Attenuation and Reflection Characterization Using Millimeter Wave FMCW Radar and a Known Reflective Plate

Nair, Deepak

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https://hdl.handle.net/2142/124813 Copy

Description

Title

Attenuation and Reflection Characterization Using Millimeter Wave FMCW Radar and a Known Reflective Plate

Author(s)

Nair, Deepak

Issue Date

2023-05-01

Keyword(s)

Material Characterization, Attenuation, Reflectivity, Transmittance,60GHz, mmWave Radar

Abstract

As millimeter wave technology becomes increasingly present in our daily lives through 5G networks and sensing applications, it is essential to investigate their interaction with the physical world. Vector Network Analyzers are the current standard for accurate measurements, yet their high cost makes them impractical for the average consumer. Commercial radars are effective alternatives, as accurate backscatter measurements can be realized, at lower cost and size. This investigation seeks to study the use of a single monostatic radar to measure the transmittance and reflectance constants of material in an indoor environment. A 60GHz FMCW radar (IWR6843AOP) is mounted at normal incidence to a set of dielectric materials with an identically sized metal reflector being placed behind at changing separations. The metal reflector acts as a faux transmitter mitigating the colocation of the transmitter and reflector, allowing observations of transmittance and absorption. The measurement configurations are varied to classify wave propagation parameters such as transmittance, absorption, and reflectance for the three dielectrics: plywood, plexiglass, and polyethylene. The results from these measurements classify S-parameters at reasonable precision considering the inherent variability and limitation of the experiment configuration. Plywood significantly attenuates millimeter waves, posing difficulty in their characterization. Plexiglass and polyethylene exhibit high permittivity values, with the latter being more permeable. The results indicate commercial FMCW radars' viability for material property measurements, which can be further improved with calibrated setups and further signal processing.

Type of Resource

text

Language

eng

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