Vehicle-mounted integrated radar-camera sensor system
An integrated sensor system includes a radome, a camera assembly, a radar antenna housing, a radar circuit board, and a rear cover. The radome includes a main body portion and a set of connecting portions and defines a first opening. The camera assembly includes a camera lens, a sealing member disposed between the camera lens and the radome, a camera housing, and a camera circuit board. The radar circuit board is configured to communicate with the camera circuit board and transmit and receive radio-frequency signals through the waveguide structure. The rear cover includes a connector configured to electrically connect the radar circuit board to an external electrical system and a set of vehicle mounting points.
1 . An integrated sensor system for a vehicle, the integrated sensor system comprising:
a radome including a main body portion and a set of connecting portions, wherein the radome defines a first opening;
a camera assembly including:
a camera lens, wherein at least a portion of the camera lens is disposed in the first opening,
a sealing member disposed between the camera lens and the radome,
a camera housing including a first set of alignment members, wherein:
the camera housing defines a second opening, and
at least a portion of the camera lens is disposed in the second opening, and
a camera circuit board configured to engage the camera lens and the first set of alignment members;
a radar antenna housing including a second set of alignment members and a waveguide structure, wherein:
the radar antenna housing defines a recess, and
the second set of alignment members is configured to align the camera assembly with respect to the radar antenna housing in the recess;
a radar circuit board configured to (i) communicate with the camera circuit board and (ii) transmit and receive radio-frequency (RF) signals through the waveguide structure; and
a rear cover including:
a connector configured to electrically connect the radar circuit board to an external electrical system, and
a set of vehicle mounting points.
2 . The integrated sensor system of claim 1 wherein:
a cross-section of the main body portion is square; and
the cross-section is approximately thirty-five millimeters by approximately thirty-five millimeters.
3 . The integrated sensor system of claim 2 wherein a cross-sectional area of the rear cover is greater than a cross-sectional area of the main body portion at all cross-sections forward of a rear face of the main body portion.
4 . The integrated sensor system of claim 1 wherein a center of the first opening is offset from a center of the main body portion.
5 . The integrated sensor system of claim 1 wherein:
the set of connecting portions is set back from a front face of the main body portion; and
the set of connecting portions extends from a rear face of the main body portion.
6 . The integrated sensor system of claim 1 wherein:
the radar antenna housing includes a second set of connecting portions that match the set of connecting portions; and
the rear cover includes a third set of connecting portions that match the second set of connecting portions.
7 . The integrated sensor system of claim 6 wherein each of the set of connecting portions includes an aperture that aligns with an aperture of a respective one of the second set of connecting portions and an aperture of a respective one of the third set of connecting portions.
8 . The integrated sensor system of claim 7 wherein:
each of the set of connecting portions directly mates with a respective one of the second set of connecting portions without interference by the camera circuit board; and
each of the second set of connecting portions directly mates with a respective one of the third set of connecting portions without interference by the radar circuit board.
9 . The integrated sensor system of claim 1 wherein:
the camera lens includes a first portion, a second portion, and a rim portion disposed between the first portion and the second portion;
a cross-sectional area of the rim portion is larger than a cross-sectional area of the first portion and larger than a cross-sectional area of the second portion;
the first portion is disposed in the first opening;
the second portion is optically coupled to the camera circuit board;
the sealing member surrounds the first portion;
the sealing member is sandwiched between the rim portion and a rear face of the first opening; and
the second portion extends through the second opening.
10 . The integrated sensor system of claim 1 wherein:
the first set of alignment members locate the camera circuit board with respect to the camera housing;
the camera circuit board includes a set of reliefs that correspond to the first set of alignment members to locate the camera circuit board with respect to the camera housing; and
the set of reliefs corresponds one-to-one with all but one of the first set of alignment members.
11 . The integrated sensor system of claim 1 wherein the second set of alignment members contacts the first set of alignment members to locate the camera housing with respect to the radar antenna housing.
12 . The integrated sensor system of claim 1 wherein the camera circuit board and the camera housing are fully contained within the recess.
13 . The integrated sensor system of claim 1 wherein:
a first portion of the waveguide structure defines a first side of the recess;
a second portion of the waveguide structure defines a second side of the recess; and
the first portion of the waveguide structure and the second portion of the waveguide structure are orthogonal to each other.
14 . The integrated sensor system of claim 13 wherein:
the first portion of the waveguide structure includes a plurality of receive waveguides; and
the second portion of the waveguide structure includes a plurality of transmit waveguides.
15 . The integrated sensor system of claim 1 wherein the waveguide structure includes:
a plurality of receive waveguides corresponding to a plurality of receive elements of the radar circuit board; and
a plurality of transmit waveguides corresponding to a plurality of transmit elements of the radar circuit board.
16 . The integrated sensor system of claim 15 wherein:
the plurality of transmit waveguides are aligned and equally spaced;
the plurality of receive waveguides are unequally spaced along a first direction; and
one receive waveguide of the plurality of receive waveguides is offset, in a second direction transverse to the first direction, from a remainder of the plurality of receive waveguides.
17 . The integrated sensor system of claim 1 wherein:
the rear cover includes a third set of alignment members configured to locate the radar circuit board with respect to the rear cover; and
the radar circuit board includes a set of reliefs that receives the third set of alignment members.
18 . The integrated sensor system of claim 1 further comprising a thermal interface material configured to conduct heat from the radar circuit board to the rear cover, wherein:
the radome includes a first rib;
the radar antenna housing includes a first groove configured to receive the first rib;
the radar antenna housing includes a second rib, and
the rear cover includes a second groove configured to receive the second rib.
19 . The integrated sensor system of claim 1 wherein:
the integrated sensor system is configured to be mounted at a mounting surface of an exterior of the vehicle;
the radome is configured to be disposed within an opening in the mounting surface; and
when the integrated sensor system is mounted in the vehicle:
the radome is configured to extend past the mounting surface, and
the set of connecting portions and the rear cover are configured to remain at an interior of the mounting surface.
20 . The integrated sensor system of claim 1 wherein:
an exterior of a front surface of the radome is flat;
an interior of the front surface includes a plurality of parallel raised ribs;
the camera lens includes a dome portion connected to a cylindrical portion;
all of the dome portion and at least some of the cylindrical portion protrudes from a front surface of the radome; and
the camera lens has a field of view of at least 180 degrees.