Serial Patch Array Antenna for an FMCW Radar Housed in a White Cane

The design, realization, and test of the transmitting and receiving antennas for an FMCW radar operating between 24 and 24.25 GHz (ISM band), to be housed in a white cane for improving mobility of visually impaired subjects, have been performed. The coaxial-to-microstrip transition necessary for feeding the antennas has been studied together with the characteristics of serial arrays of increasing number of patches. Based on this study, a serial array with 8 patches has been selected for the transmitting and receiving antennas. The realized structures show a reflection coefficient lower than −10 dB in the ISM band. When the antennas are attached to an FMCW radar board, the radar is able to record reflections from a metallic panel up to a 5 m distance.