Radar Sensor Layout With Waveguide Opening and Inverted Substrate
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Solution Overview
Problem
Modern radar systems face challenges in meeting demanding requirements for high-frequency transmission and reception performance, electromagnetic emissions, heating, energy efficiency, and cost efficiency, particularly when the high-frequency substrate is oriented towards the radome, leading to conflicts in meeting these criteria simultaneously.
Innovation Solution
The radar sensor is designed with the substrate facing away from the radome and a structure between the radome and substrate, featuring a metallized opening acting as a waveguide antenna, minimizing attenuation and maximizing reception performance, while using FR4 circuit boards for cost-effectiveness and incorporating a common heat sink for thermal management.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If the high-frequency substrate is oriented toward the radome, then high-frequency transmission and reception performance is improved, but electromagnetic emissions and heating require additional EMC protection and cooling effort
Solution Approach 1:
The patent inverts the conventional orientation by placing the substrate on the side facing away from the radome, with the structure arranged between the radome and substrate. This inversion allows the high-frequency substrate to achieve good transmission and reception performance while the structure serves as shielding against electromagnetic emissions and provides thermal management, eliminating the need for additional EMC protection and cooling components.
Solution Approach 2:
The structure in the patent serves multiple functions simultaneously: it acts as electromagnetic shielding to protect against emissions, provides thermal management by separating heat-generating components from the radome, and maintains mechanical stability. This multi-functionality resolves the contradiction by eliminating the need for separate EMC protection and cooling systems.
2Reliability
If the high-frequency substrate is oriented toward the radome, then transmission performance is improved, but electromagnetic emissions increase requiring additional shielding
Solution Approach 1:
The patent inverts the conventional arrangement by placing the substrate away from the radome and positioning the structure between them. This inversion allows the substrate to maintain excellent transmission performance while the structure provides inherent electromagnetic shielding, reducing emissions without requiring additional shielding materials.
3Reliability
If additional antennas are added to improve reception performance, then reception performance is improved, but device complexity and cost increase
Solution Approach 1:
The patent makes the substrate itself function as an antenna by optimizing its high-frequency properties and arrangement. The substrate serves dual purposes: as the structural base for electronic components and as the receiving antenna. This eliminates the need for separate patch antennas while maintaining excellent reception performance across wide frequency bands.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent merges the substrate and antenna functions into a single integrated component. The high-frequency substrate is designed to directly receive radar signals and transmit them to the electronic components, combining what would traditionally be separate elements (substrate and antenna) into one unified structure, thereby reducing complexity and cost.
4Ease of manufacture
If FR4 circuit boards are used instead of high-frequency substrates, then cost efficiency is improved, but high-frequency performance may be compromised
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies local quality by using FR4 material specifically for the substrate where cost efficiency is paramount, while the critical high-frequency signal paths are routed through the structure with optimized metallization. The structure's metallization layers and geometric design compensate for FR4's higher loss characteristics, maintaining adequate high-frequency performance for the intended application range while achieving significant cost reduction.
Applied Scientific Principles
This section explains which scientific principles are used to turn an abstract innovation direction into a practical engineering solution.
Function Achieved in This Case
This design achieves simultaneous optimization of high-frequency transmission and reception, electromagnetic emissions, thermal management, and cost efficiency by minimizing power loss and electromagnetic interference, allowing operation in a wide frequency band of 76-81 GHz without additional antennas or shielding materials.
Implementation Method 1
The at least one opening provided according to the invention in the structure of the circuit board functions as a wide-band waveguide antenna that conducts radar signals into the radar sensor
Implementation Method 2
The arrangement of the structure of the circuit board of the radar sensor between the substrate and a specific radome minimizes an attenuation effect by the substrate for radar waves incident on the radar sensor
Data Source
AI summary
A radar sensor for reception of radar waves. The radar sensor includes at least one control unit and at least one circuit board. The at least one circuit board includes a substrate and a structure that is arranged on the substrate and has a multiplicity of metallization structures. The radar sensor is configured to be arranged on a radome in such a manner that the substrate is arranged on a side facing away from the radome and the structure is arranged between the radome and the substrate. The at least one control unit is arranged on a side of the substrate facing away from the radome and is in communicative connection with the at least one circuit board. At least one opening is made in the structure and only ambient medium is present between the radome and the at least one opening.