An Improved Performance Radar Sensor for K-Band Automotive Radars

Area of Science:

• Electrical Engineering
• Antenna Theory
• Microwave Engineering

Background:

• Automotive radar systems require high-performance antennas for reliable operation.
• Ultra-wideband (UWB) technology offers advantages in resolution and penetration for radar applications.
• Existing antenna designs may face limitations in gain and bandwidth for advanced automotive sensing.

Purpose of the Study:

• To present a novel planar grid antenna array (PGAA) configuration for automotive UWB radar.
• To enhance antenna gain and impedance bandwidth using split-ring resonator (SRR) elements and a superstrate layer.
• To validate the proposed antenna's suitability for automotive radar applications.

Main Methods:

• Design and simulation of a PGAA with 31 radiating elements operating in the 24 GHz band.
• Incorporation of split-ring resonator (SRR) elements to improve bandwidth and gain.
• Addition of a superstrate dielectric layer to further optimize antenna performance.
• Utilizing the MIMO concept for system realization.

Main Results:

• The proposed PGAA achieved a gain of 16.5 dBi at 24 GHz, an improvement of 2.7 dB.
• The impedance bandwidth was enhanced to 9.3 GHz (37.7%).
• Measured impedance bandwidth ranged from 20 GHz to 29.3 GHz (S11 < -10 dB).

Conclusions:

• The novel PGAA design effectively enhances gain and bandwidth for UWB automotive radar.
• The integration of SRR elements and a superstrate layer significantly improves antenna performance.
• The validated antenna configuration is suitable for next-generation automotive radar sensing applications.