Millimeter wave radar for the obstacle detection and warning system for helicopters

Abstract

An obstacle detection and warning system for civil helicopters is now being developed. An infrared camera and a 94 GHz millimeter wave (MMW) radar have been used as its sensor. Experimental MMW radars have been built to examine their propagation properties and obstacle detection performance. A 94 GHz Vivaldi antenna has been fabricated for a compact radar antenna. Measured results demonstrated that the experimental FMCW radar has a satisfactory range and accuracy. It was also shown that the Vivaldi antenna worked well at A 90 to 100 GHz frequency range.