Radio wave sensor device

Abstract

A radio wave sensor device is provided with an oscillator for generating a high-frequency signal, a transmission antenna (10) having a transmission antenna unit (21) and a transmission horn unit (22A), a reception antenna (11) having a reception antenna unit (23) and a reception horn unit (24A), the transmission antenna unit (21) and the reception antenna unit (23) being disposed apart from each other on the same plane, the transmission horn unit (22A) being disposed apart from the reception antenna unit (23), the reception horn unit (24A) being disposed apart from the reception antenna unit (23), and the transmission horn unit (22A) being disposed apart from the reception antenna unit (23), and the reception horn unit (24A) being disposed apart from the reception antenna unit (23). The inner wall of the transmission horn section (22A) and the inner wall of the reception horn section (24A) have a wall section (27) that separates the transmission antenna (10) and the reception antenna (11), and the wall section (27) has wall surface regions that are perpendicular to the plane from the opening end sides of the transmission horn section (22A) and the reception horn section (24A) toward the transmission antenna section (21) and the reception antenna section (23), respectively. The transmitting horn section (22A) and the receiving horn section (24A) are disposed adjacent to each other with a wall section (27) therebetween.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present invention relates to an electric wave sensor device, and in particular to an electric wave sensor device that uses electric waves in a microwave band or a millimeter wave band to detect an object within a detection area. Background Art

[0002] A radio wave sensor device that detects an object in a detection area using radio waves transmits radio waves into space as a transmission signal, and performs signal processing on reflected waves reflected by the object, thereby being able to detect the presence of the object, the movement state, the distance to the object, etc. Such a radio wave sensor device is described in Patent Document 1, for example.

[0003] Prior art literature

[0004] Patent Literature

[0005] Patent Document 1: Japanese Patent Application Publication No. 2013-113819 Summary of the invention

[0006] Problem that the invention aims to solve

[0007] Fig.26 FIG. 1 is a diagram illustrating the structure of a general radio wave sensor device. Fig.26 As shown, the radio wave sensor device 100 includes a transmitting antenna 10 that transmits a high frequency signal (radio wave in the microwave band or the millimeter wave band) to a space where an object 200 is located, a receiving antenna 11 that receives a reflected wave of the high frequency signal from the object 200, an oscillator 12 that generates a high frequency signal of a predetermined frequency, a transmitting side amplifier 13 that amplifies the high frequency signal generated by the oscillator 12 and supplies it to the transmitting antenna 10, a receiving side amplifier 14 that amplifies the reflected wave received by the receiving antenna 11, a mixer 15 that mixes the high frequency signal generated by the oscillator 12 and the reflected wave amplified by the receiving side amplifier 14 to generate a low frequency received signal, an amplifier 16 that amplifies the low frequency received signal generated by the mixer 15, an A / D converter 17 that performs A / D conversion on the received signal amplified by the amplifier 16, and a signal processing device 18 that performs desired signal processing on the received signal converted by the A / D converter 17. According to the signal processing by the signal processing device 18, the presence or absence of the object 200, the movement state, the distance to the object, etc. can be detected. Reference numeral 19 denotes a sensor circuit unit composed of an oscillator 12, a mixer 15, etc., and can be composed of a microwave integrated circuit or a monolithic microwave / millimeter wave integrated circuit. The microwave integrated circuit has functional elements constituting the sensor circuit unit configured on a printed substrate, and the monolithic microwave / millimeter wave integrated circuit has functional elements constituting the sensor circuit unit configured on an IC (integrated circuit) substrate.

[0008] In the radio wave sensor device 100 having such a configuration, the transmitting antenna 10 and the receiving antenna 11 can be formed of a patch antenna, a patch array antenna, a horn antenna, or the like.

[0009] However, in radio wave sensor devices that utilize radio waves in the microwave band and millimeter wave band, as described above, the sensor circuit unit 19 is continuously integrated and miniaturized. Therefore, similarly for the transmitting antenna 10 and the receiving antenna 11, patch antennas that are small and easy to connect to the integrated circuit constituting the sensor circuit unit 19 are mostly used. However, the gain of a single patch antenna is low and the detection distance is short. In addition, due to its wide directivity, it leads to the detection of the movement of objects outside the desired detection area. From the viewpoint of extending the detection distance, it is also considered to use a patch array antenna that connects multiple patch antennas to increase the antenna gain in a specific direction, but the patch array antenna has a problem that the transmission line connecting the patch antennas becomes longer, and the antenna efficiency is reduced due to its loss.

[0010] On the other hand, the horn antenna can obtain higher antenna efficiency than the patch antenna. In addition, by appropriately designing the directivity of the antenna, it is possible to reduce unnecessary reflected waves (noise) from outside the desired detection area, and it is also expected that the sensitivity can be improved. Fig. 27 FIG. 1 is a cross-sectional schematic diagram of a radio wave sensor device 100 in the related art, in which a transmitting antenna 10 and a receiving antenna 11 are formed by horn antennas. Fig. 27 As shown, transmitting antenna 21 is arranged on substrate 20 and transmitting horn 22 is arranged to cover transmitting antenna 21 to form transmitting antenna 10. Also, receiving antenna 23 is arranged and receiving horn 24 is arranged to cover receiving antenna 23 to form receiving antenna 11. Fig.28 It means that the configuration is in Fig. 27 2 is a schematic plan view of a transmitting antenna section 21 and a receiving antenna section 23 formed of coplanar patch antennas on a corresponding substrate 20. In the case where the transmitting antenna section 21 and the receiving antenna section 23 are formed of coplanar patch antennas, as shown in FIG. Fig.28 As shown, a ground plane 26 is arranged around the transmitting antenna unit 21 and the receiving antenna unit 23 on the substrate 20, and a transmitting horn unit 22 and a receiving horn unit 24 are arranged on the ground plane 26, respectively. Fig.26 The sensor circuit unit 19 including the oscillator 12 , the mixer 15 , etc. is connected to the transmission antenna unit 21 and the reception antenna unit 23 via the transmission line 25 .

[0011] like Fig. 27As shown in FIG. 1 , when the transmitting horn 22 and the receiving horn 24 having a large opening are arranged adjacent to each other on the substrate 20, the transmitting antenna 21 of the transmitting antenna 10 and the receiving antenna 23 of the receiving antenna 11 are connected to the sensor circuit 19 by relatively long transmission lines 25. In the radio wave sensor device 100 having such a structure, when a high-frequency signal in a microwave band or a millimeter wave band is used, the loss increases due to the long transmission line 25. In addition, since the transmitting horn 22 and the receiving horn 24 having a large opening need to be arranged, there is a problem that the sensor circuit area 101 including the sensor circuit 19, the transmitting antenna 21, and the receiving antenna 23 becomes larger.

[0012] Therefore, an object of the present invention is to provide a radio wave sensor device that can obtain sharp directivity and high antenna gain and can achieve miniaturization of the sensor circuit region including a sensor circuit section, a transmission antenna section, and a reception antenna section.

[0013] Solutions to the problem

[0014] The radio wave sensor device of the present invention comprises: an oscillator that generates a high-frequency signal; a transmitting antenna that radiates the high-frequency signal into space; a receiving antenna that receives a reflected wave of the high-frequency signal from an object; a mixer that mixes the high-frequency signal and the reflected wave received by the receiving antenna to generate a received signal; and a signal processing device that generates a detection signal of the object based on the received signal, wherein the transmitting antenna has a transmitting antenna part and a transmitting horn part, and the receiving antenna has a receiving antenna part and a receiving horn part, the transmitting antenna part and the receiving antenna part are arranged separately on the same plane, the inner wall of the transmitting horn part and the inner wall of the receiving horn part have a wall part that separates the transmitting antenna from the receiving antenna, the wall part has a wall surface area perpendicular to the plane from the opening end side of the transmitting horn part and the receiving horn part toward the transmitting antenna part and the receiving antenna part, respectively, and the transmitting horn part and the receiving horn part are arranged adjacent to each other with the wall part interposed therebetween.

[0015] Effects of the Invention

[0016] According to the radio wave sensor device of the present invention, the inner wall of the transmitting horn part and the inner wall of the receiving horn part have a wall part for separating the transmitting antenna and the receiving antenna, and the wall part has a wall surface area perpendicular to the plane where the transmitting antenna part and the receiving antenna part are arranged, which faces the transmitting antenna part and the receiving antenna part from the opening end side of the transmitting horn part and the receiving horn part respectively, and the transmitting horn part and the receiving horn part are arranged adjacent to each other with the wall part separated, so that the radio wave sensor device, especially the sensor circuit area including the sensor circuit part and the transmitting antenna part and the receiving antenna part, can be miniaturized. As a result, the transmission line can be shortened and the antenna efficiency can be improved. In addition, since the transmitting antenna and the receiving antenna are composed of a horn antenna structure, a radio wave sensor device with sharp directivity and high antenna gain can be provided. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0017] Figure 1 It is a schematic plan view of a transmitting antenna and a receiving antenna in a radio wave sensor device (Embodiment 1) as one embodiment of the present invention.

[0018] Figure 2 yes Figure 1 A schematic cross-sectional view of the radio wave sensor device along line AA.

[0019] Figure 3 This is a diagram for explaining the antenna gains of the transmission antenna and the reception antenna of the radio wave sensor device according to the first embodiment on the E plane.

[0020] Figure 4 This is a diagram for explaining the antenna gains of the H plane of the transmitting antenna and the receiving antenna of the radio wave sensor device according to the first embodiment.

[0021] Figure 5 This is a diagram for explaining the detection area of ​​the radio wave sensor device according to the first embodiment.

[0022] Figure 6 The radio wave sensor device of the first embodiment is described. Figure 5 Diagram of the detection area at section aa.

[0023] Figure 7 It is a schematic plan view of a transmitting antenna and a receiving antenna in a radio wave sensor device (Embodiment 2) which is one embodiment of the present invention.

[0024] Figure 8 yes Figure 7 A schematic cross-sectional view of the radio wave sensor device along line BB.

[0025] Fig. 9 This is a diagram for explaining the antenna gains of the H plane of the transmitting antenna and the receiving antenna of the radio wave sensor device according to the second embodiment.

[0026] Fig.10 This is a diagram for explaining the electric field distribution of the radio wave sensor device according to the second embodiment.

[0027] Fig.11 This is a diagram for explaining the antenna gains of the transmission antenna and the reception antenna of the radio wave sensor device according to the second embodiment on the E plane.

[0028] Fig.12 This is a diagram for explaining the detection area of ​​the radio wave sensor device according to the second embodiment.

[0029] Fig.13 It is a schematic plan view of a transmitting antenna and a receiving antenna in a radio wave sensor device according to a modified example of the second embodiment.

[0030] Fig.14 FIG. 1 is a schematic plan view of a transmitting antenna and a receiving antenna in a radio wave sensor device according to another modified example of the second embodiment.

[0031] Fig.15 It is a schematic cross-sectional view of a transmitting antenna and a receiving antenna in a radio wave sensor device (Embodiment 3) as one embodiment of the present invention.

[0032] Fig.16 This is a diagram for explaining the electric field distribution of the radio wave sensor device according to the third embodiment.

[0033] Fig.17 This is a diagram for explaining the antenna gains of the H plane of the transmitting antenna and the receiving antenna of the radio wave sensor device according to the third embodiment.

[0034] Fig.18 This is a diagram for explaining the antenna gains of the transmission antenna and the reception antenna of the radio wave sensor device according to the third embodiment on the E plane.

[0035] Fig.19 This is a diagram for explaining the detection area of ​​the radio wave sensor device according to the third embodiment.

[0036] Fig. 20 It is a schematic plan view of a transmitting antenna and a receiving antenna in a radio wave sensor device (Embodiment 4) which is one embodiment of the present invention.

[0037] Fig.21 It is a schematic cross-sectional view of a transmitting antenna and a receiving antenna in the radio wave sensor device according to the fourth embodiment.

[0038] Fig. 22 It is a diagram for explaining the antenna gains of the H plane of the transmitting antenna and the receiving antenna of the radio wave sensor device according to the fourth embodiment.

[0039] Fig.23 This is a diagram for explaining the antenna gains of the transmission antenna and the reception antenna of the radio wave sensor device according to the fourth embodiment on the E plane.

[0040] Fig.24 This is a diagram for explaining the detection area of ​​the radio wave sensor device according to the fourth embodiment.

[0041] Fig.25 It is a schematic plan view of a transmitting antenna and a receiving antenna in a radio wave sensor device according to a modified example of the fourth embodiment.

[0042] Fig.26 This is an explanatory diagram of the structure of a general radio wave sensor device.

[0043] Fig. 27 It is a cross-sectional schematic diagram of a radio wave sensor device in the related art in which a transmitting antenna and a receiving antenna are constituted by a horn antenna.

[0044] Fig.28 The diagram is a plan view schematically showing a transmitting antenna section and a receiving antenna section constituted by coplanar patch antennas arranged on a substrate in the related art. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0045] The radio wave sensor device of the present invention is described with reference to the accompanying drawings, but the present invention is not limited to these embodiments, and the components, materials, etc. described below can be variously changed within the scope of the main purpose of the present invention. In addition, in the accompanying drawings, the same reference numerals represent equivalent or identical components, and the size, positional relationship, etc. between the components are for convenience and do not reflect the actual situation.

[0046] Implementation Method 1

[0047] The radio wave sensor device 100A of this embodiment is different from the Fig.26Similarly, the radio wave sensor device 100 described in the specification includes a transmitting antenna 10 that transmits a high-frequency signal (radio waves in the microwave band or the millimeter wave band) to a space where an object 200 is located, a receiving antenna 11 that receives a reflected wave of the high-frequency signal from the object 200, an oscillator 12 that generates a high-frequency signal of a predetermined frequency, a transmitting-side amplifier 13 that amplifies the high-frequency signal generated by the oscillator 12 and supplies it to the transmitting antenna 10, a receiving-side amplifier 14 that amplifies the reflected wave received by the receiving antenna 11, a mixer 15 that mixes the high-frequency signal generated by the oscillator 12 and the reflected wave amplified by the receiving-side amplifier 14 to generate a low-frequency received signal, an amplifier 16 that amplifies the low-frequency received signal generated by the mixer 15, an A / D converter 17 that performs A / D conversion on the received signal amplified by the amplifier 16, and a signal processing device 18 that performs desired signal processing on the received signal converted by the A / D converter 17. According to the signal processing of the signal processing device 18, the presence or absence of the object 200, the moving state, the distance to the object, etc. can be detected. The sensor circuit unit 19 formed with the oscillator 12, the mixer 15, etc. is formed by a high-frequency circuit unit and a signal processing circuit. The high-frequency circuit unit is composed of the oscillator 12, the mixer 15, etc. The signal processing circuit amplifies the low-frequency signal output from the mixer 15 and uses the AD conversion circuit and the digitized signal to perform operations to extract the required information. The high-frequency circuit unit can be composed of a microwave integrated circuit or a monolithic microwave / millimeter wave integrated circuit. The microwave integrated circuit is configured on a printed substrate to form the functional elements of the sensor circuit unit, and the monolithic microwave / millimeter wave integrated circuit is configured on an IC (integrated circuit) substrate to form the functional elements of the sensor circuit unit.

[0048] The radio wave sensor device 100A of this embodiment is configured such that the transmitting antenna 10 and the receiving antenna 11 are configured as horn antenna structures capable of obtaining sharp directivity and high antenna efficiency, and the sensor circuit region 101A including the sensor circuit section 19, the transmitting antenna section 21, and the receiving antenna section 23 can be miniaturized. With the miniaturization of the sensor circuit region 101A, the transmission line can be shortened, and the transmission and reception efficiency can be improved. Figure 1 It is a schematic plan view of the transmitting antenna 10 and the receiving antenna 11 in the radio wave sensor device 100A according to the first embodiment of the present invention, and shows a part of the substrate 20 on which the transmitting antenna 10 and the receiving antenna 11 are arranged. Figure 2 yes Figure 1 The cross-sectional view of the radio wave sensor device 100A along the line AA is shown in FIG. Figure 1 and 2As shown, the sensor circuit region 101A involved in the present embodiment 1 is provided with a transmitting antenna portion 21 constituting the transmitting antenna 10 and a receiving antenna portion 23 constituting the receiving antenna 11 on the substrate 20. The transmitting antenna portion 21 and the receiving antenna portion 23 can be respectively formed of coplanar patch antennas. The transmitting antenna portion 21 and the receiving antenna portion 23 can be arranged close to each other to the extent that the wall portion 27 can be arranged, for example, the size between the centers of the transmitting antenna portion 21 and the receiving antenna portion 23 can be set to one wavelength of the high-frequency signal used. As a result, the sensor circuit region 101A including the sensor circuit portion 19 and the transmitting antenna portion 21 and the receiving antenna portion 23 can be miniaturized.

[0049] The transmitting horn section 22A and the receiving horn section 24A are configured to cover the transmitting antenna section 21 and the receiving antenna section 23, and a wall section 27 is configured between the transmitting antenna section 21 and the receiving antenna section 23. The wall section 27 is connected to the ground plane 26, and has the function of improving the isolation (separation) characteristics of the transmitting antenna 10 and the receiving antenna 11. The inner walls of the transmitting horn section 22A and the receiving horn section 24A except for the wall surface of the wall section 27 can be formed by a part of the inner wall of a general conical horn designed in a manner to obtain the desired antenna gain and directivity. In this embodiment, the conical horn that obtains the desired characteristics is equally divided in the height direction by the wall section 27, and the transmitting horn section 22A is formed by one inner wall of the divided conical horn and one surface of the wall section 27, and the receiving horn section 24A is formed by the other inner wall of the conical horn and the other surface of the wall section 27. The transmitting horn portion 22A and the receiving horn portion 24A are respectively arranged on the substrate 20 via the ground plane 26, and the shapes near the transmitting antenna portion 21 and the receiving antenna portion 23 are set to be a rectangular waveguide shape, and the opening area is configured to expand in the height direction away from the transmitting antenna portion 21 and the receiving antenna portion 23, and the opening portions are respectively semicircular.

[0050] In addition, the wall portion 27 is arranged perpendicularly to the surface of the substrate 20, and a perpendicular wall region is formed from the opening end side of the transmitting horn portion 22A and the receiving horn portion 24A toward the transmitting antenna portion 21 and the receiving antenna portion 23, respectively. By equally dividing the space by the wall portion 27, the adjacently arranged transmitting horn portion 22A and the receiving horn portion 24A can be made symmetrical with respect to the wall portion 27, and the transmitting antenna 10 and the receiving antenna 11 with the same characteristics can be arranged adjacently. Among them, "perpendicular arrangement" includes not only the case where the wall region is formed in a direction completely perpendicular to the surface of the substrate 20, but also the case where the wall region is formed slightly inclined from the direction perpendicular to the surface of the substrate 20 within the range that the desired characteristics can be obtained. In addition, it also includes the case where a part of the wall region is slightly inclined from the direction perpendicular to the surface of the substrate 20. For example, when the transmitting horn portion 22A and the receiving horn portion 24A are manufactured by a method using a mold such as die casting, the wall surface needs a draft angle and is not necessarily perpendicular.

[0051] The high-frequency signal generated by the oscillator 12 formed in the sensor circuit unit 19 is transmitted to the transmitting antenna unit 21 through the transmission line 25. In the present embodiment, since the size between the centers of the transmitting antenna unit 21 and the receiving antenna unit 23 is adjacently configured to be about one wavelength of the high-frequency signal used, the length of the transmission line 25 can be shortened. With such a configuration, the loss caused by the transmission of the transmission line 25 is reduced, and the high-frequency signal generated by the oscillator 12 is efficiently sent out from the transmitting antenna unit 21 formed by the coplanar patch antenna, and is shaped in the transmitting horn 22A in such a way that the radio wave is directed in the desired direction, and is emitted into space from the opening of the transmitting antenna 10. Therefore, the gain in the desired direction (antenna gain) can be increased. In the present embodiment, the antenna 10 is parallel to the transmitting antenna 21. Figure 1 In the description, a surface of the wall portion 27 parallel to the N axis is referred to as an E surface, and a surface parallel to the M axis orthogonal to the N axis is referred to as an H surface.

[0052] When an object 200 exists in the space where a high-frequency signal is transmitted, the high-frequency signal transmitted from the transmitting antenna 10 is reflected by the object 200. The reflected wave is received by the receiving antenna 11. In the receiving antenna 11, the reflected wave is converted from the waveguide mode to the transmission line mode by the receiving antenna unit 23 through the receiving horn unit 24A, and is transmitted to the sensor circuit unit 19 through the transmission line 25. By performing the desired signal processing by the sensor circuit unit 19, the presence or absence of the object 200, the movement state, the distance to the object, etc. can be detected. It should be noted that the sensor circuit unit 19 is equivalent to a signal processing device including a processing circuit required for performing the desired detection.

[0053] Figure 31 is a diagram for explaining the antenna gains of the transmitting antenna 10 and the receiving antenna 11 of the radio wave sensor device 100A according to the present embodiment, and shows Figure 1 The antenna gain of the plane (E plane) parallel to the wall 27 is shown. Figure 3 In the figure, the antenna gain of the transmitting antenna 10 is represented by a solid line, and the antenna gain of the receiving antenna 11 is represented by a dotted line. The angle 0 degrees corresponds to Figure 1 The center of the transmitting antenna section 21 or the center of the receiving antenna section 23 is perpendicular to the surface of the substrate 20. Figure 3 As shown, it can be seen that the antenna gain is highest in the front face (direction perpendicular to the surface of substrate 20 on which transmitting antenna section 21 and receiving antenna section 23 are arranged) of the openings of transmitting antenna 10 and receiving antenna 11. In addition, it can be seen that there is no difference in antenna gain between transmitting antenna 10 and receiving antenna 11.

[0054] Figure 4 1 is a diagram for explaining the antenna gains of the transmitting antenna 10 and the receiving antenna 11 of the radio wave sensor device 100A according to the present embodiment, and shows Figure 1 The antenna gain of the plane (H plane) perpendicular to the wall 27 is shown. Figure 4 In FIG. 1 , the antenna gain of the transmitting antenna 10 is represented by a solid line, and the antenna gain of the receiving antenna 11 is represented by a dotted line. Figure 4 As shown, it can be seen that the antenna gain is highest in the front of the openings of the transmitting antenna 10 and the receiving antenna 11. In addition, it can be seen that there is almost no difference in antenna gain between the transmitting antenna 10 and the receiving antenna 11.

[0055] Figure 5 It means that Figure 3 and 4 The diagram of the detection area of ​​the radio wave sensor device 100A of the transmitting antenna 10 and the receiving antenna 11 shown in the antenna gain is an example of the case where a high-frequency signal in the millimeter wave band (frequency 60 GHz) is transmitted and received. Figure 5 In the figure, the solid line represents Figure 1 The detection area of ​​the surface (E surface) parallel to the wall 27 shown in FIG. 1 is shown in FIG. 2 , and the detection area of ​​the surface (H surface) orthogonal to the wall 27 is shown in FIG. 1 . In the radio wave sensor device 100A having such detection areas, for example, the shape of the detection area of ​​the line aa as viewed from the radio wave sensor device 100 is as follows: Figure 6 The detection area is elliptical as shown. In addition, in the present embodiment, by setting it as a horn antenna structure, it can be confirmed that a sharp directivity with few side lobes is obtained. In addition, the transmission line 25 is short, the transmission and reception efficiency is high, and the antenna efficiency is high. Therefore, compared with the case where the transmitting antenna 10 and the receiving antenna 11 are composed of patch antennas, even with the same opening size, it is possible to detect distant objects.

[0056] Implementation Method 2

[0057] Next, a second embodiment of the radio wave sensor device of the present invention will be described. The radio wave sensor device 100B of this embodiment is similar to the first embodiment. Fig.26 The same configuration and signal processing as the radio wave sensor device 100 described above can detect the presence of the object 200, the movement state, the distance to the object, etc. In addition, the shapes of the transmitting antenna 10 and the receiving antenna 11 are different from those in the first embodiment.

[0058] The radio wave sensor device 100B of this embodiment is also configured such that the transmitting antenna 10 and the receiving antenna 11 are horn antenna structures capable of obtaining sharp directivity and high antenna efficiency, and the sensor circuit region 101B including the sensor circuit section 19, the transmitting antenna section 21, and the receiving antenna section 23 can be miniaturized. With the miniaturization of the sensor circuit region 101B, the transmission line can be shortened, and the transmission and reception efficiency can be improved. Figure 7 It is a schematic plan view of the transmitting antenna 10 and the receiving antenna 11 in the radio wave sensor device 100B according to the second embodiment of the present invention, and shows a part of the substrate 20 on which the transmitting antenna 10 and the receiving antenna 11 are arranged. Figure 8 yes Figure 7 The cross-sectional view of the radio wave sensor device 100B along the line BB is shown in FIG. Figure 7 and Figure 8 As shown, the radio wave sensor device 100B involved in this embodiment 2 is provided with a transmitting antenna unit 21 constituting the transmitting antenna 10 and a receiving antenna unit 23 constituting the receiving antenna 11 on the substrate 20. The transmitting antenna unit 21 and the receiving antenna unit 23 can be respectively formed of coplanar patch antennas. Among them, the transmitting antenna unit 21 and the receiving antenna unit 23 can be arranged close to each other to the extent that the wall unit 27 can be arranged, for example, the size between the centers of the transmitting antenna unit 21 and the receiving antenna unit 23 can be set to one wavelength of the high-frequency signal used. As a result, the sensor circuit area 101B including the sensor circuit unit 19 and the transmitting antenna unit 21 and the receiving antenna unit 23 can be miniaturized.

[0059] The transmitting horn 22B and the receiving horn 24B are configured to cover the transmitting antenna 21 and the receiving antenna 23, and a wall 27 is configured between the transmitting antenna 21 and the receiving antenna 23. The wall 27 is connected to the ground plane 26, and has a function of improving the isolation (separation) characteristics of the transmitting antenna 10 and the receiving antenna 11. The inner walls of the transmitting horn 22B and the receiving horn 24B except for the wall surface of the wall 27 can be formed by a part of the inner wall of a general pyramid horn designed to obtain the desired antenna gain and directivity. In the present embodiment, the pyramid horn having the desired characteristics is equally divided in the height direction by the wall 27, and the transmitting horn 22B is formed by one inner wall of the divided pyramid horn and one surface of the wall 27, and the receiving horn 24B is formed by the other inner wall of the pyramid horn and the other surface of the wall 27. The transmitting horn section 22B and the receiving horn section 24B are respectively arranged on the substrate 20 via the ground plane 26, and the shape near the transmitting antenna section 21 and the receiving antenna section 23 is set to a rectangular waveguide shape, and the opening area is expanded in the height direction away from the transmitting antenna section 21 and the receiving antenna section 23, and the openings of the transmitting horn section 22B and the receiving horn section 24B are respectively square.

[0060] In addition, the wall portion 27 is arranged perpendicularly to the surface of the substrate 20, and a perpendicular wall region is formed from the opening end side of the transmitting horn portion 22B and the receiving horn portion 24B toward the transmitting antenna portion 21 and the receiving antenna portion 23, respectively. By equally dividing the space using the wall portion 27, the transmitting horn portion 22B and the receiving horn portion 24B arranged adjacent to each other can be made symmetrical with respect to the wall portion 27, and the transmitting antenna 10 and the receiving antenna 11 having the same characteristics can be arranged adjacent to each other. In the present embodiment, "perpendicular arrangement" includes not only the case where the wall region is formed in a direction completely perpendicular to the surface of the substrate 20, but also the case where the wall region is formed slightly inclined from the direction perpendicular to the surface of the substrate 20 within a range that can obtain the desired characteristics. In addition, the case where a part of the wall region is slightly inclined from the direction perpendicular to the surface of the substrate 20 is also included.

[0061] The high-frequency signal generated by the oscillator 12 formed in the sensor circuit unit 19 is transmitted to the transmitting antenna unit 21 through the transmission line 25. In the present embodiment, since the size between the centers of the transmitting antenna unit 21 and the receiving antenna unit 23 can be adjacently configured to be about one wavelength of the high-frequency signal used, the length of the transmission line 25 can be shortened. With such a configuration, the loss caused by the transmission of the transmission line 25 is small, and the high-frequency signal generated by the oscillator 12 is efficiently sent out from the transmitting antenna unit 21 formed by the coplanar patch antenna, and is shaped into an electric wave in the transmitting horn unit 22B toward the desired direction, and is emitted into space from the opening of the transmitting antenna 10. Therefore, the gain in the desired direction (antenna gain) can be improved. In the present embodiment, Figure 7 The description will be given with the plane parallel to the wall portion 27 being referred to as an E plane, and the plane perpendicular to the E plane being referred to as an H plane.

[0062] When the object 200 exists in the space where the high-frequency signal is transmitted, the high-frequency signal transmitted from the transmitting antenna 10 is reflected by the object 200. The reflected wave is received by the receiving antenna 11. In the receiving antenna 11, the reflected wave is converted from the waveguide mode to the transmission line mode by the receiving antenna unit 23 through the receiving horn unit 24B, and is transmitted to the sensor circuit unit 19 through the transmission line 25. By performing the desired signal processing by the sensor circuit unit 19, the presence or absence of the object 200, the movement state, the distance to the object, etc. can be detected.

[0063] Fig. 9 1 is a diagram for explaining the antenna gains of the transmitting antenna 10 and the receiving antenna 11 of the radio wave sensor device 100B according to the present embodiment, and shows Figure 7 The antenna gain of the plane (H plane) perpendicular to the wall 27 is shown. Fig. 9 In FIG. 1 , the antenna gain of the transmitting antenna 10 is represented by a solid line, and the antenna gain of the receiving antenna 11 is represented by a dotted line. Fig. 9 As shown in FIG. 1 , it can be seen that the antenna gain of the transmitting antenna 10 and the receiving antenna 11 is the highest when the antenna is offset from the front of the opening. Fig.10 As shown in FIG. 1 , the electric field distribution diagram when a high-frequency signal is transmitted from the transmitting antenna 10 of the radio wave sensor device 100B of the present embodiment, the high-frequency signal is transmitted obliquely from the front of the opening, so it can be seen that the position where the antenna gain is the highest is offset from the front of the opening. Similarly, the receiving antenna 11 has the highest receiving antenna gain when it is tilted from the front of the opening in the direction opposite to the tilt of the transmitting antenna 10.

[0064] Fig.11 1 is a diagram for explaining the antenna gains of the transmitting antenna 10 and the receiving antenna 11 of the radio wave sensor device 100B according to the present embodiment, and shows Figure 7The antenna gain of the plane (E plane) parallel to the wall 27 is shown. Fig.11 In FIG. 1 , the antenna gain of the transmitting antenna 10 is represented by a solid line, and the antenna gain of the receiving antenna 11 is represented by a dotted line. Fig.11 As shown, it can be seen that the antenna gain is highest in the front of the openings of the transmitting antenna 10 and the receiving antenna 11. In addition, it can be seen that there is almost no difference in antenna gain between the transmitting antenna 10 and the receiving antenna 11.

[0065] Fig.12 It means that Fig. 9 and Fig.11 The diagram of the detection area of ​​the radio wave sensor device 100B of the transmitting antenna 10 and the receiving antenna 11 shown in the antenna gain is an example of the case where a high-frequency signal in the millimeter wave band (frequency 60 GHz) is transmitted and received. Fig.12 In the figure, the solid line represents Figure 7 The detection area of ​​the surface (E surface) parallel to the wall 27 shown in the figure is indicated by the dotted line, and the detection area of ​​the surface (H surface) perpendicular to the wall 27 is indicated by the dotted line. Since the directivities of the transmitting antenna 10 and the receiving antenna 11 are offset, the detection distance in the front direction is shorter than the detection distance expected based on the opening area of ​​the antenna, but Fig.12 As shown, it can be seen that the front of the transmitting antenna 10 and the receiving antenna 11 can be detected. In addition, in this embodiment, by setting it as a horn antenna structure, it can be confirmed that sharp directivity is obtained. It is confirmed that even if the directivity of the transmitting antenna 10 and the receiving antenna 11 is slightly deviated from the front, it can be used as the radio wave sensor device 100B.

[0066] It should be noted that in the present embodiment, the case where the widths of the E plane and the H plane are set to be approximately the same size in the openings of the transmitting horn 22B of the transmitting antenna 10 and the receiving horn 24B of the receiving antenna 11 and the openings are set to be square openings is described, but in the openings of the transmitting horn 22B and the receiving horn 24B, the ratio of the E plane to the H plane can also be set to an arbitrarily selected rectangle. Furthermore, it can also be set to an arbitrary polygon. In addition, the transmitting horn 22B and the receiving horn 24B can also be formed asymmetrically with respect to the wall 27.

[0067] Next, a modification of Embodiment 2 is described. Generally, when using a radio wave sensor device, for example, there is a case where the maximum values ​​of the transmission power and the transmission antenna gain of the transmission antenna are limited by the radio wave law. Therefore, a modification of Embodiment 2 is configured to increase the antenna gain of the receiving antenna by making the opening area of ​​the receiving antenna larger than the opening area of ​​the transmitting antenna. Fig.13This is a schematic plan view of a transmitting antenna and a receiving antenna in a radio wave sensor device of a modified example of Embodiment 2. The opening area of ​​the receiving antenna 11 is larger than the opening area of ​​the transmitting antenna 10. In addition, in another modified example of Embodiment 2, it is shown that by making the number of receiving antennas 11 larger than the number of transmitting antennas 10, it is also possible to configure a plurality of receiving circuits. Fig.14 This is a schematic plan view of a transmitting antenna and a receiving antenna in a radio wave sensor device according to another modified example of Embodiment 2. The number of receiving antennas 11 is greater than the number of transmitting antennas 10. In this way, by appropriately setting the opening area and number of the transmitting antenna unit 10 and the receiving antenna 11, the antenna gain of the transmitting antenna 10 and the receiving antenna 11 can be adjusted. In addition, by providing a plurality of receiving circuits, it is also possible to realize a high-performance radio wave sensor device capable of detecting the angle at which an object exists and coping with interference.

[0068] (Implementation method 3)

[0069] Next, a third embodiment of the radio wave sensor device of the present invention will be described. The radio wave sensor device 100C of this embodiment is similar to the first embodiment. Fig.26 The same structure and signal processing as the radio wave sensor device 100 described above can detect the presence of the object 200, the movement state, the distance to the object, etc. In addition, the shapes of the transmitting antenna 10 and the receiving antenna 11 are different from those in the first and second embodiments.

[0070] The radio wave sensor device 100C of this embodiment is also configured such that the transmitting antenna 10 and the receiving antenna 11 have a horn antenna structure capable of obtaining sharp directivity and high antenna efficiency, and the sensor circuit region 101C including the sensor circuit section 19, the transmitting antenna section 21, and the receiving antenna section 23 can be miniaturized. Fig.15 This is a schematic cross-sectional view of the transmitting antenna 10 and the receiving antenna 11 in the radio wave sensor device 100C according to the third embodiment of the present invention, and shows a portion of the substrate 20 on which the transmitting antenna 10 and the receiving antenna 11 are arranged. The radio wave sensor device 100C of this embodiment can be represented by the same plan view schematic view as the radio wave sensor device 100B according to the second embodiment, and therefore the plan view schematic view is omitted. Fig.15 This is equivalent to the one described in the above embodiment 2. Figure 8 Schematic cross-sectional view of Fig.15As shown, the radio wave sensor device 100C of the third embodiment has a transmitting antenna unit 21 constituting the transmitting antenna 10 and a receiving antenna unit 23 constituting the receiving antenna 11 arranged on the substrate 20. The transmitting antenna unit 21 and the receiving antenna unit 23 can be respectively constituted by coplanar patch antennas. The transmitting antenna unit 21 and the receiving antenna unit 23 can be arranged close to each other to the extent that the wall unit 27 can be arranged, for example, the size between the centers of the transmitting antenna unit 21 and the receiving antenna unit 23 can be set to one wavelength of the high-frequency signal used. As a result, the sensor circuit area 101C including the sensor circuit unit 19 and the transmitting antenna unit 21 and the receiving antenna unit 23 can be miniaturized.

[0071] The transmitting horn 22C and the receiving horn 24C are configured to cover the transmitting antenna 21 and the receiving antenna 23, and the wall 27 is configured between the transmitting antenna 21 and the receiving antenna 23. The wall 27 is connected to the ground plane 26, and has the function of improving the isolation (separation) characteristics of the transmitting antenna 10 and the receiving antenna 11. The inner walls of the transmitting horn 22C and the receiving horn 24C except for the wall surface of the wall 27 can be formed by a part of the inner wall of a general multi-mode horn designed in a manner to obtain the desired antenna gain and directivity. In this embodiment, the multi-mode horn having the desired characteristics is equally divided in the height direction by the wall 27, and the transmitting horn 22C is formed by one inner wall of the divided multi-mode horn and one surface of the wall 27, and the receiving horn 24C is formed by the other inner wall of the multi-mode horn and the other surface of the wall 27. The transmission horn 22C and the reception horn 24C are respectively arranged on the substrate 20 via the ground plane 26, and the shape near the transmission antenna 21 and the reception antenna 23 is set to a rectangular waveguide shape, and the opening area is expanded in the height direction away from the transmission antenna 21 and the reception antenna 23, and the expansion changes at a predetermined position. The openings of the transmission horn 22C and the reception horn 24C are respectively square.

[0072] In addition, the wall portion 27 is arranged perpendicularly to the surface of the substrate 20, and a perpendicular wall region is formed from the opening end side of the transmitting horn portion 22C and the receiving horn portion 24C toward the transmitting antenna portion 21 and the receiving antenna portion 23, respectively. By equally dividing the space using the wall portion 27, the transmitting horn portion 22C and the receiving horn portion 24C arranged adjacent to each other can be made symmetrical with respect to the wall portion 27, and the transmitting antenna 10 and the receiving antenna 11 having the same characteristics can be arranged adjacent to each other. In the present embodiment, "perpendicular arrangement" includes not only the case where the wall region is formed in a direction completely perpendicular to the surface of the substrate 20, but also the case where the wall region is formed slightly inclined from the direction perpendicular to the surface of the substrate 20 within a range that can obtain the desired characteristics. In addition, the case where a part of the wall region is slightly inclined from the direction perpendicular to the surface of the substrate 20 is also included.

[0073] The high-frequency signal generated by the oscillator 12 formed in the sensor circuit unit 19 is transmitted to the transmitting antenna unit 21 through the transmission line 25. In the present embodiment, since the size between the centers of the transmitting antenna unit 21 and the receiving antenna unit 23 can be arranged adjacent to each other to about one wavelength of the high-frequency signal used, the length of the transmission line 25 can be shortened. By configuring in this way, the loss caused by the transmission of the transmission line 25 is small, and the high-frequency signal generated by the oscillator 12 is efficiently sent out from the transmitting antenna unit 21 composed of a coplanar patch antenna, and is shaped into an electric wave in the transmitting horn 22C toward the desired direction, and is emitted into the space from the opening of the transmitting antenna 10. Therefore, the gain (antenna gain) in the desired direction can be improved. In the present embodiment, the surface parallel to the wall 27 is set as the E surface, and the surface orthogonal to the E surface is set as the H surface for explanation.

[0074] When the object 200 exists in the space where the high-frequency signal is transmitted, the high-frequency signal transmitted from the transmitting antenna 10 is reflected by the object 200. The receiving antenna 11 receives the reflected wave. In the receiving antenna 11, the reflected wave is converted from the waveguide mode to the transmission line mode by the receiving antenna unit 23 through the receiving horn unit 24C, and is transmitted to the sensor circuit unit 19 through the transmission line 25. By performing the desired signal processing by the sensor circuit unit 19, the presence or absence of the object 200, the movement state, the distance to the object, etc. can be detected.

[0075] exist Fig.16 FIG. 1 is a diagram showing the electric field distribution when a high frequency signal is transmitted from the transmitting antenna 10 of the radio wave sensor device 100C of this embodiment. Fig.10 Compared with the electric field distribution diagram shown in FIG. 1 , the direction of emitting high-frequency signals is toward the front side. Such a technique of changing the direction of emitting high-frequency signals can be realized by applying a technique for designing a general multi-mode speaker.

[0076] Fig.17 1 is a diagram for explaining the antenna gains of the transmitting antenna 10 and the receiving antenna 11 of the radio wave sensor device 100C of the present embodiment, and shows the antenna gains of a plane (H plane) perpendicular to the wall 27. Fig.17 In FIG. 1 , the antenna gain of the transmitting antenna 10 is represented by a solid line, and the antenna gain of the receiving antenna 11 is represented by a dotted line. Fig.17As shown, it can be seen that the antenna gain is highest in the front of the opening of the transmitting antenna 10 and the receiving antenna 11. In addition, since the shape of the horn is asymmetric, the shape of the side lobe is asymmetric, and a relatively large side lobe appears on one side, but since the inclination of the side lobe of the transmitting antenna 10 and the side lobe of the receiving antenna 11 are symmetrical, the side lobe of the receiving antenna 11 becomes smaller at a larger angle of the side lobe of the transmitting antenna 10.

[0077] Fig.18 1 is a diagram for explaining the antenna gains of the transmitting antenna 10 and the receiving antenna 11 of the radio wave sensor device 100C of the present embodiment, and shows the antenna gains of the plane (E plane) parallel to the wall 27. Fig.18 In FIG. 1 , the antenna gain of the transmitting antenna 10 is represented by a solid line, and the antenna gain of the receiving antenna 11 is represented by a dotted line. Fig.18 As shown, it can be seen that the antenna gain is highest in the front of the openings of the transmitting antenna 10 and the receiving antenna 11. In addition, it can be seen that there is almost no difference in antenna gain between the transmitting antenna 10 and the receiving antenna 11.

[0078] Fig.19 It means that Fig.17 and Fig.18 The diagram of the detection area of ​​the radio wave sensor device 100C of the transmitting antenna 10 and the receiving antenna 11 shown in the antenna gain is an example of the case where a high-frequency signal in the millimeter wave band (frequency 60 GHz) is transmitted and received. Fig.19 In FIG. 1 , the solid line indicates the detection area of ​​the surface (E surface) parallel to the wall 27, and the dotted line indicates the detection area of ​​the surface (H surface) orthogonal to the wall 27. Fig.19 As shown, it can be seen that the radio wave sensor device 100C can detect the front of the transmitting antenna 10 and the receiving antenna 11. In addition, in this embodiment, by setting it as a horn antenna structure, it can be confirmed that a sharp directivity is obtained. In particular, in the radio wave sensor device 100C of this embodiment, as in the radio wave sensor device 100B described in the above-mentioned embodiment 2, it is possible to suppress the direction of transmitting high-frequency signals from being tilted from the front, and the detection distance as a radio wave sensor device can be extended, so it is preferable. In one example of this embodiment, the directivities of both the H plane and the E plane are sharp (narrow), and the directivities can be made consistent with the front direction of the antenna, so the antenna gain in the front is large, the detection area can be extended, and a more distant object can be detected. In one example of this embodiment, the detection area can be made about twice with the same opening size as the transmitting antenna 10 and the receiving antenna 11 described in embodiment 2, and a more distant object can be detected. In addition, it can be confirmed that the influence of the asymmetric side lobe is compensated by the synthesis of the antenna gains of the transmitting antenna 10 and the receiving antenna 11, and a shape with good symmetry is obtained as the detection area.

[0079] It should be noted that in the present embodiment, the width of the E-surface and the H-surface of the respective openings of the transmitting horn 22C of the transmitting antenna 10 and the receiving horn 24C of the receiving antenna 11 are set to be approximately the same size and the openings are set to be square openings. However, in the openings of the transmitting horn 22C and the receiving horn 24C, the ratio of the E-surface to the H-surface can also be set to an arbitrarily selected rectangle. Furthermore, it can also be set to an arbitrary polygon. In addition, the transmitting horn 22C and the receiving horn 24C can also be formed asymmetrically with respect to the wall 27.

[0080] In this embodiment, as described in the modification of the above-mentioned embodiment 2, the opening area of ​​the receiving antenna 11 can be increased compared with the opening area of ​​the transmitting antenna 10. In addition, as described in other modifications of the above-mentioned embodiment 2, the number of receiving antennas 11 can be increased compared with the number of transmitting antennas 10. In this way, by appropriately setting the opening area and number of the transmitting antenna 10 and the receiving antenna 11, the antenna gain of the transmitting antenna 10 and the receiving antenna 11 can be adjusted. In addition, by providing a plurality of receiving circuits, it is also possible to use a high-performance radio wave sensor device that can detect the angle at which an object exists and cope with interference.

[0081] Implementation 4

[0082] Next, a fourth embodiment of the radio wave sensor device of the present invention will be described. The radio wave sensor device 100D of this embodiment is similar to the first embodiment. Fig.26 The same configuration and signal processing as the radio wave sensor device 100 described above can detect the presence of the object 200, the movement state, the distance to the object, etc. The shapes of the transmitting antenna 10 and the receiving antenna 11 are different from those in the first to third embodiments.

[0083] The radio wave sensor device 100D of this embodiment is also configured such that the transmitting antenna 10 and the receiving antenna 11 have a horn antenna structure capable of obtaining sharp directivity and high antenna efficiency, and the sensor circuit region 101D including the sensor circuit unit 19, the transmitting antenna unit 21, and the receiving antenna unit 23 can be miniaturized. Fig. 20 It is a schematic plan view of the transmitting antenna 10 and the receiving antenna 11 in the radio wave sensor device 100D according to the fourth embodiment of the present invention, and shows a part of the substrate 20 on which the transmitting antenna 10 and the receiving antenna 11 are arranged. Fig.21 yes Fig. 20 FIG. 1 is a schematic cross-sectional view of the radio wave sensor device 100D along line DD. Fig. 20 and 21As shown, the radio wave sensor device 100D of the present embodiment 4 is provided with a transmitting antenna unit 21 constituting the transmitting antenna 10 and a receiving antenna unit 23 constituting the receiving antenna 11 on the substrate 20. The transmitting antenna unit 21 and the receiving antenna unit 23 can be respectively formed of coplanar patch antennas. The transmitting antenna unit 21 and the receiving antenna unit 23 can be arranged close to each other to the extent that the wall unit 27 can be arranged, for example, the size between the centers of the transmitting antenna unit 21 and the receiving antenna unit 23 can be set to one wavelength of the high-frequency signal used. As a result, the sensor circuit area 101D including the sensor circuit unit 19 and the transmitting antenna unit 21 and the receiving antenna unit 23 can be miniaturized.

[0084] The transmitting horn 22D and the receiving horn 24D arranged so as to cover the transmitting antenna 21 and the receiving antenna 23 are configured such that a wall 27 is arranged between the transmitting antenna 21 and the receiving antenna 23. The wall 27 is connected to the ground plane 26 and has a function of improving the isolation (separation) characteristics of the transmitting antenna 10 and the receiving antenna 11. The inner wall of the transmitting horn 22D and the receiving horn 24D other than the wall surface of the wall 27 can be formed by a part of the inner wall of a general multi-mode horn designed so as to obtain the desired antenna gain and directivity. In the present embodiment, the opening of one of the E plane or the H plane is made wider, and the opening of the other is made into a strip-shaped opening that does not widen. By setting the opening into such a shape, the directivity of the transmitting antenna 10 and the receiving antenna 11 becomes narrow directivity in the direction where the opening is wide, and becomes wide directivity in the direction where the opening is narrow. By configuring the expansion direction of the directivity to be the same shape in the transmitting antenna 10 and the receiving antenna 11, the detection area can be, for example, in a fan-shaped shape that is wide in the horizontal direction and narrow in the vertical direction. The radio wave sensor device 100D having a transmitting antenna 10 and a receiving antenna 11 with such directivity can narrow the directivity in the up and down directions that are not necessary for observation when performing detection in the horizontal direction, thereby increasing the gain (antenna gain) in the desired direction, and can also reduce interference caused by radio waves reflected from the ground, ceiling, etc., thereby expanding the detection area in the desired direction.

[0085] When a high frequency signal is transmitted from the transmitting antenna 10 of the radio wave sensor device 100D of this embodiment, Fig.21 The electric field distribution in the cross section shown is similar to that described in the above embodiment 3. Fig.16 The electric field distributions shown are approximately the same.

[0086] Fig. 22 1 is a diagram for explaining the antenna gains of the transmitting antenna 10 and the receiving antenna 11 of the radio wave sensor device 100D according to the present embodiment, and shows Fig. 20 and Fig.21The antenna gain of the plane (H plane) perpendicular to the wall 27 is shown. Fig. 22 In FIG. 1 , the antenna gain of the transmitting antenna 10 is represented by a solid line, and the antenna gain of the receiving antenna 11 is represented by a dotted line. Fig. 22 As shown, it can be seen that the transmitting antenna 10 and the receiving antenna 11 are different from those described in the above embodiment 3. Fig.17 The antenna gains shown are approximately the same.

[0087] Fig.23 1 is a diagram for explaining the antenna gains of the transmitting antenna 10 and the receiving antenna 11 of the radio wave sensor device 100D according to the present embodiment, and shows Fig. 20 and Fig.21 The antenna gain of the plane (E plane) parallel to the wall 27 is shown. Fig.23 In FIG. 1 , the antenna gain of the transmitting antenna 10 is represented by a solid line, and the antenna gain of the receiving antenna 11 is represented by a dotted line. Fig.23 As shown, it can be seen that the transmitting antenna 10 and the receiving antenna 11 are different from those described in the above embodiment 3. Fig.18 The antenna gain shown is wider in comparison.

[0088] Fig.24 It means that Fig. 22 and Fig.23 The diagram of the detection area of ​​the radio wave sensor device 100D of the transmitting antenna 10 and the receiving antenna 11 shown in the antenna gain is an example of the case where a high-frequency signal in the millimeter wave band (frequency 60 GHz) is transmitted and received. Fig.23 In FIG. 1 , the solid line indicates the detection area of ​​the surface (E surface) parallel to the wall 27, and the dotted line indicates the detection area of ​​the surface (H surface) orthogonal to the wall 27. Fig.24 As shown, the directivity of the radio wave sensor device 100D of this embodiment has a fan-shaped shape that is narrow in the H plane and wide in the E plane. Therefore, for example, by setting the H plane perpendicular to the ground, it is possible to detect far away at a large angle. In this case, the reflected waves from the ground etc. are reduced, which is preferable.

[0089] It should be noted that in the above description, the E plane of the opening of each of the transmission horn 22D of the transmission antenna 10 and the reception horn 24D of the reception antenna 11 is made narrower and the width of the H plane is made wider, but it is also possible to make the opening of each of the transmission horn 22D and the reception horn 24D of the reception antenna 11 narrower and wider. Fig. 20 and Fig.21 A surface perpendicular to the wall portion 27 shown is referred to as an E surface, and a surface perpendicular to the E surface is referred to as an H surface.

[0090] Next, a modification of the fourth embodiment will be described. Fig.25This is a schematic plan view of a transmitting antenna and a receiving antenna in a radio wave sensor device of a modified example of embodiment 4. In the modified example of this embodiment, a plurality of transmitting antennas 10 and a plurality of receiving antennas 11 are configured. By configuring a plurality of transmitting antennas 10 and a plurality of receiving antennas 11 in this way, it can be applied to various applications such as detecting the angle (position) of an object based on the phase difference of the received signals between the plurality of receiving antennas 11 and reducing the influence of interference caused by switching the transmitting antennas 10. It should be noted that the configuration and number of the transmitting antennas 10 and the receiving antennas 11 are not limited to Fig.25 In a modified example of this embodiment, the radio wave sensor device described in the fourth embodiment is adjacent to each other, and similarly to the fourth embodiment, the sensor circuit area 101D1 including the sensor circuit unit and the transmitting antenna unit 21 and the receiving antenna unit 23 can be miniaturized.

[0091] In the above embodiments, the transmitting antenna unit 21 and the receiving antenna unit 23 are described as being composed of a coplanar patch antenna structure, but the present invention is not limited to such a form, and can be changed to a slot antenna structure or a waveguide probe structure. In addition, it is not limited to the above embodiment, and various changes can be made, such as appropriately configuring the number of receiving antennas 11 to be larger than the number of transmitting antennas 10. In addition, the radio wave sensor device 100A~D can be miniaturized by providing a wall surface area perpendicular to the plane where the transmitting antenna unit 21 and the receiving antenna unit 23 are arranged on the wall 27 constituting the transmitting horn unit 22A~D and the receiving horn unit 24A~D. In the above embodiment, the wall 27 is a wall surface area perpendicular to the above plane as a whole, but as long as the radio wave sensor device 100A~D can be miniaturized, a certain area from the opening end side of the transmitting horn unit 22A~D and the receiving horn unit 24A~D toward the transmitting antenna unit 21 and the receiving antenna unit 23 can be made into a wall surface area perpendicular to the above plane.

[0092] Furthermore, although the transmission antenna 10 and the reception antenna 11 are described by defining the E plane and the H plane orthogonal thereto, there is no problem even when the E plane and the H plane are switched.

[0093] If the transmitting horn parts 22A to 22D and the receiving horn parts 24A to 24D described in the above embodiment are integrally formed of a cylindrical or prism-shaped member having a through hole having a partition wall in the height direction, it is possible to improve the adhesion when the transmitting antenna 10 and the receiving antenna 11 are joined to the substrate 20. In addition, by setting the overall outer shape of the transmitting antenna 10 and the receiving antenna 11 to a cylindrical shape and performing thread processing on the outer circumference, it is also easy to install the radio wave sensor devices 100A to 100D by screwing.

[0094] (Summarize)

[0095] (1) One embodiment of the radio wave sensor device of the present invention comprises: an oscillator that generates a high-frequency signal; a transmitting antenna that radiates the high-frequency signal into space; a receiving antenna that receives a reflected wave of the high-frequency signal from an object; a mixer that mixes the high-frequency signal and the reflected wave received by the receiving antenna to generate a received signal; and a signal processing device that generates a detection signal of the object based on the received signal, wherein the transmitting antenna has a transmitting antenna portion and a transmitting horn portion, and the receiving antenna has a receiving antenna portion and a receiving horn portion, the transmitting antenna portion and the receiving antenna portion are arranged separately on the same plane, the inner wall of the transmitting horn portion and the inner wall of the receiving horn portion have a wall portion that separates the transmitting antenna from the receiving antenna, the wall portion has a wall surface area that extends from the opening end side of the transmitting horn portion and the receiving horn portion toward the transmitting antenna portion and the receiving antenna portion, respectively, and is perpendicular to the plane, and the transmitting horn portion and the receiving horn portion are arranged adjacent to each other with the wall portion interposed therebetween.

[0096] According to the radio wave sensor device of this embodiment, the wall separating the transmitting antenna and the receiving antenna has a vertical wall area from the opening end side toward the transmitting antenna and the receiving antenna, respectively, for the inner wall of the transmitting horn and the inner wall of the receiving horn, and the transmitting horn and the receiving horn are arranged adjacent to each other, so that the device can be miniaturized. In addition, the transmitting antenna and the receiving antenna are composed of a horn antenna structure, so that a radio wave sensor device with sharp directivity and high antenna gain can be provided.

[0097] (2) The transmitting horn section and the receiving horn section can be configured by having a conical horn equally divided in the height direction by the wall section.

[0098] (3) The transmitting horn section and the receiving horn section can be configured by pyramid horns being equally divided in the height direction by the wall section.

[0099] (4) The transmitting horn section and the receiving horn section can be configured by dividing the multi-mode horn equally in the height direction by the wall section.

[0100] (5) The transmitting horn portion and the receiving horn portion are integrally formed of a cylindrical or prism-shaped member, and the cylindrical or prism-shaped member has a through hole having a partition wall in a height direction, and the partition wall can be set as the wall portion separating the transmitting antenna and the receiving antenna.

[0101] Description of Reference Numerals

[0102] 100, 100A~D, radio wave sensor device; 101, 101A~D, sensor circuit area; 200, object; 10, transmitting antenna; 11, receiving antenna; 12, oscillator; 13, transmitting side amplifier; 14, receiving side amplifier; 15, mixer; 16, amplifier; 17, A / D converter; 18, signal processing device; 19, sensor circuit unit; 20, substrate; 21, transmitting antenna unit; 22, 22A~D, transmitting horn unit; 23, receiving antenna unit; 24, 24A~D, receiving horn unit; 25, transmission line; 26, ground plane; 27, wall unit.

Claims

1. A radio wave sensor device comprising: an oscillator, which generates a high frequency signal; A transmitting antenna, which transmits the high-frequency signal into space; a receiving antenna for receiving a reflected wave of the high frequency signal from an object; a mixer that mixes the high frequency signal and a reflected wave received by the receiving antenna to generate a receiving signal; and a signal processing device for generating a detection signal of the object based on the received signal, The transmitting antenna comprises a transmitting antenna part and a transmitting horn part. The receiving antenna comprises a receiving antenna portion and a receiving horn portion. The transmitting antenna unit and the receiving antenna unit are separately arranged on the same plane, The inner wall of the transmitting horn part and the inner wall of the receiving horn part have a wall part that separates the transmitting antenna and the receiving antenna, and the wall part has a wall surface area perpendicular to the plane from the opening end side of the transmitting horn part and the receiving horn part toward the transmitting antenna part and the receiving antenna part respectively, and the transmitting horn part and the receiving horn part are adjacently arranged with the wall part between them.

2. The radio wave sensor device according to claim 1, wherein: The transmitting horn section and the receiving horn section are configured by a conical horn being equally divided in a height direction by the wall section.

3. The radio wave sensor device according to claim 1, wherein: The transmitting horn section and the receiving horn section are configured by pyramid horns being equally divided in a height direction by the wall section.

4. The radio wave sensor device according to claim 1, wherein: The transmitting horn section and the receiving horn section are configured by dividing the multi-mode horn equally in the height direction by the wall section.

5. The radio wave sensor device according to any one of claims 1 to 4, wherein: The transmitting horn and the receiving horn are integrally formed of a cylindrical or prism-shaped member, and the cylindrical or prism-shaped member has a through hole having a partition wall in a height direction, and the partition wall is the wall portion that separates the transmitting antenna and the receiving antenna.

Images