Millimetre wave antennas for vehicle based telematic applications

The requirements for antennas for future telematic systems at 63 GHz have been considered. Making reasonable assumptions about other terms in link budget calculations leads to an antenna directivity requirement of -2ldBi for communication with roadside beacons. However, communication with near by vehicles requires null-free coverage at wide angles. Additional requirements are that the antenna should be low cost, unobtrusive on the vehicle and tolerant to a range of climatic conditions. Two antenna options have been considered in detail. A single aperture antenna, consisting of a mechanically scanned shaped reflector, has been successfully designed and built. This antenna has demonstrated the successful application of shaped reflector synthesis software, originally written for the design of satellite antennas, to antennas with wide-angle coverage for automotive applications. (6 pages)