WO2024048044A1

WO2024048044A1 - Antenna apparatus, transmitter, and radar

Info

Publication number: WO2024048044A1
Application number: PCT/JP2023/023712
Authority: WO
Inventors: Kenichi Iio
Original assignee: Furuno Electric Co., Ltd.
Priority date: 2022-08-30
Filing date: 2023-06-27
Publication date: 2024-03-07
Also published as: JP2024033166A

Abstract

The present disclosure relates to provide an antenna apparatus, a transmitter, and a radar. An antenna apparatus includes a dielectric substrate, a first patch antenna and a second patch antenna configured to be formed adjacent to each other on a first principal surface of the dielectric substrate; an antenna pattern including a first transmission line and a second transmission line, electrically connecting the first patch antenna and the second patch antenna, respectively; and a ground pattern formed on a second principal surface opposite to the first principal surface of the dielectric substrate; wherein the first transmission line and the second transmission line are configured to be formed by maintaining a predetermined interval, and the interval between some modules are wider than an interval between other modules.

Description

ANTENNA APPARATUS, TRANSMITTER, AND RADAR

The present disclosure relates to an antenna apparatus, a transmitter, and a radar.

Background

Patent documents 1 and 2 disclose serially fed patch array antennas in which a plurality of patch antennas are arranged in one direction and connected in series.
Patent document 1: Chinese patent No. 106972244 Patent document 2: European patent application publication No. 2950390

Due to the increasing speed of signals transmitting on a signal line drawn on a board, the signals may change between the transmitter that transmits the signal and the receiver that receives it, even if the wire is only a few tens of millimeters long (see a reference in FIG. 15). It becomes difficult to transmit and receive signals correctly on a transmission line.

When patch antennas are mutually connected by a plurality of transmission lines in the above-mentioned antenna apparatus, inter-line connection problems occur. The disclosure has been made in view of the above problems, and its main purpose is to provide an antenna apparatus, a transmitter, and a radar capable of suppressing inter-line connections.

Summary

In order to solve the above problems, an antenna apparatus of one aspect of the disclosure is provided with a dielectric substrate, an antenna pattern formed on a first principal surface of the dielectric substrate, and a ground pattern formed on the second principal surface opposite to the first principal surface of the dielectric substrate. The antenna pattern is provided with a first patch antenna and a second patch antenna adjacent to each other on the first principal surface of the dielectric substrate. The antenna pattern includes a first transmission lines and a second transmission line separated from each other in a second direction perpendicular to the first direction and electrically connecting the first patch antenna and the second patch antennas. The first transmission line and the second transmission line are configured to be formed by maintaining a predetermined interval, and an interval between some modules of the first transmission line and the second transmission line is wider than an interval between other modules. This makes it possible to suppress an inter-line coupling.

In the above aspect, the interval between some modules may be wider than an interval between other modules closer to a side of the first patch antenna. The interval between some modules may also be wider than an interval between modules closer to another side of the second patch antenna. This makes it possible to widen the interval between some modules regardless of the connection position of the transmission line to the patch antenna.

In the above aspect, the first transmission lines and the second transmission lines may be curved in opposite directions to each other. This makes it possible to suppress unnecessary radiation by curving the transmission line.

In the above aspect, multiple patch antenna pairs of the first patch antenna and the second patch antenna may be arranged consecutively in one direction. The multiple patch antenna pairs are also electrically connected to each other by a transmission line pair to be formed in the same manner as the first transmission line and the second transmission line.

According to another aspect, an antenna apparatus includes a dielectric substrate, an antenna pattern formed on a first principal surface of the dielectric substrate, a ground pattern formed on a second principal surface opposite to the first principal surface of the dielectric substrate, and an auxiliary ground pattern. The antenna pattern is provided with a first patch antenna and a second patch antenna adjacent to each other in a first direction. The antenna pattern includes a first transmission line and a second transmission line separated from each other in a second direction perpendicular to the first direction, and electrically connecting the first patch antennas and the second patch antennas. The auxiliary ground pattern suppresses an inter-line coupling of the first and the second transmission lines. This makes it possible to suppress the inter-line coupling.

In the above aspect, the auxiliary ground pattern may be placed between the first and the second transmission lines. According to this, it is possible to suppress the inter-line coupling.

In the above aspect, the auxiliary ground pattern may also be placed outward in the second direction with respect to the first transmission line and the second transmission line. According to this, it is possible to further suppress the inter-line coupling.

According to another aspect, an antenna apparatus includes a dielectric substrate, an antenna pattern formed on a first principal surface of the dielectric substrate, a ground pattern formed on a second principal surface opposite to the first principal surface of the dielectric substrate, and an auxiliary dielectric substrate. The antenna pattern is provided with a first patch antenna and a second patch antenna adjacent to each other in a first direction. The antenna pattern includes a first transmission line and a second transmission line separated from each other in a second direction perpendicular to the first direction, and electrically connecting the first patch antennas and the second patch antennas. The auxiliary dielectric substrate may cover the first transmission line and the second transmission line.

In the above aspect, the auxiliary ground pattern may be arranged on a principal surface opposite to the first and the second transmission lines of the auxiliary dielectric substrate. According to this, it is possible to suppress the inter-line coupling.

In the above aspect, multiple patch antenna pairs of the first patch antenna and the second patch antenna are configured to be arranged consecutively in one direction. The multiple patch antenna pairs are also electrically connected to each other by a transmission line pair to be formed in the same manner as the first transmission line and the second transmission line.

According to another aspect, the above-described antenna apparatus includes a transmitter. Accordingly, it is possible to provide an antenna apparatus that suppresses an inter-line coupling.

According to another aspect, the above-described antenna apparatus includes a radar. Accordingly, it is possible to provide an antenna apparatus that suppresses an inter-line coupling.

FIG. 1 shows a configuration example of a radar.

FIG. 2 shows an example configuration of an antenna apparatus according to a first embodiment.

FIG. 3 shows a partially enlarged view of FIG. 2 according to the first embodiment.

FIG. 4 shows a configuration example of an antenna apparatus according to a second embodiment.

FIG. 5 shows a partially enlarged view of FIG. 4 according to the second embodiment.

FIG. 6 shows an example of a cross-sectional structure according to the second embodiment.

FIG. 7 shows an example of the configuration of the antenna apparatus according to the second embodiment.

FIG. 8 shows an example of the configuration of an antenna apparatus according to a third embodiment.

FIG. 9 shows an example of the configuration of an antenna apparatus according to a fourth embodiment.

FIG. 10 shows an example of a cross-sectional structure according to the fourth embodiment.

FIG. 11 shows a configuration example of an antenna apparatus structure according to a fifth embodiment.

FIG. 12 shows an example of the cross-sectional structure according to the fifth embodiment.

FIG. 13 shows an example of a cross-sectional structure according to a sixth embodiment.

FIG. 14 is a diagram showing a reference example.

FIG. 15 is a diagram showing a reference example.

Detailed Description

Embodiments of the present disclosure are described below with reference to the drawings.
Radar

FIG. 1 is a block diagram showing a configuration example of a radar (100) according to the present embodiment. The radar (100) is an example of a transmitter according to the present embodiment and is equipped with an antenna apparatus (10). In addition to the antenna apparatus (10), the radar (100) is equipped with a transmitter/receiver (11), a signal processor (a/k/a "processing circuitry") (12), and a controller (13).

The transmitter/receiver (11) includes a modulator and a magnetron, which, in response to a trigger signal from the signal processor (12), generates a transmission signal by intermittently driving the magnetron with a pulse voltage generated by the modulator. The antenna apparatus (10) transmits the transmission signal from the transmitter/receiver (11) as a radio wave pulse.

The antenna apparatus (10) converts the received reflected wave into a received signal. The received signal from the antenna apparatus (10) is processed by the signal processor (12) through a frequency conversion/amplification circuit and a detection circuit included in the transmission/reception section (11) and sent to the controller (13) as a digital signal.

The radar (100) may be, for example, a marine radar that transmits and receives microwaves, or an in-vehicle radar that transmits and receives millimeter waves for obstacle detection or collision prevention.
First Embodiment

FIG. 2 is a plan view showing an example of the configuration of an antenna apparatus (10A) according to a first embodiment. FIG. 3 is a partially enlarged view of FIG. 2.

Antenna apparatus (10A) includes a dielectric substrate (2), an antenna pattern (30) formed on a first principal surface (the surface visible in FIG. 2) of the dielectric substrate (2), and a ground pattern (21) formed on a second principal surface opposite to the first principal surface of the dielectric substrate (2) (see FIG. 6, etc.). The antenna pattern (30) contains multiple patch antennas (31-38). The number of patch antennas is not particularly limited.

The antenna apparatus (10A) is a series-fed patch array antenna, and the plurality of patch antennas (31-38) are arranged in one direction and connected in series. An x-direction in FIG. 2 is the alignment direction of the patch antenna (31-34), and a y-direction perpendicular to the x-direction is a width direction of the patch antenna (31-34).

The antenna pattern (30) is formed, for example, by patterning a metal foil provided on the first principal surface of the dielectric substrate (2) by a photolithography technique. Thus, the patch antenna (31-38) and transmission lines (41, 45, 49, 51, 52, 55, 56, and 61-64) connected to them are integrated.

A feed line (9) is provided in a center of the antenna pattern (30) in the alignment direction x. There are even numbers of the patch antennas (31-38), and the feed line (9) is provided between the two middle patch antennas (31, 35). The feed line (9) may be provided at one end of the antenna pattern (30) in the alignment direction x.

The patch antennas (31-38) are rectangular in shape and have the width corresponding to 1/2 wavelength of a fundamental wave of the frequency used. That is, the width of the patch antenna (31-38) (the length of y in the width direction) is approximately equal to 1/2 wavelength of the fundamental wave.

As shown in FIG. 3, the patch antenna (31-38) has a shape that is linearly symmetric about a centerline (symmetry line) C passing through the center of y in the width direction. When viewed in three dimensions, the centerline C can also be said to be a symmetry plane perpendicular to y in the width direction.

The patch antenna (31-38) has an input side (7) and an output side (8) extending in the width direction y and facing the alignment direction x. The input side (7) is the side near the feed line (9), and the output side (8) is the side far from the feed line (9). Two transmission lines (41 and 49) are connected to the input side (7) of the patch antenna (31), and the two transmission lines (51 and 52) are connected to the output side (8) of the patch antenna (31).

The transmission line (41) is connected to a first side (upper side in FIG. 3) of the centerline C of the input side (7) of patch antenna (31), and the transmission line (49) is connected to a second side (lower side in FIG. 3) opposite to the first side of the input side (7) of patch antenna (31) with respect to the centerline C.

The transmission line (51) is connected to a first side of the centerline C of the output side (8) of the patch antenna (31), and the transmission line (52) is connected to a second side opposite to the first side of the centerline C of the output side (8) of the patch antenna (31).

The two transmission lines (51 and 52) are connected to the input side (7) of the patch antenna (32), and the two transmission lines (61 and 62) are connected to the output side (8) of the patch antenna (32).

The transmission line (51) is connected to a first side of the input side (7) of the patch antenna (32) with respect to the centerline C, and the transmission line (52) is connected to a second side opposite to the first side of the input side (7) of the patch antenna (32) of the centerline C.

Transmission line (61) is connected to a first side of the centerline C of the output side (8) of the patch antenna (32), and transmission line (62) is connected to a second side opposite to the first side of the centerline C of the output side (8) of the patch antenna (32).

In the following description, the shapes of the transmission lines (51 and 52) connecting the patch antennas (31 and 32) are described as a typical example. It should be noted that not only the transmission lines (51 and 52) but also other transmission lines (41, 45, 49, 55, 56, 61-68) may have similar shapes.

As shown in the reference examples in FIGs. 14 and 15, when the two transmission lines (51 and 52) are supplied current in an opposite phase to each other, the radiated radio waves cancel each other out, thereby suppressing an unwanted radiation. However, since an inter-line coupling occurs between transmission lines (51 and 52), the components may become the unwanted radiation and affect the directional characteristics of the antenna.

Therefore, in the first embodiment, as shown in FIG. 3, the inter-line coupling is suppressed by making an interval of some modules (515 and 525) of transmission lines (51 and 52) wider than that of other modules (513, 523, 514, and 524).

Specifically, the transmission lines (51 and 52) have parallel modules (513 and 523) connected to the patch antenna (31), modules (514 and 524) connected to the modules (513 and 523) and whose interval gradually increases towards the patch antenna (32) side, and parallel modules (515 and 525) connected to the module (514 and 524) and connected to the patch antenna (32).

According to this, since the interval of some modules (515 and 525) of the transmission lines (51 and 52) is configured wider than that of other modules (513, 514, 523, and 524), it becomes possible to suppress the inter-line coupling and suppress an unnecessary radiation caused by the inter-line coupling.

In addition, length of the transmission lines (51 and 52) is limited to one wavelength of the fundamental wave, but by folding the transmission lines (51 and 52), the interval of patch antennas (31 and 32) can be made the same as the length of the transmission lines (51 and 52).

Therefore, it is possible to place the patch antennas (31 and 32) at appropriate intervals without being restricted by the length of the transmission lines (51 and 52). This makes it possible to suppress a grating lobe and optimize the beam shape.

In the example shown in FIG. 3, the interval between some modules (515 and 525) is widened by folding both the transmission lines (51 and 52), but the interval is not limited to this, and the interval may be widened by folding only one of the transmission lines (51 and 52).
Second Embodiment

FIG. 4 is a plan view showing an example of a configuration of an antenna apparatus (10B) according to a second embodiment. FIG. 5 is a partially enlarged view of FIG. 4. FIG. 6 is a view showing an example of the cross-sectional structure when cut by the VI-VI line in FIG. 5. Configurations that overlap with the above embodiment may be given the same reference numerals, and overlapping explanations are omitted.

As shown in FIG. 5, in the second embodiment, the transmission lines (51 and 52) are bent so that their centers are separated from each other. That is, the interval of the middle modules (515 and 525) of the transmission lines (51 and 52) is wider than the interval (514 and 524) on the patch antenna (31) side and an interval (516 and 526) on the patch antenna (32) side.

More specifically, the transmission lines (51 and 52) have the interval (514 and 524) that are connected to the patch antenna (31) and gradually extending towards the patch antenna (32) side, the interval (516 and 526) are connected to the patch antenna (32) and gradually extending towards the patch antenna (31) side, and the interval (515 and 525) with the widest interval intervening between them.

According to this, since the interval between the central sections (515 and 525) can be made wider than the interval between the transmission lines (51 and 52) connected to the patch antennas (31 and 32), it is possible to further suppress the inter-line connections more and to give more freedom to the arrangement of the patch antennas (31 and 32).

It should be noted that in the second embodiment, the interval (515 and 525) are located at the same position in the arrangement direction x and the transmission lines (51 and 52) are approximately rhomboid-shaped, but this is not limited to the case where the interval (515 and 525) is set at different positions in the arrangement direction x and the transmission lines (51 and 52) may be approximately parallelograms as in an antenna apparatus (10C) in the modification shown in FIG. 7.
Third Embodiment

FIG. 8 is a plan view showing an example of the configuration of an antenna apparatus (10D) according to a third embodiment. Configurations that overlap with the above embodiment may be given the same reference numerals, and overlapping explanations are omitted.

In the third embodiment, the transmission lines (51 and 52) are curved in opposite directions from each other. That is, the transmission lines (51 and 52) are curved in an arc as a whole so that the middle modules (515 and 525) are separated from each other in the width direction y. According to this, since a sharp bending of transmission lines (51 and 52) can be eliminated, the unnecessary radiation can be further suppressed.
Fourth Embodiment

FIG. 9 is a plan view showing an example of the configuration of an antenna apparatus (10E) according to Embodiment 4. FIG. 10 is a view showing an example of the cross-sectional structure when cut by X-rays in FIG. 9. Configurations that overlap with the above embodiment may be given the same reference numerals, and overlapping explanations are omitted.

In the fourth embodiment, an auxiliary ground pattern (23) is placed between the transmission lines (51 and 52) to suppress the inter-line coupling. The auxiliary ground pattern (23) is grounded to the ground pattern (21) on the second principal surface of the dielectric substrate (2).

The auxiliary ground pattern (23) is formed into a long rectangular shape in the alignment direction x, for example. The auxiliary ground pattern (23) is formed with gaps between the patch antennas (31 and 32) and the transmission lines (51 and 52). According to this, by placing the auxiliary ground pattern (23) between the transmission lines (51 and 52), it is possible to suppress inter-line coupling and suppress the unnecessary radiation caused by inter-line coupling.

The auxiliary ground pattern (23) can be placed between the transmission lines (51 and 52). The auxiliary ground pattern (23) can also be placed between the transmission lines (41, 45, 49), between the transmission lines (55 and 56), between the transmission lines (61 and 62), between the transmission lines (63 and 64), between the transmission lines (65 and 66), or between the transmission lines (67 and 68).
Fifth Embodiment

FIG. 11 is a diagram showing an example of a configuration of an antenna apparatus (10F) according to a fifth embodiment. FIG. 12 is a diagram showing an example of a cross-sectional structure when cut by lines XII-XII in FIG. 11. Configurations that overlap with the above embodiment may be given the same reference numerals, and overlapping explanations are omitted.

In the fifth embodiment, an auxiliary ground pattern (25) is also arranged outside the transmission lines (51 and 52) in the width direction y. That is, the transmission lines (51 and 52) are sandwiched in the same plane by the auxiliary ground patterns (23 and 25). The transmission lines (51 and 52) are constructed as grounded coplanar lines.

The auxiliary ground pattern (25) is formed in a long rectangular shape in the alignment direction x, for example. The auxiliary ground pattern (25) is formed with gaps between the patch antennas (31 and 32) and the transmission lines (51 and 52). The auxiliary ground pattern (25) is grounded to the ground pattern (21) on the second principal surface of the dielectric substrate (2).

According to this, by arranging the auxiliary ground pattern (25) outside transmission lines (51 and 52) in the width direction y, it is possible to further suppress the inter-line coupling and suppress the unnecessary radiation caused by the inter-line coupling.

The auxiliary ground pattern (25) can be arranged not only outside the transmission lines (51 and 52), but also outside the transmission lines (41, 45, and 49), outside the transmission lines (55 and 56), outside the transmission lines (61 and 62), outside the transmission lines (63 and 64), outside the transmission lines (65 and 66), and outside the transmission lines (67 and 68).
Sixth Embodiment

FIG. 13 shows an example of a cross-sectional structure of an antenna apparatus (10G) according to a sixth embodiment. Configurations that overlap with the above embodiment may be given the same reference numerals, and overlapping explanations are omitted.

In the sixth embodiment, an auxiliary dielectric substrate (26) is placed to cover the transmission lines (51 and 52), and an auxiliary ground pattern (27) is placed on a principal surface of the auxiliary dielectric substrate (26) opposite to the transmission lines (51 and 52) (the principal surface on an upper side in FIG. 13). That is, the transmission lines (51 and 52) are sandwiched by the dielectric substrate (2), the auxiliary dielectric substrate (26), the ground pattern (21), and the auxiliary ground pattern (27), which constitute a tri-plate line. According to this, when the transmission lines (51 and 52) are covered by the auxiliary dielectric substrate (26) and the auxiliary ground pattern (27), it becomes possible to further suppress the inter-line coupling and suppress the unnecessary radiation caused by inter-line coupling.

Note that the auxiliary dielectric substrate (26) and the auxiliary ground pattern (27) can cover not only the transmission lines (51 and 52) but also the other transmission lines (41, 45, 49, 55, 56, 61-68). On the other hand, although not shown, the auxiliary dielectric substrate (26) and the auxiliary ground pattern (27) do not cover the patch antenna (31-38) so as not to impair the radiation of radio waves.

Although the embodiment of the present disclosure has been described above, the disclosure is not limited to the embodiment described above, and it goes without saying that various modifications can be made by those skilled in the art.

In the above description, several embodiments have been described, but each embodiment may be combined as appropriate. For example, either the first or the third embodiment pertaining to the shape of the transmission line and either the fourth or the sixth embodiment pertaining to the auxiliary ground pattern may be combined. Also, the fourth or the sixth embodiment pertaining to the transmitted auxiliary ground pattern may be combined.

Hereinafter, a typical embodiment of the present disclosure is listed below.

The antenna apparatus of the disclosure is provided with the dielectric substrate, the antenna pattern formed on the first principal surface of the dielectric substrate, and the ground pattern formed on the second principal surface of the dielectric substrate. The antenna pattern is provided with the first and the second patch antennas adjacent in the first direction, and the first and the second transmission lines separated from each other in the second direction perpendicular to the first direction connecting the first and the second patch antennas. The first and the second transmission lines are spaced more widely between some modules than those between other modules.

The first transmission line and the second transmission line are configured to be formed by maintaining a predetermined interval. The interval of a partial module may be wider than the interval of the module on the side of the first patch antenna, and the interval of the module on the side of the second patch antenna than the interval of the partial module. The first and the second transmission lines may be curved in opposite directions to each other.

The antenna apparatus of this disclosure includes a dielectric substrate, an antenna pattern formed on the first principal plane of the dielectric substrate, and a ground pattern formed on the second principal plane of the dielectric substrate. The antenna pattern includes the first and the second patch antennas adjacent in the first direction and the first and the second transmission lines separated from each other in the second direction perpendicular to the first direction, connecting the first and the second patch antennas, and further includes the auxiliary ground pattern that suppresses inter-line coupling of the first and the second transmission lines. The auxiliary ground pattern may be arranged between the first and the second transmission lines.

The auxiliary ground pattern may be arranged outside the second direction for the first and second transmission lines.

The auxiliary ground pattern may also be located outside of the second direction. It further includes the auxiliary dielectric substrate covering the first and the second transmission lines. The auxiliary ground pattern is opposite the first and second transmission lines of the auxiliary dielectric substrate. It may be arranged on the principal surface of a pair.

The transmitter of the disclosure is equipped with one of the antenna apparatuses described above and is equipped with the function of transmitting signals using electromagnetic waves.

The radar of the disclosure is equipped with one of the antenna apparatuses described above and is equipped with the function of transmitting transmitted waves by the electromagnetic waves from the antenna and receiving the reflected waves reflected by the target.

The various illustrative logical blocks and modules described in connection with the embodiments disclosed herein can be implemented or performed by a machine, such as a processor. A processor can be a microprocessor, but in the alternative, the processor can be a controller, microcontroller, state machine, combination of the same, or the like. A processor can include electrical circuitry configured to process computer-executable instructions. In another embodiment, a processor includes an application-specific integrated circuit (ASIC), a field-programmable gate array (FPGA), or other programmable devices that performs logic operations without processing computer-executable instructions. A processor can also be implemented as a combination of computing devices, e.g., a combination of a digital signal processor (DSP) and a microprocessor, a plurality of microprocessors, one or more microprocessors in conjunction with a DSP core, or any other such configuration. Although described herein primarily with respect to digital technology, a processor may also include primarily analog components. For example, some or all of the signal processing algorithms described herein may be implemented in analog circuitry or mixed analog and digital circuitry. A computing environment can include any type of computer system, including, but not limited to, a computer system based on a microprocessor, a mainframe computer, a digital signal processor, a portable computing device, a device controller, or a computational engine within an appliance, to name a few.

It is to be understood that not necessarily all objects or advantages may be achieved in accordance with any particular embodiment described herein. Thus, for example, those skilled in the art will recognize that certain embodiments may be configured to operate in a manner that achieves or optimizes one advantage or group of advantages as taught herein without necessarily achieving other objects or advantages as may be taught or suggested herein.

All of the processes described herein may be embodied in and fully automated via software code modules executed by a computing system that includes one or more computers or processors. The code modules may be stored on any type of non-transitory computer-readable medium or other computer storage device. Some or all of the methods may be embodied in specialized computer hardware.

Many other variations than those described herein will be apparent from this disclosure. For example, depending on the embodiment, certain acts, events, or functions of any of the algorithms described herein can be performed in a different sequence, added, merged, or left out altogether (e.g., not all the described acts or events are necessary for the practice of the algorithms). Moreover, in certain embodiments, acts or events can be performed concurrently, e.g., through multi-threaded processing, interrupt processing, multiple processors or processor cores, or on other parallel architectures, rather than sequentially. In addition, different tasks or processes can be performed by different machines and/or computing systems that can function together.

Conditional language such as, among others, "can," "could," "might," or "may," unless specifically stated otherwise, is otherwise understood within the context as used in general to convey that certain embodiments include, while other embodiments do not include, certain features, elements, and/or steps. Thus, such conditional language is not generally intended to imply that features, elements, and/or steps are in any way required for one or more embodiments or that one or more embodiments necessarily include logic for deciding, with or without user input or prompting, whether these features, elements, and/or steps are included or are to be performed in any particular embodiment.

Disjunctive languages such as the phrase "at least one of X, Y, or Z," unless specifically stated otherwise, is otherwise understood with the context as used in general to present that an item, term, etc., may be either X, Y, or Z, or any combination thereof (e.g., X, Y, and/or Z). Thus, such disjunctive language is not generally intended to, and should not, imply that certain embodiments require at least one of X, at least one of Y, or at least one of Z to each be present.

Any process descriptions, elements, or blocks in the flow diagrams described herein and/or depicted in the attached figures should be understood as potentially representing modules, segments, or portions of code that include one or more executable instructions for implementing specific logical functions or elements in the process. Alternate implementations are included within the scope of the embodiments described herein in which elements or functions may be deleted, executed out of order from that shown, or discussed, including substantially concurrently or in reverse order, depending on the functionality involved, as would be understood by those skilled in the art.

Unless otherwise explicitly stated, articles such as "a" or "an" should generally be interpreted to include one or more described items. Accordingly, phrases such as "a device configured to" are intended to include one or more recited devices. Such one or more recited devices can also be collectively configured to carry out the stated recitations. For example, "a processor configured to carry out recitations A, B, and C" can include a first processor configured to carry out recitation A working in conjunction with a second processor configured to carry out recitations B and C. The same holds true for the use of definite articles used to introduce embodiment recitations. In addition, even if a specific number of an introduced embodiment recitation is explicitly recited, those skilled in the art will recognize that such recitation should typically be interpreted to mean at least the recited number (e.g., the bare recitation of "two recitations," without other modifiers, typically means at least two recitations or two or more recitations).

It will be understood by those within the art that, in general, terms used herein, are generally intended as "open" terms (e.g., the term "including" should be interpreted as "including but not limited to," the term "having" should be interpreted as "having at least," the term "includes" should be interpreted as "includes but is not limited to," etc.).

For expository purposes, the term "horizontal" as used herein is defined as a plane parallel to the plane or surface of the floor of the area in which the system being described is used or the method being described is performed, regardless of its orientation. The term "floor" can be interchanged with the term "ground" or "water surface". The term "vertical" refers to a direction perpendicular to the horizontal, as just defined. Terms such as "above," "below," "bottom," "top," "side," "higher," "lower," "upper," "over," and "under," are defined with respect to the horizontal plane.

As used herein, the terms "attached," "connected," "mated," and other such relational terms should be construed, unless otherwise noted, to include removable, moveable, fixed, adjustable, and/or releasable connections or attachments. The connections or attachments can include direct connections and/or connections having an intermediate structure between the two components discussed.

Numbers preceded by a term such as "approximately," "about," and "substantially" as used herein include the recited numbers and also represent an amount close to the stated amount that still performs a desired function or achieves a desired result. For example, the terms "approximately," "about," and "substantially" may refer to an amount that is within less than 10% of the stated amount. Features of embodiments disclosed herein preceded by a term such as "approximately," "about," and "substantially" as used herein represent the feature with some variability that still performs a desired function or achieves a desired result for that feature.

It should be emphasized that many variations and modifications may be made to the above-described embodiments, the elements of which are to be understood as being among other acceptable examples. All such modifications and variations are intended to be included herein within the scope of this disclosure and protected by the following claims.
List of Reference Numerals

2 dielectric substrate
7 input side
8 output side
9 supply line
10 antenna apparatus
11 transmitter/receiver
12 signal processor
13 controller
21 ground pattern
23, 25, 27 auxiliary ground pattern
26 auxiliary dielectric substrate
30 antenna pattern
31-38 patch antenna
41, 45, 49, 51, 52, 55, 56, 61-68 transmission line
513, 514, 515, 516, 523, 524, 525, 526 module
100 radar (example of the transmitter)

Claims

An antenna apparatus, comprising:
a dielectric substrate;
a first patch antenna and a second patch antenna configured:
to be formed adjacent to each other on a first principal surface of the dielectric substrate; and
to generate electromagnetic waves;
an antenna pattern including a first transmission line and a second transmission line, electrically connecting the first patch antenna and the second patch antenna, respectively; and
a ground pattern formed on a second principal surface opposite side of the first principal surface of the dielectric substrate; wherein:
the first transmission line and the second transmission line are configured to be formed by maintaining a predetermined interval, and an interval between some modules of the first transmission line and the second transmission line is wider than an interval between other modules.
The antenna apparatus according to claim 1, wherein:
the interval between some modules is configured to be wider than an interval between modules closer to the first patch antenna.
The antenna apparatus according to claim 2, wherein:
the interval between some modules is further configured to be wider than an interval between other modules closer to the second patch antenna.
The antenna apparatus according to claim 1, wherein:
the first transmission line is configured to curve away from the second transmission line.
The antenna apparatus according to claim 2, wherein:
the second transmission line is further configured to curve away from the first transmission line.
The antenna apparatus according to claim 5, wherein:
multiple patch antenna pairs of the first patch antenna and the second patch antenna are configured to be arranged consecutively in one direction, and
the multiple patch antenna pairs are also electrically connected to each other by a transmission line pair to be formed in the same manner as the first transmission line and the second transmission line.
An antenna apparatus, comprising:
a dielectric substrate;
a first patch antenna and a second patch antenna configured to be formed adjacent to each other on a first principal surface of the dielectric substrate;
an antenna pattern including a first transmission line and a second transmission line, electrically connecting the first patch antenna and the second patch antenna, respectively;
a ground pattern formed on a second principal surface opposite side of the first principal surface of the dielectric substrate; and
an auxiliary ground pattern, electrically connected to the ground pattern, configured to be formed between the first transmission line and the second transmission line.
The antenna apparatus, according to claim 7, wherein:
the auxiliary ground pattern is further formed outward with respect to the first transmission line and the second transmission line.
The antenna apparatus, according to claim 8, wherein:
multiple patch antenna pairs of the first patch antenna and the second patch antenna are configured to be arranged consecutively in one direction; and
the multiple patch antenna pairs are also electrically connected to each other by a transmission line pair formed in the same manner as the first transmission line and the second transmission line.
An antenna apparatus, comprising:
a dielectric substrate;
a first patch antenna and a second patch antenna configured to be formed adjacent to each other on a first principal surface of the dielectric substrate;
an antenna pattern including a first transmission line and a second transmission line, electrically connecting the first patch antenna and the second patch antenna, respectively;
a ground pattern formed on a second principal surface opposite side of the first principal surface of the dielectric substrate; and
an auxiliary dielectric substrate configured to cover the first transmission line and the second transmission line.
The antenna apparatus according to claim 10, further comprising:
the auxiliary ground pattern configured to be formed on a side opposite to the side covering the first transmission line and the second transmission line.
The antenna apparatus according to claim 11, wherein:
multiple patch antenna pairs of the first patch antenna and the second patch antenna are configured to be arranged consecutively in one direction; and
the multiple patch antenna pairs are also electrically connected to each other by a transmission line pair to be formed in the same manner as the first transmission line and the second transmission line.
The antenna apparatus according to claim 12, wherein:
multiple patch antenna pairs of the first patch antenna and the second patch antenna are configured to be arranged consecutively in one direction; and
the multiple patch antenna pairs are also electrically connected to each other by a transmission line pair formed in the same manner as the first transmission line and the second transmission line.
The antenna apparatus according to any of claims 1 to 13, further comprising:
a transmitter configured to transmit an electromagnetic transmission signal from the first patch antenna and the second patch antenna.
The antenna apparatus according to any of claims 1 to 13, further comprising:
a signal processor configured to process a receiving signal received by the first patch antenna and the second patch antenna.