Radar system in a motor vehicle

• US 6,630,901 B1
• Filed: 12/19/2001
• Issued: 10/07/2003
• Est. Priority Date: 12/24/1999
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Robert Bosch GmbH
• Original Assignee: Robert Bosch GmbH
• Inventors: Lucas, Bernhard, Peveling, Wolfgang, Mayer, Hermann, Winter, Klaus
• Primary Examiner(s): Gregory, Bernarr E.
• Application Number:
  US09/914,316
• Time in Patent Office: 657 Days
• Field of Search: 342/27, 342/28, 342/70, 342/71, 342/72, 342/175, 342/195, 343/704, 343/711, 343/712-717, 343/720, 343/872, 343/873, 343/700.MS
• US Class Current: 342/70
• CPC Class Codes: H01Q 1/02 Arrangements for de-icing; Arrangements for drying-out ; Arrangements for cooling; Arrangements for preventing corrosion
• 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 1/425 comprising a metallic grid
• CPC Class Codes: H01Q 15/0006 Devices acting selectively as reflecting surface, as diffracting or as refracting device, e.g. frequency filtering or angular spatial filtering devices H01Q15/12, H01Q15/22, H01Q15/24 take precedence
• CPC Class Codes: H01Q 19/062 for focusing

Abstract

A motor vehicle radar system having at least one sensor-radiation transparent body for focusing the sensor beam and/or at least one radome without intentional focusing in the beam path, at least one arrangement made of electrical printed circuit traces being arranged in the area of the sensor-radiation transparent body and/or the radome, the arrangement being suitable at least for heating the sensor-radiation transparent body and/or the radome, electrical power being able to be supplied to the electrical printed circuit traces, power control of the supplied electrical power being carried out as a function of operating states and ambient conditions, such that the surface temperature (TL) of the sensor-radiation transparent body and/or the radome does not exceed preestablished temperature values.

Claims

1. A motor vehicle radar system, comprising:

a structure including at least one of;

at least one sensor-radiation transparent body for focusing a sensor beam, and

at least one radome without intentional focusing in a beam path; and

at least one arrangement including electrical printed circuit traces disposed in an area of at least one of the at least one sensor-radiation transparent body and the at least one radome, wherein;

the at least one arrangement heats at least one of the least one sensor-radiation transparent body and the at least one radome,

an electrical power is supplied to the electrical printed circuit traces, and

a power control of the supplied electrical power is carried out as a function of operating states and ambient conditions, such that a surface temperature of at least one of the at least one sensor-radiation transparent body and the at least one radome does not exceed a preestablished temperature value.

2. The motor vehicle radar system according to claim 1, wherein:

the at least one sensor radiation-transparent body includes a dielectric lens.

3. The motor vehicle radar system according to claim 1, wherein:

the power control is exercised as a result of a voltage that drops off at the electrical printed circuit traces and that is not constant over time.

4. The motor vehicle radar system according to claim 3, wherein:

the voltage is a fundamental voltage that is clocked at a preestablished pulse-duty factor via a switch.

5. The motor vehicle radar system according to claim 4, wherein:

the fundamental voltage is the operating voltage of the vehicle electrical system.

6. The motor vehicle radar system according to claim 5, wherein:

the at least one arrangement is dimensioned such that an electrical resistance of the electrical printed circuit traces is so small that at a long-lasting pulse-duty factor of t/T=1, a multiple of an actually permitted heating power results.

7. The motor vehicle radar system according to claim 4, further comprising:

a control unit for determining the pulse-duty factor.

8. The motor vehicle radar system according to claim 7, wherein:

the control unit includes a memory for storing an input-output map.

9. The motor vehicle radar system according to claim 7, further comprising:

an analog-digital converter integrated with the control unit and for measuring an operating voltage of a vehicle electrical system.

10. The motor vehicle radar system according to claim 3, wherein:

the voltage is a function of at least one of a set of quantities including;

an operating voltage of a vehicle electrical system,

an ambient temperature outside a motor vehicle,

a speed of the motor vehicle,

the surface temperature of at least one of the at least one sensor-radiation transparent body and the at least one radome.

11. The motor vehicle radar system according to claim 10, wherein:

at least one of the set of quantities is made available to a bus system within the motor vehicle.

12. The motor vehicle radar system according to claim 1, wherein:

the at least one arrangement includes a ferromagnetic material.

13. A motor vehicle radar system, comprising:

a structure including at least one of;

at least one sensor-radiation transparent body for focusing a sensor beam, and

at least one radome without intentional focusing in a beam path; and

at least one arrangement including a conducting path disposed in an area of at least one of the at least one sensor-radiation transparent body and the at least one radome, wherein;

the at least one arrangement heats at least one of the least one sensor-radiation transparent body and the at least one radome,

an electrical power is supplied to the conducting path, and

a power control of the supplied electrical power is carried out as a function of operating states and ambient conditions, such that a surface temperature of at least one of the at least one sensor-radiation transparent body and the at least one radome does not exceed a preestablished temperature value.

14. The motor vehicle radar system according to claim 13, wherein:

the at least one sensor radiation-transparent body includes a dielectric lens.

15. The motor vehicle radar system according to claim 13, wherein:

the power control is exercised as a result of a voltage that drops off at the conducting path and that it not constant over time.

16. The motor vehicle radar system according to claim 15, wherein:

the voltage is a fundamental voltage that is clocked at a preestablished pulse-duty factor via a switch.

17. The motor vehicle radar system according to claim 16, wherein:

the fundamental voltage is the operating voltage of the vehicle electrical system.

18. The motor vehicle radar system according to claim 17, wherein:

the at least one arrangement is dimensioned such that an electrical resistance of the conducting path is so small that a long-lasting pulse-duty factor of t/T=1, a multiple of an actually permitted heating power results.

19. The motor vehicle radar system according to claim 16, further comprising:

a control unit for determining the pulse-duty factor.

20. The motor vehicle radar system according to claim 19, wherein:

the control unit includes a memory for storing an input-output map.

21. The motor vehicle radar system according to claim 19, further comprising:

an analog-digital converter integrated with the control unit and for measuring an operating voltage of a vehicle electrical system.

22. The motor vehicle radar system according to claim 15, wherein:

the voltage is a function of at least one of a set of quantities including;

an operating voltage of a vehicle electrical system,

an ambient temperature outside a motor vehicle,

a speed of the motor vehicle,

the surface temperature of at least one of the at least one sensor-radiation transparent body and the at least one radome.

23. The motor vehicle radar system according to claims 22, wherein:

at least one of the set of quantities is made available to a bus system within the motor vehicle.

24. The motor vehicle radar system according to claim 13, wherein:

the at least one arrangement includes a ferromagnetic material.