Novel Antenna Concept for Compact Millimeter-Wave Automotive Radar Sensors

Abstract

Abstract-An antenna concept for compact millimeter-wave radar sensors that desire a fan-beam radiation pattern is proposed. It combines an end-fire antenna on a ceramic substrate with a cylindrical parabolic reflector that can be integrated in the sensor's metal housing. The concept allows a direct interconnection from the active components to the antenna in a flip-chip attachment. It is validated with a 77-GHz Yagi-Uda antenna on a 127-m thick Alumina substrate by measurements with a probe-based measurement setup. The measured return loss, gain, and radiation patterns of the antenna without and with the reflector are given.Index Terms-End-fire antennas, millimeter-wave antennas, millimeter-wave radar, radar antennas, reflector antennas.

Integrated Wideband 2-D and 3-D Transitions for Millimeter-Wave RF Front-Ends

“…INTRODUCTION L OW-COST, wideband, and miniaturized RF 3-D and 2-D transitions that are compatible with current state-of-the-art design rules on flexible materials are critical for an effective performance in millimeter-wave frequencies, the use of which is constantly growing to achieve increasingly higher bandwidths or better radar resolutions [1]- [3]. Realizing compact interconnects with low insertion and reflection loss over an ever-increasing frequency range, sometimes reaching A. Rida, S. Nikolau, and M. M. Tentzeris are with the Electrical Engineering Department, Georgia Institute of Technology, Atlanta, GA 30332 USA (e-mail: arida@gatech.edu; simos.nikolaou@gmail.com; etentze@gatech.edu).…”

24-GHz LTCC Fractal Antenna Array SoP With Integrated Fresnel Lens

“…Miniaturization of the lens and its integration with antennas at a substrate level is gaining interest [5,6]. A grooved Fresnel lens is a suitable candidate for such miniaturized SoP.…”

“…However the lens is 15 mm thick, which makes it incompatible with LTCC technology. In another demonstration of enhanced gain antenna system, a 77 GHz Yagi-Uda antenna array has been integrated with a reflector antenna [6]. A high gain (15 dBi) has been achieved with an overall size of 40 mm x 30 mm x 40 mm.…”

“…A high gain (15 dBi) has been achieved with an overall size of 40 mm x 30 mm x 40 mm. The authors of [6] recommend the use of a multi-layer substrate such as LTCC, since the MMICs can be integrated directly with the system. This paper, for the first time, presents a 24 GHz mixed LTCC SoP comprising an array of fractal antennas integrated with a grooved Fresnel lens.…”

“…The lens not only enhances the array gain but also adds to the robustness of the design by providing protection against harsh conditions such as encountered in automotive radars. Unlike [5], [6] the design is simple and miniaturized, yet provides almost similar performance. The miniaturized module can easily fit into car bumpers or side mirrors etc for automotive radar applications such as blind spot detection.…”