Gap waveguide antenna, millimeter wave radar and vehicle

Abstract

The utility model provides a gap waveguide antenna, a millimeter wave radar and a vehicle. The gap waveguide antenna comprises a metal radiation layer and a signal transmission layer. At least one radiation unit is arranged on the metal radiation layer, the thickness of the metal radiation layer is T, and T is larger than or equal to 0.1 mm and smaller than or equal to 0.5 mm. The signal transmission layer has a metal surface layer. The metal radiation layer is stacked on the signal transmission layer and is connected with the signal transmission layer. According to the technical scheme of the embodiment of the invention, the thickness of the metal radiation layer is controlled to be 0.1 mm-0. 5mm. Therefore, when the radiation slot of the radiation unit is formed on the metal radiation layer through a chemical etching method, the metal radiation layer is thin and the corrosion speed is uniform, so that the size precision of the obtained radiation slot is high. Therefore, the influence on the amplitude and phase of the radar receiving and transmitting antenna channel is small, and the distance and angle precision of a radar detection target can be improved.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] This application relates to the field of antenna technology, specifically to a gapped waveguide antenna, millimeter-wave radar, and vehicle. Background Technology

[0002] Gap waveguide antennas are antenna structures based on gap waveguide (GW) technology, offering advantages such as low loss, high integration, and flexible design, making them particularly suitable for the millimeter-wave band. Gap waveguide antennas utilize a non-contact electromagnetic bandgap (EBG) structure between two parallel conductor planes to achieve electromagnetic wave transmission and radiation. For example, the groove gap waveguide (GGW) antenna achieves electromagnetic wave transmission by creating slots within the waveguide.

[0003] Gap-guided antennas are widely used in millimeter-wave radar, such as automotive millimeter-wave radar, due to their significant advantages in the aforementioned millimeter-wave frequency band. Automotive millimeter-wave radar offers advantages such as high-precision detection, all-weather operation, long-range early warning, and multi-target tracking, significantly improving vehicle safety performance.

[0004] However, in related technologies, the low processing precision of gap waveguide antennas for millimeter-wave radar leads to problems such as poor mass production stability, low yield, and radar performance issues. Utility Model Content

[0005] In view of this, this application provides a gapped waveguide antenna, a millimeter-wave radar, and a vehicle to solve the problems of low processing accuracy of gapped waveguide antennas, which leads to poor mass production stability, low yield, and reduced radar performance.

[0006] In a first aspect, embodiments of this application provide a gapped waveguide antenna, which includes a metallic radiating layer and a signal transmission layer. At least one radiating element is disposed on the metallic radiating layer, and the thickness of the metallic radiating layer is T, where T satisfies: 0.1 mm ≤ T ≤ 0.5 mm. The signal transmission layer has a metallic surface layer. The metallic radiating layer is stacked on the signal transmission layer and connected to the signal transmission layer.

[0007] In conjunction with the first aspect above, in one possible implementation, the material of the metal radiation layer includes at least one of gold and its alloys, silver and its alloys, copper and its copper alloys, and aluminum and its alloys; and / or, the material of the metal surface layer includes at least one of gold and its alloys, silver and its alloys, copper and its copper alloys, and aluminum and its alloys.

[0008] In conjunction with the first aspect above, in one possible implementation, the material of the metal radiation layer is brass, and T satisfies: 0.1 mm ≤ T ≤ 0.2 mm; and / or, the material of the metal surface layer is copper.

[0009] In conjunction with the first aspect above, in one possible implementation, the metal radiating layer is connected to the signal transmission layer by at least one of reflow soldering, hot melt riveting, ultrasonic riveting, laser welding, and threaded connection.

[0010] In conjunction with the first aspect above, in one possible implementation, at least one radiating element includes at least one radiating slot extending along a first direction of the metallic radiating layer; and / or, the gap waveguide antenna operates at a frequency of 77 GHz.

[0011] In conjunction with the first aspect described above, in one possible implementation, the signal transmission layer further includes a plastic substrate, with a metal surface layer covering the plastic substrate.

[0012] In conjunction with the first aspect above, in one possible implementation, the metal radiating layer and the signal transmission layer are connected by reflow soldering.

[0013] In conjunction with the first aspect above, in one possible implementation, before reflow soldering, the metal radiating layer and the signal transmission layer are preheated at a temperature of 120 ℃ to 180 ℃; and / or, the metal radiating layer is provided with a first positioning structure and a second positioning structure, the first positioning structure including a circular hole and an oblong hole, the second positioning structure including at least one solder mask layer, the signal transmission layer being provided with at least one pad, the at least one solder mask layer corresponding to the position of at least one pad, the signal transmission layer being provided with a third positioning structure and a fourth positioning structure, the third positioning structure including a first positioning post and a second positioning post corresponding to the circular hole and the oblong hole respectively, the fourth positioning structure including multiple positioning protrusions, and at least one pad being located between the multiple positioning protrusions.

[0014] Secondly, embodiments of this application provide a millimeter-wave radar, including the aforementioned gapped waveguide antenna.

[0015] Thirdly, embodiments of this application provide a vehicle including the millimeter-wave radar described above.

[0016] According to the technical solution of the embodiments of this application, the thickness of the metal radiating layer is controlled between 0.1 mm and 0.5 mm. This provides the metal radiating layer with appropriate rigidity and strength, ensuring functionality. Simultaneously, when forming the radiating slots of the radiating elements on the metal radiating layer using chemical etching, the thinner metal radiating layer results in a more uniform etching rate and higher dimensional accuracy of the obtained radiating slots. Therefore, the impact on the amplitude and phase of the radar receiving and transmitting antenna channels is minimal, thereby improving the range and angular accuracy of radar target detection.

[0017] Furthermore, reducing the thickness of the metal radiating layer helps to reduce costs and achieve an ultra-thin design for the gap waveguide antenna, thereby saving installation space for the gap waveguide antenna 100. Attached Figure Description

[0018] To more clearly illustrate the technical solutions of the embodiments of this application, the accompanying drawings used in the embodiments will be briefly described below. It should be understood that the drawings only show some embodiments of this application and should not be considered as a limitation of the scope. It should also be understood that the same or similar reference numerals are used in the drawings to represent the same or similar elements. Furthermore, it should be understood that the drawings are merely schematic, and the dimensions and scale of the elements in the drawings are not necessarily precise.

[0019] Figure 1 This is a top view of a gap waveguide antenna according to an embodiment of this application.

[0020] Figure 2 This is a side view schematic diagram of a gap waveguide antenna according to an embodiment of this application.

[0021] Figure 3 This is another top view schematic diagram of a gap waveguide antenna provided according to one embodiment of this application.

[0022] Figure 4 for Figure 3 A schematic diagram of a partial cross-sectional view of the gap waveguide antenna along line AA.

[0023] Figure label:

[0024] 100. Gap waveguide antenna;

[0025] 10. Metallic radiating layer; 11. Radiating unit; 111. Radiating gap; 12. First positioning structure; 121. Circular hole; 122. Oval hole; 13. Second positioning structure; 131. Solder resist layer;

[0026] 20. Signal transmission layer; 21. Third positioning structure; 211. First positioning post; 212. Second positioning post; 22. Fourth positioning structure; 221. Positioning protrusion;

[0027] 30. Solder paste;

[0028] 40. First solder layer. Detailed Implementation

[0029] The technical solutions of the embodiments of this application will be clearly and completely described below with reference to the accompanying drawings. Obviously, the described embodiments are only a part of the embodiments of this application, and not all of them. All other embodiments obtained by those skilled in the art based on the embodiments of this application are within the scope of protection of this application.

[0030] Furthermore, to better illustrate this application, numerous specific details are provided in the following detailed embodiments. Those skilled in the art should understand that this application can be implemented even without certain specific details. In some instances, methods and means well-known to those skilled in the art have not been described in detail in order to highlight the main points of this application.

[0031] It should be noted that similar labels and letters in the following figures indicate similar items. Therefore, once an item is defined in one figure, it does not need to be further defined and explained in subsequent figures.

[0032] Furthermore, the terms "first" and "second" appear only when distinguishing between different descriptions, and should not be interpreted as indicating or implying relative importance.

[0033] For ease of description, a first direction and a second direction are defined herein. For example, the first direction may be the length direction of the metallic radiating layer, and the second direction may be the width direction of the metallic radiating layer.

[0034] Gap waveguide antennas are antenna structures based on gap waveguide (GW) technology, offering advantages such as low loss, high integration, and flexible design, making them particularly suitable for the millimeter-wave band. Gap waveguide antennas utilize a non-contact electromagnetic bandgap (EBG) structure between two parallel conductor planes to achieve electromagnetic wave transmission and radiation. For example, the groove gap waveguide (GGW) antenna achieves electromagnetic wave transmission by creating slots within the waveguide.

[0035] Gap-guided antennas are widely used in millimeter-wave radar, such as automotive millimeter-wave radar, due to their significant advantages in the aforementioned millimeter-wave frequency band. Automotive millimeter-wave radar offers advantages such as high-precision detection, all-weather operation, long-range early warning, and multi-target tracking, which can significantly improve vehicle safety performance, such as that of autonomous vehicles.

[0036] Compared to traditional microstrip antenna radar, which is characterized by low cost, lightweight, and easy integration, and is suitable for short-range detection, millimeter-wave radar provides vehicles with longer reaction time due to its long-range detection capability, significantly improving driving safety. With its high precision, long-range detection and strong anti-interference capability, it is more suitable for high-performance and complex environment applications.

[0037] During vehicle operation, onboard millimeter-wave radar significantly enhances vehicle safety through high-precision detection, all-weather operation, long-range early warning, and multi-target tracking. It not only improves the reliability of driver assistance and autonomous driving systems but also effectively reduces the risk of traffic accidents, providing more comprehensive safety protection for occupants and pedestrians. With continuous technological advancements, millimeter-wave radar will play an even more crucial role in future intelligent transportation and automotive safety.

[0038] Autonomous driving technology represents the future trend of safe driving. It's a technology that connects active safety and autonomous driving, and is known as ADAS (Advanced Driver Assistance Systems). 77 GHz high-resolution automotive millimeter-wave radar, as a key component of ADAS systems, can provide drivers with functions such as lane change assistance, adaptive cruise control, and collision warning, thereby improving driving comfort and reducing the accident rate.

[0039] However, the fabrication process of waveguide millimeter-wave radar is quite complex. In related technologies, the low processing precision of the gapped waveguide antenna in millimeter-wave radar leads to poor mass production stability, low yield, and performance issues. For example, flatness is difficult to guarantee. Moreover, deviations in the flatness of the radiating layer can cause phase changes in different receiving channels of the radar, affecting the radar's angle measurement accuracy and causing significant angle measurement errors, posing a risk to the safe operation of autonomous vehicles.

[0040] In order to ensure the flatness of the radiation layer, those skilled in the art usually take measures to thicken the radiation layer.

[0041] However, the inventors discovered that when the radiation layer is thick, the dimensional deviation of the radiation gaps formed by chemical etching is large, making it difficult to guarantee the processing tolerances of the radiation gaps, such as form and position tolerances. This, in turn, affects the phase changes of different receiving channels of the radar, affects the radar angle measurement accuracy, and causes a large angle measurement error, which also poses a risk to the safe driving of unmanned vehicles.

[0042] To address the aforementioned technical problems, embodiments of this application provide a gapped waveguide antenna, a millimeter-wave radar, and a vehicle, thereby resolving the issues of low processing precision in the gapped waveguide antenna for millimeter-wave radar, which leads to poor mass production stability, low yield, and reduced radar performance.

[0043] Below, in conjunction with Figures 1 to 4 The waveguide radar and vehicle provided in the embodiments of this application will be described.

[0044] Exemplary gap waveguide antenna

[0045] refer to Figure 1In a first aspect, embodiments of this application provide a gapped waveguide antenna 100, which may include a metallic radiating layer 10 and a signal transmission layer 20. At least one radiating element 11 may be disposed on the metallic radiating layer 10, for example, four radiating elements 11 may be disposed. The thickness of the metallic radiating layer 10 is T, which satisfies: 0.1 mm ≤ T ≤ 0.5 mm, for example, 0.12 mm, 0.13 mm, 0.15 mm, 0.17 mm, 0.18 mm, 0.2 mm, 0.25 mm, 0.3 mm, 0.35 mm, 0.40 mm, 0.45 mm, etc. The signal transmission layer 20 has a metallic surface layer. The metallic radiating layer 10 is stacked on the signal transmission layer 20 and connected to the signal transmission layer 20.

[0046] According to the technical solution of the embodiments of this application, the thickness of the metal radiating layer 10 is controlled between 0.1 mm and 0.5 mm. This gives the metal radiating layer 10 appropriate rigidity and strength, ensuring functionality. Simultaneously, when forming the radiating slots 111 of the radiating units 11 on the metal radiating layer 10 using chemical etching, the thinner metal radiating layer 10 results in a more uniform etching rate, leading to higher dimensional accuracy of the obtained radiating slots 111 and ensuring the processing precision of the radiating slots 111. Experimental verification shows that compared to a radiating layer of 1 mm to 2 mm, the processing deviation of the radiating slots 111 is reduced from ±0.05 mm to ±0.01 mm, improving the processing precision of the radiating slots 111 by approximately five times. Therefore, the impact on the amplitude and phase of the radar receiving and transmitting antenna channels is smaller, thereby improving the range and angular accuracy of radar target detection.

[0047] Furthermore, reducing the thickness of the metal radiating layer 10 helps to reduce costs and achieve an ultra-thin design of the gap waveguide antenna 100, thereby saving installation space for the gap waveguide antenna 100.

[0048] It should be noted that the number of radiating units 11 on the metal radiating layer 10 can be selected according to the needs of specific application scenarios, such as setting one radiating unit 11, two radiating units 11, three radiating units 11, five radiating units 11, six radiating units 11, etc., and this application does not impose any restrictions on this. In addition, multiple radiating units 11 can be arranged and deployed as needed, and are not limited to the manner shown in the figure.

[0049] refer to Figure 1 and Figure 3In one example, at least one radiating element 11 may include at least one radiating slit 111, which may extend along a first direction of the metal radiating layer 10. For example, at least one radiating slit 111 may extend along the length direction of the metal radiating layer 10, that is, the length direction of at least one radiating slit 111 is parallel to the length direction of the metal radiating layer 10.

[0050] In one example, at least one radiation slit 111 may include a plurality of radiation slits 111, which may be uniformly arranged. Furthermore, the plurality of radiation slits 111 may be staggered along a second direction perpendicular to the first direction. For example, the plurality of radiation slits 111 may be staggered along the width direction of the metal radiation layer 10, that is, in the width direction of the metal radiation layer 10, adjacent two radiation slits 111 are staggered.

[0051] It is understood that those skilled in the art can choose the number and arrangement of the radiation slots 111 according to the needs of specific application scenarios, and are not limited to the above-described methods. In addition, at least one radiation slot 111 can also be configured to extend along other directions of the metal radiation layer 10 as needed, such as extending along a second direction perpendicular to the first direction (e.g., the width direction), or extending along a direction having an angle with the first direction.

[0052] In one example, the gapped waveguide antenna 100 may also include a printed circuit board (PCB) layer and a shielding layer (not shown in the figure). Here, the structure of the printed circuit board and shielding layer and their connection with other structures can refer to conventional settings in the art, and will not be described in detail here.

[0053] In one example, at least one waveguide cavity (not shown in the figure), such as five waveguide cavities, can be disposed on the side of the signal transmission layer 20 away from the metal radiation layer 10. Multiple conductive pillars can be disposed around the at least one waveguide cavity. It is understood that other numbers of waveguide cavities can also be disposed as needed. It should be noted that the position of the waveguide cavities can be set as needed, and this application does not impose any limitations on this.

[0054] In one example, the gapped waveguide antenna 100 can operate at a frequency of 77 GHz. Understandably, other operating frequencies can also be selected as needed.

[0055] refer to Figure 3 In one example, a first solder layer 40 is disposed around the radiating element 11 to optimize the radiation performance of the antenna.

[0056] In some embodiments, the material of the metal radiation layer 10 may include at least one selected from gold and its alloys, silver and its alloys, copper and its copper alloys, and aluminum and its alloys. It should be noted that, here, gold, silver, copper, and aluminum refer to pure metals of a certain purity, such as pure metals with a purity of 99.7 wt% to 99.99 wt%. The metal radiation layer 10 may be the aforementioned pure metals or alloys, or one or more composite materials.

[0057] In some embodiments, the material of the metal surface layer may include at least one of gold and its alloys, silver and its alloys, copper and its copper alloys, and aluminum and its alloys.

[0058] In one example, the following conditions can be met simultaneously: the material of the metal radiation layer 10 may include at least one of gold and its alloys, silver and its alloys, copper and its copper alloys, and aluminum and its alloys; and the material of the metal surface layer may include at least one of gold and its alloys, silver and its alloys, copper and its copper alloys, and aluminum and its alloys.

[0059] The aforementioned metal radiation layer 10 has good processing performance and dielectric properties.

[0060] In one example, the metal radiating layer 10 can be made of brass, such as ordinary brass (e.g., H62, H63, H65, H68, or H90), which offers high cost-effectiveness. In this case, T can satisfy: 0.1 mm ≤ T ≤ 0.2 mm, for example, 0.12 mm, 0.13 mm, 0.15 mm, 0.16 mm, 0.18 mm, etc.

[0061] In one example, the material of the metal surface layer is copper.

[0062] In one example, the following conditions can be met simultaneously: the material of the metal radiation layer 10 is brass, T satisfies: 0.1 mm ≤ T ≤ 0.5 mm, and the material of the metal surface layer is copper. The performance and thermal expansion coefficient of the two are relatively similar, which facilitates connection and has a high cost performance.

[0063] In some embodiments, the signal transmission layer 20 further includes a plastic substrate, and a metal surface layer covers the plastic substrate. The metal surface layer can be formed on the surface of the plastic substrate by means of electroplating, sputtering, or other methods. The thickness of the metal surface layer can be selected according to the needs of specific application scenarios, and this application does not limit it.

[0064] The plastic substrate can be made of materials such as polyimide (PI), polyphenylene sulfide (PPS), polytetrafluoroethylene (PTFE), liquid crystal polymer (LCP), polycarbonate (PC), polyethersulfone (PES), polyethylene terephthalate (PET), or polyethylene naphthalate (PEN).

[0065] In some embodiments, the metal radiating layer 10 may be connected to the signal transmission layer 20 by at least one of reflow soldering, hot melt riveting, ultrasonic riveting, laser welding and threaded connection.

[0066] In one example, the metal radiating layer 10 and the signal transmission layer 20 can be connected by reflow soldering. The reflow soldering process and equipment can be found in conventional techniques in the art and will not be described in detail here.

[0067] In one example, before reflow soldering, the metal radiating layer 10 and the signal transmission layer 20 can be preheated at a temperature of 120°C to 180°C, for example, 130°C, 140°C, 150°C, 160°C, or 170°C. For example, before reflow soldering, the radiating layer and the signal transmission layer 20 can undergo the above-mentioned preheating treatment in a bread oven or tunnel oven, which can further reduce and avoid warping deformation of the metal radiating layer 10 and the signal transmission layer 20 due to welding stress.

[0068] During the preheating process, the initial temperature can be controlled at room temperature, and the heating rate can be 0.5 ℃ / min to 3 ℃ / min. At the same time, intermediate temperature uniformity steps can be set as needed. For example, before heating to the preheating temperature, the temperature can be uniformly uniform at a certain temperature (e.g., 60 ℃ to 80 ℃) for 1 min to 5 min.

[0069] refer to Figure 3 and Figure 4 In one example, the metal radiating layer 10 may be provided with a first positioning structure 12 and a second positioning structure 13. The first positioning structure 12 may include a circular hole 121 and an oblong hole 122 (e.g., a circular hole 121 and an oblong hole 122 arranged diagonally) to provide a certain offset range during initial positioning, so as to avoid pulling the metal radiating layer 10. The second positioning structure 13 may include at least one solder mask layer 131 (for example, multiple solder mask layers 131 are provided on the surface of the metal radiating layer 10 near the signal transmission layer 20, and at least one pad is provided on the signal transmission layer 20, with the position of at least one solder mask layer 131 corresponding to at least one pad, so that the solder mask layer 131 can perform precise positioning and self-correction of the pad during reflow soldering). The signal transmission layer 20 is provided with a third positioning structure 21 and a fourth positioning structure 22. The third positioning structure 21 includes a first positioning post 211 and a second positioning post 212 corresponding to the circular hole 121 and the oblong hole 122, respectively. The fourth positioning structure 22 includes multiple positioning protrusions 221, and at least one pad is located between the multiple positioning protrusions 221.

[0070] Before reflow soldering, solder paste 30 can be applied to the metal radiation layer 10 or the signal transmission layer 20.

[0071] In this way, the first positioning structure 12 on the metal radiating layer 10 and the third positioning structure 21 on the signal transmission layer 20 can be used to perform coarse positioning of the metal radiating layer 10 before soldering, and fine positioning of the solder mask layer 131 and the solder pads during reflow soldering, avoiding stress caused by pulling on the metal radiating layer 10. Moreover, since the metal radiating layer 10 is relatively thin, it can have both rigidity and appropriate flexibility, so as to achieve automatic correction during the flow and leveling of the solder layer during the soldering process, thereby ensuring the flatness of the metal radiating layer 10.

[0072] Below, in conjunction with Figures 1 to 4 The gap waveguide antenna 100 of this application will be described in further detail.

[0073] refer to Figure 1 and Figure 4 The gapped waveguide antenna 100 provided in the embodiments of this application may include a metal radiating layer 10 and a signal transmission layer 20. Four radiating elements 11 may be disposed on the metal radiating layer 10. The metal radiating layer 10 is made of brass, and its thickness T satisfies: 0.1 mm ≤ T ≤ 0.2 mm. The signal transmission layer 20 has a copper surface layer. The metal radiating layer 10 is stacked on the signal transmission layer 20 and connected to it.

[0074] At least one radiation unit 11 may include a plurality of radiation slots 111 extending along a first direction of the metal radiation layer 10, and the plurality of radiation slots 111 may be staggered along a second direction perpendicular to the first direction.

[0075] The gap waveguide antenna 100 may also include a printed circuit board (PCB) layer and a shielding layer.

[0076] At least one waveguide cavity and five waveguide cavities may be disposed on the side of the signal transmission layer 20 away from the metal radiating layer 10, and multiple conductive pillars may be disposed uniformly around each waveguide cavity. A first solder layer 40 is disposed around the radiating element 11 to optimize the radiation performance of the antenna. The operating frequency of the gap waveguide antenna 100 can be 77 GHz.

[0077] The metal surface layer is made of copper, and the signal transmission layer 20 also includes a plastic substrate, with the metal surface layer covering the plastic substrate. Copper can be formed on the surface of the PI by electroplating.

[0078] The metal radiation layer 10 and the signal transmission layer 20 can be connected by reflow soldering.

[0079] Before reflow soldering, the metal radiation layer 10 and the signal transmission layer 20 can be preheated in a tunnel oven at a temperature of 170℃±10℃. During the preheating process, the starting temperature can be controlled at room temperature, and the heating rate can be 1℃ / min. Simultaneously, the temperature can be uniformly absorbed at 80℃ for 2 minutes before reaching the preheating temperature.

[0080] The metal radiating layer 10 may have diagonally arranged circular holes 121 and oblong holes 122. The signal transmission layer 20 has first positioning posts 211 and second positioning posts 212 corresponding to the circular holes 121 and oblong holes 122, respectively. Before reflow soldering, the first positioning posts 211 and second positioning posts 212 are respectively inserted through the circular holes 121 and oblong holes 122 for coarse positioning. Multiple solder mask layers 131 are provided on the surface of the metal radiating layer 10 near the signal transmission layer 20. The signal transmission layer 20 has multiple pads and multiple positioning protrusions 221. The multiple pads are located between the multiple positioning protrusions 221. At least one solder mask layer 131 corresponds to at least one pad, so that the solder mask layer 131 can perform fine positioning and self-correction of the pads during reflow soldering. Before reflow soldering, solder paste may be applied to the metal radiating layer 10.

[0081] The working principle of the gap waveguide antenna 100 can be referred to conventional technology in this field, and will not be elaborated here.

[0082] Exemplary millimeter-wave radar

[0083] Secondly, embodiments of this application provide a millimeter-wave radar, including the gapped waveguide antenna 100 described above.

[0084] Other structures of millimeter-wave radar can be referenced from conventional settings in this field and will not be described in detail here.

[0085] Exemplary vehicle

[0086] Thirdly, embodiments of this application provide a vehicle including the millimeter-wave radar described above.

[0087] In this application, the vehicle can be an autonomous vehicle or a manually driven vehicle; it can be a passenger vehicle or a freight vehicle, and this application does not impose any restrictions on this.

[0088] The structural description of waveguide radar can be found above and will not be repeated here.

[0089] It should be noted that, for clarity, the complete structure of the aforementioned gapped waveguide antenna and millimeter-wave radar is not described. To achieve their necessary functions, those skilled in the art can configure other structures according to specific application scenarios, and the embodiments of this application do not impose such limitations. Similarly, for clarity, not all of the above-described fabrication processes and techniques are described. To achieve the desired fabrication, those skilled in the art can select fabrication engineering and processes according to specific application scenarios, and the embodiments of this application do not impose such limitations.

[0090] The basic principles of this application have been described above with reference to specific embodiments. However, it should be noted that the advantages, benefits, and effects mentioned in this application are merely examples and not limitations, and should not be considered as essential features of each embodiment of this application. Furthermore, the specific details disclosed above are for illustrative and facilitative purposes only, and are not limitations. These details do not limit the application to the necessity of employing the aforementioned specific details for implementation.

[0091] The above description is merely a preferred embodiment of this application and is not intended to limit this application. Any modifications or equivalent substitutions made within the spirit and principles of this application should be included within the protection scope of this application.

Claims

1. A gap waveguide antenna (100) characterized by, include: A metallic radiation layer (10) is provided with at least one radiation unit (11), and the thickness of the metallic radiation layer (10) is T, wherein T satisfies: 0.1 mm ≤ T ≤ 0.5 mm; and The signal transmission layer (20) has a metal surface layer; the metal radiation layer (10) is stacked on the signal transmission layer (20) and connected to the signal transmission layer (20).

2. The gap waveguide antenna (100) according to claim 1, characterized by, The material of the metal radiating layer (10) includes at least one of gold and its alloys, silver and its alloys, copper and its copper alloys, and aluminum and its alloys; and / or The material of the metal surface layer includes at least one of gold and its alloys, silver and its alloys, copper and its copper alloys, and aluminum and its alloys.

3. The gap waveguide antenna (100) according to claim 2, characterized by, The metal radiating layer (10) is made of brass, and T satisfies: 0.1 mm ≤ T ≤ 0.2 mm; and / or The material of the metal surface layer is copper.

4. The gap waveguide antenna (100) according to claim 1, characterized by, The metal radiation layer (10) is connected to the signal transmission layer (20) by at least one of reflow soldering, hot melt riveting, ultrasonic riveting, laser welding and threaded connection.

5. The gap waveguide antenna (100) according to claim 4, characterized by, The at least one radiation unit (11) includes at least one radiation slit (111) extending along a first direction of the metal radiation layer (10); and / or The gap waveguide antenna operates at a frequency of 77 GHz.

6. The gap waveguide antenna (100) according to claim 1, characterized by, The signal transmission layer (20) also includes a plastic substrate, and the metal surface layer covers the plastic substrate.

7. The gap waveguide antenna (100) according to any one of claims 1-6, characterized by, The metal radiation layer (10) and the signal transmission layer (20) are connected by reflow soldering.

8. The gap waveguide antenna (100) according to claim 7, characterized by, Before the reflow soldering, the metal radiating layer (10) and the signal transmission layer (20) are preheated at a temperature of 120°C to 180°C; and / or The metal radiation layer (10) is provided with a first positioning structure (12) and a second positioning structure (13). The first positioning structure (12) includes a circular hole (121) and an oblong hole (122). The second positioning structure (13) includes at least one solder mask layer (131). The signal transmission layer (20) is provided with at least one pad. The position of the at least one solder mask layer (131) corresponds to the position of the at least one pad. The signal transmission layer (20) is provided with a third positioning structure (21) and a fourth positioning structure (22). The third positioning structure (21) includes a first positioning post (211) and a second positioning post (212) corresponding to the circular hole (121) and the oblong hole (122) respectively. The fourth positioning structure (22) includes a plurality of positioning protrusions (221). The at least one pad is located between the plurality of positioning protrusions (221).

9. A millimeter wave radar, characterized by, The millimeter-wave radar includes a gapped waveguide antenna (100) according to any one of claims 1 to 8.

10. A vehicle characterized by comprising: The term includes the millimeter-wave radar according to claim 9.

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