35 GHz FM-CW radar modules

At IRCTR, a collision avoidance radar demonstrator (Colarado) for autonomous vehicles is under development. The radar task is to avoid collisions by detecting the presence of obstacles and by determining the obstacle positions and velocities in the near range of the radar. In the years 1996-1999, an X-band (centre frequency 9.75 GHz, bandwidth 1.5 GHz) demonstrator was built to prove the concept. Since 1998, an IRCTR programme has started to upgrade the X-band system to the Ka-band (in the frequency band 33.4-35.2 GHz) and to the W-band (in the frequency band of 76-77 GHz). In these mm-wave bands, automotive applications can be realised. This paper focusses on Ka-band system design aspects and on the required transmit/receive (T/R) components to be used for integration into T/R modules.