Horn antenna device

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-12562492-B2
Application number	US-202318513182-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Nov 17, 2023
Priority date	Oct 27, 2021
Publication date	Feb 24, 2026
Grant date	Feb 24, 2026

Abstract

A horn antenna device is disclosed that comprises: a plastic body comprising a top face, a bottom face opposing the top face and lateral faces adjoining the top face and the bottom face; and a cavity formed in the plastic body, wherein the cavity comprises a cavity opening formed at the top face of the plastic body, wherein the cavity is at least partially coated with a metal layer to form a horn antenna for radiating microwaves through the cavity opening, wherein the plastic body is partially coated with the metal layer, and wherein the metal layer being configured to define a radiation characteristic of the horn antenna.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1 . A horn antenna device, comprising:
a plastic body comprising a top face, a bottom face opposing the top face, and lateral faces adjoining the top face and the bottom face; and a cavity formed in the plastic body, wherein the cavity comprises a cavity opening formed at the top face of the plastic body, wherein the cavity is at least partially coated with a metal layer to form a horn antenna for radiating microwaves through the cavity opening; wherein a first portion of the lateral faces is coated with a metal layer, and a second portion of the lateral faces is exposed with plastic of the plastic body, wherein the first portion of the lateral faces substantially blocks radiation within the plastic body and the second portion of the lateral faces allows radiation to pass through the plastic body.

2 . The horn antenna device of claim 1 ,
wherein the radiation from the first portion of the lateral faces interacts with the radiation from the second portion of the lateral faces so that the interacting radiation exhibits a characteristic radiation pattern.

3 . The horn antenna device of claim 1 ,
wherein the second portion of the lateral faces attenuates radiation within the plastic body based on dielectric properties of the plastic of the plastic body.

4 . The horn antenna device of claim 1 ,
wherein a minimum size of ripples in an azimuth plane of the horn antenna is determined based on the first portion of the lateral faces.

5 . The horn antenna device of claim 1 ,
wherein a minimum mutual coupling of the horn antenna with an adjacent horn antenna is determined based on the first portion of the lateral faces.

6 . The horn antenna device of claim 1 ,
wherein the bottom face of the plastic body is coated with a metal layer; and wherein the top face is exposing plastic of the plastic body without any metallization.

7 . The horn antenna device of claim 1 ,
wherein the cavity in the plastic body comprises a bottom cavity opening formed at the bottom face of the plastic body to feed the horn antenna with a radiation signal.

8 . The horn antenna device of claim 7 ,
wherein the plastic body comprises a groove formed at the bottom face, the groove extending from the bottom cavity opening towards one of the lateral faces, the groove forming a rectangular waveguide section.

9 . The horn antenna device of claim 1 ,
wherein the plastic body is shaped in a form of a box comprising the top face, the bottom face, and four lateral faces.

10 . The horn antenna device of claim 1 , further comprising:
at least one second cavity formed in the plastic body, wherein the at least one second cavity comprises a second cavity opening formed at the top face of the plastic body, wherein the at least one second cavity is at least partially coated with a metal layer to form at least one second horn antenna for radiating microwaves through the second cavity opening, wherein the at least one second horn antenna is placed side by side with the horn antenna in the plastic body.

11 . The horn antenna device of claim 10 ,
wherein the at least one second horn antenna is placed laterally offset to the horn antenna in the plastic body.

12 . The horn antenna device of claim 10 , further comprising:
a plastic wall formed at the top face of the plastic body between the second cavity opening of the at least one second cavity and the cavity opening of the cavity, wherein the plastic wall attenuates microwaves radiated from the cavity opening of the cavity and the second cavity opening of the at least one second cavity, thereby suppressing a mutual coupling between the horn antenna and the at least one second horn antenna.

13 . The horn antenna device of claim 12 ,
wherein the plastic wall surrounds the second cavity opening of the at least one second cavity; and/or wherein the plastic wall surrounds the cavity opening of the cavity at the top face of the plastic body.

14 . The horn antenna device of claim 1 , further comprising a plurality of holes, wherein the plurality of holes are configured to:
align the plastic body with a predefined positioning of the plastic body on a printed circuit board; and/or fix the plastic body on the predefined positioning on the printed circuit board by mechanical fastening; and/or fix a mask on the plastic body for obtaining the partially coating of the plastic body with the metal layer during a metallization process.

15 . The horn antenna device of claim 1 ,
wherein the horn antenna operates in a radar frequency band covering at least a bandwidth between 76 GHz and 81 GHz.

16 . An antenna system, comprising:
a printed circuit board; at least one first horn antenna device that includes:
a plastic body comprising a top face, a bottom face opposing the top face, and lateral faces adjoining the top face and the bottom face; and
a cavity formed in the plastic body, wherein the cavity comprises a cavity opening formed at the top face of the plastic body, wherein the cavity is at least partially coated with a metal layer to form a horn antenna for radiating microwaves through the cavity opening;
wherein a first portion of the lateral faces is coated with a metal layer, and a second portion of the lateral faces is exposed with the plastic of the plastic body, wherein the first portion of the lateral faces substantially blocks radiation within the plastic body and the second portion of the lateral faces allows radiation to pass through the plastic body; and
wherein the at least one first horn antenna device is mounted on the printed circuit board, the at least one first horn antenna device being configured as a receiving antenna;
at least one second horn antenna device, the at least one second horn antenna device being configured as a transmitting antenna; and a monolithic microwave integrated circuit (MMIC) placed on the printed circuit board, the MMIC comprising a plurality of transmit channels coupled to the transmitting antenna and a plurality of receive channels coupled to the receiving antenna by feed lines.

17 . The antenna system of claim 16 , wherein the antenna system is configured to form a multiple-input multiple-output (MIMO) radar system comprising multiple receiving antennas and multiple transmitting antennas.

18 . The antenna system of claim 16 , wherein the plastic body is shaped in a form of a box comprising the top face, the bottom face, and four lateral faces.

19 . The antenna system of claim 16 , wherein the at least one second horn antenna device includes:
a second plastic body comprising a second top face, a second bottom face opposing the second top face, and second lateral faces adjoining the second top face and the second bottom face; and a second cavity formed in the second plastic body, wherein the second cavity comprises a second cavity opening formed at the second top face of the second plastic body, wherein the cavity is at least partially coated with a metal layer to form a horn antenna for radiating microwaves through the cavity opening, wherein the second cavity in the second plastic body comprises a second bottom cavity opening formed at the second bottom face of the second plastic body to feed the at least one second horn antenna with a radiation signal.

20 . The antenna system of claim 19 , wherein the second plastic body comprises a second groove formed at the second bottom face, the second groove extending from the second bottom cavity opening towards one of the second lateral faces

Assignees

• Shenzhen Yinwang Intelligent Technology Co Ltd

Inventors

• Vasanelli Claudia
• Alvarez Jonathan
• Tejero Alfageme Simon
• Balcells Ventura Jordi
• Duque Biarge Sergio
• Perez Monjas Alberto

Classifications

• H01Q15/142

  using insulating material for supporting the reflecting surface · CPC title

• H01Q1/3233

  particular used as part of a sensor or in a security system, e.g. for automotive radar, navigation systems · CPC title

• H01Q21/0087

  Apparatus or processes specially adapted for manufacturing antenna arrays (manufacturing waveguides H01P11/00) · CPC title

• H01Q13/02 Primary

  Waveguide horns · CPC title

• H01Q13/0283 Primary

  Apparatus or processes specially provided for manufacturing horns · CPC title