Laser beam-permeable substrate material for use on sensors

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-11512181-B2
Application number	US-201816607247-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Apr 23, 2018
Priority date	Apr 24, 2017
Publication date	Nov 29, 2022
Grant date	Nov 29, 2022

Abstract

The invention relates to a vehicle utilizing a LiDAR sensor system for driver assistance systems. A composition consisting of a thermoplastic material based on polycarbonate, polyester carbonate and/or polymethylmethacrylate is used here for forming a cover for the sensor against the surroundings.

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1. A vehicle comprising
a) a LiDAR sensor which emits laser pulses having a wavelength in the range from 800 to 2500 nm and
b) a cover partially or completely surrounding the LiDAR sensor having a substrate layer comprising a region made of a thermoplastic composition based on aromatic polycarbonate, polyester carbonate and/or polymethyl methacrylate,
wherein the composition has a light transmission in the range from 380 to 780 nm of less than 25.0% determined at a layer thickness of 4 mm according to DIN ISO 13468-2: 2006 (D65, 10°) and
the region of the substrate layer made of the thermoplastic composition in its respective thickness has a permeability to IR radiation in the range from 800 nm to 2500 nm of at least 40% determined according to DIN ISO 13468-2:2006.

2. The vehicle according to claim 1 , wherein the thermoplastic composition of the substrate layer contains less than 0.0005% by weight of carbon black.

3. The vehicle according to claim 1 , wherein the composition contains no carbon black.

4. The vehicle according to claim 1 , wherein the composition contains no further thermoplastic polymers.

5. The vehicle according to claim 1 , wherein the composition contains 0% to less than 5.0% by weight of further thermoplastic polymers.

6. The vehicle according to claim 1 , wherein the thickness of the region of the substrate layer made of the thermoplastic composition is 2 mm to 4 mm.

7. The vehicle according to claim 1 , wherein in addition to the substrate layer and a scratch resistant coating optionally present on one or more sides the cover comprises no further layers.

8. The vehicle according to claim 1 , wherein the cover is a front panel, a rear panel, a bumper, a radiator grill, a vehicle roof, a vehicle roof module or a vehicle side element.

9. The vehicle according to claim 1 , wherein the thermoplastic composition of the substrate layer contains
i) at least 70% by weight of thermoplastic polymer from the group consisting of aromatic polycarbonate, polyester carbonate and/or polymethyl methacrylate,
ii) at least one green and/or one blue colorant selected from the group consisting of the colorants of formulae (1), (2a-c), (3), (4a), (4b), (5) and/or (6)

wherein
Rc and Rd independently of one another represent a linear or branched alkyl radical or halogen,
n independently of the respective R represents an integer between 0 and 3, wherein the radical for n=0 is hydrogen,

iii) at least one red and/or violet colorant selected from the group consisting of the colorants of formulae (7), (8), (9), (10), (11), (12a), (12b) and/or (13)

wherein R is selected from the group consisting of H and p-methylphenylamine radical,

wherein
Ra and Rb independently of one another represent a linear or branched alkyl radical or halogen,
n independently of the respective R represents an integer between 0 and 3, Wherein the radical for n=0 is hydrogen,

iv) optionally one or more further colorants selected from the group consisting of the yellow and orange colorants of formulae (14), (15), (16), (17) and/or (18)

wherein the sum of the colorants ii) to iv) is >0.05% by weight and
wherein the composition contains
0% to less than 30.0% by weight of further thermoplastic polymers and
0% to less than 0.02% by weight of carbon black,
wherein the composition contains in addition to the colorants of groups ii) to iv) less than 0.1% by weight of further colorants and
less than 0.1% by weight of titanium dioxide

and wherein the thickness of the region of the substrate layer made of the thermoplastic composition is 1.0 to 7.0 mm.

10. The vehicle according to claim 9 , wherein the sum of the colorants ii) to iv) in the thermoplastic composition of the substrate layer is at least 0.10% by weight.

11. The vehicle according to claim 9 , wherein the composition contains less than 0.1% by weight of white pigment.

12. The vehicle according to claim 9 , wherein, in addition to the components i), ii), iii) and optionally iv), carbon black, further thermoplastic polymer and/or colorants distinct from the colorants of groups ii) to iv), the composition of the substrate layer contains no further components with the exception of
v) optionally heat stabilizers, mold release agents, UV absorbers, flame retardants, antistats and/or flow enhancers.

13. A vehicle comprising
a) a LiDAR sensor which emits laser pulses having a wavelength in the range from 800 to 2500 nm and
b) a cover partially or completely surrounding the LiDAR sensor having a substrate layer, wherein the substrate layer comprises a region made of a thermoplastic composition having a light transmission in the range from 380 to 780 nm of less than 0.1% determined at a layer thickness of 4 mm according to DIN ISO 13468-2:2006 (D65, 10°), and the region of the substrate layer in its respective thickness has a permeability to IR radiation in the range from 800 nm to 2500 nm of at least 50% determined according to DIN ISO 13468-2:2006 and wherein the composition consists of
i) at least 85% by weight of thermoplastic polymer selected from the group consisting of aromatic polycarbonate, polyester carbonate and/or polymethyl methacrylate,
ii) at least one green and/or one blue colorant
selected from the group consisting of the colorants of formulae (1), (2a-c), (3), (4a), (4b), (5) and/or (6)

wherein
Rc and Rd independently of one another represent a linear or branched alkyl radical or halogen,
n independently of the respective R represents an integer between 0 and 3, wherein the radical for n=0 is hydrogen,

and
iii) at least one red and/or violet colorant selected from the group consisting of the colorants of formulae (7), (8), (9), (10), (11), (12a), (12b) and/or (13)

wherein R is selected from the group consisting of H and p-methylphenylamine radical,

wherein
Ra and Rb independently of one another represent a linear or branched alkyl radical or halogen,
n independently of the respective R represents an integer between

Assignees

• Covestro Deutschland Ag

Inventors

• Grosser Ulrich
• Meyer Alexander
• Klein Andreas

Classifications

• C08K5/3437 Primary

  condensed with carbocyclic rings · CPC title

• C08L33/12

  Homopolymers or copolymers of methyl methacrylate · CPC title

• C08K5/18 Primary

  with aromatically bound amino groups · CPC title

• C08K5/3465

  condensed with carbocyclic rings · CPC title

• C09B1/16

  Amino-anthraquinones {(C09B1/007 takes precedence)} · CPC title