Automotive radar and related traffic applications of millimeterwaves

The advantages of millimeterwave systems are common knowledge today; one outstanding application area is automotive radar. Since 1975 many companies, institutions and laboratories have experimented with various millimeterwave pulse- and/or FM-CW-radar systems. A summary of the efforts since 1988 is given. Having small size antennas to fit into the front of a car (thus the choice of 77 GHz) such radars are built for short range use only, up to 150 m maximum (European specification-US 100 m only) and have to be and can be achieved easily, under all weather conditions. However, such stand alone units like the AICC (Autonomous Intelligent Cruise Control) radar is only the beginning. Traffic flow monitoring and control and the ultimate goal of cooperative driving needs the implementation of communication means between infrastructure and vehicle as well as the vehicle-to-vehicle communication. It is only today, that demand pull has taken over from the usual technology push. Passenger-comfort and traffic-safety is the design goal for the future, to provide competitive advantages for car manufacturers also within the next century