Patentanwalt Dr. Uwe Fischer

An exemplary embodiment of the present invention relates to a central unit (300) for a radar system (10), the central unit (300) being configured to be connected to a plurality of radar transmission units (100) and a plurality of radar reception units (200), wherein the central unit (300) comprises an electro-optical modulator (MZI, MZI1, MZI2), an optical emitter (E1, E2), and an electrical signal generator (SG), wherein the electrical signal generator (SG) is configured to generate an electrical ramp signal (RS) that controls the electro-optical modulator (MZI, MZI1, MZI2) and serves as a radar driver signal (RDS) for the radar transmission units (100) and a radar reference signal (RRS) for the radar reception units (200), wherein the frequency of the periodic electrical ramp signal (RS) continuously increases or decreases over time at least during an active segment of each periodic cycle, wherein in response to the ramp signal (RS) the electro-optical modulator (MZI, MZI1, MZI2) modulates radiation of the optical emitter (E1, E2), thereby incorporating the ramp signal (RS) into the optical radiation and outputting modulated optical radiation, wherein the central unit (300) further comprises a replacement emitter (R1, R2), a monitor detector coupled to an output port of the electro-optical modulator (MZI, MZI1, MZI2), and a control unit (CU), and wherein the control unit (CU) is configured to evaluate the monitor signal from the monitor detector and to replace the optical emitter (E1, E2) with the replacement emitter (R1, R2) based on the result of the evaluation.

The present invention inter alia relates to a radar system (1) comprising a plurality of radar transmission units (10), a plurality of radar reception units (20), and a central unit (30) which is optically connected to the radar transmission units (10) and the radar reception units (20), wherein the central unit (30) comprises at least one Mach-Zehnder amplitude modulator (34) having an optical input port and two optical output ports, and a controller (31), wherein the Mach-Zehnder amplitude modulator (34) is controlled by the controller (31) to operate at a given operational point and outputs a first modulated optical output signal (Sol) and a second modulated optical output signal (So2) in response to an optical input radiation (Pi) and an electrical modulation signal, wherein the first modulated optical output signal (Sol) and the second modulated optical output signal (So2) are complementary to each other, and wherein at least one of said plurality of radar transmission and radar reception units (10, 20) is provided with the first modulated optical output signal (Sol) and at least one other unit of said plurality of radar transmission and radar reception units (10, 20) is provided with the second modulated optical output signal (So2).

An exemplary embodiment of the invention relates to a radar system comprising a radar transmission unit (200), a radar reception unit (300), and a central unit (100) which is optically connected to the radar transmission unit (200) and the radar reception unit (300), wherein at least one of said units comprises a signal separator (500) configured to separate a first signal from a second signal, said first and second signal being comprised in a respective optical carrier signal that said at least one unit receives, the signal separator (500) outputting the first signal at a first electrical output port (P1) and the second signal at a second electrical output port (P2), wherein the signal separator (500) comprises a photodetector (510) configured to receive the respective optical carrier signal and generate a photocurrent (Ip), and wherein the signal separator (500) is configured to extract both the first signal and the second signal from said same photocurrent (Ip) in the electrical domain.

The present invention relates to radar systems, methods of operating radar systems, and vehicles equipped with such radar systems. Inter alia, the invention relates to a method of operating a radar system (1), for instance the radar system (1) of any of the preceding claims, that comprises a central unit (10), a radar transmission unit (20) and a radar reception unit (30), wherein the central unit (10) is optically connected to the radar transmission unit (20) via an optical forward path (50) and connected to the radar reception unit (30) via an optical backward path (60), characterized in that a radar driver signal (RDS) is transmitted as modulated optical radiation via a first optical fiber (51) of the optical forward path (50) to an optical receiver (40) that is electrically connected to the radar transmission unit (20) and the radar reception unit (30), unmodulated optical radiation is transmitted via a second optical fiber (52) of the optical forward path (50) to the radar reception unit (30), an electrical reception signal (AS) corresponding to the received radar radiation (RR) is mixed with the reference signal (RRS), the reference signal (RRS) being the radar driver signal (RDS) or a signal derived therefrom, to generate a baseband signal (BS), and unmodulated optical radiation is modulated with the baseband signal (BS) to generate optically modulated radiation for transmission via the optical backward path (60) to the central unit (10).

Die Erfindung bezieht sich unter anderem auf ein Verfahren zum lokalisierten Aufbringen von Molekülen (M) auf einem Träger (20), bei dem unter Vakuumbedingungen auf dem Träger (20) eine die Moleküle (M) enthaltende, zweidimensionale Monolagengasschicht (MGS) gebildet wird, in der sich die zu der zweidimensionalen Monolagengasschicht (MGS) gehörenden Moleküle (M) parallel zur Oberfläche (21) des Trägers (20) bewegen können, und durch Anlegen einer elektrischen Spannung (U) zwischen dem Träger (20) und einer unmittelbar oberhalb des Trägers (20) und mit der zweidimensionalen Monolagengasschicht (MGS) interagierenden Nadelspitze (12) die in der Nähe der Nadelspitze (12) befindlichen Moleküle (M) der zweidimensionalen Monolagengasschicht (MGS) auf dem Träger (20) gezielt dauerhaft lokalisiert werden.

An exemplary embodiment of the invention relates to a radar component (1) comprising an electric circuit board (5) having a patterned electrical layer (10), a chip (15) comprising an electronic-photonic-integrated circuit which is mounted on a top surface (5a) of the circuit board (5) and electrically connected to electrical traces (20) formed by sections of the electrical layer (10), at least one optical fiber (25) being butt-coupled to an assigned optical waveguide (30) integrated in the chip (15), the core of the butt-coupled end of the fiber (25) lying in the same plane (P) as the optical waveguide (30), said plane (P) being parallel to the said top surface (5a) of the circuit board (5), wherein the alignment between the fiber (25) and the optical waveguide (30) provides a straight, linear transmission of optical radiation between the optical fiber (25) and the optical waveguide (30), at least one radar antenna pad (35) formed by a metal pad of the electrical layer (10) or a metal pad of another electrical layer (100) of the circuit board (5), wherein the radar antenna pad (35) is connected to the chip (15) via at least one of said traces (20), and a microwave waveguide formed by a hollow pipe (45) and coupled to said radar antenna pad (35), wherein the fiber (25) is mechanically carried by a groove of the chip (15) which aligns the core of the fiber (25) with the assigned optical waveguide (30), and wherein a longitudinal axis of the hollow pipe (45) is angled to said plane (P), at least in the vicinity of the radar antenna pad (35).

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