Autonomous vehicles need robust sensing capabilities to make safe driving decisions, but most modern obstacle detection approaches rely on light-based systems (i.e., cameras and lidar), which can be unreliable in challenging weather and lighting conditions. This research applies millimeter-wave (mmWave) radar to image an automobile. Phase and signal strength are recorded at points in a grid layout facing the vehicle using a frequency-modulated continuous wave radar (FMCW) operating at 77 GHz. All data is collected using electromagnetic simulation software. Each set of simulated measurements is converted to a heatmap for observation. The resulting images include some visual indicators of a car’s presence but will require future signal processing work or higher resolution simulations for practical use.
