Perception and sensing of the surrounding environment are crucial for ensuring the safety of autonomous driving systems. A key issue is securing sensor reliability from sensors mounted on the vehicle and obtaining accurate raw data. Surface contamination in front of a sensor typically occurs due to adverse weather conditions or particulate matter on the road, which can degrade system reliability depending on sensor placement and surrounding bodywork geometry. Moreover, the moisture content of dust contaminants can cause surface adherence, making it more likely to persist on a vertical sensor surface compared to moisture only. In this work, a 76–81 GHz radar sensor, a 72–82 GHz automotive radome tester, a 60–90 GHz vector network analyzer system, and a 76–81 GHz radar target simulator setup were used in combination with a representative polypropylene plate that was purposefully contaminated with a varying range of water and ISO standard dust combinations; this was used to determine any signal attenuation and subsequent impact on target detection. The results show that the water content in dust contaminants significantly affects radar signal transmission and object detection performance, with higher water content levels causing increased signal attenuation, impacting detection capability across all tested scenarios. © 2025 by the authors.

The use of Millimiter Wave (mmWave) for communication and sensing purposes is one of the functions powered by Next Generation Vehicle-to-Anything (V2X) networks. The arrival of IEEE 802.11bd, which is able to operate in the 60 GHz band, opens the doors of Integrated Sensing and Communication (ISAC) to vehicular networks. Similarly, Radar-based Communication (RadCom) proposes the use of the radar spectrum for communication puproses. In this paper, we perform an analysis of the channel capacity for different configurations of RadCom, showing its potential to offload the V2X spectrum for bumper-to-bumper V2X applications. We finalize with a discussion on the potential for ISAC from both the 802.11bd and RadCom approaches. ©2024 IEEE.

This paper proposes a compact and frequency-adjustable/reconfigurable dielectric (DR)-loaded eighth-mode substrate integrated waveguide (EMSIW) antenna for duplex wireless communications. The miniaturization of the resonators is realized using a rectangular slot and high isolation is achieved by keeping a reasonable space between them. The proposed design is simulated using a three-dimensional (3D) full-wave simulator, then analysed with a circuit model and finally validated experimentally. Frequency-reconfigurability in the suggested antenna is achieved by placing DRs with different permittivities in the designated holes that are realized in the open-ended portion of each resonator. Consequently, the lower- and high-resonant bands can be reconfigured from 4.70 to 5.23 GHz and from 5.55 to 6.34 GHz, respectively. It is worth mentioning that both resonant band can be independently reconfigured. Moreover, the inter-resonator coupling is always lower than −23.5 dB in the bands of interest. Furthermore, the peak realized gains are always greater than 4.7 dBi in the lower frequency band and 5.5 dBi in the higher one. The suggested antenna has stable radiation properties in both bands in all frequency ranges. Hence, this design is suitable for compact reconfigurable devices due to its compactness, large frequency ranges, stable radiation patterns, and high isolation. © 2023 Elsevier GmbH

In electrical engineering, hardware experts often need to analyze electromagnetic radiation data to detect any external interference or anomaly. The field that studies this sort of assessment is called electromagnetic compatibility (EMC). As a way to support EMC analysis, we propose the use of Augmented Situated Visualization (ASV) to supply professionals with visual and interactive information that helps them to comprehend that data, however situating it where it is most relevant in its spatial context. Users are able to interact with the visualization by changing the attributes being displayed, comparing the overlaps of multiple fields, and extracting data, as a way to refine their search. The solutions being proposed in this work were tested against each other in comparable 2D and 3D interactive visualizations of the same data in a series of data-extraction assessments with users, as a means to validate the approaches. Results exposed a correctness-time trade-off between the interaction methods. The hand-based techniques (Hand Slider and Touch Lens) were the least error-prone, being near to half as error-inducing as the gaze-based method. Touch Lens also performed as the least time-consuming method, taking in average less than half of the average time required by the others. For the visualization methods tested, the 2D ray casts presented a higher usability score and lesser workload index than the 3D topology view, however exposing over two times the error ratio. Ultimately, this work exposes how AR can help users to have better performances in a decision-making context, particularly in EMC related tasks, while also furthering the research in the ASV field. © 2020 Elsevier Ltd

Intelligent transportation is heavily reliant on radar, which have unique robustness under heavy rain/fog/snow and poor light conditions. With the rapid increase of the number of radars used on modern vehicles, most operating in the same frequency band, the risk of radar interference becomes an important issue. As in radio communication, interference can be mitigated through coordination. We present and evaluate two approaches for radar interference coordination, one for FMCW and one for OFDM, and highlight their challenges and opportunities. © 2021 IEEE.

Copyright © 2020 for this paper by its authors.In EMC testing, 3D electromagnetic field data often needs to be visually analysed by an expert in order to detect product defects or unwanted interference between multiple devices. In this sense, the present work proposes the use of data visualization techniques allied to an Augmented Reality user interface to provide information that helps professionals to analyse the same data, however spatially situated where it was first measured. Apart from visualizing it, users may also interact with the data to narrow down their search by switching the attributes being displayed, combining them together, applying filters or changing the formatting in which data is presented. The approaches being proposed in this work will ultimately be tested against each other in comparable 2D and 3D interactive visualizations of the same data in a series of usability assessments with users to validate the solutions. The goal is to ultimately expose whether AR can help users to make more accurate decisions, particularly in EMC related tasks.

Automotive radars are subject to interference in spectrally congested environments. To mitigate this interference, various waveforms have been proposed. We compare two waveforms (FMCW and OFDM) in terms of their radar performance and robustness to interference, under similar parameter settings. Our results indicate that under proper windowing both waveforms can achieve similar performance, but OFDM is more sensitive to interference. ©2020 IEEE

The cohabitation of several radars, operating in the same frequency band, has become an essential and urgent topic as active safety systems for automotive applications are rolled out. An obvious concern is that mutual interference must be managed. Separating users in time, i.e. TDMA, achieves the required level of isolation in a straightforward way. CDMA techniques providing sufficient channel isolation are less obvious. The paper develops an alternative CDMA method, called Slow Chirp Modulation (SCM). SCM utilizes the full coherent integration time for transmission of a single aperiodic but ergodic signal, allowing target range and velocity to be retrieved but minimizing spectral occupancy. Spectral efficiency two orders of magnitude higher than for the discussed alternative methods is obtained, allowing more than a thousand non-interfering channels. Relying on indicated hardware schematics, the paper demonstrates the functionality of the novel signal processing algorithms, which are required for SCM. ©2020 IEEE

Autonomous driving relies on a variety of sensors, especially radars, which have unique robustness under heavy rain/fog/snow and poor light conditions. With the rapid increase of the amount of radars used on modern vehicles, where most radars operate in the same frequency band, the risk of radar interference becomes a compelling issue. This article analyzes automotive radar interference and proposes several new approaches that combine industrial and academic expertise toward the goal of achieving interference-free autonomous driving (AD). © IEEE.

Background: The purpose of this study was to determine if 3D printed lenses with wavelength specific anti-reflective (AR) surface structures would improve beam intensity and thus radar efficiency for a Printed Circuit Board (PCB)-based 60 GHz radar. This would have potential for improved low-cost radar lenses for the consumer product market. Methods: A hyperbolic lens was designed in 3D Computer Aided Design (CAD) software and was then modified with a wavelength specified AR structure. Electromagnetic computer simulation was performed on both the ‘smooth’ and ‘AR structure’ lenses and compared to actual 60 GHz radar measurements of 3D printed polylactic acid (PLA) lenses. Results: The simulation results showed an increase of 10% in signal intensity of the AR structure lens over the smooth lens. Actual measurement showed an 8% increase in signal of the AR structure lens over the smooth lens. Conclusions: Low cost and readily available Fused Filament Fabrication (FFF) 3D printing has been shown to be capable of printing an AR structure coated hyperbolic lens for millimeter wavelength radar applications. These 3D Printed AR structure lenses are effective in improving radar measurements over non-AR structure lenses. © 2019 by the authors. Licensee MDPI, Basel, Switzerland.