WO2023116450A1

WO2023116450A1 - Radar device and unmanned aerial vehicle

Info

Publication number: WO2023116450A1
Application number: PCT/CN2022/137613
Authority: WO
Inventors: 郭剑文
Original assignee: 深圳市道通智能航空技术股份有限公司
Priority date: 2021-12-24
Filing date: 2022-12-08
Publication date: 2023-06-29
Also published as: CN114325716A

Abstract

The embodiments of the present invention relate to the technical field of radars, and particularly disclose a radar device and an unmanned aerial vehicle. The radar device comprises a base, a circuit board and a flexible antenna. The base is provided with a curved-surface columnar antenna plate; the circuit board is arranged on the base; and the flexible antenna is connected to the circuit board, and comprises a plurality of radiation portions, which are arranged on the curved-surface columnar antenna plate in an array and in a surrounding manner. In this way, the embodiments of the present invention can improve the detection signal intensity of a radar and expand the detection signal range of the radar, and the maximum radar detection coverage can reach 360 degrees, thus expanding the detection coverage of the radar.

Description

A radar device and an unmanned aerial vehicle

technical field

The embodiments of the present invention relate to the technical field of radar, and in particular, to a radar device and an unmanned aerial vehicle.

Background technique

The radar emits electromagnetic waves, irradiates the target and receives its echo, so as to obtain the distance from the target to the electromagnetic wave emission point, the distance change rate (radial velocity), azimuth information, etc. The advantage of radar is that it can detect long-distance targets day and night, and it is not blocked by fog, clouds and rain. It has the characteristics of all-weather and all-weather. field.

In the process of realizing the present invention, the inventor of the present invention found that the maximum coverage of existing radar detection is only about 70°, and the detection coverage is relatively narrow, which is relatively inconvenient.

Contents of the invention

In view of the above problems, an embodiment of the present invention provides a radar device and an unmanned aerial vehicle, which improves the above-mentioned problems that the maximum detection coverage of the radar is only 70°, and the detection coverage is relatively narrow.

According to an aspect of an embodiment of the present invention, a radar device is provided, including: a base, the base is provided with a curved column antenna board; a circuit board, the circuit board is provided on the base; a flexible antenna, the flexible antenna Connected with the circuit board, the flexible antenna includes a plurality of radiation parts arrayed around the curved columnar antenna board. Compared with the maximum detection coverage of the existing radar device is only about 70°, using arrays and multiple radiation parts set around the curved column antenna plate for range detection can make the maximum detection coverage of the radar device reach 360°. The detection range of the device is wider, which is convenient for equipment such as drones to detect in a wider range.

In an optional manner, the flexible antenna includes a flexible substrate and a ground plane, the flexible substrate is provided with a first surface and a second surface opposite to the first surface, and the radiation part is provided on the The first surface, the ground plate is arranged on the second surface, the radiation part is coupled to the ground plate, and the side of the ground plate away from the flexible substrate is attached to the curved column antenna plate around .

In an optional manner, the radiation part has plasticity. The plastic radiation part can be deformed along with the bending of the flexible substrate.

In an optional manner, the circuit board includes a circuit board body and a radio frequency module, the radio frequency module is connected to the circuit board body, and the radio frequency module is located on a side of the circuit board body away from the base Surface; the radar device includes a connecting wire, one end of the connecting wire is connected to the flexible antenna, and the other end of the connecting wire is connected to the radio frequency module.

In an optional manner, the circuit board includes a power module, and the power module is connected to the circuit board body. The power module is used to provide electricity for the circuit board body.

In an optional manner, the circuit board further includes a communication module, and the communication module is connected to the radio frequency module. The communication module can be used for communication connection between various components in the radar device.

In an optional manner, the radar device further includes a heat sink, the heat sink is disposed on a side of the base away from the flexible antenna, and the heat sink is connected to the circuit board body. The heat sink is used to dissipate heat from the circuit board body.

In an optional manner, the radar device further includes an external interface, the external interface is disposed on a side of the base away from the flexible antenna, and the external interface is connected to the circuit board body. The external interface can facilitate the radar equipment to connect with external equipment for signal output.

In an optional manner, there are multiple heat sinks, and the multiple heat sinks are arranged in concentric circles. The multiple heat sinks are more in contact with the outside air, improving the heat dissipation efficiency of the circuit board body.

In an optional manner, the radar device further includes a casing, the casing is covered on the base, the casing and the base form a closed cavity, and the circuit board and the flexible antenna are accommodated. in the cavity. The shell can be used to protect the internal components accommodated in the cavity, preventing the external environment from affecting and interfering with the internal components, thereby ensuring the radar device to work around the clock.

According to another aspect of the embodiments of the present invention, there is provided an unmanned aerial vehicle, the unmanned aerial vehicle includes a fuselage, a power assembly, and the radar device as described above, and the power assembly is installed on the fuselage for Provide flight power for the drone, and the radar device is installed on the fuselage.

In an optional manner, the radar device is installed on the upper side of the fuselage. The radar device located on the upper side of the fuselage has a wider detection field of view, and reduces the impact on the detection of the radar device due to the volume of the fuselage itself.

The beneficial effect of the embodiment of the present invention is: different from the situation of the prior art, the embodiment of the present invention is provided with a base, a circuit board and a flexible antenna. Wherein, the base is provided with a curved post antenna board, the circuit board is arranged on the base, the flexible antenna is connected to the circuit board, the flexible antenna includes a plurality of radiation parts, and the plurality of radiation parts are arrayed and surround It is arranged on the curved column antenna plate. In this way, the array arrangement of multiple radiation parts can improve the detection signal strength of the flexible antenna, and the surrounding arrangement of multiple radiation parts can improve the detection signal range of the flexible antenna. Compared with the existing radar device The maximum detection coverage is only about 70°. The maximum detection coverage of the radar device in the embodiment of the present application can reach 360°, and the detection signal strength of the radar device is strong, and the detection range of the radar device becomes wider, which is convenient for equipment such as drones. Perform wider detection.

Description of drawings

In order to more clearly illustrate the specific embodiments of the present invention or the technical solutions in the prior art, the following will briefly introduce the drawings that need to be used in the description of the specific embodiments or the prior art. Throughout the drawings, similar elements or parts are generally identified by similar reference numerals. In the drawings, elements or parts are not necessarily drawn in actual scale.

Fig. 1 is a schematic diagram of an assembly structure of a radar device according to an embodiment of the present invention;

Fig. 2 is an exploded schematic diagram of the overall structure of the radar device according to the embodiment of the present invention;

Fig. 3 is a schematic view showing another angle of explosion of the overall structure of the radar device according to the embodiment of the present invention;

4 is a schematic diagram of the internal connection structure of the circuit board of the radar device according to the embodiment of the present invention;

5 is a schematic diagram of the internal circuit principle of the circuit board of the radar device according to the embodiment of the present invention;

6 is a schematic diagram of a state of the flexible antenna of the radar device according to the embodiment of the present invention;

Fig. 7 is a schematic diagram of another state of the flexible antenna of the radar device according to the embodiment of the present invention;

Figure 8 is an enlarged schematic view of the structure at A in Figure 6;

Fig. 9 is an exploded schematic diagram of a part of the structure on the flexible antenna of the radar device according to the embodiment of the present invention;

Fig. 10 is a schematic diagram of a simulation result of a radar device according to an embodiment of the present invention;

Fig. 11 is a schematic diagram of the overall mechanism of the drone according to another embodiment of the present invention.

Detailed ways

In order to facilitate the understanding of the present invention, the present invention will be described in more detail below in conjunction with the accompanying drawings and specific embodiments. It should be noted that when an element is said to be "fixed" to another element, it may be directly on the other element, or there may be one or more intervening elements therebetween. When an element is referred to as being "connected to" another element, it can be directly connected to the other element or one or more intervening elements may be present therebetween. The terms "vertical", "horizontal", "left", "right" and similar expressions are used in this specification for the purpose of description only.

Unless otherwise defined, all technical and scientific terms used in this specification have the same meaning as commonly understood by one of ordinary skill in the technical field of the invention. The terms used in the description of the present invention in this specification are only for the purpose of describing specific embodiments, and are not used to limit the present invention. The term "and/or" used in this specification includes any and all combinations of one or more of the associated listed items.

Referring to FIGS. 1-3 , the radar device 01 includes a base 10 , a circuit board 20 and a flexible antenna 30 . Wherein, both the circuit board 20 and the flexible antenna 30 are disposed on the base 10 , and the circuit board 20 is located between the flexible antenna 30 and the base 10 .

The radar device 01 also includes a connecting wire 40 , a heat sink 50 , an external interface 60 and a housing 70 . One end of the connecting wire 40 is connected to the flexible antenna 30, the other end of the connecting wire 40 is connected to the circuit board 20, the heat sink 50 is arranged on the base 10, and the heat sink 50 and the The circuit board 20 is connected, the external interface 60 is arranged on the base 10, the external interface 60 is connected to the circuit board 20, the shell 70 is covered on the base 10, and the shell 70 is connected to the base 10. The base 10 forms a closed cavity 70a, and the circuit board 20 and the flexible antenna 30 are accommodated in the cavity 70a.

Specifically, for the above-mentioned base 10 , as shown in FIG. 2 , the base 10 is provided with a curved post antenna board 101 , and the curved post antenna board 101 is used for installing the flexible antenna 30 . Optionally, the curved post antenna board 101 is cylindrical. The curved cylindrical antenna plate 101 may also be in the shape of an elliptical cylinder, a sector, a ring, or the like.

For the above circuit board 20, as shown in Figure 2 and Figure 3, the circuit board 20 is arranged on the base 10, the circuit board 20 is connected to the flexible antenna 30, and the circuit board 20 can be used for the The wireless signal of a specific frequency band received or transmitted by the flexible antenna 30 is processed.

As shown in FIG. 4 and FIG. 5 , the circuit board 20 includes a circuit board body 201 , a radio frequency module 202 , a power supply module 203 and a communication module 204 . The radio frequency module 202 is connected to the circuit board body 201, the radio frequency module 202 is located on a surface of the circuit board body 201 away from the base 10, the power supply module 203 is connected to the circuit board body 201, the The communication module 204 is connected to the radio frequency module 202. Wherein, the radio frequency module 202 can be used to convert the radio signal received by the flexible antenna 30 into a wired electrical signal, or convert the wired electrical signal into a radio signal, and then send it out through the flexible antenna 30 . The power module 203 is used to provide electricity for the circuit board body 201 . The communication module 204 can be used for communication connection between various components in the radar device, and the communication module 204 can include SPI, UATR and other modules for communication connection. Optionally, the circuit board body 201 can be a PCB (Printed Circuit Board) board, and the PCB board can be used as a carrier for interconnection between electronic components in the radar device. Wherein, the internal circuit principle of the circuit board is shown in FIG. 5 .

For the above flexible antenna 30, as shown in Figure 2, Figure 6 and Figure 7, the flexible antenna 30 is connected to the circuit board 20, the flexible antenna 30 includes a flexible substrate 301, a plurality of radiation parts 302 and a ground plate 303 , the flexible substrate 301 is provided with a first surface 301a and a second surface 301b opposite to the first surface 301a, the radiation part 302 is provided on the first surface 301a, and the ground plate 303 is provided on the On the second surface 301b, the radiation part 302 is coupled to the ground plate 303, and the side of the ground plate 303 away from the flexible substrate 301 is attached to the curved column antenna plate 101 around, and a plurality of the radiation Part 302 is arrayed and arranged around the curved column antenna plate 101, wherein the arrangement of the radiating part 302 in an array can improve the detection signal strength of the flexible antenna 30, and the surrounding setting of the radiating part 302 can improve the strength of the flexible antenna 30. Detection signal range. Optionally, the flexible substrate 301 has a non-conductive structure of a specific shape, and the flexible substrate 301 has a relatively flat shape, forming a flat first surface 301 a and a second surface 301 b.

It should be noted that: the array setting includes at least two rows and two columns, and the number of radiation patches on each row and column is not specifically limited, for example: the number of radiation patches in each row can be 10, and the number of radiation patches in each column The number can be 7.

As shown in FIG. 8 , the flexible antenna 30 further includes a feeder 304 and a transmission line 305 . The feeder 304 is connected to the radiation part 302 through the transmission line 305 , one end of the transmission line 305 is connected to the radiation part 302 , and the other end of the transmission line 305 is connected to the feeder 304 .

As shown in FIG. 9 , in some embodiments, the flexible substrate 301 is provided with a connection through hole 3011 , and the connection through hole 3011 facilitates the transmission of the electromagnetic wave signal passing through the radiation part 302 to the ground plate 303 . It can be understood that, in order to facilitate the conduction of electromagnetic wave signals, the inner wall of the connecting through hole 3011 is provided with a metal layer, therefore, in some embodiments, the connecting through hole 3011 is a metallized via hole.

In some embodiments, the flexible substrate 301 is made of at least one of polyimide, polyethylene terephthalate, polydimethylsiloxane and polytetrafluoroethylene.

For the radiation part 302, as shown in FIG. 8, the radiation part 302 is disposed on the flexible substrate 301, and the radiation part 302 is located on the first surface 301a. It can be understood that the radiating part 302 is a conductor (copper foil) with a characteristic shape and length, which can be fixed on the flexible substrate 301 in any suitable form, and exposed to the outside, and realizes specific frequency band detection by the principle of electromagnetic induction. reception or transmission of wireless signals.

It should be noted that: the radiation unit 302 refers to a resonant unit for receiving or transmitting wireless signals of a specific frequency band, and is the core of the entire wireless system. It can generally be composed of one or more identical or different oscillators with characteristic shapes or structures. These oscillators can be fixed on the surface of the flexible substrate 301 in any form, with conductors of specific size and shape.

In some embodiments, the radiating part 302 has plasticity, and the radiating part 302 with plasticity can be deformed along with the bending of the flexible substrate 301, and during the bending process of the flexible substrate 301, the Radiation portion 302 causes damage.

In some embodiments, the radiation part 302 is preferably rectangular in shape. It can be understood that, the shape of the radiating part 302 is not limited to a rectangle, and may also be in other shapes, for example: circle, ellipse and so on.

For the above-mentioned feeder 304, as shown in FIG. With other signal processing systems, it forms the line of the signal transmission path. Specifically, any suitable type of wire with sufficient shielding and signal transmission performance can be used.

For the above-mentioned transmission line 305, as shown in FIG. On a surface 301a, the transmission line 305 can be used to connect the radiation part 302 and the feeder line 304, thereby forming a signal transmission path.

As for the above-mentioned ground plate 303, as shown in FIG. 6 and FIG. 8, the ground plate 303 is disposed on the second surface 301b, and the ground plate 303 is coupled to the radiation part 302 through the connection through hole 3011, That is, the electromagnetic wave signal passing through the radiating portion 302 can be transmitted to the ground plate 303 through the connecting through hole 3011 .

For the connection wire 40, as shown in Figure 2 and Figure 3, one end of the connection wire 40 is connected to the flexible antenna 30, and the other end of the connection wire 40 is connected to the radio frequency module 202, thereby realizing the The connection between the flexible antenna 30 and the radio frequency module 202 . The connection line 40 is a line connecting the flexible antenna 30 and the radio frequency module 202 to form a signal transmission path. Specifically, any suitable type of wire with sufficient shielding and signal transmission performance can be used.

In some embodiments, the connecting wire 40 is curved,

For the above-mentioned heat sink 50, as shown in FIG. 50 is used to dissipate heat from the circuit board body 201 .

In some embodiments, the number of the heat sinks 50 is multiple, and the plurality of heat sinks 50 are arranged in concentric circles. In this way, the plurality of heat sinks 50 are more in contact with the outside air, which improves the resistance to all heat sinks. The heat dissipation efficiency of the circuit board body 201 is described.

As for the above-mentioned external interface 60, as shown in FIG. The interface 60 can facilitate the radar equipment to connect with external equipment for signal output, wherein the external interface 60 can include signal interfaces such as TCP/UDP, RS485, RS232, and CAN-FD.

For the above housing 70, as shown in Figure 2 and Figure 3, the housing 70 is covered on the base 10, the housing 70 and the base 10 form a closed cavity 70a, the circuit board 20 and the The flexible antenna 30 is accommodated in the cavity 70a, and the outer casing 70 can be used to protect the internal components contained in the cavity 70a, preventing the external environment from affecting and interfering with the internal components, thereby ensuring that the radar device works around the clock, wherein , the internal components include circuit board 20, flexible antenna 30, connecting wire 40 and other components.

In some embodiments, the housing 70 is a spherical surface, and the cavity wall of the cavity 70a is a curved surface, which is beneficial to the emission or reception of electromagnetic waves. It can be understood that the shell 70 is made of wave-transparent material, wherein the wave-transparent material includes epoxy resin, cyanate resin, polyimide resin, bismaleimide resin, phenolic resin, At least one of silicone resin, neoprene rubber, glass fiber reinforced plastics, ceramics, glass-ceramics and the like.

In addition, in order to facilitate readers to understand the technical effects that the embodiment of the present application can achieve, the embodiment of the present application also conducts a simulation test, and the test process is as follows:

In the simulation software, a single antenna is formed into a look-around array, and the rectangular plate in the radiation field is defined as the above-mentioned flexible substrate 301, and the rectangle on the flexible substrate 301 is defined as the radiation part 302, and the flexible substrate 301 is divided into six sub-flexible substrates to form 6 sub-antennas are positioned in 6 sub-spaces in the horizontal direction, each sub-flexible substrate is located in a sub-space, and the adjacent sub-flexible substrates are set at 60°, and the 6 sub-antennas complete 360° surround-view coverage.

The test simulation results are shown in Figure 10. It can be seen from Figure 10 that a single sub-antenna has certain directionality in the horizontal direction, and the coverage of the total antenna formed by 6 sub-antennas can reach 360°, which is omnidirectional.

The embodiment of the present invention is provided with a base 10 , a circuit board 20 and a flexible antenna 30 . Wherein, the base 10 is provided with a curved cylindrical antenna plate 101, the circuit board 20 is arranged on the base 10, the flexible antenna 30 is connected to the circuit board 20, and the flexible antenna 30 includes a plurality of radiation parts 302 A plurality of radiating parts 302 are arrayed and arranged around the curved column antenna plate 101. In this way, a plurality of radiating parts 302 are arranged in an array to improve the detection signal strength of the flexible antenna 30, and a plurality of radiating parts 302 are arranged around and can improve the strength of the flexible antenna. The detection signal range of 30°, compared with the maximum detection coverage of the existing radar device is only about 70°, the maximum detection coverage range of the radar device in the embodiment of the present application can reach 360°, and the detection signal strength of the radar device is relatively strong, The detection range of the radar device has become wider, which is convenient for equipment such as drones to detect a wider range.

The present invention further provides application scenarios of the radar device provided in the above embodiments. FIG. 11 is a schematic structural diagram of an antenna provided by an embodiment of the present invention applied to a drone.

With the development of unmanned aerial vehicle technology, it is always desired to reduce the body size of the unmanned aerial vehicle as much as possible, so that the unmanned aerial vehicle can be suitable for performing flight tasks in more scenarios. However, in the case of the shrinking size of the fuselage of the UAV, higher requirements are put forward for the size and structure of the radar device and the antenna in the radar device, and it is expected to be realized in a priority volume and as simple a structure as possible.

Therefore, the application of the radar device provided by the embodiment of the present invention can well meet the requirements of the UAV with a smaller fuselage regarding the volume and structure of the antenna. As shown in Figure 11, this unmanned aerial vehicle comprises: fuselage, power assembly and radar device as above-mentioned, and described power assembly is installed on the described fuselage, is used to provide flight power for described unmanned aerial vehicle, so The radar device is installed on the fuselage. Optionally, the power assembly includes a motor, which can be provided with one or more motors, which are arranged at corresponding positions of the fuselage (such as fuselage motors; wingtip motors) to perform different functions (such as driving the propeller to rotate , control the attitude of the fuselage, etc.)

The radar device can be installed on the fuselage, and the flexible antenna 30 is used as a part of the radar device to receive remote control operation instructions from the remote controller or to feed back relevant data information (such as captured images, wireless Operating status parameters of the man-machine itself)

It can be understood that there is no limitation on the specific location of the radar device on the drone, and the radar device can be located at the nose of the drone or at the fuselage of the drone. The specific location of the device can be set according to the actual situation.

In some embodiments, the radar device is installed on the upper side of the fuselage, and the state of the radar device is not specifically limited, for example: the radar device is arranged on the upper side of the fuselage, the position is fixed, Alternatively, the radar device can be movably arranged on the upper side of the fuselage, and its position can be adjusted, and the user can choose according to the actual situation, which is not specifically limited here.

Of course, based on the UAV application scenarios provided in the above embodiments, those skilled in the art can also use the radar device provided in the above embodiments for other similar unmanned mobile vehicles. machine.

Finally, it should be noted that: the above embodiments are only used to illustrate the technical solutions of the present invention, not to limit them; under the idea of the present invention, the technical features in the above embodiments or different embodiments can also be combined, The steps may be performed in any order, and there are many other variations of the different aspects of the invention as described above, which have not been presented in detail for the sake of brevity; although the invention has been described in detail with reference to the preceding examples, those of ordinary skill in the art The skilled person should understand that it is still possible to modify the technical solutions described in the foregoing embodiments, or perform equivalent replacements for some of the technical features; and these modifications or replacements do not make the essence of the corresponding technical solutions deviate from the various implementations of the present invention. The scope of technical solutions.

Claims

A radar device, characterized in that it comprises:

a base, the base is provided with a curved column antenna plate;

a circuit board, the circuit board is arranged on the base;

A flexible antenna, the flexible antenna is connected to the circuit board, the flexible antenna includes a plurality of radiating parts arrayed and arranged around the curved post antenna board.
The radar device according to claim 1, characterized in that,

The flexible antenna includes a flexible substrate and a ground plate, the flexible substrate is provided with a first surface and a second surface opposite to the first surface, the radiation part is provided on the first surface, and the ground plate is provided with On the second surface, the radiation portion is coupled to the ground plate, and the side of the ground plate away from the flexible substrate is attached to the curved post antenna plate around.
The radar device according to claim 2, characterized in that,

The radiation part has plasticity.
The radar device according to claim 1, characterized in that,

The circuit board includes a circuit board body and a radio frequency module, the radio frequency module is connected to the circuit board body, and the radio frequency module is located on a surface of the circuit board body away from the base;

The radar device includes a connecting wire, one end of the connecting wire is connected to the flexible antenna, and the other end of the connecting wire is connected to the radio frequency module.
The radar device according to claim 4, characterized in that,

The circuit board includes a power module connected to the circuit board body.
The radar device according to claim 4, characterized in that,

The circuit board also includes a communication module connected to the radio frequency module.
The radar device according to claim 4, characterized in that,

It also includes a heat sink, the heat sink is arranged on the side of the base away from the flexible antenna, and the heat sink is connected to the circuit board body.
The radar device according to claim 7, characterized in that,

There are multiple heat sinks, and the multiple heat sinks are arranged in concentric circles.
The radar device according to claim 4, characterized in that,

An external interface is also included, the external interface is arranged on the side of the base away from the flexible antenna, and the external interface is connected to the circuit board body.
The radar device according to any one of claims 1-9, characterized in that,

It also includes a casing, the casing is covered on the base, the casing and the base form a closed cavity, and the circuit board and the flexible antenna are accommodated in the cavity.
A kind of unmanned aerial vehicle, is characterized in that, comprises:

body;

a power assembly, the power assembly is mounted on the fuselage for providing flight power for the drone;

The radar device according to any one of claims 1-10, wherein the radar device is installed on the fuselage.
The drone according to claim 11, wherein the radar device is installed on the upper side of the fuselage.