Chambers for the evaluation of vehicle mounted antennas

The increasing demand for sensors and systems that use RF communication in one form or another in modern vehicles is driving the growing degree of complexity and control system density. For many of these systems, it is necessary to perform some level of individual performance evaluation that may involve an over the air component in the performance assessment. Although this may be just one aspect of the overall system operation, it could be a vital part since there are many external environmental factors outside the control of the system that could have a profound impact on performance. The importance of over the air propagation for sensors and infotainment, including the legacy radio channels has intensified the need for measurement facilities with enhanced sensitivity, capability and increased frequency coverage. One of the developing test techniques are presented along with a discussion on the merits of free space versus measurements over a reflective and lossy ground plane.