Two-Way Pattern Characterization with Reflector-Based Measurements for Polarimetric MIMO Radar

In modern integrated automotive radar systems, conventional methods for measuring the antenna's radiation pattern are often prohibited due to limited access to the antenna feed point. Thus, the two-way radiation pattern of a frequency-modulated continuous wave (FMCW) radar is measured against a reflector. In this context, the polarization scattering matrix of the reflector and the impact of necessary post-processing steps are crucial for obtaining reliable results. The findings for circular polarization and both equal and orthogonal polarization combinations demonstrate an overall good recovery of the main beam over frequency. Within post-processing, the range gating and different windowing for the fast Fourier transform (FFT) and inverse FFT (IFFT) are analyzed. Among these, the Hann window yields the best result.