的激光器对应的储能单元之中。
当前工作的激光器完成探测工作后，由当前供电的驱动单元切换至下一个供电的驱动单元，可以将储能单元中的剩余能量清空。本发明通过耦接于两个驱动单元之间的能量转移单元，将完成供电的驱动单元的储能单元中的剩余能量转移到下一个供电的驱动单元的储能单元之中。在转移的剩余能量的基础之上，下一个供电的驱动单元通过外部电压源输入初级电压、高压产生单元产生高于初级电压的高电压，为其储能单元充电，使其储能单元中储存足够下一个工作的激光器发光的能量。在该激光器工作时，由对应的储能单元向其放电，使其发射出激光脉冲。
根据本发明的一个优选实施例，其中所述两个驱动单元之间耦接两个能量转移单元，所述方法进一步包括：
通过所述两个能量转移单元分别从相反方向转移所述剩余能量。
采用本实施例所提供的两个能量转移单元，每个能量转移单元只能从一个方向转移剩余能量，即使一次能量转移发生问题，也不会连续影响之后的能量转移，且采用两个能量转移单元，有效地降低了电路故障概率。并且，通过在两组驱动单元之间设置上述两个能量转移单元的方式，可以实现剩余能量在两组驱动单元之间按照配合于激光器的发光时序进行切换，保证了激光雷达的多个激光器的发光时序，同时降低了切换损耗。
根据本发明的一个优选实施例，所述激光雷达包括n个激光器，其中n≥32，所述多个激光器逐个发光，所述驱动方法进一步包括：
所述多个驱动单元逐个工作，为所述多个激光器提供能量。
通过所述能量转移单元，将所述剩余能量在所述多个驱动单元之间依次转移。
本实施例中激光雷达的多个激光器逐个发光进行探测，即激光雷达的多个激光器的发光时序为环路，通过能量转移单元，将剩余能量在多个驱动单元之间依次转移，以实现多个驱动单元对应的供电时序。
根据本发明的一个优选实施例，其中所述多个激光器分组发光，其中每组包括至 少一个激光器，所述驱动方法进一步包括：
所述多个驱动单元分组工作，为所述多个激光器提供能量。
通过所述能量转移单元，在当前发光的激光器完成工作之后，将所述储能单元中的剩余能量转移到下一组发光的多个激光器中任一个对应的储能单元之中。
例如，挂载于总线HV1、HV3上的多个激光器首先发光，之后挂载于总线HV8、HV13上的多个激光器发光，在挂载于总线HV1、HV3上的多个激光器完成探测后，可以通过能量转移单元将总线HV1上的储能单元中的剩余能量转移至总线HV8上的储能单元之中，也可以通过能量转移单元将总线HV1上的储能单元中的剩余能量转移至总线HV13上的储能单元之中。对于总线HV2上的储能单元中的剩余能量的转移方案同理可得。
根据本发明的一个优选实施例，其中所述驱动单元还包括外部电压源，所述储能单元包括电容，耦接于所述外部电压源与地之间，所述方法进一步包括：
通过所述外部电压源为所述电容充电。
通过所述电容向选通的电流回路上的激光器放电，以驱动所述激光器发出单个脉冲。
根据本发明的一个优选实施例，其中所述能量转移单元包括串联的电感与开关组件，耦接于所述两个驱动单元的输出端之间，所述方法进一步包括：
当所述开关组导通时，所述电感和所述电容形成谐振。
本发明的优选实施例提供了一种用于激光雷达的驱动装置，通过能量转移单元将当前工作的激光器对应的储能单元中的剩余能量转移，避免了将该储能单元中的剩余能量清空所造成的切换损耗，且转移后的剩余能量被下一个工作的激光器对应的储能单元所利用，进一步节省了功耗。
本发明的优选实施例在不改变电容值和切换频率的情况下，降低了切换损耗。进而使得总线驱动装置的总损耗中几乎只包含充电损耗，而充电损耗和储能单元的电容参数有关，进一步可以通过增加电容值来降低充电损耗。
最后应说明的是：以上所述仅为本发明的优选实施例而已，并不用于限制本发明，尽管参照前述实施例对本发明进行了详细的说明，对于本领域的技术人员来说，其依然可以对前述各实施例所记载的技术方案进行修改，或者对其中部分技术特征进行等同替换。凡在本发明的精神和原则之内，所作的任何修改、等同替换、改进等，均应包含在本发明的保护范围之内。

Claims (26)

  1. 一种激光器的电源单元，包括：
    初级电压源，配置成可输出初级电压；
    高压产生单元，与所述初级电压源耦接，配置成输入初级电压，产生高于所述初级电压的输出电压，并通过输出端输出所述输出电压；
    电容单元，耦接到所述高压产生单元的输出端；
    其中，所述高压产生单元及电容单元配置成可通过充放电配合调节所述输出电压。
  2. 如权利要求1所述的电源单元，其中所述高压产生单元包括：
    第一电感，第一端与所述初级电压源耦接，配置成可从所述初级电压源输入电能；
    第一开关管，第一端与所述第一电感的第二端耦接，第二端接地，配置成导通时使所述初级电压源、所述第一电感形成充电回路，向所述第一电感充电；
    第二开关管，第一端与所述第一电感的第二端耦接，第二端与所述电容单元耦接，用作所述高压产生单元的输出端。
  3. 如权利要求2所述的电源单元，还包括复位开关管，所述复位开关管跨接在所述初级电压源和所述电容单元之间，配置成可将输出电压拉回至所述初级电压。
  4. 如权利要求3所述的电源单元，其中所述第一开关管、所述第二开关管、所述复位开关管包括GaN开关、CMOS开关管中的一种或多种。
  5. 一种激光雷达的发射装置，包括：
    多个如权利要求1-4中任一项所述的电源单元，配置成可分别输出电压；
    激光器单元，包括多个激光器，其中每个激光器的一端连接至其中一个电源单元的输出端，使得至少两个激光器连接在不同的电源单元的输出端上；
    至少一个开关器件，非共用电压的部分激光器的阴极连接到其中一个开关器件，所述开关器件配置成可选通其中一路电压、与其连接的激光器及地构成的电流回路的通断。
  6. 一种控制如权利要求1-4中任一项所述的电源单元的控制单元，其中所述高压产生单元包括第一开关管、第二开关管和复位开关管，所述控制单元包括：
    根据激光器的发光时序生成电压控制信号，分别向所述第一开关管、所述第二开关管、所述复位开关管的控制极输出所述电压控制信号，以控制所述高压产生单元输出高于所述初级电压的输出电压，并控制所述电容单元和所述高压产生单元通过充放电配合调节所述输出电压。
  7. 一种使用如权利要求1-4中任一项所述的电源单元控制激光器发光的方法，包括：
    通过所述初级电压源输出初级电压；
    通过所述高压产生单元产生高于所述初级电压的输出电压；
    通过所述电容单元和所述高压产生单元充电、放电，配合调节所述输出电压。
  8. 如权利要求7所述的方法，其中所述高压产生单元包括：第一电感，第一端与所述初级电压源耦接，第一开关管，第一端与所述第一电感的第二端耦接，第二端接地，第二开关管，第一端与所述第一电感的第二端耦接，第二端与所述电容单元耦接，所述方法还包括：
    通过所述第一电感从所述初级电压源输入电能；
    通过所述第一开关管闭合、所述第二开关管断开，使所述初级电压源、所述第一电感形成充电回路，由所述初级电压源向所述第一电感充电；
    通过所述第一开关管断开、所述第二开关管闭合，使所述初级电压源、所述第一电感形成放电回路，通过初级电压源和第一电感向所述电容单元充电，使得所述输出电压高于所述初级电压。
  9. 如权利要求7所述的方法，还包括：
    通过所述第一开关管断开、所述第二开关管闭合，使所述电容单元放电，所述第一电感从所述电容单元输入电能，使所述输出电压下降。
  10. 如权利要求7-9中任一项所述的方法，其中所述电源单元还包括复位开关管，所述复位开关管跨接在所述初级电压源和所述电容单元之间，所述方法还包括：
    通过所述复位开关管将输出电压拉回至所述初级电压。
  11. 一种可用于激光雷达的发射装置，包括：
    多个供电单元，配置成输入初级电压输出高电压，且至少两个供电单元相对不同时地输出高电压，其中，所述高电压为相对于所述初级电压更高的电压；
    激光器单元，包括多个激光器，其中每个激光器的阳极连接到供电单元的输出端，使得其中至少两个激光器连接于不同的供电单元；
    至少一个开关器件，非共用高电压的部分激光器的阴极连接到其中一个开关器件，所述开关器件配置成可选通对应供电单元、与其连接的激光器及地构成的电流回路的通断。
  12. 如权利要求11所述的发射装置，还包括与所述多个供电单元相对应的多条电压总线，所述电压总线连接相对应的供电单元上的各部件，所述电压总线的输入端输入初级电压，输出端输出高于所述初级电压的电压，每个激光器通过其中一条电压总线连接到相对应的供电单元的输出端上。
  13. 如权利要求12所述的发射装置，还包括电容单元，连接于所述电压总线与地之间，配置成通过所述电压总线充电，并在所述开关器件导通时，向选通的电流回路上的激光器放电，以驱动所述激光器发光。
  14. 如权利要求13所述的发射装置，其中所述供电单元还包括：
    初级电压源，配置成可输出初级电压；
    高压产生单元，与所述初级电压源连接，所述初级电压源适于将所述初级电压输入到所述高压产生单元，所述高压产生单元配置成可产生高于所述初级电压的高电压。
  15. 如权利要求14所述的发射装置，其中所述高压产生单元包括：
    第一电感，所述第一电感的第一端与所述初级电压源连接，配置成可从所述初级电压源输入电能；
    第一开关管，第一端与所述第一电感的第二端连接，第二端接地，配置成导通时使所述初级电压源、所述第一电感形成充电回路，向所述第一电感充电；
    第二开关管，第一端与所述第一电感的第二端连接，第二端与所述电容单元连接，配置成导通时使所述初级电压源、所述第一电感形成放电回路，向所述电容单元充电。
  16. 如权利要求11-15中任一项所述的发射装置，其中所述供电单元还包括电压控制端，配置成可接收电压控制信号以控制所述供电单元输出电压。
  17. 如权利要求16所述的发射装置，其中每个开关器件包括控制端、第一端和第二端，所述第一端连接到所述激光器的阴极，所述第二端接地；所述控制端配置成可接收驱动信号以控制所述第一端和第二端之间的通断，所述电压控制信号和所述驱动信号相配合以控制对应的激光器发光。
  18. 如权利要求11-15中任一项所述的发射装置，其中所述激光器单元的多个激光器呈多阵列排布，两个激光器阵列彼此交错，每个激光器与相对应的开关器件之间的距离相对基本一致。
  19. 如权利要求11-15中任一项所述的发射装置，其中所述开关器件包括GaN开关、CMOS开关管中的一种或多种。
  20. 一种控制如权利要求11-19中任一项所述的发射装置发光的方法，包括：
    控制一个所述供电单元输出电压；
    通过所述开关器件，控制其中部分激光器的电流回路导通，从而与所述输出电压的供电单元连接的激光器在所述电压的作用下发光。
  21. 如权利要求20所述的方法，其中所述发射装置还包括与所述多个供电单元相对应的多条电压总线，每条电压总线连接到相对应的一个供电单元的输出端，每个激光器通过其中一条电压总线连接到相对应的供电单元的输出端，所述供电单元包括电容单元，连接在所述电压总线上，所述方法还包括：
    通过所述电压总线向所述电容单元充电，通过所述电容单元向连接在同一条电压总线上的激光器放电，以驱动所述激光器发光。
  22. 如权利要求21所述的方法，其中所述供电单元还包括：初级电压源、高压产生单元，所述方法还包括：
    通过所述初级电压源输出初级电压；
    通过所述高压产生单元产生高于所述初级电压的电压，并将所述电压通过所述电压总线输出。
  23. 如权利要求22所述的方法，其中所述高压产生单元包括：第一电感，第一端与所述初级电压源连接，第一开关管，第一端与所述第一电感的第二端连接，第二端接地，第二开关管，第一端与所述第一电感的第二端连接，第二端与所述电容单元连接，所述方法还包括：
    通过所述第一电感从所述初级电压源输入电能；
    通过将所述第一开关管导通，使所述初级电压源、所述第一电感形成充电回路，向所述第一电感充电；
    通过将所述第二开关管导通，使所述初级电压源、所述第一电感形成放电回路，向所述电容单元充电。
  24. 如权利要求20-23中任一项所述的方法，其中所述供电单元还包括电压控制端，所述方法还包括：
    通过所述电压控制端接收电压控制信号以控制所述供电单元输出电压。
  25. 如权利要求24所述的方法，其中每个开关器件包括控制端、第一端和第二端，所述控制端配置成可接收驱动信号以控制所述第一端和第二端之间的通断，所述第一端连接到所述激光器的阴极，所述第二端接地，所述方法还包括：
    通过所述电压控制信号和所述驱动信号相配合以控制所述激光器发光。
  26. 一种激光雷达，包括如权利要求11-19中任一项所述的发射装置，接收装置及控制装置，其中：
    所述发射装置，适于在所述控制装置的控制下，按照一定的时序驱动所述激光器发出探测激光束；
    所述接收装置，适于接收经相对于雷达的外部障碍物反射回来的回波；
    所述控制装置，适于根据雷达的探测需求，生成电压控制信号，控制所述供电单元输出电压，生成驱动信号以选通其中部分激光器发光；并适于对所述接收装置接收到的回波进行处理，并根据所述回波信号计算得到所述外部障碍物与雷达的距离和/或反射率。
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