Monostatic FMCW radar sensor

• US 6,037,894 A
• Filed: 02/28/1997
• Issued: 03/14/2000
• Est. Priority Date: 07/01/1995
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Covario, Inc. (Dentsu Group, Inc.), ROBERT BOSCH GMBH & PLESSEY
• Original Assignee: Robert Bosch GmbH
• Inventors: Dawson, David, Lowbridge, Paul, Nash, Colin, Pfizenmaier, Heinz, Prime, Brian
• Primary Examiner(s): Sotomayor, John B.
• Application Number:
  US08/808,075
• Time in Patent Office: 1,110 Days
• Field of Search: 342/70, 342/71, 342/72, 342/175, 342/128, 343/700 MS
• US Class Current: 342/70
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 13/345 using triangular modulation
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 13/931 of land vehicles
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 2013/9314 Parking operations
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 2013/9321 Velocity regulation, e.g. cruise control
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 7/032 Constructional details for solid-state radar subsystems
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 7/034 Duplexers switching devices for waveguides H01P1/10; transmit-receive switching in transceivers H04B1/44
• CPC Class Codes: H01Q 19/062 for focusing

Abstract

According to the invention, a monostatic FMCW radar sensor for a vehicle for detecting objects is proposed in which at least one antenna feed in combination with a dielectric lens is embodied for both transmitting and receiving a corresponding echo signal. At least one antenna feed is connected to a ring mixer via a ratrace ring or double ratrace ring, so that an expensive circulator can be dispensed with. The high-frequency structure is advantageously embodied in planar microstrip form. A plurality of transmission and reception antennas are focused via one common lens.

Claims

1. A FMCW radar sensor for a vehicle for detecting one or more objects, comprising a housing;

a Gunn oscillator;

at least one antenna aligned with a dielectric for electromagnetic millimeter waves;

an evaluation circuit, said at least one antenna being embodied for both transmission and reception of a corresponding echo signal;

a ring mixer;

a rat-race ring connecting said at least one antenna to said ring mixer, said at least one antenna and also at least one element selected from the group consisting of said rat-race ring and said ring mixer being embodied in planar microstrip form; and

a dielectric polyrod antenna disposed between said at least one antenna and said lens.

2. A FMCW radar sensor as defined in claim 1;

and further comprising two further antennas so as to provide in the FMCW radar sensor three such antennas.

3. A FMCW radarsensor as defined in claim 1, wherein said rat-race ring is a double rat-race ring.

4. A FMCW radar sensor as defined in claim 1, wherein said at least one antenna is embodied as an antenna array.

5. A FMCW radar sensor as defined in claim 4, wherein said at least one antenna array is formed for illuminating an elliptically shaped lens.

6. A FMCW radar sensor as defined in claim 2, wherein adjacent ones of said antennas are rotated by an angle of about 45°

from a center axis of said lens.

7. A FMCW radar sensor as defined in claim 2, wherein a middle one of said three antennas is rotated by about 125°

from a center axis of said lens.

8. A FMCW radar sensor as defined in claim 1;

and further comprising a tapping transformer through which a transmission energy of said Gunn oscillator is coupled from a wave guide plane to said microstrip plane.

9. A FMCW radar sensor as defined in claim 1, wherein said Gunn oscillator is blankable after a conclusion of a ramp function.

10. A FMCW radar sensor as defined in claim 9 wherein said ramp function is embodied as a trapezoidal.

11. A FMCW radar sensor as defined in claim 9, wherein said ramp function is embodied as triangular.

12. A FMCW radar sensor as defined in claim 1, wherein said evaluation circuit is formed so that it compares transmission frequencies and reception frequencies, taking Doppler shifts into account, and from the comparison determines a relative distance from detected objects.

13. A FMCW radar sensor as defined in claim 1, wherein said housing is hermetically sealed.

14. A FMCW radar sensor as defined in claim 13, wherein said housing has an outer wall and is provided with a pressure compensation element on said outer wall.

15. A FMCW radar sensor as defined in claim 1, wherein the FMCW radar sensor is formed so that it is useable to control a vehicle speed controller.

16. A FMCW radar sensor as defined in claim 1, wherein said FMCW radar sensor is formed so that it is useable to control a parking aide.

17. A FMCW radar sensor for a vehicle for detecting one or more objects, comprising a housing;

a Gunn oscillator;

at least one antenna aligned with a dielectric for electromagnetic millimeter waves;

an evaluation circuit, said at least one antenna being embodied for both transmission and reception of a corresponding echo signal;

a ring mixer;

a rat-race ring connecting said at least one antenna to said ring mixer and formed as a T/R diplexer, said at least one antenna and also at least one element selected from the group consisting of said rat-race ring and said ring mixer being embodied in planar microstrip form.

18. A FMCW radar sensor for a vehicle for detecting one or more objects, comprising a housing;

a Gunn oscillator;

at least one antenna aligned with a dielectric for electromagnetic millimeter waves;

an evaluation circuit, said at least one antenna being embodied for both transmission and reception of a corresponding echo signal;

a ring mixer;

a double rat-race ring connecting said at least one antenna to said ring mixer, said at least one antenna and also at least one element selected from the group consisting of said double rat-race ring and said ring mixer being embodied in planar microstrip form, said double rat-race ring having one rat-race ring provided for said mixer and another rat-race ring provided for a diplexer.