Sub-6 GHz plane wave generator design for automotive antenna over-the-air testing

Abstract

Automotive antennas are gaining importance due to their increasingly important role for autonomous driving with the development of the Internet of Vehicles. However, over-the-air testing on automotive antennas is difficult owing to its large volume and complex body structure. Plane wave generators can approximate uniform plane waves in the near field of the device under test, which can greatly reduce the measurement distance and thereby decreasing the cost compared with direct far-field solutions. This letter designs three plane wave generators for three quiet zone sizes selected according to the vehicle structure at 5.9 GHz, achieving quiet zone sizes of 1.45 m $\times 0.23$ m, 2.9m $\times 0.56$ m, and 3.9 m $\times 1.27$ m, respectively. Within the three quiet zones, amplitude deviations of 0.82, 0.34, and 0.34 dB and phase deviations of $9.4^{\circ }$, $6.{72}^{\circ }$ and $1.{42}^{\circ }$ are realized, respectively, according to the numerical simulations. Uncertainty analysis is further implemented to investigate the robustness of the designed PWGs proposed in this letter.