A dual-chip 4D vehicle-mounted millimeter-wave radar antenna array

Abstract

This invention relates to the field of millimeter-wave radar technology, specifically to a dual-chip 4D vehicle-mounted millimeter-wave radar antenna array, comprising 6 transmitting antennas and 8 receiving antennas; wherein the transmitting and receiving antennas are arranged in the horizontal and elevation directions in physical space. This invention achieves high aperture utilization of the antenna array through a non-uniform, differentiated array design, while leaving sufficient space for PCB components and RF wiring; through the layout of 6 transmitting antennas and 8 receiving antennas, multiple equivalent arrays can be synthesized in the horizontal and elevation directions using virtual channel technology, improving angular resolution; the layout fully considers grating lobe and sidelobe suppression, effectively improving artifact and interference problems in the target detection process.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] This utility model relates to the field of millimeter-wave radar technology, specifically to a dual-chip 4D vehicle-mounted millimeter-wave radar antenna array. Background Technology

[0002] Millimeter-wave radar has become a primary sensor in ADAS systems due to its long detection range, high accuracy, and strong angular resolution. With the development of intelligent driving, higher performance requirements are placed on vehicle-mounted millimeter-wave radar, particularly in terms of angular resolution and target discrimination. Current technologies typically employ large arrays of transmitting and receiving antennas to improve angular resolution; however, large arrays result in significant space requirements, limited horizontal field of view, and difficult placement.

[0003] Existing technology, such as the Chinese utility model patent with publication number CN216563514U, entitled "An Antenna Array and Millimeter-Wave Radar," specifically discloses an array comprising three transmitting antennas and four receiving antennas, all of which are single-row antennas; the three transmitting antennas are arranged on the same plane with consistent heights, and the four receiving antennas are also arranged on the same plane with consistent heights; the spacing between the three transmitting antennas and the spacing between the four receiving antennas are both integer multiples of L, where L is 0.5 times the vacuum wavelength of the vehicle-mounted radar's operating frequency band; the spacing between the three transmitting antennas is greater than the spacing between the four receiving antennas.

[0004] The above solution effectively solves the problem of not being able to simultaneously achieve the desired horizontal field of view and angular resolution of vehicle-mounted radar antennas.

[0005] This technology improves angular resolution to some extent by setting the antenna spacing L to 0.5 times the operating frequency band wavelength. However, the 3×4 single-row antenna layout still suffers from problems such as a limited number of array elements, inability to effectively cover the elevation direction, and insufficient number of virtual channels. It has limited support for 4D imaging performance in complex environments, and is particularly difficult to meet the higher requirements of modern millimeter-wave imaging radar for multi-dimensional angular accuracy, sidelobe suppression, and spatial wiring flexibility.

[0006] Therefore, optimizing antenna arrangement and improving array synthesis capabilities and structural compactness while maintaining high angular resolution has become a pressing technical challenge. While uniform array arrangements are common and convenient for design and manufacturing, they result in low equivalent aperture utilization and insufficient sidelobe control, impacting radar imaging and target detection. Furthermore, the limited space on vehicle platforms and the influence of structures like bumpers on radar signals further complicate matters. Thus, achieving high-performance antenna arrays within limited space is a critical issue in millimeter-wave radar design.

[0007] To address these issues, a dual-chip 4D vehicle-mounted millimeter-wave radar antenna array is proposed. Utility Model Content

[0008] Technical problems to be solved

[0009] In view of the above-mentioned shortcomings of the existing technology, the present invention provides a dual-chip 4D vehicle-mounted millimeter-wave radar antenna array, which can effectively solve the problems of poor synthesis capability and structural compactness of millimeter-wave radar arrays in the existing technology.

[0010] Technical solution

[0011] To achieve the above objectives, this utility model provides the following technical solution:

[0012] This utility model provides a dual-chip 4D vehicle-mounted millimeter-wave radar antenna array, including 6 transmitting antennas and 8 receiving antennas;

[0013] The transmitting antenna and the receiving antenna are arranged in the horizontal and vertical directions in the physical space;

[0014] The receiving antenna has a discontinuous distribution in the horizontal direction, and the spatial coordinates of the receiving antenna in the elevation direction are 0,0,0,0,0,0,0,0,0 and the sum of the translation distance of the receiving antenna in the elevation direction, respectively.

[0015] The spatial coordinates of the transmitting antenna in the horizontal direction are the sums of 0, 4 half-wavelengths, 8 half-wavelengths, 0, 4 half-wavelengths, and 8 half-wavelengths with the horizontal translation distance of the receiving antenna, respectively. The transmitting antenna has a gradient distribution in the elevation direction of 9 to 25 half-wavelengths with the sums of the horizontal translation distance of the receiving antenna, respectively.

[0016] The antenna array synthesizes 6 groups of 8-element equivalent arrays in the horizontal direction and 2 groups of 6-element equivalent arrays in the elevation direction using virtual channel technology.

[0017] The equivalent array elements in the horizontal direction have a maximum aperture of 40 half-wavelengths and a theoretical resolution of 2.86 degrees. The equivalent array elements in the pitch direction have a maximum aperture of 16 half-wavelengths and a theoretical resolution of 7.1 degrees.

[0018] Furthermore, the horizontal coordinates of the receiving antenna are the sums of the horizontal translation distance of the receiving antenna for the coordinates of 0, 6 half-wavelengths, 20 half-wavelengths, 23 half-wavelengths, 27 half-wavelengths, 31 half-wavelengths, 35 half-wavelengths, and 40 half-wavelengths.

[0019] Furthermore, the coordinates of the transmitting antenna in the elevation direction are the sums of 9.5 wavelengths, 11.9 half wavelengths, 13.8 half wavelengths, 17.5 half wavelengths, 23.8 half wavelengths, and 25 half wavelengths, respectively, and the translation distance of the receiving antenna in the elevation direction.

[0020] Furthermore, the element spacing of the equivalent array in the horizontal direction is 6 half-wavelengths, 14 half-wavelengths, 3 half-wavelengths, 4 half-wavelengths, 4 half-wavelengths, 4 half-wavelengths, and 5 half-wavelengths.

[0021] Furthermore, the element spacing of the equivalent array in the pitch direction is 2.9 half-wavelengths, 1.9 half-wavelengths, 3.7 half-wavelengths, 6.3 half-wavelengths, and 1.2 half-wavelengths.

[0022] Furthermore, a set of six-element pitch arrays with close spacing is provided on both sides of the two sets of equivalent pitch arrays.

[0023] Furthermore, four of the array elements in the receiving antenna are equally spaced array elements, with an element spacing of four half-wavelengths.

[0024] Furthermore, the transmitting antenna is divided into three columns in the elevation direction, with each column spaced 4.5 wavelengths apart. The three columns of equally spaced array elements in the transmitting antenna and the four equally spaced array elements in the receiving antenna constitute two sets of equivalent elevation arrays.

[0025] Beneficial effects

[0026] The technical solution provided by this utility model, compared with the known public technology, has the following advantages:

[0027] Beneficial effects:

[0028] This invention achieves high aperture utilization of the antenna array through a non-uniform, differentiated array design, while leaving sufficient space for PCB components and RF wiring.

[0029] By using a layout of 6 transmit antennas and 8 receive antennas, multiple equivalent arrays can be synthesized in the horizontal and pitch directions using virtual channel technology, thereby improving angular resolution. The layout fully considers grating lobe and side lobe suppression, effectively improving artifact and interference problems in the target detection process.

[0030] By supplementing the direction with multiple auxiliary antenna arrays for data verification and anomaly removal, the stability and robustness under complex operating conditions are improved. Attached Figure Description

[0031] To more clearly illustrate the technical solutions in the embodiments of this utility model or the prior art, the drawings used in the description of the embodiments or the prior art will be briefly introduced below. Obviously, the drawings described below are only some embodiments of this utility model. For those skilled in the art, other drawings can be obtained based on these drawings without creative effort.

[0032] Figure 1 This is a schematic diagram showing the actual array position of the millimeter-wave radar antenna in this embodiment of the present invention;

[0033] Figure 2 This is a partial layout diagram of the virtual elevation channel for the millimeter-wave radar in an embodiment of this utility model. Detailed Implementation

[0034] The technical solutions of the present utility model will be clearly and completely described below with reference to the accompanying drawings of the embodiments of the present utility model. Obviously, the described embodiments are only some embodiments of the present utility model, and not all embodiments.

[0035] In the description of this utility model, unless otherwise explicitly specified and limited, the terms "connected," "linked," and "fixed" should be interpreted broadly. For example, they can refer to a fixed connection, a detachable connection, or an integral part; they can refer to a mechanical connection or an electrical connection; they can refer to a direct connection or an indirect connection through an intermediate medium; they can refer to the internal communication of two components or the interaction between two components. Those skilled in the art can understand the specific meaning of the above terms in this utility model based on the specific circumstances.

[0036] In this invention, unless otherwise explicitly specified and limited, "above" or "below" the second feature can include direct contact between the first and second features, or contact between the first and second features through another feature between them. Furthermore, "above," "over," and "on top" of the first feature include the first feature directly above, diagonally above, or on the surface of the second feature, the second feature being supported and fixed by the first feature, or simply indicating that the first feature is at a higher horizontal level than the second feature. "Below," "below," and "under" of the first feature include the first feature directly below and diagonally below the second feature, or simply indicating that the first feature is at a lower horizontal level than the second feature.

[0037] In the description of this embodiment, the terms "upper," "lower," "left," and "right," etc., refer to the orientation or positional relationship shown in the accompanying drawings. They are used only for ease of description and simplification of operation, and do not indicate or imply that the device or element referred to must have a specific orientation, or be constructed and operated in a specific orientation. Therefore, they should not be construed as limitations on this utility model. In addition, the terms "first" and "second" are only used for distinction in description and have no special meaning.

[0038] The present invention will be further described below with reference to the embodiments.

[0039] Example:

[0040] See attached document Figure 1-2 The vehicle-mounted millimeter-wave radar antenna array in this embodiment includes 6 transmitting antennas and 8 receiving antennas, wherein the transmitting antennas and receiving antennas are arranged in the horizontal and vertical directions in the physical space.

[0041] The receiving antennas are positioned horizontally at 0, 6 half-wavelength, 20 half-wavelength, 23 half-wavelength, 27 half-wavelength, 31 half-wavelength, 35 half-wavelength, and 40 half-wavelength positions, with all receiving antennas maintaining the same height in the elevation direction.

[0042] The transmitting antennas are distributed in six positions in the horizontal direction: 0, 4 half-wavelength, 8 half-wavelength, 0, 4 half-wavelength, and 8. The corresponding elevation directions are 9 half-wavelength, 11.9 half-wavelength, 13.8 half-wavelength, 17.5 half-wavelength, 23.8 half-wavelength, and 25 half-wavelength, respectively.

[0043] Thus, the antenna array is constructed into a 6×8 equivalent array through virtual channel technology, and is synthesized into 6 equivalent 8-element arrays in the horizontal direction, and synthesized into 2 6-element arrays in the elevation direction.

[0044] It should be noted that the element spacing of the equivalent array in the horizontal direction is 6.5 wavelengths, 14.5 wavelengths, 3.5 wavelengths, 4.5 wavelengths, 4.5 wavelengths, 4.5 wavelengths, and 5.5 wavelengths.

[0045] The element spacing of the equivalent array in the pitch direction is 2.9 half wavelengths, 1.9 half wavelengths, 3.7 half wavelengths, 6.3 half wavelengths, and 1.2 half wavelengths.

[0046] According to the angular resolution estimation formula: θ≈λ / (D·cosθ), (where λ is the wavelength, D is the antenna aperture, cosθ=1 in the main line of sight, and λ≈3.9mm for 77GHz wavelength):

[0047] In the horizontal direction, the array aperture is 40 half wavelengths, D = 40 × λ / 2 = 20λ, the resolution is approximately θ ≈ λ / 20λ = 1 / 20 radians, and the resolution is approximately 2.86°.

[0048] Similarly, in the pitch direction, the maximum aperture is 16 half-wavelengths, and the resolution is θ≈1 / 16 radians≈7.1°.

[0049] This provides an auxiliary array to enhance robustness in the pitch direction, while also having a regular structure suitable for regular PCBs.

[0050] In this embodiment, the antenna layout has four equally spaced elements in the receiving array, with a spacing of 4.5 wavelengths between the elements. The transmitting antenna is divided into three columns in the elevation direction, with a spacing of 4.5 wavelengths between each column. The three columns of elements in the transmitting antenna and the last four equally spaced elements in the receiving antenna form two sets of equivalent elevation arrays.

[0051] In this embodiment, the transmitting antenna design uses a non-half-wavelength spacing in the elevation direction and is shifted upwards. On the one hand, this can reduce the impact of the car bumper on radar interference. On the other hand, the use of a non-half-wavelength integer multiple spacing design makes the antenna layout design more flexible.

[0052] It should be noted that in this embodiment, there is a set of six-element pitch arrays with close spacing on both sides of the two sets of equivalent pitch arrays, which serve as auxiliary verification. This effectively improves the pitch angle measurement capability. By outputting signals from the two arrays, abnormal data (such as multipath interference) is eliminated, improving the robustness of the angle measurement signal. The left main array provides high-density sampling, and the right auxiliary verification channel uses redundant data cross-verification to suppress multipath interference and noise, thereby improving the angle measurement stability. The resulting auxiliary verification channel can effectively reduce the misjudgment rate in complex scenarios (such as tunnels and multiple vehicles traveling in parallel).

[0053] Thus, this dual-chip design uses a shared clock source and synchronous trigger signal to ensure consistent transmission pulse timing and phase alignment of received signal sampling, avoiding phase deviation during virtual channel synthesis.

[0054] Since the antenna coordinates on the bumper mounting plane are usually less than 5.5 wavelengths, the L-shaped antenna layout in this embodiment is reasonable and compact, providing enough space for the placement of the RF chip. This reduces the difficulty of component stacking on the PCB to a certain extent, making the PCB layout more flexible and the RF routing relatively simple and smooth.

[0055] Most existing three-transmitter, four-receiver linear array structures only meet basic angular resolution requirements. This solution, however, through multi-element combination and a layered elevation design, significantly improves angular measurement performance and direction recognition accuracy while maintaining a compact spatial layout. It also overcomes existing technologies' sensitivity to bumper obstruction and difficulties in beam sidelobe control.

[0056] It should also be noted that the layout scheme in the above embodiments achieves high aperture utilization of the antenna array through non-uniform and differentiated array design, while leaving sufficient space for PCB devices and RF wiring. Furthermore, it adopts a 6-transmit × 8-receive mode and can synthesize multiple equivalent arrays in the horizontal and pitch directions through virtual channel technology, thereby improving angular resolution.

[0057] In addition, the array design fully considers the suppression of grating lobes and side lobes, effectively improving the artifact and interference problems in the target detection process.

[0058] Meanwhile, the array layout supports proportional scaling and translation, and allows for flexible flipping and combination within the design space, facilitating application expansion. Furthermore, multiple auxiliary antenna arrays are used in the elevation direction for data verification and anomaly removal, improving stability and robustness under complex operating conditions.

[0059] It is worth noting that the equivalent elevation array of the transmitting antenna array element in the above scheme is connected to two monolithic microwave integrated circuits, which is a well-known technology and will not be elaborated on here.

[0060] The above embodiments are only used to illustrate the technical solutions of this utility model, and are not intended to limit it. Although this utility model has been described in detail with reference to the foregoing embodiments, those skilled in the art should understand that modifications can still be made to the technical solutions described in the foregoing embodiments, or equivalent substitutions can be made to some of the technical features. Such modifications or substitutions will not cause the essence of the corresponding technical solutions to deviate from the protection scope of the technical solutions of the embodiments of this utility model.

Claims

1. A dual-chip 4D vehicle-mounted millimeter-wave radar antenna array, characterized in that, It includes 6 transmitting antennas and 8 receiving antennas; The transmitting antenna and the receiving antenna are arranged in the horizontal and vertical directions in the physical space; The receiving antenna has a discontinuous distribution in the horizontal direction, and the spatial coordinates of the receiving antenna in the elevation direction are 0,0,0,0,0,0,0,0,0 and the sum of the translation distance of the receiving antenna in the elevation direction, respectively. The spatial coordinates of the transmitting antenna in the horizontal direction are the sums of 0, 4 half-wavelengths, 8 half-wavelengths, 0, 4 half-wavelengths, and 8 half-wavelengths with the horizontal translation distance of the receiving antenna, respectively. The transmitting antenna has a gradient distribution in the elevation direction of 9 to 25 half-wavelengths with the sums of the horizontal translation distance of the receiving antenna, respectively. The antenna array synthesizes 6 groups of 8-element equivalent arrays in the horizontal direction and 2 groups of 6-element equivalent arrays in the elevation direction using virtual channel technology. The equivalent array elements in the horizontal direction have a maximum aperture of 40 half-wavelengths and a theoretical resolution of 2.86 degrees. The equivalent array elements in the pitch direction have a maximum aperture of 16 half-wavelengths and a theoretical resolution of 7.1 degrees.

2. The dual-chip 4D vehicle-mounted millimeter-wave radar antenna array according to claim 1, characterized in that, The horizontal coordinates of the receiving antenna are 0, 6 half-wavelengths, 20 half-wavelengths, 23 half-wavelengths, 27 half-wavelengths, 31 half-wavelengths, 35 half-wavelengths, and 40 half-wavelengths, respectively, and are the sums of the horizontal translation distance of the receiving antenna.

3. The dual-chip 4D vehicle-mounted millimeter-wave radar antenna array according to claim 1, characterized in that, The coordinates of the transmitting antenna in the elevation direction are the sums of 9.5 wavelengths, 11.9 half wavelengths, 13.8 half wavelengths, 17.5 half wavelengths, 23.8 half wavelengths, and 25 half wavelengths, respectively, and the translation distance of the receiving antenna in the elevation direction.

4. The dual-chip 4D vehicle-mounted millimeter-wave radar antenna array according to claim 1, characterized in that, The element spacing of the equivalent array in the horizontal direction is 6.5 wavelengths, 14.5 wavelengths, 3.5 wavelengths, 4.5 wavelengths, 4.5 wavelengths, 4.5 wavelengths, and 5.5 wavelengths.

5. The dual-chip 4D vehicle-mounted millimeter-wave radar antenna array according to claim 1, characterized in that, The element spacing of the equivalent array in the pitch direction is 2.9 half-wavelengths, 1.9 half-wavelengths, 3.7 half-wavelengths, 6.3 half-wavelengths, and 1.2 half-wavelengths.

6. The dual-chip 4D vehicle-mounted millimeter-wave radar antenna array according to claim 1, characterized in that, On either side of the two sets of equivalent pitch arrays, there is a set of six-element pitch arrays with similar spacing.

7. The dual-chip 4D vehicle-mounted millimeter-wave radar antenna array according to claim 1, characterized in that, The receiving antenna has four equally spaced array elements, with an element spacing of four and a half wavelengths.

8. A dual-chip 4D vehicle-mounted millimeter-wave radar antenna array according to claim 7, characterized in that, The transmitting antenna is divided into three columns in the elevation direction, with each column spaced 4.5 wavelengths apart. The three columns of equally spaced array elements in the transmitting antenna and the four equally spaced array elements in the receiving antenna form two sets of equivalent elevation arrays.

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