Radar Testing
mmWave and sub-THz radars are slowly but surely becoming ubiquitous in our daily lives, and they need to be tested with the right equipment. There are several distinct and complementary aspects of accurate radar testing. The first is to look at the pure radar RF metrics, like beamforming tests, antenna gain tests, and other radiation pattern captures. This is essential to assess whether the critical radio capabilities of the radar system will support high performance at the application level. The second type of measurement is ad hoc radar performance evaluation, usually performed against fixed, moving, or simulated radar targets. For instance, this test could detect any blind spot in the radar 3D coverage or other impairment that thorough radar testing will uncover.
Applications needing radar testing
Radars have been used since their invention during WWII for a multitude of applications and are now very common in our daily lives. The frequencies radars use for their operation have been rising continuously for two reasons: first because technology allows for higher frequency circuit feasibility, and second because higher frequency brings greater bandwidth, hence greater resolution. For example, parking assistance radar for automobiles, which has been in the K band around 24 GHz for many years, is getting supplanted or augmented by 77 GHz for anti-collision avoidance and some autonomous driving capabilities. Now radars are entering inside the vehicle for driver awareness detection or back seat presence detection at 60GHz and above. Home security, crowd management, agriculture, drones and defense are only the tip of the numerous applications radars are used for nowadays. These applications demand adequate radar testing strategies.
mmWave and sub-THz radar test systems
Given the higher frequency and higher resolution and complexity, great care should be used to choose the right system to make your evaluation complete. Ideally, like many of our existing customers, you prefer a solution that can accompany your project from the design phase to production.
Thanks to its modularity and its set of accessories, you can trust MilliBox for providing a single affordable and flexible solution for mmWave and sub-THz radar testing at RF level and at performance evaluation level all in one.
If your project involves mmWave or sub-THz radar testing or performance measurement, do not hesitate to contact us for a complete evaluation of your requirements. We have supplied countless standard and semi-custom radar test benches to leaders in this developing market, please contact us today to see a live demo and move your testing capabilities to the next level.