EP3709440A1 - Radarkuppel für fahrzeuge und verfahren zur herstellung der besagten radarkuppel - Google Patents

Radarkuppel für fahrzeuge und verfahren zur herstellung der besagten radarkuppel Download PDF

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Publication number
EP3709440A1
EP3709440A1 EP20162890.6A EP20162890A EP3709440A1 EP 3709440 A1 EP3709440 A1 EP 3709440A1 EP 20162890 A EP20162890 A EP 20162890A EP 3709440 A1 EP3709440 A1 EP 3709440A1
Authority
EP
European Patent Office
Prior art keywords
radome
vehicles according
frontal
frontal layer
layer
Prior art date
Legal status (The legal status is an assumption and is not a legal conclusion. Google has not performed a legal analysis and makes no representation as to the accuracy of the status listed.)
Pending
Application number
EP20162890.6A
Other languages
English (en)
French (fr)
Inventor
Augusto Mayer Pujadas
Benjamín IZQUIERDO FERNANDEZ
Santiago BUITRAGO VENTURA
Jordi Romeu Robert
Current Assignee (The listed assignees may be inaccurate. Google has not performed a legal analysis and makes no representation or warranty as to the accuracy of the list.)
Zanini Auto Grup SA
Original Assignee
Zanini Auto Grup SA
Priority date (The priority date is an assumption and is not a legal conclusion. Google has not performed a legal analysis and makes no representation as to the accuracy of the date listed.)
Filing date
Publication date
Application filed by Zanini Auto Grup SA filed Critical Zanini Auto Grup SA
Publication of EP3709440A1 publication Critical patent/EP3709440A1/de
Pending legal-status Critical Current

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Classifications

    • H—ELECTRICITY
    • H01—ELECTRIC ELEMENTS
    • H01Q—ANTENNAS, i.e. RADIO AERIALS
    • H01Q1/00—Details of, or arrangements associated with, antennas
    • H01Q1/27—Adaptation for use in or on movable bodies
    • H01Q1/32—Adaptation for use in or on road or rail vehicles
    • H01Q1/3208—Adaptation for use in or on road or rail vehicles characterised by the application wherein the antenna is used
    • H01Q1/3233—Adaptation for use in or on road or rail vehicles characterised by the application wherein the antenna is used particular used as part of a sensor or in a security system, e.g. for automotive radar, navigation systems
    • H—ELECTRICITY
    • H01—ELECTRIC ELEMENTS
    • H01Q—ANTENNAS, i.e. RADIO AERIALS
    • H01Q1/00—Details of, or arrangements associated with, antennas
    • H01Q1/42—Housings not intimately mechanically associated with radiating elements, e.g. radome
    • H01Q1/422—Housings not intimately mechanically associated with radiating elements, e.g. radome comprising two or more layers of dielectric material

Definitions

  • the present invention refers to a radome for vehicles, such as a decorative radome used as an emblem, especially for radomes disposed in front of a radar in the front grill of a vehicle.
  • the present invention also refers to a method for manufacturing said radome.
  • Vehicles with sensors able to sense their surroundings are the key enablers to decrease of road fatalities. Through sensors, driver assistance functions are implemented, minimizing risks and increasing the probability of avoiding collisions.
  • Vehicles are designed to offer an aesthetically pleasant impression. Therefore, sensors must be integrated within the vehicle behind covers enabling their function, concealing them from the public view and harmonized with the aesthetic design of the vehicle.
  • radomes In case of a radar sensor, such covers are known as radomes. As mentioned above, radomes must minimize the impact its presence offers to radar emitted and received waves.
  • radomes are expensive due to the different articles being manufactured separately and then assembled. Typically, two injections are involved: one for the front part, one for the rear part. Decoration layers are added to one or both articles as inks, thermo-adhesives, or metallic decoration by Physical Vapor Deposition, for instance.
  • additional articles between front and rear layers are also included, such as other molded articles, or decorated foils which are thermoformed and over-injected. Additionally, other processes may be necessary for each part, such as sprue cutting, lasering, masking, etc. on each part. Finally, all components are attached together by chemical (glue), physical (welding) or mechanical (hooks) means.
  • radomes can also compromise the detection function executed by the radar, as they are composed of thick lossy materials, typically 2-8 mm of PC, ASA, ABS, ABS-PC, etc. whose dielectric properties are not ideal for transparency of radar waves.
  • Decoration layers may also introduce further radar wave absorption, if their composition contains conductive elements such as metallic particles.
  • radar waves go through several changes of media along its propagation path when crossing the radome. Even when attaching two parts together as close as possible, a small air gap will be present between both parts. Hence, radar waves emitted by the radar transition from air to plastic to enter the radome rear part, from plastic to the air gap, from air to plastic to enter the radome front part, and finally from plastic to air to exit the radome.
  • US9114760B2 of the same applicant than the present application, describes a radome composed of a radio transmissive resin with a metalloid-based metallic looking decoration layer.
  • An issue of this invention is the absorption of the employed radio transmissive resin, although it offers a solution for a decorated radome.
  • the resin When the resin is molded, it will have a minimum thickness that will introduce significant absorption to radar waves.
  • the objective of the present invention is to provide a pleasantly aesthetic radome for automotive applications, where the brand logo is frequently used as a radome.
  • a foamed-based decorated radome can improve current solutions and increase radar performance in automotive applications.
  • the aim of this invention is solving these problems while providing a pleasant aesthetic and functional solution that can be easily manufactured.
  • the present invention refers to a radome for vehicles, comprising a frontal layer made from thermoplastic material, wherein the radome also comprises a foamed core on which the frontal layer is adhered.
  • the frontal layer and the foamed core can have protrusions and/or recesses for reproducing a 3D image, such as a logo.
  • the radome can also comprise a rear layer adhered to the foamed core.
  • the foamed core and the frontal layer are curved, defining a cavity.
  • the foamed core can be made from any suitable material, such as Polyurethanes (PU), Polyvinyl chloride (PVC), and Polypropylene (PP) among others or most preferably Polymethacrylimide composites.
  • PU Polyurethanes
  • PVC Polyvinyl chloride
  • PP Polypropylene
  • the frontal layer is decorated, comprising on its outer surface ink, thermo-adhesive and/or metallic luster.
  • the frontal layer comprises preferably an additional UV-curable hard coat.
  • the radome for vehicles according to the present invention also comprises a case and said case can be frontally open and attached at its frontal portion to the frontal layer, or alternatively, said case can be placed behind the frontal layer and the foamed core and it can be closed by a sealing surface.
  • the present invention refers to a method for manufacturing a radome for vehicles as described previously, wherein the method comprises the following steps:
  • protrusions and/or recesses are formed for reproducing a 3D image, such as a logo, and during the thermoforming of the frontal layer protrusions and/or recesses are also formed for reproducing the same 3D image.
  • thermoforming of the frontal layer is made from a thermoplastic extruded foil material.
  • the method for manufacturing a radome for vehicles according to the present invention also comprises the step of decorating the frontal layer such as, e.g., by means of inks, thermo-adhesives and/or metallic luster by physical vapor deposition (PVD).
  • decorating the frontal layer such as, e.g., by means of inks, thermo-adhesives and/or metallic luster by physical vapor deposition (PVD).
  • the method can also comprise the step of applying a UV-curable hard coat completely overlying the frontal layer.
  • the step of adhering the frontal layer to the foam core is made by means of glue, heat-curable fluid resin, temperature or pressure.
  • the method can also comprise the step of attaching a case, which is frontally open, at its frontal portion to said frontal layer.
  • Figs. 1-8 show in a diagrammatical section view eight different embodiments of the radome for vehicles according to the present invention.
  • the radome for vehicles comprises a frontal layer 1 made from thermoplastic material and a foamed core 2 on which the frontal layer 1 is adhered.
  • Foamed materials have dielectric properties similar to air. The reason is their physical nature is porous and have large air content inside. This fact has several advantages from a radar point of view.
  • Loss tangent of foamed materials is also very low, typically one order of magnitude smaller than PC, ABS, ABS-PC, PMMA, or ASA, as shown in Table 2. Therefore, even if similar thickness compared to traditional radomes described above is employed in foamed radomes, losses due to the absorption will be much smaller. Radar waves will reach objects on the scenario farther end with more energy, and echoes from these objects will be stronger. So, for identical radar sensitivity and receiver noise level, a foamed radome will improve the radar detection range with respect to traditional radomes.
  • radomes are articles that are subject to very demanding tests, as they have to have high resistance to chemical products, abrasion, corrosion, impact, weather conditions, etc. Foamed materials may not be able to withstand such variety of conditions, so it makes sense having a suitable layer of another material protecting them from the outer environment
  • the solution is adding the frontal layer 1, and if necessary, a rear layer 4, of thermoplastic materials, as PC, ABS, PMMA, ASA or ABS-PC. These materials can withstand demanding tests for exteriors, sometimes requiring a hard coat layer, and they possess high quality surfaces that can be decorated with ease, so they are ideal to reproduce an automobile manufacturer logo.
  • thermoplastic materials as PC, ABS, PMMA, ASA or ABS-PC.
  • the selected layer thickness will depend on the material properties and on the foam density of the foamed core 2, as for such thin layer the foam material will be the core of the radome that will provide the mechanical resistance of the whole. Ideally, the layer(s) will be as thin as possible in order to introduce lower absorption losses.
  • thermoplastic materials such as PC, ABS, ABS-PC, ASA or PMMA, which lie between 2.5-3 and 0.005-0.02 respectively at automotive radar frequencies, they offer a resonant behavior as a function of their thickness.
  • the ideal layer thickness for such materials should be selected so that minimal attenuation and reflection is achieved. Optimal thicknesses can be therefore very small (about 0.1-0.3 mm) or around 1-1.5 mm, 2-2.5 mm and thicker resonant points. As the foamed material will be the bulk of the radome thickness, the layer thickness will be selected as thin as possible among the previous resonance thickness points. Moreover, there are certain limitations from an injection point of view if large, thin layers from the materials mentioned above are needed. For such large, thin layers, around 1 mm thick, defects on the surface will appear due to the resistance and cooling the melted material will suffer during the injection process inside tool cavity. The lower thickness limit for large layers depends on the material viscosity, but typically a value of 1.5 mm is enough to be able to inject such layers without defects on their surfaces.
  • thermoplastic foils of extruded, non-injected materials are available with high surface quality.
  • thicknesses available, so the most suitable for the purpose herein described can be selected.
  • thermoplastic layer(s) 1, 4 needs to be adhered to the foamed core 2 by means of temperature, glue, heat curable fluid resin, pressure or a combination of the above, in order to obtain a solid monolithic block that will allow the passing of radar waves.
  • Decoration can be applied on the surface of the frontal layer 1, and this process can take place before or after the adhesion with the foamed core 2. In case the decoration occurs before the adhesion step, suitable protection might be necessary to protect the decoration during the adhesion process.
  • Different kinds of decoration can be applied to the surface of the frontal layer 1: color inks, thermo-adhesive, metallic-looking decoration by means of PVD, etc.
  • the selected decorations will be determined by the appearance of the vehicle manufacturer's logo.
  • a last layer of UV-curable hard coat might be needed depending on the layer material to withstand the different testing scenarios required by the vehicle manufacturer.
  • the list of test extends, but is not limited to: abrasion, corrosion, scratching, aging resistance, chemical, climatic, etc.
  • FIGs. 1-8 Some embodiments are shown in Figs. 1-8 .
  • a foamed core 2 is cured in a tool producing a curved foamed core 2 defining a cavity that possesses a curvature but not protrusions or recesses for reproducing a 3D image.
  • thermoplastic resin frontal layer 1 of extruded material chosen among PC, PMMA, ABS, ABS-PC or ASA, thermoformed in a tool adapted to the foamed core 2 curvature.
  • thermoformed frontal layer 1 is decorated with inks, thermo-adhesives, and/or metallic luster via PVD deposition, to reproduce a vehicle manufacturer logo.
  • the frontal layer 1 is protected with UV-curable hard coat (not shown in the drawings).
  • the decorated frontal layer 1 is adhered to the foamed core 2 by means of glue, resin, temperature, or pressure.
  • the frontal layer 1 is placed in the radome surface farther from the motor engine.
  • the second and fourth embodiments, shown in Figs. 2 and 4 are very similar to the previous embodiments, with the difference of a second thermoplastic resin layer, rear layer 4, of extruded material, thermoformed in a tool adapted to the foamed core 2 curvature.
  • This rear layer 4 is also adhered to the foamed core 2 by means of glue, resin, temperature, or pressure, and it is placed in the radome surface closer from the motor engine.
  • the fifth and seventh embodiments, shown in Figs. 5 and 7 are very similar to the first and third embodiments, with the difference that the foamed core 2 and the frontal layer 1 have protrusions and recesses to reproduce a 3D image.
  • the sixth and eighth embodiments, shown in Figs. 6 and 8 are very similar to the second embodiment, with the difference that the foamed core 2 and the frontal layer 1 have protrusions and recesses to reproduce a 3D image.
  • the radome for vehicles according to the present invention comprises a case 5 and said case 5 can be frontally open and attached at its frontal portion to the frontal layer 1, as shown in the first, second, fifth and sixth embodiments. I.e. in these embodiments, the frontal layer 1 and the foamed core 2 are used as a primary surface.
  • said case is placed behind the frontal layer 1 and the foamed core 2 and being closed by a sealing surface 7.
  • the frontal layer 1 and the foamed core 2 are used as a secondary surface.
  • This case 5 houses a radar circuit and antennas 6.
  • the radar cover which is non decorated, that seals the radome, preventing any water or dust leaking into the radar circuits, offering better thermal isolation with respect to the environment and providing a robust packaging to the assembly.
  • the frontal layer 1 and the foamed core 2 are used as a primary surface, the frontal layer 1 would be attached to the radar case 5 on the perimeter by glue, welding or any other suitable means, thus preventing and leaks from the outside towards the radar circuitry and offering an integrated, compact and robust enclosure for the whole radar and decorative radome.

Landscapes

  • Engineering & Computer Science (AREA)
  • Computer Security & Cryptography (AREA)
  • Radar, Positioning & Navigation (AREA)
  • Remote Sensing (AREA)
  • Laminated Bodies (AREA)
  • Details Of Aerials (AREA)
EP20162890.6A 2019-03-13 2020-03-13 Radarkuppel für fahrzeuge und verfahren zur herstellung der besagten radarkuppel Pending EP3709440A1 (de)

Applications Claiming Priority (1)

Application Number Priority Date Filing Date Title
EP19382183 2019-03-13

Publications (1)

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EP3709440A1 true EP3709440A1 (de) 2020-09-16

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Cited By (1)

* Cited by examiner, † Cited by third party
Publication number Priority date Publication date Assignee Title
WO2021241089A1 (ja) * 2020-05-26 2021-12-02 豊田合成株式会社 車両用ガーニッシュ

Citations (4)

* Cited by examiner, † Cited by third party
Publication number Priority date Publication date Assignee Title
DE3632128A1 (de) * 1986-09-22 1988-04-07 Siemens Ag Dielektrische schutzhaube zur abdeckung von mikrowellenantennen
DE102011076501A1 (de) * 2011-05-26 2012-11-29 Robert Bosch Gmbh Abdeckung für einen radarsensor
US9114760B2 (en) 2010-11-15 2015-08-25 Zanini Auto Grup, Sa Decorative radome for automotive vehicular applications
EP3252494A1 (de) * 2016-06-01 2017-12-06 Toyoda Gosei Co., Ltd. Zierelement für ein fahrzeug

Patent Citations (4)

* Cited by examiner, † Cited by third party
Publication number Priority date Publication date Assignee Title
DE3632128A1 (de) * 1986-09-22 1988-04-07 Siemens Ag Dielektrische schutzhaube zur abdeckung von mikrowellenantennen
US9114760B2 (en) 2010-11-15 2015-08-25 Zanini Auto Grup, Sa Decorative radome for automotive vehicular applications
DE102011076501A1 (de) * 2011-05-26 2012-11-29 Robert Bosch Gmbh Abdeckung für einen radarsensor
EP3252494A1 (de) * 2016-06-01 2017-12-06 Toyoda Gosei Co., Ltd. Zierelement für ein fahrzeug

Cited By (1)

* Cited by examiner, † Cited by third party
Publication number Priority date Publication date Assignee Title
WO2021241089A1 (ja) * 2020-05-26 2021-12-02 豊田合成株式会社 車両用ガーニッシュ

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