Automotive Systems Laboratory, Inc.

Ford Global Technolgoies, LLC

Toyota Motor Engineering & Manufacturing North America, Inc.

Michigan Technological University

Tk Holdings, Inc. Electronics

Tk Holding Inc., Electronics

Automotive Systems Labortaory, Inc.

James Paul Ebling

Gabriel M Rebeiz

Bernhard Schoenlinner

Jae Seung Lee

Nikola Stevan Subotic

Paul Donald Schmalenberg

Scott Howard Gaboury

Leonard W Behr

Shan Cong

Linda D VanFleteren

Carson White

Helen Kourous Harrigan

A method of forming a badge may include thermally forming an indium film into a desired shape for the badge, including thermally forming a raised symbol above a front surface on the front side of the indium film; molding a plastic back layer to a back side of the thermally formed indium film; and molding a plastic front layer to a front side, opposite to the back side, of the thermally formed indium film. The badge may be mounted on a front of a vehicle.

Radar compatible badge for vehicle

An antenna system, such as a radar antenna system, includes an array of antenna elements and a controller. The controller outputs an in-path indicator in response to an angle of arrival for a target being less than a threshold angle for a given range to the target. The angle of arrival is based on a differential phase angle derived from data defining first and second composite signal returns from the target associated with first and second apertures respectively, and a phase center offset between the apertures. The first and second apertures are formed from first and second subsets of the antenna elements respectively.

Digital beamforming based resolution of out-of-path targets showing up as in-path due to grating lobes in array antenna radars

A homodyne radar system includes a mixer that outputs a signal having a mixer output frequency that is a frequency difference between two input signals. When the frequency difference is small, low frequency noise may mask the actual signal. A variable phase shifter is added to one of the mixer inputs to change the phase at a predetermined rate of change. The phase shifter shifts the frequency of the input signal so that the mixer output frequency is offset by the predetermined rate. The low frequencies are mapped to frequencies that are above the noise frequencies. The phase shift may be achieved by adding a constant phase at predetermined time intervals. The sampling frequency for the resulting signal may need to be increased to accommodate the higher frequencies.

System and method for avoiding DC bias in a homodyne receiver

A system includes an antenna having a substrate and a plurality of antenna elements disposed on the substrate. A processing device is configured to measure an aperture function across an aperture of the antenna and determine whether at least one of the antenna elements is blocked based at least in part on the measured aperture function.

Antenna blockage detection

A dedicated short range radar system is provided for use with a GPS system. The radar system includes a transmitter which transmits a microwave radio signal. A receiver is coupled to a horizontally scanning receiver antenna array which receives an echo, if present, from the radio signal transmitted by the transmitter. The radio receiver then generates an output signal representative of the echo. A control circuit then receives the output signal from the antenna array as well as the output signal from the GPS system. The control circuit then varies the mode of operation of the receiver and/or the transmitter as a function of the type of roadway for optimal radar performance.

Map aware adaptive automotive radar

An example radar apparatus has a transmission frequency modulated by a chirp waveform having three chirp segments, including increasing, decreasing, and a constant frequency segments. The chirp waveform may extend over the full revisit time of the radar beam. The frequency difference between the transmitted and echo signals are determined at least once per chirp segment. Example apparatus include a Doppler radar for vehicle use.

High resolution Doppler collision avoidance radar

A plurality of antenna elements on a dielectric substrate are adapted to launch or receive electromagnetic waves in or from a direction substantially away from either a convex or concave edge of the dielectric substrate, wherein at least two of the antenna elements operate in different directions. Slotlines of tapered-slot endfire antennas in a first conductive layer of a first side of the dielectric substrate are coupled to microstrip lines of a second conductive layer on the second side of the dielectric substrate. A bi-conical reflector, conformal cylindrical dielectric lens, or discrete lens array improves the H-plane radiation pattern. Dipole or Yagi-Uda antenna elements on the conductive layer of the dielectric substrate can be used in cooperation with associated reflective elements, either alone or in combination with a corner-reflector of conductive plates attached to the conductive layers proximate to the endfire antenna elements.

Multi-beam antenna

An antenna comprises a dielectric material having first and second surfaces, a discrete lens array operatively coupled to the first surface, and at least one broadside feed antenna operatively coupled to the second surface.

Antenna

A plurality of antenna end-fire antenna feed elements at a corresponding plurality of locations and oriented in a corresponding plurality of directions on a third dielectric substrate cooperate with a discrete lens array comprising a plurality of electromagnetic lens elements, each of which comprises first and second broadside antenna elements adjacent to respective first and second dielectric substrates and a conductive layer therebetween, wherein the conductive layer is adapted with at least one coupling slot in cooperation with associated first and second broadside antenna elements so as to provide for a delay element operative between the first and second broadside antenna elements, wherein the coupling slots are adapted so that a delay period of at least one of the electromagnetic lens elements is different from a delay period of at least another of the electromagnetic lens elements so as to provide for a nominal focal surface of the dielectric lens.

A plurality of antenna end-fire antenna feed elements disposed along a contour on a dielectric substrate cooperate with a discrete lens array. An electromagnetic wave launched by an antenna feed element is received by a first set of patch antennas on a first side of the discrete lens array, and the associated received signals are propagated through associated delay elements to a corresponding second set of patch antennas on the opposite side of the discrete lens array from which the associated received signals are reradiated, wherein the corresponding delays of the associated delay elements are location dependent so as to emulate a dielectric electromagnetic lens and thereby provide for forming an associated beam of electromagnetic energy. A signal applied to a corporate feed port is switched to the antenna feed elements by a switching network, whereby different antenna feed elements generate different beams of electromagnetic energy in different directions.

A multi-beam antenna comprises at least one curved surface, at least one dielectric substrate, and a plurality of end-fire antenna feed elements on the dielectric substrate. The at least one curved surface may be either reflective, refractive or diffractive. |Electromagnetic waves launched from the antenna feed elements are directed at the at least one curved surface, and are either reflected, refracted or diffracted thereby. n one embodiment, the substraFigureste is located within a light assembly, e.g. a vehicle headlight, wherein at least one source of light is operatively associated with the dielectric substrate, and the at least one curved surface comprises the concave optical reflector of the light assembly.

A multi-beam antenna comprises an electromagnetic lens, at least one first antenna feed element, at least one second antenna feed element, and a selective element located between first and second portions of the electromagnetic lens with which the respective antenna feed elements respectively cooperate. The transmissivity and reflectivity of the selective element are responsive to an electromagnetic wave property, e.g. frequency or polarization. A first electromagnetic wave in cooperation with the at least one first antenna feed element and having a first value of the electromagnetic wave property is substantially transmitted through the selective element so as to propagate in both the first and second portions of the electromagnetic lens. A second electromagnetic wave in cooperation with the at least one second antenna feed element and having a second value of the electromagnetic wave property is substantially reflected by the selective element.

A plurality of events representative of a situation in which the host vehicle is operated are selected, including at least one set of related events. Input data is provided to an inference engine from either a first set of data representative of a target in a field of view of the host vehicle, a second set of data representative of the position or motion of the host vehicle, or a third set of data is representative of an environment of said host vehicle. The inference engine operates in accordance with an inference method to generate an output representative of a probability of occurrence of at least one event of the set of events, responsive to the input data, and possibly to one or more outputs at a past time. A countermeasure may be invoked responsive to one or more outputs from one or more inference engines.

Situation awareness processor

At least one electromagnetic lens having a first contour is disposed proximate to a dielectric substrate having a first edge having a second contour. A plurality of antenna feed elements, for example, end-fire antennas, are disposed on the dielectric substrate along the second contour. A signal applied to a corporate feed port is switched to the antenna feed elements by a switching network, wherein each antenna feed element launches an electromagnetic wave that is diffracted by the at least one electromagnetic lens so as to form an associated beam of electromagnetic energy. Different antenna feed elements generate different beams of electromagnetic energy in different directions. A pair of electromagnetic lenses with associated antenna feed elements at different edge locations on the dielectric substrate provide for bi-static operation. A reflector may be used to redirect the beams of electromagnetic energy.

Growing community of inventors

Ann Arbor, MI, United States of America

James Paul Ebling