阅读说明：本技术 用于车辆的雷达装置 (Radar apparatus for vehicle ) 是由 林廷燮 刘韩星 金明济 于 2021-05-11 设计创作，主要内容包括：一种用于车辆的雷达装置,该雷达装置包括：天线,设置在用于车辆的灯的内表面上,并且被配置为发射和接收电磁波；以及信号处理模块,设置在灯中,并且被配置为处理由天线接收的信号,从而可以获得简化结构并且提高设计自由度和空间利用率的有益效果。(A radar apparatus for a vehicle, the radar apparatus comprising: an antenna provided on an inner surface of a lamp for a vehicle and configured to transmit and receive electromagnetic waves; and a signal processing module provided in the lamp and configured to process a signal received by the antenna, so that it is possible to obtain advantageous effects of simplifying a structure and improving a degree of freedom of design and a space utilization rate.)

1. A radar apparatus for a vehicle, the radar apparatus comprising:

an antenna disposed on an inner surface of a lamp of the vehicle and configured to transmit and receive electromagnetic waves; and

a signal processing module disposed in the lamp and configured to process signals received by the antenna.

2. The radar apparatus of claim 1, wherein the lamp comprises:

a light source configured to generate light; and

an outer lens disposed in front of the light source and configured to define an appearance, an

Wherein the antenna is disposed on an inner surface of the outer lens.

3. The radar apparatus of claim 2, wherein the antenna includes an antenna pattern formed on the inner surface of the outer lens.

4. The radar apparatus of claim 3, wherein the antenna pattern is formed of a transparent electrode.

5. The radar apparatus according to claim 4, wherein the transparent electrode is made of at least one of ITO, IZO, ATO, AZO, and metal nanofibers.

6. The radar apparatus according to claim 4, wherein the antenna pattern is formed by a step of forming a conductive film on the inner surface of the outer lens, a step of forming a mask pattern on a surface of the conductive film, and a step of partially removing the conductive film using the mask pattern.

7. The radar apparatus according to claim 3, wherein the antenna pattern is formed on the inner surface of the outer lens so as to be perpendicular to the ground.

8. The radar apparatus of claim 2, wherein the signal processing module is placed below the antenna.

9. The radar apparatus of claim 8, wherein the signal processing module is placed below the light source.

10. The radar apparatus of claim 1, comprising:

a connection member configured to electrically connect the antenna with the signal processing module.

11. The radar apparatus of claim 10, wherein the connection member comprises at least one of a cable and a flexible circuit board.

Technical Field

The present disclosure relates to a radar apparatus for a vehicle, and in particular, to a radar apparatus for a vehicle that may have a simplified structure and improve the degree of freedom in design and space utilization.

Background

Radar (radio detection and ranging) can find the position of a surrounding object by generating an electromagnetic wave, transmitting the electromagnetic wave to the object, and identifying the distance, direction, and height of the object based on the electromagnetic wave reflected by the object.

Radars can be roughly classified into continuous wave radars and pulse wave radars according to the shape of radio waves.

As continuous wave radars, there are doppler radars, Frequency Modulated Continuous Wave (FMCW) radars, and high-speed slant FMCW (hfmcw) radars. As pulse wave radars, there are pulse doppler radars and pulse compression radars.

Recently, the demand for high-resolution radars, which detect objects within several tens of meters using a millimeter-wave band or a submillimeter-wave band, is increasing, and thus research on the high-resolution radars is continuously being conducted.

High resolution radars capable of determining or analyzing the distance between objects placed within a short distance are widely used in industry and military, and also on real-life vehicles.

Radar for vehicles is a key technology required to implement intelligent transportation systems. Radars for vehicles have been developed to prevent accidents that may occur due to severe weather conditions or the carelessness of a driver by detecting the motion of other moving or stationary vehicles or objects. A radar for a vehicle is a representative system (radar system) that can be applied to an unmanned automobile.

However, in the related art, since the antenna module constituting the radar needs to be separately manufactured and then installed in the vehicle, there are problems in that the structure of the radar is complicated and the degree of freedom in design and the space utilization rate are deteriorated.

In addition, in the related art, since the radar needs to be installed to be exposed to the outside to prevent deterioration of sensing accuracy caused by a metal part or a metal paint layer provided in front of the radar, there is a problem in that the installation position of the radar is restricted and the exposure of the radar to the outside causes deterioration of design characteristics of the vehicle. Further, in the related art, since the radar needs to be mounted on a bumper or a front grille of the vehicle, there is a concern that the radar is easily damaged when a rear-end collision occurs.

Therefore, various types of studies have been recently conducted to simplify the structure of the radar and improve the degree of freedom in design and space utilization, but the results of the studies are still insufficient. Therefore, it is required to develop a radar apparatus for a vehicle that may have a simplified structure and may improve the degree of freedom in design and space utilization.

Disclosure of Invention

The present disclosure is directed to providing a radar apparatus for a vehicle, which may have a simplified structure and may improve a degree of freedom of design and space utilization.

The present disclosure also focuses on enabling the radar to be mounted in a lamp for a vehicle.

The present disclosure is also directed to preventing deterioration of design characteristics of a lamp for a vehicle, improving marketability, and improving consumer satisfaction.

The object to be achieved by the embodiments is not limited to the above-described object, and also includes an object or effect that can be recognized from the solutions or embodiments described below.

In one aspect, the present disclosure provides a radar apparatus for a vehicle, the radar apparatus including: an antenna provided on an inner surface of a lamp for a vehicle and configured to transmit and receive electromagnetic waves; and a signal processing module provided in a lamp for a vehicle and configured to process a signal received by the antenna.

This is to simplify the structure of a radar apparatus for a vehicle and to improve the degree of freedom in design and space utilization.

That is, in the related art, since the antenna module constituting the radar needs to be separately manufactured and then installed in the vehicle, there are problems in that the structure of the radar is complicated and the degree of freedom in design and the space utilization rate are deteriorated. In addition, in the related art, since the radar needs to be installed to be exposed to the outside to prevent the sensing accuracy from being deteriorated due to the metal parts or the metal paint layer provided at the front of the radar, there is a problem in that the installation position of the radar is restricted and the design characteristics of the vehicle are deteriorated due to the exposure of the radar to the outside.

However, according to the embodiments of the present disclosure, the antenna is disposed on the inner surface of the lamp for a vehicle, and therefore, it is possible to obtain advantageous effects of minimizing the space required to install the radar and improving the degree of freedom of design and space utilization.

According to an embodiment of the present disclosure, a lamp may include: a light source configured to generate light; and an outer lens disposed in front of the light source and configured to define an outer appearance, and the antenna may be disposed on an inner surface of the outer lens.

According to an embodiment of the present disclosure, the antenna may include an antenna pattern formed on an inner surface of the outer lens.

Specifically, the antenna pattern may be formed of a transparent electrode.

This is to secure the performance (electromagnetic wave transmitting performance/electromagnetic wave receiving performance) of the antenna pattern and minimize the deterioration of the light distribution performance and design characteristics of the lamp due to the application of the antenna pattern to the inner surface of the outer lens.

That is, since the antenna pattern is formed on the inner surface of the outer lens, space utilization can be secured, and electromagnetic waves can be transmitted and received without signal interference caused by metal parts or a metal paint layer. However, since the antenna pattern blocks light emitted from the lamp, there is a problem in that light distribution performance and design characteristics of the lamp are deteriorated due to the antenna pattern exposed to the outside.

In contrast, according to the present disclosure, since the antenna pattern is formed of the transparent electrode, it is possible to obtain an advantageous effect of securing the performance of the antenna pattern and minimizing the deterioration of the light distribution performance and the design characteristics of the lamp.

The transparent electrode may be made of various materials according to required conditions and design specifications. For example, the transparent electrode may be made of at least any one of ITO, IZO, ATO, AZO, and metal nanofibers.

The antenna pattern may be formed in various ways according to required conditions and design specifications.

For example, the antenna pattern may be formed by a step of forming a conductive film on an inner surface of the outer lens, a step of forming a mask pattern on a surface of the conductive film, and a step of partially removing the conductive film using the mask pattern.

Specifically, the antenna pattern may be formed on an inner surface of the outer lens so as to be perpendicular to the ground. As described above, since the antenna pattern is formed to be perpendicular to the ground, it is possible to obtain the advantageous effect of maximizing the electromagnetic wave transmission/reception performance achieved by the antenna pattern.

According to embodiments of the present disclosure, the signal processing module may be placed below the antenna (i.e., placed at the bottom in the lamp). As described above, since the signal processing module is placed below the antenna, it is possible to obtain advantageous effects of preventing deterioration of antenna performance caused by the signal processing module and minimizing exposure of the signal processing module to the outside.

More specifically, the signal processing module may be placed below the light source.

This is based on the fact that: in the inner space of the lamp having the sealing structure, the temperature in the space below the light source is relatively lower than the temperature in other spaces (e.g., the space between the light source and the inner lens). Since the signal processing module is placed in a space where the temperature is lowest in the lamp below the light source, it is possible to obtain advantageous effects of minimizing overheating of the signal processing module and improving stability and reliability.

According to an embodiment of the present disclosure, the antenna and the signal processing module may be electrically connected to each other through a connection member.

Specifically, at least any one of a cable and a flexible circuit board (FPCB) may be used as the connection member.

Drawings

Fig. 1 is a view for explaining a lamp for a vehicle to which a radar apparatus for a vehicle according to an embodiment of the present disclosure is applied.

Fig. 2 is a view for explaining a radar apparatus for a vehicle according to an embodiment of the present disclosure.

Fig. 3 to 7 are views for explaining an antenna manufacturing process of a radar apparatus for a vehicle according to an embodiment of the present disclosure.

Fig. 8 illustrates a connection member of a radar apparatus for a vehicle according to an embodiment of the present disclosure.

Detailed Description

Hereinafter, embodiments of the present disclosure will be described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings.

However, the technical spirit of the present disclosure is not limited to some embodiments described herein, but may be implemented in various different forms. One or more constituent elements in the embodiments may be selectively combined and replaced within the scope of the technical spirit of the present disclosure.

In addition, unless otherwise specifically and explicitly defined and stated, terms (including technical and scientific terms) used in the embodiments of the present disclosure may be construed as meanings that are commonly understood by one of ordinary skill in the art to which the present disclosure belongs. The meaning of commonly used terms (e.g., terms defined in dictionaries) can be interpreted in consideration of the contextual meaning of the prior art.

In addition, terms used in the embodiments of the present disclosure are used to explain the embodiments, and are not used to limit the present disclosure.

The singular forms may also include the plural forms unless specifically stated otherwise in the context of this specification. The interpretation of "at least one (or one or more) of A, B and C" described herein may include one or more of all combinations that can be made by combination A, B and C.

In addition, terms such as first, second, A, B, (a) and (b) may be used to describe constituent elements of embodiments of the present disclosure.

These terms are only used to distinguish one constituent element from another constituent element, and the nature, sequence or order of constituent elements is not limited by these terms.

Further, when one constituent element is described as being "connected", "coupled", or "attached" to another constituent element, one constituent element may be directly connected, coupled, or attached to the other constituent element, or connected, coupled, or attached to the other constituent element with still another constituent element interposed therebetween.

In addition, the explanation of "one constituent element is formed or placed above (on) or below (under) another constituent element" includes not only a case where two constituent elements are in direct contact with each other but also a case where one or more additional constituent elements are formed or placed between the two constituent elements. In addition, the expression "above (upper) or below (lower)" may include a meaning based on the downward direction and the upward direction of one constituent element.

Referring to fig. 1 to 8, a radar apparatus 100 for a vehicle according to the present disclosure includes: an antenna 110 disposed on an inner surface of the lamp 10 for a vehicle and configured to transmit and receive electromagnetic waves; and a signal processing module 120 provided in the lamp 10 for a vehicle and configured to process a signal received by the antenna 110.

For reference, the radar apparatus 100 for a vehicle according to the embodiment of the present disclosure may be applied to the lamp 10 of various vehicles (e.g., passenger cars or trucks) according to required conditions and design specifications, and the present disclosure is not restricted or limited by the type of vehicle to which the radar apparatus 100 for a vehicle is applied.

In addition, the lamp 10 for a vehicle mounted with the radar device 100 for a vehicle according to the embodiment of the present disclosure may be mainly used for an illumination function (e.g., a head lamp or a fog lamp) or for a signal function (e.g., a turn signal lamp, a tail lamp, a brake lamp, or a side marker lamp), and the present disclosure is not restricted or limited by the use and structure of the lamp 10 for a vehicle.

For example, the radar device 100 for a vehicle according to the embodiment of the present disclosure may be installed in each of the head lamps 10 of the vehicle, the head lamps 10 being disposed at left and right front sides of the vehicle.

Various changes may be made to the structure of the lamp 10 for a vehicle according to required conditions and design specifications.

For example, referring to fig. 1 and 2, the lamp 10 for a vehicle may include: a light source 20; a reflector 30 configured to reflect light emitted from the light source 20 forward; an inner lens 40 configured to transmit light reflected by the reflector 30 toward the front; and an outer lens 50 disposed in front of the inner lens 40 and configured to define an external appearance.

A Light Emitting Diode (LED), which is a semiconductor light emitting element, may be used as the light source 20, or a plurality of LEDs configured to emit light beams having the same color or different colors may be used, according to required conditions and design specifications. According to another embodiment of the present disclosure, a fluorescent lamp, an incandescent lamp, or a halogen lamp may be used as the light source.

The reflector 30 may have various structures capable of reflecting the light generated from the light source 20 forward, and the present disclosure is not limited or restricted by the shape and structure of the reflector 30.

For example, the reflector 30 may be formed to have an inner surface formed in the form of an elliptically curved surface or a freely curved surface and having a reflective layer (reflective surface) so as to reflect light generated from the light source 20 toward a position in front of the lamp 10 for a vehicle. Alternatively, the reflector 30 may have a structure having a single focal point or a plurality of focal points. Specifically, the light source 20 may be placed at the focal point of the reflector 30 or near the focal point of the reflector 30.

For reference, in the embodiment of the present disclosure, the configuration in which the reflector 30 reflects the light generated from the light source 20 forward may mean that the reflector 30 reflects the light in a direction in which the light is emitted from the lamp 10 for a vehicle. The direction indicated by the forward direction may be changed according to the installation position and direction of the lamp 10 for a vehicle.

The inner lens 40 is provided to transmit light reflected by the reflector 30 toward the front.

Various types of lenses capable of transmitting light generated from the light source 20 to the outside may be used as the inner lens 40, and the present disclosure is not limited or restricted by the type and structure of the inner lens 40. For example, a general aspherical lens may be used as the inner lens 40.

The outer lens 50 is disposed in front of the inner lens 40 to protect the light source 20 and components around the light source 20 from moisture, dust, and external impact, and to define an external appearance.

The outer lens 50 may be made of a transparent or translucent light-transmitting material capable of transmitting light, and the present disclosure is not limited or restricted by the material and structure of the outer lens 50.

The antenna 110 is disposed on an inner surface of the lamp 10 for a vehicle to transmit and receive electromagnetic waves.

The antenna 110 may have various structures capable of transmitting and receiving electromagnetic waves, and the present disclosure is not limited or restricted by the structure of the antenna 110 and the characteristics of the electromagnetic waves to be transmitted and received by the antenna 110.

For example, the antenna 110 may be configured to transmit/receive microwaves having a wavelength of about 10cm to 100cm to/from a surrounding object.

Specifically, the antenna 110 is disposed on an inner surface of the outer lens 50, the outer lens 50 facing the inner lens 40.

As described above, since the antenna 110 is disposed on the inner surface of the outer lens 50, it is not necessary to provide a separate space for installing the antenna 110. Therefore, it is possible to obtain advantageous effects of simplifying the structure and improving the degree of freedom of design and space utilization.

For example, the antenna 110 may include an antenna pattern 112 formed on an inner surface of the outer lens 50.

The antenna 110 may have various antenna patterns 112 capable of transmitting and receiving electromagnetic waves according to required conditions and design specifications, and the present disclosure is not limited or restricted by the structure and arrangement of the antenna patterns 112.

For example, the antenna pattern 112 may be provided in the form of grouped parallel lines. In some cases, the antenna pattern 112 may be provided in the form of a single line or in other forms.

Specifically, the antenna pattern 112 may be formed of a transparent electrode.

This is to secure the performance (electromagnetic wave transmitting performance/electromagnetic wave receiving performance) of the antenna pattern 112 and minimize the deterioration of the light distribution performance and design characteristics of the lamp 10 due to the application of the antenna pattern 112 onto the inner surface of the outer lens 50.

That is, since the antenna pattern 112 is formed on the inner surface of the outer lens 50, space utilization may be secured, and electromagnetic waves may be transmitted and received without signal interference caused by metal parts or a metal paint layer. However, since the antenna pattern 112 blocks light emitted from the lamp 10, there is a problem in that light distribution performance and design characteristics of the lamp 10 are deteriorated due to the antenna pattern 112 being exposed to the outside.

However, according to the present disclosure, since the antenna pattern 112 is formed of a transparent electrode having a narrow width (e.g., a width of 10 μm or less or a width of several tens of micrometers), it is possible to obtain advantageous effects of securing the performance of the antenna pattern and minimizing the deterioration of the light distribution performance and the design characteristics of the lamp.

The transparent electrode may be made of various materials according to required conditions and design specifications, and the present disclosure is not restricted or limited by the material of the transparent electrode. For example, the transparent electrode may be made of at least any one of Indium Tin Oxide (ITO), Indium Zinc Oxide (IZO), antimony-doped tin oxide (ATO), Al-doped zinc oxide (AZO), and metal nanofibers such as silver nanofibers.

The antenna pattern 112 may be formed in various ways according to desired conditions and design specifications.

For example, referring to fig. 3 to 7, the antenna pattern 112 may be formed by the step S10 of forming the conductive film 110 ' on the inner surface of the outer lens 50, the step S20 of forming the mask pattern M on the surface of the conductive film 110 ', and the step S30 of partially removing the conductive film 110 ' using the mask pattern M.

First, as shown in fig. 4, a conductive film 110' (e.g., a metal film made of silver, copper, or ITO) is formed on the inner surface of the outer lens 50. Next, as shown in fig. 5, a mask pattern M is formed on a surface (based on the upper surface of fig. 5) of the conductive film 110'. Next, as shown in fig. 6, the antenna pattern 112 may be formed by partially removing the conductive film 110' using the mask pattern M (e.g., by etching on a portion where the mask pattern M is not formed). Finally, as shown in fig. 7, the mask pattern M may be removed after the antenna pattern 112 is formed.

In the embodiments of the present disclosure illustrated and described above, an example in which the antenna pattern 112 is formed by the above-described etching has been described. However, according to another embodiment of the present disclosure, the antenna pattern 112 may be modularized onto the inner surface of the outer lens 50 by printing or other methods.

Specifically, the antenna pattern 112 is formed on the inner surface of the outer lens 50 so as to be perpendicular to the ground.

As described above, since the antenna pattern 112 is formed to be perpendicular to the ground, it is possible to obtain the advantageous effect of maximizing the electromagnetic wave transmission/reception performance by the antenna pattern 112.

Referring to fig. 1 and 2, a signal processing module 120 is provided in the lamp 10 for a vehicle to analyze and process signals transmitted and received by the antenna 110 and control the antenna 110.

Processor 120 may include a Central Processing Unit (CPU) or semiconductor device that processes instructions stored in a memory and/or storage space. The memory and storage space may include various types of volatile or non-volatile storage media. For example, the memory may include Read Only Memory (ROM) and Random Access Memory (RAM).

Specifically, the signal processing module 120 is placed below the antenna 110 (placed at the bottom in the lamp 10). As described above, since the signal processing module 120 is placed under the antenna 110, it is possible to obtain advantageous effects of preventing the performance deterioration of the antenna 110 caused by the signal processing module 120 and minimizing the exposure of the signal processing module 120 to the outside.

More specifically, the signal processing module 120 is placed below the light source 20.

This is based on the fact that: in the inner space of the lamp 10 having the sealing structure, the temperature in the space below the light source 20 is relatively lower than that in other spaces (for example, the space between the light source 20 and the inner lens 40). Since the signal processing module 120 is placed in the space where the temperature of the lamp 10 is the lowest under the light source 20, it is possible to obtain advantageous effects of minimizing overheating of the signal processing module 120 and improving stability and reliability.

Meanwhile, referring to fig. 2 and 8, the antenna 110 and the signal processing module 120 may be electrically connected to each other through the connection member 130.

Specifically, at least any one of a flexible bendable cable and a flexible circuit board (FPCB) may be used as the connection member 130, and the present disclosure is not limited or restricted by the type and structure of the connection member 130.

For example, referring to fig. 8, a flexible circuit board may be used as the connection member 130, one end of the connection member 130 may be electrically connected to the antenna pattern 112, and the other end of the connection member 130 may be electrically connected to the signal processing module 120.

The connection member 130 and the antenna pattern 112 (or the signal processing module) may be electrically connected to each other by a connector, a conductive paste, welding, a conductive hook, etc., and the present disclosure is not limited or restricted by the electrical connection structure between the connection member 130 and the antenna pattern 112 (or the signal processing module).

For example, the connector 114 and the connector 124 may be connected to one end and the other end of the connection member 130, respectively, and the antenna 110 and the signal processing module 120 may be electrically connected to each other when the connector 114 and the connector 124 are coupled to terminal portions (not shown) connected to the antenna 110 and the signal processing module 120, respectively.

According to the exemplary embodiments of the present disclosure as described above, advantageous effects of simplifying the structure and improving the degree of freedom of design and space utilization can be obtained.

In particular, according to the embodiments of the present disclosure, since the radar is disposed on the inner surface of the lamp for a vehicle, it is possible to obtain advantageous effects of minimizing the space required to install the radar and improving the degree of freedom of design and space utilization.

In addition, according to the embodiments of the present disclosure, it is possible to obtain advantageous effects of preventing deterioration of design characteristics of a lamp for a vehicle, improving marketability, and improving consumer satisfaction.

Although embodiments have been described above, these embodiments are merely illustrative and are not intended to limit the present disclosure. It will be understood by those skilled in the art that various modifications and changes not described above may be made to these embodiments without departing from the essential characteristics of the embodiments. For example, each constituent element specifically described in the embodiments may be modified and then implemented. Further, it is to be understood that differences related to modifications and changes are included in the scope of the present disclosure defined by the appended claims.