Connecting assembly and waveguide antenna using same

Abstract

According to the connecting assembly and the waveguide antenna applying the connecting assembly, the connecting assembly comprises a first connecting surface, a second connecting surface and a connecting sealing piece, and the first connecting surface and the second connecting surface are oppositely arranged and are fixedly connected through the connecting sealing piece; the first connecting face is provided with a protruding part, the protruding part abuts against the second connecting face to form a gap, and the gap is filled with the connecting sealing piece to connect the first connecting face and the second connecting face. The connecting assembly can effectively solve the problem of poor performance caused by the fact that connecting or welding quality is affected by connecting gaps and filling sealing pieces existing in current production, so that the production yield is effectively improved, the production cost is reduced, and the production efficiency is improved.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present invention relates to the field of communication technology, and in particular to a connection component and a waveguide antenna using the connection component. Background Art

[0002] A waveguide antenna is an antenna that guides RF energy from the air medium into a waveguide. The RF energy is conducted through the waveguide interconnect or picked up by the coaxial interface and then transmitted through the coaxial component. Waveguide antennas are symmetrical systems that can both receive and transmit RF energy.

[0003] An air waveguide antenna is an antenna that guides RF energy from an air medium into a waveguide, or vice versa. Once the RF energy is captured, it is conducted through a waveguide interconnect, or picked up by a coaxial interface and then transmitted through a coaxial assembly. An air waveguide antenna is a millimeter wave radar antenna developed in recent years, and its outstanding advantages make its application prospects in automotive radars unanimously optimistic.

[0004] In view of the advantages of air waveguide antennas, their application prospects are unanimously optimistic, and more resources have been invested in research on product design and manufacturing processes, especially in manufacturing processes. Because air waveguide antennas need to form a cavity to realize the propagation of microwave signals in the air, and the cavity cannot be formed in one go, it is necessary to assemble and connect several components to form a cavity. Currently, the most commonly used and most effective way to connect several components is reflow soldering. There are currently some problems with reflow soldering. For example, due to the plane design of the connection part, the deformation of plastic parts during the production process will cause gaps on the welding surface. Poor welding will cause signals from different walls to cross-link, thereby affecting the performance of the antenna.

[0005] In view of this, it is necessary for the present invention to provide a connection assembly and a waveguide antenna using the connection assembly. Summary of the invention

[0006] The purpose of the present invention is to provide a connection assembly that can effectively solve the problem that the connection gap and filling seals existing in the current production will affect the connection or welding quality and thus cause poor performance, thereby effectively improving the production yield, reducing production costs and improving production efficiency.

[0007] In order to solve the above technical problems, the present invention provides a connection component, which includes a first connection surface, a second connection surface and a connection seal. The first connection surface and the second connection surface are arranged opposite to each other and are connected and fixed by the connection seal. A protrusion is provided on the first connection surface, and the protrusion presses against the second connection surface to form a gap. The connection seal fills the gap to connect the first connection surface and the second connection surface.

[0008] As a further improvement of the present invention, the gap includes a first gap and a second gap, and the protrusion abuts against the second connecting surface to form the first gap and the second gap.

[0009] As a further improvement of the present invention, the protrusion includes a first protruding surface and a second protruding surface, the first gap is located between the first protruding surface and the second connecting surface, and the second gap is located between the second protruding surface and the second connecting surface.

[0010] As a further improvement of the present invention, the protrusion is arranged in a conical shape, the top of the protrusion is against the second connecting surface, and the conical surfaces on both sides of the top of the protrusion form a dihedral angle with the second connecting surface.

[0011] As a further improvement of the present invention, the angle range of the dihedral angle is (0°, 90°).

[0012] As a further improvement of the present invention, the second connection surface is concave to form a groove, the protrusion is correspondingly connected to the groove, and the top of the protrusion abuts against the bottom of the groove.

[0013] As a further improvement of the present invention, the groove is tapered, and the width of the tapered mouth of the groove is greater than the width of the protrusion in the horizontal direction.

[0014] As a further improvement of the present invention, the height of the groove in the vertical direction is greater than or equal to the height of the protrusion in the vertical direction.

[0015] As a further improvement of the present invention, the groove sidewall and the first convex surface and the second convex surface respectively form the first gap and the second gap, and the sealing member is configured as solder paste, and the solder paste is filled into the first gap and the second gap.

[0016] As a further improvement of the present invention, the height of the protrusion in the vertical direction is equal to the height of the groove in the vertical direction, and the width of the protrusion in the horizontal direction is smaller than the width of the groove in the horizontal direction.

[0017] As a further improvement of the present invention, the bottom end of the protrusion extends to both sides to form a bottom extension portion, the bottom extension portion is against the opening of the groove, and the side wall of the groove and the protrusion form a gap, the first connecting surface and the second connecting surface are assembled to form a relatively closed tin-containing space on both sides of the protrusion.

[0018] The object of the present invention is to provide a waveguide antenna to better apply the above-mentioned connection component.

[0019] In order to solve the above technical problem, the present invention provides a waveguide antenna, which includes the above connection component.

[0020] The present invention provides a connection component and a waveguide antenna using the connection component, wherein the connection component includes a first connection surface, a second connection surface and a connection seal, wherein the first connection surface and the second connection surface are arranged opposite to each other and connected and fixed by the connection seal; a protrusion is provided on the first connection surface, the protrusion abuts against the second connection surface to form a gap, and the connection seal fills the gap to connect the first connection surface and the second connection surface. The connection component of the present invention can effectively solve the problem that the connection gap and the filling seal in the current production will affect the connection or welding quality and thus cause poor performance, thereby effectively improving the production yield, reducing production costs, and improving production efficiency. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0021] Figure 1 A schematic diagram of the structure of the connection between the components of the cavity in a traditional waveguide antenna.

[0022] Figure 2 It is a schematic structural diagram of a first embodiment of a connecting component in a waveguide antenna of the present invention.

[0023] Figure 3 It is a structural schematic diagram of a second embodiment of a connecting component in a waveguide antenna of the present invention.

[0024] Figure 4 It is a schematic structural diagram of a third embodiment of a connecting component in a waveguide antenna of the present invention.

[0025] Figure 5 A schematic structural diagram of a fourth embodiment of a connecting component in a waveguide antenna of the present invention

[0026] The descriptions of the reference numerals are as follows:

[0027] A first connecting surface 10 , a first raised surface 11 , a second raised surface 12 , a raised portion 13 , a bottom extension portion 14 , a second connecting surface 20 , a sealing member / solder paste 30 , a first gap 40 , a second gap 41 , a groove 50 , and a solder containing space 60 . DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0028] The connection assembly proposed in the present invention and the waveguide antenna using the connection assembly are further described in detail below in conjunction with the accompanying drawings and specific embodiments. It should be noted that the accompanying drawings are all in a very simplified form and use non-precise proportions, which are only used to conveniently and clearly assist in explaining the purpose of the embodiments of the present invention. In addition, the structure shown in the accompanying drawings is often a part of the actual structure. In particular, the emphasis that each drawing needs to show is different, and sometimes different proportions are used.

[0029] Waveguide antenna is a millimeter wave radar antenna developed in recent years. In particular, air waveguide antenna has outstanding advantages in waveguide antenna, so its application prospect in automotive radar is unanimously optimistic. The outstanding advantages are as follows: lower antenna loss, because the efficiency of electromagnetic wave propagation in air is second only to vacuum; traditional microstrip antenna is arranged on a plane, so the flexibility is relatively poor, waveguide antenna can be arranged in three dimensions, so the transmission line is shorter and the loss is further reduced; the material of waveguide antenna is metallized plastic, which reduces the loss by about 93% compared with traditional PCB. In view of the above advantages of air waveguide antenna, its application prospect is unanimously optimistic, and a lot of resources are invested in the design and manufacturing process of the product, especially the manufacturing process, because the air waveguide antenna needs to form a cavity to achieve Microwave signals propagate in the air, and the cavity cannot be formed in one step. Several components need to be assembled and connected to form a cavity. The most commonly used and most effective way to connect several components is reflow soldering. There are currently several problems with reflow soldering: the connecting surface of the connecting component is a flat design, and because plastic parts will deform during the production process, in order to ensure the welding effect, a jig is needed to flatten the two welding components during the reflow soldering process. If the pressure is too high, the solder paste 30 on the welding surface will be squeezed into the cavity, affecting the performance. In other words, the upper and lower connecting components are completely in contact after being compressed, and the contact surface has zero gap, which causes the seal printed on the welding surface, such as solder paste, to be squeezed out of the welding surface after being compressed and adjusted into the cavity. The cavity is a functional space, and the solder paste adjusted into the cavity is metal, which will affect the frequency, gain and radiation pattern of the antenna. If the pressure is too small, the deformation of the plastic part cannot be effectively corrected, resulting in gaps on the welding surface. Poor welding causes signals from different cavities to cross-talk, thus affecting performance. In other words, the deformation of the plastic part cannot be effectively corrected, resulting in a large gap between the upper and lower components on the welding surface. The solder does not contact one of the connection surfaces, and gaps appear on the welding surface after reflow soldering. In this way, signals between different cavities will affect each other through the gaps on the welding surface, causing the frequency and gain of the antenna to change easily. These problems have seriously affected the production efficiency and yield of waveguide antennas. In order to improve production efficiency and yield and reduce production costs, the present invention has improved the design of the welding surface or the connection structure. The design of the connection component of the present invention can fundamentally solve the problems of the existing solutions.

[0030] like Figure 1As shown in FIG. 1 , this figure is a schematic diagram of the structure of the connection between the components of the cavity in a traditional waveguide antenna, wherein components 1, 2, and 3 form a cavity 4 for microwave signal transmission, and the welding surface 5 is a plane welding or connection. In this way, during the reflow soldering process, a jig is needed to flatten the two welding components. If the pressure is too high, the solder paste 30 on the welding surface will be squeezed into the cavity, affecting the performance. If the pressure is too low, the deformation of the plastic part cannot be effectively corrected, resulting in a gap in the welding surface. Poor welding causes the signals of different cavities to cross-talk, thereby affecting the performance.

[0031] Thus, a connection component of the present invention is used in a waveguide antenna with a cavity. Specifically, the connection component includes a first connection surface 10, a second connection surface 20 and a connection seal 30, wherein the first connection surface 10 and the second connection surface 20 are arranged opposite to each other and connected and fixed by the connection seal 30; a protrusion 13 is provided on the first connection surface 10, and the protrusion 13 presses against the second connection surface 20 to form a gap, and the connection seal 30 fills the gap to connect the first connection surface 10 and the second connection surface 20.

[0032] The air waveguide antenna needs to have several parts connected to form a cavity, and there are connection surfaces between the parts, that is, the first connection surface 10 and the second connection surface 20 in the connection assembly of the present invention are the first connection surface 10 and the second connection surface 20 on the upper and lower parts. The upper and lower parts and the left and right parts can form a cavity. With such an arrangement, the connection assembly of the present invention can effectively solve the problem that the connection gap and the filling seal 30 existing in the current production will affect the connection or welding quality and thus cause poor performance, thereby effectively improving the production yield, reducing production costs, and improving production efficiency.

[0033] That is to say, a gap or clearance is formed between the first connection surface and the second connection surface when connected, so as to avoid the problem of zero clearance when the first connection surface and / or the second connection surface is pressed, and to leave a certain filling space for the seal or solder paste, so as to avoid the seal or solder paste being squeezed out of the welding surface or the connection surface and transferred into the cavity when the first connection surface or the second connection surface is pressed. It also avoids the problem that the deformation of the plastic part cannot be effectively corrected when the pressure is too small, so that the first connection surface and the second connection surface are fully and effectively contacted when connected or welded, so as to avoid the gap after the link is assembled, which causes the signals between the cavities to affect each other through the gap of the connection surface or the welding surface.

[0034] Further, the gap includes a first gap 40 and a second gap 41, and the protrusion 13 and the second connection surface 20 are against each other to form the first gap 40 and the second gap 41. The protrusion 13 includes a first protrusion surface 11 and a second protrusion surface 12, the first gap 40 is located between the first protrusion surface 11 and the second connection surface 20, and the second gap 41 is located between the second protrusion surface 12 and the second connection surface 20. The protrusion 13 is arranged in a conical shape, the top of the protrusion 13 is against the second connection surface 20, and the two side conical surfaces of the top of the protrusion 13 form a dihedral angle with the second connection surface 20. The angle range of the dihedral angle is (0°, 90°). That is to say, the design of the protrusion 13 on the first connection surface 10 is that the top of the protrusion 13 of the first connection surface 10 is completely in contact with the second connection surface 20 after being compressed, and at this time, the sealing filler fills the first gap 40 and the second gap 41 on both sides of the protrusion 13. That is to say, the inclined surfaces on both sides of the protrusion 13 and the side walls of the groove 50 of the second connecting surface 20 form a first gap 40 and a second gap 41. This structural design can press the second connecting surface 20 with a greater force. Since the actual contact area between the first connecting surface 10 and the second connecting surface 20 is small, and the connection pressure between the first connecting surface 10 and the second connecting surface 20 can be further deepened under the extrusion of the seals 30 on both sides, preferably, the seal 30 is preferably a connector filled with solder paste 30. At this time, there is no need to control the amount of solder paste 30 very accurately, and the gap between the upper component and the lower component can be completely eliminated, and there is no problem of solder paste 30 or seal 30 flowing into the cavity after being pressurized.

[0035] The conical surfaces on both sides of the top of the raised portion 13 in the present invention form a dihedral angle with the second connecting surface 20, and the dihedral angle is an acute angle. In this way, the seal 30 can not only deepen the connection pressure between the first connecting surface 10 and the second connecting surface 20 under the action of gravity and extrusion force during filling, but also reduce the seal 30, such as solder paste 30, from entering the cavity.

[0036] In the present invention, the connection between the first connection surface 10 and the second connection surface 20 is achieved through reflow soldering technology. Reflow soldering is a process that uses solder paste, which is generally a mixture of solder and flux, to connect one or more electronic components to contact pads, and controls the melting of the solder to achieve permanent bonding. This process is commonly used in the field of electronic manufacturing. Process flow and equipment, the process flow of reflow soldering includes single-sided mounting and double-sided mounting. The main equipment is a reflow soldering machine, also known as a reflow soldering machine or a reflow oven. It provides a heating environment to heat and melt the solder paste 30, so that the surface mount components and PCB pads are reliably combined together through the solder paste 30 alloy. The first connection surface 10 and the second connection surface 20 of the present invention are connected by reflow soldering.

[0037] In another embodiment of the present invention, the second connection surface 20 is concave to form a groove 50, the protrusion 13 is connected to the groove 50, and the top of the protrusion 13 is against the bottom of the groove 50. The groove 50 is conical, and the width of the conical mouth of the groove 50 is greater than the width of the protrusion 13 in the horizontal direction. The height of the groove 50 in the vertical direction is greater than or equal to the height of the protrusion 13 in the vertical direction. The side wall of the groove 50 and the first convex surface 11 and the second convex surface 12 respectively form the first gap 40 and the second gap 41, and the sealing member 30 is configured as solder paste 30, and the solder paste 30 is filled into the first gap 40 and the second gap 41. In this way, the second connection surface 20 is concave to form the groove 50, which further optimizes the contact connection area between the first connection surface 10 and the second connection surface 20 when filling the sealing member 30, so that not only the use of the sealing member 30 can be reduced, but also its production cost can be reduced.

[0038] In another embodiment of the present invention, the second connecting surface 20 is recessed to form a groove 50. Figure 4 and 5 , the groove can be conical, rectangular or other shapes. The protrusion 13 is connected to the groove 50, and the top of the protrusion 13 is against the bottom of the groove 50. The height of the protrusion 13 in the vertical direction is equal to the height of the groove 50 in the vertical direction, and the width of the protrusion 13 in the horizontal direction is less than the width of the groove 50 in the horizontal direction. The bottom end of the protrusion extends to both sides to form a bottom extension part, and the bottom extension part 14 of the protrusion 13 is against the opening of the groove 50, and the side wall of the groove 50 forms a gap with the protrusion 13. After the first connecting surface 10 and the second connecting surface 20 are assembled and bonded, a relatively closed tin-containing space 60 will be formed on both sides of the protrusion 13. After the tin is melted, it will be in the tin-containing space 60, and a relatively closed welding layer will be formed after welding. At the same time, during welding, the tin-containing space 60 can effectively prevent the splashing and falling of tin. If the tin splashes or falls into the waveguide antenna cavity, it will also cause changes in the antenna performance.

[0039] In summary, the present invention provides a connection component and a waveguide antenna using the connection component, wherein the connection component includes a first connection surface 10, a second connection surface 20 and a connection seal 30, wherein the first connection surface 10 and the second connection surface 20 are arranged opposite to each other and connected and fixed by the connection seal 30; a protrusion 13 is provided on the first connection surface 10, and the protrusion 13 abuts against the second connection surface 20 to form a gap, and the connection seal 30 fills the gap to connect the first connection surface 10 and the second connection surface 20. The connection component of the present invention can effectively solve the problem that the connection gap and the filling seal 30 existing in the current production will affect the connection or welding quality and thus cause poor performance, thereby effectively improving the production yield, reducing the production cost, and improving the production efficiency.

[0040] It should be noted that the various embodiments in this specification are described in a progressive manner, and each embodiment focuses on the differences from other embodiments. The same or similar parts between the various embodiments can be referenced to each other. In addition, the different parts between the various embodiments can also be used in combination with each other, and the present invention is not limited to this.

[0041] The above description is only a description of the preferred embodiments of the present invention, and is not intended to limit the scope of the present invention. Any changes or modifications made by a person skilled in the art in the field of the present invention based on the above disclosure shall fall within the scope of protection of the claims.

Claims

1. A connection assembly, characterized in that: The connecting assembly includes a first connecting surface, a second connecting surface and a connecting seal. The first connecting surface and the second connecting surface are arranged opposite to each other and are connected and fixed by the connecting seal. A protrusion is provided on the first connecting surface, and the protrusion presses against the second connecting surface to form a gap. The connecting seal fills the gap to connect the first connecting surface and the second connecting surface.

2. The connection assembly according to claim 1, characterized in that: The gap includes a first gap and a second gap, and the protrusion abuts against the second connecting surface to form the first gap and the second gap.

3. The connection assembly according to claim 2, characterized in that: The convex portion includes a first convex surface and a second convex surface, the first gap is located between the first convex surface and the second connecting surface, and the second gap is located between the second convex surface and the second connecting surface.

4. The connection assembly according to claim 3, characterized in that: The protrusion is arranged in a conical shape, the top of the protrusion is against the second connecting surface, and the conical surfaces on both sides of the top of the protrusion form a dihedral angle with the second connecting surface.

5. The connection assembly according to claim 4, characterized in that: The dihedral angle has an angle range of (0°, 90°).

6. The connection assembly according to claim 5, characterized in that: The second connection surface is concave to form a groove, the protrusion is correspondingly connected to the groove, and the top of the protrusion is against the bottom of the groove.

7. The connection assembly according to claim 6, characterized in that: The groove is tapered, and the width of the tapered mouth of the groove is greater than the width of the protrusion in the horizontal direction.

8. The connection assembly according to claim 7, characterized in that: The height of the groove in the vertical direction is greater than or equal to the height of the protrusion in the vertical direction.

9. The connection assembly according to claim 8, characterized in that: The groove sidewall and the first convex surface and the second convex surface respectively form the first gap and the second gap, and the sealing member is configured as solder paste, and the solder paste is filled into the first gap and the second gap.

10. The connection assembly according to claim 6, characterized in that: The height of the protrusion in the vertical direction is equal to the height of the groove in the vertical direction, and the width of the protrusion in the horizontal direction is smaller than the width of the groove in the horizontal direction.

11. The connection assembly according to claim 10, characterized in that: The bottom end of the protrusion extends to both sides to form a bottom extension portion, the bottom extension portion abuts against the opening of the groove, and a gap is formed between the side wall of the groove and the protrusion, and the first connecting surface and the second connecting surface are assembled to form a relatively closed tin-containing space on both sides of the protrusion.

12. A waveguide antenna, characterized in that: The waveguide antenna comprises the connection component according to any one of claims 1-11.

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