80 GHz automotive radar

The idea of equipping cars with radar has been around for a long time, but it is only with the arrival of low cost, compact millimetre-wave radars, that such systems have become practicable. The availability of suitable radar sensors and of sophisticated digital signal processing has opened up two important applications for millimetre-wave radar in cars: one is as a relatively simple forward-looking sensor for an intelligent cruise control (ICC) and the other is as a more sophisticated obstacle warning radar (OWR), to warn the driver of potential hazards in his path in degraded visibility. The author describes some of the background technology for millimetre-wave automotive radar and presents experimental results both for an ICC and for a radar sensor for an OWR