Doppler radar module using micro-stripline technology

• US 5,497,163 A
• Filed: 08/04/1994
• Issued: 03/05/1996
• Est. Priority Date: 08/09/1993
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Infineon Technologies AG
• Original Assignee: Siemens AG
• Inventors: Lohninger, Gerhard, Zimmermann, Walter
• Primary Examiner(s): Lobo, Ian J.
• Application Number:
  US08/285,737
• Time in Patent Office: 579 Days
• Field of Search: 342/28, 342/20, 342/175, 455/327
• US Class Current: 342/175
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 13/58 Velocity or trajectory determination systems; Sense-of-movement determination systems
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 7/032 Constructional details for solid-state radar subsystems
• CPC Class Codes: H03B 5/1876 the semiconductor device being a field-effect device
• CPC Class Codes: H03D 9/0633 mounted on a stripline circuit

Abstract

A Doppler radar module constructed using micro-stripline technology is used in motion sensors and includes a local oscillator stabilized with a dielectric resonator that feeds a microwave antenna via a mixer that is connected in series. The transmission signal is emitted from the microwave antenna and is reflected back from an object where it is received by the antenna and forwarded to the mixer. The mixer mixes the reflected signal with a portion of the oscillator signal to form a Doppler signal.

Claims

1. A Doppler radar module for forming Doppler signals from reflections from an object, comprising:

a housing of electrically conductive material;

a dielectric resonator mounted in said housing;

a local oscillator connected to said dielectric resonator, said dielectric resonator stabilizing an oscillator signal from said local oscillator;

a mixer connected to an output of said local oscillator to receive said oscillator signal;

a mismatch circuit connected between said mixer and said local oscillator;

a microwave antenna connected in series with said mixer to receive said oscillator signal from said output of said local oscillator via said mixer so that a transmission signal is emitted from said microwave antenna, said microwave antenna receiving reflections of said transmission signal from the object and connected to transmit received signals to said mixer; and

an antenna matching circuit connected between said mixer and said antenna;

wherein said mixer is connected to mix part of said oscillator signal from said local oscillator with the received signal to form a Doppler signal.

2. A Doppler radar module as claimed in claim 1, wherein said mixer includes:

first and second diodes;

said mismatch circuit being connected between said first diode and said local oscillator;

said antenna matching circuit being connected between said first diode and said antenna; and

a micro-stripline connected between said second diode and ground.

3. A Doppler radar module as claimed in claim 1, further comprising:

a multi-layer motherboard mounted in said housing such that said housing is divided into two chambers, said multi-layer motherboard having a first side on which is provided said local oscillator and a second side on which is mounted said mixer;

a transistor on said first side of said multi-layer motherboard; and

an antenna feed on said second side of said multi-layer motherboard;

said multi-layer motherboard being composed of two motherboards which are laminated with a copper layer at both sides and are etched free of portions of the copper layer in a predetermined way, said two motherboards being joined to one another at the back sides thereof.

4. A Doppler radar module as claimed in claim 1, further comprising:

a λ

/4 stripline connected between said mixer and ground at an antenna side of said mixer; and

a protective resistor connected to an output side of said mixer.

5. A Doppler radar module as claimed in claim 3, further comprising:

glue joining said two motherboards to one another.

6. A Doppler radar module as claimed in claim 1, wherein said local oscillator includes an active element that is a field effect transistor.

7. A Doppler radar module as claimed in claim 1, wherein said local oscillator includes an active element that is a bipolar transistor.

8. A Doppler radar module as claimed in claim 3, wherein said transistor on said first side is a field effect transistor for driving said local oscillator as an active element;

said dielectric resonator is on said first side;

said local oscillator includes striplines on said first side;

said antenna feed includes an antenna matching circuit; and

further comprising;

a gate DC resistor and an RF series resistor connected to said field effect transistor and mounted on said first side;

a surface wave filter on said second side;

a voltage supply drop resistor on said second side; and

through contacting connections from said first side to said second side to connect oscillator signals from said local oscillator from said first side to said second side.

9. A Doppler radar module as claimed in claim 1, wherein said microwave antenna is a patch antenna.

10. A Doppler radar module as claimed in claim 3, wherein said multi-layer motherboard includes a plurality of through contacting at a circumference of said motherboard to connect middle layers of said multi-layer motherboard to said housing, said middle layers being formed by the copper layer at the joined back sides of said two motherboards.

11. A Doppler radar module as claimed in claim 10, wherein said plurality of through contacting form edge perforations.

12. A Doppler radar module as claimed in claim 1, further comprising:

a low frequency motherboard connected to said housing.