KR101768573B1 - Radar detector having patch antenna - Google Patents

Abstract

The present invention relates to a radar detector equipped with a patch antenna. The present invention comprises: a patch antenna designed to receive a certain frequency band of microwaves; a voltage control oscillator (VCO) module including a first mixer for receiving the signal of microwaves received by the patch antenna, mixing the same with a first oscillation frequency and outputting the same; a signal processing unit, including a second mixer for mixing the signal outputted by the VCO with a second oscillation frequency and outputting the same, and processing the signal outputted by the second mixer to convert the same into a pulse signal with a certain wave and height and outputting the same; a controller receiving the pulse signal outputted by the signal processing unit, determining the type and strength of the received pulse signal, and outputting a warning message to a user; and an outputting unit outputting a certain warning message, controlled by the controller. According to the radar detector, mounted on a car for detecting signals to encourage safe driving or/and radar signals for detecting the vehicle speed, the lightweight and minimization of the radar detection can be easily realized. Moreover, the present invention can be easily combined with devices with functions such as GPS (Global Positioning System) or Dashcam, while easily realizing various kinds of designs which satisfy various users needs.

Description

[0001] RADAR DETECTOR HAVING PATCH ANTENNA [0002]

The present invention relates to a radar detector, and more particularly, to a radar detector provided in a vehicle for detecting a signal for guiding safe driving of a vehicle and / or a radar signal for detecting a vehicle speed, It is possible to provide a new patch antenna which is easy to be combined with devices implementing a GPS (Global Positioning System) function or a black box function and can be easily designed in various designs to meet user needs, To a radar detector.

In general, a RADAR Detector is installed in a vehicle, and when the police use a SPEED GUN (a device that detects the speed of a vehicle) for the purpose of controlling a speeding car on a highway or a public road, A device that detects the output signal and alerts the driver in the vehicle of the presence of a police speed gun in front. In recent years, such a radar detector has been widely recognized as a legitimate device that warns the driver to detect the presence of a speed gun of the police and drive carefully beforehand, thus meeting the purpose of police enforcement of the driver's safe driving.

Conventionally, a conventional radar detector is used for detecting a microwave of a high frequency in a band of about 10 to 40 GHz. For this purpose, as disclosed in Korean Patent Registration No. 10-0311719 (registered on September 27, 2001) It is common to apply a wave antenna horn antenna. Fig. 1 (a) is a partially assembled view, and Fig. 1 (b) is a perspective view showing a schematic configuration of a radar detector including a conventional horn antenna. 1, the radar detector 10 includes a horn antenna 15 mounted on a surface of a main board 11 on which a microcontroller (MCU) and other circuits are mounted, and a horn antenna 15 A VCO (Voltage Controlled Oscillator) module 13, which receives a microwave detected by the microwave antenna 12 and detects a predetermined frequency signal, removes interference between the horn antenna 11 and the various circuits in the main board 11, (15). The horn antenna 15 is configured such that the lower piece 152 coupled to the main board 1 and the corresponding upper piece 154 are mechanically coupled to each other and the VCO module 13 sweeps the detection frequency band, A sweep signal generator and a mixer circuit for generating a sweep signal.

Recently, the functions used in vehicles such as navigation, black box, and intelligent traffic system have been increasing and becoming more complicated. Therefore, market needs are not limited to radar detector function but complex devices with various additional functions Moving. Accordingly, a multifunctional product including a GPS function and a black box function together with a radar detector has been widely sold.

However, since these hybrid products use horn antennas for the radar detector function, there are limitations in the basic design type, and thus the design can not be diversified according to the needs of the consumers.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION The present invention has been made to solve the above-described problems of the prior art and to provide various additional advantages, and in particular, to provide a radar system for detecting a signal for guiding safe driving of a vehicle and / In the radar detector, it is easy to combine with a device that implements a GPS (Global Positioning System) function or a black box function, as well as light weight and miniaturization of the radar detector can be easily implemented, and various designs And to provide a radar detector having a novel patch antenna that is configured to facilitate the operation of the radar detector.

The above object is achieved by a radar detector having a patch antenna provided according to the present invention.

A radar detector having a patch antenna provided according to an aspect of the present invention includes a patch antenna formed as a predetermined pattern of a metal strip; A VCO (Voltage Controlled Oscillator) module including a first mixer for receiving a microwave signal received from the patch antenna and mixing the received microwave signal with a first oscillation frequency and outputting the mixed signal; And a second mixer for mixing a signal output from the VCO module with a second oscillation frequency and outputting the converted signal. The signal processor processes the signal output from the second mixer, converts the signal into a pulse signal having a predetermined waveform and a peak, ; A controller for determining the type and intensity of the received pulse signal upon receipt of the pulse signal output from the signal processor and outputting a warning to the user; And an output unit controlled by the controller to output a predetermined warning.

In an embodiment, the patch antenna and the VCO module are formed on one antenna panel, and the signal processing unit, the controller, and the output unit are formed on another main board, Can be signal-connected via the shielding portion.

In one embodiment of the present invention, the shield is a hollow metal can, connected to the ground of the main board and having an area corresponding to the area of the antenna panel, so as to stabilize the gain of the patch antenna on the antenna panel .

In an embodiment, the VCO module is configured such that a mixer circuit including a field effect transistor (FET) is connected to the patch antenna.

In one embodiment, the first oscillation frequency used in the VCO module is a 220 MHz band sweep signal between 11.450 GHz and 11.670 GHz, and the second oscillation frequency used in the signal processor may be 990 MHz.

In an embodiment, it may further comprise a GPS module for receiving a Global Positioning System (GPS) signal and detecting the current position.

In an embodiment, it may further comprise a laser detector for detecting the laser signal.

In an embodiment, it may further comprise a strike-chain circuit for detecting a STRELKA signal.

In an embodiment, the information processing apparatus may further include a memory for storing sound information or image information for a warning to be output through the output unit, the sound information being controlled by the controller.

In an embodiment, the output unit may include a speaker for an acoustic output or a display device for an image output.

According to the radar detector having a patch antenna according to the present invention, in particular, a radar detector provided in a vehicle for detecting a signal for guiding safe operation of a vehicle and / or a radar signal for detecting a vehicle speed, It is easy to combine with the devices implementing the GPS (Global Positioning System) function or the black box function, and it is possible to easily design various designs that can be tailored to the user's needs. do.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS FIG. 1 is a schematic view of a radar detector including a conventional horn antenna as a perspective view in part (a) of FIG.
FIG. 2 is a schematic view showing, by way of example, a mechanical structure of a radar detector having a patch antenna according to an embodiment of the present invention, as (a) a partial assembly road and (b) a perspective view.
FIG. 3 is a schematic view showing an example of a patch antenna arrangement and a VCO module formed on an antenna panel of a radar detector having the patch antenna of FIG. 2. FIG.
Fig. 4 is a photograph showing an example of (a) a diode of a flip-chip type and (b) an FET (field effect transistor) as components connecting the patch antenna and the mixer in the VCO module in the antenna panel of Fig.
FIG. 5 is a circuit diagram showing an example of each circuit configuration of a patch antenna and a VCO module in the antenna panel of FIG. 2. FIG.
FIG. 6 is a schematic circuit diagram exemplarily showing an overall circuit configuration of a radar detector including the patch antenna of FIG. 2;

Hereinafter, the present invention will be described with reference to the accompanying drawings.

FIG. 2 is a schematic view showing, by way of example, a mechanical structure of a radar detector having a patch antenna according to an embodiment of the present invention, as (a) a partial assembly road and (b) a perspective view.

Referring to FIG. 2, the radar detector 20 provided in the present invention may be configured in such a manner that the main board 21, the shielding portion 23, and the antenna panel 25 are assembled. In the illustrated example, all of the circuits implementing the function of receiving, processing, and discriminating signals and outputting warning messages are formed on the main board 21 and the antenna panel 25.

The main board 21 may include a controller and a memory, which may be composed of, for example, a microprocessor unit and other signal processing circuit parts other than the VCO module 252. Further, the radar detector 20 may further include an output unit, such as a speaker and / or a display device, for outputting a warning message to the user hearing and / or visually. In a preferred embodiment, the radar detector 20 may include a GPS module capable of receiving a GPS signal and determining its current position, and may include a laser detector, a black box, a STRELKA signal detection, etc. And may further include a module that performs other functions.

The shielding part 23 is disposed between the main board 21 and the antenna panel 25 and is configured to have a thin can made of a thin rectangular metal can. The shielding portion 23 is electrically connected and fixed to the metal strip 214 constituting the ground (ground) of the main board 21 on one side thereof. The other surface of the shielding portion 23 is fixed to one surface of the antenna panel 25.

The main function of this shielding part 23 is to protect the circuit on the main board 21 from external interference. The shield 23 is also connected to the ground of the main board 21 to serve as a ground for the antenna panel 25 so that the gain of the patch antenna formed on the antenna panel 25 can be stabilized . The main board 21 and the antenna panel 25 are connected to each other by a connection pin 212 passing through the through hole 232 formed in the shielding portion 23. [ If the main board 21 and the antenna panel 25 are connected only by the connecting pin 212 in the absence of the shielding part 23, the mechanical durability of the connection will be very weak. The shielding portion 23 is fixed to the main board 21 at one side thereof and is fixed to the antenna panel 25 at the other side of the shielding portion 23 so that the durability of the entire radar detector 20 can be increased as a whole.

The antenna panel 25 includes a patch antenna 254 and a voltage controlled oscillator (VCO) module 252, for example, in the form of a printed circuit board (PCB). The patch antenna 254 is formed by arranging the metal strips in a predetermined pattern. The patch antenna 254 covers at least half of the area on one side of the antenna panel 25 and occupies an area of about three-quarters in the illustrated example. On the other hand, the VCO module 252 receives the microwave signal received from the patch antenna 254 and mixes the microwave signal with a predetermined oscillation frequency and outputs the mixed signal. The signal output from the VCO module 252 is transmitted to the circuit on the main board 21 through the connection pin 212 and processed so that a predetermined signal can be detected.

Since the antenna panel 25 is in the form of a thin flat plate and is attached to one surface of the main board 21, when the product is configured in combination with the functions of a GPS module, a black box, and a laser detector other than the radar detector, It is possible to diversify into a form tailored to the needs of the consumer with little or no constraint.

FIG. 3 is a schematic view showing an example of a patch antenna arrangement and a VCO module formed on an antenna panel of a radar detector having the patch antenna of FIG. 2;

Referring to FIG. 3, a patch antenna 254 having a predetermined pattern of a metal strip and a VCO module 252 formed using various circuit components are formed on one surface of the antenna panel 25. A backflow prevention part 252a such as a flip-chip type diode is applied to a point where the VCO module 252 and the patch antenna 254 are connected.

4 is a photograph showing an example of (a) a diode of a flip-chip type and (b) an FET (field effect transistor) as components for connecting the patch antenna and the mixer in the VCO module in the antenna panel of Fig.

4 (a) shows a practical example of a flip-chip type diode 42 as a backflow prevention part applied to a point where the VCO module 252 of the figure and the patch antenna 254 are connected. However, the flip-chip type diode has a high defect ratio in the manufacturing process, for example, a surface mounting process (SMT process), and has a low durability, resulting in frequent defects even in a small impact from the outside in the final product state. This problem also occurs in the case of varactor diodes. Particularly, radar detectors and related complex products are mounted on vehicles, so they must operate in vibration or impact environments. Such durability problems can cause fatal errors in the whole operation of the product.

Therefore, in order to improve the durability, according to a preferred embodiment of the present invention, FIG. 4 (b) shows the structure of the field effect transistor (VCO module) 252 as the backflow prevention part applied to the point where the patch antenna 254 is connected to the VCO module 252 FET) < / RTI > FET 44 is advantageous in that it is inexpensive and durable while providing the same function as a diode as compared with the conventional diode application.

5 is a circuit diagram showing an example of circuit configurations of a patch antenna and a VCO module in the antenna panel of Fig. 2;

5, a circuit configuration of the antenna panel 50 including the VCO modules 53, 55, and 57 connected to the patch antenna 51 is illustrated, for example, similar to the antenna panel 25 shown in FIG. 2 . In the illustrated example, the microwave detected by the patch antenna 51 passes through the FET 53 and is transmitted to the IF output section 55. The IF output section 55 includes a first mixer circuit and a first amplifier circuit. Meanwhile, a sweep signal input unit 57 is connected to the first mixer circuit of the IF output unit 55. According to the present invention, the sweep signal input unit 57 supplies the first mixer circuit with the first oscillation frequency for sweeping the 220 MHz band between 11.450 GHz and 11.670 GHz, for example. A power source for the first oscillation frequency may be provided from the main board. Accordingly, the first mixer circuit may mix and amplify the received microwave and sweep signal, i.e., the first oscillation frequency, and then output a first intermediate frequency (IF) signal. The first IF signal output from the IF output section 55 is supplied to the circuit on the main board.

For example, the IF signal output from the IF output unit 55 may be mixed in a single multiples frequency band for an X-band radar signal and a double multiples frequency band for a K-band to form a first intermediate frequency have.

FIG. 6 is a schematic circuit diagram illustrating an overall circuit configuration of a radar detector including the patch antenna of FIG. 2; FIG.

Referring to FIG. 6, a configuration including a circuit of a radar detector 60, which may be provided according to an example of the present invention, is illustrated. The illustrated arrangement includes, for example, a main board component 62 corresponding to the antenna panel 25 of Fig. 2 and the corresponding antenna panel component 61 and the circuits constituted on the main board 21 of Fig.

First, as described above with reference to FIG. 5, a microwave, such as a pulse signal received at the patch antenna of the antenna panel component 61, for example, emitted from a speed gun, 1 mixer, for example, sweeps the 220 MHz band between 11.450 GHz and 11.670 GHz to be a first intermediate frequency, amplified by the first amplifier, and then amplified by the mainboard component 62 .

The main board component 62 filters the received first intermediate frequency through a low noise amplifier (LNA) 621, removes noise, and transmits the noise to the secondary mixing and amplifying unit 622. The second mixing and amplifying unit 622 mixes and amplifies a second oscillation frequency of, for example, 990 MHz, which is different from the oscillation frequency used in the VCO module, and outputs the second intermediate frequency. The second intermediate frequency is processed in the intermediate frequency processing circuit 623 and converted into a pulse signal having a certain waveform and wave height. The converted pulse signal is inputted to a controller 624 constituted by a microprocessor, for example. The controller 624 analyzes the input signal to determine what kind of signal it is and its intensity, and drives the speaker 627 and the display 626 to output a warning message to the user. The alert message output to the user may be based on alert information stored in memory 625, such as, for example, a flash memory.

The radar detector 60 provided in the present invention may not only have only the radar signal detection function but may also include various functions necessary for the vehicle. In one embodiment, the radar detector 60 may further include a GPS module 632 for receiving a Global Positioning System (GPS) signal and detecting the current position. In another embodiment, the radar detector 60 may further comprise a laser detector 631 for detecting the laser signal. In another embodiment, the radar detector 60 may further include a streamer circuit 633 for detecting a STRELKA signal.

While the present invention has been particularly shown and described with reference to exemplary embodiments thereof, it is to be understood that the invention is not limited to the disclosed exemplary embodiments. In addition, those skilled in the art will appreciate that many modifications and variations of the present invention are possible without departing from the spirit and scope of the appended claims. Accordingly, all such appropriate modifications and changes, and equivalents thereof, should be regarded as within the scope of the present invention.

Claims (10)

A radar detector comprising a patch antenna,
A patch antenna formed as a predetermined pattern of the metal strip;
A VCO (Voltage Controlled Oscillator) module including a first mixer for receiving a microwave signal received from the patch antenna and mixing the received microwave signal with a first oscillation frequency and outputting the mixed signal;
And a second mixer which mixes the signal output from the VCO module with a second oscillation frequency and outputs the mixed signal. The signal processor processes the signal output from the second mixer, converts the signal into a pulse signal having a predetermined waveform and a peak, ;
A controller for determining the type and intensity of the received pulse signal upon receipt of the pulse signal output from the signal processor and outputting a warning to the user; And
An output unit controlled by the controller to output a predetermined warning; Lt; / RTI >
The patch antenna and the VCO module are formed on one antenna panel, and the signal processing unit, the controller, and the output unit are formed on another main board, and the antenna panel and the main board are connected to each other via a shielding unit A signal connection is made by a connection pin passing through a through hole formed in the shield,
Wherein the shield is formed in a hollow metal can and is connected to the ground of the main board and has an area corresponding to the antenna panel so as to stabilize the gain of the patch antenna on the antenna panel. Radar detector.
delete delete The method according to claim 1,
Wherein the VCO module is configured such that a mixer circuit including a field effect transistor (FET) is connected to the patch antenna.
The method according to claim 1,
Wherein the first oscillation frequency used in the VCO module is a 220 MHz band sweep signal between 11.450 GHz and 11.670 GHz and the second oscillation frequency used in the signal processor is 990 MHz. Detector.
The method according to claim 1,
Further comprising a GPS module for receiving a GPS (Global Positioning System) signal and detecting a current position of the radar detector.
The method according to claim 1,
Further comprising a laser detector for detecting a laser signal. ≪ RTI ID = 0.0 > 11. < / RTI >
The method according to claim 1,
Further comprising a strike-chain circuit for detecting a STRELKA signal. ≪ RTI ID = 0.0 > 11. < / RTI >
The method according to claim 1,
And a memory for storing acoustic information or image information for a warning to be output through the output unit controlled by the controller.
The method according to claim 1,
Wherein the output unit comprises a speaker for sound output or a display unit for video output.

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