Antenna device for vehicle and radar system and vehicle including the same

Abstract

An antenna device for a vehicle and a radar system and a vehicle including the same are disclosed. An antenna device for a vehicle according to an aspect of the present invention includes a printed circuit board disposed on a vehicle, a sub-processor mounted on the printed circuit board, and an antenna module electrically connected with the sub-processor, covering a portion of the printed circuit board, and mounted on one surface of the printed circuit board.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present invention relates to an antenna device for a vehicle and a radar system and vehicle including the same, and more specifically, to an antenna device for a vehicle capable of suppressing interference effects between a transmit channel and a receive channel and having a high degree of design freedom, and a radar system and vehicle including the same. Background Technology

[0002] With the increasing number of vehicle safety and convenience functions provided to drivers, such as Adaptive Cruise Control (ACC), Autonomous Emergency Braking (AEB), autonomous driving, and automatic parking, the development of vehicle radar for understanding the vehicle's surroundings is becoming increasingly active.

[0003] Such vehicle radars require array antennas that radiate radio signals to transmit / receive radio waves. Recently, research and use of waveguide-type array antennas that can suppress interference effects between the transmit and receive channels and have a wide beam area are increasing.

[0004] In the prior art, in order to apply waveguide array antennas to vehicle radar, a method is adopted to form waveguides and feeding networks on metal plates, and then stack the metal plates in multiple layers on a printed circuit board.

[0005] However, although the waveguides and feed networks used to transmit / receive radio waves only need to be arranged in a portion of the printed circuit board, traditional waveguide array antennas are manufactured by stacking metal plates of similar size to the printed circuit board, resulting in unnecessary resource waste and increased costs. In particular, as the size of the printed circuit board increases, the amount of raw materials required to manufacture the antenna also increases, leading to a rapid rise in manufacturing costs.

[0006] Furthermore, in the prior art, since the transmit channel and the receive channel are formed by forming a waveguide for transmitting and a waveguide for receiving on a metal plate and stacking the metal plate into multiple layers, the transmit channel and the receive channel are integrally formed in a waveguide array antenna.

[0007] Therefore, traditional waveguide array antennas cannot freely change the structure, arrangement, shape, and thickness of the transmitting and receiving channels, resulting in a decrease in the freedom of antenna design and interference effects between the transmitting and receiving channels.

[0008] Furthermore, because the metal plates constituting the waveguide array antenna are manufactured to the same size as printed circuit boards, the lack of waveguides in the frame and the long ground lines (GND) formed laterally result in the generation of a large number of lateral waves (lateral radiation).

[0009] Therefore, traditional waveguide array antennas require additional structures such as corrugated slots or non-radiating slots to suppress interference effects or side waves between the transmit and receive channels.

[0010] Therefore, there is a need to develop a vehicle antenna device that can suppress interference effects between the transmit and receive channels, while offering high design freedom and cost savings. Furthermore, there is a need to develop a vehicle antenna device that can effectively suppress side waves that may be generated by the unnecessary structure of waveguide array antennas. Summary of the Invention

[0011] Technical issues

[0012] The present invention is proposed to solve the above-mentioned problems, and aims to provide a vehicle antenna device and a radar system and vehicle including the antenna device that can significantly reduce manufacturing costs.

[0013] Furthermore, another object of the present invention is to provide a vehicle antenna device and a radar system and vehicle including the antenna device, which can increase the design freedom of the transmission channel and the reception channel.

[0014] Furthermore, another object of the present invention is to provide a vehicle antenna device and a radar system and vehicle including the antenna device, which can increase the space utilization inside the vehicle radar for mounting the antenna device.

[0015] Furthermore, another object of the present invention is to provide a vehicle antenna device and a radar system and vehicle including the same, which can reduce interference effects between the transmitting channel and the receiving channel.

[0016] Furthermore, another object of the present invention is to provide a vehicle antenna device capable of suppressing the generation of side waves during the transmission / reception of radio signals, and a radar system and vehicle including the same.

[0017] The problems of this invention are not limited to those described above, and other problems not mentioned will be clearly understood by those skilled in the art from the following description.

[0018] Problem-solving methods

[0019] According to one aspect of the present invention, a vehicle antenna device for transmitting / receiving radio waves is provided, the vehicle antenna device comprising: a printed circuit board disposed on a vehicle; a subprocessor mounted on the printed circuit board; and an antenna module electrically connected to the subprocessor, covering a portion of the printed circuit board and mounted on a surface of the printed circuit board.

[0020] At this time, one surface of the antenna module mounted on the printed circuit board may have a second area smaller than the first area of ​​the printed circuit board.

[0021] At this time, the antenna module can be located inside the edge of the printed circuit board to prevent it from protruding from the side of the printed circuit board.

[0022] At this time, the antenna module and the sub-processor can be located on one surface of the printed circuit board.

[0023] At this time, the subprocessor can be located at the center of the printed circuit board, and the antenna module can be arranged to be spaced apart from the subprocessor.

[0024] At this time, the number of antenna modules can be multiple.

[0025] At this time, the plurality of antenna modules include a first antenna module and a second antenna module, wherein the thickness of the first antenna module is formed to be greater than the thickness of the second antenna module.

[0026] At this time, the thickness difference between the first antenna module and the second antenna module can be greater than or equal to twice the wavelength (λ) of the radio wave (2λ).

[0027] At this time, the first antenna module can be an antenna module for transmitting, and the second antenna module can be an antenna module for receiving.

[0028] At this time, the antenna module includes: a module body mounted on the printed circuit board; a waveguide formed in the module body and having multiple slots formed along its length; and a feed network formed inside the module body for connecting the waveguide and the sub-processor.

[0029] At this time, there are multiple waveguides, and the multiple waveguides can be arranged side by side adjacent to each other.

[0030] At this time, the module body includes an inner part and an outer part. The inner part is adjacent to the printed circuit board, and the outer part is located further away from the printed circuit board than the inner part. A plurality of waveguides are formed in the entire area of ​​the outer part along the width direction of the module body.

[0031] At this time, the power supply network is located on the inner side, and the width of the inner side can be less than or equal to the width of the outer side.

[0032] According to another aspect of the present invention, a radar system is provided, the radar system comprising: a vehicle antenna device mounted on a vehicle for transmitting / receiving radio waves; and a power supply device for supplying power to the antenna device, wherein the antenna device comprises: a printed circuit board disposed on the vehicle; a subprocessor mounted on the printed circuit board; and an antenna module electrically connected to the subprocessor, covering a portion of the printed circuit board, and mounted on a surface of the printed circuit board.

[0033] According to another aspect of the present invention, a vehicle is provided, the vehicle comprising: a body; and an antenna device for a vehicle disposed on the body for transmitting / receiving radio waves, wherein the antenna device comprises: a printed circuit board disposed on the body; a subprocessor mounted on the printed circuit board; and an antenna module electrically connected to the subprocessor, covering a portion of the printed circuit board and mounted on a surface of the printed circuit board.

[0034] The effects of the invention

[0035] According to the above configuration, in the vehicle antenna device and the vehicle including the antenna device according to the embodiments of the present invention, since the antenna module is only installed in a portion of the area of ​​the printed circuit board where the transmission channel and the reception channel need to be arranged, the cost required for manufacturing the antenna device can be greatly reduced.

[0036] Furthermore, in the vehicle antenna device and the radar system and vehicle including the antenna device according to embodiments of the present invention, since multiple antenna modules that can freely change their structure, arrangement, shape and thickness are included, and the transmission channel and the receiving channel are configured using them, the design freedom of the transmission channel and the receiving channel can be improved, and the internal space utilization of the vehicle radar for which the antenna device is installed can be increased.

[0037] Furthermore, in the vehicle antenna device and radar system and vehicle including the antenna device according to embodiments of the present invention, one surface of the antenna module mounted on the printed circuit board has a smaller area than the printed circuit board, and is located inside the edge of the printed circuit board to prevent protrusion from the side of the printed circuit board, thereby increasing the utilization rate of the internal space of the vehicle radar for mounting the antenna device.

[0038] Furthermore, in the vehicle antenna device and the radar system and vehicle including the antenna according to embodiments of the present invention, since a first antenna module and a second antenna module with different thicknesses are included and the transmitting channel and the receiving channel can be configured using them, the interference effect between the transmitting channel and the receiving channel can be reduced.

[0039] Furthermore, in the vehicle antenna device and radar system and vehicle including the antenna according to embodiments of the present invention, the module body of the antenna module includes an inner portion and an outer portion, the inner portion being adjacent to a printed circuit board, and the outer portion being located further away from the printed circuit board than the inner portion. Since multiple waveguides are formed in the entire area of ​​the outer portion, the generation of side waves can be effectively suppressed during the transmission / reception of radio signals.

[0040] It should be understood that the effects of the present invention are not limited to those described above, but include all effects that can be inferred from the technical features of the invention as described in the invention description or claims. Attached Figure Description

[0041] Figure 1 This is a perspective view illustrating a vehicle antenna device according to an embodiment of the present invention. For the purposes of describing the invention, the housing is shown in dashed lines, and the components seen through the housing are shown in solid lines.

[0042] Figure 2 yes Figure 1 The image shows a top view of the vehicle antenna device.

[0043] Figure 3 yes Figure 1 An exploded perspective view of the vehicle antenna device shown.

[0044] Figure 4 yes Figure 1 The diagram shows a perspective view of the first antenna module and feed circuit of the vehicle antenna device. Here, the first antenna module is truncated to show the waveguide and feed network formed inside.

[0045] Figure 5 yes Figure 1 The diagram shows a perspective view of the second antenna module and feed circuit of the vehicle antenna device. Here, the second antenna module is truncated to show the waveguide formed inside.

[0046] Figure 6 yes Figure 1 The image shows a side view of the vehicle antenna assembly. The subprocessor is not shown here.

[0047] Figure 7A and Figure 7B It is used for explanation and confirmation Figure 1The figure shown illustrates a first experiment demonstrating how a vehicle antenna device can reduce interference between the transmitting and receiving channels. Figure 7A Yes Figure 1 The diagram shows the first and second experimental models after modeling the vehicle using the antenna device. Figure 7B This is a graph showing the experimental results of the first experiment.

[0048] Figures 8A to 8C to Figure 10 It is used for explanation and confirmation Figure 1 The diagram shows a second experiment demonstrating how the vehicle antenna device can suppress side waves. Figures 8A to 8C Yes Figure 1 The diagram shows the third experimental model, the first comparative model, and the second comparative model used for modeling the vehicle with an antenna device. Figures 9A to 9C It is a three-dimensional image that visualizes the results of the second experiment. Figure 10 This is a graph showing the experimental results of the second experiment.

[0049] Figure 11 This is a perspective view of a vehicle according to an embodiment of the present invention. Here, the radar system as seen through the vehicle body is shown in dashed lines.

[0050] Figure 12 This is a diagram illustrating the process by which a radar system, according to an embodiment of the present invention, obtains information about an external object.

[0051] Explanation of reference numerals in the attached figures

[0052] 1: Vehicle antenna device; 2: Main processor; 3: Power supply device; V: Vehicle body; 10: Housing; 20: Printed circuit board; 30: Sub-processor; 40: Feed circuit; 50: First antenna module; 60: Second antenna module; 70: Third antenna module. Detailed Implementation

[0053] In the following, embodiments of the invention will be described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings to enable those skilled in the art to readily implement the invention. The invention can be implemented in various different forms and is not limited to the embodiments described herein. For clarity of description, parts irrelevant to the description have been omitted from the drawings, and throughout the specification, the same reference numerals denote the same or similar components.

[0054] The words and terms used in this specification and claims should not be interpreted in their usual or dictionary sense. Based on the principle that inventors can define terms and concepts in order to best describe their inventions, they should be interpreted as meanings and concepts consistent with the technical ideas of this invention.

[0055] It should be understood that, in this specification, terms such as “comprising” or “having” are used to describe the presence of features, numbers, steps, operations, components, parts, or combinations thereof described in the specification, rather than precluding the possibility of the presence or addition of one or more other features, numbers, steps, operations, components, parts, or combinations thereof.

[0056] Unless otherwise specified, when describing some components as being "in front of," "behind," "above," or "below" other components, this includes not only cases where they are directly in contact with other components and are positioned in front of, behind, above, or below, but also cases where other components are positioned between them. Furthermore, unless otherwise specified, when describing some components as being "connected" to other components, this includes not only cases where they are directly connected to each other but also cases where they are indirectly connected.

[0057] The accompanying drawings will be described below with reference to... Figure 1 Define and describe the various directions. More specifically, define the positive direction of the y-axis as forward and the negative direction of the y-axis as backward. Define the positive direction of the z-axis as upward and the negative direction of the z-axis as downward. Define the positive direction of the x-axis as right and the negative direction of the x-axis as left.

[0058] This invention relates to an antenna device for vehicles. According to one embodiment of the invention, the antenna device for vehicles is installed inside a vehicle radar installed in a vehicle and is capable of receiving radio signals from or transmitting radio signals to the outside of the vehicle.

[0059] In this embodiment of the vehicle antenna device according to the present invention, an antenna module without particular limitations in terms of structure, arrangement, shape and thickness is mounted on a printed circuit board and covers a portion of the printed circuit board, thereby saving manufacturing costs and having high design freedom and space utilization.

[0060] Furthermore, the vehicle antenna device according to an embodiment of the present invention includes a plurality of antenna modules with different thicknesses, and since the waveguide is formed in the entire outer region of the antenna module body, the interference effect between the transmission channel and the reception channel and the generation of side waves can be reduced during the transmission / reception of radio signals.

[0061] In this embodiment, vehicle radar refers to a device or system that detects the position or movement of other moving or stationary vehicles or objects to perform adaptive cruise control (ACC), automatic emergency braking (AEB), autonomous driving, and automatic parking, but is not limited thereto.

[0062] In this embodiment, the vehicle antenna device refers to a device or system installed inside a vehicle radar that transmits radio signals to other vehicles or objects, or receives reflected radio signals from other vehicles or objects, and is capable of analyzing the transmitted / received radio signals, but is not limited thereto.

[0063] The vehicle antenna device according to the present invention is not limited to the antenna device for vehicle radar described above for transmitting / receiving radio signals to detect other vehicles or objects, but can be applied to a variety of devices for transmitting / receiving radio signals and analyzing radio signals to perform predetermined functions.

[0064] Figure 1 This is a perspective view illustrating a vehicle antenna device according to an embodiment of the present invention. For the purposes of describing the invention, the housing is shown in dashed lines, and the components seen through the housing are shown in solid lines. Figure 2 yes Figure 1 The image shows a top view of the vehicle antenna device.

[0065] Reference Figure 1 According to an embodiment of the present invention, a vehicle antenna device 1 may include a housing 10, a printed circuit board 20, a subprocessor 30, a feed circuit 40, and antenna modules 50, 60, and 70.

[0066] The housing 10 houses and protects the printed circuit board 20, the subprocessor 30, the power supply circuit 40, and the antenna modules 50, 60, and 70. In this embodiment, the housing 10 is formed as a box with a cuboid shape; however, the shape of the housing 10 can be changed in various ways depending on the shape and arrangement of the other components housed inside and the function performed by the vehicle antenna device 1.

[0067] Printed circuit board 20 is disposed inside housing 10. Subprocessor 30 and antenna modules 50, 60 and 70 are mounted on printed circuit board 20. In this embodiment, subprocessor 30 is arranged at the center of the upper surface of printed circuit board 20, and antenna modules 50, 60 and 70 are arranged at a predetermined distance from subprocessor 30.

[0068] The power supply circuit 40 is formed on the printed circuit board 20. The power supply circuit 40 can perform the function of electrically connecting the subprocessor 30 mounted on the printed circuit board 20 with the antenna modules 50, 60 and 70.

[0069] For this purpose, the two ends of the power supply circuit 40 are connected to the subprocessor 30 and the antenna modules 50, 60 and 70 respectively, and transmit electrical signals from the subprocessor 30 to the antenna modules 50, 60 and 70 or in the opposite direction.

[0070] At this point, although not shown, the feed circuit 40 may include: a transition unit that performs the power conversion from the feed line on the circuit board to the waveguide; passive components for power distribution; and various known components for performing antenna functions.

[0071] Reference Figure 1 and Figure 2 In this embodiment, antenna modules 50, 60, and 70 have a cuboid shape and a predetermined thickness, and a width and length greater than the thickness. Multiple slots 55, 65, and 75 communicating with the interior are formed in antenna modules 50, 60, and 70.

[0072] During the transmission / reception of radio signals, antenna modules 50, 60, and 70 perform the functions of transmitting radio signals transmitted and generated by feed circuit 40 to the outside through multiple slots 55, 65, and 75, or receiving radio signals from the outside through multiple slots 55, 65, and 75 and transmitting them to feed circuit 40 and subprocessor 30.

[0073] On the other hand, the shapes of antenna modules 50, 60 and 70 can be appropriately changed according to the shape of printed circuit board 20, the nature of radio signals and the shape of the space for mounting vehicle antenna device 1.

[0074] At this time, antenna modules 50, 60, and 70 cover a portion of the upper surface of printed circuit board 20 and are mounted on printed circuit board 20. As described above, in a vehicle antenna device 1 according to an embodiment of the present invention, since antenna modules 50, 60, and 70 only cover a portion of printed circuit board 20, antenna modules 50, 60, and 70 and subprocessor 30 can be mounted on the same surface of printed circuit board 20.

[0075] More specifically, according to this embodiment, the subprocessor 30 can be mounted on a surface of the printed circuit board 20 that is not covered by the antenna modules 50, 60, and 70. Furthermore, electronic components (not shown) performing other functions can be mounted on a surface of the printed circuit board 20 that is not covered by the antenna modules 50, 60, and 70.

[0076] As described above, according to this embodiment, since the antenna modules 50, 60 and 70, the subprocessor 30 and other components can be arranged together on the same surface of the printed circuit board 20, the internal space of the vehicle radar on which the antenna device 1 is provided can be effectively utilized.

[0077] Furthermore, according to this embodiment, antenna modules 50, 60, and 70 only cover a portion of the printed circuit board 20. Since they do not cover the entire area of ​​the printed circuit board 20, the amount of resources required for manufacturing can be reduced, and manufacturing costs can be significantly saved.

[0078] On the other hand, refer to Figure 1 and Figure 2 According to an embodiment of the present invention, a vehicle antenna device 1 may include a plurality of antenna modules 50, 60 and 70. In this embodiment, the plurality of antenna modules 50, 60 and 70 are composed of a first antenna module 50, a second antenna module 60 and a third antenna module 70 that perform different functions.

[0079] At this time, the power supply circuit 40 is configured to correspond to a plurality of antenna modules 50, 60, and 70. More specifically, the power supply circuit 40 consists of a plurality of circuits that electrically connect the plurality of antenna modules 50, 60, and 70 to the subprocessor 30, respectively.

[0080] In this embodiment, the antenna modules 50, 60, and 70 are mounted on a surface of the printed circuit board 20 with an area smaller than that of the printed circuit board 20. That is, multiple antenna modules 50, 60, and 70 can be mounted together on a single surface of the printed circuit board 20. Furthermore, the antenna modules 50, 60, and 70 are located inside the edge of the printed circuit board 20, so they do not protrude from the side of the printed circuit board 20.

[0081] Therefore, according to an embodiment of the present invention, the vehicle antenna device 1 can be compactly configured with antenna modules 50, 60 and 70 on the same surface of the printed circuit board 20, thereby increasing the internal space utilization of the vehicle radar on which the antenna device 1 is installed.

[0082] Figure 3 yes Figure 1 An exploded perspective view of the vehicle antenna device shown. Figure 4 yes Figure 1 The diagram shows a perspective view of the first antenna module and feed circuit of the vehicle antenna device. Here, the first antenna module is truncated to show the waveguide and feed network formed inside. Figure 5 yes Figure 1 The diagram shows a perspective view of the second antenna module and feed circuit of the vehicle antenna device. Here, the second antenna module is truncated to show the waveguide formed inside.

[0083] Reference Figures 3 to 5 Antenna modules 50, 60, and 70 according to one embodiment of the present invention may include module bodies 52 and 62, waveguides 54 and 64, and a feed network 56. In this case, module bodies 52 and 62 are mounted on a printed circuit board 20. In this case, module bodies 52 and 62 may be made of a metal such as aluminum.

[0084] In this embodiment, module bodies 52 and 62 have rectangular cross-sections and are formed by stacking multiple plate-like members with predetermined thicknesses. At this time, the module body 52 of the first antenna module 50 and the module body 62 of the second antenna module 60 have different thicknesses.

[0085] More specifically, the main body 52 of the first antenna module 50 can be composed of a first layer 521, a second layer 522 and a third layer 523, and the main body 62 of the second antenna module 60 can be composed of a first layer 621 and a second layer 622.

[0086] The various layers 521, 522, 523, 621, and 622 of the module bodies 52 and 62 include configurations for performing the functions of the antenna modules 50 and 60. In this embodiment, the first antenna module 50 is a transmitting antenna module for transmitting radio signals to the outside, and the second antenna module 60 is a receiving antenna module for receiving radio signals from the outside.

[0087] Reference Figure 3 and Figure 4 In the third layer 523 of the first antenna module 50, a plurality of slots 55 with rectangular cross-sections are formed. In the second layer 522 of the first antenna module 50, a waveguide 54 connected to the plurality of slots 55 is formed. At this time, the cross-section of the waveguide 54 is rectangular, and the plurality of slots 55 in the third layer 523 are formed along the length direction of the waveguide 54.

[0088] In this embodiment, the waveguide 54 is formed along the length of the module body 52. ​​There are multiple waveguides 54, arranged side-by-side adjacent to each other along the width of the module body 52.

[0089] On the other hand, the multiple slots 55 and waveguides 54 can be constructed from known slots and waveguides. The shape and arrangement of the multiple slots 55 and waveguides 54 can be selected in various ways depending on the structure, shape and function of the antenna device and the characteristics of the transmitted / received radio signals.

[0090] A feed network 56 is formed in the first layer 521 of the first antenna module 50. The feed network 56 performs the function of receiving radio signals from the feed circuit 40 and transmitting and distributing the received radio signals to multiple waveguides 54.

[0091] At this point, the feed network 56 formed in the first layer 521 can be formed from a known feed network. The feed network can be modified in various ways depending on the structure, shape, and function of the antenna device, as well as the characteristics of the transmitted / received radio signals.

[0092] For example, the feed network 56 and the waveguide 54 can be formed together in the first layer 521 and the second layer 522, so that the feed network 56 can feed the side of the waveguide 54. Furthermore, although in Figure 4 Not shown in the figure, but the power supply network 56 can naturally further include known components for transmitting and distributing radio signals.

[0093] On the other hand, refer to again Figure 3 and Figure 4 The module body 52 has a rectangular cross-section. The module body 52 is composed of an inner portion A1 and an outer portion A2. The inner portion A1 is adjacent to the printed circuit board 20, and the outer portion A2 is located further away from the printed circuit board 20 than the inner portion A1.

[0094] In this embodiment, the inner portion A1 is defined as the first layer 521 on which the power supply network 56 is formed, and the outer portion A2 is defined as the second layer 522 and the third layer 523 on which multiple slots 55 and waveguides 54 are formed. At this time, multiple waveguides 54 are formed along the width direction of the module body 52 in the entire area of ​​the outer portion A2.

[0095] Therefore, the vehicle antenna device 1 according to an embodiment of the present invention can effectively transmit radio signals to the outside by using the entire area of ​​the upper surface of the module body 52 for signal transmission. Furthermore, in the vehicle antenna device 1 according to an embodiment of the present invention, since the outer portion A2 does not include unnecessary areas where the waveguide 54 is not formed, manufacturing costs can be saved.

[0096] On the other hand, in this embodiment, the width of the inner portion A1 of the module body 52 is formed to be the same as the width of the outer portion A2. Of course, depending on the shape of the feed network 56 formed in the inner portion A1, the width of the inner portion A1 can be smaller than the width of the outer portion A2. Therefore, in the vehicle antenna device 1 according to an embodiment of the present invention, since the inner portion A1 does not include unnecessary areas where a feed network is not formed, manufacturing costs can be saved.

[0097] Reference Figure 3 and Figure 5 The main body 62 of the second antenna module 60 consists of a first layer 621 and a second layer 622. Multiple slots 65 with rectangular cross-sections are formed on the upper surface of the second layer 622. Waveguides 64 connected to the multiple slots 65 are formed in the first layer 621.

[0098] In this embodiment, the waveguide 64 has a rectangular cross-section. Multiple slots 65 of the second layer 622 are formed side-by-side along the length of the waveguide 64. The multiple slots 65 and the waveguide 64 can be constructed from known slots and waveguides.

[0099] Waveguide 64 extends along the length of module body 62. At this time, there are multiple waveguides 64, which are arranged side by side adjacent to each other along the width of module body 62.

[0100] One side of waveguide 64, for example based on Figure 5 The lower side of the waveguide 64 is connected to the feed circuit 40. That is, the second antenna module 60, which can be used to receive signals, does not require a feed network for transmitting signals to the outside, and therefore has a smaller height than the first antenna module.

[0101] As described above, the vehicle antenna device 1 according to an embodiment of the present invention may include multiple antenna modules 50, 60 and 70 with different shapes and structures according to their functions and roles. By utilizing them to configure the transmission channel and the reception channel, the design freedom of the transmission channel and the reception channel can be increased, and unnecessary waste of resources can be prevented and manufacturing costs can be reduced.

[0102] On the other hand, Figure 3 Although the layers 521, 522, 523, 621 and 622 that make up the main bodies of modules 52 and 62 are illustrated to have the same thickness and shape, the thickness and shape of each layer 521, 522, 523, 621 and 622 can be changed depending on the function and shape of the components included in each layer 521, 522, 523, 621 and 622.

[0103] For example, the first antenna module 50 may have a more complex feed network structure to perform the transmission function. In this case, the first layer 521 of the first antenna module 50 may have a thicker thickness to accommodate a more complex feed network structure inside it.

[0104] Figure 6 yes Figure 1 The image shows a side view of the vehicle antenna assembly. The subprocessor is not shown here. Figure 7A and Figure 7B It is used for explanation and confirmation Figure 1 The figure shown illustrates a first experiment demonstrating how a vehicle antenna device can reduce interference between the transmitting and receiving channels. Figure 7A Yes Figure 1 The diagram shows the first and second experimental models after modeling the vehicle using the antenna device. Figure 7B This is a graph showing the experimental results of the first experiment.

[0105] As described above, the module body of the first antenna module and the module body of the second antenna module according to an embodiment of the present invention may have different thicknesses.

[0106] More specifically, see Figure 6The thickness t1 of the main body 52 of the first antenna module in the vertical direction is greater than the thickness t2 of the main body 62 of the second antenna module in the vertical direction.

[0107] At this point, the thickness difference (Δt = t1 - t2) between module bodies 52 and 62 can be formed to have a predetermined value. For example, the thickness difference (Δt) between module bodies 52 and 62 can be formed to have a value that is larger than an integer multiple (nλ) of the wavelength (λ) of the radio wave transmitted by the antenna module.

[0108] In this embodiment, the thickness difference (Δt) between the module bodies 52 and 62 can be formed to have a value equal to or greater than twice (2λ) the wavelength (λ) of the radio waves transmitted / received by the antenna module.

[0109] To confirm that the vehicle antenna device according to an embodiment of the present invention can reduce interference effects between the transmitting channel and the receiving channel, the inventors conducted the following first experiment.

[0110] Reference Figure 7A According to an embodiment of the present invention, the first antenna module and the second antenna module are respectively modeled as the first experimental model 50' and the second experimental model 60' for use in the first experiment.

[0111] At this point, the first experimental model 50' has a rectangular cross-section, and multiple slots 55' through which radio waves can pass are formed on its upper surface. The two ends in the x-axis direction are composed of closed waveguides.

[0112] The second experimental model 60' has the same shape as the first experimental model 50', and is arranged such that the height of the upper surface of the first experimental model 50' is different from the height of the upper surface of the second experimental model 60'.

[0113] This can be understood as the difference between the height of the upper surface of the first experimental model 50' and the height of the upper surface of the second experimental model 60' corresponding to the thickness difference between the main body of the first antenna module and the main body of the second antenna module in this embodiment. In the following text, the height difference between the two surfaces is referred to as Δt'.

[0114] A simulation experiment was conducted to transmit radio waves at a frequency of 76.5 GHz from slot 55' of the first experimental model 50'. The results of energy transmission from the first experimental model 50' to the interior of the second experimental model 60' as Δt' are shown in the graph. Figure 7B The line graph (1) is shown in the figure.

[0115] A simulation experiment was conducted to emit radio waves at a frequency of 76.5 GHz from slot 65' of the second experimental model 60'. The results of energy transmission from the second experimental model 60' to the interior of the first experimental model 50' as a function of Δt' are shown in the graph. Figure 7B The line graph (2) is shown in the figure.

[0116] At this time, Figure 7B In the graph, the energy of the transmitted radio waves is expressed in decibels (dB), and Δt' represents the product of the wavelength (λ) of the radio waves emitted from slots 55' and 65' and the constant k (kλ). The scale of the first experimental model 50' and the second experimental model 60' can be shown in the figure. Figure 7A Use the scale at the bottom to confirm.

[0117] Reference Figure 7B As can be seen, line graphs (1) and (2) show almost the same trend. In particular, the energy transferred by Δt' decreases rapidly in the interval from λ to 2λ. Although the energy transferred by Δt' increases slightly in the interval from 2λ to 4λ, it shows a trend of converging to a predetermined value after this interval.

[0118] The small amount of energy transmitted from the first experimental model 50' to the second experimental model 60' or in the opposite direction means that the energy transmitted from the transmitting channel to the receiving channel is small, i.e., the interference effect is small.

[0119] These results indicate that, according to an embodiment of the present invention, the vehicle antenna device can reduce the interference effect between the transmission and reception channels by utilizing multiple antenna modules of different thicknesses to configure the transmission and reception channels.

[0120] On the other hand, given the purpose and content of the first experiment mentioned above, it is understandable that... Figure 6 In the diagram, the thickness difference (Δt) between the main body 52 of the first antenna module and the main body 62 of the second antenna module represents the height difference between the part of the first antenna module that transmits radio signals to the outside and the part of the second antenna module that receives radio signals from the outside.

[0121] Figures 8A to 8C to Figure 10 It is used for explanation and confirmation Figure 1 The diagram shows a second experiment demonstrating how the vehicle antenna device can suppress side waves. Figures 8A to 8C Yes Figure 1 The diagram shows the third experimental model, the first comparative model, and the second comparative model used for modeling the vehicle with an antenna device. Figures 9A to 9C It is a three-dimensional image that visualizes the results of the second experiment. Figure 10This is a graph showing the experimental results of the second experiment.

[0122] Refer again Figure 4 As seen above, in this embodiment, multiple waveguides 54 can be formed over the entire area of ​​the outer portion A2 of the first module body 52, and the width of the inner portion A1 of the first module body 52 to which the power supply network 56 is formed is less than or equal to the width of the outer portion A2.

[0123] In order to confirm that the vehicle antenna device according to an embodiment of the present invention has the effect of effectively suppressing side waves during the transmission / reception of radio signals, the inventors conducted the following second experiment.

[0124] Reference Figure 8A According to one embodiment of the present invention, the antenna module is modeled as a third experimental model 70' for conducting a second experiment. The third experimental model 70' is composed of a waveguide with a rectangular cross-section. The upper surface of the waveguide has multiple slots 75' through which radio waves can pass.

[0125] Reference Figure 8B The first comparative model 150' is composed of a waveguide having the same shape as the third experimental model 70', however, a frame 157' having a first length L1 extends laterally (or, in the width direction) from the upper surface of the waveguide. That is, the upper surface of the frame 157' extends from the upper surface of the waveguide to form a plane.

[0126] Reference Figure 8C The second comparative model 250' is constructed from a waveguide with the same shape as the third experimental model 70'; however, a frame 257' with a second length L2 extends laterally (or, in the width direction) from the upper surface of the waveguide. That is, the upper surface of the frame 257' extends from the upper surface of the waveguide to form a plane. In this case, the second length L2 is longer than the first length L1.

[0127] It can be understood that the frame or ground wire set in the waveguide array antenna in the prior art corresponds to the configuration of the frame 157' of the first comparative model 150' and the frame 257' of the second comparative model 250'.

[0128] By conducting a second experiment, namely by comparing the first comparative model 150' and the second comparative model 250', which include frames 157' and 257', with the third experimental model 70', the influence of the frame or ground wire extending laterally from the side of the waveguide can be confirmed in a conventional waveguide array antenna.

[0129] A simulation experiment was conducted to emit radio waves at a frequency of 76.5 GHz from slot 75' of the third experimental model 70'. The 3D visual representation of the gain field pattern formed around the third experimental model 70' when radio waves are emitted from slot 75' is shown below. Figure 9A As shown. When radio waves are emitted from slot 75' of the third experimental model 70', the gain field pattern formed around the third experimental model 70' is shown as the result of the correlation curve between relative energy and rotation angle. Figure 10 The line graph (3) is shown.

[0130] A simulation experiment was conducted to radiate radio waves at a frequency of 76.5 GHz from slot 155' of the first comparative model 150'. A 3D visual representation of the gain pattern formed around the first comparative model 150' when radio waves are radiated from slot 155' is shown below. Figure 9B As shown. When radio waves are emitted from slot 155' of the first comparison model 150', the gain field pattern formed around the first comparison model 150' is shown as the result of a correlation curve between relative energy and rotation angle, as shown in the figure. Figure 10 The line graph (4) is shown.

[0131] A simulation experiment was conducted to emit radio waves at a frequency of 76.5 GHz from slot 255' of the second comparative model 250'. A 3D visual representation of the gain field pattern formed around the second comparative model 250' when radio waves are emitted from slot 255' is shown below. Figure 9C As shown. When radio waves are emitted from slot 255' of the second comparison model 250', the gain field pattern formed around the second comparison model 250' is shown as the result of a correlation curve between relative energy and rotation angle, as shown in the figure. Figure 10 The line graph (5) is shown.

[0132] Reference Figures 9A to 9C and Figure 10 It can be seen that the gain field pattern obtained by radio waves emitted from the slot of the third experimental model (shown in...) Figure 9A ) and line graph (3) (shown in Figure 10 Compared to the gain pattern obtained by radio waves radiated from the slots of the first and second comparison models (shown in...), Figure 9B and Figure 9C ) and line graphs (4) and (5) (shown in Figure 10 It has a smooth shape with minimal non-uniformity.

[0133] Comparison of gain patterns obtained by radio waves radiated from the slots of the first and second comparison models (shown in...) Figure 9B and Figure 9C (4) and (5) (shown in) Figure 10 As can be seen, the longer the frame formed on the side of the waveguide, the more inhomogeneous the gain field pattern becomes and the more irregular its shape.

[0134] These results indicate that, since the third experimental model does not form a frame along the width direction on the side of the waveguide, the interference caused by side waves during the transmission of radio signals is less than that of the first and second comparative models.

[0135] Refer again Figure 4 and Figures 8A to 8C In a vehicle antenna device according to an embodiment of the present invention, a plurality of waveguides 54 are formed over the entire area of ​​the outer side portion A2 of the module body 52, and the width of the inner side portion A1 of the module body 52 is equal to or less than the width of the outer side portion A2.

[0136] That is, the side portion of the module body 52 according to an embodiment of the present invention does not include the region of frames 157' and 257' where the waveguide 54 is not formed (corresponding to the portion of the existing frame or ground wire), similar to the first comparison model 150' and the second comparison model 250'. Therefore, the vehicle antenna device according to an embodiment of the present invention can effectively suppress the generation of side waves during the transmission / reception of radio signals.

[0137] As described above, in a vehicle antenna device according to an embodiment of the present invention, an antenna module having an area smaller than that of a printed circuit board is mounted on the printed circuit board and covers only a portion of the printed circuit board. Since the metal frame (or ground wire) covering other parts of the printed circuit board is not included, the cost of manufacturing the antenna device can be significantly reduced.

[0138] Furthermore, in a vehicle antenna device according to an embodiment of the present invention, other configurations can be further arranged in the area where the antenna module is not installed, thereby improving the space utilization inside the radar.

[0139] Furthermore, according to an embodiment of the present invention, the vehicle antenna device includes multiple antenna modules whose arrangement, shape and height can be freely changed, and the transmission channel and the reception channel can be configured using multiple antenna modules. Therefore, the design freedom of the transmission channel and the reception channel can be increased, and the internal space of the vehicle radar used to install the antenna device can be effectively utilized.

[0140] Furthermore, the vehicle antenna device according to an embodiment of the present invention can reduce interference effects between the transmission channel and the reception channel by utilizing multiple antenna modules with different heights to configure the transmission channel and the reception channel.

[0141] Furthermore, in a vehicle antenna device according to an embodiment of the present invention, since multiple waveguides are formed over the entire area of ​​the outer side of the module body, unnecessary areas where waveguides are not formed are excluded, and since the inner side of the module body has a width less than or equal to that of the outer side, the generation of side waves can be effectively suppressed during the transmission / reception of radio signals.

[0142] The following will describe a vehicle according to an embodiment of the present invention.

[0143] Figure 11 This is a perspective view of a vehicle according to an embodiment of the present invention. Here, the radar system as seen through the vehicle body is shown in dashed lines. Figure 12 This is a diagram illustrating the process by which a vehicle's radar system obtains information about an external object according to an embodiment of the present invention.

[0144] Reference Figure 11 According to one embodiment of the present invention, a vehicle may include: a body V, the body V having a space for mounting other components of the vehicle and for a driver to sit in; wheels W, a pair of wheels W respectively disposed at the front and rear of the body V; and radar systems 1 and 2 disposed on the body V.

[0145] In this embodiment, the vehicle body V may include: a central portion V1, in which the main components of the vehicle and the accommodating space are disposed; and a plurality of corner portions V2, disposed around the periphery of the central portion V1.

[0146] In this embodiment, when viewed from above, the corner portion V2 of the vehicle body V can protrude outward from the center portion V1. In this embodiment, when viewed from above, the overall shape of the vehicle body V can be formed as a rectangle, and the multiple corner portions V2 can respectively constitute the sides of the rectangle.

[0147] Additionally, other components of the vehicle may include, for example, an engine that generates driving force for moving the vehicle, a transmission that transmits the driving force generated by the engine to the wheels W, a steering device that controls the direction of travel of the vehicle, and an acceleration device and a braking device that control the speed of the vehicle, among other known configurations.

[0148] On the other hand, refer to Figure 11 and Figure 12 In this embodiment, radar systems 1 and 2 may include: a vehicle antenna device 1, a main processor 2, and a power supply device 3, wherein the power supply device 3 is configured to supply power to the antenna device 1 or the main processor 2.

[0149] At this time, according to this embodiment, the antenna device 1 may have the same characteristics as the one mentioned above. Figures 1 to 10The antenna device 1 described herein has the same configuration, and therefore will be replaced by the description of the antenna device described above.

[0150] According to this embodiment, the antenna device 1 may include a front antenna device 1a and multiple corner antenna devices 1b. This antenna device 1 can be mounted on the vehicle body V via additionally provided mounting components (not shown), such as brackets.

[0151] like Figure 11 As shown, in this embodiment, the front antenna device 1a is installed in front of the vehicle body V and is able to acquire information about objects located in front of the vehicle.

[0152] At this time, since the front of the vehicle is the most important direction while driving, multiple front antenna devices 1a can be set up in order to obtain information about external objects more accurately.

[0153] For example, although not shown, the front antenna device 1a may include: a near-range front antenna device for collecting information about external objects located at relatively close range; and a far-range front antenna device for collecting information about external objects located at relatively far range.

[0154] In addition, in this embodiment, multiple corner antenna devices 1b are respectively located at multiple corner portions V2 of the vehicle body V, and can obtain information about objects located outside the corner portions V2.

[0155] As described above, since the corner antenna device 1b is installed at the corner V2 of the vehicle body V, it is possible to collect information such as the distance from the corner V2 to the external object and use it for the driving of the vehicle.

[0156] Therefore, according to this embodiment, the probability of collision with the outwardly protruding corner V2 can be reduced. Furthermore, since multiple antenna devices 1 can collect information about an external object together, the resolution of the information about the object can be improved. On the other hand, the information about the object may include the distance from the vehicle to the object, the angle of the object, and the speed of the object.

[0157] The process by which radar systems 1 and 2 acquire information about an object according to this embodiment will be briefly described below.

[0158] Reference Figure 11 and Figure 12 According to an embodiment of the present invention, the predetermined object M can be located outside the radar systems 1 and 2. For example, the object M can be a pedestrian, other vehicles, or a structure installed on the road.

[0159] The radar systems 1 and 2 according to this embodiment may include the antenna device 1 as described above. Furthermore, in this embodiment, the first antenna module 50 and the second antenna module 60 of the antenna device 1 may be an antenna module for transmitting and an antenna module for receiving, respectively.

[0160] As shown in the figure, the first antenna module 50 can transmit a predetermined signal to the object M, such as emitting electromagnetic waves. Hereinafter, the electromagnetic waves will be referred to as transmitted waves. Additionally, the second antenna module 60 can receive electromagnetic waves emitted from the first antenna module 50 and reflected by the object M. Hereinafter, the electromagnetic waves will be referred to as received waves.

[0161] Furthermore, the received wave is converted into an electrical signal in the second antenna module 60 and sent to the subprocessor 30 of the antenna device 1. In this embodiment, the subprocessor 30 may be composed of a radar chip (Radar IC).

[0162] In this embodiment, the subprocessor 30 can process the transmitted and received waves based on information about them. For example, the subprocessor 30 can convert the transmitted and received waves into intermediate frequency (IF) signals.

[0163] Additionally, in this embodiment, the subprocessor 30 can digitize the IF signal. In other words, the subprocessor 30 can perform the function of an analog-to-digital converter (ADC).

[0164] On the other hand, in this embodiment, the subprocessor 30 can be electrically connected to the main processor 2 to transmit digital signals. Additionally, in this embodiment, the main processor 2 can perform Fast Fourier Transform (FFT) processing on the received signals.

[0165] At this point, main processor 2 can perform first- to n-th order Fourier transforms on the received signals (n is an integer of 2 or greater). Furthermore, main processor 2 can also perform fast Fourier transforms on multiple signals received through different channels simultaneously.

[0166] Through the above process, radar systems 1 and 2 according to this embodiment can obtain relevant information such as the distance between the external object M and radar systems 1 and 2, the angle of the object M, or the moving speed of the object M.

[0167] On the other hand, in this embodiment, multiple antenna devices 1 are configured to be electrically connected to a main processor 2, but in other embodiments, multiple main processors 2 may be provided to correspond to the number of multiple antenna devices 1.

[0168] Furthermore, it can also be configured so that the subprocessor 30 of the antenna device 1 implements all the functions executed by the main processor 2 according to this embodiment.

[0169] Furthermore, the above process is merely an example of the process by which radar systems 1 and 2 acquire information about object M according to an embodiment of the present invention. However, in addition to the above process, various processes for acquiring information about external object M using antenna device 1 may also be applied to radar systems 1 and 2 according to an embodiment of the present invention.

[0170] Although the embodiments of the present invention have been described in detail, the ideas of the present invention are not limited to the embodiments provided in this specification. Those skilled in the art who understand the ideas of the present invention can easily propose other embodiments by adding, changing, deleting or adding components within the equivalent scope of the ideas, and these should also be included within the scope of the ideas of the present invention.

Claims

1. A vehicle antenna device for transmitting or receiving radio waves, wherein, The vehicle antenna device includes: Printed circuit boards, installed in vehicles; Sub-processor, mounted on the printed circuit board; and An antenna module, electrically connected to the sub-processor, covers a portion of the printed circuit board and is mounted on one surface of the printed circuit board. The number of antenna modules is multiple. The plurality of antenna modules include a first antenna module and a second antenna module. The thickness of the first antenna module is greater than that of the second antenna module.

2. The vehicle antenna device according to claim 1, wherein, One surface of the antenna module mounted on the printed circuit board has a second area smaller than the first area of ​​the printed circuit board.

3. The vehicle antenna device according to claim 2, wherein, The antenna module is located inside the edge of the printed circuit board to prevent it from protruding from the side of the printed circuit board.

4. The vehicle antenna device according to claim 1, wherein, The antenna module and the sub-processor are located on one surface of the printed circuit board.

5. The vehicle antenna device according to claim 4, wherein, The subprocessor is arranged at the center of the printed circuit board, and the antenna module is arranged spaced apart from the subprocessor.

6. The vehicle antenna device according to claim 1, wherein, The thickness difference between the first antenna module and the second antenna module is greater than or equal to twice the wavelength of the radio wave.

7. The vehicle antenna device according to claim 6, wherein, The first antenna module is an antenna module for transmitting, and the second antenna module is an antenna module for receiving.

8. The vehicle antenna device according to claim 1, wherein, The antenna module includes: The main body of the module is mounted on the printed circuit board; A waveguide is formed in the module body and has multiple grooves formed along its length; and A power supply network, formed inside the main body of the module, is used to connect the waveguide and the sub-processor.

9. The vehicle antenna device according to claim 8, wherein, There are multiple waveguides. Multiple waveguides are arranged side by side adjacent to each other.

10. The vehicle antenna device according to claim 9, wherein, The module body includes an inner portion and an outer portion. The inner portion is adjacent to the printed circuit board, and the outer portion is located further away from the printed circuit board than the inner portion. Multiple waveguides are formed along the width direction of the module body across the entire area of ​​the outer side.

11. The vehicle antenna device according to claim 10, wherein, The power supply network is located on the inner side. The width of the inner portion is less than or equal to the width of the outer portion.

12. A radar system, wherein, include: A vehicle antenna device that can be installed in a vehicle for transmitting or receiving radio waves; as well as, A power supply device for supplying power to the antenna device. The antenna device includes: A printed circuit board is installed in the vehicle; Sub-processor, mounted on the printed circuit board; and An antenna module, electrically connected to the sub-processor, covers a portion of the printed circuit board and is mounted on one surface of the printed circuit board. The number of antenna modules is multiple. The plurality of antenna modules include a first antenna module and a second antenna module. The thickness of the first antenna module is greater than that of the second antenna module.

13. A vehicle, wherein, include: Body; as well as A vehicle antenna device, installed on the vehicle body, is used to transmit or receive radio waves. The antenna device includes: A printed circuit board is disposed on the vehicle body; Sub-processor, mounted on the printed circuit board; and An antenna module, electrically connected to the sub-processor, covers a portion of the printed circuit board and is mounted on one surface of the printed circuit board. The number of antenna modules is multiple. The plurality of antenna modules include a first antenna module and a second antenna module. The thickness of the first antenna module is greater than that of the second antenna module.

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