Human safety is one of the highest priorities in the automotive industry. The demands made for reliable safety systems have been increasing tremendously in the past decade. The radar sensors used for safety systems should be capable of detecting not only automobiles but also motorcycles, bicycles, pedestrians, roadside objects and any other obstacles the vehicle may come in contact with.
This thesis investigates several performance aspects and test procedures for a 77 GHz long range radar sensor with different test target objects. This assessment helps to investigate the potential to use these radar sensors for obstacle detection and/or avoidance for smaller objects like bicycles, humans, traffic barrels, 4” poles, metal sheets, and also for bigger objects like vans, motorcycles, aircraft, etc. For these purposes, different test cases were developed to evaluate the performance. The different test cases used to test a 77 GHz radar sensor includes: finding maximum range, range accuracy, finding maximum field of view, detection (& separation) of two target objects (similar & different) at different radial distances, and maximum range for detecting an aircraft. Observations were made with the radar sensor mounted on a moving cart and the measurements were logged. The results from these tests will provide insight into analyzing the possibilities and limitations of these radar sensors for different applications.
The tests were successfully conducted on a flat, open field at Ohio University Airport, Albany, OH.