Radar module equipment based on limited clearance and terminal equipment

Abstract

The utility model provides radar module equipment and terminal equipment based on limited clearance. The radar module equipment comprises an antenna unit, a radar module bottom plate, at least one coupling supporting piece and a metal plate, by changing the antenna form in the radar module equipment, the antenna main radiator passes through the clearance zone on the metal plate, so that the requirement of antenna radiation on the area of the clearance zone is reduced to the greatest extent. And meanwhile, electromagnetic coupling is generated through the coupling metal column and the metal plate of the product, so that the influence of insufficient clearance area of the metal plate on radar radiation performance is reduced. According to the utility model, the requirement of double antennas for the clearance area is reduced, the influence of insufficient clearance of the metal plate on the radiation performance of the radar is reduced, the requirement for the clearance area is minimized, the efficient performance of the radar is ensured, and the antenna has wide application prospect and commercial value.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] This utility model relates to the field of radar radio frequency technology, and in particular to a radar module device based on limited clearance. Background Technology

[0002] As radar technology is increasingly being transferred from military to civilian applications, microwave radar, as a sensor, is being used in a variety of consumer products. Microwave radar sensors can be concealed and are unaffected by temperature, airflow, dust, or smoke. They have advantages such as long lifespan, fast response speed, higher sensitivity, and wide sensing area, and are also widely used in energy-saving lighting, smart home appliances, and other fields.

[0003] When radar modules are installed inside a product, the product typically needs to reserve a certain area of ​​unobstructed clearance for the radar module to ensure proper electromagnetic wave radiation. However, in certain product designs, sufficient clearance cannot be provided for the radar. For typical microwave frequency bands (5.8GHz, 10.5GHz) radar sensors, microstrip patch antennas are usually used due to the requirements of integrated module design. Patch antennas are typically rectangular, with a side length of half the PCB dielectric wavelength. Typically, patch antennas require a clearance area of ​​at least 1 / 8 of the air wavelength. Since radar is an integrated design for both transmission and reception, requiring antennas for both, the required clearance area is usually doubled. This imposes a significant limitation on the application of radar in products. Summary of the Invention

[0004] In view of the shortcomings of the prior art described above, the purpose of this utility model is to provide a radar module device based on limited clearance, so as to solve the problem of how to realize radar function under limited clearance area.

[0005] To achieve the above and other related objectives, this utility model provides a radar module device based on limited clearance, comprising: an antenna unit, a radar module base plate, at least one coupling support, and a metal plate. The metal plate is arranged parallel above the radar module base plate and connected via the coupling support, forming an electromagnetic field coupling space between the metal plate and the radar module base plate. The metal plate has a slot for inserting the antenna unit, providing clearance for the antenna unit; the antenna unit is inserted into the slot and passes through the metal plate to connect to the radar module base plate. The radar module base plate includes: a radar chip, a feed network, and a grounding pad. The feed network includes a matching resistor, a matching capacitor, and a grounding pad; the two ends of the matching resistor are connected to the radar chip via a transmit channel and a receive channel, respectively, to connect the feed network and the radar chip; the two ends of the matching resistor are also connected by connecting wires to form a loop circuit; the midpoint of the wires in the loop circuit is connected to one end of the matching capacitor, and the other end of the matching capacitor is connected to the grounding pad. The antenna elements include symmetrical dipole antennas and single-pin antennas; the symmetrical dipole antennas are connected to the radar module base plate by connecting to the ground pad and the feed pad respectively, and the single-pin antennas are connected to the radar module base plate by connecting only to the feed pad.

[0006] In one embodiment of this utility model, the metal plate is provided with slots of different shapes, which are equivalent to the clearance area reserved by the product for the antenna unit;

[0007] The antenna element is vertically inserted into a slot on its respective metal plate, such that the main radiator of the antenna element is located above the metal plate.

[0008] In one embodiment of this utility model, the symmetrical dipole antenna is an antenna board based on PCB technology, including two copper-clad layers on the surface, a dielectric layer in the middle, and a set of solder pins; the copper-clad areas of the two copper-clad layers are divided into two half-regions and connected by metallized vias; each half-region includes two radiating segments required for antenna radiation, and the sum of the lengths of the two segments is the sum of the equivalent wavelengths of the electromagnetic waves operating at radar frequency in the PCB dielectric and air dielectric;

[0009] The single-needle antenna includes a rod-shaped metal structure and at least one soldered pin. The radiating length of the main radiator is the wavelength of the electromagnetic wave operating at radar frequency in the air medium.

[0010] In one embodiment of the present invention, when the antenna unit adopts the symmetrical dipole antenna, the set of welding pins of the symmetrical dipole antenna are respectively welded to the grounding pad and the feed pad on the radar module base plate;

[0011] When the antenna unit uses the single-pin antenna, the welding pins of the single-pin antenna are welded to the feed pads on the radar module base plate, and the grounding pads are left floating.

[0012] In one embodiment of this utility model, the radar chip is provided with at least two radio frequency pins for leading out the transmitting channel and the receiving channel; the specifications of the transmitting channel and the receiving channel include 50 ohms impedance;

[0013] The wire length of the ring circuit is the trace length of one dielectric wavelength; the wire specifications of the ring circuit include 100 ohms impedance.

[0014] In one embodiment of this utility model, the matching capacitor-inductor is a circuit composed of two capacitors and one inductor; wherein, one end of capacitor C1 is connected to the midpoint of the loop circuit by a wire, and the other end is connected in series with one end of capacitor C2, and the other end of capacitor C2 is connected to the power supply pad; a wire is led out from the middle of the wire connecting the two capacitors to connect one end of the inductor, and the other end of the inductor is grounded by a wire; wherein, the wire specification of the matching capacitor-inductor includes 50 ohms impedance.

[0015] In one embodiment of this utility model, the impedance of the matching resistor is 100 ohms; the capacitance of the matching capacitor ranges from 0.2pF to 10pF, and the inductance ranges from 0.2nH to 2.4nH.

[0016] In one embodiment of the present invention, the coupling support includes a coupling metal column with a radius of not less than 1 mm, and is coupled to the metal plate through an adhesive polypropylene gasket; wherein the thickness of the polypropylene gasket is less than 0.5 mm.

[0017] In one embodiment of the present invention, the grounding pad on the radar module base plate is located in the space enclosed by the wires of the ring circuit; the metal plate further includes a metal pillar limiting hole; the metal pillar limiting hole corresponds to the position where the coupling support is connected to the metal plate.

[0018] This utility model provides a terminal, including the aforementioned radar module device.

[0019] As described above, the radar module device based on limited clearance of this invention has the following beneficial effects:

[0020] (1) It significantly reduces the area requirement for the clearance area, adapting to the trend of miniaturization of modern electronic devices.

[0021] (2) The adverse effects of metal plates on radar performance are effectively overcome by electromagnetic coupling technology.

[0022] (3) The compact design and easy integration improve the applicability of the radar module in various applications. Attached Figure Description

[0023] Figure 1 This is a diagram illustrating the architecture of a radar module device in one embodiment of the present invention, where the antenna unit adopts a symmetrical dipole antenna type.

[0024] Figure 2(a) is a schematic diagram of the effect of the uncoupled metal column on the current distribution in one embodiment of the present invention.

[0025] Figure 2(b) is a schematic diagram of the effect of the coupling metal column on the current distribution in one embodiment of the present invention.

[0026] Figure 3 This is a schematic diagram of the structure of a symmetrical dipole antenna in one embodiment of the present invention.

[0027] Figure 4(a) is a top view of a radar module device in one embodiment of the present invention, in which the antenna unit adopts a symmetrical dipole antenna.

[0028] Figure 4(b) is a top view of a radar module device in one embodiment of the present invention, in which the antenna unit adopts a single-pin antenna.

[0029] Figure 5 This is a schematic diagram of the antenna unit using a single-pin antenna in one embodiment of the present invention.

[0030] Figure 6(a) is a schematic diagram of the spatial radiation distribution of the pair of dipole antennas in one embodiment of the present invention.

[0031] Figure 6(b) is a schematic diagram of the spatial radiation distribution of a single-needle antenna in one embodiment of the present invention.

[0032] Figure 7 This is a schematic diagram of the structure of the radar module base plate in one embodiment of the present invention.

[0033] Figure 8 This is a radio frequency network architecture diagram of the radar module base plate in one embodiment of the present invention.

[0034] Figure 9 This is a diagram showing the radio frequency signal flow of the radar transmitting and receiving channels in one embodiment of the present invention. Detailed Implementation

[0035] The following specific examples illustrate the implementation of this utility model. Those skilled in the art can easily understand other advantages and effects of this utility model from the content disclosed in this specification. This utility model can also be implemented or applied through other different specific embodiments, and various details in this specification can also be modified or changed based on different viewpoints and applications without departing from the spirit of this utility model. It should be noted that, unless otherwise specified, the following embodiments and features described therein can be combined with each other.

[0036] It should be noted that the illustrations provided in the following embodiments are only schematic representations of the basic concept of the present invention. Therefore, the drawings only show the components related to the present invention and are not drawn according to the number, shape and size of the components in actual implementation. In actual implementation, the form, quantity and proportion of each component can be arbitrarily changed, and the layout of the components may also be more complex.

[0037] Radar is an integrated design that transmits and receives data. Both transmission and reception require antennas, so the clearance area usually needs to be doubled, which imposes a significant limitation on the application of radar in products.

[0038] At least to address the aforementioned problems, this utility model provides a radar module device based on limited clearance. By modifying the antenna element to a single-needle, symmetrical vibrator form, the main radiator of the antenna passes through the clearance area, thereby reducing the area required for antenna radiation. Furthermore, by using an electromagnetic coupling between the metal support and the product's metal plate, the impact on radar radiation performance when the metal plate's clearance area is insufficient is reduced, thus minimizing the radar's clearance area requirement and demonstrating promising application prospects.

[0039] The radar module device based on limited clearance provided by this utility model will now be described in conjunction with specific embodiments and accompanying drawings.

[0040] A radar module device based on limited clearance includes: an antenna unit, a radar module base plate, at least one coupling support, and a metal plate; wherein the antenna unit includes symmetrical dipole antennas and single-needle antennas.

[0041] To better describe the specific implementation of the radar module device of this utility model, the structure and implementation process of the radar module device with two types of antenna units, namely symmetrical dipole antenna and single-pin antenna, are described below with reference to the accompanying drawings and specific embodiments.

[0042] Figure 1 This diagram illustrates the radar module architecture where the antenna elements utilize symmetrical dipole antennas. Figure 1As shown, the radar module equipment includes a symmetrical dipole antenna 11, a radar module base plate 12, a coupling support 13, a metal plate 14, and a polypropylene gasket 15.

[0043] The metal plate 14 is arranged parallel above the radar module base plate 12 and connected by a coupling support 13, so that an electromagnetic field coupling space is formed between the metal plate 14 and the radar module base plate 12; the metal plate 14 is provided with a slot for the insertion of the symmetrical dipole antenna 11, which serves as a clearance area for the symmetrical dipole antenna 11; the symmetrical dipole antenna 11 is connected to the radar module base plate 12 by inserting into the slot and penetrating the metal plate 14.

[0044] Preferably, the coupling support 13 is a coupling metal column with a radius of not less than 1 mm. The coupling metal column is coupled to the metal plate 14 through an adhesive polypropylene gasket 15. The thickness of the gasket is controlled within 0.5 mm to ensure the coupling amount.

[0045] The coupling metal pillar reduces the impact of the metal plate 14 on radar performance. Specifically, when the radar module base plate 12 serves as the reference ground for the antenna element, its surface will generate an alternating current in conjunction with antenna radiation. As shown in Figure 2(a), when the metal plate 14 is not in contact with the radar module base plate 12, the metal plate 14 will generate an induced current, the vector direction of which is opposite to the current in the radar module base plate 12. At this time, the induced electric field generated by the metal plate 14 will suppress the radiation of the antenna element, thus affecting radar performance. As shown in Figure 2(b), by coupling the metal pillar to form electromagnetic field coupling between the radar module base plate 12 and the metal plate 14, the alternating currents of both will be in the same direction, and the metal plate 14 will become part of the antenna reference ground, thereby reducing the impact of the metal plate 14 on radar performance.

[0046] In one embodiment, the metal plate 14 has slots of different shapes, which equivalently represent the clearance area reserved for the antenna unit by the product; the antenna unit is vertically inserted into the slot on its respective metal plate 14, so that the main radiator of the antenna unit is located above the metal plate 14, thereby minimizing the slot area of ​​the metal plate 14. Here, the main radiator refers to the radiating portion of the antenna unit located above the metal plate 14.

[0047] Figure 3 This diagram illustrates the structure of a symmetrical dipole antenna used in a radar module. Figure 3 As shown, the symmetrical dipole antenna 11 is an antenna board fabricated using PCB technology, comprising two copper-clad layers a and b on the surface, a dielectric layer in between, a radiator c, a metallized via d, and a set of solder pins e. Figure 3 As shown, the copper-clad area of ​​each copper layer is consistent, that is... Figure 3The T-shaped region consists of two copper-clad layers, each divided into two half-regions connected by a metallized via d. Each half-region includes the two radiating segments required for antenna radiation. Figure 3 The sum of the lengths of radiation segments 1 and 2 is the sum of the equivalent wavelengths of the electromagnetic waves operating at radar frequencies in the PCB and air media.

[0048] The architecture of the radar module using a single-pin antenna is similar to that of the symmetrical dipole antenna. The difference lies in the shape of the slot 16 required on the metal plate 14 for different antenna types. Specifically, as shown in Figures 4(a) and 4(b), the slot 16 required for the symmetrical dipole antenna is rectangular, while the slot 16 required for the single-pin antenna 17 is circular.

[0049] Figure 5 The diagram shows the structure of a single-pin antenna 17 used in the antenna unit of the radar module equipment. Figure 5 As shown, the single-needle antenna 17 is a rod-shaped metal structure. The single-needle antenna 17 includes a radiator f and a solder pin g. The length of the radiator f is the wavelength of the electromagnetic wave operating at the radar frequency in the air medium.

[0050] It is worth noting that when the antenna element adopts Figure 3 When the symmetrical dipole antenna 11 is used, the set of welding pins e of the symmetrical dipole antenna 11 are welded to the grounding pad 22 and the feed pad 26 on the radar module base plate 12, respectively; when the antenna unit uses the single-pin antenna 17, the welding pin g of the single-pin antenna 17 is welded to the feed pad 26 on the radar module base plate, and the grounding pad 22 is left floating.

[0051] Figure 6 shows schematic diagrams of the radiation distribution in space after different antenna elements pass through the metal plate 14. Figure 6(a) is a schematic diagram of the radiation distribution in space of the pair dipole antenna 11, and Figure 6(b) is a schematic diagram of the radiation distribution in space of the single-needle antenna 17. It can be observed from the figures that the single-needle antenna 17 has a wider radar viewing angle, but a blind zone in the forward direction; the pair dipole antenna 11 has a relatively concentrated viewing angle and no blind zone in the forward direction. Therefore, in conjunction with Figure 4, the choice between the two depends on the size of the area of ​​the slot 16 available in the metal plate 14 and the required radar viewing angle.

[0052] Figure 7 A schematic diagram of the radar module base plate in this utility model is shown. (See attached diagram.) Figure 7 As shown, the radar module base plate includes: radar chip 21, power supply network, grounding pad 22, and metal pillar limiting holes 231 and 232.

[0053] The radar chip 21 is provided with at least two radio frequency pins for leading out the transmit channel 211 and the receive channel 212; the specifications of the transmit channel 211 and the receive channel 212 include 50 ohms impedance.

[0054] The power supply network includes a matching resistor 24, a matching capacitor 25, and a power supply pad 26. The two ends of the matching resistor 24 are connected to the radar chip 21 via a transmit channel 211 and a receive channel 212, respectively, to connect the power supply network and the radar chip 21. The two ends of the matching resistor 24 are also connected by connecting wires to form a loop circuit 27. The length of the wires in the loop circuit 27 is the trace length of one dielectric wavelength, and the wire specification of the loop circuit 27 is 100 ohms. The midpoint of the wires in the loop circuit 27 is connected to one end of the matching capacitor 25, and the other end of the matching capacitor 25 is connected to the power supply pad 26. The dielectric wavelength is the wavelength of the electromagnetic wave. Figure 3 The wavelength transmitted in the intermediate dielectric layer, and the grounding pad 22 on the radar module base plate is located in the space enclosed by the wires of the ring circuit 27.

[0055] The metal column limiting holes 231 and 232 correspond to the positions where the coupling support 13 is connected to the metal plate 14.

[0056] Figure 8 The radio frequency network architecture diagram of the radar module equipment is shown. For example... Figure 5 As shown, A and B are the two pin positions of the matching resistor 24, and D is the position where the ring circuit 27 is connected to the matching capacitor 26. Figure 8 As shown, the matching capacitor-inductor 25 is a circuit composed of capacitor C1, capacitor C2, and inductor 3. One end of capacitor C1 is connected to the midpoint of the loop circuit via a wire, and the other end is connected in series with one end of capacitor C2. The other end of capacitor C2 is connected to the power supply pad 26. A wire is led out from the middle of the wire connecting the two capacitors to connect one end of inductor 3, and the other end of inductor 3 is grounded via a wire. The matching resistor has an impedance of 100 ohms, the wire specifications for the matching capacitor-inductor include 50 ohms impedance, the capacitor value ranges from 0.2pF to 10pF, and the inductor value ranges from 0.2nH to 2.4nH.

[0057] By introducing a matching capacitor 25 to match the impedance of the antenna element 11 and the radio frequency network, the signal reflected back to the radio frequency network by the antenna can be effectively suppressed, thereby improving the anti-interference capability of the transmitting channel 211 and the receiving channel 212.

[0058] Figure 9 This illustrates the path of the radio frequency signals in radar transmit and receive channel 212. For example... Figure 9 As shown, the transmitting channel 211 initiates an radio frequency signal, and then the signal travels through path L. A1The current reaches pin A of matching resistor 24 and splits into two equal branches, namely L passing through matching resistor 24 to pin B. ARB The path, and L via loop circuit 27 ADB Path. Due to L ADB The path length is greater than L ARB Because the wavelength of the medium is longer, the two DC signals arriving at point B are out of phase and cancel each other out, thus effectively suppressing the interference signal transmitted from the transmitting channel 211 to the receiving channel 212; while the interference signal transmitted from the transmitting end along path L... A1 L DA The transmission path reaches point D, ultimately reaching the feed pad (i.e., the antenna pin), and the signal received by the antenna travels through L. DB L B2 The receiving path back to the receiver remains unaffected. Thus, through the special design of the radio frequency network, the radar module equipment is able to achieve the mechanism of sharing an antenna between the transmitting channel 211 and the receiving channel 212.

[0059] The present invention provides a terminal device, including: the radar module device in the above embodiments.

[0060] The above description is merely a specific embodiment of this utility model, but the protection scope of this utility model is not limited thereto. Any variations or substitutions that can be easily conceived by those skilled in the art within the technical scope disclosed in this utility model should be included within the protection scope of this utility model. Therefore, the protection scope of this utility model should be determined by the scope of the claims.

[0061] In summary, this utility model provides a radar module device based on limited clearance. By changing the antenna form and electromagnetic coupling technology, it minimizes the clearance area requirement while ensuring the high efficiency of the radar, and has broad application prospects and commercial value.

[0062] The above embodiments are merely illustrative of the principles and effects of this utility model and are not intended to limit the scope of this utility model. Any person skilled in the art can modify or alter the above embodiments without departing from the spirit and scope of this utility model. Therefore, all equivalent modifications or alterations made by those skilled in the art without departing from the spirit and technical concept disclosed in this utility model should still be covered by the claims of this utility model.

Claims

1. A radar module device based on limited clearance, characterized in that, include: Antenna unit, radar module base plate, at least one coupling support, and metal plate; wherein: The metal plate is arranged parallel above the radar module base plate and connected by a coupling support, so that an electromagnetic field coupling space is formed between the metal plate and the radar module base plate. The metal plate is provided with a slot for inserting the antenna unit, which serves as a clearance area for the antenna unit; the antenna unit is connected to the radar module base plate by inserting into the slot and passing through the metal plate. The radar module base plate includes: radar chip, power supply network, and grounding pad; The power supply network includes a matching resistor, a matching capacitor, and a power supply pad. The two ends of the matching resistor are connected to the radar chip through a transmit channel and a receive channel, respectively, to connect the power supply network and the radar chip. The two ends of the matching resistor are also connected to form a loop circuit through connecting wires. The midpoint of the wires in the loop circuit is connected to one end of the matching capacitor, and the other end of the matching capacitor is connected to the power supply pad. The antenna elements include symmetrical dipole antennas and single-pin antennas; the symmetrical dipole antennas are connected to the radar module base plate by connecting to the ground pad and the feed pad respectively, and the single-pin antennas are connected to the radar module base plate by connecting only to the feed pad.

2. The radar module device based on limited clearance according to claim 1, characterized in that: The metal plate has slots of different shapes, which are equivalent to the clearance area reserved by the product for the antenna unit. The antenna element is vertically inserted into a slot on its respective metal plate, such that the main radiator of the antenna element is located above the metal plate.

3. The radar module device based on limited clearance according to claim 2, characterized in that: The symmetrical dipole antenna is an antenna board fabricated using PCB technology, comprising two copper-clad layers on the surface, a dielectric layer in the middle, and a set of solder pins; the copper-clad areas of the two copper-clad layers are divided into two half-regions, which are connected by metallized vias; each half-region includes two radiating segments required for antenna radiation, and the sum of the lengths of the two segments is the sum of the equivalent wavelengths of the electromagnetic waves operating at radar frequencies in the PCB dielectric and air dielectric. The single-needle antenna includes a rod-shaped metal structure and at least one soldered pin. The radiating length of the main radiator is the wavelength of the electromagnetic wave operating at radar frequency in the air medium.

4. The radar module device based on limited clearance according to claim 3, characterized in that: When the antenna unit uses the symmetrical dipole antenna, the set of welding pins of the symmetrical dipole antenna are respectively welded to the grounding pad and the feed pad on the radar module base plate; When the antenna unit uses the single-pin antenna, the welding pins of the single-pin antenna are welded to the feed pads on the radar module base plate, and the grounding pads are left floating.

5. The radar module device based on limited clearance according to claim 1, characterized in that: The radar chip has at least two radio frequency pins for leading out the transmit channel and the receive channel; the transmit channel and the receive channel are specified to have an impedance of 50 ohms. The wire length of the ring circuit is the trace length of one dielectric wavelength; the wire specifications of the ring circuit include 100 ohms impedance.

6. The radar module device based on limited clearance according to claim 1, characterized in that: The matching capacitor-inductor circuit consists of two capacitors and one inductor. One end of capacitor C1 is connected to the midpoint of the loop circuit via a wire, and the other end is connected in series with one end of capacitor C2. The other end of capacitor C2 is connected to the power supply pad. A wire is led out from the middle of the wire connecting the two capacitors to connect one end of the inductor, and the other end of the inductor is grounded via a wire. The wire specification of the matching capacitor-inductor includes a 50-ohm impedance.

7. The radar module device based on limited clearance according to claim 1, characterized in that, The matching resistor has an impedance of 100 ohms; the matching capacitor has a capacitance range of 0.2pF to 10pF and an inductance range of 0.2nH to 2.4nH.

8. The radar module device based on limited clearance according to claim 1, characterized in that, The coupling support includes a coupling metal column with a radius of not less than 1 mm, and is coupled to the metal plate through an adhesive polypropylene gasket; wherein the thickness of the polypropylene gasket is within 0.5 mm.

9. The radar module device based on limited clearance according to claim 1, characterized in that: The grounding pad on the radar module base plate is located in the space enclosed by the wires of the ring circuit; The metal plate also includes metal column limiting holes; the metal column limiting holes correspond to the positions where the coupling support is connected to the metal plate.

10. A terminal device, characterized in that, Includes the radar module equipment as described in any one of claims 1 to 9.

Images