Radar device, method for producing a radar device, and motor vehicle
阅读说明:本技术 雷达设备、制造雷达设备的方法以及机动交通工具 (Radar device, method for producing a radar device, and motor vehicle ) 是由 斯特凡·哈雷尔 于 2020-04-02 设计创作,主要内容包括:本发明提供了一种雷达设备(1)、制造雷达设备的方法和机动交通工具,该雷达设备用于机动交通工具(8),该雷达设备包括:收发器装置(2),该收发器装置被配置用以传输雷达辐射并接收从所述雷达设备(1)的环境中的物体反射的雷达辐射并生成测量信号;以及保护装置(3),该保护装置被构造用以保护所述收发器装置(2)免受外部影响。该保护装置(3)的厚度至少在多个分段中小于穿过所述保护装置(3)的雷达辐射的波长的10%。(The invention provides a radar apparatus (1) for a motor vehicle (8), a method of manufacturing a radar apparatus and a motor vehicle, the radar apparatus comprising: a transceiver arrangement (2) configured to transmit radar radiation and to receive radar radiation reflected from objects in the environment of the radar device (1) and to generate a measurement signal; and a protection device (3) configured to protect the transceiver device (2) from external influences. The thickness of the protective device (3) is at least less than 10% of the wavelength of the radar radiation passing through the protective device (3) in a plurality of sections.)
1. Radar apparatus (1) for a motor vehicle, comprising:
-a transceiver arrangement (2), the transceiver arrangement (2) being configured to transmit radar radiation and to receive the radar radiation reflected from objects in the environment of the radar device (1) and to generate a measurement signal, and
-a protection device (3), the protection device (3) being configured to protect the transceiver device (2) from external influences, wherein the thickness of the protection device (3) is at least in a plurality of segments smaller than 10% of the wavelength of the radar radiation passing through the protection device (3).
2. Radar apparatus (1) according to claim 1,
the transceiver device (2) is configured to transmit radar radiation at a frequency of 77GHz or 24GHz, wherein the thickness of the protection device (3) is smaller than 0.275 mm at least in a plurality of segments.
3. Radar apparatus (1) according to claim 1 or 2,
the protective device (3) is at least partially made of a plastic material.
4. Radar apparatus (1) according to any one of the preceding claims,
the radar apparatus (1) further comprises a housing (4), wherein the transceiver device (2) is arranged in the housing (4), and wherein the protection device (3) is attached to the housing (4).
5. Radar apparatus (1) according to claim 4,
the housing (4) is at least partially made of plastic, wherein the protective device (3) is glued or welded to the housing (4).
6. Radar apparatus (1) according to claim 4,
the housing (4) is at least partially made of metal, wherein the protective device (3) is bonded to the housing (4).
7. Radar apparatus (1) according to any one of claims 4 to 6,
the protection device (3) is attached to the housing (4) in such a way that: such that the transceiver device (2) is enclosed in the housing (4) in a gas-tight manner.
8. Radar apparatus (1) according to any one of the preceding claims,
the protection device (3) comprises at least one foil arranged in a beam path of the transceiver device (2).
9. A method of manufacturing a radar apparatus (1), comprising the steps of:
-providing (S1) a transceiver device (2), the transceiver device (2) being configured to transmit radar radiation, to receive the radar radiation reflected at an object and to generate a measurement signal, and
-forming (S2) a protection device (3), the protection device (3) protecting the transceiver device (2) from external influences, wherein a thickness of the protection device (3) is at least in a plurality of segments smaller than 10% of a wavelength of the radar radiation passing through the protection device (3).
10. The method of claim 9,
a housing (4) is also provided, wherein the transceiver device (2) is arranged in the housing (4), and wherein the protection device (3) is attached to the housing (4).
11. The method of claim 10,
the housing (4) is at least partially made of a plastic material, wherein the protective device (3) is glued or welded to the housing (4).
12. The method of claim 10,
the housing (4) is at least partially made of metal, wherein the protective device (3) is bonded to the housing (4).
13. The method according to one of the claims 10 to 12,
the protection device (3) is attached to the housing (4) in such a way that: such that the transceiver device (2) is enclosed in the housing (4) in a gas-tight manner.
14. The method according to any one of claims 9 to 13,
the protection device (3) comprises at least one foil arranged in a beam path of the transceiver device (2).
15. A motor vehicle (8) comprising at least one radar apparatus (1) according to one of claims 1 to 8.
Technical Field
The invention relates to a radar device for a motor vehicle, a method for producing a radar device for a motor vehicle, and a motor vehicle.
Background
Modern motor vehicles are provided with a plurality of sensors to detect the environment of the vehicle. Based on the generated sensor data, the driver assistance system may support the driver or drive the vehicle partially or completely autonomously. A radar sensor is preferably used to calculate the distance and relative speed. These sensors are usually located at the front or rear of the vehicle, in particular in the region of the bumper or behind the radiator grille. The radar sensor comprises an antenna element for generating electromagnetic radar radiation and electronics for controlling the antenna element. Since these components may be susceptible to damage from the external environment, it is necessary to design a protective device that prevents the components from being directly exposed to the environment. Such a protective device is called a radome, and is preferably configured to blend with the appearance of the vehicle.
Radomes are typically constructed of one or more layers and may contain a paint layer corresponding to the color of the vehicle. In order to be able to use radomes with irregular surfaces, for example in the form of logos or features, document DE 19819709 a1 discloses the use of a cover plate transparent to radar and visual inspection, in which the logos or features are embedded in the form of a negative of the cover plate. This form is provided with a metallic or metallic luster layer whose thickness is such that in the visible wavelength range the electromagnetic radiation is completely reflected and the radar waves can pass through substantially unattenuated.
Although a radome is essential for protection from the external environment, it must also be ensured that radar radiation is allowed to pass through the radome with as little loss as possible. Possible losses in the transmission path are caused by dielectric losses in the radome, by reflections of radar radiation at the air/radome interface facing the antenna arrangement and by reflections of radar radiation at the air/radome interface facing the surrounding air of the radome. Furthermore, if mechanical tolerances or fluctuating material properties are not taken into account sufficiently, a mismatch of the wave impedance may occur.
The thickness of the radome is typically selected to be a multiple of half the wavelength of the radar radiation that passes through the radome. Therefore, the thickness of the radome is typically several millimeters, which causes considerable losses in the radome.
Disclosure of Invention
It is therefore an object of the present invention to provide a radar apparatus in which losses in the transmission of radar radiation through a radome are reduced.
This object is achieved by the subject matter of the independent patent claims, respectively. Preferred embodiments are defined in the dependent claims, respectively.
Thus, according to a first aspect, the invention relates to a radar apparatus for a motor vehicle, the radar apparatus comprising transceiver means and protection means, i.e. a radome. The transceiver device is configured to transmit radar radiation and receive radar radiation reflected from objects in the environment of the radar apparatus. The transceiver device generates a measurement signal based on the received radar radiation. The protection device is configured to protect the transceiver device from external mechanical or chemical influences. The thickness of the protective device is selected such that it is less than 10% of the wavelength of the radar radiation passing through the protective device.
According to a second aspect, the invention relates to a method of manufacturing a radar apparatus. A transceiver device is provided that is configured to transmit radar radiation, receive radar radiation reflected from an object and generate a measurement signal. A protection device is provided which protects the transceiver device from external influences. The thickness of the protection means is at least in a number of segments (interactions) less than 10% of the wavelength of the radar radiation passing through the protection means.
According to a third aspect, the invention relates to a motor vehicle comprising at least one radar apparatus according to the invention.
The basic principle of the invention is to use electromagnetically thin materials as the protective means, i.e. the thickness of the protective means is less than 10% of the wavelength of the radar radiation to be emitted. The transceiver device is configured to transmit radar radiation at a predetermined frequency or in a predetermined frequency range. This frequency corresponds to the wavelength of the radar radiation, which depends on the propagation medium. This wavelength is always the wavelength of the radar radiation within the protection device (i.e. when the radar radiation passes through the protection device).
The benefit of using electromagnetically thin materials is due to the fact that they are substantially transparent to the corresponding electromagnetic radiation. Since the dielectric losses are negligible, the transmission of radar radiation through the protective device can be performed substantially without losses due to the use of a thin protective device.
Another benefit is that mechanical tolerances are also negligible when using electromagnetically thin materials as the protection means. Such mechanical tolerances may occur, for example, due to variations in the distance between the circuit board of the transceiver device and the protection device, the thickness of the circuit board of the transceiver device, and the thickness of the protection device.
Similarly, tolerances in the composition of the materials do not have a significant effect on the transmission of radar radiation when electromagnetically thin materials are used. This reduction in influence allows for a reduction in requirements in the production process, thereby making the production process faster and cheaper.
Finally, material costs can be reduced by using electromagnetically thin materials as the protection means.
Finally, when electromagnetically thin materials are used as protection devices, materials whose properties in the high frequency range will lead to high dielectric losses at greater thicknesses can also be applied. This facilitates the use of a wider range of materials.
According to another preferred embodiment of the radar apparatus, the transceiver device is configured as a non-modulated continuous wave radar (CW radar), i.e. it is configured to transmit radar radiation with a constant amplitude and a constant frequency. The frequency may be, for example, 24GHz or 77 GHz. Such radar devices may be configured to measure speed, distance, or range.
According to another preferred embodiment of the radar apparatus, the transceiver device is configured to modulate continuous wave radar. In particular, the transceiver device may be configured as a frequency modulated continuous wave radar (FMCW radar). In this case, the frequency is modulated periodically, wherein the modulation is preferably linear in time. Depending on the evaluation method, the distance and/or the speed may be measured.
According to another preferred embodiment of the radar apparatus for a motor vehicle, the transceiver device is configured to transmit radar radiation at a frequency of 77GHz or in a frequency range around 77GHz between about 75GHz and 85GHz or preferably between 77GHz and 81 GHz. The wavelength of radar radiation in a typical 2 dielectric constant protective device is about 2.75 mm. The thickness of the protective device is therefore selected in such a way that: such that it is less than 0.275 mm, at least in a plurality of segments. In particular, the thickness of the protection means may always be less than 0.275 mm. According to other embodiments, the thickness of the protection device may be less than 0.2 mm or less than 0.15 mm, at least in a plurality of segments. Furthermore, the transceiver device may operate as a CW radar at a frequency of 77GHz as described above. The transceiver device may also be configured as an FMCW radar as described above. In this case, the transceiver device is configured to transmit radar radiation in a frequency range of about 77 GHz. A frequency of 77GHz is used as the carrier frequency.
According to another preferred embodiment of the radar apparatus for a motor vehicle, the transceiver device is configured to transmit radar radiation at a frequency of 24GHz or at a frequency range around 24GHz between about 21.65GHz and 26.65 GHz. The wavelength of radar radiation in a typical 2 dielectric constant protective device is about 8.82 mm. The thickness of the protective device is therefore selected such that it is less than 0.882 mm at least in a plurality of segments.
According to a preferred embodiment of the radar apparatus, the thickness of the protective means may be selected to be at least partly less than 0.2 mm, less than 0.1 mm or less than 0.05 mm.
According to another preferred embodiment of the radar apparatus, the protection device is at least partly composed of a non-conductive material. In particular, the protection device may be at least partially made of a plastic material. In particular, the protection means may be entirely constituted by a plastic material. However, the protection device may also be made only partially of plastic material and may contain additional components, such as a thin coating. The plastic material for the protective device may include at least one of polyolefins, such as Polyethylene (PE), Acrylonitrile Butadiene Styrene (ABS), polyethylene terephthalate (PET), polyvinyl chloride (PVC), Polystyrene (PS), polyester, and Polycarbonate (PC).
According to another preferred embodiment, the radar apparatus further comprises a housing, wherein the transceiver device is arranged in the housing. The housing may also only partially enclose the transceiver device, for example in the form of a lower housing shell. The protection device is mounted to the housing. In particular, the transceiver device may be arranged on a printed circuit board inserted into the housing. The printed circuit board may be coupled to the housing by means of a Thermal Interface Material (TIM) so that heat generated during operation of the transceiver device may be dissipated by means of the housing. The transceiver device may include an antenna element and a radar chip, wherein the radar chip is thermally coupled to the housing by means of a thermal interface material.
According to another preferred embodiment of the radar apparatus, the housing is at least partly made of a plastic material. The protective means is glued or welded to the housing. It is also possible to couple the protection device to the housing by means of other known coupling processes. The use of bonded or welded foils is much less cost intensive to produce than the use of plastic injection molded parts, both in terms of material costs and process costs. In addition, the welding process is very stable and the mass produced welding system requires little maintenance.
According to another preferred embodiment of the radar apparatus, the housing is at least partly made of a metallic material. The protective device is bonded to the housing. To provide more efficient heat dissipation, a metal housing may be advantageous.
According to another preferred embodiment of the radar apparatus, the protective device is attached to the housing in such a way that: so that the transceiver device is enclosed in the housing in a gastight manner. The protection means thus provides good protection of the transceiver device from particles or fluids, such as gas, lubricant or water.
According to another preferred embodiment of the radar apparatus, the protection device comprises at least one foil positioned in the beam path of the transceiver device. The beam path is understood to be the solid angle range in which the radar radiation is emitted. For example, the protection means may comprise exactly one foil protecting the transceiver device. However, the protection device may also comprise a plurality of foils, the total thickness of which is electromagnetically thin, i.e. less than 10% of the wavelength of the radar radiation passing through the foils.
In the case of using different materials, the wavelength of the radar radiation may be different with respect to the different materials. In this case, the thickness of the protective device can be selected in such a way that: such that it is less than 10% of the smallest of these wavelengths.
According to another preferred embodiment of the radar apparatus, the protection means may comprise at least one protective coating. For example, the protection means may comprise one or more foils, wherein the foils are provided with the at least one protective coating on the side facing away from the transceiver means, i.e. the side exposed to environmental influences after mounting the radar device on a motor vehicle. For example, the protective coating may be partially or entirely formed of SiO2Wherein a certain scratch resistance can be achieved. The overall design of the protective device is such that the thickness, including the protective coating, is less than 10% of the wavelength of the radar radiation passing through the protective device.
According to another preferred embodiment of the radar apparatus, the thickness of the protective device is at least partially less than 9%, 8%, 7%, 6% or 5% of the wavelength of the radar radiation passing through the protective device. The smaller the thickness selected, the lower the possible dielectric losses of the radar radiation when passing through the protection device. In particular, even the part of the radar radiation or radar beam emitted at an angle that does not hit the protection means passes perpendicularly through the electromagnetically thin material, so that losses are negligible.
According to another preferred embodiment of the radar apparatus, the thickness of the protective means is selected in such a way that: such that the distance covered by the radar radiation when passing through the protection means is less than 10% of the wavelength of the radar radiation passing through the protection means. In particular, the thickness of the protective device can thus be selected in such a way that: so that the radar radiation can pass through electromagnetically thin material so that losses are negligible, even if the radar radiation is emitted at an angle such that it does not strike the protection device perpendicularly. For example, when using phased array antennas as transceiver devices, oblique transmission of radar radiation may occur. In this case, the thickness of the protective device is selected in such a way that: such that for any given possible direction of transmission, the distance that the radar radiation travels when passing through the protection device is less than 10% of the wavelength of the radar radiation passing through the protection device.
According to a further preferred embodiment of the method for manufacturing a radar apparatus, a housing is also provided, wherein the transceiver device is accommodated in the housing. A separate protection device is attached to the housing.
According to another preferred embodiment of the method for manufacturing a radar apparatus, the housing is at least partly made of a plastic material. The protective means is glued or welded to the housing.
According to a further preferred embodiment of the method for manufacturing a radar apparatus, the housing is at least partially made of a metallic material, wherein the protective device is glued to the housing.
According to another preferred embodiment of the method for manufacturing a radar apparatus, the protection device is attached to the housing in such a way that: so that the transceiver device is enclosed in the housing in a gastight manner.
According to another preferred embodiment of the method for manufacturing a radar apparatus, the protection device comprises at least one foil positioned in a beam path of the transceiver device.
According to a further preferred embodiment of the method for manufacturing a radar apparatus, at least one protective coating is formed when the protective device is provided. The protective coating may be made of, for example, SiO2Made by sol-gel techniqueOr chemical vapour deposition is applied to the foil of the protective device.
Drawings
The invention is explained in more detail below on the basis of exemplary embodiments which are illustrated in the drawings, in which:
fig. 1 shows a schematic cross-sectional view of a radar apparatus for a motor vehicle according to an embodiment of the invention;
fig. 2 shows a schematic plan view of a radar apparatus for a motor vehicle;
FIG. 3 shows a schematic block diagram of a motor vehicle comprising a radar apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention; and is
Fig. 4 shows a flow chart of a method for producing a radar apparatus according to an embodiment of the invention.
The accompanying drawings are included to provide a further understanding of embodiments of the invention. Which illustrate embodiments and, together with the description, serve to explain the principles and concepts of the invention. Other embodiments and many of the benefits described above are obtained when used in conjunction with the accompanying drawings. Elements illustrated in the figures have not necessarily been drawn to scale.
In the drawings of the accompanying drawings, similar elements, features and components that are functionally identical and provide the same effects are denoted by the same reference numerals, unless otherwise specified.
Detailed Description
Fig. 1 shows a schematic cross-sectional view of a
However, the invention is not limited to the number or arrangement of
The
The transmitted radar radiation is reflected at one or more objects in the vicinity of the
The radar chip 22 is coupled to the cooling element 6 by means of a heat conducting element 5 made of a Thermal Interface Material (TIM), so that heat generated during operation of the radar chip 22 is transferred to the housing 4 of the radar device by means of the heat conducting element 5 and the cooling element 6.
The printed circuit board 7 is fixed in the housing 4, wherein an air gap is formed between the printed circuit board 7 and the housing 4 in a direction perpendicular to the surface of the printed circuit board 7.
The housing 4 may for example have a thickness d of 2 mm; however, the present invention is not limited thereto. The housing 4 may be made of metal or plastic, but may also comprise a different composition, which may be partly made of metal and partly made of plastic.
The
The protective device 3 is at least partially made of an electrically non-conductive material, in particular a plastic material. For this purpose, the protection device 3 may have one or more layers which may be made of different materials (in particular different plastic materials).
Preferably, the protection means 3 is configured as a thin foil or as a combination of a plurality of such thin foils. The total thickness of the protection device 3 is less than 10% of the wavelength of the radar radiation passing through the protection device 3 (i.e. the wavelength of the radar radiation within the protection device 3). Preferably, the thickness of the protective means 3 over the entire surface area of the protective means 3 is less than 10% of the wavelength of the radar radiation passing through the protective means 3. However, the thickness of the protection device 3 may also be less than 10% of the wavelength of the radar radiation passing through the protection device 3 only in one or more partial regions (i.e. for example in the region above the antenna array 21). Outside these local areas, the thickness may be larger.
The thickness of the protection means 3 may also be chosen to be less than 5% of the wavelength of the radar radiation passing through the protection means 3. Furthermore, the
As an example, the transceiver device 2 may transmit radar radiation at a frequency of 77 GHz. The magnetic permeability of the material of the protection means 3 may have a value of 2. In this case, the thickness of the protective means 3 may be chosen to be less than 0.275 mm.
The protective device 3 is coupled to the housing 4 in an edge region 41 of the housing 4. The housing 4 can be made of metal at least in the edge region 41. The protection device 3 may be glued to the housing 4.
Furthermore, the housing 4 can be made of a plastic material at least in the edge region 41. The protection device 3 may be glued or welded to the housing 4.
The protection device 3 may preferably be coupled to the housing 4 in such a way that: so that the housing 4 and the protection means 3 enclose the transceiver device 2 in a gas-tight manner.
Fig. 3 shows a schematic block diagram of a motor vehicle 8 comprising a
Fig. 4 shows a flow chart of a method for producing a
For this purpose, the transceiver device 2 is provided in a first method step S1. The transceiver device is configured to transmit radar radiation and receive radar radiation reflected from an object. Depending on the received reflected radar radiation, the transceiver device 2 may generate and output a measurement signal. The transceiver unit 2 may be accommodated in a housing 4. In particular, the transceiver device 2 may have an
Furthermore, in a second method step S2, a protection device 3 is formed, which protects the transceiver device 2 from external chemical or physical influences, i.e. in particular from direct contact with particles, gases or liquids. To form the protection device 3, one or more foils may be attached to the housing 4. For this purpose, the foils can be formed one after the other. Alternatively, several foils may be combined in a first step to form the protection device 3, which is then attached to the housing 4.
The housing 4 can be made of metal or have at least one edge region 41 made of metal. The protection means 3 may be glued to the metal edge area 41.
The housing 4 can also be made of a plastic material or can have at least one edge region 41 made of a plastic material. The protection means 3 can be glued to the plastic edge area 41. Preferably, the protection means 3 can also be bonded to the plastic edge region 41 by means of a welding process.
The protection device 3 is preferably coupled to the casing 4 in such a way that: so that a gas-tight cavity is formed which protects at least some components of the transceiver device 2 from external influences.
In the method for producing the
The method of manufacturing may generally be configured to produce any of the above-described
List of reference numerals
1 Radar apparatus
2 transceiver device
3 protective device
4 casing
5 Heat conducting element
6 Cooling element
7 printed circuit board
8 Motor vehicle
21 antenna array
22 radar chip
41 edge region of the housing 4
211 first antenna array
212 second antenna array
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