Vehicle radar system with enhanced wave guide antenna system

A vehicular radar sensing system, the vehicular radar sensing system comprising:

• a radar sensor disposed at a vehicle so as to sense exterior of the vehicle;
• wherein the radar sensor comprises at least one transmitter that transmits radio signals, and at least one receiver that receive radio signals, and wherein received radio signals received by the at least one receiver are transmitted radio signals that are reflected from an object present in the field of sensing of the radar sensor;
• wherein the radar sensor comprises at least one wave guide antenna;
• wherein the wave guide antenna comprises at least one wave guide element and a first wave guide slot, a second wave guide slot, and an air wave guide established through the at least one wave guide element;
• wherein the radar sensor comprises a processor operable to process radio signals transmitted by the at least one transmitter and received by the at least one receiver;
• wherein the radar sensor comprises a printed circuit board (PCB) with an inboard side facing towards an interior cabin of the vehicle and an outboard side facing away from the vehicle toward the environment exterior of the vehicle, and wherein the at least one transmitter, the at least one receiver, and the processor are disposed at the inboard side of the PCB;
• a heatsink thermally conductively connected with the processor at the inboard side of the PCB;
• wherein the at least one wave guide antenna is at least partially disposed at the inboard side of the PCB and (i) guides the transmitted radio signals from the transmitter to the exterior environment and (ii) guides reflected radio signals from the exterior environment to the receiver;
• wherein the wave guide antenna comprises a plurality of wave guide elements, and wherein the plurality of wave guide elements are stacked to form the wave guide antenna;
• and
• wherein the plurality of wave guide elements are stacked at the inboard side of the PCB facing towards the interior cabin of the vehicle and at the outboard side of the PCB facing towards the environment exterior of the vehicle, and wherein the second wave guide slot is located outboard of the PCB facing towards the environment exterior of the vehicle.

A vehicular radar sensing system, the vehicular radar sensing system comprising:

• a radar sensor disposed at a vehicle so as to sense exterior of the vehicle;
• wherein the radar sensor comprises at least one transmitter that transmits radio signals, and at least one receiver that receive radio signals, and wherein received radio signals received by the at least one receiver are transmitted radio signals that are reflected from an object present in the field of sensing of the radar sensor;
• wherein the radar sensor comprises at least one wave guide antenna;
• wherein the at least one wave guide antenna comprises at least two wave guide antennas, and wherein one of the at least two wave guide antennas guides transmission from the at least one transmitter to the exterior environment and another one of the at least two wave guide antennas guides radio signals from the exterior environment to the at least one receiver
• wherein the radar sensor comprises a processor operable to process radio signals transmitted by the at least one transmitter and received by the at least one receiver;
• wherein the radar sensor comprises a printed circuit board (PCB) with an inboard side facing towards an interior cabin of the vehicle and an outboard side facing away from the vehicle toward the environment exterior of the vehicle, and wherein the at least one transmitter, the at least one receiver, and the processor are disposed at the inboard side of the PCB;
• a heatsink thermally conductively connected with the processor at the inboard side of the PCB;
• wherein the at least one wave guide antenna is at least partially disposed at the inboard side of the PCB and (i) guides the transmitted radio signals from the transmitter to the exterior environment and (ii) guides reflected radio signals from the exterior environment to the receiver;
• and
• wherein the at least one wave guide antenna comprises a plurality of wave guide elements that are stacked at the inboard side of the PCB facing towards the interior cabin of the vehicle and at the outboard side of the PCB facing towards the environment exterior of the vehicle, and wherein a wave guide slot is located outboard of the PCB facing towards the environment exterior of the vehicle.