Particulate detection sensor, dust sensor, air conditioning device, and control method of particulate detection sensor

1. A particulate detection sensor that detects concentration of a particulate in a fluid, the sensor comprising:

a light emitting element that projects light to the particulate;

a single photon avalanche diode (SPAD) array light detecting unit that includes a plurality of SPADs, receives light projected from the light emitting element and scattered by the particulate, and outputs a pulse signal, the single photon avalanche diodes being arranged in an array and operating in a Geiger mode; and

a signal processing unit that calculates the concentration of the particulate based on a pulse count value being a value obtained by counting the pulse signal,

wherein the signal processing unit calculates the concentration of the particulate based on a first pulse count value and a second pulse count value, the first pulse count value being a pulse count value of the pulse signal in a lighting period in which the light emitting element projects the light, the second pulse count value being a pulse count value of the pulse signal in a lighting-off period in which the light emitting element does not project the light.

2. The particulate detection sensor according to claim 1 ,

wherein a length of a period in which the first pulse count value is counted in the lighting period is equal to a length of a period in which the second pulse count value is counted in the lighting-off period.

3. The particulate detection sensor according to claim 1 ,

wherein the signal processing unit calculates a third pulse count value by subtracting the second pulse count value from the first pulse count value, and calculates the concentration of the particulate based on the third pulse count value.

4. The particulate detection sensor according to claim 1 , further comprising:

a pulse counter that counts the pulse signal,

wherein the pulse counter is configured by an UP/DOWN counter, and counts up the pulse signal in the lighting period and counts down the pulse signal in the lighting-off period.

5. The particulate detection sensor according to claim 1 , further comprising:

a temperature detection unit that measures an ambient temperature of the SPAD array light detecting unit; and

a voltage setting unit that supplies a reverse bias voltage to the SPAD array light detecting unit, the reverse bias voltage being determined in accordance with a measurement result of the ambient temperature, wherein

the ambient temperature is measured in a temperature detection period by the temperature detection unit,

the reverse bias voltage is updated in a voltage setting period by the voltage setting unit in accordance with the measurement result of the ambient temperature, and

the temperature detection period and the voltage setting period are set in synchronization with a measurement period including a period in which the first pulse count value is counted in the lighting period and a period in which the second pulse count value is counted in the lighting-off period.

6. The particulate detection sensor according to claim 5 ,

wherein the signal processing unit

performs temperature correction on a first calculation coefficient, which is preset and used for calculating the concentration of the particulate, with a temperature correction coefficient that is preset and the measurement result of the ambient temperature measured by the temperature detection unit, and calculates a second calculation coefficient, and

calculates the concentration of the particulate with the second calculation coefficient and a third pulse count value obtained by subtracting the second pulse count value from the first pulse count value.

7. The particulate detection sensor according to claim 6 ,

wherein the temperature correction coefficient is calculated based on a measurement result of the concentration of the particulate at at least two or more temperatures, in an inspection processing when the particulate detection sensor is manufactured.

8. The particulate detection sensor according to claim 5 , further comprising:

a control unit that controls a driving unit driving the light emitting element, the SPAD array light detecting unit, and the voltage setting unit, wherein

the control unit has a function to output a first adjustment signal, a second adjustment signal, and a third adjustment signal for respectively adjusting operation conditions of the driving unit, the SPAD array light detecting unit, and the voltage setting unit,

the driving unit has a function to adjust a quantity of light to be emitted from the light emitting element with the first adjustment signal,

the SPAD array light detecting unit has a function to set each of SPAD cells constituting the SPAD array light detecting unit to be valid or invalid, with the second adjustment signal,

the voltage setting unit has a function to adjust the reverse bias voltage with the third adjustment signal, and

the first adjustment signal, the second adjustment signal, and the third adjustment signal are determined based on an inspection result in inspection processing when the particulate detection sensor is manufactured.

9. The particulate detection sensor according to claim 8 , wherein

the SPAD array light detecting unit has a function to divide a SPAD array area in which the plurality of SPADs are arranged in an array into at least two or more reference areas and to select at least one of the reference areas as a measurement area, and

the second adjustment signal is set to select the measurement area such that a value obtained by dividing a third pulse count value by a fourth pulse count value is set to be the maximum, the third pulse count value being obtained by subtracting the second pulse count value from the first pulse count value, the fourth pulse count value being a pulse count value of the pulse signal in the lighting period in a state where there is no particulate, in the inspection processing when the particulate detection sensor is manufactured.

10. The particulate detection sensor according to claim 1 , wherein

in inspection processing when the particulate detection sensor is manufactured, a fourth pulse count value being a pulse count value of a stray light component in a state where there is no particulate is measured, and

when the signal processing unit calculates the concentration of the particulate, the fourth pulse count value is subtracted from a third pulse count value obtained by subtracting the second pulse count value from the first pulse count value.

11. The particulate detection sensor according to claim 10 ,

wherein the fourth pulse count value is subjected to temperature correction with a measurement result obtained by a temperature detection unit that measures an ambient temperature of the SPAD array light detecting unit.

12. The particulate detection sensor according to claim 1 ,

wherein the SPAD array light detecting unit includes an optical bandpass filter that causes only light having a wavelength in a vicinity of a light emission wavelength of the light emitting element to be transmitted, in an incident direction of the scattered light.

13. The particulate detection sensor according to claim 1 ,

wherein at least two or more of components other than the light emitting element are integrated on an identical semiconductor substrate.

14. The particulate detection sensor according to claim 1 , wherein

the lighting period, the lighting-off period, a first pulse counting period in which the first pulse count value is counted in the lighting period, and a second pulse counting period in which the second pulse count value is counted in the lighting-off period are controlled as predetermined periods,

the first pulse counting period is controlled in synchronization with the lighting period,

the second pulse counting period is controlled in synchronization with the lighting-off period, and

measurement in the lighting period and the lighting-off period repeats at least one time or more.

15. A dust sensor comprising:

the particulate detection sensor according to claim 1 , wherein

a detection area for detecting a dust particulate floating in a gas is provided, and

the dust sensor detects concentration of the dust particulate.

16. An air conditioning device comprising the dust sensor according to claim 15 .

17. A control method of a particulate detection sensor that detects concentration of a particulate in a fluid, the method comprising:

projecting light to the particulate by a light emitting element;

receiving light projected from the light emitting element and scattered by the particulate, and outputting a pulse signal, by a SPAD array light detecting unit including a plurality of SPADs which are arranged in an array and operate in a Geiger mode; and

calculating the concentration of the particulate based on a pulse count value being a value obtained by counting the pulse signal, by a signal processing unit,

wherein, in the calculating of the concentration of the particulate, the concentration of the particulate is calculated based on a first pulse count value and a second pulse count value, the first pulse count value being a pulse count value of the pulse signal in a lighting period in which the light emitting element projects the light, the second pulse count value being a pulse count value of the pulse signal in a lighting-off period in which the light emitting element does not project the light.