Pillbox antennas

L'innovation

The European Union had set a target of reducing the car accident death rate by 50% from 2009 to 2010. This is why a few research teams came up with creative solutions revolving around the new embedded systems, such as adaptive cruise control radars or assistance sensors, that are becoming more and more mainstream within the car manufacturing industry.

This invention is in the field of radar antennas for collision detection in the road environment. The major problem raised by this invention was to design a compact antenna system, technologically mature, compatible with large series industrialization, and reconfigurable to satisfy several collision avoidance scenarios.
The main role of the pillbox coupler is to transform a cylindrical EM wave into a plane wave. Thanks to its straightforward implementation, the parabolic reflector is miniaturized and integrated in a dielectric substrate. This technology is compatible with PCB industrial processes.

Ses bénéfices
- Miniature antenna
- Low cost energy
- Operating at 24 Ghz or 77GHz
- Unique design of inter-layer transitions to guide the waves that helps stack up to 3 layers
- Realisation of a beam misalignment and present a reconfigurable diagram, useful for continuation of the communication point
Ses applications
- Modular antenna systems (ideal for radar antennas): feed part (focal array), pillbox transition, radiating part (main different possible implementations)
- Patented quasi-optical broad-band transition
- Quasi-optical space fed antennas (= quasi-optical beam former)
- High efficiency and low-profile antennas (flat panels), especially at mm-waves
- Highly suitable for flat beam scanning antennas (preferably in one plane)

Stade de développement
Prototype
Scale-up / Pré-industriel
TRL6 - Démonstration du prototype

Laboratoire de recherche
UMR 6164 - IETR

Équipe de recherche
EQUIPE BEAMS

Propriété intellectuelle associée
FR : FR0952158 - filed on the 04-02-2009
WO - DE,EP,FR,GB,JP,US