Automotive mm-wave radar: status and trends in system design and technology

Automotive millimetre-wave radar sensors are moving rapidly from a research and development status in the pre-production phase. The rapid progress in RF-technology, the explosion of processing speed, and decreasing prices of mm-wave components make radar more and more interesting as a consumer product. For monitoring the car's motion and surroundings (especially in the direction of motion) radar systems have been investigated and applied since the early 1970s by all major car companies, many institutes and laboratories. Automotive radar facilitates various functions that increase the driver's safety and convenience. Exact measurement of distance and relative velocity of objects in front, beside, or behind the car allow the realisation of systems which improve the driver's ability to perceive objects during bad optical visibility or objects hidden in the blind spot during changing lanes or parking manoeuvres. Especially, the forward looking radar type is extensively tested by nearly all major car companies world-wide either for obstacle warning (OWR) or to allow autonomous intelligent cruise control (AICC) functions. This paper reviews the development status in millimetre-wave forward looking radar sensors for automotive applications in Europe, the US, and Japan and reports on trends in system design and technology.