Experimental Evaluation of Millimeter-Wave FMCW Radar Ranging Precision

This paper quantifies the ranging precision of a 79GHz frequency-modulated continuous wave (FMCW) radar sensor employing typical on-board antenna arrays and off-the-shelf crystal oscillator components. Two radar boards are built using the same transceiver and phase-locked loop chips with external ±25ppm and ±1ppm crystal oscillators. The FMCW ranging precision in each case is measured and compared with that employing a laboratory test equipment as a reference signal. A range accuracy in microns regime is experimentally verified with the employed off-the-shelf crystal oscillators and without additional lens or horn antennas.