/Patent Tracker
GoogleGranted patentChips & hardwareInterest 3/10

Waymo patents antenna design for radar and communication systems

This patent describes a specific type of antenna array called an Open Ended Substrate Integrated Waveguide (OESIW). It uses a waveguide to send electromagnetic energy to a printed circuit board, where slots in a bottom metal layer align with antenna elements in a top layer to emit signals.

Why it mattersThis design could make radar and communication hardware more compact, which is useful for autonomous vehicles and other devices that need to detect their surroundings.

In the filing’s own words

Example embodiments relate to Open Ended Substrate Integrated Waveguide (OESIW) antenna arrays and techniques for manufacturing and using OESIW antenna arrays. An example antenna array includes a waveguide and a waveguide feed coupled to the waveguide. The waveguide feed is configured to couple electromagnetic energy between an external source and the waveguide. The antenna array also includes a printed circuit board (PCB) having a plurality of antenna elements. The PCB is coupled to the waveguide at a plurality of coupling points such that the electromagnetic energy propagates out from the waveguide and through the plurality of antenna elements. An OESIW antenna array can be used within a radar unit, communication system, or other type of signal emitter.

What exactly they claim (claim 1)

1. An antenna array comprising: a waveguide; a waveguide feed coupled to the waveguide, wherein the waveguide feed is configured to couple electromagnetic energy between an external source and the waveguide; and a printed circuit board (PCB) having a plurality of antenna elements, wherein the PCB is coupled to the waveguide at a plurality of coupling points such that the electromagnetic energy propagates out from the waveguide and through the plurality of antenna elements, wherein the PCB comprises a PCB laminate layer positioned in between a bottom metal layer and a top metal layer, wherein the bottom metal layer includes a plurality of slots and the top metal layer includes the plurality of antenna elements, and wherein each antenna element in the top metal layer is positioned to at least partially overlap with one or more slots of the plurality of slots in the bottom metal layer.

Facts

Company
Google (Waymo LLC)
Official title
Open ended substrate integrated waveguide (OESIW) antenna array
Patent number
US12731908B1
Application number
18364610
Filed
Aug 3, 2023
Granted
Sep 8, 2026
Inventors
1
Claims
20

Classified under

H01Q 21/0081 Electricity & electronicsH01Q 21/0087 Electricity & electronics
Read the full filing (official PDF) ↗ Open in the Patent Tracker

More from Google in Chips & hardware

Summaries are simplified from the filing’s own abstract and first claim. A patent filing is not a product announcement.
Patent data and drawings: U.S. Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO). Nebula is not affiliated with or endorsed by the USPTO.