Radar device

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-10985471-B2
Application number	US-201816198913-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Nov 23, 2018
Priority date	Nov 27, 2017
Publication date	Apr 20, 2021
Grant date	Apr 20, 2021

Abstract

A radar device includes: a housing that includes an aperture in a front direction as a transmitting direction of an electromagnetic wave; a circuit board disposed in the housing such that a board surface extends along the front direction; an antenna unit that includes antenna elements being arrayed along a direction intersecting the front direction in a region on a side in the front direction of the circuit board, and that transmits the electromagnetic wave to the outside of the housing through the aperture and receives a reflected wave of the electromagnetic wave; and a dielectric lens that is disposed in the aperture of the housing to extend along a direction in which the antenna elements are arrayed and that has a semi-cylindrical shape or a parabolic-cylindrical shape projecting in the front direction.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A radar device, comprising:
a housing that includes an aperture configured to output an electromagnetic wave in a front direction;
a circuit board that is disposed in the housing along the front direction;
an antenna unit that includes two or more antenna elements that are arrayed in a region of the circuit board along a direction transverse to the front direction, the antenna unit configured to transmit the electromagnetic wave to outside of the housing through the aperture and to receive a reflected wave of the electromagnetic wave; and
a dielectric lens that is integrally formed with the housing, the dielectric lens being disposed at the aperture of the housing and extending along a direction in which the two or more antenna elements are arrayed, the dielectric lens having a semi-cylindrical shape or a parabolic-cylindrical shape projecting in the front direction,
wherein the housing and the dielectric lens are formed of the same resin material,
wherein the antenna unit is disposed at a focal point of the dielectric lens.

2. The radar device according to claim 1 , wherein
each of the two or more antenna elements is composed of a conductor pattern formed on the circuit board.

3. The radar device according to claim 2 , wherein
each of the two or more antenna elements is an end-fire array antenna.

4. The radar device according to claim 3 , wherein
the antenna unit is disposed on a front surface side and a back surface side of the circuit board.

5. The radar device according to claim 1 , further comprising
a signal processing unit configured to control a phase of the electromagnetic wave transmitted from each of the two or more antenna elements and to change a transmitting direction of the electromagnetic wave transmitted to the outside of the housing.

6. The radar device according to claim 1 , wherein
based on a front-rear direction corresponding to a direction normal to the aperture and a top-bottom direction corresponding to a direction normal to a board surface of the circuit board,
a length in the front-rear direction of the housing is longer than a length in the top-bottom direction of the housing.

7. The radar device according to claim 1 , wherein
the housing includes a connection unit that is thermally bonded to the circuit board or a circuit part mounted on the circuit board.

8. The radar device according to claim 1 , wherein
the electromagnetic wave is transmitted through a cover member disposed to cover a region in the front direction.

9. The radar device according to claim 1 , wherein
the radar device is supported such that the front direction as a transmitting direction of the electromagnetic wave is parallel to a ground.

10. A radar device, comprising:
a housing that includes an aperture configured to output an electromagnetic wave in a front direction;
a circuit board that is disposed in the housing along the front direction;
an antenna unit that includes two or more antenna elements that are arrayed in a region of the circuit board along a direction transverse to the front direction, the antenna unit configured to transmit the electromagnetic wave to outside of the housing through the aperture and to receive a reflected wave of the electromagnetic wave; and
a dielectric lens that is integrally formed with the housing, the dielectric lens being disposed at the aperture of the housing and extending along a direction in which the two or more antenna elements are arrayed, the dielectric lens having a semi-cylindrical shape or a parabolic-cylindrical shape projecting in the front direction,
wherein the housing and the dielectric lens are formed of the same resin material,
wherein, based on a first direction orthogonal to the circuit board and a second direction opposite to the first direction, the antenna unit is disposed at a position deviated from an optical axis of the dielectric lens in the first direction in the housing and transmits the electromagnetic wave between the second direction and the front direction.

11. A radar device, comprising:
a housing that includes an aperture configured to output an electromagnetic wave in a front direction;
a circuit board that is disposed in the housing along the front direction;
an antenna unit that includes two or more antenna elements that are arrayed in a region of the circuit board along a direction transverse to the front direction, the antenna unit configured to transmit the electromagnetic wave to outside of the housing through the aperture and to receive a reflected wave of the electromagnetic wave; and
a dielectric lens that is integrally formed with the housing, the dielectric lens being disposed at the aperture of the housing and extending along a direction in which the two or more antenna elements are arrayed, the dielectric lens having a semi-cylindrical shape or a parabolic-cylindrical shape projecting in the front direction,
wherein the housing and the dielectric lens are formed of the same resin material,
wherein, based on a first direction orthogonal to the circuit board and a second direction opposite to the first direction, the antenna unit is disposed at a position deviated from an optical axis of the dielectric lens in the second direction in the housing and transmits the electromagnetic wave between the first direction and the front direction.

12. The radar device according to claim 1 mounted in a vehicle.

13. The radar device according to claim 12 mounted on a vehicle body top of the vehicle.

14. The radar device according to claim 12 mounted on a vehicle body bottom of the vehicle.

15. The radar device according to claim 10 , wherein the first direction is an upward direction, and the antenna unit is disposed above the optical axis of the dielectric lens.

16. The radar device according to claim 11 , wherein the second direction is a downward direction, and the antenna unit is disposed below the optical axis of the dielectric lens.

Assignees

• Panasonic Ip Man Co Ltd

Inventors

• Shiozaki Ryosuke
• Yui Tomohiro
• Takahashi Ken
• Kashino Yuichi
• Suzuki Kouji
• Saito Noriaki
• Nakamura Shigeki

Classifications

• G01S7/03 Primary

  Details of HF subsystems specially adapted therefor, e.g. common to transmitter and receiver · CPC title

• G01S7/028

  Miniaturisation, e.g. surface mounted device [SMD] packaging or housings · CPC title

• H01Q19/06 Primary

  using refracting or diffracting devices, e.g. lens {(radome H01Q1/42)} · CPC title

• H01Q1/3283

  side-mounted antennas, e.g. bumper-mounted, door-mounted (mounted on windscreens H01Q1/1271) · CPC title

• G01S13/931

  of land vehicles · CPC title