US 7,079,073 B2 · Radar device for vehicle and method for adjusting mount angle for mounting radar device on vehicle

Abstract

Reception antenna elements are formed so that the reception beam axis in the vertical direction of at least one reception antenna element of a transmission/reception unit is displaced from the reception beam axes of the other antenna elements. Therefore, the amplitude (intensity) of the reception signals of the reception antennas which are caused by a target is different from the amplitude (intensity) of the reception signal of the reception antenna element, and the amplitude difference is varied depending on the orientations of the reception beam axes in the vertical direction of the reception antenna elements. Accordingly, the amplitude difference when the reception beam axes of the reception antenna elements are correctly oriented to a desired direction is measured in advance, and the amplitude difference thus measured is set as a target amplitude difference, whereby the mount angle of the transmission/reception unit can be easily and accurately adjusted.

Claims14

Dependent claims

A radar device for a vehicle, comprising:

a reception antenna having plural reception antenna elements arranged along the width direction of the vehicle so that a beam axis of at least one of plural reception beams in the vertical direction is displaced from beam axes of the other reception beams in the vertical direction;
a transmission antenna having a transmission beam area that covers areas of the reception beams of the plural reception antenna elements;
and
an amplitude difference calculator for making the transmission antenna transmit a transmission signal to a target disposed at a predetermined position when the mount angle for mounting the radar device on the vehicle is adjusted, making the plural reception antenna elements receive a reflection wave of the transmission signal from the target to generate reception signals, and then calculating the amplitude difference between the amplitude of the reception signal of the reception antenna element having the displaced reception beam axis and the amplitude of the reception signal of the reception antenna elements having the non-displaced reception beam axes.

1 more element

A method of adjusting a mount angle at which a vehicle radar device is mounted on a vehicle, the vehicle radar device containing a transmission antenna and a reception antenna comprising plural reception antenna elements disposed along a vehicle width direction so that the beam axis in the vertical direction of at least one reception beam in plural beam axes is displaced from the beam axes in the vertical direction of the remaining beam axes, the method comprising:

transmitting a transmission signal to a target disposed at a predetermined position;
receiving a reflection wave of the transmission signal from the target through plural reception antenna elements and generating reception signals;
and
calculating the amplitude difference between the amplitude of a reception signal of a reception antenna element having a displaced reception beam axis and the amplitude of reception signals of reception antenna elements having non-displaced reception beam axes.

1 more element

Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.

Radar device for vehicle and method for adjusting mount angle for mounting radar device on vehicle

Life of this patent

Radar device for vehicle and method for adjusting mount angle for mounting radar device on vehicle

Life of this patent

Abstract

Claims14