WO2023051240A1

WO2023051240A1 - Antenna module, millimeter wave radar, and vehicle

Info

Publication number: WO2023051240A1
Application number: PCT/CN2022/118628
Authority: WO
Inventors: 樊小毛
Original assignee: 深圳市塞防科技有限公司
Priority date: 2021-09-28
Filing date: 2022-09-14
Publication date: 2023-04-06
Also published as: CN113823891B; CN113823891A

Abstract

The embodiments of the present invention relate to the technical field of antennas, and disclose an antenna module, a millimeter wave radar, and a vehicle. The antenna module comprises: a first antenna, comprising a first dielectric substrate, a first antenna array, and a first radio frequency chip, the first radio frequency chip sending and receiving a first beam sequence having a first beam width by means of the first antenna array; and a second antenna, comprising a second dielectric substrate, a second antenna array, and a second radio frequency chip, the second radio frequency chip sending and receiving a second beam sequence having a second beam width by means of the second antenna array. The first dielectric substrate and the second dielectric substrate are both disposed on a preset plane, and the first dielectric substrate and the second dielectric substrate are disposed at an angle such that the beam width after the first beam width and the second beam width are superimposed respectively covers both sides of the preset plane. In this way, the antenna module can achieve both a long detection distance and a wide coverage range.

Description

Antenna module, millimeter wave radar and vehicle

This application claims the priority of the Chinese patent application with the application number 202111143511.5 and the application title "Antenna Module, Millimeter Wave Radar and Vehicle" submitted to the China Patent Office on September 28, 2021, the entire contents of which are incorporated herein by reference. Applying.

technical field

Embodiments of the present invention relate to the technical field of antennas, in particular to an antenna module, a millimeter wave radar and a vehicle.

Background technique

Automotive millimeter-wave radars can be divided into forward radars, side radars, and corner radars according to application scenarios. The forward radar has a narrow antenna beam, which requires a long detection distance, but the coverage area is narrow. The corner radar has a wide antenna beam, which can cover the front and side, and requires a wide coverage area and a short detection distance. The side radar has a wide range. Coverage requirements, the general FOV must be more than 150°, and the detection distance is short. Generally, the farther the detection distance of single-board radar is, the greater the antenna gain is required, and the narrower the beam is. It is difficult for single-board radar to achieve wide coverage and long detection distance. Generally, it needs to be detected by mechanical scanning or phased array. To achieve both long-distance and wide coverage, the system design complexity and cost will increase a lot. In the current technical application, the lateral radar coverage is 150°, which is usually spliced by two integral radars at a certain angle. The coverage is not enough and the detection distance is relatively short.

In the process of implementing the present invention, the inventors found that: in the application scenario where the beam scanning coverage of the millimeter-wave radar needs to meet the FOV (FOV: radar viewing angle range) range of 0° to 180° and has better antenna gain, It is difficult for a single radar to meet the application requirements. If multiple radars are used for combined coverage, this will increase the complexity and cost of system design.

Contents of the invention

Embodiments of the present invention provide an antenna module, a millimeter-wave radar, and a vehicle, aiming at improving the beam width of the antenna module and having better antenna gain.

In order to solve the above technical problems, a technical solution adopted by the embodiment of the present invention is to provide an antenna module, including: a first antenna, including a first dielectric substrate, a first antenna array, and a first radio frequency chip, the first Both the antenna array and the first radio frequency chip are disposed on the first dielectric substrate, and the first radio frequency chip transmits and receives a first beam sequence with a first beam width through the first antenna array; and a second antenna , including a second dielectric substrate, a second antenna array, and a second radio frequency chip, the second antenna array and the second radio frequency chip are both arranged on the second dielectric substrate, and the second radio frequency chip passes through the first Two antenna arrays transmit and receive a second beam sequence with a second beam width; the first dielectric substrate and the second dielectric substrate are both arranged on a preset plane, and the first dielectric substrate and the second dielectric substrate The substrate is arranged at an angle, so that the beam width after the superposition of the first beam width and the second beam width respectively covers both sides of the preset plane, wherein the propagation direction of the second beam sequence is the same as that of the The propagation directions of the first beam sequence are all directed away from the preset plane.

In some optional embodiments, the first beamwidth of the first beam sequence is the same as the second beamwidth of the second beam sequence.

In some optional embodiments, the first antenna array includes at least two first receiving elements and at least two first transmitting elements, along the first direction, at least two of the first receiving elements and At least two of the first emitting array elements are arranged at intervals on the first dielectric substrate, wherein the first direction is the length direction of the first dielectric substrate; the first radio frequency chip includes at least two first A receiving pin is connected to at least two first transmitting pins, a first receiving element is electrically connected to a first receiving pin, and a first transmitting element is connected to a first transmitting pin. The pins are electrically connected; wherein, the first radio frequency chip, at least two of the first receiving array elements and at least two of the first transmitting array elements together form a spatially first TD-MIMO antenna array;

The second antenna array includes at least two second receiving array elements and at least two second transmitting array elements, and along the second direction, at least two of the second receiving array elements and at least two of the second transmitting array elements The elements are arranged at intervals on the second dielectric substrate, wherein the second direction is the length direction of the second dielectric substrate; the second radio frequency chip includes at least two second receiving pins and a second emitting pin pin, a third receiving array element is electrically connected to a second receiving pin, and a third transmitting array element is electrically connected to a second emitting pin; wherein, the second radio frequency chip , at least two second receiving array elements and at least two second transmitting array elements jointly form a second TD-MIMO antenna array in space.

In some optional embodiments, the first antenna array includes two third receiving elements and at least two third transmitting elements, two of the third receiving elements and at least two of the third The transmitting array elements are all grounded; the two third receiving array elements are respectively arranged on both sides of the at least two first receiving array elements along the first direction; every two of the third transmitting array elements are respectively arranged On both sides of a first emitting element along the first direction, every two third emitting elements and a first emitting element form a first emitting element group.

In some optional embodiments, any array element in the first antenna array includes a first connection line and a plurality of first patches arranged alternately on both sides of the first connection line, and the The widths of the first patches decrease one by one from the middle to both sides, so that along the second direction, the widths of each of the first patches obey the Chebyshev distribution, wherein the second direction and the first direction vertical.

In some optional embodiments, the distance between any two adjacent first patches in the first receiving array element is 0.5 times the medium wavelength of the first patch; the The distance between any two adjacent first patches in the first emitting array element is twice the medium wavelength of the first patches.

In some optional embodiments, the first antenna further includes at least two first quarter-wavelength impedance transformation sections and at least two second quarter-wavelength impedance transformation sections, and the first receiving The connection between the array element and the first receiving pin is provided with a first quarter-wavelength impedance conversion section, and the connection between the first emitting array element and the first emitting pin is provided with a The second quarter wavelength impedance transformation section.

In some optional embodiments, the second receiving antenna array includes two fourth receiving array elements and at least two fourth transmitting array elements, and the two fourth receiving array elements and at least two of the fourth receiving array elements The four transmitting array elements are all grounded; the two fourth receiving array elements are respectively arranged on both sides of at least two of the second receiving array elements along the second direction; the two fourth transmitting array elements are respectively arranged On both sides of a second emitting element along the second direction, every two fourth emitting elements and a second emitting element form a second emitting element group.

In some optional embodiments, any array element in the second antenna array includes a second connection line and a plurality of second patches arranged alternately on both sides of the second connection line, and one side The width of the second patch decreases one by one from the middle to both sides, so that along the fourth direction, the width of each second patch obeys the Chebyshev distribution, wherein the fourth direction is the same as the third Direction is vertical.

In some optional embodiments, the distance between any two adjacent second patches in the second receiving array element is 0.5 times the medium wavelength of the second patch; the The distance between any two adjacent second patches in the second emitting array element is twice the medium wavelength of the second patches.

In some optional embodiments, the second antenna further includes at least two third quarter-wavelength impedance transformation sections and at least two fourth quarter-wavelength impedance transformation sections, and the second receiving The connection between the array element and the second receiving pin is provided with a third quarter-wavelength impedance transformation section, and the connection between the second emitting array element and the second emitting pin is provided with a The fourth quarter-wavelength impedance transformation section.

In order to solve the above-mentioned technical problems, another technical solution adopted by the embodiment of the present invention is to provide a millimeter-wave radar, including the above-mentioned antenna module.

In order to solve the above-mentioned technical problems, another technical solution adopted by the embodiment of the present invention is to provide a vehicle, including a vehicle body and the above-mentioned millimeter-wave radar, and the millimeter-wave radar is installed on the vehicle body.

The beneficial effects of the embodiments of the present invention are: different from the situation of the prior art, the antenna module, the millimeter-wave radar and the vehicle provided by the embodiments of the present invention set the first antenna and the second antenna at an angle, so that the first beam The width and the second beam width are superimposed to form a beam width that can cover the antenna modules on both sides of the preset plane, so that any area between the two sides of the preset plane has better antenna gain.

Description of drawings

In order to more clearly illustrate the technical solutions of the embodiments of the present application, the following will briefly introduce the accompanying drawings that need to be used in the embodiments of the present application. Obviously, the accompanying drawings described below are only some embodiments of the present application. Those of ordinary skill in the art can also obtain other drawings based on the accompanying drawings on the premise of not paying creative efforts.

FIG. 1 is a schematic structural diagram of an antenna module provided by an embodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 2 is a schematic structural diagram of a first antenna in the antenna module shown in FIG. 1;

FIG. 3 is a schematic structural diagram of a second antenna in the antenna module shown in FIG. 1;

Fig. 4 is the radiation pattern of the antenna E surface/H surface measured by a single array element in the first antenna or the second antenna in the antenna module shown in Fig. 1;

Fig. 5 is the standing wave characteristic curve of the first transmitting element group of the first antenna or the second transmitting element group of the second antenna in the antenna module shown in Fig. 1;

Fig. 6 is the radiation pattern of the measured antenna E plane/H plane of the first transmitting array element group or the second transmitting array element group shown in Fig. 5;

FIG. 7 is a simulation diagram of the first antenna or the second antenna in the antenna module shown in FIG. 1 after being optimized by Taylor distribution in the beam scanning direction of 0°;

FIG. 8 is a simulation diagram of the first antenna or the second antenna in the antenna module shown in FIG. 7 after being optimized by Taylor distribution in a beam scanning direction of 30°;

FIG. 9 is a simulation diagram of the beam scanning direction of 60° after the first antenna or the second antenna in the antenna module shown in FIG. 7 is optimized by Taylor distribution.

Detailed ways

Embodiments of the technical solutions of the present invention will be described in detail below in conjunction with the accompanying drawings. The following examples are only used to illustrate the technical solutions of the present invention more clearly, and therefore are only examples, rather than limiting the protection scope of the present invention.

All terms (including technical and scientific terms) used herein have the meaning commonly understood by one of ordinary skill in the art, unless otherwise defined. It should be noted that the terms used herein should be interpreted to have a meaning consistent with the context of this specification, and not be interpreted in an idealized or overly rigid manner. For example, the main lobe is the largest radiation beam located on the antenna pattern. The origin of the main lobe is related to the antenna directivity, that is, under the condition of the same distance r in the far zone, the relationship between the relative value of the antenna radiation field and the spatial direction . The antenna pattern is used to represent the antenna directivity. Because the antenna pattern is generally petal-shaped, it is also called the lobe pattern. The beam within the first zero radiation direction line on both sides of the maximum radiation direction is called the main lobe, and the rest The lobes are called side lobes or side lobes. On both sides of the maximum radiation direction of the main lobe, the angle between two points where the radiation intensity is reduced by 3dB (the power density is reduced by half) is defined as the lobe width (also known as beam width or main lobe width or half power angle). The narrower the beam width, the better the directivity, the farther the working distance, and the stronger the anti-interference ability.

In addition, the technical features involved in different embodiments of the present invention described below may be combined with each other as long as they do not constitute a conflict with each other.

FIG. 1 is a schematic structural diagram of an antenna module provided by an embodiment of the present invention. The beam scanning coverage of the antenna module satisfies the range of 0-180°, and at the same time, it has good antenna gain, and can be applied to millimeter-wave radar and other technical fields.

As shown in Figure 1, the antenna module includes a first antenna 10 and a second antenna 20, the first antenna 10 is used for sending and receiving the first beam sequence with a first beam width α1, and the second antenna 20 is used for sending and receiving A second sequence of beams having a second beamwidth a2 is received. Both the first antenna 10 and the second antenna 20 are arranged on a preset plane, and the first antenna 10 and the second antenna 20 are arranged at an angle, so that the beamwidths obtained by superimposing the first beamwidth α1 and the second beamwidth α2 respectively cover Both sides of the preset plane, wherein, the propagation direction of the second beam sequence and the propagation direction of the first beam sequence are both facing away from the preset plane. Optionally, the first beam width α1 of the first beam sequence is the same as the second beam width α2 of the second beam sequence. Preferably, the first beam width α1 and the second beam width α2 are 120°.

It should be noted that the preset plane referred to in this embodiment may be a plane located behind the detection direction of the millimeter-wave radar and parallel to the plane where the millimeter-wave radar is located. Alternatively, the preset plane may be an artificially set reference reference plane (ie, a virtual plane), which is also an installation plane (ie, a physical plane) for installing the millimeter-wave radar, and no specific limitation is made here.

To facilitate readers' understanding of the embodiments of the present invention, the specific structures of the above-mentioned first array antenna and the second array antenna will be described in sequence next.

For the above-mentioned first antenna 10 , please refer to FIG. 2 , the first antenna 10 includes a first dielectric substrate 100 , a first antenna array 110 and a first radio frequency chip 120 . The first dielectric substrate 100 is arranged on a preset plane, the first antenna array 110 and the first radio frequency chip 120 are both arranged on the first dielectric substrate 100, and the first radio frequency chip 120 transmits and receives the first beam width through the first antenna array 110 The first beam sequence of α1. Optionally, the first antenna array 110 may be disposed on the first dielectric substrate 100 by means of copper patches or copper coating on the surface of the dielectric substrate.

For the aforementioned first dielectric substrate 100 , the first dielectric substrate 100 is an installation support structure for the first antenna array 110 and the first radio frequency chip 120 , and is used to support the first antenna array 110 and the first radio frequency chip 120 . In this embodiment, the first dielectric substrate 100 is roughly a rectangular plate structure, and the surface of the first dielectric substrate 100 is set at an angle with the preset plane, wherein the first dielectric substrate 100 faces the surface of the preset plane. For setting the first radio frequency chip 120 , the surface of the first dielectric substrate 100 away from the preset plane is used for setting the first antenna array 110 . Optionally, a first metal plate (not shown) is provided on the surface of the first dielectric substrate 100 facing the preset plane, and the first dielectric substrate 100 is grounded through the first metal plate. The material of the first metal plate includes the following One of: aluminum, iron, copper, silver or gold.

It is worth mentioning that the influence of the first dielectric substrate 100 on the first antenna 10 is mainly reflected in two aspects of the dielectric constant and the dielectric loss tangent. Among them, the dielectric loss tangent value can be directly reflected in the antenna quality factor Q value, the smaller the tangent value, the larger the Q value, and the narrower the bandwidth; the larger the tangent value, the smaller the Q value, the wider the impedance bandwidth, and the lower the radiation efficiency , the antenna gain decreases. The first dielectric substrate 100 in this embodiment is made of high-frequency microwave plate Rogers3003 (Rogers plate), the dielectric constant of this plate is 3.00, and the loss tangent angle is 0.0013. Compared with other plates of the same type, it has better dielectric constant stability in the whole temperature range, and can effectively improve the directivity and main lobe radiation intensity of the first antenna 10 .

For the aforementioned first antenna array 110, the first antenna array 110 includes a first receiving array element 111 and a first transmitting array element 112. Along the first direction X (the length direction of the first dielectric substrate 100), the first receiving array element 111 And the first emitting elements 112 are spaced apart and arranged in parallel on the surface of the first dielectric substrate 100 away from the preset plane. Specifically, the number of the first receiving array elements 111 is at least two, and the at least two first receiving array elements 111 are arranged in parallel along the first direction X with equal or unequal intervals. The number of the first emitting array elements 112 is at least two, and the at least two first emitting array elements 112 are arranged in parallel along the first direction X with equal or unequal intervals. Optionally, the distance between two adjacent first receiving array elements 111 may be an integer multiple of the half-wavelength of the radar signal, and the distance between adjacent first receiving array elements 111 and first transmitting array elements 112 is equal to 4-5 times the distance between adjacent two first receiving array elements 111, and the distance between adjacent two first transmitting array elements 112 is 4-5 times the distance between adjacent two first receiving array elements 111 4 times.

It can be understood that the arrangement of the first receiving array element 111 and the first transmitting array element 112 can be adjusted according to actual usage needs. For example, in some other embodiments, one of the first receiving array element 111 and the first transmitting array element 112 is arranged parallel to the first direction X, and the other of the first receiving array element 111 and the first transmitting array element 112 It is arranged parallel to the second direction Y (the width direction of the first dielectric substrate 100 ), that is, the first receiving array element 111 and the first emitting array element 112 are perpendicular to each other. In other words, at least two first receiving elements 111 are arranged in parallel along the first direction X with equal or unequal intervals, and at least two first transmitting elements 112 are arranged in parallel along the second direction Y with equal or unequal intervals.

It should be noted that the difference between the first receiving array element 111 and the first transmitting array element 112 in the first antenna array 110 is only in the realized functions, and there is no difference in structure between the two. Therefore, in this embodiment, any one of the at least two first receiving array elements 111 and the at least two first transmitting array elements 112 is taken as an example for illustration.

Please continue to refer to FIG. 2 , the array element is roughly comb-shaped and includes a first connection line 110 a and a plurality of first patches 110 b. The first connection line 110a is disposed on the surface of the first dielectric substrate 100 away from the predetermined plane, and the extension direction of the first connection line 110a is parallel to the first direction X. As shown in FIG. Along the second direction Y, a plurality of first patches 110b are arranged alternately on both sides of the first connection line 110a along the first direction X, and the plurality of first patches 110b are electrically connected to the first connection line 110a. Optionally, the first connection line 110a is a microstrip feeder line. By changing the width of the microstrip feeder, the impedance can be adjusted to achieve good matching of the antenna. Wherein, the first patch 110b is a rectangular patch, and the preliminary size of the rectangular patch can be calculated according to the transmission line model method and the resonant cavity model method.

Any array element in the first antenna array 110 is a patch antenna formed by a plurality of first patches 110 b connected in series. Such setting makes the structure of the first antenna array 110 simple, highly integrated, easy to process, error controllable, and beneficial to reduce the cost of use. It can be understood that the array element can also adopt other forms, for example, the array element can be a candied haws serial-fed patch antenna, a 45° polarized patch antenna, and the like.

Furthermore, the width W1 of the first patch 110b on the side of the first connecting line 110a decreases one by one from the middle to both sides, so that the widths of the patches arranged along the side of the first connecting line 110a follow the Chebyshev The distribution form of the scaling factor of is arranged. Since the width of the patch unit is related to the current distribution on each unit, the wider the patch, the greater the current distributed on the patch unit. In this embodiment, each first patch 110b adopts the Chebyshev distribution. It can be seen from FIG. 4 that the E-plane sidelobe level of the first beam sequence of the first antenna is effectively reduced, and the beam width of the H-plane is widened, thereby increasing the antenna gain of the first antenna 10 .

In addition, the first connection line 110a and each first patch 110b adopt the method of side point feeding, the length of the first connection line 110a between two adjacent first patches 110b is about 0.5λg1, each first patch 110b The length of the slice 110b is also about 0.5λg1, and the distance between the centers of two adjacent first patches 110b in the extending direction of the first connecting line 110a is about λg1, where λg1 represents the guided wave of the first patch 110b wavelength. Therefore, each first patch 110b is excited in phase to realize the broadside fire characteristic and suppress the formation of grating lobes.

Furthermore, the first antenna array 110 includes at least two third emitting array elements 113, and the at least two third emitting array elements 113 are electrically connected to the first metal plate. Every two third emitting array elements 113 are respectively arranged on both sides of a first emitting array element 112 along the first direction X, wherein every two third emitting array elements 113 and a first emitting array element 112 form a first There are 112 groups of launch array elements. Optionally, the distances between the two third emitting array elements 113 and two adjacent array elements in one first emitting array element 112 are equal. By placing a third emitting array element 113 of the same shape on the left and right sides of the first emitting array element 112 to form the first emitting array element 112 group, the distance between any two emitting array elements in the first emitting array element 112 group The spacing is 1.82 mm, as shown in FIG. 5 and FIG. 6 , while effectively widening the first beam width α1 of the first beam sequence, the isolation between two adjacent first transmitting array elements 112 is also increased.

For the aforementioned first radio frequency chip 120, the first radio frequency chip 120 is arranged on the surface of the first dielectric substrate 100 facing the preset plane, and the first radio frequency chip 120 includes at least two first receiving pins and at least two first transmitting pins. Pins, a first receiving element 111 is electrically connected to a receiving pin of the first radio frequency chip 120 , and a first transmitting element 112 is electrically connected to a transmitting pin of the first radio frequency chip 120 .

The first radio frequency chip 120 transmits the first beam sequence with the first beam width α1 through at least two first transmitting array elements 112, and receives the first beam sequence generated by the reflection of the first beam sequence through at least two first receiving array elements 111. The wave sequence is reflected, so that the first radio frequency chip 120 acquires the information of the detected object in the first area (the area covered by the first beam sequence with the first beam width α1). Wherein, the first radio frequency chip 120, at least two first receiving array elements 111 and at least two first transmitting array elements 112 may form a spatially first TD-MIMO antenna array.

In order to meet the isolation requirement between the first transmitting array element 112 and the first receiving array element 111 . Further, the first antenna array 110 also includes two third receiving array elements 114, the two third receiving array elements 114 are electrically connected to the first metal plate, and the two third receiving array elements 114 are respectively arranged on at least two The first receiving element 111 is along both sides of the first direction X. Optionally, the distance between the third receiving array element 114 and the first receiving array element 111 is equal to the distance between two adjacent first receiving array elements 111 . Preferably, the aforementioned spacing is 1.82mm. With such an arrangement, the beam width of the first reflected wave sequence can be effectively widened to match the beam width of the first beam sequence.

Further, the first antenna 10 also includes at least two first quarter-wavelength impedance transformation sections 130 and at least two second quarter-wavelength impedance transformation sections 140, the first receiving array element 111 A first quarter-wavelength impedance conversion section 130 is provided at the junction of the connecting line 110a and a first receiving pin, and a junction of the first connecting line 110a of a first emitting element 112 and a first emitting pin There is a second quarter-wavelength impedance transformation section 140, which can effectively improve the impedance matching degree of the first antenna 10, and the width of this section is about 0.30 mm after optimization.

In order to meet the coverage requirement of ±60°, the receiving elements in the first antenna array 110 need to perform beam scanning in the digital domain. Please refer to Figures 7 to 9, the first antenna adopts the Taylor distribution method (that is, through discrete unequal-amplitude excitation, the sidelobe level is distributed from near to far, and the unequal-amplitude excitation corresponds to unequal-amplitude current distribution) , so as to effectively suppress the side lobe levels of the beam scanning directions of 30° and 60°, thereby improving the anti-interference capability of the first antenna 10 .

For the above-mentioned second antenna 20 , please refer to FIG. 3 , the second antenna 20 includes a second dielectric substrate 200 , a second antenna array 210 and a second radio frequency chip 220 . The second dielectric substrate 200 is arranged on a preset plane, the second antenna array 210 and the second radio frequency chip 220 are both arranged on the second dielectric substrate 200, and the second radio frequency chip 220 transmits and receives the beam with the second beam width through the second antenna array 210 The second beam sequence for α2. Optionally, the second antenna array 210 may be disposed on the second dielectric substrate 200 by means of copper patches or copper plating on the surface of the dielectric substrate.

For the aforementioned second dielectric substrate 200 , the second dielectric substrate 200 is an installation support structure for the second antenna array 210 and the second radio frequency chip 220 , and is used to support the second antenna array 210 and the second radio frequency chip 220 . In this embodiment, the second dielectric substrate 200 is roughly a rectangular plate structure, the surface of the second dielectric substrate 200 is set at an angle with the preset plane, and the surface of the second dielectric substrate 200 facing the preset plane is used for The second radio frequency chip 220 is arranged, and the surface of the second dielectric substrate 200 away from the preset plane is used for setting the second antenna array 210 . Optionally, a second metal plate is provided on the surface of the second dielectric substrate 200 facing the preset plane, and the second dielectric substrate 200 is grounded through the second metal plate. The material of the second metal plate includes one of the following: aluminum, Iron, copper, silver or gold.

It is worth mentioning that the influence of the second dielectric substrate 200 on the second antenna 20 is mainly reflected in two aspects of the dielectric constant and the dielectric loss tangent. Among them, the dielectric loss tangent value can be directly reflected in the antenna quality factor Q value, the smaller the tangent value, the larger the Q value, and the narrower the bandwidth; the larger the tangent value, the smaller the Q value, the wider the impedance bandwidth, and the lower the radiation efficiency , the antenna gain decreases. The second dielectric substrate 200 in this embodiment is made of high-frequency microwave plate Rogers3003 (Rogers plate), the dielectric constant of this plate is 3.00, and the loss tangent angle is 0.0013. Compared with other plates of the same type, it has better dielectric constant stability in the whole temperature range and can effectively improve the directivity and main lobe radiation intensity of the second antenna 20 .

For the aforementioned second antenna array 210, the second antenna array 210 includes a second receiving array element 211 and a second transmitting array element 212, along the third direction X' (the length direction of the second dielectric substrate 200), the second receiving array element 211 and the second emitting element 212 are spaced apart and arranged in parallel on the surface of the second dielectric substrate 200 away from the predetermined plane. Specifically, the number of the second receiving array elements 211 is at least two, and the at least two second receiving array elements 211 are arranged in parallel along the first direction X with equal or unequal intervals. The number of the second emitting array elements 212 is at least two, and the at least two second emitting array elements 212 are arranged in parallel at equal intervals or unequal intervals along the third direction X'. Optionally, the distance between two adjacent second receiving array elements 211 may be an integer multiple of the half-wavelength of the radar signal, and the distance between adjacent second receiving array elements 211 and second transmitting array elements 212 is equal to 4-5 times the distance between two adjacent second receiving array elements 211, and the distance between adjacent two second transmitting array elements 212 is 4-5 times the distance between adjacent two second receiving array elements 211 4 times.

It can be understood that the arrangement of the second receiving array element 211 and the second transmitting array element 212 can be adjusted according to actual usage needs. For example, in some other embodiments, one of the second receiving array element 211 and the second transmitting array element 212 is arranged parallel to the third direction X', and the other of the second receiving array element 211 and the second transmitting array element 212 One is arranged parallel to the fourth direction Y′ (the width direction of the second dielectric substrate 200 ), that is, the second receiving array element 211 and the second emitting array element 212 are perpendicular to each other. In other words, at least two second receiving elements 211 are arranged in parallel at equal or unequal intervals along the third direction X', and at least two second transmitting elements 212 are arranged at equal or unequal intervals along the fourth direction Y' Parallel arrangement.

It should be noted that the difference between the second receiving array element 211 and the second transmitting array element 212 in the second antenna array 210 is only in the realized functions, and there is no difference in structure between the two. Therefore, in this embodiment, any one of the at least two second receiving array elements 211 and the at least two second transmitting array elements 212 is taken as an example for illustration.

Please continue to refer to FIG. 3 , the array element is roughly comb-shaped and includes a second connection line 210 a and a plurality of second patches 210 b. The second connection line 210a is disposed on the surface of the second dielectric substrate 200 away from the predetermined plane, and the extension direction of the second connection line 210a is parallel to the third direction X'. Along the fourth direction Y', a plurality of second patches 210b are arranged alternately on both sides of the second connection line 210a along the third direction X', and are electrically connected to the second connection line 210a. Optionally, the second connection line 210a is a microstrip feeder line. By changing the width of the microstrip feeder, the impedance can be adjusted to achieve good matching of the antenna. The second patch 210b is a rectangular patch, and the preliminary size of the rectangular patch can be calculated according to the transmission line model method and the resonant cavity model method, and will not be repeated here.

Any array element in the second antenna array 210 is a patch antenna formed by a plurality of second patches 210b connected in series. Such setting makes the structure of the second antenna array 210 simple, highly integrated, easy to process, error controllable, and beneficial to reduce the cost of use. It can be understood that the array element can also adopt other forms, for example, the array element can be a candied haws serial-fed patch antenna, a 45° polarized patch antenna, and the like.

Further, the width W2 of the second patch 210b on the side of the second connecting line 210a decreases one by one from the middle to both sides, so that the widths of the multiple patches arranged along the side of the second connecting line 210a are in accordance with the cut ratio. Schiff's scaling factors are arranged in a distributed form, thereby effectively reducing the E-plane sidelobe level of the second beam sequence, widening the beam width of the H-plane, and further increasing the antenna gain of the second antenna 20 . In addition, the second connection line 210a and each patch adopt the method of side point feeding, the length of the second connection line 210a between two adjacent second patches 210b is about 0.5λg2, and the length of each second patch 210b The length is also about 0.5λg2, and the distance between the centers of two adjacent second patches 210b in the extending direction of the second connection line 210a is about λg2, so that each second patch 210b is excited in the same phase to realize the broadside fire characteristic , and inhibit grating lobe formation. By adopting the Taylor distribution method, that is, through discrete unequal-amplitude excitation, the sidelobe level is distributed from near to far, and the unequal-amplitude excitation corresponds to the unequal-amplitude current distribution), thereby effectively reducing the second beam sequence H surface The level of the side lobe is improved, thereby improving the anti-interference ability of the second antenna 20 . Where λg2 represents the wavelength of the guided wave of the second patch 210b.

Furthermore, the second antenna array 210 has at least two fourth emitting array elements 213, and the at least two fourth emitting array elements 213 are electrically connected to the second metal plate. Every two fourth emitting elements 213 are respectively disposed on two sides of a second emitting element 212 along the third direction X'. Wherein, every two fourth emitting elements 213 and a second emitting element 212 form a second emitting element 212 group. Optionally, the distances between the two fourth emitting array elements 213 and two adjacent array elements in one second emitting array element 212 are equal, preferably, the aforementioned interval is 1.82 mm. With such setting, while effectively widening the second beam width α2 of the second beam sequence, the isolation requirement between two adjacent second transmitting array elements 212 is also met.

For the aforementioned second radio frequency chip 220, the second radio frequency chip 220 is arranged on the surface of the second dielectric substrate 200 facing the preset plane, and the second radio frequency chip 220 includes at least two second receiving pins and at least two second transmitting pins. Pin, the second connecting line 210a of a second receiving array element 211 is electrically connected with a second receiving pin of the second radio frequency chip 220, and the second connecting line 210a of a second transmitting array element 212 is connected with the second radio frequency chip A second transmit pin of 220 is electrically connected.

The second radio frequency chip 220 transmits the first beam sequence with the second beam width α2 through at least two second transmitting array elements 212, and receives the second beam sequence generated by the reflection of the second beam sequence through at least two second receiving array elements 211. The wave sequence is reflected, so that the second radio frequency chip 220 acquires the information of the detected object in the second area (the area covered by the beam sequence with the second beam width α2). Wherein, the second radio frequency chip 220 , at least two second receiving array elements 211 and at least two second transmitting array elements 212 can form a second TD_MIMO antenna array in space.

In order to meet the isolation requirement between the second transmitting array element 212 and the second receiving array element 211 . Further, the second antenna array 210 also includes two fourth receiving array elements 214, the two fourth receiving array elements 214 are electrically connected to the second metal plate, and the two fourth receiving array elements 214 are respectively arranged on at least two The second receiving array element 211 is along two sides of the third direction X′. That is, a fourth receiving array element 214 is arranged in parallel at equal intervals or unequal intervals and arranged on the side of an outermost second receiving array element 211 away from the inner second receiving array element 211, and the other fourth receiving array element 214 The other outermost second receiving element 211 is arranged in parallel at equal or unequal intervals on the side away from the inner second receiving element 211 . Optionally, the distance between the fourth receiving array element 214 and the second receiving array element 211 is equal to the distance between two adjacent second receiving array elements 211 . Preferably, the aforementioned spacing is 1.82mm. Such setting can effectively widen the beam width of the second reflected wave sequence to match the second beam width α2 of the second beam sequence.

Furthermore, the second antenna 20 also includes at least two third quarter-wavelength impedance transformation sections 230 and at least two fourth quarter-wavelength impedance transformation sections 240, and the second receiving array element 211 A third quarter-wavelength impedance conversion section 230 is provided at the junction of the connection line 210a and a second receiving pin, and a fourth quarter-wavelength impedance conversion section 230 is provided at the junction of a second emitting element 212 and a second emitting pin. One wavelength impedance conversion section 240 . Such setting improves the impedance matching degree of the second antenna 20 , and the width of this section is optimized to be 0.30 mm.

In order to meet the coverage requirement of ±60°, the receiving array elements in the second antenna array 210 also need to perform beam scanning in the digital domain. By adopting the Taylor distribution method, that is, through the discrete unequal amplitude excitation, the sidelobe level is distributed from near to far, and the unequal amplitude excitation corresponds to the unequal amplitude current distribution), so as to effectively suppress the beam scanning directions of 30° and 60° ° side lobe level, thereby improving the anti-interference ability of the second antenna 20.

In order to facilitate readers to understand the present invention, the technical principles of the present invention are described below:

Wherein, the first beam width of the first beam sequence is the same as the second beam width of the second beam sequence, that is, the first antenna and the second antenna are the same antenna. Taking the first antenna as an example, the number of first transmitting array elements in the first antenna is three groups, the number of first receiving array elements in the first antenna is four, and the first radio frequency chip in the first antenna It is a radio frequency chip of the type of three transmissions and four receptions. The first antenna can form a first TD-MIMO antenna array with three transmit channels and four receive channels in space, wherein each transmit channel corresponds to a transmit element group, and each receive channel corresponds to a receive element.

When working, the three transmitting array elements respectively transmit the first beam sequence with the first beam width at different times, and the four receiving array elements receive at the same time, thereby virtualizing twelve antenna channels, through the superposition of each antenna channel , so that the first beam width becomes narrower, and the detection angular resolution becomes higher.

The distance between adjacent receiving elements is d, and the distance between two adjacent transmitting element groups is 4d. When the receiving element receives the first reflected wave sequence of the transmitting element group, the adjacent two receiving elements The phase difference between the array elements corresponding to the receiving channels is dsin(θ), where θ is the target azimuth angle, therefore, the target azimuth angle can be obtained according to the phase difference between the receiving channels.

In some embodiments, the spacing between two adjacent receiving array elements is d=0.5λ ₃ , and the spacing between two adjacent transmitting array element groups is 2λ ₃ , where λ ₃ is the wavelength of the first beam sequence .

In some other embodiments, the radio frequency chip in this application can be applied to types such as 2 transmissions and 4 receptions, 4 transmissions and 4 receptions, 16 transmissions and 16 receptions, etc. Of course, it is not limited thereto, and no further examples will be given here. That is, at least two transmitting elements and at least two receiving elements in the first antenna array or the second antenna array form a TD_MIMO antenna array with n sending and m receiving, that is, n transmitting channels and m receiving channels are formed, and each A transmitting channel corresponds to at least one transmitting array element group, each receiving channel corresponds to at least one receiving array element, and both n and m are natural numbers greater than or equal to 2.

In this embodiment, the first antenna and the second antenna are set at an angle, so that the first first beam width and the second beam width are superimposed to form a beam width that can cover the antenna modules on both sides of the preset plane, so that Any area between two sides of the preset plane has better antenna gain.

In addition, by adjusting the number and distribution of transmitting array elements in the first antenna or the second antenna, or adjusting the number and distribution of receiving array elements, the detection coverage of the antenna module can be adjusted. With this arrangement, the detection coverage of the antenna module can be adjusted according to actual needs, making the design of the antenna module more flexible.

Based on the same technical idea, the present invention also provides a millimeter-wave radar, the millimeter-wave radar includes a processing unit and the antenna module described in the above embodiments, and the processing unit is electrically connected to the first radio frequency chip and the second radio frequency chip respectively.

Based on the same technical idea, the present invention also provides a vehicle, the vehicle includes a vehicle body and the millimeter-wave radar described in the above embodiments, the vehicle body has a preset plane, the millimeter-wave radar is installed on the vehicle body, and the first antenna and the second The two antennas are both set at an angle to the preset plane, and the first antenna and the second antenna are set at an angle.

So far, the embodiments of the present invention have been described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings. It should be noted that, in the accompanying drawings or in the text of the specification, implementations that are not shown or described are forms known to those of ordinary skill in the art, and are not described in detail. In addition, the above definition of each component is not limited to the various specific structures, shapes or methods mentioned in the embodiments, and those skilled in the art can easily modify or replace them.

It should also be noted that, in the specific embodiments of the present invention, unless otherwise known to the contrary, the numerical parameters in this specification and the appended claims are approximate values, and can be obtained according to the needs obtained through the content of the present disclosure. Characteristics change. In particular, all numbers expressing compositional dimensions, range conditions and the like used in the specification and claims are to be understood as being modified in all instances by the word "about". In general, the expressed meaning is meant to include a variation of ±10% in some embodiments, a variation of ±5% in some embodiments, a variation of ±1% in some embodiments, a variation of ±1% in some embodiments, and a variation of ±1% in some embodiments ±0.5% variation in the example.

The above is only the embodiment of the present invention, and does not limit the patent scope of the present invention. Any equivalent structure or equivalent process conversion made by using the description of the present invention and the contents of the accompanying drawings, or directly or indirectly used in other related technologies fields, all of which are equally included in the scope of patent protection of the present invention.

Claims

An antenna module, characterized in that it comprises:

The first antenna includes a first dielectric substrate, a first antenna array, and a first radio frequency chip, the first antenna array and the first radio frequency chip are both arranged on the first dielectric substrate, and the first radio frequency chip passes through the first antenna array transmits and receives a first sequence of beams having a first beamwidth; and

The second antenna includes a second dielectric substrate, a second antenna array, and a second radio frequency chip, the second antenna array and the second radio frequency chip are both arranged on the second dielectric substrate, and the second radio frequency chip passes through the second antenna array transmits and receives a second sequence of beams having a second beamwidth;

Both the first dielectric substrate and the second dielectric substrate are arranged on a predetermined plane, and the first dielectric substrate and the second dielectric substrate are arranged at an angle, so that the first beam width and the second The beamwidth after the superposition of the two beamwidths respectively covers both sides of the preset plane, wherein the propagation direction of the second beam sequence and the propagation direction of the first beam sequence are both facing away from the preset plane direction.
The antenna module according to claim 1, wherein,

The first beamwidth of the first beam sequence is the same as the second beamwidth of the second beam sequence.
The antenna module according to claim 2, characterized in that,

The first antenna array includes at least two first receiving array elements and at least two first transmitting array elements, and along the first direction, at least two of the first receiving array elements and at least two of the first transmitting array elements The elements are arranged at intervals on the first dielectric substrate, wherein the first direction is the length direction of the first dielectric substrate;

The first radio frequency chip includes at least two first receiving pins and at least two first transmitting pins, one of the first receiving elements is electrically connected to one of the first receiving pins, one of the first The emitting element is electrically connected to one of the first emitting pins;

Wherein, the first radio frequency chip, at least two of the first receiving array elements and at least two of the first transmitting array elements together form a spatially first MIMO antenna array;

The second antenna array includes at least two second receiving array elements and at least two second transmitting array elements, and along the second direction, at least two of the second receiving array elements and at least two of the second transmitting array elements The elements are arranged at intervals on the second dielectric substrate, wherein the second direction is the length direction of the second dielectric substrate;

The second radio frequency chip includes at least two second receiving pins and second transmitting pins, one of the third receiving array elements is electrically connected to one of the second receiving pins, and one of the third transmitting array elements electrically connected to one of the second emission pins;

Wherein, the second radio frequency chip, at least two second receiving array elements and at least two second transmitting array elements jointly form a spatially second MIMO antenna array.
The antenna module according to claim 3, characterized in that,

The first antenna array includes two third receiving array elements and at least two third transmitting array elements, and the two third receiving array elements and at least two of the third transmitting array elements are both grounded;

The two third receiving array elements are respectively arranged on both sides of the at least two first receiving array elements along the first direction;

Every two of the third emitting array elements are respectively arranged on both sides of the first emitting array element along the first direction, wherein every two of the third emitting array elements are connected with a first emitting array element A first transmitting element group is formed.
The antenna module according to claim 3, characterized in that,

Any array element in the first antenna array includes a first connection line and a plurality of first patches arranged alternately on both sides of the first connection line, and the width of the first patch on one side is reduced by the middle The two sides decrease one by one, so that along the second direction, the width of each of the first patches obeys the Chebyshev distribution, wherein the second direction is perpendicular to the first direction.
The antenna module according to claim 5, wherein,

The distance between any two adjacent first patches in the first receiving array element is 0.5 times the medium wavelength of the first patch;

The distance between any two adjacent first patches in the first emitting array element is twice the medium wavelength of the first patches.
The antenna module according to claim 5, wherein,

The first antenna also includes at least two first quarter-wavelength impedance transformation sections and at least two second quarter-wavelength impedance transformation sections, a first receiving array element and the first receiving guide The connection of the pin is provided with a described first quarter wavelength impedance transformation section, and the connection of a described first emitting element and a described first emitting pin is provided with a described second quarter wavelength Impedance transformation section.
The antenna module according to claim 4, wherein,

The second receiving antenna array includes two fourth receiving array elements and at least two fourth transmitting array elements, both of the fourth receiving array elements and at least two of the fourth transmitting array elements are grounded;

The two fourth receiving array elements are respectively arranged on both sides of at least two of the second receiving array elements along the second direction;

The two fourth emitting array elements are respectively arranged on both sides of the second emitting array element along the second direction, wherein every two fourth emitting array elements are composed of a second emitting array element A second transmit element group.
The antenna module according to claim 4, wherein,

Any array element in the second antenna array includes a second connection line and a plurality of second patches arranged alternately on both sides of the second connection line, and the width of the second patch on one side is determined by The middle to the two sides decrease one by one, so that along the fourth direction, the width of each second patch obeys the Chebyshev distribution, wherein the fourth direction is perpendicular to the third direction.
The antenna module according to claim 9, wherein,

The distance between any two adjacent second patches in the second receiving array element is 0.5 times the medium wavelength of the second patch;

The distance between any two adjacent second patches in the second emitting array element is twice the medium wavelength of the second patches.
The antenna module according to claim 9, wherein,

The second antenna also includes at least two third quarter-wavelength impedance transformation sections and at least two fourth quarter-wavelength impedance transformation sections, a second receiving element and the second receiving lead The connection of the pin is provided with a described third quarter wavelength impedance conversion section, and the connection of a described second emitting element and the second emitting pin is provided with a described fourth quarter wavelength impedance Transform segment.
A millimeter-wave radar, characterized by comprising the antenna module according to any one of claims 1-11.
A vehicle, characterized by comprising a vehicle body and the millimeter-wave radar according to claim 12, the millimeter-wave radar being installed on the vehicle body.