KR102670675B1 - Array antenna for vehicle - Google Patents

Abstract

A vehicle array antenna according to an embodiment is disclosed. The automotive array antenna includes a first substrate having a ground formed on one side; a plurality of second substrates arranged perpendicularly to one surface of the first substrate and spaced apart at predetermined intervals; and a loop antenna and a ground plane formed on each surface of the plurality of second substrates, wherein each surface of the plurality of second substrates is arranged in the same direction.

Description

Array antenna for vehicle {ARRAY ANTENNA FOR VEHICLE}

The embodiment relates to positioning technology, and more specifically, to a vehicle array antenna that has a simple structure and can achieve ideal signal reception performance.

To compensate for the shortcomings of smart keys, which are weak in security, alternative technologies are being actively developed by vehicle manufacturers in Korea, Japan, and the United States. Major alternative technologies include NFC (Near Field Communication) and BLE (Bluetooth Low Energy) technologies. NFC has the inconvenience of having to touch the phone to the car, and BLE vehicle positioning technology has taken this to the next level. For positioning, each antenna is spaced at a certain distance and then the phase difference between transmitted and received signals is detected to calculate the location of the cell phone.

In order to add the BLE AOA (Angle of Arrival) function to a vehicle, the user's phone must be recognized from all directions of the vehicle, and the most key technology in this case is antenna array technology. At this time, in order to transmit and receive data from the phone, the radiation range of each antenna must be evenly wide.

1A to 1B are diagrams showing an array antenna for a vehicle according to the prior art.

Referring to Figure 1a, a vehicle array antenna according to the prior art is comprised of a substrate (1), a plurality of monopole antennas or dipole antennas (2), an RF (Radio Frequency) cable (3), and an RF connector (4). You can. At this time, the monopole antenna or dipole antenna used is expensive, and when three antennas are used, three RF cables and six RF connectors are required, making the antenna expensive.

In addition, due to the structure of the linear array, an additional reflector (5) must be provided at the rear, but the reflector is large and difficult to install inside the vehicle's bumper.

Referring to Figure 1b, it shows the radiation pattern of a vehicle array antenna according to the prior art, and it can be seen that signal reception is possible in a wide range excluding the rear of the reflector.

However, when an array antenna is designed to widen the radiation range of each antenna, not only does the size of the array antenna become large and expensive, but there is not enough space to place it in an actual vehicle. To date, only ideal antennas with virtually no mass production potential have been designed.

Public Patent Publication No. 10-2017-0026255

Embodiments may provide an array antenna for a vehicle that has a simple structure and can implement ideal signal reception performance.

A vehicle array antenna according to an embodiment of the present invention includes a first substrate having a ground formed on one surface; a plurality of second substrates arranged perpendicularly to one surface of the first substrate and spaced apart at predetermined intervals; and a loop antenna and a ground plane formed on each surface of the plurality of second substrates, and each surface of the plurality of second substrates may be arranged in the same direction.

One surface of the second substrate may include a first area and a second area, the loop antenna may be formed in the first area, and a ground plane connected to the ground of the first substrate may be formed in the second area. there is.

The radiation area may be controlled depending on the area of the ground plane.

The loop antenna includes a radiator; a power supply line extending from one end of the radiator and connected to a signal line of the first substrate; and a ground line extending from the other end of the radiator and connected to the ground plane.

The radiator may be formed in any one of a circular shape, an elliptical shape, and a polygonal shape.

The first substrate and the second substrate may be formed as one piece.

The second substrate may be removably coupled to the first substrate. A groove may be formed on one side of the first substrate, and a protrusion inserted into and coupled to the groove may be formed on one side of the second substrate.

The loop antenna may be a monopole antenna.

The total length of the radiator is 1 λ, and the ratio of the horizontal length and vertical length of the radiator may be 5:4.

The ratio between the length of the feed line and the height of the ground plane may be 1:1.

According to an embodiment, a plurality of second substrates are arranged vertically at predetermined intervals on one side of the first substrate on which the ground is formed, and a loop antenna and a ground plane are formed on one side of the second substrate, thereby creating a simple structure that provides a wide area except for the rear. Signal reception within a range may be possible.

According to the embodiment, even if implemented with a simple structure, performance equivalent to that of an ideal dipole antenna can be achieved.

According to the embodiment, by using a low-cost substrate and not using an expensive dipole antenna, cable, or connector, material costs can be dramatically reduced while miniaturization may be possible.

According to an embodiment, since a plurality of second substrates are vertically arranged on one side of the first substrate at predetermined intervals, the size of the antenna can be easily expanded by adjusting the number of second substrates.

1A to 1B are diagrams showing an array antenna for a vehicle according to the prior art.
Figure 2 is a diagram showing an array antenna for a vehicle according to an embodiment of the present invention.
FIG. 3 is a diagram for explaining the form of the vehicle array antenna shown in FIG. 2.
FIGS. 4A and 4B are diagrams for explaining the coupling relationship between the first substrate and the second substrate shown in FIG. 2.
FIG. 5 is a diagram for explaining the specific shape of the second substrate shown in FIG. 2.
FIG. 6 is a diagram showing the radiation pattern of the vehicle array antenna shown in FIG. 2.
Figure 7 is a diagram showing the radiation pattern of a vehicle array antenna mounted on a vehicle.

Hereinafter, preferred embodiments of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the attached drawings.

However, the technical idea of the present invention is not limited to some of the described embodiments, but may be implemented in various different forms, and as long as it is within the scope of the technical idea of the present invention, one or more of the components may be optionally used between the embodiments. It can be used by combining and replacing.

In addition, terms (including technical and scientific terms) used in the embodiments of the present invention, unless explicitly specifically defined and described, are generally understood by those skilled in the art to which the present invention pertains. It can be interpreted as meaning, and the meaning of commonly used terms, such as terms defined in a dictionary, can be interpreted by considering the contextual meaning of the related technology.

Additionally, the terms used in the embodiments of the present invention are for describing the embodiments and are not intended to limit the present invention.

In this specification, the singular may also include the plural unless specifically stated in the phrase, and when described as “at least one (or more than one) of A and B and C”, it is combined with A, B, and C. It can contain one or more of all possible combinations.

Additionally, in describing the components of the embodiments of the present invention, terms such as first, second, A, B, (a), and (b) may be used.

These terms are only used to distinguish the component from other components, and are not limited to the essence, sequence, or order of the component.

And, when a component is described as being 'connected', 'coupled' or 'connected' to another component, the component is not only directly connected, coupled or connected to that other component, but also is connected to that component. It can also include cases where other components are 'connected', 'combined', or 'connected' due to another component between them.

Additionally, when described as being formed or disposed “above” or “below” each component, “above” or “below” refers not only to cases where two components are in direct contact with each other, but also to one This also includes cases where another component described above is formed or placed between two components. In addition, when expressed as “top (above) or bottom (bottom)”, it can include not only the upward direction but also the downward direction based on one component.

In an embodiment, a new structure of a vehicle array antenna is proposed in which a plurality of second substrates are vertically arranged at predetermined intervals on one side of a first substrate on which a ground is formed, and a loop antenna and a ground plane are formed on one side of the second substrate. do. In particular, the vehicle array antenna according to the embodiment may be used for AOA (Angle Of Arrival) positioning based on short-range wireless communication technology. Here, short-range communication technology may include, for example, BLE (Bluetooth Low Energy).

FIG. 2 is a diagram showing an array antenna for a vehicle according to an embodiment of the present invention, and FIG. 3 is a diagram for explaining the form of the array antenna for a vehicle shown in FIG. 2.

Referring to Figures 2 and 3, a vehicle array antenna for positioning according to an embodiment of the present invention includes a first substrate 100, a second substrate 200, a loop antenna 300, and a ground plane 400. may include.

The first substrate 100 includes one side and the other side, and a ground may be formed on the entire area of one side and a circuit may be formed on the other side. The first substrate 100 may have a plurality of second substrates 200 vertically arranged on one surface where the ground is formed, and the plurality of second substrates 200 may be arranged to be spaced apart at a predetermined interval. This first substrate 100 can not only be used as a support means for linearly arranging the plurality of second substrates 200, but also can transmit signals radiated through loop antennas formed on each of the plurality of second substrates 200 to one surface. It can be used as a reflective means to reflect forward.

The first substrate 100 may be a printed circuit board (PCB) board, which is a laminated board coated with copper foil. Accordingly, the first substrate 100 can serve as a reflective means through copper foil forming a basic laminated structure without the need to form a separate reflective means on one side.

The second substrate 200 may be arranged perpendicularly to one surface of the first substrate 100 and spaced apart at a predetermined interval. A loop antenna may be formed on one side of the second substrate 200. In this embodiment, the case where three second substrates 200 are disposed is described as an example, but it is not necessarily limited to this and two or more may be disposed as needed.

The second substrate 200 may be a printed circuit board (PCB) board, which is a laminated board coated with copper foil. At this time, all PCB boards can be applied regardless of the laminated structure.

At this time, the size of the first substrate 100 may be larger than the size of the second substrate 200. The size of the first substrate 100 may be, for example, 100 mm × 60 mm in consideration of installation space.

The loop antenna 300 may be formed identically in the first area of each surface of the plurality of second substrates 200 . These loop antennas 300 may be formed identically on each surface of the plurality of second substrates 200, but are not necessarily limited thereto and may be formed differently as needed.

This loop antenna 300 may be implemented as, for example, a monopole antenna.

At this time, the loop antennas 300 formed on each side of the plurality of second substrates 200 are spaced apart by a predetermined distance, and the spaced distance D may satisfy the following [Equation 1].

[Equation 1]

D = λ/4, λ = c/f

Here, λ represents the wavelength, c represents the speed of light (3×10 ⁸ ), and f represents the frequency.

The ground plane 400 may be formed identically in the second area of each surface of the plurality of second substrates 200 . This ground plane 400 can ground the loop antenna 300, with one side connected to the loop antenna 300 and the other side connected to the ground of the first substrate 100.

FIGS. 4A and 4B are diagrams for explaining the coupling relationship between the first substrate and the second substrate shown in FIG. 2.

Referring to FIG. 4A, the first substrate 100 and the second substrate 200 according to this embodiment may be formed as one piece. Here, for convenience of explanation, the description is made using one second substrate 200. For example, the first substrate 100 and the second substrate 200 may be formed as one LCP (Liquid Crystal Polymer) injection molding product.

Then, a loop antenna and a circuit can be formed on the first substrate 100 and the second substrate 200, which are formed as one piece, using the LDS (Laser Direct Structuring) method. That is, a loop antenna may be formed on the second substrate 200, and a circuit may be formed on the first substrate 100. In this embodiment, the case where the first substrate and the second substrate are formed as one body will be described as an example.

Referring to FIG. 4B, the first substrate 100 and the second substrate 200 according to this embodiment can be detachably coupled. Here, for convenience of explanation, the description is made using one second substrate 200. For example, one side of the second substrate 200 may be inserted and coupled to one side of the first substrate 100 .

In this way, the first substrate 100 and the second substrate 200 can be inserted and coupled in a DIP type.

To this end, at least one groove portion into which the second substrate is inserted and coupled may be formed on one surface of the first substrate 100. In this embodiment, three grooves are formed on one surface of the first substrate 100, but the number of grooves is not necessarily limited to this and may be changed as needed.

One side of the second substrate 200 may be formed with a protrusion inserted into and coupled to at least one groove formed on one surface of the first substrate. In this embodiment, three protrusions are formed on one surface of the second substrate 200, but the number of protrusions is not limited to this and may be changed as needed.

At this time, it is preferable that the plurality of second substrates 200 are vertically inserted and coupled to one surface of the first substrate 100 and are spaced apart at equal intervals, and if necessary, at least One second substrate may be disposed spaced apart at different intervals.

Additionally, a loop antenna 300 may be formed in the first area of one surface of the plurality of second substrates 200. The loop antenna is preferably formed as one loop and has the same shape, and if necessary, at least One second substrate may be formed in different shapes.

Additionally, a ground plane 400 may be formed in the second area of one surface of the plurality of second substrates 200, and the radiation area may be controlled according to the area of the ground plane 400.

In addition, it is preferable that all surfaces of the plurality of second substrates 200 are arranged in the same direction, but at least one second substrate may be arranged in a different direction if necessary.

FIG. 5 is a diagram for explaining the specific shape of the second substrate shown in FIG. 2.

Referring to FIG. 5, one surface of the second substrate 200 according to an embodiment of the present invention includes a first area and a second area, a loop antenna 300 is formed in the first area, and a loop antenna 300 is formed in the second area. A ground plane 400 may be formed.

This loop antenna 300 may include a radiator 310, a feed line 320, and a ground line 330.

The radiator 310 may be formed in a predetermined shape for radiating a signal, for example, in any one of a circular shape, an oval shape, and a polygonal shape. Here, the radiator 310 may be formed of a conductive material, for example, at least one of silver (Ag), palladium (Pd), platinum (Pt), copper (Gu), gold (Au), and nickel (Ni). can be formed.

The radiator 310 may be formed as a loop, and a power supply line 320 may extend from one end of the loop, and a ground line 330 may extend from the other end of the loop. The feed line 320 and the ground line 330 may be formed in parallel and spaced apart by a predetermined distance.

The power supply line 320 may be connected to the signal line of the first substrate, and the ground line 330 may be connected to the ground plane 400.

The radiation area may be controlled according to the area of the ground plane 400. That is, as the area, specifically the height (h), of the ground plane 400 increases, the radiation area may become wider.

At this time, the radiator 310 is made of one loop, and the total length (L) of the loop can satisfy 1 λ, and the ratio of the horizontal length (Lx) and vertical length (Ly) of the loop can satisfy 5:4. You can.

Additionally, the ratio of the length of the power supply line (L_power) and the length of the ground line (L_ground) may satisfy 1:1.

Additionally, the ratio between the length of the feed line (L_power) and the length of the ground plane (L_ground_plane) may satisfy a 1:1 ratio. For example, the length of the power supply line (L_power) and the length of the ground plane (L_ground_plane) may be 10 mm.

FIG. 6 is a diagram showing the radiation pattern of the vehicle array antenna shown in FIG. 2, and FIG. 7 is a diagram showing the radiation pattern of the vehicle array antenna mounted on the vehicle.

Referring to FIG. 6, in this embodiment, it is confirmed through computer simulation that a plurality of second substrates, which are general low-cost substrates, are placed vertically on one side of a first substrate of a predetermined size, thereby having performance equivalent to that of a conventional ideal dipole antenna. You can.

Referring to FIG. 7, the automotive array antenna according to an embodiment of the present invention can be installed at both ends (P1, P2, P3, P4) of the front bumper and rear bumper for BLE AOA positioning in the vehicle. Vehicle doors, etc. are made of metal, so it is difficult to install them, and the shark antenna is already saturated, making it impossible to install multiple linear antennas in the 2.4GHz band.

When a vehicle array antenna is located on the front and rear bumpers of a vehicle, it is important to ensure that the antenna's waveform radiates toward the outside of the vehicle. Therefore, as in this embodiment, by arranging a plurality of second substrates perpendicularly on one side of a first substrate of a predetermined size, the first substrate can function as a reflector, thereby radiating signals evenly.

Therefore, the antenna according to this embodiment can satisfy antenna performance by using only a low-cost substrate (FR-4), unlike the existing method of using multiple expensive antennas and RF cables.

Here, the case where antennas are installed at four locations in the vehicle is described as an example, but the installation location and number of installations may vary as needed.

The term '~unit' used in this embodiment refers to software or hardware components such as FPGA (field-programmable gate array) or ASIC, and the '~unit' performs certain roles. However, '~part' is not limited to software or hardware. The '~ part' may be configured to reside in an addressable storage medium and may be configured to reproduce on one or more processors. Therefore, as an example, '~ part' refers to components such as software components, object-oriented software components, class components, and task components, processes, functions, properties, and procedures. , subroutines, segments of program code, drivers, firmware, microcode, circuitry, data, databases, data structures, tables, arrays, and variables. The functions provided within the components and 'parts' may be combined into a smaller number of components and 'parts' or may be further separated into additional components and 'parts'. In addition, the components and 'parts' may be implemented to regenerate one or more CPUs within the device or secure multimedia card.

Although the present invention has been described above with reference to preferred embodiments, those skilled in the art may make various modifications and changes to the present invention without departing from the spirit and scope of the present invention as set forth in the claims below. You will understand that you can do it.

100: first substrate
110a: ground
200: second substrate
300: loop antenna
310: emitter
320: feed line
330: ground line
400: ground plane

Claims (11)

A first substrate having a ground formed on its entire surface;
a plurality of second substrates arranged perpendicularly to one surface of the first substrate and spaced apart at predetermined intervals; and
A loop antenna and a ground plane formed on each side of the plurality of second substrates,
Each surface of the plurality of second substrates is arranged in the same direction,
The ground of the first substrate reflects the signal radiated through the loop antenna toward the front of one surface,
One surface of the second substrate includes a first area and a second area,
The loop antenna is formed in the first area,
A ground plane connected to the ground of the first substrate is formed in the second area, where one side of the ground plane is connected to the loop antenna and the other side is connected to the ground,
The loop antenna is formed in a different shape on at least one second substrate,
The predetermined interval is λ/4, where λ represents the wavelength,
The loop antenna is,
emitter;
a power supply line extending from one end of the radiator and connected to a signal line of the first substrate; and
A ground line extends from the other end of the radiator and is connected to a ground plane of the first substrate,
The total length of the radiator is 1λ, and the ratio of the horizontal length and vertical length of the radiator satisfies 5:4,
A ratio of the length of the feed line and the length of the ground line satisfies 1:1, and the ratio of the length of the feed line and the length of the ground plane satisfies 1:1. delete According to paragraph 1,
An array antenna for a vehicle capable of controlling the radiation area according to the area of the ground plane. delete According to paragraph 1,
The emitter is,
An array antenna for a vehicle formed in any one of a circular shape, an oval shape, and a polygonal shape. According to paragraph 1,
An array antenna for a vehicle, wherein the first substrate and the second substrate are formed as one piece. According to paragraph 1,
An array antenna for a vehicle, wherein the second substrate is detachably coupled to the first substrate. In clause 7,
A groove is formed on one side of the first substrate,
An array antenna for a vehicle, wherein a protrusion is formed on one side of the second substrate to be inserted into the groove. According to paragraph 1,
The loop antenna is a monopole antenna, an array antenna for a vehicle. delete delete

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