Radar antenna packaging module

Abstract

The invention relates to the technical field of electronic components, in particular to a radar antenna packaging module which comprises a patch board, an element board, a clearance board, an antenna board and a conducting medium which are sequentially arranged and connected with one another. A bonding pad is arranged on the surface, away from the element board, of the patch board, the element board is provided with a radar element, the antenna board is provided with an antenna element, the clearance board is provided with a clearance groove, the radar element is located in the clearance groove, and the conducting medium is used for conductively connecting the patch board, the element board, the clearance board and the antenna board. The antenna element is connected with the element plate through a conducting medium, and the element plate is connected with the patch plate through a conducting medium. According to the invention, electrical interconnection among the layers is realized through the conductive medium, and a large number of external connection pins and connectors required in the traditional scheme are replaced, so that the interface is simplified, the connection reliability is improved, and the material cost and the assembly cost of the related pins are directly reduced.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] This invention relates to the field of electronic components technology, and in particular to a radar antenna packaging module. Background Technology

[0002] With the rapid development of technologies such as autonomous driving, intelligent sensing, and the Internet of Things, millimeter-wave radar sensors are increasingly widely used in modern electronic devices due to their unique advantages. However, the trend towards miniaturization and thinner designs places almost stringent requirements on the size and integration of radar sensors. Traditional radar systems typically employ a discrete design, manufacturing components such as antennas, radio frequency chips, and control circuits separately, and then assembling and interconnecting them on a two-dimensional plane through cables, connectors, or complex PCB wiring.

[0003] Traditional solutions have significant limitations: First, their two-dimensional layout occupies a large amount of planar area, making it difficult to meet the integration needs of space-constrained devices such as smartphones and micro drones; second, long-distance wiring between discrete components introduces significant parasitic inductance and signal loss, which can severely degrade the radar system's detection sensitivity, resolution, and overall radio frequency performance, especially when processing high-frequency millimeter-wave signals; third, the extensive use of connectors and cables not only increases material costs and assembly complexity but also becomes a potential weak point in the system's reliability under harsh environments such as vibration and shock. Summary of the Invention

[0004] To address the aforementioned issues, this invention achieves electrical interconnection between layers using a conductive medium, replacing the numerous external connection pins and connectors required in traditional solutions. This not only simplifies the interface and improves connection reliability but also directly reduces the material and assembly costs of the related pins in the radar antenna packaging module.

[0005] The technical solution adopted in this invention is: a radar antenna packaging module, comprising a patch panel, a component board, a clearance plate, an antenna board, and a conductive medium arranged sequentially and connected to each other; the patch panel and the component board have pads on their opposite sides; the component board has radar components; the antenna board has antenna components; the clearance plate has clearance slots; the radar components are located within the clearance slots; the conductive medium is used to electrically connect the patch panel, the component board, the clearance plate, and the antenna board; the antenna components are connected to the component board through the conductive medium; and the component board is connected to the patch panel through the conductive medium.

[0006] A further improvement to the above solution is that the patch panel has first contact grooves on both sides, one side of the first contact groove is provided with a contact pad and the other side is used to connect the solder pad, and the conductive medium is provided in the first contact groove and is used to conductively connect the contact pad and the solder pad.

[0007] A further improvement to the above solution is that the first contact groove is provided in multiple ways and is respectively disposed on both sides of the patch plate.

[0008] A further improvement to the above solution is that the component board is a circuit board, and multiple second contact grooves are provided on both sides of the component board. The component board is provided with a power interface and a communication interface corresponding to the second contact grooves. The second contact grooves are opposite to the first contact grooves. The conductive medium is disposed in the second contact grooves and the first contact grooves and is used to conductively connect the component board and the surface mount board.

[0009] A further improvement to the above scheme is that the power interface includes VCC, VDD, and GND, and the communication interface includes SCL and SDA.

[0010] A further improvement to the above scheme is that a third contact groove is provided on both sides of the air-proof plate. The third contact groove is opposite to and connected to the second contact groove and the first contact groove. The conductive medium connects the first contact groove, the second contact groove and the third contact groove in sequence.

[0011] A further improvement to the above solution is that the air-proof plate is formed by processing glass fiber board.

[0012] A further improvement to the above scheme is that a fourth contact groove is provided on both sides of the antenna plate, and the fourth contact groove is sequentially connected with the third contact groove, the second contact groove and the first contact groove to form a conductive connection groove. The conductive medium is disposed in the conductive connection groove and is used for conductive connection of the patch board, component board, shielding plate and antenna plate.

[0013] A further improvement to the above scheme is that the antenna element on the antenna board is located in a recessed slot and is opposite to the radar element.

[0014] A further improvement to the above scheme is that a connecting medium is provided between the patch plate and the component plate, the air gap plate and the antenna plate.

[0015] The beneficial effects of this invention are:

[0016] Compared to existing radar antenna modules, this invention employs a multi-layered structure, stacking surface mount boards, component boards, shielding plates, and antenna boards and integrating them with a conductive medium. This highly integrates the radar antenna, RF components, and corresponding circuitry into a compact module, significantly reducing the overall size and footprint of the product and meeting the urgent need for miniaturized components in modern electronic devices. As an independent, standardized functional unit, this invention is designed for mass production. End customers can assemble and solder this module on products (such as PCB motherboards) using standard surface mount technology (SMT), eliminating the need for complex RF wiring or manual assembly. This improves customer production efficiency and reduces the complexity of manufacturing processes and the requirement for specialized skills. This invention achieves electrical interconnection between layers through a conductive medium, replacing the numerous external connection pins and connectors required in traditional solutions. This not only simplifies the interface and improves connection reliability but also directly reduces the material and assembly costs of related pins. Attached Figure Description

[0017] Figure 1 This is a three-dimensional schematic diagram of the radar antenna packaging module of the present invention; Figure 2 for Figure 1 Exploded view of a radar antenna packaging module; Figure 3 for Figure 1 An exploded view of the radar antenna packaging module from another perspective; Figure 4 for Figure 1 An exploded view of the radar antenna packaging module from another perspective.

[0018] Explanation of reference numerals in the attached drawings: 1. Surface mount board; 11. Pad; 12. First contact groove; 13. Contact pad; 2. Component board; 2. Radar component; 21. Second contact groove; 22. Power interface; 23. Communication interface; 24. Clearance plate; 3. Clearance slot; 31. Third contact groove; 32. Antenna board; 4. Antenna component; 41. Fourth contact groove; 42. Conductive medium; 5. Detailed Implementation

[0019] To facilitate understanding of the present invention, a more complete description will be given below with reference to the accompanying drawings. Preferred embodiments of the invention are shown in the drawings. However, the invention can be implemented in many different forms and is not limited to the embodiments described herein. Rather, these embodiments are provided to provide a thorough and complete understanding of the disclosure of the invention.

[0020] It should be noted that when a component is said to be "fixed to" another component, it can be directly attached to the other component or there may be an intervening component. When a component is said to be "connected to" another component, it can be directly connected to the other component or there may be an intervening component.

[0021] Unless otherwise defined, all technical and scientific terms used herein have the same meaning as commonly understood by one of ordinary skill in the art to which this invention pertains. The terminology used herein in the description of the invention is for the purpose of describing particular embodiments only and is not intended to be limiting of the invention.

[0022] like Figures 1-4 As shown, in one embodiment of the present invention, a radar antenna packaging module is disclosed, comprising a patch panel 1, a component board 2, a clearance plate 3, an antenna board 4, and a conductive medium 5 arranged sequentially and connected to each other. The patch panel 1 has pads 11 on its side opposite to the component board 2. The component board 2 is provided with a radar element 21, the antenna board 4 is provided with an antenna element 41, the clearance plate 3 has clearance slots 31, and the radar element 21 is located within the clearance slots 31. The conductive medium 5 is used to electrically connect the patch panel 1, component board 2, clearance plate 3, and antenna board 4. The antenna element 41 is connected to the component board 2 through the conductive medium 5, and the component board 2 is connected to the patch panel 1 through the conductive medium 5. This embodiment, by employing a multi-layer structure, stacks the patch panel 1, component board 2, clearance plate 3, and antenna board 4 and integrates them together through the conductive medium 5, highly integrating the radar antenna, radio frequency components, and corresponding circuits into a compact module. This significantly reduces the overall size and footprint of the product, meeting the urgent need for miniaturization of components in modern electronic devices. This invention, as an independent and standardized functional unit, is designed for mass manufacturing. End customers can assemble and solder this module on products (such as PCB motherboards) using standard surface mount technology (SMT), eliminating the need for complex RF wiring or manual assembly. This improves customer production efficiency and reduces the complexity of the manufacturing process and the requirement for specialized skills. In this embodiment, electrical interconnection between layers is achieved through conductive medium 5, replacing the large number of external connection pins and connectors required in traditional solutions. This not only simplifies the interface and improves connection reliability but also directly reduces the material and assembly costs of related pins.

[0023] The surface mount board 1 has first contact grooves 12 on both sides. One side of the first contact groove 12 has a contact pad 13, and the other side is used to connect to the solder pad 11. The conductive medium 5 is disposed in the first contact groove 12 and is used to conductively connect the contact pad 13 and the solder pad 11. In this embodiment, by setting first contact grooves 12 on both sides of the surface mount board 1, and setting the contact pad 13 and the conductive medium 5 connected to the back solder pad 11 in the grooves respectively, a key vertical interconnect channel from the outside of the module (solder pad 11) to the internal stacked structure is constructed. The traditional planar wiring is transformed into three-dimensional interconnect using the board thickness, which greatly saves the wiring space on the surface of the surface mount board 1 and provides more room for component layout and signal integrity optimization. The groove structure provides precise filling and shaping space for the conductive medium 5 (such as filled electroplated metal), ensuring the reliability and consistency of the vertical interconnect. At the same time, its structural strength is better than that of independent vias, and it can better withstand the mechanical and thermal stresses during the mounting process.

[0024] Multiple first contact grooves 12 are provided and are respectively disposed opposite to each other on both sides of the surface mount plate 1. In this embodiment, multiple first contact grooves 12 are respectively disposed opposite to each other on both sides of the surface mount plate 1, realizing the distributed arrangement of interconnect nodes on the plane. The symmetrical and dispersed layout is conducive to forming a uniform heat and stress distribution during surface mount soldering, preventing module warping or cold solder joints due to excessive concentration of connection points, and improving the process yield of SMT assembly.

[0025] The component board 2 is a circuit board. Multiple second contact grooves 22 are provided on both sides of the component board 2. A power interface 23 and a communication interface 24 are provided on the component board 2 corresponding to the second contact grooves 22. The second contact grooves 22 are opposite to the first contact grooves 12. The conductive medium 5 is disposed within the second contact grooves 22 and the first contact grooves 12 and is used to electrically connect the component board 2 to the surface mount board 1. In this embodiment, the second contact grooves 22 are provided on both sides of the component board 2, and their function is specifically defined as carrying the power interface 23 and the communication interface 24, allowing all external electrical interfaces to be connected to external pads 11 through a unified vertical interconnect structure. This achieves complete integration of complex power distribution networks and signal transmission networks into the internal stacked structure of the module, leaving only a standardized array of pads 11 outside the module. Users do not need to design complex power management and signal routing for the module at the motherboard level, greatly simplifying the design difficulty for customers and truly achieving "plug and play," reducing the threshold and cycle of secondary application development.

[0026] The power interface 23 includes VCC, VDD, and GND, and the communication interface 24 includes SCL and SDA. In this embodiment, the power interface 23 is explicitly defined as including VCC, VDD, and GND, and the communication interface 24 adopts the I2C standard SCL and SDA. This achieves physical separation and clear definition of power and signal, and transmission is carried out through independent slots and conductive medium 5, effectively avoiding interference of power noise on weak communication signals, and ensuring the purity of power supply to the radar chip and the stability of control command transmission. Secondly, the use of widely used standard communication protocols such as I2C greatly enhances the versatility and compatibility of the module, allowing it to be easily connected to various main control chips, broadening its application scenarios and reducing the software adaptation workload for customers.

[0027] The shield plate 3 has third contact grooves 32 on both sides. These third contact grooves 32 are opposite to and connected to the second contact groove 22 and the first contact groove 12. The conductive medium 5 connects the first contact groove 12, the second contact groove 22, and the third contact groove 32 in sequence. In this embodiment, third contact grooves 32 are added to both sides of the shield plate 3 and aligned with and connected to the first and second contact grooves 22 of the upper and lower layers, thereby seamlessly connecting the surface mount board 1, the component board 2, and the shield plate 3 in the Z direction with an independent vertical interconnect channel. This structure forms a continuous and complete metallized via, realizing an ultra-low impedance connection from the pad 11 of the surface mount board 1 to the interface of the component board 2, minimizing the parasitic inductance and resistance of the interconnect itself. This is crucial for providing a power path for instantaneous high current and a path for transmitting high-frequency signals to the radar chip, ensuring efficient and lossless transmission of energy and signals, and improving the overall performance and reliability of the radar system.

[0028] The clearance plate 3 is formed from fiberglass board. In this embodiment, the clearance plate 3 is specified to be formed from fiberglass board (such as FR-4). Fiberglass board is the most commonly used and technologically mature substrate in PCB manufacturing. It has high mechanical strength, good dimensional stability, low cost, and very mature processing technology. Using this material to make the clearance plate 3 can ensure high precision and good hole wall quality when processing the clearance groove 31 and subsequent grooves, which is beneficial to the subsequent metallization deposition of conductive dielectric 5. At the same time, its coefficient of thermal expansion matches that of other PCB layers, which can effectively reduce the risk of delamination or cracking caused by uneven thermal stress between layers during SMT reflow soldering, ensuring the structural integrity and long-term reliability of the module.

[0029] The antenna board 4 has fourth contact grooves 42 on both sides. These fourth contact grooves 42 are sequentially connected to the third contact groove 32, the second contact groove 22, and the first contact groove 12 to form a conductive connection groove. The conductive medium 5 is disposed in the conductive connection groove and is used for conductive connection between the patch panel 1, the component board 2, the clearance plate 3, and the antenna board 4. In this embodiment, the fourth contact grooves 42 are provided on both sides of the antenna board 4 and are ultimately aligned and connected with the lower third, second, and first contact grooves 12 to form a continuous "conductive connection groove" extending from the antenna board 4 to the pad 11 of the patch panel 1. The antenna element 41 is also incorporated into a unified vertical interconnect system. The radio frequency signal generated by the antenna can be directly and shortly transmitted to the radar chip on the component board 2 through this low-loss channel, greatly reducing the signal loss and impedance mismatch caused by wires or long transmission lines in traditional solutions, optimizing the radio frequency performance between the antenna and the chip, and significantly improving the detection sensitivity and accuracy of the radar.

[0030] The antenna element 41 on the antenna plate 4 is located within the recessed slot 31 and is opposite to the radar element 21. In this embodiment, the antenna element 41 on the antenna plate 4 is explicitly positioned within the recessed slot 31 and maintains a relative position with the radar chip (radar element 21). The common cavity design minimizes the physical distance between the radar chip's RF port and the antenna feed point, virtually eliminating the length of the intermediate connecting conductor, thereby minimizing transmission loss. The enclosed recessed slot 31 structure also creates a controllable local electromagnetic environment for the antenna, helping to shield against external interference and making the antenna's radiation characteristics more stable and predictable. This is crucial for radar systems operating in high-frequency bands such as millimeter waves and is one of the core design elements ensuring its final detection performance.

[0031] A bonding medium is used to bond the patch panel 1 to the component board 2, the air gap plate 3, and the antenna board 4. In this embodiment, a bonding medium (such as prepreg PP) is used to press and bond the functional boards together. The integrated lamination process makes the entire module a robust monolithic structure with tight bonding between layers and no air gaps, resulting in extremely high mechanical strength and stability. This solves the problems of poor contact and easy loosening of connectors that may exist in traditional discrete assembly, and also eliminates the uncontrollable influence of different air media on radio frequency performance (such as impedance), providing a stable and uniform transmission environment for high-frequency signals and ensuring product consistency and durability.

[0032] The method for manufacturing a radar antenna packaging module includes the following steps: Provides surface mount board 1, component board 2, shielding plate 3, and antenna board 4; First contact grooves 12 are formed on both sides of the surface mount board 1, and a pad 11 is formed on one side surface and a contact pad 13 connected to the first contact groove 12 is formed on the other side surface. Second contact grooves 22 are formed on both sides of the component board 2, and a power interface 23 and a communication interface 24 are provided on its surface; An air-avoiding groove 31 and a third contact groove 32 are machined on the air-avoiding plate 3; An antenna element 41 and a fourth contact groove 42 are formed on the antenna plate 4; The radar chip 21 is mounted and bonded to the designed position on the component board 2; The patch panel 1, component board 2, clearance plate 3 and antenna board 4 are stacked in sequence, and the contact grooves of each layer are aligned with each other. The radar crystal 21 and the antenna element 41 are housed in the clearance groove 31. Each layer of the plate is pressed together using a connecting medium to form an integrated modular structure; The first contact groove 12, the second contact groove 22, the third contact groove 32 and the fourth contact groove 42 that are aligned and connected to each other are metallized to form a conductive medium 5, thereby realizing the electrical connection between the patch board 1, the component board 2, the shielding plate 3 and the antenna board 4.

[0033] In this embodiment, four substrates with different functions—pattern 1, component board 2, clearance plate 3, and antenna board 4—are first processed independently. Then, they are integrated into a robust, unified module through precise alignment and one-time lamination. The process stacks the antenna, RF chip, passive components, and vertical interconnect structure in three dimensions along the Z-axis, breaking the layout limitations of traditional planar packaging and achieving extremely high functional density. The resulting module structure is extremely compact and small in size, making it highly suitable for modern electronic devices with stringent space requirements, such as radar sensors in smartphones, autonomous vehicles, and micro-drones.

[0034] This embodiment employs a lamination-then-metallization process. Aligned contact grooves are pre-machined on each layer, and after lamination, a continuous microvia is formed, extending from the top patch panel 1 to the bottom antenna panel 4. A uniform copper plating process is then performed. The resulting conductive medium 5 is a complete and continuous metallized channel, with smoother and more consistent hole walls compared to traditional step-by-step drilling and plating. This reduces parasitic inductance and resistance in the interconnect path, providing an ultra-low-loss, low-impedance transmission path for high-frequency radar signals and power. It significantly shortens the physical distance and electrical path between the RF chip and the antenna, reducing signal attenuation and reflection, thereby directly improving the radar system's detection sensitivity, resolution, and overall RF performance. Vacuum thermoforming using a connecting medium firmly bonds the layers together into a seamless monolithic structure using materials such as epoxy resin. This eliminates potential fault points such as poor contact, loosening, and breakage that may occur with connectors, cables, or solder balls used in traditional solutions. It also boasts high mechanical strength and excellent vibration and shock resistance. Meanwhile, because the thermal expansion coefficients of each layer of material are matched and selected, the thermal stress distribution of the entire module is uniform when the temperature changes, avoiding delamination, warping or cracking caused by thermal mismatch, and ensuring the long-term reliability of the product in harsh environments.

[0035] This embodiment integrates mature PCB manufacturing and semiconductor packaging processes. It enables production using existing large-scale automated equipment, resulting in stable processes, high yields, and easy scaling up and low-cost manufacturing. Furthermore, this method is platform-based; by adjusting the design of each layer, it can flexibly adapt to radar chips and antenna solutions with different frequencies and performance requirements, exhibiting excellent scalability and product derivative capabilities.

[0036] The above embodiments merely illustrate several implementation methods of the present invention, and their descriptions are relatively specific and detailed, but they should not be construed as limiting the scope of the present invention. It should be noted that those skilled in the art can make various modifications and improvements without departing from the concept of the present invention, and these all fall within the protection scope of the present invention. Therefore, the protection scope of this patent should be determined by the appended claims.

Claims

1. A radar antenna packaging module, characterized in that: The device includes a surface mount board, a component board, a clearance plate, an antenna board, and a conductive medium arranged sequentially and connected to each other. The surface mount board has pads on its side opposite to the component board. The component board has radar components, the antenna board has antenna components, the clearance plate has clearance slots, and the radar components are located within these slots. The conductive medium connects the surface mount board, component board, clearance plate, and antenna board electrically. The antenna components are connected to the component board via the conductive medium, and the component board is connected to the surface mount board via the conductive medium.

2. The radar antenna packaging module according to claim 1, characterized in that: The patch panel has first contact grooves on both sides. One side of the first contact groove is provided with a contact pad, and the other side is used to connect the solder pad. The conductive medium is provided in the first contact groove and is used to conductively connect the contact pad and the solder pad.

3. The radar antenna packaging module according to claim 2, characterized in that: The first contact groove is provided in multiple ways and is respectively arranged opposite to each other on both sides of the patch plate.

4. The radar antenna packaging module according to claim 3, characterized in that: The component board is a circuit board, and multiple second contact grooves are provided on both sides of the component board. The component board is provided with a power interface and a communication interface corresponding to the second contact grooves. The second contact grooves are opposite to the first contact grooves. The conductive medium is disposed in the second contact grooves and the first contact grooves and is used to conductively connect the component board and the surface mount board.

5. The radar antenna packaging module according to claim 4, characterized in that: The power interface includes VCC, VDD, and GND, and the communication interface includes SCL and SDA.

6. The radar antenna packaging module according to claim 4, characterized in that: The air-proof plate has a third contact groove on both sides. The third contact groove is opposite to the second contact groove and the first contact groove and is interconnected with each other. The conductive medium connects the first contact groove, the second contact groove and the third contact groove in sequence.

7. The radar antenna packaging module according to claim 1, characterized in that: The air-proof plate is formed from fiberglass board.

8. The radar antenna packaging module according to claim 6, characterized in that: The antenna board has a fourth contact groove on both sides. The fourth contact groove is connected to the third contact groove, the second contact groove and the first contact groove in sequence to form a conductive connection groove. The conductive medium is placed in the conductive connection groove and is used for conductive connection between the patch board, the component board, the shielding plate and the antenna board.

9. The radar antenna packaging module according to claim 1, characterized in that: The antenna elements on the antenna board are located in the clearance slots and are opposite to the radar elements.

10. The radar antenna packaging module according to claim 1, characterized in that: A connecting medium is provided between the patch panel and the component board, the air gap plate, and the antenna board.

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