Hemispherical Angular Power Mapping of Installed mmWave Radar Modules Under Realistic Deployment Constraints

TL;DR

This paper introduces a practical hemispherical mapping method for characterizing the angular radiation patterns of embedded mmWave radar modules in real-world deployment scenarios, enabling in-situ validation without traditional measurement setups.

Contribution

It presents a novel in-situ measurement technique for mapping the angular power distribution of installed mmWave modules under realistic constraints.

Findings

Method produces repeatable hemispherical maps

Results agree with full-wave simulations

Enables practical on-site antenna characterization

Abstract

Characterizing the angular radiation behavior of installed millimeter-wave (mmWave) radar modules is increasingly important in practical sensing platforms, where packaging, mounting hardware, and nearby structures can significantly alter the effective emission profile. However, once a device is embedded in its host environment, conventional chamber- and turntable-based antenna measurements are often impractical. This paper presents a hemispherical angular received-power mapping methodology for in-situ EM validation of installed mmWave modules under realistic deployment constraints. The approach samples the accessible half-space around a stationary device-under-test by placing a calibrated receiving probe at prescribed (phi, theta, r) locations using geometry-consistent positioning and quasi-static acquisition. Amplitude-only received-power is recorded using standard RF instrumentation to generate hemispherical angular power maps that capture installation-dependent radiation characteristics. Proof-of-concept measurements on a 60-GHz radar module demonstrate repeatable hemi-spherical mapping with angular trends in good agreement with full-wave simulation, supporting practical on-site characterization of embedded mmWave transmitters.