Feature: Communications


Figure 1: Typical automotive wireless applications and their antennas


Selecting antennas for ADAS I


applications By Edoardo Genovese, RF Product Development Manager, TTi Other information-based systems such


mproving road safety is a must for most countries. According to the European Commission, in 2019, in Europe, there were 2% fewer deaths than in 2018; nevertheless, that’s still some 22,800 road traffi c


fatalities. Eff orts are underway to reduce this


death toll; for example, the Commission’s project “Vision Zero” aims to achieve zero deaths on European roads by 2050. Car makers are helping by making


vehicles safer. Modern cars are now equipped with a dazzling array of advanced driver assistance systems (ADAS), which improve safety through automated functions such as blind-spot detection, adaptive cruise control, lane assist and emergency braking.


as traffi c-sign detection and real-time route guidance using vehicle-to-vehicle (V2V) and vehicle-to-infrastructure (V2X) systems also improve road safety, all of which use sensors and systems like video cameras, lidar and radar. Powerful microprocessors process this data in real time, and keep the driver informed about the road ahead. More recent ADAS innovations are


focusing on the inside of the vehicle, for systems such as driver monitoring – used to check driver alertness through their gaze and head position. Increasingly, ADAS functions require


wireless communication within and outside the vehicle, which requires effi cient antennas. Figure 1 shows some


18 November 2021 www.electronicsworld.co.uk


of the typical wireless-based applications found in a modern vehicle, and the types of antennas used. Antenna design is a specialist skill,


requiring a deep understanding of how a radio frequency signal is radiated from a transmitting source. For signal reception, for example via GNSS (global navigation satellite system) for the vehicle’s infotainment system, the design characteristics are especially important due to the extremely low signal strengths received from orbiting satellites.


Resonant devices Antennas come in all shapes and sizes. Typically, their size relates to the wavelength or frequency of operation. Being resonant devices, they operate


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