A digital mm-wave smart antenna receiver based on six-port technology for near range radar applications

A new direction finding antenna system for use in near range automotive radar applications utilizing six-port technology is presented. The proposed two antennas system consists of a regular full functional five-port receiver for data reception attached to one antenna and one additional path with a second antenna for direction finding. Other than in conventional smart antenna systems the second path does not provide the entire complex signal information hut only a power value. Direction of arrival (DOA) information can be retrieved from comparing the power at the additional port with any of the power readings from the five-port device. This allows to reduce hardware expenses on smart antenna systems. For field applications additional antennas can be easily included in the set-up to increase accuracy and reliability.