Radio wave village equipment

Abstract

To provide a radio wave sensor device that can obtain sharp directivity and high antenna gain and can be miniaturized.SOLUTION: A radio wave sensor device 100A includes an oscillator that generates high-frequency signals, a transmitting antenna 10, a receiving antenna 11, a mixer, and a signal processing device. The transmitting antenna 10 and the receiving antenna 11 have a transmitting antenna portion 21 and a transmitting horn portion 22A, and a receiving antenna portion 23 and a receiving horn portion 24A, respectively, where the transmitting antenna portion 21 and the receiving antenna portion 23 are arranged spaced apart on the same plane. An inner wall of the transmitting horn portion 22A and an inner wall of the receiving horn portion 24A have a wall portion 27 separating the transmitting antenna 10 and the receiving antenna 11, and the wall portion 27 has a wall region perpendicular to a plane, from an opening end side of the transmitting horn portion 22A and the receiving horn portion 24A toward the transmitting antenna portion 21 and the receiving antenna portion 23, respectively, and the transmitting horn portion 22A and the receiving horn portion 24A are arranged adjacent to each other via the wall portion 27.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 2

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present invention relates to a radio wave sensor device, and particularly to a radio wave sensor device that detects an object in a detection area by using radio waves in the microwave band or millimeter wave band.

Background Art

[0002] A radio wave sensor device that detects an object in a detection area by using radio waves radiates radio waves into space as a transmission signal and processes the reflected wave reflected by the object, thereby detecting the presence or absence of the object, the moving state, the distance to the object, etc. This type of radio wave sensor device is described in, for example, Patent Document 1.

Prior Art Documents

Patent Documents

[0003]

Patent Document 1

Summary of the Invention

Problems to be Solved by the Invention

[0004] Figure 26 is a diagram illustrating the configuration of a typical radio wave sensor device. As shown in Figure 26, the radio wave sensor device 100 consists of a transmitting antenna 10 that radiates a high-frequency signal (radio waves in the microwave or millimeter-wave band) into the space where the object 200 exists, a receiving antenna 11 that receives reflected waves of the high-frequency signal from the object 200, an oscillator 12 that generates a high-frequency signal of a predetermined frequency, a transmitting-side amplifier 13 that amplifies the high-frequency signal generated by the oscillator 12 and supplies it to the transmitting antenna 10, a receiving-side amplifier 14 that amplifies the reflected waves received by the receiving antenna 11, a mixer 15 that mixes the high-frequency signal generated by the oscillator 12 and the reflected waves amplified by the receiving-side amplifier 14 to generate a low-frequency received signal, an amplifier 16 that amplifies the low-frequency received signal generated by the mixer 15, an A / D converter 17 that performs A / D conversion on the received signal amplified by the amplifier 16, and a signal processing device 18 that performs desired signal processing on the received signal converted by the A / D converter 17. Depending on the signal processing of the signal processing device 18, it is possible to detect the presence or absence of an object 200, detect its movement status, detect the distance to the object, and so on. 19 is a sensor circuit section composed of an oscillator 12, a mixer 15, etc., and can be composed of a microwave integrated circuit in which the functional elements constituting the sensor circuit section are arranged on a printed circuit board, or a monolithic microwave / millimeter-wave integrated circuit in which the functional elements constituting the sensor circuit section are arranged on an IC (integrated circuit) board.

[0005] In a radio wave sensor device 100 with this configuration, the transmitting antenna 10 and the receiving antenna 11 can be made up of patch antennas, patch array antennas, horn antennas, etc.

[0006] Incidentally, in radio wave sensor devices that utilize microwave and millimeter-wave radio waves, the sensor circuit section 19 is being integrated and miniaturized as described above. For this reason, patch antennas are often used for the transmitting antenna 10 and receiving antenna 11 because they are small and easy to connect to the integrated circuits that make up the sensor circuit section 19. However, a single patch antenna has low gain and a short detection range. Also, because it has a wide directivity, it may detect the movement of objects other than the desired detection area. From the perspective of extending the detection range, it is conceivable to use a patch array antenna that connects multiple patch antennas to increase the antenna gain in a specific direction, but a problem with patch array antennas is that the transmission lines connecting the patch antennas become long, and the efficiency of the antenna decreases due to the loss.

[0007] On the other hand, horn antennas can achieve higher antenna efficiency compared to patch antennas. Furthermore, by appropriately designing the antenna's directivity, unwanted reflected waves (noise) from outside the desired detection area can be reduced, and improved sensitivity can be expected. Figure 27 is a schematic cross-sectional view of a radio wave sensor device 100 in which the transmitting antenna 10 and receiving antenna 11 are composed of horn antennas in a related technology. As shown in Figure 27, the transmitting antenna 10 is composed of a transmitting antenna section 21 and a transmitting horn section 22 arranged on a substrate 20 so as to cover the transmitting antenna section 21. The receiving antenna 11 is composed of a receiving antenna section 23 and a receiving horn section 24 arranged so as to cover the receiving antenna section 23. Figure 28 is a schematic plan view showing a transmitting antenna section 21 and a receiving antenna section 23 composed of coplanar patch antennas arranged on a substrate 20, corresponding to Figure 27. When the transmitting antenna section 21 and the receiving antenna section 23 are each configured as coplanar patch antennas, a ground surface 26 is arranged around the transmitting antenna section 21 and the receiving antenna section 23 on the substrate 20, as shown in Figure 28, and the transmitting horn section 22 and the receiving horn section 24 are arranged on this ground surface 26, respectively. A sensor circuit section 19, which has an oscillator 12, a mixer 15, etc., as shown in Figure 26, is connected to the transmitting antenna section 21 and the receiving antenna section 23 by a transmission line 25.

[0008] As shown in Figure 27, when the transmitting horn section 22 and the receiving horn section 24, which have large openings, are placed adjacent to each other on the substrate 20, the transmitting antenna section 21 of the transmitting antenna 10 and the receiving antenna section 23 of the receiving antenna 11 are each connected to the sensor circuit section 19 by relatively long transmission lines 25. In a radio wave sensor device 100 with such a configuration, when using high-frequency signals in the microwave or millimeter-wave band, the long transmission lines 25 result in significant signal loss. Furthermore, because it is necessary to arrange the transmitting horn section 22 and the receiving horn section 24 with large openings, the sensor circuit area 101, which includes the sensor circuit section 19, the transmitting antenna section 21, and the receiving antenna section 23, becomes large, which is a problem.

[0009] Therefore, the object of the present invention is to provide a radio wave sensor device that can achieve sharp directivity and high antenna gain, and that enables miniaturization of the sensor circuit area including the sensor circuit section, transmitting antenna section and receiving antenna section. [Means for solving the problem]

[0010] The radio wave sensor device of the present invention comprises an oscillator that generates a high-frequency signal, a transmitting antenna that radiates the high-frequency signal into space, a receiving antenna that receives reflected waves of the high-frequency signal from an object, a mixer that mixes the high-frequency signal and the reflected waves received by the receiving antenna to generate a received signal, and a signal processing device that generates a detection signal for the object from the received signal. The transmitting antenna has a transmitting antenna section and a transmitting horn section, and the receiving antenna has a receiving antenna section and a receiving horn section. The transmitting antenna section and the receiving antenna section are spaced apart on the same plane, and the inner wall of the transmitting horn section and the inner wall of the receiving horn section have a wall section that separates the transmitting antenna and the receiving antenna. The wall section has a wall surface region perpendicular to the plane, extending from the open end side of the transmitting horn section and the receiving horn section toward the transmitting antenna section and the receiving antenna section, respectively, and the transmitting horn section and the receiving horn section are arranged adjacent to each other via the wall section. [Effects of the Invention]

[0011] According to the radio wave sensor device of the present invention, the inner walls of the transmitting horn and the receiving horn have a wall portion that separates the transmitting antenna and the receiving antenna. This wall portion has a wall surface region perpendicular to the plane in which the transmitting antenna and the receiving antenna are arranged, extending from the open end side of the transmitting horn and the receiving horn towards the transmitting antenna and the receiving antenna, respectively. Furthermore, since the transmitting horn and the receiving horn are arranged adjacent to each other via the wall portion, it becomes possible to miniaturize the radio wave sensor device, particularly the sensor circuit region including the sensor circuit, transmitting antenna, and receiving antenna. As a result, the transmission line can be shortened and the antenna efficiency can be increased. Moreover, since the transmitting antenna and the receiving antenna are configured as horn antennas, it is possible to provide a radio wave sensor device with sharp directivity and high antenna gain. [Brief explanation of the drawing]

[0012] [Figure 1] This is a schematic plan view of the transmitting antenna and receiving antenna in a radio wave sensor device (Embodiment 1), which is one embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 2] Figure 1 is a schematic cross-sectional view of the radio wave sensor device along line AA. [Figure 3] This diagram illustrates the antenna gain in the E-plane of the transmitting and receiving antennas of the radio wave sensor device of Embodiment 1. [Figure 4] This figure illustrates the antenna gain on the H-plane of the transmitting antenna and receiving antenna of the radio wave sensor device of Embodiment 1. [Figure 5] This diagram illustrates the detection area of ​​the radio wave sensor device of Embodiment 1. [Figure 6] This figure illustrates the detection area in cross-section aa of Figure 5 of the radio wave sensor device of Embodiment 1. [Figure 7] This is a schematic plan view of the transmitting antenna and receiving antenna in a radio wave sensor device (Embodiment 2), which is one embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 8]It is a schematic cross-sectional view taken along line B-B of the radio wave sensor device in FIG. 7. [Figure 9] It is a diagram for explaining the antenna gain in the H-plane of the transmitting antenna and the receiving antenna of the radio wave sensor device according to Embodiment 2. [Figure 10] It is a diagram for explaining the electric field distribution of the radio wave sensor device according to Embodiment 2. [Figure 11] It is a diagram for explaining the antenna gain in the E-plane of the transmitting antenna and the receiving antenna of the radio wave sensor device according to Embodiment 2. [Figure 12] It is a diagram for explaining the detection area of the radio wave sensor device according to Embodiment 2. [Figure 13] It is a schematic plan view of the transmitting antenna and the receiving antenna in the radio wave sensor device according to a modification of Embodiment 2. [Figure 14] It is a schematic plan view of the transmitting antenna and the receiving antenna in the radio wave sensor device according to another modification of Embodiment 2. [Figure 15] It is a schematic cross-sectional view of the transmitting antenna and the receiving antenna in the radio wave sensor device (Embodiment 3), which is one embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 16] It is a diagram for explaining the electric field distribution of the radio wave sensor device according to Embodiment 3. [Figure 17] It is a diagram for explaining the antenna gain in the H-plane of the transmitting antenna and the receiving antenna of the radio wave sensor device according to Embodiment 3. [Figure 18] It is a diagram for explaining the antenna gain in the E-plane of the transmitting antenna and the receiving antenna of the radio wave sensor device according to Embodiment 3. [Figure 19] It is a diagram for explaining the detection area of the radio wave sensor device according to Embodiment 3. [Figure 20] It is a schematic plan view of the transmitting antenna and the receiving antenna in the radio wave sensor device (Embodiment 4), which is one embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 21] It is a schematic cross-sectional view of the transmitting antenna and the receiving antenna in the radio wave sensor device according to Embodiment 4. [Figure 22]This figure illustrates the antenna gain on the H-plane of the transmitting and receiving antennas of the radio wave sensor device of Embodiment 4. [Figure 23] This figure illustrates the antenna gain in the E-plane of the transmitting antenna and receiving antenna of the radio wave sensor device of Embodiment 4. [Figure 24] This diagram illustrates the detection area of ​​the radio wave sensor device of Embodiment 4. [Figure 25] This is a schematic plan view of the transmitting antenna and receiving antenna in a modified radio wave sensor device according to Embodiment 4. [Figure 26] This is a diagram illustrating the configuration of a typical radio wave sensor device. [Figure 27] This is a schematic cross-sectional view of a radio wave sensor device in which the transmitting and receiving antennas are composed of horn antennas, as used in related technologies. [Figure 28] This is a schematic plan view showing the transmitting antenna section and the receiving antenna section, which consist of coplanar patch antennas arranged on a substrate in related technologies. [Modes for carrying out the invention]

[0013] The radio wave sensor device of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings, but the present invention is not limited to these forms, and the components, materials, etc. described below can be modified in various ways within the scope of the spirit of the present invention. In addition, the same reference numerals in the drawings indicate equivalent or identical components, and the sizes and positional relationships between each component are for convenience only and do not reflect the actual situation.

[0014] (Embodiment 1) The radio wave sensor device 100A of this embodiment, like the radio wave sensor device 100 described in Figure 26, consists of a transmitting antenna 10 that radiates a high-frequency signal (radio waves in the microwave or millimeter-wave band) into the space where the object 200 exists, a receiving antenna 11 that receives reflected waves of the high-frequency signal from the object 200, an oscillator 12 that generates a high-frequency signal of a predetermined frequency, a transmitting-side amplifier 13 that amplifies the high-frequency signal generated by the oscillator 12 and supplies it to the transmitting antenna 10, a receiving-side amplifier 14 that amplifies the reflected waves received by the receiving antenna 11, a mixer 15 that mixes the high-frequency signal generated by the oscillator 12 and the reflected waves amplified by the receiving-side amplifier 14 to generate a low-frequency received signal, an amplifier 16 that amplifies the low-frequency received signal generated by the mixer 15, an A / D converter 17 that performs A / D conversion on the received signal amplified by the amplifier 16, and a signal processing device 18 that performs desired signal processing on the received signal converted by the A / D converter 17. Depending on the signal processing of the signal processing device 18, it is possible to detect the presence or absence of an object 200, detect its movement status, and detect the distance to the object. The sensor circuit section 19, which has an oscillator 12 and a mixer 15 formed thereon, is formed by a high-frequency circuit section consisting of the oscillator 12 and mixer 15, and a signal processing circuit that performs calculations using the low-frequency signal output from the mixer 15, an AD conversion circuit, and the digitized signal to extract necessary information. The high-frequency circuit section can be made up of a microwave integrated circuit in which the functional elements constituting the sensor circuit section are arranged on a printed circuit board, or a monolithic microwave / millimeter-wave integrated circuit in which the functional elements constituting the sensor circuit section are arranged on an IC (integrated circuit) board.

[0015] The radio wave sensor device 100A of this embodiment uses a horn antenna structure for the transmitting antenna 10 and the receiving antenna 11 to obtain sharp directivity and high antenna efficiency, and has a configuration that allows for miniaturization of the sensor circuit area 101A, which includes the sensor circuit section 19, the transmitting antenna section 21, and the receiving antenna section 23. With the miniaturization of the sensor circuit area 101A, the transmission line can be shortened, making it possible to increase the transmission and reception efficiency. Figure 1 is a schematic plan view of the transmitting antenna 10 and the receiving antenna 11 in the radio wave sensor device 100A of Embodiment 1 of the present invention, showing a part of the substrate 20 on which the transmitting antenna 10 and the receiving antenna 11 are arranged. Figure 2 is a schematic cross-sectional view of the radio wave sensor device 100A shown in Figure 1 along line AA. As shown in Figures 1 and 2, the sensor area 101A according to Embodiment 1 has the transmitting antenna section 21 constituting the transmitting antenna 10 and the receiving antenna section 23 constituting the receiving antenna 11 arranged on the substrate 20. The transmitting antenna section 21 and the receiving antenna section 23 can each be configured as coplanar patch antennas. Here, the transmitting antenna unit 21 and the receiving antenna unit 23 can be placed close enough to accommodate the wall unit 27, and for example, the distance between the centers of the transmitting antenna unit 21 and the receiving antenna unit 23 can be set to one wavelength of the high-frequency signal used. As a result, the sensor circuit region 101A, which includes the sensor circuit unit 19, the transmitting antenna unit 21 and the receiving antenna unit 23, can be miniaturized.

[0016] The transmitting horn section 22A and the receiving horn section 24A, which are arranged to cover the transmitting antenna section 21 and the receiving antenna section 23, are configured with a wall section 27 positioned between the transmitting antenna section 21 and the receiving antenna section 23. The wall section 27 is connected to the ground surface 26 and serves to improve the isolation characteristics of the transmitting antenna 10 and the receiving antenna 11. The inner walls of the transmitting horn section 22A and the receiving horn section 24A, excluding the wall surface of the wall section 27, can be made up of a portion of the inner wall of a general conical horn designed to obtain desired antenna gain and directivity. In this embodiment, the conical horn that obtains the desired characteristics is evenly divided in the height direction by the wall section 27, and the transmitting horn section 22A is made up of one inner wall of this divided conical horn and one surface of the wall section 27, and the receiving horn section 24A is made up of the other inner wall of the conical horn and the other surface of the wall section 27. The transmitting horn section 22A and the receiving horn section 24A are each placed on the substrate 20 via a ground surface 26. The shape near the transmitting antenna section 21 and the receiving antenna section 23 is that of a rectangular waveguide, and the opening area is configured to expand in the height direction away from the transmitting antenna section 21 and the receiving antenna section 23, with each opening being semicircular in shape.

[0017] Furthermore, the wall portion 27 is positioned perpendicular to the surface of the substrate 20, and perpendicular wall regions are formed from the open ends of the transmitting horn portion 22A and the receiving horn portion 24A toward the transmitting antenna portion 21 and the receiving antenna portion 23, respectively. By dividing the space evenly with the wall portion 27 in this way, the adjacent transmitting horn portion 22A and the receiving horn portion 24A can be made symmetrical with respect to the wall portion 27, and the transmitting antenna 10 and the receiving antenna 11 with matching characteristics can be positioned adjacent to each other. Here, "positioned perpendicularly" includes not only the case where the wall region is formed in a direction completely perpendicular to the surface of the substrate 20, but also the case where the wall region is formed in a direction slightly inclined from the direction perpendicular to the surface of the substrate 20, within the range in which the desired characteristics can be obtained. It also includes the case where a part of the wall region is slightly inclined from the direction perpendicular to the surface of the substrate 20. For example, when the transmitting horn portion 22A and the receiving horn portion 24A are manufactured using a mold such as die casting, a draft angle is required on the wall surface, and it is not necessarily perpendicular.

[0018] The high-frequency signal generated by the oscillator 12 formed in the sensor circuit section 19 is transmitted to the transmitting antenna section 21 via the transmission line 25. In this embodiment, the transmitting antenna section 21 and the receiving antenna section 23 are placed adjacent to each other, with the distance between their respective centers being approximately one wavelength of the high-frequency signal being used, thus shortening the length of the transmission line 25. As a result, transmission loss in the transmission line 25 is reduced, and the high-frequency signal generated by the oscillator 12 is efficiently transmitted from the transmitting antenna section 21, which is composed of a coplanar patch antenna. The transmitting horn section 22A then shapes the radio waves so that they are directed in the desired direction, and they are radiated into space from the opening of the transmitting antenna 10. As a result, the gain (antenna gain) in the desired direction is increased. In this embodiment, the plane parallel to the N-axis parallel to the wall section 27 shown in Figure 1 is described as the E-plane, and the plane parallel to the M-axis perpendicular to the N-axis is described as the H-plane.

[0019] When an object 200 is present in a space from which a high-frequency signal is radiated, the high-frequency signal radiated from the transmitting antenna 10 is reflected by the object 200. This reflected wave is received by the receiving antenna 11. In the receiving antenna 11, the reflected wave passes through the receiving horn section 24A, is converted from waveguide mode to transmission line mode in the receiving antenna section 23, and is transmitted through the transmission line 25 to the sensor circuit section 19. By performing desired signal processing in the sensor circuit section 19, it is possible to detect the presence or absence of the object 200, detect its movement state, detect the distance to the object, etc. The sensor circuit section 19 corresponds to a signal processing device that includes processing circuits necessary to perform the desired detection.

[0020] Figure 3 illustrates the antenna gains of the transmitting antenna 10 and receiving antenna 11 of the radio wave sensor device 100A in this embodiment, showing the antenna gains on the plane parallel to the wall 27 shown in Figure 1 (plane E). In Figure 3, the antenna gain of the transmitting antenna 10 is shown by a solid line, and the antenna gain of the receiving antenna 11 is shown by a dashed line. An angle of 0 degrees is perpendicular to the surface of the substrate 20 at the center of the transmitting antenna section 21 or the center of the receiving antenna section 23 shown in Figure 1. As shown in Figure 3, it can be seen that the antenna gains of the transmitting antenna 10 and the receiving antenna 11 are highest in the front of the opening (perpendicular to the surface of the substrate 20 on which the transmitting antenna section 21 and the receiving antenna section 23 are arranged). It can also be seen that there is no difference in antenna gain between the transmitting antenna 10 and the receiving antenna 11.

[0021] Figure 4 illustrates the antenna gains of the transmitting antenna 10 and receiving antenna 11 of the radio wave sensor device 100A in this embodiment, showing the antenna gains on the plane (H plane) perpendicular to the wall 27 shown in Figure 1. In Figure 4, the antenna gain of the transmitting antenna 10 is shown by a solid line, and the antenna gain of the receiving antenna 11 is shown by a dashed line. As shown in Figure 4, it can be seen that the antenna gains of the transmitting antenna 10 and the receiving antenna 11 are highest in front of the opening. It can also be seen that there is almost no difference in antenna gain between the transmitting antenna 10 and the receiving antenna 11.

[0022] Figure 5 illustrates the detection area of ​​a radio wave sensor device 100A equipped with a transmitting antenna 10 and a receiving antenna 11 with the antenna gains shown in Figures 3 and 4, and is an example of transmitting and receiving high-frequency signals in the millimeter-wave band (frequency 60 GHz). In Figure 5, the detection area on the plane parallel to the wall 27 shown in Figure 1 (plane E) is shown by a solid line, and the detection area on the plane perpendicular to it (plane H) is shown by a dashed line. In a radio wave sensor device 100A with such a detection area, for example, the shape of the detection area of ​​line aa as seen from the radio wave sensor device 100 is an elliptical detection area as shown in Figure 6. Furthermore, in this embodiment, it can be confirmed that sharp directivity with few side lobes is obtained by using a horn antenna structure. Moreover, because the transmission line 25 is short, the transmission and reception efficiency is high, and the antenna efficiency is high, it is possible to detect distant objects even with the same aperture size compared to when the transmitting antenna 10 and receiving antenna 11 are configured as patch antennas.

[0023] (Embodiment 2) Next, Embodiment 2 of the radio wave sensor device of the present invention will be described. Similar to Embodiment 1, the radio wave sensor device 100B of this embodiment can detect the presence or absence of an object 200, detect its movement status, detect the distance to the object, etc., using the same configuration and signal processing as the radio wave sensor device 100 described in Figure 26. In addition, the shapes of the transmitting antenna 10 and the receiving antenna 11 differ from those of Embodiment 1.

[0024] The radio wave sensor device 100B of this embodiment also uses a horn antenna structure for the transmitting antenna 10 and the receiving antenna 11 to obtain sharp directivity and high antenna efficiency, and has a configuration that allows for miniaturization of the sensor circuit area 101B, which includes the sensor circuit section 19, the transmitting antenna section 21, and the receiving antenna section 23. With the miniaturization of the sensor circuit area 101B, the transmission line can be shortened, making it possible to increase the transmission and reception efficiency. Figure 7 is a schematic plan view of the transmitting antenna 10 and the receiving antenna 11 in the radio wave sensor device 100B of Embodiment 2 of the present invention, showing a part of the substrate 20 on which the transmitting antenna 10 and the receiving antenna 11 are arranged. Figure 8 is a schematic cross-sectional view of the radio wave sensor device 100B shown in Figure 7 along the BB line. As shown in Figures 7 and 8, the radio wave sensor device 100B according to Embodiment 2 of this embodiment has the transmitting antenna section 21 constituting the transmitting antenna 10 and the receiving antenna section 23 constituting the receiving antenna 11 arranged on the substrate 20. The transmitting antenna section 21 and the receiving antenna section 23 can each be configured as coplanar patch antennas. Here, the transmitting antenna unit 21 and the receiving antenna unit 23 can be placed close enough to accommodate the wall unit 27, and for example, the distance between the centers of the transmitting antenna unit 21 and the receiving antenna unit 23 can be set to one wavelength of the high-frequency signal used. As a result, the sensor circuit region 101B, which includes the sensor circuit unit 19, the transmitting antenna unit 21 and the receiving antenna unit 23, can be miniaturized.

[0025] The transmitting horn section 22B and the receiving horn section 24B, which are positioned to cover the transmitting antenna section 21 and the receiving antenna section 23, are configured with a wall section 27 positioned between the transmitting antenna section 21 and the receiving antenna section 23. The wall section 27 is connected to the ground surface 26 and serves to improve the isolation characteristics of the transmitting antenna 10 and the receiving antenna 11. The inner walls of the transmitting horn section 22B and the receiving horn section 24B, excluding the wall surface of the wall section 27, can be made up of a portion of the inner wall of a general pyramidal horn designed to obtain desired antenna gain and directivity. In this embodiment, the pyramidal horn that obtains the desired characteristics is evenly divided in the height direction by the wall section 27, and the transmitting horn section 22B is made up of one inner wall of this divided pyramidal horn and one surface of the wall section 27, and the receiving horn section 24B is made up of the other inner wall of the pyramidal horn and the other surface of the wall section 27. The transmitting horn section 22B and the receiving horn section 24B are each placed on the substrate 20 via a ground surface 26. The shape near the transmitting antenna section 21 and the receiving antenna section 23 is that of a rectangular waveguide, and the opening area is configured to expand in the height direction away from the transmitting antenna section 21 and the receiving antenna section 23, so that the openings of the transmitting horn section 22B and the receiving horn section 24B are square.

[0026] Furthermore, the wall portion 27 is positioned perpendicular to the surface of the substrate 20, and perpendicular wall regions are formed from the open ends of the transmitting horn portion 22B and the receiving horn portion 24B toward the transmitting antenna portion 21 and the receiving antenna portion 23, respectively. By dividing the space evenly with the wall portion 27 in this way, the adjacent transmitting horn portion 22B and the receiving horn portion 24B can be made symmetrical with respect to the wall portion 27, and the transmitting antenna 10 and the receiving antenna 11 with matching characteristics can be positioned adjacent to each other. In this embodiment as well, "positioned perpendicularly" includes not only the case in which the wall region is formed in a direction completely perpendicular to the surface of the substrate 20, but also the case in which the wall region is formed slightly inclined from the direction perpendicular to the surface of the substrate 20, within the range in which the desired characteristics can be obtained. It also includes the case in which a part of the wall region is slightly inclined from the direction perpendicular to the surface of the substrate 20.

[0027] The high-frequency signal generated by the oscillator 12 formed in the sensor circuit section 19 is transmitted to the transmitting antenna section 21 via the transmission line 25. In this embodiment as well, the distance between the centers of the transmitting antenna section 21 and the receiving antenna section 23 can be placed adjacent to each other to about one wavelength of the high-frequency signal being used, thus shortening the length of the transmission line 25. As a result, there is less loss due to transmission in the transmission line 25, and the high-frequency signal generated by the oscillator 12 is efficiently sent out from the transmitting antenna section 21, which is composed of a coplanar patch antenna, and is shaped in the transmitting horn section 22B so that the radio waves are directed in the desired direction and radiated into space from the opening of the transmitting antenna 10. As a result, the gain (antenna gain) in the desired direction is increased. In this embodiment, the plane parallel to the wall section 27 shown in Figure 7 is described as the E plane, and the plane perpendicular to the E plane is described as the H plane.

[0028] When an object 200 is present in a space from which a high-frequency signal is radiated, the high-frequency signal radiated from the transmitting antenna 10 is reflected by the object 200. This reflected wave is received by the receiving antenna 11. In the receiving antenna 11, the reflected wave passes through the receiving horn section 24B, is converted from waveguide mode to transmission line mode in the receiving antenna section 23, and is transmitted through the transmission line 25 to the sensor circuit section 19. By performing desired signal processing in the sensor circuit section 19, it is possible to detect the presence or absence of the object 200, detect its movement status, and detect the distance to the object.

[0029] Figure 9 illustrates the antenna gains of the transmitting antenna 10 and receiving antenna 11 of the radio wave sensor device 100B of this embodiment, showing the antenna gains on the plane (H plane) perpendicular to the wall 27 shown in Figure 7. In Figure 9, the antenna gain of the transmitting antenna 10 is shown by a solid line, and the antenna gain of the receiving antenna 11 is shown by a dashed line. As shown in Figure 9, it can be seen that the antenna gains of the transmitting antenna 10 and the receiving antenna 11 are highest at positions offset from the front of the opening. This is because, as shown in the electric field distribution diagram in Figure 10 when a high-frequency signal is radiated from the transmitting antenna 10 of the radio wave sensor device 100B of this embodiment, the high-frequency signal is radiated at an angle from the front of the opening, so the position with the highest antenna gain is offset from the front of the opening. The same applies to the receiving antenna 11, where the receiving antenna gain is highest from a direction tilted in the opposite direction to the tilt of the transmitting antenna 10 from the front of the opening.

[0030] Figure 11 illustrates the antenna gains of the transmitting antenna 10 and receiving antenna 11 of the radio wave sensor device 100B of this embodiment, showing the antenna gains on the plane parallel to the wall 27 shown in Figure 7 (plane E). In Figure 11, the antenna gain of the transmitting antenna 10 is shown by a solid line, and the antenna gain of the receiving antenna 11 is shown by a dashed line. As shown in Figure 11, it can be seen that the antenna gains of the transmitting antenna 10 and the receiving antenna 11 are highest in front of the opening. It can also be seen that there is almost no difference in antenna gain between the transmitting antenna 10 and the receiving antenna 11.

[0031] Figure 12 illustrates the detection area of ​​a radio wave sensor device 100B equipped with a transmitting antenna 10 and a receiving antenna 11 with the antenna gains shown in Figures 9 and 11, and is an example of transmitting and receiving high-frequency signals in the millimeter-wave band (frequency 60 GHz). In Figure 12, the detection area on the plane parallel to the wall 27 (plane E) shown in Figure 7 is shown by a solid line, and the detection area on the plane perpendicular to the wall 27 (plane H) is shown by a dashed line. Because the directivity of the transmitting antenna 10 and the receiving antenna 11 is misaligned, the detection distance in the front direction is shorter than the detection distance expected from the aperture area of ​​the antennas, but as shown in Figure 12, it can be seen that detection is possible in front of the transmitting antenna 10 and the receiving antenna 11. Furthermore, in this embodiment, it can be confirmed that sharp directivity is obtained by using a horn antenna structure. Thus, it has been confirmed that the radio wave sensor device 100B can be used even when the directivity of the transmitting antenna 10 and the receiving antenna 11 is slightly misaligned from the front.

[0032] In this embodiment, the case described is that the openings of the transmitting horn portion 22B of the transmitting antenna 10 and the receiving horn portion 24B of the receiving antenna 11 are square openings with the widths of the E-plane and H-plane being approximately the same. However, the ratio of the E-plane to the H-plane in the openings of the transmitting horn portion 22B and the receiving horn portion 24B can be an arbitrarily selected rectangle. Furthermore, it can also be an arbitrary polygon. In addition, it is possible to form the transmitting horn portion 22B and the receiving horn portion 24B asymmetrically with respect to the wall portion 27.

[0033] Next, a modified version of Embodiment 2 will be described. Generally, when using a radio wave sensor device, the maximum values ​​of the transmitting power and transmitting antenna gain may be limited by, for example, the Radio Law. Therefore, the modified version of Embodiment 2 is configured to increase the antenna gain of the receiving antenna by making the aperture area of ​​the receiving antenna larger than the aperture area of ​​the transmitting antenna. Figure 13 is a schematic plan view of the transmitting antenna and receiving antenna in a radio wave sensor device of a modified version of Embodiment 2. The aperture area of ​​the receiving antenna 11 is larger than that of the transmitting antenna 10. Another modified version of Embodiment 2 shows that it is also possible to have a configuration with multiple receiving circuits by having more receiving antennas 11 than transmitting antennas 10. Figure 14 is a schematic plan view of the transmitting antenna and receiving antenna in a radio wave sensor device of another modified version of Embodiment 2. The number of receiving antennas 11 is larger than that of the transmitting antennas 10. In this way, by appropriately setting the aperture area and number of the transmitting antenna 10 and the receiving antenna 11, it is possible to adjust the antenna gain of the transmitting antenna 10 and the receiving antenna 11. Furthermore, by incorporating multiple receiving circuits, it becomes possible to create a highly functional radio wave sensor device capable of detecting the angle at which an object is located and taking measures against interference.

[0034] (Embodiment 3) Next, Embodiment 3 of the radio wave sensor device of the present invention will be described. Similar to Embodiment 1, the radio wave sensor device 100C of this embodiment can detect the presence or absence of an object 200, detect its movement status, detect the distance to the object, etc., using the same configuration and signal processing as the radio wave sensor device 100 described in Figure 26. In addition, the shapes of the transmitting antenna 10 and the receiving antenna 11 differ from those of Embodiments 1 and 2.

[0035] The radio wave sensor device 100C of this embodiment also uses a horn antenna structure for the transmitting antenna 10 and the receiving antenna 11 to obtain sharp directivity and high antenna efficiency, and has a configuration that enables miniaturization of the sensor circuit area 101C, which includes the sensor circuit section 19, the transmitting antenna section 21 and the receiving antenna section 23. Figure 15 is a schematic cross-sectional view of the transmitting antenna 10 and the receiving antenna 11 in the radio wave sensor device 100C of Embodiment 3 of the present invention, showing a part of the substrate 20 on which the transmitting antenna 10 and the receiving antenna 11 are arranged. The radio wave sensor device 100C of this embodiment can be represented by the same schematic plan as the radio wave sensor device 100B of Embodiment 2 above, so the schematic plan is omitted. Figure 15 is a schematic cross-sectional view corresponding to Figure 8 described in Embodiment 2 above. As shown in Figure 15, the radio wave sensor device 100C according to Embodiment 3 of this embodiment has the transmitting antenna section 21 constituting the transmitting antenna 10 and the receiving antenna section 23 constituting the receiving antenna 11 arranged on the substrate 20. The transmitting antenna section 21 and the receiving antenna section 23 can each be configured as coplanar patch antennas. Here, the transmitting antenna section 21 and the receiving antenna section 23 can be placed close enough to accommodate the wall section 27, and for example, the distance between the centers of the transmitting antenna section 21 and the receiving antenna section 23 can be set to one wavelength of the high-frequency signal used. As a result, the sensor circuit region 101C, which includes the sensor circuit section 19, the transmitting antenna section 21 and the receiving antenna section 23, can be miniaturized.

[0036] The transmitting horn section 22C and the receiving horn section 24C, which are arranged to cover the transmitting antenna section 21 and the receiving antenna section 23, are configured with a wall section 27 positioned between the transmitting antenna section 21 and the receiving antenna section 23. The wall section 27 is connected to the ground surface 26 and serves to improve the isolation characteristics of the transmitting antenna 10 and the receiving antenna 11. The inner walls of the transmitting horn section 22C and the receiving horn section 24C, excluding the wall surface of the wall section 27, can be made up of a portion of the inner wall of a general-purpose dual-mode horn designed to obtain desired antenna gain and directivity. In this embodiment, the dual-mode horn that obtains the desired characteristics is evenly divided in the height direction by the wall section 27, and the transmitting horn section 22C is made up of one inner wall of this divided dual-mode horn and one surface of the wall section 27, and the receiving horn section 24C is made up of the other inner wall of the dual-mode horn and the other surface of the wall section 27. The transmitting horn section 22C and the receiving horn section 24C are each arranged on the substrate 20 via a ground surface 26. The shape near the transmitting antenna section 21 and the receiving antenna section 23 is that of a rectangular waveguide, and the opening area expands in the height direction away from the transmitting antenna section 21 and the receiving antenna section 23, and this expansion is configured to change at a predetermined position. The openings of the transmitting horn section 22C and the receiving horn section 24C are each square.

[0037] Furthermore, the wall portion 27 is positioned perpendicular to the surface of the substrate 20, and perpendicular wall regions are formed from the open ends of the transmitting horn portion 22C and the receiving horn portion 24C toward the transmitting antenna portion 21 and the receiving antenna portion 23, respectively. By dividing the space evenly with the wall portion 27 in this way, the adjacent transmitting horn portion 22C and the receiving horn portion 24C can be made symmetrical with respect to the wall portion 27, and the transmitting antenna 10 and the receiving antenna 11 with matching characteristics can be positioned adjacent to each other. In this embodiment as well, "positioned perpendicularly" includes not only the case where the wall region is formed in a direction completely perpendicular to the surface of the substrate 20, but also the case where the wall region is formed slightly inclined from the direction perpendicular to the surface of the substrate 20, within the range in which the desired characteristics can be obtained. It also includes the case where a part of the wall region is slightly inclined from the direction perpendicular to the surface of the substrate 20.

[0038] The high-frequency signal generated by the oscillator 12 formed in the sensor circuit section 19 is transmitted to the transmitting antenna section 21 via the transmission line 25. In this embodiment as well, the distance between the centers of the transmitting antenna section 21 and the receiving antenna section 23 can be made adjacent to each other to about one wavelength of the high-frequency signal being used, thus shortening the length of the transmission line 25. As a result, there is less loss due to transmission in the transmission line 25, and the high-frequency signal generated by the oscillator 12 is efficiently sent out from the transmitting antenna section 21, which is composed of a coplanar patch antenna, shaped in the transmitting horn section 22C so that the radio waves are directed in the desired direction, and radiated into space from the opening of the transmitting antenna 10. As a result, the gain (antenna gain) in the desired direction is increased. In this embodiment as well, the plane parallel to the wall section 27 is described as the E plane, and the plane perpendicular to the E plane is described as the H plane.

[0039] When an object 200 is present in a space from which a high-frequency signal is radiated, the high-frequency signal radiated from the transmitting antenna 10 is reflected by the object 200. The receiving antenna 11 receives this reflected wave. In the receiving antenna 11, the reflected wave passes through the receiving horn section 24C, is converted from waveguide mode to transmission line mode in the receiving antenna section 23, and is transmitted through the transmission line 25 to the sensor circuit section 19. By performing desired signal processing in the sensor circuit section 19, it is possible to detect the presence or absence of the object 200, detect its movement status, and detect the distance to the object.

[0040] Figure 16 shows the electric field distribution when a high-frequency signal is radiated from the transmitting antenna 10 of the radio wave sensor device 100C of this embodiment. Compared with the electric field distribution shown in Figure 10, which was described for the radio wave sensor device 100B of Embodiment 2, it can be seen that the direction in which the high-frequency signal is radiated is directed towards the front. This technique of changing the direction in which the high-frequency signal is radiated is made possible by applying the techniques used to design general multimode horns.

[0041] Figure 17 illustrates the antenna gains of the transmitting antenna 10 and receiving antenna 11 of the radio wave sensor device 100C of this embodiment, showing the antenna gains on the plane (H plane) perpendicular to the wall 27. In Figure 17, the antenna gain of the transmitting antenna 10 is shown by a solid line, and the antenna gain of the receiving antenna 11 is shown by a dashed line. As shown in Figure 17, it can be seen that the antenna gains of the transmitting antenna 10 and the receiving antenna 11 are highest in front of the opening. Also, because the horn shape is asymmetrical, the shape of the side lobes is asymmetrical, and a relatively large side lobe appears on one side. However, because the inclination of the side lobes of the transmitting antenna 10 and the receiving antenna 11 is symmetrical, the side lobes of the receiving antenna 11 become smaller when the angle of the side lobes of the transmitting antenna 10 is large.

[0042] Figure 18 illustrates the antenna gains of the transmitting antenna 10 and receiving antenna 11 of the radio wave sensor device 100C of this embodiment, showing the antenna gains on the plane parallel to the wall 27 (plane E). In Figure 18, the antenna gain of the transmitting antenna 10 is shown by a solid line, and the antenna gain of the receiving antenna 11 is shown by a dashed line. As shown in Figure 18, it can be seen that the antenna gains of the transmitting antenna 10 and the receiving antenna 11 are highest in front of the opening. It can also be seen that there is almost no difference in antenna gain between the transmitting antenna 10 and the receiving antenna 11.

[0043] Figure 19 illustrates the detection area of ​​a radio wave sensor device 100C equipped with a transmitting antenna 10 and a receiving antenna 11 with the antenna gains shown in Figures 17 and 18, and is an example of transmitting and receiving high-frequency signals in the millimeter-wave band (frequency 60 GHz). In Figure 19, the detection area on the plane parallel to the wall 27 (plane E) is shown by a solid line, and the detection area on the plane perpendicular to the wall 27 (plane H) is shown by a dashed line. As shown in Figure 19, it can be seen that the radio wave sensor device 100C is capable of detection in front of the transmitting antenna 10 and the receiving antenna 11. Furthermore, in this embodiment, it can be confirmed that sharp directivity is obtained by using a horn antenna structure. In particular, in the radio wave sensor device 100C of this embodiment, unlike the radio wave sensor device 100B described in Embodiment 2 above, the direction in which the high-frequency signal is radiated is not tilted from the front, which is preferable as it allows for a longer detection distance as a radio wave sensor device. In one example of this embodiment, the directivity of both the H-plane and E-plane is sharp (narrow), and the directivity can be aligned in the direction of the front of the antenna, resulting in a large antenna gain in the front, a longer detection area, and the ability to detect objects at greater distances. In one example of this embodiment, the detection area can be approximately doubled with the same aperture size as the transmitting antenna 10 and receiving antenna 11 described in Embodiment 2, enabling the detection of objects at greater distances. Furthermore, it can be confirmed that the effect of asymmetrical side lobes is compensated for by the combined antenna gains of the transmitting antenna 10 and the receiving antenna 11, resulting in a detection area with good symmetry.

[0044] In this embodiment, the case where the widths of the E-plane and H-plane of the openings of the transmitting horn portion 22C of the transmitting antenna 10 and the receiving horn portion 24C of the receiving antenna 11 are set to approximately the same dimensions to form a square opening has been described. However, the ratio of the E-plane to the H-plane of the openings of the transmitting horn portion 22C and the receiving horn portion 24C can be set to an arbitrarily selected rectangle. Furthermore, it can also be set to an arbitrary polygon. In addition, it is possible to form the transmitting horn portion 22C and the receiving horn portion 24C asymmetrically with respect to the wall portion 27.

[0045] In this embodiment as well, as described in the modified example of Embodiment 2 above, the aperture area of ​​the receiving antenna 11 can be made larger than that of the transmitting antenna 10. Also, as described in another modified example of Embodiment 2 above, the number of receiving antennas 11 can be increased compared to the number of transmitting antennas 10. By appropriately setting the aperture areas and number of the transmitting antenna 10 and the receiving antennas 11 in this way, it is possible to adjust the antenna gain of the transmitting antenna 10 and the receiving antennas 11. Furthermore, by providing multiple receiving circuits, it is possible to create a highly functional radio wave sensor device that can detect the angle at which an object is present and take measures against interference.

[0046] (Embodiment 4) Next, Embodiment 4 of the radio wave sensor device of the present invention will be described. Similar to Embodiment 1, the radio wave sensor device 100D of this embodiment can detect the presence or absence of an object 200, detect its movement state, detect the distance to the object, etc., using the same configuration and signal processing as the radio wave sensor device 100 described in Figure 26. In addition, the shapes of the transmitting antenna 10 and the receiving antenna 11 differ from those of Embodiments 1 to 3.

[0047] The radio wave sensor device 100D of this embodiment also uses a horn antenna structure for the transmitting antenna 10 and the receiving antenna 11 to obtain sharp directivity and high antenna efficiency, and has a configuration that allows for miniaturization of the sensor circuit area 101D, which includes the sensor circuit section 19, the transmitting antenna section 21 and the receiving antenna section 23. Figure 20 is a schematic plan view of the transmitting antenna 10 and the receiving antenna 11 in the radio wave sensor device 100D of Embodiment 4 of the present invention, showing a part of the substrate 20 on which the transmitting antenna 10 and the receiving antenna 11 are arranged. Figure 21 is a schematic cross-sectional view of the radio wave sensor device 100D shown in Figure 20 along the DD line. As shown in Figures 20 and 21, the radio wave sensor device 100D according to Embodiment 4 of this embodiment has a transmitting antenna section 21 constituting the transmitting antenna 10 and a receiving antenna section 23 constituting the receiving antenna 11 arranged on the substrate 20. The transmitting antenna section 21 and the receiving antenna section 23 can each be configured as coplanar patch antennas. Here, the transmitting antenna unit 21 and the receiving antenna unit 23 can be placed close enough to accommodate the wall unit 27, and for example, the distance between the centers of the transmitting antenna unit 21 and the receiving antenna unit 23 can be set to one wavelength of the high-frequency signal used. As a result, the sensor circuit region 101D, which includes the sensor circuit unit 19, the transmitting antenna unit 21 and the receiving antenna unit 23, can be miniaturized.

[0048] The transmitting horn section 22D and the receiving horn section 24D, which are positioned to cover the transmitting antenna section 21 and the receiving antenna section 23, are configured with a wall section 27 positioned between the transmitting antenna section 21 and the receiving antenna section 23. The wall section 27 is connected to the ground surface 26 and serves to improve the isolation characteristics of the transmitting antenna 10 and the receiving antenna 11. The inner walls of the transmitting horn section 22D and the receiving horn section 24D, excluding the wall surface of the wall section 27, can be made up of a part of the inner wall of a general-purpose dual-mode horn designed to obtain the desired antenna gain and directivity. In this embodiment, one of the openings, either the E-plane or the H-plane, is widened, while the other opening is not widened, resulting in a strip-shaped opening. By using this shape of opening, the directivity of the transmitting antenna 10 and the receiving antenna 11 becomes narrow in the direction of the wide opening and wide in the direction of the narrow opening. By arranging the transmitting antenna 10 and the receiving antenna 11 so that their directional spread direction is the same, the detection area can be made into a fan shape, for example, that is wide horizontally and narrow vertically. A radio wave sensor device 100D equipped with such directional transmitting antenna 10 and receiving antenna 11 can narrow the vertical directionality that is unnecessary for observation when performing horizontal detection, increase the gain (antenna gain) in the desired direction, and reduce interference from radio waves reflected by the ground, ceiling, etc., thereby widening the detection area in the desired direction.

[0049] When a high-frequency signal is emitted from the transmitting antenna 10 of the radio wave sensor device 100D of this embodiment, the electric field distribution in the cross-section shown in Figure 21 is approximately the same as the electric field distribution shown in Figure 16 described in Embodiment 3 above.

[0050] Figure 22 illustrates the antenna gains of the transmitting antenna 10 and receiving antenna 11 of the radio wave sensor device 100D of this embodiment, showing the antenna gains of the plane (H plane) perpendicular to the wall portion 27 shown in Figures 20 and 21. In Figure 22, the antenna gain of the transmitting antenna 10 is shown by a solid line, and the antenna gain of the receiving antenna 11 is shown by a dashed line. As shown in Figure 22, it can be seen that the antenna gains of the transmitting antenna 10 and the receiving antenna 11 are approximately the same as those shown in Figure 17, which was described in Embodiment 3 above.

[0051] Figure 23 illustrates the antenna gains of the transmitting antenna 10 and receiving antenna 11 of the radio wave sensor device 100D of this embodiment, showing the antenna gains on the plane (E plane) parallel to the wall portion 27 shown in Figures 20 and 21. In Figure 23, the antenna gain of the transmitting antenna 10 is shown by a solid line, and the antenna gain of the receiving antenna 11 is shown by a dashed line. As shown in Figure 23, it can be seen that the antenna gains of the transmitting antenna 10 and the receiving antenna 11 are wider compared to the antenna gains shown in Figure 18 described in Embodiment 3 above.

[0052] Figure 24 illustrates the detection area of ​​a radio wave sensor device 100D equipped with a transmitting antenna 10 and a receiving antenna 11 with the antenna gains shown in Figures 22 and 23, and is an example of transmitting and receiving high-frequency signals in the millimeter-wave band (frequency 60 GHz). In Figure 23, the detection area of ​​the plane parallel to the wall 27 (plane E) is shown by a solid line, and the detection area of ​​the plane perpendicular to the wall 27 (plane H) is shown by a dashed line. As shown in Figure 24, it can be seen that the directivity of the radio wave sensor device 100D of this embodiment has a fan-shaped shape, narrow on the H plane and wide on the E plane. Therefore, by installing the H plane perpendicular to the ground, for example, detection at a wide angle and at a distance becomes possible. In this case, reflected waves from the ground, etc., are reduced, which is preferable.

[0053] In the above explanation, the E-plane of the opening of the transmitting horn section 22D of the transmitting antenna 10 and the receiving horn section 24D of the receiving antenna 11 was made narrower, and the H-plane was made wider. However, as shown in Figures 20 and 21, it is also possible to make the plane perpendicular to the wall section 27 the E-plane and the plane perpendicular to the E-plane the H-plane.

[0054] Next, a modified example of Embodiment 4 will be described. Figure 25 is a schematic plan view of the transmitting antenna and receiving antenna in a radio wave sensor device of a modified example of Embodiment 4. In this modified example, multiple transmitting antennas 10 and multiple receiving antennas 11 are arranged. By arranging multiple transmitting antennas 10 and receiving antennas 11 in this way, it is possible to apply this to various applications such as detecting the angle (position) of an object from the phase difference of the received signals between multiple receiving antennas 11, and reducing the effects of interference by switching the transmitting antennas 10. Note that the arrangement and number of transmitting antennas 10 and receiving antennas 11 are not limited to the example shown in Figure 25 and can be set arbitrarily. In this modified example, the radio wave sensor device described in Embodiment 4 has an adjacent structure, and as with Embodiment 4, it is possible to miniaturize the sensor circuit area 101D1 including the sensor circuit section, transmitting antenna section 21, and receiving antenna section 23.

[0055] In each of the above embodiments, the transmitting antenna section 21 and the receiving antenna section 23 are described as being configured as a coplanar patch antenna structure. However, the present invention is not limited to such configurations, and can be changed to a slot antenna structure or a waveguide probe structure. Furthermore, the present invention is not limited to the above embodiments, and various changes can be made, such as appropriately arranging more receiving antennas 11 than transmitting antennas 10. Moreover, the radio wave sensor devices 100A to D can be miniaturized by providing a wall area perpendicular to the plane on which the transmitting antenna section 21 and the receiving antenna section 23 are arranged in the wall section 27 that constitutes the transmitting horn sections 22A to D and the receiving horn sections 24A to D. In the above embodiments, the entire wall section 27 is a wall area perpendicular to the plane, but to the extent that the radio wave sensor devices 100A to D can be miniaturized, it is sufficient to make a certain area perpendicular to the plane from the open end side of the transmitting horn sections 22A to D and the receiving horn sections 24A to D toward the transmitting antenna section 21 and the receiving antenna section 23, respectively.

[0056] Furthermore, although the E-plane and the H-plane perpendicular to it were specified and explained for the transmitting antenna 10 and the receiving antenna 11, there is no problem even if the E-plane and H-plane are swapped.

[0057] If the transmitting horn sections 22A to D and receiving horn sections 24A to D described in the above embodiment are constructed as a single cylindrical or rectangular prism member with a through-hole having a partition wall in the height direction, the adhesion when joining the transmitting antenna 10 and receiving antenna 11 to the substrate 20 can be improved. Furthermore, by making the overall shape of the transmitting antenna 10 and receiving antenna 11 cylindrical and adding threads to the outer circumference, it becomes easier to install the radio wave sensor devices 100A to D by screw fastening.

[0058] (summary) (1) One embodiment of the radio wave sensor device of the present invention comprises an oscillator that generates a high-frequency signal, a transmitting antenna that radiates the high-frequency signal into space, a receiving antenna that receives reflected waves of the high-frequency signal from an object, a mixer that mixes the high-frequency signal and the reflected waves received by the receiving antenna to generate a received signal, and a signal processing device that generates a detection signal for the object from the received signal, wherein the transmitting antenna has a transmitting antenna section and a transmitting horn section, and the receiving antenna has a receiving antenna section and a receiving horn section, the transmitting antenna section and the receiving antenna section are spaced apart on the same plane, the inner wall of the transmitting horn section and the inner wall of the receiving horn section have a wall section that separates the transmitting antenna and the receiving antenna, the wall section has a wall surface region perpendicular to the plane extending from the open end side of the transmitting horn section and the receiving horn section toward the transmitting antenna section and the receiving antenna section, respectively, and the transmitting horn section and the receiving horn section are arranged adjacent to each other via the wall section.

[0059] In the radio wave sensor device of this embodiment, the inner walls of the transmitting horn section and the receiving horn section have wall portions that separate the transmitting antenna and the receiving antenna, and these walls have vertical wall surface regions extending from the open end towards the transmitting antenna section and the receiving antenna section, respectively. Since the transmitting horn section and the receiving horn section are arranged adjacent to each other, miniaturization is possible. Furthermore, since the transmitting antenna and the receiving antenna are configured as horn antenna structures, it is possible to provide a radio wave sensor device with sharp directivity and high antenna gain.

[0060] (2) The transmitting horn section and the receiving horn section can be configured by dividing a conical horn evenly in the height direction by the wall section.

[0061] (3) The transmitting horn section and the receiving horn section can be configured by dividing a pyramidal horn evenly in the height direction by the wall section.

[0062] (4) The transmitting horn section and the receiving horn section can be configured by dividing the dual-mode horn evenly in the height direction by the wall section.

[0063] (5) The transmitting horn section and the receiving horn section are integrally made of a cylindrical or rectangular prism member having a through hole with a partition wall in the height direction, and the partition wall can be the wall section that separates the transmitting antenna and the receiving antenna. [Explanation of Symbols]

[0064] 100, 100A~D Radio wave sensor device 101, 101A~D Sensor circuit area 200 Objects 10 Transmitting antenna 11 Receiving antenna 12 Oscillators 13 Transmitter-side amplifier 14. Receiver amplifier 15 Mixer 16 Amplifier 17 A / D Converter 18 Signal Processing Device 19 Sensor circuit section 20 circuit boards 21 Transmitting antenna section 22, 22A~D Transmitter Horn Section 23 Receiving antenna section 24, 24A~D Receiving horn section 25 Transmission lines 26 Ground plane 27 Wall

Claims

1. An oscillator that generates high-frequency signals, A transmitting antenna that radiates the aforementioned high-frequency signal into space, A receiving antenna that receives the reflected wave of the high-frequency signal from the object, A mixer that mixes the aforementioned high-frequency signal and the reflected wave received by the receiving antenna to generate a received signal, A signal processing device that generates an object detection signal from the received signal, Equipped with, The aforementioned transmitting antenna has a transmitting antenna section and a transmitting horn section. The receiving antenna has a receiving antenna section and a receiving horn section. The transmitting antenna unit and the receiving antenna unit are arranged on the same plane, spaced apart from each other. The inner wall of the transmitting horn and the inner wall of the receiving horn have a wall portion that separates the transmitting antenna and the receiving antenna, and the wall portion has a wall surface region perpendicular to the plane, extending from the open end side of the transmitting horn and the receiving horn toward the transmitting antenna and the receiving antenna, respectively, and The transmitting horn section and the receiving horn section are arranged adjacent to each other, separated by the wall section. Radio wave sensor device.

2. The transmitting horn section and the receiving horn section are configured such that a conical horn is evenly divided in the height direction by the wall section. The radio wave sensor device according to claim 1.

3. The transmitting horn section and the receiving horn section are configured such that a pyramidal horn is evenly divided in the height direction by the wall section. The radio wave sensor device according to claim 1.

4. The transmitting horn section and the receiving horn section are configured such that the dual-mode horn is evenly divided in the height direction by the wall section. The radio wave sensor device according to claim 1.

5. The transmitting horn section and the receiving horn section are integrally made of a cylindrical or rectangular prism member having a through hole with a partition wall in the height direction, and the partition wall is the wall section that separates the transmitting antenna and the receiving antenna. A radio wave sensor device according to any one of claims 1 to 4.

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