US-12620701-B2 - Switching antenna for automotive UWB communication

Abstract

The present disclosure relates to a switching antenna for automotive Ultra-Wide-Band (UWB) communication. The switching antenna includes a substrate section, a radiating section having a plurality of radiators formed on the substrate section so as to be spaced apart from each other to provide a pattern signal, and a selective signaling section formed on the substrate section to selectively connect the radiating section to cause a radiation pattern of the radiating section to be one of directional and omnidirectional.

Inventors

• Yoon Jin Lee
• Young Joong Yoon
• Seung Gook CHA

Assignees

• HYUNDAI MOBIS CO., LTD.
• UIF (UNIVERSITY INDUSTRY FOUNDATION), YONSEI UNIVERSITY

Dates

Publication Date

20260505

Application Date

20230831

Priority Date

20220902

Claims (17)

1. 1 . A switching antenna for automotive Ultra-Wide-Band (UWB) communication, the switching antenna comprising: a substrate section; a radiating section having a plurality of radiators disposed on the substrate section so as to be spaced apart from each other to provide a pattern signal; and a selective signaling section disposed on the substrate section to selectively connect the radiating section to cause a radiation pattern of the radiating section to be directional or omnidirectional, wherein on a plan view of the substrate section, the radiating section comprises: a first radiator connected to a lower portion of the selective signaling section; second radiators disposed on opposing sides of the selective signaling section to selectively connected to the opposing sides of the selective signaling section; and a third radiator selectively connected to an upper portion of the selective signaling section, surrounding the second radiators, and spaced apart from the first and second radiators, and wherein on the plan view, the lower portion and the upper portion of the selective signaling section are arranged in a first direction, and the opposing sides of the selective signaling section are arranged in a second direction crossing the first direction.
2. 2 . The switching antenna for automotive UWB communication according to claim 1 , wherein the substrate section comprises: a substrate circuit part having an embedded circuit; and a substrate antenna part in which the radiating section and the selective signaling section are disposed.
3. 3 . The switching antenna for automotive UWB communication according to claim 2 , wherein the radiating section has a pattern on a top surface of the substrate antenna part.
4. 4 . The switching antenna for automotive UWB communication according to claim 2 , wherein the selective signaling section is embedded in the substrate antenna part so as to be connected to and powered by the substrate circuit part.
5. 5 . The switching antenna for automotive UWB communication according to claim 2 , wherein the selective signaling section is a pin diode embedded in the substrate section.
6. 6 . The switching antenna for automotive UWB communication according to claim 1 , wherein the first radiator is connected to a center portion of the selective signaling section.
7. 7 . The switching antenna for automotive UWB communication according to claim 1 , wherein the first radiator has a rectangular shape.
8. 8 . The switching antenna for automotive UWB communication according to claim 1 , wherein the second radiators are connected to opposing ends of the selective signaling section in the second direction.
9. 9 . The switching antenna for automotive UWB communication according to claim 8 , wherein each of the second radiators has a triangular shape.
10. 10 . The switching antenna for automotive UWB communication according to claim 9 , wherein the selective signaling section includes one portion extending in the first direction and another portion extending from a central portion of the one portion in the second direction.
11. 11 . The switching antenna for automotive UWB communication according to claim 1 , wherein the third radiator comprises: a first radiation pattern part selectively connected to the selective signaling section so as to be spaced apart from an upper portion of each of the second radiators; second radiation pattern parts respectively extending from the first radiation pattern part and respectively disposed on left and right edges of the substrate section so as to be spaced apart from the second radiators; and third radiation pattern parts respectively extending from the second radiation pattern parts towards the first radiator and spaced apart from the first radiator and lower portions of the second radiators.
12. 12 . The switching antenna for automotive UWB communication according to claim 1 , wherein the selective signaling section comprises: first signaling parts configured to connect the second radiators to the first radiator or disconnect the second radiator from the first radiator depending on whether power is applied through the first signaling parts; and a second signaling part configured to connect the third radiator to the first radiator or disconnect the third radiator from the first radiator depending on whether power is applied through the second signaling part.
13. 13 . The switching antenna for automotive UWB communication according to claim 12 , wherein an omnidirectional radiation pattern is formed by connecting the first radiator and the second radiators to each other through the first signaling parts, and by disconnecting the first radiator and the third radiator from each other by the second signaling part.
14. 14 . The switching antenna for automotive UWB communication according to claim 12 , wherein a directional radiation pattern is formed by disconnecting the first radiator and the second radiators from each other by the first signaling parts, and by connecting the first radiator and the third to each other through the second signaling part.
15. 15 . The switching antenna for automotive UWB communication according to claim 12 , wherein the selective signaling section further comprises: a first signal pattern part connected to the first radiator and capable of being grounded; second signal pattern parts respectively extending from the first signal pattern part to left and right sides of the first signal pattern part so as to be respectively connected to the second radiators; and a third signal pattern part disposed above the first signal pattern part so as to be connected to the third radiator.
16. 16 . The switching antenna for automotive UWB communication according to claim 15 , wherein the first radiator and the second radiators are connected and the first radiator and the third radiator are disconnected to provide an omnidirectional radiating signal, by energizing the second signal pattern parts through the first signaling parts, and by de-energizing the third signal pattern part through the second signaling part.
17. 17 . The switching antenna for automotive UWB communication according to claim 15 , wherein the first radiator and the second radiators are disconnected and the first radiator and the third radiator are connected to provide a directional radiating signal, by de-energizing the second signal pattern parts through the first signaling parts, and by energizing the third signal pattern part through the second signaling part.

Description

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATION This application claims priority from and the benefit of Korean Patent Application No. 10-2022-0111350, filed on Sep. 2, 2022, which is hereby incorporated by reference for all purposes as if set forth herein. BACKGROUND Field Exemplary embodiments of the present disclosure relate to a switching antenna for automotive UWB communication, and more particularly, to a switching antenna for automotive UWB communication, in which a directional antenna and an omnidirectional antenna are selectively radiated to enable position localization or rear seat passenger detection. Discussion of the Background In general, an Ultra-Wide-Band (UWB) antenna is a short-range wireless communication antenna that can wirelessly connect with peripheral devices to transmit and receive data in a limited space such as an office, home, or vehicle. UWB antennas are short-range wireless communication devices that realize ultra-high-speed communication with low energy while having a very wide frequency band compared to the frequency band of general antenna devices. UWB antennas can transmit data from hundreds of Mbps to several Gbps within a radius of 10 meters. UWB antennas transmit signals by spreading the energy of the signal over a few GHz frequency band to prevent interference with other communication systems. UWB antennas can communicate in a largely frequency-agnostic manner without interfering with other narrowband signals. UWB antennas are immune to noise, have high data rates, and consume little power. An antenna of a UWB module used for localization in a vehicle is omnidirectional, while an antenna of a UWB module that functions as a UWB radar to detect rear-seat passengers is directional. However, due to the different characteristics of omnidirectional and directional antennas, a problem arises in that the antennas of the two UWB modules are currently manufactured and used separately. Therefore, it is necessary to improve this problem. The background technology of the present disclosure is disclosed in Unexamined Korean Patent Publication No. 2021-0039941 (published on Apr. 21, 2021 and entitled ‘Omnidirectional UWB Antenna Device’). SUMMARY Various embodiments are directed to a switching antenna for automotive Ultra-Wide-Band (UWB) communication, in which a directional antenna and an omnidirectional antenna are selectively radiated to enable position localization or rear seat passenger detection. In an embodiment, a switching antenna for automotive Ultra-Wide-Band (UWB) communication includes: a substrate section; a radiating section having a plurality of radiators formed on the substrate section so as to be spaced apart from each other to provide a pattern signal; and a selective signaling section formed on the substrate section to selectively connect the radiating section to cause a radiation pattern of the radiating section to be one of directional and omnidirectional. The substrate section may include a substrate circuit part having an embedded circuit; and a substrate antenna part in which the radiating section and the selective signaling section are formed. The radiating section may form a pattern on a top surface of the substrate antenna part. The selective signaling section may be embedded in the substrate antenna part so as to be connected to and powered by the substrate circuit part. The selective signaling section may be a pin diode embedded in the substrate section. The radiating section may include: a first radiator connected to a lower portion of the selective signaling part; a second radiator selectively connected to both sides of the selective signaling section; and a third radiator selectively connected to an upper portion of the selective signaling section and spaced apart from the first and second radiators. The first radiator may be connected to a center portion of the selective signaling section. The first radiator may have a rectangular shape. The second radiator may be connected to both ends of the selective signaling section. The second radiator may have a triangular shape. The selective signaling section may have a triangular vertex located at each of the both ends of the selective signaling section. The third radiator may include: a first radiation pattern part selectively connected to the selective signaling section so as to be spaced apart from an upper portion of the second radiator; a second radiation pattern part extending from the first radiation pattern part and disposed on left and right edges of the substrate section so as to be spaced apart from the second radiator; and a third radiation pattern part extending from the second radiation pattern part and spaced apart from lower portions of the first radiator and the second radiator. The selective signaling section may include: a first signaling part selectively connecting the first radiator and the second radiator; and a second signaling part selectively connecting the first radiator and the third radiat