High resolution automotive radar measurements of vulnerable road users – pedestrians & cyclists

Several years after successful entry into automotive market radar sensors conquers more and more complex fields of automotive applications like Lane Change Assist or Automatic Emergency Braking systems. Future sensor generations will be challenged by constantly demanding resolution requirements not only determined by consumer rating organizations like EuroNCAP, but also by the challenges induced by highly automated driving features. To satisfy these needs detailed and more accurate information of objects in the vehicle's surrounding and their multi-dimensional extent will be mandatory. To gain information about radar characteristics of pedestrians and cyclists this paper provides measurements captured with a high resolution experimental radar setup. The results are analyzed and the found radar characteristics are discussed in detail, to serve as a basis for future development of sensor hardware and signal processing algorithms.