Radar antenna with flushing function

Abstract

The invention relates to a radar antenna with flushing function, comprising an antenna body, which forms an antenna horn, and a flushing fluid channel, which is designed to hold a flushing fluid. The flushing fluid channel opens at its end into an annular gap for discharging the flushing fluid into the interior of the antenna body.

Description

[0001] Radar antenna with flushing function

[0002] Reference to related applications

[0003] This application claims priority from German patent application No. 10 2024 201 343.9, filed on February 14, 2024, which is incorporated in its entirety by reference into this document.

[0004] Field of the invention

[0005] The present invention relates to radar measurement technology. In particular, the present invention relates to a radar antenna with a purge function, as well as a radar measuring device with such a radar antenna.

[0006] Technical background

[0007] In the field of process measurement technology in industrial or private environments, radar measuring devices are used. These transmit a radar measurement signal via a radar antenna and receive the measurement signal reflected from a product surface. The distance to the reflector can be determined from the travel time of the measurement signal during its journey from the antenna to the reflector and back to the antenna.

[0008] Especially when the radar sensor is installed in a container, adhesions can occur in the antenna, which can negatively influence the measurement signal and thus reduce the measurement accuracy. Summary of the invention

[0009] Against this background, it is an object of the present invention to increase the measurement quality.

[0010] This object is achieved by the features of the independent patent claims. Further developments of the invention emerge from the subclaims and the following description of embodiments.

[0011] A first aspect of the present disclosure relates to a radar antenna having a flushing function. The radar antenna has an antenna body, which forms, for example, an antenna horn. Furthermore, a flushing fluid channel is provided, which is configured to receive flushing fluid. The flushing fluid channel has, or opens into, an annular gap at its outlet end, which is configured to discharge the flushing fluid into the interior of the antenna body, for example, to flush an antenna cone there.

[0012] The annular gap can be designed as an annular purge air slot and arranged around a matching cone. It is designed to allow for a uniform supply of purge air. Due to its symmetry, the arrangement does not result in any polarization dependence of the antenna.

[0013] The flushing fluid can thus enter the interior of the antenna directly from the flushing air slot.

[0014] The annular gap can in particular form the outlet of a purge air chamber which is connected to the interior of the antenna body via the annular gap

[0015] It can also be provided that the annular gap is guided around an adapter element described below so that the rinsing fluid can be delivered directly onto the adapter element.

[0016] According to one embodiment of the present disclosure, the radar antenna further comprises a base body with a waveguide integrated therein, which is configured to guide the radar measurement signal to the antenna body, wherein the antenna body is attached to the base body. According to a further embodiment of the present disclosure, the flushing fluid channel is arranged at least partially in the base body.

[0017] According to a further embodiment of the present disclosure, the radar antenna comprises a matching element in the form of an antenna cone for feeding the radar measurement signal from the waveguide into the antenna horn, wherein the annular gap into which the flushing fluid channel opens is guided around the matching element so that the flushing fluid can be delivered onto the matching element in order to flush it.

[0018] According to a further embodiment of the present disclosure, an adjusting element is provided which is configured to adjust the gap width of the annular gap.

[0019] According to a further embodiment of the present disclosure, the actuating element is an electromechanical or pneumatic actuating element.

[0020] According to a further embodiment of the present disclosure, the radar antenna comprises a flushing fluid ring surrounding the base body and configured to introduce the flushing fluid into the flushing fluid channel.

[0021] According to a further embodiment of the present disclosure, the flushing fluid channel is designed in the form of one or preferably several bores, which can be arranged in a ring shape.

[0022] According to another embodiment of the present disclosure, the annular gap is integrated into the antenna body.

[0023] Another aspect of the present disclosure relates to a radar measuring device having a radar antenna as described above and below.

[0024] The term "process automation in industrial environments" can be understood as a branch of technology that includes measures for operating machines and systems without human intervention. One goal of process automation is to automate the interaction of individual components of a plant in the chemical, food, pharmaceutical, petroleum, paper, cement, shipping, or mining industries. A variety of sensors can be used for this purpose, which are specifically adapted to the specific requirements of the process industry, such as mechanical stability, insensitivity to contamination, extreme temperatures, and extreme pressures. Measured values ​​from these sensors are usually transmitted to a control room, where process parameters such as fill level, limit level, flow rate, pressure, or density are monitored, and settings for the entire plant can be changed manually or automatically.

[0025] A sub-area of ​​process automation in the industrial environment concerns the logistics automation of plants and the logistics automation of supply chains. With the help of distance and angle sensors, processes inside or outside a building, or within a single logistics facility, are automated in the field of logistics automation. Typical applications for logistics automation systems include baggage and freight handling at airports, traffic monitoring (toll systems), retail, parcel distribution, and building security (access control). What the aforementioned examples have in common is that the respective application requires presence detection in combination with precise measurement of the size and location of an object.For this purpose, sensors based on optical measuring methods using lasers, LEDs, 2D cameras or 3D cameras that measure distances according to the time of flight (ToF) principle can be used.

[0026] Another sub-area of ​​process automation in the industrial environment concerns factory-to-production automation. Applications for this can be found in a wide variety of industries, such as automotive manufacturing, food production, the pharmaceutical industry, and packaging in general. The goal of factory automation is to automate the production of goods using machines, production lines, and / or robots, i.e., to run the process without human intervention. The sensors used here and the specific requirements regarding measurement accuracy for detecting the position and size of an object are comparable to those in the previous example of logistics automation.

[0027] The terms used in the claims should be construed to give them the broadest possible reasonable interpretation consistent with the foregoing description. For example, the use of the article "a" or "the" in introducing an element should not be construed to exclude a plurality of elements. Likewise, the mention of "or" should be construed to include a plurality of elements, so that the mention of "A or B" does not exclude "A and B" unless it is clear from the context or the preceding description that only one of A and B is intended.Furthermore, the phrase "at least one of A, B, and C" should be understood as one or more elements from a group of elements consisting of A, B, and C, and should not be interpreted as requiring at least one of each of the listed elements A, B, and C, whether A, B, and C are related as categories or otherwise. Furthermore, the reference to "A, B, and / or C" or "at least one of A, B, or C" should be interpreted to include each individual unit of the listed elements, e.g., A, each subset of the listed elements, e.g., A and B, or the entire list of elements A, B, and C.

[0028] The term "process automation in industrial environments" can be understood as a branch of technology that includes measures for operating machines and systems without human intervention. One goal of process automation is to automate the interaction of individual components of a plant in the chemical, food, pharmaceutical, petroleum, paper, cement, shipping, or mining industries. A variety of sensors can be used for this purpose, which are specifically adapted to the specific requirements of the process industry, such as mechanical stability, insensitivity to contamination, extreme temperatures, and extreme pressures. Measured values ​​from these sensors are usually transmitted to a control room, where process parameters such as fill level, limit level, flow rate, pressure, or density are monitored, and settings for the entire plant can be changed manually or automatically.

[0029] A sub-area of ​​process automation in the industrial environment concerns the logistics automation of plants and the logistics automation of supply chains. With the help of distance and angle sensors, processes inside or outside a building, or within a single logistics facility, are automated in the field of logistics automation. Typical applications for logistics automation systems include baggage and freight handling at airports, traffic monitoring (toll systems), retail, parcel distribution, and building security (access control). What the aforementioned examples have in common is that the respective application requires presence detection in combination with precise measurement of the size and location of an object.For this purpose, sensors based on optical measuring methods using lasers, LEDs, 2D cameras or 3D cameras that measure distances according to the time of flight (ToF) principle can be used.

[0030] Another sub-area of ​​process automation in the industrial environment concerns factory-to-production automation. Applications for this can be found in a wide variety of industries, such as automotive manufacturing, food production, the pharmaceutical industry, and packaging in general. The goal of factory automation is to automate the production of goods using machines, production lines, and / or robots, i.e., to run the process without human intervention. The sensors used here and the specific requirements regarding measurement accuracy for detecting the position and size of an object are comparable to those in the previous example of logistics automation.

[0031] The terms used in the claims should be construed to give them the broadest possible reasonable interpretation consistent with the foregoing description. For example, the use of the article "a" or "the" in introducing an element should not be construed to exclude a plurality of elements. Likewise, the mention of "or" should be construed to include a plurality of elements, so that the mention of "A or B" does not exclude "A and B" unless it is clear from the context or the preceding description that only one of A and B is intended.Furthermore, the phrase "at least one of A, B, and C" should be understood as one or more elements from a group of elements consisting of A, B, and C, and should not be interpreted as requiring at least one of each of the listed elements A, B, and C, whether A, B, and C are related as categories or otherwise. Furthermore, the reference to "A, B, and / or C" or "at least one of A, B, or C" should be interpreted to include each individual unit of the listed elements, e.g., A, each subset of the listed elements, e.g., A and B, or the entire list of elements A, B, and C.

[0032] Embodiments of the present disclosure are described below with reference to the figures. Where the same reference numerals are used in the following description of the figures, they denote the same or similar elements.

[0033] Short description of the characters

[0034] Fig. 1 shows a sectional view of a part of a radar antenna according to an embodiment.

[0035] Fig. 2 shows a sectional view of a part of a radar antenna according to an embodiment.

[0036] Fig. 3 shows a radar measuring device with a radar antenna according to an embodiment.

[0037] Detailed description of embodiments

[0038] Fig. 1 shows a sectional view of a portion of a radar antenna 101 according to an embodiment of the present disclosure. The radar antenna 101 has a base body 107, in which a waveguide 108 is integrated centrally. This waveguide guides the radar measurement signal from the radar signal source (not shown) downward toward the antenna horn. An antenna body 109, for example in the form of a nozzle, is attached to the base body 107. This attachment can be achieved by means of a thread.

[0039] At the end of the waveguide 108 there is a matching element 110, which can also be referred to as a matching cone, and is designed to feed the radar measurement signal from the waveguide 108 into the antenna horn.

[0040] In the base body 107 there are several concentrically arranged bores 102 which guide the flushing fluid from the flushing air ring 105 (which is placed around the base body) to the annular gap 112.

[0041] The annular gap 112 is located in the wall of the antenna body 109 close to its "root." The annular gap 112 forms the outlet of a purge air chamber 103, into which the bores 102 (purge fluid channels) open. Thus, the purge fluid channels initially open into the annular purge air chamber 103, which is connected to the interior of the antenna body 109 via the annular gap 112.

[0042] The purge function of radar antenna 101 provides part of the cleaning of the process side of the antenna. Purge air is blown into the so-called antenna horn (antenna body 109), which can keep out coarse contaminants, dust, and heat.

[0043] Since there are not multiple purge air holes arranged around the matching element 110, but rather a continuous annular gap 112, the air distribution is uniform. Furthermore, the antenna system's radiation characteristics are not affected by non-rotationally symmetric geometries.

[0044] The annular gap 112 is arranged in a circle around the matching element 110 and ensures a uniform distribution of the purge air and that the antenna system is not polarization dependent.

[0045] The gap width of the annular gap 112 can be adjusted to adjust the amount of air volume and air velocity.

[0046] For example, the annular gap 112 can be mechanically enlarged or reduced, for example, by slightly screwing or unscrewing the antenna body 109, which is connected to the base body 107 via a threaded connection. Optionally or additionally, a controlled adjustment of the gap width during operation can be provided. This can be done electromechanically or pneumatically, for example, via a slide valve. In particular, a pneumatic cylinder can be arranged in the flushing channel.

[0047] The purge air ring 105 is used to supply the purge fluid. This can be mounted on a flange 111 and enclose the antenna system or the base body 107. In designs with thicker flanges, for example, the purge air ring 105 is located higher on the antenna system. It can therefore be pushed up and down depending on the flange thickness. This allows the use of flanges that do not require complex drilling. Within the antenna system, the purge fluid is guided through the bores 102, which ensure that the purge fluid builds up a constant pressure in the purge air chamber 103.

[0048] Fig. 2 shows a sectional view of part of a radar antenna according to one embodiment. In this embodiment, an adjustment unit 120 is provided, which is located between the base body 107 and the antenna body 109. The adjustment unit 120 serves to move the antenna body 109 towards or away from the base body 107 in order to adjust the gap width of the annular gap 112. The adjustment unit 120 is, for example, an electrical thread adjustment or a pneumatic cylinder or another actuator. A channel 121 can be provided in the flange 11, via which a fluid, for example air, can be guided to the adjustment unit in order to control and move it. An electrical line can also be arranged in the channel 121 in order to control the adjustment unit 120.

[0049] Fig. 3 shows a level radar measuring device 100 having a radar antenna 101 as described above.

Claims

Patent claims 1. A radar antenna (101) with a flushing function, comprising: an antenna body (109) forming an antenna horn; a flushing fluid channel (102) configured to receive flushing fluid; wherein the flushing fluid channel opens into an annular gap (112) configured to discharge the flushing fluid into the interior of the antenna body.

2. Radar antenna (101) according to claim 1, further comprising: a base body (107) with a waveguide (108) integrated therein, configured to guide a radar measurement signal to the antenna body (109); wherein the antenna body (109) is attached to the base body.

3. Radar antenna (101) according to claim 2, wherein the flushing fluid channel (102) is arranged at least partially in the base body.

4. Radar antenna (101) according to claim 2 or 3, further comprising: a matching element (110) in the form of an antenna cone for feeding the radar measurement signal from the waveguide (108) into the antenna horn; wherein the annular gap (112) into which the flushing fluid channel (102) opens is guided around the matching element so that the flushing fluid can be delivered to the matching element.

5. Radar antenna (101) according to one of the preceding claims, further comprising: an adjusting element configured to adjust the gap width of the annular gap (112).

6. Radar antenna (101) according to claim 5, wherein the actuating element is an electromechanical or pneumatic actuating element.

7. Radar antenna (101) according to one of claims 2 to 6, further comprising: a flushing fluid ring (105) surrounding the base body (107) and configured to introduce the flushing fluid into the flushing fluid channel (102).

8. Radar antenna (101) according to one of the preceding claims, wherein the flushing fluid channel (102) is designed in the form of one or more bores.

9. Radar antenna (101) according to one of the preceding claims, wherein the annular gap (112) is integrated into the antenna body (109).

10. Radar measuring device (100) comprising a radar antenna (101) according to one of the preceding claims.

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