A team of engineers from the University of California, San Diego has developed hardware for a new generation automobile radar system designed to keep drivers and unseen pedestrians safe.

Electrical engineering researchers from the UC San Diego Jacobs School of Engineering developed an advanced automotive phased-array radar system that is a crucial element in a high-precision automotive radar system.

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Prior research by UC San Diego electrical engineering professor Gabriel Rebeiz, a leader in phased-array technology research, was built upon by the new engineering team.

The new system is the first time RF (radio frequency) beam forming phased-array technologies have been used in radar systems designed to be fitted onto civilian automobiles. Beam forming phased-array technologies use organized clusters of directional antennas and are often seen in defense and satellite applications.

The new radar system for cars takes high-resolution images of an area 100 meters around the moving vehicle. The data obtained is far more comprehensive than that provided by first-generation vehicle radar systems currently installed in a number of cars.

The experimental phased radar system was described by Rebeiz as akin to a telescope or a "zoom" lens. Moving right or left, the array of antennas moves in a regular pattern across the area around the vehicle,

The array takes high-resolution photos of what is currently happening with a delay of less than a microsecond. The technology is a far-cry from current radar systems that perform like wide-angle lenses able to discern less detail.

"If you have a large wide-angle lens, you are collecting all this bright light; you will not see the faint light of a person standing in front of a truck or car. The second generation automotive radar systems will provide much more precise images," Rebeiz explained. "The difference is the high resolution and dynamic range."

TagsPhased array radar, Automobile safety, Car safety, Pedestrians, Radar, sensor, Antenna, Vehicle safety