WO2022121879A1 - Tof装置及电子设备 - Google Patents

Tof装置及电子设备 Download PDF

Info

Publication number
WO2022121879A1
WO2022121879A1 PCT/CN2021/135992 CN2021135992W WO2022121879A1 WO 2022121879 A1 WO2022121879 A1 WO 2022121879A1 CN 2021135992 W CN2021135992 W CN 2021135992W WO 2022121879 A1 WO2022121879 A1 WO 2022121879A1
Authority
WO
WIPO (PCT)
Prior art keywords
light
view
emitting
light source
driving chip
Prior art date
Legal status (The legal status is an assumption and is not a legal conclusion. Google has not performed a legal analysis and makes no representation as to the accuracy of the status listed.)
Ceased
Application number
PCT/CN2021/135992
Other languages
English (en)
French (fr)
Inventor
赵子昂
蒋珂玮
王娜
张绍刚
俞伟伟
唐玮
元军
Current Assignee (The listed assignees may be inaccurate. Google has not performed a legal analysis and makes no representation or warranty as to the accuracy of the list.)
Huawei Technologies Co Ltd
Original Assignee
Huawei Technologies Co Ltd
Priority date (The priority date is an assumption and is not a legal conclusion. Google has not performed a legal analysis and makes no representation as to the accuracy of the date listed.)
Filing date
Publication date
Application filed by Huawei Technologies Co Ltd filed Critical Huawei Technologies Co Ltd
Priority to EP21902584.8A priority Critical patent/EP4246952A4/en
Priority to US18/256,535 priority patent/US12372657B2/en
Publication of WO2022121879A1 publication Critical patent/WO2022121879A1/zh
Anticipated expiration legal-status Critical
Ceased legal-status Critical Current

Links

Images

Classifications

    • 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
    • G01S17/89—Lidar systems specially adapted for specific applications for mapping or imaging
    • G01S17/894—Three-dimensional [3D] imaging with simultaneous measurement of time-of-flight at a two-dimensional [2D] array of receiver pixels, e.g. time-of-flight cameras or flash lidar
    • H—ELECTRICITY
    • H04—ELECTRIC COMMUNICATION TECHNIQUE
    • H04N—PICTORIAL COMMUNICATION, e.g. TELEVISION
    • H04N23/00—Cameras or camera modules comprising electronic image sensors; Control thereof
    • H04N23/50—Constructional details
    • H04N23/55—Optical parts specially adapted for electronic image sensors; Mounting thereof
    • 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
    • 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
    • G01S7/481—Constructional features, e.g. arrangements of optical elements
    • G01S7/4816—Constructional features, e.g. arrangements of optical elements of receivers alone
    • 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
    • G01S7/4861—Circuits for detection, sampling, integration or read-out
    • G01S7/4863—Detector arrays, e.g. charge-transfer gates
    • 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
    • G01S7/4865—Time delay measurement, e.g. time-of-flight measurement, time of arrival measurement or determining the exact position of a peak
    • 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
    • H04—ELECTRIC COMMUNICATION TECHNIQUE
    • H04N—PICTORIAL COMMUNICATION, e.g. TELEVISION
    • H04N13/00—Stereoscopic video systems; Multi-view video systems; Details thereof
    • H04N13/20—Image signal generators
    • H04N13/204—Image signal generators using stereoscopic image cameras
    • H—ELECTRICITY
    • H04—ELECTRIC COMMUNICATION TECHNIQUE
    • H04N—PICTORIAL COMMUNICATION, e.g. TELEVISION
    • H04N13/00—Stereoscopic video systems; Multi-view video systems; Details thereof
    • H04N13/20—Image signal generators
    • H04N13/204—Image signal generators using stereoscopic image cameras
    • H04N13/207—Image signal generators using stereoscopic image cameras using a single two-dimensional [2D] image sensor
    • H04N13/211—Image signal generators using stereoscopic image cameras using a single two-dimensional [2D] image sensor using temporal multiplexing
    • H—ELECTRICITY
    • H04—ELECTRIC COMMUNICATION TECHNIQUE
    • H04N—PICTORIAL COMMUNICATION, e.g. TELEVISION
    • H04N13/00—Stereoscopic video systems; Multi-view video systems; Details thereof
    • H04N13/20—Image signal generators
    • H04N13/271—Image signal generators wherein the generated image signals comprise depth maps or disparity maps
    • H—ELECTRICITY
    • H04—ELECTRIC COMMUNICATION TECHNIQUE
    • H04N—PICTORIAL COMMUNICATION, e.g. TELEVISION
    • H04N23/00—Cameras or camera modules comprising electronic image sensors; Control thereof
    • H04N23/56—Cameras or camera modules comprising electronic image sensors; Control thereof provided with illuminating means
    • H—ELECTRICITY
    • H04—ELECTRIC COMMUNICATION TECHNIQUE
    • H04N—PICTORIAL COMMUNICATION, e.g. TELEVISION
    • H04N23/00—Cameras or camera modules comprising electronic image sensors; Control thereof
    • H04N23/60—Control of cameras or camera modules
    • H—ELECTRICITY
    • H04—ELECTRIC COMMUNICATION TECHNIQUE
    • H04N—PICTORIAL COMMUNICATION, e.g. TELEVISION
    • H04N23/00—Cameras or camera modules comprising electronic image sensors; Control thereof
    • H04N23/70—Circuitry for compensating brightness variation in the scene
    • H04N23/74—Circuitry for compensating brightness variation in the scene by influencing the scene brightness using illuminating means
    • H—ELECTRICITY
    • H04—ELECTRIC COMMUNICATION TECHNIQUE
    • H04N—PICTORIAL COMMUNICATION, e.g. TELEVISION
    • H04N23/00—Cameras or camera modules comprising electronic image sensors; Control thereof
    • H04N23/90—Arrangement of cameras or camera modules, e.g. multiple cameras in TV studios or sports stadiums
    • Y—GENERAL TAGGING OF NEW TECHNOLOGICAL DEVELOPMENTS; GENERAL TAGGING OF CROSS-SECTIONAL TECHNOLOGIES SPANNING OVER SEVERAL SECTIONS OF THE IPC; TECHNICAL SUBJECTS COVERED BY FORMER USPC CROSS-REFERENCE ART COLLECTIONS [XRACs] AND DIGESTS
    • Y02—TECHNOLOGIES OR APPLICATIONS FOR MITIGATION OR ADAPTATION AGAINST CLIMATE CHANGE
    • Y02B—CLIMATE CHANGE MITIGATION TECHNOLOGIES RELATED TO BUILDINGS, e.g. HOUSING, HOUSE APPLIANCES OR RELATED END-USER APPLICATIONS
    • Y02B20/00—Energy efficient lighting technologies, e.g. halogen lamps or gas discharge lamps
    • Y02B20/40—Control techniques providing energy savings, e.g. smart controller or presence detection

Definitions

  • the present application relates to the technical field of optical electronic devices, and in particular, to a TOF device and electronic equipment.
  • a three-dimensional (3D) camera of an electronic device mainly adopts a time of flight (TOF) device, and the TOF device adopts a time of flight technology to obtain a 3D image of a target object.
  • the TOF device includes a transmitter (also called a transmitter) and a receiver.
  • the transmitter is used to transmit an optical signal to a target object, and the optical signal can be received by the receiver after being reflected by the target object. According to the flight time of the optical signal between the transmitter and the receiver, the distance between the target object and the TOF device can be determined.
  • the detection distance of the TOF device is related to the peak current of the transmitter, and the greater the peak current provided by the electronic device, the longer the detection distance of the TOF device can be.
  • the power supply of mobile electronic devices such as mobile phones (also called mobile terminals) is usually difficult to provide a large peak current for the TOF device, resulting in a limited detection distance of the TOF device, and it is difficult to meet the increasingly diverse requirements of electronic devices. Application requirements.
  • the purpose of the present application is to provide a TOF device and an electronic device having the TOF device, and the TOF device can realize long-distance detection.
  • the present application provides a TOF device, which can be used as a 3D camera in electronic equipment.
  • the TOF device includes a transmitter and a receiver.
  • the transmitting end includes a light source, a driving chip and an optical element.
  • the light source includes a plurality of light emitting units. A plurality of light emitting units can work independently of each other.
  • the driving chip is electrically connected to the plurality of light-emitting units, and the driving chip is used for lighting the plurality of light-emitting units in turn according to a certain sequence.
  • the optical element is located on the light-emitting path of the plurality of light-emitting units, and the optical element is used to make the light emitted by the plurality of light-emitting units form a one-to-one correspondence with multiple projection fields of view, and the multiple projection fields of view are used to cover the target object.
  • the receiving end includes a lens and an image sensor.
  • the lens is used to receive the light reflected by the target object and form multiple sensing fields of view, and the multiple sensing fields of view correspond to the multiple projection fields of view one-to-one.
  • the image sensor is located on the light-emitting side of the lens.
  • the image sensor includes a plurality of photosensitive units and logic control circuits.
  • the multiple sensing fields of view cover the multiple photosensitive units in a one-to-one correspondence. Multiple photosensitive units can work independently of each other.
  • the logic control circuit is used to activate the plurality of photosensitive units in turn according to a certain sequence, and the activation sequence of each photosensitive unit is the same as the lighting sequence of the corresponding light-emitting unit.
  • the activated photosensitive unit can convert the optical signal into an electrical signal.
  • the TOF device adopts the method of zoning lighting and zoning detection, by detecting the local area of the target object multiple times, the detection of the entire area of the target object is realized, so the multiple detections of the TOF device can effectively share the peak current. , each detection process of the TOF device only needs a lower peak current. Therefore, under the condition that the electronic device can provide a certain peak current, the TOF device can realize longer-distance detection.
  • the detection range is wider, and it can also be better applied to indoor environment and outdoor environment detection.
  • the effective power per unit area of the TOF device is also high, which is beneficial to improve the resolution of the TOF device, so that the TOF device can realize high-resolution detection.
  • the TOF device acquires the 3D contour information of the multiple detection areas of the target object by adopting the mode of the transmitting end zoning lighting and the receiving end zoning detection.
  • the TOF device is electrically connected to the processor of the electronic device, and the processor can form a local 3D image of the target object according to the 3D contour information of each detection area, and then obtain the 3D image of the target object by splicing multiple local 3D images. That is, the processor can form a 3D image of the target object according to the output signal of the TOF device.
  • the target object has multiple detection areas
  • the TOF device obtains the 3D contour information of the multiple detection areas through multiple detections respectively.
  • the light-emitting unit of the transmitting end repeatedly flashes thousands of times at a fixed frequency, and the corresponding photosensitive unit of the image sensor of the receiving end is continuously in the activated state, thus completing the exposure of the corresponding detection area, and the receiving end Sending multiple time-of-flight distribution histograms to the processor of the electronic device. Then start the next detection until multiple detection areas of the target object are exposed.
  • the processor forms a local 3D image of the detection area according to the time-of-flight distribution histogram formed by each exposure, and then forms a 3D image of the target object by splicing multiple local 3D images, thereby completing the detection and acquisition of one frame of image.
  • a detection process of a detection area of a target object by the TOF device of the electronic device may include a flash detection process of 1k times to 10k times.
  • a flash detection process may include: the light-emitting unit sends out a first pulse; the photosensitive unit is in an activated state, the photosensitive unit converts the light signal sensed by the photosensitive unit into an electrical signal, and outputs the electrical signal; the data storage conversion circuit receives the electrical signal , and the data storage conversion circuit processes and stores data.
  • the TOF device completes the flash detection process from 1k times to 10k times, the data storage conversion circuit sends the flight time histogram to the processor of the electronic device, thereby a detection process.
  • the pulse width of one pulse of the light-emitting unit may be in the range of 1 nanosecond to 5 nanoseconds.
  • the number of time-of-flight histograms output in each detection process is multiple, and the multiple time-of-flight histograms correspond to multiple single-photon detectors in a photosensitive unit one-to-one. Local 3D image of the target object corresponding to the photosensitive unit.
  • the TOF device can detect multiple detection areas in sequence according to a certain time sequence, and each detection process outputs the corresponding flight time histogram to the processor, and the processor forms part of the target object according to the flight time histogram. 3D image, and then form a 3D image of the target object by stitching multiple partial 3D images.
  • the image sensor adopts a partitioned startup design. Compared with the traditional scheme of starting the image sensor as a whole, the single-photon detectors of other photosensitive units in the non-activated state of the image sensor in this implementation can avoid being affected by the environment. The power consumption caused by false triggering of light can be wasted, so the power consumption of the receiving end can be reduced. In addition, the image sensor adopts a partition startup design, which is also beneficial to avoid problems such as dark count and crosstalk.
  • the number of light-emitting units may be 4 to 20.
  • the number of photosensitive units of the image sensor is the same as the number of light emitting units of the light source.
  • the light source is a vertical cavity surface emitting laser.
  • each photosensitive unit may include multiple single-photon detectors.
  • a plurality of light-emitting units are arranged along a first direction, each light-emitting unit extends along a second direction, and the second direction is perpendicular to the first direction.
  • the field of view of a single light-emitting unit shrinks in the first direction and expands in the second direction. That is, in the first direction, the field of view of the projected field of view of the light-emitting unit is smaller than the field of view of the emission field of view; in the second direction, the field of view of the projected field of view of the light-emitting unit is greater than the field of view of the emission field of view field angle.
  • the field of view angle of the emission field of view of the light-emitting unit may be approximately in the range of 20° to 25°, and the field angle of the projection field of view may be approximately in the range of 4° to 5°. In the range.
  • the field angle of the emission field of view of the light emitting unit may be approximately in the range of 20° to 25°, and the field angle of the projection field of view may be approximately in the range of 50° to 60°.
  • the field of view of the light source after the field of view of the light source passes through the optical element, it expands in the first direction and expands in the second direction. That is, in the first direction and the second direction, the field angle of the total projected field of view of the emitting end is greater than the field angle of the emission field of view of the light source.
  • the field angles of the plurality of projection fields of view in the first direction are in the range of 65° to 70°, and the field angles in the second direction are in the range of 50° to 60°.
  • two adjacent projection fields of view form two adjacent detection areas on the target object, and the two detection areas are partially staggered and partially overlapped.
  • the overlapping parts of two adjacent detection areas form redundancy, so that the risk of insufficient detection accuracy of the TOF device due to factors such as assembly errors can be reduced, and it is beneficial to avoid the intersection of two adjacent detection areas.
  • the ratio of the staggered portion of the two detection regions is greater than the ratio of the overlapping portion.
  • the ratio of the overlapping portion of two adjacent detection regions may be approximately in the range of 5% to 20%.
  • the light source and the driving chip are stacked and disposed, and the non-light-emitting side of the light source is fixed to the driving chip.
  • the light source and the driving chip are stacked and arranged in a compact manner, which is beneficial to the miniaturized design of the transmitting end and the TOF device.
  • the light source includes an anode pad and a cathode pad, the anode pad is located on the light-emitting side of the light source, and the cathode pad is located on the non-light-emitting side of the light source.
  • the driver chip includes a first pad and a second pad, the first pad is located on the side of the driver chip close to the light source, and is located at the periphery of the light source, the first pad and the anode pad are connected by conductive wires, and the second pad is The disk is located on the side of the driving chip close to the light source, and is disposed facing the non-light-emitting side of the light source, and the second pad and the cathode pad are connected by conductive glue.
  • the light source and the driving chip are arranged in a stack, which can also greatly reduce the wiring distance between the light source and the driving chip (for example, the length of the conductive line is significantly shortened), thereby effectively improving the light waveform of the light source and ensuring the emission end. performance.
  • the number of anode pads is multiple, each light-emitting unit includes two anode pads, and the two anode pads are respectively located at two ends of the light-emitting unit.
  • the number of the first pads is multiple, and the multiple first pads are grouped into two groups, each group of the first pads corresponds to a light-emitting unit, and the two first pads of the same group are located on both sides of the corresponding light-emitting unit. , and are respectively connected to the two anode pads of the corresponding light-emitting units.
  • connection between the anode pad of the light-emitting unit of the light source and the first pad of the driving chip is realized by means of double-sided binding conductive lines, so that the driving chip can light up or nearly simultaneously light up the light-emitting unit at the same time.
  • the whole light-emitting area can reduce the detection error caused by the uneven lighting time of the multiple light-emitting units at the transmitting end, and improve the ranging accuracy and shooting quality of the TOF device.
  • two conductive wires may be used to realize walking conduction, so as to improve the connection reliability between the anode pads and the first pads.
  • the transmitting end further includes a first circuit board assembly, and the first circuit board assembly includes a first circuit board and a first reinforcing plate.
  • the first circuit board has through holes.
  • the first reinforcing plate is fixed on one side of the first circuit board and covers the through hole, the driving chip is at least partially located in the through hole, and the side of the driving chip away from the light source is fixed on the first reinforcing plate.
  • the arrangement of the driving chip, the light source and the first circuit board assembly is beneficial to reduce the thickness of the transmitting end and realize the miniaturization of the TOF device.
  • the logic control circuit is electrically connected to the driving chip, and the logic control circuit includes an instruction module and a driving module.
  • the instruction module is used to send a lighting instruction to the driving chip, and the lighting instruction is used to instruct the driving chip to light up a preset light-emitting unit.
  • the driving module is used for delaying 0.1ns to 1ns, and activating the preset photosensitive unit, and the preset photosensitive unit corresponds to the preset light-emitting unit.
  • the photosensitive unit since the logic control circuit of the image sensor controls the photosensitive unit to start with a delay of 0.1 ns to 1 ns, the photosensitive unit skips the time period during which the crosstalk problem may occur, thus avoiding the false triggering of the image sensor caused by close-range stray light. problem, reduce the risk of crosstalk, and improve the detection accuracy of the TOF device.
  • the data storage conversion circuit includes a time-to-digital converter and a memory, and the time-to-digital converter is electrically connected to a plurality of photosensitive units for converting analog signals output by the plurality of photosensitive units into digital signals represented by time. ;
  • the memory is electrically connected to the time-to-digital converter for storing digital signals.
  • the logic control circuit and the power supply circuit may be located around the photosensitive circuit, and the data storage and conversion circuit may be located on the non-photosensitive side of the photosensitive circuit, that is, below the photosensitive circuit, and stacked with the photosensitive circuit.
  • a single photosensitive unit may include P ⁇ Q single-photon detectors
  • the time-to-digital converter may include P ⁇ Q units, where P and Q are both positive integers.
  • the number of units of the time-to-digital converter corresponds to the number of single-photon detectors of the photosensitive unit, which can save the area of the image sensor while meeting the requirements for calculating and buffering depth data, which is beneficial to the miniaturization of the receiving end and the TOF device .
  • the receiving end further includes a second circuit board assembly
  • the second circuit board assembly includes a second circuit board, a third reinforcing plate, and a plurality of second components.
  • the non-photosensitive side of the image sensor is fixed to the second circuit board.
  • the third reinforcing plate is fixed on the side of the second circuit board away from the image sensor, and the third reinforcing plate is provided with one or more through holes.
  • a plurality of second components are located in one or more through holes and are fixed on the second circuit board.
  • the second circuit board assembly adopts a device back-mounted design, which is beneficial to reduce its space occupation in a direction parallel to the board surface, making it easier to achieve miniaturization of the receiving end and the TOF device.
  • the third reinforcing plate can also play a role of protecting a plurality of second components, preventing collision, and at the same time increasing the structural strength of the circuit board.
  • the projection of the plurality of second components on the second circuit board at least partially overlaps with the projection of the image sensor on the second circuit board, so as to further improve the space utilization of the second circuit board assembly, which is beneficial to the receiving end and the TOF Miniaturization of the device.
  • the at least partial overlap may include both complete overlap and partial overlap, and the total overlap means that the projection of one of them completely covers the projection of the other.
  • the present application further provides an electronic device, comprising a processor and the TOF device of any one of the foregoing, the processor is electrically connected to the TOF device, and the processor is configured to form a 3D image of a target object according to an output signal of the TOF device.
  • the TOF device includes a transmitter and a receiver, and the transmitter and receiver are divided into multiple areas.
  • the TOF device can collect multiple local 3D images corresponding to different regions of the target object by adopting partition lighting at the transmitting end and partition detection at the receiving end, and then the electronic device can obtain the target object's 3D images.
  • the transmitter adopts the partition lighting method and the receiver adopts the partition detection method
  • the peak current required by the TOF device when collecting a single local 3D image is greatly reduced. Therefore, the TOF device can operate under the peak current allowed by the electronic equipment. To achieve longer-distance detection, the detection range of TOF devices and electronic equipment is larger.
  • FIG. 1 is a schematic structural diagram of an electronic device provided by an embodiment of the present application.
  • FIG. 2 is a schematic structural diagram of the electronic device shown in FIG. 1 in an application scenario
  • FIG. 3 is a schematic diagram of the electronic device shown in FIG. 1 synthesizing a 2D image and a 3D image;
  • FIG. 4 is a schematic structural diagram of a TOF device provided in an embodiment of the present application in some embodiments.
  • Fig. 5 is the partial exploded structure schematic diagram of TOF device shown in Fig. 4;
  • FIG. 6 is a schematic diagram of a partially exploded structure of the transmitter shown in FIG. 5;
  • FIG. 7 is a schematic cross-sectional structure diagram of the transmitting end shown in FIG. 5 cut along A-A;
  • Fig. 8 is the structural schematic diagram of the light source shown in Fig. 6;
  • FIG. 9 is a schematic diagram of the assembly structure of the light source and the driver chip shown in FIG. 6;
  • Figure 10 is a schematic structural diagram of the structure shown in Figure 9 cut along B-B;
  • FIG. 11 is a schematic cross-sectional view of the first circuit board assembly, the driving chip and the light source shown in FIG. 6 taken along C-C;
  • FIG. 12 is a schematic structural diagram of the optical element shown in FIG. 6 at another angle
  • Fig. 13 is the schematic diagram of the light source and optical element in Fig. 7;
  • Figure 14 is a schematic view of the light source and the optical element shown in Figure 13 at another angle;
  • Figure 15 is a schematic diagram of a partially exploded structure of the receiving end shown in Figure 5;
  • Figure 16 is a schematic cross-sectional structural diagram of the receiving end shown in Figure 5 cut along D-D;
  • FIG. 17 is a schematic structural diagram of the second circuit board assembly shown in FIG. 15 at another angle;
  • Fig. 18 is a schematic block diagram of the image sensor shown in Fig. 15;
  • Fig. 19 is the application schematic diagram of TOF device shown in Fig. 4.
  • Fig. 20 is another application schematic diagram of the TOF device shown in Fig. 4.
  • 21 is a schematic diagram of a workflow for forming a 3D image by an electronic device provided by an embodiment of the present application.
  • FIG. 22 is a schematic block diagram of a partial structure of the TOF device shown in FIG. 4 .
  • orientation terms mentioned in the embodiments of the present application such as “upper”, “lower”, “inner”, “outer”, “top”, “bottom”, etc., only refer to the directions of the drawings, therefore, use The orientation terms are for better and clearer description and understanding of the embodiments of the present application, rather than indicating or implying that the device or element referred to must have a specific orientation, be constructed and operated in a specific orientation, and therefore should not be construed as a Limitations of application examples.
  • connection may be detachable
  • connection may be detachable
  • connection may be detachable
  • the ground connection can also be a non-detachable connection; it can be a direct connection or an indirect connection through an intermediate medium.
  • FIG. 1 is a schematic structural diagram of an electronic device 100 provided by an embodiment of the present application.
  • the electronic device 100 may be an electronic device 100 having a video recording or photographing function, such as a mobile phone, a tablet computer, a TV (or a smart screen), a laptop computer, a video camera, a video recorder, a camera, and the like.
  • a video recording or photographing function such as a mobile phone, a tablet computer, a TV (or a smart screen), a laptop computer, a video camera, a video recorder, a camera, and the like.
  • a mobile phone such as a mobile phone, a tablet computer, a TV (or a smart screen), a laptop computer, a video camera, a video recorder, a camera, and the like.
  • the electronic device 100 may include a display screen 101 and a housing 102 .
  • the housing 102 may include a frame 1021 and a back cover 1022 .
  • the display screen 101 and the back cover 1022 are respectively located on two sides of the frame 1021 , the frame 1021 may surround the outer periphery of the display screen 101 , and the frame 1021 may surround the outer periphery of the back cover 1022 .
  • the display screen 101, the frame 1021 and the back cover 1022 can be jointly enclosed to form an inner cavity of the whole machine.
  • the frame 1021 and the back cover 1022 may be assembled to form an integrated structure, or may be an integrated structure.
  • the display screen 101 may include a glass cover plate and a display panel fixed on the glass cover plate, and the display panel is used for displaying images.
  • the electronic device 100 may also include a front camera module 103, an earpiece module 104, a rear camera module 105, a processor 106, etc., which are accommodated in the inner cavity of the whole machine.
  • the processor 106 is electrically connected to the display screen 101, the front A camera module 103 , an earpiece module 104 and a rear camera module 105 .
  • the front camera module 103 and the earpiece module 104 may be installed in the upper middle part of the display screen 101 .
  • the display screen 101 can be provided with a front camera hole 1011 and an earpiece hole 1012 , the front camera module 103 can collect the external light of the electronic device 100 through the front camera hole 1011 to take a selfie, and the earpiece module 104 can output through the earpiece hole 1012 . tones to enable users to receive calls, voice, etc.
  • the rear camera module 105 may be installed on the upper left of the back cover 1022 .
  • the electronic device 100 may further include a camera decoration piece 107 , the camera head decoration piece 107 is mounted on the back cover 1022 , and a plurality of light through holes 1071 are provided on the camera head decoration piece 107 .
  • the rear camera module 105 can collect external light through the light-transmitting hole 1071 on the camera decoration 107 to capture the scene around the electronic device 100 .
  • the installation positions of the front camera module 103 and the rear camera module 105 shown in FIG. 1 are only schematic, and the application does not limit the installation positions of the camera modules.
  • the front camera module 103 and the rear camera module 105 may also be installed at other positions on the electronic device 100 .
  • the front camera module 103 may be installed on the upper left or upper right of the display screen 101 .
  • the rear camera module 105 may be installed on the upper middle or upper right of the back cover 1022 .
  • the front camera module 103 or the rear camera module 105 may be disposed on a movable part in the electronic device 100 . By moving the movable part, the movable part can be hidden within the electronic device 100 or can be protruded out of the electronic device 100 .
  • the installation numbers of the front camera module 103 and the rear camera module 105 shown in FIG. 1 are only illustrative, and the application does not limit the installation number of the camera modules.
  • the electronic device 100 may include a larger or smaller number of camera modules.
  • FIG. 2 is a schematic structural diagram of the electronic device 100 shown in FIG. 1 in an application scenario.
  • the rear camera module 105 may include a main two-dimensional (twodimensions, 2D) camera 1051 and a secondary 2D camera 1052 .
  • Both the primary 2D camera 1051 and the secondary 2D camera 1052 can be used to capture 2D image information such as the 2D contour, 2D pattern, color (and then grayscale, color, etc.) of the target object to obtain a 2D image of the target object.
  • the combined use of the main 2D camera 1051 and the auxiliary 2D camera 1052 is beneficial for obtaining high-resolution and high-quality 2D images.
  • the rear camera module 105 may further include, for example, a flash 1053 .
  • the flash 1053 may be located near the primary 2D camera 1051 or the secondary 2D camera 1052 .
  • the flash 1053 may emit visible light.
  • the flash 1053 may provide illumination for the main 2D camera 1051 and/or the auxiliary 2D camera 1052 .
  • the light emitted by the flash 1053 may shine on the target object, thereby increasing the light intensity from the target object captured by the primary 2D camera 1051 and/or the secondary 2D camera 1052 .
  • the rear camera module 105 may further include a 3D camera 1054.
  • the 3D camera 1054 may be used to capture a 3D outline of the target object to obtain a 3D image of the target object.
  • the 3D camera 1054 may include a transmitter and a receiver, and the transmitter may be located near the receiver.
  • the transmitting end can emit infrared light
  • the receiving end can be a 3D lens capable of detecting (or capturing, receiving) infrared light.
  • the distances from different positions of the target object to the receiving end may be different, and the flight time of light from different positions of the target object to the receiving end may be different. Therefore, in some embodiments, by measuring the direct time of flight (DTOF) of light from the target object to the receiving end, the 3D contour information of the target object can be obtained.
  • the 3D contour information is the depth information
  • the 3D image is the depth image.
  • a transmitter is used in conjunction with a receiver to measure the direct time-of-flight of light between the electronic device 100 and the target object.
  • the light emitted by the transmitting end (indicated by the solid line in the figure) is directed towards the target object, and is reflected to form reflected light (indicated by the dotted line in the figure), and part of the reflected light enters the receiving end.
  • the distance between the transmitting end and the receiving end is the first distance
  • the distance between the transmitting end and the target object is the second distance
  • the distance between the target object and the receiving end is the third distance.
  • the first distance may be much smaller than the second distance and the third distance, that is, relative to the second distance and the third distance, the first distance may be ignored.
  • the direct flight time of light from the target object to the receiving end can be approximately determined by measuring the direct flight time of light from the transmitter to the receiver, and then a 3D image containing the 3D contour information of the target object can be obtained.
  • FIG. 3 is a schematic diagram of synthesizing a 2D image and a 3D image by the electronic device 100 shown in FIG. 1 .
  • the electronic device 100 can obtain a 2D image of the target object through the main 2D camera 1051 and/or the auxiliary 2D camera 1052 (as shown in the image 201 in FIG. 3 ), and obtain a 3D image of the target object through the 3D camera 1054 (as shown in FIG. 3 ).
  • image 202 by synthesizing the above-mentioned 2D image (such as the image 201 in FIG. 3) and the above-mentioned 3D image (such as the image 202 in FIG. 3), a vivid image including both 3D contour information and 2D image information can be obtained.
  • a 3D image (such as image 203 in Figure 3). It can be understood that the images 201 , 202 , and 203 shown in FIG. 3 are only schematic, and the specific parameters of the images (such as resolution, pixel size, 3D model granularity, etc.) may not be limited in the present application.
  • the structures illustrated in the embodiments of the present application do not constitute a specific limitation on the electronic device 100 .
  • the electronic device 100 may include more or less components than shown.
  • electronic device 100 may include more or fewer cameras than shown.
  • the rear camera module 105 may only include a 3D camera 1054, wherein the 3D camera 1054 may also have the capability of capturing 2D images. That is, the electronic device 100 can capture a vivid 3D image including both 2D image information and 3D contour information through the 3D camera 1054 .
  • the rear camera module 105 can obtain both the 2D image of the target object and the 3D image of the target object, so the electronic device 100 can realize face recognition, avatar unlocking, gesture recognition, object modeling, 3D image Games, smart home and other applications are conducive to improving the user experience.
  • the embodiment of the present application provides a TOF device, and the 3D camera 1054 of the electronic device 100 can adopt the TOF device.
  • the processor 106 of the electronic device 100 is electrically connected to the TOF device, and the processor 106 is configured to form a 3D image of the target object according to the output signal of the TOF device.
  • the TOF device includes a transmitter and a receiver, and the transmitter and receiver are divided into multiple areas.
  • the TOF device can collect multiple local 3D images corresponding to different areas of the target object (also called the subject) by using the mode of partition lighting at the transmitting end and detection by partition at the receiving end, and then the electronic device 100 stitches multiple A local 3D image is obtained to obtain a 3D image of the target object.
  • the transmitting end adopts the partition lighting method and the receiving end adopts the partition detection method
  • the peak current required by the TOF device when collecting a single local 3D image is compared with that of the traditional scheme (the overall lighting of the transmitting end and the overall detection of the receiving end). Therefore, the TOF device can realize longer-distance detection under the peak current allowed by the electronic device 100, and the detection range of the TOF device and the electronic device 100 is larger.
  • FIG. 4 is a schematic structural diagram of the TOF device 10 provided by the embodiments of the present application in some embodiments
  • FIG. 5 is a partial exploded structural schematic diagram of the TOF device 10 shown in FIG. 4 .
  • the TOF device 10 includes a transmitter 1 , a receiver 2 and a housing 3 .
  • the housing 3 has a first installation space 31 , a second installation space 32 , a first through hole 33 and a second through hole 34 , the first through hole 33 communicates with the first installation space 31 , and the second through hole 34 communicates with the second installation space 32 .
  • the transmitting end 1 is installed in the first installation space 31 and is fixedly connected to the casing 3, and the light emitted by the transmitting end 1 can be emitted through the first through hole 33.
  • the receiving end 2 is installed in the second installation space 32 and is fixedly connected to the housing 3 , and the receiving end 2 can receive light through the second through hole 34 . Both the transmitting end 1 and the receiving end 2 are fixed to the casing 3 , so that the TOF device 10 can form a modular structure, so that the TOF device 10 can be easily installed in the electronic device 100 .
  • FIG. 6 is a schematic diagram of a partially exploded structure of the transmitting end 1 shown in FIG. 5
  • FIG. 7 is a schematic cross-sectional structure diagram of the transmitting end 1 shown in FIG. 5 cut along A-A.
  • the transmitting end 1 includes a housing 11 , an optical element 12 , a light source 13 , a driving chip 14 and a first circuit board assembly 15 .
  • the casing 11 is fixed on the top side of the first circuit board assembly 15 , and the casing 11 and the first circuit board assembly 15 together enclose a transmitting end cavity 16 .
  • the casing 11 is a hollow structure
  • the top of the casing 11 has a light exit hole 111
  • the bottom of the casing 11 is an opening structure
  • the bottom of the casing 11 can be fixedly connected to the first circuit board assembly 15 through an adhesive member 171 .
  • the optical element 12 is located in the inner cavity 16 of the emission end and is fixedly connected to the housing 11 .
  • the optical element 12 is disposed corresponding to the light exit hole 111 .
  • the optical element 12 may cover the light exit hole 111 , and an adhesive member (not shown in the figure) may be provided between the top of the optical element 12 and the inner wall of the housing 11 .
  • the driving chip 14 and the light source 13 are both located in the inner cavity 16 of the transmitting end, the driving chip 14 can be fixed on the first circuit board assembly 15 , and the light source 13 can be fixed on the top side of the driving chip 14 .
  • the optical element 12 is located on the light emitting path of the light source 13 . In this embodiment, after the light emitted by the light source 13 passes through the optical element 12 , the light exits the emission end 1 through the light exit hole 111 .
  • FIG. 8 is a schematic structural diagram of the light source 13 shown in FIG. 6 .
  • the light source 13 includes a plurality of light emitting units 131, and each light emitting unit 131 can emit light, for example, can emit invisible light such as infrared light.
  • the plurality of light-emitting units 131 may work independently of each other, and the plurality of light-emitting units 131 may be lit in turn according to a certain sequence to emit light in turn.
  • the number of light emitting units 131 may be 4 to 20.
  • the plurality of light-emitting units 131 of the light source 13 may be arranged in an N ⁇ 1 manner, where N is an integer greater than or equal to 2.
  • the plurality of light-emitting units 131 are arranged along the first direction X, and each light-emitting unit 131 extends along the second direction Y, and the second direction Y is perpendicular to the first direction X.
  • the thickness direction of the light source 13 is the third direction Z, and the third direction Z is perpendicular to the first direction X and the second direction Y.
  • Each of the light emitting units 131 is substantially in the shape of a bar.
  • the light source 13 may be, but is not limited to, a vertical-cavity surface-emitting laser (VCSEL).
  • the light source 13 includes an anode pad 132 and a cathode pad 133 , the anode pad 132 is located on the light-emitting side of the light source 13 , and the cathode pad 133 is located on the non-light-emitting side of the light source 13 .
  • there are multiple anode pads 132 there are multiple anode pads 132 , each light-emitting unit 131 includes two anode pads 132 , and the two anode pads 132 are located at two ends of the light-emitting unit 131 respectively.
  • Each light emitting unit 131 includes a light emitting area 134 , and two anode pads 132 are located on two sides of the light emitting area 134 respectively.
  • the number of cathode pads 133 is one, and a plurality of light-emitting units 131 share one cathode pad 133 .
  • the spacing between the light-emitting regions 134 of two adjacent light-emitting units 131 may be approximately in the range of 30 micrometers ( ⁇ m) to 50 micrometers, for example, 40 micrometers.
  • FIG. 9 is a schematic view of the assembly structure of the light source 13 and the driving chip 14 shown in FIG. 6
  • FIG. 10 is a schematic view of the structure shown in FIG. 9 cut along B-B.
  • the light source 13 and the driving chip 14 are stacked and disposed, and the non-light-emitting side of the light source 13 is fixed to the driving chip 14 .
  • the driving chip 14 is used to turn on the plurality of light emitting units 131 in turn according to a certain sequence.
  • the driving chip 14 includes a first pad 141 and a second pad 142 .
  • the first pad 141 is located on the side of the driving chip 14 close to the light source 13 and is located at the periphery of the light source 13 , and the first pad 141 and the anode pad 132 are connected by the conductive wire 18 .
  • the conductive wire 18 may be a gold wire.
  • the second pad 142 is located on the side of the driving chip 14 close to the light source 13 and faces the non-light-emitting side of the light source 13 .
  • the second pad 142 and the cathode pad 133 are connected by the conductive glue 19 .
  • the conductive adhesive 19 can realize the function of electrical connection and can also realize the function of bonding and fixing.
  • the conductive glue 19 may be conductive silver glue.
  • the light source 13 and the driving chip 14 are stacked and arranged in a compact manner, which is beneficial to the miniaturized design of the transmitting end 1 and the TOF device 10 .
  • the stacking of the light source 13 and the driving chip 14 can also greatly reduce the wiring distance between the light source 13 and the driving chip 14 (for example, the length of the conductive wire 18 is significantly shortened), thereby effectively improving the light waveform of the light source 13 and ensuring Transmitter 1 performance.
  • the transmitting end 1 is driven by a nanosecond (ns) pulse width, and the pulse width of the optical waveform of the light emitted by the transmitting end 1, the rising waveform of the optical waveform, the The falling waveform has a significant impact on the ranging accuracy of the TOF device 10 , and the factor that has the greatest impact on the light waveform is the wiring inductance between the driving chip 14 and the light source 13 . If there is a long loop between the light source 13 and the driving chip 14 , high wiring inductance will be introduced, which will slow down the rise speed of the light waveform and increase the rise time, resulting in a decrease in the ranging accuracy of the TOF device 10 . However, in this embodiment, since the wiring distance between the light source 13 and the driving chip 14 is very short, the light waveform of the light source 13 can be effectively improved, and the ranging accuracy of the TOF device 10 can be improved.
  • the number of the first pads 141 is multiple, and the multiple first pads 141 are grouped into two groups.
  • the two first pads 141 of the group are located on two sides of the corresponding light-emitting unit 131 respectively, and are respectively connected to the two anode pads 132 of the corresponding light-emitting unit 131 .
  • connection between the anode pad 132 of the light-emitting unit 131 of the light source 13 and the first pad 141 of the driving chip 14 is realized by means of bilaterally bounding the conductive wires 18, so that the driving chip 14 can be simultaneously lit or
  • the entire light-emitting area 134 of the light-emitting units 131 is illuminated at the same time to reduce the detection error caused by the uneven lighting time of the light-emitting units 131 of the transmitting end 1 and improve the ranging accuracy and shooting quality of the TOF device 10 .
  • two conductive wires 18 can be used for walking conduction, so as to improve the distance between the anode pads 132 and the first pads 141 . connection reliability.
  • each light-emitting unit 131 may also include an anode pad 132 , and the anode pad 132 is connected to a first pad 141 of the driving chip 14 through the conductive wire 18 , so as to realize the driving chip 14 and the light source 13 electrical connection between.
  • the number of cathode pads 133 of the light source 13 may also be multiple, and each light-emitting unit 131 includes at least one cathode pad 133 , and the cathode pad 133 is connected to the second pad of the driving chip 14 .
  • 142 is connected to realize the electrical connection between the driver chip 14 and the light source 13 .
  • the driver chip 14 can be used to supply power to the light source 13 so as to realize the driving of lighting with a nanosecond pulse width.
  • the driver chip 14 may also be used to implement functions such as laser safety monitoring, power supply voltage monitoring, and the like.
  • the driver chip 14 may also be used to implement optical power control, pulse width adjustment, and the like for the light source 13 .
  • the embodiment of the present application does not strictly limit the function of the driving chip 14 .
  • FIG. 11 is a schematic cross-sectional view of the first circuit board assembly 15 , the driving chip 14 and the light source 13 taken along the line C-C shown in FIG. 6 .
  • the first circuit board assembly 15 includes a first circuit board 151 , a first reinforcing plate 152 , a second reinforcing plate 153 , a first electrical connector 154 and a plurality of first components 155 .
  • the first circuit board 151 may be a rigid-flex circuit board.
  • the first circuit board 151 may include a first hard board part 1511 , a first flexible board part 1512 and a second hard board part 1513 which are connected in sequence. The rigidity of the first rigid plate portion 1511 and the second rigid plate portion 1513 is greater than that of the first flexible plate portion 1512 .
  • the first hard board part 1511 of the first circuit board 151 has a through hole 1514 , and the through hole 1514 penetrates the first hard board part 1511 in the thickness direction of the first hard board part 1511 .
  • the first reinforcing plate 152 is fixed on one side of the first hard plate portion 1511 of the first circuit board 151 and covers the through hole 1514 .
  • the first reinforcing plate 152 can be fixedly connected to the first hard plate portion 1511 through the adhesive member 173.
  • the driving chip 14 is at least partially located in the through hole 1514 , and the side of the driving chip 14 away from the light source 13 is fixed to the first reinforcing plate 152 .
  • the driving chip 14 may be entirely located in the through hole 1514 , and the light source 13 may be completely or partially located in the through hole 1514 . Wherein, the driving chip 14 may be fixedly connected to the first reinforcing plate 152 through the adhesive member 174 .
  • the arrangement of the driving chip 14 , the light source 13 and the first circuit board 151 assembly 15 is beneficial to reduce the thickness of the transmitting end 1 and realize the miniaturization of the TOF device 10 .
  • a plurality of first components 155 are fixed on a side of the first hard plate portion 1511 that faces away from the first reinforcing plate 152 , and the plurality of first components 155 may be arranged around the through hole 1514 .
  • the plurality of first components 155 may include matching devices of the driving chip 14 .
  • the plurality of first components 155 may include one or more of capacitors, inductors, and resistors.
  • the first electrical connector 154 is fixed on one side of the second hard board portion 1513 , and the first electrical connector 154 is used to electrically connect external components of the TOF device 10 .
  • the first electrical connector 154 may be a type of electrical connector such as a board-to-board connector, which is not strictly limited in this embodiment of the present application.
  • the second reinforcing plate 153 is fixed on the other side of the second hard plate portion 1513 for increasing the structural strength of the first circuit board 151 assembly 15 .
  • the first reinforcing plate 152 and/or the second reinforcing plate 153 may be metal plates such as steel plates, or may be plastic plates with high rigidity, or the like.
  • the through hole 1514 may not be provided on the first hard board portion 1511 , and the driving chip 14 is fixed on the top side of the first hard board portion 1511 .
  • the first reinforcing plate 152 may not be provided on the first circuit board 151 assembly 15 .
  • the first circuit board 151 assembly 15 may not be provided with the second reinforcing board 153 .
  • the first circuit board 151 may also be a flexible circuit board, and the flexible circuit board includes a first part, a second part and a third part that are connected in sequence.
  • the connection relationship and positional relationship between the first part and other structures please refer to the previous implementation
  • the connection relationship and positional relationship between the first hard plate portion 1511 and the third portion and other structures can be referred to the second hard plate portion 1513 in the previous embodiment, and details are not repeated here.
  • FIG. 12 is a schematic structural diagram of the optical element 12 shown in FIG. 6 from another angle.
  • the optical element 12 may include a light incident surface 121 and a light exit surface 122 , and the light exit surface 122 is disposed away from the light incident surface 121 .
  • the light incident surface 121 may be a curved surface, and the middle portion of the light incident surface 121 is convex in a direction away from the light exit surface 122 .
  • the optical signal emitted by the light source 13 enters the optical element 12 through the light incident surface 121 , and exits the optical element 12 through the light exit surface 122 , and the transmitting end 1 realizes the transmission of the optical signal.
  • the optical element 12 is used to change the propagation direction of the optical signal.
  • FIG. 13 is a schematic diagram of the light source 13 and the optical element 12 in FIG. 7
  • FIG. 14 is a schematic diagram of the light source 13 and the optical element 12 shown in FIG. 13 at another angle.
  • the section shown in FIG. 13 is parallel to the first direction X
  • the section shown in FIG. 14 is parallel to the second direction Y.
  • the optical element 12 is located on the light-emitting path of the plurality of light-emitting units 131 of the light source 13 , and the optical element 12 is used to form a one-to-one corresponding projection field of view for the light emitted by the plurality of light-emitting units 131 .
  • the plurality of projected fields of view are arranged in the first direction X.
  • the multiple projected fields of view together form the total projected field of view of the transmitting end 1 .
  • 13 simply shows that, in the first direction X, the emission field of view of a single light-emitting unit 131 passes through the optical element 12 to form the projection field of view, and the emission field of view of the light source 13 passes through the optical element 12.
  • the emission field of view of a single light-emitting unit 131 passes through the projection field of view formed by the optical element 12, and the emission field of view of the light source 13 is the same as the emission field of view of a single light-emitting unit 131 , the total projected field of view of the transmitting end 1 is the same as the projected field of view of a single light-emitting unit 131 .
  • the field of view of a single light-emitting unit 131 contracts in the first direction X and expands in the second direction Y. That is, in the first direction X, the field of view angle a2 of the projected field of view of the light-emitting unit 131 is smaller than the field of view a1 of the emission field of view; in the second direction Y, the field of view angle of the projected field of view of the light-emitting unit 131 b2 is larger than the field angle b1 of the emission field of view.
  • the field angle a1 of the emission field of view of the light-emitting unit 131 may be approximately in the range of 20° to 25°, and the field angle a2 of the projected field of view may be approximately in the range of 4° to 5°. In the range.
  • the field angle b1 of the emission field of view of the light emitting unit 131 may be approximately in the range of 20° to 25°, and the field angle b2 of the projection field of view may be approximately in the range of 50° to 60°.
  • the field of view of the light source 13 expands in the first direction X and expands in the second direction Y after passing through the optical element 12 . That is, in the first direction X and the second direction Y, the field of view (a4, b2) of the total projected field of view of the emitting end 1 is greater than the field of view of the emission field of view of the light source 13 .
  • the viewing angle of the light source 13 in the first direction X and the second direction Y is equal to the viewing angle (a3, b1) of a single light-emitting unit 131 .
  • the field of view angle a4 of the plurality of projected fields of view (that is, the total projected field of view of the transmitting end 1) in the first direction X may be in the range of 65° to 70°, and the field of view in the second direction Y
  • the field angle b2 may be in the range of 50° to 60°.
  • the field angle of the total projected field of view of the transmitting end 1 may be 78°.
  • the structure of the optical element 12 can be implemented in various ways.
  • the optical element 12 may be formed by assembling a plurality of light-transmitting structures, or may be an integrally formed structure.
  • the embodiment of the present application does not strictly limit the specific implementation structure of the optical element 12, but it is expected that the optical element 12 can make multiple projection fields of view meet the following conditions as much as possible: for example, have the same spatial position, better uniformity, and better window efficiency Wait.
  • the energy of the light beam emitted by the transmitting end 1 can be distributed as far as possible in the effective area (that is, the expected total projected field of view of the transmitting end 1), so that the window efficiency can be greater than or greater than 60% to improve energy utilization.
  • FIG. 15 is a partial exploded schematic diagram of the receiving end 2 shown in FIG. 5
  • FIG. 16 is a cross-sectional structural schematic diagram of the receiving end 2 shown in FIG. 5 cut along D-D.
  • the receiving end 2 includes a lens 21 , a base 22 , a filter 23 , an image sensor 24 and a second circuit board assembly 25 .
  • the lens 21 may be fixed to one side of the base 22 through the adhesive member 261 .
  • the lens 21 may be a fixed focal length lens (also referred to as a fixed focal length lens), or a zoom lens.
  • FIG. 15 and FIG. 16 illustrate by taking the lens 21 as a fixed focal length lens as an example.
  • the lens 21 may also be a short-focus lens, a medium-telephoto lens, a telephoto lens, and the like.
  • the lens 21 may include a lens barrel 211 and one or more lenses 212 disposed in the lens barrel 211 .
  • the lens barrel 211 is a hollow structure with openings at both ends, and the openings at both ends are the light inlet and the light outlet respectively. After a plurality of lenses 212, the lens 21 is emitted from the light outlet. In other words, the base 22 is located on the light-emitting side of the lens 21 .
  • One or more lenses 212 can change the propagation direction of the light, so that the lens 21 can condense the light and make the light project on a predetermined area.
  • the one or more lenses 212 may include plastic lenses and/or glass lenses.
  • the one or more lenses 212 may include spherical lenses and/or aspherical lenses.
  • the lens barrel 211 shown in FIG. 15 and FIG. 16 is only schematic, and the structure, size, etc. of the lens barrel 211 may not be limited in the embodiments of the present application.
  • the lenses 212 shown in FIG. 16 are only schematic, and the embodiments of the present application may not limit the number of the lenses 212, the structure of the lenses 212, and the like.
  • the lens 21 can also be a zoom lens.
  • the lens 21 may further include a motor, and the motor is used to drive the lens 21 to move in the direction of the optical axis, so as to realize automatic focusing.
  • the second circuit board assembly 25 may be fixed to the other side of the base 22 through the adhesive member 262 .
  • the base 22 and the second circuit board assembly 25 together define an accommodating space.
  • a through hole 221 is provided in the middle of the base 22 , and the through hole 221 communicates with the accommodating space.
  • the image sensor 24 is located on the light-emitting side of the lens 21 .
  • the image sensor 24 may be located in the accommodating space and fixed to the second circuit board assembly 25 .
  • the image sensor 24 may be adhered to the second circuit board assembly 25 through the adhesive layer 263, or the image sensor 24 may also be fixed to the second circuit board assembly 25 by welding.
  • the photosensitive side of the image sensor 24 is disposed toward the lens 21.
  • the image sensor 24 may be a semiconductor chip.
  • the photosensitive surface of the image sensor 24 is provided with hundreds of thousands to millions of photodiodes, and the photodiodes may be, for example, single photon avalanche diodes (SPADs).
  • a photodiode generates an electric charge when illuminated by light, thereby converting the optical signal into an electrical signal.
  • the image sensor 24 may be a charge coupled device (CCD), a complementary metal-oxide semiconductor (CMOS), or the like.
  • the filter 23 is located on the light-emitting side of the lens 21 and is fixed to the base 22 .
  • the filter 23 can be accommodated in the accommodating space.
  • the filter 23 may also be located on the side of the base 22 facing the lens 21 .
  • the filter 23 may cover the through hole 221 of the base 22 .
  • the peripheral edge of the optical filter 23 can be fixedly connected to the base 22 through the adhesive member 264 .
  • the filter 23 can eliminate unnecessary light (such as visible light) projected on the image sensor 24, and prevent the image sensor 24 from generating image defects such as moire, so as to improve its effective resolution and image restoration.
  • the working principle of the receiving end 2 may be that the reflected light formed by the target object may pass through one or more lenses 212 in the lens barrel 211 , then pass through the filter 23 and be projected onto the photosensitive surface of the image sensor 24 .
  • the image sensor 24 can convert the optical signal into an electrical signal to obtain the 3D contour information of the target object, and then transmit the 3D contour information to the processor 106 and other components of the electronic device 100 through the second circuit board assembly 25 for subsequent image processing. deal with.
  • FIG. 17 is a schematic structural diagram of the second circuit board assembly 25 shown in FIG. 15 from another angle.
  • the second circuit board assembly 25 includes a second circuit board 251 , a third reinforcing plate 252 , a fourth reinforcing plate 253 , a second electrical connector 254 and a plurality of second components 255 .
  • the non-photosensitive side of the image sensor 24 may be fixed to the second circuit board 251 .
  • the third reinforcing plate 252 is fixed on the side of the second circuit board 251 away from the image sensor 24 , and the third reinforcing plate 252 is provided with one or more through holes 2521 .
  • the plurality of second components 255 are located in one or more through holes 2521 and are fixed to the second circuit board 251 .
  • the second circuit board assembly 25 adopts a device-back-mounted design, which is beneficial to reduce the space occupied by the second circuit board assembly 25 in a direction parallel to the board surface, so that the receiving end 2 and the TOF device 10 can be more easily miniaturized.
  • the third reinforcing plate 252 can also play a role of protecting the plurality of second components 255, preventing collision, and at the same time increasing the structural strength of the circuit board.
  • the projection of the plurality of second components 255 on the second circuit board 251 and the projection of the image sensor 24 on the second circuit board 251 may at least partially overlap, so as to further improve the space utilization of the second circuit board assembly 25, It is beneficial to the miniaturization of the receiving end 2 and the TOF device 10 .
  • the at least partial overlap may include both complete overlap and partial overlap, and the total overlap means that the projection of one of them completely covers the projection of the other.
  • the second circuit board 251 may be a rigid-flex circuit board.
  • the second circuit board 251 may include a third hard board part 2511 , a second flexible board part 2512 and a fourth hard board part 2513 which are connected in sequence.
  • the rigidity of the third rigid plate portion 2511 and the fourth rigid plate portion 2513 is greater than that of the second flexible plate portion 2512 .
  • the non-photosensitive side of the image sensor 24 can be fixed on one side of the third hard board portion 2511
  • the third reinforcing plate 252 can be fixed on the other side of the third hard board portion 2511 through the adhesive member 266 , and a plurality of second
  • the device 255 can be fixed to the third hard board portion 2511 by welding or the like.
  • the plurality of second components 255 may include matching components of the image sensor 24 .
  • the plurality of second components 255 may include one or more of capacitors, inductors, and resistors.
  • the second electrical connector 254 is fixed on one side of the fourth hard board portion 2513 , and the second electrical connector 254 is used to electrically connect the external components of the TOF device 10 .
  • the second electrical connector 254 may be a type of electrical connector such as a board-to-board connector, which is not strictly limited in this embodiment of the present application.
  • the fourth reinforcing plate 253 is fixed on the other side of the fourth hard plate portion 2513 for increasing the structural strength of the second circuit board assembly 25 .
  • the third reinforcing plate 252 and/or the fourth reinforcing plate 253 may be metal plates such as steel plates, or may be plastic plates with high rigidity, or the like.
  • the second circuit board 251 may also be a flexible circuit board, and the flexible circuit board includes a first part, a second part and a third part that are connected in sequence.
  • the connection relationship and positional relationship between the first part and other structures please refer to the previous implementation
  • the connection relationship and positional relationship between the third portion and other structures can be referred to the fourth hard plate portion 2513 in the previous embodiment, which will not be repeated here.
  • FIG. 18 is a schematic block diagram of the image sensor 24 shown in FIG. 15 .
  • 18 only schematically shows a plurality of functional areas (or called functional modules) of the image sensor 24 , and does not limit the actual structure, actual circuit, etc. of the image sensor 24 .
  • the image sensor 24 may include a photosensitive circuit 241 , a logic control circuit 242 , a data storage conversion circuit 243 and a power supply circuit 244 .
  • the photosensitive circuit 241 includes a plurality of photosensitive units 2411, and the plurality of photosensitive units 2411 can work independently of each other.
  • the number of the photosensitive units 2411 is the same as the number of the light emitting units 131 of the light source 13 .
  • Each photosensitive unit 2411 may include a plurality of single-photon detectors (not shown in the figure).
  • the logic control circuit 242 is used to activate the plurality of photosensitive units 2411 in turn according to a certain sequence.
  • the activated photosensitive unit 2411 can convert optical signals into electrical signals.
  • the logic control circuit 242 may configure the power supply circuit 244 so that the power supply circuit 244 supplies power to the photosensitive unit 2411 in turn according to a certain sequence.
  • the image sensor 24 adopts a partition startup design. Compared with the traditional solution of starting the image sensor as a whole, the single-photon detectors of other photosensitive units 2411 of the image sensor 24 in the non-activated state of this embodiment can The waste of power consumption caused by false triggering of ambient light is avoided, so the power consumption of the receiving end 2 can be reduced. In addition, the image sensor 24 adopts a partition startup design, which is also beneficial to avoid problems such as dark count and crosstalk.
  • the data storage conversion circuit 243 is used to calculate and buffer the depth data.
  • the data storage conversion circuit 243 includes a time-to-digital converter (TDC) and a memory, and the time-to-digital converter is electrically connected to the plurality of photosensitive units 2411 for converting the analog output from the plurality of photosensitive units 2411.
  • the signal is converted into a digital signal represented by time; the memory is electrically connected to the time-to-digital converter for storing the digital signal.
  • the time-to-digital converter is used to determine the time when the photosensitive unit 2411 receives the light signal, and then calculate the time difference between the time when the TOF device 10 transmits the light signal and the time when the light signal is received.
  • the logic control circuit 242 and the power supply circuit 244 may be located around the photosensitive circuit 241 , and the data storage and conversion circuit 243 may be located on the non-photosensitive side of the photosensitive circuit 241 , that is, below the photosensitive circuit 241 , and stacked with the photosensitive circuit 241 . set up.
  • a single photosensitive unit 2411 may include P ⁇ Q single-photon detectors, and the time-to-digital converter may include P ⁇ Q units, where P and Q are both positive integers.
  • the number of units of the time-to-digital converter corresponds to the number of single-photon detectors of the photosensitive unit 2411, which can save the area of the image sensor 24 while meeting the requirements for calculating and buffering depth data, which is beneficial to the receiving end 2 and the TOF device. 10's miniaturization.
  • image sensor 24 employs a video graphics array (VGA) with a resolution of 640 ⁇ 480. Assuming that the light source 13 includes 10 light-emitting units 131 , the image sensor 24 includes 10 photosensitive units 2411 correspondingly. Each photosensitive unit 2411 has a resolution of 640 ⁇ 48. At this time, the number of cells of the time-to-digital converter may be 640 ⁇ 48.
  • VGA video graphics array
  • FIG. 19 is a schematic diagram of an application of the TOF device 10 shown in FIG. 4
  • FIG. 20 is a schematic diagram of another application of the TOF device 10 shown in FIG. 4
  • FIG. 19 briefly illustrates the structure and application scenario of the TOF device 10
  • FIG. 20 briefly illustrates the basic structure and application scenario of the TOF device 10
  • the optical paths shown in FIG. 19 and FIG. 20 are schematic diagrams, and do not limit the actual optical paths. In actual use, the TOF device 10 may have other optical paths, which are not strictly limited in this application.
  • the light source 13 of the transmitting end 1 includes a plurality of light-emitting units 131, and a driving chip (not shown in the figure) is used to light up the plurality of light-emitting units 131 in turn according to a certain sequence.
  • the optical element 12 is located on the light-emitting path of the plurality of light-emitting units 131 , and the optical element 12 is used to form a one-to-one corresponding projection field of view for the light emitted by the plurality of light-emitting units 131 . Multiple projected fields of view are used to cover the target object.
  • the target object is located within the detection range of the TOF device 10, and the detection range of the TOF device 10 is greater than 10 cm.
  • the lens 21 of the receiving end 2 is used to receive the light reflected by the target object and form multiple sensing fields of view, and the multiple sensing fields of view correspond to the multiple projection fields of view one-to-one.
  • the image sensor 24 is located on the light-emitting side of the lens 21.
  • the image sensor 24 includes a plurality of photosensitive units 2411 and a logic control circuit (not shown in the figure).
  • the plurality of sensing fields of view cover the plurality of photosensitive units 2411 in one-to-one correspondence.
  • the circuit is used to activate the plurality of photosensitive units 2411 in turn according to a certain sequence, and the activation sequence of each photosensitive unit 2411 is the same as the lighting sequence of the corresponding light-emitting unit 131 .
  • the plurality of light-emitting units 131 of the light source 13 include a first light-emitting unit, a second light-emitting unit... Kth light-emitting unit, where K is a positive integer greater than 2;
  • Multiple detection areas, the multiple detection areas include a first detection area, a second detection area...
  • the multiple sensing fields of view include a first sensing field of view, The second sensing field of view...Kth sensing field of view;
  • the plurality of photosensitive units 2411 include a first photosensitive unit, a second photosensitive unit...Kth photosensitive unit corresponding to the plurality of sensing fields of view
  • the sensing fields of view cover the plurality of photosensitive units 2411 in a one-to-one correspondence.
  • the plurality of light emitting units 131 , the plurality of projection fields of view, the plurality of detection areas of the target object, the plurality of sensing fields of view, and the plurality of photosensitive units 2411 are arranged in groups in a one-to-one correspondence.
  • the driving chip lights up the plurality of light-emitting units 131 according to a certain sequence
  • the logic control circuit turns on the plurality of photosensitive units 2411 according to a certain sequence
  • the activation sequence of each photosensitive unit 2411 corresponds to the corresponding light-emitting unit 2411.
  • the lighting timing of the cells 131 is the same. For example, when the driving chip lights up the first light-emitting unit, the logic control circuit activates the first photosensitive unit; when the driving chip lights up the second light-emitting unit, the logic control circuit activates the second photosensitive unit...
  • the logic control circuit starts the Kth photosensitive unit.
  • the TOF device 10 acquires the 3D contour information of the multiple detection areas of the target object by adopting a method of lighting up in one zone of the transmitting end and detecting in two zones of the receiving end.
  • the TOF device 10 is electrically connected to the processor of the electronic device 100.
  • the processor can form a local 3D image of the target object according to the 3D contour information of each detection area, and then obtain the 3D image of the target object by splicing multiple local 3D images. That is, the processor 106 can form a 3D image of the target object according to the output signal of the TOF device 10 .
  • the target object has multiple detection areas
  • the TOF device 10 obtains 3D contour information of the multiple detection areas through multiple detections respectively.
  • the light-emitting unit 131 of the transmitting end 1 repeatedly flashes thousands of times at a fixed frequency, and the corresponding photosensitive unit 2411 of the image sensor 24 of the receiving end 2 is continuously in the activated state, thus completing the corresponding For exposure of the detection area, the receiving end 2 sends a plurality of time-of-flight distribution histograms to the processor of the electronic device 100 . Then start the next detection until multiple detection areas of the target object are exposed.
  • the processor forms a local 3D image of the detection area according to the time-of-flight distribution histogram formed by each exposure, and then forms a 3D image of the target object by splicing multiple local 3D images, thereby completing the detection and acquisition of one frame of image.
  • two adjacent projection fields of view form two adjacent detection areas on the target object, and the two detection areas are partially staggered and partially overlapped.
  • the overlapping parts of two adjacent detection areas form redundancy, so that the risk of insufficient detection accuracy of the TOF device 10 due to factors such as assembly errors can be reduced, and it is beneficial to avoid the intersection of two adjacent detection areas.
  • a black border area appears at the position, so that the TOF device 10 has higher detection accuracy and better imaging quality.
  • the ratio of the staggered portion of the two adjacent detection regions is greater than the ratio of the overlapping portion.
  • the ratio of the overlapping portion of two adjacent detection regions may be approximately in the range of 5% to 20%.
  • FIG. 21 is a schematic diagram of a workflow for forming a 3D image by an electronic device according to an embodiment of the present application.
  • the electronic equipment includes the TOF device shown in the previous embodiment.
  • one detection process of a detection area of a target object by the TOF device of the electronic device may include 1k to 10k flash detection processes.
  • a flash detection process may include: the light-emitting unit sends out a first pulse; the photosensitive unit is in an activated state, the photosensitive unit converts the light signal sensed by the photosensitive unit into an electrical signal, and outputs the electrical signal; the data storage conversion circuit receives the electrical signal , and the data storage conversion circuit processes and stores data.
  • the TOF device completes the flash detection process from 1k times to 10k times, the data storage conversion circuit sends the flight time histogram to the processor of the electronic device, thereby a detection process.
  • the pulse width of one pulse of the light-emitting unit may be in the range of 1 nanosecond to 5 nanoseconds.
  • the number of time-of-flight histograms output in each detection process is multiple, and the multiple time-of-flight histograms correspond to multiple single-photon detectors in a photosensitive unit one-to-one. Local 3D image of the target object corresponding to the photosensitive unit.
  • the TOF device may detect multiple detection areas in sequence according to a certain sequence, and output a corresponding time-of-flight histogram to the processor in each detection process, and the processor forms a local 3D image of the target object according to the time-of-flight histogram, and then By stitching multiple local 3D images, a 3D image of the target object is formed.
  • the specific process can refer to FIG. 21 , which will not be repeated here.
  • the TOF device since the TOF device adopts the method of zoning lighting and zoning detection, and realizes the detection of the entire area of the target object by detecting the local area of the target object for many times, the multiple detection of the TOF device can be effective.
  • the peak current is shared, and each detection process of the TOF device only needs a lower peak current. Therefore, under the condition that the electronic device can provide a certain peak current, the TOF device of this embodiment can realize longer-distance detection.
  • TOF devices and electronic equipment have a wider detection range and can also be better suited for indoor and outdoor environments.
  • the effective power per unit area of the TOF device is also high, which is beneficial to improve the resolution of the TOF device, so that the TOF device can realize high-resolution detection.
  • the TOF device of the embodiment of the present application can adopt the design scheme of delayed start-up of the receiving end, so that the image sensor is delayed from the start of the light source, and the time period during which the crosstalk problem may occur is skipped, so as to reduce the risk of crosstalk and improve the detection accuracy. Examples are given below.
  • FIG. 22 is a schematic block diagram of a partial structure of the TOF device 10 shown in FIG. 4 .
  • the logic control circuit 242 of the image sensor 24 of the receiving end 2 is electrically connected to the driving chip 14 of the transmitting end 1 .
  • the logic control circuit 242 includes an instruction module 2421 and a driving module 2422 , and the driving module 2422 is electrically connected to the instruction module 2421 .
  • the instruction module 2421 is used for sending a lighting instruction to the driving chip 14 , and the lighting instruction is used for instructing the driving chip 14 to light up the preset light-emitting unit 131 .
  • the driving module 2422 is used for activating the photosensitive unit 2411 .
  • the driving module 2422 is used for delaying 0.1 ns to 1 ns to activate the preset photosensitive unit 2411 , which corresponds to the preset light emitting unit 131 .
  • the logic control circuit 242 of the image sensor 24 controls the photosensitive unit 2411 to start with a delay of 0.1 ns to 1 ns, the photosensitive unit 2411 skips the time period during which the crosstalk problem may occur, so that the image caused by the close-range stray light can be avoided.
  • the problem of false triggering of the sensor 24 reduces the risk of crosstalk, so as to improve the detection accuracy of the TOF device 10 .
  • the logic control circuit 242 may send a lighting command to the driving chip 14 through a low-voltage differential signaling (LVDS).
  • LVDS low-voltage differential signaling
  • multiple light-emitting units are arranged in an N ⁇ 1 manner, multiple detection fields of view at the transmitting end, multiple detection areas of the target object, multiple sensing fields of view at the receiving end, and image sensors.
  • the plurality of photosensitive units of can correspondingly present an N ⁇ 1 arrangement.
  • the plurality of light-emitting units may also be arranged in an N ⁇ M manner, where M and N are integers greater than or equal to 2.
  • the multiple detection fields of view of the transmitting end, the multiple detection areas of the target object, the multiple sensing fields of view of the receiving end, and the multiple photosensitive units of the image sensor may correspond to an N ⁇ M arrangement.
  • the TOF device is implemented by using the direct time-of-flight technology.
  • the TOF device of this embodiment may also be implemented by using an indirect time of flight (ITOF) technology.
  • ITOF indirect time of flight
  • the working principle of the indirect time-of-flight technology is to calculate the phase offset between the waveform of the optical signal emitted by the transmitter and the waveform of the optical signal received by the receiver, and then calculate the phase offset between the target object and the TOF device according to the phase offset. distance.

Landscapes

  • Engineering & Computer Science (AREA)
  • Physics & Mathematics (AREA)
  • Computer Networks & Wireless Communication (AREA)
  • General Physics & Mathematics (AREA)
  • Radar, Positioning & Navigation (AREA)
  • Remote Sensing (AREA)
  • Multimedia (AREA)
  • Signal Processing (AREA)
  • Electromagnetism (AREA)
  • Optical Radar Systems And Details Thereof (AREA)
  • Studio Devices (AREA)

Abstract

本申请公开了一种TOF装置和具有TOF装置的电子设备。TOF装置包括发射端和接收端，发射端和接收端均分为多个区域。TOF装置通过发射端采用分区点亮、接收端采用分区探测的方式，能够采集对应于目标对象的不同区域的多张局部3D图像，然后电子设备通过拼接多张局部3D图像，从而获得目标对象的3D图像。由于发射端采用分区点亮方式、接收端采用分区探测方式，TOF装置在采集单张局部3D图像时所需的峰值电流大幅度降低，使得TOF装置能够在电子设备允许的峰值电流下实现更远距离的探测，TOF装置和电子设备的探测范围更大。

Description

TOF装置及电子设备
本申请要求于2020年12月09日提交中国专利局、申请号为202011431118.1、申请名称为“TOF装置及电子设备”的中国专利申请的优先权，其全部内容通过引用结合在本申请中。
技术领域
本申请涉及光学电子器件技术领域，尤其涉及一种TOF装置及电子设备。
背景技术
目前，电子设备的三维(three-dimensional，3D)相机主要采用时间飞行(time of flight，TOF)装置，TOF装置采用时间飞行技术获取目标对象的3D图像。其中，TOF装置包括发射端(也可称为投射端，transmitter)和接收端(receiver)，发射端用于向目标对象发射光信号，光信号被目标对象反射后，可以被接收端接收。依据光信号在发射端与接收端之间的飞行时间，可以确定目标对象与TOF装置之间的距离。
其中，TOF装置的探测距离与其发射端的峰值电流是相关的，电子设备提供的峰值电流越大，则TOF装置能够具有更远的探测距离。然而，手机等可移动的电子设备(也可称为移动终端)的电源通常难以为TOF装置提供较大的峰值电流，导致TOF装置的探测距离有限，难以满足电子设备的越来越多样化的应用需求。
发明内容
本申请的目的在于提供一种TOF装置和具有TOF装置的电子设备，TOF装置能够实现远距离探测。
第一方面，本申请提供一种TOF装置，TOF装置可以作为3D摄像头应用于电子设备。TOF装置包括发射端和接收端。
发射端包括光源、驱动芯片以及光学元件。光源包括多个发光单元。多个发光单元可以彼此独立工作。驱动芯片电连接多个发光单元，驱动芯片用于按照一定时序轮流点亮多个发光单元。光学元件位于多个发光单元的发光路径上，光学元件用于使多个发光单元发出的光线形成一一对应的多个投射视场，多个投射视场用于覆盖目标对象。
接收端包括镜头和图像传感器。镜头用于接收被目标对象反射的光线并形成多个感测视场，多个感测视场与多个投射视场一一对应。图像传感器位于镜头的出光侧。图像传感器包括多个感光单元和逻辑控制电路。多个感测视场一一对应地覆盖多个感光单元。多个感光单元可以彼此独立工作。逻辑控制电路用于按照一定时序轮流启动多个感光单元，且每个感光单元的启动时序与对应的发光单元的点亮时序相同。被启动的感光单元能够将光信号转换成电信号。
在本申请中，由于TOF装置采用分区点亮、分区探测的方式，通过多次探测目标对象的局部区域、实现对目标对象的全部区域的探测，因此TOF装置的多次探测能够有效分摊峰值电流，TOF装置的每次探测过程只需要较低的峰值电流即可实现，故而，在电子设备能够提供一定的峰值电流的情况下，TOF装置能够实现更远距离的探测，TOF装置和电子设备的探测 范围更广，也可以更好地适用于室内环境和室外环境探测。此外，TOF装置的单位面积有效功率也较高，有利于提高TOF装置的分辨率，使得TOF装置实现高分辨率探测。
在本申请中，TOF装置采用发射端分区点亮、接收端分区探测的方式获取目标对象的多个探测区域的3D轮廓信息。TOF装置电连接电子设备的处理器，处理器根据每个探测区域的3D轮廓信息能够形成目标对象的局部3D图像，然后通过拼接多张局部3D图像，获得目标对象的3D图像。也即，处理器能够依据TOF装置的输出信号形成目标对象的3D图像。
一种可能的实现方式中，目标对象具有多个探测区域，TOF装置通过多次探测分别获得多个探测区域的3D轮廓信息。其中，在一次探测过程中，发射端的发光单元以固定的频率重复打闪上千次，接收端的图像传感器的对应的感光单元持续地处于启动状态，由此完成对应的探测区域的曝光，接收端发送多张飞行时间分布直方图至电子设备的处理器。然后启动下一次探测，直至目标对象的多个探测区域均完成曝光。处理器依据每次曝光形成的飞行时间分布直方图形成探测区域的局部3D图像，然后通过拼接多张局部3D图像，形成目标对象的3D图像，由此完成一帧图像的探测和采集。
一种可能的实现方式中，电子设备的TOF装置对目标对象的一个探测区域的一次探测过程，可以包括1k次至10k次的打闪探测过程。一次打闪探测过程可以包括：发光单元发出第一个脉冲；感光单元处于启动状态，感光单元将其感应到的光信号转换成电信号，并输出该电信号；数据存储转换电路接收该电信号，数据存储转换电路处理、存储数据。TOF装置完成1k次至10k次的打闪探测过程后，数据存储转换电路发送飞行时间直方图至电子设备的处理器，由此一次探测过程。
其中，发光单元的一次脉冲的脉宽可以在1纳秒至5纳秒的范围内。
其中，每次探测过程输出的飞行时间直方图的数量为多张，多张飞行时间直方图一一对应一个感光单元中的多个单光子探测器，处理器能够依据多张飞行时间直方图形成与感光单元对应的目标对象的局部3D图像。
一种可能的实现方式中，TOF装置可以按照一定时序，依次探测多个探测区域，每次探测过程均输出对应的飞行时间直方图至处理器，处理器依据飞行时间直方图形成目标对象的局部3D图像，然后通过拼接多张局部3D图像，形成目标对象的3D图像。
在本实现方式中，图像传感器采用分区启动设计，相较于传统的整体启动图像传感器的方案，本实现方式的图像传感器的处于非启动状态的其他感光单元的单光子探测器、能够避免受环境光误触发而导致的功耗浪费，故而可以降低接收端的能耗。此外，图像传感器采用分区启动设计，也有利于避免发生暗计数、串扰等问题。
一种可能的实现方式中，发光单元的数量可以是4至20个。图像传感器的感光单元的数量与光源的发光单元的数量相同。
一种可能的实现方式中，光源为垂直腔面发射激光器。
一种可能的实现方式中，每个感光单元均可以包括多个单光子探测器。
一种可能的实现方式中，多个发光单元沿第一方向排布，每个发光单元均沿第二方向延伸，第二方向垂直于第一方向。单个发光单元的视场角经过光学元件后，在第一方向上收缩、且在第二方向上扩展。也即，在第一方向上，发光单元的投射视场的视场角小于发射视场的视场角；在第二方向上，发光单元的投射视场的视场角大于发射视场的视场角。
一种可能的实现方式中，在第一方向上，发光单元的发射视场的视场角可以大致在20°至25°范围内，投射视场的视场角可以大致在4°至5°的范围内。在第二方向上，发光单元的发射视场的视场角可以大致在20°至25°范围内，投射视场的视场角可以大致在50° 至60°的范围内。
一种可能的实现方式中，光源的视场角经过光学元件后，在第一方向上扩展且在第二方向上扩展。也即，第一方向上和第二方向上，发射端的总投射视场的视场角大于光源的发射视场的视场角。
一种可能的实现方式中，多个投射视场在第一方向上的视场角在65°至70°范围内，在第二方向上的视场角在50°至60°的范围内。
一种可能的实现方式中，相邻的两个投射视场在目标对象上形成相邻的两个探测区域，两个探测区域部分错开、部分重叠。此时，相邻的两个探测区域的重叠部分形成冗余，从而能够降低TOF装置由于组装误差等因素而导致的探测精度不足的风险，有利于避免在相邻的两个探测区域的相交位置处出现黑边区域，使得TOF装置具有较高的探测精度，成像质量较佳。
一种可能的实现方式中，两个探测区域的错开部分比例大于重叠部分比例。一种可能的实现方式中，相邻的两个探测区域的重叠部分的比例可以大致在5％至20％的范围内。
一种可能的实现方式中，光源与驱动芯片堆叠设置，光源的非发光侧固定于驱动芯片。在本实现方式中，光源与驱动芯片堆叠设置，排布紧凑，有利于发射端和TOF装置的小型化设计。
一种可能的实现方式中，光源包括阳极焊盘和阴极焊盘，阳极焊盘位于光源的发光侧，阴极焊盘位于光源的非发光侧。驱动芯片包括第一焊盘和第二焊盘，第一焊盘位于驱动芯片靠近光源的一侧，且位于光源的周边，第一焊盘与阳极焊盘之间通过导电线连接，第二焊盘位于驱动芯片靠近光源的一侧，且面向光源的非发光侧设置，第二焊盘与阴极焊盘之间通过导电胶连接。
在本实现方式中，光源与驱动芯片堆叠设置，也可以大幅度减小光源与驱动芯片之间的走线距离(例如导电线的长度明显缩短)，从而有效改善光源的光波形，保证发射端性能。
一种可能的实现方式中，阳极焊盘的数量为多个，每个发光单元均包括两个阳极焊盘，两个阳极焊盘分别位于发光单元的两端。第一焊盘的数量为多个，多个第一焊盘两两成组，每组第一焊盘对应一个发光单元，同一组的两个第一焊盘分别位于对应的发光单元的两侧，且分别连接对应的发光单元的两个阳极焊盘。
在本实现方式中，光源的发光单元的阳极焊盘与驱动芯片的第一焊盘之间采用双边绑定导电线的方式实现连接，使得驱动芯片能够同时点亮或接近同时点亮发光单元的整个发光区域，以降低由于发射端的多个发光单元的点亮时间不均匀而导致的探测误差，提高TOF装置的测距精度和拍摄质量。
一种可能的实现方式中，对应的阳极焊盘与第一焊盘之间，可以通过两个导电线实现走路导通，以提高阳极焊盘与第一焊盘之间的连接可靠性。
一种可能的实现方式中，发射端还包括第一电路板组件，第一电路板组件包括第一电路板和第一补强板。第一电路板具有通孔。第一补强板，固定于第一电路板的一侧且覆盖通孔，驱动芯片至少部分位于通孔，驱动芯片远离光源的一侧固定于第一补强板。
在本实现方式中，驱动芯片、光源及第一电路板组件的排布方式，有利于降低发射端的厚度，实现TOF装置的小型化。
一种可能的实现方式中，逻辑控制电路电连接驱动芯片，逻辑控制电路包括指令模块和驱动模块。指令模块用于发送点亮指令至驱动芯片，点亮指令用于指示驱动芯片点亮预设的发光单元。驱动模块用于延时0.1ns至1ns，启动预设的感光单元，预设的感光单元与预设 的发光单元相对应。
在本实现方式中，由于图像传感器的逻辑控制电路控制感光单元延时0.1ns至1ns启动，使得感光单元跳过可能发生串扰问题的时间段，因此可以避免近距离杂光导致图像传感器误触发的问题，降低发生串扰的风险，以提高TOF装置的探测精度。
一种可能的实现方式中，数据存储转换电路包括时间数字转换器和存储器，时间数字转换器电连接多个感光单元，用于将多个感光单元输出的模拟信号转换成以时间表示的数字信号；存储器电连接时间数字转换器，用于存储数字信号。
一种可能的实现方式中，逻辑控制电路和供电电路可以位于感光电路的周边，数据存储转换电路可以位于感光电路的非感光侧，也即位于感光电路的下方，而与感光电路堆叠设置。
一种可能的实现方式中，单个感光单元可以包括P×Q个单光子探测器，时间数字转换器可以包括P×Q个单元，其中，P和Q均为正整数。此时，时间数字转换器的单元数量与感光单元的单光子探测器数量对应，能够在满足计算和缓冲深度数据需求的情况下，节省图像传感器的面积，有利于接收端和TOF装置的小型化。
一种可能的实现方式中，接收端还包括第二电路板组件，第二电路板组件包括第二电路板、第三补强板以及多个第二元器件。图像传感器的非感光侧固定于第二电路板。第三补强板固定于第二电路板远离图像传感器的一侧，第三补强板设有一个或多个贯通孔。多个第二元器件位于一个或多个贯通孔且固定于第二电路板。
在本实现方式中，第二电路板组件采用器件背贴的设计，有利于缩减其在平行于板面方向上的空间占用，使得接收端和TOF装置更易实现小型化。其中，第三补强板还可以起到保护多个第二元器件的作用，防止碰撞，同时增加电路板的结构强度。
其中，多个第二元器件在第二电路板上的投影与图像传感器在第二电路板上的投影至少部分重叠，以进一步提高第二电路板组件的空间利用率，有利于接收端和TOF装置的小型化。可以理解的，至少部分重叠，可以包括全部重叠和部分重叠两种情况，全部重叠是指其中一者的投影完全覆盖另一者的投影。
第二方面，本申请还提供一种电子设备，包括处理器和前述任一项的TOF装置，处理器电连接TOF装置，处理器用于依据TOF装置的输出信号形成目标对象的3D图像。
在本申请中，TOF装置包括发射端和接收端，发射端和接收端均分为多个区域。TOF装置通过发射端采用分区点亮、接收端采用分区探测的方式，能够采集对应于目标对象的不同区域的多张局部3D图像，然后电子设备通过拼接多张局部3D图像，从而获得目标对象的3D图像。
其中，由于发射端采用分区点亮方式、接收端采用分区探测方式，TOF装置在采集单张局部3D图像时所需的峰值电流大幅度降低，故而，TOF装置能够在电子设备允许的峰值电流下实现更远距离的探测，TOF装置和电子设备的探测范围更大。
附图说明
图1是本申请实施例提供的一种电子设备的结构示意图；
图2是图1所示电子设备在一种应用场景中的结构示意图；
图3是图1所示电子设备合成2D图像和3D图像的示意图；
图4是本申请实施例提供的TOF装置在一些实施例中的结构示意图；
图5是图4所示TOF装置的部分分解结构示意图；
图6是图5所示发射端的部分分解结构示意图；
图7是图5所示发射端沿A-A处剖开的截面结构示意图；
图8是图6所示光源的结构示意图；
图9是图6所示光源与驱动芯片的组装结构示意图；
图10是图9所示结构沿B-B处剖开的结构示意图；
图11是图6所示第一电路板组件、驱动芯片及光源沿C-C处剖开的截面示意图；
图12是图6所示光学元件在另一角度的结构示意图；
图13是图7中光源和光学元件的示意图；
图14是图13所示光源和光学元件在另一角度的示意图；
图15是图5所示接收端的部分分解结构示意图；
图16是图5所示接收端沿D-D处剖开的截面结构示意图；
图17是图15所示第二电路板组件在另一角度的结构示意图；
图18是图15所示图像传感器的示意框图；
图19是图4所示TOF装置的应用示意图；
图20是图4所示TOF装置的另一应用示意图；
图21是本申请实施例提供的电子设备形成3D图像的一种工作流程示意图；
图22是图4所示TOF装置的部分结构的示意框图。
具体实施方式
下面将结合附图对本申请实施例中的技术方案进行描述。
其中，在本申请实施例的描述中，除非另有说明，文本中的“和/或”仅仅是一种描述关联对象的关联关系，表示可以存在三种关系，例如，A和/或B，可以表示：单独存在A，同时存在A和B，单独存在B这三种情况，另外，在本申请实施例的描述中，“多个”是指两个或多于两个。数值范围“A至B”包括端点数值A和B。
以下，术语“第一”、“第二”等用词仅用于描述目的，而不能理解为暗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该特征。
本申请实施例中所提到的方位用语，例如，“上”、“下”、“内”、“外”、“顶”、“底”等，仅是参考附图的方向，因此，使用的方位用语是为了更好、更清楚地说明及理解本申请实施例，而不是指示或暗指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申请实施例的限制。
在本申请实施例的描述中，需要说明的是，除非另有明确的规定和限定，术语“安装”、“连接”、“固定”等应做广义理解，例如，“连接”可以是可拆卸地连接，也可以是不可拆卸地连接；可以是直接连接，也可以通过中间媒介间接连接。
请参阅图1，图1是本申请实施例提供的一种电子设备100的结构示意图。
其中，图1从电子设备100的正面和背面两个视角对电子设备100的结构进行示意。电子设备100可以为具有摄像或拍照功能的电子设备100，例如手机、平板电脑、电视(或智慧屏)、手提电脑、摄像机、录像机、照相机等。为方便理解，本申请实施例以电子设备100是手机为例进行说明。
电子设备100可以包括显示屏101和壳体102。壳体102可以包括边框1021和后盖1022。显示屏101和后盖1022分别位于边框1021的两侧，边框1021可以环绕在显示屏101的外周，且边框1021可以环绕在后盖1022的外周。显示屏101、边框1021及后盖1022可以共同围 设形成整机内腔。其中，边框1021与后盖1022可以通过组装方式形成一体化结构，也可以是一体成型的结构。其中，显示屏101可以包括玻璃盖板及固定于玻璃盖板显示面板，显示面板用于显示图像。
其中，电子设备100还可以包括收容于整机内腔的前置摄像头模组103、听筒模组104、后置摄像头模组105、处理器106等，处理器106电连接显示屏101、前置摄像头模组103、听筒模组104及后置摄像头模组105。
如图1中的左图所示，示例性的，前置摄像头模组103和听筒模组104可以被安装在显示屏101的中上部。显示屏101可以设有前置摄像孔1011和听筒孔1012，前置摄像头模组103可以通过前置摄像孔1011采集电子设备100外部光线、以进行自拍，听筒模组104可以通过听筒孔1012出音，以使用户能够接听电话、语音等。
如图1中的右图所示，示例性的，后置摄像头模组105可以被安装在后盖1022的左上部。电子设备100还可以包括摄像头装饰件107，摄像头装饰件107安装于后盖1022，摄像头装饰件107上设有多个通光孔1071。后置摄像头模组105可以通过摄像头装饰件107上的通光孔1071采集外部光线，以拍摄电子设备100周围的景象。
可以理解的，图1示出的前置摄像头模组103和后置摄像头模组105的安装位置仅仅是示意性的，本申请对摄像头模组的安装位置可以不作限定。在一些其他的实施例中，前置摄像头模组103和后置摄像头模组105也可以被安装在电子设备100上的其他位置。例如前置摄像头模组103可以被安装在显示屏101的左上部或右上部。又如，后置摄像头模组105可以被安装在后盖1022的中上部或右上部。又如，前置摄像头模组103或后置摄像头模组105可以被设置在电子设备100内的可移动部件上。通过移动该可移动部件，该可移动部件可以被隐藏在电子设备100内，或者可以伸出电子设备100外。
可以理解的，图1示出的前置摄像头模组103和后置摄像头模组105的安装个数仅仅是示意性的，本申请对摄像头模组的安装个数可以不作限定。电子设备100可以包括数量更多或更少的摄像头模组。
请结合参阅图1和图2，图2是图1所示电子设备100在一种应用场景中的结构示意图。示例性的，后置摄像头模组105可以包括主二维(twodimensions，2D)摄像头1051、辅2D摄像头1052。主2D摄像头1051、辅2D摄像头1052均可以用于拍摄目标对象的2D轮廓、2D图案、颜色(然后灰度、色彩等)等2D图像信息，得到目标对象的2D图像。联合使用主2D摄像头1051与辅2D摄像头1052，有利于获取高分辨率、高质量的2D图像。
示例性的，后置摄像头模组105例如还可以包括闪光灯1053。闪光灯1053可以位于主2D摄像头1051或辅2D摄像头1052附近。闪光灯1053可以发射可见光。闪光灯1053可以为主2D摄像头1051和/或辅2D摄像头1052提供光照。例如，在夜晚或光较暗的场景下，闪光灯1053发出的光可以照射在目标对象上，从而可以增大主2D摄像头1051和/或辅2D摄像头1052捕获到的、来自目标对象的光强。
示例性的，后置摄像头模组105还可以包括3D摄像头1054。3D摄像头1054可以用于拍摄目标对象的3D轮廓，得到目标对象的3D图像。其中，3D摄像头1054可以包括发射端和接收端,发射端可以位于接收端附近。发射端可以发射红外光，接收端可以为能够检测(或捕获、接收)红外光的3D镜头。
其中，目标对象的不同位置到接收端的距离可以不同，光从目标对象的不同位置到接收端的飞行时间可以不同。因此，在一些实施例中，通过测量光自目标对象到接收端的直接飞行时间(direct time of flight，DTOF)，可以得到目标对象的3D轮廓信息。其中，3D轮 廓信息即为深度信息，3D图像即为深度图像。
在一些实施例中，发射端与接收端联合使用，以测量光在电子设备100与目标对象之间的直接飞行时间。如图2所示，发射端发出的光(图中通过实线示意)射向目标对象，并被反射形成反射光(图中通过虚线示意)，反射光部分进入接收端。该发射端与接收端之间的距离为第一距离，该发射端与目标对象之间的距离为第二距离，目标对象与接收端之间的距离为第三距离。该第一距离可以远小于该第二距离、第三距离，即相对于该第二距离、第三距离，该第一距离可以忽略不计。也就是说，第二距离≈第三距离。因此，可以通过测量光自发射端射出到射入接收端的直接飞行时间，来近似确定光自目标对象到接收端的直接飞行时间，进而可以获取包含目标对象的3D轮廓信息的3D图像。
请结合参阅图2和图3，图3是图1所示电子设备100合成2D图像和3D图像的示意图。
示例性的，电子设备100可以通过主2D摄像头1051和/或辅2D摄像头1052得到目标对象的2D图像(如图3中的图像201)，通过3D摄像头1054得到目标对象的3D图像(如图3中的图像202)，通过合成上述2D图像(如图3中的图像201)和上述3D图像(如图3中的图像202)，可以得到既包括3D轮廓信息、又包括2D图像信息的生动的3D图像(如图3中的图像203)。可以理解的，图3示出的图像201、图像202、图像203仅仅是示意性的，本申请对图像的具体参数(如分辨率、像素尺寸、三维模型粒度等)可以不作限定。
可以理解的是，本申请实施例示意的结构并不构成对电子设备100的具体限定。在本申请另一些实施例中，电子设备100可以包括比图示更多或更少的部件。例如，电子设备100可以包括比图示更多或更少的摄像头。
在一些实施例中，后置摄像头模组105也可以仅包括3D摄像头1054，其中，该3D摄像头1054还可以具有拍摄2D图像的能力。也就是说，电子设备100可以通过3D摄像头1054，拍摄到既包括2D图像信息、又包括3D轮廓信息的生动的3D图像。
在本申请中，后置摄像头模组105既可以获取目标对象的2D图像，还可以获取目标对象的3D图像，因此电子设备100可以实现人脸识别、头像解锁、手势识别、物体建模、3D游戏、智能家居等应用，有利于提高用户的使用体验。
本申请实施例提供一种TOF装置，电子设备100的3D摄像头1054可以采用该TOF装置。电子设备100的处理器106电连接TOF装置，处理器106用于依据TOF装置的输出信号形成目标对象的3D图像。TOF装置包括发射端和接收端，发射端和接收端均分为多个区域。TOF装置通过发射端采用分区点亮、接收端采用分区探测的方式，能够采集对应于目标对象(也可称为被摄对象)的不同区域的多张局部3D图像，然后电子设备100通过拼接多张局部3D图像，从而获得目标对象的3D图像。
其中，由于发射端采用分区点亮方式、接收端采用分区探测方式，TOF装置在采集单张局部3D图像时所需的峰值电流相较于传统方案(发射端整体点亮、接收端整体探测的方式)大幅度降低，故而，TOF装置能够在电子设备100允许的峰值电流下实现更远距离的探测，TOF装置和电子设备100的探测范围更大。
以下结合附图对本申请提供的TOF装置的示例性结构进行说明。
请结合参阅图4和图5，图4是本申请实施例提供的TOF装置10在一些实施例中的结构示意图，图5是图4所示TOF装置10的部分分解结构示意图。
一些实施例中，TOF装置10包括发射端1、接收端2及外壳3。外壳3具有第一安装空间31、第二安装空间32、第一通孔33及第二通孔34，第一通孔33连通第一安装空间31，第二通孔34连通第二安装空间32。发射端1安装于第一安装空间31且固定连接外壳3，发 射端1发射的光线能够通过第一通孔33射出。接收端2安装于第二安装空间32且固定连接外壳3，接收端2能够通过第二通孔34接收光线。发射端1和接收端2均固定于外壳3，能够使TOF装置10形成模块化结构，以方便TOF装置10安装于电子设备100中。
请结合参阅图6和图7，图6是图5所示发射端1的部分分解结构示意图，图7是图5所示发射端1沿A-A处剖开的截面结构示意图。
一些实施例中，发射端1包括壳体11、光学元件12、光源13、驱动芯片14以及第一电路板组件15。壳体11固定于第一电路板组件15的顶侧，壳体11与第一电路板组件15共同围设形成发射端内腔16。示例性的，壳体11为中空结构，壳体11的顶部具有出光孔111，壳体11的底部为开口结构，壳体11的底部可以通过粘接件171固定连接第一电路板组件15。光学元件12位于发射端内腔16且固定连接壳体11，光学元件12对应出光孔111设置。示例性的，光学元件12可以覆盖出光孔111，光学元件12的顶部与壳体11的内壁之间可以设置粘接件(图中未示出)。驱动芯片14和光源13均位于发射端内腔16，驱动芯片14可以固定于第一电路板组件15，光源13可以固定于驱动芯片14的顶侧。光学元件12位于光源13的发光路径上。在本实施例中，光源13发出的光线经过光学元件12后，由出光孔111射出发射端1。
请参阅图8，图8是图6所示光源13的结构示意图。
一些实施例中，光源13包括多个发光单元131，每个发光单元131均可以发出光线，例如可以发射红外光等不可见光。多个发光单元131可以彼此独立工作，多个发光单元131可以按照一定的时序轮流被点亮，以轮流发射光线。示例性的，发光单元131的数量可以是4至20个。
示例性的，光源13的多个发光单元131可以是N×1的排布方式，N为大于或等于2的整数。例如，多个发光单元131沿第一方向X排布，每个发光单元131均沿第二方向Y延伸，第二方向Y垂直于第一方向X。光源13的厚度方向为第三方向Z，第三方向Z垂直于第一方向X和第二方向Y。每个发光单元131大致呈条形状。
示例性的，光源13可以是但不限于是垂直腔面发射激光器(vertical-cavity surface-emitting laser，VCSEL)。其中，光源13包括阳极焊盘132和阴极焊盘133，阳极焊盘132位于光源13的发光侧，阴极焊盘133位于光源13的非发光侧。示例性的，阳极焊盘132的数量为多个，每个发光单元131均包括两个阳极焊盘132，两个阳极焊盘132分别位于发光单元131的两端。每个发光单元131均包括发光区域134，两个阳极焊盘132分别位于发光区域134的两侧。示例性的，阴极焊盘133的数量为一个，多个发光单元131共同一个阴极焊盘133。示例性的，相邻的两个发光单元131的发光区域134之间的间距可以大约在30微米(μm)至50微米的范围内，例如40微米。
请结合参阅图9和图10，图9是图6所示光源13与驱动芯片14的组装结构示意图，图10是图9所示结构沿B-B处剖开的结构示意图。
一些实施例中，光源13与驱动芯片14堆叠设置，光源13的非发光侧固定于驱动芯片14。其中，驱动芯片14用于按照一定时序轮流点亮多个发光单元131。示例性的，驱动芯片14包括第一焊盘141和第二焊盘142。第一焊盘141位于驱动芯片14靠近光源13的一侧，且位于光源13的周边，第一焊盘141与阳极焊盘132之间通过导电线18连接。其中，导电线18可以为金线。第二焊盘142位于驱动芯片14靠近光源13的一侧，且面向光源13的非发光侧设置，第二焊盘142与阴极焊盘133之间通过导电胶19连接。其中，导电胶19即可实现电连接作用，也可以实现粘接固定作用。导电胶19可以为导电银胶。此时，通过阳极焊 盘132与第一焊盘141之间的连接、阴极焊盘133与第二焊盘142之间的连接，光源13能够与驱动芯片14电连接，使得驱动芯片14能够点亮光源13，以控制光源13发射光线。
在本实施例中，光源13与驱动芯片14堆叠设置，排布紧凑，有利于发射端1和TOF装置10的小型化设计。此外，光源13与驱动芯片14堆叠设置，也可以大幅度减小光源13与驱动芯片14之间的走线距离(例如导电线18的长度明显缩短)，从而有效改善光源13的光波形，保证发射端1性能。
例如，TOF装置10采用直接飞行时间技术时，发射端1采用纳秒(ns)级脉宽打光驱动，发射端1发射的光线的光波形的脉宽、光波形的上升波形、光波形的下降波形，对于TOF装置10的测距精度有明显的影响，而对光波形影响最大的因素，则是驱动芯片14与光源13之间的走线电感。若光源13与驱动芯片14之间具有较长的回路，则会引入较高的走线电感，将导致光波形的上升速度减缓，上升时间增加，导致TOF装置10的测距精度下降。而在本实施例中，由于光源13与驱动芯片14之间的走线距离很短，故而能够有效改善光源13的光波形，提高TOF装置10的测距精度。
示例性的，如图9和图10所示，第一焊盘141的数量为多个，多个第一焊盘141两两成组，每组第一焊盘141对应一个发光单元131，同一组的两个第一焊盘141分别位于对应的发光单元131的两侧，且分别连接对应的发光单元131的两个阳极焊盘132。
在本实施例中，光源13的发光单元131的阳极焊盘132与驱动芯片14的第一焊盘141之间采用双边绑定导电线18的方式实现连接，使得驱动芯片14能够同时点亮或接近同时点亮发光单元131的整个发光区域134，以降低由于发射端1的多个发光单元131的点亮时间不均匀而导致的探测误差，提高TOF装置10的测距精度和拍摄质量。
示例性的，如图9所示，对应的阳极焊盘132与第一焊盘141之间，可以通过两个导电线18实现走路导通，以提高阳极焊盘132与第一焊盘141之间的连接可靠性。
在其他一些实施例中，每个发光单元131也可以包括一个阳极焊盘132，该阳极焊盘132通过导电线18连接驱动芯片14的一个第一焊盘141，以实现驱动芯片14与光源13之间的电连接。在其他一些实施例中，光源13的阴极焊盘133的数量也可以有多个，每个发光单元131均包括至少一个阴极焊盘133，该阴极焊盘133与驱动芯片14的第二焊盘142连接，以实现驱动芯片14与光源13之间的电连接。
可以理解的，如前文描述，驱动芯片14可以用于给光源13供电，以实现纳秒级脉宽打光的驱动。在一些实施例中，驱动芯片14还可以用于实现激光安全监测、供电电压监测等功能。在一些实施例中，驱动芯片14还可以用于实现对光源13的光功率控制、脉宽调整等。本申请实施例不对驱动芯片14的功能作严格限定。
请结合参阅图6和图11，图11是图6所示第一电路板组件15、驱动芯片14及光源13沿C-C处剖开的截面示意图。
一些实施例中，第一电路板组件15包括第一电路板151、第一补强板152、第二补强板153、第一电连接器154以及多个第一元器件155。示例性的，第一电路板151可以为软硬结合电路板。第一电路板151可以包括依次连接的第一硬板部1511、第一柔板部1512及第二硬板部1513。其中，第一硬板部1511及第二硬板部1513的刚度大于第一柔板部1512的刚度。
示例性的，第一电路板151的第一硬板部1511具有通孔1514，通孔1514在第一硬板部1511的厚度方向上贯穿第一硬板部1511。第一补强板152固定于第一电路板151的第一硬板部1511的一侧且覆盖通孔1514。其中，第一补强板152可以通过粘接件173固定连接第一 硬板部1511。驱动芯片14至少部分位于通孔1514，驱动芯片14远离光源13的一侧固定于第一补强板152。例如，驱动芯片14可以全部位于通孔1514中，光源13可以全部或部分位于通孔1514中。其中，驱动芯片14可以通过粘接件174固定连接第一补强板152。
在本实施例中，驱动芯片14、光源13和第一电路板151组件15的排布方式，有利于降低发射端1的厚度，实现TOF装置10的小型化。
示例性的，多个第一元器件155固定于第一硬板部1511的背向第一补强板152的一侧，多个第一元器件155可以排布于通孔1514的周边。其中，多个第一元器件155可以包括驱动芯片14的匹配器件。其中，多个第一元器件155可以包括电容、电感、电阻中的一者或多者。
示例性的，第一电连接器154固定于第二硬板部1513的一侧，第一电连接器154用于电连接TOF装置10的外部部件。第一电连接器154可以是板对板连接器等类型的电连接器，本申请实施例对此不作严格限定。
其中，第二补强板153固定于第二硬板部1513的另一侧，用于增加第一电路板151组件15的结构强度。示例性的，第一补强板152和/或第二补强板153可以为钢板等金属板，也可以为刚度较高的塑料板等。
在其他一些实施例中，第一硬板部1511上也可以不设置通孔1514，驱动芯片14固定于第一硬板部1511的顶侧。此时，若第一硬板部1511的结构强度足够，则第一电路板151组件15可以不设置第一补强板152。在其他一些实施例中，若第二硬板部1513的结构强度足够，则第一电路板151组件15也可以不设置第二补强板153。
在其他一些实施例，第一电路板151也可以为柔性电路板，柔性电路板包括依次连接的第一部分、第二部分及第三部分，第一部分与其他结构的连接关系和位置关系参阅前文实施例中第一硬板部1511，第三部分与其他结构的连接关系和位置关系参阅前文实施例中第二硬板部1513，此处不再赘述。
请结合参阅图7和图12，图12是图6所示光学元件12在另一角度的结构示意图。
一些实施例中，光学元件12可以包括入光面121和出光面122，出光面122背向入光面121设置。其中，入光面121可以为曲面，入光面121的中部向远离出光面122的方向凸起。光源13发出的光信号经入光面121进入光学元件12，经出光面122射出光学元件12，发射端1实现光信号发射。其中，光学元件12用于改变光信号的传播方向。
请结合参阅图13和图14，图13是图7中光源13和光学元件12的示意图，图14是图13所示光源13和光学元件12在另一角度的示意图。其中，图13所示截面平行于第一方向X，图14所示截面平行于第二方向Y。
一些实施例中，光学元件12位于光源13的多个发光单元131的发光路径上，光学元件12用于使多个发光单元131发出的光线形成一一对应的多个投射视场。多个投射视场排布于第一方向X。多个投射视场共同形成发射端1的总投射视场。其中，图13中简易地示意出，在第一方向X上，单个发光单元131的发射视场经过光学元件12后形成的投射视场，和光源13的发射视场经过光学元件12后形成的发射端1的总投射视场。图14中简易地示意出，在第二方向Y上，单个发光单元131的发射视场经过光学元件12后形成的投射视场，光源13的发射视场与单个发光单元131的发射视场相同，发射端1的总投射视场与单个发光单元131的投射视场相同。
一些实施例中，如图13和图14所示，单个发光单元131的视场角经过光学元件12后，在第一方向X上收缩、且在第二方向Y上扩展。也即，在第一方向X上，发光单元131的投射视场的视场角a2小于发射视场的视场角a1；在第二方向Y上，发光单元131的投射视场 的视场角b2大于发射视场的视场角b1。示例性的，在第一方向X上，发光单元131的发射视场的视场角a1可以大致在20°至25°范围内，投射视场的视场角a2可以大致在4°至5°的范围内。在第二方向Y上，发光单元131的发射视场的视场角b1可以大致在20°至25°范围内，投射视场的视场角b2可以大致在50°至60°的范围内。
光源13的视场角经过光学元件12后，在第一方向X上扩展且在第二方向Y上扩展。也即，第一方向X上和第二方向Y上，发射端1的总投射视场的视场角(a4,b2)大于光源13的发射视场的视场角。其中，光源13在第一方向X和第二方向Y上的视场角等于单个发光单元131的视场角(a3,b1)。示例性的，多个投射视场(也即发射端1的总投射视场)在第一方向X上的视场角a4可以在65°至70°范围内，在第二方向Y上的视场角b2可以在50°至60°的范围内。在一些实施例中，发射端1的总投射视场的视场角可以为78°。
其中，光学元件12的结构可以有多种实现方式。例如，光学元件12可以是多个透光结构组装形成，也可以是一体成型结构。本申请实施例不对光学元件12的具体实现结构作严格限定，但是期望光学元件12能够使多个投射视场尽量满足以下条件：例如，具有相同的空间位置，均匀性较佳、窗口效率较佳等。例如，期望发射端1发射的光束的能量能够尽量分布在有效区域(也即预期的发射端1的总投射视场)中，使得窗口效率能够大于或大于60％，以提高能量利用率。
请结合参阅图15和图16，图15是图5所示接收端2的部分分解结构示意图，图16是图5所示接收端2沿D-D处剖开的截面结构示意图。
一些实施例中，接收端2包括镜头21、底座22、滤光片23、图像传感器24及第二电路板组件25。
示例性的，镜头21可以通过粘接件261固定于底座22的一侧。其中，镜头21可以是固定焦距镜头(也可称为定焦镜头)，或变焦镜头。图15和图16以镜头21为固定焦距镜头为例进行示意。其中，镜头21还可以是短焦镜头、中长焦镜头、长焦镜头等。
其中，镜头21可以包括镜筒211和设置在镜筒211内的一个或多个透镜(lens)212。镜筒211为中空结构且两端开口，两端开口分别为进光口和出光口，出光口靠近底座22设置，接收端2外的光信号能够自进光口射入镜头21，穿过一个或多个透镜212后，由出光口射出镜头21。换言之，底座22位于镜头21的出光侧。一个或多个透镜212能够改变光线的传播方向，使得镜头21能够汇聚光线，并使光线投射于预定区域。其中，一个或多个透镜212可以包括塑料(plastic)透镜和/或玻璃(glass)透镜。一个或多个透镜212可以包括球面透镜和/或非球面透镜。
应理解，图15和图16示出的镜筒211仅仅是示意性的，本申请实施例对镜筒211的结构、尺寸等可以不作限定。图16示出的透镜212仅仅是示意性的，本申请实施例对透镜212数量、透镜212结构等可以不作限定。
可以理解的，在其他一些实施例中，镜头21也可以为变焦镜头。此时，镜头21还可以包括马达，马达用于驱动镜头21沿光轴方向移动，以实现自动对焦。
示例性的，第二电路板组件25可以通过粘接件262固定于底座22的另一侧。底座22与第二电路板组件25共同围设出容纳空间。底座22的中部设有通孔221，该通孔221连通容纳空间。
示例性的，图像传感器24位于镜头21的出光侧。其中，图像传感器24可以位于容纳空间且固定于第二电路板组件25。示例性的，图像传感器24可以通过粘接层263粘接于第二电路板组件25，或者，图像传感器24也可以通过焊接的方式固定于第二电路板组件25。图 像传感器24的感光侧朝向镜头21设置。
图像传感器24可以是一种半导体芯片。图像传感器24的感光面上设有几十万到几百万的光电二极管，光电二极管例如可以是单光子雪崩二极管(single photon avalanche diode，SPAD)。光电二极管在受到光照射时会产生电荷，从而将光信号转换为电信号。图像传感器24可以是电荷耦合元件(charge coupled device，CCD)、互补金属氧化物导体器件(complementary metal-oxide semiconductor，CMOS)等。
示例性的，滤光片23位于镜头21的出光侧且固定于底座22。其中，滤光片23可以收容于容纳空间。在其他一些实施例中，滤光片23也可以位于底座22朝向镜头21的一侧。其中，滤光片23可以覆盖底座22的通孔221。滤光片23的周缘可以通过粘接件264固定连接底座22。滤光片23可以消除投射到图像传感器24上的不必要的光(如可见光)，防止图像传感器24产生波纹等图像缺陷，以提高其有效分辨率和图像还原性。
接收端2的工作原理可以是，被目标对象反射形成的反射光可以穿过镜筒211内的一个或多个透镜212，然后穿过滤光片23，投射到图像传感器24的感光面。图像传感器24可以将光信号转为电信号，从而获得目标对象的3D轮廓信息，然后通过第二电路板组件25将3D轮廓信息传输给电子设备100的处理器106等部件，以进行后续的图像处理。
请结合参阅图15和图17，图17是图15所示第二电路板组件25在另一角度的结构示意图。
一些实施例中，第二电路板组件25包括第二电路板251、第三补强板252、第四补强板253、第二电连接器254以及多个第二元器件255。其中，图像传感器24的非感光侧可以固定于第二电路板251。第三补强板252固定于第二电路板251远离图像传感器24的一侧，第三补强板252设有一个或多个贯通孔2521。多个第二元器件255位于一个或多个贯通孔2521且固定于第二电路板251。
在本实施例中，第二电路板组件25采用器件背贴的设计，有利于缩减其在平行于板面方向上的空间占用，使得接收端2和TOF装置10更易实现小型化。其中，第三补强板252还可以起到保护多个第二元器件255的作用，防止碰撞，同时增加电路板的结构强度。
其中，多个第二元器件255在第二电路板251上的投影与图像传感器24在第二电路板251上的投影可以至少部分重叠，以进一步提高第二电路板组件25的空间利用率，有利于接收端2和TOF装置10的小型化。可以理解的，至少部分重叠，可以包括全部重叠和部分重叠两种情况，全部重叠是指其中一者的投影完全覆盖另一者的投影。
示例性的，第二电路板251可以为软硬结合电路板。第二电路板251可以包括依次连接的第三硬板部2511、第二柔板部2512及第四硬板部2513。其中，第三硬板部2511及第四硬板部2513的刚度大于第二柔板部2512的刚度。图像传感器24的非感光侧可以固定于第三硬板部2511的一侧，第三补强板252可以通过粘接件266固定于第三硬板部2511的另一侧，多个第二元器件255可以通过焊接等方式固定于第三硬板部2511。其中，多个第二元器件255可以包括图像传感器24的匹配器件。其中，多个第二元器件255可以包括电容、电感、电阻中的一者或多者。
示例性的，第二电连接器254固定于第四硬板部2513的一侧，第二电连接器254用于电连接TOF装置10的外部部件。第二电连接器254可以是板对板连接器等类型的电连接器，本申请实施例对此不作严格限定。其中，第四补强板253固定于第四硬板部2513的另一侧，用于增加第二电路板组件25的结构强度。示例性的，第三补强板252和/或第四补强板253可 以为钢板等金属板，也可以为刚度较高的塑料板等。
在其他一些实施例，第二电路板251也可以为柔性电路板，柔性电路板包括依次连接的第一部分、第二部分及第三部分，第一部分与其他结构的连接关系和位置关系参阅前文实施例中第三硬板部2511，第三部分与其他结构的连接关系和位置关系参阅前文实施例中第四硬板部2513，此处不再赘述。
请参阅图18，图18是图15所示图像传感器24的示意框图。其中，图18中只是示意性地体现出图像传感器24的多个功能区域(或称为功能模块)，并不对图像传感器24的实际结构、实际电路等形成限定。
一些实施例中，图像传感器24可以包括感光电路241、逻辑控制电路242、数据存储转换电路243以及供电电路244。其中，感光电路241包括多个感光单元2411，多个感光单元2411可以彼此独立工作。感光单元2411的数量与光源13的发光单元131的数量相同。每个感光单元2411均可以包括多个单光子探测器(图中未示出)。逻辑控制电路242用于按照一定时序轮流启动多个感光单元2411。被启动的感光单元2411能够将光信号转换成电信号。示例性的，逻辑控制电路242可以通过配置供电电路244，使得供电电路244按照一定的时序轮流给感光单元2411供电。
在本实施例中，图像传感器24采用分区启动设计，相较于传统的整体启动图像传感器的方案，本实施例的图像传感器24的处于非启动状态的其他感光单元2411的单光子探测器、能够避免受环境光误触发而导致的功耗浪费，故而可以降低接收端2的能耗。此外，图像传感器24采用分区启动设计，也有利于避免发生暗计数、串扰等问题。
其中，数据存储转换电路243用于计算和缓冲深度数据。示例性的，数据存储转换电路243包括时间数字转换器(time-to-digital converter，TDC)和存储器，时间数字转换器电连接多个感光单元2411，用于将多个感光单元2411输出的模拟信号转换成以时间表示的数字信号；存储器电连接时间数字转换器，用于存储数字信号。例如，时间数字转换器用于确定感光单元2411接收光信号的时间，然后依此计算出TOF装置10发射光信号的时间与接收光信号的时间的时间差。
示例性的，逻辑控制电路242和供电电路244可以位于感光电路241的周边，数据存储转换电路243可以位于感光电路241的非感光侧，也即位于感光电路241的下方，而与感光电路241堆叠设置。示例性的，单个感光单元2411可以包括P×Q个单光子探测器，时间数字转换器可以包括P×Q个单元，其中，P和Q均为正整数。此时，时间数字转换器的单元数量与感光单元2411的单光子探测器数量对应，能够在满足计算和缓冲深度数据需求的情况下，节省图像传感器24的面积，有利于接收端2和TOF装置10的小型化。
在一些实施例中，图像传感器24采用分辨率为640×480的视频图形阵列(video graphics array，VGA)。假设光源13包括10个发光单元131，则图像传感器24对应地包括10个感光单元2411。每个感光单元2411具有640×48的分辨率。此时，时间数字转换器的单元数量可以为640×48。
以下结合示意图说明上述TOF装置10获取目标对象的局部区域的3D轮廓信息的工作原理。
请结合参阅图19和图20，图19是图4所示TOF装置10的应用示意图，图20是图4所示TOF装置10的另一应用示意图。其中，图19简要地示意出TOF装置10的结构和应用场景，图20则简要地示意出TOF装置10的基本构成和应用场景。可以理解的是，图19和图20中所示光路为简要示意图，并不形成对实际光路的限定，TOF装置10在实际使用中，可以具有 其他光路，本申请对此不作严格限定。
在本申请中，发射端1的光源13包括多个发光单元131，驱动芯片(图中未示出)用于按照一定时序轮流点亮多个发光单元131。光学元件12位于多个发光单元131的发光路径上，光学元件12用于使多个发光单元131发出的光线形成一一对应的多个投射视场。多个投射视场用于覆盖目标对象。其中，目标对象位于TOF装置10的探测范围内，TOF装置10的探测范围大于10厘米。
接收端2的镜头21用于接收被目标对象反射的光线并形成多个感测视场，多个感测视场与多个投射视场一一对应。图像传感器24位于镜头21的出光侧，图像传感器24包括多个感光单元2411和逻辑控制电路(图中未示出)，多个感测视场一一对应地覆盖多个感光单元2411，逻辑控制电路用于按照一定时序轮流启动多个感光单元2411，且每个感光单元2411的启动时序与对应的发光单元131的点亮时序相同。
例如，光源13的多个发光单元131包括第一发光单元、第二发光单元……第K发光单元，K为大于2的正整数；多个发光单元131的发射的光线经过光学元件12后形成多个投射视场；多个投射视场包括与多个发光单元131一一对应的第一投射视场、第二投射视场……第K投射视场；多个投射视场覆盖目标对象的多个探测区域，多个探测区域包括与多个投射视场一一对应的第一探测区域、第二探测区域……第K探测区域，多个探测区域共同形成目标对象；发射端1发出的光线被目标对象反射后，被镜头21接收，反射光线经过镜头21后，形成多个感测视场，多个感测视场包括与多个探测区域一一对应的第一感测视场、第二感测视场……第K感测视场；多个感光单元2411包括与多个感测视场一一对应的第一感光单元、第二感光单元……第K感光单元，多个感测视场一一对应地覆盖多个感光单元2411。简言之，多个发光单元131、多个投射视场、目标对象的多个探测区域、多个感测视场及多个感光单元2411是一一对应地成组设置的。
在TOF装置10的探测过程中，驱动芯片按照一定的时序点亮多个发光单元131，逻辑控制电路按照一定时序轮流启动多个感光单元2411，且每个感光单元2411的启动时序与对应的发光单元131的点亮时序相同。例如，驱动芯片点亮第一发光单元时，逻辑控制电路启动第一感光单元；驱动芯片点亮第二发光单元时，逻辑控制电路启动第二感光单元……驱动芯片点亮第K发光单元时，逻辑控制电路启动第K感光单元。
在本申请中，TOF装置10采用发射端1分区点亮、接收端2分区探测的方式获取目标对象的多个探测区域的3D轮廓信息。TOF装置10电连接电子设备100的处理器，处理器根据每个探测区域的3D轮廓信息能够形成目标对象的局部3D图像，然后通过拼接多张局部3D图像，获得目标对象的3D图像。也即，处理器106能够依据TOF装置10的输出信号形成目标对象的3D图像。
一些实施例中，目标对象具有多个探测区域，TOF装置10通过多次探测分别获得多个探测区域的3D轮廓信息。其中，在一次探测过程中，发射端1的发光单元131以固定的频率重复打闪上千次，接收端2的图像传感器24的对应的感光单元2411持续地处于启动状态，由此完成对应的探测区域的曝光，接收端2发送多张飞行时间分布直方图至电子设备100的处理器。然后启动下一次探测，直至目标对象的多个探测区域均完成曝光。处理器依据每次曝光形成的飞行时间分布直方图形成探测区域的局部3D图像，然后通过拼接多张局部3D图像，形成目标对象的3D图像，由此完成一帧图像的探测和采集。
一些实施例中，如图19和图20所示，相邻的两个投射视场在目标对象上形成相邻的两个探测区域，两个探测区域部分错开、部分重叠。此时，相邻的两个探测区域的重叠部分形 成冗余，从而能够降低TOF装置10由于组装误差等因素而导致的探测精度不足的风险，有利于避免在相邻的两个探测区域的相交位置处出现黑边区域，使得TOF装置10具有较高的探测精度，成像质量较佳。
其中，相邻的两个探测区域的错开部分比例大于重叠部分比例。示例性的，相邻的两个探测区域的重叠部分的比例可以大致在5％至20％的范围内。
请参阅图21，图21是本申请实施例提供的电子设备形成3D图像的一种工作流程示意图。电子设备包括前文实施例所示TOF装置。
一些实施例中，电子设备的TOF装置对目标对象的一个探测区域的一次探测过程，可以包括1k次至10k次的打闪探测过程。一次打闪探测过程可以包括：发光单元发出第一个脉冲；感光单元处于启动状态，感光单元将其感应到的光信号转换成电信号，并输出该电信号；数据存储转换电路接收该电信号，数据存储转换电路处理、存储数据。TOF装置完成1k次至10k次的打闪探测过程后，数据存储转换电路发送飞行时间直方图至电子设备的处理器，由此一次探测过程。
其中，发光单元的一次脉冲的脉宽可以在1纳秒至5纳秒的范围内。
其中，每次探测过程输出的飞行时间直方图的数量为多张，多张飞行时间直方图一一对应一个感光单元中的多个单光子探测器，处理器能够依据多张飞行时间直方图形成与感光单元对应的目标对象的局部3D图像。
示例性的，TOF装置可以按照一定时序，依次探测多个探测区域，每次探测过程均输出对应的飞行时间直方图至处理器，处理器依据飞行时间直方图形成目标对象的局部3D图像，然后通过拼接多张局部3D图像，形成目标对象的3D图像。具体过程可参阅图21，此处不再赘述。
综上，在本申请中，由于TOF装置采用分区点亮、分区探测的方式，通过多次探测目标对象的局部区域、实现对目标对象的全部区域的探测，因此TOF装置的多次探测能够有效分摊峰值电流，TOF装置的每次探测过程只需要较低的峰值电流即可实现，故而，在电子设备能够提供一定的峰值电流的情况下，本实施例TOF装置能够实现更远距离的探测，TOF装置和电子设备的探测范围更广，也可以更好地适用于室内环境和室外环境探测。此外，TOF装置的单位面积有效功率也较高，有利于提高TOF装置的分辨率，使得TOF装置实现高分辨率探测。
应理解，在传统的TOF装置中，发射端发射的光线容易被电子设备内部的器件或密封间隙等直接反射回接收端，导致接收端的图像传感器误触发。而图像传感器误触发后，由于图像传感器的单光子探测器存在死区时间(dead time)，容易导致近距离测距失效，同时造成功耗浪费。为避免该问题，本申请实施例的TOF装置可以采用接收端延迟启动设计方案，使得图像传感器延迟于光源启动，跳过可能发生串扰问题的时间段，以降低发生串扰的风险，提高探测精度。以下进行举例说明。
请参阅图22，图22是图4所示TOF装置10的部分结构的示意框图。
一些实施例中，接收端2的图像传感器24的逻辑控制电路242电连接发射端1的驱动芯片14。逻辑控制电路242包括指令模块2421和驱动模块2422，驱动模块2422电连接指令模块2421。其中，指令模块2421用于发送点亮指令至驱动芯片14，点亮指令用于指示驱动芯片14点亮预设的发光单元131。驱动模块2422用于启动感光单元2411，例如，驱动模块2422用于延时0.1ns至1ns，启动预设的感光单元2411，预设的感光单元2411与预设的发光单元131相对应。
在本实施例中，由于图像传感器24的逻辑控制电路242控制感光单元2411延时0.1ns至1ns启动，使得感光单元2411跳过可能发生串扰问题的时间段，因此可以避免近距离杂光导致图像传感器24误触发的问题，降低发生串扰的风险，以提高TOF装置10的探测精度。
其中，逻辑控制电路242可以通过低电压差分信号(low-voltage differential signaling，LVDS)发送点亮指令给驱动芯片14。
可以理解的是，前文实施例中，多个发光单元采用N×1的排布方式，发射端的多个探测视场、目标对象的多个探测区域、接收端的多个感测视场以及图像传感器的多个感光单元可以对应地呈现N×1的排布方式。在其他一些实施例中，多个发光单元也可以是N×M的排布方式，M、N为大于或等于2的整数。此时，发射端的多个探测视场、目标对象的多个探测区域、接收端的多个感测视场以及图像传感器的多个感光单元可以对应地呈现N×M的排布方式。
可以理解的是，前文实施例中，TOF装置采用直接飞行时间技术实现。在其他一些实施例中，本实施例的TOF装置也可以采用间接飞行时间(indirect time of flight，ITOF)技术实现。间接飞行时间技术的工作原理是，计算发射端发射的光信号的波形与接收端接收到的光信号的波形的相位偏移量，然后根据该相位偏移量计算目标对象与TOF装置之间的距离。
以上所述，以上实施例仅用以说明本申请的技术方案，而非对其限制；尽管参照前述实施例对本申请进行了详细的说明，本领域的普通技术人员应当理解：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；而这些修改或者替换，并不使相应技术方案的本质脱离本申请各实施例技术方案的范围。

Claims (12)

  1. 一种TOF装置(10)，其特征在于，包括发射端(1)和接收端(2)；
    所述发射端(1)包括：
    光源(13)，包括多个发光单元(131)；
    驱动芯片(14)，电连接所述多个发光单元(131)，所述驱动芯片(14)用于按照一定时序轮流点亮所述多个发光单元(131)；以及，
    光学元件(12)，位于所述多个发光单元(131)的发光路径上，所述光学元件(12)用于使所述多个发光单元(131)发出的光线形成一一对应的多个投射视场，所述多个投射视场用于覆盖目标对象；
    所述接收端(2)包括：
    镜头(21)，用于接收被所述目标对象反射的光线并形成多个感测视场，所述多个感测视场与所述多个投射视场一一对应；和，
    图像传感器(24)，位于所述镜头(21)的出光侧，所述图像传感器(24)包括多个感光单元(2411)和逻辑控制电路(242)，所述多个感测视场一一对应地覆盖所述多个感光单元(2411)，所述逻辑控制电路(242)用于按照一定时序轮流启动所述多个感光单元(2411)，且每个所述感光单元(2411)的启动时序与对应的所述发光单元(131)的点亮时序相同。
  2. 根据权利要求1所述的TOF装置(10)，其特征在于，所述多个发光单元(131)沿第一方向排布，每个所述发光单元(131)均沿第二方向延伸，所述第二方向垂直于所述第一方向；单个所述发光单元(131)的视场角经过所述光学元件(12)后，在所述第一方向上收缩、且在所述第二方向上扩展。
  3. 根据权利要求2所述的TOF装置(10)，其特征在于，所述多个投射视场在所述第一方向上的视场角在65°至70°范围内，在所述第二方向上的视场角在50°至60°的范围内。
  4. 根据权利要求1至3中任一项所述的TOF装置(10)，其特征在于，相邻的两个所述投射视场在所述目标对象上形成相邻的两个探测区域，所述两个探测区域部分错开、部分重叠。
  5. 根据权利要求4所述的TOF装置(10)，其特征在于，所述两个探测区域的错开部分比例大于重叠部分比例。
  6. 根据权利要求1至5中任一项所述的TOF装置(10)，其特征在于，所述光源(13)与所述驱动芯片(14)堆叠设置，所述光源(13)的非发光侧固定于所述驱动芯片(14)。
  7. 根据权利要求6所述的TOF装置(10)，其特征在于，所述光源(13)包括阳极焊盘(132)和阴极焊盘(133)，所述阳极焊盘(132)位于所述光源(13)的发光侧，所述阴极焊盘(133)位于所述光源(13)的非发光侧；
    所述驱动芯片(14)包括第一焊盘(141)和第二焊盘(142)，所述第一焊盘(141)位于所述驱动芯片(14)靠近所述光源(13)的一侧，且位于所述光源(13)的周边，所述第一焊盘(141)与所述阳极焊盘(132)之间通过导电线(18)连接，所述第二焊盘(142)位于所述驱动芯片(14)靠近所述光源(13)的一侧，且面向所述光源(13)的非发光侧设置，所述第二焊盘(142)与所述阴极焊盘(133)之间通过导电胶(19)连接。
  8. 根据权利要求7所述的TOF装置(10)，其特征在于，所述阳极焊盘(132)的数量为多个，每个所述发光单元(131)均包括两个所述阳极焊盘(132)，两个所述阳极焊盘(132)分别位于所述发光单元(131)的两端；
    所述第一焊盘(141)的数量为多个，多个所述第一焊盘(141)两两成组，每组所述第一焊盘(141)对应一个所述发光单元(131)，同一组的两个所述第一焊盘(141)分别位于 对应的所述发光单元(131)的两侧，且分别连接对应的所述发光单元(131)的两个所述阳极焊盘(132)。
  9. 根据权利要求1至8中任一项所述的TOF装置(10)，其特征在于，所述发射端(1)还包括：
    第一电路板(151)，具有通孔(1514)；和，
    第一补强板(152)，固定于所述第一电路板(151)的一侧且覆盖所述通孔(1514)，所述驱动芯片(14)至少部分位于所述通孔(1514)，所述驱动芯片(14)远离所述光源(13)的一侧固定于所述第一补强板(152)。
  10. 根据权利要求1至9中任一项所述的TOF装置(10)，其特征在于，所述逻辑控制电路(242)电连接所述驱动芯片(14)，所述逻辑控制电路(242)包括：
    指令模块(2421)，用于发送点亮指令至驱动芯片(14)，所述点亮指令用于指示所述驱动芯片(14)点亮预设的所述发光单元(131)；和，
    驱动模块(2422)，用于延时0.1ns至1ns，启动预设的所述感光单元(2411)，预设的所述感光单元(2411)与预设的所述发光单元(131)相对应。
  11. 根据权利要求1至10中任一项所述的TOF装置(10)，其特征在于，所述接收端(2)还包括：
    第二电路板(251)，所述图像传感器(24)的非感光侧固定于所述第二电路板(251)；
    第三补强板(252)，固定于所述第二电路板(251)远离所述图像传感器(24)的一侧，所述第三补强板(252)设有一个或多个贯通孔(2521)；以及，
    多个第二元器件(255)，所述多个第二元器件(255)位于所述一个或多个贯通孔(2521)且固定于所述第二电路板(251)；
    其中，所述多个第二元器件(255)在所述第二电路板(251)上的投影与所述图像传感器(24)在所述第二电路板(251)上的投影至少部分重叠。
  12. 一种电子设备(100)，其特征在于，包括处理器(106)及权利要求1至11中任一项所述的TOF装置(10)，所述处理器(106)电连接所述TOF装置(10)，所述处理器(106)用于依据所述TOF装置(10)的输出信号形成目标对象的3D图像。
PCT/CN2021/135992 2020-12-09 2021-12-07 Tof装置及电子设备 Ceased WO2022121879A1 (zh)

Priority Applications (2)

Application Number Priority Date Filing Date Title
EP21902584.8A EP4246952A4 (en) 2020-12-09 2021-12-07 Tof apparatus and electronic device
US18/256,535 US12372657B2 (en) 2020-12-09 2021-12-07 TOF apparatus and electronic device

Applications Claiming Priority (2)

Application Number Priority Date Filing Date Title
CN202011431118.1A CN114615397B (zh) 2020-12-09 2020-12-09 Tof装置及电子设备
CN202011431118.1 2020-12-09

Publications (1)

Publication Number Publication Date
WO2022121879A1 true WO2022121879A1 (zh) 2022-06-16

Family

ID=81855916

Family Applications (1)

Application Number Title Priority Date Filing Date
PCT/CN2021/135992 Ceased WO2022121879A1 (zh) 2020-12-09 2021-12-07 Tof装置及电子设备

Country Status (4)

Country Link
US (1) US12372657B2 (zh)
EP (1) EP4246952A4 (zh)
CN (1) CN114615397B (zh)
WO (1) WO2022121879A1 (zh)

Cited By (2)

* Cited by examiner, † Cited by third party
Publication number Priority date Publication date Assignee Title
CN115184956A (zh) * 2022-09-09 2022-10-14 荣耀终端有限公司 Tof传感器系统和电子设备
CN117197261A (zh) * 2023-11-07 2023-12-08 深圳市千岩科技有限公司 氛围灯设备及其取色方法和相应的装置、介质

Citations (5)

* Cited by examiner, † Cited by third party
Publication number Priority date Publication date Assignee Title
CN106574964A (zh) * 2014-12-22 2017-04-19 谷歌公司 包括二维图像采集和具有分区视场的三维飞行时间采集的集成相机系统
CN110285788A (zh) * 2018-03-19 2019-09-27 深圳光峰科技股份有限公司 ToF相机及衍射光学元件的设计方法
US20200092533A1 (en) * 2015-02-13 2020-03-19 Carnegie Mellon University Method for epipolar time of flight imaging
CN111366906A (zh) * 2020-02-01 2020-07-03 上海鲲游光电科技有限公司 投射装置和分区tof装置及其制造方法和电子设备
CN211321384U (zh) * 2019-08-28 2020-08-21 宁波舜宇光电信息有限公司 Tof摄像模组及其投射模块和电子设备

Family Cites Families (22)

* Cited by examiner, † Cited by third party
Publication number Priority date Publication date Assignee Title
JP4378004B2 (ja) 1999-12-02 2009-12-02 キヤノン株式会社 色分解光学系及びそれを用いたテレビカメラ
CN102131051B (zh) 2010-12-28 2012-11-28 惠州Tcl移动通信有限公司 一种摄像设备及其图像获取方法和装置
CN103780844A (zh) 2013-12-30 2014-05-07 华中科技大学 一种分时二路图像采集装置及其标定方法
CN103747186A (zh) 2013-12-30 2014-04-23 华中科技大学 一种分时三路图像采集装置及其标定方法
JP6317610B2 (ja) * 2014-04-03 2018-04-25 キヤノン株式会社 画像形成装置
KR102609223B1 (ko) * 2017-03-01 2023-12-06 아우스터, 인크. 라이더를 위한 정확한 광검출기 측정
US10430958B2 (en) * 2017-07-11 2019-10-01 Microsoft Technology Licensing, Llc Active illumination 3D zonal imaging system
CN208300111U (zh) * 2018-05-31 2018-12-28 南昌欧菲生物识别技术有限公司 电路板组件、光电模组、深度相机及电子装置
JP2020043229A (ja) * 2018-09-11 2020-03-19 ソニーセミコンダクタソリューションズ株式会社 光源装置、センシングモジュール
EP3963355A1 (en) 2019-03-08 2022-03-09 OSRAM GmbH Component for a lidar sensor system, lidar sensor system, lidar sensor device, method for a lidar sensor system and method for a lidar sensor device
CN110312074A (zh) * 2019-06-26 2019-10-08 上海创功通讯技术有限公司 图像采集方法及电子设备
CN110456379A (zh) * 2019-07-12 2019-11-15 深圳奥比中光科技有限公司 融合的深度测量装置及距离测量方法
CN210725133U (zh) * 2019-07-19 2020-06-09 南昌欧菲生物识别技术有限公司 发光芯片、光发射组件、摄像模组及电子设备
CN110381244B (zh) 2019-08-26 2021-02-02 浙江大华技术股份有限公司 一种摄像头及低照度下提升图像质量的方法
EP4002825B1 (en) 2019-08-28 2025-03-26 Ningbo Sunny Opotech Co., Ltd. Tof camera module and projection module thereof, and electronic device
CN110620878A (zh) 2019-09-27 2019-12-27 思特威(上海)电子科技有限公司 片内区域曝光成像方法
CN111327835B (zh) 2020-03-20 2021-07-09 合肥埃科光电科技有限公司 一种相机多线分时曝光处理方法及系统
CN111246073B (zh) * 2020-03-23 2022-03-25 维沃移动通信有限公司 成像装置、方法及电子设备
CN111123292B (zh) * 2020-03-31 2020-06-26 深圳市汇顶科技股份有限公司 飞行时间发射模组、飞行时间检测装置和电子设备
CN111398977B (zh) * 2020-04-10 2021-12-03 深圳市灵明光子科技有限公司 一种可提高分辨率的成像装置及其成像方法和探测设备
CN111950539A (zh) * 2020-07-15 2020-11-17 欧菲微电子技术有限公司 Tof模组及制备方法、电子装置
CN112038361B (zh) * 2020-09-08 2024-12-31 上海大芯半导体有限公司 距离传感器像素阵列结构、距离传感器及工作方法

Patent Citations (6)

* Cited by examiner, † Cited by third party
Publication number Priority date Publication date Assignee Title
CN106574964A (zh) * 2014-12-22 2017-04-19 谷歌公司 包括二维图像采集和具有分区视场的三维飞行时间采集的集成相机系统
US20200092533A1 (en) * 2015-02-13 2020-03-19 Carnegie Mellon University Method for epipolar time of flight imaging
CN110285788A (zh) * 2018-03-19 2019-09-27 深圳光峰科技股份有限公司 ToF相机及衍射光学元件的设计方法
CN211321384U (zh) * 2019-08-28 2020-08-21 宁波舜宇光电信息有限公司 Tof摄像模组及其投射模块和电子设备
CN111366906A (zh) * 2020-02-01 2020-07-03 上海鲲游光电科技有限公司 投射装置和分区tof装置及其制造方法和电子设备
CN111458693A (zh) * 2020-02-01 2020-07-28 上海鲲游光电科技有限公司 直接测距tof分区探测方法及其系统和电子设备

Non-Patent Citations (1)

* Cited by examiner, † Cited by third party
Title
See also references of EP4246952A4

Cited By (4)

* Cited by examiner, † Cited by third party
Publication number Priority date Publication date Assignee Title
CN115184956A (zh) * 2022-09-09 2022-10-14 荣耀终端有限公司 Tof传感器系统和电子设备
CN115184956B (zh) * 2022-09-09 2023-01-13 荣耀终端有限公司 Tof传感器系统和电子设备
CN117197261A (zh) * 2023-11-07 2023-12-08 深圳市千岩科技有限公司 氛围灯设备及其取色方法和相应的装置、介质
CN117197261B (zh) * 2023-11-07 2024-02-27 深圳市千岩科技有限公司 氛围灯设备及其取色方法和相应的装置、介质

Also Published As

Publication number Publication date
US20240053479A1 (en) 2024-02-15
EP4246952A1 (en) 2023-09-20
CN114615397A (zh) 2022-06-10
US12372657B2 (en) 2025-07-29
CN114615397B (zh) 2023-06-30
EP4246952A4 (en) 2024-04-17

Similar Documents

Publication Publication Date Title
US11575843B2 (en) Image sensor modules including primary high-resolution imagers and secondary imagers
KR101121716B1 (ko) 자동초점 카메라 장치를 갖는 이동통신 단말기
KR102599609B1 (ko) 전자 장치의 제어 방법 및 전자 장치
JP2022516854A (ja) 増加したチャネル用のハイサイド及びローサイドスイッチを備えた固体電子走査レーザアレイ
WO2021120403A1 (zh) 一种深度测量装置及测量方法
US20200302205A1 (en) Integrated electronic module for 3d sensing applications, and 3d scanning device including the integrated electronic module
EP4072118A1 (en) Photographing method, photographing module, and electronic apparatus
WO2020038068A1 (zh) 成像装置及电子设备
CN107845627B (zh) 多接近度检测光传感器
WO2022121879A1 (zh) Tof装置及电子设备
WO2020038063A1 (zh) 电子装置和电子装置的控制方法
CN113890962B (zh) 图像传感器、3d摄像头、图像传感器的控制方法
CN115825971B (zh) 一种基于spad芯片的扫描式激光雷达
CN108462822B (zh) 光感组件及电子设备
CN112929519B (zh) 深度相机、成像装置和电子设备
WO2022206112A1 (zh) 图像传感器、摄像头模组及电子设备
WO2022252309A1 (zh) 测距装置、激光雷达和移动机器人
CN209784638U (zh) 光发射模组、摄像模组及电子设备
EP4629018A1 (en) Obstacle avoidance module, robot, control method, obstacle avoidance method, and related apparatus
CN113747141A (zh) 一种电子设备和深度图像的拍摄方法
CN213365014U (zh) 微型tof单点测距模组以及微型tof单点测距设备
CN214335963U (zh) 学习机
CN210694195U (zh) 一种集成3d成像装置及电子设备
CN111866348A (zh) 光发射模组、深度相机及电子设备
KR20220013778A (ko) 거리 측정 카메라

Legal Events

Date Code Title Description
121 Ep: the epo has been informed by wipo that ep was designated in this application

Ref document number: 21902584

Country of ref document: EP

Kind code of ref document: A1

WWE Wipo information: entry into national phase

Ref document number: 18256535

Country of ref document: US

ENP Entry into the national phase

Ref document number: 2021902584

Country of ref document: EP

Effective date: 20230612

NENP Non-entry into the national phase

Ref country code: DE

WWG Wipo information: grant in national office

Ref document number: 18256535

Country of ref document: US