Method for testing the transmission and reflection properties of an automotive radome body as well as apparatus for testing the transmission and reflection properties of an automotive radome body

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-10288661-B2
Application number	US-201715621119-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Jun 13, 2017
Priority date	Jun 14, 2016
Publication date	May 14, 2019
Grant date	May 14, 2019

Abstract

A method for testing the transmission and reflection properties of an automotive radome body is described. An automotive radome body is placed at an installation location. A first signal is sent via at least one transmission antenna of an antenna system facing a first side of the radome body wherein the reflected part of the first signal is received by several receiving antennas of the antenna system facing the first side in order to determine the reflection properties of the radome body. A second signal is sent via a remote transmission antenna facing a second side of the radome body being opposite to the first side wherein the transmitted part of the second signal is received by the several receiving antennas of the antenna system in order to determine the transmission properties of the radome body. Further, an apparatus is described.

First claim

The embodiments of the invention in which an exclusive property or privilege is claimed are defined as follows:

1. A method for testing the transmission and reflection properties of an automotive radome body, comprising the following steps:
a) placing an automotive radome body at an installation location,
b) sending a first signal via at least one transmission antenna of an antenna system facing a first side of said radome body, wherein
c) the reflected part of said first signal is received by several receiving antennas of said antenna system facing said first side in order to determine the reflection properties of said radome body, and
d) sending a second signal via a remote transmission antenna facing a second side of said radome body being opposite to said first side, wherein
e) the transmitted part of said second signal is received by said several receiving antennas in order to determine the transmission properties of said radome body.

2. The method according to claim 1 , wherein the transmitted part of said second signal in step d) is analyzed in order to determine the angle dependency of the transmission properties of said radome body on its transmission side.

3. The method according to claim 1 , wherein the reflected part of the first signal received by said receiving antennas is analyzed in order to obtain information about at least one of homogeneity and impedance matching of said radome body.

4. The method according to claim 1 , wherein at least said remote transmission antenna is switched off during step b).

5. The method according to claim 1 , wherein at least said remote transmission antenna is switched off during steps b) and c).

6. The method according to claim 1 , wherein a third signal is sent by said remote transmission antenna.

7. The method according to claim 6 , wherein the reflected part of said third signal is received by said remote receiving antenna.

8. The method according to claim 1 , wherein a remote receiving antenna facing said second side of said radome body is provided which receives at least one of reflected and transmitted signals.

9. The method according to claim 8 , wherein said remote receiving antenna is switched on during step b) in order to receive a transmitted part of said first signal.

10. The method according to claim 1 , wherein several transmission antennas are provided which are facing said first side.

11. The method according to claim 10 , wherein the transmitted part of said first signal received by said remote receiving antenna is analyzed in order to determine the angle dependency of the transmission properties of said radome body on its reception side.

12. The method according to claim 1 , wherein a calibration step is performed, wherein no radome body is located at said installation location.

13. The method according to claim 12 , wherein the calibration step is performed at least one of before step a) and after step e).

14. An apparatus for testing the transmission and reflection properties of an automotive radome body, wherein said apparatus comprises:
an installation location for said radome body;
an antenna system;
at least one remote receiving antenna as well as at least one remote transmitting antenna,
wherein said antenna system is located such that it faces a first side of said installation location whereas said remote antennas are located such that they face a second side of said installation location being opposite to said first side.

15. The apparatus according to claim 14 , wherein a control unit is provided to which said antenna system and said remote antennas are connected such that they can be controlled independently.

16. The apparatus according to claim 14 , wherein said antenna system comprises at least one transmission antenna and at least one receiving antenna.

17. The apparatus according to claim 14 , wherein said antenna system comprises at least one of several transmission antennas and several receiving antennas.

18. The apparatus according to claim 14 , wherein said at least one transmission antenna and said at least one receiving antenna are disposed in a common device.

19. The apparatus according to claim 18 , wherein said at least one transmission antenna and said at least one receiving antenna are disposed in a millimeter wave active imaging device.

20. A method for testing the transmission and reflection properties of an automotive radome body, comprising the following steps:
placing an automotive radome body at an installation location,
sending a first signal via at least one transmission antenna of an antenna system facing a first side of said radome body, wherein the reflected part of said first signal is received by several receiving antennas of said antenna system facing said first side in order to determine the reflection properties of said radome body, and
sending a second signal via a remote transmission antenna that is separately formed with respect to the antenna system, said remote transmission antenna facing a second side of said radome body being opposite to said first side, wherein the transmitted part of said second signal is received by said several receiving antennas in order to determine the transmission properties of said radome body.

Assignees

• Rohde & Schwarz

Inventors

• Ahmed Sherif
• Koeppel Tobias

Classifications

• G01R27/28

  Measuring attenuation, gain, phase shift or derived characteristics of electric four pole networks, i.e. two-port networks; Measuring transient response (in line transmission systems H04B3/46) · CPC title

• G01S7/4004 Primary

  of parts of a radar system · CPC title

• H01Q1/421

  Means for correcting aberrations introduced by a radome · CPC title

• G01S2013/93271

  in the front of the vehicles · CPC title

• G01R29/0878

  Sensors; antennas; probes; detectors (wave guide measuring sections G01R1/24) · CPC title