Smart antenna module for a vehicle

Abstract

An intelligent antenna module for a vehicle is proposed, in which a plurality of cellular antennas are mounted in a non-ground region and spaced apart from a ground pattern to minimize mutual interference. In the proposed intelligent antenna module for a vehicle, a first antenna is disposed in a ground region of a bottom substrate, cellular antennas are disposed in a non-ground region of the bottom substrate, and the cellular antennas are electrically connected to a ground region of a lower surface of the bottom substrate.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] This disclosure relates to an antenna module installed in a vehicle, and more specifically, to a smart antenna module for a vehicle installed in the vehicle to support communication in various frequency bands, including the V2X band. Background Technology

[0002] A smart antenna module for vehicles is an antenna module in which multiple antennas are mounted on a printed circuit board and installed in the vehicle to support vehicle-to-everything (V2X) communication over various frequency bands.

[0003] Conventional smart antenna modules for vehicles support V2X communication by using frequency bands such as Global Navigation Satellite System (GNSS), Wi-Fi, or Bluetooth (BLE).

[0004] Recent research in the automotive industry focuses on adding autonomous driving capabilities to vehicles. Because vehicles need to send and receive large amounts of data from nearby vehicles and objects to operate autonomously safely, ongoing research is focused on smart antenna modules for vehicles that support cellular V2X communication.

[0005] However, a problem with traditional smart antenna modules used in vehicles is that when multiple cellular antennas are added, interference between the antennas increases, which degrades the isolation performance of the cellular antennas. Summary of the Invention

[0006] Technical issues

[0007] This disclosure is made to address the aforementioned conventional problems. The purpose of this disclosure is to provide a smart antenna module for a vehicle that allows multiple cellular antennas to be mounted in a non-grounded area and to separate the multiple cellular antennas from the grounding pattern to minimize mutual interference.

[0008] Solution to the problem

[0009] To achieve the above objectives, an exemplary embodiment of the present disclosure provides a smart antenna module for a vehicle comprising: a substrate having a contact area and a non-contact area, the contact area being disposed at the center of the substrate and the non-contact area being disposed at the outer periphery of the contact area; a first antenna disposed in the contact area of ​​the substrate; and a cellular antenna disposed in the non-contact area of ​​the substrate.

[0010] The substrate may include: an upper ground pattern formed in a grounding area on the upper surface of the substrate; and a lower ground pattern formed in a grounding area on the lower surface of the substrate. The grounding area of ​​the substrate may have a first mounting area in which a first antenna is mounted. The first mounting area may include a gap area of ​​a non-grounding area.

[0011] The non-contact area may have an antenna mounting area in which a cellular antenna is mounted. The antenna mounting area may have one or more mounting holes into which mounting protrusions of the cellular antenna are inserted and fixed; and a through hole through which the grounding wire of the cellular antenna passes. The mounting holes may include: a first mounting hole into which a mounting protrusion formed on one side of the cellular antenna is inserted; and a second mounting hole into which another mounting protrusion formed on the other side of the cellular antenna is inserted; and a through hole may be provided between the first and second mounting holes.

[0012] At the same time, the non-contact area can be further divided into a gap area, which is set between the antenna mounting area and the contact area to separate the antenna mounting area and the contact area.

[0013] A cellular antenna may include: a polyhedral-shaped guide substrate having an opening formed in a surface facing a base substrate and a radiator mounted thereon. An empty space may be formed within the guide substrate, and guide protrusions may be formed on the surface of the guide substrate on which the radiator is mounted.

[0014] The cellular antenna may further include: a ground wire, one end of which is electrically connected to a radiator, the other end of which passes through a through-hole formed in an antenna mounting area of ​​a substrate, and the other end of which is electrically connected to a grounding area formed on a lower surface of the substrate.

[0015] The guide substrate may include a mounting protrusion that is fitted into and connected to a mounting hole formed in a non-contact area of ​​the base substrate. The mounting protrusion may include: a first mounting protrusion formed on one side of the guide substrate, fitted into and connected to a first mounting hole formed in a non-contact area of ​​the base substrate; and a second mounting protrusion formed on the other side of the guide substrate, fitted into and connected to a second mounting hole formed in a non-contact area of ​​the base substrate.

[0016] Beneficial effects of the invention

[0017] According to this disclosure, a smart antenna for a vehicle can install multiple cellular antennas in a non-contact area and separate the multiple cellular antennas from the ground pattern through gaps in the non-contact area, thereby minimizing interference between the multiple cellular antennas.

[0018] Furthermore, smart antenna modules for vehicles can separate multiple cellular antennas from the ground pattern through gaps in the non-contact area, thereby minimizing interference between multiple cellular antennas to meet the isolation performance required by the automotive industry. Attached Figure Description

[0019] Figure 1 and Figure 2 This is a view describing a conventional smart antenna module used in vehicles.

[0020] Figure 3 This is a view illustrating an exemplary embodiment of a smart antenna module for a vehicle according to the present disclosure.

[0021] Figure 4 and Figure 5 It is a description Figure 3 A view of a cellular antenna.

[0022] Figures 6 to 9 It is a description Figure 3 A view of the substrate.

[0023] Figure 10 This is a graph illustrating the isolation performance of a smart antenna module for a vehicle, as measured according to an exemplary embodiment of the present disclosure. Detailed Implementation

[0024] In the following description, the most preferred exemplary embodiments of this disclosure will be described with reference to the accompanying drawings, in order to specifically describe the exemplary embodiments so that those skilled in the art to which this disclosure pertains can readily implement the technical spirit of this disclosure. First, when adding reference numerals to components in each figure, it should be noted that even if the same component is shown in different figures, the same component will have the same reference numerals. Furthermore, in describing this disclosure, detailed descriptions of relevant well-known configurations or functions will be omitted when it is determined that a detailed description of the relevant well-known configuration or function may obscure the main points of this disclosure.

[0025] Reference Figure 1 A conventional smart antenna module for vehicles includes a substrate (10) and multiple antennas (21-28) mounted on the substrate (10).

[0026] The substrate (10) is configured as a printed circuit board (PCB, ground plane). A ground portion is formed over almost the entire area of ​​the substrate (10), and multiple antennas are mounted on the ground portion of the substrate (10). The multiple antennas are configured to include: a vehicle-to-everything (V2X) communication antenna (21), a global navigation satellite system (GNSS) antenna (22), a WIFI antenna (23), a Bluetooth (BLE) antenna (24), and cellular antennas (25-28).

[0027] In conventional smart antenna modules used in vehicles, interference between cellular antennas (21 to 28) increases because all of the multiple antennas (21 to 28) are located within a single contact area. Therefore, as... Figure 2 As shown, the isolation performance between cellular antennas (21 to 28) installed in conventional smart antenna modules for vehicles was measured to be approximately 6 dB to 12 dB, which does not meet the automotive industry's isolation standards, which require an isolation performance of approximately 12 dB or higher.

[0028] Exemplary embodiments of this disclosure provide a smart antenna module for a vehicle that divides a substrate into a contact area and a non-contact area, mounts a conventional antenna in the contact area, and mounts an additional cellular antenna in the non-contact area, thereby preventing a reduction in isolation due to interference between antennas.

[0029] Reference Figure 3 The smart antenna module for a vehicle according to an exemplary embodiment of the present disclosure includes a plurality of first antennas (100), a plurality of cellular antennas (200), and a substrate (300).

[0030] Multiple first antennas (100) are antennas mounted on a smart antenna module for a vehicle prior to the addition of a cellular antenna (200). For example, the multiple first antennas (100) are configured to include a V2X antenna (110a), a GNSS antenna (100b), a WIFI antenna (100c), and an LPWA antenna (100d).

[0031] Multiple first antennas (100) can be constructed as various types of antennas, such as a radiating pattern formed directly on a substrate (300), a radiating pattern formed on a separate substrate separate from the substrate (300), a patch antenna formed by stacking radiating patches on a dielectric, and a solenoid antenna in which a coil or radiating pattern is wound around a magnetic body.

[0032] Multiple cellular antennas (200) are antennas that support cellular V2X communication and are constructed as dipole antennas. The multiple cellular antennas (200) operate as cellular V2X antennas through multiple-input multiple-output (MIMO) operation, which resonates in a frequency band of approximately 600 MHz to 6 GHz.

[0033] In the following description, a cellular V2X antenna consisting of four cellular antennas (200) will be used as an example, each of which will be referred to as the first cellular antenna (200), the second cellular antenna (200), the third cellular antenna (200), and the fourth cellular antenna (200). Two of these four cellular antennas (200) can be operated as receiving antennas, and the remaining two cellular antennas (200) can be operated as transmitting antennas.

[0034] Furthermore, the cellular V2X antenna is not limited to the four cellular antennas (200) described by way of example in the exemplary embodiments of this disclosure, because the required number of cellular antennas (200) may vary depending on the manufacturer.

[0035] Reference Figure 4 and Figure 5 The cellular antenna (200) is configured to include a guide substrate (210), a radiator (230), and a ground wire (250).

[0036] The guide substrate (210) may be formed of a polyhedron having multiple surfaces, on which the radiator (230) is mounted. For example, the guide substrate (210) may be formed of a hexahedron to facilitate surface mounting of the radiator (230). In this case, the guide substrate (210) may be deformed in various ways, as long as the guide substrate (210) has a shape that allows the radiator (230) to be mounted.

[0037] The guide substrate (210) supports the radiator (230). At this time, the guide substrate (210) has, for example, a radiator (230) mounted on a surface. In other words, the guide substrate (210) is mounted on the base substrate (300) to support the radiator (230) mounted on the surface.

[0038] Multiple guide protrusions (211) may be formed on the guide substrate (210) to easily mount and securely support the radiator (230). The multiple guide protrusions (211) are formed to protrude outward from the surface of the guide base (210) (i.e., the surface on which the radiator (230) is mounted). At this time, the multiple guide protrusions (211) may be formed in different shapes so that the radiator (230) can be easily and accurately mounted on the surface of the guide substrate (210).

[0039] For example, the guide substrate (210) is made of a non-metallic material and a resin material. The guide substrate (210) has an open surface among a plurality of surfaces constituting a polyhedron, and has an empty space (212) formed in the guide substrate.

[0040] The guide substrate (210) has an opening formed on a surface facing the base substrate (300) (a surface that contacts the upper surface of the base substrate (300)) to form an empty space (212) therein. For example, the guide substrate (210) is formed in a cuboid shape having a front surface, a rear surface, an upper surface, a lower surface, a left surface and a right surface, and has an opening formed on the lower surface facing the upper surface of the base substrate (300).

[0041] The guide substrate (210) may have a reinforcing wall that connects at least two inner wall surfaces and is formed in an empty space (212) to increase the rigidity of the guide substrate (210).

[0042] Since the smart antenna used in the vehicle is installed inside the vehicle, the antenna may separate from the substrate (300) due to vehicle vibration. In particular, the cellular antenna (200) has a larger size than other antennas (i.e., the first antenna (100)) and is therefore more susceptible to vibration.

[0043] The first antenna (100) is manufactured in a small size, so that even if the first antenna is mounted on the substrate (300) by SMT process, there is almost no situation where the solder joints separate due to vehicle vibration, or the first antenna (100) itself separates from the substrate (300). However, if the cellular antenna (200) is mounted on the substrate (300) by SMT process, in many cases the solder joints separate due to vehicle vibration, or the first antenna (100) itself separates from the substrate (300).

[0044] Therefore, according to an exemplary embodiment of the present disclosure, the cellular antenna (200) and the substrate (300) are connected in an assembly-connection manner to prevent the cellular antenna (200) from separating from the substrate (300).

[0045] The guide substrate (210) has an assembly member formed thereon. The assembly member is formed on a surface facing the base substrate (300). The assembly member may also be formed on the side surfaces (left and right surfaces) of the base substrate (300). The assembly member may be integrally formed with the guide substrate (210).

[0046] The assembly components may include: a first assembly protrusion (214) formed to protrude from the lower surface of the guide substrate (210) to the outside of the left side surface; and a second assembly protrusion (216) and a third assembly protrusion (218) formed to protrude from the lower surface of the guide substrate (210) to the outside of the right side surface. The second assembly protrusion (216) and the third assembly protrusion (218) may be formed in a cuboid shape and may have a length longer than that of the first assembly protrusion (214). The first assembly protrusion (214) may have an inclined portion or a circular portion formed on the surface facing the base substrate (300) to facilitate assembly.

[0047] Therefore, the guide plate (210) can reduce the vibration transmitted from the vehicle to the cellular antenna (200) and is easy to replace if necessary.

[0048] The radiator (230) is configured as a dipole antenna and is mounted on the guide substrate (210). The radiator (230) is mounted on the surface of the guide substrate (210). The radiator (230) is mounted on at least one surface of the guide substrate (210).

[0049] Multiple guide holes are formed in the radiator (230). The multiple guide holes are formed to correspond to multiple guide protrusions (211) formed on the guide substrate (210). When the radiator (230) is mounted on the guide substrate (210), the guide protrusions (211) of the guide substrate (210) are all inserted into the multiple guide holes. At this time, the ends of the guide protrusions (211) passing through the guide holes can be compressed by heating and pressurizing to firmly fix the radiator (230). Therefore, the ends of the guide protrusions (211) are formed in a disc shape to prevent the radiator (230) from separating from the guide substrate (210).

[0050] Two radiators (230) may be formed separately. In other words, the radiator (230) may include a first radiator (232) and a second radiator (234), which are spaced apart from each other. The first radiator (232) is positioned adjacent to the left side of the guide substrate (210), and the second radiator (234) is positioned adjacent to the right side of the guide substrate (210). The formation of the first radiator (232) and the second radiator (234) may be the same or different. Here, the shape and number of the radiators (230) may be varied according to the desired frequency band and characteristics, and are therefore not limited to the shape and number shown in the figures.

[0051] A grounding wire (250) connects the radiator (230) to ground (GND). One end of the grounding wire (250) is electrically connected to the radiator (230), and the other end of the grounding wire (250) is electrically connected to the grounding portion of the substrate (300) (i.e., the lower grounding pattern (324)). In this case, when multiple radiators (230) are configured, one end of the grounding wire (250) can be electrically connected to each of the multiple radiators (230).

[0052] For example, one end of the grounding wire (250) is electrically connected to the radiator (230) by soldering, and the other end of the grounding wire (250) is constructed as a terminal and connected to a terminal formed on the grounding portion of the substrate (300).

[0053] For example, the substrate (300) is a printed circuit board (PCB) that serves as a substrate, on which multiple first antennas (100) and multiple cellular antennas (200) are mounted.

[0054] Reference Figure 6 and Figure 7 Depending on whether a grounding pattern is formed, the substrate (300) is divided into a grounded area (310) and a non-grounded area (330).

[0055] The grounding area (310) is a region in which a grounding pattern is formed throughout the entire area of ​​the substrate (300), and the grounding area is located at the center of the substrate (300). The grounding area (310) refers to a region in which a grounding pattern is formed on at least one of the upper and lower surfaces of the substrate (300).

[0056] The substrate (300) includes a grounding pattern forming a grounding area (310). For example, the grounding pattern includes an upper grounding pattern (322) formed on the upper surface of the substrate (300) and a lower grounding pattern (324) formed on the lower surface of the substrate (300).

[0057] The upper grounding pattern (322) is a grounding pattern formed on the upper surface of the substrate (300) and disposed at the center of the upper surface of the substrate (300). The upper grounding pattern (322) is formed to have a predetermined area at the center of the substrate (300).

[0058] The lower surface grounding pattern is a grounding pattern formed on the lower surface of the substrate (300) and disposed at the center of the lower surface of the substrate (300). Then, the lower grounding pattern is formed to have a predetermined area at the center of the substrate (300).

[0059] The non-grounded area (330) is the area in the entire area of ​​the substrate (300) where no grounding pattern is formed, and the non-grounded area surrounds the outer periphery of the grounded area (310). The non-grounded area (330) can be divided into an antenna mounting area (332) and a gap area (334), in which multiple cellular antennas (200) are mounted, and the gap area separates the antenna mounting area (332) from the grounded area (310).

[0060] Reference Figure 8 A plurality of first mounting areas (350) and a plurality of second mounting areas (370) are arranged on a base plate 300, a first antenna (100) is mounted in the plurality of first mounting areas, and a cellular antenna (200) is mounted in the plurality of second mounting areas.

[0061] The first mounting area (350) is located within the grounding area (310). The first mounting area (350) is arranged by removing a portion of the grounding pattern. The first mounting area (350) may also include a portion of the non-grounding area (300) (i.e., the gap area (334)). Electrode patterns for feeding and grounding the first antenna (100) and auxiliary radiation patterns for enhancing the antenna performance of the first antenna (100) may be formed in the first mounting area (350). Here, the first mounting area (350) may have different sizes, shapes, electrode patterns, auxiliary radiation patterns, etc., depending on the first antenna (100) to be mounted.

[0062] The second mounting area (370) is located in the non-contact area (330). The second mounting area (370) is located in the antenna mounting area (332) of the non-contact area (330). The second mounting area (370) and the contact area (310) are separated by a predetermined distance through a gap area (334).

[0063] A plurality of mounting holes for mounting a cellular antenna (200) are formed in the second mounting area (370). The second mounting area (370) has a first mounting hole (372) and a second mounting hole (374). A first mounting protrusion (214) formed on the guide substrate (210) of the cellular antenna (200) is inserted into and fixed in the first mounting hole, and a second mounting protrusion (216) and a third mounting protrusion (218) formed on the guide substrate (210) of the cellular antenna (200) are inserted into and fixed in the second mounting hole. The second mounting area (370) has a through hole (376) through which the grounding wire (250) of the cellular antenna (200) passes. The through hole (376) is disposed between the first mounting hole (372) and the second mounting hole (374). (Refer to...) Figure 9 When the cellular antenna (200) is mounted on the base plate (300), the other end of the ground wire (250) passes through the through hole (376) and is electrically connected to the ground pattern on the lower surface.

[0064] As described above, the smart antenna for a vehicle according to an exemplary embodiment of this disclosure arranges a plurality of first antennas (100) in a grounding region (310), arranges a plurality of cellular antennas (200) in a non-grounding region (330), and arranges the plurality of cellular antennas (200) to be spaced apart from the grounding pattern by gaps (334) in the non-grounding region (330), thereby minimizing interference between the cellular antennas (200). Therefore, as Figure 10 As shown, the isolation performance between the cellular antennas (200) installed in the smart antenna module for a vehicle according to an exemplary embodiment of the present disclosure has an isolation performance of about 6 dB, measured to be about 16 dB to 22 dB, which meets the isolation performance required by the automotive industry.

[0065] While preferred exemplary embodiments of the present disclosure have been described above, it should be understood that the present disclosure may be modified in various forms, and examples of various modifications and variations may be implemented by those skilled in the art without departing from the scope of the claims of the present disclosure.

Claims

1. A smart antenna module for a vehicle, the smart antenna module comprising: A base plate having a contact area and a non-contact area, the contact area being disposed at the center of the base plate and the non-contact area being disposed on the outer periphery of the contact area; A first antenna is disposed in a first mounting area located in the grounding area of ​​the base plate; Another first antenna is disposed in a first mounting area including the contact area of ​​the base plate and the gap area of ​​the non-contact area; as well as A cellular antenna, wherein the cellular antenna is disposed in a second mounting area located in a non-contact region of the substrate; The cellular antenna also includes a grounding wire; One end of the grounding wire is electrically connected to the radiator of the cellular antenna; as well as The other end of the grounding wire is constructed in the form of a terminal and passes through the base plate to connect to the grounding area formed on the lower surface of the base plate.

2. The smart antenna module according to claim 1, wherein, The substrate includes: An upper grounding pattern, the upper grounding pattern being formed in a grounding area on the upper surface of the substrate; and A lower grounding pattern is formed in the grounding area on the lower surface of the substrate.

3. The smart antenna module according to claim 1, wherein, The second installation area is formed as follows: One or more mounting holes, in which mounting protrusions of the cellular antenna are inserted and secured; and A through-hole through which the grounding wire of the cellular antenna passes.

4. The smart antenna module according to claim 3, wherein, The assembly hole includes: A first mounting hole, into which a mounting protrusion formed on one side of the cellular antenna is inserted; and A second mounting hole is provided, into which another mounting protrusion formed on the other side of the cellular antenna is inserted, and The through hole is located between the first assembly hole and the second assembly hole.

5. The smart antenna module according to claim 1, wherein, The gap area is provided between the second mounting area and the contact area to separate the second mounting area from the contact area.

6. The smart antenna module according to claim 1, wherein, The cellular antenna includes: A polyhedral-shaped guide substrate having an opening formed in a surface facing the base substrate and on which the radiator is mounted.

7. The smart antenna module according to claim 6, wherein, An empty space is formed within the guide substrate.

8. The smart antenna module according to claim 6, wherein, The guide substrate has guide protrusions formed on the surface on which the radiator is mounted.

9. The smart antenna module according to claim 6, wherein, The guiding substrate includes: A mounting protrusion is fitted into and connected to a mounting hole formed in a non-contact area of ​​the base plate.

10. The smart antenna module according to claim 9, wherein, The assembly protrusion includes: A first mounting protrusion, formed on one side of the guide substrate, is fitted into and connected to a first mounting hole formed in a non-contact area of ​​the base substrate; and A second mounting protrusion is formed on the other side of the guide substrate and is fitted into and connected to a second mounting hole formed in the non-contact area of ​​the base substrate.

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