Patent ID: 8471775

Claim:
A radar apparatus comprising: a transmitting antenna section to transmit a radar beam when supplied with a transmit signal; a receiving antenna section to receive the radar beam reflected from an object and output a receive signal; a signal generating section to generate the transmit signal to be supplied to the transmitting antenna section; and a signal processing section to process the receive signal outputted from the receiving antenna section in order to obtain information on the object; wherein each of the transmitting antenna section and the receiving antenna section include at least one array antenna and the radar apparatus further includes a frequency control section to control a frequency of the transmit signal; and wherein the at least one array antenna comprises: a feed line; and a plurality of radiating element sections arranged at a predetermined arranging interval in a first direction, each of the radiating element sections including at least one radiating element fed a traveling wave through the feed line; wherein an inter-element line length as a length of the feed line between each succeeding two of the radiating element sections is longer than the arranging interval; the feed line is laid in a shape of a series of cranks, and is constituted of a first partial feed line group including a plurality of first partial feed lines each extending in the first direction and disposed in first and second rows along the first direction, and a second partial feed line group including a plurality of second partial feed lines each extending in a second direction perpendicular to the first direction to series-connect the first partial feed lines; each of the radiating element sections includes a branch line separate from and branching from the feed line, the radiating elements of which being arranged along the branch line to be fed from the branch line; and each of the radiating element sections has one of a first structure in which the radiating elements thereof are fed in succession in a first orientation along the second direction and a second structure in which the radiating elements thereof are fed in succession in a second orientation opposite to the first orientation along the second direction, the radiating element sections having the first structure and the radiating element sections having the second structure being disposed alternately along the first direction.