MIMO ANTENNA WITH IMPROVED GRATING LOBE CHARACTERISTICS

• US 20150253419A1
• Filed: 03/05/2014
• Published: 09/10/2015
• Est. Priority Date: 03/05/2014
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: Delphi Technologies, Inc. (BorgWarner Incorporated)
• Original Assignee: Delphi Technologies, Inc. (BorgWarner Incorporated)
• Inventors: ALLAND, STEPHEN W.
• Application Number:
  US14/197,417
• Publication Number:
  US 20150253419A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 13/003 Bistatic radar systems; Multistatic radar systems
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 13/42 Simultaneous measurement of distance and other co-ordinates indirect measurement G01S13/46
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 13/4463 using phased arrays
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 13/931 of land vehicles
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 2013/0245 Radar with phased array antenna
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 7/02 of systems according to group G01S13/00
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 7/03 Details of HF subsystems specially adapted therefor, e.g. common to transmitter and receiver
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 7/2813 Means providing a modification of the radiation pattern for cancelling noise, clutter or interfering signals, e.g. side lobe suppression, side lobe blanking, null-steering arrays specially adapted to secondary radar systems G01S13/762; aerials or aerials systems H01Q21/29, H01Q25/00
• CPC Class Codes: H01Q 13/206 Microstrip transmission line antennas
• CPC Class Codes: H01Q 21/065 Patch antenna array
• CPC Class Codes: H01Q 21/08 the units being spaced along or adjacent to a rectilinear path waveguide fed H01Q21/0037
• CPC Class Codes: H01Q 21/28 Combinations of substantially independent non-interacting antenna units or systems multiple beam H01Q25/00

Abstract

A multiple input multiple output (MIMO) antenna for a radar system that includes a first transmit antenna, a second transmit antenna, and a receive antenna. The first transmit antenna is configured to emit a first radar signal toward a target. The first transmit antenna is formed of a first vertical array of radiator elements. The second transmit antenna is configured to emit a second radar signal toward the target. The second transmit antenna is formed of a second vertical array of radiator elements distinct from the first vertical array. The receive antenna is configured to detect radar signals reflected by a target toward the receive antenna. The receive antenna is formed of a plurality of paired vertical arrays of detector elements.

Claims

1. A multiple input multiple output (MIMO) antenna for a radar system, said antenna comprising:

a first transmit antenna configured to emit a first radar signal toward a target, said first transmit antenna formed of a first vertical array of radiator elements;

a second transmit antenna configured to emit a second radar signal toward the target, said second transmit antenna formed of a second vertical array of radiator elements distinct from the first vertical array; and

a receive antenna configured to detect radar signals reflected by a target toward the receive antenna, said receive antenna formed of a plurality of paired vertical arrays of detector elements.

2. The MIMO antenna in accordance with claim 1, wherein the second transmit antenna is vertically offset from the first transmit antenna by a vertical offset distance selected so an elevation angle to the target can be determined.

3. The MIMO antenna in accordance with claim 1, wherein the first transmit antenna comprises a first paired vertical array of radiator elements;

and

a second transmit antenna comprises a second paired vertical array of radiator elements distinct from the first transmit antenna.

4. The MIMO antenna in accordance with claim 1, wherein the first transmit antenna and the receive antenna cooperate to establish a first group of phase-centers, and the second transmit antenna and the receive antenna cooperate to establish a second group of phase-centers distinct from the first group of phase-centers.

5. The MIMO antenna in accordance with claim 4, wherein the second transmit antenna is horizontally offset from the first transmit antenna, whereby the first group of phase-centers are horizontally offset from the second group of phase-centers.

6. The MIMO antenna in accordance with claim 5, wherein the second transmit antenna is horizontally offset from the first transmit antenna by a horizontal offset distance selected so the first group of phase-centers intersects a vertical line that intersects the second group of phase-centers.

7. The MIMO antenna in accordance with claim 6, wherein the horizontal offset distance is selected so the first group of phase-centers is interleaved with the second group of phase-centers.

8. The MIMO antenna in accordance with claim 4, wherein the first radar signal is characterized by a wavelength, wherein each of the plurality of paired vertical arrays that form the receive antenna is horizontally spaced apart by one wavelength.

9. The MIMO antenna in accordance with claim 8, wherein the first transmit antenna is horizontally space apart from the second transmit antenna a horizontal offset distance selected so the first group of phase-centers intersects a vertical line that intersects the second group of phase-centers, whereby some of the phase-centers are interleaved such that some of the phase-centers are horizontally spaced apart by one-half wavelength.

10. The MIMO antenna in accordance with claim 9, wherein the first transmit antenna comprises a first paired vertical array of radiator elements;

and

a second transmit antenna comprises a second paired vertical array of radiator elements distinct from the first transmit antenna.

11. The MIMO antenna in accordance with claim 10, wherein the second transmit antenna is vertically offset from the first transmit antenna by a vertical offset distance selected so an elevation angle to the target can be determined.