Radar-transparent coating

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-9494679-B2
Application number	US-201113981948-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Dec 23, 2011
Priority date	Jan 27, 2011
Publication date	Nov 15, 2016
Grant date	Nov 15, 2016

Abstract

The invention relates to a radar-transparent component comprising a plastic body. Said component is characterized in that at least parts of the surface have a coating with a thickness of between 10 nm and 100 nm that comprises a semiconductor. Said coating gives the plastic body the desired metallic appearance without the body losing the characteristic of a radar-transparent component.

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1. Radar-transparent component comprising:
a radar-transparent body and
a coating on at least part of the surface of the radar-transparent body, the coating having a thickness between 10 nm and 100 nm and comprising at least one semiconductor material
wherein the coating comprising at least one semiconductor material is a component of a layer system comprising at least one further layer.

2. Radar-transparent component according to claim 1 , characterized in that the coating comprising at least one semiconductor material comprises silicon.

3. Radar-transparent component according to claim 1 , characterized in that the at least one other layer is SiO 2 .

4. Radar-transparent component according to claim 1 , characterized in that the layer system is an alternating layer system.

5. Radar-transparent component according to claim 1 , characterized in that between the radar-transparent body and the coating comprising at least one semiconductor, an intermediary layer is provided comprising a polymer layer.

6. Radar-transparent component according to claim 1 , characterized in that as a sealing layer against the environment, a polymer coating is provided.

7. Cladding element with a radar-transparent component according to claim 1 , wherein this cladding element is a cladding element for a motor vehicle.

8. Motor vehicle with a radar device, characterized in that a radar-transparent component according to claim 1 is provided in the ray path of the radar device.

9. Method for producing a radar-transparent component, having the steps of:
providing a radar-transparent body and
coating the radar-transparent body with a coating comprising a semiconductor material and at least one further layer to form a component of a layer system,
wherein the coating thickness is between 10 nm and 100 nm, and
wherein the coating is achieved by means of a vacuum process.

10. Method according to claim 9 , characterized in that the vacuum process is a PVD and/or a CVD process.

11. Radar-transparent component according to claim 1 , wherein the radar-transparent body is a plastic body.

12. Radar-transparent component according to claim 2 , wherein the coating comprises silicon as a main component.

13. Radar-transparent component according to claim 2 , wherein the coating consists essentially of silicon.

14. Radar-transparent component according to claim 1 , wherein the layer system comprises an interference layer system.

15. Radar-transparent component according to claim 5 , wherein the polymer layer consists of a UV-hardened lacquer.

16. Radar-transparent component according to claim 6 , wherein the polymer coating consists of a UV-hardened lacquer.

17. Motor vehicle according to claim 8 , wherein the radar-transparent component is at least part of a cladding element.

18. Method according to claim 9 , wherein the radar-transparent body is a plastic body.

Assignees

• Keckes Antal
• Schuler Peter
• Ribeiro Carlos
• Oerlikon Surface Solutions Ag Pfaffikon

Inventors

• Keckes Antal
• Schuler Peter
• Ribeiro Carlos

Classifications

• G01S13/86 Primary

  Combinations of radar systems with non-radar systems, e.g. sonar, direction finder · CPC title

• H01Q1/422 Primary

  comprising two or more layers of dielectric material (H01Q1/425 takes precedence) · CPC title

• Y10T428/265

  1 mil or less · CPC title

• H01Q1/3233 Primary

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

• H01Q1/3283

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