Vehicle Sensors and Vehicles

Abstract

The present application relates to a vehicle sensor and a vehicle, wherein the vehicle sensor comprises: a UWB module for processing UWB signals; a millimeter wave module for processing millimeter wave signals; wherein the UWB module is electrically connected to the millimeter wave module so that the UWB module and the millimeter wave module share one or more of a power supply, a memory, a wired communication port, and a wireless communication module. The present application provides a vehicle-mounted sensor that integrates millimeter wave and UWB signal processing capabilities.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present application relates to the field of vehicle control technology, and in particular to a vehicle sensor and a vehicle. Background Art

[0002] The existing corner millimeter wave radar and the UWB (Ultra Wide Band) digital key anchor point are very close to the vehicle installation position, and the two systems have some similar modules. This point is used for integration to improve the compactness of the system and reduce the cost and complexity of the vehicle sensor system. However, UWB technology has not been widely used in the field of intelligent driving, and there is currently no technical architecture to combine the two. Summary of the invention

[0003] The embodiments of the present application provide a vehicle sensor and a vehicle, which improve the integration of the vehicle control system to at least partially solve the above-mentioned technical problems.

[0004] In order to achieve the above-mentioned purpose, according to the first aspect of the present application, a vehicle sensor is provided, including: a UWB module for processing UWB signals; a millimeter wave module for processing millimeter wave signals; wherein the UWB module is electrically connected to the millimeter wave module so that the UWB module and the millimeter wave module share one or more of a power supply, a memory, a wired communication port, and a wireless communication module.

[0005] Optionally, in some embodiments of the present application, the UWB module is configured as a UWB chip.

[0006] Optionally, in some embodiments of the present application, the millimeter wave module is configured as a millimeter wave chip.

[0007] Optionally, in some embodiments of the present application, the UWB chip and the millimeter wave chip constitute data interaction.

[0008] Optionally, in some embodiments of the present application, the vehicle sensor further includes: a power management module, including a PMIC chip; wherein the PMIC chip is directly electrically connected to the millimeter wave module.

[0009] Optionally, in some embodiments of the present application, the vehicle sensor further includes: a DC conversion module, comprising a DC-DC chip; wherein the DC-DC chip is electrically connected to the PMIC chip and the UWB module, respectively.

[0010] Optionally, in some embodiments of the present application, the vehicle sensor also includes: a storage module, including a FLASH memory and an EEPROM memory; wherein the millimeter wave module constitutes a direct data interaction with the FLASH memory and the EEPROM memory; and the UWB module constitutes an indirect data interaction with the FLASH memory and the EEPROM memory through the millimeter wave module.

[0011] Optionally, in some embodiments of the present application, the vehicle sensor further includes: a crystal oscillator module, including a crystal oscillator unit; wherein the crystal oscillator unit is directly electrically connected to the millimeter wave module.

[0012] Optionally, in some embodiments of the present application, the vehicle sensor further includes: a bus module, used to connect to an external bus; wherein the bus module directly interacts with the millimeter wave module directly.

[0013] Optionally, in some embodiments of the present application, the UWB module and the millimeter wave module are integrated into a circuit board; and / or, the UWB module and the millimeter wave module are packaged in a housing; and / or, the UWB module and the millimeter wave module share a sensor interface.

[0014] According to a second aspect of the present application, a vehicle is provided, comprising the aforementioned vehicle sensor.

[0015] The beneficial effect of the present application is to provide a vehicle sensor and a vehicle that integrates millimeter wave and UWB signal processing capabilities.

[0016] More specifically, some embodiments of the present application may produce the following specific beneficial effects:

[0017] The integration of the structure saves space for configuring vehicle sensors;

[0018] The reuse of system modules saves system resources and achieves higher processing efficiency.

[0019] Other features and advantages of the present application will be described in detail in the subsequent detailed description. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0020] In order to more clearly illustrate the technical solutions in the embodiments of the present application, the following briefly introduces the drawings required for use in the description of the embodiments. Obviously, the drawings described below are only some embodiments of the present application, and those skilled in the art can obtain other drawings based on these drawings without creative work.

[0021] In order to more completely understand the present application and its beneficial effects, the following description will be given in conjunction with the accompanying drawings, wherein the same figure numbers represent the same parts in the following description.

[0022] Figure 1A is a schematic diagram of the appearance structure of a vehicle sensor provided in an exemplary embodiment of the present application;

[0023] Figure 1B yes Figure 1A An exploded schematic diagram of a vehicle sensor is shown;

[0024] Figure 2 is a schematic diagram of the main modules of a vehicle sensor provided in an exemplary embodiment of the present application;

[0025] Figure 3A It is a schematic diagram of a portion of the architecture of a vehicle sensor provided in an exemplary embodiment of the present application;

[0026] Figure 3B is another partial architecture diagram of a millimeter wave module provided in an exemplary embodiment of the present application;

[0027] Figure 3C It is another partial architecture diagram of the UWB module provided in the exemplary embodiment of the present application;

[0028] Figure 4 is a schematic diagram of a vehicle provided in an exemplary embodiment of the present application.

[0029] Description of reference numerals:

[0030] 1. Vehicles;

[0031] 100, vehicle sensor; 101, housing; 1011, shell; 1012, shell cover; 102, sensor interface; 103, electrical components;

[0032] 200, UWB module; 201, UWB chip;

[0033] 300. millimeter wave module; 301. millimeter wave chip;

[0034] 400, power management module; 401, PMIC chip;

[0035] 500, DC conversion module; 501, DC-DC chip;

[0036] 600, storage module; 601, FLASH memory; 602, EEPROM memory;

[0037] 700, crystal oscillator module; 701, crystal oscillator unit;

[0038] 800, bus module. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0039] The technical solutions in the embodiments of the present application will be described clearly and completely below in conjunction with the drawings in the embodiments of the present application. Obviously, the described embodiments are only part of the embodiments of the present application, rather than all of the embodiments. Based on the embodiments in the present application, all other embodiments obtained by those skilled in the art without creative work are within the scope of protection of the present application.

[0040] Reference Figure 1A and Figure 1B As shown, the vehicle sensor 100 of the present application includes, in terms of physical structure, a housing 101 and an electrical component 103 ; and the housing 101 and the electrical component 103 cooperate to form a sensor interface 102 .

[0041] Among them, the shell 101 is formed with an internal space to accommodate the electrical component 103, and forms an interface structure of the sensor interface 102; the electrical component 103 may include a circuit board, a chip, electrical elements, connecting terminals, etc. (not marked in the figure); among them, a part of the connecting terminals in the electrical component 103 constitute the terminal interface of the sensor interface 102.

[0042] Reference Figures 2 to 4 As shown, the vehicle sensor of the present application includes, in terms of circuit architecture: a UWB module 200 , a millimeter wave module 300 , a power management module 400 , a DC conversion module 500 , a storage module 600 , a crystal oscillator module 700 , and a bus module 800 .

[0043] Reference Figure 1A and Figure 1B As shown, the combination of electrical components 103 constituting the UWB module and the millimeter wave module is encapsulated in the same housing 101, so that the vehicle sensor 100 of the present application is used as an integral module; and both the UWB module and the millimeter wave module interact with other parts of the vehicle system, such as the bus system, through the sensor interface 102 to form electrical energy and / or signal interactions.

[0044] In some embodiments of the present application, the UWB module is used to implement UWB signal processing; the millimeter wave module is used to implement millimeter wave signal processing; wherein the UWB module and the millimeter wave module are electrically connected so that the UWB module and the millimeter wave module share one or more of a power supply, a memory, a wired communication port, and a wireless communication module.

[0045] The power source can be either a built-in power source or an external power source. The memory, wired communication port, wireless communication module, etc. are similar, that is, they can be either internal devices or external devices connected through the sensor interface.

[0046] Reference Figures 2 to 4 As shown, in some embodiments of the present application, the UWB module 200 is configured as a UWB chip 201. The millimeter wave module 300 is configured as a millimeter wave chip 301. The UWB chip 201 and the millimeter wave chip 301 form data interaction.

[0047] Specifically, the power management module 400 includes a PMIC (Power Management Integrated Circuit) chip 401. The PMIC chip 401 is directly electrically connected to the millimeter wave module 300. The DC conversion module 500 includes a DC-DC (Direct Current-Direct Current) chip 501; wherein the DC-DC chip 501 is electrically connected to the PMIC chip 401 and the UWB module 200, respectively.

[0048] Specifically, the storage module 600 includes a FLASH memory 601 and an EEPROM (Electrically Erasable Programmable read only memory) memory 602; wherein the millimeter wave module 300 has direct data interaction with the FLASH memory 601 and the EEPROM memory 602; and the UWB module 200 has indirect data interaction with the FLASH memory 601 and the EEPROM memory 602 through the millimeter wave module 300.

[0049] The crystal oscillator module 700 includes a crystal oscillator unit 701 , wherein the crystal oscillator unit 701 is directly electrically connected to the millimeter wave module 300 . The bus module 800 is used to connect to an external bus, wherein the bus module 800 directly interacts with the millimeter wave module 300 in data communication.

[0050] In the embodiment of the present application, the UWB module 200 and the millimeter wave module 300 are integrated into one circuit board, that is, the UWB chip 201 and the millimeter wave chip 301 can be electrically connected through one circuit board.

[0051] Reference Figures 2 to 4 As shown, the solution of the present application is introduced in more detail below.

[0052] The hardware circuit design of this application needs to reuse similar modules of the two products and delete redundant modules while ensuring the realization of UWB digital key and millimeter wave radar functions.

[0053] First, similar modules or chips required for the UWB digital key and millimeter wave radar functions are reused. Similar modules are as follows:

[0054] CAN (Controller Area Network) communication link, power rail, MCU (Microcontroller Unit), watchdog and other modules.

[0055] By comparing and analyzing the static current, static voltage, operating current, operating voltage, data transmission rate, data transmission volume, board material, MCU control system, and RF frequency band parameters of the two sensors, we ensure that the capacity of each module will not be exceeded due to module reuse, and that no additional interference will be generated during the reuse process.

[0056] Secondly, delete the redundant modules. The redundant modules are as follows:

[0057] BLE (Bluetooth) module in the UWB digital key anchor.

[0058] The UWB digital key system consists of a handheld key, a master control (equivalent to a UWB module), and an intelligent entry controller. Both the handheld key and the master control contain a BLE module to realize the function of contactless unlocking and identity authentication.

[0059] During the development of multi-function sensors, the hardware solution can be redesigned to remove the BLE module in the anchor point, so that the product can complete the identity authentication function only through the BLE module in the main control.

[0060] The power interface of the power circuit provides a stable power supply for the system. The power circuit consists of two parts: a DC-DC circuit (equivalent to a DC conversion module) and a power integrated management circuit (equivalent to a power management module).

[0061] The DC power supply (such as a DC-DC chip) acts as a first-level Buck to reduce the input for the next-level PMIC input. The maximum output current can reach 3.25A, the quiescent current working current is 23μA, and the operating frequency is 2.2M.

[0062] The PMIC chip is output as a microcomputer power management chip after passing through the DC-DC chip circuit to provide power for the radar's control, Flash, EEPROM, and CAN.

[0063] In addition, the secondary power chip meets ASIL C and has a watchdog function to monitor program operation and prevent software from getting stuck.

[0064] The microprocessor circuit of the millimeter wave module completes all information processing and data processing functions and RF front-end signal processing.

[0065] As a specific solution, the present application may adopt the AWR1843 chip and the NCJ29D5D chip.

[0066] Both chips integrate MCU, DSP (Digital Signal Processing), HWA (Hardware Accelerator), RAM (Random Access Memory), and HSM (Hardware Security Module), with higher integration. AWR1843 adopts low-power technology and uses a single integrated circuit chip to realize the functions of 3 transmitting antennas and 4 receiving antennas. It is suitable for low-power, self-monitoring, and high-precision radar systems; NCJ29D5D fully integrates a single-chip pulse radio ultra-wideband transceiver chip, which can achieve high-precision positioning through two-way ranging.

[0067] The communication circuit may include two CAN FD (Controller Area Network Flexible Data-rate, controller area network bus with flexible data rate), one for communicating with MPC (Multimedia Personal Computer) to report target information collected by radar; one for communicating with the whole vehicle, waiting for the whole vehicle to inquire, reporting diagnostic information, etc. The communication circuit transmits data such as the number of targets, relative distance, speed, angle, diagnostic information, etc. collected by the radar.

[0068] Since the UWB module deletes the BLE Bluetooth part, the MCU of AWR1843 and the MCU of NCJ29D5 are interconnected through SPI (Serial Peripheral Interface), so that the information of the anchor point is transmitted to the CAN bus through the radar MCU, and finally the information interaction between the anchor point, the main control and the intelligent entry controller is realized. The specific communication path can be seen FIG. 3A to FIG. 3C .

[0069] This application deletes the BLE KW36 / 38 Bluetooth chip in the UWB module, and replaces the anchor point's solution of completing CAN FD communication through the Bluetooth chip by multiplexing the two main chips through SPI. Finally, the power interface is shared and the redundant power module is deleted.

[0070] To meet software requirements, the system integrates one FLASH and one EEPROM for software storage and reading operations. FLASH is used to store BOOST and APP (application) programs, and EEPROM is used to store and record partial fault information and memorize vehicle configuration words.

[0071] Specifically, the ID detection circuit can adopt a two-way ID detection circuit, which can identify the front left, front right, rear left, and rear right. Considering the EMC (Electromagnetic Magnetic Compatibility) of the external interface and other issues, an isolation circuit and surge protection are added to isolate the chip and the external interface to protect the chip and achieve stable identification.

[0072] The software part of the technical solution of this application needs to have both millimeter wave radar and UWB digital key anchor functions under the premise of ensuring the normal operation of each module of the hardware solution. First of all, to realize the millimeter wave radar function, the software needs to complete two parts: signal processing and data processing.

[0073] In order to realize the UWB digital key anchor function, the software needs to complete authentication and data processing. Because the communication circuit removes the BLE module in the UWB anchor, the RF data in the UWB anchor cannot be sent normally to the smart entry controller. Therefore, the main chip of the anchor and the MCU of the millimeter-wave radar are multiplexed through SPI to achieve normal transmission of the communication link. Therefore, in the subsequent software design, the priority of data transmission is adjusted, and on this basis, the door opening warning, blind spot monitoring, lane change warning, rear collision warning, smart welcome, UWB positioning, UWB ranging and other functions are realized.

[0074] To realize the millimeter wave radar function, the following steps can be taken:

[0075] 1. First, the signal received by the RF front end needs to be sampled, and the ADC (Analog-to-Digital Converter) data obtained after sampling is compressed in two dimensions using 2D-FFT (Two-Dimensional Fast Fourier Transform).

[0076] 2. To increase the SNR (Signal-to-Noise Ratio), the compressed signal data is coherently accumulated to enhance the energy in a specific direction within the radar field of view.

[0077] 3. Set a constant false alarm rate, analyze the amplitude matrix after accumulation, and maximize the target detection probability while keeping the false alarm rate unchanged.

[0078] 4. Based on the detected target, the distance and preliminary speed information of the target can be obtained. In order to increase the recognizable speed range, it is necessary to perform speed defuzzification on the preliminary speed information to obtain more real speeds of the target.

[0079] 5. When the target moves and the antenna transmits in time, a phase difference will occur. Therefore, the phase difference needs to be compensated for each receiving channel to perform angle measurement.

[0080] 6. Use the distance, speed, and angle information obtained to perform clustering operations to gather the data related to the target into one point, which is convenient for subsequent tracking and other data processing operations.

[0081] 7. Perform tracking processing based on the point cloud obtained by clustering, and convert the relative speed between the target and its own speed into the speed with the earth as the reference system;

[0082] 8. Finally, all functions of the millimeter wave radar are realized based on the information obtained.

[0083] To realize the UWB anchor positioning function, the anchor positioning of the UWB module is based on the timestamp for positioning and ranging, which mainly includes the following steps:

[0084] 1. After completing the identity authentication in the early stage, each UWB anchor point starts ranging;

[0085] 2. The distance information to the target is obtained through the flight time of electromagnetic waves in the air through DS-TWR (Double Sided-Two-Way Ranging);

[0086] 3. Complete identity authentication and information exchange with the domain controller.

[0087] Since the signals of millimeter wave radar and UWB anchor point are essentially electromagnetic waves, the RF receiving end obtains a series of relevant information about the target by analyzing the reflected signal of the target. However, when the two RF ends share a plate, the signal may be interfered, causing the signal to be distorted. The embodiment of the present application readjusts and verifies the positions of the two RF ends at this position, minimizes interference and enables the coexistence of the two RF ends.

[0088] To realize the radar function, the RF end uses the AWR1843 three-transmit and four-receive antenna, which transmits linear frequency modulation pulse signals and captures the reflected signals of objects in its transmission path. The main steps are as follows:

[0089] 1. First, generate a digital modulation signal through a synthesizer;

[0090] 2. The modulation wave generator converts the digital signal into an analog signal;

[0091] 3. The voltage-controlled oscillator generates a 76-77 GHz frequency modulated continuous wave signal;

[0092] 4. The coupler divides the signal into two paths, one of which is amplified and radiated through the transmitting antenna, and the other is used as the local oscillator signal for comparison and analysis with the received signal;

[0093] 5. The receiving antenna amplifies the echo signal through a low noise amplifier;

[0094] 6. The mixer mixes the local oscillator signal with the echo signal to obtain an intermediate frequency signal;

[0095] 7. Convert the analog signal into a digital signal and send it to the digital signal processing module for algorithm processing.

[0096] To realize the UWB digital key anchor function, the RF end uses an ultra-wideband antenna to send and demodulate the time-hopping spread spectrum signal to complete the communication process. The UWB antenna changes the current distribution of the antenna itself to make the antenna resonate at multiple frequencies, and disperses the weak radio pulse signal in a wide flat band during transmission. During the communication process, pulse instantaneous radio waves are sent only when necessary. After receiving the signal, the receiving end demodulates the received signal using the known spread spectrum code of the transmitting end.

[0097] As a more specific solution, the hardware structure involved in the present application may also include a base, a base shielding cover, a PCB (Printed circuit board), a heat dissipation gel, a chip shielding cover, an antenna cover, etc. (not shown in the above figures).

[0098] Among them, the base shielding cover is to prevent the external electromagnetic waves of the sensor from interfering with the internal circuit, and at the same time reduce the outward radiation of electromagnetic waves generated by the internal circuit; the chip shielding cover is to protect the chip from electromagnetic interference at the RF end, and improve the transmission quality and reliability of the signal; the radar antenna cover is to prevent the internal from receiving physical damage from the outside, and at the same time play the role of a reflector antenna to receive a more stable signal. The length, width, height, positioning hole position, port size, and number of pins of the structural parts are redesigned, and the design of the structural parts is optimized under the premise of meeting the normal operation of the functions. During the product development process, the implementation of the following operations will cause changes in the size of the structural parts: deletion of redundant modules BLE modules, fusion of some similar modules, change of the position of the RF end, etc.

[0099] Therefore, the influence of the above factors should be considered in the initial stage of structural design, and then the structural dimensions should be redesigned; after the dimensions are changed, the position of the sensor support base will change. In order to fix the new structure, the positioning hole position is also redesigned to be compatible with the adapted vehicle model; in order to facilitate the connection with the vehicle wiring harness on the whole vehicle, the male end position of the connector is changed to facilitate the plug-in operation with the female end of the whole vehicle. Figure 1A to Figure 1B As shown, it is a completely new designed structure.

[0100] Reference Figure 4 As shown, according to the second aspect of the present application, a vehicle 1 is provided, comprising the aforementioned vehicle sensor. The vehicle 1 uses the vehicle sensor to implement the UWB digital key and angular millimeter wave radar functions.

[0101] In the description of this application, the terms "first" and "second" are used for descriptive purposes only and should not be understood as indicating or implying relative importance or implicitly indicating the number of technical features indicated. Thus, a feature defined as "first" or "second" may explicitly or implicitly include one or more features. In the description of this application, the meaning of "plurality" is two or more, unless otherwise clearly and specifically defined.

[0102] In the above embodiments, the description of each embodiment has its own emphasis. For parts that are not described in detail in a certain embodiment, reference can be made to the relevant descriptions of other embodiments.

[0103] The embodiments, implementation methods and related technical features of the present application can be combined and replaced with each other without conflict.

[0104] The above are only preferred embodiments of the present application and do not constitute any form of limitation to the present application. However, any simple modifications, equivalent changes and modifications made to the above embodiments based on the technical essence of the present application without departing from the content of the technical solution of the present application are still within the scope of the technical solution of the present application.

Claims

1. A vehicle sensor, characterized in that: The vehicle sensor comprises: UWB module, used to process UWB signals; Millimeter wave module, used to process millimeter wave signals; The UWB module is electrically connected to the millimeter wave module so that the UWB module and the millimeter wave module share one or more of a power supply, a memory, a wired communication port, and a wireless communication module; The vehicle sensor further comprises: Storage module, including FLASH memory and EEPROM memory; The millimeter wave module forms a direct data interaction with the FLASH memory and the EEPROM memory; the UWB module forms an indirect data interaction with the FLASH memory and the EEPROM memory through the millimeter wave module; Wherein, the FLASH memory is used to store application programs, and the EEPROM memory is used to store fault information; The UWB module and the millimeter wave module exchange data via the SPI bus, and the millimeter wave module transmits the information of the UWB module to the CAN bus of the vehicle.

2. The vehicle sensor according to claim 1, characterized in that: The UWB module is configured as a UWB chip.

3. The vehicle sensor according to claim 2, characterized in that: The millimeter wave module is configured as a millimeter wave chip.

4. The vehicle sensor according to claim 3, characterized in that: The UWB chip and the millimeter wave chip form data interaction.

5. The vehicle sensor according to any one of claims 1 to 4, characterized in that: The vehicle sensor further comprises: Power management module, including a PMIC chip; The PMIC chip is directly electrically connected to the millimeter wave module.

6. The vehicle sensor according to claim 5, characterized in that: The vehicle sensor further comprises: A DC conversion module, including a DC-DC chip; Wherein, the DC-DC chip is electrically connected to the PMIC chip and the UWB module respectively.

7. The vehicle sensor according to any one of claims 1 to 4, characterized in that: The vehicle sensor further comprises: A crystal oscillator module, comprising a crystal oscillator unit; Wherein, the crystal oscillator unit is directly electrically connected to the millimeter wave module.

8. The vehicle sensor according to any one of claims 1 to 4, characterized in that: The vehicle sensor further comprises: A bus module for connecting to an external bus; The bus module directly interacts with the millimeter wave module directly.

9. The vehicle sensor according to any one of claims 1 to 4, characterized in that: The UWB module and the millimeter wave module are integrated into one circuit board; and / or, The UWB module and the millimeter wave module are packaged in one housing; and / or, The UWB module and the millimeter wave module share a sensor interface.

10. A vehicle, characterized in that: A vehicle sensor comprising any one of claims 1 to 9.

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