A millimetre wave reflector antenna for telematic applications

A shaped beam reflector antenna suitable for future telematic systems has been successfully demonstrated at 63 GHz. This has shown that reflector profile synthesis based on an aperture plane approach can be applied to highly shaped beams extending over wide angular regions. The antenna performance can be significantly modified by scattering from the feed and surrounding structures. These effects can be predicted by use of the FDTD method of analysis in place of a more conventional physical optics approach which neglects nearby dielectric bodies. This allows the investigation of antenna performance when installed in a wide range of locations on motor vehicles. Potential low cost manufacturing techniques have been identified and it is believed that a millimetre-wave reflector antenna could be economically viable for the consumer automotive market.