Measuring system, use of at least one individually operable led lighting unit as a sender unit in a measuring system, method for operating a measuring system and lighting source having a measuring system

Abstract

Provided is a measuring system ( 1 ), which comprises a sender unit ( 10 ) with at least one individually operable LED lighting unit ( 12 ) with a luminous area which has a characteristic longitudinal extent ( 107 ) of less than or equal to 100 μm and/or a surface area of less than or equal to 10 4 μm 2 , wherein the LED lighting unit ( 12 ) is configured to emit at least one light pulse as a sender signal ( 11 ) during operation, and comprises the one receiver unit ( 20 ) with at least one detector unit ( 22 ) for receiving a return signal ( 21 ), which comprises at least a part of the sender signal ( 11 ) reflected by an external object. Furthermore, use of at least one individually operable LED lighting unit as a sender unit in a measuring system, a method for operating a measuring system and a lighting source having a measuring system are provided.

1 . Measuring system ( 1 ), comprising:
 a sender unit ( 10 ) with at least one individually operable LED lighting unit ( 12 ) with a luminous area ( 106 ), which has a characteristic longitudinal extent ( 107 ) of less than or equal to 100 μm and/or a surface area of less than or equal to 10 4  μm 2 , wherein the LED lighting unit ( 12 ) is configured to emit at least one light pulse as a sender signal ( 11 ) during operation, and   a receiver unit ( 20 ) with at least one detector unit ( 22 ) for receiving a return signal ( 21 ), which comprises at least a part of the sender signal ( 11 ) reflected by an external object.   
     
     
         2 . The measuring system ( 1 ) according to  claim 1 , wherein the lighting unit ( 12 ) has a luminous area ( 106 ) with a rectangular basic shape and the characteristic longitudinal extent ( 107 ) is an edge length of the rectangular basic shape. 
     
     
         3 . The measuring system ( 1 ) according to one of the preceding claims, wherein the at least one light pulse has a pulse length of less than or equal to 10 ns. 
     
     
         4 . The measuring system ( 1 ) according to one of the preceding claims, wherein the at leas one LED lighting unit ( 12 ) is formed by a LED ( 100 ). 
     
     
         5 . The measuring system ( 1 ) according to one of the preceding claims, wherein the sender unit ( 10 ) comprises a segmented LED ( 100 ), which comprises a plurality of individually operable LED lighting units ( 12 ) in the form of luminous segments. 
     
     
         6 . The measuring system ( 1 ) according to one of the preceding claims, wherein the sender unit ( 10 ) comprises a plurality of LEDs ( 100 ) each having at least one LED lighting unit ( 12 ). 
     
     
         7 . The measuring system ( 1 ) according to one of the preceding claims, wherein the sender unit ( 10 ) is configured to successively emit light pulses during operation of various LED lighting units ( 12 ). 
     
     
         8 . The measuring system ( 1 ) according to one of the preceding claims, wherein the sender unit ( 10 ) comprises a plurality of LED lighting units ( 12 ), which emit in different solid angle ranges. 
     
     
         9 . The measuring system ( 1 ) according to one of the preceding claims, wherein the sender unit ( 10 ) comprises a plurality of LED lighting units ( 12 ), which emit in a same solid angle range. 
     
     
         10 . The measuring system ( 1 ) according to one of the preceding claims, wherein the sender unit ( 10 ) comprises a wavelength conversion substance ( 111 ), which is configured to convert at least part of the primary light generated by the LED lighting unit ( 12 ) during operation into secondary light different from the primary light, wherein the wavelength conversion substance ( 111 ) has an excitation and deactivation time of in each case less than or equal to 10 ns. 
     
     
         11 . The measuring system ( 1 ) according to  claim 10 , wherein the wavelength conversion substance ( 111 ) has an excitation and/or deactivation time of more than 10 ns and the receiver unit ( 20 ) comprises a filter, which is impermeable to the secondary light. 
     
     
         12 . The measuring system ( 1 ) according to one of  claims 1  to  11 , wherein the receiver unit ( 20 ) comprises exactly one detector unit ( 22 ) for the detection of a plurality of return signals ( 21 ). 
     
     
         13 . The measuring system ( 1 ) according to one of  claims 1  to  11 , wherein the receiver unit ( 20 ) comprises a plurality of detector units ( 22 ) for the detection of a plurality of return signals ( 21 ). 
     
     
         14 . The measuring system ( 1 ) according to one of the preceding claims, wherein the measuring system ( 1 ) is a LIDAR system. 
     
     
         15 . The measuring system ( 1 ) according to one of the preceding claims, including a storage capacitor ( 18 ) and a current control unit ( 16 ), wherein
 the at least one LED lighting unit ( 12 ) is connected in a strand in series to the current control unit ( 16 ), and   the storage capacitor ( 18 ) is connected in parallel to the strand having the at least one LED lighting unit ( 12 ) and the current control unit ( 16 ), wherein   the current control unit ( 16 ) is configured to set a current for operating the at least one LED lighting unit ( 12 ) in such a way that the at least one LED lighting unit ( 12 ) is operated with a direct current in a first operating state of the current control unit ( 16 ) and with a pulsed current in a second operating state of the current control unit ( 16 ).   
     
     
         16 . The measuring system ( 1 ) according to one of the preceding claims, wherein
 the sender unit ( 10 ) comprises multiple clusters ( 15 ) each including a plurality of LED lighting units ( 12 ), wherein
 the LED lighting units ( 12 ), per cluster, emit in a same solid angle range, and 
 the LED lighting units ( 12 ) of different clusters ( 15 ) each emit in different solid angle ranges. 
   
     
     
         17 . The measuring system ( 1 ) according to one of the preceding claims, wherein one strand having one current control unit ( 16 ) is provided per cluster ( 15 ), which current control unit ( 16 ) is in each case connected in series with the LED lighting units ( 12 ) of the cluster ( 15 ) and configured to set the current for operating the LED lighting units ( 12 ) of the cluster ( 15 ). 
     
     
         18 . Use of at least one individually operable LED lighting unit ( 12 ) as a sender unit ( 10 ) in a measuring system ( 1 ), wherein the LED lighting unit ( 12 ) has a luminous area ( 106 ) with a characteristic longitudinal extent ( 107 ) of less than or equal to 100 μm and/or a luminous area ( 106 ) of less than or equal to 10 4  μm 2  and is configured to emit at least one light pulse as a sender signal ( 11 ) during operation. 
     
     
         19 . A method for operating a measuring system) according to one of  claims 1  to  17 , in which
 the sender unit ( 10 ) emits at least one light pulse as a sender signal ( 11 ), and 
 the receiver unit ( 20 ) detects the return signal ( 21 ). 
 
     
     
         20 . Lighting source ( 2 ) with a measuring system ( 1 ) according to one of  claims 1  to  17 , wherein the sender unit ( 10 ) comprises at least two operating states, one operating state of which is configured for performing the method according to  claim 19 , and a different operating state is configured to continuously emit light for ambient lighting.