Radiation Pattern Measurements using an Active Radar Module

Abstract

highly integrated systems like modern automotive radars cannot be measured with a conventional antenna measurement system, as there is no access to the antenna feed line. The possibility of measuring the two-way pattern against a reflector using the transmit and receive module of the radar device itself is already partially used. However, studies on the measurement accuracy for this setup are still missing. Within this study, active radiation pattern measurements done within the robot-based antenna measurement system of the Institute of High Frequency Technology (IHF) of RWTH Aachen University are compared to conventional measurements of identical antennas within the Compact Antenna Test Range of IHF. The measurements were done with scalar feed horn and traveling-wave antennas and with a dihedral, a trihedral and a plate reflector. The results generally validate the measurement capability and show a first analysis on impact parameters like the measurement distance and the chosen reflector.