A vehicle and array antenna

Abstract

The application discloses a vehicle and an array antenna, comprising: a millimeter wave radar, the millimeter wave radar comprising an array antenna and a chip electrically connected with the array antenna; wherein the transparency of the array antenna is greater than or equal to 70%, and the array antenna is located in a vehicle lamp or a vehicle window. In this way, by setting the array antenna in the millimeter wave radar to be transparent, when the array antenna is arranged in the vehicle lamp or the vehicle window, the influence of the array antenna on the normal light transmission of the vehicle lamp and the vehicle window can be avoided, so that the array antenna can be arranged in the vehicle lamp and the vehicle window without affecting the normal functions of the vehicle lamp and the vehicle window, thereby widening the setting space of the millimeter wave radar in the vehicle and improving the all-scene sensing capability of the vehicle. In addition, arranging the array antenna of the millimeter wave radar in the vehicle lamp or the vehicle window can also reduce the shielding of the array antenna, thereby improving the performance of the millimeter wave radar.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] This invention relates to the field of antenna technology, and more particularly to a vehicle and array antenna. Background Technology

[0002] With the rapid development of automotive technology, intelligent vehicles and autonomous driving technology are rapidly penetrating people's lives. Millimeter-wave radar, as a detection and perception sensor, has been widely used in the automotive field, such as in ADAS (Advanced Driver Assistance Systems) and various scenarios including pedestrian recognition and traffic sign recognition.

[0003] Millimeter-wave radar transmits millimeter-scale electromagnetic waves through an antenna and receives the echoes to obtain the coordinates of distant objects and the velocity of objects based on the Doppler effect. In order to obtain more object information, the number of channels of millimeter-wave radar can be increased or more millimeter-wave radars can be set up. However, for vehicles with increasingly higher levels of intelligence, the number of sensors on the vehicle is also increasing, which means that there is not much space left for the installation of millimeter-wave radar on the vehicle.

[0004] Therefore, how to expand the installation space for millimeter-wave radar on vehicles has become a technical problem that urgently needs to be solved in this field. Summary of the Invention

[0005] This invention provides a vehicle and an array antenna to expand the installation space for millimeter-wave radar on vehicles.

[0006] In a first aspect, embodiments of the present invention provide a vehicle, including: a millimeter-wave radar, the millimeter-wave radar including an array antenna and a chip electrically connected to the array antenna; wherein the transparency of the array antenna is greater than or equal to 70%, and the array antenna is located in the vehicle's headlights or windows.

[0007] In some embodiments, the vehicle includes: a first headlight equipped with the array antenna; The first vehicle light includes a light source and a lamp cover; the lamp cover includes the array antenna.

[0008] In some embodiments, the array antenna is encapsulated inside the lampshade.

[0009] In some embodiments, the array antenna is located at the edge of the lampshade.

[0010] In some embodiments, the vehicle includes: a first window provided with the array antenna; The first window includes: a window body and an array antenna attached to the window body.

[0011] In some embodiments, the array antenna is located at the edge of the window body.

[0012] In some embodiments, the first window includes a windshield, and at least a portion of the array antenna in the windshield radiates toward the interior of the vehicle.

[0013] In some embodiments, the first window includes a sunroof, and at least a portion of the array antenna in the sunroof is used for communication.

[0014] In some embodiments, the millimeter-wave radar includes: a plurality of array antennas, each of the array antennas being electrically connected to the chip.

[0015] In some embodiments, the vehicle includes a plurality of millimeter-wave radars; in at least some of the millimeter-wave radars, the array antenna is located in the vehicle's headlights or windows.

[0016] Secondly, embodiments of the present invention provide an array antenna for millimeter-wave radar, comprising: a substrate, a ground layer, and a radiating layer stacked together, wherein the ground layer and the radiating layer are respectively located on both sides of the substrate; In a direction perpendicular to the substrate, the transparency of the substrate, the ground layer, and the radiating layer is all greater than or equal to 70%.

[0017] In some embodiments, the grounding layer and the radiating layer are made of metallic materials, and the grounding layer and the radiating layer are fabricated using a metallic meshing process.

[0018] In some embodiments, the array antenna further includes: a first encapsulation layer located on the side of the ground layer opposite to the substrate, and a second encapsulation layer located on the side of the radiating layer opposite to the substrate.

[0019] The beneficial effects of this invention are as follows: This invention provides a vehicle and an array antenna, comprising: a millimeter-wave radar, the millimeter-wave radar including an array antenna and a chip electrically connected to the array antenna; wherein the transparency of the array antenna is greater than or equal to 70%, and the array antenna is located in the vehicle's headlights or windows. Thus, by making the array antenna in the millimeter-wave radar transparent, when the array antenna is placed in the headlights or windows, it is possible to avoid the array antenna affecting the normal light transmission of the headlights and windows. This allows the array antenna to be placed in the headlights and windows without affecting their normal function, thereby expanding the installation space of the millimeter-wave radar in the vehicle and improving the vehicle's all-scenario perception capability. Furthermore, placing the millimeter-wave radar array antenna in the headlights or windows also reduces obstruction of the array antenna, thereby improving the performance of the millimeter-wave radar. Attached Figure Description

[0020] Figure 1 This is a schematic diagram of a vehicle equipped with millimeter-wave radar provided in an embodiment of the present invention; Figure 2 This is a schematic diagram of the structure of the first vehicle lamp provided in an embodiment of the present invention; Figure 3 This is a schematic diagram of the structure of the first vehicle window provided in an embodiment of the present invention; Figure 4 This is a schematic diagram of the structure of a millimeter-wave radar provided in an embodiment of the present invention; Figure 5 This is a schematic diagram of the millimeter-wave radar coverage area of ​​a vehicle provided in an embodiment of the present invention; Figure 6 This is a schematic diagram of another millimeter-wave radar provided in an embodiment of the present invention; Figure 7 This is a cross-sectional view of an array antenna provided in an embodiment of the present invention; Figure 8 This is a cross-sectional view of another array antenna provided in an embodiment of the present invention; Figure 9 This is a schematic diagram of the structure of an array antenna provided in an embodiment of the present invention; Figure 10 This is a schematic diagram of another array antenna provided in an embodiment of the present invention; Figure 11 This is a standing wave simulation curve of an array antenna provided in an embodiment of the present invention; Figure 12 This is a peak gain curve of an array antenna provided in an embodiment of the present invention. Detailed Implementation

[0021] The specific embodiments of a vehicle and array antenna provided by the present invention will be described in detail below with reference to the accompanying drawings. It should be noted that the described embodiments are merely some, not all, of the embodiments of the present invention. All other embodiments obtained by those skilled in the art based on the embodiments of the present invention without creative effort are within the scope of protection of the present invention.

[0022] This invention provides a vehicle, such as... Figure 1 As shown, it includes: a millimeter-wave radar 100, the millimeter-wave radar 100 including an array antenna 110 and a chip 120 electrically connected to the array antenna 110; wherein, the transparency of the array antenna 110 is greater than or equal to 70%, and the array antenna 110 is located in the headlight 200 or window 300 of the vehicle 1.

[0023] Thus, by making the array antenna in the millimeter-wave radar transparent, when the array antenna is placed in the headlights or windows, it can avoid affecting the normal light transmission of the headlights and windows. This allows the array antenna to be placed in the headlights and windows without affecting their normal function, thereby expanding the installation space of millimeter-wave radar in vehicles and improving the vehicle's all-scenario perception capabilities. In addition, placing the millimeter-wave radar array antenna in the headlights or windows also reduces the obstruction of the array antenna, thereby improving the performance of the millimeter-wave radar.

[0024] It should be understood that the chips in millimeter-wave radar are usually opaque. Therefore, the chips can be placed in the structure around the car window or headlights to avoid affecting the normal light transmission of the headlights and windows.

[0025] In some embodiments, such as Figure 2 As shown, Figure 2 A schematic diagram of a vehicle headlight is shown. The vehicle includes a first headlight 210 equipped with an array antenna 110. The first headlight 210 includes a light source 211 and a lampshade 212. The lampshade 212 includes the array antenna 110. Thus, by providing a first headlight 210 with the array antenna 110, the installation space for the array antenna 110 can be expanded. Furthermore, by placing the array antenna 110 on the lampshade 212 of the first headlight 210, it is possible to avoid affecting the light source 211, thereby reducing the impact on the brightness of the first headlight 210.

[0026] In some embodiments, such as Figure 2 As shown, the array antenna 110 is encapsulated inside the lamp cover 212. In this way, by encapsulating the array antenna 110 inside the lamp cover 212, it is convenient to install the first vehicle lamp 210, and damage to the array antenna 110 during transportation and installation can be avoided, thereby improving the reliability of the millimeter-wave antenna.

[0027] Of course, the array antenna can also be attached to the surface of the lampshade. In this case, an additional transparent protective layer can be added to protect it, which can also improve the reliability of the millimeter-wave antenna. No specific limitations are made here.

[0028] Furthermore, in some embodiments, such as Figure 2 As shown, the array antenna 110 is located at the edge of the lampshade 212. Thus, the array antenna 110 and the chip in the millimeter-wave antenna ( Figure 2 When connecting (not shown), there is no need to set up a long connecting line, which can reduce the manufacturing cost of the millimeter-wave antenna and reduce the impact of the connecting line on the light output of the first headlight, thus improving the energy efficiency of the vehicle.

[0029] In some embodiments, such as Figure 3 As shown, Figure 3A schematic diagram of a vehicle window is shown. The vehicle includes a first window 310 equipped with an array antenna 110. The first window 310 includes a window body 311 and an array antenna 110 attached to the window body 311. Thus, by providing a first window 310 with an array antenna 110, the installation space for the array antenna 110 can be further expanded, and attaching the array antenna 110 to the window body 311 simplifies the structure and reduces the design complexity of the first window 310.

[0030] It should be understood that in a vehicle, some windows are fixed, such as the windshield and fixed sunroof, while others are operable, such as door windows and movable sunroofs. When setting up an array antenna, the array antenna can be placed in a fixed window, meaning the first window must include at least a fixed window, thus facilitating the connection between the array antenna and the chip. Alternatively, the array antenna can be placed in an operable window, meaning the first window can also include an operable window. In this case, the array antenna and the chip can be connected when the operable window is closed, enabling the millimeter-wave radar to operate normally. When the operable window is open, the array antenna and the chip can be disconnected, and the corresponding millimeter-wave radar can be turned off.

[0031] In some embodiments, similar to the first headlight, such as Figure 3 As shown, the array antenna 110 is located at the edge of the window body 311. Thus, the array antenna 110 and the chip in the millimeter-wave antenna ( Figure 3 When connecting (not shown), there is no need to set a long connecting line, which can reduce the manufacturing cost of millimeter wave antennas and reduce the impact of connecting lines on the light transmittance of the first window, thus improving the aesthetics of the window.

[0032] In some embodiments, the first window includes a windshield, and at least a portion of the array antenna in the windshield radiates towards the interior of the vehicle. Thus, by radiating the array antenna towards the interior of the vehicle, the millimeter-wave radar can target occupants inside the vehicle, enabling biological monitoring functions such as vital sign monitoring and fatigue monitoring, thereby expanding the functionality of millimeter-wave radar.

[0033] In some embodiments, the first window includes a sunroof, and at least a portion of the array antenna within the sunroof is used for communication. Thus, by placing the array antenna within the sunroof and employing a millimeter-wave radar constructed from this array antenna for communication, communication between the vehicle and other surrounding communication devices, such as vehicle-to-everything (V2X) communication, can be achieved, thereby further enhancing the vehicle's intelligence.

[0034] In some embodiments, such as Figure 4As shown, the millimeter-wave radar includes multiple array antennas 110, each of which is electrically connected to a chip 120. Thus, by placing at least some of the array antennas 110 within vehicle windows or headlights, more space is provided for their deployment, enabling the inclusion of multiple array antennas 110 within the millimeter-wave radar. This increases the number of radio frequency channels in the millimeter-wave radar, thereby improving its spectral efficiency, link gain, spatial resolution, and system robustness, which is beneficial for the intelligent development of vehicles.

[0035] Of course, besides such Figure 4 In addition to the four array antennas 110 shown in the diagram, a millimeter-wave radar can also be equipped with one, two, or three array antennas, thereby simplifying the structure of the millimeter-wave radar and reducing costs; or, a millimeter-wave radar can also be equipped with five, six, seven, or more array antennas, thereby further increasing the number of radio frequency channels of the millimeter-wave radar and improving its performance.

[0036] In some embodiments, the vehicle includes multiple millimeter-wave radars; in at least some of the millimeter-wave radars, the array antenna is located in the vehicle's headlights or windows. This can be as follows: Figure 5 As shown, Figure 5 The image shows a device equipped with multiple millimeter-wave radars ( Figure 5 The image shows a vehicle (not shown in the image) and illustrates the coverage area Q of some millimeter-wave radars. Figure 5 As can be seen, the vehicle's windows and lights are distributed around the perimeter, so millimeter-wave radar can also be placed around the perimeter, thus achieving coverage of the vehicle from all sides.

[0037] In this way, by utilizing headlights and windows to install multiple millimeter-wave radars in the vehicle, the number of millimeter-wave radars can be increased, thereby improving the coverage range of the millimeter-wave radars and facilitating the intelligent development of vehicles.

[0038] In some embodiments, such as Figure 4 As shown, the array antenna 110 is connected to the flexible circuit board via a transparent microstrip line 130. Figure 4 (not shown in the image), and then connected to a printed circuit board via a flexible circuit board ( Figure 4 The chip 120 (not shown) is connected to the array antenna 110. When the array antenna 110 is located in the window or headlight, a portion of the transparent microstrip line 130 is also located in the window or headlight, while the flexible circuit board, printed circuit board, and chip are located around the window or headlight.

[0039] Thus, by setting up transparent microstrip lines to connect the array antenna to the chip, the impact of millimeter-wave radar on the light transmittance of vehicle windows and the brightness of vehicle lights can be further reduced.

[0040] In addition, in the various array antennas of a millimeter-wave radar, such as Figure 4 As shown, part of the array antenna 110 is a transmitting array antenna T, used to transmit electromagnetic waves to the outside world, and the remaining part of the array antenna 110 is a receiving array antenna R, used to receive electromagnetic waves from the outside world. That is, the millimeter-wave radar adopts a 2T2R layout. Of course, in addition to the 2T2R layout, millimeter-wave radar can also adopt other layouts well known to those skilled in the art, such as... Figure 6 As shown, the millimeter-wave radar includes three transmitting array antennas T and four receiving array antennas R, that is, the millimeter-wave radar adopts a 3T4R layout. The specific layout of the millimeter-wave radar is not limited here.

[0041] Based on the same inventive concept, embodiments of the present invention also provide an array antenna for millimeter-wave radar, such as... Figure 7 As shown, it includes: a substrate 10, a ground layer 20 and a radiating layer 30 stacked together, with the ground layer 20 and the radiating layer 30 located on both sides of the substrate 10, respectively; In the direction perpendicular to the substrate 10, the transparency of the substrate 10, the ground layer 20, and the radiating layer 30 is greater than or equal to 70%. The substrate 10 is made of polyimide, among other things, to achieve transparency, and the substrate 10 may also have a certain degree of flexibility to facilitate the attachment of the array antenna to a car window or headlight.

[0042] In this way, by setting the transparency of the three films—the substrate, the ground layer, and the radiation layer—to be greater than or equal to 70%, the transparency of the array antenna is also greater than or equal to 70%. When the array antenna is placed in a car window or headlight, the impact on the light transmittance of the window and the brightness of the headlight can be reduced. This allows the array antenna to be placed in the car window and headlight, thus expanding the installation space of millimeter-wave radar in vehicles.

[0043] In some embodiments, the ground layer and the radiating layer are made of metallic materials and are fabricated using a metallic meshing process. This metallic meshing process improves the transparency of the ground layer and the radiating layer while achieving high conductivity, thereby enabling the array antenna to be installed in vehicle windows or headlights, expanding the installation space for millimeter-wave radar in vehicles.

[0044] In addition, when the radiating layer is fabricated using a metallized mesh process, the use of high-precision semiconductor technology significantly reduces the size and positional errors of the radiating layer, improving the consistency of the array antenna and thus enhancing its performance.

[0045] Of course, the grounding layer and the radiating layer can also be made of transparent conductive materials, such as indium tin oxide, so that a certain degree of transparency can be achieved without the need for meshing, which reduces the difficulty of making the grounding layer and the radiating layer and reduces the manufacturing cost.

[0046] In some embodiments, such as Figure 8 As shown, the array antenna also includes a first encapsulation layer 40 located on the side of the ground layer 20 facing away from the substrate 10, and a second encapsulation layer 50 located on the side of the radiating layer 30 facing away from the substrate 10. The materials of the first encapsulation layer 40 and the second encapsulation layer 50 can be transparent encapsulation materials commonly used by those skilled in the art, such as PET (Polyethylene Terephthalate), and are not specifically limited here.

[0047] In this way, by setting the first and second encapsulation layers to encapsulate the substrate, ground layer and radiating layer, the external water and oxygen erosion is reduced, and the damage to the array antenna structure caused by external pressure is reduced, thereby improving the reliability of the array antenna during production and transportation.

[0048] Of course, an encapsulation layer can also be omitted from the array antenna. For example, when the array antenna is encapsulated inside the vehicle's lamp cover, the lamp cover itself can also protect the array antenna, thus eliminating the need for an encapsulation layer, simplifying the structure of the array antenna, and reducing the production cost of the array antenna.

[0049] It should be understood that, such as Figure 9 As shown, Figure 9 An array antenna is shown, comprising: a feed port 111, a feed cable 112 connected to the feed port 111, and patch antenna elements 113 connected to the feed cable 112. Thus, a chip in a millimeter-wave radar can provide electrical signals to the array antenna from the feed port 111, and these electrical signals are transmitted through the feed cable 112 to each patch antenna element 113, whereby each patch antenna element 113 radiates electromagnetic waves to the outside. Alternatively, each patch antenna element 113 can receive external electromagnetic waves and convert them into electrical signals, which are then transmitted to the feed cable 112. The electrical signals in the feed cable 112 are transmitted through the feed port 111 to the chip in the millimeter-wave radar for processing, thereby obtaining corresponding external information.

[0050] In some embodiments, such as Figure 9 As shown, the patch antenna elements 113 in the array antenna are arranged in a comb-like pattern. Among them, in... Figure 9 In the structure shown, there are 12 patch antenna elements 113 in the array antenna. The spacing between adjacent patch antenna elements 113 can be set to 0.5 to 0.75 times the set wavelength. The set wavelength is the wavelength of the electromagnetic waves received or transmitted by the array antenna. The ratio of the excitation amplitude of each patch antenna element 113 satisfies the Chebyshev distribution: 0.52, 0.49, 0.67, 0.82, 0.94, 1, 1, 0.94, 0.82, 0.67, 0.19, 0.52.

[0051] Alternatively, in some embodiments, such as Figure 10 As shown, the patch antenna elements 113 in the array antenna can also be arranged in a rectangular string.

[0052] Of course, the structure of an array antenna is not limited to such Figure 9 and Figure 10 The shape, number, size, and spatial arrangement of the patch antenna elements in the array antenna shown can be configured using conventional methods employed by those skilled in the art, such as taking into account factors like gain, beamwidth, sidelobe level, and physical cost. The specific structure of the array antenna is not limited here.

[0053] The array antenna provided in the embodiments of the present invention will be explained and described below with reference to specific examples.

[0054] Specifically, the fabrication steps of an array antenna may include: S1. Fabricate a radiating layer on a substrate. The substrate can be made of a flexible transparent material PI (Polyimide) with a thickness of 120 micrometers; the radiating layer can be fabricated using a metal meshing process with a thickness of 500 nanometers, thereby achieving a transparent radiating layer.

[0055] S2. Fabricate a ground layer on the side of the substrate away from the radiating layer. Similarly, the ground layer can also be fabricated using a metal meshing process, with a thickness of 500 nanometers, thereby achieving a transparent ground layer.

[0056] Thus, the array antenna can be fabricated through the above steps S1 and S2, and each film layer of the array antenna is transparent, thereby enabling the array antenna to be placed in the car window and headlights, expanding the installation space of millimeter-wave radar in vehicles.

[0057] Of course, in the above production steps, the grounding layer can be made first and then the radiation layer can be made; no specific limitation is made here.

[0058] Furthermore, such as Figure 11 As shown, Figure 11 The figure shows a standing wave (SWR) simulation curve of an array antenna provided by an embodiment of the present invention. Figure 11 As can be seen, after making the array antenna transparent, the VSWR of the array antenna is less than 1.5 in the frequency range of 77GHz to 79.9GHz, thus enabling reliable detection range and angular resolution in this frequency range, which can meet the performance requirements of millimeter-wave radar.

[0059] like Figure 12 As shown, Figure 12The peak gain curve of an array antenna provided in an embodiment of the present invention is shown. Figure 12 As can be seen, in the range of 77GHz to 86GHz, the peak gain of the array antenna is in the range of 10.47dBi to 11.9dBi. Moreover, since the transparent array antenna can be installed in the vehicle's headlights and windows, when a higher peak gain is required, the number of array antennas can be increased to achieve a higher peak gain.

[0060] Furthermore, experiments show that the 3dB bandwidth in the horizontal plane at 77GHz, 77.5GHz, 78GHz, 78.5GHz, and 79GHz is 78.66°, 76.6°, 75°, 73.98°, and 73.6°, respectively, all greater than 60°. At the same frequencies, the bandwidth in the vertical plane at 77GHz, 77.5GHz, 78GHz, 78.5GHz, and 79GHz is 15.44°, 15.21°, 15.07°, 15.01°, and 14.87°, respectively, all within the range of 12° to 16°. Both the horizontal and vertical bandwidths meet the performance requirements of millimeter-wave radar.

[0061] Therefore, in the technical solution provided by the embodiments of the present invention, the transparent array antenna can meet the various performance requirements of millimeter-wave radar, and thus the array antenna can be installed in the vehicle's headlights or windows. This allows the array antenna to expand the installation space of millimeter-wave radar in the vehicle without affecting the light transmittance of the window and the brightness of the headlights, thereby improving the vehicle's all-scenario perception capability.

[0062] Obviously, those skilled in the art can make various modifications and variations to this invention without departing from its spirit and scope. Therefore, if these modifications and variations fall within the scope of the claims of this invention and their equivalents, this invention also intends to include these modifications and variations.

Claims

1. A vehicle, characterized in that, include: A millimeter-wave radar, comprising an array antenna and a chip electrically connected to the array antenna; wherein the array antenna has a transparency greater than or equal to 70%, and the array antenna is located in the headlights or windows of the vehicle.

2. The vehicle as described in claim 1, characterized in that, The vehicle includes: a first headlight equipped with the array antenna; The first vehicle light includes a light source and a lamp cover; the lamp cover includes the array antenna.

3. The vehicle as described in claim 2, characterized in that, The array antenna is encapsulated inside the lampshade.

4. The vehicle as described in claim 2, characterized in that, The array antenna is located at the edge of the lampshade.

5. The vehicle as described in claim 1, characterized in that, The vehicle includes: a first window equipped with the array antenna; The first window includes: a window body and an array antenna attached to the window body.

6. The vehicle as described in claim 5, characterized in that, The array antenna is located at the edge of the vehicle window body.

7. The vehicle as described in claim 5, characterized in that, The first window includes a windshield, and at least a portion of the windshield has the array antenna radiating in the direction of the vehicle interior.

8. The vehicle as described in claim 5, characterized in that, The first window includes a sunroof, and at least a portion of the array antenna in the sunroof is used for communication.

9. The vehicle as described in any one of claims 1-8, characterized in that, The millimeter-wave radar includes multiple array antennas, each of which is electrically connected to the chip.

10. The vehicle as claimed in claim 9, characterized in that, The vehicle includes multiple millimeter-wave radars; in at least some of the millimeter-wave radars, the array antenna is located in the vehicle's headlights or windows.

11. An array antenna for millimeter-wave radar, characterized in that, include: A substrate, a ground layer, and a radiating layer are stacked together, with the ground layer and the radiating layer located on opposite sides of the substrate, respectively. In a direction perpendicular to the substrate, the transparency of the substrate, the ground layer, and the radiating layer is all greater than or equal to 70%.

12. The array antenna as claimed in claim 11, characterized in that, The grounding layer and the radiating layer are made of metallic materials, and the grounding layer and the radiating layer are manufactured using a metallic meshing process.

13. The array antenna as described in claim 11 or 12, characterized in that, The array antenna further includes: a first encapsulation layer located on the side of the ground layer away from the substrate, and a second encapsulation layer located on the side of the radiating layer away from the substrate.

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