Graphic of a radar screen

Radar Testing

Test services for various radar applications

Radar in the industry

Radar applications at “unusual” frequencies in the industrial sector or, for example, at airports are subject to very different regulations – as far as they exist at all. cetecom advanced helps the pioneers from the development departments via various analyses and exception procedures that the devices are approved. We can carry out the partly very special tests directly in our in-house laboratories up to 500 GHz.

Radar in the automotive industry

Schwarzes Auto in einem Messlabor

Radar is used in modern vehicle safety systems in conjunction with cameras, ultrasound and other sensors. The aim is to obtain information about a vehicle’s surroundings.  There are three main types of automotive radar technology, which differ primarily in the distance of the measurement range:

  • Short-range radar (SRR): maximum measuring range ≤ 30 m distance
  • Medium-range radar (MRR): maximum measuring range ≤ 150 m distance
  • Long-range radar (LRR): maximum measuring range ≤ 250 m distance

With advances in autonomous driving, the number of radar sensors required in a vehicle is increasing for redundancy and measurement accuracy reasons; including radar sensors for blind spot, stop-and-go functionality, automatic speed control, and lane assistance systems.

These fields of application make use of different frequency ranges:

Frequency range Use cases (examples) Classification
24.05 GHz – 24.25 GHz Distance warning MRR
Blind spot detection, lane change assistance, etc. MRR
76 GHz – 77 GHz Adaptive cruise control LRR
Cross-traffic alert system MRR
Blind spot detection, lane change assistance, etc. MRR
Stop-and-go assist SRR
Blind spot detection, lane change assistance, etc. SRR
77 GHz – 81 GHz Not yet fully regulated.

 

Regulation

For most countries, the regulation is divided into the two frequency bands 76-77 GHz and 77-81 GHz:

  • For 76 – 77 GHz, the technical requirements for acceptance are basically homogeneous.
  • For 77 – 81 GHz, many countries have not yet defined any regulation.

Exception: In 2017, the FCC has homogenized spectrum regulation for both areas and is thus one step ahead of many countries.

High frequencies - high regulation?

A relatively new trend is the use of very high frequencies, well above those used in cars. New industrial systems may require radars, some of which operate well above 100 GHz (for example, for improved measurement of material properties during manufacturing, more accurate detection of geometric shapes, or in security technology). Until now, these frequency ranges have often been considered “useless” – and that is why many countries do not even have regulations for them that allow their use or even regulate them in detail.

Our services

In our accredited laboratories in Essen, Saarbrücken and Milpitas (USA) we offer test services for radar technologies. In accordance with the above-mentioned specifications, we test the following contents, among others:

  • Operating frequency range / occupied bandwidth
  • Average power
  • Peak power
  • 3-D antenna pattern (radar beam analysis)
  • Undesired emissions in the out-of-band range
  • Undesired emissions caused by harmonics
  • Unwanted emissions caused by receivers
  • Interference immunity of receiver / receiver blocking
  • Frequency stability

With the modern equipment of our laboratories, including signal and spectrum analyzers for up to 85 GHz, millimeter-wave signal generators from 50 to 170 GHz and harmonic mixers, we are able to test future generations of broadband radar systems. And if, as in the case of the harmonics, it should go a little higher, no problem! We cover the frequency ranges up to 500 GHz for you with our calibrated measurement equipment and the experience of our staff.

Our test reports are recognized worldwide and can be used for market approval in Europe, USA, Canada and Japan. cetecom advanced’s service portfolio even goes beyond the country requirements mentioned above: for example, the testing services in our ISO-17025 accredited laboratories include regulatory radar testing for a variety of international certification systems based on different test specifications and standards.

The following services make up our radar radio offering:

24 GHz range, e.g.:

  • Europe:
    • ETSI EN 302 858 (24.05 – 24.50 GHz, TTT)
    • ETSI EN 300 440 (24.00 – 24.25 GHz)
  • USA:
    • FCC Part 15.245 (24.075 – 24.175 GHz)
    • FCC Part 15.249 (24.000 – 24.250 GHz)
  • Canada:
    • RSS-210 B.10 (24.00 – 24.25 GHz)
    • RSS-210 F (24.075 – 24.175 GHz)
  • Japan:
    • TELEC-T308 (24.05 – 24.25 GHz)

60 GHz range, e.g.:

  • Europe:
    • ETSI EN 305 550 (57 – 64 GHz)
  • USA:
    • FCC Part 15.255 (57 – 71 GHz)
  • Canada:
    • RSS-210 J (57 – 71 GHz)
  • Japan:
    • 57 – 66 GHz

77 GHz range, e.g.:

  • Europe:
    • ETSI EN 301 091 (76 – 77 GHz)
    • ETSI EN 302 264 (77 – 81 GHz)
  • USA:
    • FCC Part 95 M (76 – 81 GHz)
  • Canada:
    • RSS-251 (76 – 81 GHz)
  • Japan:
    • ARIB STD-T48 / TELEC–T306 (76 – 77 GHz)
    • ARIB STD-T111 / TELEC-T319 (77 – 81 GHz)

120 GHz range, e.g.:

  • Europe:
    • ETSI EN 305 550 (120 – 123 GHz)
  • USA:
    • FCC Part 15.258 (116 – 123 GHz)
  • Canada:
    • RSS-295 (116 – 123 GHz)

Of course, we are also happy to complete our portfolio of radio measurements for you with our other testing and certification services.