Radar Sensor with Frontal and Lateral Emission

• US 20110080313A1
• Filed: 07/02/2009
• Published: 04/07/2011
• Est. Priority Date: 07/02/2008
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: ADC GmbH (TE Connectivity Ltd. (United Kingdom))
• Original Assignee: ADC GmbH (TE Connectivity Ltd. (United Kingdom))
• Inventors: Schwoerer, Christoph, Moebius, Arnold, Wintermantel, Markus
• Granted Patent: US 8,593,333 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 342/70
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 13/26 wherein the transmitted pulses use a frequency- or phase-modulated carrier wave
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 13/343 using sawtooth modulation
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 13/4454 phase comparisons monopulse, i.e. comparing the echo signals received by an interferometric antenna arrangement
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 13/931 of land vehicles
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 2013/462 using multipath signals
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 2013/9321 Velocity regulation, e.g. cruise control
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 7/023 Interference mitigation, e.g. reducing or avoiding non-intentional interference with other HF-transmitters, base station transmitters for mobile communication or other radar systems, e.g. using electro-magnetic interference [EMI] reduction techniques auxiliary means for detecting or identifying radar signals or the like G01S7/021; means for anti-jamming G01S7/36
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 7/0233 Avoidance by phase multiplex
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 7/0234 Avoidance by code multiplex
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 7/032 Constructional details for solid-state radar subsystems
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 7/285 Receivers
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 7/354 Extracting wanted echo-signals Doppler systems G01S13/50
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 7/356 involving particularities of FFT processing
• 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 9/0407 Substantially flat resonant element parallel to ground plane, e.g. patch antenna dipole H01Q9/285; monopole H01Q9/40

Abstract

The invention relates to a radar system for recording the environment of a motor vehicle, comprising:

transmission means for emitting transmission signals using several transmission antennas;

receiving means for receiving transmission signals reflected by objects using several receiver antennas; and

signal processing means for processing the received signals, characterized in that

it is equipped with several transmitter and receiver antennas, each containing at least one individual transmitting or receiving element, referred to henceforth as an elemental emitter, which is located on the front or rear face of a level printed circuit board,

it is equipped with at least one transmitter antenna and receiver antenna, each containing at least one elemental emitter located on the level printed circuit board, the antenna pattern of said antenna outside the radar sensor being tilted at a maximum angle of 45° to the perpendicular on the board, and

it is equipped with at least one transmitter and receiver antenna, each containing at least one elemental emitter on the level printed circuit board, the antenna pattern of said antenna outside the radar sensor being tilted at a minimum angle of 45° to the perpendicular on the board.

Claims

1. A radar sensor for recording the environment of a motor vehicle, comprising:

transmission means for emitting transmission signals using several transmitter antennas;

receiving means for receiving transmission signals reflected by objects using several receiver antennas; and

signal processing means for processing the received signals, characterized in that

it is equipped with several transmitter and receiver antennas, each containing at least one individual transmitting or receiving element, referred to henceforth as an elemental emitter, which is located on the front or rear face of a level printed circuit board,

it is equipped with at least one transmitter antenna and receiver antenna, each containing at least one elemental emitter located on the level printed circuit board, the antenna pattern of said antenna outside the radar sensor being tilted at a maximum angle of 45°

to the perpendicular on the board, and

it is equipped with at least one transmitter and receiver antenna, each containing at least one elemental emitter on the level printed circuit board, the antenna pattern of said antenna outside the radar sensor being tilted at a minimum angle of 45°

to the perpendicular on the board.

2. A radar sensor according to claim 1 with at least one elemental emitter, the antenna pattern of said antenna outside of the radar sensor lying at least approximately parallel or approximately perpendicular to the board.

15. A radar sensor according to claim 1, in which the elemental emitters are formed as printed structure, in particular as patches.

16. A radar sensor according to claim 1, in which at least one antenna is used both for transmission and for reception.

17. A radar sensor according to claim 1, in which a tilting of the antenna pattern of said antenna of one or more elemental emitters outside of the radar sensor by more than 45°

to the perpendicular on the board being realized by the fact that elemental emitters in printed structure are used, the antenna pattern of said antenna also without additional measures standing at least approximately perpendicular to the board and which, therefore, in the following are referred to as frontal elemental emitters, and for tilting the antenna pattern of said antenna of these frontal elemental emitters preferably arranged close at the edge of the board uses at least one of the following measures;

deflection of the beam path of the elemental emitters with reflecting, in particular metallic or metallized planar or curved surfaces, in particular over the elemental emitters,

deflection of the beam path of the elemental emitters with waveguide structures, and/or

deflection of the beam path of the elemental emitters with suitably formed structures of dielectric material, in particular over the elemental emitters.

18. A radar sensor according to claim 1, in which a tilting of the antenna pattern of said antenna of one or more elemental emitters outside of the radar sensor by more than 45°

, in particular at least approximately 90°

, to the perpendicular on the board is realized by the fact that elemental emitters in printed structure are used, the antenna pattern (radiation cone center) of said antenna without additional measures standing laterally next to the board and which in the following are referred to as lateral elemental emitters, wherein these lateral elemental emitters are preferably arranged close at the edge of the board and are preferably realized as slot emitters.

19. A radar sensor according to claim 1, in which there are at least two transmitter antennas and/or two receiver antennas, the antenna pattern of said antennas being tilted outside of the sensor by more than 45°

to the perpendicular on the board and the phase centers each being offset against each other seen in the direction perpendicular to the board, wherein in the signal processing means, with the aid of the phase positions of the received signals from different combinations of transmitter and receiver antennas, for which at least two of such transmitter and/or two of such receiver antennas with offset phase centers are used, the angular position of objects in the direction perpendicular to the board is estimated.

20. A radar sensor according to claim 19, in which the offset of the phase centers in the direction perpendicular to the board is realized by at least one of the following measures:

on both plate sides there is at least one diverted frontal elemental emitter wherein a tilting of the antenna pattern of said antenna of one or more a elemental emitters outside of the radar sensor by more than 45°

to the perpendicular on the board being realized by the fact that elemental emitters in printed structure are used, the antenna pattern of said antenna also without additional measures standing at least approximately perpendicular to the board and which are referred to as frontal elemental emitters, or one lateral elemental emitter wherein a tilting of the antenna pattern of said antenna of one or more elemental emitters outside of the radar sensor by more than 45°

, in particular at least approximately 90°

, to the perpendicular on the board is realized by the fact that elemental emitters in printed structure are used, the antenna pattern of said antenna without additional measures standing lateral to the board and which are referred to as lateral elemental emitters,

on one plate side, in particular the front face, there is at least one lateral elemental emitter and on the other plate side at least one diverted frontal elemental emitter,

on only one plate side there is both at least one lateral elemental emitter and at least one diverted frontal elemental emitter, the phase center lying above and/or below the board, and/or

on only one plate side, in particular the rear face, there is at least one diverted frontal elemental emitter, wherein the deflection for example with the aid of waveguides or different reflecting surfaces is designed in such manner that different phase centers result in the direction perpendicular to the board.

21. A radar sensor according to claim 1, in particular in which there is only one transmitter and receiver antenna, the antenna pattern of said antenna outside of the radar sensor being tilted by more than 45°

to the perpendicular on the board, and in which, in the signal processing means, while assuming predetermined object hypotheses from the values and/or the temporal courses of at least one measured dimension, the angular position of objects in the direction perpendicular to the board is estimated.

22. A radar sensor according to claim 1, in which there is at least one receiver antenna each, the antenna pattern of said antenna outside of the sensor being tilted at a maximum angle of 45°

and/or by more than 45°

to the perpendicular on the board, wherein the detection areas of the receiver antennas overlap and within the overlapping region by amplitude comparison and/or phase comparison of signals and/or sizes, which are derived from the received signals of such antennas or correspond to them, an angle estimation for objects is performed and/or ambiguities in the angle estimation are avoided.

23. A radar sensor according to claim 1, which with regard to the radar sensor itself looks frontal (frontal detection area), i.e. towards its mounting surface in the vehicle, and lateral (lateral detection area).

24. A radar sensor according to claim 23, in which on the one hand the frontal and the lateral detection area touch or overlap, and on the other hand for the frontal detection area there are several transmitter and/or several receiver antennas, whereby in this frontal detection area the azimuth angle of objects can be directly determined.

25. A radar sensor according to claim 23, in which at least one transmitter and one receiver antenna with frontal detection area is realized by elemental emitters formed in printed structure and arranged on the board front, and at least one transmitter and receiver antenna with lateral detection area is realized by elemental emitters formed in printed structure and arranged at the edge of the board rear face with deflection at a metallic or metallized planar or curved surface, wherein this metallic or metallized planar or curved surface is realized as part of a constructional interior element.

26. A radar sensor according to claim 1, which with regard to the vehicle looks to the rear and to the side for the implementation of a lane change assistant.

3-14. -14. (canceled)