Millimeter-Wave Automotive Radar Scheme With Passive Reflector For Blind Corner Conditions

One of the primary functions of millimeter-wave automotive radar is collision avoidance. This application is typically realized in line-of-sight conditions. However, it does not perform well in situations, when another car suddenly come into view around the corner of a building. Hence, this paper proposes a radar scheme with a reflector, enabling the detection of an oncoming car in blind corner conditions. First, our ray tracing modelling results demonstrate the difficulties of straightforward non-line-of-sight radar application in such a scenario. Then the paper considers the installation of a planar reflector, which should solve the issue. This is verified with real-world measurements. The results also indicate that the detection performance is sensitive to the around-the-corner car position and orientation of the reflector. Specifically, +/-10 degree deviation varies the signal-to-noise ratio of more than 20 dB. Thus, the location and direction of the reflector should be adopted individually for the particular deployment.