Radar sensor with frontal and lateral emission

• US 8,593,333 B2
• Filed: 07/02/2009
• Issued: 11/26/2013
• 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: Wintermantel, Markus, Moebius, Arnold, Schwoerer, Christoph
• Primary Examiner(s): Keith, Jack W
• Assistant Examiner(s): BYTHROW, PETER M
• Application Number:
  US12/994,754
• Publication Number:
  US 20110080313A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,608 Days
• Field of Search: 342 70- 72, 342/147, 342149-153, 343/711, 343/755, 343/781.R, 343/834
• 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

A radar sensor includes a housing of radar-transmissive material, a circuit board in the housing, first and second antennas of several patch elements on the same or opposite surfaces of the circuit board, and a metal or metallized support supporting a rear surface of the circuit board. The first antenna has a beam axis that extends out through a front of the housing at an angle in a range from 45° to 90° relative to the circuit board plane. The sensor further includes a beam deflection structure arranged within the housing to deflect a beam axis of the second antenna out through the housing at an angle in a range from 0° to 45° relative to the circuit board plane.

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,

wherein;

each one of the several transmitter antennas and several receiver antennas respectively includes at least one transmitting or receiving individual antenna element, referred to henceforth as an elemental emitter, which is located on a front or rear face of a planar circuit board,

said transmitter and receiver antennas include at least one first transmitter antenna and at least one first receiver antenna, which each respectively include at least one said elemental emitter located on the planar circuit board, wherein a beam axis of said first transmitter antenna and of said first receiver antenna outside the radar sensor is tilted at most 45°

relative to a perpendicular on the circuit board,

said transmitter and receiver antennas include at least one second transmitter antenna and at least one second receiver antenna, which each respectively include at least one said elemental emitter on the planar circuit board, wherein a beam axis of said second transmitter antenna and of said second receiver antenna outside the radar sensor is tilted at least 45°

relative to the perpendicular on the circuit board,

the elemental emitters have a printed structure, and a native beam axis of the elemental emitters without deflection is oriented at least approximately perpendicular to the circuit board whereby said elemental emitters are therefore henceforth referred to as frontal elemental emitters, and

tilting the beam axis of these frontal elemental emitters and thereby realizing deflected laterally emitting elemental emitters is achieved by at least one of the following features;

a) deflection of a beam path of the elemental emitters with metallic or metallized planar or curved reflective surfaces arranged over the elemental emitters, wherein the reflective surfaces are surfaces of an internal support or of a housing of the radar sensor,

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

c) deflection of the beam path of the elemental emitters with suitably formed structures of dielectric material arranged over the elemental emitters, wherein the dielectric material is a material of at least a part of a plastic housing of the radar sensor.

2. The radar sensor according to claim 1, wherein the frontal elemental emitters are arranged adjacent to an edge of the circuit board.

3. The radar sensor according to claim 1, wherein the tilting of the beam axis of the frontal elemental emitters is achieved by at least said feature a).

4. The radar sensor according to claim 1, wherein the tilting of the beam axis of the frontal elemental emitters is achieved by at least said feature b).

5. The radar sensor according to claim 1, wherein the tilting of the beam axis of the frontal elemental emitters is achieved by at least said feature c).

6. The radar sensor according to claim 1, with at least one said elemental emitter having the beam axis thereof lying at least approximately parallel or approximately perpendicular to the circuit board outside of the radar sensor.

7. The radar sensor according to claim 1, in which the elemental emitters are formed as patches.

8. The radar sensor according to claim 1, in which at least one of said antennas is used both for transmission and for reception.

9. The radar sensor according to claim 1, in which a tilting of the beam axis of one or more of said elemental emitters outside of the radar sensor by at least approximately 90°

relative to the perpendicular on the circuit board is realized in that elemental emitters in printed structure are used, the beam axis of which without additional measures is oriented laterally to the side of the circuit board, and which in the following are referred to as lateral elemental emitters, wherein these lateral elemental emitters are arranged adjacent to the edge of the board and are realized as slot emitters.

10. The radar sensor according to claim 1, in which there are at least two said transmitter antennas and/or two said receiver antennas, the beam axis of which is tilted outside of the sensor by more than 45°

to the perpendicular on the circuit board and the phase centers of which are offset against each other as seen in a direction perpendicular to the circuit 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 circuit board is estimated.

11. The radar sensor according to claim 10, in which the offset of the phase centers in the direction perpendicular to the circuit board is realized by at least one of the following measures:

on both sides of the circuit board there is at least one of said deflected laterally emitting elemental emitters, or lateral slot emitters having a beam axis oriented laterally to the side of the circuit board,

on the front face of the circuit board, there is at least one said lateral slot emitter and on the rear face of the circuit board there is at least one said deflected laterally emitting elemental emitter,

on only one side of the circuit board there is both at least one said lateral slot emitter and at least one said deflected laterally emitting elemental emitter, the phase center of which lies above and/or below the circuit board, and/or

on only the rear face of the circuit board, there is at least one said deflected laterally emitting elemental emitter, wherein the deflection is carried out in such manner that different phase centers result in the direction perpendicular to the circuit board.

12. The radar sensor according to claim 1, in which there is only one transmitter and one receiver antenna, of which the beam axis outside of the radar sensor is tilted by more than 45°

to the perpendicular on the circuit 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 value, the angular position of objects in the direction perpendicular to the circuit board is estimated.

13. The radar sensor according to claim 1, in which there is at least one receiver antenna having its beam axis outside of the sensor tilted at most 45°

and at least one receiver antenna having its beam axis outside of the sensor tilted by more than 45°

to the perpendicular on the circuit board, wherein detection areas of the receiver antennas overlap and within the overlapping region by amplitude comparison and/or phase comparison of signals and/or values that 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.

14. The radar sensor according to claim 1, which, with regard to the radar sensor itself, looks forwardly (frontal detection area) towards its mounting surface in the vehicle, and lateral (lateral detection area).

15. The radar sensor according to claim 14, in which the frontal and the lateral detection areas touch or overlap, and for the frontal detection area there are several transmitter and/or several receiver antennas, whereby in the frontal detection area the azimuth angle of objects can be directly determined.

16. The radar sensor according to claim 14, in which at least one transmitter and one receiver antenna with frontal detection area are realized by elemental emitters formed in printed structure and arranged on the front side of the circuit board, and at least one transmitter and one receiver antenna with lateral detection area are realized by elemental emitters formed in printed structure and arranged at the edge of the circuit board on the rear side of the circuit board with deflection on said metallic or metallized planar or curved reflective surface, wherein this metallic or metallized planar or curved reflective surface is realized as part of a structural interior element of the radar sensor.

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

18. A radar sensor comprising:

a housing of a radar-transmissive material;

a circuit board arranged within said housing;

a first antenna comprising plural patch elements on a front surface of said circuit board, and having a first beam axis that extends out through a front of said housing at an angle in a range from 45°

to 90°

relative to a plane of said circuit board;

a second antenna comprising plural patch elements on said front surface or on a rear surface of said circuit board;

a metal or metallized support that is arranged within said housing and that supports said rear surface of said circuit board; and

a beam deflection structure that is arranged within said housing and that is configured and positioned to deflect a second beam axis of said second antenna out through a side of said housing at an angle in a range from 0°

to 45°

relative to said plane of said circuit board,

wherein said beam deflection structure comprises a metal or metallized radar reflective surface, a radar waveguide structure or a dielectric radar deflection structure, and

wherein said beam deflection structure is formed in or on said support or said radar-transmissive material of said housing at a location perpendicularly adjacent to said second antenna relative to said plane of said circuit board.