A mmwave radar compact range test anechoic chamber apparatus

Abstract

A kind of millimeter wave radar tight field test dark box equipment, including front section dark box, middle section dark box and rear section dark box connected in sequence.The front section dark box is equipped with moving station and automatic feeding and discharging mechanism, and is configured with feeding station outside, for realizing the automatic taking and placing of radar product;The middle section dark box is provided with radar clamp, two-dimensional rotary table, translation module and lifting module, which can adjust the spatial position and test attitude of radar product;The rear section dark box is provided with feed source module and reflector plate assembly, for transmitting millimeter wave signal and simulating far field test condition.The inner wall of the equipment is covered with wave-absorbing cotton, effectively suppressing stray reflection.The utility model realizes the automatic feeding and discharging, accurate positioning, multi-degree-of-freedom attitude adjustment and efficient testing of radar product in closed dark box environment, supports the switching of two test modes of tight field and simulator, has the advantages of high test precision, high efficiency, strong adaptability, safe operation, etc., and is suitable for the automatic performance detection of automotive millimeter wave radar.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] This utility model relates to the field of automotive millimeter-wave radar performance testing technology, and in particular to a millimeter-wave radar compact field testing dark box device. Background Technology

[0002] With the booming development of the new energy vehicle industry and the rapid popularization of autonomous driving technology, the market demand for automotive millimeter-wave radar, as a core environmental perception sensor, is growing rapidly, placing higher demands on the output, performance indicators, and testing efficiency of radar products. At the same time, the widespread application of advanced technologies such as 4D imaging radar is creating higher requirements for the accuracy, scene simulation capabilities, and testing dimensions of radar testing equipment.

[0003] Testing millimeter-wave radar requires a closed, reflective, anechoic chamber environment to shield against external light interference and avoid multiple reflections, ensuring the accuracy of test results. This stringent environmental requirement presents significant challenges to achieving automated production and seamless integration with modern assembly lines.

[0004] Therefore, in view of the shortcomings of the existing technology, it is necessary to design a millimeter-wave radar compact field test dark box device to solve the above problems.

[0005] It should be noted that the above introduction to the technical background is only for the purpose of providing a clear and complete explanation of the technical solution of this utility model and facilitating the understanding of those skilled in the art. It should not be assumed that the above content is known to those skilled in the art simply because it has been described in the background section of this utility model. Utility Model Content

[0006] To overcome the shortcomings of the prior art, the present invention aims to disclose a millimeter-wave radar compact field testing dark box device.

[0007] This utility model discloses a dark box device for testing compact fields of millimeter-wave radar, comprising:

[0008] The front section of the dark box includes a moving stage and an automated loading and unloading mechanism, with a loading station on its outer side; the actuator of the moving stage can move back and forth between the loading station and the pick-up and drop points of the automated loading and unloading mechanism; the automated loading and unloading mechanism places and retrieves the radar products on the actuator of the moving stage.

[0009] The middle section dark box is adjacent to the front section dark box and connected by an openable and closable sliding door. The middle section dark box contains a radar fixture, a two-dimensional turntable, a translation module, and a lifting module. The radar fixture is mounted on the two-dimensional turntable, which is mounted on the moving end of the translation module. The translation module is used to drive the two-dimensional turntable to move in the horizontal direction, and the lifting module is used to drive the translation module and the two-dimensional turntable to move in the vertical direction, thereby adjusting the spatial position and test attitude of the radar product.

[0010] The rear section dark box is connected to the middle section dark box, together forming a compact and enclosed test environment. The rear section dark box contains a feed module and a reflector assembly. The feed module is used to transmit millimeter-wave signals, and the reflector assembly is used to reflect the millimeter-wave signals into parallel beams to simulate far-field test conditions.

[0011] Preferred technical solution: The automated loading and unloading mechanism includes:

[0012] The swing arm is able to swing around a rotation axis between the actuator end of the moving platform and the location of the radar fixture.

[0013] The gripping mechanism is located at the free end of the swing arm. The gripping mechanism includes a shifting cylinder. The output end of the shifting cylinder is connected to a shifting frame. The shifting frame is equipped with at least two vacuum suction cups. The shifting cylinder can drive the shifting frame to rotate so as to switch the use of vacuum suction cups in different positions.

[0014] Preferred technical solution: The radar fixture is equipped with a positioning seat, and the positioning seat is equipped with an automatic positioning and locking mechanism for automatically positioning and locking the radar product placed on the positioning seat.

[0015] Preferred technical solution: The automatic positioning and locking mechanism is a clamping component set on the outer periphery of the positioning seat, used to clamp and fix the radar product from the side.

[0016] Preferred technical solution: The automatic positioning and locking mechanism is a vacuum adsorption mechanism set at the bottom of the positioning seat, which is used to fix the radar product by negative pressure adsorption.

[0017] Preferred technical solution: The reflector assembly is detachably installed in the rear dark box, which is also equipped with a simulator assembly module. The simulator assembly module is used to directly transmit test signals to the radar product.

[0018] Preferred technical solution: The feed module is mounted on a three-axis servo precision module. The three-axis servo precision module can adjust the spatial position of the feed module to calibrate the relative position between the feed module and the reflector assembly.

[0019] Preferred technical solution: A baffle is provided between the middle section dark box and the rear section dark box. A light wave channel is opened on the baffle. The light wave channel is located on the signal transmission path between the radar fixture and the reflector assembly. The surface of the baffle is covered with wave-absorbing cotton.

[0020] Preferred technical solution: The inner walls of the front section dark box, the middle section dark box and the rear section dark box are all equipped with wave-absorbing cotton.

[0021] Preferred technical solution: The front-end dark box is also equipped with a safety light curtain, a three-color status indicator light, and a non-conforming product handling device. The safety light curtain is set in the area near the loading station to monitor personnel safety. The three-color status indicator light is used to display the equipment operating status. The non-conforming product handling device is used to collect radar products that fail the test.

[0022] Due to the application of the above technical solution, the beneficial effects of this utility model compared with the prior art are as follows:

[0023] This invention integrates a front-end dark box, a middle-end dark box, and a rear-end dark box to form a segmented dark box environment from the loading / unloading area to the testing area. The radar product is loaded externally and transported to the front-end dark box via a moving platform, then transferred from the front-end dark box to the closed testing environment formed by the rear-end and middle-end dark boxes. This prevents external light waves from entering the closed testing environment, solving the problem of automation affecting radar testing accuracy. Through the automated loading / unloading mechanism, the automatic positioning and locking mechanism, and the coordinated work of various motion modules, automatic loading, positioning, test posture adjustment, and unloading of the radar product are achieved, significantly improving testing efficiency and consistency, and reducing labor costs and operational errors. Combined with a two-dimensional turntable, translation module, and lifting module, precise movement of the radar product in multiple degrees of freedom within space is achieved, allowing for flexible simulation of various installation postures and scanning scenarios for comprehensive performance testing. The detachable reflector assembly and simulator combination module enable rapid switching between compact field testing mode and simulator direct testing mode, improving equipment utilization and testing flexibility. The precision positioning mechanism of the feed module ensures the convenience and accuracy of system calibration. Equipped with safety light curtains, status indicator lights and other safety devices to ensure the safety of operators, and has a non-conforming product handling area to achieve closed-loop management of the testing process. Attached Figure Description

[0024] To more clearly illustrate the specific embodiments of this utility model or the technical solutions in the prior art, the drawings used in the description of the specific embodiments or the prior art will be briefly introduced below. Obviously, the drawings described below are some embodiments of this utility model. For those skilled in the art, other drawings can be obtained from these drawings without creative effort.

[0025] Figure 1This is a schematic diagram of the structure of a millimeter-wave radar compact field testing dark box device according to the present invention;

[0026] Figure 2 This is a schematic diagram of the internal structure of the front section of the dark box in this utility model;

[0027] Figure 3 This is a schematic diagram of the internal structure of the dark box in the middle section of this utility model;

[0028] Figure 4 This is a schematic diagram of the internal structure of the dark box in the middle and rear section of this utility model.

[0029] In the attached diagrams above, 100 is the radar product; 1 is the front-end dark box; 11 is the moving stage; 12 is the automated loading and unloading mechanism; 121 is the swing arm; 122 is the gripping mechanism; 1221 is the shifting cylinder; 1222 is the shifting frame; 1223 is the vacuum suction cup; 13 is the loading station; 2 is the middle-end dark box; 21 is the sliding door; 22 is the radar fixture; 221 is the positioning seat; 222 is the automatic positioning and locking mechanism; 23 is the two-dimensional turntable; 24 is the translation module; 25 is the lifting module; 26 is the baffle; 3 is the rear-end dark box; 31 is the feed module; 32 is the reflector assembly; 33 is the simulator combination module; and 34 is the three-axis servo precision module. Detailed Implementation

[0030] The following specific embodiments 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.

[0031] It should be noted that the terms "first," "second," etc., in the specification, claims, and accompanying drawings of this application are used to distinguish similar objects and are not necessarily used to describe a specific order or sequence. It should be understood that such data can be used interchangeably where appropriate for the purposes of describing embodiments of this application herein. Furthermore, the terms "comprising" and "having," and their synonyms, are intended to cover non-exclusive inclusion; for example, a process, method, system, product, or apparatus that comprises a series of steps or units is not necessarily limited to those steps or units explicitly listed, but may include other steps or units not explicitly listed or inherent to such processes, methods, products, or apparatus.

[0032] In this application, the terms "upper," "lower," "left," "right," "front," "back," "top," "bottom," "inner," "outer," "middle," "vertical," "horizontal," "lateral," and "longitudinal" indicate the orientation or positional relationship based on the orientation or positional relationship shown in the accompanying drawings. These terms are primarily for the purpose of better describing this utility model and its embodiments, and are not intended to limit the indicated device, element, or component to having a specific orientation, or to be constructed and operated in a specific orientation.

[0033] Furthermore, in addition to indicating direction or positional relationship, some of the aforementioned terms may also have other meanings. For example, the term "above" may also be used in some cases to indicate a certain dependency or connection relationship. Those skilled in the art can understand the specific meaning of these terms in this utility model according to the specific circumstances.

[0034] Furthermore, the terms "installation," "setting," "equipped with," "connection," "linking," "sleeving," and "fitting" should be interpreted broadly. For example, "connection" can be a fixed connection, a detachable connection, or an integral structure; it can be a mechanical connection or an electrical connection; it can be a direct connection or an indirect connection through an intermediate medium, or it can be an internal connection between two devices, components, or parts. Similarly, "fitting" can mean completely or partially fitted. Those skilled in the art can understand the specific meaning of the above terms in this utility model according to the specific circumstances.

[0035] It should be noted that, unless otherwise specified, the embodiments and features described in this application can be combined with each other. This application will now be described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings and embodiments.

[0036] Example:

[0037] like Figures 1 to 4 As shown, this utility model discloses a millimeter-wave radar compact field testing dark box device, including a front dark box 1, a middle dark box 2, and a rear dark box 3. The main components of this utility model will be described in detail below:

[0038] The inner walls of the front section dark box 1, the middle section dark box 2, and the rear section dark box 3 are all lined with wave-absorbing cotton to absorb stray light waves.

[0039] The front dark box 1 includes a moving stage 11 and an automated loading and unloading mechanism 12, with a loading station 13 configured on its outer side; the actuator of the moving stage 11 can move back and forth between the loading station 13 and the pick-up and put-down point of the automated loading and unloading mechanism 12 to realize the handover of radar products; in some embodiments, the front dark box 1 can also be equipped with a safety light curtain, a three-color status indicator light and a non-conforming product handling device.

[0040] The automated loading and unloading mechanism 12 includes a swing arm 121 and a gripping mechanism 122. The swing arm 121 can swing around a rotation axis between the execution end of the moving table 11 and the position of the radar fixture 22. The gripping mechanism 122 is installed at the free end of the swing arm 121 and includes a shift cylinder 1221, a shift frame 1222, and two vacuum suction cups 1223. The shift cylinder 1221 can drive the shift frame 1222 to rotate, so that one of the two vacuum suction cups 1223 is aligned with the working position, realizing the rapid gripping and placement of the radar product to be tested and the radar product already tested.

[0041] The intermediate dark box 2 is connected to the front dark box 1 via an openable and closable sliding door 21. Inside the intermediate dark box 2 are a radar clamp 22, a two-dimensional turntable 23, a translation module 24, and a lifting module 25. The radar clamp 22 is mounted on the two-dimensional turntable 23, which can drive the radar product 100 to perform pitch and azimuth rotation. The two-dimensional turntable 23 is mounted on the moving end of the translation module 24, which can drive the two-dimensional turntable 23 to move horizontally. The lifting module 25 can drive the translation module 24, the two-dimensional turntable 23, and the radar clamp 22 to move vertically. Through these motion modules, the radar product 100 can achieve multiple degrees of freedom in position and attitude adjustment within space.

[0042] The radar clamp 22 is provided with a positioning seat 221. An automatic positioning and locking mechanism is provided at the positioning seat 221. In some embodiments, a clamping assembly surrounding the positioning seat 221 is used to clamp the radar product 100 from the side via a cylinder-driven gripper. In other embodiments, a vacuum adsorption mechanism can be provided at the bottom of the positioning seat 221 to generate negative pressure to adsorb and fix the radar product 100.

[0043] The rear-end dark box 3 and the middle-end dark box 2 are connected to form a closed testing environment. The rear-end dark box 3 houses a feed module 31 and a reflector assembly 32. The feed module 31 transmits millimeter-wave test signals. The reflector assembly 32 reflects the light waves emitted by the feed module 31 into a parallel beam, illuminating the radar product 100 located in the middle-end dark box 2, simulating far-field test conditions. The feed module 31 is mounted on a three-axis servo precision module 34, which allows for precise adjustment of its spatial position to calibrate its relative position to the reflector assembly 32. The reflector assembly 32 is detachably mounted. The rear-end dark box 3 also contains a simulator assembly module 33. When needed, the reflector assembly 32 can be removed, and the simulator assembly module 33 can be used to directly transmit test signals to the radar product 100.

[0044] A baffle 26 is installed between the middle section dark chamber 2 and the rear section dark chamber 3. A light wave channel is opened on the baffle 26 to allow the parallel beam used for testing to pass through. The surface of the baffle 26 is also covered with absorbing cotton, which helps reduce stray reflections between the chambers.

[0045] Workflow summary:

[0046] The execution end of the mobile station 11 moves to the material loading station 13.

[0047] The radar product under test 100 is placed on the execution end of the mobile station 11 by an external conveying device or manually.

[0048] After the equipment is started and the safety light curtain detects no human intervention, the actuator of the mobile station 11 moves to the docking point with the automated loading and unloading mechanism 12.

[0049] The swing arm 121 swings toward the execution end of the moving stage 11, the gripping mechanism 122 aligns with the radar product 100 on the execution end, and a vacuum suction cup 1223 picks up the radar product 100 to be tested.

[0050] The sliding door 21 opens, the swing arm 121 swings towards the middle section dark box 2, and the gripping mechanism 122 places the radar product 100 to be tested onto the positioning seat 221. The automatic positioning and locking mechanism then fixes it in place. If there is a radar product 100 already tested on the radar fixture 22, another vacuum suction cup 1223 first grips the tested radar product 100, and then the shifting cylinder 1221 drives the shifting frame 1222 to flip, so that the radar product 100 to be tested can be placed in the empty radar fixture 22.

[0051] The sliding door 21 is closed, creating a closed testing environment. According to the test procedure, the lifting module 25, the translation module 24, and the two-dimensional turntable 23 are controlled to adjust the radar product 100 to the predetermined position and attitude.

[0052] The feed module 31 transmits millimeter-wave signals, which are then reflected by the reflector assembly 32 to form a parallel beam that illuminates the radar product 100. The radar receives and processes the echo signals to complete the performance test.

[0053] After the test is completed, the automated loading and unloading mechanism 12 removes the tested radar product 100 from the radar fixture 22 and reconnects it to the execution end of the moving table 11. The tested radar product 100 is placed into the execution end. If there is a radar product 100 to be tested on the execution end, another vacuum suction cup 1223 is used to grab the radar product 100 to be tested first, and then the shifting cylinder 1221 drives the shifting frame 1222 to flip so that the tested radar product 100 is placed in the empty execution end. The moving table 11 transports the tested radar product 100 to the loading station 13. The operator or robot moves it to the next section or puts it into the non-conforming product handling device according to the test results.

[0054] When it is necessary to switch to simulator test mode, turn off the device, enter the rear dark box 3, remove the reflector assembly 32, and during the test, the simulator assembly module 33 directly transmits test signals to the radar product.

[0055] Finally, it should be noted that the above are merely preferred embodiments of the present utility model and are not intended to limit the present utility model. Although the present utility model has been described in detail with reference to the foregoing embodiments, those skilled in the art can still modify the technical solutions described in the foregoing embodiments or make equivalent substitutions for some of the technical features. Any modifications, equivalent substitutions, improvements, etc., made within the spirit and principles of the present utility model should be included within the protection scope of the present utility model.

Claims

1. A millimeter wave radar compact range test anechoic chamber apparatus, characterized by, include: The front section of the dark box (1) includes a moving stage (11) and an automated loading and unloading mechanism (12), and a loading station (13) is arranged on its outer side; the execution end of the moving stage (11) can move back and forth between the loading station (13) and the pick-up and put-out point of the automated loading and unloading mechanism (12); The middle section dark box (2) is adjacent to the front section dark box (1) and connected by an openable and closable sliding door (21). The middle section dark box (2) is equipped with a radar clamp (22), a two-dimensional turntable (23), a translation module (24) and a lifting module (25). The radar clamp (22) is installed on the two-dimensional turntable (23), and the two-dimensional turntable (23) is installed at the moving end of the translation module (24). The rear section dark box (3) is connected to the middle section dark box (2) to form a closed test environment. The rear section dark box (3) is equipped with a feed module (31) and a reflector assembly (32).

2. The compact range test chamber apparatus of claim 1, wherein: The automated loading and unloading mechanism (12) includes: A swing arm (121) is capable of swinging about a rotation axis between the actuator of the moving platform (11) and the location of the radar clamp (22); A gripping mechanism (122) is disposed at the free end of the swing arm (121). The gripping mechanism (122) includes a shifting cylinder (1221). The output end of the shifting cylinder (1221) is connected to a shifting frame (1222). At least two vacuum suction cups (1223) are disposed on the shifting frame (1222). The shifting cylinder (1221) can drive the shifting frame (1222) to rotate so as to switch to use the vacuum suction cups (1223) in different positions.

3. The millimeter-wave radar compact field testing dark box device according to claim 1, characterized in that: The radar clamp (22) is provided with a positioning seat (221), and an automatic positioning and locking mechanism (222) is provided at the positioning seat (221).

4. The millimeter-wave radar compact field testing dark box device according to claim 3, characterized in that: The automatic positioning and locking mechanism (222) is a clamping component disposed on the outer periphery of the positioning seat (221).

5. The millimeter-wave radar compact field test dark box device according to claim 3, characterized in that: The automatic positioning and locking mechanism (222) is a vacuum adsorption mechanism located at the bottom of the positioning seat (221).

6. The millimeter-wave radar compact field testing dark box device according to claim 1, characterized in that: The reflector assembly (32) is detachably disposed in the rear dark box (3), and the rear dark box (3) is also equipped with a simulator assembly module (33).

7. The millimeter-wave radar compact field testing dark box device according to claim 1, characterized in that: The feed module (31) is mounted on a three-axis servo precision module (34).

8. The millimeter-wave radar compact field testing dark box device according to claim 1, characterized in that: A baffle (26) is provided between the middle section dark box (2) and the rear section dark box (3). A light wave channel is provided on the baffle (26). The light wave channel is located on the signal transmission path between the radar fixture (22) and the reflector assembly (32). The surface of the baffle (26) is covered with wave-absorbing cotton.

9. The millimeter-wave radar compact field testing dark box device according to claim 1, characterized in that: The inner walls of the front section dark box (1), the middle section dark box (2) and the rear section dark box (3) are all provided with wave-absorbing cotton.

10. The millimeter-wave radar compact field testing dark box device according to claim 1, characterized in that: The front dark box (1) is also equipped with a safety light curtain, a three-color status indicator light and a non-conforming product handling device.

Images