US-20260128491-A1 - ELECTROMAGNETIC WAVE TRANSCEIVER

Abstract

An electromagnetic wave transceiver according to an embodiment includes an antenna having an assembly hole, a circuit board having a board hole, and a waveguide disposed between the antenna and the circuit board, wherein the waveguide includes a first coupling structure inserted into the assembly hole to couple the waveguide to the antenna, and a second coupling structure inserted into the board hole to couple the waveguide to the circuit board, and wherein each of the first coupling structure and the second coupling structure is configured to generate a retaining force through deformation, friction, elastic engagement, or dimensional interference.

Inventors

• SEONG-WOOK LEE
• Hyun-yong Lee
• Seok-Jin Kim
• Seung-Hun Lee
• Dong-Wook Park

Assignees

• HL KLEMOVE CORP.

Dates

Publication Date

20260507

Application Date

20251230

Priority Date

20220324

Claims (20)

1. 1 . An electromagnetic wave transceiver, comprising: an antenna having an assembly hole; a circuit board having a board hole; and a waveguide disposed between the antenna and the circuit board, wherein the waveguide includes: a first coupling structure inserted into the assembly hole to couple the waveguide to the antenna, and a second coupling structure inserted into the board hole to couple the waveguide to the circuit board, and wherein each of the first coupling structure and the second coupling structure is configured to generate, together with the corresponding assembly hole or board hole, a retaining force through at least one of deformation, friction, elastic engagement, or dimensional interference.
2. 2 . The electromagnetic wave transceiver of claim 1 , wherein each of the first coupling structure and the second coupling structure comprises at least one deformable rib.
3. 3 . The electromagnetic wave transceiver of claim 2 , wherein the rib protrudes in a radial direction and extends in a longitudinal direction.
4. 4 . The electromagnetic wave transceiver of claim 1 , wherein at least one of the first coupling structure or the second coupling structure has a tapered profile.
5. 5 . The electromagnetic wave transceiver of claim 1 , wherein the first coupling structure and the second coupling structure have different cross-sectional shapes.
6. 6 . The electromagnetic wave transceiver of claim 1 , wherein a diameter of the first coupling structure or the second coupling structure, excluding a deformable portion of the first coupling structure or the second coupling structure, is smaller than a diameter of the corresponding assembly hole or board hole.
7. 7 . The electromagnetic wave transceiver of claim 1 , wherein each of the first coupling structure and the second coupling structure is integrally formed with the waveguide.
8. 8 . The electromagnetic wave transceiver of claim 1 , wherein each of the first coupling structure and the second coupling structure is a separately formed member insert-injection molded with the waveguide.
9. 9 . The electromagnetic wave transceiver of claim 1 , further comprising: an adhesive layer between the antenna and the waveguide or between the waveguide and the circuit board.
10. 10 . The electromagnetic wave transceiver of claim 9 , wherein the adhesive layer comprises a conductive silicone adhesive.
11. 11 . An electromagnetic wave transceiver, comprising: a waveguide; an antenna disposed on a first side of the waveguide; and a circuit board disposed on a second side of the waveguide, wherein the waveguide includes coupling structures configured to connect the waveguide to the antenna and the circuit board through insertion into respective engagement regions of the antenna and the circuit board, each of the coupling structures including at least one deformable or resilient portion configured to maintain an inserted state of the coupling structure in the respective engagement region by friction, elastic restoring force, interference, or dimensional fitting.
12. 12 . The electromagnetic wave transceiver of claim 11 , wherein the deformable or resilient portion comprises a split elastic fin.
13. 13 . The electromagnetic wave transceiver of claim 11 , wherein the deformable or resilient portion comprises multiple flexible protrusions arranged annularly.
14. 14 . The electromagnetic wave transceiver of claim 11 , wherein each of the coupling structures is individually replaceable from the waveguide.
15. 15 . The electromagnetic wave transceiver of claim 11 , wherein the engagement region comprises a hole, groove, recess, or slot of the antenna or the circuit board.
16. 16 . The electromagnetic wave transceiver of claim 11 , wherein each of the coupling structures includes a step-shaped locking structure.
17. 17 . The electromagnetic wave transceiver of claim 11 , wherein the coupling structures are arranged symmetrically on the waveguide.
18. 18 . The electromagnetic wave transceiver of claim 11 , wherein the coupling structures are arranged in an asymmetric pattern to compensate for non-uniform mechanical loads.
19. 19 . The electromagnetic wave transceiver of claim 11 , wherein the waveguide includes a mounting recess in which at least one of the coupling structures is seated.
20. 20 . The electromagnetic wave transceiver of claim 11 , wherein at least one of the coupling structures comprises a metal-polymer composite having both electrical conductivity and elastic deformability.

Description

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATION This application is a Continuation of U.S. patent application Ser. No. 18/125,951, filed on Mar. 24, 2023, which claims the benefit of Korean Patent Application No. 10-2022-0036912, filed on Mar. 24, 2022, and Korean Patent Application No. 10-2022-0174038, filed on Dec. 13, 2022, in the Korean Intellectual Property Office, the disclosures of which are incorporated by herein reference in their entireties. BACKGROUND 1. Field Embodiments of the present disclosure relate to an electromagnetic wave transceiver, and more specifically, to an electromagnetic wave transceiver of which a weight is reduced and process efficiency is improved by improving a coupling assembly between a circuit board and a waveguide assembly stacked on the circuit board. 2. Description of the Related Art In vehicles, various electromagnetic wave transceivers such as radar sensors including circuit boards and waveguide assemblies stacked on the circuit boards are used in electric vehicles to detect traffic environments in conjunction with driver assistance or safety systems such as acoustic vehicle alert sound (AVAS) systems as well as electronic distance adjustment systems and collision warning systems. In general, such an electromagnetic wave transceiver includes an antenna which transmits and receives electromagnetic waves to and from an external space, a circuit board on which elements such as electronic components for driving the antenna are mounted, and a waveguide provided between the antenna and the circuit board and used for a path to minimize loss of the electromagnetic waves. In the electromagnetic wave transceiver, a layout and fixation of the components are required for accurate and smooth signal transmission between the components. Conventionally, in such an electromagnetic wave transceiver, since fasteners such as a screw and a nut or rivet coupled to the screw are used to fix a waveguide assembly and a circuit board which are disposed to be stacked, a weight of a product increases, man hours increase due to a fastening process of the fasteners, and thus there is a problem of lowering process efficiency. In particular, the conventional electromagnetic wave transceiver has a problem of reducing a space for components and patterns to be mounted on the circuit board because a head, a nut, and the like for preventing separation of the fasteners occupy a relatively large area. As a way to address the problems, a method of coupling a circuit board and a waveguide assembly disposed to be stacked on the circuit board using a conductive adhesive without a separate fastener is partially applied. However, in an electromagnetic wave transceiver such as a vehicle radar sensor that is relatively frequently exposed to external forces such as vibrations and impacts, when a method of coupling a circuit board and a waveguide assembly using only a conductive adhesive is applied, there is a problem that the performance is lowered, or a product is damaged because alignment and fixation between components are changed by an insufficient fastening force when compared to a coupling assembly using fasteners. SUMMARY Therefore, it is an aspect of the present disclosure to provide an electromagnetic wave transceiver in which an increase in weight of a product due to a fastener is minimized. It is another aspect of the present disclosure to provide an electromagnetic wave transceiver in which an increase in process cost and a decrease in process efficiency due to a fastening process of a fastener are minimized. It is still another aspect of the present disclosure to provide an electromagnetic wave transceiver in which a decrease in space for an element, a circuit, and the like to be mounted on a circuit board due to a head and the like of a fastener is minimized. It is yet another aspect of the present disclosure to provide an electromagnetic wave transceiver in which the reliability of a product is further improved by accurately and firmly fixing components even when applied to various products including radar sensors and the like which are relatively frequently exposed to external forces such as vibrations and impacts. It is yet another aspect of the present disclosure to provide an electromagnetic wave transceiver in which a misassembly of a waveguide assembly and a circuit board which are disposed to be stacked is prevented. In accordance with one aspect of the present disclosure, an electromagnetic wave transceiver includes an antenna having an assembly hole, a circuit board having a board hole, and a waveguide disposed between the antenna and the circuit board, wherein the waveguide includes a first coupling structure inserted into the assembly hole to couple the waveguide to the antenna, and a second coupling structure inserted into the board hole to couple the waveguide to the circuit board, and wherein each of the first coupling structure and the second coupling structure is configured to generate a retai