Electromagnetic wave permeable cover and method for manufacturing an electromagnetic wave permeable cover

Abstract

To provide an electromagnetic wave transmission cover which can be easily manufactured.SOLUTION: A millimeter wave transmission cover 13 is arranged in front of a millimeter wave radar device 12, in a millimeter wave transmission direction at which the millimeter wave radar device 12 transmits / receives millimeter waves. The millimeter wave transmission cover 13 includes a cover base material 16 formed of a first resin material having millimeter wave transmissivity, a film base material 19 formed of a second resin material having millimeter wave transmissivity, and a heat generation part 20 which is provided on a front face of the film base material 19 in the transmission direction and is covered with the film base material 19. A recess is formed on the rear face of the cover base material 16 in the transmission direction. In the recess, the film base material 19 is positioned in a state of being brought into close contact with the recess.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 1

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present invention relates to an electromagnetic wave transmission cover and a method for manufacturing the electromagnetic wave transmission cover.

Background Art

[0002] Generally, in a vehicle equipped with a millimeter-wave radar device, millimeter waves are transmitted from the device toward the outside of the vehicle. The millimeter waves transmitted from the millimeter-wave radar device and reflected by hitting an object outside the vehicle such as a preceding vehicle and a pedestrian are received by the millimeter-wave radar device.

[0003] Then, in the millimeter-wave radar device, the above-described object is recognized and the distance and relative speed between the host vehicle and the above-described object are detected based on the transmitted and received millimeter waves. In the above-described vehicle, an electromagnetic wave transmission cover through which millimeter waves pass is usually disposed in front of the millimeter-wave radar device in the transmission direction of the millimeter waves.

[0004] Here, when ice and snow adhere to the electromagnetic wave transmission cover, the millimeter waves are attenuated, so there is a problem that the detection performance of the millimeter-wave radar device deteriorates. For this reason, conventionally, an electromagnetic wave transmission cover with a heater film added has been proposed (see, for example, Patent Document 1).

[0005] Such a heater film is formed by laminating a heat generating portion made of a conductive heat generating material such as copper and a cover layer on one surface of a film base material, and laminating an adhesive layer on the other surface of the film base material. The heat generating portion is formed on the film base material so as to form a strip shape and be wired in a certain pattern.

[0006] In the electromagnetic wave transmission cover, the heat generating portion generates heat by being energized. Therefore, even when ice and snow adhere to the electromagnetic wave transmission cover, the ice and snow can be melted by the heat generated by the heat generating portion, so that attenuation of millimeter waves due to the adhesion of ice and snow can be suppressed.

Prior Art Documents

Patent Documents

[0007] [Patent Document 1] Patent No. 6719506 [Overview of the project] [Problems that the invention aims to solve]

[0008] By the way, in the electromagnetic wave-transmitting cover described above, it is necessary to electrically connect the heating element of the heater film to the terminal of the external device in order to supply power to the heating element from the external device. However, Patent Document 1 does not describe a structure for joining the terminal of the external device to the heating element. Therefore, for example, if the heater film is bonded to the cover substrate and then the terminal portion is joined to the heating portion, the joint between the terminal portion and the heating portion needs to be covered in a subsequent process such as potting. In other words, complex operations such as potting are required in the manufacture of electromagnetic wave-permeable covers. For this reason, electromagnetic wave-permeable covers cannot be manufactured easily, and there is a need for an electromagnetic wave-permeable cover and a method for manufacturing the same that can be manufactured easily. These same requirements apply to electromagnetic wave-transmitting covers placed in front of radar equipment in the direction of electromagnetic wave transmission, when radar equipment is used to transmit and receive electromagnetic waves other than millimeter waves (for example, near-infrared rays). [Means for solving the problem]

[0009] This document describes various embodiments of electromagnetic wave-transmitting covers designed to solve the above problems. [Aspect 1] An electromagnetic wave-transmitting cover disposed in front of a radar device in the transmission direction of electromagnetic waves transmitted and received by the radar device, comprising: a cover base material formed of a first resin material having electromagnetic wave-transmitting properties; a covering portion formed of a second resin material having electromagnetic wave-transmitting properties; and a heating portion provided on the front surface of the covering portion in the transmission direction and covering the covering portion, wherein a recess is formed on the rear surface of the cover base material in the transmission direction, and the covering portion is positioned in close contact with the recess.

[0010] According to the above configuration, by positioning the covering portion in close contact with the recess of the cover substrate, an electromagnetic wave-transmitting cover in which the heating element is sandwiched between the cover substrate and the covering portion can be easily manufactured.

[0011] [Aspect 2] In the electromagnetic wave-transmitting cover described above, it is preferable that the heating element is composed of a resistance wire wired on the front surface of the covering element and is directly bonded to the cover substrate.

[0012] [Aspect 3] In the electromagnetic wave-transmitting cover described above, it is preferable that the cover further comprises a connector electrically connected to the heating portion, wherein the connector protrudes from the cover substrate toward the rear in the transmission direction away from the side surface of the covering portion, and the cover substrate made of injection-molded material is fixed to the outer circumference of the connector.

[0013] [Aspect 4] It is preferable that the connector protrudes from the cover substrate toward the rear in the transmission direction, away from the side surface of the covering portion. [Aspect 5] Preferably, the heat-generating portion is further provided with a terminal portion that is electrically connected to the heating portion, wherein the terminal portion protrudes from the rear surface of the covering portion in the transmission direction toward the rear in the transmission direction.

[0014] [Aspect 6] It is preferable that the second resin material is the same as the first resin material. [Aspect 7] A preferred aspect is that the front surface of the cover substrate in the transmission direction is positioned on the design surface side of the electromagnetic wave-transmitting cover, and the rear surface of the cover substrate in the transmission direction is positioned on the radar device side. [Effects of the Invention]

[0015] According to the present invention, an electromagnetic wave-transmitting cover in which a heating element is sandwiched between a cover substrate and a covering portion can be easily manufactured. [Brief explanation of the drawing]

[0016] [Figure 1] This is a schematic cross-sectional view of the millimeter-wave transmission cover of the first embodiment. [Figure 2] This is a perspective view of the heater film. [Figure 3] Figure 2 is an enlarged cross-sectional view of the main part. [Figure 4] This is a perspective view of the terminal section. [Figure 5] This is a cross-sectional view of the connector housing. [Figure 6]It is a cross-sectional view when a terminal part is assembled to a connector housing. [Figure 7] It is a schematic cross-sectional view of a heat generating part. [Figure 8] It is a schematic cross-sectional view when the heat generating part of the heater film is brought into contact with the extending part of the terminal part. [Figure 9] It is a schematic cross-sectional view when the heat generating part of the heater film is soldered to the extending part of the terminal part. [Figure 10] It is a schematic cross-sectional view when an insert molding is performed on a cover base material using a heater film and a connector in a joined state as insert members. [Figure 11] It is a schematic cross-sectional view of a millimeter wave transmission cover of the second embodiment. [Figure 12] It is a cross-sectional view of a connector formed by insert molding a connector housing using a terminal part as an insert member. [Figure 13] It is a schematic cross-sectional view of a heat generating part. [Figure 14] It is a schematic cross-sectional view when the heat generating part of the heater film is brought into contact with the extending part of the terminal part. [Figure 15] It is a schematic cross-sectional view when the heat generating part of the heater film is soldered to the extending part of the terminal part. [Figure 16] It is a schematic cross-sectional view when an insert molding is performed on a cover base material using a heater film and a connector in a joined state as insert members.

Mode for Carrying Out the Invention

[0017] (First Embodiment) Hereinafter, a first embodiment in which an electromagnetic wave transmission cover is embodied as a millimeter wave transmission cover for a vehicle will be described with reference to the drawings. Regarding the following description, the forward direction of the vehicle will be described as the front and the reverse direction as the rear. Also, the vertical direction means the vertical direction of the vehicle, and the vehicle width direction means the left-right direction of the vehicle.

[0018] As shown in Figure 1, a millimeter-wave radar device 12 for forward monitoring, which is an example of a radar device that transmits and receives electromagnetic waves, is mounted in the central part of the front end of a vehicle 11 in the vehicle width direction. The millimeter-wave radar device 12 has the function of transmitting millimeter waves in electromagnetic waves toward the front outside the vehicle and receiving millimeter waves reflected after hitting objects outside the vehicle. Millimeter waves are radio waves with a wavelength of 1 mm to 10 mm and a frequency of 30 GHz to 300 GHz.

[0019] As described above, since the millimeter-wave radar device 12 transmits millimeter waves toward the front of the vehicle 11, the direction of transmission of millimeter waves by the millimeter-wave radar device 12 is from the rear to the front of the vehicle 11. The front in the direction of transmission of millimeter waves roughly coincides with the front of the vehicle 11, and the rear in the direction of transmission of millimeter waves roughly coincides with the rear of the vehicle 11. For this reason, in the following description, the front in the direction of transmission of millimeter waves will be simply referred to as "front," "forward," etc., and the rear in the direction of transmission of millimeter waves will be simply referred to as "rear," "back," etc.

[0020] <Millimeter-wave transparent cover 13> As shown in Figure 1, a plate-shaped millimeter-wave transparent cover 13, an example of an electromagnetic wave transparent cover, is positioned in front of the millimeter-wave radar device 12. The millimeter-wave transparent cover 13 is positioned upright so that its front surface faces the front of the vehicle 11 and its rear surface faces the rear of the vehicle 11. The front surface of the millimeter-wave transparent cover 13 constitutes the design surface 14 of the millimeter-wave transparent cover 13. The millimeter-wave transparent cover 13 includes a cover body portion 15, which constitutes the main part of the millimeter-wave transparent cover 13. The cover body portion 15 includes a cover substrate 16, a heater film 17, and a connector 18.

[0021] <Cover base material 16> As shown in Figure 1, the cover substrate 16 is formed by resin molding using a resin material that has millimeter-wave permeability as an electromagnetic wave permeability. The front surface of the cover substrate 16 constitutes the front surface of the millimeter-wave permeable cover 13, i.e., the design surface 14 of the millimeter-wave permeable cover 13. The resin material used to form the cover substrate 16 may be transparent or opaque.

[0022] Examples of resin materials used to form the cover substrate 16 include polypropylene (PP) resin, polycarbonate (PC) resin, acrylonitrile-butadiene-styrene copolymer (ABS) resin, acrylonitrile-ethylene-propylene-diene-styrene (AES) resin, polymethyl methacrylate (PMMA) resin, acrylonitrile-styrene-acrylate copolymer (ASA) resin, and PMMA resin containing ASA resin. In this embodiment, the cover substrate 16 is formed from ABS resin as an example.

[0023] <Heater film 17> As shown in Figures 1 and 2, the heater film 17 is positioned adjacent to the rear of the cover substrate 16. The heater film 17 comprises a rectangular plate-shaped film substrate 19 that is electromagnetically transparent, and a heating element 20 provided on the front surface of the film substrate 19 that generates heat when electricity is passed through it. The film substrate 19 forms the skeletal portion of the heater film 17. The film substrate 19 corresponds to the covering portion described in the means for solving the above problem.

[0024] The peripheral edge of the film substrate 19 has a sloped surface formed such that the thickness gradually decreases towards the periphery (outer edge). The film substrate 19 has a sloped surface formed on its peripheral edge such that the area of ​​the rear surface is larger than the area of ​​the front surface. In other words, the film substrate 19 has a trapezoidal shape when viewed in cross-section.

[0025] The resin material used to form the film substrate 19 can be the same as the resin material used to form the cover substrate 16. By using the same resin material for forming the film substrate 19 as the resin material used for forming the cover substrate 16, adhesion between the film substrate 19 and the cover substrate 16 can be ensured.

[0026] The film substrate 19 in this embodiment is made of ABS resin having the same millimeter-wave permeability as the resin material used to form the cover substrate 16. By forming the film substrate 19 from ABS resin, the amount of water absorbed to saturation can be reduced. Therefore, expansion in the thickness direction of the film substrate 19 due to moisture contained in the film substrate 19 can be suppressed, and the millimeter-wave permeability of the film substrate 19 can be maintained. The thickness of the film substrate 19 is preferably 1.2 mm or less.

[0027] The heating element 20 is formed of a resistance wire, i.e., a conductor such as a nichrome wire, which is generally considered to have high electrical resistance. The heating element 20 is formed on the front surface of the film substrate 19 so as to be wired with a predetermined wiring pattern, for example, a wiring pattern having a plurality of straight sections extending parallel to each other and a plurality of connecting sections connecting the ends of adjacent straight sections.

[0028] In this case, the heating element 20, which has a predetermined wiring pattern formed on it, is heated and pressed against the front surface of the film substrate 19, causing it to become embedded, thereby forming the heating element 20 on the front surface of the film substrate 19. Furthermore, in this case, as shown in Figure 3, about half of the resistance wires constituting the heating element 20 are embedded in the film substrate 19. Note that, as shown in Figure 2, both ends 20a of the resistance wires constituting the heating element 20 protrude from the film substrate 19. That is, both ends 20a of the resistance wires constituting the heating element 20 constitute the portion of the heating element 20 that protrudes from the film substrate 19 to the outside of the film substrate 19.

[0029] <Connector 18> As shown in Figure 1, the connector 18 is a component to which the connector 101 of the device 100 for supplying power to the heat-generating section 20 is detachably connected. The connector 18 comprises a connector housing 21 and a pair of terminal sections 22 (only one is shown in Figure 1) assembled to the connector housing 21.

[0030] The connector housing 21 is formed in a substantially cylindrical shape from an electrically insulating resin material. The connector housing 21 supports a pair of terminal portions 22. The front end of the connector housing 21 is embedded in the rear part of the cover base material 16. The portion of the connector housing 21 other than the front end protrudes rearward from the cover base material 16. A pair of clamping portions 23 for clamping the terminal portions 22 are provided inside the connector housing 21.

[0031] As shown in Figures 1 and 4, the terminal portion 22 is made of a conductive material such as metal. The terminal portion 22 comprises a rectangular rod-shaped base portion 24 extending in the front-rear direction and a plate-shaped extension portion 25 extending downward from the front end of the base portion 24. In other words, the terminal portion 22 is roughly L-shaped. The tip of the extension portion 25 is wider than the rest of the extension portion 25.

[0032] Each terminal portion 22 has a base portion 24 inserted into the connector housing 21 and clamped by a pair of clamping portions 23, while an extension portion 25 is housed in a stepped portion 26 formed on the front surface of the connector housing 21. In this case, the front surface of the extension portion 25 and the front surface of the connector housing 21 are flush.

[0033] The front surfaces of the extensions 25 of the pair of terminal portions 22 are soldered to the rear ends 20a of the resistance wires constituting the heating portion 20. The joint portion 27 between the extension 25 and the heating portion 20 is covered by the cover substrate 16 along with solder 28. Therefore, the terminal portions 22 are positioned adjacent to the rear of the cover substrate 16 and are electrically connected to the heater film 17.

[0034] <Manufacturing method for millimeter-wave transparent cover 13> Next, a method for manufacturing the millimeter-wave transmission cover 13 configured as described above will be explained. The millimeter-wave-transmitting cover 13 is formed by sequentially going through the following steps: connector fabrication, heater film fabrication, terminal bonding, and cover substrate molding.

[0035] <Connector manufacturing process> As shown in Figure 5, in the connector manufacturing process, first, the connector housing 21 is formed by resin molding. Next, as shown in Figure 6, a pair of terminal portions 22 are formed by processing a conductive metal material, and then the pair of terminal portions 22 are inserted into the connector housing 21 and assembled. In this case, the base portion 24 of each terminal portion 22 is press-fitted between a pair of clamping portions 23, and the front surface of the extension portion 25 of each terminal portion 22 and the front surface of the connector housing 21 are flush. This results in a connector 18 in which the pair of terminal portions 22 are assembled into the connector housing 21.

[0036] <Heater film creation process> As shown in Figure 7, in the heater film manufacturing process, first, the resistance wires are bent to form a predetermined wiring pattern to create the heating element 20. Next, as shown in Figure 2, a plate-shaped film substrate 19 is formed by resin molding, and then the heating element 20 is pressed against the front surface of the film substrate 19 while being heated. As a result, the heating element 20 is fixed in place by being embedded in the front surface of the film substrate 19, and the heater film 17 is obtained. At this time, both ends 20a of the resistance wires constituting the heating element 20 protrude from the film substrate 19.

[0037] <Terminal part joining process> As shown in Figure 8, in the terminal joining process, first, both ends 20a of the resistance wires constituting the heating element 20 of the heater film 17 are kept in contact with the front surfaces of the extensions 25 of the pair of terminal parts 22. Next, in this state, as shown in Figure 9, both ends 20a of the resistance wires constituting the heating element 20 are joined to the front surfaces of the extensions 25 of the pair of terminal parts 22 by soldering. This joins the heater film 17 and the connector 18. At this time, the solder 28 that joins both ends 20a of the resistance wires constituting the heating element 20 to the front surfaces of the extensions 25 of the pair of terminal parts 22 protrudes outwards, bulging forward.

[0038] <Cover substrate molding process> As shown in Figure 10, in the cover substrate molding process, the heater film 17 and connector 18, which are joined together, are used as insert members to insert the cover substrate 16. At this time, since a slope is formed on the peripheral edge of the film substrate 19 of the heater film 17, the resin flows more easily along this slope. As a result, the moldability of the cover substrate 16 is improved.

[0039] This results in the desired millimeter-wave transmitting cover 13, which has a cover body portion 15 in which the heater film 17, connector 18, and cover substrate 16 are integrated. In this case, the joint portion 27 between the heating element 20 of the heater film 17 and the pair of terminal portions 22 of the connector 18 is covered by the cover substrate 16 together with solder 28.

[0040] In this way, by molding the cover substrate 16, the joint portion 27 between the heating element 20 of the heater film 17 and the pair of terminal portions 22 of the connector 18 is covered by the cover substrate 16. Therefore, there is no need to cover the joint portion 27 in a later process such as potting. Thus, the millimeter-wave transparent cover 13 can be easily manufactured.

[0041] <Function of millimeter-wave transmission cover 13> Next, the function of the millimeter-wave transmission cover 13 will be explained. The millimeter-wave transparent cover 13 is attached to the vehicle 11. The connector 101 of the device 100 is connected to the connector 18 of the millimeter-wave transparent cover attached to the vehicle 11. This electrically connects the heating element 20 to the device 100 via each terminal 22.

[0042] Incidentally, if ice or snow adheres to the design surface 14 of the millimeter-wave transparent cover 13, power from the device 100 is supplied to the heating element 20 via the connector 101 of the device 100 and the terminals 22 of the connector 18 of the millimeter-wave transparent cover 13. As a result, the heating element 20 is energized and generates heat. A portion of the heat generated by the heating element 20 is transferred to the design surface 14 of the millimeter-wave transparent cover 13. This heat transferred to the design surface 14 melts the ice or snow adhering to the design surface 14, thereby suppressing the attenuation of millimeter waves caused by the ice or snow.

[0043] Furthermore, when millimeter waves are transmitted from the millimeter-wave radar device 12 shown in Figure 1, these millimeter waves pass through various parts of the cover body 15 of the millimeter-wave transparent cover 13. These transmitted millimeter waves are reflected after hitting objects in front of the vehicle, including preceding vehicles and pedestrians, and then pass through the cover body 15 again to be received by the millimeter-wave radar device 12. Based on the transmitted and received millimeter waves, the millimeter-wave radar device 12 performs object recognition and detects the distance and relative speed between the object and the vehicle 11.

[0044] According to the first embodiment described in detail above, the following effects are achieved. (1-1) In the millimeter-wave transparent cover 13, a portion of the heating element 20 protrudes from the film substrate 19. The terminal portion 22 is joined to the portion of the heating element 20 that protrudes from the film substrate 19. The joint portion 27 between the terminal portion 22 and the heating element 20 is covered by the cover substrate 16.

[0045] With this configuration, the joint portion 27 between the terminal portion 22 and the heating portion 20 is covered by the cover substrate 16, eliminating the need to cover the joint portion 27 in a later process, such as by potting. Therefore, the millimeter-wave transparent cover 13 can be easily manufactured.

[0046] (1-2) In the millimeter-wave transmitting cover 13, the terminal portion 22 is bonded to the rear position of the portion of the heating portion 20 that protrudes from the film substrate 19. This configuration allows the heating element 20 to be positioned further forward. In other words, the heater film 17 can be positioned closer to the front surface (design surface 14) of the cover substrate 16. As a result, the heat from the heating element 20 can effectively melt the ice and snow adhering to the design surface 14.

[0047] (Second Embodiment) Next, a second embodiment in which the electromagnetic wave-transmitting cover is materialized as a millimeter-wave-transmitting cover for vehicles will be described with reference to the drawings. As shown in Figure 11, the millimeter-wave-transmitting cover 31 of this second embodiment is the same as the millimeter-wave-transmitting cover 13 of the first embodiment in which the connector 18 is replaced with a connector 32. Therefore, in this second embodiment, only the differences from the first embodiment will be described, and explanations that overlap with the first embodiment will be omitted. In addition, in this second embodiment, the same reference numerals will be used for the same components as in the first embodiment.

[0048] <Millimeter-wave transparent cover 31> As shown in Figure 11, the millimeter-wave transmitting cover 31 includes a cover body portion 33 which constitutes the main part of the millimeter-wave transmitting cover 31. The cover body portion 33 includes a cover substrate 16, a heater film 17, and a connector 32.

[0049] <Connector 32> As shown in Figure 11, the connector 32 is a component to which the connector 101 of the device 100 for supplying power to the heat-generating section 20 is detachably connected. The connector 32 comprises a connector housing 34 and a pair of terminal portions 35 (only one is shown in Figure 11) integrally formed in the connector housing 34 by insert molding.

[0050] The connector housing 34 is formed from an electrically insulating resin material into a roughly bottomed box shape with an open rear and a front wall 36 as the bottom wall. The front wall 36 of the connector housing 34 is embedded in the rear of the cover base material 16 and supports a pair of terminal portions 35. The parts of the connector housing 34 other than the front wall 36 protrude rearward from the cover base material 16.

[0051] The terminal portion 35 is made of a conductive material such as metal. The terminal portion 35 comprises a rectangular rod-shaped base portion 37 extending in the front-rear direction and a plate-shaped extension portion 38 extending downward from the front end of the base portion 37. In other words, the terminal portion 35 is roughly L-shaped. The tip of the extension portion 38 is wider than the rest of the extension portion 38.

[0052] Each terminal portion 35 has a base portion 37 inserted into the connector housing 34, and an extension portion 38 housed in a groove 39 formed on the front surface of the front wall 36 of the connector housing 34. In this case, the front surface of the extension portion 38 and the front surface of the front wall 36 of the connector housing 34 are flush. Furthermore, in this case, the extension portion 38 extends downward in the direction of the heater film 17, and its tip protrudes downward from the front wall 36 of the connector housing 34.

[0053] The rear surfaces of the extensions 38 of the pair of terminal portions 35 are soldered to the front ends 20a of the resistance wires constituting the heating portion 20. The joint portion 40 between the extension 38 and the heating portion 20 is covered by the cover substrate 16 along with the solder 28. Therefore, the terminal portions 35 are positioned adjacent to the rear of the cover substrate 16 and are electrically connected to the heater film 17.

[0054] <Manufacturing method for millimeter-wave transparent cover 31> Next, a method for manufacturing the millimeter-wave-transmitting cover 31 configured as described above will be explained. The millimeter-wave-transmitting cover 31 is formed by sequentially going through the following steps: connector fabrication, heater film fabrication, terminal bonding, and cover substrate molding.

[0055] <Connector manufacturing process> In the connector manufacturing process, first, a pair of terminal portions 35 are processed using a conductive metal material. Next, the processed pair of terminal portions 35 are used as insert members to insert-mold the connector housing 34. As a result, a connector 32 is obtained in which a portion of each terminal portion 35 is covered by the connector housing 34, as shown in Figure 12.

[0056] <Heater film creation process> As shown in Figure 13, in the heater film manufacturing process, first, the resistance wires are bent to form a predetermined wiring pattern to create the heating element 20. Next, as shown in Figure 2, a plate-shaped film substrate 19 is formed by resin molding, and then the heating element 20 is pressed against the front surface of the film substrate 19 while being heated. As a result, the heating element 20 is fixed to the front surface of the film substrate 19 in an embedded state, and the heater film 17 is obtained. At this time, both ends 20a of the resistance wires constituting the heating element 20 protrude from the film substrate 19.

[0057] <Terminal part joining process> As shown in Figure 14, in the terminal joining process, first, both ends 20a of the resistance wires constituting the heating element 20 of the heater film 17 are kept in contact with the rear surfaces of the tips of the extension portions 38 of the pair of terminal portions 35, which are the parts that protrude from the connector housing 34. Next, in this state, as shown in Figure 15, both ends 20a of the resistance wires constituting the heating element 20 are joined to the rear surfaces of the tips of the extension portions 38 of the pair of terminal portions 35 by soldering. This joins the heater film 17 and the connector 32. At this time, the solder 28 that joins both ends 20a of the resistance wires constituting the heating element 20 to the rear surfaces of the tips of the extension portions 38 of the pair of terminal portions 35 protrudes in a bulge toward the rear.

[0058] <Cover substrate molding process> As shown in Figure 16, in the cover substrate molding process, the heater film 17 and connector 32, which are joined together, are used as insert members to insert the cover substrate 16. This results in the desired millimeter-wave transmitting cover 31 having a cover body portion 33 in which the heater film 17, connector 32, and cover substrate 16 are integrated. In this case, the joint portion 40 between the heating portion 20 of the heater film 17 and the pair of terminal portions 35 of the connector 32 is covered by the cover substrate 16 together with solder 28.

[0059] Furthermore, in this case, the solder 28 that joins both ends 20a of the resistance wire constituting the heating element 20 to the rear surface of the tip of the extension 38 of the pair of terminal parts 35 protrudes in a bulge toward the rear, which is opposite to the design surface 14. Therefore, when insert molding the cover substrate 16, the occurrence of sink marks on the design surface 14 due to the influence of the unevenness of the solder 28 is suppressed.

[0060] According to the second embodiment described in detail above, in addition to the effects of (1-1) above, the following effects are achieved. (2-1) In the millimeter-wave transmitting cover 31, the extension portion 38 is joined to the front position of the portion of the heating portion 20 that protrudes from the film substrate 19.

[0061] With this configuration, when the extension portion 38 is joined to the heating portion 20 by soldering, the solder 28 is positioned on the side of the extension portion 38 opposite to the front surface (design surface 14) of the cover base material 16. Therefore, when molding the cover base material 16, it is possible to suppress the occurrence of sink marks on the front surface (design surface 14) of the cover base material 16 due to the influence of the irregularities of the solder 28 that joins the extension portion 38 and the heating portion 20.

[0062] (2-2) In the millimeter-wave transmitting cover 31, the cover body portion 33 is equipped with a connector housing 34 that supports the terminal portion 35. The extension portion 38 extends in the direction toward the heater film 17, and its tip protrudes from the connector housing 34.

[0063] With this configuration, even when the terminal portion 35 is supported by the connector housing 34, the extension portion 38 can be easily joined to the front position of the portion of the heating element 20 that protrudes from the film substrate 19.

[0064] (Example of change) Each of the above embodiments can be implemented with the following modifications. Furthermore, the above embodiments and the following modifications can be combined with each other to the extent that they do not contradict each other technically.

[0065] In the first embodiment, the terminal portion 22 does not necessarily need to be bonded to the rear position of the portion of the heating portion 20 that protrudes from the film substrate 19. In the first embodiment, the connector 18 may be formed by insert molding the connector housing 21 using a pair of terminal portions 22 as insert members.

[0066] In the first embodiment, the heat-generating portion 20 and the extension portion 25 of the pair of terminal portions 22 may be joined by fusing, crimping, or other methods. In the first embodiment, the pair of terminals 22 may be assembled to the connector housing 21 after the heating element 20 and the extension 25 of the pair of terminals 22 have been joined together.

[0067] In the first embodiment, the connector housing 21 may be omitted. In the second embodiment, the connector housing 34 may be formed by resin molding, and a pair of terminal portions 35 may be formed by processing a conductive metal material, after which the pair of terminal portions 35 may be assembled to the connector housing 34 to form the connector 32.

[0068] In the second embodiment, the heat-generating portion 20 and the extension portion 38 of the pair of terminal portions 35 may be joined by fusing, crimping, or the like. In the second embodiment, the connector housing 34 may be omitted.

[0069] In the heater film 17, the resistance wires constituting the heat-generating section 20 may be embedded in the film substrate 19 by more than half. The electromagnetic waves transmitted and received by the radar equipment may include infrared radiation and other types of waves in addition to millimeter waves.

[0070] The electromagnetic wave-transmitting cover is also applicable when the radar equipment that transmits and receives electromagnetic waves is mounted on a different type of vehicle than the vehicle 11, such as a train, aircraft, or ship. [Explanation of Symbols]

[0071] 11. Vehicle as an example of a vehicle 12. Millimeter-wave radar equipment as an example of radar equipment. 13,31...Millimeter-wave transparent cover as an example of an electromagnetic wave transparent cover 14…Design surface 15,33...Cover body 16…Cover base material 17… Heater film 18,32… Connectors 19…Film substrate 20…Fever-generating part 20a...Both ends 21,34… Connector housing 22,35...Terminal section 23...Holding part 24,37...Base 25,38...extension part 26... Stepped section 27,40...joint part 36...Front wall 39...Groove 100...Equipment 101… Connector (Notes regarding means for solving the problem) The means for solving the above problems include the following (Appendix 1) to (Appendix 7), which are technical ideas that can be grasped from the above embodiments and their modified forms.

[0072] (Additional note 1) An electromagnetic wave-transmitting cover applicable to a vehicle equipped with a radar device that transmits and receives electromagnetic waves, and having a cover body portion positioned in front of the radar device in the direction of electromagnetic wave transmission, The cover body comprises a cover substrate formed of an electromagnetic wave-transmitting resin material, a heater film adjacent to the rear of the cover substrate in the transmission direction, and a terminal portion adjacent to the rear of the cover substrate in the transmission direction and electrically connected to the heater film. The heater film comprises a film substrate having electromagnetic wave permeability and a heating element provided on the front surface of the film substrate in the transmission direction and generating heat when an electric current is passed through it. A portion of the heating element protrudes from the film substrate. The terminal portion is joined to the portion of the heating element that protrudes from the film substrate. An electromagnetic wave-transmitting cover characterized in that the joint between the terminal portion and the heating portion is covered by the cover substrate.

[0073] (Additional note 2) The electromagnetic wave-transmitting cover according to Appendix 1, characterized in that the terminal portion is joined to the portion of the heating element that protrudes from the film substrate at a position on the rear side in the transmission direction.

[0074] (Additional note 3) The terminal portion comprises a base portion and an extension portion extending from the base portion. The electromagnetic wave-transmitting cover according to Appendix 1, characterized in that the extension portion is joined to the portion of the heating portion that protrudes from the film substrate at a position on the front side in the transmission direction.

[0075] (Additional note 4) The cover body includes a connector housing that supports the terminal portion. The electromagnetic wave-transmitting cover according to Appendix 3, characterized in that the extension extends in the direction toward the heater film and its tip protrudes from the connector housing.

[0076] (Additional note 5) Applicable to a vehicle equipped with a radar device that transmits and receives electromagnetic waves, and having a cover body portion positioned in front of the radar device in the direction of transmission of the electromagnetic waves, The cover body comprises a cover substrate formed of an electromagnetic wave-transmitting resin material, a heater film adjacent to the rear of the cover substrate in the transmission direction, and a terminal portion adjacent to the rear of the cover substrate in the transmission direction and electrically connected to the heater film. The heater film is a method for manufacturing an electromagnetic wave-transmitting cover comprising an electromagnetic wave-transmitting film substrate and a heating element provided on the front surface of the film substrate in the transmission direction and which generates heat when an electric current is passed through it. The heating element and the terminal element are joined together. By insert molding the cover substrate with the heater film and the terminal portion as insert members, the joint between the heating portion and the terminal portion is covered with the cover substrate. A method for manufacturing an electromagnetic wave-transmitting cover, characterized by having the following features.

Claims

1. An electromagnetic wave-transmitting cover positioned in front of the radar device in the transmission direction of electromagnetic waves transmitted and received by the radar device, A cover substrate formed from a first resin material having electromagnetic wave permeability, A covering portion formed from a second resin material having electromagnetic wave permeability, A heating element provided on the front surface of the covering portion in the transmission direction and covered by the covering portion, It comprises a terminal portion joined to the heat-generating portion, A recess is formed on the rear surface of the cover substrate in the transmission direction. The recess is positioned in a state in close contact with the covering portion. The joint between the terminal portion and the heating portion is covered by the cover substrate. Electromagnetic wave-transmitting cover.

2. The heating element is composed of resistance wires wired to the front surface of the covering and is directly bonded to the cover substrate. The electromagnetic wave-transmitting cover according to claim 1.

3. The heat-generating section further includes a connector that is electrically connected to the heat-generating section. The connector comprises the terminal portion and the connector housing that supports the terminal portion. The cover base material, which is made of injection-molded material, is fixed to the outer circumference of the connector housing. An electromagnetic wave-transmitting cover according to claim 1 or claim 2.

4. The connector protrudes from the cover substrate toward the rear in the transmission direction, away from the side surface of the covering portion. The electromagnetic wave-transmitting cover according to claim 3.

5. The terminal portion protrudes from the rear surface of the covering portion in the transmission direction toward the rear in the transmission direction, An electromagnetic wave-transmitting cover according to claim 1 or claim 2.

6. The second resin material is identical to the first resin material. An electromagnetic wave-transmitting cover according to any one of claims 1 to 5.

7. The front surface of the cover substrate in the transmission direction is positioned on the design surface side of the electromagnetic wave-transmitting cover, and the rear surface of the cover substrate in the transmission direction is positioned on the radar device side. An electromagnetic wave-transmitting cover according to any one of claims 1 to 6.

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