SENSOR AND ALIGNMENT ADJUSTING METHOD

• US 20110285571A1
• Filed: 05/18/2011
• Published: 11/24/2011
• Est. Priority Date: 05/18/2010
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: HL Mando Corporation (Halla Holdings Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Mando Corporation
• Inventors: Lee, Jae Eun, JEONG, Seong Hee
• Application Number:
  US13/110,238
• Publication Number:
  US 20110285571A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 342/27
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 13/931 of land vehicles
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 2013/93271 in the front of the vehicles
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 2013/93275 in the bumper area
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 7/4026 Antenna boresight
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 7/403 in azimuth, i.e. in the horizontal plane
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 7/4034 in elevation, i.e. in the vertical plane
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 7/4091 during normal radar operation
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 7/4972 Alignment of sensor
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 7/52004 Means for monitoring or calibrating short-range imaging G01S7/5205
• CPC Class Codes: H01Q 1/3233 particular used as part of a sensor or in a security system, e.g. for automotive radar, navigation systems
• CPC Class Codes: H01Q 1/3283 side-mounted antennas, e.g. bumper-mounted, door-mounted mounted on windscreens H01Q1/1271
• CPC Class Codes: H01Q 21/065 Patch antenna array

Abstract

Disclosed is alignment adjustment technology for a sensor, and more particularly a sensor having an antenna structure of a specific form, which enables the alignment of the sensor to be simply and accurately adjusted even without a separate mechanical adjustment device or a change in the structure of a vehicle, and an alignment adjusting method provided by the sensor.

Claims

1. A sensor comprising a plurality of antennas or a plurality of antenna groups which are arranged apart from each other by a predetermined distance in at least one direction so as to have a phase difference in at least one direction.

2. The sensor as claimed in claim 1, wherein the plurality of antennas or the plurality of antenna groups have at least one of a vertical phase difference and a horizontal phase difference, the vertical phase difference being generated when the antennas or the antenna groups are arranged apart from each other by a predetermined vertical distance in the vertical direction, the horizontal phase difference being generated when the antennas or the antenna groups are arranged apart from each other by a predetermined horizontal distance in the horizontal direction.

3. The sensor as claimed in claim 2, wherein the vertical phase difference is calculated based on the horizontal phase difference and a phase difference between antennal channels in the plurality of antennas or the plurality of antenna groups.

4. The sensor as claimed in claim 2, wherein the sensor adjusts a beam direction by assigning a weight to each antenna channel with respect to the plurality of antennas or the plurality of antenna groups, which have at least one of the vertical phase difference and the horizontal phase difference, or selects one of the plurality of antennas or the plurality of antenna groups, which have at least one of the vertical phase difference and the horizontal phase difference, thereby adjusting a beam direction of a transmission or reception signal with respect to at least one of vertical and horizontal directions.

5. The sensor as claimed in claim 4, wherein the sensor senses a peripheral target in real time through a beamforming with respect to at least one direction of the vertical and horizontal directions.

6. The sensor as claimed in claim 4, wherein the sensor adjusts a beam direction of the transmission signal or a beam direction of the reception signal with respect to at least one direction of the vertical and horizontal directions based on at least one of the vertical phase difference and the horizontal phase difference, thereby compensating for mis-alignment in at least one of the vertical and horizontal directions, which is caused by a vehicle tolerance generation in a vehicle production line.

7. The sensor as claimed in claim 4, wherein, when a vehicle equipped with the sensor recognizes a target on a slope having a wave in a vertical direction, the sensor assigns a weight to each antenna channel of the plurality of antennas or the plurality of antenna groups having the vertical phase difference, or selects at least one of the plurality of antennas or the plurality of antenna groups having the vertical phase difference, based on information on the wave of the slope, and adjusts a beam direction of the transmission or reception signal with respect to the vertical direction, thereby adjusting mis-alignment with respect to the vertical direction;

and

when a vehicle equipped with the sensor recognizes a target on a curve having a curvature in a horizontal direction, the sensor assigns a weight to each antenna channel of the plurality of antennas or the plurality of antenna groups having the horizontal phase difference, or selects at least one of the plurality of antennas or the plurality of antenna groups having the horizontal phase difference, based on information on the curve of the curvature, and adjusts a beam direction of the transmission or reception signal with respect to the horizontal direction, thereby adjusting mis-alignment with respect to the horizontal direction.

8. The sensor as claimed in claim 4, wherein the sensor assigns a weight to each antenna channel of the plurality of antennas or the plurality of antenna groups, or can select at least one of the plurality of antennas or the plurality of antenna groups based on a height of a peripheral target, and adjusts a beam direction of the transmission or reception signal with respect to the vertical direction, thereby identifying the target.

9. The sensor as claimed in claim 2, wherein, when the plurality of antennas or the plurality of antenna groups having at least one of the vertical and horizontal phase differences is included in a transmission antenna unit, the sensor assigns a weight to each antenna channel of the plurality of antennas or the plurality of antenna groups, or selects one antenna or one antenna group from among the plurality of antennas or the plurality of antenna groups, and adjusts a beam direction of a transmission signal with respect to at least one of the vertical and horizontal directions.

10. The sensor as claimed in claim 9, wherein the sensor further comprises a reception antenna for receiving a reception signal obtained when the transmission signal is reflected from a peripheral target,

wherein the plurality of antennas or the plurality of antenna groups have different transmission antenna beam regions to transmit the transmission signal at different angles with respect to at least one of the vertical and horizontal directions, and the reception antenna has a single reception antenna beam region including all the different transmission antenna beam regions.

11. The sensor as claimed in claim 2, wherein, when the plurality of antennas or the plurality of antenna groups having at least one of the vertical and horizontal phase differences is included in a reception antenna unit, the sensor assigns a weight to each antenna channel of the plurality of antennas or the plurality of antenna groups, or selects one antenna or one antenna group from among the plurality of antennas or the plurality of antenna groups, and adjusts a beam direction of a reception signal with respect to at least one of the vertical and horizontal directions.

12. The sensor as claimed in claim 11, wherein the sensor further comprises a transmission antenna for transmitting a transmission signal, and one antenna or one antenna group selected from the plurality of antennas or the plurality of antenna groups receives the reception signal obtained when the transmission signal is reflected from a peripheral target,

wherein the plurality of antennas or the plurality of antenna groups have different reception antenna beam regions to receive the reception signal at different angles with respect to at least one of the vertical and horizontal directions, and the transmission antenna has a single transmission antenna beam region including all the different reception antenna beam regions.

13. An alignment adjusting method of a sensor, the alignment adjusting method comprising:

collecting data between antenna channels from a plurality of antennas or a plurality of antenna groups, which are arranged apart from each other by a predetermined distance in at least one direction so as to have a phase difference in at least one direction;

calculating a phase difference in the at least one direction based on the data between the antenna channels;

determining if an antenna beam is directed in a desired direction; and

adjusting directivity of the antenna beam with respect to the at least one direction when the antenna beam is currently directed in an undesired direction, by either assigning a weight to each antenna channel of the plurality of antennas or the plurality of antenna groups, or by selecting one antenna or one antenna group from among the plurality of antennas or the plurality of antenna groups.