/// AUTOMOTIVE TESTING\\\


RTS puts automotive radars to the test


A new test system from Rohde & Schwarz has been developed to electronically simulate moving objects to test automotive radar sensors


R


ohde & Schwarz’s radar test system (RTS) simulates driv-


ing scenarios for advanced driver assist systems (ADAS) and radar sensors used in au- tonomously driving (AD) cars entirely over the air. It consists of the new R&S AREG800A auto- motive radar echo generator as a back end and the R&S QAT100 antenna array as a front end. Laterally moving objects – those approach-


ing from the side – are currently simulated by mechanically moving antennas. The RTS re- places this by electronically switching on and off individual antennas. Even objects moving laterally to the car at very high speed can be simulated reliably and reproducibly. The RTS is able to simulate the radial velocity (Doppler shift) and the size (radar cross section) of ob- jects at even very small configurable ranges. Countless objects can be represented by cas- cading multiple AREG800A back ends. The RTS moves into the lab tests that are currently performed on the road. This allows early error detection and a significant reduction in costs.


Radar sensors \\\ As key components in autonomous driving,


the number of radar sensors in vehicles is growing because as well as long-range radars being required by NCAP (New Car Assessment Programme), more corner radars are installed that can monitor objects moving laterally. The latest generation of radar sensors


comes with integrated RF antennas and signal processors for object recognition accommo- dated on the same chip. That is why the ob- jects to be recognised need to be simulated over the air in radar sensor tests. With its back end system and the antenna


array front end, the RTS is a target simulator that generates dynamic radar echoes that can be used at all stages of automobile radar sen- sor testing – from pre-development through hardware-in-the-loop lab tests and on to val- idation of ADAS/AD functions integrated in the vehicle.


14 /// DAQ, Sensors & Instrumentation \\\ 2021


Test configuration \\\ The backend can simulate a large number of


independent artificial objects and dynami- cally vary their range, size and radial veloc- ity. With an instantaneous bandwidth of 4GHz between 76GHz and 81GHz, it covers the typi- cal frequency range of current and future au- tomotive radar sensors. The front end uses up to 192 independently


switchable antennas to simulate objects mov- ing laterally to the car’s direction of move- ment, providing very fine resolution, high switching speed and high repeatability. Elec- tronic switching of the antennas does not cause any wear to RF cables and other mov- ing parts, as is otherwise encountered with mechanical antenna motion used in tradi- tional test systems.


Automotive radar sensors can now be tested electronically


rather than with mechanically moving antennas, top; the RTS comprises an echo generator and antenna


array, inset; rapidly moving objects moving laterally can be simulated with high


positional precision to fully test the radar


An optional transmit array makes it possi-


ble to simulate two objects very close to- gether and moving laterally to the car. The small patch antennas and the absorber-lined surface provide a low-reflection RF front end with a very small radar cross section. This re- duces the sensor’s noise floor and suppresses close-range targets and potential multi-path reflections. The antenna spacing of just 3.7mm delivers very fine angular resolution. Multiple front ends can be combined to cover larger fields of view of radar sensors. An an- gular resolution of less than 0.5° is possible. Starting from simple scenarios such as au-


tomatic emergency breaking (AEB), the R&S RTS can be extended to cover very complex scenarios with multiple radar sensors thanks to its modularity and scalability. DS&I


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