Automotive radar at 77 GHz is in production and thus on the road since 1998. However, only recently the production numbers have exploded. In 2015 Mercedes-Benz has reportedly installed more than 2.5 Mio. Radar units (77 & 24 GHz,respectively, in its newly delivered cars). Two of the big 4 – Bosch and Conti – have delivered more than 2 Mio. Radar sets each until today. Valeo presented a 77 GHz radar architecture based on LTCC for mass production at the EuMWeek 2016 in London.

Up-to-now OEMs just sell their cars – and that’s it. In the future we will need maintenance facilities at the dealership of the different OEMs. A 77 GHz sensor on the road for 100,000 km and being nearly 10 years old must still be able to perform faultlessly! Measurement approaches for this purpose (OTA - over-the-air) as well for end-of-line production will be reviewed here.