Radome for vehicles

Abstract

The radome (10) for vehicles comprises a substrate (18) formed of a radio transmissive resin, the substrate (18) having a proximal face and a distal face and a decoration layer (20) applied to the proximal face, the decoration layer (20) comprising a metalloid or a metalloid alloy deposited on the surface of the proximal face, wherein said metalloid or metalloid alloy is combined with at least one oxide. It improves the metalloid decoration layer adhesion on the substrate and its corrosion resistance.

Claims

1. A radome (10) for vehicles, comprising a substrate (18) formed of a radio transmissive resin, the substrate (18) having a proximal face and a distal face and a decoration layer (20) applied to the proximal face, the decoration layer (20) comprising a metalloid or a metalloid alloy deposited on the surface of the proximal face, wherein the metalloid or metalloid alloy combined with at least one oxide is deposited on the surface of the proximal face by physical vapor deposition (PVD) magnetron sputtering, characterized in that the at least one oxide is a binary compound, wherein the radome is configured to protect a radar device, and wherein the at least one oxide includes oxygen and another component; and a radio transmissive resin layer (22) overlying the decoration layer (20).

2. The radome (10) for vehicles according to claim 1, wherein said oxide(s) include Titanium (Ti), Vanadium (V), Chromium (Cr), Manganese (Mn), Zirconium (Zr), Niobium (Nb), Molybdenum (Mo), Hafnium (Hf), Tantalum (Ta), Tungsten (W), Iridium (Ir), Nickel (Ni), Platinum (Pt), Silver (Ag), Silicon (Si), Indium (In), Thallium (Tl), Gallium (Ga) and/or Aluminium (Al).

3. The radome (10) for vehicles according to claim 1, wherein said metalloid or the metalloids of the alloy are selected from Silicon, Boron, Germanium, Arsenic, Antimony and/or Tellurium.

4. The radome (10) for vehicles according to claim 1, wherein the resin layer (22) includes a decoration ink overlay.

5. Vehicle (14) including a radome (10) according to claim 1, including a front grill assembly (12), the radome (10) being positioned within the grill assembly (12), the vehicle (14) further including a radar antenna (16) positioned behind and in registration with the radome (10); and a radio transmissive resin layer (22) overlying the decoration layer (20), wherein the metalloid or metalloid alloy combined with said oxide(s) is deposited on the surface of the proximal face by means of PVD magnetron sputtering.

6. The vehicle of claim 5, wherein said oxide(s) include Titanium (Ti), Vanadium (V), Chromium (Cr), Manganese (Mn), Zirconium (Zr), Niobium (Nb), Molybdenum (Mo), Hafnium (Hf), Tantalum (Ta), Tungsten (W), Iridium (Ir), Nickel (Ni), Platinum (Pt), Silver (Ag), Silicon (Si), Indium (In), Thallium (Tl), Gallium (Ga), and/or Aluminum (Al).

7. The vehicle of claim 5, wherein said metalloid or the metalloids of the alloy are selected from Silicon, Boron, Germanium, Arsenic, Antimony and/or Tellurium.

8. The vehicle of claim 1, wherein the radio transmissive resin layer (22) includes a decoration ink overlay.

Description

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

(1) FIG. 1 is a fragmentary isometric view of a vehicle having a decorative radome constructed in accordance with and embodying the invention positioned within a grill assembly and a radar antenna positioned behind the radome;

(2) FIG. 2 is a schematized sectional view through a portion of the radome positioned within the grill and showing the radar antenna positioned within the vehicle behind the radome and with a detected object in front of the vehicle, with a schematized representation of emitted and reflected radar waves; and

(3) FIG. 3 is an isometric view of the radome showing a base layer, a decoration layer and a protective cover layer.

DESCRIPTION OF A PREFERRED EMBODIMENT

(4) First of all, in the present specification and in the attached claims by the term “metalloid” is meant any of the following compounds: Silicon, Boron, Germanium, Arsenic, Antimony and/or Tellurium.

(5) Furthermore, in the present specification and in the attached claims by the term “oxide” is meant any of the following oxides: Ti.sub.xO.sub.y, V.sub.xO.sub.y, Cr.sub.xO.sub.y, MnO.sub.xO.sub.y, Zr.sub.xO.sub.y, Nb.sub.xO.sub.y, Mo.sub.xO.sub.y, Hf.sub.xO.sub.y, Ta.sub.xO.sub.y, W.sub.xO.sub.y, Ir.sub.xO.sub.y, Ni.sub.xO.sub.y, Pt.sub.xO.sub.y, Ag.sub.xO.sub.y, In.sub.xO.sub.y, Tl.sub.xO.sub.y, Si.sub.xO.sub.y, Ga.sub.xO.sub.y or Al.sub.xO.sub.y, i.e. oxides comprising Titanium (Ti), Vanadium (V), Chromium (Cr), Manganese (Mn), Zirconium (Zr), Niobium (Nb), Molybdenum (Mo), Hafnium (Hf), Tantalum (Ta), Tungsten (W), Iridium (Ir), Nickel (Ni), Platinum (Pt), Silver (Ag), Indium (In), Thallium (Tl), Silicon (Si), Gallium (Ga) or Aluminium (Al).

(6) Radomes cover microwave antennas to protect the antennas from rain, ice, wind and other environmental conditions and are also provided to conceal the antennas form view. A principal requirement is that the radome be transparent to radar or radio waves or provide but minimal signal attenuation and/or distortion.

(7) The present invention relates to the use of a metalloid or metalloid alloy including one or more oxides for a radome. The present invention employs, for example, as a radome decoration layer, germanium or silicon combined with an oxide, a metalloid of high electric resistivity, i.e. 1 ohm m at 20° C.

(8) Due to the high melting point of germanium 938.25° C. (or silicon 1414° C.) and its boiling point 2833° C. (3265° C. for silicon), this element cannot be deposited using thermal evaporation methods like the ones applied in the case of indium. Nevertheless, this constitutes an advantage.

(9) According to the present invention, Physical Vapor Deposition (PVD) or Chemical Vapor Deposition (CVD) are the possible methods employed for the deposition of metalloid and oxide layers over a substrate comprising a base layer or body. Due to the deposition process of these techniques, uniformity of the decoration layer can be guaranteed.

(10) The decorative radome for automotive vehicular applications of the present invention comprises a molded radome having a base layer or body composed of a resin and a bright decoration layer on the surface of the base layer or body, the bright decoration layer being composed of a metalloid, such as, germanium boron, silicon, arsenic, antimony or tellurium and/or a metalloid alloy combined with one or more oxides.

(11) By using the layer of metalloid and/or metalloid alloy, and oxide, radio transmittance can be improved by several orders of magnitude as compared with an indium layer or other metals such as, tin, as proposed in EP 1560288 A2.

(12) The high conductivity of metals like indium or tin, combined with the variability of thickness of the deposition methods typically used, required each radar window to be tested for radar beam transmissivity during the final stage of production. This increased dramatically the manufacturing cost of the radome.

(13) The very low conductivity of a metalloid combined with oxide layer of the present invention, allows one to avoid the requirement for testing of each radome.

(14) Due to the fact of using a combined metalloid plus oxide layer, it not necessary to create areas where no metallic decoration is applied, since such a layer performs like a dielectric with respect to radar waves. This reduces process complexity in the manufacturing of the radome of the present invention, as compared with the method exemplified in patent JP 2003-252137A.

(15) With reference now in detail to the drawings, wherein like numerals will be employed to denote like components throughout, as illustrated in FIG. 1, the reference numeral 10 denotes generally a decorative radome constructed in accordance with and embodying the invention configured for mounting within a grill assembly 12 of a motor vehicle 14.

(16) Positioned within the vehicle 14 behind and in registration with the decorative radome 10 is a radar antenna 16.

(17) FIG. 2 comprises a cross section of the radome 10 and illustrating the beam path of a radar antenna according to the present invention. Preferably, a substrate comprising a layer or base body 18 having a proximal face and a distal face is molded of a transparent or nontransparent resin having low radio transmission loss or a resin resulting in low dielectric loss. On the surface of the proximal face, a bright decoration layer 20 comprising metalloid and/or a metalloid alloy including at least one oxide.

(18) Pursuant to the invention, the decoration layer 20 is of uniform thickness. Ornamentation, such as a vehicle emblem, is provided by shaping the proximal face of the base layer or body 18 with projecting and or indented surface configurations.

(19) The decorative radome 10 according to the present invention can further include a transparent resin layer 22 which overlies the decoration layer 20 for adapting the complete body to the mill metric wave semi wave length resulting in a lower attenuation for the radar waves. The resin layer 22 may be molded over the base body 18 and decoration layer 20 and may include, on its distal face, a decorative ink overlay complementing the ornamental appearance of the decoration layer 20.

(20) The base layer or body 18 is composed of a material that provides low radio transmission loss and is superior in terms of dielectric properties. Relative permittivity E′ and dielectric loss tan 0, for example, provide an indication of the dielectric property.

(21) As previously mentioned, the radar antenna 16 is mounted in an automobile 14 and disposed behind the front grill assembly 12. The decorative radome 10, which includes a bright metallic emblem of an automobile manufacturer or a specific decoration, is disposed within the front grill assembly 12.

(22) With reference to FIG. 2, it will be observed that millimeter waves 23 from the radar device 16 are radiated forward through the radome 10 and reflection waves 24 from an object 26 return to the radar device 16 through the radome 10.

(23) The decorative layer 20 may be formed of a plurality of metalloid and/or metalloid alloy and at least one oxide strata or alternating strata of metalloid and metalloid alloy with each strata having a thickness in the order of 1 nm to 500 nm, and more preferably with a total thickness in the order of 10 nm to 100 nm believed to be the most efficient in achieving the objectives of the present invention and for obtaining metallic color effects.

(24) Further the decorative layer may comprise alternating strata of one metalloid and/or metalloid alloy and at least one oxide and strata of another metalloid.

(25) Thus, it will be seen that there is provided a decorative radome for automotive applications which achieves the various aspects, features and considerations of the present invention and which is well suited to meet the conditions of practical usage.

EXAMPLES

(26) A possible, non-limiting example of decoration on the proximal face of the substrate is a plurality of metalloid layers comprising Silicon and Germanium, and a plurality of oxide deposited layers from following elements: Titanium (Ti), Vanadium (V), Chromium (Cr), Manganese (Mn), Zirconium (Zr), Niobium (Nb), Molybdenum (Mo), Hafnium (Hf), Tantalum (Ta), Tungsten (W), Iridium (Ir), Nickel (Ni), Platinum (Pt), Silver (Ag), Indium (In), Thallium (Tl), Silicon (Si), Gallium (Ga) or Aluminium (Al).

(27) More preferably following layer combinations are suitable: Titanium dioxide (TiO.sub.2)+Silicon dioxide (SiO.sub.2), Titanium dioxide (TiO.sub.2)+Germanium dioxide (GeO.sub.2), Niobium pentoxide (Nb.sub.2O.sub.5)+Silicon dioxide (SiO.sub.2), Niobium pentoxide (Nb.sub.2O.sub.5)+Germanium dioxide (GeO.sub.2), Chromium oxide (Cr.sub.2O.sub.3)+Silicon dioxide (SiO.sub.2), Chromium oxide (Cr.sub.2O.sub.3)+Germanium oxide (GeO.sub.2), Hafnium oxide (HfO.sub.2)+Silicon dioxide (SiO.sub.2), Hafnium oxide (HfO.sub.2)+Germanium dioxide (GeO.sub.2), Zirconium dioxide (ZrO.sub.2)+Silicon dioxide (SiO.sub.2), Zirconium dioxide (ZrO.sub.2)+Germanium dioxide (GeO.sub.2),

(28) Since various possible embodiments might be made of the present invention and since various changes might be made in the exemplary embodiment shown herein without departing from the spirit of the invention, is to be understood that all matter herein described or shown in the accompanying drawings is to be interpreted as illustrative and not in a limiting sense.